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GINA BIRCH launches Tianna Esperanza Feb 28, 2023

Show notes

Founding member of pioneering band The Raincoats, Gina Birch joins LaunchLeft to discuss the independence she has shown throughout her career, her love of the arts and the transformative impact creativity has had on her life. Gina’s new album, I Play My Bass Loud, dropped on February 24th on Third Man Records. Gina pays it forward by launching Tianna Esperanza and her fantastic debut record Terror. The granddaughter of The Slit's Palmolive, Tianna embodies a depth of talent and heart well beyond her years. Tune in to hear vibrant conversations and excitement from these two talented artists.

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LAUNCHLEFT OFFICIAL WEBSITE
https://www.launchleft.com

LAUNCHLEFT PATREON
https://www.patreon.com/LaunchLeft

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LaunchLeft Podcast hosted by Rain Phoenix is an intentional space for Art and Activism where famed creatives launch new artists. LaunchLeft is an alliance of left-of-center artists, a curated ecosystem that includes a podcast, label and NFT gallery.

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IN THIS EPISODE:

[00:47] Gina shares how she came to write her record and tells us about her inspiration to paint and make Super 8 films.
[08:42] Gina talks about her art and how it reflects a time of abuse in her teenage years. She also expresses her views about the current generation and how difficult it must be for them.
[17:00] Having humor in her work is very healing, and Gina shares an example of that in her song, Feminist Song.
[19:53] Gina explains how she came to know Tianna.
[24.37] Tianna reflects on her creative passions and how she landed a music career. She also shared that it was not her famous grandmother that led her into music, but her love of writing and poetry.
[29:23] Tianna talks about her dreams and aspirations and her desire to write with a variety of artists.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

Artistic individuals often can take several career paths because of their raw talent.
Circumstances surrounding an artist frequently develop that passion and are expressed in their medium.
You are never too old or too young to follow your artistic flair.

BIOS:

GINA BIRCH

Gina Birch is a founder member and songwriter of pioneering post punk band The Raincoats. Over 4 albums, The Raincoats helped shape the timeless notion that punk is what you make it to be – an act of raw expression, not any one sound. They set a crucial precedent for feminist work within a DIY punk context. Gina has made videos and super 8 films, performance art, played with Red Crayola /Art and Language, and among many other achievements she has been raising two daughters with her husband Mike. Birch has been painting solidly for four years.

TIANNA ESPERANZA

Tianna Esperanza is a singer/songwriter who embodies a depth of talent and heart well beyond her years. Her music has been described as having hints of Sade, Public Enemy, and Gil Scott-Heron. Tianna is known for her personally inspired lyrics with roaring protest undertones, making for a powerful and unforgettable experience.

RESOURCE LINKS

Tianna Esperanza - Website

Tianna Esperanza - Instagram

Gina Birch - Website

Gina Birch - Instagram

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

BEN LEE and IONE SKYE launch Emily Waurramara Jan 31, 2023

Show notes

Ben Lee and Ione Skye join this episode of LaunchLeft. They discuss how a couple can work together and thrive, activism, and quantifying success. Later in the show, Ben and Ione Skye launch Emily Wurramara, an Australian songwriter who composes her music in English and her native indigenous language. She performs her song “Stay the Fuck Away from Me” acoustic to close this genuinely inspiring episode.

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LAUNCHLEFT OFFICIAL WEBSITE
https://www.launchleft.com

LAUNCHLEFT PATREON
https://www.patreon.com/LaunchLeft

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IN THIS EPISODE:

[01:34] Rain, Ben, and Ione catch up on New Year’s activities and how going through the pandemic has made them appreciate being able to socialize once more.
[05:32] Ben and Ione discuss how they decided to make their podcast called Weirder Together.
[15:03] The couple shares their beliefs on what success looks like.
[27:20] What brought Ben and Ione together as a couple, and with what topics are they socially active? How can those topics impact you negatively on social media?
[36:41] Why Ben feels responsible for young artists giving them a hand up, as was done for him.
40:05] Ben introduces Emily Wurramara. Emily performs a song at the end of the episode.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

LaunchLeft’s mission is to highlight and empower artists and give them a platform to launch their careers.
There is a cultural brainwashing that holds to the tenant that if you are rich, you are successful. However, the flip side of that coin is, are you happy and enjoying life? Shouldn’t you enjoy the process and not only concentrate on the reward?
Collaboration can be painful, but it can produce a better product when people from diverse situations and ideas come together to form an exciting product better than one person could do alone.

