April 9, 2024 • 37 mins
The "Superman (It's Not Easy)" superstar, John Ondrasik, of Five for Fighting, is my guest today! John's here to invite folks to enter the "Music Matters Challenge", an exciting opportunity to support music in an under resourced school.
John is of the belief that music is NOT extracurricular. In the face of budget cuts and reprioritization of funding, he and Tullman Community Ventures are on a mission to ensure every child in America has access to music education in their schools. Join him on this quest, and join us in this conversation today!
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Hello, my friend. Welcome to love someone with Delilah. The
arrival of Easter at the end of March is thrown
me a little. The kids have already had their spring
break as well. I'm having a little bit of a
difficult time recognizing that we are honestly into the month
of April and the spring season is full on. Though
(00:28):
I am absolutely open to all the gifts that spring
will deliver. Does it seem real to you that spring
is here, is winter well and truly in the rearview
mirror where you live? Or are cold temperatures lingering? If so,
soon enough, they will pass, And I bet it won't
take too much time till you are finding signs of spring,
(00:52):
not only spring, but summer, which is creeping up fast.
There are a few months left of the school year,
and now that we've turn from the fun filled spring break,
the kids are going to be enjoying brighter classrooms, more
outdoor time, and light when they get home so they
can play outside. I wonder if your kid's school is
(01:14):
participating in the Music Matters Challenge? What is that you ask?
I'm glad you did. Grammy nominated singer songwriter John Andrasik,
known as platinum selling five for Fighting created the challenge
with Kayleie Tolman of the Tolman Family Office after the
(01:36):
two of them and a group of young students composed
an original song, let Music Fill My World, expressing why
music mattered in their lives. The students wrote all of
the verses and created a music video with the help
of seasoned music industry producers. As a part of the effort,
(02:00):
the Tolman Family Office fully funded a full time music
teacher for the students at Chicago's Farragut Career Academy, which
propelled the idea to create the Music Matters Challenge. This
year's challenge launched March twenty sixth, and it will run
through April thirtieth, coinciding with Music in Our Schools Month.
(02:25):
It's an online music challenge that will help raise awareness
and dedicate resources for music programs in the nation's underserved schools.
Two grand prizes will be awarded, a ten thousand dollars
cash award for one individual, plus the opportunity to select
(02:48):
a music teacher to receive a three year salary, and
a twenty five thousand dollars grant for school entries and
did I happen to say that. John, Yes, the Superman,
It's not easy. Superstar singer is with us on today's episode.
(03:10):
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Love Someone today is an old friend. Five for Fighting's
John Andressic. How many years John have I known you?
(05:22):
I've done you like twenty five years.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
That cannot be.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
I know, because we're such young spring chicks. Right.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
It is great to talk to you, hear the magic
voice and see you after these fews.
Speaker 1 (05:37):
Yeah, I haven't talked to you in a little bit.
Tell me what you're up to. You're you're up to
saving music for kids. You are trying your damnedest to
make sure that the children of today and the children
of tomorrow have a smidgeon of a chance to grow
up creating, producing and enjoying music.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
You know, Delilah, when when I was in fifth grade
and LA Unified cut music funding to our schools, my
mom volunteered and came in and started putting on full musicals.
I was Tony in West Side Story. So make of
that what you will. But those kids, you know, fifty
(06:18):
some years later, still talk about how that was such
a transformative experience for them. And so music in the
schools is, you know, very important to me. It's personal,
and I know you agree. As an artist, you know
how important it is for kids to be exposed to
the arts at a very young age.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
So yeah, can I share something here? And I will
go on record saying this, I would rather my children
be in music and arts classes than be in math
or science or English. When you remove the arts, when
you remove color and music, theory and notes and creative,
(06:59):
you remove our brain's ability to process so much more.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
It's like a language, right, you know, learning a language
as a kid is much easier and It's also expands
your social abilities, working with other people, being able to
express yourself. You know, some kids have a hard time
expressing themselves with words. Maybe they're shy or it's not
in their nature. But music is another voice. And you're right.
(07:25):
It not only does it expand the horizons for the
arts for kids, but if you look at the schools
that have music teachers, the kids do better in the sciences.
They do better in math.
Speaker 1 (07:37):
So much better. You know, I've raised a lot of kids,
and a lot of them who struggle with math concepts
and scientific concepts. But when they see an experiment where
music transforms sand on top of the speaker into a
(07:58):
beautiful pattern, all of a sudden, their brain is like
blown and they understand that it's all connected. Math waves,
sound waves, lightweight, it's all connected. And once they get that,
everything else comes easier.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
You're right, you know, music is not extra curricular. It
is critical. And I think that's what we're trying to
do for the four million kids in America that don't
have a music teacher. You know, a year and a
half ago, I wrote a song called let Music Film
My World. I know you'll like that title, and the
kids wrote the whole lyric except for the hook. And
(08:37):
they were not musicians, Delilah. They weren't prodigy piano players.
They just love music. And through that process they came
out of their shell. They found new friendships, they were empowered,
they found their voice. And through this effort, we raised
funds with the Tallman Foundation in Chicago for a full
time music teacher for that school for three years at
(08:59):
a quarter million dollars of they have a music teacher.
And that's what this whole Music Matter challenge is is
we're trying to take that.
Speaker 1 (09:06):
Nationally and trying to get other schools to understand. You know,
I grew up in a small town called Readsport, Oregon,
john and when I went to school there, we had
an amazing music program. We had a band director, we
had a choral director, we had I don't know how
many choirs, you know, we had. We were in every
competition statewide. And by we, I don't mean me, but
(09:29):
all my friends who took that path. We're always getting
on the bus and going to this, you know, competition
in that competition and meeting new friends and expanding their horizons.
And we had a pet band and we had a
jazz band, and we had we had full orchestrated plays.
We did Cinderella with a full orchestra and it was
(09:51):
a tiny town. But how can people get involved so
their communities, so their kids, so their grandkids, how can
they get involved like and where do they go to
to become a part of this?
Speaker 2 (10:04):
Well, it's really simple and it's really fun. It's called
the Music Matters Challenge and what people do. All they
have to do is make a little video and tell
a story of a music teacher or somebody who made
a difference in their lives. And then they either can
sing this song, let music film my world, or play
it on an instrument, or dance to it, or paint
(10:25):
a picture. And through that process we will have ten
finalists at the end of April, and we'll select the
finalists for the public to vote, and the winner will
win ten thousand dollars and also participate with us in
providing a music teacher for three years at three hundred
thousand dollars for a school that doesn't have one. There's
also a school prize, so as you were talking about
(10:47):
school bands, school choirs, jazz clubs. They can also enter
the contest and compete against other schools for a twenty
five thousand dollars greet. All you have to do is
make your video, go to the website let Me Musicfilmyworld
dot com and all the instructions are there to enter.
