Throwing Quarters Podcast replay [audio]

Here is the audio for Season 3 Episode 2.

You can catch the Video Replay in the post below for click here. 

If you so choose, you can also download it on iTunes.  Just search the podcast library for Throwing Quarters Podcast.

You can also find us on your iPhone and Android using the UStream App, just search Throwing Quarters for the video, or stream it on Stitcher Podcast Radio from your smartphone.  

Enjoy.

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Musical Guest: American Swill [Redwater Rojo]
Mentioned Artist: Rob Evan [Minerva Realm]

Throwing Quarters Podcast Season 3 Episode 1

As promised, we did it.  Episode 1 is in the can.  Hope you enjoy it.  It was certainly a ton of fun.

Take a listen.  It should be up in iTunes shortly.  If you are impatient you can just listen below!

Important Dates that were mentioned.
Video Shoot for Vendetta Point.  February 21, 2010 @ 2:30pm at Peabody's. Free to public.  Just show up and look good

CD Release Show for Vendetta Point.  April 3, 2010 @ 7:00pm at Peabody's.  $6.00 at the door, free if you contact Jim or Ken or Me. 

I want to thank Vendetta Point for stopping by, and as promised in the podcast, here are all the links you need to know.

Vendetta Point  and Vendetta Point Twitter
Jim Skirtch
Ken Obloy
Kasey Crabtree and Kasey's Twitter
Dan Ryan
Mrs. Throwing Quarters 


During the Plugs I mentioned a community theater in Avon Lake, Ohio.  You can find them here.

Here is the hour of mayhem!

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You can also find us on Stitcher Podcast Radio from your iPhone, BlackBerry, or Droid.

Mark you calendars.  Our next Episode is February 21, 2010.

Party Like a Rockstar

I wouldn't be telling you the truth if I told you that this weekend was all about helping the people of retail.  It wasn't.  It's Tuesday, the week of Christmas, and this past weekend was awesome. 

This year has been filled with more ups than downs, more good than bad, and more sweet than sucky.  This past weekend was just another example of the awesomeness of this year. 

Let me start off over a month ago.  You know, way back when the December train was just leaving the station.  I looked ahead at my schedule and I noticed that I had a Sunday off and also the last Saturday before Christmas.  I was pissed the hell off.  Who gives a commissioned sales rep the day off on the busiest Saturday?  Well my disappointment turned to excitement just 3 short days later.

I was Facebook chatting with, my friend, Kasey Crabtree.  Just, know you, typing the shit [or whatever you call it when you just BS on Facebook.  I think it's called wasting time].  She invited Jenn and I to go and see Trans-Siberian Orchestra [TSO] on the 19th.  That just so happened to be the last Saturday before Christmas.  That just so happened to be my day off.  The chances of this happening are like 31:1. 

Now I have heard stories of Kasey and TSO.  Late night parties.  Going to other cities to see them.  I mean she waxed poetic about it because she has been doing it for like 11 years.  I mean you could sit there and say, I saw them in Montreal in 2000 and I was front row center.  She would yawn at your story and say, well I have VIP passes and the band knows my name.  [I was paraphrasing as if Kasey were me].

So when she offered to take Jenn and I, what was I going to say?  No?  Oh no.  The answer was yes, and I put it in all caps.  So you knew it was serious.  That particular day was also Kasey's birthday and she said she would rather spend it with Jenn and I that evening at TSO.  So I was down.

Flash forward to last Sautrday.  Jenn is fighting with her inner self about what she should wear and I was dressed and ready to go.  The baby was ready for grandma's and I was just glad that we were going out.

Now after hearing the stories Kasey told, I was honestly expecting to just go and see the show in a good seat.  Honestly.  That was it.


When we met Kasey at the Q, she went to will call and got our 'tickets'.  Our tickets were a laminate that said VIP and the tickets to our seats were wristbands that said VIP 7:30.  I was amazed, but then again, I was just expecting to see the show from a better seat than I had last year when I paid for them.

So we give Kasey a hug and realized we forgot her birthday card at home.  I was a little mad at myself.  So then Kasey said, "before we head to our seats let's take a walk upstairs in catering."

What?

Yeah, so we walked over to an elevator, you know the elevator down a short hallway that looks accessible and also off limits?   Yeah, that elevator.  We get on.  We head up to catering.  It was surreal.  I have been backstage many times before with other concert venues, but never for a show this big.

