LaunchLeft LaunchLeft and Kast Media

On this episode of LaunchLeft, Rain welcomes Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips of LUNA. They talk about how they first met, how music found them, performing live versus the recording studio, and the volatility of the music industry. Dean shares what’s up next for them, both as a duo and as solo artists. Dean & Britta launch Ryder the Eagle to close the show and we hear about the new single and album “Autotango”. He discusses what led him to write the record and what we can expect to hear from him next. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts today! 

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LAUNCHLEFT OFFICIAL WEBSITEhttps://www.launchleft.com 

LAUNCHLEFT PATREON https://www.patreon.com/LaunchLeft 

TWITTER https://twitter.com/LaunchLeft 

INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/launchleft/ 

FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/LaunchLeft 

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LaunchLeft Podcast hosted by Rain Phoenix is an intentional space for Art and Activism where famed creatives launch new artists. LaunchLeft is an alliance of left-of-center artists, a curated ecosystem that includes a podcast, label and NFT gallery.

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IN THIS EPISODE: 



[2:44] How did music find Dean and Britta?



[6:00] Do Dean and Britta write together? 



[8:06] Do they ever wish they had chosen a different profession? 



[10:09] Dean and Britta share about the shows they have performed. 



[13:21] When did Dean and Britta meet?



[15:55] What was the Hooky Wooky Tour?



[19:59] What is up next for Dean and Britta?



[23:49] Do they have the experience of time being too compressed? 



[25:45] How do they use social media to promote their music?



[29:33] Do Dean and Britta have any interest in composing for TV or film?



[32:36] Ryder the Eagle joins the podcast and talks about his process of making music.



[34:24] Where is Ryder from?



[37:46] Ryder shares about his music that is being released soon. 



[39:47] We hear Ryder’s new song Autotango.



KEY TAKEAWAYS: 



[22:40] AI can be useful by using it to curate all the information that is at our fingertips that we waste so much time trying to sift through. If you can ask AI the right question, it can curate the information that you want to find online.  



[28:32] Social media has benefits for a musician, one being that you can get your music out there affordably and it can be heard all around the world. 



[37:25] For Britta, there is a big difference between singing in the studio and singing live for an audience. There is a feeling of being terrified, excited, vulnerable and exposed which gives her a big thrill. 



 

RESOURCE LINKS: 

LaunchLeft Podcast Smart Link

Dean and Britta’s Links

Dean and Britta's Website 

Dean and Britta's Facebook 

Dean and Britta's YouTube 

Britta Phillips' Website 

Dean Wareham's Website 

Ryder The Eagle’s Links

Ryder the Eagle Instagram 

Ryder the Eagle Facebook 

Ryder the Eagle Website 

BIOGRAPHIES: 

Dean and Britta BIO

Dean & Britta are husband and wife team Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips, members of Luna. They have recorded several full-length albums and soundtracks. Their first two albums were produced by Tony Visconti (Bowie, T.Rex): L’Avventura in 2003 and Back Numbers in 2007. Their most recent release is the song “The Cloud is Coming,” which they wrote and performed for the Noah Baumbach film White Noise (they were also actors in the film). They live in Los Angeles.

In addition to making records, Dean & Britta are active scoring films, notably Noah Baumbach’s The Squid & the Whale and Mistress America. They also composed songs and score for 13 Most Beautiful: Songs for Andy Warhol Screen Tests, a project commissioned by the Andy Warhol Museum, and continue to perform this multi-media show live in concert.

Dean Wareham was the singer-songwriter-guitarist behind the Boston band Galaxie 500, who released three albums between 1987 and 1991. After this Dean went on to found NYC

On this episode of LaunchLeft, Chan Marshall of Cat Power joins Rain to introduce Linqua Franqa. Chan and Rain talk about everything from how they first met, how Cat Power was formed, the connection that music brings to people and how changing people’s perspective around money and the American Dream might  solve many of the problems we have today. Chan also shares what led her to Bob Dylan and, how activism then and now really does move the needle. Rain is then joined by Linqua Franqa to learn how they got started in music, teaching and activism and how they are all connected. At the end of the episode we hear “Wurk”, one of Linqua’s songs about Communication Workers of America, United Campus Workers of Georgia, and capitalism.

