Flow State with Harry Mack Harry Mack
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- Music
Harry Mack, multi-talented artist and rapper known for his electrifying freestyle rap videos, explores the many facets of creativity and artistic flow states. Through conversations with notable artists, musicians, and thought leaders, and casual explorations of Harry’s own process, Flow State seeks to inspire the creative spark within.
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Start With What You Love
It’s time for a brand new installment of Flow State with Harry Mack! In this solo episode, Harry talks about his goals for musical growth through more collaborations with other artists. He answers questions about getting started in music and how to push past the difficulties of a low energy audience. He also addresses the difference between copying from your favorite musicians’ style and using them as an influence to help you grow. After reacting to a freestyle submission and a classic clip — Prom Night in DC — Harry recaps this episode’s journey in freestyle.
Show Notes:
Search by Lyric with Genius
https://genius.com/
Atomic Habits by James Clear
https://bookshop.org/a/102858/9780735211292
Kind of Blue by Miles Davis
https://www.milesdavis.com/albums/kind-of-blue-legacy-edition/
Prom Night in DC (Guerrilla Bars 25)
https://youtu.be/fShjMXWu6kU?si=6cuy6Zf0MFTl6DrF&t=1125
00:00:00 Introduction
00:01:53 Creative Collaboration for Musical Growth
00:12:34 Question 1: How do you navigate the fear of unintentionally copying someone?
00:25:11 Question 2: How do you get started making beats and music?
00:34:21 Question 3: How do you keep the energy flowing when people are closed off?
00:41:28 Question 4: What catches your ear in a beat for a freestyle or written?
00:47:01 Freestyle Submission
00:53:29 Reacting to Prom Night in DC
01:09:19 Closing Freestyle -
Daru Jones: In The Pocket, Crafting An Identity
In this episode of Flow State, Harry welcomes two-time Grammy winner Daru Jones to the podcast. Best known for his genre-bending drumming and unique drum setup, Daru has performed, recorded, and toured with legendary musicians including Jack White, Pete Rock, Gloria Gaynor, Slum Village, Talib Kweli, Black Milk, and more. Daru tells stories about coming up in gospel music and discovering jazz and hip-hop through drumming. They discuss creating your own style in music, forging a path that transcends genre, and becoming anointed by the flow state. Bookended by studio jam sessions, this episode of Flow State is not to be missed.
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Show Notes
NAMM
https://www.namm.org/
Daru Jones with Jack White - Ball and Biscuit/Don’t Hurt Yourself/Jesus Is Coming Soon (Live on SNL)
https://youtu.be/Ai9b2IO5Ncs?si=nlzw9A2QcT5AS4__
Daru Jones with Jack White - Lazaretto (Live on SNL)
https://youtu.be/hwNM-PSBeCY?si=kxsOA1N6JBcSZUjw
0:00:00 Intro Jam Session
0:03:31 Harry Introduces Daru Jones
0:08:53 Daru’s Origins with the Drums
0:12:59 Musical Memory
0:15:39 First Listening to Hip-Hop
0:21:29 Touring with Slum Village and the J Dilla influence
0:31:15 Playing Different Styles of Music
0:35:20 Daru’s Drum Setup
0:45:47 Flow State and Being Anointed
0:52:53 When Harry and Daru First Met
0:56:48 Closing Jam Session -
This Is Non-Negotiable
In this episode, Harry explores some of the lessons he’s learned about sticking to goals, staying on track, and addressing what - if anything - he would change about his freestyle career. Harry also dives into his roots as a jazz musician with stories about coming up as a young jazz improviser, learning about how to really listen to the musical conversation, and offering recommendations for some of his favorite classic jazz musicians and albums. After fresh reactions to a multi-lingual freestyle submission and a classic Guerrilla Bars moment, Harry closes out the episode in his traditional way — through freestyle.
