Big Dreams, Small Town: Molly Rogers’ Epic Music Career

00:00:00:00 – 00:00:15:22

Molly Rogers

We flew to London and we were doing production rehearsals in London before the tour, and I remember the first time I went up all the way I like I thought to myself like, oh man, I really messed up. Like, I don’t, I don’t know if I can do it. Like genuine fear of like, I know.

00:00:16:00 – 00:00:16:15

Chris Hayzel

How high the.

00:00:16:17 – 00:00:28:17

Molly Rogers

Thing is, I think it was 35 or something like that. That’s just like I remember looking up like, could I die if I fell from this height? And it was like maybe a 5050 chance. And so, yeah.

00:00:28:21 – 00:00:29:18

Chris Hayzel

At least break your.

00:00:29:18 – 00:00:31:19

Steve Goldshein

Legs and break your legs.

00:00:31:23 – 00:00:34:07

Molly Rogers

Sure. For sure.

00:00:34:09 – 00:01:13:22

Chris Hayzel

Welcome to orchestrated, a musio podcast where we discuss the past, present and future of music creation to explore exactly what it means to be a musician in the modern era. I’m Chris Hayzel, and this week, Steve Goldshein and I are joined by the incredibly talented and ridiculously prolific Molly Rogers. Now, to many of us, the worlds of traditional film music and more contemporary styles of music like, say, pop might seem entirely separate, but Molly effortlessly weaves back and forth between the two, kind of bridging a unique and interesting gap, and she kind of places it all under one musical umbrella.

00:01:14:00 – 00:01:35:16

Chris Hayzel

As a classically trained violinist, violist and vocalist, she’s played on a wide array of Hollywood’s hottest blockbusters, and she’s performed with some of the biggest names in film music. But at the same time, her resume a kind of reads like a who’s who of modern popular music, ranging from Pharrell to Billie Eilish and even Kendrick Lamar and David Foster.

00:01:35:18 – 00:01:57:02

Chris Hayzel

With such a diverse pedigree, Molly is kind of the definition of a modern musician. And she strikes this beautiful balance between tradition and innovation to build a career that encompasses it all. In this episode, Molly shares her journey from growing up in a funeral home in a small Kentucky town to starting violin lessons at the age of three.

00:01:57:04 – 00:02:11:19

Chris Hayzel

Moving to LA without knowing anybody there, and eventually finding herself on tour around the world, floating 30ft above the stage playing solo viola for the Game of Thrones tour, where.

00:02:11:21 – 00:02:30:19

Chris Hayzel

I’m not exaggerating. Look it up on YouTube. Anyway, we hope you guys find this conversation inspiring. I know we did. And if you find it valuable, please don’t forget to rate and review the show. Any feedback helps the podcasting gods know to recommend it, and hopefully it can go on to inspire more music creators like you and me.

00:02:30:21 – 00:02:37:07

Chris Hayzel

So with that, let’s hop into our conversation with Molly Rogers. How are you doing?

00:02:37:09 – 00:02:38:21

Molly Rogers

I’m doing well. How are you?

00:02:39:00 – 00:02:40:23

Chris Hayzel

I’m good. It’s been a long time.

00:02:41:12 – 00:02:50:08

Molly Rogers

yeah, I know busy is kind of like that annoying word everybody uses in L.A. all the time, but I’m like, I am busy. I know right?

00:02:50:10 – 00:03:17:07

Chris Hayzel

Yeah. So welcome to orchestrated. As you know, like, we are, an orchestral sample company. We make orchestral sample libraries. A lot of our audience comes from the world of, like, film, television and game music. And that’s one of the many reasons that we’re super excited to have you on the podcast, because I feel like you bridge a really interesting gap between, classical and contemporary.

00:03:17:09 – 00:03:18:20

Molly Rogers

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:03:19:00 – 00:03:21:13

Chris Hayzel

So I thought you could offer some really cool perspectives.

00:03:21:15 – 00:03:24:08

Molly Rogers

So I can try.

00:03:24:10 – 00:03:25:14

Chris Hayzel

Yeah, we’ll do our best.

00:03:25:16 – 00:03:26:04

Molly Rogers

Yeah.

00:03:26:09 – 00:03:58:14

Chris Hayzel

I’m going to rant here for a minute, just so listeners can get to know you a little bit better. You’re a classically trained violinist. Violist, vocalist. and your resume in the world of film, television and video game music on its own is pretty staggering. And I had I actually had to write it down because there’s so much, but just at a high level, like you’ve performed on huge blockbuster movies like Oppenheimer, Dune, Part two video games like Fortnite, Red Dead Redemption two.

00:03:58:20 – 00:04:26:06

Chris Hayzel

You’ve toured as a soloist for Game of Thrones Live and Hans Zimmer’s world tour, and that’s just like mentioning a very small portion of that. But it doesn’t stop there. Your resume keeps going, right, and it spans like an extensive list of contemporary artists that you’ve performed with and recorded with. And that includes but isn’t limited to like Pharrell, Kendrick Lamar, Billie Eilish, John Legend, panic!

00:04:26:06 – 00:04:36:23

Chris Hayzel

At the disco, and so on. And then on top of all of that, and this is where I know you from. You’ve also been like a main member in local rock bands in LA.

00:04:37:01 – 00:04:38:03

Molly Rogers

Yeah.

00:04:38:05 – 00:04:52:22

Chris Hayzel

And you formed your own incredible quartet. So, yeah, I guess my first question for you is, how the hell does one person have the time to do all of that? Do you have, like, a magical time turner from Harry Potter?

00:04:52:22 – 00:05:29:12

Molly Rogers

Like, oh man, I wish I had that. I have thought about that from time to time as a Harry Potter fan. How convenient that would be to have, right? yeah. I definitely feel overwhelmed sometimes with trying to juggle everything. but I just, I feel so lucky because I love it all so much that it makes it easy to juggle in a way, because it’s not like I ever dread going to work or like there’s nothing that I’m like, oh man, I wish I wasn’t doing this today.

00:05:29:14 – 00:05:43:17

Molly Rogers

Yeah, I mean, I guess the admin side of stuff, that’s what I like at the time. Soccer is like the time sitting at the computer and answering emails, but other than that, there’s nothing that I don’t want to be doing. So it makes it easier for sure.

00:05:43:19 – 00:06:11:13

Chris Hayzel

Yeah. Jokes aside, magical time turners aside, I think for a lot of musicians, you know, especially, those who might be toward the beginning of their journey, it’s probably pretty easy for them to look at where you’re at and then look at where they’re at and only see, like, this huge mountain to climb. And what they don’t see is all of the little steps that it took for you, you know, to get to where you are and anyone for that matter.

00:06:11:18 – 00:06:12:16

Molly Rogers

Yeah.

00:06:12:18 – 00:06:20:12

Chris Hayzel

So I thought it’d be a really interesting thing to kind of explore what that journey has been like for you.

00:06:20:14 – 00:06:25:02

Molly Rogers

Absolutely. It’d probably be interesting for me as well. I,

00:06:25:04 – 00:06:28:04

Chris Hayzel

Yeah. So, like, where did it all start for you?

00:06:28:09 – 00:06:53:08

Molly Rogers

It’s a great question. people ask me that from time to time, and I’m not really sure how to answer. I was born and raised in Kentucky, in this city called Frankfort. It is the capital of Kentucky, but it’s kind of a small town. and I was homeschooled. My family owns a funeral home. It’s been in my family over 200 years.

00:06:53:08 – 00:07:07:19

Molly Rogers

Like, over 220 years, I think. And I was actually raised in the funeral home on the second floor. so just a real weird kid. I was like that kid who lived in the funeral home and practiced violin a lot.

00:07:07:21 – 00:07:10:14

Steve Goldshein

It’s like something out of an Edgar Allen Poe story. Yo.

00:07:10:14 – 00:07:11:20

Molly Rogers

Totally. Totally.

00:07:11:22 – 00:07:15:09

Chris Hayzel

I mean, what’s that like, growing up in a funeral home?

00:07:15:11 – 00:07:42:02

Molly Rogers

I don’t know anything different. That’s the thing. Everyone’s like, oh, it must have been weird. And intellectually, conceptually, I know it’s weird to have grown up in a funeral home, but when you’re literally born into it, it’s totally normal for me. Like, yeah, just the family business. I was around dead bodies and, you know, and grieving families and, you know, I learned a lot about grief.

00:07:42:02 – 00:07:50:23

Molly Rogers

I would say, growing up. And I do think that sort of can add a layer to any body as a human being. You for sure.

00:07:51:00 – 00:07:59:09

Chris Hayzel

Of course, especially at a young age, to the best of your memory. Like what were some of your earliest experiences with music? Was it in your family?

00:07:59:11 – 00:08:25:13

Molly Rogers

My mom, it was a pianist is a pianist. and she actually went to college for piano, but then she said she her teacher was just, like, horribly mean. And kind of dissuaded her. And so she quit playing in college. And anyway, but my grandmother was, pianist and an opera singer and she was like our local town piano teacher and all that stuff.

00:08:26:00 – 00:08:40:19

Molly Rogers

so I was exposed to music probably through them early on. And, you know, when you’re really little, I don’t know, like, I have this memory of being obsessed with the Return to Oz movie. Do either of you know that movie?

00:08:40:20 – 00:08:41:04

Steve Goldshein

I haven’t.

00:08:41:09 – 00:08:42:23

Chris Hayzel

Returned, I’ve heard of it.

00:08:42:23 – 00:08:44:01

Steve Goldshein

But I’ve seen it’s.

00:08:44:03 – 00:09:07:06

Molly Rogers

This really horrifyingly trippy 80s Disney, mind you, Disney sequel to Wizard of Oz. Okay, it’s like if you’ve never seen it, just beware. It’s it’s it’s really pretty. but I was really into it as a kid. It’s like, you know, late 80s. So, and, the soundtrack, I was obsessed with it, and I still kind of am.

