Music On Your Own Terms 150 - This Mad Desire - Operators Are Standing By Joining me for this episode is Mackenzie Kristjón, a Hamilton, Ontario based musician that I met through Indie Week earlier this year, and contributed some background vocals to his upcoming album. We chat about This Mad Desire, Mac's musical project, his recording experience …

Music On Your Own Terms 149 - Gemma - Music From The Stars Hailing from the Greek island of Crete, Gemma is an electronic, post-rock, band who mix various genres with Greek lyrics. I chat to Apostolis (percussion and lyrics), and Anastasis (bass) about their sound, songwriting, and what their music is all about. We also discuss how the band got in …

Music On Your Own Terms 148 - Rob Balducci - Transcending A Violet Horizon Rob Balducci is a guitarist I've been listening to since the early 2000s, participating on his website forum, and downloading his lick of the week mp3s when they came out. Rob joins me in this episode to talk about how he began his professional musical journey, working at Re…

Music On Your Own Terms 147 - Ronda Ray - Guitars, Harleys, & Texas Sized Rock N Roll In this episode I chat to Ronda Ray, a Dallas/Fort Worth local artist that recorded her first EP in historic Muscle Shoals, and is gearing up to release her latest album early in 2022. Ronda talks about what she has learned from starting at a local open mic night,…

Music On Your Own Terms 146 - Kate Schutt - A Grief Casserole Kate Schutt exemplifies everything this podcast is about, a professional singer and musician, a guitar player with some sweet gear and awesome chops, a life coach that concentrates on mindset and mental health, all wrapped up with an attitude of continuous improvement and one that adapts…

Music On Your Own Terms 145 - Leon Todd/Ragdoll - Guitars, Gear, & Storytime With Uncle dUg I discovered this week's guest on Youtube whilst searching for videos of one of the amps I own, really appreciating the content he is putting out, as well as our common love for the band Kings X. Leon Todd is a guitar player, Youtuber, and teacher from Perth…

Music On Your Own Terms 144 - Pete Mohr - Blue Grass & Shoe Business Joining me this episode is Toronto based entrepreneur, business coach, and bluegrass musician, Pete Mohr. Pete talks about his early teen experiences with his cousins in the bluegrass scene, and his history as an entrepreneur. We learn how the business experiences Pete has had, in…

Music On Your Own Terms 143 - Matt Gardiner/Ground Level Falcons - Questioning Who I Am Drawing on 60s psychedelia, 90s grunge and grandiose prog concept albums, Canada's Ground Level Falcons are a band whose sound is hard to pinpoint. Vocalist, guitarist, and main songwriter Matt Gardiner, takes us on a journey through the conception, creation, an…

Music On Your Own Terms 142 - Elementals, Intercontinentals, & Thunderpetz Hailing from Italy and Turkey, attending Berklee and the Musicians Institute, and now based in Los Angeles, Thunderpetz are truly a fusion of many styles and cultures, both musically and otherwise. In this inspiring conversation, I chat to brothers Dandy on guitar and Lorenz…

Music On Your Own Terms 141 - Steph Belcher - Take The Money And Run In this episode I talk to Steph Belcher, owner of When Songs Mean Business, that teaches independent musicians how to manage their finances and formulate a plan for their business. Steph talks about a few different tax filing statuses that artists might have to think about when cl…

Music On Your Own Terms 140 - Andrew Rooney - Drum Teacher Reacts To Podcast Host We travel in time once again to Auckland, New Zealand, to converse with session drummer, teacher, and Youtuber, Andrew Rooney. Andrew shares how he got his start in music, and what led him to go to university and get a jazz degree. We talk about his podcast, why and h…

Music On Your Own Terms 139 - Jo Sarah/UMA Boss - Citizen Of The World Joining me this time out is Amsterdam based singer and social media coach, Jo Sarah. We chat about her musical history, and culturally rich upbringing, traveling the world with her parents who are diplomats. Jo Sarah also talks about the overarching message of her music, the imp…

