Huntington, Long Island - home to so many of the amazing people that I am lucky to call my friends and family - continues to create new bonds and new friendships.  In the true spirit of Thanksgiving, I could not be more grateful for those connections. 

Thanks to a few of those lifelong friends, I’ve been recently connected to a fellow Huntingtonian, a fellow music-lover, fellow golfer, fellow genuinely happily married man and fellow father-of-three daughters.  A friend that truly gets what it means to Get Busy Living.  I’m proud and fortunate to call my guest, Rich Gray, a new friend and I’m excited to share our conversation. 

Our conversation covers ground dating back to the early ‘80’s in New York City when Rich was Lead DJ “spinning records” at the successor dance club to Studio 54, Danceteria, where he helped fuel the shift from disco to more alternative dance music.  As fate would have it, Rich met a woman at Danceteria who would ultimately turn out to become “the future Mrs. Gray”, though if you ask Janet, aka Mrs Gray, there may be some debate as to when exactly their fate was sealed ;)

Rich shares insights into music and a lot of bands that I have never heard before, which is one of the things I love most about Exploring the Energy, namely getting enlightened to new and wider horizons of music.  In the words of our beloved Billy Campion… “Hey man, there’s a lot of music out there.” 

So join us, and let's see where the energy takes us!

Cotton Fields / Credence Clearwater Revival

https://music.apple.com/us/album/cotton-fields/1440950503?i=1440950717

Don't Go Back to Rockville / R.E.M. https://music.apple.com/us/album/dont-go-back-to-rockville/1442454230?i=1442454641

Cousin Dupree / Steely Dan

https://music.apple.com/us/album/cousin-dupree/297597608?i=297597647

Roadhouse Blue / Doors https://music.apple.com/us/album/roadhouse-blues/511578072?i=511578100

Saint of Circumstance / Grateful Dead https://music.apple.com/us/album/saint-of-circumstance/663697282?i=663697477

You're the Best Thing / Style Council https://music.apple.com/us/album/youre-the-best-thing-12-inch-version/1851028801?i=1851029447

Christmas Must Be Tonight / Goose

https://music.apple.com/us/album/christmas-must-be-tonight-live/1667827844?i=1667828935

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1983015048745357

In somewhat of an unconventional "studio" setting - namely a gutted former restaurant under renovation and equipped with only a table, a few folding chairs, a cooler of beer and an extension cord - 6 fellow music lovers travelled from across the Eastern Seaboard to Downtown Huntington to discuss and debate a subject that has been the hot topic among the group for over 6 years.  "What are the Top-5 greatest American rock-&-roll bands of all time."  Key word - American.

No Stones.  No Beatles.  No U2.  No Led Zeppelin (#sorrymeyers).  The criteria as to what makes a band authentically American was that every band member, without exception, must have been born in the United States.  No Metallica (#sorryhanna).

After the rules of engagement were spelled out, the conversation that ensued over the next 50+ minutes was as spirited and riveting as any I've hosted in any prior episode.  Enjoy the energy that flowed amongst my co-host, Rob "Monkey Man" Diestel, and his "Boys from Bergen" - Nick Halaby, Lewis Meyers, and Matt Hanna.  Special cameo appearance at the end by our sound engineer, none other than founding member and frontman of Huntington's own Bogmen, Billy Campion.  Thanks again for herding us cats and taking such good care of us, Billy!

So join us, and let's see where the energy takes us!

Midnight Flyer / Eagles
https://music.apple.com/us/album/midnight-flyer/635765828?i=635765933

The Boys of Summer / Don Henley
https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-boys-of-summer-remastered-2024/1761230483?i=1761230752

Everyday People / Sly & the Family Stone
https://music.apple.com/us/album/everyday-people/193125445?i=193126391

Truckin' / Grateful Dead
https://music.apple.com/us/album/truckin-live/307793560?i=307793566

Kokomo / Beach Boys https://music.apple.com/us/album/kokomo/1617206809?i=1617208420

Don’t Believe the Hype / Public Enemy https://music.apple.com/us/album/dont-believe-the-hype/1440837788?i=1440837952

Crosseyed & Painless / Phish
https://music.apple.com/us/album/crosseyed-and-painless/396463671?i=396463832

The Weight / Aretha https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-weight/934618187?i=934618225

Free Bird / Lynyrd Skynyrd https://music.apple.com/us/album/free-bird-live-at-the-fox-theater-1976/1413948379?i=1413948706 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1983015048745357

This one was a big deal for me. My guest, Dennis McNally, isn’t just a reknowned author, music historian, and publicist, he’s someone I’ve long considered somewhat of a “celebrity” in my world.  From 1984 to 1995, Dennis was the Grateful Dead’s publicist and part of the band’s inner circle.

