LaunchLeft

For this episode of LaunchLeft Podcast, Rain is joined by renowned producer and musician John Congleton, who shares his journey in the music industry and his collaboration with emerging artist Sarah Kinsley. They explore the creative process, the significance of authenticity in art, and the unique dynamics of producing music. John Congleton shares his early musical influences and the pivotal moments that led him to become a producer, reflecting on his upbringing in a musically rich environment and the profound impact of punk rock on his creative journey. John launches Sarah Kinsley who reflects on working with John on her latest album, “Escaper”, highlighting the collaborative nature of music production and the challenges of translating studio work to live performances. ----------------- 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 --------------------- In This Episode: [5:30] John Congleton's Early Music Journey [10:48] The Role of Artists and Creativity [16:43] Mentorship and Influence of Steve Albini [21:33] John launches Sarah Kinsley [27:06] Creating Music with Physical Instruments [33:07] The Impact of Technology on Music Creation [38:25] Social Media and Artistic Perception Key Takeaways: ​Everyone is inherently creative, akin to breathing. It's about recognizing and nurturing that creativity in everyday life. Congleton believes that creativity is as natural as breathing. Everyone possesses it, but often, people forget their innate artistic potential. Recognizing and nurturing this creativity can lead to personal fulfillment and innovation. Artists serve as conduits for expressing the human experience. They capture the essence of what it feels like to be alive at a particular moment in time, offering insights that go beyond mere information through all forms of art and expression. The digital age presents new challenges, such as the instant playback of music and the pervasive influence of social media. Artists must balance these tools with their creative instincts to maintain authenticity. Performing live offers a unique opportunity to connect with audiences in a shared, ephemeral experience. It allows artists to reinterpret their work and engage with listeners on a deeper level. RESOURCE LINKS: LaunchLeft Podcast Smart Link Links for John Congleton https://www.instagram.com/congletonjohn Links for Sarah Kinsley https://www.instagram.com/sarahkinsleyd https://www.tiktok.com/@sarahkinsleyd https://twitter.com/sarahkinsleyd https://www.sarahkinsleymusic.com/ John Congleton’s Bio Producer of some of the most cutting edge music over the past ten years, Grammy award-winning producer John Congleton is known for challenging the artists with whom he works and the listeners who enjoy their work. From his astounding drum sounds to the aggressive guitar sounds he conjures, Congleton defines modern record production. Starting as a teenager in Dallas, Congleton studied and learned the craft of engineering from the ground up. While recording bands on the local scene he developed into an engineer of note. Soon he was being called to record projects as diverse as Kirk Franklin, Erykah Badu and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, all the while continuing to work with the local indie rock scene. Upon returning to Dallas, Congleton quickly established himself as the best producer in town. It was while working with the Polyphonic Spree he met Annie Clark, now better known as St. Vincent. Their partnership over six albums has won Grammy awards and been universally praised by critics as some of the most important music of our times. Now based in Los Angeles, Congleton continues to grow and flourish. In addition to the repeat business from long-time clients, he’s now established among the best of the best. Recent productions include Death Cab for Cutie, The Murder Capital, Tegan and Sara, Regina Spektor, Wallows, Angel Olsen, Sharon Van Etten and many more.

