Bailey Stephens-Johns, founder and co-owner of Pink Street Management, joins the show to talk about her journey from helping her brother’s band to running a full-fledged management company. We get into what it actually takes to support an artist, contract nerd talk, van breakdowns, and why live performance matters more than ever as AI-generated music creeps in.

Later in the episode, Bailey shares a mixtape inspired by acts she’s seen live, and we wrap things up by blind ranking iconic pink things, in honor of Pink Street Management’s signature color.

More on IG: @pinktreetmgmt https://www.instagram.com/pinkstreetmgmt

The J-Card is presented by Rue Defense Tape Club, a quarterly, mail-order cassette compilation and DIY audio project. Hosted by Alexei Shishkin, each episode is part music discovery, part oral history, part hangout show. We ask artists, musicians, filmmakers, and other music-minded folks to build us their own personal mixtape and talk about the moments and memories that inspired it.

New episodes drop here and wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for watching, and if you liked this one, share it with a friend who also might.

📬 Subscribe:

Subscribe now

📲 Follow us: IG: https://www.instagram.com/ruedefense TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@tapeclub Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tapeclub.substack.com X: https://x.com/ruedefense

🤝 Support / Sponsorship: https://forms.gle/8L4o4yLvX5fQnpAXA

🎶 Submit Music: https://forms.gle/Mc7En6K8Tb2BbgxJA

📩 Contact: [email protected]

⏱️ Chapters:

00:00 - Intro to Bailey & Pink Street

03:39 - Working in Music as a Non-Musician

09:20 - Manager vs. Tour Manager

14:52 - Growing the Pink Street Team

17:21 - Day-to-Day of a Music Manager

18:48 - Deep Dive into Contracts

23:17 - Challenges and Wins with Pink Street

26:58 - Mixtape Intro

27:52 - “Saturn” by The Odyssey

30:56 - “Apex” by Modeling

35:10 - “Crazy” by The Phlegms

38:44 - “Damage Control” by stepmom

43:35 - “Severance” by Shadow Work

49:43 - “Peachy” by Keathley

53:28 - Honorable Mentions

56:15 - Game: Blind Ranking Pink Things

01:10:05 - Plugs & Outro

Perry Eaton is the songwriter behind the solo project Ivy Boy, a longtime member of the band Beeef, and a co-founder of the beloved Boston music blog Allston Pudding. In this episode of The J-Card Podcast, we talk about how different the writing process is when you’re solo vs. in a band, the nostalgia of the music blog era, and how he got a very special guitarist to feature on his debut album.

For his mixtape, Perry shared a nostalgic, scene-specific selection of tunes including stories about Krill, Pile, and more. He even opens up his DMs to those of yall interested in getting some mp3s on the low 🤫

More on IG: @ivyboymusic https://www.instagram.com/ivyboymusic

The J-Card is presented by Rue Defense Tape Club, a quarterly, mail-order cassette compilation and DIY audio project. Hosted by Alexei Shishkin, each episode is part music discovery, part oral history, part hangout show. We ask artists, musicians, filmmakers, and other music-minded folks to build us their own personal mixtape and talk about the moments and memories that inspired it.

New episodes drop here and wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for watching, and if you liked this one, share it with a friend who also might.

📬 Subscribe:

Subscribe now

📲 Follow us: IG: https://www.instagram.com/ruedefense TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@tapeclub Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tapeclub.substack.com X: https://x.com/ruedefense

🤝 Support / Sponsorship: https://forms.gle/8L4o4yLvX5fQnpAXA

🎶 Submit Music: https://forms.gle/Mc7En6K8Tb2BbgxJA

📩 Contact: [email protected]

⏱️ Chapters:

00:00 - Intro to Perry

02:22 - How Ivy Boy Started

04:33 - Band vs Solo Project Workflow

09:38 - Recording the Ivy Boy Debut

16:58 - Touring & Playing Live

19:15 - Monetizing Music (or Not)

22:38 - Allston Pudding

26:52 - Mixtape Intro

27:59 - “All Now” by Furvis

31:10 - “Tiny People” by Drug Rug

33:03 - “Rearrange The Sea” by You Can Be A Wesley

35:59 - “Things I Enjoy” by Fat History Month

39:23 - “Solitaire” by Krill

41:23 - “Pretty Little Hand” by earthquake party!

