Danen Reed and Dillon Jordan make up the other 2/3rds of Charlotte Sands onstage and behind the scenes. Danen drums onstage, but also writes and produces most of the music for Charlotte Sands. Dillon is the guitarist, but also creates a lot of their visual content from photos to their cover art and more. As the day was winding down I spotted them eating some tacos in the lounge backstage and asked if I could sit and join them. After a few minutes of chatting we decided we should just hop on the mic and record ourselves before All Time Low's performance started to end the night.

Chris Johnson interviews Charlotte Sands backstage at Reverb Music Festival 2023 in Eau Claire, WI. In this interview, Charlotte talks about meeting her heroes, writing honest music, performing at festivals, new music coming out, and much more.

Chris Johnson interviews guitarist for of the Plain White T's Randy Winter backstage at Reverb Music Festival 2023 in Eau Claire, WI. In this interview, Randy talks about life personal growth, staying focused, writing honest music, living in the moment, and much more.

Chris Johnson interviews lead singer of the Plain White T's Tom Higgenson backstage at Reverb Music Festival 2023 in Eau Claire, WI. In this interview, Tom talks about all the new music that they have been recording and shares details regarding their new album that is coming soon. He also talks about his newfound love for painting and what keeps the excitement and joy in his music.

Alexander Denning aka Alexander the Great is a Minnesota based male model, influencer, content creator, and entrepreneur. Alexander had a rough time growing up and getting into more than his fair share of trouble. Run ins with the law grew more and more serious before he made a big mistake, and a split second decision changed his life drastically. After spending over a handful of years in prison he eventually found his new identity and turned his life around. When talking with him now his smile and friendly demeanor make it almost hard to believe the troubled past that he has. With a fresh chance at life Alexander has really made the most of it. His modeling career kicked everything off for him and now his creative endeavors seem to have no limits. In the episode we discuss his troubled past, what led to that fateful night, why he was sentenced to prison time, how he handled prison life, what changes need to be made to the prison system, how to become a male model, the power of social media, the limitations people place upon themselves, and much more.

Milo Rubin is a clothing designer and creative entrepreneur based in New York City. Milo started his clothing brand Takin Over when he was only 14 years old. With his high school career coming to an end a new chapter is about to begin. His journey will be one you want to follow along with. He's accomplished incredible things already, but he's really just getting started. In this episode we discuss how to start a brand, what tool are available to solo entrepreneurs, how to build a clientele, how to make custom apparel, what design tools are available, how to generate consistent sales, and so much more.

Walker Ryan is a New York City based professional skateboarder and author. Walker grew up in northern California skating from a young age. By the time he was in high school he was traveling from his small home town to San Francisco to skate the big city. Unlike most professional skateboarders he enrolled in college after graduating high school and that was when he career finally took off. His skateboarding career has lasted over a decade and had a ton of ups and downs, but no one can deny his impact on what people thought was possible. I mean, have you seen his switch backside flips?! Walker has travelled to countless countries and put out more than a dozen top notch video parts. He went pro for Organika skateboards, and has ridden for SOVRN, Circa, DVS, Spitfire, Thunder, and a bunch of others over the years. Walker has always been a creative mind and eventually published his first book titled "Top of Mason" in 2020. His most recent novel titled "Off Clark" came out at the end of 2020 and is available to ship worldwide. He also co founded his own company called "Old Friends" that began as a small brand selling hats and t shirts. Old Friends has now evolved into a brand that focuses on fitness and helping skaters stay in tip top shape with their physical therapy and exercise routines designed specifically for skaters by skaters. In this episode we discuss all of this and much more.

imjarons is a comedy content creator based in Chippewa Falls, WI. In just a couple short years he has grown a presence online to include over 3.5 million followers on tiktok and 450k on Instagram. This is the first time imjarons has ever done a long form interview such as a podcast and this is your chance to see who is really behind all the wacky GoPro videos that so many people can't stop watching and hear his story.

