1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:02,680 Speaker 1: It really is about sharing stories. But the question is, 2 00:00:02,799 --> 00:00:05,839 as the listener of podcasts, what kind of story are 3 00:00:05,839 --> 00:00:09,519 you willing to digest today in this moment of now. 4 00:00:09,839 --> 00:00:11,720 That's why we give you a choice on aero dot 5 00:00:11,759 --> 00:00:17,160 net aroet net enjoy your exploration. So to jump onto 6 00:00:17,199 --> 00:00:19,879 this project, what was it that you felt that it's like, Okay, 7 00:00:19,920 --> 00:00:22,839 I need to do this because it's like something is 8 00:00:22,920 --> 00:00:25,160 calling for it and I've got the tools to make 9 00:00:25,160 --> 00:00:25,640 it happen. 10 00:00:27,239 --> 00:00:30,960 Speaker 2: Well, it's kind of sprung out of a period in 11 00:00:31,000 --> 00:00:34,719 my career where I felt like I needed to eat 12 00:00:34,759 --> 00:00:41,200 my vegetables and get and stop being a band leader 13 00:00:41,240 --> 00:00:43,759 for a while. This kind of sprung out of the 14 00:00:43,799 --> 00:00:49,560 pandemic and to focus on just songs and performance and 15 00:00:49,640 --> 00:00:54,119 not as much of the organization and all the things 16 00:00:54,119 --> 00:00:58,520 that come along with organizing a band, booking and things 17 00:00:58,600 --> 00:01:00,880 like that. So I had a residency at the end 18 00:01:00,960 --> 00:01:04,879 of San Francisco's Golden Gate Park for the last couple 19 00:01:04,920 --> 00:01:10,879 of years. Every Friday at the park, Shela and I 20 00:01:10,920 --> 00:01:14,879 decided why not document this period where I've been playing 21 00:01:14,920 --> 00:01:17,359 a lot of solo gigs, and so I came up 22 00:01:17,439 --> 00:01:18,879 with a solo acoustic album. 23 00:01:19,400 --> 00:01:21,840 Speaker 1: So amazing because it gives you that opportunity to step 24 00:01:21,879 --> 00:01:23,920 into a realm of you know when they always tell 25 00:01:23,920 --> 00:01:25,959 people just do it yourself, put it in your own 26 00:01:26,079 --> 00:01:29,079 vocals and your own display. Because when I heard the 27 00:01:29,079 --> 00:01:31,200 song Fame, I was like I was in love with 28 00:01:31,280 --> 00:01:34,840 a new song. It was like, oh my god. You know, 29 00:01:34,879 --> 00:01:36,959 how do you take a chance on this and then 30 00:01:37,000 --> 00:01:38,920 to make it even better than the original? 31 00:01:40,280 --> 00:01:40,480 Speaker 3: Well? 32 00:01:40,480 --> 00:01:43,319 Speaker 2: Thanks, I mean that's kind of part of the song 33 00:01:43,439 --> 00:01:47,519 selection process is I think a good cover usually or 34 00:01:47,560 --> 00:01:51,519 a classic cover, is one that makes it complete. It's 35 00:01:51,560 --> 00:01:55,319 a completely different take on something. And that's an example 36 00:01:55,359 --> 00:01:57,159 of one where I tried to make it my own. 37 00:01:57,439 --> 00:02:02,640 It wasn't totally straight faced, I have to say, because 38 00:02:02,640 --> 00:02:06,239 Fame is not exactly a song that I by Irene Cara, 39 00:02:06,359 --> 00:02:09,560 we should clarify it's not the David Bowie song. 40 00:02:09,639 --> 00:02:13,039 Speaker 3: I tended to listen to the David Bowie song a lot. 41 00:02:12,960 --> 00:02:16,639 Speaker 2: More in my playlist over the years than the Irene 42 00:02:16,719 --> 00:02:19,280 Caro and it was, you know, with all of its 43 00:02:19,280 --> 00:02:22,240 eighties synth drenched in there and stuff. I always felt 44 00:02:22,280 --> 00:02:25,319 it was a little silly, but it's a good song 45 00:02:25,520 --> 00:02:28,759 and I enjoyed kind of making that my own. Some 46 00:02:28,800 --> 00:02:30,520 of the other covers, though, I tried to be a 47 00:02:30,520 --> 00:02:34,719 little more true to the songs themselves because and they 48 00:02:34,719 --> 00:02:37,719 were a little bit of a challenge to play physically 49 00:02:37,840 --> 00:02:44,039 and technically, you know, like dream On by Aerosmith, there's 50 00:02:44,080 --> 00:02:46,759 not a lot of room to make that completely your own, 51 00:02:46,879 --> 00:02:50,560 and I tried to copy as many of the classic 52 00:02:50,639 --> 00:02:53,960 Joe Perry riffs in one live take. 53 00:02:54,080 --> 00:02:55,280 Speaker 3: That's what I should have mentioned. 54 00:02:55,319 --> 00:02:58,120 Speaker 2: Also, is that this album has no overdubbing or anything, 55 00:02:58,159 --> 00:03:00,960 so I had to really focus on the formans itself. 