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This is Time Signatures with Jim Irvin, a podcast and radio program presented by the Capital Area Blues Society in Lansing, Michigan. Most any contemporary musical style can trace its roots back to the blues. Time Signatures explores the blues and its musical connections with captivating interviews, lively discussions, and news from the world of the blues. And now, here he is, your host, Jim Irvin.

Well, thank you so much, Parker, and welcome to Time Signatures. I'm your host, Jim Irvin, and today's guest got his started music on a much larger stage than most. A contestant on 2020, season 18 of American Idol, our guest instantly caught the ear of AI's judges, earning him a spot in the competition. He made it all the way into the top 11 before being taken out, but he wasn't slowed down one bit in 2023. Our guest was signed by Blind Pig Records, and he's about to release his first album on the label. The album is called Drifter, and the musician is none other than Louisiana native Joven Webb. Man, welcome to Time Signatures. And you're going through a. Through a hurricane, is that correct?

Yes, yes. Going through the whole seasonal thing of a hurricane, man. Just muscling through it. Now you.

You're good and safe, right?

Yeah, yeah, we're. We're fine for right now. I mean, we've done this many a times.

Okay. All right, man. Well, Joe, there's a ton of stuff to talk about here, but I have to start at the beginning, man. What is your first memory of music as you were coming up?

My first early memories of music was just going to church and hearing that Southern gospel music, which is, you know, it holds blues, country, soul, jazz, and everything. So the. My early introduction was in the thick of it.

Very cool. Now, were you. Did you always kind of have an attraction to the blues? Did you start with other genres? Where did that, where did that take you?

Well, I like to say blues comes straight from gospel music. I mean, it's, it's about being down and looking for salvation. So it was all. It was always there. It just, you know, as I got older, I got to really appreciate what it was and really understand it.

Sure. Now, as you were coming up jobin, who were your go to musicians? Did you have any favorites, any favorite songs that stick out in your mind?

Oh, number one of all time, My favorite artist ever is Michael Jackson.

Okay.

I'm a huge Michael Jackson fan, even though that doesn't, that doesn't, you know, show for what I do. But that's, that's. That's been my biggest inspiration as well, as, like the Temptations, Otis Redding, Howlin Wolf, Reverend Al Green.

Oh, yeah, I. You can't see it, but I have a signed poster up here a friend of mine gave me. She's very good friends with. With the Reverend Al Green, and it's one of my prize pieces in the studio here. Well, obviously the 2020 appearance on season 18 of American Idol has served as a genuine launchpad for your. I mean, I know you were out there busting your tail and working hard before that, but I saw the response from Lionel, Katie and Luke and to be honest, man, watching gave me goosebumps. And I have to agree with Luke Bryan. I definitely would put some bourbon away listening to your music, but talk about that competition in the process during your stay on the program.

That, that, that show let me get an insight on so much about myself and, and how far I have to go, but also how far I've come. And just to have that reassurance by them really, really meant a lot, but it was crazy. I mean, I was definitely one of the older, older guys contestants that was on the show and just saying how good these young cats are, you know, young guys and girls, and it just made me think a lot. Why am I here? There's so much better. But I was. It was. Every day was really, really appreciative and just being amongst this crazy roller coaster every day with these new people, you know, trying to try new things, but stay authentic. So it was, it was a journey. It was. It was a journey.

Now, obviously, 2020 was right in the heat of the pandemic. How did that affect the competition, man,

that thing not only us, but gave the world, of course, a kick in the butt. Oh, yeah, it. It took. It took us. Definitely took me out of my element. I remember coming back and making the top 20, and we were leaving Hawaii and we were in the airport and we saw the stuff on the screen about COVID was like, yeah, that'll never. That'll never affect us. And to realizing that by the time we got back and then went to la, we stayed there for like a week. And they were like, yeah, this Covid thing's happening, so you're going home. So they sent us home and we had to shoot the show from home, which we like, one of the first shows ever to shoot a whole live show from the house. Three iPhones. So that was crazy. But when I say I got taken out of my element, I personally feel like I was one of the last in that group as a really big showman. When it came down to top 10. So taking that crowd away from me kind of took away a part of my fan. Yeah, it was a blessing, though.

Well, yeah. And I mean, and I. I have to be honest, I don't get to watch a lot of television in the evening. I do kind of keep peripheral tabs on, you know, shows like American Idol. But you had been digging away at this and trying to build your career before you got there. Correct. How long had you been doing that?

