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🌈 Brendan Bond 🌈~Short-term Goals, Long-term Dreams~ Brendan and I met in an extraordinarily organic way for two musicians operating in Adelaide. It was roughly mid 2021 and we both happened to be working in Interim Studios! I was in a bit of a turbo mood taking photos for my good friends in KZRN and happened to spot Lachy Bruce @sparesecondrecording who I know from the scene. And there in all his glory was Brendos with a big smile on his face and looking sharp with a fresh haircut! They were eating burritos so obviously I had to take a photo. Along with his twin sister and drummer Joann was in full action laying down their track ‘On The Side’. Now I smashed this track HARD when it came out and definitely played it 100+ times. Be sure to listen to it and their other tracks asap because holy crap are they feel good energy indie rock bangers! Also book them for a gig if you’re in need of a support act because these legends are eager for more live shows! Now this podcast would not have happened if it wasn’t for Brendan graciously reaching out with praise. It’s very heart warming to hear when this little passion project connects with someone. I was actually at a crossroads in my mental health where I thought the sunshine was dead. But in true Brendan fashion we brought it back to life! In this episode we talk about perception, navigating anger, social isolation and dreaming big in spite of it all!  LISTEN NOW TO GET A DEEPER INSIGHT INTO WHAT MAKES BRENDAN!

Andy Vaiciulis and I go way way way back. I believe we met at the Cranker whilst playing a gig together with our bands then known as In Case of Emergency and Oceans. The naivety and overflowing passion for what we were doing back then was contagious. My bond with Andy got all the more stronger when we bumped into each other at the wonderful, now deceased, Black Market. It was my first time ever being at a heavy music club and it was so sick hearing band like Northlane and Parkwary at full volume whilst drinking a rum and coke because I still didn’t like the taste of beer. I also think longtime friends Larsen were playing there that night which is crazy to remember. Andy was more than happy to show me around and introduce me to all his mates. His friendly energy hasn't changed one bit. Then as our bands diverged and life happened I don’t think I saw Andy for a good 3-5 years. And then out of nowhere, BANG, at unify with his new incredible band Relapse Andy reappeared! Since then I convinced him to come on the Podcast where we talk music gear, heavy music and touring as well as more personal matters which you’ll have to discover for yourself in the episode! Go listen now on your favorite Podcast app. After that be sure to follow Relapse on Spotify and have a solo circle pit to their brutal but bouncy tracks! 

🌈 Beating the Odds with Bon 🌈 Bon has quite the life story; born and raised in a cult, she escaped at the age of 18 and began living a life of firsts as an adult. Battling a chronic illness and infertility issues, Bon has seen her fair share of doctors and hospitals, even spending time in a wheelchair before defying all odds and learning to walk again. Whilst these events may have beaten down many, Bon draws upon them as fuel to thrive. An expert on resilience and survival, Bon’s own weightloss journey has now set her down the path of helping others on their own health and wellness journeys. Body neutrality is an important weight orientation that Bon cannot wait to share with the world! In this podcast we giggle, go deep and talk of hope in spite of what the world has dealt us. This is a simply must listen episode. Please please please follow bon @bemorebon for more of her upcoming projects including that of a book!

 I Just Assumed you had Daddy Issues  OUT NOW!! Paige Rachael, known online as the @bogan barbie is double shot leo who ain't interested in watering herself down much like myself. Our friendship was born online not too long ago during a mandatory isolation and a case of lockdown boredom. We jumped straight in the deep end with topics including addiction, music and piercing mishaps . Her fiery spirit is perfectly captured within her band @witch_spit_ and their debut single "Daddy". "Rude of you to assume us girls have Daddy issues" is some of many raw lyrics within the anthemic fempunk track! Get to know this filterless but wholesome bogan inside and out right now! ALSO be sure to check out her Tattoo page @wanderingwitchtattoo and studio space @cultartspace  Photo by @shem.ishere 

🌈 M A D S   H I G G I N S 🌈 Mads Higgins is my newest Libra friend, one that I hope to keep in my personal collection of Libras forever! Unlike all my other Libra pals Mads is incredibly soft and perfectly introverted in their own authentic way! My friendship with Mads started over instagram which does seem to be a recurring theme in my life at the moment. I have this habit of talking to people online as though we have been friends for 10 years. Occasionally it gets me into trouble saying things best left unsaid but in this case it supercharged my connection with Mads! I was also extremely privileged to reconnect Mads to a church namely MY HOME at encounter! Mads actually reached out online many months before we actually hung out. Being the turbo leo I am, I immediately wanted to do a podcast with them. However, my mental health and Covid did delay my humble dream of connection for some time! But alas we got there and some connection it WAS!!! Mads we’ve only known each other for a short time but It has truly been a blessing. It feels quite alien to lead someone to faith being such a baby in it myself. However, It’s truly been a gift, one that is blessing us simultaneously. ANYWAYS! Dig deep and listen to this episode NOW to get a deeper insight into the beautiful human that is Mads Higgins!!!

