007: James LaBrie - Triumph Over Vocal Injury - Part I
Release Date: 06/15/2022
034: Hansi Kürsch: Real Life Bard - Part II
The Charismatic Voice
Today, we continue the episode with Blind Guardian frontman Hansi Kürsch. His love of music and fantasy is pretty much evident in how he produces magic through writing songs based on fantasies and epics like The Stormlight Archives and The Lord of the Rings. It’s amazing how a lot of albums have this continuity. And he explains how everything in the album should have the same vibe because they can only shine if they’re bound together. Making amazing music for 40 years now, Hansi gives his insights into artistic freedom. He is also involved in The Dark Tower series. In this episode, you...
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033: Hansi Kürsch: Real Life Bard - Part I
The Charismatic Voice
It’s just magic when music and fantasy are combined. And magic is what Blind Guardian creates. Today, we’re joined by their lead singer, Hansi Kürsch, who along with his band members, takes inspiration from the great works of fantasy. Going strong for 40 years now, Blind Guardian has recently released their newest album, The God Machine. Not only is Hansi a testament to endurance, but he’s also the epitome of a powerful voice. He gives insights into how to build and maintain a four-decade career and how his understanding of vocal technique has evolved over the years. In this episode,...
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032: Phil Freeman: The Metal Grinch - Part II
The Charismatic Voice
Last week, we began the conversation with some life insights and vocal nerdery with Small Town Titans’ frontman Phil Freeman. This week, we’re going to continue the discussion with more detail on vocal technique. Phil reveals the foundation for a good, healthy voice and an excellent performance in the same way that you should breathe in. He also stresses the importance of embracing the depth of your voice and not getting easily swayed by other people’s opinions when it comes to your voice. Plus, he’s going to satisfy our ears with some pretty awesome vocal demonstrations that will blow...
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031: Phil Freeman: The Metal Grinch - Part I
The Charismatic Voice
What does it take to get to the next level? In this week’s conversation, we’re joined by Phil Freeman, the lead singer of one of the most underrated rock bands, Small Town Titans. Phil has a massive range coupled with massive technical skills that he can create all kinds of good, aggressive, powerful, and even sweet tones within that range. Phil did a cover of You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch, and if you haven’t watched it yet, then you’ve got to! He initially sounds like a low-voiced male, but then he keeps going higher and higher and flat-out screams in a way that is sung well....
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030: Tatiana Shmayluk: Growls and Giggles - Part II
The Charismatic Voice
Last week we started to uncover the shy persona underneath Jinjer’s fierce frontwoman, Tatiana Shmayluk. We talked about the artists that piqued her curiosity in harsh vocals and how she developed her monster-esque screams. We also discussed her writing process and how deadlines can be more inspirational than diamonds. This week, we’re going to continue the story by taking a look deeper into her growls, to better understand how she delineates between a good growl and a bad growl. We’ll also talk about her practice habits and what Tatiana thinks of the band’s name. If you'd like to...
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029: Tatiana Shmayluk: Growls and Giggles - Part I
The Charismatic Voice
Tatiana Shmayluk is the lead singer of the Ukrainian metalcore band, Jinjer. But don’t let that trick you into thinking that she’s a gentle performer. Tatiana packs a punch with her vocals – both clean and harsh. In fact, she was the first female singer that I’ve ever heard going into full death growl mode. The song started off with a groovy, almost jazzy punk feel, and then dropped into this intensely heavy section. And at that moment out of Tatiana, a boss monster just seemed to spring. It’s insane! It’s also one of the reasons I just nerd out about voice science. In this...
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028: Peter Hollens: Creative Entrepreneur - Part II
The Charismatic Voice
This week, we continue the conversation with Peter Hollens, American singer/songwriter, producer, and entrepreneur. Known for doing acapella videos of just him – and his multiple voices, Peter is his own engineer and singer. That’s not to say that he hasn’t done any collaborations because Peter has collaborated with other great artists – including one video that he wished could have picked up more audience (on top of its two million views on YouTube.) In this episode, Peter talks about his vocal technique, his love for acoustic music, scatting, and some tips on how to become a better...
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027: Peter Hollens: Creative Entrepreneur - Part I
The Charismatic Voice
If there’s one artist who has inspired my current vocal endeavors more than any other, it’s Peter Hollens – THE GUY who made multiple layering of the same human voice popular on YouTube. Peter now has 400 videos on his channel. Some are elaborate collaborations with well-known artists and some are just him, multiple times. While many singers only need to think about singing one line and maybe a few harmonies, Peter has to think about singing tons of lines. Just imagine the additional time it takes for him to create a song because he is the whole band. His songs are also released with...
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026: Myles Kennedy: Channeling Monsters of the Mind - Part II
The Charismatic Voice
This week, we continue our conversation with Myles Kennedy, the lead singer of Alter Bridge, but also an outstanding songwriter and guitar player who has done many great collaborations. Speaking of spreading the great music that Myles creates, Alter Bridge just released their seventh album on October 14 of 2022. He definitely sounds better and better. It’s hard to believe how he can sound like he’s in the prime of his singing career when he’s already been at it professionally for over 30 years. Listen to him sing and you will be so amazed that you will want to come back to this podcast...
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025: Myles Kennedy: Channeling Monsters of the Mind - Part I
The Charismatic Voice
Many people say that having a classical vocal foundation will set any singer up for success. Even as an opera singer, I don’t know if this is always true, but our guest today, Myles Kennedy, has some of the best vocal techniques any metal or rock singer could have. Not only did he study the classical vocal foundation, he still continues to use it. Myles is an outstanding songwriter and guitar player who has collaborated with many artists. As the lead singer of Alter Bridge or in his work with Slash and The Conspirators, Myles makes stupid-tough vocal passages sound like a walk in the...
info_outlineDream Theater is legendary for its complex, progressive music, and James LaBrie, their lead singer, is legendary for his ability to weave a melody over rapidly evolving time signatures and musical textures.
James has a massive range and a distinctive, gathered sound which cuts through to deliver his message. Not only does James sing complex music so well, but he actually overcame one of the most difficult things any singer ever faces – a serious vocal injury.
In 1994, James was stricken with a severe case of food poisoning that led to a vocal hemorrhage, which is essentially a blood vessel rupturing in the vocal folds. It was the most horrific thing that could happen to any singer.
Vocal health is closely intertwined with a singer’s identity and self-worth, and experiencing the trauma that James went through would have caused many singers to quit. But he kept going and is still releasing albums, including his new solo album “Beautiful Shade of Gray” which came out on May 20, 2022. James’s determination to continue and press through for the band and his attention to recovery and vocal health now make him a glowing inspiration.
In this episode, you will hear:
- Preventing acid reflux
- Vocal modification
- DoctorVOX: a great device for vocal fitness
- Dealing with the psychological aspects of being a singer
- Vocal fatigue
- How the melody guides a singer
- Why you should never stop learning the voice
- How James’ food poisoning experience led to vocal injury
- Working through vocal nodules
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Supporting Resources:
DoctorVOX - https://www.doctorvox.com/
Episode Credits
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com Let them know we sent you.