I mean, this has been a process since I was younger, just trying to figure it out because I was always in music some kind of way. But, yeah, I really didn't know where I was going with it. I mean, I had no real direction as into have a band or do any of this stuff. I just wanted to be a part of one and play drums and stuff like that. But I started singing karaoke later on and that kind of start going and give me a little confidence and people start to notice that, hey, he can. He's all right. So I. I started with that and kind of right around when I was getting ready to have my son, I was about to give up on, you know, trying to pursue an actual singing career or whatever that was because I had, you know, I got stuff to do. So I was working in the plants and working at the plants and restaurant, and my friend Duran Jones from Duran Jones and Indications, he. He's. He's one of the guys from the area where he got in something and it started to take off. So he reached out to me when he was getting ready to go on his first little tour and he wanted me to fill in for the wedding band he was in. So he reached out to me and we would literally, I mean, I would get off from 12 hours at the plant and he would try to teach me how to be this frontman, something I never been. So we would do that for like, we did like like a month or so. And then I got my first professional job filling in for him. So, long story short, I didn't get the position of to that band, but that was like my rebirth. It was like, hey, man, you could do this. And now it's time to really sell out into it and really go for it. So amongst amongst me getting on the American Idol thing, I was somewhat getting my feet wet and I was starting to get this confidence and I just knew I had. I wanted the world to hear me. That's all. That's all I knew, you know, And

I have to tell you, that came across really well when you did your audition. Because you owned that spot during your audition. I can't say enough about it, man. It was. It was an incredible process to watch it really.

Well, I like to tell people this. This little quick story.

Sure.

Because it. It happened so funny for me, because the year before I was on American Idol, I tried out, and I sent. I was afraid to go in front the judges or whatever that was, and I sent in a video of me doing one of my original songs. Well, just what happens. They happen to like it. And they was like, well, come to the next audition. But I, at the time, did not check my email a lot. Oh, no. So I went back and checked it like this. I wonder what happened? And I went back and checked, and it was like, yeah, come to the next audition. And I'm like, yeah, I missed it. I freaking missed it. So, like. And at this point, I was 27 and the cutoff age for American hunter, 28. So I freaking missed it. Like, I missed my golden opportunity, and I felt, like, so horrible. So I told myself, next year, I'm gonna. This is my last chance. I'm gonna go audition and show my face. And that was the one.

Wow.

Almost opportunity.

Yeah. No kidding. Now I want to fast forward a little bit to forward to 2023. Joven, you get your shot. You're signed to Blind Pig Records. I'd like you to talk about that process and how did it feel to finally have a deal after working so hard to make a name for yourself?

There's nothing. Don't want to get religious, but that's nothing more I could say than, thank God for that. So he kept me going through it, fighting through it. My family and friends, my son, my.

Sure.

Nobody. Nobody will let me give up, even when I felt down. And. And that's. That's just the whole thing in life, I guess. Just whatever you want, just keep trucking and. And to finally have somebody believe in me and for a Blind pig to be what it was and to. And to let me bless. Bless that record label because they. They were kind of restarting it, and it was just a privilege, man. It just. It just. It gave. It gave me a new fire. I feel like I get to these points, and I'm like, all right, well, stagnant. What's going on? And then something else happens to reassure you that you're on the right track. So I thank them for that, you know?

And I was looking at your producer. You got paired with Tom Hambridge, who happens to be Buddy Guy's drummer, a gifted Producer and a killer musician in his own right. Now that must have been a thrill for you. Yeah.

Oh, yeah. Is that Buddy guy behind you on that picture?

That is, yeah.

Yeah, right, yeah.

Matter. As a matter of fact, Tom Hambridge opened for him down in Kalamazoo. And that's a picture from that concert. I got a press pass to shoot it.

Wow. Yeah, wow. Yeah, man.

Buddy.

My buddy is like a legend from Louisiana. So it's like really cool. Really, really cool, man. And. And like I said all the time, it just show you how crazy and tangible things are when you, you know, when you really think about it. Because who would have thought this label would pick me up, Pick that guy. It's wild. It's wild.

Yeah. I want to change the page here a bit and I want to talk about the album Drifter Jobin, due to be released October 18th. This is a 12 track collection showcasing not only your incredible vocal abilities, but your harmonica skills as well. How does it feel to see this project completed and ready for release?

It is like no other. And I definitely had a really emotional moment when I finally got to put a vinyl in my hand with my face on it. So it was. It's so wild. And I just. I'm just trying to take it all in, stay humble and just really, really hope it works because I'm so proud of the product that we have and really get to tell my side and to show my pain and to show who I am and how I got here.

Yeah, absolutely. Now, did I hear you say vinyl?

Oh, yeah, yeah.

I got vinyl sitting right here, Buddy. I'm excited to hear that you're going to have vinyl. That's great.

Oh, yes. So my parents were. Both of. My parents passed away. My dad actually passed away while I was on American Idol and my mom passed away in 2012. And one of my first physical copies of music was a. Was a rockin Robin 45. I was like. So I wanted to. I wanted to go back to that and like, from the beginning, like seeing her, seeing her with the big James Brown 45, the payback, or seeing the Al Green and stuff, that's what I first seen. So I just wanted to do that.

Very cool. Yeah, the. The vinyl bug bit me in April of this year and I got to tell you, I've got a. I got quite a. Quite a collection so far and I'm having a blast. I even bought a ultrasonic cleaner. I mean, I've. I'm all set, man, but I just

got my first record player.

Oh, dude. I Got a. I got a 1978 Pioneer PL518. This thing's a beast. Oh, yeah, it's. It's beautiful. But anyway, enough about me. I want to talk about a couple of your songs, primarily because I've had an opportunity to preview. Preview the album, which I genuinely appreciate, by the way. But, man, your. Your style reminds me a little bit of Toronzo canon. You've got a similar song, sing from the soul, honest from the heart, blues style, and I think this is going to endear you to many a blues fan, my friend. Talk about your writing style, if you would, just a little bit.

