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On April 29, JazzFest and Nolafunk featured a live taping of Andy Frasco's World Saving Podcast, which you can now watch on Volume.com.

The podcast debuted its first-ever live episode, complete with live streaming and taping with special interview guest Anders Osborne, who also performed with Andy Frasco and the U.N. during their 2 hour performance after the podcast.

In this episode of Andy Frasco’s World Saving Podcast, Andy and co-host Nick Gerlach do a post-mortem on their time in New Orleans and doing their podcast at JazzFest. They discuss how that experience differed from just doing the podcast with only each other and guests and how the crowd impacted what the group was going to do or say next. “The crowd was not a podcast crowd,” Nick states. Andy replies, “No, they were too loud. But we did get some laughs.” 

The big guest of the night at JazzFest was Anders Osborn, who talked with Andy about sobriety and being grateful for the small things in life. “The first 15 or 10 minutes was just us talking about drugs, then we bring a sober guy in like ‘so tell me about being grateful,’” quips Andy. Andy reminisced about how Anders saved his life during COVID when Andy was suffering from anxiety attacks by reminding him what he’s grateful for.

The live taping of the podcast was as much fun to watch as their standard set up. In fact, there aren’t many podcasts out there that can do live tapings, but Andy Frasco’s World Saving Podcast is one meant for the live audience as it’s naturally fun and loose.

Growing up, Grant Green Jr. heard a constant flow of music from his Grandfather, John Green. Playing recordings of Grant Green being a proud father, the younger Green heard guitar playing all the time, the first instrument Jr. learned was the harmonica at the age of five. He would watch and listen to an old blues player walk down the alley playing the harmonica and ask his Grandfather to buy him one. His Grandfather bought him a C harmonica and soon he was playing what he heard the blues Musician playing.

His watch party, where fans can watch his An Empty Room performance and interact with Grant Green Jr. will air on Sunday December 4th on Volume.com here.

We got a chance to speak with Grant Green Jr. in this edition of Indie 5-0, so without further ado, let’s dive in:

Did your father teach you guitar?

No my father never taught me anything on guitar, He wanted me to be a doctor or a Lawyer, I learned by watching him and mimicking what I saw him doing, My father never took me seriously until he heard me playing with his keyboard player, I used to rehearse some of the new members of his band because I knew my father’s songs and one day I started to play a song I wrote with his keyboard player and my father came down the stairs and asked who’s song is that, and the keyboard player said that’s your son’s song and from that point on he took me seriously! 

I played with Organist greats Groove Holmes, Jimmy McGriff, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Melvin Rhyne, Gene Ludwig. 

Drummer great’s Max Roach, Jimmy Cobb, Bernard Purdie, Clyde Stubblefield, Grady Tate, and Cindy Blackmon.

Saxophonists Lou Donaldson and Bobby Watson.

Singers Leon Thomas, Col Bruce Hampton, and so on.

If you could perform with anyone you haven’t yet performed with, who would it be and why?

If I could perform with someone one would be Sting! I have always loved his music because there was always this jazz element in his later work that was very melodic, I am a jazz musician, that loves all types of music and also Burt Bacharach because he is the king of modern melodic music and a huge catalog of music!

What’s the best part of being part of Masters of Groove? How did you all get the group started?

The greatest thing about playing with the Masters of Groove was playing with these musical legends! Organist Reuben Wilson was on the Blue Note label with my father in the sixties and my father recorded on his love bug album in 1969 so it was a honor playing with him and Bernard Purdie is the world’s most recorded drummer, he has played with everyone from Aretha Franklin to Steely Dan, there was so much history there and I learned a lot playing with them and being around them!

Reuben recorded on one of my records Jungle Strut that I did for a Japanese record company in the late 90’s when I lived in NY so about a year later I got a call to do a recording session and later that week I was sent the music and was the music from Dr. No, the James Bond movie and recorded the album. The Masters of Groove meets Dr. No and the album got critical acclaim! And that’s how the band started.

What’s your favorite song to perform and why?

