Performance Anxiety

Today’s guest should be musically jetlagged. But she’s not. Welcome the mononymous Tartie to the podcast. She’s from Melbourne and has recently collaborated with Binnie Klein out of Connecticut for a project called In These Trees. It’s an emotional journey of an album. But before that happened, Tartie went through a whole lot of other phases. She taught herself piano at age six. She also started writing original music early on. She eventually studied music in college and played some unusual early gigs. 

Tartie discusses her early music, which is definitely more pop than more recent work. She tells me about the Melbourne music scene and how she started going by the name Tartie. She switched things up during the pandemic, as Melbourne had some of the tightest restrictions. So she found creative, musical ways to fill her time. Tartie tells how she met her future collaborator, Binnie Klein, and how their partnership started. In These Trees began as a completely different project than the way it wrapped up. And in the time it took to finish the album, Tartie had two babies! She reveals a few stories behind select songs and the difficulties of touring an album when the collaborators are over 10,000 miles apart. Go to inthesetrees.com for links to buy the album and social links for the project. Visit @tartiemusic to check out what she’s up to. Check out @PerformanceAnx to check out what we’re up to. Merch is at performanceanx.threadless.com. Send us coffee money through ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. And now we go international on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network.

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This guest has reignited my love for the blues. Meet Boone Froggett from Otis. Boone is the guitarist, singer, and founding member of the band. We get disconnected a couple of times in the beginning, but we push through and have a wonderful conversation.He grew up in the same town as The Kentucky Headhunters. That band was hugely influential, not just musically, but attitudinally, if that’s a word. They showed Boone that you could be successful without moving to L.A. or Nashville. We talk about how he grew up performing, learning drums, guitar, singing, and sitar. When Otis formed, they decided to do things their way. They stayed at home, played what they wanted, like their debut album, which is a tribute album that Billy Gibbons bootlegged to give to people like Buddy Guy and Jeff Beck.

Boone is also a cancer survivor. He opens up about what he went through and how he’s doing now. The band has released a couple of top notch singles and are poised to release more new music soon. And hopefully they'll be hitting the road, too. So follow Otis @otisbandofficial on Instagram and they’re on Facebook. Check out theotisband.com for all their links. Follow us @PerformanceAnx on socials. Grab merch at performanceanx.threadless.com. Send us coffee money at ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. Now let's get into this great chat with Boone Froggett of Otis on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network.

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Today’s guest makes me feel old fashioned. Or maybe I want to drink an Old Fashioned. Either way I am fortunate enough to have Stella Cole on the podcast! She blew up TikTok with her faithful renditions of the Great American Songbook. She tells me about how she became obsessed with old music and musicals from an early age. But she was always cautious about pursuing music as a career. Like when she was attending Northwestern University; she double majored in theater and international relations as a way of hedging her bets. She also minored in German (and even she isn’t sure why)! But some bad experiences there really shook her confidence and she stopped singing for quite a while. Then the pandemic hit and she moved back home. That’s when her dad suggested she record some videos of herself singing the music she loved. She chose TikTok because it was a new platform and she figured none of her friends would be on it. Well she now has over a million followers all over social media. She talks about her meteoric rise and how she has rebuilt her confidence. She’s on tour supporting her debut album, P.S. I Love You and has recorded a Christmas album! Follow her @stellakcole on socials. Go to stellacole.net to buy her album P.S. I Love You, or her Christmas album, Snow. Follow us @PerformanceAnx on socials. Our merch is at performanceanx.threadless.com. Fuel us at ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. Now let’s step back in time with Stella Cole on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network.

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Today’s guest makes me feel blessed. Her name is Miist. She’s a singer/songwriter with an incredible story. She grew up in China and had no ambitions of being a musician. She would sing songs with her father as a kid but that was really the extent of her musical experience. She moved to Canada where she was an accountant. But a startling cancer misdiagnosis completely changed her life. She bought a ukulele and began singing as a way of working through her cancer treatments. She would post them on Instagram, which is how she met her future husband! But she still didn’t consider herself a musician. It wasn’t until a friend encouraged her to give songwriting a try, that she realized her gift. She figured she’d do it just to get him off her back. She wrote three songs that day. Since then she’s worked with her friend and producer Narada Michael Walden, wrote with luminaries like Carlos Santana, and has released her first album, The Songs From The Living Room. It is truly one of the most incredible stories I’ve heard since starting this podcast. Please follow Miist @miistthesinger on social media. You can go to miistthesinger.com to get the links and to buy her debut album. Or stream it on your platform of choice. Follow us @PerformanceAnx on socials. Our merch is available at performanceanx.threadless.com. And/Or fuel us with coffee money at ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. Now it’s time to let Miist tell her story on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network.