RESOURCE LINKS

Website - Emily Wurramara

Facebook - Emily Wurramara

Instagram - Emily Wurramara

BIO:

Originating from Groote Eylandt in the Northern Territory, the AIR award-winning and ARIA-nominated artist released an 11-track album Milyakburra, educating and informing in both English and Anindilyakwa languages. The critically acclaimed 2018 album features the emotive Lady Blue (over 6.5 million Spotify streams) and Black Smoke, amassing over 1.2 million Spotify streams and rotation on Triple J, ABC Local, and ten weeks in the AMRAP charts.

Emily has performed on many global stages, including Woodford Folk Festival, Bluesfest, TEDX Sydney, GARMA, Port Fairy Folk Festival, BIGSOUND, and International Folk Alliance showcase in Kansas, Canada, and New Orleans, as well as shows in Chicago, New York, Paris and across so-called Australia.

She has toured and played with iconic artists, including Archie Roach, Mavis Staples, John Farnham, Busby Marou, Coloured Stones, Missy Higgins, Shellie Morris, Jessica Mauboy, Cat empire, and John butler, just to name a few!

Emily is a six-time Queensland Music Award winner; she was selected for the AMP Tomorrow Maker Award and won the AIR Awards Best Blues and Roots Album of the Year.

What's next?

Emily recently signed to the record label ABC Music and is currently in the studio working on her new album, set for release in 2022.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rooney Mara Launches Suay Sew Shop Jan 03, 2023

Show notes

Rooney Mara joins Rain on LaunchLeft and launches Suay Sew Shop. The conversation begins with family, film, music, and activism before welcoming Lindsay Rose Medoff, CEO and Lead Designer of Suay. Lindsay tells us about the mission and services that this unique retail shop provides. The best news is that Suay is cultivating a workforce of textile recyclers dedicated to eliminating post-consumer waste and giving opportunities for under-appreciated workers fair pay and recognition. With its original location in Los Angeles, Suay will open another location in New York. Don’t miss this episode of LaunchLeft to catch up with Rooney Mara and learn all about Suay Sew Shop.

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LAUNCHLEFT OFFICIAL WEBSITE
https://www.launchleft.com

LAUNCHLEFT PATREON
https://www.patreon.com/LaunchLeft

Instagram - Suay Sew Shop

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IN THIS EPISODE:

[02:52] Rooney Mara reflects on her childhood.
[06:10] Choices made in life, deciding not to relinquish control in an acting career and her film, Women Talking.
[16:30] Rooney discusses motherhood and being a co-partner in a two-actor home and the creation of the production company, Valentine Pictures.
[21:29] Reflecting on a catalog of work starting with Girl with a Dragon Tattoo, how music played a role, and living the life of a vegan.
[36:37] Rooney launches Suay Sew Shop. Lindsay Rose Medoff, CEO and Lead Designer of Suay, describes their mission and services.
[42:44] Empowering manual laborers and paying for the value they bring to the table. The difference between saying you want to help make a change and being willing to be uncomfortable and make the change.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

Rooney Mara takes on causes, films, lifestyle, and “shopping” in ways that she can be proud of and that can positively impact the world.
Suay Sew Shop in Los Angeles is a unique business employing skilled manual laborers. They provide free clothing to the needy that they have repurposed. In addition, they are working on becoming worker-owned, which empowers workers that otherwise would remain an overlooked population.
There are ways to close the gap between the impoverished and business tycoons. It’s a decision to share the wealth and take less in profits. It’s one thing to stand on a soap box and “talk” about making a difference and quite another thing to put people over profits.

