Composer Quest: A Songwriting and Music Composition Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Polka Expert Joey Johnson Mar 26, 2014

Show notes

When he was just 14, Joey Johnson started touring with America’s Polka King, Frankie Yankovic. Joey has carried on the tradition with his own polka band, and in this episode of Composer Quest, he shares everything he knows about accordions and polka. Joey’s original tunes have been featured in a number of commercials and TV, and we talk about the pros and cons of being published in a production music library.

Minimalist Mandola Songwriting with Nathan Eliot Mar 19, 2014

Show notes

We get a sneak preview of Nathan Eliot’s first solo album, Universe in Me. Nate talks about singing super high as a countertenor, and bringing his mandola into a special ed classroom. The album Universe in Me (coming out soon) was written by Nathan Eliot and produced by Andy Thompson. It also features drummer Alex Young, cellist Dan Lawonn, and bassist Andrew Foreman.

Eggs, Bacon, and Composer Wisdom from Rick Sowash Mar 12, 2014

Show notes

“Outsider” composer Rick Sowash has 14 beautiful chamber music albums to his name, all self-published and fan-supported. After graduating from a prestigious music school that he hated so much he refuses to name, he vowed to stay independent of any academic or commercial organization. In this episode of Composer Quest, Rick shares his entire strategy for making it as an independent composer, which he’s been perfecting for many years. We also get to hear how Rick converted orange juice, French toast, eggs, and bacon into music for a treble clef quartet.

Starting a Composer/Producer Career with Tom Snively Mar 05, 2014

Show notes

Fellow composition podcaster Tom Snively has been producing new tracks weekly and picking them apart on his show Making My Own Music. However, his inner composer was dormant for many years as he worked as a computer programmer, then as a financial planner. In this episode of Composer Quest, I talk with Tom about his new venture to make a career out of composing and producing. He’s been experimenting with writing video game scores, jazz saxophone tunes, new age music, and a spoken word track based on Philly cheesesteaks.

The Art of Banjo Songwriting with Ellen Stanley Feb 26, 2014

Show notes

Ellen Stanley (aka Mother Banjo) brought her banjo over to the Composer Quest studio to share some songs and stories. We talk about everything from her Walden-inspired song to her unusual connection to Paul McCartney. In addition to her banjo-playing career, Ellen is the executive director of the Minnesota Music Coalition, and for eight years she worked as a publicist for Red House Records. So she also shares some advice on networking, getting airplay, etc.

Tax Tips for Musicians Feb 26, 2014

Show notes

If some episodes of Composer Quest are like delicious deserts, then this one is like eating your vegetables. Just in time for tax season, we have a special episode on tax tips for musicians and other creative professionals. Attorney and CPA Brad Begley shared lots of tax advice at an event hosted by the Minnesota Music Coalition and Music Mafia Minnesota. It’s especially helpful for freelancers and people with a growing creative business.

Sound Scientist Seth Horowitz on Dolphins, Aliens, and Aural Therapy Feb 19, 2014

Show notes

After a failed dolphin keyboard experiment, Seth Horowitz decided to change roles from dolphin trainer to biopsychologist, neuroscientist, aural therapist, and author. In this Composer Quest episode, Seth shares his knowledge of how echolocation works, and how he used his knowledge of bats to sound design an alien race for a sci-fi show by the producers of The Walking Dead and Heroes. We also talk about his aural therapy recordings engineered to induce sleep, nausea, pain relief, etc.

Composer Infotainment with Mr. Wilson Feb 12, 2014

Show notes

If you heard the Questmas episode, you’ll remember Josh Wilson’s thrilling adventure to find a fortune cookie in Taiwan. I’ve gotten a kick out of his quirky YouTube series Mr. Wilson Presents, which is a great example of how classical composing can be fun and approachable. Of course, this “infotainment” is not without Josh’s flair for music theory terminology. In this Composer Quest episode, Josh teaches me a thing or two about how to structure a symphony like Haydn, how to write upside-down “table music” like Mozart, and how to make decent-sounding choral MIDI files.

Honest Songwriting with Laura Marie Feb 05, 2014

Show notes

Laura Marie believes one of the keys to great songwriting is overcoming self-consciousness and writing with brutal honesty about your own life. In this episode of Composer Quest, we talk about the benefits of forcing yourself to write consistently, and Laura shares songs and stories from her song-a-week project.

Songwriting Theory with Pat Pattison Jan 29, 2014

Show notes

At Berklee College of Music, Pat Pattison created the world’s first songwriting major. He has taught a host of talented songwriters, including Grammy winners John Mayer and Gillian Welch. I was introduced to Pat through his free online Songwriting course (check coursera.org), and his method of “preserving the natural shape of the language” has really helped me analyze my own lyric writing. In this episode of Composer Quest, I ask Pat about his theory that our language can be interpreted like a piece of music, with a tonic note and harmonic structure. I also share music from The Happiness Project, in which Charles Spearin wrote music to match up with the speech patterns of his family and neighbors.