Sam Dameshek (Round 2)

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This time, we sat down with photographer Sam Dameshek for Round 2 in person. We had Sam come by our studio in Brooklyn and had a wide-ranging conversation. We spoke about the shoot with Camilla Cabello and Shawn Mendes, fitness, tattoos, the benefits of building long term relationships in business, and more. Sam is an absolute beast at what he does, and hopefully, this conversation can inspire a listener to pursue what they love and harness a purpose. So without further ado, here is our eye-opening conversation with Sam Dameshek.

Drax Project

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A couple of months ago, I had the pleasure of seeing Drax Project live at Soho House and was blown away. When they whipped out the saxophone I knew that I had to have them on the podcast. On this episode, Matt and Sam of Drax Project talk how the band came to be, opening for Ed Sheeran, painting houses, how they are inspired by The 1975, and more.

Ian Kerner

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This time, we sat down with Dr. Ian Kerner, a licensed psychotherapist, nationally recognized sexual counselor, and author of the bestselling book She Comes First. Although the foundation of the Auxoro podcast will always be music, we’ve recently been branching out to include conversations from other lanes like business, sports, science, and other interesting fields. I want to follow my curiosity, even if it leads me outside of music, and I hope that you come along for the ride. What better subject to explore that curiosity than the art of cunnilingus, going down on a woman. In this conversation, Dr. Kerner opens up on the journey through his early sexual experiences, why the clitoris is the powerhouse of the female orgasm, the best techniques to bring pleasure to a woman with your tongue, and the concept of coreplay versus foreplay.

I’m a 25-year-old single dude in NYC and I’ve had some embarrassing sexual experiences. Sometimes it’s tough to find an outlet to talk about topics like this, which is why I’m grateful that Dr. Kerner could shed some light on how to navigate the cunnilingus department. I can personally attest that techniques and mindsets in She Comes First work and I encourage you to check it out and continue to educate yourselves sexually. Whether you are a straight man or a gay woman, or you just want to learn more about becoming a cunnilinguist and improving your clitoracy, this is the episode for you. Without further ado, here is our wide-ranging conversation with Dr. Ian Kerner.

Ty James

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This time, Ty James (@tyjames), an artist and producer from Indiana, talks getting girls numbers while working at Starbucks, how he keeps his confidence, and the effect his Dad has had on his music. Ty is an exciting young talent whose Instagram bio says “destined for greatness.” Without further ado, here is off the record with Ty James.

Noah Kahan

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This time, we sat down with the Noah Kahan, who has described himself in the past as the Jewish Ed Sheeran. The Question is, does Ed Sheeran describe himself as the Christian Noah Kahan? That’s the real mystery and we have to see if we can get some footage on that. A couple weeks ago I had the pleasure of watching Noah play a small, private show at the Gramercy Park Hotel in NYC and it was a beautiful evening. We were surrounded by some edgy artwork, like a picture of Eminem holding a firecracker to his crotch and Tupac naked in the bathtub, and you what, Noah still stole the show.

That’s right Eminem, Noah looked your crotch right in the face and said, Slim, I love you, but this is my night and you’re not gonna take this from me. It was truly a divine showcase of sound. Noah has an album that just dropped, called Busyhead, and on this episode, we spoke about the creative process behind his debut album, as well as The Office, first date tips, dealing with anxiety, and more. Without further ado, here is our deep and wide-ranging conversation with Noah Kahan. It's dinner time bitches.

Mikaelin 'Blue' Bluespruce

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This time, we sat down with the man, the myth, the legend, Mikaelin ‘Blue’ Bluespruce (@mixedbyblue). Blue is a Grammy Winning Engineer and record producer, a top respected name in the industry, and most importantly, a new father and a stand-up gentleman. Blue is a relatively reserved, calm dude, much like myself, but for the next 90 or so minutes we are going to take about how he is quietly making a dent in the music game with a nonstop work ethic. He has worked with prominent artists like Solange, Skepta, and those involved on the Hamilton Mixtape.

