Yes, Ezra has a podcast!
The Ezra Lipp Hour (More or LEss)
Bay Area based drummer and composer Ezra Lipp brings his unique personality and years of experience as a musician as a base perspective to host insightful, informal and in-depth conversations with contemporary musicians focusing on the great stories, insights, and accrued wisdom that have informed their careers and journeys as artists. Occasionally it's a little funny.
EPIsodes
You’ve most likely never heard of my good friend and amazing musician & eco-activist Gabe Dominguez but that’s ok. He’s co-founder of San Francisco’s Bicycle Music Festival, leader of Fantastic Whup-Music Outfit Shake Your Peace!, one half of the gorgeous folk duo Tiny Home and most recently the visionary behind Ecotopia Now! a world changing - eco literacy program for Utah’s high schools and colleges, but that’s really just part of his story.
Jay Cobb Anderson is a prolific Portland, OR based songwriter and guitarist best know for his work as co-founder of the renowned Indie-Folk-Rock band Fruition. From humble beginnings and a chance meeting amongst kids in their early twenties, Fruition rose from a bunch a wide-eyed burgeoning buskers, itching to play for whoever would listen, to a power house of rock and roll troubadours, conquering the open road and delighting audiences around the country year after year. As the members matured and developed over time, as did their music, their lyrics and their connection.
Stanton Moore is an anomaly. Most musicians would only hope to have the success he’s had as to withstand over 20 years of lucrative world touring with New Orleans Funk-Jam Band Galactic. However that is just the tip of the iceberg for Stanton.
Leslie Mendelson’s on-going journey as an artist is a testament to her undeniable talent, perseverance, and mastery of her craft. She had a storied start to her career in the 2000’s with support of major label budgets and grammy award winning producers. This garnered critically acclaimed grammy nominated material of her own, but it also took her down a path where she dealt with disappointment, disillusionment, and death.
Zach Gill is a multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter best known for his decades of touring as co-founder of the band ALO (Animal Liberation Orchestra), as well as his years of traversing the world as a member of Jack Johnson’s band. Zach is a creative, playful and articulate character who has also released a handful of solo records including 2008’s Zach Gill’s Stuff and 2017’s Life in the Multiverse. This is a unique episode as Ezra stepped in to fill the drum chair in ALO in the winter of 2017 (which continues presently) so what we have is an intimate, thoughtful and light-hearted conversation amongst friends and bandmates.
Rob Barraco is an incredibly talented keyboardist best known for his decades of longstanding affiliations and collaborations with Grateful Dead Alumni. He was playing in the Zen Tricksters in the 1990’s when a series of fateful events caused their CD to wind up in the stereo of Phil Lesh who then summoned Barraco for an audition.
Billy Martin is a "renaissance artist" in the truest sense. For nearly 30 years he's been the drummer/percussionist with the legendary avant jazz-groove trio Medeski Martin & Wood and his singular and infectious approach to beat making has influenced scores of musicians. He's also a visual artist, writer, label owner (Amulet Records), film-maker, composer, world class collaborator and highly regarded as an influential teacher who's released instructional or self proclaimed "anti-instructional" content (DVD's and books) to inspire and educate musicians. Billy has been one of my all time favorite musicians and a huge personal influence on me. It was a pleasure to sit down and have him on the show!
Nathan Moore is a man who occupies many worlds and wears many hats. In my humble opinion, he is one of the finest songwriters of our time and his ongoing career has spanned many projects and phases that most artists could spend a lifetime on. Be it the years he spent touring with his indie-acoustic band Thamusemeant, the contagious unbound Rock N’ Roll you can see him creating with Surprise Me Mr. Davis, the multi-media extravaganza and unconventional touring that was Hippie Fiasco, the electronic psych-folk experimentation of his latest collaboration The Whole Other, the pirate radio station he ran for years in his basement, or just him onstage alone with a guitar, a harmonica, four chords and the truth; Nathan’s essence shines through in any setting where he finds himself, and he, nor we, never seem to know where he will find himself next.
