A little over a year ago I was trying so hard to get my guitar repair Youtube Channel off the ground when I saw someone share in the 60 Cycle Hum Facebook group something like “Hey, if you wouldn’t mind, you can check out my pedal demo.  It’s a little different, and I’ve worked really hard on it.”  Because I knew how much work Youtube Videos were, I thought to myself “what the heck?  I’ll give her a click.” I’m sure glad that I did because I was rewarded with a Gear Demo unlike anything I’d ever seen.  Joan’s demos feel less like a typical Youtube product demo, and more like an episode of PeeWee’s Playhouse.  This is, of course, intentional.  Joan uses her background in graphic design to bring the pedals themselves to life and has the pedals describe their features.  Joan’s playing and sounds are also amazing, but it’s the sense of humor and whimsy that make the whole surreal experience so different. I’ve been wanting to have Joan on the podcast ever since I started making these things, and she did not disappoint.  She shared some amazing stories, starting with how this whole crazy journey even started due to a life threatening illness.  She thought that video could potentially be her last hurrah so she put her heart and soul into making something the way she wanted to make it. She talked about how she puts in pop culture references from movies and video games, and that if you understand the references the videos hit on a much deeper level.  She also explained that even if you don’t understand the easter eggs and inside jokes, it doesn’t matter because she’s putting those jokes into the video because they make her laugh. She talks about how the whole reason that she even makes these videos is because of her drive to create is so strong, even it takes her months.  She also talks about how she deals with internet trolls and how she finds it impossible to allow someone who spends thirty seconds typing a mean comment to ruin her attitude about something she spent three months working on. Lastly, she talked about the ideas on the horizon.  She talks about her upcoming video (which has now been released!!!) which incorporates a new characters and concept which she feels will open up her channel to review more than just pedals.  She also talks about how she already has plans for the next video to start working on. Joan was a great guest and I really hope that you will check out her Youtube Channel, even if you don’t consume “Guitar” content.  Her videos are beautiful, smart, funny, and just really good content.  Enjoy!   Important links: Pedal Playhouse on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PedalPlayhouse Joan’s Newest Video! (I loved it so much!!): https://youtu.be/-nNqiSasB14 Joan of Hearts on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamjoanofheart/ Joan of Hearts on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@joanofheart Get Offset Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0BJIkVo24FaDcYpKEKCwu3 Get Offsett Youtube Channel, where Joan Co-Hosts the Podcast Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@GetOffset Join the N+1 Podcast Facebook Group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/1800127593672581 Watch the N+1 Podcast interviews on Youtube! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-7I5kuK7kL-dWE1n6HNCuQ

Today I am joined by a friend I have known for over 20 years, my buddy Ryan Loche.  Our friendship goes all the way back to when my wife and I were courting and Ryan helped me record a love song I wrote in his home studio that was at his parents house.  20+ years later and my wife and I are still together, and Ryan is still helping musicians to do the things they are passionate about, especially when it comes to worshiping the Lord. This episode is going to kick off a mini-series where we take a look at the role of the modern church in today’s culture.  I want to talk to pastors, worship leaders, and other church leaders about the current climate out there today, how they are navigating it, and what they are doing to fulfill the Great Commission. Ryan is now the Academic Director at The Belonging Co College in Nashville Tennessee and is pursuing his doctorate in Theology and his spent his career being a worship leader as well as training and equipping other worship leaders to do a better job of leader other believers into the throne room of grace.  That may sound pretentious, but that is the burden that we carry when we decide to be worship leaders.  Or at least, we should.  And not everybody feels that way. In this episode, we talk about it, the trials and challenges of leading worship.  We talk about the struggle that every worship leader faces with trying to chose songs that reach every generation, and how the best way to address the concerns of people with complaints is by building relationships. We talk about these things and a lot more, including my favorite event of the year which are the free one-day worship conferences that Ryan’s non-profit puts on every year (well, once the Covid madness is over).  These conferences are an invaluable resource for worship teams and leaders for training and development that Ryan and his buddies put on for free. I really enjoyed catching up with Ryan and to hear about all the amazing things that he had going on.  Also, for his “cartoon theme song” answer, he recommended a cartoon that I had literally never heard about!  Enjoy! Important Links: The Church Collective: https://thechurchcollective.com/ The Church Collective Podcast: https://thechurchcollective.com/podcast/ Ryan’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanloche/ Belonging Co College: https://thebelonging.co/college/ Martin Smith playing worship at The Belonging Co College https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmAxQk1KQ1U Visit the show’s Wordpress site: N1podcastobsessedwithobsession.wordpress.com  Join the N+1 Podcast Facebook Group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/1800127593672581 Watch the N+1 Podcast interviews on Youtube! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-7I5kuK7kL-dWE1n6HNCuQ My Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/n_plus_1_podcast/

