The Zach Show

In this episode of OffStage Spotlight, we spoke to photographer and content creator Sam Dameshek (@samdameshek). Offstage Spotlight is a series where we highlight those in the industry that make an impact outside of the spotlight. Sam has shot superstars like Shawn Mendes, Bazzi, Miley Cyrus, Madison Beer, Post Malone, and more. At only 15 years old, he started to get tapped by corporations like Pac Sun, Aeropostale, and Tommy Hilfiger to take photos for their campaigns that would ultimately represent these global companies. Now 4 years later, Sam has cemented himself as one of the most in-demand photographers in the entertainment industry. From an outside perspective, it might seem like Sam has the perfect life of photographing beautiful people, hanging around rockstars, and living the absolute dream. But the path to his current level has not always been smooth. Jealousy from others, anxiety, and the normal struggles of adolescence all played a part in Sam’s story as he entered the spotlight as a sophomore in high school. His bio says he failed photography class in high school, but we’ll get into that later. A photo can say much more than words ever could, and there’s a lot more to Sam than just the man behind the camera. And none of this would have happened if he hadn’t first picked up the camera and taken photos of some friends who were skating and surfing. So, without further ado, here is our deep conversation with Sam Dameshek. Sam's website: https://samdameshek.com/ Sam's shop: https://shop.samdameshek.com/ The Aux: https://www.auxoro.com/theaux Episode Art: Sam Dameshek (@samdameshek , @filmbysd) Jeep and Ibiza Photos: https://postimg.cc/gallery/3cjgwc63o/ Song: 'Wasteland' by Tierra Whack Intro/Outro Music: Produced by David Grossfeld Mixed and Mastered by Dbsound on Fiverr Sound Design: Matt Grossfeld Auxoro main site: https://www.auxoro.com/ Insta: https://www.instagram.com/auxoro/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/auxoromag/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Auxoromag

For this episode, we sat down with the legendary songwriter/producer Citizen Cope otherwise known as Clarence Greenwood. The first time I heard Citizen Cope, I was 12 years old and watching the movie Coach Carter. At the time, I didn’t know who Citizen Cope was, but I knew that his song made me feel connected to players in the movie. Now when I listen to his music as a slightly more mature adult, I also feel a deeper sense of connection to myself. His production and lyrics foster a certain sense of introspection paired with observations of everything that’s going on in the world. As Cope explains in an interview with Billboard, “I think everybody feels like there are elements in this world that are not so fuzzy and warm, and we see the harshness in the reality of life. Life is not an easy thing, but we need to look for a commonality of love and empathy that can conquer even the worse situations.” It’s been about 7 years since Citizen Cope released a full-length project. He just put out his latest album called Heroin and Helicopters and you should probably listen to it. It’s really good. The title of the album derives from a conversation that Cope had with Carlos Santana at the Fillmore in San Francisco. Santana told him to stay away from the two H’s - Heroin and Helicopters. Music artists haven’t had good track records from either of those. And it makes for a hell of an album title. In this conversation, Cope and I talk about the connection between poetry and songwriting, Cope scalping tickets as a teenager in DC learning street economics, eating steaks with Matthew McConaughey, and dealing with stage fright. Even if you aren’t interested in songwriting and production, or maybe you’re not a fan of Citizen Cope, I encourage you to listen to the entirety of the conversation. We talk about a lot of things common to the human experience and things that anyone can apply to a struggle that they’re going through. And you’ll probably turn into a Cope fan by the end. Without further ado, here is our deep and extensive conversation with Citizen Cope. Heroin and Helicopters: http://tinyurl.com/y4hej75f Citizen Cope Tour: https://citizencope.com/tour The Aux: https://www.auxoro.com/theaux Song: 'The River' by Citizen Cope Intro/Outro Music: Produced by David Grossfeld Mixed and Mastered by Dbsound on Fiverr Sound Design: Matt Grossfeld Episode Art: @citizencope Auxoro main site: https://www.auxoro.com/ Insta: https://www.instagram.com/auxoro/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/auxoromag/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Auxoromag