Well I have many but I guess It’s Just my Imagination by the Temptations as a kid I always loved them and I lived in Detroit when I was a teenager my favorite Temptation was Eddie Kendricks and one day I was going to St Louis from Detroit where I was born and I ran into Eddie Kendricks and he was a wonderful human being! I sat with him and he bought me lunch, I will never forget that! And he was also the lead singer on Just my Imagination, I remember singing it at a concert in Spain and the coolest thing happened everyone speaks Spanish in Spain but everyone sang the chorus in English, I thought that was the coolest thing ever!

What are you most excited about for your Empty Room performance? 

Shawn Mullins is one of Atlanta’s most beloved musicians who is best known for the 1998 single “Lullaby,” which hit number one on the Billboard Adult Top 40 Chart, sold over a million copies and got him a Grammy nomination. 

On November 20th, his watch party with Volume.com for his performance as part of An Empty Room livestream series will be live at 9pm EST. Shawn be there interacting and talking with fans. You can attend here.

We got to speak with Shawn Mullins in this edition of Indie 5-0. So, let’s dive in:

What made you choose music as a career?

I never really wanted to do anything else. In a lot of ways music chose me.

What accomplishment are you most proud of in your career?

Getting to perform with my biggest songwriting hero, Kris Kristofferson.

Where is your favorite venue to perform in Atlanta and why?

I have two favorite venues in the Atlanta area. One is the Variety Playhouse. My history playing that venue goes back quite some time. It sounds great! I also love playing The Red Clay Music Foundry(Eddie Owen Presents) Eddie and I go way back to the early days of the late 1980s. Then I played his listening room, Eddie’s Attic for years until he started the Red Clay. It’s a 300 seat black box style theater. Sounds amazing!

Do you have a favorite “from the road” story to tell?

From the road stories?? I have so many faves! Possibly this one… Traveling from Nederland to Boulder in 1996.. I was pulling a 1956 Comet Camper that weighed about 3000lbs behind a Ford Aerostar van. My van could barely make it on the hills there. Coming down the Mountain my brakes decided to give out. It was one hell of a ride! Picking up speed, not having a clue of what to do. Finally I saw a runaway truck ramp, the kind with deep sawdust. I swerved over and hit that thing hard. But it did slow me to a pretty quick stop! I was lucky. No damage to the Van, The camper, or me.

What are you most excited about for your Empty Room performance?

Just getting to perform again! COVID really messed everything up for everybody. This show was one of the only performances I did outside of my home during that time.

Michelle Malone's musical roots run deep and wide like the mighty Mississippi river, twisting and turning through rock, blues, and Americana territory. Her music is influenced by the red dirt rhythms from her Georgia home-blues, soul and rock and roll.

With her new album, 1977, out now, Michelle returns to her roots as a singer/songwriter. This is an organic, stripped-down album that finds her looking to the past to help make sense of the present.

Michelle took part in the Empty Room Livestream series with Volume.com, her episode can be found here. We got a chance to speak with her about her work and her time with An Empty Room. So, let’s dive in:

How has Atlanta influenced your music?

Oh, there are too many ways to list! I grew up here in Atlanta and watched/listened to mom perform when I was younger. I started playing clubs in the early days of my career and came up with some of the greatest acts in Atlanta, like The Indigo Girls, John Mayer, Sugarland. We all played shows together and hung out all the time. 

We don’t often think about geography being important, but I’m proud of the music that comes from Atlanta and performing and playing music with these people has been invaluable to me.

You’ve performed with a ton of artists during your career. Who was your favorite and why? Who would you perform with again?

One of my favorites was the Salute to Georgia Music at the Atlanta Symphony Hall with Chuck Leavell and Friends where Gregg Allman and I sang a duet of Ottis Reddings “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long.” It was a lot of fun and really put a spotlight on the Georgia greats that influenced music.

If I could perform with anyone again, it would be Gregg Allman. After that duet, I asked him to perform a song with me on my album, Slings and Arrows, back in 2018. We had set it up and were ready to go, but unfortunately it never happened because he passed before we could make it happen. But we were able to get the amazing Shawn Mullins to go in Greggs place and it ended up working out beautifully.

