Musical Scenes and New Beginnings (Happy New Year!)

0:02 What's good guys, it's Scoobert Doobert here.This is going to be the last solo pod before we finish up the year and so I just kind of

0:28 wanted to take this chance to reflect a little bit and talk about musical scenes, aboutgroups and collections of musicians and bands that create a certain sound and how a lotof those scenes aren't really discovered or put into historical perspective until yearsafter they actually happen.

0:54 You know, some are a little bit more obvious, like something gets sparked in the commercialsense and everybody's going to sign sunset strip hair metal bands or something like that.Or like a band like Nirvana or whatever pops up and now people are rushing to Seattleto sign the next grunge group.

1:17 But I think that there's like a layer of this that has to be retroactive in the sameway that history is not, yeah, it's being written right now, but it does not contextualizeuntil decades later, like it's really hard to tell, you know, right now it feels likewe're living through so much history, but in 100 years it's going to be like 5 pages,

1:41 maybe longer, but like all of the crazy things that we've gone through in the last severalyears, they feel very big right now, but when they get summarized, they will be bullet-pointedand put into themes with diagrams and whatnot and end up in a history textbook that a classmight never even get to because they are still covering the Civil War.

2:01 That was my history, a class experience, never got to modern history, nobody needs timefor that.But anyway, like what I'm trying to say is musical scenes are super important and I thinkthat they get under-reported, under-appreciated, I don't think their stories get told enough.And I wanted to tell a little bit about the scene that I feel like I'm in and I'm coming

2:26 from and also where I think scenes are going and how I'm hoping to influence my littlescene and grow it in new and unexpected ways.So typically scenes are revolving around a venue, it's not usually even like a location

2:49 as much, but it is a specific like CBGB or these groups in Tokyo that I'm going to be workingwith next year that I'm really excited about.They all play the same club, that's how it works, like they put on raves together, theyplay this club, they DJ together, they have a different bar that they all DJ at, it'sthis rotating thing where everybody's kind of listening to each other, bouncing off

3:13 each other, it doesn't mean everybody sounds the same, it just means that there is a musicalconversation that's happening in a deeper level than just like we're in the same citywhere we listen to the same influences, it's like no where each other's influencesin unexpected ways.And a lot of that usually revolves around a physical location, I think that the pandemic

3:34 has kind of changed that and made it a little bit less physical, I also think it's Spotifyhas changed that a little bit in terms of being a distribution model that isn't as localizedI guess, like for example, Memphis radio, Memphis AM radio helped spawn a certain sense

3:55 of blues, R&B and rock and roll, like you have this symbiosis between sun records andthe distribution channels, you know, some pay all some money changing hands and thingslike that, but fundamentally you had a location that had a distribution stream, had a recordingstream, then had different places to play, all of these kind of work together and that's

4:21 how you get like rock and roll, you know, the same thing if you look at Motown and the waythat people are working together in Detroit, writing songs, cranking them out, Tin Pan Alley,like similar kind of thing where there is a physical location where all the writers roomsare located and they're competing with each other and trying to one up each other and

4:41 going for drinks with each other, like it's this whole level of, you know, everythingmixed in between competition and influence and adoration.You see this time and time again, I mean, honestly, like Beethoven was a contemporary ofMozart, like of course he was, you know what I mean?Like Beethoven was younger than Mozart and was a child prodigy, but not quite as much

5:08 of a child prodigy as Mozart, so he was always kind of chasing him, you know, like ifyou ever played N64 and you are chasing the ghost of your personal best time and you'retrying to race yourself, it's like chasing in those footsteps, trying to achieve whatthey achieved, ends up creating frickin' Ludwig van Beethoven, you know what I mean?That is a influence in time and space.

5:38 There's a reason why, you know, Germans and Austrians, this whole kind of collective ofcentral Europe did what they did musically, because they all, they had similar schoolsand similar schools of thoughts and similar venues and patrons and things like that.It was a scene and to cultivate a scene, I think you do, at least at the seed stage, need

6:03 some sort of physical thing, and I kind of regret this, like where I'm at right now, I'mtrying to find it, but luckily I found one in Tokyo and it's like, it's old school.It's like what I've read about, you know, like in the 80s, like in New York City, likein CBGB, where you have the new wave bands, like you have this scene, but it's like there's

6:26 everything in between punk and things that I guess could be considered punk, like talkingheads, but it's all under some sort of like header, you know?I think a lot about that and I think about like, okay, how, if I want to make music thatstands the test of time, I can make it in a vacuum, even though I make most of my musicin my room and I'm right now locked in that room.How do I connect it to my scene?

