The What Podcast

On this episode of  The What Podcast , hosts Brad, Barry, and Lord Taco take a break from Roo news to dive into Merlefest, one of the oldest, biggest, and coolest family-friendly festivals on the circuit. The crew is joined by Merlefest’s Artist Relations Manager Lindsay Craven, who chats with them about how the festival has grown to become a favorite of family audiences and artists alike. They al...

In this very special episode of The What Podcast , hosts Brad, Barry, and Lord Taco chat with songwriter Noah Kahan about Bonnaroo, but also how mental health influences his art. Kahan also touches on putting Vermont and New England into his songs, the music of Paul Simon and Cat Stevens, and how deeply personal art can universally translate. Of course, The What Podcast crew also asks for any snea...

While Brad is away celebrating Mardi Gras in New Orleans, Barry and Lord Taco get an exclusive first look Moon River Festival’s 2023 lineup on this week’s episode of The What Podcast . A two-day event going down in Chattanooga, Tennessee, there’s a lot about this year’s Moon River that excites the The What Podcast crew. With Caamp and Hozier topping out the stacked lineup, Barry and Lord Taco find...

This week on  The What Podcast , the crew celebrate Mardi Gras with Zack Feinberg of The Revivalists, the first band ever interviewed on the podcast. Feinberg talks about the music scene in New Orleans, bringing “big dad energy,” and The Revivalists’ latest singe, “Kid.” Of course,  The What Podcast  hosts also try and mine details about the band’s upcoming appearance at Bonnaroo. Listen to Zack F...

For the latest High Five Clip , The What Podcast throws it back to 2021, the year of the Bonnaroo that wasn’t. The crew was joined by Sylvan Esso, who were slated to host that year’s SuperJam before… you know. In this clip from last year, Sylvan Esso’s Amelia Meath and Nick Sanborn share what they had planned for SuperJam and detail learning about the festival’s cancellation. The duo is back for B...

Devon Gilfilian was booked for the 2021 Bonnaroo Festival and talked with Brad and Barry n May of that year. He is on the 2023 lineup. Listen to Devon talk about finding his love for a variety of music from his wedding singer dad during this High Five Clip from that 2021 interview. We also discuss the New Orleans Jazz Fest lineup and announce our Bonnaroo 2023 ticket giveaway. You can check out ou...

Amid a wild week of festival announcements, one lineup unsurprisingly reigned supreme for The What Podcast crew — Bonnaroo 2023. During a special live episode of The What Podcast, Brad, Barry and Lord Taco were joined by Bryan Benson, a lead booker with Live Nation, for a deep dive into this year’s Roo lineup. Benson helps break down the curation of such a lineup, offers news about what 2023’s Sup...

Lineup day is the best day of the year for music festival fans — and that definitely holds true for The What Podcast crew now that the Bonnaroo 2023 lineup has arrived! Brad, Barry, and Lord Taco got an early look at the Bonnaroo bill, which features top tier talent like Foo Fighters, Kendrick Lamar, Odesza, Paramore, My Morning Jacket, Pixies, Lil Nas X, Fleet Foxes, and… Korn?! First impressions...

Happy New Year from The What Podcast ! We’re just a few days away from Bonnaroo revealing their 2023 lineup, but before we officially dive into the new festival season, Brad, Barry, and Lord Taco are catching up with one of their favorite bands: *repeat repeat. The Nashville band’s Jared Corder and Kristyn Corder join The What crew to discuss their terrific new album, Everyone Stop. They talk abou...

In this High Five Clip , Brad and Barry from The What Podcast speak with Ali Hedrick and John Bongiorno of Arrival Artists. The insiders give our hosts some insight into what goes into being a booking agent for bands. They reveal their process of how they try to develop artists from being able to fill a 200-seat club to headlining Bonnaroo. Listen to what happens on today’s High Five Clip, and the...

Part of any good holiday season tradition is the making of a wishlist. Usually it’s for what gifts Santa (read: your relatives) can get you, but on this episode of The What Podcast , Brad, Barry, and Lord Taco get together and lay out their wishlists of what acts they hope to see on The Farm at Bonnaroo 2023. Barry’s picks should surprise no one (My Morning Jacket are perennial favorites!), while...

Ken Weinstein, co-founder of Big Hassle Media, has been handling publicity for Bonnaroo since the very beginning of the festival in 2001. But he’s not just a part of the team - he’s a super fan of the event. Weinstein joined Brad, Barry, and Lord Taco on The Farm back in 2019, and again called in to the show in 2020. In this High Five Clip , the longtime publicist explains why being on the Bonnaro...

