Episode 217
#217 - Interview with jazz musician Miguel Landestoy
Jazz musician, educator, and podcaster Miguel Landestoy joins the show. Exploring what it really means to build a life around creativity? We talked about the balancing act between passion, and financial stability. The struggle of staying authentic, while making a career in music. Seeing how limitations in art can sometimes push creativity even further. Miguel shared his perspective as a first-generation artist. How community can play a key role in both growth, and survival in the industry.
We also digging into the magic of live music versus recorded tracks. The evolving role of musicians in today’s digital landscape. The parallel shifting expectations of audiences throughout the decades. Plus, Miguel discusses PlayBlack. His podcast that examines nerd culture, storytelling. And the fascinating intersection of art and identity. It’s an episode that doesn’t just celebrate music. Were questioning and challenging what it means to create, sustain, and evolve. Being an artist in a ever so changing world.
Be sure to check out Miguel's podcast PlayBlack, and more with the links provided below:
https://www.miguellandestoy.com/
We have a magical link below with all our socials and handle so you can find us on your favorite pod spot 🤟.
Transcript
Miguel
Yeah, it can get tedious, you know.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
i i think like um I think, especially for today, a lot of artists have to figure out different ways of being able to survive, because realistically speaking, I know everybody's like, well, become a YouTube star.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
good luck with that. I mean, it could take years, you know, there's no like guarantee.
::Miguel
Yeah, honestly.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
And then even though you have like that financial freedom, like you're still locked in to that. So if that goes south, then everything goes south with it. So that means your entire career, you know, and I think like,
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
kind of maybe also like kind of the approach I think you were you have been taking is kind of giving yourself like realistic expectations, like being financially stable, pursuing your profession, like figuring out and like prioritizing your time and like being realistic with yourself because you know, you you need to take care of yourself, you know, it's like, you can't wait for can't wait for that bird to bring you the gold if you get my drift.
::Miguel
No, I know exactly what you mean. It's like a very, it is, tough to reconcile your dreams with ah exactly how to, you know, just survive and be a human being and, you know, if you have other responsibilities, it's tough. um I know for me, I I'm first generation, so there's not, there's not you know, any real money in my family.
::Miguel
So there has to be some giving back to, you know, my parents and other parts of the family and stuff.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
I know what you mean, I'm also first generation.
::Miguel
Awesome stuff, very cool.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
My father is from Morocco.
::Miguel
um So yeah, like when you when you have those responsibilities, um you know, things take a different tenor ah for sure. Real quick, Daniel, I want to make sure that you're actually getting good audio because I'm noticing, I'm seeing wave waveforms in your um section here.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Yes. you you're coming You're coming in a little bit low.
::Miguel
Got you.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
So I would probably tell you just to raise your microphone just a little bit.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
I had this before with another guest.
::Miguel
How about now?
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Yeah, that was all that. Ooh.
::Miguel
There we go.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Yeah, you have a nice podcast voice, I'm just saying.
::Miguel
the I have a podcast.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
ah he oh
::Miguel
Yeah. um
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
isn'st but I just want to just veer off for just a second, by the way, because um this is important.
::Miguel
yeah
::Miguel
Sure.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
A lot of the times, particularly even with my own experience, when you deal with artists, you deal generally with like, it's a spectrum, but like two kind of directions, either do with people that are very easy to talk to, like eager to talk about what they do and like their experience and how they're able to do things.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
And then you get the opposite spectrum of where Like they're really good at what they do. It's just they cannot fucking sit down and talk about it.
::Miguel
o Oh, that's interesting. I don't know if I've ever made that like direct distinction, um but ah yeah I think that's interesting.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Yeah.
::Miguel
i'm I'm a teacher, you know what I mean? I'm i'm so i'm i'm really used to talking to my students um and like trying a lot of different avenues and explaining ah a concept, um and I i like
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Right.
::Miguel
talking to people, it's one of the main reasons i I started a podcast myself was just to like, constantly be in conversation with people and talking about things that we were passionate about, not unlike what oh what what you're doing here, you know?
::Miguel
um Yeah.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Oh, what what I'm doing over here is fucking wild. I mean, the fact that we got Trump in office. Thank the Lord, because I'm OK for the next four years. Like it's hilarious, because the thing about it is to the conversations that I have are a lot of the times controversial.
::Miguel
sure
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Because I have my own opinions as an artist, and I have my own opinions as like, you know, people can tell me from today till tomorrow, well, you know, you have to understand that these days, people have more independency, and therefore, you know, there's more respect to the community. That's true.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
But you still have independent producers that are taking advantage of independent artists. You have indie filmmakers that take advantage of the people, and especially in the education world. When you talk about teachers that are in special ed or ah recreational departments, such as like you know um the artist department like teaching kids music and things,
::Miguel
Yeah.
::Miguel
Yeah. No, I think um we all, unfortunately, like there are assholes everywhere. It doesn't matter what ah you know stream of ah work you're in, there's just going to be people that are kind of shitty.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Mm hmm.
::Miguel
um Yeah, assholery is rampant, you could you could say.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Assholery.
::Miguel
um And it doesn't matter if you're working in special education or you know there are our asshole teachers, that are our asshole firemen there there are um Whatever, or whatever. um People that take care of people, nurses. There are are asshole nurses. like there There are people that are not nice in every single line of work. they tend to you know I feel like they probably tend to go towards finance.
::Miguel
you know Things that don't actually add anything to society besides making people more money. um But you know I don't know.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Yeah.
::Miguel
i Yeah. ah I love musicians and some of them are assholes. like ah you know like but like it's I think they would all agree with me too. They probably just think different people are assholes than I do.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Yeah. You know, the the interesting part about it is like, we always look at art, even particularly when it comes to musicians.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Money, it's always money. You know, it's like, you know, can you perform at this place and how much money can you make there, you know, and
::Miguel
Yeah. Yeah.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
but We kind of forget that like there's a person that spent the hours and their fingers are like cut and bruised, you know and money spent for them to actually play this instrument for them to perform.
::Miguel
Great. Great.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Where is the musician and all? You know you get you get my drift over here?
::Miguel
No, I know what you're talking about. It's something that we all kind of have to deal with all the time. um you know like i'll I'll give like a ah a wedding for as an example, because weddings are are usually I feel like the first time anyone that isn't involved in the music industry is actually like hiring a musician for something.
::Miguel
um And, you know, they might look at, ask you for a quote and you give them the real price, the actual, you know, the actual, what would, you know, be fair for the amount of work you've put in for, you know, all all all of your skill, all your professionalism.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
right
::Miguel
And they kind of balk at it because they they never think of music as like a um a luxury. They think of it as something that's for everybody. And and yeah ah music is for everybody. But if you're going to pay someone to do a service, you should you know he should pay them what they're worth. And musicians are worth a lot more than $50 and and and ah exposure, which is the the typical ah payment model for for younger folks.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Well, it's it's all about also like attitude, right? Because, you know, as time progresses, you know, and we do have now this independency and, you know, look kind of like what we've been talking about since earlier years is like being able to structure out your artistic career.
