Ep 11. Talking Music with MAJELEN | Den Devine Sessions - Vodcast

🎙️ Ever wondered how a simple discovery can ignite a lifelong passion? In this episode of Den Devine Sessions, we welcome the incredible musician Majelen, whose journey in music started when she found a guitar in a shed at just 13 years old. That moment sparked a path through jazz studies, touring with bands, and eventually launching a solo career just before the pandemic hit.

From performing in New Zealand, Australia, Germany, and Asia to navigating the male-dominated music industry, Majelen shares a raw and honest look at the realities of being a modern artist. She opens up about the challenges female musicians face, from dealing with sound engineers to online bullying, and highlights how authenticity is the key to staying true in this ever-changing industry.

We also dive into her upcoming projects, including a documentary in Uganda honouring a dear friend’s legacy and a new album release that reflects her powerful storytelling through music. Whether you’re a musician yourself or just love the stories behind the songs, this episode is full of wisdom, passion, and inspiration.

📅 New episodes every week! Don’t forget to like, follow, and subscribe for more insightful conversations and exclusive live performances.

#DenDevineSessions #Majelen #WomenInMusic #MusicIndustry #SingerSongwriter #LivePerformance

Episodes released every week

Chapters

• 0:00 Music Industry Conversation With Majelen
• 3:14 Musical Journey and Industry Reflections
• 14:59 Cultural Impact on Music Performances
• 19:49 Navigating the Music Industry Landscape
• 29:37 Creating Spaces for Authentic Expression
• 33:19 Navigating Sound Guy Annoyances in Music
• 43:56 Navigating Online Bullying in Music Industry
• 48:51 Authenticity and Tools for Musicians
• 1:00:32 Gig Rituals and Music Preparation
• 1:09:21 Purposeful Music Tour Planning
• 1:16:26 Supporting Local Music Venues and Tours
• 1:26:04 Emotional Impact of Meaningful Music
• 1:37:23 Venue Collaboration and Music Promotion
• 1:44:27 Musician's Advice and Reflections
• 1:52:39 Upcoming Music Releases and Tour

Transcript

Majelen: 0:00

Even though I'm an introvert, when I'm on stage I like to talk to the crowd and have people yelling back. It's just more fun.

Joseph: 0:08

Bring everyone into your introversion. Yeah, come join me.

Majelen: 0:12

Turn it into a conversation in a way, and then I'll go and hide off stage afterwards.

Joseph: 0:15

What's good, lovely people, welcome to another episode of Dendervine Sessions. This is recorded live from Dendervine, a music venue right here in Broadbeach, gold Coast, australia. I'm your host, joseph Brown, a musician, a creator and a passionate advocate for all things music, with years of experience on the stage and behind the scenes. I'm here to bring you stories from the heart of the music industry. Whether you're an upcoming musician, a seasoned pro or a dedicated music fan, this podcast is for you. Let's get into the episode. It's D Divine Time.

Discussion: 0:48

Den Divine. Den Divine, den Divine Time.

Joseph: 0:58

This podcast is brought to you by VEMU Rethinking Live Music. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to the Dendivine Sessions. We are here at an awesome little venue in the Gold Coast in Broadbeach. It's a beautiful sunny day. I'm here with a very special guest. I'm going to let you pronounce your name again so I don't get it wrong.

Majelen: 1:16

It's Magellan Magellan yeah.

Joseph: 1:18

Magellan, where's that name from?

Majelen: 1:21

It was made up by my auntie and it just kind of all my. So I have a couple of siblings and we all got like this extra word added to our names when we were little yeah that rhymes with our names, and so I ended out just chopping off my name and keeping magellan that's awesome.

Joseph: 1:38

I like the name too. I didn't know if it was a magellan or what did I say in my head? Some, I don't know.

Joseph: 1:45

But, now I know, now everyone knows I'm probably the last of the party here. Welcome to the conversation. We're here to talk about the music industry and we like to get you know real and just, honest and raw. So I appreciate you coming along and joining us on this journey. First things first. First tell me a little bit about yourself and what got you into the music scene and what, what made you just say this is my thing oh, okay, um.

Majelen: 2:14

Well, I've been playing music since before I can remember, um, and I think as soon as I found a guitar when I was like 13, I was like this is what I want to do forever and ever, because it just makes my brain calm, like I just feel peaceful when I play guitar yeah so I, I just wanted to like figure out a way to just do that forever, because it makes me happy and it makes other people happy, and yeah, so I, I, um, yeah, I found a guitar at 13 in the garden shed.

Majelen: 2:48

That was like filled with cockroaches and pretty disgusting, but I made it work and then eventually I got a new guitar. My parents bought me one and I got into the conservatorium of music and studied jazz guitar and then toured with bands for a while and then I started the magellan thing in like 2018, I think just before COVID.

Joseph: 3:07

Yeah, right before COVID. Good timing, yeah so, and now we're here now you're here and how's that journey been like, did you? Well, actually, I gotta ask what was your first song you, you learned on the guitar. Was it a? Did you just play or I? Honestly, full, full transparency, I don. I haven't watched a lot of your videos. I've been trying to keep up with them, but I have actually watched a couple. Has it always been like similar style your whole, or did you go through sort of different periods, or, like you?

Majelen: 3:37

know, yeah, I start well, so I used to play. When I first started I played a lot of Green Day and Incubus and like rock stuff. I loved Red Hot Chili Peppers too in high school, like that was my thing.

Joseph: 3:50

I liked all that stuff. It's funny because that was alternative, but now it's pop.

Majelen: 3:55

Yeah, it's pop rock. It's weird.

Joseph: 3:56

Then it was rebellious. You listen to Red Hot Chili Peppers, yeah yeah rabble. Now it's like so mainstream.

Majelen: 4:03

Yeah. Everyone does mate. Yeah, yeah. But yeah, I started with that stuff and then I have always loved Tommy Emanuel.

Joseph: 4:11

Yeah.

Majelen: 4:18

His style of doing things and he's just really melodic with how he uses the guitar and he just makes it sound like it's singing kind of. So I love that side of things. And then obviously the jazz stuff came in. Once I left school and that added like I really love like R&B and like soul and blues and all that sort of stuff too. But I've played in like metal bands and I've played in just everything. I just love music.

Joseph: 4:43

Metal covers yeah, yeah. What was sort of like how like? What sort of metal?

Majelen: 4:51

New metal.

Joseph: 4:52

Dark metal. There's so much metal. Not hectic like screamo stuff, but kind of like Like System of a Down metal or like Cradle of Filth metal.

Majelen: 5:01

Yeah, and then from that to like. You know what's his name Trombone, shorty, that sort of rock. But like it wasn't, like it was just one genre of stuff, it was very heavily distorted, wow, like stuff. But then it would also go and be like Trombone, shorty, like heavier stuff crossed with just groove, and then trumpets would come out on stage.

Joseph: 5:28

So it was of. It was pretty random, but it was fun, for sure, for sure, and it was obviously like a passion that you, you know before it became you do it full-time now. Yes, is it like a career thing now, is it? Pretty much pretty much, yeah, so it was a few years of so 2018 was, I'm guessing that was the time you went. I want to do this full-time as a career, or was it?

Majelen: 5:52

yeah, pretty much. I just um, I lived in I, I lived in my suzuki grand vitara and I just booked myself a tour down the east coast of australia. I was like that's it, quitting my job. I mean, to be honest, I was never very good at keeping a job anyway, because I just constantly was like I'm quitting to go to India. You know that was just me and then I come back. But I've always had a job like I just I don't know.

Majelen: 6:13

I've always found it very easy to find work but it was always like I'd have a job and I'd play gigs on weekends and then. But I just have this other like random job of some sort yeah, the same time. But then I was just. I got to the point where I was like, why am I working for someone else? This is actually really boring and I can make more money on my own.

Joseph: 6:30

So I'll just do that. Yeah, I get that as well. And why the music industry? What made you attracted Besides from the music? What was your first experience getting out there, sort of know? Did you have like people that you knew? Did you have friends that owned venues or booking agents or like? What was your first impression of the industry? Were you like, this is not like the movies?

Majelen: 6:57

Yeah, it's kind of hard work.

Joseph: 6:58

Yeah.

Majelen: 6:59

And it's kind of it's all like you've got to know the right people and you've got to the right people and you've got to. I think, though, for me, like it is about knowing the right people and it's kind of about hustling. It's kind of about like putting yourself and trying to put yourself in the right place at the right time to get more connections and stuff, but I think I've never been overly good at that.

Majelen: 7:21

I just prefer to just be a nice person yeah which doesn't always work out, because then you know you get taken advantage of and people screw you over and all sorts of things, but I yeah, the industry's kind of difficult but I just try to tackle it from like I'm just a human being first and we're all just human beings and we all have to make it work for ourselves, and everyone's got to earn a living, so like, let's just do it nicely and be, friends and just hang yeah, when possible.

Joseph: 7:53

Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's just better. Yeah, and and your first sort of gig or two like was did you find it easy to get a getting straight into a performing, or did you find some challenges or did you start busking?

Majelen: 8:06

I've never actually really busked much. No. I kind of I don't like busking because I'm a bit of an introvert and I was a very quiet person until really I started playing jazz. I didn't yeah, I didn't really talk a whole lot to people that I didn't know. I was very like, yeah, it was just safer to just be, quiet.

Joseph: 8:32

I know what you mean, yeah.

Majelen: 8:35

So I'm not really a woo check me out like on the streets busking sort of person. I find that actually very difficult. So I mean I do do sometimes I have busked, and when big crowds show up it's nice yeah, but it's not my favorite yeah, I do know what you mean, yeah but um. But yeah, I just ended. I just started playing just random covers gigs like everybody else does. Yeah, I still do now a little bit well actually, actually I do quite a bit.

Joseph: 9:06

It's a safe zone, you know I have kids. I have kids, so it's better than carrying bricks.

Majelen: 9:12

Yes.

Joseph: 9:12

Sorry for all the bricky musos out there. So, yeah, yeah, it's a good area to start off and covers. Everyone knows it. You don't want to get much pushback.

Discussion: 9:21

Yeah.

Joseph: 9:22

They're like yeah, I know this song and yeah, I fully feel you. I don't think any musos, I think the extroverts and act for a lot of musos For me. I'm an introvert that pretends to be an extrovert as a musician. Do you feel like that? Yeah, like you have to do it, it's part of the job.

Majelen: 9:50

But it's like every single piece of my social battery is being used in that part of the job.

Discussion: 9:53

Yes, you know yeah, and then I disappear for three days, yeah, oh good, it's not just me, it's not just because, oh man okay, it's not.

Joseph: 9:57

And people even my, my own wife says to me oh, you're such a social butterfly. I'm like, I'm really good at acting like one. Yeah but you have to yeah, but this, they say that the introversion, um the how you can I've heard this right how you can tell if what you are is what gives you the energy yeah and for me, the introversion gives me energy. Having time for myself is what gives me energy.

Joseph: 10:23

Some people they can't be on their own yeah, and they need that, they need that like, and definitely the probably the most successful musicians are the ones that are naturally extroverted, right, because they thrive off that. Give me attention, me I'm. I don't like it yep, don't know why but I don't. I like my safe space up on a stage.

Majelen: 10:45

Yeah, because that's different, because you're like controlling the room.

Joseph: 10:47

Yeah, this is your spot.

Majelen: 10:48

Yeah.

Joseph: 10:49

You know they can't come up. The security guard will be like hey, get off that stage.

Discussion: 10:52

Yeah.

Joseph: 10:52

Thank you. I was about to have a heart attack just then, you know, someone came to me. But once you're out in the crowd like for me I'm immediately uncomfortable.

Discussion: 11:04

Yeah.

Joseph: 11:05

If I'm like having to be an audience person, there's no comfort to me. I'm like this feels really weird. This feels strange that I don't, I don't know. It's the weird thing. Do you get like that as well?

Majelen: 11:16

I am, yeah, I guess, because I don't really watch a lot of gigs, like I'm normally on the stage, so to turn around and be the one watching, it's like I mean I don't mind it, like it's actually kind of like nice because I can just chill out and hang with my wife and that's cool yeah but yeah, I.

Majelen: 11:35

but I I said to courtney, was it last night someone was listening to music in, because on the street where we parked the bus there was a house down the road. They were listening to music and it was pretty loud and I was like it's, actually, I really love listening to somebody else having a party.

Joseph: 11:53

Yeah.

Majelen: 11:53

It's just, but I'm not at the party You're next door.

Joseph: 11:56

Yeah, Just crack open a can of whatever sit there on your own. I'm like perfect party. Yeah, introvert, we should have an introvert nightclub I know right individual rooms sit in their own corners with their headphones on yeah this is fun, yeah, I love it yeah, yeah, for sure cool. So, looking back, um, so your 2018 is when you sort of took the leap. That's probably probably the right thing to say. Yes, you took the big leap and went I'm going to do this. We're 2024 now. How's that been since 2018? How's the journey been?

Majelen: 12:33

Yeah well, so it was pretty cool. So when I first started I did some tours in Australia and then I realised I could kind of, just because I love backpacking and traveling that's what I've done a lot of since I left school I realized I could just pick a country and just go there and earn money and travel through the countryside to like vietnam and a bit of southeast asia, just because I could, and that paid for my holiday wow and had a fun time and then I went to England for a bit and so I played some shows in England and then I came back and then I went to New Zealand for a bit, and I didn't perform much in New Zealand because I was also a horseback trail guide working over there doing that sort of thing too.

