This Next Song‘s About - A Songwriter‘s Podcast

"Planning Ahead" ft. CBS Business Analyst Jill Schlesinger

Jill Schlesinger joins Steph to demystify the current economic situation and will seek to provide some practical advice to help.
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Jill Schlesinger, CFP®, is the Emmy-nominated and Gracie Award Winning Business Analyst for CBS News. Jill appears on CBS radio and television stations nationwide covering the economy, markets, investing and anything else with a dollar sign. She translates complicated business and economic news into understandable, relatable topics for everyday viewers and listeners. She is a weekly guest on NPR’s “Here and Now” and writes the nationally syndicated column “Jill on Money” for Tribune Media Services.
Jill’s first book, The Dumb Things Smart People Do With Their Money: Thirteen Ways to Right Your Financial Wrongs, was published in February 2019 by Ballantine Books.
Resources Jill mentioned in the book include:
The Dumb Things Smart People Do With Their Money - Jill Schlesinger
Get Your Financial Life Together - Beth Kobliner
Worth It, Not Worth It - Jack Otter

BOOK CLUB Ft. Untamed by Glennon Doyle with Erica Swindell, Common Jack & Kaylyn Marie

JUNE BOOK CLUB!
Our second installment of Book Club featuring Glennon Doyle's runaway best-selling book "Untamed"
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Steph is joined by musicians and songwriters Kaylyn Marie, Erica Swindell and John Gardner (aka Common Jack) to discuss the book and how this affects us as women, but also as artists.
In her most revealing and powerful memoir yet, the activist, speaker, bestselling author, and “patron saint of female empowerment” (People) explores the joy and peace we discover when we stop striving to meet others’ expectations and start trusting the voice deep within us.
“Untamed will liberate women—emotionally, spiritually, and physically. It is phenomenal.”—Elizabeth Gilbert, author of City of Girls and Eat Pray Love.
There is a voice of longing inside each woman. We strive so mightily to be good: good partners, daughters, mothers, employees, and friends. We hope all this striving will make us feel alive. Instead, it leaves us feeling weary, stuck, overwhelmed, and underwhelmed. We look at our lives and wonder: Wasn’t it all supposed to be more beautiful than this? We quickly silence that question, telling ourselves to be grateful, hiding our discontent—even from ourselves.
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"Share The Mic" Ft Mishti, Kofy Brown, Be Steadwell, Akie Bermiss

This special episode is dedicated to showcasing our POC artist community, Steph will be taking a step back behind the scenes while our guest host, NYAC alum Mishti, takes the hot seat inviting our artist guests to share some songs and their experiences with us for this one-hour special.
Our artists include....
MISHTI
A singer-songwriter-guitarist with the lyricism of Jeff Buckley and the badassness of Slash demands the ear of any listener with her fresh take on post-pop rock music. While finishing touches of her debut EP (produced by Cyndi Lauper’s guitarist Alex Nolan) are fine-tuned, Mishti continues to write songs for the unrequited and fantasize the next performance: “I want to create music that transforms people’s moods the same way music I love transforms mine... and changes my life in those 4 minutes… and then ‘replay’.”
https://www.mishti.com
KOFY BROWN
Kofy Brown, an Oakland, CA musician, singer and songwriter has been a pioneering force in the Bay Area’s hip-hop soul / rock scene for the last couple of decades. Leading her band on tour paving the way for other indie artist to trek forth, the Kofy Brown Band have spread the gospel of Brown’s unique style of soul, rock, funk and more all-over North America, Canada and Europe. Kofy writes, and leads her own band the KBB (Kofy Brown Band), and is the bassist / singer for Sistas in the Pit and drummer / singer for Skip the Needle. Her new release, Child of Providence, on her own indie label Simba Music, is Kofy Brown’s 10th release which is available on all electronic formats/
https://www.kofybrown.com
AKIE BERMISS
Akie is a Brooklyn native raised in a musical household full of jazz and politics fueled by his former- activist mom and dad. He began singing in church, moved it to school for a while, enroute becoming somewhat of a musical chameleon. His raucous, guttural and soulful vocals are a delectable fusion of Donny Hathaway and Tom Waits. He’s equally adept singing neo-soul, funk, contemporary jazz, alternative rock, and hip hop. Over the past half a dozen years, he has become a visible contributor to the fertile Brooklyn music scene as a musician, songwriter and vocalist, notably becoming a full-time member of New York's beloved band Lake Street Dive.
https://akiebermissmusic.com
BE STEADWELL
Be Steadwell is a musician, filmmaker, storyteller from Washington DC. In her live performances, she utilizes looping, vocal layering and beat boxing to compose her songs on stage. Be's original music features earnest lyricism, and Affirming LGBTQ content.​
Be has shared stages with fellow artist Activists Big Freedia, Nona Hendryx, Nikky Finney and Gina Yashere. In 2017 Be sang at The Women's March on the National Mall behind Maxwell and Janelle Monae in Toshi Reagon's Big Lovely Band.
https://besteadwell.com

