Badass Records

Duke Ross is a son and a brother and a husband and a father and an all-around righteous dude.When he's not otherwise occupied behind the steering wheel of a tow truck, he can likely be found in the crowd at a Dead & Company show, or -- perhaps -- on a Mexican beach with a cold cocktail in his hand.Duke and I connected a little over two years ago via a Facebook group called Kansas City Dead Heads. He was pedaling some merch', and I said, Yes, please.Fast forward about 30 months, and I'll be darned if he wasn't down to swing by the studio to record a podcast episode with me.And I couldn't be happier than him choosing to do so.We had a great time chatting and getting to know one another. Or at least I did.We talked a fair amount of Dead & Co., but we also reminisced about growing up in the '80s and MTV and the funny paths life sometimes takes us down. And, of course, we talked about a few of Duke's favorite albums.They were these:Queen's The Game (1980)Get Lucky (1981), LoverboyDuran Duran's Rio (1982)Hysteria (1987), Def LeppardMilli Vanilli's All or Nothing (1988)The 20/20 Experiment (2013), Justin TimberlakeReally good time. Thanks to Duke, and to those of you who stopped by to give Episode No. 80 (a special number for Duke!) a listen.copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to either the promo or the intro/outro audio. They are clips taken from a live performance of the title track to Phish's second studio effort, Lawn Boy (1990).This version was recorded on July 25, 2017 at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY as part of The Baker's Dozen 13-night run of shows, but the studio version comes c/o Elektra Records, marketed by Rhino Entertainment Company, a Warner Music Group Company.

Dane Bridges is a son and a brother and a boyfriend and a music instructor. He's also the bassist for Chowk.Dane was kind enough to stop by for Episode No. 79, talk a little bit of background and a lotta bit of music.And somewhere along the way, we had a peek at a few of his favorite records. They were these:Failure's Fantastic Planet (1996)Songs for the Deaf (2002), Queens of the Stone AgeInterpol's Turn on the Bright Lights (2002)Station (2008), Russian CirclesJaye Jayle's No Trail & Other Unholy Paths (2018)Meeting Dane and having the opportunity to sit down and chat with him was a real treat. Once you've checked out Chowk's bandcamp that I linked in the opening sentence, please give them a follow on Instagram so that you're up to snuff with all of their goings-on.Thank you.copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the promo or intro/outro audio clips. They are samples from a tune called, "Join Hands" by Groove Armada. It's a track that comes from their 2001 album, Goodby Country (Hello Nightclub), c/o Zomba Records Limited.

Dave Schloss is a son and a brother and a husband, and a father. He's an entrepreneur, a killer ice-hockey teammate, and he once had the pleasure of calling me his next-door neighbor.Dave, and his wife, Anna, made career pivots and left their beloved Chicago life for some adulthood in Kansas City, going from downtown to midtown to the north town while they were here, but've recently found themselves enjoying a healthy dose of island time down in the the ol' Sunshine State.Their crew was back in town for a bit to relax and hang with family, and I was lucky enough to steal a couple of hours with him to record Episode #78.In our conversation, we talked about family and band life and school and, of course, a few of Dave's favorite albums.They were these:Honky Chateau (1972), Elton JohnThe Specials's self-titled (1979)Dookie (1994), Green DayWilco's Summerteeth (1999)Continuum (2006), John MayerPleased as punch that Dave made the time. Thank you, my friend. And thank you, Mrs. Schlanderson!Find older episodes, merch', etc. over at the site.copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to any of the audio clips. They are bits I lifted from a track called, "Black - Red" by Dr. Dog. I found it (or it found me) on their 2010 record, Shame, Shame (c/o Anti, Inc.).

A number of things come to mind when thinking about some of the pieces of redundancy one tends to encounter when hosting a podcast. Some of it is -- of course -- necessary. Some you hope to avoid. Still some are just plain unavoidable, such as gushing with gratitude and thanks for those that decide to join me for an episode.

It's no lie or exaggeration when I say that every episode is special, and that every guest is a treat. Patrick Sprehe for Episode #77 (Paul Coffey!) was no different.

Patrick is the face and the effort behind Center Cut Records, a local label here in Kansas City whose "mission is to illuminate the amazing collection of musical talent in Kansas City and solidify its place in the national discussion about sonic art."

