This weeks guest is bass player, entrepreneur and social media specialist Damian Keyes. Damian has worked in the music industry his whole life. he was signed at 18 co-founded music universities across Europe (BIMM) and has now built a very successful online community of over 200 thousand artists and musicians who of which he helps, get their music heard. Find Damian Here: @DamianKeyes https://www.instagram.com/damiankeyes1/

This weeks guest is guitarist, artist and full-time engineer Erika Horn. Since she started posting in 2020 Erika has grown exponentially on platforms Tik Tok and instagram, interestingly, as she shares herself in this episode... music is NOT what she currently does full-time! Such a pleasure getting to talk to you Erika!! Find her here: https://www.tiktok.com/@erikahorn.art https://www.instagram.com/erikahornsenz2012/

This weeks guest is bassist composer and instructor John Ferrara. John is an exceptional bassist known for his distinctive playing style and fusion of genres. In the episode he shares that he was encouraged into bass playing by his musical family but explains that years later he stopped playing to explore other options. That was until his contributions to the band ‘Consider the Source’ changed the trajectory of his playing career.

This week's guest is 22 year old bassist Daisy Pepper. Having gained over 50 thousand followers since the lockdown in 2020. Daisy has been able to use her platform to find some incredible work opportunities. In this episode we not only dive into who Daisy is, both a musician and person we also talk about some incredibly important topics. We talk very openly and vulnerably about what it's really like being a woman online and acknowledge that the constant need for interaction and follower growth is actually incredibly toxic. I’ve really loved having this conversation with Daisy and think that there is a lot that your guys can take from it. Chapters:0:00 - Intro 0:33 - How did Daisy get into music? - Guitar, trumpet, piano AND bass?? 6:25 - Bass Club at school - being a 'natural' 10:42 - I didn't really know what a bass guitar was.... 12:13 - Does music run in Daisy's family? 14:30 - First songs learnt on guitar 15:29 - Our boy band phases 17:39 - Being hesitant to post covers of songs you like because they're not the genre your audience expect21:40 - Daisy's qualifications 25:37 - Going into a full-time job and then posting onto social media during covid lockdown 27:44 - Why not going to university was the best decision for daisy 31:23 - My follower count not growing can get really frustrating 33:05 - The algorithm is out of your control 34:04 - Social media is toxic - constantly chasing numbers and interaction is TIRING 35:57 - Paying to boost your content 40:12 - When a video does bad its a massive ego hit 40:54 - Hate comments and being a woman online 49:13 - Men get hate comments but the female experience is different 56:12 - Its ALWAYS the private accounts that have the most to say 58:08 - Balancing time when self-employed 1:04:48 - Keeping motivated 1:09:51 - Imposter syndrome / Fake it till you make it 1:16:30 - What is Daisy working on right now - MERCH RELEASE 1:19:11 - Daisy's soundtrack to success - Broken finger?! has a pretty incredible back story 1:24:44 - Leyla was scared to send Daisy a message about the podcast... 1:26:35 - Ads

This week's guest is American bassist David Pastorius, known for his unique sound and playing style David comes from a very well known and musical family (of course given the last name). However, David’s journey to finding the bass was completely unrelated and he has now built a very successful career of his own, working as an instructor and booking gigs with his band Local 518. There is a lot to learn and be inspired by in this episode so I really hope you all enjoy it! Chapters: 0:00 - Intro 0:25 - WHY and HOW David got into playing bass 3:27 - ‘How many hours do you play a day?’ 4:50 - Is disciplined and intentional practice important? 8:57 - Imposter syndrome - only playing for 3 years. 10:10 - Negative comments / doing and saying things on purpose for engagement 11:47 - David’s ‘I’m not good enough’ moment 13:10 - Has David ever been bothered by the assumptions caused by the Pastorius name? 14:19 - Has Jaco’s legacy had any influence on David? 15:42 - Any other career in mind? 17:10 - Teaching lessons online - why online students are often more serious about learning. 18:56 - ‘I don’t feel like I deserve to be teaching people lessons sometimes’ 24:06 - David’s signature technique ‘Bass Scratching’ - DEMO 25:23 - Inspirations - John Ferrara and Cody Wright / inspiring and accepting musicians 27:43- Toxic musicians 30:36 - David’s kids and their musical ability 32:25 - Being a father and working in the industry 34:21 - David’s creative process 36:20 - Making mistakes (ON STAGE and OFF) 38:53 - Why we don’t worry about practicing everyday 41:00 - David’s first time meeting Victor Wooten was kinda embarrassing 43:00 - ‘Taking criticism is hard but i’ll do it if they go about it nicely’ 45:11 - Advice for someone wanting to start playing bass 45:59 - David’s current goals 46:36 - David's Soundtrack to Success 47:39 - AdsFind David Here: https://www.youtube.com/@UCAW3gzrlauR3Xp3wI259v2g https://www.instagram.com/davidpastorius/

Jamahl Augustine is a 24-year-old bass and guitar player from Birmingham who has been working full-time within the industry for a year and a half. Not only is he an incredible player he is also someone who places a huge focus on mental health, self-help, and motivation in the content he posts on his Instagram. Jamahl's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jam_augustine/

Chapters:

0:00 - intro

0:25 - The instruments Jamahl plays + how he got into playing them.

3:13 - 'I don't like traditional Jazz'

5:46 - from A-levels to working in the industry.

7:21 - Learning to produce in lockdown - putting music production at the centre of your approach to music/gigs.

12:52 - the difficulty of playing bass and doing literally anything else at the same time.

16:00 - What it's like committing to working in the industry full-time.

22:26 - The process of preparing for gigs and tackling set lists.

27:55 - Being chatty + Leyla's insecurities in her emotions.

31:38 - Does Jamahl feel vulnerable posting his self-help / motivational content?

42:47 - The fear of judgement.

48:22 - 5 year plan? Jamahl talks about why he'd rather a 2 year plan.

55:54 - the worst of UK's accents.

58:40 - Jamahl's Soundtrack to Success.

This week's guest is Giacomo Turra an Italian guitarist who began posting videos onto Instagram during the lockdown in 2020. Focusing on r&b, funk and jazz genres Giacomo has developed a unique and incredibly impressive playing style which led him to gain over 300 thousand followers and is soon to go on a tour around the US with his band.

0:00 - intro

0:28 - Posting in lockdown -a way to be creative and find community.

4:39 - Being self-taught with no desire to learn theory.

8:02 - Giacomo's and Leyla's experience with lessons + why theory can put you in boxes.

11:15 - What your creative process might look like having gone to a conservatoire.

13:50 - Instagram and its downsides - pressure to be consistent

16:58 - Building contacts on Instagram and feeling connected to people you don't know.

19:18 - Transitioning into showing more of your personality on a music-focused account.

21:36 - Social media personality or musician?

23:57 - Giacomo's process when it comes to making his covers.

27:45 - Working with multiple musicians on content.

29:24 - Getting frustrated and the aesthetics of recording.

32:26 - Why Leyla doesn't make her appearance the focus of her videos.

36:30 - Image is important (to an extent)

39:04 - Advice for people who want to start posting videos.

46:03 - What Giacomo feels he needs to work on.

47:58 - Giacomo talks US tour with his band + hopeful future tours

54:27 - Giacomo's Soundtrack to Success.