Podcast
Supernova Support
Hosted by Where creativity and recovery collide · EN
Supernova Support invites listeners along for the ride with two veteran songwriters, friends, and former bandmates, Katie Phillips and Karen Joy Brown in their recovery from music scene disillusionment, career crashes, motherhood, and co-dependency. The dynamic duo explore the pitfalls of internal and external critical voices and systems that keep women songwriters from sharing their songs with the world and shine the light on a pathway to a joyful, sustainable, and successful creative life. Each episode features two original songs that illustrate the creative struggles and craft elements pertaining to the topic. Lots of laughter and f-bombs along the way.
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16episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Season 4, Episode 6-Grey DeLisle Griffin
6d ago00:56:40Tap to summarizeIn season four, episode 6, singer-songwriters Katie Phillips and Karen Joy Brown talk with Grammy award winning singer-songwriter and voice actress, Grey DeLisle Griffin who’s performed over 1500 cartoon voices including Daphne from Scooby Doo. They discuss the challenges of parenthood and making time to perform, write, and nurture your songwriting craft whether through songwriting retreats, committing to your own craft, and developing supportive relationships with other women songwriters. Features her original song, Hello I’m Lonesome in relation to the topic.Like this show? Please give us a 5 star rating on Apple and leave a review– even one sentence helps! Post a screenshot of you listening on Instagram & tag us so we can thank you personally!Listen to Season 1’s songs on Bandcamp, Katie on Bandcamp and Karen’s music on Spotify, Apple Music or buy directly at www.karenjoybrown.com.* 20:26- Grey’s song, Hello I’m LonesomeEpisode Resources:* Grey DeLisle Griffin artist website* JOURNAL PROMPT: What do you fear you can never be free from?*Subscribe to the Supernova Support Substack for our special blog, podcast extras and more!*Follow us on Instagram and FacebookIN THE NORTH BAY/SAN FRANCISCO AREA?Join Katie and Karen at Coffee & Moore in Sebastopol for the Not So Open Mic for women performers (and yeah, that means, all women, and femme trans and nonbinary folks who feel comfy being in “women’s spaces”) of original music and covers from 1:30-3:30pm on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of each month. We want to gather women who have put their creativity on the back burner as well as those who are currently playing out in any capacity, because we believe that songs have the power to transform us regardless of “professional” or “amateur” status.ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD….Every Tuesday from 7-8:30 PT, gather with women songwriters around the country and world for Song Salons, an opportunity to share a completed or in-progress song, live or recorded, with curious, enthusiastic colleagues ready to highlight and amplify what’s powerful in your writing and music. Hone songwriting craft skills, get inspired by others, and reconnect with the unique magic you bring through your songs. Meet your long-lost songwriting sisters and get ready to laugh, cry, and keep coming back!Let Supernova support your songwriting practice with our weekly Songwriting Hour, every Thursday, 9-10am PT. Everyone can write songs! You don’t need to be an experienced singer or even play an instrument. We provide a prompt and resource kit with everything you need to start putting a song together. All you need is a willingness to show up and experiment. New and experienced writers welcome. Open to everyone!www.supernova support This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit supernovasupport.substack.com/subscribe
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Season 4, Episode 5- Natalie Lucie
2w ago00:59:59Tap to summarizeIn season four’s fifth episode, singer-songwriters Katie Phillips and Karen Joy Brown speak with Natalie Lucie, a quietly fierce, Britain-based songwriter and producer who champions women’s rightful role as creators and producers of their own music. She traces the arc of her call to songwriting including the harrowing experience of recording and producing a full album during Covid while laid out from back surgery and caring for two small children. Persevering against the odds of misogyny and motherhood to continue to create, she inspires us all to chase the spark and sun of our musical aspirations.Features her original song, Chase the Sun in relation to the topic.Like this show? Please give us a 5 star rating on Apple and leave a review– even one sentence helps! Post a screenshot of you listening on Instagram & tag us so we can thank you personally!Listen to Season 1’s songs on Bandcamp, Katie on Bandcamp and Karen’s music on Spotify, Apple Music or buy directly at www.karenjoybrown.com.* 39:28- Natalie’s song, Chase the SunEpisode Resources:* Natalie Lucie’s Bandcamp* JOURNAL PROMPT: How has your creativity brought you back from a dark place?*Subscribe to the Supernova Support Substack for our special blog, podcast extras and more!