We've been covering music for a while now, but I saw a lot of people's stories passing me by that intrigued me and I had no place to put them. Heart Beats is a series where we will explore people's stories who don't have any direct ties to the music industry. Taiki Green (@itstaiki) and the story of Momentum (watch_momentum) is the perfect place to start this series. Momentum is media company that connects athletes and fans by allowing them to share stories, passions, and expertise in ways nor offered by traditional news and media outlets. Before we recorded this podcast, Taiki and I spoke months ago about both of our visions to create platforms that deepen the human connection. Taiki co-founded Momentum with Trevor Bauer, a professional pitcher for the Cleveland Indians. I don’t talk about it much on this podcast, but baseball is my first love and I played the game for 18 years of my life. The first video I ever came across on Momentum was a montage of Trevor Bauer mic’d up for a 2019 Spring Training Start. As a former player a current fan of baseball, this video brought to a life a lot of the inner conversation that goes on in a pitcher’s head before and during the game. Things like humming along to music during warmup, trying to throw the absolute piss out of the baseball, saying what’s up to fans before the game. This video and other stories on Momentum hit home the fact that professional athletes are human beings. They are not immune to the tendencies, emotions, and thoughts that we all experience, the good and the bad. In this conversation, Taiki talks about his own journey with the game of baseball, working with Driveline (a data-driven baseball performance facility located in Kent Washington), what sparked his interest in filmmaking, a solo-trip to Japan, and the mission behind Momentum. By the way, you can find links to all of the projects we talk about in the description of this podcast or go to watch-momentum.com. Without further ado, here is our wide-ranging conversation with Taiki Green and the story behind Momentum. https://watch-momentum.com/ The Aux: https://www.auxoro.com/theaux My Life Story - A Visual Diary: https://vimeo.com/287929475 Mookie Betts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_n53Aeo5GI Driveline Live At Bats: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1UolB35b_Q Leonys Martin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uq8C-d76VzU&t=43s Song: 'Soak It Up' by Houses Intro/Outro Music: Produced by David Grossfeld Mixed and Mastered by Dbsound on Fiverr Sound Design: Matt Grossfeld Auxoro main site: https://www.auxoro.com/ Insta: https://www.instagram.com/auxoro/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/auxoromag/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Auxoromag

Welcome to our latest installment of our 'Off The Record' series where the artists themselves tell stories, share experiences, and answer questions about the moments that matter. In this episode, SLANG, a rapper/songwriter/producer from the outskirts of London, opens up about some of the darkest times he's been through, the anger that built up inside, and a conversation in a café that changed his life. SLANG (Spotify): https://tinyurl.com/yy7lv55b SLANG (Apple Music): https://tinyurl.com/y32mzqaw The Aux: https://www.auxoro.com/theaux Song: 'Every Weekend' by SLANG Episode Art: Jackson Ducasse (@jacksonducasse) Imp Of The Mind: https://tinyurl.com/y3vsm4yo Intro/Outro Music: Produced by David Grossfeld Mixed and Mastered by Dbsound on Fiverr Sound Design: Matt Grossfeld Auxoro main site: https://www.auxoro.com/ Insta: https://www.instagram.com/auxoro/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/auxoromag/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Auxoromag

