MUSIC is not a GENRE

SUPPORT THIS PODCAST! Join Patreon Get some merch ~~~~ Here's YET ANOTHER gift BONUS MxTRA episode. It's a PATREON EXCLUSIVE that I'm sharing for three reasons. ONE - so you know what awesome bonuses you get if you join Patreon (link above). TWO - it's been a hell of a busy year and gig season. THREE - I don't wanna leave you hanging for a week. In this BONUS MxTRA, I rank my TOP 40 songs by The P...

SUPPORT THIS PODCAST! Join Patreon Get some merch ~~~~ FEATURED SONG REC – “Rhythm 77” (from KITE TO CAMDEN ) This week’s PODFAST is the return of Quick Takes from the Continuum , but with a twist.  I usually give overviews of new albums, but it’s been hard finding complete albums worth talking about. Instead, I’m doing a midyear check-in on my 2025 playlist. I do one every year, and this year it’...

SUPPORT THIS PODCAST! Join Patreon Get some merch ~~~~ FEATURED SONG  REC – “Linear A (five12four)” (from KITE TO CAMDEN ) ~~~~ MUSIC is EVERYTHING is really making up for lost time! For #37 of the series, I throw in my 28 cents on some dos & don’ts for struggling music creators – by which I mean ALL of us who aren’t in the top 1% of earners. AND I conclude with a VERY SHORT LIST of the only thing...

SUPPORT THIS PODCAST! Join Patreon Get some merch ~~~~ Here's YET ANOTHER gift BONUS MxTRA episode. It's a PATREON EXCLUSIVE that I'm sharing for three reasons. ONE - so you know what awesome bonuses you get if you join Patreon (link above). TWO - in the middle of tons of gigs, I went and got sick, so I really need this week break. THREE - I really want your opinion on this topic. This BONUS MxTRA...

SUPPORT THIS PODCAST! Join Patreon Get some merch ~~~~ The Song Coach For the past several episodes, I’ve been promoting my new song coaching service. This 28th PODFAST is an introduction to that.  It’s not just an introduction, it’s a tutorial. I lay out the basics, tell you my approach, and clue you in to what you’ll learn when you hire me to help you write that song you’ve been sitting on for y...

SUPPORT THIS PODCAST! Join Patreon Get some merch ~~~~ FEATURED SONG  NICK – “Your Sister” (from THE METROGRANDE SESSIONS ) ~~~~ This is the era of back-to-back MUSIC is EVERYTHING episodes! For #36 of the series, I get real about music critics and criticism. Music criticism has taught us a lot, and often distilled what we need or want to know into digestible forms. But like social media, it’s oft...

SUPPORT THIS PODCAST! Join Patreon Get some merch ~~~~ FEATURED SONG REC - "Song OK" (from the album, KITE TO CAMDEN - out worldwide! ) ~~~~ In my 35th installment of the MUSIC is EVERYTHING opinion series, I throw down on rockism and poptimism, two frequently opposing beliefs about what music is considered good and worthy of respect. Both beliefs are rooted in music analysis and criticism, and ar...

SUPPORT THIS PODCAST! Join Patreon Get some merch ~~~~ In ROUND 6 of BackTalk, Steve Erickson & I dissect college radio. It’s often seen as a haven for new, diverse, and obscure music, and thus more inclusive than mainstream radio. That may be true, but does it have its own gatekeeping issues? We get into that, as well as its history, current state, how it compares to other forms of independent an...

SUPPORT THIS PODCAST! Join Patreon Get some merch ~~~~ Here's YET ANOTHER gift BONUS MxTRA episode. It's a PATREON EXCLUSIVE that I'm sharing for three reasons. ONE - so you know what awesome bonuses you get if you join Patreon (link above). TWO - I'm in the middle of a busy gig season. THREE - I had SO MUCH FUN with this topic that I had to share it sooner than later. This BONUS MxTRA is all abou...

SUPPORT THIS PODCAST! Join Patreon Get some merch ~~~~ FEATURED SONG The Drop – “Outerloper” (from LONG HELD GRUDGES )   Welcome to MxG’s 10th catchup episode!  I run down fan comments, mention things I missed, get into some heated disagreements, and talk about why MxG has not just pushed the envelope in Season 7, it’s broken it altogether. I have only one question for you: What should I talk abou...

SUPPORT THIS PODCAST! Join Patreon Get some merch ~~~~   We love drama. We’re constantly looking for scandals, fights, and in general are enticed more by division than harmony. This PODFAST is an antidote to that. It’s about songs made hits by women that were written mostly or entirely by men. It highlights how well people with clear differences of perspective can work together, and further proves...

SUPPORT THIS PODCAST! Join Patreon Get some merch ~~~~ FEATURED SONG REC – “Linear B (otherside)” (from KITE TO CAMDEN ) ALT FEATURED SONG  REC - "Eat Salvation" (from KITE TO CAMDEN )    Twice in the last month, someone has brought up Tears for Fears. One fan compared one of REC’s new songs to them. Another wondered why I’ve done an episode on Duran Duran and not them. They were one of my favorit...

