Music Is My Life

070: Bruce Hornsby May 25, 2022

Bruce Hornsby, legendary pianist, singer, and songwriter, discusses his humble beginnings in a Grateful Dead cover band and his graduation to a Doobie Brothers acolyte to his mega breakthrough with “The Way It Is” to his time as an actual member of the Grateful Dead and his resurgence, resonating first with hip-hop artists like 2Pac, and more recently with younger indie rock artists like Bon Iver and Vampire Weekend. His latest album is “Flicted.”

069: Cindy Blackman Santana Apr 02, 2022

Cindy Blackman Santana discusses her journey as a drummer, from the NYC jazz scene, to Lenny Kravitz’s band, to performing with her husband, Carlos Santana.

068: Kira Roessler of Black Flag Feb 24, 2022

Kira Roessler played bass in Black Flag for two years, during which time the legendary hardcore band put out seven(!) records. Now, at the age of 60, she's an Emmy- and Oscar-winning dialogue editor and promoting her self-titled solo debut. In this interview she discusses her new album, being in a band with Henry Rollins and Greg Ginn, as well as being in a band (and a marriage) with Mike Watt.

067: Arooj Aftab Jan 19, 2022

Arooj Aftab began getting notice with a viral cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” more than 15 years ago, but with two Grammy nominations, she has finally arrived (and quit her day job at Genius.com). Her 2021 “Vulture Prince” album is a stunning work that frequently reaches transcendence. In this wide ranging interview, she discusses playing White Stripes covers, how she composed some of her most poignant music, and taking classes with Berklee Online.

066: Bruce Sudano Nov 01, 2021

Bruce Sudano has written songs that have been sung by Michael Jackson, Dolly Parton, and his late wife, Donna Summer. He discusses coming up in Brooklyn and being taken under the wing of Tommy James, and meeting Donna Summer, writing "Bad Girls" and appearing on the album cover as a police officer. He also plays a stripped down version of that song, and talks about how he has been able to pave a solo career for himself in recent years.

065: José González Oct 08, 2021

José González discusses his life in music, beginning with his tenure as a bassist in a hardcore band, through his time with Junip, and up to his latest release, "Local Valley." He also shares his views on secular humanism and how he was able to be more productive with lyric writing.

064: Colin Blunstone of the Zombies Sep 13, 2021

Colin Blunstone began his career in music as a teenager with the Zombies. After a run of successful singles in the 1960s the group broke up, but not before releasing their masterpiece, “Odessey and Oracle,” featuring the mega-hit “Time of the Season.” A Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, Colin and Rod Argent reformed the Zombies at the turn of the century and have been playing together for about four times as long as the band’s original run.

063: Don Letts Jun 28, 2021

Don Letts provides an important lesson in the fact that even if you don’t play an instrument, you can still be a part of the music industry, and not just on the business side either. He got his start as a DJ, and is widely credited for introducing reggae into the burgeoning punk rock scene in London in the 1970s, but he doesn’t want all of that credit.

062: Butch Vig of Garbage Jun 14, 2021

You know Butch Vig as the drummer and producer of Garbage, or you know him as the producer of genre-defining albums from Nirvana and Smashing Pumpkins, but there is more to him than that. He has been working with most of the people he makes music with for more than 30 years. The new Garbage album, No Gods No Masters, is out now.

061: Sly and Robbie—Sly Dunbar May 31, 2021

If you’ve heard any reggae music in your entire life then you’ve heard Sly Dunbar’s drumming, or at the very least, his influence. As one half of Sly and Robbie, he says he’s probably played on a million songs. Sly and Robbie got their start as the rhythm section for Peter Tosh in 1976, and after touring with him for a number of years started Taxi, where they would produce other artists and/or act as their rhythm section. Collaborators included the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Black Uhuru, Madonna, Grace Jones, Sinead O’Connor, Serge Gainsbourg, No Doubt, Britney Spears, and probably a million more.

060: Anna Bulbrook May 17, 2021

Anna Bulbrook began studying violin at 4. She quit at 21, but a gig with Kanye West changed that. She helped found the Airborne Toxic Event the next week.