This time, we sat down with the man, the myth, the legend Justin Fleischer (@jflei). He is the documentarian for Logic and the creative director of Logic’s label Elysium, and he has done a lot. Justin has been a public school teacher, he’s shot videos for Iron Solomon, including some in the abandoned tunnels in the Westside highway, he was the director of visual production at hot new hip hop, and now he works with Logic to create some of the most eye-catching, dynamic, and honest content in the game. On this episode, Justin talks about his decision to leave teaching, shooting the Everybody documentary with Logic, what makes a good director, and more. Even if you aren’t a director or content creator, I encourage you to listen to this episode. I believe everyone should have a creative outlet, whether they make a living off of it or not, and Justin takes us through what it’s like to be in those beginning stages when you’re experimenting, failing, making adjustments, and trying to find your lane. And Justin would tell you that he still endures those same cycles even today. So without further ado, here is our wide-ranging conversation with Justin Fleischer. Everybody Documentary (iTunes): https://tinyurl.com/yywqmbz3 Episode Art: Marc Chambers (@mauimarcc) Subscribe to The Aux: https://www.auxoro.com/theaux Song: Everyday by Logic and Marshmello Intro/Outro Music: Produced by David Grossfeld Mixed and Mastered by Dbsound on Fiverr Sound Design: Matt Grossfeld Auxoro main site: https://www.auxoro.com/ Insta: https://www.instagram.com/auxoro/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/auxoromag/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Auxoromag

Welcome to our first installment of the 'Off The Record' series where the artist themselves tell stories, talk about experiences, and answer questions about the things that matter most. This week, Call Me Loop (@callmeloop) answers questions that deal with anxiety, her tips for the "casual hookup," her best purchase under $100, calming nerves before a show, and more. She just dropped her latest EP, Drama, which you can stream now wherever you listen to music. Drama (Spotify): https://tinyurl.com/y4ko8gub Drama (Apple Music): https://tinyurl.com/y6jndj6r The Aux: https://www.auxoro.com/theaux Song: 'Silly Boy' by Call Me Loop Episode Art: @milianeyes , @chessthornton , @jessicaswanson Intro/Outro Music: Produced by David Grossfeld Mixed and Mastered by Dbsound on Fiverr Sound Design: Matt Grossfeld Auxoro main site: https://www.auxoro.com/ Insta: https://www.instagram.com/auxoro/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/auxoromag/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Auxoromag

This week, we sat down with A R I Z O N A (@thisisarizonamusic), the band not the state. A R I Z O N A would want me to tell you that they’re just three normal guys, Zach, Nate, and David, who make music as a medium to connect with people. All three grew up in New Jersey, and as you’ll soon learn, there is a very important distinction between North Jersey and The Southern part of the state. Early on, Zach, Nate, and David broke into the industry as songwriters and producers, making music for other artists, a more of a behind the scenes day-to-day. Somewhere along that line, the guys hit a low point in production and were considering getting full-time jobs outside of music. In the depths of that dark place, they made a song called ‘Let Me Touch Your Fire.’ They didn’t mean for it to turn into anything, but the people responded and all of a sudden they found themselves on the other side of the glass. In Zach’s words “we got home and decided to make something with no bounds, requirements, goals, or marks. We just wanted to create for the sake of creating.” In this episode, the band dives into mentality behind their creative process, how they dug themselves out of that dark place, building a makeshift studio in a Toyota Corolla, Touring with Panic! at the Disco, the realities of being full-time music artists, and more. So Let us touch your fire with this episode as we take you into the story behind the music. 'Find Someone' (Spotify): https://tinyurl.com/y68388c4 'Find Someone' (Apple Music): https://tinyurl.com/yxes6vw2 'Find Someone' (Official Music Video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXhtzMDTxKI Subscribe to The Aux: https://www.auxoro.com/theaux Intro/Outro Music: Produced by David Grossfeld Mixed and Mastered by Dbsound on Fiverr Sound Design: Matt Grossfeld Auxoro main site: https://www.auxoro.com/ Insta: https://www.instagram.com/auxoro/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/auxoromag/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Auxoromag

In this podcast, they discuss the Spotlight effect and how it affects our perception of being noticed. They share personal anecdotes about mundane tasks becoming stressful due to this effect. They also delve into the tendency to overestimate how much others notice and care about our actions.

