The Chris & Sandy Show

We had a great conversation with Sophie B. Hawkins on The Chris & Sandy Show. We talked about so many things from family, music, sacrifices, rising to success, she told some amazing stories especially how she got discovered by Marc Cohn to a whole lot more!Sophie B. Hawkins burst onto the international music scene with her 1992 platinum-selling debut album, Tongues and Tails, which included the indelible hit song Damn, I Wish I Was Your Lover, and earned her a Best New Artist Grammy nomination.The last three decades have brought multiple awards, sold out concerts, appearances on film and television, performances with some of the best known names in the business, a documentary feature, a critically-lauded tour-de-force performance as Janis Joplin in the nationally-touring play Room 105, songs appearing in hit films and TV shows, and five more albums, including Whaler, which featured the record-breaking longest-running single in Billboard Adult Contemporary chart history, the Number One hit, As I Lay Me Down. Much more than just a singer, Sophie writes all of her own songs, is a multi-instrumentalist, and has been fully involved in every aspect of the production of her records herself, from background vocals and playing her own instruments, to engineering and production of her albums. She has proved an enduring artist with a fierce commitment to artistic integrity while both constantly evolving, and remaining steadfastly true to her own authentic history and experience which connects her to her fans at the very deepest levels.

We had a great conversation with Jimmy Olander From Diamond Rio on The Chris & Sandy Show. We talked about so many things from his story, family, music, sacrifices, he told some really amazing stories PLUS a whole lot more! This was a raw and candid conversation!When Jimmy was 12 years old, his father took him to see a musician named Gene Johnson, who played the mandolin, in a small club near Detroit, MI. Gene became one of Jimmy's bluegrass hero's and later on….his partner in the group Diamond Rio.Jimmy was born in Minneapolis, MN on August 26 and when he was a teenager he had already mastered the banjo and gave lessons, however, by the time he was in college in Nashville, he found out that guitar players were more in demand than banjo pickers, so he mastered the guitar.Jimmy joined the Tennessee River Boys in 1984 at Opryland theme park alongside Marty and Dan. His musical influences are Earl Scruggs, Leon Rhodes and Clarence White and one of his all time favorite singers is Ella Fitzgerald.Jimmy is married and he and his wife adopted two boys and are enjoying family life. Jimmy also enjoys sky diving and weight training." I remember that [co-producer] Mike Clute once asked me a very poignant question, He said, 'If this was your last album, what would you record?' I told him that I want to make records that will be played by friends in late-night listening parties, like I used to do, pulling out George Jones doing 'The Grand Tour,' The Dixie Dregs' 'Pride of the Farm' or Ella Fitzgerald singing 'Round Midnight.' "

We had a great conversation with Actress Gillie Jones on The Chris & Sandy Show. We talked about so many things from family, producing, acting, sacrifices, she told some really great stories especially how they used their wedding money to fund their current project to a whole lot more!Not content to remain idle, Gillie has a slate of upcoming projects on the way including the horror comedy short “Pandemic Princess,” which she wrote, produced, and starred in. Filmed in March 2020 and a product of the COVID pandemic, “Pandemic Princess” follows what happens when a lone wander stumbles upon the first person he has seen in eight months. Currently in post-production is “Curiosity,” the sketch skit series that Gillie co-wrote, produced and starred in, alongside Hamid Reza, Benjamin Thompson and Alexey Del Castillo. Based on three humans who have been abducted by aliens in order to study how best to take over the human race, each sketch episode of “Curiosity” explores a different question the aliens have such as "What Is A Period?"Gillie will soon announce her next major role in a SciFi thriller that begins filming in December. Additional credits include a role in Fox’s “Welcome to Flatch,” and producing the short film “Thursday.” “Thursday” follows the story of a mother and daughter forced to face the emotional breaches of their relationship and an unknowing need to rebuild it. The film was made by a collaboration between Atlanta based organizations Film It 4 Fun and Nova House, with the goal of bringing together filmmakers in the city to demonstrate that Hollywood quality films, which are 100% written, produced, and edited in Atlanta, are in fact possible. Directed by Erica Arvold, “Thursday” premiered at the Columbia Film Festival in 2020.MORE ABOUT GILLIEGillie became captivated with storytelling after watching a production of “Les Misérables” as a child. She began dancing and singing lessons to foster her creative side before she went on to perform in productions of “Wizard of Oz” and “Annie” as part of a professional theater company. Jones later attended the University of Delaware where she majored in Communication and fell in love with the producing aspects of the industry. After an internship in London and Los Angeles, Gillie landed her first industry job with Wayne Brady. While acting as his assistant, Gillie received a piece of life changing advice and set out to pursue her true passion: acting. Following Brady’s advice to hone her natural talent and get any experience she could in front of live audiences, Jones began working for the second largest theater company in the United States, American Immersion Theater, where she was quickly promoted to the National Regional Manager and a top actress for the company. For more than five years, Gillie played a large variety of characters as well as performed improv in front of thousands of audience members.Jones currently splits her time between Atlanta and Los Angeles, where she enjoys incorporating both creativity and business into her life and career. She is co-owner of the feature film production company Renegade Creative and was co-founder of Nova House, which helped solve the large problem of financial inequality in the entertainment industry by offering a membership-based taping service and communal home for actors in Atlanta. Alongside her husband and sister, Gillie is hoping to relaunch Nova House as a 501c3 nationwide in the near future, focusing on this issue.

