This week on Sound Effect, it is our yearly Thanksgiving week tradition of sharing our favorite music stories from the past year.
PERFECT PITCH
If you are a musician in the Seattle Symphony, you already have a certain mastery of your craft. Andy Liang is in the second violin section with the Symphony, and despite being an incredible talent, he would probably be the first to tell you that he is not perfect. But he does possess at least one type of perfection: perfect pitch.
Andy talks about having perfect pitch, and offers a demonstration.
FANTASY A
If you’ve spent any time walking around Seattle neighborhoods, you’ve probably spotted a “Fantasy A” poster bearing the name and image of a young African-American man.
His handmade fliers promote performances at local clubs and bars where he shares details about his life through rap music.
Fantasy A is 25 years old. He’s on the autism spectrum. The “Fantasy” comes from his love of science fiction and magic.The “A” stands for his real name: Alex — Alex Hubbard.
Hear this story about the rapper, who is trying to weave his own safety net by finding safe housing.
MOMMA PENNY
Country musician Jon Boy and “Momma” Penny Reagan have the kind of unlikely friendship that only a hectic kitchen job could foster. When Jon Boy left his job without saying goodbye to his “kitchen mom,” he experienced a difficult six months: he went through a messy break up, he got in a car crash, his cat died.
So, he did what any good country musician does: he wrote a song about what he was feeling. At the time, he missed his friend Penny, and wondered what advice she’d have for him in his time of need. They reunite in this story, and Penny hears the song for the first time.
ROCK TO REHAB
Growing up on Mercer Island, Mark Rose was captivated by rock ‘n’ roll. And like most kids, he wanted to be a part of it. But unlike most kids, Mark did end up in the music business. He didn’t make it as a musician, but instead worked on the business side of things.
But because of his close association with the musicians, he ended up living a lifestyle very much befitting a rockstar: drugs, alcohol, incessant partying. And like a lot of rock n’ roll stories, Mark’s had a burn-out ending that left him picking up the pieces of his life.
Listen to this story about how Mark ended up helping musicians recover from some of the vices that can come with the industry.
AUTISM AND MUSIC
Xolie Morra Cogley is a musician in Seattle, and leader of the band Xolie Morra and the Strange Kind. Using music as a sort of language is helpful to Xolie, because they have autism. Xolie didn’t always know that — in fact, they weren’t diagnosed until age 30.
In this conversation, Xolie sat down with Sound Effect producer Kevin Kniestedt to talk about growing up undiagnosed, how musicians have helped Xolie communicate and dealing with what they call “off-stage fright.”
Sound Effect showcases stories inspired by the place we live. The show is hosted by KNKX's Gabriel Spitzer.
