Music is My Life

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This is the Kit: Kate Stables on ‘Off Off On,’ Wordplay, and Lizzo
This is the Kit began as an open-mic act in the early 2000s. Kate Stables reveals how she turned it into a sturdy full-band project over the past 15 years.

AJR Brothers Jack and Ryan on ‘Bang,’ Concert Livestream, and Tour Tips
AJR is comprised of three brothers—Adam, Jack, and Ryan Metzger. Their first initials are where the name comes from. Their music career began on the streets of New York City, where they would busk together for hours at a time for years. The two brothers who take part in this interview—Ryan and Jack—say that years of trying to get people’s attention off the streets was formative to their work ethic and the constant need to one-up themselves with their live show.

Gavin Rossdale on 25 Years of Bush, Jamming with His Children, and More
Gavin Rossdale had tracked all of the songs on what would become Bush’s multiplatinum debut, but he was still painting dentist’s offices. In this wide-ranging interview, he talks sudden (and enduring) success, his favorite Gwen Stefani tunes, and more.

Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry on Bob Marley, Dub, Reggae, and Production
Lee “Scratch” Perry discusses pioneering reggae with Bob Marley and coming up with groundbreaking production techniques, without ever playing an instrument.

The Go! Team on Longevity, ‘Cookie Scene,’ and More
Go! Team founders Ian Parton and Ninja discuss how they turned a solo kitchen recording project into a sustainable live collective.

Joe Wong on ‘The Trap Set,’ Scoring for Netflix, and Solo Debut
Joe Wong has been in and out of indie bands since the late 1990s, starting a touring life at the age of 17. He has played drums for the likes of Marnie Stearn, Parts and Labor, and Mary Timony. At the age of 40, it seems like he has finally arrived, with a solo debut and scoring gigs for popular Netflix shows.

Molly Tuttle on Weaving Her Bluegrass and Punk Rock Music Backgrounds
Molly Tuttle’s “… but i’d rather be with you” is a collection of seemingly disparate cover songs—running the gamut from Rancid to the Grateful Dead—that got the singer through tough times in her life. She recorded it as a coronavirus lockdown project to get others through similar tough times.

Speedy Ortiz Leader Sadie Dupuis on SAD13, ‘Haunted Painting,’ Lizzo, and More
Sadie Dupuis of Speedy Ortiz, on the eve of releasing Haunted Painting, her second album under the SAD13 moniker, discusses her life in music, words, and math. Math? Yes, math!

Martha Reeves on Dancing in the Street, the Vandellas, and the Motown Sound
Martha Reeves reflects on the timeless appeal of “Dancing in the Street,” how the social movements of the 1960s compare to today’s Black Lives Matter movement, as well as her storied career with Motown.

Janet Billig Rich on Management (Nirvana, Hole) and Music Supervision (‘Rock of Ages,’ ‘Moulin Rouge’), and More
Janet Billig Rich discusses her long career in the music business, which started in merch sales, grew to an internship at Caroline (where she signed Hole), led to a career in management (where she managed acts like Nirvana and Dinosaur Jr.) and now has settled into music supervision.

Vanessa Carlton on Pandemics, Psychedelics, and Stevie Nicks
Vanessa Carlton engages in a candid discussion about the seedy underbelly of the music industry, why followups to “A Thousand Miles” were more successful than some of the men on her team wanted her to believe, and why “Love Is An Art” marks a new beginning for her.

Jungle Giants’ Sam Hales on Vibing with Bandmates
Sam Hales of Jungle Giants on taking the reins of his band, working two jobs to make an EP, and learning to trust your instinct.

Eddy Grant on ‘Electric Avenue,’ Heart Problems, and Lost Luggage
Eddy Grant began his career in the 1960s with the Equals, and 20 years later he made some of the biggest hits of his life, like “Electric Avenue” and “I Don’t Wanna Dance,” by fusing rock, reggae, and elements of electronic music. He continues to pioneer new sounds like soca and ringbang.

Lisa Loeb on the Ability to ‘Stay’ Working in an Ever-Changing Music Industry
Lisa Loeb discusses three decades in the music business, and how she was able to turn her initial success into a dozen different endeavors.

M. Ward on ‘Migration Stories,’ She & Him, and Songwriting
Matt Ward shares how a Beatles songbook and a closeted $25 guitar helped define his path as a musician, a journey which has led to create the poignant new M. Ward album, ‘Migration Stories.’

Black Belt Eagle Scout on How being a Booker Prepared Her for Saddle Creek
Katherine Paul (AKA Black Belt Eagle Scout) discusses growing up on the Swinomish Indian Reservation in Washington state, and the changes that happened after she discovered Madonna, emo music, and how to put on a great show.