We had a great conversation with Minnie Murphy on The Chris & Sandy Show. We talked about many things from family, music, sacrifices, she told some great stories to a whole lot more!Born in Seattle and surrounded by her talented musical family, Minnie’s style was uniquely developed by listening to her mother’s jazz records, her father’s Celtic country style, and her Australian sister, Jamie O’Neal's country-rock hits. She is a remarkable vocal stylist who truly defies genres and artist comparison. Minnie was a signed Sony writer at the age of 17, where her musical roots first developed. For over a decade, she has been in Nashville, working as a writer and recording demos. She's currently a staff writer at Evergreen, where she's been represented for the past six years, and where she wrote her upcoming single, "Get Over It" alongside Don Bedell and Trafton Harvey.In 2018, Minnie faced some personal struggles; however, the tides changed for her after having a baby in 2020. Becoming a mother reignited her passion and vision and has led her to record and release new music, which I believe is fresh and unlike any other during this time. Minnie’s new single is reflective, and delivers a potent mix of classic traditional country along with her unique musical ability to bring passion and real deal emotion to life, both vocally or instrumentally. In Minnie's words - about the song:"I wrote this song with Don Bedell and Trafton Harvey and co-produced it with Jon Conley. We wanted to lyrically express coping with heartbreak, touching upon self-destructive choices made impulsively with consequential disregard. The style is retro, with lots of steel guitar and a sincere, melodic vocal. I think everyone at one time or another has felt restless, lonely, impulsive, and self-destructive due to heartbreak. That moment when we make choices we know will only make things worse, but we are just looking for that instant relief, and choosing to deal with the consequences later, is very relatable to me. One of my favorite psychologists, Caroline Myss, said we all share the self-saboteur archetype. Sometimes, it takes a lot of wrestling with ourselves and repeating the same mistakes until we begin to discipline our dark sides. Country music has always bravely revealed real-life struggles in this way, and the beauty of it all to me is that once you hear the raw personal story as a song, someone else can relate, and the healing begins. It lets us know we're not alone. Music helps to trivialize our dramas because if you can sing about it, you can 'Get Over It.’"