*Follow us on Instagram and FacebookIN THE NORTH BAY/SAN FRANCISCO AREA?Join Katie and Karen at Coffee & Moore in Sebastopol for the Not So Open Mic for women performers (and yeah, that means, all women, and femme trans and nonbinary folks who feel comfy being in “women’s spaces”) of original music and covers from 1:30-3:30pm on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of each month. We want to gather women who have put their creativity on the back burner as well as those who are currently playing out in any capacity, because we believe that songs have the power to transform us regardless of “professional” or “amateur” status.ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD….Every Tuesday from 7-8:30 PT, gather with women songwriters around the country and world for Song Salons, an opportunity to share a completed or in-progress song, live or recorded, with curious, enthusiastic colleagues ready to highlight and amplify what’s powerful in your writing and music. Hone songwriting craft skills, get inspired by others, and reconnect with the unique magic you bring through your songs. Meet your long-lost songwriting sisters and get ready to laugh, cry, and keep coming back!Let Supernova support your songwriting practice with our weekly Songwriting Hour, every Thursday, 9-10am PT. Everyone can write songs! You don’t need to be an experienced singer or even play an instrument. We provide a prompt and resource kit with everything you need to start putting a song together. All you need is a willingness to show up and experiment. New and experienced writers welcome. Open to everyone!www.supernova support. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit supernovasupport.substack.com/subscribe
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Season 4, Episode 4- Come Shine Your Light
3w ago00:57:31Tap to summarizeIn season four’s fourth episode, singer-songwriters Katie Phillips and Karen Joy Brown talk with Chelsea Coleman, a courageous and vulnerable storyteller of a songwriter who fearlessly shines the light of her songs in dark places. The interview reveals her inspiring work with YG2D (Your’re Going to Die), an San Francisco-based nonprofit that brings opportunities for self-expression around grief to open mics and workshops including prisons and hospice rooms. Chelsea shares the challenges of music and motherhood and her secret to keeping an open connection with the muse.Features her original song, Come Shine Your Light on Me in relation to the topic.Like this show? Please give us a 5 star rating on Apple and leave a review– even one sentence helps! Post a screenshot of you listening on Instagram & tag us so we can thank you personally!Listen to Season 1’s songs on Bandcamp, Katie on Bandcamp and Karen’s music on Spotify, Apple Music or buy directly at www.karenjoybrown.com.* 27:46- Chelsea’s song, Come Shine Your Light on MeEpisode Resources:* Chelsea Coleman music website* YG2D (You’re Going to Die) non-profit bringing diverse communities creatively into the conversation of grief and loss through a podcast, open mics, concerts, workshops, and prison, hospice, and cancer patient programs..* JOURNAL PROMPT: Write a contract with inspiration/muse. Ask for exactly what you need. In addition, what promises are you ready to keep?*Subscribe to the Supernova Support Substack for our special blog, podcast extras and more!*Follow us on Instagram and FacebookIN THE NORTH BAY/SAN FRANCISCO AREA?Join Katie and Karen at Coffee & Moore in Sebastopol for the Not So Open Mic for women performers (and yeah, that means, all women, and femme trans and nonbinary folks who feel comfy being in “women’s spaces”) of original music and covers from 1:30-3:30pm on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of each month. We want to gather women who have put their creativity on the back burner as well as those who are currently playing out in any capacity, because we believe that songs have the power to transform us regardless of “professional” or “amateur” status.ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD….Every Tuesday from 7-8:30 PT, gather with women songwriters around the country and world for Song Salons, an opportunity to share a completed or in-progress song, live or recorded, with curious, enthusiastic colleagues ready to highlight and amplify what’s powerful in your writing and music. Hone songwriting craft skills, get inspired by others, and reconnect with the unique magic you bring through your songs. Meet your long-lost songwriting sisters and get ready to laugh, cry, and keep coming back!Let Supernova support your songwriting practice with our weekly Songwriting Hour, every Thursday, 9-10am PT. Everyone can write songs! You don’t need to be an experienced singer or even play an instrument. We provide a prompt and resource kit with everything you need to start putting a song together. All you need is a willingness to show up and experiment. New and experienced writers welcome. Open to everyone!Let Supernova support your songwriting practice with our weekly Songwriting Hour, every Thursday, 9-10am PT. Everyone can write songs! You don’t need to be an experienced singer or even play an instrument. We provide a prompt and resource kit with everything you need to start putting a song together. All you need is a willingness to show up and experiment. New and experienced writers welcome. Open to everyone!www.supernovasupport.com This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit supernovasupport.substack.com/subscribe
