Sparkle & Destroy Podcast

Do you have 99 projects and a bitch aint one? This girl does! The all-powerful songwriter/guitarist/reincarnated cat Jen Dot (aka Jennifer Larson aka Imma Dot aka Mystery Teacher of the Year) won my heart when, after our show together in Chicago last April, she gifted me a stack of her various band's many cassettes and a homemade zine. As Jen reminded me, it’s TOTALLY OK to have 99 projects! It’s...

Pork cracklins, giant tenderloin sandwiches, Chicago dogs, Malört, pizza and so much more! Hayley talks to her sister in Berlin about all the fatty stuff she ate, the weird stuff that happened from city to city and the mini donkeys she petted on her Spring 2019 Midwest Tour. Hayley and the Crushers are on Tour now: July 6 - Santa Maria CA July 26- Portland, OR July 27 - Seattle, WA Oct. 24 - St. L...

Jeff Tapia (of the Seattle bands Rat Queen and Razor Clam) is still thinking about high school, and that's OK. So are we! What's cool, what's SO not and who is snickering behind our backs (or is that just paranoia?)...the pressures of the ladies locker room never really goes away. Today, we talk about finding an authentic and real sense of belonging in DIY music, dealing with anxiety and depressio...

This furry, funky episode sponsored by STEPCATS PRODUCTIONS, filmed in front of a live audience in beautiful San Luis Obispo, CA! Danielle Bagnall is an artist, librarian, land mermaid, Tiki enthusiast, and green go-getter. She is also the pink-bearded MerCrusher you've come to know and love in Hayley and the Crushers' Blue and Green video! If you thumbs down that video, we will come for you. : )...

Internet bestie Andie Aronow of Women That Rock and her partner in crime (and life) Caitlin Montclare of the band MONTE talk about MONTE’s new album "Bad Sick Love," Christina vs. Britney, and how to find your tribe, online or otherwise. Caitlin is a jane-of-all-trades guitarist, singer, arranger, and bassist and Andie is a wizard of marketing, networking, event planning, and cheerleading (I mean...

Fatty Cakes and the Puff Pastries are good for the ears, the eyes, the heart and the belly! How do I know this? Well, Alice Bag told me on Episode 17! She actually produced the high-calorie group’s new self-titled album, which you an pre-order now from Emotional Response Records (out Nov. 9)! I also know this because I have gobbled up the Fresno Grrrl Gang’s entire catalog like a hot pack of pink...

Today, I discuss the “Show me Your Boobs” incident that happened during my tour in Colorado this past July. Huge thanks to to Rachel Hutcheson and Travis Rosen for sharing the 8/12/18 episode of their political podcast Irreverent Testimony, and for amplifying the voices of women everywhere. The response I got to this blog post shows that there is no story too small. You can read the blog post that...

Part 1 of my 2 part adventure at Girls Rock Camp Santa Barbara! Enjoy this conversation with Girls Rock Camp Santa Barbara staff member and musician Chloe Danger, who is full of wise words and wry wit. She started off as a camper at the Girls Rock Camp at 16 and has gone on to ensure no girl is ever left behind when it comes to rock n roll! This episode features Chloe Danger's fierce songs “Suzie...

In this lo fi 2015 chat with Eddie Izzard, the comedian and self-proclaimed “action transvestite” talks with Hayley about mining the patterns of history for great laughs (and food for thought), the fate of democracy, and the difference between being hated for your political activism vs ignored for your creative output. Disclaimer: This interview was recorded in Hayley's car during her lunch break....

Episode 18: Do U Remember Rock n Roll Radio? Listen as Hayley Crusher Cain tries not to cuss while being interviewed LIVE on local Central Coast, CA radio! Thanks to The Rock 97.3/107.9 FM for having Yours Truly on the air to ramble about early influences, my old childhood guitar, and lots of random junk you may find interesting! An extra special thanks to The Rock DJ Abe Perlstein for so gracious...

Alicia "Alice" Armendariz (a.k.a. Bag) is more than the riotous vocalist you know from seminal late 70s LA punk band, The Bags. Yes, she is known for igniting a fierce femme fire the LA/Hollywood punk scene back in the day, but that was only the seed of what she was planting. Now, she’s nearing 60, with brazen blue hair and a bold new album. She’s still punk, still pissed, and still giving back to...

Connect the Dots with Rachel Ratner of Seattle band Wimps! (PS: Her new album Garbage People drops July 13 and she's embarking on a national tour to celebrate)! She’s a musician, songwriter, vocalist, ten year veteran of KEXP and a web developer, to boot. She’s also the creator of the Seattle Band Map, which is why I call her “a true DIY punk rock connector!” The open-source Seatle Band Map connec...