We had a great conversation with actor Gabriel Jarret on The Chris & Sandy Show. We talked about so many things on this episode from acting, he told some really amazing stories especially about the sacrifices it takes to make it as an actor plus a whole lot more!Actor Gabriel Jarret recently co-starred as an auto repair shop owner and ambulance dispatcher, opposite Amy Smart, Thora Birch and Anne Heche, in writer/director Lindsay Gossling’s true tornado survival Quiver feature, 13 Minutes. He plays a man of the cloth opposite Tom Malloy, Briana Evigan, Jesse Kove and Joyce DeWitt the romantic the comedy Ask Me to Dance, and he’s Heckle, a 13th Century plague sanitizer in Bring On the Dancing Horses, a limited series that stars Kate Bosworth. In the latter, all of his dialogue is in American sign language. A native of Westlake Village, California who grew up in Malibu, Gabe is the son of screenwriter Jeremy Joe Kronsberg who wrote Clint Eastwood’s celebrated comedy Every Which Way But Loose. At 11, Gabe’s first show business opportunity came when he picked up a copy of Daily Variety and spotted a talent audition ad. Taking the bus from Malibu to Hollywood, he was selected to play one of the background kids on Walt Disney’s Mousercise, an exercise show. Graduating from high school, Gabe was accepted at UCLA but decided to pursue acting full time. He made his scripted television debut on Goodnight, Beantown, and appeared opposite Joe Pantoliano in the play Vampire Guts. Then his big break came when he won the lead opposite Val Kilmer in the comedy Real Genius, in which he played a fourteen-year-old whiz kid who goes to college. He has been a working actor ever since. His feature credits include The Karate Kid Part III, Apollo 13, The American President, Las Days, Poseidon (as the helmsman), Frost/Nixon, Swing State and Limbo. His television credits include 21 Jump Street, The Bronx Zoo, Freddy’s Nightmares, L.A. Law, Party of Five, The West Wing, The Game and Mystic Cosmic Patrol. When Gabe isn’t acting, he’s an American sign language interpreter who works in many venues, including press conferences, cruise lines, theme parks and medical conventions.

We had a great conversation with Actress Colleen Foy on The Chris & Sandy Show. We talked about so many things from family, acting, sacrifices, she told some amazing stories especially about her first moving to LA. This episode got a little emotional and you will see. Colleen was amazing!Actress Colleen Foy is featured opposite Ana de Armas, Bobby Cannavale, Adrien Brody and Julianne Nicholson in the Netflix, 2022 feature film Blonde, writer/director Andrew Dominik’s fictionalized chronicle of the life of Marilyn Monroe. In this eagerly awaited film, produced by Brad Pitt’s Plan B Entertainment, she plays a psychiatric nurse who takes care of Marilyn’s mother. Colleen is perhaps best known for her multi-season arc as Inara, on the Shondaland / ABC series Station 19, who survived a violent marriage and began a relationship with the firefighter who rescued her. Colleen grew up in a family of social workers in Milwaukee and loved hearing stories about her paternal great grandparents, who were touring vaudevillians. She graduated from Dominican High School, where she performed in every play and musical the school produced. Her personal highlight was the female lead in a production of The Little Shop of Horrors. She earned her degree in Theatre Studies at Marquette University, in her hometown. A seminal moment for Colleen occurred at Marquette when a friend – the first Deaf student at the university – wrote Quid Pro Quo, a play that is totally performed in American Sign Language and voiced by off-stage actors. The show won the prestigious American College Theatre festival and Colleen performed it at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. Newly proficient in ASL, Colleen’s first professional acting job post-college was a year long tour with the National Theatre of the Deaf. The only hearing actor in the company, Colleen played Alice in their adaptation of Alice in Wonderland. Their performance caught the attention of the producers of Sesame Street, who hired Colleen and her castmates to film multiple segments teaching the “Sign Language Word of the Day” for their huge national audience. Within the first year of moving to Los Angeles, Colleen made her feature film debut in director Paul Thomas Anderson’s acclaimed drama There Will Be Blood, in which she played the adult Mary Sunday opposite Daniel Day Lewis’s Daniel Plainview character. In television animation, Colleen co-starred in the Ever After High series, playing Holly O’Hair, the daughter of Rapunzel. Additional television series credits include 9-1-1: Lonestar, Bones, Castle, Franklin & Bash, Code Black, Cold Case, The Client List, Criminal Minds, Tacoma FD, and she has recurred on The Bold and the Beautiful, Sundance's This Close, and CBS All Access' Strange Angel.

