Badass Records

It's kinda wild for me to think about the fact that -- two years ago -- I was publishing Episode #40 (w/Tomaski), and here we are...turning the final-chapter pages of 2024. I think that they call it, "Q2" in the corporate world, but it's the final period of our calendar year, here in Humansville. And what a fun ride it's been. David Kaufman joined me for Episode #140, and he did not disappoint. Da...

Very pleased to share that Bob Walkenhorst joined me for Episode No. 139, and it was a privilege to get to know him a little bit. I really enjoyed gaining a little bit of insight into Bob's perspective of the live-music scene in 1980s Kansas City as he and The Rainmakers really found their writing and gigging groove. As a 71-years-young rock star, Bob's still gigging twice a month at Mike Kelly's...

Forrest Saucier joined me for Episode No. 138, and it was an absolute treat to get to know him a little bit. Forrest is a son, a sibling, a partner, a man of numerous hats, and he's an important figure over at Tyler's House, which is a youth-oriented, non-profit organization over on the Kansas side that -- for my money -- is an amazing concept that needs more eyeballs on it and more of the communi...

Hooray for Episode No. 137 being out and available to all of you fine listeners and viewers! I'm stoked to share that Carley Martin Verbeck and I were able to sit down together and chat about all things Carley and her band, Scotch Hollow. Her husband Mark and I perused portions of his journey that led to the two of them meeting/ultimately forming the band back in Episode No. 116, so to have the ot...

I have the utmost gratitude for Bill Brownlee gracing me with an appearance for Episode No. 136. Bill is so many things, and I confidently say that barely knowing him. What he is above all -- at least at this moment -- is generous for taking time out of his life to come sit with a perfect stranger, and I couldn't be happier about the conversation that resulted from his decision to do so. Bill and...

DJ Prodigy is a son, a brother, a partner, a father, and he's armed with an artillery of skills that would impress most any artist. He's also my guest for Episode No. 135. Prodigy splits his time between Kansas City and Arizona, and while in town, he squeezed a chat with me in in between a handful of gigs. For that I am grateful. We talked about growing up, finding one's way, producing, making rec...

Marty Wall is a son, a sibling, a husband, a long-time former Kansas City-radio D.J., and a voice-over artist. He fronts three different live-music acts, has some rich K.C. knowledge, and he's my guest for Episode No. 134. Marty and I talked about music collections, radio formats and programming, gigging, family, and more. We also had a peek at two of his favorite albums, which were these: Elton J...

James Harmon is a son, a partner, a father, and a good-vibes kind of human being. He co-owns and co-operates Jammin' Nuggets Music with his lady friend, and you can find their spot at 115 S. Ohio in Sedalia, MO. James and I talked family, growing up, passion projects becoming real-life projects, record-store shopping, making connections through music, and more. We also talked a little bit about a...

Josh King is a sibling, a husband, a father, and an insanely intelligent human being. He mans the six-string, the vocals, and the mixing for the band, Low Forest, and he's my guest for Episode No. 132. Josh and I talked growing up and education, Missouri-style. We touched on Low Forest's fascinating collection of releases on Bandcamp , where to follow them (Spotify, Apple, YouTube, Facebook, and T...

L. Ron Drunkard, bassist for Red Kate, joined me for Episode No. 131, and it was a hoot. We talked about band life, making records, supporting local music, news, politics, the awesomeness of Bob Mould, the lameness of touring acts frequently skipping Kansas City, and a ton more. We also talked a bit about a few of Mr. Drunkard's favorite albums. Those were these: Devo's Are We Not Men (1978) Give...

Josh Plunkett is a son, a sibling, an entrepreneur, a business owner, a photographer, a videographer, and a world traveler. He's a guy that has figured out a thing or two about his allotment of time on this planet, and he's also my guest for Episode No. 130. Our streams crossed paths somewhere in the Instagram world, and -- speaking of -- you can find him/his work there in not one , not two , but...

I'm very excited to share that Dr. Alberto Villamandos joined me for Episode No. 129, and we talked a little bit about life as Associate Chair and Associate Professor of Spanish in the Department of World Languages & Cultures at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Go, Roos! We also talked about him being the recipient of the 2024 Chancellor's Award for Community Engagement. Dr. Villamandos...

Jeremy Clark of Tracer Heights was in the house for Episode No. 128, and dang it if it isn't always refreshing to chat with a fellow Phishhead. Trust me: I'm not trying to pigeonhole Jeremy or say that that's all there is to say about him. There's a ton more. Rare is the opportunity, though. Anyway...Jeremy's a son and a brother and a bandmate and one heck of a sharp dude; I really enjoyed getting...

