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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, lift each other up in the art. 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 come to life.

SPEAKER_00 0:43

We did it. We made it. We made it through season three of the Music Is Our Hero podcast. Thank you, thank you, everyone that has been tuning in, that has been supporting, that is understanding this vision. I'm gonna do a quick recap of season three and everybody that I talk to. But before that, there's just a few things I want to mention. One is if you would like to support me on these journeys, you can do a monthly subscription through my BuzzSprout account. Basically, if you go to any podcast or my social media or Music Is A Hero Social Media, the website, you'll find something that says Feel the Music is Our Hero Podcast. And there you can do a monthly subscription for a little as $3. That subscription will help me with the traveling costs. I've been basically traveling to everybody at this point. The studio time, the production costs, better equipment so I can keep on making things cleaner, bringing on more meaningful stories that help inspire and educate others, and growing a platform so more people can find and benefit from these conversations. If you can't do that, that's okay. You can support it's as simple as subscribing on the YouTube channel and playing some of those videos. The more I keep that going, then I can monetize. And that's an easy form of support where you don't have to do much except push a couple buttons. I appreciate all the support. This journey is amazing. I think it's more satisfying learning everybody and finding all these small communities that exist around me and slowly bringing them all together for one big community. That is the most satisfying part of this podcast right now that I didn't expect when I started this almost a year ago. The second thing I want to mention is the Grateful Day Trippers Family Reunion is coming up soon. It's a two-day festival at the end of August. It's August 21st and August 22nd. It's a homegrown grassroots music and arts festival. It's in Sellersville, PA, and it's held at Papa Joe's Grove. It's a vibrant mix of music, art, creativity, family, and friends. It brings us all together for good vibes. I mean, you can bring your dog, you can bring your kids. That's how family friendly it is. It's my favorite time of year. Uh, I do run the sound. I supply all the sound equipment and run the sound for the jam band stage, so that's very satisfying. And I know this year is gonna be probably the best year yet. I mean, every year they keep getting better and better, and I'm super excited. There's some changes going on that Ricky and Lydia, the Grateful Day Trippers, felt would enhance the experience for everybody. So I look forward to all of that. That's August 21st and 22nd. Tickets are on sale. Check it out. A lot of great bands, a lot of great DJs, vendors, just good times all around. And the third thing I wanted to bring up real quick is in November, um, if you haven't yet, save the date, November 8th, 2026, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. It's a Sunday. I am having an event to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the podcast and also to start bringing all these people together that I've been meeting in all these little communities. It's very exciting to me. This event is gonna be huge, I feel like. And to watch everybody like I I met so many people this through this journey this past year, or whatever. I met so many for the first time the day I did a podcast with them. And I don't know, just the thought of connecting everyone and and bringing it all together and celebrating such a good thing, such a magical thing, the arts and music and love, and the people that are being brought together are all kind of in the same field. Like we are doing the right thing with art and music, and we have to keep supporting each other, and then also we have to figure out getting support from not just each other, but also the community of people that just enjoy arts and entertainment, and they're not the creators, because those people are very important just as much as the creators. So, you know, we'll see in time what happens. Super excited about that. I invited everyone from the podcast. It is a public event. Anyone can come. Um, there's gonna be a lot more information on that coming soon. All right, let's get into this podcast, this season three. So let's see, where do we start? Episode one was with the Aunt Nange Band, Finding Their Sound, the rise of the Aunt Nange Band. The Aunt Nange Band was founded by Anthony and Angelo. Um, it's four guys having a great time. There's been a lot of growth, chemistry, and they have found their sound. You know, you sometimes you have to go through different bandmates and do different things and journeys and travels. But when you finally find the ones you click with, I have learned from this podcast how amazing it is and how happy as a band you are. You know, don't stay in a band if it's miserable because there are people out there that should be in the band with you. Um they record with this guy, Obi. He was a he was a huge highlight. Um, they have music released and they're playing shows all over the place. Their music is great, the production is great, all around great guys. I highly recommend you check out that episode and also check out the Aunt Ange band if you have not heard them. The second one that we did