Opera singer and creator Peter Barber returns to the World XP Podcast to break down the enormous gamble behind Melody of War, his 30-song concept album reimagining Achilles and the Trojan War. Peter has spent more than $40,000 building the project, assembled a team of roughly 60 singers, artists, musicians and other collaborators, and sifted through thousands of auditions while learning how to operate less like a solo creator and more like the CEO of a creative company. We discuss the money, contracts, artistic decisions, social-media grind, his long-term vision for Songforge Studios, and why Peter would rather bet on becoming an original artist than simply keep chasing YouTube growth.

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@PeterBarber⁩ - https://youtube.com/@PeterBarber?si=qvSNdjEkfsk7480N

⁨@SongforgeStudios⁩ - https://www.youtube.com/@SongforgeStudios

The Bass Gang - https://youtube.com/@TheBassGangOfficial?si=NE22aN4Lc4gqQMDk

Peter Barber is an American opera singer, music producer, YouTuber, and podcaster. He is currently composing a 30 song musical titled "Melody of War", scheduled for release Fall 2026. He has been a member of the Arizona Opera Studio, where he has performed Basilio in The Barber of Seville, Capulet in Roméo et Juliette, Masetto in Don Giovanni, and Colline in La Bohème. Peter has spent multiple summers performing with The Santa Fe Opera, the Aspen Music Festival, and Music Academy of the West. At this point, he has performed over 30 operatic roles. Outside of the opera world, Peter has grown a substantial audience on YouTube, surpassing 525,000 subscribers via musical analysis videos, music videos, and his podcast, Vocal Arts. He is also a founding member of award-winning musical group, The Bass Gang. They have released four EPs, as well as numerous singles, amassing over 25 million views/streams between YouTube and Spotify alone.

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#PeterBarber #GreekMythology #MelodyOfWar

Board-certified orthopedic foot and ankle surgeon Dr. Matthew Buchanan joins the World XP Podcast to explain what athletes often misunderstand about injury and recovery. We discuss Achilles ruptures, recurring ankle sprains, strength and injury prevention, when rest becomes counterproductive, how doctors determine when an athlete is ready to return to play, and why the right amount of loading can be just as important as protecting an injury. We also get into artificial turf, minimally invasive surgery, young athletes, arthritis, and the mental challenge of a long recovery.

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Dr. Buchanan’s Links:

Website: https://www.nirschl.com/physicians/matthew-buchanan-md-foot-ankle-specialist-orthopedic-surgeon/

Website: https://www.washingtondcfootandankle.com/

Dr. Matthew Buchanan completed his Bachelor of Science degree at Duke University, earning the Dean’s List Award. He received his medical degree from The Ohio State University College of Medicine where he was awarded the Department of Surgery Jonasson Prize for “Exceptional Performance and Dedication to Surgery”. Dr. Buchanan completed his orthopaedic surgery residency at West Virginia University where he served as Chief Resident. He then pursued further fellowship training in foot and ankle at the prestigious Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Center in Columbus, Ohio.

Dr. Buchanan has received numerous accolades, including selection by his peers as a Washingtonian Magazine Top Doctor and an Arlington Magazine Top Vote Getter: Best Orthopaedic Surgeon. Dr. Buchanan is an orthopaedic foot and ankle consultant to The Washington Ballet and served as an Assistant Clinical Professor at Georgetown University.

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#SportsMedicine #InjuryRecovery #Orthopedics #worldxppodcast

Author and craftsman Dave Stone joins the World XP Podcast to explore why dragon and serpent myths appear in cultures across the world, from ancient Mesopotamia and Celtic Europe to India, China, Japan and beyond. We discuss the recurring patterns hidden inside these stories, whether dragons may represent a shared human archetype, how ancient myths encoded ideas about nature and society, and what modern culture may have lost from the people who told them.

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Dave’s Links:

IG: https://www.instagram.com/stonemadcrafts/

Dragons of the Deep: https://www.collectiveinkbooks.com/moon-books/our-books/dragons-deep-origins-lore

Books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Dave-Stone/author/B0CND9YVYQ?ref=ap_rdr&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

Eternal Echoes (Substack): https://davecstone.substack.com

Dave Stone is an artist writer and stone carver based in Scotland. As a craftsman he had carved pagan imagery for many decades - an endeavour that steered him into exploring symbols and their meanings, alongside the mythology that accompanies them. He has written two Self-Published books, Gods & goddesses of the Celtic Realms and Faeries of the Celtic Realms. His most recent book, Dragon of the Deep, is published by moon Books and he also maintains a weekly Substack called Eternal Echoes.

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#Mythology #Dragons #AncientHistory #worldxppodcast

Former University of Texas journalism professor Robert Jensen returns to the World XP Podcast to challenge one of modern society’s deepest assumptions: that economic growth, energy use, technology, and human consumption can continue without limits. We discuss capitalism and socialism, government versus corporate power, ecological collapse, nuclear energy, technological optimism, meaningful work, and why Jensen believes humility and local community may matter more than ideological certainty.