RESOURCE LINKS

Website - Rooney Mara

Instagram - Rooney Mara

Facebook - Rooney Mara

Website - Suay Sew Shop

Facebook - Suay Sew Shop

LinkedIn - Lindsay Rose Medoff

BIO:

Rooney Mara:

Actress and philanthropist Rooney Mara was born on April 17, 1985 in Bedford, New York. She made her screen debut in the slasher film Urban Legends: Bloody Mary (2005), went on to have a supporting role in the independent coming-of-age drama Tanner Hall (2009), and has since starred in the horror remake A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010), the biographical drama The Social Network (2010), the thriller remake The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011), and the romantic drama Carol (2015).

Patricia Rooney Mara is one of four children of Kathleen McNulty (née Rooney) and NFL football team New York Giants executive Timothy Christopher Mara. Her grandfathers were Wellington Mara, co-owner of the Giants, and Timothy Rooney, owner of Yonkers Raceway, and her grand-uncle is Steelers Chairman Dan Rooney, the former Ambassador to Ireland. She is the great-granddaughter of Art Rooney, the founder of the Pittsburgh Steelers football franchise. Her father has Irish, German, and French-Canadian ancestry, and her mother is of Irish and Italian descent.

After graduating from Bedford's Fox Lane High School, she went to Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia in South America for four months as part of the Traveling School, an open learning environment. She attended George Washington University for a year and then transferred to New York University, where she studied international social policy psychology and nonprofits. She took her degree from New York University in 2010. Her studies focused on non-profit organizations, as her family has a tradition of involvement in philanthropic causes.

She had thought of acting after watching old movies and attending musical theater, but did not think of it as a serious vocation and was afraid she might fail at this. As a result of her reservations, she appeared in only one play while in high school.

She began seriously focusing on acting when she was at New York University, appearing in student films. Inspired by her older sister, actress Kate Mara, she began to pursue the craft, auditioning for acting jobs at age 19. She appeared with her sister Kate in the video horror movie Urban Legends: Bloody Mary (2005), billing herself as "Patricia Mara". As "Tricia Mara", she had guest roles on television and won her first lead in the movie Tanner Hall (2009), which was shot in the fall of 2007.

She originally auditioned for the supporting role of Lucasta in "Tanner Hall", a $3-million independent film, but director Tatiana von Fürstenberg was so impressed by the young actress, she had her return to audition for the lead role of Fernanda, which Mara won. Furstenberg was delighted with her nuanced performance, saying, "Still waters run deep".

Continuing to call herself Tricia Mara, this was during the making of "Tanner Hall" that she considered changing her professional name to Rooney Mara, soliciting the advice of the cast and crew. After premiering at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival, her performance in "Tanner Hall" brought the rechristened Rooney Mara a "Rising Star" award at the 2009 Hamptons Film Festival and a "Stargazer Award" at the 2010 Gen Art Film Festival.

She received her first lead role in a major feature, in the $35 million remake A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010). The movie proved disappointing at the box office, grossing only $63 million domestically and racking up a worldwide gross of just under $116 million. However, she was noticed by critics in the small but pivotal role of the Boston University undergrad Erica Albright who dumps Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network (2010). Director David Fincher subsequently cast her as the lead, Lisbeth Salander, in his thriller remake, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011), based on Stieg Larsson's Millennium book series. She received critical acclaim for her performance, and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama.

She starred in the thriller film Side Effects (2013), the independent drama Ain't Them Bodies Saints (2013), and the acclaimed sci-fi romantic drama Her (2013). The following year, she starred in the adventure drama Trash (2014). She garnered further critical acclaim for her performance in Todd Haynes' romantic drama Carol (2015), for which she won the Best Actress Award at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, and was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama and the SAG, BAFTA, and Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

In the spirit of her family's philanthropic endeavors, Rooney created Faces of Kibera, a charity that provides food, medical care and housing to orphans in Nairobi, Kenya's Kibra district, a small slum that houses a million people. There are many orphans as AIDS is rampant in the slum.

