Golden Hour with Charlene Kaye

Episodes

1. 10

   Bohan Phoenix Rapping His Way from New York to China

   Season 3 finale! Charlene and Dave talk to the talented, hilarious, and charismatic hip hop artist Bohan Phoenix. Dialing from Chengdu, China, where he now resides, we get into his origins coming to the US when he was 11 years old, his rise in the New York City hip hop scene, and his return to...

   May 1, 2024

   1h 01m
2. 9

   Ashrita Kumar of Pinkshift, a Fully Formed Punk Rock Icon

   Today on the pod: Charlene and Dave share their first concert experiences. Then, they talk with Ashrita Kumar, the captivating frontperson of the punk band Pinkshift. Ashrita shares stories from their med school experience, the band’s pandemic-era origins and ascent, and how writing music brought...

   Apr 1, 2024

   58m
3. 8

   Crossing Rain, the Hawaiian Boy Band We Didn't Know We Needed

   Hawaii is a special place for Golden Hour. Charlene was born and grew up there, returning often. Dave visited for the first time a few years ago and fell in love. Not the mention the Pacific island has the highest percentage of Asians and mixed race people of any state in the US, and of course it...

   Mar 1, 2024

   53m
4. 7

   FIG and the Joy of Solo Dates

   This month on the pod! Charlene has been taking inspiration from Jimmy O. Yang’s comedy special. Dave is celebrating BEEF’s awards wins and has been binging season 3 of Single’s Inferno. Then! We are joined by the incredible indie pop artist FIG, whose latest single Solo Dates is all about...

   Jan 31, 2024

   56m
5. 6

   Sonny Singh's Infinite Optimism Through Spirituality and Music

   It's almost 2024! Char and Dave reveal their most played songs of the past year and set their themes for the new one. Then, they are joined by artist and activist Sonny Singh to talk about his album Chardi Kala, the time he worked with Tom Morello from Rage Against the Machine, and his love/hate...

   Dec 27, 2023

   50m
6. 5

   Dorothy & Jisu of Sundial: From Berklee College "Jams" to Their Own Roaring Twenties

   This month on the pod, Charlene opened for the icon Madame Ghandi and Dave got a new electronic drum set. Then, we're joined by Dorothy Chan and Jisu Kim (and before you ask, yes, they are a couple) of the pop duo Sundial! The two met at Berklee College of Music, and since 2016 have been putting...

   Dec 9, 2023

   56m
7. 4

   NoSo Is Happy and Proud and Is Ready to Connect With You

   On this episode of Golden Hour: Char moved to Brooklyn, Dave finished The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and we give a Golden Goose Award to our favorite hip-hop/punk collective out of South Korea. Then, Char and Dave interview NoSo, aka Baek Hwong, an LA-based indie singer-songwriter.…

   more
   Oct 26, 2023

   57m
8. 3

   Season 3 Kickoff! - Miss Grit and Following the Cyborg

   Char and Dave are back with Season 3 of Golden Hour! They talk about joining the Potluck Podcast Collective, highlights from the 3rd Golden Hour Fest in Brooklyn, and Charlene showers Olivia Rodrigo with praise for her new album GUTS. Then, Charlene is joined by the incredible indie artist Miss...

   Sep 27, 2023

   59m
9. 2

   No-No Boy - Songs About the Missing Chapters of American History

   Today on the pod, host Charlene Kaye talks with with the charming and brilliant songwriter Julian Saporiti, aka No-No Boy. Right from the artist's name, there is hidden history baked in, as the "no-no boys" were Japanese Americans who were questioned during World War 2 about their allegiance to…

   more
   Apr 14, 2023

   47m
10. 1

    Connie K. Lim (aka MILCK) - Finding Her Way Through Trauma and Creating a Viral Protest Anthem

    In today's episode, host Charlene Kaye invites over Connie K. Lim, AKA MILCK, to come to her home studio in New York. The Chinese American singer-songwriter shares her journey of surviving domestic abuse as a teenager and how she used music to channel her trauma. The two also get into how the...

    Mar 15, 2023

    51m
11. Yvette Young of Covet - The Guitar Virtuoso talks Love of Butt Rock, Overcoming Anorexia, and Sticking Up for Herself

    Yvette Young plays guitar like no one else. A self-taught virtuoso, Yvette started on classical piano and violin and was subjected to a brutal practice regimen, which ultimately led her to an eating disorder in order regain some control over her life. She ultimately fell in love with music again,...

    Mar 2, 2023

    42m
12. Kimmortal - The Filipinx Canadian Talks Community-Driven Hip Hop

    Kim Villagante, AKA Kimmortal, is a Vancouver-based, queer, non-binary, Filipinx rapper, singer, actor, activist, visual artist and all-around badass. Today on the show, host Charlene Kaye gets into it with Kim on being a multidisciplinary artist, their fraught relationship with the word...

    Feb 15, 2023

    36m
13. Jess Bowen of The Summer Set - Being "the Girl in the Band" and Learning to Take Up Space

    On today's episode, Charlene catches up with her former Scottsdale, Arizona schoolmate-turned-rock-star, Jess Bowen. Jess, who is half Filipina, is primarily known as the drummer of the pop punk quartet, The Summer Set, which formed when the members were still in high school. The band broke up in...

    Feb 1, 2023

    42m
14. Lea Thomas - Finding Spirituality in Nature and Music

    Today on the show, Charlene talks with singer-songwriter Lea Thomas. Born on the island of Maui in Hawaii, the half Japanese musician remembers writing her first songs about her childhood banyan tree with her beloved first guitar. Later, she dove into the music industry and city life in New York,...

