The Seed Cast

Boston and LA based musician, songwriter, and guitarist Zach Comtois was kind enough to sit down with The Seed Cast this week. Zach has played for hundreds of thousands of people on stages all over the world. He has appeared on The Today Show, The Billboard Music Awards, Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve, and The iTunes Music Festival in London, just to name a few. He’s played with many esteemed artists including Keb Mo, Jesse Rubin, and was the performing guitarist for Britney Spears during her award winning Las Vegas Residency. In this episode Zach gives us a look at what a true obsession looks like and how the time spent practicing can pay off. He touches upon the forgiveness built into a 9-5 work structure, how the golden standard of gear isn’t always what's best, and why the barrier for entry in songwriting is the lowest it's ever been. Check out some of his shredding at youtube.com/zachcomtois and follow him on instagram @zachcomtois.

Zach’s Artist picks: Billie Eilish, Jesse Rubin, and Ben Folds.

This week on the seed cast we sat down with musician Ari Sadowitz of Model Decoy, Rare Futures and QuQu. This New Haven based musician has scored comedic web series, licensed original music to major networks, co-founded his own record label and artist collective, and most recently started a podcast, “Witz End.” In this episode we discuss diversifying your creative consumption, stressing the element of play in music-making, and the human aspect of imperfect time-feel. Ari also talks about his latest project, QuQu, starring his 3 year old daughter Juniper. You can check out the happenings of Model Decoy at https://modeldecoy.com/, QuQu at https://ququ.bandcamp.com/, and listen to the first episode of Witz End at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGVYgcmTIeg.

Ari’s Artist picks: DD Walker, Mike Jones aka The Whole Thing When He Got There, Kay Sadowitz, and Autumn Sadowitz.

This week we’ve got New York based photographer and consultant, Stephanie Chang. With an extremely long list of esteemed clients, Stephanie has worked with Levi’s, Nike, Starburst, and Redbull just to name a few. Since 2013, she’s been invited to photograph at New York Fashion week and has had extensive experience in concert and live event photography. In this episode we discussed how she went from studying computer science to dedicating her life to photography. Stephanie touches upon how she continues to challenge herself by experimenting in her personal work, the importance of spacing out your energy to protect your well being, and why Disney villains are far more complex, inspiring and just plain better than princesses. Check out more of Stephanie’s client work at stephaniebcphoto.com and follow her on instagram @stephbcphoto for a taste of her personal work.

Steph’s artist picks: Jordan Piantedosi, Erin Robertson, Eleanor Arbor, and Crystal Araiza

The Seed Cast is pleased to welcome animator and artist Andrew Benincasa to the show. Currently based in Brooklyn, NY, Andrew has been featured on NPR’s First Look, On the Media, HarvardX, and Alain de Botton’s School of Life. He has also attended residencies at Yaddo, St. Anne’s Warehouse, the Orchard Project, TAC, and Holes in the Wall Collective. In this episode we tackle a lot of topics concerning fantasy, mythology, allegory, and individual interpretations of such. Andrew shares how a need to communicate sparked his art, how he believes the world is ready for new stories and myths to take place of historical and religious authorities, and how the element of time and the live artist not only emphasize the importance of story, but the drive to tell it. You can check out his work at http://www.andrewbenincasa.com/ and follow him on instagram @andrewbenincasa.

Andrew’s artist picks: Käthe Kollwitz, Leo and Diane Dillon, and Ursula Le Guin.

This week on the Seedcast we were super psyched to have creative director Kinesha Goldson. After working as a public relations coordinator for PUMA, owning and operating her own food truck, and becoming a Miss Universe Jamaica finalist, Kinesha now wears many hats at VRSNL. Owning the titles of creative director, producer, and social media strategist, Kinesha walks us through her process of using her own personal style to produce editorial content showcasing luxury streetwear brands including Jimmy Choo, Versace, Adidas, and Rick Owens, just to name a few. In this episode we covered a lot of ground including her journey through job limbo, the intersection of business and art, and how she curates creative teams full of people that lift each other up. You can check out her work in action at vrsnl.com and keep up with Kinesha on Instagram @klizgold.

