The Midlife Critics Podcast

Travis Boots, Bryan Mosby, and I discuss the 1st day of polls for the Live Wire private Facebook group's top 32 feel-good songs of all time. But before that, we get into a discussion on #FreshCuts and what we can do to increase engagement with songs that most of the group has never heard. It's always a great talk with Mosby and Travis, and this episode is no exception. Hosted on Acast. See...

Does a song have to be longer than 6 minutes to be considered a jam band song? The group has some psychedelic song tendencies this week in our #FreshCuts Vol. 22 nominations, and Jennifer and Burke discuss it.  If a song is #FreshCuts-caliber, that means it’s enough to tell your friends about it. There are some strong ones this week. We also ponder the current situation of the underboob woman on W...

It's Sunday. So Jennifer and I are picking apart all of the #FreshCuts for this week. These are songs so new or so rare, most of us in the Live Wire private Facebook group haven't heard them. We get into songs by Elbow, Goldfrapp, Thou, Bukka White, Ken Pomeroy, Jack White, Simon Stokes & The Nighthawks, ODIE, Chromatics, The Wildwoods, EquallyOpposite, Phantogram, moe., Widespread Pan...

It's time for our weekly Saturday reveal of our top 12 new and unheard songs of the week. This week's #FreshCuts are mostly roots-based. But they also have a sense of adventure, veering into electronic pop and hip-hop. Each song has meaning, and we get into that in this episode. I'm joined by Mosby, Jennifer, Jeremy, Jimmi, Wes, Zach, and Travis to discuss our reasons for picking these...

Jennifer and I dive into the Live Wire Facebook group's 24 #FreshCuts for Vol. 20. These are songs that most of the group hasn't heard, and we have a great time pondering word pronunciations, song meanings, and what Charley Crockett would sound like with a British accent. This is a strong collection. You can hear #FreshCuts Vol. 20 on Spotify at https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4SkdhNPpFE...

I'm joined by Travis Boots and Bryan Mosby to discuss and give our picks on feel-good songs for the polls in the Live Wire Facebook private group for Sunday, July 28. Each set of polls, I look at songs that had more votes in a trailing poll than others in a leading poll. Then I pit them against each other as a way of quality control to ensure that we advance the songs that we really want. Travis a...

Steve Strait and I discuss all of Thursday July 25's polls for our feel-good songs in the Live Wire private Facebook group. This was two friends talking about music for an hour, and it sounds just like that. We get into some great discussion on songs by The Police, Tina Turner, Gary Jules, The Rascals, Amos Lee, The Grateful Dead, Juanes, Living Colour, New Order, My Morning Jacket, The Stooge...

Travis Boots and Bryan Mosby join me to discuss polls on feel-good songs picked by the Live Wire private Facebook group. Starting with 200 feel-good songs, we’re now trying to see which songs make the group collectively feel good. On the surface, it seems light. But we still have a great discussion, debating the merits of Van Halen, sharing our personal experiences with some of these songs, and br...

Jennifer and I walk through all 25 of this week’s #FreshCuts in provocatively spirited fashion within the best sound quality we’ve had…and probably the silliest episode we’ve done. But the songs are great. There are deep discussions, impromptu comedy bits, and even a false start with our new microphone. Download the #FreshCuts Vol. 19 playlist on Spotify, Apple, Amazon Music, and YouTube. This wee...

This week’s #FreshCuts feature epic production, masterful songwriting, and a lot of fun. Ranging from blues, metal, vibe rock, bluegrass, hip-hop, and even a little bit of reggae beats, these songs have lots of life and you’ll enjoy them. I’m joined this week by Nathan Ferrell, Travis Boots, Bryan Mosby, Jeremy Cook, Matt Lehman, and Franky Fairway. This week’s #FreshCuts feature songs by Johnny B...

Find Live Wire on Facebook private groups. Travis Boots, Bryan Mosby, and I get into Live Wire’s top 100 R&B/funk songs of all time. But we begin the episode talking about ways to make our group more individual. We also get into our reasoning and methods on the upcoming “feel good song” polls. We discuss Steve Wonder’s “Superstition” being our group’s #1 R&B/funk song. We agree that our #2 song -...

Jennifer and I dive into all 24 of this week’s #FreshCuts picked by the Live Wire private Facebook group. Most of these are songs we haven’t heard before, and that’s the point - to expand our musical repertoire. We discuss songs from Sturgill Simpson’s new album under his alter ego Johnny Blue Skies (and I think we may have stumbled upon its real pronunciation). We also get into deep discussions a...