Majelen: 13:19

So that's the other part of my life as horses.

Joseph: 13:21

Yeah Cool, that's awesome. I did that and then COVID hit.

Majelen: 13:22

That's the other part of my life it's horses. Yeah, cool, that's awesome. So I did that, and then COVID hit, that's wholesome.

Discussion: 13:28

Wholesome, wholesome.

Majelen: 13:29

Sorry.

Discussion: 13:29

The dad thing.

Majelen: 13:32

That's what my dad would say too, but yeah, so I came back from New Zealand and then COVID hit. So, yeah, and then it kind of all just stopped for a few years, and now we're back into it again.

Joseph: 13:52

Yeah, few years, and now we're back into it again, yeah, yeah, and we're coming out the other end and definitely want to touch base on that transition. Um, I think there's a lot to talk around covid.

Joseph: 13:57

People think it's all done, but it's not. It lingers and there's changes so subtly in the music industry that's affecting the bottom half, I should say the bottom 80 of the music industry. That's affecting the bottom half, I should say the bottom 80% of the music industry. Top 20s, they're great. You know. Taylor's filled up another. Yeah, she's got another extra billion dollars. Yeah.

Discussion: 14:12

I know right.

Joseph: 14:13

So they're all good, but what about the Taylor Swift's here?

Discussion: 14:17

Yeah.

Joseph: 14:18

You know, anyway, we'll get into that. What I want to ask about is music's international? I get it. Everyone in the world is connected through music, whether you speak it the language or not. It's awesome, as what did you find through your experience in playing gigs in different cultures, so doing that like London as opposed to New Zealand? Or as opposed to all the other places that you've played around the world. What did you learn from those moments?

Majelen: 14:53

Yeah, it's kind of. I think the crowd that you play to makes you kind of learn a little bit about yourself too. So, like in Germany, it's really funny, because I toured Germany last year and the Germans are so respectful that it scares me Really.

Majelen: 15:03

It's just crazy because you stand on stage and it's like funny, because I toured germany last year and the germans are so respectful that it scares me like it's just crazy because you stand on stage and it's like dead silence, whereas if you're over here, like I, even though I'm an introvert, when I'm on stage I like to have, I like to talk to the crowd and have people like yelling back and like it's just, it's just more fun bring everyone into your introversion. Yeah, like join me turn it into a conversation in a way, and then I'll go and hide off stage afterwards.

Majelen: 15:27

But I get it but um, but yeah, but in germany I'd be like doing my thing that I would normally do with, like london is the same. You can just like people want to chat, people that you know there's like wow, yeah, but I don't know what that was. But then Germany, they're so respectful that it's just dead quiet and you might get someone answering you on stage. Maybe a couple of the dudes in the back would be like yeah, but it's mostly like shh let them perform Really.

Joseph: 16:01

Wow, that's what I found. How did that make you perform?

Majelen: 16:11

It was weird at first because there was no reciprocation. Yeah, it was like all because because and I think the reason I like having the crowd get involved is because they do give me energy back and it becomes this like thing where I put energy out and then they give energy back. I put out like it's this reciprocal thing. But um, in Germany it was just like I just put energy out and it would just like flop out there somewhere and I didn't know if they were receiving it well or not, because I gauge what's going on with the crowd by whatever they give back.

Joseph: 16:39

Kiwis are like that. We only move our eyebrows. You know the Kiwi. It's a weird thing and you could have a whole bunch of kiwis and they could look so unimpressed and then, right at the end, they'll come. I love your set and you're like why didn't you tell me? Yeah because you just showed nothing you just I can't see your eyebrows, you know, so I, I can imagine. It must be similar to that. There's no, they're not letting you in, but you know they love, you love. It must be similar to that.

Majelen: 17:05

There's no, they're not letting you in, but you know they love, you love it, and they probably come at the end yeah, well, at the end of every song they clap for like five minutes and I'm just standing there awkwardly on stage like are you going to stop now because like that is standing ovation. Wow, that's awesome it felt like it was just crazy. There'd be just dead silence and then like thunderous applause every time I did anything at the end, but it was just nothing during the song.

Joseph: 17:26

Wow. Which is cool because it's sort of like they let you be creative and be without that pressure.

Discussion: 17:34

Yeah.

Joseph: 17:35

And then they. I guess you'd have to do that because I love Rammstein. Straight up German right. Russian or something like this anyway, but you must have to have that sort of crowd to let you be Rammstein you know, it's like you can't just do that no in Australia, you couldn't be here with flames coming out your head. They'd go. What's going on, you know. So I guess that's a good thing, giving you sort of that, um, creative freedom. Is that you know, I guess?

Discussion: 18:03

yeah, yeah, yeah.

Joseph: 18:04

Yeah, cool, and then. So that's Germany, yeah. And what about the rest? Let's go through it.

Majelen: 18:10

Oh, london's pretty cool. London's pretty much. I felt like it was like Australia, just cold, yeah, kind of like same sort of vibe. I think I found it pretty when I went to London. I found it really like welcoming in the industry and open and chilled and I found it easy to get really cool gigs and just yeah, it was fun and were they?

Joseph: 18:33

were you doing originals or covers?

Majelen: 18:35

just original just originals.

Joseph: 18:36

Okay, and how were they? Were they warm to originals? Yeah, over there, yeah definitely and, and you found a lot of different, just sort of throwing it out there. In Australia, of course, some venues fully support originals, some fully don't.

Discussion: 18:54

Yeah.

Joseph: 18:55

Did you find there was a lot of diverse venues offering more original slots and it was like a weird thing to go? What do you mean? You sing covers, Was it?

Majelen: 19:04

Yeah, I think so because, like I uh, yeah, I think, because there's more people and there's a lot of, I think the culture is possibly, like you know, melbourne's like yeah, creative australian thing.

Joseph: 19:18

It's like that's, that's what london feels like yeah, but as a whole, entire yeah, instead of just one city, yeah, you can go to different parts, and it's the same sort of culture of the music yeah, you can kind of just like there's venues for everything and you can just do what you want, no one really cares, it's just like music yeah, and how about those um asian countries? Because you've done a few countries in asia, yeah, yeah, a couple. What was?

Majelen: 19:44

Oh, they're just super chill. They're just like anything it feels like.

Joseph: 19:48

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Majelen: 19:49

And I think, because the culture over there is very like music's a big part of their culture in different ways. So when somebody from a Western country goes over there, it's very well received, I think, and they're just like oh, thank're just like, oh, thank you for coming, thank you for coming. And I'm like, oh, I mean, I'm just here chilling at the beach like it's really I, I should thank you for allowing me.

Majelen: 20:14

I feel like it's. Yeah, they're just very welcoming and very friendly and very like what can I get you? What do you need? What's it like? Yeah yeah, open arm sort of yeah thing and I I think it's kind of like I've but I've experienced that not just playing music, just traveling to those countries too a lot of people are just over the top, welcoming and friendly and giving and yeah, all that sort of thing yeah, for sure, part of the culture.

Joseph: 20:42

Yeah, yeah, of course. And so when you went to New Zealand, you gigged a lot, or a couple gigs, or did you do no gigs?

Majelen: 20:50

I did the North Island. North Island I didn't get to do any gigs on the South Island yet, but we're thinking about that for next year.

Joseph: 20:57

Yeah, yeah, yeah, because.

Majelen: 20:58

I love New. Zealand.

Joseph: 20:59

Yeah, it's a nice spot.

Majelen: 21:01

It's a beautiful part of the world and I lived in the Bay of Islands for a bit Nice, and so I played around there. And I lived in Queenstown as well for a while, but that was when I was doing the horse stuff, so I was busy doing horsey things.

Joseph: 21:16

Yeah for sure, new Zealand's such a high calibre of musicianship you know, yeah, I'm scared to go back to new zealand to sing. Really, yeah, I've just blended in, you know I'm a kiwi. Sing another kiwi here's another kiwi, um, but I don't know, I don't know if, if it was like that, I I haven't, I don't think I've ever played in new zealand, so I always wondered, like you know, yeah, it's, it's just a high caliber of music. They, they, they're really good musicians, they know good music yeah, um there's calibre of music.

Joseph: 21:46

They're really good musicians, they know good music. Yeah, there's a lot of music that comes out of New Zealand, that's, they're on the international stage, you know, like Lorde and LAB 660, tikitani.

Discussion: 21:55

Yeah.

Joseph: 21:56

You're like wow, this little island's got such crazy talent you know, so yeah, and then okay, so you've done New Zealand and you come back to Australia. And then what happened when you got back into the country? Were you like?

Majelen: 22:12

Oh yeah, well, I was only in Australia for six weeks, and then we had our first lockdown here.

Joseph: 22:20

Oh, so you were six weeks.

Majelen: 22:21

Yeah, yeah, I had gigs booked and up until like that, was it. So I got back in February and then it was like March. No wait, yeah, it was March, because I met Courtney on the 13th of March was our first date, and then we had like a week and then we were in lockdown. So we locked down together and now we're married. So you know, that went well.

Majelen: 22:49

But I, yeah, I had like all these gigs locked in for that year and then obviously they were just nothing happened. So yeah, it was a bit of a shock. I was kind of like what do I do with my life? Because all I've I mean, if I wasn't overseas, backpacking and training horses and playing guitar, that was the things that gave me purpose. That's what I've wanted to do my whole life, so then to have that suddenly be like no, you can't do that anymore it's really weird.

Discussion: 23:16

Yeah, yeah, for sure.

Majelen: 23:17

Had a small existential crisis. Possibly we all did yeah.

Joseph: 23:21

I'm guaranteed you weren't alone. I had a call from a friend when COVID happened and he's like, hey, man, do you need some work? And I'm like, yeah, well, I do, because I just lost a huge amount. Anyway, I had to go removals and I was being a removalist and I'm like I am not a removalist, you know. And then we got a food trailer and I love cooking, I you know. And then we got a food trailer and I love cooking, I love having. I was really lucky. The food trailer was at um, a live music venue, mo's, so I was doing all their food for a couple years. Yeah, but I know exactly, every time someone's oh, I love the burgers you make. I'm like, what about my music?

Majelen: 23:56

what about my music?

Joseph: 23:57

no one cares about the burgers right, yeah, yeah, I'm not here for the burgers. Yeah, this is just temporary yeah so I know what you mean. Yeah, it's definitely. I think that's the thing about musician. Being a musician, it's definitely a calling, it's definitely something that you that's what you're you're here to do on earth yeah, it's like you can't let go of it, even though sometimes it sucks.

Majelen: 24:17

It's like well you're highly depressed.

Joseph: 24:19

Yeah, yeah, no purpose yep yeah, for sure it. I fully 100% get you on that. Oh good, yeah.

Majelen: 24:29

Yeah, sometimes it makes I just feel like I'm a bit crazy sometimes, because sometimes I'm like why am I doing this to myself?

Joseph: 24:36

Yeah.

Majelen: 24:37

Because it's not easy.

Joseph: 24:39

So that's the thing right. So you've got music, the thing that we all love, the passion. So you've got music, the thing that we all love, the passion. The purpose is generally hindered by the reality of we live in a world that costs money, that has bills, that has hyenas in the industry, heaps of hyenas and heaps of people ready to take from you. So that's usually what stops a lot of great musicians being great musicians and usually why a lot of big bands that we love fall apart is because it's no longer about the music anymore.

Joseph: 25:13

It's about oh, I wrote that riff and that riff's why that song's famous. So now I want 80% of that song, you know, and it's like, why get into the schematics of the music in the show Anyway? So that's where I wanted to get into. I wanted to go down that road of you know where the passion, where the line is between passion and what you have to do to be able to express your passion.

Majelen: 25:39

Yeah, it's a lot that you have to do yeah.

Majelen: 25:42

And I think most of it is like these days the amount of time I have to sit on my phone on Facebook and Instagram and TikTok and YouTube and answering emails to people and fans and stuff is a lot. And in one sense I'm very grateful because without fans around the world world I don't have a career. But there's like that in itself takes up a huge chunk of time and then and then you got to deal with all the actual industry stuff and that because I think I the industry stuff I've always struggled with because I'm not a very like this is what I want, this is how I want it blah blah with because I'm not a very like this is what I want this is how.

Majelen: 26:30

I want it. Blah, blah, blah, like I'm not like that at all and I think also because I'm a woman, there's been a lot of times like I've got nothing against men at all. But I just don't get taken seriously, and it is a very male-dominated space, as a lot of I think most things probably are.

Joseph: 26:50

For sure they are. That's 100% true.

Majelen: 26:53

But I. So that's a thing, and yeah, it's, the art kind of becomes like a secondary thing to dealing with all of this business crap.

Majelen: 27:06

That just I hate it really but you have to, yeah, and it's really difficult because it's kind of like navigating people and it's kind of, if you have nice people around you, it's it becomes a lot easier. Yeah, because I really think that music should be like this big, collaborative, fun, amazing thing that, whatever role you might play in the music industry, if we're all working together, it would be amazing. But that doesn't always happen.

Joseph: 27:37

It's big egos.

Majelen: 27:38

That's the other thing.