But you know what, Elila, what it's really about is
making the nation aware of the four million kids, just
(11:10):
like the school you were talking about, who lost their
music teacher, who lost their music funding. And our end
goal with this project, this Let Music Film My World project,
is that every school in America has a music teacher
and we're not going to stop till we make that happen.
Speaker 1 (11:24):
So if I called, like, say, I don't know Rachel
Plattin or Winona or any of my musical friends and
had them help me make a video for our school
and read sport, would that be Would that be breaking
some of the rules. I'm just wondering asking for a friend.
Speaker 2 (11:40):
Are you kidding me? You are the world breaker. That's
why you're the world maker. You know, No, everybody?
Speaker 1 (11:47):
How about Michael? I could call Michael Boublay and have
him just sing the hook for me and then and
then get the kids to dance to it.
Speaker 2 (11:54):
You know what? You know that would be incredible, and
I know Michael, and I know he'd do it. Look,
every artist who's had the blessings to be successful in
this business, there was somebody in their life that made
a difference for them, that gave them the inspiration. A voice, teacher,
a musician, who for you?
Speaker 1 (12:12):
Who I mean? It sounds like your mom clearly, but
who else? Who else poured that love? For me? It
was the Kanegie brothers who believed in me when I
was in junior high in high school. They owned the
local radio station. Who was it for you? That said,
this kid's got it, He's got a gift, and I
want to see it blossom and grow, and I want
(12:36):
to see the fruit of that happen. Who is it?
Speaker 2 (12:41):
I've had a couple. One was mister Striker. He was
my high school English teacher, but he was also inspiring
bass player, so teaching was his way to make a living,
well he pursued his artistic career. He'd wear a leather
jacket to class. When we had to write our final,
he let me write my whole final on Steele Dan
Asia record. So that guy alone gave me the inspiration
(13:05):
and the courage to go after it. And the other
funny story for me is once I got out of
college and I was pursuing music, I met a guy
named Rudy Sarzo who was the bass player for Quiet Riot,
White Snake and Ozzy Osbourne. And this guy became my mentor.
He was a cloth Barry Manilow fan. I love my music.
Speaker 1 (13:26):
Wait, wait, back up. You are the king, you, John Andrassig, superman.
You have been the king of my radio show for
twenty five plus years with your sappy ballads of victory
and love and heartbreak and reconciliation and healing the world
and saving the world. And you're telling me an Ozzy
(13:48):
Osbourne White Snake dude mentored you.
Speaker 2 (13:54):
It was like almost famous the movie. I was the
little kid. They would take it on the road. I'd
go up the elevators and they say, you can go
in that room, but you can't go in that room. Hey.
And at that time, Whitesnake's biggest hit was is This Love?
So they were singing about love, even White Snake back then.
Speaker 1 (14:10):
Yeah, it's true. There are no ballads like rock ballads
when it comes to love songs.
Speaker 2 (14:16):
You know, to this day, he is my biggest supporter
and he's making his own video to support the Music
Matters challenge because he has a story too, and he's
lived his dream. So whether Rudy Sarzo from Whitesnake, Michael
blue Blay, why don't a judge go down the list,
whoever it is. I think we all, you know, Delilah,
we live in this time where we're so divided on
(14:38):
everything and there's so much turmoil. If there's one thing
we can all agree on is that every kid deserves
music in their lives. So I think it's something we
can all come together on and have a lot of fun,
you know, spreading the words, singing the songs. And you
can sing it. You don't need Michael Blue Blay to
sing it. You can sing let music film My World, Delilah.
You have a good voice. You are the voice for
(14:59):
the math. I says, you've been along for generations. You
could sing let music film My World. Let music film
My World, Delilah. If you could sing let music film
My World, that's it.
Speaker 1 (15:11):
Yeah. Well, since I have a two note range, if
you showed it to me on the piano, I could
probably play it, you know what I mean?
Speaker 2 (15:23):
I could just do that.
Speaker 1 (15:24):
You can show me that on the piano. But I'm
going to see who we can get for my kids.
We've lived in the same town now for over twenty years,
so not my first batch of kids that I raised,
but my second and third and fourth batch of kids
that I've raised have all had a guy named Mike
Allen who is our local high school choral director. And
(15:46):
all of the grade schools and junior highs now in
our town there's six grade schools, there's three junior highs,
there's one high school. All the teachers at the grade
school level and at the junior high level are his
former studentudents, are his proteges, and they've all come home
to continue the legacy. So in our little town, music
(16:08):
is really important. The town I grew up in, read
Sport that needs this grant really bad. They're just they're
starting over, they're starting from scratch. So I'm gonna I'm
going to be there tomorrow. I'm going to go meet
with the staff of the radio station in the high
school and we're going to win this grant. We're going
(16:28):
to figure out I'm going to load the deck. I'm
going to stack the deck. I'm going to figure out
as in its public that's voting.
Speaker 2 (16:35):
It is public vote.
Speaker 1 (16:37):
Public votes. Talk about this on my radio show and
stack the deck. I'm admitting it. Okay, I'm admitting it.
I'm putting it out there.
Speaker 2 (16:47):
You know, schools like you're talking about is exactly what
this is all about, you know, schools, inner city schools.
And again, Delilah, this is just phase one. This is
the phase one of our of our you know, effort
for this. And I can't wait to hear your school's
rendition of Let Music Film My World. I know I'm
going to cry, and I know that you're going to
be a huge part of it.
Speaker 1 (17:19):
You know what. I love, John, I've known you all
these years, and I see a spark in you about this,
like this is filling your Superman Kate.
Speaker 2 (17:27):
No, I've seen music make miracles, you know, Delilah. A
story that I tell a lot, and then I think
really reflects why this matters is I was just when
Superman came out, just very early after that, it was
embraced by the autistic community, and a lot of families
would bring their autistic children to my shows. And one
show I was walking off stage and there was a
(17:48):
boy there with his mom and he was probably around
ten or eleven, and he was severely on the spectrum.
He could not interact with you. He was kind of
having an episode, and his mom kind of said, hey, hey, hey,
here's here's the super Man singer, here's the Superman guy,
and this boy. As soon as he heard that, he
stopped his episode. He stood up. He walked right up
(18:09):
to my face, two inches away from my face, and
he sang to me, verbatim Superman the whole song, right
to my face. And at that moment, I'm like, there's
something about music that we don't understand. There's something healing,
there's something so universal that every kid needs to be
exposed to this, whether you're autistic kid, where you're a
(18:31):
kid that doesn't have autism. It's like there's something there
for everybody. But that was really kind of revealing to
me about the secrets that we are still have yet
to uncover about the music therapy and why everybody, everybody
as a child needs to be exposed to these amazing
music teachers that you're talking about.
Speaker 1 (18:51):
I saw a beautiful video on social media the other day.
It was somebody who lived in a nursing home and
clearly also dementia, you know, the memory was gone, and
she was just kind of sitting there rocking, and they
asked her what daalae was. She didn't know. They asked
her what she wanted to eat, She didn't know. They
(19:11):
asked her if she wanted to sit down at the piano,
and they let her over to the piano and she
started playing Mozart like a symphony. She couldn't remember if
she had brushed her teeth, but she remembered every note.
