Across more than fifty years—from The Soft Boys through his remarkable solo career—Hitchcock has cultivated a body of work where surreal imagery, humor, memory, obsession, and startling emotional honesty coexist in songs that continue to reward close listening.

In this conversation, Scott Catey and guest co-host Andrew Hunt sit down with Hitchcock to discuss his acclaimed new memoir Stranded in the Future, his first memoir 1967: How I Got There and Why I Never Left, both published by Akashic Books, and his forthcoming album The Confuser, on the Tony Ghost label. The conversation ranges from songwriting, memory, and technology, to creativity and the peculiar relationship between memoir and imagination.

Rather than treating songs as coded autobiography, Hitchcock describes how music grows from memory, mythmaking, and what he calls “hybrids”—real people transformed into constituents of his imaginative landscapes, from which his songs emerge. Along the way, the conversation explores boarding school, Bob Dylan, Syd Barrett, The Beatles, Nashville, mortality, artistic obsession, and the strange ways each of us becomes a custodian of disappearing worlds.

Whether you’re a longtime Hitchcock devotee or discovering his work for the first time, this episode offers a rare look inside one of popular music’s most singular creative minds.

In this episode

• Why Hitchcock says he “never left” 1967 
• Winchester College and discovering Dylan, The Beatles, Pink Floyd, and more 
• The difference between factual truth and emotional truth 
• Why “a song is about itself” 
• Mr. A, Mr. B., and Ms. C.: obsession, mythology, and creative life 
• Memoir as reconstruction rather than chronology 
• Writing books on an iPhone in the middle of the night 
• Why creativity is essential to mental health 
• Building The Confuser with Nashville musicians 
• The enduring influence of The Beatles 
• The relationship between songs, memory, and identity 
• Why Hitchcock keeps writing 

Books discussed

1967: How I Got There and Why I Never Left

Published in 2024 by Akashic Books.

An evocative memoir of Hitchcock’s fourteenth year, when boarding school, Bob Dylan, The Beatles, and the cultural upheavals of the late 1960s permanently shaped his imagination. More than an autobiography, it is an exploration of the year that became Hitchcock’s enduring creative homeland.

Stranded in the Future

Published July 2026 by Akashic Books.

Picking up where 1967 leaves off, Stranded in the Future follows Hitchcock from 1968-1978, the years leading to The Soft Boys while exploring memory, artistic obsession, and the self-mythology that Hitchcock created around the figures who shaped his life. Rather than a conventional memoir, it reads as an imaginative reconstruction of consciousness itself.

Forthcoming Album

The Confuser

Hitchcock’s newest studio album finds him embracing one of the strongest ensemble recordings of his career. Recorded in Nashville with Eric Slick, Todd Bolden, Jeremy Fetzer, Pat Berkery, and a remarkable circle of collaborators, The Confuser combines the melodic adventurousness and lyrical imagination that have long defined Hitchcock’s work with a fresh, deeply collaborative musical chemistry.

During our conversation, Hitchcock repeatedly credits his wife, Emma Swift, as the catalyst behind this creative chapter. It was Swift who encouraged him to record in Nashville, introduced him to key collaborators, urged him to begin writing his memoirs, and continues to serve as producer, tour manager, label partner at Tiny Ghost Records, and what Hitchcock affectionately describes as the “psychic glue” holding the entire enterprise together. The result is an album that feels simultaneously rooted in Hitchcock’s long musical journey and energized by an entirely new creative community. 

Follow Robyn Hitchcock

• Official website: https://www.robynhitchcock.com/
• Bandcamp: https://robynhitchcockofficial.bandcamp.com/music
• Substack: https://robynhitchcock.substack.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robynhitchcockofficial/

Akashic Books

• Website: https://www.akashicbooks.com/
• Stranded in the Future: https://www.akashicbooks.com/catalog/stranded-in-the-future/ 
• 1967: How I Got There & Why I Never Left: https://www.akashicbooks.com/catalog/1967-how-i-got-there-and-why-i-never-left/ 

About Akashic Books

Akashic Books is an independent Brooklyn-based publisher known for literary fiction, memoir, noir fiction, music writing, and culturally adventurous nonfiction. Since its founding in 1996, Akashic has built a reputation for publishing distinctive voices that often fall outside mainstream commercial categories—making it an especially fitting home for Hitchcock’s memoirs.

About the Show

The Sum of All Wisdom: Conversations on Music, Makers, and Meaning is a long-form, reflective podcast centered on working musicians and music-adjacent professionals whose work creates meaning, community, and cultural impact. The show prioritizes listening, craft, and lived experience over promotion.

The show is written, produced, and hosted by Dr. Scott Catey. If this conversation resonated, consider sharing it—or carrying something from it into your own listening and creative life.

What happens to art when attention becomes scarce?

In this episode of The Sum of All Wisdom, Dr. Scott Catey sits down with East Germany-born, Paris-based composer, songwriter, and visual artist Matthias Sturm for a wide-ranging conversation about music, memory, politics, and the future of creative work.

Having grown up in Dresden, in East Germany, before the fall of the Berlin Wall, Matthias reflects on life under surveillance, discovering Western music behind the Iron Curtain, and how those experiences continue to shape his songwriting decades later. Along the way, he shares stories of underground cassette culture, punk, jazz, Prince, Depeche Mode, and the surprising ways music crossed political borders.

The conversation then turns toward larger questions. What happens when streaming platforms transform artists into “content creators”? Can meaningful music—or any art—survive an attention economy built on distraction? And how should artists respond to artificial intelligence, algorithms, and a culture increasingly driven by speed rather than reflection?

Throughout, Matthias argues for something increasingly rare: art that asks us not simply to hear, but to listen.

This is a conversation about history, creativity, and why slowing down may be one of the most radical things music can still ask of us.

