Of Music and Men

Kenya realizes that there are some important parallels between the music industry and sports, and as she's trying to figure out her next play to run with Tk's career and pending album release, she pays a visit to her mentor, a former industry exec who shows her that there's more than one way to be a player. This a story--Of Music and Men--so it's best to start at Episode One: https://soundcloud.com/omampodcast/ep-1-blueprint For full credits and sources on this episode, go to: https://ofmusicandmen.com/episode3-1-dont-hate-the-player CREDITS Narration Episode narrated by Kayona Ebony Brown Episode Written, recorded, and produced by Kayona Ebony Brown at Siingle Studios in Washington, DC MUSIC LISTED IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE IN THE EPISODE Most music in this episode is provided by Filmstro End song: Weightless by LiQWYD Free download: hypeddit.com/link/ghiu91 INSTAGRAM: Music by @LiQWYD Word music Hiraeth by @ScottBuckley Edited with Adobe Creative Cloud To have your music considered for placement in the show, send us a link where it can be streamed and downloaded. Soundcloud and Bandcamp are two great sites to do so. Go to ofmusicandmen.com to submit your music.

Of Music and Men is a story, so it's best to start listening at episode one. This episode is a bonus episode during our brief hiatus. Good news! This is the last update before we jump into episode three. Thank you for being patient during this time when I'm sure we all may have had other more pressing issues to concern ourselves with. So, I think I mentioned a couple updates ago that I was the July winner of the Roadmap Writers Diversity Initiative. This has been somewhat life changing and actually very necessary for me at this point in my career because winning this is not just a bragging right thing; it came with access to their pitch prep program. If you are a screenwriter, I highly recommend you go to Roadmapwriters.com and check out some of their programs and courses. They are doing some wonderful work over there, and when I'm on stage collecting my Emmy's and Oscars, I'm going to remember them as being an integral part of my journey. You know Justin Simien's work even if you can't place the name yet. He's the incredible creator and writer of the movie and Netflix show, Dear White People. If you came to my novella launch party at Bus Boys and Poets, you may remember me giving a short list of great projects and creators that took as long (if not, longer) than it's taking the Universe to get my OM&M project to the world. Justin Simien's Dear White People was one of the examples I used. It took him several years to get his project made, but when it happened, it was so perfect. If you've ever had a private conversation with me, you've heard me say that DWP is one of the most unrated shows on TV and the best show among those targeting the millennial Black audience (at least, it's my favorite one). Anyway, back on July 17, Justin Simien put three projects on his Culture Machine IG, giving them a shoutout, and honestly, I took it as somewhat of an endorsement. OM&M was one of them. So shout out to Justin Simien for the public acknowledgement. I'm especially grateful to people who do things that they really don't have to do. This probably relatively small act to him means the world to me, so go watch DWP on Netflix if you haven't already, and look out for Bad Hair the film coming soon on Hulu. If you haven't yet, go back and catchup with the story starting with episode 1.1 to get the full experience. If you're pressed for time, we have recap episodes that'll get you caught up on everything. Not the full experience but at least you'll be caught up. Don't forget episode two novella is available at ofmusicandmen.com Music Pillow by Mona Wonderlick Subscribe on Soundcloud

