The Desert Vibe

We sit down with songwriter and guitarist Shawn Royer to explore collaboration, craft, and why releasing finished songs matters more than waiting for a gatekeeper. The talk moves from KISS-fueled drum lessons to Arizona’s diverse scene, the Bluebird’s magic, and the small venues where music hits hardest.

• how The Steady Kind formed with Rhonda and Freddie
• moving from pitching publishers to self-releasing originals
• “Moments In Between” as a country-leaning vignette
• early influences from KISS to Neil Young
• collaborations with local standouts and roots icons
• comparing Nashville's focus with Arizona’s diverse mix
• song...

Here is the latest -- It's The Best of 2025 and takes a 30-minute tour of what the show is all about. Happy New Year and look for a brand new episode next week!

We celebrate a music community that puts collaboration first, from a guitar‑making school’s global legacy to a sold‑out MIM showcase built on desert‑seasoned wood. Along the way, we weigh tech’s impact on shared culture, open up about being partners on and off stage, and invite you to local gigs across the Valley.

• Arizona’s collaborative music culture and why it fee...

The Desert Vibe Podcast hosts (Walt Richardson, Glen Gardner, and Jamie Ray) do a relaxed “thank you + looking ahead” check-in about the Arizona music scene and why spotlighting musicians in Arizona matters. Recorded on December 11, 2025, this one is all about community, great venues, open mics, and what’s coming next as the show heads into 2026.

They share a few hilarious stories (yes, including the “Barry White voice” joke and the “deflated reindeer” bit), talk about how tech helps people find live music, and end with a big “Live, Loud & Local” rundown of shows, open mics, and Arizona events.

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On this episode of The Desert Vibe Podcast, we sit down with Matthew Allen of The Matthew Allen Project, one of the hardest-working independent artists in the Arizona music scene. If you care about musicians in Arizona, local community, and the power of songs to literally change a life, this one’s for you. Watch the full episode to hear the whole story.

In this episode, you’ll hear about:
 • Turning music from a hobby into a serious business
 • How one song led to a daughter and a total life reset
 • Uncle Jerry, The Hush Puppies...

A WWII pilot’s wood stash, a desert Quonset hut, and a Stanford business plan converge to form the Roberto Venn School of Luthiery. William Eaton traces the school’s roots, the 50th-anniversary builds for MIM, and how Arizona’s climate shapes guitars and the people who make them.

• John Roberts’ reclaimed wood journey from Nicaragua to Phoenix
• Founding of the school and early Quonset hut era
• Stanford plan that formalized the program
• Alumni impact across Gibson, Fender, Collings and boutique shops
• MIM celebration and fifty anniversary guitars
• Taylor Swift koa tangents and material provena...

We sit down with Carrie Schnepf to trace how a working farm became a music landmark, from early peach festivals to hosting Country Thunder and building stages on the fly. Expect hard truths about promoter economics, sweet backstage moments, and a clear case for why live music is the glue that holds great events together.

• Arizona roots and a family steeped in music
• Tempe’s live scene and Morningstar memories
• Turning a farm into a festival venue
• Country Thunder’s growth and backstage stories
• Booking for quality, reliability and showmanship
• The real costs: insurance...

We turn the mic toward Glen Gardner to trace his path from a teenage FM apprentice to a builder of Arizona’s music community. Along the way we unpack how humor, restraint, and care turn a room into a home for artists and listeners.

• early FM radio days and learning live craft
• the power and limits of a 50,000-watt signal
• fragmentation versus shared cultural moments
• hosting principles that welcome and disarm
• first guitars, jazz lessons, and letting songs breathe
• thirty-five years in a precision show band
• creating Active Rock and breaking heavy bands
...

Walt Richardson joins The Desert Vibe Podcast for a special co-host “guest” interview rooted in the Arizona music scene. If you love hearing how musicians in Arizona build community, find their voice, and keep showing up, watch the full episode here.

Glenn Gardner and Jamirae (Jamie Ray) put Walt in the hot seat to talk about where his calm leadership style really comes from—growing up as the oldest of eight kids, moving around in a military family, and learning how to connect with people so they feel safe and heard.