::Miguel
Mm hmm.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Like really, I'm not saying realistically, because, you know, i I've been always taught, especially from my own dad, that if you put everything in one basket,
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
You're risking a lot, right?
::Miguel
True. Yeah.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
You know, it's it's like you can do the wedding gigs, and then you can also, for example, have the YouTube channel and do all of those things on the side, right? It's it's all about that balance, you know, and everybody's going to be different of how they figure out that balance for themselves.
::Miguel
Yeah, I think it's it's very personal ah how you go about it and how you you you deal with it. um I think that for some people, it's really it works for how their brain works to be doing like five or six different things, be teaching in four or five different places, um gigging with a bunch of different people.
::Miguel
ah you know ah like I live in Massachusetts, so like you can yeah you can get healthcare without being necessarily attached to to a um
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Mass.
::Miguel
a company, but a lot of folks, you know, they don't have health insurance or whatever, you know, like all those other things come into it for sure. But, um, I definitely value the fact that like, I remember one time I quit a job without having anything lined up. And, you know, some people were kind of worried about it. And I'm like, at the end of the day, I can always kick it out. Like I can always like, like if, if I don't have a, you know, a nine to five, a W two job, whatever, like,
::Miguel
I could always rustle up students. I can always you know ah hit up some kind contacts, really try to make um the the performing life work. But for me, I can't do that full time because of certain limitations, the injury and other other things. But it's an option that ah the others don't necessarily have because they didn't you know invest that time or have that skill.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Yeah, and it's like like you said, you know it's understanding it's understanding your limitations, right?
::Miguel
Exactly. Yeah.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
um you know when you I like to always sometimes like look even into the past where... Some of the the greatest performers had limitations, and yet they were still some of the greatest performers.
::Miguel
no
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
One great example is Prince, okay? The man fucked his ankle up so bad.
::Miguel
Yeah.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
like I remember I was like reading the article, of like they they show you like surgically, like of like the muscles, and you're like, how?
::Miguel
oh
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
He had his muscle was completely like away.
::Miguel
yeah
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
It was like not even attached to anything anymore.
::Miguel
Oh my God.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
So he still performed.
::Miguel
Right. Right.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
He still went out there and recorded, but did he do as much as he did before? No, because he had that injury, but he didn't allow that injury to stop him from doing what he wanted to do.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
You know, what I'm getting at is you can use, there's so many excuses you can use to say, well, I can't do this.
::Miguel
Yeah.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
and Well, I don't have time. You can have time, you can do this. You could figure out ways to make it work, right?
::Miguel
Yeah, no, I was literally just talking to a good buddy of mine who was a wonderful artist last night but about about that. And I think limitations are a huge part of like artistic practice in itself. like When you're working on something, let's say, like for me, if I'm working on something, when it comes to like ah music, let's say it's ah like ah a classical piece of music that's already written down. like That's something i'm I'm improvising on, right?
::Miguel
like um Just the fact that I'm using um let's a metronome, something that keeps time and makes me adjust to it is just, it's it's an it's a limitation you're putting on yourself so that you know that you can do that certain thing at any um tempo, right? um Same thing with me as a jazz musician if I'm improvising. like I am constantly putting limitations on myself. I'm gonna try to make um this musical phrase happen this way and only this way. and
::Miguel
and go from, ooh, cat, beautiful cat. I wish I wasn't allergic to cats.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Speaking of speaking of jazz. ah um ah you allergic Are you really allergic to cats?
::Miguel
I unfortunately am, yeah. um like Like it's not so like severe, like I'm not gonna break out in hives, but I do have like asthma. So would I'm around cats for a long period of time or if an if I'm in a place that has a lot of like cat ah hair or it hasn't been cleaned as much?
::Miguel
um i I'll definitely be you know like struggling to breathe, which is not great. But if it wasn't for that, we we would probably have a cat. We have a dog. I'm cool i'm cool with dogs.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Okay. It's always it's it's fascinating because some people are allergic to both or it's, it's one or the other. It's never like, it's like dogs shed like crazy.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
And you'd think like, especially if he had asthma, that would drive the living hell out of your, nope, cat hair.
::Miguel
Nope, no, it's cat hair. Yeah, it's it's it's wild how that's how that stuff works.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
e Yeah, sorry, sorry.
::Miguel
But to put a button to what I was saying, no, no, because cats are cats are important. My animals are important.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
I mean,
::Miguel
I'm here for it. It's a bit of a button I want to be saying. just like ah I think limitations are what make you grow, period. um and if you put ah like If you only stay in in your lane and and just do the things that are in your bag, um it's not you're not going to actually like move forward.
::Miguel
You're just going to sit in that same place. Does that make sense?
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
You're comfortable.
::Miguel
Yeah.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Yeah, you're comfortable. you not um you're not You're not doing anything. You're enjoying the Lazy Boyd recliner you know for $18.99, now on sale.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
But reality strikes in when, besides understanding like your limitations, iss also understanding awareness.
::Miguel
Mm.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Awareness of you do need a community of people like you said like, you know There's connections and knowing places and knowing people around town.
::Miguel
Totally.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
It's very important but Like, you know, there are people where they rely so much on other people in order to be successful and it's like hey, buddy Here's the deal talking from my own experience I have had Five hosts, I think, yes, five hosts on this podcast. Hi, I'm the last one around.
::Miguel
um wise What happened um to like make its make it so? I don't know. like I ah have been lucky to have my partner but but my podcast podcast partner and and guest ah guest host, Jay, on for my entire like kind of podcasting career. what what what What brought that about for you?
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Well, I think it the same thing applies even when you try to like, I live out here in South Florida, so one thing very common out here is artists will book gigs in breweries. You can have where you can be in a brewery for two, three years. Sometimes what happens, either the brewery changes direction or you as an artist change direction. People go different paths sometimes in life. It could be 10 years down the line, it could be 15 years, it could be 80 years. I don't know. It just depends on the individual. Um, I think in particular for myself, I would say I rely more on myself than I rely on others. And I think it's important, especially if you want to be successful on this planet. This insane place we call Earth.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
This should be on a tattoo. I'm just saying. Throwing that out there.
::Miguel
um So but but but what you're saying is your reliance on yourself just ah and up You ended up, the podcast ended ended up with one host because folks might drop off, do whatever, and but you believe in this thing and you're doing it. so it's It's going to happen regardless of who pops in and out because you're the pillar of this.
::Miguel
that is it yeah
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
yeah Yeah, I am lost in the groove. Like, you know, it's what you make for yourself, right? What you as a teacher implement in your students, the experience that you implement in another person, they're going to remember you for you, regardless of all the things that you're creative and amazing at.
::Miguel
right
::Miguel
Yeah, ah yeah i I agree with that to a certain extent. I think um and and i know that I'm a teacher that relies on like my like ability to ah get people to be chill around me. You know what I mean? like Some teachers ah have a lot of technique and they can you know kind of teach teach anybody.
