Badass Records

Blair Johnson

5.0 (5)
Music Commentary
Updated Weekly

a podcast about people and music

11h ago

Episode 222, Paul Seiz

Paul Seiz is a son, a sibling, a husband, and a father. He's also my guest for Episode No. 222. If one were so inclined, one could follow Paul on Instagram at @paulseizisalive, and one could peruse Paul's Web site, redbeatentertainment.com as well. Were one to check out said site, one would learn that Paul has an arsenal of entertainment at his disposal, and you can hire them. Or just check them out. Either way. Totally up to you. Anyway...on that site, you could find your entertainment-option choices, such as Pink Velvet, Winter Treats, Dueling Pianos, Neonic Nights Party with Songwheels, Party DJ-PJs, or Piano Man. Whether you visit it or not, Red Beat Entertainment has your party-vibe solution. So, please put a pin in them within your fun-planning folder. Paul and I talked about the pandemic, landing in a space wherein launching something like Red Beat Entertainment was real, and we talked about some goofy stuff, too. Like making mixtapes. We also talked about a few of Paul's favorite albums, which were these: The Beatles' Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967) Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Official Broadway Cast Recording (1979) Queen's Greatest Hits (1981) Ten (1991), Pearl Jam U2's Achtung Baby (1991) I had some seriously great conversational moments and some uber-memorable laughs with Paul. Hopefully you'll check out our conversation, and hopefully you'll give his deets a view. Thank you to Paul for the time and the energy, and thank you to all that support the show. copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the clips within this episode. They are snippets from a Widespread Panic tune called, "Pickin' Up the Pieces," which is from their phenomenal Everyday record from 1993, c/o Volcano Entertainment III, LLC.
Aug 27

Episode 221, Ben Parks

Of Tree's Ben Parks joined me for Episode No. 221, and we've got a few things to cover, so let's get into it. Ben is a son, a sibling, a father, a visual artist, and a musician. On the artist front, please visit benjaminparks.info to check out his available workshops, studio space, exhibits, and commission-outreach details. His Instagram handle is @branchesoftree. For the musician in him, find details at benjaminparks.info/of-tree. That Instagram handle is @of_tree. Ben and his buddy, Danny McGaw, have a dual-release show happening Friday, September 11th at 8:00 p.m. at 1413 W. 11th Street in Kansas City's West Bottoms. Ben's Of Tree outfit has a single, an EP, and a full-length release available where you stream. Ben and I talked family, his visual-art approach, installs and exhibits, working with the community, and a bunch more. We also talked about a few of his favorite albums, which were these: Smog's A River Ain't Too Much to Love (2005) In the Pines' self-titled release (2008) The Bunkhouse Vol. 1: Anchor Black Tattoo (2012), Fionn Regan Gregory Alan Isakov with The Colorado Symphony (2016) Sundowner (2020), Kevin Morby During our chat, I stupidly referred to the Track Star show as "Star Track." Derp. I also spaced on the name of Morgen Agesen's Art Garden KC. My apologies. Anyway...find tickets to Ben's release show via the EventBrite link on is Web site. Thank you, Ben, and thank you to all of you that support the program. copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the audio clips contained within this episode. They are snippets from the Phish track, "Tweezer," from their 1992 release, A Picture of Nectar, c/o Elektra Entertainment.
Aug 20

