Spotlight On

Born into a scientific family, music technologist Don Slepian showed both musical and technical talent early in life. He was a tester on the early internet as a member of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Synthesizer Soloist with the Honolulu Symphony and Musical Director of the Honolulu Theater For Youth. He has been presented by WNYC’s “New Sounds” in New York’s Lincoln Center and performed at the Pompidou Center in Paris. He currently lives in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania, where he writes and builds instruments.“… one of the genre’s major talents…”— Rolling Stone MagazineLearn more about Don Slepian.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

FEMME HOUSE fosters more equitable opportunity for women and gender-expansive individuals in the technical and behind-the-scenes areas of music. They are creating the future producers, mixers, engineers, DJs, artists, and executives of the industry by providing education and scholarships, cultivating community, propagating visual representation, and offering professional development opportunities. Learn more about how to get involved with their mission to change the music industry at https://www.thisisfemmehouse.com/involved.As FEMME HOUSE continues to expand their mentorship initiatives, their Backstage Pass interview series highlights all of their industry contacts and spotlights the myriad careers available in music. Backstage Pass highlights the professional community that FEMME HOUSE has had the privilege of getting to know, while illuminating the possibilities for a new generation to come.FEMME HOUSE Co-Founder (and Spotlight On alum), HERMIXALOT, turned the tables on Spotlight On host, Lawrence Peryer, featuring him as a guests of Backstage Pass for an interview and audience Q+A. We are happy to bring you that conversation here.FEMME HOUSE Co-Founder and Executive Director Lauren A. Spalding (aka HERMIXALOT) graduated from high school on a Thursday afternoon and then started working as a publicity intern at Capitol Records the next morning. That was over fifteen years ago, and she has not worked a “real” job since. As an artist management consultant for her own shop, The Spalding Company, she’s shepherded fruitful partnerships to help bring her clients’ big ideas to life. As a managing member of Sofi Tukker’s artist oasis and Animal Talk Collective, she’s been a songwriter, party planner, publishing executive, and webmaster, sometimes all in the same day. As co-founder of an educational non-profit FEMME HOUSE, she chips away at the equity gap inherent to the technical roles of the music industry by providing women and non-binary folx opportunities to learn how to be producers and engineers. And, as her artist alter ego, HERMIXALOT, she lives out her pre-teen Missy Elliot dreams, writing and performing songs to move the people. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

David Carpenter has spent 22 years in media and entertainment. He is an experienced Off-Broadway and Broadway producer, Multiplatform content developer, and has worked extensively in sales and marketing. David is currently the Founder and CEO of Gamiotics, Inc, which is bringing audience engagement technology to the live entertainment market and powering the next generation of experiential entertainment. He is proud to be a partner and CEO of Session Zero LLC along with Sarah Davis Reynolds and David Andrew Laws.He was the lead Producer of the 2019 Broadway run of the critically acclaimed Slava’s Snowshow.David the Off-Broadway hit comedy: Puffs, which ran in NYC for three years and is now the #2 most produced play in the country. Additional credits include: Executive Producer of Puffs: Filmed Live Off-Broadway, released nationally through Fathom Events. Producer of Puffs in Australia for two years in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane and the Publisher of all four editions of the Puffs script.He is a former DreamWorks Theatricals Executive overseeing Shrek the Musical sales operations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Steven Hall grew up in Scotland in the '60s, singing in church choirs and learning the bagpipes. "I was shy, and wanted to be cool and meet boys and girls, so I taught myself the guitar and learned the songs of The Beatles, Joni Mitchell, and Donovan." Steven emigrated to the US at age 15. After high school, he moved to New York where he hung out with artists, dancers, and musicians. There he met Allen Ginsberg who invited him to attend Naropa Buddhist University in Colorado. At Naropa Steven studied writing with Ginsberg and William Burroughs and music with Don Cherry. Upon returning to NYC "Allen introduced me to Arthur Russell – we became Allen's backup band, then Arthur asked me to sing and play guitar as a duo." Steven and Arthur performed together in downtown clubs like CBGBs, The Mudd Club, and Max's Kansas City as The Sailboats. Steven later sang on some of Arthur's disco hits like "Tell You Today" and "Is It All Over My Face?" After Arthur died, Steven and a bunch of mutual friends formed Arthur's Landing to remember Arthur by playing his music. Meanwhile, Nirosta Steel is the name Steven uses for his own music – queer love songs and remixes he creates for friends.DOWNLOAD THE PREMIERE OF A NEW TRACK MENTIONED IN THE PODCAST HERE The track is “PLEASE DON’T!” by Nirosta Steel, DROP OUT ORCHESTRA MIX featuring Nell Shakespeare!Learn more about Steven and hear more of his music: www.buddhistarmy.orghttps://buddhistarmy.bandcamp.com/musichttps://www.instagram.com/nirosta_steel/Foto of Steven Hall in the Spotlight On graphic is by Surachai Saengsuwan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As