Joseph: 27:39

The industry is a full yin-yang. There's the light side and the dark side, and that's what we're here for. To talk about it. The industry is a full yin-yang. There's the light side and the dark side, and that's what we're here for. To talk about it because it's like maybe we need to start calling these things out and start going let's make it more inclusive, more safer, more inspiring industry, because it's this I feel like it's not the whole industry, it's just the few people in it that are running it for all of us. It's a the whole industry. It's just a few people in it that are ruining it for all of us. It's a risky industry. I've put on events that have cost me a lot of money and that's the risk that I took, and I think that there needs to be a level of awareness around. There is a hard thing to the industry. It's tough to get people to come out.

Discussion: 28:24

Oh yeah.

Joseph: 28:25

And it's tough that a lot of places for you to play. It needs to be reciprocated financially, so you need to sell alcohol.

Discussion: 28:36

Yep.

Joseph: 28:36

Well, what if your following's non-alcoholic, then where?

Discussion: 28:39

do you play? Yeah, true.

Joseph: 28:42

Who's going to pay you money to play somewhere that's not alcoholic. I know there's changes and stuff like that, but I think that's the. This is the beginning of the conversation. That that I wanted to have about, anyway, is, um, you know what's, what's some of the things that we can do. Like you said, it's a male dominated industry like. So, as a female artist who's travelled around the world, do you think it's Australian, that's Australia industry that makes you feel this way, or is it like you find it all around the world it's always been the sort of same thing.

Majelen: 29:16

I think it's everywhere.

Joseph: 29:17

Yeah.

Majelen: 29:17

Yeah, and it's. I think it's slowly changing because more conversations are being had and there are more spaces that are popping up that are specifically and more like what's the word for it? Like organizations specifically to help women. But even like I've been into studios and I know what I want my song to sound like, it's in my head I can hear it all. But then I go into a studio and the guy who's the sound engineer is like I think it should be this way and trust me, just trust me, Just trust me. And I'm like dude, I'm paying you and it's my song. Why am I getting told to sit down and shut up?

Majelen: 30:00

For sure, I mean in those times it was kind of just me on my own with this like dude or a couple of dudes in the studio and I'm like, oh all right, fine yeah and it just ends up becoming this thing that I don't really want, and then, but yeah, maybe that's on me, maybe I just need to like toughen up but I don't think so like.

Joseph: 30:23

So that's the thing as well. Is that there's? There's a natural organic energy within the masculine and the feminine right. Why should you have to become masculine in order for you to express the feminine?

Majelen: 30:36

yeah, it seems that you're gonna. That's a good point. I like that. You know what I mean. Like it's.

Joseph: 30:40

Why should you? It's it. It's that places are meant to, in my opinion, adapt according to your needs. Like, if your needs are, I'm going to write this song. They should adapt to you, not the other way around you shouldn't have to change for them. It's sort of like that's been the problem. Now we're off the music industry, we're into that feminine, masculine realm.

Joseph: 31:06

But it's also the big problem that's happening also across all industries, you know, is more and more people are sacrificing who they are to fit into a world that's. You know what I mean. Yeah, I'm sure you're picking up what I'm putting down.

Majelen: 31:22

Yeah, I get it.

Joseph: 31:23

Yeah, yeah, and so did you find that it was a struggle to find producers that were female.

Majelen: 31:32

Still looking.

Joseph: 31:33

Yeah.

Majelen: 31:34

But I've learned to do a lot of things myself now, which is good and that helps. But I would love to have someone who has other ideas that can, like you know, bring those to the table and have me also feel heard. That's all I really want. I just want to feel heard, yeah, and just be able to feel comfortable to create something cool.

Joseph: 31:54

Yeah.

Majelen: 31:55

And you know that'd be great.

Joseph: 31:57

Do you know, mj, mj.

Majelen: 31:59

MJ.

Joseph: 32:00

MJ, mj.

Majelen: 32:04

What's her last name? Dan? I know her as MJ.

Joseph: 32:05

What's her last name? Dan? I know her as MJ. Yeah, I know her as MJ as well.

Majelen: 32:11

Was she at the Gold Coast Music?

Joseph: 32:12

Awards. She was.

Majelen: 32:13

Yeah.

Joseph: 32:14

She'll be here this Sunday.

Majelen: 32:15

She'll be here this Sunday. Yes, I know, mj, we just met her.

Joseph: 32:18

You did, yeah, so she does heaps in the music scene.

Discussion: 32:26

She's completely on that conversation about creating more spaces for females.

Joseph: 32:31

And I think it would be great for you to link up with her more, because she's really good to work with.

Majelen: 32:35

Yeah, we met her like two weeks ago now for the first time On Sunday. She invited us out to this, like what's it called it was yeah, brisbane Festival had a boat on the Brisbane River that was like cabaret and drag queens and all the rest of it, so we went to that with her. It was actually really fun.

Joseph: 32:53

So you're connecting with her anyway, so that's good. Yeah. Because I think she used to be like a voice coach for the Voice for a while. She's got a pretty impressive background, but she's on the same mission, she while. She's got a pretty impressive background, but she's on the same mission she's trying to create more spaces. That is about you being able to be you yeah instead of about you having to fit into a box.

Joseph: 33:12

Yeah, which the industry's. That's what I'm all about. I'm all about this, these talks. I'm glad we get to talk on this, because these are all of the things you know. I don't think there's one problem with the music industry. I think it's's the series of issues, and they're not maybe just problems. Maybe they're things that just need to get better.

Joseph: 33:30

Yeah, yeah, I'd say so you know, instead of just being like I don't want to be like that guy, that's like, this is a problem, this is a problem. This needs to change. That's not what it's about. It's about okay. What's some of the holdbacks? That we can create a better industry, you know what. I mean Like that sort of vibe.

Discussion: 33:47

Yeah.

Joseph: 33:48

Cool, and what else have you found over the last few years? Has that been a big thing on you? Yeah? Yeah, do you think that's the big topic?

Majelen: 34:02

I'd say it's the most regular annoyance.

Joseph: 34:05

Yeah.

Majelen: 34:05

Because even like going to play live at shows. We were talking about sound guys earlier. I think everyone gets annoyed at sound guys sometimes.

Joseph: 34:12

Sound guys are difficult, oh yeah.

Majelen: 34:14

If you have a good one, it's like, can you just like move in and just never leave my life forever?

Joseph: 34:20

When we interviewed Tiki Tani. He's got a sound guy. His name's Guy.

Majelen: 34:24

Yeah.

Joseph: 34:25

And when we interviewed Tiki Tani, he's got a sound guy. His name's Guy, yeah, and they've traveled, they've been together. They call them, I think, tour hubbies.

Discussion: 34:31

Yeah.

Joseph: 34:31

Because they just always tour together, but like 13 years or something, 12, maybe even longer, no, no, I think it was 30 years, 30 years. So he's been a sound guy for 30 years.

Discussion: 34:41

Wow.

Joseph: 34:41

And that shows you when you find that person yeah and he was so good to work with, like to work with guys awesome as just real gentle. I think it's as they get more pro, they get better yeah, they chill out a bit more, yeah, and listen or are accepting of something different?

Majelen: 34:56

yeah, yeah, yeah it's always the guys who know what they're doing and they're just way more chilled. But the guys are like just trying to figure stuff out. They're just hard.

Joseph: 35:12

What's some advice you got for the soundies out there in the world? And I want you to think about the advice from you as a performer not just like actual that makes you play the best.

Discussion: 35:22

Yeah.

Joseph: 35:23

That, even mentally, psychologically, mentally, psychologically, physically, you know what's, what's something that you that maybe go the opposite end, what's something that annoys the crap out of you well, there was one time when I was in london and this one particular sound guy because so I've got three outputs from one guitar, which is three.

Majelen: 35:43

Yeah, so you must do yeah so once I stomp yeah instead of using my foot, I've got the palm of my hand so I've got that's a bug in there, and then I've got a humbucker yeah and just a normal acoustic yeah and they're all going all at one time that's awesome yeah, and it's all in the one?

Joseph: 35:59

is that a custom guitar?

Majelen: 36:01

yeah, so it's a cole clark and they had. I bought it when they first put the humbuckers in mounted into the body, which is cool, because I wanted I was trying to. I was going to just put one on, like you know how john butler does I was just gonna do that.

Majelen: 36:13

But then I saw cole clark's and I'm like well, that looks pretty, so yeah by that because it's pretty, and then I added in my own stomp later to be able to do my thing that I do, and it's actually not that complicated at all. It's literally exactly the same setup as if I was to play.

Joseph: 36:33

The three.

Majelen: 36:34

Yeah, just like have a stomp on the ground. Yeah, and then I've got an acoustic guitar and an electric and I just switch between the two guitars.

Joseph: 36:42

Yeah.

Majelen: 36:42

Really that's all the setup is. But I get on stage and every time like well, this one guy was like, well, why, why would you do that? Like that's just stupid. Like just play a stomp like everybody else, you don't need to do that.

Joseph: 36:54

Like there's just a full-on like mansplaining, like sort of vibe yeah like, are you serious?

Majelen: 37:00

it's like, just because you can't, man, like shut up, just go and do your job.

Discussion: 37:04

I got very pissed off.

Majelen: 37:09

But because I have to be this like nice, pretty unopinionated artist who just stands on stage and does her job, I can't say anything. I feel, like, and especially because I mean right before you're about to play you don't want the sound guy to be like making himself sound shit. Start sabotaging you, yeah.

Joseph: 37:28

Dropping out your low end or your high end. You're like what the hell?

Majelen: 37:31

My sounding's so crap.

Discussion: 37:32

Yeah.

Joseph: 37:33

And they are the most important other part of the music industry. If they get it wrong, the amount of gigs that I just get off the stage and I've got the biggest evil eyes at that sound guy and I'm like what have you done? One gig I played. It was our first gig as a band out of COVID.

Discussion: 37:52

Yeah.

Joseph: 37:53

It was at the Cavill in Surfers, Uh-huh, and something happened. It rained. Of course it's going to rain in our first gig out of COVID, Anyway and all the foldbacks died and I'm sitting there can't hear myself. Yeah. I'm looking for the sound guy and guess where he was. Just have a wild guess what he was doing.

Majelen: 38:14

Just having a drink or something?

Joseph: 38:16

No even worse, he is there watching Netflix with his back to us. I'm yelling at him when are you? This is dead. And he couldn't hear me. With his back to us, I'm yelling at him when are you? Oi, oi, oi, oi, this is dead. And he couldn't hear me. Wow, and he was like that, I realised, for the rest of the whole set and he didn't turn once. Holy shit, and I was like I pulled him out.

Discussion: 38:37

Yeah.

Joseph: 38:37

I said to him look, man, you might do this all day long, but I only gig every few months my first gig out and you're sort of treating me like another job when. I'm not. This is my first gig. This is your hundredth, maybe?

Majelen: 38:50

Yeah, maybe People need perspective. Yeah, but also, if it's his hundredth thing, he should like be professional.

Joseph: 38:56

That's what I think as well. Yeah, that's. My problem is, I always forgive people for their mistakes yeah. But you're right, you're right, you're right. So anyway, just to see. Yeah, I understand exactly what you mean. I know what you I know what you're saying, I know and what happened. So what happened after that?

Majelen: 39:12

oh well, then it was another issue of like oh my, my guitar sounds shit and he doesn't know how to eq everything to make my voice come through and I'm like, what? Like? Because I know sound too, like I've done, I did, I've done also live sound since I was in high school and, like, from a mixing master, like recording perspective, I know how to do stuff and it's not just, it's not that hard.

Joseph: 39:38

No.

Majelen: 39:39

Like he just ended up being a dick and other people had to go over and talk to him and tell him to pull his head in. So, it was kind of awkward, because then I was just standing on stage like, oh God.

Joseph: 39:48

And then it's even worse, because then you're the one who's the diva right.

Majelen: 39:52

Yeah, it all comes back.

Joseph: 39:54

Oh, this diva Yep and probably went home to his friends. Yep, oh I had this girl today. Oh Yep, I, I'm sorry that's the industry. That's not even the industry, it's the world we live in, and especially as a muso. Yeah, it seems to be that they like the musos who are just smiling and okay, yeah, just do as you're told Do as you're told, as soon as you have a voice. Such a diva.

Majelen: 40:16

I know and I think that's part of the like I've got a lot of friends who are women in the industry who, if the same, exact same situation, if they say anything, you're a diva. Yeah 100% Like straight away.

Joseph: 40:29

Yeah.

Majelen: 40:29

You're too hard. Just oh, it's another one of these chicks, but like, why is that? Why can we not without art?

Joseph: 40:36

Have a standard. Yeah, that's your standard. Yeah, yeah, so that's one big annoyance, Do you know?

Majelen: 40:46

Ali and Bryony, oh yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, they're great.

Joseph: 40:48

And Andrea, do you know? Andrea Kirwan.

Majelen: 40:51

Oh yes.

Joseph: 40:51

Yes, yes. We saw her last month, yeah, so she's a promoter as well. She puts on gigs. She has a label as well. I think.

Discussion: 41:00

Peace Run Records.

Joseph: 41:02

So there are a lot of women stepping into those voids in the industry. I can't speak for the whole country. Maybe as we start, getting more national artists coming through this conversation, we can see what's going on and zoom out.

Majelen: 41:20

Yeah.

Joseph: 41:21

But right around this area, I think there's more and more people that are stepping into those roles andrea mj and all that sort of stuff but it's so in in in the conversation you guys are having it's. This is a reoccurring problem that's happening more than it's not? Yep, you walk in and you've already got your guard up before you even start going. What's going to happen? What am I going to walk into?

