The Unstarving Musician

Alyssa Trahan is the featured artist in this Rewind episode. What's a Rewind episode? It's a previously published episode, one of my favorites and merits re-publishing. I also give these episodes a fresh edit, which …

New York City based singer and multi-instrumentalist Kayana recently dropped a new single and has more on the way. Kayana is an emerging music artist …

My guest is singer, songwriter, producer Sam J Garfield. He has a new self-produced single out called "Monster." Sam is an actor turned sound engineer and music producer. He's now leaning into songwriting and releasing …

JJ Lovegrove refers to herself as the dark dream pop sidekick to Minus Cube. The Nottingham, England-based songwriter has a new collaboration with …

Worth Weaver is a guitarist for the Wilmington, North Carolina-based rock band alltheprettythings. Worth is also a producer and an experienced …

David Lane teaches piano, composition, and music theory. He's composed over 100 concert works, and several films, and has been the arranger for …

Minus Cube is a songwriter and studio engineer. He's had a busy year in 2023 mixing and producing five singles and an album. Much of that work was in …

My guest Max Frye fronts the band Lost Hearts. He and his bandmates have a pop sensibility with a big rock sound.

Max comes across as humble and grounded, possibly because he's worked with many musicians who are more …

Brian Wolff is a five-time guest of The Unstarving Musician podcast. Brian has also appeared in episodes 55, 119, 192, and 197. 

His band, Brian …

Grant Tilbury Jaiswal is Head of Artist Success at Openstage. He's formerly the Artist Relations and A&R guy with Trackd, the collaboration …

Christine Smith is a classically trained pianist with a varied career history. She's done composition, film score, cover bands, teaching, and anything else you can think of doing as a good piano player/musician. She …

Frank Salazar is the creative mind and talent behind a project called Spigots. He is a long-time friend and former bandmate from my days in Dallas-Fort Worth. The friendship is still going strong, despite my many …

My guest Ariane Paras is a coach for music artists and industry professionals. After working in the music business for 15 years, and as a result of …

Alicia Van Sant, founding member and lead singer of The Wag, is my guest for this episode. Alicia's bandmate Joshua Van Ness introduced us. Joshua was featured in episodes 257 and 134. Alicia and I had a great time …

Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Cranston Dean is my guest for this episode. Cranston is a New Jersey native whose music draws from …

Julieta Heredia is a founding member and guitarist of Fin del Mundo. The band is from Buenos Aires, with roots in the southernmost region of …

My guest in this episode is alternative/nu-punk artist Krosst Out. His latest song, This The New Shit, drops on May 12th, 2023. The single is the first of many to come from rap-rocker Krosst Out with the announcement of …

Guitarist, composer, and recording artist David Pedrick has earned accolades from critics and audiences alike for his work in recording and …

Kelda Williams is known professionally as Keldamuzik (aka Diva). She is an American music artist, actress, TV host, and producer. Born in the Bay Area of California, she is known for her hit singles Queen for A Night…

My guest for this episode is John Templeman of Jib Machine Records. His label focuses mainly on rock but started as a punk label and has featured …

Welcome to another rewind episode of the Unstarving Musician. What is a rewind episode? It is an abridged version of a prior episode, intended to …

This rewind episode features author and music journalist Zack O’Malley Greenburg. What is a rewind episode? It is an abridged version of a prior …

Joshua Van Ness first appeared on the Unstarving Musician in episode 134. He is a singer, songwriter, guitarist, drummer and native of New Jersey. …

Carter Ray is described as a cinematic raconteur, colorful,  charismatic, and entertaining.

He recently released a single called Forever Plus One …

My guest for this episode is Shilpa Ananth. Shilpa is an Indian vocalist, songwriter, and performing artist based between the US and the UAE. 

Her …

At age six, my guest Wowashwow was writing her first original songs which led to an early career as the lead guitarist and singer of a punk rock band.  This led to a tour where she opened for The Ramones’ drummer, Marky …

This episode featuring Tom Meny originally aired in June 2019.

This is a rewind edition, in which I've edited the conversation to be more succinct and somewhat more relevant. Tom has appeared in two episodes of this …

My guests for this episode are the film-scoring duo Ryan Miller and Jay Lifton. Ryan is a founding member and the lead singer of Guster, who recently celebrated their 31st consecutive year of touring and recording. He …

My guest for this episode is a country singer-songwriter, Drew Ryder Smith. He just released three new singles, which were delayed because of a dilemma caused by the many other Drew Smiths on streaming platforms and …

Stacey Bedford, CEO of Bandzoogle is my guest for this special episode number 250. She didn't know  this would be our 250th episode when we spoke, …

My guest for this episode is Dariann Leigh. She is described as red carpet glam and camo in a tree stand, big city beauty with small town humility.

“As a kid,” Leigh says, “I remember closing my eyes, plugging my …

This is the final installment of the Unstarving Musician websites for musician series. I decided to call this one "Everything Else." You can find links to the first four episodes in the series in the show notes for this …

Nashville-based country artist Charlie Berry launched his solo career with the release of his first single at the beginning of 2021. Berry produces …

My guest for this episode, Dean Johanesen, first appeared on the podcast in July of 2018. This is his third feature on the Unstarving Musician. He …

My guest for this episode is Marlee XX, the multi-hyphenate musical artist (vocalist - songwriter - DJ - producer) hailing from Washington, DC. She's …

My guest Fia Nyxx is considered stylistically as somewhere in between Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey and Toni Braxton. She embraces a theatrical approach to her music and experimental clash of genres.  