Of Music and Men is a story, so it's best to start listening at episode one. This is a recap episode for episode two during our brief hiatus. This is part two of the recap episode for the series of podcast episodes that make up Nothing But a Number. So, in case you forgot, episode two is called Nothing but a number--that is, the collection of seven episodes of the podcast that make up episode two. You know how this works. Here, I'll give you the recap of the story--without the cold openings--so you can get a full sense of where things will be when we pick back up. In When do you start, which is episode 2.4, Kenya has to nurse a sick Lucas while trying to get him to actually take an active part in something important for his own career, and Tk, still thinking about the possibility of being an old rapping-teacher, tries to quit her job but is denied by the principle. In The Great Compromise, Kenya goes out with the older guy to a Balkin Beat Box concert and later realizes that she's actually more of kid than she realized. J goes to a college party and finds herself in a compromising situation with her young friend. In Of Age yet? The party J's at gets crashed by the police and her age save her from further embarrassment, Kenya helps Lucas get better but refuses to do anything more for this grown child, and Ty gets a surprise of her own when she finds out who her secret admirer is. Kenya realizes that she's still in the process of becoming a grownup as she makes a decision about her retaining wall, Tk realizes that she has to go all in with music or she'll regret it, and Kenya finally meets her father's new love interest--someone much younger. You can find links to all of the artists featured here in your show notes. I actually recommend going back and listening to the full episodes of the podcast which includes the cold open segment. They give you a timely, sometimes even philosophical viewpoint to help introduce the theme of the episode. Lastly, don't forget to go to ofmusicandmen.com to get your copy of episode two, nothing but a number, for any amount that you want to give. Narration Episode narrated by Kayona Ebony Brown Episode Written, recorded, and produced by Kayona Ebony Brown at Siingle Studios in Washington, DC MUSIC LISTED IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE IN THE EPISODE All music for this episode provided by Filmstro - arranged for this episode by Kayona KIDS by @MonaWonderlick Mona Wonderlick on Spotify: bit.ly/spotify-mona-wonderlick Mona Wonderlick on Apple Music: bit.ly/applemusic-monawonderlick I'm Up In The Clouds by Le Gang Le Gang - "Lo-Fi Beats & Chill" (Album) out on Spotify & Apple Music. Le Gang on SoundCloud: @thisislegang Le Gang on Spotify: spoti.fi/2Nqx1E1 Le Gang on Apple Music: apple.co/2tCxx8M Le Gang on YouTube: bit.ly/2Th5V7E Chillin in the 70s by Studio Monkey Get The Balkan Party Started by @Soundroll Things by @LiQWYD & @thisisLeGang : Music by LiQWYD & Le Gang - Free download: bit.ly/things-free-download INSTAGRAM: Music by @LiQWYD & @thisislegang Balkan Partizoni By @Soundroll Strange by Aden @musicbyaden Quirky Latin by Pink Zebra Escape by @Niwel Reveal by Ikson Stream/buy Ikson music: - Spotify: goo.gl/GSvyMN - Soundcloud: @ikson - iTunes: itunes.apple.com/se/artist/ikson/id533041587 Zdarmania by @Niwel Wasted Years by @Inossi Relax, man by Le Gang Le Gang on SoundCloud: @thisislegang Le Gang on Spotify: spoti.fi/2Nqx1E1 Le Gang on Apple Music: apple.co/2tCxx8M Le Gang on YouTube: bit.ly/2Th5V7E Sunflower by @Soybmusic Track: Sunflower - Soyb [Audio Library Release] Music provided by Audio Library Plus Watch: youtu.be/dG1U3NuR9Pk Free Download / Stream: alplus.io/sunflower Bisiesto by Hiracutch Hidden Trails by Broke in Summer Undone by Mona Wonderlick - YouTube: bit.ly/youtube-monawonderlick - Soundcloud: bit.ly/soundcloud-monawonderlick - Instagram: bit.ly/instagram-monawonderlick -...

