Ben is a driller and performer from Trinidad and Tobago. He has drilled many large steelbands in Trinidad and Tobago and has worked with many of the luminaries in the pan world including Dr. Pat Bishop and Dr. Len Boogsie Sharpe

Akinola runs the Siparia Deltones youth program, and is an arranger, performer, and composer of steel drum music from Trinidad and Tobago.  It was a joy to talk with Akinola about his mission in education.

Mike is a magician living in Columbus, OH.  Always great to catch up w/ Mike and talk about the issues of the day.

Dr. Michael Bump is my first college teacher at Ohio State.  He now teaches at Truman St. University and is one of my favorite people on the planet.

Mike is the leader of a doom metal group called YOB. James wrote him a contemporary guitar solo. Worlds collided and amazing stuff came from it. I learned a ton from talking to them both about the diversity and acceptance in the metal world of other genres. Hope you enjoy this chat.

David and I chat about the recent Roe v. Wade decision as it pertains to his religious belief as a reformed Calvinist. I have lived in or beside Lutheran Churches for the last 15 years, so this chat was interesting for me. David is a good soul and we (as thoughtfully as we could) worked through the myriad issues surrounding abortion.

Adair is a former HS classmate of mine and she currently helps folks re-sell their vintage goods and find them a good home. She’s a national treasure and I really enjoyed this chat.

Eleanor is a graduate of the University of Akron. We talk about the issues around coming out as non-binary and trans in the current climate in the US.

I always have been grateful for Eleanor’s friendship. I hope you enjoy this candid conversation.

Sheldon is a registered nurse in a dialysis clinic in Texas. We discuss the current issues around gun ownership in the US. I always enjoy talking with Sheldon.

James is a percussionist, musician and composer who has a new piece out for solo guitar for the lead guitarist for the doom metal band, YOB. It was a great time chatting about compositional process with James as well as learning a bit more about doom metal.

Neal is a professor of political science at NYU and a supporter of So Percussion. We talk about his early experiences in modern music as well as causality in the social sciences. This was a fun one!

Brian and I dig into the history of the vibraphone since pre-WW2 as well as his personal growth as a musician. Brian is a fascinating guy and I think you’ll enjoy this chat.

Anja’s is a visual artist and photographer. Her mom passed away of ALS in 2020 and we talk about her background a bit and what it was like to see a loved one pass of Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Blake is a musician from Atlanta who goes by Fusilier. We talked about the crossover of southern hip-hop and Nine Inch Nails. I learned a ton from this chat, and I hope you do as well!

Aron and I talk about Buke and Gase’s collaboration w/ Rahrah Gabor and his new solo project DNRez.

Anna and I talk about the current situation in Ukraine and some of the historical context of what’s going on over there. She also talks personally about what her family is going through. It’s very much worth a listen if you are at all a citizen of the world.

Tom is a retired English teacher and ran the drama department at Dover High School in Dover, OH. He’s a singer and guitar player, who had a larger impact in my day to day teaching than I realized. Hope you enjoy this chat.

Alec and I talk about his time in the record label industry as well as the current issues (both good and bad) w/ the current Spotify model. We touch on the issues around Joe Rogan and Neil Young, and the ethics around all of it. Alec is a really thoughtful friend and colleague and I really enjoyed this chat.

Arone and Lala (aka. Rahrah Gabor) sit down and talk about their new collaboration album and the influences behind it.

Ji Hye Jung, Eric Cha-Beach, and Todd Meehan talk about the new book called Korean Songs for Marimba.