Why Undiscovered Musicians Matter (and What Algorithms Miss) w/ Justin MacFayden

Justin MacFayden is the creator behind Hope You Like It, a YouTube doc series that goes deep on the lives of working artists. In this episode of The J-Card Podcast, we talk about how the project started, why it resonates, and what it takes to tell real stories without burning out. We also dig into ethnomusicology, unearthing undiscovered music, and bummer jams. Plus, we play “Build the Bill,” where Justin assembles a dream concert lineup with a limited budget.

The J-Card is presented by Rue Defense Tape Club, a quarterly, mail-order cassette compilation and DIY audio project. Hosted by Alexei Shishkin, each episode is part music discovery, part oral history, part hangout show. We ask artists, musicians, filmmakers, and other music-minded folks to build us their own personal mixtape and talk about the moments and memories that inspired it.

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⏱️ Chapters:

00:00 - Intro: Meet Justin MacFayden

03:56 - What’s Stuck in Your Head: Earworms & Guilty Faves

10:42 - Why Justin Makes Documentaries About Working Artists

14:06 - Finding Undiscovered Musicians

18:11 - Your Art vs Your Craft

21:33 - Behind “Hope You Like It” Season 2

26:02 - Justin’s Mixtape: A Theme of Injury & Melancholy

28:59 - Morphine – “Candy”

32:04 - CeDell Davis – “Catfish and Cornbread”

35:07 - Blaze Foley – “I Should Have Been Home”

38:36 - Django Reinhardt – “After You’ve Gone”

42:27 - Gene Clark – “Some Misunderstanding”

46:27 - Terry Stafford – “Suspicion”

49:51 - Hoover – “Take My Hand”

52:54 - The Tragically Hip – “Bobcaygeon”

56:46 - Crosby, Stills & Nash – “Just a Song Before I Go”

59:15 - Mixtape Wrap-Up

1:00:14 - Game Time: Build the Bill ($15 Dream Lineup)

1:05:43 - Wrap-Up + Where to Find Justin

1:07:00 - Final Message + Thanks

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