Disclaimer: in this episode, you will hear Eris introduced by the name and pronouns they were working under at the time. They are now listed professionally as Eris DeJarnett on all platforms.  In this episode, Monica sits down with interdisciplinary narrative artist, Eris DeJarnett. Whether it’s music, dance, writing, or anything else they can imagine, Eris’s work is always centered around a story. Monica and Eris have a thoughtful and raw conversation about building trust and comfort with other musicians, the importance of having tough conversations and working towards solving problems ..read more

In this episode, Monica and Quez Cantrell (an artist, MC, producer, and web designer from Nashville, TN) continue their conversation where they left off in Part 1. They dig into their personal experiences with isolation, emotional incarceration, self-guilt, forgiving, and moving through deeply painful experiences. They talk about reading and sharing books they have found helpful and figuring out how to rest when needed. They talk about collaboration, lifting up others, being sure of your story and figuring out what a moment sounds like. They share their mutual respect for Rakim and Kendrick La ..read more

In this episode, which is part one of a two-part series, Monica has a profoundly honest and deeply vulnerable conversation with Quez Cantrell, an artist, MC, producer, and web designer from Nashville, TN. They talk about how they met (it all started with an NPR article about the Nashville Hip Hop scene that came out during the pandemic) and Quez’s unconventional journey that led him to put his brutally honest music out into the world. Quez shares some of the challenges that he’s encountered growing up Black in Nashville and trying to build a career when you’re not a country music artist. We di ..read more

In this episode Monica is joined by drummers Matt Crouse (from Nashville, TN) and Zack Albetta (from Atlanta, GA) who are the hosts of The Working Drummer podcast. They talk about some of the challenges and rewards of producing a podcast, the story of how Matt and Zack started working together and what they each bring to the table. They share how they both enjoy talking about making a living playing drums and the logistical, psychological, physical and emotional obstacles that are inherent within the profession. They discuss some of the misconceptions of the music business, the desire to learn ..read more

In this episode, Monica chats with singer and songwriter, Chelcie Jette about her journey as a songwriter, how she ended up in Nashville after graduating with a degree in music business from Berkeley, and all of the different odd jobs that she has done. They talk about being inspired by others, learning from co-writing, researching and finding sounds that resonate. Chelcie shares her songwriting process for the songs on her up-coming EP (which drops August 18) including some audio clips and the rollercoaster of emotions that comes with putting work out into the world. We talk about our in ..read more

In this episode, Monica has an inspiring conversation with Ashley Shabankareh - a musician, musician educator, and administrator based in New Orleans. Ashley is a trombonist, vocalist, the Director of Operations and Programs for the Trombone Shorty Foundation, works with a wide variety of organizations, teaches at Loyola University, and is an artist, costume maker and dancer. Monica and Ashley talk about the challenges with explaining what we do as creatives in a label-oriented world, describing music in terms of bands instead of genres, sharing different influences and listening habits, as we ..read more

In this episode, Monica has a conversation with pianist, vocalist, and composer Rachel Eckroth about the process of creating, including composing, songwriting, collaborating with other musicians, and production. They talk about writing lyrics, working with synths verses acoustic instruments, how to decide what to keep when faced with limitless possibilities, self-confidence, and improvisation as a composition tool. Rachel shares the inspiration and some of the processes behind the creation of her Grammy nominated album, The Garden (2021) and answers the “Behind the Curtain” questions. ________ ..read more

Welcome back! In this episode, Monica revisits her definition of what it means to be Brave and shares her updated definition and how she arrived at it (hint: with a little help from Glennon Doyle, Martha Beck and Brene' Brown.) Monica offers three "easy" ways to get started connecting with ourselves in integrity and some further reflections about what it could mean as a Brave musician.  _____________ To support Brave Musician, including the production of this podcast, please visit BraveMusician.com for information on our Pay-It-Forward model and how you can help. The Brave Musician podcas ..read more

In this episode, Monica is joined by Tanner Guss, a drummer and podcaster from New Orleans to discuss being a musician, the value of mentors, joys and struggles of creating a podcast, jam sessions, playing with people and forming relationships with fellow musicians that ultimately make the music better. They share their experiences of moving to a new city and getting into a new scene, the importance of enjoying the gig and staying present, creativity vs curation, feeling musically awkward, making others feel seen and heard both on and off the bandstand, and not wanting to end up hating to play ..read more

In this episode, Monica sits down with bandleader, composer and drummer Sofia Janelle to talk about her life, career and the making of her second album. Sofia shares how she started playing drums, how attending Berklee’s 5-week summer program in high school and learning under the wing of Esperanza Spalding and spending time in Boston affected her. She shares her experiences while a college student at Berklee, her personal life at the time, including being sexually assaulted and struggling with depression and anxiety, dropping out of school and returning to complete her degree. She talks about ..read more