Today I talk to my friend Pedro about his love for the World Cup.  Pedro is from Brazil and has had some ups and down throughout the years of rooting for Brazil in the world cup.  He definitely doesn't like it when I make him talk about when Brazil got walloped by Germany a few years ago.  This episode was a little bit rushed but I wanted to talk about the World Cup while it was on.  For links to the memorable shots that Pedro was talking about, be sure to visit the Facebook Group! Visit the show’s Wordpress site: N1podcastobsessedwithobsession.wordpress.com  Join the N+1 Podcast Facebook Group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/1800127593672581 Watch the N+1 Podcast interviews on Youtube! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-7I5kuK7kL-dWE1n6HNCuQ My Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/n_plus_1_podcast/

What can I say about today’s guest?  She’s definitely my favorite person in the world.  Today I am joined by my smart, thoughtful, hardworking, patient, supportive, loving, nurturing, beautiful, funny, talented, creative, resourceful, determined (and many other great adjectives), wife Desiree Miller.  We have been married for over 17 years, which means we are getting close to tipping the scales to where we’ve been together for longer than we were apart, and that’s ok by me.  But today, we’re not talking about marriage, we’re talking about education. The reason is because Desiree is an accredited teacher, with a 4-year degree in liberal studies, who has always had a love and passion for teaching young learners.  For twenty years, Desiree has taught in classrooms, been a substitute teacher, been a tutor both with small groups, and one-on-one, at a facility, in the home, and online.  She has also volunteered to help in church youth groups and children’s ministries, and for the last four or five years, she has been homeschooling our children. When we started homeschooling, we liked the freedom and flexibility that it provided for us to teach our child who had a learning difference in a way that allowed us to meet her needs more effectively .  However, even within the increased freedom that homeschooling provides, Desiree found herself frustrated with the traditional systems of learning, and began, more and more, to learn about and follow the teaching principle called “Unschooling.” If you’ve never heard of “unschooling” it’s basically this: Interest based learning, with parental support.  What does that mean?  The core principle is that children are naturally curious, and naturally want to learn and love to learn.  However, almost every kid that you ask says that they “hate school.”  One of the biggest reasons for this is because schools are designed to teach the average student the average information, so they can pass an average standardized test.  We put kids in these little boxes that squash their interests, creativity, and individuality, and tell them that they HAVE to learn the things that we tell them to learn, in a predetermined order, whether they like it or not. Unschooling means that we allow our learners to pursue their interests at their own pace, with parental support.  What it looks like in real life is that that we’re always in school and we’re never in school.  Every conversation is an opportunity for learning.  We’ve found that this approach to education has greatly reduced the stress, frustration, and self-doubt associated with with schooling, both for the students and the teacher.  We’ve also found that our learners have increased confidence, are more in-tune to their own preferences, and will actually seek out answers on their own. We had a great discussion and I feel like you can really tell that our children’s education is something that we don’t take lightly.  I hope you learn something, because our family always is!  If you have questions about unschooling, please feel free to reach out to Desiree, or start a discussion in the Facebook Group. Important Links: Desiree's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ddminis_/ Information about unschooling from Sue Patterson: https://www.unschoolingmom2mom.com/ More info about unschooling from Pam Laricchia: https://livingjoyfully.ca/ Visit the show’s Wordpress site: N1podcastobsessedwithobsession.wordpress.com Join the N+1 Podcast Facebook Group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/1800127593672581 My Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/n_plus_1_podcast/

