mog Featured Music

Trav Nash music: fuel for a creative soul

The year of 2020 gave me a lot of time to think about how sound affects my mental health; inner city living is maddening. The result being that I have grown more particular than ever about the noise I allow into my day-to-day life.

Only recently have I come to appreciate the suburban ambience that comes through my office window. The past few months of a Covid-19 lockdown brought a tranquillity to this city that I am truly going to miss.

So, Melbourne is opening back up and I’m frightfully aware that a return to normality means a return to the sanity-sapping drone of human existence. To combat the ever-present aural assault of the outside world, I must return to the old ways. My brain needs fortification so that I might continue to function and produce creative work.

A most effective form of protection is a soundtrack or musical soundscape and a decent pair of headphones. But what sounds work best?

For writing, drawing, or any other creative endeavour I need music that strikes a balance between engaging and soothing, contemplative but detached. Something not so involving that it demands my full attention, but not so ambient that it lulls me to sleep.

If you want for such things and are looking for something new, Trav Nash might just be the undiscovered muse you may not know you needed.

His latest effort Chronophobia is available free to hear and download in the form of an episode of his contemplative quasi-journal podcast Tales from the Mind Boat.

Even in the face of oblivion, Nash continues to create perfect soundtracks for the creative mind. As his catalogue grows so too does the quality of his production.

You can discover literally hours of synthesized ambience and lo-fi beats among his podcast episodes. Here’s one I found for you (with a review and a little history for those interested).

He won’t tell you what to do and neither will I, but if you’re looking for something that ticks the boxes I’ve listed then dip in and have a listen.

If you like what you hear and want more, you can support Trav Nash by purchasing his exclusive-to-Bandcamp albums including the conceptual NEW_AGE_DEATH_CULT.

mog Featured Podcasts, Showcase

Featured Podcast: Tales from the Mind Boat

Article – by Morgan Thistlethwaite

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Artist Trav Nash has achieved a lot in his time. I first met him in his previous incarnation as a comedian and room-runner for a modest little comedy night called Death Star Comedy back in 2011.

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When not weaving one of his high-energy comic stories on stage, you could find him each week, somewhere off to the side, making sure that proceedings went smoothly and drawing in his ever-present sketchbook.

Since then, among the many projects he’s managed to complete are, a point-and-click adventure game, and also an online comic.

The Trav Nash of today has moved away from the mantle of comedian but still tells stories that you can sometimes hear at storytelling events, like Bazaar Tales, in and around Melbourne. If you do manage to see him, you’ll find that he still carries his sketchbook (a necessary accessory if ever he gets made into a collectible action figure).

This sketchbook yields a bountiful collection of drawings that you can see and buy here on his Tumblr.

Sketchbook in hand, he’s still just off to the side making sure proceedings are running smoothly, but it’s no longer a comedy night he’s running but his day-by-day existence, chronicled in part by Tales from the Mind Boat.

Each episode features Trav’s musings and attempts of making sense of the world as he sees it. There’s also a story from his own past or that of a guest and the package is woven together by the soothing musical sounds of Tim Whitt. Sometimes funny, sad, poignant, or strange; what each story shares is that that they are all true.

With a list of guest storytellers that includes Justin Hamilton, Jon Bennett, Rob Hunter, and a huge variety of equally-entertaining people that you may not have heard of (but probably should), this podcast is well-worth the half an hour of your time that it asks.

Interested but don’t know where to start? Here are some recommendations:

If you want to hear Trav’s standup material, Episode 46 features a live recording of his 2011 show “Good Grief”.

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Episode 50 is an off-script tangent on what the podcast means to Trav. Guest storyteller Gabe Hogan tells of a truly startling post-gig experience in the outer suburbs of Melbourne.

In Episode 61, Trav documents the process of telling a story at Bazaar Tales. Included is a live recording from the night that has potatoes in it.

For more Tales from the Mind Boat, go to iTunes and follow the show on Facebook.

mog Featured Podcasts

Featured: Work In Beta / BetaCast

Howdy folks! Turns out we’re a bit rubbish at getting the podcast or… well… anything else happening here lately.

Recently Mog made his way over to Trav’s house to give him a hand (or more accurately, a voice) with a game he’s made called Comedy Quest. He also churned out a quick interview to include on that elusive first episode of the season.

That recording is sitting on a hard drive somewhere in a vast warehouse. In the meantime our good friend and knower of (some) things Ben had a question for Mog. “Oi! How do you make it podcast good?” he asked. Mog replied, “Ben, you’ve forgotten how to talk properly. Nevertheless, you are a friend in need and I will share my knowledge with you.”

Good news! He did not use his powers for evil. Instead he went and done this!

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Work in Beta is a website and podcast that covers the world of Indie Games and their first episode features a fun and informative interview with Trav and they talk about the trials and tribulations that came with making Comedy Quest. It’s far more interesting than what I did, so I’ll share it with you here.

Go check it out!