Style-wise, Blue does not look like your typical engineer. This dude dresses fly as shit to show up to the studio with the tapered joggers, fade on point, sneaker game stupid, and that’s who he is. He brings his own brand to the beat beyond just the moves he makes in the studio. When Blue touches a track, you know it’s him, and he’s here to tell you how he developed his own unique aesthetic. In this episode, Blue discusses his early creative experiences with music, the routine that leads to greatness, the creative process with Solange, pulling all-nighters in NYU studios, the flow state of engineering, and more.

Louis Futon

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This time, we sat down with Louis Futon. I saw Louis Futon back in the day when he opened up for Odesza in Chicago November of 2017. He crushed that set and he’s been someone I’ve been trying to hunt down to speak with on the podcast, so I am ecstatic to release this conversation. In this episode, we talk about the insane beat challenges where he recreates songs from other artists like Tyler The Creator and Childish Gambino. It’s insane, he completely flips them and gives each track its own funky twist. We also talk about Louis Futon dropping out of college, the sense of smell, Adderall addiction, live shows, and the inspiration behind his debut album Way Back When.

Picture This

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This week, we sat down with Picture This (@bandpicturethis), a band hailing from Athy, Ireland comprised of members Ryan Hennesy, Jimmy Rainsford, Owen Cardiff, and Cliff Deane. Back in 2015, lead singer Ryan Hennessy posted the song ‘Take My Hand’ on Facebook which caught the attention of drummer and producer Jimmy Rainsford. “Take My hand reminded me of a summer romance and that song explained it properly,” says Jimmy. Ryan and Jimmy then reworked the song. Soon, the song took off immediately and the four-piece band Picture This formed. Picture This’ debut gig was held The Academy to over 800 people. It sold out in under 30 minutes. Things took off pretty quickly.

Since then they’ve supported The 1975 on tour, gained millions of fans, played 5 nights straight at the 3 Arena in Dublin which holds 15,000 people, and traveled across the world. I saw them a few weeks back at Irving Plaza in NYC and the performance was absolutely electric. I’ve never felt an energy like that. In this conversation, the band talks about launching their latest album MDRN LV from the top of the Empire State Building, the beginnings of Picture This, the difference between Irish and American fans, Good Craic, and more.

And if you don’t know what “good craic” is beside the stuff you smoke, You know because there’s good craic, but then there’s also good crack, well then you’re about to find out. Hopefully, this conversation is good craic. Even if you haven’t yet discovered Picture This, there’s a lot of great learning moments and insight packed into this conversation. Whether you’re struggling to find meaning in life or you think you’ve found something, I think you’ll definitely get something of out this podcast. So without further ado, here is our wide-ranging conversation with Picture This.

Ryan Serhant

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This time, we sat down with real estate and media mogul, Ryan Serhant (@ryanserhant). We were lucky enough to get the opportunity to stop by The Serhant Team’s beautiful office in NYC. For the three of you who are unfamiliar with Ryan Serhant, he is the head of The Serhant Team, the #1 real estate sales team in NY and top five in the US. Ryan is also a best-selling author, and the star and producer of Bravo’s hit show Million Dollar Listing New York, and its spin-off Sell It Like Serhant. He is also a loving husband, a new father, and a guy who knows what it’s like to fail.

NYC is a scary place, I can testify to that, and Ryan came here with dreams of becoming a successful actor. Things didn’t work out as planned, and Ryan found himself at rock-bottom in the real estate business after his credit card got declined to try to buy tofu and yogurt. Since then, Ryan Serhant has carved a massive lane for himself not only as the best real estate broker on the planet but also as a social media sensation. And if you don’t believe in the power of YouTube, Ryan’s team just sold a $13 million dollar property off of a vlog. In this conversation, Ryan opens up about his ‘Balls in the Air’ approach from his book Sell It Like Serhant, vocal warmups, boarding a last-second plane to Paris to close a deal with Mr. X, intermittent fasting, and more.