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LAUNCHLEFT OFFICIAL WEBSITEhttps://www.launchleft.com 

LAUNCHLEFT PATREON https://www.patreon.com/LaunchLeft 

TWITTER https://twitter.com/LaunchLeft 

INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/launchleft/ 

FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/LaunchLeft 

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LaunchLeft Podcast hosted by Rain Phoenix is an intentional space for Art and Activism where famed creatives launch new artists. LaunchLeft is an alliance of left-of-center artists, a curated ecosystem that includes a podcast, label and NFT gallery.

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IN THIS EPISODE: 



[04:58] Chan describes how her, Rain and River Phoenix met.



[17:51] What inspired Chan to get involved with music?



[22:08] How did Chan take her music from her apartment to playing live for people?



[43:52] What led Chan to start playing Bob Dylan’s music and what has it created?



[53:23] Where did the American Dream come from?



[57:57] How do children see the world?



[58:53] What would it look like if women were voted in, how would they change the trajectory of our country? 



[1:05:25] Mariah Parker, also known as Linqua Franqa, talks about the meaning of their artist name. 



[1:06:11] What does Linqua do outside of music?



[1:07:02] Who is Reverend James Lawson? 



[1:08:50] Does Linqua agree with the fact that women in power could change our trajectory for the positive? 



[1:10:46] Tune in to hear Wurk, one of Linqua’s songs about capitalism. 



 

KEY TAKEAWAYS: 



[50:20] Music is a way to connect with people and create community regardless of what is happening in their lives, regardless of socioeconomic status or upbringing. 



[53:23] We don’t have to fall into the habit that seems to be the strongest one out there, which is to want to be rich and famous. 



[56:41] We all want to be safe and happy. 



[1:05:42] Linqua Franqa is a language used to communicate across cultural boundaries, as an artist, Mariah Parker wanted her music to do that, connect people across cultural boundaries.



 

RESOURCE LINKS: 

LaunchLeft Podcast Smart Link

 

CAT POWER LINKS:

Cat Power Music Website 

Cat Power Instagram

Cat Power Facebook 

Cat Power YouTube 

Cat Power Twitter 

 

LINQUA FRANQA LINKS:

Linqua Franqa Instagram 

Linqua Franqa Bandcamp Site 

Linqua Franqa Facebook 

Linqua Franqa Twitter 

 

BIOGRAPHIES: 

Cat Power BIO:

Charlyn "Chan" Marie Marshall is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and occasional actress. She adopted the name Cat Power for her first band in 1992, and has since used the name as a moniker for all of her musical endeavors. Raised in the South primarily by her grandmother, Marshall showed interest in music at an early age, and was influenced by blues and rock'n'roll.

In the early nineties, Marshall relocated to New York City, and became acquainted with Steve Shelley of Sonic Youth after opening at a show for Liz Phair. Shelley subsequently drummed on her first two albums, Dear Sir (1995) and Myra Lee (1996), both somber indie rock records featuring sparse instrumentation. After releasing several blues and folk rock-influenced albums throughout the late 1990s, Marshall released The Covers Record in 2000, which

Ian MacKaye imbues 2024 with all goodness through his inspiring take on life and music. His knack for expressing the way he lives and what punk rock means to him dominates and radiates through this conversation with Rain. They discuss everything from spirituality to Fugazi, living life joyfully, and the importance of doing the work. We then launch The Bobby Lees and Sam shares about their decision to take a break in 2024 by highlighting the financial struggles bands face on the road. We close this special episode with THE BOBBY LEES infectious song “Radiator”. 