I reveal our top 12 #FreshCuts of the week, picked and voted on by the Live Wire group. This week’s #FreshCuts feature majestic acoustic folk harmonies, bass-slapping funk metal, electronica, and songs ranging from fuzzed-out hipster rock to acoustic ditties. I’m joined by Bryan Mosby, Wellington Davis, and Steve Strait to discuss these songs. This week’s #FreshCuts feature songs by Fleet Foxes, L...

One of my oldest friends left this life at age 43 last week on July 6, 2024. Bryant Bartok was a unique, goofy, intelligent, and emotional person with a dedicated passion for music. In this episode, some friends and I share our memories of Bryant and try to process our grief. I’m joined by Joe Burtis, Scott Deuel, Shariff Shakir, Wes Dorris, Joel Graves, and my brother - Grant Wasson. This episode...

This was the most informationally entertaining episode we’ve done and probably the first time that anyone has enjoyed discussing cancel culture. It was a lot of fun. Travis Boots and Bryan Mosby bring their A game, breaking down 16 more R&B/funk songs. And Travis says how he would have separated these songs into two different tournaments. Look for the Live Wire private group on Facebook. This epis...

This episode accomplishes exactly what it set out to do. And that’s discuss the first day of polls to cut our 32 greatest R&B/funk songs in half to the top 16. I’m joined by Travis Boots and Bryan Mosby for a dive into these songs. And listen for a brief cameo from Jennifer. Find us on Facebook under private groups at Live Wire. In this episode, we discuss songs by Otis Redding, James Brown, Bill...

Jennifer and I break down all 24 of the next week’s #FreshCuts nominations. These are songs so new or so rare that most of us haven’t heard them. It’s also my favorite part of Live Wire, which you can find on Facebook private groups. Send us a join request and get in on a comprehensive music experience. The playlist is shared below on Spotify, Apple, Amazon, and YouTube. It features songs (in orde...

This is a very special episode of the Live Wire podcast, interspersing 6 guests in and out as we wind our way through our top 25 songs of 2024 so far. We also get into our thought processes of picking new music. If you’re looking for new songs, this episode is for you. And if that intrigues you so much, find us on Facebook under private groups at Live Wire. I won’t give away the actual list here,...

For an immersive music experience, find us on Facebook private groups under Live Wire. I am joined by Bryan Mosby and Steve Strait to discuss the 2nd Chance polls for our greatest R&B/funk songs of all time. And if you could pick one album to hear again for the first time, what would it be? You’ll hear our picks. Deee-Lite - Groove Is In The Heart (1990) vs. Alabama Shakes - Dunes (2015)Michael Ja...

I’m joined today by artist and music aficionado Steve Strait. Steve is a longtime friend, and we get into a wide variety of topics. If you’ve ever heard of Deke Leonard, May Blitz, Adam Blessing, or Back Jack, this episode is for you. And if you haven’t, listen and learn. We also reveal the polls for the final day of new songs in our R&B/funk polls for Wednesday, July 3. And we end with a wide-ran...

I’m joined by Travis Boots and Bryan Mosby to discuss the close votes so far in our greatest R&B/funk songs. We also go on a hell of a derailment over recently unearthed 1985 comments from Jerry Garcia about Eddie Van Halen. And with some encouragement, I issue a warning against any suspected hate voting in Tuesday’s polls. Get ready. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nine episodes in, we already have a lost episode. 😱 If you want to hear how Jennifer and I come up with our votes and the ridiculous levels that can take, this episode is for you. This is a collection of bits from our first attempt at recording Episode 9. It did not go well. But 18 minutes of comedic gold that gets funnier as it goes ensued. Here are those 18 minutes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.c...

With the year half-over, it’s a great chance to pay respect to our favorite songs of 2024 (so far). Jennifer and I review all 50 songs chosen by the Live Wire group. We pick the ones worthy of the top 25 (there are more than 25 worthy!), discuss whether Taylor Swift is more a poet than a singer, ponder the last generation of outside kids, and consider the deeper meanings of each song. We also get...

This is the most fascinating episode we’ve done. Part intervention, part therapy session, all relevant. The Geto Boys were ranked way too low, Biz Markie was ranked way too high, and we get into a pet peeve - voting without listening to both songs. This episode will provoke you. So you might as well give it a listen. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jennifer and I crack open the new #FreshCuts posted on Saturday, June 22, and believe it is the strongest group we’ve had yet. On a 44-minute silly-sophical discussion, we uncover a theme of self-acceptance in this week’s songs. And we ponder 2 very different versions of the same song (twice!), how the ‘90s has turned retro cool, if in fact Brad sucks, and when does alternative become more of the...