Music Therapy with Jessica Risker

Episode 81: Group Session! Cordoba Uses the Washer to Hide the Tears, Collaborating as a Sextet, a Dazzling Live Performance, and More!

Group Session!  In this episode I talk with Chicago's jazz-fusion sextet Cordoba.   Learn how 6 busy band members find time to practice, how they come up with their musical ideas, and how all their personalities work together.   Featuring an amazing live performance from the band!  
Visit musictherapypodcast.com for show notes, past episodes, and upcoming events!
Credits: 
Music Therapy is hosted by Jessica Risker, produced by Sullivan Davis of Local Universe, and engineered by Joshua Wentz in Chicago. 
Opening and closing music composed by Joshua Wentz.
This episode was taped live at Cafe Mustache in front of a studio audience on December 8, 2021.  

Episode 80: Babehoven on Dance Mornings, Setting Boundaries, and Winning the Love Lottery

As a therapist, I often work with couples.  Couples generally come to therapy when they need some help, and as you might imagine, it can be tense. 
That's why it was so nice to talk with Maya Bon and Ryan Albert of Babehoven.  They have a very sweet dynamic!  I've always wondered what it would be like to work on music while dating a bandmate, and it was really interesting to hear how they come up with ideas, give each other feedback, who's the boss, and work through disagreements while working on music together. 
We also talked about their new EP "Sunk" out now on Double Double Whammy, their work ethic, using music to deal with past family trauma and loss, setting boundaries and fresh starts, communication skills, their adorable dog Woody, and lots more.  
Visit musictherapypodcast.com for show notes, past episodes, and events!
Featured songs: "Fugazi"  and "Like Artists Making Offerings" by Babehoven
Credits: 
Music Therapy is hosted by Jessica Risker, produced by Sullivan Davis of Local Universe, and engineered by Joshua Wentz in Chicago. 
Opening and closing music composed by Joshua Wentz.
This episode was taped on January 26, 2022.

Episode 79: Quinn Tsan on The Vanity of the Arts and Becoming a Film Composer

Music Therapy is back with our first episode of 2022! In this episode of Music Therapy I talk with songwriter, composer, and producer Quinn Tsan!! Quinn and I talk about how she got into composing for films, her struggle with the vanity of music self-promotion, her mysterious upcoming project, the risks involved in pursuing an indie music career, new music she’s working on, and plenty more!
Quinn was so easy to talk to and although we still haven't grabbed that drink I'm totally down whenever, Quinn!  I loved hearing her journey to becoming a composer for film and there's some great takeaways from her story that could inspire any aspiring film composer.  It was also cool to hear how she's bounced around, from working in a corporation to pursuing the arts to starting a non-profit to working on her own LP, and all the excitement and uncertainty and insecurity pursuing an art career entails.  We also dig into her discomfort with the ego that accompanies promoting your own work.  All in all this was a great conversation from a talented and driven Chicago artist.  
Visit musictherapypodcast.com for show notes, past episodes, and events!
Featured song: "Once I Had a Picture of Us" by Quinn Tsan
Credits: 
Music Therapy is hosted by Jessica Risker, produced by Sullivan Davis of Local Universe, and engineered by Joshua Wentz in Chicago. 
Opening and closing music composed by Joshua Wentz.
This episode was taped live on Instagram on October 20, 2021.  

Episode 78: Jessica Takes a Break Until 2022 for Self Care and the Holidays!

Hello everyone!  I'm taking a break from releasing episodes until 2022.  Here's a short episode with info about upcoming events.  I hope you have a wonderful holiday season, and thanks for listening to the podcast this year!  We have a lot of big plans for 2022, so stay tuned and visit musictherapypodcast.com

Episode 77: Camilo Medina (Divino Niño) Is Vibing in the Bath

In this episode of Music Therapy I talk with Camilo Medina of Divino Niño!  Camilo shares his sacred bath routine, moving from an ad agency to freelance work, how the band creates together, how they’re evolving their recording process as they work on their new album, spirituality, the spirit of collaboration, and much more!!  We also hear two new tracks from Divino Niño: Bleach and Drive.
My thoughts:  Camilo is a super talented artist, both with his music and graphic design, and it would be easy to be sort of intimidated by him if he weren't so friendly and positive.  My favorite part of our conversation was when he talked about the goal of art and an artist's search for "truth" and I asked him what exactly he meant by that, because I never quite know what "truth" is, you know?  But he led me down a path that I totally vibed with.  He also had excellent thoughts on collaborating with others and you get the sense he's done some personal evolution on that.  I also liked hearing how they're working on their new album, his new bath routine, and exploring his spiritual side.  All in all, this was a very positive episode with real depth in how a talented artist approaches his creativity.
Visit musictherapypodcast.com for show notes, past episodes, and events!
Credits: 
Music Therapy is hosted by Jessica Risker, produced by Sullivan Davis of Local Universe, and engineered by Joshua Wentz in Chicago. 
Opening and closing music composed by Joshua Wentz.
 