56 00:03:01,199 --> 00:03:03,199 Speaker 1: When you do a song like dream On, because in 57 00:03:03,240 --> 00:03:06,240 my world, that was my stairway to heaven. Those guitar 58 00:03:06,360 --> 00:03:09,199 riffs as well as the singing and the whole entire performance. 59 00:03:09,400 --> 00:03:11,560 But when you step into it and listen to how 60 00:03:11,599 --> 00:03:13,800 you bring it forward, it's almost like you're giving me 61 00:03:13,960 --> 00:03:17,800 an interpretation of a song that really gives it more depth. 62 00:03:18,039 --> 00:03:20,680 It's almost like, you know, when Paul McCartney, you know, 63 00:03:20,719 --> 00:03:23,479 stepped away from the Beatles in the way of allowing 64 00:03:23,599 --> 00:03:26,520 orchestras to record his music. I'm going, this is what 65 00:03:26,560 --> 00:03:29,159 it's all about. There is a deep, deeper meaning and 66 00:03:29,199 --> 00:03:32,159 deeper purpose, and you're proving that on one take here 67 00:03:32,240 --> 00:03:34,879 is that it goes a lot further than what we 68 00:03:35,000 --> 00:03:35,639 think we know. 69 00:03:36,800 --> 00:03:39,560 Speaker 2: Well thanks, well, yeah, I mean I actually explored a 70 00:03:39,560 --> 00:03:42,479 little bit more of dream On, which I'm not an 71 00:03:42,680 --> 00:03:47,039 Aerosmith fan per se. I respect their music and what 72 00:03:47,159 --> 00:03:49,840 they become Becommon and just like you, I grew up 73 00:03:49,840 --> 00:03:54,680 with that was like one of the top five songs 74 00:03:54,719 --> 00:03:58,759 that was always in the radio stations, like July fourth 75 00:03:58,800 --> 00:04:02,159 countdown right, listening to the top four hundred and then 76 00:04:02,240 --> 00:04:05,439 Dreamond's going to be up there with Freebird and Stairway 77 00:04:05,479 --> 00:04:09,039 to Heaven, right, So, and then when I read about 78 00:04:09,039 --> 00:04:12,400 it more, I found out that this was very early 79 00:04:12,520 --> 00:04:16,040 in Steven Tyler's musical career and he wrote it, and 80 00:04:16,079 --> 00:04:19,079 I never thought of him as a musician. I just 81 00:04:19,079 --> 00:04:21,920 thought of him as this showman and this big rock star, 82 00:04:22,040 --> 00:04:24,680 and so it was kind of cool to reconnect to 83 00:04:24,759 --> 00:04:27,199 that song in a way where I felt this guy 84 00:04:27,920 --> 00:04:32,240 I could picture him in his parents' basement, like playing 85 00:04:32,279 --> 00:04:34,680 around on a piano and coming up with this thing 86 00:04:34,800 --> 00:04:35,959 before he became a star. 87 00:04:36,040 --> 00:04:38,120 Speaker 3: And that was beautiful in a lot of ways. 88 00:04:38,240 --> 00:04:40,360 Speaker 1: Aren't you kind of proving in the way that's saying 89 00:04:40,399 --> 00:04:42,879 that Yeah, you've sung these songs while driving in the 90 00:04:42,879 --> 00:04:45,639 car or sitting in your office, but you haven't been 91 00:04:45,720 --> 00:04:48,000 listening to the lyrics. You may know the lyrics, but 92 00:04:48,040 --> 00:04:50,160 you didn't listen to them. And now what you've done, 93 00:04:50,240 --> 00:04:53,160 Alex is you've provided that opportunity for us to go, Oh, 94 00:04:53,240 --> 00:04:56,240 my god, so that's what they were singing. I had 95 00:04:56,279 --> 00:04:56,720 it wrong. 96 00:04:57,720 --> 00:05:01,120 Speaker 2: Well, I think a lot of us are finding one 97 00:05:01,120 --> 00:05:03,800 of the best uses of the Internet is to find 98 00:05:03,839 --> 00:05:04,680 out what the real. 99 00:05:04,560 --> 00:05:06,879 Speaker 3: Lyrics and songs out of these days, I. 100 00:05:06,800 --> 00:05:09,519 Speaker 2: Forget the word. I'm forgetting the word. There's a words 101 00:05:09,680 --> 00:05:13,519 that somebody made up of a misheard lyric and I'm 102 00:05:13,879 --> 00:05:16,800 spacing it right now, but it's like a portmanteau or 103 00:05:16,839 --> 00:05:21,399 something like that. And there were definitely a few lyrics 104 00:05:21,560 --> 00:05:24,959 in there that I had to go back and check. 105 00:05:25,079 --> 00:05:28,480 And I was miss singing one from Elton John's Mona 106 00:05:28,519 --> 00:05:30,920 Lisaes and Matt Hatters, and my wife corrected me. 107 00:05:31,000 --> 00:05:36,439 Speaker 3: She was like, don't you want to because I think, oh, because. 