Matt Connarton Unleashed 10-24-23

You are listening to w n H. Command God, don't get supremely Matt South, thank you, Welcome everybody. Here we go. It is that time again, Matt Connorton Unleashed and we are live from the studios of w m n H ninety five point three FM and Glorious Downtown Manchester, New Hampshire, also on Comcast Channel six if you're in Manchester, and hello to all of our online listeners across the nation and around the globe. You can go to my website Matt Connerton dot com for all of your live streaming options, social media links, contact info, show archives, et cetera, et cetera.

It's Tuesday, October twenty four, twenty twenty three. We've got a great musical guest coming up in the second hour. She's going to be joining me live in studio Kate Shimkey of Darling Hill. Darling Hill is the name of the project, but she works with a lot of different people, but you know, I think she's primarily a solo artist, so really looking forward to meeting her and we'll share some of her music. She sent me some really interesting studio tracks that we'll feature in the second hour. While she's here and we'll talk about them.

And so that's that's coming up, coming up an hour number two new marow doos and in the first hour, well we have more of course, as the as the the house turns, while we have a speaker designate as the term is. I believe if you nominate someone, but then you know they have to be confirmed, they have to be able to get to that magic number of two seventeen or do they? We shall see, we shall see. I don't know if Tom Emmer is going to be if they're going to vote on him today or not, but apparently some conservatives are already mad at him because he voted to affirm marriage equality and that's not everybody's happy about that.

But anyway, we'll get to it. We'll see how much we get to anyway. Yeah, little long intro today on the show, a little extra music. I was communicating with someone about some details for Thursday, Thursday's show. I will not be here, but I have a brand new best of that I've put together and I sent to Peter White, who is of course not only the morning show host here but also our program director. Thursday, I'll be in Providence for a what is the name of the event. The name of the event slips my mind now, but uh, I'm gonna be uh, this is gonna be cool miracle mindset event.

Yes, I will be uh presenting in front of a room full of people. I believe they will be real estate agents. So I'm really looking forward to that. Uh. That will be Uh, that will be on Thursday, so and then I'll be back on Friday. Of course. Uh. Eric Pilcher is in the Chatterman says best of Eric Pilcher. No, but I can tell you this, Eric, one of your classic film reviews did make it in to the brand new Best of that will be airing on Thursday. So not a best of Eric Pilcher per se. But Eric Pilcher is included.

Uh speaking of uh being included, If you'd like to be included in the program today, you can. The studio line is open six oh three two five oh six oh seven, six oh three two five oh six oh seven. You can also text me at six one seven nine four four seven six. I'm on social media at Matt Connerton. You can email me Matt at mattconnorton dot com, and of course you can interact end O Pine in the Facebook live chat. But the best thing to do so that we can hear and enjoy your dulcet tones is to give us a call at six o three two five six seven.

By the way, speaking of music, we played a mental note from the band Able Blood, who were here with us a number of weeks ago. Great great band. And we also played Blue Eyed Crazy, which is from Dakota Smart, who was our musical guest yesterday in the second hour. And uh that guy, Uh what a talent. Love his voice. And I told him of the songs that we played, By the way, most of what we played yesterday for songs, most of them aren't even out yet, so that was a world radio premiere of a few tracks.

But I told him that song blue Eyed Crazy, I mean, that's that's a hit. That is a hit song in the making. Well it's already made, you know what I mean. It will be a hit song if I have anything to say about it, and I've decreed it, so that will be a hit song. Let's say helload everybody in the Facebook live chat. Jay Fed from the great State of Vermont joins us since says good afternoon everyone. I mentioned Eric is in there. Mike from Queen City Cabinetry, one of our great sponsors here at WMNH ninety five point three FM, and of course I get to see Mike every Friday Night on retro Spectrum Radio with Polly C. This coming Friday night.

I can't believe it's been three years, the three year anniversary of apparently, so time goes far quicker than I'm comfortable with. But yes, three years of Retrospection Radio on as of Friday Night retrospect Radio here on WMNH. The show actually goes back like twelve years or something. We were talking about that recently. I can't remember if it was on here or off air on Paul's show. But yeah, but it's been three years since it's been airing here on wm and H on Friday nights. I can't believe it.

Easy g Eric Gagnan is in the chat room says happy two months to Christmas Eve. Oh, yes, the holidays. Although I did hear they're already talking up this year's miracle on Elm Street on the morning show. Very exciting, always a pleasure to be a part of that. That's a great event. Jenny of course is in the chatroom and says Shiloam peeps. Also, Carol za Warwitz joins us and says good afternoon. J Fed says pink Floyd rules, and I think he was getting some Pink Floyd vibes from that track mental note by Able Blood.

Yes, I can see that. Isaac Banks joins us in the chatroom and says Hello, Matt Connerton and hashtag Jen coffee. Good afternoon you both. I say it that way because as a question mark at the end, why does Jenny get a hashtag? And I don't hardly seems fair. Isaac Banks also says good afternoon, hashtag Victoria Piper, how are you doing? I am sure you will email me back on Facebook chat message, while not if you're pushy about it, she won't, Isaac, don't be pushy. Isaac Banks also says Greensboro Parks and Recreation.

So now, yes, so now Isaac is writing to the Greensboro Greensboro, North Carolina. Of course, Greensboro Parks and Recreation in Greensboro. I was wondering if UNCG girls would come to the Lindley Recreation Center free dance on Thursday evening at six to eight pm so they would help you out. I was wondering the same thing, Isaac, and I commend you on your planning, your planning skills and coordination and so forth. Let's see. And Jay fed is saying, don't do it. Well, I think it would be nice if they go and help.

I think that would be very nice, And Isaac clarifies to Jason it's just for my friend. Jeff Pegary Pygari say it. Scott Robinson says, calm down with that Christmas talk Eric, referring to easyg of course. Melanie Liberty, also from the Great State of Vermont, joins us in the Facebook live chat. Jenny says, I'm excited. I'm so excited for you, referring to the event on Thursday that I'll be doing in Providence, and Miriam says, so cool. You're doing an event, thank you. Miriam used to do when I played in bands.

One of the bands I was in My Life Crisis. We used to play a lot of shows in Providence. This will not be at a music venue, of course, Let's see. Jenny says, I need to get a canvas to come up with something for Miracle on Elm Street. Yeah, she'll be donating a painting this year, I believe. Let's see. All right, uh six O three two five O six O seven six O three two five oh six O seven, if you would like to join us, Hey, before we get to I do want to talk about Tom Emmer. Melanie says a nude painting.

Oh my goodness, yes, of me, it's gonna be very exciting.

I saw this. Uh. Now, this this not having to do with Tom Emmer. And if you're just joining us, uh, and if you don't know who Tom Emmer is, he could be the next Speaker of the House, in the House of Representatives. But I just saw this pop up on Politico. You know, we were very uh pro uh at least on this program. We're very pro vaccine, being you know, anti COVID and whatnot. And I saw this, Uh, according to Politico, three three percent. This actually shocked me. I mean, I thought the number might be low.

I didn't think it would be this low. Three not three zero three percent the number three percent of Americans have gotten the new COVID shot,

but the CDC director remains confident. I haven't even I haven't had a chance to reread this article yet. I just happened to see this. I was all set to talk about what we were going to talk about well, I guess that's obvious. But then I saw this and I said what.

But the CDC director remains confident. I must tell you, seeing three percent and were this late in October, I am not confident that Americans are good now. We also don't care as much as I used to, to be fair, because at this point in the I guess we're in the post pandemic phase of this. At this point, it's more like, okay, well, those of us who want to protect ourselves scan. You know, Jenny and I are both vaccinated. We got the updated COVID shot. Those of us who want to protect ourselves scan.

If you want to take the risk and get sick, that's on you at this point. Hope you don't, you know, unknowingly, unwittingly get COVID and expose yourself to someone who's high risk or whatever it may be. And if you are high risk, I hope you get the vaccination, or if you're not necessarily high risk, but you just want to make sure you avoid COVID the same way. You know, the same reason people get the flu shot. But so at this point I'm not particularly concerned. You know, early in the pandemic, especially before we had the vaccines.