059: Hailu Mergia May 02, 2021

Hailu Mergia is a master accordionist and veteran bandleader, arranger, and keyboardist, originally from Ethiopia. He became famous in his homeland in the 1970s, playing with the Walias Band and the Dahlak Band. In the 1980s he defected to the US and did not play in public for decades. But all of that changed recently!

058: Margo Nahas and Jay Vigon Apr 19, 2021

Margo Nahas and Jay Vigon are partners in life, love, and business, and have designed classic album covers by iconic acts like Prince, Van Halen, Fleetwood Mac, and Stevie Wonder.

057: Kamilah Marshall Apr 05, 2021

Kamilah Marshall is a seasoned Broadway performer whose credits include Rent, Lion King, and Hairspray. From there, she toured with Bette Midler, Matthew Morrison from Glee, and is currently a backup singer for Taylor Swift.

056: Huey Lewis Mar 22, 2021

Huey Lewis discusses his meteoric rise to fame in the 1980s, his struggles with Ménière’s disease, and everything in between (clothes shopping with Phil Lynott of Thin Lizzy, soccer with Ozzy, etc.) in this wide ranging interview.

055: Steven Wilson Mar 08, 2021

Steven Wilson has been a part of more than a dozen musical projects and/or bands, most notably Porcupine Tree. After 10 studio albums, they broke up in 2009. Wilson released his sixth solo album, The Future Bites, earlier this year, and he still involves himself in collaborative endeavors, including a podcast called The Album Years, which he co-hosts with Tim Bowness, who was one of Wilson’s first formative musical collaborators, beginning in the 1980s with the band No Man.

054: Lady A Feb 22, 2021

Lady A (the Seattle-based singer) discusses her life in music, and her ongoing legal battle with Lady A (the Nashville-based trio who formerly called themselves Lady Antebellum).

053: This is the Kit —Kate Stables Dec 21, 2020

Kate Stables of This is the Kit discusses her new album, Off Off On, having fun with words, touring with the National, and turning her daughter on to Lizzo.

052: AJR—Jack and Ryan Metzger Dec 06, 2020

AJR are three brothers—Adam, Jack, and Ryan Metzger—who began their music career on New York City streets, where they busked daily for hours at a time. The two brothers who take part in this interview—Ryan and Jack—say that years of trying to get people’s attention off the streets was formative to their work ethic and the constant need to one-up themselves in songwriting and their live show, including their upcoming virtual concert, dubbed One Spectacular Night.

051: Gavin Rossdale of Bush Nov 23, 2020

Gavin Rossdale had tracked all of the songs on what would become Bush’s multiplatinum debut, but he was still painting dentist’s offices. In this wide-ranging interview, he talks sudden (and enduring) success, his favorite Gwen Stefani tunes, and more.

050: Lee "Scratch" Perry Nov 09, 2020

Lee "Scratch" Perry on working with Bob Marley, inventing dub, and a lifetime of being "the Upsetter."

049: The Go! Team Oct 26, 2020

Ian Parton and Ninja of the Go! Team talk about how to turn a solo kitchen recording project into an energetic live ensemble that stays together for nearly 20 years.

048: Joe Wong (The Trap Set) Oct 12, 2020

Joe Wong talks to Pat Healy on hosting The Trap Set podcast, creating his solo debut, "Nite Creatures," and scoring for shows like Russian Doll and Master of None. Visit musicismylifepod.com and save $100 on a Berklee Online course.

047: Molly Tuttle Sep 28, 2020

Molly Tuttle’s brand new … but i’d rather be with you is a collection of seemingly disparate cover songs—running the gamut from Rancid to the Grateful Dead—that got the singer through tough times in her life. She recorded the album as a coronavirus lockdown project because everybody else is currently going through tough times of their own. She talks in detail about her upbringing, her punk rock roots, and her bluegrass background, as well as her time at Berklee, playing with the Goodbye Girls.

046: Sadie Dupuis of Speedy Ortiz and SAD13 Sep 14, 2020

Sadie Dupuis of Speedy Ortiz on the eve of releasing Haunted Painting, her second album under the SAD13 moniker, discusses her life in music, words, and math. Math? Yes, math!