Swedish born, New Orleans based “triple-threat” songwriter/guitarist/singer Anders Osborne has been a force to be reckoned with for nearly 30 years. When I watch Anders on stage I get the impression that he is playing music like his life depends on it, and I have a feeling it’s because he is. He’s the kind of versatile, raw and invigorating performer who sounds like he plays the truth.
At a given show with her band Elephant Revival, Vocalist and Multi-Instrumentalist Bonnie Paine can be heard playing washboard, djembe, saw, cello, stomp box, singing, or any other instrument, yet she is a musician who's heart tends to take the forefront of whatever music she is engaged in at the time. From modest roots starting in 2006 as a Folk-World-Americana collective of friends from Nederland, CO, Elephant Revivals steadfast work ethic, near-constant touring schedule and commitment to make authentic and genuine music has earned them an ever growing fanbase and many accolades in the industry; earning spots in major festivals throughout the country, headlining venues the likes of Red Rocks, and being featured in the New York Times, NPR, Guardian UK and many other publications.
Since the early 1990's, guitarist/singer/songwriter Neal Casal has forged a career that has traversed much ground far and wide. While he is currently best known for his tenure in The Chris Robinson Brotherhood, Casal was also a key player in Ryan Adams and The Cardinals, has released 12 solo albums under his own name, is a member of the contemporary supergroup Hard Working Americans (featuring Todd Snider and members of Widespread Panic and Great American Taxi), has moonlighted with the Grateful Dead's Phil Lesh and Bob Weir, leads an improvisational band called Circles Around The Sun which was selected to compose music to be played at The Grateful Dead's 50th Anniversary Fare Thee Well Concerts, and has been featured on hundreds of records. He's also a really nice guy.
Russ Lawton is a Vermont based drummer best known for his years of work as the syncopated, driving engine behind the Trey Anastasio Band, whom he has been performing and collaborating with since it's inception in 1998. Now In his early 60's, Russ has had a fruitful career as a working musician for decades prior to ever meeting Trey, and his relentless work ethic continues today.
San Diego’s Alfred Howard is a very dynamic character. He is best know for his involvement in a burgeoning music scene in San Diego as he is currently a primary lyricist, songwriter and producer in 8 different bands including The Heavy Guilt, Birdy Bardot, Rebecca Jade and The Cold Fact, Dani Bell and The Tarantist and The Midnight Pine, which are all housed under The Redwoods Music label which Howard is a founder and co-owner of.
For the better part of two decades Jennifer Hartswick has held tenure in the Trey Anastasio Band (of Phish fame) providing powerhouse vocals and impeccable trumpet playing. When she first met Trey and started collaborating she was just a teenager and self described "jazz nerd" coming out of the backwoods of Vermont. Since that time she has become one of the most respected, in-demand and busiest musicians on the jam-band and festival scene, guesting with a plethora of bands including Phish, Umphrey's Mcgee, Soulive, The Motet, The 9th Power, String Cheese Incident, and a slew of others.
Hailing from the North East Kingdom of Vermont, Kalmia Traver (Rubblebucket, Kalbells) has spent the last ten years touring relentlessly and co-leading the highly acclaimed Brooklyn based electro-indie-dance-pop band Rubblebucket. In a relatively short span Rubblebucket have put out ten LP's/EP's, worked with Grammy Award winning producers (John Congelton), and have been featured on late night TV (Jimmy Kimmel).
Marco Benevento has been making waves in the experimental/jam/rock music scene since roughly 1999. As a sideman, he's played with some of the best players out there today including the likes of Dan Auerbach, Trey Anastasio, Matt Chamberlain, Joe Russo, Billy Martin, John Medeski, Mike Gordon, Skerik, Stanton Moore and many many others. As a band leader and composer he has released 7 records to date and is the owner and co-founder of his own label, the Royal Potato Family.
Joe Craven is one of those humans who seemingly knows no bounds. Truly a jack of all trades, he embodies many roles in life; a virtuosic multi-instrumentalist with no formal music training, an award winning music educator and camp director, a larger than-life colorful festival emcee, composer, band leader, collaborator in many different projects, actor, visual artist, museum curator, self proclaimed "fashion insultant", the list goes on...
