Backstage Pass Radio

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SHOW SUMMARY:
Date: July 29, 2026
Name of Podcast: Backstage Pass Radio
S11: E3: Jonathon "Boogie" Long - Courage In The Chaos

SHOW SUMMARY:
A great guitar player can impress you in 10 seconds, but Jonathon “Boogie” Long is after something harder: a sound that tells the truth. Randy Hulsey talks with the Louisiana blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter about what it takes to build a career when the music industry is driven by algorithms, short-form video, and streaming numbers that can make even a great record feel invisible. Boogie gets real about the pressure to “go viral,” why that can feel forced, and how he’s chosen a more authentic lane through TikTok live streaming, daily improvisation, and genuine fan engagement that slowly moves the needle on Spotify.
 
We also go back to where it started, from Baton Rouge roots to life in Hammond, and the family gospel tradition that shaped his ear, his phrasing, and his commitment to uplifting songs. Boogie explains how he learned to hear chord progressions without an instrument, why he thinks like a vocalist when he plays guitar, and how early gigs, road work, and mentorship helped him grow up fast in the Louisiana music scene. Along the way we touch career turning points like playing Jazz Fest, winning Guitar Center’s King of the Blues, and the long road from accolades to sustainable momentum.
 
Then we dig into Courage and the Chaos, the album that pushes through genre lines and lands on the Billboard blues chart, plus the realities of releasing new music while competing with legacy acts. You’ll also hear practical talk on recording sessions, touring goals, future album ideas, and a quick hit of guitar gear favorites for tone chasers. If you care about modern blues, independent artists, and the behind-the-scenes work that never shows up in a highlight reel, this one’s for you. 
Subscribe, share this conversation with a music friend, and leave a review so more listeners can find the story behind the songs.

Sponsor Link:
WWW.ECOTRIC.COM
WWW.SIGNAD.COM
WWW.RUNWAYAUDIO.COM
WWW.BROADLEAFGROUP.COM

Artist Website:
www.boogielong.com

Backstage Pass Radio Social Media Handles:
Facebook - @backstagepassradiopodcast @randyhulseymusic
Instagram - @Backstagepassradio @randyhulseymusic
Twitter - @backstagepassPC @rhulseymusic
Website - www.backstagepassradio.com & www.randyhulsey.com
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@backstagepassradiopodcast

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We ask our listeners to like, share, and subscribe to the show and the artist's social media pages. This enables us to continue pushing great content to the consumer. 
Support Backstage Pass Radio - https://www.buzzsprout.com/1628902/support
 
Thank you for being a part of Backstage Pass Radio
 
Your Host,
Randy Hulsey 
Support the show

Let Us Know What You Think of the Show!
SHOW SUMMARY:
Date: July 15, 2026
Name of Podcast: Backstage Pass Radio
S11: E2: A.J. Vallejo - (Love & Chaos / Brody Lane / Vallejo - The Hustle Behind The Melody

SHOW SUMMARY:
The music industry loves a clean storyline: one band, one break, one big deal. A.J. Vallejo’s career is the opposite and that’s exactly why it works. From Vallejo to Love and Chaos to Brody Lane, A.J. has built a life in Texas music by stacking skills: songwriter, guitarist, producer, director, band leader, and the kind of connector who can turn a garage hang into a charting project.

We dig into the real business behind the art, including why major label contracts and 360 deals can trap artists in endless recoupment, and what it actually takes to keep creative control. A.J. breaks down touring economics, how social media changed discovery, and the strategy he wishes more musicians would talk about: sync licensing. If you’ve ever wondered how songs end up on ESPN, HBO, or long-running TV rotations, he explains the “mailbox money” logic and why catalog placements can fund studios, gear, and future records.

Then we head to the river. A.J. shares what he’s building at Grüne Studios near New Braunfels and Canyon Lake: a residential recording studio and songwriter retreat where artists can live, write, record, and reset without the constant distractions of a city room. We also talk about finding young talent, producing regional number ones, supporting musicians through HAM health coverage in Austin, and even the surprising parallels between crafting a hit song and dialing in a hot sauce recipe.

If you care about independent artists, Texas country, Americana, rock, and the behind-the-scenes choices that keep careers alive, hit play, share this with a music friend, and subscribe and leave a review so more listeners can find the show.

