VERSED: The ASCAP Podcast

Grammy-winning singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Dom Flemons, formerly of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, is also a historian with a passion for the history of black musicians in America. His acclaimed album, Black Cowboys, pays tribute to the music, culture and complex history of the golden era of the Wild West. It received a GRAMMY nomination for "Best Folk Album," and just last year Flemons won an ASCAP Deems Taylor Award for the liner notes he wrote. The recording is now part of the African American Legacy Recordings series, co-produced with the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC. Flemons was in New York City recently where he sat down with ASCAP's Erik Philbrook and talked about his own musical journey and the experiences of the black music creators who helped pioneer the American west both physically and musically. He also performed a few songs from his acclaimed album. Also, from the ASCAP Archives, we have a clip from our 2018 ASCAP EXPO panel called "The Paths of Rhythm: From Producer to Composer." The panel featured producer-composers Adrian Younge, and Ali Shaheed Muhammad - an original member of A Tribe Called Quest. The two of them collaborated on the music for the Netflix series Luke Cage. They also have a group called The Midnight Hour, who wrote the bumpin' theme music for this very podcast! Joining them on the panel was Morgan Rhodes, a music supervisor who's worked on projects like Selma, Queen Sugar and Dear White People.

At the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, ASCAP members' music amplified the impact of dozens of official festival selections. In this bonus episode of VERSED, we talk to another talented group of this year's Sundance composers: Anne Nikitin (Lost Girls, directed by Academy Award nominee Liz Garbus), Dan Romer (Wendy, directed by Benh Zeitlin), Amanda Jones (Baldwin Beauty, directed by Thembi Banks), Alex Weston (Wander Darkly, directed by Tara Miele) as well as Ryan Miller of Guster who has scored several Sundance favorite films over the years (Safety Not Guaranteed, The Fundamentals of Caring). They share their experiences working with directors on their films and how Sundance has benefited their careers.

A great film is a feast for the eyes and the ears. At this year's Sundance Film Festival, ASCAP members' music amplified the impact of dozens of official festival selections. In this special episode of VERSED (Part 1 of 2), we talk to Nainita Desai, Bear McCreary, Alex Somers and Jay Wadley - four ASCAP film composers whose music graced some of the winning films at this year's Sundance Film Festival. PLUS: our very own Amanda Shoffner, ASCAP Director of Film & TV/Visual Media Membership, schools us with some #SoundAdvice about cue sheets - what they are, how to use them, and why they can be a composer's best friend.

Anaïs Mitchell is a contemporary folk singer-songwriter with an ever-growing font of solo and collaborative projects. Her best-known triumph: Hadestown, an avant-garde "folk opera" that underwent a 12-year transformation into a Tony-winning, widely acclaimed Broadway musical. On January 24, just days before Mitchell finds out if she can add a Grammy to her mantle, Mitchell releases her first album with Bonny Light Horseman - a group of indie-folk heroes reinterpreting timeless traditional songs. ASCAP's Sarah Finegold spoke with Anaïs at ASCAP HQ about living in the world of Hadestown, songwriting craft, tattoos and more. Then Bryan Calhoun, author of Music Business Toolbox, shares some valuable advice for music creators for 2020.

Born and bred in Kentucky, Carly Pearce was destined for a life in Country music. After her debut single "Every Little Thing" reached #1 and put her in the rare company of only three women in the last decade to have accomplished that feat, Pearce is now in the vanguard of top women in country music. We spoke with her on the eve of the 2019 ASCAP Country Awards in Nashville, where she celebrated the success of her single "Hide the Wine" onstage, alongside collaborators Ashley Gorley and Hillary Lindsey. Pearce talked to ASCAP's Beth Brinker about her long journey to "overnight" singer-songwriter success, her career challenges and triumphs, how she stays mentally and physically fit and her highly anticipated new album coming out this Valentine's Day. Beth also offers "Sound Advice" on how and why you should join ASCAP as both a writer and a publisher.

Nicholas Britell is the Academy Award-nominated composer whose music has graced such films as If Beale Street Could Talk and Best Picture Oscar winners Moonlight and 12 Years a Slave as well as Vice, The Big Short and others. He just won an Emmy for his theme to HBO's critically-acclaimed series Succession and his music can be heard in the new Netflix film The King. He opens up about his educational and professional development, working with some of today's most provocative film directors such as Barry Jenkins, Adam McKay and Steve McQueen, and what success means - and sounds like - to him. Also, ASCAP SVP of Membership Nicole George-Middleton discusses ASCAP's support for women in music and offers "Sound Advice" on the importance of working out songwriting splits early in the creative process with your co-writers.

In addition to being a legendary songwriter, Paul Williams is uniquely qualified to speak about how essential health and wellness is to one's music career. Sober for nearly 30 years, Paul is passionate about recovery and works tirelessly to destigmatize alcoholism and addiction. His work in recovery was chronicled in the acclaimed documentary, Paul Williams Still Alive. He is a certified Drug Rehabilitation Counselor. And he co-wrote a best-selling book with Tracey Jackson called Gratitude and Trust: Six Affirmations That Will Change Your Life. As ASCAP launches a new member wellness program, ASCAP TuneUp, designed to help nurture the mind, body and spirit of today's music creator, Paul shares how recovery and attention to wellness has helped him thrive, and how others can find a healthy balance in their own lives.

In our debut episode we talk with Paul Williams, the Oscar, Grammy and Golden Globe-winning, Hall of Fame songwriter and President of ASCAP. Paul talks about unexpected opportunities and shares the inspiring story of Phantom of the Paradise, a commercial film flop that evolved into one of the most influential works of his career, and amazingly netted him an Album of the Year Grammy with Daft Punk 40 years later.

PLUS: From the ASCAP archives, Captain Marvel and Fortnite composer Pinar Toprak talks!

VERSED: THE ASCAP PODCAST illuminates the heart, soul and power of music with the songwriters and composers whose work makes us feel, sing, dance and want to change the world. Regularly featuring the greatest music creators from a diversity of genres who share the unvarnished truth about their creative life – the struggles, hard work, breakthroughs and paths to success – as well as the wisdom they've earned along the way - VERSED offers insight into the hearts and minds of music professionals like never before. Industry execs also discuss the important issues that affect the livelihoods of all music creators. If music is your life, and you want a creator-centric viewpoint that only ASCAP can offer, then VERSED is required - yet fascinating - listening.