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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 singer, performer and songwriter, making this conversation a big honor for me. We met in San Jose, California some 18 years ago. Lara is currently based in Austin, Texas. Our conversation includes some dissection of my new song plus: publishing, marketing, sync placement, collaboration, collaborating, the art of storytelling and creating a bridge. Lara also shares many of her experiences and thoughts on songwriting and publishing. This turned out to be an informative and inspiring conversation. I hope you enjoy! Mentioned in this Episode On Top Of The World Tranquilo Retreat Synesthesia and the Evolution of SHAPESCENES–Chase Anderson/ Today’s Indie Musician—Lara Price (Ep 166) Starting Over in Austin–Lara Price Humble Beginnings and Mean Business in Austin – Lara Price (Ep 004)/ HumTap TuneCore   Visit UnstarvingMusician.com for related links, episode transcript and more.

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 technical challenges I faced in writing and recording the song, the players involved, and the forthcoming video. On Top Of The World drops January 8th, 2021. Download it for free at Robonzo.com. Our discussion covers themes common among creative individuals. Taking the leap from "wanting" to singing one's own music to actually writing and recording a song is one example. Ezra and I are both acquainted with brute forcing our way through certain aspects of the creative processes that apply writing and recording music. We're also familiar with the dilemma of knowing when we're done with a song, its lyrics and even specific parts. When is a song good enough? These are among the many things that can keep musicians from moving forward with writing and recording endeavors. Our conversation also explores the uncertainties, insecurities and obstacles. This interview was put together as promotional piece for the song. Because Ezra is such a great songwriter and lovely human being, we were able to bounce between my experiences and his. The resulting conversation was helpful to me in many ways. I hope it will be equally so for you. Visit UnstarvingMusician.com for related links, episode transcript and more.

My guest for this episode is multi-instrumentalist and studio engineer Chris Raspante. Prolific and in-demand as both performer and sound engineer, Chris is regularly solicited for hire on various music projects. In this conversation we discuss his return to performing live, the logistics of recording remotely, our work together on my song On Top Of The World, and why he thinks his phone is always ringing.  We recorded this conversation in October of 2020, during one of the peaks of the pandemic. While this is Chris' second appearance on the podcast, this is our third conversation. Our proper second conversation will be coming out in the future...as a third episode. Don't worry about it. If you want to get caught up with Chris, check out his first appearance. Episode 2 with Chris Raspante This was a happy hour conversation of sorts, as we recorded during the evening hours over a few beers. As I told Chris, we definitely need to chat more often. Can't wait to see him play live again when we can all travel safely. Maybe I'll even have an opportunity to sit in on drums. "Doing a great job or trying to be good at what you do, being easy to work with and just being out there on people’s radars, that is always going to be the best advertisement for yourself." –Chris Raspante, Musician & Studio Engineer Mentioned in this Episode Episode 2 with Chris Raspante Making Music with an Open Heart and Mind – Jon Christopher Davis Crossing Paths with Jace Everett On Top Of The World Visit UnstarvingMusician.com for related links, episode transcript and more.

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 this year at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Dave is VP of Business Development at Bandzoogle. In this follow-up conversation we discuss a wide range of topics, including: The newish partnership between CD Baby and Bandzoogle Ways musicians around the world are adapting to change What Bandzoogle's data says about fan support Naming your price with a minimum price for online music sales The increased output of resource articles on the Bandzoogle blog Bandzoogle features including EPK templates and the free review of your site service Keeping live streams alive Full disclosure: I'm a humble and honored affiliate of Bandzoogle, which means I make a wee bit of money if you purchase a plan using my promo code ROBONZO, which you can read more about below. Thank you for your support! Related to our conversation, my new song (and first ever single) is set for official release January 8th, 2021. Preview my new song and download it for free on Robonzo.com If you want to follow the saga of my release and become part of the Robonzo Collective by following me on the socials, @robonzodrummer on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Mentioned in this Episode Bandzoogle CD Baby Enter the Haggis Artist EPK Builder for Bands and Musicians | Press Kits | Bandzoogle Website design inspiration: best electronic press kits 5 creative quarantine hacks for album artwork Six Skills All Indie Musicians Need Today - Forbes Visit UnstarvingMusician.com for related links, episode transcript and more

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 world. He and his bandmates met at the Savannah College of Art & Design, Georgia, where they collectively studied film and sound design. They've put their studies to work for producing & marketing their music. Garret and I spoke on the heels of their then new single release, Roots Enterprise. We talk about that, his bandmates, collaborators, recording, his writing process, and more. Lucid Phase was well into a follow-up to their 2020 release, which is slated for release in 2021. These guys are somewhat new to the process of creating and publishing music, so the timing of our conversation is great, as I too am new to writing and publishing music. This is a great conversation with lots of takeaways. Mentioned in this Episode Lucid Phase Official Website Sensi Trails Official Website Nostradames_ on Instagram Tatanka - The Moment Dub Room Studio Grizzly Peak Official Website Visit UnstarvingMusician.com for related links, episode transcript and more

