The MelloCast, Episode 100

It all started with a void.

I was playing the Tenor Horn and there were no websites about the Tenor Horn. So Al's Tenor Horn Page was born. It wasn't about commentary or instruction. It was just a collection of resources.

Soon that caught the attention of Greg Monks, Brass Historian. He volunteered tons of historical information. We were suddenly becoming a resource ourselves.

I added a Mellophone page. That quickly became it's own resource - Al's Mellophone Page. Suddenly I was no longer a resource. I was an authority.

Soon important people in the Mellophone world were becoming my friends. First came Scooter Pirtle, owner of The Middle Horn Leader. This guy is the go-to guy for the Mellophone in the Drum Corps. Next came Mark Taylor, professional jazz horn player, who wanted to expand to the Mellophone.

So, one day I say "we should do a podcast." And we did. I took a tip from the WDW Today podcast and did a forum discussion. And The MelloCast was born.

I play the host, but the class comes from my forum of MelloCasters. They're all wonderful in their own way and they bring plenty to the table. But I'm one of them, and I feel wonderful being one of them.

We don't do weekly episodes, but we try to do them when we can. And we just recorded our 100th episode. Wow.

Of all the things I do, this is by far the most rewarding. In some minor way, it's my shot at being a celebrity. Granted, we don't have a lot of listeners. We average maybe 200 per episode, but they're growing daily.

I'm very, very proud of The MelloCast. I hope someday we get the listenership it deserves. It's a lot bigger than little ol' me.