Is there someone you would like to perform with? Who and why?

My mom! I’ve performed with her a few times in the past and I’d love to sing with her again. I’ve been trying to get her to perform again for years. But I don’t choose famous people over my mom.

Which song of yours is your favorite to perform and why?

That’s a hard question. It changes on any given night. Recently, I’ve been enjoying “Know My Name” and songs from my new album, 1977, because I can focus on actually singing and not necessarily the ruckus or growl of my other songs. At the end of every show, I do whip out “Feather in a Hurricane” and more upbeat songs as an exclamation point. I like to take my audience on a journey with my shows. I start off a little easier and amp them up at the end.

What was the best thing about your Empty Room Performance? Why?

I really enjoyed working at 800 East again and working with Marty and his son Aaron. It was all so well done and professional. It was a multi-camera and multi-shot event that they spent a lot of time editing and making it look the best it could be. It was a high quality shoot. I had so much fun and I would absolutely do it again if I were ever invited back.

Over the course of five albums, indie folk singer Eliot Bronson has created his own brand of acclaimed Americana. He’s an award-winning songwriter, a road warrior, and an internationally- renowned musician with a voice that swoons and sweeps, championed by everyone from The Baltimore Sun — who’ve hailed him as “a folk singing wunderkind”— to Grammy-winning producer Dave Cobb, whose work on 2014’s Eliot Bronson and 2017’s James placed Bronson on the same client roster as Jason Isbell, Chris Stapleton, and other heartfelt songwriters.

This coming Sunday October 23rd, Eliot’s Watch Party stream from his performance with An Empty Room, a 6 part original series that explores the connective tissue between 6 uniquely influential artists in the Atlanta music scene, will be on Volume.com. 

All shows in the series are free. Reserve your spot for Eliot’s performance here.

We got a chance to speak with Eliot Bronson about his music, career and his Empty Room performance. So, let’s dive in:

What drives you to write music?

I'm not sure I put this into words. I suppose there's a need to communicate and express what language can't get at alone. To bring others into my inner world, however briefly. It's almost a sacred thing.

What does your writing process look like?

I don't write lyrics down, for one. I basically improvise. Sometimes I like to say, I sing nonsense until it becomes sense.

What is your favorite part of performing in front of an audience? Which song is your favorite to do live?

There's nothing like the connection that can happen with a great audience. There's an energy exchange that makes everyone involved a better version of themselves. I can't say I have one favorite song to sing live. Probably the best moments are when I try out a brand new song and it really lands with folks.

What song/album inspires you and why?

Man, where do I start? Tom Waits, Swordfishtrombone; Dylan, Desire. Jawbreaker, Debussy, Lucinda Williams. I could go on all day.

What are you most excited about for your Empty Room performance?

These episodes are so well done. I love the storytelling. I can't wait to share what y'all have done with the bare essentials.

Connect with Eliot Website / Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Spotify

Find An Empty Room here: Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/an-empty-room/id1646252139

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6aZx4LfbM7CJwP25vu9wdo?si=GF3DSFLBT7O-PWywAloV5g

Google Podcasts: link to be active within 24 hours

Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/1026731

Pandora: https://www.pandora.com/podcast/an-empty-room/PC:1001026731

iHeartRadio: https://iheart.com/podcast/102305162/  (link may not work for 24 hours)

Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/568c284b-c390-4e88-bfe3-de7e25c52615

Season 1 Featuring Shawn Mullins, Michelle Malone, Three5 Human, Eliot Bronson, Tyrone Jackson, and Grant Green Junior

(Atlanta, GA) September 15, 2022 - An Empty Room, a 6 part original  series that explores the connective tissue between 6 uniquely influential artists in the often overlooked Atlanta music scene debuts on Volume.com on September 25, 2022. Each episode will be highlighted by a fan-fueled Live Stream watch party.

Created and produced in the height of 2020 when touring artists had to pivot, this series features quality documentary-style storytelling interspersed with musical performances where the up close viewer perspective serves as the sole audience member.

