Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
Welcome to Georgia Focus. I'm John Clark on the Georgia
News Network. In October of two thousand and five, singer
songwriter producer Todd Mack organized a backyard barbecue jam to
honor his friend and bandmate, Daniel Pearl, Wall Street Journal
reporter abducted and murdered by extremists in Pakistan in two
thousand and two. That led to Music in Common. Music
in Common strengthens, empowers and connects communities through the universal
(00:34):
language of music. They curate experiences for people across all
social divides to discover common ground through facilitated conversation and music. Today,
our guests are from Music in Common, Todd Mack, the founder,
and Trey Carlisle, program and project manager. Here we are
again at Constellations in Sweet Auburn, and it's a great
(00:55):
it's great to see you guys. Straight and Todd. It's
great to have you. Great to be here today and
I appreciate you inviting me over here. Todd, How did
how did you start Music in Common?
Speaker 2 (01:04):
Yeah, thanks for the question, John, Musical comm When I
started twenty years ago in response to the murder of
my friend and Daniel Pearl and the Wilster General reporter
who was adapted in murdered by extremists in Pakistan shortly
after nine to eleven. Danny, in addition to being an
extremely talented journalist and reporter, was a superbly talented musician.
(01:30):
And he and I met here in Atlanta. He had
moved here just to take his first posted.
Speaker 3 (01:37):
For the Wall Street Journal in nineteen ninety And you know,
I met shortly after he got here, put a bunch
of bands together and remained close friends up to his
tragic and.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
Now he lived in Atlanta. He oh, he did live
And what did he playing?
Speaker 2 (01:55):
He was a classically trained violinist, dean bluegrass field players,
played some mandolin and bass, and he see a perfect pitch.
He's crazy talented.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
Well, so you played in banch with him all through
the years.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
I did well he was here, especially but then when
he went from Atlanta to d C for his next
his next posting with the Wall Street Journal. And whenever
I was on tour, he'd sit in with me in
New York or d C.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
Oh Man, that's terrific. And I'm sure it was a
terrible shot to you when he died.
Speaker 4 (02:30):
I was terrible.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
It was I mean, you know, doing the line of
work that he was in. I think it always sort
of loomed in the back of the back of our heads.
Like he reported from some pretty dangerous places, and uh,
I think it comes with the territory that their risks involved,
and sadly it was sort of a worse a worse
(02:53):
night America.
Speaker 5 (02:54):
True.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
So you used that to form music in common and
you started how did how did you start from get
musicians together?
Speaker 5 (03:01):
What did you do to then exactly?
Speaker 2 (03:03):
So, you know, one of the things that Danny would
do when he was on assignment for the Journal, including overseas,
is he'd found these local jam sessions to sit and
it was his way of sort of learning about the
local culture of the local community, which I think really
helped instructure his reporting. And so a couple of years
(03:24):
after he was few years after he was murdered, I
was just looking for a way to respond to the
hate and the violence that took his life, and I
tapped into the only thing that I really knew how,
which was music, which is what we shared as friends,
but also of a belief in music as a way
to connect people, and so I organized this sort of
(03:46):
glorified jam session in my backyard on his birthday, Oh wow,
and brought about eleven or twelve musicians together, none of
them really knew each other, and about forty fifty people
came to check it out. And it sort of was
trying to model from there kind of grew and sort
(04:08):
of traveling, and really the model was how Danny lived
his life, how he would find these little bit jam
sessions to sit in on no matter where he was,
as a way to sort of bring people together and
learn about where he was. And that sort of became
the foundation for music and commons would then go on
(04:33):
to grow in too much broader programming.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
And how did you still have something on his birthday?
Every year.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
Thought fest which is an acronym for Friends of Danny Festival.
And we are in the twentieth anniversary of it this
year and still doing it, and we have I think
done probably over well over one hundred of the across
(05:02):
the country in the Far East.
Speaker 4 (05:05):
And the Middle East.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
Yeah, it had over a thousand musicians participates.
Speaker 1 (05:10):
Oh, now is it in Atlanta every year?
Speaker 4 (05:13):
Here?
Speaker 5 (05:13):
When we try to do it in Atlanta every year?
Speaker 2 (05:16):
Yeah, so it moves around a lot, but Atlanta being
based here we try to make sure we have at
least morn event here every year.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
And now we have Music in Common trade. You work
music in Common? What do you?
Speaker 4 (05:29):
What do you?
Speaker 1 (05:30):
What do you do with Musican comment?
Speaker 6 (05:32):
Yes, so I'm the program some projects manager for Music
in Commons.
Speaker 4 (05:36):
So I get to co design, facilitate.
Speaker 6 (05:40):
Organize, manage the amazing programs, concerts, workshops that we do.
Speaker 4 (05:45):
All right, that's I get to be on the front
lines of that.
Speaker 6 (05:49):
I got involved in Music in Common though nine years
ago as.
Speaker 4 (05:53):
A program participant, so I was seventeen.
Speaker 6 (05:57):
I participated in one of the Music in Commons called JAMS,
which stands for Music as Journalism as Music, multi media
and songwriting. And that's where we will bring together people
from diverse communities, often communities that I rarely interact.
Speaker 7 (06:17):
With each other on a daily basis and are at
risk conflict, to have conversations where they can recognize or
share humanity and find common ground and co.
Speaker 6 (06:28):
Create original music about how we can move forward and
then showcase that music to the community in concerts and
performances in music videos. So I participated in the JAMS
program that brought Jewish, Christian and Muslim teens together on
the fifteenth anniversary of nine to eleven, and that program
(06:48):
changed my life and showed me the power that not
only creating spaces of conversation and bridgibility is essential to
preventing hate in other rooms and polarization, which I feel
is needed now more than ever, the spaces to prevent that,
but how music can be a.