00:09:07:06 – 00:09:26:03

Molly Rogers

It’s still like one of my top favorite soundtracks, composer named David Shire. And, when I was little, I remember going to the piano and just, like, tapping out the melodies. At least that’s the way I remember it. And my mom being like, what? How are you doing that? I’m just thinking that was a totally normal thing to do.

00:09:26:05 – 00:09:48:05

Molly Rogers

So she put me in piano lessons with my sisters when I was about to turn four, and I did that for a year, and then my dad kind of always wanted one of his girls to play violin. And as the last of three girls, I was his last hope. So they, like, had me watch a PBS orchestra special and were like, hey, do you want to do that?

00:09:48:05 – 00:10:13:15

Molly Rogers

And I don’t know, you’re four. So you’re like, yeah, sure. and so I just started doing, Suzuki lessons. And Suzuki is a specific method of, like string training, specifically, violin training you can do with cello, viola as well. So the first year was just like group lessons. I remember having, like, a wooden stick that I would learn to, like, crawl my fingers up.

00:10:13:15 – 00:10:35:02

Molly Rogers

And there was like a pizza box where they’d trace my feet on it and it’d be like resting position, which is very proper. And then like, playing position and yeah, yeah, I don’t know. That got me really into it. It’s like they teach you how to play by ear, mainly is this is a cookie method. But I also had kind of a leg up because I had started to read music with the piano lessons early on as well.

00:10:35:02 – 00:10:48:17

Chris Hayzel

So what was that like for you at such a young age? Like did your did your parents, was it all self-driven for you? Did your parents have to set up like structures for you to practice? Did it feel was an enjoyable? Did it feel like a chore?

00:10:48:19 – 00:11:07:11

Molly Rogers

There were definitely times that felt like a chore. Yeah. but early, early on, I don’t ever remember not wanting to do it. I just remember always thinking it was so fun and I couldn’t wait to go to those lessons and all of that stuff. I don’t think it became a chore until it was like I really started getting more serious with it.

00:11:07:11 – 00:11:20:07

Molly Rogers

And then it was like, you know, oh, these are multiple hours of practice, and you’re really playing all these scales and, and etudes all the time. And then it was like, oh my God, I’m really looking at my watch. You know?

00:11:20:08 – 00:11:24:12

Chris Hayzel

Right. Yeah. Because it seems like it escalated pretty quickly for you.

00:11:24:14 – 00:11:56:03

Molly Rogers

Yeah, I, I Captain Suzuki until I was about nine and then, my teacher in town, wonderful teacher. Her name was Rosetta Rush. she was kind of like, hey, this is about all I can do here. I think you need to move on to a different teacher. And in Frankfort, there were no other options. I think it was like there was someone who was in town playing piano, like, accompanying us.

00:11:56:03 – 00:12:18:06

Molly Rogers

And if I remember correctly, this is so long ago. It was her brother in law that was my now my future violin teacher. And she was like, oh, she teaches at the conservatory, the prep department, and Cincinnati, which is like a two hour drive from my hometown. Yeah, but they were like, you know, you should come meet him.

00:12:18:06 – 00:12:38:04

Molly Rogers

I think it was like a holiday. He was in town on Thanksgiving, and so I went and had a little bit of a trial lesson, and he was like, yeah, I’ll take her as a student. So my mom started driving me weekly to these lessons. that was like a four hour round trip away. And I did that for nine years up at the conservatory.

00:12:38:09 – 00:12:39:19

Molly Rogers

Wow. Wow. Is it.

00:12:39:21 – 00:12:41:12

Chris Hayzel

Was that once a week or would.

00:12:41:12 – 00:12:49:18

Molly Rogers

You go there for the week? Yeah, once a week. And, you know, I’d usually I’d have like an hour and a half, two hour lesson or something like that. Yeah.

00:12:49:19 – 00:13:05:04

Steve Goldshein

What was it like structuring your, your independent practice between lessons. Do you think the fact that it was so far away and your mom was putting in four hours of driving on, on behalf of it, you think that helped you stay motivated to keep up the work?

00:13:05:08 – 00:13:27:15

Molly Rogers

Yeah, I think the fact that I knew how much my parents were sacrificing was, help and me wanting, you know, motivation and me wanting to keep practicing. I also just I was thinking about this the other day. I really did enjoy the learning behind it. Like he was a great teacher. and Liam, is his name, he’s still.

00:13:27:15 – 00:13:54:05

Molly Rogers

I think he still teaches there. I really wanted to be better. And so I just remember, you know, really enjoying it. And also, ironically, being homeschooled helped me have more of a life, too, because I can’t imagine doing that and going to school and, like, having all of the homework and everything that it takes to be in public or, you know, even private school, and then trying to do that, like on the weekends and fitting all my practice in.

00:13:54:05 – 00:14:14:12

Molly Rogers

So already being homeschooled was a big help in that regard, too. But there were definitely times when I was over practicing, and I remember I would just be kind of like checked out. I’d be like summertime, I’d be looking out the window and I’d be like, I wish I was not inside right now.

00:14:14:14 – 00:14:25:05

Chris Hayzel

So how did that like, how did that experience, you know, going from doing the Suzuki lessons to going there? How did that start to change your relationship with with music?

00:14:25:11 – 00:14:47:20

Molly Rogers

Everything changed. I think, you know, Suzuki is a very specific like these are these ten? It’s a ten series books. And it was like you do every song in order and you know, you’re it’s the challenges. It’s supposed to, you know, increase as the books go along and all of that stuff. but, you know, when I started with Doctor Lim, it was like, oh, here’s this book of scales.

00:14:47:20 – 00:15:07:01

Molly Rogers

It’s like this thick and here’s this, you know, these, techniques studies, these, you know, etudes that I’m doing. And, you know, you’re assigned these every week, and these are these finger patterns. And, you know, I expect, you know, we’ll go through these. And it was just all of a sudden, it was that next level of like, oh, this is this is serious now.

00:15:07:03 – 00:15:22:04

Steve Goldshein

Yeah. Would you say was there an element of of competition present, or was it really about a cell versus self but wanting to get better. Because if, if you were I mean, you were working with the only teacher in town, there weren’t other there weren’t other people who were true.

00:15:22:04 – 00:15:25:19

Molly Rogers

Yeah. Big, big fish, little pond kind of situation in Frankfurt.

00:15:25:23 – 00:15:35:05

Steve Goldshein

Yeah. So when at the time when you decided you wanted to do it professionally and get really serious, what was what at what point did you realize what it what it really takes?

00:15:35:05 – 00:15:54:12

Molly Rogers

Yeah. I mean, not that early. I don’t think I was aware at nine really about the competition side of things. I think it was more just like just interesting to me. But I, you know, oh, there’s all this whole new side of technique that I like, never really knew, you know. You know, I should be leaning more in the left side of my fingers.

00:15:54:12 – 00:16:14:19

Molly Rogers

And you know, my wrist should be a little higher, looser. You know, those types of things. Probably when I started seeing more of the recitals and I started seeing other players and, and, and that side of things, where I started realizing like, oh, okay, this is, this is not just serious for me. It’s serious for everybody. Yeah.

00:16:14:19 – 00:16:48:16

Molly Rogers

There’s a whole world. Yeah. Whole world. And I think it was overwhelming for my parents, too, because they didn’t really know anything about it. And there were a lot of talks too. When I got high school age, whether I should be going to like, music school specifically for, you know, like high schools, there were a couple of high schools, like, geared towards classical musicians or, you know, should we moved to Chicago or should we move to New York or somewhere where there are like bigger opportunities for me and stuff like that?

00:16:48:16 – 00:17:20:05

Molly Rogers

Should I be doing the competition circuit and all of that stuff? But honestly, like, I don’t know how we would have ever had the means to do that anyway. Like, you know, my mom was a stay at home mom and my dad ran the funeral home. And, I think mostly it was like I had such a wonderful teacher and doctor Lim it was kind of like there wasn’t enough reason, and I wasn’t super motivated to just be doing all these competitions all the time that it was just like, I just, I really just wanted to to learn and play and be the best.

00:17:20:05 – 00:17:34:12

Molly Rogers

And I never wanted that feeling of like, I like the best for myself. Like I never had that feeling of like, I have to prove that I’m like, better than everybody else. Like that just seemed like it defeated the purpose of music at the time.

00:17:34:16 – 00:17:40:12

Chris Hayzel

You did start making appearances, though, as like a young violinist, did you not?

00:17:40:16 – 00:18:03:07

Molly Rogers

Yeah, that there were there were some competitions, you know, whatever I could do locally and, you know, you know, concerto competitions, which is basically when you go and you audition with the pianist and then you have the opportunity to play it with a big orchestra. So I did that a couple of times with the little orchestra, which was really exciting and really fun and put me more in the world.

00:18:03:09 – 00:18:07:04

Molly Rogers

I started getting used to performing out more and and all that stuff.

00:18:07:06 – 00:18:22:21

Steve Goldshein

I was just going to say, it sounds like the, the lack of of having it be a hyper competitive, really high stakes environment really gave you the opportunity to to focus on it in a way that was enjoyable enough for you to keep doing it long enough to get really, really good at it.

00:18:22:21 – 00:18:43:09

Molly Rogers

And I think so, yeah, I mean, I definitely felt pressure at times like, you know, there were competitions or there were I mean, at that age, really, you’re thinking about college and it’s like, okay, what’s, you know, everything’s geared toward I have to work my ass off so that I can get into the school that I want to get into, and it, like, really goes from there.

00:18:43:09 – 00:19:03:21

Molly Rogers

Right? And I definitely started to have nerves, like, I was thinking, I like I think about this the other day because I still battle with stage fright, even however many years into my career. And I was wondering, like, at what point when I, when I was a kid, did that kick in? Because I don’t remember it being a nervous problem when I was in Suzuki.

00:19:03:23 – 00:19:19:23

Molly Rogers

I don’t really remember it being a problem when I first started, but somewhere along the way, you just have that self-realization where you’re like, oh, I don’t want to not be not play the best I can play. No. And when I read it, so, oh my God, I have.

