Speaker 1: Music Saved Me taking all over thanks stuff, and I
Speaker 1: think that's the beauty of the art of music is
Speaker 1: never overthinking. I mean I practice every day, but practice guitar,
Speaker 1: I practice piano, practice writing.
Speaker 2: It's what I love to do.
Speaker 3: Welcome to another episode of Music Saved Me, the podcast
Speaker 3: where we explore the transformative power of music through the
Speaker 3: stories of artists, songwriters and musicians who have found hope, healing,
Speaker 3: and inspiration in their craft. I'm your host, Lynn Hoffman,
Speaker 3: And by the way, if you like this podcast, we
Speaker 3: would love for you to check out our companion podcast
Speaker 3: that I also host called Comedy Saved Me, which showcases
Speaker 3: the healing power of laughter. Today, we are so honored
Speaker 3: to welcome a very special guest, Aj Crochey. As a
Speaker 3: celebrated singer, songwriter, and pianist. Aj is carved out a
Speaker 3: unique path in the world of music, blending soulful, blues, rock,
Speaker 3: and pop influences. The son of legendary musician Jim Crochey,
Speaker 3: AJ has faced his own share of challenges and personal loss,
Speaker 3: yet he has consistently turned to music as a source
Speaker 3: of comfort and resilience, and on this episode, Aja shares
Speaker 3: his journey from growing up surrounded by music, to overcoming
Speaker 3: adversity and forging his own identity as an artist. We'll
Speaker 3: talk about the songs that shaped his life, some of
Speaker 3: the stories behind his acclaimed albums, and how music has
Speaker 3: been both a lifeline and a source of joy throughout
Speaker 3: his career. So settle in for an inspiring conversation about creativity, perseverance,
Speaker 3: and the healing magic of music with the one and
Speaker 3: only AJ Crochy right here on Music Saved Me. Aj.
Speaker 3: Welcome to Music Save Me. It's so wonderful to have
Speaker 3: you here.
Speaker 2: Thank you, Lynn, I appreciate it. Now.
Speaker 3: I want to start sort of in the early side
Speaker 3: of things with you, because this is something that blew
Speaker 3: me away when I first read about you. First of all,
Speaker 3: you lost your dad when you were much much younger,
Speaker 3: very young, and then you lost your eyesight a couple.
Speaker 2: Of years later when I was four.
Speaker 1: I lost my sight, lost my father at two, and
Speaker 1: I was in the hospital for six months. During that
Speaker 1: period of the loss of sight regained partially. I got
Speaker 1: light in my left eye, and so there was hope.
Speaker 1: It took about six years before I could see out
Speaker 1: of my left eye again. So I was completely blind
Speaker 1: and illegally blind during that time, and and music saved me,
Speaker 1: it really did.
Speaker 2: I mean, as a kid.
Speaker 1: I had my father's record collection, which was so diverse
Speaker 1: and amazing, I mean, all the good stuff. As a kid,
Speaker 1: you know, I would find the good stuff I couldn't see,
Speaker 1: but I would always put it on the left side,
Speaker 1: so I'm left handed, so I'd.
Speaker 2: Reached for one of those records.
Speaker 1: And you know, I got turned onto Ray Charles real
Speaker 1: early and Stevie Wonder because for obvious reasons of losing
Speaker 1: sight and just inspiration.
Speaker 2: And they were a foundation for me.
Speaker 1: You know, Ray Charles played all kinds of music and
Speaker 1: I can hear it in the other stuff that was
Speaker 1: in the collection, from Fats Waller and Bessie Smith and
Speaker 1: the Lady behind Me and and and there was great
Speaker 1: blues and folk and country music, all kinds of rock
Speaker 1: and roll and Little Richard. I mean that stuff. It
Speaker 1: just it blew me away. And as a kid, it
Speaker 1: was my it was my sanctuary. It was it was everything.
Speaker 1: So you know, I started playing piano along with that
Speaker 1: stuff before I could see.
Speaker 3: Wow, that's incredible, but it definitely shows how you can
Speaker 3: pull on the other senses that become extremely powerful at
Speaker 3: that time.
