September 2, 2025 • 24 mins
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iHeart Radio:
https://www.iheart.com/podcast/209-the-songwriter-show-29999203/
Apple:
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@SongwriterShow @iHeartRadio #Gene Moran #iHeartRadio #interview #interviews #radio #radioshow #radiointerview #iheart #podcast #podcasts #PodcastAndChill #radio1 #LiveShows #liveshow #music #thesongwritershow #songwriter #songwriting #lyrics #singersongwriter #singersongwriters #Songwriters #IndieMusic #MusicInterviews #tuesday #BehindTheScenes #behindthemusic #newmusic #musician #musicians #TuesdayThoughts #indie #indiemusic #indiesmusician #songwritershow #musicindustry #singer #musicproducer
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-songwriter-show--4297091/support.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Are you a songwriter? Are you looking to turn your
songwriting passion into a full time gig gig? Whether you
are just at the start of your songwriting journey or.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
A seasoned industry professional.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
This show is made for you.
Speaker 3 (00:13):
You.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
We would welcome to the Songwriter Show, bringing together songwriting, news,
interviews and communitating. Now welcome your host, Sronto.
Speaker 4 (00:25):
Thank you so much for tuning in, and welcome back
to the Songwriter Show right here on Reality Radio one
oh one. I'm your host, Sarantos, a solo music artist
who's been writing lyrics for as long as I can
remember or has just mean the absolute world to me,
and that's why I love hosting this show for you
every single Tuesday evening. I believe in my heart that
(00:45):
every song is a story. Tonight, I'm so excited to
have on the show Geene Moran. He's a singer songwriter
born with serira palsy who has an interesting story. He
was named twenty twenty four Beust Local Turbadour by The
Phoenix Bust of the Valley magazine Open for Chris Shelf
of food fighters at Belly Up and Solana Beach. The
White Buffalo, Jimbo Mathis of squirrel Nut Zippers, Three Bad Sacks,
(01:09):
and Vic Roggierio of the Slackers.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
And now welcome this week's special guest.
Speaker 4 (01:17):
Welcome to this show. How are you doing tonight, man,
I'm doing well.
Speaker 5 (01:20):
Thanks, thanks for having me.
Speaker 4 (01:21):
You're welcome. You got kind of an interesting story, obviously
in your bio, your medical stuff kind of popped out.
Tell us a little bit about your story.
Speaker 5 (01:30):
Okay, we'll check this out.
Speaker 6 (01:31):
See, I was born with sle palsy, which is a
neurological handicap, right, and it affects your fine and gross
motor skills, right, So I really shouldn't be able to
play guitar. However, like I figured out a way to
play in standard tuning by muting certain strings and letting
certain strings out to get your basic chords like a
G SC A D and that's all. You really need
(01:54):
a few chords to make a song. And I was
never proficient enough to cover a song, so I figured
I guess I got a start writing songs.
Speaker 4 (02:01):
Yeah, that's how happened. That's awesome, man, So tell us
a little bit about the first lick you learned how
to play on the guitar.
Speaker 6 (02:08):
The first chord I ever learned how to play was
a G, which is like like, at least how I
play my G is I play it only with my thumb.
And what I do is I get on the third fret,
I press down that the first E string, mute the
A and let the rest ring out, and that gives
me a G. And then I get a C by
putting down the A string and muting the E string
(02:30):
and letting that ring out, and then d is I
don't think it's the two dot fret up there and booms.
That's how I figured it out, and I'm like, hey,
I have something that's cool. I'm from a town called Uma, Arizona,
and there's a lot of interesting people in there, being
that it's a border town, people making bad choices, you know,
getting drinking and doing stuff like that, and makes.
Speaker 5 (02:51):
For a good writing material.
Speaker 4 (02:53):
Okay, yeah, I was going to ask you what inspired you?
But okay, yeah, tell us a little bit about these
live shows.
Speaker 5 (02:58):
The live shows.
Speaker 6 (02:59):
Okay, Well, I started playing out solo at the very
very beginning, and then I met a guy named Pete
Pirillo who suggested that he could help me out by
adding fills and a little you know, leads here and
there and some slide and then that developed, and then
a few years of that, then a buddy of mine
who's actually a real musician, like played in La Tour
around the world. He actually formed a band around my songs,
(03:22):
which is me and Jean in the Green Sardines based
in San Diego, and that's the band that actually opened
up for Chris Shifflett of the Foo Fighters, and we
played around San Diego and had some really cool opportunities,
which I never thought it would have happened someone like me.
Speaker 4 (03:38):
That's awesome. Yeah, I know, it's awesome, man.
Speaker 5 (03:40):
Yeah it's crazy. Yeah, it's rad. I never thought that's
what ever happened.
Speaker 4 (03:44):
Tell us about your songwriting process. How do you get started?
Speaker 6 (03:47):
Okay, so this is how the songwriting comes to me.
I have never sat out and said, you know, like
today I'm going to write a song. It seems like
like an opening line attached with the melody, well, like
fall in my lap, or like it's kind of like butterflies,
you know, I got and snatch them with a butterfly
and then see where they take me. And they're always
(04:09):
kind of based upon something that I'm thinking about.
Speaker 5 (04:12):
A story.
Speaker 6 (04:13):
A friend told me a family member, someody told me,
and that's how it is. And I think that's what
makes my songs relatable to a lot of people.
