Taking Five

Hey there friends,Did you miss us? No? Well, that's just fine then. We didn't miss you either. We've been perfectly happy just living our lives and not letting our entire happiness and self-worth rely on us getting some listeners on our podcast episodes.Okay I lied we miss you all like crazy. We are nothing without our listeners. We dream about you all every night and think about you every day. We hope you can forgive our brief absence from what we'll call 'season one' but, after some major life changes and a worldwide pandemic, which I know is a redundant phrase, we are back to shoot the shit and keep trying to convince everyone to give up their cushy desk jobs and chase their creative dreams.In today's SEASON 2-COMMENCING EPISODE, our beloved and attention-deficient hosts catch up about Kate's time abroad in Italy, Josh's recent move to Seattle, and all the news of 2020 so far. They also give a preview of what the listeners can expect from season 2, and revisit some classic segments. Buckle up.

If you’re truly passionate about something, you can find a way a way to make a living at it. You just have to keep doing it, even if it kills you. For Matt Emmons, all he did was just keep drawing. Even through a shitty job as a waiter and multiple trips to conventions where everyone walked by his booth without even glancing, he knew that if he just kept making art and putting it out into the world, he would figure out a way to make it work. But, most importantly, did he handle it when the thing he used to do as a reprieve from his work becomes work itself? How does he continue to find joy in it and keep the flame alive? And how in all of holy HECK did he get so many Instagram followers?

Artist and graphic designer Matt Emmons (@second.at.best) has never done things by the book. Unless you count the literal books he’s published. I guess what I mean to say is that he’s one of the more unique artists I’ve met.Back when we went to high school together, it was fairly common knowledge that Matt was an extremely talented artist, and he was always one of those kids who you just knew was going to be successful. Sure enough, a couple of cool things have happened since we graduated six years ago: One, he got a nice new haircut that I think really suits him well. And two, he created a huge graphic design brand with a steadily growing following and has been touring the country selling and promoting his work.If you want to hear about an artist’s journey from doodling monsters in the back of the classroom to becoming a published freelance artist, how to build up a profitable brand in the graphic design world, or if you just want to hear two goofy, immature, old friends from high school catch up and talk shit for 45 minutes, this episode is for you.

Go ahead, try to sing off-key. Try to purposely mess up the lyrics. Try to sound like an old, dying cat with strep throat and a long history of smoking off-brand cigarettes. He'll still find a way to make you sound like the next god damn Bruno Mars.Jonathan dives deeper into how he got a job at a recording studio, how he built up his skills, and gives his advice on how others can get their foot in the door at a music studio. Also, we shit-talk some strangers, Kate tells us about how large she's been living in Italy, and we debut our newest, guest-specific segment, 'Taylor Time'. What is Taylor Time, you ask? Only Jonathan can answer that.

Growing up as a talented singer, Jonathan Mistiaris always knew he wanted to work in music. However, unlike the thousands of other musicians who grow up dreaming of becoming rockstars and lead singers, he instead had his sights set on production. Why so? Was he interested in the technical side of music, rather than just the creative side? Did he have a passion for helping artists find their voice and getting the very best out of them while they're in the vocal booth? Or did his lifelong devotion to Taylor Swift take up so much of his time that he would never have been able to commit to a demanding touring schedule?? Honestly, I think it's all three. Also Kate calls in from Italy on this one, which is pretty chill of her to do. Man, isn't she great? Long distance is tough, but we're really pushing through it.

The more we talk to Dionysia, the more we're amazed they even had time to come on this show...let alone to do normal human things like 'eat meals' and 'go for walks' and 'socialize with others' and whatnot. Garrett and Julian give us even more insight on their trials and tribulations as they balance their day jobs with a night-life. From opening for huge bands like Kongos to applying to the major music festivals, they really are in a super interesting spot; being right on the edge of a full-time music career is a lot of work, and these guys are in it for the long haul.

