We talked with soul/pop singer and pianist Nicole Berke about her upcoming album, her musical upbringing, and moving to Portland from the East Coast.  Josh Lava, the drummer in Nicole’s band, also joins us for the interview.

Listen to Nicole’s song “Subconscious Heart” from her unreleased and yet-to-be-named album on this episode.

Some highlights:

– Nicole reveals the words to one of the first songs she wrote (its about a fish!)

– Nicole and Josh discuss the process of making the new album

– We talk about the differences between East Coast and West Coast music cultures

– Nicole explains the meaning behind the word “Frondescence,” the title of her EP

– We discuss the songwriting process

Also on this episode you’ll hear clips from two songs on the Frondescence EP, “Come On” and the title track “Frondescence.”

For more on Nicole Berke, visit her website: http://nicoleberkemusic.com/.

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This week we talked with Portland rockers Water & Bodies about their music and their upcoming Halloween show! Beau and Aaron joined us in the studio to talk about the bands evolution, their album Light Year, and what the future looks like for this great Portland band.

Listen to their “Moments In A Life” song on this episode.  Also hear clips from the songs “Already Gone” and “Lonely Night”, all from their album Light Year.

What we talked about:

- How the band got started

- How they came up with the name “Water & Bodies”

- Their songwriting process, and plans for future releases

Links:

- Water & Bodies website

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This week we talked with Lori Henriques, a Kindie artist and music educator in Portland. Never heard of Kindie music? We hadn’t either until this interview.

Lori talks about her new album, what’s different about writing and performing music for kids, and how families can benefit from exposing their kids to music. She also tells a great story about meeting Bobby McFerrin.

Listen to the track “Mean People” from her release Outside My Door on this episode, an album that recently won her a Parents’ Choice Award.

What we talked about on this episode:

• Writing music for kids
• Music education – should we make our children take lessons?
• Family-friendly concerts
• What’s next for Lori

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Portland’s Americana-Folk duo The Begonias (Rachael Rice and Dan Haley) are guests this week, talking about changes in the Portland music scene since the 1980s, the meaning of “success” in music, and their favorite Portland venues.

Listen to their live-in-studio song “Gone Too Far” in this episode.

What we talked about:

• Jazz in Portland
• Lisa Lepine, ProMotion Queen
• Neil Young Tribute Concert…
• The meaning of success in music
• Favorite Portland spots: The LaurelThirst, Waterfront Park, Last Thursdays on Alberta st.

Links:

• The Begonias bandcamp page.
• Rachael Rice (Cosmic American Productions) website
• Dan Haley website

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On our first episode, our host Jonah Luke talks with singer/songwriter Rod MacDonald about his 35 years touring and making albums.

Rod talks about his days in Greenwich Village in the 80s, his time spent touring in Europe and living in Italy, and the problems with commercial music today.

ALSO: Rod plays a Live studio version of his song “The Bellybutton Song” from his new record Songs of Freedom.  Also hear clips from two other songs, “Google Me Baby” and “Springtime in America.”

How has the music industry changed in the last 35 years?

What’s the difference between people’s reception to music in the U.S. and Europe?

Rod’s newest album is called Songs of Freedom, find it on CD Baby here: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/rodmacdonald12

Find more about Rod on his website: http://www.rodmacdonald.net/

Or there’s a wikipedia page about him: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rod_MacDonald

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