Fia is also seen …

This episode features singer songwriter and queen of house concerts Shannon Curtis. It's another installment of the Unstarving Musician rewind series where I showcase a past interview. And I've re-edited and remastered …

To help you choose a platform for your musician website, I offer this shortlist of my preferred platforms. This list includes WordPress (.org and .com), Bandzoogle, Wix and Squarespace. Each of these platforms features …

The task of choosing a domain for your musician website is an important one.

Shout out to Dreamhost for this great blog post, which was used as the information primary source for this episode. 

See the latest deals from …

Jann Klose says that performing is the best music career momentum builder. He also says performing at this level is the hardest thing to do. Jann is an award-winning singer-songwriter, who has released six albums and …

Should you go with free vs. paid hosting for your musician website, and what's the difference? The second in a multi-part series on musician …

My guest for this episode is Ryan Dusick. Ryan is the founding drummer of Maroon 5, an Associate Marriage & Family Therapist, and author of Harder to Breathe: A Memoir of Making Maroon 5, Losing It All, and Finding …

The title of this episode is Why do I need a musician website? This is a question I hear in my head anytime I encounter musicians who don't have a website. These same musicians and bands typically use social media as …

In this episode Lara Price and I discuss the hosting jams, why jams make you a better musician and why they help you get gigs. We also talk about how acoustic performances are great for otherwise electric only bands …

This episode features musician and recording engineer Chris Raspante. It's a second look at our conversation recorded in May of 2017. It's a rewind episode, in which I dig deeper into past conversations. It's also an …

This episode features Mike Dawson on dynamics, creative recording, getting gigs and more. It’s the first ever rewind episode of the Unstarving Musician, based on episode one of the podcast. In rewind episodes I’m …

Fabiana Claure is a concert pianist and educator who has created a business around her music and artistic sides. Teaching others how to do the same is her passion. Fabiana resides in the U.S., but has also lived in …

Kevin Breuner of CD Baby joins me in this episode to discuss music distribution, education for the DIY musician, his journey with CD Baby, his band Small Town Poets, and the DIY Musician podcast.

CD Baby started out as …

My conversations with Cozi and Ezra Vancil did not reveal the mystery of the flounder that is Cozi Anda Flounder. I assume that Ezra is the flounder, but they weren't exactly forthcoming about the meaning of the …

Stick to your guns and your vision is what Harrison Marcello of the rock band TEMPT recommends to young bands. This, he says, helps bands stay ready for whatever projects may come their way.

He’s a founding member, …

Peter Wilson and his bandmates in Four Trips Ahead have been showing up again and again to build a following around their music.

The New York based …

David Andrew Wiebe thinks about creativity, music, entrepreneurship and leadership in everything he does. He is a musician, composer and published author with three best sellers. Among his books is the 2022 edition of …

Jared Judge is dissecting everything that goes into being a successful gigging musician. He’s doing this on his Gigging Musician Podcast, in his book

Ori Winokur is Head of Music at Artlist, a stock music licensing company that was in 2021 named one of the hottest startups in Tel Aviv by WIRED.  Stock music isn't for everyone. The concept may in fact be a turn off …

Michael Gilbride of telco has translated perfectionism and passion into his latest release please come home. He joins me to talk about his musical perfectionism, getting a late start on his music endeavors, and how not …

Bradford Loomis has a 2019 song release called "Tried To Love A Woman." It was written as a compliment to his prior release "Righteous Kind." That song was placed in the movie Still Water, featuring Matt Damon. Rock …

Brooksie Wells is amplifying female voices over 50, including her own. She and I met in a thing called Music Marketing Method.

I’ve mentioned Music Marketing Method on the podcast before. It’s a program designed to …

Andrew Chris' music explores influences that range from 60s guitar rock to modern hip hop. His list of early musical influences read very much like mine. Yet he's no less than 20 years younger than me. When I asked …

Recording artist Amiena joins the podcast to talk about defeating a creative rut, her latest release, the stories behind her lyrics, changing producers, touring and working with producer Lars Deutsch (the good, the bad …

Lynz Crichton is the creator of Music Marketing Method, a program that shows musicians how to make money with their music. She is also a friend and mentor to me. I am part of the student body that is her Music Marketing …

JJ Lovegrove is cracking the codes of social media and Spotify playists. We discuss this and much more in our conversation for the podcast.

Among the topics we cover are our shared experience within Lynz Crichton‘s …

A good EPK will make your website inviting to music supervisors, talent buyers, bloggers and podcasters.

This episode is based on a most informative blog post by our friends at Bandzoogle, the all-in-one platform that …

Gabriel Sanchez is the founder, lead singer and principal songwriter for the modern rock band Hope Darling. We’re mutual friends of Bruce Wawrzyniak of Now Hear This Entertainment. In fact Bruce introduced us.

When …

Heidi Webster is a pop singer songwriter, podcaster and business owner bent on positivity. She recently released her 5th single called Neon. The single has a well produced video featuring Heidi doing dance moves in …

Nineteen year old Edwrds has been writing, recording and self-producing music since 2016. We recorded this interview in May 20, 2021 the day before …

In this episode Tanya Winch and I meander through her journey in music, art and life. She and I are mutually acquainted with Brian Wolff. Brian is a …

My guest Anna Larson shares her passion for music, story telling and beauty for this episode. I found her in my email inbox one day not long ago. She sent me a textbook perfect pitch asking if I’d be interested in …

Roopa Mahadevan is a leading Indian classical vocalist and crossover artist in the South Asian diaspora. She's normally based out of New York City, but had temporarily relocated to San Jose, California during the …

Peter Rand is the co-writer of my latest release New Gods Part 2. He is also a two time offender on the podcast, first appearing in episode 177.