Speaker 4 (07:09):
Very powerful tool in doing so, and so I wanted
to stay involved. And then in twenty twenty, when.
Speaker 6 (07:15):
I graduated college, I got an internship with Music in
Common and realize this is the type of work that
I see myself for the rest of my life.
Speaker 4 (07:25):
It's been beautiful to do that.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
What do you play?
Speaker 6 (07:28):
I play bass, guitar, play keys, I played. I primarily
play drums and percussion, but I'm also a hip hop
EMC so I rap.
Speaker 1 (07:39):
Oh wow, songwriter?
Speaker 5 (07:41):
Oh man, what do you play?
Speaker 1 (07:44):
I forgot to ask you that, what do you play?
Speaker 2 (07:46):
I play guitar primarily, and I'm a songwriter, singer and
play a little bit.
Speaker 1 (07:54):
Okay, okay, I got to ask you that. I want
to know. So, so now you come up with the
programs that they do every day every year, like the
annual fest on Daniel Jeff's birthday.
Speaker 5 (08:06):
I think that's Todd.
Speaker 1 (08:07):
Well, I know, but that's what I mean.
Speaker 5 (08:10):
Yeah, I am on.
Speaker 6 (08:11):
The on the front lines with Todd and helping facilitate that,
organize that with Todd's mentorship.
Speaker 4 (08:19):
Now even booking a bit of that too.
Speaker 6 (08:22):
But one of our programs which we launched in twenty
twenty are Black Legacy Project, which is our musical celebration
of black history to advance racial harmony, Bridge Good and Partnership.
Speaker 4 (08:34):
Todd and I co created that together from the ground now.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
And you just started that a couple of years ago, right.
Speaker 6 (08:42):
Twenty twenty one when we launched it. We conceptualize the
idea in twenty.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
Twenty, what do you do with that?
Speaker 5 (08:48):
But yeah, so we will travel.
Speaker 6 (08:50):
We launched the project with these week long residencies in
seven communities across the country.
Speaker 5 (08:57):
We brought black and white folks.
Speaker 6 (08:59):
Together to the discuss the history of race relations in
their communities, using the songs throughout history that had direct
ties to their community to spark the conversation. So like,
for example, when we were in Massachusetts, we had folks
discussed Lift Effery Voice and Sing because the writer of
(09:21):
theft Every Voice and Sing had a writing cabin in Massachusetts.
In the virtues from those conversations, We then had local
black and white musicians reimagine those songs for the present
day as well as co write original songs together about
how we can move forward. And so we did that
in seven communities, including Atlanta, places with really strong black history,
(09:48):
places where you wouldn't even think black folks lived there,
like Lucy, Idaho, oh, really small towns running the whole gamut. Really,
it's just to be the snapshot of just that versus
experience of living in America. And from that, twenty four
songs have come out. Twelve of them you can hear
on all streaming platforms now at our Black Lacy Project
(10:10):
Album Volume one Yeah, Album two will be dropping in
the fall and August specifically, okay. And then we also
are in production of a feature length film in a
docu series which tells the story of the project as well.
Speaker 4 (10:28):
Oh man, that's fantastic, thank you.
Speaker 6 (10:30):
And now we have a touring band which travels the
country showcasing all of the songs that have come out.
Speaker 1 (10:35):
How do you get people to become involved? They any musician,
no matter where they are, like here in Atlanta, you
can do Atlanta and wherever they're maybe them for making
or wherever any musician can can apply. Is that how
you would talk?
Speaker 5 (10:49):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (10:49):
Yeah, I mean we try to sort a cast and
open that and make it a place where everyone's got
an opportunity. We also do that sort of been reversed,
where we'll seek out musicians specifically, either because we're dialed
into the music scene in that particular community or just
(11:10):
from doing some research about who the local musicians are.
Speaker 4 (11:15):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (11:15):
So so you go and you'll say, well, we want
to do something in like something wrap you look, you look.
Speaker 5 (11:21):
For somebody that does that exactly.
Speaker 1 (11:22):
Okay, do you do you work in all genres of music,
all types of music we strive to Yeah. Yeah, like
country and rock and whatever. Yeah that's great. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (11:35):
Our favorite thing is to do country and rap together.
Speaker 5 (11:37):
Oh yeah, there.
Speaker 1 (11:40):
I have a friend who does that. Yeah. Oh wow,
that's yeah. What are some of them you mentioned Idaho?
Where are some of the other cities you work with?
Is that this is the type of project?
Speaker 4 (11:54):
Yes, Well, with.
Speaker 6 (11:55):
The black Belt Piece specifically, we did a launch and
Western that's Chusts with the Berkshires, the Ozarks in Arkansas,
Los Angeles California, Boise, Idaho, the Mississippi Delta in Atlanta, Georgia,
and Denver, Colorado.
Speaker 4 (12:17):
So that's what we did the seven launches.
Speaker 8 (12:20):
Since then, we have taken the Band on tour literally
all down the West coast, all down the East coast,
parts of the South.
Speaker 6 (12:31):
Including even like Tuskegee, Alabama. And that's just our Black
Legacy project. Alum. We have taken our different programs like
our Jams program, our Amplified program, the different work MINK
does all across the country and all across the globe.
Speaker 9 (12:49):
We have done programs in the Middle East bringing together
Palestinian and Israeli young folks together to co create music
together and have bridge building conversations. We have taken Todd
has taken the fove Fests, Friends and Danny Festival to
honor Danny Poll's life.
