*On “cruisible,” I was oblivious to this pun when I said it in the episode!

Today’s episode marks the one-year anniversary of the podcast! I posted the very first episode in September, 2019, way back in the Before Times. I feel really proud of And The Next Thing You Know, and I’m so, so grateful for everyone who’s listening, and for all your support and love and retweets and telling your friends about the show, and for supporting us at Patreon, and for just being here with me in these extraordinary times. If you’re new to the podcast, welcome! If you’re an old friend of the show, thanks for sticking with us. 

Today, I talk to musician Amelia Ray. Amelia is currently based in Helsinki, and before that, San Francisco, and before that, Reykjavík, and before that, many many other ports of call. We talk about the circumstances that led her to become an avid traveler and eventually a performer aboard tropical cruise ships. 

You never know when a 3-hour tour could become a way of life…hashtag Gilligan’s Island, hashtag popculture references for old people. You’ll hear a few more of those in this episode. You’ll also get to hear Amelia sing her song “Constant Traveller,” recorded live during our conversation.

Amelia is the creator of the Quarantuned Music Festival, the variety show Up, Up, and A Ray, and the MashUpheaval podcast, an all-request show wherein she dunks your chocolate in her peanut butter to create a tasty new blend of musical delights. 

Find Amelia at
AmeliaRayDotNet

Catch the Up, Up, and A Ray show at
upupandaray.com

Subscribe to the MashUpheaval podcast wherever you listen to podcasts.

Support Amelia on Patreon at
patreon.com/ameliaray

Amelia’s got new singles in the hopper, so do drop by amelia ray dot net for updates!

Amelia and I talked about how we’re holding up during the COVID crisis, feelings about the Black Lives Matter uprising in the wake of George Floyd’s murder, travel to other countries, being a working musician, the process of creating music projects and uplifting others’ work, playing music on cruise ships, yacht rock, mental health, family and relationships.

Comic and podcaster Lauren Flans

Illustrator Patrick Strauss

Family Tradition by Hank Williams, Jr.

Global Giving: Coronavirus Relief Fund

A hearty thank you to all our patrons for making this show better! A special shout-out to our Serendipity level patrons: Dorian, Emily, and Brittany! It’s easy and satisfying to become a patron of And The Next Thing You Know! Just go to patreon dot com/nextthingpod, sign up, and select the level of support that works for you. I’ll only charge you when episodes post – set it and forget it!

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The banana peel is by Max Ronnersjö.

The theme and interstitial music are by Jon Schwartz.

Thanks everybody. We’re so glad you tuned in.