45:39 - “New Hat” by Kid Mountain

48:38 - “Pets” by Pile

52:04 - Honorable Mentions

53:52 - Game: Play, Pause, Stop

Martin Earley is a member of The Ballroom Thieves, and he’s a booking agent at Little Revolution Artists. In this episode, we go deep into the business side of touring, covering what agents actually do, how tour routing works, why data matters, and when an artist is truly ready to bring on representation.

We talk about holds, challenges, contracts, merch cuts, and more. Martin also shares what he looks for in new artists, how he measures success, and how he ended up becoming an agent himself while still touring as a musician.

If you’re an independent artist, manager, or anyone curious about how the touring ecosystem really works behind the scenes, this one’s for you.

More on IG: @martinearley  https://www.instagram.com/martinearley

The J-Card is presented by Rue Defense Tape Club, a quarterly, mail-order cassette compilation and DIY audio project. Hosted by Alexei Shishkin, each episode is part music discovery, part oral history, part hangout show. We ask artists, musicians, filmmakers, and other music-minded folks to build us their own personal mixtape and talk about the moments and memories that inspired it.

New episodes drop here and wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for watching, and if you liked this one, share it with a friend who also might.

📬 Subscribe:

📲 Follow us: IG: https://www.instagram.com/ruedefense TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@tapeclub Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tapeclub.substack.com X: https://x.com/ruedefense

🤝 Support / Sponsorship: https://forms.gle/8L4o4yLvX5fQnpAXA

🎶 Submit Music: https://forms.gle/Mc7En6K8Tb2BbgxJA

📩 Contact: [email protected]

⏱️ Chapters:

00:00 - Intro to Martin

00:59 - What Does an Agent Do?

11:39 - Venues Taking a Cut of Merch

16:45 - Finding Artists vs Being Pitched

20:53 - Martin’s Path from Musician to Agent

28:01 - Mixtape Intro

28:45 - "To What Do I Owe My Pleasure" by Ruby Gill

30:48 - "The Bed Unfold" by Penelope Antena

36:37 - "Alesis" by Mk.gee

39:22 - "All In Good Time" by Iron & Wine and Fiona Apple

42:45 - "Darkness" by Pinegrove

46:12 - "In The Morning" by The Ballroom Thieves

51:05 - Honorable Mention: Árný Margrét

52:11 - Game: Firsts & Lasts

01:01:44 - Plugs/Outro

In this episode of The J-Card Podcast, I’m joined by John from Lonely Ghost Records, a self-described “weird pop” label that operates more like a collective than a traditional industry machine. We talk about how Lonely Ghost works behind the scenes, why they don’t own their artists’ music, and what labels can (and can’t) realistically offer musicians today.

John breaks down the economics of PR, why most artists misunderstand streaming success, and how community, patience, and genuine collaboration matter more than viral moments. We also dig into demo culture, DIY ethics, and the difference between chasing numbers and building something sustainable.

More on IG: @lonelyghostrecs https://www.instagram.com/lonelyghostrecs/

The J-Card is presented by Rue Defense Tape Club, a quarterly, mail-order cassette compilation and DIY audio project. Hosted by Alexei Shishkin, each episode is part music discovery, part oral history, part hangout show. We ask artists, musicians, filmmakers, and other music-minded folks to build us their own personal mixtape and talk about the moments and memories that inspired it.

New episodes drop here and wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for watching, and if you liked this one, share it with a friend who also might.

📬 Subscribe:

📲 Follow us: IG: https://www.instagram.com/ruedefense TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@tapeclub Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tapeclub.substack.com X: https://x.com/ruedefense

🤝 Support / Sponsorship: https://forms.gle/8L4o4yLvX5fQnpAXA

🎶 Submit Music: https://forms.gle/Mc7En6K8Tb2BbgxJA

📩 Contact: [email protected]

Emile Milgrim is a Miami-based drummer, teaching artist, DJ, and community organizer whose work spans DIY bands, Brazilian percussion ensembles, archival sound art, and music education. In this episode of The J-Card Podcast, we covered everything from playing in an 80-plus-person Brazilian percussion ensemble, to touring with Las Nubes, to KEXP sessions.

In the mixtape segment, Emile introduces us to Miami Soul, highlighting women artists from the late ’60s and ’70s and unpacking the labels, producers, and scenes that helped define the sound. And then of course, a SOUTH FLORIDA DRAFT!

More on IG: @otherelectricities https://www.instagram.com/otherelectricities/

The J-Card is presented by Rue Defense Tape Club, a quarterly, mail-order cassette compilation and DIY audio project. Hosted by Alexei Shishkin, each episode is part music discovery, part oral history, part hangout show. We ask artists, musicians, filmmakers, and other music-minded folks to build us their own personal mixtape and talk about the moments and memories that inspired it.