Today I finally get to return to a guitar adjacent topic as we get to talk about the Blues, and I get to do so with a super cool dude and fellow podcaster Pillip Carter from the 40 Watt Podcast.  On his podcast, Phillip brings on guests to talk about their careers in guitar and music and he’s had some really amazing guests like Joey Landreth, Brian Wampler, Analog Mike Pierra, Arien Posen, Rhett Schull, Eric Daw (of of my heroes), and so many more people, it’s really worth listening to.  One thing that I noticed when listening to his podcast was that in almost every episode, Phil mentions the blues.  When he agreed to come on I asked if we could talk about the blues, and Phil did not disappoint. Phil dropped some knowledge about the blues, from the origins to it’s simmering rivalry with Jazz.  Phil talked about the rich history and culture of the blues and how it literally grew because of the instruments that were at hand.  Phil talked about how blues is much more about how people try to define blues as one thing or the other, but in his opinion, the Blues is, at its’ core, is music played with emotion. He talks about the challenges of presenting blues to modern audiences, and how this music has had a hard time being embraced by the people the who traditionally created it.  He tells some great stories of some crazy blues gigs he played, and gives some tips on how to make the most of playing songs you don’t want to play. He also talks about why he doesn’t believe in guilty pleasures and thinks you should like what you like. Then Phil busts out his guitar and gives us some great tips on For his Name Drop Card, Phil tells an amazing story about a time when someone at his gig offered to buy him a beer, and it turned out to be one of the most famous musicians of all time. Important Links: Listen to the 40 Watt Podcast! https://40wattpodcast.com/ Watch the 40 Watt Podcast on Youtube! https://www.youtube.com/c/40WattPodcast Follow Phil on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/40wattpodcast/ Visit the show’s Wordpress site: N1podcastobsessedwithobsession.wordpress.com  Join the N+1 Podcast Facebook Group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/1800127593672581 Watch the N+1 Podcast interviews on Youtube! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-7I5kuK7kL-dWE1n6HNCuQ My Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/n_plus_1_podcast/ Blues jazz guitar piano harp harmonica T Bone Walker BB King Albert King Freddie King Buddy Guy Albert Collins Stevie Ray Vaughan mandolin Two Rock Morgan Freeman Joey Landreth Robert Plant

This week I am joined by arguably one of the most talented people I know.  John C. Brown is a brilliant stage actor, singer, amazing pianist, can play guitar, is a director and videographer, and an all-around cool dude.  John uses the stage name John Adkinson and is currently ON TOUR with My Fair Lady as Colonel Pickering!  I could have talked to John about a number of different things but I wanted to focus on Stage Acting and Theater. We talked about how he got into acting and that as a youth he hosted a pretend game show, and that grew into his first roll in My Fair Lady, which has come full circle as he is now one of the leads in the show.  John talks about the challenges of sometimes being on the road for six or nine months and how he keeps his sanity, stays healthy, stays in touch with his wife, and paces himself when he visits new cities.  John talks about how tweaking the delivery of a line in order to get a bigger laugh is the ultimate reward.  John then goes on to rattle off about a half dozen amazing horror stories of times when things went wrong, from missing props, to breaking props, to loosing entire the entire crowd because the local sports team scored in the playoffs. We also talked about his almost-thirty-year-long career in acting and how it’s surprisingly come full circle and he’s now working again with an actor he worked with in 1993 and how much he looked up to that actor.  John then gives some amazing advice for those who are just starting out in acting and how it’s more than just memorizing your lines. In our “Get Into It” segment, John does some really clever acting exercises together with me that really opened my eyes to how much nuance there is in acting and even how much difference it makes just which word you emphasize in a sentence. We wrap up with John telling us more about his current show My Fair Lady and another project he’s got in the works.  John also gives us an amazing rendition of his favorite cartoon theme song, you’re going to love it! Important Links: My Fair Lady on Tour: https://www.myfairladyontour.com/ Watch Abolition on PBS! https://www.pbs.org/show/abolition-friendship-frederick-douglass-and-john-brown/ Visit the show’s Wordpress site: N1podcastobsessedwithobsession.wordpress.com  Join the N+1 Podcast Facebook Group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/1800127593672581 Watch the N+1 Podcast interviews on Youtube! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-7I5kuK7kL-dWE1n6HNCuQ My Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/n_plus_1_podcast/ Acting Theater My Fair Lady Colonel Pickering Eliza Doolittle Top Cat Stage Elf the Musical Podcast Passions Obsessions Hobbies Piano

