Middle Class Rock Star

This weeks episode is a conversation with Schyler Allyn and Mitch Lagge of Big Sky Bonus Tracks. BSBT (based in Red Lodge, MT) films artists singing songs and telling their stories. It's all very high quality, from the filming locations, to the mastered audio, to the video cameras. Since 2022, they've been curating great music from Montana and Wyoming and abroad to build a community out of what they love to do.

If you enjoy the podcast, please let others know, subscribe, or write a review!

IF YOU'D LIKE TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST IN A MONETARY WAY, I'M NOW ON PATREON! Please note: new Patreon members get to pick a cover song for me to record especially for them! www.patreon.com/andysydow

Guest Links:

Website: http://www.bigskybonustracks.com

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BigSkyBonusTracks/videos

If you liked this episode, consider listening to one of these next:

112. Jackson Emmer

108. Kalyn Beasley

Episode Music:

Original music by Andy Sydow

Sponsors:

A huge thanks to our sponsor, Narrator Music.

For any sponsorship inquiries, shoot me an email at [email protected]

narratormusic.com

My guest this week is keyboardist, Bill McKay. It's impossible not to hear Bill's name when you're a musician in the Denver area. He's everywhere and plays with everyone! McKay first moved to Colorado for college in 1987, and immediately started playing in bands while working on his degree at Colorado College.

He toured with "soul 'n roll" outfit, Band Du Jour from 1990-1995 right out of college, then moved to Atlanta to join The Derek Trucks Band as the lead singer and keyboarding from 1995-2000. Moving back to Colorado, McKay spent the next decade as a member of Leftover Salmon. Bill has also played with Coral Creek, Steely Dead, The Other Brothers, and Bill McKay Band.

Towards the end of our conversation, Bill talks about his past struggles with addiction, and getting sober 12 years ago. He invites anyone who is in need of a friend or someone to talk to, to reach out on his website: www.billmckaymusic.com.

If you enjoy the podcast, please let others know, subscribe, or write a review!

IF YOU'D LIKE TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST IN A MONETARY WAY, I'M NOW ON PATREON! Please note: new Patreon members get to pick a cover song for me to record especially for them! www.patreon.com/andysydow

Guest Links:

Website: http://www.billmckaymusic.com

If you liked this episode, consider listening to one of these next:

73. Drew Emmitt (Leftover Salmon)

74. Greg Garrison (Leftover Salmon)

80. Todd Smallie (Derek Trucks, JJ Grey & Mofro)

Episode Music:

Original music by Andy Sydow

Sponsors:

A huge thanks to our sponsor, Narrator Music.

For any sponsorship inquiries, shoot me an email at [email protected]

narratormusic.com

Katie Boeck is this weeks guest and yet another artist I met through the Kerrville Folk Festival. We were both finalists in the 2023 New Folk Songwriter Competition (Katie was a winner!).

Boeck's story is a page turner... she studied theater at UCLA, spent years in her early 20s immersed in the rich Laurel Canyon music scene, toured India, and played the lead in the musical "Spring Awakening" on Broadway in New York. This was all before moving to Nashville to study the craft of songwriting. Katie spent 2022 touring the country performing Joni Mitchell's legendary album, "Blue" in it's entirety. In April of 2023, she released a full length album of original material called, "Calico."

If you enjoy the podcast, please let others know, subscribe, or write a review!

IF YOU'D LIKE TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST IN A MONETARY WAY, I'M NOW ON PATREON! Please note: new Patreon members get to pick a cover song for me to record especially for them! www.patreon.com/andysydow

Guest Links:

Website: http://www.katieboeckmusic.com

Episode Music:

Original music by Andy Sydow

Sponsors:

A huge thanks to our sponsor, Narrator Music.

For any sponsorship inquiries, shoot me an email at [email protected]

narratormusic.com

I first met Jordan at the Durango Songwriters Expo about 10 years ago. We've stayed in touch through the years and even jammed together at the Casio booth at The NAMM Show in Anaheim this past February.

During the pandemic, Jordan started calling himself "Piano Jordan" on TikTok. He used the platform to play his favorite songs and invite others to sing with him. This grew him a following of over 600K on on the platform.

During our conversation, we chat about Jordan's songwriting process, his career as a broadway actor, and being drawn to music because it's a way that he can make other people happy.

If you enjoy the podcast, please let others know, subscribe, or write a review!