New episodes drop here and wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for watching, and if you liked this one, share it with a friend who also might.

📬 Subscribe:

📲 Follow us: IG: https://www.instagram.com/ruedefense TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@tapeclub Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tapeclub.substack.com X: https://x.com/ruedefense

🤝 Support / Sponsorship: https://forms.gle/8L4o4yLvX5fQnpAXA

🎶 Submit Music: https://forms.gle/Mc7En6K8Tb2BbgxJA

📩 Contact: [email protected]

⏱️ Chapters:

00:00 - Intro: Emile Milgrim

01:26 - From Miami to Portland

01:35 - Moving to Portland and Finding Community

09:35 - Playing in Large Ensembles

16:40 - Writing as a Drummer

19:35 - Las Nubes KEXP Session

25:19 - Archival Feedback and Sound Art

30:25 - Miami Girls Rock Camp

33:09 - Mixtape Intro - Miami Soul

34:16- “Rocking Chair” by Gwen McCrae

37:25 - “I Am Controlled By Your Love” by Helene Smith

38:40 - “Don’t Make the Good Girls Go Bad” by Della Humphrey

42:25 - “Clean Up Woman” by Betty Wright

46:18 - “It Takes Two” by Lynn Williams

48:18 - “There Must Be Something” by Friday, Saturday & Sunday

51:03 - “It’s All Over” by Pearl Dowell

52:45 - Honorable Mentions

55:35 - The South Florida Draft!

01:08:52 - Plugs + Outro

Brendan Wright of the Boston-based band Tiberius joins us to dig into the process behind their latest album Troubadour, a deeply personal record shaped by place, time, and community. Brendan also tells us about working with friends, trusting outside ears, and how Boston’s DIY scene continues to shape the way they make music.

In the mixtape segment, Brendan spotlights six bands from the Allston / Brighton DIY world, a shout-out to their local music community. We wrap with The Showdown, a rapid-fire look at first gigs, strange shows, and the moments that stick with you long after the load-out.

http://tiberiuswright.bandcamp.com

http://tiberiusiskindofaband.com

More on IG: @tiberiuswright https://www.instagram.com/tiberiuswright

The J-Card is presented by Rue Defense Tape Club, a quarterly, mail-order cassette compilation and DIY audio project. Hosted by Alexei Shishkin, each episode is part music discovery, part oral history, part hangout show. We ask artists, musicians, filmmakers, and other music-minded folks to build us their own personal mixtape and talk about the moments and memories that inspired it.

New episodes drop here and wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for watching, and if you liked this one, share it with a friend who also might.

📬 Subscribe:

📲 Follow us: IG: https://www.instagram.com/ruedefense TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@tapeclub Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tapeclub.substack.com X: https://x.com/ruedefense

🤝 Support / Sponsorship: https://forms.gle/8L4o4yLvX5fQnpAXA

🎶 Submit Music: https://forms.gle/Mc7En6K8Tb2BbgxJA

📩 Contact: [email protected]

⏱️ Chapters:

00:00 - Intro: Brendan Wright & the Boston DIY Scene

02:07 - Learning Guitar Through Guitar Hero

05:12 - Early Recordings & Cringing at Old Songs

09:36 - What Goes Into Mixing?

17:26 - Brendan’s Songwriting Process

21:26 - Tiberius’s Next Album

24:16 - Mixtape Theme: Allston / Brighton DIY Scene

26:10 - “Bazooka Baby” by Winkler

29:14 - “Dry Rot” by Gollylagging

32:16 - “Inkblot” by Clifford

34:45 - “Joe Modern” by Paper Lady

38:20 - “Good Part” by Sweet Petunia

41:28 - “Pass the Light” by Jane Don’t

44:35 - Honorable Mentions

45:40 - Game: Showdown

58:51 - Plugs + Outro

Alvaro Rodriguez wears a lot of hats. He’s everything from a label head to a studio owner, audio engineer, producer, and one-time aerospace engineer. In this season finale of The J-Card Podcast, we dive deep into what it takes to run an independent label (Geodesic Records) and a recording studio (Geodesic Sound) in Houston, Texas.

We talk about the realities of DIY music in 2025, the process of designing and wiring his 3,000-square-foot recording studio from the ground up, and of course, we go over his mixtape. Then we wrap things up with a space-themed Mt Rushmore game!

