Relax, We're Professionals: Recent Episodes
Andrew Bell
RWP takes a casual approach to sharing the behind-the-scenes experience of various professions through interviewing some of the most talented and influential people in their field. Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/relaxwereprofessionals/support
I got my buddy Brian Swindle to join me on this episode! Brian is the ever-talented frontman of Baltimore's own Have Mercy, one of my favorite bands. We get to talking about what he's been up to lately, new music from HM, and his new love for recording and production.
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Sam Nork joins me this week to chat about her rise through the concert photography scene from such a young age. Seeing as our mutual friend is Blink 182's own Mark Hoppus, Sam agrees that her being lucky is an understatement (me too!). We get into the details of how she got where she is now, her secrets for breaking into concert photography (hint: be nice!), and the other side of her world in cinematography and filmmaking. Another one for the books!
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/relaxwereprofessionals/support
What a blast it was talking to my buddy Izzy! One of the most talented musicians in the game, Izzy talks about his awesome journey into live music and playing with some of the most well known acts in the business. We had a lot of fun talking "shop" about the business and this is a great episode for anyone interested in hearing what it's like to be a "hired gun" (aka hired touring musician) in a high energy, light hearted conversation form.
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Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/relaxwereprofessionals/support
Great talk this week with singer/actress Cheyenne See. We get talking about her path into the world of live stage performances and music, including her band (Hillbilly Parade, NYC vs update, best bands from the area, and the albums she'd take if stranded on an island. Great new perspective on what it's like in the post-Covid DIY scene and how it's affected all parts of the entertainment industry.
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/relaxwereprofessionals/support
Brandon Shaw (aka Shawzy, to me) has been a friend for almost 15 years. Having gone through struggles with depression, anxiety, addiction and then finding a path to sobriety and a successful life; Brandon shares his struggles and triumphs with one of the most under-discussed problems of our generation - mental health, especially (in some cases) for men in particular. We discuss things everyone goes through, some of the things that have helped both of us get through the hard times, and some perspectives that might help listeners understand things and be at peace the way we've been able to. Quite a deep episode, but definitely worth a listen to anyone struggling with or interested in learning about the generational mental health and wellbeing of millennials.
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/relaxwereprofessionals/support
This week we chat with Alice Halley, possibly one of the most physically fit human beings on the planet. Somehow, Alice maintains a lifestyle where she's both coaching people on their health as a full time job and attending an absurd amount of concerts. By attending concerts, I don't mean bleacher seats to Billy Joel, I mean stage diving and mosh pits to some of the heavier tour acts among an assortment of others in the pop punk, metal, and hardcore genres. We talk about how she makes that possible, her history as an athlete and introduction to the music industry, and provides some insight on what goes into the lifestyle she's impressively able to maintain.
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/relaxwereprofessionals/support
If you're a fan of talking, snare drums, plugins, and/or the vast world of music production, this is a great episode for you. My buddy Sam Pura and I dive into his career as a producer, engineer, and most recently - plugin creator in partnership with Liquid Death. We showcase how the plugin sounds with a demo, talk about the path that lead to his partnership with Liquid Death to create a plugin (that's 100% free for some reason), and discover that we've both used the same gear around 20 years ago.
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/relaxwereprofessionals/support
If you're a fan of talking, snare drums, plugins, and/or the vast world of music production, this is a great episode for you. My buddy Sam Pura and I dive into his career as a producer, engineer, and most recently - plugin creator in partnership with Liquid Death. We showcase how the plugin sounds with a demo, talk about the path that lead to his partnership with Liquid Death to create a plugin (that's 100% free for some reason), and discover that we've both used the same gear around 20 years ago.
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/relaxwereprofessionals/support
What a way to wrap up season 2! Gus is by far one of the most impressive people I'm happy to call my friend - having spent the last 25+ years in the music industry, working with some of the most legendary acts, and seeing just about everything still does not phase this man! If you don't know Gus and simply look at his talent roster and history, you'd never guess how incredibly humble, kind, accommodating, and generous he is just at heart. Gus and I got to chat about his coming up in the business, the moment he chose his destiny, the early days of grunge and his history with Nirvana/relationship with Dave Grohl, the awesome revelation that he was Eminem's first tour manager, and so many interesting tidbits from almost 3 decades fully immersed in rock and roll.
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/relaxwereprofessionals/support
This week’s guest is a producer/engineer friend of mine, Will Beasley. Will has grown his studio recording business tremendously since graduating high school years ago, then immediately interning with legendary Baltimore producer Paul Leavitt, where he learned a ton about the technique of the process as well as the technical side and how to use the software and tools the right way. Will explains some interesting insights on his thoughts around the advancement of tech in music, gives us some of his secret in-studio weapons, and he shares some advice to those looking to get into recording and producing music as a full time job.
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/relaxwereprofessionals/support
I met Joe on tour many years ago, one of the coolest and kindest people I've had the pleasure of being friends with. Joe has an awesome backstory of growing up in Maryland in the Skateboarding/Punk scene and eventually packing up and heading west for Denver without a concrete plan; and finding his connection between his love of art and the alternative scene as a tattoo artist at Lifetime Tattoo, the best tattoo shop in Denver (in my opinion).
