Music On Your Own Terms

Music On Your Own Terms 130 - Sumo Cyco - Head Wounds & Hijinks! Joining me for episode 130 is Sumo Cyco, who we first heard about in episode 113 with Darryl Hurs! Matt and Skye graciously take time out of their vacation to talk about the history of the band, how they met each other when Skye was a pop singer signed with Capitol records, and hired Matt as her guitar player. We also hear about the knowledge they gained from the corporate machine, touring with Brittany Spears, and the world...

Music On Your Own Terms 129 - Mik & Maxi - Guitars, Drums, & Sit-down Comedy Mik & Maxi, are a power-pop duo from LA, featuring Mik on guitar and vocals, and Maxi on drums and vocals, taking on various topics related to mental health, combating negative social stigmas, and creating a positive mindset to achieve your goals. We talk about the history of the band, why they decided to take on management so early on, and what the benefits are of a singles driven model. We also learn about the...

Music On Your Own Terms 128 - Ken Tizzard - All Together On A Whisky Wednesday Chatting with me this episode is singer/songwriter Ken Tizzard, who has had an extremely varied career playing in the Canadian punk scene, playing with The Watchmen, touring with his brother in law Ian Thornley and opening for Nickelback in stadiums, traveling with Ron Hynes on his final tour, and now finding success as a country/folk artist. We learn about Ken's experience with transitioning from live music to...

Music On Your Own Terms 127 - Brianna Ruelas - The Reality Of TV Talent Shows This time out I talk to realty show singing coach, Brianna Ruelas! We discover how Brianna started singing at young age, went to college for music, and got through to the top 100 on season 4 of American Idol. She gives us some tips on using TV talent shows as a tool to get your brand in front of the millions of viewers that watch the shows, and changing your mindset about the experience as a marketing tool, rather...

Music On Your Own Terms 126 - Ivan Bodley - Am I Famous Yet? Joining me this episode, with a resume as long as your arm, is pro bass player, Ivan "Funkboy" Bodley, who has just released his memoir "Am I Famous Yet?". Ivan shares his music business history starting with college radio, and then working for Epic records, promoting bands like Living Colour. He then discusses what prompted him to go to Berklee to complete his foundational knowledge in order to play for a living instead of...

Music On Your Own Terms 125 - Martin Atkins - The Secret To Success Is Unneutered Zombie Kittens It is with great pleasure that I present my interview with the one and only Martin Atkins, drummer for Public Image Limited, Killing Joke, Ministry, his own band Pigface, entrepreneur, college lecturer, author, and international speaker. Martin talks about his journey, from his dad getting him a drum kit and setting him up with gigs, the early punk scene and joining PIL, to noticing the...

Music On Your Own Terms 124 - Evgen Tsibulin/Pleximents - Escaping The Maze Joining me this episode, from Siberia, is Pleximents mastermind, Evgen Tsibulin, a multi-instrumentalist, who used to tour in a death metal band, and whose current day job is as a guitar player for an orchestra. We discover what prompted Evgen to create the Pleximent's album The Maze Within, which is effectively a prog-metal symphony, as well as the meaning behind the track names, lyrics, and concept as a whole....

Music On Your Own Terms 123 - Carolyn Shulman - Astro-Physicist Approved Love Songs Joining me from Denver, Colorado, is singer-songwriter Carolyn Shulman. We discover how her dad influenced her love of music, how she won a songwriting competition in college, but ended up becoming a social security lawyer in Houston, Texas, until she and her family moved to Colorado, where she decided to become a full time musician. Carolyn also shares what her law degree has taught her to watch out for in...

Music On Your Own Terms 122 - Erik Cabral - Drumming Up A Podcasting Empire Erik is a serial entrepreneur that has created PodMax, On Air Brands, and the Mindado Investment Group, after a successful yet unfulfilling period working in corporate America. Erik shares the journey he took to reprogram his industrial mind into that of an entrepreneur, that creates wealth and invests his time rather than spending it. We also learn how he got into playing music, ending up with the drums, and...

Music On Your Own Terms 121 - Dylan Blackman/Music Minds Collective - Live Long And Promote! Joining me for a chat this time around, is Dylan Blackman, who runs Music Minds Collective, a digital marketing agency that helps indie musicians run better campaigns to find new fans, and be more effective with existing followers. We talk about Dylan's background as a musician, how he got into his day job as a performance and sound production lecturer at a technical college, and how he ended up...