IF YOU'D LIKE TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST IN A MONETARY WAY, I'M NOW ON PATREON! Please note: new Patreon members get to pick a cover song for me to record especially for them! www.patreon.com/andysydow

Guest Links:

Website: https://jordansiwekmusic.com

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@pianojordan?lang=en

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pianojordan/?hl=en

Episode Music:

Original music by Andy Sydow

"Lover and a Giver" by Jordan Siwek

"Two Roads" by Jordan Siwek

Sponsors:

A huge thanks to our sponsor, Narrator Music.

For any sponsorship inquiries, shoot me an email at [email protected]

narratormusic.com

After a moving hiatus, Middle Class Rock Star is back this week with Erik Stucky. We're both Colorado boys that are currently calling the greater Nashville area home. Erik came over to the new home studio to record this episode live. I don't get to do them live very often these days!

(from Erik's website bio):

"Growing up in the rugged mountains of western Colorado, Erik Stucky picked up his first mandolin at the age of 8. Following the release of his debut album Stray Clouds in 2017, Stucky packed up his instruments and a single suitcase and pointed his pickup for Nashville.

Influenced heavily by New Grass Revival and Lyle Lovett, the Americana artist proved his ability to cross genres from Country, to Soul, to Jazz, all the while maintaining an unmistakable writing style and voice with his sophomore album, Good Vibrations (2021). Performing on the mandolin and guitar, Stucky combines his passion for lyric writing, folk instrumentation, and big band arrangements."

If you enjoy the podcast, please let others know, subscribe, or write a review!

IF YOU'D LIKE TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST IN A MONETARY WAY, I'M NOW ON PATREON! Please note: new Patreon members get to pick a cover song for me to record especially for them! www.patreon.com/andysydow

Guest Links:

Website: https://www.erikstucky.com

Episode Music:

Original music by Andy Sydow

Sponsors:

A huge thanks to our sponsor, Narrator Music.

For any sponsorship inquiries, shoot me an email at [email protected]

narratormusic.com

I'm a big fan of Sam Burchfield's music. I was first introduced by a friend several months ago, and he's been in regular Spotify rotation since. We had a great conversation about tai chi, being a touring musician who is also present for their family (not just financially), gigs vs shows, and how Spotify actually CAN help an indie artist pay their bills.

If you enjoy the podcast, please let others know, subscribe or write a review. 5 star ratings and reviews on Apple Music as well as subscribing to my YouTube Channel help out the most!

IF YOU'D LIKE TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST IN A MONETARY WAY, I'M NOW ON PATREON! www.patreon.com/andysydow

Guest Links:

Website: https://www.samburchfield.com

Episode Music:

Original music by Andy Sydow

FEE FREE TICKET LINK for Andy Sydow Band at the Bluebird Theater June 2:

https://www.axs.com/events/480276/andy-sydow-band-tickets/promos/571402?skin=bluebird

Sponsors:

A huge thanks to our sponsor, Narrator Music.

For any sponsorship inquiries, shoot me an email at [email protected]

narratormusic.com

Jeremy Facknitz has been entertaining audiences with his lovingly crafted music and high-energy performances for over a quarter century. Since the 2002 break-up of his Detroit-based band "The Ottomans" (they earned a 2001 Detroit Music Award for Best New Alternative Band, beating out "The White Stripes"), Jeremy has performed primarily as a solo act, marrying folk-rock and jazz stylings to showcase his intimate stories of life, love, and self-discovery.

But from 2003 to 2017, those stories seemed to fall on deaf ears. Facknitz carved out a living performing at bars, coffeeshops, and corporate events while teaching lessons on the side. "I was happy to be making a living performing music, but my original music wasn't being heard - and as the years passed I found myself more and more frustrated playing to little more than the din of drunken conversation." Things came to a head on July 17th, 2017 when Jeremy was diagnosed with viral meningitis. "I came face to face with my mortality, and I realized it was time for a change. I quit performing at bars and spent the next year making the leap to house concerts, touring, and performing solely for listening audiences."

The leap has paid off. Jeremy was named a top 24 finalist from over 800 entries in the 2020 and 2022 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Songwriting Competitions at Kerrville Folk Festival. His songs "Ballet of an Unhatched Chick" and "Michigan (Something In The Water)" were awarded semi-finalist distinction at songoftheyear.com, also in 2020 and 2022.

While occasionally performing with his 6 piece band in Colorado, Jeremy continues to tour solo - performing at house concerts and listening rooms in the United States, Canada and Europe. His 6th solo album "Smilin' At The Future" is set for release March 31st, 2023. (jeremyfacknitz.com)

If you enjoy the podcast, please let others know, subscribe or write a review. 5 star ratings and reviews on Apple Music as well as subscribing to my YouTube Channel help out the most!

