Tales From Seat 4A

Isaac and I felt the need to go create something. The last 2 weeks have been incredibly heavy to hold. If there is one thing that he and I do together in time of trouble- it's make each other laugh. We could be standing in the desert outside of Vegas with shovels in our hands and somehow one of us would say something to make the other cry from laughing. So, we just sat down in the studio and this is what came out of it. It's kind of like Internet Battleship. Isaac says something and then I look up something it reminds me of on the internet and an hour later, we are in the black hole depths of the inter webs.We ended up with some music videos, Flashdance, horror movies, boy bands, top songs played in strip clubs, Neon Trees, New Kids On The Block, The Shining, Freddie Krueger, Nial Horan and One Direction and the movie Funny Games.I out myself on peeping on horror movies as a kid without my mom knowing.And Ike got new glasses.Watch Misty and Ike Ruin The Internet....this might be the beginning of something.

So, we've been quarantining with the best of em. Here in Claifornia, a little bit longer and harder than some places. In that time, Isaac and missed the studio so very much and coming in and creating our ridiculously fun podcast. So, a few weeks ago when some of the regulations lifted, we literally ran to the each other, stopped 6 feet away and air high fived. In our excitement to get an episode out in the same space, we blew up the cameras. It was so hot in the studio because of how keep the insults and jokes were rolling off our tongues that the studio cameras that we had set just stopped working midway through the episode. And we were laughing and having so much fun that we didn't even notice. FAAAACK! So, we re-recorded the next day. And there wasn't the same fire. So, we tried to see if we could piece together both recordings. NO GO! So, we did what we do best- we took some editing liberties and decided to make some video clips that are on the Tales From Seat 4A FB and Insta. And...here this is, the audio version because well...thats what we had in the end.

We don’t know about you, but we’re ready to be out and about again. Hard as we try it’s seemingly impossible to stay closed in and not occasionally suffer feelings of isolation, loneliness, and conversely too much proximity to family, roommates, and neighbors.JOIN US for a live discussion hosted by Misty Roberts and Jim Digby with mental health professionals Taryn Longo and Dave Sherman.

I'M WITH THE CREW's Episode 6, "Living with an Addict," We're joined by Front of House Engineer, Ken "Pooch" Van Druten, and Candice Rukes from The Roadie Clinic.Addiction is one of life's most difficult journeys. For those in the company of and who care for an addict, finding the resilience to survive and support may be even more difficult. The aftereffect of that journey impacts every corner of our lives.

I'M WITH THE CREW Episode 5: "The Stages of Grief & the Process of Transitioning," with our guest, David '5-1' Norman, and regular mental health professionals, Taryn Longo of "The Mastery Studio" and Dave Sherman of "The Road to Rehab".We spoke specifically speaking about:- the 7 Stages of Grief (shock & denial, pain & guilt, anger & bargaining, depression, the upward turn, reconstruction and working through, and acceptance & hope),- how you can experience several of these stages in a day, not in any particular order,- humility through self-acceptance.We understand that through this pandemic we all have been inundated with media and other webinars all competing for your attention, so if you didn't catch us live, check out the Youtube Channel with +30 short clips and full episodes from the past four weeks, that we update regularly with new content.

In this episode of Tales From Seat 4A, join us for a flight with our friend Nick Strand. Nick is an author, speak, life coach and one of my favorite roadies! He joins us to talk about his new book- Loving Someone Who Is Dying.

As music industry professionals, many of us tend to attribute a part of our sense of self-worth to the work we’ve been a part of -- the bands or artists we’ve worked with, the scale of the production, the number of days we were on the road last year... As an industry driven predominately by freelancers, we celebrate being “busy,” or “always working.” Leaning on others isn’t something that’s encouraged enough -- we want to live up to the hype that we present on social media and always appear as a strong, independent person that has everything under control. We certainly don’t want to show any sign of weakness out of fear of being shamed.This week our co-hosts, Misty Roberts and Jim Digby lead a discussion with our mental health professionals, Taryn Longo (The Mastery Studio) and David Sherman (The Road to Rehab) about how to detach our sense of self-worth from the work that we do on the road and overcoming the fear of asking for help.

I'M WITH THE CREW Episode 4: Battling Addiction During COVID-19, with special guest Geoffrey Rickly. Isolation and sobriety aren't usually things that go well together. It’s easy to let yourself slip into a spiral while #stayinghome. Sobriety requires some serious internal work but you don’t have to, and nor should you, go at it alone. We connected with Geoff Rickly of the band Thursday to talk about the battle of sobriety— of getting sober and staying sober during these trying times.

Tamsin Embleton is an ex-music industry festival and venue booker, tour manager and artist manager turned attachment-based psychotherapist and touring researcher who specialises in working with musicians and music industry professionals. She is a co-Chair of the Association for Electronic Music’s Health group and the founder of the Music Industry Therapists and Coaches (MITC), a group of psychotherapists working in the UK, US and online. Tamsin has been featured in Rolling Stone, Vice, The Guardian, IQ magazine, DJ Magazine, CMU, Refinery 29 and Metro. She has spoken for BBC Introducing & Help Musicians, the Association for Independent Music (AIM), IMS College – Malta, Amsterdam Dance Event, War Child UK, Paris Electronica Week, the Association for Independent Festivals (AIF) and Point Blank Music School. Backed by Live Nation, Tamsin is writing the Touring and Mental Health Manual, a book offering in-depth advice and guidance to help touring communities cope with the myriad psychological difficulties that can arise during or as a result of touring.

