The Shift with Mike & Joe

Welcome to ”The Shift with Mike and Joe,” the podcast that takes you on a journey into the world of entrepreneurship with your hosts, Mike and Joe! In this episode join Mike, an 8-year veteran of the self-employment game and Joe, a recent entrepreneur who kicked off his journey about two years ago.Both hosts are not only business-savvy but also talented musicians, adding a unique twist to the entrepreneurial conversation. Mike runs the ”Kent Island Academy of Music,” a successful music school, while Joe operates ”Image & Sound Media,” a thriving photography and videography business. Beyond their entrepreneurial endeavors, these dynamic individuals are also solo musicians who occasionally team up in Joe’s band, ”Heavy Fred.””The Shift” strives for biweekly episodes filled with insights, advice, and real talk about breaking free from the traditional 9-5 job and making your own path in the business world. Mike and Joe will cover a variety of topics related to entrepreneurship, includin

The Shift with Mike & Joe is a business podcast hosted by Mike, with 43 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Mike hosts The Shift with Mike & Joe, a business show with 43 episodes published.

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  Episode #43

  Bryan Ewald on Demoing PRS Guitars, Playing for a Living + Why He Cringes at His Own Videos - EP 43

  Sep 9, 20262h 57m

  "I thought I invented something. I was like, I have discovered an electric guitar." Before he owned an electric guitar, Bryan wrapped a pair of Radio Shack headphones around the body of his acoustic and plugged them into the family stereo. It worked well enough that he was convinced he had invented something. Not long after, somebody handed him a guitar tuner with a bad solder joint. It would not tune anything. Plug a guitar through it and it distorted, which was the only thing he had ever wanted it to do. Bryan Ewald is probably the most watched guitarist on this side of the bay that nobody stops in the street. He is the player in the PRS Guitars demo videos. Andrew Dorbin, who was on in EP 32, is the one filming them. Josh Willis, last episode's guest, had an EP produced by him. Mike and Joe have been circling this one for a while. The PRS job started as a wrong number. Somebody applying for a spot in the wood shop put nineteen year old Bryan down as a reference, PRS called, and by the end of the call they had offered him a job instead. He spent less than a year in the finish hall, worked out he was better at playing guitars than building them, and left. Years later Jim Cullen went to bat for him and a guitar turned up with no strings attached, no exclusivity, nothing to sign. Then somebody asked if he would make a video. He is careful about how much credit he takes for those. He writes and records the backing tracks at his house, bass and drums included, then walks into a room where a guitar he has often never touched is waiting, and plays it live in a couple of takes with the cameras already rolling. No fifty passes, no editing to taste. Seventeen pickup positions and a marketing sheet he is allowed to ignore. And he can hardly watch them. He puts the demos at maybe sixty percent of what he can actually do and describes most of it as his worst playing, filmed in what he compares to hospital lighting. There are a handful he wishes he could scrub off the internet, and one or two he loved so much he was annoyed when new pickups meant it had to be reshot. The bands are the rest of it, and there have always been several at once. Non-Fiction with Meg Murray. Starbelly, which he joined right as its songwriter stepped out to go solo, and which has spent years backing other people, Pat DiNizio of the Smithereens and Warren Zanes of the Del Fuegos among them. The Jarflys, which took off like a rocket on Jimi HaHa's name and held a Tuesday residency at Armadillo's. Jimmie's Chicken Shack, which he only joined four years ago once his kids were grown. A ten piece Steely Dan tribute. A Ray Charles show with Take 6 that started as a Vegas residency and got chased across the country by the pandemic, city by city, until the airports went quiet. The money conversation is the one Mike and Joe keep coming back to with everybody, and Bryan is unusually plain about it. He was twenty and out-earning every friend he had. Five years later they had all passed him, because bar gigs never kept up with the cost of living and there are only seven nights in a week. So he raised everything at once, teaching, studio, gigs, and waited for the phone to go quiet. It rang more. He built a rate card priced at the top so he always has room to come down, quotes backyard barbecues at five or six times what people expect, and has noticed that the clients who pay the rate without flinching are the easy ones. Underneath all of it is a kid in Arnold whose family had no musicians in it at all. A grandfather with a chain of camera stores in southwest Virginia, which is where the gear obsession came from. A beat up fifties Harmony for his ninth birthday because his mother could not afford a piano. A stepmother who would not have drums in the house, so the amp went in a Radio Flyer wagon and got pulled across the Bay Hills golf course to a friend whose brother had a kit, for half an hour after school before the brother got home. Friends calling the house to make him play YYZ down the phone. An amp pointed out of an open window until a neighbour came and knocked. Then his own two. Aidan makes his living playing music, drums with everybody, sings Joni Mitchell tunes, and has a band called The Candy Rocks that sounds like the Beach Boys meeting Queen. Julian has released seven albums in a month under three different names and has a couple more coming. When Julian was thirteen his dad told him to wait until he was off tour and they would set up a proper mic in the basement studio. Bryan came home and the record was finished. He had sung the whole thing into his phone. The last stretch goes wide. What AI does to a room full of people who make things. Why there will never be another Beatles and why that is fine. Paul Reed Smith taking a pickup apart to make it one percent better. Paris for a seventh anniversary that broke even on the gig fee, followed by a firm understanding that next year would be Cracker Barrel. Red Rocks, still unplayed. And a plan for retirement that is really just a list of places he passed through on tour and never actually saw. Josh Willis, EP 42: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pPvZr_lIk0 Andrew Dorbin, EP 32: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fquWZC29yLg What shift have you experienced in your life? CHAPTERS 00:00 Wayfinders Testicular Health Fund 00:47 Welcome to Episode 43 01:14 "So you work at PRS?" Not exactly 02:09 Teaching at a music store at fifteen 03:37 George Thomas takes the blinders off 04:21 A job he never applied for 05:18 Less than a year in the finish hall 06:27 A guitar, no strings attached 07:01 "Do you want to make a video?" 