A heavy dose of nonstop laughter blares through the speakers while hosts Stefan Adika, Amber Adika, Michael McVey and Corey Levitan entertain the audience with their musical knowledge and special guests on their weekly morning YouTube show “Coffee Talk with Adika Live.”
Earlier this year, COVID-19 shook the world and the music industry took a major plunge because musicians could not perform live. During the early stages of the pandemic, Adika, McVey and Levitan took it upon themselves to create a weekly YouTube talk show that encourages people to embrace each other’s company during these challenging moments.
Adika and McVey host another show called “Talking Wax” which streams every Saturday night on YouTube. “Talking Wax” allows patrons to go head to head by showing the audience their best three records from their collection. Whoever wins all three rounds receives a free record from co host Pat Lucero‘s record store Thee Wizard’s Lair. Other than people competing with their vinyl, the audience gets to learn about the amazing stories behind the albums and how it impacted different peoples’ lives.
every Saturday night on YouTube. “Talking Wax” allows patrons to go head to head by
showing the audience their best three records from their collection. The winner of all three
rounds receives a free record from the co-host. Photo courtesy of YouTube.com.
What is amazing about both shows is how people are always learning about new things. For example, both shows have given people a chance to talk about music from experiences they learned while listening. “Coffee Talk With Adika Live” and “Talking Wax” give people a space to talk about how music transformed their life. It is beautiful to watch because it reminds me how universal music can be when you allow it to touch your heart while listening.
I had the opportunity to interview Adika on Zoom and his personality is incredible because he is a positive and humorous person. Adika is a bass guitarist who never took guitar lessons while growing up. Bands and artists, such as The Beatles, Blood Sweat and Tears, The Rolling Stones, Bo Diddley, Elvis Presley and John Lennon inspired him to become a musician. Fellow vlogger Jordan The Lion inspired Adika to test the waters and he found himself creating a show that is filled with wonderful positivity.
Another contributor to “Coffee Talk With Adika Live” is Eric Singer, the KISS drummer. Singer and Adika have been friends for a long time and Singer helped shape the show by using his undeniable knowledge and experience in music. The singer does appear on both shows when he can and when he does, both shows continue on for a few more hours than normal.
Both shows wouldn’t be successful without the help from hosts Mcvey and Levitan. McVey is the lead singer for the band Tame Fury, a fan of KISS, and friends with Adika for 30 years. McVey helps schedule guests to be on the show, like Mark Slaughter from the band Slaughter, Doc McGee Kiss’s manager and several others. So far, each guest has been awesome because they give Adika, Mcvey, Levitan and the viewers knowledgeable information about their experiences in the music industry.
Levitan is a former journalist from “Circus Magazine” and he and Adika are lifelong friends. Levitan contributes to the craziness of “Coffee Talk With Adika Live” by being a spontaneous person. Some viewers like him but there are some whom cannot stand him because of his honesty.
During the interview, I asked Adika what he wants the students at the University of Northern Colorado to know about the show and his response came from the heart.
“Without people, both shows wouldn’t be alive,” Adika said. “Both shows are a place to feel safe, laugh and smile. Unite and be safe while keeping other people company.”
The best part about both shows is how people do not judge you based on your political and religious views. Adika firmly believes that laughter is the best medicine because people need to feel loved during these challenging times.
I am glad that I found “Coffee Talk With Adika Live” and “Talking Wax” in March because I love the community and the nonstop humor brightens my days when I am working on schoolwork or my internship.
Check out “Coffee Talk With Adika Live” and “Talking Wax” because you will learn amazing things while crying from laughter.
