15 episodes
Nerds On Tour Abraham Levitan
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- Music
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5.0 • 32 Ratings
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Host Abraham Levitan talks with music people about money, motivation, and the rest of life. Nerds On Tour fills a void of mentorship and “from-the-trenches” advice that Abraham noticed as a younger touring musician. It offers a place to get honest, funny, and occasionally wonky tips from great artists about health, money management, and creative workflow and habits.
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Will Oldham on Overthinking, Mansplaining, and Learning to Love Nina Simone
Will Oldham returns to Nerds On Tour, this time in Will and Abraham’s mutual hometown, Louisville. An inspiring dive into Will’s philosophies on life and art.
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Lita Ford on The Runaways, Ozzy Osbourne, and Selling Men’s Cologne
Lita Ford's first band, The Runaways, became a global phenomenon. Months later, she was selling men's cologne at the mall. She discusses Nikki Sixx, Ozzy Osbourne, and the value of having the right team.
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Will Oldham on Drag City, Quality of Life, and Being Bonnie "Prince" Billy
Abraham talks with one of his all-time heroes, Will Oldham a.k.a. Bonnie “Prince” Billy, about the hard choices that make for a satisfying long-term music career.
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John Doe, L.A. Punk Legend, on X, Bud Light, and Multiple Breakfasts
X frontman John Doe is a living
legend. He discusses X's career, their Bud Light commercial, and
the reasons why L.A. punks worship The Doors. -
Patti Niemi, Sticking It Out Through Juilliard, Anxiety Attacks, and an Orchestral Career
Classical percussionist Patti Niemi gives an insider’s account of surviving Juilliard, enduring high-pressure auditions, and getting a tenured position with an orchestra. She’s battled serious anxiety issues throughout.
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Jason Collett on Broken Social Scene, Going Solo, & the Licensing Game
Jason Collett left Broken Social Scene at the height of the band's global fame. His resultant solo career has led to some lucrative ad placements as well as his self-aware new album, "Song & Dance Man".
Customer Reviews
Inside the music business with intelligence and humor
Abraham Levitan has unlimited potential with this podcast - I really feel like he's just scratching the surface of where this could go. He's already been able to interview an amazing variety of Chicago area and national music figures who are all unique and present their own stories on what it takes to succeed in the music business. He's not afraid to ask hard questions about money, motivation, and the malaise that make up the day-to-day operations of anyone in the music business. All of this is delivered with refreshing honesty and an aw-shucks sense of humor that really seems to bring out the best in his guests. Honestly, I'd pay good money to listen to him talk to John Roderick again- it was absolutely hilarious. His measured and intellectual approach toward his guests is a great complement to the breadth of his own personal knowledge, having lived as a touring musician himself.
This is an amazing podcast for anyone who has an interest in becoming a working musician, or someone like me who just enjoys music and is fascinated by how hard musicians need to work to succeed, and how lucky they sometimes have to be to truly take their careers to the next level.
Interesting and unique
Those who want to learn where the music industry has been and where it’s going will have much to gain from this podcast. Thanks for creating something that’s smart and funny.
Life through Music’s Guts
I like this podcast so far because I like learning about the mechanics of things. And given all the mythology surrounding music’s icons, and the musical archetypes I carry in my head, the mechanics in this case often surprise me. So that’s fun. Abraham seems to be able to deftly draw details from his guests, and they sound excited to talk to him, which is something you want to happen in an interview-based podcast. There are only four episodes out and I’ve already had a binge-listen session with three of them this weekend.