08:25 Why the factory video became the benchmark 09:00 He writes and records the backing tracks himself 09:57 Two takes, live, no editing 10:53 The guitar is in his hands 40 minutes before filming 13:47 Joe subscribed ten years ago, hunting an SE 14:17 "Whatever the guitar looked like, that is how you played it" 17:40 The day he decided to just play like himself 19:06 Tom Walls and the private stock eight string 21:41 New pickups, and every old video is obsolete 22:59 Everybody tells him to start his own channel 24:49 Rhett Shull, and what that life actually costs 28:12 Tim Pierce does the math on courses 30:43 "It is a five person job" 32:50 Why he never moved to LA or Nashville 33:46 Five years later, the plateau 34:26 "Bring something that is not replaceable" 35:15 Free Fallin' and the skill nobody credits 36:25 The hang is everything 37:26 Eight months on fifteen seconds of Allan Holdsworth 38:19 The first paying gig: a reggae band, two days' notice 39:53 Too nervous to overplay, which was exactly right 41:16 "Songs are king" 43:26 Limitations make the coolest parts 45:52 The part he loved that did not make the record 47:42 Tuned to bejesus, quantized to the grid 50:54 "Do you have a band now?" 53:14 Starbelly 55:22 Jimi HaHa, and the record Island sat on 57:30 Joining Jimmie's Chicken Shack 58:07 Take 6, and a Ray Charles show 1:00:56 A ten piece Steely Dan tribute 1:02:35 Sponsor - Wayfinders THF & Putts Fore! Nuts 1:04:32 The Quad Cortex solution 1:07:47 A piezo blend for the Fleetwood Mac gig 1:10:36 The gear gene, from his grandfather 1:13:07 A beat up Harmony for his ninth birthday 1:13:57 An amp with three knobs that would not distort 1:14:38 The broken tuner that became a distortion pedal 1:16:45 The amp in the Radio Flyer wagon 1:18:46 They never told him to have a fallback plan 1:21:26 Mike charged five dollars more, and sent the check 1:23:42 Work smarter, not harder 1:24:25 The phone rang more 1:25:48 "I do not walk into a restaurant and offer $17.99 for a steak" 1:27:48 A rate card priced at the top 1:30:57 Fewer calls, better calls 1:33:19 Mike's dad and the pep talk 1:35:09 What a low rate tells people about you 1:38:01 Rachel Yamagata 1:39:13 A rock band karaoke gig at the Jetty 1:40:17 The email that came two days later 1:41:00 "No, I live in Arnold, Maryland" 1:43:01 Two cars totalled falling asleep at the wheel 1:45:15 The pandemic ends the gigs 1:46:20 Producing an EP for Josh Willis 1:49:19 The session drummers are his two sons 1:50:27 Julian has written thousands of songs 1:52:21 Meeting his wife at Middleton's 1:55:16 "What was the secret?" There is not one 1:56:50 Aidan makes his living playing music 1:58:40 "You have a son who is a drummer, right?" Both of them 2:01:49 Calling out his own son 2:03:50 Drive against talent, and who actually wins 2:06:33 Why singing is the most personal thing 2:07:14 "All my friends say my music sounds the same" 2:08:17 He came home from tour and the album was finished 2:10:46 Recording 98 Rock onto a 120 minute cassette 2:11:48 "That solo could not be improved" 2:13:49 Singing into his parents' answering machine 2:15:15 Twenty percent then, five percent now 2:15:58 "Most of it is my worst playing" 2:17:47 Where he is actually comfortable 2:20:38 Trusting Andrew to find the take 2:23:46 The hill he will die on: clean tones 2:26:18 "You have to get it in your hands" 2:28:30 Thirteen year old him would hate his guitars now 2:31:22 Pell.Leo, Brantt and Julian Ewald 2:32:31 Seven albums in a month 2:35:41 There will never be another Beatles 2:36:43 What AI does to all of this 2:39:34 "I am never going to retire" 2:42:16 Paul Reed Smith will stop when he has to 2:44:41 A lifetime of not taking vacations 2:45:42 Paris for their seventh anniversary 2:47:41 He has never played Red Rocks 2:48:28 "A room full of guitars I will start selling today" 2:49:32 Jimmie's Chicken Shack at the State Theatre 2:51:17 The young players coming up 2:53:39 Morgan Gonts 2:54:53 Aidan in a Cars tribute THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY WAYFINDERS TESTICULAR HEALTH FUND Be Bold. Be Brave. Be Aware. Wayfinders THF is a Maryland-based 501(c)(3) dedicated to impacting the lives and health of young men by combating testicular cancer through awareness, education, fundraising, and community support, with a focus on men aged 14 to 35. A component fund of Chesapeake Charities. Website: https://www.wayfindersthf.org Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wayfindersthf Donate: https://ccharities.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/fund?funit_id=2419 PUTTS FORE! NUTS - 2nd Annual Charity Mini-Golf Tournament Saturday, October 17, 2026 · 11:30 AM - 6:00 PM Embers Island Mini-Golf, 2305 Philadelphia Ave Suite #4, Ocean City, MD 21842 Event info: https://www.wayfindersthf.org/putts-fore-nuts Register / donate: https://ccharities.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/list/event?event_date_id=2419 Sponsorships available at every level - team, tee box, prizes, t-shirts and more. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE PRS Guitars · Custom 24 · McCarty · Silver Sky · S2 · SE · Private Stock · the Cleo · Paul Reed Smith · Jim Cullen · Mark Quigley · Tom Walls · Andrew Dorbin Jimmie's Chicken Shack · Starbelly · the Jarflys · Non-Fiction · Technicolor Motorhome · Take 6 · Jimi HaHa · Cliff Hillis · Meg Murray · Matt Jones Pat DiNizio and the Smithereens · Warren Zanes and the Del Fuegos · Rachel Yamagata · John Alagia · Clint Holmes · Nnenna Freelon · Kirk Whalum Rhett Shull · Pete Thorn · Tim Pierce · Jacob Collier · Steve Lukather · Allan Holdsworth · Julian Lage · Danny Gatton · Jamie West-Oram and the Fixx · Echo and the Bunnymen · Tears for Fears · Tom Petty · Bob Marley · Django Reinhardt · King Crimson · Paul Simon Brandon Hardesty and Bumpin Uglies · J. Coursey Willis · Wrightway Studios · Daphne Eckman · Morgan Gonts · Noah Pierre · Dan Ryan and Super City · Nicholas Ray Annapolis · Arnold · Eastport · Severna Park · Roanoke · Armadillo's · Middleton Tavern · the Jetty · Rams Head · the Avalon Theatre · the State Theatre · Love Point Vineyards · Bay Hills Golf Course · Anne Arundel Community College Harmony · Kramer · Ibanez Universe · '68 Super Reverb · Neural DSP Quad Cortex · Mellotron · 98 Rock · DC101 · Record & Tape Traders · NAMM CONNECT WITH BRYAN EWALD Website and full gig calendar: https://bryanewald.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bryan_ewald Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bryanewaldmusic Bandcamp: https://bryanewald.bandcamp.com PRS Guitars: https://prsguitars.com Jimmie's Chicken Shack: https://jimmieschickenshack.bandcamp.com Meg Murray: https://megmurray.com Aidan Ewald: https://www.aidanewald.com The Candy Rocks: https://www.facebook.com/p/The-Candy-Rocks-61573946916316 Julian Ewald releases under Julian Ewald, Pell.Leo and Brantt SUPPORT THE SHIFT WITH MIKE & JOE Website: https://www.theshiftwithmikeandjoe.com Donate: https://www.theshiftwithmikeandjoe.com/giving-page-2-1 Email: info@theshiftwithmikeandjoe.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheShiftwithMikeandJoe-jf9ot Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theshiftwithmikeandjoe/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61574975860350 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theshiftwithmikea Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-shift-with-mike-joe/id1813198065 Podbean: https://joer7.podbean.com CONNECT WITH MIKE & JOE Michael Waskey Music Website: https://www.michaelwaskey.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michaelwaskeymusic Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michaelwaskeymusic Kent Island Academy of Music (Mike) Website: https://kentislandacademyofmusic.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KentIslandAcademyOfMusic/ Image & Sound Media (Joe) Website: https://www.imagesoundmedia.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100094021747690 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imageandsoundmedia TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@imagesoundmedia YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@imagesoundmedia Joe Bryan Music Website: https://www.joebryanmusic.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550810556745 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joebryanmusic TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@joebryanmusic PODCAST PRODUCTION GEAR (EPISODE 43) Cameras: Sony A7 IV, Sony A7 V, Sony FX3, Sony A7C II Main Audio: Shure SM7B (Joe, Mike & Bryan) Interface: Focusrite Scarlett 18i18 Audio Software: Reaper Video Editing: DaVinci Resolve Studio Lighting: Amaran 100x & 200x softboxes + Amaran tube lights The Shift with Mike & Joe is fully produced by Image & Sound Media. https://www.imagesoundmedia.com #TheShiftPodcast #Guitar #PRSGuitars #SessionMusician #WorkingMusician #Annapolis #EasternShore #MarylandPodcast #MusicBusiness #WayfindersTHF

