Kate Taylor is a daughter, a sibling, a wife, a mom, and an expert craftswoman. She's also my guest for Episode No. 183.

Learn more about Kate's awesome artwork at @matchboxkansascity on Instagram. Find her on Facebook at Matchbox KC, or reach out to her regarding a commission piece you'd like her to create for you at matchboxkansascity at gmail dot com. She's also on Threads.

I can't take credit for it 'cause Suzie told me that one of her friends already made the statement, but typing, saying, or thinking Suzannah Johannes sounds like you're talking about a cousin of Roseanne Rosannadanna.

Regardless...Suzannah Johannes -- my guest for Episode No. 182 -- is a resident of one of the finest towns this side o' The Mississippi'.

It's called Elle Eff Kay if you're keepin' score at home.

Mikey Wheeler is a son, a brother, a husband, a father, a musician, and a tattoo artist. He's also my guest for Episode No. 181.

Every now and again I wax emotional about what a good human with whom I've had the privilege of sitting on the other side of the table of, and when I do so it is 100 percent not in an effort to speak any less of the other fine folks that've been kind enough to join me.

We've all got a story or stories. We've all rowed the channels of life in one form or other.

Eric Martens is a son, a sibling, a husband, a father, and the owner of Border Brewing Co.

He's also my guest for Episode No. 180.

Eric was kind enough to carve out a small slice of his Tuesday evening a week or so ago to come spend it with me. And for that I am grateful.

Border Brewing Co. is located in the proverbial heart of downtown KCMO at 512 E. 18th Street, and you can give them a holler at 816-469-5287 or find their stuff online at borderbrewco.com.

This is Episode No. 179, and it features the lovely Sherrie Ortiz, who is the owner of Just One Day Travel Tours.

Sherrie is a daughter, a wife, a mom, an entrepreneur, and a business owner. You can find out more about Sherrie's Kansas City-based guided-tour operation at justonedaytraveltours.com, as well as on Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Sherrie and I talked about her previous life in the retail-bakery world, her leap to launch Just One Day Travel Tours, as well as a few of her favorite albums.

FYP too local? IYKYK, amirite?

@Dus10 is (if I'm not mistaken) the first TikTok-er I've connected with and seen an interview through to the end.

And I'm a better person for it.

@Dus10 is a son, a sibling, a father, a human, a man, and a Kansas Citian (whether he wants that last part to be the case or not). He's also my guest for Episode No. 178.

@Dus10 and I sat down for a few to chew the life fat a couple of weeks ago, and what a conversation it was. We talked growing up, family, marriage, divorce, fatherhood, men's mental health, connecting IRL, and so much more.

Gather 'round, gather 'round! It's Episode No. 177, and I am stoked to share with you that this week's guest is Joshua James Warren of Joshua James & The First Aid Kit.

Joshua joined me for a conversation about growing up in Arkansas, pit-stopping in St. Louis, and calling Kansas City home (for the time being, anyway). We also talked about the gigs he puts on at Grinder's, The First Aid Kit's singles and EP (available where you stream) their current LP project, and lots of stuff in between all of that.

Hanna Nicole was kind enough to join me for Episode No. 176. She is a daughter, a sibling, a model, an influencer, an entrepreneur, and she is also the brand manager for Health X Fitness, a clothing brand that specializes in athletic/lounge wear for women.

When we sat down a couple of Saturdays ago, we talked about family, growing up in a small town, being the oldest of five kids, joining the armed forces as a parachute rigger, transitioning back to life after services, the launch and the learning curve of getting her modeling career off the ground, and -- wouldn't ya' know -- we talked a little bit about some of Hanna's favorite tunes as well.

In the first couple of these solo episodes I did, I tried to time the tracks playing with me listening to the same clips. Turned out to be tedious and lacking in desirable results. The last one I did featured a five-spot of albums, and I went a different direction. Maybe it was better; maybe it wasn't. I think I ultimately realized that the script didn't mesh with the song excerpts in a very story-friendly fashion, so I (possibly subconsciously) tried to do a better job on that particular piece this time around.

Either way, producing these guestless installments is far from the muscle memory I've built over the last three years and change, so it takes quite a bit longer to turn them around and get them out, which is why my search for guests continues to be one of the most important pieces to keeping this thing going.

Miguel Antonio is a son, a sibling, a husband, and a father of four. He's a solo musician, and he's also a member of Run With It Band. Of greater importance, he is my guest for Episode No. 174, and of even greater importance, he is the host of the #LiveandCreate podcast.

Tasha Ransom is an artist.