Joseph: 41:46

yeah it's like I don't feel that because I'm a male, it doesn't. I don't see these things, um, because I just am myself, so I can't understand it. But that's. It's good to know that this is something that needs to be tackled as well. It's something needs to be more. Is it to do with, like, creating more safe? I've heard this a lot lately safe places for everyone.

Majelen: 42:09

Well, I just I mean, I don't know. I don't think it should be a thing of like there are safe places. I think it should just like the culture needs to change.

Joseph: 42:17

Yeah.

Majelen: 42:18

Because why is it that whenever I have an opinion, I'm away a diva? Why is why? Is that the oh okay, this is this like. Why is that the mindset? Yeah that everyone automatically just flicks to because I'm not a diva. Like I'm the most chiller ever. Like I live in a bus. Don't even wear shoes most of the time. Like I do wash my hair, though, although I get a lot of comments from middle-aged white men online telling me how I'm like. Whatever they think of me, which is another thing too.

Majelen: 42:48

That's a big thing. Men online are nasty like very nasty, and that's a daily occurrence.

Joseph: 42:57

Well, the other hard thing. I don't know if you've seen there's these. They're like bots. Have you seen this?

Majelen: 43:04

I don't know, apparently there. No, I don't, I don't know.

Joseph: 43:06

Apparently there's these. I don't know how true this is. I'm not a conspiracy theorist. Yes, I am.

Majelen: 43:14

You should talk to Courtney.

Joseph: 43:16

Not too crazy, but anyway, I've actually seen this, not with my own eyes, but I've seen this on videos. I'm really sounding bad for myself here. Anyway, there's these bots. They're argue bots and they actually are.

Joseph: 43:29

They just go out and argue with people and they're like AI and they'll just create these arguments on people's pages and you're actually not even arguing with anyone and they just do this. You can see when someone say a First Nations artist does something crazy good, there's so much racism on that and I'm like Like when someone say a First.

Joseph: 43:47

Nations artist does something crazy. Good, yeah, there's so much racism on that. Yeah, and I'm like this can't be real. Some of that racism is so bad. But anyway, I don't know. I don't want to open the hood too much on that, but it's that well, if this is true or not. But I do wonder sometimes because some of the comments that come out, I go how is any human mind coming up with this? It feels like you want me to get angry?

Majelen: 44:11

yeah, oh yeah, like does facebook?

Joseph: 44:14

need. Do they have like an argument quota, like there's not enough arguments in the world? Yeah, put some ai on there, yeah make you grumpy.

Majelen: 44:22

Yeah, yeah, make people grumpy. Yeah, true.

Joseph: 44:25

Yeah, anyway, I also don't want to take that away that there's probably a lot of real people that actually do this to you. I don't want to water down that for you to feel this is happening. I don't want to. It probably is happening as well. A hundred percent is happening, yeah, but I do wonder that anyway Interesting.

Majelen: 44:47

It would make me feel better about the world, to be honest, if they were just bots because, like I've had one guy tell me to run my car into a tree and like all sorts of stuff.

Joseph: 44:57

Yeah.

Majelen: 44:57

To getting sent videos of men taking their pants off and being like are you sure you want to be gay Really? Oh, wow Like for fuck's sake, am I allowed? To swear. Sorry, you swear. Okay, good, because I've been holding it in.

Joseph: 45:10

You swear as much as we need to swear. It's probably because I said before I said some non-swear word. Swear word Crap, holy crap.

Majelen: 45:20

I mustn't be allowed to swear it's a crap.

Discussion: 45:22

Yeah, that's a good one when there's kids around.

Joseph: 45:25

Yeah, no, no. This is the industry, music industry. It's why I make a non-swearing. We all swear. It's like you know, it's not for kids.

Majelen: 45:34

No.

Joseph: 45:34

But maybe we'll have one for kids, because there's a lot of young youth coming through. Yeah true. But that'll be different. Yes, okay, so so swear. Yeah, complete permission to swear, not that you need my permission. Do what I want, I'm sure. Yeah, I'm trying to find the balance here between you. Know I want you, I want you to feel safe in this conversation. I want you to feel that you can be you oh, thank you, I do feel pretty chilled.

Majelen: 45:58

Yeah, that's good.

Joseph: 45:59

Thank you, that's good, no worries, um, but yeah. So what are we talking about?

Majelen: 46:05

some dickheads online. Dickheads online. So this is another thing.

Majelen: 46:11

Yeah, that comes up a lot yes, this is, it's literally a daily thing and I, I think too, I I don't I have. I have other women who are friends who get this as well. Not all women get it as much, but it's kind of, in a way, it shows me when my videos are starting to go a little bit more viral, because as soon as I get men telling me either like I suck, like just you're not pretty enough, you obviously smell because you've got dreadlocks and haven't showered in 10 years, obviously, even though my wife's OCD and that's disgusting I obviously never shower. I've had dreads, yeah.

Joseph: 46:55

And they are the most high maintenance things that you can have. I got them for low maintenance. Yeah, regretted it. I was like this is not the low maintenance option.

Discussion: 47:04

No, it's disgusting if you don't take care of it.

Joseph: 47:06

It's right here on your head, it's right next to your nose, as if you're going to like let that. Nah, yeah, it's actually. You need to be very, very onto it. You need to be drying with the right, like straight away after jumping out of the ocean. No-transcript, and sometimes like 10 times I'm like man, this is a six hour.

Majelen: 47:36

Whoa, okay, well, I had huge dreads. Like really thick ones.

Joseph: 47:39

Yeah, really thick.

Majelen: 47:40

Oh yeah, okay.

Joseph: 47:41

And my ones were like. Even I had one that was like this big big huge nugget, but anyway, I understand. It's definitely not unhygienic. It takes a few days or a few weeks. You've got to keep on top of it.

Majelen: 47:57

Yeah.

Joseph: 47:57

It can get unhygienic.

Majelen: 47:59

Yes, but that's gross. That's yeah Like, why would you want that on?

Joseph: 48:02

your head, that's right. That's right, you know. But yeah. Exactly right, yeah, so, yeah. So once you start getting all these people starting to push you back, then you're like I'm on it.

Majelen: 48:17

But it's mostly like I get a lot of Christian men telling me I'm an abomination to God and I get a lot of like just all sorts of things really. But yeah, but it's kind of also a sign that my videos are just getting pushed out somehow through the algorithms to new people, which is fine, and I'm like, oh, thank you, Facebook for working for me for a change. Yeah. Five minutes, but yeah, it's just men, but it's kind of it's. I think it's actually just bullying.

Joseph: 48:45

Bullying Really online. It's easy to bully when you're on a computer, yeah, and.

Majelen: 48:51

I think as a musician these days you have to have very thick skin. It used to get to me when it first started, but now I'm like oh, that's funny, or it kind of just gets a bit old. Like come up with something original like come on.

Joseph: 49:02

So this is another thing that I wanted to ask you about is what tools do you have now? Now, you've dealt with it what are some of the tools you've given yourself.

Majelen: 49:10

Like not take it personal stuff like that um, yeah, well, so I've got this wife who now comments a lot as me, which is great, because also, I read this thing a while ago now that was talking about how because, as a creative person, we all are so out there in the public platform in such a huge way, we get that much criticism and critique whether it's good or bad thrown back at us every single day that we our brains, a few years ago, wouldn't have had to deal with. So even just being like, I don't actually like being told 50 000 times a day how amazing I am I don't need that it's yeah, it's a bit much it's funny because

Joseph: 50:01

it freaks me out I connect with what you're saying, because people just say it as a reflex yeah and you know they're not really saying it like it's like when you get a haircut and you don't like it and they're like you like the haircut yeah yeah, it looks great yeah well, they make coffee. Oh, it's horrible it's like we're too nice to be.

Joseph: 50:23

Some people say it out of sympathy yeah they come up and they're like I thought you were really great. I know no one was clapping, but it's not that sincere, but I'll take it so yeah, I get what you mean.

Majelen: 50:37

Yeah, but even if people do like what you're doing, I and I think a lot like it's lovely to tell someone that you're doing great and it's really encouraging to hear that too. But also I don't think I need to. I don't really, because really like I'm not making music for other people, I'm making music for me.

Joseph: 51:01

Yeah.

Majelen: 51:02

And I'm making music because it makes me feel happy and the plus side of that is apparently it makes other people happy too and that's awesome. Like I really hope that I continue to create music that makes other people's worlds brighter. But I actually don't give a shit what people think, because I'm just going to make music anyway, you know, and I don't need to be told what you think of it, because really, at the end of the day, it's lovely if you like it. But I don't need to have this constant like you are this, you are this, you are this, you are this, whether it's good or bad.

Joseph: 51:36

External validation.

Majelen: 51:37

Yeah, I don't need that. It's just like clutter in my brain.

Joseph: 51:40

That's just unnecessary and gets in the way of you spend your whole the rest of your career chasing that yeah and I've thought about this a lot, about what you're talking about the. Have you heard the saying the cart before the horse? Have you heard the same?

Majelen: 51:56

probably. You love horses, so it makes sense um cart before the horse. Have you heard this saying? Probably.

Joseph: 51:59

You love horses? Yes, which makes sense. Cart before the horse is a really big. I live by this saying. It's something I have to understand myself if I'm putting the cart before the horse, so obviously you know the horse is what's pulling.

Discussion: 52:12

Yeah.

Joseph: 52:13

Some people put the cart before the horse.

Discussion: 52:14

Anyway.

Joseph: 52:15

I'm getting to a point. The thing is the industry. You can see the ones who really succeeded. They, they were authentic, they let them be the reason for people to come. Now it seems people are spending their whole career trying to prove to people. See what I'm saying the cart before the horse. So I watched this interview with Queen, not Queen with Freddie Mercury, yeah, queen, but anyway Freddie Mercury and he said one thing that he said famously in this interview and I'll try and find it is. He said I create for me. You're coming to watch my show.

Discussion: 53:02

I'm not going to be the dance monkey.

Joseph: 53:03

Yeah, do you know, I'm going with this like it's yeah I. I love that. I think that's what's wrong with the industry is we're now creating music for the industry instead of people.

Majelen: 53:12

Yeah, coming to for your own authentic uniqueness yeah, and look at triple, at Triple J, like I'm sorry, but they kind of all sound the same now.

Joseph: 53:20

There's a Triple J sound.

Majelen: 53:22

Yeah.

Joseph: 53:22

And it's reverb delays.

Majelen: 53:24

Yeah.

Joseph: 53:25

Heaps of reverb.

Majelen: 53:26

Shitloads of it, like you can't understand what they're saying.

Joseph: 53:28

No, no, exactly, and there's a Triple J sound. You know, and that's for a big chunk of years, there was everyone trying to make that triple j sound you know when they're supposed to be, like supporting all the indie guys, but they're not. They've just created their own genre of indie, that's the triple j indie, and it's like it's not even indie. Yeah, you've defined what that indie should sound like yeah it's not indies, much bigger than that.

Joseph: 53:54

Yes, yeah, yeah, but yeah. So my point is is that, yeah, it's cool that you all brought that conversation up about being authentic to yourself and you writing you're bringing people on your journey, not the other way around, where you're going on the fans' journey of trying to write for them so they love you more.

Discussion: 54:13

Yeah, do you love me? Yeah, okay, I'll write another one.

Joseph: 54:17

Yeah, do you love that one? And it seems like a perpetual. You're not going to go anywhere. You know, so I'm glad you brought that up.

Majelen: 54:26

Yeah, it would be way too much work to try and because to try and guess where the industry is going to, because, like, there's all these trends in what's cool in the industry too, I think, and to try to keep up with that would just be freaking exhausting.

Joseph: 54:39

And by too, I think, and to try to keep up with that would just be freaking, exhausting, like. And, by the way, when I say cart before the horse, is that you are the horse you're the person driving that.

Majelen: 54:44

The fans of the carts, yeah.

Joseph: 54:45

So when you put it the wrong way around, you put the cart forward, thinking the cart's bringing you the cart's got. No, there's nothing the cart can do. The horse is the reason. If you go to pearl jam, it's pearl jam yeah if you take pearl jam away, what's that stadium of people doing? Nothing, there's no purpose for them.

Joseph: 55:03

So that's what I mean the horse. You need to remain the horse. You need to remain the person in your mind. I'm bringing you on this journey. This is about what I've got to share with you. Yeah, not. Hey guys, can I come and play for you?

Discussion: 55:15

it's you know what I?

Joseph: 55:16

mean and I know there's a bit of bit of humility in it, that you have to be humble and all that sort of stuff, but yeah, just more like a cool thing, but you can be humble and just be yourself. Yeah, humble is another overused word, but I'm using it.

Discussion: 55:31

It's a good word still.

Joseph: 55:34

But yeah, so cool. I'm stoked about that.

Majelen: 55:38

But I think also one thing that I have realized lately and Courtney and I, because Courtney is obviously me on social media is that people actually relate to just real human, just being themselves. I think, and I think the industry's opinion of what I should be doing and what people consuming music. What their opinion is of what I should be doing are probably two different things is what it feels, like sometimes.

Majelen: 56:06

Because the people who are telling me to be something that I'm not are generally not just the people listening to music. They don't care, they just want to hear music. But then there's also the industry and they're like well, this is what's cool, this is what people are doing now. So why don't you just like, just be a bit more like this?