John Poveromo is a Jersey based comedian and podcaster. John has been performing stand up comedy his entire life and started his on podcast called Dystopia Tonight during the shutdown of the pandemic. Since being able to tour again he now balances both. Oh yeah, he's also a cartoonist who even put out his own book. John's positive attitude and humor are infectious to say the least. I even got to watch him perform a set later on in the night and was laughing nonstop. In this episode we discuss dropping out of college, building a career as a comedian, touring the country, how to start a podcast, the life of an entertainer, and much more.

Landon Conrath is a singer/songwriter based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I met Landon when he performed at "The Sandbox" which was a garage venue at our mutual friends old college house. Since then his career has exploded. With over 1 million monthly listeners on Spotify he has taken to the road and been almost nonstop touring all over the country since we met. In the episode we discuss his musical background, writing his first song, Spotify playlists catapulting his career overnight, making music with his friends, navigating business and relationships, and much more.

Matthew Byas aka Maffyuu is a drummer, producer, and an original member of the popular band Phony Ppl based in Brooklyn, NY. Maffyuu is also the son of hip hop legend DJ Jazzy Jay and was destined to play music from a young age. Maffyuu and the core members of Phony PPL met and formed the group when they were all still in high school and have since signed to the major record label 300 Entertainment, performed all over the world, and have even had features from names like Megan Thee Stallion and  Joey Bada$$. Despite performing together for over a decade and all the success they've had Phony PPL still has so much ahead of them. In this episode we discuss growing up in a musical family, being classically trained as a percussionist, how the band Phony PPL formed, where his name Maffyuu came from, similarities between fighting games and playing music, how to learn new skills from YouTube, how to stay on the same page as a band, getting cosigned by celebrities, performing for Quincy Jones, and so much more.

Erik Ross is an Austin Texas based artist known for his unique paintings of characters that are easily recognizable as his own. I met Erik randomly in Los Angeles over a year ago and we kept in contact in case I was ever planning to visit Austin. Erik's art career has taken off over the last handful of years and he is finally having his first big show this coming June. Tune in and hear how he went from playing college baseball and telemarketing to having his work shown all around the country and making his art his career.

DJ Kam Bennett is an established DJ based in St. Paul, MN. Kam grew up in St. Paul, but has grown his career far outside of just the midwest. He started out DJing parties while still in high school. When he got the call from Lil Bibby to be his DJ his career really took off. Since then he has worked with a ton of big names in the music industry and played shows all over the country. These days he has settled back in Minnesota to raise his daughter and have a bit more consistency, at least for the moment.

SonReal is a Canadian music artist known for his unique mix of hip hop and folk music. He originally gained mainstream attention when his hit music video "Everywhere We Go" reached over 400k views in it first week back in 2013. Since then he got signed to a major record label, moved to Los Angeles, and put out several successful albums. In more recent years though he moved back home, got married, and is now a father of 3. His most recent album "Nobody's Happy All The Time" features more singing and guitar than some of his previous work and preaches a personal and meaningful message. We recorded this interview backstage in the greenroom before his show in St. Paul, MN while he was on his first tour since before the pandemic. Make sure to check out the new album, and keep your eyes peeled for a ton of new music that is on the way.

Michael Sieben is an Austin, Texas based illustrator and the current managing editor of the hugely popular Thrasher Magazine. He is also the co owner and artist behind Roger Skateboards. Michael grew up skateboarder and earned himself a bachelors degree in fine art before finding his way into the skateboard industry. From making little local zines for fun to writing and editing the most successful skateboard magazine of all time, Michael has a lot of stories to share.

Sprig of That is a tabla, fiddle, and guitar trio that play midwest-raised and globally inspired acoustic folk music. The band consists of Krissy Bergmark on tabla, Isabel Dammann on violin, and Ilan Blanck on guitar. Sprig of That came to Eau Claire and performed at Forage as part of the All Ears Listening Session series. I was lucky enough to catch their live performance and record an interview with each member after the show. With the recent release of their new album "Bloom", there was plenty to talk about. In this episode we discuss how to form a band, how to come up with a good name for a band, how to improvise when performing live, how to maintain a band when the members live in different places, how to balance work life and touring, how to find your own sound, and much more.

Sol is an established hip hop artist based in Seattle. He has been a full time musician for over a decade and recently went on a cross country tour with his friend and fellow music artist SonReal. I was able to catch him before his show in St. Paul for this interview.