IF YOU'D LIKE TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST IN A MONETARY WAY, I'M NOW ON PATREON! www.patreon.com/andysydow

Guest Links:

Website: www.jeremyfacknitz.com

Episode Music:

Original music by Andy Sydow

Sponsors:

A huge thanks to our sponsor, Narrator Music.

For any sponsorship inquiries, shoot me an email at [email protected]

narratormusic.com

Joel Ansett moved to Denver, Colorado in 2014 and started playing every local open mic he could find. He has since found fans all over the country with more than 14 million streams online, a song placed in Marvel’s “The Punisher” , and the title of “songwriter to watch” from The Huffington Post. The songs combine folk and R&B to great effect, and beyond the genre, Artist Review wrote: “This music is soul therapy.” (joelansett.com)

Joel and I have been pals for several years now, but we've never gotten to sit down and really talk shop. Unlike the vast majority of indie artists, Joel makes a large portion of his income from streaming royalties. He has over 250,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, and his most played song ("This Could Be") has been streamed on the platform nearly 6 million times.

In our conversation, we chat about revenue streams, how he invests in his recordings, the role that Christianity plays on his music, and Squid Game!

If you enjoy the podcast, please let others know, subscribe or write a review. 5 star ratings and reviews on Apple Music as well as subscribing to my YouTube Channel help out the most!

IF YOU'D LIKE TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST IN A MONETARY WAY, I'M NOW ON PATREON! www.patreon.com/andysydow

Guest Links:

Website: www.joelansett.com

Episode Music:

Original music by Andy Sydow

Sponsors:

A huge thanks to our sponsor, Narrator Music.

For any sponsorship inquiries, shoot me an email at [email protected]

narratormusic.com

"Edward David Anderson is an American songwriter and veteran of the road who spent his formative years fronting the revered Illinois band Backyard Tire Fire. Known for infectious melodies and memorable messages he penned 9 releases for the band and played countless shows across the US and Canada.

When BTF went on hiatus in 2011 EDA continued to write and play solo and with his band Black Dirt Revival. Backyard Tire Fire returned to the stage to headline the inaugural Black Dirt Music Festival in 2019 and is currently booking select dates and festival plays. With a retooled lineup they released Black Dirt Blue Sky (EP) in Sept. of 2021, produced and written by EDA and released on his own Black Dirt Records in conjunction with The Royal Potato Family label.

EDA has been featured on NPR's World Cafe, has twice appeared on the nationally syndicated radio program Mountain Stage, as well as the PBS television show Sun Studio Sessions and has been in regular rotation on radio stations across the globe for two decades. Touring with the likes of Gov't Mule and Rev Horton Heat, playing high profile festivals from Mountain Jam in NY to High Sierra in CA and consistently releasing interesting studio recordings has garnered the gifted songwriter critical praise & a national audience." (edwarddavidanderson.com)

If you enjoy the podcast, please let others know, subscribe or write a review. 5 star ratings and reviews on Apple Music as well as subscribing to my YouTube Channel help out the most!

IF YOU'D LIKE TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST IN A MONETARY WAY, I'M NOW ON PATREON! www.patreon.com/andysydow

Guest Links:

Website: www.edwarddavidanderson.com

Episode Music:

Original music by Andy Sydow

Sponsors:

A huge thanks to our sponsor, Narrator Music.

For any sponsorship inquiries, shoot me an email at [email protected]

narratormusic.com

Jackson Emmer is an award-winning singer, songwriter, and producer from Carbondale, Colorado. His work blends humor with heartache, and tradition with exploration. Emmer’s writing is often compared to that of John Prine and Guy Clark. He has toured the US since 2009, collaborated with Grammy-winners, and co-written 40+ songs with folk music legend, Tom Paxton. Emmer has opened for Robert Earl Keen, Sierra Ferrell, and Tim McGraw. His work has been featured in Rolling Stone, Billboard, 1200+ Spotify playlists, and 200+ radio stations worldwide. (jacksonemmer.com)

If you enjoy the podcast, please let others know, subscribe or write a review. 5 star ratings and reviews on Apple Music as well as subscribing to my YouTube Channel help out the most!

IF YOU'D LIKE TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST IN A MONETARY WAY, I'M NOW ON PATREON! www.patreon.com/andysydow

Guest Links:

Website: www.jacksonemmer.com

Episode Music:

Original music by Andy Sydow

Sponsors:

A huge thanks to our sponsor, Narrator Music.

For any sponsorship inquiries, shoot me an email at [email protected]

narratormusic.com