What Am I Making Podcast

Back in March, I attended Podjam in Las Vegas and got a chance to see Christian Finnegan live. I’ve long admired Christian as a comic with a terrific wit, a tremendous vocabulary, and a fascinating view on the world. His stand up is hilarious, insightful, and sharp. Getting to see him perform was a highlight of the Vegas trip and confirmed my theory that he is still one of the funniest and smartest comedians working today. 

I first became familiar with Christian when he appeared a few times on the Chappelle Show. He was also a featured guest on VH1’s Best Week Ever. In more recent years, Christian has become a regular guest over at the Stand Up with Pete Dominick podcast. His analysis of current events is shockingly deft, hilarious, and always incredibly informed. 

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While Christian is a terrific political commentator, I wanted to stay closer to home in our conversation. After a bit of time catching up and recounting our time in Vegas, Christian and I jump into his recent experience at a nostalgia-laden music festival. It brought out both his inner child and his inner cynic, and even led him to discover that nostalgia is a lot like cilantro; One loves a single sprig, but doesn’t want to eat a whole bunch of it in one sitting. We cover what makes our wince meter peak, but also admit that we need to not be too cool for shit. Sometimes it’s best to just give in to the moment and enjoy it.

Later in the discussion, we chat about the ways in which Christian’s terrific New Music For Olds newsletter has shaped and evolved his listening habits for both better and worse. Christian talks about the unending pool of content that is out there and how one can find a great album in almost any genre, if we’re willing to dig deep enough. 

There is some advice that Christian offers on treating the algorithm like a step-parent to keep it on its toes. We learn why all comedians want to be musicians, and why most musicians are afraid to try their hands at comedy. There is even an encounter with Shia Lebouf that involves hiding in a CVS. It’s great stuff from start to finish. 

Cheers,Matty C

As you are almost certainly aware of by now, I just returned home from a month-long US tour that took me to 28 states and covered the eastern half of the US in extensive detail. The journey took me across much of America that I had never seen before as I played my songs in houses, backyards, on patios, decks, and in breweries, historic buildings, and even the grotto of a pie shop. Nearly every night for four weeks, I told stories and sang my songs to engaged and attentive audiences.

Each of the 23 shows on this tour were a unique experience. While many of the songs were repeated from night to night, I did my level best to change up the sequencing of the songs and to try and to infuse new material to the sets as often as possible. I focused on my catalog of original songs from the last twenty years. At each gig, I played songs from my time in The Stick Arounds, Harborcoat, and The Pantones.

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In addition to those songs, I told many of the deep personal stories behind the songs, and even managed to infuse a bit of laughter into the proceedings as well. Knowing audiences at these shows would be familiar with little or more likely, none of my music, I felt that the stories would help to connect the listener to my songs in a more direct way. My hope was that folks would see flashes of their own lives in these stories and songs. The connection with the audience both during the show and before and afterward is always the most rewarding part of these tours.

Toward the end of the tour, I found myself at a house concert in Ames, IA. Ames is a small college town in the middle of the state. I’d set the gig up through a friend of a friend and was unsure what to expect. My hosts Tom and Mary Jane were a lovely older progressive couple with a gorgeous home and yard. Eventually, some 40 people piled into the modest ranch house and we had an amazing evening with music by yours truly, as well as local guitarist Jason Monday and Rockets Of Desire, a band comprised in part by Tom and my other two hosts Bryon and Rachel Dudley. And to my friend Kim Nyborg for co-starring in the photo on the show card.

I’ll tell the full recap story from the show very soon here on the blog. In the meantime, this week’s podcast is a recording of my full set from Tom and Mary Jane’s in Ames, IA. As I have said, each night is different, and no two shows the same, but this hour ought to give you an idea of what it’s like to spend an evening with Matty C at a house concert. Special thanks to Tom, Mary Jane, Bryon, and Rachel for their hospitality. And special thanks as well to my friend, Kim Nyborg for the selfie featured on the show card!

Thanks again for all of the support and grace while I was on the road, my friends. It’s great to be back in the WAIM saddle once more.

