Badass Records

As we roll into the birthday-weekend celebration of the United States of America, one might imagine coming out the other side of the festivities thinking a little more of the greater good than of the self. Maybe that's a lost cause at this juncture, but I don't believe that to be true. There are plenty of decent folks and resources and programs (or at least perhaps there were) in this country that...

Your assignment for the week -- class -- is to find someone cooler than Cass Jones. And once I've graded all of your papers, I'm pleased to share with you that I will be modifying all of your Fs to As, because -- that's right -- it's an impossible ask. We're putting up something in the form of Episode No. 214, and I couldn't be happier to share that @cassjooones on Instagram is my guest, and what...

Very pleased to welcome Sammy Sanchez back in to the podcast studio for another exciting look at an artist's discography, and this time -- for Episode No. 213 -- we dove in to the Queens of the Stone Age catalog. If you've not caught previous episodes with Sammy, you can check him out on Episode Nos 44 (first appearance), 66 (Tom Waits), 88 (Beck), 113 (Radiohead), and 187 (King Gizzard & the...

It's good fun for the dork in me this week as we're dropping a palindrome episode, and I couldn't be happier than to share that Brian Hurtgen joined me for the 212th installment of the program. Brian is a son, a sibling, a parent, a partner, and a wearer of many band hats. We talked family, musicianship, band life and the learning curve that sometimes comes with it. We also talked about life, deat...

Hi, hello, hey, and howdy! Episode No. 211 features the super-fantastic Scott Devouton of Sound Ridge Studio! My conversation with Scott involved details associated with creating a recording space, the development of chops as a musician, and you can check it out in a number of places. Namely, here! Scott and I talked about family, growing up, life path-walking, and so much more. We also happened t...

Welcome to Episode No. 210, and shouts out to my guest, Flare Tha Rebel. Many thanks to my good friend, Keith, down at Brewery Emperial for letting me know about Flare Tha Rebel's existence, and -- before I get ahead of myself -- be absolutely sure that you check out Flare's new album, Dear City , which is available on streaming platforms. Our conversation was super-solid, and we talked about a lo...

Dane Bridges was kind enough to return to the Badass Records podcast studio for another fascinating conversation. During our chat, we talked school, work, band life, recording, gigging, life changes, Major Matt Mason USA, Grindstone, Holiday at Sea, From Me, Straylight, and a bunch more. In that mix, we also talked about a few albums that're important to Dane. Those were these: Refused's The Shape...

Shouts out to James Carter of You Found Music for connecting me with three fantastic Kansas City people, each of them cool in their own regard. Christian Dixon joined me for Episode No. 202. Julie Bennett Hume stopped by to say hello a few weeks later, and today -- I'm pleased to share that singer/songwriter/musician David Luther is my guest for Episode No. 208. David and I talked family, health,...

Hello! Pushing into the early 200s here with the Badass Records podcast, and I was lucky enough to host Phil Craven last week for Episode No. 207. Phil is a son, a sibling, a down-to-Earth dude, and a musician in both Whiskey for the Lady as well as Dimension Bill Edwards. This is my favorite time of year yet, as a) NHL playoffs are happening, and b) it's not hot yet, so I was thrilled to have som...

It's that time of the week again, and I'm excited to share that Sean Moran of KC Film Project is my guest for Episode No. 206. Sean is a son, a sibling, a husband, a father, a photographer, and one heck of a fun guy with whom to chat. We sat down a couple of Saturdays ago to chat all about KC Film Project and a few of the things the team are working on. To keep your finger on the pulse, follow the...

Welcome, welcome, welcome. My guest this week is Julie Bennett Hume, whom is a daughter, a sibling, a wife, a mother, and a singer/songwriter. Follow Julie on Instagram at @julie_bennetthumemusic, check out her Web site, juliebennetthume.com , and find her stuff on Facebook, Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and CD Baby. Julie has released three solo albums, Late Bloomer (2017), Vinegar (2019),...

Matt Jack joined me for Episode No. 204, and it was awesome sitting down with him. Matt's a son, a husband, a father, a professional, a bandmate for many outfits, and a super-sharp dude. Beyond following Matt's Death By Science Fiction outfit on Instagram (@deathbyscifi), you should definitely check out their stuff on YouTube, Apple, or Spotify. And above all, be sure to get your tickets now for J...

J. Ryan Landry is a son, a sibling, an artist, a super-sharp fellow, and a fantastic conversationalist. He's also my guest for Episode No. 203. Mr. Landry and I hit it off right away, talking about common acquaintances, growing up in JoCo, hoops, and the like, and we were only getting started there. We chatted school, caricature art, his Web site, skipperart.com , his Instagram handle, @hippyskipp...