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LAUNCHLEFT OFFICIAL WEBSITEhttps://www.launchleft.com 

LAUNCHLEFT PATREON https://www.patreon.com/LaunchLeft 

TWITTER https://twitter.com/LaunchLeft 

INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/launchleft/ 

FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/LaunchLeft 

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LaunchLeft Podcast hosted by Rain Phoenix is an intentional space for Art and Activism where famed creatives launch new artists. LaunchLeft is an alliance of left-of-center artists, a curated ecosystem that includes a podcast, label and NFT gallery.

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IN THIS EPISODE:



[1:36] Rain and Ian talk about how they met each other.



[10:52] All about Fugazi’s extensive archive 



[17:56] Ian shares how he avoids producing trash. 



[23:48] What is Ian’s belief and how does he focus on living?



[37:57] What was it like growing up in Washington DC?



[40:36] What led Ian to live in a way that doesn't compare and despair or make judgments about others?



[48:35] How can you find and create joy in the despair that is also happening in life? 



[55:15] How does Ian go about “selling” his music?



[1:00:04] How did Ian learn to roll with the ups and downs of life?



[1:19:17] Rain welcomes Sam from The Bobby Lees.



[1:19:58] Did The Bobby Lees really play their last show?



[1:24:00] What is Sam’s plan for 2024 since they won’t be touring?



[1:26:32] How did music find Sam originally? 



[1:27:56] What was the point that Sam realized she wanted to make music? 



[1:30:57] Does Sam have any advice for young or up and coming artists?



[1:33:02] Listen to “Radiator” by The Bobby Lees.



 

Watch the interview on YouTube.

Listen to “Radiator by The Bobby Lees on YouTube.

Connect with The Bobby Lees on Instagram 

 

KEY TAKEAWAYS: 



[20:09] There are warehouses filled with records that were never sold, and they are just sitting there as trash/product waste.



[46:19] Let’s not forget that life is rich, there’s so many good people are doing so many incredible things all over the world every day. 



[48:34] There will always be pain and beauty happening simultaneously. You can choose to focus on the pain and suffering which pushes into the negative, but you also need to create joy because that's how to balance the energy. 



[1:23:33] It’s hard to be a US band on the road and break even financially. 



 

RESOURCE LINKS

LaunchLeft Podcast Smart Link 

Ian MacKaye

Ian MacKaye Wikipedia 

Ian MacKay Dischord Site 

Dischord Website 

Fugazi Live Series: A to Z

The Bobby Lees

The Bobby Lees Website 

The Bobby Lees Instagram 

The Bobby Lees Facebook

 

BIOGRAPHY: 

Ian Mackaye founded Dischord Records as a teenager in 1980 with partner Jeff Nelson. Their original intent was simply to release a single to document their recently defunct band, Teen Idles. However, the label has gone on to release music from more than 60 bands, with more than 160 albums over the last 25 years and counting.

As musicians Ian and Jeff went on to form Minor Threat, who along with Bad Brains are credited in the early 80s with introducing the D.C. hardcore ethic to an audience well beyond Washington, D.C.

In 1986, Ian formed Fugazi with Joe Lally, Brendan Canty and Guy Picciotto. Over 20+ years the band has released seven albums and toured the world extensively covering all fifty United States, Europe, Austra

Mike Mills of R.E.M. joins Rain to introduce The Lemon Twigs. Mike and the sibling duo, Brian and Michael, who make up The Lemon Twigs, prioritize harmony in their musical style. In today's conversation, Mike and Rain delve into politics, exploring how political language and ideas can create division within a family. Mike shares a personal anecdote about discussing with his uncle, each taking a different side. However, Mike developed a rule that they must hug and express love at the end of their conversations. Additionally, Mike imparts valuable advice to aspiring artists.

