For this Season 2 Finale Episode, Tanya Winch and I have a very fun chat, mostly focused on songwriting.  We got some other things like her volunteer work through Kids In a New Groove, songwriting groups, the importance of gratitude and the ever-present dilemma of deciding whether or not to work with friends/family on creative projects.

For the Deep Dive section we discussed her most recent single, "Cupid".  She takes us on a very thorough walk-through of the thought behind each line of the lyrics. She also dives into what went into the making of her super fun music video for it, including collaborating with VAM Studios, Ramble Creek Studios, Marc Daniel Nelson and San Fenix Productions.

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For this episode, Ryan Monahan and I have a great conversation about the craft of making beer. We get into his path into the beer industry, homebrewing, cicerone training and how acquiring extensive knowledge about a craft making it harder and harder to enjoy things. We also talk about his other creative endeavors like Finite Fidelity, Electric Pilznerdz and Battle of ATX.

For the Deep Dive section we discussed the process of making beer.  Beer is something many of us enjoy, but so few of us understand how much really goes into making it.  Ryan is very generous at the end of this chat by walking us through the steps of bringing beer to life.

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For this episode, Kristen Klehr and I get into a great conversation about what she's been up to out in LA/Honolulu. I've known her for quite a while now and one thing I have definitely learned is she is a person that just really gets things she sets out to do, done. 

More recently, she has started a creative small business called The Den Collective, which is a place for musicians to thrive. She tells us all about it in the back half of the episode.  We also got to talking about being smart about collaboration, her GRAMMY nomination (what?!?!), finding a great fit for all parties when seeking endorsement deals and a few of the other things she's been up to.

Hope you enjoy and thank you for listening!

Anna Larson and I talk all about songwriting, how she stays motivated/inspired to keep working through the help of her songwriting group, livestreaming and the idea of beauty in art as a destination. 

For the deep dive section, we talked all about "Cocoon", the second solo release from rising singer-songwriter Anna Larson, is a visual EP time capsule – a collection of seven original songs with accompanying film, found sound and archival footage. We even break down some of the songs and how she came to write them. 

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Rachel Pallante and I got into a funny and engaging conversation about her creative process, especially when it comes to comedy. We talked about having a need to perform, how the Austin creative scene differs from Chicago's, what goes into developing funny characters and the transition to becoming more self sufficient on the production side of making her hilarious videos on Youtube, Instagram, etc (just search for Rachel Pallante). 

Did I maybe commit to trying to do stand up comedy one day on this episode? Maybe!  Will I tell anyone about it when I actually do this? Probably not!

For the Deep Dive Section, we really got into what goes into making a video.  From the research and learning the character phase all the way through the editing phase.  We talked about comedic improvisation and how it compares to my approach to playing guitar solos.  Always fun when there's a natural through-line like that across totally separate mediums.

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Roberto R Hernandez, AKA Robonzo, and I got into a great conversation about Podcasting as an artistic medium. So, what I'm trying to say is this is a podcast about podcasts.  Woah... Really, though. It's a medium that's been picking up steam for quite some time so I thought it would be great to chat about it with someone that has been doing it at a high level for quite some time.  Check out his show, The Unstarving Musician, to learn all about the business side of being an independent musician.  You can actually find me on a recent episode!

We covered a lot of other bases on this episode as Robonzo does a lot of different things to fuel the creative fire. This week's deep dive was all about what goes into making an episode of a podcast. There is definitely a natural teaching element to our conversation, so if you're thinking about starting a podcast yourself... this may be a great episode for you. This also marks my first international episode as Robonzo was Zooming with me from his home in Panama. This show is really living up to it's name.  Cheers and I hope you enjoy our conversation wherever you get your podcasts.

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While this show has focused on discussing the creative process so far. I thought it would be great to take an episode now and then to talk about Nonprofits that are our there supporting these creatives!

For this episode, I am lucky enough to be joined by James Whelan of the SIMS Foundation. He takes the time to tell me all about the incredible work of the SIMS Foundation.  If you aren't familiar with their work, the SIMS Foundation provides mental health and substance use recovery services and supports for musicians, music industry professionals, and their dependent family members. The conversation around mental health, especially amongst creatives, is just as important as ever.  We talk all about the importance of erasing the mental health stigma, why creatives may be especially vulnerable to mental health and/or substance abuse issues, how SIMS operates and how you can get yourself involved!

Thank you for listening.  Please remember to like and subscribe to the show wherever you listen to your podcasts!

Here's an inspiring conversation featuring Susie Pollard, a painter and photographer based in Austin, Texas.  We talk all about her 7 years spent in Paris, choosing to embrace different interpretations of art (and in my case, music), drawing inspiration from color schemes found in nature and/or her surroundings, her influences and we even got into the process of how-to hire her to do a commission piece. 

For this week's deep dive, we talked about a piece from her "Floating Tree Series" and another abstract piece of hers called "Pink Paradise".  I'll be posting both of these on the show's Instagram (@greetingsfromwhereverpodcast) this week for sure, so be on the lookout for that to get a glimpse of what we're talking about.  She told a great story about a stranger in France on the street gifting her a handwritten chapter of his novel many years ago and how she still works that into her work today!

Thank you for listening.  Please remember to like and subscribe to the show wherever you listen to your podcasts!

We kick off Season 2 with a great conversation with RJ Porter and Tyson Prince from the band, The Spin Wires, out of Buffalo, NY. On this episode, we dive into cowriting virtually as a band vs in-person, getting music placed in video games/TV shows (including several appearances on the hit show, Shameless).  We also got relive the moments that they were defining and establishing the band's original vision of creating fun, high energy music that makes people want to dance.

Deep Dive: We focus on one of my favorite of their songs, "Slam Van".  It's a high energy rock song all about a van blasting off to space among other things.  It's such a fun track.  We talk about how they'd been inspired by fun, simple pop songs that led them to creating this song and we talk all about the dynamics of working with their producer.  Kevin Murphy

Thank you for listening.  Please remember to like and subscribe to the show wherever you listen to your podcasts!

The end of the year is so often a time for reflection.  I wanted to take a moment to reflect on season one of the podcast.  There were 9 great discussions with guests that I'll never forget as long as I live.

Some common themes throughout the season were:

- Collaboration

- Using space in creativity

- Using art to find one's voice in the world

- Creativity becoming part of one's identity

- Being genuine

I also talked about future plans and things to focus on as I get ready for season two to return in a few short months.  Also, I talked about my plans as an artist next year.  Cheers to a better 2021 everybody!  Thank you for listening!