Spotlight On Podcast: Looking Back at Year Three (2022)

As Spotlight On moved into its third year of life in 2022, the conversations deepened beyond pandemic survival to explore how artists and innovators were actively reshaping their creative worlds.

The year's most-listened-to episodes found us exploring artistic legacy, musical innovation, and the evolving relationship between performers and audiences. From Steve Kimock's philosophical reflections on improvisation to Nick Mason's rare insights into Pink Floyd's foundations, these conversations examine how creative voices find and maintain authenticity across decades of change.

Steve Kimock

Steve Kimock's appearance exemplified how technical mastery and spiritual seeking can intertwine in a musical life.

Steve came to fame by co-founding the jazz/rock fusion band Zero in the 1980s and went on to collaborate with Grateful Dead members in their subsequent ensembles, all while pursuing his solo groups. Jerry Garcia referred to Steve as his "favorite unknown guitar player." In the decades since that accolade, Steve has been exploring what he calls "guitar speak," developing a crystalline improvisational voice without genre boundaries.

Throughout his career, Kimock's fluid improvisation style has allowed him to touch nearly every aspect of American music, from blues to jazz, funk to folk, psychedelic to boogie, and various world fusion experiments. This versatility stems not from calculated genre-hopping but from following his artistic instincts. His passion for live performance and ability to forge deep connections with audiences has become legendary, leading to collaborations with an impressive array of musical luminaries, including Taj Mahal, Bonnie Raitt, The Allman Brothers, Merl Saunders, and members of Phish.

Nick Mason

Pink Floyd's founding drummer brought his insight into one of rock's most innovative bands, sharing perspectives on their triumphs and controversies gained from being the only member to play on every Floyd album since their 1965 formation. Mason's current project, Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets, focuses on Pink Floyd's early years before Dark Side of the Moon catapulted them to global fame. This focus allows him to revisit and reinterpret the band's more experimental period when they were pushing the boundaries of what rock music could be.

The conversation highlighted Mason's unique role as a participant and chronicler of Pink Floyd's evolution. As the band's steady heartbeat through all its incarnations, his contributions include co-writing credits on compositions like "Echoes" and "Time." His current work with Saucerful of Secrets demonstrates how vital music from over five decades ago remains when approached with fresh energy and respect for its innovative spirit.

John Barry on Levon Helm

Writer John Barry offered an intimate look at Levon Helm's remarkable late-career renaissance through the Midnight Ramble house concerts at the drummer's Woodstock, NY barn. Barry's terrific book Levon Helm: Rock, Roll & Ramble captures how these intimate performances heralded Helm's artistic rebirth and financial salvation. Drawing on his experience as a journalist deeply embedded in the Hudson Valley music scene, Barry documented how Helm transformed personal setbacks into creative triumphs.

The conversation revealed how Helm's barn became a pilgrimage site for musicians and fans, creating a unique community around these performances. Through interviews with Roger Waters, Graham Nash, Warren Haynes, and others, Barry pieced together how Helm's authentic approach to American roots music created an environment where artists could reconnect with their musical foundations. As Larry Campbell, who served as Levon Helm's Band Musical Director, noted, Barry was "the perfect 'fly on the wall' during this great last chapter and final curtain call in Levon Helm's life."

Sonia Stevenson of Music Patron

Sonia Stevenson's work with Music Patron is all about innovative approaches to sustaining classical music in the digital age, approaches that draw on practices from the music's past.

Sonia's work includes founding the St. Andrews Voices Festival to serving as Artistic Director of Lichfield Festival. These experiences inform her current mission of connecting composers directly with patrons who can support their work. Her varied experience as an oboist, singer, ballet dancer, and arts administrator brings practical insight into the complex relationship between artists, audiences, and financial support.

Markus Reuter

As a musician, producer, composer, and educator, Markus Reuter exemplifies the modern multidisciplinary artist. His work explores electronic loop music, contemporary classical, progressive rock, industrial, world jazz, and pure improvisation, often at the same time. This conversation explored how Reuter has pushed the envelope of touch guitar playing while developing his U8 and U10 Touch Guitar instruments.

