Recorded near the end of October 2024. No interview for this one, just a personal wrap up. Been telling myself off and on this last year maybe try to get one more in. But if I actually put a "last" label on it, it's easier for me to make it official. The Harris/Trump Election is near. It's been a year...and some months. Updates on the job, and possible future career endeavors. In depth notes on my last recorded live track, Reggae 73. Been a year of loss, reflection, and growth where I can. And really for me how my relationship with music has changed over time and will continue to. Looking forward to some changes hopefully. This was fun. Thanks for listening. Feel free to leave comments on this or past episodes. and of course check out freecodecamp.org (not com like I kept saying). music is a couple random tracks I recorded labelled as "the foo fighters one", "new year punk", and the sample plus full track of Reggae 73.

This episode was recorded on 8.15.23 The main reason for this episode is to further the donation outreach for those affected by the senseless act of violence that happened at Nudieland. A little reflection from myself, and the Seward concert that occured the day after. If you want to find out more, I'd encourage you to check the @undercurrentmpls page on Instagram. You can donate here, and please share around: https://gofund.me/4ee7fabc Take care, everyone

Recorded April 30th, 2022

To put it simply, Mayyadda is a vibe. We had this interview after she had been up all night from a gig in Duluth with her band, drove her drummer to catch a flight, and make it back to the cities and still have this conversation with me. Not only that, but within the first few minutes asked me if it was ok to swear on the program, which to me is a huge sign of respect even though we had just met.

I first heard about Mayyadda through producer Andre Mariette. After catching a track he had produced of hers, I did like any good music nerd does nowadays and played through the albums on my streaming service. A few of her songs, including Cinammon and Same Room, got stuck in my head after a few play throughs. This being just before I started the podcast, she was certainly on my list of "artists who I hope will say yes" to an interview.

A daughter of Liberian refugees who fled from the civil war, she had to find her own way coming up from a more traditional Catholic background. Her voice has always been strong, and was strenghtened through choirs while also learning piano at an early age (starting at 2!).  This was carried on through her attendance at Duke University where her vocal group, Rhythm & Blue, was where a lot of her time was spent learning to work with a group. Nearing the end of college she came to a crossroads, a desk job just would not be a path Mayyadda could pursue without giving up a big part of herself or taking a chance on herself with music. With the aid of friends and producer Don Strong she was able to record her first studio album and light up a path that was really meant for her.

As I mention in the intro, I stumble a little in this conversation but it is still an important one to have. There were a number of other questions I still had, like how the writing and recording process is leading up to and during recording, working with multiple producers..but perhaps I can ask in person.

Check out Dessa's podcast, Deeply Human, the Sad Music episode to hear some more thoughts on emotions in music from Mayyadda.

Here is also the article I reference in the interview: https://www.tcdailyplanet.net/singer-songwriter-mayyadda-explores-new-sound-and-shows-black-musicians-are-not-a-monolith/

Track List: Black Girl Magic (Acoustic Remix 2022), Human (Holding Space), Cracked Chest (Try&Remember), Yesterdays to Tomorrows (Try&Remember), Sick and Tired (Holding Space), Same Room (eightynine) Soul (Try&Remember)

Links:

Linktr.ee/mayyadda

Instagram: @mayyadda

Tiktok: mayyadda8

mayyadda.bandcamp.com

If you have any thoughts feels free to hit me up at the email mnmusicmakers22@gmail.com or Instagram @mnmusic makers

Thanks for listening!

Recorded March 19th, 2022.

Dan Chizek was on my original list of people I wanted to talk to when I started planning this program. A guy I’ve seen around in music since high school, and after being reminded of CPS, was like “oh yeah, we played a lot more bills together than I thought”. Like many, I thought he was mainly a guitarist due to the popularity if his band, Hardcore Crayons, appearing on bills most often. Witnessing the progression of this trio over the years has always kept me wanting to check out shows. Who knows what they’d be writing next. I enjoyed hearing about how he has been interested in electronic music for quite some time. This also had some influence in Crayons later work and he continues writing in the genre under the name, CHUB. Appreciated hearing about how his writing methods developed over time, from the studio to playing with others live. Yes, we do say that. It was the bands name, and their intention was to be as profane as possible so I left it in. All in all it was an entertaining time getting acquainted with Chizek. How many various styles of music have influenced him over the years from punk to jazz, show up throughout his music. Basement shows are near and dear to my heart, so throughout with numerous name drops that connection was very meaningful. And I really look forward to hearing more tracks frok CHUB in the future.