Speaker 4 (04:21):
You know, how do you balance your music with other
obligations in your life?
Speaker 6 (04:26):
Okay, actually I don't have any other obligations. I was
a teacher for twenty one years and I've always been
in a wheelchair. But I was slowing down about five
years ago and I found out I had a dislocated hip,
which slowed me down as in forms of getting.
Speaker 5 (04:43):
Dressed to go to work.
Speaker 6 (04:44):
It takes me forever to get to get ready to
go to work, so I never knew how long it
takes me. So I was able to retire with full benefits.
And now all I do is music. That's all I do.
And I'm wondering, like, like, maybe if this is the
way it was supposed to be. Sometimes I wonder that.
Speaker 4 (04:59):
You know, Yeah, I get it, you know, you know,
I know the rest of us, we all there's just
this whole industry based around scams and trying to rip
us off. Do you fall for any of that stuff?
Are there any that you've fallen for that you want
to share with us?
Speaker 2 (05:12):
No, I have never done that.
Speaker 6 (05:14):
I've never fallen for any any scams, only because I'm
skeptical about anything I see on the net. But I
have had opportunities just based by based on playing around
and people will see me and then weird things kind
of happen like that.
Speaker 5 (05:29):
But I've never fallen for a scam. You know, I'm
just totally skeptical.
Speaker 4 (05:35):
Yeah, no, I totally got it. If you could tell
us about the most surprising person that ever complimented your music,
who would that be?
Speaker 6 (05:41):
Okay, I went and saw Todd Snyder about a couple
of years ago, and he's one of my favorite songwriters.
And I was at the Belly Up in Salona Beach, California,
and I was getting in my truck after the show,
and this guy came up to me and he goes, hey, man,
are you Gene? And I thought, I thought, maybe, like
I was going to get mugged. I don't know what
(06:02):
was going on, you know, I know, I'm serious, I
didn't know what was going on. And he goes and
he could tell he spooked me and he's like, he's like,
I'm sorry, He's like he's a he backup. He's like,
do you have a band called me and Jean the
Green Sardines and I'm like yeah, and he's all, well,
I'm the booker for Belly Up and I love your
music and I'd like to help you. And then what
was even weird or was that he went back to
(06:24):
the tour bus, grabbed the opening act and the three
of us were listening to my songs in my truck
and they were talking about bands that I could open
up for. And then and then like a year later,
he told me to get a website and a business
card and it took me about a year to do that,
and within that year we were opening for christ Siffles
Food Fighters.
Speaker 4 (06:43):
That's awesome.
Speaker 6 (06:44):
And it was just I don't know. I was hanging
out in the parking lot and the guy heard me
weeks before something its wild.
Speaker 4 (06:52):
That's wild. Yeah, so Gane, is there a song that
you're so proud of but you haven't shared yet with
the world.
Speaker 6 (06:59):
I put them all pretty much on Spotify, But the
ones I haven't shared with anybody yet are the ones
that I'm still working on, and I'm constantly working on
a few, I mean on a lot actually right now.
One that I haven't shared is I had a song
called six hundred million dollar question, and it's about like
how long it takes to get over somebody.
Speaker 5 (07:21):
And I haven't shared that yet.
Speaker 6 (07:22):
But pretty much I'll write him, I'll record him and
turn them out like cause just because I don't want
to leave anything on the table, Like I don't know
how long I have on this book on this earth.
Speaker 5 (07:32):
So I just like to like boom boom boom boom boom.
You know, that's what I have to do.
Speaker 4 (07:36):
What's your favorite movie of all time?
Speaker 6 (07:38):
My favorite movie drama probably be The Godfather. Comedy might
be like Fast Times with Joe and High.
Speaker 4 (07:47):
That's a great movie, man, I remember watching that.
Speaker 5 (07:50):
Yeah, yeah, what's yours?
Speaker 4 (07:52):
God, I have so many movies I love from. If
I could tell you like the most, it have to
be either Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Rocky and I know
those are multiple films. Yeah, but it's got to be
one of those because that just inspired me so much
in the eighties. Man.
Speaker 5 (08:10):
Oh really, okay, that's cool. Yeah. I like Rocky.
Speaker 4 (08:12):
Yeah, I like Rocky.
Speaker 5 (08:14):
One of the best Rocky one, Rocky Tool, and then
but that last Rocky was really good too.
Speaker 4 (08:18):
It was yeah, it was yeah, it was good.
Speaker 7 (08:20):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (08:20):
Yeah, do you believe that there's a formula for hit
songs or is it all about feel?
Speaker 6 (08:25):
I think there's got to be a formula, I mean,
at least for mainstream. But I don't write mainstream, so
I don't do mainstream stuff. But I believe there is
a formula for like a top forty.
Speaker 5 (08:34):
Hit or something.
Speaker 6 (08:35):
You know. Yeah, like what they have like ten writers
per song and they know how to turn them out.
But for me, again, I'm not that great of a musician.
I got three chords, four chord, five chords. I work,
but so so they're not. There's not going to be
a whole lot to it. But I think in the
delivery of the honesty that's what also can sell a song. Yeah,
you know, that's what I think.
Speaker 4 (08:56):
All Right, I tell you what. Let's take a quick break.
Listen to your song. We'll come back and talk a
little morrow kitchen cool, all right, everybody check this out.