"Nashville, Creating During Lockdown" Ft. Sonia Leigh

Sonia Leigh joins Steph live from Nashville to talk about creating music during lockdown in Music City.
Join in the conversation on the live podcast Wednesday nights at 8PM EST on our facebook page!
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Sonia Leigh made her country catapult on Zac Brown's Southern Ground Records in 2011 with “My Name Is Money”. Her more recent independent leaps span genres of country, pop, alt-rock, and hiphop.
Her 2018 full length release titled Mad Hatter showcases her versatility with easy flow. Recent single releases “Digging Graves” and “Give You Love” dive deeper into pop flavors. No surprise to her fans, musical fluidity have always been a catalyst for creativity. She's penned hit songs, featured on hit television shows, video games, and rapidly gaining a name in the sync world. toured the world with the likes of Eric Church, Melissa Etheridge, BONES, Zac Brown Band and legends such as Willie Nelson, Loretta Lynn, and Joan Jett.
In 2019 she caught the eye of BMG New York and quickly signed on as songwriter. Her conviction can hush a room and shake the walls with her raw and raspy delivery. Sonia Leigh squeezes every drop out of the stage and leaves the crowd shouting for more.

"Art That Serves" Ft. Matt Butler

Our good friend Matt Butler joins us to discuss the mission for his music and how serving others gives both him and his art a purpose through his non-profit the Just One Foundation, and he plays his song 'Just One'.
Redemption and hope through song sums it up when I think of Matt Butler” says Kevin Lyman, the founder of the legendary Vans Warped Tour, who hosted Butler as one of the few solo acoustic acts on the Tour’s final cross country run in 2018; Matt was back as a mainstage performer at the Warped Anniversary show the following year. In the time before and after, Butler’s been relentlessly on the road performing at everything from stadiums to state prisons.
Butler’s latest single ‘Been Gone So Long’ is a hauntingly sparse acoustic lament ripped straight from the experience of performing over 150 shows in correctional facilities across the United States. Butler has been no less active during the quarantine and recently released a short documentary film titled ‘Mother’s Day Miracle’ in conjunction with The Just One Foundation, a 501c3 non profit he founded in 2018. The film has already reached thousands across social media and a subsequently launched fundraiser
met its goal of $10k in only 4 days.
Butler was also a featured performer for the UnCancelled Music Festival as well as a panel speaker for the 320 Festival, the world’s first virtual mental health summit. His latest single, ‘Justice or Mercy’ is scheduled for a June 19th release.
Mother's Day Miracle short film https://youtu.be/QMUp5RRHqB4
www.mattbutlersongs.com
www.j1foundation.org

”Your Music As a Business” ft. Eli Lev

Continuing our live podcast series, rising singer-songwriter and global citizen Eli Lev joins us to talk about being a musician-entrepreneur and how he has taken his show on the virtual road with all of the systems he already had in place before lockdown! Whether it’s an in-person performance, or during a livestream show, Eli captivates the audience with a storyteller approach to stage banter through tales of his travel, witty asides, and engaging commentary. His infectious musicality, commitment to deep grooves, and playful charisma foster an immersive experience for the audience that moves bodies and opens hearts. “The most meaningful thing for me is being able to express through my music what I’ve always felt about humanity. I want to bring people in, make them feel special, and break down the walls that keep us apart.”
 