Cheers,Matty C

This year for Father’s Day, we present a very special episode of WAIM. I am joined this week by my dear friends Abigail and Barry Hummel of the Pops on Hops podcast for a special crossover episode. Barry and Abigail hatched an idea after hearing my episode with my daughter Maddie and her favorite records of 2023.

Maddie was kind enough to join us for a lengthy discussion of Shana Cleveland’s Manzanita album. The four of us listened to clips from the record, talked about our favorite songs, shared father-daughter stories, and tried some beer along the way.

This one sounds a bit different as I had to put it together form the road while I am on the eastern leg of the Sheddio On The Road Tour. You won’t get to hear the sweet theme music by David Baldwin, and the intro won’t sound quite as dulcet as usual. Still, this episode is a genuine treat for lovers of music and parents and children alike.

Really hope you dig this one. It was extra special to put it together with Maddie and the Hummels. Enjoy.

Cheers,Matty C

For a certain sect of folks, live music is a religion. Most of the best nights of my life involved seeing a show. I have never had the high that I hear runners talk about, or the connection with God that some parishioners feel on Sundays, but I have felt the spirit move through me in a darkened room as music pumped through my veins.

There is something truly magical about sharing a room with a bunch of strangers all there for a common purpose. Live shows were where I found most of my very best friends, and it was where I began to find myself a bit as well. 

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This week on the show, we have three different stories of magical nights of live music. It’s a sort of This American Life style show in three acts, as a trio of returning guests offer up the best live music night of their lives. 

Jennifer Toms from A Rueful Noise kicks things off with a tale of Sleater Kinney, a thunderstorm, a tornado warning, and dancing alone in a baseball field. 

Next up, Kevin Alexander of On Repeat is up to share his story of seeing Jawbreaker in the next state over at the height of his fandom. Two friends, five hours of driving, rest stop coffee, the glory of a road trip, and more. 

We finish things up on this special episode with a tale of Ryan Allen of Extra Arms with a harrowing tale of being on tour down under. The story involves a death defying feat, high theater at a rock show, and ponders just how remote the Australian Outback might be.

I really hope you dig this.

Cheers,Matty C

What was your most amazing night of live music? Be sure to let us know what you thought of this special episode.

By the time spring of 2021 hit, I was reeling. I’d lost my Dad the summer prior out of nowhere. My mental health was in a tailspin, my grief was overwhelming and the reality and paranoia of life during lockdown was taking a serious toll. One of the few highlights in my life was a weekly hangout with a handful of people who listened to the same daily podcast I listened to, Stand Up with Pete Dominick.

At the first few of these hangouts, I was atypically quiet. I’d often lurk in the background of these Zoom meetings and duck out after a few minutes. Gradually however, I began to learn more about each of the characters involved in the weekly discussions. The crew was always welcoming and kind. For me, these hangouts became as therapeutic and valuable for me as actual therapy sessions.

Over time, this group of people has become a true community. We have shepherded each other through loss, frustration, and disappointment. And each week, we come together to raise each other up, celebrate our successes, and just bitch about the state of the world. The weekly meetings can range from hilarious to insightful to intimate to infuriating. It’s the best sort of discussion. I am always enlightened and entertained.

Pete himself has been one of my most vocal and ardent supporters. He’s appeared numerous times on the WAIM pod, including the very first episode, and has used his credibility and bona fides to afford me an opportunity to connect with a potential guest. His kindness and mentorship have been a key part of whatever success I have built here at WAIM.

In addition to our weekly hangouts, several members of the community have become offline friends with genuine, meaningful relationships. I count myself lucky enough to have added a number of truly good friends to my life in recent years just because of this group of people.

During my time in this community I have been overwhelmed by the generosity, kindness, and encouragement of so many of these folks. Many people from the Stand Up community were the first to offer to host me on my first solo tour last summer. A number of those same folks, and others are stepping up to host again this year. Still more, will drive long stretches to come see me this summer because of our connection on the hangouts.

After our PodJam weekend in Las Vegas this past March, I was so inspired that I came home and dashed out a quick song. It’s a tight pair of verses and a chorus that says, with some efficiency, what I need to say about this group of people and how these Thursday nights have opened a whole new world of love and friendship in my life.

This one goes out to all of my dear friends in the Stand Up community. I’ll see y’all on Thursday.

