1. Glenn Underground - “Madzone”
2. 702 - “Finally”
3. Harriet Brown - “Holy Place (Shinin’)”
4. Prince - “Strange But True”
5. Janet Jackson - “Someone to Call My Lover”
LISTEN ON MIXCLOUD
LISTEN ON APPLE PODCASTS
NOTES
Today's episode features my conversation with the endlessly talented Harriet Brown, a funky storm of a soul from Los Angeles, California who will be hitting the Rio Grande Valley next Wednesday, July 3rd.
Harriet and I talk about his journey through music, his experiences growing up in the Bay area and finding a place for himself in the big, bad, mad City of Angels while also struggling to find a place for himself within himself, and of course, his music.
His new album, Mall of Fortune, is a complex offering of rnb and soul inspired by some of the challenges Harriet experienced in the past year while navigating the music industry as a person of color as well as a desire to look deeper into himself and put those parts of him in his music. We chat for a bit about the technology behind his work as well, diving into some of his preferred pieces of equipment, as well as the myriad of influences and inspirations for his art.
It was the first interview I've ever done with an artist that I did not know prior to recording, and I think it went really well. It's been some time since I've conducted interviews with touring artists, but I'm relieved to know that (even though it's happening on the home-stretch of BLASST's existence) I'm still capable of doing something like this. It was everything I've ever wanted out of an interview with a touring artist on this show. Since the beginning, I've envisioned being able to sit down with an artist and talk in-depth about their music, their lives, sharing and exchanging bits of information with them and making a true connection, perhaps leaving ourselves enriched afterward. Those are my favorite kinds of interviews—the ones where an artist isn't simply going over the usual talking points or parroting their pre-determined marketing messaging for the Nth time, and instead being themselves, revealing a bit of the personality behind the curtain, and (the way I see it) giving further context to the music we already appreciate. In fact, the track Harriet chose off of Mall of Fortune to play on the show is prefaced with a little bit of background that completely enhanced my perception of it. That was one of my favorite parts of this interview. That—and the chunk of time we dedicate to talking about Prince, where I learn a bit more about an era of his career that I had regrettably looked over.
This episode is a truly great achievement in BLASST history, and I hope y'all enjoy it. I'm pretty proud of it.
Furthermore, I hope to see everyone throwing it down at HB's show on July 3rd at the Tropicana Lounge in Edinburg with Carmen Castillo and Gusto Gusto. It's not only got a perfect lineup, it's an early show, and most importantly, it's FREE. Bring your friends—hell, bring your grandma.
-A
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