The Zach Louis (H3 Podcast) Interview
I interview the talented musician Zach Louis, from the world famous H3 Podcast.
I’ve recently had the pleasure of interviewing Love and AB, from the world famous H3 Podcast. I could think of no better way to round off my trilogy of H3 Podcast interviews than speaking with their sound technician/ soundbite legend, Zach Louis.
In the realm of podcasting, nothing beats a perfectly placed and timed soundbite. Time and time again, Zach drops soundbites at the perfect time. I really believe that Zach’s soundbites are crucial to the show’s success. I struggle to see the H3 Podcast becoming the podcasting juggernaut that it has without Zach. He is incredibly talented. For this reason, I was delighted to be able to ask Zach some questions.
I began by asking Zach how he started working for the podcast. He explained that:
I started working on the podcast by sending off a simple email to our producer Dan Swerdlove. I was a fan of the show for a bit and always thought it would be a dream working for the show. Well, it happened. I sent the email off around 10 pm at night after a college astronomy class. I told my buddy Wes “I'm gonna go work for this show one day”. He always believed in me.
Having also gone to school for Audio Engineering I knew I could hold down the fort in that department and thus transition into doing sound design for the show. I'll never forget my first day on the job. Everyone was so welcoming and kind. They really let me unleash my inner madness. I've been working on the show for almost 5 years now. Time really does fly.
I then asked Zach what his standout memory from his time on the show would be. Zach said:
Honestly just making someone laugh with a soundbite will always create fond memories. If I have goals set out for that day/an episode it would be to make someone laugh.
Years ago, we had Tenacious D on the show, one of my music heroes. Jack [Black] and Kyle [Gass] are some of the coolest people you will ever meet. When we got off the air, I got to jam out with them and I played Master Exploder on the guitar and Jack sang. This was pretty early on in me working on the show. I kept thinking to myself “Holy fuck”!
I then asked who his dream guest for the show would be:
Plain and simple answer from me. Dave Grohl. I think the interview would be outstanding and would love to try and make the dude laugh with a random soundbite... Dave is a hero of mine
Asides from the podcast, Zach is also a very talented musician. Back in January, Zach sold out the world renowned Troubadour, which has played host to groups such as Guns N’ Roses, Coldplay, and the Arctic Monkeys as well as solo artists such as Neil Diamond and Elton John. Zach’s performing at and selling out such a world renowned venue is a testament to his talent.
In this vein, I asked Zach about his upcoming show:
ZACH LOUIS LIVE AT THE ROXY MAY 13! [link to tickets]
Yes, I am playing at the Roxy Theatre on Sunset Blvd on May 13th. I'm calling this a mini tour in my head and jokingly calling it the “childhood dream tour” having just sold out the Troubadour, The Mint and Viper Room. We have a really solid band. I want to give a shout out to my bass player Zach Andrews (Whom I’ve known for over 10 years) and our amazing drummer Sage Weeber. We just want to go up on stage and jam out on some kick ass music.
It is honestly a surreal experience getting up on stage and the fans are nothing but outstanding, supportive and the best people in the world. Back when we played the Troubadour it felt like a dream. Right as I took the stage I felt a panic attack coming on thinking to myself “This is not real. How could this be real right now” But sometimes you just have to roll with the punches and the show was amazing.
To dig deeper, I then asked whether Zach plans to focus more on his music in the future, or maintain a balance between the podcast and his music, as he currently does:
I think I will always maintain a balance. I truly love my job and my co-workers. On top of doing sound design for the show I am able to compose quite a bit of music for the show. On top of the “Off The Rails” Intro madness, I also composed the “Frenemies” theme song and the “Leftovers” theme which I am very proud of how they turned out. I always love writing music and hope to continue to do so.
To conclude our conversation, given he’s already achieved so much with his music, despite only being 24, I asked him what his dream goal is for his music. Zach replied, explaining:
I would love to write/produce records for myself and for other people. I think that is definitely one of my goals in life. For me, as cliché as this sounds, life is a learning process and I always try to challenge myself with learning new things. I always try to learn new guitar tricks and songs. I've been playing guitar for almost 20 years now, so you always have to spice it up a bit.
I also have an album in the works which is coming together, I Hope to have it out soon! I also hope to keep playing live and fingers crossed, Coachella might be in my future. That would be unreal.
I also hope to bring new creative sound design concepts to the podcast and challenge myself in that sense. I’m very excited for what the future holds for me and my career. I would never have thought in a million years I would be where I am today. A Jewish kid from the San Fernando Valley living my dreams.
It was a pleasure to speak with Zach. As a long time fan of the show, I really appreciate his work, and think his soundbites make the show as popular as it is. In my opinion, the H3 Podcast certainly would not have grown into one of the world’s biggest without Zach. Zach is also a very talented musician, and I wish him all the best for his upcoming show. I also have the sense that Zach will go on and achieve great success with his music. I am also under absolutely no doubt that he will end up performing at Coachella.
If you're in and around LA, you can get tickets for Zach’s show here!
