Backstory Sessions

PICARD!!

Hey there Backstory fans! Welcome to another great episode. This week we have an awesome guest in actor Rory Ross, who appears in the THE BOOK OF BOBA FETT, the Star Wars series chronicling the adventures of the legendary Bounty Hunter is now showing on Disney+. Rory is also in the upcoming OBI-WAN KENOBI, plays one of Boba’s trusted Tusken Raider allies. Find out how Rory's first experience watching Star Wars led to a life long path that led him to his current roles. We also find out how a chicken figures into this story of Rory's career, his secret celebrity crush, a story of multi colored Mohawk, and what the future holds for our new friend. See if you can figure out the huge blunder Matt made in asking a question. (face palm).
Rory Ross Bio:
Rory Ross was born near Harrison, AR on June 11, 1991. He is the firstborn of five and has four wonderful step-sisters. Growing up in Lockridge, IA, he decided the farming life was not for him & took off to Seattle, Washington in 2006 to form his own path. From there he began his high school academics at Auburn Adventist Academy and graduated with High Honors along with numerous academic awards. He received a scholarship to Walla Walla University, where he completed his Bachelor's of Science Degree in Business in 2014 & soon afterward began his pursuit of acting. Since then, Rory has been featured on Linkin Park's Music Video: Heavy, The Librarians, New Girl, & JFK Declassified: Tracking Oswald, playing Lee Harvey Oswald. He is now a part of Disney+'s Star Wars Universe.ry's Bio:

Losing to Win

In this episode we shift gears a bit, and bring you the story of Charles Myrick. Charles has struggled with his weight for a very long time, and decided to have surgery to help him overcome his obesity, which was limiting his life in many ways. In this very candid interview, Charles details his path to and from his highest weight of 650 lbs. We discuss his mindset, what lead to his weight gain, perceptions of his family and friends, and what led up to his decision to get the surgery. He details what he did leading up to the surgery, and what life has been like since, and what he is doing to ensure his ongoing success. Charles has lost somewhere in the neighborhood of 250 lbs, which has changed his life in many ways. We wish him the best on his journey, and thank him for being so open and willing to share his story. We hope you enjoy this revealing episode, and find it helpful. We recorded this on location in Cat's van, so you may hear traffic going by...

A Good Approach

In addition to the episode with Charles Myrick, we decided to release a companion episode. In this one, we present a non surgical approach to overcoming obesity. Dr. Cheryl Sarmiento talks with us about her interesting approach to treating the whole person rather than a piecemeal way of current healthcare. She gives a huge amount of facts and figures, as well as what things she sees in her patients, and their struggles with obesity. the volume of information and the many different areas we touched on in this episode were only the tip of the iceberg. so much so, that we invited Dr. Cheryl to come back in the near future to do another one, which she graciously agreed to. We thank Dr. Cheryl for her time, and all the info provided, 

County Wide

Welcome to another..umm..crazy episode.. During part of the recording of this one, Cat and I were in a parking lot, talking about our connection to one of the members of the band County Wide, the subject of this weeks podcast. We were surprised to see 2 police cars show up, and, well, we reveal what happens in the beginning part of the episode.. We reveal how we came to meet the keyboard player of County Wide, and then go on to talk to the drummer of the band, Travis Clem. The actual recording with Travis took place at the beginning of one of the recent snowstorms here in Kentucky, with Travis sitting in his truck, watching the snow pile up. We talk about the evolution of the band, some of the memorable shows the band has done, and many more topics in this fun and interesting episode. Travis reveals who is the best looking, funny moments on stage, the bands first gig, opening for Chris Stapleton, and many other great stories. During the recording, Cat dropped off the call, leaving me to finish the interview, but unfortunately, I didn't any questions prepared...lol. Travis was great about everything, and we enjoyed talking to him, and learning about the band very much. We hope you enjoy this fun episode.

Season 5 Begins

Welcome back!.. We begin Season 5 with a Cat and Matt episode, taking about the upcoming season, and reviewing some highlights of Season 4. We also share a few different stories about some recent happenings, including Matt’s experience with buying a new phone, and the mysterious appearance of a chicken. Cat decides to learn Danish, maybe, and we talk about books and plays we are working on. . We hope you enjoy this fun, and at times silly episode.

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!