And as she was playing, you saw the youth in her,
the beauty and her the passion just come back and
(19:32):
embody her and take over. That is the power of music.
Speaker 2 (19:38):
It's infinite. It's infinite, and that's such a beautiful sport.
Speaker 1 (19:42):
And you know, the reason people think the reason that
my show is successful is because I have a soothing
voice at night, and that's a little part of it.
I'm not going to discount or not give God the
credit for the voice that he gave me to speak.
But it's when you take a situation you're in and
(20:04):
it's married with a song, a song that speaks to
your heart, those notes stay in your DNA. I'm convinced
for the rest of your life because all I have
to do is hear the first couple of notes two
out of three. Ain't bad. That song has so much
(20:24):
meaning to me For a situation I was in forty
five years ago, I don't know. I hear one or
two notes of bread Baby, I'MA Wants You and Bam,
I'm back in Dede's bedroom, sitting on the floor listening
to the album on the turntable, crying buckets of tears
over whatever. Boy it was at the time that I
(20:45):
was crying buckets of tears over It transports you. You
become a time traveler when I listen to Superman, when
I listen to your music, I am a time traveler
to where I was in my parenthood with my children,
the moment that song became a part of our vernacular.
(21:06):
Music can make you leap tall buildings. It can reduce
you to rubble adele can reduce me to rubble. In
two or three notes, it makes you a time traveler.
You're instantly transported back to that memory, and it makes
you a part of immortality.
Speaker 2 (21:27):
Still well said, Yeah, nothing marks our memories better than music.
It's instinctual. It's in our synepsodes of our brain. You know,
for me, whether it's Stevie Wonderer and Songs in the
Key of Life or Purple Rain or Peter Frampton Comes Alive,
It's like I can tell you where I was, who
I was, where I was in my stage of musical
development by albums, my led Zeppelin phase. You know, of course,
(21:52):
Billy and Elton. You know, you're so right. And music
defines history. You can go back and listen to music
of different era and understand the times in ways you
can't understand through you know, reading an article or even
seeing a documentary. Listen to the music of the sixties, right,
it gives you a sense of the times. And I
think you could even say that now, you know, for
(22:13):
better or worse. But yeah, you know, Three Times a
Lady was my song that broke my heart when the
girl that I had a crush on kind of said
sorry buddy. So three Times a Lady. Whenever I hear that,
I'm like, come on, Lionel. I thought I got over her.
Speaker 1 (22:29):
You know, my mom and dad both loved music. My
dad had a band he loved, loved, loved music country Western,
and he played in a band. He was the band.
But my mom loved her records, and she had stacks
of forty fives and she would stack them up, you know,
and then they would drop down and play, and when
they finished, she would just flip them over and listen
(22:52):
again to you know, four or five, six songs, whatever
it was. And I remember her dancing in our kitchen.
She had painted the floor of our kitchen. We've been
a falling down old farmhouse, and she had she found
floor paint and painted and speckled the floor of our kitchen.
So it was magical. It was whimsical, and she would
dance around the kitchen, you know, when she was cooking
(23:14):
or whatever. Two three coins in a fountain. And these
songs that I remember, they're in my they're in my soul,
they're in my dna, they're they're a part of me,
and those memories are a part of me. And then,
you know, as soon as I started school, music was
a part of us. We played the recorder, we learned
(23:35):
a million songs. We had little school productions, we had
little plays, we had performances, Easter performance, Christmas performance, spring concerts.
Kids need that, they need those opportunities.
Speaker 2 (23:52):
There's an amazing young woman named Nager in Chicago, who
who co wrote let music film My World, And she
actually sings the bridge of the song, which is very powerful.
And at the beginning of the class we talk about,
you know, how to use music in your life and
what matter to you, and she said something about her mom,
you know, she said, Look, sometimes my mom and I
don't see you to eye and we have a hard
(24:13):
time chatting, you know, and talking. Imagine a teenage girl
and her mother.
Speaker 1 (24:17):
Having, yeah, having that hard time. Yeah, not that I'm
going through it right now with my fifteen year old No,
not at all.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
Yeah, that never happens. But what she said was music
is what brings us together. And sometimes when we're kind
of having a spat, instead of kind of arguing or
going to our rooms or or caring a grudge, we'll
sit down and we'll listen to music together. We'll listen
to records, we'll play songs for each other, and through
that process we kind of find a common bound and
then we can maybe talk about things in a different tone,
(24:48):
in a different demeanor. So she actually is so wise
at eighteen years old, seventeen years old to understand that
music is a way for her to communicate with her mom.
So that just goes to what you're saying that it's universal,
it's infinite, it's so important, and I think for her
that taught me a great lesson as well. I learned
(25:08):
so much from these kids, you know, they really, in
many ways were my teachers, and it was a true
blessing for me to have that experience.
Speaker 1 (25:14):
Now, is this limited to schools in America? Because I
also sponsor a school in West Africa and they love music, Like,
could I get Point Hope. You've been on our Point
Hope board for years? Could we get Point Hope to
jump in here?
Speaker 2 (25:30):
I would love it. I would love Point Hope to
do their version of Let Music Film Our World, because
it's not let Music Fill America, it's let Music Film
My World, which is everybody, every kid, every kid, so
a boy, I cannot wait to hear that version. Now
You've got chills running down my back. Delilah.
Speaker 1 (25:49):
We've got a couple of kids that go to our
school in Ghana, John who are gifted, so gifted. Their
voices are like the voices of an angels. So I'm
going to see if they could do it. Like in
the native language there, it's called twee and uh do
a couple. Oh, my mind is spinning now thinking if
(26:11):
we had, because we've got dressmakers, had the dressmakers make
fab and when is this over? When do we have
to have it in by we have the whole month?
Speaker 2 (26:18):
Does it end till the end of April?
Speaker 1 (26:20):
Ah, So if we had, I could have the dressmakers
make some cool dresses out of the bautique fabric that
the kids make. This could be very cool.
Speaker 2 (26:31):
Oh my god, amazing. We might even have to extend
the contest with all your ratis.
Speaker 1 (26:36):
No kidding, no kidding, because now my mind, my mind
is just going. My mind is going. I mean, I'm
thinking about red Sport, I'm thinking about Ghana. I'm thinking
about you know, the series Playing for Change. Do you
ever watch them?
Speaker 2 (26:51):
No? I know, I don't know.
Speaker 1 (26:52):
There's a little thing on social media. It started out
as a little thing where they go around to different
places in the world and they record people, you know,
indigenous people playing their their local native instruments with a
song like stand By Me was the first one I saw.
(27:12):
And they film it and then they layer it so
they'll have fifteen layers of voices and instruments from all
over the world. If if we could get playing for
change to do your song with kids from all over
the world. Ah, this could be amazing.
