Matt Connarton Unleashed 10-17-26 hour 1

0:00 Speaker 1: Hey, if you listen to Matt Connerton Unleashed, you already know me as a broadcaster and an interviewer, but there's another side of what I do that I'm incredibly passionate about. I'm also a certified hypnotherapist, helping people make meaningful changes in their lives, whether that's building confidence, managing stress, overcoming fears, changing unwanted habits, or getting unstuck. I offer private hypnosis sessions online and in person, and your initial consultation is completely free. Maybe it's time to find out what hypnosis can do for you.

0:33 Speaker 1: Visit mattconnerton.com.

0:39 Speaker 2: You're listening to Matt Connerton Unleashed on WMNH 95.3.

1:13 Speaker 3: We're always too late.

1:41 Speaker 4: I will not Whoa Left and right Late, are we too late? I just can't figure out Well, I will die Raptors Well, I will.

3:45 Speaker 1: Die That ought to get your blood pumping. The song is called Afterthought. The band is God's Go First, and they're going to be joining me on the show a little bit later. Welcome, everybody. This is Matt Connerton Unleashed, and we are live from the studios of WMNH 95.3 FM in glorious Manchester, New Hampshire. And, of course, you can stream the show from anywhere. Go to mattconnertonunleashed.com for all of your live streaming options. social media links, contact info, show archives, etc., etc. Today is Saturday, October 17, 2026.

4:46 Speaker 1: I do want to remind you that Matt Connerton Unleashed is brought to you by Matt Connerton Hypnosis if you're ready to take the next step to positive change, which we're going to be talking about some other ways to take steps to positive change this morning. But go to my website, mattconnerton.com. That's Matt, C-O-N-N-A-R-T-O-N.com. And we're also sponsored by our friends at Xtrilly Rideshare, now available in New Hampshire. One clear price, no surprises. You can book your next ride at Xtrilly.com.

5:18 Speaker 1: That is X-T-R-I-L-L-I dot com slash ride 953. And right now, we've got a couple of friends with us. Well, actually, so one of our friends here is someone we haven't seen on the show in a long time, actually. We were talking off air. I thought you had been here in the new studio since we moved over here, but apparently you have not, which shows just how long it's been. But Elizabeth Ropp, the acupunct is here.

5:41 Speaker 5: It's great to be back. Thank you.

5:44 Speaker 1: It's been literally years, years and years.

5:46 Speaker 5: Yeah. Pre-pandemic. Yeah.

5:48 Speaker 1: Maybe it doesn't seem like it because we've run into you other places, but yeah, it's shocking to me that it's been that long. Do you still call yourself the acupunct?

5:56 Speaker 5: I am an acupunct among a few acupuncts.

5:59 Speaker 1: Oh, you are an acupunct. See, I thought you were the acupunct.

6:02 Speaker 5: No, I'm not the acupunct. I'm one of the few acupuncts who work at the Manchester Acupuncture Studio.

6:08 Speaker 1: Oh, okay.

6:09 Speaker 5: Manchester Acupuncture Studio is at the Eastside Plaza up on Hanover Street.

6:13 Speaker 1: See, I had some ideas for trademarks and stuff I was going to run by, but now that I know that you're not the acupunct, I guess that'll go.

6:18 Speaker 5: No, acupunct is a term... I mean, I could be, but I think there are a lot, I have a lot of colleagues who would take issue with that. So it's a term that has been utilized amongst community acupuncturists for decades now. So Manchester acupuncture studio, if, if, if you're listening and you've not heard of us or have you not thought about us, we're a low cost affordable community acupuncture clinic. And we're part of a kind of a national movement of acupuncturists who choose to practice this way.

6:50 Speaker 5: low-cost group setting, and we call ourselves acupuncts. And that term came from an acupuncturist that I know in Portland, Oregon, who kind of.

6:59 Speaker 6: Oh, okay.

7:00 Speaker 7: Yep. Yep.

7:01 Speaker 3: Okay.

7:01 Speaker 1: That makes sense. That makes sense. Well, and you brought an associate with you. I'll let you introduce this gentleman over here.

7:07 Speaker 8: Yes.

7:08 Speaker 5: I brought along my good friend, an award-winning licensed drug counselor, Jeff Davis, from Manchester Mental Health.

7:18 Speaker 8: Excellent.

7:18 Speaker 6: Welcome Jeff.

7:19 Speaker 5: An all around amazing person.

7:20 Speaker 9: Okay.

7:21 Speaker 5: And also one of, so I'm a trainer of ear acupuncture. Jeff is an acupuncture detoxification specialist.

7:27 Speaker 10: Okay.

7:28 Speaker 5: And he trains with me and my boss now from Andy Wegman from Manchester Acupuncture Studio.

7:32 Speaker 3: Oh, no kidding.

7:33 Speaker 1: Oh, well, welcome Jeff. Um, yeah. So tell us a little, I mean, obviously, uh, Elizabeth, uh, told us some, but, uh, tell us more, tell us more about your background and what you do, how you do it. Obviously this is something I'm very interested in, you know, as a, as a hypnotherapist, I help people with, you know, addictions and things like that. But I, I want to, you know, take us into the weeds. I want to know more about what you do.

7:56 Speaker 10: Okay.

7:56 Speaker 11: Well, in my primary job, I'm not allowed to put needles in people's ears because, you know, I.

8:03 Speaker 10: Don't know, liability, that kind Well, you.

8:06 Speaker 1: Need the correct training, right?

8:07 Speaker 5: Except there is liability insurance for ADSs, but separate.

8:10 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah. Separate.

8:13 Speaker 11: So I first heard about your acupuncture probably.

8:20 Speaker 1: Jeff, can we— I' m sorry. Can we get that mic a little closer to you or have you linked?

8:23 Speaker 10: Probably about 45 years ago.

8:24 Speaker 6: Okay.