How do bands get booked at major festivals like Bonnaroo? Brad, Barry, and Lord Taco traveled to Knoxville in 2020 to talk to the guys that actually put together the lineups to find out. In this High Five Clip from The What Podcast , hear AC Entertainment’s Lead Booker Bryan Benson and Vice-President of Booking Stephen Greene discuss how Roo comes together. They also discuss what happens when they...

Listeners of last week’s The What Podcast found out that big changes are coming to the way you select and purchase your Bonnaroo tickets and camping options for next year. Today, the hosts aim to add further clarity to all of the adjustments. As promised, C3 Presents’ Project Manager of US Festivals Brad Parker and Marketing Director Cory Smith are back to answer listener-submitted questions about...

Big changes are coming to the way you select and purchase your Bonnaroo tickets and camping options next year. In this episode of The What Podcast , we have all the details you need to know. C3 Presents’ Project Manager of US Festivals Brad Parker and Marketing Director Cory Smith sit down with us and explain the new “uncoupled” ticket buying options Bonnaroo fans will have for 2023. Do you want t...

Brad and Barry introduce this week's High Five Clip , part 2 of their interview with Paul Janeway from 2018. In this excerpt, Paul talks about how St. Paul and The Broken Bones was propelled a higher level of fame following an electrifying performance on David Letterman. It's a great story about how one show or one moment can change everything for a band. Listen to the original interview h...

Paul Janeway of St. Paul and The Broken Bones has a special place in The What Podcast lore. His interview with Brad and Barry was so good, they made two episodes out of it back in 2018. During the conversation, he told one of the funniest Bonnaroo stories ever about his early experience on The Farm -- back when he was attending as a volunteer and not a performer. Find out what happened on today&#3...

The gang of The What Podcast interview tons of musicians, but the meetings don't always go as planned. Such the case when they chatted with Bishop Briggs at Bonnaroo 2019. In this week's High Five Clip , Brad and Barry recall meeting with Briggs at her Roo trailer. Things were going great, until Brad made a fool of himself by trying to open a bottle of Topo Chico. A few frat boy mishaps la...

The What Podcast is back with new thoughts on the 2023 festival landscape, and a brand new segment. Building off last week's throwback interview with Ashley Capps, Brad, Barry, and Lord Taco are introducing High Five Clips , a segment that takes a five-minute or less look back at past shows and interviews. This week, they pull a clip from their 2020 conversation with Bobby and Sophie of C3 Pre...

This week's The What Podcast is a special bonus episode revisiting an interview with the co-founder of Bonnaroo himself, Ashley Capps. In this High Five Clip , Brad and Barry share two short clips from their 2018 interview with Capps. The three discuss the festival's impact on live music and of course, the Paul McCartney show in 2013. You can also revisit the complete interview here . Don’...

Brad is back on The What Podcast and joins Barry and Lord Taco to talk about his new best friend, Bill Murray, and he hints at some Bonnaroo lineup rumors. Plus, Barry and Lord Taco share their recent interview with Wild Rivers. Listen now or watch the full episode via Youtube . Then make sure to like, review, and subscribe to The What Podcast wherever you get your podcasts. ______ CHAPTERS (00:00...

Barry and Lord Taco spent some time with the folks who turned a rainy Moon River Sunday into a memorable impromptu concert at a Chattanooga concert venue. It's a case study in timing, luck, thinking outside of the box and building relationships. In about two hours, organizers were able to move a half dozen artists and 3,000 fans to a city-owned venue. And, the staff showed up to make popcorn,...

Barry and Lord Taco attended the Moon River Festival along with Bryan Stone in Chattanooga this past weekend. Sunday could have been a disaster when heavy rain and lightning forced the event to end early and evacuate the park, but the organizers pivoted and were able to offer attendees an amazing indoor concert at a nearby venue at the last minute. This is a great festival success story in light o...

The What Podcast is back -- and it comes with demands for Bonnaroo 2023! After taking a few weeks off after this year's Bonnaroo, Brad, Barry, and Lord Taco are back and ready to look forward to next year's event. Brad has some booking must-haves on his list, including Rage Against the Machine (after seeing their recent Madison Square Garden run), The Wild Hearts (Sharon Van Etten, Angel O...

The What Podcast wraps up their three-part interview series from Bonnaroo 2022 with The Backseat Lovers. The Utah indie outfit joined Barry and Lord Taco immediately following their This Tent set on Saturday. Though their set had been delayed because of technical difficulties, The Backseat Lovers hit the stage with a fury and easily won the crowd over. The quartet talk about what it's like whe...