The Desert Vibe

We sit down with singer and arts leader Sandra Bassett to trace how a business mindset can protect a creative life and expand opportunity across a whole community. We dig into fair pay, authentic performance, and why the arts are not background noise but real economic power in Arizona. Website: www.thesandrabassett.com• negotiating a business major while keeping music central • leaving corporate life and proving herself through a Japan audition • rebuilding spaces and programs at Phoenix Center for the Arts • teaching artists the business of being an artist through BIPOC Arts • calling out stagnant musician pay and defining venue-artist partnership • moving between Motown, blues, and jazz with authenticity • using music as ministry and healing in healthcare settings • making covers personal through key choice, arrangement, and leadership • reframing Motown history through women’s leadership and civil rights impact • explaining arts advocacy through economic impact and the “BIPOC dollar” Support the showConnect with The Desert Vibe PodcastWebsite: https://www.thedesertvibepodcast.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61581168623261YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheDesertVibePodcastGet the Desert Vibe Podcast swag and support the show! https://www.thedesertvibepodcast.com/category/all-productsThe Desert Vibe Hosts: • Walt Richardson: https://walterrichardson.com   • Glen Gardner: https://glengardner.net   • Jamirae / The Blindsiders: https://www.facebook.com/theblindsiders/  The Desert Vibe Marketing & Website Team• Emma & James Mattison : https://emmaandjames.music#TheDesertVibe #ArizonaMusic #LiveMusicArizona #PhoenixMusic #TempeAZ

We talk with guitarist and songwriter Hannes Guevara about friendship, craft, and the quiet skills that make a musician indispensable onstage. The conversation moves from global life stories to concrete songwriting systems, plus the Tempe and Phoenix live music community that keeps pulling great players together. Website: HannesK.com• Seeing economics and music as the same search for patterns • Growing up in Iceland, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines before Arizona • The Phoenix and Tempe music scene as a co-op built on trust • Favorite gig memories and how family moments cement friendships • Songwriting approach built on constraints, chords first, and “inside the box” thinking • Using chord replacement formulas to generate new progressions • Finding a lyrical cue that turns into a whole song idea • Home demo workflow using Band-in-a-Box and GarageBand • “Tears Of Light” and the idea of flushing out excess light • How to sit in with strangers by watching hands and serving the song • Building tone with minimal effects and using a looper tastefully • Family stories, grandkids, and the Phoenix Boys Choir tours • Long-form song cycles that turn history and philosophy into music • Remembering Penny and the origin story of a lifelong musical bond Support the showConnect with The Desert Vibe PodcastWebsite: https://www.thedesertvibepodcast.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61581168623261YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheDesertVibePodcastGet the Desert Vibe Podcast swag and support the show! https://www.thedesertvibepodcast.com/category/all-productsThe Desert Vibe Hosts: • Walt Richardson: https://walterrichardson.com   • Glen Gardner: https://glengardner.net   • Jamirae / The Blindsiders: https://www.facebook.com/theblindsiders/  The Desert Vibe Marketing & Website Team• Emma & James Mattison : https://emmaandjames.music#TheDesertVibe #ArizonaMusic #LiveMusicArizona #PhoenixMusic #TempeAZ