It was like, you know, hey, everybody, could we play maybe take this seriously so we don't end up with a million people dead, a million Americans dead, which is what we ended up with. More than a million Americans died. But you know, at this point, it's kind of like, Okay, we're vaccinated. You can all take your chances. And I'm not upset. I think everyone should get vaccinated. I think it would be smart. But obviously that is not in the cards. And I realize looking at this and I see the three percent,

that means if you're in a room with one hundred other people, and I'm not even good at math, but if you're in the room with one hundred other people, chances are only three of you have been vaccinated. Actually, this is supposed to be about one hundred people that I'm going to be in front of at that event on Thursday. Chances are, out of that one hundred people, only three of us in that room will have been vaccinated with the new COVID shot. Again, that's fine. I'm actually not worried about it because I'm vaccinated.

But this isn't uh Now, I think part of the problem is Miriam, and the chat room says, I am one of the three percent. Yes, yes, I think part of the problem is

there's a post pandemic complacency. But I don't even mean just generally among Americans. I mean, you know, I never hear the Biden administration talking about it anymore, do you. It's like this forgotten thing. But you know, people are still being hospitalized for this, and you know, vulnerable people are still dying from it. See what I figured what happened is we would get to a point. Well I think we are at this point in a sense where you know, again post pandemic, it's going to be an annual thing.

You know, if you're someone who who gets vaccinated, I always get a flu shot, always have, and you know it'll be an annual thing. You get your flu shot, you get your COVID shot, because COVID is here to stay. It's going to be with us for the rest of our lives. I believe we didn't put this virus down when we had the chance, so we're stuck with it. But I figured, you know, people will they go to get their flu shot, they'll get their updated COVID shot as well. It'll be an annual thing, and who knows, someday in the future, perhaps they will even be combined into one shot.

But here's the thing now, this also surprised me though. So only three percent of Americans have gotten the new COVID shot, but by contrast, thirty nine percent have had their flu shot. So thirty nine percent of Americans went and got their flu shot, and congratulations on that. I think it's a smart thing to do. I know, we live in an air where it's kind of the cool thing to not do that, because, you know, if the some people think that if the government suggests that you you do something, then it's you know, cool, pro freedom, pro liberty to be you know, like the Rage against the Machine song.

You know, blank you, I won't do what you tell me. But just because the government wants you to do something doesn't mean that it's bad. And just because you refuse to do something that the government would like you to do doesn't mean you're, you know, some sort of rebel. At least I'm not impressed. But yeah, thirty nine percent have had their flu shot, but only three percent have had the new COVID shot. That really surprises me. So both of these things surprise me. Jfed says in the chat room, did you see people are starting to not vaccinate their dogs?

This might be, this might be a really stupid question. But are you supposed to vaccinate? See? I don't. I've never had it. I've only had cats. I don't even know how that works. Yeah, I mean you probably do dogs get vaccines. I don't know. I mean, it wouldn't surprise me. It wouldn't surprise me if you're serious, and dogs are supposed to have certain vaccinations. But people are, oh, for rabies and things. Okay, now that makes sense, right, Okay, I guess I did know that. Now that you say that for rabies, duh, and Jenny says for distemper But yeah, people not getting their dogs vaccinated.

That makes total sense to me. Why someone who is an anti vaxxer would say, well, I don't want I don't want my dog to be microchipped. Either I don't or you know, whatever they believe. I don't. I don't. I don't really care. I mean, you know, to me, talking to an anti vaxxer, it's like talking to a flat earther. It's like, whatever, whatever you think, I don't care. At this point, just go think that and go play with your friends. Have fun fun being an anti vaxxer. I know it makes you feel like you're a free thinker and you're smarter than all these gullible people who believe in science and medicine.

But I'm not impressed. But you have you have fun. I feel badly for your yeah, Jay Fed says I'm serious, Okay, I feel badly for your your dog who's not getting their their vaccines, not getting their shots. That's kind of mean to do to the dog. But you know what am I gonna do. I'm not gonna try to convince you to make good choices, because you've made your choices and you have fun. Miriam says, sorry, I didn't mean to say that's so rudely. Say what so rudely? I don't know what you said, Rudley Miriam.

I don't think you have anything to apologize for. Jenny says, they are coming for your poodles. Haha, yes, well it says here. Now. This is from the article on Politico. The Biden administration's campaign to convince Americans he at an annual COVID shot is off to a very slow start. Yeah, well, no kidding, because I haven't seen anything. I haven't have any of you seen anything from the Biden administration trying to encourage people to get their COVID shot. I haven't seen anything. Now, in fairness, we are living in a time where maybe some things just aren't getting through because the news is being swallowed up by Israel at war with Hamas and the you know, we don't have a speaker or ledge state of branch of our federal government is paralyzed because we don't have our speaker.

Those have been the two big, big, big things. And you know, and of course there's I think people are already getting to sensitize to it and probably have for a while. But there's also

Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and you know, there's a lot going on. So but I was not aware that there was any campaign from the Biden administration trying to encourage people to get their COVID shot, it says here. Even so, the nation's top disease fighting officials says the US remains on track to hit last year's uptake levels, which crested at just seventeen percent of the population so last year. So seventeen percent last year. Wow. Yeah, we're on track to hit that lofty goal. Okay, it says here.

So far twelve million people were about three point six percent of the popular have gotten the shot in the five weeks since it hit pharmacy shelves, though reporting lags mean it's likely a bit higher. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Mandy Cohen said more people by far one hundred and twenty eight million have gotten their annual flu vaccine. Cohen said, attributing the difference to long held routines. That's odd to me because it's, uh, you know, unless unless people think that it's scary to get them both, and so they get they go get their flu shot and then they just I don't know.

I don't know what happens there. I just got mine both at the same time. You know, while I'm there, I'd as well just do both. There's no problem with it. Well, unless you're an anti vaxer. I'm sure you found something on some fringe website somewhere that some quack doctor who claims that there's a problem with it. As far as I know, there's no problem with it. I'm not a medical professional. I'm not qualified to give medical advice. But from what I understand, there's no problem with it. You can get more than one vaccine at a time, it doesn't matter.

That's my understanding. Again, I'm not a medical professional. I'm sure you can go on YouTube and find within seconds you could probably find ten YouTube videos of crazy people telling you otherwise. And if you get both shots at the same time, you're going to grow a third arm or something. But as far as I'm aware, that's not the case. Cohen is in the middle of a national tour promoting vaccination, targeting elderly people at most risk from COVID, as well as underserved communities. She's also meeting with lawmakers on Capitol Hill, including House Republicans who have criticized the agency.

Of course, as part of her efforts to rebuild trust in the CDC. She spoke about her pitching an interview with political on Tuesday. Should we look at should we bother with this? Uh? Oh Rona Faverro joins us in the Facebook lift chat from the Great State of California. Hello, Jenny, says, Matt and I got our jabs together. Now we glow in the dark. Yes, well they see some side effects are fun. Scott Robinson said, I say it a Hilton last night, so I can say that I am qualified and it's that it's going to be fine.

Let's see. So she was asking an interview,

who's this bur What is her name again? Uh, Mandy, Mandy Cohen. She runs the CDC, now, I guess. So she was asking an interview the vaccine numbers seemed really low. How do you explain them? And she said, I would say about that number is just like the process, it's different. We don't have the same level of visibility. When you don't purchase and distribute, you also aren't getting the same real time information about who's vaccinated. The number is really just a number that our pharmacy partners share back with us voluntarily.

She was asked if distribution is a problem. No,

I mean, she said more than that, but I'm just paraphrasing.

She was asked as twelve million, what you were expecting at this point? She said, I think we're on track. What I love to see more, of course that's my job as CDC director. I want more. Yeah, whatever, I mean the rest of the interviews as we are trying to put a nice, good positive spin on it. But three percent. I mean, jeez, that's a I mean, look again, you know, it's not like the height of the pandemic where we had a a medical system that was on the verge of collapse. So uh, you know again, if you're smart enough to make smart health choices, congratulations, And if you're not, there's nothing I can say.

But uh, yeah, we'll move on from that because I do want to get to the update on what's happening in the House of Representatives. But if you would like to join us six O three two five six seven six O three two five six seven. But Tom Emmer, Republican of Minnesota apparently has been nominated. Uh, he has been chosen as a speaker designate by the Republican Caucus if you will, or conference, whatever term you prefer to use. And there's, uh, there's some talk about he might be able to get in if enough Democrats are willing to see.