Speaker 2 (27:30):
Winter win or winter chicken dinner win or winter chicken dinner.
Speaker 1 (27:35):
That would be so cool to see kids in Indonesia
and kids in the Islands.
Speaker 2 (27:41):
You know, I think anybody and everybody can sing this song.
And since you mentioned it for your listeners, you don't
have to be a singer to enter this contest. I
don't want to hear that excuse. I'm not a singer. Frankly,
if you're not a singer, more entertaining for the rest
of us, I know.
Speaker 1 (27:58):
But I can drum. I got drums. I got twenty
different kinds of drums. I can do the drums. Emil Hey,
I'll let Delilah Shalin my girls who can sing like
angels sing. But now my mind is going. Now my
mind is going.
Speaker 2 (28:15):
That's the fun part of this, because it's about being creative.
How can you be creative and separate yourself from the pack?
You know, you don't need to just stand there and
sing it, you know, be creative, use drums, use your friends,
singing different languages, you know, choreographic dance. That's why it's
so cool. It's wide open. It's a blank canvas, so
everybody take your best shot.
Speaker 1 (28:36):
Take your best shot.
Speaker 2 (28:37):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (28:37):
Tell people once again where to go and how to
upload their video.
Speaker 2 (28:41):
All the information is on let Musicfilmmyworld dot com. All
you have to go there. There's videos, there's information, there's
instruction on how to enter the Music Matters Challenge, and
if you ever have any questions, you can also email
me at the Fire for Fighting website Fight Forfighting dot com.
Email John and I'll help you through it. And each
(29:03):
and every person who enters are participating in bringing a
music teacher to a school that does not have one.
So we all have a role to play. And Delilah,
I cannot wait for the versions that you create because
your mind and your creativity is unmatched in this landscape.
Speaker 1 (29:24):
I am on it, John, I am on it like
a bonnet. I'm going to pull out the big guns here.
I'm going to see who I can get and stack
the deck so that Readsport, Oregon and our School for
Point Hope in Ghana like gets a grant for a
music teacher. Not that I don't want everybody to have one,
obviously I do, but selfishly it's on it's on.
Speaker 2 (29:49):
Let's do it, baby, Let's do it.
Speaker 1 (29:50):
Okay, so everybody go to let music filmyworld dot com
and then watch the other videos. Get inspired, and let's
just get some goodness going on in the world because
God knows we need it right now.
Speaker 2 (30:07):
For sure, we certainly do Ooh.
Speaker 1 (30:09):
Even my oldest son who's a police officer who plays
the guitar, he sings aha, get his whole force to join.
Speaker 2 (30:16):
Oh God, I would love it back the blue baby,
come on Blue, Let's do it.
Speaker 1 (30:20):
Let's do it. We are catching up with five for
Fighting's John Andrassic and we have so much more to
talk about, but let me interject with some info about
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doing your own music.
Speaker 2 (32:32):
Still Yeah, No, We're out on the road with the
amazing Fire for Fighting Streme Quartet. Talking to you from
Saint Louis now and at the end of April, will
be in your neck of the woods. We got three
shows in Washington, will be down in Portland where I
believe you're in an organ right now, and down to SoCal.
So yeah, just out playing, you know, singing songs and
(32:54):
just enjoying, enjoying being with audiences. It's amazing. And these
musicians I play with are just you know, prodigy New
York Broadway players, so they blow my mind every night.
Speaker 1 (33:06):
That's got to feel good. Tell me about your new song,
the one that you're singing and people are responding to.
Speaker 2 (33:12):
Okay, yeah, you know it's it's not a song that
I took pleasure in writing, but it's a song that
kind of addresses the October seventh attacks by Hamas and
and basically calling on us to stand up for good
and to just like Superman. Was a song after nine
to eleven that that kind of provided solace to some
(33:34):
Americans and pay tribute to the heroes of nine to eleven.
You know, there's unfortunately, as you know, Delilah, there's bad
actors in this world. And as much as we love
to focus on joy and love that you bring to
your audience every day, we also have to stand up
to the folks who want to tear it all down.
And that's kind of what the song's about.
Speaker 1 (33:55):
I think sometimes John, people think that because I'm so
kind and so mellow and so at night, that I'm
just la la la la la, happy, go lucky and
never have a care in the world, and they don't
realize that I am intensely and acutely aware of how
evil has ratcheted up a thousand percent in the last
(34:17):
few years. A lot of the people that I love
wear uniforms, and I do the best that I can
to remind people that the only way through it, and
the only way to come out on the other side
of it, is if you hold on to a deep
faith that there is a purpose, there is a plan,
(34:38):
and there is a purpose. And if you will say
no to evil, as subtle as it is, and yes
to good, yes to faith, yes to God, yes to kindness,
yes to love, You're going to make it through.
Speaker 2 (34:53):
Well. The honor of my career has been performing for
our troops and our police officers and our first responders,
and they are the first line of defense for our
freedom and allows us to love and have joy. And
because there is no love, there is no joy without freedom.
And our troops and our first responders are the heart
(35:14):
and spine of our country. So I'm with you one
hundred percent. And for all our military families and first
responders listening, you know, thank you for allowing us to
have these wonderful conversations and to be able to do
projects like Let Music Film My World, because without them,
there's none of this.
Speaker 1 (35:31):
There isn't there isn't, So God bless you and I
will see you soon. I will see you in concert.
Speaker 2 (35:37):
Soon, Elilah. Thank you for being you. It's always a pleasure,
always a pleasure.
Speaker 1 (35:41):
I'll talk to you soon, honey. If you or someone
you know is involved in the school music programs, I
encourage you to look into the Music Matters Challenge. If
not for this year's participation, then maybe next years. Visit
let Musicfilmmyworld dot com to keep up today because there's
nothing extra curricular about music education. John is also currently
(36:06):
on his eighteen city US tour, backed by a string quartet,
showcasing worldwide hit songs from His platinum selling career started
in Fargo, North Dakota at the end of March, continues
through April twenty six. He'll be coming to San Juan Capistrano, California, Minneapolis,
(36:27):
Saint Louis, Milwaukee, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Portland, Olympia, and many more cities.
He'll be performing many of his mega hits such as Superman,
It's Not Easy, one hundred Years, The Riddle Chances, and
many many more. To purchase tour tickets or watch the
video for Okay, and to keep up with all things
(36:50):
John and five for Fighting, visit five four fighting dot
com and follow him on his social media channels. I
hope you've got bouquets of daffodils or tulips on your
kitchen table or on your desk. I hope you're taking
a moment or two each day to look up from
(37:11):
your task to marvel in a bit of blue sky.
