Tag Archives: conversation

Carbon Leaf, Touring, Making It Big, Part 2 of 2 (with Barry Privett) Ep046

May 16, 2019Episodes90's alternative, 90's rock, Aaron Sefchick, band, Barry Privett, Carbon Leaf, conversation, fret buzz, Fret Buzz The Podcast, gigging, gigs, guitar, guitar lessons, Joe McMurray, learn guitar, music, music business, Music podcast, music talk, music teacher, music theory, play guitar, podcast, recording, rock, songwriting, studio, talk show, touringFret Buzz The Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 57:50 — 53.2MB)

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As the frontman of Carbon Leaf, Barry Privett has successfully toured and recorded with the same band since 1992, crossing paths with huge names in the music business (Dave Matthews, Blues Traveler, Avett Brothers, and many more). Over the course of their continuous 27 year career, he has learned many things about music itself, the music business, record labels, touring, and strategies for keeping the peace among band members. Joe McMurray and Aaron Sefchick enjoy the opportunity to dive deep into the world of one of the music business’ hardest working bands!

In Part 2 of 2, Barry explains how the band adjusts its vibe and setlist depending on the region that they are touring through and the energy of the crowd. He goes on to talk about the Celtic-inspired phase that the band went through in the early 2010s, their lead guitarist’s multi-instrumentalism, their new bass player and drummer, and how they get together for a week at a time to rehearse and/or write.

Barry tells the guys more about the ancillary duties of different band members and how that keeps their business afloat. He explains the origins of the name “Carbon Leaf.” Finally he tells us about the many bands that they have toured and performed with over the years.

Fun facts: In 2002 Carbon Leaf won an American Music Award for their song “The Boxer.” They featured Katy Perry in their 2006 music video, “Learn to Fly.” They recorded music for 2009 film Curious George 2. In 2002 their music was featured on national commercials for the Pontiac Vibe. They have played with/crossed paths with other major acts including Dave Matthews, O.A.R., The Avett Brothers, Sister Hazel, Big Head Todd, Blues Traveler, Jason Mraz, and many others.

CarbonLeaf.com

Carbon Leaf, Touring, Making It Big, Part 1 of 2 (with Barry Privett) Ep045

May 9, 2019Episodes90's alternative, 90's rock, Aaron Sefchick, band, Barry Privett, Carbon Leaf, conversation, fret buzz, Fret Buzz The Podcast, gigging, gigs, guitar, guitar lessons, Joe McMurray, learn guitar, music, music business, Music podcast, music talk, music teacher, music theory, play guitar, podcast, recording, rock, songwriting, studio, talk show, touringFret Buzz The Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 59:46 — 54.9MB)

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In Part 1 of 2, Barry tells the guys about the beginnings of Carbon Leaf, their early influences, and their workman’s approach to the business. He then tells us about their unique method of songwriting in which band members submit song ideas to him and he writes lyrics and melodies to those ideas. The band has been incredibly professional in their ability to work together, use facilitative language to provide constructive criticism, and come up with seemingly endless song ideas.

Joe and Aaron ask Barry for his back story and learn of his early musical influences and training, including piano, trumpet, guitar, and choir experience. He tells them about Carbon Leaf’s first gigs playing at college bars near Richmond, Virginia.

Next, the guys talk about touring. Barry tells them about the vocal strain of performing every night, but how in-ear monitors have helped to reduce that strain. Carbon Leaf runs their band like a business, cutting out unnecessary costs. They drive their own tour bus, they each have ancillary duties (social media, recording, etc.), and play a lot of shows. Barry explains their process for booking tours.

Finally Barry talks about how the changing music market has influenced their recent strategy of foregoing record labels, building their own recording studio, and nurturing their fan base.

Fun facts: Carbon Leaf featured Katy Perry in their 2006 music video, “Learn to Fly.” They recorded music for 2009 film Curious George 2. In 2002 their music was featured on national commercials for the Pontiac Vibe. They have played with/crossed paths with major other major acts including Dave Matthews, O.A.R., The Avett Brothers, Sister Hazel, Big Head Todd, Blues Traveler, Jason Mraz, and many others.