00:19:20:01 – 00:19:32:21

Chris Hayzel

I have the worst stage fright ever. Like every time I go to play a show, there’s always a moment before the show where I’m like, can I, can I back out of this? Is it too late for me to not do this now?

00:19:33:01 – 00:19:33:21

Molly Rogers

Yeah, yeah.

00:19:33:23 – 00:19:41:04

Chris Hayzel

And just like you. Like, I didn’t have that when I was a kid. When I was a kid, it was just like playing, you know, and just like, oh, yeah, I’m going to go do this thing.

00:19:41:06 – 00:19:42:04

Molly Rogers

I missed that.

00:19:42:06 – 00:19:42:18

Chris Hayzel

I know.

00:19:42:18 – 00:19:44:03

Molly Rogers

Right, that just.

00:19:44:03 – 00:19:45:01

Chris Hayzel

That confidence like, yeah.

00:19:45:01 – 00:19:46:23

Molly Rogers

This is just what I do. Yeah.

00:19:47:01 – 00:20:20:07

Chris Hayzel

But I can kind of relate to this feeling in a way, because, you know, I started playing when I was five and, you know, when it’s when it’s your world, and that’s just what, you know, it seems pretty usual. Pretty normal. But frankly, you were super young. I mean, for you to, at three years old, just start to punk out melodies and pick out melodies on the piano and then start into lessons when you’re almost four and then go study at this, you know, conservatory prep thing when you were nine.

00:20:20:09 – 00:20:25:04

Chris Hayzel

Like, I hate to I hate to bring this word into the conversation.

00:20:25:13 – 00:20:30:08

Molly Rogers

if you’re going to use the Prodigy word, it’s certainly not that for me.

00:20:30:10 – 00:20:32:10

Chris Hayzel

Did other people though?

00:20:32:12 – 00:20:57:08

Molly Rogers

Maybe. But not like maybe people from my hometown, New York, who were like, oh, you know, you’re so young and you play with so much heart? I think for me it was like, I loved it so much that I was so musical. And, I think that was kind of what was so surprising for people was that at that age, to be able to feel something, and that was what was, you know, most important to me then and and still is.

00:20:57:10 – 00:21:16:09

Chris Hayzel

Yeah. Yeah. I guess the reason why I’m asking is because, you know, like I said, I started playing at five and I think because I had grown up around music and because I had started so early, my skill level was what would perceivable be like advanced for my age at the time? Like my age has since caught up to my skill level.

00:21:16:09 – 00:21:22:12

Chris Hayzel

It’s no longer advanced, right? Yeah. Like at 9 or 10 or whatever. People were like, oh my God, you’re so good.

00:21:22:14 – 00:21:24:03

Molly Rogers

Yeah. And yeah.

00:21:24:05 – 00:21:45:06

Chris Hayzel

And I remember people, you know, starting to attribute like saying things like that would imply that I was somehow gifted or special or things like that. And I know for me, like from the outside looking in, that might seem like encouragement to a young person. But I know for me it felt like pressure.

00:21:45:07 – 00:21:58:01

Molly Rogers

Yeah, I completely had the same experience. and still do to an extent, you know, it’s that expectation of, you know, you’re supposed to be at a certain level and you have to stay at that certain level.

00:21:58:02 – 00:22:03:09

Chris Hayzel

Right? And you’re you’re meant to do great things, and now you have to fulfill this expectation from others.

00:22:03:09 – 00:22:07:08

Molly Rogers

Yeah, 100%. Yeah. It’s a lot for a kid. It’s a lot.

00:22:07:10 – 00:22:22:23

Steve Goldshein

To laugh at a kid and it’s a lot before you go through that experience. I mean, we talked earlier about working your ass off to get into school and people when when you’re a kid, it’s like, oh, yeah, I just got to work hard and then I’ll get into school and then it’s smooth sailing from there. It’s like, no.

00:22:23:01 – 00:22:31:21

Steve Goldshein

Well, yeah, yeah. The reason you’re working so hard is to prove that you can do it, because that’s how hard you’ll need to work once you get there. And once you. And as you keep going, it gets harder.

00:22:31:22 – 00:22:37:13

Molly Rogers

You don’t really get that as a kid. You’re like, oh, I get into at school. It’s like, okay, I will it’ll be fine after that, right?

00:22:37:16 – 00:23:00:21

Steve Goldshein

Right. Yeah, I mean, I, I grew up, you know, I didn’t have quite the, I didn’t start as early in my, my musical. I started playing clarinet when I was around eight and then saxophone when I was around 12. And then and I, went to a preparatory program on the weekends to learn jazz and was playing saxophone in concert band and marching band and all that, basically all the activities I could.

00:23:01:01 – 00:23:31:17

Steve Goldshein

But I’m actually I want to go back to, the conversation about the funeral home and growing up around, death and grief in these emotionally charged things. I’m wondering if that impacted the way you perceive music and performed music, playing the violin, a very dramatically expressive instrument, and and developing your understanding of all of these complex emotions around sadness and loss and beauty of life and all of these things.

00:23:31:19 – 00:23:39:19

Steve Goldshein

Do you think that had any impact on your your love for dramatic music? And then and working in the film and game space?

00:23:39:21 – 00:24:02:16

Molly Rogers

Yeah, I mean, it had to have, you know, it really had to have and some of my earliest performances were at first funerals, you know, it was like, oh, my daughter plays the violin. And if I do exist, I basically offer my services to families and, you know, that that was my, you know, some of my first experiences ever with playing in front of people.

00:24:02:18 – 00:24:31:12

Molly Rogers

And that has I held a heavy film over it. and yeah, I think about that from time to time, like, again, how that was sort of normalized for me, as you know, a very intense part of my early music, persona. And, that can come with both a blessing and challenges. So for me, it’s not intense that early on.

00:24:32:17 – 00:24:54:17

Molly Rogers

but I think it helped me in a way, because it keeps me connected to the the meaning behind it in a way, as opposed to, like we’ve been talking about, like getting caught up in all of the pressure and all of that stuff. Like, I even remember like one of the first times I was feeling really sick, like just physically sick and thinking like, oh, I can’t go do this performance, you know?

00:24:54:17 – 00:25:10:06

Molly Rogers

And I remember my dad being like, no, you can like, you can do this for this family, you know? And and at the time I was like kind of pissed because I was like, no, I’m like really? Like, I got the flu. Like, I don’t want to do this. I can’t believe you’re making me go anyway, you know?

00:25:10:09 – 00:25:34:00

Molly Rogers

But now I look back on it and I’m so glad that he did, because it was like something that it was just like a life experience that I could, like, push through something and know that, like, and just have it be so meaningful for the people that were listening and remember that it wasn’t just this music isn’t really about the person playing it, it’s about the person listening to it and what it means to them.

00:25:34:00 – 00:25:39:12

Molly Rogers

And I that’s something like, I’ll never forget learning early on.

00:25:39:14 – 00:25:58:04

Chris Hayzel

And all those experiences, you know, I mean, in this, this even ties back into the, the subject of prodigious ness and like we were saying before, it’s like it’s it’s misunderstood, but because you don’t really know what the circumstances their environment where growing up.

00:25:58:09 – 00:25:58:19

Molly Rogers

00:25:58:20 – 00:26:20:20

Chris Hayzel

You know, and, and so like having that experience of growing up in a funeral home, having those experiences of, you know, navigating grief and those deep emotional things that you don’t necessarily normally navigate at such a young age, shape the way that your brain then can take in and process information?

00:26:20:22 – 00:26:22:16

Molly Rogers

Absolutely. Right. Yeah.

00:26:22:22 – 00:26:34:08

Chris Hayzel

And and then that, that maybe sort of gives you a little bit of a predisposition towards being able to emotionally engage with art.

00:26:34:10 – 00:26:56:10

Molly Rogers

Absolutely, absolutely. And at the same time, I was like fully being indoctrinated into the world of soul music, like so just like, you know, on all my drives to Cincinnati, it was just like John Williams nonstop, you know, and I remember I would sit in the back of my car because I was like, too little to to be in the front seat.

00:26:56:10 – 00:27:24:06

Molly Rogers

And I had this, like, little tray table, and I had all my Star Wars action figures. And I was so nerdy. It was like I would play, but everything that I was doing had to go along to whatever was happening in the score, you know? And so that was just like hours and hours of listening to that and listening to Hans Zimmer and listening to, you know, just burning a hole in my Discman or whatever it was with all the music and just I think even with the classical music that I was doing, I was really into the dramatic stuff.

00:27:24:06 – 00:27:47:06

Molly Rogers

I remember going to see the string quartet called the Emerson String Quartet. I don’t know if you know them, but just, you know, really amazing. And they came to Louisville to perform, and my teacher was like, you got to go see them. It’s quite young. I’m, you know, under 13 for sure. And they performed this, string quartet number eight, by Dmitri Shostakovich.

00:27:47:12 – 00:28:10:12

Molly Rogers

I don’t know if you know him as a composer. Yeah, very, very dramatic. Intense, emotional composer. And I remember it was the first time I’d ever seen a string quartet play his first. I mean, ever heard his music. And it totally changed my life. And I remember my aunt for my birthday, which was, like, very close to after that, bought me the CD of their performance.

00:28:10:12 – 00:28:35:12

Molly Rogers

And I would fall asleep listening to Shaw date every single night for like weeks. And I don’t you. After this podcast, you need to go listen to that to see just kind of how fucked that is. I think that’s really, really sad, intense emotional thing. And that was so normal to me. And I’m like, you know, 11 years old listening to that and night after night falling asleep.

00:28:35:17 – 00:28:55:13

Molly Rogers

It’s not. Yeah. It was a very intense emotional. But I was also quiet like this was something that it was just going on inside. This wasn’t something that I was like, I wasn’t like a crying kid, you know? I was I was on some level, I felt lonely, you know, because of the homeschooling and the violin and the small town and all of that stuff.

00:28:55:13 – 00:29:02:20

Molly Rogers

So I’m sure it was all it’s all related. The funeral home, the Shostakovich, the the film scoring.