Here we go.
Speaker 8 (09:11):
There's a picture of me, which in the frame of
mirror teaking when I was three, holding electric guitar just
like like a rocking mostar.
Speaker 2 (09:23):
I played a rhythm, he played league.
Speaker 8 (09:27):
It was a talented man playing in a shitload of bands.
Speaker 2 (09:32):
He could make a good targ scream.
Speaker 8 (09:35):
I got a call one day and said he had
passed away, and there was something Handy dancing me.
Speaker 2 (09:43):
It was a beautiful than two humbuckers and strings. It
could make it in a drum ring, ill bloaded Indian.
Speaker 4 (09:53):
I am and when I.
Speaker 8 (09:54):
Started to vamp, Hey, man, it sounded us so sweet.
Then he went on stage gym bars and I'll dear
the mind and I'm rocking a dead man's guitar.
Speaker 9 (10:51):
People were resting around and seen him in town, and they.
Speaker 2 (10:56):
Were getting worried. They went and knocked on his door
and found him down on the floor. The must have heaven,
said inly.
Speaker 9 (11:07):
And in the back of his pants it was a
picture of me taken when I was to.
Speaker 8 (11:14):
Me holding electric guitar, just slack, a rocking b stuff,
just slack.
Speaker 2 (11:20):
The wall had a dancing me.
Speaker 8 (11:25):
And he wailed on stage in bars and i'lly did
the man.
Speaker 9 (11:34):
And I'm rocking a dead man's guitar and I'm rocking
a dead man's guitar.
Speaker 4 (11:54):
Thank you for sharing that song with us, man.
Speaker 5 (11:56):
Cool Hey, thanks for sharing it.
Speaker 4 (11:59):
Yeah, no, no problem. Do you prefer like modern digital
mix scene or you an analog guy.
Speaker 6 (12:05):
Oh no, I'm digital just because I can't play that well. So,
like I'm constantly like, I don't like the way this
turned out. But if I had the money and that, like,
like a lot of money, I would do analog to
go old school, just because I like the honesty in it.
Speaker 5 (12:18):
But I can't. It's a lot of money. Yeah, and
time and time.
Speaker 4 (12:22):
Yeah. I feel bad. Man. You keep saying you're not good.
You're not you know, Get that out of your head. Brother.
Speaker 5 (12:26):
Oh no, no, no, no, no, no, no, I'm not saying
I'm not good.
Speaker 6 (12:29):
I'm just saying that, Like, Okay, honestly, I think I'm
a better writer than I am a player.
Speaker 5 (12:34):
But it works what I do. I believe it works.
So I'm not selling myself. Sure, I just you know, yeah,
I get it, That's what I think.
Speaker 4 (12:41):
So do you have any pre performance rituals things that
you kind of have to do before a live show?
Speaker 5 (12:46):
Pre performance? Okay, you know what I had decay the
last time I had the last big show that I have.
Speaker 6 (12:52):
I practiced every day, but I didn't practice every like
like I practiced for maybe. I just did the set
every day and then I let it go and then
I gave it time.
Speaker 5 (13:03):
But the last the day before the show, I.
Speaker 6 (13:06):
Didn't practice at all, So I kind of take it
as like studying for a test, and then the show
is my is my test day. So either and if
I'm prepared, I know I'm either going to get A
A B or I'll probably either get an A or B.
So I'm not gonna totally like fail the test. So
I think if I practice, if I practice practice, practice,
(13:26):
I'm good. So I really don't have anything pre but
I think if I prepare, then i'm then I should
be good because I feel prepared.
Speaker 4 (13:33):
Do you have like a favorite nineties jam?
Speaker 5 (13:36):
Favorite nineties jam?
Speaker 6 (13:38):
In the nineties, I listened to a lot of like
Manchester sounds, so I like Stone Roses.
Speaker 5 (13:44):
I like from the nineties. I like I like to Cure.
Speaker 6 (13:48):
Okay, I would say nineties from the nineties. Maybe I'd
say I go with the Stone Roses, Stone Roses the nineties.
Speaker 5 (13:55):
Yeah, anything off that.
Speaker 6 (13:56):
First record I want to be Adored Elephant stew she
bangs a drum.
Speaker 5 (14:02):
Anything off that record is bad from the nineties.
Speaker 4 (14:04):
Yeah, that's Do you have a book that you hated
that everybody else loved?
Speaker 5 (14:10):
A book. You know, I never really, I never gotten
into reading. I don't.
Speaker 4 (14:14):
I don't.
Speaker 5 (14:15):
I don't. I don't read.
Speaker 9 (14:16):
I don't.
Speaker 5 (14:17):
I guess I don't have the maybe the patience to read.
Speaker 4 (14:20):
I don't.
Speaker 6 (14:20):
I don't know like or or maybe I just always writing.
So now I don't no not books.
Speaker 4 (14:28):
Now are there any apps on your phone or iPad
that you just can't live without?
Speaker 5 (14:33):
Apps?
Speaker 6 (14:34):
Do I have any reverb? I'm always checking out my
dream gear. I'm always looking at my dream gear. There's
always one more guitar I want to get, you know,
so like like like right now, what I want is
Gibson has this this Walnut les Paul Junior double cut away?
Speaker 1 (14:51):
Man?