Lindsay Rose Medoff, CEO and Lead Designer of Suay:

SUAY SEW SHOP is creating a culture of community and reuse.

As our global community demands change from corporations, our dedication to design, coupled with a drive for activism, is putting reclaimed products at the center of a social, economic and environmental revolution. Cultivating upcycling as the priority will not only massively impact our planet, but our daily quality of life.

SUAY is a Los Angeles based 100% vertical sewing, production and consulting shop founded in 2017 by CEO, Lindsay Rose Medoff.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rain Phoenix Launches Johanna Warren Dec 20, 2022

Show notes

Johanna Warren joins LaunchLeft to talk about her new album, Lessons for Mutants, and share her thoughts about the creative process. Johanna is also involved in writing a play, The Buckeye, and will do a live workshop in Bristol, England, in February. In addition, Johanna speaks boldly about how she has found energy and creativity in nature and discusses rebelling against parts of society that put deadlines and expectations on artists and people in general and how that can compromise your well-being. The episode closes with a live performance of her song "Lessons For Mutants" from the Garden Sessions at PULP studio in Gainesville, Florida. Join us this week for a truly inspiring episode.

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LAUNCHLEFT OFFICIAL WEBSITE
https://www.launchleft.com

LAUNCHLEFT PATREON
https://www.patreon.com/LaunchLeft

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IN THIS EPISODE:

[00:55] Johanna shares about the time spent in Wales and her childhood.
[09:07] Johanna is working on a musical called The Buckeye.
[10:25] Discussion of what sparks creativity and taking time for yourself.
[23:56] The state of the music industry and how Covid gave Johanna a time of quiet reflection.
[29:40] Johanna describes her collaboration with local farmers and herbalists.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

The effect of losing someone resonates in the art that you create.
It’s essential to be mindful of how you feel and what you spend time on. It’s good to take a break when your body speaks and says slow down, even if it affects a schedule in place. Put your well-being first.
The music industry doesn’t value new talent. Instead, the focus is on those who have become stars; consequently, they get the notice and the benefits.

RESOURCE LINKS

Instagram - Johanna Warren

Album - Johanna Warren

Facebook - Johanna Warren

Twitter - Johanna Warren

Soundcloud - Johanna Warren

Bandcamp - Johanna Warren

BIO:

As a little kid, I knew who I was: a wild magical creature who delighted in the gifts of the Earth and the mysteries of the universe - feasting on red clover and honeysuckle, grinding berries between stones to make "potions," thatching faerie huts with slabs of damp moss, talking to bugs, singing to birds, drawing channeled images of interdimensional angels, and happily passing long afternoons with my face pressed in the dirt watching golden light dance through blades of grass.

Then, as most of us do, I forgot. The magic was conditioned out of me and replaced with corn syrup, plastic and The Pledge of Allegiance. And I got very sick, and very very sad. I was slapped with a long string of diagnoses, including Type 1 diabetes. My adolescence and young adulthood was a horrorshow of illness and medications that caused side effects for which more medications were prescribed. After ten years of this nightmare, I realized I had no idea who I was without the antidepressants, birth control pills, antibiotics, acne medications, antiandrogens, prescription migraine drugs and insulin injections I had been taking regularly since before I was old enough to question any of it.

I started experimenting with phasing out pharmaceuticals and exploring "alternative" (ancient, sacred) healing modalities: herbalism and folk medicine, acupuncture, Qi Gong, meditation, fasting. I started working on biodynamic farms and learning directly from plants. Getting back outside to be in direct communion with the natural cycles of the Earth, as I did so naturally as a child, has been absolutely vital to my personal healing. Since most of my illnesses were stemming from toxic foods, getting directly involved with the source of my nourishment was pivotal. I can’t overstate how difficult it was to get off the pharmaceuticals, but I was determined — I knew in my bones that there was a better way. Over the course of a harrowing year, I weaned myself off the insane slew of drugs I’d been on for years — all except insulin, which I still currently rely on to help manage Type 1 diabetes (a profound teacher I am continuing to learn from!)