Walt also shares how music...

We trace Lisa Hightower’s path from newcomer to cornerstone in Arizona’s music scene, from finding open mics to building a mission-driven community. A harrowing car crash catalyses healing, gratitude, and the launch of Church of Sound to uplift and fund artists.

• surveying a new city’s scene and finding open mics
• assembling the right band through intent and chemistry
• defining “earthy soul” and improvisation as practice
• reimagining covers to feel fresh and personal
• the crash, recovery, and community support
• launching Fest in the Hills and Church of Sound
• plans for artist aid, developm...

We sit down with George and Georgia to trace a chance harmony from a Denver bar into a full creative partnership shaped by the desert, open mics, and the Phoenix community. We unpack their arranging process, their influences, and the power of space, restraint, and true listening rooms.

• how a spontaneous duet became a duo
• moving to Phoenix for the desert and community
• balancing love, rehearsal, and changing arrangements
• instruments, training, and jazz-minded improvisation
• harmony as arrangement, leaving space in songs
• reworking covers with fresh chord voicings
• building confidence to share originals live...

We sit down with Eric Ramsey to explore how a song picks its own path, why labels rarely fit, and how Arizona’s stages and open mics shaped a late-career leap into full-time music. We close with a tour of upcoming shows, festivals, and where to find Eric’s work.

• resisting genre boxes and letting songs lead
• writing across instruments and timbres
• evolving arrangements from studio to stage
• inspiration versus revision in songcraft
• when collaboration works and when it doesn’t
• roots from Kansas to Arizona desert life
• building a career via showcases and op...

We sit down with organizer and multi-instrumentalist B Graves to explore how a volunteer-powered folk festival grew from a few stages into a free, family-friendly cornerstone at a working dairy farm. Along the way we share booking tips, hidden Valley venues, and why community keeps this scene alive.

• Levine Folk Festival origin, growth to five stages
• Venue details at LaSalvia Dairy beside South Mountain
• Date, hours, free entry, family and dog policy
• Rapid artist signups and current waitlist approach
• Sound rules and stage design to avoid bleed
• Volunteer roles across sound, MCs, vendors
...

We sit down with Sal from The Chill Room to unpack how a no-alcohol, kava-forward venue is reshaping Arizona’s live music community. From Brooklyn roots and tribute-band craft to open mics that launch careers, we trace the systems, stories, and spirit behind a growing scene.

• origins of the chill room and its stage-first vision
• balancing life as a touring guitarist and venue owner
• role of open mics in spotting and growing talent
• tribute-band discipline and production quality
• why removing alcohol changes audience behavior
• kava culture explained and performance benefits
• family-run operations, staf...

A legendary room, a fresh start, and a reminder that local stages can change a life. We shine a light on Phoenix’s Rebel Lounge—once the Mason Jar—and its Summer Heat Series while welcoming Hall of Fame honoree Rhonda Joe to share how grit, community, and collaboration carried her from cover sets to a decade of originals ready to see daylight. From hauling gear for weekly showcases to championing women songwriters valley-wide, her story is a blueprint for how scenes grow when we build them together.

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Guest Links

Rhonda Hitchcock-Mast (Rhonda Joe):

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Ever wondered how a guitar store becomes the heartbeat of a city block? We sit down with Ed Heisler of Black Mountain Guitar Company to trace the unlikely path from a COVID-era electronics business to a thriving Cave Creek destination where players gather, bands form, and music spills into the streets. What begins as a need for hands-on, real-wood shopping turns into a scene powered by weekly jams, mentorship, and a showroom that treats tone like a craft rather than a checkout button.

Ed opens up about acquiring the space after a local icon passed, rebranding the...

The desert has a way of stripping a song down to what’s honest, and that’s exactly where we go with our guest, Cowboy Wrecks. We dive into the difference between Western and country, the power of listening rooms that champion original music, and how a melody can pull images into focus until the lyric finally tells the truth. Along the way, Wrecks performs two standouts—Heat of the Road and Raggedy Ann—offering a lived-in portrait of persistence, longing, and the landscapes that shape both.

Cowboy Wrecks:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cowboywrecks/

Rev...