00:29:02:22 – 00:29:14:17

Chris Hayzel

Yeah. Well, it’s like you found something that spoke to you and. Yeah. And you became sort of, you know, for want of a better term, obsessed with it. And you fixated on it.

00:29:14:18 – 00:29:23:20

Molly Rogers

Definitely obsessed. Yeah. Yeah, that was my thing. That it was. It got me through. I just remember it was it’s it’s always been my great loss.

00:29:23:22 – 00:29:40:22

Chris Hayzel

So from 9 to 18 you’re studying, you’re driving back and forth from Cincinnati or from Kentucky to Cincinnati. At what point did you decide to move to LA and why?

00:29:41:00 – 00:29:42:13

Molly Rogers

Great question.

00:29:42:15 – 00:29:44:13

Steve Goldshein

Why? Why would you.

00:29:44:15 – 00:30:09:08

Molly Rogers

Tell? I don’t know, you know, I, I was in school, I was I was going to school the Cleveland Institute of Music. I remember my, my teacher there asking me what I wanted to do, and I told them the two things I was most interested in, which was chamber music, like playing in some sort of a quartet or quintet or something and, studio work, specifically film scoring.

00:30:09:08 – 00:30:22:20

Molly Rogers

And he was like, yeah, no, pick something else, though. Those are the two things that are like, pretty much not going to happen. And I highly suggest that you stop wanting to do those things.

00:30:22:20 – 00:30:26:13

Chris Hayzel

You know, he’s eating his words.

00:30:26:20 – 00:30:43:16

Molly Rogers

but I got it like, I totally I get where he’s coming from, you know. Of course. but in high school and then, a couple of situations in college, I was able to do a little bit of, studio recording, and I just loved it. Like, the minute I heard that click in my ear, I was like, I feel home.

00:30:43:16 – 00:31:03:17

Molly Rogers

This is it. I love this. and in LA, my, cousin at the time was out here working with the producer. she was a singer. And the producer or, you know, have me come out and, like, play on her albums and stuff like that. And I was just talking to him about, you know, how I love studio work.

00:31:03:17 – 00:31:27:12

Molly Rogers

And he was like, well, if you want to do studio work, you got to be in LA pretty much like, This Is the Place to Be, which is looking back on it like mostly true, but not that true. You know, there are other places, but I just kept thinking about it and yeah, I just I don’t know, you’re when you’re young, you just think like everything’s going to be fine and you just take a chance.

00:31:27:12 – 00:31:51:12

Molly Rogers

Like, I don’t know that Molly now would do it. Molly did all those years ago, but. Right I just like had the support of my parents are like seems kind of scary but okay like we’ll do it. And so my mom drove across country with me and pretty much set me up, with, you know, a rented room somewhere.

00:31:51:14 – 00:32:13:09

Molly Rogers

And, I ended up just, like, getting a job bartending service, like serving tables and all that stuff and just paying my rent best I could because I didn’t know anybody. I just knew die here and was just like, yeah, studio work. I’ll do that. Yeah. And you know, the producer, I really didn’t know working with him much at all.

00:32:13:09 – 00:32:36:07

Molly Rogers

More than like 1 or 2 sessions. but he did give me one piece of really good advice, which was it would be beneficial for me to play a viola as well as a violin. So I ended up just renting this viola, like having it sent to me from Kentucky. Or maybe I brought it with me or something and, you know, it’s not that different from violin, but the class is different.

00:32:36:07 – 00:33:01:11

Molly Rogers

So I remember when I did finally get one of my first gigs and it was on viola! I like nobody I didn’t tell them I couldn’t really read viola. Right. So I would like show up to the gig early and I would like write in all of the fingerings. And so I and just like, try to like, you know, get by best I could until I finally, you know, now it’s like you do that enough, you actually learn how to read it.

00:33:01:11 – 00:33:05:06

Molly Rogers

But yeah, I definitely teach my way through some gigs early on.

00:33:05:11 – 00:33:17:11

Chris Hayzel

What were those early days in LA like for you? Like what was your, you know, did you have a plan? Did you have like some kind of structure that you were trying to follow? Like what? What did you do when you got here?

00:33:17:13 – 00:33:39:18

Molly Rogers

Yeah, I did I don’t I don’t really have a plan. It was like I just, I knew that I wanted to do to do it. And I like I said, I start, I got a job, waitressing and then eventually bartending to pay my rent. I remember there was a day where I, I went to a day shift and I, like, had to run on my lunch break.

00:33:39:18 – 00:33:59:09

Molly Rogers

Break, like, physically run myself to the bank, like with the tips that I had made on the day shift and deposited it into the bank on my lunch so that I could pay my rent the next day. Yeah. And then, like, ran back and finished my shift. I I’m looking back. I don’t even know really how I started working.

00:33:59:09 – 00:34:21:22

Molly Rogers

The people ask me like, well, what was the first gig you had? Or like, how did I get here? And I genuinely, I have no idea. Like, I know that I had a friend of a friend from Kentucky who was like, oh, I had this singer songwriter who lives there, friend of mine, like, go meet her. So I met her and I played a couple shows with her, and then I met like other singer songwriters.

00:34:21:22 – 00:34:43:22

Molly Rogers

And then I remember going to one of their shows and meeting a violinist there, and violinist, who’s now one of my good friends. like, you know, it was like, oh, you play, you know, I told me, I play and you like, put me on a wedding gig, which was really cool. And you meet people there, and then somewhere along the way, somebody gets your name and your information, and it’s like.

00:34:43:22 – 00:35:15:01

Molly Rogers

It’s really cool how this town works in that way, where it, like I will say, I don’t like as much as people fight for the same gigs, especially in my industry and the, you know, recording film industry. And, I will say, I wouldn’t have gotten anywhere if it weren’t for the wonderful string community. Like, I do think there’s like good people out there who love to, like, share the work and like, tell people like, oh, this person would be great, like and get excited about being able to recommend somebody.

00:35:15:01 – 00:35:20:06

Molly Rogers

And if it weren’t for wonderful people in this community, yeah, I wouldn’t be anywhere.

00:35:20:08 – 00:35:38:17

Steve Goldshein

Yeah, it this is coming up. You know, it’s coming back to a theme that we talk about a lot on this podcast, Chris, of of the career building aspect of this, of that it’s moving from gig to gig to gig to gig, and as long as you’re keep, as long as you keep doing something, taking as much work as you can possibly find.

00:35:38:19 – 00:35:39:03

Molly Rogers

Yeah.

00:35:39:03 – 00:36:04:07

Steve Goldshein

And that’s how it becomes self-sustaining. And there’s no, you know, it’s again, like college. It’s not the it’s not the work really hard right now and then I don’t have to anymore. That’s you know, it’s it’s work really hard now so that I can continue working harder and harder and finding ways to balance that and do that at a sustainable level without either getting burned out or doing all of the work that’s available and then having none.

00:36:04:09 – 00:36:07:03

Steve Goldshein

None left. None left, to choose from.

00:36:07:05 – 00:36:40:15

Molly Rogers

So yeah. Yeah, you’re nailing it. So it’s it’s really that like you’ll take anything like, oh, this $50 gig at a bar at one in the morning. Absolutely. I’ll do that because you don’t know who you might meet and all that stuff. And. Right. And now you just it’s gig to gig to gig to gig until, you know, it’s a bigger gig and and, you know, until it’s someone who, like, may take you more seriously at an audition or something like that, you know, although I will say in this industry, it’s not super audition bass, which was the opposite of like classical music and how you’re raised to think everything is going to be an

00:36:40:15 – 00:36:59:17

Molly Rogers

audition like that. I’ve, I’ve had very few auditions, in this town, although the biggest one was probably that when I auditioned for horns, you know, which was an actual audition. Yeah, but for the most part, it is just like proving your worth at a gig, which is can be a lot of pressure too.

00:36:59:18 – 00:37:07:10

Chris Hayzel

Well, I know also points back to another theme that’s come up pretty much in every episode, which is that it’s a business of relationships, right?

00:37:07:12 – 00:37:07:22

Molly Rogers

00:37:08:00 – 00:37:19:19

Chris Hayzel

It’s like moving gig two, gig two, gig to gig. Yeah. But then also developing those relationships with people. And like you said, there are people, wonderful people who are excited to recommend. You are.

00:37:19:19 – 00:37:21:05

Molly Rogers

Excited. Yeah.

00:37:21:05 – 00:37:23:09

Chris Hayzel

And you build that with them over time.

00:37:23:11 – 00:37:39:07

Molly Rogers

Yeah. And just show like you’re, you know, you’re easy to work with. Not that you want to you know, I’ve learned a lot and like not to get walked all over for sure, but that, you know, you, you love what you do. So in that regard you’re easy to work with and you show up on time. That’s a big thing.

00:37:39:07 – 00:38:00:03

Molly Rogers

Yeah. I, you know, and that was something I had to learn early on, too, because I am not an on time person. My friends will tell you I am certainly not. But but very quickly I had to learn. Like in this industry, if you’re not early, you are late. Yeah, right. and that’s a big deal. That’s a big deal to me who does some contracting now.

00:38:00:03 – 00:38:17:19

Molly Rogers

And it’s a big deal to to people who expect you there and all that stuff. So yeah, all it’s all a little things that really matter. You know, your attitude goes a long way because I’d much rather be with someone that plays well, but is an awesome hang than someone that plays amazing. But like, I don’t want to talk to that.

00:38:17:21 – 00:38:19:19

Molly Rogers

Yeah. Yeah. Right right right.

00:38:19:21 – 00:38:23:15

Chris Hayzel

Yeah. It’s like you’re sharing this experience with a person. You don’t want to be a total asshole.

00:38:23:19 – 00:38:26:00

Molly Rogers

Yeah, exactly, exactly.

00:38:26:02 – 00:38:35:07

Chris Hayzel

Is there a particular moment or a handful of particular moments that stick out to you as like pivotal, where, you know, your career started to sort of take a shift?