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Season 4, Episode 3- The Immovable Force
Apr 1700:56:40Tap to summarizeIn season four’s third episode, singer-songwriters Katie Phillips and Karen Joy Brown interview Brittany Aquamarine, a Sonoma County-based singer-songwriter who combines pop and jazz influences in her deeply poetic “mystic soulfolk and ethereal grooves” on piano and guitar. She traces the long arc of music in her life starting on piano at five years old with a long hiatus until discovering songwriting on guitar in her twenties. Bridging the divide between reading and writing music, Brittany exemplifies a lifelong exploration of the beauty of sound and the human inner landscape through awareness and surrender to creativity.Features her original song, The Immovable Force in relation to the topic.Like this show? Please give us a 5 star rating on Apple and leave a review– even one sentence helps! Post a screenshot of you listening on Instagram & tag us so we can thank you personally!Listen to Season 1’s songs on Bandcamp, Katie on Bandcamp and Karen’s music on Spotify, Apple Music or buy directly at www.karenjoybrown.com.* 27:00- Brittany’s song, The Immovable ForceEpisode Resources:* Brittany Aquamarine artist website * Bandcamp- New live album: Raw and Original: Piano and Guitar* JOURNAL PROMPT: What are the signals and indications for you that the creative channels are open?*Subscribe to the Supernova Support Substack for our special blog, podcast extras and more!*Follow us on Instagram and FacebookIN THE NORTH BAY/SAN FRANCISCO AREA?Join Katie and Karen at Coffee & Moore in Sebastopol for the Not So Open Mic for women performers (and yeah, that means, all women, and femme trans and nonbinary folks who feel comfy being in “women’s spaces”) of original music and covers from 1:30-3:30pm on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of each month. We want to gather women who have put their creativity on the back burner as well as those who are currently playing out in any capacity, because we believe that songs have the power to transform us regardless of “professional” or “amateur” status.ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD….Every Tuesday from 7-8:30 PT, gather with women songwriters around the country and world for Song Salons, an opportunity to share a completed or in-progress song, live or recorded, with curious, enthusiastic colleagues ready to highlight and amplify what’s powerful in your writing and music. Hone songwriting craft skills, get inspired by others, and reconnect with the unique magic you bring through your songs. Meet your long-lost songwriting sisters and get ready to laugh, cry, and keep coming back!Let Supernova support your songwriting practice with our weekly Songwriting Hour, every Thursday, 9-10am PT. Everyone can write songs! You don’t need to be an experienced singer or even play an instrument. We provide a prompt and resource kit with everything you need to start putting a song together. All you need is a willingness to show up and experiment. New and experienced writers welcome. Open to everyone!www.supernovasupport.com This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit supernovasupport.substack.com/subscribe
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Season 4, Episode 2- Jaimee Harris
Apr 1001:03:59Tap to summarizeIn season four’s second episode, singer-songwriters Katie Phillips and Karen Joy Brown talk with Jaimee Harris, the Texas-born, powerhouse troubadour rightfully forging herself into a shining star of the folk-country scene. Jaime shares her call into songwriting at a young age and how the miracle of sobriety found her at just the right time, making way for the emergence of her authentic writing voice. Hear about the reckoning of playing solo onstage, open mics, challenges for women in the industry, and more in a delightful heart-to-heart with this bad-ass, yet refreshingly vulnerable role model for singer-songwriters everywhere.Features her original song, Snow White Knuckles in relation to the topic.Like this show? Please give us a 5 star rating on Apple and leave a review– even one sentence helps! Post a screenshot of you listening on Instagram & tag us so we can thank you personally!Listen to Season 1’s songs on Bandcamp, Katie on Bandcamp and Karen’s music on Spotify, Apple Music or buy directly at www.karenjoybrown.com.* 34:36- Jaimee’s song, Snow White KnucklesEpisode Resources:* Jaimee Harris music website* Jaime’s tour dates* Jimmie Dale Gilmore* Bonaparte’s Retreat, founder Emmylou Harris dog rescue* Crossroads Campus, founder Emmylou Harris’s non-profit that focuses on the power of the human-animal bond connecting foster youth with job skills, housing, and finding homes for unwanted dogs and cats.