There was a. There was a few songs that I wrote for my. For myself, just out of straight experience, like, why I'm going through something and just writing it down. But the cool thing about getting with Tom was. I don't know, he made me dig deeper. Like, he just made me really hone in to not every line, but every word and keep it simple. And I feel like he just helped me relate my message a little bit better than what I would have. And. Yeah,

well, for my money, bottom of a Bottle is perhaps the best song in the album. Joven, I have to tell you, I felt the same powerful delivery that I felt with your idol audition. And for real, I. You know, this song is. Is one of the best songs, and it serves as a hook for everything else that follows it on the album. Talk about that song for just a minute.

I hate to say it like this, but if there's one thing you're gonna find out about Louisiana, We. We drank down here. They did. We found any occasion to take a good seal. So, I mean, it's a common. It's a common thing out here. And. And. And just to be metaphoric, it just. Like, we're all usually down and trying to find ways to fill that bottle back up and not, you know, not just about alcohol. So, I mean, I feel like it's relatable to everyone.

Sure.

High and low places. And sometimes you might find me in a bar in a little place.

Well, the. The Toronzo reference that I mentioned a moment ago, believe me when I tell you it's a huge compliment. Big fan of his music as well. That reference comes from your second single release, Save Me. You really deliver the goods in this song with your honest delivery of the lyrics. For example, I've got faith, but it still hurts. And despite everything life is thrown at you I may never understand, but I won't be an angry man. I mean, wow, you're really bearing your Soul in this song, aren't you?

Oh, definitely. Definitely. It's just. I wanted to talk about things that I went through as well as, like, you know, try to stick to the morals of, you know, said mom and dad and just be vulnerable. Blues is about being vulnerable and really telling how you feel and what you went through. So I tried to do my best to do that.

Now I understand that you're already. Have you already started your touring for this album?

Not yet. We're preparing in 2025 to. To go to Germany and a lot of surrounding areas, as well as France. And I guess once we get done with that, we're gonna come back to America and do the thing. But that's. It's on the way. It's in the works.

We need to put Michigan on the map, and we need to get you up here. There's a couple of places that, if you want, I can give you a couple of addresses and numbers to reach out to, but we would love to see you up here. Joven, I seriously, I'm not. I'm not trying to powder your behind here. We really enjoy the music and I. I would just. I'm excited to see what you do with your career. I truly am.

Thank you. Thank you. I would love to come out there. I would love to come.

Very cool.

Even. Even with this whole whole Idol thing, I had never really per se travel that much. And it's a fun process. It makes. It makes you feel like you're really getting into nitty gritty. And I just want to. I want to. I want the whole experience. I want to know about. I want to see every city I can. There you go.

Now, Joven, where can people find out more about you? Maybe order some merch, see where you're playing, and maybe even book you for a gig.

I usually post all of my stuff on my Facebook and Instagram, but I am in the midst of getting a website built. So just hold on. I'll have that thing up soon to have more information about all that stuff. We have merch on the Blind Pig website for the shirts. As of now, we're working on ideas for my personal. Personal merch and getting stuff on the way with that. So it's all. It's all been crazy and hectic boat. It's slowly coming together and all the pieces should be available very soon. But you can get your pre orders if you go to Blind Pig website.

Very cool. And I. You can trust me. I will. I will get an order in for vinyl and would love to have a copy of it. Joven Webb it has indeed been a pleasure. Thank you so much for joining me on Time Signatures. And listen anytime that you need a microphone to help promote a tour, if you want to promote an album, you just give me a call, okay?

Thank you so much. Also, my next single is going to be Dropping Drifter. Check that out. And thank you all so much for having me. Thank you all.

Very cool. That wraps up this edition of Time Signatures with Jim Urban. Thank you again to Jovan Webb for being here, but most of all to you for taking time to join us as well. For without you, none of this would be possible. Jim Rubin reminding you that keeping the blues alive is everyone's responsibility, but preserving the history of the blues, one story at a time, that's my mission. Until next time. So long my friends.

This has been Time Signatures with Jim Irvin presented by the Capital Area Blues society in Lansing, Michigan. For more information on CABS, visit capitalareablues.org you can find this episode and past episodes at LCC Connect the Time Signatures theme song Michigan Roads is used by permission and was written by Root Doctor featuring Freddie Cunningham. Until next time, keep on keeping the blues alive.

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Front Row Backstage, the show that takes you behind the velvet ropes of the media world. I'm LCC student Greg Trimmer, and each week we'll explore the stars you see on screen stage and radio and the tech and talent making the magic happen behind it. From unsung heroes to spotlight sensations, we've got the stories you won't hear anywhere else. So grab your popcorn and let's dive in. Welcome, guys. Today we are joined by Ganja Girl, a, well, in my opinion, prolific EDM artist from the Lansing area. Here to share about some of her musicianship and where she comes from and what got her started in this industry. Welcome.

Thank you. Thank you for having me.

