106 episodes
Music Therapy with Jessica Risker Jessica Risker
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- Music
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5.0 • 22 Ratings
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Being a musician has never been easy, but in today’s over-saturated world, it feels more daunting than ever. With little money and murky paths to success, it’s no wonder musicians are struggling to find their place and value in the world.
Musicians will find the Music Therapy podcast an indispensable and inspiring companion while navigating the ups and downs of creativity, the music industry, and mental health.
Music fans will discover in-depth conversations with their favorite artists about their creative process and what it’s *really* like to be a musician these days.
Featuring conversations with musicians, industry professionals, and licensed psychotherapists, the Music Therapy podcast is your pocket guide to navigating life as an artist while keeping a firm grip on your mental health.
Charting all over the world, featured in Axios and NPR, the Music Therapy podcast is your #1 resource for creative and mental health support.
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Rozz Tox, China, Art, and the Manifesto
benjamin fawkes is the self-described ”custodian” of Rozz-Tox, a space which defines itself as ”a listening bar, cafe, performance venue, gallery, culture cell, guesthouse, cinema, club; a virus whose ultimate goal is to constantly mutate to avoid becoming part of mainstream culture.”
Located in Rock Island, IL, inspired by ben’s time running a space in China, opened by he and his mom, named after Gary Panter’s Rozz Tox Manifesto - we go into it all.
This is the story of one of the best spaces in the country - maybe the world?
Featuring music from the album ”Big Forever” by jessica risker
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Visit musictherapypodcast.com for session notes, past episodes, and upcoming events!
Music Therapy Podcast Credits:
Music Therapy is hosted by Jessica Risker, produced by Sullivan Davis of Local Universe, and engineered by Joshua Wentz in Chicago.
Opening and closing music composed by Joshua Wentz.
Ep 121
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Join us on the Music Therapy Discord! or Facebook Group! -
Musician Jawson Dell, CPA or, Music Notes vs Bank Notes
Jawson Dell is a Chicago musician by way of Colorado, influenced by RnB, jazz, funk, rock, and the blues. He’s also a Certified Public Accountant.
These facts lead us down some interesting paths, including the tension between music and business, how American Idol influenced Jawson’s music career. We also listen to a couple of tracks from Jawson.
Songs included in episode: ”Windows Apart” and ”Flow” by Jawson Dell
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Visit musictherapypodcast.com for session notes, past episodes, and upcoming events!
Music Therapy Podcast Credits:
Music Therapy is hosted by Jessica Risker, produced by Sullivan Davis of Local Universe, and engineered by Joshua Wentz in Chicago.
Opening and closing music composed by Joshua Wentz.
Ep 120
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Join us on the Music Therapy Discord! or Facebook Group! -
Group Session featuring Ovef Ow!
Group Session! Chicago’s artsy post-punk Ovef Ow takes the couch as we dig into their minds, hearts, and souls about how they work together, managing the band, success, being part of the indie scene, and more. Ovef Ow gives a live performance.
My esteemed colleague Leslie Tanner co-hosts!
Many thanks to Joshua Wentz, Bret Koontz, Ralph Darski for capturing the sound, and of course Cafe Mustache for having us!
This episode was taped live at Cafe Mustache on May 10, 2023
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Visit musictherapypodcast.com for session notes, past episodes, and upcoming events!
Music Therapy Podcast Credits:
Music Therapy is hosted by Jessica Risker, produced by Sullivan Davis of Local Universe, and engineered by Joshua Wentz in Chicago.
Opening and closing music composed by Joshua Wentz.
Ep 119
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Join us on the Music Therapy Discord! or Facebook Group! -
The Obsession of Salami Rose Joe Louis
Salami Rose Joe Louis has a killer new album out called ”Akousmatikous” (via Flying Lotus’ Brainfeeder Records) and I am a massive fan. She is fantastically creative, thoughtful, and incredibly nice.
We dig into the perils of obsessively working on music, how she approached the concept of the album, her creative and recording process, social media, AI, ”authenticity”, and a ton more.
We also listen to two tracks off her new album: ”Akousmatikous” and ”Dimcola Reprise”.