7:00 And my answer is laughing at my face right now because, and this is the whole reasonwhy I'm doing this podcast, I was looking through, I love doing this, looking through wheremy music is on user-generated playlist, not Spotify play this as much, I'd check thatout too, but user-generated, like just random people that I've never met.So this lady, Alice, put me in a playlist called December 3, 2023, like I got perfect.

7:25 That is like the exact kind of boring title that I'm looking for, because it's not somethingthat they're necessarily making for their friends, it might be them, one of their personor just them listening to it.And number one is my cover of Winter Wonderland.Number two is my original song, Shrimp Burrito, and number three is Merry Christmas HappyHolidays by Pentatonix.And I went to school with Scott Hoying at USC.

7:50 And I thought that this would be a good time to reflect a little bit about my little scene.And where we came up from, it's not necessarily that we're all still in it, I guess.But if you started there, are you always in it?If you were part of the Seattle Grunge scene, and then you left Seattle, you're still kindof part, if you're making grunge music, you're doing that thing, you're still part of it.

8:12 Is Dave Grohl still part of the Seattle Grunge scene?It's like, yes and no, I don't know, it's part of your roots, like even if Mozart moved to Spain, like you'd still have some of that Austrian German thing going on.So Pentatonix, another group, another person, Remi Wolf, went to my school at the sametime, Muna, they all went to school at the same time with me.

8:47 You know, we're in classes together, we're like sitting next to each other.We have very similar ways to think about music.And I think that stuff cuts deeper than a lot of music fans might really know, becauseit's like, your influence not just by the songs that they're writing, because you're

9:12 in song running class and you're workshopping stuff back and forth, and so that's obvious.But you're influenced by their process and by their failures and by the questions theyask in Harmony class, where you say, like, hey, why can't we add that note into thischord?Oh, it's because of XYZ as a professor, but then their response.And some of the coolest stuff, like Riley, who was just my mastering engineer, who just

9:35 talked, he was talking about a song that he did with Aman.And Aman was awesome in music school, because he would always take the rules and thenwrite the most beautiful thing you've ever heard, breaking all of them.It just is like a kind of an FU to the teacher, but it was great because it was like, obviouslyhe understood the assignment.

9:59 He just chose to do the exact opposite, but by doing the opposite, you understand theopposite of the opposite kind of thing.But like all of these weird influences that soaked up into me where it's not like, I feeltoo cool for school, but it's that I am able to both do my assignment and be a good studentand do the thing.But then also hear somebody that doesn't, but also does the thing, and it expands myhorizon.

10:22 And then I feel the same way about like going to Tokyo now.It's like I'm kind of gathering some of that scene and it's influencing the music thatI make because I'm listening to their music and I'm going to their clubs and I'm hearingthem DJ and like, just miss the rave, but that would have been fun.But like, that's the, or the same thing when I go visit Max Horwich out in Brooklyn.

10:43 He takes me to these spots and some of that scene, I talk to some of his friends, I workwith some of the people out there, we're doing collaborations.Some stuff will come out next year, very excited about it.There's a scene there and there's something really special about not just like passingthrough a place on tour, like to play a show, but to instead go there for a week or two

11:03 and work with people and sit in it and go to shows and then stay in contact and collaborateand pass things back and forth and mix stuff and like do this thing that goes deeper.Because then it feels like, you know, that same music school vibe which like Louis Cole,I, you know, he's, he's still an idol of mine, but he's, I don't know, four or five years,maybe even more older than I am.

11:27 And he, so he graduated pretty recently after, or like before I entered music school.And Louis Cole and Noah was like the peak pinnacle of somebody that was an ultimate instrumentalist,who was able to play big band stuff, and then also like head singer, songwriter, jobs.All of that.And then now look at where Louis Cole is like he's playing with Thundercat through Japan

11:53 or he's, you know, blowing up with these meme songs, it's just the coolest thing.And he's still, he's in there, you know, it's not, it's not as superficial like Ilistened to his music and I want to sound like him, which of course that exists.But it's that deeper, like his sense of humor affected me at 18 years old.And like everybody in that band, like Jacob Mann, I went on tour with Jacob Mann, likeSam Wilkes.