00:38:35:09 – 00:39:01:22

Molly Rogers

I think probably looking back, one of the most pivotal was I got this tour and this was, I say it’s not audition based, but this was something that I actually did with an audition for a Japanese artist named Yoshiki. Yoshiki is, the pianist and heavy metal drummer for this band called X Japan. Okay. a really awesome band.

00:39:01:22 – 00:39:20:01

Molly Rogers

They’re like, I think they were the first band in Japan to do the this thing called visual K. I don’t know if I’m saying that correctly. could be visual chi. Visual K, which is basically the, the idea of like wearing makeup and the Mohawks and all this stuff, like very inspired by kiss and all of that stuff.

00:39:20:01 – 00:39:45:17

Molly Rogers

And they’re huge in Japan. really, really fun stuff. But he decided he wanted to take his metal music but make it classical. So he took, seven string players and, went on this world tour. And so I saw a posting, I think, online somewhere that was, you know, asking for an audition. And this was back in 2014.

00:39:45:17 – 00:40:04:01

Molly Rogers

And so I submitted, went in with my violin and viola. and when the audition and so was my first world tour, we did ten countries and a month and a half and, it was also where I met my good friend Tina Gwo. you guys know Tina? Very sure.

00:40:04:01 – 00:40:15:13

Steve Goldshein

Did. Yes we did. Yeah. Tina Gwo is one of our one of our dearest friends here. Yeah. And samples and music and, Yeah, of course, women and, And also one of our best selling products.

00:40:15:15 – 00:40:38:03

Molly Rogers

I mean, she’s she’s incredible. Amazing both inside and out, like, the most amazing cellist, but also the most amazing person. Yes. and so we met on that tour. She was only doing about half of it, I think. So we actually didn’t get super close on the tour. We just we, you know, we met, we played, you know, and we remained friends, but we were definitely not close.

00:40:38:20 – 00:40:57:19

Molly Rogers

and then I remember in 2016, she actually reached out to me because there was that opening in the Hans Zimmer band, and she remembered me from the tour with Yoshiki and just from, you know, whatever social media probably. And, she was like, oh, I think, you know, you’d be cool for this, the spot, you know, can you come in and and audition?

00:40:57:19 – 00:41:17:17

Molly Rogers

So yeah, it was it was Tina’s recommendation actually, that that put me on. So yeah, she’s she’s the best. and yeah, I really do. I owe her and she’ll say, I don’t, but, you know, I owe her for thinking of me, for that tour. yeah. So it, everything worked out, and I started touring with, with them with the horns and her band.

00:41:18:04 – 00:41:22:18

Molly Rogers

starting in early 2017. so in doing that since then.

00:41:22:19 – 00:41:28:23

Chris Hayzel

And how has that, that gig in that experience shaped your career from that point forward?

00:41:29:01 – 00:41:55:02

Molly Rogers

Oh, man. there’s nothing like working with Hans Zimmer. Let me tell you. he is just the most passionate, exciting, fun person. And he also has put together a band of the most passionate funding, exciting people. You know, I don’t know, how much you’ve talked to touring artists or, I know you know, Chris, what it’s like, and it’s it’s hit or miss.

00:41:55:03 – 00:42:15:05

Molly Rogers

You’re on tour, you’re living with these people for weeks, sometimes months at a time. The tour that we did the first tour with Hans was essentially five months, like we had some breaks in between, but it was it was a long one. We were Asia, Australia, Europe, America, like everywhere. And, that can be disastrous if you don’t like the people that you’re around.

00:42:15:05 – 00:42:38:19

Molly Rogers

Absolute. Absolutely. but I really, really, especially know what seven years later, like, feel like. These people are my family. I love them so much. I get so, so excited. And I, like, pinch myself every time I’m on stage with them. I genuinely like there’s so much joy looking around and I think to myself, like, what am I doing here?

00:42:38:20 – 00:43:02:07

Molly Rogers

Like, I can’t believe I get to play with these amazing musicians. Like they’re unbelievable. Just like the the talent and the passion. And, you know, I grew up a Hans Zimmer fan too, right? Would you know, I remember, illegally downloading some early on. we remember because I remember.

00:43:02:07 – 00:43:06:07

Steve Goldshein

Yeah, I sure do. So so does my old family computer.

00:43:06:09 – 00:43:12:13

Molly Rogers

Oh, yeah. Yeah. Just like hoping it was actually King Arthur’s out back in the virus.

00:43:12:15 – 00:43:13:17

Steve Goldshein

Yeah, exactly.

00:43:13:19 – 00:43:31:19

Molly Rogers

So even now, like, seven years later, every time we we get on stage together, I look around and I think, like, my God, like, this is, I’m the luckiest person on the planet. I can’t believe that this is my job. and yeah, I’m just so humbled, honestly, so humbled to be a part of it. And see it.

00:43:31:19 – 00:43:47:22

Molly Rogers

The same with the recordings, too, you know, just to like, tune to it was such a fun experience. And I’m also like, I’m just a huge sci fi fantasy nerd in general. So to be a part of, you know, movies like that is, is super fun for me.

00:43:48:00 – 00:44:08:23

Chris Hayzel

It’s been it’s been really awesome. Like just personally to coming from knowing you and Scott, you know, and I think I met you when we were like, maybe I was in my early 20s. I met Scott when I was in my teens. And, you know, we played shows together and yeah, we grinded it out.

00:44:09:01 – 00:44:11:01

Molly Rogers

Oh, yeah, as local bands.

00:44:11:03 – 00:44:27:11

Chris Hayzel

And it’s just been so cool to see you guys flourish so readily. Like, I remember when I, when I, learned that you got that the tour with Hans, I was just super, super stoked for you. It’s been amazing to watch you guys. Yeah.

00:44:27:12 – 00:44:50:06

Molly Rogers

Good thing you’re saying. Yeah. It’s cool. I mean, that those were it. Those were the good days to like. Yeah, I mean, and I learned a lot with the band. you know, there was so much I didn’t know just about, like, plugging in and pedals, and I used to get so stressed out going to shows. Not because of the playing aspect, but I was like, I hope I plug my violin correctly.

00:44:50:08 – 00:45:01:00

Molly Rogers

Like, that would stress me out. You know, it’s, you know, it’s so basic. But like, I don’t know that it was a lot. And I remember I used to like wrap my bow with LED string.

00:45:01:06 – 00:45:02:04

Chris Hayzel

oh yeah, sure.

00:45:02:05 – 00:45:40:03

Molly Rogers

And have it, like, light up and like fun, fun things to do. But it was performing and that kind of stuff, like, really helps my career also because there’s so much of the aspect, it’s, you know, you can’t it’s so different to be sitting in a studio and trying to like, play this part, you know, perfectly for, you know, the recording versus being on stage and you’re in front of, you know, whether you’re, you know, at the Echo Show or Silverlake Lounge or something in front of five people, or, you know, with a with hardly as arenas, you know, it’s you, it’s just it’s different energy.

00:45:40:05 – 00:45:50:06

Molly Rogers

So those early days with the band, I really think helped me as a performer and, and truly, I, I, I credit that for sure.

00:45:50:08 – 00:46:02:13

Chris Hayzel

Yeah. It’s. Yeah, I mean, even in the, like in, in performing, especially in the band and in those kinds of things, it’s like almost embracing a sense of, recklessness, which is.

00:46:02:13 – 00:46:03:02

Molly Rogers

Yeah.

00:46:03:04 – 00:46:07:02

Chris Hayzel

You know, the complete opposite of that perfection of recording it.

00:46:07:02 – 00:46:25:05

Molly Rogers

It. Yeah. Yeah. It’s reckless. And two, this is the other thing when I was in high school and, you know, we talked about like how series of the classical musician I was and when I first started, it was all by ear. Right. But then you get so serious, everything’s reading music, reading music. And I was starting to become kind of a snob with that.

00:46:25:07 – 00:46:47:09

Molly Rogers

Sure. And, there was a friend of mine, and Johanna Hay, who was like, you know, a sort of a folk violinist in, in town and fiddle player and all that stuff. And anyway, long story short, she had me come sit in at a party and play by ear, and I was, you know, 13 or something and, or maybe, maybe a little older, 15.

00:46:47:11 – 00:47:06:20

Molly Rogers

And I completely lost that sense of playing by ear. And I remember thinking, like, I thought miserable. I felt sick to my stomach, like like I just had the worst time and I’m like, never doing this again. I’m never doing this again. And then she had double booked herself for a show and asked me to step in for her.

00:47:06:22 – 00:47:34:07

Molly Rogers

So I started playing, with, you know, her, her band sort of, and their buddies, and they really encouraged me, like, hey, this is classical bullshit. It’s got to go. Like, you need to learn how to let go, let loose. And and really, that kind of pulled me out of this, this, you know, intense classical thing, to, to get me to learn how to improv again and, you know, play by ear, like.

00:47:34:09 – 00:47:48:09

Molly Rogers

And if it wasn’t for that, oh, my God, I definitely wasn’t part of the career. I had to do it because half the time, you know, you’re not doing this in a in a film scoring studio so much when you’re an orchestra setting. But even solo sessions, I am being asked like, hey, can I play something for you?

00:47:48:09 – 00:48:00:08

Molly Rogers

Or sing something for you? Can you play it? Or like, I have this, these chord vibes, can you play over it? And if I hadn’t done that, there’s no chance I would. I would have the the skills to do that.

00:48:00:08 – 00:48:24:00

Steve Goldshein

Now I’m wondering about like the being so proficient as both a stage performer and a studio musician with elements of both in involved in the other one. Are there any other clear distinctions that you that you, when you go into the mindset of one versus the other, is there anything that you say, okay, I have to make sure I don’t do this or I do do that.

00:48:24:11 – 00:48:46:20

Molly Rogers

well, I mean, there’s different types of the studio where to write was you’re in an orchestra, you very much want to stay in your lane. You want to, you know, make sure you’re matching the other players in both strokes. And I think it’s like the smaller things you’re thinking about in those types of sessions. Like, you’re really, really trying to focus on the writing and, the notations and markings and all those small things.