More specifically, she is a musician, a painter, a photographer, and a writer. She's also a great conversationalist, and she is my guest for Episode No. 173.

Tasha stopped by last week and sat across from me at the table. We swapped a great many phrases and touched on things like growing up, family, self-discovery, and music. Somewhere in the mix, we managed to have a brief gander at a few of her favorite records. Those were these:

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls --

It is my privilege to share with you that Brian Kraemer and Nic Aguero of GFM Recording Studios in Blue Springs joined me for a fine, fine conversation that became Episode No. 172 of this here podcast.

Their spot lives online at gfmrecording.com and I encourage you to follow them on Instagram, as well. They are learned (shouts out to Chuck) in the recording arts and geared for creating custom beats, mixing, mastering, and are just the right fit for artists, bands, agencies, and all of your Sync needs.

Vanessa Kramer is a daughter, a wife, a mother, an author, and one heck of a fun, funny, and sharp conversationalist. She's also my guest for Episode No. 171, which gives me great honor to say.

Vanessa and her husband, Kyle, stopped by for what turned out to be a delightful chat a couple of weeks ago, and we rolled through the morning and into the afternoon, talking family, upbringing, marriage, partnership, parenthood, publishing, and so much more. We also managed to devote a little bit of time to a few of Vanessa's favorite albums, which were these:

Ernie Yates of Stone Eagle joined me for Episode No. 170, and it was an honor and a privilege to meet him and chat for a few. Ernie's pipes Stone Eagle's blues-influenced, southern/stoner rock, and you can keep tabs on them on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter; and you can check out their stuff where you stream. Were you to seek them out in the digital world, you'd likely find "Sirens" from April of this year and their EP, Backside of the Mountain, from 2024.

But enough about Stone Eagle; let's talk Ernie.

I may've mentioned this before, but -- more often than not -- when I open the front door to greet a guest, it's our first time meeting one another. And the vibes in that initial moment vary. Sometimes they're neutral. Occasionally they're curious. Every now and again, the good energy is palpable, and such was the case when I met John Knell on my porch.

John is a local artist, a son, a husband, a father, a fantastic conversationalist, and he joined me for Episode No. 169.

Marcus Rattler joined me for Episode No. 168, and -- while none of my guests have been mental slouches -- Marcus has to be one of the sharpest dudes I've sat down with to date. Mr. Rattler is a son, a sibling, a father, and a musician. He's one heck of an educated guy, and he brings good energy with him as he navigates this life.

Marcus plays steel pan and drums in sundry outfits, and you can check out his content on TikTok (@marcus.rattler.music), on Instagram (@marcusrattler), on Facebook, and on YouTube. He's got a really great story, incredible vision and ambition, and plenty of positive to spread across Mother Earth, be it in the Kansas City area, Canada, Trinidad & Tobago, Miami, or Chicago, he's bound to bring the good juju with him.

"The purpose of this record is to demonstrate a neglective factor in funnel pickup design. Namely, the ability of the pickup to stay in contact with the groove modulation over a wide range of frequencies and intensities. In other words, to track the groove..."

 -- DJ Magic Mike, "The House of Magic," Bass is the Name of the Game (1988)

I've been peeling back the layers of the music-world onion for as long as I can remember.

My guest for Episode #166 is a daughter, a fiancée, a mother, and an artist.

She has a tremendous aura about her. She's been blessed with compassion, intelligence, talent, determination, fantastic conversational skills, and she has boldly faced that which life has dealt her.

Her name is Morgen Agesen, and she deserves steadfast applause for being an awesome human being.

I couldn't be happier to share that -- not only is the wonderful Lisa Alpert back, but -- the Becoming a Swifty series has had new life breathed into it.

Yes.

It's Episode No. 165 of Badass Records, but installment number four of Taylor Swift talk.

If you didn't happen to catch Lisa's first episode, please check out No. 147, and -- in today's episode -- take note of all of the phenomenal guests Lisa has sent my way.

After a couple of weeks off for rest and recalibration, Badass Records is back with a new episode, and this one features the fantastic Cole Bales of Black Light Animals.

Cole is a son, a brother, a boyfriend, a bandmate times two, and he's my guest for Episode No. 164.

Black Light Animals has an upcoming RecordBar gig. That's Thursday, May 1st at RecordBar. They also have a new album out. It's called Last Call Love Songs, and you can find it digitally or get yourself a vinyl copy via their Bandcamp, or at blacklightanimalsband.com. Cole's also a member of The Freedom Affair, and they have a gig, Friday, May 2nd at The Madrid. So, please check them out, too.