Christian Dixon is a son, a sibling, a musician and a songwriter, and he's my guest for Episode No. 202. If you're so inclined, you can give Christian an Instagram follow at @christiandixonmusic. You can find him on Facebook and Tiktok. You can peruse his Web site, christiandixon.bandzoogle.com . You can find his EP and his singles on Apple Music and Spotify. And I'll also encourage you to check o...

Just like that we're off and rolling into the 200s, and I couldn't be happier than to share that Parker Mason is this week's guest on the podcast. Parker is a son, a sibling, a partner, and a bandmate in various acts around Kansas City. Check out @haikusforemus, @car.microwave, and @wearelandlion, all on Instagram. Parker and I chatted growing up, diving into music and the Internet, wearing differ...

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls -- Please allow me to introduce my wonderful guest, Carlton Rashad, to the podcast. Carlton is a son, a sibling, a singer, a songwriter, a performer, and a fantastic human being. He also makes an appearance on this program for the esteemed 200th episode, which -- if I'm not lying -- is pretty cool. Know what else is cool? Carlton. He has a Instagram -- @imcarlt...

Ryan Johnson is a son, a brother, and a musician. He's also a super-sharp dude, and he's my guest for Episode No. 199. Both Ryan's solo and full-band outfits write, record, and gig around town, and if you give him an Instagram follow -- @foxlinband -- you can see that he has some upcoming gigs, including one tomorrow night! Ryan was kind enough to share a little bit of time with me the Tuesday bef...

Laura Boland is a daughter, a sister, a significant other, a musician, and an old-school soul. She's also my guest for Episode No. 198. When wearing her musician cap, Laura goes by the moniker, Elska, and you can find her stuff at elskamusic.me , and you can follow her on Instagram at @elskalullabies. Laura was kind enough to stop by and visit with me about growing up, life moves and changes, writ...

"Mama always said that dying was a part of life...but I sure wish it wasn't." -- Forrest Gump My journey as a fan of the Grateful Dead is -- from my perspective -- and interesting one in that I went from the tiny handful of FM-radio hits to Skeletons from the Closet: The Best of the Grateful Dead , and I didn't love it. At all, really. Some time later everything changed. I wasn't certain about the...

Welcome, welcome, welcome. This is the Badass Records podcast, and I'm pleased to let you know that Episode No. 196 features none other than Joel vs Joel's very own, Joel Stratton. Joel vs Joel's debut album, Smile in the Mirror, came out in August of last year, and Brad Smith (Episode No. 108) of Enigmatic Brunch Records was the wizard behind the curtains of making that happen. But let's not let...

Andrew Turner of Andrew Turner Auctions sat down with me a handful of days ago, and we talked about some stuff. Our Episode No. 195 conversation involved a little about growing up, family, life visions and the shifts therein, being a gigging musician, and so much more. It's been a couple of weeks since an episode of Badass Records dropped, and -- yes -- most of that is associated with the crazines...

Ay, yo ! Life be life-in' right now, and I'm feelin' it; the usual stress of holiday hosting and shopping and scheduling and all the other stuff has my mind crinkled and my right shoulder blade in a knot. It's a lot. Sometimes, though, a little dose of blessing floats your way, and I couldn't be more grateful to share with you that I had the pleasure of meeting (and sitting with) the beautiful and...

Alright, now... Thanksgiving is in the rearview, and we are officially in the thick of holiday madness! And, in wishing you happiness and sanity getting through it all, I'm pleased to share that Rodd Fenton joined me for Episode No. 193. Rodd is a son, a sibling, a husband, a producer, an engineer, a guitarist in a band, and he has an A+ em-dash game, to boot. Rodd's production/recording company i...

I'm feeling a tiny bit too gassed to look it up, but I think this is maybe the fourth-consecutive episode of the podcast to drop on Thanksgiving. Thursdays aren't fantastic for metrics it seems, but what's more likely is that this thing just isn't really marketable in terms of audience growth. And that's okay. There was never a pipe dream to have it all blow up. It's always been about connecting w...

Every Now and Zen I wax a little existential on here; doing so at least gets in the neighborhood of scratching that writer itch. Daylight Savings has been over for a bit, and I think we're all still adjusting to it getting dark at 5:00 (soon to be 4:30), bracing for the holidays, and stirring the miniature marshmallows of emotion into the cocoa that is the forthcoming cold. I have a fat bundle of...