I hope you're watching the Robins song and it's making
its way deep into your heart. Spring is marvelous and
I am so fortunate to be able to share springtime
with you. Thanks for listening to today's episode with John Andrasic,
(37:31):
and for hanging out with me in the evening on
my radio program, and for letting me be a part
of your lives. It's a splendid time to go enjoy
the spring and take some time to love someone, to
Hello, my friend. Welcome to love someone with Delilah. The
arrival of Easter at the end of March is thrown
me a little. The kids have already had their spring
break as well. I'm having a little bit of a
difficult time recognizing that we are honestly into the month
of April and the spring season is full on. Though
(00:28):
I am absolutely open to all the gifts that spring
will deliver. Does it seem real to you that spring
is here, is winter well and truly in the rearview
mirror where you live? Or are cold temperatures lingering? If so,
soon enough, they will pass, And I bet it won't
take too much time till you are finding signs of spring,
(00:52):
not only spring, but summer, which is creeping up fast.
There are a few months left of the school year,
and now that we've turn from the fun filled spring break,
the kids are going to be enjoying brighter classrooms, more
outdoor time, and light when they get home so they
can play outside. I wonder if your kid's school is
(01:14):
participating in the Music Matters Challenge? What is that you ask?
I'm glad you did. Grammy nominated singer songwriter John Andrasik,
known as platinum selling five for Fighting created the challenge
with Kayleie Tolman of the Tolman Family Office after the
(01:36):
two of them and a group of young students composed
an original song, let Music Fill My World, expressing why
music mattered in their lives. The students wrote all of
the verses and created a music video with the help
of seasoned music industry producers. As a part of the effort,
(02:00):
the Tolman Family Office fully funded a full time music
teacher for the students at Chicago's Farragut Career Academy, which
propelled the idea to create the Music Matters Challenge. This
year's challenge launched March twenty sixth, and it will run
through April thirtieth, coinciding with Music in Our Schools Month.
(02:25):
It's an online music challenge that will help raise awareness
and dedicate resources for music programs in the nation's underserved schools.
Two grand prizes will be awarded, a ten thousand dollars
cash award for one individual, plus the opportunity to select
(02:48):
a music teacher to receive a three year salary, and
a twenty five thousand dollars grant for school entries and
did I happen to say that. John, Yes, the Superman,
It's not easy. Superstar singer is with us on today's episode.
(03:10):
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Love Someone today is an old friend. Five for Fighting's
John Andressic. How many years John have I known you?
(05:22):
I've done you like twenty five years.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
That cannot be.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
I know, because we're such young spring chicks. Right.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
It is great to talk to you, hear the magic
voice and see you after these fews.
Speaker 1 (05:37):
Yeah, I haven't talked to you in a little bit.
Tell me what you're up to. You're you're up to
saving music for kids. You are trying your damnedest to
make sure that the children of today and the children
of tomorrow have a smidgeon of a chance to grow
up creating, producing and enjoying music.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
You know, Delilah, when when I was in fifth grade
and LA Unified cut music funding to our schools, my
mom volunteered and came in and started putting on full musicals.
I was Tony in West Side Story. So make of
that what you will. But those kids, you know, fifty
(06:18):
some years later, still talk about how that was such
a transformative experience for them. And so music in the
schools is, you know, very important to me. It's personal,
and I know you agree. As an artist, you know
how important it is for kids to be exposed to
the arts at a very young age.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
So yeah, can I share something here? And I will
go on record saying this, I would rather my children
be in music and arts classes than be in math
or science or English. When you remove the arts, when
you remove color and music, theory and notes and creative,
(06:59):
you remove our brain's ability to process so much more.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
It's like a language, right, you know, learning a language
as a kid is much easier and It's also expands
your social abilities, working with other people, being able to
express yourself. You know, some kids have a hard time
expressing themselves with words. Maybe they're shy or it's not
in their nature. But music is another voice. And you're right.
(07:25):
It not only does it expand the horizons for the
arts for kids, but if you look at the schools
that have music teachers, the kids do better in the sciences.
They do better in math.
Speaker 1 (07:37):
So much better. You know, I've raised a lot of kids,
and a lot of them who struggle with math concepts
and scientific concepts. But when they see an experiment where
music transforms sand on top of the speaker into a
(07:58):
beautiful pattern, all of a sudden, their brain is like
blown and they understand that it's all connected. Math waves,
sound waves, lightweight, it's all connected. And once they get that,
everything else comes easier.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
You're right, you know, music is not extra curricular. It
is critical. And I think that's what we're trying to
do for the four million kids in America that don't
have a music teacher. You know, a year and a
half ago, I wrote a song called let Music Film
My World. I know you'll like that title, and the
kids wrote the whole lyric except for the hook. And
(08:37):
they were not musicians, Delilah. They weren't prodigy piano players.
They just love music. And through that process they came
out of their shell. They found new friendships, they were empowered,
they found their voice. And through this effort, we raised
funds with the Tallman Foundation in Chicago for a full
time music teacher for that school for three years at
(08:59):
a quarter million dollars of they have a music teacher.
And that's what this whole Music Matter challenge is is
we're trying to take that.
Speaker 1 (09:06):
Nationally and trying to get other schools to understand. You know,
I grew up in a small town called Readsport, Oregon,
john and when I went to school there, we had
an amazing music program. We had a band director, we
had a choral director, we had I don't know how
many choirs, you know, we had. We were in every
competition statewide. And by we, I don't mean me, but
(09:29):
all my friends who took that path. We're always getting
on the bus and going to this, you know, competition
in that competition and meeting new friends and expanding their horizons.
And we had a pet band and we had a
jazz band, and we had we had full orchestrated plays.
We did Cinderella with a full orchestra and it was
(09:51):
a tiny town. But how can people get involved so
their communities, so their kids, so their grandkids, how can
they get involved like and where do they go to
to become a part of this?
Speaker 2 (10:04):
Well, it's really simple and it's really fun. It's called
the Music Matters Challenge and what people do. All they
have to do is make a little video and tell
a story of a music teacher or somebody who made
a difference in their lives. And then they either can
sing this song, let music film my world, or play
it on an instrument, or dance to it, or paint
(10:25):
a picture. And through that process we will have ten
finalists at the end of April, and we'll select the
finalists for the public to vote, and the winner will
win ten thousand dollars and also participate with us in
providing a music teacher for three years at three hundred
thousand dollars for a school that doesn't have one. There's
also a school prize, so as you were talking about
(10:47):
school bands, school choirs, jazz clubs. They can also enter
the contest and compete against other schools for a twenty
five thousand dollars greet. All you have to do is
make your video, go to the website let Me Musicfilmyworld
dot com and all the instructions are there to enter.
But you know what, Elila, what it's really about is
making the nation aware of the four million kids, just
(11:10):
like the school you were talking about, who lost their
music teacher, who lost their music funding. And our end
goal with this project, this Let Music Film My World project,
is that every school in America has a music teacher
and we're not going to stop till we make that happen.
Speaker 1 (11:24):
So if I called, like, say, I don't know Rachel
Plattin or Winona or any of my musical friends and
had them help me make a video for our school
and read sport, would that be Would that be breaking
some of the rules. I'm just wondering asking for a friend.