12:19 I was in like the same, like I probably took 50 classes with Sam.And it's like person after person after person that are all kind of like working in thisindustry, like scary pockets and a Campbell, like he, I went on tour with him.He was in my band for a long, long time.Where all of these people, like, that, and some of which I've worked with on this project,

12:38 like Justin, Justin Klunk, who's done some stuff, who's played on some of my things inkey, his tour, as his saxophonist, he's also like a smooth jazz saxophonist, but there'sall of these like weird, we're all playing different genres or doing different things.But at the end of the day, we all studied with Patrice Rushen on how to play Groove.And I didn't get Groove.I really swear I didn't get Groove at 18.

13:02 I wish I did be so much farther along, but almost it was better than I didn't because Igot to learn from somebody the best, you know, the absolute best, and was embarrassedenough to get good at it.Again, I'm still embarrassed.I'm still getting good at it.And the same thing like a Lamont Dozier, number, most number one hits of all time.I get to have private songwriting lessons with him.

13:26 You'd think my music would be better, right?But he, I mean, he taught me so many things.Only that everything is in service of sonics, like the emotion that you put into a song,and the way that it comes across is more important than the technique or the approach, or eventhe mentality.You don't have to be like crying into the microphone to make somebody else cry on theother side of the speaker.

13:56 You have to access something else.It's not, you don't have to access it by being like melodramatic.You access it by putting it all out there.Like he told me to stop thinking so much while I was singing because he knew a good surgeon.He's like, you'll get notes, everybody gets notes, I got notes, I got a good surgeon.And the dean of my music school is horrified because he happened to be in the room as he

14:24 told me that in the private songwriting lesson.And, but it's not even that one statement, right, in rest of the piece, I'm not great guy.I only knew him at like 80 years old.So I know that he was wilder while I'm doing his youth, but I knew I knew him was a verykind old dude that just dropped wisdom like crazy and was so gracious, just was therewith you.

14:51 But he, when he was saying to me, and what I really took from that was like, you don'thave to think so hard, you just have to do it.You don't even necessarily have to feel so hard.You just have to free yourself from the worry of like, oh, if I do it with bad technique,like something bad's going to happen, it's like, yeah, maybe, but it's not about that.It's not even about you.

15:20 It's like the same thing, the professional basketball players, you can, or any sport athleteand whatever it is.Like people that have gotten injured play a certain way.They play not to get injured in the same way that when people get ahead, they play notto lose and then they end up losing.It's the mentality shift of just abandon, abandoning it, just going all out.

15:41 If you get injured, you get injured, whatever, figure it out.But you have to win this game right now.It's, it's a different mentality and it's not a silly mentality like, I'm gunning toget injured or I'm like completely abandoning myself, but it is saying like dig deep, getit out of you.Consequences be damned, but it's that funny combination, a combination, and that's what

16:05 I think somebody like Louis Cole embodies is like, that ability to go to the depths oftechnicality and ability, but also the humor to write very silly songs.And then it's so cool to see some of them succeed so well, like Pentatonix and Scott Hoying, it's like, it's awesome, it's beautiful.

16:32 You know, I went to school with Rosy, I was my first tour ever was just going up thecoast.I think we did three weeks up the coast of California, like a really slow tour, likeI don't know, three or four shows in San Diego, three or four shows in LA and kind ofmarched our way up to SF.And I just so, I just root for people and I hope that, I hope that I influenced them

16:56 at least a little bit, or if I do, or I do at some point in the future, but I know thatthey very much influenced me.I would not make the music that I make without this community, and it's so fun to see thiscommunity grow.And all these people that I've collaborated with, this stuff is not just like one tune,it's not skandit, for the vast majority, but like, you know, somebody like Tommaso, it's

17:18 like we've worked together multiple times on multiple projects on multiple songs, andhe's influenced the way that I listen to music, and I hopefully I've influenced the wayhe listens to music, and there you go, like that's that scene.It's growing, it's building, it's connecting.And I want it, that's why I do collaborations, it's, it's like less about like, even, I don't

17:39 know, like strategy or music or whatever, it's like, let's build across a bridge, let'sfigure each other out, let's see what we create together.Sometimes it is superficial, it's just like we do one song, and that was cool song, likewhatever, and that's it.And then other times it blossoms into this like really deep, meaningful musical relationship.

17:56 And that's what I'm looking for is like how to find more of that, and like, you know,I don't, I don't speak French.