Democrats don't want to you know, they want to vote for Hakeem Jeffries no matter what. But if some Democrats are willing to take a walk, as they say during the vote, not even vote present, but just literally just leave, just take a walk, that lowers the threshold. Although I think if they vote present, that also lowers the threshold. If I'm not mistaken, forgive me. I'm not a parliamentarian and I don't know why I can't say the words. So it's a good thing I'm not one. I'm not a parliamentarian, but I'm learning a lot.

I feel. I feel we all are probably more than we ever wanted to know about how this process works or doesn't work. Fails us. But if enough Democrats take a walk, that lowers the threshold, meaning Emmor won't have to get to two seventeen necessarily. I think for every two that don't vote, it lowers the threshold by one. I could be wrong. I'm trying to remember from when Kevin McCarthy went throughout fifteen rounds of voting. But this was posted on Politico. Emmer's opponents dig in. As his allies worked to avoid a repeat catastrophe.

In a strategy shift, the GOP speaker nominee asked his detractors to air their grievances against him in a closed door conference meeting. Today, it says here here's the article. Tom Emmers determined to avoid the same fate as GOP's speaker picks before him. Yet two dozen Republicans are already standing in the way. Fresh off Emmer's defeat of Representative Mike Johnson of Louisiana for the speakership NOD, twenty six Republicans have already indicated in another internal roll call vote today that they will not support the majority whip for the speakership.

That's far more than the four members it takes to block the number three Republican from the gavel, and Emmer's team is still gaming out how to move forward, complicating the pick sure further. Former President Donald Trump you might have heard of him,

formally, came out against Emmer's speaker candidacy today in a post on his social media platform you may have heard of that it's ironically called truth Social and Congressman Steve Womack of Arkansas said, quote, there are some people that are pretty well dug in and are not going to support the current designee as he has been voted on today unquote. Representative Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania put it more bluntly when asked if Emmer could get to two seventeen. Quote, I thought he could, but apparently he can't.

Unquote. While the Minnesota Republican said he wants to go to the floor sometime today. He and his allies have made clear they want to land as much internal support as possible before taking the same public plunge that felled Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio last week. The strategy reflects a bleak reality within the exact braid A GOP conference. A few members are relishing the idea of going to the floor just to have their nominee publicly rejected. Again. Oh, I thought we had a call. We do not.

Uh. Three weeks of a dragged out speaker fight has exhausted patients within the conference. Yeah, we're in our fourth week now of this, and members are no longer hiding their frustrations. Uh. Representative Bill Who who is Zenga? Bill? Who is? Uh? Who is Zenga? Ha nailed it of Michigan said quote, I don't want us to go out there and in front of the entire world puke on our shoes again, or in other words, let's get our poop in a group people. Unquote that's very graphic there. Uh. Congressman who is Anga of Michigan?

I think I nailed it. I think that's what I said. Who is Anga? Who is Anga? It's probably wrong. At this point, it's questionable whether Emmer can ultimately get to two seventeen, putting him at risk of becoming the third failed Speaker nominee since Kevin McCarthy's ouster three weeks ago. After the votes to determine who had support him on the floor, Emmer took a new approach by inviting his opponents to air their concerns about his voting record or other grievances against him, according to multiple House members.

According to one person in the room, Republicans lined up at the microphones today at event about Emmer's past clashes with Trump. Oh see, it's all about Trump. His Oh well, I mean it's not all about Trump, but those other things here, his policy on spending and his support for Ukraine Aid, as well as his votes to protect gay marriage against Trump's transgender military ban. Emmer worked to respond to each of his concerns in real time, though it's unclear if he changed any minds. Like Jordan and Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana before him, Emmer has internal rivalries as well as some outside factors, including his Trump problem, that may prevent him from clinching the gavel.

The ultra conservative Freedom Caucus is expected to request a meeting with Emmer to privately vet him after a bulk of the group initially through their support behind Byron Donald's of Florida in a Polina Luna of Florida, for instance, wouldn't say after the final ballot today if she'll support Emmer on the floor, and Ralph Norman of South Carolina, another member of the Freedom Caucus, cautioned he isn't never Emmer, but isn't ready to help crown him yet either. He said, quote, a lot of us don't mind standing up.

You can only lose four. You've got to have an in depth conversation. We are not going with a weak speaker unquote. So what is a week speaker? Someone who doesn't agree with you on everything? I mean? Is there? I gotta tell you, it doesn't sound to me like Emmer can do it unless enough Democrats take a walk and allow it to happen. Emmer's insistence on uniting the GOP conference before going to the floor represents a big break from just last week, when Jordan forced three votes on the floor despite knowing he didn't have the votes.

The Ohio Republican lost more support on each ballot before his colleagues eventually stripped him of the speaker nomination. Beyond closed doors, by the way, that's how you knew that, That's how we all knew. I think that Jordan had no chance. When they kept voting, he kept doing worse. If you remember when Kevin McCarthy went through that fifteen votes, you know, it got a little bit better each time, except there were a couple of times where maybe he lost more than he won, but it looked like it was going in the right direction.

But with Jim Jordan, I think every vote he had fewer than the vote before, but there were only three, so who knows. Maybe if the process had gone on longer. But then again, you know, when people are being threatened if they don't vote for you, that people don't like that. People don't like it if you threaten them if they don't support your candidacy, you know, or you know, if people are threatening your spouse because you don't support someone's candidacy. Because there was some of that going on, Yeah, people don't like that.

That does not I mean, I will say this, I don't know about Jim Jordan himself necessarily haven't anything to do with that, but clearly his supporters, some of them did not read Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People. I'll just say that, by the way, I never read the whole thing. I did read some of it. I didn't like it. His reasons anyway, The strategy caused deep You want to know what the reasons are. This was a long time ago. If I read it again today, maybe i'd have an idea. But when I originally read some of that book How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie, I remember getting in a few chapters in and thinking, wait a minute.

So basically what Carnegie seems to be saying is just be as agreeable as possible and people will like you. I mean, I didn't read the whole thing, so maybe that doesn't sum it up fairly, but that seemed to be and anybody can do that. I don't need Dale Carnegie to tell me that I can be as agreeable or disagreeable. Jay fed says, I assume, affording to referring to Jim Jordan, he said the voting was rigged. Um, let's see Representative Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin said quote, the longer we are mired in this sort of internal debate, the more likely it is that the Senate jams us with an omnibus or threat of a shutdown, or a supplemental that doesn't reflect any conservative priorities.

It's going to be a sprint, referring to the legislative time crunch between now and Christmas. With a shutdown looming on November seventeen, a few weeks away, Representative Kelly Armstrong of North Dakota helped nominate Jordan, but made clear he wasn't eager to repeat the Ohio Republican strategy. He said, quote, I would really like not to. It just gets us into the minefield unquote. If Emmer can't get to two seventeen, multiple House Republicans are already prepping back up plans. Kelly has introduced a resolution to empower Acting Speaker Patrick McHenry until November seventeen, and while the idea encountered fierce pushback within the conference last week, Kelly said today that if Ember falls short, it could add new life into the idea.

He said, quote, either we get a speaker or we extend Patrick's responsibilities unquote. Now we've talked about that on the show. Though there's a problem there. There's a bit of a catch twenty two because oh, Jenny just sent me this Tom Emmer drops out of speakers race hours after being nominated. This is from CNN. Oh my goodness. Okay, well, let me let me open that. But uh apparently, oh, here we go trying to get that linked open while that opens. So that the problem with empowering Patrick McHenry with you know, the idea being okay, until we can get to a speaker, let's give Patrick McHenry the speaker protom additional powers.

The problem with that is and why that won't work, or well, it could work if they but they have to ignore the rules. They literally have to ignore the existing rules to make it work. Is until there is an actual Speaker of the House, the only thing they can vote on is electing a new speaker. They can't vote on anything else. That's why none of the business is getting done that the House needs to do. So you can't in order to give Patrick McHenry additional powers, you have to vote on that, but you can't vote on that because you can't.

