Backstory Sessions

3 Chord Truths - Buck Ford

Hello Backstory Fans! Well, This episode marks the end of a looong season 4 for Cat and I. We put out alot of episodes, and talked to many amazing guests. We are happy you have listened to our interviews, and hope you have enjoyed them. We have alot of fun recording with our guests, as well as working with each other. We will be taking a few weeks off to relax a bit, and will return on January 16th with our first new episode of 2022. Be sure to check out our Backstory Sessions Facebook page for some fun contests where you can win a couple cool prizes during our hiatus. We thank you our listeners, and all of our guests for allowing us to bring you the stories and topics we find so fascinating. We would like to wish you all Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a Happy New Year!
Our guest this week is singer songwriter Buck Ford. Buck agreed to take time out of his very busy schedule to chat with us about his roots in country music, and has an interesting backstory about how he transitioned from a pro motocross rider to putting a band together to recording and playing alongside some of the biggest names in country music. On the day of our recording, he was getting ready to play a sold out show in his hometown in California to showcase his his 6th album, due out in January. His latest single, "Hearts Gonna Break" is available now. We thank Buck for the chance to sit down and chat, and he gives us some some great insight into his career, how his song ideas evolve, and where he is headed next.  
Buck's Bio:
Nashville recording artist Buck Ford focuses on keeping that authentic country sound mixed in with his modern style edginess. Bucks influences consist of George Strait, Haggard, Mark Chesnutt, Daryle Singletary, Keith Whitley just to name a few. Buck and his band pride themselves on the fact that their performances “bring back to life” that authentic country sound with an edgy modern new flavor.
Buck began his story as a professional motocross racer, riding the circuit for over a decade. He received a full ride endorsement with a Honda team through the West Coast Super Cross Series in 2009. He placed his riding career on hold to pursue his love and passion for country music. Despite his dedication and talent in the professional motocross scene, his heart has always been in country music. Buck is now headlining his own shows playing his own music all over the states as well as internationally. Buck and his hometown band have been successfully playing for over a decade now and Buck has 5 Nashville records under his belt. Buck has performed from major stage concert venues to fairs, festivals, rodeos, clubs, private events, weddings, and corporate events. He and the band have shared the stage with so many of the big names. Daryle Singletary, Jason Micheal Carrol, Steve Azar, Easton Corbin, Justin Moore, Chris Young, Wynonna Judd, Steel Magnolias, Ty Herdon, Cody Johnson, John Michael Montgomery, Aaron Tippin, Jon Pardi, Arron Watson, Clint Black, Wade Hayes, Dustin Lynch and many times with Mark Chestnut. Buck has been able to combine the creative heart of country music with the values learned from his motocross endeavors, of dedication, discipline and perseverance.

