Making it Small in Music artwork

Making it Small in Music

18 episodes - English - Latest episode: 11 months ago - ★★★★★ - 2 ratings

Barker & Broski talk to local pros and working amateur musicians around Southeast Michigan about how their lives are enriched by music, balanced with family and career. You won't learn the secrets to achieving worldwide fame, but you might get some tips on how music can bring joy into your life.

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Episodes

Stuart Benbow

April 23, 2023 16:24 - 2 hours - 159 MB

We had a great conversation with Stuart Benbow about participating in songwriting events, the Michigan State Fair Superstar contest, the first Funky Rivertown Fest, and the many challenges and rewards of the small musician. To find out more about Stuart, check out stuartbenbowmusic.com

Linden Thoburn

March 06, 2023 02:43 - 1 hour - 101 MB

Mike and Chris sit down with Linden Thoburn and have a delightful chat about topics musical topics such as the art of giving (and receiving) criticism, the joys of a musical community, and the songwriting process. To find Linden's music and gig information, check out https://lindenthoburnmusic.com/

Vernon Tonges (Spoo Willoughby)

November 05, 2022 15:54 - 2 hours - 98.6 MB

The time is finally here to converse with the inimitable Vernon Tonges, known in Indiana and other exotic locales as Spoo Willoughby. We speak of things old and new: how he learned guitar while grounded for shoplifting a George Harrison album, the history of the annual Hoedown and Corn Boil, and the stresses of band merchandise. Hear his music and learn more about the man, the legend at https://spoowilloughby.com/

Andy Schiller

August 28, 2022 14:41 - 2 hours - 115 MB

This month Barker & Broski talk with Lenawee county, Michigan local music professional (and Mike's guitar teacher) Andy Schiller. Andy shares lots of tips on how to make money as a musician including music lessons, self-publishing books, performing at weddings and local venues, YouTube videos, 3D printing miniature figures and more! He also extols the benefits of working positively with others for collaboration and constructive criticism. Learn more about Andy and even schedule a remote guit...

Dan Cowan

July 17, 2022 20:09 - 1 hour - 113 MB

Chris and Mike sit down with long time friend and collaborator Dan Cowan, and even let him talk a little! We ramble about all things small in music, including the open mic scene, songwriting, how hard it is to play guitar, the differences between solo acts and playing with a band, and why cats are better than dogs. To hear of some Dan's music, check out his YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/yeahsonicyeah

Billy Joe Hunt

June 01, 2022 00:46 - 1 hour - 92.6 MB

Billy Joe Hunt takes some time to talk to us about the pros and cons of being a musician and truck driver, his musical performance history, and writing original songs. More more information about Bill and his music, check him out on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/BJH61MUSIC/ and his Spotify artist page https://open.spotify.com/artist/0fwYm0ImEft1kcNkaToMr6

Cameron Getto

March 06, 2022 18:54 - 1 hour - 131 MB

Cameron is a former recording industry professional that quit years ago to become an amateur musician with a day job. We talk to him about the dark side of the dreams of fame and fortune versus the pleasure of music as a low-stakes hobby. He shares his work with looper pedals, his early MIDI and recording experimentation, and how he sidled his way into a music composition degree, and the joy of getting to the heart of a song to arrange acoustic covers.

Phil Maq

February 13, 2022 16:07 - 2 hours - 115 MB

This month Mike and Chris talk with Phil Maq, host of “Theme Attic,” a radio show on Wednesdays from 12PM-4PM ET. It can be heard at WHFR, 89.3 FM in the Dearborn-Metro Detroit area, or streamed in the rest of the world https://www.whfr.fm/streamer/. We learn about Phil's lifelong love of music, radio, and songs—both appreciating others as well as making his own. We also ponder other musical conundrums: How long should songs be?, Are there correct chord progressions?, Are drummers actually m...

Sara Lambert

January 11, 2022 19:57 - 1 hour - 80 MB

This month we are making it small in music by talking with Sara Lambert - a musician who is not promoting gigs or fishing for Spotify listens, but performing only for the pure pleasure that music brings. She talks about her experiences playing music with family and community, discovering new artists while volunteering at the Ark, and incorporating music as a treatment in addiction group therapy.