Catering at a show this big was awesome.  It was located behind the stage on the luxury box level.  It was very rockstar.  We helped ourselves to dippin dots and just shot the shit for a minute.  I was still kind of blown away that we got this far and no one questioned why I was there.  It was quite the opposite.  All the security guards were talking to Kasey.  "Hey Kase". "Happy birthday Kasey", "who do you have with you tonight Kasey?"  At every moment Kasey introduced me as a blogger and podcaster and also a good friend of hers and then she would say, and this is his awesome and very lovely wife who is cool with everything.

It was awesome.

As we went back to the same elevator we ascended to catering in, we descended to the 1st level.  The only indication as to where we were going was a piece of gaffer's tape that said, Stage, next to the 1 button.

The doors open.  This is much like how I would imagine going to heaven would be like. 

My wife's mouth was just hanging open at the wonderment that was the backstage area.  This was her first time backstage at a huge show.  Kasey commented on the moment Kate Hudson walks backstage in Almost Famous.  You need to soak it in.  Backstage there was chocolate fondue, candy, red bull shots, you name it, it was probably there.

We literally walked through the stage to get onto the floor to find our seats.  We got all those looks of, who are they?  How'd they get backstage?  You know, the looks you give people who walk out from behind the stage and you wish that you were them. 

Our seats were in the VIP section that was elevated behind the soundboard.  They were amazing seats.  A good friend once said, if you go to a show and want to hear the concert as it is meant to be heard, sit behind the guys who are mixing it.  Same goes for the lights.  Just so happened to be that they were both in the same spot.  

Once the show started, there was no doubt we had the best seats in the house.  It was exciting.  The house lights dimmed.  The stage came to life.  The show has started.

Throughout the show, the band often goes into the first few rows.  I have always wanted to be the guy in the front row they slap hands with.  Why?  I have no idea.  Well, the rear platform, near where we were sitting, was better than that.  Why?  Well because it allowed us to get this close to the performers.

she was standing on the chair next to me!

Then she got on the platform and ascended to the amazing heights to close the show!

After the show, the room cleared out, and we were still there.  Talking to the lighting crew guys and then we went backstage again. 

I had an opportunity to meet the drummer Jeff Plate and he handed me a card for his side project.  I can't wait to play some of this stuff on my podcast. 

I just realized that this blog is getting long and drawn out so I will end it before I tell you that the after party with the band was awesome [for as long as we were there, but we had to exit early on an account of feeding a baby]. 

I just wanted to thank Kasey and I encourage you to go visit her newly launched blog.  She launched it on the very Saturday we ventured into the Q to see TSO. 

For all you twitter peeps, I will have a new list of people to follow from the band TSO.

I am tired just reliving this in my head, and I left out a bunch of stuff.  Whew! 

Throwing Quarters Podcast [Bigger, Better, and Uncut]

Well 2009 is quickly coming to a close.

It's been one hell of a year for not only the blog as a whole, but also the podcast.  It went from idea to reality so fast it's hard to believe everything that went on.  Here is a recap.

This year we have had a whole bunch of different guests.

My friend Amber was the first guest/co-host way way back.

My brother Steve made an appearance.

My other brother Keith was on as we took the show on the road to Chicago and his improv group Legitimate Beef was on.  They were hilarious, they were back in episode 6.

A fellow blogger and do-gooder, Julie [Tangobaby] was on the show back in Episode 7.

Then we took it into Season 2.

We had Alexa from Cleveland's a Plum on the show to kick off Season 2.  Alexa, as you might know, went on to be awarded the "Best Blogger in Cleveland" award by Cleveland Magazine.  This episode was also when Dan Ryan came to the show and became the announcer of Throwing Quarters.

Like I said before, Dave Ritz broke Throwing Quarters' live music cherry with a great great set.  In that same show we also met another blogger buddy from Minnesota, Jules from Just Jules.

Then we had on Adam Taylor and Kate Young live at the Barley house and we also met what would become a good friend and fellow guest blogger, Kasey Crabtree.  That show was the most stressful, and also the most fun of all the shows.

Then on the latest episode we had Ken and Jim from the up and coming Cleveland band, Vendetta Point.  We played 3 tracks on the show that you cannot hear ANYWHERE else for download.

This little show has grown.  Each show got a little better.  Each show was a little different.

Now this leads me into the next evolution.

Over the past few days I have been sleeping like crap.  I have been up all night thinking about a ton of things as it relates to my little podcast.  I wanted to take it to the next level and I knew I couldn't do it all on my own.

So yesterday morning I sent out an email to some key people in my vast network.  I gave them this long drawn out vision of my podcast.  Where I wanted to take it and why I needed their help and why I think they would be the best people for the job.

With in hours I got back tweets, e-mails, and a long phone call that was one of the best phone calls ever.  All of the pieces are in place for the next season of the podcast.


