I realize that I'm playing a bit loose with the concept of “year” by putting this blog post up in March.  That said, two episodes of my podcast that I recorded in 2023 just went up last week.  I apologize to those lovely guests - Anthony Church & Valerie Vonn - for taking that long.  After my first year of podcasting, I wrote a blog post reviewing the conversations that took place, and setting out a goal for the following year.  Let's see how I did, shall we?

The last episode I released was number 113.  This means that during what I'll loosely consider as the second year of my podcast, I recorded 39 episodes, since this group started with number 75.  That's down from the 75 that I released in the podcast's first year (it had an “episode ½”). I had a goal that at least 50% of the episodes would include women, since that didn't happen in year one.  How'd I do?

I count 22 episodes that included a woman as a guest.  That's more than 50%, so mission accomplished.  This was a diverse group of women as well, a Latvian, a Ukrainian who lives in France, a Persian of Jewish descent, a young Ohioan of Moroccan descent, an Aussie, and other ethnicities. There were musicians, of course, but also a comedian, a lawyer, a competitive trail runner, and a film producer, among other things.

Here are what I think are the most notable episodes of the last year or so:

The longest episode

This dubious honor goes to Tim Minneci, who was my guest for episode 90. Tim is co-host of the Dig Me Out podcast, which takes a deep dive into 90s music, album by obscure album.  Tim is also an author, having released two novels that I have read so far.

The most popular episode

That would be episode 98. This was a conversation with Kyleen Downes, a professional musician who happens to live in the same city as me. Kyleen is one of my favorite people to go see play and sing songs, and just recently released an excellent new music video for her single, “Left on the Pavement”.

The most important episode

You might know that I spent an awful long time working on I Am Experienced, which I released in June 2023.  That project wouldn't have been nearly as successful artistically without Rizo, who engineered, produced, played a bunch of instruments, and put up with me in a small room for a LONG time. We sat down one day to listen to the final mixes, then had a conversation where we reflected on the work.  That conversation is episode 110. 

I should mention that the project around I Am Experienced is not over. The video portion is underway.  Each of the songs will have a music video, even the two bonus ones that you won't find on any streaming services.  The project also includes essays, photos, demos, studio footage, sheet music, and a mountain of other goodies.  If you'd like to dive in, head right on over to this link.

The episode that isn't in English

I only had one conversation for the podcast in the last year that wasn't in English.  You'll find that it was with Maxime Cholley, number 85.  That conversation is in French. If you don't speak French and would still like to get to know Maxime, you're looking for episode 84.

The episode with a famous author

100 is a nice even number.  I wanted a special guest for that episode, and I got one.  His name is John Scalzi. He's a well-known science fiction author who only lives a couple of counties away from me. This was my first conversation with a bone fide public figure, a famous person. For this conversation, I zagged where others may zig. You see, in addition to being a well-known science fiction author, church owner, creator of abominable burritos, husband, and father, Scalzi is also a musician.  We talked about his music, and I challenge you to find any other conversation he's had in the press where all they talked about was his music.

***

Like I said last year in a post very much like this one, if you've listened to my podcast, thank you for choosing to spend some time with me. I sincerely hope you have enjoyed sitting in on my conversations, and I warmly invite you to keep on listening.  Maybe you could even subscribe to the You Could Be My Aramis podcast on your streaming service of choice?

To the wonderful people who have been guests on my podcast, THANK YOU so very much.  I wouldn't have a podcast without you, I'm not one of those people who can just ramble on about nothing for a half hour.  If you happen to be a musician, or have something you are passionate about, and would like to let the general public listen to us have a chat about it, reach out to me, and we'll get you scheduled.

I met new people in 2023.  I very much wish to introduce all of you to them.  I'll make an effort to get more than 39 episodes finished this year, ok?

Really.  I'm releasing a single tomorrow called “Latent.”  It's Track 1 on my new EP, I Am Experienced.  A lot of work went into this project.  I stepped outside of my comfort zone and worked with a whole host of people that I had never worked with before.  The songs on this EP are super personal and open and vulnerable.  That's scary.  Did I have to be so honest?  We're supposed to be, but honest and authentic art isn't really what moves the proverbial needle these days, so why?

I think that many indie musicians are a little apprehensive when it comes time to release new music.  There's all of the hard work you've done and how much you believe in your art, but there's also the imposter syndrome.  Those voices in your head that say you're not good enough, you will never be good enough, and nobody is going to listen to these songs.