::Miguel
um I think for me, if if so if a student legitimately doesn't like me for so for some reason, that it's kind of tough for me to kind of break through and and and teach them because a lot of what I'm getting at um comes from ah my own personal experience. So I do think that that has some limit like like limitations. you know
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Mm hmm.
::Miguel
um Because you know in the in an ideal world, I'd be able to teach anybody anything. um But I do think I rely a little bit too much on charm, I guess.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Right.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
yeah but you know I do feel being a teacher is a different, it's almost a different level because, you know, look, we like being around people sometimes, okay?
::Miguel
Not lot of times, but sometimes, yeah.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Sometimes, all right? Having the ability to be in front of people on a, you know, sometimes on a day-to-day basis and have to, like, you know, you said where you just have a student that's just being an asshole for,
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
No apparent reason or just one dumbass. It's like it's I told you for the fucking 15th time G chord major Not C minor, you know To deal with all that shit I go out of my fucking mind but for some people like it's a level of like patience like you said like understanding that like not everybody's perfect not everybody's gonna react the way that you want them to but
::Miguel
Mm.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
understanding and being able to listen and be able to teach. Not everybody's able to do that. I think you know that.
::Miguel
No, yeah, I 100% agree with that that. There are a lot of people who who do teach that probably shouldn't be um because they're you know they they it's a way to make a living, it's not a way it's not but they're not actually there to educate you know people, not not even just children, but just people, right?
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
No, no.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
If you're, if you're venturing to be a teacher in the idea of making a living, I think, I think you should look at other, ah other venues and other careers.
::Miguel
Yeah.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
I think you're looking in the wrong direction. Because to be honest, teachers don't really make a lot of money in this country, like throughout the spectrum.
::Miguel
No, they don't.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
So if you're doing it for the money, yeah.
::Miguel
No, it's it's tough, right? well Well, okay. I mean, I'm a musician. There's a ton of money in music, right?
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Right.
::Miguel
Like, like, there's, you know, it varies, right?
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Yeah.
::Miguel
And, that you know, it's something I'm passionate about, of course, and I've tried and I have tried and in some ways been successful in making it like my career. um But, you know, There are there's a lot of luck involved in just making it happen.
::Miguel
You get the right call. You were prepared at the right time. And, you know, ah you're right.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
You're seeing that you're seen by the right person.
::Miguel
Right. Exactly. um But, you know, the day to day life of, ah you know, like a middling musician who who does a lot of local stuff and does a lot of, you know, G.V.
::Miguel
work and whatever. It's not very glamorous at all. you know um I would say being a teacher might be a bit more consistent than being a musician. um But yeah, i I guess it's all about what will let you sleep at night. you know like what What are you actually going to be?
::Miguel
cool with. like I think where you and I are probably just as smart as any of those finance programs that are making millions and millions and millions of dollars um off of you know other people's ah money.
::Miguel
um But I wouldn't be able to sleep at night if that's what I did every day.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Mm hmm.
::Miguel
um i assume I assume the same for you.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
No.
::Miguel
ah
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
i I've worked in the corporate industry, and you know i've I've tried for so many years to try different things artistically to be able to be successful. like I was in the culinary industry for about six or seven years.
::Miguel
Cool.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
didn't work out for me. you know um Now I've like come to the realization that I love doing podcasts and I'm gonna continue doing this, but I also have a passion for cars and I come from a family that's been working. My brother's been in the automotive industry for 20 years.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
I wanna work on cars. I mean, hey, if I'm gonna do something I wanna get paid for, I'd rather do something artistic, you know?
::Miguel
Sure.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
And if you open up a car, ah, so beautiful, intake manifolds, the camshafts, the lobes. Sorry, I'm getting a little horny right now. Vroom, vroom. But, you know, like there's anything for yourself, right?
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
You have a passion for jazz, you have a passion as a musician, and you also have a passion to be able to teach. You know, All of those things is what makes you an artist.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
The same way I feel that me being an automotive technician, doing podcasts and other things that I do makes me an artist.
::Miguel
Hmm.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
you know it's Like he said there's luck for you there's luck for the chance of it. Okay, I'm not waiting around for luck. I want to enjoy my life right now.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
So how can I make my life enjoyable right now?
::Miguel
yeah Yeah.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Right?
::Miguel
Yeah. No, I mean, uh, you, You're essentially saying, like, YOLO.
::Miguel
h I mean, I think i feel like: ::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Hmm bring it back Oh damn: ::Miguel
I wouldn't mind going back to: ::Miguel
yeah Yeah, there was a lot of... I don't know. There seemed to be a feeling that you could make change.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Oh
::Miguel
I don't feel um on my dark days that right now is a moment where you could feel like you can do something and make a change. On my um a good days, is i'm I'm a bit more hopeful, but I think we're all kind of in the in the stink at the moment.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
We can, the only change that we can make is from ourselves, in the sense where this podcast, your podcast, your students, I mean, we can, you know, the the thing, are okay, I might want to venture off of this, because i've been I talked about this on a previous episode, because there was ah a scientist that was talking about this.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
And he said that our understanding of consciousness is that it's not a single consciousness that we're attached to. It's a consciousness that's made up of trillions and trillions of consciousnesses to make one. So the idea is is that if we are one of many,
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Why are we trying to change everything when we can just change from where we are and allow that to spread? And let it go in any direction it wants to go. I don't give a damn. We know what we did. We did our due diligence. That's it.
::Miguel
yeah Yeah, you're saying like if you put a ah like you throw a rocket or ah and in a pond and That singular rock makes a bunch of love river reverberate.
::Miguel
Yeah reverberations and there it is reverberations there it is um and So ah
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
reverberations. Oh, that's a hard work. Damn. There it is. Nice.
::Miguel
Basically getting up in the morning for an artist is is is making change. like you like ah making um Just trying to make something and and put something positive out in the world is is making change.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Mm hmm.
::Miguel
is that Is that what you're saying?
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Every single person that we approach, you know, um I even think about, like sometimes I play around with music and, you know, i I have my classmates in school and, you know, for example, like I'll send them like a rough draft of it.
::Miguel
Sure.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
And like, one of my classmates, he's from like Atlanta and he's like, ooh, man, this is hot. And I'm like, okay, thanks. You know, and like him like just re-listening it in, like him hearing it from his own perspective,
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
You have those moments that pop up, you know, where people around you see what you do.
::Miguel
Hmm.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
And they're like, wow. Damn, like me.
::Miguel
Yeah.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Oh, you're talented, bro. You know, and so what?
::Miguel
Hmm.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
It's just one person, maybe two. Hey, you one or two people right there.
::Miguel
No, that's true. I think um in this culture where like going viral is the goal, if if it feels like a different version of a get rich quick scheme or some sort of like ah Ponzi scheme. um It feels like a couple of people listening to you at a bar is very minuscule and not not not the thing. But no, I think you're you're you're hitting on something there that
::Miguel
just the act of you putting something out there to those those ah minimal people um changes something. you know like I always say whenever like people are worried about you know theyre so worried about the record industry and they're worried about um listening to recorded music, I'm like, you gotta go see some stuff live, man.
