Songscapes Podcast: Jonathan Meiburg of Shearwater

Ep. 9: Jonathan Meiburg - Where to Find A Most Remarkable Creature

Jonathan Meiburg’s life is uniquely situated between both the natural world and the music industry. As leader of the band Shearwater, and author of “A Most Remarkable Creature: The Hidden Life and Epic Journey of the World’s Smartest Birds of Prey”, he provides plenty of insight on how to be a “generalist rather than a specialist” in terms of interests. His extensive travels from both touring and researching Striated Caracaras has given him a reverence for otherworldly natural areas and the beings that reside there. Meiburg also speaks on how he collaborated with Brian Eno for his song “Homing”, which Bowie album he can play in full, and his favorite song associated with nature, which turns out to be quite an eerie ballad.

You can find Jonathan at @shearwaterband on Instagram and his website, shearwatermusic.com

• Host: Charles Coplin

• Producer: Sustain Music & Nature

• Editor: Harrison Goodale

• Media Researcher: Betsy Mortensen 

• Theme Music: Harrison Goodale

• Shearwater's Featured Music: "Xenarthran", "African Night Flight" from David Bowie's Lodger, and "May".

July 17 Trail Session: Twisted Pine at Overmountain Conservation Area in NY

Music and nature come together in this Trail Session. Join us on Saturday, July 17 with Americana funk band, Twisted Pine. Columbia Land Conservancy, a Hudson valley land trust, will be leading a hike to a beautiful Taconics overlook at Overmountain Conservation Area (Ancramdale, NY). Probably the prettiest concert you’ll ever see or hear!

Sliding scale donation tickets and details on our page: https://www.sustainmusicandnature.org/july172021

Songscapes Podcast: Scotty Stoughton of Winter Wondergrass

Ep. 8: Scotty Stoughton - Grilled Cheese & The Grateful Dead

Founder of Bonfire Entertainment and the Winter Wondergrass music festival, Scotty Stoughton has tons of insight on the magic that exists in the music community. He moved to Colorado from the east coast while selling grilled cheeses as he followed the Grateful Dead’s “Summer Tour of ‘94”, and recognized a unique quality of the Colorado music scene. Listen in to hear him talk about that quality, as well as the type of live shows that bring together everyone from “bikers to ranchers to yuppies”. Stoughton also discusses what the word ‘failure’ means to him, and how he takes a different approach to his mission as a promoter, both in attitude and in action. If you want to learn about how he connects his love of nature with his passion for music in his career, check out this week’s Songscape! 

You can find Scotty on his website at https://bonfirentertainment.com/scotty-stoughton/ or on his Instagram @scottybonfire

Thanks for listening and don’t forget to review, share and subscribe to the podcast! Learn more about nonprofit Sustain Music and Nature’s work to make music a force for nature at: www.sustainmusicandnature.org

• Host: Charles Coplin

• Producer: Sustain Music & Nature

• Editor: Harrison Goodale

• Media Researcher: Betsy Mortensen 

• Theme Music: Harrison Goodale

• Scotty Stoughton (via his band Bonfire Dub) Featured Music: “Honey”, “Rest”, and “Mountains Beyond Mountains”

June 27 Trail Session: Bevin Luna & moonmoon at Red Mountain Open Space in CO

Music and nature come together in this Trail Session. Join us on Sunday, June 27 with rock & roots artist, Bevin Luna, and folk band, moonmoon. Sustain Music and Nature will be leading a hike to a beautiful sandstone canyon in Red Mountain Open Space (Wellington, CO). We'll also hear from the Fort Collins Museum of Discovery, who are bringing bits of their upcoming Smithsonian "Life in One Cubic Foot" exhibition!

Sliding scale donation tickets and details on our page: https://www.sustainmusicandnature.org/june272021

Songscapes Podcast: Eric Lichter of Dirt Floor Studio

Ep. 7: Eric Lichter - Bringing the Outdoors In through Dirt Floor Recording Studio

Tune in this week to hear singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and engineer Eric Lichter speak on the inspiration he draws from his ethereal Connecticut-based log cabin recording studio, Dirt Floor Records. Authenticity is the cornerstone of Lichter’s work, and he seeks to make music that reflects his wholehearted dedication to the craft. Find out what imperfections in a song mean to him, and how he has come to compare layered vocals and harmonies with a love of being outdoors - “because it’s kind of like heaven.” With influences from John Denver and Dan Fogelberg, all the way to the wood bees enveloping his studio and the Connecticut River beyond, Lichter is always trying to find ways to bring the outdoors into his music.

