Badass Records

di Blair Johnson

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Episode #86, Krysztof Nemeth

Nineteen eighty-six was wild. The Royals had just won their first World Series. We watched the Space Shuttle Challenger launch on a wheeled-in A/V cart (with its top-shelf television). Saturday Night Live was about to enter one of its golden eras. D.A.R.E. was alive and breathing fear into the minds of kids, and Kansas City police officers handed out Chiefs cards to area youth wherever and whenever they could.Eighty-six, however...as in the service-industry term, holds an entirely different meaning: We're out of that item; it's been 86'd. And I'd like to let you know that my interview with Krysztof Nemeth for Episode No. 86 was something much closer to the former than the latter.Yes. The Emmaline Twist baritone guitarist interview was phenomenal. It was educational. It was exciting.The 85 episodes that came before it were all good fun to do and to produce and to be a part of. They're all special in their own way. But sometimes, a guest just has a flair for conversation, and a knowledge base unique enough to turn your head like that of a sitting dog who's just heard a fascinating noise.So, I really hope you'll join us for this one.We talked a bit about Krysztof's band history (and gave good pause for the current outfit(s)), and -- as you might already know -- it wouldn't be an episode of Badass Records if we didn't spend a little bit of time talking about a few of his favorite records. Those were these:Ultravoxx's Vienna (1980)New Gold Dream (1982), Simple MindsTones on Tail's Pop (1984)The Top (1984), The CureThe Sisters of Mercy's First and Last and Always (1985)Please check out Emmaline Twist's bandcamp page and give them an Instagram follow. And while we're hangin' out in the ask department, you could totally get a head start on your Christmas shopping over at the B.R.P.'s store.Peace and love.copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the musical audio clips featured in this episode. They are snippets from a song called, "Thinking Like a River" by a band named Babe Rainbow. The track can be found on their 2021 release, Changing Colours, and was made available to me (and you) c/o Eureka Music.

Episode #85, Shwaggy Roaches

It's Episode #85! It's Marc Boerigter! It's Don Denkinger! It's...it's...Shwaggy Roaches!Yes, yes, my friends. Stoney-Doom! was in the house talking band life, Kansas cannabis law reform, and some of that sweet, sweet music.Please give them a follow on the ol' Instagram machine and check out their bandcamp as well, where I'm sure you'll be able to find some sweet snacks for the members of your gang.This was a really fun one to do, and I'm grateful for the time commitment Shwaggy and Bluedream the Great (who kicked it on the couch and didn't get captured on camera) made in order to make it possible. Note: I'm told Doobie Stoopid was otherwise occupied and couldn't make the trek.Anyway, we talked about family and upbringing and concerts and, well...that stoner life. And we of course talked about a few of Shwaggy's favorite records over the years. And those were these:Dirt (1992), Alice in ChainsDeftones's White Pony (2000)Lateralus (2001), ToolMastodon's Crack the Skye (2009)Man on the Moon (2009), Kid CudiSo, go check out Stoney-Doom! And while you're at it, check out the City and Colour cover of "Rain When I Die" by Alice in Chains that we talked about in our conversation. It's breathtaking. You can find it on YouTube as part of the MoPOP Founders Award 2020. Killer stuff.Thank you.copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to any of the audio samples contained in this episode. They are all excerpts from a Khruangbin tune called, "Rules - Scientist Dub" which is a bonus track from their Hasta El Cielo (Con Todo El Mundo In Dub) record from 2019, c/o Night Time Stories Ltd under exclusive license to Dead Oceans.