Yeah. To kind of get started, bring us into a little bit of your as a musician. Your style, your background, what makes you unique? You know, everybody's got a. Got a thing. And for those of you that don't know what EDM is, it is electronic dance music. It's like, if you've ever heard of people going to raves or Electric Forest or anything like that, that's the kind of music we're talking about.

For sure. Yeah, that's a good way to describe it. So I started attending shows and festivals when I was in high school. I loved it so much. Kept going throughout college and it just became a big part of my life. That's how I met so many of my best friends now. So at one point I started hosting my own events. And as a way to, like, have to pay. One less dj, I was like, okay, I'm gonna learn how to DJ and be the first set. Cause like, I'm not very good. And then, like, you know, nobody will really know. Cause it's the beginning. But, you know, one less person, I gotta pay. So I decided to learn how to dj. And then because I kind of already had a brand, it just became like, what it is now.

Yeah, this whole collective, whole amazing thing. That's so cool. So you mentioned how you kind of just did this at the start so that you could have one less person and you were kind of like the worst person on the thing, like, by far. Yeah, for a little bit of background. Guys, I met her. What was it? December? Yeah, December, when she was at Electricity and she opened for Alee, Ykat. And for those of you that don't know, Alley Cat is a pretty big name. So, like, how do you think the journey has gone from, oh, I'm the worst person going first at these small events to I'm opening at a gigantic rave club in Pontiac for somebody that has a huge name in this industry?

Well, to be honest, I just have a really hard work ethic. So I've put a lot of time and energy into, like, practicing and building My brand, I've played so many events that are like, events that other people would turn down and not want to play, or like, events I wasn't getting paid for a lot of things like that over the years, or like, eight hour, you know, gigs where I'm like, oh, my gosh, I barely even have the music to play for eight hours, you know, at the beginning. And so a lot of things like that. And so it's just, like, pushed me to get better and, like, be super comfortable behind the decks. So it gives me a confidence about it now.

So talking about that a little bit, Alley Cat, she's amazing. What was that experience like, opening for her in such a big club atmosphere? I don't know if that was your first time working in a big club atmosphere like that, but what was that experience like?

So that was my first time playing at Electricity.

Okay.

Electricity was like, one of the first places that I would go to every weekend when I was first getting into the scene. So it felt really full circle to be playing there. Yeah. And then the fact that it was a girl and Alley Cat, it was just like, I was just like, super grateful.

Yeah, that's so cool. So I know you're super about, like, women empowerment and, like, you know, you've got this big event called Femtronica. What do you think are, like, your biggest musical influences? I mean, I'm sure it's. There's. There's some amazing musical women out there, but, like, what do you think your. Your biggest influences are?

Definitely my biggest influence is Truth and just the whole Deep, Dark and dangerous label as a whole.

Yeah.

I love the, like, grimy bass sounds, and I like to be able to, like, add in hip hop with it and, like, turn it up a notch, throw in some, like, crazy dubsteps. So it's kind of like my take on the deep, dark and dangerous sound. That's kind of like what I'm going for.

Okay, cool. Yeah, yeah. So you talked about you started planning events and then you, like, learned how to DJ so that you could be the, like, just first person on there and you had to pay one less dj. So would you consider, like, those your first gig or what was your very first gig as far as, like, first time you were DJing for a crowd and then what was your first, like, somebody else is paying you to do something?

So the first time I ever djed in front of a crowd was during, like, the COVID shutdown time. And we had, like, done nothing for months. And so a few of our friends Were super sad that there was no electric Force happening. So we were like, we're gonna have a little mini electric forest in the backyard with literally, like, 15 friends.

And like, just literally my wristbands got canceled two years in a row and transmitted the next. And I'm like, dude, what is going on right now?

It was depressing. Yeah. So we just kind of, like, made our own in the backyard. And that was my first time actually DJing for anyone. But it was just like, my friends, which was nice because they weren't like, boo. They were nice about it. But my first time playing a real gig was actually at the Avenue.

Where is that at?

It's on Michigan Avenue, downtown Lansing.

Okay.

And I can't remember what show it was. Oh, actually, it was my friend Nate. He was having, like, a weekly EDM event there at the time, and he booked us to play, like, a ganja girl night. Yeah, it. That's feels like a long time ago now.

That's so cool. What does your creative process look like now compared to when you started? You know, when you started, I'm sure it was a lot of, like, house music and just kind of mixing some things in there. But what is now that I'm sure you're trying to create, like, your own stuff and sample different things and whatnot. What did your creative process look like when you first started out, and what does it look like now that you're, I'm assuming, trying to create your own own stuff?

Now that I've, like, dialed in the sound that I'm trying to bring to all the people, it definitely makes it a lot easier, I would say, than it was in the beginning, because I was like, I don't know where I'm going with. But basically, like, when I'm getting ready to play a show around here, like a smaller show, I'll just download all the tracks that I've saved recently. Like, I'm listening to music all the time.

Yeah.

So I go on, like, my most recent likes on SoundCloud. Literally just download all those, put them onto a playlist. I don't even listen to them. And then I just go and play. That's the new track.

Impressive to just go off the cuff

like that, but I definitely could not do that at the beginning. If it's a bigger show, though, now I will put more time into it. I just started very recently making my own visuals so that I can add the visual effect that I want to to each song.