Check out more pics from this and other episodes on Instagram @mnmusicmakers

Links to music:

Hardcore Crayons - https://hardcorecrayons.bandcamp.com/

CHUB - https://chubmusic.bandcamp.com/

Mrs. - https://mrsband.bandcamp.com/ 

Song list: Foopa (CHUB), Occupational Hazard (Chicken Poodle Soup), We Always Finish Eachothers..(Hardcore Crayons), People (You’ve No Idea How Awful They Are) [mrs.], Bee Man (Hardcore Crayons), Thumper (CHUB), 024 DIVOC (CHUB), New and Improved DnB (DICK&BUTT)[CHUB]

Any questions feel free to reach out mnmusicmakers22@gmail.com

In the second episode of season two, I had the pleasure of meeting vocalist Uncle T (@your.uncle.t.) For an artist who got her start just a few years ago, she has seriously gotten a lot done in the twin cities music scene. Starting off at open mics and winning competitions at Fifth Element and Can Can Wonderland, Uncle T soon found herself hosting her own hip hop events. After managing a few of these events for some time, she teamed up with Christopher Michael Jensen (CMJ @chrismikejensen) to assist with hosting duties. Over time, and years of experience now under her belt, T began to reassess her current position and how she wanted to continue with music. Since her move to Phildelphia where she currently resides with her girlfriend, she's been making some connections already. Her style has shifted to more R&B style vocals, and teaming up with the production work of Rising Path, has been creating tracks for an upcoming album. I gained some great insight, and plenty of wisdom from our discussion. Really has me looking at the relationship between an artist and producer, and how it can take time to find the right fit. Track list: Master of Riddles (Business Causal), Paper Beats Rock (Business Casual), Take 1 Take 2 (Late Bloomer feat. CMJ), Wish I Had Peace (Minneapolis Quarantine Mixtape Project), If You Think About It (Late Bloomer), Figure You Out (Single feat. Rising Path) Check their IG @your.uncle.t for updates @sidehustlesalt for some salt business Linktr.ee/unclett for all the links

Welcome to a new season with MN Music Makers. To get us started, I got to sit down and talk with a hip hop artist who has been at it for over a decade. Phil tells me about his time at Fifth Element, the hip hop record store that was run by Rhymesayers and hosted many open mics in its day. After using that as a way to test new material and stage presence, he continued to gain momentum as Chris Michael Jensen started booking him around town. Growing up a singer with his family, one of his challenges was building up the vocal technique for rapping. With plenty of experience perfecting his vocals, and a natural stage presence, Phil has proven to be a quality artist and performer. Beyond that he is also a community builder, working with other artists to help build each other up. With a couple EPs and singles under his belt, his official debut album is set to be released soon.Song list: Faith - Sun Indigo Wutz Good - The Sound Beautiful Day - Sun Indigo Sun Indigo - Live on Kare 11 American Dream - Single The Sound - The Sound All Night - The Sound Check out his site for links, psjmusic.com

For my first episode of the year I have Eva from Umbrella Bed and her daughter, Alice who has a few music projects of their own. Eva explains how she ended up on the French Horn in her younger years, and has certainly made her stand out on any stage. We talk about how she got started with Umbrella Bed, European tour adventures, and playing almost every bar around town. Her daughter, Alice, then tells me about their solo project and also their punk band, Mystery Meat. Was great catching up with Eva and getting to meet Alice.

Song list: Mystery Skanker (Umbrella Bed), Narcissa (Umbrella Bed), Sweet Home Kamchatka (Umbrella Bed), Dark Days (Umbrella Bed), Monkeys & Rivets (Umbrella Bed), I Promise (Alice), Reckless (Mystery Meat), I Told U (Alice)

Check out @mnmusicmakers on Instagram for additional pictures and updates on upcoming episodes!

A brief overview of the year. Thankful for what I've been able to accomplish and the friends who have helped me along the way. Onward to hearing from new artists, especially in the hip hop community, upcoming this next year. Cheers to the end of this year, and really appreciate all of you for listening.

For this end of the year episode, I catch up with my friend Cory. Former bassist for our thrash metal band, Mutagen, he tells me about his earlier experiences getting started in music. After our band dispersed, he branched out to start bands with other locals. He relives some of his time with Svoboda, a doomy, loud as fuck metal band that he helped start up. And honestly I can't help but smile and bob my head every time I hear them. Tour stories when he filled in for doom metal band No Funeral. More currently he has been playing with Jordan Porter of The Prizefighters in his band, Your Wealth (soon under a new name). The current line up of Your Wealth (now with Eric Whalen on drums) will also be starting a new punk band with music Cory has been writing since he started playing in bands, called Burial Pig. Song list: V.I.T.R.I.O.L (Svoboda demo), Break Thrash (Mutagen demo), Monolith (Sv demo), Oriode (Sv demo), Guilt Hits (Your Wealth), Bodies of Water (Your Wealth)

This week concludes my interview with Albert. We discuss Wisconsin, and how he's not surprised to hear about a basement punk scene in Appleton, Wisco. Albert tells me about some memorable touring shows he saw, including The Misfits and a lackluster after party with the entourage for The Casualties.

The history of The Dropsteppers is further explained, and how their sound evolved from a previous project. We reflect on how he linked up with Doug Otto around the college years, and forming The Getaways over time.

I make a wrong assumption for the naming of The Poor Nobodys, but then Albert fills me in on touring Europe with them and meeting a familiar stranger on their travels. Finally we discuss what it was like to reunite with his bandmates in The Dropsteppers to play a benefit show for a friend just before covid lockdown.