You literally can't vote on anything until you have a speaker. So that's the only thing you can vote on. So you can't hold a vote when you to give Patrick McHenry more powers because you're not allowed to. Now, the only way around that, in a practical sense, would be just ignore the rule and do it anyway. But I mean, I don't know how that would even work exactly. But let's look at this, so Jenny, just send me this. Tom Emmer drops out of speakers race. Let's see here. Yep. Tom Emmer has dropped out of the speaker race, a move that comes just hours after he won his party's nomination, the latest sign that Republicans are no closer to electing a new speaker.

Earlier in the day, Emmer's bid to be speaker appeared on the verge of collapse, amid opposition from the right flank of his conference and fresh attacks waged by former President Donald Trump. Just hours after the Minnesota Republican was picked as the party's nominee. Several Republicans who oppose Emmer say they will not move off their opposition and are calling for a new candidate. Emer can only afford to lose four Republicans and twenty six voted against him behind closed doors beyond closed doors.

Emmer voted to certify the twenty twenty election, Oh the horror. Voted to keep the government open for forty seven days. Oh no, yes, he actually voted for a continuing resolution. Apparently Tom Emmer thinks government shutdowns are bad, probably because they cost the economy trillions of dollars and screw a lot of Americans over. Let's see, voted for the bipartisan law to avoid a debt default. Oh my goodness. So Tom Emmer was not willing to plunge the global economy into economic armageddon. Well, I guess he's just not for us then, right.

Let's see, boy, so far I like this guy. He seems what's the word, what's the word reasonable and saying, and voted to codify same sex marriage, all issues that members of the hard right have cited as issues. In a post on truth Social Today, Trump went after Emmer, saying electing him would be a tragic mistake. Let's see. Skipping down here, because we're almost at the top of the hour, Melanie in the chat room says, he seems like a total d well, you know, he seems like, uh, at least he's got some pragmatism about him.

Doesn't want to blow the whole thing up and light our government on fire in the country in the process. Yeah, jeez, I'm just kind of skipping down to see if there's anything else new in here. Geez, well, this is discouraging. I had high hopes that uh, something would get done here. I mean, I'm sure I disagree with Uh. I probably disagree with Tom Emmer on a multitude of issues, but uh, you know, the guy, uh seems like I said, he seems not completely nuts, which these days is pretty cool. You know.

That's that's something you want. You want a house speaker who's not crazy. Right. Oh, Rob Dyon joins us in the Facebook lave chat. Hello, all right, well let's do this. We're going to let's play this track. I see a musician in the hallway. Our guest has arrived, I believe. So we're gonna get her in here, Kate from Darlene Hill, and we're gonna play this song called break Free. And I like this a lot. It's pretty intense, and there's a pretty intense story behind it too, from what I was reading online.

So we're gonna get her in there. We're going to talk with her, and we have plenty more to come an hour number two. Don't go anywhere, young girl.

Say farewell to your father and hold clothes, his lessons and his words. So wise you are my proud and loyal daughter. Remember, takes just one man to cut it aside. He taught me how to make hard drivings,

each half equally matched to make it home. Remember, my darling, no one will ever love you like you do for yourself deep within your own soul.

It's my heart and your mother Zaz has made you. It's our to have come together and makes your love cold. I saw him through the window,

and the snowflakes made him look If I had only known who was the devil, I never would have taking his hand at mine. I know, I can feel my heart beating, heart beating, beating, feeling so strong within in his cries. I never knew he and hold on so who tired

wondering how long this hell well last? I dieing, I said, and I love you, oh, but that I was alive. It was the only way I could escape you and that word love, Oh CRUs By, I know and feel my heart beating. I don't know you will never let me in deep beside. I tell myself, no one will love me. Break free from this engagent fly ju the sky, red gray, freez redde

gray three D. It's works. He ret my home open and it's his day. Spell o't my eyes and I'm brown. It's called the man and it's hill is jeb hid is Japai eye but one but in front of the other. I'm drip my blood chance to save this side from my mind.

I know why I feel my heart beating. I feel now I can know ben my eyes. Am I ready to break the mold I was born into.

I tell myself I never felt more alive. Brake free from that on ancient flying through the sky, break free, very, break free bread.

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command don't get supremely ze. Welcome back everybody as we enter our number two numeroedos of Matt Connorton unleashed and we are live from the studios of wm NH ninety five point three FM and Glorious Downtown Manchester, New Hampshire, also on Comcast Channel six. If you're in Manchester and hello to all of our online listeners acrassination and around the globe. You can go to my website Matt Connorton dot com for all of your live streaming options, social media links, contact info, show archives, et cetera, et cetera.

Today's Tuesday, October twenty four, two thousand twenty three. So nice have you all with me and joining us a live in studio. She is at the news desk. Kate Shimkey of Darlene Hill. Hello, Hello, welcome to the show. Thank you, Thank you for having me. Absolutely. We were just playing uh, coming back from the break there. We played break free, one of the amazing songs that you sent and and that's from your Is that from your most recent EP. It's actually from my only EP. It's from my debut debut EP.

Oh, very good, very kind of like a sampler. It's not really all that cohesive necessarily, but that's because I just kind of flew by the seat of my pants. I got you in the studio. Yeah, that's uh, And that's a that's a long song. I love how it builds really good. Yeah. If you have any questions for Kate while she's here, of course six O three two five six seven. The studio line is open six O three two five six seven. You can also text us at six one seven four seven six. You can hit me on social media at Matt Connorton, email me Matt at Matt Coonnorton dot com, and of course you can interact into opine in the Facebook live chat.

But we would love to hear your adulca tones at six O three two five six seven. Jay Bellow of course from the band Chasing the Devil. In the chat room, he says, great tune, Kate thank you. Let's see. Also, yeah, you've been getting some love in there while that was playing. Trying to back oh. Jfed from Vermont says, I dig this song. Yeah. Isaac Banks from Greensboro, North Carolina says, awesome song. Rob Dyon, who of course is part of the wmn H family, he has his own show here through the stage Door and he does a weekly segment on the morning show with Peter White, named that tune.

He says, good tune. Yep, you're getting a lot of getting a lot of love in there. So very good, very good. It's probably my most cathartic song. I kind of went in there. There's no agenda, but that song. I didn't want to like edit too much with it. I knew it was long. I knew it was going to be real dramatic and theatrical, and I just didn't care. Yeah, So it was like, this song's really long, and I'm like, I'm not interested, you know, because a lot of when I went in there, a lot of the songs were I didn't really know what I was doing, to be honest, and that one though, I knew for sure that I wasn't going to cut back, you know, if anything was going to add more.

So it's kind of the experiences almost like two songs in one. Okay. You know, there's like this intro and then this like epic build like you said it just it starts really seople and then ends with this basically Kaylin Chase screaming. So yeah, DJ Seves in the chat room from Retrospectrum Radio and he says, good afternoon, Matt, great song, and yeah you're getting a lot of support. Hello to Lee Renski. That's a new name in there. I don't know if that's a fan of yours. No, I actually I'm fairly new.

So this is kind of like my first time really being exposed. Oh very good, very good. I'm on all streaming PLATF. But like unless people don't know you exist, you know, so please all these people please please subscribe. You know, I'm on Spotify, TikTok, all the streaming platforms. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Do you want to tell us more about that song break Free? I read a little bit in your bio on yeah side, but sure, it's it's you know, it's probably the most how do I put it in a nutshell? You know, so to speak, Basically, if you if you listen to it, you could kind of, you know, get the vibe.

But about let's say nine years ago, I moved back home from Maryland and experienced just a real bad thing. You know. It was just like one bad thing after another. It was just all the bad things that could happen if somebody happened to me in like a month, yeah, you know, yeah, wow. So I was really broken down. I was an alcoholic, I was arthritic, I was newly divorced, I was on a rebound with a real abusive guy, and my dad was passing away from cancer. So it was just like I was literally in the gutter.

I was in that moment. That's a lot, and some of it was brought on by my own alcoholism. Some of it I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. But basically the reason why my name is Darling Hills because I experienced an assault on that road. But I actually also live on that road now. And so when I was healing after this traumatic assault, I decided to put down the bottle and pick up an instrument, yeah, and decided to start my life over. I had a lot of support, and so I just started playing music and just really becoming obsessed and addicted to that, and I ended up writing this song.