8:27 Speaker 11: An acupuncturist, addictionologist, psychiatrist opened an inpatient detoxification unit in Baton Rouge. At that point, I was a very, very young professional. And I went to hear her speak about it. And I was dumb enough. When she said, hey, has anybody here ever thought about getting acupuncture? I was dumb enough to raise my hand. And I'm like, oh, I'm interviewing for jobs with these people. Everybody's more experienced than I am. She said, you, sir, you'll do. Come on up on stage.

9:02 Speaker 10: Oh, my God. So I'm sweating and panting and terrified. Went up.

9:11 Speaker 11: She put needles in my ears. And like five minutes later, I'm like, what the heck was on those needles?

9:16 Speaker 10: Yeah. Why am I so chill now? What, you know, it was an amazing, amazing process.

9:23 Speaker 6: Okay.

9:23 Speaker 1: And, uh, so with, so just to be clear with immediate results, right?

9:28 Speaker 4: Yeah.

9:28 Speaker 10: You immediately notice. Okay.

9:30 Speaker 6: Yep.

9:31 Speaker 10: A few minutes. I'm like, wow, wow.

9:33 Speaker 11: This is, I am, I feel so much different. I am so much calmer. I'm not anxious. My thoughts are not racing. My breathing is no longer fast. Everything just chilled.

9:43 Speaker 12: Yeah.

9:43 Speaker 4: Yeah.

9:45 Speaker 10: And so fast forward to, what, 2017?

9:48 Speaker 11: So maybe 30 years later, I am at Hope for New Hampshire Recovery, and I see this wonderful woman putting needles in my throat.

10:00 Speaker 10: People's ears.

10:00 Speaker 11: I'm like, I have not had this happen since, you know, I was 30, which was a long time ago.

10:08 Speaker 10: So I'm like, right away, what is this? How do we do it?

10:12 Speaker 11: And I started bringing my patients to Hope for New Hampshire Recovery to get ear acupuncture by Elizabeth.

10:19 Speaker 1: Oh, no kidding.

10:19 Speaker 10: And I was like, okay, so how do I get trained to do this? She made it happen, so I got trained to do this.

10:26 Speaker 6: Yeah.

10:28 Speaker 10: And so I held certificate.

10:31 Speaker 11: Number 14 in the state of New Hampshire, so I was kind of an early adopter.

10:37 Speaker 4: Wow.

10:38 Speaker 11: We just finished a training and are now getting certificates number– 141 and 142.

10:44 Speaker 10: Okay. Yeah, we should back up.

10:48 Speaker 5: So I used to come on that show when the radio station was on Elm Street eight, nine years ago, just to talk about a pathway for certification where Jeff doesn't have to become a fully licensed acupuncturist, which takes four years to be an acupuncture detoxification specialist, which is a certification that exists in over 20 other states. I think we might have been the 25th state in the country to create a pathway for certification for acu-detox specialists. And so it's just a training to offer five points in the outer ear.

11:22 Speaker 5: It's a standardized protocol that was developed 50 years ago in the Bronx in the middle of a heroin epidemic in the Bronx. And it's been, I would say, a very underutilized part of Substance misuse treatment, but it's also a really great tool for mental health, behavioral health. It's been used after traumatic events in communities. 9-11 was where that first started. There are communities around the country who have offered it after mass shootings. And basically it was the opioid epidemic in New Hampshire that made me say, we need AccuDetox certification in New Hampshire.

12:01 Speaker 5: And so we were able to get that in 2017. And then a year later, I meet Jeff who had this introduction 30 years ago. And so now we train together and Manchester Acupuncture Studio and Hope for New Hampshire Recovery now partner to offer trainings. We've been doing three a year since 2024.

12:21 Speaker 7: Okay.

12:22 Speaker 10: Oh, wow.

12:23 Speaker 1: That's excellent. So how long is the training? Because as you mentioned, to become an acupuncturist, that takes four years. How long is the training for this?

12:31 Speaker 5: So think of this as more like a first aid program. You don't have to be a doctor or a nurse to practice first aid. Anybody can learn first aid. So this training is, it's roughly 70 hours, and we offer it as a hybrid training. So for the four weeks leading up to meeting in person, we're sending everyone through Google Classroom material to read and videos to watch and to listen to. So that way when they are in a two-day classroom training, then we're just reviewing with our presentation of this is how it started.

13:04 Speaker 5: This is recognized by SAMHSA, which is the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This is used for the VA. This has other federal recognition, like the Indian Health Services, the IHS, which is also a federal agency. They offer services to Native American populations and Hawaii and Alaska Natives. So this has been sort of part of their toolbox for a really... Yeah, Native communities have offered this for a lot longer than they have been in more...

13:38 Speaker 5: I hate to say mainstream. It's not quite what I want to say that's not really.

13:43 Speaker 1: No, but I know what you mean because I was not aware of this until you first told... Well, actually, you even demonstrated it. I don't know if you remember this. It wasn't on my radio show. I believe it was on Gary Hopper's show, Rock, Paper, Hand Grenades, when I was his co-host on there and you would come on and you did the ear.

14:04 Speaker 5: I did, yeah. I miss Gary Hopper.

14:06 Speaker 6: Oh, yeah.

14:07 Speaker 10: Yeah, absolutely.

14:10 Speaker 1: Yeah, so what is it called again? I want to make sure I have the name right.

14:13 Speaker 5: So that's actually a really good question because it has multiple names.

14:17 Speaker 10: Oh, okay.

14:17 Speaker 5: I guess you could say for a long time it was referred to as AccuDetox, and I'll call it by different names interchangeably.

14:24 Speaker 6: Okay.

14:24 Speaker 5: AccuDetox because it was first known for... Early detox, when people have withdrawal symptoms, it was known to reduce the withdrawal symptoms that would keep people in recovery.

14:36 Speaker 10: Okay.

14:37 Speaker 5: And then the first organization that developed around training and advocacy and education was the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association. So they called it the NADA protocol.

14:48 Speaker 10: Okay.