Music On Your Own Terms 138 - Alex Krug Combo - Asheville Rebel Chatting with me this time out is Alex Krug from the Alex Krug Combo, all the way from Ashville, NC. We hear about how early memories of her grandmother playing piano with Alex, shaped her love of music, how she grew up learning guitar and drums, started writing her own music, and play…

Music On Your Own Terms 137 - Rascal Whack - A Place For Musical Meditation In this episode I talk to Stathis Skaloubakas of the Greek band, Rascal Whack, who released their new album Maliveni earlier this year. Stathis talks about what the title means, how the concept threads through the songs on the album, and the specific way the band writes mus…

Music On Your Own Terms 136 - Fotis Delinikolas - The Djstinguished Djentleman We head back to Greece this episode for a chat with and incredible session guitarist, Fotis Delinikolas, who, after being ridiculously busy touring with various bands and pop singers, has finally had the time during Covid, to record a solo instrumental album, which by th…

Music On Your Own Terms 135 - Chris Cavera - A Pre-Emptive Strike Of The Killbot Joining me in this long overdue interview, is the master shredder of Killbot Zero himself, Mr. Chris Cavera. Regular listeners will have heard his guitar playing on pretty much every episode's intro music, as well as a few Killbot tunes, and possibly even a Brucifer tr…

Music On Your Own Terms 134 - ScreenAge - In Case Of Sunburn, Do Not Resuscitate Joining me for this episode is New Jersey based band ScreenAge who have recently released their second album "DNR", a concept album about the seven stages of life. Emily and Sam, talk us through how they got into music and their respective instruments, and how the band…

Music On Your Own Terms 133 - Cas Weinbren - The Architecture Of A Career In Music In this episode I chat to New York based keyboard player and producer Cas Weinbren of See See Beats. Cas talks about his musical upbringing, becoming trained in classical and jazz on the piano, and then diving head first into the music industry to take any opportunit…

Music On Your Own Terms 132 - Charlie PS - Ghosts, Tattoos, & Alt Rock This episode I talk to alt-rock singer-songwriter Charlie PS, from Vancouver, Canada. She talks about how her dad encouraged her love of music from a young age, coincidentally when they lived in the UK, the move to Canada, graduating music college, as well as the influences that…

Music On Your Own Terms 131 - Johanna Patrice Hagarty - The Ultimate Silver Bullet To Success My resident marketing expert Johanna Hagarty returns 100 episodes after her first appearance, to catch us up with what she's been doing lately, and talks about her new upcoming course, Art Hero, that will coach creatives in how to run their business. We al…

Music On Your Own Terms 130 - Sumo Cyco - Head Wounds & Hijinks! Joining me for episode 130 is Sumo Cyco, who we first heard about in episode 113 with Darryl Hurs! Matt and Skye graciously take time out of their vacation to talk about the history of the band, how they met each other when Skye was a pop singer signed with Capitol records, and hired …

Music On Your Own Terms 129 - Mik & Maxi - Guitars, Drums, & Sit-down Comedy Mik & Maxi, are a power-pop duo from LA, featuring Mik on guitar and vocals, and Maxi on drums and vocals, taking on various topics related to mental health, combating negative social stigmas, and creating a positive mindset to achieve your goals. We talk about the history…

Music On Your Own Terms 128 - Ken Tizzard - All Together On A Whisky Wednesday Chatting with me this episode is singer/songwriter Ken Tizzard, who has had an extremely varied career playing in the Canadian punk scene, playing with The Watchmen, touring with his brother in law Ian Thornley and opening for Nickelback in stadiums, traveling with Ron H…

Music On Your Own Terms 127 - Brianna Ruelas - The Reality Of TV Talent Shows This time out I talk to realty show singing coach, Brianna Ruelas! We discover how Brianna started singing at young age, went to college for music, and got through to the top 100 on season 4 of American Idol. She gives us some tips on using TV talent shows as a tool to ge…

Music On Your Own Terms 126 - Ivan Bodley - Am I Famous Yet? Joining me this episode, with a resume as long as your arm, is pro bass player, Ivan "Funkboy" Bodley, who has just released his memoir "Am I Famous Yet?". Ivan shares his music business history starting with college radio, and then working for Epic records, promoting bands like Living Co…