Speaker 4 (13:08):
The flagship program that's Starting Music in.
Speaker 6 (13:10):
Common on tour all across the globe, including in Taiwan,
all across the nation.
Speaker 4 (13:16):
So we do work internationally.
Speaker 1 (13:19):
Yeah, talk about the other programs you do well. First
of all, I think it's great. I'm a big music
fan and music does seem to bring people together like
nothing else does, no matter who you voted for or
what you think about this, or that you come together
with music and it just it's great. But talk about
some of the other programs you have.
Speaker 4 (13:40):
Yeah, So.
Speaker 6 (13:43):
With Jams being the flagship program that we do, we
will have different shows that showcase the.
Speaker 4 (13:50):
Songs that have come out of our various programs. So
we have, of course what a Black Legacy Project show.
Speaker 6 (13:57):
We have a show called Amplify, which is where we
will showcase and perform songs that have come out of
our different Jams programs. We have our Songs and Stories Show,
which is.
Speaker 10 (14:09):
A show that Todd and I can do as a duo,
but also it expands to trio quartet where we share
stories that have come out of music and comments twenty
years work of doing work with songs, multimedia, digital imagery, poetry, stories.
Speaker 6 (14:31):
And of course we have our Friends of Danny Festival
every October bringing in local musicians and the.
Speaker 4 (14:39):
Song Swap Jam Session concert to auna Danny's life and
then the different communities. And then in.
Speaker 6 (14:49):
Addition to that, we love going working in schools, universities, houses.
Speaker 4 (14:55):
Of worship to do different types of workshops.
Speaker 6 (15:00):
Sometimes this looks like a listening lab where we will
have folks discuss the experience of diverse communities through analyzing
the lyrics of songs throughout history.
Speaker 4 (15:11):
Around a specific theme.
Speaker 6 (15:14):
We have are around the Mic, which is show we
like doing in Atlanta, specifically bringing together different.
Speaker 4 (15:21):
Artists of different musical and local genres to connect with
each other. So, yeah, those are a list, and if
you want to learn more.
Speaker 6 (15:29):
About what we did, you can check out our website
Musicancomma dot org.
Speaker 4 (15:33):
We got all the programs that we do.
Speaker 1 (15:34):
Listen, where do you do these ad do you pick
up a club like a local music club or a
building like this or something like that. Where do you
pick to do these events?
Speaker 2 (15:44):
It's pretty it's a pretty wide variety of venues. Sometimes
it's like a traditional music venue, but a lot of
times we're doing it and we're really trying to meet
people where they are schools, colleges, houses of worship, community centers,
(16:06):
arts centers. Yeah, we've done events break here and constellations,
which is like you know, our sort of our Atlanta
home and so really it's a pretty wide kindle of venue.
Speaker 1 (16:23):
What is your next event coming up? Do you have
anything coming up being promote right now?
Speaker 2 (16:27):
Well, we have some events happening in the fall. We're
still kind of finalizing the details on those.
Speaker 5 (16:34):
There will be a.
Speaker 2 (16:37):
Likely a Black Legacy Project concert five.
Speaker 5 (16:40):
Fast as well.
Speaker 1 (16:43):
And then.
Speaker 2 (16:45):
Right now we're very focused on getting the new Black
Legacy Project out now, which will is scheduled to release
on August twenty second, and we're trying to finish up
this feature film about the Black Legacy Project. So those
(17:05):
are two priorities right now we have and then we
have the touring will.
Speaker 1 (17:12):
Pick back up and fall, And now you guys got
on to it, to it, play, play with the band,
the bands together, right.
Speaker 2 (17:20):
It depends on the show is almost always in the band.
Sometimes I'm just a roady.
Speaker 1 (17:26):
It's funny, fun that works out in there. Talk about
that playing in it.
Speaker 4 (17:32):
Oh yeah, it's It's a gift, man.
Speaker 6 (17:35):
I love performing live music since I was eleven. Yeah,
and specifically sharing songs that tell stories that can inspire.
Speaker 4 (17:46):
People and move people and bring people together.
Speaker 6 (17:49):
But to literally do that in a manner that is
so intentional with the music and common uh songs that
we share and the music and common band, the Black
Opie Band, It's a gift, man.
Speaker 4 (18:03):
It's awesome.
Speaker 1 (18:05):
How big is your band, your band that you have,
just how do you you make it certain size or.
Speaker 4 (18:10):
It varies various sizes, various based on the shows.
Speaker 6 (18:13):
We have done eight piece bands with the Black Legacy
Project before all the way up.
Speaker 4 (18:18):
To duo shows between Todd and I. So well, it's
based on the program, the show, the.
Speaker 1 (18:23):
Band, and you just play at these places. You go
and just go and play it. Who comes to these
who comes to the events?
Speaker 6 (18:30):
Yeah, so it varies, so a lot of the We
love bringing music to community and so we love doing
shows at schools, for school assemblies, for students and their
families at universities, and we also love performing at festivals.
We've done stuff at the Fresh Grass Festival in Arkansas
(18:51):
and also in Massachusetts for thousands of people. Also loved
doing stuff with like nonprofits, cammunity centers, so it really
runs the whole game.
Speaker 4 (19:04):
And we've done shows and constellations here as well.
Speaker 6 (19:08):
So really try to bring the music to different spaces
to different people.
Speaker 4 (19:15):
That leads to most people as possible.
Speaker 1 (19:17):
Talk about a little bit more about what you do
in schools, because that is that's a great place to
reach these kids early on, and you go from there
exactly how does that work.
Speaker 4 (19:28):
For you in school? Yeah, it's lovely.
