Secret Famous

Percussionist educator podcaster Damon Grant is a musicial monster evolving and changing with the growing demands of the modern music industry. We get the hot takes on Spotify wrapped, sobriety, marketing, percussion, drum core, BBQ and the differences between 'Cajon' and 'Cojon'  www.damonmgrant.com for more about the king and peep his pod: Discussions in Percussion! DIG. 

For my fortieth birthday, I dropped a five song EP entitled Hipster Looks At Forty, featuring Patrick Firth, Kenny Shaw and Jon Jetter. In this episode are the stories behind each song, with the audio of the song. Enjoy! 

All-world-musical talent coupled with a temperament that's sweeter than a cream puff covered in guava jelly, Alika Lyman was predestined to become a successful modern musician. Equally comfortable on guitar and bass, the composer was born and raised in Hawaii and worked in Seattle and NYC. Returning to Oahu in 2020, he found the time to get back in the garage and record thirty new tunes! Please enjoy this update with the god, as we patiently await the release of the all new 'Alika Lyman: Good News!' Hear two hot, hot new tracks here! OH MY GOD YES.     

The laid-back grooves, thoughtful lyrics and tasty guitar hooks of Casual Male is the best music for driving to the beach. Knowing this from personal experience, I became obsessed with creating the perfect podcast of a musician I am a HUGE FAN and GOOD FRIEND of: Casual Male, led by THE Tim Lappin, a sweet, funny, self deprecating super talent. I dreamed of this podcast 4 years ago, and dreams do come true: we surfed, got bagels and coffee and hung out on a Rockaway beach balcony and talked about Tim’s journey as an in-demand touring bassist, developing as a songwriter and guitarist, and what it’s like to shred. 

Southern raised, NYC Singer + Songwriter Kasey Williams is heartfelt and sensitive while being hilariously unique. She's trusted her instinct on life choices leading to songwriting, performing and tacos. We hang on a sunny balcony in Rockaway Beach as she ponders her next big move(s): another euro tour, more recording and maybe some work with celery juice...one thing is certain, whatever she chooses next, she'll make it  her own and we'll all be inspired. https://www.kaseywilliams.com

Singer/Songwriter/Multi-instrumentalist Cameron Mitchell is NOT just another musician in New York City; he balances being an in-demand side man with co-fronting America's party band "The Barnstorm," while finding time to write, record and release his own beautiful record Masquerades and Grand Parades. We hang in his new (living, breathing) Maplewood New Jersey home to discuss the record, his songwriting process, beefs with Jake Owen, playing the Super Bowl and the Masters, playing celebrity weddings, and what it's like to be really proficient at baseball and not go pro. Cameron is super good at everything he does. The dude is an ace human: sweet, honest and as cool as it gets. 

Andi Rae Healy and the Back River Bullies have a new record called “Last time I checked this was a free world and I wasn’t anybody’s girl,” produced by Jeff Littman. They live together, they create together, they push each other to new heights and they do it all in one of the most loving, accepting, sweet ways I’ve ever encountered. Highly skilled musicians and storytellers, Andi and Jeff tell us about clown school, the open pause policy and the origin of songs on this new record.

When the higher power envisioned the best version of humanity, they had Abby and Kenny in mind. Top tier talents in their respective artistic roles: Abby as a singer/songwriter/keys player and Kenny as a drummer/vibe master. You will not meet more modest, down to earth, sweet, chill people: their self-awareness has a self-awareness of it’s own self-awareness. Whether the duo is backing up bands at Madison Square Garden or committing themselves to Herculean efforts to birth Abby’s musical, The Gunfighter Meets his Match, they have an ease, classiness and sense of humor that confounds the normal self-aggrandizing egotism of the modern entertainment professional. A pandemic check in, I try to crack their code, alas——they win this time and every time. We talk about how they balance demanding schedules with their relationship, how they are handling quarantine, who loves tennis more that Kenny Shaw aka K Lion aka Kennis and the exciting releases of new music they have planned. 

This Ohio-bred, official Brooklynite-living, piano-wielding, golden voice of the gods singer songwriter is a special human. His songs may make you dance and cry simultaneously. His social media presence makes me laugh out loud multiple times a day and in my group of friends: it’s common to say: didja see what Luke posted today. We hang in our own quarantines and share some beers. Diiiiiig.

