Performance Anxiety

Not too many of us know what we want to do when we’re teenagers. Hell I’m still not entirely sure, and I’m coming up on 50. But Jennifer Hartswick did. But she almost didn’t have a choice. Music and entertainment ran in the family. And while she’s best known for playing trumpet with legendary musicians like Trey Anastasio and Phish, Carlos Santana, Tom Petty, & Herbie Hancock (to name just a few), that’s not the instrument she started with. But once she found it, it was all over. In fact, she went to college for music and at one point was asked to TEACH the class instead of attend it. Well, it was at that point that she made an important decision in her life, which was followed by a HUGE coincidence 10 minutes later.

Jen talks about the life of an independent touring musician very candidly. We also talk about music’s affect on buying groceries, the amazing advice she received from Herbie Hancock, and the beauty and importance of falling on your ass. Check out her latest album, Something In The Water on Brother Mister Records. Check out jenniferhartswick.com for social media links, album purchase info, tour dates, and more. Follow us @PerformanceAnx on social media. Check out performanceanx.threadless.com for stuff and ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety if you just want to send us a nice cup of coffee. And now get ready to smile a lot with Jennifer Hartswick on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network.

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My guest today is the one and only Dan Navarro. Dan was so kind to do this interview because he had just arrived in London and it was about 1 in the morning for him when we recorded. His career is as varied as it is long. It started when he was just a kid, with his cousin Dave, but it began several branches earlier in his family tree. Dan has done everything from being a singing waiter to voice over artist, to doing jingles, to writing iconic pop songs. In fact, his job as a singing waiter is where he met his long time collaborator, Eric Lowen. But it wasn’t an instant connection. But once they clicked, it was obvious to them what they had. They wrote, recorded, and toured like crazy. But a personal tragedy almost ended his musical career. But it ultimately resulted in writing one of the most well known songs from the 80’s. And years later, when Eric couldn’t tour anymore due to advancing ALS, Dan forged a new career as a solo artist. He also became a prolific live streamer during the pandemic, streaming 6 days a week. He has released his latest album, Horizon Line and, no surprise, it’s full of great music. There are so many great stories behind these songs and Dan tells me as many as he can before he had to get some sleep! You can get the album at dannavarro.com or wherever you buy music. Follow him on Twitter @dannavarro or FaceBook & Instagram @dannavarromusic. Follow us @PerformanceAnx. You can be our hero by supporting us through ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety or performanceanx.threadless.com. Now don’t sleep on this episode with Dan Navarro on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network.

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One of things I love is to see former podcast guests in concert. A while back I had The Ritualists on the show. They came to DC to play a gig, so I went. The band that played before them was a duo called Monsoon and please forgive the pun, I was blown away; so much so that I had to reach out to see if they wanted to be on the podcast. To my delight, singer/guitarist Sienna Chandler was happy to make an appearance. The way she got into music is unlike any other I have ever heard. She attended a local rock and roll type of band camp in Athens, Georgia. It was around that time that she got her first gig. Without a band. By being told she LOOKED like she was in a band. She took the gig and had two weeks to form a band and write music. It also forced her to get out in front and sing! Sienna has some amazing stories like how performance anxiety helped name the band and accidentally moving in to a cult commune. There’s also the time that Toyota used a Monsoon song in a Super Bowl commercial immediately after the halftime show. So you could technically argue that Beyonce opened for Monsoon. Maybe? The band went through a very tumultuous period between albums. But without that, Sienna would not have written an amazing album in Ghost Party. Support indie bands like Monsoon by buying their music and merch through platforms like Bandcamp. Go see them live. Follow Monsoon @monsoonband on Instagram & Twitter. Follow us @PerformanceAnx on both. Support us through ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety or performanceanx.threadless.com. And I hope you’re as blown away by Sienna Chandler and Monsoon as I was, on Performance Anxiety, part of the Pantheon Podcast Network.

