The Volume Knob

Can you hear the warmth and humanity in Rich's voice?  This week's episode was one of those rare incidents where I wish there was video because rich is a special human being; genuine, gracious and funny. I really enjoyed making radio with him and hope this week's episode gave you some insight into his personality. If you want more Rich Cardillo you can follow him on Twitter and Instagram or check...

Ophira Eisenberg may be Americans' favourite Calgarian .  Perhaps this damns her by faint praise given that America's most famous Calgarian is probably Ted Cruz .  At any rate, it's for good reason that Ophira is so well and widely loved; she's almost embarrassingly multi-talented. She's an author , radio/podcast talent , stand up and a frequent host of many a live event at The Moth .  She's a hou...

I am such a fan of Dr. Ray Christian. You can learn more about his work on his website or by following him on Twitter , Instagram and Facebook . His podcast, What's Ray Saying ? is also definitely worth a look.  Make sure you follow The Volume Knob on Twitter , Instagram , Facebook or at our website volumeknob.net . Have a safe and restful holiday season. See you all in 2022! And if you have a sto...

How about the incredible warmth, charm and empathy in the storytelling of the talented Devin Wilson?  The video of Devin's Live Out Loud subway concert is available here (her performance of She Used to be Mine starts at the 9:30 mark).  You can also learn more about Devin's work as a storyteller and social advocate on her website or by giving her a follow on instagram or twitter . Make sure you fo...

Sara and I met while doing improv at Impro Montreal. These days she is the founder and a member of They Go Low, We Go Laugh ( If you're in Montreal, you should check them out!) and a producer for Confabulation . Make sure you follow The Volume Knob on Twitter , Instagram , Facebook or at our website volumeknob.net . And if you have a story about the song that saved your life be sure to send it to...

Once again so many thanks to David Crabb for his dedication to the craft of storytelling and his generosity in sharing those talents on the show.  If you enjoyed David's story this week, be sure to check out the episode of the show he recorded in May or the TVK mixtape he did in September . David's memoir, Bad Kid is a fantastic read that I'd highly recommend and there's more info about him (inclu...

I am a huge HUGE fan of David Crabb. That's it. That's the tweet. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, his energy, honesty and talent come through in everything he's done with The Volume Knob (and everything else he has put out into the world as an artist).  If you enjoyed David's story this week, be sure to check out the episode of the show he recorded in May or the TVK mixtape he did in S...

You'd think that, as a podcast producer, I make time to listen to a lot of podcasts myself. The truth is, before the dog entered our life in May, I didn't.  That said, with an hour or two a day now spent wandering the same path through my neighbourhood, I now get to listen to all of my favourites on the regular. That list includes, probably unsurprisingly, The Moth . It's where I first heard John...

If you, or someone you love is in need of support in the context of a situation of domestic violence in the United States you can reach the National Domestic Violence Hotline by phone at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or by texting START to 88788. In Canada, domestic violence resources are organised provincially and regionally. You can find a pretty comprehensive list of them here . If you feel like suppor...

What energy! What pace! What a treat to work with Jamie Brickhouse. You really ought to check out more about him including his website (which includes links to fantastic videos of several of his live performances) and his instagram and facebook feeds. While you're there, be sure to check out Jamie's book Dangerous When Wet .  Jamie also has a pretty significant presence on YouTube and is one of th...

David is one of the most enthusiastic and openhearted members of the New York storytelling community I've had the opportunity to work with. He's also TIRELESS. You can see his work everywhere, from The Moth , to Awkward Teenage Years .  You can read him and his work here !  His site includes many examples of his writing (and some pictures of Dave during his shaved-head hardcore phase). You can als...

Where to begin?  Cyndi is a force of nature who has been teaching, producing and inspiring storytellers in New York City for a very long time. You can learn more about her on her website and by following her on twitter , facebook and instagram . Make sure you follow The Volume Knob on Twitter , Instagram , Facebook or at our website volumeknob.net . And if you have a story about the song that save...

As I mentioned in his intro, Matthew Dicks is one of North America's leading personal storytellers. You can learn more about him on his website which includes links to his twitter , instagram and facebook accounts. You can also learn more about Matthew's analytical approach to storytelling on the podcast that he hosts with his wife Elysha Dicks. It's called Speak Up Storytelling . Make sure you fo...