108 00:05:37,759 --> 00:05:41,160 Speaker 2: They can't and that is why they can't look up. 109 00:05:41,240 --> 00:05:43,759 And I kept singing and they can and that is why. 110 00:05:43,839 --> 00:05:46,639 And she wanted me to go back and rerecord it 111 00:05:46,680 --> 00:05:48,839 because meaning changes. 112 00:05:49,040 --> 00:05:49,639 Speaker 3: See. 113 00:05:49,920 --> 00:05:53,079 Speaker 1: See now when you bump into a song from Joe Jackson, 114 00:05:53,160 --> 00:05:54,240 is she really going out with him? 115 00:05:54,279 --> 00:05:54,399 Speaker 2: Now? 116 00:05:54,399 --> 00:05:56,279 Speaker 1: Come on now, I paid ninety seven cents for that 117 00:05:56,319 --> 00:05:58,560 forty five as a kid, and then when I hear 118 00:05:58,600 --> 00:06:01,160 it from you, I'm going, oh, oh my god, this 119 00:06:01,240 --> 00:06:03,839 isn't the poppy little I want to be kind of 120 00:06:03,839 --> 00:06:06,639 a punk rock band kind of performer, Joe Jackson. This 121 00:06:06,800 --> 00:06:09,639 is you saying, Hey, we've got a moment right now, 122 00:06:10,000 --> 00:06:12,800 let's add to that moment. Is she really going out 123 00:06:12,800 --> 00:06:13,199 with him? 124 00:06:13,279 --> 00:06:13,519 Speaker 3: Is she? 125 00:06:13,680 --> 00:06:15,560 Speaker 1: I want you to decide on the opposite side of 126 00:06:15,600 --> 00:06:18,160 this song what you're feeling, because I'm asking is she 127 00:06:18,240 --> 00:06:19,279 really going out with him? 128 00:06:20,199 --> 00:06:20,439 Speaker 3: Well? 129 00:06:20,480 --> 00:06:22,480 Speaker 2: You and I grew up with that one as a hit, 130 00:06:22,600 --> 00:06:25,639 but I actually so when I first broke that out 131 00:06:25,680 --> 00:06:29,879 in my life Sets, the drummer from my band fog 132 00:06:29,920 --> 00:06:35,399 Swamp was sitting in with me on percussion and he's only. 133 00:06:35,360 --> 00:06:36,720 Speaker 3: Like thirty years old. 134 00:06:36,879 --> 00:06:39,639 Speaker 2: So I sent him a few of the songs that 135 00:06:39,639 --> 00:06:41,399 we were going to be playing and he was like, 136 00:06:41,680 --> 00:06:45,519 you know, the first line is pretty women out walking 137 00:06:45,560 --> 00:06:48,439 with gorillas down my street, and he was like, that 138 00:06:49,319 --> 00:06:53,480 could be kind of inter He wasn't very comfortable with 139 00:06:53,480 --> 00:06:56,199 the lyrics, and then I explained that this was a 140 00:06:56,240 --> 00:06:59,600 hit song in the seventies, and also Joe Jackson was 141 00:07:00,079 --> 00:07:04,600 dealing with his sexuality at that point, and then came 142 00:07:04,639 --> 00:07:06,160 out of the closet and I was like, does that 143 00:07:06,279 --> 00:07:09,839 help you clear your conscience before we perform it? He 144 00:07:09,879 --> 00:07:13,000 said yes, absolutely, So I think that put it in 145 00:07:13,079 --> 00:07:14,040 context for him. 146 00:07:14,319 --> 00:07:17,240 Speaker 1: See, it's a conversation starter, and isn't that what music 147 00:07:17,439 --> 00:07:19,279 used to be? And what you're doing is you're kind 148 00:07:19,319 --> 00:07:21,199 of like inviting us to go back into that. 149 00:07:22,920 --> 00:07:25,920 Speaker 2: I think so, I mean, and then my own internal dialogue, 150 00:07:25,959 --> 00:07:29,199 I was trying to reinterpret some of my own originals. 151 00:07:29,240 --> 00:07:30,399 Speaker 3: I just should have mentioned that. 152 00:07:30,519 --> 00:07:34,319 Speaker 2: So there's twenty eight songs on this YEP, this album 153 00:07:34,639 --> 00:07:40,560 and accompanying videos with each thing, and seven originals, twenty 154 00:07:41,600 --> 00:07:46,439 and twenty one covers. So the seven originals, those were 155 00:07:46,519 --> 00:07:53,720 originals that I wanted to think about in a totally 156 00:07:53,720 --> 00:07:58,519 different light and sometimes different instrumentation. There's a few songs 157 00:07:58,560 --> 00:08:01,839 that were just like pianos that had no guitar, and 158 00:08:01,920 --> 00:08:04,199 so I had to reimagine them. Some of them had 159 00:08:05,600 --> 00:08:09,199 ten fifteen guitar tracks layered with strings and horns, and 160 00:08:09,240 --> 00:08:13,839 there were bigger, bigger instrumentation. If you want to go 161 00:08:13,920 --> 00:08:19,279 back and explore my catalog, you can search alex Wise 162 00:08:19,560 --> 00:08:24,160 or fog Swamp in the streaming media wherever you listen 163 00:08:24,240 --> 00:08:27,839 to your music, and you can kind of do an 164 00:08:27,839 --> 00:08:33,639 ab contrast and compare how these stripped down versions compare 165 00:08:33,720 --> 00:08:35,759 to the originals. 