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Mike Baggetta has always loved music. It’s been a constant part of his life. His dad was a guitarist who played for years! Some of his earliest memories are of his dad’s guitar case and amp stacked up after a wedding gig, smelling like old cigarette smoke. He still finds that smell nostalgic. But Mike found his own path into music, writing original songs from the start. He went to Rutgers to study music and even played the Montreux Jazz Festival during that time, with George Benson holding court in the front row! But at one point, he quit music and decided to pursue other opportunities (this is where we find our Yellow Pages connection). But the guitar slowly crept back into his life and wouldn’t leave. So he went with it, releasing an album of prepared guitar as his solo debut. Interesting idea. He’s really big on improvisation and that has led to some killer collaborations and albums, like his latest release, Everywhen We Go. It’s the second release from the trio of Mike Baggetta, Mike Watt, & Jim Keltner. The album title came from guitarist Henry Kaiser and Mike is anxious to see how many times it gets autocorrected. 

It’s a great album filled with improvisation that is actually listenable. 

You’ll hear clips during this episode but the songs have so much movement that you really need to go check them out in their entirety. So I recommend picking up Everywhen We Go wherever you get new music. And follow Mike @mikebaggetta on Instagram, @mabnotes on Twitter. Follow us @PerformanceAnx on both. Reach out there or email us at [email protected]. Now please give a warm welcome to Mike Baggetta on Performance Anxiety, part of the Pantheon Podcast Network. 

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I am pleased to present the episode I recently recorded with Alex Stephens, AKA Strawberry Guy. Since I was involved in a little incident literally just before recording, we naturally discuss our favorite alcoholic beverages. Turns out, Alex is a Straw-Beery Guy! Since you can’t see me winking, it means he made a Strawberry Guy beer! Alex shares tales of his own Performance Anxiety and how that influenced the way he sings and performs. He even practiced in a cafe toilet for a friend to bolster his courage for his first open mic night! He also talks about the name Strawberry Guy and the sweet & sad story about how it came about. 

Alex’s song Mrs. Magic exploded after it was used on TikTok. But Alex had no idea until a tweet from a Twitter bot informed him that the song had entered the charts! The song exploded so fast that it was hard to keep up. There are even college essays written about the phenomenon. 

The rest of Alex’s catalog is just as good as Mrs. Magic and he tells me about his goal to write music that’s good for your mind and soul as well as his plans for America! Check out his music on Spotify and Bandcamp. Follow him @strawberry_guy on Instagram & @_strawberryguy on Twitter. Follow us @PerformanceAnx on both. Reach out through Social media or email at [email protected]. Buy merch at performanceanx.threadless.com or a non-committal cup of coffee at ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. Now take a deep breath and get mellow with me and Alex Stephens, AKA Strawberry Guy on Performance Anxiety, part of the Pantheon Podcast Network.

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Rebecca Pidgeon is today’s guest. You may know her from one of the ten albums she’s released. Or, you may recognize her from her roles in movies like The Dawning, The Heist, RED, or Bird Box. It turns out that creativity runs in her family. Her mother is a yoga instructor, her grandmother was the editor of Architectural Digest ( a magazine that I used to study like a textbook), and HER sister was celebrated artist Olga Lehmann. So it’s no surprise that Rebecca was drawn into both music and acting at an early age.  She even attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts where she started recording demos with Roger Fife as Ruby Blue. And even though the signed to a record label, she continued to pursue her acting career, as well. She has been able to cultivate both careers successfully over the years, resulting in ten albums and over thirty acting credits in television and movies. 

Rebecca’s tenth release is a concept album called Parts Of Speech, Pieces Of Sound . But it’s not about dragons, a dystopian future or even an historical figure or event. It’s a very esoteric topic that means a lot to her. Each song has a beautiful story behind it. We discuss the focus of the album, why it’s so important, and which song got me into a tiny bit of trouble. Go check out rebeccapidgeonmusic.com to check out the album & get social links. Follow us @PerformanceAnx on the socials. Reach out there or through  [email protected]. 

You can be amazing and help support the podcast by buying merch at performanceanx.threadless.com or simply buy us a cup of coffee at ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. Now let’s get into the flow with Rebecca Pidgeon on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network.

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This is a cool episode. Nora O’Connor joins me for the second time, but it’s her first as a solo artist. This time we get a chance to go a bit deeper into her musical past. She talks about being child bartenders at parties her parents would throw where, eventually, everyone would gather together and sing, just for the joy of it. She went to college for music, but mostly for the business side of the industry. She’s been a fixture on tour with Neko Case and she discusses how learning bass for Kelly Hogan eventually led to that gig. But that wasn’t her first musical credit. That would be a prog song by the band It. Nora also talks about rum and making great decisions.