Dionysia is not your typical rock band. Sure, they have hit songs, millions of streams on Spotify, and multiple national tour dates booked, but they also have....9-5 jobs? As Engineers?? Dafuq???? On today's episode, the band's two lead singers, Garrett Brown and Julien Vandal, sit down and give us some insight on how they manage to make it all work. They touch upon how their music has improved as they've been together longer, what it's like to be right on the edge of really breaking out, and why they still bother having full-time jobs on top of highly demanding music careers. And yes, Kate is absent on this one, since she's flaunting around somewhere in Europe as she 'studies abroad' and 'experiences new cultures' and whatnot. But she'll be back. They allllllways come back.

Remaining open to change and saying yes to new opportunities - that's what has enabled Steve Robinson to keep climbing up the content creation ladder. He gives us his advice for anyone looking to work in broadcasting and contemplates whether he made the right choice by going down the path of radio and podcasting instead of sticking with his political career. In addition to spoiling our attempts to impress him by having already read everything we throw at him, he also gives his thoughts on education, networking, and transitioning between career fields. Also, Kate went on a date? Like a real person??? Woah.

Steve Robinson did not grow up thinking he was going to be a podcast producer. He didn't grow up thinking he was going to have his voice be heard by thousands of people on radio stations and podcasts on a daily basis. And he DEFINITELY didn't grow up thinking he was going to be making dick jokes for a living. But, such is the life of Barstool Sports podcast producer. Steve tells us about his unique path from working in Politics to producing one of the most popular sports podcasts on the market, and how he was able to work his way up from sound guy to full-fledged on-air personality.

After much debate, experimentation, and numerous bouts of intense group psychotherapy we have determined that yes, the singers from Juniper are indeed more vocally talented than we are. The guys provide more insight on their early adventures in music and give their advice to other bands looking to get serious. Josh also gets a lesson on why young people are so obsessed with snapchat streaks, and everyone gets riled up for the first guest-included edition of ’shit-talking strangers’. Also, is that music I hear in the intro? What a nice touch.

Kate and Josh had a realization - considering the exceedingly high amounts of energy and excessively low attention spans they both possess, maybe they should start releasing shorter episodes? Idk, but they're giving it a shot - we will now be releasing our interviews in two parts to appeal to our fellow attention-deficient and extremely busy listeners. We just try to be open to change here, ya know?On today's episode, we welcome on Juniper, an alternative, indie style rock band that’s slowly taking the local scene by storm. Lead singers Scott Johnson and Cam Ayer join the show to talk about their new EP ‘For the First Time’, how they’ve been able to balance music with being young and naive college students and, after much pestering from the hosts, they acknowledged that yes, it is pretty sweet to have dope voices.

Jared Dylan always knew he wanted to be an artist. Luckily for him, he was blessed with both a beautiful voice and a charming, upbeat personality that you makes you want to cry, laugh, and tell him your innermost, darkest secrets. We know....we've done all three. Jared takes us through his career, from releasing his first EP at age 16, to auditioning for The Voice, to joining the team at Red 13 Studios and signing a distribution deal...but he's just getting started. Meanwhile, everyone ranks their favorite instruments, and Jared treats us with a little sneak peek of his new song at the end. If we could put the 'eyes' emoji in a podcast description, this is where we would put it. 

Producer duo Evan Gillis (@eviemathmusic) and Brendan Doyle (@doyle_music), aka LATE BOOMERS CLUB really love clicking mouses. Like, so much so that as soon as this podcast was recorded, they spent the next 12 hours clicking them. You might even say they make a living by doing it...on top of other things of course. Evan tells us about how he made the transition into music after several years in the workforce, how he balances his studio work with playing in a ridiculously busy cover band, and how he doesn't actually think he's a good singer (silly Evan!). Meanwhile, Brendan tells us about his intense mouse clicking training and how he went from remixing beats in his childhood bedroom to working with bigger artists at a legit studio.

Josh and his highly excitable co-host Kate introduce the podcast and give the listeners a taste of the kind of witty, exceptionally sophisticated humor they can expect on a weekly basis. Some segments are introduced, the highlights of which include Josh learning what chunky shoes are and Kate being tormented by a bunch of children. They even have a song fade in at the end isn’t that so professional??