Badass Records

Reaching this milestone shouldn't go unmentioned and so it shan't; I'm pretty gosh-darn jazzed.

The year it took to get this thing alive and breathing felt like two, and the two years of recording episodes I'm closing in on have flashed.

And I'm embarrassingly proud of the whole thing.

I've had upset and disappointment, frustration and humiliation. I've laughed and smiled more than I knew was imaginable, had more than a couple late nights trying to meet self-imposed deadlines, met a bunch of really cool people, and learned a ton of neat things while listening to a bananas amount of music.

So, thank you to all of you that have helped and supported me, been guests on episodes, offered feedback and compliments, liked, subscribed, streamed, downloaded, and shared. I truly appreciate you.

Jessica Johnson hopped in the chair for this particular century mark, and I had some good fun with her. She's a daughter and an aunt, a friend to many, and has been called everything from "Mom/Mama" to "The Cruise Director." And I'm proud to call her my sister.

We peeked at Jess's journey from childhood to today, giggled at her being a true shot caller, and paused for a moment to chat about a few of her favorite records. Those were these:

Tech N9ne's The Calm Before the Storm (1999)

2001 (1999), Dr. Dre

Passion Pit's Manners (2009)

Midnights (2022), Taylor Swift

Thank you for stopping by. Hope you enjoy the 100th episode of Badass Records.

copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the audio samples contained in this episode. They are clips from a Phish tune called, "David Bowie" from their 1989 album, Junta (c/o Phish Inc.).

Mike Garry is a son, a brother, a dad, a businessman, a podcaster, a friend to many, and he's my guest for The Wayne Gretzky Episode, a.k.a., #99.

Mike and I connected via a pair of mutuals, and sitting down to chat with him about his journey was a pleasure and a treat.

We talked about The Kansas City Chiefs Football Club, microdosing, life, family, and his adventures with the Let Freedom Trip podcast.

And of course we talked about music, which included a few of Mike's favorite records:

Harvest (1972), Neil Young

Pearl Jam's Vs (1993)

The Bends (1995), Radiohead

Wilco's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2002)

As part of the Neil Young portion of our conversation, I need to add a few notes:

1) Tim Drummond plays bass on that record.

2) Harvest has features by James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt, David Crosby, Stephen Stills, Graham Nash, and The London Symphony Orchestra!

3) The Neil Young/Lynyrd Skynyrd thing is nicely summed up here.

So, that's that. Please check out our chat and Mike's podcast. Next up: triple digits!

copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the audio samples contained in this episode. They are snippets from a tune called, "Why Don't You Quit" by Eddie Harris off his 1970 release, Come On Down! (c/o Atlantic Recording Corp. manufactured by Warner Strategic Marketing).

Christie Smerchek is a daughter, a sister, a friend, a wife, a mom, a dental hygienist, and a top-notch Taylor Swift fan.

I'm absolutely thrilled that she was willing and able to join me for the second installment of Becoming a Swifty, and -- much like my inaugural guest in the series -- she killed it.

We talked a little bit about a few of her non T. Swift favorites, i.e. The Postal Service's Give Up (2003), Final Straw (2003) by Snow Patrol, Imogen Heap's Speak for Yourself (2005), and Even If It Kills Me (2007) by Motion City Soundtrack, but a bunch of our focus went both in the direction of Miss Swift's career trajectory, as well as Christie's top three Taylor Swift albums, which were these:

Speak Now* (2010)

1989* (2014)

Midnights (2022)

We also talked about Christie's fortune in the department of catching T. Swift live and in concert, her fun-and-noble efforts in the Noonday Collection department, and so much more. So, please join us in our lengthy conversation, and make sure you give Christie a follow over on the 'Gram!

copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the audio clips contained in this episode. They are samples from a tune called "Horn" by a band named Phish. The track comes from Rift, their 1993 release, c/o Elektra Entertainment, A Division of Warner Communications Inc. for the United States and WEA International for the world outside of the United States.

*While I have listed the original release year for these records, it remains imperative to know that -- for all intents and purposes -- Taylor's Version is the one you should seek, stream, and purchase.

Peregrine Honig is a daughter, a sister, a wife, an aunt, a friend to many, and an artist (or so she's told).

She's also my guest for Episode No. 97.

And before you read any more about her, please know that she has a solo show on display right now in two spaces. And before I tell you where they are, know that one of them closes this Saturday, December 23, 2023. So you literally have to go today, tomorrow, or the day after that. Otherwise you'll have missed out on a tremendous opportunity to see some super-cool pieces that were crafted by one of Kansas City's own.

Please consider making your way down to Studios Inc Exhibit Hall -- at 1708 Campbell St., KCMO 64108 -- to see her show, Player, in the next 72 hours.

