Comedian Gia Doxey and Will are former high school theater kids who made good on their plans to move to NYC and make art. She talks to Will about growing up conservative in Florida, musical theater, moving to New York City, how close she got to her dream of working at 30 rock, her love of sketch comedy, stand up comedy and her podcast about the musical Jersey Boys.
Gia on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/giadoxey/
Gia's podcast:
https://linktr.ee/silhouettesjbpodcast_
Will's Website: www.awesomedisaster.com
Podcast Merch: https://teespring.com/stores/between-awesome-and-disaster
Get exclusive music and videos at Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/awesomedisaster
Listen to Will's band on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/album/6diGYyCyFjJZNOZ0Madqrl?si=T0jg3j1bS9iXQ47rHekvgg
Listen to Will's Solo EP:
https://open.spotify.com/album/3jMCe7S0qxESZaXEcfR1Cj?si=9h8vYhNKT5qmQX5g8QvWlw
Gaslight Anthem frontman Brian Fallon continues to push himself as a songwriter on the band's first album in nine years History Books. He talks to Will about the bounty of creativity and great bands he saw in the New Jersey basement scene of the later 90s, performing at open mics as a solo artist, smaller cities and towns that surprised him on the 59' Sound tour, getting stuck in a bullet train in a tunnel during the 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami. looking to artists who released great albums late in their careers, working with Bruce Springsteen for a song on the new album, and The Gaslight Anthem's upcoming fall tour dates.
Follow The Gaslight Anthem/ Brian Fallon
https://linktr.ee/thegaslightanthem
https://www.instagram.com/thebrianfallon/
https://www.thegaslightanthem.com/
https://twitter.com/gaslightanthem
Will's Website: www.awesomedisaster.com
Podcast Merch: https://teespring.com/stores/between-awesome-and-disaster
Get exclusive music and videos at Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/awesomedisaster
Listen to Will's band on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/album/6diGYyCyFjJZNOZ0Madqrl?si=T0jg3j1bS9iXQ47rHekvgg
Listen to Will's Solo EP:
https://open.spotify.com/album/3jMCe7S0qxESZaXEcfR1Cj?si=9h8vYhNKT5qmQX5g8QvWlw
Comedian FreddyG and Will share the comedian trait of learning about a subject and then learning everything about said subject. Freddy tells Will about growing up in Queens, attending Jewish school, finding improv as an escape from his day job and then later stand up, the NYC open mic scene, getting millions of views on TikTok, current day politics, and how his further readings on religion will inform his next solo show.
Follow FreddyG:
https://www.instagram.com/orangefreddyg/?hl=en
https://youtu.be/fap00R1g-qk?si=JG0abp1lhYP08-SM
https://twitter.com/OrangeFreddyG
https://www.tiktok.com/@orangefreddyg?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc
Will's Website: www.awesomedisaster.com
Podcast Merch: https://teespring.com/stores/between-awesome-and-disaster
Get exclusive music and videos at Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/awesomedisaster
Listen to Will's band on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/album/6diGYyCyFjJZNOZ0Madqrl?si=T0jg3j1bS9iXQ47rHekvgg
Listen to Will's Solo EP:
https://open.spotify.com/album/3jMCe7S0qxESZaXEcfR1Cj?si=9h8vYhNKT5qmQX5g8QvWlw
Lana Ryma has been in music as a drummer, a venue owner, and now a lead vocalist with The Get Arounds. She talks to Will about the music scene in Canada, getting to tour with Blink-182, becoming a lead singer after years behind the drum kit, songwriting, advice for bands as a venue owner, and The Get Arounds debut full length I Wanna Live.