Singer, Songwriter, Producer Stolar has co-written hits with Hall and Oates, Train, and Aloe Blacc. The LA based creative entrepreneur speaks of his daily creative practice, how he overcame his struggles with mental illness, his numerous other creative outlets, and how he’s holding up during quarantine. Jay is a a dear friend whom I consider a visionary. 

Emily Danger is an otherworldly singer: the kind that doesn’t even have to warm up, she can ‘go HAM at any hour.’ In addition to being a monster singer, she’s cool, smart, funny, talented (at all parts of music/art) and a super sweet, modest soul.  Usually people with a prodigious amount of talent have a questionable aesthetic; with Emily, that is not the case. She trained as an opera singer before turning to the world of singer/songer/beatmaker. She for real plays keys.  Emily is a work whipper, who loves the hustle and grind of being a working musician. We share some tequila with Topo Chico and lots of lime and find out about Emily growing up in Bakersfield, CA, studying music therapy, and her forthcoming new tunes: http://www.emilydangermusic.com

Jonathan Jetter is the ultimate audio professional. Comfortable shredding Mixing, Mastering, Engineering, Arranging, Composing, Guitar, Keys, Drums, Soundscapes IN ALL STYLES: hip hop, metal, classical, noise, pop, EDM, world. Jon is a close friend and one of my most important musical co-conspirators, who has worked on virtually every single thing I’ve ever released.  Jon—a beautifully clear thinker and lover of fine wine—and I hang and we get his take on what’s hip and happening in modern music, and how he got to be the complete audio shredder he is. https://www.jonathanjetter.com

Multi-talented, multi-media based artist Andy RINN Martinek released an album of soundscape sonics + visual art under the name RINN, called ‘Formed Trauma.’ Andy is modest and thought-provoking--we hang and talk of his creative process, inspirations in the Canadian Rockies in the middle of winter and the ‘work life vs artist life’ balance that challenges all NYC residents. He’s really good at making magic, so please enjoy this special soul open up. Don’t get scared at this music: he’s as sweet as jelly beans covered in sugar. Visit: www.rinn-noise.com

Coach Chris hosts a podcast called ‘The KookCast’—-I listen to it religiously: funny, informative, quick hits of stoke. In conjunction, he owns/runs/operates ‘The Surf Continuum,’ an online and in-person surf educational resource, primarily based out of Montauk, NY. I was fortunate enough to hang with the lord of shred on a sunny September day at Ditch and get the drop on what it’s like to really live a surfing life. 

Shredding instrumental guitarist + singer/songer David O’Neal has two albums out now and a new one forthcoming. His music has been featured on HBO’s ‘The Night Of’ and Amazon’s “Crisis in Six Scenes.”  He’s cool. He’s chill. He's very smart--he hipped me to ‘The Aquatic Ape’ theory and we didn’t even talk about it, but we talk about other cool stuff like guitars, his music and European dog behavior.

Benjamin Wagner is a superb songwriter, an art monster, thought provoking story teller and a hell of a hang. Here he talks about his latest record 'what's left behind'---available everywhere. 

Ryan Vaughn—drummer and percussionist slash music biz wizard—shares stories of how he originally wanted to start in LA, but the winds of fate brought him to NYC.  There, he discovered his voice as a sideman working the grind, literally never sleeping—that work ethic has carried over into his full time gig now as a music manger for Killphonic. Ryan shares so much music business insight that I myself am going to listen to this again and take notes. It's refreshing to hear a guy who has switched to the business side be such an ardent defender of the independent voice. If you have an interest in releasing your own music more effectively, this is for you.

Patrick Firth is such a talent his last name is an adjective describing a perfectly played solo in my group of friends. i.e. 'you FIRTHED that!' Legend of piano + keyboards, an accomplished singer and songwriter in his own right. We hang at his beach front abode as he talks about all his new projects, and remembers all the artists he's toured and recorded with. 

Singer, Songwriter and Pianist, Steve Waitt is actually famous in Germany. His new record ‘Another Day Blown Bright’—is a look back as his Southwestern roots. He shares tales of traveling the country in a Van before it was a hash tag, living in New Orleans and why NYC keeps sucking him back into the fold. “NYC is a nice city to live out of.’ Enjoy! His music is beautiful.

