Mostly Harmless Podcast

Last week, I bought a used car! Today I drove that 2009 Honda Civic down to Berkeley for two back to back interviews at FANTASTIC non-profits I can only dream of working within! I CRUSHED the first interview, which would be a life changing opportunity for me. The second one? I think it went well?

So to celebrate the day, I did what any sane recovering 43 year old recovering punk Rock kid would do. I took myself for a beer right next door to Punk Rock Mecca, 924 Gilman Street.

I'm sitting on the patio just looking at this non-descript building, the place where Green Day, Rancid, Samiam, Jawbreaker and thousands of other amazing bands got their start. A lot of my ethics came directly from this space. It's hard to believe I'm so close to it. I've been to a few shows and they're always fun. How lucky am I to be so close to this greatness?

I'm just sitting here quietly thinking about life, the universe and everything and one of my favorite Douglas Adams quote popped into my head:
“I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.”

I don't know if I'll get either of these jobs, but it's genuinely thankful for even being considered in their illustrious spaces. I'm thankful to Claire for all her love and support. I'm working to build us a better life, and she's so supportive of me and my many talents. ❤️

Tomorrow Night! I'm hosting the first of what I hope to be many Live Talk Show Events! You know... It's like a podcast but happening right before your eyes and ears!

Here are some photos from our last live Q&A event at Folklore with and to give you some kind of idea of what we're going to be doing! I'm still working on editing the video and audio from this event and hope to have it on soon. We had such a great time, that we're coming back TOMORROW for another Q&A and the launch of a regular chat show!

My guests for this first show are going to be two of my favorite ladies in Napa, my dear friends Tattoo artist & muralist along with her super talented musician sister !

We're going to be chatting and telling stories about growing up in Napa, making art and what their hopes and dreams are for the future (and whatever goofy stuff we think of)! Plus we'll play a fun game with the audience! Not to mention Cierra will perform a few songs for us!

This will be a FREE event, but we're accepting donations to go towards the fires happening in LA. So please bring cash to donate! The Q&A will start at 7pm! The whole thing should be done by 8:30-8:45!

If all goes well, this will be a regular talk show showcase, with a focus on building community and introducing you to the artists, artisans, business owners, writers and other creatives that call the area home!

Hello Friends!
I'm excited to announce that on TUESDAY January 14th, we're going to be kicking off a monthly TALK SHOW / LIVE Podcast experience at Folklore! Join us from 7pm-8:30ish PM for this free special Q&A event!

What's the deal? Once upon a time I lived in Denver and hosted a podcast called MOSTLY HARMLESS with Dammit Damian. I talked Denver Comic Con into letting me host a few of their Q&A panels. Even though I had already done hundreds of interviews at that point in time, I had never done any in front of an audience. So to warm up, I started hosting LIVE Talk Show version of my Podcast at Mutiny in Denver! They proved to be so much fun, that I kept doing these showcases intermittently after the convention.

We're calling these Early Evening, because it's a talk show in the evening... And I love Conan O'Brien!

What to Expect: This event will last about 90 minutes. We'll do a Q&A chat with sister artists Cierra Schuer (Musician from Last Pleasure & Divorces) and Kristina McDonald (Muralist/Fine art/Tattoos) about their artistic journeys in Napa! What keeps them here, How they challenge each other, community and whatever else comes up organically. Then we'll play a quick round of a Cards Against Humanity style game, in which the audience participates by writing our Answer cards. The whole thing will end with a performance from Cierra Schuer! It's expected to run about 90 minutes in total.

Why? The idea is to build community. I want to put like minded people in the same room, and really work to celebrate the many talented artists that live and work in the Napa Valley. We moved here in 2022 and had such a hard time finding our community, we wanted to build a fun space to educate folks on what's happening in Napa's art community and be a space for folks to meet and mingle. We want to bring like-minded people together in a fun, exciting and different way!

The Future: If all goes well, we hope to turn this into a monthly series. Expected guests include local leaders, authors, chefs, business owners, musicians, comedians and anyone who works tirelessly to make the Napa Valley special and more than just Wine. We're focused on showcasing Local talent!

Dang ol Dang! Back in the Paper again! Woo!
A few weeks ago I stopped by to talk to the owner Faith about events at her Record Store and Bar here in Napa! As I walked in, she excitedly waved me over to the bar and there sat from !!!!

Shannon grew up here in Napa was in town for Thanksgiving. I had worked with Shannon last year, she did an all vinyl DJ set at the Napa Valley Distillery, so we know each other slightly! Her band is performing on New Years Eve and Folklore will be hosting a Meet & Greet Pre-Party the day before on Mon Dec 30th!

They were brainstorming ideas for the meet and greet. I piped up I could host a Q&A at the event! I've been wanting to relaunch a version of the LIVE Podcast we were doing in Denver and do a version here in Napa. Think Talk Show/Podcast in a Public Access style setting. Shannon was super into it, so I'll be hosting a Q&A on MONDAY with Shannon and The Clams! Wu! What!?!?

While we chatted, I asked how the promo for the NYE Show was going and learned they wanted to do more. I've done PR work in the past and had some local connections, so I offered to help! When I reached out to the local newspaper... THEY ASKED ME to write the piece! This is my first piece for the paper in over two years!

I sat down and spent probably 100 hours working on this piece! I had to get it RIGHT! The interview with Shannon was a BREEZE. It was exactly what I was looking for. The challenge was turning a fantastic 45 minute interview into 1300 words!

I've always dreamed of being interviewed by my hometown paper. I wanted to do it right & showcase how talented artists can come from anywhere, especially a small town like Napa and how she takes those pieces of Napa with her around the world! I'm super happy with the work!

I'm going to work up a small photocopy zine of the actual interview with Shannon and myself and print out 50 or so copies for Monday! I'll post that in my SUB-ST-ACK next week!

In the meantime, please read this piece and let me know what you think! What a cool way to end a strange year, but start 2025 with some killer possibilities for the future.