Speaker 5 (14:51):
I want that but I didn't already have one, but
I want to. But I want a Walnut one. Okay,
So are you like that too? Do you like like gear?
Do you like heart and you know?
Speaker 4 (15:01):
Look I do. But I've made a concerted effort to
learn the gear I have and logic and a few
plug ins there. I'm kind of a nerd and a techie,
so yeah, I have. I have a bunch of waves
plug ins and Terra's stuff like that isotope. Those are
probably my three shaves, but I really really try not
(15:22):
to use a bunch of them. You really try to
learn how to use a few of them, because I
feel like that's really what it's about. Uh huh.
Speaker 6 (15:28):
Yeah, did you like do you like to buy instruments
or do you do you do you when you play?
Do you play a like acoustic guitar mostly or what
are your instruments?
Speaker 5 (15:37):
Well?
Speaker 4 (15:37):
So mostly like piano, and I create like a logic.
I dabble in a lot of different instruments. I'm really
learning the guitar more so than anything else right now.
But to me, it's all about the digital experience and
you know, trying to do good things with your shitty
family room where you're recording stuff. I wish one day
I have a studio. I can record something in abby
(15:58):
studio or somewhere really cool. That's kind of a dream,
you know.
Speaker 5 (16:02):
Yeah that's cool. Yeah, hopefully one day you'll do it. Hopefully, Yeah, totally,
it'd be cool.
Speaker 4 (16:08):
Tell us where people can buy your stuff stream at?
Where can they find your music?
Speaker 5 (16:12):
Okay, you can, you can.
Speaker 6 (16:13):
You can find my stuff everywhere like Pandora, uh, Spotify,
Apple everywhere, everywhere, SoundCloud, band Camp, everywhere.
Speaker 5 (16:22):
I'm on part of that.
Speaker 2 (16:23):
What do you call it?
Speaker 6 (16:24):
Uh, it's it's a sound it's a SoundCloud distribution.
Speaker 5 (16:28):
So they send it everywhere, and uh, that's where you
can find it. It's under Gene Moran Music too.
Speaker 4 (16:33):
Okay.
Speaker 6 (16:34):
And I have a friend named Michelle Hubbert that helps
me out and she's always like helping.
Speaker 5 (16:38):
She actually the one that emailed you.
Speaker 4 (16:39):
Do you have a favorite person that you love to
follow on YouTube that I like.
Speaker 5 (16:44):
To follow on YouTube?
Speaker 4 (16:45):
Who do I follow?
Speaker 2 (16:47):
No?
Speaker 5 (16:47):
I don't, I don't, I don't know, I don't. I
don't follow. I don't follow anybody on YouTube.
Speaker 4 (16:51):
Nah.
Speaker 6 (16:52):
Nah?
Speaker 5 (16:53):
Do you know anybody that I should follow?
Speaker 4 (16:54):
Oh? Man, I can't answer that for you.
Speaker 2 (16:56):
I think.
Speaker 4 (16:58):
What you're trying to like music wise, I'm always watching
different things. I think companies. I think there's some individual
guitarists and songwriters, and but there's no one I could
tell you that you just got to follow this person
and everything they release.
Speaker 6 (17:12):
Now, you know what we do watch a lot of
now that I'm thinking about it is that guy Rick
Beeto Beato Beato or something.
Speaker 4 (17:18):
Oh is it a guitarist, Yeah, that's the guitar.
Speaker 6 (17:21):
He always has awesome interviews with people about like how
they came up with a song or how did you
come up with this?
Speaker 5 (17:27):
Lig I watch a lot of him. Yeah, so I
guess I do.
Speaker 4 (17:31):
Okay, he's awesome. Yeah all right, man. I want to
thank you Gene for being on the show tonight. Man,
it was a great time. I hope you enjoyed it
and I think your story will resonate with the fans.
Speaker 5 (17:41):
Hey, well, thanks for having me. Seriously, thank you so much. Awesome.
Speaker 4 (17:44):
You're welcome, and thank you to all the fans out
there for spending a little bit of your precious time
with the two of us tonight and for being a
part of The Songwriter Show. If you're an artist with
his story to share, please go to the Songwriter Show
dot com and fill out the guest request for him.
I'm Sarantos. I hope you will join us every single
Tuesday evening as we uncover these inspiring journeys behind the music.
(18:05):
Keep creating, connecting, and let's get all of our stories heard.
I love you guys. Have a great.
Speaker 10 (18:10):
Nightly stuck in line.
Speaker 11 (18:28):
Friday night time to oddline, Light up ready.
Speaker 12 (18:36):
TI let the pot on be in love your life
than the journey.
Speaker 7 (18:51):
Feed fly to.
Speaker 12 (18:56):
Rock the line, Enjoy the rock.
Speaker 7 (19:08):
The Dan's the feeling lie.
Speaker 11 (19:19):
The shows a fire clean your bad so cool to
touch only with your eyes and finger finger on.
Speaker 12 (19:38):
The traer.
Speaker 3 (19:41):
Line it up. Joy the legger.
Speaker 13 (19:49):
Your life than the joy, feed the fly to rock
the lie.
Speaker 12 (20:04):
We try to rock.
Speaker 7 (20:10):
Then that's the feeling.
Speaker 4 (20:22):
All good things and and but we'll be back next week.
Speaker 3 (20:30):
Gain rock the.
