Badass Records

Eric Martens is a son, a sibling, a husband, a father, and the owner of Border Brewing Co.

He's also my guest for Episode No. 180.

Eric was kind enough to carve out a small slice of his Tuesday evening a week or so ago to come spend it with me. And for that I am grateful.

Border Brewing Co. is located in the proverbial heart of downtown KCMO at 512 E. 18th Street, and you can give them a holler at 816-469-5287 or find their stuff online at borderbrewco.com.

Eric and I talked growing up, education, musicianship, leap taking, and the brick-and-mortar challenges that face a business owner in the 2020s. We also talked a little bit about a few of Eric's favorite albums, which were these:

Kind of Blue (1959), Miles Davis

Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds' Live at Luther College (1999)

Hot Fuss (2004), The Killers

The MGDs' Wake Up (2016)

Border Brewing Co. has channels on the social-media outlets on the Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Twitter platforms, so if you were to give them a follow, I'd be much obliged.

Many thanks to Eric for the time and the fantastic conversation, and a tip of the ol' fedora to all of you that support the program.

Cheers.

copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the audio samples contained within this episode. They are clips from a Kurt Vile tune called, "Wheelhouse," which I snipped from his B'lieve I'm Goin Down record from 2015, c/o Matador Records.

Welcome, welcome, welcome!

This is Episode No. 179, and it features the lovely Sherrie Ortiz, who is the owner of Just One Day Travel Tours.

Sherrie is a daughter, a wife, a mom, an entrepreneur, and a business owner. You can find out more about Sherrie's Kansas City-based guided-tour operation at justonedaytraveltours.com, as well as on Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Sherrie and I talked about her previous life in the retail-bakery world, her leap to launch Just One Day Travel Tours, as well as a few of her favorite albums.

Those were these:

IV (1971, Led Zeppelin

Rush's Moving Pictures (1981)

A Momentary Lapse of Reason (1987), Pink Floyd

Mumford & Sons' Sigh No More (2009)

Check out our conversation, learn about Sherrie's business, and give her a follow on the ol' social medias.

Thank you for your support of the progrum.

copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the audio samples contained within this episode. They are snippets from a tune called, "Ride the River," by Eric Clapton and J.J. Cale. This track can be found on their 2006 record, The Road to Escondido, c/o EPC Enterprises, LLP, under exclusive license to Surfdog Records.

FYP too local? IYKYK, amirite?

@Dus10 is (if I'm not mistaken) the first TikTok-er I've connected with and seen an interview through to the end.

And I'm a better person for it.

@Dus10 is a son, a sibling, a father, a human, a man, and a Kansas Citian (whether he wants that last part to be the case or not). He's also my guest for Episode No. 178.

@Dus10 and I sat down for a few to chew the life fat a couple of weeks ago, and what a conversation it was. We talked growing up, family, marriage, divorce, fatherhood, men's mental health, connecting IRL, and so much more.

We also talked about a few of @Dus10's favorite albums, which were these:

Motion City Soundtrack's Commit This to Memory (2005)

Monta at Odds (2008), Gringo

Kendrick Lamar's good kid, m.A.A.d. city (2012)

A Moon Shaped Pool (2016), Radiohead

Making Movies' I Am Another (2017)

If you're on the Tok, please give @Dus10 a follow. He's working hard to create meetup opportunities with other folks in Kansas City, and has already made several connections and participated in a few gatherings. Think he's got that handle for most of the socials, too, if TikTok's not your jam. Make sure you check out his Discord, too. It's called Let's Hang Out KC. And if you poke around in those places, you're likely to find his anonymous voicemail-message number where you can call, leave your thoughts, and get stuff off of your chest.

Thank you, @Dus10, for the time and the opportunity to sit down together. And thank you to all of you that support the podcast.

Cheers.

copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to any of the audio clips contained within this episode. They are snippets from a J.J. Cale tune called, "Woman I Love," which I found on his 1972 release, Naturally, c/o Universal International Music B.V.

Gather 'round, gather 'round! It's Episode No. 177, and I am stoked to share with you that this week's guest is Joshua James Warren of Joshua James & The First Aid Kit.

Joshua joined me for a conversation about growing up in Arkansas, pit-stopping in St. Louis, and calling Kansas City home (for the time being, anyway). We also talked about the gigs he puts on at Grinder's, The First Aid Kit's singles and EP (available where you stream) their current LP project, and lots of stuff in between all of that.

We spent a few moments peeking at a few of his favorite albums, too, which were these:

For Emma, Forever Ago (2007), Bon Iver

John Mayer's Where the Light Is (Live in Los Angeles) (2008)

Camp (2011), Childish Gambino

Hobo Johnson's The Fall of Hobo Johnson (2019)

Find Josh on Instagram at @joshuajameswarren, and give the band a follow, too, at @joshuajameshasaband.

Many thanks to this fine, fine musician, camper, human, and bandaid, and thank you to you all for supporting the podcast.

copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the audio clips contained within this episode. They are snippets from a J.J. Cale cut called, "Hey Baby" from his 1976 release, Troubadour, c/o Universal International Music B.V.