https://www.eli-lev.com
https://www.instagram.com/elilevmusic
 
Resources Eli mentions during this episode:
Michael Walker's Modern Musician Program
Cari Cole Celebrity Vocal Coach
Ariel Hyatt's Cyber PR Courses Indepreneur Podcast and Artist Courses
Ari's Take Academy Spotify Course

"Serving My Community under lockdown" ft. Heather Mae

Continuing our live podcast series, Heather Mae will join us to talk about how she’s been serving her community during this crisis. The last time we spoke just before the start of lockdown she said “right now, I’ve got to get to work. My community needs me” and Heather has been rolling up her sleeves and connecting with her fans everywhere, she’ll be telling us all about. And who knows, she may even play a few songs...
Unfazed by what a typical pop artist today is “supposed” to look or sound like, Heather Mae, an award-winning songwriter whose evocative vocals and rhythmic piano style call to mind artists like Stevie Nicks and Sara Bareilles, creates intoxicating music that tackles complex topics surrounding mental health, LGBTQ+ issues, self-love, racial injustice, social inequality, and women’s rights. Inspired by her own personal experiences and identities - a queer, plus size woman living with Bipolar Disorder - Mae is an on-fire musical and emotional experience. In her most sonically adventurous project yet, GLIMMER (Sept 2019) - her second produced record and first full length album - breaks the stigma surrounding mental health, reminding us all that we are not alone.
Join our inner circle on Facebook as a super music fan or singer-songwriter and be part of our community!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/nyacinnercircle
Our podcasts are live on Facebook Wednesday nights at 8PM EST so watch it as it happens and join the conversation!
https://www.facebook.com/Newyorkartistscollective
heathermae.net
@heathermaemusic

Cocktail Hour ft Lake Street Dive's Akie Bermiss

Last week, my friend Akie Bermiss joined me for cocktail hour to regale me with songs and stories and plan our next nerd endeavour together! A good time was had by all!
Akie Bermiss with his affable disposition, glasses, and healthy do of cascading dreads that drape down to his shoulders, is unabashedly a self-professed nerd to the nth degree. Since early childhood Akie has been an obsessed science fiction aficionado. Yet he does have an artist-friendly façade and has managed to cultivate and live a double-life as a thriving music protégé, pianist, singer/songwriter, composer, arranger and emerging solo artist and currently playing keys for the award-winning Lake Street Dive.
Join our inner circle on Facebook as a super music fan or singer-songwriter and be part of our community!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/619728222098700
Our podcasts are live on Facebook Wednesday nights at 8PM EST so watch it as it happens and join the conversation!
https://www.facebook.com/Newyorkartistscollective

"Mental Health: Coping Techniques for a Pandemic" ft. NYC Psychotherapist Eve Blatt

"This Next One's About" Lockdown Edition! In honour of Mental Health Awareness Month, I invited Psychotherapist Eve Blatt to talk about how this crisis has been impacting our mental health and we talked about some things we can do to look after ourselves and others to get through this crisis.
Eve Blatt is a Psychotherapist currently self-employed in private practice in Manhattan. She holds a Masters Degree in Social Work from NYU and has completed post graduate training in Feminist Relational Psychotherapy, Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy and Sensorimotor Psychotherapy. Eve worked for 11 years at an alcohol and drug treatment program providing individual and group psychotherapy. She is especially interested in treating substance use disorders as symptoms of deeply engrained traumas. She assists clients in integrating fragmented parts of their identity through an Anti-Racist and LGBTQ affirmative lens.
 
Some resources discussed during this episode: OMH Emotional Support Helpline: 1-844-863-9314
The Emotional Support Helpline provides free and confidential support, helping callers experiencing increased anxiety due to the coronavirus emergency. The Helpline is staffed by volunteers, including mental health professionals, who have received training in crisis counseling.
Free 10 min Guided Meditations: https://www.headspace.com/covid-19
Center for Mindful Self Compassion-Free Guided Meditation: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0c4aa4af29ab9-free 
Free online classes at Coursera.org https://www.coursera.org/  type in Free in their Search and there are over 1500 free classes.
National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800 273- 8255 (TALK)or text Got5 to 741741

