Famous Interviews with Joe Dimino

Tuesday, September 29, 2026

Hornist Will Schneider Interview | Convergence, Modern Jazz & the Toledo Music Scene

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Ohio-based in-demand jazz hornist, composer and educator Will Schneider.

On this episode, we dig into his new 2026 album Convergence and the fascinating career trajectory that brought him to this point. Will has built a reputation as a versatile and highly respected voice in the horn community, performing modern jazz as both a bandleader and sideman while developing a distinctive identity as a composer and educator.

Based in Toledo, Ohio, Will has also become an important fixture in the local music community, helping keep the city's jazz culture active and vibrant. That includes his involvement with a jam session currently hosted at The Golden Road, connecting musicians and creating space for the next generation of players to develop their craft.

In this wide-ranging conversation, we explore Convergence, Will's evolution as a musician, his work in contemporary jazz, performing and composing, the horn community, Toledo's music scene, jam sessions, education and the many paths that have shaped his career.

There's plenty to dig into here — music, community, creativity and the life of a working jazz musician in 2026.

Enjoy the interview — and dig the jazz, my friends!

🎺 Get Will Schneider's Convergence:
https://www.willschneidermusic.com/convergence

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Monday, September 28, 2026

Comedian, Podcaster, Keynote Speaker & Author of The Atomic Morning Miracle Scott Bloom

Welcome to a new edition of the Famous Interviews with Joe Dimino series featuring Comedian, Podcaster, Keynote Speaker & Author Scott Bloom — a conversation about business, comedy, productivity culture, big dreams, and why you might not need to optimize every waking second of your life.

For three decades, Scott Bloom has been a go-to name for business humor, corporate entertainment, keynote speaking and event hosting, performing for and working with some of the world's biggest companies. He has hosted and keynoted hundreds of events — and the fact that those companies keep bringing him back says plenty about the impact of his unique brand of humor and connection.

Scott is also the author of the self-help satire The Atomic Morning Miracle: The Not-So-Obvious Quantum Paradox Guaranteed to Transform Your Life (The Secret: Wake Up 2 Hours Before You Go to Sleep).

It's a self-help book for people who hate self-help books — a hilarious send-up of productivity culture that takes aim at our obsession with optimizing every minute, maximizing our potential and constantly trying to fix ourselves. Beneath the laughs is a bigger question: What if you don't actually need fixing in the first place?

Scott also hosts No More Bad Events, a podcast that goes behind the scenes of some of the world's best-run conferences and meetings, exploring what makes an event memorable, engaging and genuinely worthwhile.

From his base in Los Angeles, Scott Bloom and Joe Dimino get into his remarkable career, comedy, corporate events, keynote speaking, writing, podcasting, productivity culture, dreaming big and what might be waiting around the corner.

It's funny. It's insightful. And it may make you rethink that next morning routine.

Enjoy this interview.

More Scott Bloom:
https://www.scottbloomconnects.com/

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Founder Michael Wood | Learn to Love Being You, Anxiety, Transformation & Finding Freedom

Welcome to a new edition of the Famous Interviews with Joe Dimino series featuring Founder of Learn to Love Being You Michael Wood — an extraordinary conversation about anxiety, self-worth, personal transformation, and what happens when achieving everything you thought you wanted still doesn't bring you peace.

At 45, Michael Wood seemingly had it all. He had the corner office, was COO of a company he helped grow from $2.5 million to $95 million, had a beautiful wife, and had built what looked like a successful life from the outside.

But inside, he was drowning.

Michael was dealing with intense anxiety. He became so uncomfortable interacting with people that he struggled to even walk into a gas station and speak with the person behind the register. For decades, he had also carried the belief that he was stupid — having struggled to read until he was 25 years old.

Then came a moment that changed everything.

Michael told his boss he was going to “quiet his mind by any means necessary.” He meant it in a way he didn't fully understand at the time. What followed was a three-year journey of deep personal exploration and transformation, including more than $50,000 invested in learning how to reprogram his own mind.

Today, through Learn to Love Being You, Michael shares the methods and lessons that emerged from that journey. He says that nearly 80 people have used his methods to find greater freedom from anxiety and depression over the last 18 months.

In this powerful conversation, Michael and Joe Dimino cover the whole story — childhood, learning difficulties, self-worth, anxiety, success, the pressure behind the perfect-looking life, the turning point at 45, reprogramming the mind, personal growth, and the mission behind Learn to Love Being You.

This is a conversation about what happens when the life you've built on the outside doesn't match what's happening on the inside — and the possibility of learning to truly love being you.

Enjoy this interview.

More Michael Wood / Learn to Love Being You:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-wood-209b2629/
https://luvbeingu.com/

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Coach Jesse Hardy | Your Purpose & Principle Driven Life 2.0 & Living Your Legacy

Welcome to a new edition of the Famous Interviews with Joe Dimino series featuring Author, Executive & Life Coach Jesse Hardy — a man whose extraordinary life journey has taken him from childhood adversity and the Marine Corps to leadership roles inside billion-dollar companies, and ultimately to a new mission built around purpose, principles and legacy.