And sometimes it's. Especially with EDM shows, like, if. If you guys have never been to a rave or any sort of EDM show or anything. Like, it is. It is not just about the music. Like, it is very much a visual experience. There's lasers, there's lights, there's graphics. Like, it's about everything that goes into show. It's not just about the music. So having those prepper, like, graphics and stuff to match what you're doing is huge.

For sure. I feel like that's the next step. In addition to. I have been working on producing my own tracks and remixes. But it's a process. No, for sure.

So what is that you mentioned? It's a process. So when you're working on your own, trying to cultivate your own tracks and stuff, which is something sounds like you're kind of just starting to. What gets you into that headspace? What gets you into that creative process? Is it very much like a, hey, I just heard something and I'm trying to. And that inspired me in a. On a whim, or is it like, you have, like, a specific time where you sit down and, like, you have things that get you into that headspace?

Definitely a little bit of both. I have to kind of force myself to do it because it's like, such a learning curve that it's kind of discouraging. Like, I hear people making these amazing tracks and I'm like, wow, am I ever gonna get to that point? I know I will, but it's kind of just like such a far gap that it's discouraging, so I have to force myself to do it. Sometimes, though, I will hear, like, a new hip hop song. I'm like, okay, I'm trying to make a remix to this right now. You have to do it. So definitely a little bit of both.

Yeah. And I know you're like, hey, one day I'm going to be there. And I'm like, sometimes you hear those people and you can kind of get down. But just know, like, when I came to see Alley Cat at Electricity and I saw your name on there, I had no clue who you were. And I just. Full transparency. Had, like, no expectations going into it.

Yeah.

And then, like, within a song and a half, you kind of had me and my cousin Megan, like, blown away. So just know that.

Thank you.

You are good. And you are.

You.

You are gonna get there one day. And like you said, it's just. It's about hard work. It's a process.

Yeah, for sure. I appreciate that, though.

Yeah. Okay, so what software do you use ever? This is like the age Old thing. Like every EDM artist is like, or dj. Even if you're just like a wedding DJ is like, which software do I use? It's a big argument.

Yeah, for production I use Ableton, but just for DJing. Mostly record box.

Okay.

Yeah.

Okay, cool.

That's what like on all the bigger shows that I play at, it's record box gear. So the more I can practice on record Box, the better. I did start with Serato, which is pretty similar. I liked that a lot more in the beginning. And so I had to transition myself to be a record box girl.

See, when I started doing wedding DJing and stuff, Jake turned me on to. He's like, use either Serato or Rekordbox. And I tried downloading Serato and I just could not figure out how to use. Didn't seem very user intuitive. So then I downloaded Rekordbox and I love RekordBox.

Yeah,

yeah. So what do you lean more towards? Like heavy bass, melodic, experimental? Sometimes. I like to call certain types of EDM sad boy edm, but I'm not

really into the sad boy too much.

It's a little weird, I don't understand it, but.

But to each their own. But for me, I mostly like, yeah, the heavier dubstep and like deep dub, which is kind of more chill, experimental, wavy if you will. But people like to describe my music like that. It sounds kind of angry and I think that's a good way to describe.

That's a good thing.

Yeah, yeah.

I am very into like the heavier side of edm. So angry is a good thing in my book.

You gotta get it out somewhere. So if you can do it in a peaceful way, just dancing like, there's no better way.

So what kind of gear do you personally use most of the time? And what is like your favorite gear?

Honestly, I use whatever. I just show up and plug in my usb. I usually don't even ask what's the gear. I just show up. But my favorite is definitely like CDJ 3000s, I would say. Yeah.

I assume you personally own equipment? No, no, you just. Oh, okay.

I don't actually. I know it's very surprising.

I mean, I don't either. I just borrow Jake's equipment.

Yeah, I want to get CDJs, but I mean that's thousands of dollars, so someday.

Yeah, for sure you've kind of been on the rise and been rising like. But what do you think in this process the challenges have been of standing out in the EDM scene?

Ooh, definitely like being a woman and working in an industry where, like, most of the organizers and promoters are men.

Yeah.

And, yeah, just, like, trying to weed through all the people and find out, like, who's genuine and who's just not.

Yeah, I love that, because I think this industry needs more successful women. And so the more that we flood it with that, the better.

Yeah, I agree. So that's what we're trying to do with our events. Flood the scene with just all women DJs and performers.

For sure. What's your mindset like, when performing live?

Good question. Well, like, since my name's Ganja Girl, I'm usually pretty high, so I'm just pretty chill.

Yeah.

To be honest.

That's fair. Have you had any crazy or funny show experiences?

Yeah, absolutely crazy. One time, my phone got stolen out of the green room. That sucked. No, when I was up there, performing sucks. Yeah. That's, like, not a good one. But there's good. There's good things, too. A lot of good things. One thing that always surprises me is, like, when I do play a show that's bigger, like that Alley Catwoman at Electricity, or I played the big gigantic show here in Lansing at Greywell Hall. That was, like, their opening weekend, there's always, like, a couple people in the crowd that are like, oh, my God, you're her. When they see me and they want to take a picture, and I'm, like, so confused because I'm like, what? Oh, yeah, I was the DJ up there. But it's just, like, so, like, nice and sweet and wholesome and surprising to me, I guess. So, like, the fact that people come up and they're like, oh, my gosh, it's really you. I'm like, it's just unexpected. And that's like.

