On today's episode, I interview Elizabeth McNutt, flutist, concert curator, and founder of Sounds Modern. Sounds Modern partners with a local modern art museum to present concerts which pair contemporary music with contemporary art allowing for conversation between the artistic disciplines to bring a greater depth of understanding and appreciation to the public.

Topics in this episode include:

• The value of early exposure to new music
• Bringing musicians into the visual art world and visual artists into the music world
• Partnering with an art museum
• Reinterpreting art through a musical lens
• Crowdsourcing knowledge to find new pieces because Google does NOT, in fact, know everything
• Pros and Cons of doing free concerts
• Pros and Cons of daytime concerts
• The value of new music concerts

The most innovative and least predictable concert music series in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, Sounds Modern has been exploring links between contemporary music and visual art for over a decade. Sounds Modern reaches beyond the traditional context of classical music, collaborating with modern art presenters and other non-traditional venues to share adventurous new music with adventurous new audiences. Conceived and directed by virtuoso flutist Elizabeth McNutt in collaboration with The Modern Art Museum of Forth Worth, Sounds Modern adds a sonic dimension to the ideas presented in the galleries, and brings the artwork to life in the concert hall.

Websites:

Sounds Modern

Elizabeth McNutt

My guest on today's episode is singer-songwriter, Meghan Pulles. After training as an operatic vocalist, she realized her heart was pulling her towards songwriting. Now, she is creating music which she calls "emo-positive" that brings listeners through the darkness into light. Meghan believes that, by being vulnerable, artists can guide their listeners to hope and healing.

Topics in this episode include:

• Overcoming failure
• The need to do what lights you up and be connected to the art form
• Fighting the voices in your head that tell you to stay in one box
• Emo-positive music
• Making music that is vulnerable and from the heart
• The power of connection in small venues
• Project management
• Working with producers remotely
• Growing into more roles and taking ownership of your project

Meghan Pulles reigns as an emo-positive Nashville-based genre-defying singer-songwriter and artist with an ability to beautifully blend pastoral melodies with nostalgia. With a staunch devotion to musical healing, her compositions are all about the emotions and feelings they evoke in her listeners. Ranging from drenching folk to melodic pop and indie styles, her work is reminiscent of the musical richness of Regina Spektor and softness of Joni Mitchell.

Meghan recently released her debut album ear baby which she co-produced with Harper James who is known for his indie band, Eighty Ninety, and his solo project, Middle Youth. She recently signed with Aurally Records powered by Symphonic Distribution.

Meghan Pulles is at work on her sophomore record which will be out in 2026.

"Meghan Pulles clearly has an amazing gift of uplifting people through her music and if hers is the last voice I ever heard, I'd be sure I was on my way to heaven." - Pop Fad Blog

Facebook.com/meghanpulles

Instagram.com/meghanpullsmusic

tiktok.com/@meghanpullsmusic

My guest on Episode 24 is Brian KM, a composer and French-hornist living in Australia. He tours with a program he created which he calls a "show, not a recital" combining French horn with live electronics and incorporating classical music, daft-punk, poetry, and loop making. Along the way, he also began researching the use of AI in relation to art and wrote an AI Code of Ethics for Artists and Creatives. We talk about it all in this fascinating conversation!

Topics in this episode include:

• Playing French horn with live electronics
• Combining classical music, daft-punk, poetry, and loop-making
• "It's not a recital, it's a show!"
• A business model of touring
• Pitching shows and residencies
• All the different aspects of knowledge and experience you can share
• The need to regulate AI
• AI Code of Ethics for Artists
• Consumers should support artists who reflect their values
• If we remain aware, we might be able to influence how AI is used

Website: www.briankm.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/imbriankm

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imbriankm/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZcH6XSHMwtomzlm7tPBqCA

AI Code of Ethics for Artists: https://www.briankm.com/ai.html