The RHYTHM Pyro Podcast

This week is special.  We're celebrating our 50th episode...and we get to do so with an extremely talented hobbyist show designer.  Travis Kramer is (fairly new) show designer out of Kansas City, MO.  He's a member of KCAP, he's the design mind behind KCAPs 2024 Spirit of 76 win at the annual Missouri Showdown, AND he's an outstandingly genuine & selfless human being.     Travis, AJ, Jamie, an...

We've all been there.  You can't always get what you want.  Sometimes it happens early in the design process and you have time to work through a substitution, and sometimes it happens when product shows up and you've got the cases open (surprise!).  Either way, knowing how to approach handling changes is important.   AJ, Jamie, and Bo reminisce on some of their personal experiences where they had...

From the potentially serious to the not so serious, "disasters" come in all shapes and sizes and they can result in horrible shows and overall bad pyro experiences. What matters (more than anything, we'd argue) is our ability to process experiences and create plans of action to ensure we're constantly learning and making adjustments to our processes to ensure we're always progressing.   Support th...

Marcus Berger is the general manager of Fireworks Forever in St. Croix Falls, WI. servicing the 1.4 and 1.4 pro markets.     AJ, Jamie, and Bo rap with Marcus on the evolution of the 1.4 customer, Fireworks Forever's new website, The in-house EPIC brand, his generous contributions that have helped to enable the consumer and hobbyist designers throughout the space, and the future of 1.4 pro.   Supp...

Thunder Over Louisville is one of the "must see" shows in the United States.  It's also a perfect example of the caliber of pyro show (in setting, layout, and design) that exists somewhere between the traditional shell show and the full-fledged competition grade pyromusical.   AJ and Bo are competition hobbyist pyromusical show designers, and in this episode they share their thoughts and opinions...

Firing systems are the tools we rely on to bring out pyro shows into the world, and like TOOLS in a toolbox, each manufacturer has their own unique and innovative outlook on how to make the job more efficient to help us bring our designs to life.   In this episode, Don Kark & Neil Larson from Simplifire walk Jamie, Bo, and AJ through the Mongoose Firing System.   Support the Sh*t Show!!   ❤Joi...

1.4G PRO comes under new restrictions issued by the Missouri State Fire Marshal for the 2024 season and beyond.  Peter Rogoz from Spirit of 76 calls in with and update.   Jamie's @ COBRA-CON, Bo and AJ hold down the fort covering the hot button news topic in the 1.4 Pro world.     This episode is sponsored by Pyroland Fireworks! Support the Sh*t Show!  Join us on Patreon,  buy some Merch !

In choreographed fireworks shows, 1.4 Pro Lines (UN0431 & UN0336 for professional use only) offer designers from all walks of the hobby or profession greater control over their display compositions. In this episode, Jamie, AJ, and Bo delve into their experiences with 1.4 pro lines and discuss the creative evolution of lines and products over time.   This episode is sponsored by PYROLAND !  Som...

If you've got hundreds of feet of frontage, getting creative and "exploring the space" doesn't carry as much of a burden as it does when you're confined to one (or a few) very tightly packed positions in an effort to keep your show within it's desired footprint.   In this episode, Jamie, AJ, and Bo dive into a tight spot and explore the mindsets and workflows of a designer trying to make the most...

Capturing video of your firework shows can seem like a daunting task, or even worse, an afterthought. As show designers, our attention is often consumed by every aspect of getting the show off the ground, leaving us with a sense of regret when the event passes and all we have to encapsulate the experience are poorly or failed video captures.  Zach Huibregtse is a show designer and media profession...

In this episode of CAKE TALK; AJ, Jamie, and Bo discuss three solid pyromusical worthy cake choices (UN0336 or UN0431).   YouTube Playlist <-Follow along with the cakes in this episode   Support the Podcast! Buy some merch !    

You need mortar racks to shoot fireworks...Jim "Goofy Darts" Gifford from Pro Pyro Racks has been a long time provider of consumer and display racks for the pyro market since 2014.   Pro Pyro Racks   RHYTHM Merch <-Support the Sh*t Show

AJ, Jamie, and Bo dive DEEP into the artistic concepts of creating fireworks choreography. In this episode, they try to unravel the mystery behind choosing fireworks effects that perfectly complement the emotional nuances of a display's music and flow.   Merch <-support the sh*t show   #Fireworks, #Pyrotechnics, #SkyShow, #FireworkDisplay, #BoomTime, #pyro, #pyromusical, #The RHYTHM Pyro Podcas...

