What's The Reason For This Podcast | Podcast on RSS.com

What's The Reason For This Podcast

What's The Reason For This Podcast

by What's The Reason For This Podcast

Music Commentary

Season 2

WTRFT S2E40 - Randy Steele - High Cold Wind

🎧 This week on What’s the Reason for This?, Kodi sits down in the dungeon with Randy Steele of High Cold Windfor one of the most honest, emotional, and inspiring conversations we've had yet. 🪕🔥❤️ Fresh off an unforgettable week at the 52nd Telluride Bluegrass Festival, Randy shares the story behind his journey from firefighter and EMT to award-winning songwriter, bluegrass frontman, and one of the most compelling voices in the genre today. This one starts at the beginning... 🎸 Growing up in Tennessee surrounded by music and watching his uncle join the legendary Aquarium Rescue Unit 🎶 Meeting heroes like Warren Haynes and learning firsthand what dedication to music really looks like 🎷 Playing jam bands as a teenager before eventually studying jazz and finding his own creative voice ✍️ Why songwriting became the thread that connected every chapter of his life But Randy's story takes a turn that few musicians can relate to... 🚒 Leaving music behind to build a career as a firefighter and EMT 💔 The emotional toll of witnessing trauma and carrying those experiences home 🧠 Struggling with PTSD, grief, and learning how to ask for help ❤️ How therapy, healing, and sobriety completely changed both his life and his songwriting The conversation dives deep into the songs that have become the foundation of High Cold Wind... 🎵 Writing from real experiences instead of fictional stories 📝 The evolution of his songwriting process and finding the courage to be vulnerable 🥃 The story behind his powerful new single, "Cheers to Rob" ✨ Why some songs take years before you're finally ready to share them with the world And then comes the Telluride chapter... 🏔️ Years of trying to make the trip happen before finally getting the opportunity 👕 Launching a t-shirt fundraiser that sold out almost immediately and helped make the dream a reality 🎤 Competing in the Telluride Band Contest with High Cold Wind 🥈 Earning second place on one of bluegrass music's most prestigious stages But somehow the weekend gets even crazier... 🎻 A surprise invitation from longtime friend Todd Parks 🌄 Stepping onto the Telluride main stage to sit in with Sam Bush 🤯 Battling nerves, monitor issues, and a sea of thousands of fans 🎶 Experiencing one of those full-circle moments that only music can create The episode also explores... 🍻 Festival culture and the power of community 🤝 Why supporting independent artists matters more than ever 🎵 The connection between creativity, healing, and vulnerability 🔥 What happens when you finally stop waiting for permission and start chasing the thing you've always wanted to do At its core, this episode is about second chances, personal growth, and having the courage to reinvent yourself no matter where you are in life. 🎧 Tap in now wherever you listen to podcasts. This one's funny, heartfelt, deeply human, and a reminder that sometimes the longest road ends up taking you exactly where you're supposed to be. 🪕❤️🏔️ #WhatsTheReasonForThis #RandySteele #HighColdWind #Bluegrass #TellurideBluegrass

