Brian Oake Show

Ed Cohen, owner of SmartStartMN, and our dear friend, was on the Brian Oake Show. Ed has been to more shows than Brian or Sean combined. He's passionate about music and tells great stories about the gift his kids gave him and his wife, Joan and the band that changed his life. Listen and subscribe.

Just another excellent conversation with a terrific artist, Sarah Larrson! She's a big part of Red Thread! Listen for the release of her remix of Wild Mountain Thyme with LazerBeak at the end of the show. It's released on BandCamp today. Look up Red Thread (Artist) to purchase.

Kathleen Johnson has done it all. From being a long time member of Soul Tight Committee to performing/recording with the likes of Alexander O' Neal, Keri Noble, Billy McLaughlin and Prince, Kathleen has a genuinely incredible voice. She's also the co-producer of 'The Greats Gone 2 Soon' who have an evening of 'The Spirit Of Whitney' coming up this Sunday. Listen and enjoy!

MN-based filmaker Eric Tretbar makes his first visit ti the SmartStartMN studio to talk about his 30+ year career as a filmmaker AND the 25th anniversary showing of his critically-acclaimed film SNOW at the Parkway Theater in mid-february. Pers usual, we ran out of time long before we ran out of stories and insight. We will definitely have him back. Enjoy!

Ladies and Gentlemen, allow me to introduce KickStart! A seven piece band of Minneapolis teenagers that are making a difference. Eddie (13, bass) and Sebastian (14, guitar) stop by to tell us all about the band's School Of Rock origins, their commitment to the Rock Code and the big benefit gig they have coming up this Saturday. Rock and Roll is alive and well, friends. The kids are alright. Cheers!

Adam Levy and Barb Brybstad (we miss you Savannah Smith!) of Turn Turn Turn stop by to talk about their new album! They have a kickstarter going right now. So listen to this then go hlp them out! Peace to you all. Be Safe.

Emmy Woods is a MN singer/songwriter with an innate ability to articulate the complexities of emotion through her songcraft. Gentle, articulate and honest, she was a wonderful guest. She's got a show coming up this weekend at The Cedar. Thanks for listening. Cheers!

Wow! Our final guest of 2025 is world-class cellist Rebecca Arons. She's a 25+ year member of the Minnesota Opera Orchestra, and has played with the Minnesota Orchestra and St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. Arons has played with an incredible array of artists from Stevie Wonder to Ed Sheeran to Prince! She is also co-founder of STRINGenius, who provided that incredible orchestral backing for the Snoop Dogg NFL Halfrime spectacular at US Bank Stadium on Christmas Day! A perfect way to round out a truly incredible calendar year. Cheers!

It's our annual Christmas music special! We play many secular and non-secular songs old and new. There are stories shared of Christmases past and just enough gratitude to get you in the holiday spirit. Thank you to all of you for another great year!

We are so lucky to be joined by my dear friend and the biggest DJ in the Twin Cities, Jake Rudh. For 25 years, Jake has been filling dancefloors and sharing his deep, passionate love of musc with the faithful. From his weekly Transmission event at the Uptown VFW to some major events he has on the way (A Stranger Things-themed NYE celebration? Yes, please!!), we cover a lot of ground, and, of course, his musical selctions for this episode are exquisite. Enjoy!