Sponsor Link:
WWW.ECOTRIC.COM
WWW.SIGNAD.COM
WWW.RUNWAYAUDIO.COM
WWW.BROADLEAFGROUP.COM

Artist Website:
www.loveandchaos.com
www.ajvallejo.com
INSTAGRAM: www.instagram.com/ajvallejo

Backstage Pass Radio Social Media Handles:
Facebook - @backstagepassradiopodcast @randyhulseymusic
Instagram - @Backstagepassradio @randyhulseymusic
Twitter - @backstagepassPC @rhulseymusic
Website - www.backstagepassradio.com & www.randyhulsey.com
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@backstagepassradiopodcast

Call to action
We ask our listeners to like, share, and subscribe to the show and the artist's social media pages. This enables us to continue pushing great content to the consumer. 
Support Backstage Pass Radio - https://www.buzzsprout.com/1628902/support
 
Thank you for being a part of Backstage Pass Radio
 
Your Host,
Randy Hulsey 
Support the show

Let Us Know What You Think of the Show!
SHOW SUMMARY:
Date: July 8, 2026
Name of Podcast: Backstage Pass Radio
S11: E1: Vern Vennard - Touring, Tones, and Toughness

SHOW SUMMARY:
A touring guitarist sells his house, moves to rural France, builds a recording studio, and finally feels momentum, then the world shuts down. That is where our conversation with Vern Vennard starts, and it only gets deeper from there. Vern is a sideman, producer, and studio problem-solver who has spent decades alongside Zak Perry and the Beautiful Things, and he brings the kind of behind-the-scenes honesty you rarely hear from working musicians.

We talk about what actually holds a creative partnership together for 30+ years when money is not the engine: owning the work, protecting the sound, and chasing steady improvement record after record. Vern shares the origin story that begins in New York, includes two “run over” accidents, and turns into a lifelong musical bond. We also get practical about musicianship, from learning to stay out of the way in an acoustic duo to building parts that make the singer and the lyric land. Along the way we get into guitar influences, Europe touring culture, and why some crowds still listen like it matters.

Then we pivot into craft and standards: podcast audio quality, editing headaches, and why listeners quit fast when the sonics feel cheap. Vern also opens up about training Krav Maga later in life, the focus on de-escalation, and what pressure testing does to your brain under stress. We close with what is next for the band, including the new release The Rodeos in Town, plus where to find Zak Perry and the Beautiful Things on streaming.

If you like real stories about touring, music production, songwriting, and building a creative life through setbacks, hit subscribe, share this with a musician friend, and leave us a review.

Sponsor Link:
WWW.ECOTRIC.COM
WWW.SIGNAD.COM
WWW.RUNWAYAUDIO.COM
WWW.BROADLEAFGROUP.COM

Backstage Pass Radio Social Media Handles:
Facebook - @backstagepassradiopodcast @randyhulseymusic
Instagram - @Backstagepassradio @randyhulseymusic
Twitter - @backstagepassPC @rhulseymusic
Website - www.backstagepassradio.com & www.randyhulsey.com
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@backstagepassradiopodcast

Call to action
We ask our listeners to like, share, and subscribe to the show and the artist's social media pages. This enables us to continue pushing great content to the consumer. 
Support Backstage Pass Radio - https://www.buzzsprout.com/1628902/support
 
Thank you for being a part of Backstage Pass Radio
 
Your Host,
Randy Hulsey 
Support the show

Let Us Know What You Think of the Show!
SHOW SUMMARY:
Date: June 24, 2026
Name of Podcast: Backstage Pass Radio
S10: E10: Jovana Cubric - From War To Wisconsin

SHOW SUMMARY:
War, immigration, and starting over are not the kind of topics we usually chase on a music podcast, but Jovana Cubric's story is too powerful to keep off the mic. We talk about her move to Sedona and why the outdoors feels like medicine, then rewind to the bigger leap: leaving Croatia during the Yugoslavia conflict, living in Serbia as refugees, and being resettled in small town Wisconsin by pure chance. Hearing how her family navigated uncertainty, separation, and survival puts “stress” in a whole new perspective.
 