18:05 Great example, done multiple songs, but what you're really interesting stuff ahead,like writing for K-pop, they were doing together, we're planning to do together.I don't know, we'll see what happens, but it's just these crazy little things.It's like, okay, now I've got this homey in Sweden, and we are working on some dope stuff,

18:23 and we have, and he's influenced the way I listen, and he's sent me cool artists, and he'sstarted a record label, and now he's signing people, and like, wants me to work on stuff with them,and you see how all these lines start crossing over now, you've got somebody in London thatI mix for, and now there's another person in London, and now like maybe the person that I mix

18:40 for and the person that I'm doing a collab with could connect, like, all of these little

18:44 lines can get traced together that maybe now, because Spotify has zoomed out and is not a regionaldistribution or broadcast chain, maybe, maybe we can transcend just the venue thing.

18:59 The problem with that though is I think that we still need some venues. I think that that isstill like a key component of all this, so that's why I want to kind of crack at some point.I don't know if I'm quite there yet, but at some point I want to figure that out because like,I'm seeing what the homey's in in Tokyo, there is real value to being able to gather and

19:18 do your thing, and maybe that's like figuring out ways to connect this scene and do

19:24 festival, or like something, you know a showcase, not even, like, you know, something like a dateor string of dates, like I saw this Re:SET festival that I thought was pretty cool. It's like boygenius and Dijon's, and it's like a traveling festival, like, they bring the stage, they go toa park thing, great sound system, and they all co-headline and play for a weekend, really cool.

19:47 That kind of concept, but within a musical scene, I think it could be the coolest thing everof all these people to collaborate with each other. You're coming out, working on each other'smusic, you're supporting each other, and influencing each other, and just hyped to go to each other'sshows, like how beautiful could that be?

20:04 That could be a potential future for this whole thing, is like, grow it, build it, write with it, and then like, it'd be a sick, just even where it'sat. You want to see Pentatonix, Noor, and MUNA, and Remi Wolf? It's like, yeah, and like,all open.

20:22 You know what I'm saying though, there's already momentum within this scene that people don't even know as a scene, but it's already there, and people like Joshua that I'mgoing to have a podcast coming out with in the new year. What did some music with as well?Hopefully some more stuff ahead. He's a great example of like,

20:46 he moved to LA, and now he's part of that LA crowd, like he's friends with my friends,

20:50 and I manage your label, dude, Sam, same deal, like he moved to LA, and I'm seeing it, like he'sconnected with all these people. It's funny finding all these Miami people, too, that are connectedwith all my USC people, and like, it's all of this is becoming this super scene, I guess.

21:08 And combine that with the tools that we have, the ability to collaborate, the ability to createquickly, and the palette, the sonic palette that we have, there could be some really, really potent

21:21 kind of chemistry ahead. I really want to be a catalyst to make that happen, because if you knowanything about chemistry, you can put two things together, but there needs to be some sort ofcatalyst.

21:34 And be that stirring or adding a flame, whatever it is, for the chemical reaction tohappen, it's not the elements don't just have to be there, there has to be something that pushes them together that spurs that change. And I just want to be at least one of the catalystthat helps create that, because it's like, it's right there.

21:53 And I just talk about loving music more, it would make me love music more, I think it would make all of you love music more,we could hear it all. Because we're hearing everybody's stuff, even the people that have got like500 monthly listeners, that 1000 monthly listeners or whatever, like how much is Okudaxij's right now?

22:09 He's like, so underappreciated, 598, go listen to Okudaxij's, some of the coolest music out therelived with him for a while in LA. He's an amazing dude.

22:23 And yeah, it's just like,it's almost unfair how could a music there, like Lou Roy, we also went to music school together and just kicks my butt way better than I am. You know, so anyway, this is a long-winded way tokind of end the musical year.

22:43 But I just wanted to share some of these thoughts and give a little bit more depth into the kind of like my background, my scene, and what I'm hoping to achieve and buildin this new year and many years to come. So thank you for listening, thank you for tuning inthis whole year, really means a lot, and I'm really excited for next year.

23:03 Next week, gonna have a great conversation about voice overs and kind of the musicality of voice acting.

23:12 Also, did you know that most voice actors are singers? Like kind of interesting, right?I wonder why? It's probably something to do with cadence and pitch and all the good stuff, vocalcontrol, breath control. So check that out next week and be sure to five star and subscribe tothe podcast and share it with your friends if you enjoyed it.

23:33 If you'd like to hear my music, you can check it out at www.scoobertdoobert.pizza. Happy new year!