Podcast

Nick Batt is the Director of Sonicstate - a website and podcast dedicated to reviewing and commenting on advancements in electronic musical instruments. During his NAMM Oral History interview he spoke about the history of Sonicstate, which was launched at the dawn of the Internet in 1994. Nick also provided a fascinating review of the music stores in Bath, England, where he grew up as well as his own views on some of the most important and innovative developments in musical instruments since his involvement in the industry. 

Fela Davis is the co-owner of One of One Productions, a Fort Lee, New Jersey, recording studio specializing in podcasts, voiceovers, and music. Her passion for audio took off in the 8th grade when she took a career placement test and received engineering training at Full Sail University. She worked at the House of Blues, ESPN and Arturo Sandoval Jazz Club before becoming the front of house audio engineer for jazz bassist Christian McBride. Fela participated in the 2023 Women of NAMM (WoN) leadership summit.

Marlene Hutchinson has come up with several clever ways to encourage people to become music makers. With an emphasis on fun and ease, she had such success with her own guitar students that she wrote several method books to empower first-time musicians and inspire those returning to their instruments. Marlene developed a workshop that turned into a PBS television series called Learn to Play Guitar in a Day. This unique method has since been featured on many networks and programs around the world and has resulted in several publications including Learn to Play Guitar in a Day, How M

Chris Leonard grew up surrounded by gear! His father served as sound engineer for local events and at church. This exposure ignited a passion in Chris and set his career path in the direction of Live Sound. Among the gigs important to him in his early career were providing sound for the Philadelphia Eagles' Super Bowl parade in 2018 and as monitor engineer for Tears For Fears! Chris was hired by IMS Technology Services in 2011 as Director of Audio within the Event Staging Division. In the early stages of the 2020 Pandemic, he was promoted to Director of Operations.

Natalie Morrison grew up in a very musical family, both of her parents were percussionists and her brother played saxophone. She was never pushed into music, but it was important to her parents that she had access to music education. She picked the violin and eventually the viola and fell in love with the instrument and the experience of being in an orchestra. Natalie was able to travel to Europe with the New Jersey Youth Symphony, which performed in Europe and Carnegie Hall in New York. Knowing she did not want to perform for a living, Natalie, thanks to her father Bob Morrison,

Michael Mullens grew up in his father’s New England music store. He caught the music bug early and to the surprise of even his father, Michael also became a knowledgeable salesman while he was still a kid. Understanding the products and the needs of the store’s customers seemed to come natural to Michael. While studying music business in college, Michael interned with NAMM in the fall of 2016. He later was hired in the Resource Center to assist with the growth and development of the Oral History program.

Gaz Williams is a well know podcaster and consultant for Sonicstate. He is also a passionate musician having played bass since he was 15 years old. At an early age, Gaz combined his bass with MIDI and was always looking for the latest gear that could enhance his playing by creating new sounds. Gaz joined up with Nick Batt of Sonicstate to help review the latest innovations in musical instrument development. The results of this partnership became a successful podcast and website, which often feature segments they gather at the Anaheim NAMM Show.