Adam Accola is one of the main people running Colab EC and is also a member of the board of directors for Converge Radio. My show originally premiered on Converge Radio several years ago and has been a weekly, and now twice a week, radio show ever since. Converge Radio is Eau Claire's local independent station that plays a wide variety of music, talk shows, and much more. Colab EC is Eau Claire's premier collaborative co working space. Since Adam and I have spent so much time working together on various things over the years it just made sense to finally have him on the show.

The Gully Boys are a 4 piece band based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They performed at the Brickhouse in Eau Claire, WI on Saturday December 3rd 2022. I was able to sit down with all 4 of them to record this interview before their performance. In these interviews we discuss how the band was formed, touring the country, playing covers, winning Minnesota's "Best New Band" in 2018, adding a 4th member, recording music, and much more.

Daniel Donato is a guitarist and singer/songwriter originally from Nashville, Tennessee. Daniel started busking at the age of 14 and grew his skills considerably when he started playing in the famous Don Kelly band while still in high school. At first his dream was to become a studio musician and play on every major country record, but instead he felt the need to start creating his own music. Still only 27 years old Daniel has become a force to be reckoned with in the industry. His band "Cosmic Country" is really something you need to see in person to fully understand how special they are. Thankfully they have been on tour after tour almost non stop for some time with no end in sight. In this episode we discuss how the crew came together, how to carve your own path, ways to slow down, and why it's all worth it.

Willy Santos is a professional skateboarder from San Diego, California. Willy's skateboarding career has spanned decades with too many incredible moments and stories to ever tell in one sitting. In this interview we discuss sending in his one and only sponsor me tape, meeting Tony Hawk at a schoolyard, getting courted to ride for Birdhouse, skating in the first X Games, owning a skateshop, building his board brand (Willy's Workshop), Couch Curb pillows, coaching olympians, and so much more.

Lawrence Lanoff, or better known as Lawrence the Energy Master, is a renowned director, author, tantric expert, and shaman. Lawrence grew up in New York and had a pretty crazy childhood to say the least. His career spans decades with way more to cover than possible in one interview. This episode will really get you thinking and open your mind to new ways to look at life.

Lorraine D'Alessio is a Los Angeles based model turned lawyer. Lorraine grew up in Canada and began modeling while still attending high school. From a young age she was already flying all over the world to work. Trying to deal with all the immigration laws and regulations every time she got off the plane wasn't exactly the easiest thing to handle. Lorraine chose to continue her education and became a lawyer in order to help talented individuals navigate the same challenges she had to in the past. She started her own law firm and things have really taken off since. Tune in and hear about the side of the industry that nobody talks about.

Monsee is a creative director from the east coast that works and resides in Los Angeles, California. He's worked with countless big names including Ciara, JoJo Siwa, Beanie Segil, Travis Barker, etc. He's also good friends and works with Mikaila Murphy and Courtney Sanderson who were both guests on the show previously. Tune in and hear his journey from drawing sabertooth tigers as a kid to directing music videos for some of the best in the business. I bet you didn't know he used to work for the Smithsonian. Yeah, that is only one of the many stories you're going to want to hear.

Lauren Abraham is a Los Angeles based model, tv host, fitness instructor, professional athlete, and somehow much much more. Tune in and hear her journey from growing up as a sponsored snowboarder to where she is today. Her story is inspiring and full of twists and turns. We share it all from being injured so bad she was in a wheelchair, recovering from addiction, hosting major sporting events on tv, becoming an international fitness model, and so much more.

Margo Graff is an actress, action stunt performer, producer, model, and so much more. She grew up in Minnesota, but has lived and travelled all over the world before making Los Angeles her home. Her story is both horrifying and inspiring at the same time. After years and years of bullying, abuse, and 2 near death experiences, she found martial arts as a way to heal and empower herself. Now at age 30 she is in the best shape of her life and is making all of her dreams a reality.

Greg Eubanks is a Los Angeles based Real Estate agent who was born and raised in Minnesota. Greg made the tough decision to hit reset on his life after he graduated from the U of M to make the move to Los Angeles with nothing but a dream. It's been a long journey from sleeping on couches to where he is today selling homes in Beverly Hills. Tune in and learn a few things about hard work and determination from one of the best.