Even if you have no experience in real estate, or maybe you aren’t familiar with Ryan Serhant yet, I encourage you to listen to the entirety of this episode. Ryan’s been through some shit, and he can sell the shit out of anything. He also offers a lot of great insight that can be applied to any aspect of life, not just real estate. Whether you’re listening to this podcast and you have everything figured out, or maybe you have no idea what the fuck you’re doing, there’s something in here for you. So without further ado, here is our wide-ranging conversation with Ryan Serhant.

Little Sam's Art

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Welcome to another installment of the Heart Beats Series. This is a series we explore the stories of those making an impact outside of the music industry. I started this podcast in music, and while music artists will always be the foundation of Auxoro, I felt that I was watching fascinating stories outside of music pass me by. So, I created a space for these stories to exist called Heart Beats.

This time we are going to do things a little bit differently. But first, let me tell you about our guest this week, Sam Brunell who started a company called Little Sam’s Art (@littlesamsart). Sam draws vivid, colorful, and striking sketches of music artists, actors, cartoon characters, and others. He makes some of the best artwork I’ve seen, and I don’t say that lightly. These aren’t just portraits. Sam incorporates elements from each person’s life into the artwork.

For example, in a recent sketch of Ariana Grande, Sam included a mini sketch of Mac Miller covering his face and peaking through one eye (from the Vulture profile, the last interview he did before he died). Sam also included an Eevee, one of Ariana’s most recent tattoos, in the portrait. He describes this style as “portraits within portraits.” Sam, now 26, has been drawing since six years old. He’s done some epic collaborations, including one with Justin Bieber, and his drawings have even been featured on Will Smith’s Instagram. As a kid, Sam endured multiple, serious surgeries to address spinal problems and extremity issues. On his website he says “life was a big struggle for me when growing up, undergoing many serious surgeries from a young age. Drawing and creating characters I wanted to be around seemed like an escape from it all. Ever since I remember putting pencil to paper, I knew I wanted to do this for the rest of my life.”

I think Sam makes amazing art and I reached out to have a conversation with him on the podcast. He responded, saying “I’d love to do it, but I have really bad speaking anxiety. One of my worst fears is giving speeches. I broke down in college before I had to give a presentation, and ever since then I can’t do it.” Even though Sam felt uncomfortable speaking, I still wanted to have him on the podcast. So I sent him some questions over email, and he sent me back his answers so I will be reading them for Sam. Without further ado, here is our latest installment of the Heart Beats series with Sam Brunell.

Bahari

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This time, Bahari is taking over the podcast for another installment of Off The Record. For those of you who have never heard our Off The Record features before, these are usually shorter form, and the artists share experiences, tell stories, and answer questions about the moments that matter. In this episode, Ruby and Natalia of Bahari talk about the inspirations behind their latest song ‘Sad Face,’ written like the emoji [:( ]. Ruby and Natalia also speak on working through tough times in a relationship and why sometimes, love is not enough.

Chloe Lilac

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This time, we sat down with Chloe Lilac, a seventeen-year-old singer-songwriter from Brooklyn, NY, right in the heart of our stomping grounds. This conversation got deep, and part of me wasn’t expecting it to. Maybe that’s my fault for underestimating a seventeen-year-old. I’m 25 now, but when I was 17 I had a lot of insecurities and some harsh experiences, but I wasn’t nearly as comfortable or as able to talk about these things like Chloe. She seems very self-aware and not just for a teenager.

In this conversation, Chloe speaks about sneaking out of parent’s apartment at 13 years old to busk in the streets of NYC, struggles with addiction, Childish Gambino, her latest project Manic Pixie Dream, and more. Even if you aren’t an avid listener to music, or maybe you haven’t discovered Chloe Lilac yet, I encourage you to listen to the full extent of this conversation. We live in a landscape where the teenage perspective can resonate with anyone from 12 to 60 years old. And if you don’t believe me, just look at what Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas is doing. This conversation definitely changed my perspective on a few things, like creativity and Alcoholics anonymous, and I hope you can give yourself the same chance. So without further ado, here is our wide-ranging, deep conversation with Chloe Lilac.