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  Episode #42

  J. Coursey Willis on True Crime Cult, Cemetery Walks + The Graveyard Under the Parking Lot - EP 42

  Aug 26, 20261h 32m

  "Some people party in fields. Some people party in houses. I like to party in cemeteries." On the second night of a true crime trivia event at Cult Classic, a woman came in wearing a wig and a set of scrubs and said she was only there with her daughter. She had played the night before. She stood out. Josh started writing alternate question sets the following month. J. Coursey Willis is back, thirty two episodes after EP 10. Everybody on Kent Island calls him Josh. Nobody knows what the J stands for, and he is not telling. The true crime night started as a throwaway line at the end of the bar over tequila. Rory keeps a little notepad behind the bar at Cult Classic, scratches things into it and puts it straight back. Josh said something about true crime, Rory wrote it down, put the notepad back, and called the next day to say do it. The first case was the Beltway snipers and it sold out in a couple of hours in the venue room. It has grown into three nights in a row, third week of every month, and its own culture with it. Three weeks of study per case for Josh, sixty to ninety questions written so no two nights are the same, mug shots between rounds, and teams of up to eight who split the case between them so nobody has to learn the whole thing. On the Watts case there was a two thousand page court release, and more than one person read all of it. There is heckling, there are arguments, there is a lot of wine, and no, not everybody gets a trophy. The rest of it is the same instinct pointed at different things. Sippin' in a Cemetery came out of drinking in cemeteries as a nine year old behind his house on Cox Neck, and is now twelve people, two hours, a glass of wine and a storyline that connects the headstones to each other. The Unmarked Path is the same idea walking the Narrows. Where the Water Narrows is a dinner at the Narrows restaurant, seven courses and seven stories, told from the county slips out. He also runs Historic Kent Island, which he started because the Heritage Society preserves what has already been saved and somebody needed to be the one saying this needs to stop and here is why. Interpretive signs on the Cross Island Trail and at Terrapin Park. A grant to restore the Ringgold burial ground, where there are only three stones left standing and a 1809 deed suggesting there are more people under there than anyone has counted. Ground penetrating radar to find out. And then the failures, which he is unusually straight about. Ninety percent of the ideas flop. A two day driving tour in Talbot County that was a great time and could never be repeated. A concept album story he loved and nobody else did. It got dark enough that he was thinking about going back to a regular job, and it took Jen saying they needed more money to pay the bills for him to sit down and write out every idea he had. Underneath all of it is the thing he only half expected to talk about. Josh is adopted, and found out somewhere around nine years old. He describes it as a foggy patch in his memory, a clear before and a clear after and nothing in between. What went missing was not a family, his mom and dad Bob and Sheila are the greatest parents in the world, it was a version of his own story. He thinks that is exactly why he spent his childhood in the woods looking through the windows of empty houses and reading headstones and wondering whose story that was. He was two days old when they got him. He is only starting to look into it now, and mostly because the book needs it to be accurate. The last half hour goes wide: the graveyard now under an auto body shop parking lot in Stevensville, the old house across from the high school that he rented in 2006 and heated with two fireplaces, what happened to the hotel at Love Point, a lobster boat in Maine that costs $1.5 million to get into, vape cartridges turning up where the arrowheads are, the wine, the Norton grape, Pallet Palooza, and ChatGPT briefing Joe on his own guest and confidently describing a completely different man. EP 10, his first time on the show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZxnY1ud8yI What shift have you experienced in your life? CHAPTERS 00:00 Wayfinders Testicular Health Fund 00:14 "What are you introducing me as?" 01:18 Welcome to Episode 42 02:53 True Crime Tuesday becomes True Crime Cult 03:08 Rory's notepad at the end of the bar 03:54 Case based trivia, with the dark stuff in it 04:22 Night one was the Beltway snipers, and it sold out in hours 04:43 Three weeks of work for every case 04:58 Two nights, then three 05:23 The woman in the wig and the scrubs 05:46 Why it became a cult 06:38 Today's announcement: the Ocean City murders 07:17 Mug shots, and Brad behind the bar 08:55 Somebody read all 2,000 pages of the Watts file 09:23 "If you're stupid, I'll call you stupid" 10:36 "Have you ever killed a person?" 11:05 The joke he had to read off the phone 12:19 The night a team thought it was a lecture 12:59 What color was the t-shirt 13:16 Devin memorized every phone number in the case 16:02 Jen in the back with the spreadsheet 16:33 Spelling the oil field exactly right 17:42 "A light colored shirt is not a color" 18:41 The black shirts you can only be given 19:02 Sippin' in a Cemetery 19:26 Drinking in cemeteries at nine years old 20:29 "I like to party in cemeteries" 21:36 Connecting the headstones into one storyline 22:28 Somebody will stand over your headstone one day 22:57 "We thought that was going to go better" 23:14 Twelve people, two hours, and please stop filming 25:11 Cemeteries used to be parks 26:09 The mediums who knew things they should not have 27:23 Joe's dad and the Savannah ghost tour 28:09 The book 29:04 Bridges, half price wine, and a laptop 29:43 A memoir of Kent Island 32:00 The graveyard under the body shop parking lot 32:43 The old house across from the high school 35:31 Whatever happened to the hotel at Love Point 36:55 Bill Cockey, and a headstone in the wrong place 37:56 The farm where Claiborne's fort was 38:37 Sponsor - Wayfinders THF & Putts Fore! Nuts 40:09 What Historic Kent Island actually does 41:09 "This needs to stop, and here's why" 42:00 Restoring the Ringgold burial ground 43:57 The songs they shot in that cemetery 44:58 Where the Water Narrows: seven courses, seven stories 47:10 The Unmarked Path 48:00 ChatGPT confuses him with Jason Morton 49:18 "Ninety percent of them flop" 49:45 The driving tour that never took off 52:04 The concept album nobody cared about 52:43 "We need more money to help pay some of these bills" 53:57 "You have found a pocket of history you're making cool" 55:06 Growing up on workboats 55:39 Finding out he was adopted 55:57 "That's not my story" 56:40 Raised by the island 58:22 The genetics question in class 58:53 Two days old 0:59:58 "You've been accepted, don't mess that up" 1:02:21 The County Slips documentary 1:02:50 "I can't be director, producer, writer" 1:04:58 A double entendre 1:07:12 The largest congregation of workboats in Maryland 1:07:55 "It's like watching a dog die" 1:08:13 The lobster boat in Maine 1:09:51 $1.5 million and 800 traps 1:11:13 Where do you think the seafood comes from 1:12:12 No white perch 1:13:08 Vape cartridges on the beach 1:13:42 Back in the studio this fall 1:14:10 "Are you giving up music?" 