Spotlight On

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.

Obie Fernandez is a veteran technologist, published author, and serial entrepreneur. Remarkably, he’s also an accomplished music producer and DJ, and is currently pioneering the future of the music industry on the blockchain as CEO & Founder of RCRDSHP. Previous accomplishments include his role as CTO of Andela, where he helped the largest VC-backed startup in Africa train 100 thousand young Africans to become world-class software developers.Interact with Obie here: https://twitter.com/obiehttps://www.linkedin.com/in/obiefernandezhttps://obiefernandez.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From an early age, a camera was in his hands and he had the influence of his father’s friends and peers; David Bailey and Terence Donovan with their numerous debates on photography around the kitchen table. It was inevitable that photography would have a huge influence on Chris’s life. He is perhaps the only person to have assisted all three photographers nicknamed by Norman Parkinson as ‘The Black Trinity’.At 17 Chris began work as a Trainee Processor in a photo lab but after a year started assisting Duffy as a Third Assistant quickly working his way up to Studio Manager.Chris worked and traveled the world with Duffy for nearly seven years and in 1979 established his own studio. During the 80’s Chris worked as one of the top music photographers (Bowie/Adam Ant/Steve Strange/Sade/Spandau etc.) as well as numerous other commissions covering a wide range of genres. Chris later moved into shooting moving images forming a film production company with Duffy and were successful in shooting both commercials and pop promos. Chris moved to LA in the early ’90s working as a director of photography and in 1997 was drawn back to the energy and creativity of London riding high on the wave of ‘Cool Britannia.’In 2005 Duffy was diagnosed with a degenerative lung disease and Chris finally persuaded him to start work on establishing an archive. Together they sifted through all of Duffy’s remaining photographic material and selected and printed modern edition prints with the intention of exhibiting and producing books.Sadly Duffy passed away in May 2010 but Chris has continued to build the archive and Duffy’s work is now exhibited by museums and galleries around the world and is highly sort after by collectors.Chris continues to shoot his own work outside of commercial restraints, he promotes Duffy’s work on a world stage and is a well regarded speaker.Learn More about the Duffy Archive. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we’re coming to you live from the National Independent Venues Association conference in Cleveland, sharing a keynote conversation between LP and Shahida Mausi, President/CEO of the Right Productions. Shahida Mausi has built a career in cultural and entertainment programming designed to serve the public. In 1996 she formed The Right Productions, Inc. (TRP). The company has managed and operated the 6,000-seat Chene Park Amphitheater, providing food and beverage service, security, parking, and other aspects of major event production since 2004. Under her direction Chene Park has increased events and attendance annually, serving approximately 100,000 in 2010.As the president of TRP, Ms. Mausi has created national award-winning marketing promotions, gained and sustained relationships with such clients as MGM Grand Detroit Casino, The City of Detroit, and the Greektown Casino. In addition, The Right Productions has provided talent and production services for special events, including the Super Bowl XL Winter Blast, Detroit 300, the Detroit Music Festival, and Movement – Detroit’s Electronic Music Festival.Ms. Mausi has produced and booked concerts with great artists, including Wynton Marsalis, Della Reese, Little Richard, Nina Simone, Deepak Chopra, Herbie Hancock, Judith Jamison, Fela, Jill Scott, Mary J. Blige, and Carmen McCrae, just to name a few.A pinnacle experience occurred when Ms. Mausi produced the largest event held to commemorate the historic visit of Nelson and Winnie Mandela to Detroit. Under her direction, Tiger Stadium (never before used for such an event) was completely outfitted as a major concert venue, with pooled electronic media, new ticket scaling, and computerization. Ms. Mausi orchestrated the major technical and artistic production elements necessary for such an auspicious occasion in less than four weeks. More than 50,000 people attended the event, and hundreds of thousands more viewed televised coverage. Participants included Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, a 2,000-voice choir, and an array of other artistic and political dignitaries. The impact of the event was palpable for several days thereafter. It helped gross more than $1 million to celebrate and project the spirit of Detroit nationally and internationally.Ms. Mausi also played a pivotal role in creating the African World Festival, later used as a model for the National Black Arts Festival in Atlanta She has been involved in bringing international productions with historical significance, including Sarafina and Black Heroes in the Hall of Fame, to new audiences. She also produced the audiobook of Ron Milner’s CHECKMATES, starring Ruby Dee.Shahida is a graduate of the University of Detroit and the mother of four sons, Dorian, Sulaiman, Rashid, and Malik, three of whom work for The Right Productions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.