CPOV: Autographs

Welcome to episode 100 of Crash Chords: Autographs! Thank you for sticking with us these past 4 years. To celebrate how far the show has come, check out our brand new theme music, written, produced and performed — expressly for the show — by two-time previous guest, Mikal kHill, who we thank for his contribution to Autographs, and its next 100 episodes!

Now for the prime event… This episode has been a long time coming, for today we are excited to welcome actor, writer, producer, storyteller, singer, guitarist, and of course the companion and constant supporter of Matt Storm, his wife Sarah Storm.  As an actress, Sarah has appeared in familiar household dramas like Law and Order SVU and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. With Matt, she chats about her experience as a recurring character on SVU and what it’s like to be a day player. She also describes how she first discovered her love of acting and how her family has influenced her love of the craft. A member of the 24 Hour Company, Sarah has also facilitated bringing together some of the best young actors, directors, playwrights and producers for an intensive professional experience that culminates in their own production, The 24 Hour Plays — that is, the deeply imaginative, if hastily produced events that premiere within 24 hours of their conception. An accomplished musician, Sarah has performed both as a solo artist, and as part of the irish/rock band The Waysties, a mainstay at Brooklyn watering hole, The Way Station. Hear all about how her early love of singing and how it came about growing up in the Jewish faith and also how her love of performance in general has blossomed throughout the years.

But before we dive in; did you know that Crash Chords: Autographs is now on Patreon? Support this podcast with tiered donations, and in return receive tokens of our appreciation ranging from a ‘shout-out’ on this podcast to exclusive audio content, custom playlists, stickers, t-shirts, or a fully DJ’d event. This week’s shout-out goes to Stormageddon’s Patreon supporters Rob Starobin and Mary Jane. Visit patreon.com/stormageddon.

Also if you’re attending Flame Con 2018 in NYC at Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel, Matt will be a speaker on a panel discussing Queerness in Doctor Who called (Doctor) Who Queered. It’s at 2:15pm on Sunday August 19th. He’ll also be covering the whole event for a special episode of Autographs so if you see him feel free to say hi! 

Next guest:

Maggie McMuffin

Today, Matt welcomes Lee VaLone, a drag king, producer, and burlesque performer based in NYC. The producer of BEEF SHOW at Bizarre Bushwick and also ‘Jump Shark!’ (a monthly open mic Drag, Burlesque, & Vocals event that fundraises for Planned Parenthood), Lee VaLone is also the current reigning Mr. Coney Island. With Matt, Lee chats about his start in drag and burlesque, and discusses some of his most iconic performances. He also chats about the Beef Squad Drag Collective, which he also runs, and his production on The Yell Club, a drag & karaoke event at Rock Bar NYC. And so from learning and growing in the burlesque & drag scene, to how he met Sasha Velour, here’s presenting Matt Storm and LeeVaLone.

But wait, did you know that Crash Chords: Autographs is now on Patreon? Support this podcast with tiered donations, and in return receive tokens of our appreciation ranging from a ‘shout-out’ on this podcast to exclusive audio content, custom playlists, stickers, t-shirts, or a fully DJ’d event. This week’s shout-out goes to Stormageddon’s Patreon supporters Rob Starobin and Mary Jane. Visit patreon.com/stormageddon. 

Next guest:

EPISODE 100 with Sarah Storm!

Today, Matt welcomes Matt Karpe, an author, journalist, and podcaster hailing from March, Cambridgeshire in the UK. In light of his newest book, called ‘Nu Metal Resurgence’, a detailed history of the return of the Nu Metal movement, Matt chats about his history as a journalist and what inspired him to write his new book. With Matt he chats about growing up during the heyday of Nu Metal and how the bands of today, who have survived from the time, continue to evolve. They also chat about about his website and podcast, both called “Head for the Barricade”, its section called “The Lowdown”, and they explore the ever-evolving music landscape and how the defined lines between genres are more blurry than ever. And so, from some band bonding to other musical discourse, here’s presenting Matt Storm and Matt Karpe.

Next Guest:

Lee Valone

Today, Matt welcomes Lex The Lexicon Artist, a Taipei-raised, Oakland-based nerd core rapper. With a debut full-length album out called Raging Ego, and two music videos (for the singles “Glasses” and “Artist Anthem”), Lex discusses her early exposure to rap in Taiwan and who her early influences were. With Matt, they discuss her visit to NYC, what it was like to perform at SXSW 2018, and chat about the connectivity of social media and how it’s helped her reach more people more quickly and directly. And so, from her love of anime to the progress she’s already made on her second album, here’s presenting Matt Storm and Lex The Lexicon Artist.