14:49 Speaker 5: And now we train under a different organization. We train under the community acupuncture organization that I'm a part of, that my boss is a part of. that he helped to found that Manchester acupuncture studio is a part of, which is people's organization of community acupuncture. And we technically can't call it nada. So we call it the five NP or the five needle protocol. Okay. So during training, I'm calling it acu detox and five NP.

15:13 Speaker 7: Yeah.

15:15 Speaker 1: Um, so it's, so, so the only thing it ultimately involves though, this specifically is, is the ear, the five in the, in the.

15:22 Speaker 5: Standardized points in the ear.

15:24 Speaker 10: Okay.

15:24 Speaker 5: And we were talking about the training. So, um, We have everyone learn online. We meet in the classroom for two days. And then we follow up with a few opportunities for people to get their clinical practice in.

15:36 Speaker 1: Interesting.

15:37 Speaker 5: So it's a roughly 70-hour training.

15:39 Speaker 6: Okay, okay.

15:41 Speaker 1: And then, so I want to ask, well, actually, this question really for both of you, but what are some misconceptions about acupuncture or about anything that you do? Because this is, I'm sure, you must have to do this a lot, right? Talk about, because people have all kinds of crazy ideas. About acupuncture.

16:03 Speaker 12: Yeah.

16:03 Speaker 2: Yeah.

16:04 Speaker 10: Yeah.

16:04 Speaker 8: Exactly.

16:05 Speaker 1: Like, like what are, what are some of the, what are some of the things you want to clear up this morning while we're here?

16:09 Speaker 5: I mean, I can name a few, but Jeff, do you have anything?

16:12 Speaker 10: So a lot of people say, does it hurt? And really, I don't think it hurts.

16:19 Speaker 12: Yeah.

16:19 Speaker 11: Sometimes there's a very spicy spot, but it's not, it's not painful. There may be a spicy moment when a needle goes in.

16:29 Speaker 7: Sure.

16:30 Speaker 10: But it's everything settles down.

16:32 Speaker 1: Were you nervous about that the first time when you, I.

16:35 Speaker 10: Didn't have time to be nervous about that.

16:37 Speaker 11: The first time I was in front of 200 people that make decisions.

16:40 Speaker 10: About my career.

16:41 Speaker 2: Right.

16:41 Speaker 11: Right.

16:44 Speaker 1: That makes sense.

16:45 Speaker 7: Yeah.

16:45 Speaker 10: Oh yeah. I was like, yeah, not so worried.

16:49 Speaker 2: Right. Right.

16:50 Speaker 1: That makes sense.

16:51 Speaker 11: Um, and other people are amazed at how many things it does for them. Um, You know, like, why did you put that needle there? Is that going to do this? Is that going to do this? I'm like, just get the needles and see what happens. I mean, people have, a lot of people have a reduction in sensation of physical pain as part of the treatment. Maybe because it reduces anxiety, tension, stress, which all of those make physical pain feel worse.

17:23 Speaker 6: Absolutely.

17:25 Speaker 10: Who knows? But people.

17:27 Speaker 11: claim great responses from it that's not why i do it right i do it to help people chill.

17:32 Speaker 1: Okay you know yeah yeah absolutely uh.

17:36 Speaker 5: What about you liz i mean i would say the same thing when i was at hope for new hampshire recovery and i volunteered there for weekly for three years and i would treat people in the front room and i people would be sitting around a table getting ear acupuncture and somebody would walk by and see it and they'd say does it hurt and i just turned to the group and say so what do you think does it hurt what do you want to say Right. And that was a good way to get people interested. OK, maybe I'll try it, too.

18:00 Speaker 1: Yeah.

18:01 Speaker 5: But I would also say, you know, many people have asked, is acupuncture placebo? And in some cases, maybe it is because placebo is powerful. But also there are veterinarians who practice acupuncture. I thank every veterinarian that I know who does acupuncture because when. I often meet people who will try acupuncture for the first time because their dog or their cat or their horse benefited from acupuncture. Or I'll come across an article about a zoo where the zoo animals are getting treated with acupuncture.

18:30 Speaker 5: And that's always really helpful.

18:32 Speaker 10: Okay.

18:33 Speaker 1: That's something, too, I remember when you mentioned that. The first time I ever heard you mention that, that surprised me. I had no idea that they did acupuncture on animals.

18:41 Speaker 8: Absolutely.

18:41 Speaker 6: I had no clue.

18:42 Speaker 11: Yeah, there's some research articles about acupuncture that show that, yes, this works for dental anesthesia on humans. Okay, well, that might be placebo. It also works on dogs. And that could be placebo, too, because they really want to impress us or beat, you know. But it also works on rats. And rats really.

19:07 Speaker 10: Don't give a crap about what we think. There's no placebo for a rat. Right. Good point.

19:15 Speaker 6: Good point.

19:16 Speaker 1: And what are some... We should talk more, too, about some of the things that acupuncture can be used for. And again, that's another thing that has surprised me, Liz, over the years, hearing you talk about some things that surprised me. But yeah, talk more about that if you could.

19:30 Speaker 5: Well, I would say this. I remember it's been a long... 10 years, I would say, getting the ear acupuncture detoxification specialist certification passed in New Hampshire and meeting people in the recovery and mental health community and saying, this is a tool that you can use. Your staff can get certified. You will have greater attention of clients in your programs. You'll have, which is what you want, whether it's mental health or whether it's addiction. And I do remember talking to someone from the New Hampshire drug court who said, but I hear it does so many things.

20:04 Speaker 5: And it's probably because he heard me talking about all of the different contexts in which it's been used. So I know you're asking me generally about acupuncture and it's a whole system. We treat pain, we treat stress, we treat allergies, we treat, but when we talk about ear acupuncture and the certification for it, it's been used in harm reduction. It's been used in treatment. It's been used in drug courts. It's been used in mental health practices. It's been used in, you know, in treating first responders after a natural disaster.

20:37 Speaker 5: We have an ADS, a retired police officer named Diana Scott. She works down at the Farm and Flower Market.

20:43 Speaker 10: Yeah.