Of Music and Men is a story, so it's best to start listening at episode one. This is a recap episode for episode two during our brief hiatus. So, I'm going to give you a two-part recap of episode two before we get into episode three since it's been a while. So, in case you forgot, episode two is called, Nothing but a number--that is, the collection of seven episodes of the podcast that make up episode two. You know how this works. Here, I'll give you the recap of the story--without the cold openings--so you can get a full sense of where things will be when we pick back up. So this first part is called, No Time for Biding, where Kenya tries to get Tk a performance at the Kennedy Center. She does, although it's not as easy as she might think it should be, but the high from that performance is diluted when Tk meets a Boomer who also has aspirations of being a rapper. Where to draw the timeline? Kenya later meets up with J and Ty, and the get on the topic of age because J is seeing this dude who's like 20, and although that's only 8 years younger than her, Ty feels like it's inappropriate. This conversation makes Kenya reveal her true feelings about her father's new love interest who is closer to her age than his. She's uncomfortable but she can't explain why. Men of a certain age Later on that day, Kenya agrees (although somewhat reluctantly) to go out with an older guy, and when she chats with Stax about it, a male friend and fellow millennial, she realizes that maybe she should be more open to older men because, considering the ones her age, this might be the reason why she's still single. Ty has a secret admirer who she thinks is the father of one of her patients. Since it'd be too long to put it all here, next week, I'll give you part two of the recap next week. You can find links to all of the artists featured here in your show notes. I actually recommend going back and listening to the full episodes of the podcast which includes the cold open segment. They give you a timely, sometimes even philosophical viewpoint to help introduce the theme of the episode. Lastly, don't forget to go to ofmusicandmen.com to get you copy of episode two, nothing but a number, for any amount that you want to give. For full credits and sources on this episode, go to: https://ofmusicandmen.com/episode2-1-no-time-for-biding http://ofmusicandmen.com/episode2-2-where-timeline https://ofmusicandmen.com/episode2-3-men-certain-age CREDITS Narration Episode narrated by Kayona Ebony Brown Episode Written, recorded, and produced by Kayona Ebony Brown at Siingle Studios in Washington, DC MUSIC LISTED IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE IN THE EPISODE All music for this episode provided by Filmstro - arranged for this episode by Kayona Come On, Let's Go by Le Gang Le Gang on SoundCloud: @thisislegang Le Gang on Spotify: spoti.fi/2Nqx1E1 Le Gang on Apple Music: apple.co/2tCxx8M Le Gang on YouTube: bit.ly/2Th5V7E Pillow by Mona Wonderlick Free download: bit.ly/pillow-download - YouTube: bit.ly/youtube-monawonderlick - Soundcloud: bit.ly/soundcloud-mona-wonderlick - Instagram: bit.ly/instagram-monawonderlick A Magical Journey Through Space by Leonell Cassio Sad Circus x Unminus (Free download) Music for the Word of the episode: Soar by Scott Buckley

Of Music and Men is a story, so it's best to start listening at episode one. This episode is a bonus Q&A episode during our brief hiatus. In this episode, Kayona answers questions like... How do you do it technically? What's the hardest thing about doing this podcast? What podcasts inspire this one? What are you watching on TV? What's your favorite spot in DC? You try your best to be an optimist. How? And Why? Music for this episode is "Superstar" by Soyb soybmusic@gmail.com soyb.bandcamp.com @soybmusic youtube.com/channel/UCllLIkIEh828Vr6bnlmcOyQ open.spotify.com/artist/4mP52oJWDHbV3InZTcljkn facebook.com/SoybMusic instagram.com/iamsoyb

Of Music and Men is a story, so it's best to start listening at episode one. This episode is a bonus episode during our brief hiatus. So, things have remained super busy on my end with writing and meetings. In this episode, I tell you about some of the things I've been writing and some of the meetings I've had. Plus, an update on when we'll be back. Music by Mona Wonderlick - Bloom (download via Soundcloud) Also, check out the Heroes video on Youtube. Just click here.

Of Music and Men is a story, so it's best to start listening at episode one. This episode is a bonus episode during our brief hiatus. I decided not to post an update last week. Sometimes you gotta read the room. There's a lot going on in this country and I felt like I needed a break from entertainment for a minute. This episode is just a brief update on what's been happening. Music by Mona Wonderlick - Bloom (download via Soundcloud) Also, check out the Heroes video on Youtube. Just click here.

Of Music and Men is a story, so it's best to start listening at episode one. This episode is a bonus episode during our brief hiatus. In the is episode, Kayona skips art and entertainment to talk about the protests currently going on in the aspiring great nation of America, Black Lives Matter (and why), and what non-Black allies can do to support the erasure of racism in America. The transcript for this episode is available at patron.com/ofmusicandmen Nick wright @getnickwright Killer Mike @killermike Anti-racism resource

We'll be coming back soon! In this update episode, I give you some insight on progress I'm making with the project and how I plan to move forward to produce new episodes for you soon. Remember, episode two of the novella, "Nothing But A Number," is available on the website for digital download now. Go to https://ofmusicandmen.com/ep2-number/ to learn more. Music by Sro

