Badass Records

Jason Gerken is one of my favorite human beings on the planet and I barely even know him.

As I was telling the guest from Episode #9, it feels like every episode I do is my new favorite conversation, and this one was no different.

It takes a lot of courage to say yes to doing an interview about your life and your music and it takes even more to show up and see it through. I can't exactly say why, but I just had a hunch that our conversation in this one would be a hoot, and it did not disappoint.

Jason has been behind the Shiner kit for some time now, and it was exciting to learn about the other projects he's participating in as well.

He chose -- without hesitation -- Elton John's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road -- as his badass record, and that blew me away twice (once with how quickly he responded and the second time for how completely unaware I was that this record is so packed full of non-hit gems).

Anyway, Jason and I touched on the local-music scene, back pain, lotus poses, beer being what's for dinner, record labels, bein' on tour, not being a mixologist, the whiskey-in-a-cup kinda bartender he is, Bandcamp, squirting, and STDs. And other stuff, too.

Find Shiner stuff at shiner.net and him on the 'Gram as @meatsuit_jasongerken. Thanks for viewing and/or listening. Pass the episode on to a friend, eh?

copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the audio intro/outro. They are samples of "Un Simple Histoire," by Thievery Corporation (from their 2002 The Richest Man in Babylon album) c/o ESL Music, Inc., and "You Wish," off of Nightmares on Wax's In a Space Outta Sound (from 2006) c/o Warp Records Limited, respectively.

Jason Proffitt is a father, a retired beer-league goaltender, and one of the coolest cats you'll ever meet. Even when he's angry at you for playing shitty defense in front of his net.

In this week's episode of Badass Records, Jason and I dissected musical snobbery, chatted about good, great, and goofy people, dipped our toes in the Frank Zappa and Jenny Lewis waters, and talked about a few pivotal points of our musical journeys, which -- for him -- included his introduction to The Cult's album, Electric. We also spent a decent chunk of time envisioning ourselves to be stand-up comedy experts, so take that forever it might be worth.

We enjoyed the shit out of ourselves in this conversation and we hope you'll dig it, too.

copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the intro/outro audio. They contain clips from Thievery Corporation's "All That We Deserve" from their 2002 record, The Richest Man in Babylon, c/o ESL Music, Inc., and Groove Armada's "My Friend," from their 2001 release entitled Goodbye Country (Hello Nightclub), c/o Zomba Records LTD, respectively.

There's no way in the human world to compile a collection of words that will do justice to who Matt "Bus" Barr is, and -- even though I'm gonna try -- one could only attempt to grasp what a phenomenal person he is after knowing him for almost 30 years.

He is, nevertheless, a son, brother, a father to three, and perhaps above all an artist.

Bus has had a really fascinating musical journey and turned a lot of people on to a lot of things they probably never would've heard of otherwise. He's been on Grateful Dead tour at age 16, in a band at age 25, had an entire gallery display of his own original work, lived with a pot-bellied pig, dealt with Type I Diabetes since age 10, been a teacher and a principal, made both a children's-music album and book, and, well...we're not even scratching the surface of his life list with those mentions.

In true-to-self fashion, he did not -- as the kids'er saying these days -- understand the assignment put forth to him for this episode of Badass Records, and that's totally okay; it didn't derail things in the slightest, and in fact made them even more interesting than they were already going to be.

I love this guy with all of my heart, and couldn't be more grateful that -- at one point in his youth -- he was certain he would not live past the age of 40. I couldn't be happier that he's still around, and as a tribute to his fantastical, still-ongoing life, please give our conversation a view or a listen.

copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the audio featured in the intro/outro clips. They are samples from Mr. Scruff's "Jazz Potato," from his 2005 record, Mrs. Cruff, c/o Ninja Tune, and Frank Zappa's "A Little Green Rosetta," off of the 1979 masterpiece, three-act album, Joe's Garage, c/o the Zappa Family Trust, respectively.

Britt Whitehead is a son, a kid brother, and a father of two. He's one of the smartest dudes you'll ever meet, so if you need a guy like that on your payroll, you should hire him. And while you ponder that, you might also chew on the idea of giving him a pile of U.S. currency to restore that favorite piece of furniture you've always been wanting redone.

Anyhoo, let's not overlook the idea that Britt joined for an episode of Badass Records to talk about The White Album (or The Beatles' self-titled double LP, if that's what gets your rocks off) that remains a legendary recording 54 years after its release.

I'm always nervous before recording an episode, but Britt really ratcheted up my anxiety when he showed up with pizza, a binder full of notes, and his above-my-paygrade brain.