As promised: K-Ro part 2. Return from circumnavigating earth. Travel tips and the funniest stories you will ever hear. 

Stephen Babcock is cool ass dude. He writes great tunes. We hung and chatted about his new jam: Fight I Need. DIG IT.

FEYER has an original voice as a writer, producer, singer. He's young, hungry, talented, cool af and a pure pleasure to listen to! CHECK IT AND HIM!

In a day and age when everyone is a photographer, Manish Gosalia is a real photographer: a true lover of the still image. His personal style captures the beauty and mayhem of live music and professional football with equal grace. I've had the privilege of even being his assistant on shoots--watching the hunt, the stillness, composure and experience it takes to know the exact moment when the smile, hit or lead singer's hair is going to look fucking radical. Life in the freelance gig economy never ends: you are defined by the last thing you produced, and his energy is tireless, taking more pictures, seeing more shows, than everyone (e.g. every Pearl Jam show. ever).  Listen in. I prolly have too many beers towards the end because I was feeling so open. Everyone feels open around Manish, because that's what a good photographer does. nahwhatimean.

Delightedly, there is no one more down to earth than Australian DIVA Kelly Wolfgramm. She's hilarious, universally loved by all and will show up to your Halloween party as Wayne Campbell and dance and sing like Michael Jackson.  She's sang/played with: Jon Batiste, The Weeknd, INXS, Rob Thomas, Jermaine Jackson, Sharon Jones, Rick Springfield, Men At Work, Katrina and the Waves, Irene Cara...etc., etc. She is humble to a fault: after I asked her a bunch of questions about some of these gigs, she responded thusly: "I'm not trying to sound like a wanker, it's just a bunch of shit I've actually done." Bless Kelly Wolfgramm, for we are the luckier to know her special spirit.

Kyle Duke of Kyle Duke and the Brown Bag Boys, does everything a rock star needs to do: shreds songs, guitars, vocals, production and business. Look out for him and check out the new single: "Sheena Doesn't Mind"

Guitarist/old soul Nicky Barbato is releasing his first full length album, Every Day is a Bad Hair Day, produced by saxlord Jon Irabagon. Nicky is a monster musician, the sweetest possible hang and a dear friend...he shares some stories behind the new record, what it's like to shred the Telecaster at an unsane level and why he goes to the library for Kurt Vonnegut books. His new record is hotter than ghost pepper juice dripped in your eye.

Adam Gould--though he wore a cabbie hat during this podcast, hiding his beautiful lion's mane--figuratively wears many hats: from beer drinkin'/meat smashin'/hard chargin' rock guitarist who will rip yer head off with a smile on stage to a delicate soul who thinks and feels deeply, wears his heart on his sleeve, and writes solo acoustic ballads that showcase his Buckley-esque voice. Seven years ago, he left the hustle and bruising bustle of NYC to create sounds in the sweet Southern garden of Charleston, SC. He plays all the string instruments with a large number of bands/artists/projects while simultaneously working on his own music and artistic persona and teaching others on all those string instruments (including piano!).  Ultimately, he disproves the notion that to be a professional, working, street musician you must live in one of the biggest cities. A master musician who is constantly honing his craft, working on his writing, production, jazz chops, harmony singing, learning new instruments.  (He is always in the shed--I know, I lived with him and listened to him transcribe entire old records, while writing whole new records.) Modest to a fault. Always fun and ALWAYS unnecessarily self deprecating. He is intentionally and unintentionally hilarious. I'm madly in love with this dude. We are joined by Southern wordsmith and voice of reason, Shandon Lesesne. 

Teddy Kumpel is a guitar god and his list of credits would make any seasoned pro blush (NIN, Rickie Lee Jones, Feist, the films Anchorman and Talladega Nights (!)), but that's all small potatoes compared to his amazing original songs: 'I'd grow a mustache for you' is always on loop in my head. He's currently preparing to go out on the road with THE Joe Jackson.  We sit down and get the T.KUMPS scoop, while he sets me up for jokes from about ten minutes away. DIG.