He’s written five books, including the classic Long Strange Trip: The Inside History of the Grateful Dead, and his latest, The Last Great Dream - How Bohemians Became Hippies and Created the Sixties.  He’s married to the love of his life, photographer and author Susana Millman, whose book Alive With the Dead - A Fly on the Wall with a Camera, is one of my favorites.  

What struck me most was Dennis’s insight into how the Dead operated behind the scenes.  How the band members interacted, what touring was like, and what it was like to be at the center of all that energy for so many years. He was every bit as gracious, articulate, and engaging as I could have imagined and I’m honored to now call Dennis a friend.

Speaking of friends, this episode was also a first for me.  I was joined by my good friend Charlie French as co-host who added thoughtful color and questions that I wouldn’t have thought to ask! 

These days, Dennis lives in San Francisco with Susana and is still doing the work he loves - namely as the publicist for Little Feat.

It’s an honor and a privilege to share our conversation. 

So join us, and let’s see where the energy takes us!

https://www.dennismcnally.com/

https://mamarazi.com/

Stir It Up https://youtu.be/XQxceOPnj9Q?si=i8Vu2Wh_UnpJ_6LX

Death Don’t Have No Mercy https://youtu.be/wH8GUfK-MOM?si=frh9iuuf1bCDSuob

Time Loves a Hero https://music.apple.com/us/album/time-loves-a-hero/471749182?i=471749184

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1983015048745357

My friendship with John “Dino” DeNatale began in kindergarten over 50 years ago in the early 1970’s in Huntington’s own Flower Hill School.  In this episode, John and I look back on our five decades of connection, the memories that shaped us along the way, and the big-picture lessons that we’ve learned and carried forward to this day.

At the heart of our conversation is a simple truth: LOVE is all that matters.

But before we dive into the big picture, Dino covers a few of his wilder days in the 90’s on Wall Street and he shares his thoughts about our very two different career paths, and how our individual successes in business are a result of our common appreciation of people and of relationships. 

He shares a few of the details of the day he married the love of his life, Pam, and recalls what he kindly refers to as ‘the best, best-man speech ever.’ Dino reflects on how he tries to remind his kids, as Simon & Garfunkel say, “Slow down, you move too fast.”  He quotes Bono and explains why Walk On hits the nail on the head.  We celebrate half a century of friendship and reflect on what it means to stay grounded in love, and we explore how trusting that energy carries us through life.

So join us, and let’s see where the energy takes us!

The End https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-end/1441164426?i=1441164602

New Shoes https://music.apple.com/us/album/new-shoes/213008576?i=213008991

59th Street Bridge https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-59th-street-bridge-song-feelin-groovy/1467438660?i=1467438682

Walk On https://music.apple.com/us/album/walk-on/1443100430?i=1443101089

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1983015048745357

It’s a tall order to try to capture the true color and the complete character of my cousin, Jonny Staib, in one conversation.  Which is why I chose to invite four guests on this episode of Exploring the Energy to help me paint the full picture of this amazing human being.  I’m proud to introduce a select few of his closest friends and family - including brothers Timmy and Tommy Sheerin, my cousin Diana San Venero, and last but certainly not least, Steve “Sonny” Peer.  Together we share our collective “Jonny Stories.”

Timmy, Tommy, Diana, Steve, and I share the innocence of the early days, and some of the nine lives that Jonny had during his teens, his 20’s and his early 30’s.  Then, after 35+ years of living life in the fast lane, Jonny turned his life around, he launched a successful business, married the love of his life, Su, and bought a home on the water. 

Then tragedy struck.  At the age of just 43 years, Jonny was killed in what can only be described as a freak accident in April of 2002.  This is a tribute to a man who seemingly had nine lives, but who didn’t have ten.  

The title of this episode is fitting, because that’s exactly what Jonny Staib was, and always will be, a true shooting star.  

So join us, and let’s see where the energy takes us!

Shooting Star  https://music.apple.com/us/album/shooting-star/968637156?i=968637160 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1983015048745357

What a treat hosting one of the best and most beautiful couples I know, Kim & Gregg Carlin.  

