This special episode is our first collaboration with The Lone Star Plate's sister podcast, Factual America, hosted by Matthew Sherwood, which explores the American experience through the lens of documentary filmmaking.

Melissa Lucio is the only Hispanic woman to ever be sentenced to death in the state of Texas. She is currently facing her last appeal, having spent 13 years on death row. Her case, as well as the problems with the American justice system and the death penalty, are captured in the documentary The State of Texas vs. Melissa (2020).

Our guest is French-American journalist and filmmaker Sabrina Van Tassel, who directed, wrote and produced the film. I loved Melissa's energy, she is so passionate, caring and invested in her work as a documentary filmmaker.

This is a phenomenal documentary, but it has outraged me, as it's frustrating to see so much injustice in my state of Texas. Make sure to take time to see it on Amazon Prime or Hulu, and enjoy this Lone Star Plate/Factual America special episode.  

“I believe Melissa would already have been executed if I hadn’t made this film.” - Sabrina Van Tassel

Today, I’m joined by Austin singer/songwriter BettySoo.  

BettySoo is one of the members of Nobody's Girl, an Americana/folk-pop supergroup featuring two other acclaimed singer-songwriters Rebecca Loebe and Grace Pettis.

They’ve just written and recorded a brand new full-length album titled "Nobody's Girl," that is to be released on July 30, 2021 on Lucky Hound Music. 

They’re going on tour this summer, and after being locked down for so long, I’m really excited to go see them.  

BettySoo plays us a beautiful song, that hasn’t even been released yet, so we have another exclusive performance on The Lone Star Plate!    

“With this project, every single decision is extremely collaborative.” - BettySoo

My guest today is Vincent Hancock, the Olympic record holder and world record holder, a 2-time Olympic gold medalist, and 4-time world champion at skeet shooting.

He specializes in shooting shotguns, but we talk about other firearms as well, as he knows his way around pretty much anything. Talk about dedication, sacrifice, and discipline - this guy shoots over 20 thousand rounds a year to practice, and explains to me exactly what his training entails.  

We talk a little bit about guns and gun control, and then about his journey, and how much it took for him to get to where he’s at today. Even after winning gold medals, he’s still observing what he’s doing and trying to make adjustments. That’s how people become the greatest in the world at what they do.

Another inspiring Olympian who’s heading to Japan, it’s a pleasure to talk to such a skilled and interesting fellow Texan...  

“I love to win, but I hate to lose.” - Vincent Hancock

This episode I’m joined by author Stacey Swann, who just released her debut novel ‘Olympus, Texas’.

Having talked about her first book, we just got carried away having such a nice conversation together. Then we got into our own thing talking about writing, philosophy, Texas, and just connecting with each other.

Stacey’s an absolute gem, she’s hilarious and you will enjoy our chat in this episode! 

“When you want to write, it’s not something that goes away.” - Stacey Swann  

Today, I’m joined by the phenomenal author May Cobb, who's got a new book out right now called ‘The Hunting Wives.’ I’m about a third of the way through it, and it is one of those ones that you struggle to put down.

It’s based in East Texas and it is her first book to go global and become such a widespread release.

We discussed the book, writing novels vs. writing for TV, the difficulties of writing as your full-time career, what's next for May, and of course, Texas.  

“It was my last roll of the dice, this had to happen.” - May Cobb

This episode we’re joined by Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter, Jon Randall.

Jon has been in the music industry his entire life and knows his stuff about what makes a good track, and how to live off your music these days. He has recently collaborated with Miranda Lambert and Jack Ingram on The Marfa Tapes and talks about how that project happened. 

A great storyteller with great energy, we have a great connection talking about food, music, culture, and our love of Texas...

“All the big fish from small ponds turn up in Nashville.” - Jon Randall  

Today, we’re joined by Stacey George and Sasha Spivey, the owners and masterminds behind the fashion brand Franki Ray. These are two strong Texan businesswomen who started their company from the ground up. 

We talk about the luxury bag market, and leather bag making in general as well as some of the controversial things behind it. They know their stuff about this industry, and I was super impressed by their attention to detail. We talk about how they got their business started, and the technical knowledge any entrepreneur needs to know to get started in the world of business...

“Know your brand, know your value and negotiate accordingly.” - Stacey George

Stephen Tobolowsky is back on the show!!!

As a true master storyteller, he jumps straight into the interview telling me about his stressed out cat, and then he goes on to share how he met Lyle Lovett in Austin, how he was a victim of a crazy theft in South Carolina, and how he got his first acting job on TV.

Last time I spoke to Stephen, he told us a story about young Stevie Ray Vaughan that went viral. No he comes back with an UPDATE on that story, but I'm not going to give it away, you'll need to listen to the episode to discover it.

Stephen Tobolowsky is smart, unique, and the greatest storyteller I’ve ever heard. I was literally hanging on every word he said, and I bet you will too, so tune in and enjoy!

“The difference between actors and writers is that actors are always interested in questions, and writers are always interested in answers.” - Stephen Tobolowsky

Today, I’m joined by Mexican-American actor and screenwriter Raúl Castillo. Raúl is in a couple of recently released movies, 'Army of the Dead' and 'Wrath of Man.'

'Army of the Dead' is the best movie I’ve seen in a really long time, and I could not recommend it more to any of you. Raúl gives amazing performances in both of them, and it’s incredible to see how different the guy I interviewed is from the people in these movies.

I know he’s had a long career, but this guy is just going to keep on getting bigger and bigger. It’s a pleasure talking to him, and we have a good old laugh along the way. 

“It gave me a newfound respect for action stars because it’s’ hard work and it’s long hours.” - Raúl Castillo  

Today, we’re bringing one of our most popular guests back on the show, Alex Reymundo.  

Now normally I don’t drink on the podcast, but Alex owns a tequila company Number Juan Tequila, so whenever he comes on the show we have a few shots.  Well, I’ll be honest with you, this time we had a couple more than usual, and ended up getting pretty drunk together.  

Alex is a great comedian, so this is one of those conversations that just had me in stitches of laughter.  We talk about MMA, UFOs, and Alex even gives us an update on the Carlos Mencia situation.

So sit back, grab a drink, and have a good laugh with us...  

 “Comedy should never be a contest, and by the way, all is fair in love, war, and comedy.” - Alex Reymundo