166 00:08:36,039 --> 00:08:38,200 Speaker 1: How are you breaking down the songs? Because I mean, 167 00:08:38,240 --> 00:08:40,519 back in our day of forty fives and even cassettes 168 00:08:40,519 --> 00:08:42,480 in eight tracks, I mean, we were able to go 169 00:08:42,519 --> 00:08:45,480 as slow as possible. We could slow down that turntable 170 00:08:45,600 --> 00:08:47,399 stylus just a bit just so we can hear the 171 00:08:47,440 --> 00:08:49,360 guitar riffs and stuff. I mean, but you've done it 172 00:08:49,399 --> 00:08:51,919 in a way to where you have broken it down, 173 00:08:52,320 --> 00:08:55,279 grab some gorilla glue and pasted it all back together. 174 00:08:58,960 --> 00:08:59,159 Speaker 3: Yeah. 175 00:08:59,480 --> 00:09:03,720 Speaker 2: I have to also give a nod to the Internet 176 00:09:03,799 --> 00:09:06,879 because some of these songs I could not figure out 177 00:09:06,960 --> 00:09:09,799 without a little bit of assistance, like the Rain Song 178 00:09:10,039 --> 00:09:14,200 by Zeppelin. So there's two led Zeppelin and two Stevie 179 00:09:14,240 --> 00:09:18,519 wondercovers on this. The led Zeppelin on the Rain Song 180 00:09:18,679 --> 00:09:24,679 is one of these beats that guitarists never really They 181 00:09:24,759 --> 00:09:27,200 argued a lot about in the eighties and nineties, before 182 00:09:27,200 --> 00:09:31,360 the Internet, when there was some clarity in terms of 183 00:09:31,480 --> 00:09:33,480 the tuning that it came in. A lot of these 184 00:09:33,480 --> 00:09:35,879 songs that have any of the songs that you hear 185 00:09:36,000 --> 00:09:40,519 like any jamming or improvisation on there, those are the 186 00:09:40,600 --> 00:09:45,039 songs that are played with open tunings. And the Rain Song, 187 00:09:45,120 --> 00:09:50,000 I think is maybe I've read the only song in 188 00:09:50,360 --> 00:09:53,279 pop music that is in this tuning. It's called open 189 00:09:53,360 --> 00:09:55,720 page tuning because Jimmy Page just made it up for 190 00:09:55,799 --> 00:09:59,720 the Rain song, basically because I think George Harrison needled 191 00:09:59,759 --> 00:10:03,000 him little bit and said, you guys, don't write any ballots. 192 00:10:03,080 --> 00:10:06,200 He's like, I watch this, So he wrote the Rain 193 00:10:06,279 --> 00:10:08,960 song and so this isn't a weird tuning. And once 194 00:10:10,159 --> 00:10:13,360 once I was able to discern that it was in 195 00:10:13,399 --> 00:10:16,679 this tuning thanks to the Internet, the song opened up 196 00:10:16,679 --> 00:10:19,799 for me and it was really it was fun. 197 00:10:19,840 --> 00:10:21,080 Speaker 3: It was like getting the cheat code. 198 00:10:21,320 --> 00:10:24,200 Speaker 1: Yeah. Speaking of fun, don't you think the fun really 199 00:10:24,279 --> 00:10:26,480 isn't in the memories that you have of a song, 200 00:10:26,519 --> 00:10:29,080 but rather discovering new ones. And when you do something 201 00:10:29,200 --> 00:10:32,279 like one take, you're giving us that opportunity to take 202 00:10:32,360 --> 00:10:35,279 something that we already know which is human form that 203 00:10:35,440 --> 00:10:37,480 and then we grow with it by listening to it, 204 00:10:37,600 --> 00:10:39,879 like every little thing she does is magic. I mean 205 00:10:40,799 --> 00:10:43,200 this song right here, dude. If it is not at 206 00:10:43,240 --> 00:10:46,840 weddings in twenty twenty six, then weddings are wrong. Not 207 00:10:46,919 --> 00:10:48,720 the musician, weddings are wrong. 208 00:10:50,679 --> 00:10:51,840 Speaker 3: Well, that's very kind. 209 00:10:52,000 --> 00:10:55,720 Speaker 2: Yeah, especially some of these songs that we've heard so 210 00:10:55,879 --> 00:10:59,000 much of. Yes, and we have the opportunity to listen 211 00:10:59,039 --> 00:11:03,320 to them on repeat as much as we want now 212 00:11:03,360 --> 00:11:05,120 because of streaming. 213 00:11:06,240 --> 00:11:08,440 Speaker 3: I think it's nice to be able to find some. 214 00:11:09,440 --> 00:11:12,799 Speaker 2: Unique takes on these songs that we may have overplayed 215 00:11:12,840 --> 00:11:17,320 in our playlist and find refreshing new perspectives on them. 216 00:11:17,559 --> 00:11:20,559 Speaker 1: Do you find classic rock stations knocking on your door saying, hey, 217 00:11:20,639 --> 00:11:23,279 I like your interpretation, we want to do some sort 218 00:11:23,279 --> 00:11:25,879 of specialty show or just add you in on our 219 00:11:25,960 --> 00:11:29,679 playlist just to keep our classic rock sound fresh. 