Neworleansmusicians.com Podcast

David Trahan
  • 5.0 (4)
  • Music Interviews
  • Updated Biweekly

Join us as we take a look behind the scenes with the independent musicians of New Orleans and surrounding areas in Louisiana. Learn about upcoming projects before they drop. Experience the rich heritage of iconic venues and get first had accounts of exclusive events. Musicians are remarkable people. Get to know them, their struggles, and the inspiration for their art. Neworleansmusicians.com is dedicated to uplifting the artists and providing them with the tools necessary to elevate their craft. We shine a spotlight on them, as well as highlight the music scene and educate everyone with our interviews, album reviews, and music scene news.

  1. 4d ago

    #98 Vocalist/ Guitarist Kyle Thomas

    Kyle Thomas spent his formative years torn between several worlds. He attended a catholic high school while helping write an album titled Slaughter In The Vatican. He sang in choir but also sang for thrash metal band Exhorder. He simultaneously navigated a quiet life in the suburbs and a life in a band that lead him to the seedier side of New Orleans. During those years, his genre existed in a void between punk and metal; a space whose disciples would often violently clash. But with a sound that transcended, Exhorder would serve to bridge that divide. And Kyle learned how to implement the things he learned in choir into his thrash metal existence. At times, Exhorder wasn’t there anymore. And at one point, his marriage, his home, his life in music, and the city as he knew it wasn’t either. Exhorder recently celebrated 40 years since their first gig. And through all of this Kyle’s guiding force has been compassion, unabated determination, and unbridled creativity. Kyle Thomas is an accomplished vocalist and guitarist. He has toured the world many times over. His discography extends considerably beyond the bands of which he has been a member. In addition to his work with Exhorder, Trouble, Alabama Thunderpussy, Floodgate, Pitts vs. Preps and numerous other projects, Kyle has contributed vocals to many recordings as a guest or session musician. I hope you enjoy the episode! Neworleansmusicians Grativy on NOM Branded For Exile on NOM Black Wall Symphony on NOM   Elevate your health and well-being. Shop Realmushrooms.com and support this show! Here’s 20%off just for our listeners.  SAVE ON MUSHROOMS!   Free trial for AI assisted editing with Opus Clip. Create viral short videos for social! OPUS CLIP FOR FREE! Donate to this show: SECURE PAYPAL DONATIONS

    #98 Vocalist/ Guitarist Kyle Thomas

  2. Aug 28

    #97 Mental Instabilities of Musicians

    In an effort to address aspects of musicianship that are left unsaid, this interview centers around mental instabilities of a musician. Joey Carbo of current band WOORMS has agreed to talk about his battle with manic depression, bipolar disorder, and anxiety. We cover a period of his life occurring from his late teens to present day. On a personal level, I can tell you this discussion took a lot of preparation. His level of discomfort left his stomach in knots, and at times left him at a loss for words. Past actions were not easy for him to admit much less explain or justify. But he pledged to be forthcoming in this experience, and I sincerely CANNOT sing his praise loud enough for that reason. I think that mental instabilities, while perhaps lying at the core of true creative innovation in the arts, are what lead many fellow musicians to self-destruct. The societal outlets for such maladies are virtually non-existent, and seeking qualified medical attention can be both confusing and intimidating. These were some of the reasons I reached out to Joey to construct an episode of such difficulty and significance. It is my hope that life-changing values can be extracted from its contents.  https://neworleansmusicians.com Elevate your health and well-being. Shop Realmushrooms.com and support this show! Here’s 20% off just for our listeners.  https://shop.realmushrooms.com?ref=1494 Free trial for AI assisted editing with Opus Clip. Create viral short videos for social! OPUS CLIP: https://tolt.link/nom Donate to this show: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=83ZWJWHNRAYNU