James Hersey

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This time, we sat down with James Hersey, a singer-songwriter from Vienna, Austria. As an artist who does not collaborate often, James made his first mainstream dent on the charts with an original song called ‘Coming Over.’ Kygo and Dillon Francis then hopped on the track, a collaboration with James that now has over 125 million streams on Spotify alone. He was able to replicate that success with the smash hit ‘Miss You,’ which was written, sung, and produced by James.

Starting as a kid on drums who played in punk bands with a mohawk, I respect the Mohawk, James evolved into a hell of a songwriter. Even if you haven’t put the face to the voice, you have no doubt driven in the car, drank at a bar, or worked out to one of James’ beautiful, infectious melodies. After seeing massive success on the track with Kygo and Dillon Francis, singing at festivals all over the world, James could have become a go-to vocalist for mainstream electronic producers, and there would have been nothing wrong with that. Many take that path. But for James, he stayed true to his own artistry, who he was, and made the music he wanted to make. As James’ Dad says, “Creativity allows you to make mistakes, art is knowing which ones to keep.” In this conversation, we discuss the story behind ‘Coming Over’ with Kygo and Dillon Francis, a pivotal getaway experience in Austin, Texas, judgment on social media, the inspirations behind his latest project, Innverse, and more.

Even if you aren’t particularly passionate about music, or maybe you haven’t discovered James Hersey yet, I encourage you to listen to the full extent of this conversation. There are a lot of good takeaways that apply to many aspects of life outside of music. If you do anything creative, or maybe you’re at a crossroads and aren’t sure where to go, give this a listen. I’m not saying you’ll find the answer here, but you’ll be listening to a couple of people who share that uncertainty and work through it every day. So without further ado, here is our wide-ranging conversation with James Hersey.

Naomi Wild

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Welcome to another installment of Off The Record where the artists themselves tell stories, share experiences and answer questions about the moments that matter. This time the absolute boss Naomi Wild talks about her fearless approach to making art, the last time she had a deep cry, feeling awkward in public, and a funny moment with Odesza and Wynne on live radio, or more accurately a live stream on live radio.

filous

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This week, we sat down with multi-instrumentalist and producer, filous. He hails from Vienna, Austria and started playing music at only 10 years old. On tour, he plays the harmonica, piano, acoustic and electric guitar, and even started learning an instrument called the “onde magnetique,” which is cassette taped based. Early on, he played in metal bands, got into jazz, and eventually tested his hand at electronic remixes. His remix for ‘Coming Over’ by James Hersey, has north of 50 million streams on Spotify.

Filous continues to add to his repertoire with original tracks like ‘Bicycle’ and ‘All My Friends are Rich.’ In this conversation, we talk about a lot of things that are important, even outside of music, so I encourage you to listen to it in its entirety. We discuss Filous’ techno Grandma, what we would do with our ‘rich friends,’ getting too high, the collaborative process, Ted Talks, and more. Without further damage to your eardrums, here is our wide-ranging conversation with filous.

SHAED

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This time, I sat down with a lovely group named SHAED. If you are a lover of good music or a fan of apple products you have definitely encountered their work. They have an EP called ‘Melt’ that was released in the fall of 2018, which you need to go check out, and their song ‘Trampoline’ off of the Melt EP was featured in Apple’s global campaign for the MacBook Air. That song now has over 50 million streams on Spotify alone. Chelsea, Max, and Spencer of SHAED share an uncommon and intimate dynamic not often found in the music industry, or any industry for that matter. Spencer and Max are identical twins, and Chelsea and Spencer got married last October. All three live under the same roof and have for a while with no plans to change. While this may seem odd to people on the outside, it really isn’t, especially once you get to know them.

Chelsea, Spencer, and Max have known each other for over a decade, and as a group, they were spending 99% of their time together anyway. Living in the same spot only strengthens that bond and makes the creative process readily accessible. When Spencer and Max have an idea at 2 in the morning, they can hop down to the studio in their boxers while Chelsea is fast asleep, because she’s not as much of a night owl. Then Chelsea can wake up the next morning and play around with what Max and Spencer have created.