220 00:11:30,120 --> 00:11:32,639 Speaker 2: I wish, I wish, but there's not a lot of 221 00:11:32,679 --> 00:11:36,039 people knocking on my door to be off. I'm just 222 00:11:36,159 --> 00:11:41,279 trying to spread my music however I can, and I 223 00:11:41,320 --> 00:11:46,080 don't tour. I stay mostly in northern California, and this 224 00:11:46,120 --> 00:11:49,799 is my seventh album. My first album was the first 225 00:11:49,840 --> 00:11:52,080 one that really was the only one that really got 226 00:11:52,200 --> 00:11:57,840 major distribution. And then the Internet came along, and I've 227 00:11:57,879 --> 00:12:02,399 been singing the Internet's praises, But once Napster and the 228 00:12:02,840 --> 00:12:07,159 other ways to steal music came around, it wasn't as 229 00:12:07,320 --> 00:12:12,879 easy to sell music for a struggling singer songwriter like myself. 230 00:12:13,159 --> 00:12:15,399 Speaker 1: But you know what I love about where people are 231 00:12:15,399 --> 00:12:18,080 today with the music, especially with streaming, is that it's 232 00:12:18,120 --> 00:12:20,679 like walking into a tower records or a music land, 233 00:12:21,039 --> 00:12:23,360 and we get to discover new music. And the only 234 00:12:23,360 --> 00:12:24,960 way to do that is that we have to sit 235 00:12:25,000 --> 00:12:28,080 here and share, like one take twenty eight tracks. It's 236 00:12:28,080 --> 00:12:30,759 original songs as well as the cover songs, and then 237 00:12:30,799 --> 00:12:33,039 listeners are going, I gotta go find this, and all 238 00:12:33,039 --> 00:12:34,879 of a sudden it becomes a part of a Spotify list, 239 00:12:34,879 --> 00:12:37,639 it becomes an idheart iHeartRadio list. I mean, when you've 240 00:12:37,679 --> 00:12:40,639 got a song like Won't Get Fooled Again, that's one 241 00:12:40,679 --> 00:12:43,200 of those songs that people go, did you hear this 242 00:12:43,279 --> 00:12:45,679 yet from this Alex wise guy? Well, who's Alex? 243 00:12:45,759 --> 00:12:45,960 Speaker 3: Well? 244 00:12:46,080 --> 00:12:47,919 Speaker 1: You need to find out who? And that's what I 245 00:12:47,960 --> 00:12:49,879 love about when people do that. They start going, you 246 00:12:49,919 --> 00:12:52,440 need to find out who this dude is So it's 247 00:12:52,440 --> 00:12:55,799 almost like the being you know underground and then all 248 00:12:55,799 --> 00:12:59,360 of a sudden people start going underground to find you. 249 00:12:59,440 --> 00:13:03,039 Speaker 2: Well, I hope coming on shows like Your Fine Show 250 00:13:03,080 --> 00:13:06,440 can assist in that. Won't Get Fooled Again was a 251 00:13:06,480 --> 00:13:09,960 fun one because it was if you just like play 252 00:13:10,000 --> 00:13:14,000 it as a campfire song. A it's beautiful and it's 253 00:13:14,120 --> 00:13:19,240 politics and it's message and it's power. But the subtlety 254 00:13:19,320 --> 00:13:22,519 that you get to have by recording it just with 255 00:13:22,960 --> 00:13:25,600 a microphone or guitar and your voice is that you 256 00:13:25,600 --> 00:13:27,960 can break down like the synth parts on it, which 257 00:13:28,039 --> 00:13:33,000 really makes it one of the classic rock anthems in 258 00:13:33,039 --> 00:13:36,960 a way as those synth parts. Otherwise it's just I 259 00:13:36,960 --> 00:13:39,519 don't know, it kind of gives it more dynamism, you know. 260 00:13:39,600 --> 00:13:42,840 Speaker 1: Yeah, please do not move. There's more with Alex Wise 261 00:13:42,919 --> 00:13:47,840 coming up next. His latest album is called One Take. 262 00:13:48,000 --> 00:13:51,759 We are back with singer songwriter Alex Wise. I think 263 00:13:51,759 --> 00:13:53,720 one of my connections with the music is the fact 264 00:13:53,759 --> 00:13:56,759 that I mean here in Carolina is that grocery stores 265 00:13:56,759 --> 00:13:58,799 now feature live music. They have a place where the 266 00:13:59,480 --> 00:14:02,200 bands and the performers go and play live music. Because 267 00:14:02,360 --> 00:14:04,720 grocery stores here in the Carolina's come with bars, wine 268 00:14:04,720 --> 00:14:07,159 bar and beer bars, and so it's such a major 269 00:14:07,200 --> 00:14:09,759 part of what we're doing as a lifestyle. And Alex, 270 00:14:09,799 --> 00:14:12,200 when I heard this, I went, my god, what is 271 00:14:12,240 --> 00:14:13,559 it going to take to get this guy over here 272 00:14:13,559 --> 00:14:15,720 to the Carolina is to go on this grocery store tour. 273 00:14:16,519 --> 00:14:20,120 Speaker 3: Well, I'm a tar Hill born Chapel Hill. 274 00:14:21,679 --> 00:14:22,159 Speaker 1: You get it. 275 00:14:22,480 --> 00:14:25,399 Speaker 3: N Yeah, I'd love to come on down. 276 00:14:25,440 --> 00:14:27,639 Speaker 2: I have some friends in North Carolina, but I only 277 00:14:27,679 --> 00:14:30,679 lived around two weeks in North Carolina. 