Highlights

• Growing up in East Germany before the Berlin Wall fell
• Living under surveillance and discovering artistic community
• Punk, cassette culture, and youth music behind the Iron Curtain
• Why Prince, Soft Cell, and Depeche Mode mattered in Dresden
• Building concept albums as immersive worlds
• The influence of Bach, literature, and “dark songwriting”
• Touring internationally while balancing family life
• AI, algorithms, and the shrinking attention span
• Streaming, independent artists, and the economics of music
• Why music should be more than content

Music Featured in this Episode:

• Peace on Earth
• All Beauty Must Die
• Puppet Robe Anthem

All music used with permission

Memorable Moments

“How do you create art and music for people who are no longer able to pay attention?”

“Imagine you’re born in a country which doesn’t exist anymore.”

“I’m not a content creator. I’m an artist.”

Connect with the Artist

Music is more than entertainment. It is one of humanity’s oldest ways of understanding the world. This episode invites us to slow down long enough to remember why. Follow these links to learn more about Matthias and his work. 

Links:

• Website: https://www.matthiassturmart.com/ 
• Chateau des Fougis, where Matthias is in residence: https://www.fougis.com
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MatthiasSturm 
• Bandcamp: https://matthiassturm.bandcamp.com/ 
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/matthiassturm/ 
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/matthias.maria.sturm

About the Show

The Sum of All Wisdom: Conversations on Music, Makers, and Meaning is a long-form, reflective podcast centered on working musicians and music-adjacent professionals whose work creates meaning, community, and cultural impact. The show prioritizes listening, craft, and lived experience over promotion.

The Sum of All Wisdom is written, produced, and hosted by Dr. Scott Catey. If this conversation resonated, consider sharing it—or carrying something from it into your own listening and creative life.

Today we explore what happens when you accept that invitation, when we learn to really listen?

What happens when we stop treating music as background noise and begin experiencing it as something capable of changing the way we see—and hear—the world?

In the second half of this conversation, Dr. Scott Catey welcomes back vocalist, composer, and producer Karo Glazer and immersive audio producer Michal Rosa-Rosicki of RED Producers to explore music as a source of wonder, creativity, and human connection.

The conversation begins with Karo’s remarkable journey to Abbey Road Studios, where performing in the legendary Studio Two became not simply a career milestone but a deeply personal encounter with musical history. From there, the discussion ranges across artistic discipline, international collaboration, immersive composition, women in music production, artificial intelligence, and the importance of remaining curious in an age increasingly shaped by algorithms.

Throughout the episode, Karo and Michal return to a simple but profound invitation: close your eyes and listen.

They argue that music is more than entertainment or content. It is a language that transcends borders, a practice of collaboration, and an opportunity to recover the sense of wonder that modern life so often obscures.

The conversation culminates in an unexpected moment as Karo offers an impromptu demonstration of her creative process, building music from breath, voice, and imagination alone—a beautiful reminder that some aspects of music are best understood not through explanation, but through experience. 

Highlights

• Karo’s life-changing performance at Abbey Road Studios

• Why great art still demands patience, discipline, and practice

• Supporting the next generation of musicians through “Road to Abbey”

• International collaboration as a creative philosophy

• The promise—and limitations—of AI in music

• Why immersive audio is ultimately about human presence

• Improvisation, jazz, and the art of listening

• Silence, breath, and space as musical composition

• Women in music production and the Music Is Her Name initiative

• The role of curiosity in sustaining creativity

• A spontaneous live vocal demonstration from Karo

Memorable Moments

• “Music is human.”

• “Practice, practice, practice.”

• “Don’t follow the pattern. Just try to find your way of thinking.”

• “If people tell you it’s wrong... then you should probably go there.”

• “Close your eyes and listen.”

• “Practice, practice, practice.”

• “Never limit yourself. You are more than you think.”

• “Stay creative. Don’t follow any patterns.”

About the Guests

Karo Glazer is a vocalist, composer, producer, and immersive-audio innovator whose work spans jazz, contemporary composition, visual storytelling, and emerging audio technologies. Her performances and productions explore music as a fully immersive artistic experience, combining architecture, movement, and sound.

Michal Rosa-Rosicki is a producer, sound engineer, and immersive-audio specialist whose work focuses on the intersection of composition, technology, and live performance. 

Together they co-founded RED Producers, an international creative production company dedicated to expanding the possibilities of musical experience.

Expanded Artist Bio

Karo Glazer is a powerhouse voice and immersive vocal artist, composing sonic structure through sound, space and presence.

Renowned for her four-octave voice and fearless artistic vision, Karo Glazer creates music that feels both explosive and deeply refined: rebellious, sensual and emotionally charged. Moving fluidly between alternative, jazz, soul and psychedelia, she shapes her own distinctive concept: Immersive Voice. Her transatlantic sound draws from both European and American musical traditions, fusing intricate orchestration, hypnotic rhythm, layered vocal expression and cinematic scope.​ What emerges is an intense sonic journey through passion, defiance, vulnerability and strength. 

On May 24, 2025, she made history as the first Polish artist to perform and record a solo concert at Abbey Road Studio 2. She returned to Abbey Road to record an Immersive Voice Live Session; this time solo, surrounded by microphones, pushing further her concept of voice as space, instrument and environment.

Her releases have entered the U.S. market, including a debut on the SubModern Charts and a limited vinyl edition for Record Store Day US. 

With a catalogue of over 300 original compositions, Glazer’s work reaches far beyond a single release cycle. Her earlier career was rooted in the European market, with releases across both independent and major labels, leading to extensive international touring. Working across jazz, contemporary and cross-genre projects, she built a foundation of scale, precision and long-form musical thinking—developing a catalogue ready for sync, film and live expansion. Today, she returns as an independent artist. Not at the beginning, but with an established body of work and full creative control. Her broader creative output includes large-scale works such as “Illumination” - an immersive ballet directed by Bolshoi dancer Alexey Torgunakov—and the score for the theatre play “Wisława”, inspired by Nobel Prize–winning poet Wisława Szymborska.