1:15:11 The cabin that doubled in price 1:16:43 Why he does not do album releases any more 1:18:40 The Shift Live at Cult Classic 1:19:08 Don't call Rory big man 1:19:38 Pallet Palooza, and burning whatever you hate 1:21:02 The New Year's Eve dumpster fire 1:21:45 Why the haunted trail is on hold 1:22:47 A night at the winery, hunting for a grave 1:23:16 A tyrant, his wife, and the courts 1:24:57 The wine, and how little of it there is 1:26:02 The Norton grape 1:28:09 You only get that vintage once 1:29:07 Sipping on the short bus 1:29:46 Where to find him 1:29:59 Join the murder of crows 1:31:02 Cemeteries under code names THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY WAYFINDERS TESTICULAR HEALTH FUND Be Bold. Be Brave. Be Aware. Wayfinders THF is a Maryland-based 501(c)(3) dedicated to impacting the lives and health of young men by combating testicular cancer through awareness, education, fundraising, and community support, with a focus on men aged 14 to 35. A component fund of Chesapeake Charities. Website: https://www.wayfindersthf.org Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wayfindersthf Donate: https://ccharities.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/fund?funit_id=2419 PUTTS FORE! NUTS - 2nd Annual Charity Mini-Golf Tournament Saturday, October 17, 2026 · 11:30 AM - 6:00 PM Embers Island Mini-Golf, 2305 Philadelphia Ave Suite #4, Ocean City, MD 21842 Event info: https://www.wayfindersthf.org/putts-fore-nuts Register / donate: https://ccharities.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/list/event?event_date_id=2419 Sponsorships available at every level - team, tee box, prizes, t-shirts and more. CONNECT WITH J. COURSEY WILLIS Website: https://jcourseywillis.com Gatherings and tickets: https://jcourseywillis.com/pages/gatherings The Murder of Crows: https://jcourseywillis.com/pages/murder-of-crows The Unmarked Path: https://jcourseywillis.com/pages/the-unmarked-path Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jcourseywillis Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JCourseyWillis TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jcourseywillis YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JCourseyWillis Historic Kent Island: https://historickentisland.org True Crime Cult tickets: https://cultclassic.simpletix.com Cult Classic Brewing: https://cultclassicbrewing.com Chesapeake Manor Vineyard: https://chesapeakemanorvineyard.com MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Cult Classic Brewing · The Narrows Restaurant · Chesapeake Manor Vineyard · Bridges · Kentmorr · Harris Crab House · Baker's Liquors True Crime Cult · Sippin' In A Cemetery · The Unmarked Path · Where the Water Narrows · Pallet Palooza · Songs & Stories of the Island's Son Historic Kent Island · Kent Island Heritage Society · Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum · Maryland Historical Trust Kent Narrows · Love Point · Stevensville · Grasonville · Romancoke · Cox Neck · Chesley Road · Bay City · Cockey Lane · Terrapin Park · Cross Island Trail · Thompson Creek William Claiborne and the 1631 fort · the Ringgold family burial ground · the Cray House · C.J. Langenfelder & Son · the Love Point hotel The Beltway snipers · the Chris Watts case and Cervi 319 · the Ocean City murders and the Sifrits Boordy Vineyards · Linganore Winecellars · Mark Cascia Vineyards · Layton's Chance · Chambourcin · Barbera Rose · the Norton grape Candlebox · Island Styles · BJ Kerwin · Jason Morton & The Chesapeake Sons Neil deGrasse Tyson · ChatGPT · Claude SUPPORT THE SHIFT WITH MIKE & JOE Website: https://www.theshiftwithmikeandjoe.com Donate: https://www.theshiftwithmikeandjoe.com/giving-page-2-1 Email: info@theshiftwithmikeandjoe.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheShiftwithMikeandJoe-jf9ot Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theshiftwithmikeandjoe/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61574975860350 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theshiftwithmikea Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-shift-with-mike-joe/id1813198065 Podbean: https://joer7.podbean.com CONNECT WITH MIKE & JOE Michael Waskey Music Website: https://www.michaelwaskey.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michaelwaskeymusic Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michaelwaskeymusic Kent Island Academy of Music (Mike) Website: https://kentislandacademyofmusic.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KentIslandAcademyOfMusic/ Image & Sound Media (Joe) Website: https://www.imagesoundmedia.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100094021747690 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imageandsoundmedia TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@imagesoundmedia YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@imagesoundmedia Joe Bryan Music Website: https://www.joebryanmusic.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550810556745 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joebryanmusic TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@joebryanmusic PODCAST PRODUCTION GEAR (EPISODE 42) Cameras: Sony A7 IV, Sony A7 V, Sony FX3, Sony A7C II Main Audio: Shure SM7B (Joe, Mike & Josh) Interface: Focusrite Scarlett 18i18 Audio Software: Reaper Video Editing: DaVinci Resolve Studio Lighting: Amaran 100x & 200x softboxes + Amaran tube lights The Shift with Mike & Joe is fully produced by Image & Sound Media. https://www.imagesoundmedia.com #TheShiftPodcast #TrueCrime #LocalHistory #KentIsland #EasternShore #Annapolis #MarylandPodcast #Storytelling #Winery #WayfindersTHF

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  Episode #41

  We Interview Each Other Pt 2 | Joe Bryan on Addiction, Rehab + The Night His Dealer Said No - EP 41

  Aug 12, 20261h 41m

  "I can't figure you out." That's what Joe's first counselor told him in treatment. She had clients who'd been born addicted, clients who'd watched a parent murdered, and then she had Joe — good childhood, both parents, both sets of grandparents, no reason anyone could point to. She couldn't work out how he'd ended up in the chair across from her. This is Part 2 of the two-part swap. Last episode Joe asked the questions. This week Mike turns it around, with help from ChatGPT, and gets a lot further than either of them expected. The first half is the long way round. Queen Anne Colony, the year and a half when his parents split and he lived across the bridge at Cape St. Clair, and coming back to Centreville in fifth grade as the new kid in the lowest grade in the school. Karate from middle school to seventeen. Hunting with his dad, then guiding for his uncle's outfitting business until fourteen-hour days in the cold burned it out of him. The guitar his dad bought off another kid his senior year, and the hours spent getting Blackbird wrong until it was right. Then the jobs, and there are a lot of them: scraping and waxing boat bottoms at Island Yacht Brokers at thirteen, alone in the yard hitting rocks with a piece of wood and calling the play-by-play. Painting houses. Landscaping in Juneau, Alaska, and a salmon and halibut charter. A seasonal naturalist gig at Tuckahoe State Park with owls and red-tailed hawks. Cutting greens at Queenstown. And thirty minutes at J.Crew before he told them he had to get something out of his car, drove away, and never went back. After the break it turns. Joe got clean at 31, when his son was two, and then spent about six years working inside addiction treatment — residential coordinator, admissions, and eventually a counselor. He's clear-eyed about what he saw: treatment is a good thing and treatment is a business, and the further up the chain you go the more the second one shows. He walks through two clients he had at the same time, one on private insurance and one on state, and why the one who needed him most got seen least. And then his own story, told plainly. Skoal as a cart boy at Prospect Bay. Beers left behind after tournaments. Being against weed until he wasn't, then a full-blown pothead inside two weeks. The first Percocet, which he names as the real turning point. The Oxycontin years. Why he never ended up shooting heroin — and the night before treatment when he asked his dealer to do it for him, and the dealer said no, because he knew Joe wouldn't go if he did. Two relapses after that, one at ninety days installing satellite dishes for DirecTV, and one nobody knew about for two years until it surfaced during step work with his sponsor. He changed his clean date and told his home group. He's just as matter-of-fact about a couple of drinks in the last six months. The hardest decision he's ever made wasn't getting clean. It was accepting he had to go all in — and it came down to reading a pamphlet in a common room between groups and not being able to answer no to a single question on it. The last half hour is lighter and better for it: how he found out he could sing by calling his own answering machine and singing into the voicemail, the only book he's ever read and the ten pages of it he skipped, and what success actually means when you're honest that it includes money. There's a baby due October 2nd, a twelve-year-old with two travel teams, a print-on-demand t-shirt idea he keeps not starting, and a barn studio he'd build tomorrow. Part 1 — where Joe asks the questions — is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJJ31SxHqSk What shift have you experienced in your life? CHAPTERS 00:00 Wayfinders Testicular Health Fund 00:45 Welcome to Episode 41 01:12 Part 2 of the swap — Mike asks the questions 01:44 "What's your favorite thing about me?" 02:16 A weekend of gigs, and a voice that's shot 03:00 The guy who asked to sing at Betty's 05:47 "You don't cuss anymore" 06:29 "I wish you would just buy a new car" 07:18 Childhood, and a brother named Jake 08:55 His parents split — moving to Cape St. Clair 09:21 Back to Centreville in fifth grade 10:25 The new kid in the lowest grade in the school 11:40 Redneck row, and where Joe parked instead 12:18 Hunting with his dad 13:21 Guiding in his twenties, and burning out 13:52 "Have you ever killed a man?" 14:11 When music entered 14:57 Nirvana, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam 15:33 The guitar his dad bought him senior year 16:05 Sitting down with Blackbird 17:59 Karate, middle school to 17 19:40 Mentors, and both grandfathers 22:13 Mr. Nicely and the wood carving class 24:12 A real fear of heights 24:41 Wishing he was a better guitar player 25:34 Maine, Alaska, Yellowstone — and never Europe 26:40 Every job he's ever had 27:06 Island Yacht Brokers at 13, and hitting rocks with a stick 29:30 Thirty minutes at J.Crew 29:55 Brett, and the move to Juneau 31:56 Tuckahoe State Park, owls and hawks 33:15 What's the actual goal when you cut grass? 34:09 Queenstown Golf Course grounds crew 36:54 Getting clean, and going to work in treatment 37:25 Serenity Acres, and what an RC actually does 38:46 Admissions, insurance, and a pay cut to go back 41:30 George, and the job at Evolve 42:34 Burning out, and picking up a camera 42:59 Sponsor — Wayfinders THF & Putts Fore! Nuts 44:31 What makes a treatment center good or bad 44:49 "It's a great thing. However, it is a business." 46:53 Why insurance decides who gets care 47:48 Private insurance vs. state insurance 50:50 Too much recovery, recovery, recovery 52:12 Skoal at Prospect Bay 53:33 Against weed, then full-blown in two weeks 54:27 Percocet, and the real turning point 56:39 The Oxycontin years 58:05 Why he never shot up 59:04 The night his dealer said no 59:41 Going to treatment at 31 1:01:05 DirecTV, and a thought out of nowhere 1:02:07 Back to treatment the second time 1:03:22 The Tylenol with codeine he hid for two years 1:04:33 Telling his home group, and changing his clean date 1:05:50 The hardest decision he's ever made 1:06:11 Going all in on a 12-step program 1:08:00 The NA pamphlet in the common room 1:08:51 Two weeks of "Hi, I'm Joe" 1:09:29 Why videography 1:11:36 Learning aperture off YouTube 1:14:10 Priorities — and a baby due October 2nd 1:16:13 Print-on-demand t-shirts 1:17:23 "Drunken Grown Ups" and other dumb shirts 1:18:47 If money weren't an issue 1:20:08 The studio he'd build 1:21:49 When he figured out he could sing 1:22:12 Singing into his own answering machine 1:24:18 Finding your voice, and being scared to belt it 1:27:37 Rapid fire 1:27:52 The only book he's ever read 1:29:38 Dog or cat 1:30:34 What does success actually mean? 1:31:04 "That definitely does include money" 1:31:38 Wanting to spend $5,000 without worrying 1:34:09 The dream house, and a big finished barn 1:36:07 What he hopes his grandkids say 1:37:31 When he feels most alive 1:38:31 What would surprise someone who knew him at 18 1:40:10 Wayfinders Testicular Health Fund THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY WAYFINDERS TESTICULAR HEALTH FUND Be Bold. Be Brave. Be Aware. Wayfinders THF is a Maryland-based 501(c)(3) dedicated to impacting the lives and health of young men by combating testicular cancer through awareness, education, fundraising, and community support — with a focus on men aged 14 to 35. A component fund of Chesapeake Charities. Website: https://www.wayfindersthf.org Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wayfindersthf Donate: https://ccharities.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/fund?funit_id=2419 PUTTS FORE! NUTS — 2nd Annual Charity Mini-Golf Tournament Saturday, October 17, 2026 · 11:30 AM – 6:00 PM Embers Island Mini-Golf, 2305 Philadelphia Ave Suite #4, Ocean City, MD 21842 Event info: https://www.wayfindersthf.org/putts-fore-nuts Register / donate: https://ccharities.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/list/event?event_date_id=2419 Sponsorships available at every level — team, tee box, prizes, t-shirts and more. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Dave Matthews Band · Nirvana · Soundgarden · Stone Temple Pilots · Pearl Jam · Toadies · Phish "Come As You Are" · "Blackbird" · "Yellow Ledbetter" · "Wild Horses" · "Folsom Prison Blues" · "Bad Moon Rising" · "Stir It Up" · 40oz. to Freedom Queen Anne Colony · Cape St. Clair · Centreville Middle School · Kent Narrows · Betty's · Pintail Point · Prospect Bay · Queenstown Golf Course · Tuckahoe State Park · Juneau, Alaska · Salisbury University · Mardela Springs · Fairlee Island Yacht Brokers · J.Crew · DirecTV · Serenity Acres · Evolve · Narcotics Anonymous Chesapeake by James Michener · Surviving the Game · Ultimate Guitar · ChatGPT SUPPORT THE SHIFT WITH MIKE & JOE Website: https://www.theshiftwithmikeandjoe.com Donate: https://www.theshiftwithmikeandjoe.com/giving-page-2-1 Email: info@theshiftwithmikeandjoe.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheShiftwithMikeandJoe-jf9ot Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theshiftwithmikeandjoe/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61574975860350 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theshiftwithmikea Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-shift-with-mike-joe/id1813198065 Podbean: https://joer7.podbean.com CONNECT WITH MIKE & JOE Michael Waskey Music Website: https://www.michaelwaskey.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michaelwaskeymusic Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michaelwaskeymusic Kent Island Academy of Music (Mike) Website: https://kentislandacademyofmusic.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KentIslandAcademyOfMusic/ Image & Sound Media (Joe) Website: https://www.imagesoundmedia.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100094021747690 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imageandsoundmedia TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@imagesoundmedia YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@imagesoundmedia Joe Bryan Music Website: https://www.joebryanmusic.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550810556745 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joebryanmusic TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@joebryanmusic PODCAST PRODUCTION GEAR (EPISODE 41) Cameras: Sony A7 IV, Sony A7 V, Sony FX3 Main Audio: Shure SM7B (Joe & Mike) Interface: Focusrite Scarlett 18i18 Audio Software: Reaper Video Editing: DaVinci Resolve Studio Lighting: Amaran 100x & 200x softboxes + Amaran tube lights The Shift with Mike & Joe is fully produced by Image & Sound Media. https://www.imagesoundmedia.com If you or someone you know is struggling with substance use, the SAMHSA National Helpline is free and confidential: 1-800-662-4357. #TheShiftPodcast #EntrepreneurLife #BusinessTalk #mikeandjoeshow #KentIsland #EasternShore #Annapolis #MarylandPodcast #Recovery #WayfindersTHF