WTRFT S2E39 - Front Porch

🎧 This week on What’s the Reason for This?, Kodi flies solo in the dungeon with Front Porch, the Northwest Arkansas bluegrass outfit that's quietly building one of the most unique sounds in the scene today. 🪕🔥🌲 What starts as a conversation about bluegrass quickly turns into a deep dive into community, creativity, festivals, and why music matters now more than ever. These guys may call Arkansas home, but their influences come from everywhere... 🎻 Growing up in family bands and learning bluegrass from an early age 🎶 French Creole music, old-time traditions, jazz studies, punk rock, metal, and jamgrass all colliding into one sound 🏡 How a handful of local jams, festivals, and friendships eventually became Front Porch 🌄 Why Northwest Arkansas has quietly become a thriving music community of its own Then the conversation turns to the festival circuit and the power of community... 🏕️ The impact of Harvest Fest, Hillberry, Winfield, Wakarusa, and campground culture 🎸 The legendary late-night jam that helped convince the band they had something special 🍻 Meeting bandmates through festival pickin' circles instead of auditions ⚡ Chasing those magical musical moments that only happen when everyone is locked in together But this episode goes way beyond the band's origin story. 🎵 Why arts and music education seem to be disappearing for younger generations 📱 Social media, attention spans, and the challenge of keeping creativity alive 🎤 The importance of musicians having a voice beyond simply "shutting up and singing" 🤝 How music continues to create community during increasingly disconnected times The crew also gets into the realities of life as an independent touring band... 🚐 Why regional touring often makes more sense than massive national runs ⛽ The financial realities of life on the road in 2025 🎪 How festivals remain one of the best ways for young bands to build a following 🏔️ Why Colorado audiences continue to be some of the most supportive anywhere in the country And for aspiring musicians, there's some great insight along the way... 🎻 Learning through jams instead of lessons 🔥 Why it's okay to suck when you're starting out 🎶 The etiquette of bluegrass circles and late-night pickin' sessions 🤘 How the best musicians never stop being students of the craft At its core, this episode is about community — the festivals, friendships, jam circles, and shared experiences that keep independent music alive long after the headliners leave the stage. 🎧 Tap in now wherever you listen to podcasts. This one's funny, thoughtful, full of festival stories, and a reminder that some of the best bands in the scene aren't built in boardrooms or algorithms... they're built in campgrounds, parking lots, and late-night jams around people who simply love making music together. 🪕🔥✨ #WhatsTheReasonForThis #FrontPorch #Bluegrass #JamGrass #Hillberry #Winfield #FestivalCulture #LiveMusic #IndependentMusic #ColoradoMusic

WTRFT S2E28 - Broken Compass Bluegrass

🎧 This week on What’s the Reason for This?, Kodi and Shay welcome Broken Compass Bluegrass into the dungeonfor a conversation packed with jamgrass philosophy, festival culture, improvisation, and the next generation of bluegrass absolutely ripping the torch forward. 🪕🔥🌲 Hailing from Grass Valley, California, Broken Compass Bluegrass might be one of the hottest young bands in the scene right now — but what makes this episode special is hearing why they sound the way they do. From Deadhead parents and Doc Watson records to jazz phases, campground jam sessions, and growing up inside California bluegrass festivals… this band was practically built in the scene itself. 🎶✨ This one starts at the roots… 🏕️ Growing up at California bluegrass festivals like Father’s Day Bluegrass Festival and Live Oak 🎻 Kids on Bluegrass programs that helped shape the next generation of pickers 🔥 Being inspired by musicians like Molly Tuttle, AJ Lee, Nickel Creek, Tony Rice, and Doc Watson 🌌 How Deadhead parents, Phish tapes, and Yonder Mountain String Band created the perfect jamgrass foundation But what makes Broken Compass stand out is how many influences they pull from outside traditional bluegrass… 🎷 Django’s deep dive into jazz legends like Coltrane and Jaco Pastorius 🎸 Sam bringing funk bass influences into the band’s improvisation 🎶 Mei Lynn’s singer-songwriter inspirations like Iris DeMent and Kacey Musgraves ⚡ How improvisation, experimentation, and “failing forward” became central to the band’s live shows And then the conversation shifts into the reality of being a young touring band in 2025… 💸 The challenge of touring independently while trying to stay true to your sound 📲 The pressure of social media and building a following in the modern music industry 🚐 How festivals and live recordings have become one of the biggest ways bands grow organically 🎟️ Why younger fans are struggling to access live music and what the scene can do better The crew also dives into: 🎶 Recording live albums and uploading nearly every show to Nugs 🔥 Why jam fans love mistakes, risks, and unrehearsed moments 🪕 Curating eclectic covers from Fleetwood Mac to jamgrass classics 😂 Django accidentally revealing his middle school metal band past And honestly… one of the coolest parts of this episode is hearing how intentional this band is about building community instead of just chasing hype. 🏔️ Their breakout momentum after WinterWonderGrass 🎪 Playing intimate festivals like MeadowGrass and GoldenGrass 🤝 Staying independent while protecting their identity and creative freedom 🌲 Building a Colorado fanbase that’s quickly becoming one of their strongest audiences anywhere in the country PLUS — Colorado fans have multiple chances to catch them live during this run: 🍻 New Terrain Brewing (GoldenGrass kickoff) — Thursday, May 29 🏔️ Gold Hill Inn — Sunday, May 31 🎶 Ophelia’s Electric Soapbox — Wednesday, June 4 with All She Wrote At its core, this episode is about the next generation of bluegrass figuring it out in real time — balancing tradition with experimentation, independence with growth, and staying authentic while navigating an industry that looks completely different than it did even ten years ago. ✨ 🎧 Tap in now wherever you listen to podcasts. This one’s hilarious, thoughtful, and a reminder that the future of bluegrass is in very good hands. 🪕🔥🌌 #WhatsTheReasonForThis #BrokenCompassBluegrass #JamGrass #Bluegrass #ColoradoMusic #WinterWonderGrass #LiveMusic #Nugs #Improvisation #FestivalCulture