…

LA based producer Lars Deutsch shares his thoughts on artist development and the typical struggles of emerging artists. We're acquainted by way of …

In this episode I speak with David Franz, founder at Underground Sun, about career advice for musicians, productivity shame, how to best market yourself as a musician, and staying creative in crazy times like these. We …

British guitarist and composer Timothy Reid found a creative outlet in online collaboration during the pandemic. He found this podcast on his daily …

Helene Jæger has an intriguing outlook on writing music and lyrics relying on the conscious and unconscious awareness plus intuition. She leans on stream of consciousness writing methods to create music under the …

Multifaceted drummer Mike Dawson has refocused his career on studio work, teaching, visual arts and of course drum gear. Prior to the pandemic, he …

Create, cultivate and connect are words that carry special meaning for Joy Ike. They are the basis for a music coaching and mentoring program she …

Michael Gilbride somewhat recently released his debut EP 'my name is not kaiser' and the single 'Say Hello,' from that EP. The animated video for 'Say Hello,' which you can find at telcomusic.com or the show notes for …

Brian Wolff returns to the Unstarving Musician to discuss his transition from performing with a high energy rock band into live streaming as a solo …

Sylvia Rose Novak joins me for a round-two conversation from the great outdoors of Alabama. There are lots of birds and nature sounds in the background, which I think add to the experience of our chat. We recorded back …

Since 1990 Reverend Raven has opened for B.B King, Gatemouth Brown, Pinetop Perkins, the Koko Taylor Band, Junior Wells, the Fabulous Thunderbirds, …

At the center of collaboration and music discovery is Trackd Music and Grant Tilbury-Jaiswal. Grant is head of Artist Relations and A&R for …

Abe is extremely committed to the experience of recording records and playing live shows, because he loves connecting with people in the flesh. This is how he gets his music out into the world.  In this second …

Brian Wolff returns to the Unstarving Musician to participate in the Unstarving Musician survey, in which I ask some of the best independent …

Alyssa Trahan recently participated in a survey for the forthcoming second edition of The Unstarving Musician’s Guide to Getting Paid Gigs. I decided to conduct the surveys by phone and to make an episode of this …

Steven Keene says his songwriting routine has never resembled work. To the contrary, he’s always written in the moment and as inspiration strikes. …

Johnnie Gilmore is a songwriter and bass player of virtuoso caliber. He honed his chops and stage craft in part as a street performer in his hometown of Boston. L.A. is now home for Johnnie. He has a great EP out called

This episode features a conversation with singer-songwriter Lara Price. In this experimental episode, Lara interviews me about the release of On Top Of The World (out today, Friday January 8, 2021). Lara is an amazing …

In this episode, Ezra Vancil interviews me about my forthcoming debut single On Top Of The World. We cover the history and process of my songwriting, using public proclamation as a source of accountability, various …

My guest for this episode is multi-instrumentalist and studio engineer Chris Raspante. Prolific and in-demand as both performer and sound engineer, …

Dave Cool of Bandzoogle returns for a second time on the Unstarving Musician. The last time he was on was episode 142, recorded on March 20th of …

My guest for this episode is Garret Laver of the trio Lucid Phase. The band's music style falls somewhere between roots, reggae, dub, jam, blues and …

Blues guitarist, singer-songwriter Brian Young is a member of the Unstarving Musician community–the list. A while back, he reached out to check in with me. I’m always asking the community and you listeners how you’re …

Ezra Vancil joins me for his second feature on the podcast. I first spoke with him back in March of 2018 for episode 42 of the Unstarving Musician.

Listen to Ezra’s first appearance on the podcast

This conversation was …

Singer, songwriter and producer Otto just released the new single Tell Me Something, produced by Dave Stewart. If that last name sounds familiar it might be because you know Stewart’s work with the Eurythmics or …

Zoë Sonnenberg is a lifelong singer, frequent baker and a writer with a passion for supporting the performing arts. Relevant to this episode, she is also a PR professional with the agency Sacks & Co.

Zoë represents …

Michael Sloan is the CEO of Streaming Promotions, a strategic streaming platform promotion company. Founded in 2015, Streaming Promotions works to increase their clients footprint on streaming services with music …

This "rewind" episode features Mike Dawson from his first appearance on the the Unstarving Musician, which was episode 1 of the podcast. Mike has also been featured in episodes 25, 50 and the "best of" episode 100.  He …

Peter Rand is a multi-instrumentalist and songwriter who I met on the collaboration platform Kompoz. You may have noticed my recent obsession with …

Markus K is a blues fusion player and master looper who performs street concerts around the world. He’s also a user of the collaboration app Trackd, …

This week Rachel Hearnden joins me for a conversation to talk about the collaboration app Trackd, of which she is a user and avid fan. A drummer at …

This is the third in a multi-part series related to the world of online music collaboration, which has turned out to be much more than I expected. …

This is the second in a multi-part series that covers the online music collaboration space. My guests this week, Alicia Rius and Arnau Bosch of …

Scottish-Canadian singer-songwriter Evangeline Gentle is set to release a debut album three years in the making. In this episode, they talk about writing the new album during a period of deep self-doubt as well as the …

My guest for this episode is Raf Fiol of Kompoz, the online collaboration platform for musicians. This is one of a five episode series that is …

Meet musician-turned-entrepreneur Michael Walker, Founder of Modern Musician. His team's mission is to help other musicians supercharge their fan base and career. And Michael doesn't just talk the talk. He's tested the …

This episode's featured guests are Shannon Curtis and Jamie Hill. They're both alumni of this podcast, and were recently mentioned in my article Six Skills All Indie Musicians Need Today.