::Miguel
Because like when you so listen to live music, the air changes. You know what I mean? Like there's something that ah shifts in you when when when when you're experiencing something with a bunch of other people and not and not just in your headphones.
::Miguel
i'm I'm as guilty of it as anybody else. i'm I'm constantly, you know, just have headphones on listening to something, be that like an audio book or whatever. But sometimes we all definitely got have to
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Mm hmm.
::Miguel
make sure that we're going into those third spaces and taking in something live with other people. Cause it'll, it'll, yeah.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
You know what, even like open mic night is a great example.
::Miguel
Sure.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
I've done open mic night quite a few times. It is hilarious. I've done Open Mic Night like a few times. I've had encores. Okay.
::Miguel
Hmm.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
And like, there's not that many people, you know, like this is like 11 o'clock at night, you know, and I probably have like maybe two or three drinks in there. But I probably sound a lot better than like half of the fucking assholes that went up that were probably high drunk and stoned at the same time.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
But Honestly, it it's it's a real it's a real experience because the thing about being live is that even if you're not necessarily the one that's on stage, you get to physically be there.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
And and okay, I'm a little bit of a little bit of an instrumental junkie when it comes to like,
::Miguel
Okay.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
You could hear the bass. You could hear the bass player, or it's like, you know, electric bass, and you can hear, like, something in the background. And then you hear the guy, like, hitting the toms and the drums. And then you have, like, the other person that's playing, like, guitar, and the second guitar.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
And he just, he keeps on going, man! And then you got, like, this cool man that's wearing, like, Calvin Klein, like, Woman's Gene Sign's 28. It's got, like, a little glitter on there, like, a pair of boots, you know?
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
It's, like, open and shit. And he just starts singing. And he was just like,
::Miguel
Are you describing Prince right now?
::Miguel
It sounds like you're describing Prince.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
I just kind of stuck in my brain. um But like ah being there in that room, being there in that room, and like the voice just comes out.
::Miguel
Yeah.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
I don't care what anybody says, like you cannot experience that end of the video.
::Miguel
Oh, a hundred percent. No, there is. Um, there is something raw about, about like seeing something live. Um, um, and I like your example of but overvo open mic nights because like, it's really cool. Who goes to open mic nights, mostly other, other musicians, right? And you're usually there to test something out, right? Or to do something for the first time. Um, and I'd like sometimes I like those, um,
::Miguel
sort of ah raw takes ah with mistakes and all more than the finished product. Because you cause you saw the the the glint of the original thing that the the person was trying to put out um versus like the kind of refined product that's gone through like a process at the end.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
See, this is why, like, I'm one of those people, you remember that Beatles song that came out now and then? Okay. That was a demo tape.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Okay. If you hear the demo, obviously it's like a demo. And like, you've had other singers that do this before, like they release demo tapes. It sounds a lot better.
::Miguel
You think that the the demo sounds more better than the original part?
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
You know, it's, oh my God, it's so much better. It doesn't like, there's like this fantasy of like taking raw and then like throwing AI and then logic Pro X on there, you know, and expecting to find magic.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Like, there's a reason why people record live concerts.
::Miguel
o I agree.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Okay, there's a reason why people record live demos in the recording studio, you know, and like, they don't release that as the main song. It's called, like, I don't know why, like, I think I'm being crazy over here, like, because I thought, like, that's not what you're supposed to do with demos.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
You know, they're supposed to, like, be as a sacred.
::Miguel
Hmm.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
They are, they're sacred in a way.
::Miguel
Yeah, i guess I guess so, but also, like aren't you so glad that that demo was released?
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Yeah, kinda. Like, I'm not gonna lie.
::Miguel
right yeah no I ah hear you on that. the I almost always prefer live recordings um over you know just studio track stuff. like i I think everyone right now is obsessed with Dochie because she's amazing. she She just won, I think, a couple of Grammys.
::Miguel
um And i I love that the mixtape she put out, it has crocodile in the title, but i always'm I'm bad with names. um But honestly, like listening to her Tiny Desk, which is you know basically a live concert, like I prefer that so much more than the recorded version because there is there is a there is a a room sense that was happening.
::Miguel
There was something cool and special happening in that room with those people live at that moment. um Even though it's you know it's a recorded concert, just ah just like you said, it's it's still, for to me, um a little bit more ah real than just whatever came out of the studio.
::Miguel
I think both are are totally valid.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Yeah.
::Miguel
but like i Yeah, that tiny desk like blew blew my hair back. I was like really impressed.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
You know, talking about like even modern artists, one thing that's like very like popular now is like with Chapel Rowan and Sabrina Carpenter. Because when you listen to Chapel Rowan, particularly like her like her release, like final like songs, they're amazing.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
And then when you listen to the live recordings, she's fantastic.
::Miguel
Yeah. Yeah.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
And like no shade on Sabrina Carpenter, like her songs are ah are good, and then you see her performance, and then it's just her performing.
::Miguel
yeah
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Not singing, just performing. And then she sings, and it's, it's yeah, it's fine.
::Miguel
and sp It's It's fine.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
So that that's what I'm saying. like like like You wanna look at a modern example of like the differences? Chapel Rowan and Sabrina Carpenter is a great example of this.
::Miguel
ah Yeah, I totally agree with that. I mean, i mean ah I'm not a huge fan of the Grammys or anything, but I do pay attention to them obviously, because it's like part of my industry.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
I don't really want to, but when you see one of Will Smith's kids put on a fucking house on his head, you just start scrolling.
::Miguel
House? Yeah. You tune in. you want to you you You want to check it out. But I did like kind of fast forward through the actual award parts and just like watch some of the performances. um And it was funny to me that I think Sabrina Carpenter was like first or second or third, like really early up in the line and the lineup for Grammy performances. And Chaperone was like way towards the end. um And yeah, I mean, I I don't, I'm trying to be kind, but I don't think this should have switched places. You know what I mean? Like, I do think Sabrina Carpenter kind of belonged earlier in the lineup. She would have been totally overshadowed because I don't think she has a strong of of voice as Chappel Rohn or um as strong as like in our an artistic voice as I think Shakira or Quincy Jones tribute. I had a bunch of really amazing um artists kind of paying tribute to to Quincy. So like, it's a very,
::Miguel
I, yeah, you're hitting, you're hitting on something there. Cause I don't, there's like a pop star sensibility that there's always this kind of like conventionally pretty blonde like person who's singing and doesn't sound bad, but isn't anything kind of new or special.
::Miguel
Um, uh, and it's going to be forgotten, you know?
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
ome on, we were talking about: ::Miguel
Sure. Yeah.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Because even now, Pink is i like, oh my fucking God, like, she made my teenage years and she's still making my adult years.
::Miguel
yeah
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
But Kesha was like, I don't know how to explain it, it's like the same thing with Pink. Like you hear Kesha's song and you're just like, TikTok, and it just, everybody just starts like, those were two very fucking powerful voices like competing against each other.