I just say I respect the fact that you, like, at Alley Cat, specifically the fact that you, like, came out into the crowd afterwards to just, like, rave with everybody, like, was so cool. I respected that a lot. Cause it keeps, like. I think some artists can get a bit of a complex when they're up on that stage, and then they're like, oh, I don't want to be, you know, in the crowd or the masses or whatever. I think it's huge way to stay humble and to, like, stay connected with your fans and your people by doing that. And I really respect that.

I am a fan, first and foremost. As soon as I come off stage, I'm like, where's my friends? Let's get in the crowd. I'm on the rail.

That's so cool. How do you Read a crowd and adjust the vibe. That's a huge thing. I think that reading a crowd is so important for a musician.

Honestly, this probably isn't a very good answer, but I feel like it just kind of comes naturally. Probably because I've been in the crowd so many times. Like I was just saying I can kind of feel when I need to like chill it down or turn it up. And yeah, I don't really think about it too much.

That's super cool. One last pretty important question because I know this is. You're big on this. What are your thoughts on being a woman in the EDM world and what are some of the challenges you've experienced in that and what are some of the like huge wins that you've experienced in that?

Definitely the biggest win is just meeting all the people and like the support from everyone, like throughout so many different communities. Not just the EDM community, but like the cannabis community too. They're like so supportive and that like, is just. I never could have even expected that to happen. Honestly. Some of like the hard parts, like I said earlier, definitely like the people that you have to work with to get there and like trying to decide. There's been like one time where I did have to pull out of a gig because of the promoter, so things like that.

Yeah. So I've talked a little bit about your, your passions with that, but just talk a little bit about what is your passion as far as like females in the EDM industry and what is kind of your mission there and what do you hope to see one day and what are, what are you doing now to try to achieve that?

Yes. So sometimes with women I feel like there can be like a competitive vibe. I do not. I just don't feel that I want to be like collaborative with everyone and be friends with everyone because I feel like the more we work together, the bigger force we can be.

Yeah.

So definitely my passion is bringing together all the like minded ladies who want to just like blow it up and be amazing DJs and work together and support each other and like put each other on. That's what we're doing with our event. Femtronica.

Yeah. That is like I've, I've noticed you've been posting all about it. There's been like some huge. Just like you're bringing people from all over and like so many different things, flow dancers and different things like that. It's been really cool to see as you're releasing some of the plans for that out on Instagram.

So that is definitely my passion. Having this event has been a dream for us for like our team for like years, honestly, the whole time. This is our third year doing the event. We've had it the past two years. Just, it was just called International Women's Day Celebration.

Yeah.

At the Avenue. And then this year we've made it into a two day festival called Femtronica. Ideally we would like to make it bigger, take it around.

Yeah.

And like do it every year.

That's so cool. I love that so much. So before we end, just a couple quick fire rapid questions. Favorite festival, Electric Forest. Okay. Yeah, fair. Personally, mine is Lost Lens.

Okay. Yeah.

Dinosaurs are cool, man.

That's fair.

What is your go to hype track?

Oh,

good question. Right now it's 200 on the dash by Daily Bread.

Okay.

Yeah.

That's so cool.

All right.

Where can people follow you?

My website is Ganja Girl.

Okay.

Yep. All my information is there then Instagram,

Facebook, all that stuff. Right?

Yeah, that's all on my website. Yeah.

All right, cool. Well, thank you guys for joining today and thank you for joining us to talk about.

Thank you.

Your amazing journey as a musician in the EDM industry. And as always, tune in for more information. Guys, thanks. Thanks for tuning in to Front row backstage. We hope you enjoyed this week behind the curtains of the media world. Don't forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram for more information. And join us next week for more stories from the front lines of entertainment. Until then, stay tuned because whether it's on stage, behind the scenes or over the airwaves, the real action is everywhere.