Episode #84, Steve Tulipana

Steve Tulipana is a son and a brother and a husband and a musician. He's also the co-owner of recordBar and miniBar, as well as partner in Lemonade Park. Last but not least, he's my guest for Episode No. 84.I'm beyond pleased that Steve took some time out of his very-busy, very-demanding schedule to come sit with me and talk a little bit about his story as a musician in many outfits, a recording artist, and an owner/operator/partner of multiple live-music venues.Sometimes I have one or more of these things locked, loaded, and ready to drop; other times I'm scrambling, and this week was an example of the latter. Needless to say, I'm pleased to've put the finishing touches on this installment in the 11th hour, and am now ready for a nap.Getting these things scheduled, recorded, and shareable with the world is -- as Mr. Sprehe so eloquently put it a few episodes back -- a grind. It's a worthwhile one, though; there're a lot of great people in and around this city, and I hope you enjoy getting to hear a little bit about them.As is always the case, our conversation involved a number of different details, but the common denominator in all of these chats is a mutual love of music. Mr. Tulipana was kind enough to share a few of his favorite albums with me, and those were these:David Bowie's Hunky Dory (1971)Duty Now for the Future (1979), DevoEinsturzende Neubauten's Zeichnungen des Patienten O.T. (1983)Double Nickels on the Dime (1984), MinutemenSLOVENLY's Riposte (1987)Please be sure to check out our chat as there are a couple of timely shows happening within a day or a handful of days when this drops. And speaking of time, we're nearing the end of the voting round for The Pitch's Best of KC contest, wherein you can vote for Badass Records for Best Local Podcast, which you can do here.As always, thank you for stopping by.copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to either the promo or the intro/outro audio clips presented in this episode. They come from a tune called, "Rolling On," by The Murlocs, and it can be found on their 2016 album, Young Blindness (c/o Uncle Murl).

Episode #83, Til Willis

Being sensitive has got to be one of the oddest characteristics about being a human.During my correspondence via D.M.s (as a total stranger) with Til Willis, I had a small moment of panic. It was the kind of moment wherein the rabbit hole of questioning the way you go about life doesn't suddenly gape, but it doesn't not open a little bit, either.Anyway...it was a handful of months back, and we were swapping messages. He -- at one point -- used the phrase, "Like I said," and I might as well have just made myself a shit sandwich and eaten it.You blew it, Dipstick, I thought. Way to go.The summer went by and I'd all but chalked up this attempt to invite someone on the podcast to be a wash. Then -- right around the time he'd mentioned his availability would open back up again -- he messaged me. And I didn't even remember how much of a failure I'd felt like so many weeks ago.Things, as they say, aren't actually always as they seem, I guess.And this goes both ways. Or...numerous ways. Or...all of the ways. I dunno.Point being: Life is hard sometimes; try and remember to take it easy on yourself.But...BUT!...Til Willis and Episode #83.I like the number 83. It's the year the youngest of my siblings was born, and, well...it's just kind of a robust number, both in numeric value and in appearance.And robust is a good word, perhaps, to sort of, kind of describe Til Willis.He's a fascinating dude with an incredible life story and a journey that's full of making music, performing it live, recording it and releasing it, and -- most of all -- loving it.We really vibed over a couple of artists, so I hope you'll check out our conversation, which -- by the way -- included a few of his favorite records, and those were these:Bone Machine (1992), Tom WaitsLiz Phair's Exile in Guyville (1993)Time Out of Mind (1997), Bob DylanRonny Elliott's Magneto (2002)Tiny Voices (2003), Joe HenryI also hope you'll check out a few of the places his music can be found, such as his own bandcamp, his Web site, his other project, or his other-other project.That's it!Vote for Badass Records for Best Local Podcast in The Pitch's annual contest.Thank you!copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to either the promo or the intro/outro audio. They are clips from a track called, "Strolling Sloth" by Arc De Soleil off of their 2020 EP, Libertalia (c/o Epidemic Sound).

