The Richard Wooten Podcast

“My breakthrough was understanding that each album is very different, down to their essence. And that there were no two that I was going to enjoy in the same way”    More digging into Baroness. We talk about my trouble getting into Blue and we gush about how Yellow/Green is maybe the best album ever made.    00:00 Intro 00:56 Animals as Leaders and Killswitch Engage 24:51 Lamb of God always destroys, Chris Adler doesn't get enough credit cuz he no use blastbeats, and vaccine politics 38:08 How are metal concerts going to change going forward and the we were young festival ===================================================================== 54:00 Baroness Blue,  where we are coming from, Rob's first impressions, differences in dynamics/production, and the addition of Peter 1:06:50 Richard's did not like it at first, key realization about Baroness,  1:26:55 Less into the mixing/production,  food lyrics, vocal harmonies, “progressive” music that prioritizes emotion 1:47:15 Yellow is perfect 1:49:20 Top shelf lyrics, addiction themes, acknowledgement without despair, and more food references 2:05:57 This album makes other music seem shitty 2:12:28 All in on Cocainium, back where I belong, Eula, and the subtle effects work on the album 2:30:37 Green, differing lyrics themes, comparisons to classic rock, and the wonderful weirdness of psalms alive 2:52:00 Summary

No planned listening this week, decided to just go for it with a Rando Show 00:00 Start, nothingface, the role of compilations/soundtracks in the 90s and early 00s 21:45 music licensing, temp tracks in film composing, the nature of sessions work 35:29 Synthwave and Rise of the Synths revisit 42:03 Hurricane Rita evacuation 1:01:01 Falling in Reverse laptop drama, evolution of playing in churches with backing tracks,  1:18:30 Lots of different ways to use backing tracks, automation, Rammstein, Nile, back your shit up, renaming the pod 1:43:35 Suffocation and Baroness concerts…. The “imperfect” is always going to sound right to us 1:53:01 Steve Vai, Eddie Van Halen, Stevie Ray Vaughn, and assorted guitar hero talk 2:06:27 Blues rock drumming is HARD, Steve Ferrone is a god among men, and a weird story about working with a guitarist that worships clapton.  Interview with Prince's producer https://urm.academy/ep-227-susan-rogers/

“They have so many ideas; they complete them all, it's never boring, and it all goes down easy. I have no idea how they do it.”    We begin our series on Rob's all time favorite band… Baroness.    00:00 intro 00:42 voices are weird, figuring out how to do metal vocals back in the day 20:22 Learning technique from music videos is a bad idea, the standard of precision is so much higher today, and the rising popularity of extreme precise music 40:10 Old man shit and some leftist antiracist stuff ======================================================================== 47:46  How each of us got into Baroness 1:01:27 Allen Bickle's drumming is top shelf incredible, there's always interesting things happening, John uses lyrics like colors in an abstract palette.  1:10:54 Clutch wordsmithery compared to Baroness, and doom metal 1:19:34 The EPS 1:42:54 Black Sabbath digression and ripping on Queens of the Stone Age 1:53:01 Red first impressions 1:55:57 Andy Sneap, Judas Priest harmony digression 2:02:12 shoutout to the shaker in Rays on Pinion, and a percussion/cowbell digression 2:11:57 THE VOICE and they're mastery of completing ideas while always being interesting 2:20:38 Comparing Baroness to Zeppelin, Punk, and Metal.  2:29:53 Wailing Wintry Wind and Teeth of a Cogwheel 2:39:30 Teeth of a cogwheel  2:45:21 Summary… This music feels woven, not built.

Ep36: More metals with Harrison Jacob of As Eden Burns and Cavernous   Harrison Returns!  00:00 Intro 00:16 pirating music  09:07 AI generated art etc... 25:56 fb as new tech  38:12 missing the real interaction the fb approximates ================================================================  43:02 playlist start  58:02 Decapitated 1:03:34 as eden burns  1:19:28 Trey Gammon is a BEAST 1:22:40 Cavernous and how Harrison's dad influenced him  1:38:51 Dimmu, iceland santas, Death, malevolent creation  1:55:36 Black dahlia, Nile 2:14:05 Obscura, Archspire,  2:26:08 Ryan Adams and separating art from the artists 2:38:28 non metal influences   Playlist https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1PJK0fboijR9T4Qcn9VJX5?si=37a2b2fb99904182

