Making Better Noise Vince Mazzocchi

It feels like things might be changing for Phoenix, Arizona's Danielle Durack sometime very soon.

Sure, she is humble as heck and works at a pizzeria to pay the bills while she actively develops her music career - for now.. but people are starting to sit up and take notice of her incredible voice, killer songs and atmospheric production.  People like NPR, Pitchfork, American Songwriter, and whoever it is that makes those ridiculously hard-to-land-on Spotify playlists.. The kind of people who can make a difference for a deeply talented young artist like her.

Our conversation travels through her journey from starting out with intense stage fright, to finding her sound and strengthening her writing, to right where she is now - which is standing at the glowing front door of a blindingly bright future, knocking loudly and with conviction.

Her latest album, "No Place", is available everywhere, and you can find and support Danielle here:

http://www.danielledurack.com/
https://danielledurack.bandcamp.com/album/no-place
https://www.facebook.com/danielledurack/


 
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Ali Sarijlou is a songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist, singer, and an extremely clever marketer who releases music under the name Heart Pharmacy.  He's also a graphic and video artist, and a heck of a nice guy.  Oh, he also made one of my favorite albums ever - and what I absolutely love about his music is that it feels like a Southern California beach at sunset.  And I need more of that in my life... like who doesn't?!

He joins me this episode to share the story of his musical evolution and talk about some of the ups and downs along the way.  And how to worm your way into a band you really really want to be in!

Go and listen to his entire catalog at https://heartpharmacy.net/music. 
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Ryan Vernazza is a guitarist who routinely leaves me in awe of his technical ability, feel for the instrument, and ability to raise the level of any piece he plays on.  On top of that, he's also a talented songwriter and singer who produces his own music, a successful professional, a pilot, as well as a husband and father.  And, as if that weren't enough, Ryan is one of the nicest and funniest people you'll ever meet.

We've been friends for quite some time and I've had the great fortune to have him as a bandmate, but until now, I haven't had the chance to sit down with him to talk about how he does what he does so well.  His thoughts about being kind to yourself and making the creative process fun, using language to unlock music, the power of words as little idea bombs, using dynamics, and tone-based writing have been whirring around in my head like fireflies since we spoke.

Ryan is a veteran of over 25 bands, but currently he is producing solo material and playing in Full Moon Light, a great band out of Ramona, California that combines diverse styles like a world renowned chef combines surprisingly harmonious flavors.

* Just a note for context- Ryan mentions a couple of mutual friends of ours who we have both been lucky enough to make music with - drummer Dan Faustine and bassist Matt Pitman - both incredible instrumentalists and generally swell guys.
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Omar Musisko is a songwriter/singer who has a knack for creating songs that sneak into your ears and turn a gear or two in your brain before working their way down to put a little squeeze on your heart.  Just as he made his way from Pittsburgh to San Diego, California, he's moved through genres from funk to punk to indie folk with the ease and grace of a seasoned traveler.  His latest project is a partnership with Amy Day called The Spiritual Motels that is clearly working beautifully on every musical level.

Our conversation takes us through a few stops on his musical path and touches on his drive to make music, how songs speak to him,  and how he makes time for creating in the midst of being a husband, father and a school psychologist. 

Omar joined me in spite of some audio difficulties and having to take a short break to comfort a child who was scared by the family dog, so I was very grateful for his time and commitment!  I think you'll find that he is as thoughtful in discussing music as he is in creating it.

Learn/listen/see more about The Spiritual Motels.
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