You know about my history with my father instilling me self love and courage and empowerment, and you know, just warning me of all the things in the world that you can encounter that are dangerous, but to hold true to yourself. And it ends with this moment of breaking and broke free from those chains. Basically, I broke free from the alcoholism, I broke free from the abuse. I broke free from from all of that. And now I live on the other end of the street on Darling Hill, and I live in a little cabin in the woods, and that's where I fostered my music.

That's why I fostered my art. So now every day I wake up and go and leave the house, I see the place where I really hurt, but I also see the place I heal Right, right, Wow, this song is very cathartic. When I brought it to the studio, That's why I was so hell bent on it being just left alone and just see what manifests around it. So the fuster in the studio knew he knew exactly what I was putting down and helped me create that environment in that vibe, so that that was the first that was the first song you recorded for the EP, or actually the first song I recorded was Quiver.

Okay, I went to Nashville twice. So I went to Nashville. My girlfriend, who is a fabulous agent for a Granite State Blue Society and a booking a booking agent for blues pros. But she works for blues musicians and I'm not blues. But she was like the lantern in the dark for me. She knew. She's like, look, I know these people in Nashville, go to Nashville. I'll just try it on. And I went. I went down there, and the producer squeezed me in. Yeah, and I did Quiver and Garden of Crowns and Quiver really lit me up though, because I put down the acoustics.

Yeah you know, I still played guitar. You can hear me in the back. But I really wanted to dabble with like the buttons and the knobs and the synth and like all the samples and get out of that folk rut because as much as I love folk music, yeah, really, I grew up with it. Like I really wanted to break free of that and find my own voice. So like, people are always asking me, what's your genre, and I'm like, I don't really know yet. But when I went to Nashville and sat next to a producer who could pull those sounds out of me and create them, That's when I got really excited.

So I went back and finished spent about eight days studio and finished up with the other tracks. Oh, very cool. Yeah. Our guest yesterday, Dakota Smart, also recorded in nash I watched him yesterday. Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's amazing. Ready, Yeah what five nominee the New England Music Wars. Yeah, five time nominee. Yeah yeah, yeah, just amazing. Yeah, what a voice on that guy. Nashville's magic. You know, there's something about going down there that that my life is different now that I've been back here.

Yeah, you know, I've been immersed in the local music scene at the probably the most local level I could, and I was just itching for something else. And when I went to Nashville and got in the I didn't even care about anything outside the studio. There's a lot of cool stuff, like John and June Cash were buried down the street. Like I was really close, yeah, to the music history, but all I wanted to do was just be in the studio and create. Yeah, Miriam Banishing the chat Room says, amazing music.

She has a beautiful voice, thank you. Yeah. It's funny too, because some people, I assume, still have kind of this idea that, oh, Nashville, that's all about country music, and it's like, no, there's all kinds of music being made there, and this is what I thought too. I thought the same thing. And then the more and more I started meeting local musicians. You know, some of them are coming back from Nashville. I'm like, wow, I thought you would have to go to New York, Boston, LA. But I guess from what I'm hearing, there was was like this mass exodus from LA of producers to Nashville.

They just just I don't know what happened, but a lot of people came to Nashville. And it is a little surreal because there's like really iconic musicians just walking around everywhere. Yeah, it's like I had to pinch myself. I'm like I had to remind myself where I was. I was like, wow, they're just like hanging out like you know, like it was just wild. It was really wild. Did you have a chance to get on a stage anywhere while you were there. No, but I got to see some shows, you know, because I went with friends who know the scene.

I went to a couple really cool, like low key places to see some like Leroy Powell was one at the Underdog, the Five Spots. There are all these cool, you know, local joints you could go do in like everywhere you go to. Music's great. Yeah, but no I didn't get on the stage. Yeah. Yeah, I don't even think I knew what I was even doing in the studio at that point. Yeah, now i'd like to. Yeah. So, so part of the EP was recorded there. The Holy Oh, the Holy p was down there. I don't get it into different I did it into trip Oh I gotcha.

Okay, okay, cool? Cool? And when did this come? I think you said already? But when did this come out? I believe I dropped it in August. Oh okay, so not that long ago? This is? This is so you hadn't released anything prior to this? Correct? Wow, Yeah, I've recorded, and I've played gigs, you know, at like bars and coffee houses and small events. But yeah, not really, I don't really have like a big band. You know that's the thing. So that's the thing you got. I go to Nashville and I have this epic experience working with very qualified people in industry, Like the supporting musicians on that album are top notch.

Like I I was very lucky. Oh yeah, I'm still astounded every time I listen to it that I have the people on my album that I do, and if you go looking at my profile, I have links to who these people are. Ye. And and now I got back home though, and I had a moment of like pure depression. Really oh yeah, no. I you could ask my hubby, Aaron, like I do have another that comes with me on these things, but I wanted to fly solo today. But he can tell you. I got home, I was like riding this high, you know.

And then I got home from Nashville and they listened to it. I'm like, I'm a fraud. I'm a fake. Everyone's gonna know that. I'm like, I don't sound like this, Like, oh I have a guitar, I don't have a band, how am I going to deliver? You know? Like all this anxiety built up, but then I recognize that, like there's no linear way, there's no playbook on how to do things, and like I took, I took a moment and an opportunity and ran with it. And now I'm applying myself and I got a keyboard. I'm learning how to play the backing tracks.

Yeah, I'm starting it. Lit a fire under I took it, So let's put it that way. Oh cool. So Jennifer Christman, if I'm saying that correctly, is in the chow room, says it has been beautiful watching Darling Hill grow keep blooming. Oh, very nice, very nice? Should we play? Uh? You mentioned Doc Quiver? Should we give that one a listen? Yeah? I got a handful of tunes that I feel like Defind the sound in the direction to go in and Quiver, break Free and Damsel Disorder, the ones that I really I'm really proud of.

Okay, yeah, we've got Yeah, let's whoops, where to go? Oh, there we go. Let's let's give this a listen and then we'll come back and uh and chat more. If you're just tuning in, we have Kate Shimkey of Darling Hill joining us here in studio. But this is called Quiver. Walking through them. We'll see you sitting there drink and in my stair won't be long now you'll be mind somehow. I want you to let my WoT. I wanna all let the moon wheah.

I see the stars in his eyes. And it's no surprise that the symbols on our souls have a common bowl. He screamed. There's a hole in me, A hole in me, A hole in me where I go to hide. You know there's room for two, a painted blue and here your fantasies won't die. I wanna app psa inside. My knees are shaky, shaky, shaky, and tongue Between ninety my knees are shaky, shaky, shaky, and town. Between ninety and there's something so familiar I cannot divide. I think I found my uncle. Side s this. When will I see you again?

Boy? We don't have to make plans. We can leave it to baby. The baby. You know it's affective. We leave it up to that, or we might be too late. Nine needs are shaky, shaky, shaky, and tongue between ninety nine niece are shaky, shaky, shaky, and tongue. Between nineteenth and there's something so familiar I cannot buy. I think I found my guy. I think I found my Well, that's cool. That is Quiver Kate Shimkey, also known better known as Darlene Hill, and she is here with us live in studio at the news desk, and yeah, that's you know, it's funny.

We were talking earlier about genres and so forth, and yeah, I don't even know how I would describe that to someone if I was trying to describe what it sounds like, you know, wouldn't know either. I was. I was in the studio and I looked at the producer. I go, what did we just do? Like I literally like, I go, what is that? He's like, I don't know, and he's so when I went there, I was like, I looked at his portfolio. You know. By the way, my friend who brought me there, her name is Rachel Barnard.

She's a phenomenal booking agent and very supportive, and she's like, I want to hear what you sound like. You know, I want to know too. And so when I got there, I looked at his portfolio and he's worked with you know, Beck, He's worked with I can't even think of it right now, a lot of people, but Beck stuck out to me because Beck is like out of the box. So I was like, okay, I can go in here and like ask him for the weird stuff, like I want to get weird. I looked at him, I said, I want to get weird.

These are the people I want to emulate. These are the sounds I like. You know, I'm a big fan of Danny Elfman. I'm a big fan of like the synth nostalgic eighties, weird dark stuff. So he's like, all right, So I just got in there and we started playing with sounds and some of those were a happy acts in some of those moments in the song. Yeah, and I quite frankly don't even think it's finished. I actually left really oh yeah. If I had more time, I probably would have ruined it. Maybe I don't know, but like I, you know, some things you just got to let them be.