Speaker 1: Yeah, the sense I think people don't necessarily think about
Speaker 1: is the sense of of of heart, the sense of
Speaker 1: soul and and intention. I think when you lose a
Speaker 1: particular sense, you are vulnerable in a in a particular way,
Speaker 1: and and so you find a way to to sort
Speaker 1: of compensate. And and in that way, recognizing decent people
Speaker 1: from from indecent is really important at a young age,
Speaker 1: you know, and and and understanding the intentions of of
Speaker 1: the things that you're seeing or hearing or feeling is
Speaker 1: is really important. So it's not always like, oh, I
Speaker 1: you know, I couldn't see so I could hear better.
Speaker 1: It wasn't you're forced to listen harder.
Speaker 2: You're not.
Speaker 1: It's not that you hear better, you know. It's not
Speaker 1: that you taste more. It's it's.
Speaker 2: It's not like Synastasia or something. It's just kind of necessity.
Speaker 3: It's just I never evenly even thought about it that way.
Speaker 3: But you're so right. When you're forced into it, you
Speaker 3: have really no choice but to rely on those senses
Speaker 3: to make it. I'm just curious, when were you aware
Speaker 3: of your dad and his incredible accomplishments in this world.
Speaker 2: I guess I grew up from the earliest days.
Speaker 1: I mean my first concert was I was brought as
Speaker 1: a baby just to hear my dad.
Speaker 2: And Randy Newman, you know, and Randy Newman played a
Speaker 2: big role.
Speaker 1: You know. They were on tour together for a year,
Speaker 1: on and off for a year. And you know, my
Speaker 1: father's career was eighteen months. You know, his entire professional career.
Speaker 1: All the songs you know, were written, recorded, and toured
Speaker 1: in eighteen months. So it's three albums eighteen months and done.
Speaker 1: So it was a relatively short period of time.
Speaker 3: Wow. Were there artists or genres that inspired you early
Speaker 3: on that made you feel like this was something that
Speaker 3: you could do as your art form?
Speaker 2: Yeah? Absolutely. As I mentioned Ray Charles was he was
Speaker 2: my gateway drug. You know.
Speaker 1: In in the collection there was stuff like Fat Swaller,
Speaker 1: there was stuff like Little Richard, there was there were
Speaker 1: there were wonderful piano players in that mix.
Speaker 2: But I, as as I got older, really.
Speaker 1: Went down that that rabbit hole of piano players, you know,
Speaker 1: from the stride guys like James P. Johnson and Will
Speaker 1: lyon to the to the boogie guys and like med
Speaker 1: Lux Lewis and Albert Ammon's Pete Johnson, the swing guys
Speaker 1: like Ellington and Basie and so many others. I mean,
Speaker 1: I could name the jazz piano players for probably forty
Speaker 1: five minutes or.
Speaker 2: An hour, and it all played a role.
Speaker 1: But then also whether it was rock and roll and
Speaker 1: listening to the way that the English bands UH interpreted
Speaker 1: blues and someone like Ian McCloughan and how how he
Speaker 1: played with the small faces and the Faces and Dylan
Speaker 1: and the Stones and stored all those guys that were
Speaker 1: that were Steve Wynwood, that were really interpreting an American
Speaker 1: tradition and and I you know, as a kid, I
Speaker 1: liked a lot of that, but it was in my
Speaker 1: teens I started to recognize what they did that was different,
Speaker 1: kind of simplified what the American players were doing.
Speaker 2: It was just part of like gaining knowledge and learning.
Speaker 1: And so it was you know, when I first when
Speaker 1: I first met Leon Russell before we started writing together,
Speaker 1: it was one of those things where we just spoke
Speaker 1: about pana players for an hour, you know, because then
Speaker 1: we had.
Speaker 2: The same apparently we grew up with the same record collection.
Speaker 3: Peek out with something like I love that, Yeah.
Speaker 1: And of course I loved his music and is playing
Speaker 1: and songwriting, but it was it was really our deeper
Speaker 1: connection to being piano players, you know. And the New
Speaker 1: Orleans stuff played a huge role Alan Tussont. From the
Speaker 1: time I was about thirteen as a kid, my mom
Speaker 1: would sing some of these songs Leap Dorsey working in
Speaker 1: a coal mine, thinks that Alan Toussant had written. I
Speaker 1: knew the songs, heard him on the radio, all of
Speaker 1: the great artists that he worked with, but it didn't
Speaker 1: click until I was about thirteen and I went to
Speaker 1: see Jim Jarmusch movie and I think it was like
Speaker 1: Stranger Than Paradise or something, and there was a version
Speaker 1: of Irma Thomas singing its Raining and which is an
Speaker 1: all and two song production song. He's playing and singing
Speaker 1: on it, and I just had to know everything about
Speaker 1: the music, where it came from, who it wasn't just
Speaker 1: it wasn't because it was complicated, like the complicated stuff.