Episode 220, Christena Graves

Christena Graves is a daughter, a sibling, a wife, a mom, and a musician. She's also my guest for Episode No. 220. Christena joined me a couple of weeks ago to talk about her journey in youth, adulthood, parenting, and musicianship. We talked about faith and family, being a part of the music business and re-entering it after a short hiatus, recording, writing, producing, and so much more. We also talked about a few of Christena's favorite records, which were these: Amy Grant's Unguarded (1985) In My Tribe (1987), 10,000 Maniacs Hothouse Flowers' Songs from the Rain (1993) Imploding the Mirage (2020), The Killers The Killers' Pressure Machine (2021) Christena's 2021 release, Finding My Footing, can be streamed or downloaded on your platform of choice. Follow her on Instagram at @christenagravesmusic, and subscribe to her newsletter at christenagravesmusic.com. The Christena Graves Band also has seven singles available in addition to the full-length album, and there's more to come soon from whence that came. Many thanks to Christena for her time, and thank you to everyone that supports the show. copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the audio samples contained within this episode. They are clips from a ZZ Top tune called, "A Fool for Your Stockings," which is from their 1979 release, Degüello, c/o of Warner Records Inc., under exclusive license to BMG Rights Management (US) LLC. This is an especially important hat tip as we lost Frank Beard earlier this week. Mr. Beard manned the kit for the most-underrated Blues trio in American-rock history for 56 years, 16 records, and a ton of live shows. His passing is remarkable in that his bandmate and bassist, Dusty Hill, left this Earth five years and change ago, leaving only Mr. Billy Gibbons as the sole-surviving member of this fan-freaking-tastic outfit. Godspeed to you, Mr. Beard. We always found it appropriate that your facial hair marched to the beat of its own drum.
Aug 13

Episode 219, Adam Doyle

Adam Doyle of Shotgun Wedding Singer joined me for Episode No. 219, and it was both a treat to meet him and a delight to visit with him about his thus-far journey on this rock hurtling through space. We talked about crafting one's own musicianship path, the band community in Kansas City, seeing awesome live shows, and a bunch more. We also took a peek at a few of Adam's favorite albums, which were these: self-titled (2003) Blink-182 Green Day's American Idiot (2004) From Under the Cork Tree (2005), Fall Out Boy A Day to Remember's What Separates Me from You (2010) Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys (2010), My Chemical Romance You can give Adam an Instagram follow at @gardoyle93, and the band's handle is @shotgunweddingsinger. Find their three singles and two EPs (including this year's Shotgun Wedding Singer Presents: An Introduction to Bridge Burning) where you stream and download your music and your podcasts. SWS is also on Facebook and YouTube (Check out their "I Think You Should Leave" music video.), and you can find the e-mail address for bookings under that good old IG-bio section. Many thanks (and apologies for having the wrong Blink-182 album cover) to Adam for the time and the enthusiasm, and thank you to all of you that support the show. copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the audio clips contained in this episode. They are snippets from a Kurt Vile tune called, "Bassackwards," a baller track from his 2018 badass record, Bottle It In, c/o Matador Records.
Aug 6

Episode 218, Josh Barber

Josh Barber of Idle Heirs joins me for Episode No. 218. Mr. Barber is a son, a sibling, a husband, a bandmate, and a man of both vision and talent. Josh and I talked about the process of writing the bones of Life Is Violence -- Idle Heirs' full-length release from 2025 -- in the Pacific Northwest, recording it in Norway, and the excitement surrounding their next project. We also talked about a few of Josh's favorite albums, which were these: Lateralus (2001), Tool Glassjaw's Worship & Tribute (2002) You Come Before You (2003), Poison the Well Cult of Luna's Vertikal (2013) Drown the Traitor Within (2019), Lorn Follow Idle Heirs on Instagram at @idleheirs. Find their record on Bandcamp plus where you stream/download. They've got a Facebook page and a YouTube channel as well. Many thanks to Josh for the time and the good conversation. And 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 Grateful Dead tune called, "Estimated Prophet," which is from their phenomenal 1977 release, Terrapin Station, which we have access to c/o Grateful Dead Productions, marketed by Rhino Entertainment Company (a Warner Music Group).
Jul 30