* JOURNAL PROMPT: What do you fear you can never be free from?*Subscribe to the Supernova Support Substack for our special blog, podcast extras and more!*Follow us on Instagram and FacebookIN THE NORTH BAY/SAN FRANCISCO AREA?Join Katie and Karen at Coffee & Moore in Sebastopol for the Not So Open Mic for women performers (and yeah, that means, all women, and femme trans and nonbinary folks who feel comfy being in “women’s spaces”) of original music and covers from 1:30-3:30pm on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of each month. We want to gather women who have put their creativity on the back burner as well as those who are currently playing out in any capacity, because we believe that songs have the power to transform us regardless of “professional” or “amateur” status.ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD….Every Tuesday from 7-8:30 PT, gather with women songwriters around the country and world for Song Salons, an opportunity to share a completed or in-progress song, live or recorded, with curious, enthusiastic colleagues ready to highlight and amplify what’s powerful in your writing and music. Hone songwriting craft skills, get inspired by others, and reconnect with the unique magic you bring through your songs. Meet your long-lost songwriting sisters and get ready to laugh, cry, and keep coming back!Let Supernova support your songwriting practice with our weekly Songwriting Hour, every Thursday, 9-10am PT. Everyone can write songs! You don’t need to be an experienced singer or even play an instrument. We provide a prompt and resource kit with everything you need to start putting a song together. All you need is a willingness to show up and experiment. New and experienced writers welcome. Open to everyone!www.supernovasupport.com This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit supernovasupport.substack.com/subscribe
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Season 4, Episode 1- Creating the Creative Life You Want
Apr 301:12:45Tap to summarizeIn season four’s first episode, singer-songwriters Katie Phillips and Karen Joy Brown launch the season with the call to listen and respond to the challenge the “creative gauntlet” is throwing down in our individual lives. The two unpack their personal experiences doubling down on creativity’s dare by attending one of Mary Gauthier’s songwriting retreats and the Gateless Writing Academy and Teacher Training. Features original songs, Tony’s Train Song, and Pleiades’ Secret in relation to the topic.Like this show? Please give us a 5 star rating on Apple and leave a review– even one sentence helps! Post a screenshot of you listening on Instagram & tag us so we can thank you personally!Listen to Season 1’s songs on Bandcamp, Katie on Bandcamp and Karen’s music on Spotify, Apple Music or buy directly at www.karenjoybrown.com.* 20:58 -Katie’s song, Tony’s Train Song* 45:49 -Karen’s song, Pleiades’ SecretEpisode Resources:* Mary Gauthier’s website -scroll over “Teaching & Private Coaching” on top menu bar for a current list of songwriting workshops* Gateless Writing- website for the Academy, Teacher Training, and writing retreats* CMAT artist website * JOURNAL PROMPT: What is your creative life asking you to double down on?*Subscribe to the Supernova Support Substack for our special blog, podcast extras and more!*Follow us on Instagram and FacebookIN THE NORTH BAY/SAN FRANCISCO AREA?Join Katie and Karen at Coffee & Moore in Sebastopol for the Not So Open Mic for women performers (and yeah, that means, all women, and femme trans and nonbinary folks who feel comfy being in “women’s spaces”) of original music and covers from 1:30-3:30pm on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of each month. We want to gather women who have put their creativity on the back burner as well as those who are currently playing out in any capacity, because we believe that songs have the power to transform us regardless of “professional” or “amateur” status.ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD….Every Tuesday from 7-8:30 PT, gather with women songwriters around the country and world for Song Salons, an opportunity to share a completed or in-progress song, live or recorded, with curious, enthusiastic colleagues ready to highlight and amplify what’s powerful in your writing and music. Hone songwriting craft skills, get inspired by others, and reconnect with the unique magic you bring through your songs. Meet your long-lost songwriting sisters and get ready to laugh, cry, and keep coming back!Let Supernova support your songwriting practice with our weekly Songwriting Hour, every Thursday, 9-10am PT. Everyone can write songs! You don’t need to be an experienced singer or even play an instrument. We provide a prompt and resource kit with everything you need to start putting a song together. All you need is a willingness to show up and experiment. New and experienced writers welcome. Open to everyone!www.supernovasupport.com This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit supernovasupport.substack.com/subscribe
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How do we know a song is "done"?