Listen to The Get Arounds:
https://open.spotify.com/album/7qzVbcANM5JrtKFGa3c8iS?si=Wy0jSjpcSsytTRxQh0jSAA
Lana on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/lanafurniture/?hl=en
https://linktr.ee/thegetarounds
Will's Website: www.awesomedisaster.com
Podcast Merch: https://teespring.com/stores/between-awesome-and-disaster
Get exclusive music and videos at Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/awesomedisaster
Listen to Will's band on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/album/6diGYyCyFjJZNOZ0Madqrl?si=T0jg3j1bS9iXQ47rHekvgg
Listen to Will's Solo EP:
https://open.spotify.com/album/3jMCe7S0qxESZaXEcfR1Cj?si=9h8vYhNKT5qmQX5g8QvWlw
Brandon Bujnowski makes music with his band Bedpan Fight, releases it with his label Knuckledown Records, and records it and others at his studio If and Only If Productions. He talks to Will about Blink- 182's recent Madison Square Garden show, his love of 90s melodic punk rock, growing up with a stand up comic mom, recording school, producing trapbeats, and how his band Bedpan Fight came together and became a vital part of the NYC punk rock scene.
https://www.knuckledownrecords.com/
Will's Website: www.awesomedisaster.com
Podcast Merch: https://teespring.com/stores/between-awesome-and-disaster
Get exclusive music and videos at Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/awesomedisaster
Listen to Will's band on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/album/6diGYyCyFjJZNOZ0Madqrl?si=T0jg3j1bS9iXQ47rHekvgg
Listen to Will's Solo EP:
https://open.spotify.com/album/3jMCe7S0qxESZaXEcfR1Cj?si=9h8vYhNKT5qmQX5g8QvWlw
Chris Griggs' years of experience as a stand up comic and improvisor informs his approach as a teacher at The Peoples Improv Theater. He talks to Will about working to get passed at New York City Comedy Clubs, Improv comedy, his recent experiments in playing with the traditional forms of improv, acting and his approach to teaching improv to comics.
https://www.chrisgriggscomedy.com/
https://www.instagram.com/chrisgriggscomedy/?hl=en
https://thepit-nyc.com/people/chris-griggs/
Will's Website: www.awesomedisaster.com
Podcast Merch: https://teespring.com/stores/between-awesome-and-disaster
Get exclusive music and videos at Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/awesomedisaster
Listen to Will's band on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/album/6diGYyCyFjJZNOZ0Madqrl?si=T0jg3j1bS9iXQ47rHekvgg
Listen to Will's Solo EP:
https://open.spotify.com/album/3jMCe7S0qxESZaXEcfR1Cj?si=9h8vYhNKT5qmQX5g8QvWlw
Comedian Myq Kaplan is a brilliantly funny, and insightful comic with a command of language. He talks to Will from his hotel room in Minnesota about what makes the best comedy clubs the best comedy clubs, is masters degree in linguistics, how he got into stand up comedy, touring, performing material for crowds that don't agree with you politically and incorporating Buddhism teachings into his world view and what his understanding of the world is as a result.
Watch Myq's newest special:
https://www.drybarcomedy.com/myqk
Listen to Myq's past albums
https://open.spotify.com/artist/5H1u3kcNM0d7DJlihbXvBp?si=i-R3gWoATRC-FXAX5eJ3yQ
https://www.instagram.com/myqkaplan/
Will's Website: www.awesomedisaster.com
Podcast Merch: https://teespring.com/stores/between-awesome-and-disaster
Get exclusive music and videos at Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/awesomedisaster
Listen to Will's band on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/album/6diGYyCyFjJZNOZ0Madqrl?si=T0jg3j1bS9iXQ47rHekvgg
Listen to Will's Solo EP:
https://open.spotify.com/album/3jMCe7S0qxESZaXEcfR1Cj?si=9h8vYhNKT5qmQX5g8QvWlw
Comedian Patrick Hastie returns to Between Awesome and Disaster after an eventful 5 years that includes several goals from his last appearance coming into existence. He talks to Will about how the Covid-19 pandemic affected him mentally, and his comedy career, the steps he took to improve his mental health, how he avoids online arguments about stand up comedy to focus on his own comedy, his upcoming comedy album I Will Fight All Of You, pitching a show premise to Edinburgh Fringe, getting accepted and then having to write the show, and then Patrick and Will discuss their process for building a solo show.