As far as I Am Experienced is concerned, I have additional fears around the thought that some people might actually listen.  What if nobody understands what I'm trying to say?  I've already had professional PR people tell me that they don't know how to market this project, so what if nobody “gets” it?  What if the most horrible lowest common denominator evil kind of people stumble upon this music and there are threats to personal safety for me or my wife?  

So yeah, I'm scared.  However, I said what I said in these songs.  I meant what I said in these songs.  That's going to have to be enough for now.  It'll feel extra real tomorrow.

I think today is a good day to tell you about my in-progress EP.  Let's pretend I'm a journalist and use the 5 W questions, shall we?

Photo by Joshua Chan

WHY?

I wrote a great deal of songs during the pandemic.  Most of these, you'll never hear.  They're not all winners, you know.  As I kept writing, several of the songs ended up being about Black experiences. As they say, write what you know.  Now, I've written about this sort of thing before. After all, writing songs is how I process emotions and try to deal with my anxiety and depression and life in general. Eventually, I had written enough songs that I thought were good enough to not discard. I'd like to share them.  That's what songwriters do, you know, we generally prefer to share what we write. Instead of staggering these songs across multiple releases, I decided to collect them all into one project.

WHO?

The songs on this project are all very much about Black experiences. That being the case, I thought that the best way to approach recording them would be to enlist the assistance of people who would most be able to personally relate to the subject matter.  The artistic aesthetic for this project is that all personnel are Black. This includes musicians, engineer, mixer, mastering engineer, photographer, videographer, and graphic design. If you've read my blog or heard me talk about music, you know that I consider collaboration to be a highly valuable and important part of making art. This is an opportunity for me to work with some very talented people who I've never worked with before. I feel like the enthusiasm they are bringing to this project can only enhance the final product.

WHERE?

I am recoding at The Dreamcatchers Recording Studio in Reynoldsburg, Ohio. Rizo is the gentleman at the controls.

WHAT?

This is going to be an EP.  In addition to the detail about the personnel above, it will be different from my past work in two major ways.

First, every single song on this project is told from my point of view. By saying that, I don't mean that I've never written a song from my own point of view before.  "North of Sixteen", from Echo in the Crevices, is very much a first person story, and it's a very clear narrative. "Goodbye", from Anxious Inventions & Fictions, is another example of me being the voice speaking in the song. This certainly isn't the case all of the time. Songs like "I Am a Number" and "Your Anthem" are observational.  Songs like "Little Light" , "Le Soldat", and "She Speaks in Metaphor" are purely fiction, but plausible. My most recent single, "Wapakoneta", consists of a kernel of true memories buried in a fabricated story. This new project however... this is extremely personal. I am the voice on all of the songs. I am open, I am vulnerable, and I am speaking the truth. Note that you won't find any instances of me pushing for social or political causes or changes on this EP. (If you're looking for my thoughts in those areas, feel free to reach out to me in person.) I am saying things that are true, and then saying how I feel about them. The listener is free to draw their own conclusion. Being this open is scary.

Second, every song on this EP is in a different genre. Usually, piano is my tool of choice for writing songs. Piano provides a blank slate. There are a nearly unlimited amount of choices one can make as far as arrangement and instrumentation when starting with piano. As I arranged the songs, I tried to put together arrangements that would best serve each song. After I got three songs into the project, I noticed that they were all different genres. At that point, I decided to lean into it. Yes, each song is a different genre, but they all sound like me.

There is another detail about this project that I'll keep secret, but it is a secret that I have shared with the lovely people who subscribe to my mailing list. They are the first to know what I am up to, and I share inside information with them that I won't share elsewhere. If you'd like to join them and step into my world, please sign up here.

In a nod to Jimi Hendrix, the name of the EP will be I Am Experienced.

WHEN?

This blog post is going up on Monday January 17th, 2022.  In the United States, that is a federal holiday called Martin Luther King Jr. Day.  Some people in the United States might spend a few minutes on this day thinking about topics such as racism, prejudice, and equality. Some people might spend a few minutes thinking about how to not be partial in one's individual interactions with other humans, or what the world might be like if everyone had an altruistic love for their fellow person. Many people ask themselves when, if ever, anything will improve. Those are all valid thoughts, and I'm not going to address them here. I will say that I have made some art in which I talk about my feelings, I am working hard to get it professionally recorded, and I will share it with you as soon as I possibly can.