BZ Listening

"I wanted to be a senator; I didn't want to sleep with one."

Trigger warnings and content warnings abound, but I believe this interview is a must listen.

As of right now, there has been a total blackout of this story …

On today's episode I interview local delegate and organizer for the Bernie campaign, Devorah Phillips. We chat about what led her to becoming a …

Today I’m going to do something a little different, which might draw in some new listeners, but that’s not the point. The point is for the weeks remaining before the Ohio primary on March 17th, I am going to devote this …

Today my guest is painter, musician, and all around creative person, Atomic Houdini. 

The podcast is still officially on break, but I wanted to chat with Atomic Houdini about his upcoming art show / release of his album …

An improvised attempt to explain the present state of and future plans for the podcast. 

If I had to put it into bullet points:

• I'm putting more …

I first saw Justus performing a couple weeks ago at the McFarland Manor November show. On today's episode, I chat with him about his creative process, how he became "big in Algeria", his terms of success, and the …

Today I’m bringing a new thing to the show with my guest Shawn Wickens, who will forever hold the distinction of being the first comedian on the …

Today my guest is writer Christopher Johnston, and we’re discussing his book “Shattering Silences: Strategies to Prevent Sexual Assault, Heal …

My guest today is actor and musician, Ben Paul Williams. I first met Ben about 10 years ago at a little open mic in Astoria Queens. We chat a bit …

Today my guest is Cal Folger Day, a singer-songwriter that’s a bit hard to pin down genre-wise, but if I had to slap a label on her, it’d probably be …

Today my guest is playwright and author, Brenton Lengel. Brent and I go back nearly ten years, when I first met him at an open mic in New York. In this episode we spend a bit of time catching up and tracking the arc of …

Today’s guest is “Doom-Chip” performance artist, N6664, aka James Barney. I had heard chip-tune music before (for those who haven't, it's a style of synthesized electronic music generated using the sound boards from …

Hello and welcome to an especially schmultzy episode of BZ Listening. Today is my seven year wedding anniversary with my amazing wife Deb Zep. …

The podcast will be returning in September, but I wanted to share the new audiobook “The War on Everyone” by former guest, journalist Robert Evans. This is the second half, Chapters 1-3 are in the previous episode. 

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The podcast will be returning in September, but I wanted to share the new audiobook “The War on Everyone” by former guest, journalist Robert Evans. 

Robert is the host of one of my favorite podcasts, “Behind The …

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 Welcome to a special episode of BZ Listening. The podcast is officially on vacation, but I wanted to help spread the word about a fundraiser for The Footlight, a venue in Ridgewood Queens that is …

On today’s episode, at the top I announce a brief break from the show, and some state of the podcast reflections as the show nears its first …

Justin Curry has been playing violin since he was 16, and has performed all over the US, and internationally. We talk about how he started playing …

Henry Black was born in Medicine Lake, Montana before the turn of the last century. Upon moving to New York City in late-2015, he rose to prominence among the acclaimed singer-songwriter scene. In 2019, he formed a …

Today’s guest is one of the first musicians I befriended in New York City, Pat Hull. Pat is a singer-songwriter from Connecticut currently based out …

Today, my guests are Amanda Nyx, a painter, teacher, and installation artist, along with former guest of the show, musician Michael McFarland. I’m such a huge fan of the work Amanda and Michael do in the Cleveland area, …

Today, my guest is Killy Dwyer, who bears a lot more labels than simply musician. Killy is an actor, comedian, performance artist, MC, and ultimately …

Today’s episode is the first with a prerequisite. Usually I have musicians on this show, and if you haven’t heard them before, no big deal. Today, however, I’m talking with Roger Hill, director of the film “Huckleberry…

Two weeks ago I had the pleasure to attend and privilege to produce a portion of the first ever ManorFest at the McFarland Manor. The manor is a house venue in Gordon Square that puts on shows the last Friday or …

Happy Almost-Birthday America!

Now I know you’re excited to light off your fireworks, to bbq in the backyard, and to see all the people waving your flag and wearing it as a swimsuit, BUT first we gotta talk about some …

Sorry folks, no music Monday this week!

Corry and I discuss his musical and performance roots, how he has used YouTube and remote collaboration to learn, his growth from a solo artist to …

Today my guest is Matt Pless, a punk/folk/protest musician that I first encountered at Occupy Wall St, which we reflect on a bit, in addition to the …

Brent Kirby’s been called by many of his peers one of Cleveland’s hardest working musicians and his actions prove that. In 2013, Brent Kirby was voted “Best Singer” and also “Best Male Vocal” by the Cleveland Scene, and …

If you haven’t listened to part one yet, I would definitely recommend it, because that’s weird, but it’s your life. 