LASKA is a 6 piece Pop-Folk band with members based in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Los Angeles. The group was originally formed by three sisters from Baldwin, Wisconsin that grew up playing music together from a young age. In this episode we interviewed 4 of the members (Bex Morton, Mookie Morton, Hannah Morton, Evan Middlesworth) one at a time at Driftless Sound Studio in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. In these interviews we talk about growing up playing violin, building a community around their music, living in Los Angeles, songwriting, and their newest album Endless Patcher.

Justine Monae is a Los Angeles based talent agent and owner of her own talent agency, Justine Monae Management. Justine was working for a bank while teaching twerk classes with a friend years ago when her career path managing talent of all kinds began. Imagine negotiating a contract worth over $100,000 with no prior experience or knowledge of how this stuff works going into it. Justine isn't one to back down from a challenge. Her career blossomed from there. Tune in and find out how...

Bryson Roatch is a creative director based in Los Angeles California. He started his career working with his older brother Jacoby Shaddix's band Papa Roatch. After proving himself as a valuable asset to the band he eventually became their full time creative director. From there his career really took off. While he is still the creative director for Papa Roatch he now works with multiple clients. His client list now consists of a ton of big names including The Struts, Tom Morello, Steve Aoki, Three Days Grace, and many more. Tune in and get inspired by his incredible journey. In this episode we discuss growing up with a rockstar, struggling with your identity, work life balance, being a self taught creative, cold calling clients, how to stay ahead of trends, how to go viral, why touring full time isn't always the goal, how to build a name for yourself, and much more.

Miguel Pichardo is a fine artist based in Los Angeles, California. Miguel hasn't done very many long form interviews like this, so I was honored to be given the chance to share his story. He only became a full time artist 5 years ago after a hard fought life until that point. Have you ever died before? Miguel believes that he has, and it changed his life completely. Tune in and hear the whole story.

Rikki Hixx is a Los Angeles based hairstylist originally from St. Louis, Missouri. Rikki was a bit of a late bloomer and spent a long time bouncing around jobs and cities before finding his calling cutting hair for Hollywood types. In this episode we discuss growing up somewhere that you don't fit in, tattoo apprenticeships, wanting to be a rockstar, what hard work looks like, and how you go from $5 haircuts on a military base to $115 haircuts for movie stars.

Chef Derrick Fox is known around the world as the punk rock chef as well as the 2nd place contestant on MasterChef Season 6. He is back on tv for MasterChef season 12. Derrick grew up playing the drums in a successful rock band. His band was touring around the country as the number one unsigned band on MySpace before he decided to switch his focus to food. When he was selected to be a contestant on MasterChef he became a household name overnight. Unfortunately he didn't have much of a plan at the time for what to do after the show was over. This time around he is ready with his new cookie brand freshly announced called Epic Mega Cookie Co. Tune in and hear stories of cooking for Seth McFarlane, playing drums on pots and pans, instant messaging thousands of people to come to shows, touring the country as an unsigned band with no help, and so much more.

Dominique Dafney is NFL player that plays the Tight End position for the Green Bay Packers. I took the short drive from Eau Claire to Green Bay to record this podcast with him during his spare time while he was attending OTA's. Although he was born in North Carolina he spent most of his childhood growing up in Des Moines, Iowa. Growing up he was involved in all kinds of things from every sport out there to musicals and even tap dance. While in high school he started to zero in on his dream of playing football in the NFL. His collegiate journey was crazy enough as it is, but having the pandemic hit just as he was trying to get his first NFL contract made things even more complicated. Despite all the challenges he's now found himself catching touchdowns from Aaron Rodgers himself as a member of the Green Bay Packers.

Jake LaCoste is a Wisconsin based Rap/Hip Hop artist with his own brand Throttle Clan. He grew up in my hometown of Eau Claire, WI. He started rapping at a young age, but unfortunately also started abusing drugs at a young age too. His journey has been full of ups and downs. He's always made music, but stayed a struggling artist for a very long time due to his struggles with addiction. After going sober several years ago his path has completely changed. Now an advocate for sobriety, healthy values, fitness, family, and chasing your dreams his music has changed along with it. It's time he became the role model for his kids and fans the way he always wanted to me. Tune in and hear an inspiring story of redemption. It's never too late to get your life on track and start chasing your dreams...

