Three Song Stories

Episode 120 - Glenn Miller

Glenn Miller is a veteran journalist, President of the Southwest Florida Historical Society, a novelist, and he teaches News Literacy at FGCU.

Glenn has been in journalism in one way or another since 1972, and is also, "more than 70,000 words into his second novel", Grabmore, And More. It's a sequel to his first, Grabmore. He says they are "comic crime capers." You can read his blog at glennrmillerwrites.wordpress.com.

Episode 119 - Doug Molloy

Doug Molloy is a criminal defense attorney in downtown Fort Myers, practicing in both the federal and state criminal justice systems. He was the Chief Assistant U.S. Attorney for Southwest Florida for 22 years, and has prosecuted or defended every kind of criminal case, from first degree murder, to Colombian drug lords, to mafia hit men, to public officials, etc. He’s continuing his work in the area of human trafficking, and has spoken on the topic in many cities in the U.S., as well as in places like Rio, Prague, Buenos Aires, and Moscow for the Department of Justice.

Episode 118 - Andrea Perdomo

Andrea Perdomo is a reporter for WGCU (that's us!). She started her career in public radio as an intern for the Miami-based NPR station, WLRN. Andrea graduated from Florida International University, where she was a contributing writer for the student-run newspaper, The Panther Press, and was also a member of the university's Society of Professional Journalists chapter.

 

Episode 117 - Chad Evers

Chad Evers teaches Environmental Biology of SWFL Ecosystems at FGCU. He’s a member of the Sustainability and Resiliency Council where he works to reduce single use plastic on campus, as well as working to address the campuses’ glitter issues. And he works with the FGCU Campus Naturalists doing semesterly training and serving as a mentor. 

He's also a pretty big comic book nerd - and cosplays as Batman each year at Tampa bay Comic con.

Episode 116 - Ryan Warner

Ryan Warner is Senior Host of Colorado Matters, the flagship daily interview program on Colorado Public Radio. He’s also the founding host of our home station’s show Gulf Coast Life (then Gulf Coast Live). We finally get to interview him from the chair he sat in all those years ago.

 

This episode is supported in part by a City of Fort Myers Arts & Culture Grant.

Episode 115 - Andrea Lynn

Andrea Lynn is a journalist and a teacher. Andrea has seen journalism from many angles - these days she explores the fourth estate’s role in American society with her students at FGCU where she serves as an adjunct in the Department of Integrated Studies. She’s heading to The Arctic next year as a recipient of The Arctic Circle Expeditionary Residency.

Episode 114 - Billy Kemp

Billy Kemp is a musician, songwriter, singer, composer and producer - best known for his guitar playing. He says his homemade songs and compositions are mostly roots music. Billy toured internationally with Tommy Overstreet, Terri Gibbs, and Bandana. He once performed on the Grand Ole Opry with Jeanne Pruett.

He’s in town to perform at the Americana Community Music Association in Fort Myers, so we’ve dragged him into the studio with his guitar, and here goes.

Episode 113 - Max Hatt and Edda Glass

Max Hatt & Edda Glass are a musical duo who were awarded the Grand Prize at the International Mountain Stage / NewSong Competition. Their music is kinda hard to classify, but it’s kind of jazzy Bossa Nova folk that makes you stop and listen...or at least made me do so. Their first collaboration was a Bossa Nova party band, which took them everywhere from the Pacific Northwest to the Rocky Mountain states and as far south as Santa Fe, NM. They eventually wound up at the Lincoln Center in New York City in 2014.

Episode 112 - Katy Weirich

Katy Weirich is a singer-songwriter, recording artist, and worship leader who lives in Estero, FL. She’s the owner of Melodic Expressions: The Professional Musician Collective, and Embella Brands Music Publishing. Katy is currently working with multi dove and grammy award winning producer Tedd T. on a debut EP, set to release later this year. She came across our radar on episode 89 as one of Barbara Fischer’s shout-outs, so here we are!

Here's a link to Katy's single, "Fear Not", free for download.

Episode 111 - Christopher Phillips

Christopher Phillips is the founder and executive director of Democracy Cafe, which he says is dedicated to making ours a more connected, understanding and participatory world in which one and all can be co-creators of a more liveable and loveable universe.

Christopher is author of works including the international bestsellers 'Socrates Cafe: A Fresh Taste of Philosophy,' 'Six Questions of Socrates: A Modern-Day Journey of Discovery through World Philosophy,' 'Constitution Cafe: Jefferson's Brew for a True Revolution,' and most recently, 'A Child at Heart: Unlocking Our Creativity, Curiosity and Reason at Every Age and Stage of Life.' He also wrote two children's books 'Day of Why,' and 'The Philosophers' Club.'

