Episode 390: Kalu James Returns!

hello friends! i hope you are living life like an angel of love and happiness. i am well. i am working on some guitar stuff for a gig i'm playing next friday with amy edwards. it's really fun to just play electric guitar and be loud and not even have to sing. i'm looking forward to it. also, i wanted to let you guys know that i'll be playing some songs with the bluebonnets next thursday at the grand opening for the townsend which is a new, swanky club opening here in austin. also, while we're on the subject of gigs.. i'm playing song swap with william harries graham on sunday, july 5th at the continental club gallery. come out and say hi!my guest for episode 390 is talented singer/songwriter, kalu james! this is kalu's second time on the show. he's had a couple of life changing years since he was last on the show a couple of years ago. i saw him play a month or so ago and was reminded what a great artist he is and what a genuine and nice person he is. so, we did it again. we have a great conversation about, the magic in the continental club gallery, becoming the man of the family, re-prioritizing life, writing songs about nothing, über adventures, american racism, a live album in the can and much, much more! i want to thank kalu for coming in and being so honest and real about where he is in his life. kalu is a great artist and a great guy. i hope you enjoy our conversation. i did. let's get down! ciao! -jg

Episode 389: Bantam Foxes / Suzanne Monroe

hello friends! i hope your summer is shaping up to be the best summer ever. i'm doing well. it's been so humid, i can't stand it. i played a couple of outdoor shows last week with skyrocket and it was gross. i think i sweated about a gallon. i got to go to the solstice festival on saturday. that was a lot of fun. sadly, it got rained out late in the afternoon, but while it was happening, it was a blast. those guys have a great thing going on. my guests for episode 389 are new orleans rock trio, bantam foxes! these guys stopped by one morning a couple of weeks ago on their way back home. they're a great band and fantastic dudes. you can find their music and tour schedule and more at bantamfoxes.com we had breakfast tacos and a fun and informative conversation about loyola university, music business school, making music in new orleans, day jobs, twins, analogies galore, staying in the black on the road, hick versions of bowie and arctic monkeys, releasing singles and much, much more! i hope you enjoy getting to know them as much i as i did. plus, suzanne monroe stopes by to talk about her new album, face to the mirror, and her release show next tuesday, june 30th here in austin. let's get down!ciao! -jg

Episode 387: Löwin Returns! / Solstice Festival

yo people who read these transmissions from my sad, little brain! i hope you're all doing well. things are good here. i've been rehearsing, seeing bands, doing podcasts and generally trying to stay cool. on today's show, we get a special visit from and have a quick chat with matt, lauren and adrian from solstice festival. it's a free festival that takes place saturday, june, 20th 2015 from noon to 10 pm at pan am park in austin, tx. the festival features ringo deathstarr, zeale, jazz mills, money chicha, dead love club and many, many more. matt, lauren and adrian fill us in on solstice live, solstice festival, the shows this thursday and friday in 14 clubs and more. you can also go to solticeatx.com and find out line ups and info. my guests for episode 387 are sara and chris from the band, löwin! this is the band's second appearance on the show. they've just released a fantastic, new e.p. called, royal jelly. you can find it on itunes, spotify, soundcloud, select record stores and at their shows. if you live in austin, you can see löwin every saturday in june at the blackheart on rainey st. at midnight. i've seen them they're a great band. sara is a great musician/singer/frontwoman. we have a great conversation about they're new ep royal jelly, kanye west, writing and recording, songs with the names sara and johnny, the current music scene and much, much more! i hope you enjoy getting to know löwin as much as i have. let's get down!ciao! -jg

Episode 385: Growl

hello friends! i hope your hearts are on the verge of exploding with happiness and joy. i'm well. i've been rehearsing with amy edwards (ep. 371) as i'll be playing guitar with her band at a show at stubb's here in austin on july 3rd. we'll be opening for the bluebonnets and it should be a fun night. i'm having a great time playing electric guitar and rocking out. i still haven't seen "love and mercy" that brian wilson movie. i think i'll see it tomorrow or thursday.my guests for episode 385 are indie-garage-pop band, growl! these guys have toured the states a few times, the have many releases on bandcamp and they're a great band. they prove that on their latest release, live at the blue dream which was recorded live by my pal, will from shivery shakes. anyway, we have a great conversation about being r.t.f. majors, classic indie-rock, girls, recording, day jobs, touring and much, much more. if you live in austin you can see them THIS thursday, june 11th 7pm at beats delicious presents: growl in a gallery i'd like to thank the fine folks at beats delicious for hooking me up with this amazing band. i hope you enjoy getting to know growl. i sure did. let's get down!ciao! -jg

Episode 383: Little Brave Returns! / Texas Music Water

hello friends! i hope this episode finds you being able to shut off the tractor beam on the death star so that you can rescue the princess and go home. i want to let you know that i have a show THIS thursday at the roost in north austin. i received a call last night from my friend that books the place and he said someone dropped out last minute and would i play on thursday at 8. so, i'm playing a solo acoustic show at the roost in north austin at 8 on thursday. come out and say hi to me. i want to also let you know that texas music water is the official water of "how did i get here?". dean wolfe from texas music water stops by the show today to quickly give us the background on texas music water and about the non-profits it supports like HAAM, SIMS, Anthropos Arts, Warrior Cry Music Project and more! find out where you can your texas music water at www.texasmusicwater.com "you hydrate. we donate"Episode 383 finds little brave back in the "hot seat". also known as stephanie macias, this is her second appearance on the show. this past april she put out and amazing new double cd, mythology. this album is absolutely gorgeous. going between electronic pulses and totally organic solo ukelele performances. i urge you to not only buy this album, but go to littlebravemusic.com and buy a physical copy. stephanie stephanie made such a beautiful package that also comes with a beautiful booklet. artists like little brave give me hope. she is a creative force to be reckoned with and we have a great conversation about everything from eating right to designing the gorgeous packing for mythology and everything in between. as always, i had a great time getting to know little brave again. i'm sure you will too. let's get down!ciao! -jg