20:43 Speaker 5: Shout out to Farm and Flower. But she wanted to offer stress reduction to fellow police officers. And so now she is going to the Bow Police Station once a month to offer a stress clinic.

20:56 Speaker 10: Oh, that's excellent.

20:57 Speaker 5: Same five points as what was developed in the 70s at the Lincoln Hospital in the Bronx in to treat heroin and methadone withdrawal. Yeah. Same five points, but it's just used in a different context. And so that's when I feel like there might be the doubters about ear acupuncture. But again, the reason why it works so well, the five points on the ear or any ear points is it releases dopamine. It balances serotonin. It decreases cortisol.

21:29 Speaker 10: Yeah.

21:30 Speaker 5: And that's what gives people sort of like a, Oh, My body aches are gone if they're dealing with withdrawal.

21:36 Speaker 6: Yeah.

21:36 Speaker 5: Or I'm able to take a deep breath for the first time in a while. Or my heart rate is slowing down. Or my shoulders are dropping.

21:45 Speaker 4: Yeah.

21:47 Speaker 11: We also have evidence that it can reduce inmate on inmate violence and inmate on correctional officer violence in prisons and jails.

21:57 Speaker 6: Okay. So....

22:00 Speaker 11: California is doing it throughout their penal system, thanks to a former attorney general there named Kamala Harris.

22:08 Speaker 10: Heard of her.

22:10 Speaker 11: Yeah, she kind of brought that into the correctional system in California, which I think is a great thing.

22:15 Speaker 1: I had no idea about that.

22:16 Speaker 5: Yeah, it's also used in three quarters of the prisons in Great Britain.

22:20 Speaker 3: Really?

22:20 Speaker 5: Ireland.

22:21 Speaker 3: No kidding.

22:22 Speaker 5: And that's been the case for quite a long time.

22:24 Speaker 1: That's interesting.

22:25 Speaker 6: Wow.

22:25 Speaker 10: Yeah.

22:26 Speaker 5: I would say it's, it's been referred, like the 5NP or acu-detox has been referred to as a distinctly American form of acupuncture because of its development in the Bronx. But it has taken off worldwide. And so you're going to, it's been more prevalent in the UK or in Sweden or Denmark or the Philippines.

22:45 Speaker 13: Yeah.

22:46 Speaker 5: Lots of people are practicing this in the Philippines and just creating clinics, like community clinics where people just get 5NP. Like I consider, I work at a community clinic And we do acupuncture points on the arms and hands and legs and feet. But imagine if there were several opportunities around the city of Manchester and around New Hampshire where people could go and just get this treatment and it would help people stabilize, like help with depression, help manage anger, help with anxiety.

23:17 Speaker 5: We trained a hairdresser who started a nonprofit that serves the homeless in Manchester, Tia Ellie.

23:25 Speaker 6: Yeah.

23:25 Speaker 5: And her partner, Fadze Goyo, and she was offering ear acupuncture at a, she has a food pantry once a week in her hair salon.

23:35 Speaker 13: Okay.

23:35 Speaker 5: Over on Pearl Street.

23:36 Speaker 10: Yeah.

23:37 Speaker 5: She started offering ear acupuncture. She was doing pop-up clinics in the park treating Manchester's unhoused.

23:43 Speaker 6: No kidding.

23:43 Speaker 5: And now she is treating the teens at the teen shelter of Waypoint.

23:47 Speaker 1: Okay.

23:48 Speaker 5: So the Waypoint shelter is on the corner of Beach Street and Hanover.

23:51 Speaker 8: Yeah.

23:52 Speaker 5: And I pass it every day on my way to work at Manchester Acupuncture Studio. And for years I'd say, how do we get your acupuncture into the teen shelter for Waypoint? And Tia did it.

24:02 Speaker 10: Yeah.

24:03 Speaker 5: She did it because she was there. She was serving that population and the connections were made.

24:06 Speaker 6: Yeah.

24:07 Speaker 1: Oh, that's awesome.

24:08 Speaker 6: That's awesome.

24:08 Speaker 8: Yeah.

24:10 Speaker 1: What about acupuncture to quit smoking? I've always heard that it can be... I mean, that's... It's tricky.

24:18 Speaker 5: And I'm sure you deal with this with hypnosis too. So I can think of Dr. Libby Stout, who is a colleague. And lately, she's become a really important mentor to me. She is a retired psychiatrist in Colorado. And for many years, a couple decades, she was running a substance misuse treatment in Pueblo, Colorado, the CIRCLE program. a 90-day inpatient treatment. And not only was it for substance misuse, but she would also say it's no nicotine as well. So imagine like coffee and cigarettes are really, really important to people in recovery because you take everything else away and that's just coffee and cigarettes.

24:59 Speaker 5: So in her program, like not even nicotine, and she offered daily ear acupuncture to help people manage their Withdrawal from all the other substances plus the nicotine withdrawal. Very successful program. 80% completion rate.

25:15 Speaker 10: Wow.

25:16 Speaker 5: And I think that's really important because many of the people in the program were told you either have to go to jail or you can do this treatment. And many people chose the treatment program.

25:26 Speaker 7: Yeah.

25:26 Speaker 5: And when they were there, they were saying, I don't really want to be here. And then she said, well, just remember, you did choose this. It was either this or you had to go to jail. And so using the ear acupuncture turned out to be a great way to retain people in the program so they would complete it. Also, when staff members are the ones offering the treatment, it helps to change the dynamic. So if people are in a program and they're feeling awful and miserable and they're taking it out on the staff.

25:54 Speaker 10: Yeah.

25:54 Speaker 5: You know, but then the staff offers a treatment that makes people feel better. Everyone's going to get along better. Kind of like what Jeff was just saying about, you know, reduces violence in prisons.

26:03 Speaker 6: Mm-hmm.

26:04 Speaker 5: And so, you know, we've had some instances where we've trained people and they go back to their program and their program says, yeah, we're still not sure about this. And then they don't offer it. Then we also hear stories that there's really high turnout turnover in a lot of of the substance misuse treatment programs in New Hampshire.

26:21 Speaker 6: Yeah.