Ron Pope Talks ‘A Drop in the Ocean,’ ‘One Grain of Sand,’ and Massive Streaming Numbers
Ron Pope discusses his new album, as well as his smash, “A Drop in the Ocean,” and a whole lot more.

Spider Stacy on the Pogues, Lost Bayou Ramblers, and ‘A Fairytale of New York’
Spider Stacy met Shane MacGowan at a Ramones gig in England when they were both teens. Shortly after, they formed the Pogues, which meant Spider had to learn to play the tin whistle pretty quickly.

Andy Stack Talks Wye Oak, Joyero, Everclear Covers, and More
You may know Andy Stack as one half of the duo Wye Oak, along with Jenn Wasner. But he’s also one whole of Joyero, whose debut came out on Merge in 2019. He talks about his solo project and the future for Wye Oak.

Soul Rebels on New Orleans, Collaborations, and Challenging What it Means to be a Brass Band
Lumar LeBlanc, Julian Gosin, and Marcus Hubbard, three generations of the New Orleans band Soul Rebels discuss hometown sounds, what it’s like to keep a band together for 30 years, and backing up the likes of Katy Perry, Nas, and Metallica.

Ritzy Bryan of Joy Formidable Talks Music Business, Relationships, and Finding Her Sound
Ritzy Bryan of the Joy Formidable discusses why her Welsh heritage is so important to her music, how her time on Atlantic Records helped inform her understanding of the music business, and how her guitar acrobatics hurt her Fender as well as the forehead of Joy Formidable bassist Rhydian Dafydd.

Jon Kull on Orchestrating Some of Hollywood’s Biggest Blockbuster Movies
You know who Jon Kull is, even if you don’t know that you know who he is. You’ve heard his orchestrations in films like all of the “Hunger Games” movies, “King Kong,” “Avatar,” “Black Panther,” “Mary Poppins Returns,” and so many more.

Songwriter Bonnie Hayes on Sexism, Drugs, and Rock ‘n’ Roll
Bonnie Hayes talks songwriting for Bonnie Raitt (and winning a Grammy for it), touring with Bob Seger, playing keys for Billy Idol, and being blown away by the Sex Pistols in 1978, and how all of that led to her coming to teach at Berklee College of Music and Berklee Online.

Chip Taylor on ‘Wild Thing,’ Hendrix, and ‘Angel of the Morning’
Chip Taylor wrote “Wild Thing.” He really doesn’t need to write any more songs. But that doesn’t mean he’s showing any signs of stopping. He’s got a new album out, and is eager to discuss everything leading up to this moment on this edition of the Music Is My Life podcast.

Evan Dando (Lemonheads) on Songwriting, Guitars, and Mrs. Robinson
Evan Dando has been releasing music for more than 30 years, reaching a commercial high point in the early and mid 90s with the Lemonheads albums “It’s a Shame about Ray” and “Come on Feel the Lemonheads.”

Red Sox and Patriots DJ TJ Connelly on Playing Music for the Masses
TJ Connelly is the DJ for the 2018 World Series Champs, the Boston Red Sox, the 2019 Super Bowl Champs, the New England Patriots, and more recently the Boston Bruins and the Boston Celtics. He got his start as a DJ at a comedy club!

Tony Trischka on Banjo, Pete Seeger, Steve Martin, and Springsteen
Tony Trischka’s list of collaborators includes Pete Seeger, Bela Fleck, Earl Scruggs, and Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers, so it’s no surprise that he has been called “perhaps the most influential banjo player in the roots music world.”

Darlene Love Talks Holidays, Phil Spector, and ‘20 Feet from Stardom’
Whether you know Darlene Love from her smash hit, “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” on the Phil Spector holiday album, or from her profile in the film, “20 Feet From Stardom,” this Rock & Roll Hall of Famer is a force to be reckoned with.

Tanya Donelly on Belly, Breeders, and Throwing Muses
Tanya Donelly discusses her life in music, including her beginnings with Throwing Muses and the Breeders, and her major breakthrough with Belly, a band she’s currently enjoying a reunion with.

Ben Vaughn Talks Television Scoring, Production, and Songwriting
Ben Vaughn is best known for his work on That 70s Show, but he also has extensive experience in production and songwriting.

Andrew Joslyn Talks Violin, Orchestration, Macklemore, Money, and More
After a violin-heavy childhood, Andrew Joslyn ditched classical music and began scoring massive hits for Kesha, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, and more.

Taj Mahal on Working with Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, the Rolling Stones, and More
Taj Mahal has spent his 50-year career bending genres to his own signature style. His work includes moving explorations in jazz, funk, reggae, country, rock ‘n’ roll, and more.

Marlon Williams on Finding American Country Music in New Zealand
In the US, you probably know Marlon Williams for his contribution to the “Wild Wild Country” soundtrack. But in New Zealand, you know him for his consistent output of great music since his teen years.