was with Rich Stoller. Rich Stoller was a hit. Rich, you were a hit. Uh, a lot of people reacted and watched Rich Stoller's podcast. Um, he is a taper. I didn't even know about tapers until I talked to him, and basically it's people that go to these shows and whatever, and they set up their camera and they stream live or they record it. He puts it on YouTube. Um, archive.org was his other thing, and he has like over 4,000 recordings since he started doing all this. So I just feel like that's completely insane that he's been to that many shows since like I feel like it was just like since 2016 or 17, he said he really started getting into it. So, Rich, that's a lot of shows. So good for you out there having a good time. Check out Rich Solar, uh, episode two if you have not. Um, episode three was the farthest I think I've traveled yet for this podcast. Took me about two and two and a half hours for Jim Rizak, who he is a musician, a songwriter, and a guitar teacher. Um, his story's phenomenal. He uh around in his 50s um decided to go full force with this music thing and ended up getting enough clients for his guitar teaching and made a little studio and a little place in Delaware that he teaches out of and has a little studio off the side. So when he's not teaching, he's working on his own music and creating his own thing. And we we had a lot of laughs. I really enjoyed talking to Jim. I felt like I was kind of talking to myself. I don't know if we both have ADD or what was going on, but a lot of laughs, um, a lot of good things to learn. So check that out when you get a chance. A life in six strings, the Jim Rezak story. The next episode was with Sam Pinola. Sam Pinola is a guy that loves making records. Um he's been in bands his whole life. Uh he's been making records, I think he said since the 90s. And for him, it's more important. The record is more important than the the money. And he's he's a guy, the sound that he likes isn't necessarily that po polished pop sound that you might want. His sound he gets in very creative ways, which I completely admire that. Um, he has all these different mics, and some of them are only like 10 bucks or something crazy, like really cheap. But like, if you're trying to get a sound, like he had this little green one that I think makes like a telephone, you know, it doesn't have a real good sound, but like he uses that instead of using EQ or something on someone's vocal or whatever he's using the mic for. He he finds ways to make all these sounds with what he has and limits the amount of like mixing to make things sound a certain way. He recorded uh the uh Shattered Figures 12 album, and I know they're back in the studio now, but yeah, he works with all kinds of people. Sam Pinola, friendly with the budget. I know I am I I record out of and mix out a Drowning Fish Studio, but I still will promote him all day long. I'm not we we are we are two different kinds of engineers, even though we're kind of the same, and I highly support what he's doing and what he stands for. So if you're looking to record with someone like him, then uh check out that episode and maybe you can hit him up and work with him next. The next episode five was Song Stories and New Beginnings with Folklore. So folklore is newer to being an indie artist. Uh, she put out an album or an EP like back into fall. She's doing amazing things. She's in it for the right thing. She works with I think Headroom, she said. Uh, but don't quote me on that. Uh, she's currently playing out here and there where she can. She does mostly originals. She might throw a cover in there, but she feels that even when she does covers, people don't know them, so she might as well just do her own songs, which is a good take. But um, yeah, that was a really cute episode. I really enjoyed catching up with folklore. And check her out on episode five. Let's see. What's next? Cosmic Cafe returns art, music, and community in 2026. So Cosmic Cafe is a seasonal bar cafe um down on Kelly Drive in Philadelphia, and it's the it's it's very cute. There's like this little shack-like thing outside, um, and that's where the bar is. And then this one was more to just promote the Cosmic Cafe, and they have a very nice menu and all that stuff. And then Trip Boyd does an open mic there. So this was the beginning of his open mic season. Um, it's every Friday from five to seven, I'm pretty sure, or somewhere around there. Michelle Pauls, who was in season one, was uh also on this podcast. And uh, yeah, so check it out. I learned through this that Cosmic Cafe is just a hub of love. They do a lot of good things for the community, for animals, for music, for everything. And also they book there. Um, so if you're interested in playing on a Friday, Saturday, and it does pay. You get a couple drinks, maybe something to eat. So uh yeah, check out Cosmic Cafe. That is episode six. The next one was with Denny Horn, who's been around and in the game for a minute. Um, Concerts Community and the Journey of Denny Horn. He is a concert promoter, Circle D Productions, and he puts on festivals and a lot of cool things. He had great stories and great input, a promoter. He went through like the struggles and the highlights and things like that. So, so that was episode seven. Check out Denny Horn when you get a chance. The next one was Night Fury, checked him out. Um, they have a single that was just released back in May. Nat is the front woman of this band, and great story. She came from Mexico, uh, then went to New