This is Orlando

I am super excited to be able to start featuring some music on the podcast starting with my friends Paul Mauceri and Wheeler Newman from Orlando’s Cosmic Root Collective.

From their website;

The Cosmic Roots Collective are three dudes from Orlando, FL – Wheeler Newman, Ronnie Brannan, and Paul Mauceri – who play a unique blend of what they dub “Psychedelic Progressive Pop from Space.” They formed in 2013 and draw from a variety of influences, including the punk energy of alternative/college rock legends the Pixies, the grungy melodicism of Nirvana, the folk styling of Elliott Smith, the pop sophistication of the Beatles, the progressive rock of Rush and Yes, and the modern rock experimentation of Radiohead, all with a bluesy/roots undercurrent. A peer once described their sound as a “Progressive Rock version of The Band.”

This past August they released their first full-length album, entitled “Virtues.” Recorded in Newman’s living room during the course of 2016 and the first half of 2017 and mixed and mastered by Shaun Combs, the material reflects a significant stylistic shift from their earlier sound, which had a more country/gospel flavor a la the “Cosmic American Music” espoused by Gram Parsons. Some of the newer material has a more experimental side, as the band explores odd-time signatures and sudden tempo shifts, while at the same time adhering to traditional song structure. They play in and around Central Florida.

As I explore the local music scene more and more I am interested in hearing about your band, label or club. Drop me a line and let’s chat about a possible episode of This Is Orlando. In the meantime enjoy episode 30 and let me know your thoughts.

My thanks as always to Carlos Ivan for making happen and to my pals at the Orlando Game Space for their support.

I have been fortunate to know Angie for over 15 years now. We met during our time at Full Sail. A few years back she took her talents to Advent Health where she currently serves in Community Recruitment Services. What she learned in Career Services she now brings to our region’s largest healthcare provider. Her goal is to help and serve while building relationships throughout Central Florida between future healthcare providers and Advent.

On a personal note you will never meet a nicer, kinder and outgoing personality. I think it shows in this interview. Her experience in broadcasting makes her a natural behind the mic and her zest for life and people makes it one of the most pleasurable interviews I have had the privilege to conduct. If you are interested in a career in healthcare you need to hear this episode and reach out to her via her Linkedin page here. Be sure to let her know you found her on This Is Orlando.

My thanks to Carlos Ivan for the awesome audio work and to the Orlando Game Space for the room in which to make it happen. You will find This Is Orlando at your favorite podcast app. We welcome questions, comments and warm hugs. Be sure to say hello.

One thing that Orlando has in abundance is passion. When I first met Banks a few months back I was quick to realize he had it in spades. Trying to pin down who he is or what he does is impossible. Actor, Children’s Performer, Clown, Film Maker. He is all of these things and more.

In this interview we discuss all of these things but focus on his group Black Cow Jumps. I guess it could be best described as experimental or interactive theater. Actors portray themselves and include the audience as part of the performance. In addition to Black Cow he will be presenting a new experience in October called No Assumptions. Here’s how he describes it

- No Assumptions - Policy, Religion, Dance and Civil Discourse brings differing mind thinkers together in a highly structured discussion about topics of our times. This is a chance for citizens of a polarized nation to civil discourse in a fertile and open space where the Venn Diagram of humanity can grow. This will happen October 24, 2019 @ 7 pm at the Winter Park Library and is free to the public. Complimentary refreshments and light snacks are served.

Although these activities take up a lot of his time this is only the beginning. You can find him performing for children at the many area libraries as his characters Jiggleman and Math-U the Counting Cowboy. He has had multiple appearances on the Late Show with David Letterman and currently has 6 films streaming on Amazon. Most recently he has stepped into the political arena and serves as the chair for the Lake Soil and Water Conservation District, Lake Co.

Strap yourself in and enjoy this episode. Learn more about and connect with Banks at his web site here.

Be sure to subscribe to This Is Orlando at your favorite podcast app. For advertising opportunities email me at [email protected]. We welcome and appreciate comments at the link below or via email. Thanks as always to Executive Producer Carlos Ivan for making it all happen.

I am thrilled to bring you the first episode in a new series of talks we call This Is Orlando - Corner Office. The series is sponsored by my friends at Hylant and will feature Hylants own Client Executive Rachel Dobbs as my co host. In addition to her work at Hylant Rachel has served our community well over the past 5 years including her stint as Chair for the Seminole County Tech. Association and her involvement in the chamber as well as a plethora of community meet ups. The goal for Corner Office is to shine a light not only on the executives themselves but more so their involvement in our community and their efforts to grow and build the region through philanthropic and community events.