It's a great aim and a fantastic focus, and I wish them all of the success they ever imagined possible and more. It goes without saying then that I was honored that Patrick was giving of his time and energy, and he joined me to talk about some of the amazing folks working in the KC music scene.

We also talked a little bit about Patrick's journey in life, and it wouldn't be an episode of Badass Records if we didn't also have a peek into some of his favorite albums over the years.

They were these:

João Gilberto & Stan Getz's Getz/Gilberto (1964)

One (1974), Bob James

The Cars, self-titled (1978)

Wild Planet (1980), The B-52s

Public Enemy's It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (1988)

Talking Kansas City and music and some of our city's fine, fine people was nothing shy of a blast. I'm grateful for the opportunity and thankful for the learning experience Patrick was able to provide.

Please check out Center Cut Records on Instagram, and consider exploring some of the artists that they have worked with (as well as those they haven't).

copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to either the promo or the intro/outro audio. They are all clips from a track called, "Fine Corinthian Leather" by Charlie Hunter. The tune comes from his 2008 record, Baboon Strength (c/o SideHustle). I landed on this tune by accident around the time I was doing post-production for Patrick's episode, and, I gotta tell ya' -- the Chrysler/Ricardo Montalbán/David Letterman details about the term's origin story is something else. Makes the already-great Lee Iacocca bit from Saturday Night Live even greater. And it makes me grateful that this song was written, recorded, and released in my lifetime.

It's the John Tait episode of Badass Records!That's right. It's #76. Only this conversation had nothing to do with former Kansas City Chiefs, B.Y.U. alum, or left tackles at all. Nope. This one's all about Beers. Jason Beers.Yes, the banjo-wrangling, bass-playing, prolific writer/recorder of music was kind enough to give of his time and swing by for a chat about gigging, releasing material, and -- of course -- a few of his favorite records.Those were these:The Doors, self-titled (1967)Ragin', Full-On (1986), fIREHOSENomeansno's Wrong (1989)28 Big Ones (2000), Bill DoggettDwight Diller's O Death! (2015)Whether you like our chat or not, Jason's bandcamp can be found here, and please do visit it, if for no other reason than to see the music-cranking machine that he is. In all seriousness, give some of his stuff a listen. You won't regret it. And you can of course follow him on social media.Final token plug: My Web site has a Merch' page.There. I said it.Thanks for stopping by.copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the promo/intro/outro audio. They are all clips from one song. That song is called, "Last Chance to Dance Trance (Perhaps)." It's from a record called Friday Afternoon in the Universe by the trio, Medeski, Martin & Wood. That album -- in case you were wondering -- just might be the pinnacle of badass records, and it appears here c/o Rykodisc Inc.

Yo!This was one for the ages.Having being fortunate enough to be invited up to Sk8bar in St. Joe, I gladly accepted and -- while there -- was able to connect with Danny "Dr. 47" Phillips to record Episode # 75 of Badass Records podcast.Such a challenge. So much fun. So worth it.Seriously.I didn't know how I would attempt to make myself comfortable in someone else's space. I didn't know if I'd know how to set up all of the gear once I'd taken it apart for the first time, and I didn't know how I'd do (at all) attempting to conduct an interview beneath all of those details.But, alas...the stress and the anxiety were completely unwarranted.Brandon and Jesse welcomed me into their home away from home, and Danny was a gracious host/guest.He was every bit of (unsolicited) awesome as advertised, and was quick to quell the worries of my brain that a booker/promoter for a live-music venue would feel too busy to be participating in an interview for a podcast.And, the chat was -- in my mind -- perfect.We talked a little bit about the ol' life thing. The work thing. The...just...you know...doin' it thing. And of course we talked about a few of Danny's favorite records.He gave me a substantial list, and -- for shits and giggles -- I broke it in half.Here's what that looked like:List A:Sticky Fingers (1971), The Rolling StonesFleetwood Mac's Rumours (1977)Outlandos d'Amour (1978), The PoliceThe Lemonheads's It's a Shame About Ray (1992)Siamese Dream (1993), Smashing PumpkinsNirvana's In Utero (1993)A.M. (1995), WilcoList B:At Folsom Prison (1968), Johnny CashBig Star's #1 Record (1972)My Aim Is True (1977), Elvis CostelloThe Ramones's Rocket to Russia (1977)Last Splash (1993), The BreedersBad Religion's Stranger Than Fiction (1994)In the Aeroplane Over the Sea (1998), Neutral Milk HotelIf you want to get a hold of Danny for band-booking purposes, here are what I believe to be the best ways:1) Contact Sk8bar -- either via the landline (after 5:00 p.m. Central) at 816-689-0507 or via Facebook.2) Holler at Danny either via his Instagram or his Facebook page.3) You can also find him on Twitter, if you please, but, I digress...My chat with Dr. 47 was fantastic. Please consider giving it a view or a listen. Please check out Sk8bar, and please check out the Merch' store on the podcast's Web site. Even a sticker purchase helps.Anyhoo...as Jamal a.k.a. Jamel says, "Be kind, be good to each other, and help keep great music alive."At least that's what I think he says.Thanks for stopping by.copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the promo or the intro/outro audio. They are clips from a tune called, "Terrapin Station Medley" by the Grateful Dead off of their 1977 album, Terrapin Station (c/o Grateful Dead Productions. Marketed by Rhino Entertainment Company, a Warner Music Group Company).