Trailer - Making it Small in Music

December 08, 2021 15:25 - 57 seconds - 1.26 MB

I'm Mike Snyder-Barker. And I'm Chris Broski. We are the hosts of Making it Small in Music. What we do is every month we bring one of these joyful musicians on to our show. They share their story, their musical journey, they talk about songwriting and recording and performing, promoting their tunes; what brings them joy. And I ask them a lot about how to write songs better too. I like to get a lot of advice about how to perform and write and promote. You know, it's really selfish becau...

Adam Labeaux and Sara Gibson

December 05, 2021 20:43 - 1 hour - 87.6 MB

This month we talk with 2 partners - the singer and songwriter Adam Labeaux and cellist Sara Gibson. They share their musical stories and extol the joys of connecting with an audience and collaborating with other musicians. They also give some helpful advice on improvising and organizing a music festival. Want to know more? Check out http://www.adamlabeaux.com/ Adam's Spotify https://open.spotify.com/artist/3Mw2MS4VjwrhnPAcrXbKJL and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/adamlabeaux Listen to S...

Memphis Hawk

October 31, 2021 21:56 - 1 hour - 85.8 MB

Barker & Broski take a couple hours to talk to Memphis Hawk (Steve Phelps) about the joy, challenges, and strategies surrounding the solo artist - how to manage the many hats of writer, performer, producer, and recording engineer. We touch on one of the benefits of being a small musician: all of our life outside of our music that feeds and inspires our songwriting. For the music of Memphis Hawk, listen on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/artist/6PgPCozfh1yRUJDochFjfn For performance and oth...

Kandace Fredrick

September 26, 2021 20:03 - 2 hours - 91.5 MB

Our special guest this month is the delightful country singer and songwriter Kandace Fredrick. We talk about songwriting, family, and our shared love of music.  For videos of her songs and performance dates and locations, check out her Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/kandace.fredrick

Tom Alter & Katie Williamson of After Blue

August 29, 2021 18:19 - 1 hour - 85.2 MB

Barker and Broski chat with Tom Alter and Katie Williamson about their musical duo After Blue. We talk about their musical life and history, plus balancing music with family, collaborative songwriting, and the joys of being a small act - only playing the music you like, no more often than you want. They also share some tips on booking gigs and how to enjoy them when you end up playing to an audience smaller than your band. For more information about their recordings and performances, check o...

Mike Gentry

August 06, 2021 18:16 - 2 hours - 139 MB

Mike Gentry is an accomplished songwriter, performer, and local producer around Southeast Michigan. In this episode of "Making it Small", he shares stories from his musical journey with Mike and Chris and doles out wise advice on writing and performing. We are excited to share this with all of our amateur musician friends, and anyone else who would like to listen.  For more information about Mike Gentry and his music, his website is a good place to start https://mikegentrymusic.com/

David Roof

July 05, 2021 15:26 - 1 hour - 77.1 MB

Behold our first episode with a real guest! And it's a good one too. David roof is a local professional recording engineer and session player. He talks about his music journey and has a lot of great advice for other aspiring musicians. Find out more about Dave on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/RooftopRecording/

Chris Broski

April 25, 2021 15:48 - 56 minutes - 57.1 MB

In our second practice podcast, Barker interviews Broski who shares his musical story starting when he was 8 years old all the way to the current day. I think we are starting to get the hang of this. Maybe we'll even have You can hear Chris's music at the Barker & Broski project on Spotify and on the Barker & Broski You Tube channel.

Michael Snyder-Barker

March 27, 2021 22:26 - 35 minutes - 25.9 MB

In our debut episode, Broski interviews Barker (Michael Snyder-Barker) so we can get a little experience with the whole podcasting thing before pressuring our other friends into coming on the show. Mike recounts his journey from musical obscurity to still musically obscure, but older now. You can listen to his music on the Internet at the Michael Snyder-Barker artist channel on Spotify and on the Bark's Tales YouTube channel, among other music sites.