In this conversation, we dive into what the creative process of SHAED looks like, how recharging by exploring nature can give you that extra boost of creativity, how Max came out to his brother Spencer, whipping up recipes in the instant pot, and more. Even if you aren’t an avid listener of music, or maybe you haven’t heard of SHAED, I encourage to listen to the full extent of this conversation. We talk about a lot of moments and lessons that can be applied to many areas of life, especially those outside of music. Also, they’re pretty cool and I had too much fun with this conversation. And Chelsea promised me pasta so I’ll definitely take her up on that. So maybe whip up a bowl of your own pasta, pour up a hefty glass of wine, and turn up this wide-ranging conversation with SHAED.

Lost Kings

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This time we sat down with Rob Abisi and Nick Shanholtz, otherwise known as Lost Kings (@wearelostkings). They garnered early attention by producing unofficial remixes for Disclosure, Dirty South, and the Killers. Since then, Rob and Nick have been extremely active on tour and in the studio, releasing an official remix with Rihanna and making original smashes of their own. Shortly after New Years, the duo released an EP titled Paper crowns with features from Wiz Khalifa, Loren Gray, Social House, and more. This entire EP is an absolute banger for the house party, pregame, car ride, shower, doesn’t matter. I’ve been bumping Paper Crowns and sometimes that does involve me flexing the pipes in the shower. That’s the power of Paper Crowns.

In this conversation, Nick and Rob discuss building success in LA - the city where many dreams go to die, chasing those dreams while on the verge of giving up and moving back home, the weirdest jobs they’ve had to work, being baked on the set of the ‘Don’t Kill My High’ video shoot, what goes into planning a set for Ultra, and more. Even if you don’t make music, listen to electronic music, or maybe you haven’t heard of Lost Kings, this conversation is one you will want to listen to. If you do anything creative, whether it’s a side project or your main source of income, you need that relentless drive and something unique to offer, which Lost Kings has and then some. So get a little comfortable, maybe light up a j, pour up a drank, and stay tuned for a conversation that will definitely not Kill Your High.

Bryan Sammis (La Bouquet/Olivver the Kid)

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Welcome to another installment of Off The Record where the artists themselves tell stories, share experiences, and answer questions about the moments that matter. This time, Bryan Sammis, formerly of The Neighbourhood and currently of La Bouquet and Olivver The Kid, shares a clip about how finding who you are, how finding your purpose, can help you manage the harmful cycle of anxiety, depression, and this crazy fucking thing called life. Bryan had a breakthrough, catharsis moment when he woke up half-drunk in a widow’s attic in New Orleans, and that’s all I’m going to say about that. So without further ado, here is Off The Record with Bryan Sammis.

Kevin Garrett

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This week, we sat down with Kevin Garrett (@kevinogarrett), a singer-songwriter from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is a Grammy award nominated artist, a multi-instrumentalist, and someone who makes some of the most intimate, powerful sounds I’ve heard. He’s also a funny guy, even though he’ll probably tell you that he’s not, and he made an appearance on the comedy production series ‘Funny or Die,’ back in 2017.

He just dropped an album called ‘HOAX,’ which stands for Hell of a Heartbreak. I listened to it straight through while I was walking to and from Trader Joe’s a couple of weeks ago. I went to Trader Joe’s for some eggs and chicken and ended up leaving with 6 bottles of merlot and 10 tissue boxes. That’s the power of Kevin Garrett. I was probably still a couple of bottles short.

In this conversation, we spoke about Kevin’s early memories of Pittsburgh, his approach to songwriting, meeting Beyonce, the inspirations behind HOAX, and more. Recently, I was lucky enough to be invited to watch Kevin perform a few songs off of HOAX at Rockwood Music Hall in NYC. In his own words during the performance, Kevin said, there will be “no hits tonight,” only new stuff. Well, I think time will definitely bring multiple hits out of this album, and I’m truly grateful for the sounds he’s brought into this world. So without further ado, here is our deep and wide-ranging conversation with Kevin Garrett.