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Conversations with Kate is like a conversation with your friend, hairstylist or or therapist where we will talk about music, life stories and everything in between with interviews and guests sprinkled in. As an LCC student, it's an honor and I love bringing a fresh perspective to the podcast menu on LCC Connect. I am your host, Kate. Let's get into this episode. All right, welcome in today I want to talk to you about one of my favorite things to do when life is done for the day. And it's called decompression. We all know it, we all do it in different ways. And there's a couple of different ways that myself and my daughter do it together and separately, which is television. Who does not love decompressing? Watching a great show, don't you? I mean, I know I do, which is awesome. Some of the different categories that we put our TV into at my house is one of my new favorites, Soup Brain Television. You know, the reality is, is that we live full, full, busy, busy lives, all of us. And there's nothing better than decompressing. And again, decompressing by watching a favorite movie, a favorite television show, a new television show that you haven't seen the newest episode of yet. Who doesn't love to do that? We do. I do. Do you do. So again, back to Soup Brain Television. I'm gonna give a little backstory on the name. Specifically, Soup Brain TV came about when, when I was mentally like overloaded from school and I was just like, I need to put something on in the background when I got home. And that requires no brain power whatsoever. And there's a couple of different categories for that. There's ones that like kind of in the background noise while you're chit chatting with family or at least while I'm chit chatting with my daughter or I'm making dinner type of thing. And I love it. It's really, really aided in number one, you know, that decompression period after a long day at school where you're like so mentally tired. I know, I get that way. I'm 100% sure that my daughter gets that way too, just because she has told me. She's like, mom, I'm doing Soup Brain Television and just gonna go bedrock for a couple. Some of my favorite shows for Soup Brain TV that require absolutely zero brain power. And I didn't really even know that I would like these types of shows, which is crazy to think about me watching these now. If you would have asked me like 10 years ago, would I be watching this type of show, I'd have been like, nah. And you know, enjoying it. But it works. It works. The home selling shows specifically overseas in like Italy, I think that was my first one in the spring semester 2024 that I came home and watched. I was absolutely like overwhelmed with. Not overwhelmed, but just like my brain was done processing for the day and came home and I was like, I'm just gonna sit down, kick my feet up, drink some tea and watch some, some kind of television. So I brought up my Roku tv and I want to say that it was the Amalfi coast where people were going to the Amalfi coast to purchase homes. And let me tell you something, my heart belongs in that area of the world, first and foremost. Secondly, on that show specifically, there was the Amalfi coast, that first one that I watched. And then there was something one of the other couples was in like the Greek coast and my goodness gracious, the homes that were in those two locations, just absolutely gorgeous, beautiful. It was wonderful to just kind of downshift out of that. Like my brain has to process everything and memorize and categorize everything to just looking at and processing something I can enjoy and even just like kind of fantasize about, you know, who doesn't want to live on the Amalfi coast of Italy? If you have not seen it or heard of it, please go look it up because my goodness, it's beautiful. All of these, and all of these homes that they were looking at were, were wonderful. That is my favorite thing to do though, by the way, is watch these shows and I'll just get on my phone and I'll like Google the town and then I will go on like whatever real estate site they have in that area for, you know, Italy and and, or whatever and see like how much homes are there for rent, for buy, how much cars cost. Just look up the. Because that's all just like a. I don't have to think about type of register and information which I think is important. It's an important part of the learning process, the computation process really when you are going through your day. And like myself or my daughter who is a junior in high school but is also attending Ferris State University as a freshman through the Sir Tech early college program. So she's got a pretty hefty weightload of information that she's taking in on a daily basis. So to be able to just sit down and like her favorite thing is just sit down and put whatever on and bedrot. That's her thing. She'll scroll on TikTok. And again, mine is just sitting like in front of these shows where they're all over the world and buying homes. One of the others is shows about hotels. There is shows about iconic landmarks. And let me tell you something,

