Matt O'Donnell Wants To Know

There is a little something different for this episode: the re-launch of the Matt O'Donnell substack! Join as Matt talks about reviving the newsletter and how it complements the podcast. Then, stick around for an audio reading of the first post! Very exciting times ahead in print as well as discussion. Matt O'Donnell on Substack. Matt O'Donnell Wants To Know on Instagram. Contact the show via emai...

Ellen Angelico is a superb musician in the Nashville ecosystem. She recently released a documentary podcast, Girl In A Hurry, about the late honky-tonk singer, Shelly Bush. Ellen spent a good deal of time playing in Shelly's band during her early years in Nashville. Girl In A Hurry looks at Shelly's legacy told by many of her closest friends and examines the concept of success, ultimately asking i...

Sarah Gavigan is the founder and president of Otaku Ramen, a thriving group of American ramen shops in Nashville. Since starting with popups in 2012, Sarah has been promulgating a style of ramen that eats traditionally but tastes of the time and place in which it's being made. During this discussion, Matt and Sarah cover the history of ramen, how umami is built, the differences in the noodles of r...

Aaron Smith is a stunningly terrific musician, currently playing keyboards for contemporary Christian music legend Michael W. Smith. He has also toured with Sara Evans, Matt Maher, Jason Crabb, Arbo, and others. During this conversation, Matt and Aaron touch on divine intervention in landing you where you should be, how to deal with having many interests that constantly change, a riveting discussi...

We open 2025 with a look back at last year, the first for Matt O'Donnell Wants To Know. To help work through it all, Matt is joined by Amanda O'Donnell and the returning guest from episode 001, Dave Jacquin. In the discussion, they break down favorite episodes, episodes that didn't go exactly as expected, throwing hands to keep the energy up in the intro blocks, goals, and the wild story behind re...

This "episode" is a very clever play on words, because Matt literally dropped the ball on what you're supposed to be hearing. Well, a little Matt, a little holiday season, and about a half dozen tornado warnings in Louisiana and Mississippi. It's all very $%!@&*# annoying. So, you're getting a podcast drop for 3 weeks in a row. Come on in and hear all about it. We'll also test the concept of d...

Deborah Jones is a photographer whose work embodies boldness, class, taste, vibrance, timelessness, and modernity. Her work has been featured for Food & Wine Magazine, Lexus, Williams-Sonoma, The Robb Report, Levi’s, Pixar, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and as the visual focus of the entire Thomas Keller library of cookbooks. Matt and Deborah talk about working with Chef Keller,...

Successful pivoting is a great skill. It can be tested to its limits when plans fall through right up against a holiday. You know what, though? We learned to have a bit of fun on this episode. Matt answers some listener/follower questions and then looks back to the taping of episode 006 with Steven Williamson for a quick discussion about mentorship and how Matt used situations he was in to develop...

Terry Adams is one of the most prolific riders in the BMX Flatland style. He is a three-time winner of the NORA Cup from Ride BMX Magazine and an X Games gold medal winner. Terry continues to compete globally, constantly pushing himself to go farther than ever in his 20+ year career. He is a long-time Red Bull athlete, as well as garnering other endorsements from Raising Cane's, among others. Terr...

Jake Serek is the owner of Serek Basses, makers of truly impressive custom bass guitars. After years of playing on the road and then learning the ins and outs of how to build and repair basses, Jake decided to set a path to make great vintage-inspired instruments on his own. He's currently based in North Carolina after years of operation out of Chicago. In this conversation, Matt (a Serek endorsed...

Amanda O'Donnell is a personal chef and entrepreneur. She also happens to be married to some guy named Matt O'Donnell. Matt and Amanda initially found each other through a shared love of food, having both lived in Boston, and hating what else was out there in the dating scene. She has owned her own business since 2020 and has been serving the fine community of Nashville with meals for home as well...

Hello! Just dropping in today to keep you posted on a one-cycle pause. Don't worry, we'll be right back to the conversations in 2 weeks (10/22). Listen and I'll tell you all about it! Take the time to dig through the archives and listen to one of the first 20 episodes that you haven't heard yet. See you right back here next time! Matt O'Donnell Wants To Know on Instagram. Matt on Substack. Contact...

For the twentieth episode of the show, Matt speaks with James Beard award-winning author, chef, and thinker, Michael Ruhlman. Michael is the author of a couple dozen incredible culinary books including; The French Laundry Cookbook, Ruhlman's Twenty, Ratio, The Making of a Chef, From Scratch, and many more. The conversation goes into Michael's beginnings as a food writer, continuing to inspire peop...