For this week’s episode and the lastest installment of the Self Care Series, I sat down with Dr. Leonard Sax to discuss his book Why Gender Matters: What Parents and Teachers need to know about the science of Sex Differences. We started the Self Care series in honor of the late Mac Miller to address issues related to physical, mental, and social well-being. Understanding the differences between boys and girls, men and women, is paramount to self-care and your relationships with others. A little bit of background info on Dr. Sax: He graduated MIT at the age of 19, earned his Ph.D. and MD in psychology from University of Pennsylvania, and for 19 years he was a practicing family physician in Maryland. Dr. Sax has spoken on the issues of child and adolescent development throughout the US, Bermuda, Canada, England, and numerous other countries, and he has visited over 400 schools since 2001. Now, what makes understanding gender differences so important? We live in a society where, according to Dr. Sax, “the lack of awareness of gender differences has had the unintended result of reinforcing gender stereotypes.” For example, did you know that for the average boy to hear you as well as the average girl, you have to speak about 8 decibels higher, which is equivalent to 3 clicks on the car radio? Or that on average, girls’ visual systems are better at picking up color, detail, and texture than boys? And boys are better at picking up on speed and direction? There are concrete differences between boys and girls, and there are millions of ways to be male and female. Gender differences do not equate to gender inequalities. We should be celebrating these differences and better understanding them, rather than pretending like they don’t exist. Even if you have no interest in gender differences, I encourage you to listen to this conversation to broaden your perspective because these issues affect everyone, including me and you. And yes, people may disagree with some things said in this episode, and I want that. I encourage you to reach out to me and Dr. Sax with any thoughts you have on this episode. Both of our emails will be in the description of this podcast, along with a link to Dr. Sax’s book Why Gender Matters. No matter how difficult, politically incorrect, or polarizing a certain topic may be, the goal should always be to have a conversation grounded in facts. Why Gender Matters: https://tinyurl.com/y4nxefru Dr. Leonard Sax email: leonardsax@gmail.com Auxoro email (zach@auxoro.com) The Aux: https://www.auxoro.com/theaux/ Intro/Outro Music: Produced by David Grossfeld Mixed and Mastered by Dbsound on Fiverr Sound Design: Matt Grossfeld Auxoro main site: https://www.auxoro.com/ Insta: https://www.instagram.com/auxoro/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/auxoromag/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Auxoromag

This week, we sat down with the Seattle-based rapper Sol. During his time at the University of Washington, he was awarded the Bonderman Scholarship which allowed Sol to travel to 10 countries in 10 months. One of the requirements of this trip was that he had to go alone. At the time, Sol sat at #1 on the iTunes Hip Hop charts and #4 globally after the release of Yours Truly, then decided to drop off the map. When most would look to do anything to capitalize financially and socially on an album’s success, Sol saw it more important to find himself. In this episode, Sol talks about the impact of this ten-month journey, how he actually started as a painter before music, his relationship with Macklemore, a pivotal conversation with his Aunt, studying under Seattle Legend Isaac Meek, and the creative process behind his most recent album that just dropped March 1st, Soon Enough. Even if you aren’t an avid listener to Sol or music in general, I highly recommend you listen through this conversation. This talk was more than music. Sol drops some unique insight on crafting the vision of an independent artist, understanding different cultures, and why your definition of success should not be defined by the mainstream. Without further ado, here is our wide-ranging conversation with Sol. Sol (Spotify): http://tinyurl.com/y3nq3kw6 Sol (Apple Music): https://tinyurl.com/yyjtenl6 Sol - These Songs ft. Elan Wright (official video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTUXUDDwJp4 The Aux: https://www.auxoro.com/theaux/ Intro/Outro Music: Produced by David Grossfeld Mixed and Mastered by Dbsound on Fiverr Sound Design: Matt Grossfeld Auxoro main site: https://www.auxoro.com/ Insta: https://www.instagram.com/auxoro/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/auxoromag/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Auxoromag