Only In The Green Room

What happens when the spotlight takes you away from the music that made you want to step onstage in the first place?
Backstage at High Sierra Music Festival, Paul McDonald joins Tami and Dennis for a candid, funny, and heartfelt conversation about finding his way back. From an unexpected American Idol audition to the whirlwind of Hollywood, Paul reflects on the experiences that shaped him—and the sense of belonging he’s found with his band, the Mourning Doves.
He shares the personal story behind “Dark Side” and So Long to the Dark Side, how losing his mother brought him back to the records he grew up with, and why kindness matters as much as talent when choosing the people beside him on the road. Along the way: songwriting with Andy Frasco and friends, jamming with Lebo, and some unforgettable American Idol backstage encounters.
A conversation about letting go, finding your people, and getting back to the music.
Only in the Green Room — Where Artists Remain Human.
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In this episode, we catch up with Boy Golden backstage at High Sierra Music Festival for a conversation that goes well beyond the music.
The Winnipeg singer-songwriter opens up about The Church of Better Daze, why songwriting has become a spiritual practice for him, and his belief that music and creative expression can be deeply healing.
We also get into the story behind the name Boy Golden, his early years playing hundreds of shows, his love of albums, the way he approaches songwriting, and why his ultimate mission isn't simply to make people listen — it's to make them want to create something themselves.
For Boy Golden, a life filled with as many “creative days” as possible is a life well lived.
Only in the Green Room — Where Artists Remain Human.
#BoyGolden #HighSierraMusicFestival #OnlyInTheGreenRoom #ChurchOfBetterDaze #SingerSongwriter #IndieMusic #Songwriting #MusicPodcast

What was supposed to be a conversation about the Grateful Dead quickly becomes something else entirely when photographer Jay Blakesberg and singer-songwriter Steve Poltz join us at High Sierra.
The two give us a preview of Working Man’s Dead, their wonderfully unpredictable live collaboration combining Jay’s iconic Grateful Dead photography and storytelling with Steve’s music — including songs he writes spontaneously in response to stories and images he hasn't seen coming.
They talk about Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, Phil Lesh and the strange magic of improvisation. Jay also recounts watching an all-white-clad Steve Poltz make his way toward the rail at the Sphere as the crowd seemingly parted for him “like Moses” — leading Jay to describe Steve as “a cross between Bob Dylan and Moses.”
And then things go completely off the rails.
Charlton Heston. Planet of the Apes. Paper routes. Behind the Green Door. A mysterious bag of vintage magazines. And several moments when we completely lose control of our own interview.
Underneath the insanity, though, is a friendship between two gifted storytellers and a shared love of the Grateful Dead, spontaneity and the kind of live experience that can never happen exactly the same way twice.
This is Steve Poltz and Jay Blakesberg — unfiltered, unscripted and very much Only in the Green Room.
Steve Poltz, Jay Blakesberg, Grateful Dead, Grateful Dead stories, Bob Weir, Jerry Garcia, Workingman's Dead, Grateful Dead photography, High Sierra Music Festival, Only in the Green Room

What if a dream changed the course of a band?
Don Was joins Jay Lane and Only in the Green Room for a remarkable conversation about Bob Weir, Rob Wasserman, Wolf Bros and the music that continues to connect them all.
Don shares the story of the phone call from Bob Weir that started with something extraordinary: Rob Wasserman had come to Bob in a dream — and told him why he had introduced Don and Bob decades earlier.
That call helped lead to the formation of Wolf Bros.
From Don locking himself in a New York hotel room for 10 days to learn six songs they never ended up playing, to Bob eventually giving him the advice that changed the way he approached the music:
“Just forget about all this and be yourself.”
Don and Jay also reflect on the enormous influence of Rob Wasserman, revisit Blues for Allah 50 years later, and talk about what makes this music continue to transcend generations.
A backstage conversation about friendship, fearlessness, musical legacy — and the people who change the course of our lives.
Watch the full conversation on Only in the Green Room.
#DonWas #JayLane #BobWeir #WolfBros #RobWasserman #GratefulDead #BluesForAllah #OnlyInTheGreenRoom

What started as a conversation about Bob Weir and RatDog turned into one of the most personal stories we've ever captured.
In this episode of Only in the Green Room, drummer Jay Lane shares what it was like joining Bob Weir and Rob Wasserman despite knowing very little about the Grateful Dead, learning songs from Heaven Help the Fool, navigating unpredictable RatDog setlists, and witnessing Bob's determination to keep creating after Jerry Garcia's passing.
Then the conversation takes an unexpected turn.
Jay opens up about his own adoption story, his remarkable adoptive mother, Mary D. Lane, and discovering his biological mother, prior to his birth, had a daughter with acclaimed jazz bassist Donald Rafael Garrett. As the story unfolds Jay pieces together a long-hidden mosaic of family, music, and coincidence, sharing how deeply his life had been intertwined with San Francisco's legendary music scene long before he ever knew it.
This is a story about music, identity, family, mentorship, and the incredible coincidences that can shape a life.
If you enjoy authentic conversations with the artists behind the music, please Like, Subscribe, and share this episode.

#OnlyInTheGreenRoom #JayLane #BobWeir #RatDog #GratefulDead #AdoptionStory #MusicPodcast #BehindTheMusic#SweetwaterMusicHall #David Nelson, #Ramblin' Jack Elliott, #Lorin Rowan, #Matt Jaffe, #Matty Michna, #Jay Lane# Barry Sless, #Jason Crosby, #Samson Grisman#

Bobby & The Midnites - I Want To Live In America 1984 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWscxdleZzI
YouTube: @inmotion68

"Not Fade Away" - Bob Weir and Wolf Bros | 8/25/2019 | LOCKN' 2019 | Relix 
YouTube: @RelixMag
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfnfGM77Ob8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wdteIsK1qU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6a-A7gP9Mc