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Love can sound like a melody you’ve known your whole life—and today you get to hear it grow up on the air. We sit down with Nathan and Emily Shoemaker, a duo whose story runs from high school hallways to late-night songwriting sessions at the kitchen table, and celebrate the first radio spin of their single Aged Wine. From the first chord on a vintage Epiphone Texan to the line that stops time—“my dream was you”—they walk us through how a shared life becomes a shared song, and how discipline, grandparents, and guarded yeses keep a creative dream moving with three kids in the mix.

We dig into the craft: where hooks come from, how co-writing as a couple actually works, and why playing songwriter rounds in 2020 gave them the courage to plant a flag as The Shoemakers. There’s a clear roadmap for what’s next too, including the long-awaited American Dream, recorded one track at a time to fit real life. If you love country storytelling rooted in family, faith, and persistence, this conversation delivers the details behind the harmony.

Along the way, we keep the energy high with a spirited CMAs check-in, a playful Christmas Hallmark movie review from Chris's Wife, and a World Television Day trivia showdown that may or may not crown a redneck genius. Then we turn to service with Amber and Josh Beeler and the Light the World Giving Machine in Show Low: a hands-on way to donate essentials like water, bedding, sports physicals, and holiday meals to local, state, and global charities—with 100% of your money going straight to the item you choose. It’s music, community, and giving season all woven together.

Subscribe for more country artist spotlights, share this with a friend who needs a new love song, and leave a quick review to help others find the show. Your support helps get indie artists like The Shoemakers heard.

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It’s a stormy start to the week on The Morning Brew with Chris Bennett and Best Friends! 🌧️

We kick off with a Fire Marshal Minute from JD Pepper of Timber Mesa Fire Department — talking real cold-weather safety: checking smoke alarms, swapping batteries, and why creosote in your chimney can turn cozy fires into costly disasters. 🔥

Then Chris catches up with his lifelong buddy Ryan McKee, who just had his first fight with his 21-year-old roommate — and shares a surprising twist about his new long-distance relationship. Turns out, space is a love language. ❤️

Next, Andrea joins in for a Hallmark movie review of “Merry Christmas, Ted Cooper”, a feel-good flick with five hot cocoas of charm. ☕

Finally, the White Mountain Coalition Against Homelessness shares how their tiny home village is transforming lives — and how you can give through the Giving Machine to make a real difference this season. 🎁

👉 Listen, laugh, and be inspired to give local and live better — only on The Morning Brew!

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We kick things off with my wife’s official Hallmark Christmas Movie Review, breaking down Christmas On Duty — from the snowstorm setup to the slow-burn romance, the three-cup-cocoa score, and yes… even the suspiciously well-placed brand mentions.

Then the cozy holiday vibe crashes straight into Am I the Jerk Court, where Paul from Beaumont helps judge a case involving two roommates, a high-end litter box, and one allegedly smelly cat. A $50 “pet smell fee”? A retaliatory “cat-cuddling charge”? We sort out the ethics, the evidence, and the nonsense.

From there, it’s Are You Smarter Than a Redneck? — International Men’s Day Edition — where we find out who’s more “manly”: Paul or your very own host. (Spoiler: Yeah… it’s Paul. By a mile.)

We roll into a lightning-fast Country News Minute with the Country Thunder 2026 lineup, Lainey Wilson’s big CMA night, and Brooks & Dunn nostalgia.

But then the phones light up — because Brian from Pinedale calls in to give me grief for losing my man card. Naturally, that means a bonus Man Trivia showdown, where Brian absolutely proves he’s manlier than Chris. To save face, Chris gets one last chance with a special World Toilet Day trivia round — complete with flushing facts, potty slang, and some surprising bathroom science.

If you’re into holiday movies, country news, listener chaos, trivia battles, or watching a fully grown man repeatedly lose his man card, this episode is your jam.

Hit play, subscribe, and tell us: Smell fee or no way? And who’s really the manliest in the White Mountains?