The next major event in my training as a healer came In 2012, when I was in a fatal car crash. At the moment of the collision, I had a lucid experience of being saved by the angelic form of my best friend, who had died a year prior: I felt his presence as a warm bubble of white light that shielded me from injury. By all accounts, given the circumstances and severity of the impact, it was miraculous that I lived at all – but in fact I was left without a scratch on my body.

The car crash was an initiation. It cracked me wide open. It was like I was catapulted into a different dimension where magic was real again. Suddenly I was talking to dead people, seeing colors I’d never seen before, feeling like I could start a fire with the light and heat coming out of my hands.

My work as a healer has been about finding my way home, back to the wise child who knew who she was, and helping others do the same. Remembering that we are all deeply connected. Reclaiming our magic. Dancing for the trees. Singing for the squirrels. Fasting in the wilderness sometimes. Learning from plants. Learning from people. Listening within. Falling more deeply in love with myself/ You/ Nature/ God every day.

As I continue to walk the healing path, I come again and again to the understanding that pain, suffering and disease are invitations: portals to awakening. Our bodies are constantly communicating to us in poetic metaphors densely encoded with information, and they can teach us everything we came here to learn. All we have to do is listen.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Creem Magazine | JJ Kramer launches Zachary Lipez Dec 06, 2022

Show notes

JJ Kramer, who is rebooting Creem Magazine, joins LaunchLeft today. JJ shares about the impact of Creem Magazine and what it means to bring back the iconic magazine his father started in the 70s. He launches Zachary Lipez, the Editor at Large, who discusses his love for writing, music and even going into the office. Listen in on this enthusiastic conversation between music lovers about the history and future of Creem Magazine.

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LAUNCHLEFT OFFICIAL WEBSITE
https://www.launchleft.com

LAUNCHLEFT PATREON
https://www.patreon.com/LaunchLeft

Facebook - Creem Magazine

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IN THIS EPISODE:

[02:43] JJ Kramer discusses the void created when Creem 1.0 had its last print run in 1989.
[09:44] How the magazine and the creator, JJ’s father, Barry, are inextricably intertwined, and the desire to preserve the legacy.
[14:51] Bringing Zachary Lipez on as Editor at Large.
[17:10] Zachary tells how he began his writing career.
[29:53] The goal of Creem Magazine is to be true to itself and its readers.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

Creem Magazine is based in Detroit and focuses on all genres of music, making it a magazine for everyone.
Creem Magazine tells it like it is. It embraces humor, clarity, opinions, the music culture, criticism, and praise of the musician or band.
Detroit was and still is the home of Creem Magazine. It pays homage to its Detroit roots but is a magazine for anyone and everyone who loves music.

RESOURCE LINKS

Website - Creem Magazine

Twitter - Creem Magazine

Instagram - Creem Magazine

Facebook - JJ Kramer

Facebook - Zachary Lipez

Linkedin - JJ Kramer

Linkedin - Zachary Lipez

BIO:

JJ Kramer, Chairman, CREEM Magazine

JJ Kramer is the only child of CREEM's late founder, Barry Kramer. After his father's death in 1981, CREEM was bequeathed to JJ who, at four years old, was named the magazine Chairman. For the better part of his adult life, JJ has been fighting to preserve CREEM's storied legacy (including an actual fist fight). In 2022, JJ comes full circle and resumes his role as Chairman of CREEM Entertainment. In addition, as a practicing intellectual property and entertainment attorney with 20 years of experience, JJ has worked with some of the world's biggest brands, influencers, and recording artists.