26:22 Speaker 5: You know, and I think that I mean, I would say this whenever I come across anyone who says, yeah, we've heard of it. We're not sure, you know, all you know. There is liability insurance. That's always an excuse people throw up. And then they'll say, well, we don't have time. You know, my question is this. Are you totally satisfied with how well your program is going? Are you not seeing anybody leave against medical advice at all in any way, shape, or form? Is your staff completely and totally happy, love coming to work every day, not quitting because they're burnt out?

26:54 Speaker 5: Then you don't need this. But if you are seeing people leaving against medical advice, and you want to retain your staff and you want your staff to be happy, then have them get trained in ear acupuncture.

27:06 Speaker 6: Yep.

27:06 Speaker 5: Give them time to practice it, not just with the clients, but also amongst each other.

27:10 Speaker 4: Yeah.

27:10 Speaker 5: Because the staff should get treated too to help with stress reduction.

27:13 Speaker 1: Absolutely, yeah.

27:14 Speaker 5: And then hopefully you'll retain people in the program and then you'll retain, you know, they'll maintain their recovery after they finish the program and they'll, go ahead.

27:25 Speaker 11: If you are treating patients and staff at the same time you start to break down some of the barriers and some of the oh i have to take care of myself but you don't because your staff right it's like no we all have to take care of ourselves we can all work on our wellness and our well-being together yeah and it it kind of settles out a power differential that doesn't need to be there very.

27:53 Speaker 1: Well said absolutely absolutely Oh, geez. The time goes quickly. When we were on afternoons, we had all this time because I had 10 hours a week of airtime. But we should do this again soon, though. Let's not let years and years go by. And when I say soon, I mean literally soon because there's plenty to cover. And, you know, you're obviously both doing great work. And so these kinds of conversations should happen more, you know, especially in a setting like this. um, where we can reach people, you know, locally and, but also, you know, people listen to the show from all over the place online.

28:28 Speaker 1: And, and I'm sure a lot of people learn are learning things, you know, have learned things from this conversation that they had no idea. And like I said, I've learned so much about what, you know, like I said, I had no idea the five NP and all that. Like, I didn't even know any of that existed until I met you. So, um, so I appreciate that. So we, we should definitely do this more often. Let's plan to do that.

28:47 Speaker 5: Um, Can I give a shout out to somebody?

28:49 Speaker 1: Absolutely.

28:50 Speaker 5: So today from 10 to 5 at Queen City Center, just right down the block on Canal Street, there is a Mind Body Soul Expo sponsored by, organized by Sacred Moon Yoga. So two of the people who took our ADS training, Amy Kludier and Monica Mahoney from On the Road to Wellness will be offering ear acupuncture.

29:11 Speaker 1: Oh, excellent.

29:11 Speaker 5: And there's going to be yoga and there's body work and art and scented candles. And so you could go check that out if you're really curious. And then also, Manchester Acupuncture Studio, if you're interested in training, you could reach.

29:25 Speaker 6: Out to us.

29:25 Speaker 5: Our website is www.massnh.org. Or you could just come check out acupuncture for all kinds of reasons why you would get acupuncture, pain and stress and everything in between.

29:38 Speaker 1: I may very well reach out. to you about the training that'd be great yes and I always have that thought after we talk about this and then the thought that's another reason why we gotta get back on soon to keep the thought in my head just.

29:52 Speaker 10: Go right now m-a-s-n-h dot org slash ears slash ears yes and there's a sign up Okay. It may not be active yet, but it will be soon.

30:03 Speaker 1: Okay, wonderful, wonderful. Thank you both, of course, Elizabeth, Rob, and Acupunct, not the Acupunct.

30:09 Speaker 5: One of many.

30:11 Speaker 1: And Acupunct, Elizabeth, Rob, and Jeff Davis, wonderful to meet you. And we will do this again soon. And if you are listening live on Saturday morning, don't go away. God's Go First is coming up next, and we've got plenty more to go.

30:24 Speaker 3: WMNH, rip the norm off.

30:29 Speaker 14: Are you ready to make a change in your life? My name is Matt Connerton, and I'm a certified hypnotherapist. Hypnosis can help you change habits, overcome obstacles, and reach your goals. Sessions are available online or in person at Birchwood Salon in Hooksett. And your initial consultation is always free. Visit mattconnerton.com. That's Matt, C-O-N-N-A-R-T-O-N.com to learn more or book your appointment. That's mattconnerton.com.

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32:13 Speaker 13: In times of crisis, you need a law firm that stands by your side. With over 40 years of experience, Craig & Gatsoulis is dedicated to fighting for your rights. As former state prosecutors, our attorneys have the knowledge and trial experience to provide an aggressive defense against any charge, from DUIs to homicides. If you've been injured, our compassionate team will assess your case and fight for the compensation you deserve. Serving all of New Hampshire, Craig and Getsoulis is here when you need us most.

32:42 Speaker 13: Visit craiggetsoulis.com for a free consultation. Craig and Getsoulis, your advocates, your allies. Bring your kitchen to life with Queen City Cabinetry. Located at 87 Elm Street in the historic Sunbeam Mall in Manchester. Open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. and Saturdays, 10 a.m.

33:03 Speaker 6: To 2 p.m.

33:04 Speaker 16: They can be reached at 603-222-2007 or on the web at queencitycabinetrynh.com. Hey, everyone.

33:21 Speaker 17: This is Rob Azevedo, host of Granite State of Mind, and I want to tell you about Pembroke City Limits and the historic Suncook Village. PCL is an award-winning bar, restaurant, and music venue where there's live music five days a week and twice on Saturdays. Everything from blues, country, folk, funk, and a whole lot of jazz. We have 12 craft beers on tap dedicated to local brewers in the area and some of the friendliest bartenders around. Please come visit Pembroke City Limits at 134 Main Street, the historic Sunkook Village, only six miles outside of Manchester.

33:50 Speaker 17: Open Tuesdays to Wednesdays, 4 to 10. Thursdays to Sunday, 11 to 10. Pembroke City Limits, where it's all about the music.