Speaker 6 (19:30):
So all of our all of our programming, even our concerts,
they all involve conversation between community members in.
Speaker 4 (19:39):
One way or another.
Speaker 6 (19:41):
So a lot of times we have done concerts for
students where we will showcase a film about one of
our programs, let's say our Black Legacy Project. We will
have a maybe an hour long concert showcasing the songs
that have come out of our programs. And then we
love doing like a two way we call it two
(20:02):
way Q and A the community conversation where not only
will audience members get to ask about the work we do,
but we get to ask them questions about how they're
integrating the lessons stories that they learn from these songs
into their own lives, what can they do to build
bridges in.
Speaker 4 (20:21):
Their own communities.
Speaker 6 (20:22):
And we do it across the board and all venues
that we do in theaters, festivals, not just for schools.
Sometimes what we will do in addition to those concerts
at schools is we will do listening labs. We will
do our Jams program for students as well. We will
do residency sometimes in schools for a week, engaging the
(20:46):
students in the process of conversation and music making, So
it all varies.
Speaker 4 (20:50):
But we love doing.
Speaker 6 (20:51):
Self at schools because it allows us to provide more.
Speaker 4 (20:56):
Immersive programming for the next generation.
Speaker 1 (21:00):
Yeah yeah, so so any school can should contact you
if they want to get involved.
Speaker 6 (21:04):
He absolutely, any school they wants to get involved and
bring our work to them can reach out Todd at
Music in Common dot Org, Trey at Music and Common
dot org, or in.
Speaker 4 (21:17):
Full at Music and Common.
Speaker 11 (21:19):
Or where do you Where do you practice? Do you
have a studio you use practice? Where do you make music?
Where do you make music that record music can put
it out? Where do you where you do where do
you practice? Do you practice there?
Speaker 4 (21:32):
So it varies.
Speaker 12 (21:33):
So because we do work all over and we travel
all over, we will we love collaborating with local partners,
local groups to do different processes. So when we did
the Black Legacy project, we recorded at different studios in
those seven.
Speaker 6 (21:49):
Communities all okay, and rehearse in different spaces. When we
do stuff in Atlanta, sometimes we will have different spaces
where we rehearse.
Speaker 4 (21:57):
We're up in.
Speaker 6 (21:58):
Massachusetts, so we actually really bring the whole musical creation
process with us, and that's why we love working with
local partners because they're in any terrible part in making
the creation process not as possible, but like long lasting
in the community, so that though the participants, the organizations
(22:22):
that got involved, they're inspired to continue and maybe have
ongoing future activities.
Speaker 1 (22:27):
Like listen if you like this all from Daniel Pearl,
and it just really you know, it's from terrible what
happened to him, But sometimes I always change you. Sometimes
from the worst things become great things. Great things come
out of that.
Speaker 2 (22:42):
Yeah, yeah, thank you for that.
Speaker 4 (22:44):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (22:45):
I think.
Speaker 2 (22:47):
I was faced with the choice like I think anybody
close to him was, and it was do nothing or
do something, And I chose to do something. And you know,
if you don't work to prevent those acts of pay
(23:08):
that took his life, they'll just continue to repeat.
Speaker 1 (23:13):
And you've you've seen probably good growth. Can good deeds
come out of it from all corners everywhere.
Speaker 5 (23:20):
It's restored my faith in humanity.
Speaker 2 (23:23):
Yeah, for sure we're far from the work being done
and unneeded.
Speaker 6 (23:30):
But.
Speaker 2 (23:33):
Clearly twenty years in it's been a net positive in
terms of feeling, like.
Speaker 5 (23:43):
Not just feeling, but actually.
Speaker 2 (23:46):
Measurably being able to demonstrate it matters and it makes
the work actually works.
Speaker 4 (23:52):
It makes a difference.
Speaker 1 (23:54):
And tell Ustrey where to go for everything, to get
everything you need information, where to go absolutely.
Speaker 6 (24:00):
So you can look go to our website at Music
in Common and U S I C I N C
O M M O N dot org. It's a website.
We're also on Instagram and on Facebook at Music in Common.
We're also on Instagram and Facebook at the Black Legacy
(24:23):
Project and yeah, those are great spaces where you can memoir.
And we also have our Black Legacy Project website which
is the Black Legacy Project dot org.
Speaker 1 (24:32):
You can go online. You can look on YouTube and
everywhere else too.
Speaker 5 (24:37):
It's great.
Speaker 4 (24:38):
Can go on YouTube, look up Music in Common. You
can see songs that have come out of music comes twenty.
Speaker 13 (24:44):
Years work of doing work as well as the Black
Legacy Project.
Speaker 4 (24:48):
I YouTube as well.
Speaker 1 (24:50):
And your house right here in the middle street or
it's a great neighborhood.
Speaker 13 (24:54):
It's a great neighborhood, a rich spirit of community, building
music culture, building a world of belonging so that we
feel grateful to be out and doing a lot of
our work here.
Speaker 1 (25:06):
Well, thank you for having me in here today. I
thank you for doing the show and thank you for
what you're doing. Thank you very much for being on
the show.
Speaker 4 (25:12):
Thank you for having me us.
Speaker 2 (25:13):
Thank you, John, I appreciate you.
Speaker 1 (25:15):
That's Todd mac the founder of Music in Common and
Trey Carlyle, Programming Projects manager of Music in Common. Find
out more about music and Common at Musicincommon dot org.
For questions or comments on today's program, you can email
me John Clark at Georgiannewsnetwork dot com. Thanks for listening.
I'll talk to you next week right here on your
local radio station on Georgia Focus.
