The Downward Facing Spiritual Spiral

Tim Kobza

Is the mystery of songwriting a phenomenon that can't always be explained? What does it take to get an artist's work recognized in this day and age of incessant distractions. Today on the Spiritual Spiral, I am thrilled to welcome my friend, producer, professor and guitarist Tim Kobza to the show. I met Tim close to ten years ago and I've been lucky to share the stage with him numerous times when we played shows together. Tim is a brilliant musician and when I found out he had a new record coming out, I couldn't wait to have him on the show. Tim and I start off by talking about his incredible new album entitled Montecito Heights which is available now on Bandcamp before it hits streaming services at the end of the month. I ask Tim what inspired him to create a new record during the lockdown and we talk about his recording process. We talk about the importance of melody and structure in songwriting and we also talk about the hurdles in releasing new music and what it takes to find an audience. I also ask Tim about his influences and when he had a hunch music was something he had to do for the rest of his life. Tim also shares some great stories about touring and what led him to play music in Los Angeles. It's a wonderful talk about craft and artistry and be sure to check out Tim's new record by clicking HERE. You can find Tim on Instagram @timkobza  and if you enjoy today's episode and you want to support the show, please subscribe on iTUNES or consider sharing the show with your friends or head over to iTunes and write a quick review. All fo that is incredibly helpful in getting the show heard. You can also support the show by becoming a subscriber at www.patreon.com/eddiecohn where you can access full episodes and exclusive content only available to subscribers. You can also visit my website www.iameddiecohn.com and sign up for my email list and newsletter. I also released another brand new song on Bandcamp which you can purchase by clicking HERE. You can find me on Substack by clicking HERE and as always, thanks so much for listening and supporting the show. Please reach out on Twitter or IG @eddiecohn with any questions. 

Animals And A New Type Of Selfie

Do you ever think about how strange the world looks right now? People walking outside with masks on. Oprah telling us she felt rejuvenated after getting the vaccine. Vaccine selfies have become the rage. And I also wonder, are we all simply animals? Today on the Spiritual Spiral, I felt drawn to talk about the strange look of the world as we're one year into Covid. I try and talk objectively about living in a world of vaccine selfies and even more virtue signaling on IG. I share stories from my own life where I talk about being prescribed toxic medications to combat my own health issues. I read an excerpt from an interesting article written by health guru Christian Elliot entitled 18 Reasons Why I Won't be Getting the Vaccine. You can read it by clicking HERE. I also begin the show by sharing a story about a neighbor's barking dog and I end the show by premiering a brand new song from my upcoming record called Animals. I talk a little about the inspiration behind the song and how I wonder if human beings are no more complicated than basic animals. If you enjoy today's episode and you want to support the show, please subscribe on iTUNES or consider sharing the show with your friends or head over to iTunes and write a quick review. That is really helpful! You can also support the show by becoming a subscriber at www.patreon.com/eddiecohn where you can access full episodes and exclusive content only available to subscribers. You can also visit my website www.iameddiecohn.com and sign up for my email list and newsletter. I also released another brand new song on Bandcamp which you can purchase by clicking HERE. You can find me on Substack by clicking HERE and as always, thanks so much for listening and supporting the show. Please reach out on Twitter or IG @eddiecohn with any questions. 

Jeff Rona

If you like music and film as much as I do, then I'm positive you're going to enjoy the conversation I had with film composer, musician and producer Jeff Rona on today's episode. Jeff is one of the most sought after and highly regarded film composers and musicians working in Hollywood today. He has scored the music and been a musician for films including Traffic, Black Hawk Down, White Squall as well as Mission Impossible AND he just released a fantastic new electronic record called VAPOR which is available now on all streaming platforms.  Jeff shares stories about how he first got into music and how his curiosity and passion for synthesizers led him towards his first gig working with Roland. Jeff talks about his creative process and what drew him to film scoring where he's gone on to collaborate with well known composers including Hans Zimmer and Mark Isham. I ask Jeff about the inspiration behind his new record and we touch on some of the differences between scoring for film and self-producing a record. We talk about how our culture consumes music and we talk about the impact social media and the pandemic have both had on music and film. Be sure to find Jeff on IG @jeffronamuzik and be sure to check out his new record. If you enjoy today's episode and you want to support the show, please subscribe on iTUNES or consider sharing the show with your friends or head over to iTunes and write a quick review. You can also support the show by becoming a subscriber at www.patreon.com/eddiecohn where you can access full episodes and exclusive content only available to subscribers. You can also visit my website www.iameddiecohn.com and sign up for my email list and newsletter. I also released another brand new song on Bandcamp which you can purchase by clicking HERE. You can find me on Substack by clicking HERE and as always, thanks so much for listening and supporting the show. Please reach out on Twitter or IG @eddiecohn with any questions. 

