What's The Reason For This Podcast

What's The Reason For This Podcast
  • 4.8 (13)
  • MUSIC COMMENTARY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

🎙️ What’s the Reason for This? is the unfiltered, unexpected, and sometimes unhinged podcast where music meets mayhem. Hosted by Kodi and Shay, two jamgrass junkies with a knack for storytelling, this show dives into the heart of the bluegrass and jam band scene—with a few nitrous-fueled detours along the way. 🤠🎻 From parking lot legends and VIP miracles to deeply personal redemption arcs, each episode brings you wild tales, offbeat interviews, and honest conversations that explore the why behind the chaos. It’s about the music, the misadventures, and the magic that ties it all together.

  1. WTRFT S2E36 - Jon "Barber" Gutwillig - Disco Biscuits

    3D AGO

    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

    44 min

  2. 3D AGO ·  BONUS

    WTRFT Session - Liver Down The River

    🎶🔥 This week in the dungeon, Liver Down the River brings the full spirit of Colorado “Funkadeligrass” straight into the basement for a session that’s equal parts haunting, heartfelt, and wildly psychedelic. 🪕🌈🔥 Blending bluegrass roots with jam energy, dark storytelling, rich harmonies, and mountain-town weirdness, the band delivers a three-song set that perfectly captures why they’ve become such a staple in the Front Range scene. The session opens with: 🎻 “Hung My Head” — a haunting reimagining of the Johnny Cash classic (inspired by Blue Highway’s version) that immediately sets the tone with cinematic energy, gritty emotion, and soaring fiddle work. The band transforms the song into a dark, atmospheric journey that feels tailor-made for a late-night Colorado campfire. 🔥🌙 Next comes: 🌊 “The Shape We’re In” — an original tune written as a reflection on uncertainty, resilience, and finding hope through nature. Using rivers, storms, and canyon imagery as metaphors for life’s chaos, the song balances introspection with optimism and showcases the band’s ability to blend emotional songwriting with expansive jamgrass textures. 🌧️✨ And the session closes with: 🌙 “Take Me Home” — an original song Patty and Emily wrote when they were 19 years old, built around dark river imagery, longing, and murder-ballad storytelling. Haunting harmonies and emotional instrumentation make it feel like a late-night campfire confession drifting down the water. 🪕✨

    33 min
  3. WTRFT S2E35 - Liver Down The River

    3D AGO

    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

    33 min
  4. WTRFT S2E34 - Joe Lessard & Matt Loewen - Head For The Hills

    MAY 5

    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

    50 min
  5. WTRFT S2E33 - Dylan Flynn - Magoo

    APR 28

    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

    1h 16m
  6. WTRFT S2E32 - Tray Wellington

    APR 20

    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

    56 min
  7. WTRFT S2E31- Armchair Boogie - Ben Majeska & Augie Dougherty

    APR 14

    WTRFT S2E31- Armchair Boogie - Ben Majeska & Augie Dougherty

    🎧 This week on What’s the Reason for This?, Kodi taps in with the Midwest heat — sitting down with Ben and Augie of Armchair Boogie to break down how a couple of Wisconsin pickers turned porch jams into a full-blown touring machine. 🪕🔥 What starts as a conversation about bluegrass roots quickly opens up into something bigger — the evolution of a band that refuses to stay in one lane. From traditional picking to funk grooves, jam sections, and full-send live energy… this is Armchair Boogie. 🎶✨ This one gets into: 🌲 Growing up in Wisconsin’s underrated bluegrass scene and the Midwest roots that shaped their sound 🪕 Picking up the banjo at 14 just because “it made me happy” — and never looking back 🎸 From emo riffs to Led Zeppelin to jamgrass — Ben’s full-circle guitar journey 🚗 Buick LeSabre jam sessions, porch picking, and the origin story of the band But things really take off when the band comes together… 🔥 Turning a failed project into something new, keeping the crew together and building from the ground up 🎶 Finding their sound by blending bluegrass, funk, rock, and improvisation into something completely their own 🎤 Writing originals first with 80% of songs built before they ever hit the band room ⚡ Learning to push setlists, evolve live shows, and never play it the same way twice And then there’s the reality of being a band in 2026… 📲 The pressure of social media, content creation, and never being able to “clock out” 🚐 Touring life 15 passenger van, no trailer, just the boys and the road 💿 Recording their 5th studio album at a legendary Minnesota studio and chasing that creative high 🎪 Building their own festival Boogie Down and continuing to grow their footprint At its core, this episode is about figuring it out as you go trusting the process, leaning into the chaos, and building something real with your friends over time. 🎧 Tap in now wherever you listen to podcasts. It’s funny, raw, and a behind-the-scenes look at what it actually takes to keep a band alive and thriving for over a decade. #WhatsTheReasonForThis #ArmchairBoogie #JamGrass #Bluegrass

    50 min
  8. What's The Reason For This Podcast S2 E30 - Billy Strings & Magoo - Spring Tour Kickoff Weekend

    APR 7

    What's The Reason For This Podcast S2 E30 - Billy Strings & Magoo - Spring Tour Kickoff Weekend

    🎧 This week on What’s the Reason for This?, Kodi and Shay are back in the dungeon breaking down an absolutely wild weekend — from ticket chaos to unforgettable shows, and a band that might’ve just leveled up right in front of our eyes. 🎶🔥 What started as a simple ticket drop turned into full-blown madness… 🎟️ The Billy Strings presale struggle virtual queues, lottery systems, and the reality of fighting thousands of fans for a shot at getting in 😤 “Magic fingers” luck vs. getting completely shut out 💭 A real conversation about what’s broken in ticketing and what could actually make it better for fans While part of the crew held it down in Colorado… 🌴 Shannon heads to St. Augustine for Billy’s tour kickoff — describing it as nothing short of magical 🎶 Debuts, deep jams, and a powerful Ronnie Bowman tribute that set the tone for the entire run 🌕 Even a rocket launch lighting up the sky to kick off the weekend But back in Colorado… things got serious. 🔥 Magoo’s homecoming run following the release of What A Life 🎸 Night one at the Aggie packed, sweaty, and full of energy with standout covers and nonstop momentum 🚨 Night two at the Bluebird the one everyone will talk about And this is where it all shifts… ⚡ A performance that felt like a true turning point for the band 🎶 Extended jams, insane musicianship, and a crowd that never let up 🐻 Crowd surfing, confetti chaos, and moments that pushed the show into legendary territory 🤯 That feeling when you realize… this band just hit another level At its core, this episode is about the chase for tickets, for moments, for music that actually moves you. 🎧 Tap in now wherever you listen to podcasts. This one’s chaotic, hilarious, and a front-row seat to a weekend we won’t forget anytime soon. #WhatsTheReasonForThis #Magoo #BillyStrings

    1h 10m
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4.8
out of 5
13 Ratings

About

🎙️ What’s the Reason for This? is the unfiltered, unexpected, and sometimes unhinged podcast where music meets mayhem. Hosted by Kodi and Shay, two jamgrass junkies with a knack for storytelling, this show dives into the heart of the bluegrass and jam band scene—with a few nitrous-fueled detours along the way. 🤠🎻 From parking lot legends and VIP miracles to deeply personal redemption arcs, each episode brings you wild tales, offbeat interviews, and honest conversations that explore the why behind the chaos. It’s about the music, the misadventures, and the magic that ties it all together.

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