Episode #82, "Play Pause Stop," Benevento/Russo Duo

Hi. I'm Blair Johnson, and I host this thing. Normally I'm writing these deals up about the episode's guest; today I don't have to do that. I will anyway, though. Just for grins. I'm a son and a brother and a dad and an uncle and a pretty big, goddamn nerd. The point of this podcast is to chat with people about some of their favorite music. So, today, I chat with you about one of my favorite albums, Play Pause Stop by Benevento/Russo Duo. It came out in 2006, features nine tracks, and runs for just under 50 minutes. It's remarkable, incredible, emotion-packed, and a bona fide bit of badassery. Two dudes, a handful of gear, and no words were more than enough to paint the marvelous story this picture tells. Please join me for the 15 minutes it takes to explore a handful of excerptions from this tremendous record. Thank you for stopping by. copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to any of the audio snippets. The intro piece comes from Medeski, Martin & Wood's, "Bubblehouse" off of their Shack-Man (1996) LP, c/o Gramavision Inc. The rest comes from Benevento/Russo Duo's Play Pause Stop album from 2006, c/o Royal Potato Family.

Episode #81, Jeffrey Calkins

Whew. What an experience it was to put this one together. Second time recording away from the studio. Second time sitting down with a venue owner/operator, and possibly not the last. But I doubt they'll get much better than Jeffrey Calkins. Aztec Jeff, everybody! Aztec Jeff! Jeff and I connected a number of weeks back, and I never could've imagined finding myself in a situation wherein a prospective guest wants to not only do an episode with me, but have me do it in their space. And, let me tell you: The folks don't get much friendlier and the spaces don't get much finer than Jeffrey Calkins and the Aztec Shawnee Theater. Please check out Episode No. 81, and learn a little bit about the theater's history, Jeffrey's adventure in getting it revived, refreshed, and operational, and of course, a few of Jeffrey's favorite albums. Those were these: Wish You Were Here (1975), Pink Floyd Donald Fagen's The Nightfly (1982) Licensed to Ill (1986), Beastie Boys Nirvana's MTV Unplugged in New York (Live Acoustic) from 1994 America: A Tribute to Heroes (2001), various artists The Aztec Shawnee has a bustling schedule featuring movie screenings and sundry live-music performances. Details on their Web site, https://aztecshawnee.com/. They're located at 11119 Johnson Drive in Shawnee, Kansas, and you can give them a buzz at 913-207-4148. Many thanks to Jeff for his hospitality and positive energy. And to you for listening to our conversation. copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the promo or the intro/outro audio clips. They are snippets I poached from a Greyboy track called, "Dealin' with the Archives," which comes from his 1997 release entitled, Mastered the Art (c/o Ubiquity Recordings Inc.).

Episode #80, Duke Ross

Duke Ross is a son and a brother and a husband and a father and an all-around righteous dude.When he's not otherwise occupied behind the steering wheel of a tow truck, he can likely be found in the crowd at a Dead & Company show, or -- perhaps -- on a Mexican beach with a cold cocktail in his hand.Duke and I connected a little over two years ago via a Facebook group called Kansas City Dead Heads. He was pedaling some merch', and I said, Yes, please.Fast forward about 30 months, and I'll be darned if he wasn't down to swing by the studio to record a podcast episode with me.And I couldn't be happier than him choosing to do so.We had a great time chatting and getting to know one another. Or at least I did.We talked a fair amount of Dead & Co., but we also reminisced about growing up in the '80s and MTV and the funny paths life sometimes takes us down. And, of course, we talked about a few of Duke's favorite albums.They were these:Queen's The Game (1980)Get Lucky (1981), LoverboyDuran Duran's Rio (1982)Hysteria (1987), Def LeppardMilli Vanilli's All or Nothing (1988)The 20/20 Experiment (2013), Justin TimberlakeReally good time. Thanks to Duke, and to those of you who stopped by to give Episode No. 80 (a special number for Duke!) a listen.copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to either the promo or the intro/outro audio. They are clips taken from a live performance of the title track to Phish's second studio effort, Lawn Boy (1990).This version was recorded on July 25, 2017 at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY as part of The Baker's Dozen 13-night run of shows, but the studio version comes c/o Elektra Records, marketed by Rhino Entertainment Company, a Warner Music Group Company.

