You Can’t Pitch a Song to a Ghost
Layer By Layer GO! – Episode 10
📅 Released: August 10, 2025
🎙️ Host: Don
🎧 Listen now on:
Buzzsprout |
Spotify |
Apple Podcasts |
Amazon Music |
YouTube (No Good Time version)
It’s our Halloween special with a twist — writing songs for the living, not the ghosts. In this episode, we blend a hauntingly fun theme with practical songwriting advice, a brand new chart history segment, and a blackened salmon & summer succotash recipe that warms you up for the season. Plus, we crack open the Music Vault to slip in some rare original tracks you haven’t heard in years.
🕐 Timestamps
- 00:00 – Introduction
- 03:05 – Welcome, The latest
- 05:07 – The Nostalgia Trap
- 07:17 – Who’s cutting songs right now?
- 09:58 – The Mic Check
- 12:12 – Featured Song Study: Dirt Cheap (Cody Johnson)
- 15:37 – Recipe: Blackened Salmon & Summer Succotash
- 19:26 – The Modern Muse Drill
- 21:44 – Layer By Layer GO! Journal
- 22:10 – Get on The Code
- 22:49 – Today In Chart History
- 25:04 – Final Thoughts
🎵 Featured Songs
- Dirt Cheap – Cody Johnson (YouTube)
- What About Now – Lonestar (YouTube)
- The Gunslinger – Original by Don Panzik
- Noone Ever Told Me – Original by Don Panzik
- Beyond The Light – Original by Don Panzik
- Where’s Dolly (fiddle solo) – Original by Don Panzik
- Gliding – Original by Don Panzik
- Stardancing – Original by Don Panzik
- A Real Good Time – Original by Don Panzik
🍽 Recipe: Blackened Salmon & Summer Succotash with Black-Eyed Peas
Pan-seared blackened salmon served over a vibrant summer succotash with fresh corn, sweet red bell pepper, juicy cherry tomatoes, and hearty black-eyed peas. Packed with flavor, color, and perfect for warm-weather dinners. There are many variations, but here’s one of Don’s favorite versions:
📝 Ingredients
- 4 salmon fillets (skin on)
- 2 tbsp Cajun seasoning (store-bought or homemade)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Lemon wedges, for serving
- 1 tbsp olive oil (for succotash)
- 2 cups corn kernels (fresh or frozen, thawed if frozen)
- 1 medium red bell pepper, diced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1½ cups cooked black-eyed peas (or canned, rinsed and drained)
- Salt & pepper, to taste
- Fresh parsley or cilantro, chopped (for garnish)
👨🍳 Instructions
- Prep the Salmon: Pat salmon dry with paper towels. Sprinkle Cajun seasoning evenly over the flesh side.
- Sear the Salmon: Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place salmon skin-side down and sear 3–4 minutes until a crust forms. Flip and cook another 2–3 minutes until just cooked through. Remove from skillet and set aside.
- Make the Succotash: In a separate skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add corn, red bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, and black-eyed peas. Season with salt and pepper. Sauté 4–5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until veggies are tender and tomatoes just soften.
- Serve: Spoon succotash onto plates, top with salmon, garnish with herbs, and serve with lemon wedges.
📝 Journal Prompt
What can I do today to make sure my music connects with the living, breathing audience I want to reach?
☕ Support the Show
If you enjoyed this episode and want to help fuel the next one, you can Buy Me a Coffee.
📓 Companion Journal
Stay consistent with daily prompts and planning tools — grab the Layer By Layer GO! Journal.
🔗 Quick Links
- 🎵 Explore the Music Vault – Click here
- 🍽 More Recipes – Click here
🎧 Listen to the Episode
Click here to listen to Episode 10: You Can’t Pitch a Song to a Ghost