Book Club "The Art of Asking" By Amanda Palmer ft Ben Grace, Erica Swindell & Megan Leigh

"This Next One's About" Lockdown edition, we bring you our very own Book Club!
We were very excited to discuss this book, not a new book by any means, but very topical for the times we're living in.
Amanda Palmer. Rock star, crowdfunding pioneer, and TED speaker Amanda Palmer knows all about asking. Performing as a living statue in a wedding dress, she wordlessly asked thousands of passersby for their dollars. When she became a singer, songwriter, and musician, she was not afraid to ask her audience to support her as she surfed the crowd (and slept on their couches while touring). And when she left her record label to strike out on her own, she asked her fans to support her in making an album, leading to the world's most successful music Kickstarter at $1.2M... Artists Erica Swindell, Ben Grace and Megan Leigh joined me from Brooklyn, D.C., and San Diego to discuss this book, how we feel about asking for money in exchange for our art and how the book has taken on a new meaning during the global pandemic. If you haven't read the book, here are the cliff notes (Amanda's TED talk): https://www.ted.com/talks/amanda_palmer_the_art_of_asking?language=en#t-804823 Join us live on Facebook to watch these lockdown podcasts as they happen, Wednesday nights at 8PM EST on our facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Newyorkartistscollective 

"How to grow your online fanbase" Ft. Michael Walker

"This Next One's About" is going live to Facebook weekly on Wednesday nights at 8PM EST on our Facebook Page!
https://www.facebook.com/Newyorkartistscollective
Last week, Michael Walker from Modern Musician talks to us about how to grow your online fanbase in an increasingly saturated market of FacebookLive shows.
Michael Walker is leading a revolution in today’s music industry. Having personally reached 17 million views on Youtube, working with Grammy Award-winning producers and touring internationally to perform for hundreds of thousands of fans worldwide - Michael is one of those rare mentors who has actually walked the walk of their own methodology.
Starting out with pure grass-roots techniques, he and his band Paradise Fears went from living out of their cars to selling 24,000 albums in 6 months and reaching #2 on the iTunes Alternative Charts.
https://www.modern-musician.com/
Join me April 29th as we have a Book Club (bring your own wine) about Amanda Palmer's book 'The Art of Asking'. I am hosting the book club with special guests, singer-songwriters, Megan Leigh, Erica Swindell and Ben Grace from all across the US as we dig deep into how we as musicians treat our art and how we engage other people to support us.

"Dealing with a tornado and a pandemic in Nashville" ft. Sasha McVeigh

During lockdown we have been taking the podcasts LIVE TO FACEBOOK to talk to artists and people in the industry as we all cope with this pandemic.
Sasha McVeigh joins us live to talk about the effect on the music community of the devastating tornado in Nashville just weeks before the pandemic and nationwide lockdown and she plays us her CMT featured hit "Rock Bottom".
Sasha McVeigh was born to be on the stage. The British singer/songwriter has been singing from the moment she could talk and performing from the moment she could walk. 
She garnered a love of country music from her father who, as she says “used to dance me around the coffee table to CMT” and her true flair for the genre came when she started writing songs at age 12. 
Being from the UK, Sasha spent a lot of time traveling back and forth to Nashville when she finished school in 2012; honing her craft, building a catalogue of original songs and playing back to back shows. 
In 2014, she was asked to perform for The Academy of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas, alongside Hunter Hayes and Cole Swindell. She has performed on the main stage at some of the biggest country music festivals in the US, including Country Stampede, Country Jam and Taste of Country Festival, with the likes of Eric Church, Luke Bryan and Jason Aldean.
JOIN US LIVE ON FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/events/244519020060269/
Sasha's Handles:
Venmo: @BritishRedNeck
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SashaMcVeigh

NYAC LIVE Concert on Stageit - ft Carli Naff, Matt Butler, Jess McAvoy, Erica Swindell