::Miguel
Yeah.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
What's confusing to me is especially like now is it's like the competition is like one is incredibly weaker than the other one. And like, I'm pointing this out to you because particularly when it comes to jazz,
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
This is a great example, right? If you have a strong pianist and then you have a strong guitarist, that's a great combo. But if you have a strong bassist, it's just going to kind of fuck up the mess. You kind of want to make sure you have like a level out of what you want in front, what you want in the middle and what you want in the back or depending on what you want to do. Does that make sense?
::Miguel
When you say strong, do you mean what do yeah what do you mean by strong? Because i'm i I think when you're putting together like a group for a project, you should definitely have an idea of like what you need, like what what every single one of those people kind of brings to the table.
::Miguel
um So like you want all those players to be super strong, right? um But it depends.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
you don't want them to over You don't want them to overpower each other. That's what I'm saying is.
::Miguel
Oh, yeah, totally. and
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
So if you you have a penis that thinks he's the best penis in the world and you have ah ah um a violinist that thinks he's the greatest violinist in the world, you're going to have competitions against each other in in that environment.
::Miguel
Sure, okay, I see what you're saying.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
You understand what I'm saying?
::Miguel
Yeah, no, I think putting a bunch of type A egos in a room together is not necessarily the recipe for success. But I do think that the most the most important thing in those scenarios is less um the ego and more respect. Like if if everyone has a mutual respect and is like willing to hear where the other is coming from and we were willing and willing to to go down whatever like artistic or or musical or rabbit hole the other is going down, if especially if they're improvising. I think if there's trust and respect um in in that group, regardless of the egos, it'll work out because everyone will understand their role. I think if you're if you're playing music at that high of a level and you don't understand your your role in in in the music, then I don't even know how you got there.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
I it's funny you bring that up because for me one great example is Japanese jazz.
::Miguel
Hmm. Okay.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
ah Like particularly like I sometimes like listen to like old tracks in like the 70s and 80s where you know a lot of this is like recorded live.
::Miguel
Sure.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
It's not even done in the studio.
::Miguel
Hmm.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
And you can hear them just randomly playing. Like they're not even But it's just one after the other. It's like one just goes and the other one just knows immediately how to follow.
::Miguel
Right.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
That is like a a level of crap and shit. Like, damn, you really know your band members. Well. And you're able to perform in that, you know, damn.
::Miguel
Yeah, yeah, yeah, and i mean and I think, I think I wouldn't necessarily just attribute that to to Japanese jazz musicians, yeah.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
No, no, no, I'm just giving that it as an example, like from like my own like perspective and observation.
::Miguel
Yeah, I think um when you, come up as ah as a jazz musician, you are you have to learn standards. right um ah You have to learn kind of all these this music from like the Great American Songbook, all these old musical tunes that turned into um jazz standards and things like that. I think ah my favorite things from Sound of Music turned into a jazz standard when John Coltrane uh recorded it in the late 50s early 60s right so like you learn i don't know 40 or 50 songs uh and you have memorized and they're kind of in your head and you're in your lexicon and you go to a jam session and then you're you're kind of being brought along to this process of how this all works and how the tradition works okay uh it's a it's a it's a quartet there's a a
::Miguel
a saxophone player, ah a drummer, a bass player, and and and and and a keyboard player, right? Okay, the saxophone player is gonna play the melody. and They're probably gonna take the first solo. who who's Who's the next instrument that goes? Okay, the piano player goes next. um ah We might do a bass solo if we have enough time, probably not. Maybe we'll we'll go to the drummer and we'll trade with the drummer, you know ah do four measures each, and then we'll play the melody and we're out. That's a very standard like structure for improvisation. So if everybody who's a jazz music musician understands that structure,
::Miguel
then you can go a level deeper and like we're actually going to go off into this other direction um and then from there you can go even a level deeper and like we're going to go into a bunch of different directions and and that the highest levels of ah musicianship you can just kind of do that um and it's not a very it's it's not that it's not difficult but those people have kind of paid their dues and and learned and understand the tradition at at such a high level that they can just sit down and play and everyone else kind of knows what's going on.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
I think what is forgotten is where you are now didn't happen yesterday.
::Miguel
Oh, 100%. No.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
It could happen 20 years ago. you know It could be 35 years of work to get where you are now. But a lot of the time when you're an outsider, you know or you're just talking to the person,
::Miguel
Hmm.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
You don't see all of the work that they've put in to be where they are now, you know? You're like, how come he gets to pick up the saxophone and be able to just pull out any chord like in a blink of...
::Miguel
Right.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Because he spent 28 years on a saxophone doing this, right?
::Miguel
Right.
::Miguel
Somehow we've made it back to to to the wedding band conversation.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Hmm?
::Miguel
Somehow we've made it back to the wedding band conversation where like piece of the person doesn't understand ah what what exactly they're trying to pay for.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Right.
::Miguel
right they're Because they that's that that's exactly what they're what they're trying.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
right
::Miguel
Well, what they want, honestly, is and is an iPad, i like just in someone to press play. That's what they they they want. But they want the aesthetic of ah ah you know ah ah someone playing live.
::Miguel
um And I do think live music is better. ah But yeah, it's a very
Lost in the Groove Podcast
it's It's weird because you know having respect for craftsmanship and the worker level of detail that people put in, I kind of feel this almost gets lost.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
you know where When you live in a society where a lot of things are automated, you know you you kind of lose that understanding of, okay, I'll give you a great example all right on the the car side of things.
::Miguel
Hmm.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
you know People think that, well, because cars today are electronic, you know they're more automated. Keep in mind, there's still physical elements. There's still wiring and connectors and pins. There's solenoids, there's actuators, just really, I mean, I could just go down through the list. These are all physical things you can touch and feel and test.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
But at the same time, even though you may not understand it, you know, having that respect of like, even though I don't understand it, I'm going to respect the person for what they do.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
That's hard. A lot of people can't do that.
::Miguel
o
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
I can be honest, like for myself, sometimes it's hard to like, you do that? Really?
::Miguel
this could Can I give you a a funny example?
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Yeah, please.
::Miguel
i Whenever I'm on like a small road and I see a you know an 18-wheeler like semi like semi truck driver like just like back
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
ah hu
::Miguel
their stuff up into their um wherever they're loading in or loading out of. I'm just in awe.
::Miguel
but I'm just sitting here like, bro, you're stopping traffic. There are like 40 cars just like waiting for you to do your thing, and you so smoothly just made that shit happen. And and driving is a craft.
::Miguel
I would i would i would assume you you you you feel that way as someone who just love loves cars as much as you do.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Uh huh.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Oh, i I drive every day.
::Miguel
ah Yeah, hell yeah.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Every day.
::Miguel
Um, but like, yeah, watching that, that, that dude with like 20, 30 years of, uh, trucking experience, just like wheel that shit in. Like it's nothing respect respect.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Do you know, there's some dudes that remember doing that before video cameras. So these days, those semis have cameras. But back in the day, they didn't have cameras.
