Curious Goldfish Podcast

A London-raised, Italy-based cellist who became an accidental filmmaker on the way to Americana.

Get the stories behind the episodes → Subscribe to Chords of Curiosity

Janie, who performs as Bird, grew up half-Irish and half-English in London, lives in Italy, and is working her way into the U.S. on an O-1 visa. She talks about Irish storytelling, classical cello from age six, and influences from Jacqueline du Pré to Led Zeppelin, plus the "accidental filmmaker" turn that produced two short films. She gets into two EPs, "Heads or Tales" and "Strange as Folk," and plays "The Tides" solo on cello. What happens when a stalled album turns you into a filmmaker?

🎵 Bird's EPs: Heads or Tales / Strange as Folk

⏱️ CHAPTERS
0:00 Irish Storytelling Roots
2:56 Meeting at AmericanaFest
4:44 Why the Name Bird
7:22 Accidental Filmmaker
9:12 The Elvis and Roy Orbison Mystery
11:15 Festival Strategy
14:13 Classical Beginnings
15:13 Drums and Rock Influences
17:52 The "Heads or Tales" EP
19:17 Folk Horror Inspiration
25:19 60 Seconds of Curiosity
27:58 Live Performance: "The Tides"

📊 FREE REPORT: What 573 fans and artists told us about streaming, AI, and where the money in music actually goes. Get the State of Music survey summary free → State of Music summary

📬 NEWSLETTER: Chords of Curiosity goes deeper on every episode: the moments that didn't make the clips, what I'm learning running this show, and one curiosity prompt every issue → Subscribe free

ABOUT CURIOUS GOLDFISH
A music podcast about more than music. Inspired by Ted Lasso. I talk with singer-songwriters and bands in Americana, folk, roots, and country about the lives behind the songs: resilience, faith, marriage, the business of music, and what keeps an artist going. Every episode ends with the same question about curiosity, and no two answers are alike.

New episodes every other week.

🌐 curiousgoldfish.com · 🎧 Spotify | Apple Podcasts · 📸 @curiousgoldfishpodcast

A Dallas financial planner who finally let herself claim the word songwriter

Get the stories behind the episodes → curiousgoldfish.com

Stephanie Sammons spends her days as a financial planner in Dallas and decided to go pro as a songwriter without quitting, pushed by a refusal to live with regret and a nudge from Mary Gauthier. She talks about her Southern Baptist upbringing, the decade her family pulled away after she came out, and the slow road back to mutual respect. She gets into "Faithless" and "Innocence Lost," off her album "Time and Evolution," and closes with "Innocence Lost." What does it take to claim the title you have been afraid to say out loud?

🎵 Stephanie Sammons' latest: Time and Evolution

⏱️ CHAPTERS
0:00 Music, Faith, and Hope
1:01 Meet Stephanie Sammons
4:07 Holistic Financial Planning
6:53 Long-Term Optimism
8:05 Going Pro Without Quitting
12:06 Regret, Calling, and the Leap
14:10 Faith Deconstruction in Americana
16:52 Southern Baptist Roots and Sexuality
18:59 Rebuilding the Relationship
23:31 The Story of "Innocence Lost"
28:53 "Faithless" and Living with Nuance
32:02 60 Seconds of Curiosity
34:39 Live Performance: "Innocence Lost"

📊 FREE REPORT: What 573 fans and artists told us about streaming, AI, and where the money in music actually goes. → State of Music survey summary

📬 NEWSLETTER: Chords of Curiosity goes deeper on every episode. The moments that didn't make the clips, and one curiosity prompt each issue. → Subscribe

ABOUT CURIOUS GOLDFISH
A music podcast about more than music. Inspired by Ted Lasso. I talk with singer-songwriters and bands in Americana, folk, roots, and country about the lives behind the songs: resilience, faith, marriage, the business of music, and what keeps an artist going. Every episode ends with the same question about curiosity, and no two answers are alike.

New episodes every other week.

🌐 curiousgoldfish.com 🎧 Spotify | Apple Podcasts 📸 @curiousgoldfishpodcast

She called off her wedding and turned the veil into an album cover

Get the stories behind the episodes → curiousgoldfish.com

Morgan Myles built her album "Laced" out of the wreckage of a called-off wedding, right down to the 20-foot veil she carried to Joshua Tree for the cover. She talks about writing 80 songs in five months, narrowing to 12 with producer Ross Hogarth, and staying authentic as AI floods the music she loves. Gary Nichols turns up as a co-writer, and she gets into "Love Is Lonesome" and "American Sky." What do you make from the thing that fell apart?