Please also consider checking out Understudies & Auditions at Blue Gallery (118 Southwest Blvd., KCMO 64108) between now and December 30.

You can find out a little bit more about Peregrine's work on her site, or you could consider giving her a follow on the 'Gram.

I found our conversation to be a delight, and I couldn't be more grateful for Mrs. Honig taking the time out of her super-busy schedule to come sit down with me to talk about life, family, art, and music. The latter part of that -- by the way -- included a few of her favorite albums. Those were these:

Nina Simone's I Put a Spell on You (1965)

The Trinity Sessions (1988), Cowboy Junkies

The Fugees's The Score (1996)

Animal Serenade (2004), Lou Reed

Mike Dillon's Functioning Broke (2016)

A great list from a great new acquaintance.

Many thanks.

copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the audio samples found within this episode. They are snippets from a cut called "Changes, Pt. 1" by Neal Francis, a 2019 single made available to you and I c/o Karma Chief Records, a division of Colemine Records.

I had the pleasure of meeting Shawn M. Stewart when we convened to record Episode No. 96 of Badass Records, and what a delight our conversation was.

Shawn is a son and a brother and a husband and a father and a musician and a fantastic fat-chewing partner.

Please consider checking out his musical endeavors on Soundcloud, Spotify, or on his Web site, and thank you in advance for tuning in to our chat.

Shawn and I talked musicianship, recording, and many of the other ins and outs of artisanship, as well as life and love and the pursuit of happiness.

We also talked about a few of Shawn's favorite albums, which were these:

Something Else by the Kinks (1967), The Kinks

Syd Barrett's The Madcap Laughs (1970)

Live at Leeds (1970), The Who

AC/DC's If You Want Blood You've Got It (1978)

The Last Days of Oakland (2016), Fantastic Negrito

Many thanks to Shawn for the time and the energy and the conversation.

Blessed and grateful.

copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the audio samples found within this episode. They are samples from a tune called, "In the Bath," by Lemon Jelly from their 2000 release entitled Lemonjelly.ky, c/o XL Recordings, Ltd.

I'm so very excited about this episode for a variety of reasons.

For starters, it's the first installment of the Becoming a Swifty series that I hope has a number of future guests (Note: Number two's already on the books!). This is an idea that's been cooking in the back of my brain for a good little bit, and it's always nice to see an idea come to fruition, whatever that may look like. And -- before you come for me, Swifties -- know that I'm aware that some of you may not care for a particular piece of the series spelling. The only thing I can say to that is that it's my show. I'm the language nerd, and I'm allowed to geek out in whatever aesthetic fashion I see fit. I do actually love the music of Taylor Swift, but probably not as much as you, and certainly not enough to defy the laws of grammar on that particular level. "And that's all I have to say about that."

Second, my guest is a very cool, very-special homegirl, whom I've known for a good many years, and hadn't seen in nearly 20. So, to say I was stoked to have these two worlds collide is for sure an understatement.

Sophia Reade is a daughter, a sibling, a niece, a granddaughter, a mom, a partner, a friend, a hoot, and one of the hippest Swifties I know. I'm so very delighted that she agreed to join me, and I couldn't be more thankful for the gift and expense of her time, as she drove in from St. Louis just to sit and talk life and music with me. I'm also very joyful that she was born with a strong will and has managed to overcome a lot of bullshit that life has put on her plate. And I don't use that term lightly. We all deal with bullshit, but it's oftentimes -- for many of us -- small stuff that we maybe make too big of a deal out of.

Not in Sophia's case.

The hand of bullshit she was dealt for most of her younger years is preposterous, ridiculous, and unfair. And I know that there are plenty of folks that have dealt with more, but they're mostly not in my circles. Sophia is, and has been in varying sorts, for nearly three decades.

Finally, I'm grateful that I've been able to keep this thing alive for what is now 95 episodes, and it looks like we'll make it not only through the end of the year, but to that big century mark, which is maybe both dope and silly at the same time. I dunno. It's been so many things, this journey. Fun, educational, exciting, challenging, stressful, surprising, disappointing, anxiety-provoking, a source of pride.

Back to Miss Reade, though. We talked about many things Taylor Swift, and that included her discography:

self-titled (2006)

Fearless (2008)

Speak Now (2010)

Red (2012)

1989 (2014)

Reputation (2017)

Lover (2019)

Folklore (2020)

Evermore (2020)

Midnights (2022)

We also mentioned a few non-Taylor albums that are special to her. They're these ones:

Ceremonials (2011), Florence & the Machine

Lourde's Pure Heroine (2013)

Strange Desire (2014), Bleachers

Again: Such a treat. So thankful in so many ways.

Cheers.

copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the audio samples present in this episode. They are clips from a Karl Denson song called "Who Are You?" From his 2001 effort, Dance Lesson #2 (c/o Blue Note Records).