Speaker 1: I was already diving into the jazz and the blues
Speaker 1: and the stride and all of that, but gospel and
Speaker 1: soul music, but it was something that was in its simplicity,
Speaker 1: could communicate such depth that I had to understand how
Speaker 1: it was done.
Speaker 3: Wow, I mean, that's fascinating that you would even pick
Speaker 3: up on that. Was there anything in there that told
Speaker 3: you that this is healing me? Or when you realize
Speaker 3: that music could be healing for not only the musicians
Speaker 3: but the people listening to it.
Speaker 1: I knew that from the earliest point in my life,
Speaker 1: you know, as a kid that lost his sight, being
Speaker 1: able to to sit down and play a piece of
Speaker 1: music was it was more than just healing.
Speaker 2: It was empowering.
Speaker 1: It was it was incredibly powerful. I knew that it
Speaker 1: was my refuge, and at a certain point I recognized
Speaker 1: that I was able to sort of communicate that to,
Speaker 1: you know, to a small audience.
Speaker 2: You know, I played my first gig at twelve for money,
Speaker 2: and for you, it was for a it.
Speaker 1: Was for a bought mitzvah and I Love the Silverman,
Speaker 1: Bob Mitzvah and and it was twenty bucks and I played.
Speaker 1: I played Ray Charles and Chuck Berry and Memphis Slim
Speaker 1: and I'm sure a few other, you know, oddball things
Speaker 1: for a twelve year old to be playing, but it
Speaker 1: was it was what I was listening to is what
Speaker 1: I would do and so you know, at that point
Speaker 1: I realized I got twenty bucks. Wow, if I keep
Speaker 1: practicing and really work hard at this, I might be
Speaker 1: able to do this for a living.
Speaker 3: You know, amazing. How do you channel these personal experiences,
Speaker 3: both you know, the joy and the pain into your songwriting.
Speaker 2: I'm curious, Well, it's all there.
Speaker 1: I mean, it's all here. It's in us all the time.
Speaker 1: It's not about I don't think it needs to be
Speaker 1: channeled as much as it just you need to be
Speaker 1: I think there's a part of it where you need
Speaker 1: to let go. I think letting go is more of
Speaker 1: it's losing a sense of control as opposed to trying
Speaker 1: to control the environment. By letting go of the idea
Speaker 1: that what you might write or say or play is
Speaker 1: not good, or there's a stake, or you're you know
Speaker 1: some or or it's been done before, or I've heard
Speaker 1: that line or I've heard that passage, or the melody
Speaker 1: of that is similar to this, or the chord structure
Speaker 1: is similar. Forget it. It's an exercise. No one needs
Speaker 1: to hear it. This is about being completely free and
Speaker 1: being able to, in that way access the beauty of
Speaker 1: what's around you.
Speaker 2: All the time?
Speaker 1: What's in you all the time? It's it's really it's
Speaker 1: trying to channel things. I think that makes it harder
Speaker 1: to get there.
Speaker 3: Yes, And you know, it's interesting that you would say that.
Speaker 3: For my next question, that really makes me curious finding
Speaker 3: your own voice. Now you've already faced such adversity from
Speaker 3: such a young age. You've already figured out at a
Speaker 3: young age how to use music to heal not only
Speaker 3: yourself but others and to be strong. And you know,
Speaker 3: Liss almost in a way, how did it ever occur
Speaker 3: to you that you had to sort of identify yourself
Speaker 3: as your own artists because of the fame that your
Speaker 3: dad had. I mean, I would think that that would
Speaker 3: be another roadblock that you would have to overcome.
Speaker 2: Absolutely, it was.
Speaker 1: It was the It was probably the biggest roadblock. And
Speaker 1: and I don't know if it was only external.
Speaker 2: I think it was internal as well.
Speaker 3: Right.
Speaker 2: I think that the fact that in.
Speaker 1: My up until my thirties, I didn't play guitar, so
Speaker 1: piano was first of all, was my was my instrument.
Speaker 2: And and it was.
Speaker 1: So by that by being playing a different instrument, I
Speaker 1: was already a little bit separate. By the fact that
Speaker 1: I was playing more complicated music, and it albeit you know,
Speaker 1: maybe from my grandparents generation, some of it was from
Speaker 1: my parents generation. There were, you know a few groups
Speaker 1: of my generation that I was I was really really
Speaker 1: liked a lot.
