Dreams Not Memes Podcast

I spoke to my old college friend and neighbor, Chris Ulmer. Chris is known by many names, from Sunshine, to Chris to Mr Chris. No matter how you know him, his positivity and charisma is contagious. Chris is the founder of Special Books by Special Kids(SBSK). SBSK is a non profit that started in 2016 that seeks to normalize the diversity of the human condition under the pillars of honesty, respect,...

I spoke with my old friend and colleague Mallory about her new venture, Spin City Oakmont. Spin City Oakmont (SCO) is a Pittsburgh centric, new boutique spinning gym that is taking on bringing body positivity to the center of their mission. Mallory talks about her journey of how she maintains a 9 to 5 and is prepping for the launch of a gym, her visions of making the fitness world more community-c...

I spoke with Kaymo a client success manager in the music industry. We have connected before in the past as Kaymo has written reviews for some of my records. In this episode we talk about broadcast journalism, social media, advertising, the music industry, and dealing with microaggressions in America and in career.  Listen to this episode and hear our perspectives on how musicians can be more susta...

I spoke to Luke Shefski about the dynamics of relationship building as a creator and independent. Shefski is a songwriter, instrumentalist, producer, and mixing engineer. He has worked in the Philadelphia renowned Headroom Studios ,  home of many records local to the mid Atlantic, east coast area.  Luke has been a part of many releases ( 22 releases as a producer, and 20 records as an in...

I spoke with Stephanie Williams, the founder of Rebel Coast Media(RCM). Rebel Coast Media is a  PR, marketing, social media and events management agency  Stephanie started this organization after working multiple years in the mainstream music industry. Williams talks to me in this episode about her experiences and insights on being her own boss, leaving the west coast to continue her car...

I spoke to my friend Cristina Flores the founder of Hi Dye and Co about her tie-dye fashion startup. In this episode, we talk about upcycling, diversity and inclusion, accessibility and the rise of tie-dye in the fashion world. Cristina talks to me about her work ethic, working with her family, her vision for herself and her background in the arts and how she is managing a small business during CO...

I spoke to a Pennsylvania native artist who is starting out in their journey towards self discovery. Lauren speaks to me about her vision of herself as a new musician, artist and her own ambitions to be a more creative and confident artist. Lauren's is working on figuring herself out and get through her own story. Listen to more on Dreams Not Memes. 

I spoke with Hetepsa and Nu-Ra of Camp Candle about managing work life balance and instilling positivity in their music. The electro pop and soul duo speak to me about goal setting, managing their own business, coping with emotions and the meaning of community. Camp Candle has been a motivating force for many musicians in the Philadelphia area. Check out this episode today on Dreams Not Memes.&nbs...

I spoke to my friend Beth Willard about the importance of work-life balance and how to be productive while working remotely. Beth has been a technology and communications professional for many years and has worked remotely in Chicago for the past three years. In this episode we talk about work-life balance, self-discovery, exploring a new city and being an extrovert while having a remote role. Tun...

I spoke with my friend Bartees Strange( also known as Bartees Cox Jr.) Bartees and I are friends an former collaborators. We wrote a song called "Fashit"  which is about corrupt and fascist leadership in America. , Bartees has a well-rounded set of talents to showcase for. He is a producer, a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and singer.  Strange recently released an EP called Say Goodby...

I spoke with a mutual friend of Alex Stanilla ( Episode 48), Mitch Etter. Mitch Etter is a guitarist of Seattle Band (Hi-Crime) a Missouri Native and has volunteered at KEXP. In this interview we talk about songwriting, starting over in different music scenes from being in college to navigating the midwest vs the PNW scene. We discuss the amazing support of KEXP and the amazing Cheryl Waters. Mitc...

Laura Lizcano is a songwriter,arranger and Philaelphia local musician who shares her story from her Colombian heritage and life experiences. In this episode we talk about her newest release Corazon and how the pandemic has effected her plans with growing her platform. Lizcano shares her vision for herself, her approaches towards songwriting and modern day trends in jazz and how music is transformi...

