Performance Anxiety

Today’s guest makes me not want to dream. So maybe it’s fitting that this is released on Halloween. Welcome Emily Whitehurst of Survival Guide to the podcast. And throughout this episode, it’s clear that her band is aptly named. From her start with the bands Plinky and Tsunami Bomb, she’s always had a part in writing lyrics and melodies. And it served her well as Tsunami Bomb played on Warped Tours and had some pretty great opening slots. But with her next band, The Action Design, Emily expanded her musical palette and the music just got better. Again, she scored some great opening slots with bands like Social Distortion and earned a bunch of new fans. When The Action Design ended, she and her bassist decided they wanted to keep writing music. So they forged on as Survival Guide, expanding the music even more. But when the other half of the musical duo left, Emily took a hard look at the band and made the decision to continue on. She kind of had to. You can’t dissolve a band called Survival Guide! Her first full length as a solo project is called deathdreams because that’s what some of the songs are about, dreams where Emily died! She has obviously changed how she writes now that Survival Guide is just Emily, and it my favorite release in her catalog. The music is varied and well written and sometimes spooky. Pick up deathdreams at srvvlgd.com or wherever you buy music. Follow her @srvvlgd on X, @survivalguidemusic on Instagram and Twitch. Check out her Patreon page. Follow us @PerformanceAnx on X and Instagram. Feed our coffee habit at ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. Our merch can be found at performanceanx.threadless.com. And I hope you don’t have deathdreams after hearing Emily Whitehurst of Survival Guide on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s guests make me happy and hungry. Marc Broussard and Jay Reifel join me to talk about the connection between music and food. Each guy has dipped a toe into the other’s wheelhouse, which makes this a very interesting conversation. We talk about the worst jobs in ancient kitchens, Marc’s best meal ever, and I get excited about aspic. We discuss doing musical and gastronomical covers. Jay explains what a cockenthrice is, what kind of bear meat is best in stew, and which recipe is like sewing an old boot. We also learn some odd ancient ways of measuring time and quantities, the reason cookbooks may have actually been written, and Marc's dream ancient apprenticeship. And there is some exciting news for Marc Broussard and Joe Bonamassa fans. Follow Jay at @jayreifel and @ediblehistorynyc on Instagram. Buy his cookbook, A History of the World In 10 Dinners from Rizzoli New York wherever you buy books. Follow Marc @marcbroussard on Instagram. Pick up SOS 4 on Keeping The Blues Alive. And check him out on one of his endless tours. Follow us @PerformanceAnx on X an Instagram. Support our coffee habit at ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. Buy merch at performanceanx.threadless.com. Now grab a drink and bite and enjoy Jay Reifel and Marc Broussard discussing food and music on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s guest makes me joyful. That’s because it’s Shemaiah Gonzalez, author of the Substack and soon to be book, Undaunted Joy. And true to the Substack, it really was a joy speaking with her. I first learned of her work through past guest Joseph Massey and I couldn’t be more grateful. And like all good podcasts, we start with alcohol. Shemaiah has known for a long time that she wanted to be a writer but her early ideas of what that meant were very different from what she has found herself doing. She started off hoping to be an academic writer, but that’s just not what God had planned for her. One thing He DID have planned for her was an inclusion of one of her works in Pope Francis’ book, Sharing The Wisdom of Time. She tells me why it’s important to get excited about trash bags and how she started her Substack, Undaunted Joy that will become a book in the not too distant future. Shemaiah and I discuss writing to help with depression and the difference between happiness and joy. I also uncover her fear of capybaras and how a British Abbott is connected to The Night Stalker. Give Shemaiah a follow on X @shemaiahng and on Instagram @shemaiahg. Check out Undaunted Joy on Substack and look for Undaunted Joy the book in 2025. Follow us @PerformanceAnx on X & Instagram. Subscribe to us everywhere. Pick up merch at performanceanx.threadless.com. Support our coffee habit at ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. And let’s get joyful with Shemaiah Gonzalez on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s guest made me question my preconceived notions. It’s singer/songwriter Tony Cuchetti. And even though it sounds like he’s from New Jersey, he’s not. He’s actually from a Partridge Family type of performing group. As a kid, his family moved from Detroit to Florida and began performing as a musical act. And there were a LOT of family members. Tony talks about literally growing up on the road, performing all over the country. But when the family band stopped, Tony had a tough time adjusting. He excelled in sports, even playing minor league baseball. But music kept calling to him. He’s