Badass Records

Mark Manning is a son, a brother, a partner, and -- based on the chunk of an evening I spent with him for Episode No. 110 -- one heck of a fine human being.

He's also the host of the Wednesday MidDay Medley on KKFI, 90.1 FM here in Kansas City, so please consider tuning in to his progrum.

This came up in our conversation and bears repeating here: Mark gets it. He understands what good content should sound and feel like, and he's a fantastic conversationalist, so -- even though this particular chat ran a little long -- it was worth every minute.

What, you might be asking, could Mark and I have talked about for over three hours?

Well, let's see...

We dove into community radio. We spent some time talking gardening. We looked at potatoes, KCK, LGBTQIA, McDonald's, Mark Kelpe, Iris DeMent, pouring concrete, Greek and dorm life, David Bowie, Little Richard, theater, and hate crimes.

And I'd be remiss if I didn't mention a few of Mark's favorite albums, which were these:

Blue (1971), Joni Mitchell

Bowie's Hunky Dory (1971)

Moon Shadow (1972), LaBelle

Prince & the Revolution's Parade (1986)

It's unclear to me why you're still here reading this when you could be listening to our conversation, but...to each his/her own.

Either way, thank you.

copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the audio samples contained within this episode. They are clips from a tune called, "Halfway to the Moon," and that track is by Phish, the greatest band in American music history. And that cut comes from a badass (haters be damned) record from 2014, called Fuego (c/o 2014 Phish).

It's Episode #109 and -- as is often the case -- I'm very excited to have a return guest join me for a conversation.

Not only was this time no exception, this time was a visit I was really thrilled about, in that it was MABkc back to chew the fat with me about his new release, 90's Baby.

If you missed the first go-'round with MAB, please consider checking out Episode #49, and if you like(d) what you saw/heard there, please use MABkc as your search on your audio platform of choice to check out any (or all) of his previous releases. There are EP options, LP choices, and singles to buy/download/stream. And if you're in the market for some studio time for your own project, visit industrysoundz.com. While you're there, you can purchase your own time package or some beats or even some merch'. And while perusing your studio-time package, make sure to check out the array of talented engineers available to assist.

90's Baby, though, is a must-listen. It's nine tracks, 25 minutes, full of good stuff, and it just dropped in late January.

Catching up with MABkc was a delight, and I'm always stoked to try and support local artists and their projects in any way possible.

copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the audio samples contained within this episode. They are clips from a tune called, "Young Men Dead," by The Black Angels, which appears on their 2006 release, Passover (c/o Light in the Attic Records).

Brad Smith stopped by to record Episode No. 108 with me, and it was an absolute treat to meet/get to know him.

I'm excited for you to get to know him a bit, too, but before you dive in to our lovely conversation, please know that you can catch his band, Eggs on Mars, tomorrow (Friday, March 8th, 2024) at Hillsiders in KCK.

That's in Strawberry Hill, specifically at 403 N. 5th Street.

And if you can't catch them there, be sure to follow them on Instagram so that you can keep tabs on their goings-on, i.e. their mini regional tour in April, which features gigs in both Oklahoma and Missouri.

Anyway, apart from being the Eggs' frontman, Brad's also a baller (see: Pleasant Hill Roosters High School boys basketball record books), and a heckuva nice guy.

Brad and I talked family, friends, gigging and recording, live performances, and -- of course -- a few of Brad's favorite records, which were these:

Friends (1968), The Beach Boys

The Band's self-titled album (1969)

After the Gold Rush (1970), Neil Young

Emitt Rhodes' self-titled album (1970)

Overgrown Path (2012), Chris Cohen

In addition to the good, ol' IG, Eggs on Mars has a bandcamp page, which I encourage you to visit, so that you can check out awesome releases like last year's Warm Breakfast.

So, get your buns on over to Hillsiders tomorrow, check out our chat, and -- as always -- thank you for stopping by.

copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the audio snippets contained in this episode. They are clips from a song called, "The Wind," by Babe Rainbow off of their 2021 release, Changing Colors (c/o Babe Rainbow/Eureka Music).

Thirty episodes ago, that week's guest discussed with me the notion of this podcast being a one-man weekly endeavor.

"That's a grind, man," he said. "That's a grind."

He was right when he made that comment, and it made me realize that that was a good summation of what the thing had been to that point. And it hasn't changed. It really is a grind to do the outreach and the scheduling, the interviewing and the editing, the prep and the getting the thing to the places it needs to be.

