Talking Beards

Beards for Beasts is only a few weeks away so The Beardcaster, and special guest co-host Anthony "The Stache" Fontes, sat down with the Steel City Beard and Mustache Club president Andrew Miscowiec to get the lowdown on the 4th year of this fantastic event.

-Kent Student Radio-hosting multiple types of shows, mostly music but filling in on some talk types of shows

-WJCU-doing a 'Unsigned band' show. Did artist interviews and collect unsigned material-…didn't have the engineering background so it was difficult to adjust to the technology side-was kinda thrown into it because I was traveling and scouting bands on the weekends.

tried to start podcasting 2009/2010 but it never really grabbed ahold.

my band started a podcast around 2011 and did a few episodes, I appear on one but never really followed through on "doing my own"

AMERICANROCKSTAR Podcast w/Scott Sykora

-by this time I was becoming engrossed in podcasts. I spent a lot of time traveling and driving and needed to cleans my palate from music—-I wanted to expand my mind, learn about things, explore things I had always been interested in but never searched out.

Some podcasts that I subscribed to at this time were:

Podcast Ufo-w/ Martin Willis The Kate Valentine UFO Show-w/ Kate Valentine Random Alien Brain Droppings-w/ Suzanne Chancellor The Unexplained with Howard Huges The Other Side of Truth-w/ Paul Kimball Radio Misterioso-w/ Greg Bishop Binnall of America-w/Tim Binnall Open Minds UFO Radio-w/ Alejandro Rojas The Paracast-w/ Gene Steinberg and Christopher O'Brien Hidden Experience-w/ Mike Clelland The Gralien Report-w/ Micah Hanks

As I listened to all this content I felt like I was becoming an expert myself of the topics of UFO's and alien abduction. All of these podcasts I found because of any of the ones I listened to before, They are all interconnected and have a lot of the same guests. After listening to the same content over and over, I needed new blood. I then discovered new content providers, and kinda traveled off the paranormal track and widened my horizons and explored a few other podcasts such as:

SasWhat: A Podcast about Bigfoot- w/ Seth Breedlove Into The Fray w/ Shannon, Ryan, and Sam Where Did the Road Go w/Seriah Azkath The Rogue Planet Podcast w/ Jason, Maureen, Ryan, and Caleb

I needed to find some other stuff to listen to, the paranormal world was starting to depress me…I could never find any answers!!! I started looking into music, another passion. I listened to a whole bunch of different podcasts about the music industry but only 2 stuck…

The Jasta Show w/ Jamie Jasta Music Business Facts w/ Rodney Holder

By this point I knew I needed to podcast, but what about??? I figured I would try my hand at a paranormal podcast, why not-it isn't over saturated yet??? I made a plan about my content and how I wanted to present the info so now I needed to learn how to podcast. I thought about trying to consume as much information about podcasting as I could, learn everything I could as fast as possible. I found a bunch of podcasts and subscribed and downloaded as many episodes as possible. These are some of the podcast I subscribed to to help me learn about podcasting…

The Podcasters Studio and Podcast Quick Tips w/ Ray Ortega The Podcasters Roundtable w/ Ray, Daniel J Lewis, and Dave Jackson The School of Podcasting w/ Dave Jackson The Podcast Producers w/ Corey Coates and Jessica Rhodes The Feed w/ Elsie Escobar and Rob Walch Podcast Method w/ Dan Benjamin Podcast Talent Coach w/ Erik K. Johnson podCast411 w/ Rob Walch The Audacity to Podcast w/ Daniel J Lewis Speaker Live w/ Rob Greenlee

I learned A LOT from all of these people. Any time I had a question about anything all I needed to do was send an email to any of these people directly and I would get instant answers. Between these people, and their YouTube channels for the visuals, I was able to build the confidence to launch my podcast!