00:48:46:20 – 00:49:13:23

Molly Rogers

It’s that very like present focused feeling. Whereas and it’s, you know, the same way in, in solo recording sessions as well, although there’s more freedom typically because you’re just, you’re on your own. but in performances I would say it’s a different type of circus presence because where, when I’m recording, I want to be so aware of what’s happening around me.

00:49:13:23 – 00:49:36:18

Molly Rogers

And when I’m performing, I almost want to let go. It’s like the opposite. I really think that performance is the most pure kind of meditation you can do, because you’re you’re really if you overthink it for one second, that’s where the nerves come into the minute you start thinking about it is the minute that you’ll start to mess up or, you know, all of that stuff.

00:49:36:18 – 00:50:03:18

Molly Rogers

So it’s like it’s this meditation moment where all you like, you are the music sounds so cheesy, but you are the music and you are the audience and you are, you know, the the instrument and all that stuff where you’re letting go. And so you’re are super, super present. Yeah. But you’re not focused on playing it perfectly. And that’s the difference, I think, between recording and performing.

00:50:03:22 – 00:50:23:04

Chris Hayzel

Yeah for sure. It’s like a, it’s like like an absolute presence in the moment. Not existing, not existing ahead of or behind. Exactly. Right there. Exactly. I was just writing this out the other day, and I don’t know if, you know, I don’t know if it’s a similar experience for you, but given that we both struggle with stage fright, perhaps.

00:50:24:09 – 00:50:41:06

Chris Hayzel

but I know for me, like before shows again, I go through that thing where it’s like, can I back out? Is it too late? Yeah, but I’m usually pretty quiet, like, I. I’m not a super pleasant person to talk to you before shows. Not because. Not because, I mean, but because I’m just not there with you in the conversation.

00:50:41:06 – 00:50:42:20

Molly Rogers

I get it. I relate to that.

00:50:42:23 – 00:51:02:04

Chris Hayzel

Yeah. And like, I’m I’m super quiet and it’s sort of like you go through and you set up and you do your thing and you get, you know, you do your line check and then you take a breath and then it’s like, boom, the train’s moving. Yeah. And it’s left the station. And what’s going to happen is going to happen.

00:51:02:04 – 00:51:04:04

Chris Hayzel

Yes. And you’re just along for the ride.

00:51:04:08 – 00:51:05:15

Molly Rogers

Yeah. And it’s a.

00:51:05:15 – 00:51:07:12

Chris Hayzel

Really cool feeling.

00:51:07:14 – 00:51:18:20

Molly Rogers

Yeah. It can, it can be. Yeah. If you, if you let yourself like take that train. Yeah. Exactly. It’s it’s the fighting you know that that, that where the fear comes in and all that stuff.

00:51:19:01 – 00:51:41:02

Steve Goldshein

Yeah I think there’s, yeah, there’s, there’s a parallel to acting as well. A couple years ago I took an online filmmaking course when I was looking for stuff to learn and when we learned, learned about continuity and, and filming things from multiple angles and how on a film set, there’s usually only one camera. So they move things. And every time you see a new angle shot, they did it all over again.

00:51:41:02 – 00:52:00:14

Steve Goldshein

And so the actors for film have to think about doing it the same way, using the same gestures to the same degree, so that later when the editor puts it together, they’re not just working with drastically different performances versus performing as an actor on stage in a, in a theater setting.

00:52:00:15 – 00:52:05:15

Molly Rogers

That’s. Yeah. Where you just I’ve never really thought about it that that’s true. It’s it’s, you know.

00:52:05:15 – 00:52:29:11

Steve Goldshein

It’s analogous to the, to recording for because you have to play, you know, when you do five takes of something in the studio. Sure. There will be subtle differences between them, but especially if it’s something that’s going to be overlaid. Common. You know, you’ve you’ve done recording sessions where it’s mixed with samples and layered. You’ll get the mock up before before you do that, but you’re not necessarily trying to perform it exactly the same way.

00:52:29:11 – 00:52:38:09

Steve Goldshein

You’re trying to add that little nuance. So that’s, you know, kind of bridging the gap there where you’re recording in the studio, like doing it as a live performance.

00:52:38:11 – 00:52:41:06

Molly Rogers

Exactly, exactly. Yeah, yeah.

00:52:41:08 – 00:53:07:19

Chris Hayzel

With the Huns tour, your career starts to go in a different trajectory, and I’m assuming you just start getting all of these other projects like that probably leads to another, leads to another, and starts to build into what your career is now, aside from the administrative stuff, what have been some of the biggest challenges of, of adapting to that new lifestyle?

00:53:07:23 – 00:53:09:16

Chris Hayzel

Because it’s got to be different, right?

00:53:09:18 – 00:53:31:15

Molly Rogers

You know, I don’t want to say it’s not a challenge because it because it is. But I think that’s the beautiful thing about living in the city, too, is that I do and I think many other musicians in town get to do so many different types of things. you know, whereas if I had a career in an orchestra, I’d be doing, you know, the same thing every week, you know, so to speak.

00:53:31:15 – 00:53:57:23

Molly Rogers

And or in New York, you know, often there’s a lot of like, oh, I’d be doing the same Broadway show, which, doing me wrong. I love Broadway, but for me personally, I don’t know that I could do the same show, for several weeks or months at a time. especially now, the lifestyle that I have, like, you know, I could be going with my string quartet and we could be doing a pop session where we’re like, improv, you know, helping them right on the spot.

00:53:57:23 – 00:54:18:15

Molly Rogers

And then I could be walking into a film scoring session and doing that, and then I might have a show that night or something, and my brain does feel a little buzzy running from thing to thing to thing. but it keeps it fresh and it keeps it exciting. One of the hardest things for me is just like making time for personal life.

00:54:18:15 – 00:54:33:22

Molly Rogers

I know that that is probably you probably hear that a lot. or even personal projects, like there’s so many things that I feel like I would be inspired to do for myself, you know, and I miss I miss writing with Scott, like we used to write all the time and do the, you know, the rock fan stuff.

00:54:33:23 – 00:54:40:15

Molly Rogers

And, then we had a, we had a duo thing called household for a while, which I was really loving.

00:54:41:11 – 00:54:43:07

Chris Hayzel

I remember that I love. Yeah.

00:54:43:09 – 00:55:01:17

Molly Rogers

But it’s like, genuinely, it’s so hard to, to fit that in because on the days that I might have a chance, I’m so exhausted and kind of burnt out. Like, he’s so funny, like he’ll sit on the couch and play guitar, like all night long. Like I’m like, hey, there is a scorer in this movie. You know, you don’t have to play.

00:55:01:18 – 00:55:30:05

Molly Rogers

Yeah, I love that play anyway. And and for me, like, I’m not going to, I’m not going to pull my violin out and start noodling, you know, like that’s just not a thing. And also you do worry as a freelancer, you always you’re never secure. I mean, there’s no real such thing as a sense of security anyway. But you do you do wonder, like, okay, well, I have this project, but like, what is coming next?

00:55:30:05 – 00:55:51:03

Molly Rogers

And I’m finally just starting to learn how to sit in the like, okay, like something will come kind of energy. But I think that was so hard. And is it been so hard for so long to worry about, like, okay, well, I didn’t get that call and I don’t really know why. So I, I hope that, you know, something else is coming.

00:55:51:05 – 00:56:12:11

Molly Rogers

And now it’s like it’s like that decision of like, well, do I take this gig? Because I’m worried that if I say no, then they will ask me for a future thing, right? That’s that’s very common in this industry, you know, out of sight, out of mind kind of thing. Or they think you’re too busy or, or whatever it is, but then you’ve literally given yourself no free time.

00:56:12:11 – 00:56:26:10

Molly Rogers

So at what point do you say, like, okay, this day off has to be a day off, right? Versus like, oh, it’s a free day, so I can take work this day and I can really I can really run myself into the ground that way.

00:56:26:14 – 00:56:28:23

Chris Hayzel

Yeah. How often are you working?

00:56:29:01 – 00:56:30:10

Molly Rogers

How often am I working?

00:56:30:10 – 00:56:36:03

Chris Hayzel

Yeah. Like how often are you working versus how often do you take that day off for yourself?

00:56:37:14 – 00:56:42:05

Steve Goldshein

well, when’s the last time you took a day off? Yeah. It’s a it’s another way to phrase that question.

00:56:42:11 – 00:57:06:17

Molly Rogers

Yeah. You know, I actually did just take a vacation for five days. Nice for you. But I basically had to say, fuck it like I had, like, it was a crazy, especially for my cortex. My cortex. Very, very busy as well. Like, a huge part of my calendar is my string quartet. Orchid Quartet, which I formed with, the women from the Yoshiki tour.

00:57:06:17 – 00:57:26:16

Molly Rogers

Like, we just were really good friends. And we realized a couple years later, hey, we make a string quartet. We should do something with this. and we were, I think, much of at the time, but now it’s, like, really taken off, which is been amazing. but I left them on a week where we had, like, multiple gigs in a day, like there were 2 to 3 things happening every day.

00:57:26:16 – 00:57:47:04

Molly Rogers

And I was like, hey, please don’t murder me. But like, I really need some time off. Like, you know, I just, I because I spent, I think I was supposed to take a vacation and then we got like the Grammy’s call, and so we had to cancel it, and I was like, oh, wow. Listen, I haven’t taken a vacation since 2021, and I just made a few days.

00:57:47:06 – 00:57:48:02

Molly Rogers

Yeah.

00:57:48:04 – 00:57:52:22

Chris Hayzel

Did you really take that time off? Were you were you, like buzzing about this? Yeah, it was good.

00:57:52:22 – 00:58:04:19

Molly Rogers

In the past I’ve been like, like, you know, taking phone calls or whatever at this time. You know, I answered some emails, but for the most part, I was, I was good. That’s like the type of.

00:58:04:21 – 00:58:05:16

Chris Hayzel

Good for you.