Our first episode accomplishes this goal and so much more. Our guest this month is Adam Scheinberg, VP Information Technology at Massey Services Inc. and Vice Chair of the Central Florida Tech Alliance. In addition to these he also serves as the President of the Mockingbird Foundation and serves on the board for the Orlando Repertory Theater. If that’s not enough be sure to ask him about his work with Phish and Umphrey’s McGee, two of the most visible and prolific jam bands working today. A subscriber to the " What you give is what you get” school of philosophy he also manages to find time to spend with his wife and kids and when not working on behalf of our community will most likely be found checking out some live music or theater.

Watch for future episodes of Corner Office around the middle of each month and future episodes of This Is Orlando around the first. Be sure to subscribe to This Is Orlando on iTunes and Google Play or wherever you get your podcasts. If you are feeling really adventurous like us on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram For information about sponsoring or becoming a guest on the show contact me at [email protected]

My thanks to Rachel and Carlos for their dedication and hard work. A special shout to my pals at The Orlando Game Space and Chad Hoover for providing the room to stretch out and get it done. We love what you are doing at the Game Space, keep up the great work. Doing this show is fun and we hope you enjoy what you hear. Get involved and help us spread the word about what a great community we are a part of. I hope to hear from you.

If you are following the Tech scene here in Orlando you undoubtedly already know Marco. He has been covering Orlando’s tech scene for close to 5 years now and has seen a lot of changes. We sat down to discuss these changes and talked a lot about where we are heading.

In addition to his work with the Sentinel I learned of Marco’s undying devotion to gaming. As a self proclaimed game nerd he is now fueling his passion by vlogging about the local scene on his YouTube channel The OVG and be sure to follow the activities on Facebook too.

You can find This Is Orlando on Google Play and iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Be sure to subscribe, spread the word and send us your thoughts and suggestions. We look forward to hearing from you.

Thanks Carlos!

I am excited to say that we have hit the 25th edition of our podcast and couldn’t be any more happy to finally get the chance to sit down with Bob Kennedy: Acting Associate Vice President of University Advancement and COO, Florida Polytechnic University Foundation.

I have known Bob for a couple of years now. In addition to providing the voice for FPU he is extremely active in our tech community and serves on many boards including the Central Florida Tech Alliance. Those of you looking for tips on networking should take note. Not only is he very visible around town but he is eager to meet and connect with everyone.

You may not know about Florida Poly but I bet you know the building? It’s the state of the art white behemoth building on the south side of I4 heading west towards Tampa from Orlando. They are a STEM focused University featuring many engineering and computer related degrees. There are tons of opportunities to get involved and Bob is standing by to tell you more. Find him on Linkedin here. Email him at: [email protected].

My thanks to everyone who has tuned in and listened. Special thanks to everyone that has taken the time to write me with your thought of encouragement. I love hearing from you be it good or bad. It’s difficult to get a good read on analytics. What episodes do you like best? What topics would you like to see more of? If you gave a good story be sure to let us know.

Lastly, I again bow down ro Carlos Ivan Marquez for his commitment and dedication to making this show happen. We have come a long way with our technology and overall set up since we began working together and it’s important that you know how appreciative I am of your work and I especially appreciate the opportunity to get to share some laughs and fellowship as we get together for these recordings.

For advertising and sponsorship opportunities email [email protected]

Be sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook too.

Part two of our focus on the local music scene. Let me introduce you to Miguel Bustamante, audio engineer and owner of Lucesca Productions. The mission at Lucesca is to Support and guide independent and emerging artists and songwriters through the increasingly autonomous music industry landscape. Music production with a focus on storytelling, which converges with song placements and synchronization as a primary end goal.

Miguel has a storied career and it’s only just beginning. He has worked in the past with artists ranging from Justin Timberlake, Shakira and Damian Marley amongst many others. My personal favorite is the work he has done with our own Carlos Ivan Marquez. (shameless plug)

We had the pleasure to hang out with Miguel and his brother Juan (visiting from Philly) a couple of weeks ago at the Orlando Game Space and I can honestly say a nicer guy you will never meet. His love of the craft and his commitment to helping new artists succeed is a welcome presence here in our city. Be sure to check out his Facebook page Lucesca Productions and check out some of the artists he is currently working with at his Soundcloud page.

