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Badass Records

by Blair Johnson

Music Commentary Music History Music Interviews

Episode 212, Brian Hurtgen

It's good fun for the dork in me this week as we're dropping a palindrome episode, and I couldn't be happier than to share that Brian Hurtgen joined me for the 212th installment of the program. Brian is a son, a sibling, a parent, a partner, and a wearer of many band hats. We talked family, musicianship, band life and the learning curve that sometimes comes with it. We also talked about life, death, and being a sage person as you walk the path. Brian's outfits include Major Matt Mason USA, Holiday at Sea, The Creepy Jingles, and Bye American. You can find stuff from each of those bands on Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, and I Heart Radio, and you can also find some solo material of his on those platforms. In addition to all of that, we had a peek at a few of Brian's favorite albums, which were these: Siamese Dream (1993), The Smashing Pumpkins Radiohead's The Bends (1995) LP2 (1995), Sunny Day Real Estate* Starflyer 59's The Fashion Focus (1998) Low Level Owl, Vol. 1 + 2 (2011), The Appleseed Cast Meeting Brian was a treat, and sharing time with him for some quality conversation was a privilege. Oh, and don't forget to check out Brian's pop-up record store, BlacKCat Vinyl. The store's Instagram handle is @blackcatvinylkc; Brian's page is @waxmusic79. In my fumbling preparation efforts, I completely overlooked the Sunny Day Real Estate record, and we therefore did not discuss it on the show. My apologies to both Brian and S.D.R.E. copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the audio samples contained within this episode. They are clips from a Delegation track called, "Oh Honey" from 1978, c/o State Records.

Episode 211, Scott Devouton

Hi, hello, hey, and howdy! Episode No. 211 features the super-fantastic Scott Devouton of Sound Ridge Studio! My conversation with Scott involved details associated with creating a recording space, the development of chops as a musician, and you can check it out in a number of places. Namely, here! Scott and I talked about family, growing up, life path-walking, and so much more. We also happened to touch on a few of his favorite (at the time) records, and those were these: Odelay (1996), Beck John Legend and The Roots' Wake Up! (2010) Lotta Sea Lice (2017), Courtney Barnett & Kurt Vile Scott's Ill Fit Records (as well as Sound Ridge Studio) can be followed on Instagram at @soundridgestudio, and their Web site is soundridgestudio.com. Find their stuff on YouTube, Facebook, and Bandcamp, and also know that Scott has a couple singles on the streaming platforms, too. Badass Records podcast would love to thank you for tuning in to the show, and supporting it in whatever way you see fit. Cheers. copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the audio samples contained within this episode. They are snippets from a Grateful Dead tune called, "China Cat Sunflower." Samples from this particular track were lifted from their Europe '72 record, c/o Warner Bros. Inc., Manufactured by Warner Strategic Marketing.

Episode 210, Flare Tha Rebel

Welcome to Episode No. 210, and shouts out to my guest, Flare Tha Rebel. Many thanks to my good friend, Keith, down at Brewery Emperial for letting me know about Flare Tha Rebel's existence, and -- before I get ahead of myself -- be absolutely sure that you check out Flare's new album, Dear City, which is available on streaming platforms. Our conversation was super-solid, and we talked about a lot of really cool organizations that Flare supports, and you can check them out within the "Do Something" tab of his Web site, flaretharebel.com. Follow him on Instagram at @flaretharebel. His stuff can be found on Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, Amazon Music, Deezer, I Heart Radio, and YouTube. We talked about the new album, playing live with bandmates, Woodland Ave., and a bunch more. Included there somewhere in the mix were a few of Flare's favorite albums, which were these: Enter the Wu-tang (36 Chambers), (1993), Wu-tang Clan A Tribe Called Quest's Midnight Marauders (1993) God Loves Ugly (2002), Atmosphere Santigold's Santogold (2008) Phoenix (2009), Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix One thousand thank-yous to Flare Tha Rebel for the time, and to all of you that support the show. copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the audio segments contained within this episode. All four of them are clips from a Kurt Vile tune called, "Air Bud," from his 2013 release, Wakin' on a Pretty Daze (Deluxe Daze [Post Haze]), c/o Matador Records.

