This episode features an old friend, my mentor from senior year of college at Loyola University, New Orleans: Mr. John Snyder.

John Snyder is a Grammy Award-winning music producer with over 40 years of experience, known for his extensive work in jazz and blues. His production career began in 1977, and he has produced over 350 original recordings, with 34 receiving Grammy nominations and 5 winning Grammy Awards. His work spans a wide range of legendary artists and genres, showcasing his versatility and deep industry knowledge. We discuss his Grammy nominations and wins, which he relates "made him mad" ... music should not be produced in order to win awards, it's meant to be shared with those around you.

His dedication to education of young people really sets John apart ... from the first moment I met him in New Orleans he's been trying to help me out on my path, whether I've accepted his path or not has been up to me, but he's always offered as much assistance as he could. And he has done the same for countless other developing music professionals over the years. I am grateful for our long-term friendship and hope you enjoy this episode.

Hey hey everyone! Here is episode 29 of the show, and it features a great conversation between myself and a young lady who just started a school for folks with disabilities. In this conversation we dive into instructional techniques for working with different levels of needs, the history and practice of Applied Behavior Analysis, songwriting as therapy, and many more topics.

My guest is, like me, a former student at Loyola University New Orleans, which is how we got connected.

Marcellé is a singer-songwriter, educator, and advocate based in Las Vegas. She is the owner, founder, and instructor of Once Upon a Voice, an online music studio that offers trauma-informed, neurodiversity-affirming education for singers and songwriters. Her work honors music as a form of self-expression and communication, supporting students of all neurotypes and experiences—including those shaped by trauma or disability. As someone who is both autistic and ADHD, she understands the profound ways music can support emotional regulation, healing, and identity. Whether guiding young musicians or launching advocacy initiatives like Voicelore—a nonprofit being developed to support survivors of gender-based violence through music—Marcellé centers her teaching on nervous system care, trust-building, and transformation through song.

Hey hey podcast party people!! Here's my conversation with Shane Presley of The Rock Paper Podcast, a local St. Louis entertainment podcast that features hour-long interviews with artists, comedians, musicians, and other creative folks around the St. Louis region.

It was my first time meeting Shane, although we've been connected online for a bit. He's a great guy with a long history in the St. Louis music scene, from his beginnings in the blogosphere to bring on the forefront of this fun new media landscape of the podcasting world.

In our conversation we touch on the process he took getting his podcast started, my journeys in music, education and the importance of a good custodial staff, as well as where he believes the music scene is headed in the near future.

Please enjoy!

This episode features The Dynamic Trio, a band that has formed under the umbrella of Different Dynamics, an incredible nonprofit doing incredible work around the St. Louis region.

The Dynamic Trio is:

Holly Connor - pianist, vocalist, multi-instrumentalist

Justin Lord - drums, definitely not vocals, at times keyboards

Greg Heaney - guitar and voice

Holly makes a MAJOR announcement on the show that you will NOT want to miss. I won't spoil it, but I can definitely say it's a wish that has come true.

In this episode we explore what it means to be in a band, how music runs in families, different ways of interacting with music, and Holly, Justin, and I's history knowing each other. These two young people are so fun to play with and are legitimately talented, brilliant, witty, and fun to hang out with.

Enjoy!

This episode features a fellow musician / educator Mr. Brian Lee Bauer. Brian is the president of Mimic Music Services in St. Louis, MO, and he is also a music therapist. We have a conversation about different methods we use for teaching music, dive into our histories as performers, and generally talk about how much we love what we do.

Here's a link to Mimic Music: https://www.mimicmusicservices.com/

This was a fantastic opportunity to sit down with a kindred spirit who is doing great work out there bringing music to the masses.

On Groundhog Day this year Mimic Music will be hosting their 12th Annual Student Concert & Livestream at The Theatre Guild of Webster Groves, so if you can, go check 'em out! If you're interested in checking out lessons from either Brian or myself, please reach out to either of us!

A U High! U High! classmate and old friend of mine, Mr. Sean Leahy joined me in the studio recently to chat on the podcast about his business: Full Spectrum Ice Sculptures. Sean has been in the ice sculpting game for a LONG time, and we go through how he got into the artistic pursuit, how he formed his business, and what he is doing with his business these days.

We talk failures in business, set-backs, major wins, the artistic process, parenting, and much more. I was particularly struck by a story he told about a contract he has with the Texas Longhorns ... listen to the episode, it's a doozy.

Here's the link to Full Spectrum's website where you can get in touch with Sean and his whole team for any of your ice sculpting needs in or around the Austin TX or St. Louis MO areas: https://fullspectrumice.com

Karla Harris, a highly accomplished and talented singer/songwriter from my hometown of St. Louis, and her team reached out to me a few months ago in order to have a conversation about music, specifically jazz.

I am very happy she did find me, because this is a great conversation between the two of us. Karla is a fantastic singer, and a very kind woman. She informed me during our time together that she has been going through some health issues, and sadly she had to cancel two of her events in St. Louis, which would have been happening this weekend. So, for those looking to enjoy some time getting to know Karla, I truly hope this conversation gives you some insight into her artistic life.

Here's a little from her website: Jazz vocalist Karla Harris has made a career within the art form she loves for more than three decades, captivating audiences from Portland to Provence. Her performance credits include events such as the Sarasota Jazz Festival, Portland Jazz Festival, Oregon Coast Jazz Party, Nantucket Arts Festival, Siletz Bay Music Festival, Atlanta Jazz Party, Atlanta Jazz Festival, and a TED Talk.

Marlin Bonds, the master of the hook, came into the studio to chat with me on October 30th of this year to talk up his newest venture, HypnoLoops. For those who don't know, Marlin is a VERY accomplished musician, music producer, and songwriter who has been in the music business for a long time. He's been nominated for multiple Grammy awards and has sold enough records to be called 7x Platinum. The man has many talents.

This truly was an incredibly fun and informative conversation. We talked traumatic experiences, swapped stories about songwriting, spiritual practices, binaural beats, and meditation, among others.

What I really enjoyed in this episode, though, was hearing Marlin's stories of personal loss in his life and how he has healed from those terrible experiences and has devoted his time and work to helping others who may be going through something similar.

HypnoLoops is an app designed to incorporate personally recorded mantras for the user that they can use in their mindfulness practice any time that they need. I think the app will be VERY helpful for young people struggling with regulating their emotions.

Please enjoy this very special episode.