🎵 Morgan Myles' latest: Laced (2026)

⏱️ CHAPTERS
0:00 From "Language of Flowers" to "Laced"
2:24 Survival and Authenticity in the AI Era
5:28 Comparing Laced to Therapy
10:32 80 Songs in 5 Months
11:55 The Symbolism of Lace
13:33 Performing Through Pain
16:59 How Fans Help in the Streaming Era
21:06 AI in Music
28:56 Why Words Matter
34:09 Writing with Gary Nichols
37:24 "Love Is Lonesome"
39:54 "American Sky"
49:55 60 Seconds of Curiosity

📊 FREE REPORT: What 573 fans and artists told us about streaming, AI, and where the money in music actually goes. → State of Music survey summary

📬 NEWSLETTER: Chords of Curiosity goes deeper on every episode. The moments that didn't make the clips, and one curiosity prompt each issue. → Subscribe

ABOUT CURIOUS GOLDFISH
A music podcast about more than music. Inspired by Ted Lasso. I talk with singer-songwriters and bands in Americana, folk, roots, and country about the lives behind the songs: resilience, faith, marriage, the business of music, and what keeps an artist going. Every episode ends with the same question about curiosity, and no two answers are alike.

New episodes every other week.

🌐 curiousgoldfish.com 🎧 Spotify | Apple Podcasts 📸 @curiousgoldfishpodcast

A quant-finance mind and songwriter on living in the present, not the glory days

Get the stories behind the episodes → curiousgoldfish.com

Pete Muller has built a life across quantitative finance, crossword puzzles, philanthropy, and music, and he is wary of nostalgia in all of it. He talks about the album "One Last Dance," the discipline poker and finance taught him, and the present-tense pull of yoga, surfing, and writing. He is also working to revive the iconic Power Station studio and prop up independent venues. How do you keep getting excited about what is next instead of what was?

🎵 Pete Muller's latest: One Last Dance

⏱️ CHAPTERS
0:00 The Importance of Present Excitement
1:46 Meet Pete Muller
5:10 Quantitative Finance
9:06 Crosswords and Finance
13:34 Poker and Emotional Control
15:25 Yoga, Surfing, and Music
21:21 Redefining Success
24:47 Authenticity in Music
30:47 Recording at Peter Gabriel's Studio
34:48 Reviving the Power Station
38:46 Supporting Independent Venues
41:15 Closing

📊 FREE REPORT: What 573 fans and artists told us about streaming, AI, and where the money in music actually goes. → State of Music survey summary

📬 NEWSLETTER: Chords of Curiosity goes deeper on every episode. The moments that didn't make the clips, and one curiosity prompt each issue. → Subscribe

ABOUT CURIOUS GOLDFISH
A music podcast about more than music. Inspired by Ted Lasso. I talk with singer-songwriters and bands in Americana, folk, roots, and country about the lives behind the songs: resilience, faith, marriage, the business of music, and what keeps an artist going. Every episode ends with the same question about curiosity, and no two answers are alike.

New episodes every other week.

🌐 curiousgoldfish.com 🎧 Spotify | Apple Podcasts 📸 @curiousgoldfishpodcast

A conservatory-trained cellist who traded classical rigor for indie folk

Get the stories behind the episodes → curiousgoldfish.com

Lydia Luce trained classically in a conservatory before letting indie folk loosen her up. She talks about the album "Mammoth," the stories behind the songs, and navigating chronic pain and a pregnancy alongside a touring life. There is a Jesus-camp reckoning and some hard-won making of amends, and she closes with a performance. What changes when you stop performing rigor and start enjoying the work?

🎵 Lydia Luce's latest: Mammoth

⏱️ CHAPTERS
0:00 The Musical Journey
1:52 AmericanaFest and New Beginnings
3:26 Balancing Music and Motherhood
4:40 The Joy of Indie Folk
7:04 Songwriting Process
15:28 The New Album, Mammoth
18:58 Chronic Pain and Life
20:35 Pregnancy and Pain Management
22:56 Reflecting on Jesus Camp
27:00 Making Amends
30:06 60 Seconds of Curiosity
32:20 Live Performance

📊 FREE REPORT: What 573 fans and artists told us about streaming, AI, and where the money in music actually goes. → State of Music survey summary

📬 NEWSLETTER: Chords of Curiosity goes deeper on every episode. The moments that didn't make the clips, and one curiosity prompt each issue. → Subscribe

ABOUT CURIOUS GOLDFISH
A music podcast about more than music. Inspired by Ted Lasso. I talk with singer-songwriters and bands in Americana, folk, roots, and country about the lives behind the songs: resilience, faith, marriage, the business of music, and what keeps an artist going. Every episode ends with the same question about curiosity, and no two answers are alike.