278 00:14:30,720 --> 00:14:31,759 Speaker 3: I don't recall it. 279 00:14:31,799 --> 00:14:33,639 Speaker 2: I was an infant when I left, but I still 280 00:14:33,639 --> 00:14:35,639 get to root for UNC basketball. 281 00:14:36,440 --> 00:14:39,000 Speaker 1: Well, it's in your soul because it all comes from 282 00:14:39,039 --> 00:14:40,840 the dirt here, man, It's in the dirt. 283 00:14:41,679 --> 00:14:42,399 Speaker 3: Yeah. 284 00:14:42,399 --> 00:14:45,519 Speaker 2: I guess I'm about as Carolinian as James Taylor, who 285 00:14:45,559 --> 00:14:49,240 I cover on this album as well, and his first 286 00:14:49,240 --> 00:14:52,559 song something in the Way She Moves, which I don't 287 00:14:52,559 --> 00:14:56,279 know if you heard that cover, but I just you know, 288 00:14:56,320 --> 00:14:58,720 he sings Carolina in my mind. But I didn't realize 289 00:14:58,720 --> 00:15:03,799 he was like a transplanted preppy from the Northeast to 290 00:15:03,840 --> 00:15:06,840 who then I guess his parents moved down to North Carolina. 291 00:15:07,960 --> 00:15:10,080 But that song I don't know if you knew much 292 00:15:10,120 --> 00:15:13,039 about something in the way she moves, but I read 293 00:15:13,080 --> 00:15:16,679 about that as I was covering it, and that was 294 00:15:16,720 --> 00:15:19,879 one of the songs he auditioned for the Beatles. He 295 00:15:19,960 --> 00:15:22,720 was playing it for McCartney and Harrison at Apple Records 296 00:15:22,720 --> 00:15:26,240 in like nineteen sixty eight and just like a gangly 297 00:15:26,919 --> 00:15:33,240 heroin addicted preppy kid and they signed him, and George 298 00:15:33,279 --> 00:15:37,879 Harrison openly admitted that that was the inspiration for the 299 00:15:37,879 --> 00:15:40,600 opening line to something for him. So he was kind 300 00:15:40,600 --> 00:15:43,440 of cool that he just sat down and there's like 301 00:15:43,480 --> 00:15:47,759 a BBC footage of James Taylor maybe nineteen seventy you 302 00:15:47,799 --> 00:15:50,240 can look up on YouTube, and he's talking about like 303 00:15:50,720 --> 00:15:55,879 last time he was in England he auditioned for the Beatles, 304 00:15:56,000 --> 00:15:58,679 and just seeing this shy kid, because he was very 305 00:15:58,679 --> 00:16:02,200 awkward and shy at that just it was beautiful to 306 00:16:02,799 --> 00:16:07,240 think of that moment where these amazing, huge rock stars 307 00:16:07,279 --> 00:16:10,120 sat down and were blown away by this kid's finger 308 00:16:10,200 --> 00:16:11,240 picking and singing. 309 00:16:11,559 --> 00:16:14,240 Speaker 1: God, where I would love to see you is. Norah 310 00:16:14,320 --> 00:16:16,919 Jones has now started a podcast where she goes around 311 00:16:16,919 --> 00:16:19,799 to musicians like yourself and she sets up shop in 312 00:16:19,840 --> 00:16:22,440 a studio and she's and you guys record together and 313 00:16:22,600 --> 00:16:26,000 you're talking this unbelievable music you've got on one take, 314 00:16:26,279 --> 00:16:28,240 and she's in there and she's jamming out with you, 315 00:16:28,480 --> 00:16:31,240 and it's like, that's where the music industry is growing, 316 00:16:31,360 --> 00:16:33,919 is that there's so much collaborating going on and so 317 00:16:33,919 --> 00:16:36,320 many people that are inspired by what you're doing. Alex 318 00:16:36,519 --> 00:16:39,360 that because they you know, they're they're doing their thing. 319 00:16:39,559 --> 00:16:42,000 But here's Alex doing his thing, and it's like, that's 320 00:16:42,080 --> 00:16:44,120 where I want to be. I want to be what 321 00:16:44,279 --> 00:16:45,000 he's doing. 