From the perspective of those who have any kind of supporting role in the live entertainment business, I’m With The Crew is a guided conversation for all of us. A very personal look at human nature and the adaptability required to get through this unprecedented time. Shining a light on the importance of understanding and managing the holistic-self in order to find the strength to take action. Hosted by Misty Roberts & Jim Digby, guided by mental health professionals Taryn Longo and Dave Sherman with weekly special guests, this live-webinar provides an opportunity to gain greater insight and control over how we respond to these times and manifest the resilience to survive and start again when that time comes.

Come hang out with another touring pro from the road with your host Misty Roberts. Carrie Todesco comes to chat about her long history with WooWoo Juju vibes, Nickleback and The Incident. and giggle a lot.And show off her FABULOUS EYEBROWS! Wait, this is recorded. You can’t see her eyebrows...

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome onboard Flight 4A with service from Orlando, FL to Los Angeles, CA. Your plane is piloted by Misty Roberts with second in command Isaac Heckert. We have a special guest on the plane today- Mr. Rob Koenig. We ask that you please fasten your seatbelts at this time and secure all baggage underneath your seat or in the overhead compartments. We also ask that your seats and table trays are in the upright position for take-off. Please turn on all personal electronic devices, including laptops and cell phones. Smoking is enocuraged for the duration of the flight. Thank you for choosing Tales From Seat 4A Airlines. Enjoy your flight.

Misty and Isaac, from The Safety Meeting Podcast sit and catch up on the 6 months since they posted the last Tales From Seat 4A episode. Time to kick this thing back into action!

SO MUCH LADY POWER!Almost 2 hours of listening to Misty drink wine with her pals Briana Lee, Laura Jane Jones and Kate Markowitz. These ladies have sang background vocals for the likes of Elvis Costello, Nick Jonas, Enrique Iglesias, Joe Cocker, Carole King and James Taylor.

Episode Three brings us a visit with the fantastically funny and all around awesome Luke Barnett. When I moved to LA I realized that I no longer had that “Cheers” type bar where every body knows your name. My friend Joyce had found a spot and invited me come hang one night and low and behold- our own Sam Malone was found in Luke. Along with some of the other bar schmucks as well. Luke has seen me consume $20 worth of Taco Bell after drinking 7-8 Jameson and Ginger Ale’s. A feat not performed by many people that lived to tell about it. Luke has also been the cause of my waking up with “purse burritos” and “pillow tacos” on many occasions. Little did I know that Luke had a dream. Luke had a dream of being funny and creative. And he did it! Congrats, dude! Aside from being the new incarnation of Tom Cruise in Cocktail (he taught me Coughlin’s Law), he is a writer, producer and performer. His comedy work has been featured on Funny or Die, where he created the popular The Walking Fred as well as A Message To Aaron Sorkin. He executive produced Loitering with Intent starring Marisa Tomei and Sam Rockwell. And in 2016 completed his feature length screenwriting debut with Fear, Inc. which he also produced. It’s seriously one of my FAVORITE movies ever . He wrapped up Painkillers last year and has a list of things on the horizon. So, come listen to Luke and I talk about our favorite horror movies, how he always mixed my drinks so so well and about the new things that he is making that I am sure to become obsessed with like I did Fear, Inc.

Strap your seat belt on for Episode 2! We have our first guest!! I met Demian Arriaga 10 years ago on tour. He was a new percussion player. Percussion, not drums- please do not make that mistake. I have many times in the past and he always makes sure to correct me and give the drummer credit where credit is due. That’s just the kind of guy he is- a stand up human. I mean, honestly I have no idea why he even likes me. One thing on the road is that you become family for the 3 months or 6 months that you are touring together. But when tour ends, there about 2 people that you keep talking to. Demian is one of those. Over the years our paths have crossed and a year ago we ended up on the same tour again. Demian currently is the drummer for Nick Jonas and has played with Iggy Azalea, Richie Kotzen, The Jonas Brothers, Victoria Justice, Cobra Starship, Demi Lovato and Ariana Grande. Come take a listen as we talk about his journey from Venezuela to Boston and beyond. He may be a great stand up human but he can dish it out as well as he can take it. This could get interesting.

I grew up in Kansas in a trailer park.I left there for the big city of Los Angeles to become a makeup artist.I failed and came back to Kansas.Somewhere in between there, I got married, divorced, went to some college, worked as a motivational speaker, was homeless, drank a lot, moved back to LA, moved to Seattle, traveled to 7 continents, dated a lot, stayed alone a lot, ate more tacos than any person should ever humanly admit, got depressed, got unrepressed, made a lot of friends, drank the Pacific Ocean worth of coffee and probably smoked some drugs. And crawled into a van with some friends in a band.Some 20 years later, I find myself back here in LA. 7 continents, 90+ countries, 457 trips around the planet and Million Miler status on 2 different airlines. I’ve graced every Days Inn and Four Seasons on the planet and everything in between. It’s time to tell some of those stories. And hear some stories from some friends I’ve met along the way.