Today, I talk busking in Berlin with my German correspondent and big sister Shakrah Yves! Busking is scary and strange and vulnerable and exciting, but it’s even crazier in a different country. Basically, busking is when you play for random people on the street, and it comes with all the joys and pitfalls you might expect. However, Berlin has its own crazy culture of street busking that's about as...

Be a Unicorn in Your Field w/ Sound Engineer Emma Staake of Seattle, WA! There's plenty of "sound guys" out there in the world, but Emma is not one of them. I met Emma a gig in Seattle this past April (she was the "sound gal" for the show, and she did a smashing job at it, too). With the mantra to "be relentlessly herself," she has already made waves in her local Seattle music scene, both as a mus...

Episode 13: Hayvis and Mutthead take on MTV On this episode of Sparkle and Destroy, “Hayvis and Mutthead”—yes, Hayley Crusher Cain and May Black of the band Mutt—talk down and dirty DIY vids. Because music videos aren’t just for 80s hair metal bands or early 2000s mega pop stars (The Thong Song, anyone?)…That’s right. Even YOU can make your own music video with a little elbow grease and a whole lo...

Episode 12: Making Internet Magic w/ L.A.'s Wombyin! We are more than the sum of our Likes. We are Wombyin. A powerful pow wow with the two web goddesses behind online feminist arts collective Wombyin, Dina Lockridge and Jessie Covets. Recorded on International Women’s Day 2018 for maximum goddess energy. The internet can be such a sketchy place. But how can we work together to make the internet m...

Podcast 11: Ask for What you Want A few tips for thriving in the DIY art world, whether you’re a rock star or not! This one's a little self-helpy, but in a good way. : ) 1) Ask for what you want first. 2) If you don’t get it, don’t freak out. 3) Give yourself what you want, because you totally can (Little known secret!). 4) Keep doing what you do. Revel in the pure joy of creation! 5) Reach out to...

Episode 10: Behind the Music - No Threat Level Red Continuing Hayley’s Behind the Music series! Happy New Year! Today we're taking a peep behind the screen and showcasing a new unfinished rock n roll song by Hayley and the Crushers for their new album COOL LAME. Plus why Dr. Cain took a million years to like the Ramones, what Hayley is scared of, trarantulas having sex, shark babies, dead rats (an...

KABOOM! Get under your desks, kids. Welcome to my second Behind the Music episode featuring an unreleased track off Hayley and the Crushers’ upcoming album Cool Lame. You’ll also hear a rare discussion with Dr. Cain about our nontraditional collaboration process on the love song “Before the Blitz.” Spoiler: It’s about the end of the world! The apocolypse feels real this week. Thousands have been e...

Introducing a new series: "Behind the Music" features behind-the-scenes stories about Hayley and the Crushers' forthcoming album COOL LAME! Remember when the teacher would tell you, “Show your work?” Did you do it? Why or why not? It can be hard to share all the messy, complicated, and sometimes embarassing behind-the-scenes stuff that goes into recording a new album. Often, we want to show off th...

Women are so often discouraged from being the leading characters of their own books and their own lives. From fairytales filled with evil witches and brainless princesses needing saving to being left out of history altogether, it is evident that we need to share our own stories boldly and without apology. In this special episode (read: RANT), Hayley rips apart a recent writer's workshop that inclu...

Episode 6: How to Leap (and land on your feet) Alternate title: How the Worst of David Bowie can teach us the best about ourselves! recorded in Berlin, Germany Featuring my big sister, Shakrah Yves, who recently went from working as a seamstress at Beach Blanket Babylon in San Francisco to a burgeoning computer coder in Berlin. To say I am proud would be a massive understatement. I am changed by H...

Episode 5: Transition to Truth Transition is hard for everyone. It is the necessary evil that takes us from who we are to who we're becoming. My friend Jordie Lynn Washburn understands this painful, uncomfortable, yet fulfilling leap of faith better than most. Her recent transition from the man the world knew her as to the woman who she was always meant to be was not easy or glamorous. However, on...

Join the Kerfuffle! Today’s guest: Wine Darci! Wine Darci doesn’t know when to stop. Wine Darci DGAF. Hayley and her “darling” neighbor Darci Hafley vent about the silencing of feminism online and otherwise. We talk online etiquette (extended sigh) and Hayley drops a few Feminist “Pussy Proclamations” and inalienable rights. Also, quit dumping on Millennials, people. Just because they don’t have “...

What’s that noise?! Oh, it’s just the guttural moan of May Black, nasty, defiant front woman and guitarist for Oakland modern grunge rock band MUTT. Today, we talk about our favorite signs at the Women’s March (you can’t comb over injustice), the deal with white wine and flip flops, how to rise above pretentious guitar shop bros, and how to trust your gut when it comes to finding your sound, buyin...