Welcome to Georgia Focus. I'm John Clark on the Georgia
News Network. In October of two thousand and five, singer
songwriter producer Todd Mack organized a backyard barbecue jam to
honor his friend and bandmate, Daniel Pearl, Wall Street Journal
reporter abducted and murdered by extremists in Pakistan in two
thousand and two. That led to Music in Common. Music
in Common strengthens, empowers and connects communities through the universal
(00:34):
language of music. They curate experiences for people across all
social divides to discover common ground through facilitated conversation and music. Today,
our guests are from Music in Common, Todd Mack, the founder,
and Trey Carlisle, program and project manager. Here we are
again at Constellations in Sweet Auburn, and it's a great
(00:55):
it's great to see you guys. Straight and Todd. It's
great to have you. Great to be here today and
I appreciate you inviting me over here. Todd, How did
how did you start Music in Common?
Speaker 2 (01:04):
Yeah, thanks for the question, John, Musical comm When I
started twenty years ago in response to the murder of
my friend and Daniel Pearl and the Wilster General reporter
who was adapted in murdered by extremists in Pakistan shortly
after nine to eleven. Danny, in addition to being an
extremely talented journalist and reporter, was a superbly talented musician.
(01:30):
And he and I met here in Atlanta. He had
moved here just to take his first posted.
Speaker 3 (01:37):
For the Wall Street Journal in nineteen ninety And you know,
I met shortly after he got here, put a bunch
of bands together and remained close friends up to his
tragic and.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
Now he lived in Atlanta. He oh, he did live
And what did he playing?
Speaker 2 (01:55):
He was a classically trained violinist, dean bluegrass field players,
played some mandolin and bass, and he see a perfect pitch.
He's crazy talented.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
Well, so you played in banch with him all through
the years.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
I did well he was here, especially but then when
he went from Atlanta to d C for his next
his next posting with the Wall Street Journal. And whenever
I was on tour, he'd sit in with me in
New York or d C.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
Oh Man, that's terrific. And I'm sure it was a
terrible shot to you when he died.
Speaker 4 (02:30):
I was terrible.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
It was I mean, you know, doing the line of
work that he was in. I think it always sort
of loomed in the back of the back of our heads.
Like he reported from some pretty dangerous places, and uh,
I think it comes with the territory that their risks involved,
and sadly it was sort of a worse a worse
(02:53):
night America.
Speaker 5 (02:54):
True.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
So you used that to form music in common and
you started how did how did you start from get
musicians together?
Speaker 5 (03:01):
What did you do to then exactly?
Speaker 2 (03:03):
So, you know, one of the things that Danny would
do when he was on assignment for the Journal, including overseas,
is he'd found these local jam sessions to sit and
it was his way of sort of learning about the
local culture of the local community, which I think really
helped instructure his reporting. And so a couple of years
(03:24):
after he was few years after he was murdered, I
was just looking for a way to respond to the
hate and the violence that took his life, and I
tapped into the only thing that I really knew how,
which was music, which is what we shared as friends,
but also of a belief in music as a way
to connect people, and so I organized this sort of
(03:46):
glorified jam session in my backyard on his birthday, Oh wow,
and brought about eleven or twelve musicians together, none of
them really knew each other, and about forty fifty people
came to check it out. And it sort of was
trying to model from there kind of grew and sort
(04:08):
of traveling, and really the model was how Danny lived
his life, how he would find these little bit jam
sessions to sit in on no matter where he was,
as a way to sort of bring people together and
learn about where he was. And that sort of became
the foundation for music and commons would then go on
(04:33):
to grow in too much broader programming.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
And how did you still have something on his birthday?
Every year.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
Thought fest which is an acronym for Friends of Danny Festival.
And we are in the twentieth anniversary of it this
year and still doing it, and we have I think
done probably over well over one hundred of the across
(05:02):
the country in the Far East.
Speaker 4 (05:05):
And the Middle East.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
Yeah, it had over a thousand musicians participates.
Speaker 1 (05:10):
Oh, now is it in Atlanta every year?
Speaker 4 (05:13):
Here?
Speaker 5 (05:13):
When we try to do it in Atlanta every year?
Speaker 2 (05:16):
Yeah, so it moves around a lot, but Atlanta being
based here we try to make sure we have at
least morn event here every year.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
And now we have Music in Common trade. You work
music in Common? What do you?
Speaker 4 (05:29):
What do you?
Speaker 1 (05:30):
What do you do with Musican comment?
Speaker 6 (05:32):
Yes, so I'm the program some projects manager for Music
in Commons.
Speaker 4 (05:36):
So I get to co design, facilitate.
Speaker 6 (05:40):
Organize, manage the amazing programs, concerts, workshops that we do.
Speaker 4 (05:45):
All right, that's I get to be on the front
lines of that.
Speaker 6 (05:49):
I got involved in Music in Common though nine years
ago as.
Speaker 4 (05:53):
A program participant, so I was seventeen.
Speaker 6 (05:57):
I participated in one of the Music in Commons called JAMS,
which stands for Music as Journalism as Music, multi media
and songwriting. And that's where we will bring together people
from diverse communities, often communities that I rarely interact.
Speaker 7 (06:17):
With each other on a daily basis and are at
risk conflict, to have conversations where they can recognize or
share humanity and find common ground and co.
Speaker 6 (06:28):
Create original music about how we can move forward and
then showcase that music to the community in concerts and
performances in music videos. So I participated in the JAMS
program that brought Jewish, Christian and Muslim teens together on
the fifteenth anniversary of nine to eleven, and that program
(06:48):
changed my life and showed me the power that not
only creating spaces of conversation and bridgibility is essential to
preventing hate in other rooms and polarization, which I feel
is needed now more than ever, the spaces to prevent that,
but how music can be a.
