…it's the most fun instrument to play with other people…

I still read music blogs, and that's a good thing because that's how I first discovered fellow bass player and songwriter Pictoria Vark, whose given name is Victoria Park.  In early 2023, I discovered that she was going on tour with Maneka (hopefully a future episode), and I couldn't pass up the chance to see two indie artists I was into at the same time.  Their tour was limited to the Northeast United States.  I cashed in some frequent flyer miles…

The perfect first New York experience of looking at a place that doesn't make any sense…

Maxime Cholley is from Savoie, but his travels in music have taken him to Berklee in Boston, to New York, and now he plays all over the world. (In fact, today, as this episode gets released, Maxime is on tour in India.)

You'll learn how Maxime got started playing drums in this conversation, as well as what it's like being a professional musician in New York City. What was it like adjusting to the different pace of life…

any kind of music that has space for improvisation, I would consider to be jazz in a way, and I do love that kind of music a lot

It's nice to have a fellow bass player on today's episode!  Meet Brazilian born and New York based bassist Marcelo Maccagnan.  You'll learn why he chose b ass as an instrument, and what led him to the United States. How do the sounds of Brazil influence his compositions?  What styles of music does Marcelo play?  Who are some current bassists that we should check out?  You'll also…

It fascinates me how people have such different backgrounds, but we still come together... and we make music together as one unit...

Simona Smirnova is from Lithuania, but currently based in New York City.  She's a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, composer, teacher, generally interesting person, and true music professional. She specializes in the kanklés, which is a traditional Lithuanian instrument.  (I'd tell you more here, but I want you to listen to Simona talk about it.)

Simona has just…