Her work has been recognized by Tom Waits and members of Coldplay at the International Songwriting Competition. She has collaborated with artists including Mike Stern, Klaus Doldinger, Lars Danielsson and John Taylor and worked with Grammy-winning producers such as Flemming Rasmussen and Martin Walters.

“She is not a girl. She is dynamite!” - Mike Stern

Connect with Karo Glazer & RED Producers

https://www.karoglazer.com/about

https://www.youtube.com/@KaroGlazerMusic

https://www.instagram.com/karoglazer

https://karoglazer.bandcamp.com/album/black-sun 

Featured Music

• “Black Sun,” by Karo Glazer

• Live vocal improvisation and compositional demonstration by Karo Glazer

• “Looking for a Word,” by Karo Glazer

All music used with permission. 

Resources

Dolby Atmos Official Site - https://professional.dolby.com/music/

Coming Next Week

A warm and illuminating conversation with Tom Catmull, an acclaimed Americana songwriter from Missoula, Montana, whose music blends infectious melodies, vivid storytelling, and a deep love of language. Across seven albums and decades of touring, he’s shared stages with artists including Robert Earl Keen, Junior Brown, and Asleep at the Wheel—always using the songs to lead listeners back to the words.

The Sum of All Wisdom explores music as one of...

In this first installment of a two-part conversation, Dr. Scott Catey welcomes vocalist, composer, and producer Karo Glazer alongside immersive audio producer Michał Rosa-Rosicki of RED Producers.

Their story begins decades ago in a recording studio, where a young singer-songwriter and an aspiring sound engineer first crossed paths. Years later, after separate journeys through jazz, composition, production, architecture, and international performance, they reunited to create RED Producers—a creative partnership built on the belief that music is fundamentally human and inherently collaborative.

The conversation traces the origins of that partnership, including the creation of “Hand in Hand,” an international peace project launched in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. From there, Karo and Michał explore immersive audio, not merely as a technology, but as a new language for musical expression—one that treats space, movement, and presence as compositional tools.

Along the way, they challenge assumptions about streaming culture, attention, artistic identity, and the future of listening itself.

At the heart of the discussion is a deceptively simple invitation:

Close your eyes and listen.

In This Episode
“You can put twenty microphones around me. It’s still one voice. My voice.” - Karo Glazer

Listeners can expect a deep dive into Karo’s current artistic universe — including the upcoming Abbey Road Concert live video session recorded at the legendary Abbey Road Studios Studio 2. We’ll also talk about “Into The Voice” — an immersive voice experience and live 360 concept exploring the human voice as instrument, space and emotional architecture through immersive audio and performance. And of course, listeners will get an exclusive look into music from the upcoming album #LadyDynamite and “Black Sun” single.

• The origins of RED Producers
• The Artists for Peace project and the creation of “Hand in Hand”
• Why music is fundamentally collaborative
• Architecture, composition, and immersive sound
• How Dolby Atmos changes the creative process
• Listening as participation rather than consumption
• The limits of algorithmic music culture
• Why surprise still matters in art
• Abbey Road Studios and the next chapter of their work
• Building an international immersive-audio community
• Music, mindfulness, and presence
• Human creativity in the age of AI

Memorable Moments
• “I didn't choose music. I was chosen by music.”
• “Music is human.”
• “Close your eyes and listen.”
• “I don’t care who’s singing. I care about music.”

About the Guests
Karo Glazer is a vocalist, composer, producer, and immersive-audio innovator whose work spans jazz, contemporary composition, visual storytelling, and emerging audio technologies. Her projects have brought together artists from across Europe and the United States while exploring new possibilities for musical experience.

Michal Rosa-Rosicki is a producer, sound engineer, and immersive-audio specialist whose work focuses on the intersection of technology, composition, and live performance. Together they co-founded RED Producers, a creative production company dedicated to building new forms of musical engagement.

Karo Glazer & Michal Rosicki are co-founders of RED Producers, an international production hub. Independent - with infrastructure already in place.

Expanded Artist Bio
Karo Glazer is a powerhouse voice and immersive vocal artist, composing sonic structure through sound, space and presence.

Renowned for her four-octave voice and fearless artistic vision, Karo Glazer creates music that feels both explosive and deeply refined: rebellious, sensual and emotionally charged. Moving fluidly between alternative, jazz, soul and psychedelia, she shapes her own distinctive concept: Immersive Voice. Her transatlantic sound draws from both European and American musical traditions, fusing intricate orchestration, hypnotic rhythm, layered vocal expression and cinematic scope. What emerges is an intense sonic journey through passion, defiance, vulnerability and strength.

On May 24, 2025, she made history as the first Polish artist to perform and record a solo concert at Abbey Road Studio 2. She returned to Abbey Road to record an Immersive Voice Live Session; this time solo, surrounded by microphones, pushing further her concept of voice as space, instrument and environment.

Her releases have entered the U.S. market, including a debut on the SubModern Charts and a limited vinyl edition for Record Store Day US.

With a catalogue of over 300 original compositions, Glazer’s work reaches far beyond a single release cycle. Her earlier career was rooted in the European market, with releases across both independent and major labels, leading to extensive international touring. Working across jazz, contemporary and cross-genre projects, she built a foundation of scale, precision and long-form musical thinking—developing a catalogue ready for sync, film and live expansion. Today, she returns as an independent artist. Not at the beginning, but with an established body of work and full creative control. Her broader creative output includes large-scale works such as “Illumination” - an immersive ballet directed by Bolshoi dancer Alexey Torgunakov—and the score for the theatre play “Wisława”, inspired by Nobel Prize–winning poet Wisława Szymborska.

Her work has been recognized by Tom Waits and members of Coldplay at the International Songwriting Competition. She has collaborated with artists including Mike Stern, Klaus Doldinger, Lars Danielsson and John Taylor and worked with Grammy-winning producers such as Flemming Rasmussen and Martin Walters.