Today I am joined by another friend who I have had the pleasure of watching grow from a talented but quiet youth, to a very talented adult who, after getting a degree in English, has now made his career in visual arts and videography.  Jed Roberson is a videographer in LA who I’ve known for over fourteen years. Jed and I talk about how even in the age of influencers and video game streamers, sometimes people don’t understand how he can make a career in the visual arts, especially in LA.  We talk about what he loves best about doing videography, and why being in amazing locations with amazing people is so special.  Jed also tells the story of a gig when everything went wrong, but he still had to try and get the shot. Jed also shows us some amazing tricks that you can do with the cameras that we carry around in our pockets, and teaches us how to get better photos using all these available settings that we don’t even know are right there at our fingertips. Jed is an amazing artist and photographer and I really enjoyed our time together, and I honestly miss getting to see him around town, and miss playing music together.  Check out his instagram and his website below! Important links: Jed’s Website: http://www.jedidiahroberson.com/ Jed’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_jedidiah_ Visit the show’s Wordpress site: N1podcastobsessedwithobsession.wordpress.com  Join the N+1 Podcast Facebook Group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/1800127593672581 Listen to the N+1 Podcast on Anchor! https://anchor.fm/nplus1podcast Watch the N+1 Podcast interviews on Youtube! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-7I5kuK7kL-dWE1n6HNCuQ My instagram: https://www.instagram.com/n_plus_1_podcast/ Photography Videography Visual Arts Tracy Morgan 

Josh and I have been coworkers for almost two years and, because he is so private, it was about four months before I found out that he was a semi-professional Prospector.  At the time, and even at the time of recording this episode I didn’t know what the difference was between mining for gold, and Prospecting for gold.  Talking to Josh on this podcast taught me a lot about the mentality of a prospector, how it is much more about the passion and love for nature and outdoors than the urge to strike it rich.  We talked about some near misses with some bears and mountain lions, and about how his guilty pleasure is something he learned from his uncle and involves prospecting really early in the morning… and let’s just say… becoming one with nature. In the hands-on section Josh shows us something I’ve never even heard of before, a process he calls “Mossing.”  I found this process to be absolutely fascinating and the results were astounding!  This is a trick that anyone can do, and to my surprise, we actually found a decent pan of gold in a relatively small patch of moss. Lastly we talk to Josh about the plans he has for the future and why it may take a while, but he’s already got a partner in mind for his next big adventure. I’ve been working on this particular episode for a long time, but it was delayed due to technical difficulties.  We’re recording outside, so sometimes you hear birds and cars, but overall it was a pretty fun episode.  I hope you enjoy. Important links: Josh’s Youtube Channel, Prospector Josh: https://www.youtube.com/c/ProspectorJosh Join the N+1 Podcast Facebook Group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/1800127593672581 Listen to the N+1 Podcast on Anchor! https://anchor.fm/nplus1podcast Watch the N+1 Podcast interviews on Youtube! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-7I5kuK7kL-dWE1n6HNCuQ My instagram: https://www.instagram.com/n_plus_1_podcast/ Podcast Prospecting Gold Mining Gold Panning Dredging R.A.D. Adventures RichAssDirt