During the COVID Pandemic musicians everywhere have been taking their shows online as their livelihoods have been obliterated by quarantine. Uncancelled Music Festival brought together venues and artists all over the country to bring music to fans and raise money for artists and MusiCares. NYAC was asked to curate an online concert on StageIt for Rockwood Music Hall and we happily obliged and asked four of our favourite NYAC alums to do a show. This episode is a collection of some of the songs they played that evening to raise money for Rockwood Music Hall's staff fund, these artists as well as MusiCares.
Featured artists: Cali Naff played "Mimi" - https://carlinaffmusic.com/ 
Matt Butler "Counting The Days" - https://mattbutlersongs.com/ 
Jess McAvoy "Deadelus" - https://jessmcavoy.com/ 
Erica Swindell "I have met my Love today" - https://instagram.com/ericaswindell 
Join us throughout the month of April where we are taking our podcasts live to Facebook on our page Wednesday nights at 8pm EST, talking about how this pandemic is affecting musicians, venues, arts organizations etc. and how everyone is pivoting to try and survive. https://www.facebook.com/Newyorkartistscollective

"FacebookLive Shows, How I made enough money to pay rent during lockdown" Ft. Justin Trawick

During Lockdown for the month of April we are taking the podcast live to Facebook to bring you hints and tips about how to survive as an artist during this crisis.
We will be hearing from some great artists who are pivoting to reach new fans and try to make a living through music from their homes to yours through the pandemic.
Today we hear from Justin Trawick, a Washington D.C. based singer-songwriter and his girlfriend and musician Lauren LeMunyan as he tells us about his lockdown experience doing 2 live shows a week and how he has gone from 7,000 followers on Facebook to over 10,000 in the space of just a few short weeks. Justin and Lauren give us some tips on how to make the most of your livestream shows, boost your views and how to be engaging - when some of us would rather curl up under the duvet until this is all over! Tip Justin for his info and performance https://venmo.com/justintrawick Join us Wednesday April 8th on StageIt for our virtual show ft 4 incredible musicians, Erica Swindell, Matt Butler, Jess McAvoy and Carli Naff - all of whom have been guests for the show.
Join our Facebook group for some incredible resources for both artists and music super fans as we navigate through this Coronavirus pandemic together! https://www.facebook.com/groups/619728222098700 

"Defying beauty standards in the Music Industry" ft. Heather Mae

Beauty standards in the music industry, being a fat, femme queer, Heather Mae tells us how her openness has garnered her a loyal fanbase and how she is coping with the Coronavirus crisis that is affecting the livelihoods of musicians everywhere... Unfazed by what a typical pop artist today is “supposed” to look like and how the typical pop artist is “supposed” to sound, Heather Mae, an award-winning songwriter whose evocative vocals and rhythmic piano style call to mind artists like Stevie Nicks and Sara Bareilles, creates intoxicating music that tackles complex topics surrounding mental health, LGBTQ+ issues, self-love, racial injustice, social inequality, and women’s rights. Inspired by her own personal experiences and identities - a queer, plus size woman living with Bipolar Disorder - and those of her multifaceted fans with whom she has forged connections throughout her many years of touring across the United States, Mae crafts powerful lyrics and unforgettable music about life’s moments--from the quietly chaotic to the explosive.  In 2016, after an eight-month period of silence to recover from vocal nodules, Mae made a vow: she would dedicate her career to solely write music that made the world a better place. Her independently-released debut EP I AM ENOUGH, which reached #58 on iTunes Pop Album charts, was her announcement to the world. Mae, who was dubbed “the new queer Adele” by L-Mag,  envelopes her audience with a message of hope.  Her newest project, GLIMMER, is a collection of nine songs supporting one central theme: "Feel To Heal.” Within the grooves of the new album, Mae wrestles with the complexities of existing as a human with mental illness. From her #MeToo-inspired feminist anthem “Warrior,” featuring a choir of 100+ female vocalists, to “You Are My Favorite”, a love song written for her wife inspired by her own wedding vows which will surely be the 2019 wedding soundtrack for LGBTQ+ couples, Mae shows she’s nothing less than a powerhouse. She has examined her struggle with Bipolar Disorder from every angle in order to create her most sonically adventurous set of recordings yet--and to remind us that we aren’t alone. Join us on Facebook as we take the podcast LIVE ! During this coronavirus crisis we'll be talking to artists who are mobilising and taking their gigs online, industry experts to see how they're helping musicians during this period.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/619728222098700 
https://heathermae.net/