River of Suck
by Andy Reiner
You have to suck at something before you can be good at it. River of Suck is real-talk about struggles with confidence, self-doubt and becoming the youest you. Host Andy Reiner and guests ranging from musicians to scientists parse tough questions about maintaining a healthy attitude in the face of impossible-seeming obstacles, fear and "thought piranhas."
Episodes
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38 - Rob Flax - Ignition Moments, C.O.G.I.A.D., and Digging Ditches and Wells Like A Confused Squirrel Trying to Burrow to the Delta
Longtime friends Andy Reiner and Rob Flax discuss their intertwined lives as they swim through the River of Suck. With an eye towards research-based brain strategies, Rob inspires us to try new things with his C.O.G.I.A.D. philosophy. Together, they examine tough subjects like the impact of…
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37 - Mimi Rabson - Curiosity Is Driving Me
Mimi Robson, the renowned string virtuoso and educator, joins host Andy in episode 37 of the "River of Suck" podcast, recorded live at Fiddle Hill Online. Mimi recounts her evolution as an adventurous explorer of musical genres, championing curiosity, joy, and authentic connection as the…
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36 - Melody Walker - Do Your Worst Idea!
"What if everything just turns out ok?" Visit with Nashville songwriter Melody Walker in this latest episode of River of Suck podcast with an ear to the challenges of being a musician in a changing world. Join the conversation as Melody shares insights on songwriting, addresses sexism in the...
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35 - Darol Anger - Reserve of Amazingness
Dive into the River of Suck as fiddle legend, Darol Anger, shares hard-earned wisdom with River of Suck listeners in this fun and insightful episode. Delving into his personal odyssey through time with the violin, Darol explores the significance of technique in music and the importance of pushing...
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34 - Jacob Jolliff - Extension of the Hang
Live from Fiddle Hell Massachusetts, Andy chats with contemporary mandolinist Jacob Jolliff! From bluegrass to jazz, Andy and Jacob compare notes on their time at Berklee with John McGann, the evolution of their musical goals, the magic of listening, as well as the virtues of getting lost (in the...
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33 - Christian Howes - Becoming a Better Friend to Yourself
Violinist, educator, and composer, Christian Howes, joins host, Andy Reiner, on an exploration into the River of Suck. Together, they delve into the art of setting achievable goals, and of finding the best ways to approach practicing. Christian shares his personal journey, exploring fear's role…
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16 - Enion Pelta-Tiller - An Improvised Life
Open your mind to an improvised life with special guest, fiddler Enion Pelta-Tiller. Together, host Andy Reiner and Enion examine the struggle of staying positive while playing one of the world's hardest instruments and share secrets of how to get unstuck. For Enion, the River of Suck is a River…
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15 - Kristen Ulmer - Fear and the Art of Swimming with Thought Piranhas
Discover the meaning of life as Kristen Ulmer reveals her incredible solutions to living with fear and anxiety .. AKA being a human. In this life-changing interview, Kristen shares her spectacular insights gained from her meteoric rise from pro skier to fear and anxiety expert. Together with host...
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14 - The Jonny Miller vs. J Robert Miller Paradox
From Electrician to Musician - from beginner to professional - J's incredible rise from bluegrass fan to sharing the stage with Yonder Mountain String Band is the epitome of swimming the River of Suck - forging ahead with unstoppable passion, no matter the obstacles. Packed with mandolin and…
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13 - Temple Grandin - Think Simple
What can we learn from someone who thinks in pictures? For the premiere of Season 2, Andy Reiner interviews Dr. Temple Grandin - an animal scientist, author, public speaker, and inspirational figure to the autistic community. How do we solve big problems with simple, logical solutions? What do...
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12 - Alex Hargreaves - Live from Fiddle Hell
Alex Hargreaves and Andy Reiner share tunes and talk shop - live at Fiddle Hell with the River of Suck Swim Team! Dueling twin fiddles set the scene with improvised musical moments. With an enthusiastic studio audience, good vibes abound for an open discussion about healthy musical attitudes and...