Let me start at the top.

I have been listening to all of the feedback I have gotten.  Many of you wanted a more regular podcast.  So starting with this new season, I have put together a production schedule for the remainder of the year.  It will be on the same day, same time, every month.  So instead of going months with out a podcast, you will get it like clock work every month at the same time.  Keep reading, I will tell you when that is.

Next, many of you wished that you could interact as we put on the show.  Well, I am glad to say I have figured out a way for you to interact with the show.

Next, many of you wished that they could see what happens in the process of making a podcast.  You wanted to see behind the curtain if you will.  Well, I am really glad to say that this season's podcast is NOT only going to have killer audio, but you are going to be able to watch us produce it.

As the ideas in my head kept popping I got more and more excited.  A phone call a few weeks ago made me realize that I needed to have more than just me too.  I needed people that I was comfortable enough around to talk to, but I didn't want to have people in the studio and behind the microphone that were ultra green, and also, ultra nervous.

That is when I enlisted the help of 2 trusted friends.  I want you to meet the 2 new additions to the Throwing Quarters Team.

Kasey Crabtree has quickly become a very close and dear friend.  You may remember the stellar guest post a few weeks back.  She is a real radio professional currently on the air with WNCX Saturday mornings from 10am-2pm.  She spins classic rock, but has been behind the mic for nearly 16 years.  When she got my e-mail she called me later that night and we talked for a long time about what my vision was.  She is ready to help, and I cannot wait to start the next season with her sitting across from me.

Dan Ryan and I met in broadcasting school of all places.  We were energetic students who had a huge desire for radio, and a disdain for television production and it showed.  When I first met Dan the first thing I noticed was for his ability to cut through a room with only his voice.  I mean you could hear it down the hall.  He and I collaborated quite a bit through the radio program at school, and after school he moved away.  Not too long ago through FaceBook, we reconnected and ever since, he has been a part of the show.  His Hollywood Spin this next season is going to blow away anyone else's ability to report on the entertainment industry.

Not only are we going to have 2 new co-hosts and collaborators, but we are also going to have a new format.

Our production schedule is going to start on the 3rd Sunday of January.  We will start the show promptly at 8pm and we are going to do the whole thing from start to finish, live.  We are going to broadcast the audio on uStream and also have what Kasey has dubbed, a fly on the wall cam.  Using uStream not only will you have the ability to interact with the show as it is happening, but because you rock, we are also going to try and incorporate exclusive giveaways on the uStream broadcast.  

Don't worry, if you can't tune in live we are also going to be posting the audio in iTunes like we always have, and also posting it right here in the blog, and we are still are going to stream it on Stitcher for you iPhone, Blackberry, and Droid users.

So there you have it.  The next evolution of the podcast.  Bigger, better, and uncut. 

Set your calendar for January 17 at 8pm, and tune in for The Throwing Quarters Podcast [LIVE].

What would YOU do?

[The photo of Michael Symon telling me (you can see my hair only) that he read my blog.  Chef Pallardy and the Wifey.  photo courtesy of Chef's Widow]

So for the past few posts my blog has been an uber love fest for Michael Symon.  I have trepidation about posting this for a few reasons.  The world doesn't need another Michael Symon story, and I don't want to embarrass my friends, but then again, fuck it, Symon is the shit, and if you can't take some hazing from me at some point, you need to hang out with me more.

So, like I stated before, I was at this fundraiser.  The fundraiser brought out the geek elite, the Cleveland Bloggers to The Greenhouse Tavern.  It also brought out Michael Symon. It also raised over $1K too.

Now over the Thanksgiving holiday a good friend of mine and his wife and new son drove from Washington D.C.  My friend Josh is a chef in the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dining Room at the Pentagon.  Yes, THE Pentagon.

The weeks leading up to his leave to come home, we chatted online about what we wanted to do, and planned our nights out because of my limited shitty retail schedule. I had 2 days off while they were in town and Michael Symon is his idol.  Is that what you call someone you look up to?  Anyway, his goal for his trip out was to go a Michael Symon restaurant [Bar Symon], and have great great food.  I mean we did both.  And by did both, I mean my tastebuds needed the morning after pill.

So, we went to this fundraiser and across the room was Josh's idol.  The reason that keeps him running in his day to day grind.  Symon was chilled out, having a quiet dinner with his wife and talking to the people he knew there.  At one point he was heading out, and he walked through the bar and just chatted.  I glanced over and saw my good friend Kasey talking to THE Symon.  After she had her convo, she came over and I said, Josh has been dieing to meet him.  He is a culinary God to Josh as he also just a plain ole GOD to the rest of Cleveland.