Joelle Lurie makes a claim that she is one of many in the NYC/International scene but after a few moments with this sassy ginger with the voice the size of a house and a personality like some palatial compound in the comforts of the tropicals (easy to hang with), you see how special she is. I promised to get her tea--she showed up with coffees, champagne and all the components for a mimosa.  Joelle has been responsible many times for making the hair on the back of my neck stand on its end, VIA RECORDING...it's no joke. Emotive qualities in a singer/personality vary, but when you hear one in a million, you know. A gem. Rare depth.  A giver of lady boners. A joy. DIG IN.

Singer, Songwriter, Pianist Nicholas Wells is a Renaissance man: what began as a desire to write and sing songs, has evolved into a full sonic and visual in-production house, where Nicholas performs every skill for every role at every position. He cooks up ambitious ideas and then does all the work needed to make them happen. He’s invested in making himself the modern artist on the web by developing his covers game and live streaming content, all while being an insanely high level singer/songwriter and piano player. He does all of this for his own art while being the music director of Joe Scarborough’s band, backing up Adele and Five for Fighting, and doing voice-over work for Catherine Zeta Jones, Michael Douglas, Glenn Close, Ryan Reynolds, Stanley Tucci, The Hunger Games, The Simpsons...YUP…names were dropped. That's Nicholas Wells...super talented, super hard worker, cool as hell and funny AF! Listen IN!  

B'ski aka Brain Collazo defines the word SMOOTH, in every way my mind knows how to break that concept down: being sonically, aesthetically, verbally, spiritually and social-situationally hip. ..while doing little to no work to appear this bad ass. You can be smooth like a duck, doing all the paddling underneath the water, but a real smooth cat is a swan: effortless chilling.  Damn it, you know smooth when you see it (especially because I'm the opposite: a loud and awkward mess). That is Brain Collazo beyond mortal comprehension: THE SMOOTH SWAN.  We tracked this podcast at 8am, which would unsettle a normal human, but he still crushes me in smoothness, smarts, and wits the whole goddamned time.

WORLD PREMIERE OF THE NEW CALEB HAWLEY JOINT "JUST WANT TO BE LOVED." TUNE IN JUST TO BUMP THIS JAM. AGAIN AND AGAIN. A first in the tiny history of Secret Famous, we get a one day advance on this banger! Caleb Hawley is a Pop Star. He writes, sings, produces, dances, looks cooler than a Euro soccer star AND can straight cold shred guitars AND keys. On top of his historic skills in music, he is an absolute gem of a human being: sweet, smart, funny, cool, humble, vulnerable and an engaging storyteller. He tells stories of writing tunes in Mexico, his mission control station in Harlem, the difficulties of being an indie pop star and what his life in retirement might look like. This is a leveled up Secret Famous. 

Trained dancer, singer and actor (see: triple threat aka monster talent) Anthony Palencsar graced the international stages for years before transferring his skills of improvisation and charisma into becoming one of NYC's premier concierges. His charm, wit and ability to entertain are all on full display as we get some NYC hot tips and what it feels like to be big in Japan, while hanging out at Sharadise.   

In a world that smashes people's dreams, it's refreshing to hear some stories from a human who's had their dreams come to fruition. Seth Ondracek lives the dream (by working his ass off), having arrived in New York six years ago from Omaha, Nebraska with nothing but a P Bass and the desire to make his living.  His stories of personal transformation are that of legend and all in the commitment of serving the music. He is now the bassist for some of the coolest bands in NYC: Motherfeather, Hollis Brown and America's Party Band, The Barnstorm (!).  We sit down with a Pamplemousse La Croix* (natch) and get the scoop on why he only has black basses and animals, why he made major lifestyle changes to improve on his music, and how he became the king of Omaha at age 21.   *I appresh the article about how they are getting sued and how it's toxic. Thank you for sending my way, loves. I'm WAY TOO FAR GONE. If La Croix is what does me in, just let me enjoy my remaining days with a few of them. Save yourself. 

