Hal Aaron Cohen

Dave Kanyan

Pragmatism, Truth, Happiness and the Search For It All

 

Dave Kanyan

Hi this is Hal in Philly, host of Tales of the Road Warriors. This is my podcast… I’m glad you’re here.

Today , I have a very special and very different episode, for a few reasons…

For one – I haven’t put out an episode in over a month. I hate to admit it but the COVID 19 pandemic, which has resulted in this whole shelter in place, self-isolation, quarantine, whatever you call – it has left me so unmotivated lately and I know I have to pull myself out of these doldrums, because if I don’t, I can’t be here to help motivate YOU. I know 2020 has been kicking a lot of our asses, but I’m determined to get through this and come out better and stronger after this chapter is over. Even if I could tell you how this book ends, I wouldn’t. I just hate spoilers.

Another thing… this has been recorded on video as well as audio. Which means – for the first time, you have the choice to watch this on Youtube, or, to listen to the audio-only version on your favorite Podcast app including Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spreaker, or Spotify – wherever podcasts are available.

On a side note – I’m still in the middle of two previous shows with – Toby Lightman and Essra Mohawk. My apologies to you both for my dropping the ball. I’ll be in touch soon to finish our conversations. I Promise.

Finally, my guest today is NOT a musician. Nevertheless, I still consider him a road warrior… He’s a truck driver and fellow podcaster. His name is Dave Kanyan and his podcast is called “Dumbing it Down With Dave”. He’s dubbed it the “fastest podcast on Earth because he records his show while driving on the interstate in his 2008 Kia Rio or his Dodge Caravan at speeds up to 85 mph.

Dave Kanyan and Hal AaronI met Dave at Podcast Movement 2019 or PM19 as it’s referred to, in Orlando Florida. For more on that, there’s a link in the show notes to a previous episode where I tell the whole story about how I met Dave.

One last thing before we get started – I have some swag, available from Zazzle. There is a link on the Tales of the Road Warriors home page.

The first is this Tales of the Road Warriors Coffee Mug. It  keeps your coffee hot and tasting delicious. Even if you make bad coffee, it will taste much better if you drink to out of this handsome mug, It’s got the  Tales of the Road Warriors logo on one side and on the other, the iconic van with the TotRW license plate. Very nice.

For those of you who do a lot of driving, like Dave Kanyan, you might want to order the I’M GOING FOR A DRIVE Travel Mug, instead It keeps your hot beverages hot or cold beverages cold. All Day Long! On the other side is the Tales of the Road Warriors logo. So state your intention! Get yourself the official I’M GOING FOR A DRIVE travel mug and tell the world, I’M GOING FOR A DRIVE!!

which is also the name of the theme song for Tales of the Road Warriors as well as the Dumbing it Down With Dave podcast.

All right! Let’s get into it. Let’s get Dave on the line and… have some fun!


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Talking Points

Who’s the host and and who’s the dumb-dumb?

Meeting Dave Kanyan at Podcast Movement 19

Adjusting the background to hide dirty clothes

Naming of the Rosen Shingle Hotel in Orlando Florida

I’m Going For A Drive theme song

Standup comedy.

Being a soccer dad Dave

Mustangs

Truck drivers – angels of the highways?

Has milk been replaced by energy drinks, fake milk, Red Bull and Monster?

Egg Cream: Why do they call it that?

Hal creates a new segment:  Nothing is Dumber

Dave’s tales from the road

Celebrities

Peter Graves, Dick Caveat, Gregory Hines

Driving couple to the airport as they “bade each other goodbye”

Getting hijacked

Discussing roadkill and rutting

Talking about the pandemic and quarantine due to COVID 19

Trying to get Pandemic Unempoyment Aid

Tipping through PayPal and Venmo

Busking vs. Gigging

Charlie Barnett

Sarah Lightman at Universal City Walk

Musta Hadda Great Time

Harmonica, Xylophone and recorder flute

Dumbing It Down With Dave – the fastest podcast on Earth

Pragmatism, truth, happiness and the search for it all


Episode Links and Resources

See this episode on Youtube

hal aaron and dave kanyan on youtube

Dave’s Podcast
Dumbing it Down With Dave

Stream or Download – I’m Going For A Drive

ToTRW SWAG

Tales of the Road Warriors Coffee Mug

I’m Goin’ For A Drive Travel Mug

I'm Goin' For A Drive Travel Mug

Posted by Hal, 0 comments

Henry Phillips

The Highway Man

Henry Phillips I first became aware of Henry Phillips when he was performing in coffee houses and comedy clubs throughout the Los Angeles area. His songs are scathingly funny but kind of off the beaten path. He’s what you might call an acquired taste. His delivery is very deadpan, so he acts as if he is completely unaware of how funny he is, but once you pick up on his rhythm, his schtick and his lyrics are sidesplittingly hilarious.  I was hosting a songwriter’s showcase  at the Chimmneysweep in Sherman Oaks. After reading a review of Henry Phillips by Jonathan Widran in Music Connection Magazine, I decided to track Henry down and invite him to perform at the ’Sweep. After that, we started hanging out now and then.