Kinesha’s artist picks: Ally Schmaling, Alex Duncan aka ADIV, and Natasha Ferguson aka Maad

This week, The Seed Cast is pleased to welcome Celia Woodsmith, a Grammy nominated vocalist, songwriter and performer. Over the past 14 years Celia has released 10 albums between her contributions to SAY Darling, Avi & Celia, and most recently, Della Mae. Since 2011, Celia and Della Mae have performed in 19 countries with the US Department of State’s Cultural Diplomacy program, “American Music Abroad.” This week Celia sat down with us to chat about the life changing events that lead her to pursue her career, how songwriting is a way of sifting through human emotion to empower others, and how Covid has, in a way, brought her closer to her fans. Stay up to date on Celia’s happenings at https://www.celiawoodsmith.com/ and follow her on instagram @celia.woodsmith. Also make sure to check out what Della Mae is up to at https://www.dellamae.com/ and on instagram @heyheydellame Lastly, you can sit in on Celia’s "Pretty Songs for a Sunday" on Della Mae’s facebook page https://www.facebook.com/heyheydellamae

Celia’s Artist Picks: Maya de Vitry, Courtney Hartman, and Phoebe Hunt.

This week we sat down to have a chat with Chef Meg Thompson, the head pastry chef at Boston’s SRV. Getting her start as a cook at the Country Club of Brookline, MA, Chef Meg worked her way to assistant pastry chef and went on to open Steel & Rye as head of pastry. After taking her talents to Townsman, she was named Best Pastry Chef in Boston in 2016. Chef Meg has since developed the bread and pastry program at SRV for four years and counting. In this episode we discussed how she balances the managerial and creative demands of an executive position, the unique camaraderie that comes with working in the industry, and how she developed her unique style of showcasing vegetal flavor profiles on a dessert menu. You can stay up to date on the happenings at SRV at http://www.srvboston.com/ and follow Chef Meg on instagram @megallysa

Chef Meg’s artist picks: Brian Mercury of Puritan and Co., Adam Mandel, and Matt Staffieri of Mas Golf Course Construction

This week on The Seed Cast we sat down with long time homie, Brendan Landis. Currently based in Queens, New York, Brendan has collaborated on many musical noise projects but primarily focuses his efforts on solo endeavors Hey Exit and Anura. For Brendan, these projects function as vessels for explorative experimentation, allowing him to define his music on his own terms. In this episode we discussed Brendan’s unique approach to using found objects as instruments, how genre categorization is purely a capitalist mechanism, and the importance of “letting your freak flag fly.” You can check out his most recent releases at heyexit.bandcamp.com and stay up to date on his happenings at https://heyexit.com/

Brendan’s artist picks: Andrew Weathers and Gretchen Korsmo of Full Spectrum Records, Josh Tabia (Cop Funeral) and David Drucker (Painted Faces) of Already Dead Tapes, and Eliza Swan of The Golden Dome

This week on The Seed Cast we met with musician Jeni Magana. Currently residing in LA, Jeni is a touring bassist for Mitski, Lady Lamb, and Laura Cortese. As a solo artist, she released two records just this past year; You are Not a Morning Person and Breathing. With a passion for multiple mediums and the belief that art informs art, Jeni also turns to photography to harness her creativity. In this episode we talk about her exploratory process, the benefits of not having a plan, and her ability to manage the guilt of not creating. You can listen to her latest projects at https://maganarama.bandcamp.com/music and also follow her on instagram @maganarama.

Jeni’s artist picks: Katie Von Schleicher, Tōth, and Blaze Mckenzie

This week we sat down with Magical Artist Joe Ledoux. Currently based in Boston, MA, Joe blends skateboarding, animation, and magic, transforming a medium of entertainment into an artform. Joe is a member of the McBride Magic & Mystery School of Las Vegas and has performed at museums, colleges, and galleries. Most notably with Le Grand David, which held the Guinness World Record for the oldest consecutively running magic show in the world. In this episode Joe talks about how he used magic and performance to push past his shyness, what it means to build a friend-base instead of a fanbase, and how his magic is driven by concept. Check him out on his website at http://www.joeledoux.com/ and follow him on instagram @joeledouxmagic

Joe’s Artist picks: Jeff McBride, Ralph Bakshi, and Rodney Mullen