Pre order Patrick's new comedy album
https://jackknifecomedy.bandcamp.com/album/i-will-fight-all-of-you
See Patrick live and Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2023
https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/patrick-hastie-my-grandpa-s-grandpa-s-dad
https://linktr.ee/patrickhastie
Will's Website: www.awesomedisaster.com
Podcast Merch: https://teespring.com/stores/between-awesome-and-disaster
Get exclusive music and videos at Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/awesomedisaster
Listen to Will's band on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/album/6diGYyCyFjJZNOZ0Madqrl?si=T0jg3j1bS9iXQ47rHekvgg
Listen to Will's Solo EP:
https://open.spotify.com/album/3jMCe7S0qxESZaXEcfR1Cj?si=9h8vYhNKT5qmQX5g8QvWlw
Rerelease of my chat with Frnd Crcl Drummer Aaron Smith from 2021
Rerelease of my chat with Zac Johnson of Frnd Crcl from 2021
Alex's band Brooklane got to play a single show before the Covid pandemic shut down live music. He talks to Will about growing up in North Dakota, how he found his love of singing, his beginnings in deathcore, writing the song Here to Stay and getting Jason Lancaster to do a guest vocal, and the bands new EP Stay Toxic.
Brooklane on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brooklanemidwest/
Listen to Brooklane:
https://open.spotify.com/artist/6aN4FC9kUb3tG4sFgIR6pW?si=mKgvjKAERN6eYXDNrFqqaA
https://www.brooklanemidwest.com/
Will's Website: www.awesomedisaster.com
Podcast Merch: https://teespring.com/stores/between-awesome-and-disaster
Get exclusive music and videos at Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/awesomedisaster
Listen to Will's band on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/album/6diGYyCyFjJZNOZ0Madqrl?si=T0jg3j1bS9iXQ47rHekvgg
Listen to Will's Solo EP:
https://open.spotify.com/album/3jMCe7S0qxESZaXEcfR1Cj?si=9h8vYhNKT5qmQX5g8QvWlw
Comedian Brendan Fitzgibbon's interviews lifestyle coaches on his podcast Spiritual Asshole, and as of this moment is a comedy writer on strike. He talks to Will about the conditions that have lead to the current WGA strike and why it's important for the future of writing as a career option, moving to New York City from the Midwest, and then trying stand up for the first time, why he doesn't waste energy on trying to get passed at comedy clubs, what he's learned from interviewing lifestyle coaches, how he identifies scammers, and who he thinks in this industry is actually worth listening to.
Brendan's website, social media and podcast :
https://www.brendanfitzgibbons.com/
https://www.instagram.com/the_brendanfitzgibbons
https://www.spiritualasshole.com/
Will's Website: www.awesomedisaster.com
Podcast Merch: https://teespring.com/stores/between-awesome-and-disaster
Get exclusive music and videos at Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/awesomedisaster
Listen to Will's band on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/album/6diGYyCyFjJZNOZ0Madqrl?si=T0jg3j1bS9iXQ47rHekvgg
Listen to Will's Solo EP:
https://open.spotify.com/album/3jMCe7S0qxESZaXEcfR1Cj?si=9h8vYhNKT5qmQX5g8QvWlw
Chris Wrenn began what would become Bridge 9 Records as a teenager in New England, and has since but out over 300 records. He talks to Will about Deep Purple being is gateway into heavy guitar music, the New England Hardcore scene, how he started putting out seven inch splits with local bands, what Bridge 9 looks for in bands it works for, what bands can do to help get themselves positive attention, getting rid of gatekeepers in punk and Bridge 9's new physical record store in Massachusetts.
