Between the Levees

Katelyn Banister joins me finally on the show. I found out about her from Captain James Edwards about a year ago and learned a little more on Facebook when I published the episode with Kim Bockman. Katelyn chronicles her life and experience so far, a few years of which she spent cooking for the boys out there on the water.

Pilot Trainee Karla Evans joins me on the show to discuss her unlikely career out there on the water. From the galley to the wheelhouse, Karla chats through life as a cook, about time spent and lessons learned on deck, and especially now, about her time at the sticks.

Captain Steve O'Ferrell joins me on the show to discuss a career that kicked off in 1985 with Exxon's tankering service. His career took him thereafter to Canal Barge, MEMCO, AEP, ACBL, and most recently, ARTCO. He shares his thoughts on a few previous guests and one that's upcoming next week, his Steers(wo)man Karla Evans.

Retired Mate Steven "Bull" Graham stepped aboard his first vessel in 1989 with Agri-Trans. He remained with Artco following their acquisition of Agri-Trans in 1992 until his retirement in 2022. We discuss a number of experiences from a life on deck, the childhood that led him to the U.S. Navy, a transition to the boats where he was saved by the river, and a number of issues faced by the deck crews of today.

I'm joined on the show tonight by Steersman Leighton Loveless to discuss his developing career having worked for Cheryl K, Houston Fleeting Services (Ingram), and now Central Boat Rentals following around the one and only Kenny Brown. The Throwdown Champ also turns the tables on me at the end of this one. The future shows promise, my friends.

Charlie joins me on the show again to catch up on life and talk through his present condition and situation as well as answer an unresolved question from our previous meetings. He shares some more sea stories from his time out there on the water, and we discuss a glimmer of hope for the present.

Recorded on June 7th of this year, freshly cut-loose Pilot Deon Luter joins me to discuss his young career and the opportunities he found in the industry. We talk through the usual questions, some symmetries in life experiences, and we present answers from a young pilot whose passion for the industry is clearly evident.

Joining me from Cairo on the M/V ARDYCE RANDALL, Captain Ty Matheny hops on again to talk more about his life and career in the context of comrades in arms that have been lost to father time, some more of his own experiences, and a few more memories of a career that is still floating downriver these days.

Captain Bert Suarez joins me on the show to discuss a busy and capable career that began in childhood riding steamboats in New Orleans in 1969. His life steered its way onto passenger vessels where his career began, and eventually, onto towboats. He had the honor recently to pilot the M/V AMERICAN QUEEN to her present dockage where she awaits an uncertain fate. We discuss the AQ in depth and chat about her future, and he shares stories about his 55 years on the river.