Kim, being a southern girl and all, kicks off our conversation by sharing her love of country music and explains why she gravitates to the likes of Chris Stapleton, Toby Keith, George Strait, and Willie Nelson.  She comes clean explaining that she’ll be at Madison Square Garden the night after our interview with “another man” seeing the Chris Stapleton concert.  No worries of a Coldplay Kiss Cam moment though, since that other man is actually her son, Hamilton ;)

Then we shift over to Gregg’s muscial tastes, which tend to be in the ‘70’s genre.  We touch on how Gregg and my wife, Margaret, could change the world if they teamed up on Name That Tune!  He reveals his talent for impersonations, so keep an ear out for a cameo appearance by Christopher Walken.

We relive our trip to Cabo with who we call The Cabo Crew and I share how that trip helped lighten my soul after having lost my father only a few weeks prior.  Good friends, sunshine, tequila, and perhaps a taste of “chocolate” is all good healing medecine.

We really had fun on this one!  So join us, and let’s see where the energy takes us!

Coldplay Kiss Cam Couple

https://youtube.com/shorts/xL8gdhw4q5I?si=d9iXky0ESpxwp9gd

Howard Stern + Chris Stapleton interview https://youtu.be/e1DIJy7PjXU?si=hA4HJcCJaaRxYDct

Starting Over / Chris Stapleton https://music.apple.com/us/album/starting-over/1528423147?i=1528423148

Next Episode / Dr Dre w/ Snoop https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-next-episode-feat-snoop-dogg/1440782221?i=1440783384

Christopher Walken Pulp Fiction audio clip https://youtu.be/YFtHjV4c4uw?si=cuMzYaKrlP-EnQtl

Sugar Sugar https://music.apple.com/us/album/sugar-sugar-original-45-version/732889622?i=732889708

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1983015048745357

My relatively new friendship with Robyn Pray is undoubtedly a result of the universe connecting the two of us.  Here’s how that happened and why this episode means so much to me.

In the summer of 2023, I received a very kind and somewhat mysterious note from a name that I didn’t recognize, though I did recognize the sender’s address - Keeseville Free Library in Keeseville, New York.  Admittedly not being an avid reader or library-goer, I thought to myself “who and why is anyone from any library reaching out to me?”

Turns out, Robyn had been on a quest to find a copy of “Corlear Bay Club - The First 100 Years”, written by Luisa Fernholz.  For context, Corlear Bay Club is the small private community located on the New York shores of Lake Champlain that my family has been coming to for 58 consecutive summers.  In her Google search for Fernholtz’s book, she stumbled on my memoir, called The Perfect Club.  And although she never did find a copy of the original book she was after, Robyn took interest in my memoir, she found my contact info, and politely asked if I’d be open to sharing a copy of my memoir, which of course I did.

I was honored and somewhat disbelieving that anyone other than my immediate family and friends even knew about my little memoir project.  It was then in the summer of 2024 that Robyn and I finally met in-person when I discovered that she was in fact, a DEADHEAD too.  Robyn was even kind enough to invite me to host a book-talk at the library that summer, and the rest as they say, is history!

Recently I sat down with Robyn at the library to share a few concert war stories and learn more about how and what lead her to become the director of the institution known as the Keeseville Free Library, now celebrating its 99th anniversary.  Just a few short days after my interview with Robyn and in honor of the library’s anniversary, the Corlear Bay and Keeseville communities rallied together in our first-ever 5K Color Walk to support the KFL.  BIG shoutout to Lilly Staib for being the brainchild behind the idea and to Robyn for pulling it all together.  Our little walk raised over $1000!

The theme that Robyn and I kept coming back to was how, despite the often-times sad or even tragic mysteries that surround us all in life, we continue to trust the universe.  And Robyn has, what I can only describe as amazing “Universal Energy”.

So join us, and let’s see where the energy takes us!

Library Magic https://music.apple.com/us/album/library-magic/1118453756?i=1118453892

Ramble on Rose https://music.apple.com/us/album/ramble-on-rose-live-at-jfk-stadium-philadelphia-pa/366394085?i=366394312

Gold Dust Woman https://youtu.be/4QiAmkF-QkE?si=LhnAzVQVO1_DMqWi

Feelin' Alright https://music.apple.com/us/album/feelin-alright-feat-dave-mason-anders-osborne-live/1820042229?i=1820042465 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1983015048745357

I was honored and proud to host yet another member of the Villanova Wildcat Crew, my friend Peter Russell. 