Speaker 2 (11:40):
Are you kidding me? You are the world breaker. That's
why you're the world maker. You know, No, everybody?
Speaker 1 (11:47):
How about Michael? I could call Michael Boublay and have
him just sing the hook for me and then and
then get the kids to dance to it.
Speaker 2 (11:54):
You know what? You know that would be incredible, and
I know Michael, and I know he'd do it. Look,
every artist who's had the blessings to be successful in
this business, there was somebody in their life that made
a difference for them, that gave them the inspiration. A voice, teacher,
a musician, who for you?
Speaker 1 (12:12):
Who I mean? It sounds like your mom clearly, but
who else? Who else poured that love? For me? It
was the Kanegie brothers who believed in me when I
was in junior high in high school. They owned the
local radio station. Who was it for you? That said,
this kid's got it, He's got a gift, and I
want to see it blossom and grow, and I want
(12:36):
to see the fruit of that happen. Who is it?
Speaker 2 (12:41):
I've had a couple. One was mister Striker. He was
my high school English teacher, but he was also inspiring
bass player, so teaching was his way to make a living,
well he pursued his artistic career. He'd wear a leather
jacket to class. When we had to write our final,
he let me write my whole final on Steele Dan
Asia record. So that guy alone gave me the inspiration
(13:05):
and the courage to go after it. And the other
funny story for me is once I got out of
college and I was pursuing music, I met a guy
named Rudy Sarzo who was the bass player for Quiet Riot,
White Snake and Ozzy Osbourne. And this guy became my mentor.
He was a cloth Barry Manilow fan. I love my music.
Speaker 1 (13:26):
Wait, wait, back up. You are the king, you, John Andrassig, superman.
You have been the king of my radio show for
twenty five plus years with your sappy ballads of victory
and love and heartbreak and reconciliation and healing the world
and saving the world. And you're telling me an Ozzy
(13:48):
Osbourne White Snake dude mentored you.
Speaker 2 (13:54):
It was like almost famous the movie. I was the
little kid. They would take it on the road. I'd
go up the elevators and they say, you can go
in that room, but you can't go in that room. Hey.
And at that time, Whitesnake's biggest hit was is This Love?
So they were singing about love, even White Snake back then.
Speaker 1 (14:10):
Yeah, it's true. There are no ballads like rock ballads
when it comes to love songs.
Speaker 2 (14:16):
You know, to this day, he is my biggest supporter
and he's making his own video to support the Music
Matters challenge because he has a story too, and he's
lived his dream. So whether Rudy Sarzo from Whitesnake, Michael
blue Blay, why don't a judge go down the list,
whoever it is. I think we all, you know, Delilah,
we live in this time where we're so divided on
(14:38):
everything and there's so much turmoil. If there's one thing
we can all agree on is that every kid deserves
music in their lives. So I think it's something we
can all come together on and have a lot of fun,
you know, spreading the words, singing the songs. And you
can sing it. You don't need Michael Blue Blay to
sing it. You can sing let music film My World, Delilah.
You have a good voice. You are the voice for
(14:59):
the math. I says, you've been along for generations. You
could sing let music film My World. Let music film
My World, Delilah. If you could sing let music film
My World, that's it.
Speaker 1 (15:11):
Yeah. Well, since I have a two note range, if
you showed it to me on the piano, I could
probably play it, you know what I mean?
Speaker 2 (15:23):
I could just do that.
Speaker 1 (15:24):
You can show me that on the piano. But I'm
going to see who we can get for my kids.
We've lived in the same town now for over twenty years,
so not my first batch of kids that I raised,
but my second and third and fourth batch of kids
that I've raised have all had a guy named Mike
Allen who is our local high school choral director. And
(15:46):
all of the grade schools and junior highs now in
our town there's six grade schools, there's three junior highs,
there's one high school. All the teachers at the grade
school level and at the junior high level are his
former studentudents, are his proteges, and they've all come home
to continue the legacy. So in our little town, music
(16:08):
is really important. The town I grew up in, read
Sport that needs this grant really bad. They're just they're
starting over, they're starting from scratch. So I'm gonna I'm
going to be there tomorrow. I'm going to go meet
with the staff of the radio station in the high
school and we're going to win this grant. We're going
(16:28):
to figure out I'm going to load the deck. I'm
going to stack the deck. I'm going to figure out
as in its public that's voting.
Speaker 2 (16:35):
It is public vote.
Speaker 1 (16:37):
Public votes. Talk about this on my radio show and
stack the deck. I'm admitting it. Okay, I'm admitting it.
I'm putting it out there.
Speaker 2 (16:47):
You know, schools like you're talking about is exactly what
this is all about, you know, schools, inner city schools.
And again, Delilah, this is just phase one. This is
the phase one of our of our you know, effort
for this. And I can't wait to hear your school's
rendition of Let Music Film My World. I know I'm
going to cry, and I know that you're going to
be a huge part of it.
Speaker 1 (17:19):
You know what. I love, John, I've known you all
these years, and I see a spark in you about this,
like this is filling your Superman Kate.
Speaker 2 (17:27):
No, I've seen music make miracles, you know, Delilah. A
story that I tell a lot, and then I think
really reflects why this matters is I was just when
Superman came out, just very early after that, it was
embraced by the autistic community, and a lot of families
would bring their autistic children to my shows. And one
show I was walking off stage and there was a
(17:48):
boy there with his mom and he was probably around
ten or eleven, and he was severely on the spectrum.
He could not interact with you. He was kind of
having an episode, and his mom kind of said, hey, hey, hey,
here's here's the super Man singer, here's the Superman guy,
and this boy. As soon as he heard that, he
stopped his episode. He stood up. He walked right up
(18:09):
to my face, two inches away from my face, and
he sang to me, verbatim Superman the whole song, right
to my face. And at that moment, I'm like, there's
something about music that we don't understand. There's something healing,
there's something so universal that every kid needs to be
exposed to this, whether you're autistic kid, where you're a
(18:31):
kid that doesn't have autism. It's like there's something there
for everybody. But that was really kind of revealing to
me about the secrets that we are still have yet
to uncover about the music therapy and why everybody, everybody
as a child needs to be exposed to these amazing
music teachers that you're talking about.
Speaker 1 (18:51):
I saw a beautiful video on social media the other day.
It was somebody who lived in a nursing home and
clearly also dementia, you know, the memory was gone, and
she was just kind of sitting there rocking, and they
asked her what daalae was. She didn't know. They asked
her what she wanted to eat, She didn't know. They
(19:11):
asked her if she wanted to sit down at the piano,
and they let her over to the piano and she
started playing Mozart like a symphony. She couldn't remember if
she had brushed her teeth, but she remembered every note.
And as she was playing, you saw the youth in her,
the beauty and her the passion just come back and
(19:32):
embody her and take over. That is the power of music.
Speaker 2 (19:38):
It's infinite. It's infinite, and that's such a beautiful sport.