By this point I had come to the conclusion that I didn't need to be a player in a field that already had tons of podcasts. I needed to focus on something I knew more than anything. I needed to focus on something I didn't think I knew someone else was doing, a podcast about beards. It wasn't going to be podcast about the hipster "trend" that has been going on, it was going to be about the real people that grew before the trend and those who would still stand after. It was going to be about the contests they all attended, the brotherhood and sisterhood we all found together. It was going to be about the family we created, the new friends we made all because of something we grew on our faces. It was about something that we take into our everyday lives and just "do" without thinking. It is about the styles, and care, the preparation we make, and take, to grow our facial hair. It was about how we all come together to make differences in or communities, or the communities of our friends. It was about our travels to other cities to compete for bragging rights and the battles we have had. It was going to be about the products we use to look handsome, and the tips from experts on how to look the best and take care of ourselves. It was going to be about all the adventures we have…everyday. I knew that having a beard, that was abnormally long, lead to a different way of living life. It is something that draws other peoples eyes and attentions and constantly had people staring or making some dumb remark. It was a lifestyle that made me feel different and uncomfortable at times all because I chose to grow a beard. Because of my beard I found many other people like me who felt the same and had a lot of the same interests. This is what I knew, this is what my podcast needed to be about.

I came up with the name "The Beardcaster", bought the domain, built the site and launched January 1st, 2016. I was terrified at first that I was doing everything wrong, that I was going to mess up. After time my confidence built and now 9 months later, 17 episodes, I look back feeling silly. Everything feels much easier to do. Recording episodes is much easier. Editing is much easier. Uploading and posting is much easier. The only thing that isn't easy is growing an audience. That takes the most work. It takes finding them and getting in their faces, or beards! It takes another type of confidence to not be afraid to get out in the world and talk face to face about your "art" and why you believe in it and why they should listen. The more personal you can become with a person the more likely they may take a listen.

Providing content that is rich and advantageous to a listener is also another challenge a podcaster can find. The word "value" comes up a lot in conversations with podcasters. What is the "value" that you provide to your listeners? The value I try to provide to the people that listen to my podcast is this: learning. I want them to learn about something they may know nothing about. I want them to learn about something they have been a part of for a long time that they just discovered. I want them to learn how to take care of themselves. I want them to learn about people that need help and how those of us in the facial hair world help them out. I want them to learn about being free of public scrutiny and the judgmental eyes of so many people. I want them to learn to do something, to be inspired to try something new. I want them to laugh at everything, to not be so serious and just relax in their own skin; or hair.

Pulpo Beard Oils Waffen Der Whiskerr Oil Brutal Beard Groomed Gorilla Attack Of The Beards The Drunken Book Nerd music by: Sindust Chris Donley Tester

Scott talks about the importance of podcasting

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Fatman's Invasion 2016 found this bearded guy, with child in tow, out for one fun adventure. Knowing event organizer, Adam "Fatman" Hurt for close to 30 years, made me feel very old and also curious as to these events he has been posting about online, and hosting, for the past 8 or so years. We traveled to tropical Thompson OH, where an event so grand, so exotic, and so flippin hot, was taking place. This was the third year for this event at Thompson Raceway Park in Northeast Ohio where hundreds upon hundreds of "tuned" and classic cars and spectators gathered for a great cause. Not only was it a car "show" of sorts, it was also a day to challenge your friends to a friendly 1/4 mile drag race...to the death. Fortunately for everyone, nobody died and there were a lot of hugs to go around.

We saw lots of really loud cars and heard some extremely smokey burn-outs, something all of my senses have never experienced. This was defiantly far from any type of event I had ever attended but I found it fascinating and a really great time!!! We met up with the Fatman himself at one point and to talk but he was quickly whisked away by tons of his adoring fans. It was easy to see why this event has grown so big so fast-it had a lot to do with this man, and his beard. The Fatman stickers were on almost every car on-site this day as a show of support of the event and the person who has made this event so popular amongst the local car scene. The Fatman logo