Mar 400:15:24Tap to summarizeEnjoy the video or the transcript below of a little chat that explores the “simple but not easy” answer. KAREN: Hi, I’m Karen Joy Brown.KATIE: And I’m Katie Phillips of Supernova Support, a program that supports songwriters in making their best songs.KAREN: That’s right, damn right. Damn straight. I wanted to have a little conversation with you to just get that beautiful bouncing-off of a community about a concept that I was thinking about. I wrote a little email thing about it to our people, and I realized I’m like, ooh, this is a deeper well than I realized when I mentioned it in the in the email and it’s the question— how do you know a song is done? I realized that something I said in the email missed the mark a little bit because it was almost sounding like a corporate question like…KATIE: ….Is it ready to go to press!?KAREN: Exactly, that’s not what I meant. I was thinking, like, what is the goal when we say is a song done, like, what does it even mean that it’s done? Do you want to share about that? How do you feel like a song is done? KATIE: I feel like I know a song is done when I don’t have to think about it very much when I’m performing it, whether that’s in front of people, or by myself or in my car or whatever, but I’ve embodied it. Almost like memorizing a monologue or something like in a play where there’s no separation between, or a fusion of yourself as who you are and then yourself as a performer, or a song interpreter or whatever it is— a singer, a storyteller.It’s when the story feels fluid and there’s no road bump. It makes sense, you know? And also even if it’s not just like, a huge, big show-stopping, epic song, even if it’s more reserved or softer, there has to be points in it that are landing pads. Like, there’s certain ideas or concepts or arcs in the story that really have to land in a certain way, and usually the way I can tell is if it makes me laugh or cry.KAREN: Oh, yes!KATIE: If I crack myself up or if I make myself cry, or if I get chills. I usually have some kind of physiological response to it. And then it’s a matter of once you’ve written the song, it could feel done, but then you start to learn it and you realize, oh, this phrase sucks. Like, I keep tripping over it or I can’t remember it to save my life or it feels disconnected from the story. Like, I love the poetry of this line, but it’s not really serving the story or the song.So I think there’s a lot of ways to test it. I think it’s probably is different for everyone. But I do think that having it feel settled in your body to where you’re not thinking and you can just let it channel through you.KAREN: Yeah. It feels that when it’s done. I really appreciate that you got right into that kind of somatic part of it because, I’ll speak for you, one of the things that Katie and I kind of realized when we were coming up with the whole idea for Supernova Support was that some of the ways that we were doing music before when we were performing a lot, we were out there and doing things like, this is what we’re supposed to be doing. It was not necessarily very connected to the body.There was a lot of disjointedness and a lot of doing this in order to achieve a certain thing. It didn’t always come connected to the body in that way, like, “I’m doing it for a reason and it’s coming from my soul.” I think that that we need to give ourselves the time to connect to our songs in that way somatically— feel it in your bones: this is done.KATIE: Yeah. I will say with the Bootleg Honeys stuff, like learning other people’s songs, was my favorite part about the band. Getting to be a support person. That was something that was so fun.KAREN: Yeah.KATIE: And I think I became really aware of that somatic feeling of when a song felt like it was “done,” even if I hadn’t written it when I was performing it with the songwriter, but it felt like my words too. I got a feeling of knowing when a song was done in that context of when we all were gelled into it, coming from an authentic place in all of us, collectively, even if you hadn’t written it.KAREN: Now that is beautiful because I think that sometimes when we get outside of ourselves and focus on something else we can start to notice what all the steps are or the components towards it feeling done and embodied.That’s one of the things that I really wanted to come out in this conversation with you is again, how much time and often effort it takes in order to arrive at that place. Sometimes we get rid of a song or throw something away because we think if it was a good song it would immediately……KATIE: Yeah, it would be good already. Exactly. That’s why it’s so great too to know if you feel like something’s not working, you don’t have to get rid of it. You can just be like, well, maybe this