 

IN THIS EPISODE:


[1:47] Mike Mills from R.E.M. discusses his last tour, his family and his journey in music. 
[7:21] Mike discusses politics in general and in the state of Florida. 
[11:51] Rain reflects on getting to sing with R.E.M. years ago. 
[14:21] Mike talks about the baseball project, and he discusses how he learned to play the piano. 
[18:31] Mike discusses the different instruments he plays and the decisions the band made to keep them together. 
[27:28] Mike advises up-and-coming artists. 
[29:54] The Lemon Twigs are launched, and discuss making music with Mike. 
[40:31] Michael and Brian discuss what is coming up next, and listeners are treated to hear their song “In My Head” from the album “Everything Harmony”.

 

KEY TAKEAWAYS: 



[8:47] Families from different political parties can have opposite opinions and political ideas but agree the disagreement will end in love.



[14:14] The baseball project booked 19 shows in 21 days. 



[18:31] Keeping a band together is challenging, but Mike tells how R.E.M. did it.



 

RESOURCE LINKS

LaunchLeft Podcast Smart Link 

The Lemon Twigs - Bio and Website

The Lemon Twigs - Instagram

The Lemon Twigs - Twitter

The Lemon Twigs - Facebook

 

Tune in to today's episode of LaunchLeft, where Rain Phoenix is joined by MC Taylor of Hiss Golden Messenger to launch Johanna Samuels. Rain and MC engage in conversations about the artistic process, exploring how the emotions and creativity of artists contribute to the final musical outcomes. They agree on the irreplaceable human element in music creation and songwriting, asserting that AI will never replicate this human touch. Johanna and MC recount their initial meeting, her new record, and the importance of a songwriters community. Listen to the end to hear Johanna's powerful song "Holy Mother."

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LAUNCHLEFT OFFICIAL WEBSITEhttps://www.launchleft.com 

LAUNCHLEFT PATREON https://www.patreon.com/LaunchLeft 

TWITTER https://twitter.com/LaunchLeft 

INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/launchleft/ 

FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/LaunchLeft 

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LaunchLeft Podcast hosted by Rain Phoenix is an intentional space for Art and Activism where famed creatives launch new artists. LaunchLeft is an alliance of left-of-center artists, a curated ecosystem that includes a podcast, label and NFT gallery.

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IN THIS EPISODE:



[02:OO] MC Taylor speaks about the inspiration for his music and his roots. 



[07:35] He discusses the passion and process of creating music. 



[10:27] MC Taylor talks about AI and its role in creativity.



[14:00] MC Taylor shares how he and Johanna met, and they all discuss playing in smaller local venues in the LA area.



[18:21] Johanna describes what her future schedule will be and discovers the “why” of what she is doing.



[21:52] MC Taylor talks about his current state of happiness, how that has affected his recent writing, and how he’s feeling now.



[33:15] Johanna describes her innermost feelings about music. 



[35:38]  Listen to Johanna as she sings Holy Mother.



 

KEY TAKEAWAYS: 



Artists are influenced by their emotions and world events. They want to be able to write from their heart and not by what they are directed to write.



MC Taylor would rather create his music, which fluctuates financially, than secure jobs he hates.



AI fails to enable the humanity of music creation due to the absence of emotion in the creative process.



 

BIOGRAPHIES: 

HISS GOLDEN MESSENGER “I went looking for peace,” says songwriter M.C. Taylor of Hiss Golden Messenger about his new album Quietly Blowing It, out June 25, 2021, on Merge Records. “It’s not exactly a record about the state of the world—or my world—in 2020, but more a retrospective of the past five years of my life, painted in sort of impressionistic hues. Maybe I had the presence of mind when I was writing Quietly Blowing It to know that this was the time to go as deep as I needed to in order to make a record like this. And I got the time required in order to do that.” He pauses and laughs ruefully. “I got way more time than I needed, actually.”Quietly Blowing It was written and arranged by Taylor in his home studio—his 8’ × 10’ sanctuary packed floor to ceiling with books, records, and old guitars—as he watched the chaotic world spin outside his window. “Writing became a daily routine,” he explains, “and that was a ballast for me. Having spent so much time on the road over the past ten years, where writing consistently with any kind of flow can be tricky, it felt refreshing. And being in my studio, which is both isolated from and totally connected to the life of my family, felt appropriate for these songs.” Between March and June, Taylor wrote and recorded upwards of two dozen songs—in most cases playing all of the instruments himself— before winnowing the collection down and bringing them to the Hiss band. In July, the musicians, with Taylor in the production seat, went into Overdub Lane in Durham, NC, for a week, where they recorded Quietly Blowing It as an organic unit honed to a fine edge from their years tog