is a cartoonish depiction of Adam and featuring his big, bushy beard in all its glory. This year was the biggest yet in the history of the Invasion, not only in record numbers of cars and attendants, but in the amount that they raised to donate to their charity of choice, the Lake Humaine Society. Check out the podcast to find out exactly how much was donated this year. You can also hear the story first hand of how the event came to be and how it has grown to be the premiere gathering of modified and stock vehicles. The Fatman's beard is part of the whole story and a big reason I experienced, and learned, about a whole different lifestyle I probably wouldn't have known about. Listen to the story told by Adam as we met up at Melt Bar and Grilled in Mentor Ohio shortly after they had made their donation to the Lake Humane Society. Adam has a big heart and a great story that I felt needed to be shared. His beard is part of something that has made a large dent in the community and has helped a lot of needy animals. Please take a listen and share with your friends to help spread the message of those who go above and beyond.

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music by:

BEN LEVIN CHRIS DONLEY

Fatman's Invasion 2016 found this bearded guy, with child in tow, out for one fun adventure.  Knowing event organizer, Adam "Fatman" Hurt for close to 30 years, made me feel very old and also curious as to these events he has been posting about online, and hosting, for the past 8 or so years.

EPISODE 16-BEARDING MAN ADAM CRABILL SEPTEMBER 02, 2016

2016 is the third year for the Bearding Man beard competition in Shippensburgh Pennsylvania. An event so impressive and full of energy, Shippensburgh can thank organizers, Jason Stauffer and Adam Crabill, for putting this once thriving town-back on the map. Each year has seen a substantial growth and this year they are expecting well over 266,422,478 pieces of hair to be in attendance for this "hairy" event. I used the word "hairy" in the last sentence because I was trying to be funny and "ironic", maybe trying to get your attention that this event is about hair.

The Beardcaster was asked by Jason to be a judge for this years event. Being part of such an esteemed panel of judges is a dream come true. The podcast has really opened some cool doors for me, and this just one example of the cool things I get to experience because of my podcast. I feel so grateful that I get to be apart of such a great event that celebrates facial hair and that is all to help the Franklin Learning Center. Who would have ever thought we could use the hair on our chins and upper lips to help raise money for all types of organizations and help so many people? Maybe Abraham Lincoln did but we will never know thanks to Mr. Booth and his stupid gun. I hope to see a lot of you out there in the crowd, and I hope to meet many more of you! I have no doubt that everyone will be having an amazing time at this event. Please come out and support your local community and celebrate all things facial hair!

BEARDING MAN WEBSITE BEARDING MAN FACEBOOK FRANKLIN LEARNING CENTER BEN NEFFLEN ANTHONY FONTES CHARLES ABADAM JODI MITNICK GUY MARSHALL SCOTT SYKORA VERMIN SUPREME BARBATUS GROOMING PECKS MOWER REPAIR ALPHA FITNESS SHAMROCK BARBER SHOP BEISTLE 6 O'CLOCK SHADOW BEARD TEAM

2016 is the third year for the Bearding Man beard competition in Shippensburgh Pennsylvania.  An event so impressive and full of energy, Shippensburgh can thank organizers, Jason Stauffer and Adam Crabill, for putting this once thriving town-back on the map.

The 2nd annual North East Ohio Comic Con, or NEO Comic Con2.0, was held in tight quarters this year. It was sort of a last minute event for the child and I to attend, and was the winner of a toss up between the Pittsburgh Comic convention and this one. I am fairly certain that I chose wisely by attending this gathering of cos-players, collectors, and fans of all things awesome. There were no huge names to be found at this event making you fork out tons of cash to let you stand "near" them and get a picture and pay a little extra for a signed head-shot. This was a one-on-one with creators, writers, artists, and vendors, who were all there for the love of what started as just some cartoons on some news print. This event really felt "family" and very relaxed compared to some of the other larger events that have occurred around the Cleveland area in years past. I am already excited for next years event, it is already being promoted to be at an even larger venue. With the extra space people will be able to move a little bit more and the organizers will be able to bring in more vendors and different types of other cool things.