Cheers,Matty C

I just recently discovered Dan Pal and his PalCinema substack. A mutual friend had shared a piece Dan had written that was a musical memoir of 1987. I found the essay really interesting and as I bounced around reading several of the film reviews on Dan’s page, I figured that he and I would have much to discuss. It turns out I was absolutely correct on that score.

We jumped right into the discussion with the story of Dan willing his professorship into being. After a series of career misfires, Dan followed his love of film to a self-designed Master’s Degree through the esteemed University Of Chicago. Dan shares the interesting story of diving in headlong, simply because he knew that he belonged in the world of film. 

Throughout his extensive career, Dan has shared the wisdom of his own experience with his students. He advises that if you have a love for something deep in your gut that will not go away, you’d better follow it. Dan and his career at DePaul are living proof of that ethic. I shared my own story with Dan about leaving a day job at 51 to pursue a career in the arts and music. His wisdom and experience in this area were quite a boost to my confidence, to be honest. 

Dan and I cover some of our favorite filmmakers working today and the paralysis of choice that streaming provides. We cover the limitations of the algorithm and the possible consequences it might have on our culture at large by minimizing what budding filmmakers or musicians might be exposed to. 

This was an incredibly fun chat with a fellow film lover, and someone who I admire for finding a way to live the life he saw as the best fit for himself. That is a lesson we could all take notes on. 

Cheers,

Matty C

Ryan Allen’s first loves were basketball and skating. It wasn’t until he heard Nirvana’s Nevermind at age eleven that his first musical awakening occurred. Regardless of what folks were calling it, to Ryan Allen, Nirvana was punk. And he loved everything about it. 

Nirvana paved the way for Ryan to other grunge acts like Pearl Jam and Soundgarden. Almost immediately upon hearing this new music, Ryan was compelled to play guitar. Much like my own experience, Ryan didn’t seek to be a shredder. He wanted to learn guitar so that he could write his own songs. From the get go for Ryan, the song has always been the key. After a few private lessons, Ryan eschewed the traditional route and got his musically inclined father to help him learn how to play these early songs he loved so dearly, and to eventually write his own material. 

Our chat begins on the subject of parenting, and Ryan’s terrific relationship with his son, Emitt. We talk about fostering the person your children want to become instead of pigeonholing them into the people we think they should be. That subject also opens up the door for Ryan to talk about the close relationship he has with both of his parents, especially his Dad. We also cover the gratitude of getting the chance to help to raise a cool person that you get to spend time with.

Ever active, Ryan Allen is a guy who is constantly making music and he performs in several bands. His primary band at the moment, Extra Arms is the most collaborative musical environment that Ryan’s ever been a part of. Much of that change is due to his own recent ability to open up more to the collaborations and contributions of other players in his musical world.

Ryan opens up as well about his choice to quit drinking, and how that decision has changed both his music and his life. He talks eloquently about feeling that before he quit drinking he thought that performing without booze naked was “like showing up naked”. 

There’s honest talk about cosplaying rock and roll stardom long before we learned to play a single note. Ryan also shares a great story from his Dad about never phoning it in. This is a really good chat with a really good dude. Enjoy. 

Cheers,Matty C

Jared Yates Sexton was one of the very first guests here at the WAIM pod. He appeared way back on episode #004 back in March of 2023. When I saw him again, a full year later, at Pod Jam in Las Vegas this March, he remembered me right away and was eager to talk again on the record. 

I was excited to chat with Jared as well. In addition to all of the political changes in the world that we might be able to cover, I was really hoping we could spend some more time on Jared’s turbulent childhood growing up in Indiana. He chronicled the story in his terrific memoir, The Man They Wanted Me To Be, and I was hoping to take a deep dive into Jared’s past to see how his handling of that trauma has made him the man he is today, and to find out what he has learned on his path of self-discovery. 

We began the conversation by catching up about our time together at PodJam in Las Vegas this past March. Once we finished waxing poetic about Pete Dominick and the great time, we dove straight into Jared’s boyhood in Indiana, and the violence and abuse that permeated his childhood home.

Jared talks about how he has always felt like an orphan and admits he is still a genuinely lonely person. We discussed the courage required to question who you are and what you want from your life. The conversation runs through the loneliness of healing, the systems that enhance our misery, and the invisible prisons that we build for ourselves. 