00:58:05:18 – 00:58:06:07

Molly Rogers

Yeah, yeah.

00:58:06:12 – 00:58:25:12

Steve Goldshein

I mean, one of the this is definitely something that, that a lot of people in the industry struggle with is the, the admin side and being able to balance the work with, with personal life or just just making sure that everything is actually getting done. And, a few years ago I read a book called Atomic Habits, which talks about how to based.

00:58:25:13 – 00:58:26:10

Molly Rogers

On another book.

00:58:26:10 – 00:58:48:02

Steve Goldshein

Yeah. Great book. James Clear. Highly recommend to that, to the whole audience as well. talks about how setting up systems of things that happen regularly day to day or week to week, that that get done so that because not every day is the day that some big dramatic thing happens that changes your trajectory, that, you know, those those come.

00:58:48:04 – 00:58:48:15

Molly Rogers

Right.

00:58:48:20 – 00:59:07:03

Steve Goldshein

Rarely or fewer and far between. However, when you’re building a career like the type that you’ve had, where you are going from a big high profile gig to big, high profile gig, it probably feels like each each, every single thing that you have lined up on the calendar could be the thing that that rockets you that.

00:59:07:04 – 00:59:29:17

Molly Rogers

Yeah, that’s the challenge, right? Right is you’re like, how to prioritize this. Yes. And it’s it’s you know I’m not there are like high profile things. But then there’s that everyday work which is like less profile. But it’s, you know, it’s your bread and butter to one that could lead to the next thing. And there’s, there’s just that there are always anxiety of like, you never know how serious to take this.

00:59:29:19 – 00:59:34:03

Steve Goldshein

Right? Yeah. It’s I mean it’s like scaling your business as a, as a freelancer. Yeah.

00:59:34:04 – 00:59:35:14

Molly Rogers

And yeah.

00:59:35:16 – 00:59:48:18

Steve Goldshein

Yeah. It’s you share that you have the baseline things happen. But then as a as it relates just day to day when do you find time to practice. Because you know as a, as a, you know you still need to do that sometimes you still need, you know, even though you’re performing.

00:59:48:23 – 00:59:51:04

Molly Rogers

It’s an embarrassing question.

00:59:51:06 – 00:59:51:19

Steve Goldshein

So it’s.

00:59:51:19 – 01:00:17:09

Molly Rogers

My passion. No, no. My practice I really I’ve gotten to the point right now where I’m practicing for a gig or I’m practicing for sure if there’s like things that I that I need to be doing for it. But yeah, I those those days of like, oh, I’m going to pick up the violin to play today. Like those are those are few and far between, you know, I mean I but I’m lucky if I, if I can not leave the house before, you know, 8:00 am and I’m back late these days.

01:00:17:09 – 01:00:22:13

Molly Rogers

So. Yeah. Because I also, you know, LA takes everywhere drive time. You got to factor that into it.

01:00:22:17 – 01:00:24:21

Chris Hayzel

So yeah at least an hour.

01:00:24:23 – 01:00:26:09

Molly Rogers

At least.

01:00:26:11 – 01:00:28:00

Chris Hayzel

If not two.

01:00:28:01 – 01:00:28:23

Molly Rogers

Yeah.

01:00:29:00 – 01:00:42:14

Chris Hayzel

So of all the projects that you’ve, that you’ve, you know, had the privilege of working on, are there any that stick out in your mind is like the most enjoyable or that you have the most fun working on?

01:00:42:16 – 01:01:07:13

Molly Rogers

Yeah, I mean, there’s been a few obviously working with horns is such a dream come true. And and I just look forward so much to seeing everybody all the time. it just warms my heart so much. the Game of Thrones live show was really exciting for me. Also, the I did this stunt in this show, it’s like a stunt, but they were they lifted me up in the air.

01:01:08:06 – 01:01:15:18

Molly Rogers

so I actually was, like, harnessed. And I had to, like, go to Vegas and get fitted for harness. And I.

01:01:15:22 – 01:01:16:23

Steve Goldshein

That’s a stunt.

01:01:17:00 – 01:01:44:19

Molly Rogers

Yeah, yeah. I mean, it’s a stunt. It’s so funny, cause for me, I am actually terrified of heights, like, legitimately horrified of heights. And so when they first asked me about it, I was like, yeah, sure. and I remember that we, you know, first time I ever tried it was, we flew to London and we were doing, production rehearsals in London before the tour.

01:01:44:21 – 01:01:56:04

Molly Rogers

And I remember the first time I went up all the way, I like I thought to myself like, oh, man, I really messed up. Like, I don’t, I don’t know if I can do it. Like genuine fear of, like, I know.

01:01:56:06 – 01:01:56:22

Chris Hayzel

How high the.

01:01:56:22 – 01:02:08:21

Molly Rogers

Thing is, I think it was 35 or something like that. That’s just like I remember looking up like, could I die if I fell from this height? And it was like maybe a 5050 chance of, yeah.

01:02:09:03 – 01:02:10:06

Chris Hayzel

At least break your legs.

01:02:10:06 – 01:02:12:01

Steve Goldshein

At least, at least break your legs.

01:02:12:05 – 01:02:35:16

Molly Rogers

Sure. For sure. Yeah. And I remember, like, not being able to sleep for, you know, the first few days of those rehearsals because I was just like, you know, I have stage fright as it is much less like. And it and also this exchanges because you’re so used to like literally having your feet on the ground and having one tower come from, you know, your core energy and like being like sat there.

01:02:35:19 – 01:03:01:15

Molly Rogers

I don’t even like playing in heels. Like I often will play barefoot because I want that like grounding feeling. And so like the whole physics of it change and all that stuff and, visualization. I’m an amazing therapist who, like, helps me work through all of that stuff. So visualization was huge. And also I just kept my eyes shut, like a big part of the whole thing is the actual physical vertigo of it.

01:03:01:21 – 01:03:22:18

Molly Rogers

Yeah. So before those performances, I would literally like I would get set, they would like, they’d basically tie my bow to my wrist so that if I like, dropped it on an audience member, something not going to happen. It would just like so they’d come in and they like, they’d hook me up, they like tie it all to me and all this stuff.

01:03:22:19 – 01:03:47:02

Molly Rogers

And I remember I would, I would like take a deep breath. And I closed my eyes and then they’d, like, start lifting me up and stuff, and I don’t know, I think that was so life changing for me, just to be able to overcome that huge fear and find joy in it, like I really did. Like I remember like crying several times during those shows just because I was like, this is like, who gets to do this?

01:03:47:02 – 01:04:09:15

Molly Rogers

Like who gets to play and make like remains music, you know, up in the air. Like it was just such a crazy experience. So I’ll definitely never forget that one. That’s awesome. Yeah. And then I just I love playing with my string quartet like, they’re they’re my best friends. And we’ve been, you know, we’ve been like as business partners, like growing this thing.

01:04:09:15 – 01:04:38:17

Molly Rogers

Like I said, my teacher was like, yeah, don’t chamber music’s too hard, you know? And now he has a full career as a as a quartet, playing together and gigging together all the time. And, you know, backing up Billie Eilish and the Grammys and all of the stuff. It’s just been that’s been really a dream come true. And I admire those women so much too, because they’re they’re such hard workers, you know, and and it all it feels equal, you know, and it’s always very exciting.

01:04:38:17 – 01:05:10:06

Molly Rogers

And, it’s really important to us, too. I started working for, Encompass Music Partners, as a, as a associate contractor recently, too. And I was talking to Peter and Laura, about this. And I always talked to my quartet about this. in this industry, it’s so easy to feel jaded, I think, because they’re just so many reasons, you know, the music and the people and the money and all these things that you just, you know, it can it can make people over it and make people roar.

01:05:10:06 – 01:05:39:00

Molly Rogers

And I think, I feel so lucky because the people that I am surrounded with have it as their goal to not let that happen to them, to remember that what we do is so rare and like that we’re bringing joy to so many people and like bringing joy to ourselves and like, you know, we’re making music that we grew up with and that changed our lives in film and movies and TV like these things.

01:05:39:00 – 01:06:08:13

Molly Rogers

Like, really, I it matters. Like, I hate that, like, be that person who’s like, how music, you know, like, I don’t want to sound self-important at all, but it it is true that people latch on to these things emotionally and it can carry them through. So as I mentioned, you know, at the beginning through hard times. And so it is important to remember the joy behind it all and the privilege that we have to make all this music together.

01:06:08:13 – 01:06:12:18

Molly Rogers

So I feel really privileged to to do that with the people I do it with.

01:06:12:20 – 01:06:30:05

Chris Hayzel

Yeah, music does matter. Art matters. Art moves people. But I don’t think it’s self-important of you to say that. I think, you know, most people, whether they’re musicians or not, can at least point to one form of art. I know that there are some people that don’t listen to music, which does blow my mind.

01:06:30:05 – 01:06:31:22

Steve Goldshein

I’ve literally never met one.

01:06:31:22 – 01:06:38:20

Chris Hayzel

But you know, they can point to one form of art or another and say, hey, that matters. Yeah, you know, that makes a difference in people’s lives.

01:06:38:20 – 01:06:40:07

Molly Rogers

And,

01:06:40:09 – 01:06:58:14

Chris Hayzel

It’s being able to be part of the act of creating those things. especially when you’re doing it as part of a collective with people that you enjoy. And coming together to do this thing that’s sort of greater than the sum of its parts. Yeah, it’s a really beautiful experience.

01:06:58:16 – 01:07:16:01

Molly Rogers

It’s it’s something that everybody has access to. You know, I think you’ll you’ll say, oh, we’re not curing cancer and we’re not, but we are giving access to healing and an outlet for people, that we sorely need absolutely and will always sorely need.

01:07:16:02 – 01:07:26:00

Steve Goldshein

And there will always be a need for new versions of it and for for music to be made again and again. It’s not it’s not a singular event. It’s not one performance. And then you.

01:07:26:00 – 01:07:27:04

Molly Rogers

And then exactly.