Nora has worked on so many great projects and we touch on quite a lot of them, including Urban Twang, The Blacks, Andrew Bird, & The Flat Five. She’s just released her third solo album called My Heart, and it’s not just a hit with me, but also with my 18 year old daughter. So she’s definitely done something right. Pick it up on Pravda Records. Follow Nora on social media. Follow us @PerformanceAnx. Buy us coffee at ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety or get merch at performanceanx.threadless.com. Reach out on social media or [email protected]. Now get ready to learn the secret of Winwoof, by Nora O’Connor on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network.

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Chris O’Rourke, Rachel McNally, and eventually Derek van Beever, collectively known as Sleepyhead, are my guests this episode. All three had very different paths into music. Drummer Rachel didn’t even start playing drums until college and that was really just to be in a band with Chris. Speaking of Chris, one of his biggest influences was a childhood friend, Jon McLean, who is a founding member of Six Finger Satellite. And Derek’s turning point happened during a family trip to Malta.

The band has a name that didn’t really match their sound, and I get the story of how that happened. I also hear about how they recorded with possibly the world’s longest drum loop, the difficulties of touring and recording when you’re raising kids, and how a faculty variety show really got the band back together again. And we wrap up with a story about trained chipmunks, so you gotta stick around for THAT! Check out the band’s new album, New Alchemy on Bandcamp, check out sleepyheadrockband.com, @sleepyheadrockband on Instagram and Facebook, and @sleepyhead1989 on Twitter. Follow us @PerformanceAnx on Twitter & Instagram. Performance Anxiety on FaceBook. Reach out to us at [email protected]. Support the show at ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety or performanceanx.threadless.com. And now check out Sleepyhead on Performance Anxiety, part of the Pantheon Podcast Network.

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This week we venture away from music for a bit. Welcome actor and podcaster, Michael Pisciuneri. We talk about how he discovered his creative side and some of his early creative endeavors (with air quotes). He’s one of my guests that really does discuss having performance anxiety and what he’s done to combat it. Michael went to college to earn a creative degree and promptly had his dreams crushed, like many of us. But he HAS had the opportunity to live in the disparate worlds in front of and behind the camera. And that is what gives his podcast, Movies Worth Seeing, the authenticity that many movie review podcasts are lacking. We even discuss a few movies that we liked and were disappointed by. And, as with most conversations Michael has, it ends up in a critique about The Simpsons. So go give Movies Worth Watching a listen. Follow Michael @michaelpishpodcasting. Follow us @PerformanceAnx on the socials. You can help the show out with a coffee at ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety or with merch at performanceanx.threadless.com. Now enjoy something a little different with Michael Pisciuneri of Movies Worth Seeing on the Pantheon Podcast Network.

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My guest today is singer David Reed Watson. This guy is one of the nicest guys I’ve had on the podcast. He’s been singing for years but he was also in the advertising game. But before ALL of that, he was a Marine. While he was deployed to Egypt he had the opportunity to lay in the sarcophagus in the great pyramid of Giza. That changed his life. That and getting hit by a car.  He tells me how a severance package and a promise to his sister before passed away from Sjogren’s Syndrome kick started his musical career. He also shares what the advertising world (including his role in the famous Truth campaign) and the smell of Burger King’s french fries has taught him.

David has been a part of many bands. I think the last count was sixteen. But his latest endeavor is my favorite, A Rising Force. It’s been a long journey and he shares a lot of stories, like how the band’s name and their latest release, Eclipse, really have nothing to do with Yngwie Malmsteen, even though David HAS worked with him. Check out risingforceband.com to buy the album, Eclipse. Go to davidreedwatson.com to hear all the other great work David has done. Follow the band @arisingforceband on IG, ARisingForceof1 on Twitter, & A Rising Force Band MN on Facebook. Follow us @PerformanceAnx. Email us at [email protected]. Buy merch at performanceanx.threadless.com. Buy us a coffee at ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. Now strap in because this one has quite a few twists & turns. It’s David Reed Watson of A Rising Force on Performance Anxiety, part of the Pantheon Podcast Network.

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