Hanna Nicole was kind enough to join me for Episode No. 176. She is a daughter, a sibling, a model, an influencer, an entrepreneur, and she is also the brand manager for Health X Fitness, a clothing brand that specializes in athletic/lounge wear for women.

When we sat down a couple of Saturdays ago, we talked about family, growing up in a small town, being the oldest of five kids, joining the armed forces as a parachute rigger, transitioning back to life after services, the launch and the learning curve of getting her modeling career off the ground, and -- wouldn't ya' know -- we talked a little bit about some of Hanna's favorite tunes as well.

For this particular conversation we strayed from the Badass Records podcast norm, and went with a playlist that Hanna curated under the guise of giving me a snapshot of her influences. It varied in both style and genre, and featured nearly 40 total tracks from more than two dozen artists, including Morgan Wallen, Polo G, Rod Wave, Mariah Carey, Beyoncé, Miley Cyrus, Fergie, P!nk, Hannah Montana, Dan + Shay, and Maroon 5, just to name a few.

I appreciated the opportunity to approach an interview from a different perspective, and enjoyed checking out what she aptly titled, Podcast Music.

Having said all of that, here are the digital-world pertinents from my conversation with Hanna Nicole:

• she's on Instagram at @hannn.niccc
• Health X Fitness's handle is @hxf.apparel
• @lavishpicnicskc is a spot for you to check out as well
• Hanna's bio/portfolio/contact info can be found at hannnicolemodel.kavyar.site
• find her making waves over on the Tok as well

Thank you to Hanna for the share of her valuable time and her effort in creating the playlist, and thank you to you for supporting the podcast.

copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the audio content contained within this episode. They are clips from a Kurt Vile tune called, "Dust Bunnies," and that track can be found on his 2015 release, B'lieve I'm Goin Down..., c/o Matador Records.

In the first couple of these solo episodes I did, I tried to time the tracks playing with me listening to the same clips. Turned out to be tedious and lacking in desirable results. The last one I did featured a five-spot of albums, and I went a different direction. Maybe it was better; maybe it wasn't. I think I ultimately realized that the script didn't mesh with the song excerpts in a very story-friendly fashion, so I (possibly subconsciously) tried to do a better job on that particular piece this time around.

Either way, producing these guestless installments is far from the muscle memory I've built over the last three years and change, so it takes quite a bit longer to turn them around and get them out, which is why my search for guests continues to be one of the most important pieces to keeping this thing going.

So...e-mail me if you'd like to be on or suggest someone. It's badassrecordspodcast at g mail dot com.

This was a fun one to do, but I'm looking forward to getting back to the usual.

Cheers.

copyright disclaimer: I own the rights to none of the audio samples contained in here. They're all snippets from tracks off of the following records:

Life Is...Too $hort (1988), c/o Zomba Recording LLC

Flying in a Blue Dream (1989), c/o Epic Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment

Acid Tongue (2008), c/o Warner Records Inc.

A Deeper Understanding (2017), c/o Atlantic Recording Corporation

søn of dad (2023), c/o Big Loud Records

Miguel Antonio is a son, a sibling, a husband, and a father of four. He's a solo musician, and he's also a member of Run With It Band. Of greater importance, he is my guest for Episode No. 174, and of even greater importance, he is the host of the #LiveandCreate podcast.

I cannot begin to describe how much I enjoyed sitting down with Miguel to bullshit for a handful of hours, and I am grateful for his time. Please give him a follow at @justthemiguel on Instagram, and give the band a follow over at the ol' @runwithitband. What's more is that you can get a few more deets at runwithitband.net. And if you do anything after reading these words, please find the podcast; Miguel is really putting in the work and putting out a quality product.

Parts of our conversation (which can be found where you stream or on YouTube or at the site) involved musicianship, work/life balance, family, Sync, performing, being a bandmate, and a bunch of other things. And somewhere in the mix, we managed to have a quick look at a few of Miguel's favorite albums. Those were these:

Live's Throwing Copper (1994)

Meteora (2003), Linkin Park

Kanye West's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010)

Yeezus (2013), Kanye West

Making Movies' Xopa (2022)

GNX (2024), Kendrick Lamar

Getting ready for Miguel and I's conversation was both super-fun and an absolute trip, so I hope you'll give it a spin. Happy Fourth of July to a notion of America that maybe isn't there right now, but still exists out there in pockets, like morning fog evaporating off of a lake's surface.

There is love. And we can selflessly use it as fuel. We just have to want to.

Note: This week's goof is a solitairy one, and it involves me saying that, "Back to the Hotel" was a Rappin' 4-Tay song, but it's N2Deep. My bad.

copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to any of the audio clips featured in this episode. They're cuts from a tune by Ike Turner & Kings of Rhythm. I dunno how the thing ended up in my thing, but it's a darn-good record, and I'm not saying anything about the artist beyond that. The record -- since you were curious -- came out in 1969, and it's called Black Man's Soul. Oh...and the tune's name is, "Black Angel," and we're fortunate enough to hear it c/o the fine, fine folks over at TufAmerica.

Tasha Ransom is an artist.

