Reinvention can mean many things to many people. We see it all the time in popular culture. There are many ways into the idea, whether by crisis, needing a change, or by having an out of the blue inspiration. Easier said than done! This episode, we ruminate and discuss what it takes to transform and transcend yourself. Michael Hateley: Lotus Mastering http://lotusmastering.com/ Hello Crow Hello Crow, Michael's new EP is available now! Extra Fancy "You Look Like a Movie...

A few weeks back we had the great pleasure of talking with the dynamic duo of THX - CEO Jason Fiber, a man who has worn many hats, done many things in the / for the alternative / underground music scene and industry, now heads up one of the biggest names in audio visual technology, and the insanely dynamic and prolific Kasson Crooker, Director Of Product Development at THX.  Kasson too is many things above and beyond his role at THX.  He is an Electronic Music Artist, Video Game Music...

Taking risks. Making changes. Living without regret. Easier said than done! This episode, we ruminate and wonder what could be and what might have been.  Michael Hateley: Lotus Mastering http://lotusmastering.com/ Hello Crow Hello Crow, Michael's new EP is available now! Extra Fancy "You Look Like a Movie Star": https://youtu.be/0pE1TqlWHCk Baldyloks (Michael Hateley & John Napier): https://baldyloks.bandcamp.com/ Dee Madden: https://www.deemadden.com/ Dee's new album Paisley...

This episode we talk about what's good and recent wins in our respective worlds. Keeping a positive thread in our thinking makes all the difference. Frankie Laine, who sang "What Kind of Fool Am I". Sammy Davis Jr. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcHyCdvBnIU Sam Lipsyte "No One Left To Come Looking For You". 20 Feet from Stardom. Michael Hateley: Lotus Mastering http://lotusmastering.com/ Hello Crow Hello Crow, Michael's new EP is available now! Extra Fancy "You Look Like a Movie...

This week,  we speak to producer/engineer Jason Lowerie about how he works and develops his craft. It all boils down to fundamentals and intuition. Find out more about Jason's work at:  www.jasonlowerie.com Michael Hateley: Lotus Mastering http://lotusmastering.com/ Hello Crow Hello Crow, Michael's new EP is available now! Extra Fancy "You Look Like a Movie Star": https://youtu.be/0pE1TqlWHCk Baldyloks (Michael Hateley & John Napier): https://baldyloks.bandcamp.com/ Dee...

This week,  we speak to Grammy Award-nominated producer/engineer Paul Fig about how he works and develops his craft. We also discuss the rich history behind his studio, www.davesroom.net, in Southern California.  While working at world-famous Sound City Studios, Fig had the opportunity to practice every aspect of his trade, working with such luminaries as Joe Barresi, Matt Hyde, Don Smith, Matt Wallace, David Bianco, George Drakoulias and Greg Fidelman. During that time he worked on albums...

Anu, Dee, and Michael discuss latest projects, challenges, and creative discoveries.  Michael Hateley: Lotus Mastering http://lotusmastering.com/ Hello Crow Hello Crow, Michael's new EP is available now! Extra Fancy "You Look Like a Movie Star": https://youtu.be/0pE1TqlWHCk Baldyloks (Michael Hateley & John Napier): https://baldyloks.bandcamp.com/ Dee Madden: https://www.deemadden.com/ Dee's new album Paisley Madrigals is out now! Penal Colony “Blue 9”...

We all get stuck eventually -- stuck in our jobs, creative projects, or lives. We may face obstacles  of finance, emotion, time, or personality. Sometimes we do not even know the cause.   Getting unstuck starts with actually knowing when you're stuck and then telling the truth about it. Often, we don't know what the next step could or should be. Even if we do know the next step, our willingness to take action may have just evaporated.  We discuss our experiences being of being stuck  -- its...

Most of the biggest blocks that creators have start and end in their thinking. This episode explores where our own worst thinking stops us before we even start and some ways to begin to unlearn the nasty habit of catastrophic thinking. "The call is coming from inside the house...." -- References from this episode: Therapy in a Nutshell video - Catastrophizing: How to Stop Making Yourself Depressed and Anxious Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in...

Is artificial intelligence a real threat to human creativity? Or are we just expanding our creative toolbox? We discuss the myths and realities of technology and creative practices in the world of art and music, and talk about implications and effects of previous and future technologies. -- Stable Diffusion, an AI-based image generation. Try it yourself! ChatGPT, from OpenAI. GPT3, which produces human-like text. Given an initial text as prompt, it will produce text that continues the...

Holidays can be a real source of anxiety and loneliness for so many people. In this final episode for 2022, we discuss some personal practices to cure the holiday blues. Michael Hateley: Lotus Mastering http://lotusmastering.com/ Hello Crow Hello Crow, Michael's new EP is available now! Extra Fancy "You Look Like a Movie Star": https://youtu.be/0pE1TqlWHCk Baldyloks (Michael Hateley & John Napier): https://baldyloks.bandcamp.com/ Dee Madden: https://www.deemadden.com/ Dee's new...

Fear can be a crippling effect of past trauma or experience. How do we interrupt the experience of fear and redirect that energy? How do we discern between what is a helpful fear response and past neurological triggers like PTSD and related disorders? How does psychological conditioning come into play? Don't be afraid to join us this episode as we address some of our personal experiences. -- Pema Chödrön The Pema Chödrön Foundation When Things Fall Apart Learned Helplessness Operant (or...

