The Story

Super excited to announce new guest, Hold Fast, to The Story!

Whether spinning tales of the sea, songs of whiskey, or lessons on love and life, Hold Fast are the backdrop to a rowdy good time. Their versatility carries them across genres from Celtic punk to Irish folk to pirate rock. Exiles and mutineers all, Hold Fast can get a rebellion started and keep it going long into the early morning!

You can find Hold Fast and their projects here:

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/HoldFastHarrisburg

Insta: Hold Fast Band

Tik Tok: Hold Fast Band

YouTube:

https://youtube.com/channel/UCJnJinBsSGhg0RJz

Band Camp: Hold Fast Harrisburg

Bands in Town: Hold Fast Harrisburg

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/39f2rqO9PeP3gDGIyxW6SQ...

Super stoked to announce new guest, Andrew Pauls, to The Story!

Performer and songwriter Andrew Pauls has been active in the Lancaster music scene and beyond since 2015, bringing energy, humor, and vulnerability into rooms of all sizes. He leads with a story — whether that’s a story about his own life, someone he met along the way, or one he’s made up. Andrew’s songs range from foot-stomping bops to cry-your-eyes out dirges, sounding something like Bob Dylan tossed into a blender with indie rock, pop, and country music.

His most recent release, “Spain”, invites listeners along to take in the sounds and stories of three Spanish cities, reflecting on what it’s like to come home a changed person.

Andrew lives in Lancaster, PA with his partner, a rescue pup, and quite a few instruments and bicycles.

You can find Andrew and his work here:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/749seJi84MBw1tvbXnHPL3...

Instagram: @andrewpaulsmusic

Find The Story here: https://linktr.ee/thestorypodcast

Super excited to announce new guest, Christopher Shih, to The Story!

Physician and pianist Christopher Shih has a remarkable dual career as both full-time practicing physician and actively concertizing pianist. Hailed by the New York Times as "an intelligent and thoughtful musician," with "effortless performances" and "consummate control," he has performed in major venues worldwide and has soloed with numerous orchestras, including repeated engagements with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall in Washington DC. His performance with the National Symphony on the Capitol Lawn for an audience of 50,000 prompted the Washington Post to declare, "If Shih is as gifted in medicine as he is in music, he has some serious career decisions to make. His performance was fluent, gracious, miraculously light, and a joy to the ear." Other orchestral engagements include the Georgetown, Ann Arbor, University of Michigan, New England Conservatory, Harvard-Radcliffe, Newton, Lancaster, and Paris Garde Republicaine symphony orchestras.

Christopher is the winner of the sixth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition for Outstanding Amateurs in Fort Worth, Texas. He was also a press and audience favorite at the professional tenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram raved, "He demonstrated a magical touch in voicing and a fine Chopinesque rubato...a total sense of style across three centuries. For Shih, technical control supports impeccable musicianship." Christopher is also the grand prize winner of the amateur competitions in Paris, Boston, and Washington DC. His playing and interviews have been featured in television and radio programs worldwide, including NPR's All Things Considered, APM's Performance Today, WGBH's Inner Voice, WQXR, WETA, WGMS, WBJC, Radio France, Radio Classique, Canadian CBC, Taiwan CTV, and Pianist Magazine.

Christopher is currently a board-certified gastroenterologist with U.S. Digestive Health in Lancaster, PA. He received his B.A. cum laude from Harvard University and his M.D. from The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He did his internal medicine residency training at the University of Pennsylvania and his gastroenterology fellowship training at Johns Hopkins. He is also active in community and charitable services, formerly sat on the GI board exam committee of the American Board of Internal Medicine, and is a Fellow of the American College of Gastroenterology. An avid chamber musician, he regularly performs with world-class artists, ensembles, and principals of major orchestras across the nation. In recent seasons he has appeared with violinists Nurit Bar-Josef, Alexander Kerr, David Kim, Elizabeth Pitcairn, Michael Shih, and Scott Yoo; cellists Narek Hakhnazaryan and Amit Peled; clarinetist Anthony McGill; pianist Jon Kimura Parker; the American, Daedalus, Dover, Escher, Miró, Pacifica, and Ying Quartets; and the string quintet Sybarite5. He also serves on the Board of Directors for Chamber Music America.

Be sure to check out Christopher and his projects here:

https://www.christophershih.com/

Cursed to sail the seas for the next 700 years, Plunder & Lightning is a band of scallywag pirates (forced into) playing original sea-inspired songs, shanties, and ghost tales delivered through a lively show, a boatload of humor, and a tankard of grog. With a wide musical range, they bridge a gap between dead-serious, driving folk-rock and musical comedy. They deliver hooks that call upon the eldergods of indie, punk, and classic shanty, sometimes seasoned by 50s rock, reggae, or whisky. While no genre is sacred, no topic is off-limits from their parody including cannibalism, accidental castration, and celebrity defecation.