The Atlanta-based Kearns family created and produced the entire series when the music industry as it was once known had shuttered. The family captured intimate performances and never-before heard stories from musicians with deep Atlanta roots during a time when neither producers nor touring musicians had a clear trajectory for creation. “When the artists asked 'What do you want me to play?' I told them: Whatever you would play if you were sitting by yourself in your living room,” says Martin “Marty” Kearns.

“My Son Aaron brings his unique approach to documentary camerawork and editing, Juli, my Wife contributes her artist /  photography expertise and gift for putting people at ease while making sure things keep moving smoothly, and I handle most of the audio and artist liaison department,” says Martin Kearns about working as a family on this series. Kearns is an Atlanta music industry veteran having spent his last 40 years performing as a keyboardist, writing,  engineering, and producing.

Marty's son Aaron who filmed and edited the series shared, "When it comes to my camerawork, specifically handheld, I have the emphasis on the camera being an extension of my own point of view. For that brief moment, I subject all my vision solely through the camera observing the world like I would through my own eyes.”  

How To Watch The Series The series debuts on Sunday September 25th at 9 PM EST and will be available to binge in its entirety on Volume.com 

Sunday September 25, 2022 9 PM EST  Reserve Free Tickets here.  All shows in the series are free 

Upcoming Empty Room Watch Party Schedule  Fans of each artist can join them for individual watch parties on the following dates:

Sunday October 9 - Three 5 Human

Sunday October 23 - Eliot Bronson

Sunday November 6 - Tyrone Jackson

Sunday November 20 - Shawn Mullins

Sunday December 4 - Grant Green Jr.

Michelle Malone Watch Party - Sunday September 25 - 9 PM EST

The series first featured watch party will be with Michelle Malone, a mainstay of American roots music for more than 30 years. Her musical roots run deep and wide like the mighty Mississippi river, twisting and turning through rock, blues, and alt-country music territory. She is "a master at mixing blues and Americana music” (Guitar Player Magazine). Over the course of Malone’s career, she has shared stages with artists from Gregg Allman to Indigo Girls, to Brandi Carlisle and  ZZ Top, released more than a dozen records, and went indie when it still took guts. Her powerful live show will take you on a journey from red dirt back roads to bright city lights. She "has the soul of a bluesman, the heart of a folk singer, and the guts of a rock and roll star wrapped up in one fiery bad ass" (Nashville Rage).

Three 5 Human Watch Party - Sunday October 9 - 9 PM EST

Tomi Martin (guitar) and Trina Mead (vocals) have been compared to many things since working together. Their most flattering is the comparison to Mother's Finest. "Since they are our mentors from day one, we'll take it!!" says Trina. A long musical relationship with these two has been going on since the early 90's. From touring with artists like TLC,Toni Braxton, Outkast and the Indigo Girls to working on records for Madonna, Michael Jackson, Mick Jagger, Stevie Nicks and Caroline Aiken this duo has laid a legacy many would die for.

Tomi & Trina are writing a brand new record for their band Three5Human with hit songwriter Traci Hale (Rihanna, Britney Spears, Mary J Blige) and the 1st single "Hurts When I Breathe" is a power rock ballad that is sure to put them right where they left off. "Rock and roll is and always will be the tie that binds for Tomi Martin & Trina Meade.”

Eliot Bronson Watch Party - Sunday October 23- 9 PM EST

Over the course of five albums, indie folk singer Eliot Bronson has created his own brand of acclaimed Americana. He’s an award-winning songwriter, a road warrior, and an internationally- renowned musician with a voice that swoons and sweeps, championed by everyone from The Baltimore Sun — who’ve hailed him as “a folk singing wunderkind”— to Grammy-winning producer Dave Cobb, whose work on 2014’s Eliot Bronson and 2017’s James placed Bronson on the same client roster as Jason Isbell, Chris Stapleton, and other heartfelt songwriters.

