Sound Matters with Tom Leu

Stewart Michaelson is the founder of Join the Nation Network , and is a sobriety advocate, motivational speaker, and coach. Having spent the better part of a decade in public life, Stewart understands from a political perspective the issue of mental health and the illness. What started out in his youth as a simple nights of drinking with the boys on weekends, led to drinking and driving, a crimina...

"Highlights & Hits" featured on episode #067:  02:18-04:00 - Shout out to Christian Leu on his new job in television production, in addition to working in radio... 07:31-20:05 - Jro Rostamo (from Suite Oblivion, Drama Queen, & Mob Zero), and Allen Smith from Letsinger... 20:17-37:32 - Drama Queen (Matt, Rob, Tee, Jim, & Jro) 38:35-46:00 - Round table discussion with all of th...

Amy Dresner is a former professional stand-up comic, having appeared at The Comedy Store, The Laugh Factory, and The Improv. Amy has been a contributing editor and writer for several publications including TheFix.com, Addiction.com, PsychologyToday.com, the Good Men Project, The Frisky, Refinery 29, among others. Her first book, "MY FAIR JUNKIE: A Memoir of Getting Dirty and Staying Clean&quo...

"Highlights & Hits" featured on episode #066:  03:41-18:10 - Tom and Christian discuss the current "diss track" feud, and marketing implications between rappers MGK and Eminem... 20:20-23:26 - This episode closes with Tom's signature Sound Matter Moment titled "Time Waits for No One"... Support the show Connect with Tom: 👉🏻 https://solo.to/tomleu 👉🏻 https...

Lara Frazier is well-known in the digital recovery space as a speaker and truth-teller, a sobriety warrior, an innovator, and a writer. She is a fierce believer in the power of owning our stories and is a strong advocate for addiction recovery. Lara shares a story of healing: in sobriety, through addiction, in life and love, and in all the other big, huge moments of fear and magic that we rarely t...

On Sound Matters episode #065, Tom hosts the return of Matt Vogt and Rob Pace from Rockford's Drama Queen talking about their CD release party and debut gig, plus much more... "On behalf of the band DRAMA QUEEN I would like to offer some kind words to one of the best interview personalities we know Tom Leu. We have been on Tom's show SOUND MATTERS 3 times now Courtesy of Tom and con...

Wesley Geer has been a professional musician for over 20 years. He first found success as the founding member of Jive Records artist Hed P.E. as a guitarist, songwriter and producer. After touring the world for eight years, Wes left the band for a lifestyle change and ultimately landed in rehab. In 2010, at almost three years sober, he was approached to play with the legendary band Korn. He joined...

Kevin Polky from Shatter Our Silence is a former champion bodybuilder and now a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor, Certified School Social Worker, executive coach, former football and strength coach and personal trainer. Kevin dives into his personal recovery journey, the good reasons for founding SOS, and impactful strategies for working through the darkness th...

Sound Matters episode #064 features Tom's great conversation with Chicago's Enuff Z'Nuff founder, bassist, and now lead singer, Chip Z'Nuff. Chip talks candidly about the music business today, the influences he wears loud and proud, and the great new Enuff Z'Nuff album Diamond Boy featuring him on lead vocals, and his transition fronting the band for the first time with ab...

Tawny M. Lara is an entrepreneur, writer, and public speaker. She’s the founder of SobrieTea Party and Readings on Recovery , co-host of Recovery Rocks podcast, and an award-winning filmmaker of her recovery documentary, "Fixed Up." When she’s not working on all of the things, she’s doing yoga or eating tacos - sometimes simultaneously. Tom as he and Tawny dig into her personal recovery...

"Highlights & Hits" featured on episode #063: 06:34-11:59 - Tom and Christian discuss the headline news regarding pop star's Demi Lovato's recent addiction relapse and hospitalization... 13:42-18:21 - Christian Leu leads a discussion about hip hop superstar Drake's new release, "Scorpion," and the "In My Feelings" video challenge craze, along with c...

This is a fascinating and in-depth conversation with author, Kristin Casey. Kristin is a recovered alcoholic and addict who’s rigorously inventoried her every resentment and relinquished ninety percent of them. She’s survived clinical depression, numerous addictions, the panhandle of Texas, and seventeen years of Catholicism. Her first book, "Rock Monster: My Life with Joe Walsh," docume...