Three Chord Truths - Frank Myers

Welcome BackStory fans! Join us for a special episode with singer, songwriter and producer, Frank Myers. Frank has written many #1 hits that we have all heard and love, and have been recorded by some of the biggest names in country music, as well as other genres. He talks about some of the backstories behind his biggest hits, his start in the business, and advice for those looking to break into the music business. Frank's new single, titled " I Wish Every Day Could Be Christmas" is available now, just in time for the holiday season, and he gives us some insight into his writing process for this song, We hope you enjoy this really interesting episode with an equally interesting guest. We thank Frank for his time spent with us.
Frank's Bio:
Frank J Myers is from Dayton, Ohio. He moved to Nashville in 1981. Frank got his start in Nashville as band leader, road manager and lead guitarist for Eddy Raven in 1981 and worked with Eddy for nine years. It was with Eddy that Frank started writing, playing and co-producing sessions. They had two number ones, five number twos and three top tens. Songs such as “I Got Mexico,” “Bayou Boys,” “You Should’ve Been Gone By Now,” “Sometimes A Lady” and many others. It was in 1982 though, that Frank had his first single (a song he wrote by himself) with “You and I” for Eddie Rabbitt and Crystal Gayle which stayed number one: four weeks country, number two for six weeks AC and number six for four weeks Pop. It was during his time with Eddy Raven that Frank met Gary Baker. They had their first number one together in 1993 with “Once Upon A Lifetime” by Alabama. Gary and Frank recorded one album for MCG/Curb Records as Baker & Myers and were three time nominees for Duo Of The Year at the ACM’s and CMA’s. Their greatest accomplishment as writers together came when John Michael Montgomery recorded “I Swear” which was number one for four weeks on the Country charts. The song was then recorded by All 4 One and went to number one on the pop charts and stayed there for 11 weeks. Since then, “I Swear” has won many awards, including: American Songwriter Magazine Pop, AC, R&B, Country and Overall Song of the year. Pop, R&B, Country and Overall Songwriters of the year. 1st Annual Country Radio Awards Single and Song of the year, C.M.A. Awards for Single of the year, Song of the year nomination, Grammy Awards for Country song of the year, Best R&B Vocal and Song of the year nomination, A.C.M. Awards for Single and Song of the year, N.S.A.I. Award for Country, Pop, and AC Song of the year A.S.C.A.P. Award for Country, Pop and R&B Song of the Year Billboard Magazine Awards #1 song of 1994, Jukebox Award for 1994 Song and Songwriters of the Year and International Song Of The Years Awards for Canada, Germany, Great Britain, France, Sweden, Switzerland, Japan and China. Frank also co-wrote “I’m Already There” the seven-week number one smash by Lonestar, which was nominated for a Grammy and CMA Song and Single Of The Year. 
His single “My Front Porch Looking In” by Lonestar is the first record in R&R history to go to #1 fall to number #2 for 6 weeks and go back to #1. Frank’s latest #1 was “Tomorrow” by Chris Young which was also nominated for ACM Single of the Year. Frank has had songs recorded by over 50 Country and Pop Artists, He has had 12 number ones and 20 top tens and is a 2021 Nashville Songwriters Hall Of Fame Nominee. Frank’s Artist co-writes and Productions include Kenny Loggins, Richie McDonald, Lonestar, Vince Gill, Billy Ray Cyrus, All 4 One, Pam Tillis, The Gatlins, Andy Griggs, Eddy Raven, John Rich, Dave Fenley, Angie Keilhauer and many others

Crickets, Ghosts, and Kristen

Welcome Backstory fans! In this episode we are chatting with actress Kristen Renton! Kristen has a long long list of film and TV credits on her resume. Some highlights include Sons of Anarchy, Days of Our Lives, The OC, CSI: Miami, CSI: New York, along with many others. We chat about Kristen’s backstory into acting, and some of her earlier roles. Her new film, The Crickets Dance, is out now. This interview took place a few weeks ago, right as the film was being released. We chat with Kristen about the films origins, working on the film, and many topics related to this really interesting production. We also talk about Kristen’s fascination with the paranormal, her personal experiences with seeing ghosts, and her thoughts on living with one for a time. Kristen is also deeply involved in animal rescue and we talk about a few of her encounters performing rescues as well.This episode is wide ranging, and fun, and gives you a good glimpse into the life of this multi-talented actress. We thank Kristen for her time spent sharing her stories with us, and hope you enjoy the episode as much as we do.

”Deadlock”