Risa Binder and Matt have known each other since the summer of 2013. Ever since then, Matt has played bass with Risa all across the land to crowds of all shapes, sizes, and enthusiasms. In this friendly discussion, they talk musical theatre, New York, the signs that led Risa to Nashville, a new reality of albums vs singles, community, and so very much more! Risa's newest release, "Good Advice", on...

This time on the show, Matt is joined by photographer and creative, Nathan Rocky. Nathan specializes in portrait photography, video work, art direction, and fine musicianship. In the conversation, they discuss Nathan's background in social work, finding the bare humanity in portraits, the Mona Lisa as the ultimate portrait, authenticity, Kurt Cobain, Bob Dylan, and Marilyn Monroe. Sit down, grab a...

On this episode of Matt O'Donnell Wants To Know, Matt is talking with Ricquel Archer, the founder and CEO of Create + Collaborate, a nonprofit based in Fort Worth, TX. Create + Co.'s mission is to help young adults develop the skills to complete college, emphasizing first-generation students. In the discussion, Ricquel and Matt talk about the organization, her history working with students who nee...

Kristen Rogers is one of the most prolific and sought-after background singers in the game today. Honestly, you've probably heard her voice somewhere tucked underneath the lead voice of the person whose name is on the track. She has shared the stage or the studio with countless modern music artists, including; Post Malone, Reba McEntire, Hozier, The Killers, Eric Church, Zach Bryan, Marcus King, T...

This time on the podcast, Matt talks with author and scientist, Brad Balukjian. Brad's most recent book, "The Six Pack: On the Open Road in Search of WrestleMania" was released earlier this year and made a huge splash in the professional wrestling media ecosystem. His previous volume, "The Wax Pack: On the Open Road in Search of Baseball's Afterlife", was named one of NPR's Best Books of 2020 (dam...

Welcome to a very special episode of Matt O'Donnell Wants To Know! This is the pilot taping of the podcast, with guest Donna Peterson, who happens to be Matt's mother-in-law. However, lest ye be concerned that this will be some schmaltzy family chat, Donna is the Director Liaison for Ready Start Tangipahoa, a coalition of the Tangipahoa Parish (Louisiana's equivalent of a county) public schools, H...

Welcome to episode 012 of Matt O'Donnell Wants To Know! After making the expected into the unexpected, Matt finally broke the trend and brought another top notch bass player to the show, Mike Rinne. Mike and Matt have known each other since 2007, quite a while before either made waves in the Nashville music business. Mike has toured with Miranda Lambert, Rodney Crowell, Emmylou Harris and, most re...

In this installment of Matt O'Donnell Wants To Know, Matt talks to Chelsea J. O'Leary, the founder of Wiley Canning Company. Through that business, Chelsea is revitalizing the practice of food preservation through canning. During the conversation, they touch on the history and purpose of Wiley, living slowly, history and science, struggles with perfection, introversion, and a whole lot more. Be su...

This is the 10th (TENTH!) episode of Matt O'Donnell Wants To Know! This time, Matt is joined by Joseph Ross, one of Nashville's fastest-rising photographers. In the conversation, they touch on the importance of establishing roots, who college is good for, developing while working for Robby Klein (*cough* Episode 005 *cough*), The Grand Ole Opry, and setting parameters for working relationships. Al...

Drop in on a sundry chat with a couple of longtime musician friends as Matt gets to talking with LA-based singer-songwriter, Hillary Reynolds. Hillary is a fantastic solo artist along with her membership in Peridot and Wild Meridian, among others. Her songs have been featured in the television shows Yellowstone and Loudermilk and one was even recorded by the country group Little Big Town as the op...

Britt Gondolfi and Amanda Romanick are the author and illustrator of the new children's book, Look Up! Fontaine the Pigeon Starts a Revolution. The poem uses the clever ruse of a poop joke to make a far greater statement about both parents' and children's use of screen time and how to find a more genuine connection. Matt talks with Britt and Amanda about the poem, the artwork, publishing, technolo...

It's Double 0 Seven time on Matt O'Donnell Wants To Know! In that spirit, Matt is joined by the biggest James Bond fan he knows, drummer and music spy Tim Buell. In this conversation, Matt and Tim discuss how to make the most of yourself as a business as a musician in the modern ecosystem. They also talk about drumming, musical tastes and preferences, and a little bit of how they apply to James Bo...