Adam Browning is a son, a brother, a music fanatic, and he is my guest for Episode #74.And speaking of podcasts, he co-hosts his own! It's called ChemTrails with Adam & Sean and you could check it out here, were you so inclined.Anyway...it was a blast having Adam. He brought notes!We talked a good bit about life, his podcast with Sean Harris (Episode #62, if you're keepin' score at home.), and, well...a few of his favorite records.They are these:Black Sabbath's Vol. 4, (1972)Legend: The Best of Bob Marley & The Wailers (1984)VH1 Storytellers: Johnny Cash & Willie Nelson (1998)Clutch's Elephant Riders (1998)Feathers & Flesh, Avatar (2016)So, please give our conversation a listen, and please -- while you're on the site looking at Sean's episode -- don't forget to check out the Merch' store before you leave.Thanks for stopping by.copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to either the promo or the intro/outro audio. They are samples I poached from songs called, "Happy Friends" by The Greyboy Allstars off of their 1997 album, A Town Called Earth (c/o Knowledge Room Recordings), and, "Althea," by the Grateful Dead from their 1980 Go to Heaven record (c/o Grateful Dead Productions. Marketed by Rhino Entertainment Company, a Warner Music Group Company), respectively.

Matt Smith is an O.G. homey, and I can't even begin to tell you how stoked I was to get him in the chair for Episode #72 of the Badass Records podcast.When I hatched this hair-brained idea in January 2021, Matt was a first-ballot must-have, and I couldn't possibly be more honored to have seen the thing through. Doesn't happen without Matt first saying he'd do an episode then getting me a list and ultimately carving a slice out of his busy week in town to come bullshit with me. So...many, many thanks, Matt.Like most of us, Matt's a lot of things. He's a son, a brother, a husband, a dad, a friend, a Chiefs fan, an executive producer, a hard-core lover of music, a great guy, and a good friend.It's always awesome to message with him, and hopefully catch him while he's in town, but it was really good to sit down with him and have a peek into his career lens. And...you know...chat records, too. Here're a few of Matt's faves:The Joshua Tree (1987), U2Pearl Jam's Ten (1991)Automatic for the People (1992), R.E.M.The Smashing Pumpkins's Siamese Dream (1993)No Code, Pearl Jam (1996)Please give our conversation a listen, and keep your eyes peeled for cool things coming from Matt's end. Beyond his current work projects, he might have a new, fun endeavor in the creation stages, and just maybe he'll get that pod' off that ground with that lovely lady of his.Thank you for your support, and don't forget to check out the Merch' Store!copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to either the promo or the intro/outro audio. They are samples taken from tracks called, "Inversion Layer" by Robert Walter's 20th Congress off of their 2013 release, Get Thy Bearings (c/o Royal Potato Family), and, "We're Ready" by Boston off of their 1986 release, Third Stage (c/o Geffen Records), respectively.