Singers on the Front Lines

In this episode I interview Jess Baker, a singer, songwriter, gifted musician, and all around wonderful human being who uses her talents in service of helping others. Jess shares with us her stories of working in prisons, with community choirs, and with moms and babies in support of mental health and wellbeing. Jess lives in the UK, where the government offers a unique kind of support of community music and the role it plays in mental health – especially important in this pandemic era. 

In this episode I speak with Eduardo Mendonça, an award-winning composer, performer and teaching artist known for his warmth and generosity. Eduardo was born and raised in Bahia, an area of Brazil known for its musicality and deep roots in the rhythms of Africa. Eduardo and his family now live in the US, in Washington State, and he’ s the Music Director for IBuildBridges Foundation, a non-profit that brings together youth from diverse backgrounds to explore their own creativity, compose and perform, and build bridges among themselves, and beyond. In this wide-ranging conversation, Eduardo and I talk about the importance of long-term commitments when working with youth, tools and tips for performers who now find themselves teaching online, and how racial and social justice movements can utilize the power of music.   

Welcome to Singers on the Front Lines, an interview series with singers using the power of music to promote wellbeing, social justice and offer support and empowerment to vulnerable communities. In this episode I interview a creative maverick from Myanmar, Darko C. Darko’s the lead singer for the Indie Rock band, Side Effect, and is also the Director of Turning Tables - a global social enterprise working to empower marginalized youth by giving them constructive ways to express themselves through music and film - their hopes, fears and frustrations. Darko and his musical compatriots have lived through massive social changes over the past 15 years, as Myanmar (also known as Burma) has shifted from a military dictatorship to a hybrid model of government with many aspects now turned over to civilian control. Darko shares with us his thoughts on music’s role in culture shift, and the creativity needed to express yourself in a less-than-free environment.