Mr. Mojo Risin'!

Yes, yes, it's Episode #94, featuring the astute-and-talented Andrew Morris, ladies and gentlemen.

What an absolute treat.

I can't tell you how excited I was to become acquainted with this perfect stranger and rap the evening away talking life and music. Many thanks to Andrew for being so giving of his time.

We talked road life, life in Germany, the craft of musicianship, instrument making, and -- of course -- of a few of Andrew's favorite albums. Those were these:

Die Dreigroschenoper (1928), Kurt Weill & Bertoit Brecht

Loretta Lynn's All-Time Greatest Hits (2002)

Sleep with One Eye Open (2011), Chris Thile & Michael Daves

Wonderhills' Someday You'll Be Waiting (2019)

Absentee Ballads (2020), The Hermanos Brothers

Please check out The Matchsellers on bandcamp, Instagram, Facebook, or their very own corner of the Web.

It was a joy and a privilege to conduct this interview. Thank you for checking it out.

copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the audio clips contained within this episode. They are samples from a song by Galactic called "Today's Blues," which is from their 2015 album, Into the Deep (c/o Mascot Label Group/Provogue).

Please give it up for #KCgirl, April Lemon, y'all!

Yes, yes. It's Episode No. 93, and it's one heckuva party, for sure.

April and I go back a few clicks to the early 2000s, when we were doing the hospitality-industry thing together, which -- for the record -- were such good times. Thank you, Mark & James, for opening cool joints.

Anyway...April is in the event-planning/P.R./promotions world these days, and you should check her out both here and here.

It was really fun seeing April and getting to hang out with her after some 20 years. And, it wouldn't be an episode of Badass Records if we didn't touch on a few of April's favorite records. Those were these:

Animals (1977), Pink Floyd

P.J. Harvey's Rid of Me (1993)

MTV Unplugged in New York (Live Acoustic) (1994), Nirvana

Please consider reaching out to April if you have any interest in putting on or participating in a live-music event. She's also a resource for promoting your stuff and making certain your gig will be a fun one.

Cheers to her and thank you to you.

copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the audio clips featured in this episode. They are excerpts from a song called "Goddess on a Hiway" by Mercury Rev. I plucked it from their 1998 record, Deserter's Songs, c/o Mercury Rev.

Dan Jones, Dan Jones, Dan Jones.

What an absolute treat it was to meet the Squidmaster himself and chat a little bit about his life, his journey as a musician, and a few of his favorite records along the way.

Dan and I had a fantastic phone call at some point over the summer, and my gratitude for him seeing our conversation through is really firing on all cylinders. Even now, three weeks after we sat down together.

Those albums worthy enough to make Dan's cut for Episode #92 included the following:

Ozark Mountain Daredevils, self-titled (1973)

Neil Young & Crazy Horse's Zuma (1975)

Walk on the Wild Side: The Best of Lou Reed (1977)

Minutemen's Double Nickels on the Dime (1984)

Zen Arcade (1984), Hüsker Dü

The Meat Puppets' Up on the Sun (1985)

Alien Lanes (1995), Guided by Voices

Please consider checking out danjonesmusic.com, and give the Squids a look-see and a follow on Facebook and Instagram. You can also find their stuff on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, and YouTube.

And if you see Dan out and about on there on them crazy streets, please buy him a cup of coffee. Or a cold beer. Or a meatball grinder. I'll VenMo you if you do.

Thanks.

copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the audio samples found within this episode. They are cuts from a track called "White Sands" by Tommy Guerrero off of his 2018 release, Road to Knowhere (c/o Too Good).

What's crackin', y'all?

If you read these on the reg', thank you. I appreciate you.

You might know that I'm prone to screw things up from time to time when a) interviewing, b) recording, c) producing, and d) all of the above.

Nothin' sweeter than doing it on consecutive episodes, though.

Yep.

I goofed. Again. And as a result, the guest video comes in late. So...my apologies to Will Moulthrop, my partner in crime for Episode No. 91.

Should only take me about 10 dozen more of these to devise a foolproof approach.

Nevertheless...many thanks to Will for coming over stranger-style and chewing the New Jersey fat with me for a minute.

We talked about growing up in and around recorded and live music on the east coast, and how that helped shape Will into the fine fellow and father that he is today. We also discussed a few of Will's favorite records, and they were all Rolling Stones albums. We touched on them in this order:

Beggars Banquet (1968)

Let It Bleed (1969)

Sticky Fingers (1971)

Exile on Main Street (1972)

It was a pleasure to meet Will and educational to learn about his story, which you can have a peek into over on the 'Gram.

Cheers.

copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the audio samples contained within this podcast episode. They are all cuts from a track called "T.I.B.W.F." by The Budos Band off of their self-titled, 2005 debut, courtesy here of Daptone Records.