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Visit musictherapypodcast.com for session notes, past episodes, and upcoming events!
Music Therapy Podcast Credits:
Music Therapy is hosted by Jessica Risker, produced by Sullivan Davis of Local Universe, and engineered by Joshua Wentz in Chicago.
Opening and closing music composed by Joshua Wentz.
Taped April 2023
Ep 118
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Join us on the Music Therapy Discord! or Facebook Group! -
The Power of Others: Group Psychology, Groupthink, and Fandom with author Michael Bond
Humans are group-ish beings! Whether it’s your family, your friends, your band, your artist community, your country, etc., we all belong to groups. Whether we realize it or not, groups have a powerful impact on our own thoughts and behaviors.
In this episode of Music Therapy, I talk with science writer and journalist Michael Bond, author of ”The Power of Others: Peer Pressure, Groupthink, and How the People Around Us Shape Everything We Do” and his newest book ”Fans: A Journey Into the Psychology of Belonging”.
We explore the many ways we’re impacted by groups, the forces that make a group healthy and communicative, and the insular, destructive echo chambers of groupthink.
This is a fascinating conversation that had me thinking for days - and I’m sure you’ll find it fascinating, too.
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Songs included in episode: ”Flowers on the Water” and ”Better Not Lose Her” by Pretty Horse
Visit https://www.michaelbond.co.uk/
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Visit musictherapypodcast.com for session notes, past episodes, and upcoming events!
Music Therapy Podcast Credits:
Music Therapy is hosted by Jessica Risker, produced by Sullivan Davis of Local Universe, and engineered by Joshua Wentz in Chicago.
Opening and closing music composed by Joshua Wentz.
Taped May 2023
Ep 117
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Join us on the Music Therapy Discord! or Facebook Group! -
Dan Rico and The Seductiveness of Pastiche
How do you honor your idols without being derivative? How do you start over in a new (york) city?
This week on Music Therapy I sit down with Dan Rico, a Chicago DIY scene fixture who moved to New York City right before the pandemic hit.
We get into creativity, live band recordings vs virtual instruments, SXSW takeaways, quitting drinking, finding a new music community in NYC, impostor syndrome, and lots more.
We also listen to a couple of new fantastic tracks from Dan: ”Conceited” and ” Hit and Run” plus a special bonus track ”Better Company” that Dan and I collaborated on.
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Dan Rico is a songwriter, guitar player, and multi-instrumentalist from Chicago, IL living In Brooklyn, NY. Rico is a writes music and performs in the Surf rock group High Waisted and plays guitar in the grunge band Dropper, who just got back from South by South West. Rico also releases music under his own name, collating inspirations as disparate as Prince, T Rex, Os Mutantes, and Taylor Swift.
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Visit musictherapypodcast.com for session notes, past episodes, and upcoming events!
Music Therapy Podcast Credits:
Music Therapy is hosted by Jessica Risker, produced by Sullivan Davis of Local Universe, and engineered by Joshua Wentz in Chicago.
Opening and closing music composed by Joshua Wentz.
Taped April 2023
Ep 116
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Join us on the Music Therapy Discord! or Facebook Group!
Customer Reviews
This podcast is a blessing 🙏🏽
I was a guest on the podcast, and truly enjoyed every moment of the dialogue. Jessica is thoughtful, insightful, and has created a platform that gives voice to mental health and the people affected by it, specially Artists. I highly recommend tuning in and finding inspiration, insight, and most importantly understanding. The music community needs platforms like this to help normalize stigma around mental health. ♥️ Thank you Jessica for having me on your show! It was an honor.
Thank you Jessica and Team
Thanks to Jessica and team for all your hard work on putting together such a unique show! It’s been really helpful during this time to feel more connected and also hear difficulties that I face voiced and put into words, it’s helpful to know you’re not alone!
I really like the new format with the songs interspersed into the dialogue. Thank you!!!!
Great interviews
I love Jessica’s insightful interviews with artists about balancing art and life, finding space to make stuff during a pandemic and other challenging circumstances, and what goes into people’s creative processes.