Speaker 1 (20:49):
Joyank you for listening to The Songwriter Show. To keep
(21:25):
the momentum going, head over to www Dot songwriter show
dot com and join our free music community of artists, songwriters,
and producers. That's www. Dot songwriter show dot com.
Speaker 3 (22:32):
Many many many and and lo l hanging.
Speaker 7 (23:38):
Hello my name Hang Hang
Speaker 2 (23:55):
Hang by the Divisi
Are you a songwriter? Are you looking to turn your
songwriting passion into a full time gig gig? Whether you
are just at the start of your songwriting journey or.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
A seasoned industry professional.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
This show is made for you.
Speaker 3 (00:13):
You.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
We would welcome to the Songwriter Show, bringing together songwriting, news,
interviews and communitating. Now welcome your host, Sronto.
Speaker 4 (00:25):
Thank you so much for tuning in, and welcome back
to the Songwriter Show right here on Reality Radio one
oh one. I'm your host, Sarantos, a solo music artist
who's been writing lyrics for as long as I can
remember or has just mean the absolute world to me,
and that's why I love hosting this show for you
every single Tuesday evening. I believe in my heart that
(00:45):
every song is a story. Tonight, I'm so excited to
have on the show Geene Moran. He's a singer songwriter
born with serira palsy who has an interesting story. He
was named twenty twenty four Beust Local Turbadour by The
Phoenix Bust of the Valley magazine Open for Chris Shelf
of food fighters at Belly Up and Solana Beach. The
White Buffalo, Jimbo Mathis of squirrel Nut Zippers, Three Bad Sacks,
(01:09):
and Vic Roggierio of the Slackers.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
And now welcome this week's special guest.
Speaker 4 (01:17):
Welcome to this show. How are you doing tonight, man,
I'm doing well.
Speaker 5 (01:20):
Thanks, thanks for having me.
Speaker 4 (01:21):
You're welcome. You got kind of an interesting story, obviously
in your bio, your medical stuff kind of popped out.
Tell us a little bit about your story.
Speaker 5 (01:30):
Okay, we'll check this out.
Speaker 6 (01:31):
See, I was born with sle palsy, which is a
neurological handicap, right, and it affects your fine and gross
motor skills, right, So I really shouldn't be able to
play guitar. However, like I figured out a way to
play in standard tuning by muting certain strings and letting
certain strings out to get your basic chords like a
G SC A D and that's all. You really need
(01:54):
a few chords to make a song. And I was
never proficient enough to cover a song, so I figured
I guess I got a start writing songs.
Speaker 4 (02:01):
Yeah, that's how happened. That's awesome, man, So tell us
a little bit about the first lick you learned how
to play on the guitar.
Speaker 6 (02:08):
The first chord I ever learned how to play was
a G, which is like like, at least how I
play my G is I play it only with my thumb.
And what I do is I get on the third fret,
I press down that the first E string, mute the
A and let the rest ring out, and that gives
me a G. And then I get a C by
putting down the A string and muting the E string
(02:30):
and letting that ring out, and then d is I
don't think it's the two dot fret up there and booms.
That's how I figured it out, and I'm like, hey,
I have something that's cool. I'm from a town called Uma, Arizona,
and there's a lot of interesting people in there, being
that it's a border town, people making bad choices, you know,
getting drinking and doing stuff like that, and makes.
Speaker 5 (02:51):
For a good writing material.
Speaker 4 (02:53):
Okay, yeah, I was going to ask you what inspired you?
But okay, yeah, tell us a little bit about these
live shows.
Speaker 5 (02:58):
The live shows.
Speaker 6 (02:59):
Okay, Well, I started playing out solo at the very
very beginning, and then I met a guy named Pete
Pirillo who suggested that he could help me out by
adding fills and a little you know, leads here and
there and some slide and then that developed, and then
a few years of that, then a buddy of mine
who's actually a real musician, like played in La Tour
around the world. He actually formed a band around my songs,
(03:22):
which is me and Jean in the Green Sardines based
in San Diego, and that's the band that actually opened
up for Chris Shifflett of the Foo Fighters, and we
played around San Diego and had some really cool opportunities,
which I never thought it would have happened someone like me.
Speaker 4 (03:38):
That's awesome. Yeah, I know, it's awesome, man.
Speaker 5 (03:40):
Yeah it's crazy. Yeah, it's rad. I never thought that's
what ever happened.
Speaker 4 (03:44):
Tell us about your songwriting process. How do you get started?
Speaker 6 (03:47):
Okay, so this is how the songwriting comes to me.
I have never sat out and said, you know, like
today I'm going to write a song. It seems like
like an opening line attached with the melody, well, like
fall in my lap, or like it's kind of like butterflies,
you know, I got and snatch them with a butterfly
and then see where they take me. And they're always
(04:09):
kind of based upon something that I'm thinking about.
Speaker 5 (04:12):
A story.
Speaker 6 (04:13):
A friend told me a family member, someody told me,
and that's how it is. And I think that's what
makes my songs relatable to a lot of people.
Speaker 4 (04:21):
You know, how do you balance your music with other
obligations in your life?
Speaker 6 (04:26):
Okay, actually I don't have any other obligations. I was
a teacher for twenty one years and I've always been
in a wheelchair. But I was slowing down about five
years ago and I found out I had a dislocated hip,
which slowed me down as in forms of getting.