I am not an avid collector of comics nor am I super engrossed in that world. I enjoy all the movies that come out and some of the current television programs based upon comics. I collected a bunch of Transformers comics in the mid to late 80's and other assorted ones that I thought looked cool. I din't know artists and writers, all I cared about was how the stories made me feel. It is amazing to see how much the industry has grown in 30 some years, absolutely amazing! We live in a comic culture right now, all the popular, mass grossing, movies are all based on some sci-fi/comic template. I enjoy the fantasy world that I get to visit from time to time watching the latest Capt. America or Ant Man movies. It is a bonding time between the child and I, something we can relate to with each other and talk about. We even get to bring the adventures home via video games from time to time which is also super sweet. To me this is what the world feels like, a land of super heroes all around us all the time.

When the child and I attended the NEO Comic Con I was on a mission. I wanted to track down different bearded individuals and see who their favorite "bearded" or "mustached" comic heroes were. I also wanted to talk to some artists and designers to see about their projects. We had a great time meeting some great people and learning about some interesting and cool things we normally wouldn't. We met a bunch of nice bearded fellas who took time out to share their thoughts on some different characters found in the comic/movie worlds. I also talked to Ted Sikora who is a director and writer of a comic called APAMA. I also talked with Frank James Bailey, voice actor and writer of TERCONA. Neither men had any facial hair but I didn't care! They both had some great stories about what they do and also talked about some of their ideas who the great "bearded" or "mustached" characters in comics were. Take a listen to the podcast to hear from everyone that I spoke to at NEO Comicon. Below are links to all the cool things I want you to check out that are discussed in the interviews in the podcast. I appreciate your support and please share with your friends!!!

NEO COMIC CON 2 MAKE A WISH TED SIKORA APAMA HERO TOMORROW FRANK JAMES BAILEY TERCONA JOE MILLER SUPERHEROES TO KIDS IN OHIO 501ST GARRISON, REBEL LEGION & MANDO MERCS / STAR WARS CHRIS DONLEY BEN LEVIN

A visit to a local comicbook convention leads us to talking to bearded guys about their favorite bearded comic characters

Just a few weeks away from our labor of love, Eric Zatchok, and I sit down to discuss a plethora of beard related things. One of which was the 5th Annual Great Lakes Regional Beard and Mustache Championship presented by Melt Bar and Grilled. There has been many miles driven, many meetings had, many emails sent, and many hours spent planning this event this year. We have a lot to be thankful for this year with the help of a lot of great people who have helped both Eric and I put this together. We talk about how Eric got became interested in growing his beard and then quickly changed gears into event planning and then all about our event coming up on July30th. Eric is a great guy who really cares about the bearding community and the community that we try and help out. This year we are working with a local charity, Youth Challenge, and are trying to help them by raising as much money as possible, donate here.

It is a great time to be alive and to live in Cleveland. There is a lot going on in our hometown right now. There will be many people, bearders and nonbearders, visiting our great city. There is so much to see and do in our great city. Our title sponsor, Melt Bar and Grilled are playing a large part in our main event, and also our Meet and Greet and Sunday Brunch events. Stay tuned for a future episode where I dive into the Melt enigma and learn about how they have become one of the greatest restaurants in the Cleveland area.

Please consider checking out my Patreon page and making a small donation to help run this podcast. Also subscribe on i-Tunes and Google Play Music and tell your friends. Thanks and see you out there soon!!!

Voodoo Tuna 5th Annual Great Lakes Regional Beard and Mustache Championship presented by Melt Bar and Grilled Beards of the Old Northwest Cleveland Clinic Whisker Wars COSI Beard Team Ohio Buckshot Beard Bonanza Michigan.org NMS Cleveland Agora Melt Bar and Grilled 16-Bit Bar+Arcade Maple Festival Beard and Mustache Contest Youth Challenge Great Lakes Regional Beard Meet and Greet Great Lakes Regional Beard Hangover Brunch RVA Beard League SCBMC Facial Hair League RNC Ben Levin Waffen Der Whiskerr Oil Brutal Beard Groomed Gorilla