WTRFT S2E37 - Foggy Memory Boys

🎻🔥 This week on What’s the Reason for This?, Kodi and Shay sit down with New Mexico’s own Foggy Memory Boys for a conversation full of wildgrass chaos, festival lore, lamp camp philosophy, and the beautiful madness of building a band from the ground up. 🌵✨ What started as a trio of friends jamming in Taos turned into one of the most unique sounds in the Southwest scene… 🎶 Teaching themselves instruments and learning music completely by feel 🏆 Winning a mandolin competition after only knowing a few songs 🌌 Finding inspiration through Grisman, the Dead, bluegrass jams, and psychedelic festival culture 🔥 Building a sound that blends jamgrass, songwriting, improvisation, and pure New Mexico weirdness But this episode goes way deeper than just the music… 🏕️ The legendary story behind “Lamp Camp” and how one Coleman lantern became a full-blown festival beacon for late-night jams 🚐 Grinding through bars, festivals, and DIY touring while building a loyal grassroots following 💔 Recording their first album right as the pandemic shut the world down 🎥 Learning how to survive in the social media era while staying authentic and unapologetically themselves And honestly… this episode is exactly what independent music is supposed to feel like. ⚡ Friends first, band second 🎶 Community over clout 🍻 Playing for 12 people like it’s 12,000 🔥 Creating music because they love it — not because it fits neatly into a genre box At its core, this episode is about chasing connection, embracing imperfections, and building something real with the people around you. 🎧 Tap in now wherever you listen to podcasts. This one’s hilarious, heartfelt, slightly unhinged, and packed with the kind of stories that only happen deep in the festival trenches. 🌲💨✨ #WhatsTheReasonForThis #FoggyMemoryBoys #JamGrass

WTRFT S2E36 - Jon "Barber" Gutwillig - Disco Biscuits

🎧 This week on What’s the Reason for This?, Kodi heads into the dungeon with Jon “Barber” Gutwillig of The Disco Biscuits for a deep dive into improvisation, originality, the evolution of the jam scene, and what it really means to create something completely your own. 🎸🔥 Fresh off a massive run of Vegas aftershows during Phish Sphere weekend, Barber opens up about the mindset behind improvisation and why, after 30 years, the Biscuits still approach jamming less like a formula… and more like chasing a feeling in real time. 🌌🎶 This one starts in the chaos of the jam itself… 🎸 The Disco Biscuits’ obsession with improvisation — “nobody jams more than the Biscuits” 🧠 Singing every note while playing to stay connected to melodies and ideas inside a jam ⚡ Flow state, muscle memory, and why some of the best moments happen completely unconsciously 🎶 Accidentally quoting his own guitar playing from decades ago without even realizing it But then the conversation opens into something much bigger… 🔥 The early jam scene days — when originality mattered more than perfection 🎧 Why modern music feels more focused on refinement and imitation instead of exploration 🎼 Barber’s approach to originality: intentionally avoiding music he was afraid of subconsciously copying 🎹 The influence of jazz legends like Monk, Miles Davis, and McLaughlin on finding your own voice And then… it gets philosophical. 💭 Why jam bands don’t always get the credit they deserve as musicians 🎸 The difference between technical guitar playing and truly serving a jam ⚖️ Why less notes can sometimes create more impact inside improvisation 🌌 The challenge of creating art for yourself instead of chasing audience expectations The episode also dives into the evolution of the scene itself… 🚐 Burned CDs, tiny clubs, and discovering the Biscuits in the early 2000s before streaming existed 🏔️ Colorado becoming one of the greatest concert markets in the country 🎟️ The rising cost of concerts and how the live music experience has changed 🤝 Why the jam scene still creates some of the deepest friendships and strongest communities in music And of course… things get hilariously weird too. 🚗 The legendary story of a fan driving a car directly into a hotel room during the early Biscuits days 🤯 The infamous First Bank Center stage-diving incident that nobody can fully explain 😂 Wooks, stereotypes, and why outsiders still don’t fully understand jam culture Then the conversation comes full circle… 🏕️ Returning to Colorado for a three-night Memorial Day run at the legendary Mishawaka Amphitheatre 🎶 Fan-voted setlists, intimate mountain shows, and why the Mish remains one of the most magical venues in the country 🔥 Reflecting on 30+ years of building a scene that was never supposed to last this long At its core, this episode is about authenticity — trusting your instincts, embracing experimentation, and refusing to sand down the weird parts of yourself just to fit into someone else’s version of success. ✨ 🎧 Tap in now wherever you listen to podcasts. This one’s funny, thoughtful, wildly insightful, and a rare glimpse inside the mind of one of the true architects of the modern jam scene. 🎸🌌 #WhatsTheReasonForThis #DiscoBiscuits #JonBarber