Speaker 5 (04:43):
Dressed to go to work.
Speaker 6 (04:44):
It takes me forever to get to get ready to
go to work, so I never knew how long it
takes me. So I was able to retire with full benefits.
And now all I do is music. That's all I do.
And I'm wondering, like, like, maybe if this is the
way it was supposed to be. Sometimes I wonder that.
Speaker 4 (04:59):
You know, Yeah, I get it, you know, you know,
I know the rest of us, we all there's just
this whole industry based around scams and trying to rip
us off. Do you fall for any of that stuff?
Are there any that you've fallen for that you want
to share with us?
Speaker 2 (05:12):
No, I have never done that.
Speaker 6 (05:14):
I've never fallen for any any scams, only because I'm
skeptical about anything I see on the net. But I
have had opportunities just based by based on playing around
and people will see me and then weird things kind
of happen like that.
Speaker 5 (05:29):
But I've never fallen for a scam. You know, I'm
just totally skeptical.
Speaker 4 (05:35):
Yeah, no, I totally got it. If you could tell
us about the most surprising person that ever complimented your music,
who would that be?
Speaker 6 (05:41):
Okay, I went and saw Todd Snyder about a couple
of years ago, and he's one of my favorite songwriters.
And I was at the Belly Up in Salona Beach, California,
and I was getting in my truck after the show,
and this guy came up to me and he goes, hey, man,
are you Gene? And I thought, I thought, maybe, like
I was going to get mugged. I don't know what
(06:02):
was going on, you know, I know, I'm serious, I
didn't know what was going on. And he goes and
he could tell he spooked me and he's like, he's like,
I'm sorry, He's like he's a he backup. He's like,
do you have a band called me and Jean the
Green Sardines and I'm like yeah, and he's all, well,
I'm the booker for Belly Up and I love your
music and I'd like to help you. And then what
was even weird or was that he went back to
(06:24):
the tour bus, grabbed the opening act and the three
of us were listening to my songs in my truck
and they were talking about bands that I could open
up for. And then and then like a year later,
he told me to get a website and a business
card and it took me about a year to do that,
and within that year we were opening for christ Siffles
Food Fighters.
Speaker 4 (06:43):
That's awesome.
Speaker 6 (06:44):
And it was just I don't know. I was hanging
out in the parking lot and the guy heard me
weeks before something its wild.
Speaker 4 (06:52):
That's wild. Yeah, so Gane, is there a song that
you're so proud of but you haven't shared yet with
the world.
Speaker 6 (06:59):
I put them all pretty much on Spotify, But the
ones I haven't shared with anybody yet are the ones
that I'm still working on, and I'm constantly working on
a few, I mean on a lot actually right now.
One that I haven't shared is I had a song
called six hundred million dollar question, and it's about like
how long it takes to get over somebody.
Speaker 5 (07:21):
And I haven't shared that yet.
Speaker 6 (07:22):
But pretty much I'll write him, I'll record him and
turn them out like cause just because I don't want
to leave anything on the table, Like I don't know
how long I have on this book on this earth.
Speaker 5 (07:32):
So I just like to like boom boom boom boom boom.
You know, that's what I have to do.
Speaker 4 (07:36):
What's your favorite movie of all time?
Speaker 6 (07:38):
My favorite movie drama probably be The Godfather. Comedy might
be like Fast Times with Joe and High.
Speaker 4 (07:47):
That's a great movie, man, I remember watching that.
Speaker 5 (07:50):
Yeah, yeah, what's yours?
Speaker 4 (07:52):
God, I have so many movies I love from. If
I could tell you like the most, it have to
be either Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Rocky and I know
those are multiple films. Yeah, but it's got to be
one of those because that just inspired me so much
in the eighties. Man.
Speaker 5 (08:10):
Oh really, okay, that's cool. Yeah. I like Rocky.
Speaker 4 (08:12):
Yeah, I like Rocky.
Speaker 5 (08:14):
One of the best Rocky one, Rocky Tool, and then
but that last Rocky was really good too.
Speaker 4 (08:18):
It was yeah, it was yeah, it was good.
Speaker 7 (08:20):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (08:20):
Yeah, do you believe that there's a formula for hit
songs or is it all about feel?
Speaker 6 (08:25):
I think there's got to be a formula, I mean,
at least for mainstream. But I don't write mainstream, so
I don't do mainstream stuff. But I believe there is
a formula for like a top forty.
Speaker 5 (08:34):
Hit or something.
Speaker 6 (08:35):
You know. Yeah, like what they have like ten writers
per song and they know how to turn them out.
But for me, again, I'm not that great of a musician.
I got three chords, four chord, five chords. I work,
but so so they're not. There's not going to be
a whole lot to it. But I think in the
delivery of the honesty that's what also can sell a song. Yeah,
you know, that's what I think.
Speaker 4 (08:56):
All Right, I tell you what. Let's take a quick break.
Listen to your song. We'll come back and talk a
little morrow kitchen cool, all right, everybody check this out.
Here we go.
Speaker 8 (09:11):
There's a picture of me, which in the frame of
mirror teaking when I was three, holding electric guitar just
like like a rocking mostar.
Speaker 2 (09:23):
I played a rhythm, he played league.
Speaker 8 (09:27):
It was a talented man playing in a shitload of bands.
Speaker 2 (09:32):
He could make a good targ scream.