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11 - Anne A. Madden - Bugs on Bugs
Bugs on Bugs is a pivotal River of Suck episode about the intersection of microbial science, mental health and the learning process. Anne A. Madden's experience speaking at TED conferences, thinking outside of the box and winning bizarre awards brings a delightful whimsy to swimming the River of...
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10 - Courtney Hartman - From Here to Here
"From Here to Here" details Courtney Hartman's musical journey from her childhood home in Colorado to her current massive project renovating a barn on the same property. Formerly of bluegrass band Della Mae, Courtney's insights into emotions, fear and creativity present a refreshingly honest view...
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9 - Ric Robertson - Rustic Rootian
Live at Rustic Roots Music and Food Retreat, host Andy Reiner sits down with teaching artist and special guest, Ric Robertson, in a historic dance hall from the 1800's. Ric harnesses the power of lyrics and song for parsing packages of emotions. With questions from the live audience of Rustic...
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8 - Climate Change & Personal Change w/Danica Lombadozzi
Global Change Ecologist, Danica Lombardozzi, drops in to the River of Suck podcast studio to discuss climate change, political doubt about scientific research, making a difference, being outside, creativity in music and science, digging for worms, ignoring bad advice, community, taking criticism,...
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7 - Cedric Easton - The Rhythm and the Word
Recorded in front of a live studio audience, River of Suck Episode 7 finds Andy Reiner connecting with drummer, percussionist and educator Cedric Easton, both teaching artists at Creative Strings Workshop in Delaware, Ohio. Together, their journey begins with family and church, continues with...
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6 - Megan Rau - Harmony With Horses
Megan Rau takes River of Suck listeners on a journey across pastures of fear, consciousness and thought piranhas through the lens of training horses and instructing riders. Megan's unique take on French Classical Horsemanship makes a strong case for compassion for horses and other animals.…
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Episode 5 - Jeremy Garrett of the Infamous Stringdusters
Fiddler and singer-songwriter Jeremy Garrett takes a podcast-length break from the Infamous Stringdusters for a deep conversation about music and life. True passion, success and satisfaction, lyrics and songwriting, playing solo and with the Stringdusters, motivation and believing in oneself.…
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Episode 4 - Pacifica Sommers
Ecologist Pacifica Sommers takes a break from analyzing samples she collected in Antarctica to ponder rivers and water bears in Episode 4. Cryoholes, oceans of suck, Ernest Shackleton's journey, impostor syndrome, tardigrades, microbes and thought piranhas. Pacifica brings her unique perspective…
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Episode 3 - Natalie Padilla
Colorado fiddler and educator Natalie Padilla discusses how to survive and thrive with host Andy Reiner in the third episode of River of Suck Podcast. Family bands, fog, cooking, fiddling, contests, teaching, and of course, thought piranhas. Traditional and improvised duo fiddle and octave…
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Episode 2 - Nick Economou
Intel engineer Nick Economou sits down with host Andy Reiner for a spirited discussion about science and thought piranhas. The second episode of River of Suck offers insights learned from Nick's work on developing materials for smaller and smaller computer chips, as well as a lifetime spent in...
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Episode 1 - Rushad Eggleston
The pilot episode of River of Suck with host Andy Reiner. Cellist and singer/songwriter, Rushad Eggleston (the Bat Prince of Jick), sits down with Andy in a spare speck of time between electrifying performances and school visits in December 2018. Using music and words, they trace the origins of…
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About this show
You have to suck at something before you can be good at it. River of Suck is real-talk about struggles with confidence, self-doubt and becoming the youest you. Host Andy Reiner and guests ranging from musicians to scientists parse tough questions about maintaining a healthy attitude in the face of impossible-seeming obstacles, fear and "thought piranhas."
Hosted by
Andy Reiner
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