045: Martha Reeves Jul 05, 2020

Summer’s here and the time is right for taking time to appreciate the legendary Martha Reeves, of “Dancing in the Street” fame! Along with her backing singers, the Vandellas, Martha Reeves recorded other mega Motown hits, including “Jimmy Mack,” “Nowhere to Run,” and “Love is Like a Heatwave.” She speaks to Pat Healy about the climate of social change then and now, the importance of having a teacher who believes in you, as well as her amazing career at Motown. Visit musicismylifepod.com to save $100 on a Berklee Online course.

044: Janet Billig Rich Jun 22, 2020

Janet Billig Rich became interested in music when she first saw the Replacements. After taking in about 100 shows she went on to sell merch at indie rock shows, intern at Caroline Records, and then move on up to manage acts like Nirvana, Hole, and Dinosaur Jr. She's now a music supervisor, clearing rights for Broadway shows like Rock of Ages, as well as for movies and TV shows. Visit musicismylifepod.com to save $100 on a Berklee Online course.

043: Vanessa Carlton Jun 08, 2020

Vanessa Carlton speaks candidly about the seedy underbelly of the music industry, and why followups to “A Thousand Miles” were more successful than the men on her team wanted her to believe. She discusses how her latest album, Love Is An Art, is a new beginning for her and how eager she is to tour, once touring is something people are allowed to do again. She also talks significant relationships with fellow musicians, from the magical (Stevie Nicks), to the amazing (John McCauley of Deer Tick), to the regrettable (Stephan Jenkins of Third Eye Blind). Visit musicismylifepod.com now.

042: Sam Hales of Jungle Giants May 25, 2020

Sam Hales is the songwriter, singer, guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, and now the producer of most of Jungle Giants’ music. They have released three albums and two EPs, and for the first EP, Sam worked two jobs, one at a convenience store, the other at McDonald’s, just to make the money to fund the recording. He and the other members, Ceshira Aitken, Andy Dooris, and Keelan Bijker all met in high school, when some of them played in rival bands. Visit musicismylifepod.com now.

040: Lisa Loeb Apr 27, 2020

Lisa Loeb shares how her parents encouraged her and her siblings' musical development, but cautioned them against going into the music industry. But now they are all musicians. She also shares how she wrote her mega-smash, “Stay (I Missed You)” while studying at Berklee. Her latest album, A Simple Trick to Happiness, is out now. Visit musicismylifepod.com now.

039: M. Ward Apr 13, 2020

Matt Ward discusses how a closeted $25 guitar and a Beatles book started him on a journey that led him to his latest album, Migration Stories. He also discusses collaborating with Zooey Deschanel in She & Him, songwriting, and how it might be nice if you called him m'lord. Visit musicismylifepod.com now.

038: Black Belt Eagle Scout Mar 30, 2020

Katherine Paul discusses Black Belt Eagle Scout, her youth on the Swinomish reservation, her fondness for her Radical Indigenous Queer Feminist T-shirt, how working as a booker at a club helped her get a deal with Saddle Creek, and more. Visit musicismylifepod.com now.

037: Ron Pope Mar 16, 2020

Ron Pope wrote "A Drop in the Ocean," a mammoth hit that he had no idea would resonate with an audience so much. Then he wrote "One Grain of Sand" and enjoyed similar astronomical success. He talks to Pat Healy about triumphs and tribulations with major labels and streaming services, as well as Brooklyn Basement Records, the label he founded with his wife and manager, Blair Pope. Visit musicismylifepod.com now.

036: Spider Stacy of The Pogues Mar 02, 2020

Spider Stacy met Shane MacGowan at a Ramones gig in England when they were both teens. Shortly after, they formed the Pogues, a band that merged folk styling and punk rock delivery with Irish rebel songs. Then Spider learned how to play the tin whistle. He talks to Pat Healy about a new Pogues musical, playing with Joe Strummer, the Lost Bayou Ramblers, and how to deal with unreliable band members. Visit musicismylifepod.com now.

035: Andy Stack of Wye Oak and Joyero Feb 17, 2020

You may know Andy Stack as one half of the duo Wye Oak, along with Jenn Wasner. But he’s also one WHOLE of Joyero, whose debut came out on Merge in 2019. He talks to Pat Healy as Wye Oak assembles for their first tour in years. The difference with the latest tour is that it's more than just Jenn and Andy now. The live band features Arone Dyer, Pinson Chanselle, and Adam Schatz. Visit musicismylifepod.com now.