Next Guest:

Matt Karpe

Today, Matt welcomes magician, DJ, and host Nelson Lugo, a.k.a. DJ LugoTron, a.k.a. DJ Jalopy. A three-time Crash Chords Podcast podcast veteran, Lugo stops in to Autographs to chat with Matt about his continued work, and some updates to his latest one-man show, ‘Cheating Death: Magic, Memoirs & Mortality’. They talk about his relatively recent dive into DJing, how he got started, his partnership with Schaffer the Darklord, and what it’s like to be a performance DJ in a live show environment. They also discuss Lugo’s monthly gig at the Red Room (above KGB Bar in NYC) called Green Fairy, a live Jazz Age party, show, and Absinthe tasting event. And so from Lugo’s monthly open mic & variety show to his love of 90s hip-hop, here’s presenting Matt Storm and Nelson Lugo.

Next Guest:

Lex The Lexicon Artist 

Today, Matt welcomes Kayla Smith, vocalist for the band The Scars Heal in Time, a band consisting of Kayla, her sister Tayler Smith on drums, and Tyler Niccum on guitar. The band’s latest EP Unidentified is recently released, featuring the singles “Grip”, “In Your Flame” and “I’m About to Break.” With Matt, Kayla chats about how long she’s been playing and writing music with her sister and about the band’s origins. They dip into tour life, their influences, and the idea behind making a live performance video for the single “Grip”. And so, from some notes on the album’s cover art to more facts about Kayla and the band, here’s presenting Matt Storm and Kayla Smith.

Next Guest:

Nelson Lugo

Today, Matt welcomes Kara Eliza, a singer/songwriter hailing from New York, NY. Known for making a splash on YouTube with her cover videos of “Empire State of Mind” by Alicia Keys and “Mirrors” by Justin Timberlake, Kara chats with Matt about her upcoming 2018 release and the process of writing for it. She talks about her early days singing and playing instruments, which artists have had the biggest effect on her style and songwriting, and why she chose to do covers for YouTube. And so, from the process of shooting her cover videos to some details on her live album at The Bitter End in NYC, here’s presenting Matt Storm and Kara Eliza.

Next Guest:

Kayla Smith of The Scars Heal In Time

Today, Matt welcomes Heart Crimson, Anja Keister, and Lefty Lucy for a special episode that focuses on the much anticipated Nerdlesque Festival — the original festival dedicated to nerd and pop culture-related burlesque. Created in 2014, this festival showcases the best in nerdlesque from across the globe, all brought together for one jam-packed weekend in New York City full of shows, classes, parties, panels, and more! Meeting our panel, Lefty Lucy is a burlesque producer/performer based out of New Orleans and is the executive producer of The Nerdlesque Festival; Heart Crimson is a NY-based burlesque performer/producer, alternative model, stage manager, and Associate Producer for The Nerdlesque Festival; and Anja Keister a burlesque producer/performer based out of NY, is also the Sponsorship Manager & Chief Graphic Designer for the Nerdlesque Festival.  Your host for this episode, Matt, a.k.a. Stormageddon, is the Official Festival DJ. The event will take place April 27th through 29th at Coney Island USA in Brooklyn. Tickets on sale now!

In this event spotlight, Matt is joined by Anja and Heart Crimson in the studio, with Lefty Lucy Skyping from New Orleans. Together, they chat about the origins of the festival, how each of them (and Matt) got involved, and they discuss the review process for selecting the hosts, featured performers, and headliners. They also chat about Lefty’s practice of offering feedback sessions for those who don’t make it into the festival. And so, from the importance of building supportive communities, to some verbal highlights, here’s presenting Matt Storm and the curators of The Nerdlesque Festival: Heart Crimson, Anja Keister, and Lefty Lucy.

Next Episode:

Kara Eliza

Today, Matt welcomes Faux Pas le Fae & Aurora North, together known as The Brides of Burlesque. Hailing from NYC, the duo’s productions, dance routines, and burlesque performances have taken the cabaret tradition to a new place; queer/trans-inspired burlesque, cirque, and world class modern dance are brought together in provocative art! With the duo, Matt chats about their new monthly variety show at BIZARRE Bushwick (DJ’d by Matt himself). They also chat about how they got their start in performance and burlesque, their background in theater and dance, how they create new performances, and what goes into producing a variety show vs. a burlesque show. And so from their production company (Kinetic Cabaret Productions) to how the duo met, fell in love, and got married, here’s presenting Matt Storm and the Brides of Burlesque.

Next Episode:

Nerdlesque Festival 2018 Special

Today, Matt welcomes the members of the hard rock band Saint Tragedy via Skype. Hailing from Kenosha, WI, Saint Tragedy formed their unique hard rock sound in 2008. Their line-up features Wayne Wiginton (vocals), Matt Brudniewicz (guitar), Eric Serbedzija (bass), and Jason Scuffham (drums). Their new EP is called Prolonging The Agony and their first single off the record is “No More Religion”. With Matt, the group chats about how and when the band got started, they chat about the songwriting process and their musical roots, what inspires them, and how long they’ve been at their craft. They also discuss Wayne’s passion for writing and how some of his songs were written before the band even formed. And so, from their ‘live show’ experiences to their excitement at hitting the road, here’s presenting Matt Storm and Saint Tragedy.

Next Interview:

w/ The Brides of Burlesque