Music On Your Own Terms 125 - Martin Atkins - The Secret To Success Is Unneutered Zombie Kittens It is with great pleasure that I present my interview with the one and only Martin Atkins, drummer for Public Image Limited, Killing Joke, Ministry, his own band Pigface, entrepreneur, college lecturer, author, and international speaker. Martin talks ab…

Music On Your Own Terms 124 - Evgen Tsibulin/Pleximents - Escaping The Maze Joining me this episode, from Siberia, is Pleximents mastermind, Evgen Tsibulin, a multi-instrumentalist, who used to tour in a death metal band, and whose current day job is as a guitar player for an orchestra. We discover what prompted Evgen to create the Pleximent's albu…

Music On Your Own Terms 123 - Carolyn Shulman - Astro-Physicist Approved Love Songs Joining me from Denver, Colorado, is singer-songwriter Carolyn Shulman. We discover how her dad influenced her love of music, how she won a songwriting competition in college, but ended up becoming a social security lawyer in Houston, Texas, until she and her family…

Music On Your Own Terms 122 - Erik Cabral - Drumming Up A Podcasting Empire Erik is a serial entrepreneur that has created PodMax, On Air Brands, and the Mindado Investment Group, after a successful yet unfulfilling period working in corporate America. Erik shares the journey he took to reprogram his industrial mind into that of an entrepreneur, th…

Music On Your Own Terms 121 - Dylan Blackman/Music Minds Collective - Live Long And Promote! Joining me for a chat this time around, is Dylan Blackman, who runs Music Minds Collective, a digital marketing agency that helps indie musicians run better campaigns to find new fans, and be more effective with existing followers. We talk about Dylan's bac…

Music On Your Own Terms 120 - Kostas Sampanis - Atumune In The Mountains This episode I am joined by Greek guitarist, Kostas Sampanis, to talk about his newly released EP, Autumne. We discuss the conception of the album, which Kostas reveals is dedicated to his late grandmother, something that I really connect to on a deep emotional level, as my gr…

Music On Your Own Terms 119 - Austin Zhang - Bravely Discovering The Sounds Of NYC In this episode I talk to Austin Zhang, a Texas native that moved to NYC to go to college, and immerse himself in the Jazz scene. We hear about Austin's history in music with guitar, then switching to saxophone and being named number one at the Texas All State Jazz c…

Music On Your Own Terms 118 - X. Ari - Transforming Pain Into Power This episode I talk with LA based/Toronto born artist X. Ari, in the run up to her month long mental health festival, Mental Health With X. Ari. We talk about Ari's history in performance, touring in girl bands in her teens, moving to LA and making music a career as well as some gr…

Music On Your Own Terms 117 - John Otway - Rock And Roll's Greatest Failure (A Pioneer Of Crowdfunding) Joining me this episode is the absolute legend John Otway! John has had a career in music spanning 50 years, playing to 20,000 people in his home town of Aylesbury, and appearing on The Old Grey Whistle Test with Bob Harris, Top Of The Pops and o…

Music On Your Own Terms 116 - Culture Of Digital Elegance - Yiannis And Vicky's Orb Of Mystery This episode I talk to Yiannis and Vicky from the prog/experimental band Culture Of Digital Elegance, who are a Greek band working with Ria Kalampali of One Woman Company. We find out about the band's writing process, and how they record, their work as pr…

Music On Your Own Terms 115 - Juha Ruokangas/Ruokangas Guitars - What If? It is with great pleasure and gratitude that I present my conversation with Mr. Juha Ruokangas, of Ruokangas Guitars, Finnish luthier, innovator and life coach! Regular listeners will remember my episode with Mika Tyyskä (Mr Fastfinger) all the way back in episode 9, who not …

Music On Your Own Terms 114 - Steven Schwartz/The Crooked Vines - May The Gumbo Be With You This time out, I chat with Steven Schwartz, keyboardist, saxophonist, and manager of the New Orleans based band, The Crooked Vines. Steven talks about his start in music, going to Loyola University and remaining in NOLA after graduation, to play in various b…