CarbonLeaf.com

Drums and Music for the Under-Resourced (with Joe Hamm of El Sistema) Ep038

March 21, 2019EpisodesAaron Sefchick, band, bucket band, Chasing Arrows, conversation, drums, El Sistema, fret buzz, Fret Buzz The Podcast, guitar, guitar lessons, Joe Hamm, Joe McMurray, learn guitar, music, music education, music talk, play guitar, podcast, rock, Soundscapes, talk show, teaching music, underprivileged studentsFret Buzz The Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:10:43 — 48.8MB)

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Drummer and music educator, Joe Hamm, joins the conversation as we learn about the El Sistema philosophy of providing music programs to under-resourced kids, the social value of music, the role of the drums within the context of a band, and touring.

Joe Hamm gives us his musical and educational background, and we talk about melodic drumming, ear training, and the deprivation of sounds and colors.

The philosophy of El Sistema was created in Venezuela in 1975. It focused on the idea that an orchestra is a community and thus models the larger society. Organizations that adhere to the El Sistema philosophy provide under-resourced students with consistent access to intensive music education. Joe Hamm tells us about his program, Soundscapes, with which he and ~9 other teachers work with students in Newport News, Virginia.

We talk about Joe Hamm’s former rock band, Chasing Arrows, their tour schedule, and the impact of the financial crash of 2008 on the music industry.

More information about Joe Hamm can be found at https://www.joehamm.com/

More information about El Sistema can be found at https://elsistemausa.org/

More information about Soundscapes can be found at https://soundscapes.org/

Synthesizers and Sampling part 2 of 2 (w/ Guest Host, Paul Gaeta) Ep034

February 21, 2019EpisodesAaron Sefchick, Analogue Synth, Asheville, conversation, Digital Synth, Drum Machine, Drum Machines, Electronic Music, fret buzz, Fret Buzz The Podcast, GarageBand, Golden Changes, guitar, guitar lessons, Joe McMurray, learn guitar, LoFi, McMurray, moog, music, North Carolina, Panther God, Paul Abdul, Paul Gaeta, play guitar, podcast, Sampler, Samplers, Sefchick, Stranger Things, synth, synthesizer, synths, talk show, xero godFret Buzz The Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 44:19 — 50.9MB)

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We explore synths, drum machines, samplers, LoFi music, studio monitors and so much more with the help of Mr. Paul Gaeta, an electronic music producer and manager at the Moog Factory in Asheville, NC.

Paul explains how he came to work at Moog, and then tells us about his electronic music project, which utilizes a Juno 60 synth. He also tells us about his lofi project and the copyright problems that arise from sampling songs.

We delve into Paul’s musical writing process, and Joe explains chord theory by comparing chords to cookies. No matter what instrument you play, a synthesizer could be a great way to spur some creativity in your music.

Paul talks about how to generally use synths – don’t try to recreate a sound in your head (like a “saxophone” sound), but try to explore the sounds that you can pull out of the synth by way of filters, LFOs, oscillators, and different waveforms (saw tooth, square, triangle, etc). He explains the differences between mono synths and poly synths, between analogue and digital synths, and places to start if you want to get into synths but have no prior experience.

From there we move into the world of drum machines and samplers. Paul tells us about different pieces of equipment and generally how to use them.

The conversation gets into the music of Stranger Things (from the synth-oriented electronic band Survive) and Michael Jackson, the evolution of MTV and VH1, and GarageBand and the modern era of instant gratification.