“She is not a girl. She is dynamite!” - Mike Stern

Connect with Karo Glazer & RED Producers
https://www.karoglazer.com/about
https://www.youtube.com/@KaroGlazerMusic
https://www.instagram.com/karoglazer
https://karoglazer.bandcamp.com/album/black-sun

Coming Next Week
Part 2 of this conversation explores Abbey Road Studios, women in music production, international collaboration, navigating the modern music industry, and the future of artistic creation in an AI-driven world.

Resources
Dolby Atmos Official Site - https://professional.dolby.com/music/

Drawing inspiration from artists like Harry Partch, Butch Norton, John Bergamo, Pink Floyd, David Bowie, and countless musical traditions from around the world, Jeff has built a creative practice centered on curiosity, experimentation, and deep listening. His latest album, Natural Habitat, transforms birdsong, footsteps, washing machines, field recordings, hand percussion, and invented instruments into immersive sonic landscapes that blur the line between music and environment.

Together, Scott and Jeff explore:

• How mentorship has shaped Jeff’s artistic journey
• The influence of Harry Partch and invented instruments
• Why imperfection often creates the most memorable art
• The role of field recordings and environmental sound in composition
• Creativity, chance, and “happy accidents”
• David Bowie’s cut-up techniques and rhythmic poetry
• Touring internationally with Celtic folk-rock band The Town Pants
• The future of drumming in an age of social media and AI
• Why musicians must remain lifelong students

Along the way, Jeff demonstrates several of his handmade percussion inventions, discusses the philosophy behind his “contraption kit,” and shares why he believes the most important lesson for any artist is simple:

“Listen and serve the music.”

This is a conversation about sound, experimentation, humility, and discovering wisdom in places most of us overlook.

About Jeff Tripoli

Jeff Tripoli is a drummer, percussionist, educator, composer, and recording artist based in Syracuse, New York. A veteran of international touring with The Town Pants, Jeff’s work spans rock, Celtic music, world percussion, experimental composition, and handcrafted instrument design. His recent solo releases, Perspectives and Natural Habitat, explore the intersection of percussion, found sound, improvisation, and sonic storytelling.

Connect with Jeff

·      Website: https://jefftripolidrums.com/home 

·      YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@jefftripolidrums 

·      Bandcamp: https://jefftripoli.bandcamp.com/ 

·      Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/jeff-tripoli/1565681196 

·      Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jefftripolidrums 

·      Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jefftripolidrums/ 

Explore Related Music and Sounds 

Links to musicians, bands, books, and more mentioned in the episode:

·      Billy Martin https://www.billymartin.net/ 

·      Butch Norton https://butchdrums.com/ 

·      Charles Corey https://www.charlescorey.com/ 

·      Earl Slick https://earlslick.net/ 

·      Glenn Kotche  https://www.glennkotche.com/ 

·      Harry Partch https://www.harrypartch.com/ 

·      Jeff Moleski | Mole Trax Studios https://rockwellrecordingandsoundstage.com/ 

·      Jim Donovan https://www.youtube.com/jmdbird 

·      John Bergamo https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bergamo 

·      Kalani Das https://kalanimusic.com/ 

·      Medeski, Martin, and Wood https://www.medeskimartinandwood.com/ 

·      Ray McNamara https://raymcnamara.com/ 

·      Rick Rubin | The Creative Act (Penguin) https://sites.prh.com/thecreativeact 

·      Rusted Root https://www.rustedroot.com/ 

·      Ted Gioia | The Honest Brokerhttps://www.honest-broker.com/ 

Featured Music 

“Something I Can’t Explain” from the album Natural Habitat by Jeff Tripoli
Used with permission.

“Afro Cant” from the album Natural Habitat by Jeff Tripoli
Used with permission.

“A Stone From Your Heart” from the album Natural Habitat by Jeff Tripoli
Used with permission.

All music is used with permission. All rights remain with the respective rights holders.

About the Show

The Sum of All Wisdom: Conversations on Musicians, Makers, and Meaning is a long-form, reflective podcast centered on musicians and music-adjacent professionals whose work creates meaning, community, and cultural impact. The show prioritizes explorations of listening, craft, and lived experience, and discovery of new music. 

Written, produced, and hosted by Scott Catey.

If this conversation resonated, please consider liking, commenting, following, subscribing, and sharing it—or carrying something from it into your own listening and creative life. 

Thanks for turning us on!

In this episode of The Sum of All Wisdom, Scott reconnects with Dutch experimental composer and sound artist Matthijs Kouw for a deep conversation about sound, space, philosophy, and the spiritual possibilities of composing, experiencing, and listening to music. 

Together, they explore what “experimental music” really means—not as a genre, but as a position: an openness to uncertainty, emergence, and the unknown. Matthijs reflects on the role of indeterminacy in composition, the architecture of sound, and the idea that music can create spaces for listeners to inhabit rather than narratives to consume. 

The conversation ranges widely across:

• Experimental music as process and experiment 
• Drone music, atmosphere, and “dwelling” in sound 
• The influence of thinkers like Jacques Derrida, Gilles Deleuze, and Gilbert Simondon 
• Time, emergence, and metastability in musical composition 
• Negative theology and the limits of language 
• Field recordings, contact microphones, and environmental sound 
• Why cassettes still matter 
• The politics of music distribution and alternatives to Spotify 
• Music as communion, meditation, and philosophical inquiry 

A central thread throughout the discussion is the idea that music can carry us beyond language—toward experiences that resist direct explanation yet remain deeply human and emotionally real. 

Matthijs also discusses several of his recent works, including:

• Transversal 
• Meta-Stabilities 
• Obscurum per Obscurius 
• The collaborative project Irradiance with Gagi Petrovic 

Memorable Moments

“Maybe the orchestra is not a set of instruments, but the entire world.” 

“It’s more like creating spaces for people to dwell in.” 