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 doing. Like Ezra said last episode, music is a collaborative experience between community and musician and I feel that extends into what I'm doing here. Brian took time out to thank me and to share his own personal update. He shared with me that he’d lost his wife Becky of 43 years to cancer. Becky was also manager of his blues band. Brian recently published the last album that he and Becky worked on with his band, Blues Station. In her honor he’s been donating a portion of the proceeds of his latest CD to Stand Up 2 Cancer. We talk about all of this, how and where he and Becky met, his surprising early influences, his life and music memories, the greatness of blues jams and some great songwriting advice. Mentioned in this Episode Becky and Brian Interpretation of the Blues Listening for That Phrase—Johnny Burgin Part 2 (Ep 138) Why Musicians Shouldn’t Have a Cell Phone on Stage – Rockin’ Johnny Burgin Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) Visit UnstarvingMusician.com for related links, episode transcript and more.

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 sparked by an email exchange we had where Ezra mentioned an arduous trip to Florida for a festival he was performing during the onset of the pandemic. In that email, he also said he’d decided to throw in the towel on his music career. Thankfully, he changed his mind on and continues to make music. In this conversation, we also discuss: Where he thought he was going next, and where he ended up following his travels to and from Florida His new album The Family Songbook, on which his daughter Cozy makes her recording debut His depression (bipolar), the changes in his life, and some of the tools he uses to cope His sentiments about live streaming A bit of tribute to a friend he recently lost, and something that friend recently did for him Subscription based fan support And much more... Visit UnstarvingMusician.com for related links, episode transcript and more.

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 another of his high profile projects. Otto is based in Wales, but English by birth. I learned about him while researching the collaboration app Trackd. This was for an article I published on Forbes.com. In this episode Otto shares his experience as a Trackd user, how he came to be involved with Dave Stewart, a big songwriting tip, and how he got one of his songs a-listed with BBC Radio in Wales. We talk about recording on the go, his agenda following a flurry of career elevating activity and much more. He also gives me a tour of his home studio. See the episode show notes for details and photos of his gear. Visit UnstarvingMusician.com for related links, episode transcript and more.

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 musicians and other types of artists. She and I have worked together to book some of her clients on this podcast, including Danielle Eva Schwob (Ep 147) and Evangeline Gentle (Ep 171). With offices in LA, Nashville and New York, Sacks & Co has an international reputation for working with exceptionally talented individuals and organizations. Their clients include musicians, filmmakers, film producers, theater companies, arts presenters and entrepreneurial business ventures. In this conversation, Zoë and I talk about how she got into the public relations business, what PR firms do for clients and what she looks for in a prospective client. Additionally, Zoë breaks down what a working relationship between her and the artists she represents looks like. Visit UnstarvingMusician.com for related links, episode transcript and more.

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 adoption and traction on streaming platforms, specifically Spotify. Michael was recently quoted in Rolling Stone discussing competition for ear-time on Spotify. In our conversation, Michael explains why streaming promotion is important and explains the related ecosystem of Spotify playlists, artists, consumers and labels. He also gives insight into Spotify curated versus independently curated playlists, how Streaming Promotions identifies playlists that matter, how they find artists they want to work with, scams to avoid, and what artists should be asking as they look into this world of streaming promotions.

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 is Managing Editor of Modern Drummer Magazine, a pro drummer, co-host of The Modern Drummer Podcast, and a music educator. This remains one of my favorite Unstarving Musician and is among the most popular episodes of the podcast. Our conversation covers Mike's prolific hustle as a gigging and studio musician, family life, music education, his early music influences, business, marketing, YouTube and more. Visit UnstarvingMusician.com for related links, episode transcript and more.

Peter Rand is a multi-instrumentalist and songwriter who I met on the collaboration platform Kompoz. You may have noticed my recent obsession with collaboration apps as of late, in which case you'll know about this article that I contributed to Forbes.com. These Three Collaboration Apps Are Changing The Way Music Is Created Peter and I have collaborated on some of the over 800 projects he has posted on Kompoz. 800! That's amazing. Ten of his Kompoz collaborations were recently published in the public digital domain. In this conversation, Peter provides a little insight into Kompoz, why we both like it and more. Visit UnstarvingMusician.com for episode transcript and links to just about everything discussed in this episode.

