🍃 Loose Leaf Transmissions – Weekly Dispatch

One of the greatest joys of making music/Maker is how often conversations take unexpected turns. A perfect example shows up in this week’s micro/Maker episodes: composer Nathan Hudson’s deep relationship with coffee.

I noticed a quick mention of coffee in his bio, but when I asked about it in our interview, I had no idea how central it was to his process. What started as a side note opened into a whole conversation about practice, philosophy, and creativity that went far beyond his “main” artistry.

For me, it’s a reminder that everything we do can feed into our creative lives. I loved revisiting this exchange, and I hope you do too. Plus: composer Joshua Mallard shares how sound and music work together in video games.

🎧 New on the Feed

🎙 micro/Maker

micro/Maker 029: Pouring Intention into the Cup (featuring Nathan Hudson)

Nathan Hudson shares how his love of coffee — from college pop-ups to roasting beans — parallels his music-making as a practice of intention, connection, and embracing the unplanned.

micro/Maker 030: The Invisible Art of Game Audio (featuring Joshua Mallard)

Joshua Mallard reflects on the overlap between composing and game sound design, showing how subtle sonic choices shape player experience through both musical and technical fluency.

Episodes are released every Tuesday and Friday. Subscribe now!

Listen & subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music/Audible | YouTube | Acast

🔜 Coming Up Soon

I’m very excited for next week’s music/Maker, when a visual artist joins me for the very first time! Sinclaire Marie is a Cincinnati-based potter who works with atmospheric firing, with the aim of putting the earth back into your hands.

In this conversation, Sinclaire talks about the information a pot carries—throwing lines, flashing, ash, weight, rim, glaze traces—and why she leaves the marks of process visible as a kind of memory. She discusses integrating cedar (a Diné practice of cleansing and balance) by rolling its pattern into clay, and how listening to fire changes what pots become. Along the way: community wood-firings, the barter/trade ethos, teaching as a welcoming space, and the ongoing discipline of showing up to the studio.

It’s a fantastic conversation and I hope you’ll tune in! Plus, new episodes of micro/Maker with composers Emma O’Halloran and Chris Opperman next week.

☕ Support the Work

Love what you’re hearing?

Here are some easy, no-cost ways to support the work — just the cost of a click:

• 💌 Share an episode with a friend who might enjoy it

• 🎧 Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite app

• 📱 Follow along on Instagram or Facebook

• ⭐ Leave a rating or review — it helps more than you’d think!

And if you’re feeling extra generous, you can support Loose Leaf Transmissions on Patreon. Your support helps make space for thoughtful, independent work like this, and you’ll also get some perks.

👉 https://www.patreon.com/LooseLeafTransmissions

That’s all from me this week — talk soon, and I’ll see you next time.