Joseph: 56:23

yeah, but I, I don't want to yeah, yeah I'm just gonna do my thing, so yeah, but that, that and that's good as well, like it's, that's a good thing, these are all good things. So these, these are the tools that you need as a musician. To survive in the music industry, you need certain tools. You need to be 15 years into your career and you can look in the mirror and you can say I'm still me.

Discussion: 56:46

Yeah.

Joseph: 56:46

I didn't sacrifice part of my beliefs and morals and things that matter to me, to where I look in the mirror and go. Who is that?

Discussion: 56:56

Yeah.

Joseph: 56:57

I don't know who you are anymore. So these are the tools that I want to talk about, because it's like you've got all of the world. You can blame the world for everything yeah, yeah but truth is it's all about the tools that you have as your own individual musician, your own individual career, your own individual artist to sustain and survive the industry survive, the industry I say that because you know there's a 23 23 club.

Joseph: 57:24

For a reason there's yeah commit suicide and it's a big topic in the industry as well. People lose their souls. There's the selling your soul to the devil conversation. That's pretty real as well. Like the devil can be like lust and temptation and all that sort of stuff. People can sell their soul for these physical things, you know, but definitely surviving it, because who are you if you sell yourself?

Majelen: 57:47

that much, that's true.

Joseph: 57:49

And I think that's where people lose their selves.

Discussion: 57:52

Yeah.

Joseph: 57:53

Start forgetting what got you in here, what got you into the music scene, what made you love it you know, yeah, do you agree? Yes, do you feel it?

Majelen: 58:03

Yes, definitely, and the culture around the industry is, I think, the thing that. Yeah, I don't know if it's because the industry is now run by just a lot of rich businessmen, or what is actually… Of course it is 100%. But how do you change that?

Joseph: 58:21

This can be a cog yeah, it's. I think about letting. That's why this conversation is so important. It's because it's about letting people know that their time is coming to an end there's a voice. Yeah, I feel it. What my motivation is? I have kids. I have three kids, two boys and a. Yeah, I want them to feel safe in the industry if they decide to be musicians. Yeah, I don't care if they don't, but if they do, I know that the industry is a bit more of a better place. Yeah.

Joseph: 58:47

So, you know you turn the light on, the cockroach is scurrying.

Discussion: 58:51

True.

Joseph: 58:51

And maybe that's what's going to happen. Maybe this is one part of it. Yeah.

Joseph: 58:55

Someone of it, yeah, someone else over here, all these people coming together, but if we can start the conversation, I've been letting everyone know this has got to change yeah there's people with voices and we are going to talk about these things and we're going to let the world know things need to change, yeah, right, so who knows? I don't know the answer, but I know it starts off with the conversation. Like Like most big changes, it's all about the conversation. Yes.

Majelen: 59:23

Little moves.

Joseph: 59:24

Little moves, little movements, you know, and so obviously we've gotten into some good topics. I can see Dan over there going, I don't know he's counting the time We've got this. We try and create a uniform time slot, but when conversations get good, I'm always like come on, dan, let's, let's let this let's get into its place, because it feels unnatural, you know yeah um, and so over those years, let's talk about some of the good stuff so creatively.

Joseph: 59:57

Yep, what are your? You? I know you said like the red hot chili peppers and that stuff was were great influences. What? What are your influences regarding writing? Oh uh well that's a very good question I what I want to ask another question what is your process of writing a song? Oh god, do you write first? Are you a poet first and then a musician? Or do you pull the guitar out and play and see what it feels at the time?

Majelen: 1:00:27

I think it changes every time. Yeah, because I so. When COVID happened. By the way, backstory a little bit. Courtney is a genius and she came up with the idea that breweries are pretty much the only people who are still raking in a lot of money right now, because everyone's sitting at home drinking. So, we started cleaning breweries and doing pressure blasting and manual labour and that's what we still are doing a little bit of, because that's been our bread and butter since COVID happened and the music industry shattered itself.

Joseph: 1:00:55

Shattered itself. Yeah, they did.

Majelen: 1:00:58

Yesterday I was at that brewery job the one we have left, the only brewery we work at now and I was pressure blasting and writing lyrics in my head and because you know, you're just pressure blasting all day, it's bloody boring, but it's just another thing I have to when I'm doing things in my head.

Majelen: 1:01:18

Yeah, but it's just another thing I have to when I'm doing things with my hands, it's like white noise. Yeah, I think so, which I think a lot of people do. So I just write lyrics and I can hear in my head the song. As the lyrics progress, I create what the song is and then I just go home to my guitar and I'm like oh, there you go. But then sometimes I start with a guitar riff and then I build a song from there, and then sometimes it's just a beat and then I just add everything else. It changes every time.

Joseph: 1:01:44

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Majelen: 1:01:45

I don't really have a process.

Joseph: 1:01:47

A one set process. Yeah, yeah, no, I feel you. I get you on that. And what about gigs? Do you have any rituals that you do to get into the headspace for gigs? Do you do any? I like to go up to nature the day off the gig, the morning.

Majelen: 1:02:01

Oh, that's a good idea.

Joseph: 1:02:01

That's my thing.

Majelen: 1:02:02

Yeah.

Joseph: 1:02:03

Get me in the headspace. I have some medicine.

Discussion: 1:02:08

Yep.

Joseph: 1:02:08

I can say it now. Eh, marijuana, that's my thing. I go up in the morning, sunrise usually, and I'll do that, get some nature, and then I'll do a sauna session and then I come in and I'm like feeling good. You know that sounds lovely.

Majelen: 1:02:22

Yeah, yeah, it is normally. We're just running late like shit. Where are we going we?

Joseph: 1:02:28

should do some of that, yeah, like honey, we should take on this version that's, that's my thing I get. That makes me come fresh and renewed. And you know, sometimes I don't get it, but that's usually only the bigger shows. If I'm just general gigging I don't really care. But if I've got like a festival or something that I know that I've got to bring my A game that's my thing, yeah. So you're just more like getting there two minutes late.

Majelen: 1:02:55

Yeah, I guess for me the big thing is I try and not be sleep deprived because it affects your voice a lot, but also so every day I do half an hour of guitar scales Nice. And before I go on stage I never drink at all before I go on stage. I mean, I barely drink anyway, but I definitely will not have any alcohol before I go on stage because it slows my fingers down and I can feel it and I hate that feeling of being on stage in front of a crap load of people and not being on your A game.

Joseph: 1:03:31

Yeah, not being in control. Yeah, because alcohol does make you feel like in your head you're a rock star, but you listen to the recording. The next day you're like what was I doing? Yeah, I was drunk playing.

Discussion: 1:03:43

Uh-huh.

Majelen: 1:03:43

Which is not a good thing.

Joseph: 1:03:45

Cool. So no drinking before getting on stage Eating. Do you eat after I get heartburn? But that's because I've got a oh true, yeah, and a big kiwi Food. Yeah and a big kiwi.

Majelen: 1:03:57

Food is good, I guess, if I have time, but we tend to be that busy that we just forget to eat food. My tummy's actually grumbling at the moment. If it goes into the microphone it's because I forgot. Well, I didn't forget breakfast, but we've just had a busy morning.

Discussion: 1:04:09

Yeah.

Majelen: 1:04:11

And that tends to be the way We'll get food after this.

Joseph: 1:04:13

We'll probably have a Guinness and that'll be lunch. Yeah, guinness, guinness. And now I'm sure Dan's going to hook up some good cheese. Are you a vegetarian or not?

Majelen: 1:04:22

I am a veg-o. I do eat a little bit of cheese, but I'm also. We're both also slightly lactose intolerant, but it's fine, we'll save the farting for afterwards.

Joseph: 1:04:29

Yeah yeah, yeah, not pre-interview.

Majelen: 1:04:33

Yeah, that can be, you know, know when you're off in the band together yeah yeah, cool so I guess I, as long as that, my I, I think the main thing is, as long as I feel like I'm connected to my guitar, my guitar is my safe space yeah because when I'm on stage, it's just me and a guitar. So as long as I feel like my fingers are working, fine, I feel alive. And I feel like I'm because I I normally can think something and it just comes out yeah and as long as I feel connected to my guitar in that way, I'll be fine.

Joseph: 1:05:01

Yeah. So yeah, Sure, yeah. And after the gigs, do you have any like wind down?

Majelen: 1:05:10

Run away and hide, yeah, but not really. I guess. Once it's over I'm just like, well, that was interesting.

Discussion: 1:05:18

That was cool.

Majelen: 1:05:19

And then I don't really I don't know, do I wind down or do I just go do the next thing? Just, yeah, I might have a rum of some sort, something like that, yeah, just chill.

Joseph: 1:05:30

It's interesting to know because the reason why I bring these things up is because it's good to know some of the mechanisms behind bringing your A game, and that's for me like it's good to know some of the mechanisms behind bringing your A game and that's for me like it's a whole thing from before you even come to the gig get into the headspace and then, after the gig, wind down.

Discussion: 1:05:49

Yeah, true.

Joseph: 1:05:49

Some people like partying after the gig. I'm not a big fan of that. I like to wind down and just chill out in my own time.

Majelen: 1:05:56

Yeah, because normally I'm exhausted when I get off stage.

Joseph: 1:05:59

I'm tired, yeah, really tired yeah, because you've put your heart and soul into something. Yeah, people don't understand that about music it's invisible, but it is so draining, you know.

Majelen: 1:06:08

Yeah, like the last thing I want to do is party normally.

Joseph: 1:06:11

No, it's exhausting, Like you come. You know my mind's active but my body's like dead. You know that was my mouth farting.

Discussion: 1:06:21

By the way, I already talked about farting, but that was my mouth, I'm sure it was.

Joseph: 1:06:28

And yeah, so it's good to get these different aspects on what prepares you and musicians Because just for people listening that might want to get into the music, you know that they understand like there's rituals to this, you know. There's things that you have to do, yeah.

Majelen: 1:06:46

I think mine is mostly just in my head.

Joseph: 1:06:49

Yeah.

Majelen: 1:06:50

I'm just trying to, because I don't tend to have a physical thing that I do every time, other than just making sure I do some scales and stuff.

Joseph: 1:06:58

Your strings are nice and cleaned or new? Yeah, how often do you change your strings?

Majelen: 1:07:04

Not as often as I should. And actually today, I realised on the way here I've changed two of my strings on my guitar, but not the other four.

Joseph: 1:07:13

So it's two shiny strings. Yeah, we've got to capture that.

Discussion: 1:07:16

Yeah.

Joseph: 1:07:16

You can play a little guessing game. Yeah, which strings are the new ones strings yeah, we're gonna capture that.

Majelen: 1:07:18

yeah, those play a little guessing game, yeah, which? Strings are the new ones oh, you can tell, because I haven't even chopped the ends off nice classic I.

Joseph: 1:07:26

I like strings that are a bit more seasoned yeah, I don't mind it some people like change them after every gig. Yeah, and they were telling me you got to do this. It's funny. Some people they tell you that's like the law. Oh yeah, you have to do this. It's funny. Some people they tell you that's like the law.

Joseph: 1:07:39

Oh yeah, you have to do this every time yeah, and I believe that so many years, and I'm like it's expensive after a while. I don't have to do this and it doesn't sound nice. Too much like the sound. The tone gets gets better after a few gigs yeah then it gets to a point where you're like, oh, I'm loving the sound of guitar and you just, you just leave it like that. I mean, I don't know, I change it every three months.

Majelen: 1:08:03

Yeah, I'd probably be like that. I mean it's a bit well. Yeah, if I'm gigging a lot, it's probably more like every six weeks.

Joseph: 1:08:14

Six weeks, yeah, six weeks, oh, and it snaps yeah.

Majelen: 1:08:19

Like oh yeah, and it's hard. That's why I changed two strings, because I had one string snap the other day, which doesn't happen very often.

Joseph: 1:08:24

No.

Majelen: 1:08:24

But I snapped a string.

Joseph: 1:08:26

Being a coastal country, there's a lot of salt water in the air, uh-huh. Things just happen, things get rusty and that sort of stuff, but come on, you don't need to change it every gig. No, that's crazy, or you're? Not gigging enough? Yeah, change it every gig. How much times do you gig?

Majelen: 1:08:44

Three times a year, yeah, Definitely change it every gig, then yeah, change it every gig, for sure.

Joseph: 1:08:58

And so, in regards, so we've got the pre-gig rituals. That's cool. And then what about when you go and search for gigs? What's your process for getting a gig?

Majelen: 1:09:09

Well at the moment. So we're booking a big tour down the east coast of Australia for next year, so we're what months? From like March onwards.

Joseph: 1:09:20

March onwards onwards february.

Majelen: 1:09:21

Okay, wife is telling me february february starting what am I doing, darling?

Joseph: 1:09:28

here, whereabouts, do you know, den divine?

Majelen: 1:09:33

well, yeah, I was gonna talk to dan actually yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Joseph: 1:09:36

This is a great space. Yeah, and you know the the vibe's on here.

Majelen: 1:09:40

Yeah.

Joseph: 1:09:40

It's really cool.

Majelen: 1:09:41

Yeah, it seems.

Joseph: 1:09:42

So maybe we'd end of line in February. Yeah, woohoo, the 9th, I don't know.

Majelen: 1:09:48

End of February. Oh yeah, we're going to Africa for a bit, which would be cool.

Joseph: 1:09:53

Yeah, wow.

Majelen: 1:09:54

Yeah.

Joseph: 1:09:55

When January.