WTRFT S2E35 - Liver Down The River

🎧 This week on What’s the Reason for This?, Kodi and Shay welcome Liver Down the River into the dungeon for a conversation packed with psychedelic bluegrass chaos, festival stories, Colorado roots, and the beautiful weirdness that’s helped make them staples of the mountain music scene. 🪕🔥🐟 Fresh off a ripping dungeon session, the band dives into the story behind their self-created genre… 🌈 “Funkadeligrass” — a wild blend of funk, bluegrass, jam, rock, and psychedelic energy that somehow makes perfect sense once you hear it live. 🎶✨ The episode starts back in Durango… 🏔️ Meeting in college after Patty spotted Emily biking home from orchestra practice with a viola on her back 🎻 Falling into bluegrass together as former orchestra kids chasing something less polished and way more free 🔥 Discovering Yonder Mountain, Jeff Austin, and jamgrass culture as the gateway into improvisation and community 🖤 The surprisingly real emo-kid-to-bluegrass pipeline But things really evolve when the band moves to the Front Range during COVID… 🚐 Rebuilding the lineup from the ground up during lockdowns and bubble-show era Colorado 🥁 Bringing in new members with backgrounds in jazz, funk, rock, and jam music 🎶 Learning how to communicate through improvisation and create space for each other inside the music And then… the conversation shifts into something bigger than just the band. 💸 The reality of trying to survive as independent musicians 🎟️ Learning how to value yourself, negotiate pay, and avoid getting taken advantage of 🤝 Why local scenes only survive when artists and fans support each other Which naturally leads to the story behind Tico Time Bluegrass Festival… 🏕️ How a random river rafting takeout turned into one of Colorado’s most beloved grassroots festivals 📞 Patty cold-calling the property owners during COVID after they asked online if anyone knew bluegrass bands 🎪 Building a festival culture centered around undercard acts, late-night pickin’ circles, and actual community instead of giant corporate vibes The crew also gets into: 🐟 The legendary stuffed salmon “Sammy” that’s been signed exclusively by members of Leftover Salmon 😂 The first-ever dungeon confetti cannon incident 🎶 Why the best festival sets are usually the noon-time bands nobody’s heard of yet 🔥 And how campfire picks are still the heart of bluegrass culture At its core, this episode is about community — building something real with your friends, creating spaces where music matters, and remembering that the magic usually happens far away from the main stage. ✨ 🎧 Tap in now wherever you listen to podcasts. It’s hilarious, heartfelt, and one giant love letter to Colorado music culture. 🏔️🪕 #WhatsTheReasonForThis #LiverDownTheRiver #Funkadeligrass #TicoTime