So Kasey kind of looked at Josh sideways.  You know the way you look at someone when you want to tell them they don't make any sense.

"Well, go introduce yourself!" Kasey said.

Josh was nervous.  "Adam, you coming with?"

That's when Kasey chimed in.  "Aren't you in the military?  You went through boot camp, and you can't walk over there and just say hi to Michael Symon?  You don't have the cajones to do that?" [I'm paraphrasing.  The wine has dulled my memory]

That was all the encouragement he needed and off he went.  He walked up to the Chef and said hello.  Chef to Chef.

The rest as they say is history, but I think it's a pretty funny observation.

I mean Josh was deployed in the desert.  He has experienced a mortar attack on foreign soil.  He has fired an M-16.  He cooks for some of the MOST IMPORTANT PEOPLE IN THE WORLD, and he couldn't muster the courage without a little encouragement.

I think Symon should have been nervous to shake hands with Josh honestly.  I mean Symon cooks for us common folk.  He doesn't cook for the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the biggest office building in the world.

What would you do if you were suddenly across the room from your idol?  Would you say hello?

I know I would say hello if given the opportunity.

What would YOU do?

From Stranger to special BFF in 48 hours: A True Twitter Tale [Guest Post from Kasey Crabtree]

Well, like everything, the guest post segments fumbled on Black Friday.  I finally got Kasey's blog post so Kasey is here to lead us off.  Her tale that is pretty remarkable considering how VAST our world is, but then again with advents in social media, our world has definitely gotten smaller.  

But first, here is a little background on our guest blogger. 

@KaseyCrabtree is a DJ with Classic Rock 98.5, WNCX in Cleveland, OH (WNCX.com) and can be heard Saturdays from 10am-2pm.  Watch for the launch of her website www.KaseyCrabtree.com within the next couple of months, and check back here for info on her own, yet-to-be-titled blog which will have its first official posting before her birthday on December 19^th.

-Adam

**************************************************************************************************************

From Stranger to special BFF in 48 hours: A True Twitter Tale

by: Kasey Crabtree

That is how I would describe my relationship with Adam (AKA Throwing Quarters).  So when he asked for guest bloggers to help cover his posts over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, it seemed the logical thing to do; the next progression of our friendship. It is also an honor to have this, my first ever blogpost, featured in his blog. 

But in order to appreciate where Adam and I are today, we need to look back and review how we got here.  Ours is truly a happy story of the ‘social’ aspect of social media; of some of the best results one could hope for from this new era of communication.  The coolest part: versions of this story could be happening to people everyday, maybe even to you!

The Common Question (?)

“So how have things been?”  “What’s new?” “Whatcha been up to?”

“How ARE you?”

How many of us will be asked these ubiquitous questions over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend?  How many times will we answer with polite, generic responses: “Things are the same”, “nothing much”, “I’m good”. 

I was recently asked these very questions by a friend I hadn’t seen in a few months.  I looked at her and I wasn’t sure where to begin. Instead of giving her one of the usual scripted responses, I was honest with her, telling her how I had been let go from my ‘day job’ on 4/3/09 – and I that am still job hunting.

I saw her look of concern and sympathy, but before she could say anything, I told her it was all ok – even better than ok. Now she looked puzzled. 

I explained I felt like Dorothy when she opened the door from her black and white world to the new world of Oz in Technicolor, or, maybe more appropriately, like Neo, when he swallowed the red pill and wakes up in ‘the real world’ and begins to understand the true nature of The Matrix.

No, I wasn’t on drugs: rather, I had finally discovered the world of social media, and I couldn’t imagine how I had ever lived without it.  She looked skeptical and dismissive, possessing the same attitude I had toward social media only 6 months ago: Facebook and twitter are a playground for self-absorbed people with way too much time on their hands.

Extolling the virtues and conveniences of twitter (especially once I had been shown Tweetdeck) fell on deaf ears with her, and the glazed look in her eyes made me realize I was losing her.  I offered to give her an example of the power of twitterverse….  Here it goes….

The common (or not-so-common?) occurrence

My first day on twitter was Friday, 7/31/2009; just five short months ago. (I’m @KaseyCrabtree, BTW).  Two weeks later, Friday August 14, 2009, I experienced my first #FollowFriday using Tweetdeck.  It was so exciting - I felt like I had arrived! I think I had about 75-100 followers at that point and was excited to connect with new people. 

@TeamNEO (an organization that promotes business growth and development in NE Ohio) had several #FollowFriday suggestions, many were business, but there was one in the list that was just a name - @acgercak.  I clicked on it and stumbled across one of Adam’s great Throwing Quarters blog entries discussing an “off day” vs. a “day off”.  The quick read was entertaining, candid, witty and well written. I was intrigued.

