Plum Meets a Podcast
The art of listening
I’ve been listening a lot lately…to the eerie yet peaceful quiet as the churn of car engines abruptly stopped outside my window at the onset of the coronavirus lockdown…to the twittering of birds replacing the aural space of the once-rumbling engines…to the soothing hum of indie music coursing through it all, fulfilling my need to connect with the outside world. Back when 2020 still held some promise, I released my first single, “How Will I Know When I Know You,” with my cowriter and producer Michael Costelloe. Our little song somehow found its way to the ears of Dave Davis who included it in his podcast, the Independent Share Show—a show that encompasses good, quality songs across all genres, “sharing excellent independent music from great independent artists.” I was thrilled—ok, giddy even—to have a song in a podcast, so I put on my headphones and settled in for a listen. It was, of course, cool and kind of weird to hear one of my songs playing out there in the wilds of the Internet, but it was even cooler to spend some quality listening time discovering some new-to-me indie artists.
While I can’t say that I’m into all musical genres, I was impressed with the podcast’s nuanced weaving of a little bit of everything into a cohesive stream, so I reached out to Dave Davis to ask him what compelled him to be a champion of independent music. Davis was kind enough to answer my questions, and hence, you have the first Plum Indie Blog interview. So, Davis, who is a musician himself specializing in new age piano, became heavily involved in Broadjam, an Internet meet-up spot for musicians to share, sell, and license their music, etc. Davis said, “I know so many great indie artists from [Broadjam] that I decided to start my own show based around them.” And so he did, launching the all-genre Independent Share Show in 2013…and people are listening, upwards of 200 per week with more than 32,000 downloads.
“It was, of course, cool and kind of weird to hear one of my songs playing out there in the wilds of the Internet, but it was even cooler to spend some quality listening time discovering some new-to-me indie artists.”
Davis often gets around 500 indie song submissions a month, which makes the addition of my own song in the midst of this wide-ranging indie mix that much more special. I asked Davis how he sifts through all of those song submissions to choose a line up for a show and he said, “I listen for quality and feel. I know what my listeners like. Doesn’t matter the genre; I play it…but it has to be quality.” As I was listening and enjoying many of the jazz and blues and indie selections, I stumbled on a particular favorite and this Plum Indie Blog edition’s pick: “Brownstone” by Prima Queen.
Prima Queen, an indie/alternative band based in London, released “Brownstone” earlier this year as a single, along with a charming companion video. Fronted by Louise Macphail and Kristin McFadden, this all-woman outfit of solid musicians pulls on your retro heartstrings with their smooth harmonies and bright and sultry sax, all wrapped up in stonewashed denim. I was curious to hear Davis’ thoughts on this indie gem and why he chose to include it in the Independent Share Show. Davis told me he discovered Prima Queen through a word-of-mouth connection, as one of the members of the band is the daughter of a friend. The friend sent him the song and Davis was “super impressed with the production.” He went on to say, “The song overall has a great hook and feel to it.” I had the same feeling. I found myself floating away on that smooth, flowy hook and the late-80s, hybrid vibe that still waxes modern. “Brownstone” makes we want to crank up The Ocean Blue’s self-titled album and drift around my crappy college apartment with a Natty Light in my hand.
Image from the Independent Share Show, a cool, all-genre indie mix
Yet, just as I am about to head off in a cheap-beer-infused college quarandream, Prima Queen delivers a modern, gritty punch with their timely, thought-provoking chorus, “I don’t believe in the American dream.” I’m brought back to 2020, grounded in time and space and the trifecta of American problems—racial inequality, an economic crisis, and a raging pandemic—hardly the bedrock of dreams. Cue the low murmur of car engines as the traffic begins to pick up again outside my window…but the birds are still there twittering as well and Prima Queen’s lyric reminds me that in 2020 I can vote for change.
Since interviewing Dave Davis back in May, the Independent Share Show has gone on hiatus, but I’m sure Davis will be back at it soon, bringing “peace to everyone through music.” As Davis put it, “I always want to turn my listeners on to some new music or artist and that excites me, that I can share this with the world.” And that’s something I can get my ears around. Listen to Prima Queen’s “Brownstone” wherever you get your music and tune into the Independent Share Show to discover some new indie artists for yourself.