Episode 382: LEV

hello friends! i hope you're all safe and dry where ever you are. i'm well. luckily, the floods did not affect my neighborhood. my thoughts and prayers go out to all that were affected by this awful weather we've had. there are a lot of ways to help. here in austin, there are benefits, donations drop-offs and more. if you know of any way that people can help please share it on our "how did i get here?" facebook page  let's spread the word, get involved and help out.my guest for episode 382 is dallas pop artist, LEV! LEV has a fantastic new e.p. that came out this past tuesday called, fear no evil. the album is avaialble on itunes and at her website. she is playing some release shows this week namely, tomorrow saturday, may 30th here in austin at the empire control room. you can find out all about her and her shows at levthemusic.com. LEV is a really great hang and we have an entertaining conversation about small towns, not fitting in with the nashville mold, men's butts, her songs, how she made fear no evil, playing shows as a pop artist, she plays a dirty jingle she wrote and much, much more! i had a great time getting to know LEV. i'm sure you will too! let's get down!ciao! -jg

Episode 380: The Big Fix

hello friends! i hope this show finds you all out there, fighting the good fight just like the canadian rock-trio, triumph told you to. i'm good. i have a week off from skyrocket, so i've been working on some songs, getting some podcasts done, working on the show a bit. i have a solo show next thursday, 5/28 at the 502 bar in san antonio. i'll be opening for my friend, joseph king and his band of lunatics from nyc. should be fun. check out the event page for times and address. my guest for episode 380 is my old friend and former bandmate, nathan harlan who has a new band, the big fix. in 2003, i joined a band that nathan co-fronted called, endochine. i left the band in 2004 because my life was literally falling apart. they went on for a few months after but soon called it quits. i didn't see nathan much for the last decade... well, we fixed that with this show. nathan came by and we talked about our time in endochine, his move to new york, wriitng, acting and working on films, the decision to put a new band together, the big fix and much, much more. they have some music up at their site, thebigfix.band i had a great time catching up with nathan. i'm glad he's making new music. let's get down!ciao! -jg

Episode 379: Moms That Rock w/ Co-host, Suzanna Choffel feat. Jazz Mills, Elizabeth McQueen, Raina Rose & Savanna Welch!

hello and welcome to this unique episode of "how did i get here?". a few weeks ago i went to visit suzanna choffel and her new baby, lulu. we got to talking about continuing to rock once you've entered motherhood. wondering how you balance being an performing/touring/creative artist and a mother... well, we decided to turn it into a podcast. i asked suzanna to put together a group of women she sees as her support team and to co-host the show. we have a wonderful group of extremely talented mothers. savanna welch, jazz mill, raina rose and elizabeth mcqueen share their experiences as moms that rock. we get a great insight into the writing/recording/touring/backstage life with a child. my thanks to suzanna and lulu for putting together the panel of guests and co-hosting. thanks to raina and benny, savanna, elizabeth and jazz. we had a great conversation, passed babies around and laughed. i hope you enjoy our chat. i sure did. let's get down!ciao! -jg

Episode 378: Danny Malone Returns!

hello friends! i hope you're all doing well. i just found out about the loss of b.b. king. sad to see such a beautiful cat go. b.b., you will be missed. the thrill is gone indeed.my guest for episode 378 is the amazingly talented, danny malone! this is danny's second appearance on the show. we recorded a live one at hotel vegas 3 years ago in may of 2012. anyway, i am a huge fan of danny malone. he has a gorgeous album out now called, speedreamer. he made the album on my favorite medium, four-track cassette. he is a recent black fret grant recipient. we have a great conversation about, house parties, four-track cassette recording, we compare neurosis, europe and much, much more! danny is a great hang. i love talking to him. enjoy! let's get down!ciao! -jg

Episode 377: Ray Prim Returns!

hello friends! i hope you're all happy and healthy. things are good here. i wanted to tell you about a solo show i'm playing tomorrow, wed, may 13th at the hole in the wall here in austin. i'll be playing from 7-8 pm right after my friends, ethan azarian and jeff johnston. there's no cover and the hole in the wall is a good time. come out and say hi!my guest for episode 377 is signer/songwriter, ray prim! you might know ray from his band, 7 stones in the late 90's, or maybe his "soulwriter" songwriter series at flipnotics that he had for years. you might also know him from the webseries i'm in, "cooking/drinking with johnny & aj". he was also a guest in the early days of this show. ray has spent the last two years making his new album, still here on loungeside records. it's a fantastic album! he has a release show in austin this saturday, may 16th at strange brew loungeside at 9 pm. he'll be playing with a full-band right down to a horn section. we have a great conversation about being in a songwriting group, making still here on his own and learning how to record and mix and all that jazz, the maywether/pacquio fight, learning all aspects of making an album including photoshop and much, much more. i always have a great time talking to ray. let's get down!ciao! -jg