Skagit Storytellers

Leo Bootes stopped by the studio to tell me about his musical journey. If you know Leo, you know he's a great storyteller (especially one on one). Enjoy this Part 1, where he describes his hard working parents and how music became such a huge part of his early life. He's been jamming at our studio lately with his band, so be sure to catch him at a show (his Hendrix covers are my favorite). Find hi...

Charlie Partin, US Veteran and current HVAC technician came over to my studio last winter. He's a local guy who left, lived a whole lot, and now he's back following his passion of music. He gigs more than most (from Snohomish to Whatcom), so check out his social media to see where he'll be next. Charlie shared heartwarming and tragic stories that are the foundation for his new and upcoming EP of o...

Cheryl Perry visited my studio for a second time to continue sharing her story. If you haven't listened to her first episode, check that out first. There isn't much more to say, besides thank you Cheryl for being open and authentic.  Enjoy your weekend, be of use, and go do something hard. Love music? Go to Washingtonesrecords.com and score some sweet merch, cool tunes and support locals following...

Bob Paltrow is a New York native, Bellingham based graphic designer and musician. If you've ever seen his current band, Cats Like Us, you'll know that Bob is a fantastic storyteller, as well as an artist. Find out what song he learned to make his piano teacher mad (it didn't), and what Arizona reptile inspired him to write his first song (a rap). Check out his website (bobpaltrow.com) for any of y...

Clint Easley is the founder of Revol Entertainment . He was born in Woolley, went to Allen Elementary as a kid and now he's back. In California, he worked on a show called "Hollywood Hunter" for 8 seasons, and currently films hunts across the country (though he's in Africa right now). We talk about music, hunting, ultra running and our Valley. I'm pretty sure we'll be collaborating a lot in the fu...

Chris Aiken came to the studio a few months ago and shared some fantastic stories about... everything. We cover his musical journey, some important wake up calls, how he started the Fieldboats, his new career path, Lopez Island and the festival he founded with Doug Poole called Lopez Uncovered Music Festival . Chris and his partner Heather's business, Inside Passage Counseling, is for couples, fam...

Chad Henry came over to the studio earlier this year to chat about life and his music. Find out how he found his bandmates, playing covers in Central Park, his Oklahoma day and what brought him to the west coast. Most importantly, experience the moment we became best friends over our mutual love and respect for Roger Clyne. We quote lyrics from a Peacemakers song (Lemons): "Bring on the change let...

Jennifer Dalton was a colleague of mine until she resigned from her position to set sail around North and South America to conduct research. From their website, oneislandoneocean.com : Quote   The Around the Americas Expedition is a 14-month voyage, starting in May 2025, that will circumnavigate North and South America aboard the 48-foot sailboat, One Ocean. The mission focuses on scientific resea...

Andy Brown visited my studio two weeks ago. It's rare to have an episode get published after two weeks (especially with 15 recordings in the queue), but that's one word to describe my guest: rare! No one can hold a candle to Andy Brown and the incredible projects he's been apart of, The amount of stories he brings to the table is endless. Learn about his parents, musical journey and hear us speak...

Andrew Sweeting, aka Dr. Sweets, is a local musician and owner of several thriving plants. We dive into fun adventures from highschool, all the bands he's in, and how his Mom will definitely listen to this episode ("I love apples"). He's currently working on his first album, and when that is ready to be released into the world, I'll be the first one to promote it. The world needs more original mus...

Cristian Zavala, who goes by Dank Zavala, is a local hip hop artist that I had the pleasure of meeting at The SWAMP show last January. As soon as I saw the crowd go wild, I knew I had to have him on and learn about a music scene in the Valley that I knew nothing about. We had a great conversation and I was even able to interview his son Lyric, as well. Cristian's passion for music is only surpasse...

Mari is a friend, life coach and repeat guest for a reason. Her recent bout into sobriety intrigued me, as well as her latest campaign around mom-guilt, and we share some new goals as well as failures. We dive into her coaching community (The Crew) and by the end of the episode, I end up joining. I'm almost done with my one month experience in the Crew and I'll be on Mari's podcast soon to share m...