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Today’s guest is Dave Trumfio and he makes me feel empathetic…towards robots. Dave and his brother Harry have been in bands together since Dave was 8 years old. Their first band started then and lasted through high school! In fact, at their high school talent show, they managed to snag the final spot so they could play the entire first side of Rush’s 2112 album! Dave also performs an a capella version of the first song he ever wrote. This is when he started getting into production, as well. He started on cassettes and started working in studios, learning how to mic and record.

He was still recording with his brother and they eventually formed the duo Pulsars. With Pulsars, they decided to do things their own way, which stirred up a lot of major label interest back in the 90’s. Things happened quickly. Their first gig set them on a path to open for some pretty heavy hitters. But then their label closed up shop and Harry decided to go back to school. So Pulsars fizzled out. They may have been gone but they weren’t forgotten. They’ve had a legion of loyal fans. And now they have re-released their debut, the self-titled Pulsars album. And that’s just the beginning. Dave discusses how much music they found and what the future plans are for it and the band. So check them out on socials @pulsarsband and go get the reissued debut.

Follow us @PerformanceAnx on socials. Slide us coffee money @ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. Grab our merch at performanceanx.threadless.com. And I hope you enjoy my conversation with Dave Trumfio as much as I did on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network.

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Today’s guest makes me happy. It’s legendary drummer, Chris Slade. From his humble beginnings, he became the go-to drummer for some of the biggest names in rock. He tells me about the entertainment gene that runs through his family, buying his way out of school so he could play drums, and how working in a show shop got him a gig with Tom Jones. And speaking of Tom Jones, Chris tells what really happened with the infamous Tom Jones panty story. Chris had the opportunity to record with Joe Meek, who fascinates me. After Tom Jones, Chris found himself in a band with Olivia Newton-John where he was payed and didn’t play a note. But some of Chris’ most well known work was yet to come. He played on the biggest hits by Manfred Mann’s Earth Band (yes, including Blinded By The Light).He tells an amazing story about both David Gilmour and Jimmy Page. I discovered Chris during his time with Jimmy and the band The Firm. After that, he joined AC/DC for five years and played in the enormous Russian show for 1.5 million people!

He has a new album out with his own band, Chris Slade Timeline. It a double album with one disc being originals and the other covers of songs from his long and storied career; hence the name Timeline. Check out chrisslade.com for links and ways to buy the album. Check out @PerformanceAnx on socials and performanceanx.threadless.com for merch. And if you’re feeling generous, ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety to send coffee money. Now buckle up for a wild ride with Chris Slade on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network.

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This episode of Side Projects honors the legacy of the late, great, legendary keyboardist Bernie Worrell. His friend and colleague Evan Taylor talks about the posthumous album he produced called Wave From The WOOniverse. It contains 12 previously unfinished Bernie Worrell compositions and 1 unreleased Funkadelic song. It’s been a two year labor of love for Evan and Bernie’s widow, Judie. And the amount of guests on this double album is staggering. There’s Will Calhoun from Living Colour, Mike Watt, Norwood Fisher from Fishbone, Marc Ribot, Fred Schneider, Sean Ono Lennon, Bootsy Collins, and a lot more. 

Evan tells me how he met and began working with Bernie, initially, and how they hung out at Evan’s parent’s house in New Jersey. He talks about his history with Bernie and how he and his record label, Loantaka Records, were tapped to head this project. It wasn’t always easy to get the music together, but it gave some great stories, which he shares. So grab the album wherever you get music. Follow Evan @evantaylorthe artist or @loantakarecords. You can also check out @bernieworrellofficial. Follow us @PerformanceAnx on socials. Our stuff is at performanceanx.threadless.com. Send coffee money at ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. And now, let’s enter the WOOniverse with Evan Taylor on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network.