33:58 Speaker 18: Diz's Cafe is the place to put a smile on your face. Judy and the crew will take care of you, bring your appetite, and treat your taste buds right. Diz's Cafe is always a winning choice. Breakfast, lunch, or supper. Diz's Cafe. at 860 Elm Street in downtown Manchester. Dine in, take out, or make a reservation.

34:19 Speaker 3: Call 603-606-2532. Eat, drink, and be happy.

34:20 Speaker 6: Diz's Cafe.

34:30 Speaker 19: And your own personal or business computer needs? Trust Groland Computers. Located on Elm Street in Manchester, Groland handles computer repair, virus removal, and custom-built systems. Are you looking for budget-friendly options? Check out our selection of fully inspected used computers. We offer tailored, on-site solutions. No unnecessary expenses here. Visit Groland.com or call Groland Computers at 603-645-0101.

34:52 Speaker 3: Your tech, your way.

34:53 Speaker 19: Trust Groland Computers.

35:02 Speaker 4: Seven times out of ten, we listen to our music at night.

35:13 Speaker 1: Thus spawned the title of this program.

35:16 Speaker 4: Late Night Delight with DJ Midas, right here on WMNH Manchester.

35:20 Speaker 3: You wanna know why? Because I'm on the radio. Saturdays and Sunday nights, midnight to 4 a.m.

35:28 Speaker 15: This hour on WMNH is sponsored by CGI Business Solutions, located at 5 Dartmouth Drive in Auburn. They serve all your business needs, including employee benefits planning, corporate design and business administration, investments and wealth management, and customized business insurance solutions.

35:48 Speaker 3: Their phone number is 866-841-4600 or on the web at cgibusinesssolutions.com.

36:00 Speaker 2: Behold the harmony of airwaves as you immerse yourself in the captivating frequencies of WMNHLP.

36:07 Speaker 3: The sonic heartbeat of Manchester.

36:09 Speaker 2: Transcending through the ether at 95.3 megahertz frequency modulation. Our transmissions emanate from the zenith of 1000 Elm Street. Venture into the heart of our creative realm at 119 Canal Street.

36:21 Speaker 3: Where innovation and sound collide.

36:23 Speaker 2: We bear the imprimatur of Manchester Public Television Service in the venerable city of Manchester, New Hampshire, USA.

36:30 Speaker 3: Enrich your auditory journey with the depth of our licensed residents.

36:34 Speaker 2: Dispatch your missives to WMNH953 at gmail.com or traverse the virtual corridors of WMNHradio.org. Engage with our sonic vibrations by commuting with us through the digital channels.

36:47 Speaker 3: Your radio beckons.

36:48 Speaker 2: Eager to enthrall you with its mesmerizing cadence and envelop you in a symphony of foundless auditory wonder.

36:59 Speaker 3: WMNH, rip the knob off. Let's go!

37:36 Speaker 8: And someday you will.

37:38 Speaker 4: Figure out just where you stand.

37:41 Speaker 3: Time will make you break and borrow.

37:42 Speaker 8: Broken, broken, past and sorrow.

37:44 Speaker 4: This won't be the end you follow.

37:45 Speaker 7: You won't be born. I'll break your back.

38:16 Speaker 4: And take it deeper You won't have to be the creeper Lay it down, the price is.

38:24 Speaker 3: Steeper You won't be far I have lost Realize.

38:26 Speaker 4: That someday you will be the one who has to fail.

38:37 Speaker 12: So you should leave this place.

38:55 Speaker 4: You won't be.

38:58 Speaker 8: Far Break your back It's so much.

39:01 Speaker 7: Deeper You won't have to be the creeper Lay it down The price is steeper You won't be far.

39:23 Speaker 3: You'll have to figure out.

39:26 Speaker 4: Just where you stand Realize These are lies I guess the world just needs to.

40:20 Speaker 9: Come out how they came.

40:30 Speaker 12: It's okay, you will figure out just where you stand Time will make you beg and borrow Broken bread, your bastard swallow This won't be the end, you'll follow You won't be far Break your back and dig in deeper You won't.

40:58 Speaker 7: Have to fear the creeper.

41:02 Speaker 3: Lay it down, the price is cheaper You won't.

41:06 Speaker 4: Fall Life's worth this time You'll have to figure.

41:19 Speaker 7: Out just where you stand.

41:36 Speaker 4: This is all inside your head. Time will take you so much deeper. Broken like a pill.

42:08 Speaker 6: I love it.

42:08 Speaker 1: Bastards Hollow by God's Go First. And we've got two of the guys from God's Go First here with us. We're going to talk with them in just a moment. But welcome, everybody. This is Matt Connerton Unleashed, and we are live from the studios of WMNH 95.3 FM in glorious Manchester, New Hampshire. And of course, you can stream the show from anywhere. Go to mattconnertonunleashed.com. For all of your live streaming options, social media links, contact info, show archives, etc., etc., I do want to remind you, too, about our amazing sponsor, Xtrilly.

42:36 Speaker 1: If you're learning for a flexible way to earn some extra money, Xtrilly is recruiting drivers in New Hampshire that are driving around your schedule, whether you're looking for part-time work or... A few extra trips during the week with flexible scheduling and weekly payments. Xtrilly could be a great fit for you. Just go to Xtrilly.com. That is X-T-R-I-L-L-I dot com slash drive 953. And please check them out. We're very happy to have them. as a sponsor. You're one of our many great sponsors here at WMNH.

43:09 Speaker 1: Very, very exciting. And let's do this. Right now, we're going to introduce our guests. So we have Jason Pelletier and Tommy Jakes from the band Gods Go First. Welcome, guys.

43:19 Speaker 6: Thank you.

43:20 Speaker 15: Hello.

43:20 Speaker 6: Thanks for having us.

43:21 Speaker 1: Hello.

43:21 Speaker 8: Absolutely.

43:22 Speaker 1: I'm excited. I love the album, Six Pack. By the way, I love the name, too. You guys probably hear this all the time. Gods Go First is just a badass name.