I tweeted him back complimenting his writing, and so began a dialog between us.  Based on some of his writing, I wondered if he worked in retail? yes he did; I then shared how I had recently been let go from a high-end retail job myself.  As our short tweets continued back and forth, we both began to see a picture of each other and how many common interests we shared.  Moreover, he was working practically right across the street from my condo, AND we both regularly frequented the same Starbucks.  It was quite the series of coincidences!

I can’t remember the exact sequences of events as he discovered I work part time as a radio DJ (Adam also has some radio experience), and I then invited me to attend the taping of a ThrowingQuartrs podcast on Sunday Aug 16^th at The Barley House.  Sunday rolled around; I went to the show featuring singer/songwriter Adam Taylor (@AdamTaylorMusic) and then found myself sitting in on the recording of the podcast, interjecting questions.  It all seemed so effortless, so natural, so comfortable.  By the time the night had ended, many smiles had been exchanged and pictures taken.

Adam seemed like a friend I had know for years, yet 48 hours prior, neither one of us had known of the other’s existence (Adam may have heard me on the radio).  Now, I couldn’t imagine not having this kindred spirit in my life.  I told him he was like my new BFF GF, but he wasn’t a girl, nor was he gay!  However, I felt like I could talk with him about almost anything, and I have!

We are still good friends; I have come to know his wife Jenn, and I tease both of them about the fact that they may have named their new daughter Addison, but I already had a 3 yr old cat by the same name.  See??? Yet another coincidence. 

Now remember, this wonderful friendship is ALL a DIRECT RESULT of having connected on twitter.

So what did my friend think of this story? She was intrigued, but still concerned about my current status. I acknowledged that on paper, my situation might seem bleak:  I am divorced with no kids (I have 3 cats), I have been unemployed for over 6 months, plus I am deeply in debt and terribly behind on all my bills.

I smiled and looked her straight in the eyes.  All these facts are true; these are all hurdles for me to overcome.  However, I have more hope and a stronger positive feeling toward the future than I have had in over 10 years!  I feel that our society is on the cusp of a new dimension of communication, almost as significant as the invention of the printing press. 

Yet more importantly, I feel like I have finally found “my people”.  A community of caring, positive, foreword-thinking people who embrace change and the future, with excitement and awe.  I have happily stepped into the new world of Social Media, and with every bone in my body; I believe it represents my future. 

To paraphrase a line from a favorite book, please join me; please join US, as we ‘tweet the road of happy destiny’.  See you all in the twitterverse!

Throwing Quarters Podcast Season 2 Episode 3 w/music from Adam Taylor

Here it is. The biggest podcast I have ever done. We took the show on the road the Cleveland Barley House in lovely Downtown Cleveland.

This was the first time I have ever taken the crew and I out of our comfort zone and into the fire of live.....anything. Even this podcast wasn't truly live because I did cut a ton of stuff out, but it was pretty damn stressful to do a podcast in front of people. I had a great time and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

I learned a ton from this experience and we are ready for the next time we go out and do a show somewhere in this fine city.

Technical glitches aside, Adam Taylor and Kate Young did a lovely performance live on stage and I was so glad to get it all recorded. I was so glad Adam Watt and Dan were able to get down there as well, because without these guys, I would not have a show. And a special thank you goes out to Kasey Crabtree from a 'real' radio station here in Cleveland. She told us many great stories and even some really juicy stuff that I had to leave on the cutting room floor! Oh, you should have been there. You could have heard it! Oh I have deleted a few lines from this post for fear that it may get out. You're welcome Kasey.

Anyway, the podcast goes down like this. We open the podcast with Adam Taylor and Kate Young. After the first song we sit down and talk with Adam about his album, genre, influences, and favorite songs on the radio. We then send it over to Dan and his Hollywood Spin. We come back with a beautiful song with Adam and Kate again, and then we wrap it up with 'Tell Us a Story" with Kasey Crabtree and then Adam Taylor Brings down the house with his sweet ass cover of No Diggity.

Here are some sights and sounds from the night. All the photos were taken by Melissa Hofelzer. She was great, and it was nice to see here again. If you want to see all the photos you can see those right here.

[L-R Kasey Crabtree, Adam Taylor, Me]

[Kate Young, Adam Taylor, Adam Watt in background]

[L-R Dan Ryan, Kate Young, Adam Taylor, Me, Adam Watt]

[L-R Kasey Crabtree, Adam Taylor, Kate Young]

[L-R Kasey Crabtree, Me]

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