Speaker 2: But it was.
Speaker 1: I was looking for a timelessness. It wasn't about when
Speaker 1: the music was from or whatever. I was looking for
Speaker 1: finding a way to create something that could have been written,
Speaker 1: you know, one hundred and fifty years ago, or it
Speaker 1: could have been written yesterday, and not knowing when that
Speaker 1: is gives you this flexibility. I think as an as
Speaker 1: an artist, each component of what I do as a
Speaker 1: performer in communicating with an audience, that's one skill set
Speaker 1: that took development. As a singer, that was another skill
Speaker 1: that took that took developing and understanding and work. As
Speaker 1: a piano player, that was enough. That was its own thing.
Speaker 1: Being being a piano player was its own thing, separate
Speaker 1: from playing any other inst or other keyboard instruments or anything.
Speaker 1: And then as a songwriter, and you know, I think
Speaker 1: some people might think that it all comes together and
Speaker 1: is developed simultaneously, and there's a part of it if
Speaker 1: you're working on each facet that is simultaneous because by
Speaker 1: becoming a better musician, you're giving yourself a better platform
Speaker 1: to write a better song, to create.
Speaker 2: A better melody.
Speaker 1: And by living life, the longer you live, the better
Speaker 1: understanding of the world around you you might have. But
Speaker 1: it all developed differently from me. You know, I think
Speaker 1: I was a stronger piano player when I was, you know,
Speaker 1: in my late teens than I was a singer. I
Speaker 1: think the songwriting sort of came up in between the two.
Speaker 1: And you know, I had bad habits as a singer
Speaker 1: because I really came up.
Speaker 2: In jazz clubs and blues clubs where there was.
Speaker 1: No amplification, so I was shouting over the piano and
Speaker 1: shouting over an instrument that large, you know, you tend to,
Speaker 1: you know, grasp me real fast.
Speaker 2: And I was.
Speaker 1: I had bad habits, you know, for the first ten
Speaker 1: years of touring. You know, it was creating issues. And
Speaker 1: you know, you learn along the way, You learn to
Speaker 1: be better at what you do and improve and continue
Speaker 1: to learn.
Speaker 3: That is so true, and hindsight is so twenty twenty,
Speaker 3: isn't it. And when people say terms like that to you,
Speaker 3: they may not mean anything at the time, but then
Speaker 3: you look back and you go, oh, that's that's why
Speaker 3: someone told me that, or that's that means. It means
Speaker 3: so much more. And you did blend a lot of
Speaker 3: really cool stuff, I mean blues, rock and pop and
Speaker 3: jazz and all of that is it's so unique.
Speaker 4: We'll be right back with more of the Music Save
Speaker 4: Me Podcast. Welcome back to the Music Saved Me Podcast.
Speaker 3: Can you walk as well? I think you just did
Speaker 3: a little bit of your creative process when when you're
Speaker 3: making like when you're writing a new song or putting
Speaker 3: together a new album, is there anything that you do
Speaker 3: specifically to get in that headframe or.
Speaker 2: You know, each record is it's kind of unique.
Speaker 1: And I've found in being able to look back with
Speaker 1: twenty twenty Vision the only time I've had that.
Speaker 3: No pun intended, Oh my gosh it looking back.
Speaker 1: I think I think I've seen albums sort of work
Speaker 1: in threes. The first one is kind of just getting
Speaker 1: into finding this sound and space and storytelling style that
Speaker 1: is work. It's like a palette, and I felt like
Speaker 1: it's kind of functioned that way throughout throughout my career.
Speaker 1: You know, on my eleventh just released the eleventh album,
Speaker 1: and it sort of works in threes, in that you
Speaker 1: have a palette of colors you're working with, and they
Speaker 1: are used, and you find new ways to use those
Speaker 1: to create new music and songs. And you might work
Speaker 1: in that period with five or six or seven different
Speaker 1: chord changes that are unique to themselves, tempos, time signatures,
Speaker 1: all of these things that are relevant to that period
Speaker 1: of time. And then and then by the end of
Speaker 1: that third album, I find that I'm already ready to
Speaker 1: do something new, and I've used those colors, and I'll
Speaker 1: continue to be able to use that because I perform
Speaker 1: live all the time, which means that the music from
Speaker 1: those albums is still present. It's I don't need to
Speaker 1: put it away. It's in fact, because I'm not putting
Speaker 1: it away, I'm able to move to something else, find
Speaker 1: new inspirations, you know, different styles of music, different genres
Speaker 1: of music, whether it's Latin music or whether it's you know,
Speaker 1: West African influences or or Indian scales or whatever it
Speaker 1: might be, Western European classical music. There's no limitations to it.