Charlie Eddy GoFundMe Site: https://gofund.me/3aab3b6a6

More on IG: @geodesicrecords https://www.instagram.com/geodesicrecords

The J-Card is presented by Rue Defense Tape Club, a quarterly, mail-order cassette compilation and DIY audio project. Hosted by Alexei Shishkin, each episode is part music discovery, part oral history, part hangout show. We ask artists, musicians, filmmakers, and other music-minded folks to build us their own personal mixtape and talk about the moments and memories that inspired it.

New episodes drop here and wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for watching, and if you liked this one, share it with a friend who also might.

📬 Subscribe:

📲 Follow us: IG: https://www.instagram.com/ruedefense TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@tapeclub Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tapeclub.substack.com X: https://x.com/ruedefense

🤝 Support / Sponsorship: https://forms.gle/8L4o4yLvX5fQnpAXA

🎶 Submit Music: https://forms.gle/Mc7En6K8Tb2BbgxJA

📩 Contact: [email protected]

⏱️ Chapters:

00:00 - Intro: Alvaro Rodriguez & Geodesic Records

01:22 - What Indie Labels Can Actually Offer Artists

08:06 - Why Geodesic Focuses on Local Artists in Houston

11:02 - Building A Recording Studio From Scratch

17:44 - Most Important Studio Tools/Techniques

21:25 - Producing vs Engineering

26:06 - Mixtape Introduction

27:27 - “Becker” by Autolux

30:16 - “Harper Lewis” by Russian Circles

32:18 - “Undercovers On” by Rival Schools

34:57 - “Asilos Magdalena” by The Mars Volta

42:13 - “Vulcan Dome” by Sunrise and Ammunition

45:31 - “Find a Heaven” by Raudiver

49:44 - “Dead Inside” by Mother Ghost

52:27 - Honorable Mentions

54:09 - Space Song Mt Rushmore

01:08:32 - Plugs + Outro

This week’s guest is Daniel Carrai, the creative director at Sever. Sever is a multidisciplinary studio working at the intersection of music, film, and immersive environments. He’s also the longtime creative collaborator behind Oceanic’s ambitious live shows.

In this episode, Daniel breaks down how those live shows are built (synchronizing lights, visuals, and even pedalboards across multiple laptops using Ableton, Lightkey, and TouchDesigner), why he still believes in music videos, and how to know when a creative direction is working (or not).

More on IG: @sever.films https://www.instagram.com/sever.films/

The J-Card is presented by Rue Defense Tape Club, a quarterly, mail-order cassette compilation and DIY audio project. Hosted by Alexei Shishkin, each episode is part music discovery, part oral history, part hangout show. We ask artists, musicians, filmmakers, and other music-minded folks to build us their own personal mixtape and talk about the moments and memories that inspired it.

New episodes drop here and wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for watching, and if you liked this one, share it with a friend who also might.

📬 Subscribe:

📲 Follow us: IG: https://www.instagram.com/ruedefense TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@tapeclub Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tapeclub.substack.com X: https://x.com/ruedefense

🤝 Support / Sponsorship: https://forms.gle/8L4o4yLvX5fQnpAXA

🎶 Submit Music: https://forms.gle/Mc7En6K8Tb2BbgxJA

📩 Contact: [email protected]

⏱️ Chapters:

00:00 - Intro to Daniel Carrai & Sever

00:54 - Being a Creative Director for a Band

06:21 - How To Know When a Direction Isn’t Working

10:01 - Designing “Immersive Environments”

18:10 - Sever as a Film Production Company

22:40 - Are Music Videos Still Relevant?

28:27 - Mixtape Segment Begins

29:00 - “Silly” by Troye Sivan

30:16 - “Babe Ruth” by COIN

33:17 - “Silent Hill” by Kendrick Lamar & Kodak Black

35:40 - “All I Do” by Bully

39:27 - “Atavista” by Childish Gambino

41:57 - “Curse” by Oceanic

43:32 - “Guys” by The 1975

46:07 - Honorable Mentions

48:12 - Game: One For The Road

54:10 - Plugs + Outro

This week’s guest is Patrick McCarthy, Director of Marketing for A to Z Media Inc. and Solid Merch. In today’s episode, Patrick pulls back the curtain on the world of physical media. What actually goes into pressing a vinyl record? Why are there delays? What’s a lacquer? If you’ve ever wondered how your favorite albums go from audio files to physical objects, this is an episode you’ll love.

