That Takes Me Back was born when I (Kelan) was playing gigs at nursing and retirement homes. One day I showed up for a gig and when I walked in, an employee said, "the music therapist is here."  "Wow" I thought. "I didn't know I was a music therapist."

(I'm not) 

I was aware to some degree of the 'science' showing that people with severe memory loss or language deficiency, when listening to a song from their past, could suddenly sing an entire song or recall details about their lives they hadn't thought about in years. When they heard a particular song from their past, they were reintroduced to their former selves. 

I loved the idea of interviewing theses folks. 

I play them a song from their past and 

they tell me a story about the memory the song conjures.

 It didn't happen then.

     The idea floated in my brain for years. It occurred to me that guests on this podcast didn't need to have memory loss. Pretty much 

Everyone has This story to share. 

I started working with Maia (at the library) in the summer of 2024. Other than being completely disarming (which I think is a good quality for an interviewer) Maia also asks really good questions. Maia makes everyone she talks to feel special (because they are...*we all are). She is the cohost I didn't know I was searching for. Her enthusiasm is infectious.