Episode #126, Myla McCune
Episode #125, Philip Clark
Episode #124, Rich Wheeler
Episode #123, Brian McCarty
Episode #122, Maura Dayton
Episode #121, FK Menace
Episode #120, Jackie Myers
Episode #119, Damon Arredondo
Myla McCune, in all of her loveliness, graced me with her presence for Episode No. 126. She's a daughter and a sibling and a sculptor and a gal that's not afraid to take on challenges. You can find her on Instagram or at mylalamar.com, if you're interested in checking out her work or commissioning her to do a piece for you. Myla and I talked about school and art and family and growing up and gender-role expectations that're maybe midwest-rooted. We also talked about a few of her favorite albums. Those were these: Jim Croce's Don't Mess Around With Jim (1972) Back to Black (2006), Amy Winehouse Duffy's Rockferry (2008) The Fame (2008), Lady Gaga It was a privilege and an honor that Myla made time for me amidst her then-busy, end-of-semester schedule. I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for cool stuff to continue to come from her neck of the woods. I understand she's been traveling, a bit off of the grid, and spending time with family back home for the summer, so I'm happy for her that her 2024 seems to have been full of a variety of good stuff. Thank you to Myla and to all of my guests. The e-mail address is badassrecordspodcast over on the Gmails if you're feeling like you'd like to be one or know of someone that would. My appreciation goes out to all who've supported the show in the various ways that that's possible. Cheers. copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the audio samples contained within this episode. They are clips I've poached from a track called, "Dirty Listening," by Groove Armada. It comes from their 1998 release, Northern Star, c/o Tummy Touch Records LLC.
Philip Clark is a son, a brother, a husband, a vinyl collector, and a music lover. He has hosted a radio show and a podcast, and has been a vocalist for B.A.T.S., The Dead Laughter, and Johnny Switchblade. He was also kind enough to be my guest for Episode No. 125 of Badass Records. Philip and I covered a decent amount of ground in just under two hours, and a good portion of that was centered on discussing a few of his favorite albums. Those were these: Kind of Blue (1959), Miles Davis Shawn Phillips' Collaboration (1970) Station to Station (1976), David Bowie Patti Smith's Radio Ethiopia (1976) Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables (1980), Dead Kennedys Misfits' Walk Among Us (1982) Doolittle (1989), Pixies Danzig's Danzig II: Lucifuge (1990) Let Love In (1994), Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds Modest Mouse's The Lonesome Crowded West (1997) In the Aeroplane Over the Sea (1998), Neutral Milk Hotel Nine Inch Nails' The Fragile (1999) The Decline (1999), NOFX Songs: Ohia's The Lioness (2000) Something About My 20s (2016), Four Arm Shiver Chatting with Philip was a lovely time, and -- once you've checked out our conversation -- you should ready yourself to see him perform reunion-style, live with Johnny Switchblade as part of the 3rd Annual Darryl Memorial, Saturday, July 13th, at Farewell (6515 Stadium Drive in Kansas City). There are three other acts on the bill. Doors at 7:00; music at 8:00. Thank you to Philip and to all of those that support the podcast. Cheers. copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the audio samples contained within this episode. They are clips from a Phish tune called, "Silent in the Morning," which I snagged from their 1993 release, Rift. This album is must-listen for all music lovers. It's an indisputable badass-record touchstone, and exists c/o Elektra Entertainment, A Division of Warner Communications Inc. for the United States and WEA International for the world outside of the United States.
When Rich Wheeler shows up, shit gets weird. I'm kidding. I stole a version of that verbiage from a Facebook post from a few months back. A musician that had just gigged with Rich wrote it with high-praise-worthy intentions, and I loved the heck out of it. So, Mr. Wheeler was kind enough to lend me a portion of one of his Saturday afternoons not too long ago, and I was clumsy enough to screw up the video portion of our conversation, so...audio-only it is. And thank the heavens that I didn't botch that portion of the thing, 'cause this chat was next-level. Rich just might be the sharpest dude I've chewed the fat with so far, and believe me -- there've been some sharp ones. I really enjoyed learning a little bit about him, his experiences, his horn-playing savvy, not to mention a few of his favorite albums, which were these: McCoy Tyner's The Real McCoy (1967) Nude Ants (1980), Keith Jarrett Maceo Parker's Life on Planet Groove (1992) Blackstar (2016), David Bowie Rich jams, gigs, and records with a number of folks around town. You can find him on such releases as Live at Jardine's by the Brandon Draper Quintet. He's in tight with the Draper Family Band, he's currently working on a project with Jackie Myers. He gave Blue Note Records props, which is aces in my book. He's a huge Joe Henderson fan, and he just might be the dopest tenor-sax player in the region. Many thanks to Rich, and much love to all of you who support Badass Records. copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the audio samples contained in this episode. They're cuts from a track called, "Turn It On," by The Greyboy Allstars, which comes from their 2022 release, Get a Job (c/o Knowledge Room Recordings).