What a great conversation, though. We talked Zeppelin, Zappa, and jazz, and we goofed around with a funny list of double albums that spans 1966-2011.

I hope you enjoy our chat as much as I did, and please consider sharing with a friend, if so.

It takes a lot of courage to say yes to being recorded talking on camera, and even more to show up and do it. There's probably a Will Smith joke in there somewhere, but hell -- those things are writing themselves these days.

Anyway, shout out to @JamelAKAJamal, just...generally speaking, but also specifically within the context and creation of this episode. Be nice to people and help keep great music alive.

copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the intro/outro audio. They are samples from "Thinking of Omara" by Nightmares on Wax's N.O.W. Is the Time (Deep Down Edition) 2014 release (c/o Warp Records Limited) and Slide Five's "Heavy Rotation" from their 1997 release called People, Places, & Things (c/o Ubiquity Recordings Inc.).

Matt Graunke is a brother and a son and an uncle and a cat lover. He's also been one of my best friends for nearly 40 years, and in this installment of Badass Records, we talked about life in Lawrence, KS, relationships with our homeboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Beastie Boys.

Although we didn't do Licensed to Ill half of the justice it deserves, it was a fantastic hang, nonetheless.

Funny story about Matt: When it came time for my ex-wife and I to tab our wedding-party members, we not only narrowed it down to eight; we also paired which girls would walk with which boys, and the only hubbub that arose from our decision was which of my sisters would traverse the aisle interlocking arms with today's guest; "I wanna walk with Matt" became a line that would live in infamy.

So, if you're on a mission to find an awesome human who serves as an example of how one should treat others, look no further than Graunk'. And, yes, he's the original. Tom Brady's partner in crime holds zero candles to my bro' from 1985.

Many thanks to those of you who have listened or viewed previous episodes, and to those who're just now jumping in, welcome. We're happy to have you.

copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the intro/outro audio tracks. They contain samples from Little People's "Above the Clouds" (from their 2006 album, Mickey Mouse Operation), c/o Illicit Recordings, and DJ Krush's "On the Dub-ble" (from his 1994 album, Krush), c/o Shadow Records.

Erik Hess is a husband, a father of three, a note-taker, and a collector of music, memorabilia, stats, jewelry, and hair-care products.

In Episode 5 of Badass Records, we not only talked about what an oddball Russell Wilson is and how much his new team overpaid for him, but we also talked about the distinct possibility that the band 311, the comedian Carrot Top, and retired NFL quarterback Jay Cutler might be entirely interchangeable entities.

I never in a million years expected that I would participate in a conversation in which Def Leppard would come up a minimum of three times. Nor did I anticipate that the person that was telling me the story would have -- at one point in college -- partied with 311.

That band's debut album, Music, was unequivocally decided to be Mr. Hess's most badass of records, but it must share his personal Mt. Rushmore with Beastie Boys's Paul's Boutique, and Lenny Kravitz's Let Love Rule.

We also learned that -- not only did he develop a later-in-life affinity for country music -- but Erik will pass on zero opportunities to trash both the Kansas City Chiefs as well as my decision to attempt to stay in my marriage house post-divorce when I clearly cannot afford to. And finally, there's a pretty good chance that this guest has been to more Major League Baseball stadiums than you have.

Thank you for listening/viewing. If you have a friend who likes to talk about Def Leppard and hair metal, please point them in the direction of this episode.

copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the intro or outdo audio clips. They are Greyboy's "Lite Bake" from his 1989 debut album, Freestylin' (c/o Ubiquity Recordings Inc), and Echophlexz's "Gravy Funk" from their 2009 Club Boulevard (c/o Catmusic & More BV).

Tanya Sieber is a mother of two, an entrepreneur, and a vessel through which music is manifested and shared.

She has sailed many musical seas, including being baptized by Pink Floyd's The Wall at age eight, playing bass guitar in a band in her college years, to today, in which she finds her singer/songwriter self frequenting the recording studio and releasing original tracks out into the ether. Or the ethos. Take your pick.

Follow her on Instagram (@tanyasieber.music), Twitter (@MusicSieber), or Facebook (Tanya Sieber Music) for social-media updates. More importantly, you can access her music on bandcamp (tanyasieber.bandcamp.com), which appears to be a digital source for music streaming that maybe puts a little more coin in the artist's pocket than others might, so please consider supporting her there.

Regardless, you can find both her 2021 album, Beautiful Scars, and her brand-new single "Marked" there on her bandcamp. As for her yet-to-be-released single, "Sweet Night," dig in here to Episode #4 of Badass Records for a sneak listen.