Join us in celebrating Tom Petty’s birthday by welcoming his daughter, artist/director Adria Petty to the pod. Adria talks about what it was like losing her father and how she is working through the emotions by honoring him. She shares deeply about the impact he had on her as an artist and her commitment to keeping his legacy alive by releasing and reissuing music and film from his archive. We talk about his Gainesville roots, his first band Mudcrutch, the film ‘Heartbreakers Beach Party’, his generosity and so much more! Adria then launches Amy Helm who discusses her new album, ‘Silver City’, and her experiences on the road from her current tour. She talks about collaborations she has done, and what is next for her. Stay till the end to hear a live version of her song, ‘Money on 7’. ----------------- 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 --------------------- IN THIS EPISODE: [1:35] Adria talks about losing her father to fentanyl. [9:08] What is Adria’s connection to Gainesville? [14:12] When things get tough, how does Adria use art to get through? [20:19] How can we express our shared humanity and come back together as people? [21:12] What was it like for Adria to have to go through her dads estate and discover all he left behind? [32:34] Adria discusses Heartbreakers Beach Party and what it’s about. [35:55] Amy Helm joins the show to talk about her album, What the Flood Leaves Behind. [38:15] Amy shares about being on the road and touring. [43:12] We hear about Amy’s record and collaborators she worked with. [52:03] What types of workshops is Amy creating? [55:28] Listen to a snippet of Money on 7 by Amy Helm. KEY TAKEAWAYS: Allow yourself to grieve and feel the loss of someone you love, but also think of the joyful times and how they would want you to be living your life now. Music, poetry, and art are a beautiful way to create and share your emotions, pain, positivity with the world. It is a way for people to connect with one another. Tom Petty’s legacy lives on with his daughter, Adria, and all the work that she is doing to continue putting his music and talent out to the world. RESOURCE LINKS: LaunchLeft Podcast Smart Link Links for Adria Petty: Adria Petty's Instagram Adria Petty's Website Links for Amy Helm: Amy Helm's Instagram Amy Helm's Facebook BIOGRAPHIES: Adria Petty’s Bio Adria Petty is an American director, editor, art director, and artist. Amy Helm’s Bio When creating her fourth album, the soulful and reflective Silver City, Amy Helm was guided by her North Star: women’s voices. “Women whispering, singing, shouting their stories - speaking the truth. I wanted to dig into that inherited narrative and reach for what I could.” The epistolary anthology is a collection of conversations that travel through time, exploring and celebrating womanhood in all its complexities. Silver City blends the folk twang of Helm’s childhood with gospel and soul, drawing inspiration from varied stories: the life of Helm’s great-grandmother, the story of a young fan struggling with substance abuse, Helm’s own life as a single mother and hard-touring singer. Recorded at Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock, New York, and produced by Josh Kaufman, the album finds Helm exploring themes of womanhood, single motherhood, and personal struggles, offering songs that are deeply personal and narrative-driven. With Silver City, Helm embraces the beauty of age, survival, and transformation through her powerful, story-rooted performances.

This week, on LaunchLeft, Rain is joined by Sharon Van Etten. In this episode Sharon talks with Rain about how she got into music and what inspires her to write. We hear about Van Etten’s latest single Every Time the Sun Comes Up, and her happiness with finding a band that excites and moves her musically. Sharon then introduces Maxim Ludwig to the conversation and we learn about his new music, how they met, and some of their great stories, insights, and revelations about art, touring, and friendship. The episode closes with Maxim’s song Baby, I Wanna Be Your Lover Tonight. ----------------- 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 --------------------- IN THIS EPISODE: [1:17] Where does Sharon draw inspiration creatively? [5:32] Sharon discusses her newly released single Every Time the Sun Comes Up. [7:56] Did Sharon ever envision being a musician? [14:18] Does Sharon prefer playing in the studio or live? [18:12] When was the first time Sharon really felt connected to music? [24:40] Maxim joins the show and Sharon share’s how they met. [37:03] How do music and visual art tie in together for Maxim? [40:39] What are everyone's thoughts on backing tracks? [48:40] How long has Sharon been following Maxim? [51:04] How did Maxim pick out the guitar for Sharon? [56:44] Why is live music so amazing? [1:00:20] Maxim introduces his song Baby, I Wanna Be Your Lover Tonight. KEY TAKEAWAYS: Take your time with your music, the pieces will fall into place when it's meant to be. Sharon is just now feeling like she has her band together after years and years of being a musician. Find like minded people and mentors to help you get started. Maxim started by helping Sharon, but learned so much and has been able to make his own music. There is nothing quite like the energy connection between audience and performer. RESOURCE LINKS: LaunchLeft Podcast Smart Link Links for Sharon Van Etten: Sharon Van Etten's Website Sharon Van Etten's X Sharon Van Etten's Instagram Sharon Van Etten's Facebook Sharon Van Etten's YouTube Sharon Van Etten's TikTok Links for Maxim Ludwig: Maxim Ludwig's Instagram Maxim Ludwig's YouTube BIOGRAPHIES: Sharon Van Etten is an artist and recognized as one of the most influential and iconic songwriters of our time. She released her sixth full-length album, We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong, this past May. Leading into its release, Pitchfork profiled Van Etten stating, “Sharon Van Etten Is an Institution Now,” while Rolling Stone called her “one of the most fearless, soul-shredding songwriters on the planet.” Van Etten made her return to The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in support of the new album and took the “soul-strengthening” (New Yorker) Wild Hearts Tour with Angel Olsen and Julien Baker all over the country. In support of Van Etten’s 2019 release, Remind Me Tomorrow, she was profiled in The New York Times’ Arts & Leisure section and the album was featured prominently in best of 2019 lists by NPR Music, Billboard, Fresh Air, Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, ESQUIRE, The New Yorker and more. Van Etten has collaborated with artists ranging from Courtney Barnett and Joshua Homme to Norah Jones and Angel Olsen, and been covered by artists including Fiona Apple, Lucinda Williams, Big Red Machine and Idles. She has performed on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Austin City Limits TV and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Van Etten was a guest star in the Netflix series The OA and guest starred in Eliza Hittman’s “Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Always.” She performed in David Lynch’s revival of Twin Peaks. Off-screen, she wrote her first score for Katherine Dieckmann’s movie Strange Weather and the closing title song for Tig Notaro’s show, Tig. Most recently, she appeared in “How It Ends,” which also featured two songs by Van Etten.