::Miguel
Mmm.
::Miguel
Yeah. You just have to know the dimensions. You have to, you just have to understand it inherently.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
ah Mm hmm. Yeah. So if you were that fucker that decided to fuck up that day.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Ouch.
::Miguel
No, no, no.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
I don't want to be that person. But I I i definitely I definitely feel you on like there there are there are so many people doing so many different things like even within I'll be honest with you like even painters I sometimes them have a hard time understanding painters.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
I'm like So you spent 92 hours on this picture. 92 hours. And that was like $4,000 in material. Wow.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Like, mass respect.
::Miguel
what's So, are are you saying are you saying you do respect them? Or are you saying like, okay.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
No, like, Matt looked the same thing with, like, truck drivers. I'm like, I'm in awe with these people.
::Miguel
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
I'm like, how the hell do you do that shit? Like, it takes me, like, a year to finish one picture.
::Miguel
100%.
::Miguel
just Yeah, sure.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
e
::Miguel
yeah no man yeah I think there are some people who are built a little differently. um who who like They can do that and not sell the painting and not make their money back and still find it um rewarding ah because the whole point of it was just was just the art.
::Miguel
um I'm assuming that the money is still nice. but
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Oh, the money is very nice. and Very, very nice. I mean, it you know it it's the same thing that applies. I um and don't know, you may have ran the ran into this, like particularly when it comes to teaching because I was you know i was like told that so the automotive industry is a great industry to be in.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
It is it's great industry to be in the problem is is that it's very much run by corporate So if you want to be successful, you have to be independent my brother did that and it took him 20 years No one No one warns you that this shit is gonna be difficult, right?
::Miguel
Mm-hmm.
::Miguel
Mm.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
You know, everybody's like it's gonna be great like you're gonna have a great career like it's gonna be smooth and but nobody tells you all of this shit that comes along with it. You know, it'd be nice to get like a little something, you know, like a warning pamphlet.
::Miguel
Yo, I feel that. um I'm that guy to a lot of people. I'm i'm the flashing warning sign like this ain't easy. um well my My nine to five, i um I advise music students at a local school.
::Miguel
um and You know, a lot of them come in like, you know, bright eyed, bushy tailed, like, oh, I'm going to do my eight semesters at this really amazing music school. And then I'm going to like tour the world and that's what it's going to be. And and I don't want to be the bearer of bad news, but I, you know, I bring in some reality into it. Like, Hey, maybe there's going to be like 2% of you that actually do that.
::Miguel
So what else, what do you but do you want to put out into the world? What do you want to do? Because that might not happen for you. I remember when I was in ah grad school for music, I was around a lot of classical musicians. And for classical musicians, the whole thing is they want to be picked up by one of the big orchestras. like um yeah I'm in Massachusetts. I'm in Boston. Boston Symphony Orchestra is a top five orchestra. If you if you make a top five orchestra, you're kind of set for life.
::Miguel
um
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Mm hmm.
::Miguel
But there's only so many of those seats.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
I know.
::Miguel
like there's yeah like people and People hold on to them for their entire lives.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
I know.
::Miguel
you know like
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Mm hmm.
::Miguel
um so
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Some of them are in some of them are even in their 90s.
::Miguel
100%.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Yeah.
::Miguel
That's what you're going to do. So like, okay, so you might make an or like, you're not going to do it now.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Hmm.
::Miguel
yeah You have to be something really special to be able to just make that happen right now for yourself. So how are you going to make a living between now and then? ah And then might never, not never happen. Not because you're not skilled enough, not because you're, you don't have the aptitude for it, but because the circumstances might just might not be there.
::Miguel
So no, I, yeah, I, yeah I'm often just that flashing warning sign of like, being an artist is very rewarding. And it's not easy.
::Miguel
And it's going to be something that you're going to have to work towards your entire life. And you might not make it where you want to make it. Period.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
ah Yeah, it it's very, I mean, there are so many examples.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
I feel this way, like a lot of the time, even but like Amy Winehouse.
::Miguel
Hmm.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
You know, just that thought of imagine. Imagine if she did not die, and she was alive now.
::Miguel
Yeah. Yeah.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
But here's the thing, she ain't around anymore. But we still have all of what she left us.
::Miguel
Yeah.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
One harsh reality that you might have to accept, you may not experience the success in your life.
::Miguel
yeah
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
It may happen when you die.
::Miguel
Yeah, it happens time and time again, Van Gogh. um that Probably the classic example, right?
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Great example.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
ah huh
::Miguel
um ah Thinking of a classical composer, Bach. um Bach wasn't He wasn't that dude when but he was he was alive.
::Miguel
he He had a regular church gig. he he he was He was playing church services seven days a week ah for his entire life, had like 20 kids, was trying to just pay off debts. Afterwards, they've found all all these beautiful piano music and like it's become like a staple for all of anyone who studies piano, right?
::Miguel
But like, nah.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
I think it's, I think it's crazy when you even think of like Mozart, right?
::Miguel
Hmm.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
That when he became successful is when he became deaf.
::Miguel
I think you're thinking of Beethoven.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Beethoven, sorry, Beethoven. um Like, isn't that crazy? Like, you're successful, but can't hear a thing. Like you, you like,
::Miguel
Yeah, no that's that's a terrifying thought. and it's not It's not one that I relish.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
No, no, but that's a that's the idea, though, is like there, you know, this idea of the one way ticket, the golden ticket, as Willy Wonka put it.
::Miguel
Yeah.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
There is no golden ticket.
::Miguel
Yeah.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
There is there is no chocolate factory like.
::Miguel
Just blind luck, straight blind luck.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Yeah. Damn. You know, reality is kind of fucked up sometimes because you're like, you know, you watch so much television and movies, you know, and you're on the Internet and you're like, wow. And then like we've been saying over and over again, it's like reality does seep in. And, you know, to your point, like sometimes you just wake up and you're like, holy shit, why the hell am I in this matrix? I mean, I mean, planet Earth.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
um
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
It doesn't feel real sometimes, you know, you sometimes like sit there to yourself and you're like, Am I alone in this? You know, I remember once I was um and was coming back um from a flight and I was in the airport. I think this was in Linguardi, if I'm not mistaken. And I remember I was just sitting there, I was like having a really hard time.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Um, I had, uh, went to see a friend and it was just an awful experience. So i'm waiting in this airport and I see this couple, like, you know, the, they have the airport seats and then kind of little further down and they're fighting.
::Miguel
Hmm.
::Miguel
Hmm.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
And I'm kind of like, you know, he's dropping because come on, you know, it's like,
::Miguel
It's kind of hard not to see if people are fighting to be a little a little.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Right, and I'm waiting for my flight.
::Miguel
Yeah.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
And make a long story short, it turns out they were going on their honeymoon.
::Miguel
Hmm.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
And she found out that he cheated on her.
::Miguel
Well.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
And they were on the way, like at the gate.
::Miguel
Yeah.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
I just...
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
it It sinks in and you think to yourself, wow, like, I feel like I'm the only one that's having a shitty day.