SUPPORT THIS PODCAST! Join Patreon Get some merch ~~~~ FEATURED SONG REC (feat. Leslie Baroness) - "Eat Salvation (LR Remix)"   I’ve done 10 episodes on the Beatles, and mentioned them in countless other episodes. Every time I did my research, I’d bump into people who can’t stand Yoko Ono. You can probably guess why. I’m not one of those people, for so many reasons. I go over all those reasons whi...

SUPPORT THIS PODCAST! Join Patreon Get some merch ~~~~ FEATURED SONG REC - "Suddenly" (from IT WASN'T ME ! )   Last week I heard an old hit song and looked it up. Turns out it was a cover. Moreover, it turns out MANY hit songs were actually the second or third version. I dig up a bunch of these, some of which I was aware of, and quite a few that surprised me. I have a feeling they’ll surprise you...

I spend an hour with serial entrepreneur Jass Bianchi. She's an award-winning rapper, songwriter, music industry educator, and career coach. She's also CEO of the creative marketing agency, COLOR IN SOUND, and coach at GROW WITH JASS. We talk about her life & career, in both the arts and business. And stay to the end to hear the FEATURED SONG:  Jass Bianchi (feat. Tal Heller) - "Say No More" More...

SUPPORT THIS PODCAST! Join Patreon Get some merch ~~~~ Here's ANOTHER gift BONUS MxTRA episode. It's a PATREON EXCLUSIVE that I'm sharing for two reasons. ONE - so you know what awesome bonuses you get if you join Patreon (link above). TWO - MxG Daddy needs a break this week! This one is a walkthrough of a hip hop recording session. It was the bonus for a Season 6 episode on the history of hip hop...

SUPPORT THIS PODCAST! Join Patreon Get some merch ~~~~ FEATURED SONG The Drop – “Flunky Fesh” (from LONG HELD GRUDGES )   This season has been a real stretching experience (country & Christian pop music?!?), and it continues with my take on smooth jazz pop icons Steely Dan. They were the dominant antidote to rock music in the 1970s. Some might say they pioneered yacht rock (insert comment here). ...

SONG COACHING I'm starting a new song coaching service! I have decades of writing and producing hundreds of songs for dozens of artists in dozens of genres, and I'd love for you to be one of those artists. I work with you at whatever part of the process you’re in, and take you as far as you’d like to go. Have a vague idea, one line, a few chords, half a song, a full song that needs shaping, a song...

I spend about an hour with Nashville singer/songwriter Laura Sawosko. Her sixth album, Not What I Do , comes out on April 18. We get into her career - including her big move to Nashville, how she interprets the idea that music is not a genre, and what moves her as a music creator. We also talk about her overcoming a paralyzed vocal cord, and how that's influenced her sound. And stay to the end to...

SUPPORT THIS PODCAST! Join Patreon Get some merch ~~~~ Guest host Meat gives his take on the complete history of music. Plus a bit of his recipe for cacio e pepe. Passion beats precision any day of the week. No questions asked. None answered. Stay silent, dammit! BONUS MxTRA VIDEO: Meat's Famous Balls ~~~ *intro/outro music credit: REC - "Wake Up High" *mid roll music credit: The Drop - "Outerlope...

I spend about an hour with writer, historian and professor Don Cusic. He's the author of over 30 books, including his upcoming biography of Chet Atkins, and teaches "History of the Recording Industry" at Belmont University. We get into country music, music history in general, and the business of music. More on Don Cusic Check out Don's Books!   BONUS MxTRA VIDEO: Don wrote a musical about Minnie P...

SUPPORT THIS PODCAST! Join Patreon Get some merch ~~~~ Here's a surprise gift BONUS MxTRA episode. It's a PATREON EXCLUSIVE that I'm sharing for two reasons. ONE - so you know what awesome bonuses you get if you join Patreon (link above). TWO - MxG Daddy needs a break this week! This one is tells the truth about vinyl. Yes, we all like to romanticize it. But is the audio quality really better than...

I spend way too little time with Qais "Q" Masri, founder of Q Music Co., author of Press Play on Your Music Career , and a teacher at Music Production for Women (MPW). We talk about his business, his book, his intense passion for music and marketing, and what it takes to release your music properly. Q Music Co. Q's coaching Press Play on Your Music Career Music Production for Women   BONUS MxTRA V...

SUPPORT THIS PODCAST! Join Patreon Get some merch ~~~~ FEATURED SONG NICK – “Listen You People” (from the album LISTEN YOU PEOPLE )   Protest music has been around far longer than the 1960s, far earlier than America’s history of slavery, and far beyond even the history of the USA. Some might say that protest music has been around as long as people have lived in groups and put words to melodies. Ev...

SUPPORT THIS PODCAST! Join Patreon Get some merch ~~~~ FEATURED SONG NICK – “Higher Ground Again” (from the unreleased demo, BLACK-EYED SUSAN )   Christian music has a loooooooooooooong history, likely as old as the religion itself. But it’s only been in the last 70 years or so that Christian music entered pop culture. Since then, it’s been a wildly successful sect of popular music that encompasse...