WTRFT S2E34 - Joe Lessard & Matt Loewen - Head For The Hills

🎧 This week on What’s the Reason for This?, Kodi goes solo in the dungeon with two absolute pillars of the Colorado scene — Joe and Matt from Head for the Hills — for a full-circle conversation that hits nostalgia, growth, and everything in between. 🪕🔥 What starts as a trip down memory lane quickly turns into something bigger… a story about how a college dorm jam session turned into a 20+ year band that helped shape the Fort Collins and Front Range music scene. 🎶✨ This one kicks off at the roots… 🏫 Meeting in the CSU dorms and turning late-night picking into a real band 🍻 House parties, 30 racks for payment, and the early days of building a following 🌀 The Fort Collins scene in the early 2000s raw, wild, and full of possibility But then things start to take off… 🔥 First shows, first crowds, and realizing “this might actually be something” 🎪 The early days of Picking on the Poudre and stepping onto the Mishawaka stage 🎶 Blending bluegrass with punk, rock, and improvisation to create their own sound And then comes the evolution… 💿 Recording their first album in a pre-streaming world when CDs and word of mouth were everything 🎧 Getting pushed (hard) in the studio to refine their sound and cut the fat 🚐 Touring the old-school way, MapQuest directions, burned CDs, and figuring it out as they went But this episode doesn’t shy away from the real stuff… ⚖️ Navigating lineup changes, burnout, and the constant evolution of a band 🥁 Reinventing their sound by adding drums and reworking their entire catalog 🦠 Surviving COVID, learning to record themselves, and adapting to a new music landscape And through it all… one thing stays constant. 🤝 Prioritizing friendship over fame 🎶 Creating music because they love it not just for ticket sales 🌄 Staying rooted in the community that helped build them It all leads to this moment… 🎉 Celebrating 20 years of Picking on the Poudre 🏔️ Returning to the Mishawaka, the place where so much of the magic started 🔥 A full-circle milestone for a band that never stopped evolving At its core, this episode is about community, longevity, and doing it your way even when the industry, the trends, or the world try to push you in a different direction. 🎧 Tap in now wherever you listen to podcasts. This one’s nostalgic, hilarious, and a reminder that some of the best things in life… start in a dorm room with your friends. 🪕✨ #HeadForTheHills #PickingOnThePoudre #Mishawaka

WTRFT S2E33 - Dylan Flynn - Magoo

🎧 This week on What’s the Reason for This?, Kodi and Shay are back in the dungeon with Dylan Flynn of Magoo— and this one goes way deeper than just the music. 🪕🔥 What starts as tour talk and band momentum quickly turns into something real… a conversation about creativity, anxiety, identity, and the voice in your head we’re all trying to figure out. 🧠✨ This one kicks off with the whirlwind… 🚐 Life on the road, 16 shows in 18 days and the grind that actually brings a band closer 🎶 Locking in as a unit how constant touring is tightening Magoo’s sound in real time ⚡ Adding new covers on the fly and building a catalog one song at a time But then… it shifts. 🧠 “The Warden” the voice in your head that second-guesses everything you do ✍️ Turning anxiety into art how Dylan wrote a new song straight out of that internal battle ⚖️ Creativity and mental state why feeling good is when the music flows (and what happens when it doesn’t) And from there… it gets real personal. 🌿 The truth about substances performance enhancers, dependency, and learning to find flow without them 🎯 Chasing flow state sober and why that’s the next evolution as a musician 💭 Years of anxiety, overthinking, and learning how to observe your thoughts instead of being consumed by them Then comes one of the most powerful turns of the episode… 🖐️ A career-threatening hand injury that almost ended everything 🪕 Discovering the dobro out of necessity and completely changing his path 🧠 The mind-body connection how chronic pain, anxiety, and the brain are more connected than we think 💥 Rewiring his mindset and coming back stronger than ever And just when you think it can’t go deeper… 💔 A story about his grandmother passing during WinterWonderGrass and the unexpected, beautiful moment he shared with his dad that same night 🤝 The importance of connection, community, and showing up for each other Then it circles back to the moment everyone’s been talking about… 🔥 The Aggie Theatre blowout nerves, energy, and stepping into a new level 🚨 The Bluebird show, pure chaos, next-level jamming, and a night that felt like a true turning point 🎶 That feeling when a band clicks… and there’s no going back At its core, this episode is about the battle inside your own head and what happens when you stop running from it and start turning it into something real. 🎧 Tap in now wherever you listen to podcasts. This one’s raw, vulnerable, and a reminder that sometimes your biggest obstacle… is also your greatest source of creativity. 🧠✨ #WhatsTheReasonForThis #Magoo #DylanFlynn