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  Episode #40

  We Interview Each Other Pt 1 | Mike Waskey on Cults, 4 Adopted Kids + Why He Owns 42 Bags - EP 40

  Jul 29, 20261h 45m

  "I felt like a hero, Joe." Mike Waskey owns 42 bags. He can recite the model names from memory. And by the end of this conversation he can tell you exactly why — it goes back to a pair of pants that split open on his second day working at Starbucks. This is Part 1 of a two-part swap: no guest, no format, just Mike and Joe interviewing each other. Joe takes the chair this week and asks Mike the questions. Next episode, Mike turns it around — with help from ChatGPT, since he's decided that's fair play. Joe did zero preparation, and it shows in the best way. The first hour wanders through beef tallow hair product, a pair of $400 Randolph sunglasses, Project Hail Mary, Silo, and a dad joke that probably shouldn't have survived the edit. Then it gets somewhere real. Mike's father grew up in the Plymouth Brethren — a religious group headquartered in Australia where children weren't allowed to listen to the radio, and where leaving meant your entire family stopped speaking to you. He got out by enlisting as a conscientious objector. Mike walks us through what he knows of it, why he thinks people are drawn to that kind of thing, and his own view that any organization worth joining should probably be a little bit cultish. We trace the stages of Michael Steven Waskey: the soccer-and-karate kid, the skateboarding guitar player with the 90s haircut, the kid who quit the soccer team after fighting three teammates who were picking on someone smaller, the high schooler recording an album with Statue Spread, the heavy phase with Clockwork, and the college student who found out he could sing in an ear training class. And the Heavy Fred years — which means the crab tater tots story. Joe walking off stage mid-song to eat by the handful, Mike hiding his keys, the band leaving without him, and the intervention that took another year and a half to work. Both of them tell it straight. After the break Joe asks what Mike's morals and values actually are, and Mike takes it seriously: family as the basis of society, four adopted children, faith, and the parts he doesn't live up to. He's unusually honest about it — the word games he plays with pricing to make more money, jealousy, and a resistance to authority that runs from claiming cash tips all the way down to wearing a seatbelt. Then the bags. Mike pulls one off camera and gives an unrequested tour, and it becomes the most revealing part of the episode: a wrench pulled out of a tire on vacation with paracord and a hitch, the ripped pants at Starbucks, and what it actually feels like to be the person who has what everyone needs. We also get into what's next — pivoting from bar gigs to weddings, funerals, and corporate events, playing fewer but better shows, and the fact that he needs to go buy a suit. What shift have you experienced in your life? CHAPTERS 00:00 Wayfinders Testicular Health Fund 00:45 Welcome to Episode 40 — no guest this time 01:41 The plan: we interview each other 02:11 "Did you do any research on me?" 02:47 First question: beef tallow hair product 03:53 $400 sunglasses and the Randolph rabbit hole 07:15 The $40 glasses with magnetic clip-ons 08:26 Project Hail Mary 10:06 Silo, and drip-feeding a story 12:32 The jeans, the air conditioner, and "give me your login" 13:12 A dad joke that shouldn't have made the edit 13:46 Michael Steven Waskey — born Easton, raised Kent Island 14:39 Mike's dad grew up in a cult 16:44 The Plymouth Brethren, and leaving through the military 17:52 What draws people to cults? 18:30 "Any organization worth joining should be a little bit cultish" 20:47 Why Mike's dad got out 22:18 The Amish, the Mennonites, and friction as a feature 23:49 Raw milk, herd shares, and a solar-powered bathroom 26:06 The stages of Michael Waskey: soccer and karate 27:38 Skateboarding, guitar, and the 90s haircut 28:24 Quitting the soccer team over a fight 29:10 First bands, John Gunther, and Statue Spread 32:17 Recording in high school, and going heavy with Clockwork 33:48 College, learning to sing, and going solo 34:36 Trading time for money vs. writing songs 36:08 Musical influences — and the Heavy Fred years 36:57 The crab tater tot story 37:42 The intervention that took another year and a half 38:28 Singers you can't get past 42:21 How a band survives 40 years and two heroin addictions 46:12 What Mike actually listens to now 50:04 The Charles Ponzi series 51:36 How the Ponzi scheme actually worked 57:04 Letting AI invest your money 58:57 Sponsor — Wayfinders THF & Putts Fore! Nuts 1:00:26 What are your morals and values? 1:00:59 Family, faith, and four adopted children 1:02:32 Where morals come from 1:04:59 Following the Bible, and why people interpret it differently 1:07:19 Do you live up to your own values? 1:08:54 Being honest with yourself 1:10:28 Pricing, word games, and the urge to be dishonest 1:12:49 Authority, seatbelts, and claiming cash tips 1:14:28 Laziness, oversleeping, and the chicken coop 1:17:34 The bag segment begins 1:18:19 The Vertx Urban Ghost sling 1:20:37 Hero clips, rapid access tabs, and CCW compartments 1:22:56 Why bags? The doomsday prepper phase 1:24:32 The wrench in the tire 1:27:40 The ripped pants at Starbucks 1:28:25 "I felt like a hero, Joe" 1:29:12 Joe needs a bag 1:31:32 Does a sling look manly? 1:33:04 The Vanquest Katara, and knowing all the names 1:33:49 What's next: pivoting to private events 1:35:23 Weddings, funerals, and what to charge 1:38:28 Foster care, and MSW upside down 1:39:14 Mike's crowd work 1:41:33 Taking a break vs. working the room 1:43:51 Why private gigs feel different 1:44:37 Rating Joe's interview skills 1:44:54 Wayfinders Testicular Health Fund THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY WAYFINDERS TESTICULAR HEALTH FUND Be Bold. Be Brave. Be Aware. Wayfinders THF is a Maryland-based 501(c)(3) dedicated to impacting the lives and health of young men by combating testicular cancer through awareness, education, fundraising, and community support — with a focus on men aged 14 to 35. A component fund of Chesapeake Charities. Website: https://www.wayfindersthf.org Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wayfindersthf Donate: https://ccharities.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/fund?funit_id=2419 PUTTS FORE! NUTS — 2nd Annual Charity Mini-Golf Tournament Saturday, October 17, 2026 · 11:30 AM – 6:00 PM Embers Island Mini-Golf, 2305 Philadelphia Ave Suite #4, Ocean City, MD 21842 Event info: https://www.wayfindersthf.org/putts-fore-nuts Register / donate: https://ccharities.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/list/event?event_date_id=2419 Sponsorships available at every level — team, tee box, prizes, t-shirts and more. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Randolph Engineering sunglasses · Zenni · Project Hail Mary · Silo · Plymouth Brethren Statue Spread · Clockwork · Heavy Fred · John Gunther Counting Crows · Third Eye Blind · Matchbox 20 · The Get Up Kids · Mineral · Bright Eyes · Deftones · Meshuggah · Radiohead · Red Hot Chili Peppers · Jason Isbell Dead Drop · Theo Von · Joe Rogan · Diary of a CEO · Sean Ryan Show · Lex Fridman · The Gigging Musician Podcast · Blurry Creatures · Haunted Cosmos · Alex O'Connor Vertx Urban Ghost sling · Vanquest Katara · HeroClip SUPPORT THE SHIFT WITH MIKE & JOE Website: https://www.theshiftwithmikeandjoe.com Donate: https://www.theshiftwithmikeandjoe.com/giving-page-2-1 Email: info@theshiftwithmikeandjoe.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheShiftwithMikeandJoe-jf9ot Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theshiftwithmikeandjoe/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61574975860350 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theshiftwithmikea Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-shift-with-mike-joe/id1813198065 Podbean: https://joer7.podbean.com CONNECT WITH MIKE & JOE Michael Waskey Music Website: https://www.michaelwaskey.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michaelwaskeymusic Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michaelwaskeymusic Kent Island Academy of Music (Mike) Website: https://kentislandacademyofmusic.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KentIslandAcademyOfMusic/ Image & Sound Media (Joe) Website: https://www.imagesoundmedia.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100094021747690 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imageandsoundmedia TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@imagesoundmedia YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@imagesoundmedia Joe Bryan Music Website: https://www.joebryanmusic.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550810556745 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joebryanmusic TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@joebryanmusic PODCAST PRODUCTION GEAR (EPISODE 40) Camera: Sony A7C II Main Audio: Shure SM7B (Joe & Mike) Interface: Focusrite Scarlett 18i18 Audio Software: Reaper Video Editing: DaVinci Resolve Studio Lighting: Amaran 100x & 200x softboxes + Amaran tube lights The Shift with Mike & Joe is fully produced by Image & Sound Media. https://www.imagesoundmedia.com #TheShiftPodcast #EntrepreneurLife #BusinessTalk #mikeandjoeshow #KentIsland #EasternShore #Annapolis #MarylandPodcast #TesticularCancerAwareness #WayfindersTHF