Their show is an experimental art/musical theatre audio/video production that includes comedic shorts (Where’s Walter, Destination Destiny) within a musical stage show. While the details of the curse remain unknown, it is known that the band — Johnny Bones, Saucy Jack, and Admiral — embraced their call to music creativity seemingly overnight coming from unrelated backgrounds in Corporate America. The boys hail originally further inland from the Mid-Atlantic region of the U.S.

You can find Plunder & Lightning here:

Inst: https://www.instagram.com/plunder_and_lightning/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_jHy946hmIsbV5Rc54hQOQ

Check out The Story Podcast here: https://linktr.ee/thestorypodcast

Super excited to announce next guest, Ryan Geesaman, to The Story!

Ryan A. Geesaman has been involved in media and technology since the 7th grade. While he spent a good amount of time on the stage in high school and college, his professional career has been mainly behind the scenes. He holds a degree in Television/Radio from Ithaca College and a Master’s degree in Information Systems from Penn State University. From 2004 to 2018, he served as Video Production Director at LCBC, a multisite church based in Manheim, PA.

An award-winning film producer and editor, he now serves as Chair of the Communication & Media Arts Department at Lancaster Bible College | Capital Seminary & Graduate School, directing the Media Arts Production program. When not behind a camera or in front of a computer, Ryan is a husband to Stacy, father to Ryker and Carter, avid film-watcher, and enjoys smoking various meats.

Super stoked to announce next guest, Jess Zimmerman, to The Story!

The Jess Zimmerman Band is a Country Rock Band formed in 2015 and based in Southeastern PA. Jess's love for country music combined with rock influences of band members, Joe Barszowski, John Knobler, and Joe Mattis creates a band with music that has a lasting impact on all that witness their show. With influences from musicians/artists like Halestorm, Underwood, Van Halen, Gaga, Benatar, and Mc Bride, The Jess Zimmerman Band is a sweet cocktail of country and rock music adding in variety of other genres providing an exciting and entertaining live show. Jess Zimmerman was nominated and won the 2019 “Best Female Vocalist” in the Central Pennsylvania Music Hall of Fame Awards and The Jess Zimmerman Band was awarded "Best Country Band" in 2021 at the CPMA's most recent awards show.

The band is currently up for five awards this year at the Nashville Josie Music Awards Show. Including: "Entertainer of the Year", "Best Rock Singer" (Jess). "Album of the Year" (Breathe), "Video of the Year" (The Old Me), and "Fans Choice Award".

The band has written and recorded three records at OmniSound Studios, Nashville with more to come! Their first, self-titled EP, The Jess Zimmerman Band was recorded in 2016, with hit tracks “No Different” and “No Easy Way”. Red - The Jess Zimmerman Band, was the second “hot off the press” EP the band produced/released in 2018 and in 2021 their newest full-length album entitled "Breathe".

The Jess Zimmerman Band won the 1st Citadel Palooza Rising Star Contest and has been playing the Citadel Country Spirit USA Festival every year. The band has opened shows and shared the stage with a non-stop list of monumental artists such as Hunter Hayes, Little Big Town, Toby Keith and Trace Atkins to name a few.

The JZ Band also works with BOB 94.9 FM iHeart Country Radio and has kicked off shows for Kane Brown, Jimmie Allen, High Valley, and Drew Baldridge. The band tours nationally and has performed at multiple NASCAR Tracks for race fans while also honoring veterans and first responders along the way. Recent stops have been Homestead-Miami Speedway, Daytona International Speedway, Dover International Speedway, Michigan International Speedway, Watkin-Glen, Bristol Motor Speedway and many other festivals, state fairs and events.

Jess and the band have worked at helping to keep LIVE Country Music Alive with WITF, PBS Kids and The American Music Theatre. The band performed and showcased in presenting, “Country Music” a Film by Ken Burns hosted at the American Music Theatre in 2019.

You can find Jess and her projects here:

Webpage: https://www.jzband.org/

Instagram: @jesszimmermanband

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jesszimmermanband

Tik tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jesszimmermanband?_t=8VwDouCiN1n...

Spotify: https://music.apple.com/.../the-jess-zimmerman.../1188822693

Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/.../the-jess-zimmerman.../1188822693

Super excited to announce new guest, Karen Blanchard, to The Story!