Music On Your Own Terms 120 - Kostas Sampanis - Atumune In The Mountains This episode I am joined by Greek guitarist, Kostas Sampanis, to talk about his newly released EP, Autumne. We discuss the conception of the album, which Kostas reveals is dedicated to his late grandmother, something that I really connect to on a deep emotional level, as my grandmother was very special to me as well. In addition to his EP, we also talk about Kostas' philosophies on teaching music theory and technique...

Music On Your Own Terms 119 - Austin Zhang - Bravely Discovering The Sounds Of NYC In this episode I talk to Austin Zhang, a Texas native that moved to NYC to go to college, and immerse himself in the Jazz scene. We hear about Austin's history in music with guitar, then switching to saxophone and being named number one at the Texas All State Jazz competition, and subsequently being invited to play gigs in Deep Ellum, all while still in high school. We also hear about the entrepreneurial...

Music On Your Own Terms 118 - X. Ari - Transforming Pain Into Power This episode I talk with LA based/Toronto born artist X. Ari, in the run up to her month long mental health festival, Mental Health With X. Ari. We talk about Ari's history in performance, touring in girl bands in her teens, moving to LA and making music a career as well as some great tips surrounding her songwriting process. Ari also shares stories about her experiences with mental health, suffering from comorbid disorders...

Music On Your Own Terms 117 - John Otway - Rock And Roll's Greatest Failure (A Pioneer Of Crowdfunding) Joining me this episode is the absolute legend John Otway! John has had a career in music spanning 50 years, playing to 20,000 people in his home town of Aylesbury, and appearing on The Old Grey Whistle Test with Bob Harris, Top Of The Pops and other notable UK TV shows. John talks about his history of attempting to recreate the hit he had in the 70s, utilizing his extremely loyal...

Music On Your Own Terms 116 - Culture Of Digital Elegance - Yiannis And Vicky's Orb Of Mystery This episode I talk to Yiannis and Vicky from the prog/experimental band Culture Of Digital Elegance, who are a Greek band working with Ria Kalampali of One Woman Company. We find out about the band's writing process, and how they record, their work as producers and with sound design for a game company, as well as why they got into music in the first place. We also discuss some of the gear that...

Music On Your Own Terms 115 - Juha Ruokangas/Ruokangas Guitars - What If? It is with great pleasure and gratitude that I present my conversation with Mr. Juha Ruokangas, of Ruokangas Guitars, Finnish luthier, innovator and life coach! Regular listeners will remember my episode with Mika Tyyskä (Mr Fastfinger) all the way back in episode 9, who not only play's Juha's instruments, is a good friend, but also created a film about the making of a Mr Fastfinger signature guitar (with Sensai's...

Music On Your Own Terms 114 - Steven Schwartz/The Crooked Vines - May The Gumbo Be With You This time out, I chat with Steven Schwartz, keyboardist, saxophonist, and manager of the New Orleans based band, The Crooked Vines. Steven talks about his start in music, going to Loyola University and remaining in NOLA after graduation, to play in various bands, then go on to form the band in question. We also talk at length about the music industry, the business of being in a band, and Steven's...

Music On Your Own Terms 113 - Darryl Hurs - Indie 101 This episode I'm joined by Indie Week Founder and Director of Market Development Canada for CD Baby, Darryl Hurs! Darryl talks about the upcoming Indie 101 conference that will be happening April 20th-24th, about Indie Week and Screen X Screen, as well as his experience working for CD Baby on their global team. We also hear about how Darryl got into music and some of the amazing experiences he's had while traveling the globe. This...

Music On Your Own Terms 112 - Ben VanBuskirk/Blackout Orchestra - Blue Skies & Toronto Ghosts Joining me for a chat in this episode is Toronto based artist Ben VanBuskirk, who has just released his new album under the moniker Blackout Orchestra. We talk about Ben's influences and history in various bands, as well as the breakup that caused him to hit rock bottom, and nearly ending it all, through to dealing with mental health and his subsequent sobriety, that all contributed to creating...

Music On Your Own Terms 111 - Lisa Brigantino - Rock N' Roll Ducks From Minnesota Joining me for this episode is an original member of Lez Zeppelin, solo artist, owner of Hidden Pond Productions and one half of the musical comedy duo Vickie And Nickie, Lisa Brigantino. Lisa talks about her upbringing in a musical family, where a life outside of music was never even a thought, how she was able to quit her day job to tour the world and play the Download and Bonnaroo festivals, as well as...