Claim OwnershipThe Song Saloon | Songwriting, Live Performance, & New Music Discovery
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Welcome to the Song Saloon!
Hi, I'm Jordan Smith Reynolds. I'm an LA based singer-songwriter interviewing artists I admire. If you love discovering new music, listening to intimate live performances, and conversations exploring the creative process…you’ve come to the right place!
Each episode of the Song Saloon features an artist through the lens of a song. It starts with a live performance, followed by an interview with the songwriter about the featured song, and ends with the final recorded version.
There is ALWAYS more to a song than what's on the surface. Getting to peel back the layers through live performance and talking about the stories behind the songs never fails to leave me inspired and eager to write again!
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45 Episodes
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Leah Ashton joins the podcast to talk about her newest release, “sad girl silver bells.” It’s an EP of merrily melancholy holiday tunes with an original called “Christmas Isn’t Christmas Without You.” It’s out everywhere now, so go save it to your playlists, get a mug of hot cocoa and enjoy the episode! Listen to Christmas Without You & Add to Playlists Follow Leah Ashton More About Leah: Leah Ashton is a Los Angeles-based artist with Midwestern roots whose style and sound is ...
In this episode of the Song Saloon, Sadie Gustafson-Zook, a Boston-nurtured, Indiana-based jazzy folk musician, talks about her journey and inspirations behind her song 'Autumn's Fragrance.' We talk about her collaboration with other musicians, her views on the music communities in different cities, and her new EP, 'What I Pushed Below.' Sadie has a live show in LA at the Harmony Room on October 19th for you LA folks! Follow Sadie Gustafson-Zook for more music, and sign up for an online...
Jake's lying to Anna. He's an interesting dude! Jake is a songwriter, educator, dueling pianist, podcaster, improv comedian, academic, and musical theater composer. I think you'll really enjoy this episode about Jake and his life leading up to his album "Idling High." This song is out now, make sure to follow Jake for updates on the album! Listen to the song Send us a text Support the show Song Saloon Links Join The Song Saloon Mailing List Tiktok + Instagram
Zack Fischmann, an LA based artist, makes the bold claim that music marketing "doesn't have to suck." He does make some pretty convincing arguments, and has plenty of success to show for it, jumping from 200 followers on Instagram to 33k+ in just a few months! Magic Nothing is an evolving project with a focus on helping independent musicians develop practical skills, share resources and exchange services. Check out Magic Nothing Listen to Zack's music project, Marmalade Mountain! His song ...
Lotti is the musical moniker of Filipina singer-songwriter Vealy. Lotti's aim is to create modern yet timeless music, drawing from pop, R&B, and soul influences. Her artistic mission is to heal and transform, narrating a personal journey of self-discovery and growth. Follow Lotti Listen to "Butterflies in My Garden" Send us a text Support the show Song Saloon Links Join The Song Saloon Mailing List Tiktok + Instagram
Brad Miles is a singer/songwriter based in Texas. He’s written, played, and performed music for nearly three decades. He writes honest, heartfelt, accesible, and emotionally vulnerable Americana/Country. I do want to add a trigger warning for this episode, we do get into some heavy topics both in the song and the interview, as the song is about domestic abuse. Brad Miles’s goal as a songwriter and performer is simply to connect with others and share a moment of compassion, empathy...
Today's episode I meet with Jeffrey Derus, our first featured choral composer! I think you'll find there is a lot in common with songwriting and composing choral works. This featured song is performed by Choral Arts Initiative, a small ensemble choir that I sing in that exclusively performs works by living composers. We recently released a #1 Classical Billboard charting album called "The Tapestry of Becoming," and this song "The House of Belonging" is the opener. This episode, Jeff talks ...
Meet Cogito! I met Cogito when she played as the featured artist for Lazy River Presents in LA. This song struck me as something special, and I think you'll agree! This episode we talk about the importance of recording the world around us as a songwriter, and how to connect our conscious and subconscious mind to make deep rooted art. Listen to "There's Nothing Left to Me": Spotify Apple Music Follow Cogito on Instagram Send us a text Support the show Song Saloon Links Join The Song Sal...
Today's episode features Kat Sophia! Kat Sophia is an Orange County / LA based artist. We talk about her journey in overcoming her "people pleaser" mentality and cultural blocks to pursuing a career as an artist. 00:00 Introduction to the Song Saloon 00:34 Kat Sophia's Musical Journey 01:49 The Story Behind 'Fade Away' 10:10 Songwriting Process and Inspiration 16:12 Overcoming Personal and Cultural Barriers in Music 20:09 Community and Affirmation 28:10 Exploring Self-Indulgence and Co...