New episodes every other week.

🌐 curiousgoldfish.com 🎧 Spotify | Apple Podcasts 📸 @curiousgoldfishpodcast

A Nashville duo figuring it out, who almost threw away their best song before it became the title track.

Get the stories behind the episodes → Subscribe to Chords of Curiosity

Alex and Dave of The Thing With Feathers met at Belmont and built a band on melody and a refusal to take themselves too seriously. On a back patio in Nashville, they talk about the scene, the grind, and the album "So Electric," including the title track they nearly cut. There are ice-cream debates too. What does "making it" even mean while you're still figuring the band out?

🎵 The Thing With Feathers' latest: So Electric

⏱️ CHAPTERS
0:00 The Emotional Journey of Songwriting
1:40 Meet Alex and Dave
1:55 Life in Nashville and Belmont
4:08 The Nashville Music Scene
10:25 Forming the Band
13:37 The Serious Side of the Music
16:59 Melody-Driven Music
18:06 The New Album, So Electric
20:08 Reflecting on Success
26:20 60 Seconds of Curiosity
29:21 Live Performance

📊 FREE REPORT: What 573 fans and artists told us about streaming, AI, and where the money in music actually goes. Get the State of Music survey summary free → State of Music summary

📬 NEWSLETTER: Chords of Curiosity goes deeper on every episode: the moments that didn't make the clips, what I'm learning running this show, and one curiosity prompt every issue → Subscribe free

ABOUT CURIOUS GOLDFISH
A music podcast about more than music. Inspired by Ted Lasso. I talk with singer-songwriters and bands in Americana, folk, roots, and country about the lives behind the songs: resilience, faith, marriage, the business of music, and what keeps an artist going. Every episode ends with the same question about curiosity, and no two answers are alike.

New episodes every other week.

🌐 curiousgoldfish.com · 🎧 Spotify | Apple Podcasts · 📸 @curiousgoldfishpodcast

A 30-year industry vet on why the future belongs to artists who own their work

Get the stories behind the episodes → curiousgoldfish.com

Jason Hollis has spent thirty years in the music business, and now he is helping other artists avoid the mistakes he watched up close. He talks about owning your content, the thousand-fan idea, his book "So You Wanna Be a Rockstar," and saving Nashville's Douglas Corner by building The Eighth Room. What does three decades in the industry teach you about who actually makes it?

🎵 Book: "So You Wanna Be a Rockstar"

⏱️ CHAPTERS
0:00 The Biggest Mistake
1:59 Meet Jason Hollis
3:17 From Nashville to LA and Back
7:22 Advice for Aspiring Musicians
11:44 The Book: So You Wanna Be a Rockstar
14:23 The Thousand-Fan Theory
16:41 Building a Career Independently
23:06 The Viper Room and Legends
25:46 Saving Douglas Corner
29:17 The Eighth Room
48:07 60 Seconds of Curiosity

📊 FREE REPORT: What 573 fans and artists told us about streaming, AI, and where the money in music actually goes. → State of Music survey summary

📬 NEWSLETTER: Chords of Curiosity goes deeper on every episode. The moments that didn't make the clips, and one curiosity prompt each issue. → Subscribe

ABOUT CURIOUS GOLDFISH
A music podcast about more than music. Inspired by Ted Lasso. I talk with singer-songwriters and bands in Americana, folk, roots, and country about the lives behind the songs: resilience, faith, marriage, the business of music, and what keeps an artist going. Every episode ends with the same question about curiosity, and no two answers are alike.

New episodes every other week.

🌐 curiousgoldfish.com 🎧 Spotify | Apple Podcasts 📸 @curiousgoldfishpodcast

A member of Certainly So steps out on his own, between band life and a solo voice.

Get the stories behind the episodes → Subscribe to Chords of Curiosity

Tanner Lee Gray plays in the rising band Certainly So, and this conversation is about stepping out on his own. He talks about the many "homes" that shaped his sound, the cover-gig grind along the Gulf Coast, and the sacrifices of going full-time. He closes with "Time and Money" and "I Feel Free." What do you give up, and what do you find, when you finally chase the solo thing?