Welcome back to LaunchLeft! This week Rain is joined by Alexis Taylor from Hot Chip and Lawrence from Mozart Estate. Throughout this episode they discuss how Alexis and Lawrence met and why Alexis chose to Launch Mozart Estate. They also talk about the power of music and healing, and how music and other forms of art can make such a big impact on the world. They chat about their individual careers, what their next steps are, and how the expenses of creating new records or playing live impact their creativity. Tune in to the episode to hear why art and music are so important and enjoy Lawrence’s (Mozart Estate) new song to close the show. ----------------- 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 --------------------- IN THIS EPISODE: [1:34] Was there another artist that uplifted or helped Alexis when he was getting started? [11:33] What are the different types of artists? [13:20] Lawrence from Mozart Estate joins the show. [14:04] How did Lawrence and Alexis meet? [25:31] Would Alexis ever do anything else other than music? [30:59] What other bands have influenced Lawrence and Alexis? [39:05] Has Alexis dealt with competitiveness in his time as an artist? [38:58] What are Rain, Alexis and Lawrence currently focusing on for their individual careers? [50:13] What is the end goal of chasing your dreams? [58:67] If you are a new listener of Mozart Estate what should you start listening to? KEY TAKEAWAYS: There are different forms of art that can help people connect and work through trauma, such as a film, or music, or piece of art. Artists are such an important part of our humanity. By centering the truth of art will allow the gift to continue to spread. Keep holding belief in yourself and following your dreams, that’s what will pull you through when times are hard. RESOURCE LINKS: LaunchLeft Podcast Smart Link Links for Alexis Taylor: Alexis Taylor Instagram Alexis Taylor Komi Alexis Taylor's Merchandise Alexis Taylor's Facebook Links for Mozart Estate: Mozart Estate Instagram Mozart Estate Facebook Mozart Estate X Profile Cherry Red Website Alexis Taylor’s Bio Best known as a founding member of the UK electropop outfit Hot Chip, Alexis Taylor also pursues a solo career as an introspective singer-songwriter one moment and a synth/drum machine/guitar wig-out noise-maker the next, finding different angles on his music with each album. Taylor's debut, ‘Rubbed Out’, arrived in 2008, a mix of electronic improvisations and bubble gum lofi pop, somewhere between Alex Chilton, Paul McCartney and Arthur Russell. Since then, Alexis has released a further five albums; ‘Await Barbarians’, ‘Piano’, ‘Listen With(out) Piano’ (to be played on two turntables simultaneously) ‘Beautiful Thing’ - with DFA/Unkle producer Tim Goldsworthy - and his latest offering ‘Silence’ - a personal and reflective, almost entirely acoustic record released in 2021 featuring jazz improviser Kenichi Iwasa, harpist Rachel Horton Kitchlew and double-bassist Sam Becker. Alexis has collaborated with the likes of Peter Gabriel, Robert Wyatt, Bonnie 'Prince' Billy and David Byrne, as well as remixing Neu!, Au Revoir Simone and Kraftwerk (alongside his Hot Chip bandmates). He is also a member of Atomic Bomb, About Group, Fainting By Numbers & Fimber Bravo. Mozart Estate’s Bio Lawrence is known for fronting influential pop groups Felt, Denim and Go-Kart Mozart. Now he’s back on the road and using the moniker Mozart Estate. A new name for a new time, he says. A new band too and a brand-new album out now entitled Pop-up! Ker-ching! And The Possibilities Of Modern Shopping. The band are touring the UK all summer and beyond. Will Hodgkinson’s book Street-Level Superstar, A Year With Lawrence is published on 5th September.