just released his latest album, Freer Street and it’s a cool progression of his Americana sound. Tony and I talk about his recording approach; like not letting the musicians hear the music until they were in the studio, recording only a few takes of each song, and playing live in the same room. He also tells how legendary musician Gregg Inhofer got involved! Tony emphasized how important it was to being open to the direction the music wanted to go, not trying to force it one way or another. We also touch on the fading art of sequencing an album. Check out his album Freer St on streaming platforms. Go to tonycuchetti.com for physical copies. While you’re there, check out his socials. And check out ours, too, @PerformanceAnx. Feed our coffee habit at ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. Buy some merch at performanceanx.threadless.com. Now get ready for an unusual ride with Tony Cuchetti on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s guest made me protonic. I don’t even know what that means, but welcome Conan Neutron to the podcast. I get some great insight into the Neutron house, growing up. For example, Conan started playing guitar because a friend of his came to the front door with a bass and told Conan he needed to get a guitar so they could start a band. Well it worked out alright, because he’s been in some pretty awesome bands with some pretty awesome people, like Dale Crover. But according to Conan, the important part is planning the band’s breakup ahead of time so it goes smoothly. Conan Neutron and The Secret Friends has released some great stuff, like an album about Hannibal Lecter and a concept album about depression and mental health. And Conan also has his own podcast, Conan Neutron’s Protonic Reversal. He has just released a new album called Adult Prom. Make sure you get that right. It’s a split LP with the band Lung. Pick it up wherever you get your music. Follow Conan @conanneutron on Instagram. Check out Conan Neutron’s Proton Reversal. Follow us @PerformanceAnx on X and Instagram. Send us coffee money at ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. Buy things at performanceanx.threadless.com. And sit back get ready for some hearty laughter with Conan Neutron on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s guests teach me things; specifically symbolism in music. It’s one of those things that I always feel everyone else gets more than I do. So I was beyond happy to have Alexander Hacke, Danielle DePicciotto, and Raven Chacon guide me through their experiences creating work heavy in symbolism. And we go beyond music into visual arts, as well. Hackedepicciotto have released a new album that is full of symbolic music. But the symbolism in Keepsakes is much more personal, this time. Raven discusses his connection to John Cage, growing up listening to Navajo songs and heavy metal. And Alexander explains the three layers of symbolism. And all three guests tell me how far the symbolism can go, even extending to the intended audience. Give them all a follow on social media @hackedepicciotto and @ravenchcn on Instagram. Pick up the album from Mute Records or on Bandcamp. Check out hackedepicciotto.de for more info. Check out Raven’s past work and stay up to date on new pieces at spiderwebsinthesky.com. Follow us @PerformanceAnx on X & Instagram. Our pieces are available at performanceanx.threadless.com. Support our coffee habit at ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. And hopefully you learn something new with Alexander Hacke, Danielle DePicciotto, and Raven Chacon on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This guest definitely spells his name correctly. Welcome singer Marc Broussard to the podcast family; and man does he have soul! His voice reminds you of the greats like Otis Redding, Al Green, and Sam Cooke. Marc talks about the movie that started his career, at the ripe old age of five and a half; the influence of his dad, Louisiana Music Hall of Fame inductee Ted Broussard, and he tells me about how he got his first record deal and why he asked to be released from it. That started the story of how Marc went independent and began his series of SOS albums, recorded for various charities. Marc even wrote a children’s book as a companion piece for one of those albums. Marc has released his latest SOS album with a focus on the blues. To that end, he recruited his good friend and blues guitar legend Joe Bonamassa, to help out. This album pushed Marc out of his comfort zone. But in doing so, he has received some of the highest praise of his career, particularly from his peers. Marc has learned a lot throughout his career and he shares a lot of it here, particularly about the writing process he goes through. He’s on tour constantly, as we learn. So check him out on Instagram @marcbroussard. Pick up SOS 4, Blues For Your Soul at ktbarecords.com or wherever you get music. Follow us @PerformanceAnx on social media. Pick up our stuff at performanceanx.threadless.com or send coffee money at ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. Now prepare to get lost in Marc Broussard’s voice on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This guest made me float. It’s an unusual episode. Today’s guest is Julee Cruise and was recorded in