Speaker 1 (19:42):
And you know, the reason people think the reason that
my show is successful is because I have a soothing
voice at night, and that's a little part of it.
I'm not going to discount or not give God the
credit for the voice that he gave me to speak.
But it's when you take a situation you're in and
(20:04):
it's married with a song, a song that speaks to
your heart, those notes stay in your DNA. I'm convinced
for the rest of your life because all I have
to do is hear the first couple of notes two
out of three. Ain't bad. That song has so much
(20:24):
meaning to me For a situation I was in forty
five years ago, I don't know. I hear one or
two notes of bread Baby, I'MA Wants You and Bam,
I'm back in Dede's bedroom, sitting on the floor listening
to the album on the turntable, crying buckets of tears
over whatever. Boy it was at the time that I
(20:45):
was crying buckets of tears over It transports you. You
become a time traveler when I listen to Superman, when
I listen to your music, I am a time traveler
to where I was in my parenthood with my children,
the moment that song became a part of our vernacular.
(21:06):
Music can make you leap tall buildings. It can reduce
you to rubble adele can reduce me to rubble. In
two or three notes, it makes you a time traveler.
You're instantly transported back to that memory, and it makes
you a part of immortality.
Speaker 2 (21:27):
Still well said, Yeah, nothing marks our memories better than music.
It's instinctual. It's in our synepsodes of our brain. You know,
for me, whether it's Stevie Wonderer and Songs in the
Key of Life or Purple Rain or Peter Frampton Comes Alive,
It's like I can tell you where I was, who
I was, where I was in my stage of musical
development by albums, my led Zeppelin phase. You know, of course,
(21:52):
Billy and Elton. You know, you're so right. And music
defines history. You can go back and listen to music
of different era and understand the times in ways you
can't understand through you know, reading an article or even
seeing a documentary. Listen to the music of the sixties, right,
it gives you a sense of the times. And I
think you could even say that now, you know, for
(22:13):
better or worse. But yeah, you know, Three Times a
Lady was my song that broke my heart when the
girl that I had a crush on kind of said
sorry buddy. So three Times a Lady. Whenever I hear that,
I'm like, come on, Lionel. I thought I got over her.
Speaker 1 (22:29):
You know, my mom and dad both loved music. My
dad had a band he loved, loved, loved music country Western,
and he played in a band. He was the band.
But my mom loved her records, and she had stacks
of forty fives and she would stack them up, you know,
and then they would drop down and play, and when
they finished, she would just flip them over and listen
(22:52):
again to you know, four or five, six songs, whatever
it was. And I remember her dancing in our kitchen.
She had painted the floor of our kitchen. We've been
a falling down old farmhouse, and she had she found
floor paint and painted and speckled the floor of our kitchen.
So it was magical. It was whimsical, and she would
dance around the kitchen, you know, when she was cooking
(23:14):
or whatever. Two three coins in a fountain. And these
songs that I remember, they're in my they're in my soul,
they're in my dna, they're they're a part of me,
and those memories are a part of me. And then,
you know, as soon as I started school, music was
a part of us. We played the recorder, we learned
(23:35):
a million songs. We had little school productions, we had
little plays, we had performances, Easter performance, Christmas performance, spring concerts.
Kids need that, they need those opportunities.
Speaker 2 (23:52):
There's an amazing young woman named Nager in Chicago, who
who co wrote let music film My World, And she
actually sings the bridge of the song, which is very powerful.
And at the beginning of the class we talk about,
you know, how to use music in your life and
what matter to you, and she said something about her mom,
you know, she said, Look, sometimes my mom and I
don't see you to eye and we have a hard
(24:13):
time chatting, you know, and talking. Imagine a teenage girl
and her mother.
Speaker 1 (24:17):
Having, yeah, having that hard time. Yeah, not that I'm
going through it right now with my fifteen year old No,
not at all.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
Yeah, that never happens. But what she said was music
is what brings us together. And sometimes when we're kind
of having a spat, instead of kind of arguing or
going to our rooms or or caring a grudge, we'll
sit down and we'll listen to music together. We'll listen
to records, we'll play songs for each other, and through
that process we kind of find a common bound and
then we can maybe talk about things in a different tone,
(24:48):
in a different demeanor. So she actually is so wise
at eighteen years old, seventeen years old to understand that
music is a way for her to communicate with her mom.
So that just goes to what you're saying that it's universal,
it's infinite, it's so important, and I think for her
that taught me a great lesson as well. I learned
(25:08):
so much from these kids, you know, they really, in
many ways were my teachers, and it was a true
blessing for me to have that experience.
Speaker 1 (25:14):
Now, is this limited to schools in America? Because I
also sponsor a school in West Africa and they love music, Like,
could I get Point Hope. You've been on our Point
Hope board for years? Could we get Point Hope to
jump in here?
Speaker 2 (25:30):
I would love it. I would love Point Hope to
do their version of Let Music Film Our World, because
it's not let Music Fill America, it's let Music Film
My World, which is everybody, every kid, every kid, so
a boy, I cannot wait to hear that version. Now
You've got chills running down my back. Delilah.
Speaker 1 (25:49):
We've got a couple of kids that go to our
school in Ghana, John who are gifted, so gifted. Their
voices are like the voices of an angels. So I'm
going to see if they could do it. Like in
the native language there, it's called twee and uh do
a couple. Oh, my mind is spinning now thinking if
(26:11):
we had, because we've got dressmakers, had the dressmakers make
fab and when is this over? When do we have
to have it in by we have the whole month?
Speaker 2 (26:18):
Does it end till the end of April?
Speaker 1 (26:20):
Ah, So if we had, I could have the dressmakers
make some cool dresses out of the bautique fabric that
the kids make. This could be very cool.
Speaker 2 (26:31):
Oh my god, amazing. We might even have to extend
the contest with all your ratis.
Speaker 1 (26:36):
No kidding, no kidding, because now my mind, my mind
is just going. My mind is going. I mean, I'm
thinking about red Sport, I'm thinking about Ghana. I'm thinking
about you know, the series Playing for Change. Do you
ever watch them?
Speaker 2 (26:51):
No? I know, I don't know.
Speaker 1 (26:52):
There's a little thing on social media. It started out
as a little thing where they go around to different
places in the world and they record people, you know,
indigenous people playing their their local native instruments with a
song like stand By Me was the first one I saw.
(27:12):
And they film it and then they layer it so
they'll have fifteen layers of voices and instruments from all
over the world. If if we could get playing for
change to do your song with kids from all over
the world. Ah, this could be amazing.
Speaker 2 (27:30):
Winter win or winter chicken dinner win or winter chicken dinner.
Speaker 1 (27:35):
That would be so cool to see kids in Indonesia
and kids in the Islands.
Speaker 2 (27:41):
You know, I think anybody and everybody can sing this song.
