Choir Practice Podcast

Send us Fan Mail Bill has been actively working to find new guests for the show. I'm so appreciative, I had to show him some love and bring him back to the forefront. Checking out an old episode has shown me how far we've come...Turn it up (I've notice the volume isn't what it is these days) but I'm excited to bring you one of the shows all-time top episodes!!!! Come see m...

Send us Fan Mail Bryan was recommended to me by Choir Practice Squad Member John McGrath! He has been a firefighter for 20 years, still working toward his retirement. Squad, meet Bryan Scafede, a ladder-truck engineer and paramedic with the Golder Ranch Fire District in southernArizona. Bryan talks about how a childhood interest in vehicles and mechanics grew into a career in the fireservice—and w...

Send us Fan Mail I'm sad it's over, but honored he trusted me to help him create this. I'm so glad that he had a good time hanging out with me enough times to put a bow on his career! Like most guests, John told me he thoroughly enjoyed the episodes and this is the feedback I love to hear! I work hard to make sure all my guests know this is a conversation, not an interrogation... an...

Send us Fan Mail October 27th will mark the 5th Anniversary of the Choir Practice Podcast! I'm so grateful to every guest and every listener. Some episodes hit deeper, mean more and carry more weight because my guests agree to come on the show and they authentically share what this profession means to them and the weight it carries as well. This is one of those episodes! Nate and I have known...

Send us Fan Mail "There is no hunting like the hunting of man, and those who have hunted armed men long enough and liked it, never care for anything else thereafter." — Ernest Hemingway We made it about halfway through John's FIST years, so he will be back! But I loved hunting down bad guys and John did too. He said it was in his blood! It certainly is a calling! Turn this one up an...

Send us Fan Mail If you like horse stories....we got'em! Dead body cases where the Medical examiner lackey pukes on scene? Done! John spins great tales and I'm so glad he's back. Im even more excited he still needs to come back at least one more time!!! It's not possible to condense so many years as a public servant into a couple hours! I'm glad you guys are along for the...

Send us Fan Mail When Pete was here the first time, he mentioned that his most fun times were being a Sergeant! When he was promoted, he spent some time in Patrol but was quickly selected to lead a squad of Undercover Officers in the Prescott Area Narcotics Trafficking TaskForce.  Upon leaving the Taskforce, after 5 years, he spent a short time in Investigations before being promoted to Lieutenant...

Send us Fan Mail Ever consider life as a Federal agent? Ever wonder how people decide on a career in Federal Service? Then this is your episode. Brian reached out to see if I would be willing to come speak to one of his classes at the University. We had lunch and I invited him to be a guest on the show to not only discuss his 28 year career as an IRS Federal Special Agent, but also his work at the...

Send us Fan Mail Today, we're taking a look at the career and experiences of John McGrath, retired Pima County Detective Sergeant. He spent more than two decades with Pima County, but we crossed paths when he was leading the FIST team. Because there's too many stories to tell, John will be back in the next couple weeks, but for now enjoy this one. His gritty New York accent helps carry t...

Send us Fan Mail Pete reached out to me recently and asked if I'd have him on the show to discuss his 21 year career in the Town of Prescott. In this episode, we only made it to about the 10 year mark, so he's coming back to finish his tales. I'm glad he reached out, I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know him and his stories were fantastic! Let's just say, we sat here for several...

Send us Fan Mail Initially this entire podcast was going to be about cops, reminiscing about the glory days and the excitement this career holds for us along the way. Over time, especially recent months, it has taken on a deeper meaning for me because several of our Squad members have passed away. I'm honored and grateful to have had the opportunity to sit down with them for a few hours and l...

Send us Fan Mail Here's another "Best of" and the guy who helped me get this show off the ground! Retired Fairfax County Detective Gary Youngling! Published author, in retirement he worked training the National Police Force in Haiti, trained security personnel for the '96 Olympic Games in Atlanta and he deployed as a civilian contractor to the Middle East! He's had quite t...