Craven has performed and recorded music with the likes of Stephane Grappelli, Jerry Garcia, David Grisman, Alison Brown, David Lindley, Howard Levy and many others.
I believe Brad Barr is one of the more unique musical voices of our time. A musician who truly knows no bounds, his openness, curiosity and deep listening abilities have accompanied him around the world many times over in his 20+ years of touring and music making. Brad spent the better part of the 90's and 2000's tirelessly traversing the country with his brother Andrew Barr (drums) and good friend Marc Friedman (bass) with an exceptional trio known as The Slip based out of Providence, RI.
Steve Poltz is a larger-than-life singer/songwriter, storyteller and entertainer who has been asserting his rugged independence and carrying out his unique personal vision for nearly 3 decades. He has seen accolades come and go in the music industry as a founding member of the San Diego 90's indie-rock-folk-punk band The Rugburns who developed a cult following, as well as achieving huge commercial success for his 1996 worldwide smash hit "You Were Meant For Me" which he co-wrote with Jewel. But Poltz has never been one to let current trends alter his quirky and sometimes crass, as well as heartfelt and honest song writing style as a solo artist, slow down his proliferation of songs, videos, blogging or touring, or dissuade him to relentlessly travel the world on his own terms, quietly and steadily accumulating a loyal base of raving fans and friends far and wide.
Discipline and consistency have been a part of my practice routine for many years, however it wasn't until recently that I realized how much time I was wasting by not streamlining my practice methods! In this episode I delve deep into personal experience as I recount my history getting into drumming, some of my past struggles with how I practiced, and share some of the techniques and methods I now use to consistently have the most efficient and focused practice sessions that I've ever had.
In the second installment of my conversation with Lebo we get deep. In this dialogue we cover lots of ground including the delicate nature of relating to bandmates and your own experience of playing music, how Lebo balances touring with family life, the realization that not all music is made for everyone, how failure can be a guiding tool, and much much more!
You can listen to the first part (episode 01) here.
Bass player extraordinaire, multi-instrumentalist, composer, and band leader Reed Mathis is a true artist, whom unapologetically has much to say both with his instrument and without.
John Craigie is a contemporary singer songwriter and folk troubadour who has been compared to the likes of John Prine, Woody Guthrie, Ramblin' Jack Elliott and Pete Seeger, as well as the comic sensibility of Mitch Hedberg or Jerry Seinfeld. He has a distinct performance style that blends often profound and sometime humorous songs with expertly crafted and highly entertaining storytelling. The result is a very engaging and original performer who can make you laugh, cry, think, and celebrate life in the course of one set.
For over 15 years Melvin Seals provided the harmonic backbone of the beloved Jerry Garcia Band, illuminating the bands sounds with his exciting and soulful gospel-influenced organ playing. Before and during that tenure he also had a diverse career playing with greats such as Elvin Bishop, Chuck Berry, and even a stint on Broadway.
In the very first episode of The Ezra Lipp Hour (More or Less), I speak with guitarist, singer and multi-instrumentalist Dan "Lebo" Lebowitz. Lebo is best known as the guitarist and co-founder of the Bay Area based rock/jam band Animal Liberation Orchestra (ALO) but he is also an accomplished and ubiquitous side man having performed with a slew of incredible artists and bands including
It’s hard to encapsulate what the duo of Anna Moss and Joel Ludford, AKA Handmade Moments is and what they do. On the surface they’re two young, energetic multi-instrumentalists clearly in-love with each other and with the world around them. A dynamic duo is definitely apropos here as in their live show they present a seamless mix of acoustic guitar, upright bass, saxaphone, souzaphone, theatrical vocals, percussion and tag team beatboxing. Hailing from the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas, Joel and Anna have traveled the world (and toured their asses off) performing their songs which can delve into heavy and thoughtful territory about some of the most serious themes of today, yet with a non-threatening, often light-hearted approach.