Next Monday my musical guest …

This may have been the most difficult interview I’ve ever had to edit, which is a direct result of the fact that it was one of the easiest interviews …

I took the weekend off, and so no new musical guest this week. Instead, I've put together this mix tape of all the musicians featured so far on the show.

 Check back tomorrow for part one of my interview with Michael …

This week I’ve got another guest that I met while I was living in New York City, Molly Ruth.  We talk about how growing up in NYC shaped her and the …

Today’s guest is Robinson Treacher, a singer-songwriter with a heart and voice of gold that I met nearly 10 years ago at a family-owned cafe in …

More songs and stories from Xe La. We don't have the budget for one of those fancy "Previously on BZ Listening" intros, unfortunately, so you'll have to go back and listen to part one to see what you missed!

Over dinner I explained to my sons how I prepare for an interview on my podcast, that it's almost all figuring out good questions.

While I recorded an interview with a remote guest in my office they did this. They're …

My guest today is Alexander Alvarez, aka XE La SOL. Alex is a man who has a very pure and complicated relationship with music and the world, and one …

In part two of my interview with Michael McFarland, we chat about the history of McFarland Manor.

McFarland Manor is a Cleveland house venue in the Gordon Square District, organized by Michael McFarland, Cassie Bishop …

This week my guest is indie-rocker and musical architect, Michael McFarland. We ended up covering a lot of ground, so I had to break this interview up into two parts. Today’s episode covers Michael’s childhood being …

On today’s episode, Madeline Finn and I talk about her early start in music, the lessons she learned as an American Idol contestant, and how she …

Welcome to another Music Monday, today my guest is Indré, a local singer/songwriter that splits her time between Cleveland and Akron. I caught one set by her at the Winchester open mic in Lakewood and immediately booked …

Today’s episode is part two of a new segment on the show, “Personal Days”, where I talk with friends and family about issues we are currently dealing with or have in the past. The subject of for this personal day is …

Today kicks off a new series on the show that I call “Personal Days”, where I focus on a topic that hits close to home for me. This first one is on trans-rights and acceptance because this year, my brother Carl has come …

I’ve known Cutleri for about a decade going back to when I first started playing music in 2009. 

It was at Penny’s Open Mic that I first discovered Cutleri when they were the featured guest. They immediately stood out, …

Today my guest is Michael Rutushin, aka “Larry Elefante”. On the show we talk about Michael’s musical family, his first gigs, his worst gigs, and his new album, “I Get Sentimental” recently released on vinyl by way of a …

Today my guest is Steve Holecko, Political Director of the Cuyahoga County Progressive Caucus or CCPC for short. This is by far the longest episode I …

Today my guest is Robert Evans: journalist and host of the “Behind the Bastards” podcast. I first noticed Robert’s work in 2013 when he was writing for Cracked.com, a comedy site that did a surprising amount of …

Kate Hart is a Cleveland pioneer of “nerd folk”, a genre she may or may not have invented. Please do let me know on twitter or elsewhere if she’s …

Today’s episode is with another rising star of the Cleveland music scene, Mikey Silas. Mikey’s stage presence is as big as his heart, and is a font of positivity and encouragement, both in person and online. I first …

Today’s episode is another throwback, reflecting on Occupy Wall Street, which we are currently in the 7th anniversary of. The occupation began on September 17th, 2011, and was viciously evicted on November 15th.

Living …

This week’s episode is with Cleveland singer-songwriter, Hannah Stak. I first heard her play at the McFarland Manor house show, and she lived up to the high praise I’d been hearing from my wife, Deb. She was one of the …

Today’s interview is with my first non-musical guest, Holly LeCraw. She’s a Boston-based author of two books, The Swimming Pool and The Half Brother, …

I discovered Curtis in the summer of 2009 when he opened for the Squirrel Nut Zippers in New York City. I don’t remember a thing about them, but I’ll …

It has been an honor and a privilege to know Charley Crockett, and get to watch his star rise. I met Charley Crockett in 2009 at a small open mic in Astoria, back when I was giving standup comedy a shot. Shortly after …

Charley Crockett is the man who nicknamed me BZ, back in 2009 when we first met at an open mic in NYC. This episode is pulled from my very first …

Ray Flanagan is one of the most prolific musicians in the Cleveland music scene, and can be found delivering his own songs intimately in his dynamic …

Hi there, I’m BZ Douglas, a musician, and event producer.

I came to the craft of music late in life. I waded into the waters of the New York open mic scene back in 2009 as a stand up comic, and came out a musician. The …