Meditation and Focusing on the Breath

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On this episode of the Self-Care Series, I will walk you through a ten-minute meditation, and some of my initial experiences with the practice. We started this self-care series in honor of the late Mac Miller as an outlet for physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Meditation is an area where all three come into play. Breathing normally, focusing on the breath, and just noticing the mind for a few moments every day has had a deep impact on my life. I am in no way an expert, and still in the beginning stages of honing my practice. But, I wanted to share with you some of my thoughts as a beginner, and give you a little taste of a meditative experience.

alayna

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As a kid, alayna started singing alongside her father while he played the guitar. Together they performed at weddings, family gatherings, and even recorded a CD for alayna's grandparents. From releasing covers of Sam Smith to attending MAINZ (Music and Audio Institute of New Zealand), the now 25-year-old alayna is fresh off the release of her debut EP, Sweet Soul. For this project, she worked with renowned producers and songwriters like Stint, Finneas, and Astonomyy, and also released a live series from Roundhead Studios in New Zealand. On this episode we speak about the journey of creating the Sweet Soul EP, her skydiving exploits, the darker side of social media, and how traveling to unfamiliar places can help you find yourself.

Jess Glynne

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This week, we sat down with Jess Glynne to discuss the creative process behind her most recent project, Always In Between, building confidence as a live performer, writing "100 songs," Kanye West, and much more. Thank you to Jess and the team at Atlantic Studios for allowing this interview to happen. If you haven't already, please give a listen to the album Always In Between by Jess Glynne. The project dives into the full spectrum of emotion and showcases Jess' artistry in its rawest form.

Noelle Scaggs || Fitz and The Tantrums

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This week, we sat down with Noelle Scaggs, the co-lead singer of Fitz and The Tantrums. I had the pleasure of seeing Noelle sing a few weeks ago at Red Rocks and the whole performance was absolutely electrifying. In this conversation, we spoke about the realities of making money in the music industry, staying healthy and thriving on tour, the intricacies of her songwriting process, and why pop music is here to stay. Noelle just released a solo track called 'Great For You' featuring BRÅVES which you need to check out. The link for that song will be in the podcast description. Thank you for listening, and we hope you come away from this conversation with a new insight into the world of music.

My First Panic Attack

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In honor of the late Mac Miller, we started the Self Care Series as a place to discuss physical, mental, and emotional well-being. In this first episode, Zach Grossfeld, the founder of Auxoro, goes into his struggles with anxiety attacks the past year and a half, as well as some methods and mindsets that have helped him deal with anxiety. If you do suffer from anxiety, please get the proper help and attention that you need. You are worth it. Hopefully, this series can help at least one person feel better and let them know that they are not alone.

The Knocks

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On our latest podcast episode, we sat down with James and Ben of The Knocks in their studio in Soho. We spoke about The Knocks' roots in NY, building the music community, the creative process, partying, New York Narcotic, and much more. Thank you the team over at Atlantic Records, specifically Jordan Frazes and Gabrielle Reese, for helping to set up this interview. The Knocks new album, New York Narcotic, is out today through Neon Gold/Big Beat Records. The album features Foster The People, Method Man, Big Boi, Sir Sly, Alexis Krauss, and Sofi Tukker.

Great Good Fine Ok

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On this week's episode, we sat down with Jon and Luke of the Brooklyn-based duo Great Good Fine Ok. Operating procedure was pretty standard. We sipped on some whiskey as Jon and Luke dove into the inspiration behind their latest releases, the creative process, the Body Diamond, space, thrift shopping, and Elon Musk. We had a great time and left with an incredible insight into the world of Great Good Fine OK. I hope you enjoy yourselves as much as we did as you listen to this conversation. Maybe even pour up a nice glass whiskey while you're at it.

FINNEAS

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On our latest podcast, we spoke with the producer/songwriter FINNEAS who is now making waves as a solo artist. In 2018, FINNEAS has released six single thus far, treating each song with its own story and carefully crafted cover art. He has also made music with talents like Khalid, Tori Kelly, Wafia, and of course, his sister Billie Eilish. In this article, we’ve taken a few of our favorite quotes from the podcast interview and broke them down.

gnash

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This week, we sat down with gnash, a recording artist from Los Angeles who burst onto the scene with the smash hit 'i hate you, i love you' featuring Olivia O'Brien. We spoke about the finer details of meditation, gnash's songwriting process, making music for dogs, his latest single 'dear insecurity,' and other intimate topics. Thank you to the team over at Atlantic Records for setting up this interview. It was an honor to record this at Atlantic's home base in NYC. As always, I hope you can gain a new perspective from this conversation, and please let us know what you think. Hit us up on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or you can reach out to us directly at zach@auxoro.com.