“Maybe the soundscape is populated by beautiful birdsong and leaf blowers simultaneously.”

About Matthijs Kouw

Matthijs Kouw is an experimental musician based in The Netherlands exploring the relationship between movement and stasis. Using analog synthesis, software, field recordings, and recordings of various objects, Matthijs combines long-form drone with elements from acousmatic music, noise, and microsound.

Links:

• Website: https://clinamen.nl/about/
• Bandcamp: https://clinamen.bandcamp.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mvkouw/

Explore Related Music and Sound Compositions 

Links to musicians, labels, and record stores mentioned in the episode:

·      Alan Lamb: https://room40.bandcamp.com/ 

·      Gagi Petrovic: https://gagipetrovic.com/ 

·      Groupe de Recherche Musical (GRM): https://inagrm.com/fr 

·      Important Drone Records: https://importantdronerecords.bandcamp.com/music 

·      Important Records: https://importantrecords.com/ 

·      Marc Namblard: https://marcnamblard.bandcamp.com/ 

·      Masami Akita/Merzbow: https://www.instagram.com/merzbowofficial/ 

·      Moving Furniture Records: https://movingfurniturerecords.com/ 

·      Phil Maguire: https://philmaguire.bandcamp.com/ 

·      Radboud Mens: https://radboudmens.bandcamp.com/ 

·      Sietse van Erve: https://orphax.com/about/ 

·      Staalplaat: https://staalplaat.bandcamp.com/ 

·      Tashiya Tsunoda: https://toshiyatsunoda.bandcamp.com/ 

·      Waaghals Records Store: https://www.waaghals.com/ 

Featured Music 

This episode includes excerpts from:

• “Irradiance” 
• “Metastability 3,” from Meta-Stabilities
• “Asymptotic,” from Transversal

All music by Matthijs Kouw and used with permission.

About the Show

The Sum of All Wisdom: Conversations on Musicians, Makers, and Meaning is a long-form, reflective podcast centered on working musicians and music-adjacent professionals whose work creates meaning, community, and cultural impact. The show prioritizes listening, craft, and lived experience over promotion.

Written, produced, and hosted by Scott Catey.

If this conversation resonated, consider sharing it—or carrying something from it into your own listening and creative life.

What does it mean to make music—and to keep making it—over a lifetime?

In this episode, part 2 of Scott’s conversation with musician Andrew Hunt on songwriting, performance, and the lived realities of creative life. From the discipline of editing to the risks of artistic honesty, they explore how musicians navigate the tension between expression and expectation.

Along the way, they dive into:

• The difference between commercial success and artistic integrity 
• Why some songs last—and others disappear within days 
• The hidden labor behind “simple” music 
• The emotional realities behind story songs, including violence, jealousy, and longing 
• The role of live performance in creating connection and meaning 

At its core, this is a conversation about music as a form of knowledge—and about what artists learn, feel, and risk in the act of creating.

In This Conversation

Topics explored include:

·      Music as Knowledge
Creative practice as a way of understanding emotion, identity, and the world. 

·      Art vs. Commerce
Navigating authenticity in a system driven by audience and algorithm. 

·      Editing as Craft (and Survival)
Knowing what to keep, what to discard, and when to stop. 

·      The Emotional Core of Songwriting
Exploring difficult themes—jealousy, violence, longing—through narrative. 

·      Time, Aging, and Creative Drive
The evolving risks and rewards of making art over a lifetime.

Notable Moments

• Infinite variation within constraint 
• The “three-day rule” for whether a song survives 
• The Bob Qualters analogy: iteration, obsession, and knowing when to stop 
• The concept of “stewing” as the emotional center of certain songs 
• The paradox of simplicity in recording: minimal sound, maximal infrastructure 
• “I still want to be Johnny Cash” — creative ambition beyond age

About the Guest

Andrew Hunt is an accomplished musician, voice actor, and member of the Recording Academy. His life is an altered country western song... Looking for Peace in all the right places. 

Links:

• Website: https://cowboyandy.com/ 
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@cowboyandyandthesalamander3925
• Spotify:
  • Flask 
  • Cowboy Andy & the Salamanders
• Facebook
  • Flask 
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flaskisaband/ 

Music featured in this episode:

“Pirate Cowboy,” written by Andrew Hunt, performed by Flask
Used with permission.

“Brady Bill,” written by Andrew Hunt, demo performed by Andrew Hunt
Used with permission.

“Tappin' at the Glass,” written by Andrew Hunt, performed by Flask
Used with permission.

Production Notes

Host, producer, editor: Scott Catey

Publisher: Ravenna Studios
Distributed by Transistor
Recording & Editing: Riverside.com, Audacity.org

About the Show

The Sum of All Wisdom: Conversations on Music, Makers, and Meaning is a long-form, reflective podcast centered on working musicians and music-adjacent professionals whose work creates meaning, community, and cultural impact. The show prioritizes listening, craft, and lived experience over promotion.

If this conversation resonated, consider sharing it—or carrying something from it into your own listening and creative life. If the conversation provoked you, please let us know that, too. Don’t forget to like, comment, subscribe. 

What does it mean to make music—and to keep making it—over a lifetime?

In this episode, Scott sits down with musician Andrew Hunt for a wide-ranging conversation on songwriting, performance, and the lived realities of creative life. From the discipline of editing to the risks of artistic honesty, they explore how musicians navigate the tension between expression and expectation.

Along the way, they dive into:

• The difference between commercial success and artistic integrity 
• Why some songs last—and others disappear within days 
• The hidden labor behind “simple” music 
• The emotional realities behind story songs, including violence, jealousy, and longing 
• The role of live performance in creating connection and meaning 

At its core, this is a conversation about music as a form of knowledge—and about what artists learn, feel, and risk in the act of creating.

In This Conversation

Topics explored include:

·      Music as Knowledge
Creative practice as a way of understanding emotion, identity, and the world. 