In this bonus update episode, I talk about my goal for this project: Of music and men inspire a generation of women to take risks and not wait for permission or perfection before doing something they know is great. I also discuss making a new logline for the show: After dropping out of college less than a year in, an ambitious young woman tries to succeed as an entrepreneur helming her own indie record company while navigating bachelorettehood; the only problem is, she's in the wrong place for entertainment pursuits, not to mention, the country's worst city for single women: Washington, DC. I talk about "diversity" (real LIFE) on the page versus diversity on the screen--and the word "diversity". I explore this through making Tk a lesbian woman instead of keeping that character as it was first made in male form because I wasn't doing a good job of giving the LGBTQIA community enough representation in this story. And I have fun revealing the females characters' personality types using 16personalities.com as reference. Visit our Pinterest for more on their style. • Tk - Kenya's artist, started as male, changed to female (diversity is not just race) - wanted to show a different type of female friendship, from Baltimore but has lived in DC since after college and UMD, is married with a kid (artsy upbringing, was never "in") - ISTJ • Ty - divorcing when we meet, post-doc to become psychologist, Ivy league educated (Princeton), comes from very old money (african), liberal heart but conservative in most ways (religious), southern sensibilities, mature/grownup - INFJ • J - beauty is your first thought, Latina (El Salvador/DR), knows her roots but grew up being seen as American Black in Chicago, Howard summa cum laude, journalist for a female lifestyle mag (arts and culture), sex-positive (gets to know people through sex) - ESTP • Kenya - defined by her ambition (most likely to succeed), college dropout of Prince Hall U (like NYU, private, top-tier), only one of the girls from DC (like most people here), has unique interests (various interests) and finds it difficult to connect with most men because of this, not easily distracted - ENFJ Music for this episode is "Weightless" by LIQWYD

I wanted to give a quick update about what's been going on since I haven't been producing proper episodes. Don't worry, I'm getting back to it soon. In this episode, I talk a little about working on HBO's VEEP as an intern, recently meeting one of my heroes, Tanya Saracho (creator of Vida on Starz network), writing a new TV pilot during Covid, how I'm navigating trying to promote the new novella, and I give you a peek into what's going on with the novellas, and some writer-insights and things I've been learning over the last few months. Music for this episode is provided by my Swedish friends, Le Gang. The song is "Come On, Let's Go."

So you've made it to part two of the Crowdcast interview! But I have a few notes before we start again... I've got some good news: You can now go onto the site, ofmusicandmen.com, and be among the first to get the novella for episode two by pre-ordering before its official release date. Due to the recent pandemic, the traditional ways of doing things have gone out the window. I know that entertainment is not an "essential product," so I want to make sure anyone who wants access to my art can get it... whether you can return the favor by paying for it or not. I'M MAKING IT SUPER EASY TO GET THE DIGITAL VERSION OF EPISODE TWO OF THE NOVELLA SERIES, NOTHING BUT A NUMBER. If you can afford to give $1 or more, great. Click the "Give what you can" button. But if you still want to read but cannot support me right now, that's fine as well. Just click the "Read now, give later" button. As mentioned in the last few podcast episodes, as an artistic entrepreneur, the unending of everything around us has altered my normal way of going about things,, but I am certainly not complaining. Financial struggles aside, I've personally welcome this as an opportunity to focus on gratitude and completely readjust what's considered "normal." Anyway, here's part two of another recent conversation about the of music and men project. This is a two-parter, so if you didn't hear the beginning, just go back and listen to episode before this one. Now, my people on Patreon have already gotten this full interview and they received it in video format, but for my regular podcast listener, the audio-only was broken up into two parts. Thanks again for listening, and enjoy the show. Music: Leonell Cassio - A Magical Journey Through Space

Hey, Kayona here. So I've got some good news: You can now go onto the site, ofmusicandmen.com, and be among the first to get the novella for episode two by pre-ordering before its official release date. Due to the recent pandemic, the traditional ways of doing things have gone out the window. I know that entertainment is not an "essential product," so I want to make sure anyone who wants access to my art can get it... whether you can return the favor by paying for it or not. I'M MAKING IT SUPER EASY TO GET THE DIGITAL VERSION OF EPISODE TWO OF THE NOVELLA SERIES, NOTHING BUT A NUMBER. If you can afford to give $1 or more, great. Click the "Give what you can" button. But if you still want to read but cannot support me right now, that's fine as well. Just click the "Read now, give later" button. As mentioned in the last few podcast episodes, as an artistic entrepreneur, the unending of everything around us has altered my normal way of going about things,, but I am certainly not complaining. Financial struggles aside, I've personally welcome this as an opportunity to focus on gratitude and completely readjust what's considered "normal." Anyway, here's another recent conversation about the Of Music and Men project. Like the last two podcast episodes, this is a two-parter. Now, my people on Patreon have already gotten this full interview and they received it in video format, but for my regular podcast listener, the audio-only will be broken up into two parts. You'll get the second part next week. Thanks again for listening, and enjoy the show. Music: Leonell Cassio - A Magical Journey Through Space