Check out some of Paul’s projects:
Paul Abdul (lofi beat stuff) https://paulabdul.bandcamp.com/album/promises-to-keep

Panther God (synthy stuff) https://panthergod.bandcamp.com/album/golden-changes

Xero God (rap project) https://xerogod.bandcamp.com/album/bandidos

Synthesizers and Sampling (with Guest Host, Paul Gaeta) Ep033

February 14, 2019EpisodesAaron Sefchick, Analogue Synth, Asheville, conversation, Digital Synth, Drum Machine, Drum Machines, Electronic Music, fret buzz, Fret Buzz The Podcast, GarageBand, Golden Changes, guitar, guitar lessons, Joe McMurray, learn guitar, LoFi, McMurray, moog, music, North Carolina, Panther God, Paul Abdul, Paul Gaeta, play guitar, podcast, Sampler, Samplers, Sefchick, Stranger Things, synth, synthesizer, synths, talk show, xero godFret Buzz The Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:04:42 — 44.7MB)

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From there we move into the world of drum machines and samplers. Paul tells us about different pieces of equipment and generally how to use them.

Check out some of Paul’s projects:
Paul Abdul (lofi beat stuff) https://paulabdul.bandcamp.com/album/promises-to-keep

Panther God (synthy stuff) https://panthergod.bandcamp.com/album/golden-changes

Xero God (rap project) https://xerogod.bandcamp.com/album/bandidos

Mods for Guitar, Amps, Pedals and Gear Part 1 of 2 (with Guest Host, Miles Harshman) Ep030

January 24, 2019Episodes5150, Aaron Sefchick, amplification, Berklee, biasing, brown sound, capacitors, coil tap, conversation, ear training, fat switch, fender, fret, fret buzz, Fret Buzz The Podcast, fuzz, fuzz pedal, guitar, guitar lessons, guitar pickups, guitar wiring, Harshman, humbucker, Joe McMurray, learn guitar, marshall, McMurray, Miles Harshman, mod, mods, music, music talk, music theory, phase reversal, pickups, play guitar, podcast, power tubes, preamp tubes, red plating, resistors, Sefchick, signal flow, single coil, solid state, talk show, teaching, tube amp, twin reverbFret Buzz The Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:06:19 — 45.8MB)

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Who doesn’t love to talk about guitar tone?? Aside from the obvious fact that much of your tone comes from your fingers, it is also greatly affected by your beloved gear: your instruments, amps, effects pedals, etc. Lots of the gear that you purchase off the shelf can actually be improved or changed through mods / modifications to the internal circuitry – some of which you can do yourself. We bring in guitarist, amp technician, music teacher, and Berklee graduate, Miles Harshman, to give us the ins and outs of musical equipment.

In Part 1 of this conversation we dig into guitar tone, ranging from Jimi Hendrix to Stevie Ray Vaughan to Robin Trower. Miles talks about his love of different types of fuzz pedals, an effect that Joe rarely uses. While Joe uses several types of overdrive and natural small amp distortion, he commits to giving fuzz another try. Miles presents an overview of how tube amps work – their different gains stages, how the tubes break up, the feeling of a tube amp due to the sag/sponginess in the rectifier tube.

Miles tells us about his journey to becoming a gear technician, including building his first stratocaster in high school and his more recent telecaster with unusual switches.

We talk about clean guitar tones, and how hollow, semi-hollow, and chambered bodies affect the your sound.

Miles begins telling us about his experiences at Berklee College of Music, including the many ensemble choices, the enormous practice room amps, and the general atmosphere. Check out next week’s episode to discover who was Miles’ freshman year roommate!

Fingerstyle Guitar Part 2 of 2 (with Guest Host, Dustin Furlow) Ep029

January 17, 2019EpisodesAaron Sefchick, acoustic, acoustic guitar, Andy McKee, Beneteau, Beneteau Guitars, conversation, Dustin Furlow, Emmanuel, finger picking, fingerstyle, fingerstyle guitar, fret, fret buzz, Fret Buzz The Podcast, Furlow, guitar, guitar lessons, Joe McMurray, Larrivee, Larrivee Guitars, learn guitar, McKee, McMurray, music, music talk, music theory, play guitar, podcast, recording, Sefchick, talk show, teaching, Tommy Emmanuel, WoodscapesFret Buzz The Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 57:27 — 39.7MB)