I

thought I was really at the top tier with the soup brain television of the world's greatest hotels and iconic landmarks, but honestly, another good go to show is Gossip Girl. That's my other really, really favorite decompression show. I think I've watched it probably about 12 times, maybe more. It's one of those shows that I know if I need to have just a something on in the background or just a comfort show to put on, it can even fall into the Soup Brain category of shows. Again, one of my favorites of all time. I love the Upper west side. I love the whole atmosphere of the show. The drama, not so much, but just the aesthetics of, you know, living in the Upper west side or Upper east side of New York City. It just, it's a great relaxation and decompression show. And that also brings me to the next category, the go to shows. I don't know about you, but my go to shows again are Gossip Girl, Baby Daddy, the Goldbergs, Judy Justice, Lucifer and Suits. And my daughter can definitely testify to the fact that Baby Daddy and Gossip Girl are favorites. She is a sharer of Baby Daddy as one of our go to shows. And again, that's another one that falls under the category of Soup Brain tv. If you are just having one of those days where you need to just log out and just listen to something, Baby Daddy is one of those things. It's entertaining. I don't know if you've ever watched the show, but my goodness gracious, it's a great show. We've probably collectively watched that a dozen times together and separately. The last category I'm going to talk about today are newfound shows and slash nerd out shows. Ooh, wait, let's go back to the go to shows. I want to kind of give a brief description of those shows. So again, Gossip Girl is like Upper east side, well off kids, baby daddy. Two brothers live in New York City. One of the brothers finds a baby outside of his doorstep from a one night stand. It's a great show. The mom's silly, wonderful entertainment. Lucifer. If you haven't seen the show, it's hard to explain. It's basically about Lucifer coming up from H E Double Hockey sticks to Live in la. And great, great show. Suits is a show about lawyers. I've been through that series a couple of times now. Again, that's a go to show. The Goldbergs. Man, I love that show for a couple of reasons. One, it's just comforting. It's one of those really great, like decompression shows for me. Two, it is based on a family that is real. It's based on a real, real. I think he's a producer. I don't want to quote who made the show, who it's about, but it's all from 70s 80s era. And I literally feel like I'm at home when I'm watching that television show. I feel like I am right there with the family because I grew up in that era and some of the stuff is wild and ridiculous and the mother is absolutely over the top, overprotective of both of the kids. Some of the stuff she does is quite hilarious. Judy Justice. Oh my goodness. Do you know Judge Judy? Again, this is a go to show for me. It definitely falls under the category of go to shows. If I don't know what to watch, to fall asleep to, or to just chill out, I will put on that as well. It is Judge Judy, you know, plain and simple. She has people come into her courtroom. Her attitude is just absolutely wonderful. She now has a new like court reporter young lady in there who's really great. Some of the cases are absolutely ridiculous. Some of them are entertaining, but it's always great. It's always great television. And moving on, the last category we're going to talk about decompression. Television wise, new found shows slash nerd out. Shows I have been obsessed with lately started a couple of years ago when I watched the first season. It's called the Mayfair Witches and it actually is from a book that I read long, long time ago. Phenomenal show. I watched every single episode, more than one time when it came out. I believe in 2023. It's a great show about this family of witches and from New Orleans. They have this gorgeous house and I chomp at the bit every time. This is the first time in long, long time where I had to actually wait for new episodes to come out for a show, which. Oh, my goodness, I remember what that was like as a kid. Like, just. Just being like, oh, my gosh, I have to wait until next week to find out what happens. And, you know, I love that. Again, great way to decompress. You know what? I know. Hey, I haven't seen the new episode of whatever show specifically right now, Mayfair Witches. I will get out popcorn or whatever I'm snick snacking on and a drink, whether it's coffee, which, you know, I love in all forms, and sit down and press play, and the world shuts off around me. That is my decompression time. I am. Nope, you are. You are outside of my. My bubble. Do not talk to me while my show is on. And I've actually had my daughter with me while I was watching the last episode. And, you know, we had to do the thing where she would say something to me and I'm like, pause. What was that? And then go back and, like, make it go back 10 seconds just so that I could get back in. But again, that's one of my newfound favorites. Nerd out show. Also, Teresa Caputo, the Long. I think it's Long Island Medium is what her old show used to be called. She has a new show. I watched, I think, one, maybe one and a half episodes of it. I just love her. There's just something about her that I have always loved. I am, for whatever reason, enamored by her big blonde hair and her accent. And it's a cute show. She definitely does what she does, and it shows a little bit more than what her other show did. It kind of gives a little bit more of a personal background. And again, great Decompression television. Another newfound show slash nerd out show that I like. Ooh, here's another one, High Potential. It's about this single mom who is savant smart. Like, savant smart. She's a cleaner, and she was cleaning this police station and kind of like helped them figure out, through clues that were left up on one of their little murder boards, how to solve a crime. And then she ends up becoming a consultant, much like Lucifer is a consultant in that show. A consultant to the police department. Great show. I definitely look for the new episodes of that when that comes out too as a, as a means for decompression. The last couple of shows I'm going to talk about. Oh goodness, I'm so excited. And again, these are, you know, nerd out shows. Anything ancient related. So if it was ancient Greece, ancient Egypt, any history of things that have been found, like sacred sites around the world, which is really, really cool. Again, I'm a nerd when it comes to science. Not all things science, but specifically like landmarks and things like that. Because a lot of our lives, you and I, we've been taught, you know, especially if you've ever been around anything church related wise and no badness towards anybody that is church religious. But you're taught, you know, through that, that we started 3,000 years ago and we're not just to find out that there's these sites all over the world that are like 10, 20,000 years old and even more like nerdier than that, that a lot of them used sound frequency or they were built for sound frequency or they were built to line up with the stars in the sky, that type of thing. Absolutely the coolest thing on the planet. And there's been things talked about like while I'm watching one of the shows, it's called Bibliotheca. And of course, again, just like with the other shows, I will nerd out if I need to decompress. This is also kind of falls into the soup brain category. I'll get on my phone and research like the site itself. There are sites in the United States that are tens of thousands of years old. There are sites in South America, China, like all over the world. And it is the coolest thing for me. But again, that's a nerd out thing for me. One of the other shows is the ancient top 10. Love that show. I could put that on and fall asleep and just enjoy falling asleep to that type of thing. And the last one, Forbidden History. There's just so many different things that come on that show that if I need to decompress and sort of want to nerd out a little bit, I'll put on that show. It definitely kind of goes in the way of information delivery, but also I can just decompress from that because it's something that I enjoy as much as I don't enjoy reading history, I enjoy learning about history, which works out for me. One of my classes this semester is musical cultures 21750 and we're learning about some really, really interesting facts of where music came from. So that's been it. The ways to Decompress television part of the series. There will be different ones as we go forward, but there's lots of ways to decompress and today I just wanted to kind of get in your ear and talk to you about television and the decompression values in television. Soup Brain TV is amazing. Always having go to shows that you watch or prefer and you know there's always a cool new show that you can decompress to. And there's always nerd out shows too, which is super duper, super duper awesome. Thank you so so very much for listening to me, talking to me about decompressing and my Soup Brain tv. Can't wait to talk to you more about different ways to decompress. Thanks for listening to this episode of Conversations with Kate. You can find more information on LCC Connect site as well as all social platforms, Facebook, Instagram, yes, TikTok as well. Big Love.

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