Whisky & The Arts Podcast

Here it is just in time to accompany your New Year's celebrations - the hotly anticipated Part 2 of our interview with Mike Groener.There's a lot to know about Mike Groener. Musician, distiller, spirits writer, entrepreneur, podcaster, and all-around terrific human being. His podcast https://Showdevie.com is well worth a listen, and the insights he shares with Kurt and Dan in this episode offer a hint at the depth of his thought process as well as his refreshingly honest and fearless approach to life.

In the immortal words of David Lee Roth, “HEARD YOU MISSED US, WE'RE BACK!” After a long hiatus, Whisky and The Arts Podcast makes its return, triumphant or otherwise, with Part One of our interview with Austin's very own Mike Groener.There's a lot to know about Mike Groener. Musician, distiller, spirits writer, entrepreneur, podcaster, and all-around terrific human being. His podcast is well worth a listen, and the insights and views he shares with Kurt and Dan in this episode offer a hint at the depth of his thought process as well as his refreshingly honest and fearless approach to life.

Visual artist (and whisky lover) Leslie Swenson joins Kurt & Dan for our very first recorded-on-location episode! Recorded at Omaha's beautiful Hotel Deco lobby bar, Leslie shares fascinating insights regarding her artistic process, her inspiration, her thoughts on assigning a price to her works, and a host of other topics. An immersive and thought provoking chat with a talented artist and terrific human.

Kurt & Dan sit down with independent single malt whisky bottler, musician, and podcaster Joshua Hatton (Single Cask Nation, One Nation Under Whisky Podcast, ImpEx Beverages) for a wide ranging discussion about whisky curation, Captain Beefheart, prog rock, and hugs. Part 2 of 2.

Kurt & Dan sit down with independent single malt whisky bottler, musician, and podcaster Joshua Hatton (Single Cask Nation, One Nation Under Whisky Podcast, ImpEx Beverages) for a wide ranging discussion about whisky curation, Captain Beefheart, prog rock, and hugs. Part 1 of 2.

Elli Loria is the Brand Ambassador for Bully Boy Distillers in Boston. In this episode, part two of the two-part series, my co-host Kurt Protzman and I have a blast chatting with Elli about her love of music and whisky. She even sings an original composition of hers during this episode! Elli is a talented, thoughtful, and insightful woman. It was an honor sharing this discussion with her.

Elli Loria is the Brand Ambassador for Bully Boy Distillers in Boston. In this episode, one of a two-part series, my co-host Kurt Protzman and I have a blast chatting with Elli about her love of music and whisky. She's a thoughtful and insightful woman, and it was an honor sharing this discussion with her.

Pert 2 of our chat with the legendary guitarist Ian Moore! Ian Moore began his ascent to 'guitar icon' status touring as a guitarist with Joe Ely; this led the way to a solo tour opening for the Rolling Stones and ZZ Top. He then signed with Capricorn Records and released three incredible albums: Ian Moore, Live from Austin EP, and Modernday Folklore. He has since cemented his position as one of the truly great guitarists in rock, touring and releasing albums steadily to the present day. In this episode, the second in a two-part series, Kurt and Dan cover an array of topics infused with incredible insights and stories from Ian's decades-long musical career.

Our guest this month is the legendary guitarist Ian Moore! Ian Moore began his ascent to 'guitar icon' status touring as a guitarist with Joe Ely; this led the way to a solo tour opening for the Rolling Stones and ZZ Top. He then signed with Capricorn Records and released three incredible albums: Ian Moore, Live from Austin EP, and Modernday Folklore. He has since cemented his position as one of the truly great guitarists in rock, touring and releasing albums steadily to the present day. In this episode, one of a two-part series, Kurt and Dan cover an array of topics infused with incredible insights and stories from Ian's decades-long musical career.

Dr Bill Lumsden is the Director of Distilling, Whisky Creation, and Whisky Stocks for the Glenmorangie and Ardbeg distilleries. He's been named Master Distiller of the Year by the International Whisky Competition five times in the past six years. He is also a passionate and astute music fan with eclectic tastes and a penchant for the unconventional. In other words, he's our kind of guy! In this episode, Dr Bill shares a wealth of insights into his creative process, his motivations as a distiller, and his diverse musical sensibilities, as well as his thoughts on whose hands in which he believes the Gibson SG achieves its tonal apex.

ZeniF (Byron J. Wu) is an electronic/pop music producer, multi-instrumentalist (piano/guitar/keytar), sound engineer, DJ and a modern composer for film and multimedia. He received the award as the “Best Song” at the Grammy Career Day for his original music before graduating high school and has composed music for more than 50 short films, trailers, and commercials. Kurt and Dan caught up with Byron recently and thoroughly enjoyed a fascinating and enlightening conversation with him. Follow Byron on Instagram: @zenifmusic and @zenisfood

In addition to being a longtime drum instructor and music educator, Kevin Leon plays drums for the amazing band, St Paul & The Broken Bones. My co-host Kurt Protzman and I thoroughly enjoyed his insights and passion during our recent chat.

Kurt and Dan chat with renowned saxophonist Matt Wallace about his experiences around the world while on tour with Maynard Ferguson, his thoughts on the creative process, and an incident involving toilet paper stuck to Liza Minelli's shoe

This podcast is a collaborative exploration into the ways whisky, music, and the visual arts are created and perceived; each is a framework that informs without fully dictating, represents a sharing of culture, inspires a personal yet interpersonal journey, acts as a conduit for artful complexity, and symbolizes a sharing of self with the world. Artists, musicians, distillers, independent whisky bottlers, whisky educators & writers will be invited to add to the podcast's ongoing playlist. We'll discuss the added songs on each month's episode, inviting the collaborator to join us on the podcast whenever possible. Please visit the companion Spotify playlist for Whisky & The Arts Podcast here.