https://www.instagram.com/chrisb9/?hl=en
Will's Website: www.awesomedisaster.com
Podcast Merch: https://teespring.com/stores/between-awesome-and-disaster
Get exclusive music and videos at Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/awesomedisaster
Listen to Will's band on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/album/6diGYyCyFjJZNOZ0Madqrl?si=T0jg3j1bS9iXQ47rHekvgg
Listen to Will's Solo EP:
https://open.spotify.com/album/3jMCe7S0qxESZaXEcfR1Cj?si=9h8vYhNKT5qmQX5g8QvWlw
Rerelease of Episode 2 with Drew Whitney Morgan from January 2016
Becca Burg finds that Improv comedy allows her to be in a flow state of Singular focus. She talks to Will about growing up and being exposed to Theater in Florida, studying Environmental Science, the North Atlantic Garbage patch, finding improv as an outlet from Work and studies, moving to New York City, discovering The Pit, directing sketch comedy and finding what she want's to work on creating next.
Becca on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/becca.burg/
Will's Website: www.awesomedisaster.com
Podcast Merch: https://teespring.com/stores/between-awesome-and-disaster
Get exclusive music and videos at Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/awesomedisaster
Listen to Will's band on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/album/6diGYyCyFjJZNOZ0Madqrl?si=T0jg3j1bS9iXQ47rHekvgg
Listen to Will's Solo EP:
https://open.spotify.com/album/3jMCe7S0qxESZaXEcfR1Cj?si=9h8vYhNKT5qmQX5g8QvWlw
Jameer Pond was away from the stage for a while, but it was a storytelling class that he happened into after a humiliating experience that happened on stage at his day job that lead him back to the stage. He talks to Will about growing up in Brooklyn, discovering sketch comedy, starting in stand up comedy, how he ended up pivoting to the storytelling scene, finding the Moth and playing shows with them in different cities, Solocom 2023 at The Pit in NYC and the solo show he is working towards.
Jameer on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jameerpond/?hl=en
See Jameer live in Hoboken:
https://onthewaterfront.bpt.me/
Will's Website: www.awesomedisaster.com
Podcast Merch: https://teespring.com/stores/between-awesome-and-disaster
Get exclusive music and videos at Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/awesomedisaster
Listen to Will's band on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/album/6diGYyCyFjJZNOZ0Madqrl?si=T0jg3j1bS9iXQ47rHekvgg
Listen to Will's Solo EP:
https://open.spotify.com/album/3jMCe7S0qxESZaXEcfR1Cj?si=9h8vYhNKT5qmQX5g8QvWlw
Guitarist/ Vocalist Ryan Malott's love of both Bluegrass/ and punk rock is on display in his band 500 Miles to Memphis.
He talks to Will about the writing of the songs Broken, Busted, Bloody, and All My Friends are Crazy, struggles with addiction both personally and in his family, how the classic album Sunshine in a shotglass allowed the band to play over 200 shows a year for several years, performing solo, how studio owners can get additional work from licensing and sync work, the new 500 Miles single I Want Mine, and Will's observation of a beautiful guitar hanging on Ryan's wall leads to an amazing and touching story of Ryan's collaboration with a Kentucky music legend.
Listen to 500 Miles to Memphis:
https://open.spotify.com/artist/1AqoxUC6J6PdRjbc3wLlhk?si=tAjnM32HRpSeSupRSAGKjQ
https://www.instagram.com/ryan500mtm/
Will's Website: www.awesomedisaster.com
Podcast Merch: https://teespring.com/stores/between-awesome-and-disaster
Get exclusive music and videos at Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/awesomedisaster
Listen to Will's band on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/album/6diGYyCyFjJZNOZ0Madqrl?si=T0jg3j1bS9iXQ47rHekvgg
Listen to Will's Solo EP:
https://open.spotify.com/album/3jMCe7S0qxESZaXEcfR1Cj?si=9h8vYhNKT5qmQX5g8QvWlw
Greg Norton's new band UltraBomb wrote and recorded their debut album Time To Burn in Berlin much faster then expected. He tells Will how the album came together in a matter of days, where he was mentally when he wrote the majority of the albums lyrics, how his approach to writing and bass has evolved since his time in Husker Du, Touring in 2023 coming out of the pandemic and a surprise for Husker Du fans on this year's Record Store Day.
