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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Christian Dixon is a son, a sibling, a musician and a songwriter, and he's my guest for Episode No. 202.

If you're so inclined, you can give Christian an Instagram follow at @christiandixonmusic. You can find him on Facebook and Tiktok. You can peruse his Web site, christiandixon.bandzoogle.com. You can find his EP and his singles on Apple Music and Spotify. And I'll also encourage you to check out James Carter's "You Found Music" out there on the Web; he's the guy deserving of the kudos for connecting me and Christian.

Just like that we're off and rolling into the 200s, and I couldn't be happier than to share that Parker Mason is this week's guest on the podcast.

Parker is a son, a sibling, a partner, and a bandmate in various acts around Kansas City.

Check out @haikusforemus, @car.microwave, and @wearelandlion, all on Instagram.

Parker and I chatted growing up, diving into music and the Internet, wearing different role hats in bands, and the music-scene community around town.

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls --

Please allow me to introduce my wonderful guest, Carlton Rashad, to the podcast.

Carlton is a son, a sibling, a singer, a songwriter, a performer, and a fantastic human being. He also makes an appearance on this program for the esteemed 200th episode, which -- if I'm not lying -- is pretty cool.

Ryan Johnson is a son, a brother, and a musician. He's also a super-sharp dude, and he's my guest for Episode No. 199.

Both Ryan's solo and full-band outfits write, record, and gig around town, and if you give him an Instagram follow -- @foxlinband -- you can see that he has some upcoming gigs, including one tomorrow night!

Laura Boland is a daughter, a sister, a significant other, a musician, and an old-school soul. She's also my guest for Episode No. 198.

When wearing her musician cap, Laura goes by the moniker, Elska, and you can find her stuff at elskamusic.me, and you can follow her on Instagram at @elskalullabies.

Laura was kind enough to stop by and visit with me about growing up, life moves and changes, writing, recording, mixing, incorporating Alex Alexander into the Elska fold, and a number of other things, including a few of her favorite albums.

"Mama always said that dying was a part of life...but I sure wish it wasn't."

-- Forrest Gump

My journey as a fan of the Grateful Dead is -- from my perspective -- and interesting one in that I went from the tiny handful of FM-radio hits to Skeletons from the Closet: The Best of the Grateful Dead, and I didn't love it. At all, really.

Some time later everything changed.

Welcome, welcome, welcome.

This is the Badass Records podcast, and I'm pleased to let you know that Episode No. 196 features none other than Joel vs Joel's very own, Joel Stratton.

Joel vs Joel's debut album, Smile in the Mirror, came out in August of last year, and Brad Smith (Episode No. 108) of Enigmatic Brunch Records was the wizard behind the curtains of making that happen.

But let's not let that detract us from Joel.

Andrew Turner of Andrew Turner Auctions sat down with me a handful of days ago, and we talked about some stuff.

Our Episode No. 195 conversation involved a little about growing up, family, life visions and the shifts therein, being a gigging musician, and so much more.

Ay, yo!

Life be life-in' right now, and I'm feelin' it; the usual stress of holiday hosting and shopping and scheduling and all the other stuff has my mind crinkled and my right shoulder blade in a knot.

It's a lot.

Sometimes, though, a little dose of blessing floats your way, and I couldn't be more grateful to share with you that I had the pleasure of meeting (and sitting with) the beautiful and the savvy, the sharp and the hilarious, the talented and ambitious, Kimology!

That's right.

Alright, now...

Thanksgiving is in the rearview, and we are officially in the thick of holiday madness!

And, in wishing you happiness and sanity getting through it all, I'm pleased to share that Rodd Fenton joined me for Episode No. 193.

Rodd is a son, a sibling, a husband, a producer, an engineer, a guitarist in a band, and he has an A+ em-dash game, to boot.

I'm feeling a tiny bit too gassed to look it up, but I think this is maybe the fourth-consecutive episode of the podcast to drop on Thanksgiving.

Thursdays aren't fantastic for metrics it seems, but what's more likely is that this thing just isn't really marketable in terms of audience growth.

And that's okay. There was never a pipe dream to have it all blow up. It's always been about connecting with people and sharing stories. And I'm pretty proud to be closing in on 200 episodes/four years of sittin' down with folks to talk about life and music.

Every Now and Zen I wax a little existential on here; doing so at least gets in the neighborhood of scratching that writer itch.

Daylight Savings has been over for a bit, and I think we're all still adjusting to it getting dark at 5:00 (soon to be 4:30), bracing for the holidays, and stirring the miniature marshmallows of emotion into the cocoa that is the forthcoming cold.

I have a fat bundle of youth basketball games to look forward to watching to, and the last week or so with my high-school-freshman daughter has been decent, better perhaps than it was at the end of October, so that's where my focus is attempting to be right now: on the positive.

What is up, everyone?!

We're back -- after a small pause -- with another episode featuring a guest, and I'm thrilled to share, regardless of how LinkedIn-y that sounds -- that I was lucky enough to see my interview with Phil Kilmer to the other side.

Meaning, it took a year and-a-half to make it happen. Which is fun!

In that vein, I'll pause for two seconds to say thank you to anyone that's ever replied to my outreach, and everyone that has helped me to see an episode come to finished-product state by committing, showing up, and being awesome. I'm really excited to see that the 200 mark is right around the corner, and -- as of this moment -- I have a small dose of confidence in me that we'll get there.

I'm equal parts excited to share this episode and sad that the project has come to a close, but before I get all emotional, know that the Apple Music playlist that serves as a companion to this episode can be found here. If that isn't your platform and you want me to create one for you for yours, D.M. me on Instagram or drop a comment on the YouTube post; happy to do it.

It's Episode 189 then and this is my first crack at a discography-series installment all by my lonesome.

Ladies and gentlemen -- Please put your hands together for Holly Day!

Holly is a daughter, a sibling, a wife, a mother of two, and a darn fine TikTok'er.

She's also my guest for Episode No. 188.

I had the pleasure of meeting Holly about a decade ago, and she's just as awesome as she was back then. We talked a little bit about growing up, parenting and navigating the world as adults, as employees, and as appreciators of music.