034: The Soul Rebels Feb 03, 2020

Lumar LeBlanc, Julian Gosin, and Marcus Hubbard, three generations of the New Orleans band Soul Rebels discuss how high school marching band was fundamental to their musical development, how the original members started the band more than 30 years ago, and what it was like to collaborate with artists from Katy Perry and Nas to Metallica and Marilyn Manson. Visit www.musicismylifepod.com for a special offer from Berklee Online.

033: Ritzy Bryan of the Joy Formidable Aug 22, 2019

Ritzy Bryan of the Joy Formidable discusses why her Welsh heritage is so important to her music, how her time on Atlantic Records helped inform her understanding of the music business, and how her guitar acrobatics hurt her Fender as well as the forehead of Joy Formidable bassist Rhydian Dafydd.

032: Film Orchestrator Jon Kull Jul 08, 2019

Jon Kull has orchestrated more than 100 Hollywood films, including Black Panther, Hunger Games, X-Men Apocalypse, and many more. Here he talks about his life, career, education, and what drives him, as well as Berklee Online's Master of Music in Film Scoring. He also discusses the unlikely turn of events that led one of his compositions to become the MacGruber theme song.

031: Songwriter Bonnie Hayes Jun 17, 2019

Bonnie Hayes talks songwriting for Bonnie Raitt, touring with Bob Seger, playing keys for Billy Idol, and being blown away by the Sex Pistols in 1978, and how all of that led to her coming to teach at Berklee College of Music and Berklee Online. Her most recent Berklee Online course, Arranging for Songwriters: Instrumentation and Production in Songwriting, is enrolling now!

030: Songwriter Chip Taylor ("Wild Thing," "Angel of the Morning," etc.) May 17, 2019

With a career that spans more than 60 years, and includes just about as many hits, Chip Taylor doesn’t need to write any more songs. But that doesn’t mean he’s showing any signs of stopping. He releases a new album, The Whiskey Salesman in May, and in this discussion that spans his entire career, he talks about how his songs “Wild Thing” and “Angel of the Morning,” may or may not be related, his favorite versions of his songs, his brother Jon Voight, how Quincy Jones discouraged him from pursuing a musical education, and his reaction to seeing Jimi Hendrix perform his iconic guitar sacrifice during a performance of a Chip Taylor song.

029: Evan Dando of the Lemonheads Apr 14, 2019

Evan Dando has been releasing music for more than 30 years, reaching a commercial high point in the early and mid 90s with the Lemonheads albums It’s a Shame about Ray and Come on Feel the Lemonheads. Most of the attention came from a cover of Simon and Garfunkel’s “Mrs. Robinson,” which Dando wasn’t too happy about for a while, but thanks to Martin Scorsese, he's not so down about it anymore.

028: TJ Connelly, DJ for the Boston Red Sox and New England Patriots Mar 14, 2019

TJ Connelly is an entrepreneur, music curator, and creative technologist, best known for his work as the DJ at Fenway Park for the 2018 World Series Champs, the Boston Red Sox. He's also known for his work at Gillette Stadium, where he's the DJ for the home games of the 2019 Super Bowl champs, the New England Patriots. He has also DJed for the Boston Bruins at the Boston Garden since 2017, and has recently covered a number of Celtics games. TJ also has experience DJing several regular shows on Boston FM stations, including WZBC, WMBR, and WFNX. If you're not a fan of Boston sports, or of sports at all, you'll still enjoy hearing TJ discuss his career as a DJ, and the strategies he employs to move a crowd.

027: Tony Trischka Feb 11, 2019

Tony Trischka's list of collaborators includes Pete Seeger, Bela Fleck, Earl Scruggs, and Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers, so it's no surprise that he has been called “perhaps the most influential banjo player in the roots music world.” His 2007 album Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular earned him his first Grammy nomination, as well as awards for Banjo Player of the Year, Recorded Event of the Year, and Instrumental Album of the Year from the International Bluegrass Music Association. In this edition, of Music Is My Life, he discusses his communist father, his love of "MTA," and auditioning for Bruce Springsteen.

