Badass Records

What is there that I could possibly say about this human being? It's a lengthy list, actually, and I know how we're all doing with attention spans these days. And that's fine. I know that -- if you care -- you'll read it, and if you don't, you won't. No big deal. I don't, um, mean to shun any of the previous guests of Badass Records Podcast , because they've all been super-fantastic. They really h...

Ethan Brown means so many things to both me and the world. Besides the titles of son, brother, father, husband, friend, bartender, boss, and expert, he has earned the right to be called kind, thoughtful, clever, witty, warm, and a bucketful of other things, too. He’s the portal to what’s hip. He’s a vehicle for what’s hilarious. He’s the embodiment of passionate when it comes to the things he love...

Adam Boyd joined the Badass Records Podcast for episode #13, and what a treat it was to have him. We go back some 15ish years to the good, old service industry, a time in which we'd occasionally agree to disagree on this, that, or the other. These alleged debates were -- in my experience -- almost always light-hearted, in the spirit of quality conversation, and often over a post-shift cold one. Ad...

Nick Leckey is a son, a brother, a husband, and a father. He's a lot of other things, i.e. a token work-place professional, both president and a member of the KC Incognito Vacay Association (K.I.V.A.), and you know what else he is? He's a goddamn Super Bowl champion (New Orleans Saints, 2010). My guest for episode #12 of Badass Records has a lot of great qualities about him, but my favorite is per...

I had the pleasure of hosting Ian Gordy for episode 11, and when I say pleasure, I mean it was a true joy and a privilege to be gifted his time to talk music, which is really what this thing is all about. Sometimes -- across this pandemic -- I've heard folks say things like, People need people, or, We need each other. Hell, my old man was saying that 25 and 30 years ago. It's a strange thing to co...

Jason Gerken is one of my favorite human beings on the planet and I barely even know him. As I was telling the guest from Episode #9, it feels like every episode I do is my new favorite conversation, and this one was no different. It takes a lot of courage to say yes to doing an interview about your life and your music and it takes even more to show up and see it through. I can't exactly say why,...

Jason Proffitt is a father, a retired beer-league goaltender, and one of the coolest cats you'll ever meet. Even when he's angry at you for playing shitty defense in front of his net. In this week's episode of Badass Records , Jason and I dissected musical snobbery, chatted about good, great, and goofy people, dipped our toes in the Frank Zappa and Jenny Lewis waters, and talked about a few pivota...

There's no way in the human world to compile a collection of words that will do justice to who Matt "Bus" Barr is, and -- even though I'm gonna try -- one could only attempt to grasp what a phenomenal person he is after knowing him for almost 30 years. He is, nevertheless, a son, brother, a father to three, and perhaps above all an artist. Bus has had a really fascinating musical journey and turne...

Britt Whitehead is a son, a kid brother, and a father of two. He's one of the smartest dudes you'll ever meet, so if you need a guy like that on your payroll, you should hire him. And while you ponder that, you might also chew on the idea of giving him a pile of U.S. currency to restore that favorite piece of furniture you've always been wanting redone. Anyhoo, let's not overlook the idea that Bri...

Matt Graunke is a brother and a son and an uncle and a cat lover. He's also been one of my best friends for nearly 40 years, and in this installment of Badass Records , we talked about life in Lawrence, KS, relationships with our homeboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Beastie Boys. Although we didn't do Licensed to Ill half of the justice it deserves, it was a fantastic hang, nonetheless. Funny...

Erik Hess is a husband, a father of three, a note-taker, and a collector of music, memorabilia, stats, jewelry, and hair-care products. In Episode 5 of Badass Records , we not only talked about what an oddball Russell Wilson is and how much his new team overpaid for him, but we also talked about the distinct possibility that the band 311, the comedian Carrot Top, and retired NFL quarterback Jay Cu...

Tanya Sieber is a mother of two, an entrepreneur, and a vessel through which music is manifested and shared. She has sailed many musical seas, including being baptized by Pink Floyd's The Wall at age eight, playing bass guitar in a band in her college years, to today, in which she finds her singer/songwriter self frequenting the recording studio and releasing original tracks out into the ether. Or...

Elwyn M. Grimes, Jr. is not a private detective for hire. Not yet, anyway. He is, however, a husband, a father of three, and a sweetheart. Before he became any of those things, though, he was a son. In Episode 3 of Badass Records , we talk rap, hip-hop, R&B, grunge, and more. We got a few things wrong in our De La/Tribe discussion, but we didn't sit down together to have a perfect conversation...

Josh "Jett Pakk" George is a father of three, a skater at heart, and a retired muthafuckin' hustla'. In Episode #2 of Badass Records , we wax nostalgic about Led Zeppelin and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band , but not for long, as those relics remain but a dusty launchpad into the world of hip-hop, breakdancing, and rap. Today's guest initially tabbed ATLiens by Outkast, but did so with a cav...

Jason Fisher is a father, a writer, and the proprietor of Armadillo Storage Company in Durango, CO. He roots for the Denver Nuggets and the Boston Red Sox, but really finds pleasure in supporting the Denver Broncos Football Club, and that last part is a painful phrase to type. Jason once held the esteemed position of Editor-in-Chief for Fort Lewis College’s The Independent newspaper, and still mak...