I found a bunch of music I wrote and recorded in 2004 while living in a cabin rental in Barnum, MN, when I was working in Duluth, between living in Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington. This music is from a very difficult and important time of my life. I feel decided that I will re-record much of this 20+ year old music as album 2, titled "Letting Barnum Be." We'll see if I follow through with that idea.

Song idea title: “Lazy Show” (written 9/10/2024) by Forcing Smiles (Brian Jost), copyright 2024. Song recorded 9/10/2024 on Zoom H2n.

For more music, blog posts, and other info, please visit

https://forcingsmiles.com/music

https://EurekaPointLighthouse.com/

https://www.inthemic.com/

Read or listen to Brian Jost’s memoir: “Grounded by Bipolar Disorder; One Pilot’s Landing” (available in print, e-book/kindle, and audiobook). Click HERE to find the book on Amazon and Audible.

Conversation recorded:  01/05/2025

All music, lyrics, and recordings by Forcing Smiles / Brian Jost.

SUICIDE AND CRISIS HOTLINE (phone) – Dial 988.  More info:  https://988lifeline.org/

Mental health resource (education, support, advocacy, public awareness):  NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness:  https://nami.org/

Don't waste your time listening to this.

Song title: “Jingle Jangle” or maybe "Jingle Jangle Smack" (written Sept. 2024) by Forcing Smiles (Brian Jost), copyright 2024.

For more music, blog posts, and other info, please visit

https://forcingsmiles.com/music

https://EurekaPointLighthouse.com/

https://www.inthemic.com/

Read or listen to Brian Jost’s memoir: “Grounded by Bipolar Disorder; One Pilot’s Landing” (available in print, e-book/kindle, and audiobook). Click HERE to find the book on Amazon and Audible.

Conversation recorded:  01/03/2025

Final play of song (last few minutes of episode) recorded 9/24/2024.

All music, lyrics, and recordings by Forcing Smiles / Brian Jost.

SUICIDE AND CRISIS HOTLINE (phone) – Dial 988.  More info:  https://988lifeline.org/

Mental health resource (education, support, advocacy, public awareness):  NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness:  https://nami.org/

Song title: "Like a River" (written Oct. 20245) by Forcing Smiles (Brian Jost), copyright 2024.

For more music, blog posts, and other info, please visit

https://forcingsmiles.com/music

https://EurekaPointLighthouse.com/

https://www.inthemic.com/

Read or listen to Brian Jost’s memoir: “Grounded by Bipolar Disorder; One Pilot’s Landing” (available in print, e-book/kindle, and audiobook). Click HERE to find the book on Amazon and Audible.

SUICIDE AND CRISIS HOTLINE (phone) – Dial 988.  More info:  https://988lifeline.org/

Mental health resource (education, support, advocacy, public awareness):  NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness:  https://nami.org/

Conversation recorded:  01/02/2025

Here’s a feel-good song for the New Year by Forcing Smiles! Something much more positive compared to what I’ve shared in the past.

Title:  BLEEDING OUT

 “I can feel it on the inside. Someone pounding on my shell. Yelling at me to get out now. Telling me to leave my hell…”

All music and lyrics by Brian Jost, aka. Forcing Smiles, copyrighted.

For more music, blog posts, and other info, please visit

https://forcingsmiles.com/music

https://EurekaPointLighthouse.com/

https://www.inthemic.com/

Read or listen to Brian Jost’s memoir: “Grounded by Bipolar Disorder; One Pilot’s Landing” (available in print, e-book/kindle, and audiobook). Click HERE to find the book on Amazon and Audible.

SUICIDE AND CRISIS HOTLINE (phone) – Dial 988.  More info:  https://988lifeline.org/

Mental health resource (education, support, advocacy, public awareness):  NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness:  https://nami.org/

Conversation recorded:  01/01/2025

Recorded December 2024.

For more music, blog posts, and other info, please visit

https://forcingsmiles.com/music

https://EurekaPointLighthouse.com/

https://www.inthemic.com/

Read or listen to Brian Jost’s memoir: “Grounded by Bipolar Disorder; One Pilot’s Landing” (available in print, e-book/kindle, and audiobook). Click HERE to find the book on Amazon and Audible.

SUICIDE AND CRISIS HOTLINE (phone) – Dial 988.  More info:  https://988lifeline.org/

Mental health resource (education, support, advocacy, public awareness):  NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness:  https://nami.org/

Here is the demo album (recorded December 2023) which I have started to re-record in March 2024. Most of these were written in January 2019. A few are much newer. Tracks 1-12 were recorded on 12/15/2023 at home. Track 13 was recorded on 12/18/2023 at Cloverleaf Audio-Visual, a recording studio in St. Paul, MN, where some of the later re-recording has taken place. All recording, engineering, mixing, (and not really mastered at all), by Brian Jost.