🌈 H A N A   J A Y🌈 Hana Jay is my 𝖇𝖊𝖆𝖚𝖙𝖎𝖋𝖚𝖑 𝖇𝖆𝖗𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝖇𝖔𝖘𝖘 who I was very very lucky to meet through my drummer boi @nick. Like he practically got me the Job @fix with his charm and rock solid Potato pizza and batch brew order. BUT BACK TO HANA!!! She's the machine, the glue, the leader, the one that holds us all together. Only Hana can do Hana's job. We should probably pay her a double wadge. Maybe she's as good as she is because she's a sociopath although she hasn't murdered me just yet. She is simultaneously a punky tattooed emo with eyes that can turn into daggers in a flash and a pure grandma who'd definitely buy you a second scone so long as you used the magic word. Super super cool to get to know her over the past few months. I thank her for her grace after my 11th mistake of the day and her ability to handle both pinball machine Sam and sad Sam who struggles to keep up the PACE. She's also like hyper smart and like taught me a bunch about ADHD among other things! Listen to our CHAT RIGHT NOW and get a deeper insight into the wonderful queen that is HANA JAY 🌈

🌈 K O L E H    D A V I D🌈 Koleh David, a man of many bands (@ukolehle, Bermuda Bay, Saint Jacques, Homely Smells) and many bass lines. A man that I in all honesty didn't know that well despite our many overlaps within the music scene. But a man that has truly blown me away with his rhythmic discipline and childlike twinkle for creating. It's honestly strange how we got by for so long as surface friends. It wasn't until this very year, when Tiles were performing at the Royal Croquet Club when Koleh the man of mystery appeared for a dance. Whist our "comfort zone friends" were on stage, Koleh I tried small talk. It was rather short lived as I'm personally not very good at it. BUT THEN I was struck with a thought! I like this dude! He brings good vibes! Why am I not actually getting to know the real Koleh!? So I asked him something along the line of "what are you about"? And "what blows your hair back"? And what was a nice night quickly became a great night. Koleh is truly fascinating. He is passionate about so many things and in many cases these topics of interest lie outside of the realms of typical. PLUS he's a bloody funny dude. I personally had so much fun in this episode and I can't wait for you to join in on the fun! LISTEN NOW TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THIS BEAUTIFUL HUMAN!

🌈 Douglas Connley 🌈 LINK IN BIO@douglas_connolly or that bloke at every gig in speed dealer sunnie's taking pictures of your pedal board is my NUMBER 1 hype man and new friend. I'm honestly not too sure when I met Doug. Probably at a gig somewhere through our wonderful mutual friend @rosamaetobin! You're a GEM to the music seen and it's truly incredible to stand beside a bloke with a FULLY FLEDGED album via @drainingband !!!!!'DON'T YOU WANT TO FEEL SOMETHING DIFFERENT' out now!!!Listen to the album and then rejoin us on the podcast to hear Dougy talk a little bit about his experiences with mental health. We appreciate you being here dude and I can't wait to see where the world takes you! I honestly think you're a slightly more manic Aquarius version of me and I FUCKING love it. Also shout out to @alexgripton for being a legend💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗

🌈 G E M   D A I S Y 🌈 Gem Daisy is an incredible dancer with THE monster energy. She is a glamorous outfit extraordinar. She's an audaciously authentic woman who is true to herself and her lifestyle. She's a charismatic and mysterious Libra with a keen eye for LIFE. I was attracted to Gem via her bold and unique instagram page. Through a mutual friend of ours I suddenly started to see Gem everywhere and knew immediately that I wanted to be her friend. The friend crush was strong so naturally I started DMing her. From there our friendship grew into vast admiration of her Queen energy and finally into this very episode! Get a deeper insight into the wonderful woman that is GEM DAISY!!!

🌈 L A C H L A N    S E A R L E S 🌈 Lachlan Searles is the youngest person to ever bless my podcast! Often thought of as "That Kid who is obsessed with Red Bull" or the "brains behind Mersey Sports Club" and even more recently "That 16 year old who Sold Out the Gov!" What a young man he is. He first came onto my radar when my good friend Alexander Black played a show with him at the Exeter. I was truly mind blown that someone that young could already be playing gigs in the Adelaide music scene. Not too long after that I asked him to open for Paper Sunsets VOA EP launch at the cranker. By this stage he had recruited the wonderful drummer Christian and was reformed as the Epical Mersey Sports Club. He was only 14 then and well on his way to being the next Hardaches. Since then I have stumbled into his hyped energy at many gigs and have seen him grow both vertically and in hair length. But what's more impressive than his physical growth is his maturity. The fact that this young dude can organize these big gigs, often with people much older than him whilst still in school is staggering. I am truly lucky to watch you grow and hope to be a place of support and encouragement for years to come. CONGRATULATIONS ON THE EP! listen to this podcast NOW and then thrash the EP. Their track Heroin shows song writing maturity well beyond his years! 

🌈 J A K E    S Ö D E R L U N D 🌈 Jake Söderlund, a blue collar battla, a softly spoken bloke, a masculine individual who does not run from his feelings, a dear friend who is embarking on the next stage of his life in Brisbane. This conversation was truly a blessing. One that came out of nowhere after a cheeky cup of brown and a gander at a few acoustic guitars. I met Jake through a mutual friend several years ago. Since then we have shared many words whether that be at a gromhouse piss up, a local band or some herbal tea on the patio with the company of his black cat. This conversation doesn't shy away from the battles Jake is facing. We tackle topics head on such as addiction and anxiety! Jake didn't need much banter to warm up. He was actually ready to spill the tea much sooner than I was ahaha. What a man!! A man who's male comradery with "the boys" should be a reminder to us that not all men are bad. It's only the few that ruin it for the MANY.  Get a deeper insight into the wonders of Jakey RIGHT NOW!! Enjoy our wonderful conversation xoxo

Sarah Polanco or Pola as I like to call her is an effervescent queen that I met through Encounter Church. Other than brief smiles and hellos we didn’t properly exchange words until a Tropical Fuck Storm gig at the Gov. From there our friendship grew into lawn mowing, endless cuddles and impulsive catch ups. Sarah has an infectious smile and is absolutely contagious with her cheeky nature. This makes us a perfect match as I love dark humor and edgy teasing hehe. From chili and lime corn chips to vulnerable Pisces tears I feel extremely privileged to have collided with Sarah within this chaotic universe. Don’t just take my word for Sarah’s beauty, LISTEN NOW and get a deeper insight! You will not regret it!

🌈 C A I D E N    C R A F T S 🌈 Caiden Crafts, Kazaran Krowe and even Caidos da Bassos as he is labeled in my phone is a long time friend of mine. We met way back in highschool as two confused teenagers trying our best to play footy in the football program. Unfortunately we mostly warmed the bench but this did give us a good excuse to get to know each other. Our friendship truly started to blossom when we started our highschool band with our mate Tosh. This band was called OCEANS. We filled our lunches in the pursuit of stadium gigs (supporting coldplay obviously) and writing shitty indie songs. This band went on to play the cranker every few weeks and even did a tour when we released our 1 and only EP ‘Home’. After years of being young and dumb and having zero idea how to manage a band we eventually got our shit together and reformed as Paper Sunsets. Our close and intimate broship started to truly take shape when we would spend long hours in the car on Tour listening to Architect albums, Dollops and Aunty Donna Podcasts. Other notable mentions go to the time we played an afternoon gig and then immediately got in the car and left for Melbourne chasing the Adelaide Crows to the grand final. Even though we got thrashed it was still one of the biggest most hyped weekends of my life. Another story I’d love to share was the time we had a spare night in melbourne as a band and Caiden and I went to a local gig meeting our now friends Wintermoon. We ended up blind drunk and crowd surfing. Caiden managed to save me as I passed out in a chair at some dude's house. ANYWAYS! Listen to this podcast now and get a deeper insight into the beautiful man that is Caiden. DISCLAIMER that this podcast was actually recorded some 5 months ago prior to my latest battle with depression. We have since both changed and grown in many ways so consider this a bit of a time travelling experience. HAPPY LISTENING

This year has been tough. If there's one thing we can agree on right now in spite of all the division I'm certain it's that. Personally I've haven't been doing so well. I've never wished, considered and even planned my death more so than I have these past few months. It's been difficult to stay afloat when my coping mechanisms are to hide away from the world. But alas, I'm still here. Here is a story about one of my low points. I hope you resonate with it!Love Sam

Part two of my execllent chat with Bianca Ott of @plantbasedpunx

Bianca or the illuminating Plant Based Punx as I knew her by right until our actual interview 😂 is a bubbly, fun and charismatic individual with a passion for Veganism. Through my journeys into veganism I became aware of Bianca when her 'Horse Racing Sucks' stickers were circulating Instagram in the lead up to the infamous Melbourne Cup. I immediately inboxed her demanding her for a pin so I could shove it in the faces of the old ladies I was to serve the following day during our busy Melbourne Cup day service. Turns out she lives in Brisbane so this was unfortunately not viable. Since then I followed wholesome content closely and jumped at the opportunity to connect when she alluded to her interest in starting her own podcast. I had to have her on A Ray of Sunshine. And VICTORY to me 😘 as I was able to tee up an authentic conversation with Bianca a few weeks later. It was a more interesting conversation than usual due to Bianca's rural settlement we lost connection on zoom several times over. But we pushed on right up until Bianca had to leave immediately to pick up her mum from work. We reconvened a few days later for another conversation which made this my longest A Ray of Sunshine to date. To make this wonder conversation more digestible I have split the episodes into two parts. We covered a very wide range of topics such as inclusive Veganism, DIY mental health, understanding coping mechanisms and cancel culture. LISTEN NOW for the full experience!!!