If you're new, this is a story, so it's best to start at episode one. Hi, Kayona here. Here's part two of last week's interview with Sovereign Noir Publications. I hope you've been enjoying the podcast so far, as I've really enjoyed bringing it to you. Episode 2.7 (the last FULL episode you heard) was the completion of book two, or if this were the TV show, it would've been episode two of that. With this global crisis, we've all been affected, and all of us in different ways. Personally, things have been quite hard for me financially, as I am a small business owner who has made money through artistic gig work over the last few year, which is a double edged sword. It allows me the opportunity to work on my art more consistently, but it's subject to the whims of people who need you when they need you, and when they don't need you, then they don't need you--hence, no income for you. This is especially difficult for me right now as I'm trying to get the next novella (episode two of the series) out to you. Now of course, you just listened to it here with these last 7 episodes of the podcast but the book is a different experience. It was supposed to come out April 2020, but considering everything that's happening, I've had to delay its release. However, I will be making it available to you digitally (on our website, ofmusicandmen.com) within the next few weeks. I'll let you know here when you can get it. But of course, members of our Patreon club get it free and early as part of their membership. If you're not a Patron but would like to become one--and honestly, doing so really helps me to make this show every week--you can learn more about it at Patreon.com/ofmusicandmen Anyway, I must take a brief hiatus for the next few weeks to get my mind right and get resources straight, in order to continue producing this podcast. But don't worry, I'm still going to release shows; it just won't be proper episodes from the story like you're normally used to. I'll be giving you a few Q&As and talks about the project to keep you in the loop. Since I'm doing this project alone, I have to turn my attention to some other aspects that I simply haven't been able to focus on whilst also focusing on the art--namely, trying to figure out how to grow the audience. Anyway, here's part two of a recent interview I did with the Chief Operator of Sovereign Noir Publications, who incidentally will be publishing the next book for you. Thanks for continuing to tune in, and enjoy the show. Ascent by Mona Wonderlick Free download: http://bit.ly/ascent-download Subscribe to Mona Wonderlick's YouTube Channel and Soundcloud Bad Circus by Unminus

Hi, Kayona here. I hope you've been enjoying the podcast so far, as I've really enjoyed bringing it to you. Episode 2.7 (the last episode you heard) was the completion of book two, or if this were the TV show, it would've been episode two of that. With this global crisis, we've all been affected, and all of us in different ways. Personally, things have been quite hard for me financially, as I am a small business owner who has made money through artistic gig work over the last few year, which is a double edged sword. It allows me the opportunity to work on my art more consistently, but it's subject to the whims of people who need you when they need you, and when they don't need you, then they don't need you--hence, no income for you. This is especially difficult for me right now as I'm trying to get the next novella (episode two of the series) out to you. Now of course, you just listened to it here with these last 7 episodes of the podcast but the book is a different experience. It was supposed to come out April 2020, but considering everything that's happening, I've had to delay its release. However, I will be making it available to you digitally (on our website, ofmusicandmen.com) within the next few weeks. I'll let you know here when you can get it. But of course, members of our Patreon club get it free and early as part of their membership. If you're not a Patron but would like to become one--and honestly, doing so really helps me to make this show every week--you can learn more about it at Patreon.com/ofmusicandmen Anyway, I must take a brief hiatus for the next few weeks to get my mind right and get resources straight, in order to continue producing this podcast. But don't worry, I'm still going to release shows; it just won't be proper episodes from the story like you're normally used to. I'll be giving you a few Q&As and talks about the project to keep you in the loop. Since I'm doing this project alone, I have to turn my attention to some other aspects that I simply haven't been able to focus on whilst also focusing on the art--namely, trying to figure out how to grow the audience. Anyway, here's a recent interview I did with the Chief Operator of Sovereign Noir Publications, who incidentally will be publishing the next book for you. Thanks for continuing to tune in, and enjoy the show. Music by Atch https://soundcloud.com/atch_music https://www.instagram.com/atchmusic/