Gary Lucas on Playing with Captain Beefheart and Jeff Buckley
Gary Lucas is best known for playing with Captain Beefheart in the 1980s, and Jeff Buckley in the 1990s. But that’s only a fraction of his accomplishments.

Trevor Horn on Music Production, Buggles, Yes, and Bass Lessons
Trevor Horn is not only a co-writer of “Video Killed the Radio Star” and a producer of mega-hits for Yes, John Legend, ABC, and more. He’s also a Berklee Online student!

Dean Ween (Mickey Melchiondo) on the Guitarists That Shaped Him
If the name Michael Melchiondo does not ring a bell, it’s because he is known professionally by his stage name of Dean Ween. Click to check out what Deaner was talking about. (That’s a Ween reference!)

The War on Drugs Drummer Charlie Hall on Facilitating Adam Granduciel’s Vision
The War on Drugs drummer Charlie Hall discusses his musical upbringing, Grammy competition, and the importance of a grade school teacher on his development.

DJ Mike Henderson (ENDO) on Learning to DJ with Traktor
Mike Henderson (also known as ENDO) is a DJ who has pioneered harmonic mixing, developed DJ-friendly apps, worked in tour management for other DJs, and developed Berklee Online’s first DJ course.

Stephen Davis on Writing about Zeppelin, Stevie Nicks, and More
Stephen Davis has written nearly 20 books about music, including the Led Zeppelin book, “Hammer of the Gods” and the brand new “Gold Dust Woman: The Biography of Stevie Nicks.”

Jen Cloher on Songwriting and Playing Music with Partner Courtney Barnett
Jen Cloher has been releasing music to critical acclaim in Australia for more than a decade, but is only now receiving the international attention she deserves.

Boston Red Sox Organist Josh Kantor on Playing Fenway Park
Josh Kantor has been playing the organ at Fenway Park since 2003, and he hasn’t missed a single home game since.

Cindy Wilson of the B-52’s Talks Solo Debut, ‘Rock Lobster,’ and More
After 40 years in the music business, as one of the leaders of the B-52’s, Cindy Wilson is finally releasing her solo debut! “Change,” on the Kill Rock Stars label marks a drastic, er, um, change.

Lisa Roth on Rockabye Baby Series and Growing up with Van Halen’s David Lee Roth
Lisa Roth’s first job at a record label was as a nutritionist! She eventually invented a wildly successful series of musical releases that would make baby showers a lot more fun.

Music Therapist Suzanne Hanser on Music for Wellness
Dr. Suzanne Hanser discusses her illustrious career in music therapy, and how her profession brought her back to Boston to teach at Berklee College of Music.

Sam Amidon on Reimagining Folk Music with ‘The Following Mountain’
Music is Sam Amidon’s life. He’s been playing professionally since he was a little kid. We have proof! And that proof is adorable.

Will Dailey on Crowdfunding and Getting Music Placed on TV
Will Dailey has sold his car for rock ‘n’ roll! In this edition of Music Is My Life, he talks about his current crowdfunding campaign.

Leo Flynn on Vitamin String Quartet and Rockabye Baby
Leo Flynn is the brand manager for the Vitamin String Quartet, the group best known for recreating classical-style versions of popular songs.

Divinity Roxx on Playing Bass with Beyoncé and Victor Wooten
Best known for her work as the bassist in Beyoncé’s all-female band, Divinity Roxx is now furthering her musical education with Berklee Online.

Gary Burton on Retirement, Stan Getz, Chick Corea, and the Animosity of Miles Davis
Jazz legend Gary Burton discusses his life in music, just as he is about to walk away from it. His farewell tour—featuring Makoto Ozone—begins in March.

Nathan East on Playing Bass with Absolutely Everyone
If you haven’t heard the name Nathan East before, you’ve heard his bass. He’s played on upwards of 10,000 songs by the likes of Beyoncé, MJ, Lionel, Clapton, Phil Collins, and thousands more!

Prince Charles Alexander on Transitioning to Bad Boy Records
In PT II of this podcast, Prince Charles Alexander shares how he walked away from fame (but not fortune) and how his path eventually led to Diddy, and engineering iconic albums.

Prince Charles Alexander on Bringing the Funk
Berklee Online professor Prince Charles Alexander shares how he came to fame that he walked away from and how Nile Rodgers and Diddy helped him reinvent himself.

Sarah Neufeld on Arcade Fire, Bell Orchestre, and Collaborating with Husband Colin Stetson
Sarah Neufeld began playing violin at the age of three, and considers herself “half-classically trained.”

Glenn Kotche Talks Wilco, Solo Projects, and Soundtrack Work
Music is Glenn Kotche’s life. From the age of three through his study of classical percussion in college to playing with Wilco, music has always been a part of this drummer’s narrative. Hear his story.