Episode 78: Michael Isaak

Episode 78: Michael Isaak

Welcome to Episode 78 of Music in the Minor League. As you can see, we've been a little slow on recording new episodes this season. We've been busy with full band practices, life obligations and tour planning. We hope to be back to a more regular schedule later in the summer. But, enough about us, let's talk about this episode's guest: Michael Isaak. Michael is a rising Egyptian-American musician who is set to release his debut album, The Carpet Maker on May 15th. This album is an exploration of his diasporic identity, bringing together his Egyptian heritage and American upbringing through his unique "Arabesque Folk" sound. This marks a new artistic phase for the New York-based musician as he reconnects with his cultural roots. Now, make sure you go follow Michael on your preferred streaming service so you can listen to The Carpet Maker when it is released on May 15, 2026.

Episode 77: Emily Pennington & Oliver Franklin (Trouble's Braids)

Welcome to Episode 77 of Music in the Minor League. This episode, we had a conversation with Emily Pennington and Oliver Franklin, who make up the creative centers of Trouble's Braids. Trouble’s Braids is a four-piece band from Boulder, Colorado that creates dynamic folk rock with teeth. Trouble’s Braids combines poignant lyricism, rich female and male harmonies, and great hooks with an unflinching curiosity about the dark and hidden corners of the human experience, all with a wink and a nod that invites the audience to come play. We had a blast getting to know them and think you'll really dig their music. Be sure to follow them where you can, maybe pick up a copy of their EP via Bandcamp and share the episode to help get the word out! See y'all soon!

Episode 76: Masaya Tamegai (The Houston Collective)

Season four of Music in the Minor League is here! For our episode of the season, we caught up with Masaya Tamegai of The Houston Collective. The Houston Collective is an umbrella for Long River Sessions, KPFT Sessions, The Cultivated Beat and a collection of local podcasts, including this one. Masaya is putting the final touches on his website https://www.thehoustoncollective.com [https://www.thehoustoncollective.com] which contains a web TV station, a web radio station and will eventually host band profiles and more for Houston area bands. You can find links to everyone who has appeared on the shows and watch/listen to their performances. It's really a huge asset to the Houston music scene. We hope you'll check it out and take some time to listen in to the interview where we discuss The Houston Collective, challenges facing bands these day and what Masaya's future goals are with the website and his programming.

Episode 75: Christian Diana (Mourning Coffee)

Welcome to the episode 75 of Music in the Minor League! This episode brings us to the end of season 3! We hope you've enjoyed the ride so far. To close out the year, we went all the way to New Jersey for a conversation with Mourning Coffee. Mourning Coffee offers a look into the process of dealing with death through their singles and upcoming full-length album. Our conversation spanned from music to the grieving process to finding a purpose (or not worrying about finding one) back to music and so forth. It was a great way to close out the year and we look forward to watching this project grow over the year. We're sure you will, too!

Episode74: John & Rebecca Stoll (Grifters & Shills)

Welcome to episode 74 of Music in the Minor League! This week we are being joined by John and Rebecca Stoll, who make up the "high lonesome rock n' roll" duo: Grifters & Shills. The Stolls were our episode 2 guests and have returned to discuss their new album, Ghost Fleet, and their album release show THIS SATURDAY, December 6th at the Old Quarter in Galveston. We also took some time to discuss how life changes can affect life as an independent musician, especially if you have a second job. We covered a lot in this episode and we hope y'all enjoy learning more about what goes into making an album, keeping a band afloat and just following your muse over following trends in popular music. Head over to https://www.oldquarteracousticcafe.com and pick up some tickets for their album release show this Saturday, December 6th!