Episode 209, Dane Bridges

Dane Bridges was kind enough to return to the Badass Records podcast studio for another fascinating conversation. During our chat, we talked school, work, band life, recording, gigging, life changes, Major Matt Mason USA, Grindstone, Holiday at Sea, From Me, Straylight, and a bunch more. In that mix, we also talked about a few albums that're important to Dane. Those were these: Refused's The Shape of Punk to Come (1998) The Fragile (1999), Nine Inch Nails Shiner's Starless (2000) Morning View (2001), Incubus Karnivool's Sound Awake (2009) Give Dane a follow on Instagram at @gd_bridges for more on all of his musical endeavors, and make sure you find releases from each of his aforementioned acts on Bandcamp and the streaming platforms. Many thanks to Dane for making Episode No. 209 a treat! copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the audio clips contained within this episode. They are snippets from the title track of Preservation Hall Jazz Band's 2013 release, That's It!, c/o Sub Pop Records.

Episode 208, David Luther

Shouts out to James Carter of You Found Music for connecting me with three fantastic Kansas City people, each of them cool in their own regard. Christian Dixon joined me for Episode No. 202. Julie Bennett Hume stopped by to say hello a few weeks later, and today -- I'm pleased to share that singer/songwriter/musician David Luther is my guest for Episode No. 208. David and I talked family, health, writing and recording, playing gigs, and a bunch more. Naturally, we had a look at a few of David's favorite albums, which were these: Garth Brooks' No Fences (1990) Ten and Vs. (1991, 1993), Pearl Jam Gin Blossoms' New Miserable Experience (1992) Throwing Copper (1994), Live Jason Isbell's Southeastern (2013) David has two LPs, four singles, and an EP on the streaming platforms. His Web site is thedavidluther.com. Follow him on Instagram (@thedavidluther), or see what he's up to on Facebook and YouTube. If you're reading this upon release time, you can catch David tomorrow, Friday, May 1, at Walnut Creek in Weston. He'll do some Minnesota shows with the aforementioned Julie Bennett Hume, and be back performing locally on May 22nd, at KC Wine Co. in Olathe, KS. Many thanks to David for the time, and thank you to all of you that 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, "Vitamina." It's a cut from the 1964 release, Tributo A Noro, by Kako's New York After Hour Orchestra, c/o Craft Recordings, a division of Concord Music Group, Inc.

Episode 207, Phil Craven

Hello! Pushing into the early 200s here with the Badass Records podcast, and I was lucky enough to host Phil Craven last week for Episode No. 207. Phil is a son, a sibling, a down-to-Earth dude, and a musician in both Whiskey for the Lady as well as Dimension Bill Edwards. This is my favorite time of year yet, as a) NHL playoffs are happening, and b) it's not hot yet, so I was thrilled to have some first-round action on in the background while editing this fantastic conversation with a little bit of playoff hockey in the background. Anyway...Phil and I talked growing up, trimming bud, discovering music, learning instruments, the incredible journey of being a bandmate, the Walnut Valley Festival, and -- wait...I feel like there was something else...oh, yeah! -- a few of Phil's favorite albums, which were these: Nirvana's Nevermind (1991) Pure Guava (1992), Ween Phish's Rift (1993) Fizzy Fuzzy Big & Buzzy (1996), The Refreshments Tool's Lateralus (2001) It was awesome chatting with Phil, and I encourage you to to follow Whiskey for the Lady on Instagram at @whiskeyforthelady, or on Facebook, or keep tabs on whiskeyforthelady.com. They're KCMO Thrashgrass that you don't wanna miss out on. And don't forget Dimension Bill Edwards. Find them on the streams. Many thanks to my newfound huge following in Vietnam (shrug emoji), and a super-huge thank you to those of you that have supported the podcast stateside for however long. Cheers. copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the audio clips contained within this episode. They are snippets from a Fishbone tune called, "Ma and Pa" from their 1988 release, Truth and Soul, c/o Sony Music Entertainment Inc.

Episode 206, Sean Moran

It's that time of the week again, and I'm excited to share that Sean Moran of KC Film Project is my guest for Episode No. 206. Sean is a son, a sibling, a husband, a father, a photographer, and one heck of a fun guy with whom to chat. We sat down a couple of Saturdays ago to chat all about KC Film Project and a few of the things the team are working on. To keep your finger on the pulse, follow them on Instagram at @kcfilmproject. We also talked family, growing up, traveling, business endeavors, leaving technology largely behind in the world of photography, and -- of course -- we talked about a few of Sean's favorite albums, which were these: Jimmy Cliff's Struggling Man (1973) Enema of the State (1999), blink-182 50 Cent's Get Rich or Die Trying (2003) Honorable mention to Eric Clapton and his 1977 release, Slowhand. The same goes for both Escape, the 1981 Journey record, as well as Sound and Color, Alabama Shakes' release from 2015. Chatting with Sean was a treat, though, and I can't recommend the Instagram follow enough. Cool KC things are forthcoming via the Film Project, and you'll have to check out our conversation to learn more about it. copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the audio samples contained within this episode. They are clips from a Benevento/Russo Duo tune called, "Powder," which is from their 2006 album, Play Pause Stop (which I mistakenly referred to as self-titled), c/o Royal Potato Family.