43:33 Speaker 6: Yeah, it was sort of almost a random name that our drummer had come up with. And we like that it just has kind of multiple meanings to it, depending on what it means to you. It can be interpreted in multiple ways.

43:51 Speaker 1: Right, right.

43:52 Speaker 10: That is true.

43:53 Speaker 1: So what do you do in the band, Jason?

43:55 Speaker 6: I play guitar, and I do our engineering and artwork.

43:58 Speaker 10: Okay, excellent.

43:59 Speaker 1: And Tommy, you're the singer, correct?

44:00 Speaker 10: Vocals, yeah.

44:01 Speaker 1: All the vocals, yeah. And how long has the band existed? How long have you guys been around?

44:05 Speaker 6: We started, so around March of 2019, I was playing in a band called Kraken's Beard. You know, that's when the pandemic was kicking off.

44:19 Speaker 10: Yep.

44:20 Speaker 6: So I, you know, went home, brought all my stuff home from where I was playing.

44:27 Speaker 4: Yep.

44:28 Speaker 6: You know, I said, I guess I'm just doing this on my own at home now. And, you know, called a friend of mine, Ben, who's our bass player. He came over. A few months later, I called Scott. I said, listen, we're not really all that scared right now. If we get sick, we get sick. And then kind of kicked off from there. We went through multiple iterations. We've had multiple different people. But just recently for this album, Tommy came in.

44:53 Speaker 8: Okay.

44:53 Speaker 1: Oh, so this is your first album with the band?

44:55 Speaker 12: Yeah, yeah.

44:55 Speaker 9: I've been in the band for about a year.

44:57 Speaker 6: Oh, okay.

44:58 Speaker 9: We released Six Pack in July.

45:00 Speaker 2: Yeah.

45:01 Speaker 10: Okay, okay.

45:02 Speaker 1: Very good. And where did you record this? Because it sounds incredible, especially, by the way, and I love the way the guitars sound. People who know me and people who follow me on social media know that I occasionally will complain about, and I never want to be the old man yelling at clouds. I always want to avoid that. And I generally do avoid that. But I often complain about how guitars sound in modern metal. I don't like the scooping of the mids, shall we say. I don't like when producers make guitars sound like a kazoo.

45:33 Speaker 1: And I feel like that's really taken hold, especially in the last couple of decades, frankly. So I love when I hear something like this, like what you guys are doing, where it's like, yes, that's what guitars should sound like to my ears.

45:46 Speaker 6: Well, thank you. I'll take that as a huge compliment. Absolutely. It's recorded in my little studio above my garage, you know, in Milton, New Hampshire.

45:55 Speaker 1: Okay.

45:57 Speaker 6: You know, I'm not a professional engineer by any means, but I've been doing it for a long time, hacking and slashing at it and trying to figure things out, watching videos, reading, things like that. So this is where I am now.

46:11 Speaker 1: Wow, what you're doing is working.

46:12 Speaker 6: Thank you. Thank you.

46:14 Speaker 1: Do you record other artists there too?

46:16 Speaker 6: Not yet, but I have been talking about it.

46:19 Speaker 8: Okay.

46:19 Speaker 16: Yeah.

46:20 Speaker 1: Well, that makes sense. Cause you, you got a, you got a great sound there. Does the previous, cause the band's been around for, for a bit, obviously with different members.

46:28 Speaker 7: Yeah.

46:28 Speaker 1: Has the sound changed over the years?

46:30 Speaker 6: Oh yeah, for sure. You know, our last singer was a real heavy kind of false chords, metal singer, you know? So we certainly were, A little more thrashy, I would say, early on. And we've kind of gone more rock and roll. That's why our logo kind of says North American hard rock rather than heavy metal, even though we know we have a lot of metal tendencies. We all love metal, but we are more in that kind of just hard rock. uh, angle.

47:04 Speaker 10: Yeah.

47:04 Speaker 9: I come from the much more melodic metal thing.

47:07 Speaker 10: Okay.

47:07 Speaker 2: Okay.

47:08 Speaker 1: No, it makes sense. Um, yeah, it's melodic, but it's heavy, you know, which, which not everyone can pull off, which I really like that too. What about in terms of, so who writes the lyrics? Tommy, do you write the lyrics or? Uh, yeah, yeah.

47:19 Speaker 20: This, the new batch of six pack songs, uh, these guys had a bunch of ideas with no vocals and stuff. And I had been doing, uh, melodies from ghost road since 2010. And then everybody in that band, it kind of, you know, Everybody got busy doing their own things. Bass players at Sound Engineer. Drummers in Nate Hill Trio now. But I had nothing going on, really. And then these guys put out a feeler for a singer. And then basically went down. I emailed him. I said, do you got stuff with no vocals? Let's see it.

47:50 Speaker 20: They sent me some stuff. I wrote a bunch of songs, you know. And I mean, again, the six pack, it's pretty heavy.

47:56 Speaker 7: Yeah, yeah.

47:58 Speaker 1: Oh, before we go any further too, I'm going to put the camera on me for a moment because you guys brought goodies. So appreciate that. So for anyone who's listening to the audio version of the show, please, when you get a chance, check out the video. So we got, you brought, let's see, hold that up so the camera can see it. Oh, that's cool too. The logo is so cool too. And I love, and I love the image on the back there. So you brought one for me and one for Jenny. So I appreciate that.

48:22 Speaker 6: Absolutely.

48:22 Speaker 1: And also I intentionally waited to open this. Because he also brought a package here. Let's see. Oh, and I also got the package you sent me in the mail, too.

48:30 Speaker 6: Perfect.

48:30 Speaker 1: With the CD and the stickers and everything.

48:33 Speaker 6: Well, there's more of that.

48:36 Speaker 14: Oh, my God.

48:36 Speaker 20: Yeah, anyone who's into physical media, go to thegodsgofirst.com.

48:40 Speaker 9: Oh, yeah. Check it out. And you can listen to the album for free on YouTube.