Michelle Montoya sat down with me in the studio recently to chat about music and life. We laughed a lot, shared stories of our pasts and families, and I learned a lot about her path to being the lead singer of Gin Gypsy. A new version of that band is currently in the works and whenever their debut show is schedule, I'll be sure to promote it. This episode weaves through all sorts of topics, but I...

I met Stone Jones at the Prospect Theater in the Fall of 2023. I've seen him here and there at shows and it was a pleasure to sit down and get to know his incredible backstory. I encourage everyone in the music scene (Whatcom and Skagit) to listen to this episode if you know him, and if you don't, it's more reason to listen to it and say hi to Stone at his next show. He mentions so many dear frien...

Aj Urquhart is a local film director who is currently shooting his first feature length film, Devil's Tower. This time he brought the antagonist in the movie Jackson from Spokane. The premier of this new venture is TBD and will take place at the historic (and haunted) 100 year old Concrete Theater (probably) and I will definitely promote it on all my social media channels. AJ is one of the most pa...

Jeff Mack came over in December of 2024 to chat about music and life. He credits his recent music resurgence to our mutual talented friend, Hannah Wyatt. You can find his album online. He plays "I Am The Morning" at the end of our chat. It's becoming not so uncommon to find an artist who has taken a decade long break and found their way again. I hope someone hears this and is inspired to pick that...

Izzy and I met when our kids started Kindergarten together at Westview Elementary in 2017.  She tells her story of moving from Poland as a teenager (with an expired greencard), learning English, training to be a cop, working in a corrections facility until it almost killed her and finally, starting her own mental health therapist practice. I admire the hell out of Izzy and I can't wait to read her...

Jerry Lee Steamer, of Fanny Alger fame, came over in December of 2024 to chat about life, specifically college radio stories, music, writing, Miguel, local sports and family. I loved getting to know him over the course of the interview and I think there's something for everyone to enjoy. Fanny Alger always posts on their Facebook page about their upcoming shows so be sure to check them out. Their...

Morgan McHugh came over to chat with me about music, life and play some tunes. Follow him on IG and YT (@morganmchughmusic), listen to his music on Bandcamp, Spotify, etc. The song at the end of the episode was recorded at the Space Station in Bellingham and I recommend watching all of his performances during his one hour set here . The next big AMP event is the Rockin' Yule Bizarre on Saturday, D...

I sat down with Andrew Velin and Sommer Velins Carter from the Anacortes band, The Enthusiasts. They hung out with me to talk about their new album, "To Rest a Field" and they also shared stories about their journey as musicians, how Andrew is younger than Sommer and AMP. Purchase the album at their next show on CD, or purchase and stream it here . Check out their social media pages for their next...

Benny Sidelinger is a local musician... but listen in as he shares stories of life on the east coast, building guitars and touring extensively all over the continent. Also, find out which local musician he met first in the Valley and enjoy a good story about how he acquired his favorite banjo (in the episode, I told him he definitely needs to write a song about that, and he did shortly after we re...

Brewmaster Bill and (one of) his daughter(s) Julie sit down with me and share some stories about the early days of Birdsview Brewing, and the early days of the Voigt family! Their brewery is open Wed - Sunday at noon and is located in Birdsview, WA. There is no shortage of beers to choose from in our state, but not many breweries are family owned and operated. Head into BBC and check out their fam...

Natural Israel shares stories of his childhood, how fun it is to be a dad and his evolution as a musician. I hadn't met Natural until he sat down in my studio, and these are my favorite types of conversations! He plays two great songs near the end, and I also included a song with him and his son. Check out Natural on Instagram @naturalisreal and his music on Spotify here . At the end of our conver...

Beth Bishop is an Anacortes musician who dabbles in real estate, writing and parenting. She shares important childhood memories, how awesome her son Connor is, and even plays me a song. I appreciate Beth coming on the podcast and revealing moments of grief that she's experienced, and I think that her story, while not the average tale, has pieces that everyone can relate to. I'll be sure to post an...

Clay and Tim stop by the studio to make me laugh and talk about their new collaborative album. HerNameWasPrincess will be at the Muse on November 22nd along with good friends Friends for the Ghost and the Enthusiasts. Buy a ticket before it's too late here . If you're ever in need of a cool poster design, hit either of these two talented guys up. Lastly, we talk about the Sedro-Woolley Arts, Music...