Karen Blanchard earned a Master of Music Degree in Voice Performance and a Master of Music Degree in Choral Conducting from Temple University. She has sung with various professional choral ensembles throughout the Philadelphia area such as Opera Philadelphia, Philadelphia Singers, the Bridge Ensemble, the Spoleto Music Festival Chorus, and Choral Arts Society of Philadelphia. Karen currently sings with Philadelphia’s premier contemporary music ensemble, The Crossing.

Locally, she received high praise for her notable performance as soprano soloist in Berio’s Folksongs with the Lancaster Symphony. Karen serves full time as the Director of Worship Arts at Community EC in Sinking Spring. She also supports and coaches local worship teams by providing vocal training workshops for churches throughout the Lancaster and Berk counties. Karen co-leads the Berks County Worship Collective, a group that meets once a month to support and encourage each other as well as leading worship for various multi-church worship events. Karen lives in Brownstown with her orchestral percussionist husband, Tom.

Super excited to announce new guests, Bones Culture, to The Story!

Ben Oaks was born & raised in Chicago in a house much like the show "Shameless". In middle school, he moved to PA; to where Delaware, Maryland & PA meet. It was then a tiny, one light farm town - West Grove. Then Ben bounced back & forth until high school where he was classmates with Bam in West Chester. After going to an art school outside of Boston, Ben spent most of his adult life in Philly.

Instead of buying a guitar amp to join a punk band, Ben left the music store with a drum machine. An Alesis HR16b. The first rapper Ben produced is now his brother-in-law. In his 30's, Ben posted Craigslists ads for rappers & singers & crossed the country producing indie, mostly beginner artists.

Ben moved to Lancaster directly from LA, where he was producing pop acts, 5 years ago and shortly after, quit drinking. When the pandemic hit, Ben produced a compilation album of mostly local artists and some from his international musical collaboration collective - Bones Culture.

Every 2 or 3 years Ben releases a Bones Culture compilation. This is one of those years!

Ben just released his first spoken word album. The debut of Circumstantial Saint. Local artivist Sir Dominique Jordan inspired and was heavily involved and features on 4 songs!

For the rest of 2022, Ben plan on releasing a solo reggae album and finishing this year's Bones Culture compilation.

Check out Ben and his projects here:

BenOaks Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/01nmrigNdKgTfkPZleIryE

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7VAh9NwLys

Bones Culture: http://BonesCulture.com

Linksome: https://linksome.me/benoaks/

Super excited to announce next guest, Luther Tyree, to The Story!

Luther Tyree is a spirited Smooth Jazz / Blues Fusion guitarist who enthralls audiences with his dynamic technique and soulful melodies. Luther developed a passion for rock, blues, and jazz guitar at the age of 5 in Pittsburgh Pa. He acquired his first guitar at 13 years old and never looked back. After completing a 20+ year military career, Luther attended the Harrisburg Area Community College Music Business and the Berklee College of Music Guitar Specialist programs in order to reacquaint himself with todays’ musical landscape. Luther graduated from both programs with highest honors and has now embarked on a new mission: to enable people to gather and relax together in harmony through their shared love of music. His latest musical endeavor has been to add the growing Yacht Rock style to his already broad repertoire.

Additionally, Luther has been assisting the Lebanon Valley Council of the Arts and the Community of Lebanon Association in reviving the live music scene in the City of Lebanon. As a result of his efforts as a player and a booking agent, live music is set to return at lunch time twice a week in downtown Lebanon. Luther has become a driving force on the arts and music scene in Lebanon, and there is surely more success ahead.

Find Luther and his projects here:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/tyreeguitar

www.facebook.com/btyree.magnawattmusic

Youtube: (416) Luther Tyree Guitar - YouTube

Reverbnation: Luther Tyree | ReverbNation

Super stoked to announce new guest, Logan Kurtek, to The Story!

A do-it-all kind of guy, York PA’s Logan Kurtek is drawn to the endless possibilities in music. While saxophone is his main gig, his excitement and curiosity has led him to play 7 different instruments, and fostered the ability to make music on just about anything he touches. This skill has landed Logan in the recording booth and on stage supporting an eclectic mix of musicians, most notably in the blues and roots music scene.

Currently, Logan performs with Lancaster-based artist Bobby Gentilo, spreading the word of Mississippi hill country blues, adding a groovy and uniquely psychedelic twist.

You can find Logan and his projects here:

Instagram: @LoganKurtek

Facebook: Logan Kurtek

YouTube: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=i6V3Pvkpj7k

Bobby Gentilo Band Page: www.bobbygentilo.com

Right Coast Recording: www.rightcoastrecording.com