Where The Living Room Used To Be

On this episode you'll hear Mopes pass along some advice on how to be a better performer, why he thinks there's a need for experimentation with your own sound, and what his creative process is with writing lyrics and beat making!
One of the songs Mopes references with regard to this is "A Parting Gift" from his latest album "Unwound"... and you'll hear this at the end of the episode.
strangefamousrecords.com
// Interview recorded February 28th, 2022 via Zoom // Intro music by Cedros // Hosted by James Toomey //
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In this episode, I sit down with one of my favorite rappers, Mopes... who some of you may know from his previous name Prolyphic. Through our conversation we get into the reason why he started making beats, the concepts behind his albums, and how growing up in a working middle-class family influenced his lyrics. We also get a little deeper into the breaks he's taken from music and his recent reintroduction. 
Speaking of that, Mopes fantastic new album "Unwound" came out in February on Strange Famous Records. You can pick this up on limited edition cassette, lathe cut 7", as a special t-shirt bundle, and digital download or stream wherever you get music.
Interlude song order:
"Iron Maiden" by Prolyphic (from his album An Alarm Clock Set to 9:01)
"The Ugly Truth" by Prolyphic (from his album The Ugly Truth)
"Bad Influence" by Prolyphic (from his album Working Man)
"Pale Blue Spot" by Prolyphic (from his album DNGRFLD)
"You Ging Rich" by Mopes (from his ep Mopes)
"Home Is Like A Tough Leather Jacket" by Mopes (from his album Unwound)
"The Gives, The Takes" by Mopes (from his album Unwound)
// Interview recorded February 28th, 2022 via Zoom// Intro music by Cedros// Hosted by James Toomey //
/// If you enjoy the episode please leave a rating or review wherever you're listening right now! ///

My wife and I (James) recently had our 3rd child and while we were in the hospital we played UNO to help pass some time.
From that, it made me think about a previously unreleased piece from the conversation I had with Lewis Morris back in Oct of 2020 and how we took a bit of a tangent talking about this card game. In this mini-episode, you'll learn more about why we did that and why UNO means so much to us as well as the steps we take to try to harness our impulses for constant creation.
Since Lewis and I had our chat about 16 months ago he has put out 4 beat tapes, half a dozen singles - some of which are part of a very cool project idea called The Warpath, and a brand new mixtape that dropped last month entitled "Valedictorian" which you'll hear the track "Pipebomb" from this release at the end of the episode. I highly recommend you check out his incredible catalog of music and you can do that by visiting LewisMorris.me
// Interview recorded October 12th, 2020 via Zoom// Intro music by Cedros// Hosted by James Toomey //
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Ben Shaw and I talk about his favorite things in Rhode Island... and we get even more hyper-local on this episode as Ben shares what all 37.8 square miles of Aquidneck Island has to offer from his view. We cover past record stores, where he hung out to eat pizza, and the music festivals that mean so much to him! And, tune in to hear Mr. Shaw break the code on RI's best drink!!! 
I ended the episode with one of my favorite songs by Ben Shaw. The song is "Modal Interchange" from Ben's self-titled jazz album released in 2020. As you may have heard, this album was recently re-released as a limited edition song book that you can pick up at benjaminshawmusic.com or my site livingroomutb.com
 
// Interview recorded January 15th, 2022 via Zoom// Intro music by Cedros// Hosted by James Toomey //
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On this mini-episode Ben Shaw shares his thoughts about practice routines, as well as building confidence, trusting your taste and persevering as a musician! 
At the end of the episode, you'll hear Ben's song "Somewhere in Rhode Island" that he performed live at AS220 on December 2nd, 2021. I highly recommend you visit their YouTube channel - TV220- for almost 100 live stream performances from Rhode Island artists including a good handful from Ben and they're definitely worth checking out. 
// Interview recorded January 15th, 2022 via Zoom// Intro music by Cedros// Hosted by James Toomey //
/// If you enjoy the episode please leave a rating or review wherever you're listening right now! ///

During my interview with Ben Shaw we took a bit of a detour and started to talk more deeply about mental health as musicians. As you'll hear, both he and I have had to work on our mental state and seek outside help. This is a very important issue in the arts community so I wanted to pull this out from our full conversation to give it more attention and reach people about this specific issue. If you're having trouble with your mental health please talk to a friend or reach out to a professional to get some help. You are not alone and trust us... it will make a difference. 
The end of this mini-episode includes Ben's song "Between The Leather And The Headlights"
// Interview recorded January 15th, 2022 via Zoom// Intro music by Cedros// Hosted by James Toomey //
/// If you enjoy the episode please leave a rating or review wherever you're listening right now! ///

On this episode, I welcome multi-instrumentalist, Ben Shaw. Not only does Ben play several instruments he also writes and performs many different styles of music - from folk and jazz to classical and hip hop. In our conversation we cover his journey of being musician that was barely accepted into the band at his middle school to becoming a nominated composer in international classical music competitions. Along the way Ben has written several albums and accompanied artists such as Math The Band, The Dear Hunter, Mau, and Chrissy Stewart... to name a few.
 
In our conversation, we discuss the release of his new songbook for his jazz album. I'm grateful to have been a part of Ben Shaw: The Charts coming together and you can all pick up a copy starting on February 6th at The Parlour jazz jam or by visiting benjaminshawmusic.com or my website livingroomutb.com shortly after that
 
Interlude song order:
Mau - live on AS220 Sessions June 2021
"Contiguous" by Milkbread
"String Quartet no. 1- I. Aggressive" by Ben Shaw (from his album Op. 1)
"Loans On Love" by Ben Shaw
"Working Title" by Ben Shaw (from his self-titled jazz album)
"Untitled Folk Melody" by Ben Shaw (from his self-titled jazz album)
// Interview recorded January 15th, 2022 via Zoom// Intro music by Cedros// Hosted by James Toomey //
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I connect with Sage Francis to talk about his label - Strange Famous Records - and releasing music over the last 25 years, what local radio stations meant for his career, how giving it all as an artist can take its toll both mentally and physically, and some of the exciting things he's working toward in the near future.  If you enjoy the episode please check out some previous interviews I've done with Strange Famous artists B. Dolan and Jesse The Tree. 
Interlude song order:
"Narcissist - Live on WRIU (1999)" by Sage Francis (from his mixtape Sick Of Waiting Tables)
"Five Hearts" by Epic Beard Men 
"Dream School feat. Sage Francis, Buck 65" by ALXNDRBRWN (from his album Glow Kid)
"Cheat Code" by Sage Francis (from his album Copper Gone)
"Broken Wings" by Sage Francis (from his album Personal Journals)
// Interview recorded December 3rd, 2021 via Zoom// Intro music by Cedros// Hosted by James Toomey //
/// If you enjoy the episode please leave a rating or review wherever you're listening right now! ///