Find Eric at https://www.dirtfloorrecordingstudio.com/ or on Instagram at @dirtfloorrecording

• Host: Charles Coplin

• Producer: Sustain Music & Nature

• Editor: Harrison Goodale

• Media Researcher: Lindsay Johnson

• Theme Music: Harrison Goodale

• Eric Lichter Featured Music: “Lavender Swing”, “Drag”, and “You”

Songscapes Podcast: Courtney Hartman

Ep. 6: Courtney Hartman - Songwriting on a 500 Mile Walk

Award-winning folk guitarist, Courtney Hartman, joins us this week. Colorado-born and Wisconsin-based, she and Charles talk about her 500 mile pilgrimage on the Camino De Santiago in northern Spain and how that experience shaped her latest album, Ready Reckoner. Courtney talks about working with Mike Campbell, a member of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and producing with Shahzad Ismaily, known for his work with Tom Waits. Our interview explores how nature plays a role in every song Courtney writes and her wish to shift our environmental perspective from “How can we do less harm?” to a more productive, “How can we do more good?”.

Find Courtney at https://www.courtneyhartman.com/ and on socials @courtneyhartman    

• Host: Charles Coplin

• Producer: Sustain Music & Nature

• Editor: Harrison Goodale

• Media Researcher: Lindsay Johnson

• Theme Music: Harrison Goodale

• Courtney Hartman Featured Music: “Won’t Be Satisfied”, “Too Much” and “Hollow”

Songscapes Podcast: Bridget Law of Elephant Revival out today!

Ep. 5: Bridget Law - Acro yoga with Michael Franti

Elephant Revival’s Bridget Law talks with us about her life as a fiddler, mother, music maker and mystic. She’s dedicated to using her talents to support sustainability efforts, and lifting the careers of women in music. Tune in to hear about her magic hot springs moment, and the physicality of being a fiddler - “It’s like your whole body is holding itself cross-eyed”. Host Charles and Bridget talk about her current music with Tierro Band, and fresh duos with fellow Elephant, Bonnie Paine. And of course you need to hear about the backstage encounters with Michael Franti!

Find Bridget at www.tierroband.com and @fiddlinbridget on social media.

Host: Charles Coplin

Producer: Sustain Music & Nature

Editor: Harrison Goodale

Media Researcher: Lindsay Johnson

Theme Music: Harrison Goodale

Bridget Law Featured Music: “Allurement” - Tierro Band, “Ancient Sea” and “Drop” by Elephant Revival

Songscapes Podcast: Ben Cosgrove Episode Out

Ep. 4: Ben Cosgrove - Utterly Disorienting and Totally Exhilarating 

Ben Cosgrove is a traveling pianist and instrumental songwriter inspired by landscape and sense of place. “It’s important to have my music tied to something bigger than itself,” explains Ben in this episode of Songscapes. Find out how Ben has translated his inspiration from topographical maps, wilderness and his backyard into music. Composing everywhere from the open ocean, to Glacier National Park, to the “wonders and terrors” of Kansas, this episode explores Ben’s creative expression of place. And he’s not the only composer that interprets nature - we also learn about like-minded nonprofit, Landscape Music. 

Find Ben at BenCosgrove.com and @bencosgrovemusic on social media. Check out Landscape Music at LandscapeMusic.org

Songscape Selected for Colorado Environmental Film Festival

Our Songscape music video featuring Ben Sollee’s Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge inspired song, Slackwater, was selected for the Colorado Environmental Film Festival! Tickets still on sale through Feb 21 if you want to see it alongside great films on everything nature from Ocelots to the Grand Canyon!

CEFF: https://ceff.eventive.org/welcome

“‘Slackwater’ Represents Great Bay in Colorado Film Festival” - The SandPaper