Lauren Textor was my guest for Episode No. 127, and my mind is still reeling from everything that she has accomplished at such a young age. I have no real direct reason to be as proud of her as I am, but I am, nonetheless. And I truly feel that she is just getting started. There're a number of ways in which one could keep tabs on this daughter, sibling, writer, producer, girlfriend, lover of Irela...

Myla McCune, in all of her loveliness, graced me with her presence for Episode No. 126. She's a daughter and a sibling and a sculptor and a gal that's not afraid to take on challenges. You can find her on Instagram or at mylalamar.com , if you're interested in checking out her work or commissioning her to do a piece for you. Myla and I talked about school and art and family and growing up and gend...

Philip Clark is a son, a brother, a husband, a vinyl collector, and a music lover. He has hosted a radio show and a podcast, and has been a vocalist for B.A.T.S., The Dead Laughter, and Johnny Switchblade. He was also kind enough to be my guest for Episode No. 125 of Badass Records . Philip and I covered a decent amount of ground in just under two hours, and a good portion of that was centered on...

When Rich Wheeler shows up, shit gets weird. I'm kidding. I stole a version of that verbiage from a Facebook post from a few months back. A musician that had just gigged with Rich wrote it with high-praise-worthy intentions, and I loved the heck out of it. So, Mr. Wheeler was kind enough to lend me a portion of one of his Saturday afternoons not too long ago, and I was clumsy enough to screw up th...

As the beat goes on, I found myself lucky enough to sit down with Brian McCarty, and visit with him about his life and his journey as a musician. It's Episode No. 123, and this one was a treat. Please join me and Brian as we talk about his roles in The Matchsellers, Greg Blake & Hometown, plus his duo setup. We also poked around at family and growing up, the pursuit of dreams, happiness, and t...

Maura Dayton. Awesome human being. Maura -- in all of Maura's awesomeness -- is a daughter, a sister, a student, a bandmate, an expert in a good many things, and Maura's also my guest for Episode No. 122. Maura might've had the greatest set of parents in all of American rock 'n' roll parenting history. Who knows. Either way, Maura's a person that knows a thing or two about music, has passion for m...

I hate to sound repetitive with my gushing, but man was Episode No. 121 a treat. FK Menace came through and pulled no punches; we could've gabbed all evening. I can't describe how fun this was. What an amazing journey for an awesome dude that is legitimately living the dream. FK's a son, a brother, an artist, an activist, a DJ, a producer, and he's a guy you'd really struggle not to respect and ad...

Jackie Myers! Very excited to have met this lovely lady who's a highly educated human being, a professional pianist, a daughter, a sister, a wife, a dog lover, and a fantastic conversationalist. Mrs. Myers stopped by for Episode No. 120, and we talked family, the road, recording, writing, experimenting, gigging, and more. We also talked a little bit about a few of Jackie's favorite albums, and tho...

Damon Arredondo is a son, a brother, a father, an entrepreneur, a dreamer, a brewer, and -- based on the four hours I spent with him in my basement studio -- an amazing human being. He's the owner and founder of Rizoma Liquid Creations, and he's my guest for Episode No. 119. Damon and I talked about growing up, family, heritage and culture, parenthood, collaborations, mental health, and beer, to j...

Kathryn Hunter is a daughter, a sibling, a wife, and the proprietor of both Voodoo Hippie Girl's Free Spirited Threads and Wasted Land Apparel . She's a dye artist/designer, a brilliant mind, a lover of books and music, and she's my guest for Episode No. 118. Meeting Kathryn was a treat and sitting down with her to talk family, upbringing, and her passions was both enlightening and entertaining. A...

Mark Verbeck is a son, a brother, a husband, and a father. He's also a classically trained musician. He's one-half of Scotch Hollow, and he's my guest for Episode No. 117. Mark and I talked about that band life, how music's taken him from central PA to Nashville to Chicago, and finally to KC. We talked about gigging, recording, and how parenthood challenges each of those things. We also talked a l...

Chris Kinsley joined me for Episode #116, and our coming together for this conversation resulted via collaboration with Chris's band, Arson Class, Sid Sowder's toomuchrock.com , and myself. Sid's Too Much Rock project has a number of intriguing aspects to it, i.e. concert reviews, stills, and footage. It also has a weekly podcast that is rapidly approaching the 700-episode mark. More pertinent to...