026: Darlene Love Nov 15, 2018

Whether you know Darlene Love from her smash hit, "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" on the Phil Spector holiday album, or from her profile in the film, "20 Feet From Stardom," this Rock & Roll Hall of Famer is a force to be reckoned with. In addition to her own work, Darlene Love has sang backup with Elvis Presley, Sam Cooke, Sonny & Cher, and so many more. In this edition of "Music Is My Life," from Berklee Online, she details her struggles with Phil Spector, and her journey to freedom.

025: Tanya Donelly Oct 01, 2018

Belly, Breeders, and Muses, oh my! Tanya Donelly takes us through her musical journey, beginning with her step-sister Kristin Hersh in Throwing Muses, through her partnership with Kim Deal in the Breeders to the formation and wild success of Belly to the current reunion that band is enjoying, and the confusion caused by the Canadian rapper who calls himself Belly.

024: Ben Vaughn Sep 18, 2018

You may know Ben Vaughn as a producer of artists such as Los Straightjackets, Charlie Feathers, Ween, or the one-off collaboration between Big Star’s Alex Chilton and Suicide’s Alan Vega, which he talks about in the episode of Berklee Online’s Music Is My Life podcast. Ben Vaughn got his start as the leader of a group called the Ben Vaughn Combo in the 1980s, and got a lot of attention from mainstream press, and inspired favorable cover versions of his tunes by the likes of Marshall Crenshaw, the Plimsouls, Man or Astroman, and more. His big break in the music industry came when he moved out to LA and quickly got a job as a composer for the show “Third Rock from the Sun,” which he composed the theme for. Success on that show led to a gig in the same role on “That 70s Show,” and numerous other shows. He has now comfortably resumed a solo career, and he also hosts a radio show on WXPN in Philly.

023: Andrew Joslyn Aug 06, 2018

Andrew Joslyn ditched classical music, joined a band called Handful of Luvin' and made his mark helping Seattle area musicians score their music. His big break came when he scored some of the biggest hits by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis. Andrew discusses the hard lessons he learned in making sure he earned proper royalties, and the arrangements he did for Kesha. He also talks about his brother, comedian Chris Kattan, and the Case File podcast he composes for.

022: Taj Mahal Jul 02, 2018

Emerging in the late 1960s as an enthusiast of blues and folk music, Taj Mahal has spent his career bending genres to his own signature style. His work includes moving explorations in jazz, funk, reggae, country, rock ‘n’ roll, and more. He has worked with everybody from Howlin’ Wolf and Muddy Waters to the Rolling Stones to Bob Marley and the Wailers. His songs have been covered by Eric Clapton, the Black Keys, the Blues Brothers, Natalie Cole, and more.

021: Marlon Williams Jun 04, 2018

Marlon Williams is a 27-year-old singer from New Zealand whose latest album, Make Way for Love, came out earlier this year. He’s well known in his home country for his work with a band called The Unfaithful Ways, and his Secret History of Country Music Songwriting series with Delaney Davidson. In America, you might know his song, “Dark Child,” written by his friend Tim Moore. It’s a positively chilling song, and it was used quite effectively on the end of the first episode of the Netflix series Wild Wild Country. He’s also well known in his country for his romance with singer Aldous Harding, a singer who he’s no longer dating, but who he nevertheless invited to sing on a song he wrote about their breakup. But it all began for Marlon Williams when he joined the choir at about age 10.

020: Gary Lucas May 01, 2018

Gary Lucas is a guitarist, songwriter, and former copywriter for CBS Records. (He's responsible for calling The Clash "the only band that matters.") He has played on more than 30 recordings, but he is best known for playing with Captain Beefheart in the 1980s, and Jeff Buckley in the 1990s.

019: Trevor Horn Apr 02, 2018

Not only is Trevor Horn one of the singers and songwriters behind the Buggles' "Video Killed the Radio Star," but he is also known for his work with Yes, and the iconic records he produced, including work by Frankie Goes to Hollywood, ABC, Seal, Belle & Sebastian, John Legend, and way too many others to mention. Trevor Horn is also a student! We spoke as he was just wrapping up in Berklee Online’s R&B Bass course.