    #97 Mental Instabilities of Musicians

  3. Aug 8

    #96 Guitarist/ Vocalist Scott Guion

    Hey everybody, thanks so much for tuning in. Today I’ll be sitting down with guitarist and vocalist Scott Guion. For Scott, artists like John Denver and Barbara Streisan were the only types of music in his household growing up. You see Scott was a product of religion, so rock and roll just wasn’t tolerated. But when his older sister began to sneak in rock albums, previously unseen and unheard visual and audio mediums flipped a switch within Scott. Clarinet and saxophone were swapped out for a sought-after Stratocaster. In kind, the Beatles, Hendrix, and Led Zeppelin would lead him to KISS, AC/DC, and Motley Crüe. Exploring 80’s extreme music locally delivered members of heavy metal, punk, and thrash bands up close and personal. Scott would form metal/ punk hybrids like Cap’n Meathead and Rigid as three-piece New Orleans versions of bands that influenced him; Black Problem, Minute Men, Corrosion of Conformity, Black Flag, Fugazi, and Hüsker Dü.  Being a part of something not yet supported or popular, or mainstream, acted as both an obstacle and a unifying element. According to Scott, hindsight bears this obviously. But in the moment, the disconnect added to the struggle. New Orleans was and still is, honestly, a staunch supporter of trad jazz, funk, rhythm and blues, and nothing else. So, in the 80’s, local bands like Lump, Evil Nurse Sheila, and Burn Version were not punk for the sake of being punk. They were punk because they were on the fringe and different. Scott was oddball, a nerd, not fitting into any scene. But worshiping that Stratocaster meant he could share the stage with others drawn to the many facets of the underground scene.  Scott plays guitar and sings in a three-piece band named WILDCATS!, and plays bass in a three-piece band named Norco Lapalco. Which is set to record a full length album soon at Sound From Space Studio with two-time Grammy winner Chris Finney. Throughout the show, you will hear snips and descriptions of music from several current indie bands in Louisiana. Their links will be in the show notes. I do hope you enjoy the show!  https://neworleansmusicians.com Everstatic (Phantum Sun) https://neworleansmusicians.com/musician/301 Kepha Arcemont https://neworleansmusicians.com/musician/306 Hal Bradley https://neworleansmusicians.com/musician/295 Nounverber https://neworleansmusicians.com/musician/277 Bret Crooker (Bret Heart) https://neworleansmusicians.com/musician/264  Elevate your health and well-being. Shop Realmushrooms.com and support this show! Here’s 20% off just for our listeners.  https://shop.realmushrooms.com?ref=1494 Free trial for AI assisted editing with Opus Clip. Create viral short videos for social! OPUS CLIP: https://tolt.link/nom Donate to this show: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=83ZWJWHNRAYNU

    #96 Guitarist/ Vocalist Scott Guion

  4. Jul 17

    #95 Vocalist/ Multi-instrumentalist Dave Jordan

    Hello everyone and thanks so much for tuning in. Today I’ll be sitting down with Dave Jordan. Dave is a guitar player, songwriter, band leader, bass player, and singer.  He grew up in Mandeville, La., eventually settling in New Orleans. He is the anchor point for the Neighborhood Improvement Association. It’s what he calls an umbrella band that consists of a rotating roster of 50 or so members spread out across the country. This has allowed him to tour extensively without bearing the cost of room and board for a full band. He also plays solo and is in a trio called Almost Acoustic.  Growing up, church was his first exposure to music. And while he sang there and in school plays, being the youngest of several siblings meant the rock of the 70’s garnered the majority of his attention. While Dave didn’t actually pick up an instrument until he was about 18, things moved relatively quickly for him in retrospect. His college band, Hopper Grass was a hippy-esque jam band that blended the sounds of the Grateful Dead with the Meters, the Allman Brothers, and the like. Hopper Grass would morph into funk band Juice, where Dave would set down the acoustic for an electric bass. While playing a house party near Jazz Fest, a booking agent happened by and would eventually have Juice booked across the west. The momentum grew over the next 15 years, with Juice playing 180 dates a year for several years.  Amidst his life story, we explore several concepts like butterflies versus the rush before and during shows, how significant life events like death and divorce affect bands and members, and how marketing and authenticity can come into question for a band that is not genre-focused. We go on to speak about what kills a band, what breaks a band financially, and what strategies lead a band to success.   Dave Jordan has recorded and performed with a broad spectrum of musicians including Art Neville, George Porter, Joe Krown, and Anders Osbourne. He’s played main stage Jazz Fest several years, filled large venues in over 40 contiguous states, even venturing out into Maui and Alaska for shows.  There will be a link in the show notes to connect you with Dave, along with links to connecting you with ways to support this show. This can be directly through PayPal donations, or through our sponsors. Right now we have Opus Clip for video editing and Realmushrooms.com for health and lifestyle. Both of those included links will land you hefty discounts and perks while affording this show a small commission. And hey, if neither of those are a fit for you, it would mean so much to me if you would consider following the show. This tells the robot world we’re cool enough to show to more people. Thanks again for tuning in and I hope you enjoy!! DAVE JORDAN: https://www.davejordanmusic.net/ https://neworleansmusicians.com Elevate your health and well-being. Shop Realmushrooms.com and support this show! Here’s 20% off just for our listeners.  https://shop.realmushrooms.com?ref=1494 Free trial for AI assisted editing with Opus Clip. Create viral short videos for social! OPUS CLIP: https://tolt.link/nom Donate to this show: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=83ZWJWHNRAYNU

