Artists of New York

Artists of New York

di Dan Riley

Episode 143: Evan Nachimson - Beyond the Song

Evan Nachimson is a singer-songwriter, guitarist, and founder of The Candle Room, based in New York City. (00:00) Moving to New York City to pursue music (01:29) Discovering guitar and songwriting (03:12) Early musical influences and recording (04:43) Studying music at Berklee (06:32) Finding his voice as a musician (08:06) The art and science of songwriting (10:03) The limitations of music school (12:15) Learning to trust yourself as an artist (13:37) Building a music career in Brooklyn (14:35) Creating the Candle Room concert series (17:02) Designing an intimate musical experience (19:28) Finding community and purpose through music (20:45) From personal songwriting to improvisation (22:25) Making a living through children's music (25:07) Exploring storytelling beyond songwriting (27:06) Balancing music, writing, and therapy (29:43) What keeps the musical passion alive (31:03) Musical heroes and the power of joy (33:03) Favorite listening rooms in New York (35:38) Advice for aspiring musicians (37:15) Defining success through relationships (39:10) Finding fulfillment beyond external validation

Episode 142: Viv Ford - The World Favors Movement

Viv Ford is a writer, comedian, and producer, based in New York City. Instagram and all episodes (00:00) Moving to New York from Panama (01:28) Leaving tech to travel the world (03:39) Lessons from 24 countries (06:10) Childhood creativity and redefining success (08:15) Moving into San Francisco’s Crypto Castle (10:21) Discovering the power of improv (12:51) Turning the Crypto Castle into art (15:42) How crypto changed its ideals (18:14) Bitcoin, quantum computing and digital gold (20:40) How sudden wealth changes people (23:14) Making peace with money and motivation (25:15) Betting on Bitcoin before it was big (26:33) Making a crypto comedy series (29:13) Challenging comedy’s traditional gatekeepers (31:13) Building your own opportunities (33:24) Following fun and learning stand-up (35:39) Finding comedy in modern dating (37:36) Learning from great comedians (39:40) Making art and confronting AI (41:31) Why success ultimately means nothing

Episode 141: Emily Jeanne Brown - Settling Into Yourself

Emily Jeanne Brown is a singer and actress, based in New York City. Instagram and all episodes (00:00) Moving to New York City (01:46) Growing up in Sonoma County (03:40) Family, curiosity, and imagination (05:15) Discovering music and theater (07:36) Choosing a life in performance (10:20) Finding her way to Smith (12:59) Looking back on Smith College (17:04) Breaking into New York theater (19:24) Paying the bills as an artist (20:24) From singer to theater actor (21:44) Pursuing serious acting training (23:02) COVID and a return to music (24:08) Shifting from acting to music (25:57) Letting go of the acting track (26:49) Building a musical community (28:23) Finding confidence as a live musician (29:44) Making human art in a digital world (31:22) The story behind the album (32:40) East Coast versus West Coast (34:32) What comes next creatively (35:40) Motherhood and a new life chapter (37:48) Redefining success as an artist

Episode 140: Robby Slowik - Still Making It

Robby Slowik is a stand-up comic, TV writer, and podcast host based in New York City. Instagram and all episodes (00:00) Moving from LA to New York (04:49) Growing up funny (06:40) Finding the courage for stand-up (08:17) Early feedback and comic delusion (10:29) Life before comedy (12:20) Committing to stand-up (13:31) Developing a comedic voice (15:34) Breaking into New York comedy (17:50) Career-changing opportunities (21:19) Conan and the changing industry (23:29) Becoming a full-time comic (24:37) Writing for Jon Stewart (27:32) Andrew Schulz and the pandemic (29:24) Returning to Jon Stewart (30:28) Having kids and IVF (33:25) Building a stand-up audience (35:17) Finding comedy in fatherhood (36:37) Balancing comedy and parenting (39:50) Working with Jon Stewart (43:30) Redefining success

Episode 139: Julie Roland - Magic Meets Mission

Julie Roland is a magician, storyteller, and stand-up based in New York City. Instagram and all episodes (00:00) Returning to New York for her mother (03:16) An unexpected calling to military service (06:05) How The West Wing inspired service (08:50) Military service meets complicated reality (11:25) The poverty draft and military opportunity (12:59) Finding purpose by serving her sailors (14:37) A lifelong love of magic (16:47) Using magic to bridge military divides (19:57) Learning magic and preserving wonder (23:02) Developing a personal magic repertoire (24:17) From casual tricks to public performance (25:54) The backyard variety show takes off (28:44) Psychics, intuition, and collective consciousness (33:19) DMT, machine elves, and unseen realities (37:07) Keeping magic central to her future (40:23) Where to see magic in New York (41:41) Rediscovering her mother through saved belongings (43:17) Reconnecting with her mother’s old friends (45:32) Defining success through usefulness and impact (46:33) Fun, service, and a successful life