Hello Backstory listeners! Our latest episode is with our guest, actor and writer Michael DeVorzon, who co-stars in the new movie "Deadlock", which arrives in theaters on Fri, Decemeber 3rd. Bruce Willis stars.  Michael talks with us about growing up in California, the son of well known parents, and recounts a funny story meeting Sylvester Stallone after seeing Rocky. He reveals what is was like to work on the hit show "Melrose Place" first behind the scenes, and later in front of the camera, and his choice between working on a movie, or a tv show. We also chat about a variety of topics including Michael's current run of 8 movie roles in the past 2 years, how he approaches a role, and prepares for it, given the time he has. All in all its an interesting and candid interview, and Michael the gracious guest for spending time with us. We thank him for this, and look forward updating you on future projects he is involved in. 
Michael's IMDB Bio:
Michael DeVorzon was born in Los Angeles. He's the son of Grammy winning and Academy Award nominated songwriter, composer Barry DeVorzon and Jelinda DeVorzon, a model and philanthropist. His paternal grandfather, Jules DeVorzon was a singer, violinist best known as a member of Rudy Vallée and the Connecticut Yankees. Michael's father is of Russian descent and his mother of English descent.Michael started acting on the stage as a youngster and later on got a job working in production on the television show "Melrose Place." After three years in production, he started working in front of the camera.Michael's experience covers a wide range of roles in Films, TV and Commercials.His film credits include "Fast and Fierce: Death Race", "Her Deadly Groom", "Producer Sam", "Any Day" and the NBC movie "Submerged" which was filmed at Cinecittà studios in Rome and on location on the island of Malta.TV credits include "Charmed", "Beverly Hills 90210", "Passions", "Son Of A Beach" and "Melrose Place"He's also well known as the actor in the long running national commercial for "ZipRecruiter" which on YouTube alone garnered 16 million views.DeVorzon is hard at work on the development of three feature films he co-wrote and will produce as well as a television series he co-wrote.

A Bit Mad

Welcome back! About a month ago, we recorded this episode to air sometime in the past 2 weeks or so. We sat down with therapist Aaron Stevens again, to talk about anger and anxiety before the holiday season began. Aaron was previously on the podcast to talk about depression in the episode titled, "A Bit Blue". As luck would have it, the podcast gods intervened and messed up our plans. About 3/4 through recording, the equipment took a vacation, and stopped working. This created anxiety and anger for us, but, such is life in the high pressure world of podcasting. We tried to work out a time with Aaron to rerecord what we lost, but were unable to set it up. We apologize to Aaron, and to you, our listeners. We did want to get this episode out in time for shopping the black Friday sales, if you decide to venture out. Hopefully, it will prove helpful in managing your stress levels. Happy Thanksgiving, and happy shopping to you all!

Breakfast with Mao

Welcome to another great episode..In this one we talk to actor Max Casella. Max has had a long and interesting career, and chats with us about his path to his current project in this entertaining albeit shorter episode. He talks about his somewhat, by some standards, unconventional upbringing, learning the ropes at an off Broadway theater, landing the role of Vinnie on Doogie Howser, and a long list of other topics. Max has an impressive list of acting and voice credits in his resume, including plays, TV, film, animation, and even computer games. He has worked with a virtual who’s who in the acting world during his career, has appeared in many easily recognizable films and tv shows. His current film, directed by Onur Tukel, is titled “Tes Yeux Mourants/That Cold Dead Look in Your Eyes”, which was recently released. In interviewing our guests, sometimes we get really different and interesting backstories that veer off the norm. As you will see in Max’s story, he grew up with parents who were somewhat unconventional. This isn’t an advantage or disadvantage, but it is certainly not how we imagined it to be when we started the interview. To his credit, Max is very, for lack of a better term, real, and we really enjoyed talking to him and getting his unique perspectives on things. There is some profanity in this interview, but he doesn’t sound different than the people Matt has known from his time living in and around NYC for whom using profanity is elevated to an art form.  It was a pleasure speaking with Max, and we truly hope to revisit our conversation with him at a later date. 

Drew‘s News

In this episode, we chat with actor Drew Clavin Farmer. Drew is 12 yrs old, and from BarbourvIlle, Ky. He has acted in the new reboot of The Wonder Years, and will be appearing in the new Walton Family Christmas, which is being released this coming week, as well as a second Christmas movie, also out this week, to name a few projects. He is an interesting young man with dreams of landing a role on the hit series Stranger Things. He has a knack for predicting school cancellations, and can be found on YouTube in his own Drew’s News periodically. His parents have supported his desire to act to the point of splitting the families time between southern Kentucky, and the Atlanta area so that Drew can attend auditions, and act when he lands a role. Drew is continually seeking larger roles, but remains grounded in reality about his acting aspirations. He tells us he wants to study architecture in the future, as well as continue to act. We enjoyed our chat with him and wish him much success in the future.