Zachary Lipez, Editor at Large, CREEM Magazine

Zachary Lipez is a writer and bartender based in NYC. His byline has appeared in The Washington Post, Talkhouse, VICE/Noisey, Bandcamp Daily, Pitchfork, The Fader, and Penthouse. He is the co-author (with Stacy Wakefield and Nick Zinner) of 131 Different Things, Please Take Me Off The Guestlist, Slept In Beds, and No Seats On The Party Car. He sang in the post-punk band Freshkills (about which he wrote the Talkhouse essay, “Playing in a Band No One Likes”). He is currently the singer in two bands, Publicist UK and Telematics, both goth-adjacent.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

S. CAREY | Portrait Nov 22, 2022

Show notes

Carey, Wisconsin-based multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and producer, joins LaunchLeft. Most notably as the drummer and backing vocalist of Bon Iver, S. Carey shares with Rain how he balanced writing a very personal album while collaborating with other artists to create Break Me Open. He also talks about his experience growing up with his music teacher father, finding his love for percussion, and how many art forms have inspired and shaped his career in the music industry.

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LAUNCHLEFT OFFICIAL WEBSITE
https://www.launchleft.com

LAUNCHLEFT PATREON
https://www.patreon.com/LaunchLeft

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IN THIS EPISODE:

[01:00] S. Carey talks about how music found him as a young child.
[04:00] The collaborative work of S. Carey’s new album, Break Me Open.
[05:11] The inspiration S. Carey finds in other art forms.
[08:24] Producing other artists and what he learns from the experience.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

Musical inspiration can come from many art forms and perspectives.
Using different instruments can inspire a new adventure and challenge when producing and writing new music.
Producing other artists can teach you new ways to do things and build trust in the creative relationship.

RESOURCE LINKS

BIO:

Carey is the moniker of Eau Claire, Wisconsin-based multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and producer Sean Carey, commonly recognized as the drummer, backing vocalist, and second-longest serving member of Bon Iver. Over the past decade, Carey has fostered his flourishing solo career via themes of nature and sustainability, songwriting built from jazz beginnings, and heartfelt, emotive lyricism. His latest and fourth album, Break Me Open, adds to a discography of three full-length releases, two EPs, and countless collaborations.

As S. Carey developed his songwriting and producing talents, he was commissioned by Will Arnett to write the track "Rose Petals" for his Netflix series Flaked, co-wrote "Hold The Light" with Dierks Bentley for feature-length film Only The Brave, contributed to Sufjan Stevens' album Carrie & Lowell, and has produced for and written with the likes of Low, Mike Kinsella, Pieta Brown, and Ed Tullett of Novo Amor. Carey and his adept band of longtime friends and collaborators celebrate their 12th year of touring everywhere from international headline shows to intimate living room performances to theater stages.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SCOUT LARUE WILLIS | Portrait Nov 08, 2022

Show notes

Scout Willis has always been musical throughout her life, but she didn’t know she would end up focusing on music in such a big way. Choosing to do a solo record was a big decision, leading to her first self-titled album, Scout Larue Willis. On this episode of LaunchLeft, Scout shares with Rain about the art of creative collaboration, her earliest musical memories, and excitement about performing her new songs in front of an audience.

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LAUNCHLEFT OFFICIAL WEBSITE
https://www.launchleft.com

LAUNCHLEFT PATREON
https://www.patreon.com/LaunchLeft

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IN THIS EPISODE:

[02:00] Scout’s decision to record a solo album.
[09:00] How music influenced Scout throughout her life.
[15:00] What drives Scout in regards to service to others.
[18:00] Listen to Scout’s song from the album.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

A lot of vulnerability and sensitivity goes into an artist’s music.
Letting go of judgements of yourself can help you feel compassion for others.

RESOURCE LINKS

BIO:

Imbued with wistful melodies and eloquent, eccentric arrangements, Scout LaRue Willis’ self-titled debut is an unflinching chronicle of hard decade, a coming-of-age album that turns this young auteur’s darkest fears into hurt yet distinctly hopeful songs that both soothe and catalyze.

