Songs Out LoudExplicit

by Aaron Doerr, Fellow Musician

Songs Out Loud is a hyper local, multitrack songs deconstruction podcast featuring St. Louis artists. The richly designed, documentary style compliments the audio format and subject material nicely. Delivered in twenty minute episodes, Songs Out Loud tells the story of one song: instrument by instrument, lyric by lyric, and beat by beat. Season three records in front of a live audience. --- Songs Out Loud is independently produ ...   ...  Read more
Music Commentary
Documentary
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Podcast episodes

  • Season 3

  • Lizzie Weber - The Big One

    Lizzie Weber - The Big One

    S03 E03
    22:28

    “The Big One” is a reflection about forecasting fear that cannot be known. There’s a story about an earthquake. There’s invented open tunings, and open hearts, there’s crying in bed at night in the woods of a military base. There’s a multidude of studio musicians, artful scoring and arranging, and a smart, eager protagonist ready to face her fears. This song, along with a few favorites on Lizzie Weber’s new album Fidalgo, goes super cinematic folk rock.For this episode, Lizzie provided the demo she and her guitarist used as the foundation, plus, ten isolated instrument and vocal groups from recording and mixing engineer Sheldon Gomberg, executive producer.Season 3 of Songs Out Loud episodes are taped in front of a live audience. For this one, we gathered in the upstairs lounge of The Royale Food & Spirits. Weaving isolated instrument and vocal tracks in and out of personal narratives, Songs Out Loud Breaks it down: instrument by instrument, lyric by lyric, and beat by beat.

  • The 442s - The Mess

    Explicit

    The 442s - The Mess

    S03 E02
    39:39
    Explicit

    The 442s did something special last month. They removed the precious from a genre widely endangered by pretense. Yes, they’re a chamber band: a folk-leaning classical and jazz hybrid. But their new album can accompany a Mother’s Day brunch just as well as a 4-20 afterparty. If you wanna hear John Denver, you will. If you wanna hear John Cage, you will. Need some Praire Home Companion vibes? Have a seat. Busta Rhymes? Travis Barker? Right this way. . For this episode, "The Mess" by the 442s, Adam provided the 14 page score plus his phone recording from an early version. Shock City Studios recording and mixing engineer Sam Maul broke me off twelve isolated instrument and vocal groups to play with, and he joins the conversation too. Season 3 of Songs Out Loud episodes are taped in front of a live audience. For this one, we packed into historic Judson House in Grand Center. Weaving isolated instrument and vocal tracks in and out of personal narratives and original demos, Songs Out Loud breaks it down: instrument by instrument, lyric by lyric, and beat by beat.

  • 18andcounting - Smitten

    Explicit

    18andcounting - Smitten

    S03 E01
    25:38
    Explicit

    On Halloween weekend 2022, a small group of us gathered in a lounge above The Royale Food & Spirits to hear Stan Chisololm deconstruct his single “Smitten.” Later that night, Stan would play an all vinyl DJ set. To help set the scene, you might picture Stan sitting on a black leather couch wearing the Bjork swon dress from her Academy Awards appearance in 2001 back in her Vespertine days.[“Hi I’m Stan aka 18andCounting…”][Theme]Stan Chisholm, aka “18andCounting” is an experimental DJ and emcee. He’s also a graphic artist and muralist with a Bachelor’s in Fine Arts from The Art Institute Of Chicago.[I’m a grimey art kid]He’s co-founder of open concept arts venue Blank Space on Cherokee St. and a Board Member of the New Music Circle arts collective. He’s won numerous academic scholarships and music awards holds DJ residencies at places like The City Museum, The Royale and Spark and occasionally performs and records under the name “The Only Ensemble”, notably at Loufest 2017. Mid pandemic, he landed a track on fellow artist Nathan Cook’s afrofuturist compilation entitled AfroFuturism St. Louis. Last summer, his album Some Sort Of Future cemented 18andCounting as lyricist and emcee in the most complete way to date.For this episode, Stan provided 61 individual instrument and vocal tracks (and 26 AUX buses) AND a track laying around from 2015 that would eventually become verse one.Songs Out Loud breaks it down, instrument by instrument, lyric by lyric, and beat by beat.

  • Season 2

  • Retro Champ - Truth

    Explicit

    Retro Champ - Truth

    S02 E10
    21:15
    Explicit

    Retro Champ is a heavy metal singer and MC who’s 2022 EP No Mercy is the third such release since 2019. “Truth” is one of the heaviest songs on the album, which he recorded with producer & songwriter Ben McGuiness. For this episode, I received seven instrument and vocal groups from that song’s multitrack session and talked with Retro about his creative process. In addition to the stem files, he shared two voice memo files from initial stages,Songs Out Loud is independently produced, engineered, designed and mixed by Aaron Doerr. Photo by Harry Boston. Theme music and graphic design by Aaron Doerr.

  • When Can I C U? - Syna So Pro

    Explicit

    When Can I C U? - Syna So Pro

    S02 E09
    28:53
    Explicit

    Classically trained electronic musician and singer Syrhea Conaway composes and performs under the name Syna So Pro. This is the story of how one song became two new songs. It all started with cutting up “The Pretty One”.~~~Cover Design by Aaron Doerr, Photograph by Tiffany Sutton