a founding member & producer of Orlando-based Hip Hop group, Solillaquists of Sound, DiViNCi first gained notoriety by using multiple drum machines in ways the world had never seen before. His frenetic finger drumming, sonic dynamism & innovative use of music technology have led to stage & studio collaborations with such artists as Ms. Lauryn Hill, Nas, Victor Wooten, MF DOOM, Doug Wimbish & El-P (Run The Jewels). As a public speaker & educator, DiViNCi shares his passion for creative health by helping others refine their creative process through his one-on-one coaching service, StudioSensei.com. While currently at work on various music projects, DiViNCi continues to travel the world connecting with audiences through his high-energy performances, speaking engagements, & workshops.As a founding member & producer of Orlando-based Hip Hop group, Solillaquists of Sound, DiViNCi first gained notoriety by using multiple MPCs (drum machines) in ways the world had never seen before. The virtuosity in his frenetic performances & popular YouTube clips set inspiring precedents for the now popular “Controllerism” scene. DiViNCi is revered by music fans, aspiring electronic performers & veteran musicians alike. His work, both on & off the stage, caught the attention of GRAMMY Award-winning icon Ms. Lauryn Hill, who tapped DiViNCi to join her band & studio team.In addition to his work with Ms. Hill, his versatility as a producer & performer have allowed him to collaborate seamlessly with artists from all across the musical spectrum. Sage Frances, EL-P (Run The Jewels), Kool Keith, MF Doom, Doug Wimbish (Living Colour), Darryl Jennifer (Bad Brains), Michael Franti & Spearhead and Zap Mama are a few of the artists that DiViNCi has worked with.As a public speaker, DiViNCi enjoys sharing his passion for creativity & process with those looking to develop not only their craft, but their careers as well. His constant drive for innovation has led him to work closely with various companies in the development of their most popular products. Some of his most notable contributions have come from his work with Akai Professional in helping to develop the MPC Renaissance, Studio & MPC5000. In addition, DiViNCi's adoption of Ableton products has garnered the attention of the company and led to multiple Ableton workshops & panel discussions.You can learn more about DiViNCi & his creative wellness company, Studio Sensei, by visiting https://studiosensei.com. There you can join his community, The Studio Sensei Dojo, or for a limited time sign up for a free 1:1 session with DiViNCi himself. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’re excited to feature 4 guests on this episode, where we’re sharing some of the latest trends and innovations in music & tech. Our guests this week are:Jesse Kirshbaum - Dreamstage Jesse Kirshbaum is an American entrepreneur, talent agent, author, executive producer and dealmaker. The multi-hyphenate creative businessman has made his career focused on the epicenter of entertainment, technology, and brand marketing. He writes and curates Beats & Bytes, one of the premiere weekly newsletters in entertainment and the biggest music newsletter on LinkedIn. His writing is published all across the web, and Jesse has regular featured appearances on platforms such as Cheddar, Yahoo Finance, NASDAQ and frequently participles in the podcast circuit. Kirshbaum was recently hired as the CMO of Dreamstage, a revolutionary music livestreaming company, and currently resides in Miami, Florida.Clayton Durant - CAD ManagementClayton is the founder of CAD Management, an entertainment consulting company that focuses on event, tour, and strategic management for indie artists and brands. Clayton currently contributes to Entrepreneur and has written for Hypebot, SynchTank, CelebrityAccess, and The Hype Magazine. Additionally, Clayton has been featured in publications like CNBC, Business Insider, DigiDay, Footwear News, Fortune, Nasdaq Trade Talks, USA Today, The Recording Academy, Mashable, Inc. Magazine, Billboard, Music Business Worldwide, and Reuters. Khee Lee - KisweKhee Lee is the Chief Marketing Officer at Kiswe, the award-winning interactive video company that has delivered the world’s largest digital pay-per-view events. Khee is a startup veteran having held senior positions at multiple startups including Active Health Management, a healthcare analytics startup that was acquired by Aetna. He has been a guest speaker at the Harvard Business School Startup Studio, NFL Players startup symposium, and many other startup forums. Khee is currently a venture Partner at ERA: The largest startup accelerator in NYC. Khee also spent nearly a decade at Google where he was head of agency business development. Mikhael Porter - Needle MusicMikhael Porter is a third-generation entrepreneur who lives in Miami and grew up in San Francisco. After graduating from the University of Colorado, he worked as a real estate broker in both California and Florida before starting a luxury tequila and mezcal business with a close family friend. Once the pandemic hit, he took a step back and had time to explore what he was truly passionate about. Through organic conversations with friends about wishing that there was an easier way to find and share music, he brought together Shane and Wyatt, to pursue this vision and build Needle Music. They have been working tirelessly to build the product of their dreams since then and have never looked back! The growing Needle Music community is one that fosters positivity and connection through the only universal language: music. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Named for a William S. Borroughs character, Clem Snide first emerged from Boston as a three-piece in the early 1990s, and the group would go on to become a cult and critical favorite, picking up high-profile fans from Bon Iver to Ben Folds over the course of three decades and more than a dozen studio albums. NPR highlighted the Israeli-born Barzelay as “the most underrated songwriter in the business today, with a sneakily firm grasp on poignancy and humor,” while Rolling Stone hailed his songwriting as “soulful and incisive,” and The New Yorker praised his music’s “soothing melodies and candid wit.”Barzelay just launched a podcast called A Life in Song. A Life In Song is born of the idea that everybody has a story to tell, and everyone deserves a song. Each episode begins with an ordinary person sharing an incredible, heartbreaking, and often life-changing experience, and culminates with an original song written and performed by long-time indie fave Clem Snide. Hear about Lawrence's escape from a cult in the middle of West Texas, Mike’s first sleepless night after impulsively joining the Navy, and Chris' experience homeschooling in Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker’s basement after his mom’s nervous breakdown. All this plus anecdotal evidence that miraculous healing is possible and that our souls live on forever. Listen to a new episode of A Life In Song with Clem Snide wherever you get your podcasts, and submit a story of your own at alifeinsong.com.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Terry Grant on More Ghost Than Man:"Who is this guy?" and "Where does he come from?"I grew up in and around Cleveland, Ohio. Fell in love with science fiction and film scores as a kid. Mom and Dad listened to Motown and the blues, and so did I. Decided to pick up a guitar at age 15 after realizing that I sucked at baseball. I moved to Nashville at 22, toured as a guitar player for a few years, and then somehow fell in with the club crowd - despite never having been a nightclub kind of guy (still not).I started making house music and signed my first couple of tracks to Bedrock records in 2005-2006. After that, I did the DJ/producer thing for a few years before deciding that I was tired of making records that were not cared about after a couple of weeks.I wanted to make music that I would like to pull off the shelf and listen to in 10 years. You know — the way we used to do with albums. I also wanted to be free of the rules and constraints that making music for DJs and dancefloors usually involved.That's how More Ghost Than Man was born. A convenient outlet to take my music beyond the clubs. It also allows me to indulge in my love for film and filmmaking, as the music of MGtM is very heavily influenced by film anyhow. I suppose I've used the records as a sort of excuse to create a series of music videos and short movies, each of which is in service of a particular tune (or tunes).I am endlessly fascinated by art at once challenging and alien while also being genuine and familiar in some indecipherable way. I suppose that is the rabbit I am always chasing and why I make the music I do.More Ghost Than Man Online:Bandcamp → moreghostthanman.bandcamp.comInstagram → instagram.com/terry_grantTwitter → twitter.com/terrygrant Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sonia Stevenson is Head of Music Patron, a new start-up connecting composers and patrons.Sonia grew up in St Andrews, Scotland. She studied at St Mary’s Music School in Edinburgh and King’s College London, where she gained a Bachelors of Music and Masters of Music. Her work has spanned many different aspects of the music business. In 2012 she founded her own festival, St Andrews Voices, dedicated to vocal and choral music. She has also worked as a Composer Agent, Project Consultant at Macbeth Media Relations, Artistic Director of Lichfield Festival, Promotion Manager at Faber Music, PA to the conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen, Artist Manager at Connaught Artists and Concerts Department Assistant at the Philharmonia Orchestra. From 2015-2020 she was on the board of the British Arts Festival Association. She is an oboist, singer, ballet dancer, and runner. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ryan is the Founder and CEO of Marmoset — a full-service music agency based in Portland, Oregon, specializing in music licensing and original music production for brands, film, and TV. Ryan co-pilots Marmoset’s creative teams and spends most of his time studying people and human systems — constantly deconstructing the status quo, pushing boundaries, and searching for a better way to lead and nurture people.A fiery advocate of creators, makers and artists, Ryan gave a TED Talk about “leading creatives amidst a modern landscape” and has traveled far and wide sharing his ideas and experiences on topics of music, branding, and leadership at places like TEDx, SXSW, CMJ Music Festival, and beyond. An Oregon native, Ryan first realized his passion for music as a College Radio DJ at his alma mater, Southern Oregon University in Ashland. Since then, he’s worked in a variety of roles in the creative agency arena, advising brands, bands, record labels and award-winning filmmakers.Under Ryan’s leadership, Marmoset landed on the Inc. 500 List, ranked #6 in “The Fastest Growing Private Companies in Oregon,” ranked in “The 100 Best Places to Work in Oregon,” among many other awards and accolades. Ryan also maintains a journal at Nurture Theory, where he shares some of his more fascinating and impactful experiences, specifically focusing in on a new way of leading and achieving high performance among teams of people, and is currently pursuing related coursework at MIT and The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.