So The Story Goes with Brian Chartrand

Michigan born bass player, singer/songwriter, and Red Wings hockey fan Nolan McKelvey stops by for a chat. We talk about the early years in East Lansing, what brought him to Arizona, what sent him to Boston for a time, and eventually what brought him back to Flagstaff. We bond over our shared love of the band Morphine, talk process and take a listen to his pandemic inspired song "Forward." This so...

Jared Kolesar, also known as Wheelwright, stops by for a hang. We talk about his deep Arizona roots, how he started Jared and the Mill with some very talented college friends, his decade of constant touring, his various musical influences, his new solo project Wheelwright, and how he stayed creative during the pandemic, which might surprise you. He also shares his new tune "3 Dots." This cat is wi...

Will from Brazil stops by for a chat. We crack a bottle of Cachaça and get to the bottom of his rather literal stage name. We talk about the evolution of samba music in Brazil. We dig into his early years in São Paulo, his time in St. Louis and Chicago, and his arrival to Phoenix. We rap about the future of the Will from Brazil Band. He shares his story meeting Brazilian great, Seu Jorge. For more...

Join me, Matt Thornton and Sturgis Waters as we deep dive our favorite Radiohead album "The Bends." We go through each song and break them down as we share live recordings of us performing the album. We also hear from Garrison Jones and Roy Cameron, who, along with Nic Sterling, were a part of the band we put together to perform the album. This was a fun one. Buckle up.

Record producer, artist, podcaster, television producer, songwriter, amateur Christopher Walken impersonator, Otto D'Agnolo stops by for a long, laughter filled chat. He shares his early influences, his brief college career, how he arrived in Phoenix, his beautiful studio Chaton Studios, his friendship and collaboration with the great Billy Preston, his deep love of the Beatles, and his numerous p...

Matt Scannell, songwriter and lead singer of Vertical Horizon, sits down with me for a deep dive into his long career. Starting with the colossal influence of Eddie Van Halen, we talk about his humble beginnings as an acoustic duo to chart topping rock and roll gods, we talk writing process, his varied musical influences, his favorite Radiohead album, and we rap about his friendship and collaborat...

Chris Barron, songwriter and lead singer of the Spin Doctors, zooms in for a chat. We rap about the genesis of the band, which includes a heavy dose of Blues Traveler, his dedication to the craft of writing and he reflects on his ever evolving lifelong musical journey. Chris shares stories of touring including playing Woodstock in 1994, answers some pressing fan questions (4:30 anyone?), we remini...

Singer/Songwriter Danielle Durack everyone! Hear her stories about her early fascination with Disney tunes, the influence of being in a gospel choir at ASU, how the pandemic influenced her creativity, her thoughts on busking, we listen and discuss her song "Broken Wings," and she shares her plans for the next album. For more information on Danielle, please visit: http://www.danielledurack.com/

The unofficial Arizona music historian, John Dixon drops by, drops some knowledge and some wonderful stories about Tempe in the early days of rock and roll. What started as a passion for music, inspired by James Brown's "Live at the Apollo" album, led him to becoming a professional musician, live and radio DJ, A&R, vinyl junkie (over 100,000 pieces in total), record producer, and now Arizona m...

Say hello to Rick Heins. We talk about his early years slinging records at Zia, his metal band, early memories of the Tempe music scene, his shift to visual arts and graphic design which took him back east for a spell, his subsequent years working for Fender here in Arizona, we talk amps and gear, and his current obsession: pedal steel guitar. Rick is a gentlemen with a great story to tell. FInd o...

Joseph Reginald Joyce and I responsibly sample some rum... Now, you might think its just an excuse to taste a bunch of stuff, and while it is, I also like to think we learned something on that day. Joey walks me through the various processes, the cultural differences, the history, the various flavor profiles, and the many ways to enjoy rum. So, buckle up, grab a glass and enjoy this fun filled exc...

New Jersey native Mike Florio has done a number of things: from being a full time drummer, to managing international touring artists, to owning a live music venue, to consulting, mentoring, and booking, to creative writing. He shares his early musical influences, how he arrived in Phoenix, his many years as a touring drummer, and reflects on his club Voce Lounge. We also swap stories of touring in...