·      Art vs. Commerce
Navigating authenticity in a system driven by audience and algorithm. 

·      Editing as Craft (and Survival)
Knowing what to keep, what to discard, and when to stop. 

·      The Emotional Core of Songwriting
Exploring difficult themes—jealousy, violence, longing—through narrative. 

·      Time, Aging, and Creative Drive
The evolving risks and rewards of making art over a lifetime.Keep bullets short and conceptual.

Notable Moments

• Infinite variation within constraint 
• The “three-day rule” for whether a song survives 
• The Bob Qualters analogy: iteration, obsession, and knowing when to stop 
• The concept of “stewing” as the emotional center of certain songs 
• The paradox of simplicity in recording: minimal sound, maximal infrastructure 
• “I still want to be Johnny Cash” — creative ambition beyond age

About the Guest

Andrew Hunt is an accomplished musician, voice actor, and member of the Recording Academy. His life is an altered country western song... Looking for Peace in all the right places. 

Links:

• Website: https://cowboyandy.com/
• Spotify:
  • Flask 
  • Cowboy Andy & the Salamanders
• Facebook
  • Flask
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flaskisaband/

Music featured in this episode:

“Shady Grove” (Rough Mix) by Flask
Used with permission.

“Christians” by Flask
Used with permission.

Production Notes

Host, producer, editor: Scott Catey

Publisher: Ravenna Studios
Distributed by Transistor
Recording & Editing: Riverside.com, Audacity.org

About the Show

The Sum of All Wisdom: Conversations on Music, Makers, and Meaning is a long-form, reflective podcast centered on working musicians and music-adjacent professionals whose work creates meaning, community, and cultural impact. The show prioritizes listening, craft, and lived experience over promotion.

If this conversation resonated, consider sharing it—or carrying something from it into your own listening and creative life. If the conversation provoked you, please let us know that, too.

Episode Summary
What does it mean to devote your life to music as a passionate avocation?

In this episode, Scott sits down with drummer and instructor Eric Wolferman of the Celtic Dragon Pipe Band to explore the rich, communal, and deeply human world of pipe bands. From the thunder of snare drums to the visual poetry of tenor flourishes, Eric opens a window into a musical tradition that is at once ancient, evolving, and profoundly alive.

What emerges is not just a conversation about music—but about community, discipline, teaching, and the quiet power of tradition and shared cultural practice.

What You’ll Hear

• What a pipe band really is
  Beyond the stereotype: four musical “voices” working as one ensemble—pipes, snare, tenor, and bass 
• The role of the drummer
  How rhythm becomes both sound and spectacle, especially through tenor drumming and choreographed flourishes 
• A musician’s unlikely path
  From radio broadcaster → roadie → tenor drummer, and finding the right instrument by accident, and with a little nudge from a friend 
• Music as marriage & partnership
  Playing in a band alongside his wife—who also leads the drum corps 
• Competition at the highest level
  The long road to the World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow—years of travel, practice, and commitment 
• What judges actually listen for
  Precision, unity, ensemble cohesion—and why mistakes in rhythm matter more than visual flair 
• Teaching the next generation
  How Eric trains young drummers—from first stick control to creative expression 
• The philosophy of mastery
  Why everything begins with simple fundamentals—and how creativity grows from control 
• A global musical community
  Pipe bands as a tight-knit, international network of shared tradition 
• The future of tradition
  Why pipe band music persists—and what it takes to bring new generations into it 

Key Themes

1. Music as Community
Pipe bands aren’t just ensembles—they’re families. Built over decades, sustained by volunteerism, and rooted in shared identity.

2. Discipline → Freedom
Mastery of basics (timing, grip, control) unlocks creativity—especially in expressive forms like tenor drumming.

3. Tradition as Living Practice
These are centuries-old forms—but they evolve through teaching, performance, and community participation.

4. Access to Excellence
At the highest levels, music becomes radically human—where even the “best in the world” are approachable, collaborative, and generous.

Memorable Moments

• Eric describing pipe bands as “a community of people who love the music and culture”
• The reality of competing: 9-hour drives to play 5 minutes of music 
• Practicing for years to earn a place at the Worlds 
• The image of drummers waiting patiently while pipers spend long stretches tuning 
• A kid from Montana standing feet away from the world’s best musicians—and realizing access is possible 

Why This Episode Matters

This conversation embodies a core idea here at The Sum of All Wisdom: Music is not just expression—it is a system of knowledge and a means of transmitting that knowledge.

Pipe band culture shows how:

• Knowledge is transmitted across generations 
• Discipline shapes identity 
• Community sustains art 
• And tradition becomes a living archive of human meaning

About the Guest
Eric Wolferman is tenor drummer and drum instructor with the Celtic Dragon Pipe Band, based in Missoula, Montana. 

Websites & other links

Celtic Dragon Pipe Band

·       https://www.celticdragonpipeband.com/index.html

Music featured in this episode:

Scotland the Brave

Traditional, performed by Celtic Dragon Pipe Band

Used with permission.

Mingulay Boat Song

Performed by Gaelic Storm with Celtic Dragon Pipe Band

Used with permission.

About the Show & Production Notes

Written, produced, and hosted by Dr. Scott Catey, The Sum of All Wisdom: Conversations on Music, Makers, and Meaning is a long-form, reflective podcast centered on working musicians and adjacent professionals whose craft creates meaning, community, and cultural impact. The show prioritizes listening, craft, and the lived experience of making, sharing, and loving all things music.

If this conversation resonated, consider sharing it—or carrying something from it into your own listening and creative life. And most of all, thank you for listening!

Host Links

Website

The Sum of All Wisdom Newsletter on Substack

LinkedIn

Facebook

Instagram 

From her early training in Russia’s rigorous conservatory system to her artistic awakening in Switzerland, Daria reflects on how different cultural approaches to music shaped her voice as an artist. At the center of the discussion is the music of Alexander Scriabin—its mysticism, emotional intensity, and transformative potential for both performer and audience.