Join Rain on LaunchLeft today as they welcome Oscar-nominated Son Lux to kick off Qasim Naqvi's launch. Tune in for an engaging conversation with Ryan, Ian, Rafiq, and Qasim Naqvi as they discuss their unique experiences and creative processes in music-making. This versatile group excels as a live band, studio recording artists, and composers, embracing various aspects of the art they cherish. As a special treat, you'll have the privilege of hearing Qasim Naqvi's captivating performance of "The Curve" at the end of the episode.

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LAUNCHLEFT OFFICIAL WEBSITEhttps://www.launchleft.com 

LAUNCHLEFT PATREON https://www.patreon.com/LaunchLeft 

TWITTER https://twitter.com/LaunchLeft 

INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/launchleft/ 

FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/LaunchLeft 

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LaunchLeft Podcast hosted by Rain Phoenix is an intentional space for Art and Activism where famed creatives launch new artists. LaunchLeft is an alliance of left-of-center artists, a curated ecosystem that includes a podcast, label and NFT gallery.

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IN THIS EPISODE:



[02:23] Ryan tells how he and Rafiq came to collaborate. 



[08:25] Ian explains how they became composers for Everything, Everywhere, All At Once. 



[10:26] Rafiq shares what they have been working on recently. 



[12:39] Ryan comments on the reward versus the work and how the work won out. 



[17:42] Qasim Naqvi reveals how he met the members of Son Lux, and they all reflect on their times together. 



[25:02] Ryan talks about how their music is visual, and Qasim Naquiv discusses the modular synthesis while they land on making music with what they have. 



[40:03] Listen to “The Curve” by Qasim Naqvi. 



 

KEY TAKEAWAYS: 



The difference between performing on stage and recording in a studio is night-and-day.



When you find like-minded artists who appreciate each other's talents, you have a winning combination.



Sometimes it’s the accident that makes the music. It’s called working with what you have.



 

BIOGRAPHIES:: 

SON LUX BIO:

From the start, Son Lux has operated as something akin to a sonic test kitchen. The Academy Award® and BAFTA-nominated band strives to question deeply held assumptions about how music is made and reconstruct it from a molecular level. What began as a solo project for founder Ryan Lott expanded in 2014, thanks to a kinship with Ian Chang and Rafiq Bhatia too strong to ignore. The trio strengthened their chemistry and honed their collective intuition while creating, releasing, and touring six recordings, including Brighter Wounds (2018) and the triple album Tomorrows (2021). The result is a carefully cultivated musical language rooted in curiosity and balancing opposites that largely eschews genre and structural conventions. And yet, the band remains audibly indebted to iconoclastic artists in soul, hip-hop, and experimental improvisation who themselves carved new paths forward. Distilling these varied influences, Son Lux searches for an equilibrium of raw emotional intimacy and meticulous electronic constructions. Son Lux has most recently scored the new Daniels film for A24, Everything Everywhere All at Once (March 2022). The full score album features new collaborations with Mitski, David Byrne, Randy Newman, and Moses Sumney, among others.

Based in New York, Rafiq Bhatia is the first-generation American son of Muslim immigrant parents who trace their ancestry to India through East Africa. Early influences such as Jimi Hendrix, John Coltrane, and Madlib—as well as mentors and collaborators including Vijay Iyer and Billy Hart—prompted him to see music as a way to actively shape and represent his own identity, not limited by anyone else’s prescribed perspective.

When Ian Chang describes his creative process, the phrase "third culture” keeps coming up. Born in the colony of Hong Kong in 1988, Chang has lived a nomadic life. Stationed out of