To say that Peter and I have a few things in common would be an understatement and it wouldn’t do our friendship justice.  First and foremost, we both appreciate energy, and we embrace the people that exude positive energy, starting with two of the most beautiful souls in the universe, Rainer “TITAN” Jenss and Tom Staib.  God rest both of their souls.

Peter shares how he became a Wildcat and what those wild days in the mid-1980’s meant to him.  You’ll hear Peter and I speak of characters like John Coates, Tim “Tmac” McGuire, Bill Schroeder, Andy Taccetta, Kevin Taylor, and “Miracle on the Hudson” survivor, Steve O’Brien.

Then we shift to present day where Peter reveals what kind of music makes him truly feel alive, including Dave Matthews Band, The Beatles, The Beach Boys, and Billie Eilish, to name a few.  He reveals a band name that I had never heard before, Manchester Orchestra, and I’m so glad he did.  Check these guys out, trust me.

Peter opens up about why, after 30 years, he chose to leave the world of media and launch a self-funded video-based, online mentorship platform for young adults, called Kindling https://www.gokindling.com/ He describes how Kindling helps young adults cultivate personal agency, empowering them to thrive personally and professionally.  Although the program is suited primarily for adults from 18-29, Kindling can be the spark for anyone that wants to foster change and self-improvement.

Finally, Peter pays tribute to his family.  Having recently lost his ultimate mentor, his father, Jack, he shares how and why Jack’s character has been a lifelong inspiration.

Join us, and let’s see where the energy takes us!

Tight Pants SNL https://youtu.be/Nv7Ts4v5_Bs?si=1Lp1zqALTPrEj7Yo

All Along the Watchtower https://youtu.be/QLvNVtTtqao?si=BtbIDTr_FxOMzFKC

God Only Knows https://music.apple.com/us/album/god-only-knows/1440850596?i=1440852180

The Sunshine https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-sunshine/1440945297?i=1440945308 (edited) 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1983015048745357

Now in their 20’s and all having left the nest, it’s not often I get to spend extended one-on-one time with my daughters.  This is why this episode is so special to me.

A few weeks ago my youngest daughter, Lilly, and I embarked on a 12+ hour roadtrip from our home town of Greenlawn, Long Island to Charleston, South Carolina where Lilly will join her sister, Hannah, and call it home for a while. Along the way, Lilly shares what she’s been up to since graduating from University of Delaware in May of 2024 and reveals why she chose Charleston to explore the next chapter of her journey.  We share stories, talk music, and even include some comic relief by recalling a few of our favorite Seinfeld moments. 768 miles later, we arrive in Charleston and are greeted with a big hug from Hannah and close out our roadtrip by catching some good ol’ Grateful Dead music at Pour House.  It doesn't get any better than that!Join us, and let’s see where the energy takes us!

• Truckin' https://music.apple.com/us/album/truckin/663694969?i=663694987
• On The Road Again https://music.apple.com/us/album/on-the-road-again/418556875?i=418556999
• Life in the Fast Lane https://music.apple.com/us/album/life-in-the-fast-lane/635770200?i=635770204
• Althea https://music.apple.com/us/album/althea/663697282?i=663697474
• Send Me On My Way  https://music.apple.com/us/album/send-me-on-my-way/1440931328?i=1440931590

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1983015048745357

The title may be a bit of a giveaway, but unlike all previous episode show notes where I share a preview of the content, in this very special episode, I invite listeners to learn about my guest, Dan Pashman, by tuning in and finding out Dan’s amazing story for themselves.  In other words, I’ll keep you in suspense!

Join us, and let’s see where the energy takes us!

Anything’s Pastable https://www.sporkful.com/anythings-pastable/  

The Sporkful https://www.sporkful.com/

Mission Impastable https://www.sporkful.com/tag/mission-impastable/  

Born to Run https://youtu.be/_uh5jg1_tmA?si=DQpCGMNGAT7bcr1W  https://music.apple.com/us/album/born-to-run/310730204?i=310730214

So Many Roads https://music.apple.com/us/album/so-many-roads-live-in-chicago-july-9-1995/307938974?i=307939172  

Hello in There https://music.apple.com/us/album/hello-in-there/1018524551?i=1018524558

Crash into Me https://music.apple.com/us/album/crash-into-me/388136111?i=388136331

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1983015048745357