We had a great conversation with Jay Jay French , Founder , Guitarist of Twisted Sister on The Chris & Sandy Show. This was one for the books! We talked about so many things with him especially the music business in general too.He also told so many stories including in his 50+ years in the music business. He told a story of how Johnny Cash wanted his autograph for his son John carter cash. WOW what a story he told there. You have to hear that!Jay Jay French is an American guitarist, manager, record producer and founding member of the heavy metal band Twisted Sister. He is a columnist, author and motivational speaker who oversees licensing and intellectual property rights for the Twisted Sister brand. We're not gonna take it & I wanna rock!#TwistedSister #TS #Speaker

We had such a fun conversation with Rhythm Tribe on The Chris & sandy Show. Their family truly has Rhythm. You will see as you watch the show. We had 3 of the 4 on the show. We talked about so many things from family of course, music, sacrifices, they told some really amazing stories to a whole lot more! They have such a dynamic to them. Their personalities just flow together. They also performed on the show and their harmonies were amazing! The Guzman-Sanchez family has been playing music since 1915. Rafael “Fello” Sanchez is a legendary Cuartista and professional musician from Corozal, Puerto Rico. Rafael Guzman-Sanchez, also born in Corozal P.R., was a professional player who performed on radio throughout the 50’s and innovated a new rhythmic approach to Guaracha music. Thomas is the third generation of professional musicians. He is the founder of Rhythm Tribe (Zoo/BMG 1989-94, VRL Muzic 1995-present). Mason, age 22, is a fourth-generation guitarist, and Brisa, age 20, with her R&B stylized vocals, represents a new generation of musicians as a family. Brisa is also a junior at Cal State Northridge. Thomas was inspired to reach out to his kids to see if they wanted to start a new incarnation of Rhythm Tribe. It was their collective decision that has made this new album possible. Together, they’ve called the album “Generations.”

We had a great conversation with Producer & Writer Lloyd J. Schwartz on The Chris & Sandy Show. We talked about so many things from his Classic Couples Counseling, his life growing up with his father Sherwood Schwartz, some about The Brady Bunch & Gilligans Island, he told some really amazing stories to a whole lot more!Lloyd J. Schwartz is the playwright. A man of all media, he wrote for the TV series Love, American Style; Alice; The Munsters Today; The A Team, The Love Boat, Baywatch and more. As an ABC network executive, he supervised production on Happy Days, Laverne and Shirley, What’s Happening and Three’s Company. With his father, TV legend Sherwood Schwartz, he co-created Harper Valley P.T.A. Lloyd also produced numerous iterations of the Brady Bunch and Gilligan’s Island franchises (created by Sherwood) for feature films, television and stage. With his wife Barbara, Lloyd created the long-running Storybook Theatre at Theatre West. He has also had 34 produced plays.CLASSIC COUPLES COUNSELING OPENS APRIL 1 AT THEATRE WEST. THIS PRODUCTION HAS BROADWAY POTENTIAL TELEVISION WRITER/PRODUCER OF THE BRADY BUNCH & GILLIGANS ISLANDLLOYD SCHWARTZ IS THE WRITER/ BRAINCHILD BEHIND THIS PRODUCTIONSchwartz said “ I was intrigued with the idea of what would happen if the very troubled Shakespearean characters went to couples therapy. What would it be like if Hamlet and Ophelia sought help? Or Romeo and Juliet? Or MacBeth and Lady MacBeth? Or Othello and Desdemona? or Kate and Petruchio? Would it help? And I then started imagining if the therapist had her own problems which would make her patient's problems even worse. And it leads to a group therapy where they are all there, and whatever problems they have get even worse. CLASSIC COUPLES COUNSELING is a comedy that pokes fun at Shakespeare's most famous couples...a comedy about tragedies. Or as Shakespeare said in "A ;Midsummer's Night Dreram:" "Oh, what fools these mortals. be."Established in 1962, Theatre West is the oldest continually running professional theatre company in the city of Los Angeles. It is a membership collective of actors, playwrights, directors, and technicians. Theatre West’s alumni members include Ray Bradbury, Beau Bridges, Richard Dreyfuss, Sally Field, Betty Garrett, Martin Landau, Lee Meriwether, Jack Nicholson, Carroll O’Connor, Sherwood Schwartz, Joyce Van Patton, and Paul Winfield. Theatre West has produced more than 300 plays and musicals. Of these plays, nearly 70% are original works developed in its workshops and many have led to Broadway, regional tours, and feature films including A Bronx Tale by Chazz Palminteri and A Very Brady Musical by Lloyd Schwartz and Hope Juber. Our season continues with Moose on the Loose by Dina Morrone in June 2022, and Storybook Theatre’s Goldilocks and the Three Bears is running Saturday matinees until June 2022. Theatre West is supported in part by The Ahmanson Foundation, California Arts Council, Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, Kaplan-Loring Foundation, and Peter Glenville Foundation.#BradyBunch #Gilligansisland #TVLegend