Listen to the new UltraBomb record:
https://open.spotify.com/artist/4u2NU0NKwALURZY2qvtYQb?si=_0WPib_xTXueuVl3e8-mvg
UltraBomb Socials:
Will's Website: www.awesomedisaster.com
Podcast Merch: https://teespring.com/stores/between-awesome-and-disaster
Get exclusive music and videos at Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/awesomedisaster
Listen to Will's band on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/album/6diGYyCyFjJZNOZ0Madqrl?si=T0jg3j1bS9iXQ47rHekvgg
Listen to Will's Solo EP:
https://open.spotify.com/album/3jMCe7S0qxESZaXEcfR1Cj?si=9h8vYhNKT5qmQX5g8QvWlw
Comedian Rashad Bashir and Will met when they were very new comics and working as ushers at Radio City Music Hall. He talks to Will about growing up in New York City, performing comedy at talent shows and having it go well and not go well, his time in theater, finding stand up comedy, what he's learned about producing live comedy and the future.
Rashad on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/rbashir_comedy/?hl=en
April 20th and 22nd see Will's Sketch group Backdoor BBQ in NYC https://thepit-nyc.com/events/backdoor-barbeque/
Will's Website: www.awesomedisaster.com
Podcast Merch: https://teespring.com/stores/between-awesome-and-disaster
Get exclusive music and videos at Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/awesomedisaster
Listen to Will's band on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/album/6diGYyCyFjJZNOZ0Madqrl?si=T0jg3j1bS9iXQ47rHekvgg
Listen to Will's Solo EP:
https://open.spotify.com/album/3jMCe7S0qxESZaXEcfR1Cj?si=9h8vYhNKT5qmQX5g8QvWlw
Comedian Ariel Elias turned getting attacked by a heckler at a show it into an opportunity. She talks to Will about growing up Jewish in Lexington, Kentucky, discovering stand up comedy by listening to The Bob & Tom radio show, starting comedy in New Orleans, moving to New York City, performing outdoors in the first summer of the pandemic, how getting a beer thrown at her by a heckler on stage lead to her late night debut on Jimmy Kimmel and why she was ready for the opportunity, and the change it's made in her career.
See Ariel perform live
https://www.arieleliascomedy.com/
Ariel on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/ariel_comedy/
Ariel on Twitter
https://twitter.com/Ariel_Comedy
Will's Website: www.awesomedisaster.com
Podcast Merch: https://teespring.com/stores/between-awesome-and-disaster
Get exclusive music and videos at Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/awesomedisaster
Listen to Will's band on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/album/6diGYyCyFjJZNOZ0Madqrl?si=T0jg3j1bS9iXQ47rHekvgg
Listen to Will's Solo EP:
https://open.spotify.com/album/3jMCe7S0qxESZaXEcfR1Cj?si=9h8vYhNKT5qmQX5g8QvWlw
Will's wife Chelsea Connor returns to the show to discuss traveling to South America as an 11 year old, how traveling to Vietnam right after it opened to American Tourists, bucket list travel destinations, and technology that is now considered vintage.