York and then ended up coming to Philly. It's taken some time to find her band, but now she is happy with this band. The band is happy. Um, very DIY. They are, you know, playing original music wherever they can. We got to discuss things like independent music venues and things that could get improved, um, and why a lot of these bands and people are just making these DIY shows. Uh, a good point was, you know, there's only a handful of independent music venues, but there's hundreds of bands. So, like these bands want to play, and if they're not getting booked, what are they gonna do? They're gonna find a way to play, and that's just what happens. And it was a really good discussion with Nat. So thank you, Nat. Um, and then the next one was the legal side from drummer to entertainment lawyer with Steven Banyo. So he's an entertainment lawyer, he's had a whole journey, also. I got to go sit in his beautiful office on Market Street, overseeing everything Philadelphia, Jersey, and it all went through so much good material for artists, sound engineers, producers, studios. Um, he started uh in a band, he still plays, but he went the direction of a lawyer after having a bad contract, uh, and realizing that he could he could do the same thing and actually help people in the community and rise up the community uh without being you know shady and all that. So it's super cool always to have a lawyer on your side that's also an artist because they understand what's happening and um they're they're about the art, they're not just about getting money and you know what I mean, and not and and not really caring about what we're all trying to actually do. So, Steve, that was a great conversation. Thank you so much. And the last um episode, which was 10, was The Poets, seven members, one vision live at Porch Fest 2026. This was cool. So I'd never been to Porch Fest. West Philly does this thing every year, annual, and it keeps growing and growing. There was I think they said 400 bands this year, which I felt was completely insane because it's only a six-hour day. So people like donate their porches, and there was, you know, like vendors and food and drinks and just all these good vibes. A festival that's been created out of people just wanting to play. Exactly what Nat and I were talking about. Like, West Philly has made this whole thing, and it it doesn't cost money. You just walk around and all these porches, and there's all this amazing music. And so I talked to the poets that is a seven-member band who's been around, they were around, I think, even back in the 90s, but it was different members. And Little Hiatus, kind of like if you ever saw the Shattered Figures story, they went on a little hiatus, and then uh the poets got brought back to life, and they're doing well, they're amazing, they they are very talented. The music that they play is very creative, there's some like theatrical feel to it. Good talented musicians, a lot of different instruments and sounds, and then very vibrant front people that are telling stories through these songs. Um, Michelle Pauls is in the poets, who was also in the Cosmic Cafe one, which was also in season one. So she's made her she she gets the award for being on the podcast the most this first year because she's somehow gotten on it three times, but each time she's been on it, it's a different um reason. So bartender, then the promotion of cosmic, and then her actual band, The Poets. So, anyways, yeah, so that was season three. Um, thank you so much, everyone that's been supporting. Uh, since it has gotten warmer out, I've kind of seen the plays go down, but that's completely understandable. There's so much going on from camping to the beaches to festivals, playing out everywhere, um, and whatever people do in the summertime. You know, we're not sitting around in 10 feet snow, freezing our buns off and putting on the music as our hero podcast while we drink hot chocolate because it's wintertime. So I know that that everyone's super busy, but it's all good. It's all good. We're still getting subtraction here and it's still moving along. And I look forward to November, what date did I say that was? November 8th, to bring all of you together and see what we can start creating from that. One more reminder, don't forget if you want to subscribe monthly, that will support me in all my travels, my production, my marketing, all those different things that I use my time for and money for to spread the good word here. So you could do that by going to the Field of Music is Hero Podcast, click that on any on the social medias, on podcast descriptions, like anywhere that you see it, you can donate as little or as much as you want to. And again, if you don't have anything to donate, that's all good. Then just uh hit the YouTube button or or whatever, wherever you listen to this podcast at. Give it a subscribe, give it some plays, and that's enough to support. You don't got to do much, just push a few buttons. So that's it. I'm gonna wrap it up now. Uh, I'm gonna take a two-week break like I always do. We're gonna get some, we gotta get season four booked up, get those recorded, and we will see you on the same channel, the same time, the same day in two weeks, which will bring us to July 13th. So I look forward to season four. I never know what's gonna happen, and everything just keeps getting better and better and growing and growing. All right, enjoy the next couple weeks.

SPEAKER_02 17:45

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