WTRFT S2E32 - Tray Wellington

🎧 This week on What’s the Reason for This?, Kodi flies solo in the dungeon and sits down with one of the most exciting and boundary-pushing banjo players in the game right now — Tray Wellington. 🪕🔥 From a small town in North Carolina to carving out his own lane in Nashville, Tray’s story is all about finding your voice, trusting your instincts, and refusing to be put in a box. 🌄🎶 This one starts at the roots… 🎣 Fishing trips with his grandfather, listening to Johnny Cash, Doc Watson, and helping build the foundation of his sound 🎸 Starting on electric guitar (thanks to Guitar Hero era chaos) before falling in love with the banjo 🪕 That first moment hearing three-finger banjo and knowing instantly… this was it 💰 Saving up from McDonald’s to buy his first banjo and going all in But things really start to take shape when the path opens up… 🎶 Growing up surrounded by an insane North Carolina music scene (Shadowgrass, Billy Strings connections, and more) 🎤 First gigs with Cane Mill Road and realizing music could actually be a career 🎓 The college years and the moment he decided he didn’t want to sound like anyone else but himself And that’s where everything shifts. 🔥 Breaking away to find his own sound instead of copying legends 💿 Creating Black Banjo — an album rooted in authenticity, identity, and truth ⚖️ Navigating expectations, stereotypes, and the pressure to fit into other people’s narratives Now… he’s entering a whole new chapter. 🚀 A brand new project “Heart on the Table” — blending banjo with hip-hop, jazz, R&B, and electronic elements 🎛️ Originally built solo at home, then transformed through collaboration into something bigger 🤝 Bringing in an all-star lineup to create the community-driven sound the album was missing 💡 The power of crowdfunding, trusting your fans, and building something real together And it all leads to this… 🎶 First single “False Idols” drops April 22nd 💿 Full album coming July 10th 🔥 A project that might be his most authentic, vulnerable, and genre-defying work yet At its core, this episode is about identity not letting the world tell you who to be, and having the courage to create something that’s fully, unapologetically you. 🎧 Tap in now wherever you listen to podcasts. This one’s powerful, inspiring, and a reminder that the real magic happens when you stop trying to fit in… and start building your own lane. ✨ #WhatsTheReasonForThis #TrayWellington #Banjo

What's The Reason For This Podcast S2E29 - Mark "Huggy Bear" Lavengood

🎧 This week on What’s the Reason for This?, Kodi and Shay sit down in the dungeon with the one and only Mark “Huggy Bear” Lavengood, a walking vibe, a musical Swiss Army knife, and quite possibly the only man out here lifting Billy Strings off the ground mid-hug. 🐻🎶🔥 From kitchen shifts at Founders Brewing to festival stages, studio builds, and full-on freak show hosting… this episode is a deep dive into the energy, evolution, and authenticity that make Huggy Bear exactly who he is. This one gets into: 🐻 The origin of “Huggy Bear” and how one job interview hug turned into a full-blown identity 🥁 Starting on drums, teaching himself everything by ear, and unlocking music through pure intuition 🎸 The moment the switch flipped realizing he could play anything and chasing it across instruments 🎶 Building roots with Winter Sessions and finding his lane through experimentation and improv But this episode really opens up when the journey expands… 🚐 Life on the road with Lindsay Lou & the Flatbellys seven years of touring, growth, and tough decisions ⚖️ Choosing family, balance, and creative freedom over the “all-in” road life 🏡 Building his own lane from Bear Den Studio to festivals, collaborations, and entrepreneurial chaos 💿 What’s next: a brand new project “Wake Up Vol. 1 & 2” and continuing to carve out his own sound And then… things get weird (in the best way possible). 🎭 Getting the call from Billy Strings’ camp and stepping into the role of Freak Fair host 🟡 Running wild through Asheville in full character, interacting with fans, and bringing the chaos to life 🤝 The deep Michigan roots and long-standing connection with Billy and the crew At its core, this episode is about being unapologetically yourself trusting your instincts, following your curiosity, and knowing when to pivot without losing the passion that got you there in the first place. 🎧 Tap in now wherever you listen to podcasts. It’s hilarious, heartfelt, and a reminder that sometimes the best thing you can be… is just a damn good hug. 🐻✨ #WhatsTheReasonForThis #MarkLavengood #HuggyBear

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