Shannon is the queen bee of …

Caleb Lovely is a multi-instrumentalist, incredibly talented and good looking to boot. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, Caleb is growing his music …

In our final installment of the Today’s Indie Musician series, my guest is Lara Price who I know from way back when in the San Francisco Bay Area. She has a new podcast called In The Trenches with Lara Price where she …

This is the second installment of Today’s Indie Musician series in which ’m talking with former guests of the podcast to do deep dives on the industry, what’s happening during these wild times and where we see it going. …

Today we launch a special series. I’m talking with former guests of the podcast to do deep dives on the industry, what’s happening during these wild times and where we see it going. We talk about our need to be …

This episode is another installment of the Unstarving Musician’s Guide to Getting Paid Gigs: How to Get Booked and Paid What You’re Worth Over and Over Again.

As I work on the second edition of The Unstarving Musician’s …

Neil Schnell is one of my best pals in music. He shares some of my best memories of performing music in the Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas. He has been making a living with his trio Velvet Love Box, though things have …

This episode is another installment of the Unstarving Musician’s Guide to Getting Paid Gigs:
How to Get Booked and Paid What You’re Worth Over and Over Again.

This is chapter 8, which focuses on building your personal …

Matt James is the lead singer of a band called Blacktop Mojo. The band lives together in the same house - advantageous in a pandemic. They’ve been …

Singer-songwriter Kate Schutt’s latest album is about her five-year journey caring for her mother while she was dying of cancer. We share the loss of a parent to cancer and talked about the grief that is happening …

Rebecca Loebe has been actively touring since 2010, which of course came to a pause during the pandemic. She had wisely been building a loyal fan base community on her own platforms and eventually on Patreon.

We talk …

Dave De Carion is a longtime friend from the San Francisco Bay area. He became a student musician of one of my bandmates and was soon leading his own cover band Severe Pleasure. Recently Dave got stuck in Hawaii given …

Dean Johanesen first appeared on the podcast almost 100 episodes ago. Dean is a regular performer, so this pandemic has hit him quite hard. Adjusting …

Juno is an insanely talented guitarist and songwriter with her debut album called Help is Not on the Way. Having worked with some big names including Bruno Mars, Camila Cabello, Fifth Harmony, Erykah Badu, India Arie …

Kendal Conrad has an impressive singing and songwriting resume for someone so young. Based in Nashville, Kendal has actively pursued gigs including singing the national anthem for MLB, NBA, MMA, NASCAR events and more. …

SoundStorming is trying to disrupt the system that is the music industry, specifically how and where artists share their music, and today I’m joined by one of the co-founders, Alicia Rius. The app allows artists to …

Judy Rodman is joining us on the podcast for the third time. We wanted to talk about life for musicians during the pandemic. We talk about staying …

Today we welcome back producer, singer, songwriter, educator and wellness practitioner, Liz Cirelli. When we first spoke, Liz was very much in a growth phase, and now she’s got some exciting projects on the go, …

Camellia Akhamie Kies, is an epic drummer and a new mom. She played drums throughout her entire pregnancy and Camellia is now a case study as there weren’t many, if any, expecting moms playing drums at her level during …

Zack O’Malley Greenburgh is the author of A-List Angels: How a Band of Actors, Artists and Athletes Hacked Silicon Valley. Zack is the Senior Editor of Media & Entertainment at Forbes Magazine, where he started …

Chloe Collins is a singer songwriter based in Nashville. She’s not your typical 19-year old. From New York, Chloe moved to Nashville in her early/mid …

Danielle Eva Schwob is the artist behind Delanila. We spoke on the release day of her single, The Philosopher, part of the album Overloaded. Danielle is an accomplished musician, composer and is well-studied in music …

My guest is Tara Simon, acclaimed vocalist and creator of Tara Simon Studios. In our pre-interview conversation I learned that Tara is really into …

Kelly Atkins is an insanely diverse vocalist who juggles various projects and bands, not to mention her role as Deputy Director of Kitka, a …

Kendall Rucks is highly influenced by the fashion and vibe of the 60s and 70s, has roots in 80s and 90s rock, and she loves LA. Inspired by Fiona Apple’s Tidal album, Kendall’s big goal is to create an album that tells …

Alonzo is a multi-talented artist. You may have first been introduced to him as part of Fatally Unique on season 6 of America’s Got Talent. A …

The novel Corona virus COVID-19 pandemic is reminding us that there are things musicians can do to hedge our income during uncertain times. Amidst the cancellation of shows, festivals and conferences, many musicians are …

Ariane Cap is a multi-instrumentalist, educator, author, blogger and composer. She has a very cool online educational website for learning bass, …

My guest this week is singer-songwriter Megan Leigh. Megan recently went full-time with her music career time and we dig into how that transition has …