Indiana born singer/songwriter, guitar player, producer, band leader, lawn game creator, writer Clint Bierman joins the chat from his studio Lion Tone in Middlebury, VT. We discuss his background, and how he found music. We talk about his long running band The Grift and how it has evolved over the last 20 years. He shares his recent experience performing his song "Rollercoaster" featuring Josh Pan...

Producer, multi-instrumentalist, band leader Dominic Amato joins me for a chat from his Nashville, TN studio. We talk about his musical heritage, his formative time in Phoenix, getting the call to be Sister Sledge's musical director, hanging with legends, and he shares a tune he co-wrote for Sister Sledge called "Free." For more information, please visit https://dominicamato.com/ .

Jazz and latin Drummer and percussionist Emerson Laffey stops by and shares tales of hiding gangster rap tapes from his folks, his metal years in High School, how he came to the drums, his deep love of latin music, his time at ASU, his early years performing around town, and his obsession with Tesla. We also chat about his latest album "Los Banditos" and his tune "Latin Jam." For more information,...

Baltimore, Maryland native Matt Henderson is a singer/songwriter, guitar player, talented harmony singer, and family man. We talk about his early days, touring stories, why he moved to Phoenix, how he stayed creative during the pandemic, and his new harmony driven trio JTM3. We talk about his tune "For the Record" which was released by JTM3 in April. For more information, please visit https://jtm3...

I sit down with dear friends Jay Allan and Matthew Thornton to discuss our love of Tom Petty's second solo album "Wildflowers." We talk the album down, play some live clips and discuss our performance of this incredible album on Friday May 13, 2022 at San Tan Gardens in Chandler, AZ. For more information, please visit https://santanbrewing.com/events/

Singer/Songwriter, master electric guitar player, reluctant fiddle player, and bar owner Ray Herndon pops by to share his story. We talk about growing up in Phoenix in a musical family, singing at an early age with his brothers, his family connection to the famous Handle Bar J's country bar in Scottsdale, his decades working with Lyle Lovett, starting McBride and the Ride in the 90s, and a recent...

Writer, director, singer/songwriter, actor, musician, and former arborist Greg Naughton stops by the podcast for a long distance hang. Co-founding member of The Sweet Remains, my bandmate and long time collaborator, tells his story. We talk about the early days, his journey to music, meeting a bunch of famous people, and his film "The Independents" which is loosely based on The Sweet Remains. We a...

Walt Richardson is a military son, eldest of 8 siblings, singer/songwriter, band leader, and member of the Arizona Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame. How many folks do you know with a gold star on Mill Ave? He regales me with tales of growing up around the world, his first impressions of Tempe in the 1970s, his time at ASU, pursuing music full time, his philosophy on life and music, and we even...

Singer/songwriter and my Sweet Remains bandmate Rich Price logs in for a little chat. We discuss his early musical influences, how Dispatch helped launch his career, his experience being signed to two major label deals, we discuss his unique finger picking style, and we talk about his tune "When The World Slowed Down" which was written and recorded by The Sweet Remains during and about the pandemi...

Visual artist and singer/songwriter Doug Bale stops by for a little chat about his early years in AZ bumming around the live music venues on Mill Ave in Tempe. He shares his experience in LA and his various musical collaborations. We go DEEP into our shared love of Steely Dan. He teaches me what "KPI" means. We also talk about his tune "Outside" that he recorded with his band Mergatron. We also di...

Buckle up for a deep, DEEP dive with multi-instrumentalist, singer/songwriter Will "Young Blood" Evans. We dig in to Will's early years growing up in New England. He reflects on catching the music bug at his first solo acoustic performance, how Dispatch influenced his decision to go to college in Vermont, his band Barefoot Truth, how being a father affects his songwriting, and we share war stories...

What can you say about Jim? He's a singer, songwriter, husband, dad, band leader, side guy... We dive deep into the early years, the formative years, how he found his instrument, what he's up to now, what he's planning for the future. He takes questions from friends and he shares his tune "Hate to See You Go." For more information on Jim please visit https://jimbachmann.net/ . Crack a beer and tuc...

Singer/Songwriter Laura Berens pops by the crib to discuss all things. We talk about growing up on the mean streets of Scottsdale, AZ, her studies at ASU, her unique singing techniques, meeting the lads of Palo Brea, and her solo music. She even shares a brand new solo tune called "Something Simpler." Buckle up kids. For more information about Laura, please visit https://www.palobreamusic.com/