018: Dean Ween (AKA Mickey Melchiondo) Mar 01, 2018

If the name Michael Melchiondo does not ring a bell, it’s because he is known professionally by his stage name of Dean Ween, one half of the band Ween, who for nearly 30 years—along with Gene Ween (whose real name is Aaron Freeman)—have been releasing into the world a very unique style of music. Deaner (as he is also known) is currently touring with the Dean Ween Group—which features all of the touring members of Ween, minus Gener—and the Dean Ween Group have an album called Rock2, coming out in March.

The full lineup of Ween has also recently announced their first show of the summer at Red Rocks in Colorado on June 5th.

Melchiondo and Freeman met in 1984, adopting the Ween surname in their early teenage years, but for Melchiondo, his love for music began with his father.

017: The War on Drugs Drummer Charlie Hall Jan 22, 2018

The War on Drugs are up for the Best Rock Album Grammy for their 2017 effort, A Deeper Understanding. In this edition of the Music Is My Life podcast Charlie Hall, the drummer for The War on Drugs sizes up the Grammy competition—Mastodon, Nothing More, Metallica, and Queens of the Stone Age—and says of the other artists in the category, "It's a very different vibe. I'm glad we're recognized as a rock band, to be honest."

"Much respect, especially to John Theodore," Hall says, singling out the Queens drummer.

Hall also discusses the value of working in the service industry, how having an encouraging teacher meant so much to him, and the evolving ethos of The War on Drugs and Kurt Vile, in addition to his side unique men's choir project, the Silver Ages (see below), which also features members of Dr. Dog, mewithoutyou, Teen Men, The Spinto Band, Windsor For The Derby, Nightlands, and other Philly bands.

016: DJ Mike Henderson AKA ENDO Jan 03, 2018

Mike Henderson (also known as ENDO) is a DJ who has pioneered harmonic mixing, developed the DJ-friendly apps AGNT and MIDI Monsters, worked in tour management for other DJs such as Dubfire and Felix Da Housecat, and developed Berklee Online's first DJ course, Learn to DJ with Traktor. On this edition of Music Is My Life, he discusses his beginnings as a drummer, his 22-hour days, and why he won't even drink coffee before a DJ set.

015: Stephen Davis Dec 01, 2017

Stephen Davis has written nearly 20 books about music, including the legendary Led Zeppelin book, "Hammer of the Gods" and the brand new "Gold Dust Woman: The Biography of Stevie Nicks." He shares his personal memories of Bob Marley, Michael Jackson, and more.

014: Jen Cloher Nov 06, 2017

Jen Cloher has been releasing music to critical acclaim in Australia for more than a decade, but is only now receiving the international attention she deserves, thanks to her support slot on the Courtney Barnett and Kurt Vile Lotta Sea Lice tour. She is Courtney Barnett's partner in life as well as her partner in business, having co-founded the Milk! Records label. Cloher is also the founder of I Manage My Music, an organization dedicated to helping independent musicians.

013: Boston Red Sox Organist Josh Kantor Oct 06, 2017

Josh Kantor has been playing the organ at Fenway Park in Boston since 2003, and he hasn't missed a single home game. In this edition of Music Is My Life, Kantor discusses his musical upbringing and how improv comedy helped prime him to play for baseball fans, as well as his recent revelation that the best quality to have as a professional musician is to be a good person.

012: Cindy Wilson of the B-52's Sep 07, 2017

After 40 years in the music business, as one of the leaders of the B-52's, Cindy Wilson is finally releasing her solo debut! Change, on the Kill Rock Stars label marks a drastic, er, um, change for Wilson, as she trades in her "Tiiiin roof! RUS-TED!" exuberance of the B-52's for a breathier, dreamier, more psychedelic feel. She discusses how important parties have been to her musical expression, and how her latest solo work with Ryan Monahan has been a truly educational experience for her.

011: Lisa Roth of Rockabye Baby Aug 14, 2017

Lisa Roth wanted to be a ballerina. When that didn't work out for her, she studied nutrition. Then she was hired by a record label called the CMH Label Group, to be their nutritionist. That was when she came up with an idea to produce lullaby renditions of popular songs by rock, pop, and hip-hop acts. Now she's the vice president and creative director of the CMH Label Group and brand manager and executive producer of Rockabye Baby. The label is putting out "Lullabye Renditions of Justin Timberlake" on August 18th. Oh, and we almost forgot to mention, Lisa's brother is David Lee Roth of Van Halen.