Tyrone Jackson Watch Party - Sunday November 6 - 9 PM EST

Tyrone Jackson is the quintessential jazz piano player. His boundless creativity coupled with harmonic mastery, utilizes the piano as a blank canvas. Jackson is nationally recognized and has traveled the world as a solo artist and sideman. Born in the New Orleans cradle of jazz, Jackson embodies the spirit of the Crescent City. The blends of jazz, funk and Afro-Caribbean melodies are ever present in his work. But of course, musicians are never solely influenced by themselves. Jackson’s teachers are a virtual Who’s Who of great jazz piano players ranging from Ellis Marsalis, Mary Ann Bulla to gospel/classical legend Moses Hogan.

Shawn Mullins Watch Party - Sunday November 20 - 9 PM EST

Shawn Mullins is an American singer-songwriter who specializes in folk rock, instrumental rock, adult alternative, and Americana music. He is best known for the 1998 single “Lullaby”, which hit number one on the Adult Top 40 and was nominated for a Grammy Award.

One of his more famous songs, “All in My Head”, was featured on the hit television sitcom “Scrubs”. This song was written after an email was sent out by the producers of the new show searching for a theme song. Mullins wrote a demo version and sent it in within 24 hours. It wasn’t selected as the theme song, but the demo version was used in a season one episode of the series. Another single, “Shimmer”, was included on the soundtrack for the TV show Dawson’s Creek and was a minor hit. “Shimmer” was also used in Australia as part of its promotional campaign during the Sydney 2000 Summer Olympics and is still considered in Australia as the unofficial anthem of the games.

Grant Green Jr. Watch Party - Sunday December 4 - 9 PM EST

Growing up, Grant Green Jr. heard a constant flow of music from his Grandfather, John Green. Playing recordings of Grant Green being a proud father, the younger Green heard guitar playing all the time, the first instrument Jr learned was the harmonica at the age of five. He would watch and listen to an old blues player walk down the alley playing the harmonica and ask his Grandfather to buy him one. His Grandfather bought him a C harmonica and soon he was playing what he heard the blues Musician playing. 

Three set show features: Cory Wong, Bill Evans, Jeff Coffin (Dave Matthews Band), Maggie Rose, Taylor Hicks, Daru Jones, Zoe Nutt, Kevin Scott, and Guthrie Trapp

(Nashville, TN) January 12, 2022 - This Saturday at Volume.com Umphrey’s McGee’s drummer Kris Myers presents a restream of his epic guest-filled concert that took place at Brooklyn Bowl Nashville on December 19.

This three-set show is a who’s who of both the jam band and Nashville sideman and sessions scenes. This multi-genre collaboration brought musicians together to create a once-in-a-lifetime convergence.

All the proceeds from the restream will go to Sharing Stops Suffering, a community-based non-profit organization dedicated to addressing the needs of people living with mental illness and raising money to help individuals get the help they need.

“It was an amazing experience… The special thing about this show is everyone came in with their A-game and it was a community-based show that I’m very grateful to have been a part of.” - Kris Myers

The first set featured Sierra Hull, Matt Menefee, and Billy Contrares (Dixie Dregs), bringing acoustic and electric together. Maggie Rose added her sounds of soul, followed by Guthrie Trapp and renowned horn players Jeff Coffin (Dave Matthews Band), Bill Evans, and Emmanuel Echem (Lauren Daigle).

The second set got the crowd dancing starting with Louis Colsong, then getting into some guitar shredding with Chris Siebold. Cory Wong then came in collaboration with the horn players as well as 3 bass changes between Kevin Scott, Chris Clemente (Kayne West), and Jay White (Amos Lee). Finally, Kris Myers played drums with Daru Jones.

The third set wrapped up with Zoë Nutt, Taylor Hicks, Ty Bailie, Kurt Ozan, Peter Janjic, Johnson Jay (Ronnie Wood), Vijay Telisnayak, Marcus White, Elliot Blaufuss, Faydra Lagro, Colin Poulton, and Marshall Carlson. 

Find the full restream here: https://volume.com/krismyers/?show=fAuGaw 

Kris Myers Slay Ride Restream Details

Saturday, January 15, 2022

8 PM EST / 6 PM CST

Stream the whole show and join the chat at volume.com 

About Volume.com Volume is a new live streaming platform dedicated to helping musicians of all stripes to bring their music to fans with a seamless and collaborative interface hosting shows from living rooms to festivals.