While the conversation might be deep and heavy, it is hardly hopeless or dour. There are more than a few smiles along the way and Jared and I both marvel at our own progress. We have also found hope for continued progress. We both admit to being workaholics not just to prove our worth, but even to prove our very existence on the planet. 

This is a remarkable and genuine conversation that I am incredibly proud to have been a part of. It’s about trauma, co-dependency, loneliness, hope, progress, and the belief that we all deserve better. This is a truly special one. Enjoy. 

Cheers,

Matty C

I first got to know Brad Kyle when friend of WAIM, Kevin Alexander took part in a game called Tune Tag. The game was hosted by Brad at his Front Row & Backstage substack. The game involves linking songs through the artists that played on them, places where they were recorded, who produced and various other factors. It’s nerdery at a very high level and I immediately fell in love with the concept. Thankfully, Brad was down and we had a terrific exchange that encompassed Bowie, Spoon, Alejandro Escovedo, and more. 

When Brad and I got the chance to sit down in late January (took a minute for this one to hit the streets) we started with the oh so familiar many origin storiy; The Beatles on Ed Sullivan. Brad shares how he chucked the accordion immediately upon seeing the Fab Four and has been head over heels in love with rock and roll ever since. 

We get a front row seat (pun intended) to radio in the 60’s and 70’s as we are regaled with stories of Brad’s father working as an ad-man in the Houston radio market. Brad talks about the crates of promos that became his own personal collection, and the hundreds of artists who almost made it, but ended up completely forgotten. It’s these artists that most fascinate Brad Kyle.

While Brad has long been in love with rock and roll, he only started writing about it very recently. In fact, writing for an audience came late to Brad. He first took his pen public in 2014 when he began a long stint as a beat writer for the Houston Astros for a sports blog. When the blog closed up shop, Brad with no editor, switched horses completely and began writing about music full-time. He has never looked back. 

During his time on Substack, Brad has forged a friendship with singer, songwriter, and actor Steven Michael Scwartz who was an up and coming star in the 70’s that never made it big. Schwartz and Kyle have worked together to help tell that story, and to carve out an example of artistic resilience. It’s a fascinating relationship that has led to more than twenty articles by Schwartz for Front Row & Backstage. 

There is also talk of the big bands not needing any more help, Brad’s days of working at a massive Houston record store in the golden era of vinyl, and we learn about Brad’s fascination with the minutiae of the music industry. This is a great chat with a hardcore fan and a man spreading the gospel of rock and roll each and every day. 

Cheers,

Matty C

As soon as I got home from my trip to Central America with my mother, I was dying to talk to Kevin Alexander. Every time I fly, especially internationally, I find myself amazed at the soulless nature of air travel. The security checks are an unpleasant invasion of privacy with ever-changing rules. Communication is often lacking and signage is poor, or non-existent. Like so many travelers, I just wanted to know why the experience had to be so unpleasant. Thankfully, I knew just the man to talk to about it. 

Kevin Alexander is not only the terrific writer behind On Repeat, he has also spent a career in the airline industry. During my time here at WAIM, Kevin has become a supporter and a friend. I was sure there were reasons behind the airport experience so many of us dread when we fly, and I thought Kevin might be able to shed some light on things. 

Our conversation is a deep dive into what a day at the airport looks like for those who spend their careers there. We talk about the short-staffing that is hampering the industry, especially at the TSA. Kevin sheds a fair amount of light on an industry that has endured rapid change during his career alone. 

At one point, I make sure to mention what a miracle air travel really is. For all of us who bitch about it, we should never forget what a true luxury and miracle it really is. Sadly, that wonder is lacking in the way that airports are designed and arranged for the passenger. Most of us feel like so much cattle being prodded through different lines and corrals. Kevin and I look at ways in which we might return some of the humanity and excitement to air travel once again. 

We also talk about Kevin’s own history of travel, which includes everything from humble camping trips along his native Oregon coast to playing in a soccer tournament in Malta. This is a fun, and fascinating chat with a man who gives us his open personal window seat from which to view the airline industry, and how it affects the way we travel each day. 

Cheers,

Matty C