Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso

For the last week of Talk Easy's spotlight on Stone's Throw Records, Sam sits down with up-and-coming musician Sudan Archives, whose real name is Brittany Parks. 22-year-old Sudan is a largely self-made artist who discovered a passion for instrumental music during her high school days. Sudan's journey to Stone's Throw is pretty remarkable: after noticing her ability to play by ear and honing her musical sense at the Midwest churches she grew up in, she moved to LA and began producing her songs on an iPad. In this episode, Sudan and Sam speak about all of this and more, including her upcoming EP and the Ghana-set music video for "Time." ------------------------------------------------- Music for the show provided by @Vanilla and @jinsangbeats. Original illustrations by Krishna Shenoi: www.krishnabalashenoi.com/. Learn more about the show at www.talkeasypod.com  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In a continuation of the May series spotlighting Stones Throw Records, Sam sits down this week with Alexander Brettin, also known as Mild High Club. With two albums under his belt, 2015's Timeline and last year's Skiptracing, Alex has become skilled at making music that defies simple categorization--a local radio station once described his sound as "LA Slack Funk Psychedelia." In person, Alex is both complex and candid: he's eager to talk about his lifelong relationship with music, from Andrew Lloyd Webber to Sade, but admits he doesn't enjoy revisiting his own work. Over the course of the episode, he and Sam also touch on Alex's upbringing, his role at Stones Throw, and why he's not cut out to be a poster boy. ------------------------------------------------- Music for the show provided by @Vanilla and @jinsangbeats. Original illustrations by Krishna Shenoi: www.krishnabalashenoi.com/. Learn more about the show at www.talkeasypod.com  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week, Sam continues the May spotlight on Stones Throw Records by sitting down with DJ J Rocc. J Rocc is the founding member of the The World Famous Beat Junkies, an influential west coast DJ crew formed in the early ‘90s. Rocc was one of the first to join Stone’s Throw Records, and here he speaks frequently, but good-naturedly, about the ever-changing music scene. Rocc will also be the first to tell you that he’s tried it all, which, according to him, in the ‘90s meant DJing, rapping, breakdancing and graffiti. When he’s not discussing growing up in Orange County and the early days of Stones Throw on Talk Easy, Rocc’s current projects include a Beat Junkies radio station and a DJ school. ------------------------------------------------- Music for the show provided by @Vanilla and @jinsangbeats. Original illustrations by Krishna Shenoi: www.krishnabalashenoi.com/. Learn more about the show at www.talkeasypod.com  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week Sam sits down with DJ and music producer Chris Manak, also known as Peanut Butter Wolf. Chris has been active in the music industry since the late '80s, and founded the LA-based independent record label @StonesThrow Records in 1996. For over 20 years, Chris' label has demonstrated a far-reaching taste in music, representing the many flavors of hip-hop alongside cross-genre and experimental acts. Aloe Blacc, Mayer Hawthorne, and Talk Easy alum Mndsgn are among the vast list of musicians on the Stones Throw roster. The first of a series spotlighting musicians from Stones Throw Records, this week's episode includes Sam and Chris discussing everything from Chris' musical influences while growing up (8:02), to the highs and lows of the evolving music industry (27:35), as well as his late friend and collaborator J Dilla (40:41). ------------------------------------------------- Music for the show provided by @Vanilla and @jinsangbeats. Original illustrations by Krishna Shenoi: www.krishnabalashenoi.com/. Learn more about the show at www.talkeasypod.com  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week Sam sits down with singer-songwriter Corinne Bailey Rae. Many will remember Corinne from her 2006 break-out hit "Put Your Records On" which earned her three Grammy nominations. Both in her lyrics and conversation, the way in which Corinne expresses herself is deeply powerful. Shortly after being thrust into fame, Corinne experienced the unimaginable tragedy of losing her husband, Jason Rae. Life stood still for awhile. In time, though, she persevered. In recent years she's made two new excellent records: "The Sea" and "The Heart Speaks in Whispers". Corinne and Sam discuss both in this week's episode, along with her her love of music (8:07), the experience of losing her late husband(31:00),and falling in love, again (52:49). ------------------------------------------------- Music for the show provided by @Vanilla and @jinsangbeats. Original illustrations by Krishna Shenoi: www.krishnabalashenoi.com/. Learn more about the show at www.talkeasypod.com  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Martin Starr, actor known for Freaks and Geeks and Silicon Valley, shares a candid mini-bio as a dry-witted, empathetic performer. Conversations cover his early career on Freaks and Geeks, struggles with depression and coping routines, the chemistry behind Silicon Valley, creative risk-taking and writing, and falling in love and how it reshaped his life.

This week Sam sits down with fellow podcaster, Anna Sale. Anna is the host of the superb podcast Death, Sex & Money which, in her words, is a show about, "things we think about a lot and need to talk about more." In this spirit, she and Sam talk about her life growing up in West Virginia (14:29), the learning experience that comes with being a new mother (40:02), and her deep appreciation for people and their stories (45:47). ------------------------------------------------- Music for the show provided by @Vanilla and @jinsangbeats. Original illustrations by Krishna Shenoi: www.krishnabalashenoi.com/. Learn more about the show at www.talkeasypod.com  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

To celebrate the fiftieth episode of Talk Easy we decided to do something a little different, which ended up being Sam sitting down with his mother for an interview. This episode is not only special for how far the show has come, but the glimpse it gives us into the lives of both Sam and his mother. The love and respect that Sam and his mom have for one another is blatant throughout the entirety of this episode, and we feel lucky to have caught it on tape. In this hour, we learn about her childhood (9:16), the experiences she had at the age Sam is now (17:53), meeting Sam's dad (43:06), and the joy she got from motherhood (54:05). ------------------------------------------------- Music for the show provided by @Vanilla and @jinsangbeats. Original illustrations by Krishna Shenoi: www.krishnabalashenoi.com/. Learn more about the show at www.talkeasypod.com  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode Sam sits down with director James Gray, and they dive deep into all aspects of the film industry. They start with the difficulty financing films (5:00). Then, they move onto how directing a movie is an inherent narcissistic endeavor (14:00). They also get into the importance of distribution (17:54), television and it's relationship to cinema (45:55), and the change in movies' role in pop culture (50:47). ------------------------------------------------- Music for the show provided by @Vanilla and @jinsangbeats. Original illustrations by Krishna Shenoi: www.krishnabalashenoi.com/. Learn more about the show at www.talkeasypod.com  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week Sam sits down with comedian Andy Daly. Best known for his critically acclaimed show "Review," Andy's work is centered around a dark portrayal of earnestness. There is a disconnect between this darkness and Andy himself, however--outside of his work he is generally an optimist. In this interview he and Sam talk about his improv work at the Upright Citizens Brigade, how he was a horrible student, and behind the scenes of "Review." ------------------------------------------------- Music for the show provided by @Vanilla and @jinsangbeats. Original illustrations by Krishna Shenoi: www.krishnabalashenoi.com/. Learn more about the show at www.talkeasypod.com  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.