Eventually, Henry branched into filmmaking. I found this out when in 2006, shortly after I moved back to Philly, I was searching Youtube to see what Henry had been up to since I’d last seen him. In addition to discovering a few new songs, I came across a web series he had filmed for IFC called “The Loner”, where he portrays a guy who hangs out with a cool, good-looking, smooth-talking buddy that has an easy time picking up girls in bars. But when Henry, after observing his friend run the game on a lady, tries to emulate him, the results are the direct opposite… and as they say – hilarity ensues.

Henry has also written an award winning, independent film called “Punching the Clown” followed by a sequel called “Punching Henry”. I highly recommend both of these movies and now that we’re sequestered indoors, you  can check them out later, after you finish listening to this podcast.

Punching the Clown is for rent on Amazon $3.99

Punching Henry – if you subscribe to Showtime, you can watch it for free

His later endeavors include a cooking show spoof called “Henry’s Kitchen” where you can learn to prepare scrumptious dishes such as “Isolation Cupboard Casserole” and “Meatloaf For One”.

The most recent Henry Phillips project is a new series on Patreon titled, “The Highway Man”. As the Highway Man, Henry travels the nation’s highways, encountering motorists in trouble  where he stops to offer assistance. Having absolutely no mechanical skills whatsoever, he often leaves them in more of a lurch then they were in before he came along.

All right! Well, I think I’ve already told you more than enough. Come on and sit in on my conversation now, with the one and only – Henry Phillips.

BTW – The Godzilla clip was inspired from a meme that’s been passed around Facebook, and I thought it would be cool to create an audio version. So, yeah, I kinda stole that  – I have no idea where it originated.


Talking Points

Sorry, wrong number

Discovering Henry – Music reviewer Jonathan Widran

Chimneysweep

Jerry’s Deli Stories – Marlon Brando

Saturday Night Live, Adam Sandler, Rob Schneider

John Ritter, Amy Yasbeck

Mark Cohen

The Devil and Donny Most

The Loser on IFC

Henry’s Kitchen

Jose Suicidio

Hecklers

New Show The Highway Man

Singer songwriter Eric Schwartz

Doug Stanhope

Misogonistic lyrics

Role of John on John Silicon Valley

Mike Judge


Links:

Henry’s Website

Henry Phillips: Neither Here Nor There on Amazon Prime

On Youtube:

The Loner

End of the World https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0_aFU4Yjj8

On Patreon

Henry’s Kitchen https://www.patreon.com/henryskitchen

The Highway Man https://www.patreon.com/HighwayManShow

Posted by Hal in acoustic, comedy, entertainers, guitar player, live music, open mics, podcast, Road Warriors, singer songwriter, solo acoustic, 0 comments

Lisa Nemzo

A Woman of Two Passions:
Music and Polarity Therapy

A Conversation with Lisa Nemzo

lisa-nemzoDuring the 80’s, I bartended at a rock club called the Blue Lagune Saloon in Marina del Rey, California. I saw a lot of great bands during my time there, the Plimsouls, Etta James, The Moore Brothers (Joe Cocker’s backup band during the Mad Dogs and Englishmen tour), Billy and the Beaters, The Bus Boys; Kathy Valentine of the Go Goes celebrated her 21st birthday there to a virtual who’s who of the 80’s rock and roll elite. Yet one young lady stood out to me back then among all of these 80’s pop rockers and hard rocking’ and r&b bands. I’m talking about Lisa Nemzo. Today, on Tales of the Road Warriors!

Lisa Nemzo. She did this acoustic guitar solo during a song called Try and Run, in which she used harmonics to create an exciting instrumental break before going back into the final chorus. I was serving drinks to a thirsty audience; business as usual when she broke into that amazing solo. I stopped waiting on customers and just watched with my note open like everybody else who became  an instant fan that night .

Harmonics are  created by lightly touching the string and  then pulling away as you pluck or strum. A lot of us use them as an accent, but I had never seen anyone take it and run with it like that before. So, that became her signature.

She has toured Europe and the U.S. in several incarnations. Read her bio here to get an idea of the full scope of this talented lady.

