Three Song Stories

Latest Episodes:

Episode 365 - Tom Bayles Mar 03, 2025

Show notes

Tom Bayles is Senior Environmental Reporter at WGCU. A lifelong Florida journalist, Tom has covered stories in 67 counties, including plenty of hurricanes. Tom covers climate change, biodiversity, water quality and quantity issues, Everglades restoration efforts, endangered and invasive species, beach and coastal issues, and the intersections of global warming and the economy, politics, religion, society, and science.

Bayles worked for The New York Times Company in Sarasota, the Associated Press in Tampa, Miami, and Tallahassee, and he was a staff writer at the Tampa Bay Times in Clearwater, Tampa, and St. Petersburg.

For all of his work, Tom was awarded the prestigious Gold Medal for Public Service in Investigations from the Florida Society of Newspaper Editors, a Waldo Proffitt Award for Excellence in Environmental Journalism in Florida, was named the state’s top environmental journalist by the FSNE and the Florida Press Club.

SONG 1: “Fools Game” from Michael Bolton off his self-titled album released in 1982. https://youtu.be/NukzQZM-1Qk?si=QnPLGcJMiD0QHRr1

SONG 2: “Sweet Child O’ Mine” from Guns n’ Roses’ 1988 album Appetite For Destruction. https://youtu.be/1w7OgIMMRc4?si=Cm1CoijOT0N5V9nF

SONG 3: “Paradise By The Dashboard Light” by Meatloaf from his album Bat Out of Hell released in 1977. https://youtu.be/a136H5K3OKw?si=LIe0QLEqWd64A_ra

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Episode 364 - Mary Bichner Feb 24, 2025

Show notes

Mary Bichner is an orchestral composer with synesthesia - that’s the neurological condition that allows her to see splashes of specific colors in her mind’s eye when she hears their corresponding pitches.

Mary has served as composer-in-residence at The Vasilicos of Santorini in Greece, for which she composed a new string quartet work inspired by the colors of the world-famous Santorini sunset; she served a two-year composer residency at the historic Mount Auburn Cemetery of Massachusetts; she was composer-in-residence at The Helene Wurlitzer Foundation of New Mexico, and Marble House Project of Vermont; she had a multi-year partnership with the Museum of Science Boston for the “Synesthesia Suite: Live” concert series; and she has an ongoing partnership with French composer Christina Goh for an international poetry chamber concert series.

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Episode 363 - Randy Kambic Feb 17, 2025

Show notes

Randy Kambic has written hundreds of articles for The Fort Myers News-Press, Southwest Florida Parent & Child Magazine, The Banner, Florida Weekly and now The Naples Press. He compiled a regular weekly section on recreational tennis and golf for the Coastal Life section of the News-Press for more than two years;

Prior to that, he working in public relations in NYC for more than 25 years for several agencies and also for Madison Square Garden.

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Episode 362 - Jeff James Feb 10, 2025

Show notes

Jeff James is a Director of Professional TTEC Digital - and he's also the author of a self-published children's book called Brainbows: A First Reference Book for Very Young Minds. He describes himself as a music geek who spends his spare time listening to music, playing music (guitar mostly), or exploring music and looking for songs and artists that aren't famous but should be.

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Episode 361 - Renée Benmeleh Feb 03, 2025

Show notes

Renée Benmeleh is a multi-cultural vocalist, composer, instrumentalist and teacher. She has been joyfully singing Improv, Jazz, World, Ritual, and her own Original music for more than 20 years in the San Francisco Bay Area.

She’s the founder and agile facilitator at Sound Nourishment where she leads monthly classes, workshops, and events. She is also a Drum Circle Facilitator, and a childhood music practitioner.

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Episode 360 - Chris Keys Jan 27, 2025

Show notes

Chris Keys has been in the restaurant business for just over 30 years and has spent almost 18 of those years with Melting Pot. He’s been an Owner/Operator of the Fort Myers restaurant since 2018.

Before he settled in with Melting Pot, Chris worked with a few different national restaurants that include Checkers, Lonestar Steakhouse, and TGIFriday's. But he says most places he’s worked at were independently owned - including spending 4 years at one called Crowley’s at Stonehenge in North Carolina where he started his management career.

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Episode 359 - Judge Michael Cicconetti Jan 20, 2025

Show notes

Judge Michael Cicconetti is a retired Municipal Court Judge who served for more than 25 years in his hometown of Painesville, OH. He gained a nationwide reputation during his time on the bench for handing down sentences that could be accurately described as unique in certain cases.

For instance, teenagers who flattened tires on school buses were ordered to throw a picnic for the school children whose outing was cancelled because of their prank.

While some may have not exactly approved of his approach, the recidivism rate in Judge Chick’s court was around 10% versus the national rate which is around 75%

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Episode 358 - Shirlette Ammons Jan 13, 2025

Show notes

Shirlette Ammons is a Durham, NC-based musician, writer, and producer who grew up in rural Eastern North Carolina in an area called Beautancus near the little town of Mount Olive (where they make the pickles). As a musician, Shirlette has released four albums including her latest, called Spectacles which came out in April of 2024.

She’s published several books of her poetry, and is currently working on a podcast called “Tending” that explores the stories of Black farmers who were claimants in the class action lawsuit, Pigford vs. Glickman. That suit alleged that the USDA discriminated against Black farmers in its allocation of farm loans and assistance from 1981 to 1996. It was settled in 2011 for $1.25B - the largest Civil Rights settlement in history, at the time.

Shirlette also served as a producer on the Emmy and Peabody Award winning PBS series A Chef's Life which starred episode 339 guest Vivian Howard.

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Episode 357 - Mark Rodriguez Jan 06, 2025

Show notes

Mark Rodriguez is a stonemason who was born and raised and still lives in Sante Fe, NM. Mark is on a very short list of people who have received two double lung transplants. Mark’s experiences and trials have brought him to a place where bringing a message of resilience, perseverance, and great faith has become central to his perspective, which he brings to his work as an author, international speaker, and transformational empowerment coach.

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Episode 356 - Matthew Sabatella Dec 31, 2024

Show notes

Matthew Sabatella is a Hollywood, FL-based musician who performs regularly, both as a solo artist and as the leader of the Rambling String Band. He earned first-place ribbons in the 2019 Florida Folk Festival’s Old-Time Banjo Competition and the 2023 Florida Old-Time Music Championship’s Old-Time Banjo and Singing competitions.

Matthew also teaches about America’s music at Lifelong Learning Institutes, including at Florida Atlantic University, George Mason University, Florida International University, University of Miami, and Nova Southeastern University.

He's also founder of the nonprofit “Ballad of America”, and Vice President of the Southeast regional chapter of Folk Alliance International.

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