Gabe Peterson is one of my best friends and has been for probably around a decade.  One thing I like about Gabe is that he picks a thing that to hyperfixate on and just goes all in.  When I decided to start this podcast I contacted Gabe and told him we could talk about watches or drones or banjos, he replied that he’s not really into those things very much any more, but he does know a lot about Scotch.  I thought this would be perfect since I only drink Diet Pepsi, and it would be a good adventure. I found Gabe not only to be hilarious, and a really good time, like he always is, but also extremely knowledgeable regarding Scotch, how it’s made, and basically all about it.  Gabe told great stories about how the women in Michigan are are cold as the weather (and how that led him to start drinking Scotch).  He talked about how, when push comes to shove, when he has a great Scotch, he’d rather just horde it all to himself instead of sharing it with a friend.  He told an amazing story of visiting Scotland and seeing where one of his favorite Scotches were made and being able to see, smell, and taste in the air the same things that he tastes when he drinks the Scotch.  Then Gabe took me on a journey of trying Scotch for the first time in my life, and five different ones.  Some were not horrible, some were awful, and one was even borderline tolerable. I had such a great time hanging out with Gabe and was reminded of why I love hanging out with him so much.  But, I’ll definitely be passing on Scotch in the future, lol. Important Links: Join the N+1 Podcast Facebook Group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/1800127593672581 Listen to the N+1 Podcast on Anchor! https://anchor.fm/nplus1podcast Watch the N+1 Podcast interviews on Youtube! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-7I5kuK7kL-dWE1n6HNCuQ My instagram: https://www.instagram.com/n_plus_1_podcast/ Gabe Peterson’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hanks_dad_gabe/ #Podcast #Scotch #Bowmore #Laphroaig #Peat #Glenfiddich #Singleton #Glenlevit #MonkeyShoulder #IslayBarley #Caolila

When I first was considering whether I should do a podcast or not and thinking of potential guests I could invite, Courtney Pong was one of the very first guests I thought of as an absolute ringer.  She’s smart, savvy, hardworking, hilarious, extremely resourceful, and unbelievably knowledgeable.  And on top of that, she’s all those things about the subject of Improv Comedy, which is incredibly niche, which is PERFECT for this show. As highly as I thought of Courtney, I was aiming way too low because she was an absolutely spectacular guest with extraordinarily thorough and insightful answers to every question.  This episode went longer than normal, but I guarantee you that it’s worth it. Courtney talks about how even though it might sound cliche, she first stepped her toes into improv because she was following a boy that she liked, and how Improv didn’t really click for her until she saw a full show of Comedy Sports and when she did, watching them create a show from nothing was like watching real life magic.  She talks about the challenges of being an AAPI (Asian American/ Pacific Islander), female, person of color, and business owner, and all of those things in a city (Boston) that has traditionally been unwelcoming to those all of those things.  Meanwhile she is also working in a field (Comedy) that is predominantly White Male and also is traditionally unwelcoming to those things, and how she has to prove herself every time she steps on stage (and she does). She talks about the words she does and doesn’t use when talking to potential clients about improv, and about why she believes “Yes, And…” to be the wrong principle to teach improvisers because it removes their own agency (can you believe it?).  She talks about how she is helping people in her community to become better public speakers and how she recently became a… professor? (Wait, did I read that right?  My buddy Courtney is now “Professor Pong?”)  And she tells of her shining moment when she returned to her home base and answered the call to lead an event in front of a crowd of hundreds that was the culmination of almost 20 years of hard work. Courtney blew my mind, and I know that you are gunna love her too! Learn improv from Courtney! https://www.rozziesquaretheater.com/ https://www.cszboston.com/ Find some ComedySportz near you! https://www.cszworldwide.com/ Join the N+1 Podcast Facebook Group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/1800127593672581 Listen to the N+1 Podcast on Anchor! https://anchor.fm/nplus1podcast Watch the N+1 Podcast interviews on Youtube! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-7I5kuK7kL-dWE1n6HNCuQ My instagram: https://www.instagram.com/n_plus_1_podcast Courtney Pong’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/courtneypong https://www.instagram.com/cszboston https://www.instagram.com/rozziesquaretheater #Podcast #Improv #ComedySportz #Csz #cszboston #cszsanjose #StandUp #Comedy #SketchComedy #ImprovGames #FiveThings