Welcome To Connecticut

Jonathan Jackson is best known as Avery Barkley on the TV show Nashville, but he's also a super talented musician with his band ENation. Jonathan sits down with Ken Tuccio to discuss his time on Nashville, the evolution of the Avery Barkley character, the move of the show from CMT to ABC, his band ENation's brand new single, musical influences and more. The theme song for the Welcome To Connecticut Podcast is "I Know Where You've Been" by Forget The Whale (www.facebook.com/forgetthewhale).

The Alpaca Gnomes are one of the most popular local bands in Connecticut, with amazing original music, enthusiastic fans and a great story. Ken Tuccio sits down with Benny and Kimberly from The Alpaca Gnomes to talk about the origin of their band, the challenges getting gigs with original music, the local music scene as a whole and more. The theme song for the Welcome To Connecticut Podcast is "I Know Where You've Been" by Forget The Whale (www.facebook.com/forgetthewhale).

Bruce Prichard has had a storied career in the wrestling business. He's been working in the business since he was 12 years old. He made his way through the territories. He worked in the WWF from Hulkamania all the way through the Attitude Era and beyond. He's been in front of the camera, behind the camera and in every other job in between. He's also the co-host of Something To Wrestle With, one of the most listened to podcasts on the internet right now. He chats with Ken Tuccio about his career, the podcast, his time in Connecticut and more. The theme song for the Welcome To Connecticut Podcast is "I Know Where You've Been" by Forget The Whale (www.facebook.com/forgetthewhale).

You might not know about Letizia's Pizza. They're a tiny little pizza joint in a strip mall in Norwalk, Ct., but the pie they make is killer. The pie is so killer that Ken Tuccio selected them as Best Pizza in Connecticut in this year's "Best of" issue of Connecticut Magazine. Ken sits down with Danny, Dennis and David from Letizia's to talk about the history of their restaurant, the art of making pizza and more. The theme song for the Welcome To Connecticut Podcast is "I Know Where You've Been" by Forget The Whale (www.facebook.com/forgetthewhale).

The Two Oh Three is a lifestyle brand celebrating Connecticut created by two young entrepreneurs; Tory and Roscoe Brown. It started off as an idea, make some cool T-Shirts that celebrates the Nutmeg State, but then it blew up into a full blown business. Tory and Roscoe sit down with Ken to talk about the creation of The Two Oh Three, the reaction they received from friends and family, the challenges running the business and more. The theme song for the Welcome To Connecticut Podcast is "I Know Where You've Been" by Forget The Whale (www.facebook.com/forgetthewhale).

Sawyer Fredericks is a 17 year old Connecticut native who was the winner of the 8th season of NBC's The Voice. Sawyer sits down with Ken to discuss his victory on The Voice, his creative process, working with Pharrell, his new album and more. The theme song for the Welcome To Connecticut Podcast is "I Know Where You've Been" by Forget The Whale (www.facebook.com/forgetthewhale).

Teresa DuFour was one of the first guests on Welcome To Connecticut. She sat down with Ken all the way back in Episode 2. A lot has changed since that conversation. Ken sits down with Teresa once again to talk about her lifestyle as a morning anchor, her transition to Motherhood, balancing parenthood with a career and more. You can get information about the festival at WelcomeCT.com. The theme song for the Welcome To Connecticut Podcast is "I Know Where You've Been" by Forget The Whale. (www.facebook.com/forgetthewhale).

Armada Brewing is a brand new operation who just hopped on the CT beer scene. Brewing out of Overshores, Armada has built a lot of buzz for his initial launch. Ken sits down with John Kraszewski with Armada to discuss his vision for the brewery, the initial launch, how he worked out a deal with Overshores and more. You can get information about the festival at WelcomeCT.com. The theme song for the Welcome To Connecticut Podcast is "I Know Where You've Been" by Forget The Whale (www.facebook.com/forgetthewhale).

The Norwalk Gamer Symphony Orchestra is a collection of talented musicians who come together to perform orchestral versions of songs that you may recognize from your favorite video games. Ken sits down with Brian Doyle from the Norwalk Gamer Symphony Orchestra to talk about how it came together, video game fandom and how video game music has grown over the years. You can get information about the festival at WelcomeCT.com. The theme song for the Welcome to Connecticut Podcast is "I Know Where You've Been" by Forget The Whale (www.facebook.com/forgetthewhale).

Ken and the gang from The Blind Rhino get asked quite regularly about why they work together so often, while also being asked for the story behind their events. This podcast looks at the story behind last year's very first SONO BOWL; a Super Bowl pre-game game show, which was conceptualized by Ken and the guys at Rhino. It's a bit off the rails, but it's as authentic a conversation as you could ever listen to. Tickets for this year's SONO BOWL are available right now at SonoBowl.com. You can get information about the festival at WelcomeCT.com. The theme song for the Welcome To Connecticut Podcast is "I Know Where You've Been" by Forget The Whale (www.facebook.com/forgetthewhale).

Sean Lawson is one of the most well respected brewers in the industry. Some of his creations, such as Sip of Sunshine, are so highly sought after that people will go to great lengths to get their hands on them. Sean sits down with Ken to discuss his history in the beer community, his transition to contract brewing and making his beers available in other states. He also very candidly talks about the issues of price gouging that have run rampant with some of his beers. You can get information about the festival at WelcomeCT.com. The theme song for the Welcome to Connecticut Podcast is "I Know Where You've Been" by Forget the Whale (www.facebook.com/forgetthewhale).