Human Telegraphs

Welcome Backstory fans! Join us tonight for a quick chat with Rachel Barclay, writer and one of the stars of "Human Telegraphs". This series recently won "Best Web Series" at the New York International Film Awards, and premieres on YouTube on November 15th. Rachel was getting ready for the first live audience screening of the pilot in New York immediately after the interview, so we kept it brief. In addition to talking about the inspiration for the series, she talks about the process of getting the series started, some of the issues of filming during the pandemic, and how life has changed for many of the people involved with the project since the pilot was filmed. Rachel is an engaging, and fun guest with a contagious excitement, who we really enjoyed talking to, and we congratulate her and the cast and crew for their "Best Web Series" award. We are happy to bring you this great episode with Rachel, right before the premiere of Human Telegraphs. 

3 Chord Truths - Exile‘s JP Pennington

We are back with another episode of our series "3 Chord Truths". In this episode, we talk with musician, songwriter, and producer, JP Pennington from the band Exile. JP shares stories from the band's almost 60 year journey from a local small club cover band to the top of the Billboard charts, as well as his personal stories of his roots in Kentucky. Exile currently has a new Christmas album with 8 new original songs coming out, as a follow up to last year's release of thier Christmas song "Kid at Heart"(also included) and are touring in support of it this holiday season. We thank JP for taking time to sit down with us and sharing his and the band's really interesting stories. We thoroughly enjoyed recording this episode, and hope you all will enjoy listening as well.
Exile Bio (from their website www.exile.biz ):
On September 30, 1978, the award-winning band who had initially set out to play small clubs in Richmond, Kentucky back in 1963, skyrocketed to world-wide fame with their multi-week chart-topper “Kiss You All Over.” In fact, it made Billboard’s Year End Hot 100 Singles of 1978 (Top 5) and later placed in Billboard’s The 50 Sexiest Songs of All Time (Top 10) category. The iconic song has been showcased in feature films such as “Happy Gilmore,” “Employee of the Month,” “Zookeeper, “Wildhogs,” and is played in it’s entirety at the end of the 7th episode of “Mindhunter” currently available as a Netflix original.
In the early 1980’s, Exile began to focus on country music. During their run on the country charts Exile had 10 number one singles including “I Don’t Want To Be A Memory,” “Give Me One More Chance” and “She’s A Miracle.” The band wrote their own songs, played on all their recordings and also proved to be prolific songwriters composing hits for other artists such as Alabama, Restless Heart, Engelbert Humperdinck, Huey Lewis, Diamond Rio, Janie Fricke and many more.  During this country phase of their career, Exile received 11 nominations including Vocal Group of The Year and Best Instrumental Performance for the Country Music Association and Academy of Country Music awards.
The 5 original Exile members re-formed in 2008 with J.P. Pennington, Les Taylor, Sonny LeMaire, Marlon Hargis and Steve Goetzman. The Kentucky Music Hall of Fame members continue to perform  and have appeared over 100 times on the Grand Ole Opry.  The band has sold over 8 million records worldwide, with three Gold albums. Exile has lasted longer than most marriages.

Death, Rattle, and Roll

Happy Halloween everyone! Welcome to this new episode. We are sitting down with author, editor and artist John Patrick Robbins. John's new book, "Death, Rattle, and Roll" has just been released. We talk about the origins of the book, subject matter in the book, and a variety of other topics with him. Dark humor, and dark places he has been are discussed, and are seem at odds with John's quick wit, business sense, love of the ocean, and his own sense of humor. He is engaging and funny, and has great stories and advice for would be authors. Having written many books, serving as editor for many magazines, as well as being very involved in different aspects of publishing, John brings a unique perspective to these topics, and we really enjoyed talking with him. We congratulate John on publishing his latest work, and look forward to whats next from this very talented author.