In this episode I take on a challenge from the Pat Flynn podcast and reached out to a number of administrators of Facebook Communities. There is real power in community, but it comes with a number of challenges as well. …

Maybe you know him from his years as Rockin’ Johnny Burgin. Maybe you know him by his new handle, The Worldwide West Side Guitar Man. Performing up to 250 shows a year in Europe, Japan and coast to coast in the US, it’s …

A weekend warrior working musician hailing from the frozen tundra of Calgary, Alberta, guitarist Ron Klimek got his first taste of being part of a band on local television. This started him down the path of more bands, …

Angela Predhomme is a soulful singer, composer and musician. She strives to make music that can stand up to the best of the best, and it certainly …

Eli Lev, a return guest to the podcast, just released the 3rd in a 4 album project. He’ll wrap the project up with that 4th album in the later part of 2020. He’s incredibly inspirational, having done so much in the …

Joshua Van Ness is a singer-songwriter, guitarist, drummer and native of New Jersey. To say that he has diverse interests and talents would be …

Judy Rodman is a return guest as well as an award winning vocal coach, recording artist, author, producer, singer-songwriter and more. I recently caught up with Judy in person in October and it was such a treat.

Judy …

David Andrew Wiebe is not only a singer-songwriter, but also a music educator. He’s found a way to grow his music career and the business of his music through a project he calls Music Entrepreneur HQ. The website and …

Marc Phoenix received a master’s degree in classical guitar and pedagogy from the University of Zurich. He also studied Jazz & songwriting at …

This is the fourth installment of The Unstarving Musician’s Guide to Getting Paid Gigs. I’m reading from Chapter 7 of the book which is all about sales and marketing.

A lot of what I’m discussing includes what we know …

Ryan Kairalla is an artist advocate, entertainment lawyer and host of the Break The Business Podcast. He leverages his background in law, business, education, and entertainment to enhance the careers independent music …

Chris Coles is the Founder of Musicians Unite, a community born out of the desire to support musicians of all ages, styles and skill levels together …

Frankie Raye is a powerhouse performer juggling over twenty shows a month. She is a singer-songwriter based out of Tampa, Florida. In 2019 Frankie launched her first album Brave. She has been recognized in several Best …

Adam and Michael Scharff are longtime working musicians and music teachers. These days they’re in the world of virtual artist artist development. With a focus on mentoring artists, Adam and Michael offer a compliment of …

My guest today is Bruce Wawrzyniak of Now Hear This. We talk about PR, promotions, social media, websites, placements and a whole lot more. 

I did a …

This is a special announcement episode for Unstarving Musician gal pal Lindsay White and Lady Brain Presents. The conversation features Karyn Ann, who will be one of the performing artists for an upcoming Lady Brain …

My guest for this episode is LA-based musician, Miles Franco. We talk about balancing multiple projects and how he established himself after …

Greg Wilnau, host of the Musician Monster podcast, joins me this episode. We talk about the Musician Monster website, which is a treasure trove of free resources, branding your music and making more money as a …

In this episode I speak with musician mindset coach and mentor Suz Paulinski of The Rock/Star Advocate. We talk about the DIY Musician Conference, …

In this episode I speak with pianist, synthesist, producer, vocalist and songwriter Glasys. We talk about his immigration from Israel to Portland, Oregon, discovering a new local music scene, and the pivotal moments …

Brian Wolff of Fair City Fire is giving back to Austin’s youth  as Community Engagement Coordinator with a nonprofit called Kids In a New Groove. In …

Only a few episodes ago I was joined by Bollywood Blues artist, Aki Kumar. Aki had some exciting news at the time that was under wraps, so I wanted …

The artist known as My Name is Chapel releases a new single called Taxi Cab today. Chapel is also in the midst of producing and scoring his first …

In this dual interview episode, I speak with Simon Tam about all he’s doing for the music community through podcasting, public speaking and writing. We also talk about his activism and support for other artists. Then …

My guest for this episode is multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Kofy Brown. We navigate the balancing act of her many projects, how she’s managed …

This is the third installment and re-release of The Unstarving Musician’s Guide to Getting Paid Gigs. The episode is dedicated to chapters five and …

Bollywood blues artist Aki Kumar sees gratitude and humility as key to managing his music career, creative challenges, band dynamics, and life. He …

Singer songwriter Arlene Paculan is all about community. Whether it’s through creating empowering arts events or sharing how artists overcome …

Singer songwriter Chris Avetta joins me for a conversation about stage fright, perspective, the business of music, and more. Chris had a lot going on when we spoke. She’d just released her new single Forest for the Trees

Kid Andersen has so much going on these days including having landed among the ranks of master class presenters for TrueFire TV, the release of new recordings for the Little Village Foundation, and a new album that’s in …

Lindsay White and a musicians community called the Lady Brain Collective are supporting each another through teaching, knowledge sharing, and …

Staying creative and nurturing a music community is part of life on the road for Crystal and Pete Damore of Ordinary Elephant. This is their second appearance on the podcast, which was a great opportunity to talk about …

Singer songwriter Tom Meny knows a thing or two about facing rejection and staying creative. In this repeat engagement, Tom and I chat about this, his new podcast, and more.

In Tom’s first appearance …

One the best ways to get good musician gigs is by building good relationships. The primary theme of this episode is relationships.

