It has been quite an exciting month here, with the launch of the Haunted Cowboy Sounds
album, as well as its companion album, The Wanderer EP (7 Classic Country Songs). Thankfully, the excitement continued this week as The Set Up Podcast launched Season 5 of their popular podcast with yours truly as the guest!
For those of you that are not familiar with The Set Up Podcast, it is hosted by sisters, Sydney Oberholtzer Capitani and Samantha Oberholtzer, and focuses on interviewing music industry professionals. Through their casual and informative conversations, the hosts and guests share actionable advice that musicians can put into action to help all aspects of their careers.
As many of you already know, I have been in and around the music world for almost 30-years, but took a lengthy break for about ten years as I focused on being a stay-at-home dad. When I returned to the music world in February of 2021, a lot had changed. Like, A LOT had changed!!
Streaming services were everywhere, albums were being released digitally, and even though I had a good handle on social media, even that had changed dramatically (and continues to change daily it seems). I was lost, confused and bewildered, wondering how I would navigate this new music industry.
Thankfully, Fate was on my side (and maybe a little bit of luck had something to do with it too), and I discovered The Set Up Podcast. To say it made a difference in my career is an understatement… It was an absolute game-changer!!
I dove into the past episodes headfirst, treating each episode like I was in a front row seat at school. There was so much to learn, and thankfully, Sydney, Sam, and their guests, were graciously sharing all that they knew. It was amazing! In this sometimes “me first” world, it was so refreshing to listen to people willing to offer free advice and help through the podcast.
As I caught up on the episodes I had missed, I waited patiently each week for the new ones to arrive. One new (at the time) episode in particular, their interview with Fiona Flyte, changed the podcast from game-changer to life-changer…
As they discussed social media interactions and best-practices in the episode, I learned that it was okay to reach out via direct messages with a question to someone you didn’t know on a platform like Instagram, as long as it was done respectfully (so no spamming with unsolicited links, being rude, etc). So, I reached out to Sydney and Sam via their podcast Instagram account with a simple thank you… We are so quick to complain in our society, and yet we rarely reach out with positive comments and a simple thank you. I wanted to let them know how much their podcast meant to me personally and professionally.
Well, that simple message has led to some wonderful new friendships! It’s been an amazing experience to get to know Sydney and Sam - I consider them to be close friends now and Sydney has actually become my “co-conspirator” in the music world, as she helps hold me accountable so I actually follow through with my wild and crazy ideas! (Like starting a blog... Thanks Sydney!!)
So, when they let me know that Season 5 of the podcast was focusing on musicians themselves and their creative process, and asked me to be the first guest of the new season, well, I was absolutely beyond thrilled… and shocked!
To go from listener to guest, on a music industry podcast that is actually helping people and changing lives is an absolute honour. To see my name and picture on their website, next to the people and episodes that have made such a difference in how I interact with people and even how I feel about myself, well there are just no words to describe that feeling...
Season 5 of The Set Up Podcast has officially launched and I must say I am extremely proud of our episode. Probably because we have all become great friends, I gave what is no doubt, the most honest and in-depth interview of my career. If you are hearing me for the first time in this interview and found me here, thank you - I hope I could bring some insights or inspiration into your life as the other podcast guests have brought to mine.
And, if you have known me for decades, I can guarantee you that you will hear a story or a fact about me that you didn’t know about before!
Let’s end today’s blog post with a little Andrew and Sydney fun-fact… Remember my recent blog post about creating Wednesday Song - my first instrumental on The Robotanist album… Well, the engagement picture that inspired that song was of Sydney and her partner Anthony. And I’m happy to say, they had a beautiful wedding, surrounded by friends and family this past summer :)
Here's a performance of Wednesday Song from this past Summer:
And, if you missed it, here is a direct link for my episode of The Set Up Podcast... And you can listen to all of the episodes of The Set Up Podcast on Apple, Spotify, or directly on their website.
See you next time!
Haunted Cowboy Sounds and its companion album, The Wanderer (7 Classic Country Songs), are both available to stream or purchase on Bandcamp.
Haunted Cowboy Sounds is also available on Spotify and the streaming services, as is The Wanderer EP (7 Classic Country Songs).
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