Song list: Foolish Pride - The Dropsteppers, Bring It On Home - The Dropsteppers, Suzy's Got It Wrong - The Dropsteppers, The Back Door - Soul Foundation, Nine Trick Pony - Doug Otto & The Getwaways, Lizard - The Poor Nobodys (Live at Le Bidule, France), Waking Still Asleep - The Poor Nobodys, Pipeline To My Heart - Doug Otto & The Getaways

Additional photos and flyers can be viewed on the Instagram page @mnmusicmakers

Check out more tracks from The Dropsteppers on Spotify and other music streaming services

http://www.dougottoandthegetaways.com/

The Poor Nobodys Silent Film Tracks:

Panacea: https://youtu.be/Gm4-yORChiU

Night Of The Living Dead: https://youtu.be/ta1m5Mpl-CM

Who Is Vermin Supreme: https://youtu.be/xEHE4DbNBcA

The Real Chuck NORAD on Instagram

Also follow the DJ night hosted by Albert and Paul, Last Chance For Love https://linktr.ee/Lastchanceforlove

Todays episode features Albert Perez, who has played lead guitar in numerous projects since the early 2000s. Originally from Sheboygan, he tells me about how his father bought him his first guitar and getting started in a punk band back home.  After deciding he needed a change of scenery from his hometown, his sights settled on Minneapolis. From there he met many musicians over the years, and joined such bands as Doug Otto & The Getaways, The Dropsteppers, and El Drifte to name a few (we'll talk about more in the second half). While I have known Albert for a number of years, was cool to hear about some tour stories with The Dropsteppers and what the early years were like. We also discussed the pandemic and how it affected every musician differently, some were well prepared and others having to rush to catch up. Since he has been at this for many years he has plenty of history to tell, and so this is part 1 of 2 (next Episode coming Dec 13th) where we discuss other projects, more touring, and current events. Song List: Sinking Down (Doug Otto & The Getaways), Extraordinary Woman (The Dropsteppers), Let Me In (Doug Otto...), What You Came To Be (The Dropsteppers), Hot Mess (The Dropsteppers), When The Band Plays (The Dropsteppers), Steady On Betty (Doug Otto...) Additional photos and flyers can be viewed on the Instagram page @mnmusicmakers Check out more tracks from The Dropsteppers on Spotify and other music streaming services http://www.dougottoandthegetaways.com/ The Real Chuck NORAD on Instagram Also follow the DJ night hosted by Albert and Paul, Last Chance For Love https://linktr.ee/Lastchanceforlove

This week I sat down with an old friend, Bryan Highhill. We talked about playing trumpet for his first bands in early high school prior to forming The P. Lacquers, which bonded a group of friends for years to come.

Some discussion was had of how much recording has transformed in the short time of us growing to adulthood. And how booking shows has switched from gaining new fans to how many fans are following you online.

I got to hear about his time in Sonny Knight and the Lakers where he got to play for his biggest crowd to date in Europe. After returning from school out in Santa Fe, he, along with former P. Lacquers members and friends, formed the Hennepin County Millionaires Club.

During the pandemic, Bryan began to revive his solo project, Lumpy. This included some songs he produced all on his own, along with some incredibly entertaining videos.

Song list: Milwaukee (The P. Lacquers), Ooh Yah! (The P. Lacquers), Fare Thee Well (The P. Lacquers), Satan Is Coming For You (Hennepin County Millionaires Club), Do It Live! Medley (Sonny Knight & The Lakers), The Accolade (The Prizefighters), Back To The Earth (Lumpy), The Old Guard (Lumpy Version), When The Moon Comes Up Today (Live at the Triple Rock)

Check him out at lumpyrecordings.com

Also lumpy.bandcamp.com

On October 30th, 2021 I got the chance to sit down and talk with my friends Liz and Peter. Liz I have known for a number of years through high school into early adulthood, and her husband Peter who I have had the pleasure of getting to know over the years. We chatted about the early years, how they both got into music mainly through family members. Liz starting off with and continuing to play violin even when it felt difficult at times. Thankfully it has brought her numerous opportunities, which resulted in the creation of our americana/folk/country band The Sterling Roots. I go through some of her songs which we come to realize how different the messages can seem with the passage of time. I also catch up with Peter who I have never gotten much time to hang out with, but have always wanted to get to know. He tells me about some of his earlier influences which include guitar plucker Leo Kotke, and more current events since covid hit. I also learn about his former duo, Crow Call, which was a dark-folk band (very cool). We also discuss how music can be such a unifier and form of communication. We all met through music in one way or another, and it has its way of keeping people connected. The episode features songs from the unreleased album the full band of The Sterling Roots recorded which you have to know the right person to get a hold of Track list: Crazy (TSR), Beloved(TSR), Boy (TSR), Windows (TSR), Sailor's Grave on the Prairie (P. Ruddy playing Leo Kotke), Walks at Night (Crow Call), Family Tree (TSR), Devils Parlor (TSR)

Laying out a preview of what the podcast will be about. Interviewing MN musicians, their life, finding music, projects they've been involved in. All from various genres so we can see things from their perspective.