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Robert’s Links:

Website: https://robertwjensen.org/

X: @jensenrobertw

Robert Jensen is Emeritus Professor in the School of Journalism and Media at the University of Texas at Austin. His most recent book, This I Don’t Believe: A Fulfilling Life without Meaning, is out now. He is also the author of It’s Debatable: Talking Authentically about Tricky Topics (Olive Branch Press, 2024). Jensen is the coauthor with Wes Jackson of An Inconvenient Apocalypse: Environmental Collapse, Climate Crisis, and the Fate of Humanity (University of Notre Dame Press, 2022) and the editor of From the Ground Up: Conversations with Wes Jackson (New Perennials Publishing, 2022), based on the interviews from “Podcast from the Prairie.” Jensen’s other books include The Restless and Relentless Mind of Wes Jackson: Searching for Sustainability (University Press of Kansas, 2021); The End of Patriarchy: Radical Feminism for Men (Spinifex Press, 2017); among others.

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#Sustainability #politicalphilosophy #climatechange #worldxppodcast

Intelligence analyst Ryan McBeth joins the World XP Podcast to explain how modern information warfare works, why emotional social media content should immediately raise your suspicion, and how propaganda, AI, drones, and rapidly changing military technology are reshaping both warfare and the way ordinary people understand it.

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Ryan's Links:

Substack: https://ryanmcbeth.substack.com/

X: @ryanmcbeth

YouTube: @ryanmcbethprogramming

IG: @therealryanmcbeth

Ryan McBeth is a cybersecurity and information warfare expert, software engineer, author, and retired U.S. Army infantryman. He holds degrees in computer science, engineering management, and cybersecurity, and previously developed C4ISR software used to identify and track national-security threats. Today, he analyzes cyber intelligence, online influence operations, military technology, and disinformation for a global audience, translating complex technical and security issues into clear, practical explanations.

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#InformationWarfare #MilitaryAnalysis #RyanMcBeth #worldxppodcast

Marine veteran and former Senate Foreign Relations Committee staffer Jim Webb joins the World XP Podcast to share what Ramadi, Capitol Hill, the RFK Jr. campaign, and corporate America taught him about leadership, institutional failure, and why powerful systems keep repeating avoidable mistakes.

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Jim's Links:

X: @JamesWebb_16

YouTube: @jimwebbpodcast

James (Jim) Webb is the Host of the Jim Webb Podcast (@jimwebbpodcast on X and YouTube). Jim is a 3rd-generation Marine who, following his service, has worked in policy, politics, and journalism. In 2005, he dropped out of college to enlist in the Marine Corps Infantry and fought in the “Battle of Ramadi” in 2006-2007. Following the completion of his degree, Jim worked on Capitol Hill for US Sen. Rand Paul, where he was assigned to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Later, he worked at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft and as a Senior Policy Advisor for then-Presidential Candidate RFK Jr. James has also worked as a journalist for multiple outlets, including embedding with US troops across Afghanistan.

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#MarineVeteran #AmericanPolitics #Leadership #worldxppodcast

Civil War historian Kevin M. Levin joins the World XP Podcast to examine what Americans still misunderstand about the Civil War, slavery, Reconstruction, the Lost Cause, and Confederate monuments.

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Kevin's Links:

Substack: https://kevinmlevin.substack.com/

Website: https://cwmemory.com/

Books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0070ZYOKU/allbooks?

Kevin M. Levin is a historian and educator based in Boston. He taught at the high school level for over twenty years and now writes full time about the history and memory of the Civil War era. Levin is the author of four books, including most recently, A Glorious Fate: The Life and Legacy of Colonel Robert Gould Shaw. You can find his online writing at his newsletter, Civil War Memory https://kevinmlevin.substack.com/

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#CivilWarHistory #AmericanHistory #Reconstruction

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Rachel's Links:

Website: www.wolfwomanrising.com

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

YouTube: www.youtube.com/@wolfwomanrising

Rachel is the author of 'Lupa. She-Wolf of Rome, Mother of Destiny', as well as 'Wolf. Embody your Inner Wolf', 'Pantheon. The Romans' and ‘Flora. Goddess of Flowers’. As well as a writer and historian, she is also a sacred dance teacher, and flower essence coach.

Her desire has always been to create a bridge between history and spirituality, mythology and well-being and her work focuses on transmuting ancient mythology and symbology into embodied wisdom, so that the magic of the past becomes a modern tool of healing, empowerment and awakening for all.

Rachel is the creatrix of Wolf Woman Rising, an international online wisdom school where she empowers you to embody wisdom, reclaim your wild, untamed Self and create a life lived on purpose.

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#AncientRome #RomanHistory #HumanNature