isn’t for this song. Something that Mary Gauthier said in both workshops I took from her was like, a lot of times the first verse you write, you end up getting rid of. Usually a lot of times the first things we write in a song are just the doorway into it and it’s going to help you get to what the song is really about. But you don’t have to throw away anything, you can just put it on the pile, as she says.KAREN: So true.KATIE: And that kind of makes it fun, too, because then it’s like, oh, I just have this one line, nothing else is coming. Well, I’ll put it over here, so maybe on a day where I need some inspiration, I can pull from this collection of songs, lyrics or musical ideas. I had this one song, or melody, or song progression kind of thing for literally a decade and I always kept coming back to it. It was just never working and then I had this other idea— I think I’d written some lyrics and I was like, huh, I wonder if that melody would work with this and it did! It came together so fast like they were just waiting for each other. KAREN: Exactly, oh my gosh, I had a couplet that I think took probably about four years. It’s one of the favorite lines from a song that I love, Send Me a Sign— no one’s above lying to hold on to something they love.I had that couplet for a long time, and it germinated for so long until I had that moment. I think it was a 4th of July where like, my husband and daughter had gone to a 4th of July thing that I didn’t want any part of. I had a moment and all of a sudden a chord progression I was working on, I went— wait a minute, I think it goes with that couplet and then the rest of the song just, bloop.KATIE: Well, it also makes me think about your song, Grand Canyon which I think is one of my top five Karen Joy Brown songs ever. You had that song in the, this is a piece of shit, I’m never going to finish it so what’s the point pile for how many years?KAREN: I mean, that was getting close to a decade. KATIE: Yeah, that’s insane. And then you wrote like a whole other part to it and it just like came together, and I helped you with it!But that is such a great example of like some things just aren’t ready to be born yet.KAREN: But don’t throw them away because you never know how many hundreds of times you have to sing the same line in a row until you actually can hit the right intonation!KATIE: Yeah.KAREN: Or how many times you have to do that one fucking chord! You know what I’m saying? Sometimes you have to simplify it, but don’t throw away.KATIE: No. And that’s why I like to listen to stuff a lot, but there’s a fine line, you can get like demo-itis or whatever where you lose perspective. But I do like to listen to demos because that sometimes is the only way when I can hear it and realize something isn’t working or I realize something is working really, really well.To have a little bit of distance and to be really interacting with my song as a listener as opposed to a writer. I mean like I can kind of wear both hats at the same time but you know, to get a little distance in that way. I know a lot of people hate listening to themselves and I think that there’s so much validity in that. It can be disarming watching yourself, but I also think there’s so much so much to learn from it and I think it can be a beautiful pathway into some very deep self-love.KAREN: I think you’re right. It’s a craft secret weapon we’ve definitely discussed. You know, sitting here and just having this discussion reminds me that I’m thinking of whoever’s listening to this, so many of you, hello! I think of how many years I suffered through this shit by myself. You know what I’m saying? Instead of this glorious era that we have created for ourselves where a community has arisen who want to talk about this too! KATIE: Yeah.KAREN: And how it’s changed this thing that I suffered with, and second-guessed myself, and imposter syndromed the shit out of myself instead of talking with you about it. Instead of coming to Song Salon.KATIE: And then it’s like, now it’s fun. Now it’s fun to have that problem. Now I’m almost excited when I’m stuck on something because I know I have a whole community of people to bring it to and even say fuck off to all of those ideas or suggestions. Because we get we can get so stuck in ourselves and just lose sight of the song completely. Like all of a sudden it’s like, “I suck.”I mean I had a moment like that the other week when I’ve been trying to make a playlist of these songs I want to record. I was listening to them and I was like, this is the worst thing I’ve ever heard. Who do I think I am? I’m not a good singer. I am a shitty songwriter. And I hated it all. But then I also had this little part of me that was like, well, that’s interesting that you’re having this thought right now. It was tiny, b...