48:46 Speaker 6: Oh, that's cool.

48:46 Speaker 1: Yeah, you guys got buttons and stickers. Oh, my God.

48:50 Speaker 6: Wow. It is. Thank you, guys. Absolutely.

48:53 Speaker 1: Oh, these are, yeah, Jenny loves stickers. Her computer's covered with them.

48:56 Speaker 6: Yeah, these. We are also sticker lovers.

49:00 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah. I'll just kind of hold those up for the camera to see. Oh, and a couple more physical copies of the CD. Oh, and you got, what's the correct term for these?

49:11 Speaker 6: Koozie.

49:11 Speaker 1: Koozie, yeah.

49:12 Speaker 3: Oh, that's cool.

49:13 Speaker 1: Let's go first, The Lost Year. Now, what is The Lost Year? Is that a previous album?

49:17 Speaker 6: Well, that was our first album.

49:19 Speaker 15: Oh.

49:20 Speaker 10: Gotcha.

49:20 Speaker 6: Because we were doing it during the pandemic.

49:23 Speaker 8: Yeah.

49:23 Speaker 6: And, you know, that was kind of a lost year for a lot of people.

49:26 Speaker 1: Exactly, yeah. It's amazing. Thank you, guys. It's amazing how much that still comes up on the show, too, because it affected the So, so many people, but you know, the thing too, I always say about it is that, um, you know, we got to find silver linings where we can. And it was pretty tough to find silver linings with a pandemic. Um, other than hopefully, you know, they tend to happen once every hundred years. So hopefully we don't have to go through that again in any of our, our lifetimes.

49:54 Speaker 4: Right.

49:54 Speaker 1: But the other thing I always say too, when, in terms of musicians, you know, and creativity, it, it kind of forced a lot of people to find ways to be creative.

50:01 Speaker 9: Um, and, and we were all stuck at home writing songs. So it's like, you know what I mean?

50:05 Speaker 6: Exactly.

50:06 Speaker 10: Yeah.

50:06 Speaker 2: Yeah.

50:07 Speaker 1: So you can give up and, and, and just sit around or you can make the most of the time and, and and do something creative with it and i think it really kind of forced people to be creative especially in in some instances in ways that maybe they hadn't previously considered you know yeah in terms of how they work you know all the technology already existed i mean you could already share files and you know write songs together remotely or whatever however you were doing it but but i think it really kind of forced people to uh be more open to using technology to yeah for sure you know yeah so that they didn't have to grind everything to a halt.

50:40 Speaker 6: Yeah Yeah. I mean, you saw a lot of, uh, you know, pro bands out there that were putting out videos, uh, you know, the four or five way, uh, you know, capture, uh, sometimes in, uh, multiple countries, you know, uh, and, and actually doing things. Uh, so that was, That was interesting, and yeah, I think you're right. It forced you to. You didn't have a choice.

51:06 Speaker 4: Exactly.

51:06 Speaker 6: Do you want to keep playing? Yes, I do. So that's what we're doing.

51:10 Speaker 1: Exactly, exactly. Well, I think if you're just joining us, God's Go First is with us. I think we should play another song from the album, but I'll let you guys pick. What should we play?

51:19 Speaker 6: What do you want, Tommy?

51:20 Speaker 9: Start a Celebration.

51:21 Speaker 6: All right, yep.

51:22 Speaker 1: Oh, that's a good one. Do you call this an album or an EP? Six tracks.

51:25 Speaker 6: An EP. You call it an EP, okay.

51:27 Speaker 20: Yeah, we're actually recording a couple more tracks right now that are going to be non-album tracks. And then, yeah, you know, I hate to say the full length is dead, but, you know, an EP seems more, you know.

51:40 Speaker 1: Yeah, there's so many different ways to release music now.

51:43 Speaker 6: You know, for 10 to 12 tracks, right, you're talking about a lot of time, especially for a band that doesn't do this for a living.

51:49 Speaker 7: Right.

51:50 Speaker 6: It can just take so long that, you know... When two years goes by, people go, are you guys even still doing anything? I know, yeah.

51:59 Speaker 20: Well, I feel like the way people listen is different. Again, you give them six songs, maybe they can really digest it. You get 13 tunes on an album. It's like skipping some of them.

52:08 Speaker 1: That's true. That's true. Well, let's give this a spin. This is Sorrow to Celebration. The band is Gods Go First. The album is called Six Pack. Check this out.

54:12 Speaker 4: And I know sometimes it's hard. It's the wisdom of the state. But I think it's time here.

54:32 Speaker 3: So now you understand it's over.

54:50 Speaker 4: You lost before the fight was over The clock, it shows you by.

55:20 Speaker 3: And I think.

55:25 Speaker 4: Sometimes it's hard. It's a wisdom of the same. And I guess they're wrong. You have to know it's over I'm running in the sky The head is boiled over It's over.

56:24 Speaker 3: Spoiled over this.

56:39 Speaker 7: Time and you have to feel the.

57:07 Speaker 12: But I think.

57:09 Speaker 4: This time they're wrong I think this time they're.

57:17 Speaker 8: Wrong I'll break this topic.

57:59 Speaker 1: Hey, if you listen to Matt Connerton Unleashed, you already know me as a broadcaster and an interviewer, but there's another side of what I do that I'm incredibly passionate about. I'm also a certified hypnotherapist, helping people make meaningful changes in their lives, whether that's building confidence, managing stress, overcoming fears, changing unwanted habits, or getting unstuck. I offer private hypnosis sessions online and in person. and your initial consultation is completely free. Maybe it's time to find out what hypnosis can do for you.

58:33 Speaker 1: Visit mattconnerton.com.

58:36 Speaker 8: Need a ride?

58:37 Speaker 1: Xtrilly is now available in New Hampshire, offering an easy, reliable way to get where you're going. With Xtrilly, the price you see is the price you pay. One clear price, no surprises. Visit Xtrilly.com slash ride 953 to register. That's X-T-R-I-L-L-I dot com slash ride 953.