Jesse Hardy’s story is anything but ordinary. After experiencing six divorces by the age of 12, he left home at 15 and enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps on the day he turned 17. Over the next three decades, he climbed from the field into director and executive positions at major companies, eventually reaching the C-Suite.

Then, at 49, Jesse walked away.

Today, from his base in Austin, Texas, he leads Purpose & Principle Driven, helping individuals and teams close the gap between what they say matters and how they actually operate. He works as an executive and life coach and is the author of Your Purpose & Principle Driven Life 2.0, a book built around a simple but powerful idea: the tiny dash between the date of your birth and the date of your death represents your life — and what you choose to do with it determines the legacy you leave behind.

His message is about choosing to Live Your Legacy Today — creating a legacy that can echo far beyond your own lifetime.

In this wide-ranging conversation, Jesse Hardy and Joe Dimino cover the whole ride — childhood, resilience, the Marine Corps, leadership, corporate America, walking away from the C-Suite, discovering purpose, executive coaching, personal principles, meaningful work, and the legacy we create every day.

If you're interested in purpose-driven leadership, executive coaching, life coaching, personal growth, finding your purpose, leadership development, legacy, resilience, entrepreneurship, or living a more intentional life, this conversation is for you.

Dig into the story. Dig into the purpose. And most importantly — Live Your Legacy Today.

More Jesse Hardy:
https://p2driven.com/

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Pianist Michel Reis | Reis Demuth Wiltgen, 2026 Album & 30 Years of Luxembourg Jazz

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with acclaimed Luxembourg-based jazz pianist Michel Reis. In this wide-ranging conversation, we dive into the 2026 album from Reis Demuth Wiltgen, the renowned Luxembourg jazz trio featuring pianist Michel Reis, bassist Marc Demuth and drummer Paul Wiltgen. This latest project represents the most ambitious musical statement the trio has created across their nearly three-decade history together.

The story of Reis Demuth Wiltgen is a fascinating one. Michel Reis, Marc Demuth and Paul Wiltgen first formed the trio in 1998 while still in high school, performing around Luxembourg before eventually going their separate ways. More than a decade later, they reunited in 2011, bringing with them greater experience, perspective and a deeper musical vocabulary.

Since then, Michel Reis has developed into an internationally acclaimed jazz artist, performing at some of the world's most respected venues and festivals and establishing himself as an important voice in contemporary European jazz.

In this Neon Jazz interview, we talk about the new 2026 Reis Demuth Wiltgen album, the trio's extraordinary journey from teenage musicians to an internationally recognized jazz ensemble, Michel's career, his evolution as a pianist and composer, Luxembourg's jazz scene, and much more.

If you're a fan of Michel Reis, Reis Demuth Wiltgen, European jazz, Luxembourg jazz, contemporary jazz, jazz piano, jazz trios and independent jazz, dig into this conversation.

🎹 More Michel Reis: https://michelreis.com/

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Sunday, September 27, 2026

Bandleader Russ Anixter: Hippie Big Band & Reimagining Rock Through Jazz

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Jazz Arranger, Orchestrator & Bandleader Russ Anixter on his 2026 project What’s Next?

On this new release, Russ Anixter’s Hippie Big Band transforms familiar rock, funk, fusion and jam-band repertoire into something entirely new — music driven by orchestration, groove, humor and improvisation.

Rather than simply recreate the originals, the ensemble treats each song as raw material for reimagination. Big-band arranging meets the spirit of rock and jam music, creating a sound that is unmistakably Anixter while still honoring the essence of the music that inspired it.

In this conversation, Russ and Joe dig into What’s Next?, the creative process behind the Hippie Big Band, arranging familiar music for a large ensemble, improvisation, groove, humor, the relationship between jazz and other musical worlds, living and creating in modern times, and so much more.

It's a fascinating return to Neon Jazz with an artist who continues to find new ways to bring orchestration, freedom and fun together.

Get the album: Russ Anixter – What’s Next?

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Saturday, September 26, 2026

Germany-based Andrew Moorhead: Mirage, Jazz Piano & the Mathematics of Improvisation

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Germany-based Jazz Pianist & Composer Andrew Moorhead.

Dig this fascinating conversation as we explore his new 2026 album Mirage, his journey through jazz and beyond, and the unique intersection of music, physics, discipline, improvisation, and creative risk that shapes his work.

Mirage is a strikingly personal suite of etudes — music born from inquiry, discipline, experimentation, and a willingness to step into the unknown. Across the album, Moorhead explores phased time signatures, interlocking melodic cycles, and that elusive space between muscle memory and pure spontaneity.

Born in Houston, Moorhead studied piano and physics at the University of Texas. During his university years and after graduating in 2006, he became an active musician in Austin, immersing himself in a multifaceted music scene that offered opportunities to develop through jazz, metal, R&B, and other musical worlds.

Now based in Germany, Moorhead continues to explore what happens when complex ideas, deep musical study, and improvisational freedom collide.

In this conversation, we get into Mirage, his unusual musical philosophy, the relationship between physics and music, his Austin years, jazz piano, composition, experimentation, and the fascinating story behind his career.

Get Andrew Moorhead's Mirage: Origin Arts – Mirage

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