Speaker 8 (09:35):
I got a call one day and said he had
passed away, and there was something Handy dancing me.
Speaker 2 (09:43):
It was a beautiful than two humbuckers and strings. It
could make it in a drum ring, ill bloaded Indian.
Speaker 4 (09:53):
I am and when I.
Speaker 8 (09:54):
Started to vamp, Hey, man, it sounded us so sweet.
Then he went on stage gym bars and I'll dear
the mind and I'm rocking a dead man's guitar.
Speaker 9 (10:51):
People were resting around and seen him in town, and they.
Speaker 2 (10:56):
Were getting worried. They went and knocked on his door
and found him down on the floor. The must have heaven,
said inly.
Speaker 9 (11:07):
And in the back of his pants it was a
picture of me taken when I was to.
Speaker 8 (11:14):
Me holding electric guitar, just slack, a rocking b stuff,
just slack.
Speaker 2 (11:20):
The wall had a dancing me.
Speaker 8 (11:25):
And he wailed on stage in bars and i'lly did
the man.
Speaker 9 (11:34):
And I'm rocking a dead man's guitar and I'm rocking
a dead man's guitar.
Speaker 4 (11:54):
Thank you for sharing that song with us, man.
Speaker 5 (11:56):
Cool Hey, thanks for sharing it.
Speaker 4 (11:59):
Yeah, no, no problem. Do you prefer like modern digital
mix scene or you an analog guy.
Speaker 6 (12:05):
Oh no, I'm digital just because I can't play that well. So,
like I'm constantly like, I don't like the way this
turned out. But if I had the money and that, like,
like a lot of money, I would do analog to
go old school, just because I like the honesty in it.
Speaker 5 (12:18):
But I can't. It's a lot of money. Yeah, and
time and time.
Speaker 4 (12:22):
Yeah. I feel bad. Man. You keep saying you're not good.
You're not you know, Get that out of your head. Brother.
Speaker 5 (12:26):
Oh no, no, no, no, no, no, no, I'm not saying
I'm not good.
Speaker 6 (12:29):
I'm just saying that, Like, Okay, honestly, I think I'm
a better writer than I am a player.
Speaker 5 (12:34):
But it works what I do. I believe it works.
So I'm not selling myself. Sure, I just you know, yeah,
I get it, That's what I think.
Speaker 4 (12:41):
So do you have any pre performance rituals things that
you kind of have to do before a live show?
Speaker 5 (12:46):
Pre performance? Okay, you know what I had decay the
last time I had the last big show that I have.
Speaker 6 (12:52):
I practiced every day, but I didn't practice every like
like I practiced for maybe. I just did the set
every day and then I let it go and then
I gave it time.
Speaker 5 (13:03):
But the last the day before the show, I.
Speaker 6 (13:06):
Didn't practice at all, So I kind of take it
as like studying for a test, and then the show
is my is my test day. So either and if
I'm prepared, I know I'm either going to get A
A B or I'll probably either get an A or B.
So I'm not gonna totally like fail the test. So
I think if I practice, if I practice practice, practice,
(13:26):
I'm good. So I really don't have anything pre but
I think if I prepare, then i'm then I should
be good because I feel prepared.
Speaker 4 (13:33):
Do you have like a favorite nineties jam?
Speaker 5 (13:36):
Favorite nineties jam?
Speaker 6 (13:38):
In the nineties, I listened to a lot of like
Manchester sounds, so I like Stone Roses.
Speaker 5 (13:44):
I like from the nineties. I like I like to Cure.
Speaker 6 (13:48):
Okay, I would say nineties from the nineties. Maybe I'd
say I go with the Stone Roses, Stone Roses the nineties.
Speaker 5 (13:55):
Yeah, anything off that.
Speaker 6 (13:56):
First record I want to be Adored Elephant stew she
bangs a drum.
Speaker 5 (14:02):
Anything off that record is bad from the nineties.
Speaker 4 (14:04):
Yeah, that's Do you have a book that you hated
that everybody else loved?
Speaker 5 (14:10):
A book. You know, I never really, I never gotten
into reading. I don't.
Speaker 4 (14:14):
I don't.
Speaker 5 (14:15):
I don't. I don't read.
Speaker 9 (14:16):
I don't.
Speaker 5 (14:17):
I guess I don't have the maybe the patience to read.
Speaker 4 (14:20):
I don't.
Speaker 6 (14:20):
I don't know like or or maybe I just always writing.
So now I don't no not books.
Speaker 4 (14:28):
Now are there any apps on your phone or iPad
that you just can't live without?
Speaker 5 (14:33):
Apps?
Speaker 6 (14:34):
Do I have any reverb? I'm always checking out my
dream gear. I'm always looking at my dream gear. There's
always one more guitar I want to get, you know,
so like like like right now, what I want is
Gibson has this this Walnut les Paul Junior double cut away?
Speaker 1 (14:51):
Man?
Speaker 5 (14:51):
I want that but I didn't already have one, but
I want to. But I want a Walnut one. Okay,
So are you like that too? Do you like like gear?
Do you like heart and you know?
Speaker 4 (15:01):
Look I do. But I've made a concerted effort to
learn the gear I have and logic and a few
plug ins there. I'm kind of a nerd and a techie,
so yeah, I have. I have a bunch of waves
plug ins and Terra's stuff like that isotope. Those are
probably my three shaves, but I really really try not
(15:22):
to use a bunch of them. You really try to
learn how to use a few of them, because I
feel like that's really what it's about. Uh huh.