They explore what it means to play from memory, why risk is essential to live performance, how to build a concert program as a narrative journey, and how classical musicians can reach new audiences in a digital age.

Daria also shares insights from her Feminine Power Project, her work championing overlooked composers, and her upcoming debut album Elements.

Some highlights from the conversation:

• Music as Transformation
  A formative moment hearing Tchaikovsky shifted Daria from passive talent to intentional artistry 
• Freedom vs. Discipline
  How do technical precision, individuality, expression, and exploration meet in classical training and performance?
• Scriabin’s Philosophy of Sound
  Music as “ecstatic freedom,” the will of power, and spiritual blossoming 
• Memory vs. Safety in Performance
  Playing from memory creates risk and deepens immersion and intensity 
• Concert Programming as Storytelling
  Programs should follow emotional logic, not chronology or genre sequence; how can the program help to guide an audience through the performer’s vision?
• Reaching New Audiences
  Social media as a powerful tool to bring younger listeners into classical music 
• Expanding the Canon
  The Feminine Power Project highlights overlooked women composers and forgotten voices 
• Art in Uncertain Times
  The role of the artist as a source of light, hope, joy 

Throughout the conversation, Daria situates her artistry within a lineage of composers and performers who push the boundaries of musical language and expression. Central, of course, is Alexander Scriabin, whose evolution from late-Romantic lyricism into mysticism and near-atonality becomes a kind of philosophical anchor for her work. We also hear echoes of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, whose symphonic power first awakened her artistic seriousness as a teenager, and Robert Schumann, whose deeply subjective musical voice raises questions about individuality and interpretation. Daria also references lesser-known but compelling figures like Varvara Gaigerova, whose rediscovery reflects her commitment to expanding the canon, as well as pianistic traditions shaped by figures like Anton Rubinstein. Even iconic interpreters such as Vladimir Ashkenazy appear in the background, reminding us that performance itself is a living, evolving conversation across generations, and how new interpretations of familiar music can reawaken a fire within us. 

Several unexpected moments stand out in the conversation, from Daria’s candid relationship with inspiration to finding transformation in performance. Equally striking is her view that technical imperfection may sometimes be worth the trade if it allows for deeper expressive truth. Perhaps most surprising of all is her framing of classical performance as an act of risk: by choosing to play from memory, she deliberately removes safety nets in order to heighten presence, vulnerability, and connection with the audience.

Names, Locations, and Organizations, Mentioned in this Episode

Composers, Pianists, Performers

·       Alexander Scriabin

·       Varvara Gaigerova

·       Anton Rubenstein

·       Vladimir Ashkenazy 

Organizations

·       Kazan State Conservatory https://kazanconservatoire.ru/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=21&Itemid=286 

·       Union Square Soiree, Baltimore, Maryland: https://www.unionsquaresoiree.com/ 

About the Guest
Daria Vasileva is an internationally performing concert pianist known for her expressive depth, intellectual rigor, and commitment to musical storytelling. Originally from Kazan, Russia, she trained in the Russian conservatory tradition before continuing her studies in Switzerland. Her work centers on the music of Alexander Scriabin and includes the Feminine Power Project, an initiative dedicated to amplifying women composers. 

Websites & other links

·       https://dariapianist.com/ 

·       https://www.youtube.com/@pianistdariavasileva 

·       https://www.instagram.com/daria.pianist/ 

Music featured in this episode:

Sonata Op. 30 No. 4 by Alexander Scriabin
Performed by Daria Vasileva
Used with permission.

Skizzen by Varvara Gaigerova 

Performed by Daria Vasileva
Used with permission.

About the Show & Production Notes

Written, produced, and hosted by Dr. Scott Catey, The Sum of All Wisdom: Conversations on Music, Makers, and Meaning is a long-form, reflective podcast centered on working musicians and adjacent professionals whose craft creates meaning, community, and cultural impact. The show prioritizes listening, craft, and the lived experience of making, sharing, and loving all things music.

If this conversation resonated, consider sharing it—or carrying something from it into your own listening and creative life. And most of all, thank you for listening!

Host Links

Website
The Sum of All Wisdom Newsletter on Substack
LinkedIn
Facebook
Instagram 

Union Square Soirée: Catharsis and the Human Experience of Listening 

with Dr. Ramilya Saubanova and Juan Gonzalez, founders

Episode Description

When world-class musicians meet audience and community in the intimate setting of an historic Baltimore townhome, exceptional things happen. 

In this episode of The Sum of All Wisdom, host Scott Catey speaks with Ramilya Saubanova and Juan Gonzalez, founders of Union Square Soirée, a Baltimore-based salon concert series reviving the historic tradition of intimate house concerts.

Hosted in a beautifully restored 1872 Baltimore rowhouse, Union Square Soirée brings together classical musicians, jazz artists, and emerging performers for concerts where audiences sit just feet from the performers—close enough to see the physical artistry behind the music.

Scott and his guests explore:

·       the revival of the salon concert tradition

·       how intimacy changes the experience of live music

·       the importance of supporting young musicians

·       how salon concerts create community and cultural conversation

·       why audiences are rediscovering small-scale live music in a digital age

·       art for audiences versus art for art’s sake 

·       music, artists, food, wine, and… coffee!

The conversation also touches on Baltimore’s musical culture, the role of conservatories like Peabody Institute, and the power of music performed in human spaces rather than on distant stages.

Juan also reveals a little known secret about Vivaldi’s compositional technique and his musical innovations. 

If you love classical music, live performance, music history, intimate concert experiences, and how each of these can help contribute to the revitalization of a great American city, this episode offers a fascinating look at how a centuries-old tradition is finding new life today.

Names, Locations, and Organizations, Mentioned in this Episode

People

·       Daria Vasileva, https://dariapianist.com/

o   NB: Daraa will be a guest on the podcast in a few weeks!