We had a great conversation with Shae Smolik on The Chris & Sandy Show. We talked about family, music, acting, sacrifices, social media, she told some great stories plus a whole lot more!She is an award winning SAG actress, and emerging Country music singer. She has appeared and starred in movies on SyFy, Netflix, Hallmark, Lifetime, TruTv, Amazon and has appeared on Criminal Minds, The Chi and the series Play By Play where she is one of the lead actresses. She recently released her latest contemporary Country single, Hitcha, which has a you messed with the wrong girl vibe to it. Shae is also a social media influencer, model and always uses her voice to encourage and support others.

We had a great conversation with AGT Winner Terry Fator on The Chris & Sandy Show. We talked about so many things from God, family, planting seeds, entertainment, sacrifices, he told so many great stories to a whole lot more! This was one heck of a raw conversation!

We had a great conversation with French-German Rapper / Singer Lyngee on The Chris & sandy Show. We talked about many things from music, acting, sacrifices, she told some great stories to a whole lot more!Lyngee is a French-German rapper, singer, songwriter and actress, born in Berlin. She started her music career in a girl group in France before deciding to become a solo artist. Lyngee’s first single “No Excess”was released with a music video which she also produced. Lyngee is currently recording her first album which will include an amazing duet with a legendary rapper. Release date is summer 2022. She will also play a supporting role in an American movie in 2022 before beginning the first dates of her European tour.

We had a great conversation with Casey Chesnutt (Mark Chesnutt's Son) on The Chris & Sandy Show. We talked about careers, family, music, sacrifices, he told some great stories plus a whole lot more! We also talked about his latest single, Even Texas Couldn't Hold Her.Casey Chesnutt is a live music entertainer, recording artist and songwriter. His influence varies from red dirt, classic country, and rock. Casey follows in the foot steps of his father, Country music legend Mark Chesnutt. Casey began his career at the early age of 15 and quickly began making the most out of what Southeast Texas had to offer local musicians. Working any club, restaurant or bar that would welcome him, Casey found himself going to high school in the day, and strumming a guitar at night. His career was put on hold when Casey decided he would join the Marine Corps. immediately after high school. He served as a rifleman for 5 years and ended his career as a sergeant with Alpha Company, 1st Battalion 2nd Marines. Following the end of his military service, Casey began falling back into his old ways and now makes a living chasing his dream with his loving wife Claire, and their baby girl Annie. Casey can be found in just about any live music venue all over the southern United States area.

We had a great conversation with Byron “Mr.Talkbox” Chambers on The Chris & Sandy Show. WHEW! This got heavy! We talked about God family, struggles, process, music, he told some God-Inspired stories to a whole lot more!Orlando-born, Nashville Based artist Mr. Talkbox (Byron Chambers) is The World’s Top Talkbox Artist & Voice to the Intro of Multi Grammy award winning song 24K Magic by Bruno Mars, The sampled Voice on Kendrick Lamar's Loyalty featuring Rihanna & Featured on Cardi B/ Bruno Mars Collab Please Me. Just to name a few. As a solo artist, he’s had five #1 Singles in Japan, 2016 Grammy Award Nomination & is a 2 Time Dove Award Winner! Mr. Talkbox is featured on the Gospel Smash Hit “My God” by Cece Winans’ Nashville Life Music which peaked at #5 on The Gospel Top 100 Billboard Charts! He is also featured on the Gospel Classic “Jesus Is The Best Thing” By Martha Munizzi, “In The Middle” by Isaac Carree, “More Than A Lover Remix” by Grammy Winner Erica Campbell, ”Greater” by Marvin Sapp and the list Goes On!

We had a great conversation with Walker Hayes about his album release, how Fancy Like took off, his AA song and how addictions were the reason behind is. He's been sober 6 years now. We talked about family mixed in some God and we had a great conversation with him! Lil Chris was so excited because Walker is his fav right now!