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Season 3, Episode 8- Magic Trick
Jan 1500:56:40Tap to summarizeIn season three’s eighth episode, singer-songwriters Katie Phillips and Karen Joy Brown talk with Briget Boyle, a sought-after vocal coach, creative director, and a pillar of the Bay Area’s world and indie music scene. The dynamic relationship between inner work and songwriting shines through as they follow her winding musical journey starting to write at 12 years old, to a surprising turn to performing in professional Balkan folk music groups. Bridget models what it means to commit to our songwriting selves.Features her original song, Magic Trick in relation to the topic.Like this show? Please give us a 5 star rating on Apple and leave a review– even one sentence helps! Post a screenshot of you listening on Instagram & tag us so we can thank you personally!Listen to Season 1’s songs on Bandcamp, Katie on Bandcamp and Karen’s music on Spotify, Apple Music or buy directly at www.karenjoybrown.com.* 17:59- Briget’s song, Magic TrickEpisode Resources:* Briget Boyle’s music website* Madison Cunningham’s website* Karen Joy Brown | Apple Music | Spotify | Instagram* Katie Phillips | Bandcamp | Instagram* The Bootleg Honeys | Bandcamp* JOURNAL PROMPT: What amazes you?*Subscribe to the Supernova Support Substack for our special blog, access to weekly Songwriting Hour, and more!*Follow us on Instagram and FacebookIN THE NORTH BAY/SAN FRANCISCO AREA?Join Katie and Karen at Coffee & Moore in Sebastopol for the Not So Open Mic for women performers (and yeah, that means, all women, and femme trans and nonbinary folks who feel comfy being in “women’s spaces”) of original music and covers from 1:30-3:30pm on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of each month. We want to gather women who have put their creativity on the back burner as well as those who are currently playing out in any capacity, because we believe that songs have the power to transform us regardless of “professional” or “amateur” status.ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD….Every Tuesday from 7-8:30 PT, gather with women songwriters around the country and world for Song Salons, an opportunity to share a completed or in-progress song, live or recorded, with curious, enthusiastic colleagues ready to highlight and amplify what’s powerful in your writing and music. Hone songwriting craft skills, get inspired by others, and reconnect with the unique magic you bring through your songs. Meet your long-lost songwriting sisters and get ready to laugh, cry, and keep coming back!Let Supernova support your songwriting practice with our weekly Songwriting Hour, every Thursday, 9-10am PT. Everyone can write songs! You don’t need to be an experienced singer or even play an instrument. We provide a prompt and resource kit with everything you need to start putting a song together. All you need is a willingness to show up and experiment. New and experienced writers welcome. Open to everyone! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit supernovasupport.substack.com/subscribe
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Season 3, Episode 7-From Isolation to Loving Self-Witness
Dec 2000:59:30Tap to summarizeIn season three’s seventh episode, singer-songwriters Katie Phillips and Karen Joy Brown speak with Kim Ketner, Karen’s twin sister. Katie wrangles the two sisters to tease out the story of Kim’s solitary journey into singing and songwriting from obsessing over Chris Cornell’s voice over the car stereo to working at Guitar Showcase and playing in the Cactus Club’s house band. They highlight the miraculous power of developing peer songwriting friendships through Song Salons and songs’ ability to help us evolve as human beings.Features her original song, Falling Apart in relation to the topic.Like this show? Please give us a 5 star rating on Apple and leave a review– even one sentence helps! Post a screenshot of you listening on Instagram & tag us so we can thank you personally!Listen to Season 1’s songs on Bandcamp, Katie on Bandcamp and Karen’s music on Spotify,Apple Music or buy directly at www.karenjoybrown.com.* 31:40- Kim’s song, Falling ApartEpisode Resources:* Kim’s Bandcamp* Karen Joy Brown | Apple Music | Spotify | Instagram* Katie Phillips | Bandcamp | Instagram* The Bootleg Honeys | Bandcamp* JOURNAL PROMPT: Write to the part that has felt so alone, let it tell you some secrets?*Subscribe to the Supernova Support Substack for our special blog, podcast extras and more!