From her first lonely notes on “Blue Moon” until the final rowdy sing-along on “Red Road Home,” she comes across as an artist who grounds her music in vivid inspiration as well as honest experience; In the exquisitely simple and authentic expression of Patsy Cline, in strange dreams half remembered upon waking, in old cowboy trail songs, in the 1960s classic rock passed down by her father like an heirloom, in the everyday challenges of being a human and in the operatic way Roy Orbison delights in his voice. Willis constantly marshals her resolve as she conveys hard truths in her graceful rasp: “And I will pass this test, ‘cause I know I am strong,” she declares on the anthemic “Woman at Best.” “I won’t call out your name, I’ll just sing out this song.”

While it’s immediately apparent that she’s an original voice, it took her many years to find the courage to share it. After harboring tender, childhood aspirations of being a musician, she felt discouraged by certain experiences in high school and all but suppressed the dream. It wasn’t until she started writing songs and singing as one-half of the duo Gus + Scout while at Brown University that she realized it was something she could really pursue. In between classes they managed to tour and record a 2012 EP that mixes early rock and doo-wop sounds. “We’d go away for the weekend, play a little festival and then have to come back and finish papers. It was thrilling getting to run away and moonlight as a rockstar for a little while.” The pair paused musically upon graduation, and Willis spent years believing she couldn’t pursue music as a career. “Somewhere between fear and misperception I had this idea that I shouldn’t and couldn’t pursue music full time. My reasoning was based in self judgement, that I needed a ‘real job’ and that especially coming from privilege, music didn’t fall into that category. Later though, I realized this was just a very clever way to hide from the deep, unconscious fear I had around sharing myself and my art with the world” This safety net led her to a number of other jobs in the interim, all the while continuing to first teach herself to play guitar and then starting to write music on her own for the first time.

In February of 2016 Willis played her first ever solo show and began writing prolifically. After a number of years of feeling lost with her work, this was a moment of rededicating herself wholly to music. Though she knew she wanted to make an album, the songs she wrote during this period were also a means of processing the intensity of her emotions, “I’d have feelings that were so enormous I thought they’d destroy me, and the best tool I had at my disposal was music, so I would just start writing. I wrote ‘Love Without Possession’ in the throes of massive love addiction. I wrote it in real time, as it was all happening, and performed it live the day I finished it, as a means of communicating with the person I wrote it about. I was nearly crying onstage, such high drama! Even with all of the emotional ups and downs, it was such a beautiful and growth provoking time in my life!”

Even as she compiled a poignant and honest catalog of songs, Willis made little progress towards recording and releasing them. “In my conscious mind, I really wanted to get my musical career off the ground and share my work, it always felt like there was a wrench in the machine though and nothing was happening.” She says of the period between 2017 and 2019 especially “Ultimately, I came to realize that I was unconsciously holding myself back, which made sense because of course music is the thing I am most proud of in the world, it’s my heart laid bare and if I were to finally share that and still be found lacking somehow, either internally or externally, it would feel like death! After this realization it became much easier to be compassionate towards the parts of myself that were terrified to wholeheartedly pursue the thing that matters most to me. I came to see how this old story and the protective mechanisms around it had been running the show, enabling me to find a million different reasonable excuses to put it off” Understanding the subtle workings of her inner world proved to be the key because within a few months of that epiphany, Willis was in the studio recording her debut solo record.

Working with Producer Greg Papania (Snoop Dogg, Gwen Stefani) at Lucy’s Meat Market, an intimate studio in Highland Park, California, Willis set about searching for the ultimate version of each song—the version that would most effectively and deliciously deliver the truth of her lyrics. The songs are all centered around her unique voice and inventive guitar playing, with imaginative flourishes of strings and theremin. “I wanted every song to be its own episode, its own ride.” “Do You Trust Me Enough” marries the playful, skipping melody seamlessly with the heart wrenching lyrics. “Oh, I’m in love with your potential, but what of the man that you are,” she sings among the fluttering birds. “And oh, we’re addicted to each other, and that can only take us so far.”