This is the second installment and re-release of The Unstarving Musician’s Guide to …

This episode is a two chapter reading of The Unstarving Musician’s Guide to Getting Paid Gigs. These chapters were the first two podcast episodes I ever recorded.

(I’m reflecting on the original podcast for the book …

Jason Davis loves helping music artists realize their dreams. He has founded several cutting edge entertainment companies including Radar Label Group (Jimmy Eat World, Plain White T’s, Neon Trees, The Unlikely …

Glass Hamlet loves the songwriting aspect of music. His big challenge has been finding a community of fellow musicians and music industry mentors.

Glass is a native of Moscow, Russia. In the late 90’s he moved to New …

In this episode Daniel Stidham of Raid the Quarry discusses strategies for releasing a new album. His Raleigh North Carolina bansed band has just …

Nashville based singer songwriter Notelle recently made the move from longtime collaborator to solo artist. She’s known for heavy messy pop with an …

When I started the Unstarving Musician's podcast, I had no idea how rewarding it would be to speak with all of the talented music artists I've met …

Mark Addison is a big fan of DIY recording, a seasoned music producer, songwriter, and co-creator of the iconic Tips Concerts series of Austin Texas.

Co-creator of the Profitable Musician Summit Bree Noble makes her third appearance on the podcast. Bree is a singer, songwriter and educator. Her …

In this episode, singer songwriter Chris Taylor shares the secrets behind his creativity. He’s a multi-instrumentalist and visual artist with a …

Benoit Glazer and the Timucua Arts Foundation believe that the visual and performing arts should be accessible to everyone. What started out as house …

I had the pleasure of speaking with Tess Posner on International Women’s Day. This was especially cool, because she released a single to commemorate …

Creative block is a thing, but it doesn't have to be. In this episode, I share the one tactic for overcoming creative block practiced by most music artists I've interviewed for this podcast. I also share tips for …

Jenna and Daniel Watters successfully met a $10k Kickstarter fundraising goal to support the release of their latest album. Most of that money was …

Wendy Colonna is a songwriter, performer, recording artist, yogi and mom. She’s also co-creator of Tips Concerts, one of the best known house concert …

One of my favorite things about Louisa Hall's latest release Barista Boyfriend is its whimsy. She amplifies that whimsy in the videos created for album, but it doesn't stop there. Louisa also takes her whimsy to the …

Justin Trawick is the quintessential DIY musician, but he’s just about maxed out his abilities as a one-man army. Among his many projects are his band The Common Good, a podcast, and touring with a songwriter series. …

Jana Pochop refers to herself as New Mexican and as a nerd. She’s a singer, songwriter, recording artist, performer, and social media consultant for …

Austin based musician Emmanuel Tomes is a singer songwriter of the blues and funk variety. His early inspirations came from Elliott Smith and Ben Harper. It was in fact Ben Harper who inspired him to start writing and …

Bradford and Kimberly Loomis are of the dynamic duo, married couple variety. Kimberly is highly involved in Bradford's career. Among her …

Cam Gillette writes, sings, produces, and performs under the band name Smoke From All The Friction. He and his collaborators meld electronica, pop, …

Tony Harrah and I began our conversation for this episode "off-air." I asked about his website, which is powered by Bandzoogle. This question was for my own market research purposes. There are a couple of areas on his …

Jamie Hill is a producer, musician, and songwriter with a soft spot for vulnerable voices. To clarify, Jamie says he’s specifically interested in …

This is a short holiday message to say thanks, reflect on the good things that happened in 2018, plus a couple of announcements for the New Year 2019.

Lexington Kentucky based songwriter Eric Bolander is a working musician and visual arts teacher. We were introduced by fellow songwriter and artist …

San Antonio based singer songwriter Laura Marie and I were connected by way of mutual friend and former Unstarving Musician’s Podcast guest Chris Taylor. I’m very happy with the outcome of this episode! I always enjoy …

Singer songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Sylvia Rose Novak grew up in Opalika Alabama, a place I’d never heard of before our conversation. I asked …

Vicki Ambinder is a Music Performance Coach and Artistic Consultant. She helps musicians and bands of all ages, experience levels and genres improve …

This short episode is a holiday message to all my my indie music artist friends, fans of live music, friends and family of Unstarving Musician's …

Ian Salazar recently turned 21. He’s been playing guitar since he could hold one, probably starting around age six. He plays for two Dallas Fort …

Austin area native Ginger Leigh is a life long entertainer and performer. She comes from five generations of music biz professionals. Her music is a blend of gritty, sassy rock and blues goodness. In our conversation …

Shannon Curtis has made house concerts the anchor of her music career since 2011. She tried the traditional route of touring cafes, college shows, …

Lannie Flowers is one of my indie musician pals who resides in the Dallas Fort Worth area of Texas. In this second appearance for the podcast, Lannie discusses the long process of making his forthcoming album Home. …

Lance Harvill came onto my radar by way of his recent work with Rex Brown. Some of you will know Rex as a founding member of Pantera. Lance’s guitar …

Jon Christopher Davis (aka JCD) is a Dallas-Fort Worth based music artist. He’s written songs for the likes of Dolly Parton, Timothy B. Schmit of …

You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll call your therapist. That is straight from Lindsay White’s bio. She’s a songwriting machine, who’s been …

My interview with Eli Lev was recording on Labor Day 2018, the US holiday that …

Lisa Sanders (featured in episode 66) made reference to Jason Mraz when she talked about Lee Coulter. She said that the excitement around Lee is …

Danny Wilkerson isn’t exactly in the full-time game of music, but for the past five years he’s been busy writing and …

Abe Partridge discovered music when he first heard Nirvana’s Nevermind. His life would take a few interesting turns before he would begin sharing his …

Lisa Sanders was once signed with an indie label, which gave her the gift of an indie mindset. Her latest release Shiver is her eighth CD.  She's worked alongside The Truckee Brothers, Lucinda Williams, Bonnie Rait, Al …

Chris Taylor creates music and art like a madman. He's a man of a thousand faces in my eyes. Check out his website to see what I mean.