Chelsea on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/chelseaconnor
Will's Website: www.awesomedisaster.com
Podcast Merch: https://teespring.com/stores/between-awesome-and-disaster
Get exclusive music and videos at Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/awesomedisaster
Listen to Will's band on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/album/6diGYyCyFjJZNOZ0Madqrl?si=T0jg3j1bS9iXQ47rHekvgg
Listen to Will's Solo EP:
https://open.spotify.com/album/3jMCe7S0qxESZaXEcfR1Cj?si=9h8vYhNKT5qmQX5g8QvWlw
Improv Comedy is the craft that informs rapper EpicLLoyd's creative output. He talks to Will about studying Improv in Chicago, discovering hip hop, what he likes about how his favorite rappers rap, touring colleges and NACA conferences with his Improv group, meeting NicePeter and creating the Youtube series Epic Rap Battles of History, what goes into writing rap battles, working with Weird Al Yankovic, Key & Peele, writing a rap for Spongebob Squarepants: Sponge Out of Water, and how Epic Rap Battles doesn't confirm to traditional Youtuber practices and maintains quality and sustains success.
Check out EpicLLoyd:
https://www.instagram.com/theepiclloyd/?hl=en
https://www.youtube.com/epiclloyd
Will's Website: www.awesomedisaster.com
Podcast Merch: https://teespring.com/stores/between-awesome-and-disaster
Get exclusive music and videos at Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/awesomedisaster
Listen to Will's band on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/album/6diGYyCyFjJZNOZ0Madqrl?si=T0jg3j1bS9iXQ47rHekvgg
Listen to Will's Solo EP:
https://open.spotify.com/album/3jMCe7S0qxESZaXEcfR1Cj?si=9h8vYhNKT5qmQX5g8QvWlw
Mike Brian Fogerty returns to the show after a global pandemic nearly made him walk away from sketch comedy. He talks to Will about the upcoming Solocom 2023 fest at The People's Improv Theater, writing Sketch Comedy, what he's learned about TV Pilot writing, and his break down of Will's Pilot idea, why he almost stopped comedy, what kept him in, and what he's looking forward to in his new Late Night writing workshop.
Mike on Twitter: @themikebrian
Mike on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/themikebrian/
Mike's class:
https://thepit-nyc.com/events/late-night-style-writing/
Will's Website: www.awesomedisaster.com
Podcast Merch: https://teespring.com/stores/between-awesome-and-disaster
Get exclusive music and videos at Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/awesomedisaster
Listen to Will's band on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/album/6diGYyCyFjJZNOZ0Madqrl?si=T0jg3j1bS9iXQ47rHekvgg
Listen to Will's Solo EP:
https://open.spotify.com/album/3jMCe7S0qxESZaXEcfR1Cj?si=9h8vYhNKT5qmQX5g8QvWlw
Comedian and Musician Henry Phillips' career begins in Los Angeles at the emergence of alternative comedy. He talks to Will about working on the movie Sleepwalk with Me with Mike Birbiglia about his childhood in New Jersey before moving to Los Angeles, aspiring to be a musician before his sense of humor turned him towards musical comedy. The Early 90s Alternative Comedy Scene and being unaware of what has happening in different cities at the time, How Doug Stanhope and the radio show Bob & Tom led to touring as a comedian, how a collaboration with an old friend lead to starring in the movies Punching The Clown and Punching Henry, his Web Series Henry's Kitchen and how comedians Marc Maron and Sarah Silverman lent vital support to those projects.
Watch Henry's Special:
http://henryphillips.com/full-special-neither-here-nor-there/
See Henry Live:
http://henryphillips.com/tour-dates/
Henry's Kitchen:
https://www.youtube.com/@HenryPhillips
Will's Website: www.awesomedisaster.com
Podcast Merch: https://teespring.com/stores/between-awesome-and-disaster
Get exclusive music and videos at Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/awesomedisaster
Listen to Will's band on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/album/6diGYyCyFjJZNOZ0Madqrl?si=T0jg3j1bS9iXQ47rHekvgg
Listen to Will's Solo EP:
https://open.spotify.com/album/3jMCe7S0qxESZaXEcfR1Cj?si=9h8vYhNKT5qmQX5g8QvWlw