Send us Fan Mail Ben agreed to be on the show before I realized he was NOT retired! At the time, he was a Sergeant, but in true Ben Frie fashion he just didn't care. He's a "wordsmith," he's never had much of a filter and you can always count on Ben to just say what's on his mind. It made working the downtown district with him very interesting to say the least! But, a...

Send us Fan Mail Maybe it's the summertime heat? Vacation schedules? I'm still on the hunt for new victims to be on the show... If you know someone retired from Law Enforcement, dispatch, firefighting, EMT, doctor, nurse, or the military who is in Arizona or is AZ adjacent, willing to travel and has a few good stories to share...send them my way!  With the exception of a few die hard fan...

Send us Fan Mail Max and I worked in Special Investigations from 2001-2002. Our squad did the undercover deals and his squad did the Detective work on the prosecution of our cases. He's a genuine nice guy so, if you check out his pictures on FB or Instagram it's kind of hard to believe he did some UC work himself throughout his career. Take a listen, I think you're going to enjoy ge...

Send us Fan Mail As I stated before, I've been traveling quite a bit for work, so I tried to grab some of the more popular episodes, craziest characters, and entertaining story tellers. If you have listened to this podcast for any length of time, you know there is no bigger "character" than Joe Knipp. This here is his first of many interviews. I appreciate his company, his sense of...

Send us Fan Mail As I said last week, I'm still traveling for work... Occasionally, we like to be introspective about our introspection and bring back an oldie but a goodie! Ari is one of the kindest dude's I know, musically talented and he still serves the first responder/ Veteran community now working as a PATHH guide for Bouldercrest. If I must share a member of my coveted Squad, it&a...

Send us Fan Mail Jason and I grew up on the same department, but never crossed paths until Bouldercrest Foundation's Warrior PATTH 150. He recently retired and I knew I wanted him on the show. It's no surprise that he joined with Bouldercrest and continues to serve even after his career with the police department is done. I appreciated his perspective about his career, the cool stories a...

Send us Fan Mail Bob and I sat down for a pretty healthy "second round" to wrap up his career. About a week later he texts me and says, "I can't believe I totally forgot to mention the worst call I've ever had! It included dead bodies, animals, and it dragged on for so long I had to receive several IVs for hydration to make it through." He came back a third time and I...

Send us Fan Mail I was happy to have Albert back... HIs first episode covered growing up in Bisbee, becoming a Police Explorer, then joining the AirForce to get some experience and age under his belt. We wrapped that episode discussing how he was initially hired as a dispatcher prior to being hired as a police officer... In this episode we dig deeper into the capers, chases, and the path that ulti...

Send us Fan Mail From Patrol to PIO (Episode Description) In Part 2 of our conversation with James Allerton, we go deeper into the real-world intersections between frontline policing, investigative work, and the way those stories reach the public. James—whose career spans patrol, border crimes, detective work, and serving as a public information officer—breaks down how operational realities shape...

Send us Fan Mail Well, well, well... Bob and I met in May 1996, when we both attended the Pima County Jail Correctional Academy. Our motto, "Class 96-2: Be Rough, Be Tough, Beware!" I cannot believe it has been 30 years! He was promoted to Deputy in 97', and a bunch of us followed him in 98'. Corrections was a great stepping stone job, but the streets is where it's at! I c...

Send us Fan Mail I left the previous interview on a cliff hanger. I wanted you all to not only come back to hear the circumstances surrounding Jay's shooting, but I believe the bumps in the road of his career can speak to so many of us who choose to be a first responder.  It's easy to glamorize and gloss over the highlights, but I'm overwhelmed and honored that so many guests have w...

Send us Fan Mail Jay reached out and asked to be on the show. He is currently an Air Medic, but his service started right out of high school. He joined the US Navy and became a Corpsman. His stories from this formative period in his life helped him grow up quickly, but he also worked with some extremely professional individual s who taught him the value of competence and confidence. He joined the...

Send us Fan Mail Darren heard about the show from an Officer on Oro Valley Police Department and decided to reach out. Excited about his new book being published; Humor, Heartbreak, and Humanity - available on Amazon.com and Barnes&Noble.com he decided to see if I'd chat with him. I'm always looking for new victims to add to the ranks of the coolest Squad I know, so it was a "no...