Episode 205, Julie Bennett Hume

Welcome, welcome, welcome. My guest this week is Julie Bennett Hume, whom is a daughter, a sibling, a wife, a mother, and a singer/songwriter. Follow Julie on Instagram at @julie_bennetthumemusic, check out her Web site, juliebennetthume.com, and find her stuff on Facebook, Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and CD Baby. Julie has released three solo albums, Late Bloomer (2017), Vinegar (2019), and The Lorelei (2025), as well as a duo project called The Multiverse (2021). She's also a co-host of She Talk Wha'? on KKFI, Saturdays at 3:00, which you should definitely tune in for. For Episode No. 205, Julie and I talked about family, growing up, writing and recording, gigging, and so much more. We also had a peek at a few of her favorite albums, which were these: Europe '72 (1972), Grateful Dead The Roches' self-titled release (1979) Rickie Lee Jones' Pirates (1981) Good As I Been to You (1992), Bob Dylan Catch Julie Wednesday, April 15th at 7:00 p.m. at Hammers Dueling Piano Bar at 3901 Broadway in downtown Kansas City, and be sure to check out that KKFI program of hers; it covers a lot of cool stuff. copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the audio samples contained within this episode. They are snippets from a DJ Quik tune called, "Black Mercedes" from his 2006 release, Trauma Instrumentals, c/o Mad Science Recordings.

Episode 204, Matt Jack

Matt Jack joined me for Episode No. 204, and it was awesome sitting down with him. Matt's a son, a husband, a father, a professional, a bandmate for many outfits, and a super-sharp dude. Beyond following Matt's Death By Science Fiction outfit on Instagram (@deathbyscifi), you should definitely check out their stuff on YouTube, Apple, or Spotify. And above all, be sure to get your tickets now for JackChella at The Rino on Friday, April 3. Five -- count 'em, five -- of Matt's bands will be offering a set of live music, and it's the second year that Matt and The Rino have put on this event. It's a don't-miss. For our conversation, Matt and I talked growing up in OKC, moving to KC, learning instruments, making records, gigging, and so much more. We also talked about a few of Matt's favorite records, which were these: Yellowcard's Ocean Avenue (2003) self-titled, Blink 182 (2003) Futures (2004), Jimmy Eat World Foo Fighters' Echoes, Silence, Patience, Grace (2007) Forget and Not Slow Down (2009), Relient K Many thanks to Matt for the time and the energy he put in to making this happen, and many thanks to all of you that support the show. copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the audio samples contained within this episode. They are clips from a Meute tune called, "LoCKeDoWN2," from their 2024 release, Empor, c/o TUMULT serviced by NEUBAU Music.

Episode 203, J. Ryan Landry

J. Ryan Landry is a son, a sibling, an artist, a super-sharp fellow, and a fantastic conversationalist. He's also my guest for Episode No. 203. Mr. Landry and I hit it off right away, talking about common acquaintances, growing up in JoCo, hoops, and the like, and we were only getting started there. We chatted school, caricature art, his Web site, skipperart.com, his Instagram handle, @hippyskippyart, and his latest project, KC Art Van Gogh, in Raytown. They have studio spaces, membership options, and classes, and can be found at kcart-vangogh.com, reached by phone at 816-388-0089, or via e-mail at kcartvangogh@gmail.com. Somewhere in the mix, we touched on a few of J. Ryan's favorite albums, which were these: The White Album (1968), The Beatles Van Morrison's Moondance (1970) self-titled (1980), The Pretenders U2's The Unforgettable Fire (1984) Version 2.0 (1998), Garbage Please be sure to give J. Ryan an Instagram follow, and to also check out KC Art Van Gogh's Web site. Many thanks to Mr. Landry for a delightful conversation, and many thanks to all of you that support the progrum. copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the audio samples contained within this episode. They are snippets from a Phish track called, "Brian and Robert," which is from their 1998 release, The Story of the Ghost, c/o Phish Inc.

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