Maureen Begley and Ang Buxton, cousins and comedians, share the stories of 2 musical artists from the state of Colorado.

Ang covers the story of Elephant Revival. This Americana folk band from Nederland has won awards under the genre "progressive edge." They believe in the power of music to connect people, and have a beautiful mission statement: "Where words fail...music speaks."

Maureen tells the story of The String Cheese Incident. This bluegrass, psychedelic band from Crested Butte and Telluride combines a ton of genres.  They have transformed over the years, infusing innovative electronic music techniques with their Colorado folk sound to make the eclectic sound they're known for.

Additionally, they check in about job hunting, the state of the public school system and Coronavirus, and Maureen tells a heart-wrenching story of being passed over for a promotion. Ang is grumpy because [redacted].  Bruin the Dog makes his longest cameo yet.  This episode also features segments like: Fuck You, John Denver.

Recorded on July 17, 2020.

   Hello and thank you for coming to our FlexTalk. Maureen Begley and Ang Buxton, cousins and comedians, share the stories of 2 MORE artists from California. Maureen covers Colbie Caillat.  Born in Malibu, California, this artist spent a lot of time in Hawaii, and had a big impact on 17-year-old Maureen who loved Myspace and thought driving to Florida was a good idea.

   Ang dives into the story of Kendrick Lamar. This Pulitzer Prize winner from Compton has written some of the most influential albums not just in hip-hop, but in music as a whole. Stay til the end of the episode for a special Easter Egg.

   Additionally, Bruin makes a very important cameo that we had to pay a stupid amount for so we hope it was worth it! We also discuss the controversy around Kanye West, Brand New, and get real in depth about Britney Spears conspiracy theories. #FreeBritney Ang talks about Black Mirror and Maureen talks about the movie Beaches.

   This episode answers questions like: What does being famous do to your mental health? Is anyone still wearing bras? How does toxic masculinity manifest itself in society? Am I being awful? And more!

Recorded on July 8, 2020.

In part 1 of 2 episodes about musicians from California, Maureen Begley and Ang Buxton, cousins and comedians, each research one musical artist and tell their story.  Ang chose Del the Funky Homosapien, Oakland's own underground rapper of both The Hieroglyphics and Deltron 3030. The hosts theorize, among other things, about why Elektra Records abruptly dropped Del a month before his album "Future Development." Maureen covers the story of Snow tha Product, an artist from San Jose who raps in both English and Spanish and makes true bangerz. Inspired by some of Snow's songs, their conversation veers into how dudes react to queer females and the way algorithms impact what music we experience.

Additionally, Maureen toggles between outstanding New York and Boston accents that you do not want to miss, 100% money back guarantee. They invent a band called The Beachie Boys and sing their top hits. Bruin the Dog was not available for a cameo this week.

Recorded July 1, 2020.

In this episode, Maureen Begley and Ang Buxton each pick a musician from the state of Arkansas and tell the story of their journey. Maureen starts by taking on the extensive career of Levon Helm, drummer and vocalist for The Band. Ang covers the story of Evanescence and Amy Lee.  During the check-in, they discuss caffeine, Rube-Goldberg machines, and neuroplasticity. They also accidentally discuss Tim O'Brien's In the Lake of the Woods, the movie Boys Don't Cry, and what it might be like to be on tour for long periods of time. This episode features a cameo from Bruin the Dog.

Recorded on June 25, 2020.

In this episode, Maureen Begley and Ang Buxton each pick a musician from the state of Arizona and tell the story of their journey.  Ang covers the story of Jimmy Eat World, including, of course, their very mysterious name.  They talk extensively about the impact that songs like "The Middle" and "Hear You Me" had and continue to have.  Maureen takes on the long and versatile career of Linda Rondstadt, including her family's long history in the state of Arizona. 

Also, Ang celebrates one year sober today!  They check in about recovery from alcoholism, dealing with anger, their love of the Backstreet Boys as kids, and Lizzo. 

Recorded on June 18, 2020.

In this episode, Maureen Begley and Ang Buxton each pick a musician from the state of Alaska and tell the story of their journey.  Maureen covers singer, song-writer and activist Marian Call.  Ang takes on the story of Jewel Kilcher, the very same Jewel who asked the age old question: Who Will Save Your Soul?  They also check in about protests, white flight, systemic oppression, family trauma, and sobriety. Recorded on June 8, 2020.

In this pilot episode, Maureen Begley and Ang Buxton each pick a musician from the state of Alabama and tell the story of their journey.  They start the episode brainstorming for podcast names, which, as you can hear, were all trash. Ang goes over the long and extensive history of The Blind Boys of Alabama. Maureen covers Brittany Howard of the Alabama Shakes.  They also check in about politics and the current state of the U.S., systemic racism, comedy, sobriety, and the music industry. Recorded on June 2, 2020, the death anniversary of Clarence Fountain, frontman for The Blind Boys of Alabama.

An introduction to the new podcast, Stars of the States!  Maureen Begley and Ang Buxton explore the performing arts across the United States. Each episode, they pick a musician or artist from the same state and discuss their story and work. Part biography, part comedy, part history, 100% appreciation for the work that artists do. Join us as we work our way across America alphabetically, from Alabama to Wyoming, here on Stars of the States!