So The Story Goes with Brian Chartrand

Massachusetts native Jon Berman joins us for a chat. From drums, to sax, to singer/songwriter, Jon comes on to talk about the anniversary of his tune "Corona in My Coffee Cup." We reminisce about the MA music scene in the 90s, what hooked him with music, his evolution as a working musician which involves battling cancer and discovering the power of a capo, and his approach to recording music. Chec...

Ben Thompson, aka Mr. Ben, stops by for a chat. This singer/songwriter, originally from Madison, WI, performs and writes children's music in Portland, OR. Full disclosure, I've known Ben for almost 20 years, but I did my best being objective and genuinely curious. We talk early musical memories, his time working at Fender and Pickathon, and his sweet tattoo. Buckle up kids, this one got a little z...

Arizona's own Sophie and Alex Dorsten stop by for a chat. We talk early influences and how they developed their unique sound and instrumentation. We talk about touring in Europe and in the states. Sophie also shares her experience on American Idol. We talk about their future plans and the singles on the horizon. Dig in. For more information, visit www.dorstenmusic.com .

Singer, songwriter, guitar player, producer Aaron Charles stops by the crib for a chat. We talk early musical moments (how about singing "Easy" at his Kindergarten talent show) in his hometown of Whittier, CA. We talk about the first day of the rest of his life (his first John Mayer concert). His decision to attend GCU and his life as a professional musician here in AZ. We also fan boy over John M...

Introducing Sebastian Lorenz, all the way from Thüringerberg, Austria by way of Los Angeles, CA. This classically trained guitar player, now cuts it up on guitar and pedal steel with some heavies in LA. We talk about his early obsession with the blues, oddly enough, NOT The Sound of Music and/or skiing after school.. Ever wonder what the gigging scene is like in Austria? Don't worry, we talk about...

Mixologist, and self proclaimed "nerdy bartender type," Joey Joyce joins Brian, Matthew Thornton and Steff Koeppen for an Amaro tasting. What is Amaro? What makes Amaros delicious? After a brief history of the spirit, we taste, describe, and rate several tasty Amaros. I hope you find this discussion valuable and now, go get yourself some Amaros. Tasting in order: 1: Amaro Montenegro, Bologna, Ital...

Matt and I discuss what to do when you are asked by friends to sit in on their gig. "Come on and play a tune! And make sure its awesome...." Here's what you need to know...

Welcome back Sandi King and Joshua Taylor to the micro-pod. In this episode Sandi shares her love for Robyn's tune "Dancing On My Own." Enjoy!

Matthew Thornton returns and we dissect two Beatles songs "Long and Winding Road" and "A Day in the Life" and why we think these songs are awesome. Enjoy people.

San Diego based husband and wife musical duo Sandi King and Josh Taylor of King Taylor Project stop by to discuss the building blocks of what makes a song awesome.. then we break down, dare I say, an awesome tune. Enjoy!

Kyle Phelan returns to talk about an awesome song... We also talk about his day gig at Warrior Guitar, NAMM in Anaheim and then we break down a Bros. Landreth tune "Vulture Choir" from their North Americana Sessions album. Hope you enjoy the conversation.

In this micro-pod, Matthew Thornton and I dig into our shared love of U2. We pull apart Matt's favorite song "With or Without You" and how it inspired his singing career. Matt had the good fortune of seeing U2 at the Sphere in Las Vegas. Lets just say, it changed the game. We also pull up "Mysterious Ways" from Achtung Baby which is my favorite U2 song. Thanks for listening!

Sandi King, San Diego based singer/songwriter stops by for a chat. Heavily influenced by her trumpet playing father, Sandi has been singing from a very early age. From listening to jazz albums while her father rehearsed, to discovering some incredible female singers on the radio in the 90s, to finding her voice in high school. After a couple life turns, she finds music as a full time situation. We...

What makes a song awesome for Singer/Songwriter Kyle Phelan? We dissect "Is It Me?" by Bros. Landreth. What is Kyle's vocal warm up? We define snare "gush." Kyle is groove forward, but also a sucker for a killer melody and lyricist. Dig in.

Josh Taylor, singer/songwriter, axe slinger for hire, studio musician stops by for a chat. We start at the beginning of the journey in OKC jamming to Kenny Loggins, to finding guitar, to joining the Navy, to moving to San Diego and becoming an award winning songwriter. We talk about starting out as a working musician, and developing your own style and how other artists can inform your sound. We ra...

Brian brings in Phoenix musician Matt Thornton to discuss an awesome song. What makes an awesome song? Today is Smiths vs. The Cure. Welcome to the "Micro-pod."

Guitar player James Rudolph stops by for a chat. Originally from Portland, Maine, he spent most of his high school years living in Belgium, made his way to LA to study music and then decided to move to Phoenix right before the pandemic to really commit to being a full-time musician after a period of being a public school teacher. We dive into musical philosophies, approaches, inspirations... baseb...

Beth Lederman, first call piano player and native Phoenician , stops by for a chat. Beth comes from a long line of accomplished musicians and music enthusiasts. Her grandfather started Lederman Music which he moved to Phoenix from Virginia in the 1950s. His store was a major hub in the music scene. Beth, not surprisingly, was inspired to play the piano at a very early age. She continued pursuing h...

Alex Miller zooms in from NYC for a chat. Our paths crossed in 2007ish in New York. Alex had just moved from his home state of Ohio to work as a sound guy at the Canal Room in Tribeca which is where my band The Sweet Remains would perform. Alex mixed us for several shows and a friendship was formed. He is a singer/songwriter, member of the band Saved By The 90s, bandleader for his new project Silv...

On this episode, Brian is joined by Phoenix based drummers Erik Teichmann and Gannon Burleigh. We dig deep, real deep, talk grooves, players, influences... favorite comedies from the 80s. There were lightning rounds. This episode has it all! We basically nerd out on the drums for a while. Enjoy!

Curtis Grippe of Dead Hot Workshop and owner of Stem Recording in Paradise Valley, AZ stops by for a chat. From the early days in Prescott, AZ to answering an ad in the Phoenix New Times for a band looking for a drummer which leads not only to his move to Tempe, but to being a part of Dead Hot Workshop in the late 1980s and immediately being immersed in the burgeoning Tempe music scene. He shares...

What's happening with this podcast?!

Marah and Luis, also known as Lumar, stop by the crib for a chat. Marah is from Phoenix and Luis was raised in Mexico City, but they came together at a fateful Music Theory class at GCC. They both had a metal phase, they both grew up around music, but they chose different instruments. We talk early music memories, inspirations, favorite artists, the beginning of their band Lumar, joining the Stake...

If you love baseball or music, this is your podcast because Eric Nadel zooms by for a chat. Eric is the Texas Hall of Fame radio announcer for the 2023 World Series Champions, the Texas Rangers, and one of the biggest music fans I've ever met. He talks about growing up in Brooklyn, studying at Brown University, his first job calling hockey in Michigan, and moving to Dallas in 1976 to work for the...

Just listen....