There are five essential components that make it all worthwhile:

1) meeting new people and hearing their stories

2) getting exposed to music I've either never heard of or listened to before

3) having guests tell me that they've enjoyed the interview

4) experiencing real-life, there's-still-good-in-the-world moments with each interaction

5) personal weekly pride in task completion and productivity

So, when I sit in the chair across from a total stranger like DINKC, and I get to learn about him, his family, his culture, his story, his wishes and dreams, and I then get to put it out there for whoever might be interested in sharing that same experience with me, it's worth it. You cannot put a price tag on the opportunity to meet a guy like DINKC. Now, I only sat with him for a couple of hours, and -- who knows -- we may never see one another for the rest of our lives. As DINKC says and lives and is, Death Is Not Knowing Certainty. It doesn't matter, though; my life and my time on this planet are richer for those two hours, and nothing can change that.

So, please check out our conversation. DINKC is a son and a brother and an uncle and a father and a husband and an artist. He's a businessman, a dreamer, a friend to many, and an asset to the Kansas City metro area.

We talked about his upbringing, his culture, his values, his art studio -- DINKC Studios (600 Ohio Ave. in Strawberry Hill), and we also talked a little bit about some of his favorite records, which were these:

Ritchie Valens (1959), Ritchie Valens

Notorious B.I.G.'s Ready to Die (1994)

Barrio Bravo (2001), Celso Piña

You can give DINKC a follow on Instagram here and here, and you can check out Zoe Strohm's The Pitch article on him here.

copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the audio samples featured in this episode. They are clips from a track called, "Slow Jam" by Vieux Farke Touré off of his 2009 album, Fondo (c/o Six Degrees Records).

Pleased as punch to have had Kirstie Lynn join me for Episode No. 106 of Badass Records, and I'm just as excited to have you check out our conversation.

I ran into Kirstie in the ol' downtownage, and -- before I knew it -- we were swapping e-mail messages in order to get this chat on the books.

She's a classically trained opera singer, a songwriter, a musician, a live-music performer, a veteran of the gigging road, and -- if my two hours with her are a good measuring stick -- she's one heck of a fascinating human being. One might even go so far as to say wonderful.

We talked about the east coast, continuing education, opportunities, family and friends, relationships, and so much more. We also took a peek at a few of her favorite records, which were these:

Ladies of the Canyon (1970), Joni Mitchell

Angel Olsen's Halfway Home (2012)

Bury Me at Makeout Creek (2014), Mitski

Big Thief's Masterpiece (2016)

Nothing for Me, Please (2023), Dean Johnson

Please check out Kirstie's array of musical offerings at kirstielynn.com. You can buy, download, or stream her stuff on Amazon Music, Spotify, Tidal, Apple Music, and -- to keep in the know -- you should follow her on Instagram.

Thank you very much, Kirstie Lynn, and thank you, kind listener, for being here.

copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the audio samples contained within this episode. They are clips from a Thievery Corporation tune called, "Tower Seven" from they 2011 release, Culture of Fear (c/o Primary Wave Music).

Sid Sowder! Episode No. 105! Too Much Rock!

Wow! So much coolness.

I was honored to meet and visit with Mr. Sowder, who has been doing his Kansas City music-community thing for a quarter of a century! Insane!

Too Much Rock is his Web site, and I would really appreciate it if you would check it out. Even if just for a moment.

He shoots concerts and curates his footage and images from numerous local live performances. He cranks out a weekly podcast that has been dropping weekly half-hour episodes for more than 12 years. And -- and! -- he produces a vinyl singles series! It's pretty wild.

Sid was kind enough to share a little bit of his time with me, and we chatted life, this passion project of his, and a little bit about a few of his favorite albums. Those were these:

Paranoid (1970), Black Sabbath

Joe Jackson's Look Sharp! (1979)

Entertainment! (1979), Gang of Four

Angry Samoans's Inside My Brain (1980)

The Crew (1984), 7 Seconds

So, check out Too Much Rock. Check out my conversation with Sid. And, I don't wanna be that guy, but...sometimes ya' gotta be that guy: Please support local music.

Thank you.

copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the audio samples contained within this episode. They are clips taken from a Gang Starr track called, "From a Distance (featuring Jeru the Damaja)," from their 2019 record, One of the Best Yet (c/o 2019 TTT/Gang Starr Enterprises, LLC).

Richard Davis is a son, a brother, a husband, a father, a veteran, and a local musician.

He's also a fascinating dude with a fascinating story, and he's my guest for Episode No. 104.

I'm thankful that our paths crossed when they did, and I was able to talk him in to swinging by to sit down for a bit.