Episode 138: Dan Perlman - Permission to Be Bad

Dan Perlman is a writer, director, and stand-up, based in New York City. Instagram and all episodes (00:00) Growing up across New York City (01:58) A childhood obsession with comedy (05:49) Discovering the path to becoming a comedian (08:33) Protecting the dream until pursuing it (10:34) Bombing at his first open mic (13:20) Building a life around stand-up (15:30) Gradually getting comfortable onstage (17:37) Learning how to control a room (21:42) How his comedy and writing evolved (24:36) Learning discipline through sketch comedy (28:46) Turning a web series into a Showtime show (32:32) Lessons from developing his first pilot (34:40) Surviving New York with odd jobs (36:03) Being broke while pursuing comedy (38:43) The complicated experience of making Flatbush Misdemeanors (43:01) Discovering filmmaking as his creative sweet spot (44:50) Becoming Michael Bublé for a documentary (47:41) Directing his first feature film (50:19) Creating without always scaling up (52:45) The creators who inspire him (54:46) Why New York still feels like home (55:59) Redefining success around sustainable creativity

Episode 137: Jon Lampley - Follow The Crumbs

Jon Lampley is a trumpeter, based in New York City. Instagram and all episodes (00:00) Moving to New York City (04:46) Arriving without a plan (08:30) Breaking into New York’s music scene (11:06) Becoming a horn section (15:00) Growing up in Akron (16:52) Choosing Ohio State (19:06) Following instinct instead of a plan (21:57) Making excellence the standard (25:38) Choosing music as a career (28:53) The boring work behind greatness (33:55) Finding clarity about his calling (35:40) Surrounded by artists at Ohio State (38:18) Feeling convicted to pursue music (41:55) Following the crumbs toward purpose (44:07) The chain of events leading to Colbert (47:05) Paying attention to opportunity (49:35) Reflecting on eleven years at The Late Show (51:40) Paul McCartney plays his trumpet (54:24) Creativity, spontaneity and performing under pressure (57:20) The Late Show’s joy machine (59:04) Inside a typical Late Show day (62:46) Balancing Colbert, O.A.R. and Huntertones (67:03) The personal sacrifices of an artist (73:34) Redefining success around what matters

Episode 136: Marito Lopez - The Extraordinary Alien

Marito Lopez is a stand-up comedian based in New York City. Instagram and all episodes (00:00) Paying $10,000 to move to New York (02:07) Why Canada made him a better comedian (04:25) Fleeing El Salvador for Canada (06:01) Understanding the Salvadoran Civil War (07:42) His father documenting the war (10:11) His parents’ immigrant sacrifices (12:31) Growing up Salvadoran in Calgary (14:34) Discovering acting, writing, and comedy (17:49) Addiction derails his university years (19:15) His unforgettable first stand-up set (20:26) Recognizing his alcoholism (22:58) Sobriety after losing his mother (24:50) Building a comedy career in Canada (28:41) Resilience and becoming a stronger comedian (31:10) Getting an extraordinary ability visa (34:15) Starting over professionally in New York (35:34) Falling in love with New York (38:43) Breaking into The Stand (40:06) Acting and making New York home (43:02) Race, culture, and finding his voice (47:23) Career ambitions and his New York dream (49:03) Defining success, freedom, and fearlessness

Episode 135: Adam Wade - The Courage to Try

Adam Wade is a storyteller and 20-time SLAM winner at The Moth, based in New York City. Instagram and all episodes (00:00) Falling in love with New York (04:18) College radio builds his confidence (07:41) Winning a talent show changes everything (10:02) Arriving in New York with almost nothing (12:47) Virgil’s Barbecue becomes his first community (16:08) Relentlessly pursuing the NBC page program (20:03) Finding community and kindness at NBC (24:21) Building a career through relationships (28:56) Discovering The Moth (31:06) Colin Quinn tells him to be himself (36:57) Why storytelling became addictive (39:50) Learning how to win story slams (44:59) How he prepared his Moth stories (47:20) The story that became his signature (53:14) Stepping away after 20 Moth wins (55:27) Friendships and opportunities from The Moth (58:01) Teaching storytelling and giving back (59:31) What makes a great story (61:53) The creative projects he’s pursuing now (65:15) Helping shy people take creative risks (68:24) A student finds her moment onstage (72:23) Redefining success and living creatively

Episode 134: Stephen Rodes Chen - More Important Than Money

Stephen Rodes Chen is a songwriter and saxophonist based in New York City. Instagram and all episodes (00:00) Moving to New York (01:54) Discovering the saxophone (06:52) Music and identity (08:57) Choosing Yale over conservatory (11:06) The strange history of the saxophone (15:28) Creating musical opportunities at Yale (18:59) Graduating into the financial crisis (20:50) Committing to music (23:02) Building Great Caesar in New York (26:02) WeWork and the hippie capitalist scene (29:00) Joining San Fermin (30:59) Leaving Great Caesar behind (32:02) Making money between tours (32:56) How necessity fuels ambition (36:30) Second-guessing the artistic path (39:05) The value of an interesting life (43:31) Becoming a professional touring musician (46:34) Covid stops everything (48:02) Building a virtual choir business (52:19) Does a musician still need New York? (59:12) Seeking music that challenges you (65:42) Redefining success

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