Speaker 1: But they it's for me. It sort of comes in threes.
Speaker 3: Interesting, You're like a musical athlete.
Speaker 1: I don't know, you know, it takes. This is a calling,
Speaker 1: you know, this is this is I've I've worn a
Speaker 1: lot of hats in the in the business of music
Speaker 1: because it's a necessity, certainly as an artist. I think,
Speaker 1: you know, my first couple albums were on a major
Speaker 1: label and then I was on indies, and I figured
Speaker 1: once I was on indies, I really had to learn
Speaker 1: every facet of the business because the bottom line is,
Speaker 1: you know, the artist is paying for everything, yep, and
Speaker 1: so you want to make sure you know where the
Speaker 1: money's going. You want to make sure that you're responsible
Speaker 1: with it because this is your livelihood. And as time
Speaker 1: changed and there were a lot of different changes in
Speaker 1: the in the business itself, I had to be aware
Speaker 1: of it and had to be involved. Yeah, more than
Speaker 1: just adapt, I had to be involved, and I had
Speaker 1: to be more than just involved, but engaged.
Speaker 3: Now that you know, somebody very smart, and I wish
Speaker 3: I could remember who it was in my life growing
Speaker 3: up when I was younger, told me, whatever it is
Speaker 3: you want to do in life, the job that it is,
Speaker 3: make sure that when you get there, you also get
Speaker 3: to know how everyone else does their job right, because
Speaker 3: it will make your life much easier. And also you'll
Speaker 3: have a better understanding so that I've never actually heard
Speaker 3: anyone say that before, especially being an artist, So that's
Speaker 3: pretty cool. I mean that must also mean you've got
Speaker 3: both sides of the brain firing at the same time,
Speaker 3: which can also be a detriment to some of us.
Speaker 3: You never get anything done.
Speaker 1: I can all overthink stuff, and I think that's the
Speaker 1: beauty of the art of music, is never overthinking. I
Speaker 1: mean I practice every day. I practice guitar, I practice piano,
Speaker 1: practice writing. It's what I love to do. And I
Speaker 1: need to be able to live life in between the
Speaker 1: recording and the touring and the writing and the practice,
Speaker 1: because that's where all of the stories come from.
Speaker 3: It's where you would draw your inspiration, right And.
Speaker 1: The bottom line is that is that whether it's instrumental
Speaker 1: or there's lyrics to a song, you're telling a story.
Speaker 1: I think it's really important to be able to tell
Speaker 1: a universal story in a very clear way. Obviously it's universal,
Speaker 1: so you want anyone that's listening to be able to
Speaker 1: get it. Maybe not be their style, or may may
Speaker 1: not may not be what some people listen to, but
Speaker 1: they're going to appreciate that it's it's a complete and
Speaker 1: well crafted story. And that's and that's the goal, you know,
Speaker 1: is writing a timeless, universal story and having a beginning,
Speaker 1: a middle, and an end. And the frame that you
Speaker 1: put around it, which is the production, can can vary.
Speaker 2: You know.
Speaker 1: It can be as simple as metaphorically as a magnet
Speaker 1: that goes on a fridge or a beautiful or ornate
Speaker 1: you know, rococo frame that that has a lot to
Speaker 1: say and contribute to the art inside of it.
Speaker 3: And I love that you brought that up, though, And
Speaker 3: I love that you brought up the fact that you
Speaker 3: have to live a certain way in order to create
Speaker 3: these masterpieces. And in order to do that, you have
Speaker 3: to know, like oxygen mask on you first. You know,
Speaker 3: if you can't live that lifestyle that you want to
Speaker 3: live to be inspired to write these songs, then where
Speaker 3: are you?
Speaker 2: You know, So it's.
Speaker 3: Almost like you need to know what to do when
Speaker 3: you are successful.
Speaker 1: I don't know that I ever think about the success factor,
Speaker 1: because I feel that being able to do what I
Speaker 1: love is a success and I don't ever think of
Speaker 1: anything as being a masterpiece.
Speaker 2: It's an exercise.