We also get into identity, language, and the quiet tension that shows up over time: parents who keep the native tongue, kids who just want to fit in, and what it feels like when you’re translating between generations. Jovana shares how those experiences shaped her independence, discipline, and ability to solve problems without spiraling. If you’ve ever wondered how people rebuild after trauma or how immigrant families adapt in the United States, this conversation is honest and surprisingly hopeful.
 
Then we switch gears into practical business: B2B lead generation, outbound sales, and why cold calling is needed more than ever after COVID. We break down what SDRs and BDRs actually do, how to create a repeatable sales development process, and why quality targeting and human connection beat inbox noise. We also talk coffee operations and what scaling cafes taught Jovana about leadership, plus a few coffee facts that will change how you order tomorrow. 
Subscribe to Backstage Pass Radio, share this with a friend, and leave a review if it helped. What part of Jovana’s story stuck with you most?

Sponsor Link:
WWW.ECOTRIC.COM
WWW.SIGNAD.COM
WWW.RUNWAYAUDIO.COM

Backstage Pass Radio Social Media Handles:
Facebook - @backstagepassradiopodcast @randyhulseymusic
Instagram - @Backstagepassradio @randyhulseymusic
Twitter - @backstagepassPC @rhulseymusic
Website - www.backstagepassradio.com & www.randyhulsey.com
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@backstagepassradiopodcast

Artist(s) Web Page:
www.mpi-impact.com

Call to action
We ask our listeners to like, share, and subscribe to the show and the artist's social media pages. This enables us to continue pushing great content to the consumer. 
Support Backstage Pass Radio - https://www.buzzsprout.com/1628902/support
 
Thank you for being a part of Backstage Pass Radio
 
Your Host,
Randy Hulsey 
Support the show

Let Us Know What You Think of the Show!
SHOW SUMMARY:
Date: June 10, 2026
Name of Podcast: Backstage Pass Radio
S10: E9: Charlie Marie - From Rhode Island to the West

SHOW SUMMARY:
A single comment from a vocal coach can change a life, especially when it points you toward the voice you were meant to sing with. I’m Randy Hulsey, and I sit down with classic country and Americana artist Charlie Marie to talk about how a Rhode Island upbringing, a Patsy Cline-sized inspiration, and years of real-world experience shaped a sound that feels both vintage and fiercely personal. We get into the early music that raised her, the pressure to fit a mold, and the moment she realized she had to stop imitating and start telling the truth.
 
Charlie opens up about a defining childhood moment on Star Search, how public critique planted a fear of being seen, and why that old wound resurfaced when her career started gaining attention years later. From there, the conversation turns into an honest look at healing and the music industry: the myth that success fixes what hurts inside, the hard work of facing emotions you would rather avoid, and the choice to stay true to your inner compass even when it costs you comfort.
 
Then we hit the road. Charlie shares stories from a cross-country journey that took her deep into the American West, with car camping, unexpected kindness from strangers, and nature as both refuge and creative fuel. We also talk about her singles “Heart” and “Kancamagus Highway,” plus her upcoming record Signs (out June 5) and what it takes to release music independently, from vinyl preorders on Bandcamp to doing the shipping yourself. If you love classic country storytelling, indie artist grit, and songwriting that doubles as self-discovery, this conversation delivers. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs a reset, and leave a review so more listeners can find the show.

Sponsor Link:
WWW.ECOTRIC.COM
WWW.SIGNAD.COM
WWW.RUNWAYAUDIO.COM

Backstage Pass Radio Social Media Handles:
Facebook - @backstagepassradiopodcast @randyhulseymusic
Instagram - @Backstagepassradio @randyhulseymusic
Twitter - @backstagepassPC @rhulseymusic
Website - www.backstagepassradio.com & www.randyhulsey.com
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@backstagepassradiopodcast

Artist(s) Web Page:
www.charliemariemusic.com

Call to action
We ask our listeners to like, share, and subscribe to the show and the artist's social media pages. This enables us to continue pushing great content to the consumer. 
Support Backstage Pass Radio - https://www.buzzsprout.com/1628902/support
 
Thank you for being a part of Backstage Pass Radio
 
Your Host,
Randy Hulsey 
Support the show
Support the show