·       Jackson “Jackie” Wu, https://www.unionsquaresoiree.com/jackie-wu

·       Tristan Latchford, UK Composer (https://www.tristanlatchford.com/about.php) 

·       Daniel Crozier, Composer (Rollins College, Florida, nephew of Fred Rogers) https://www.danielcrozier.com/bio/ 

·       Barbara Mikulski (https://www.senate.gov/senators/FeaturedBios/Featured_Bio_Mikulski.htm) 

·       Sally Baby’s Silver Dollars (https://www.sallybabyssilverdollars.com/)

·       Jonathan DePeri (https://www.gcinschool.com/artist/jonathan-deperi) 

Places

·       Union Square neighborhood, https://livebaltimore.com/neighborhoods/union-square/

·       Fells Point (Neighborhood in Baltimore, https://baltimore.org/neighborhoods/fells-point/) 

Organizations

·       Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University, https://peabody.jhu.edu/ 

·       Creative Alliance in Baltimore (https://creativealliance.org/) 

About the Guests

This episode features Ramilya Saubanova and Juan Gonzalez, the founders of the Union Square Soirée salon concert series in Baltimore, Maryland. Union Square Soirée is a unique initiative that brings together emerging and established artists to create intimate, memorable musical experiences that connect talent with the community. 

Guest Information

Dr. Ramilya Saubanova is the founder and president of the Union Square Soirée, as well as a concert pianist with over 23 years of experience performing in prestigious venues across Russia, Europe, and the U.S. She holds Specialist, Master’s and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from Kazan State Conservatory and the Peabody Conservatory at Johns Hopkins University. In addition to her work with the Soirée, she founded the Tatar Music Concert Series in the U.S., blending music, history, and art to offer one-of-a-kind cultural experiences. Ramilya is also a passionate educator and mentor to young musicians. Her debut solo CD will be released in 2026, featuring works by Brahms, Medtner, Latchford, and Crozier.

Juan Gonzalez is founder and vice-president of the Union Square Soirée, where he combines his love for classical music and history with his passion for community engagement. His goal is to foster an appreciation of classical music while connecting local musicians with a wider audience, creating a platform where both emerging and established artists can shine. Juan brings a rich background to the initiative, with over 20 years of experience as educator, advocate, and patron of the arts. 

Websites & other links

Union Square Soiree

·       https://www.unionsquaresoiree.com/ 

·       https://www.instagram.com/unionsquaresoiree/ 

Ramilya Saubanova

·       https://ramilyasaubanova.com/ 

·       https://www.youtube.com/c/RamilyaSaubanova 

·       https://www.instagram.com/ramilya_saubanova/ 

Music featured in this episode:

Ballade No. 4 by Frédéric Chopin
Used with permission.
Artist-preferred link

Étude Tableaux in E flat minor, Op.39, No.5: Appassionato by Sergei Rachmaninoff
Used with permission.

About the Show & Production Notes

Written, produced, and hosted by Dr. Scott Catey, The Sum of All Wisdom: Conversations on Music, Makers, and Meaning is a long-form, reflect...

Episode 1: Twelve Tones & Six Billion Songs... A Conversation with Andre Floyd

Episode Summary

In this inaugural episode of The Sum of All Wisdom, Dr. Scott Catey sits down with longtime friend and musician Andre Floyd, to discuss his life, career, and philosophy. 

We talk about the stories we carry, how meaning evolves, and how lives are sometimes unexpectedly intertwined. Andre looks back over a life and career lived as a musical “cobbler,” and he talks about resilience, amplifying marginalized voices, uplifting community, and creating opportunities for self-determination and self-respect among young people from cultures that often get erased or misrepresented. He also remembers the ways he has used music for good throughout his life, teaching Montessori, providing music therapy, and the importance of sharing music, especially in difficult times. 

What unfolds is not just a conversation about gigs and bands, but about pivot points—those moments when life gets turned over, takes a new direction, or transforms. From singing the National Anthem at Wrigley Field in 1982, to playing pool with Seamus Heaney, to performing at Luke’s alongside Montana icon Jay Rummel and others, Andre reflects on what it means to build a life by “cobbling together” community, opportunity, talent, and instinct.

Music as life is full of both possibility and responsibility, and Andre shares his wisdom on both, and more. 

In This Conversation

• Growing up in an Air Force family and finding the guitar at age 11 
• Cubs vs. Expos: Singing the American and Canadian national anthems at Wrigley Field—and in the wrong key 
• The Chicago years: mentorship, management, and cultural education 
• The Missoula barstool literary scene
• Jay Rummel: brilliance, anger, and artistic obsession 
• Mood Iguana, Tapas Records, and the sociology of collaborative music-making
• Religion, separation, and community fracture 
• America’s unresolved racial history and its cultural consequences 
• Teaching and mentoring Native youth in Arlee, Montana

About Andre Floyd

Andre Floyd is a Montana-based musician whose career spans decades of performance, recording, collaboration, and community-building. The son of an Air Force Tech Sergeant, Andre’s early life moved from Alabama to Kansas, Maine, Panama (where he kept an ocelot as a pet and dated Tata Vega), and eventually Montana.

He has performed across the country and around the globe, with some of world’s most storied artists. His band Mood Iguana was a staple of the regional scene before he dissolved it rather than allow it to become less than his original vision.

Today, his work increasingly centers on mentoring Native youth in Arlee, Montana—offering tools for self-definition and nontraditional success.

Links

Facebook

Spotify

Music Featured

“Your Garden” by Andre Floyd

“Found True Love” by Andre Floyd

Used with permission.

About the Show

The Sum of All Wisdom: Conversations on Music, Makers, and Meaning is a long-form podcast exploring the lived experience of working musicians and music-adjacent creatives whose work shapes communities in visible and invisible ways.

Written and hosted by Dr. Scott Catey, produced by Ravenna Studios.