We talked a lot about her stuff in this conversation, but we also dabbled in Soundgarden, Jethro Tull, and a heavy dose of Sheryl Crow, not to mention sundry others.

A few notes from the backside of the production glass:

1) The Badass Records Podcast has a slogan, and that slogan is, Badass Records, where the doorbell rings and the dog barks. Only took three and-a-half episodes for that to become truth.

2) Late in the episode, a ticking or a static sound of some sort becomes audible. I don't know what it is or what caused it, but I heard it during both the recording and editing processes, and am as aware of its existence as I am my inability to remedy it.

3) I didn't mute our mics (because I didn't and don't know any better) when we listened to Tanya's tracks, so if you're hearing a faint echo of sorts in or around those three segments, that's why.

copywright disclaimer(s): I do not own the rights to the intro/outro audio tracks; they are The Deadbeats' "Funky for You" (from their 2021 album, Lounging) c/o Space Hopper, and Morcheeba's "Be Yourself" (from their 2000 record called Fragments of Freedom), c/o China Records, Ltd. I do, however, have permission to play Mrs. Sieber's stuff on both the Internet and on YouTube, because -- Duh, Admiral Algorithm -- she's the guest of the episode and the owner of the content.

Elwyn M. Grimes, Jr. is not a private detective for hire. Not yet, anyway. He is, however, a husband, a father of three, and a sweetheart. Before he became any of those things, though, he was a son.

In Episode 3 of Badass Records, we talk rap, hip-hop, R&B, grunge, and more. We got a few things wrong in our De La/Tribe discussion, but we didn't sit down together to have a perfect conversation. Instead, we examined a few of our own musical-journey tributaries, and illustrated our appreciation for friends, family, record stores, and stereo systems.

While Elwyn tabbed It Was Written by Nas, What's Going On by Marvin Gaye, and Pearl Jam's Ten, I felt a great sense of gratitude learning how his late father helped shape a little bit of the the onset to his son's travels with music and artists and albums.

A quick Google will tell you that, "The most common interpretation of a cardinal is a message from a departed loved one. Whenever you see one, it signifies that they are visiting you. They generally appear when you need or miss them the most. They also come through moments of joy and sorrow to let you know they will always be there for you."

Now, I can't tell you that this is precisely what Elwyn feels when he sees a cardinal, but I have a hunch it's pretty close, and I not only thank him for his time and his share, but I hope that he feels that be-there-for-you part in his heart whenever he has that experience. Having Elwyn on the podcast was a treat, and even though he backs the Las Vegas Raiders, he kinda makes up for it with his passion for the crimson and blue. Rock Chalk, baby.

Josh "Jett Pakk" George is a father of three, a skater at heart, and a retired muthafuckin' hustla'.

In Episode #2 of Badass Records, we wax nostalgic about Led Zeppelin and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, but not for long, as those relics remain but a dusty launchpad into the world of hip-hop, breakdancing, and rap.

Today's guest initially tabbed ATLiens by Outkast, but did so with a caveat; the first two Eminem records must not go unremembered or undignified. As we dove into the early work of both of those artists, two things became clear: a) There's no possible way either The Slim Shady LP or The Marshall Mathers LP get made in America today, and b) Outkast may very well have been the last bastion of old-school rap, as only Generation X knew it.

That is, times have changed; Eminem's first two records would've likely gotten him cancelled in the version of America we know as 2022. As for Outkast, let's just say they carried the baton for multiple legs of the marathon, and when they got to the handoff point, there was no one there to meet them.

This episode with J.P.G. was a wild one. Please give a listen or a view. Ya' betta' ax somebody.

Jason Fisher is a father, a writer, and the proprietor of Armadillo Storage Company in Durango, CO. He roots for the Denver Nuggets and the Boston Red Sox, but really finds pleasure in supporting the Denver Broncos Football Club, and that last part is a painful phrase to type. Jason once held the esteemed position of Editor-in-Chief for Fort Lewis College’s The Independent newspaper, and still makes up one-third of The Iron Triangle, a trio of ex-Independent editors that dabbled in the blog world over at House of Georges. He currently spends a little too much on green citrus and occasionally tweets here.

In this inaugural episode of “Badass Records,” we lost his video near the 1:00:00, and mine died about 20 minutes later. Learning curve, eh?

Anyway, he did not choose any albums that’re older than his record-buying habit, and he most certainly did not choose Jason Isbell’s Southeastern. He once chose Exile on Main Street, but we both forgot I’d asked him, ‘cause we’re awesome like that. He ultimately threw Guns N’ Roses’s Appetite for Destruction and N.W.A.’s Straight Outta Compton at me, and I think he kinda meant it.