::Miguel
But yeah, this this this couple's lives are are are being destroyed right now. by it It sounds like the choices of of of of one of them. um Yeah, no I feel that.
::Miguel
ah I think perspective is important. You're not... are at the center of of of of the universe. Everything's going to roll right on without you. Oh, hello, Kitty.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
I know she just comes in and out whenever she wants to.
::Miguel
What's the cat's name?
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
ah Her name's Twix.
::Miguel
That's a perfect name for that color.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Mm hmm.
::Miguel
Adorable.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Yeah, I mean, we sometimes joke you either get the right side or the left side depending on the day.
::Miguel
I see. I see.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
I still love those commercials, by the way, I don't know why they got rid of them. um But honestly, like, You have many artists that really know how to capture that awareness.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
You know, and you could, you could definitely feel that in their music and in their work, even sometimes people that are, they're broken.
::Miguel
Yeah.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
You know, we got to remember that, like, I think something I've realized along the way, a lot of artists in particular traumatized pasts.
::Miguel
Yeah.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
yeah There's a reason why we're creative.
::Miguel
yeah
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Trying to keep the boogeyman away.
::Miguel
Yeah, yeah, yeah. the Yeah, just trying to trying to keep some light in your eyes a little bit. Yeah, I think a lot of artists, um their main coping mechanism is their art, which I think is troublesome, honestly. I think um but something I always tell my my college students um is when they're first getting to music school was like,
::Miguel
you should find a thing that isn't music to relax, because now music's your job, and you don't really know what that means yet. You know you think think of what high school was like for people who are ah musically inclined. you know like The band room, the chorus room, whatever it was like it was, it was the safe space. you know the the the The basement the where their they practiced with their band was the safe space. like the The concerts they were going to were the safe space. Now they're at music school,
::Miguel
Now music's still a really important part, I think, for you, but it's it's your job now. it's it's like It's the thing that you have to do for a living. So for me, like um the nerdy stuff I nerd out to, cooking, I needed a different outlet to actually relax because music isn't wasn't it isn't ah the most relaxing thing for me because it's it's part of my job. um So I think everyone needs that other outlet when they make their passion there their work.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Yeah, it's it's important. I mean, to my point, like I said before, I mean, it's kind of why I picked the car in this industry and cars, because, you know, drawing and doing podcasting, the nice thing about working on cars is you don't really talk to anybody.
::Miguel
Sure.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
You just kind of sit there with your own tools and, you know, you repair what you need to repair. Um,
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
It sounds lonely, but to be honest, sometimes the thing that's fucking you up the most is what's in your fucking head. Let's be honest.
::Miguel
Hmm. Yeah. Sometimes you just need to take some time for yourself. 100%.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
I feel that we we sometimes our brain moves faster than we think.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
In the sense where are we sometimes make very quick decisions, sometimes like purely emotional decisions. um And I think especially like when you are picking something that already is so vast and so many people are doing this, and you want to do this for your own sake, there needs to be like a level of clarity.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
for your own self.
::Miguel
yeah Yeah.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
I mean, you know, you could talk for your own students, you know, having like, I get you want to get there. But remember that there's 389 steps before you get to 390.
::Miguel
one 100%, man. I get so many students coming in first semester and they're like, already talking about grad school. And I'm like, yo, you gotta worry about your training tomorrow.
::Miguel
like You don't got to worry about grad school or anything that like that. You're not there yet. and And I get it. I get the impulse to want to make sure that you're set up for success in everything.
::Miguel
But like sometimes when you look that far into the future, you're you're actually failing yourself right now. right You have to be present to actually take in the information you're you're trying to get um the in the moment.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
it It's really understanding of what we can understand. I mean, realistically, we can understand maybe tomorrow, you know, um maybe three, four days if you're scheduling appointments or things of that nature. But just as unstable the past is, the future is the same. Where you are making the future.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
been doing this podcast since: ::Lost in the Groove Podcast
There's been a lot of shit that's happened since then. There are a lot of people that they stop after a year, they stop after two years, because they don't have that balance.
::Miguel
Yep.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
You need to be able to have that ability in order to be successful. Otherwise, you're just going to keep on doing things, stop them, fail, and then settle and end up being miserable with your life because you've gotten absolutely nowhere.
::Miguel
Yeah, you got to stick to it. In some way, shape or form. like and i feel ah so Sustainability is the thing, right? um You can't constantly put 120% of your cup into one place or your you're going to burn out.
::Miguel
right You got to be able to kind of diversify a little bit.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
quantify
::Miguel
qua is is Is that a better word for it, quantify?
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
quantify I Don't know we've been using a lot of scientific terms, and I don't hate it, but Somebody we're gonna be asking questions like oh my god.
::Miguel
but
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
I gotta check up now Webster's dictionary to figure out what these words It's hilarious when you think that people will understand certain words, and they're like What you're like you never heard of that before I'm like no and you know I actually pull up a dictionary on your on your phone obviously we don't carry dictionaries no more
::Miguel
ah Yeah, I mean we have the the the whole of well understanding of the world in our pockets now, so why why carry a erect why carrying around a dictionary?
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Yeah.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Yeah. I mean, it's kind of crazy because if you go back 11 years ago, making music was a lot harder.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
There's a lot more physical um elements to it.
::Miguel
Yep.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
You have to pay a lot like you had to pay a lot for certain programs, particularly, and then you have to make sure you had all the equipment and you had to make sure you had the right space. And
::Miguel
Yep.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Now you can be in a fucking spa in the crunch gym and press play and you're good to go.
::Miguel
ike. um I don't know, in like: ::Miguel
um Now, like um you there's there's so much just stuff to put out there.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
hours.
::Miguel
I think but it's both ah a negative and a positive, right? The positive is that everyone that wants to be able to make music can make music in some way, shape or form. The negative is like, the the ch it's like a heat needle in a haystack, the chances of like,
::Miguel
someone actually finding you and liking your stuff, um which brings us back to the kind of social media aspect of being an artist and trying to constantly sell yourself.
::Miguel
yeah um I struggle with that a lot. Honestly, like i struggle so I struggle with the constant like feeling like I should be posting about this or like vlogging about that or whatever, even podcasting.
::Miguel
I'm like, I want to market myself. I want to make sure people can actually listen to it and people might be interested in it or you can help them can find it. But like the the constantly putting yourself out there um and kind of shouting into the void, it can cost you a little bit.
::Miguel
ah it It can be difficult to kind of deal with.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
It can.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
What's crazy is is that when you're dealing with um when you're dealing with like the outside world in particular, like you you were saying, I had even one of my classmates the other day, he's like, why don't you make shorts for the podcast? You know, I'm like,
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
They're on Rumble, they're on YouTube, full-length videos. You want to watch a clip, go on there and you can watch it. Like, I'm not trying to be like, I don't want to do this. It's where I have so many other responsibilities in my life that I feel that I am doing the best I can with this, right?