FRND →

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This week, we sat down with FRND, an artist who bridges the gap between the pop-punk and electronic realms. Working with talents like Demi Lovato, Blackbear, Lauv, and Celine Dion, FRND built a strong foundation as a songwriter before releasing music as a solo artist. On this episode, we explore FRND's pop-punk roots, the realities of songwriting, the inspiration behind the koala, and his latest release 'Before U I Didn't Exist.' Make sure you stay tuned until the end for an acoustic performance of 'Before U I Didn't Exist' by FRND. I definitely gained a deeper insight into the emotional aspects of making music, and I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.

Lil Aaron (part 1) →

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This week, we sat down with an artist who considers himself a non-conformist in the music industry, Lil Aaron. Most people know Lil Aaron as the party-hard, pop-punk, green-haired misfit, but that's only one side. Growing up in Goshen, Indiana, Lil Aaron lived the realities of moving broke out to LA. He pushed past the point where most give up and has spent thousands of hours honing his craft. Down to earth and devoid of genre constraints, Lil Aaron blends musical elements in a way we've never experienced before. I hope you enjoy part one of this conversation and gain new insight from Aaron's perspective. 

Youth Basketball (Ian Kieffer) →

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This time, we sat down with Ian Kieffer of the LA-based duo Youth Basketball. Youth Basketball is the project of brothers, Ian and Geordie Kieffer, who grew up on everything from 70's singer-songwriter to 90's hip-hop. In this conversation with Ian, we dove into the process of producing the first album, the power of slo-mo, that "fuck it" moment, and much more. Also, Ian writes for one of the largest comedy channels on YouTube. That's right, he is the white Donald Glover, Childish Kieffer. The day before this podcast release, Youth Basketball just put out a self-titled EP which you can stream on Spotify or wherever you listen to music. Please do. I hope you enjoy this conversation let us know what you think!

Goody Grace →

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This week, we sat down with Goody Grace at Auxoro HQ in Brooklyn before Goody's show at Baby's All Right later that night. Before I had even started Auxoro, a friend played me 'Two Shots' by Goody Grace in the car a few years ago. I've been an avid listener ever since and I'm glad we had the chance to have this conversation.

Goody Grace hails from the Western Canadian province of Manitoba and moved to LA as a teenager. He embodies a unique ensemble, often wearing black, tucking t-shirts into jeans, and stays true to his style. In this episode, Goody speaks on his creative process, traveling with friend and fellow artist Gnash to play shows throughout the West Coast, his bond with Jesse Rutherford, The Shape of Water, and covering Johnny Cash. We hope you enjoy this conversation and don't forget to check out Goody Grace on Spotify, Apple Music, and any other streaming platform you may use. Thank you for listening.

Anthony Russo →

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We sat down with Anthony Russo in the mezzanine section of the iconic Radio City Music Hall in NYC. As soon as we shook hands, I could feel an authentic, hungry energy from Anthony. The night we recorded this episode, Anthony would be taking this historic stage to open for G-Eazy. You can hear the vibrations from G-Eazy's soundcheck as Anthony and I dive into intricate aspects of tour life, songwriting, the creative process, and other meaningful topics. 

What does it feel like to be in the midst of writer's block? What was running through Anthony's body the moment he shook G-Eazy's hand less than 24 hours after moving out to LA? What the fuck does 'sodash' mean?!? We take you through it right now on Auxoro: The Voice Of Music Artists. 

A special thank you to Anthony Russo, his family, the management team, and the fine folks at Radio City for making this podcast possible. We hope you enjoy this conversation and come away with a different perspective. 
 

Lights →

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We sat down with Lights in the backstage bar of The Chameleon Club in Lancaster, PA. Lights walked in with a comfortable, charismatic energy that made me feel at home right away. We dove into the creative process behind crafting the comic book Skin & Earth from scratch, why you shouldn't always wait for inspiration to inspire action, preparing for an apocalypse, and Lights becoming a mother to her beautiful daughter Rocket Wild. I love approaching conversations like this with an open mind. Through intimate details of her life, Lights strengthened my perspective on a variety of topics and taught me a few things as well (If you're in a parking garage during an earthquake, don't stay in your car).

Wyclef Jean →

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We sat down with Wyclef Jean in the dressing room of the Wellmont Theatre in Montclair, NJ before the first show of the Carnival III tour. The room gave off a simple vibe with white walls, and we set up close around a small table. Wyclef spoke passionately about his background in battle rap, walking with legends like Biggie and Tupac, connecting to the younger generation, composing with the late Tim Berling (Avicii), and much more. Wyclef has adopted music as a way to survive and carries himself like it could be stripped away from him at any moment. This conversation left me with a deeper understanding of Wyclef's creative process and perspective. I hope you can also explore a different perspective within this episode.