I spoke to South Jersey session guitarist and orchestra teacher Alan Ens. Alan spoke to me about the fluidity of the economy and the devastation of surviving as a musician during the Pandemic. Alan highlights his goals, how he feels about social isolation and how he's managing his work flow. Alan expresses his thoughts on songwriting, arranging, writing music in various ways ( classical vs jazz, c...

I spoke with Ellie of Jam Eater records a few days ago. We speak about authenticity, becoming a producer, working with bands and so much more. Ellie shares her journey with me about developing a record label, providing reviews with her partner on Jam Eater Records, and how challenging herself is so important. Listen to this episode of Dreams Not Memes and ask yourself, what does it mean to be altr...

I spoke to my friend Ash Kernen. Ash is a Philadelphia musician, songwriter, and legal professional. In this episode we talk about his entrepreneurial journey as an entertainment lawyer and how it intersects with being a musician. Ash shares with me about how he has found resolve in crafting his sound over his years and speaks about being content with falling in love with the art of songwriting. C...

I spoke with John W of the folk-punk band Rent Strike. John is a musician, songwriter, activist, and bibliophile. We spoke about literature, music, connecting with others, gentrification, and the lack of procedural justice in the government. John talks to me through his thoughts on how his background has impacted his writing and how he has been coping during the quarantine. Tune in to this episode...

I spoke to Katie Trainer , muralist, artist, and teacher about her journey as a muralist. We spoke about self worth, showing your value and the impact of murals an culture. Tune in to this episode of Dreams Not Memes today. 

I spoke with friend, musician, actor and fellow activist Joshua Kirwin this week. We speak about the deep process of writing music, wasteful youth, politics, self care in the quarantine, mental illness, and the beauty of growth in your community. Check out our conversation and stay tuned on Joshua Kirwin's project Tubey Frank and his ongoing journey. 

I spoke with Corinne Dodenhoff, musician, designer, songwriter, and freelancer. Corinne is a self employed graphic designer who has worked with venues, bands, brands and other stakeholders in the music community. Dodenhoff spoke to me about her self discovery as an independent creator and how Philadelphia and politics have pushed her into coming into her own. She has played in the jersey band Torp...

I spoke with Vandon Tricamo, martial artist, visual artist, and guitarist. Tricamo runs Zen Cat Creations an organization dedicated to bringing people together through art and team work. During our conversation we talked about the art of self discovery and how to balance your internal conflict and trust your heart to be a better and more disciplined creator and lover of your own craft. 

I spoke with my childhood friend Julian Wallace who has attended Burning Man Festival, works in the healthcare industry, plays guitar and is a fire spinner. Julian has had many introspective opinions about intersectionalism , healthcare and socioeconomic and sociopolitical aspects of our society. Listen to our conversation as we unpack many of the ways our society works in America and our opinions...

I spoke with my friend Tedd Hazard from Central PA about his story with music, comic books, Youtube and music videos. Tedd's story speaks about the power of friendship, appreciating art for community sake and the power of art communities. Check out our interview today. Tedd is dropping a lot of his back catalog which can be found on all streaming channels and check out his animations on Youtube un...

For the 50th episode of Dreams Not Memes, I would like to first an foremost say thank you to all the listeners and dreamers for speaking with me. Today we have an episode with Danielle Johnson, writer, musician and storyteller. Danielle talks to me about the power of giving visibility to underepresented an interesting voices with the power of a story. Johnson speaks to me about the Delaware art sc...

I spoke with Scott Fugger of Fly on the Call Podcast last week. Fugger spoke to me on his podcast about my backstory so I wanted to ask him about his motivation to reveal the stories of musicians. We spoke about his efforts to share the stories about musicians who he finds interesting. Scott talks to me about highlights in his journey such as speaking with Dan Campbell of The Wonder Years, working...

I spoke with my friend Alex Stanilla this past weekend after failing to save our podcast interview. So we did a mulligan conversation and spoke about branding, creativity, exploring different genres of music, his Toro Sessions and so much more. Alex and I have cowritten two songs Basement and Notice Me and have shared bills together. Stanilla is an instrumentalist, videographer, writer and podcast...