Performance Anxiety

Today we go international. Welcome the greatest person from the Faroe Islands since Venceslaus Ulricus Hammershaimb. She also has a much shorter name. It’s Eivør! She’s currently on a North American tour to support her new album Tungl and she was kind enough to take some time and talk about her musical life with me. And I do mean musical life. She was already performing on TV by thirteen. By seventeen she was not only preparing to study music in college, she was already finished with her second solo album! And I say solo album because she had also released an album singing for the band Clickhaze. I ask her about shifting from jazz to more experimental music with her fourth album and how she incorporates traditional Faroese music into her contemporary sound. She’s also the voice behind the music for The Last Kingdom TV series and two God of War video games. Eivør is really open and candid about her career, her changes in sound, audience reactions, and the differences between Scandinavian and US audiences. She once wrote an album in Faroese and then rewrote it entirely in English! She describes songs as pickles and is a good sport when I butcher her Faroese song titles. Her live shows are wonderful and mesmerizing as she recreates vocals that I thought were studio creations. Give her a follow @eivormusic on social media. Pick up Tungl from her website eivor.com. Follow the show @PerformanceAnx. Grab merch at performanceanx.threadless.com. Use ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety if you want to send coffee funds. Now go grab Akvavit and get ready for Eivør on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network.

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This episode is fun and really interesting. Matt North returns with a new album and a different perspective on making it. Matt lives in Nashville but chose to make his album in Champaign-Urbana, instead. We talk about how Nashville has changed over the past several decades; the positives and the negatives. We go off onto a few tangents during the show. Actually, we kind of start off on a tangent. Matt explains the purple cow theory, totem pole culture, and remote recording with Paul Chastain, in Japan while using old high scholl friends and his old high school band director as bandmates and arrangers.

He also talks about how his former roommates comedians Mitch Hedberg and Patton Oswalt, as well as Dave Attell, have influenced his songwriting. And, somehow, Ray Charles gets into the conversation. Check out Matt’s new album, Savoy, at mattnorthmusic.com or Bandcamp. Follow him @mattnorthmusic. Follow us @PerformanceAnx. Merch is available at performanceanx.threadless.com. Money for coffee is accepted through ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. Now I hope you enjoy Nashville vs Champaign-Urbana with Matt North on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network.

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This was a fun one. Welcome brookelen to the podcast. I stumbled across one of her reels on Instagram and was immediately drawn to her sound. I reached out about doing a podcast episode and a week later, here we are.Brooke grew up a military kid but found a home in Arlington, VA, after several moves.She picked up violin as a kid and was inspired by the epicness of Celine Dion.Her early musical aspirations weren’t necessarily that of an artist, though, but more behind-the-scenes.Although she was writing music, she didn’t really throw herself into it until she moved to Los Angeles. She met up with friends and started playing in parks and with friends. She’s played in a few projects but it wasn’t until she lost her job that she really decided to throw herself into her music.

Her music has evolved over the relatively short period of time she’s been releasing it. Each EP has a different reason for it’s different sound; from dealing with familial relationships to depression, and more, each album charts new ground. The new EP is no exception. It’s loud, raw, and was recorded live in the studio. It was a way of breaking the hold that perfectionism had on her. The new release, Dark Side of the Sun, is out everywhere and there are physical copies! Listen on Spotify or buy it on Bandcamp! If you’re into 90’s alternative, you’ll love this EP. Give her a follow @brookelen on Instagram and TikTok. Follow us @PerformanceAnx. Merch is at performanceanx.threadless.com. Or just help with coffee money at ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. I know you’re going to love brookelen on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network.

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This guest is one I’ve wanted to have on for a while. I’ve been a fan for about 20 years but I had always been nervous about approaching him for one specific reason. It’s a sensitive topic that will be obvious when you listen. But after seeing him open up about it on his own YouTube videos, I reached out. And I’m so glad I did. Please welcome Harley Di Nardo to the show. He’s a modern renaissance man, being a musician, film maker, and hair stylist.

I heard his first band, Closer, through Pandora. Imagine that, a platform that really did help me discover music! We talk about getting signed and dropped twice, switching gears, and one day that turned his life upside down.

He’s making new music, finding old music he had forgotten about, and helping others (including me) stay positive about obstacles and failures in our lives. Not only does he share some great stories, he’s consistently releasing new music on Spotify, so keep looking and checking him out there. Follow him @harleydinardo on Instagram & Harley Di Nardo on Facebook. Follow us @PerformanceAnx on Instagram. Grab merch at performanceanx.threadless.com or just send money to ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. Now let’s get closer to Harley Di Nardo on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network.

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Today’s guest has just reissued a hidden gem. Welcome Matt Devine. Matt has played with a lot of previous guests of this podcast. And after listening to his bands Permanent Green Light and Ventilator, I know why. He talks about how he got into music and the bands he loved growing up. He talks about starting his own bands and keeping the expectations low. After Permanent Green Light formed and dissolved, he focused on the music he had been writing for himself in his apartment. That music became Ventilator’s first album, Reseda Spleen. Reseda Spleen was released in 1996 and I am amazed that it seems to have slipped through the cracks. And it turns out that Reseda Spleen isn’t the only lost classic he’s played on. He also appears on Paul D’Amour’s post-Tool band, Feersum Ennjin. Matt talks about his post Ventilator career and how Reseda Spleen came to be reissued on Bar None Records. The digital release even comes with a couple of bonus tracks. Matt talks about what it’s like going back and listening to songs he wrote 30 years ago. But with this reissue, more people will be hearing it for the first time! So grab your vinyl from bar-none.com. Follow the band on Instagram @ventilatorofficial for some exclusive pictures and videos. Follow us @PerformanceAnx. Merch is available at performanceanx.threadless.com. Send coffee funds to ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. I hope you enjoy Matt Devine & Ventilator as much as I have on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network.

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