Josh and Aaron are once again joined by We Are Austin host Trevor Scott to discuss Music Mondays!
Listen here or read the transcript below. FVF’s podcast is available wherever you listen to podcasts including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio, and more.
0:00:00.0 Josh: Hey, Aaron.
0:00:00.6 Aaron: Hey, Josh.
0:00:01.2 Josh: Do you like Mondays?
0:00:04.4 Aaron: Yes.
0:00:06.3 Josh: Do you like music?
0:00:08.0 Aaron: Yes.
0:00:08.8 Josh: Do you like Music Mondays?
0:00:12.5 Aaron: You want me to say yes here, right? [laughter]
0:00:12.6 Josh: Just a question.
0:00:14.0 Aaron: All right. So I love Music Mondays. A lot of people probably don’t know what that is. We probably should explain. Why don’t we bring on someone who’s maybe associated with Music Mondays, maybe somebody from CPS Austin, maybe somebody who, like everyone in Austin knows as this amazing personality who’s out in the community and leading and just being an exemplar human. Could we find someone like that?
0:00:37.8 Josh: I don’t know where to find someone like that except sitting right next to you.
0:00:40.9 Trevor Scott: Well, how convenient. Well, that’s great. Thanks y’all. That’s too nice.
0:00:44.3 Josh: Welcome, Scott.
0:00:45.4 TS: Thank you guys. Yes, thank you.
0:00:47.5 Josh: Welcome back.
0:00:48.2 TS: Thank you for having me. It’s like a wonderful therapy session when I come. You guys are so nice to me. Thank you. Appreciate that.
[laughter]
0:00:52.1 Josh: We’re charging, don’t worry.
0:00:53.7 TS: Think I got it, all right, I’ll get your bill. Great. [laughter]
0:00:56.2 Aaron: For those of us…
0:01:00.0 TS: Yes.
0:01:00.7 Aaron: Who don’t know, what’s Music Monday?
0:01:02.9 TS: So, Music Monday is our opportunity, it’s a regular franchise on CBS Austin’s We Are Austin, our lifestyle show every Monday at 9:00 AM. We’re on every weekday at 9:00 AM, but every Monday we bring the viewers, the community, live music, we feature a local musician doing what they do best. And in this time in Austin and difficult times for a lot of musicians to make a living, we have found this to be one of the most impactful things that we can do as a lifestyle show. Plus it’s fun, it’s great music.
0:01:35.2 Aaron: Well, you know, FVF Law, of course, is big supporter of live music. We support, sponsor Music Mondays.
0:01:42.9 TS: You make it happen.
0:01:43.0 Aaron: We are happy to be doing that, but also supporting HAAM, Health Alliance for Austin Musicians as our flagship community effort. We have been out there supporting them for a long time now, Josh. And that’s not just because live music is awesome, it is, but there’s something about live music, right? Why do you think HAAM is such a good fit for FVF Law and how is it that we’re finding ourselves sponsoring Music Monday when we’re a personal injury law firm?
0:02:12.7 Josh: Yeah, I have personally seen the way that HAAM has changed lives of members of its organization. We’ve handled cases for multiple HAAM members historically, and there’s one case that stands out to me where a person was catastrophically harmed. And we really got to see how HAAM stepped up and made their road to recovery as smooth and effective and efficient as it possibly could be through the provision of resources and health insurance and access to healthcare. And having grown up here, I have always enjoyed the live music scene. I’ve always recognized and understood how the live music aspect of this town is just such a fundamentally important part of the vibrancy of the city. So, putting those two things together, it makes it a really easy organization to support, their mission’s amazing. Their leadership’s amazing. They’re great partners to work with. And, Trevor, I think you were deeply involved in the creation of Music Mondays, the idea behind it. So having an opportunity to work with We Are Austin and you in an even deeper capacity to support this organization, it’s just, like we’re grateful to even have the opportunity.
0:03:34.1 TS: It’s amazing, and it has been a perfect fit. And so something that I really strive to do, so, the franchise is HAAM Music Monday powered by FVF Law. And something that’s really important to me because I book all of the bands, I communicate with all the managers, I book ’em all, they come into the studio, we have a great time recording music, it’s really important to me that when we do that, that before they leave, they understand that this isn’t just a hands-free turnkey sponsorship. This isn’t just something that FVF wants to be attached to, and is you’re making it happen. Which even if that were the case, that would be enough because you’re making possible something that’s really impactful for local musicians. But it’s always my goal to let them know that this really is such a perfect fit.