Plus, stick around for a Blind Ranking of some of the most unique vinyl records every pressed!

More on IG: @atozmediainc https://www.instagram.com/atozmediainc/

The J-Card is presented by Rue Defense Tape Club, a quarterly, mail-order cassette compilation and DIY audio project. Hosted by Alexei Shishkin, each episode is part music discovery, part oral history, part hangout show. We ask artists, musicians, filmmakers, and other music-minded folks to build us their own personal mixtape and talk about the moments and memories that inspired it.

New episodes drop here and wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for watching, and if you liked this one, share it with a friend who also might.

📬 Subscribe:

📲 Follow us: IG: https://www.instagram.com/ruedefense TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@tapeclub Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tapeclub.substack.com X: https://x.com/ruedefense

🤝 Support / Sponsorship: https://forms.gle/8L4o4yLvX5fQnpAXA

🎶 Submit Music: https://forms.gle/Mc7En6K8Tb2BbgxJA

📩 Contact: [email protected]

⏱️ Chapters:

00:00 – Intro

00:30 – The DIY Origins of A to Z Media

05:44 – All The People Who Help Make A Physical Record

13:39 – The Vocabulary of Vinyl Manufacturing

18:27 – Getting Into Manufacturing

21:09 – Trends in Physical Media

29:02 – Mixtape Segment Begins

30:23 – “Deep Fried Frenz” by MF DOOM

32:56 – “WHAT WE DREW 우리가 그려왔” by Yaeji

35:12 – “All-Boy All-Girl” by Arthur Russell

39:57 – “Idioteque” by Radiohead

45:08 – “Movement 1” by Pharoah Sanders & Floating Points

48:00 – “Garbage Pale Kids” by JPEGMAFIA & Danny Brown

49:54 – “Nightime” by Big Star

52:10 – “All The Time” by Acetone

56:08 – Honorable Mentions

58:52 – Blind Ranking Unique Vinyl Records

01:11:30 – Plugs and Outro

Zeke Rudick of Young Elk joins The J-Card Podcast to talk about his band’s new album Calm Down, recorded in a remote house on the Puget Sound. We dig into the logistics of making a record in isolation, the patience required to press vinyl, and how Portland’s music scene has changed over the last decade.

Zeke also shares his “Great Songs for Sad Sacks” mixtape, plus plays a Pacific Northwest edition of our game Build the Bill.

Listen to Young Elk’s Calm Down: https://youngelk.bandcamp.com

Portland record release show: November 21 at Bunk Bar

More on IG: @youngelkband https://www.instagram.com/youngelkband/

The J-Card is presented by Rue Defense Tape Club, a quarterly, mail-order cassette compilation and DIY audio project. Hosted by Alexei Shishkin, each episode is part music discovery, part oral history, part hangout show. We ask artists, musicians, filmmakers, and other music-minded folks to build us their own personal mixtape and talk about the moments and memories that inspired it.

New episodes drop here and wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for watching, and if you liked this one, share it with a friend who also might.

📬 Subscribe:

📲 Follow us: IG: https://www.instagram.com/ruedefense TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@tapeclub Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tapeclub.substack.com X: https://x.com/ruedefense

🤝 Support / Sponsorship: https://forms.gle/8L4o4yLvX5fQnpAXA

🎶 Submit Music: https://forms.gle/Mc7En6K8Tb2BbgxJA

📩 Contact: [email protected]

⏱️ Chapters:

00:00 - Intro: Zeke Rudick of Young Elk

00:56 - Recording in a remote cabin

05:54 - Reading reviews & music blog culture

12:40 - Forming Young Elk via a “snobby” Craigslist ad

13:07 - Band member swap while Zeke was hospitalized

14:47 - Portland’s music scene: past vs present

18:23 - Why vinyl still matters for Young Elk

22:46 - Mixtape intro: “Great Songs for Sad Sacks”

23:58 - “Always Trying to Work It Out” by Low

26:10 - “Christmas in Nightmare City” by Advance Base

28:30 - “Palindrome Hunches” by Neil Halstead

30:51 - “Keep Trying” by David Bazan

32:45 - “Northstar Blues” by Magnolia Electric Co.

35:29 - “Lou-Jean” by Damien Jurado

37:40 - “Return” by Suffering and the Hideous Thieves

39:47 - “My Opening Farewell” by Jackson Browne

41:32 - Honorable mention Billy Joel

42:36 - Build the Bill: Pacific Northwest Edition

47:42 - Young Elk release show + outro plugs