Night Coffee

This week I sat down with Cody of the scenic city sludge/ Appalachian piedmont doom  band, Dope Skum. Dope Skum is a truly unique, two man metal band from Chattanooga, Tennessee. It was awesome finally getting to interview a band from Tennessee and Cody had a lot of great insight when it came to music and was very open about his influences and his vision for the band. Their new single "Folk Magic" is available now wherever you stream music. 

This week I sat down with Jason and Steph Tarrant of StrongBox Crates. Strongbox is the first subscription box geared towards all things weight lifting. Focused on helping everyone find their strength and confidence, StrongBox aims to show everyone that there is a place in  strength sports for everyone. Jason and Steph are two very kind and driven individuals whos message with their product couldn't be more straight forward. It was a truly rewarding opportunity to have a conversation with these two and I look forward to everything they put forward with their product.

In this episode I was joined  by world class stone maker Will Ramirez. Will has made atlas stones for elite strongman competitions such as The Official Strongman Games and the Clash series, along with many local comps and individual strongmen all around the country. To say that Will approaches atlas stone fabrication as a scientist would be an understatement. Not only has will developed his own formula for making stones heavier and lighter but he has also been through countless variations and experiments to place a lifetime guarantee on his products. In this almost four hour episode we cover a myriad of topics beyond just stone making. This was a truly enjoyable episode and I look forward to having Will on in the future.

In this episode I sat down with three members of dark-rock band The Cult Sounds. The Cult Sounds is a St. Louis based, hardcore inspired act that is a true breath of fresh air in the rock genre with obvious passion for what they do as is evident in their unique music. Inspired by not only recording artists but movie scores and stage performance as well, they offer an eclectic and diverse catalog of music ranging from melodic dark-rock to punk. I enjoyed hearing about the origin of their band name, their favorite horror movies, and what life is like in the ever changing city of St. Louis. I look forward to having them on again and i urge you to listen to their music on Band Camp or Spotify.

In this episode I finally able to sit down with Ethan O'Dell for a very enjoyable episode. Ethan is a paramedic, amateur strongman, garage gym owner, and an awesome father. In this episode we obviously had to get into conversations about our places in the strongman world and the problems that arise while training and competing. We were also able to talk about being fathers, our crazy sleep schedules and the dreaded one chip challenge.

For my second sit down with Devin Watts we really took off running with a close to four hour episode. It's always been extremely easy for me to have good conversation with Devin going all the way back to our high school days. We get into a multitude of topics that always seem to circle back around to music. It was an honest pleasure to sit down with Devin and I hope you enjoy the episode.

In this episode I sat down with middleweight strongman athlete Tyler Pruitt. Tyler currently competes in the 105 weight class having gone to both Clash and Nationals. We got into conversation about his desire to become a coach, massage therapist, and facility owner. Tyler is very knowledgeable in the realm of how the human body works, how to lay out an efficient program, and how to read a persons needs in the physical aspect of training. This was a great episode, I learned a lot and I look forward to having Tyler on in the future. 

In this episode I was able to sit down with all five members of the Southwestern Pennsylvania hardcore band Speaking in Tongues. Being able to sit down with an entire band to discuss their music is always fun and Speaking in Tongues did not disappoint. Each member in the band very clearly brings something different to the table and to say that they have almost visible synergy is an understatement. From hearing about their creative process to finding out how they bring their live shows to the forefront of the scene was a truly inspiring experience and I feel lucky to have sat down with a band that has their vision so clearly etched. I look forward to everything they do in the future and I highly suggest that anyone who enjoys heavy, purposeful music to check them out.

In this episode I was fortunate enough to sit down with adaptive athlete Sam Schaefer. Sam is a veteran, Crossfit coach, highland games world record holder and has competed at the Arnold in both Olympic lifting and highland games. Sam was a a superb guest and an absolute pleasure to have on. Seeing the perspective of someone who embraces an amputation and goes in head first was a unique experience that would be hard to replicate. Sam is a very genuine guy who has an obvious love for life and takes full advantage of the opportunities presented to him.