Reuter's work demonstrates the value of deep technical knowledge and creative fearlessness. From his work with bands like centrozoon and Stick Men to his large-scale orchestral piece "Todmorden 513" and ongoing collaboration with former King Crimson member Trey Gunn in running the Touch Guitar Circle, Markus shows his commitment to sharing knowledge and building community.

Clem Snide

Named for a William S. Burroughs character, Clem Snide (the nom de musique of Eef Barzelay) has built a devoted following through his uniquely observant songwriting. NPR highlighted him as "the most underrated songwriter in the business today, with a sneakily firm grasp on poignancy and humor." How do you like that? His podcast, A Life in Song, transforms ordinary people's extraordinary experiences and life stories into original songs.

The podcast concept perfectly suits Barzelay's storytelling gifts, allowing him to find profound moments in seemingly ordinary lives. Each episode captures the raw narrative of life-changing experiences and their artistic transformation into song, whether dealing with an escape from a cult, impulsive military enlistment, or personal healing.

The Headhunters

Bill Summers and Mike Clark shared the origin story and ongoing evolution of one of jazz-funk's most influential groups. Their association began in the early 1970s in East Oakland. They played flatbed truck gigs at Black Panther rallies before joining Herbie Hancock for the groundbreaking album Headhunters, the first platinum-selling jazz album in history.

After four decades, The Headhunters' creative spirit remains undimmed. Their 2022 release, Speakers In The House, joins their African and New Orleans influences with their signature technical jazz funk. Bill Summers noted, "Every time we've dropped notes on the wax, it has value and can influence people and change lives." Mike Clark added a philosophical perspective: "We're not in a gym, this isn't a competition ... this is art. What Bill and I and The Headhunters do is experience the moment and explore."

Shahida Mausi

Speaking live onstage at the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) conference in Cleveland, Shahida Mausi shared insights from building a career in cultural and entertainment programming designed to serve the public. As President/CEO of The Right Productions, Inc. (TRP), she has managed Detroit's 6,000-seat Chene Park Amphitheater since 2004, bringing diverse programming to the community while navigating the complex business of live entertainment.

Mausi's work offers lessons in how cultural programming can serve artistic and community needs. Her production of the historic Tiger Stadium event commemorating Nelson and Winnie Mandela's visit to Detroit, featuring Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, and a 2,000-voice choir, demonstrated her ability to create meaningful cultural moments on a grand scale. Her ongoing work continues to bridge artistic excellence with community service. Shahida's telling of her family's history in Detroit is incredible, too.

Don Slepian

Don Slepian's unique trajectory from Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Internet pioneer to electronic music innovator hits one of our sweet spots, the intersection of technology and creativity.

Born into a scientific family, Don combined musical and technical talents while working as a tester on the early internet, later becoming 'Synthesizer Soloist' with the Honolulu Symphony and Musical Director of the Honolulu Theater For Youth.

Don's performances at venues from Lincoln Center to the Pompidou Center in Paris demonstrate electronic music's move from purely technical innovation to genuine and accepted artistic form. His work building instruments in the Pocono Mountains continues this blend of technical innovation and musical creativity.

Steven Hall

Steven Hall, going from singing in Scottish church choirs to New York's downtown music and art scene, captures a fascinating artistic life. After moving to New York, encounters with Allen Ginsberg led him to Naropa Buddhist University, where he studied writing with Ginsberg and William Burroughs and music with Don Cherry. This educational experience shaped his approach to art and performance.

Through Ginsberg, Hall met Arthur Russell, forming a musical partnership that led to performances at CBGBs, The Mudd Club, and Max's Kansas City as The Sailboats. Hall's vocals on Russell's disco hits like "Tell You Today" and "Is It All Over My Face?" helped define the sound of downtown New York in the 1980s. His project, Nirosta Steel, continues his exploration of queer love songs and remixes, maintaining the creative spirit of that fertile period.

The most popular episodes of 2022 reveal how Spotlight On has evolved into a platform for exploring music and the broader cultural ecosystem that sustains creative work. It helped me understand where to take the podcast and the discussions.

These conversations demonstrated how authentic artistic voices find ways to persist and grow through changing times and challenging times, building communities and creating new possibilities along the way.