010: Music Therapist Suzanne Hanser Jul 10, 2017

Dr. Suzanne Hanser discusses her illustrious career in music therapy, and how her profession brought her back to Boston to teach at Berklee College of Music. She originally lived in Boston when she was a freshman Boston University, at the age of 15! She also discusses an emotional 180 regarding, "You Are My Sunshine."

009: Sam Amidon Jun 06, 2017

Sam Amidon has been playing music as a career for most of his life. He takes us from his days of performing with his parents to a trio called Popcorn Behavior to his recent solo work, reimagining folk music. His latest, a collaboration with Shahzad Ismaily, Milford Graves, and Sam Gendel is “The Following Mountain,” on the Nonesuch label.

008: Will Dailey May 25, 2017

Will Dailey has sold his car for rock 'n' roll! He's also walked away from a major label deal, and walked towards the loving funds of his fans. He's currently in the midst of a new crowdfunding campaign as he makes a brand new album, out later this year.

007: Leo Flynn of Vitamin String Quartet and Rockabye Baby May 03, 2017

Leo Flynn is the brand manager for the Vitamin String Quartet, the group best known for recreating classical-style versions of popular songs. With nearly 300 tributes to artists outside of the classical genre, VSQ has garnered about 4 million downloads since its start in 1999.

006: Divinity Roxx Mar 15, 2017

Divinity Roxx is probably best known for her work as the bassist for Beyoncé in her all-female band. She got her start playing with bass wiz Victor Wooten, and has established quite a solo career for herself: Not many people can rap and play bass at the same time! She began her musical journey with a clarinet, and is on the eve of furthering her education with Berklee Online.

005: Gary Burton Feb 28, 2017

Jazz legend Gary Burton discusses his life in music, just as he is about to walk away from it. But what a full musical life it has been: 66 albums under his name, 7 Grammy awards, and many meaningful friendships. He discusses all of this as well as some rough times playing with Stan Getz, receiving a death threat from Miles Davis, and his career-long affiliation with Berklee College of Music. His farewell tour—featuring Makoto Ozone—begins in March.

004: Nathan East Jan 27, 2017

In this podcast from Berklee Online, Nathan East shares his story. If you haven't heard the name Nathan East before, you have definitely heard his bass. He has played on upwards of 10,000 songs, many of them hits, by artists such as Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Beyoncé, Lionel Richie, Eric Clapton, Phil Collins, Bob Dylan, and thousands more! His new solo album, "Reverence" is out now!

003b: Prince Charles Alexander Dec 13, 2016

In PT II of this podcast from Berklee Online, Prince Charles Alexander shares how he walked away from fame (but not fortune) and how Nile Rodgers helped set him on a path that would have him working hand-in-hand with Diddy, engineering iconic albums from Notorious B.I.G., Mary J Blige, and more. We also learn what led him to teach Vocal Production, Critical Listening 1, and Music Production Analysis for Berklee Online!

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003a: Prince Charles Alexander Dec 05, 2016

Prince Charles Alexander began banging on tupperware with chopsticks at the age of two, which would eventually lead him to performing for audiences of 30,000 screaming fans. In the third episode of this podcast from Berklee Online, Prince Charles shares how he came to fame that he walked away from and how Nile Rodgers helped him reinvent himself. He would later go on to become one of the top recording engineers for Bad Boy Records, and go on to teach Vocal Production, Critical Listening 1, and Music Production Analysis for Berklee Online, but you'll have to wait for PT II for his take on that!

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002: Sarah Neufeld of Arcade Fire Oct 10, 2016

Sarah Neufeld began playing violin at the age of three, and considers herself “half-classically trained.” In the second episode of this podcast from Berklee Online, she shares how she came to be a member of Arcade Fire, and how she and her husband Colin Stetson approach collaborating with one another.

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001: Glenn Kotche of Wilco Sep 19, 2016

On the first episode of this podcast from Berklee Online, Glenn Kotche, the man you know best as the drummer for Wilco, shares everything that happened in between the very first drum he destroyed—at the age of three—to his experimental solo work and how he got behind the kit, playing with Jeff Tweedy.

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