Gramps Just Makes S#!T Up

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What if you could hear colors, see music, and turn a painting into a musical composition?

On this episode of Gramps Just Makes Shit Up, Gramps welcomes Cheryl Kaldahl, a remarkably talented composer, pianist, songwriter, and visual artist from Lafayette, Indiana, whose creative world brings music and painting together in fascinating ways.

Cheryl shares stories of growing up in a large Indiana farm family, where her father's love of music and art inspired a lifetime of creativity. From classical piano and composing film scores to her deeply personal musical tribute Whispering Pines, Cheryl reveals how memories, emotions, and family have shaped her artistic journey.

The conversation takes a colorful turn as Cheryl introduces Gramps to  synesthesia, a fascinating phenomenon in which the senses overlap. She explains her unusual creative process of translating colors into musical notes, transforming paintings into compositions, and sometimes even using music to correct a painting! She denies being gifted with it, but Gramps is starting the rumor that Cheryl does indeed have the gift.

Singer-songwriter and former podcast guest Joe Peters makes a surprise appearance, bringing friendship, laughter, and a little nostalgia from Lafayette's vibrant arts community.

It's a warm, funny, and thought-provoking conversation about family, imagination, friendship, and the remarkable connections between what we see, hear, and feel.

And Gramps? He discovers that synesthesia is a real thing. Now, if he could only pronounce it.

Explore Cheryl's music and artwork at cherylkaldahl.com.

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The Long View is Leslie's latest of three published poetry collections. I suspect she also has enough unpublished material tucked away in notebooks, folders, computer files, and possibly a reinforced concrete bunker to keep the publishing industry busy for another decade.

Leslie's poetry reflects a life spent hiking, observing nature, and paying close attention to the flora, fauna, and friends around her. She notices things most of us walk right past, usually while checking our socials.

Her poems took me from laughing out loud to unexpectedly holding back a tear. Frankly, I wasn't prepared for that. I thought I was reading poetry, not signing up for an emotional ambush.

I'm genuinely grateful for Leslie's friendship, her extraordinary powers of observation, and her willingness to put her words into the world. It takes courage to share your poetry. You're essentially inviting strangers to rummage through your soul without even asking them to wipe their feet.

So, pour yourself a glass of wine, settle into a comfortable chair, and join me for a conversation with my friend, poet Leslie Zane.

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Hank Christen, a retired Battalion Chief with the Atlanta Fire Department, shares a description of what it was like supporting the aftermath of 9/11 as a member of the one of the Federal Disaster Medical Assistance Teams that supported the activities in the aftermath.

This is an excerpt of a longer conversation with Hank in 2024 where we shared a few stories of our service to the Atlanta Fire Department that started in the early 1970's.

An Antsy McClain song closes us out. Enjoy.

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On Saturday, November 16, 2024, we lost our son, Kevin. He passed away in his sleep on Saturday, November 16. He leave his bride, Shannon and two sons, Jason Dean and Benjamin Paul.

We miss him everyday.

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I revisit my conversation with singer-songwriter, Aireene Espiritu. She's an inspiration and I just had to listen to more of her words and music. 

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Regarding Americana music singer-songwriters, do you enjoy discovering and being moved by stories that include love, eclectic music, tragic loss of friends, banjos and amputations? Who doesn't? Well, Angie Heimann and Cas Sochacki, share such stories in this interview as The Blushin' Roulettes. Oh, did I mention they saved their dog's life the morning of the interview?

Angie and Cas, both beautiful humans,  have been making Americana and Bluegrass music and traveling for a while now,  separately and together. In the process they have collaborated with other beautiful humans in creating and curating a collection of songs that entertain as well as offer healing.

Mentioned in our conversation were quite a few names of musical friends and collaborators. You can learn more about them with these links:

The Blushin' Roulettes
https://blushinroulettes.com/

Michael McNevin
https://michaelmcnevin.com/

Pacific Songwriting Camp
https://songcamps.org/

Jay Brown
https://jaybrownmusic.com/

Aditi Sethi
https://aditimusic.com/

The Ladles
https://www.theladles.com/

The Appalalucians
https://theappalucians.com/

The Lazybirds
https://lazybirds.net/

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Meet Tommy Womack! I love this guy! He's an extremely talented musical and literary creative that let's you into his head and heart without filters. His head and heart, by the way, are very interesting places...you should visit the souvenir store on the way out.

Founder and front man for the 80'-90's rock band from Bowling Green, Kentucky, Government Cheese, Tommy shares a few stories about his time with his friends Billy Mack Hill, Joe Elvis King, and Skot Willis. Tommy shares intimate details in this credible rock history tome. The Cheese Chronicles. (Buy it at this link).