Speaker 4 (07:09):
Very powerful tool in doing so, and so I wanted
to stay involved. And then in twenty twenty, when.
Speaker 6 (07:15):
I graduated college, I got an internship with Music in
Common and realize this is the type of work that
I see myself for the rest of my life.
Speaker 4 (07:25):
It's been beautiful to do that.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
What do you play?
Speaker 6 (07:28):
I play bass, guitar, play keys, I played. I primarily
play drums and percussion, but I'm also a hip hop
EMC so I rap.
Speaker 1 (07:39):
Oh wow, songwriter?
Speaker 5 (07:41):
Oh man, what do you play?
Speaker 1 (07:44):
I forgot to ask you that, what do you play?
Speaker 2 (07:46):
I play guitar primarily, and I'm a songwriter, singer and
play a little bit.
Speaker 1 (07:54):
Okay, okay, I got to ask you that. I want
to know. So, so now you come up with the
programs that they do every day every year, like the
annual fest on Daniel Jeff's birthday.
Speaker 5 (08:06):
I think that's Todd.
Speaker 1 (08:07):
Well, I know, but that's what I mean.
Speaker 5 (08:10):
Yeah, I am on.
Speaker 6 (08:11):
The on the front lines with Todd and helping facilitate that,
organize that with Todd's mentorship.
Speaker 4 (08:19):
Now even booking a bit of that too.
Speaker 6 (08:22):
But one of our programs which we launched in twenty
twenty are Black Legacy Project, which is our musical celebration
of black history to advance racial harmony, Bridge Good and Partnership.
Speaker 4 (08:34):
Todd and I co created that together from the ground now.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
And you just started that a couple of years ago, right.
Speaker 6 (08:42):
Twenty twenty one when we launched it. We conceptualize the
idea in twenty.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
Twenty, what do you do with that?
Speaker 5 (08:48):
But yeah, so we will travel.
Speaker 6 (08:50):
We launched the project with these week long residencies in
seven communities across the country.
Speaker 5 (08:57):
We brought black and white folks.
Speaker 6 (08:59):
Together to the discuss the history of race relations in
their communities, using the songs throughout history that had direct
ties to their community to spark the conversation. So like,
for example, when we were in Massachusetts, we had folks
discussed Lift Effery Voice and Sing because the writer of
(09:21):
theft Every Voice and Sing had a writing cabin in Massachusetts.
In the virtues from those conversations, We then had local
black and white musicians reimagine those songs for the present
day as well as co write original songs together about
how we can move forward. And so we did that
in seven communities, including Atlanta, places with really strong black history,
(09:48):
places where you wouldn't even think black folks lived there,
like Lucy, Idaho, oh, really small towns running the whole gamut. Really,
it's just to be the snapshot of just that versus
experience of living in America. And from that, twenty four
songs have come out. Twelve of them you can hear
on all streaming platforms now at our Black Lacy Project
(10:10):
Album Volume one Yeah, Album two will be dropping in
the fall and August specifically, okay. And then we also
are in production of a feature length film in a
docu series which tells the story of the project as well.
Speaker 4 (10:28):
Oh man, that's fantastic, thank you.
Speaker 6 (10:30):
And now we have a touring band which travels the
country showcasing all of the songs that have come out.
Speaker 1 (10:35):
How do you get people to become involved? They any musician,
no matter where they are, like here in Atlanta, you
can do Atlanta and wherever they're maybe them for making
or wherever any musician can can apply. Is that how
you would talk?
Speaker 5 (10:49):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (10:49):
Yeah, I mean we try to sort a cast and
open that and make it a place where everyone's got
an opportunity. We also do that sort of been reversed,
where we'll seek out musicians specifically, either because we're dialed
into the music scene in that particular community or just
(11:10):
from doing some research about who the local musicians are.
Speaker 4 (11:15):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (11:15):
So so you go and you'll say, well, we want
to do something in like something wrap you look, you look.
Speaker 5 (11:21):
For somebody that does that exactly.
Speaker 1 (11:22):
Okay, do you do you work in all genres of music,
all types of music we strive to Yeah. Yeah, like
country and rock and whatever. Yeah that's great. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (11:35):
Our favorite thing is to do country and rap together.
Speaker 5 (11:37):
Oh yeah, there.
Speaker 1 (11:40):
I have a friend who does that. Yeah. Oh wow,
that's yeah. What are some of them you mentioned Idaho?
Where are some of the other cities you work with?
Is that this is the type of project?
Speaker 4 (11:54):
Yes, Well, with.
Speaker 6 (11:55):
The black Belt Piece specifically, we did a launch and
Western that's Chusts with the Berkshires, the Ozarks in Arkansas,
Los Angeles California, Boise, Idaho, the Mississippi Delta in Atlanta, Georgia,
and Denver, Colorado.
Speaker 4 (12:17):
So that's what we did the seven launches.
Speaker 8 (12:20):
Since then, we have taken the Band on tour literally
all down the West coast, all down the East coast,
parts of the South.
Speaker 6 (12:31):
Including even like Tuskegee, Alabama. And that's just our Black
Legacy project. Alum. We have taken our different programs like
our Jams program, our Amplified program, the different work MINK
does all across the country and all across the globe.
Speaker 9 (12:49):
We have done programs in the Middle East bringing together
Palestinian and Israeli young folks together to co create music
together and have bridge building conversations. We have taken Todd
has taken the fove Fests, Friends and Danny Festival to
honor Danny Poll's life.