That was then…

The benefits of doing the podcast are many but getting to meet so many cool people is the tops. Michael Donaldson is no exception. Whether learning about the current music scene or trading war stories from back in my days in the biz I could have gone on for hours. We tried to narrow it down to an hour but that was still not enough. It looks like Michael has a lot more is store for us so watch for follow up episodes as we work towards helping to expose more of what seems to be a much more vibrant music scene than I was to believe.

Michael is not only an acclaimed artist, Q-Burns Abstract Message, label owner, 8D Industries, music publisher, 8D sync but also currently continues consult artists looking to make their way in the industry. Who better to advise than one who has been through the chaos? A lot has changed since the days I have worked and marketing artists and music. It was great to hear about all that is happening here in the Orlando scene.

…This is Now

One last thing before you go, long time denizens of the Orlando scene are no doubt familiar with the club nite Phat and Jazzy which Michael helped get off the ground. They will be celebrating their 25th anniversary May 11th at the Iron Cow in the Milk District and Michael himself will be spinning records and looking to connect. Be sure to say hello and thank him for helping to keep the scene alive.

Rob Coble

While your in the mood for some new music be sure to check out our Producer Carlos’ web site and show him some love.



Every third Thursday at the Orlando Game Space you will find my friend Jamal running around, shaking hands, sharing hugs and cultivating an incredible group of creatives at an event he calls Mood The Party. Mood The Party is a diverse gathering of Orlando creatives from the art, music , tech and film communities. The idea falls under the banner of Jamal’s organization The Mercury Collective. The Mercury Collective is a traveling art show that is a lot more than just an art show. On any given night you will find live music recordings, documentary crews filming and of course plenty of art being displayed.

The idea is to create a safe space for all creatives to share ideas, collaborate and brainstorm. Each night features at least one but often multiple artists showing their work while additional art work from Orlando artists fill the surrounding walls. All the while DJ’s spin ambient jazzy beats and often live musicians will join in along with local Orlando MC’s. You never know what to expect and that’s what makes this group so amazing.

The vibe is easy going and the Game Space provides a spacious and comfortable environment to chat with friend old and new. I myself had such a great time I will for sure make it back next Month.

We were finally able to pin down Jamal as well as his Administrative Asst. and Chair of the CAYA Network Asjah (CAYA = Come as you are, another great initiative) for a quick chat about what is happening in the Orlando Art world and how their benevolence is helping young artists find the vehicle to help them show off their work.

Enjoy the episode and thanks to Jamal and Asjah for their time. Thanks to the Orlando Game Space for hosting the event and thanks to Carlos for making it all happen.

Listen here or search This Is Orlando where ever you get your podcasts. Don’t find it? Let us know and we will fix it. Got a good story to tell about your community? Holler at us. We would love to hear from you.

Sponsorship opportunities for This Is Orlando are available. To inquire contact me direct at [email protected]

Wednesday April 10th not only saw my 26th wedding anniversary but the meeting of the minds that was Digital Orlando 2019 at Orlando’s Science Center on Princeton Avenue. Digital Orlando was a half day of speakers, panels and exhibits that saw Orlando and Tampa’s most visible business leaders come together to discuss issues regarding our economy and what it’s like to live in such an open and creative environment. Some of the diverse panels included Startup and Innovation Culture, The Business of Blockchains and Cryptocurrency and Creating a Community of Innovation. The evening was capped off by words from Orange County Mayor Jerry Demmings.

We tried something different with episode 21. We set up shop at Digital Orlando and invited a few panelists and participators to chat with us about their businesses and their thoughts on the state of affairs here in Orlando. Here’s the breakdown of those included in this episode.

9:41 - David Glass - Founder / Digital Orlando - Orlando iX

16:00 - Ron Nation - CEO / Ryn Software

20:28 - Shannon Pastizzo - Director Business Development / Synapse

29:43 - Mike Felix - Co Chair / Black Orlando Tech

37:46 - Avani Desai - President / Schellman and Company

46:26 - Kelli Murray - Founder / Med Speaks

I can’t thank you all enough for taking the time to chat with us and share your thoughts and vision for our community. You all work tirelessly for the betterment of our region. Your philanthropic efforts do not go unnoticed and your willingness to give back really does touch the lives of so many. Be sure to listen to the episode for all the specifics. I apologize to those we had to cut for the sake of time but perhaps we could revisit for future episodes?

As always, my gratitude to Carlos for his direction, enthusiasm and willingness. A better man you will not find. Need help with your podcast? Shout at us.

I will forgo the links moving forward as you will find This Is Orlando wherever you get your podcasts. Google Play, Itunes, Stitcher, LastFM and Spotify for sure. If you don’t see it in your app let us know so we can fix it.