April of 2019. For reasons I have forgotten, the episode was delayed and ended up slipping through the cracks in an old Work In Progress file. Unfortunately we lost Julee in June of 2022. In this episode, Julee is very candid about her work. You’ll find out why, early on in the discussion. She talks about how she got into singing, acting, and playing the french horn. And although she didn’t want to spend too much time discussing her work with David Lynch, she does talk about meeting him, the first thing he ever said to her, and trying to get him to sing. She did get a record deal based on her work on Blue Velvet but that’s not where the strangeness ends. At one point, she was guest on a TV show overseas, seated next to Muammar Gaddafi! Julee also talks about the luxury of touring with the B-52’s and the moments when she had some severe performance anxiety. She released two albums that were heavy on the David Lynch sound. However, she had much more involvement in her final two albums, which deserved a lot more recognition than they seemed to get. Please check them all out. You definitely won’t regret it and you might actually be surprised! Remember to give us a follow @PerformanceAnx on X & Instagram. You can show us a little love with coffee money at ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety or purchasing merch at performanceanx.threadless.com. Now get ready to float into the night with Julee Cruise on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is such a cool episode of Side Projects. It’s the art of improv! And I have to say, I felt a little bit guilty prepping for this one. Ev & Paul from Cinema Cinema have both been on the podcast before, but never together. And we are all joined by the enigmatic Thor Harris. THere’s a lot of juice in this one. To say all three guests are well versed in improvisational music is possibly the biggest understatement I’ve ever made. It’s almost like saying McDonald’s is well versed at making fast food. We begin with a brief history of Thor and how he started playing music and eventually improvisational music. I also get reacquainted with Ev, Paul, and Cinema Cinema. They have just released an album of music that is entirely improvisational and they tell me the whole story behind the session. Yes session. The album, Mjolnir, was recorded in one day in three 30 minute sessions. Thor arrived at BC Studio, arms swinging, with no instruments. No music or lyrics were prepared. And this was the first time Ev and Paul have ever met Thor. So out came Ev’s guitar, Paul’s drums (including a tin whistle he keeps for just such an emergency) and a whole bunch of neglected instruments from the studio’s closets. This was an exercise of being forced to stay in the moment. Nothing was prepared and time was limited. What came out of the sessions was magical. It was so magical that Thor and Cinema Cinema are working on plans to play live together. Pick up Mjolnir on Cinema Cinema’s Bandcamp page. Follow them @cinemacinemaband on Instagram. Follow Thor @thorharris for more info. Follow us @PerformanceAnx. Buying stuff at performanceanx.threadless.com or sending us coffee money at ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety helps us out tremendously. Now throw everything aside and check out the art of improv with Cinema Cinema & Thor Harris on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s guest gives me the blues. But it’s OK; that’s his job. I welcome Lance Lopez to the podcast. While music wasn’t exactly in his DNA, it was a huge part of his family. His dad was in the Army with Elvis Presley and they stayed friends after their time in the service. When he wanted to learn guitar, his dad gave him and acoustic and a Chuck Berry record and said, “Learn this”; no mean feat for a kid not even in double digits. But his world changed when he saw Stevie Ray Vaughan open for BB King. Lance had no idea who Stevie was at the time. But he sure knew who he was after. He moved to New Orleans with his dad, who encouraged him to play gigs in the French Quarter after school. So while most teens are working at McDonald’s, Lance was playing three gigs a night and then going to class in the morning. All that work payed off when Buddy Miles saw him play and took him under his wing. After four solo albums and living the blues, Lance’s sound changed and songwriting became his craft instead of soloing.He has been unbelievably busy over the years; at one point even hearing one of his songs and not recognizing himself. But when COVID slowed everything down, he turned to writing and recording remotely as well as repairing tube amps as another income source. Lance’s new album, Trouble Is Good, is a direct product of the pandemic. It’s packed with amazing guests and there’s a tribute to one of his favorite guitarists, who we lost during that time. Go to lancelopez.net and grab Trouble Is Good. Because the album is good, whether you’re a blues fan or not. Follow him @lancelopezguitarist for info and tour dates. Follow us @PerformanceAnx. You can also check us out at ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety and performanceanx.threadless.com to help support the show. Now get ready to get the best blues around with Lance Lopez on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices