It's Ladies Day on Under The Crossbones!
My guest on this podcast is pirate author and historian, Cindy Vallar. Here website is a treasure trove of ways to waste your work hours reading about pirates instead of getting work done.
We'll get deep on pirates, but also talk about the craft of writing and how Cindy used writing to relax after her day job of working with emotionally challenged teens.
You'll also hear comedy from Sandra Risser and a great song called "So Sweet" by Monica Marquis.
Important Websites:
Cindy Vallar - www.CindyVallar.com
Sandra Risser - www.SandraRisser.com
Monica Marquis - www.MonicaMarquis.com
Under The Crossbones Official Site - www.UnderTheCrossbones.com
Phil's Comedy and Music - www.PhilJohnsonComedy.com
My first musical guest of the show is Tom Mason of Tom Mason and the Blue Buccaneers.
Tom travels the world bringing his pirate music to pirate fests, tall ships festivals, fairs, and anywhere that needs a solid pirate jam.
We'll get into Tom's history and the unlikely route that helped him find his niche in the music industry. It's a really interesting discussion about being a musician in the modern age.
Due to an unfortunate digital glitch of some sort, the last 10 minutes of the interview are a bit distorted. I didn't know about it until the editing phase. I've left it in for completeness, but feel free to fast forward 10 minutes.
Also in this episode you'll hear some stand-up comedy from Mean Dave and, of course, some great pirate music from Tom Mason and the Blue Buccaneers.
The Websites:
Podcast: www.UnderTheCrossbones.com
Tom Mason: www.TomMason.net
Comedian Mean Dave: https://www.facebook.com/meandavesnothere
Phil Johnson: www.PhilJohnsonComedy.com
What a way to start the show! Captain John Swallow and QM Seika Hellbound started NOLA Pyrate Week 8 years ago. And not just to dress up like pirates and drink like crazy while enjoying the magic that is New Orleans. They've also done a ton of charity work along the way for LowerNine, Gulf Restoration Network, the Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program, and more.
Their motto? "Take what ye can get. Give something back." You'll find that to be a running theme among a lot of my guests on the show.
John and Seika were the first people I asked to interview and for good reason. They are a fount of pirate history knowledge. So if you're new to the subject, jump right in and get your feet wet with pirate lore.
Plus they've both traced their lineages back to real pirates and we get into those stories in depth in this episode.
We were dealing with a few weird sound issues on my end which is why you won't hear a lot from me during the interview. But with the stories these two have to tell you don't want to hear me yapping anyway. :)
Also featured in this episode are comedian Tim Babb (with some pirate humor..) and comedy musician Chris Valenti. Both really talented dudes. Be sure to listen all the way to the end of the episode.
The Websites:
NOLA Pyrate Week: www.NOLAPyrateWeek.com
More killer pirate photos from Robert Warren: www.isthisinc.com/2015/03/portrait-of-a-pyrate/
Comedian Tim Babb: www.tancast.com/tim
Musician Chris Valenti: www.ChrisValentiMusic.com
Phil's Digital Box Set: www.PhilJComedy.com