SPEAKER_01 0:09

Hey everyone and welcome to the Music is Our Hero Podcast, hosted by Grammy Award winners Radio. This is the spot where we celebrate creativity, share stories, and lift each other up in the arts. Each episode will dive into conversations that inspire, empower, and spark new ideas. Because art isn't just about what we make, it's about the community we build together. So grab a steep, get comfy, and let's grow in creativity side by side. The music is our hero podcast for creativity, community, and inspiration comes to life.

SPEAKER_02 0:43

All right, well, season two has come to an end. Thank you, thank you, thank you, everybody. From the people that spoke to me, to the people that referred people, to the supporters. And speaking of supporters, Music is our hero podcast got our first three monthly subscribers in this season. I would like to give a shout out to those people, of course. That's Kadrine, K-A-D-R-E-A-N. I'm not sure if I'm saying it right. Thank you so much. You started the trend. Um, after that was Karen, who's my mom. So, you know, thank you, mom. And then Ricky and Lydia from The Grateful Day Trippers. This podcast, you know, it's a lot of work. I I travel to everybody, the gear, the time, uh, and promotions and editing and all that stuff. I appreciate the support 100%. That was such a surprise. I never even talk about how you can subscribe monthly, but I realize that I need to start talking about that. You can find in every podcast description. You can find it says Fuel the Music is Our Hero podcast, and that's exactly where you'll go to subscribe monthly to support what is happening here in this indie community. Season two really brought something to my attention. It it changed what I was seeing this podcast as from the beginning. I kind of was just like, oh, I'm gonna start a podcast, and had no idea really what I was getting into. But in this season, between the people I met and talked, I realized what is happening. And it's gonna continue to happen. If you don't remember, in the very, very first episode in season one, when I introduced myself, I say I believe in the people. I don't believe in the man so much. I believe in the people, right? And everybody, you know, just just hear me out. We are in a mad, mad world, and everything is just chaos. Every day it's chaos. Um, we don't know what we're waking up to, we don't know what is going on. And all we have at the end of the day is each other, the people, not the billionaires, millions, almost trillionaires, right? Us, the people, the hardworking people. We need to like really continue to work together because um power comes in numbers, and we could do so much if we would just stop the fighting, stop the nonsense and the bickering and the better than you and better than that. That doesn't make any sense. It doesn't make any sense to me. What makes sense to me is like us continuing to work together as the people, right? Like, let's say everybody in your neighborhood gardens. Awesome. Why doesn't everybody grow something different and we trade, right? And now we just cut out the produce aisle at the grocery store that's a million dollars. And just stupid little things like that. Not stupid, just little things like that. And as far as the um the arts and the community and and music and the arts and all that, it's the same idea, guys. Like, let's just all work together and keep keep spreading the love for each other. We can beat those majors. Like the majors, it's a mess. It's a mess. I think everyone could agree with me. This is a mess. So I'm not gonna go too deep into this. This is a quick recap of season two. But I just number one again, thank you to the three monthly subscribers, uh, Kadrine, Karen, Ricky, and Lydia. You guys started a trend. I appreciate that support so much. And I will continue to expose and help everybody in their craft and their art spread their word because that's very important. And and this, like I said, in this season, I I learned so much and met so many people, and I just can't believe what an amazing scene we have right here in the tri-state area. So that's number one. Um, number two, I'm gonna give a shout out to all the people I spoke with. Um, let's see, I got notes, so I don't forget anybody. Jason Dunkerly was first, he is the co-owner and audio engineer and a drummer. Um, he's at Drowning Fish Studio. His band name is Anthems for the Abandoned, I'm pretty sure. Um, they're gonna have some shows coming up. But, anyways, talking to him about his studio. I'm now working out at Drowning Fish Studio, so I'm gonna plug real quick. You know, if you need any recording, mixing, mastering. We have a mic collection that's off the charts. We have an amazing studio. Um, that's my plug. Anyways, so Jason, it was awesome talking to him about all that. Um, let's see, episode two was Air DJ, who you know, he started out as a marketing person and went