Ever wonder why some songs seem to take up residence in your mind and never let go? What is it about those compositions that draw you in? What makes a good song great? The Darren and Micah Show on KWVH is a show that can answer those questions. Two pros look at songs from two different perspectives — one from the angle of a musician and producer, and the other from the angle of a marketer.
On one side of the mic is Darren Drewitz, a clear-eyed, 30-year marketing guru who can tell you precisely how to market your brand, be it music or anything else you want the world to know about. On the other side is Micah Wagner, a touring musician and music producer based in Austin. They are fast friends who love to articulate their deep connection to music.
“We’ll play a song and each of us will discuss why we think the song succeeds or not,” Drewitz said in a recent conversation. “Micah will tell us why the song delivers using the language of music theory and I’ll chime in with how it works in other ways.”
A couple of weeks ago, for example, the duo examined a Taylor Swift song that she had reissued from an earlier version. Micah and Darren examined both songs and could hear that the arrangement was different. “I liked the old version,” Drewitz said, “and Micah liked the new one. By talking it through, listeners could hear the criteria we used to explain our opinions.”
An important part of the duo’s process is defining terms and utilizing the vocabulary of music theory, which is an important boon for listeners who don’t have years of music training under their belts.
“Micah is a smart guy and I often translate what he says. In the process of our discussion, listeners learn what the song is — and what it is not,” Drewitz continued. “The show also gives us the opportunity to give credit to talented local, national and international musicians who don’t get the “props” they deserve.”
But it’s not all serious talk. The cohosts have fun and lots of it. They enjoy keeping their listeners up to date with new releases and celebrity news. And while the hosts look at music from different angles, they are not contentious in expressing their views, an important accomplishment in today’s world.
“A few of our listeners might like us to debate and disagree more but they ultimately love how passionate we are about the music we discuss, whether we agree about it or not,” said Drewitz. “The best feedback we get is that everyone says they learn something interesting from every show they listen to.”
The Darren and Micah Show airs each Tuesday evening at 6 p.m. on KWVH 94.3. Learn more about Micah at micahwagner.com and get the goods on Darren at mindecology. com. It’ll be time well spent.