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/relaxwereprofessionals/support
I got up bright and early to record this week's guest, UK photographer James Kay. I connected with James through The Dangerous Summer, who he's taken some awesome photos for while he was more involved in the music industry. Since, he's had a really great attitude and approach to pivoting his business into product and studio photography, where he plans to continue building his career. We chat about his experience so far in both industries, how he's managed to keep things afloat despite the challenges, and we have some fun at the end discussing UK vs USA slang. This is RWP's very first international episode!
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/relaxwereprofessionals/support
What a great talk! Kyle is one of the brightest people I know in marketing. Luckily, he shares a ton of insight on how he makes the connections between brands, artists, and fans and gives an incredible amount of valuable advice for anyone looking to further their brand or understand how the world of marketing and advertising looks in today's world of social media and personal connections with brands. I had a blast recording this episode, and I encourage anyone interested in furthering their own brand to check this out.
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/relaxwereprofessionals/support
For this episode, I got to talk to my friend Alex of Mayday Parade about his 16+ years in the music industry in a signed and internationally touring band, his experiences going from vans to tour buses, the differences between shows domestically versus abroad, our story of getting robbed together on tour back in 2018, and some cool updates on what's next for his career.
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/relaxwereprofessionals/support
The man simply known as Steve-O NJ (to me, at least) joins me for a conversation about his coming up through the music business from being in a band sponsored by a drum company to then owning that company years later. Steve shares some awesome stories of what it was like to take over a company that's been around since he was 9 - not something you hear about every day. We also dive into the east vs west beef with the two emo night's, how he's used platforms like Twitch to keep things going, and tour stories from the past.
Mid-way through this podcast, I made a joke about Steve giving away a free drum kit to a lucky listener - which he turned into a partial truth and is going to be giving one lucky listener a custom 6.5x14" snare by Darkhorse Percussion. Listen to this episode and keep an eye out for your chance to grab a killer giveaway!
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/relaxwereprofessionals/support
Katrina and I go way back, having met around 2007 when we were both getting started in the world of adulting. Since then, she's graduated from Boston University after deciding on a career in health and nutrition and currently is a Registered Dietician in New York City. We discuss the important differences between a Registered Dietician and a "nutritionist", I learned some new words, Katrina debunks some common misconceptions about nutrition, and she shares her unique approach to healthy nutrition.
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/relaxwereprofessionals/support
This week I sat down with my buddy Jake Lowry, an artist manager in California with an awesome roster including our mutual friend, Mark Hoppus from Blink 182. We discuss the music industry, how he went from a computer science major to having one of the coolest jobs in the business, the greatest gift he's ever gotten, what he's been up to lately, and his official statement in defense of cold food.
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/relaxwereprofessionals/support
Even during a pandemic, this man is still working and is busy as ever. I met Clem through Blink 182, as he's Travis Barker's official photographer. After running into him again in another city, we exchanged info and found out we had a lot more in common...
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/relaxwereprofessionals/support
Music business industry legend Johnny Minardi (Elektra Music Group, Fueled By Ramen, Equal Vision) joins me to talk about the current state of the community, his rise through the ranks of record labels, thoughts on how the industry has changed and who's...
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/relaxwereprofessionals/support
The man himself, Chris Blockd (aka Chris Simms) stops by in the middle of his busy schedule to talk about his past, current, and future plans within the world of entertainment photography. Chris works with clients ranging from Neck Deep and Diplo to...
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/relaxwereprofessionals/support
RWP finally welcomes its first female guest, the incredibly accomplished and talented Ashleigh Dubost; SVP of Marketing for CO OP Brand Co in New York City. Ashleigh share some incredible insight on her industry and how it works, as well as what brands...
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/relaxwereprofessionals/support
Saxl Rose stops by for a discussion about music, family, the business, playing with great bands in the punk rock scene, his interaction and collaboration with Chris Brown, and some life advice.
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/relaxwereprofessionals/support
Master Mold came through this week with his arsenal of instrumental tracks from his lab. We have some light and relaxed conversation in between a radio-show-style showcase of his new tracks. Need an episode that gives you both music and witty banter?...
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/relaxwereprofessionals/support
This week I paid a visit to my friend and authorized watch dealer/timepiece enthusiast and collector, Chris Alexopolis. We sat down to discuss the watch industry, demystify what makes a $50 watch different from a $5000 watch, the technologies used in...
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/relaxwereprofessionals/support
My good friend AJ joins me to talk about surviving on rock and roll as a career. He shares some insight on how bands are generating income in our current generation, how things have changed with record labels and the industry over the past decade, and...
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/relaxwereprofessionals/support
Dan Schepleng stopped by to share his experiences owning his own creative agency in Baltimore. From what actually goes into producing a commercial to the team behind the agency, Dan shares some great insight and a few pretty shocking facts behind some...
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/relaxwereprofessionals/support