The Volume Knob – Details, episodes & analysis

Very happy to have Jesse on the show this week. He first pitched TVK over 2 years ago (things have been moving SLOWLY around here at world HQ) and I think you'll agree that this is a case of better late than never. 

You can learn more about Jesse by following him on Instagram.

Make sure you follow The Volume Knob on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook .

And if you have a story about the song that saved your life be sure to send it to me at volumeknobpod@gmail.com.

Johnathan and I have been working for -- no exaggeration -- over a year on bringing this story to you. I hope you think the results are as worth the wait as I do.  

He's an amazing storyteller and the writer of the one-man rideshare show We Are Traffic which you can learn more about here. If you're interested you can also follow Jonathan on Twitter and Instagram.

Make sure you follow The Volume Knob on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook .

And if you have a story about the song that saved your life be sure to send it to me at volumeknobpod@gmail.com.

Katya is the author of the public transit blog “Tales from the Bus.” She is a frequent participant in storytelling shows and contests in Los Angeles, and is a Moth StorySLAM winner. You can learn more about Katya by following her on twitter or instagram.

As always, remember to follow the show on instagram, twitter and facebook and to get over to the website to sign up for the TVK mailing list. 

Many thanks to Charlie for his time and unbelievable sense of humour this week (the Tina Turner impression KILLED me). He really is a force of nature! 

I have to admit that musicals have never been my cup of tea. That said, in preparing this episode I've been left humming Lida Rose/Will I Ever Tell You ... a lot! The kids have complained particularly that the quartet melody has sneaked its way into the nightly lullaby.  As always, you should take a minute to listen to the music before or after (or both!) you listen to the episode.

Please get in touch with The Volume Knob on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or at our website volumeknob.net (newsletters and interesting stuff soon to come to mailing list subscribers!).  Also, if you use Apple Podcasts to listen to the show, please take a moment to leave a review! It definitely helps others discover these tremendous stories.

Do you have a story about the song that saved your life? Send it to me at volumeknobpod@gmail.com.

As always, many thanks to Arn for his time and vulnerability (especially for digging up his 30-plus-year-old diaries for me to virtually rummage through). You can learn more about him and his research into the interaction between resource companies and indigenous communities on his web site.  

The Whole of the Moon is an interesting track with some serious staying power despite it's rather dated sounding production. The Waterboys' lead singer Mike Scott has always been a little cryptic in his descriptions of the subject of the song. He's contradicted suggestions that it's written for CS Lewis  or Prince, telling The Guardian that "The Whole of the Moon is about someone like CS Lewis, who seemed to see so much and explore issues much more deeply than most people, or it could be about a Jimi Hendrix-type person who comes 'like a comet, blazing your trail' and is gone too soon, but it’s not specifically about anyone."  

As always, I'd suggest that you listen to the song in full either before or after you listen to the show. 

Please get in touch with The Volume Knob on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or at our website volumeknob.net (newsletters and interesting stuff soon to come to mailing list subscribers!).

Do you have a story about the song that saved your life? Send it to me at volumeknobpod@gmail.com.

Many thanks to Michael for sharing his story with us this week. 

You can read a bunch of his writing on his blog Radio Free Canuckistan  or by picking up one of his books.

Learning more about Condition is tougher. You can pick up a copy of their 1985 record Mumbo Jumbo (which features Play Me That Rhythm) on Discogs. There is little to no other evidence of the band on the 'net!

As always, you can get in touch with The Volume Knob on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or at our website volumeknob.net.

Do you have a story about the song that saved your life? Send it to me at volumeknobpod@gmail.com.

Thanks to Jeff for his time, vulnerability and good humour this week. 

You can learn more about him on his website.  You should also keep an eye out for his storytelling courses. He's an excellent teacher (he taught me!) who has been doing online work during the pandemic.

As always, I encourage you to seek out a copy of the song that inspired the story and listen to it either before or after you listen to the show. While you're at it, if you haven't already heard the synth-heavy original version -- released in 1985 by The Family, a Prince "side project" -- you might want to give it some time. It's one of those rare cases of the original being significantly less well known than the cover (on a list of many, but, some of my faves include The Tide is High, What a Man, Respect and Girls Just Wanna Have Fun).

As always, you can get in touch with The Volume Knob on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or at our website volumeknob.net.

Do you have a story about the song that saved your life? Send it to me at volumeknobpod@gmail.com.

Many thanks to Vesna for her time and vulnerability this week. 

You can learn more about Vesna's coaching practice on her website or by checking her out on Instagram. 

I had a B-L-A-S-T researching this week's episode. In large part because it gave me the opportunity to listen to literally DOZENS of covers of Stevie Wonder's Don't Worry 'bout a Thing.  If you're into falling down music rabbit holes, I created a Youtube playlist  so you can hear as many as you'd like.

As always, you can get in touch with The Volume Knob on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or at our website volumeknob.net.

Do you have a story about the song that saved your life? Send it to me at volumeknobpod@gmail.com.

Thanks to Andy for his time and vulnerability this week. 

You can learn more about Andy's music on his website  or buy a copy of one of his records on Bandcamp.

Though it wasn't Myles' jam, you might want to set 15 minutes aside and listen to I Dream a Highway before or after you hear Andy's story. If you're interested in falling down a Gillian Welch rabbit hole  you can check out this track (which is my favourite) or listen to any one of the interviews she's given gain insight into her keen intelligence and artistic thoughtfulness.

As always, you can get in touch with The Volume Knob on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or at our website volumeknob.net.

Do you have a story about the song that saved your life? Send it to me at volumeknobpod@gmail.com.

Every episode I thank my guests for their time and their vulnerability. 

Sharing personal stories requires bravery; not only the bravery required to let the story "out there" and belong, in a sense, to the rest of the world, but also to confront the emotional content of a time in one's life which may be scary, embarrassing or painful. 

In that way, Kate is the bravest guest I've had on the show. Clearly, her story is difficult for her to tell, but she told me several times in pre-production that telling it was a way of honouring her sister's memory. I myself am honoured that she took the time to do it on the show. A thousand times thank you, Kate.

I have to admit that I, like Kate in the story, had never heard For King and Country until very recently. That said, they're kind of a big deal in the space of contemporary christian music (who knew?) having won two Grammies in 2015 and another two in 2020. 

As always, I encourage you to listen to the whole song either before or after you listen to Kate's story. (the Assasin's Creed-y video for Shoulders has over 45 Million views!!) They've been referred to as "Australia's answer to Coldplay" by American Songwriter, if that's your cup of tea.

As always, you can get in touch with The Volume Knob on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or at our website volumeknob.net.

Do you have a story about a song that saved your life? Be sure to send it to the pod at volumeknobpod@gmail.com