🎵 Also in: Certainly So

⏱️ CHAPTERS
0:00 Past Musical Endeavors
1:25 Meet Tanner Lee Gray
2:06 Influences
3:45 Pursuing a Solo Career
6:44 The Influence of Home
9:16 Side Jobs and Music
16:05 The Touring Grind
19:56 The Gulf Coast
22:41 60 Seconds of Curiosity
24:40 Live Performance: "Time and Money" + "I Feel Free"

📊 FREE REPORT: What 573 fans and artists told us about streaming, AI, and where the money in music actually goes. Get the State of Music survey summary free → State of Music summary

📬 NEWSLETTER: Chords of Curiosity goes deeper on every episode: the moments that didn't make the clips, what I'm learning running this show, and one curiosity prompt every issue → Subscribe free

ABOUT CURIOUS GOLDFISH
A music podcast about more than music. Inspired by Ted Lasso. I talk with singer-songwriters and bands in Americana, folk, roots, and country about the lives behind the songs: resilience, faith, marriage, the business of music, and what keeps an artist going. Every episode ends with the same question about curiosity, and no two answers are alike.

New episodes every other week.

🌐 curiousgoldfish.com · 🎧 Spotify | Apple Podcasts · 📸 @curiousgoldfishpodcast

A Nashville songwriter on faith, the gray areas, and writing from Thistle Farms.

Get the stories behind the episodes → Subscribe to Chords of Curiosity

Sammi Accola makes Americana with a gritty edge, and her work at Thistle Farms, a residential program for women survivors of trafficking and addiction, has reshaped how she writes. She talks about a faith that's made room for the gray areas, the place of women in Christian music, and songs that have gotten more honest and cinematic. She closes with "Mona Lisa" and "Turning the Tables." What opens up in your songwriting when you let go of needing to be certain?

⏱️ CHAPTERS
0:00 Faith and Life's Journey
2:02 Meet Sammi Accola
2:14 Her Work at Thistle Farms
3:03 Personal Life
9:59 The Creative Process
15:13 Faith in Modern Times
19:53 The Complexity of Christian Music
21:43 Women in Christian Music
26:25 Music as Healing
31:40 Live Performance: "Mona Lisa"
36:40 Live Performance: "Turning the Tables"

📊 FREE REPORT: What 573 fans and artists told us about streaming, AI, and where the money in music actually goes. Get the State of Music survey summary free → State of Music summary

📬 NEWSLETTER: Chords of Curiosity goes deeper on every episode: the moments that didn't make the clips, what I'm learning running this show, and one curiosity prompt every issue → Subscribe free

ABOUT CURIOUS GOLDFISH
A music podcast about more than music. Inspired by Ted Lasso. I talk with singer-songwriters and bands in Americana, folk, roots, and country about the lives behind the songs: resilience, faith, marriage, the business of music, and what keeps an artist going. Every episode ends with the same question about curiosity, and no two answers are alike.

New episodes every other week.

🌐 curiousgoldfish.com · 🎧 Spotify | Apple Podcasts · 📸 @curiousgoldfishpodcast

An Episcopalian priest who waited a decade to release a rock record

Get the stories behind the episodes → curiousgoldfish.com

John Francis O'Mara is an ordained Episcopalian priest and a rock-and-roll lifer, and his album "Forbidden Hymns" sat finished for a decade before release. He traces the road from Princeton divinity school to working with John Carter Cash, the blurring of sacred and secular, and a recovery journey that runs underneath the songs. What does a decade of waiting do to a record, and to the person who made it?

🎵 John Francis O'Mara's latest: Forbidden Hymns

⏱️ CHAPTERS
0:00 Introduction
1:30 Meet John Francis O'Mara
2:42 The Story Behind Forbidden Hymns
3:53 A Decade-Long Delay
8:19 How Song Meanings Evolve
14:45 A Unique Background
15:38 Music and Faith Intertwined
20:45 Sacred and Secular
33:24 Faith and Sobriety
39:46 Songwriting Stories
48:10 60 Seconds of Curiosity

📊 FREE REPORT: What 573 fans and artists told us about streaming, AI, and where the money in music actually goes. → State of Music survey summary

📬 NEWSLETTER: Chords of Curiosity goes deeper on every episode. The moments that didn't make the clips, and one curiosity prompt each issue. → Subscribe

ABOUT CURIOUS GOLDFISH
A music podcast about more than music. Inspired by Ted Lasso. I talk with singer-songwriters and bands in Americana, folk, roots, and country about the lives behind the songs: resilience, faith, marriage, the business of music, and what keeps an artist going. Every episode ends with the same question about curiosity, and no two answers are alike.

New episodes every other week.

🌐 curiousgoldfish.com 🎧 Spotify | Apple Podcasts 📸 @curiousgoldfishpodcast