    #95 Vocalist/ Multi-instrumentalist Dave Jordan

  5. Jul 3

    #94 Multi-Instrumentalist/ Vocalist Ian Falgout

    For this episode, I traveled to Morgan City to speak with an international session and touring multi-instrumentalist and vocalist from Morgan City, Louisiana, Ian Falgout.  Ian took up music back in grade school on drums and baritone. From there through high school, he went back and forth between Morgan City and Santa Barbara, California. Settling in on drums, guitar, and vocals, he would eventually pass on music scholarships at Nicholls State, LSU and Ole Miss, choosing the west coast over the gulf coast as a base of operations.  He played in several garage bands while holding the position of percussion director at Carpenteria High School  Bars and open mics would give way to session work, and by 19 he was earning a living in studios as a hired gun. Back then, personality and presence opened many doors, as remote work was much less prevalent than today.  We speak about the tough trades that musicians in his position frequently navigate, like forgoing songwriting and publishing credits for experience and exposure.  He shares stories about challenging moments of workmanship and camaraderie working with Eric Burdon of The Animals and Lynn Straight of Snot.  We also discuss the tricky relationship between time spent as a hired gun for the money verses time spent on one’s own projects for the pursuit of something greater.  Ian’s own project back then was a band by the name of Windsor, which would eventually be signed to the Warped Tour and Mtv. This is again where presence and personality opened many doors.  On this same sentiment, we move into the sacrifices touring musicians make. He mentions what it’s like putting the key in his front door for the first time in ten months.  Over the years, experiences with interesting people and places have been Ian’s divining rod in leu of the dollar. And the unmistakable place in the pocket of a Louisiana man has kept him in demand.  Ian is a published BMI singer and songwriter, has appeared on Mtv, VH1, ABC and Fox, played with bands and members from Lynyrd Skynrd, Dr. John, Steppenwolf, Ugly Kid Joe, Talking Heads, Dire Straights and just so many other global names. His current band, Kit Shicker tours nationally and their recent single Louisiana Hearts is on streaming and radio internationally. So I thank you all for tuning in and I hope you enjoy!! https://www.facebook.com/iangroove https://neworleansmusicians.com Elevate your health and well-being. Shop Realmushrooms.com and support this show! Here’s 20% off just for our listeners.  https://shop.realmushrooms.com?ref=1494 Free trial for AI assisted editing with Opus Clip. Create viral short videos for social! OPUS CLIP: https://tolt.link/nom Donate to this show: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=83ZWJWHNRAYNU

    #94 Multi-Instrumentalist/ Vocalist Ian Falgout

  6. Jun 14

    #93 Producer/ Engineer Chris Finney

    For this episode, I sat down with Producer, Engineer, and Mixer Chris Finney of Sound From Space Studio in New Orleans. In the past, Chris has worked at HOB and Jimmy’s Music Club, as well as owned and worked for several studios including Studio in the Country and The Music Shed. He’s a Grammy winner, and a Disney sound score producer and engineer. He’s worked at WYES television station filming Jazz Fest and Bonaroo, and made an impact filming and producing musician sets during the pandemic. We start by examining the experiences that lead him to a now 35 years in the music business.  While he had interest in guitar, keys and drums, and played all of them, car stereos, believe it or not, started him on a pursuit of the elements of sound like clarity and phase. We discuss how a fortuitous turn of events landed him on the road with Cowboy Mouth when he first turned 18 back in ’93. He shares with me a moment when Ellis Marsales gave him a bit of tough love, dissuading his pursuit of musicianship and steering him toward sound engineering. We recognize the role engineering played in the age of shredding. Together, we also recollect the moment when hair metal succumbed to grunge, and the Alt-rock tsunami that followed. He talks about the time Aerosmith dropped in to HOB unexpected and what the performance was like from the mixing board. Chris has worked with artists like BB King, Eric Clapton, NIN, Johnny Guitar Watson, Earl King, Neville Brothers, Allman Bros, Gov’t Mule, Trombone Shorty, and The Revivalists. Navigating this stratosphere, we discuss how not to be starstruck and why such a concept makes sense. We delve into the hot button topic of analog vs digital and how the reluctance to commute was part of what cost him a studio. There’s a diff between being part of a performance and creating content. Chris opens these partitions through stories of large corporations and local mediums.  We also look into the delicate line walked between a producer, an engineer, and a band in sessions and on stage.  And we mull over how to insert a value proposition into a creative endeavor. It’s ok that money be exchanged in the midst of music. I think you will find that Chris has played this and other hands well. There are going to be a few links in the description for this show. They’ll connect you with chris as well as link you with ways to support this show. It would mean so much if you would hit the subscribe button to help me take these personal moments further. Chris at Sound From Space Studio - https://www.soundfrom.space/ Neworleansmusicians.com - Networking and Promoting Bands For Free Elevate your health and well-being. Shop Realmushrooms.com and support this show! Here’s 20% off just for our listeners.  https://shop.realmushrooms.com?ref=1494 Free trial for AI assisted editing with Opus Clip. Create viral short videos for social! OPUS CLIP: https://tolt.link/nom Donate to this show: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=83ZWJWHNRAYNU