We chatted life, growing up, recording music, and of course, a couple of Richard's favorite albums. Those were these:

King Crimson's Discipline (1981)

The Story of the Ghost (1998), Phish

Colonel Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade's Live Frogs, Sets I & II (2001)

Amputechture (2006), The Mars Volta

Khruangbin's Con Todo el Mundo (2018)

It was a pleasure and a joy to visit with Richard, and -- since our conversation -- he put out a new, 40-minute, 10-track release called, G.O.A.T. (Guitar Over Assorted Trash), which you can find here on Apple Music. While you're there, be sure to check out his other full-length release plus his single and pair of EPs. If Spotify's your jam, you can check out some of his stuff there. He's got some stuff on Amazon Music, and probably most places you might think to look, i.e. SoundCloud. Whatever the case may be, please check him out and consider giving him a follow.

If you're still reading, thank you for being here, and thank you for supporting the podcast.

copyright disclaimer: I do not own the audio samples contained within this episode. They are clips from a track called, "What's the Use" by Phish, which I lifted from their 2000 release, The Siket Disc, c/o 1999-2015 Phish.

Fritz Hutchison trekked over on a January snow day and sat with me for two hours to bullshit about music and life, and I gotta tell ya' -- it was one of my favorite conversations in recent memory.

I couldn't put a finger on it until several days after we recorded, but there were a number of reasons why I was -- more so than others -- looking forward to this interview. My son -- perpetually eyeing in some fashion or other my calendar of upcoming guests -- made me giggle a time or two about Fritz's upcoming date. And after an oral-surgeon appointment for both of our kids, my ex-wife helped me connect that dots that I know his dad.

Neither of those mattered, though.

It just turned out to be that Fritz is a charismatic dude with a great sense of humor, a wild world of knowledge in his head, and he's a pretty darn good musician, too, it turns out. It was as if the cosmos was telling me I had a good guest on the books, and Fritz -- even though I managed to just...boorishly butcher his name several times -- did not disappoint.

It's Episode No. 103, and one could follow this episode's guest, were one so inclined. He's on the good ol' Instagrams, and he's got himself a handsome bandcamp page, too.

Anyway, we talked life and family, musicianship and gigging, recording, and loving music. And we may've gone a skosh overboard in our heralding of Deep Purple's "Highway Star," but...what's a guy to do.

During the music-loving portion of our talk, we did pause briefly from shenanigans to mention a few of Fritz's all-time-favorite albums, and those were these:

Milestones (1958), Miles Davis

Deep Purple's Machine Head (1972)

Hammersmith Odeon, London '75 (2006), Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band

Big Thief's Two Hands (2019)

Suffice to say that this was a fun one, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Thank you.

copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the audio clips featured in this episode. They are samples from a track called "Can It All Be So Simple" by El Michels Affair, from his 2012 release, Enter the 37th Chamber, c/o Fat Beats Records.

Delighted to've had the lovely Autumn Hayes join me for Episode No. 102.

Stream her single, "If You Stay" wherever you get your digital music, and be sure to check her out on Facebook and Instagram.

In our conversation we talked about growing up with music, developing relationships with stringed instruments, plus recording and gigging. We also talked about a few of Autumn's favorite records. Those were these:

Moving Pictures (1981), Rush

Peter Gabriel's So (1986)

Journey, Greatest Hits (1988)

Hope you enjoy our chat. Thank you for stopping by.

copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the audio samples contained within this episode. They are snippets from a track called, "Rational Culture" by Tim Maia from his 1975 release, Racional, Vol. 1 (c/o Vitoria Regia Discos Ltda.).

Ethan Brown is one of my favorite human beings on the planet.

He joined me 20 months ago for Episode No. 14 (which you should totally check out), and he's back again for the second installment of Wu-Tang 101, in which we examine the solo work of the Rebel INS.

Yes, indeed. It's Episode No. 101, and we're talking Inspectah Deck.

Under zero pretentiousness and -- in my case -- even less than zero knowledge, we took a peek at the following albums:

Uncontrolled Substance (1999)

The Movement (2003)

The Resident Patient (2006)

Manifesto (2010)

Chamber No. 9 (2019)

And when I say "peek," I mean we paused our chat about life, love, basketball, and The Kansas City Chiefs Football Club to talk for a second about a few hip-hop records.

I, for one, could do this with Ethan all day. He's that awesome.

So, thank you for checking out our conversation. I appreciate you stopping by.

copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the audio samples contained within this episode. They are clips from a Joe Satriani tune called, "Day at the Beach (New Rays from an Ancient Sun)," from his 1989 release, Flying in a Blue Dream (c/o Epic Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment).