Natalie Farrell's Mantra

We welcome musicians Natalie Farrell and Lou Panico for an engaging conversation about their musical journeys and experiences in the New Jersey music scene. The episode kicks off with light-hearted banter about the New Jersey Lottery, setting a relaxed and friendly tone.

Natalie and Lou share their backgrounds, with Natalie recounting her move from Brooklyn to New Jersey and her early passion for music and dance. Lou talks about his upbringing in a music-loving family and his early experiences with choir and theater. The duo discusses their serendipitous meeting and how they eventually formed a band, with Lou joining as the bassist and later becoming Natalie's husband.

The conversation delves into their memorable performances, including opening Jersey Fest and playing at iconic venues like the Stone Pony. Natalie reflects on the evolution of their music, from bluesy improvisations to the pop-influenced tracks on their latest EP, "Mantra." They emphasize the importance of live performances and the unique energy they bring to their shows.

Looking ahead, Natalie and Lou express their aspirations for the future, including touring and creating new music that blends various genres. They also highlight the supportive and collaborative nature of the Asbury Park music scene, which has played a significant role in their growth as artists.

Throughout the episode, the camaraderie between Mike, Natalie, and Lou is evident, making for an entertaining and insightful listen. The episode wraps up with a shout-out to their fans and a look at what's next for Natalie Farrell and her band.

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Music: "Ride" by Jackson Pines
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Thank you to our sponsors:
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Mayo Performing Arts Ce

Transcript

Lou Panico [0:24 - 0:24]: All right. 

Mike Ham [0:24 - 0:33]: What's up, everybody? Welcome back to another episode of greetings with Gardens eight, powered by the New Jersey lottery. I'm your host, Mike Ham. We are here with Natalie Farrell and Lou Panico. Guys, welcome to the show. 

Natalie Farrell [0:33 - 0:34]: Thanks for having us. 

Lou Panico [0:34 - 0:35]: I hope I win the lottery. 

Mike Ham [0:35 - 0:48]: Yeah, me too. I don't know if I can actually technically win it, because they're already paying me. I don't know if that's, like, a thing. Oh, yeah. So I guess, in a sense, I technically did win the lottery by bringing them on as a sponsor. 

Natalie Farrell [0:49 - 0:49]: But there you go. 

Mike Ham [0:49 - 0:54]: We love them. They're awesome. So shout out lottery and keep the support coming. 

Lou Panico [0:54 - 0:57]: Making people rich. Yeah, we like that. 

Natalie Farrell [0:57 - 0:59]: Just make us rich now and we're good. 

Mike Ham [0:59 - 1:08]: Exactly. They do pay out. Here's another plug for the lottery. They do pay out over $2 billion worth of prizes per year. That's, like, a fun thing that people don't always know. 

Lou Panico [1:08 - 1:10]: I don't even need that much. I'll take a quarter of it. 

Mike Ham [1:10 - 1:12]: Yeah, just. 

Natalie Farrell [1:12 - 1:13]: He says that now. 

Mike Ham [1:13 - 1:17]: 10%. Yeah, but after taxes, it's only, like, 5%. 

Natalie Farrell [1:17 - 1:18]: Exactly. You mean you. 

Lou Panico [1:18 - 1:20]: We have to pay taxes? 

Mike Ham [1:20 - 1:20]: Yes. 

Lou Panico [1:22 - 1:24]: My name is not Lou Panett. 

Mike Ham [1:27 - 1:30]: Well, I appreciate you guys having me into your home. 

Natalie Farrell [1:30 - 1:37]: Yes. This is our lovely little mantra esque nook. Nook, nook. 

Mike Ham [1:37 - 1:41]: Yeah. I love the art. I love the tattoo art over there. That's cool. Yeah. 

Natalie Farrell [1:42 - 1:54]: Yeah. We used to have a lot more on the walls, and then I had to tell Lou, we gotta retract a little bit. Make it a little more. Little more simplistic, but also keep the animation around the room going. 

Mike Ham [1:54 - 1:54]: Vibe. Yeah. 

Lou Panico [1:54 - 1:56]: I am not a minimalist. 

Natalie Farrell [1:56 - 1:57]: Not at all, am I? 

Mike Ham [1:57 - 2:08]: I am the opposite. Like, my office is, like, there's literally stuff on every wall. Like, I got that picture of us at the end of Jersey fest blown up into, like, a 24 by 36, and that's hanging, like, right over my desk. 

Natalie Farrell [2:08 - 2:09]: That looks awesome. 

Mike Ham [2:09 - 2:11]: One of the greatest moments of my life. 

Natalie Farrell [2:12 - 2:13]: But it was a great night. 

Mike Ham [2:13 - 2:21]: Yeah. You opened Jersey fest. Let's talk about that a little bit. We'll talk more about you in a minute, but for sure, let's talk about how awesome of a job I did with Jersey Fest. 

Natalie Farrell [2:22 - 2:23]: Oh, my God. 

Mike Ham [2:24 - 2:51]: You were having to sing the hug and all. No, but you guys were awesome and, like, kicked it off so perfectly. I remember, like, when I was introducing you, I did not give you a good intro. Only because I didn't know that, I realized there was a second door behind me on the left. So I kept looking to my right and being like, where the fuck are they? And then was like, natalie Farrow. And then you guys came from the other side, and I was like, oh, thank God. They were ready. 

Natalie Farrell [2:51 - 2:54]: Yeah, I think we were coming from, like, both sides. 

Mike Ham [2:54 - 3:00]: Yeah. Like, every angle. Josh was coming down from upstairs, you know, like, everybody's coming from everywhere. 

Lou Panico [3:00 - 3:03]: Plan was like, get on stage and then, like, do, like, a special entrance. 

Mike Ham [3:04 - 3:09]: Yeah, yeah, right. Which was cool. So talk to me about that and how great it was. 

Natalie Farrell [3:09 - 3:24]: Oh, man, it was. It was amazing. I mean, I've been telling everybody and the band, and I talked about it, too. Like, that was probably my most. My favorite show I've ever performed in all my years of performing, and I've been doing it for eight and a half, nine years now. 

Mike Ham [3:24 - 3:25]: Yeah. 

Natalie Farrell [3:25 - 3:26]: And it was. 

Lou Panico [3:26 - 3:27]: It was better than bamboozle. 

Natalie Farrell [3:31 - 3:41]: We won bamboozle, and then it never happened. I don't know if you heard about that, but I don't know about that. Yeah, great time. Great time. Anyway, my show happened. Yes, exactly. 

Mike Ham [3:41 - 3:42]: We did that. 

Natalie Farrell [3:42 - 4:15]: We did that. No, it was absolutely amazing. I think it's important to me when I get on stage to feel that kind of euphoria, and that's just not with the band on stage. It's, like, the atmosphere and the crowd and the lighting and hearing yourself on stage, like, everything was like a ten out of ten across the board. So, like, as an artist, this was like, wow, this is. I wish I could play every show like this, to be honest. And we were really, really grateful for you guys to take care of us and, like, the green rooms and everything. It was just a nice kind of. 

Mike Ham [4:15 - 4:25]: I've never done anything like that, and I've never been, like, backstage at a concert or anything like that. And really just to, like, do that while I. We were actually, like, putting on the show was also kind of cool. 

Natalie Farrell [4:25 - 4:26]: Loved it. 

Mike Ham [4:26 - 4:29]: But also, I was just, like, just, you know, a mess. Like, I was, like, sweating. 

Natalie Farrell [4:29 - 4:31]: I don't blame you running around like. 

Mike Ham [4:31 - 5:10]: Crazy, but I get it. But you guys made it so great. Like, that's the thing. Like, the. I remember I went to a networking thing the two weeks ago, and a guy that was there that I know was. He was like, mike. He's like, I got to tell you how proud I am. He's like, I thought that the bands were going to be kind of, like bar bands and just, you know, like, covers or whatever, and I was like, nope. We brought in, like, five legit bands that can play pretty much anywhere, you know, like, all that kind of stuff. And he was like, yeah. He was like, I was amazed, and just, like, having you as a part of that, and I think I told you the story, like, at the after party. So at that point, Mike was a little bit down the tracks, but I don't blame you. 

Natalie Farrell [5:10 - 5:14]: I don't know if I remember half of that part of the night, so it's okay. 

Lou Panico [5:14 - 5:15]: We had a very fun ride home. 

Mike Ham [5:15 - 5:26]: Yeah, us too. Yeah. But, like, you know, we, like, forgot stuff. Somebody left their guitar at the bar. Bassist for surfing for days. He left his guitar there. So I took it to Bloomfield because I didn't know whose it was. 

Natalie Farrell [5:26 - 5:27]: No, you did the right thing. 

Mike Ham [5:27 - 5:52]: Yeah, of course. But. But I remember I think I told you that when we were, like, putting together the lineup and I had a couple, you know, like, that are bands that we've seen a ton, that we just, like, wanted to have a part of it. And then I had never seen you guys live, but Chrissy was like, what about that bad bitch song that we play in the car? And I was like, oh, yeah, like, I'll ask Natalie. And so we had never talked before. Never, like, you know, whatever. And then just reached out, and then. 

Natalie Farrell [5:52 - 6:06]: It worked out amazingly. It really did. And I'm glad you asked us to perform, because it was. Again, it was a great show. It was something that the band and I still talk about till this day. And hopefully later down the line, after a couple of Jersey fests, we'll be back on your stage. 

Mike Ham [6:06 - 6:07]: Yeah, yeah, for sure. 

Natalie Farrell [6:07 - 6:08]: Rocking it again. 

Mike Ham [6:08 - 6:14]: Yeah, we'll work on so many things that Jersey Fest is, like, one piece of a lot of the big picture, for sure. 

Lou Panico [6:14 - 6:16]: Sounded great in that room, too. 

Natalie Farrell [6:16 - 6:16]: It really did. 

Mike Ham [6:16 - 6:17]: That's what everyone said. 

Natalie Farrell [6:17 - 6:18]: So good. 

Lou Panico [6:18 - 6:20]: My first time there. I think you're two. 

Natalie Farrell [6:20 - 6:23]: Yeah, it was my first time there. Yeah. 

Lou Panico [6:23 - 6:25]: Obviously, having it be the show we were playing was awesome. 

Mike Ham [6:25 - 6:25]: Sure. 

Lou Panico [6:25 - 6:32]: But just, you know, just being kind of upstairs in the balcony, like, looking down, like, listening and watching the other bands, even sound checking. I was like, this room is nice. 

Mike Ham [6:32 - 6:35]: Yeah, we were doing the sound checks. I was like, holy shit. 

Natalie Farrell [6:35 - 6:58]: It was amazing. It was the first time I was on stage, and it's, like, some venues, like, especially as, like, the vocalist, you tend to feel like you're over. You have to try to overpower your own band sometimes, and it's just the sound, like, the sound system in any. Any type of venue. But this was, like, effortless. I was like, what? Yeah, I could. I could literally whisper and, like, it would. The whole room would just be like, we hear you. 

Lou Panico [6:58 - 6:59]: Yeah, I knew what they were doing. 

Mike Ham [6:59 - 6:59]: Yeah, for sure. 

Natalie Farrell [6:59 - 7:00]: Hundred percent. 

Mike Ham [7:00 - 7:02]: They do a great job. So shout out, white Eagle hall. 

Natalie Farrell [7:02 - 7:03]: Yes. 

Mike Ham [7:03 - 7:05]: It used to be a basketball gym, which is hilarious. 

Natalie Farrell [7:05 - 7:05]: Wow. 

Mike Ham [7:05 - 7:06]: Yeah, it's. 

Natalie Farrell [7:06 - 7:07]: I didn't know that. 

Mike Ham [7:07 - 7:32]: Well, it was part of St. Anthony's, which was a school, and their. Their high. It was a high school, like, their basketball team. They practiced it in what is now white Eagle hall. And actually where the restaurant we were down in at cellar was their locker rooms, like, way back in the day. And the school, like, the basketball team won. Bob Hurley is, like, the most successful high school basketball coach of all time. 

Lou Panico [7:32 - 7:34]: I went to one of his basketball camps when I was a kid. 

Mike Ham [7:34 - 7:54]: Oh, really? Yeah. So he won, like, 30 some state championships and multiple national championships in high school basketball. He was the coach. He was the coach there for all of that. And then the school closed, and then eventually, you know, it is what it is now, but I just, like, love, like, the stained glass windows and the bar and everything, but it's amazing. Yeah. 

Lou Panico [7:54 - 8:04]: So have you seen the photo of me and, like, my dad and only that basketball, I think it's framed, like, in, like, the bedroom or something. Do you know what I'm talking about? No. Well, that was the Bob Hurley camp, so fun fact. 

Mike Ham [8:04 - 8:04]: Wow. 

Natalie Farrell [8:04 - 8:05]: Fun fact. 

Mike Ham [8:05 - 8:06]: Full circle of life. 

Natalie Farrell [8:06 - 8:07]: Who would have thought? 

Mike Ham [8:09 - 8:19]: All right, let's talk about you finally. So, okay. Are you guys born and raised Jersey? Like, are you from Jersey originally? 

Natalie Farrell [8:19 - 8:31]: I'm originally from Brooklyn, New York. Okay. But I moved to Jersey pretty early, so I kind of consider myself, like, a Jersey native at this point. 

Lou Panico [8:32 - 8:34]: The rest of her band is from New Jersey? 

Natalie Farrell [8:34 - 9:03]: Yes. The rest of my band is from New Jersey. Yeah. I mean, I moved to Jersey when I was about seven or eight. I did go back to Brooklyn, like, every weekend, like every typical New Yorker family would until I was maybe about 1516. But, yeah, I moved from Bensonhurst to actually, old bridge, New Jersey. And then maybe almost eight years ago now I've been living in the Asbury scene ever since. 

Mike Ham [9:03 - 9:32]: Yeah, that's cool. And so was music always thing that was part of your guys lives, like, growing up? Like, that's something I always ask musicians is like, you know, parents playing music in the house, or was there, like, a moment and, you know, I remember someone told me, like, in the car, they were just singing, and everyone was like, oh, my God, you should be a singer now. They are like one of those kind of, you know, cheesy stories, but, you know, sure, that's just something I'm always kind of curious about. Like, when did you know that you. 

Natalie Farrell [9:32 - 9:33]: Definitely would do music? 

Mike Ham [9:34 - 9:35]: Not everyone can. 

Natalie Farrell [9:35 - 9:37]: Yeah, no, that's true. You want to go first? 

Lou Panico [9:37 - 9:41]: Sure. So my parents were not musicians. 

Mike Ham [9:41 - 9:42]: Okay. 

Lou Panico [9:42 - 9:58]: But they're, like, musician historians. Like, my dad knows everything about rock'n roll history. I grew up in seventies. Literally knows everything about any classic rock band or artist ever, who they played with on this album, where they went, who they were on tour with, all that stuff. 

Mike Ham [9:58 - 9:59]: Yeah. 

Lou Panico [10:00 - 10:19]: So he loved rock and roll, and my mom loved, like, like, disco and, like, I loved the Beach Boys. Like, you know, and, like, I guess pop. Like, she was big Beatles fan, you know, pop was a little different then, but so I was. When. When I grew up, it was just, you know, law. We never really took airplanes to go on vacation. We drove everywhere. 

Mike Ham [10:19 - 10:22]: So just playlist after playlist. Yeah. 

Lou Panico [10:23 - 10:29]: The best of the Beach Boys, the best of Billy Joel, the Beatles, and then, you know, like Siren and Garfunkel. 

Mike Ham [10:29 - 10:29]: Yeah. 

Lou Panico [10:29 - 11:03]: So I was raised on all of that, and it was just kind of embedded in my brain as a little kid. One of the first vhs tapes, because that's how old I am. One of those first vhs tapes that I remember as a kid watching in my family's house was, stop making sense. Talking heads. Like, they're like, their movie slash, you know, music video. Yeah, their whole concert. And I would literally, like, set up the Fisher price table and, like, take my mom's pots and pans and, like, play drums to the whole concert, and I would watch the concert on the vhs tape. 

Mike Ham [11:03 - 11:03]: That's cool. 

Lou Panico [11:03 - 11:15]: So I feel like I was kind of always doing it from the beginning. Yeah. And I feel like once my parents realized that, like, oh, like, he's really into this, you know, I started taking, like, guitar lessons, music lessons, all that kind of stuff. So, yeah, I've been doing it for a while. 

Mike Ham [11:15 - 11:15]: Yeah. 

Lou Panico [11:15 - 11:31]: And I remember. I remember singing in, like, choir and, like, grammar school, and my music teacher being like, hey, can you come, like, after school? Like, can I record you on a tape, like, for an audition and, like, send it out to some places? And my parents were like, yeah, sure. So I literally record, like, vocal warm. 

Mike Ham [11:31 - 11:33]: So it was like, la, la, la, la. 

Lou Panico [11:33 - 11:34]: As a kid in grammar school. 

Mike Ham [11:34 - 11:35]: Yeah, of course. I know. 

Lou Panico [11:35 - 11:45]: And I guess he was, like, acting like my manager. Yeah, yeah, music teacher. And I guess to New Jersey State choir. I got into that. I got into all these other choirs that, like, the state was doing and. Yeah, choir block started. 

Mike Ham [11:45 - 11:46]: Yeah. You give off that vibe. 

Natalie Farrell [11:47 - 11:49]: And then he did theater, too, right? 

Lou Panico [11:49 - 11:50]: Yeah, theater, musicals, all that stuff. 

Mike Ham [11:50 - 11:53]: Theater boy, theater boy, choir boy, the whole deal. 

Lou Panico [11:53 - 12:07]: Exactly. Yeah, I'm that guy, 100%. I remember listening to the radio, being like, I can do what these people are doing. You know, when it came to singing, dancing on stage and all that stuff, I was like, I could do this, you know? So I started doing it. 

Mike Ham [12:07 - 12:08]: Yeah. 

Lou Panico [12:08 - 12:08]: Yeah. 

Mike Ham [12:10 - 12:11]: Your turn. 

Natalie Farrell [12:12 - 13:25]: I guess my lifestyle was pretty similar to lose. My parents were not musicians. They were also music enthusiasts. My dad loved, like, led Zeppelin, die hard, fan of Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones, all that kind of stuff. And my mom was into the Motown, disco, the marvelettes, you know, et cetera, et cetera. And. Yeah, I mean, I originally started as a dancer when I was a child, I loved dancing. I loved doing everything dancing wise. And I would dance to, like, britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Mariah Carey, and all these other things. And much like Lou, when there were VHS tapes, I watched the movie. Vhs tape, yeah, right. I watched the movie Selena, and it took my life to a whole new level because it's just like, just seeing the performance aspect and performing in front of an audience and seeing how big of a crowd you could perform in front of, it kind of triggered me to be like, well, I want to do that. Yes, of course, man. You made me lose my train of thoughts. 

Mike Ham [13:25 - 13:27]: You saw the movie Selena? 

Natalie Farrell [13:27 - 13:49]: Yes. So, originally, I was like, I want to become a dancer, and I want to do that. I want to perform, blah, blah, blah. But then I started, like, singing here and there, and I just kind of became more obsessed with music in a different perspective, and it turned more into singing at that point. So I kept telling my parents that. What story? 

Lou Panico [13:49 - 13:50]: About the talent show. 

Natalie Farrell [13:51 - 13:53]: Which talent show wasn't the story where. 

Lou Panico [13:53 - 13:55]: Like, your mom didn't even think it was you singing. I was like, who is it? 

Natalie Farrell [13:55 - 13:58]: That wasn't even a talent show. Oh, I'm getting there. Thank you. 

Mike Ham [13:59 - 14:01]: We're telling the whole trajectory of the story. 

Natalie Farrell [14:01 - 15:49]: He's good at that. He likes jumping ahead. He gets excited. It's okay. Yeah, no, I just. I continued to sing. I continued to think, like, I'm gonna be this big, famous, the next Britney Spears. Like, I. Little me was like, I can be it all. It is what it is. And then when I was about seven years old, I was just, like, singing in my room or whatever, hanging out with, like, maybe another friend. And my friend's mom went to come pick her up, and my mom was like, I didn't know your daughter sang. She has such a beautiful voice, and, like, oh, my God, you should put her into talent shows and all these things. And after they left, I told my mom that that was me singing and not my friend. And she was like, no, wasn't. She just wasn't convinced at first. And then I started singing around the house more to try to prove a point. And before I knew it, they put me in, like, church talent shows. Talent shows at school. I started taking singing lessons, and the rest kind of went from there. I think by, like, age 13, I was in, like, my first band, and it was a bunch of, like, older 16 year old dudes. And they eventually kicked me out of the band, and they were just like, yeah, tons of bitches. Well, funny enough, I ended up marrying into one of the guy's families, and he came up to me one day and said, we should never kicked you out of the band. So it came full circle. I'm very, very grateful for that. But because of that, I picked up the guitar and I started writing my own songs. I started playing more and all that stuff. And by high school, I was in, like, four different choir ensembles, and I went to college for music for a little bit. Yeah. Now here I am. I kind of just threw myself out there, and I've been performing ever since. 

Lou Panico [15:50 - 15:52]: What you're saying is we're a bunch of choir nerds? 

Natalie Farrell [15:52 - 16:10]: Yeah, I think so. Yeah. But this is what happens when you're a choir nerd. So to all the choir. I don't even want to say choir nerds. To the choir badasses, the theater kids, every. Every single person, they're. They're going to take over the world, and they're a rockier world. So I'm just going to put that out there. 

Mike Ham [16:10 - 16:24]: Totally. One of our good friends who played drums in his church band was like, is now, you know, a fairly successful touring drummer, you know, amazing. Yeah. But just, like, coming from church. 

Natalie Farrell [16:24 - 16:26]: Church, they got the chops. 

Mike Ham [16:26 - 16:28]: Yeah. I mean, that's regimented there in church. 

Natalie Farrell [16:29 - 16:29]: Yeah. 

Mike Ham [16:29 - 16:31]: I went Catholics high school, like, and you gotta. 

Natalie Farrell [16:31 - 16:32]: So did you. 

Mike Ham [16:32 - 16:33]: I didn't play any music. 

Lou Panico [16:33 - 16:35]: But you're drumming for Jesus drumming. 

Mike Ham [16:35 - 16:38]: Yeah, exactly. All right, so. 

Natalie Farrell [16:38 - 16:39]: All right, yeah. 

Mike Ham [16:39 - 17:05]: So we. We did. You mentioned it. And we'll kind of get there because we're getting actually close to where we'll take our break. Marrying into a band that has one of the guys that kicked you out. So shout out that guy again. He'll never be on the show. But how'd you guys meet? And then the courtship. And now here we are, however, many years later. And talk to me a little bit about that. 

Natalie Farrell [17:05 - 17:17]: Yeah, definitely. So I used to work at a music store and, like, selling cds and stuff. Like an xd? No, like a retail music store. 

Mike Ham [17:18 - 17:19]: Instruments. 

Natalie Farrell [17:19 - 17:56]: Yeah. So I was selling guitars for the earlier part, and then eventually I went into the lessons department and I became a lessons manager. I started hosting off site events and doing all these cool things, which later I took with me for my own kind of shows and created big events for certain shows that we've done in the past. So it was really beneficial. But besides that, I guess word got around because it was a very male dominated company that I was one of the managers in the district, and I was on a lot of the calls and all that stuff, and somebody plucked me, plucked me out of the somebody. 

Lou Panico [17:56 - 17:58]: Else for the same company. 

Mike Ham [17:58 - 18:00]: Oh, that's so weird. 

Natalie Farrell [18:00 - 18:01]: Yeah. 

Mike Ham [18:03 - 18:05]: They always tell you don't get involved with people that work. 

Natalie Farrell [18:05 - 18:06]: Exactly. 

Lou Panico [18:06 - 18:10]: I was told not to dip my pen and company inks, and I did it anyway. 

Natalie Farrell [18:11 - 18:13]: He loved every second of it. 

Mike Ham [18:13 - 18:15]: Everyone says you shouldn't have, but. 

Natalie Farrell [18:15 - 18:27]: Well, needless to say, it worked out. It worked out. He definitely. He tried for quite a few times, and I just. At the time, I was like, I'm doing my own thing. 

Lou Panico [18:29 - 18:38]: Other guy, he tried really hard. Some guy on a date. I kept saying no. I was like, your mohawk is stupid, you know? 

Mike Ham [18:39 - 18:40]: Yeah. 

Natalie Farrell [18:42 - 18:49]: I may or may not have said that. I don't know. That's fine. Yeah, no, well, when I met you, you did not have a mohawk. He had very, very long beard. 

Lou Panico [18:49 - 18:53]: Like, I'm like somebody else. That hair may not be sitting here. 

Mike Ham [18:53 - 18:53]: No hair. 

Natalie Farrell [18:53 - 19:28]: Very, very, very long beard. Yeah, no, we just. We eventually clicked, and I already had formed my band, or I was working with my guitar player, Fern, at this point for maybe two and a half years, and we had, like, bass players and drummers kind of come in and cycle out. We had, like, a number of, like, friends in the local scene that would come and play with me, but it was never set in stone. And then when we started dating, he became my bass player. And fast forward eight years later, we're still here, and he's still my bass player and now my husband, so. 

Lou Panico [19:28 - 19:29]: Look at that. I won. 

Mike Ham [19:29 - 19:30]: Yeah. 

Lou Panico [19:30 - 19:30]: Yeah. 

Mike Ham [19:30 - 19:33]: Persistence. The key to that story is. Persistence is key. 

Lou Panico [19:34 - 19:40]: Like, how to just say yes for the date? Say yes for being in her band. Say yes to getting married, you know? Yeah, persistence is key. 

Natalie Farrell [19:40 - 19:42]: Persistence is key. 

Mike Ham [19:42 - 22:17]: We love it. All right, so we're gonna get more into the music stuff and kind of how that whole the career path has kind of gone and what you play and all that in our second segment. So we'll take our break. We'll take our pee break. So this is the greens with Garza podcast powered by the New Jersey lottery. I'm Mike Ham. We're here with Lou Panico and Natalie Farrell. We'll be right back. The Mayo Performing Arts center is the heart of arts and entertainment in Morristown, New Jersey. MPAC presents over 200 events annually and is home to an innovative children's arts education program. To see Impact's upcoming schedule of world class concerts, stand up comedy, family shows, and more, head to mayoarts.org or just click the link in our show notes. Hey, folks, I want to tell you about the crew over at make cool shit. These are the magicians who recently gave our podcast a jaw dropping makeover. You know how we roll here at greetings with the Garden State podcast, right? We're all about that garden state attitude. Well, Makecool shit shares that same vibe, and they've got something absolutely epic to offer. It's called the unlimited cool shit design subscription. It's a game changer, my friends. Imagine this. Unlimited creativity, one flat monthly fee, and none of boring stuff. It's like having your very own army of design superheroes on speed dial. Whether you're a fresh phrase startup or a seasoned business looking to shake things up, the team at Makeool shit has got your back. It's all about making your brand sizzle, no matter where you are in your journey. So if you're ready to turn your ideas into mind blowing realities, then it's time to connect with makecoolshit. Check them out on instagram at wemakecoolshit. Or visit their website, Wemakecoolshit Dot co. Remember, that's co.com dot. All right, we're back for segment two of this episode of greetings with the Garden State. I'm Mike Ham. Our greetings with Garden State powered by the New Jersey lottery. I can't believe I forgot to say that. My bad. My Mike ham. We're here with Natalie Farrell and Lou Panico. So first thing, we learned a little bit about how awesome Jersey fest was, and we, again, thank you for opening that for us. We learned about kind of, like, the background and how you guys met, all that kind of stuff. But I do want to kind of get into, like, kind of picking up the story where you started, like, writing more music, where you started performing more and kind of making that, like, a more serious part of your life? Because I feel like a lot of times people have, like, a creative thing. It kind of, like, stays a hobby. Never really kind of gets to a point where it realizes its full potential, so to speak, for sure. So talk to me about, like, when was there, like, a moment at any point where you were like, oh, this is. I could, like, make a couple bucks, like, do this for. For real? Yeah. You know, and, like, kind of push it a little bit further than just, you know, like, singing with your friend and in the bedroom and your mom doesn't even know that it's you kind of thing. 

Natalie Farrell [22:17 - 23:06]: Yeah, definitely. No, there was, um. It was maybe back in 2013, 2014. I was. I was already doing, like, open mics and all this other stuff, and I was playing out in Trenton, actually, at this place called the social, and I was playing with a colleague of mine from my old job, and we were asked to then set up a residency at that place. So I said, oh, this is great. This is awesome. Let's do it. But it was all, like, cover gigs, cover show kind of thing. So I wasn't really singing my music, but all while that was going down, I was, you know, obviously writing my own kind of stuff on the side and playing guitar and just. Just kind of, I guess, prepping without even knowing for what was yet to come. 

Mike Ham [23:07 - 23:07]: Yeah. 

Natalie Farrell [23:08 - 23:29]: And then fast forward, maybe like, a year later, I came out to the Asbury park scene or, like, the Highlands, and then kind of worked my way down the shore. And I remember I was at the chubby pickle in Highlands, and they were doing an open mic night, and I bumped into. 

Lou Panico [23:29 - 23:31]: They still do. So go to the chubby pickle. 

Natalie Farrell [23:31 - 23:31]: Yes. 

Lou Panico [23:31 - 23:32]: I got their open mic. 

Natalie Farrell [23:32 - 23:56]: Nighthead still do open mics for sure. I bumped into this gentleman, and he very, very extroverted, very manic in a way, but in a very fun way. And he said, can you sing? Can you. Can you improv if I start playing? And I was like, sure. And we just improv'd some bluesy, but, like, very, like, nice. Brought the fresh air kind of music. 

Mike Ham [23:56 - 24:00]: And she was just, like, singing randomly. 

Natalie Farrell [24:00 - 24:20]: Yeah, it was just like, anything that kind of. It was, like, impromptu, like, very, like, like old school jazz club. You show up and you just kind of do whatever, and. And it was awesome. It was a great time. And because of that, what we actually improv became my debut single, exhale. And the gentleman I met is now my guitar player. 

Mike Ham [24:20 - 24:20]: Oh, cool. 

Natalie Farrell [24:20 - 24:22]: And shout out to FErnie. 

Mike Ham [24:22 - 24:25]: Yeah. Fearne was so funny at Jersey Fest. 

Natalie Farrell [24:25 - 24:31]: He's great. Let's talk about that. No, he's. He's definitely nothing bad. 

Mike Ham [24:31 - 24:33]: It's not part of the story for this episode. 

Natalie Farrell [24:33 - 25:26]: No, it makes sense. But, yeah, him and I started writing music together. We were doing a duo thing for a little while, and then he introduced me to a shit ton of musicians out here in the Asbury park music scene, and I just started networking with them. And it was a very welcoming community, and everybody wanted to play music with each other. He got me on a couple of gigs at, like, the Stone pony and Wonder bar and a couple of venues off of the boardwalk in Asbury park. And we just started writing music and playing more shows. And before we knew it, we had, as I mentioned before, like, a rotation of band members who would play with us. And then Lou joined the band, kept writing with Lou and Fearne, and it just kept climbing up a ladder at a certain point, and it got to a point where, correct me if I'm. 

Lou Panico [25:26 - 25:29]: Wrong, when Lou joined the band, it went from, like, here. 

Mike Ham [25:29 - 25:32]: Yeah, the ladder just kept getting higher kind of thing. 

Natalie Farrell [25:32 - 25:34]: Just. Just kept getting higher. Yeah, sure. 

Lou Panico [25:35 - 25:36]: Played PNC arts center, right? 

Natalie Farrell [25:36 - 25:36]: Yeah. 

Mike Ham [25:37 - 25:37]: That's pretty dope. 

Natalie Farrell [25:37 - 25:55]: Yeah. So it got to a level where I was lucky enough to open up for Sammy Hagar from Van Halen and George Thorogood at PNC. And we've. I mean, I've played the Stone pony several times already, which is really awesome. And is that weird? 

Mike Ham [25:55 - 26:02]: Because, like, I. I feel like that's a place that has, like, almost like a pinion history factor. 

Natalie Farrell [26:02 - 26:02]: Yeah. 

Mike Ham [26:02 - 26:09]: But also, like, I feel like a lot of people that I know that are in that Asbury park music scene are just like, yeah, yeah. Like, I'm playing the pony on Wednesday. Like, I. 

Natalie Farrell [26:09 - 26:11]: You know, it's funny because it, like. 

Mike Ham [26:11 - 26:13]: Almost, like, lose its or does it? 

Natalie Farrell [26:15 - 26:36]: Yeah, it's weird. It felt. It probably. It did feel more exciting when we did it the first few times than now, but it's still, every time you get on that stage, a moment where you think there's so much history on the stage, there's so many amazing legendary musicians who played on the stage. So. So it doesn't go unnoticed every time I do get on that stage. But after a certain amount of time, there is that, like, oh, I got a stone. 

Mike Ham [26:36 - 26:37]: Just become more comfortable. 

Natalie Farrell [26:37 - 26:38]: Yeah, exactly. 

Lou Panico [26:38 - 26:45]: I also that anybody that says that playing the stone pony is no big deal, and they're like, oh, yeah, of course. Playing the pony on Wednesday, they're full of shit. 

Mike Ham [26:45 - 26:45]: Yeah. 

Lou Panico [26:46 - 26:46]: They're like, I don't know, if it's. 

Mike Ham [26:47 - 26:56]: Like that, it's just like, more like, it's definitely a sense of, you know, like, those venues, they need people to play and also, like, they need to go. 

Lou Panico [26:56 - 27:07]: You can get jaded. But, but I feel yddeh I feel like anybody, or at least the people that I know that are in their scene and our friends and stuff that do get to play the stone pony and whatnot, I don't think that's lost on them. 

Mike Ham [27:07 - 27:08]: Yeah, for sure. 

Natalie Farrell [27:08 - 27:30]: Exactly what I said. It doesn't go unnoticed. There's always that factor there every time we perform and our friends that perform there. But yeah, we just continued to grow. And then back in 2019, our drummer Joshua actually found us and he reached out to me and said, if you ever need a drummer, and we were in desperate need of a drummer at that time. 

Lou Panico [27:30 - 27:35]: And you were around that band, you need to know from New Jersey.com, from NJ.com. 

Natalie Farrell [27:35 - 27:37]: Yeah, he found that big thing that was posted. 

Lou Panico [27:38 - 27:41]: You need to hear new bands, of course. 

Natalie Farrell [27:41 - 28:22]: And I'm grateful that we found him because he just, he added that last piece that made us what I like to call us, the dream team. And I say that all the time, like, we are the dream team. We're very, we play so well together. We're like family at this point. I can't picture myself playing with anybody else, really. And I think now that we have that last piece and we still have plans, we still have a lot to do. And I never say never, but I think at this moment, we're now like, okay, well, what's next? We just released an ep last year, which was really, really awesome. It was the mantra ep. That was my second ep that I released. 

Mike Ham [28:22 - 28:23]: The bad bitch song. 

Natalie Farrell [28:23 - 29:01]: Yeah, the bad bitch song. So I'm kind of letting that ride for a little bit because I feel like, oh, you're good. It gets stuck all the time. I want to let that ride a little bit because I feel like that was a new element for us to tap into. It was more in a pop realm, and it kind of opened doors for what's to come next. So now I kind of want to take everything that we've gotten from our discography and see what we could create if we mush all of that together. But, yeah, I would love to still. I've never gone on tour. I know he has. I know my other band members have. I'm the only one who's never gone on tour. So there's, there's that. 

Mike Ham [29:01 - 29:01]: Yeah. 

Natalie Farrell [29:02 - 29:08]: You know, that we would love to eventually jump into. If not this year, hopefully next year, and see where it takes us. 

Lou Panico [29:08 - 29:13]: If you need a band to go on tour with you, Natalie Farrell is the band. 

Mike Ham [29:13 - 29:14]: That's the band. 

Natalie Farrell [29:15 - 29:22]: He's my hype man. He's my manager. So every. Yeah, he's just. That's what we're. That's where you're newly titled now. 

Lou Panico [29:23 - 29:26]: I married. Yeah. You never married in. Yeah. Yeah. 

Mike Ham [29:26 - 29:28]: You become a cheap bassist at that point. 

Natalie Farrell [29:28 - 29:30]: You know, your money's my money. 

Mike Ham [29:30 - 29:31]: Yeah. 

Lou Panico [29:31 - 29:32]: Breaking all the rules here. 

Mike Ham [29:33 - 29:54]: No, we. I'm gonna give Josh a shout out, too, because you guys were doing soundchecks last, and he showed up before even me. Not me. I got there, like, noon, but when we got back to the venue finally. But all the other bands, he beat there and then let everybody use his drums the whole night, which was really cool. And you know who just played Bonnaroo? Did he really? 

Lou Panico [29:54 - 29:59]: He played Bonnaroo and then literally played the wonder bar with Jared Klums the day after. 

Mike Ham [29:59 - 29:59]: Oh, really? 

Natalie Farrell [30:00 - 30:03]: Hustles. He's. And he does music full time. 

Mike Ham [30:03 - 30:03]: Yeah. 

Natalie Farrell [30:03 - 30:07]: So if anything, I look up to him as far as, like, what he's doing now. 

Mike Ham [30:07 - 30:07]: He. 

Natalie Farrell [30:07 - 30:10]: It's gigs every day, and I could see how tired he gets sometimes. 

Mike Ham [30:10 - 30:10]: Sure. 

Natalie Farrell [30:10 - 30:17]: But he never stops loving it. And he never puts on less than ever complained. 100%. It's always 100 or more. 

Mike Ham [30:17 - 30:18]: Yeah. 

Lou Panico [30:19 - 30:21]: The next day, we're like, what? 

Natalie Farrell [30:21 - 30:27]: Yeah, he blows my mind, and we have that. Me and him have the same birthday. I love to point that out because I'm a big, like, astrologer kind of. 

Mike Ham [30:27 - 30:27]: Sure. Yeah. 

Natalie Farrell [30:27 - 30:34]: And I'm like. Like, there's so much. I hope I become you in the next few years, because he really does. He inspires me in so many ways. 

Mike Ham [30:34 - 31:04]: Yeah. Amazing. Yeah. So shout out, Josh. That was awesome. And a huge help for everybody, really. But. So I am interested also, because you talked about how, like, you meet Fearne, the chubby pickle, and you do, like, this kind of riffing, bluesy jazz, whatever. And then you said the mantra EP was more, like, poppy, like, talk to me about the evolution of the music. And kind, was that the path that you almost saw you wanted to go down, like a pop vibe, or was it something that kind of just popped out? 

Natalie Farrell [31:05 - 31:15]: Yeah. Yeah. I think when we first started writing, it was both me and Fearne. So there is a lot of Fern's influence in the songwriting process, which gave. 

Mike Ham [31:15 - 31:17]: It a lot of foes of fearne also. Just as. 

Natalie Farrell [31:17 - 31:21]: Yes. Quick aside, I mean, there. He's a great band. 

Lou Panico [31:21 - 31:24]: I'm sorry. But then I was like, no, the albumen great. 

Natalie Farrell [31:24 - 31:32]: It is. It's fantastic. I mean, his song. His songs get stuck in my head randomly at any. Any given day, and I'm like, there you go, fearne. 

Lou Panico [31:32 - 31:33]: You know, I also want the ocean. 

Mike Ham [31:33 - 31:38]: Most nights, whatever that song is. I just like, I love that intro for that song. 

Natalie Farrell [31:39 - 32:10]: His bike song is my favorite. Yeah, but, yeah, no, we. We did a lot of the writing together in the beginning, and I think it gave that flare of that kind of. It was like a little bit of pop, but it was also, what do I call it? It was a little bit of blues. It was a little bit of soul. That's what I was looking for. And that really kind of molded itself together because of being firm. But then it kind of so ferns. 

Lou Panico [32:10 - 32:17]: Like, Fern's a Berkeley graduate, so he very much knows what he's doing, and he very much has to make sure that he doesn't get bored. 

Mike Ham [32:17 - 32:18]: Right. 

Lou Panico [32:18 - 32:36]: So I feel like the music that was written early on was, he had more intricate chord progressions, more intricate melodies, because he was like, you know, like, this is what I feel good. Right? He wrote chord progressions that made him feel like, okay, this is. I went to Berkeley. I can do these progressions that some people can write a song like this. 

Natalie Farrell [32:36 - 32:46]: Yeah. So we did a lot of that, and. And then, I don't know, I think we did a couple of, like, really cool rock songs. Like Mister Officer was. Was a fun time. 

Mike Ham [32:46 - 32:47]: Also said that on the way down, actually. 

Natalie Farrell [32:48 - 33:01]: Yeah, yeah. Levy Oaken was playing guitar on that song. He. He actually co wrote that song with me, which was really cool. And, yeah, I just kind of started exploring songwriting with other people. 

Lou Panico [33:02 - 33:02]: That's what it's all about. 

Natalie Farrell [33:03 - 33:03]: Yeah. 

Lou Panico [33:03 - 33:15]: Networking people, and they're like, oh, I want to write a song with you. I want to produce a record for you. And you just meet people. Yeah. Anything else, you got it. You have to be ready for the opportunity always. Right. But you also have to meet. You have to what? 

Natalie Farrell [33:15 - 33:16]: No, you're good. 

Lou Panico [33:16 - 33:25]: You also have to network and meet people, and those people want to be involved and create art with you, and that's when, you know, things start molding and changing. Yeah, it's a wonderful thing, for sure. 

Mike Ham [33:25 - 33:40]: Yeah. And, like, I think also, just like you mentioned, kind of getting into the Asbury music scene. Yeah, like in Jersey. Like, that's it. Like, that's the one. You know, I mean, there are others that exist, but they're like, you know, the Asbury music scene is what it is. And I think. 

Natalie Farrell [33:40 - 33:42]: I guess I never really thought of it like that, actually. 

Mike Ham [33:42 - 34:01]: Yeah. I mean, if you start looking around the state, I mean, obviously, like, there's pockets and different things that people do and whatever. And what, you know, like, when we were going through, like, the list of all the bands that I. That I know for Jersey Fest, it was like, all right, I saw them in Asbury. I saw them in Asbury. I saw them in Asbury, just, like, going all the way down the list, and I'm like, my God, these are all. 

Lou Panico [34:01 - 34:03]: So that's where all the music venues are. 

Mike Ham [34:03 - 34:27]: Exactly. That's where all the music venues are, and that's where, like, a lot of them live, you know? And I think that's, like, a really interesting thing because it almost becomes, like you're talking about, like, this incubator of just, like, thought and kind of. I don't even know so much if it's, like, pushing each other to do more, but just kind of, like, when you're around, if you're a creative person and you're around other creative people, it just helps you vibrate at that level. That just helps you do more. 

Natalie Farrell [34:27 - 35:47]: Exactly. And the more you do it, the more new ideas come about, obviously. And the band, we all agreed on that, too. I mean, my band members play in other bands, so when I said, hey, I'm gonna explore and do some songwriting elsewhere and bring it back to the bandaid, they were fully in support of it, and they really enjoyed it. And when I did the Montrepe, he actually worked with my producer, Russell Hayden, who is now in California. So good for you, man. But, yeah, we ended up working on that ep together and then brought it back to the band, and some of it was just all pop, and it was all released like that and other songs, we had the band come in and do some stuff, but what I liked about it was that it was the first group of songs that we were able to take as pop music that didn't have any sort of instrumentation on it, and then talk about, how can we perform this live and make this as unique as possible? So when people listen to it and then somebody comes and sees us live, they go, wow, you have to see them live because it's great on Spotify or itunes or whatever, but when you see them live, they change it up every time. They make it interesting. They make it so much more unique, and the song is more unique for that factor. 

Mike Ham [35:47 - 35:47]: Yeah. 

Natalie Farrell [35:47 - 35:47]: So. 

Mike Ham [35:48 - 35:56]: And I think that's something, too. Like, when we were kind of putting that list together. Like, I didn't. You know, like, obviously, the monetary pee, like you said, is very poppy. 

Natalie Farrell [35:56 - 35:56]: Yeah. 

Mike Ham [35:56 - 36:18]: And I was like, like, is that the vibe that I want? Because, like, obviously, like, we went down a rabbit hole. Like, all different kind of genres at Jersey Fest, but then I started, like, not just staying on, you know, like, streaming platforms. Like, I went into YouTube and was looking for, like, live performances just to see, like, how that translates to a stage, like, how it sounds and, like, what the vibe is. And it was. 

Lou Panico [36:18 - 36:19]: You did your homework. 

Mike Ham [36:19 - 36:27]: I did my homework. Cause, like, you know, it was important. You know, the five bands that played that show were really gonna set the tone for everything that we were gonna do. 

Natalie Farrell [36:27 - 36:27]: Yeah. 

Mike Ham [36:27 - 36:35]: And obviously, like, you guys coming out first sets the tone for the whole night. You know? Like, if you guys sucked, the night would still have been fine, but, you. 

Natalie Farrell [36:35 - 36:37]: Know, it would have gotten harder to. 

Mike Ham [36:37 - 36:44]: Kind of pull it back from the depths, but you guys came out murdered, and, like, literally everyone crushed. Like, that was the best thing about it. 

Lou Panico [36:45 - 36:49]: It's always, like, to, like, put your best foot forward and, like, then. Then the next bet has to follow us up. 

Mike Ham [36:49 - 36:49]: Yeah. 

Lou Panico [36:49 - 36:53]: You know, and somebody could take that as, like, pressure, but, like, I'm talking about in the best way ever. 

Mike Ham [36:53 - 36:53]: Yeah. 

Lou Panico [36:53 - 36:58]: Like, you set the tone. We killed it. Okay. Band number two, you gotta fucking top that. 

Natalie Farrell [36:58 - 37:00]: Yeah, right, exactly. 

Mike Ham [37:00 - 37:04]: Like, people coming backstage and, like, everyone's, you know, going crazy and, like. 

Natalie Farrell [37:04 - 37:04]: Yeah. 

Mike Ham [37:04 - 37:09]: Excited, and everyone's excited, and it just kind of, like. All right, now you got ten minutes to. 

Natalie Farrell [37:09 - 37:13]: You know, we, like, rallied each other up in that sense. Yeah, totally agreed. 

Mike Ham [37:13 - 37:43]: All right, so what's next? Like, what's coming down the road? Like, do you have, like, when you're doing a career like this, I guess, is the best way to say it. Do you have, like, goals or things that you wanna. Like, I wanna do this by next year. I mean, obviously, maybe, like, put out new music and all that kind of stuff, but are there things that you're hoping to kind of get to a point where you're doing this full time or you're doing this, like, whatever the case may be? Like, talk to me about what's next for Natalie Farrell. 

Natalie Farrell [37:43 - 38:52]: Yeah, definitely. I think right now, I think right at the second we're all doing life, we took a quick breather. Nothing super long. Or, like, hey, we're done. It's not that. I think just life got in the way lately of change and stuff, and we're just like, okay, let's take a deep breath and just kind of sit back for a little bit. We still would like to get in more shows this year. Absolutely. For sure. I think the performance aspect of being an artist, for me personally, is like, it's what makes me do what I do. Yeah. And I think I'm also trying to look for my next niche. Cause I'm the type of artist where it's like, I can't be defined by one genre. It's impossible for me. There's a reason why so many press is like, well, she does new disco, and then she's rock, and then she's pop, and then she's soul. It's like I'm always looking for the next kind of option of what is going to inspire me next. And right now, I'm, like, getting back into my paramore era of listening to them and just also incorporating new pop music and stuff. So I think I'm. 

Mike Ham [38:54 - 38:58]: There's a lot more people have made it to this point in the episode, like, they deserve to get. 

Natalie Farrell [38:58 - 39:26]: Yeah, I agree. Yes, absolutely, actually. So I think right now it's going back into the studio and figuring out what is the next sound and then going in and writing the music, getting back out for some shows, hopefully some festivals next year, and then hopefully go on tour. That's definitely the next game plan. And I'm hoping that at that point, I will be working full time as a musician. I could quit my day job. 

Mike Ham [39:26 - 39:26]: Sure. 

Lou Panico [39:26 - 39:29]: What Natalie's saying is she just wants the headbang. 

Natalie Farrell [39:29 - 39:33]: Yeah, I just want a headbang in front of the crowd. 

Mike Ham [39:33 - 39:41]: If you come out with an entirely new genre of music or, like, the new genre of music that you release, like, boom. 

Natalie Farrell [39:41 - 40:05]: Well, that's the beauty of it, right? I mean, Beyonce, you know, you know, did cowboy. You know, it's like, any. Anything is possible these days. And that's what I love about music today, is that you could do whatever you want without somebody saying, well, like, that's you. That's your genre. You got to stick to that. It's like, I'm not. I'm not sticking to that box all it. Like, it's the same thing, like, with my outfits. Like, I could go super crazy one day and not the next. Like, I could do whatever the hell I want. 

Lou Panico [40:05 - 40:08]: So, like, it could be pork roll and teller Hamdan. No, together. 

Mike Ham [40:09 - 40:13]: What are you guys. You guys falling on pork roll on that? Is that pork roll? 

Lou Panico [40:14 - 40:15]: I used to live. 

Natalie Farrell [40:15 - 40:17]: Oh, now he's going back on his word. He says pork roll. 

Lou Panico [40:17 - 40:27]: No, I'm not going back to my word. I was raised on Taylor ham. As was I. I moved here, and I learned two things very quickly. 

Mike Ham [40:27 - 40:28]: Yeah. 

Lou Panico [40:28 - 40:32]: First thing was, do not mess with Bruce. Yep. You have to love Bruce Springsteen. 

Mike Ham [40:32 - 40:32]: Of course. 

Lou Panico [40:32 - 40:35]: Do not say anything bad about Bruce Springsteen to yourself. 

Natalie Farrell [40:35 - 40:35]: Yeah. 

Mike Ham [40:35 - 40:36]: You have something to say? Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. 

Natalie Farrell [40:37 - 40:40]: Otherwise you're shunned your life. It's like, don't even look. 

Lou Panico [40:42 - 40:48]: That's the first thing I learned. Bruce is God. And the second thing I learned was, it is no longer Taylor ham. It is poor crawl. 

Natalie Farrell [40:48 - 40:49]: Yeah, yeah. 

Mike Ham [40:50 - 41:00]: Well, we travel a lot for the show, so I have to be adaptable. We have a lot of friends in a lot of parts of the state. I mean, Johnny pork roll literally drove the truck up. So he says pork roll, and it's. 

Lou Panico [41:00 - 41:03]: Fantastic, by the way. Yeah, it's a fantastic. 

Mike Ham [41:03 - 41:22]: And he is such a character and such like a. Like, I loved all the, like, the b roll footage that we got of him in the truck, like, working and love it. It just. He's amazing. So shout out, johnny. Yeah. Is there, like, a. You talk about, like, playing live, which I really like. That's like, you know, live music, to me is, like, a next level kind of thing. 

Natalie Farrell [41:22 - 41:23]: Yes, absolutely. 

Mike Ham [41:23 - 41:25]: And. Excuse me. I just, like. I think I just. 

Natalie Farrell [41:26 - 41:27]: It's not my microphone. 

Lou Panico [41:27 - 41:30]: Yeah, sorry, I offered the pint glass. 

Mike Ham [41:30 - 41:53]: If people are listening in their headphones, you know, my bad. But are there, like. Like, a dream venue you would want to play? Like, do you ever think about that? Like, oh, it would be so cool to play here or, like, go to a show and be like, wow, this place is awesome. It could be in the state or not in the state, but I feel like, at this point, a lot of the places in the state that people would want to play, you guys have played. 

Lou Panico [41:53 - 41:55]: You had the opportunity across a lot of the places off your list. 

Natalie Farrell [41:55 - 43:05]: Yeah, yeah. I mean. I mean, the obvious one would probably be MSG, but I don't even think, like, that as firsthand. Kind of, like, what is it? It's more of, I just want to travel everywhere, not even in the US, and perform to thousands and thousands and thousands of people. Walk out on stage and just see a sea of people for, like, miles and miles and miles, like, coachella stages and governor's ball and all that kind of stuff that I think is, like, that is the top of what I want to do with my music career. Like, I mean, I'd love to get a Grammy. That would be great, too. But I think the biggest thing is, like, being able to travel and meet completely new fans and you know, or have people become my fans that don't even know, like, some of the songs I sing or don't know what I say. Stuff like that, I think would just be, like, amazing to. Cause the thing is, at the end of the day, like, music is. It's such a rare thing. It's like. It's not tangible. You could say a cd or vinyl or whatever. It is. Like, the feeling of it is what brings everybody together. And I'm really, really big on that. 

Lou Panico [43:05 - 43:07]: Universal language. 

Natalie Farrell [43:07 - 43:11]: Yeah, it's a universal language. So I feel like the whole deal. Exactly. 

Mike Ham [43:11 - 43:21]: So many boundaries. Yeah, it's funny. Like, we actually just did. Well, my first ever music festival, a couple weeks ago, actually, in Kentucky, we went to the Railbird festival. 

Natalie Farrell [43:21 - 43:21]: Oh, nice. 

Mike Ham [43:21 - 43:40]: And, like, Noah Khan was the first night headliner, and Chris Stapleton was a second night headliner. And I've had, like, been to, like, big venues. Like, I've seen, you know, concerts at MetLife. I've seen concert prudential or whatever. But having everyone, like, on this racetrack infield was insane. You know, there's like, 40, 50,000 people out there. 

Lou Panico [43:40 - 43:44]: Side note, how does Chris Stapleton not have his own Tennessee whiskey? Like, how does he not have his. 

Mike Ham [43:44 - 43:45]: That's actually a really good. 

Lou Panico [43:45 - 43:46]: What is that point? 

Mike Ham [43:46 - 43:48]: How is, like, Zach brown has wine. 

Lou Panico [43:48 - 43:48]: Yeah. 

Mike Ham [43:49 - 43:49]: Like, ooh. 

Lou Panico [43:49 - 43:49]: And what. 

Natalie Farrell [43:49 - 43:49]: That's true. 

Lou Panico [43:49 - 43:51]: Betty's booze. What is this? 

Natalie Farrell [43:51 - 43:52]: No, don't. Don't promote the. 

Lou Panico [43:53 - 43:54]: Oh, yeah, never mind. 

Mike Ham [43:54 - 43:54]: No free ads. 

Natalie Farrell [43:54 - 43:55]: No free ads. 

Mike Ham [43:58 - 43:59]: But shout out Asbury Park Brewery. 

Natalie Farrell [43:59 - 44:00]: That we can do. 

Mike Ham [44:00 - 44:03]: Yeah, we like. I like this beer. It's like, one of my favorites. 

Natalie Farrell [44:03 - 44:04]: Yeah, the Sea dragon's great. 

Mike Ham [44:04 - 44:20]: Yeah. All right, so this episode has been awesome, and I really appreciate you guys having me down, having me in the home, into your space and all that. And Ben for opening Jersey Fest, of course. And I'm obviously excited to kind of see, like, what else we can do kind of down the road. 

Lou Panico [44:20 - 44:22]: Jersey fest at Madison Square Garden. Allie Farrow headlines. 

Mike Ham [44:22 - 44:27]: You know what's so funny when not Madison Square Garden? Because it's Jersey Fest and that's New York City. 

Natalie Farrell [44:27 - 44:29]: Yes, exactly. 

Mike Ham [44:30 - 44:36]: But we're at rail bird, and it's like, the inside of, like, a. Sorry, let's keep it down over there. 

Natalie Farrell [44:36 - 44:42]: Cats, are. You gotta chill out, cat. No, don't let the cat. Oh, my God. 

Mike Ham [44:42 - 44:50]: We're looking at all these stages on this racetrack infield. I'm like, we have racetracks in New Jersey. I can do this. So. 

Natalie Farrell [44:50 - 44:53]: Well, there's freehold raceway right raceway park. 

Mike Ham [44:53 - 44:56]: There's the Monmouth racetrack. 

Natalie Farrell [44:56 - 44:56]: Yes. 

Mike Ham [44:56 - 44:59]: Netherlands. There's far hills. There's. 

Natalie Farrell [44:59 - 45:00]: I like where you're going with this. 

Mike Ham [45:00 - 45:02]: There's so many places to do it. 

Natalie Farrell [45:02 - 45:02]: Yeah. 

Mike Ham [45:02 - 45:05]: I like. I'm always having all these different ideas. 

Natalie Farrell [45:05 - 45:07]: I'm so sorry. Our cats are vocal. 

Mike Ham [45:08 - 45:13]: Most likely, we can't. They can't hear it, but we'll edit the cat down. We'll just turn Mike's or lose Mike off. 

Lou Panico [45:14 - 45:15]: Turn the cat up. 

Natalie Farrell [45:16 - 45:17]: We'll pretend we don't. We don't. 

Mike Ham [45:17 - 45:18]: Yeah. 

Natalie Farrell [45:18 - 45:28]: Have cats. It is what it is. I love your idea, though. I think that's a really, really cool idea. And it's something we don't get to see that often either, so. Hell, yeah. 

Mike Ham [45:28 - 45:37]: Yeah. Sure. We'll add that to the hopper of ideas. And Chrissy always makes fun of me. She's like, I just hear all these ideas, and none of them ever come to fruition fest. 

Natalie Farrell [45:37 - 45:38]: Boom, done deal. Yeah. 

Mike Ham [45:38 - 45:41]: Sometimes it's like, you coming soon, you. 

Natalie Farrell [45:41 - 45:46]: Don'T see the results right away. But when they. When they pop out of nowhere like that, it's like, aha. 

Mike Ham [45:46 - 45:54]: Like, okay, well, what's the creative brain? It's like, you know, what about this? What about this? What about this? What about this? And once I actually get myself, like, onto a track and start going that way. 

Natalie Farrell [45:55 - 45:55]: Yes. 

Mike Ham [45:55 - 45:59]: And actually start, you know, putting the things together to make it happen, it comes out really cool. 

Lou Panico [45:59 - 46:01]: You have to put it into the universe. 

Mike Ham [46:01 - 46:01]: Of course. 

Natalie Farrell [46:02 - 46:08]: Yeah, yeah. I mean, I'm big on manifestation. I mean, I can't. Mantra is, we literally talked about the. 

Mike Ham [46:08 - 46:10]: Universe before we started talking or doing this episode. 

Natalie Farrell [46:10 - 46:11]: Yep. 

Mike Ham [46:11 - 46:13]: You know? Yeah. Trajectory of life, but. 

Lou Panico [46:13 - 46:14]: Absolutely. 

Mike Ham [46:14 - 46:31]: Yeah. So if people are listening to this and they've made it all the way through, and we'll put all these links. Yeah. Thank you for listening. If we're gonna put all the links in the show notes so that people just go click em. But if there are places you want people to go, where would you like them to go to learn more about you guys and what you do and everything? 

Natalie Farrell [46:31 - 46:39]: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, you could always check us out on main streaming platforms. Spotify, iTunes, apple music, all that stuff under Natalie Farrell music. 

Lou Panico [46:39 - 46:41]: F a r r e l l. Yes. 

Natalie Farrell [46:41 - 47:03]: And you could always. Instagram is probably, like, the go to for shows and any upcoming things or just to kind of see a peak of my life. You could go to Natalie with two e's. Farrell. And. Yeah, we'll keep you posted. There's definitely stuff, like I said on the way it's just in the works right now. 

Mike Ham [47:03 - 47:04]: Great. 

Lou Panico [47:04 - 47:10]: And I'm o u P a n I C l I. But her accounts are way more attractive than mine. 

Natalie Farrell [47:10 - 47:13]: That's why he had to plug himself, though, you know? 

Mike Ham [47:13 - 47:17]: Of course we'll put them in the show notes. People go click. Need a website. 

Natalie Farrell [47:17 - 47:22]: I know, I know, I know, I know. I keep thinking about that because it's like, link tree kind of blew up. 

Mike Ham [47:22 - 47:22]: I know. 

Natalie Farrell [47:22 - 47:27]: Link. I got the link tree. I just got lazy. That was my mess up. 

Mike Ham [47:27 - 47:28]: Always good to have a home. 

Natalie Farrell [47:28 - 47:29]: Yeah, but that's. 

Mike Ham [47:29 - 47:30]: That's neither here nor there. 

Natalie Farrell [47:30 - 47:31]: No, you're right. 

Mike Ham [47:31 - 47:32]: That's a conversation. 

Lou Panico [47:32 - 47:34]: You're in our home, right? Right now. 

Mike Ham [47:34 - 48:04]: Yeah, exactly. But this is home base. Yeah, this is home base. I like this home base. So we'll put the links in the show notes. People can go click them again. Thank you for doing this with us today and having me down again. We'll also put greetings with gardenstate.com, which is the website for the show and the hub for all the things that we do with the podcast and some other stuff that we're working on right now. So go check that out because we're crushing it with episodes. This, again, thank you. This has been the greetings to Garce podcast powered by the New Jersey lottery. 

Lou Panico [48:04 - 48:05]: Thank you, lottery. 

Mike Ham [48:05 - 48:11]: Thank you, lottery. I'm Mike Cam. We were here with Lou Panico and Natalie Farrell. Thank you for listening, and we'll catch you next time. 

Lou Panico [48:11 - 48:27]: Do you wanna ride? Do it, baby. Do you wanna ride? Oh, tell me before you go, wait, do you wanna ride?