Speaker 6 (15:28):
Yeah, did you like do you like to buy instruments
or do you do you do you when you play?
Do you play a like acoustic guitar mostly or what
are your instruments?
Speaker 5 (15:37):
Well?
Speaker 4 (15:37):
So mostly like piano, and I create like a logic.
I dabble in a lot of different instruments. I'm really
learning the guitar more so than anything else right now.
But to me, it's all about the digital experience and
you know, trying to do good things with your shitty
family room where you're recording stuff. I wish one day
I have a studio. I can record something in abby
(15:58):
studio or somewhere really cool. That's kind of a dream,
you know.
Speaker 5 (16:02):
Yeah that's cool. Yeah, hopefully one day you'll do it. Hopefully, Yeah, totally,
it'd be cool.
Speaker 4 (16:08):
Tell us where people can buy your stuff stream at?
Where can they find your music?
Speaker 5 (16:12):
Okay, you can, you can.
Speaker 6 (16:13):
You can find my stuff everywhere like Pandora, uh, Spotify,
Apple everywhere, everywhere, SoundCloud, band Camp, everywhere.
Speaker 5 (16:22):
I'm on part of that.
Speaker 2 (16:23):
What do you call it?
Speaker 6 (16:24):
Uh, it's it's a sound it's a SoundCloud distribution.
Speaker 5 (16:28):
So they send it everywhere, and uh, that's where you
can find it. It's under Gene Moran Music too.
Speaker 4 (16:33):
Okay.
Speaker 6 (16:34):
And I have a friend named Michelle Hubbert that helps
me out and she's always like helping.
Speaker 5 (16:38):
She actually the one that emailed you.
Speaker 4 (16:39):
Do you have a favorite person that you love to
follow on YouTube that I like.
Speaker 5 (16:44):
To follow on YouTube?
Speaker 4 (16:45):
Who do I follow?
Speaker 2 (16:47):
No?
Speaker 5 (16:47):
I don't, I don't, I don't know, I don't. I
don't follow. I don't follow anybody on YouTube.
Speaker 4 (16:51):
Nah.
Speaker 6 (16:52):
Nah?
Speaker 5 (16:53):
Do you know anybody that I should follow?
Speaker 4 (16:54):
Oh? Man, I can't answer that for you.
Speaker 2 (16:56):
I think.
Speaker 4 (16:58):
What you're trying to like music wise, I'm always watching
different things. I think companies. I think there's some individual
guitarists and songwriters, and but there's no one I could
tell you that you just got to follow this person
and everything they release.
Speaker 6 (17:12):
Now, you know what we do watch a lot of
now that I'm thinking about it is that guy Rick
Beeto Beato Beato or something.
Speaker 4 (17:18):
Oh is it a guitarist, Yeah, that's the guitar.
Speaker 6 (17:21):
He always has awesome interviews with people about like how
they came up with a song or how did you
come up with this?
Speaker 5 (17:27):
Lig I watch a lot of him. Yeah, so I
guess I do.
Speaker 4 (17:31):
Okay, he's awesome. Yeah all right, man. I want to
thank you Gene for being on the show tonight. Man,
it was a great time. I hope you enjoyed it
and I think your story will resonate with the fans.
Speaker 5 (17:41):
Hey, well, thanks for having me. Seriously, thank you so much. Awesome.
Speaker 4 (17:44):
You're welcome, and thank you to all the fans out
there for spending a little bit of your precious time
with the two of us tonight and for being a
part of The Songwriter Show. If you're an artist with
his story to share, please go to the Songwriter Show
dot com and fill out the guest request for him.
I'm Sarantos. I hope you will join us every single
Tuesday evening as we uncover these inspiring journeys behind the music.
(18:05):
Keep creating, connecting, and let's get all of our stories heard.
I love you guys. Have a great.
Speaker 10 (18:10):
Nightly stuck in line.
Speaker 11 (18:28):
Friday night time to oddline, Light up ready.
Speaker 12 (18:36):
TI let the pot on be in love your life
than the journey.
Speaker 7 (18:51):
Feed fly to.
Speaker 12 (18:56):
Rock the line, Enjoy the rock.
Speaker 7 (19:08):
The Dan's the feeling lie.
Speaker 11 (19:19):
The shows a fire clean your bad so cool to
touch only with your eyes and finger finger on.
Speaker 12 (19:38):
The traer.
Speaker 3 (19:41):
Line it up. Joy the legger.
Speaker 13 (19:49):
Your life than the joy, feed the fly to rock
the lie.
Speaker 12 (20:04):
We try to rock.
Speaker 7 (20:10):
Then that's the feeling.
Speaker 4 (20:22):
All good things and and but we'll be back next week.
Speaker 3 (20:30):
Gain rock the.
Speaker 1 (20:49):
Joyank you for listening to The Songwriter Show. To keep
(21:25):
the momentum going, head over to www Dot songwriter show
dot com and join our free music community of artists, songwriters,
and producers. That's www. Dot songwriter show dot com.
Speaker 3 (22:32):
Many many many and and lo l hanging.
Speaker 7 (23:38):
Hello my name Hang Hang
Speaker 2 (23:55):
Hang by the Divisi
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