    #93 Producer/ Engineer Chris Finney

  7. May 29

    #92 Neworleansmusicians.com President David Trahan

    I was interviewed by Tim Tregle of the Getting To Know You Podcast. My name is David Trahan, and I am President of Neworleansmusicians.com. Host Tim and myself delve into the many ways my website covers the Louisiana music scene and the musicians within it. We also discuss several important points to consider for all content creators out there, including social media pitfalls, show formats, quality over quantity, etc. I thought this episode of value not only to lay out the many reasons my project is an asset to the community, but to also touch on strategies for content creators and musicians alike. Above all else, human connection and imparting value to your audience are first priority. I am confident my audience will find value in the principles and insights contained within this episode.  Neworleansmusicians.com https://www.youtube.com/@neworleansmusicians GTKY Podcast - https://open.spotify.com/show/4M3jsZKtqea1MfHGeF49vA?si=fN0cmFZGQPioNp1wO-uz7Q https://neworleansmusicians.com Elevate your health and well-being. Shop Realmushrooms.com and support this show! Here’s 20% off just for our listeners.  https://shop.realmushrooms.com?ref=1494 Free trial for AI assisted editing with Opus Clip. Create viral short videos for social! OPUS CLIP: https://tolt.link/nom Donate to this show: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=83ZWJWHNRAYNU

    #92 Neworleansmusicians.com President David Trahan

  8. May 8

    #91 Vocalist/ Guitarist Theophile Bourgeois

    Welcome everyone, and thank you for joining me today on another musical journey. I went out to Lafitte, Louisiana for this episode and sat down with guitarist and vocalist Theophile Bourgeois who founded and currently plays in Them Ol Ghosts. They’re a four piece, melodic, southern rock band with a catalog to which you can slow dance as well as rock out.  Theophile began early in music, starting out on drums around 8 yrs old, but quickly moved onto guitar two years later. And it’s where he’s stayed ever since. Heavy metal consumed him early on, and it became the voice of an angst-filled teen throughout high school. We talk the facets and factors of his transition from there which included trading screaming for harmony and airing out frustrations for depth of meaning in lyricism. He pays much respect to his hometown, citing the mysterious charm of the swamp and historical prominence as the old stomping grounds for infamous pirate Jean Laffite.  We also discuss the inspiration he drew from artists like Dax Riggs, whose ability to bring haunting, melodic imagery to Acid Bath’s thrash metal struck Theophile as admirable and dynamic.  I found Theophile to be enthusiastic and forthcoming about his personal life. And I believe it’s what made this episode such a great one. We were able to parse through the impact becoming a father, family death, and a pandemic had on his music career; which, incidentally, almost ceased due to these factors. But hearing him describe how he waded back into those waters once again will definitely help some of our musician listeners out there that currently find themselves at a crossroads.  But hey I don’t want to give everything away. So, stick around because there’s something for everyone in this episode. I’ve got Them Ol Ghosts site link in the show notes if you want to learn more, as well as ways to support this show. You can shop with realmushrooms.com for health and wellness. And if you use our code you will take advantage of 20% off your purchase! We do accept donations through Paypay. That link is also in the show notes. And hey, if neither of these is a fit, you can always just subscribe to this show because that helps us get this content out to more listeners like you. This is all part of a larger network I built, Neworleansmusicians.com, where I promote Louisiana musicians for free. So, anything is everything when it comes to support. I welcome your support in any form.  Ok! Well that’s it for all the hubbub. Let’s get right into it. Here’s Theophile Bourgois of Them Ol Ghosts. Enjoy! https://www.themolghosts.com/ https://neworleansmusicians.com Elevate your health and well-being. Shop Realmushrooms.com and support this show! Here’s 20% off just for our listeners.  https://shop.realmushrooms.com?ref=1494 Free trial for AI assisted editing with Opus Clip. Create viral short videos for social! OPUS CLIP: https://tolt.link/nom Donate to this show: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=83ZWJWHNRAYNU

    #91 Vocalist/ Guitarist Theophile Bourgeois
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

Join us as we take a look behind the scenes with the independent musicians of New Orleans and surrounding areas in Louisiana. Learn about upcoming projects before they drop. Experience the rich heritage of iconic venues and get first had accounts of exclusive events. Musicians are remarkable people. Get to know them, their struggles, and the inspiration for their art. Neworleansmusicians.com is dedicated to uplifting the artists and providing them with the tools necessary to elevate their craft. We shine a spotlight on them, as well as highlight the music scene and educate everyone with our interviews, album reviews, and music scene news.

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