*Follow us on Instagram and FacebookIN THE NORTH BAY/SAN FRANCISCO AREA?Join Katie and Karen at Coffee & Moore in Sebastopol for the Not So Open Mic for women performers (and yeah, that means, all women, and femme trans and nonbinary folks who feel comfy being in “women’s spaces”) of original music and covers from 1:30-3:30pm on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of each month. We want to gather women who have put their creativity on the back burner as well as those who are currently playing out in any capacity, because we believe that songs have the power to transform us regardless of “professional” or “amateur” status.ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD….Every Tuesday from 7-8:30 PT, gather with women songwriters around the country and world for Song Salons, an opportunity to share a completed or in-progress song, live or recorded, with curious, enthusiastic colleagues ready to highlight and amplify what’s powerful in your writing and music. Hone songwriting craft skills, get inspired by others, and reconnect with the unique magic you bring through your songs. Meet your long-lost songwriting sisters and get ready to laugh, cry, and keep coming back!Let Supernova support your songwriting practice with our weekly Songwriting Hour, every Thursday, 9-10am PT. Everyone can write songs! You don’t need to be an experienced singer or even play an instrument. We provide a prompt and resource kit with everything you need to start putting a song together. All you need is a willingness to show up and experiment. New and experienced writers welcome. Open to everyone! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit supernovasupport.substack.com/subscribe
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Season 3, Episode 6- Nobody's Invited to My Birthday
Dec 1100:56:40Tap to summarizeIn season three’s sixth episode, singer-songwriters Katie Phillips and Karen Joy Brown connect with Cassidy Frost, self-declared writer of sad songs with sugary pop hooks who NPR’s Robin Hilton once called “gloriously gritty.” They share their strange and surprisingly early entry into the music industry and how their songwriting and relationship to music has evolved over time. Stay for the whole delightful conversation on emotional and literal sobriety, continual music growth, and the joy of a supportive songwriting community. Features her original song, Nobody’s Invited to My Birthday in relation to the topic.Like this show? Please give us a 5 star rating on Apple and leave a review– even one sentence helps! Post a screenshot of you listening on Instagram & tag us so we can thank you personally!Listen to Season 1’s songs on Bandcamp, Katie on Bandcamp and Karen’s music on Spotify, Apple Music or buy directly at www.karenjoybrown.com.* 23:06- Cassidy’s song, Nobody’s Invited to My BirthdayEpisode Resources:* Cassidy new release, Like I Did Before, on Bandcamp* Cassidy’s website* Songs for Creative Revolution, December 14th, 2025 at Sebastopol Center for the Arts* Karen Joy Brown | Apple Music | Spotify | Instagram* Katie Phillips | Bandcamp | Instagram* The Bootleg Honeys | Bandcamp* JOURNAL PROMPT: Write about something painful in your life as plainly as you can and don’t silverline it, fix it, shine it up. Be in the moment with the suck.*Subscribe to the Supernova Support Substack for our special blog, weekly online songwriting hour, podcast extras, and more!*Follow us on Instagram and FacebookIN THE NORTH BAY/SAN FRANCISCO AREA?Join Katie and Karen at Coffee & Moore in Sebastopol for the Not So Open Mic for women performers (and yeah, that means, all women, and femme trans and nonbinary folks who feel comfy being in “women’s spaces”) of original music and covers from 1:30-3:30pm on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of each month. We want to gather women who have put their creativity on the back burner as well as those who are currently playing out in any capacity, because we believe that songs have the power to transform us regardless of “professional” or “amateur” status.ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD….Every Tuesday from 7-8:30 PT, gather with women songwriters around the country and world for Song Salons, an opportunity to share a completed or in-progress song, live or recorded, with curious, enthusiastic colleagues ready to highlight and amplify what’s powerful in your writing and music. Hone songwriting craft skills, get inspired by others, and reconnect with the unique magic you bring through your songs. Meet your long-lost songwriting sisters and get ready to laugh, cry, and keep coming back!Let Supernova support your songwriting practice with our weekly Songwriting Hour, every Thursday, 9-10am PT. Everyone can write songs! You don’t need to be an experienced singer or even play an instrument. We provide a prompt and resource kit with everything you need to start putting a song together. All you need is a willingness to show up and experiment. New and experienced writers welcome. Open to everyone! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit supernovasupport.substack.com/subscribe
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