They can develop over time, move on to something different. Quiver was the song about just feeling weak in the knees over someone across the room you don't even know, right, you know, and you think you have something in calm with them, or they make their heart your heart like beat faster. You just feel lusty for them, not necessarily love but yeah kind of quivery. Yeah yeah, Do any of these songs, I mean, did any of them come out like really different than what you had in mind when you first wrote them?

So Damsels Disorder was literally like right before I got in the car to drive to Nashville. We drove down there and I found a songbook from like twenty sixteen, and I was slipping through it and I saw like two verses in a chorus and I had no idea what that was going to say. I had an idea in my head, I guess you could say, like a direction that I wanted to go in. But I was like, you know what, I'm gonna like, what do they say, throw it at the wall and see what sticks. That's going to be the one I'm going to do this with.

And before it was called knives, and if you listen to it you even know why. But I didn't want to be that literal. So I was looking at it and I remembered writing it. I was sitting in my kitchen and I was looking around the room. So because I was, you know, i'll dip back into my past, I was pretty violently assaulted and it left me with some symptoms. You know, and I'm not the first to discover that you have some magical powers. After you've gone through such physical things. You tend to have situational awareness, Yes, you tend to have You tend to want your back to the corner.

You do it. You just do it naturally. You know, it just comes with the territory. And so I was I was mad about that though at first I was really angry. I was like, I don't want this burden, and I want to just go places and feel safe and feel good about it. I was like, well, why don't I write it, write a song about how I'm feeling. Yeah, And so I was just sitting in the kitchen and I recognize that I do notice where weapons are, you know, like weapons was a big thing, Like, oh that could be a weapon, this could be weapon, but knives.

I was like, in the kitchen cool. Yeah, So when I walked in there, we kind of built built a song together

and that's that was one that surprised me. Yeah, and I was real excited about that one because it was catchy, it was quick, and it was a little edgy no pun intended. Yeah. Yeah. Marian Banish in the chat room says very powerful music. I love it, thank you and uh oh, she said gives me chills. Oh very cool. And our friend Charles Richardson from Florida also has joined us in the Facebook live chat. So as far as so, are you actively performing these live yet or are you still kind of figuring that out?

Well, I mean, I'm I'm open to bookings. I am. I am working on like I've been practicing two times a week. You know, I got my keyboard. I need a drummer, and I don't think I could get a drummer, you know, overnight. So I'm I get real shy about who I share my music with and I I really need to let that go and if I want to break free of that. But I do play out. I'm playing the bull Run, you know, I'm right now. I'm just getting my foot in the door at the bull Run, which is in Shirley, Massachusetts.

I'm gonna be playing in the tavern, but they do have an events center there. I would love to play more house concerts, you know, if people want to book me for a house concert. I like those intimate environments. Yeah. I am a recovered alcoholic, so I'm not a big fan of playing bars. So much self preservation kicks in and I'm like, that's cool. I would love to play that, but is there is like I'll do it, you know, but I usually get in and out of there. But I am. I'm ready. I'm excited, you know. So if anybody would like to book me, please go to my website and you know, I can be flexible.

See what works. They would get a version of Darling Hill. That would be me, my partner Aaron Durman, who plays guitar, and my friend Nicholas Tachico who's playing bass and pretty much picking up the slack and everything else with the with the electronics and all that. We are growing, but I don't have any intention of stopping right so, you know, any support we could get to be showcased would be great. It's funny you mentioned you needing a drummer because it's something that's been a big topic on the show recently with musicians.

As you know, every drummer you talk to it's like they're in already. Intend. Yeah, well there's a lot going on with drummers too. They got the gear, you know, just carrying the gear. And I live in a cabin in the woods that's eight hundred feet walk in sight only. Oh really Yeah. So I live on a land trust and we live according to the land. So it's really great for creating art and music. And the post house concerts in my backyard, so that's like a whole nother thing. That's how I's how I've nurtured myself.

I created my own music community, and so I would I would book promote and donation based house concerts in my backyard for nine years and just the getting the musicians to come and telling them you have to carry your gear through through a forest. And then, by the way, I don't even have a real bathroom. There's an outhouse. So it humbles the musicians real quick and they either go, oh my god, that's awesome. Yeah, I can't wait to do that, and they like they love it. And then I got others that are like, okay, you know, and they're a little hesitant, but once they get there and they see the environment and they see how intimate it is.

Because I really am at the root of it. It's about the art. To me, like I love the whole marketing and like making the catchy songs and see what. But to me, I mean, the whole reason why I created this was so I could not let my mind go dark places. You know, it's very very typical. So I did it in my own backyard because it could. I had the property, and so now like I could book myself in my backyard all day long, but I would like to I would like to get out. And you know, if there's a drummer out there that just needs a workout routine, yeah, I always say.

My theory about why drummers are hard to find is because when you're growing up and you first become interested in playing a musical instrument, when you when you have to have the talk, you know, with your parents about it. And if you say, well I want to play drums, you know they're like drums. What a full body experience that must be though, Well, really like watching so I had Shaky Folks, real sought after drummer in Nashville, and he got in there and just ripped it up, like brought those songs to life.

I was just lit. I was turned on. I've never got my rocks off so hard, And it's in any watching him play my music and wondering what it must feel like to really embody that full expression of like over here over there, you know, like wow, wow, that's just a full body, physical experience that you're having. And you know, I'm willing to buy a drum kit and keep it in my house right right, if someone would just come and play and practice for me and book out right right. Jenny shared the website in the chat room too, Darlenehill music dot com.

Who does your website? By the way, so really nice. I'm a web designer, so I really yeah, you did a nice years of practice, thank you, Yeah, thank you so much. It took a long time of observing. So when I while I was creat honing my craft and learning how to play music, I can convincing myself that I could be different and still succeed. Yeah. I learned through other musicians, watching other musicians and booking them and promoting them and going to their shows and learning about the gears, you know, behind the curtain and like all that stuff, you know.

And so by the time I was ready to do my own music, I wanted to make sure I at least looked like I knew what I was doing, right, So far, I sound like I know what I'm doing. Now, I look like I know what I'm doing. Yeah, yeah. Absolutely, Well, let's uh, what do we what was the song you just Damsel Disorder was the other one. I said, yeah, you sent me the whole We might have time to play all all five tracks. But but yeah, you had mentioned Damsel Disorder a few minutes ago, so maybe we should give that one and listen next.

And you said this, this is the one that was It was originally called Knives. But yeah, and you'll know why when you hear it. But you didn't want to go with the obvious. Yeah, yeah, that makes sense. Yeah. Now I'm kind of hoping I did do it because then like that meme with Britney Spears making the knife gestures. Have you seen that? Oh? I like, I'm like waiting for somebody to find my song on TikTok and make a meme with it. Right, But it's called Damsel Disorder. All right, very good? This is Damsel Disorder, Darling Hill.

Check it out. Damsel in distress is what I do best, because I know we're all the knives are.

Because I know we're all the naives are. Unfinished business has already left scars,

because I know where all the knives are? Does I know where all knives are? That's turnd into lyrics like summer names, spirits of tum thoughts in the lyrics. Truman, that's in the lyrics. Don't let them all? Bet b the only New york anmies life being weakness weakness say, held them closing, kept them my sycret. And I know all the knives Now I know where are the knives are? Drannon in taste. It's my territory. I'll stake it. Oh whoa, Now I know where are the knives are? Now I know where are the knives are?

Don't know, Brady, New York Armies lie. Now I know where are the knives are? Whoa? Now I know where are the knives are? Who Jimmy butsono the X? Whoa Jimmy bets an of the eggs? Whoa? Now? Damsel disorder is the name of the song. That is Darling Hill. And we have Kate Shimkey of Darling Hill here with us live in studio. That's great. It's catchy. And I uh, I like how cheerful it sounds. You know, but now I know where all the knives are. It's very cheerful. Well, I would I used to busk so I started with a ukulele, and then I shifted over to a banjo lately really, which is basically the same thing, but I threw it like a metallic string in the sea chord, yeah, and it gave it a twang.