Speaker 3: I call it that thought, because I think anyone who
Speaker 3: can do what you do. Well, that's just my personal.
Speaker 2: Well, that's very that's very kind. But I think I
Speaker 2: think of it as an exercise.
Speaker 1: Some of them, you know, just like just like inn
Speaker 1: at tude, you know of showpins.
Speaker 2: These were these were practice scales.
Speaker 1: They were working with every key, they were working with
Speaker 1: all of these different facets that were designed to teach
Speaker 1: his students, and in the process, some of them, you know, became,
Speaker 1: I guess from the outside world, you know, masterpieces or
Speaker 1: or at least a masterpiece of how to exercise and practice.
Speaker 1: And I think that's that's sort of the thing. I've
Speaker 1: never known anyone that finished a song and when oh,
Speaker 1: that's that is a master I.
Speaker 2: Don't think i'd hang out with him if I didn't.
Speaker 1: I think you just you finished something and you're like, okay,
Speaker 1: I think we did good.
Speaker 2: If you're co writing or I accomplished what I wanted.
Speaker 1: And sometimes you know, you're like, I said it all
Speaker 1: in in, you know, in three verses in a chorus.
Speaker 2: I don't need a bridge.
Speaker 1: I don't if you can't say things succinctly and communicate
Speaker 1: an idea in two and a half to three minutes,
Speaker 1: which is kind of the mass maximum in span of
Speaker 1: most people. Then you know you need to look at
Speaker 1: it and see what you can do. And I think
Speaker 1: that's another facet of songwriting. You know, I've written with
Speaker 1: the idea of the same story. I have an idea
Speaker 1: of a story, I have an idea of how I
Speaker 1: want to tell it, and it might take five or
Speaker 1: six attempts before I finally get the one. And this
Speaker 1: music could change, the melodies could change, it could be
Speaker 1: a completely different style, but the story finds a home.
Speaker 3: Wow, that right there, You hit the nail right on
Speaker 3: the head. The story is really if you don't start
Speaker 3: with a good story, then what do you have?
Speaker 1: Right, Yeah, just like a movie or you know, it's
Speaker 1: the subject of a painting or sculpture, if, if, if,
Speaker 1: if the subject is uninteresting, then it's unlikely to move
Speaker 1: in you want.
Speaker 3: So how do you How do you hope music impacts
Speaker 3: listeners who may be struggling or facing their own struggles
Speaker 3: at this time.
Speaker 2: I always joke that I want to bring crying back.
Speaker 3: It's so good though sometimes you need to, you know
Speaker 3: you do.
Speaker 1: And but there's I'm joking when I say that.
Speaker 2: Wait, that actually.
Speaker 3: Works though, I'm bringing sexy back. You can put cry
Speaker 3: and it's got the same syllables in there.
Speaker 2: I think if it yeah abbreviated, but I think it.
Speaker 1: But I think it's honestly, it's one of those things
Speaker 1: where when you are sincere in what you're doing, and
Speaker 1: and all of the work that you've put into being
Speaker 1: the artist that you are is present, and you are
Speaker 1: playing to the best of your ability and performing to
Speaker 1: the best of your ability. I think it's I think
Speaker 1: it moves people. And it doesn't need to be always,
Speaker 1: doesn't need to be necessarily particularly great. It needs to
Speaker 1: be pure, it needs to be sincere, it needs to
Speaker 1: be organic. I had a conversation I had dinner many
Speaker 1: years ago.
Speaker 2: I was on the same label.
Speaker 1: As a well known musician named Tut Steelman. He was
Speaker 1: an harmonica player, great jazz harmonica player, great guitar player,
Speaker 1: and his harmonica playing was really iconic. We were sitting
Speaker 1: and having dinner and he said, you know, when someone
Speaker 1: plays to the best of their ability, everyone has a
Speaker 1: different level of ability. You know, you have someone like
Speaker 1: John Coltrane or Charlie Parker who have this natural ability.
Speaker 2: You know that is so amazing.
Speaker 1: Stevie wonder but if they aren't pushing themselves to play
Speaker 1: at their at the highest level that they're capable of.
Speaker 2: It doesn't connect.
Speaker 1: Whereas someone that doesn't have half that ability plays with
Speaker 1: all of their heart and gives it everything they've got.
Speaker 2: That's going to be the thing that you connect with.
Speaker 1: And even if it's terrible, you're going to be you're
Speaker 1: not going to be able to look away because they're
Speaker 1: putting everything they have into it, which is I think
Speaker 1: the whole purpose of TikTok.