In this …

Jace Everett and I surely crossed paths in the 90's, a time when we both lived and played music in and around Fort Worth Texas. In fact, we both did some hanging out and performing at Bronco's Sports Bar. This is the …

Music marketing is synonymous with the name Mike Osborn. He’s still figuring it out like so many other indie music artists, but Mike has always been heavily invested in how he markets his …

I’ve been fascinated with house concerts for years, but my interest went up recently following my interview with Ezra Vancil for The Unstarving …

Circus swing is my favorite genre that’s been used to label Dean Johanesen. The label comes from Dean’s fascination with circus history and a family story that ties it all together. In discussing my fondness of this …

Amy S Killingsworth founded and co-produces Amy & Gary’s House Concerts of San Antonio Texas. I’m fascinated with house concerts as of late, and this conversation was an opportunity to get the host perspective. Amy …

Life and songwriting on the road was the underscoring theme of my interview with Crystal & Pete Damore of Ordinary Elephant. We actually discuss a number of topics including how they've grown their Spotify audience, …

Singer Songwriter Roger Blevins Jr is the driving force of Austin based Mingo Fishtrap. He grew up listening to R&B, soul, funk, metal, hip-hop, …

Singer songwriter Jennifer Vazquez came to me out of the blue, the blue canvas of Twitter. I was checking my alerts, glancing at the feed and there she was, promoting her latest album Rediscovering Me.

Jennifer grew up …

SHAPESCENES is a reference to synesthesia. My guest in this episode is Chase Anderson, lead singer and guitarist for the Austin band SHAPESCENES. …

Brian Wolff is lead singer and guitarist for Austin based rock band Fair City Fire. Our conversation covers Brian’s start in the music scene of …

Singer songwriter Tom Meny considers himself an ambassador for house concerts. He says they’re his bread and butter these days. He’s so into them that he has a podcast episode devoted to the topic. Among his most …

This best-of episode features four musicians who appeared as guests in early episodes of the podcast. I chose these guys, because their insights say so much about the little things musicians can do to build a career or …

Ray Prim is a talented Austin based musician with a day job. He’s widely seen as a performer with an onstage sense of humor, something he says he doesn’t …

Hannah Holbrook is a solo artist and member of the sibling quartet SHEL. She and her sisters are considered virtuosos, and their collective tastes …

Independent musician Mike Dawson is crushing it on Instagram. He also subs for the principle drummer of The Lion King, leads drum workshops and gives private lessons. That's all on top of his day gig as managing editor …

British singer songwriter Lynz Crichton has been busy working on a new EP, and the project has two noteworthy facets.

One–Lynz gave herself a 90-day …

Bree Noble returned to the podcast this week to talk about The Profitable Musician Summit, a project that's been months in the making. The event will include dozens of speaker interviews with musicians and music …

Lara Price is an Unstarving Musician’s Podcast alumni from early episode 4. Similar to my recent conversation with country singer songwriter Mira Goto, this is a progress update of sorts. It’s been almost one year since …

Country singer songwriter Mira Goto first appeared on this podcast for episode 12 back in mid-August of 2017. I invited her back for a progress update of sorts, and she’s been very busy since our last conversation. She …

Sofar Sounds is a global organization who’s mission is to reimagine live events through curated, secret performances in intimate settings; and they are attempting to do just that in over 350 cities around the world. My …

Carlos Castillo runs a Facebook community called Schwilly Family Circus. It's a community for entrepreneurial musicians (aka musicpreneurs). It took us a while to connect for this interview, thanks to a power outage at …

Krosst Out is the first Canadian and first rap artist that I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing for the podcast. He was born in Toronto, but grew up in the small town of Campbellford, a town he describes as a place …

This  video compelled me to invite singer songwriter Ezra Vancil to be a guest on my podcast. After speaking with him, I watched the video a second time, but through an entirely new lens. Ezra's forthcoming release You …

Musician Joe George (aka Joe Shadid) has a steady gig as a content producer for Reverb.com, where he creates video lessons, demos and more. Reverb is an online marketplace where musicians can buy, sell and learn about …

Tom Irwin grew up admiring and learning songs by the likes of Grand Funk Railroad, Led Zeppelin, and Thin Lizzy. He was a participant of the 80s New …

Judy Rodman has a rich career in singing, performing, studio engineering, producing, coaching, mentoring, publishing, blogging, podcasting, and life. …

Liz Cirelli describes her music journey as a push and pull affair that began from an egotistical point of view. She's been challenged by a fear of …

In 2011 Sommer Sharon started a Facebook page and Twitter account for a music promotions project. It was a project born of sheer interest, but things …

Stephanie Tice and I have mutual ties to Greaseland Studios in San Jose. We share an interest in some of the artists that have recorded there. In Stephanie’s case, however, it’s more. She has fallen head over heels for …