Road Dog: someone who loves every part of the more extreme, touring RockNRoll lifestyle e.g., fixing the van, slinging merchandise after the show, eating Cracker Barrel more than once in a year and sleeping on floors while all your belongings stay in your shoes as you rest so you don't lose anything (tip for beginners): this is Matt Krahula, staple of the NYC songwriting/performing/crushing scene. Sad for us, happy for him: He is moving to Hawaii (!) after just releasing the third Nightmare River Band album, Stormville. Matt has toured the nation playing his own music relentlessly doing all the stuff that road dogs do: making friends in new cities, crushing house shows, drinking gas station coffee--Matt's love of the RockNRoll life is real and infectious. He's a heartfelt, compassionate, aware human who can also be a level 10 rager/life of the party/creator of the party...a dichotomy of personalities. I snagged this RIGHT BEFORE he left and everyone was like 'no going away party' nah baby, you gotta tune into secret famous to get the final hang with the Road Dog HOOGA. love this guy. he's got stories for dayzzzzz...

Kaitlyn Rosati is a full time entertainment machine that goes to eleven: a party of ONE, world traveler, born story teller, feminist icon, force of fashion, talented musician, a hard-ass willing to cut you with a knife while simultaneously being sweet AF and willing to move mountains to help the people she loves out. She is a singular being of awesomeness. If I had to choose one human to blast into space for aliens to get the gist of what humanity is, I'd select Rosati because she is living life deeper, faster and hungrier than anyone I know. All those inspirational memes people blast all over the place? Yeah, they are written about Kaitlyn Rosati. When you are hanging with Kaitlyn, it feels like you're on the back seat of a supersport mortocycle going 190mph down 6th avenue: she's pouring drinks, writing ten songs, dealing with businesses and dancing/laughing/crying/screaming the whole time. The fearless traveler has been to 27 countries, most of them ALONE. Read her blog (http://nomannomad.net)  A dear friend and artist worthy of your time, she's preparing to leave NYC to become a full time Nomad. Listen in--she will make you smile and re-think all your upcoming travel plans. real talk. STFBD!  

Paul Loren is a life expert: not only a timeless talent for his fronting, singing, songwriting, producing and entertaining, but also a well-read, interested, and interesting multi-dimensional human with great depth of character who knows what he loves. The legend of his talents are all true. You’ve seen him on Instagram listening to classic records and pouring espressos: this is also who he is IRL. Paul embodies the spirit of the late 50s and early 60s in a genuine way. Ever the host, we hung on the 21st floor balcony with a Queens view of all of metropolitan New York over espresso and biscotti, which then turned into a Negroni (natch) and an antipasti plate. I'm confident that this is a real Secret Famous podcast, as Paul will become an Oprah or Jimmy Buffet-level brand. Hell, I spent an hour with him, left, and immediately went to get some Campari, sweet Vermouth, and local gin so I could continue the party...

Jeff Tuohy is a dynamo of live entertainment: what most mortals can muster in a weekend, he does in a day. His songwriting fuses rock, pop, country, poetry and Bourbon Street with the voice and training of a Broadway superstar and the perception of a therapist. He is a rare breed who can be the classic front man, the singer-songwriter with a guitar, or take center stage and become Archibald Craven of the musical Secret Garden. I recently sat down with Jeff at the Woodbury Brewing Company over Lord Hobo's Glorious Ale (not a made-up name) and got the 2E real talk. His zest for life and people and experiences is palpable. Not to mention, he has the little mentioned music skill of having a serious sense of basic business acumen.  He also makes me laugh like I am in 6th grade hearing a 10th grader talk again (lil'superfan, I am) ---so Jeff + beer = me laughing a lot. Please enjoy with a side of lil'rich BOYS.

I met New Zealand native Sam Blakelock back in the pit of an off Broadway show, where he was warming up on bass, playing Charlie Parker heads at break neck speed. After some light conversation, he mentioned that he is actually a guitar player and has 800 Instagram followers. In the years since, he has built an online empire: his business page Pickup has 400k followers, PickupJazz has 100k and his personal page has 80k. He is THE guitar tastemaker on the Internet. After hanging with Sam for 5 minutes, you're not surprised that he has accomplished such a feat: talented, smart, hardworking, cool, funny, incredibly disciplined and modest to a fault. He's been able to turn his social media savvy into a burgeoning business by helping mega artists develop and curate online communities, and he can help you and everyone else too--there is much to learn from Pickup's Sam Blakelock. Cold shower anyone?

