Music Therapy with Jessica Risker

benjamin fawkes is the self-described "custodian" of Rozz-Tox, a space which defines itself as "a listening bar, cafe, performance venue, gallery, culture cell, guesthouse, cinema, club; a virus whose ultimate goal is to constantly mutate to avoid becoming part of mainstream culture." Located in Rock Island, IL, inspired by ben's time running a space in China, opened by he and his mom, named after...

Jawson Dell is a Chicago musician by way of Colorado, influenced by RnB, jazz, funk, rock, and the blues. He's also a Certified Public Accountant.  These facts lead us down some interesting paths, including the tension between music and business, how American Idol influenced Jawson's music career.  We also listen to a couple of tracks from Jawson.   Songs included in episode: "Windows Apart" and "...

Group Session!  Chicago's artsy post-punk Ovef Ow takes the couch as we dig into their minds, hearts, and souls about how they work together,  managing the band, success, being part of the indie scene, and more.  Ovef Ow gives a live performance.  My esteemed colleague Leslie Tanner co-hosts!  Many thanks to Joshua Wentz, Bret Koontz, Ralph Darski for capturing the sound, and of course Cafe Mustac...

Salami Rose Joe Louis has a killer new album out called "Akousmatikous" (via Flying Lotus' Brainfeeder Records) and I am a massive fan.  She is fantastically creative, thoughtful, and incredibly nice. We dig into the perils of obsessively working on music, how she approached the concept of the album, her creative and recording process, social media, AI, "authenticity", and a ton more.  We also lis...

Humans are group-ish beings!  Whether it's your family, your friends, your band, your artist community, your country, etc., we all belong to groups.  Whether we realize it or not, groups have a powerful impact on our own thoughts and behaviors. In this episode of Music Therapy, I talk with science writer and journalist Michael Bond, author of " The Power of Others: Peer Pressure, Groupthink, and H...

How do you honor your idols without being derivative?  How do you start over in a new (york) city?  This week on Music Therapy I sit down with Dan Rico, a Chicago DIY scene fixture who moved to New York City right before the pandemic hit.   We get into creativity, live band recordings vs virtual instruments, SXSW takeaways, quitting drinking, finding a new music community in NYC, impostor syndrome...

Chicago's Joka No Joke is a self-proclaimed "rap therapist" with a brand-new mixtape called "Recess".  In this episode of Music Therapy, we dig into the new-found freedom and playfulness Joka experienced while creating the album.   We touch on his creative process, tapping into his inner child, his "New Cool" philosophy, reflections and changes in his life through the pandemic,  how fatherhood has...

The van's full of gas, the drums fit, and there's hope in your eyes! Until Arby's is getting old, you want a shower, and too much beer is taking a toll. Touring can be amazing! But it's rarely the healthiest time of your life.  So we got four experienced touring musicians to share how to make touring healthier.  We cover: Sleep Diet  Drugs/alcohol Keeping up with relationships back home How to kee...

Does social media make you feel like crap?  Are you wondering why other artists are getting the press / shows / labels that you're not getting? Today we dig into some of the more negative feelings that can arise for artists - especially when we compare ourselves to other musicians.  Jealousy / comparison / envy / resentment can feel bad, but it's telling you something!  And, we can listen to those...

Today, for a special Valentine's Day episode, we answer a question that has plagued musicians for thousands of years: Should you date your bandmate? We talk to three musicians about their experience dating bandmates.  Leslie Tanner also drops by with a few words of wisdom.   If you have dated a bandmate or are considering dating a bandmate, this episode's for you! Featuring Steve Malden (Sofas), D...

In December of 2022, Pitchfork published an article, written by Jenn Pelly, called " Confronting Music's Mental Health Crisis ".  This article was passed around widely on the internet; obviously, it resonated with many musicians.    Jenn and I dig deeper into her article, discussing her research and takeaways, bits that she left out of the article, and consider what role Pitchfork can serve regard...

Jealousy is tough emotion, but can it be useful?? In this episode of Music Therapy, I chat with therapist/musician Ben Stover - who also co-hosts the Popcorn Psychology podcast -  all about Artistic Jealousy.  We look a the ways it can manifest, how social media leads us to comparison and jealousy, and what you can do about it.  If you've ever felt envious of someone else's success or talent, sit...

Así Así is a Mexican/American band from Chicago, IL.  In August 2022, the band released their debut album, “Mal de Otros”, where Así Así blends rock, dance, and Latin themes together to form oftentimes haunting, yet upbeat and catchy songs.  On this episode of Music Therapy, taped live at Cafe Mustache, Jessica sits down with the full band to talk about work/art balance, how they create music toge...

In this episode of Music Therapy I talk with Chicago artist Alana Schactel of Lipsticsm. Lipsticism’s sound is frequently described as cosmic, dreamy, and psychedelic, and there is something immediate and sensual in her punchy drums and emotional honesty.  We cover a lot of ground in this episode!  Alana is currently studying to become a therapist, so we discuss our shared experience in the worlds...

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody!  In the spirit of holiday traveling, we have an episode all about touring. In October 2022, Isabel Olive (Half Gringa) posted the following on Instagram: "Hey folks. A photo of me smiling because this is a tough one - I’ve decided to cancel the last four dates of the HG October tour in Boston, NYC, Philadelphia, and Cincinnati. This was hard to make because I’m both...

What's it like to walk away from the music industry? Steff Reed is a New York-based  musician, educator, and activist. As a musician and producer, he has produced many tracks that have made it to Billboard Charts.  As an educator, he has taught thousands of youth over the past 15 years, and was nominated for the Grammy Music Educator Award.  As an activist, he is currently building a non-profit in...

There comes a time in every musician's career when you ask yourself:  should you get a publicist? In this episode of Music Therapy I talk with a real-life publicist, Colin Smith of Fresh Paint PR.  Colin breaks down exactly what a publicist does, how a publicist chooses to work with someone (or not), and what you can do to make a PR campaign successful. We also discuss  the biggest question of all...

Group Session!  Chicago art-punkers Spread Joy define once and for all the grand purpose of art, ponder "derivative" music, explain the methods behind their songwriting and give a killer live performance on this episode of Music Therapy.  With special Exploration by the one and only Leslie Tanner! This episode was taped live at Cafe Mustache on August 10, 2022.   Visit musictherapypodcast.com for...

In this episode of Music Therapy we talk with Duncan Sheik!   You might remember Duncan Sheik's 1996 chart topping hit “Barely Breathing.” That song racked up 55 consecutive weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned him a Grammy Award® nomination for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. In the years since, Sheik has been celebrated for his work in musical theater, including the groundbreaking success...

Annie Fish is a musician, cartoonist, and author based in Chicago, IL. In this episode of Music Therapy, I talk with Chicago musician Annie Fish about their new album “Weird Like Me”.  “Weird Like Me” is a full length 90’s inspired rock album accompanied by an oral illustrated history, found at anniefish.net/weird.html.  Through the album’s concept, Annie explores her rock n roll dreams, considers...

In this episode of Music Therapy, Lizzie No and I dig into touring, protecting her mental health while on tour, how Lizzie knows she's spending too much time on social media, her definition of success, and lots more!   Songs featured in episode:  "Sweeter Than Strychnine" and "Stop Bothering Me" by Lizzie No   Visit musictherapypodcast.com for show notes, past episodes, and upcoming events! Music...

This is our 100th episode!  Jessica and Josh reflect on what we've learned so far through our 100 interviews with artists.  Thank you guys for listening to the podcast - here's to 100 more! Visit musictherapypodcast.com for show notes, past episodes, and upcoming events! Songs included: "Disco Smile" and "Stay" by Jessica Risker/DEADBEAT Visit musictherapypodcast.com for show notes, past episodes,...

Uma Bloo is a pool. Uma Bloo is the persona of Molly Madden, a musician from Chicago who is maybe thinking about possibly moving to LA.  Molly worked on an album for years and released it and then left her band and is currently in total flux with music, where it lives in her life, her goals, and what it all means.  This is a very vulnerable place for a musician to be and totally relatable, and Mol...

How do you start over in a new city?  Bridey Hicks (BRIDEY) is moving from Chicago to LA.  We discuss the reasons behind her move, her approach for joining the LA music community, why Chicagoans are the best people,  transitioning from comedy to music, her songwriting process, working solo vs with a band, and recordings vs live performance.  She also debuts a brand-new single called "The Light" fr...

On this episode of Music Therapy I talk with one of my favorite artists Mike Meegan of RXM Reality!  We discuss getting sober, dig deep into Mike's music-making process, complain about social media and learn about Mike's favorite gear and DAWs. Songs featured on episode:  "Big Forever" by Jessica Risker & RXM Reality "Thank You" and "Life is Shit" by RXM Reality Visit musictherapypodcast.com for s...