Alethia Austin

When you walk by a stranger can you feel their energy? Do you trust your life is going to turn out okay or does the unknown make you feel anxious? Today on the Spiritual Spiral, I am stoked to welcome Sky Diving Coach, creator of LSD Skydiving Camps and yoga teacher, Alethia Austin to the show. I met Alethia almost 15 years ago at a music conference and I was instantly struck by her "energy" and passion for life. In the sky diving world, LSD stands for Level, Slot and Dock. Alethia shares stories about vertical flying, what inspired her to create skydiving camps and she talks about the community and energy that emanates from these passion driven events. We talk about fear, trust, the mystery of death and Alethia tells me about the first time she jumped out of an airplane. We also talk about our mutual love for yoga and how she became a yoga teacher. Be sure to find Alethia on IG @alethiaja and if you enjoy today's episode and you want to support the show, please subscribe on iTUNES or consider sharing the show with your friends or head over to iTunes and write a quick review. You can also support the show by becoming a subscriber at www.patreon.com/eddiecohn where you can access full episodes and exclusive content only available to subscribers. You can also visit my website www.iameddiecohn.com and sign up for my email list and newsletter. I also released another brand new song on Bandcamp which you can purchase by clicking HERE. You can find me on Substack by clicking HERE and as always, thanks so much for listening and supporting the show. Please reach out on Twitter or IG @eddiecohn with any questions. 

Bob Bradley

What does it take for a musician or band to acquire an audience's attention? Does anyone listen to full records anymore and how much time do artist's have to spend each day on social media? Today on the Spiritual Spiral, I'm excited to welcome publicist and bass player of the band, Fake Figures, Bob Bradley, to the show. Bob is also an author and recently published a book called Public Relations For Musicians which you can purchase on Amazon by clicking HERE. Bob and I talk about the music landscape and how it's changed over the years thanks to streaming platforms and Bob tells me what inspired him to write a book about PR. Bob talks about small goals and offers some helpful suggestions for musicians to gain a larger following on social media. We also talk about the shifting paradigm of the music industry and we wonder if artist's these days are pursuing music for attention or because it's their true calling. We talk about our mutual love for music and appreciating what artist's bring to our culture and we talk about how amazing it's going to feel to see live concerts again. You can find Bob on IG @mrbobbradley and if you enjoy today's episode and you want to support the show, please subscribe on iTUNES or consider sharing the show with your friends or head over to iTunes and write a quick review. You can also support the show by becoming a subscriber at www.patreon.com/eddiecohn where you can access full episodes and exclusive content only available to subscribers. You can also visit my website www.iameddiecohn.com and sign up for my email list and newsletter. I also released another brand new song on Bandcamp which you can purchase by clicking HERE. You can find me on Substack by clicking HERE and as always, thanks so much for listening and supporting the show. Please reach out on Twitter or IG @eddiecohn with any questions. 

Are You Shrinking or Expanding?

