Musings of the Artist: (Honest) Conversations with Montse Andrée

Oh Pep! are indie-folk/pop duo Olivia Hally and Pepita Emmerichs. They are from Melbourne, Australia but we were able to catch up in person while they were on tour in the US (with our mutual friend Gregory Alan Isakov) in support of their new album called "I Wasn't Only Thinking About You". We cover a lot of ground in this conversation (with lots of giggling along the way!). They share t...

Eric D. Johnson is a songwriter, musician and producer. He has been in The Shins, Califone, and his current musical project is Fruit Bats. He’s also a really great guy, and I feel lucky to call him a friend! In this episode, Eric gives some solid advice to young artists, and tells us why failing (“hopefully not spectacularly”) can be a really good thing. We talk about the good and bad of social me...

Hollis Wong-Wear is a songwriter, musician, speaker, and community advocate based in Los Angeles. She is the lead vocalist of the electronic R&B trio The Flavr Blue, and was GRAMMY nominated for Album of the Year for her vocal performance of “White Walls” on The Heist by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. In this episode, Hollis shares why her intention of creating real impact through her art is so im...

Liza Anne is a songwriter and musician based in Nashville, TN. Her latest album is titled “Fine But Dying” and I love how raw and honest every song on that album is. In this episode, we talk a lot about mental health. She explains the duality of being introverted but also wanting to being around people. I really loved how she says getting older is “an eternal homecoming”, and how she describes wha...

Tom Renaud is a member of Lord Huron, based in Los Angeles, CA. He’s also one of my dear friends! In the episode, he tells us how Lord Huron came to be, about curating a taco with his band, and his love of food, cooking, and travel. He also speaks about the post-tour come down that inevitably happens as a touring musician, what he does to manage stress on the road, and the one thing that clears hi...

Heather Maloney is a singer-songwriter based in Northampton, MA. She sings the theme song for this podcast! She is also my best friend. So, you'll have get through a bit of of us giggling and gushing, but it's worth it to hear her beautiful story - I promise! In this episode, Heather shares how going through a bout of depression led her to spending three years at a silent meditation retreat center...

Catherine (“Cat”) Russell. Backup singer/collaborator to David Bowie, Steely Dan, Jackson Browne, Paul Simon, Dolly Parton (and many more!), and her legendary father (the late Luis Russell) was Louis Armstrong’s musical director. She is also an incredible Jazz Musician - her sixth album, Harlem On My Mind, received a Grammy Nomination. As you can imagine, Cat has incredibly dazzling stories to sha...

Sam Outlaw is a singer-songwriter from Southern California who is currently based in Nashville, TN. I’ve known Sam for a few years and I have always appreciated his unfiltered honesty about moving through life’s challenges. In this episode, we talk in depth about mental health. Sam describes what going through a season of depression and panic attacks really feels like, and how he has gotten throug...

Dessa is a rapper, singer, and essayist. She has landed on the Billboard Top 200 as a solo artist, as a member of the Doomtree collective, and as a contributor to The Hamilton Mixtape. As an author, her memoir-in-essays entitled My Own Devices: True Stories from the Road on Music, Science, and Senseless Love was published in September 2018 by Dutton Books. In this episode, Dessa talks about making...

Steve Varney is the guitarist for Gregory Alan Isakov and leader of Kid Reverie, a rock band out of Denver, CO. In this episode, Steve talks about what it’s like being a touring dad (and how technology helps!), emotional rebuilding, turning towards music during the hardest times, touring with his best friend and neighbor Gregory Alan Isakov, and about his stutter which he describes as an “uncontro...

Anna Tivel is a singer, songwriter, and poet based in Portland, OR. Her fourth full-length album is due out Spring 2019. In this episode, Anna talks about how she stumbled into songwriting, on being sensitive, linguistics, finding comfort in books and music, the lost art of handwritten letters, and a what kind of people are her greatest teachers. Anna also shares a favorite memory, book, song and...

Garrett, aka G.Love and his band just celebrated their 25th year as touring artists with over 15 records released. In this episode, Garrett talks about his journey in the music business, and shares his pre-show ritual which is quite beautiful. I really appreciated how open Garrett is about his own vulnerabilities - about going through lonely times, and about still being nervous and struggling with...

Antonique Smith is an actress, Grammy nominated singer, and activist. She is most known for her starring role as Faith Evans in the film "Notorious" and her leading role in "RENT" on Broadway as Mimi. In this episode, Antonique talks about her path towards acting and singing, on being an “Artivist”, what it was like playing the lead in RENT on Broadway, and how taking a leap of...

Tyler Knott Gregson is a poet, bestselling author, and photographer. I really enjoyed catching up with Tyler and talking about the importance of being authentically yourself, letting go of what other people think, and finding the “Miracle in the Mundane” - which is the title of his new book. Where to find Tyler: Instagram Twitter Facebook Website This episode was audio produced by Aaron Moring. Th...

Hear what Musing with Montse: Artists and Their (Honest) Stories is all about, and what inspired me to start this podcast! Music by: Heather Maloney Audio Producer: Aaron Moring Visit montseandree.com/podcast for more info.