Majelen: 1:09:56

Wow yeah, when January, end of January, going into February to film a documentary.

Joseph: 1:09:59

No way.

Majelen: 1:10:00

Yeah, like just you just filming a documentary, or It'll be me and Courtney, and so I had one of my best friends passed away a few years ago. Sorry about that and her name's.

Majelen: 1:10:12

Emily Collins. Oh, thank you, but there's an Emily Collins school in Uganda named after her, because she helped so many kids get sponsored to get and they went all the way through from primary school all the way to college. So after she passed away, her parents started creating the Emily Collins School and the Emily Collins Foundation to help vulnerable children and women to have a safe place to live and food, and now they're building a school as well, which is really cool and I want to go over and it's now been. When did she die? Yeah, so seven years, wow, since Emily passed away and I. So the whole point of me having a music platform is actually because the more people who are listening to what you're saying, I think it gives you an opportunity to use your platform to try and make a positive change in the world. That's actually the whole point of the whole Magellan thing. That's your why, yeah, that's your why, yeah.

Joseph: 1:11:17

That's what keeps you going whenever you feelllan thing. That's your why, yeah, that's your why? Yeah, that's what keeps you going whenever you feel like you're going to give up.

Discussion: 1:11:22

Yeah.

Joseph: 1:11:22

You feel like someone's just that one opinion from that argue bot. No, that's the thing that brings you back to. That's your purpose. Yeah, I mean, I love music too. Yeah, for sure.

Majelen: 1:11:35

But I would play music and I don't need to be well-known. I would just happily sit at home and just play guitar because, it is just my safe space and always has been, but the point of sharing it with people is like I can use my voice to try to help other people. So now I'm starting to get more of a following around the world, which is very cool and I feel very privileged. We want to go over to Uganda, and Courtney is very good with the camera.

Majelen: 1:12:04

We're going to film a documentary about the Emily Collins School and try to help out the foundation just by letting people know that it exists, because they've only been doing it for a few years and they still need funding to complete the whole school because at the moment they've got the primary school done. But then they still need funding to complete the whole school because at the moment they've got the primary school done but then they still need more work built, so we need to raise funds for that and all sorts of things.

Majelen: 1:12:26

So yeah, so we're doing that in February.

Joseph: 1:12:28

Yeah, that's cool, so that's well, that's awesome oh thank you I just got to say because it's good that people have a bigger meaning behind music than and then just being famous or yeah I just want the girls or the guys or you know all that sort of stuff. I think music's got a really important purpose on on earth and it's good. People are actually using it. It's a tool, it's one of the most powerful, it's probably the most powerful tool exactly you know, and it's been in the in the bad guy's hands for too long.

Joseph: 1:13:04

I don't want to say the bad who the bad guy is. That bad guy could be the business people that are just like I want you to write for drugs and alcohol to promote drugs and alcohol. So then all these kids start becoming alcoholics because of shots, shots, shots, shots, shots.

Joseph: 1:13:23

You know, what I mean. It's good. People are using it for good and for raising awareness around important topics like this, because Africa has been through a lot, let's be honest, and yeah, I applaud you, you, so that's cool. So january, february you'll be, you're going to be, over uganda yep and you're going to film this documentary, uh-huh, and when are you going to release it? Do you know?

Majelen: 1:13:52

when we finish it all, it'll be a big job and I think I will be doing all the video editing, so that'll take a while, because I'm not that quick at all. I actually hate video editing, but yeah, but it'll be. It'll be a big, it'll be a long-term project and I also want to interview em's parents and they don't know about that, but but they'll. You know they have to be a part of it, and there's I just it's about emily's story as well as the school, so it'll be, a know.

Majelen: 1:14:18

A lot of information will have to be gathered and footage and things. So Uganda will be the start of a lot of work.

Joseph: 1:14:28

I'm glad we got to. That came up in the conversation.

Majelen: 1:14:30

Yeah, me too.

Joseph: 1:14:31

I forgot I was doing that yeah yeah, I'm like cool, this is awesome Because this is like you know, this is exactly what it's about. Awesome because this is like you know, this is exactly what it's about, of course. And then you come back february. You're gonna go on a tour, so, yes, so courtney does all of the booking, I'm guessing oh yeah, thanks, honey, no, no, no.

Majelen: 1:14:47

Well, it's a team effort. Courtney's amazing. She does a lot actually to help out. She's very supportive. Yeah, best wife you've ever had. I've only had one. But, yeah, so we're doing a. I want to do a small halls tour.

Discussion: 1:15:02

Cool.

Majelen: 1:15:02

So because it's just chill and then I can kind of in the big cities we'll do venue spaces, yeah, but then I also want to play at some of the smaller towns along the way too, because I am not a city person and just because you live in a small town doesn't mean you don't like music yeah, and and talk me through your process.

Joseph: 1:15:25

So your, do you have anything? Are you planning now? So we're like where, where are we now? September, was it october? November? It's about six months yeah, so is this the first australia tour that you're?

Majelen: 1:15:41

you do this frequently well, I haven't since covid, since your first yeah, and I, I did that one run of shows down to melbourne and back, but that was like 2018, 19 something around there, so I haven't toured since then in australia a lot's changed, since, you know, the industry, the whole ecosystem's different.

Discussion: 1:16:00

Yep.

Joseph: 1:16:01

And that's what I want to get into now is what is your process? So we're six months out, so your first thing is your half a year of planning strategy.

Majelen: 1:16:13

It's a lot really. Yeah, but you have to. This is what it's about.

Joseph: 1:16:15

This is what we're talking about. Yeah, exactly.

Majelen: 1:16:18

And so we're doing all ticketed shows pretty much.

Joseph: 1:16:22

Yeah.

Majelen: 1:16:22

And so because I.

Joseph: 1:16:25

And talk me through that.

Majelen: 1:16:26

Yeah, so because I haven't played in Australia for so long now and because COVID happened and things have changed so much, I don't actually know my ticket value anymore. So as an artist I can't say like, yes, 100, have 100 or 300 people or whatever it might be show up in this city and I know there's this many people here, and I know there's this many people here, so we're kind of.

Majelen: 1:16:47

That's also partly why we want to get it locked in pretty quick and give you a lot of time to yeah so then we know ahead of time, like what the ticket sales are, which then tells us how much money we're earning in each city, which then tells us if we have to, then, like, change what we're doing or add in extra shows or do other things maybe to like, help things along, and we're also advertising.

Majelen: 1:17:18

So there are places in australia that I've never been to before and, like melbourne, I've only ever played one show in melbourne and there are. I know because facebook and instagram and all those places give you all your metrics and all your data and stuff, so I know where people are following me and listening to my music.

Joseph: 1:17:36

But then and face, so on that note. So Facebook's one of your primary tools for marketing or for knowing your Spotify.

Majelen: 1:17:44

Oh, yeah, Spotify too.

Joseph: 1:17:45

Yeah.

Majelen: 1:17:45

Yep, spotify, I've got mostly people overseas, so it's all in Europe and America, which is great.

Joseph: 1:17:50

Yeah, but now, so anyone listening, start listening here in the country. Yeah, go to Spotify guys.

Majelen: 1:17:56

Yeah, but I and you know a lot of people just say straight out to me like don't bother touring in Australia, it's a waste of time. Like just go overseas, but this is home and I want to be able to come home and have people here like be a part of my journey too, because it's yeah. So I'm very stubborn and I'm just, even though people have kind of been like, no, just go back to London or go back to wherever, go through Europe again, because it's quite easy to do a European tour.

Majelen: 1:18:27

Really, I think, in comparison, Like I feel more pressure touring Australia than I do going to Europe because I know that I know people listen to my stuff and people in Europe go to shows.

Joseph: 1:18:40

Yeah.

Majelen: 1:18:40

And it's just, I think, a bigger part of the culture, whereas here it's like this covers gigs on all the time and I think people are less like oh yeah, we'll go out and watch stuff.

Joseph: 1:18:52

It's sad because a part of that, a part of the reason why people don't come out, is because all of the talent has to go overseas to sustain. So now the real ones, at the top of the game. They're either, you know, overseas somewhere or, if they are here, they're really expensive, or they're on just festival lineups you don't want to see. Guy Sebastian at. Den Divine you know.

Joseph: 1:19:19

No, and it's like so they've sort of dissected or segmented the talent, that people are not coming out to the small venues because they're like they know I'm just going to see some crappy cover artist.

Majelen: 1:19:33

Yeah which sucks actually, because if you go to America like there's bars you can walk into.

Joseph: 1:19:37

This is where the talent is yeah.

Majelen: 1:19:38

Yeah, it's just tiny places.

Joseph: 1:19:40

Yeah.

Majelen: 1:19:41

And Europe too. Like it's just, you don't know who's going to be in a random spot and like why is that not here? Why?

Joseph: 1:19:48

Because it's just, it's like it's the punters yeah, it's the punters' fault. 1,300 venues closed last year.

Discussion: 1:20:06

Wow.

Joseph: 1:20:07

Out of 4,000. I bring this up a lot because I think people need to understand that's a lot. That's a lot. That's a third of all music venues. And these aren't just venues. These are APRA venues. Right, they're registered with APRA, which is do you do your performance reports?

Majelen: 1:20:21

I'm way behind, I'm like years behind. You should Terrible, but I behind, I'm like years behind you should terrible to be honest, I need to.

Joseph: 1:20:30

Yeah, it's been on my to-do list for like a year and a half. It's not until you have a friend who walks in with a freaking three thousand dollar camera and you go where'd you get that performance report? Yeah, and you go what? Yeah, come on.

Majelen: 1:20:40

If you're an original act, you can backdate three years yes, well, that will be my plan when I get to it. I have have a lot of backdating to do That'll probably help you fund your tour. Yeah, probably actually, Because yeah, last time I got money from APRA it was like, oh, that's nice.

Joseph: 1:20:54

Yeah, COVID was what got me off my bum to do it.

Majelen: 1:20:57

Yeah, true.

Joseph: 1:20:58

Now I do it once a year and it's such a handy thing. Yeah, it just comes in. Last time I got my APRA, payment was like last year. I was in Turkey. Oh nice.

Joseph: 1:21:08

My wife's from Turkey, oh cool. So we were there with our kids and everything like this. And then I just opened the bank account and there was this decent chunk of money Not crazy but I was like that's why I do it. Yeah, it's not my why, but it's like it's annoying because you have to go and write every single performance and it's frustrating, but it helps you stay in the industry. Yeah definitely it gives you extra money buys extra stuff yeah, um I was gonna.

Joseph: 1:21:32

I was getting to a point but and I forgot that point.

Majelen: 1:21:36

It'll probably come back uh, starting to do small venues having yeah, people, yeah, anyway, yeah, it's.

Joseph: 1:21:44

People need to come out and support the small business. That's basically what I'm saying Come out and support the local venues. Come out and show some love. And while I was going APRA, it was because these are APRA venues. Which venues, the APRA venues, are the most important to the music industry? They're the ones that actually create financial opportunities for the music scene, not just random side places that don't pay the APRA fees. Because the venues have to pay, and it's not cheap.

Majelen: 1:22:14

I'm sure it's not cheap, true, hey Dan?

Joseph: 1:22:17

And I'm sure Dan will be happier knowing that he's paying money to help artists like yourself and you're getting that money, because if you don't do that, someone else is going to get that money.

Discussion: 1:22:26

Yeah, that's true.

Joseph: 1:22:26

I don't know the magic that they, I don't know the formula, but what I do know is that all of these venues put money in and anyone who does their performance reports gets money out.

Discussion: 1:22:37

Yeah.

Majelen: 1:22:39

That's very very lovely it is.

Joseph: 1:22:41

And I think Australia is one of the only ones in the world that do that. Oh really, I'm pretty sure.

Discussion: 1:22:47

Oh.

Joseph: 1:22:47

I didn't realise. Don't quote me on that.

Discussion: 1:22:49

Okay.

Joseph: 1:22:49

But I'm pretty sure. But yeah, so, anyway, back to it. So get out and support your local scene. Anyway, where were we?

Majelen: 1:22:57

We were on you guys touring, Touring, yes and yes. Oh yeah, I should talk about that, shouldn't I? Is that what you were saying before Courtney's doing sign language?

Joseph: 1:23:11

How long have you been doing sign language? Obviously not long.

Majelen: 1:23:14

Still practicing. I should know what this is, yeah bass. Yeah, this is guitar.

Discussion: 1:23:23

You're doing this.

Majelen: 1:23:24

Wrong technique honey.

Discussion: 1:23:25

That's why I had no idea what was going on.

Majelen: 1:23:28

Yeah. So what she's saying is I have a signature called Clark guitar coming out as a Magellan model, but we can get to that after.

Joseph: 1:23:37

Really yeah, no way.

Discussion: 1:23:39

Yeah.

Joseph: 1:23:41

Let's get to that after, because I want to chew in on that.

Discussion: 1:23:43

Okay.

Joseph: 1:23:44

How did that happen? That's awesome, but yeah, okay, cool. So processes of booking your tours so you're six months out.

Discussion: 1:23:52

Yep.

Joseph: 1:23:53

Start getting all of your data. That's where you're going to target. Yeah, yep.

Majelen: 1:24:03

And this one. We're driving down the coast because we live in a bus, so we're going to just drive the whole way, and that way we can take our dog and our cat with us, because they'll get sad otherwise, and so yeah, so we're just kind of like locking in. We're in the process of just locking in dates and locking in venues and then, once all that's locked in, then we just start advertising and just selling tickets and then hit the road, and what ticket company do you use?

