We explore one artist’s story of how he went from working in a factory to juggling being a full-time guitar and vocal instructor at the School of Rock, a studio musician who has worked with the likes of Christopher Lee, as well as an active audio engineer, all while composing and producing his own take on extreme metal with his project Davola. Although the artists I’ve had on have mostly been electronic focused, I keep an open mind and enjoy hearing all different genres. I really want to be as inclusive as possible on this show -- highlighting success stories across genres -- and regardless of what type of music you’re passionate about, there’s something any musician can learn from Aaron’s story. 

I’ve been in touch with him since last year when I first launched Showspark, and he reached out to me when I started the podcast to see if he could share his story. I agreed because I really do think there’s something you can learn from him. He may not have 100,000 likes on Facebook, but he is actually out there making a living with music, staying true to his passions and honing his craft every single day, while also training a new generation of artists.

Showspark

007: Live Like a Professional Artist | Guest: Aaron Cloutier (Davola)

If there’s anyone out there who is most definitely a pro, it’s Hutch Harris. He’s been playing music for 25 years, touring since 1996, and has built up a wealth of experience and insight over the years. 

He shares his thoughts on effectively using social media with an authentic voice as a musician today, the full story behind how the Thermals got signed to Sub Pop Records, how labels can help your career beyond just distribution, how their seminal album recorded over ten years ago is now surprisingly selling really well, how he and his bandmate Kathy, are able to play to each other’s strengths and manage the day-to-day of band business together, his biggest piece of advice for artists who are aspiring to play music full time, and quite a few other useful and interesting topics.

The Thermals

008: Interview with Hutch Harris (The Thermals)

There’s really no one-size-fits all approach to making incredible music and finding and connecting with new fans, so I want to focus on how you can take a more scientific approach to figuring out what works best for you in your unique situation -- and really taking those strengths to the next level, while also figuring out how you can fill in the gaps with help from others on a low or no budget, and making sure that you’re taking care of the fundamental necessities until you can find help -- even if it’s not something you’re best at.

009: Identifying and Amplifying Your Unfair Advantage

I had the privilege of sitting down with Dutch producer Sander Van Djick, also known as San Holo, before one of his festival dates here in Oregon. He makes futuristic hip-hop influenced electronic music and has been growing very fast in the past year or so. 

He has a ton of valuable insight from the beginning to end of this interview, and is a great example of an artist who has absolutely found his unfair advantage, both in terms of his unique sound and how he and his manager market his music. 

We talk about his journey to becoming a producer from his humble beginnings as a guitarist and guitar teacher, how his life and journey led to him finding and amplifying his signature sound, how he met his manager Budi Voogt who helped to take his music to the next level in a big way, his biggest pieces of advice for any bedroom producers who are struggling to get their music heard and why you should just keep creating and releasing music consistently, as well as much more.

Still Looking

San Holo

010: Interview with Sander van Dijck (San Holo)

We’ll take a closer look at San Holo's&nbsp;actual strategy in practice, and how you can apply elements of it to accelerate the rate at which you build momentum, so you can meet your goals faster -- be that getting signed to the label of your dreams, finding a booking agent so you can play shows that pay better and tour, or even just use the momentum with the sole purpose of finding True Fans who will monetarily support you online.

011: (Consistency + Frequency) * Quality = Momentum

Finding Your True Fans is the podcast for music makers, by music makers, where your host, Cody Gordon, interviews established artists who are thriving in the age unprecedented access to both music and fans alike. We'll explore their creative journeys, pivotal moments, and how technology has helped them connect with fans.

We also do topic episodes, digging deeper into specific ideas, strategies, and resources you can use to find your own true fans out there in the digital world!