Episode 217, Ian Dobyns

Ian Dobyns is a son, a sibling, a partner, a mixer/producer, a musician, a super-sharp dude, and a great conversationalist. He's also my guest for Episode No. 217. He stopped by the studio Saturday and chewed the fat with me on life in the producing/engineering/mixing lanes, wearing different band hats, growing up, relationships, and a bunch more. Find him on Instagram at @atlantis_morrissey, @doubledrag.wow, @theyretheirs, @elementrecording, @squishy.audio, and @indiedrummercollective. Ian and I also talked about a few of his favorite records, which were these: Third Eye Blind's 1997 self-titled debut Machina/The Machines of God (2000), Smashing Pumpkins Colour Revolt's Plunder, Beg, & Curse (2008) Yuck's 2011 self-titled album Beach House's 7 (2018) If you're looking for assistance with your studio project, check out the folks over at Element. Looks to be a solid operation that will help you generate the results you desire. Many thanks to Ian for the correspondence to make this chat happen. I appreciated his time, his energy, and his wit. And thank you to all that support the show. copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the audio clips in this episode. They are snippets I poached from White Snake's "Still of the Night," which can be found on their self-titled 1987 release, c/o Craft Recordings, distributed by Concord.
Jul 23

Episode 216, Daniel Cole

Daniel Cole is a son, a sibling, a fiance, and a drummer in numerous projects. And he was kind enough to join me for Episode No. 216 of the podcast. I sat down with Daniel last week to chat about his story, the outfits he gigs with, music, being engaged, and a bunch more. His Instagram handle is @dcoledrums, and if you peep his bio, you'll see links for all of the bands he currently collaborates with or has collaborated with in the past. Those include @xtothev, @runwithitband, @quixoticfusion, @katbking, @twiceonsundayband, and -- last but not least -- @frankieshorez_mercyfiremusic, whose new album, Project Lullaby: Adventures in the City is out now on the streaming platforms and on Bandcamp. We also talked about a couple of Daniel's favorite albums, which were Lupe Fiasco's The Cool from 2007, and 2011's Wasting Light by Foo Fighters. Many thanks to Daniel for the correspondence and the time, and thank you to everyone that supports the show. Contact me at at badassrecordspodcast at g mail dot com if you -- or someone you know -- would like to join the program for an episode. copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the audio samples contained within this episode. They are clips from a Billy Idol tune called, "Eyes Without a Face," from his 1983 release, Rebel Yell, c/o Capitol Records, LLC.
Jul 2

Episode 215, Jocelyn Olivia Nixon

As we roll into the birthday-weekend celebration of the United States of America, one might imagine coming out the other side of the festivities thinking a little more of the greater good than of the self. Maybe that's a lost cause at this juncture, but I don't believe that to be true. There are plenty of decent folks and resources and programs (or at least perhaps there were) in this country that we could -- at the very least -- spend a few seconds thinking about how one could serve one's neighbor. Or put the self second in a few of our daily walks. And speaking of folks that land north of the decency line, I'm pleased to share with you that Jocelyn Olivia Nixon is my guest for this week's episode of the podcast. Jocelyn was kind enough to come chew the proverbial fat with me last week, and I really enjoyed meeting her and sitting down to converse for a few. We talked about family, personal journeys, songwriting, making music and releasing it, gelling with bandmates, live performances, and quite a bit more. We also talked about a couple of her favorite albums, which were these: Bob Dylan's Bringing It All Back Home (1965) Revolver (1966), The Beatles If you'd like to give Jocelyn's Instagram a follow, you can find her at @jocnix26, and her band's IG is @thecreepyjingles. The Creepy Jingles have four singles on Bandcamp and a brand-new full-length release entitled Washed Up as well. You can also find their stuff on the streaming platforms. Regarding Washed Up, shouts out to Enigmatic Brunch Records for putting the thing out. So please consider checking out their music and giving them a follow on the 'Gram. They do good stuff. Many thanks to Jocelyn for the communication ahead of time and for making the commitment to come chill with me for a minute. And many thanks to all of you that support the program. Happy Fourth. copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the audio clips contained within this episode. They are snippets from a new Kurt Vile tune called, "Red Room Dub." It's a track from his newest album, Philadelphia's Been Good to Me, c/o Verve Records, an overnite kv incorporated release under exclusive license to Verve Label Group, a division of UMG Recordings, Inc.

5

out of 5

5 Ratings

a podcast about people and music

Creator

Blair Johnson
Years Active

2022 - 2026
Episodes

222
Rating

Explicit
Copyright

© BRP 2022
Show Website

Badass Records