Every artist has a unique voice, a tone, a perspective. How do you discover what that is? What choices, what tools, what things help you find and sharpen it? We wander a crooked path through these thorny issues and questions. Michael and Dee talk about how this journey affected their new records. Michael Hateley: Lotus Mastering http://lotusmastering.com/ Hello Crow Hello Crow, Michael's new EP is available now! Extra Fancy "You Look Like a Movie...

We're out this week for Thanksgiving, and taking this opportunity to give you this, our first revisitation of one of our first episodes!  Celebrating the release of "Paisley Madrigals" to the streaming services, we are proud to once again, present to you, our "Adios Jesse... Hello BUNK!" episode from July 17, 2021.  This was the fourth episode we ever did, B.A.  (Before Anu), wherein Dee talks about the loss of his friend Jesse Rodriguez, Jesse's contributions to a side project Michael and...

Our guest is Sara Schnadt, who answers questions about her path from performance artist to systems architecture at NASA/JPL. Sara talks with us about how the two fields work together for her on a day-to-day basis. -- About Sara Schnadt: NASA Profile of Sara ArtNet piece about Sara Sara's Work: SaraSchnadt.com (Sara's Art) Sara's design work (pre-JPL) Sara's Ground System Architecture Workshop talk Sara's EYEO talk -- Michael Hateley: Lotus Mastering    http://lotusmastering.com/ Hello...

What's more important in music: melody or lyrics? We take on this unanswerable question. This ridiculous challenge leads us in some interesting directions.  -- References: "Singing is a trick to get people to listen to music for longer than they would ordinarily."  - David Byrne Books: This Is What It Sounds Like (about why you fall in love with music) 'Scuse Me While I Kiss This Guy (about misheard lyrics) Music: Barry Manilow "Copacabana" (live) Joni Mitchell "For Free" (live) Leonard...

Digital marketing expert, musician, and motorcycle enthusiast Chad Bishop talks with Dee and Michael about the Zen of long motorcycle rides, playing music, and a bit of marketing strategy. Chad used to play in bands Screaming to G*d and Idiot Stare. -- References: Idiot Stare https://www.discogs.com/artist/94678-Idiot-Stare Screaming To G*d https://www.discogs.com/artist/91345-STG http://chadbishop.com/ https://twitter.com/wearechad -- Michael Hateley: Lotus Mastering ...

We pay tribute to the brilliance of Adam Ant. -- References: Adam Ant on Top of the Pops, 1980 ("Dog Eat Dog") The Madness of Prince Charming can be found on YouTube in either a single 48-minute view, or in 4 parts. Here's part 1. Burundi Steiphenson Black ‎– Burundi Black 1971 Jubilee movie, on Wikipedia Bow Wow Wow The Glitter Band The Glitter Band playing live Adam Ant "Prince Charming" Adam Ant & Grace Jones for Honda Scooters. Ennio Morrocone Themes: The Good, The Bad, and The...

We all look at our lives and wonder "what if..?" Presented with an array of doors, we can only choose one to walk through, leaving us to ask if made the best selection, and consider how our lives would have been better, or at least different. We discuss some of our own key moments, and look at whether asking "what if..?" is helpful or harmful. What can we learn from the decisions we made, and what can we learn from the paths not taken? How can we avoid the slippery slope of regret and...

How many times have you thought, "If I only had enough...?" We investigate finding more ease in our creative lives, no matter how impossible our head tells us it will be. A wishlist is a powerful tool for creating direction in our daily lives. Tell the story of what you want and paths may appear. -- Michael Hateley: Lotus Mastering    http://lotusmastering.com/         Extra Fancy "You Look Like a Movie Star": https://youtu.be/0pE1TqlWHCk Baldyloks (Michael Hateley & John...

We push and pull on "Pistol", Hulu's slick and stylized miniseries which re-imagines  Steve Jones' autobiography, "Lonely Boy". "Pistol" presents one possible story of the birth and death of the Sex Pistols. We talk about the compromises inherent in telling any story, the merits of related documentaries, the truth and fiction behind "Pistol", and the impact of the Sex Pistols. -- References: Official Trailer for "Pistol".  John Lydon's comment about the trailer and disclaimer about the...

Creative people often struggle with making art and making peace with themselves. Garry Shandling was no exception. He was a complex mix of aspiration, attachment, suffering, striving, and success. We talk about our responses to Judd Apatow's documentary "The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling", and consider what it means for life and creativity. -- References: Movie trailer for The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling Trailer for The Larry Sanders Show (available on HBO) Trailer for It's Garry...

How much of our lives should we give to work? How much work do we need for our lives? Does work help give life meaning and shape, or does work rob life of meaning and shape? Can we find a way to make work work for us?  -- Michael Hateley: Lotus Mastering    http://lotusmastering.com/         Extra Fancy "You Look Like a Movie Star": https://youtu.be/0pE1TqlWHCk Baldyloks (Michael Hateley & John Napier): https://soundcloud.com/baldyloks-1 Dee Madden: https://www.deemadden.com/ Penal...

50 years ago, David Bowie released "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars", his fifth album. The one that gave him a taste of success, and that set the template for what would follow. After all this time, what makes this record so enduring for us and everyone else? What's the worst song on it? The worst lyrics? Is it good? Is it bad? Give me your hands! You're not alone! Join us to celebrate the Starman. -- References: 1972 hot 100 singles:...