And like, I did find it quite funny when I'd be busking at like Parker's Maple Barn or like on the side of the road, that people would be like bopping their heads and I'd be singing some like folks songs about murder and like crying and stuff. Right, So I kind of liked that what's the word, that contradiction of peppy and sad? Yeah, yeah, yeah, I dig that. No, that that song really does it. That's cool. If you have any questions or anything at all for Kate, the studio line is open six O three two five six seven six O three two five o six oh seven.

Jennifer Christman in the chat room says a message from Ellen Shimkey. She loves your music, watching you grow and is so proud of you. That's my mom. Oh, very good, family, very nice. You've been very supportive. Let's see. She also said from uh Judy Russo,

how awesome it is that you are able to turn pain into purpose. Just love hearing your voice, whether it's talking or singing. So happy,

well so sorry, oh so happy you are now no longer a damsel in distress. Keep on rocking. These are people that have witnessed the whole lifetime movie. Yeah, started from the bottom. Now we're here moment right, Yeah. Mariam Banish says, mister B gentleman rhymer plays a what'd you call it? A banjo lately? Yeah, I played a banjo lately. Yeah. I didn't know that was a thing. Yeah, I mean neither until I you know, I didn't want to. Like I like the ukulelea got me started. It got me started, got my fingers used to playing strings.

But that was your first instrument. Yeah yeah, and you know, I got kind of sick of it, you know. And I noticed when I started playing guitar that I sounded better vocally. There was more notes to blend with. I could experiment more vocally. So I started to, you know, develop my voice, which quite frankly, it's it's I've been told that, you know, it might be what said me apart. I do sound very different. But because of that, I was always very not confident, you know, because I have a lot of really talented friends that are very Their range is really good.

You know, they sound top notch. And I always you know, you're you're going to compare yourself of course, even you know, no matter what. So I knew that I didn't sound like most people. I was very aware, but I just decided that it didn't matter. I was like, I'm going to do this for me first. That's what all this was about. For me. I got real selfish. And yeah, the opportunity to go to Nashville was very very expensive. Just the travel expenses alone were very expensive. But it was it was a very defining moment.

It was. It was really yeah, a good thing is it? Is it challenging to recreate those songs live? I imagine they change, right, Yes they do. I mean now my actually I perform it better now that I've heard it through a big production. I do have more confidence. But yeah, I don't have like a backup vocal, Like I said, I don't have that drummer, but I still have that energy, you know vocally, My vocals do just keep getting better. I'll pat myself on the back there, so you know, it's it's definitely a it was a learning curve coming back there, and once again I didn't want to let it stop me.

I had a moment where I dipped and I was like, I'm a fraud. I'm this. I'm that everyone's going to know. And I'm like, wait a minute, imposter syndrome itself, That's exactly what it was. But I was like, what comes first, the chicken or the egg, you know? And I started looking into other musicians, and you know a lot of them don't create their music until they go in the studio and they don't know what they're going to sound like, and then they figured it out later. I think Blaze Foley was one. I've been learning a lot about Blaze Foley.

I've been really captured by his story. And he even said, you know, he goes to the studio and creates it and then he would hire musicians later to emulate that. So when I can afford all that, I will, But right now I'm just it was like a goal. You know, I'm forty years old. It was a fortieth birthday thing that I did. And you know, fortunately my husband was very supportive watched me go through all this. My husband also works in audio, so he was very interested in just going in general. So he's a microphone designer for Earthworks Audio.

Oh no kidding. So when we went, there was this other whole agenda, you know, to see because quite frankly, the gear that I used was very iconic. Some of the gear I used was used by Scott Wiland, a very U like famous microphone. I don't know, he got real excited about the microphone. All the guys were excited about the microphone in the room. I was just happy that Scott Wiland siging into it. That's all I cared about. But there was like this back end history of like technology that this microphone has never been made the same way.

It was like a Newman U four seven, Like, I don't know, it's real special. Yeah, but all I was hung up on was Stone Tuble pilots. But yeah, I was like, he was telling me Scott Wyland spit into this. Okay, cool right, right, So that's all I needed to get jessed. Yeah, so he he he got to see, you know, from an audio engineer perspective of a real high end recording studio. He's seen it before, but it's been a while for him. So now are you already thinking about the next one. Absolutely, I already got songs.

I want to go there so bad. I want to go right back. You know, there's there's a lot of studios in New Hampshire that I'm not going to like pretend don't exist everywhere. They are kind of like tucked away, you know. And I did work with a real uh you know. I don't know if you've ever met Charlie Chronopolis. He's a phenomenal local musician. I don't I'm very aware of him. I don't think I've met him. I don't think I have. You should so, he So I was supposed to go to Nashville before the lockdowns, and then the lockdowns happened, and then I just resigned myself to never going to Nashville.

I thought it was a pipe dream. Oh silly me for thinking I could go. And so I just kind of refocused locally and I met Charlie Chronopolis or part of an art community, and I met him through the art community, and he's very, very humbling, very grounded down to earth person, but you would you know, he's phenomenal on stage. So like, yeah, it was a little intimidated at first, but when I met him, I was like, Hey, how do you feel about recording me? So I went up and I spent about a year with him, and he approached me from a very gentle angle where he just put me in the room and let me play live and he worked with me and just having that experience with him.

By the time I was done, Nashville came back on my radar and I had an opportunity to go, so I went. So I give a lot of credit to Charlie Carnopolists for being my coach. Yeah. Through that, and if nobody's any of your listeners haven't heard him, go check him out. He's phenomenal, phenomenal and you know, maybe I can give you his contact and he can be there. Yeah, definitely, definitely, because like I said, I've always been aware of him. It seems like his name has just come up. Yeah, he actually got played locally.

I don't obviously wasn't this one or else he would know, but he was played in a local station and I know he plays, he plays around Manchester and conquered. Yeah. Yeah, but worth your time for sure, Yeah, no doubt, no doubt. Are you are you writing a lot? Like do you have a lot of song ideas I have about gosh. I have one that's literally called back burner that I haven't recorded. I have one that I did record in Nashville, but it wasn't happy with it. You know. It was like one of the tracks I did where I was like, it was just not it wasn't hitting the mark.

Okay. So I probably have about six songs on in my books that I could probably go back down and record if I wanted to I had the money, Yeah, or find another studio. You know, once you go to Nashville, I feel like it's like, you know, it's kind of like crack. Once you go, you want to go back. You know, you get a taste and you want to go back. And like I said, the studio musicians there are like wow, yeah yeah yeah. And I did have a really great connection with the producer down there, So I do feel like we it was like I compared working with Zach from Wildfeather.

It was Wild Feather recording right outside of Nashville. Yeah, and he he you know, he really cares about your music. Like it's it's intoxicating how much he cares, like and he will do whatever he can to make sure that he gets that sound. Yeah, And it's like I told my husband, I was like, it's like I got out of class and it's playtime and I get to play in the playground with Zach all day long. Like it was euphoric, Like it was just so much fun. So I'm kind of addicted to working with him, but I do need to I would like to broaden my horizons and work with producers locally here as well.

Yeah, very good, very good. Are there any so there's a song that you did there that didn't make it onto the EP? Are there others or are just that one that that you decided not to put on there? No, that was the only one that I actually attempted to record that didn't go on there. Yeah. Yeah, I do want to record back burner. It's like about being the back burner in a relationship. There's a song called Backbone for the Backlash, which is basically I didn't know it at the time when I wrote it, but to put that one in a nutshell, it's basically about cancel culture and just doing it anyway and saying what you want to say anyway, and you know, no matter what you know, because that's just the world we're living and Now, no matter what you say, someone's gonna get upset.

So as long as you have love in your h yeah, write all that Buddhist crap, you know, as long as you know, as long as you can sleep at night knowing you're a good person. Didn't do it, then see what happens. Yeah, So that song I really did want to record, and I just wasn't happy with. I just didn't like it. I was like, no, no, it just didn't feel right. So I would like to re record that one as well. When that happens, does up Zach is his name? Yes? Does he? What is he like when when you say to him, you know, I don't I don't think this one's working out?