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Today’s guest has done so many things that I would like to do. And he tells us all about it. Welcome bassist and founding member of A Monkey Shine, George Tolias. George joins us from Athens…Greece, not Georgia. He got a late start in music. He didn’t start playing until his wife bought him a bass about 20 years ago! But he’s a quick study. Once he got comfortable, he started playing in a cover band. But they had an unusual set list. 

George describes what it’s like to play non-Greek rock music in Athens and how he wound up in New Orleans. After staying quite a bit longer than expected, he moved to France…to become a chef. But no matter where he goes, he’s joining bands. After moving back to Greece, George decided to get serious about his own band, A Monkey Shine. But then COVID hit so it essentially started as a solo project. But it has grown by leaps and bounds. George also gives up the origin of the band’s name, the difficulties of finding a singer who could sing well in English, and the secret origin of his bass. He also talks about the most special song on the album that he wrote for his mom, which also features Duke Garwood.

A Monkey Shine’s debut is out and there’s a vinyl version, too! Check it out on Bandcamp. He’s also working on some tour dates in the near future. So follow him @amonkeyshine_official on Instagram or look for them on Facebook. Follow us @PerformanceAnx on socials. Our merch is at performanceanx.threadless.com. Slide us some coffee money at ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. Now it's time to get up to no good with my friend George from A Monkey Shine on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network.

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Today’s guest makes me feel a little bit country AND a little bit rock and roll. Welcome singer/songwriter Pamela McNeill to the podcast. She has accomplished so much in her career. But it all started in Winona, MN. She talks to me about the music scene there and what event set her mind on being a musician. She talks about some unusual things about her like being a massive fan of Rush, working as a clown at the Ground Round restaurant and how that led to her first real musical job. Soon enough she was playing cover bands, which led to a gig with the legendary Lamont Cranston, where she got a real education in the music business. That led to a gig opening for the one and only Etta James! But a serious relationship led her to the UK where she entered the orbit of the man himself…Rick Astley, back in his first heyday. That led to a bit of karmic retribution for one particular member of Bananarama. 

And all the while, she’s writing her own music. She wrote Yanni’s first lyrical song, wrote for Wynonna Judd, wrote with Pam Tillis, and many others. And when she finally made her own albums, she blew it out of the water. She has been releasing music steadily since 1998 and has a new EP out called Wave After Wave on Farm To Label records. Think Fleetwood Mac playing country music and you start to get a feel for it. Check it out wherever you get music. Go buy it and follow her on socials @pamelamcneillmusic. Check out pamelamcneill.com for tour and music info. Follow us @PerformanceAnx on socials. Pick up merch at performanceanx.threadless.com including our new Spinal Tap inspired logo. Pay for our coffee at ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. So get ready for a story with so many twists and turns with Pamela McNeill on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network.

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Today’s guest should probably do his own podcast. Welcome John Ford Coley to the show. He’s a great storyteller with a lifetime of stories to share. He grew up outside of Dallas where he was classically trained on piano as a kid. He grew up on opera, show tunes, and church music. But rock and roll wormed its way into his soul and he struck a deal with his piano teacher to show him how to play popular songs. While John is most well known for his band England Dan and John Ford Coley and what is now known as yacht rock. But his early bands were a bit heavier. At one point, he even opened for Vanilla Fudge and Led Zeppelin. But that’s when John and Dan started creating their softer music. 

John talks about how he met his musical partner, Dan Seals, and how they got their monikers, England Dan and John Ford Coley. He reveals the greatest mistake he’s ever made, the coincidence that got him in the studio to watch a Joni Mitchell session, and working with former podcast subject, Jim Gordon. After hits like I’d Really Love To See You Tonight, Sad To Belong, & We’ll Never Have To Say Goodbye Again, the duo had run its course. John played in some other musical projects before getting into acting. His Godfather connections helped out there. He eventually left music all together. But he couldn’t stay away forever. The emergence of yacht rock revitalized his career (except in The Philippeans, where he’s basically royalty). He tours, playing his hits and telling stories. I’ve seen him live and it’s a treat. Check him out on Facebook at John F, Coley. His music is streaming and also on his website johnfordcoley.com where you can stay up to date with him. You can follow us @PerformanceAnx on socials. Merch is at performanceanx.threadless.com. We accept coffee money at ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. Now let’s party like it's 1979 with John Ford Coley on Performance Anxiety, part of the Pantheon Podcast Network.

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