Strong Songs Unveiled: Kirk Hamilton’s Musical Exploration

Gig Gab - The Working Musician's Podcast

This week on Gig Gab, dive into the fascinating journey of Kirk Hamilton, a saxophonist turned podcaster, who brings a wealth of musical insight to the table. Starting as a student at the University of Miami’s Jazz Program, Kirk’s path led him from songwriting and guitar playing to forming the Square Tape Band in San Francisco. His passion for teaching blossomed at The Urban School, eventually steering him into the world of video game blogging and a full-time role at Kotaku. Kirk shares how this eclectic background culminated in launching his podcast, Strong Songs, where he dissects musical pieces with the same enthusiasm he once brought to the teaching his students…and everything else Kirk has ever done!

As the episode unfolds, Kirk and Dave delve into memorable Strong Songs episodes, exploring the emotional depth of Toto’s “Africa” and the complexities of the “Rosanna” drum shuffle. They also touch on the possibility of a Strong Songs live band, and the trio of skills every musician should hone: teaching, learning, and performing. The discussion wraps up with a fun comparison of Led Zeppelin’s “Fool In The Rain” and Genesis’ “Misunderstanding,” underscoring how the history of music connects everything to everything else. Remember, whether you’re teaching, learning, or performing, the key is to Always Be Performing!

• 00:00:00 Gig Gab 442 – Monday, August 12th, 2024
  • August 12th: National Vinyl Record Day
• Guest Co-host: Kirk Hamilton from Strong Songs
• 00:02:00 A Saxophonist first…and then…eventually, a podcaster
  • University of Miami Jazz Program
• 00:04:28 Singing means building your own instrument
• 00:09:13 Songwriting led to learning to play guitar
• 00:11:50 Then it’s time to start a band!
  • Square Tape Band in San Francisco
• 00:15:11 Taught at The Urban School in SF
  • Kirk is a teacher at heart
• 00:15:48 And then… video game blogging!
  • Leads to a full-time job at Kotaku
• 00:18:30 A little tangential history of the web evolving into video
• 00:21:37 And then launched a podcast!
  • Eventually Triple Click Podcast
• 00:24:46 Teaching people music leads to …Strong Songs
  • The Overwhelming Emotion of Hearing “Africa” sounding Like It’s Playing In An Empty Mall
  • Mike Masse’s Africa from 2010
• 00:29:05 Strong Songs Africa Episode
  • Maybe some “Second Helpings” of people
  • A quick dissection of the Rosanna drum shuffle group
• 00:33:36 Dissecting The Chain… and lots else
  • Rush’s Losing It Lyrics … inspired by Dancing Queen?
  • Is Wendy in Born to Run…from Peter Pan?
• 00:40:45 Dissecting “Limb by Limb”
  • Capo from Super Mega Ultra Groovy
  • AudioStretch
  • Some discussion about Phish albums, in general
• 00:52:31 Gigging History…and Present
  • Petula Clark…and others!
  • Will there be a Stong Songs Live Band? Maybe!
• 00:58:00 The Musician’s Tripod: Teaching, Learning, and Performing
• 01:01:41 Fool In The Rain vs. Misunderstanding
• 01:04:26 The “So What” horn… quote!
  • The history of music has everything connected to everything else
• 01:06:45 Gig Gab 442 Outtro
  • Contact Kirk Hamilton
    • Strong Songs Podcast
    • KirkHamilton.com
  • Contact Gig Gab!
    • @GigGabPodcast on Instagram
    • [e-mail]
    • Sign Up for the Gig Gab Mailing List

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