Joseph: 1:24:29

Austix or Humanitix?

Majelen: 1:24:32

That's a good question. You don't know yet, because you haven't got to that part yet.

Joseph: 1:24:37

You're at the six-month. You're at the strategy, not at the execute part.

Majelen: 1:24:40

What's your favorite?

Joseph: 1:24:42

I mean, we've spent a bit of time with Austix, with Brad, and he seems pretty cool. I think that matters to me, but like to see the person that's pretty cool. Yeah true, but I know I'm hearing some pretty cool thing about Humanitix. I think that's where I want to start digging into. Yeah, we've used this company called Ticketailer, which are from Canada. They were really cool, but I think AusTix or this Humanitix might be the better ones. I like AusTix because you can have the insurance that they can add onto their ticket.

Discussion: 1:25:17

Yeah right.

Joseph: 1:25:18

Which is really good because if something, happens.

Majelen: 1:25:20

Yeah, that's good, that's important, you know, just in case.

Joseph: 1:25:24

Just in case, I have been bitten by not having insurance and something did happen and we ended up with this big bill.

Majelen: 1:25:30

Oh true.

Joseph: 1:25:31

But it's all lessons. I guess that's another reason. What we're here for is, you know, that's a good thing, having been able to insure giving the option to people.

Discussion: 1:25:39

Yeah.

Joseph: 1:25:40

If they buy the tickets, they pay an extra $8, and now your ticket's insured If something $8 and now your ticket's insured. Something cancels, you get money back straight away.

Discussion: 1:25:47

Yeah.

Joseph: 1:25:48

Instead of just because things happen.

Majelen: 1:25:50

We get sick.

Joseph: 1:25:53

Yep, you get things happen all the time and you want to make sure you're protecting not only yourself, but the people who matter, which is your fans, you know. But yes, what have you used in the past hands? You know.

Majelen: 1:26:07

But yes, what have you used in the past? I think last time was like Ticketek, I'm pretty sure, pretty sure, that's all. That's the only one I've really used. I think, yeah, yeah, pretty sure, that's all. Yeah, and is it scary Like booking a tour.

Joseph: 1:26:28

Ticketing. Knowing that you have to.

Majelen: 1:26:33

Yes, yeah, because I haven't done it in so long. Yeah, it's kind of intimidating and daunting in a way.

Majelen: 1:26:40

But, it's also exciting because now that we're back doing this again, I kind of see it as, like you just keep building it and building it and because we haven't toured here, it's going to be like the first rundown may not be enormous and that's okay, because after that we're going to go back to Europe and back to the UK and we're thinking about New Zealand too for like the June, july, august sort of a period, and then more touring in Australia, and then we just like, we just keep doing it and you know, it's kind of just building the connection with fans again, because I haven't been on the road here in so long.

Discussion: 1:27:23

I.

Majelen: 1:27:24

I don't have that same connection anymore like and I think, when you're touring and you make because, like, you get a connection from just listening to someone's music, you like it, so you form this like emotional attachment to the song, but then and you can see the person online, but then then you meet them, you meet them and then they go you save?

Joseph: 1:27:45

well, they do, yeah, you do save people.

Majelen: 1:27:46

It's like… and then they go.

Joseph: 1:27:47

You saved me. Well, they do. Yeah, you do save people. It's a place you can get intimate without having to be there, so it makes sense you would be saving people because when they're in the dark spot, they put their headphones on and you get to speak to them.

Majelen: 1:27:58

Yeah, yeah, and the more of that level of I don't know it just grow, it, just I don't know how to explain it, but you know what I'm saying.

Joseph: 1:28:11

Yeah it's like you, you're fostering deeper connections. Yeah, it's getting deeper and deeper. I know what you mean. I I've had, I've got a few of these moments with fans and it's pretty special. You know that you mean something to someone you never knew, you ever thought you meant something to them. Yeah, but they do. Yeah, it's just quietly most battles in life are quiet anyway. So as a muse, I, um I had this sorry to go off topic on that story, on that, that subject, this guy, he's the busk.

Discussion: 1:28:48

Yeah.

Joseph: 1:28:48

He'd sit next to me and cry. He was this big, huge, scary-looking guy.

Discussion: 1:28:53

Yeah.

Joseph: 1:28:53

And he'd just sit next to me, cry and then walk away. And he'd done this for weeks, and weeks Turned out he'd murdered someone.

Discussion: 1:29:00

Whoa.

Joseph: 1:29:01

And he would just be crying about that, that he'd killed someone.

Discussion: 1:29:07

Wow.

Joseph: 1:29:07

And then he handed himself to the police.

Majelen: 1:29:10

Whoa hectic.

Joseph: 1:29:12

And I was like that is crazy, this guy like he was a proper murderer. He was a bikey murderer. Yeah, he was like an enforcer.

Majelen: 1:29:20

That's crazy.

Joseph: 1:29:22

And he'd just sit there and cry and I'd be like whoa, this guy's. I never communicated with him.

Majelen: 1:29:26

How did you find out?

Joseph: 1:29:28

It was on the news and then it was through yeah, it was through a whole, and then through other friends of his. Anyway, it's just, you just don't know when you're touching someone, or even though I don't discriminate, even though he's a murderer, but the fact that you know these moments, you just don't know who you can be connecting with you know yeah, and musics, or coming back to just being human, like you said, yeah, but anyway, yeah, just to reinforce how amazing the music is yeah, I think it saves everybody in a little way.

Joseph: 1:30:05

Yeah, for sure, for sure.

Majelen: 1:30:14

And can you tell me about any stories that you've had?

Joseph: 1:30:17

Oh, like people coming up to me and telling me how they've been impacted. Yeah, something the music, yeah.

Majelen: 1:30:21

Well, so the first song I really one of the first songs ever released wrote and released is called angels in the dark and it's about, um, human trafficking and sex slavery in thailand, which is a fun topic.

Majelen: 1:30:37

But I have played that in the past at festivals and it's kind of about my experience of being in Thailand when I was 20. I think the first time I went there I was 20. And just like walking through the red light district and seeing all these girls working on the streets who were between the ages of like 12 and 16. Because by the time you're 18, you're just old. Because by the time you're 18, you're just old. And you know, I went to some of the villages where they'd been taken from in Thailand, up in the hills and stuff, where they just literally like rock up and they just take people, take children, and seeing places where like they'll point it out to us like this is where they keep children under six years old and in that place there, and then there's one down there and you can only go there if you're a VIP in society Under six.

Majelen: 1:31:38

Disgusting.

Majelen: 1:31:38

Yeah, and that's when it all actually, because before that, obviously, I'd done my degree in jazz and I played in all these bands and stuff, but it was then that I was like, if I ever get a platform and start my own thing, I have to say something that's worth hearing, because there are so many people in the world who have a story that needs to be spoken about because it's real and it's a massive part of society that just gets brushed over and no one wants to talk about, and I like it's.

Majelen: 1:32:12

I feel like it's a responsibility for me to try to not shove it down people's throats in any way, shape or form, because not everyone's a bad person and you know we're all trying to live good lives, but then there's this stuff going on in the world, and so, live good lives, but then there's this stuff going on in the world, and so I I I played this song angels in the dark at festivals a few times and I had people coming up to me and telling me actually someone messaged me on facebook even the other day saying their friend was very close to being in a human trafficking situation and, like women, have just disappeared from people's lives and it's just it's crazy, but it does connect with people. I mean, that's a very, that's a pretty extreme song to talk about that topic. But then there's stuff like….

Joseph: 1:33:00

But that's what it's. I mean, these are the things that need to be. Music needs to be used for as well.

Majelen: 1:33:07

I think so.

Joseph: 1:33:08

Yeah, I connect with this sort of music. That means something that, no matter how much it hurts. Bob Marley is my favourite artist.

Discussion: 1:33:18

Yeah.

Joseph: 1:33:19

And one lyric that I love of his is one good thing about music when it hits, you feel no pain.

Discussion: 1:33:24

Yeah.

Joseph: 1:33:26

But I think that's the reason why it's so good you can sing about stuff that if you were to talk about it it's uncomfortable but haven't been being sung to you yeah you feel it more yeah instead of just like making you uncomfortable because your head's like yeah, but. But when you sing it to someone you know, some of our favorite songs are pretty messed up, like even Pumped Up Kicks.

Majelen: 1:33:52

Oh yeah, that's a good example.

Joseph: 1:33:54

You know what I mean.

Majelen: 1:33:55

Like people are like oh yeah, the kids yeah.

Joseph: 1:33:57

Run, better run Outrun my gun and you go, whoa. Yeah, this is about school murder, you know. But that's the power of music.

Discussion: 1:34:06

Yeah, so yeah it's all good.

Joseph: 1:34:09

It's all good.

Discussion: 1:34:10

Yeah.

Joseph: 1:34:11

These are the songs. These are the songs that matter.

Majelen: 1:34:15

Yes, I think so, yeah, and then even like I've got a song about how my sister passed away when I was five-ish and she was six-ish, and I've had Sorry to hear about that, thank you, and yeah, six-ish, and, and I've had sorry to hear about that, thank you, uh, I've and and yet people have come up to me after the show in tears because they've lost a daughter or they've lost a friend, or they've lost you know, and and they can relate, so it and and they've just sort of said, like that's healed a little part of my self that I still hadn't gotten to yet and I think music's really really powerful for that healing journey.

Joseph: 1:34:51

Yeah, for sure, For sure. Yeah, no, thanks for opening up about that. These are hard topics. To even open up the thing about musicians we're great at writing and expressing through music but I don't know, In the human context it gets like that.

Discussion: 1:35:09

Yeah.

Joseph: 1:35:09

Okay, and so back to the touring aspect to come out of, to get back into that. So you'll start booking shows. Do you just contact them? Do you cold contact them? Do you use an agent? Do you just email them?

Majelen: 1:35:26

Yeah, it do you use an agent, do you? Use, no, we just email them yeah, at this point it's courtney and I, and then if I've got mates who have played at a venue and I really want to play there, I'll be like, hey, can you just put me in touch with that? Person like whoever books that venue and just do it that way.

Joseph: 1:35:38

So networks, yeah yeah, yeah, that's good, that's good. I want, yeah, I wanted to definitely get into this part of the industry on how independent, because you're independent, yeah.

Discussion: 1:35:48

Yeah.

Joseph: 1:35:49

So how you sustain your career. So you've got to do it all yourself. You've got to get out there, yep, you've got to have the conversation with people and you've got to have a network.

Majelen: 1:35:57

Yes, yeah, yeah, it pays to be nice. Yeah, I think.

Joseph: 1:36:00

Yeah, for sure. One other part that I try and bring up is there is a trinity between venues, musicians and music lovers. This, I think, is the core of the foundation of the music industry, and I think that that is where some of the biggest problems in the industry are, is how those three work together oh yeah so one thing I like to ask musicians and people that we can bring on here is for you to just give.

Joseph: 1:36:37

It doesn't have to be advice, but more like an opinion or more like something that you that helps you bring your a game. So what, what do you have to say to all of the venues? Out there in the world. What do I have to say to venues?

Majelen: 1:36:53

Wow, that's a question I've never been asked before.

Joseph: 1:36:57

And this is just to like you know, just to reiterate this is to help musicians like yourself to be able to perform at your best.

Discussion: 1:37:09

Yeah.

Majelen: 1:37:10

Because some venues just treat you like crap, throw you in a corner, oh yeah, definitely Even like I mean, yeah, when it comes to like promoting the gig too, that's one of the first things I thought of, so I'll talk about that first. But promoting the gig, some venues just put it back completely onto the artist. They don't actually have any role and they won't take on any role in like creating a Facebook event and like talking about it on their social media and like I don't know if they have a mailing list, like mailing it out to all the people that are in the thing. Or even some venues don't even put up a bloody poster.

Majelen: 1:37:45

Like are you serious? I I made a poster, I emailed it to you, or I posted it to you and you don't have it up. Why? Like just do something to, because you are a part of this too. But it's like some venues just put it all onto the artist and it's like well, this, is that the word reciprocal, or like I mean in a creating event yeah, reciprocal yeah I can't just create an event, I can't just feel like, yeah, all right, I'm gonna play right now here, just nowhere yeah I need a venue.

Majelen: 1:38:24

so if you're going to be the venue, do your job Like play your part.

Joseph: 1:38:29

And that's what I'm saying. That's the holy trinity of the music industry. When all those three pieces work together in perfect harmony, that's success. That's what I call my definition of a successful night. I love it when you get a venue that's just on it from start to end from way before you even come to the gig, from the lead up and the way they talk about you and the way they, and then you get there.

Discussion: 1:38:54

Yeah.

Joseph: 1:38:55

And then there's the next layer, but anyway, yeah, so that's great, great advice Get involved venues right. Get involved. This is your business, as much as when it all works together.

Majelen: 1:39:07

That's what makes a successful night yep, and if you're gonna, if you want to be a venue that's supporting original music like the building a relationship with, because you can tell when you go to a venue who's got a really good relationship with their local customers and their local following, because a venue has a venues have followings and then you go to a venue that's got a terrible relationship for I don't know whatever reason and they can't like, because I know people who they've been going to the same venue every weekend for freaking years because that venue is the place where they just it's just great.

Joseph: 1:39:45

Yeah.