The first guest on "Recovery Collective" is Austin F. Cooper - the founder of the Sober-Evolution recovery community. Sober-Evolution launched on Instagram in 2016 and quickly began helping many people from around the world see new perspectives on recovery. Austin is a life coach with a great message, and passion to help others that's contagious. “It was such a pleasure being a gues...

Scott Flynn is the author of the memoir My Life... Don't Try This At Home - a collection of 55 funny short stories. Scott is a husband, stepdad, mentor, entrepreneur, artist, and philanthropist. Scott is also the founder and CEO of two international companies, Best Corporate Events LLC and the tech company SmartHunts LLC. In this long form interview, Tom and Scott get in-depth about his hilar...

The debut of (15 total) "Recovery Collective" radio & podcast episodes originally aired on the Tan Talk Radio Network in the Clearwater/Tampa, FL area in 2018-2019. Tom Leu talks about his vision for the show along with his background and journey through recovery from alcohol. “Tom is a fascinating person with many talents. It has truly been my pleasure to work and know Mr. Leu. I ha...

"Highlights & Hits" episode #061 features the debut of the show's engineer, producer, and co-host, Christian Leu's new weekly segment... this one about the particulars of the popular World Cup series. Tom talks to professional speaker, Jeanne Robertson again about her comedy competition. And returning to Sound Matters is Suite Oblivion frontman, Mitch Brechon debating with...

Sound Matters episode #060 features Tom's conversation with singer/songwriter, guitarist, and producer, Richie Kotzen from The Winery Dogs, Mr. Big, and Poison. In addition to his high profile bands, Richie is a prolific solo artist with over 20 albums to his credit going back to the late 1980's. Richie's music crosses genres blending elements of rock, pop, blues, soul, and even fun...

Sound Matters episode #059 features Tom's conversation with Wolf Hoffman from the great German heavy metal band Accept. Wolf and Tom cover a lot of ground from Accept's latest live and new studio albums, Wolf's perspectives on the music business today, being a professional photographer, leaving a legacy, and much more... Inside the Interview: 00:27 - On Accept's latest live rel...

Sound Matters episode #058 features Tom's conversation with perhaps one of the most underrated guitarists in rock music over the past 30+ years. Ronni LeTekro is a founding member of Norway's multi-platinum band, TNT, as well as a prolific solo artist. Ronni is as funny and honest, as he is direct and surprising. Ronni was an absolute pleasure to speak with, and he was sure to throw a fe...

Sound Matters episode #057 features Jeanne Robertson... a professional speaker and humorist for over five decades. With no signs of slowing down, Jeanne fills venues around the country telling hilarious stories from her storied life as a teenage contestant in the Ms. America pageant, to a mother, a wife, and a successful business person throughout it all. Jeanne wraps her humor around universal an...

Being from the Midwest, northern IL/southern WI, specifically, and playing in rock bands myself for over 30 years, I know quite a bit about the local and regional music scene from that area, and from the era of the '80's and '90's that I came up in. Author Theron Moore knows much "more"... Theron has written a terrific trilogy of books called "All My Friends Are...

"Highlights & Hits" episode #055 features a triple-header of guests with Tom returning live in the WROK studios in Rockford, IL. First up is Tom's interview with Rob and Matt from the band Drama Queen. Next is Tom's conversation with both Kevin McCarthy from Rockford's Local Music Scene, and longtime Rockford musician, and multi-RAMI winner, Pat Doherty celebrating the...

I came across Joel Moutray from The empower_good Podcast via the great expanse known as the internet, and was really taken by his passion and enthusiasm for putting and positivity out into the world (which also happens to be a foundational purpose of this show...). Joel joins me on Sound Matters to talk about the genesis of the podcast, the good reasons why he's producing it, being a lifelong...

The 2nd conversation with serial entrepreneur Phillip Ryan Block from Independent Ear Productions, Block Media Group, and additionally now... The Open Heart Collective. Inside the Interview: 01:35 - About Ryan & Tom's first Sound Matters interview... 02:20 - Big news about Independent Ear Productions... 05:15 - The philosophy behind Block Media... 07:37 - What is "documenting" a...

The 4th in-depth conversation with Michael Sweet from Stryper about the band's latest release, God Damn Evil , the inevitable controversy the band has always endured, social media's pros and cons today, Michael's perspectives on continually putting out new material three decades into his career, upcoming projects, dealing with haters and critics, and much more... Inside the Intervie...