Backstory Sessions

Haunted Lighthouse

Hello Backstory fans! Happy Halloween! In this episode we talk with Abbey Smith, who works at the St. Augustine Lighthouse in Florida. Abbey tells us about the many spirits that inhabit the lighthouse and grounds, and some of the strange things that have happened there. From things flying off walls to people getting backrubs, the lighthouse has its fair share of unexplained things going on. Its an interesting episode to make your hair stand up, and just perfect for this time of year.

Jennifer Adan

Hello Backstory Fans! In this episode we talk with songwriter Jennifer Adan. Jennifer has been writing songs since 5th grade, and that has led to a long career in Nashville, writing for artists such as Blake Shelton. we chat with her about her beginnings, and trace the path through today, find out her songwriting process, what it’s like to work with other songwriters, and find out what she’s up to now. We hope you enjoy this really interesting episode with Jennifer.

Rose Marie and Noopy

Hello Backstory Fans! In this episode we bring you a great story about actress, comedienne, and singer Rose Marie. Perhaps best known for her role as Sally on the Dick Van Dyke Show, and a regular on the classic game show The Hollywood Squares, Rose Marie had a long and varied career in show business. Her daughter, Georgiana Guy- Rodrigues, aka "Noopy", sits down with us to talk about her mother's early years as a child star, Vegas, Gangsters, Sinatra, and many more stories from her youth. Noopy recalls the famous people that she crossed paths with, and the home life of her parents, hanging out in the early years of Las Vegas, etc. Its a sweet and nostalgic episode told by someone who lived through the early days of television, and her mom, Rose Marie, who blazed a trail for many women who came after her. We hope you enjoy this great episode.

Safe Haven

Hello Backstory fans!..In this episode we chat with actor/musician Courtney Gains!..Courtney returns to share details about his new EP called "Safe Haven", just released. We chat about the making of this project, his love for music, and whether he considers music a hobby, or a second career. He also gives updates on what he has been up to recently outside of music, and in the time since we last interviewed him. We hope you enjoy this great episode with an equally great guest. 

Mystery Meets 2.0: The Persistent One

Hello Backstory Fans! Join us for another fun episode about Mystery Meets. Cat started this business as a traveling mystery dinner theater venture. In this episode we talk about writing, and how much of what is written is based on the writer. We also talk to Kim Miller, one of the actresses in Mystery Meets, and Brooke Stansbury, who is also an actress involved with Mystery Meets.. Kim cowrote the last script "The Reveal, and also the newest offering from Mystery Meets, called "The Game of Homes" Brooke acted in "The Reveal, and is connected to the production of the newest play in a unique way, as she reveals here. Find out Kim and Brooke's favorite moments working on "The Reveal"' as well as what drove them to join the cast of Mystery Meets. Also, who is the Persistent one of the group? Its an interesting look at the writing process, and what it takes to do dinner theater, 

AI: The New Roaring Twenties

Hello Backstory Fans! In this interesting episode, we chat with author Stephen Jarchow, who co-wrote a new book about Artificial Intelligence. AI has been around for quite awhile, and we talk about its origins, and some of the more recent events related to its evolution. The story is really fascinating, and there is so much promise in the development of AI. But, as with any new technology, there are also downsides. We talk about all of these topics as well as what we can do to limit the downsides. Stephen gives an interesting look at what our collective futures could look like in an episode you don’t want to miss.

Romantico

Hello Backstory Fans! In this episode we take a look at the path of Jonathan Cilia Faro, who grew up as an orphan in Italy, and made his way to America. He transformed his love for opera into a music career of his own, and is combining his talent for singing with his love for cooking.. His new album, Romantico, traces his path around the world over the past 16 yrs We talk with Johnathan about his amazing story, that has many twists and turns. We get his take on the popularity of opera, and what inspired him to combine his love for cooking with opera. We also talk about how Matt's recent trip to India went. Please enjoy this interesting and different episode.
From Jonathan Cilia Faro bio: Jonathan Cilia Faro was born in Sicily. He began studying music at the age of 9, learning both accordion and piano. The young musician found his voice during a music lesson, a nun saw his potential and encouraged him and taught him about the beauty and power of music. Jonathan was 9 years old when he heard a record of La Boheme sung by Luciano Pavarotti and his love for Opera was born.
 

The Hill

Hello Backstory Fans! Join us for an interesting look at the life at baseball player Rickey Hill.
From Rickey’s Bio:
 All Rickey Hill ever wanted to do was play professional baseball. That Hill was born with a degenerative spine disorder that had doctors doubting he'd ever walk normally was just an obstacle in his mind. Hill, who was signed in 1975 by the Montreal Expos, played four seasons in the minors before his body gave out. Rickey’s brother wrote the story about Rickey’s life as a testament to his drive and inspiring story to have a record of his accomplishments, which was recently made into a movie called “The Hill”. Rickey recounts the story of how the movie came to be, and talks about a few things depicted in the movie, as well as his younger years before signing with the Expos.It’s a great episode we hope you will enjoy!

Plan A: Vince Lozano

Hello Backstory Fans!..in this episode we talk with actor, writer, producer and director, Vince Lozano. Vince has a really interesting backstory of how he excelled in sports, was lured to California, started street dancing, and ended up in film, and on tv. Vince is a man who believed in himself, and that he could do whatever he set his mind to, and then did it. He has appeared in Pirates of the Caribbean, and numerous other projects. We chat with him about Pirates, one of his newer projects: Trauma Therapy: Psychosis, the importance of having a plan B (or not), along with other topics. We also chat about how to pronounce Caribbean, our own thoughts on having a plan B, and more. We hope you enjoy this great episode with our interesting guest, Vince Lozano.

A Million Miles Later

Hello Backstory Fans!..in this episode we sit down with JP Pennington from the band Exile. JP was on his way to Nashville to play at the Opry, and chatted with us on the way there during this interview. We talk about the 60th anniversary of Exile, their new album, “A Million Miles Later” and the single, “Rough Around the Edges”. We talk about the Opry, a little about the new album, and get some backstory about the band through the years, and JP’s thoughts on playing “Kiss You All Over” all these years later. It’s always a pleasure to talk to JP, and hear updates on Exile, and what’s happening with their long and amazing career.