This episode of the Song Saloon features Mike McClellan, a Burbank-based songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. McClellan shares insights into his approach to songwriting as a music producer, and why he writes while working so heavily in production. He discusses the impact of working on his song 'The Afterlife,' a piece inspired by the pandemic, highlighting the new life it took on post pandemic with its abstract and universal themes. Mike and Jordan exchange thoughts on the lyricis...
This episode is with incredible Kent, England raised Los Angeles based artist named Georgia Parker on her song "Twin Flame." "Twin Flame" is a single off her upcoming album this year! Georgia's bio: Los Angeles based songwriter and storyteller from Kent, England, Georgia Parker places an emphasis on powerful vocal performances and poignant lyricism to draw out an emotive response from her listener. She has been releasing music and performing around the US since moving to the States at 18. He...
In this episode of the Song Saloon, we explore the songwriting process and inspirations with indie pop singer-songwriter Casey Conroy, originally from Orlando, Florida. Casey discusses her journey in the music industry, her approach to songwriting, and the story behind her song 'Glad You Hate Me.' We talk about Casey's collaborative relationship with her partner and producer Willy, the importance of being authentic in the creative process, and staying emotionally connected to music through wr...
Inside Story: The Making of 'Rest of My Life' by Jacob Khalil New York based artist Jacob Khalil discusses his song, 'Rest of My Life', explaining that it was created with the intent of engaging audiences in a sing-along during live performances, much like The Beatles' 'Hey Jude'. He also shares insights into the song's development and production, which included collaboration with a Los Angeles-based producer, Jacob Sigmund. Jacob Khalil discusses the extensive touring plans he has coming up...
Meet Fresh Hot Waffles, the witchiest folk duo in the west! Fresh Hot Waffles consists of LA based artists Maddi Fraser and Ryan Spitzel. In this episode, the duo dives into their songwriting process and talk about how to stay inspired as a songwriter, and where they find inspiration. The discussion ranges from the challenges of writing upbeat songs, the influence of improv comedy and emotional experiences in lyric writing, and how to put the witchy in witchy folk! 'Monsters Aren't S...
Meet Wendy Parr! I first met Wendy at NAMM where she gave a fantastic workshop on artistic branding. Talk about branding can sometimes feel fake or like you’re going against your better judgement to sell something, but what I love about her approach is how natural it becomes. It's about getting to the heart of what YOU love and care about as an artist, and making steps to show that side of yourself more consistently. In this episode, Wendy Parr and I discuss the importance of recogniz...
LA based artist Austin Carr joins the Song Saloon to talk about Cool Kid. The song lyrics have a lot to do with Los Angeles. Austin expresses his frustration with the prevalent attitude in LA to be in the "in" crowd and what people are willing to do to get there. As he was writing the song, he realized with regret that he is guilty of a lot of the behavior he started out trying to criticize. It's a really great blend of emotions and makes for great songwriting. Hope you enjoy the ep...
Happy Holidays! Well, here it is folks. The last episode of The Song Saloon for 2023! This episode of The Song Saloon welcomes guest Robert Ballantyne Willis, a classically trained cellist, music producer and audio engineer, to discuss the production process of the Jordan Smith Reynolds holiday single 'Auld Lang Syne'. The duo go deep into music production, including the quick turn-around time for this project, and the creative solutions employed to achieve the final product. Th...
This episode's featured song is "Gold" by Lennon Vanderdoes. Lennon Vanderdoes is a Phoenix based singer-songwriter. You may have seen Lennon recently tearing it up on The Voice. He moved John Legend to tears with his rendition of Jason Mraz's "I Won't Give Up." On the episode, Lennon discusses his method for creating songs from raw personal experiences like growing up in the Mormon church, marrying young, and divorcing in his early twenties. He also talks about his evolution as a songw...
This week, I met up with Mara Sol, a singer, songwriter and producer from Coachella Valley, California. From a young age, Mara has been immersed in musical theater, classical voice training and has now found her way into songwriting. Mara Sol is influenced by artists like James Taylor and Fleetwood Mac. In this episode, we discuss her song 'Take Me Home', a collaboration with songwriter and guitarist Tom Sless. Mara also discusses her career in marketing and how she made her way to songwritin...
Excited to have Brother James on this week’s episode. I recently wrote a song with Brother James that I’m really excited about! Brother James is the artist project of singer-songwriter Justin Sinclair. His songs, deeply influenced by classic songwriters like McCartney and Randy Newman, authors like Leo Tolstoy and Aristotle, and monasticism. His songs feature honest self-reflection. Brother James discusses how his songs document his pursuit of truth and attempt to express love for other...
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