What do you do after 32 years as an elementary music teacher? If you're James Holiday, you retire with a five-year plan already written, pivot to stand-up comedy, launch a social media following built on morning dog walks and deadpan life observations — and then record a Christmas single with Grammy-winning producer Dave Audé.

In Episode 2 of Tuned Out, Dave and Deborah sit down with James Holiday — comedian, content creator, former music teacher, esthetics devotee, and proud rescuer of a King Charles Cavalier from Ireland — for one of the most entertaining conversations the studio has seen yet.

James breaks down what it actually takes to break into stand-up comedy: the open mic grind, the rooms full of other comedians who've heard it all, and the moment you figure out your audience. For James, he's built an engaged, loyal following on social media by simply walking his dog every morning and saying exactly what's on his mind.

He also talks about his 32-year marriage ("96 in queer years"), his friendship with Martina McBride, eating cookies backstage at a Prince concert, the unexpected career pivot into esthetics, and why he keeps his government name firmly off the internet — lest his former students find him before they turn 21.

Oh, and there's a Christmas song. Fabulous Holiday (For She Who Is) is a collaboration with Dave Audé and Sarah Potenza, debuting live at James's show — House of Holiday Three: South Slay, Girl Slay.

Topics covered:

• James's morning dog-walk content and the origins of James Holiday Comedy
• Xander — the King Charles Cavalier rescued from Ireland (with a pet nanny chaperone)
• 32 years as an elementary music teacher, and the five-year exit plan
• Breaking into stand-up comedy: open mics, and the Zanies lab
• James's comedy style, his target audience, and how to handle a room that isn't with you
• Microneedling, esthetics, and the disproportionate cost of looking young when you're gay
• The perks of a stage name - why his former students won't be finding him any time soon
• 32 years of marriage ("we're both a lot, and we can put up with each other")
• Famous friends, NDAs, and a certain country legend with a photographic memory
• Eating Prince's leftover cookies at the Hit and Run Tour
• Sandra Bernhard as a comedy inspiration
• House of Holiday Three: South Slay, Girl Slay
• The Off the Record segment: food in songs, worst jokes, and handling hecklers

Find James Holiday:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JamesHolidayComedy-pf6qj

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesholidaycomedy/

Find Dave Aude:

Website: https://daveaude.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daveaude/

Find VEVA Collect:

Website: https://vevacollect.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vevacollect/

Hosts: Dave Audé & Deborah Deloach / Guest: James Holiday / Producer: Liam McMellon / Sound Design: Ines Lopez / Music: Dave Audé / Art & Design: Maddie Alley

Nashville is full of stories. This one involves a six-star hotel, Canto-pop at 3am, a Michelin-star noodle shop, and a Kickstarter reward that literally put Sarah Potenza in bed with a fan eating Doritos.

In the debut episode of Tuned Out, Grammy-winning DJ and producer Dave Aude and VEVA founder & CEO Deborah Deloach sit down with powerhouse singer-songwriter Sarah Potenza — and things get wonderfully weird, fast.

Sarah is currently working with Dave on a new disco/dance-pop record, and she's fresh off a five-week residency at the iconic Carlisle Hotel in Hong Kong (yes, she took a boat to Macau for the slot machines). She shares what it's really like to be an American performer in China right now, the midnight Canto-pop stereo incident that sent her to the lobby in sweatpants, and how her off-night "night walks" led her to the best egg custard tart of her life.

Then it's onto the music business: how Sarah went from never passing the first round of Voice auditions to being hand-selected and mentored by Blake Shelton — and how she turned her finale moment into a Kickstarter launch on live TV. Her secret weapon? She hustles. Hard. Foot tambourines, signed hats, coffee on a veteran's deck in Ohio, and yes — Doritos in bed.

We also live-call Stacey. It goes exactly as you'd hope.

Topics covered:

- Sarah's five-week residency at the Carlisle Hong Kong

- Being American in China in 2025 — and the Canto-pop hotel incident

- How Postmodern Jukebox found Sarah via Instagram DMs

- Getting onto The Voice (without ever passing an open audition)

- Blake Shelton, reality TV, and launching a Kickstarter on live television

- Why having a British agent might be your best career move

- The Doritos in Bed Kickstarter reward (and the live call to Stacey)

- Andy Bell's new album featuring Sarah and Debbie Harry

- The new disco record coming in 2026

Find Sarah Potenza:

Website: https://www.sarahpotenza.net/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamsarahpotenza/

Find Dave Aude:

Website: https://daveaude.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daveaude/

Find VEVA Collect:

Website: https://vevacollect.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vevacollect/