Episode 76: Darien Williams Can‘t Say No / Balancing Work & Creativity

In this episode of Music Therapy I talk with Darien Williams of Unmanned Ship, M!NES, Cat Mullins & themboys and faug!! We discuss  balancing work and creativity, being in four different bands, running a kombucha business, putting out 4 albums next year, utilizing space and dynamics in music, how the pandemic changed creativity, running the Cafe Mustache streaming channel, and tons more!!
 
Visit musictherapypodcast.com for show notes, past episodes, and events!
Credits: 
Music Therapy is hosted by Jessica Risker, produced by Sullivan Davis of Local Universe, and engineered by Joshua Wentz in Chicago. 
Opening and closing music composed by Joshua Wentz.
 
 
 
 
 

Episode 75: Steve Malden on Comedy vs Music and Moving to NYC

On this episode of Music Therapy I talk with comedian and musician Steve Malden (formerly Steve Gerard).  Steve is one of my very favorite comedians and he moved to NYC one week ago from Chicago.  This is a snapshot of an artist the moment they move into the next level of their career.
We discuss a variety of things:  Why did he move to New York?  What’s the difference between the comedy scenes and music scenes?  What is Kratom?  What's the good parts about getting older as an artist?  We also talk social media obsession, refining art, antidepressants, sobriety, and his wonderful lo fi bedroom pop new album “a sled with no snow sometimes” by Sofas available at sofas.bandcamp.com. 
Visit musictherapypodcast.com for show notes, past episodes, and events!
Credits: 
Music Therapy is hosted by Jessica Risker, produced by Sullivan Davis of Local Universe, and engineered by Joshua Wentz in Chicago. 
Opening and closing music composed by Joshua Wentz.
 
 

Episode 74: Richard Album‘s Last Show

What happens when a band comes to an end?  In this episode of Music Therapy, I talk with all four members of Chicago DIY darlings Richard Album as they play their very last show.  In a touching and surprisingly emotional episode, I talk with the band as they reflect on their time together, share some of their best and worst band memories, and play a killer live set.    
This episode is a monthly installment of Music Therapy called "Group Session", in which I talk with a full band about how they write, fight, and work together.  
This episode was taped live at Cafe Mustache on August 11, 2021.  
Visit musictherapypodcast.com for show notes, past episodes, and events!
Credits: 
Music Therapy is hosted by Jessica Risker, produced by Sullivan Davis of Local Universe, and engineered by Joshua Wentz in Chicago. 
Opening and closing music composed by Joshua Wentz.
 

Episode 73: Savanna Dickhut (Burr Oak) Pours Her Heart Out

This episode of Music Therapy features Savanna Dickhut of Burr Oak!  Savanna talks about intense anxiety before performing, dealing with writer’s block, drinking as a coping mechanism before shows, her songwriting process, how the pandemic changed her music career goals,  her new album "Late Bloomer" out now, and more!!
Visit musictherapypodcast.com for show notes, past episodes, and events!
Credits: 
Music Therapy is hosted by Jessica Risker, produced by Sullivan Davis of Local Universe, and engineered by Joshua Wentz in Chicago. 
Opening and closing music composed by Joshua Wentz.
 
 

Episode 72: Pandemic Burnout - Dealing With Prolonged Stress w Dr. Caroline Adelman

Pandemic stress impacts every aspect of our lives - our bodies, mental health, relationships, work, and our creativity.  You may be feeling burned out, depleted, irritable, malaise, or just generally not the best version of yourself. 
In this episode of Music Therapy, we focus on understanding prolonged stress, and the tolls it takes on our lives and well-being.  You also learn actions you can take today to cope and feel more like yourself. 
Dr. Caroline Adelman joins this episode for an in-depth discussion about prolonged stress, and offers ways to cope and recuperate.    
Visit musictherapypodcast.com for show notes, past episodes, and events!
Credits: 
Music Therapy is hosted by Jessica Risker, produced by Sullivan Davis of Local Universe, and engineered by Joshua Wentz in Chicago. 
Opening and closing music composed by Joshua Wentz.