322 00:16:46,440 --> 00:16:48,559 Speaker 3: Well. I'd like to be doing what Norah Jones is 323 00:16:48,600 --> 00:16:52,720 doing well. 324 00:16:52,759 --> 00:16:55,320 Speaker 1: She's working with other people, she's i mean this podcast 325 00:16:55,320 --> 00:16:57,399 that she's created where she goes into these other studios 326 00:16:57,399 --> 00:16:59,759 you find yourself going. I can't wait to talk with 327 00:17:00,399 --> 00:17:03,799 because it'd be so fascinating to hear his stories, to 328 00:17:04,000 --> 00:17:06,519 understand why he's doing what he's doing, you know, on 329 00:17:06,839 --> 00:17:08,960 you know, recording that music and to take it out 330 00:17:08,960 --> 00:17:10,839 there to a live audience in San Francisco. 331 00:17:12,160 --> 00:17:14,359 Speaker 2: Well, I'd love to come on her show. She's an 332 00:17:14,400 --> 00:17:17,960 amazing musician. And I also need to check out this podcast. 333 00:17:18,039 --> 00:17:18,839 Speaker 3: Have you checked out? 334 00:17:19,240 --> 00:17:21,519 Speaker 2: So in terms of music podcasts, I've gone down this 335 00:17:21,640 --> 00:17:27,079 rabbit Hole with this five hundred Songs. 336 00:17:26,279 --> 00:17:27,400 Speaker 3: By Andrew Hickey. 337 00:17:27,799 --> 00:17:30,440 Speaker 2: Wow, The five hundred Songs of the History of Rock 338 00:17:30,480 --> 00:17:33,799 and Roll by Andrew Hickey. It's a very strange podcast, 339 00:17:33,960 --> 00:17:37,200 but super well researched, and it's a project that's been 340 00:17:37,200 --> 00:17:40,400 going on for years and he's still only around, not 341 00:17:40,440 --> 00:17:43,759 even halfway through it. Each episode is like two hours, 342 00:17:43,799 --> 00:17:46,279 like going down a rabbit hole of each song, like 343 00:17:46,319 --> 00:17:49,480 he'll do All on the Watchtower. He'll have a two 344 00:17:49,519 --> 00:17:52,519 hour episode that focuses on Bob Dylan's version, and then 345 00:17:52,599 --> 00:17:54,759 the next week it'll be a two hour episode of. 346 00:17:54,759 --> 00:17:59,079 Speaker 3: Jimmy Hendrix's All Along Wow Wow. Highly recommend it. 347 00:18:00,160 --> 00:18:02,119 Speaker 1: That's what I love about where we are with music today. 348 00:18:02,160 --> 00:18:04,000 And so you know, I mean, I love me some radio. 349 00:18:04,039 --> 00:18:06,559 I like terrestrial radio, but man, when it comes to 350 00:18:06,599 --> 00:18:09,119 where we are on the streaming platform, it gives us 351 00:18:09,119 --> 00:18:11,839 the opportunity to open the door for people like yourself. 352 00:18:11,519 --> 00:18:17,359 Speaker 2: Alex, Yes, I mean fortunately or unfortunately, that's the new medium. 353 00:18:17,759 --> 00:18:21,519 I'm a radio host for fifteen years see Change Radios 354 00:18:21,559 --> 00:18:24,839 on around two hundred stations around the country. Focuses on 355 00:18:25,319 --> 00:18:33,799 sustainability and social justice issues. But our platform is limited 356 00:18:33,880 --> 00:18:39,039 because grassroots radio is a little anachronistic in some ways, 357 00:18:39,079 --> 00:18:42,519 and so you can still access the show on podcasts, 358 00:18:42,559 --> 00:18:46,759 but the preponderance of the majority of our listeners are 359 00:18:46,759 --> 00:18:49,240 on terrestrial broadcast. 360 00:18:49,359 --> 00:18:50,480 Speaker 1: So what is it going to take to get you 361 00:18:50,519 --> 00:18:52,359 onto one of these little festivals? Because it seems like 362 00:18:52,400 --> 00:18:55,079 that we've become the nation of festivals now. I mean 363 00:18:55,079 --> 00:18:57,519 they just recently had Bonnaroo, Fandango. I mean, here are 364 00:18:57,519 --> 00:19:00,599 the Carolinas, we have festivals. Everybody's got all going on 365 00:19:00,680 --> 00:19:02,799 during the spring and summer months. What what's going to 366 00:19:02,839 --> 00:19:03,400 put you there? 367 00:19:05,680 --> 00:19:11,119 Speaker 2: Probably a better press team. Maybe maybe once I go 368 00:19:11,200 --> 00:19:14,240 on the Nora Jones there you probably I mean what 369 00:19:14,440 --> 00:19:17,599 I mean to be honest, Now that I'm not a 370 00:19:17,640 --> 00:19:19,839 band leader, it does make it a little easier to 371 00:19:20,079 --> 00:19:24,759 fly in and play one off gigs and also tour 372 00:19:24,799 --> 00:19:28,079 a little bit. And so that's something I probably need 373 00:19:28,079 --> 00:19:30,359 to cut my teeth on again. I used to tour 374 00:19:30,400 --> 00:19:33,119 a little bit more, but have not been since I've 375 00:19:33,160 --> 00:19:35,519 become a dad. But now that I'm an empty nester, 376 00:19:36,000 --> 00:19:41,400 maybe I can maybe I can re refocus on playing 377 00:19:42,039 --> 00:19:45,519 playing all around. I used to, uh, you know, and 378 00:19:45,559 --> 00:19:48,839 I my music career really kind of started in Japan, 379 00:19:49,440 --> 00:19:52,799 so and that was where I first sold most of 380 00:19:52,839 --> 00:19:55,960 my records. I got a record deal in Japan, and 381 00:19:56,079 --> 00:19:58,079 so I was big in Japan first. 