Here are the song titles and approximate start times within this episode:

"I am Afraid" - Starts around 00:04:01

"Skeletons" - Starts around 00:7:10

"Cup of Coffee" - Starts around 00:11:20

"Rearrange the Stars" - Starts around 00:14:53

"Better Off in the Morning" - Starts around 00:21:51

"God's Apology" - Starts around 00:23:45

"Happy Music" - Starts around 00:25:43

"Buy Me a Ticket" - Starts around 00:27:29

"High Note" - Starts around 00:30:15

"Turn it Around" - Starts around 00:33:08

"Ten Times Gravity" - Starts around 00:36:20

"Every Now and Then" - Starts around 00:38:22

"Last Song" - Starts around 00:39:51

For more (bad) music, blog posts, and other info, please visit

https://EurekaPointLighthouse.com/

https://www.inthemic.com/

Read or listen to Brian Jost’s memoir: “Grounded by Bipolar Disorder; One Pilot’s Landing” (available in print, e-book/kindle, and audiobook). Click HERE to find the book on Amazon and Audible.

SUICIDE AND CRISIS HOTLINE (phone) – Dial 988.  More info:  https://988lifeline.org/

Mental health resource (education, support, advocacy, public awareness):  NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness:  https://nami.org/

Red Light Coffee #10

Brian considers stopping the podcast production, and shares a newer song titled "Buy Me a Ticket" which he will be performing at an open mic.

For more music (SoundCloud), blog posts, and other info, please visit https://EurekaPointLighthouse.com/

Read or listen to Brian Jost’s memoir: “Grounded by Bipolar Disorder; One Pilot’s Landing” (available in print, e-book/kindle, and audiobook). Click HERE to find the book on Amazon and Audible.

SUICIDE AND CRISIS HOTLINE (phone) – Dial 988.  More info:  https://988lifeline.org/

Mental health resource (education, support, advocacy, public awareness):  NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness:  https://nami.org/

Music Production, Podcast Intro Jingle Services, Podcast production and Audio Engineering services provided by Brian Jost:  https://www.inthemic.com/

The band has not done a good job of staying motivated to produce this podcast in an organized manner. Brian practices a new chord progression and melody change for “Skeletons.” Everyone is getting tired of that song.

For more music (SoundCloud), blog posts, and other info, please visit https://EurekaPointLighthouse.com/

Read or listen to Brian Jost’s memoir: “Grounded by Bipolar Disorder; One Pilot’s Landing” (available in print, e-book/kindle, and audiobook). Click HERE to find the book on Amazon and Audible.

SUICIDE AND CRISIS HOTLINE (phone) – Dial 988.  More info:  https://988lifeline.org/

Mental health resource (education, support, advocacy, public awareness):  NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness:  https://nami.org/

Music Production, Podcast Intro Jingle Services, Podcast production and Audio Engineering services provided by Brian Jost:  https://www.inthemic.com/

Brian Jost and the Eureka Point Lighthouse band try to revive the podcast after taking a six-month break.

For more music (SoundCloud), blog posts, and other info, please visit https://EurekaPointLighthouse.com/

Read or listen to Brian Jost’s memoir: “Grounded by Bipolar Disorder; One Pilot’s Landing” (available in print, e-book/kindle, and audiobook). Click HERE to find the book on Amazon and Audible.

SUICIDE AND CRISIS HOTLINE (phone) – Dial 988.  More info:  https://988lifeline.org/

Mental health resource (education, support, advocacy, public awareness):  NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness:  https://nami.org/

Music Production, Podcast Intro Jingle Services, Podcast production and Audio Engineering services provided by Brian Jost:  https://www.inthemic.com/

Brian reads another (possibly fake) letter about a real situation from “Tom” the medic who recently assisted Brian after he called 911 for a possible heart attack. Then Brian reads a real blog post titled “Others Have it Worse” written by his real friend Al Levin. The band shares a song titled “Better Off In the Morning” written by Jimmy in 2019 (OK, fine, Brian wrote it).

The blog post shared in this episode titled “Others Have it Worse” from October 11, 2021, was written by Al Levin, a life coach and mental health advocate who produces and hosts “The Depression Files” podcast. He is also an assistant principal in a public elementary school. Learn more about Al and his podcast and read more blog posts at TheDepressionFiles.com.

For more music (SoundCloud), blog posts, and other info, please visit https://EurekaPointLighthouse.com/

Read or listen to Brian Jost’s memoir: “Grounded by Bipolar Disorder; One Pilot’s Landing” (available in print, e-book/kindle, and audiobook). Click HERE to find the book on Amazon and Audible.

SUICIDE AND CRISIS HOTLINE (phone) – Dial 988.  More info:  https://988lifeline.org/

Mental health resource (education, support, advocacy, public awareness):  NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness:  https://nami.org/

Podcast production and audio engineering services provided by Brian Jost:  https://www.inthemic.com/