Speaker 4 (13:08):
The flagship program that's Starting Music in.
Speaker 6 (13:10):
Common on tour all across the globe, including in Taiwan,
all across the nation.
Speaker 4 (13:16):
So we do work internationally.
Speaker 1 (13:19):
Yeah, talk about the other programs you do well. First
of all, I think it's great. I'm a big music
fan and music does seem to bring people together like
nothing else does, no matter who you voted for or
what you think about this, or that you come together
with music and it just it's great. But talk about
some of the other programs you have.
Speaker 4 (13:40):
Yeah, So.
Speaker 6 (13:43):
With Jams being the flagship program that we do, we
will have different shows that showcase the.
Speaker 4 (13:50):
Songs that have come out of our various programs. So
we have, of course what a Black Legacy Project show.
Speaker 6 (13:57):
We have a show called Amplify, which is where we
will showcase and perform songs that have come out of
our different Jams programs. We have our Songs and Stories Show,
which is.
Speaker 10 (14:09):
A show that Todd and I can do as a duo,
but also it expands to trio quartet where we share
stories that have come out of music and comments twenty
years work of doing work with songs, multimedia, digital imagery, poetry, stories.
Speaker 6 (14:31):
And of course we have our Friends of Danny Festival
every October bringing in local musicians and the.
Speaker 4 (14:39):
Song Swap Jam Session concert to auna Danny's life and
then the different communities. And then in.
Speaker 6 (14:49):
Addition to that, we love going working in schools, universities, houses.
Speaker 4 (14:55):
Of worship to do different types of workshops.
Speaker 6 (15:00):
Sometimes this looks like a listening lab where we will
have folks discuss the experience of diverse communities through analyzing
the lyrics of songs throughout history.
Speaker 4 (15:11):
Around a specific theme.
Speaker 6 (15:14):
We have are around the Mic, which is show we
like doing in Atlanta, specifically bringing together different.
Speaker 4 (15:21):
Artists of different musical and local genres to connect with
each other. So, yeah, those are a list, and if
you want to learn more.
Speaker 6 (15:29):
About what we did, you can check out our website
Musicancomma dot org.
Speaker 4 (15:33):
We got all the programs that we do.
Speaker 1 (15:34):
Listen, where do you do these ad do you pick
up a club like a local music club or a
building like this or something like that. Where do you
pick to do these events?
Speaker 2 (15:44):
It's pretty it's a pretty wide variety of venues. Sometimes
it's like a traditional music venue, but a lot of
times we're doing it and we're really trying to meet
people where they are schools, colleges, houses of worship, community centers,
(16:06):
arts centers. Yeah, we've done events break here and constellations,
which is like you know, our sort of our Atlanta
home and so really it's a pretty wide kindle of venue.
Speaker 1 (16:23):
What is your next event coming up? Do you have
anything coming up being promote right now?
Speaker 2 (16:27):
Well, we have some events happening in the fall. We're
still kind of finalizing the details on those.
Speaker 5 (16:34):
There will be a.
Speaker 2 (16:37):
Likely a Black Legacy Project concert five.
Speaker 5 (16:40):
Fast as well.
Speaker 1 (16:43):
And then.
Speaker 2 (16:45):
Right now we're very focused on getting the new Black
Legacy Project out now, which will is scheduled to release
on August twenty second, and we're trying to finish up
this feature film about the Black Legacy Project. So those
(17:05):
are two priorities right now we have and then we
have the touring will.
Speaker 1 (17:12):
Pick back up and fall, And now you guys got
on to it, to it, play, play with the band,
the bands together, right.
Speaker 2 (17:20):
It depends on the show is almost always in the band.
Sometimes I'm just a roady.
Speaker 1 (17:26):
It's funny, fun that works out in there. Talk about
that playing in it.
Speaker 4 (17:32):
Oh yeah, it's It's a gift, man.
Speaker 6 (17:35):
I love performing live music since I was eleven. Yeah,
and specifically sharing songs that tell stories that can inspire.
Speaker 4 (17:46):
People and move people and bring people together.
Speaker 6 (17:49):
But to literally do that in a manner that is
so intentional with the music and common uh songs that
we share and the music and common band, the Black
Opie Band, It's a gift, man.
Speaker 4 (18:03):
It's awesome.
Speaker 1 (18:05):
How big is your band, your band that you have,
just how do you you make it certain size or.
Speaker 4 (18:10):
It varies various sizes, various based on the shows.
Speaker 6 (18:13):
We have done eight piece bands with the Black Legacy
Project before all the way up.
Speaker 4 (18:18):
To duo shows between Todd and I. So well, it's
based on the program, the show, the.
Speaker 1 (18:23):
Band, and you just play at these places. You go
and just go and play it. Who comes to these
who comes to the events?
Speaker 6 (18:30):
Yeah, so it varies, so a lot of the We
love bringing music to community and so we love doing
shows at schools, for school assemblies, for students and their
families at universities, and we also love performing at festivals.
We've done stuff at the Fresh Grass Festival in Arkansas
(18:51):
and also in Massachusetts for thousands of people. Also loved
doing stuff with like nonprofits, cammunity centers, so it really
runs the whole game.
Speaker 4 (19:04):
And we've done shows and constellations here as well.
Speaker 6 (19:08):
So really try to bring the music to different spaces
to different people.
Speaker 4 (19:15):
That leads to most people as possible.
Speaker 1 (19:17):
Talk about a little bit more about what you do
in schools, because that is that's a great place to
reach these kids early on, and you go from there
exactly how does that work.
Speaker 4 (19:28):
For you in school? Yeah, it's lovely.