0:04:19.9 TS: That FVF has supported HAAM in ways that are measurable and impactful over many years. And it’s because of y’all and HAAM that we’re able to have these people in the studio living their best lives. We had a musician not long ago who’s been making music in Austin for almost 40 years and who has never been on television. And I think like, how is that possible? That’s why we’re all here. That’s why people are flocking to Austin. That’s why we adopted that name, the live music capital of the world. And I feel like if you’re not being paid attention to in that way, something’s wrong. And it’s so, I’m very proud of the fact that we’re able to do that each and every Monday. That’s a lot of music, guys. That’s every Monday we’ve got a band on, and that’s 52 weeks a year. And we’ve been doing this for years now. And thanks to FVF, we’re really gonna keep that going. And it’s really very impactful that we’re able to have these bands in here to give them a platform, give them something to share or a place to plug their concerts, which then in turn helps the venues if they’re releasing music that’s helpful for them. It’s just really such a cool relationship. It’s been one of my favorite things.
0:05:26.1 Josh: Well, I think it’s great that you also recognized an opportunity to provide an outlet for the musicians of our city that helped make our city what it is and brought that to fruition. It just really speaks volumes about your mission as a human, how good of a steward you are of the opportunity that you have been provided as the host of We Are Austin, to get those voices out there so they can really be heard, more so equal thanks to you for making that. I mean, more thanks to you, really, for making that even a reality.
0:06:03.8 TS: Well, it’s been a joy. It’s very important.
0:06:06.3 Aaron: Yeah. I think the thing about being the live music capital of the world, anyone can say that, it takes the community initiatives from the citizens themselves to actually make it so. You have to have venues, you have to have recording studios, you have to have access to people like Trevor who can bridge the community and pull people in. And you have to celebrate when you hear it, that live… When we hear live music, to me that’s like the sound of Austin. It’s what makes Austin, Austin, it’s what’s gonna keep us grounded even as the city just explodes around us with development and changes. There’s large structural changes. There’s needed changes coming. But to keep Austin, Austin, we have to have that connection to live music. And I think y’all do just such a great job of keeping it going. And we’re just super excited to be a part of it.
0:06:58.3 TS: We love it. Thanks, man. But I mean, the whole thing is, musicians have to stay healthy too. And it’s this great circle of life thing that’s happening. We owe it to them to make sure that just like HAAM is trying to keep music in Austin alive and well, they’re working multiple jobs. It’s hard to make ends meet. They’re really trying to follow their passion. And having healthcare or preventative healthcare or hearing screenings from HAAM is so important and you all help make that happen. So it’s really just this wild, like, [chuckle] a circle of life happening here that is really so productive and positive and powerful. It’s very cool.
0:07:33.9 Aaron: Is there any moment that sticks out to you even so far that has really brought it home to you what this program is about and how it’s helping?
0:07:42.8 TS: Yeah, for sure. A couple different ways to answer that. I think one way is every single time we have them in the studio, there is a moment when it’s me and Anne and our production staff and a few other people who are standing in the studio watching this performance happen, where we look at each other and we think, that’s THEBROSFRESH. And we are, we’ve got our own little concert right here. So there’s a personal moment where I feel so very lucky to be a part of this work and be able to enjoy that and share in that and knowing that you all are helping make that happen. But we have, it’s a hard time for musicians out there in every which way. And for them to have a piece of marketing, even a piece of marketing as powerful as this means the world to them, whether they’re pushing a new album, a new single, a great collaboration at one of our amazing local venues in Austin, Texas, this means so much to them to be able to have that platform.
0:08:40.4 TS: We had a musician in a couple weeks ago, The Natalie & Jeannie Project. She’s been making music in Austin for almost 40 years, and this was her first time on television, and in previous podcasts we discussed a little bit how part of the job that keeps me going, that really keeps filling my cup, is when I realize how important a lot of these opportunities are for people. And this was a perfect example of that for Music Monday. It meant the world to her, to Jeannie to be able to come in. We put up cool graphics, we’ve got, the lights are looking great, we make ’em look and sound so good. We put ’em on TV, we share it on social media. It was clear that day that she was very grateful and very moved by the experience.
0:09:23.8 TS: But even following that and following the airing, I got an email from her that just told me how special it was. And she called all of her neighbors. They all got together to watch it together on TV Live. They didn’t even wait for the link for the social media. They actually watched it live on television, which is such a joy to me to this day that that still happens. That really was an impactful opportunity. And whether it’s that grand or that dramatic, each time that, you know, maybe not, but it is always meaningful to these local artists. And that really helps drive home how important the partnership is for us and really what an impact we’re making. It’s so cool to see Jeannie, that was so sweet. That was good stuff. It was awesome.
0:10:03.5 Aaron: Love it.
0:10:03.7 TS: Yeah.
0:10:04.5 Josh: Yeah, it’s just, it’s great to see and meet the people whose lives you’re really helping impact and it’s kind of see it come full circle in the community and I think it’s a partnership that we really cherish, and it’s really been meaningful to us as well.
0:10:19.9 TS: Glad to hear that. Thanks guys.
0:10:21.3 Aaron: All right, so tune in 9:00 AM, Mondays.
0:10:23.0 TS: Yeah, that’s right.
0:10:23.7 Aaron: Here in Austin.
0:10:26.8 TS: Music Monday.
0:10:26.9 Aaron: All right, thanks Trevor.
0:10:26.8 TS: Thank you.