My interview with Guitarcore pioneer Bill Lonero was apparently his first on a podcast. I told Bill my prediction was that he would soon start …

Last weekend I sent an email to my listener's list asking what topics they'd like to hear discussed on the podcast. Thank you to all who replied! Among those who chimed in was San Francisco Bay Area blues-rocker Mike …

On May 9th of 2017 I walked into Greaseland Studios to interview producer Kid Andersen. I was immediately blown away the abundance of musical gear everywhere. The next thing thing that came into my focus was the …

My very first interview for this podcast was a wheels-off train wreck. It was recorded a little over eight months ago. To make matters worse, the interview was with a celebrity. My guest was Rex Brown, best known as a …

Rockin’ Johnny Burgin is incredibly passionate a about performing, and holds the stage in the highest regard. Johnny resides in the San Francisco Bay …

Mark Wenner and his band The Nighthawks have been performing and recording for over 40 years. He did this with and along side an impressive list of blues and R & B note-worthies. Mark came up as a young man when …

David is highly respected in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond as a versatile musician. His versatility seems to stem from his deep appreciation for Bruce Lee the man, Taoism, and existentialist philosophy. As I …

If you’re a regular listener of this podcast you know that I recently published milestone episode 25, featuring Mike Dawson of Modern Drummer Magazine

In late October I was enjoying craft beer at one of my favorite watering holes with some of my favorite people. This was at Kool Keg in Arlington …

Terry LaPorta says her daughter's singing started out as a hobby, but that by age 11 she was performing in Nashville honky-tonks. Her now 16-year old …

Mike Dawson is one of the coolest people I've met in the last year.  He's also a great drummer, podcast host, and Managing Editor at Modern Drummer …

At age 16, Samantha LaPorta is the youngest guest I’ve had on the podcast. Our conversation took place on the same day that her single “It’s a Girl Thing” was released. She's a Disney Radio artist, something she always …

Aki Kumar fell in love with the blues and blues harmonica, but Bollywood pop is part of his music memory. This memory is creating what's likely to …

George Brandau is a super connector musician who regularly organizes benefit shows for his local community. He’s also a longtime friend and fellow …

In this episode I chat with rock photographer Neil Zlozower. Neil is considered by many to be one of the best rock photographers of all time, …

Michelle Lockey is a performing singer songwriter, composer for film & TV, and creator of Licensing Songs Academy, a community of songwriters & composers that are learning how to write & license music for …

Robert Berry's resume includes work with The Greg Kihn Band, Ambrosia, Carl Palmer, Keith Emerson, Sammy Hagar, Jason Bonham, Steve Howe, members of Boston, and Night Ranger. He's passionate about his classic rock …

In this episode, I chat with Nashville based singer songwriter Alyssa Trahan. I must admit that I'm blown away by how much Alyssa has accomplished, and by the amount of expertise she's amassed at the young age of 22. …

Bree Noble and I were introduced to one another by super-connector D Grant Smith of Appetizer Radio Show and episode 5 of this podcast. Man oh man am …

His band’s latest album The Defiant Machine was recently recognized by Guitar Player Magazine as one of the most noteworthy albums of the last 50 years. I'm talking about my new friend Bill Lonero. His band LoNero has …

Born in Denmark, Lee Oskar found his way to New York at age 18 to pursue a career in music. He eventually found his way to LA where people quickly took notice of his unique skills as a harmonica player. This is about …

I recently discovered Nottingham England's up and comer Lynz Crichton on Twitter, by way of mutual Facebook friends. Intrigued by her current social marketing campaign and her music, I jumped at the chance to bring her …

This episode of The Unstarving Musician’s Podcast features a conversation with drummer, vocalist, podcaster, Mac expert, tech dude and self-proclaimed nerd, Dave Hamilton.

I first met Dave as a guest on one of his …

This episode of The Unstarving Musician’s Podcast features a conversation with country singer songwriter and friend Mira Goto. We became acquainted in 2014 whilst gigging around the South San Francisco Bay Area, where I …

This episode of The Unstarving Musician’s Podcast features yet another one of my good friends, Paul Kent.    At the time of our conversation, Paul …

This episode of The Unstarving Musician’s Podcast features another former bandmate and friend Neil Schnell.   Neil is a gigging, touring machine, who …

This episode of The Unstarving Musician’s Podcast features my conversation with my good friend and former bandmate Jim Kisselburg. As a longtime weekend warrior musician/guitarist, Jim has done it all, from cover bands …

This episode of The Unstarving Musician’s Podcast features my conversation with John Wolff Director/Producer of The Bouquete Jazz and Blues Festival, …

This episode of The Unstarving Musician’s Podcast features a conversation with host of indie radio station The Appetizer Radio Show, D Grant Smith.   D Grant is what he likes to call an audience growth farmer. His …

This episode of The Unstarving Musician’s Podcast features a conversation with Lara Price, the phenomenal blues singer who I first had the pleasure of meeting at a blues jam in San Jose California.   Lara and I talk …

This episode of The Unstarving Musician’s Podcast features a conversation with award winning producer, sound engineer, guitarist, vocalist, …

This episode of The Unstarving Musician’s Podcast features Chris Raspante, who I first met at a holiday season jam last December 2016, near Fort …

Welcome to the Unstarving Musician

This podcast was created to help independent musicians better understand the marketing, business and creative processes that empower them to make music and make a living doing …