into a DJ and thrown events. Uh, great conversation with him. The third one was Bongo Billy. If you guys are from Philly and the open mic scene, you know who Bongo Billy is. Amazing that I got to talk to him. Uh, the fourth one, who's been kind of a core in a lot of people I've been meeting on this podcast, is the Grateful Day Trippers, um, Ricky and Lydia, who I like to call Licky and Rydia. It's more fun, but um, anyways, yeah, I got to speak with them and their story, phenomenal. DIY never even thought of anything that's going on that they're doing, and they're doing it, and it's becoming a big thing. Plugging right now is the Grateful Day Trippers family reunion at the end of the summer in August. Um, I'm sorry, guys, the dates uh August 22nd, or I don't know. It's it's uh it's right around there, August 22nd, something. I run the sound, it's a two-day festival. We they have amazing headliners, um, great jam bands, you know, some DJs in the tunnel. So I'm plugging that right now with the Grateful Day Trippers, family reunion at the end of the summer. Uh, okay, let's keep moving here. Um, after that, we had Dear Diane, who is this artist that I met from Jason, um, who is out there doing her thing. You could check her out. She spits some some wicked wicked lyrics um and is having a great time and found a way to already start getting paid through social media and things like that. So it's super cool that she could do that. Uh after that, we had Amac, who AMAC was is an audio engineer. Um, she left for a little bit, started studying and self-help and all that, and and became a mentor. Uh, she released this book and um great conversation, great inspirational story. If if if you're in the industry and you feel bogged down and you know, and you're beat up and all this stuff that you know she she can relate and she told her story, and she now helps people to realize that they can have this career without killing yourself. Because when you work for the major labels, that's basically what they they they make you do. They basically make you kill yourself and work until your eyeballs are falling out of your head, and it's not necessary. It's just music, guys. Like, it's just music. Calm down, you know? So great story if you wanna if you want to check out AMAC. Um, then I had, I think this was the first band, I can't remember everyone in season one, but I'm pretty sure it was the first time I used five microphones. Uh, Shattered Figures, who is a local band, and they have um they have been around for a long time, but they were on a 20-year hiatus, and their story is amazing. I'm so happy for them, so happy for you guys, Shattered Figures, that you have found your place, you're doing original music, you're doing what you love, and you're having fun. And and that was a very inspirational part for me because I talked to another band. Speaking of, I'm wearing their shirt, the Ant and Ange band. They're gonna be in uh season three. But I you know, after talking to these bands that have found a way to to be a band with good players, with commitment, loyalty, talent, it's such an inspiration to me. Almost makes me want to start a band, but I don't know where I have time to do that. Um because they're so happy. They're so happy, and it does and it didn't happen overnight, this happiness, and and and their small success that keeps happening and happening. Um, it it took a lot of time. And when I get to hear that things finally work for people, it really makes me happy. So super happy for shattered figures, you guys. I cannot wait to see you live as soon as possible. Uh, after that, I got to talk to um the owners of the gem, Andrew and Katie. Uh uh the gem is in Spring City. You need to check it out. It used to be a um silent movie theater back in the early 1900s. That's how long this building's been around. An amazing space. If you check out the podcast at the end, we do walk through the whole space. They are working with the community. Uh, Ricky and Lydia referred them to uh to me to talk to, and it was a great referral. And they are so community driven, just like a lot of these other people I talk to on this podcast, and they're booking indie bands and they and they and they want to see things grow, and they're doing it for the love of music. They're literally doing it for the love of music. In the middle of their life, they started a whole new career, they bought a music venue, and they're booking it. And so please, please check out the gem. It's a beautiful, beautiful space, amazing owners. They have an open mic. I know they said they were trying to start a weekly open jam or or or something like that. You know, they have a lot in the schedule, but then they also have bands on the weekends. Um, they got nice little like snack bites, you know, to eat. Um they work with uh local uh with Sly Fox and all local uh you know companies. So great, great space. Please, please