Gretchen Kelly is a well-known face in Dayton night life.  If you enjoy delicious OE pizza, heading out for occasional drinks, or local music, chances are you've run into Gretchen out there in our city.  She talks with me on this episode about her new business venture, Mercenary Bartenders.  What kind of niche are they filling in our community?  What's Gretchen's favorite Dayton band?  What was the first music she can remember hearing?  What in the world is liquor liability insurance?  You'll learn…

We have the rule of no rules

This past Friday, I shared my conversation with Icho Van in Spanish.  Icho also speaks English, so here is the second part of our chat. That's him in the above picture taken in Mexico City, the handsome gentleman second from the left.  What are some of Icho's favorite foods from being on tour? What was his experience playing Tiny Desk like?  What would Icho like to teach Americans about September 15th?  (Pronounced "quince de septiembre" in this conversation.)  What did his…

It's really all about me exposing myself honestly... exposing my heart, exposing real life experiences and challenges that I've gone through... exposing lessons from those challenges... 

This episode keeps us in the Gem City.  Mariah J is my guest.  She's a singer/songwriter, poet, dancer, artist disruptor, cultural strategist and overall creative being who has just released an album titled Unfolding.  How did Mariah learn how to sing? How long did it take her to make this album?  How does she know…

...I don't like to be labelled as one genre, because I love so many different genres of music...

The Kadence is a Dayton-based songwriter and artist. He is blessed with a gifted voice. In our conversation, you'll learn how he got started making music and get a look into his songwriting process. Have you ever wanted to drop everything and leave? If so, maybe you can live vicariously through The Kadence, as he is about to move into a Nissan Altima and drive to Los Angeles. Why is that happening? You'll…

It wouldn't make sense for me to call this 'For Dayton By Dayton' if it doesn't encompass everything Dayton has to offer... I want inclusion in all aspects... this is a city-wide house party...

I welcome my first rapper to the podcast with K. Carter.  Carter is based in Dayton, Ohio.  He is a poet, artist, and small business owner who clearly loves the Gem City and has a desire to bring people together. His most recent album, The Prototype, was released this year.  You'll learn what he is up to…

It's all about the Gem City's past, present, and future

I welcome a fellow Xenian on this episode, Arch Grieve.  Arch teaches political science, and is a podcaster.  His main podcast is called Discover Dayton. Why did he start this podcast?  What service is he trying to provide to the community?  These are some of the things you'll learn in this episode.  We also get into a few behind-the-scenes details of podcasting, and some tips for podcasters.  You'll also hear me analyze the "what did your childhood…

Whatever you're thinking about when you hear my songs, that's what I want you to do, because I think that's what music has done for me.

Jill Dodson is a talented musician with a big voice who releases music under the sobriquet Abigail Moone.  She recently released an excellent debut EP, In Ruins. Where does her stage name come from? What is her songwriting process like? What are some of her influences?  You'll learn these things and more by listening to our conversation.

LINKS

Bandcamp

Facebook

Insta…

There's nobody getting your back in standup, like if you're failing, you are failing, and I know what it feels like because I have bombed hard many times at open mics...

Adam Edwards is originally from the Dayton area, and spent many years playing bass in Dayton bands. These days, he lives in Colorado. Our conversation contains a great deal of nostalgia and fond recollections of musicians and bands from Dayton's past. Adam also tells us about jumping into the art of stand up comedy.

Here are some…

I always promised myself... if podcasting feels like a chore, you should probably not do podcasting

The instant I started my podcast, I knew I wanted to get Terry "Izzy Rock" Martin as a guest. He was one of the hosts on the Gem City Podcast, a labor of love into which he poured countless hours and energy without being paid. Have you ever wondered how much work it takes to produce and edit a podcast? Izzy Rock will break it down for you from a position of authority on the subject, as he has produced and…

higher education... has very little to do, I've found, in my experience with really being intelligent and clever, it has more to do with wherewithal, determination, and stick-to-it-iveness...

Doctor Jenny and I have the nerdiest conversation on my podcast thus far. We talk about science, education, art, board games, science fiction, and music.  Would it surprise you to know that stress has adverse effects on one's performance, whereas proper diet and exercise improve performance?  Probably not, but…

This was my first time producing, mixing, and mastering all on my own...

Rich Reuter becomes my first repeat guest on this episode, and with good reason.  He is a songwriter, musician, and recording artist from Dayton, Ohio, and has added engineering, mixing, mastering, and production to his skill set. Tomorrow, on Thursday 24th February, he releases a brand new EP, Endless Parade. Why might it be possible to consider this to be a concept EP? What inspired the creation of these songs? What kind of work…

I sound, if I'm doing it in my most natural form, I sound like rock.

Paul Levy is the lead singer of Sadbox, who you'll also see playing guitar. A Sadbox show consists of a bunch of dads on stage playing rock music, so one could certainly categorize them as "dad rock". He and his band were responsible for the single most joyful musical moment of 2021 for me. Paul is both ebullient and gregarious, and that'll come across loud and clear in our chat. How does Paul know when a song is finished? Why does he…

"I would give a king's ransom to hear my music through somebody else's ears"

Tod Weidner is a grizzled veteran of the Dayton music scene.  He has been at the helm of Shrug since 1994.  These days, Tod lives in California, where he is embarking on new and interesting musical adventures. This is a gentleman for whom I have a great deal of respect due to his years of dedication to our music community, to songcraft, to his instrument, to playing shows like he means it, and to being a decent human being…