::Miguel
All right. Yeah.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
I'm not setting myself up for failure. I understand my limitations. you Remember we're talking about like the idea of burning yourself out. You want to get all the way to music school. You want to be able to graduate.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
and You gotta put in the goddamn work from start to finish.
::Miguel
right.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
You know, that may be sacrificing your Friday nights. That may be sacrificing your whole fucking week. But, like, I be like i don't know who said that this is gonna be easy, but it ain't.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
It never will be.
::Miguel
No. It's not. It ain't easy. That's the goddamn truth. No. the None of this is easy, man. But we're trying. And i am I'm thankful other people are trying because when when you see when you see it, you can be it. You know what I mean? Like when you see other people trying to make it happen and do the put the work in and do it over four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, 10 years and still not get it, but eventually get to a place where they're successful and able to um ah make a living off of their art.
::Miguel
Yeah, it's it's possible. It's hard, but it's possible. So we should we should keep that going.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
It is. No, 100%. And I think that in the end of the day, all in all, um it's it's about staying happy. you know like Like you said, like you're always gonna have a hard moment. But the main thing is that to be able to have that happiness in your life. You know, whether that be a partner or a new house or a new car or maybe, you know, um could say even for your own self as a teacher where you have one of your students that's like comes up like, oh my God, you like made my fucking life. You know, you meet up with them like a few few years later and they're like actually doing pretty well. Those are things we look forward to. It's like, yes, life is shitty. World is fucked up. I get it.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
But we have all of these other things that can make us happy.
::Miguel
Mm, no.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Every moment of the day. May not be every day, but we have those moments.
::Miguel
100%, yeah, no, you gotta, if you sit in the in the negative for too long, you're just gonna kind of trick yourself into a tailspin. No, um it's it's kind of feels cliche to say it, but cup half full people just tend to have a little bit of a better life.
::Miguel
the They tend to just be able to to cruise through and and not worry as much. um And I strive to be one of those people one day, but I'm not one of those people all the time, but hopefully I can i can make it more more than 40% of the time.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
it it's a lot of It's a lot of work, you know and nobody nobody completes everything in their life by the time they die. you know There's gonna be a lot of things that you're gonna wanna do that you never get there, or whatever the case may be.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
But you have those other things that you did do, regardless of the things that you didn't do.
::Miguel
Yeah.
::Miguel
True. 100%. 100%.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Yeah.
::Miguel
Yeah.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Um, wanted you to ah maybe because we've been talking about this like for the past hour. I'm a little bit more about but about your podcast because I know you're a teacher.
::Miguel
Yeah.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
I know you do jazz.
::Miguel
Mm-hmm.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
And damn, that is a lot of information to keep in one head. But um, tell me a little bit more about your podcast.
::Miguel
Sure. So um I run a show called Play Black. um It's basically two nerds of of color talking about um how nerdy shit affected them and all the stuff that we want to see out in in the world. um ah my ah i like like Like you said, my I'm a musician and ah a teacher, educator. um My partner is also a musician, but he's he's also an author. um and an actor and he runs a small nonprofit that helps artists um with their artists of color specifically with the kind of backend services that they need for themselves here and in in in the Boston area. And it's a place where we're trying to build a community um and around the the ah stories that make us happy and and all the aspects of those stories be that the musical aspects or the actual written word. so
::Miguel
But yeah, Play Black, check it out anywhere you find podcasts. um And also, we're also working on an audio drama called My Blood the Ink that I'm composing music for um that Jay wrote and performed in alongside a a huge cast of wonderful actors that we were able to find in the area. So check that out, My Blood the Ink and Play Black. um You'll have a good time.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Yeah, I mean, hey, whenever things get nerdy, I'm just saying I kind of want to hear the tea.
::Miguel
Yeah, man. like we we We get into it.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
a
::Miguel
We we we get into all all the nerdy little tidbits and things. Anything from fit of yeah fantasy, but fantasy um
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Like comic books, action figures.
::Miguel
we've interviewed a lot of authors lately talking about their their books, which is pretty cool, anime, um ah called itp yeah ah any form of of TV or or movies, um just giving hot takes and trying to to bring some positivity onto the world.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
is funny you mention anime because like a couple of months ago i was introduced to food anime i did not know that that was the thing i was completely food anime so there is ah like this food anime drama where it's food that's like like anaphomorphic or something and
::Miguel
food anime, what'd you watch? Okay.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
It's, okay, basically like the scene that I was watching was like a short clip. It's like this potato that's like peeling itself.
::Miguel
Oh, yeah.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
And then they're like it like throws itself in boiling hot water. And I'm just, first of all, anime is wild to begin with. And then I see this shit and I'm like, where have I been all these years?
::Miguel
Oh man, I don't know the name of that show. I have i have seen that um that clip.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Have you covered that by the way? Cause you should.
::Miguel
y, that awful movie from like: ::Miguel
Um, but yeah, so yeah, with with seth for exactly.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Ooh, it's Seth Rogen and they're all on drugs. Oh my, that was so funny.
::Miguel
Yeah. Well, wild time. But, um, no, I, I love anime because I think it takes, it says the the quiet part out loud. You know, it, it's constantly just like in your face, like, no, man, this is about the power of friendship.
::Miguel
This is about um ah yeah the belief in your so belief in yourself and believe in others and the greater good and you know everything bending towards justice, all that all that all that good shit.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
All that jazz.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
on that jazz
::Miguel
It's cheesy, it's it's weird, ha.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
ah ah
::Miguel
But some some sometimes you need a little bit of that um you know kind of radical positivity or radical belief um in your and in what you're watching, because a lot of times, shit is bleak.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
a
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Oh, yeah, I mean, hey, just throwing that out there, you know, future idea for food, anime, podcast, episode, just throw them in the universe.
::Miguel
so
::Miguel
i'm I'm picking up what you're putting down.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
It's A question for you, man. I know that you have the podcast. Do you have um any social links, you know, like a web website, Instagram, YouTube, which I'll add a card, by the way, if you have YouTube in.
::Miguel
Yeah, sure. um ah if you If you go and follow Play Black podcast on ah Instagram and TikTok, you'll find us there. If you want to follow me, you can follow me at miggle underscore wiggle um on Instagram.
::Miguel
um
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
So 90s, so 90s, so 90s.
::Miguel
and ah So 90s, showing my age there for sure. um If you want to check out my website, it's miguelanistory.com. um And i'm I'm sure you'll have some stuff in the description, but if you check out the Play Black Link tree, you'll you'll find all my stuff there.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
Okay, that's awesome, man. And en listen to me, it's been an absolute pleasure to have you on and I mean, hey, you know, one of the best things about jazz is getting into that vibe.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
So just saying.
::Miguel
You're not wrong, man.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
ae No.
::Miguel
You're not wrong. no it's Vibes are are good. the The vibes were good for this conversation. Thank you for having me on.
::Lost in the Groove Podcast
My pleasure. And listen, anybody out there want to check out more of the podcast? You know where to find us at Lost in the Groove Pod. So that motherfuckers catch you on the next one. Peace out.
::Miguel
Peace.