Anchoring these ingenious arrangements are sounds you won’t hear, but you’ll certainly feel. “In addition to recording the entire album in 432 tuning, we embedded specific tones in each song,” she says, “396hz clears fear, guilt, shame, anger and self-loathing, 417hz helps to release trauma.” They added those tones underneath the tracks although they’re largely imperceptible to the ear. “For me music is a healing modality and Greg’s insight into 432 tuning and the use of these tones helped me to take that as far as it could go. I am really excited to hear about people’s response to the music and whether they can feel it as well as hear it!”

Scout LaRue Willis is, ultimately, a record of personal growth. It’s both an ode to the relationships that have helped her grow and to the relationship she has developed with herself. Even on “Last Night” the most recently written song on the album that Willis says, “is the first out and out love song” she’s ever written, there is a sense that it’s about the mirror her relationship holds up to herself. Over a delicate finger-picked guitar and a sympathetic mandolin, Willis sings, “I think it was the first time, I started to believe, that you could love me, even when I’m a mess, that you could love me, with all the feelings I possess.” She could be singing to herself just as easily as to a lover. This album is a love letter to not only her triumph, but to her pain as well, to music as a healing force, and it offers her a vantage point to see how far she’s come. “Looking back through the lens of this album and my own personal growth work, I’m in love with every experience that inspired these songs, every moment of challenge, heart break and victory, because each of them conspired to get me to this exact moment and I’ve never been more in love with myself and my life than I am right now. I feel like I am singing these songs to the girl I was—that young, thrashed, courageous version of myself who just kept making art no matter what. I feel so grateful to finally be at this point, ready to send these stories out into the world to have a life of their own”.

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RAIN PHOENIX launches The Steens Oct 25, 2022

Show notes

The Steens, Elijah and Isaiah, are two brothers from Orange County, CA, who formed their band in 2021. Growing up in the music and TV production industry, the brothers had a lot of influence from early on in their lives. Tune in to hear the brothers and Rain talk about growing up with music and how they used it to evolve into the duo they are now.

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LAUNCHLEFT OFFICIAL WEBSITE
https://www.launchleft.com

LAUNCHLEFT PATREON
https://www.patreon.com/LaunchLeft

The Steen's on Sound Cloud

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IN THIS EPISODE:

[02:32] The Steens talk about their goals for the future of their duo.
[06:30] The brothers talk about their top favorite books and records.
[09:00] Advice the brothers would give to anyone in the teen demographic about working towards their goals.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

Things that happen in your life can shape your perspective.
Influences can be gathered starting at a young age.
Work with what you have and don’t be afraid to be weird and go big.

BIO:

The Steens are two brothers from Orange County, CA. They formed their band in 2021 using their surname. Naming the band was an easy decision with the duo’s sound and vision being firmly planted in their roots.

At an early age their father was actively working in the music industry as an A&R/ artist manager while their mother was pursuing a promising career as a stylist. This all changed when their dad was arrested and went on to serve a 10 year prison sentence.

The Steen’s “future rock n’ roll” sound picks up where their fate dropped them off. Feeding back and buzzing like gleaming gold through a distorted lens, the brother’s have woven a sound very much in tune with their childhood. Blown out 808s clip your speakers while fuzz injected guitars and vocals invite ancestors like Little Richard to perhaps take some more uppers.

Someone suggested their band was like “the Black Strokes or something.” The Steens weren’t offended by the comparison but later stated, “The Strokes are great, but they’re a little polite, no? If we were gonna be the “black anything” and not “the Black Beatles” can’t we at least be “the Black Iggy Pops.”

RESOURCE LINKS

The Steens on IG

The Steen's on FB

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

JEWEL | Portrait Oct 11, 2022

Show notes

Today’s special guest is poet and multi-platinum singer-songwriter Jewel. Her new album, Freewheelin’ Woman, was written to encapsulate a feeling of empowerment and freedom that she’s gained in her life. In this episode, Jewel shares with Rain about recording her new album, her journeyed musical career, her personal life dealing with trauma, and much more. Be sure to tune into today’s enlightening episode.

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LAUNCHLEFT OFFICIAL WEBSITE
https://www.launchleft.com

LAUNCHLEFT PATREON
https://www.patreon.com/LaunchLeft