Majelen: 1:39:46

And so because? Do you know what I'm trying to say? Like venues, venues have a following too.

Joseph: 1:39:52

They do, and if you take care of that, yeah.

Majelen: 1:39:55

That's a big part of the industry too. That's just helping the live, local, smaller people to just have. Even before they start marketing as the artist, they've already got people showing up. And then when the artist markets on top of that, then it's just great.

Joseph: 1:40:13

That's it, and that's what we've got to tackle. This is what we've got to tackle is I think more and more venues have lost that aspect of what you are. You are a venue that's hosting live music the ones who have got it. It's seamless yeah you play your best because they look at you and they go. Thank you for coming to play at my venue and you appreciate it and you're valued.

Joseph: 1:40:37

Therefore, you put your heart and soul even more, because you now have a loyalty to the person, because they just treated you well. You do that with anyone, right? If they treat you nice, you'll mow their lawns.

Majelen: 1:40:47

You don't care.

Joseph: 1:40:48

I'll come over and wash your dishes. It doesn't matter, because you have a relationship. So yeah, it's great. So your big one is get involved, right.

Discussion: 1:40:58

Yeah.

Joseph: 1:40:59

Get involved and look after. Do you find, when you're looked after a bit more from venues? When I say looked after a bit more from venues, when I say looked after, I mean you know full disclosure. I love it when I come to a venue and they offer me some food and they offer me something, whatever. It doesn't even if I say yes or no but it's like I'm seeing more than just yeah, it's kind of like hospitable yeah and just welcoming, like if someone was to come to my house, I'd be like do you want a cup of tea?

Majelen: 1:41:25

do you want a cup of tea? Do you want a cup of coffee, do you?

Joseph: 1:41:27

want a snack, like what do you need, and then send in the bill at the end. Yeah, yeah and be like that was $93, thanks.

Majelen: 1:41:34

That teabag was a pricey one, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Joseph: 1:41:37

Cool, okay, so that's anything else to say to venues. I'd say that that'd probably be my main, if you're gonna have sound as well have a good sound, right?

Majelen: 1:41:51

yeah, like don't just get some random guy after wherever you found him yeah get someone who knows what they're doing. Yeah, who can listen?

Joseph: 1:41:56

yeah, who can listen? Um? Second piece of the holy trinity is the musicians. I believe that we are one as musicians. If we all represent each other well, then the value of musicians can go up and people can believe in musicians. That's my belief. So I think it's really important to hold musicians accountable, and it doesn't mean about criticizing, it's just about saying hey, musos, this is what you can do to make things better. So what do you have, for it's not just one muso, it's for the whole, for musicians, you know, what do you have for advice for them?

Majelen: 1:42:38

Oh, that's a good question.

Joseph: 1:42:39

Yeah, that's what we're here for.

Majelen: 1:42:41

Yeah, Got all the good chats, I guess. Well, on the flip side, you can't just put it back onto the venue and be like oh well, no one's here. Like you have to do your job, and you have to also bring people in and put bums on seats, because I guess that's what it really comes down to at the end of the day, for everybody to know me, if you come into the music industry for the business to make it a job, yeah, it's.

Joseph: 1:43:08

Yeah. There's things you have to do, yeah yeah, and I think to.

Majelen: 1:43:16

The next thing my brain went to was a lot of musicians hate social media and hate trying to do that thing where you build a following but you have to like that's your job. Yeah, I know you, you're, you're a guitarist or you're a singer or you're a whatever, but you're other.

Majelen: 1:43:30

The other like yeah, I think like three quarters of the job is actually just marketing marketing and you have to do that and you have to have a fan base and just build that and have connections with people so that you're not playing in an empty room to to sleazy old men in the corner.

Joseph: 1:43:49

Yeah, you know because that's just bad yeah.

Majelen: 1:43:52

Yeah, you've got to. There's certain things that musicians have to do that we all hate, but you've just got to do it.

Joseph: 1:43:58

Yeah, yeah.

Majelen: 1:44:01

And that helps out the venues too, because there's a. You know we can't if 1, 1300 venues have shut down in the last year. We need a musicians need to be helping them out too, yeah, and doing what we can to make sure that when we come to play, we packed a place out, we, and there's people drinking and there's people having a good time and oops, and you know, like that's that's our responsibility too.

Joseph: 1:44:23

Yeah, for sure, for sure. I know there's people that are listening probably don't know. Like that's our responsibility too. For sure, for sure. I know there's people that are listening, probably don't know this, but there's this crazy hammering on the side. I know you're hungry.

Majelen: 1:44:35

Can you hear it?

Joseph: 1:44:36

No, no, no, no. I just know because you said it and I'm like, and we're talking on pretty mentally heavy topics, so we'll start winding it back down, get some food, play some music and do all that stuff all right, um, and so last thing, which is, you know, is the punters. Um, what advice do you have for punters if they're coming out to see, even if they don't know them, even if they're just in the corner and they don't know you? Yeah like you know, I love venues where the puns are into it oh yeah ones that are just talking over you.

Majelen: 1:45:12

Oh, that's so annoying yeah, because, yeah, if you're gonna just go and watch a covers band, just chat and do whatever, because I think that's what covers bands are for yeah nothing against covers bands, because I've done that for a long time this is.

Joseph: 1:45:24

It's just another part of the industry. Yeah, but we're here to talk about originals. Nothing against covers bands, because I've done that for a long time. Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's just another part of the industry. Yeah, but we're here to talk about originals. Yeah, but I know what you mean. Yeah, yeah.

Majelen: 1:45:34

Yeah, but sometimes it's that like one obnoxious dude or that one like slightly excessively intoxicated drunk lady at the back who's just really enthusiastic. But yeah if you're there to listen, just listen, and it means actually a lot as a musician when and I think maybe it's my personality too if I'm playing a song where I'm like this is a serious thing, can you just just just pay attention for five minutes, you know yeah it means a lot when people actually do yeah and but if you want to.

Majelen: 1:46:04

But also in other, in the flip side of that, if if there's a band that's obviously putting in a crap load effort and you're just like not paying any attention and don't give a, it's like yeah, why, why are you? Why are you there? Yeah, kind of yeah, yeah and also if it makes you feel fun and happy and joyous. Like the musician, I appreciate it when people show me that when I'm on stage. If they're having a good time, like just go nuts and you put more into it.

Joseph: 1:46:39

You put more into it and you make it. You know, once you've got that, you're on the pressure point and you just keep on. And next thing, you know, everyone's having a crowdgasm.

Discussion: 1:46:51

Yeah.

Joseph: 1:46:51

And just loving life. You know which is what it's about? Cool, okay, we're going to shoot off some rapid fire questions.

Discussion: 1:46:59

Okay.

Joseph: 1:47:00

Because, you know, we just want to make it fun as well. Yeah, dream collaboration. Oh.

Majelen: 1:47:10

The first one that came into my head was Ed Sheeran, but that's mostly because I just got his new loop pedal, so he's the first person that popped into my head today. I don't know if that would be the case, though, but I'll go with that Sure.

Joseph: 1:47:21

Yeah, not like Anthony Colitis or something like that.

Majelen: 1:47:25

Wait, who is that?

Joseph: 1:47:26

From Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Majelen: 1:47:28

Oh, yeah, right, right, right.

Joseph: 1:47:29

No, no, no, it's okay, we'll go and stick with Ed Sheeran.

Majelen: 1:47:32

There's a lot of people.

Joseph: 1:47:33

Yeah.

Majelen: 1:47:35

I love a lot of different weird and wonderful musicians.

Joseph: 1:47:41

And Dinner with a Dead Celebrity.

Discussion: 1:47:43

Oh.

Majelen: 1:47:46

I would love to understand. Elvis is enormous and he is like just not stopped growing, even though he's been dead for donkey's years, and I would love to know what was going through his brain to for him to be able to create that craziness in the world Cocaine. Probably that would help, that really helps.

Joseph: 1:48:12

And probably some steaks. Yeah, Lots of things going through. No, no, no. I don't want to play him down. No for sure he was a creative genius and an innovator, Probably yeah that would be a good question as well. What did you do to get to that level? No, that's a good question. That's a good question and your favorite instrument.

Majelen: 1:48:34

Guitar, Guitar.

Joseph: 1:48:35

Yeah yeah, and you play a Cole Clark, so let's talk about this Cole Clark.

Majelen: 1:48:41

Yeah, so I have been endorsed by Cole Clark for a few years now since 2018 actually and I love their guitars because I drum on the guitar while I do all the other stuff and I have. So I went and played over at NAMM conference in LA in January, which is pretty cool, and I represented Cole Clark and played on their stage and just at their booth when they were selling guitars.

Majelen: 1:49:13

I'd just be there like noodling in the background trying to sell them more guitars. And because now I've got, I think most of my following is a lot of dudes who play guitar.

Majelen: 1:49:25

Yeah, most of my following is a lot of dudes who play guitar, yeah, and so I have started to gain a lot more like hopefully I'm representing the brand really, really well. And also I've customized their Angel 2 model guitar to make it my own thing. Because I play, because I do a stomp in my hand, I've added a third pickup. So then people have been asking like where'd you get this guitar from? Where? How'd you like where, blah, blah, blah. So they ended up saying like why don't we just make a signature series magellan model angel to guitar?

Majelen: 1:50:01

that's pretty, which is what an honor yeah, it's very cool that's awesome, yeah, so it's coming out, it's in production and and it's coming out in the next few months. I don't know when exactly. I need to talk to Miles and find out when, but I will. Yeah, it'll be for sale everywhere, all over the world.

Joseph: 1:50:18

That's pretty, wow. How does that make you feel?

Majelen: 1:50:22

Very pretty chuffed. I feel pretty honoured because not a lot of people have their name on a guitar and I used to think that only really, really, really, really famous people had a guitar named after them. But now I've got one.

Joseph: 1:50:35

Yeah, and you're really famous.

Majelen: 1:50:36

Yeah, totally.

Joseph: 1:50:38

Look, it's been an awesome conversation. I really enjoyed that we got to touch on so many topics. I hope after your trip to Africa and you start your tour off, maybe we can get you back in again. Oh, yeah, I'd love to. You know, it's like now we're pre-tour. Yeah, it's like let's have a talk just before we go on tour. I wonder if we can get something in between you come from Africa and then before you go on tour. That'll be awesome.

Majelen: 1:51:06

Yeah, that'd be great.

Joseph: 1:51:06

I would love to just sort of touch base since now.

Discussion: 1:51:10

Yeah.

Joseph: 1:51:10

Since now.

Discussion: 1:51:11

It's a funny thing.

Joseph: 1:51:12

I appreciate you coming along.

Majelen: 1:51:13

Thanks for having me.

Joseph: 1:51:14

And I really thank you for just. It takes a lot of courage to get vulnerable. I want to ask the hard questions, not in a hard way, though in an easy way, and you know, thank you for stepping up to the challenge. You know we went to some pretty crazy corners in the industry. So, yeah, thank you so much for coming along and having a chat here at this awesome, cool venue, dendervine.

Majelen: 1:51:40

Yeah, thanks, Dendervine. But thank you for asking the hard questions too.

Joseph: 1:51:44

Yeah.

Majelen: 1:51:45

I think it needs to happen.

Joseph: 1:51:48

And do you have any parting words for your fellow people who keep you going, which is fans?

Majelen: 1:51:57

Oh, right, or anyone else, I was thinking Courtney yeah.

Joseph: 1:52:02

Or anyone coming up in the music industry, or any woman out there that are struggling with what? You have struggled with give some parting words.

Majelen: 1:52:10

I guess, just don't cave, just be yourself, because you don't have to change, even though some people might tell you that you have to just ignore them. They don't know anything.

Joseph: 1:52:19

Yeah, awesome, az. And where do we find all of your? Are you across all borders? And it's under, so spell it M-A-J-E-L-E-N and it's pronounced.

Majelen: 1:52:32

Magellan.

Joseph: 1:52:33

Magellan.

Majelen: 1:52:34

Not Marjolin, because that's way too fancy for me. Grew up in Logan.

Joseph: 1:52:39

And do you have any releases coming up?

Majelen: 1:52:42

Yeah, I've got. So I've got an album that's coming out soon. We just have to. Courtney and I have to finish creating the actual vinyl artwork and stuff. So I don't have an actual date, but it'll be before the end of the year, and now we're working on next year's releases too, so lots of stuff coming out early next year. Oh yeah, and I mixed and mastered. So I've got music already out that I recorded at Abbey Road and then I mixed and mastered them in the bus.

Joseph: 1:53:05

Abbey Road. Yeah, that's awesome.

Majelen: 1:53:06

That's pretty cool, yeah.

Joseph: 1:53:07

So they're out, yeah, cool. And then February, march through till May, June. Are you in three, four months?

Majelen: 1:53:16

Yeah, yeah.

Joseph: 1:53:16

Yeah, that's going to be.

Majelen: 1:53:19

Down the east coast. Down the east coast and probably from like sunny coast down like sunny coast down Sunny coast down and then we'll go overseas and then I don't know if we're fitting in the northern end before we go away or if it's after we come back, but we'll be doing the whole east coast next year.

Joseph: 1:53:33

The whole east coast next year.

Majelen: 1:53:34

Yeah.

Joseph: 1:53:34

Awesome, Az. Thank you so much for coming along.

Discussion: 1:53:37

No worries, thanks for having me.

Joseph: 1:53:39

I don't know what we'll do. What do we do? High five?