Extraordinary Ordinary People

(An audio prologue to Andy's conversation with Juliette "Joules" Brown.)

This week, Andy talks with the artist behind three enormously-popular wedding songs—Edwin McCain. His hit songs "I'll Be" and "I Could Not Ask For More" are both favorite "first dance" songs, and his song "Walk With You" is always a moving choice for the father/daughter dance. Edwin's songs have formed the soundtrack to some of the most pivotal moments in people's lives, that couples and their families will always remember. Edwin first gained industry attention with his indie album Solitude. He toured extensively with Hootie and the Blowfish, then signed with the same label (Atlantic Records) to release his first major-label album Honor Among Thieves. His second album Misguided Roses, spawned his first major hit single "I'll Be"—it was featured on the TV show Higher Ground and the movie A Cinderella Story, then absolutely exploded when featured on Dawson's Creek. His next big hit was his recording and performance of Diane Warren's song, "I Could Not Ask For More," which first appeared on the soundtrack of the Kevin Costner/Robin Wright movie Message In A Bottle. Links Edwin McCain His new EP O Edwin Where Art Thou?, with "I'm Back," "8 Miles from a Paved Road," and "Home." YouTube, Amazon, Spotify "I'll Be" Lyrics, YouTube, Amazon, Spotify "I Could Not Ask For More" Lyrics, YouTube, Amazon, Spotify "Walk With You" Lyrics, YouTube, Amazon, Spotify And more...

(An audio prologue to Andy's conversation with Edwin McCain.)

In this episode we talk with John Soderberg, an artist with a passion for bronze and the human experience, at his Arizona ranch. To say that John has a unique perspective is an understatement. Not only did John graduate from high school in Bangkok, Thailand, but he'd circled the world eight times and visited more than 40 countries before that. During that time, John and his family visited the world's great museums, galleries, cathedrals and temples. When John was five, his mother Betty held him up so he could touch the foot of Michaelangelo's Moses. He experienced his first epiphany, and was amazed at the ability of sculpture to move people centuries after the artist was gone. He dedicated himself to art, started painting in oils at age five, and studied teakwood carving with Thailand's leading master, a Buddhist monk, from age 12. When John came to America for college, he found himself a stranger in his homeland. He dropped out and painted in the riotous streets of Berkeley in the 60s, enlisted in U.S. Marine Corps in 1970, and after receiving his Honorable Discharge worked as a machinist during the day, and painted and made jewelry at night, and eventually moved his family to Flagstaff, Arizona, to work in a bronze foundry to learn the art and craft of sculpture. Since his "starving artist years", John has become renown for both his bronze sculpture work and his dedication to helping others, with a focus on children and women in need. His daughters, who became known for their sculpture work before their father achieved any professional success whatsoever. Links John Soderberg Contribute to Rancho Feliz

(An audio prologue to Andy's conversation with John Soderberg.)

During his more than sixty years in Alaska, Jack Roderick has been a truck-driver, small business entrepreneur, lawyer, teacher, and author of Crude Dreams: A Personal History of Oil & Politics in Alaska. During 1967-68, he served as regional director of the U.S. Peace Corps in India, and in 1970-71, was government relations advisor to Alyeska Pipeline Service Company (TAPS). Elected Mayor of the Greater Anchorage Area Borough in 1972, he served until the City of Anchorage and the Borough unified in 1975 to become the Municipality of Anchorage. Roderick is now writing his memoir. Links Crude Dreams: A Personal History of Oil & Politics in Alaska

(An audio prologue to Andy's conversation with Jack Roderick.)

It's hard to overstate how glad I am to share my conversation with Sylvia Weinstock with you. I am thrilled that you'll get to spend some time with her, as I've been lucky enough to. If you're in the wedding business or familiar with it, Sylvia needs no introduction. Sylvia Weinstock reinvented the tradition of the wedding cake, and for 37 years she and her team set a standard for wedding creations—quality, workmanship, pride—that few have matched, and few will match. In this episode I talk with Sylvia about her amazing life and career in the wedding business, her philosophy on both, and about this amazing time in Sylvia's life as she closes one chapter and opens a new one. Links About Sylvia Weinstock Cakes

(An audio prologue to Andy's conversation with Sylvia Weinstock.)