    Jan 18, 2023

    46m
15. Telling His "American Bollywood" Story - Sameer Gadhia of Young the Giant

    Sameer Gadhia is the powerhouse vocalist of the alternative rock band Young the Giant. For over a decade, the Indian American singer and songwriter has helped lead the seminal group through multiple gold and platinum singles and five full length albums, the latest, American Bollywood, was…

    more
    Jan 4, 2023

    44m
16. "F*ck Your Opinion" - MICHELLE (Emma Lee and Jamee Lockard)

    On this episode, Charlene is joined by Emma Lee and Jamee Lockard of MICHELLE. Emma and Jamee are two of the four lead vocalists in one of the most buzzed about bands to come out of the New York indie pop scene in the last few years. Both are Korean American and New York City natives, who write...

    Dec 21, 2022

    38m
17. Med School, Battling Depression, and Producing Music All Herself - SuperKnova

    Today on the pod, an in-person conversation with Charlene and Ellie Kim, aka SuperKnova. Ellie is a Korean American transgender artist who writes, shreds guitar, produces, mixes, and masters all her own music. Her highly personal music aims to put the queer experience front and center. She also...

    Dec 7, 2022

    34m
18. From Humble Beginnings to Superstardom - Black Eyed Peas' Apl.de.Ap

    Apl.de.Ap's journey from a poor farming community in the Philippines to a member of the one of the best-selling musical acts of all time is nothing short of miraculous. To give him better opportunities, his mother sent Apl, whose real name is Allan Pineda, to Los Angeles to live with an adopted...

    Nov 22, 2022

    33m
19. BONUS EPISODE: Season 1 Recap - How It Started, How It's Going

    In this special bonus episode, Charlene and producer Dave Yim close out the first season of Golden Hour by talking about the origin the show and re-visit some of their favorite moments from the past nine episodes. Thank you so much for being a part of our little community, and we'll be back later...

    Feb 2, 2022

    29m
20. Nobuko Miyamoto - The Birth of the Asian American Movement

    For our final guest of Season 1 of Golden Hour, we wanted to take it back to a time when the term "Asian American" was only just being born. In the late 60s and early 70s, a new political consciousness was forming amidst the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War. It was out of this time…

    more
    Jan 12, 2022

    43m
21. Shanghai Restoration Project - Give Up a Day Job and Collaborating with Your Partner

    Shanghai Restoration Project is a band that is as uninhibited and imaginative as their name suggests. In this episode of Golden Hour, the two members of this genre-bending electronic duo, Dave Liang and Sun Yunfan, talk with Charlene all the way from their new home in Barcelona, Spain. They…

    more
    Dec 21, 2021

    37m
22. Thao Nguyen - Finding Healing In Music and Becoming Her Truest Self

    In this episode Charlene gets into it deep with the magnificent artist Thao Nguyen. She is most well-known as the charismatic frontwoman of Thao & The Get Down Stay Down, whose latest album Temple was released in 2020. Charlene and Thao talk about her long and prolific songwriting career…

    more
    Nov 17, 2021

    38m
23. Ian Chang - The Singular Drummer on His Road to Becoming a Professional Musician

    Today on the pod, Charlene catches up with her friend, the brilliant drummer and composer Ian Chang. Ian's style of drumming is utterly singular, and his wildly inventive songs have been praised by everyone from NPR to Modern Drummer. While Ian is perhaps best known as a member of the dark indie...

    Nov 3, 2021

    41m
24. ÊMIA (Anh Le) - Storytelling in Songwriting and Singing Karaoke Backup Vocals

    In today’s episode, Charlene meets up with fellow New Yorker Anh Le, better known as ÊMIA. The 24-year-old Vietnamese American is a singer-songwriter whose music boasts a mix of powerful pop vocals, clever songwriting, and creative production styles. Charlene and Anh discover they have a lot in...

    Oct 19, 2021

    37m
25. Mike Park - Asian Man Records Founder on a Life in Punk Music

    To say that Mike Park is an icon in the world of ska and punk music would be an understatement. Not only is he the frontman of the ska/punk bands The Chinkees, Bruce Lee Band, and Skankin' Pickle, but after starting his own label Asian Man Records in 1996, he's worked with over 100 artists…

    more
    Oct 5, 2021

    42m
26. Kenton Chen - Viral YouTube Covers and Learning Self Love

    In today's episode Charlene is joined by the unbelievably talented Kenton Chen. Kenton is known for his jaw-dropping covers on YouTube with Scary Pockets and Postmodern Jukebox. He's sung with artists such as Kesha, Portugal the Man, Demi Lovato, and Jennifer Hudson. Charlene and Kenton talk…

    more
    Sep 21, 2021

    40m
27. Stephanie Jae Park - Becoming Eliza Hamilton and Finding Her Voice

    Our second guest on the podcast is the incredible Stephanie Jae Park! Stephanie is a Korean American actor, singer and songwriter who currently plays Eliza Hamilton on the national tour of Hamilton and has a long list of Broadway credits that include the King and I, Cinderella and more. During…

    more
    Jun 28, 2021

    46m
28. Darren Criss - Returning to Music and Mixed Race Identity

    My first guest on the podcast is one of my oldest friends and musical comrades, Darren Criss. Darren and I met at the University of Michigan at our very first open mic, when I saw him playing "I'll Make a Man out of You" from Mulan on an acoustic guitar (so late 2000s). We became instant friends...

    May 18, 2021

    46m