Speaker 6 (19:30):
So all of our all of our programming, even our concerts,
they all involve conversation between community members in.
Speaker 4 (19:39):
One way or another.
Speaker 6 (19:41):
So a lot of times we have done concerts for
students where we will showcase a film about one of
our programs, let's say our Black Legacy Project. We will
have a maybe an hour long concert showcasing the songs
that have come out of our programs. And then we
love doing like a two way we call it two
(20:02):
way Q and A the community conversation where not only
will audience members get to ask about the work we do,
but we get to ask them questions about how they're
integrating the lessons stories that they learn from these songs
into their own lives, what can they do to build
bridges in.
Speaker 4 (20:21):
Their own communities.
Speaker 6 (20:22):
And we do it across the board and all venues
that we do in theaters, festivals, not just for schools.
Sometimes what we will do in addition to those concerts
at schools is we will do listening labs. We will
do our Jams program for students as well. We will
do residency sometimes in schools for a week, engaging the
(20:46):
students in the process of conversation and music making, So
it all varies.
Speaker 4 (20:50):
But we love doing.
Speaker 6 (20:51):
Self at schools because it allows us to provide more.
Speaker 4 (20:56):
Immersive programming for the next generation.
Speaker 1 (21:00):
Yeah yeah, so so any school can should contact you
if they want to get involved.
Speaker 6 (21:04):
He absolutely, any school they wants to get involved and
bring our work to them can reach out Todd at
Music in Common dot Org, Trey at Music and Common
dot org, or in.
Speaker 4 (21:17):
Full at Music and Common.
Speaker 11 (21:19):
Or where do you Where do you practice? Do you
have a studio you use practice? Where do you make music?
Where do you make music that record music can put
it out? Where do you where you do where do
you practice? Do you practice there?
Speaker 4 (21:32):
So it varies.
Speaker 12 (21:33):
So because we do work all over and we travel
all over, we will we love collaborating with local partners,
local groups to do different processes. So when we did
the Black Legacy project, we recorded at different studios in
those seven.
Speaker 6 (21:49):
Communities all okay, and rehearse in different spaces. When we
do stuff in Atlanta, sometimes we will have different spaces
where we rehearse.
Speaker 4 (21:57):
We're up in.
Speaker 6 (21:58):
Massachusetts, so we actually really bring the whole musical creation
process with us, and that's why we love working with
local partners because they're in any terrible part in making
the creation process not as possible, but like long lasting
in the community, so that though the participants, the organizations
(22:22):
that got involved, they're inspired to continue and maybe have
ongoing future activities.
Speaker 1 (22:27):
Like listen if you like this all from Daniel Pearl,
and it just really you know, it's from terrible what
happened to him, But sometimes I always change you. Sometimes
from the worst things become great things. Great things come
out of that.
Speaker 2 (22:42):
Yeah, yeah, thank you for that.
Speaker 4 (22:44):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (22:45):
I think.
Speaker 2 (22:47):
I was faced with the choice like I think anybody
close to him was, and it was do nothing or
do something, And I chose to do something. And you know,
if you don't work to prevent those acts of pay
(23:08):
that took his life, they'll just continue to repeat.
Speaker 1 (23:13):
And you've you've seen probably good growth. Can good deeds
come out of it from all corners everywhere.
Speaker 5 (23:20):
It's restored my faith in humanity.
Speaker 2 (23:23):
Yeah, for sure we're far from the work being done
and unneeded.
Speaker 6 (23:30):
But.
Speaker 2 (23:33):
Clearly twenty years in it's been a net positive in
terms of feeling, like.
Speaker 5 (23:43):
Not just feeling, but actually.
Speaker 2 (23:46):
Measurably being able to demonstrate it matters and it makes
the work actually works.
Speaker 4 (23:52):
It makes a difference.
Speaker 1 (23:54):
And tell Ustrey where to go for everything, to get
everything you need information, where to go absolutely.
Speaker 6 (24:00):
So you can look go to our website at Music
in Common and U S I C I N C
O M M O N dot org. It's a website.
We're also on Instagram and on Facebook at Music in Common.
We're also on Instagram and Facebook at the Black Legacy
(24:23):
Project and yeah, those are great spaces where you can memoir.
And we also have our Black Legacy Project website which
is the Black Legacy Project dot org.
Speaker 1 (24:32):
You can go online. You can look on YouTube and
everywhere else too.
Speaker 5 (24:37):
It's great.
Speaker 4 (24:38):
Can go on YouTube, look up Music in Common. You
can see songs that have come out of music comes twenty.
Speaker 13 (24:44):
Years work of doing work as well as the Black
Legacy Project.
Speaker 4 (24:48):
I YouTube as well.
Speaker 1 (24:50):
And your house right here in the middle street or
it's a great neighborhood.
Speaker 13 (24:54):
It's a great neighborhood, a rich spirit of community, building
music culture, building a world of belonging so that we
feel grateful to be out and doing a lot of
our work here.
Speaker 1 (25:06):
Well, thank you for having me in here today. I
thank you for doing the show and thank you for
what you're doing. Thank you very much for being on
the show.
Speaker 4 (25:12):
Thank you for having me us.
Speaker 2 (25:13):
Thank you, John, I appreciate you.
Speaker 1 (25:15):
That's Todd mac the founder of Music in Common and
Trey Carlyle, Programming Projects manager of Music in Common. Find
out more about music and Common at Musicincommon dot org.
For questions or comments on today's program, you can email
me John Clark at Georgiannewsnetwork dot com. Thanks for listening.
I'll talk to you next week right here on your
local radio station on Georgia Focus.
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.