Note: I ate a lot of the other government cheese when I was a kid on welfare.  It's great on white bread with the government peanut butter. Here's a cheesy tidbit. The U.S. government has 1.4 billion pounds of cheese stored in a cave underneath Springfield, Missouri. 

But I digress...In this episode, Tommy shares stories of his early years, including the horrors of high school and how those formative years informed much of his musical and literary creations. His first books were written in junior high on a vintage typewriter that he says his preacher father stole from the church and brought home so his mother could get her GED. But there are so many more stories...

Tommy and I dropped a lot of names in this episode. They include several wonderful Nashville talents that you may want to (no, you should want to, dang it) learn more about. Here's the links:

Antsy McClain
Irene Kelly
Will Kimbrough
Marshall Crenshaw
Gary Talent

Joe Peters

Intro and outro music by The Ladles. Visit their site for music and shows. Their harmonies are heaven-like.

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When you hear about the music of a guitar virtuoso with a doctorate in philosophy, who cut his musical teeth performing and collaborating with singer-songwriter Al Stewart (“Year of the Cat”), you know you will be getting something wonderfully unique. In a career that has spanned a dozen albums and thousands of shows ranging from living room concerts to the Royal Albert Hall in London, Dave Nachmanoff has built a broad and loyal fan base and a unique niche as a performer and songwriter.

Touring, accompanying, and recording with his songwriting hero, Al Stewart, for over 15 years gave Dave the chance to get his own music out in front of tens of thousands of people and gained him international exposure and recognition. Over the years, he has shared the stage with a long list of legends of the folk and rock music worlds, including the likes of Alison Krauss, Steve Forbert, Firefall, John Wesley Harding, and blues legend Libba “Freight Train” Cotten (when he was ten years old). Dave continues to record and tour, playing well over a hundred shows a year in listening rooms, private house concerts, and at other events. He is focused on using his music to make a difference in the world and benefit concerts are an important part of that.

Dave's album,  “Cerulean Sky”, was recorded with Grammy-nominated producer-engineer Bill Smith, who has worked with Frank Sinatra, Paul Simon, and Yes, among others. The Cerulean Sky studio band included Michael Jerome and Taras Prodaniuk (Richard Thompson’s rhythm section), and Carl Byron on keyboards (Jackson Browne, Hot Club of LA). Dave’s writing has strengthened over the decades and many fans are calling the songs on “Cerulean Sky,” his best yet.

When not on tour, Dave is busy producing for other artists, teaching master classes around the US and working in his unique niche of writing and recording custom songs.

More information about Dave and friends mentioned in this episode is just a click away...

Dave Nachmanoff Website
Dave Nachmanoff Facebook
https://www.bandsintown.com/a/205935
"Must Love Dogs" Music Video
https://twitter.com/davenach

Some of Dave's friends and music colleagues:

Al Stewart
Michael McNevin
Elizabeth Cotton
Late for the Train - Dave Pascoe and Laura Benson
Pete Hamilton
Tim Renwick
Peter White

Who created my new jingle? Learn about them here:
The Ladles
Bandcamp: https://theladles.bandcamp.com/album/the-line
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/ladlesband/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/15Q1wF9PGy4MU0Q9iTU50m

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Angry Smoke

Stories from the fireground as told by Atlanta Deputy Fire Chief (retired) Joseph M. Tolbert. Joe regales us with first person accounts of four remarkable incidents during his career, incidents that he should NOT have been at.

Chief Joe Tolbert was born and raised in the City of Atlanta. He is a fifth generation Atlanta Firefighter. His Great-Great Grandfather began the family tradition of working in the fire  service with the Atlanta Volunteer  Fire Department in 1870.

Chief Tolbert joined the Atlanta Fire Department in 1972. He has served in every rank and capacity within the Atlanta Fire Department, up to and including acting  Fire Chief. During his career he held  ranks of Firefighter, Fire Apparatus Operator, Chief’s Aide, Captain, Battalion Chief, Assistant Chief, and Deputy Chief. 

He earned degrees in Fire Science and Business Administration. He is a certified Fire Instructor, Safety Officer, Fire Investigator and Hazardous Materials Technician.

During his career, Chief Tolbert received numerous citations and commendations for heroism and bravery. These awards include the Phoenix Award, given by Mayor Andrew Young, and a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition, given by the late Congressman John Lewis.

Chief Tolbert retired from the Atlanta Fire-Rescue Department in 2005. He completed his career in the fire service as the Deputy Chief of Operations for the City of East Point., GA. He continues to operate the consulting firm he began in 1984, specializing in forensic fire investigations, fire modeling and incident management review.


For more music by the artists featured in this episode:
Antsy McClain -  https://unhitched.com/
Dave Pascoe -  https://www.lateforthetrainband.com/
Jaynee Thorne - https://jayneethornemusic.com/

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