When's the last time you closed your eyes and listened to a record from beginning to end with no distractions? When you watch a movie on Netflix, are you truly experiencing the movie or are you texting and checking email while you watch the movie? Today on the Spiritual Spiral, I talk about how our brains may be shrinking thanks to dwindling attentions spans and less fulfilling experiences. Movies are meant to be  experienced in the theater. We are meant to watch concerts in stadiums and go to basketball games but will those "LIVE" experiences ever happen again? What has the pandemic, the lockdown, the promulgation of fear and tech done to life's more meaningful experiences? Have you become lazy and too comfortable to notice your brain may be yearning for deeper "experiences?" I play a clip from the Marc Maron podcast and I talk about my favorite record, OK Computer, and try to add context as to why that record played such a vital role in my life. I also end the show by premiering a remix of my latest single, FREEDOM, remixed by my friend and producer, Dan Silver. It hits Spotify in a few weeks but you can listen now on Soundcloud by clicking HERE or you can purchase it on Bandcamp at eddiecohn.bandcamp.com. As always, if you enjoy today's episode and you want to support the show, please subscribe on iTUNES or consider sharing the show with your friends or head over to iTunes and write a quick review. You can also support the show by becoming a subscriber at www.patreon.com/eddiecohn where you can access full episodes and exclusive content only available to subscribers. You can also visit my website www.iameddiecohn.com and sign up for my email list and newsletter. I also released another brand new song on Bandcamp which you can purchase by clicking HERE. You can find me on Substack by clicking HERE and as always, thanks so much for listening and supporting the show. Please reach out on Twitter or IG @eddiecohn with any questions. 

Matt Bilinsky

Does the media tell you the truth? Can you tell when the media is manipulating you and have journalists stopped asking the difficult questions? Today on the Spiritual Spiral, I welcome Los Angeles tech & media lawyer, Matt Bilinsky, to the show. While Matt is a successful attorney in LA, I discovered Matt on Twitter and IG where he has grown a following breaking down news stories and bringing his nuanced perspective to the world. Matt is using social media to go beneath the surface to try and offer a fresh perspective that counters the narrative that is being pushed by the media. Matt and I talk about the media landscape and how social media and the 24/7 news cycle may impact the way we receive the news. We discuss the pandemic, the impact it's having on our culture and how we're living in a world where if you question the narrative, then the powers-to-be want you silenced. I also ask Matt about this idea of being an "influencer" and we talk about the good and bad of social media and why I think it's causing more disruption than ever before. Be sure to follow Matt on Twitter or Instagram by clicking HERE and if you enjoy today's episode and you want to support the show, please consider sharing the show with your friends or head over to iTunes and write a quick review. You can also support the show by becoming a subscriber at www.patreon.com/eddiecohn where you can access full episodes and exclusive content only available to subscribers. You can also visit my website www.iameddiecohn.com and sign up for my email list and newsletter. I also released a brand new song on Bandcamp which you can purchase by clicking HERE. You can find me on Substack by clicking HERE and as always, thanks so much for listening and supporting the show. Please reach out on Twitter or IG @eddiecohn with any questions. 

How Contrived Can You Get? Ask Phoebe...

Imagine Kurt Cobain asking Gibson Guitar if it's okay if he breaks his guitar on SNL? Think back to when Pete Townsend infamously smashed his guitar on stage, do you think he had to tell someone ahead of time what he was planning to do? An artist should be unpredictable or caught up in the transfixing power of spontaneity. Has that spontaneity vanished thanks to our numb culture and dwindling attention spans? Today on the Spiritual Spiral, I felt compelled to talk about Phoebe Bridgers contrived performance on SNL and her feeble attempt to smash her acoustic guitar on stage. This isn't a man or a woman issue. I'm all for men and women being so caught up in a performance that they'll say or do just about anything. That's the beauty and power of music however there's nothing creative or inspiring happening if an artist has to ask permission before behaving a particular way. Maybe we live in a world where an artist feels like they have to smash a guitar or be outlandish just to get attention.  I also recently read biographies on Chris Cornell and Kurt Cobain, two of my heroes, which reminded me of the days when artists took more chances and performed without striving for attention. Are those days long gone?  I'm also excited to say I end today's show by playing my brand new dance single VS. which you can stream or purchase buy clicking HERE and I share a story where my doctor recently hints that I may be a candidate for a high blood pressure medication but do I really have high blood pressure? If you enjoy today's episode and you want to support the show, please consider sharing the show with your friends or head over to iTunes and write a quick review. You can also support the show by becoming a subscriber at www.patreon.com/eddiecohn where you can access full episodes and exclusive content only available to subscribers. You can also visit my website www.iameddiecohn.com and sign up for my email list and newsletter. I also released a brand new song on Bandcamp which you can purchase by clicking HERE. You can find me on Substack by clicking HERE and as always, thanks so much for listening and supporting the show. Please reach out on Twitter or IG @eddiecohn with any questions.