Episode 110 - Elyse Maher

Elyse Maher is one the hosts of the super cleverly named podcast “Two Girls Scissoring,” where she and her best friend Amanda (who is a dog groomer) discuss the trials and tribulations of cutting hair. Elyse is a hair stylist, dog lover, trivia enthusiast. We met Elyse, and her dog Rue, at our post-Palace-podcast-recording trivia night when Lee Bretschneider was asking questions based on our podcast.

Episode 109 - Larry Ford

Larry Ford is a Grammy-winning gospel singer who’s found audiences all over the world because of his truly commanding voice. His bio says his facility with language has made it possible for him to carry his message in song to more than thirty countries in all. His passion for ministry abroad has led to his being described as “gospel music’s ambassador to the world.”

In 2003, he won a Grammy for Best Southern Gospel Recording. His arrival to the world stage was as a featured soloist on the Gaither Music Homecoming Series, which consistently ranks in the top of Billboard Magazine's music charts, and which we heard a song from in episode 75 with Seth Ford, Larry's son.

You may have also heard Larry sing the National Anthem for the Boston Red Sox or Tampa Bay Lightning.

Episode 108 - Marty Bourgeois

Marty Bourgeois is a professor of psychology at FGCU, and owns a local record store called Beach Records. Besides FGCU he's taught and done research on social influence and group dynamics at FAU, the University of Rochester, and the University of Wyoming. He has two grown sons who are both musicians, and he lives and spends as much time as he can on Fort Myers Beach. 

Episode 107 - Ashleigh Droz

Ashleigh Droz is a formally trained and certified career counselor, coach, teacher, writer, and speaker, and she has her own private career coaching practice, Linnea Consulting.

She’s got a Master’s degree in Counseling & Guidance for Higher Education, and two Bachelor’s degrees in Psychology and Theatre Arts. At FGCU, she's the Internship Coordinator for the Department of Communication & Philosophy, Career Specialist for the PAGES Program, and as an adjunct instructor.

Episode 106 - Sergio Munoz

Sergio Munoz is an Emmy and Murrow award-winning videographer. He’s shot news, ads, live events, television, sports, and film, and has worked production for PBS, Dunkin Donuts, Publix, Wells Fargo, Fox Sports, Fox News, MTV, the Boston Red Sox, etc. etc. etc. He's also an accomplished drummer, guitarist, and vocalist - and while performing in local band Cadence Wednesday, he opened for national groups like Shinedown. 

Episode 105 - Chris Duffus

Chris Duffus is our executive producer, an experienced financial technology entrepreneur, and currently founder and CEO of Fonbnk, Inc. an emerging mobile technology company addressing financial inequity across the developing world by enabling anyone with a prepaid mobile phone to have a bank account.

Chris's first entrepreneurial venture was the Scholar's Club, an academic not-for-profit focused on developing a peer culture of accomplishment and academic excellence among disadvantaged and underserved students. It has become one of Southwest Florida's premier academic organizations having served nearly 100,000 students.

 

This episode is supported in part by a City of Fort Myers Arts & Culture Grant.

Episode 104 - Year 2 Review

It's the show's anniversary again, and Mike, Richard, and Tara sit down in the studio to talk about how the year went, what we learned, and which songs from our guests are now part of our own musical histories.

Episode 103 - Barbara German

Barbara German is the real name of WXNX's afternoon DJ, Sadie. She’s a music lover/nerd (she got a record player for her First Communion) and she wanted to be in the media. She’s been in radio professionally since 2002 and she also promotes animal fostering through "Sadie's Puppies" on 93X.

Episode 102 - Ned and Ethan Durant

Ned and Ethan DuRant are a father and son duo that makes up the local band Dizygote. They play “heavy music, weaving elements of folklore, storytelling and observations of our world with pounding drums and heavy guitar riffs.”

Ned, the father of the duo, is originally from the Carolinas but now teaches high school and lives in Cape Coral. He's is a lifelong musician, and was once a member of Chatham County Line.

Ethan, 15, has been drumming since he could walk. He also has a sensory processing disorder, meaning he can’t stand loud noises, especially if they’re sudden, but uniquely, he loved the drums and could never stopped playing.

Episode 101 - Nancy Stetson

Nancy Stetson is an award-winning arts & entertainment writer and critic. She was a regular writer for the Chicago Tribune, where her beat included music, theater, books and pop culture. Here in Southwest Florida she’s been a Florida Weekly staff member since its inception, covering and reviewing the arts. And she was the first person who wrote a story about our podcast - in Florida Weekly.