And since you mentioned it for your listeners, you don't
have to be a singer to enter this contest. I
don't want to hear that excuse. I'm not a singer. Frankly,
if you're not a singer, more entertaining for the rest
of us, I know.
Speaker 1 (27:58):
But I can drum. I got drums. I got twenty
different kinds of drums. I can do the drums. Emil Hey,
I'll let Delilah Shalin my girls who can sing like
angels sing. But now my mind is going. Now my
mind is going.
Speaker 2 (28:15):
That's the fun part of this, because it's about being creative.
How can you be creative and separate yourself from the pack?
You know, you don't need to just stand there and
sing it, you know, be creative, use drums, use your friends,
singing different languages, you know, choreographic dance. That's why it's
so cool. It's wide open. It's a blank canvas, so
everybody take your best shot.
Speaker 1 (28:36):
Take your best shot.
Speaker 2 (28:37):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (28:37):
Tell people once again where to go and how to
upload their video.
Speaker 2 (28:41):
All the information is on let Musicfilmmyworld dot com. All
you have to go there. There's videos, there's information, there's
instruction on how to enter the Music Matters Challenge, and
if you ever have any questions, you can also email
me at the Fire for Fighting website Fight Forfighting dot com.
Email John and I'll help you through it. And each
(29:03):
and every person who enters are participating in bringing a
music teacher to a school that does not have one.
So we all have a role to play. And Delilah,
I cannot wait for the versions that you create because
your mind and your creativity is unmatched in this landscape.
Speaker 1 (29:24):
I am on it, John, I am on it like
a bonnet. I'm going to pull out the big guns here.
I'm going to see who I can get and stack
the deck so that Readsport, Oregon and our School for
Point Hope in Ghana like gets a grant for a
music teacher. Not that I don't want everybody to have one,
obviously I do, but selfishly it's on it's on.
Speaker 2 (29:49):
Let's do it, baby, Let's do it.
Speaker 1 (29:50):
Okay, so everybody go to let music filmyworld dot com
and then watch the other videos. Get inspired, and let's
just get some goodness going on in the world because
God knows we need it right now.
Speaker 2 (30:07):
For sure, we certainly do Ooh.
Speaker 1 (30:09):
Even my oldest son who's a police officer who plays
the guitar, he sings aha, get his whole force to join.
Speaker 2 (30:16):
Oh God, I would love it back the blue baby,
come on Blue, Let's do it.
Speaker 1 (30:20):
Let's do it. We are catching up with five for
Fighting's John Andrassic and we have so much more to
talk about, but let me interject with some info about
one of today's stellar podcast sponsors. Have you been looking
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(30:43):
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It all started because Sherry, who could no longer tolerate
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for ten percent off your order that Sherry's Hazel Cream
and Love twenty four. So, in addition to setting the
world on fire for music and reminding people that hope
and enjoy and love and connectivity exist in music, you're
doing your own music.
Speaker 2 (32:32):
Still Yeah, No, We're out on the road with the
amazing Fire for Fighting Streme Quartet. Talking to you from
Saint Louis now and at the end of April, will
be in your neck of the woods. We got three
shows in Washington, will be down in Portland where I
believe you're in an organ right now, and down to SoCal.
So yeah, just out playing, you know, singing songs and
(32:54):
just enjoying, enjoying being with audiences. It's amazing. And these
musicians I play with are just you know, prodigy New
York Broadway players, so they blow my mind every night.
Speaker 1 (33:06):
That's got to feel good. Tell me about your new song,
the one that you're singing and people are responding to.
Speaker 2 (33:12):
Okay, yeah, you know it's it's not a song that
I took pleasure in writing, but it's a song that
kind of addresses the October seventh attacks by Hamas and
and basically calling on us to stand up for good
and to just like Superman. Was a song after nine
to eleven that that kind of provided solace to some
(33:34):
Americans and pay tribute to the heroes of nine to eleven.
You know, there's unfortunately, as you know, Delilah, there's bad
actors in this world. And as much as we love
to focus on joy and love that you bring to
your audience every day, we also have to stand up
to the folks who want to tear it all down.
And that's kind of what the song's about.
Speaker 1 (33:55):
I think sometimes John, people think that because I'm so
kind and so mellow and so at night, that I'm
just la la la la la, happy, go lucky and
never have a care in the world, and they don't
realize that I am intensely and acutely aware of how
evil has ratcheted up a thousand percent in the last
(34:17):
few years. A lot of the people that I love
wear uniforms, and I do the best that I can
to remind people that the only way through it, and
the only way to come out on the other side
of it, is if you hold on to a deep
faith that there is a purpose, there is a plan,
(34:38):
and there is a purpose. And if you will say
no to evil, as subtle as it is, and yes
to good, yes to faith, yes to God, yes to kindness,
yes to love, You're going to make it through.
Speaker 2 (34:53):
Well. The honor of my career has been performing for
our troops and our police officers and our first responders,
and they are the first line of defense for our
freedom and allows us to love and have joy. And
because there is no love, there is no joy without freedom.
And our troops and our first responders are the heart
(35:14):
and spine of our country. So I'm with you one
hundred percent. And for all our military families and first
responders listening, you know, thank you for allowing us to
have these wonderful conversations and to be able to do
projects like Let Music Film My World, because without them,
there's none of this.
Speaker 1 (35:31):
There isn't there isn't, So God bless you and I
will see you soon. I will see you in concert.
Speaker 2 (35:37):
Soon, Elilah. Thank you for being you. It's always a pleasure,
always a pleasure.
Speaker 1 (35:41):
I'll talk to you soon, honey. If you or someone
you know is involved in the school music programs, I
encourage you to look into the Music Matters Challenge. If
not for this year's participation, then maybe next years. Visit
let Musicfilmmyworld dot com to keep up today because there's
nothing extra curricular about music education. John is also currently
(36:06):
on his eighteen city US tour, backed by a string quartet,
showcasing worldwide hit songs from His platinum selling career started
in Fargo, North Dakota at the end of March, continues
through April twenty six. He'll be coming to San Juan Capistrano, California, Minneapolis,
(36:27):
Saint Louis, Milwaukee, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Portland, Olympia, and many more cities.
He'll be performing many of his mega hits such as Superman,
It's Not Easy, one hundred Years, The Riddle Chances, and
many many more. To purchase tour tickets or watch the
video for Okay, and to keep up with all things
(36:50):
John and five for Fighting, visit five four fighting dot
com and follow him on his social media channels. I
hope you've got bouquets of daffodils or tulips on your
kitchen table or on your desk. I hope you're taking
a moment or two each day to look up from
(37:11):
your task to marvel in a bit of blue sky.
I hope you're watching the Robins song and it's making
its way deep into your heart. Spring is marvelous and
I am so fortunate to be able to share springtime
with you. Thanks for listening to today's episode with John Andrasic,
(37:31):
and for hanging out with me in the evening on
my radio program, and for letting me be a part
of your lives. It's a splendid time to go enjoy
the spring and take some time to love someone, to
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