More amazing musicians to discover and follow here on Substack
The Substack Music & Creativity Sessions - post #4
This is my fourth post sharing the livestream videos of artists and bands who took part in the Substack Music & Creativity Sessions over the past couple of weeks.
Here are the previous posts in case you missed them:
The first post — musical performances
The second post — livestreams that combined chat with ‘play’ (by which I mean playing music and, in some cases, engaging in hijinks)
The third post — conversations and interviews, five of them between musicians and three of them between a musician and someone involved in a different creative path.
Today’s post is devoted to livestreams for which a video is not available or not accessible unless you’re a paid subscriber or have the substack app, but I think you’ll want to know about these artists just the same.
As in the previous posts, I give you an introduction to the artist and indicate where you can find them on substack and elsewhere, but since there’s no easily accessible livestream, I’ve also showcased one of their videos to give you a taste of their work.
No question, these are yet more stellar musicians — from a wide range of genres — whose music may speak to you and whose careers you may wish to follow and support.
Please feel free to save this post for leisurely viewing and future reference, and also feel free to share with others you think may be interested.
Get ready for some performances all over the musical map, from pop to experimental, country folk to indie rock. Enjoy!
Musicians to check out
Bonnie McKee
Bonnie McKee is a pop singer-songwriter who has written ten #1 singles and is known for collaborating with Katy Perry and writing for Cher, Adam Lambert, and other pop stars. She has an avid fan following for her own music, having released studio albums Trouble in 2004 and Hot City in 2024.
Her substack is mostly for paid subscribers, but she shares the video for “Forever Young and Dumb” from her Forever 21 album (see above). She plays a drunk bridesmaid from hell who wreaks havoc at the reception, and it’s pure fun to watch as she lays waste and gets her comeuppance.
Colin Meloy
Colin Meloy is a solo artist, a multi-instrumentalist, and the frontman for indie rock, folk, and pop band The Decemberists, which has released nine studio albums and was nominated for a Grammy for Best Rock Song for “Down by the Water” (below).
Colin did a livestream acoustic set, taking requests for about 30 minutes — despite suffering from jetlag. Lovely guy. The livestream was not recorded, but check out Live Songs on his substack for more samples of his music.
Ging
Ging (aka Frank Dukes and Adam King Feeney) is a hip hop, R&B, and pop composer, beatmaker, and record producer who has worked with many prominent artists, including Wu-Tang Clan, The Weeknd, Lorde, and Camilla Cabelo. His own work has been sampled by many artists, such as Kanye West, Taylor Swift, and Drake, and he talks about the experience of getting sampled in this video. He won four Grammy awards from 32 nominations, and decided to retire from producing in 2022 to focus on his own music and art.
Ging did a livestream but I can’t find a recording. Here’s his Youtube channel and here’s a music ‘transmission’ he put out on his substack.
Kathy Valentine
Kathy Valentine is a pop rock, blues rock, and pop punk songwriter and musician known for being the bassist in the all-female rock band The Go-Go’s, which was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021. With Dominique Davalos she also led the blues-based band The Bluebonnets, which became The Delphines. Johnny Goudie played in Kathy’s bands The Impossible and The Bluebonnets, and she plays in his rock band Lady Band Johnson. Her substack is The Direction of Motion.
She livestreamed a recent Go-Go’s concert, letting us hang out with the band backstage beforehand and sharing the first two songs. One was “Vacation” (below), which Kathy co-wrote. It was a really cool inside view, but not recorded for later viewing. Don’t despair, however, as you can find a wealth of early and more recent videos of the band on their website, including live performances.
Kyle Morton
Kyle Morton is a singer-songwriter and the lead vocalist for indie rock band Typhoon. I like this Wikipedia description of the band’s sound: “Typhoon's music is marked by complicated arrangements and careful orchestration. Live performances routinely involve twelve or more band members playing at once. According to Lauren Rosenthal at mySpoonful, ‘the group masterfully combines indie rock instrumentals and vocals with violins, percussion, hand claps, xylophone, horns and a choir of other instruments, making for inspiring and catchy songs.’”1
Kyle performed songs on his livestream and posted the video for paid subscribers. You can also listen to Typhoon songs on the band’s youtube channel, including “New Wife” below.
S.G. Goodman
S.G. Goodman is an Americana, folk, country, and rock singer-songwriter who went solo after fronting the Savage Radley. She won Emerging Artist of the Year at the Americana Music Association Awards in 2023.
Check out some of her videos on her website and her Youtube channel. Her substack is mostly for paid subscribers, but you can watch her recorded livestream free via the substack app. Here’s her song “Fire Sign” from her upcoming album Planting by the Signs.
Shara Nova
Shara Nova (previously Shara Worden) is an indie rock and experimental vocalist and multi-instrumentalist who is the lead singer and songwriter for My Brightest Diamond and was the frontwoman for AwRY. She has performed and collaborated with many other artists, including The Decemberists, David Byrne, Sufjan Stevens, and Jedi Mind Tricks. She has also composed works for many symphonies and orchestras and last year starred on Broadway in the Tony Award Winning musical “Illinoise.”
Her livestream is for paid subscribers, but check out her substack Songs in Four Dimensions and her song “Fight the Real Terror” (below) from her latest album.
Good list here, looking forward to checking some of these out!