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Show Notes:
Relaxin’ with the Miles Davis Quintet
https://www.milesdavis.com/albums/relaxin-with-the-miles-davis-quintet/
Art Blakey
http://artblakey.com/
John Coltrane
https://www.johncoltrane.com/
Sounding Well Writ (Guerrilla Bars 7)
https://youtu.be/8JPdpyjwU7w?si=rl6sto-yJm6brJ0S&t=159
Prove it to Myself
https://www.harrymackofficial.com/prove-it-to-myself
Get Away From Everything
https://www.harrymackofficial.com/get-away-from-everything
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00:00:00 Introduction
00:01:09 Kobe Bryant and the Non-Negotiable Contract
00:09:49 Self-Compassion and Getting Back On Track
00:23:06 Question #1: If I could start over…
00:29:18 Question #2: Jazz Artist Recommendations
00:39:26 Question #3: The Jazz - Freestyle Connection
00:45:25 Freestyle Submission
01:00:01 Reacting to Guerrilla Bars 7
01:10:42 Closing Freestyle -
Rick Glassman: Pushing Boundaries, Letting The Audience In
Alright y’all— after 2 exhilarating improvisational explorations on his acclaimed podcast Take Your Shoes Off, it was time to bring the incomparable Rick Glassman into Flow State I knew it’d be a great pod, but I had no idea I’d get to reap the benefits of Rick’s PCS (Podcast Consulting Service) free of charge! I just genuinely love hanging out with this guy so much. It was awesome to hear about the parallels between my approach to doing improvised concerts and Rick’s approach to editing and animating his podcast. Also the narrative freestyle toward the end of this ep had my adrenaline soaring!!!! I think y’all are gonna dig this one— thanks so much for being here and enjoy
SHOW NOTES:
Sur Jazz’s Portra 400
https://youtu.be/YzLWJOloaTI?si=26AaljZ064nl8OqO
https://surjazz.bandcamp.com/album/portra-400
Harry Mack on TYSO - #195
https://youtu.be/Hs5LSHuseL8?si=4eUzeOSgNTmI9xxJ
Harry Mack & Lamorne Morris on TYSO - #243
https://youtu.be/A3mHjf6lt-w?si=Qmpj2uSeAdaeMRh-
I Am Phenomenal
https://youtu.be/pEZCTUymiUw?si=Gi4UA-5nxqCdLS2J
Rick Glassman’s Will Smith Monologue on TYSO
https://youtu.be/2GjobYxWAmk?si=ZzcvXoZNEYb0dXKB&t=4021
Jim Kwik
https://www.jimkwik.com/
Hypest Prom Ever (Guerrilla Bars 25)
https://youtu.be/fShjMXWu6kU?t=1122
New Music OUT NOW:
https://harrymackofficial.com/listen
Timestamps:
00:00:00 Introduction
00:00:47 Podcasting Advice From Rick
00:11:03 Take Your Shoes Off
00:18:49 Struggles with Watching Yourself
00:21:16 Being Cool
00:28:08 Being Willing to Fail
00:31:03 Performance as Play
00:37:53 Focusing on Image vs Being Present (Smile and Be Ugly, Dude)
00:46:20 Visual Contextualization
01:03:34 Pee Break Freestyle
01:07:47 Long Form Freestyling
01:08:52 Three Girls At the Guggenheim Freestyle
01:18:00 Visualizing the Scene
01:22:59 Closing Conversation -
The Magic Of Guerrilla Bars
What's going on, y'all? Welcome to another episode of Flow State. In this episode, I express my love for David Copperfield, we react to episode one of my Guerrilla Bars series, I answer some questions from the community, talk about my morning routine, react to a dope freestyle submitted from one of y'all, and close it out with the bars like we always do- Let's go!
*Hypest Prom Ever (Guerrilla Bars 25)*
https://youtu.be/fShjMXWu6kU?t=1122
*Guerrilla Bars Episode 1*
https://youtu.be/zqSNeMxCWq8
*Di3sel Optics on Omegle Bars 18*
https://youtu.be/VBBMfHGMs7I?t=786
*Limitless* by Jim Kwik
https://bookshop.org/p/books/limitless-expanded-edition-upgrade-your-brain-learn-anything-faster-and-unlock-your-exceptional-life-jim-kwik/20284792?ean=9781401968717
*The Artist’s Way* by Julia Cameron
https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-artist-s-way-30th-anniversary-edition-julia-cameron/6665657?ean=9780143129257
*Atomic Habits* by James Clear
https://bookshop.org/p/books/atomic-habits-an-easy-proven-way-to-build-good-habits-break-bad-ones-james-clear/12117739?ean=9780735211292
0:00 Intro
2:31 Shooting Guerrilla Bars
7:17 The Busking Experience
12:43 Seeing David Copperfield
24:47 Reacting to Guerrilla Bars 1
34:10 Q1: Unforgettable Content Moments
41:07 Q2: Is Flow State Contagious?
48:37 Q3: Dealing With Stress
1:02:26 Freestyle Submission
1:09:20 Closing Freestyle -
Josh Harmon: Drum Comedy & The Rhythm of Language
Josh Harmon is one of the most unique and entertaining content creators out there today and it was a pleasure to have him as a guest on Flow State! Josh is best known for his Rhythms of Comedy series and for creating live sound effects for scenes from some of your favorite cartoons, TV episodes, and movies. Part of what was so cool about getting to meet him in person and learning about his story was seeing how many parallels we share! From a childhood passion for drumming to forging his own path in online content creation during lockdown, this is definitely a man after my own heart. Hope y’all enjoy and be sure to check out his amazing work!
Follow Josh on Socials:
https://beacons.ai/joshharmon/
MonoNeon
David Dockery
MITCH HEDBERG // Rhythms of Comedy: Ep. 2
KEY & PEELE: Rhythms of Comedy (part 2)
The Moth
Josh Harmon Business Insider interview
Creating the sounds of “Ratatouille”
Timestamps:
1:51 What Does Josh Do?
7:36 Getting Into Character
11:52 Keeping It Authentic
15:57 Learning How To Drum
22:38 Mitch Hedburg Video
26:15 Find Your Interest
28:12 Rhythm and Language
33:17 Key & Peele Video
34:20 Seeing The Rhythmic Matrix
37:00 Before Content
38:57 Relationship with Social Media
44:32 NBC and The Today Show
47:05 Taking The Leap + Ratatouille Video
54:24 Mental Health Aspects of Being A Creator
1:03:54 Closing Freestyle