As the beat goes on, I found myself lucky enough to sit down with Brian McCarty, and visit with him about his life and his journey as a musician. It's Episode No. 123, and this one was a treat. Please join me and Brian as we talk about his roles in The Matchsellers, Greg Blake & Hometown, plus his duo setup. We also poked around at family and growing up, the pursuit of dreams, happiness, and the appropriate life path to walk. We also took a peek at a few of his favorite records, which were these: Black Sabbath's Paranoid (1970) Newgrass Revival (s/t), (1972) Dead Milkmen's Big Lizard in My Backyard (1985) Del & the Boys (2001), Del McCoury Band I feel very grateful to have had this conversation with Brian, and to have gotten this podcast to the place it has come to live. Thank you to those of you that support it, and best of luck to Brian in his future endeavors. Note: Apologies to Bob Stewart; the name of the University of Missouri-Kansas City publication is New Letters and its radio-companion piece is New Letters on the Air. Letters, not voices. copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the audio clips contained in the intro/outro/promo portions of this episode. They are snippets from a tune called, "Madison," which comes from Drugdealer's 2022 album, Hiding in Plain Sight, c/o Mexican Summer.
Maura Dayton. Awesome human being. Maura -- in all of Maura's awesomeness -- is a daughter, a sister, a student, a bandmate, an expert in a good many things, and Maura's also my guest for Episode No. 122. Maura might've had the greatest set of parents in all of American rock 'n' roll parenting history. Who knows. Either way, Maura's a person that knows a thing or two about music, has passion for music, loves playing music, and -- oh, yeah -- did I mention that Maura absolutely crushes it in the world of professional photography and can write copy to go along with it? You should check out Maura's Instagram page, and -- why'll you're there -- keep in mind that Maura also plays six-string for Catfight out of Lawrence, KS. There's a hundred other reasons why you should check out my conversation with Maura and stop paying attention to this snoozy episode verbiage, but...I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that meeting Maura was a treat, and I'm super-pleased that we had our visit. Oh, and, shit...I almost forgot: We talked a little bit about a few of Maura's favorite albums. Those were these: Doolittle (1989), Pixies Nine Inch Nails' The Downward Spiral (1994) Glow On (2021), Turnstile Knocked Loose's A Tear in the Fabric of Life (2021) copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the audio clips contained in this video. They are snippets from a Phish tune called, "Waste," which is from the 1996 release, Billy Breathes. It's here courtesy of Elektra Entertainment, and -- and I don't say this often -- if it's not a part of your library, it should be. It's 1,000 percent a badass record.
I hate to sound repetitive with my gushing, but man was Episode No. 121 a treat. FK Menace came through and pulled no punches; we could've gabbed all evening. I can't describe how fun this was. What an amazing journey for an awesome dude that is legitimately living the dream. FK's a son, a brother, an artist, an activist, a DJ, a producer, and he's a guy you'd really struggle not to respect and admire. Solid, solid human being. We talked a little bit about growing up, art school, inventing one's self, life lessons, and so much more. We also talked a little bit about a few of his favorite records. Those were these: Curtis Mayfield's Superfly (1972) The Infamous (1995), Mobb Deep Delinquent Habits' Here Come the Horns (1998) Mista Don't Play (Everythangs Workin) (2001), Project Pat MF Doom's MM..Food (2004) The Good Book, Vol. 2 (2017), The Alchemist/Budgie You can peep some FK Menace action on his Web site or on his Facebook page, but for sure follow him on Instagram on both his personal page as well as on Sabados. Blessed. Thankful. Humbled. Get some. copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the audio samples featured in this episode. They're cuts from a track called, "Inversion Layer," by Robert Walter's 20th Congress off of their 2013 effort, Get Thy Bearings (c/o Royal Potato Family).
Jackie Myers! Very excited to have met this lovely lady who's a highly educated human being, a professional pianist, a daughter, a sister, a wife, a dog lover, and a fantastic conversationalist. Mrs. Myers stopped by for Episode No. 120, and we talked family, the road, recording, writing, experimenting, gigging, and more. We also talked a little bit about a few of Jackie's favorite albums, and those were these: Ella & Louis (1956), Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong Miles Davis' Four & More (1966) Tapestry (1971), Carole King Joni Mitchell's Mingus (1979) Skol (1979), Oscar Peterson & Stéphane Grappelli Steve Lehman Octet's Travail, Transformation, & Flow (2009) Give Jackie Myers Music a follow on Facebook and/or Instagram. You can find her stuff on Bandcamp or where you stream/download your music, and her Web site is jackiemyersmusic.com. You can catch her live this evening (or Saturday) at Chaz on the Plaza, and be sure to keep your ears peeled for an upcoming studio release. I know it's going to be an exciting listen. copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the audio samples contained within this episode. They are clips from a Phish tune called, "Magilla," which can be found on the badass record, A Picture of Nectar (1992), c/o Elektra Entertainment.
