Awaken The Awesome

Working with family can be a shot in the dark sometimes as even the closest relatives can become damaging business partners. Fortunately, that was not the case for Dave & Dillon Mysliwiec , respectively CEO of The Upstate Sound & President of Upstate Management. From what I've learned, if want to build a successful business, be it an impressive record label carving its own path in the industry or a growing music management empire, will most certainly take time, patience, sacrifice and a solid sense of dedication. But if you're lucky enough to count on your family as part of your close circle of collaborators - that's a precious bonus. The palpable synergy and mutual respect that these two brothers shared during our exchange was surely only a glimpse of the tremendous bond between them: Dave being the infectiously energetic and fearless creative, and Dillon being the savvy & tactical Marketing expert, they're quite the dynamic duo. One o...

© Richard Lecoin (IG : @richardlecoin_photography) - All Rights Reserved How far can your journey take you when you make no apologies for what you want, own up to who you are and lean into to your own sense of purpose? Turns out today's guest just might be able to shed some light on the topic. Jonathan Perry - aka J.Perry - is all about that and then some. With a love for music birthed from a very young age, growing up in his native Port-au-Prince, Haiti, J's passion and exploration of various musical styles were just of a series of incredible stepping stones towards some pretty awesome heights. With the help and support of his family as well as a host of various collaborators, from talented producers to a skillful management team, J rapidly made his mark onto the music scene not just in Haiti but abroad. Indeed, when your song, namely " Dekole ", gets chosen as the theme song for your country's National Carnival while subsequently ending up a...

Do you truly know the price of Success?  I want you to take a second to ponder on that one...You don't have to give me an answer...but I do expect you to at the very least think about it as we welcome my next guest who, as you'll soon get to hear, has in more ways than one not only paid the price but eventually, after some soul-searching and eventual clarity, decided to say "Enough" and call it a day. As a producer, songwriter, keyboard virtuoso and well-rounded musical talent, Karlo Vieux is a founding member of the iconic, chart-topping Haitian Kompa band CARIMI who, along with fellow founders & bandmates Richard Cavé and Michael Guirand, burst onto the scene with a fresh, innovative sound that shook the airwaves to their core. Whether you were a seasoned or passive Kompa listener back in the day, you had to admit it: there was a new player in town. With Karlo having penned and produced...

© Hughe-Robert Marsan (IG:  @hrmarsanphoto ) - All Rights Reserved I always try to learn something from these conversations. One of the issues I'd been dealing with recently is how to properly reconnect with my Haitian heritage. Leaving home is never easy but keeping in touch with your roots is, I believe, a  necessary part of stepping into your authentic self. Which is why I felt it was such a necessity to have my next guest on the program. As one half of the creative duo she forms with her incredibly talented husband, Monvelyno, Riva Nyri is one of those incredible souls that are on such another level of personal truth and empowering magic, that all you can do is listen. Talented dancer, choreographer, children's author, jeweler, mother...as well as a truly incredible singer...Riva's body of work is a manifestation of what we often speak about on this podcast in regards to owning your personal tru...

© Francois Nadeau ( http://www.aminumerique.com/ ) - All Rights Reserved You never know how far your dreams can and will take if you don't allow yourself the simple opportunity to find out. It's gonna be scary, daunting, exhausting, even frustrating but dreams are filled with wonder and excitement - which in turn lead to extraordinary memories and beautiful stories to tell. Having recently launch her first EP, Hear Me Out , in 2018 and with her travels having taken her quite a few places from Singapore to Thailand, my next guest, Bella Forté , knows all too well that Life and Dreams will elevate you to the level of your hard work and commitment in the most amazing ways. With a discipline and incredible work ethic matched only by her resounding personality and talented voice, BellA is the kind of person by whom one might feel quite humbled.   We had a lot fun talking about her journey from the seed...

There are a myriad of reasons why one choses to venture towards his or her dream. Throughout these conversations, I've had the opportunity to take notes and realize that, despite their various backgrounds, individual journeys, respective challenges and personal struggles...a common and undeniable keystone to their relentless pursuit boils down to a very simple word : Love. Love - simply and unapologetically put - is the guiding compass that has consistently kept my next guest on her path and allowed her to keep growing as a talented singer and songwriter. With a bubbly personality and warm energy that you just can't help but get a kick out of, Solara and I had the opportunity to share a great conversation, as we often do on this program, where she gave us a gracious tour of Life from her vantage point. From her coffee addiction, to her family roots, to her incredible love for Haitian culture, to her commitment...

Passion - Genuine, authentic passion is infectious. You can feel it from the words and emotion that resonate from the person sitting across from you and you can't help but take notice. My next guest has the kind of dynamic thirst for life that will give you a run for your money. Just upon our initial connection, I could tell right out of the gate that his was the kind of spirited and uplifting personality that I believe we should take notes from. As the host of The Music Shindig, a weekly broadcast on UK's Spire Radio,  Dino Bedrocker  has demonstrated how one shouldn't wait around for permission or invitation to make your goals a reality. As he puts ever so plainly : "...go for it." I learned a lot from this next conversation - from letting go of the fear, to doing away with the outside noise and naysayers, to simply setting a goal and seeing it through...and of course, having fun along the way. You can co...

It started out with one song. Just a simple listen of one song and I was hell-bent of having this individual on the podcast. The lyrics, the beat, the energy, the message...come to think of it, I guess it was pretty good mix of all of the above.  What was undeniable though was the feeling I felt from the words of truth and honesty that his latest single "Lakay Mwen"("My Home" in Creole) was conveying.  See, Chabin Golden Child , through a very colourful and intelligent mix of wordplay and humor, talks about the social and racial discrimination that stems from the simple fact of being of a lighter skin tone in one's own homeland.   The words (and the infectious rhythm) sure did a number on me. Not that the subject matter was in any way news to me. Not in the least. But I applauded this creative and transparent effort in highlighting a very real (and ongoing) issue.  Conversation was a short one as we were unfortunate...