Matt Mehlan and I hang out (so does Matt's cat) at his house for a wonderful chat over coffees. We talk about Matt's life as a composer, band member (Skeletons),teacher, guy who likes to live in the space where he works (the Silent Barn), his Easy/ Not Easy concerts, and more. Matt causally drops lots of knowledge and I love it! You also hear some tunes from the new Skeletons record. Get it! (https://skeletonstv.bandcamp.com)

John Kennedy and I have a wonderful chat about his path as a conductor, composer, percussionist, and good musical citizen! He shares some great stories about John Cage, Johanna Beyer, Spoleto, conducting opera and much more. Enjoy!

Music from the episode are excerpts from John's pieces, Baghdad and First Deconstruction in Plastic.

Ken Thomson and I sit down for a chat in Berkeley, CA on the day that we premiered Steve Reich's new piece, Runner, with Ensemble Signal. We talk the new state of America, our lives as project creators, Ken's perfect mic technique from his life as a radio host and more. This is a fun, ranging and loose chat with one of my favorite people!

I sat down with dynamo, Jacqueline Taylor, out in Vail, Colorado last summer before and after we shared breakfast at the Little Diner (so good). She is the Director of Artistic Planning at Bravo Vail and we talk about our Inuksuit project, her work in Vail, as well as her many amazing projects when she worked at Lincoln Center, the 92nd St Y, Town Hall, and more. A must list for anyone with passion and curiosity about how to do great things as a producer and presenter. She is the best!

Here is our year-end podcast! I sit down to some eggs with Michael Burritt (percussive superstar and Professor at Eastman) and we have a great talk about teaching, music, family, and hopes and dreams. We are live at the Frog Pond in Rochester, NY. Sit down to a meal with Mike and I and enjoy the hang. I love him! Happy Holidays!!!

Season 2 of the podcast opens with a wonderful talk with Josh Quilen. It is then made better by surprise guest, Eric Cha-Beach. We talk about friendship, doing the right thing, death, and more. Eric lightens things up halfway through when we go into a fun talk where we lovingly roast each other, our friends, and most notably, Todd Meehan! Join us for our chat!

Joel Gordon and I talk in his Boston recording studio about John Cage, taking chances, making records, listening in the desert, documenting music for the first time, and other fun topics. We had wine and got chatty (and Joel is a natural raconteur)... If you don't know Joel, snoop him online (he does so many cool things) and enjoy our conversation!

Conductor, friend, and mentor, Brad Lubman and I chat in Buffalo, NY about his first drum set, conducting, getting energy from music/ coffee/ chocolate, and more. We start mellow for a few minutes before Brad gets wonderfully fired up. We sat down in the surprising occasional epicenter of new music of the Marriott Amherst, NY before Ensemble Signal family wing dinner at Duff's.

Donald Nally and I sit down in his office at Northwestern to talk, love, death, trust, family, passion, the love of alone time, being on the go, and doing things just for the opportunity to take chances with friends. This is a wonderful, intimate, and ranging chat. Take the ride with us!

Ivan Trevino and I sit down for lunch and pie in Waco, TX to talk music, life, and more. We talk about his life as a percussionist, composer, Eastman student, Texan, and man who can't swim or bike... We had fun! Join us for our hang.

www.ivandrums.com

www.soundcloud.com/ivandrums

www.breakofreality.com

www.dougperkins.com