01:07:27:05 – 01:07:38:01

Steve Goldshein

It’s an ongoing thing and it’s an experience you want to have multiple times and have that experience change because you play different music or you play the same music in a little different way, it never truly.

01:07:38:01 – 01:07:38:20

Molly Rogers

Ends.

01:07:38:22 – 01:08:01:07

Steve Goldshein

And I think that what resonates with me about your story and growing up, and the difference between your experience and what I heard was your mom’s experience. Your mom had a teacher who really discouraged her. And yeah, and the approach that your parents took was, do you want to do this? And you as a four year old said, yeah, I want to do that.

01:08:01:07 – 01:08:02:16

Steve Goldshein

That looks fun and exciting.

01:08:02:22 – 01:08:03:12

Molly Rogers

Yeah.

01:08:03:14 – 01:08:13:22

Steve Goldshein

It wasn’t an imposed decision. It wasn’t something that they were, you know, except for, you know, once you once you started along that path, there were things that were imposed upon it.

01:08:13:22 – 01:08:15:05

Molly Rogers

Yeah, yeah.

01:08:15:06 – 01:08:15:22

Steve Goldshein

But you didn’t know.

01:08:15:23 – 01:08:17:10

Molly Rogers

What’s behind it for. Sure. Sure.

01:08:17:10 – 01:08:51:18

Steve Goldshein

But you chose to walk the path. You did. You did take that first step and you were able to see that path as something beautiful and joyful and worth walking and having something bright and happy to move towards within it. And and you had teachers and, and support around you that really fostered that. And now you’re in a position where you’re a prominent part of a community that’s doing that at a at a higher level here in LA and among other professional musicians who who have the same kind of beautiful relationship with music as you do.

01:08:51:20 – 01:09:17:03

Steve Goldshein

And I, you know, I hope that our listeners get get inspiration from, from this as well, because I, you know, I encourage everyone to try music it find some way in which you can relate to music and which in which you can, whether you become, whether you play an instrument or not, or whether you just learn how to enjoy listening to music more and learn what different instruments sound like and what you know, you don’t have to.

01:09:17:03 – 01:09:27:19

Steve Goldshein

You don’t have to learn the ins and outs of music theory with, you know, that giant, thick book of scales and memorize everything and learn how to play every song and all 12 keys and.

01:09:27:19 – 01:09:29:07

Molly Rogers

No, you know.

01:09:29:09 – 01:09:30:07

Steve Goldshein

But but some of the.

01:09:30:07 – 01:09:33:04

Molly Rogers

Greatest composers I know can read music, right.

01:09:33:06 – 01:09:41:18

Steve Goldshein

Exactly. Like there’s, you know, there’s not a there are not the, conservatory like barriers to entry for enjoyment.

01:09:41:20 – 01:09:51:21

Molly Rogers

Absolutely not. No. And, I don’t think anybody’s ever really asked anything about my conservatory training or anything like that. Right? Right.

01:09:51:23 – 01:10:00:07

Steve Goldshein

Yeah, yeah. Get out there and do it. You know, just try, try it. And and and ways to enjoy it. That’s what, that’s what that and that of all this and that’s great.

01:10:00:07 – 01:10:03:14

Molly Rogers

Yeah. That’s that’s what I get behind for sure.

01:10:03:16 – 01:10:11:16

Chris Hayzel

Tell us a little bit more about Orchid Quartet. I want to hear what you guys are working on. What’s, what’s coming up for you that you’re excited about?

01:10:11:18 – 01:10:41:20

Molly Rogers

Yeah. I mean, we all have our individual careers in LA, as I do. They do as well. but we do a lot of different things. We work, with this company called Cheever. You’ve probably seen these ads for candlelight concerts, maybe around town. Your algorithms, like, I. we’ve been doing that with them since 2019, and it started at a company that started in Spain.

01:10:42:00 – 01:11:11:16

Molly Rogers

And then, they came over to LA, and it was just this really small thing in this small sanctuary in a church, and now it’s exploded in there and over 190 cities across the world. And we do these shows with them quite a lot, which is then, in my opinion, really amazing for the, chamber music community in Los Angeles, because in no world were groups getting to play shows multiple times a month with a sold out audience.

01:11:11:16 – 01:11:35:19

Molly Rogers

You know, so we’re, you know, they’ll come up to us and be like, I’ve never seen a live violin before. I mean, it’s really, really a cool thing. and we have a lot of fun with those. And we do anything from classical like Vivaldi to covers of, you know, we do, Radiohead show. We do a Pink Floyd shout out also, Taylor Swift, one of the really popular ones.

01:11:35:21 – 01:11:39:03

Steve Goldshein

I don’t say.

01:11:39:19 – 01:12:03:21

Molly Rogers

and so those are a blast. and, we keep doing that and that actually, that is one of the one personal projects that I have been putting my time into, which is this thing called OCU X, and we had this idea a long time ago, which was like, what if we were the band? You know, we so often are hired to play, perform and record with bands.

01:12:03:21 – 01:12:27:18

Molly Rogers

It’s like, oh, we’re adding strings to the song. We want to have you. But like, what if we were the guitars? What if we were the drums? What if we were the bass? All that stuff like arrange string quartet, with the vocalist. So we, hooked up finally with this, producer friend of ours who came to one of the candlelight shows and had this idea entirely on his own, and then came to us about it.

01:12:27:18 – 01:12:49:12

Molly Rogers

We were like, no way. This is what we’ve been wanting to do for so long. And, she was super inspired. And so he has been able to really push us, and he’s dedicated a lot of his time into helping get this project going. So we’ve been doing it. We record, in studio, live for the most part.

01:12:49:22 – 01:13:10:01

Molly Rogers

and then we’ve been doing these like shows kind of to support and offset the costs. and we had we just released our first one with an artist named Belle singing one of her songs. and then we’ll be doing it with, Mike viola, who is, an amazing musician and, you know, Mike, and some, some other amazing musicians.

01:13:10:01 – 01:13:31:01

Molly Rogers

Milk. and, yeah, we one of our last performances was, the Metzler violin shop. We decided we were going to do one there, and I think that’s kind of going to be our home base a little bit, because it was really cool. It’s a very old. There’s like music everywhere, and it kind of has like Tiny Desk vibes and it feels really intimate.

01:13:31:01 – 01:13:49:15

Molly Rogers

So we’re kind of hoping that it becomes a regular thing where we’re getting together and like you as a singer songwriter, want to come and have your song arranged for quartet, and it becomes like a new experience for people to come see and also for artists to explore new avenues of, of their music as well.

01:13:49:17 – 01:13:51:15

Chris Hayzel

That’s all. Sounds amazing. Yeah, that sounds fun.

01:13:51:15 – 01:13:55:10

Molly Rogers

Yeah, it’s super, super fun. You guys going to come out on the next one? I’m like no.

01:13:55:12 – 01:14:00:09

Chris Hayzel

Yeah, yeah, definitely. We’re where can people keep up with work at quartet?

01:14:00:11 – 01:14:15:14

Molly Rogers

Yeah. You just, you know, follow us on all the socials we’re at Orchid Quartet. Like the flower orchid. we have a website you can learn about Oaks. and we’re on Spotify now. We just released, you know, all the streaming, all the Apple Music, all that fun space.

01:14:15:14 – 01:14:16:03

Steve Goldshein

Congrats.

01:14:16:03 – 01:14:20:17

Chris Hayzel

Yeah. We’ll put all the links in the show notes for you guys. So definitely easy for you to find.

01:14:20:19 – 01:14:22:16

Molly Rogers

Awesome. Thanks. Yeah.

01:14:22:18 – 01:14:42:01

Chris Hayzel

Well, before before we sign off, you know, for the day, for anybody that’s starting out on their music journey, you know, looking ahead, and trying to figure out their goals or work towards their goals, like what would be the one piece of advice I’d give to them?

01:14:42:03 – 01:15:06:20

Molly Rogers

It would only be true to myself to say that, to make sure that you keep connecting with the emotion behind the music, to remember why you’re doing this, to remember that you’re not doing this for glory, or for it to prove something to your parents or to, you know, make anybody else feel good other than, you know, the people that you want to make feel good.

01:15:06:20 – 01:15:31:07

Molly Rogers

If that’s yourself and you’re doing it for yourselves, then that’s the goal. If you’re doing it because you love looking out into an audience and seeing as, you know, a smile on somebodies face or the tears falling down, or if you’re doing it because you know what it feels like to put that album on and hear it inside your head for days and days and weeks and months, like just to connect to what that feeling is.

01:15:31:09 – 01:15:35:00

Molly Rogers

And remember that that’s where the heart of music lies.

01:15:35:02 – 01:15:35:23

Chris Hayzel

Very beautifully.

01:15:35:23 – 01:15:37:06

Steve Goldshein

Put. Absolutely.

01:15:37:06 – 01:15:39:05

Chris Hayzel

Thank you. Thank you for coming on. Is really.

01:15:39:09 – 01:15:43:12

Molly Rogers

thank you for having me. It’s a pleasure talking to you both.

01:15:43:14 – 01:16:04:02

Chris Hayzel

Thanks for listening. And special thanks to Marley for coming on the podcast. Check the show notes below to keep up with her on social media, and check out OKC’s Orchid Quartet’s latest project. And while you’re there, feel free to explore a little bit. They’ve done a bunch of arrangements and collaborations, and they can almost guarantee you that you’re going to absolutely love what you hear.

01:16:04:04 – 01:16:31:23

Chris Hayzel

If you like this conversation and you want to hear more like it, please remember to rate and review the show. Every bit of feedback is hugely helpful and much appreciated. You can find us on Instagram at Museo and on YouTube at Museo Dot official for more content. And if you’re a music creator and you’re looking for high quality virtual instruments, head over to museo.com to get over 1800 industry leading virtual instruments completely free for 30 days.

01:16:32:00 – 01:16:40:12

Chris Hayzel

We hope you enjoyed this chat. We look forward to catching you on the next one. Until then, I’m Chris Hazel and this is orchestrated and music podcast.