Molly Qerim is a Connecticut girl who grew up wanting to be a sportscaster. She followed that path and it paid off, because now she’s the host of First Take, which moves from ESPN 2 to ESPN on January 3rd. Molly sits down with Ken to discuss her career path and how the decisions she carefully made led her to where she is right now with ESPN. This episode is brought to you by SONO BOWL 2, happening from 4pm until kickoff on Super Bowl Sunday at The Blind Rhino. You can buy your tickets at SonoBowl.com. You can get information about the festival at WelcomeCT.com. The theme song for the Welcome To Connecticut Podcast is “I Know Where You’ve Been” by Forget The Whale (www.facebook.com/forgetthewhale).

Fairfield Craft Ales in Stratford is newer to the Connecticut brewing scene. Joe and Mike are two friends who fell in love with craft beer and homebrewing and they decided to take their passion and turn it into a business; Fairfield Craft Ales was born. Ken sits down with the duo to talk about their passion for beer and how Fairfield Craft Ales came to be. This episode is brought to you by SONO BOWL 2, happening from 4pm until kickoff on Super Bowl Sunday at The Blind Rhino. You can buy your tickets at SonoBowl.com. You can get information about the festival at WelcomeCT.com. The theme song for the Welcome To Connecticut Podcast is “I Know Where You’ve Been” by Forget The Whale (www.facebook.com/forgetthewhale).

If you’re someone who regularly watches food television, you probably know who Chef Curtis Stone is. He’s been on Top Chef Masters, Iron Chef America and countless other culinary programs. He and Ken sat down at the bar at NoMad in New York City for a casual conversation about his culinary career, his television career and much more. This episode is brought to you by THE LOCAL DRINKING SHOW, premiering January 26th on WTNH News Channel 8. Be sure to come to the premiere party for The Local Drinking Show on Friday January 6th , 7pm, at The Blind Rhino in Norwalk! This episode is also brought to you by SONO BOWL 2, happening 4pm on Super Bowl Sunday at The Blind Rhino. Buy tickets for SONO BOWL 2 now at SonoBowl.com. The theme song for the Welcome To Connecticut Podcast is “I Know Where You’ve Been” by Forget The Whale (www.facebook.com/forgetthewhale).

Announcement For Thursday, December 8th

Church Owl is the very first gluten free brewery in the state and it’s a one woman operation started by Taylor Grothe. Ken sits down with Taylor so she can tell her story about being diagnosed with celiac disease and how that eventually got her into brewing. She also discusses the challenges of brewing gluten free beer, the stereotypes of gluten free beer in the community and the goals she has for Church Owl. This episode is brought to you by THE LOCAL DRINKING SHOW, premiering January 26th on WTNH News Channel 8. This episode is also brought to you by SONO BOWL 2, happening 4pm on Super Bowl Sunday at The Blind Rhino. Buy tickets for SONO BOWL 2 now at SonoBowl.com. The theme song for the Welcome To Connecticut Podcast is “I Know Where You’ve Been” by Forget The Whale (www.facebook.com/forgetthewhale).

Thanksgiving Day means it’s time for the Thanksgiving special. This is The 3rd Annual Thanksgiving Special, where Ken sits down with his good friend (and producer of Welcome To Connecticut) Don Salzarulo for a candid conversation about anything and everything. Grab some wine, crack open a beer and give it a listen while you’re waiting for the turkey to come out of the oven. The theme song for the Welcome To Connecticut Podcast is “I Know Where You’ve Been” by Forget The Whale (www.facebook.com/forgetthewhale).

Straight To VHS is a garage/punk rock band out of New London CT. Straight To VHS personifies the do-it-yourself mentality that is synonymous with punk rock music. Jon, Jay and Tim sit down with Ken at their rehearsal space in New London to discuss the origins of their band, their writing process, the independent nature of their band, the DIY mentality they have to bring to it and their newest album Landmind. This episode is brought to you by TRIVIAMANIA, happening 8pm the Tuesday before Thanksgiving (November 22nd) at The Blind Rhino in Norwalk CT. This episode is also brought to you by SONO BOWL 2, happening 4pm on Super Bowl Sunday at The Blind Rhino. Buy tickets for SONO BOWL 2 now at SonoBowl.com. The theme song for the Welcome To Connecticut Podcast is “I Know Where You’ve Been” by Forget The Whale (www.facebook.com/forgetthewhale).

Ann Nyberg is a Connecticut staple. Ann has been the face and voice associated with Connecticut news for over 3 decades and she isn’t stopping anytime soon. Ann sits down with Ken to talk about her 30 year career, how the role of women has changed since she first broke into the business, the art of interviewing people on camera, being a workaholic and her brand new book Remembering Katherine Hepburn. This episode is brought to you by TRIVIAMANIA, happening 8pm the Tuesday before Thanksgiving (November 22nd) at The Blind Rhino in Norwalk CT. This episode is also brought to you by SONO BOWL 2, happening 4pm on Super Bowl Sunday at The Blind Rhino. Buy tickets for SONO BOWL 2 now at SonoBowl.com. The theme song for the Welcome To Connecticut Podcast is “I Know Where You’ve Been” by Forget The Whale (www.facebook.com/forgetthewhale).