Thomversations

Dave Potter Today I chat with David Potter who is fantastic jazz musician and drummer. He is a studied musician and can talk about all kinds of music, and his love of music, including pop, which his album Retro Groove 2 is all about. Creating jazz versions of popular music from the 80’s. Songs such as License To Kill by Gladys Knight, Tom Sawyer by Rush, and Rosanna by Toto, to name a few. I like...

Mark Pickerel You never know where your skills will take you, even if you grow up in a small town that has no real outlet for your creativity. You could start a band that is part of the founding of a movement called Grunge. Mark Pickerel talks about starting The Screaming Trees, drumming with Nirvana, and how life and wisdom has changed him from trying to force the direction of life, to producing...

This is part 2 of the conversation with Wanz. He'll tell you bout what happened after someone screamed, "We're all gonna die!", to his life after college and the bands he played in, and yes he'll talk about the truly fun and awesome experiences he had singing the hook to the song Thrift Shop all over the world. Wanz Great stories, great conversation.  If you missed part one, check it out here: htt...

This Thomversation is with Wanz, Michael Wansley, of Thrift Shop fame and his hook of popping tags and only having $20. This is the first of a two part conversation with the man where he will tell you about his life from his first memory, which seems appropriate, of him singing, to the morning after his first gig fronting a funk band in college at Central Washington University (Go Wildcats!). In p...

Art, and specifically street art is a way of life for Jason Clifton. He's also been in the Hip-Hop and skateboarding scene for decades and is making his living as an artist in Ellensburg, WA. His art varies, but portraits are his specialty. Take a listen to this wide ranging Thomversation that goes from Banksy to Black Lives Matter. 

How do you go from learning to play music, to becoming a master of an instrument? Today you will hear from Ben Price. He is/was a graduate student at the University of Idaho getting his masters degree in Orchestral Tuba Performance. I put the is/was in there because when we recorded this he was still a student and was supposed to graduate this May, 2020, but he is waiting to give his recital for t...

Back in March of 2019 Zack Dekker came in to talk about growing and selling marijuana in Washington State . He returns to give us an update on how his marijuana farm and operation is doing and we talk about the state of the legal pot business. Plus we get into other topics like waking up early and the importance of a good Bud Tender. Give it a listen. Be well.

This Coronavirus pandemic is hard on us all. It's stressful and it's not easy to keep a "social distance" since we are all social creatures, in some way. This podcast is just a quick check-in with you to see how you are doing, how I am doing, and a little about what we can do to help others. Be well my friend.

This Thomversation is with Benjamin James and it's mainly about movies. The process of making one from the script, to getting the best “Best Boy”, and you'll learn what a person with that job title does, as well as why there so many producers on a movies. Plus you'll get a look at a dark period in Benjamin's life when his parents were kidnapped. Yeah. Wonder why he likes horror movies? This is a r...

Would you put your life in danger to study a bird? Jordan Boersma  has and will likely do it again. He is a biology PhD candidate at Washington State University and has done some courageous work in Papua New Guinea in order to study the interplay between ornamentation, hormones, and behavior, in, namely, the White-shouldered Fairywren. He has some great stories: how some people there have never se...

This Thomversation is about taking care of your mind with Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor Andrea Mason . Your mind and your body work together to create you. You need a body that is in good shape and working order and a mind that is just as healthy to keep all of you fit. If your body was injured badly enough that you couldn't heal it on your own you would seek professional help, an M.D....

Dr. Jeremiah Busch is an Evolutionary Biologist, educator, and personal friend. In this Thomversation we talk about evolution, what is it really? To evolve takes such a long time that we have to alter our thinking to grasp tens-of-thousands, much less millions, of years. It'll work your brain matter. Ever heard of this Charles Darwin guy? We talk about his importance to scientific thought and his...

On this Thomversation you'll learn about Virtual Reality with Devin Gay. You'll learn why it feels real. How what you see in V.R. is meant to give you a sense of presence. That means that you actually feel, think, become aware of the space you are in as if it is real, even though it is something you would never find in the real world. Let that sink in for a moment. If you have never had a “true” v...

Your veterinarian can be as close as a family member to you. They go through the ups and downs of your pets and livestock. From birthing to death. Veterinarians carry a lot of weight to make sure animals have the best healthcare they can provide. Today you'll hear from Veterinarian Dr. Susila Bales. She's been a practicing vet since 1997 and is very knowledgable about her profession; from treatmen...

Think about all of the buildings, of any size, you see every day. Architecture is everywhere, but what is it? What makes something architecture? Does it have to be created by an architect to be architecture? These questions and more are answered in this episode of Thomversations. You'll hear from Architecture educator, and my friend, Matt Brehm and he will tell you what makes up a building, how an...

If you have ever had to euthanize a pet, you know how horrible it is. You know the heartache and sadness you feel for days. We had to do this to our dog Dazey. You'll get the story and a talk about her and how she not only affected our lives, but friends lives too.

What is a natural resource? Why do we need them? How do we use them? What is the intersection of business, people, and natural resources? So many questions, so many answers from Dr. Steve Daley-Laursen. He is currently a Professor of Society and Natural Resources at the University of Idaho, but just days away from retiring at this writing. He's also been the Dean of The College of Natural Resource...

Mindfulness. When you learn or hear about it, suddenly it seems like the word is seen all over the place and heard everywhere. So what is it? How do you do it? What does it do for you? All of these are covered in this Thomversation with Dr. Jamie Derrick. She is the University of Idaho Mind Founder & Mindfulness Educator/ Facilitator at the University of Idaho, and is a practicing psychologist, wh...

Today on Thomversations you'll hear from marijuana entrepreneur Zack Dekker. He grows pot organically on a farm and in the actual soil, not hydroponically, and sells it in Washington State thru his legal marijuana business Binx Buds. Also sold under the Old McDonald's Farm brand. Along with his business partner TJ, they have been in the legal pot biz in Washington State since the medical marijuana...

Amit Sharma is a passionate physicist who came to the United States from India to study physics and follow his passion of teaching others about it. His life is full of ups and downs, especially when dealing with U.S. Immigration, but his positive attitude and dedication to his craft and science have seen him through the tough times. After hearing this Thomversation, you'll want to be a student in...

On this episode of Thomversations , you'll hear Bob Batwin tell the stories of his life and what he has accomplished, how he has chosen to live, his travels and adventures around the world: teaching people karate, studying art, and conducting business. You get the feeling that you can do it all too. The ups and the downs, the struggle of trying new things in order to get ahead. The ability to stop...

Nancy Chaney, former mayor of Moscow, Idaho sits down for a Thomversation. She is living an interesting life where she embraces the positive benefits that sudden changes in life can bring. When you do, you just might become mayor of your town, or have wonderful dinner in a foreign land. Nancy is alright. Listen and find out for yourself.

Jim Boland sits down for a Thomversation. Jim road his bike from the U.S.A. West Coast, to East Coast, and it took him 30 days to do it. Quite the ride. You'll hear how he did it, and stories along the way. Like getting bitten by a dog! It's a good talk.