Episode 79, Dane Bridges

Dane Bridges is a son and a brother and a boyfriend and a music instructor. He's also the bassist for Chowk.Dane was kind enough to stop by for Episode No. 79, talk a little bit of background and a lotta bit of music.And somewhere along the way, we had a peek at a few of his favorite records. They were these:Failure's Fantastic Planet (1996)Songs for the Deaf (2002), Queens of the Stone AgeInterpol's Turn on the Bright Lights (2002)Station (2008), Russian CirclesJaye Jayle's No Trail & Other Unholy Paths (2018)Meeting Dane and having the opportunity to sit down and chat with him was a real treat. Once you've checked out Chowk's bandcamp that I linked in the opening sentence, please give them a follow on Instagram so that you're up to snuff with all of their goings-on.Thank you.copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the promo or intro/outro audio clips. They are samples from a tune called, "Join Hands" by Groove Armada. It's a track that comes from their 2001 album, Goodby Country (Hello Nightclub), c/o Zomba Records Limited.

Episode #78, Dave Schloss

Dave Schloss is a son and a brother and a husband, and a father. He's an entrepreneur, a killer ice-hockey teammate, and he once had the pleasure of calling me his next-door neighbor.Dave, and his wife, Anna, made career pivots and left their beloved Chicago life for some adulthood in Kansas City, going from downtown to midtown to the north town while they were here, but've recently found themselves enjoying a healthy dose of island time down in the the ol' Sunshine State.Their crew was back in town for a bit to relax and hang with family, and I was lucky enough to steal a couple of hours with him to record Episode #78.In our conversation, we talked about family and band life and school and, of course, a few of Dave's favorite albums.They were these:Honky Chateau (1972), Elton JohnThe Specials's self-titled (1979)Dookie (1994), Green DayWilco's Summerteeth (1999)Continuum (2006), John MayerPleased as punch that Dave made the time. Thank you, my friend. And thank you, Mrs. Schlanderson!Find older episodes, merch', etc. over at the site.copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to any of the audio clips. They are bits I lifted from a track called, "Black - Red" by Dr. Dog. I found it (or it found me) on their 2010 record, Shame, Shame (c/o Anti, Inc.).

Episode #77, Patrick Sprehe

A number of things come to mind when thinking about some of the pieces of redundancy one tends to encounter when hosting a podcast. Some of it is -- of course -- necessary. Some you hope to avoid. Still some are just plain unavoidable, such as gushing with gratitude and thanks for those that decide to join me for an episode. It's no lie or exaggeration when I say that every episode is special, and that every guest is a treat. Patrick Sprehe for Episode #77 (Paul Coffey!) was no different. Patrick is the face and the effort behind Center Cut Records, a local label here in Kansas City whose "mission is to illuminate the amazing collection of musical talent in Kansas City and solidify its place in the national discussion about sonic art." It's a great aim and a fantastic focus, and I wish them all of the success they ever imagined possible and more. It goes without saying then that I was honored that Patrick was giving of his time and energy, and he joined me to talk about some of the amazing folks working in the KC music scene. We also talked a little bit about Patrick's journey in life, and it wouldn't be an episode of Badass Records if we didn't also have a peek into some of his favorite albums over the years. They were these: João Gilberto & Stan Getz's Getz/Gilberto (1964) One (1974), Bob James The Cars, self-titled (1978) Wild Planet (1980), The B-52s Public Enemy's It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (1988) Talking Kansas City and music and some of our city's fine, fine people was nothing shy of a blast. I'm grateful for the opportunity and thankful for the learning experience Patrick was able to provide. Please check out Center Cut Records on Instagram, and consider exploring some of the artists that they have worked with (as well as those they haven't). copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to either the promo or the intro/outro audio. They are all clips from a track called, "Fine Corinthian Leather" by Charlie Hunter. The tune comes from his 2008 record, Baboon Strength (c/o SideHustle). I landed on this tune by accident around the time I was doing post-production for Patrick's episode, and, I gotta tell ya' -- the Chrysler/Ricardo Montalbán/David Letterman details about the term's origin story is something else. Makes the already-great Lee Iacocca bit from Saturday Night Live even greater. And it makes me grateful that this song was written, recorded, and released in my lifetime.

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