382 00:19:58,119 --> 00:19:59,640 Speaker 3: So maybe I need to go back there too. 383 00:20:00,319 --> 00:20:02,599 Speaker 1: No, I totally get that because my wife's ex husband, 384 00:20:02,680 --> 00:20:06,039 Bruce Goich was one of the things that he did 385 00:20:06,119 --> 00:20:08,359 was he he played a lot of times in Japan. 386 00:20:08,480 --> 00:20:12,000 He just said, there's no one more loyal than those 387 00:20:12,039 --> 00:20:14,480 that live in Japan when it comes to American music. 388 00:20:15,640 --> 00:20:18,400 Speaker 2: Well, any kind of English speaking music, I think because 389 00:20:19,240 --> 00:20:22,839 it's very well, it's deeply rooted in karaoke culture because 390 00:20:22,920 --> 00:20:25,279 there's you know, a lot of people would go to 391 00:20:25,279 --> 00:20:27,720 seek their fortune in Japan by trying to learn how 392 00:20:27,759 --> 00:20:33,200 to They would go to Japan to teach English, and 393 00:20:34,079 --> 00:20:40,079 there's a hunger from the Japanese population to learn more 394 00:20:40,119 --> 00:20:44,599 conversational English, and karaoke is a really good vehicle to 395 00:20:45,279 --> 00:20:48,480 practice On's pronunciation, which is one of the problems that 396 00:20:48,519 --> 00:20:52,720 a lot of Japanese English learners have is the pronunciation. 397 00:20:52,839 --> 00:20:55,799 They've all studied it in grade school, but they haven't 398 00:20:55,799 --> 00:20:58,440 had a real opportunity to use their English. So karaoke 399 00:20:58,640 --> 00:21:01,880 is one of those outlets. I didn't realize that when 400 00:21:01,920 --> 00:21:04,319 I moved there in the nineties. It was like I 401 00:21:04,839 --> 00:21:08,319 would do karaoke with my homestay family and they were like, oh, 402 00:21:08,440 --> 00:21:12,839 good pronunciation. I was like, yeah, so a lot of 403 00:21:12,880 --> 00:21:19,359 that singing English songs, English speaking songs or you know, Beatles, Eagles, 404 00:21:19,440 --> 00:21:21,240 whatever covers people wanted to hear. 405 00:21:22,000 --> 00:21:25,680 Speaker 3: It was really there was a lot of leeway. 406 00:21:25,359 --> 00:21:28,599 Speaker 2: Because as long as your pronunciation was good, everything else 407 00:21:29,079 --> 00:21:33,200 was not a problem in terms of the musicianship. They 408 00:21:33,279 --> 00:21:36,400 just really wanted to hear somebody pronounce those songs correctly. 409 00:21:37,480 --> 00:21:39,799 Speaker 1: Where can people go to find out more about you? 410 00:21:40,000 --> 00:21:42,480 And one take? Because I want them to tap into this. 411 00:21:43,599 --> 00:21:44,599 Speaker 3: Oh that'd be great. Yeah. 412 00:21:44,599 --> 00:21:47,519 Speaker 2: If people can check out my website, it's alex Wise 413 00:21:47,599 --> 00:21:48,400 al e x. 414 00:21:48,559 --> 00:21:50,160 Speaker 3: Wise dot com. 415 00:21:50,599 --> 00:21:56,079 Speaker 2: And then I have a Instagram's alex Wyse SF or sorry, 416 00:21:56,119 --> 00:22:01,279 alex Wise Music and my you can you can stream 417 00:22:01,440 --> 00:22:06,079 my material either with keywords alex Wise or fog Swamp. 418 00:22:06,680 --> 00:22:10,279 That was my We have three albums my band fog Swamp, 419 00:22:10,559 --> 00:22:13,160 and they can also go to my YouTube playlist and 420 00:22:13,200 --> 00:22:17,160 they can follow along with the twenty eight songs on YouTube. 421 00:22:17,720 --> 00:22:19,559 There's a one take playlist as well. 422 00:22:19,599 --> 00:22:20,599 Speaker 3: If they search that. 423 00:22:20,880 --> 00:22:22,880 Speaker 1: Dude, you got to come back to this show anytime 424 00:22:22,880 --> 00:22:24,799 in the future. The door is always going to be 425 00:22:24,839 --> 00:22:26,599 open for you. And I really do mean that. 426 00:22:27,359 --> 00:22:29,880 Speaker 3: Oh that's so very kind of you. I really appreciate 427 00:22:29,880 --> 00:22:30,440 you having me on. 428 00:22:30,680 --> 00:22:32,599 Speaker 1: Well, excellent man. Will you be brilliant today? 429 00:22:32,640 --> 00:22:36,400 Speaker 2: Okay, all right YouTube you bet, bye guy, all right, 430 00:22:36,440 --> 00:22:36,960 thanks again.