More specifically, she is a musician, a painter, a photographer, and a writer. She's also a great conversationalist, and she is my guest for Episode No. 173.

Tasha stopped by last week and sat across from me at the table. We swapped a great many phrases and touched on things like growing up, family, self-discovery, and music. Somewhere in the mix, we managed to have a brief gander at a few of her favorite records. Those were these:

Our Mother the Mountain (1969), Townes Van Zandt

T. Rex's Electric Warrior (1971)

1 (2000), The Beatles

Red Elvises' Drinking with Jesus (2008)

Please consider giving Tasha an Instagram follow at @tasharansomart; you can see pics of some of her work there. Find her via that same handle on YouTube, where you can check out her music videos, and find even more information at tasharansomart.com.

Many thanks to Morgen Agesen for batting .500 with her awesome list of referrals. You can check out my conversation with her (Episode No. 166), and while you're in that neighborhood, John Knell and Ernie Yates episodes also appear (also courtesy of Morgen's connections).

And many thanks to those who have supported the podcast.

My only derp for the week was that I goofed up the UKG and the Run the Jewels lineups. I do now recall that UKG is Pimp C. & Bun B., and that Run the Jewels is El-P and Killer Mike. And I will recall that all the way up until the next time I don't.

Anyway...

copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the audio clips contained within this episode. I snatched those little portions from a tune called, "Sacred Sands," off of Allah-Las self-titled release from 2012, c/o Innovative Leisure.

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls --

It is my privilege to share with you that Brian Kraemer and Nic Aguero of GFM Recording Studios in Blue Springs joined me for a fine, fine conversation that became Episode No. 172 of this here podcast.

Their spot lives online at gfmrecording.com and I encourage you to follow them on Instagram, as well. They are learned (shouts out to Chuck) in the recording arts and geared for creating custom beats, mixing, mastering, and are just the right fit for artists, bands, agencies, and all of your Sync needs.

During our conversation, we talked about family, upbringing, serving in the armed forces, faith, trauma, and so much more. And somewhere in the mix we took a peek at a few of their favorite albums, which were these:

Pink Floyd's The Wall (1979)

Holy Water (1990), Bad Company

Sublime's 40 oz. to Freedom (1992)

Smash (1994), The Offspring

Dave Matthews Band's Crash (1996)

Ænima (1996), Tool

Korn's Life is Peachy (1996)

self-titled (1997) Third Eye Blind

Blink 182's Enema of the State (1997)

Significant Other (1999), Limp Bizkit

Sevendust's Home (1999)

Chronic 2001 (1999), Dr. Dre

Disturbed's The Sickness (2000)

Morning View (2001), Incubus

Killswitch Engage's Alive or Just Breathing (2002)

Ocean Avenue (2003), Yellowcard

As I Lay Dying's An Ocean Between Us (2007)

It was a short list, but we managed to get through it with ease.

So, please consider the fellas at GFM for any and all of your recording needs. You can book with them online, D.M. them on the ol' 'Gram, or give them a buzz if you like at 816-598-8810.

Very thankful for the time and talk with Brian and Nic. Fantastic guys.

And thank you for your support of the progrum.

copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the audio clips contained within this episode. They are snippets I lifted from a Blues Traveler tune called, "Whoops," which can be found on their 1993 release, Save His Soul, c/o A&M Records.

Note: I mistakenly spoke about the Grateful Dead's "Scarlet Begonias" opening notes when I was clearly thinking of how the song "Shakedown Street" starts. As John Popper sang, "Whoops."

Vanessa Kramer is a daughter, a wife, a mother, an author, and one heck of a fun, funny, and sharp conversationalist. She's also my guest for Episode No. 171, which gives me great honor to say.

Vanessa and her husband, Kyle, stopped by for what turned out to be a delightful chat a couple of weeks ago, and we rolled through the morning and into the afternoon, talking family, upbringing, marriage, partnership, parenthood, publishing, and so much more. We also managed to devote a little bit of time to a few of Vanessa's favorite albums, which were these:

Abbey Road (1969), The Beatles

Fleetwood Mac's Rumors (1977)

The Black Parade (2006), My Chemical Romance

Of Monsters and Men's My Head Is an Animal (2011)

folklore (2020), Taylor Swift

Of Vanessa's many wonderful attributes is the fact that she has managed to publish four books in the last three years! Those are these:

Great Divide (2023)

Great Desolation (2024)

My Mother's Spirit (2024)

Temporarily, Forever (2025)

All four titles can be found on Amazon and elsewhere. Learn more about my guest at vanessakramerauthor.com and please consider following her at @vanessakramerauthor on Threads, TikTok, Instagram, and/or Facebook.

Also part of Vanessa's bag is her admirable role in the seriously cool publication, KC Book Beat, a nonprofit that celebrates and promotes the Kansas City (and surrounding) literary community. Find out more about them on Instagram or at kcbookbeat.com.

Many thanks to Vanessa for the time and the good energy, and many thanks to all of you that support the show.

copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the audio samples contained within this episode. They are clips from a song by The Doors. It's called, "The Changeling," and it comes from their 1971 album, L.A. Woman, c/o Rhino Entertainment, a Warner Music Group Company.