Fuller Moe is a Chippewa Falls native that attended college at UWEC in my hometown of Eau Claire, Wisconsin. He is a designer and educator that has worked with countless household names in the music industry including Childish Gambino, Snoop Dogg, Paul McCartney, Miley Cyrus, and more. He grew up heavily into the music scene playing in bands and designing tees. While still in college he had already started designing for big name bands including Paramore and New Found Glory. Realizing he was already doing the job he was going to school for, he dropped out and moved down to Florida to take a full time design job. For years he grew his skill set and worked with larger and larger names before eventually going solo. A lot has happened during his journey and his stories are worth hearing that's for sure. Tune in and hear us discuss how to design band merch, how to work with bands, how to find work online, how to grow a following on social media, how to use Facebook ads effectively, how to build working relationships, and so much more.

Grace Reiter is a TikTok star from Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. Grace has always been quirky and funny, but just before the pandemic hit one of her videos went viral. That video now has more than 13 million views and her following has grown to 1.7 million on the platform. With those kind of numbers she must be funny right? Yup, I can vouch for her there. At the time of this interview she had just returned from her first big job out in Los Angeles. Grace, along with 6 other big TikTokers, had just finished recording for a new skit based show on TikTok called Stapleview. With that experience under her belt she now plans to move out to Los Angeles full time to pursue acting and comedy. Doing stand up on Drew Barrymore's show didn't hurt either. In this episode we discuss how to grow on TikTok, how to get a manager, how to find acting jobs, working at Ace Hardware, how to go viral, how to make a career on social media, and much more.

Brett Freund is a ceramics artist originally from Pittsburg that is now based in Minneapolis Minnesota. He's earned a graduate degree in ceramics and built a name for himself in the industry. His work is instantly recognizable with his unique signature style that you would have to see for yourself to truly appreciate. Brett was kind enough to welcome me into his home and let us record this episode inside his studio. In this episode we discuss what it takes to be a full time artist, ceramics residencies, getting a graduate degree, how to apply for art grants, side hustles, and the life of someone pursuing their passions.

Josh Remter is a Wisconsin based motocross racer and influencer. Josh has been racing for nearly his entire life as early as he can remember. Spending every weekend at the race track with his family has given him some really unique experiences. The motocross community really isn't all that big yet so he was able to meet a ton of big name racers over the years. He's even spent time hanging around with the most famous of them all, Travis Pastrana. Tune in and hear how he started racing, how he had a motocross video go viral, how to balance school and racing, how to find time to race motocross while having a full time job, how to find sponsors for motocross, how to find a paid apprenticeship, how to build a social media following, how to build a personal brand, and so much more.

Claire Olivia aka @claireisaur and I found each other on Instagram years ago. Like me, she didn't really dive deep into her art until a little later in life. She didn't take all the art classes in high school. She was never in art shows and didn't go to college for art. Still, the interest was still there. She finally got the spark while working at Racy's, a beloved local coffee shop in Eau Claire. What started as just doodles in her notebook has grown into a huge part of her life. She even got hired by Coca Cola and did illustrations for a massive international ad campaign. Wait what? Yeah, I guess you'll have to listen to the episode to hear how.

Heady Hut is a glass and arts lounge owned and operated by Jake Connel and Sam Pastorello located in downtown Eau Claire. Jake and Sam started the business by just bottling and selling 99% isopropyl alcohol for cleaning pipes and other glass. It didn't take long for them to have the idea to open a full blown shop. Heady hut sells pipes and other glassware, but it's much more than that. For as much glass as they sell, they sell even more local art, exotic snacks and drinks, and other locally made gifts. The space is almost more of a lounge for people to come and hang out in than it is a retail space. In this episode we discuss how to build a business from the ground up, what to expect with a business partnership, how to appreciate glass art, how to work with glass artists, how consignment in a store works, how to deal with conflicts with a business partner, how to advertise a new business, how to get google reviews, how to build a clientele, and much more.

Ian Allison has been a staple in the music scene for a long time. After traveling the country on music tours for years he settled down in the twin cities to raise his family and be a significant contributor to the midwest music scene. Ian has performed all over the world with a ton of bands so his knowledge and experience are incredibly valuable and helpful to everyone that he works with. His energy and enthusiasm are contagious and it's easy to see why so many people want to work with him. In more recent years he's found joy in teaching others and helping bring up those around him. Through his Instagram page (@ianmartinallison) he has been able to connect with tens of thousands of musicians and bassists around the world. Once you watch this one you'll see why his journey is one that you are going to want to follow. Big thanks to Drew for letting us record this at the Flavor World headquarters!

Samantha Moon is a R&B/Soul singer originally from the island of Dominica. She's a natural born singer who now is based in Minneapolis Minnesota. She's been nonstop performing for years and established herself within the music industry. She has an incredible story to share. She even sings the first song she wrote when she was only 11. You're going to want to hear this...

Tom Gilles is a retired professional snowboarder from Wisconsin that now travels around the country as a motivational speaker. He attended college in Eau Claire years ago before dropping out to move out west and pursue a career in snowboarding. His career was full of emotional highs and lows before he eventually walked away while he still could. In this episode we discuss growing up in Wisconsin, how to start snowboarding, how to get sponsored as a snowboarder, how to move out west for snowboarding, how to get paid contracts, how to travel the world as a professional athlete, how to get sober, tips for public speaking, fatherhood, and so much more. We recorded this episode inside alumni of the show Nick Barry's shop Stache Bike & Adventure.

Chris Kroeze's is a country music artist based in Barron, Wisconsin. Chris gained worldwide attention when he placed 2nd on the hit tv show The Voice. Chris and I are almost the same age so we naturally already had a bunch of mutual friends and acquaintances so it was really only a matter of time before this interview was going to happen. Despite being recognized everywhere he goes he is still humble as ever. Chris is still just getting started as an artist and you can expect consistent new music and shows for years to come. In this episode we discuss growing up in a small town, singing in front of the whole school for the first time, why music school is helpful, why playing bar shows is important, how to create a fanbase, how to become a full time musician, how to make an album, performing for the troops, giving back, how to billboard a single, Wisconsin living, and so much more.

Chastity Ashley is one of the few people I've met that lives in LA that is actually from LA. She was introduced to the drums at young age, but found her home with the less than common instrument the Djembe drum. That story alone makes this episode worth a listen. Carving out your own path and sound is how you really set yourself apart in the music industry. From drum circles on the beach, to performing with Duran Duran, to selling out her own massive shows as Neon Pony, her journey is a wild one. Tune in and grab some inspiration to light some fire under you.

Jimmy got soul, it's true. Jimmy Love has been on quite a journey tryin' to make this thing work. You know the story of creatives moving to Los Angeles and living out of their cars? Yup, the struggle is real. His hometown of Fayetteville, NC is a pretty different world than Los Angeles is. Still, if you don't give up and keep creating, things do eventually work out in your favor. He came to dance, but found a love helping others feel beautiful as a makeup artist and portrait photographer and I think that's such an awesome endeavor (@issalovething__). We're all just humans tryin to make it work. When we help each other we all can succeed.

Santino the Misfit Campanelli is pretty true to his name. He never really fit in from the beginning. He grew up an overweight punk kid in New Jersey with red hair, and somehow morphed into the misfit he is today. He started out performing in a punk band when we was still in school. His band Scarlet Carson grew to be a staple in the music scene earning them the opportunities to open for every big name band that would come through the area. After a while though he felt that they outgrew the opportunities around them. It was time to move and find something new. His music career since is an interesting enough topic, but imagine finally establishing yourself in the music world and then switching directions completely to direct a feature film. "Bully" earned him a name in the film industry by winning awards at various film festivals. It was a small budget, trial by fire experience for him. Then again, that is kind of how his life has always worked. The best way to learn is to be thrown into the fire and see what you're made of. Tune in for the stories and find out what's next for my favorite weirdo.