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In part 2 of Fingerstyle Guitar, Dustin gets into his process of arranging his compositions and how he goes about coming up with his melodies. The guys also discuss one of his original songs, “Elder Tree”, the role of an audience, how Dustin was approached by booking agents, the process of booking shows/tours, concertsinyourhome.org, Dustin’s connection to fingerstyle and his solo show, his practice routine and resources that he recommends.

dustinfurlow.com for more information

Fret Buzz The Podcast

fretbuzzthepodcast.com

Fingerstyle Guitar Part 1 of 2 (with Guest Host, Dustin Furlow) Ep028

January 10, 2019EpisodesAaron Sefchick, acoustic guitar, Andy McKee, art, bands, Beneteau, Beneteau Guitars, buzz, conversation, dadgad, Dustin Furlow, Emmanuel, finger picking, fingerstyle, fingerstyle guitar, fret, fret buzz, Fret Buzz The Podcast, Furlow, guitar, guitar lesson, Joe McMurray, Larrivee, Larrivee Guitars, learn guitar, McKee, McMurray, music, music talk, play guitar, podcast, Sefchick, talk show, teaching, Tommy Emmanuel, WoodscapesFret Buzz The Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:07:14 — 46.4MB)

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Joe and Aaron bring in guitarist and vocalist, Dustin Furlow, to discuss all things fingerstyle guitar. The guys talk about influential fingerstyle guitarists including Tommy Emmanuel, Stephen Bennett (harp guitar), Andy McKee, Tony McManus, Garreth Pearson, Don Ross, Mike Dawes, Adam Rafferty, Adrian Legg, Alexander Misko, and Matt Thomas. They look into approaches to choosing the right keys for solo fingerstyle guitar arrangements, as well as alternate tunings such as DADGAD and open D tuning. The guys dive seriously into the details of nail maintenance and acrylic gel nails for fingerpicking.

Dustin, with his wealth of experience playing and performing with high end acoustic guitars, explains the benefits and downsides of many types of guitars, especially as they relate to fingerstyle guitar playing. They look at the differences in sound and playability of Martin, Taylor, Gibson, Larrivee, and Beneteau guitars, as well as choosing the right pickups and pre-amps to get the best live amplified sound.

dustinfurlow.com for more information

Watch Your Tone of Voice (with Guest Host, Brent Barker) Ep017

October 16, 2018Episodesband, blackbird studios, Brent Barker, buzzards, collaboration, community, conversation, Digitech, Eddie Van Halen, entertainment, fret, fret buzz, Fret Buzz The Podcast, guitar, guitar gear, instrumental guitar, music, musical instrument museum, one man band, podcast, Randy Rhoads, rock, soldano, superfans, sustain, talk showFret Buzz The Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:00:32 — 41.8MB)

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This week, guitar virtuoso Brent Barker joins the Buzzards as a guest host to discuss how to develop and maintain an original voice, sound, and style in the face of an ever changing music industry.

Topics include: staying true to your sound and artistry, adapting to shifting trends in modern music, reinvention of playing style, learning new ways to express traditional techniques, the future of instrumental guitar music, and so much more.

An Evening at The Big Top Ep016

October 9, 2018Episodesalbum, bass, bass guitar, concept album, conversation, entertainment, Eric Johnson, Frank Zappa, fret, fret buzz, Fret Buzz The Podcast, guitar, humor, influential, Jesus Christ Superstar, Joe Satriani, legato, music, podcast, rock, Satch, Satriani, spread triads, talk show, technique, ZappaFret Buzz The Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:00:02 — 41.4MB)

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In this episode, Aaron, Joe, and Tony deliver their top picks for the albums most influential on their playing styles, techniques, and overall musicianship.

Sit back and relax this hour, as the guys run down their favorite riffs, licks, tones, recordings, noises, chirps, and echoing mountain ranges- all in the name of “Fret Buzz The Podcast’s Best of The Top”