Music On Your Own Terms 113 - Darryl Hurs - Indie 101 This episode I'm joined by Indie Week Founder and Director of Market Development Canada for CD Baby, Darryl Hurs! Darryl talks about the upcoming Indie 101 conference that will be happening April 20th-24th, about Indie Week and Screen X Screen, as well as his experience working for CD Baby on th…

Music On Your Own Terms 112 - Ben VanBuskirk/Blackout Orchestra - Blue Skies & Toronto Ghosts Joining me for a chat in this episode is Toronto based artist Ben VanBuskirk, who has just released his new album under the moniker Blackout Orchestra. We talk about Ben's influences and history in various bands, as well as the breakup that caused him to h…

Music On Your Own Terms 111 - Lisa Brigantino - Rock N' Roll Ducks From Minnesota Joining me for this episode is an original member of Lez Zeppelin, solo artist, owner of Hidden Pond Productions and one half of the musical comedy duo Vickie And Nickie, Lisa Brigantino. Lisa talks about her upbringing in a musical family, where a life outside of mus…

Music On Your Own Terms 110 - Angel Vivaldi - Gina & The Train Of Angels This episode it's my privilege to be talking with Mr. Angel Vivaldi, virtuoso instrumental guitarist, philanthropist, and one damn funny dude! Angel shares his journey from being inspired by Kurt Cobain to pick up the guitar, to becoming an accidental guitar hero, tour stories…

Music On Your Own Terms 109 - Tom Donohue - No Sleep 'Til Blockchain In this episode I talk to producer, entrepreneur and digital marketer Tom Donohue. Tom shares his experience with marketing, blockchain and crypto currency, as well as his mindset on learning various skill sets by actively doing the task you want to achieve. He also talks about th…

Music On Your Own Terms 108 - Something Called Eden James Joining me in this interview is Australian-born, NYC-based singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur, Eden James. We hear about his first foray into music, learning drum rudiments in the school marching band, then picking up a guitar and starting to write songs as a young teen. We hear about Eden…

Music On Your Own Terms 107 - Steven Volpp and Dweezil Zappa - A Rewarding Conversation Joining me this episode is Acme Marketing CEO, Steven Volpp, and the legendary Dweezil Zappa, to talk about their new venture Reward Music. Reward is a full service platform that gives artists all the tools they need to host their music, media, website, and ever…

Music On Your Own Terms 106 - Matt Connard/War Chariot - Fear Not The Fire If you are in crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741. For the National Sexual Assault Hotline call 1-800-656-4673 or visit https://www.rainn.org. In this episode I talk t…

Music On Your Own Terms 105 - Stranger Than Fiction Theory This episode I talk to Jonathan McNary, Jonathan Moore, and McCaul Ragland, about their baby, Fiction Theory. We met the two Jonathans back in episode 74 with Gary McGrath, and also in episode 101, which itself was spawned out of this very interview. McCaul shares how he got into music and …

Music On Your Own Terms 104 - Heavy Metal Therapy With Dr. Katie Quinn In this episode I talk to clinical psychologist and metalhead, Dr. Katie Quinn about her internet support group, Heavy Metal Therapy, that is bringing together the metal community to talk about mental health issues, share stories and provide resources to help people overcome the…

Music On Your Own Terms 103 - Tom Callahan - The Ethics Of Supporting Indie Artists In this episode I talk to Tom Callahan, a music industry veteran who has worked for IRS records with Miles Copeland, Virgin records and more besides, helped co-found the licensing platform Songtradr, and has now launched a full service marketing and distribution com…

Music On Your Own Terms 102 - Marios Politis - This Is His Story In this episode of the podcast I talk to Athens based singer and guitarist Marios Politis, who just recently released his debut solo album after many years playing in various bands, spanning a multitude of genres. Marios discusses his journey from starting to write songs as a young te…

Music On Your Own Terms 101 - Marketing 101 With J-Mac & J-Mo Kicking off 2021, we take a deep dive into marketing for artists with my good friends Jonathan McNary and Jonathan Moore, from the McGrath Project, and Fiction Theory. The two Jonathans talk about their background in this subject, how it has impacted their efforts with various musical pr…