Michael Karr's new to pyro.  He's a content creator on a mission to educate new fireworks users and enthusiasts just like him.  He has experiences, he learns lessons, and he shares.   AJ, Jamie, and Bo dive into the mind of The Novice Pyro and explore the challenges new pyros face in 2024   The Novice Pyro   RHYTHM Merch <- Support the podcast! RHYTHM Socials & Links    

Choreographed pyromusicals are like a recipe (to make a culinary comparison)...too little or too much of an ingredient can find the final cuisine lacking in flavor or chalked so full of ingredients that your taste buds get overwhelmed.   In this episode, AJ, Jamie, and Bo explore the side of the choreographed fireworks that (literally) bursts at the seams and raises the question...is there such a...

Ellery Ho (Tong Po) is a hobbyist pyromusical designing madman, and that's meant in the most endearing of ways.  He's put up shows at loads of community and industry events throughout the US.  His design workflow and simplistic approach to choreographed displays is a constant reminder that putting up stellar musicals doesn't require loads of critical product analysis and expensive visual simulatio...

Inspiration has a funny way of finding a pyro.  The artists inside us are always in pursuit of it.  At times, finding it can come as easily as drawing breath, and other times our inability to accept it can choke us.  Sometimes it creeps up on us to take us by surprise...and other times it's hidden in plain sight though the parts of our lives we experience every day.  Whichever form inspiration pre...

AJ, Jamie, and Bo pour some drinks, get silly, and reminisce as they look back on the inaugural year of the RHYTHM Pyro Podcast. Our first year has been a blessing. Your friendship, patronage, time, and opinions have enriched our journey. We hold a special fondness for fireworks—they brought us together and continue to serve as the thread that weaves the shared experiences within our personal live...

AJ, Jamie, Bo, and special guest Nate the pyromusical meat-man step into the firing line this week as the women that stand behind them (Amber, Stephanie, Katie, and Vannah) take center stage to speak the truth about their feelings for the guys' pyro hobbies and its impact on their lives. The fireworks season has a profound effect on the die-hard hobbyist.    It’s a roller coaster of energy and emo...

1.4G (whether UN0331 consumer or UN0331 For Professional Use Only) multi-shot fireworks cakes can be great product to lean on for variety and effect variation in your pyromusicals.  This episode is the first in the CAKE TALK series where Bo, AJ, and Jamie share what 1.4G cakes they love using in their pyromusicals....and why!  *Learn how to spot the unique characteristics of the products and how t...

Before the fancy pants pyros showed up with their buttons, batteries, and little blinking lights, pyros used fusee's, coordinated team effort, and sheer will alone to put stellar shows up.  In this episode long-time Thump Junkie, Illinois resident ,and lead shooter Doug Moser raps with the guys about the art and creativity behind hand-fired shows and how they've evolved into the hybrid electronic/...

In 2022, Ohio (finally) granted legal permission to consumers to discharge 1.4G consumer fireworks during specific holidays within the sate, however this legalization comes with an imposing storage limit of 125lbs of total pyrotechnic composition materials at any one time. In this episode, Bo, AJ, and Jamie get real with Andre LeBlanc and Jim Sakaley from Phoenix Pyrotechnics in Northeast Ohio. Bo...

COBRA Zach once ordered a steak at a restaurant, that steak obeyed every command it was given...   COBRA Firing Systems places the utmost priority on service to their customer base.  Zach Gilbert; head of COBRA's customer service and customer experience dept. is the human embodiment of that effort.   Zach and the guys talk the future of the firing system, loads of different things to look out for...

All aboard the short bus ladies...we're going to fireball school...Bo and Alfredo Pasta boi get a crash course on fireballs courtesy of Jamie and guest host and dear RHYTHM friend Chad Leinart.  Technical difficulties run rampant.  Who'd have thought talking fireballs could be so phallic?  COBRA lives up to their best-in-class customer service reputation with a press release providing transparency...

What do narrow shoot sites, wide shoot sites, smoky shoot sites, floating shoot sites, wheels, sporting events, talking DMX lights, Defqon.1, parade floats, and Rammstein all have in common??  They all make extraordinary firework show experiences. Bo, AJ, and Jamie recount some of their most unique pyro show experiences to date.