What If Your Best Music Teacher Is A Skateboard

A missed co-host, a surprise stand-in, and two brothers who make skateboarding and music feel like the same sport. We sit down with Quinn (15) and Holden (11) of Johnston Brothers Music to talk about growing up around the Fernandina Beach scene, learning at Poe Pinson Skate Park, and why that first spark matters more than having the “right” gear. If you care about skate culture, youth recreation, or how kids actually get good at something, this conversation goes straight to the point: repetition, community, and the courage to look awkward while you improve. From there we dig into music: early lessons, picking up guitar and bass, getting inspired by what you can’t do yet, and how theory starts to click when you stop treating it like homework. They explain writer’s block in the most skater way possible, take a break and go skate, and they share how open mics at Disco Witch turned into real bookings around Jacksonville and Neptune Beach. Along the way we talk jam band energy, covers vs originals, building a catalog, and meeting their drummer through the skate park. We also get honest about the stuff that affects real life goals: homeschooling flexibility, crowded parks, Florida heat, and injuries that can change how you approach a session when you have gigs on the calendar. And yes, we vent about skate park funding getting shaky while pickleball seems to win every budget meeting. If you enjoy stories about young musicians, skateboarding progression, and building a creative life in North Florida, hit play, then subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review. What’s the bigger teacher for you, the board or the instrument?