Does he? Does he try to talk you into keeping it? Does he try to try to help you figure out what's not working? Or does he just say okay, we'll move on. Like what happens in that scenario? Well, in this scenario, I could tell you in other scenarios, if something didn't hit the mark, like say on Quiver or break Free, I could tell him and we would you know, work and calibrate and yeah, there it is. What happened with backbone for the backlash was it was almost like I tried to squeeze too many songs in at once.

So this one just didn't develop as well as the others. And to put it in with the other ones would have been like bad News Bears. It would have been like because like, if you do play my other songs, you're gonna notice, your listeners are gonna notice is very different from what you just listened to. So the last two songs on my EP are very folk oriented, they're very folky, and so backbone for the Backlash was also very folky. I had like this Irish folk vibe to it, and and it just almost it just didn't hit the mark.

And we just didn't have time, just didn't have time. And I told him, I said, if I can go back, you know, which is a shame because Kaylen Chase gave background vocals for that, and Kaylen's worked with corn He's worked with Melissa Ethridge, He's worked with Chris Cornell. He's that's why when you hear those tracks with him backing me up vocally, they sound so epic, you know, and they got they they do hit that mark. But there was just something about this one. We just didn't have time. I needed to scoot.

I needed to come back to New Hampshire. I couldn't. I couldn't stay anymore. So it's on it's on his radar if we were to ever approach it again. Okay, oh very cool. Yeah, well I think we have time to fit another track. And I know we I think we played the three that you wanted to make sure that we were, but but you did sound. I had to pick the last one. I'm gonna and this one will go out to my family because this song is called Garden of Crowns. And this song is actually the song that my agent friend heard and she said, you need to take that song to Nashville.

It's beautiful. So when I came back home, I met the love of my life, Aaron Durman, and I was getting ready to marry him. But I was also really sad because my father was no longer with us. He passed away within like like three weeks after I moved back home, and so there was this weird mix of like, I had this weird mix of joy because I survived this attack and I survived all these awful things and I was getting out of these bad things. But my family and I were also still grieving. Yea. So I was like trying to write a song to express how I feel.

You know. That's what I do instead of picking up a bottle when I start getting those feelings, I'm gonna pick up a pen and paper and just do that. Yeah. So, I was looking at my pictures of my mother on her wedding day and she was wearing a daisy crown, and I like the theory of the circle of life and love and like when something ends, something new begins. And so when I would play this for my friends, Rachel Barnard heard me and she goes take that to Nashville. She's like, I do wedding caterine on the side.

I'm telling you that song should be played it every every wed every anybody who gets married is gonna want to play that on their wedding day. So I would like to dedicate, you know, this to my mom and my sister and anybody else in my family who may have gone through tough times. Just just know it does get better. You know, the only way out is through and things are sicular and oh yeah yeah, And this this is homage to my experiences growing up. Listen to my father. My father was a musician. He was a bass player, and he was very much immersed with like the appellation sound and the folk sounds and Johnny Cash and you know, made the circle being broken and like all these heavy stringed instruments, you know.

So so it was it was a lot of fun to play this in Nashville. Oh cool, yeah all right. Oh by the way, Jennifer Christman in the chatroom says guard heard of Crowns, story of our families love so thankful you wrote it. Very nice. And by the way, Quincy Raymond also known as Quincy Laurie, he's in the Facebook lasch at. Yeah he was on this. I just watched him. Yeah, I saw that he was on. I listened to you Quincy. Yeah, he love fantastic. He's played at my house before. He oh yeah, oh yeah he really worked my crowd.

Yeah, my family got to see him. So if my family's listening, Quincy's listening as well. He was on the show last week. Oh very nice. Yeah all right, so let's give this a listen. So this is Garden of Crowns. This is Kate Shimkey, better known as Darlene Hill, and she was just telling us all about it. So let's take a listen walk She would daisies on her wedding day. Love lank stams. That's here to stay, their constant gift tabletops, a proof that their love won't stop or ever lose. Fastened crown of flowered weeds, made by children who and through the trees.

Daisy crown will be worn by daughters of a queen and little girls who were never heard an unseen Tell me, love, what can we leave behind for when we die and lie side by sigh side by side, plant seeds, pray with the sun. You know our stories ended, theirs has just begun. They'll be watered when the tears start to flow. And in our grave a garden of crowns will grow.

Dood doo doo doo WoT duddatso that dude do that, dude doo tattoo hood dudad do dad do tattoo. A daisy crown will fall fast upon weaving love strong in our minds and hearts. But just when you think gets dead and over, our garden of clowns comes to light. The club I love it, Garden of crowns Darling Hill, and Kate is here with us in studio that is great. Darling Hill Music dot Com is the website if you want to learn more about Kate Shimkey and our project Darling Hill and the EP and oh fantastic, I love it.

Great stuff. Do you have any now? Do you have any live shows coming up that you want to mention? Are you going to be playing out well? I hope that I get some gigs between now and my gig at the bull Run. So I do have a gig at the bull Run on December thirtieth, so you can pregame your New Year's Eve with me at the bull Run. I don't know if you've ever been there. I've never been. It's in Massachusetts, so I'm aware I'm like a New Hampshire, but like we're right on the border right so since Shirly mass It's a really it's like it was built like seventeen seventy something.

It's got a lot of history to it. There's several different rooms to it. There's like function halls, and there's a lot of weird folklore affiliated with it. There's like an ego pantas on the wall. I'm not going to tell you anything else about it. You got to go look and and so I'm really excited to play there. I'm hoping that'll bring me more opportunities. So no, I just finished some gigs at Marco's on Main and aar So once again, for some reason, I keep getting pulled to Massachusetts. Yeah, so I'm definitely open and willing to book in the area for sure.

I think years ago I worked at do you remember Strawberries? Oh yeah, yes, we sold tickets there and I feel like bull Run was one of the venues we still place that was real tickled. So I my good friend, uh Nicole Ridgerio from Already's Driving Range is right down the street from my house, and I had the privilege to play her end of the year local music day, So I went and played there, and doing that, I got a gig at the bull Run as well. So I do just got to get on my comfort zone, get out of my little cabin in the woods, and get out there.

Like I said, house concerts are my jam. You know, I really like house concerts. If people know what that is, it sounds pretty self explanatory, but there's some planning involved. So if that's something, if you would like to host me, it's like a tuppleware party. But with music. So if you are interested in hosting that and you have the right accommodations, let me know. Hit me up at info at Darlinghill Music dot com or any of my social media platforms or my website. You know you'll find me anywhere online.

And if you're a drummer, and if you're drummer and you like what you heard, I really need some support there of course. Yeah, no doubt, no doubt. And like I said, I'll buy the kit so you don't have to haul it down my trail. And is it practice? Is there a maximum requirement in terms of how many other bands they can be in? I mean, so long as I'm number UNO, you know that's how you do it. Oh, it's all right. I'm willing to be flexible. I mean I played just with my guitar for years, so you know I can.

I can wing it for sure. Yeah, yeah, no doubt. Kate. This has been wonderful, Thank you so much for having I love the project, Darling Hill, really good stuff. And we're gonna wrap up in a moment. But if you miss any part of today's show, if you missed any part of our interview or anything in the first hour, it will be up in just a little bit at wmnhradio dot org and my website Matt Connorton dot com. And tomorrow our musical guest in the second hour will be Slim Volume returning to the show. So that'll be a lot of fun.

I really look forward to that. But so we're gonna wrap up here, and let's see, it's Tuesday, so if you are listening live on wm and H, immediately after this show is Through the Stage Door hosted by the great Rob Diane, who we saw in the Facebook live chat. And then coming up at seven pm is a replay of Friday Nights. Last Friday's retro Spectrum Radio with PAULI C and I have the honor and privilege of being one of Paul's co hosts on that show, so check that out. And by the way, this Friday is our third anniversary here of Retrospectrum Radio with w at WMNH.

Yeah yeah, I can't believe it's been three years of that show. So Friday is my favorite day of the week here at the station. It's my long day here and I love it all right, So we're gonna wrap up, Kate, thank you again, thank you, and The website is Darlene Hill Music and darlinghillmusic dot com. And all right, we're gonna go Slim Volume tomorrow and I will talk to you all a little bit later. Bye, everybody,

Matt Connarton Unleashed 10-24-23

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