Speaker 3: Oh my gosh, you aren't kidding.
Speaker 1: It's like, you know, being able to see people do
Speaker 1: the best they can at a.
Speaker 2: You know, improbable level. It's authentic piece.
Speaker 1: It's authentic, Yeah, definitely. It's you know, when you see
Speaker 1: someone learn something for the first time and they're so
Speaker 1: excited about it, or when you write a song and
Speaker 1: I know a lot of people feel this way. You
Speaker 1: write a song, don't quite know all of it, but
Speaker 1: you're just so excited about it.
Speaker 2: Sometimes that first recording.
Speaker 1: Of it is the best you know, and sometimes that
Speaker 1: first understanding of what it is as a demo really
Speaker 1: captures what the song is. That's why I don't like
Speaker 1: recording demos. I want to just go in if I
Speaker 1: think the song is good, or perform it live and
Speaker 1: see if the audience thinks it's any good and if
Speaker 1: they connect with it, then I'll know, Okay, this is
Speaker 1: one that could be on the record.
Speaker 2: Does it fit the other songs? As the other question?
Speaker 2: Just enough? But yeah, I mean I think it's a living,
Speaker 2: breathing art and being able to.
Speaker 1: Practice it every day and be able to perform it
Speaker 1: in front of people as a gift, it sure is.
Speaker 3: And it's also great advice what you just said for
Speaker 3: anyone looking to do what you're doing for a career
Speaker 3: and or who may be going through a tough time,
Speaker 3: which it seems that there seems to be a lot
Speaker 3: of that going on these days, people absolutely searching for things.
Speaker 1: I don't know if if you know, sad songs can
Speaker 1: sometimes resonate when you're when you're when you're down, when
Speaker 1: you're when you're sad yourself, and you listen to a
Speaker 1: sad song, I find oftentimes that's the most powerful because
Speaker 1: you can connect to it in a way that if
Speaker 1: you just put on some up tempo piece of ear candy,
Speaker 1: it's not going to necessarily pull you out. Hey, you know, Yeah,
Speaker 1: whereas whereas hearing something that's a little bit darker, you
Speaker 1: have all of a sudden you're inspired by this beauty,
Speaker 1: you know.
Speaker 3: Oh yeah, I mean I can think about being dumped
Speaker 3: by a guy in high school and turning on a
Speaker 3: station back home called Magic and listening to, you know,
Speaker 3: a ballad from Chicago and then crying my eyes out
Speaker 3: and then feeling so much better.
Speaker 2: Exactly it's cathartic.
Speaker 3: Yes, it really does help, so bring crying back. I
Speaker 3: love that. Can I ask you before I let you
Speaker 3: go a couple of quick hits with you? What is
Speaker 3: one song that you wish you had written?
Speaker 1: Well, you know, why would I wish I had written it?
Speaker 1: You know, like you know We Will Rock You has
Speaker 1: played at every stadium and every everywhere in the world.
Speaker 2: I don't know that there's a song that I wish
Speaker 2: I would have written.
Speaker 1: There's so many out there, and there's so many that
Speaker 1: have yet to be written that there's not like a
Speaker 1: reason to want to capitalize on someone else's art.
Speaker 3: I love your answer all right now. If you could
Speaker 3: collaborate with an artist living or from the past, who
Speaker 3: would it be?
Speaker 2: McCartney? Probably?
Speaker 1: I just think he has you know, he has the
Speaker 1: ability to be a chameleon, you know. Stylistically, he draws
Speaker 1: from so many different places, from from old jazz and
Speaker 1: blues to rock and roll and everything. I just you know,
Speaker 1: he's a complete artist, and I think that's that's inspiring.
Speaker 1: But I could I could name, you know, two hundred
Speaker 1: artists that I would love to play with and collaborate with,
Speaker 1: you know.
Speaker 3: Aj Croachey. It's been such a pleasure having you. I
Speaker 3: know that you're pressed for time otherwise because I have
Speaker 3: a million other questions for you. But maybe he'll come
Speaker 3: back and visit us again.
Speaker 2: You just let me know.
Speaker 3: Lynn, thank you so much for coming on Music Save
Speaker 3: Me and sharing your story, and it's been so I
Speaker 3: I love learning things from people, and I definitely learned
Speaker 3: things from you today, So thank you for that.
Speaker 2: We likewise, thank you so much