In this super special episode I hang out with...myself, trying to make YOU laugh talking about the funny parts of marriage, a failed system of paying bills and my list of 13 things europeans do better/cooler/smarter/sexier than those of us in the new world...then release a new song coming out this Thursday April 19, 2018 called: Weed and Rosé. Go towards energy and vibrate with me. 

Charlie Lagond has touched the lives of innumerable people by creating a gold standard of music education--and a music community--with his creation of the Lagond Music School, the place to hang, shed, vogue and generally improve yourself as a person in Westchester, NY. The tragedy of all this wonderful stuff is I have to explain to all the students that, even if they start working hard right now, there’s a 98% chance they’ll never be as cool as Charlie Lagond. It’s a fact of life. We are not all created equal. But it’s a tough job and someone has to do it. Charlie’s got stories for days. I could stand to make this a 100 part series.  In this hang, I get a little obsessed with the working musicians scene in the 70s, which was blowing my mind. He's played with and knows...everyone. Dig!

When you are hanging out with David Heilman, it often feels like you are a co-star in a movie that would be entitled How to Be Cool. Though I realize my prose is generally humor-filled, I wrote this in the most serious tone: Dave is the epitome of cool, defining the word in his every move, action, thought and groove that he lays down. Spending half his year in Norway, where the native people gave him a nickname, Herremannen, that translates to ‘the gentleman’ (in a country filled with gentlemen) speaks for itself. Here, he tells his inspiring journey from being a road dog with Jupiter One to suddenly becoming Regina Spektor’s drummer, which led to his long and fortuitous relationship with Sondre Lerche and other wonderful Norwegian musicians. He is a natural storyteller, and ends with some life improvement tips.

When the individually excellent musicians Rebecca Haviland and Chris Anderson come together, they morph into one and smash everybody: thankfully they’re married.  In fact, the month they got married, they boarded a pop rocket as the backing band for a rising star.  Here, they discuss how they use a timer to achieve “the division of business time and pleasure time” in their relationship, why they never have to rehearse, and how Rebecca losing her voice was a blessing in disguise for their songwriting. The real highlight is the playful interactions between the two of them--they share a lot of love, and jokes.  They are currently opening for iconic folk titan Martin Sexton and releasing a new album this spring.

One of the secret passwords among professional guitarists in NYC is Ric Molina. After invoking his name, a mandatory 20 minute geek out/worship session is required. Ric is a master musician, storyteller, and motivator who also teaches ‘for fun.’ He has had an incredible career in NYC: book one guitarist in the broadway juggernaut Wicked, writing music for The Electric Company, and backing up artists like Andrea Boccelli, Mariah Carey, Marc Anthony, to name a few. Here, he tells some stories of funny interactions with idols like Santana and Joe Pass, road stories of when he MD’ed 98 degrees in the heyday of the boy band era and the definition of ‘show chops.’

Greg Mayo is rock'n'roll royalty--from sitting in with Hall and Oates at age 8 on drums at Jones Beach to his current gig of being Bon Jovi's guitarist. Son of the late, great Bob Mayo, he grew up inside of the music. Here he tells stories of explaining to his mom that she was wasting her time getting him piano lessons because he was going to be a baseball player and the struggles of tremendous personal tragedies he's had to work though to become the ultimate "old school meets modern" musician.

Pete Francis can take a 10 mintue guitar solo in front of 30,000 people, then seamlessly sing/write an intimate love and loss ballad AND THEN produce/conceptualize/art direct whole new movements of media consumption. To try and use words to explain his visions seems fruitless, he's on some next level shit. He is also a great human, who is always up for a new adventure OR someone I can call at 12:30am to geek out about the newest record/pedal/book/between two ferns video. We sit down, with acoustic guitars to check in on current projects, songwriting ideas, look back at some early dispatch stories and play a brand new tune 'Electric Heart' and revisit the first song he played for Brad and Chad. 

Paul Maddison sits down with super musician/rad dude Jason Wexler in his home studio in Staten Island, NY and we discuss what made him choose music, how to shred, his cool gigs with Alice Tan Ridley, Kate Merrill, Stolar and his children’s music project, Jason Amazing.