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, which he says allows him to record anywhere with great results. This is another in a series of episodes covering the online music collaboration space. Read my article about music collaboration apps on Forbes.com These Three Collaboration Apps Are Changing The Way Music Is Created Markus has worked in a wide range of studios and claims he can’t say enough nice things about Trackd. He first learned about it through a friend. The onset of the Covid-19 pandemic prompted him to dig deep into the app and since then he’s published multiple singles recorded with Trackd. In this conversation, we talk extensively about Trackd, street performing, Markus’ travels and more. Visit UnstarvingMusician.com for related links, episode transcript and more.

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 heart, Rachel is also a multi-instrumentalist and songwriter. It may sound corny, Rachel says, but Trackd has changed her life. We talk about the many reasons she loves Trackd, how she uses the app, why she thinks other musicians should try it and much more. Our conversation is related to an article I recently wrote for Forbes.com, covering the online music collaboration space. Here’s a link to that article: These Three Collaboration Apps Are Changing The Way Music Is Created Visit UnstarvingMusician.com for related links, episode transcript and more.

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. There are a number of truly innovative and interesting approaches happening. In this episode, I speak with Grant Tilbury of Trackd, the mobile app that allows musicians to capture and share ideas. Trackd is a collaboration platform and 8-track studio on your phone. Grant and the team at Trackd believe a new set of tools emerging in the collaboration space could help music artists make money with their craft and bring life to new music genres. We talk about this, trends the Trackd team are watching, questions they want artists to help them answer, their philosophy and approach to this growing space of online collaboration and much more. Mentioned in this Episode Download Trackd Studio Music at Long Distance – Online Creation and Collaboration Tools from Abbey Road Red Writing and Recording Music – Article by Robonzo These Three Collaboration Apps Are Changing The Way Music Is Created (Forbes.com article by Robonzo) Dave Stewart Global Songwriting Collaboration Related Episodes Online Collaboration And The Always-On Music Industry–SoundStorming (Ep 173) The Evolution of Music Collaboration–Raf Fiol of Kompoz (Ep 171) For full resources, show notes and episode transcripts go to UnstarvingMusician.com

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 SoundStorming, believe that online collaboration apps will feed the next iteration of the music industry and allow a new breed of fans to become part of the creative process. With fan engagement opportunities growing, online collaboration apps have the potential to help us re-imagine music discovery. Alicia was featured in episode 153 of the podcast where we discussed the inception of SoundStorming. Her partner Arnau is a music creator and together they’re both passionate about what the SoundStorming team is building. In this discussion we talk about who’s using their service, interesting trends on online collaboration, changes driven by the Covid crisis of 2020, the future of online collaboration and more. For full resources, show notes and episode transcripts go to UnstarvingMusician.com

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 struggle to preserve the softness and tenderness within. We also discuss homophobia and misogyny in the music business, what it’s like being a queer person in the business, how the Covid crisis altered their path, the integration of Celtic folk music in their music, PR, indie record label representation and much more. For full resources, show notes and episode transcripts go to UnstarvingMusician.com

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 related to an article I published for Forbes.com, which covers the online music collaboration space. I'm trying to better understand the different approaches and models within the space. Online collaboration and the trends therein are extremely fascinating to me. It is also something I encourage other musicians to look into.  I'm a Kompoz user/member, having recently signed up, and have already submitted my first collaboration track. Among the topics Raf and I discuss are the evolution of Kompoz as a platform and community, Raf's thoughts on the future of online collaboration, why he started Kompoz, who the platform is best suited for and much more. For full resources, show notes and episode transcripts go to UnstarvingMusician.com  

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 same grassroots techniques and three core principles that Modern Musician teaches. These techniques allow musicians to achieve sustainable success, and also helped Michael's band Paradise Fears make waves on the alternative charts of iTunes. Michael and I discuss his music career, Paradise Fears, why and when artists come to Modern Musician for help, the process of identifying the ideal client profile, details on Modern Musician’s core principles and techniques, and much more. Michael also gives an impromptu live performance from his home studio. Find episode transcript, show notes and resources at UnstarvingMusician.com

This episode features two separate conversations with Patrick Jaht and Agam Jamwal of Rewave Distribution. Rewave is working on the problem of music distribution. What's wrong with the current music distribution model? In some cases it’s cost, distribution takes forever, royalties arrive late and/or support is lacking. Patrick, Agam and I also talk about who they are as a company, how Rewave intends to improve the current music distribution model, and how they found themselves working on the problem to start with. We also chat about business and technology aspects of Rewave. Rewave is currently accepting signups for its beta offering. You can learn more, including how to signup by finding them on Instagram @RewaveDistribution.   For full resources and shownotes go to UnstarvingMusician.com