Damon Arredondo is a son, a brother, a father, an entrepreneur, a dreamer, a brewer, and -- based on the four hours I spent with him in my basement studio -- an amazing human being. He's the owner and founder of Rizoma Liquid Creations, and he's my guest for Episode No. 119. Damon and I talked about growing up, family, heritage and culture, parenthood, collaborations, mental health, and beer, to just mention a few topics. We also talked about a few of Damon's favorite records, which were these: Sunrise over the Sea (2004), The John Butler Trio Balmorhea's Stranger (2012) Pedestrian Verse (2013), Frightened Rabbit Dirty Heads' Sound of Change (2014) Origin (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (2023), Kris Bowers* Rizoma continues to search for a location to call home here in Kansas City, and -- while that search continues -- Damon has been selected to participate in the Crafted for Action Conference in Atlanta next month. And if I may speak on behalf of Damon, he needs your contribution to see this important step in the process through. If you trust me when I say that Damon is good people, or if you enjoyed our conversation here on the podcast, or if you're just a kind/giving person at your core, please take a moment to learn a little bit more about this portion of Damon's journey to seeing his dream through. You can do so here. It was a privilege to meet Damon and an honor to share some time with him. I appreciate you being here and supporting the podcast, and if you are able to support Damon, well I appreciate you for that, too. Thank you. copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the audio samples contained within this episode. They are samples from a tune called, "Bassackwards" by Kurt Vile. The track is from his 2018 release, Bottle It In (c/o Matador Records), and I'm not going to tell you that the album is a badass record, but I will tell you that Mr. Vile is a lifetime member on the Board of Badassery. So take those tidbits and decide for yourself. *Damon loves the Stan Walker tune, "I AM" from this soundtrack, not necessarily the entire collection. I chose to list the soundtrack as part of his list just because I'm a dork like that and couldn't have a lone track listed all by its lonesome.
Kathryn Hunter is a daughter, a sibling, a wife, and the proprietor of both Voodoo Hippie Girl's Free Spirited Threads and Wasted Land Apparel. She's a dye artist/designer, a brilliant mind, a lover of books and music, and she's my guest for Episode No. 118. Meeting Kathryn was a treat and sitting down with her to talk family, upbringing, and her passions was both enlightening and entertaining. And it wouldn't be an installment of Badass Records if we didn't examine a few of her favorite records. Those were these: Woods 5: Grey Skies & Electric Light (2012), Woods of Ypres Mr. Blotto's Thread (2013) Blue Mountain (2016), Bob Weir Starset's Divisions (2019) Please consider giving Kathryn a follow on Instagram for one or both of her outfits, and definitely consider giving that Bob Weir record a spin if you aren't already familiar with it. Thank you to Kathryn and thank you to all who support the show. copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the audio samples contained within this episode. They are clips from a tune called, "Reba," which I lifted from the 1990 Phish album, Lawn Boy (c/o of Phish Inc.). It's historically been something of a polarizing track, but one detail remains undebatable, and that is this: Phish is the greatest rock band in American music history, and this release -- their sophomore effort -- is, without question, a badass record.
Mark Verbeck is a son, a brother, a husband, and a father. He's also a classically trained musician. He's one-half of Scotch Hollow, and he's my guest for Episode No. 117. Mark and I talked about that band life, how music's taken him from central PA to Nashville to Chicago, and finally to KC. We talked about gigging, recording, and how parenthood challenges each of those things. We also talked a little bit about a few of Mark's favorite records. Those were these: Robert Johnson's King of the Delta Blues Singers (1961) Doc Watson* (1964) The Red Hot Chili Peppers' Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1991) Far Beyond Driven (1994), Pantera Check out Scotch Hollow on bandcamp, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Apple Music, and at scotchhollowmusic.com. Many thanks to Mark for his time, and to you for pausing your day to check out our conversation. copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the audio samples contained within this episode. They are clips from a track called, "Up & Out," by the amazing Slide Five. The tune comes from their 1996 release, Rhode Trip, c/o Ubiquity Recordings, Inc. *It's important to me to own gaffes, and I gaffed the eff outta talking Doc Watson by saying multiple times that this was the first episode of Badass Records to have a Doc Watson record appear on it. It wasn't; Brooke Kafka had one on her list just a handful of episodes ago. My apologies to both Brooke and to the late Mr. Watson. I musta been running on fumes.