Shalewa Sharpe is an effing boss! I'm so happy that she made time to be on the show.  You can follow her on twitter , instagram and facebook ; check out the podcast ( The War Report with Gastor and Shalewa ) that she hosts with friend of TVK Gastor Almonte or listen one of her comedy albums Stay Eating Cookies or So, You Just Out Here?  There's also a tonne of her material on Youtube including thi...

Tracey is a fixture on the New York storytelling scene. If you want to hear more of her work, make sure to head to QED in Queens for one of their events or to check out her Instagram account where she has posted a series of one-minute stories. Tracey is also a producer of the Telling Favourites series. No playlist this week (I know, I know... if you miss them, tell me so at volumeknobpod@gmail.com...

So much fun having Aditya's perspective and sense of humour this week. You can hear a story he told on The Moth here there's also a great story he told about going to Wimbledon right here . He's also on Instagram both as himself and as a DJ . I've had to hold off pulling together a playlist for the first few episodes of this season. Drop me a line at volumeknobpod@gmail.com if you miss them.  Make...

So happy to start off Season 3 of the show with a performer as talented (and fun to work with!) as Sandi.  If you're interested in hearing more of her unique brand of humour and storytelling be sure to check out Sandi's website which has links to her appearances on Risk! and The Moth and to follow her on Twitter Facebook and Instagram .  While you're on Sandi's web page, be sure to watch the trail...

Grant is a co-founder of the Awkward Teenage Years  storytelling series with Will Clegg from Episode 25. As I mentioned during Will's Episode, ATY is a fun project that you can follow on Instagram , Twitter , Facebook and Twitch (?).  Grant is also active on Twitter and Insta . You can also learn more about him on his web site . This week's playlist is kinda silly. I'm calling it Mr. Fahrenheit bu...

Katie IS a warm, generous, talented and enthusiastic storyteller.  What Katie IS NOT is an aggressive self-promoter. She has no twitter account and her Instagram is private. So, if you want to learn more about her work you could do worse than getting to know New York's self-proclaimed "second longest running personal storytelling show" The Nights of Our Lives where  Katie is a frequent performer....

Awkward Teenage Years  is the name of the storytelling series that Will co-founded. You can follow them on Instagram , Twitter , Facebook and Twitch (?). You can also follow Will directly on Twitter and the 'gram . This week's playlist is called   Songs About Blood and Whiskey (hold the blood, frankly). A list of songs about the drink and what comes after. I hope you enjoy it.  Make sure you follo...

So, is anyone else blown away by Carla's talent, her voice and comic timing? Me too. What a treat to have her on the show. You can learn more about her from her web site and by following her on Twitter and  Instagram . This week's playlist features some of my own favourite art rock and art rock adjacent music. It's called Reflected like Fireworks I hope you enjoy it.   Make sure you follow The Vol...

Before I go on about how cool, and brave and inspiring Louise is and how lucky I am to have had the chance to spend time with her, can we all just take a second to admire how great her voice recording sounded? Seriously, though, professional equipment recorded in a professional voice booth.  -- Chef's_kiss.gif -- Apart from that, though, it WAS very cool to spend time with Louise and to have an ex...

As I mentioned in the opening of the show I've been attending classes and performing off and on at Montreal Improv for years. I've met friends there and made things and none of it wouldn't have happened without Vinny and the community that he and his friends created. For his effort, and that of others, I am truly grateful.  Vinny's newest improv venture is called Improv College and, like I said, i...

It's not everyone who can speak so frankly and thoughtfully about being both an angsty retro-teen and also a wife and mom wrestling with questions as powerful as "should we open our marriage?" Teri is that person and I'm really grateful she took the time to tell me her story. Grateful to call her friend, too. You can get copies of Teri's books, Bats or Swallows and Escape Plans by visiting her pag...

Devan is such a remarkable human being! Such a pleasure to spend time with him and help him share his story.  You can learn more about Devan and his work on his website .  In addition to his appearances on The Moth and NPR as a storyteller, Devan is also the co-founder of Unreeling Storytelling a Brooklyn-based organisation providing a storytelling platform for people of colour, women, and others...