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  Episode #39

  Jason Morton on 800 Facebook Ads, Atomic Habits + Why Consistency Beats Talent - EP 39

  Jul 15, 20262h 18m

  "I wasn't the best. I was the most consistent out of any of my competition." Jason Morton has run roughly 800 Facebook ads in three years — one for every show, no matter how small — and he can now walk into a venue negotiation with the data to back up his rate. This is the most practical conversation we've had on this show. Jason Morton of Jason Morton & The Chesapeake Sons is back for his second appearance, 32 episodes after he sat in a plastic chair as one of our first guests ever. He's just off a plane from Nashville with four new songs, the masters back last week, and a rebrand in progress: the same country rock bones with poppier vocal melodies laid over the top. We start with how he got here — piano at four, guitar through middle school, a jock in high school who played alone in his room, then a biology degree at Salisbury he picked almost by accident and never used. He tells the story of driving home halfway through college to tell his dad he was quitting biology for music, and what his father said back. Then it turns into something closer to a masterclass. Jason walks through the promotion system he's built: a Facebook event page for every single show, a video embedded in it, a boosted ad geo-targeted to twenty-five miles, separate ads for engagement and for ticket sales, and the club owner added as a co-host so the venue has skin in the game too. He explains why you delete old event pages, why your Instagram grid matters more than any single post, and why one ad for one show is meaningless but a hundred and fifty of them is leverage. The other thread running through the whole episode is Atomic Habits, which Jason picked up because he kept reaching the end of a day and wondering where it had gone. Cue, craving, response, reward. Design the environment instead of relying on willpower. Say "I'm a musician," not "I play music." He's up at 5am now, gym first, ten to two for content — and he's honest that the reason he falls off is always that he let the environment slide, usually a cluttered garage. We also get into the hard conversation most local bands never have: live players versus studio players, and what it costs to tell the guitarist who's driven all those miles with you that his parts aren't going on the record. We also talk about why less polish outperforms more right now, the artist who cut 500 reels for a single song, taking the last record offline, changing your sound and losing fans, Wim Hof breathing, learning to regulate your nervous system, what a hospice nurse hears people regret at the end, and the mentor who beat Paul Reed Smith for Small Businessman of the Year. What shift have you experienced in your life? CHAPTERS 00:00 Sponsor — Wayfinders Testicular Health Fund 00:30 Cold open: first listen to "Fishin' in Tennessee" 01:15 Why Mike hates a fade-out 02:35 When a fade-out is actually the right call 03:00 Writing music you can see before you can hear it 04:18 Every YouTuber starts with the thumbnail 05:40 Jason Morton is back, 32 episodes later 06:30 The brown pants 07:30 Five Metallica shirts, Monday through Friday 08:45 Just back from Nashville with four new songs 09:30 The rebrand: poppy melodies on country rock bones 10:14 "Psychedelic myopic rock" and why venues pull old bios 12:00 The band that's been together ten years 13:30 How he ended up a biology major by accident 15:19 Piano at four, guitar in middle school, jock in high school 17:00 Telling his dad he was quitting biology for music 18:44 Does your degree actually matter? 20:25 The trades, HVAC, and the friends who did better 21:17 Construction, beers at 2pm, and getting stuck 23:00 Why rehab fails when you return to the same environment 23:50 Atomic Habits enters the conversation 25:00 A wife who's up at 6am with four horses 26:22 Why self-help books stop working after three months 27:14 Design the environment, not the willpower 28:05 The guitar on the stand instead of in the case 28:56 Cue, craving, response, reward 30:37 Cravings that arrive without a cue 31:27 "I'm a musician" beats "I play music" 32:17 The heaviest weight in the gym is the front door 33:08 The 400-pound guy who just had to walk in 34:49 Paralysis by analysis 35:40 Why less polish performs better now 37:24 From two videos a week to fifteen clips a day 38:15 Kels, and the 500 reels for one single 39:57 Instagram trial reels 40:49 The horse manure video his wife was right about 43:21 People want the personality, not the production 46:44 Posting every day changes you as a person 47:35 The stroller review that proved the point 49:17 When a person becomes a brand 50:11 The label that paid $10,000 for a brand guide 52:43 Make a Facebook event page for every single show 54:24 Embed the video, boost the ad, target 25 miles 56:06 The people who show up after seeing you for two years 56:57 150 shows, 150 ads, and the data to prove it 58:39 Using ad data to negotiate your rate 1:00:21 Make the club owner a co-host 1:02:02 "How many people are you bringing tonight?" 1:05:26 Separate ads for engagement and for tickets 1:07:59 What Joe has been doing differently 1:08:49 4:5 for the feed, 9:16 for stories 1:12:19 Delete your old event pages 1:14:04 What your Instagram grid says about you 1:15:46 Taking the last record offline 1:16:36 Will you lose fans by changing your sound? 1:17:27 Sturgill, Tyler Childers and the Black Crowes 1:19:10 Two producers, two completely different records 1:21:44 Live players versus studio players 1:22:35 Brian Wilson and the Wrecking Crew 1:23:26 Telling your guitarist his parts aren't on the record 1:25:08 Take your local band to Nashville 1:28:32 Recording outside cuts, and imposter syndrome 1:30:17 Back to Atomic Habits: what actually changed 1:31:10 The 5am alarm and the clothes on the nightstand 1:32:51 Ten to two is video content 1:34:32 Priming the garage 1:35:24 Self-awareness as the real skill 1:36:15 Learning to regulate your nervous system 1:39:41 Jefferson Fisher: no response is a response 1:40:31 Wim Hof breathing 1:41:22 Soft White Underbelly and the generational disconnect 1:43:23 Sponsor — Wayfinders THF & Putts Fore! Nuts 1:45:37 The chain reaction of one good habit 1:47:21 When "that's a trigger for me" becomes a cop-out 1:49:02 "Would a healthy person eat this?" 1:51:33 Why you fall off, and what to check first 1:55:00 Habit stacking 1:59:18 Zig Ziglar: action first, motivation follows 2:01:00 Wanting the result right now 2:02:42 Ten pages a day is a book a month 2:05:14 The book that admits you're going to fail 2:06:07 The morning after a conversation goes wrong 2:08:39 Larry Ray, Big Vanilla, and beating Paul Reed Smith 2:10:21 "I wasn't the best. I was the most consistent." 2:11:11 Why we don't get any of this at 24 2:13:44 Denzel Washington on the process 2:14:35 What hospice patients actually regret 2:16:20 The new music, and which song lands first CONNECT WITH JASON MORTON & THE CHESAPEAKE SONS Website: https://www.chesapeakesons.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamjasonmorton/ Facebook (band): https://www.facebook.com/chesapeakesons/ Facebook (Jason): https://www.facebook.com/iamjasonmorton/ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6MFDWIQmH337VK1kDJLxkg SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/iamjasonmorton Tour dates: https://www.bandsintown.com/a/15198364-jason-morton-and-the-chesapeake-sons Booking: chesapeakesons@gmail.com Jason was previously on Episode 7 of The Shift with Mike & Joe. THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY WAYFINDERS TESTICULAR HEALTH FUND Be Bold. Be Brave. Be Aware. Wayfinders THF is a Maryland-based 501(c)(3) dedicated to impacting the lives and health of young men by combating testicular cancer through awareness, education, fundraising, and community support — with a focus on men aged 14 to 35. A component fund of Chesapeake Charities. Website: https://www.wayfindersthf.org Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wayfindersthf Donate: https://ccharities.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/fund?funit_id=2419 PUTTS FORE! NUTS — 2nd Annual Charity Mini-Golf Tournament Saturday, October 17, 2026 · 11:30 AM – 6:00 PM Embers Island Mini-Golf, 2305 Philadelphia Ave Suite #4, Ocean City, MD 21842 Event info: https://www.wayfindersthf.org/putts-fore-nuts Register / donate: https://ccharities.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/list/event?event_date_id=2419 MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Atomic Habits (James Clear) · Zig Ziglar · Jefferson Fisher · Wim Hof · Soft White Underbelly · Diary of a CEO Kels · Tyler Childers · Sturgill Simpson · The Black Crowes · Whiskey Myers · Zach Top · Denzel Washington Tommy Hardin (Alabama) · Will Edwards · Jason Heizer · Rob · The Cheaters · The Wrecking Crew · Brian Wilson Shea Springer / Sweetfoot Studios · Chris Hahnemann · Larry Ray / Big Vanilla Athletic Club · Paul Reed Smith Salisbury University · Rams Head · The Avalon SUPPORT THE SHIFT WITH MIKE & JOE Website: https://www.theshiftwithmikeandjoe.com Donate: https://www.theshiftwithmikeandjoe.com/giving-page-2-1 Email: info@theshiftwithmikeandjoe.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheShiftwithMikeandJoe-jf9ot Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theshiftwithmikeandjoe/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61574975860350 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theshiftwithmikea Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-shift-with-mike-joe/id1813198065 Podbean: https://joer7.podbean.com CONNECT WITH MIKE & JOE Michael Waskey Music Website: https://www.michaelwaskey.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michaelwaskeymusic Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michaelwaskeymusic Kent Island Academy of Music (Mike) Website: https://kentislandacademyofmusic.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KentIslandAcademyOfMusic/ Image & Sound Media (Joe) Website: https://www.imagesoundmedia.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100094021747690 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imageandsoundmedia TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@imagesoundmedia YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@imagesoundmedia Joe Bryan Music Website: https://www.joebryanmusic.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550810556745 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joebryanmusic TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@joebryanmusic The Shift with Mike & Joe is fully produced by Image & Sound Media. https://www.imagesoundmedia.com #TheShiftPodcast #EntrepreneurLife #BusinessTalk #mikeandjoeshow #KentIsland #EasternShore #Annapolis #MarylandPodcast #AtomicHabits #CountryRock #MusicMarketing

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