check them out. That is uh Andrew and Katie at the gym. After that, uh Tinyade. I hope I'm still saying it right. I haven't had to pronounce it in a while, but um she what is amazing, so she's one of the younger ones that have been on the podcast, and she is very curious, lots of questions, talented. She's a dancer, she's a songwriter, singer. She just released um a song Don't Fall In, I think. I'm not sure, don't quote me. But she is very eager to continue to learn, to continue to grow. Her ego is is there's not an ego there. She's not a no at all. Actually, on the podcast, um she became the podcaster. I started answering questions because she's just so curious of certain things. So please, please check that one out. Um, and then did I already go through them all? Wow. And then it was Josh Jones Cologne, the nine lives nut Josh Jones Cologne, who was my last guest, and he really wanted to focus on the mental on mental health and especially mental health for men. Um, he has a story, he's been in bands, he was on the real world season 23. Um, he's a boxer, all those good things. And along with that, like a lot of his drive came from things that happened to him as a child, and it drove him to find an outlet for for these things. And he brings up, which is which is a thing uh that people don't think about is you know, men's mental health and you know, you the how they're expected to, you know, put carry the weight. Yes, there's a lot of problems going on in the world, and there's a lot of men running the world, so that's a problem, right? We should have some more females running the world, but like also there's good men and they're suffering because they're not only are they carrying the weight of the world because that's what they're told to do from a young age, they also are dealing with this world that we're in, and so many things, you know, it's it's it's happening mentally to so many people. So Josh just, you know, wanted to let everyone know, you know, it's okay to not be okay and it's okay to get help. So that was a really good conversation. So, anyways, yeah, this podcast has gone into a direction that I did not expect, and what I see happening is the community keeps growing and growing. And again, like however I can help, uh, that's what this podcast is doing. As of now, I travel to everybody, so it does get a little hectic and um busy, you know, but I am booking for season three. I already got probably half the season booked. Um, but yeah, I I I want a variety of people. I'm looking more intentionally now for people that can definitely um, you know, I always am talking about the educate, but like we all can can come together if if that makes any sense and continue to grow. And I would love to this slowly to be growing out of the tri-state area and maybe travel across the country and meet people everywhere and then connecting those people with these people and that people and these people because why? Because I believe in the people and we can do this, we can make it happen. We don't need to be struggling and dying on the inside. Like it's it's it's rough, it's a rough world and we have each other. So let's just stop the you know, stop the fighting and stop the this and that, and let's just start working together as much as possible because that's the only way we're gonna win. Love wins in the end, right? Kindness wins in the end. So if you have not yet, please uh go to the YouTube channel and subscribe, you know, maybe watch some of the videos, let them play through, hit the like button button, drop a comment, share it with your friends. If you know anybody else that would be interested in this podcast, and again, if you want to help financially, then you can be a monthly subscriber. Um, go into the podcast description, then it says Fuel the Music is Our Hero Podcast, or you can go on my Instagram in the link tree. There's a Fuel the Music Is A Hero podcast. It's everywhere, it's on the YouTube. If you see Fuel the Music Is Our Hero podcast, that is where you can subscribe monthly, however much you want. And if every little bit counts, it helps. I appreciate it so much. So I'm keeping this short, I hope. Let's see. Yeah, I kept it short, about 15 minutes. Um, and I look forward to season three. I mean, so many unexpected things happened in season two, and it's starting to get warmer out, thank goodness, because my mental health is not doing well, and but it's gonna get better the more sunshine I feel, the more heat I feel, and the more people that I can keep on talking to. So again, thank you everyone. Uh, and the podcast will be back in two weeks. Until then, just stay safe, keep having a good time, try to keep smiling, and be kind to each other. Peace, love, music. I'm out.

SPEAKER_00 15:34

Until next time, keep creating, keep connecting, and keep building together. Remember, we're in this together. So let's keep each other shine, alive.