In her other life, Lisa works as a healer in Polarity Therapy and works to raise money for the American Polarity Therapy Association. She is also an activist and works with war veterans to make sure they are not forgotten and receive the benefits and treatment they truly deserve. Some  folks talk about it. Lisa Nemzo is a doer.

Some of the things we talked about include:

Visiting the east coast.

The Weather – East Coast vs West Coast

Body surfing the Atlantic Ocean in Cape May

Boogie boarding in the Pacific Ocean

Lisa Nemzo’s dad’s secret musical life (What?!)

Lisa’s actress/singer mom/

Lisa’s first school play

Musical instruments in the family… piano, trumpet, coronet, baritone horn, clarinet, ukulele and guitar

Going to L.A. after college to pursue a jazz career, but ending up in a session with Mike Botts from Bread and starting songwriting career

Touring for ten years with no product (no album, no cassette, no cd… nothin’).

Harmonics. Getting schooled by Tom Rush and developing the Lisa Nemazo signature sound

A mentor teaches Lisa to survive as a female musical artist in a man’s world

Touring and or opening for Hall and Oates, David Crosby, BB King, David Lindley, Tim Weisberg and many others

Links and Resources

Strangers In Paradise

Listen On Youtube

SONGS

Try and Run

Harmonics

“When it Comes to Love” Track 5 on UNLOCK MY HEART

https://youtu.be/CM5Ijmw5j4Q

(Lisa Nemzo Webisode #3)

Change of Tide Around 1985)

https://youtu.be/uQWHyHDzD3o

Arlington (and related links)

https://www.facebook.com/ArlingtonThe…

https://twitter.com/ArlingtonFilm

http://www.operationwarriorwellness.org/

One Kind Word

https://youtu.be/U4eJQH8-8rA

New song…

“Wish I Had a Country to Go Home To”

https://youtu.be/5MsloRFLKF8

Mentions:

Gina Kronstadt, violinist

Bruce Michael Miller worked  – with from 1985 and 2009

American Polarity Therapy Association

John Chitty

Current projects:

Lisa is looking for people to work with her on a video for One Kind Word


Lisa Nemzo Audiogram Episode Preview

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Chad Watson

Literally Talking About “Stuff”!

chad watson and pam loe

Chad Watson with wife, Pam Loe

Chad Watson is a world class bass player, songwriter, side man and side kick ( just ask his lovely wife, Pam Loe)

Artists he’s tour and /or records with include John York, Ronnie Milsap  and Charlie Rich, Freebo and Bonnie Raitt, James Lee Stanley, Chris Hillman, The Burrito Brothers, Janis Ian, Ezra Mohawk and others.

Some of the things I talk about with Chad include: Playing at one of my favorite venues, Kulak’s Woodshed in North Hollywood with Freebo who used to be Bonnie Raitt’s bass player, and the Kulak’s Woodshed archives, which have been relocated to their Youtube channel,  where you can still see live performances from some of the performers mentioned in our conversation.

He also takes about his days on the road with Ronnie Milsap;  A brush with Kim Fowley, reminisces about some of the old clubs like the Palomino and a missed opportunity to sit in with Stuff, the original house band from Saturday night live when we swapped stories about missed opportunities. I mentioned the I chickened out when Marty Rifkin invited me to sit in with the house jam at the Palomino.

And then there’s great tale about country star Dale Watson – sorry, no spoilers.

Chad is currently working on a few recording projects and has just wrapped up a project with James Lee Stanley. He continues to perform live with his lovely wife, Pam Loe.


CHAD WATSON LINKS

Chad’s Website (Your best bet in viewing it is with the Firefox browser. It requires the Flash plugin)
http://www.chadwatson.us

Kulak’s Woodshed Archives
https://www.youtube.com/user/paulkulak1/featured

James Lee Stanley – Freelance Hyman Being
https://jamesleestanley.com/

CHAD’S UPCOMING SHOWS
March 5th, 2019 Cowboy Palace in Chatsworth, CA
March 13, 2019 at the Maui Sugar Mill Saloon in Reseda, CA


Music from the Show

Intro (most epsiodes): Playa del Spain by Joe Walla
Joe Walla music availble on Broadjam

Outro (most epsodes): I’m Goin’ For a Drive by Hal Cohen
Produced by Barry Keys for Xenon Records
Piano: Barry Keys
Lead Guitar: Aaron Wolfson


Chad Watson Audiogram Preview

Posted by Hal in bass player, entertainers, Road Warriors, singer songwriter, singer songwriters, 12 comments