Old friends catch up about being introverts, parenting, teaching, and then dissect Mudvayne's LD50   Justin is a high school journalism/media teacher, has a BS in History, and is a prolific visual artist. Check out some of his work here: https://www.inkmethod.com/portfolio   00:00 intro Preamble 00:49 Justin always comes prepared, our class ruined alot of things, and justin intro 10:33 Synthwave revisit: future gazing and individuality 31:51 weekly pantera digression 36:52 Introvert Parade, turning social time into work, and being scared to call people 1:02:26 Socializing when you have kids and stay at home parent stuff 1:15:48 Some high school stories, teaching in general vs during the pando, and how we had it easier than kids today 1:47 Shows, games, and random phone notes =================================================== 2:04:00 intro, anticipated record, seeing em live etc...  2:31:00 production, performances, vibe, and the direction change on other albums 3:05 Monolith through Cradle 3:21 Nothing to Gein through (k)now F(orever) 3:41 wrap up and why we are enjoying doing these podcasts. 

In this one Rob introduces me to the genre of synthwave. Much of our discussion revolves around the Rise of the Synths documentary, highest possible recommendation btw. https://youtu.be/usnW-CsFVwI   00:00 Intro 1:17 start, getting into buying  synths 11:46 reading books vs listening to audio books 26:11 Severance on apple tv, identifying with your job, and asking kids “what they want to be?” 50:30 My background and philosophy on teaching ======================================================================= 1:12:05 synthwave, what it is, early exposures to it, a tangerine dream story, and cultural watershed moments for the genre 1:33:48 Perception of 80s music/culture in the 90s and a look at synthwave subgenres 2:00:32  More on the abstract nature of what makes synthwave so special: heart on it's sleeve and somehow not pretentious.  2:19:20 John Carpenter is cool af, the 80s were the first decade of prevalent home media, and riffing on some music theory stuff 2:36:47 movie music, The cutoff between synthy 80s and grungey 90s, nostalgia as a musical motif, first blood, and vhs disproportionately represented 80s movies.  2:57:08 crazy ass Jean Michael Jarre concert, and riffing on the playlist 3:15:10 summary, “maybe the lyrics to nightcall are about synthwave itself”   *I was wrong, Spielberg did Hook BEFORE jurassic park and schindler's   list https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3YWvhdzqZ3G7Zud7fhyDwx?si=PNEdbJ9yRDazSMmp8eKG5g&utm_source=copy-link

“I think I'm just too chill for this music”  - Rob   In this episode I introduce Rob, who is not a death metal fan, to the world of Suffocation. Suffocation is one of my absolute favorite bands but I kept the playlist short so that it wasn't too overwhelming.  Preamble 00:00 start 01:19 inside baseball, Kayla Kent ripping pantera solos, and the bs that women have to deal with 29:49 Toxic drumming community, pantera reunion, and the big four in the 90s 59:45 Beavis and Butthead cultural impact ======================================================== 01:07:03 Suffo start, Rob's first impressions and what makes suffocation so special (Hint: it's momentum) 1:13:03 Some things that make suffo so special: momentum, untouchable live band,  1:32:30 Frank's vocals/lyrics  why they work, and how Doug Bohn writes the the template on brutal technical groovy drumming on Pierced From Within.  1:59:24 The cerebral/visceral contradiction of their music, their use of technicality, and how they don't shy away form thrash 2:21:12 As Grace Descends, technical death metal vs brutal technical death metal, Breeding the Spawn, Entrails of You 2:43:09 Funeral Inception, Thrones of Blood, Pierced From Within, Infecting the Crypts, Effigy to the Forgotten 3:10:37 wrap up Playlist https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4VDxPPwtnrcD5oud7CU6f7?si=c926e9eb0b114423

Our final Machine Head episode… for now... We dig into Locust, which is Rob's favorite MH record, and Bloodstone, which has some of my favorite MH songs. Also add some context to the timeline between the records, adam leaving, and MH signing with Nuclear Blast. Heaping handfuls of speculation on their inner band dynamics that possibly lead to the split with Adam.    Preamble 00:00 Intro 02:03 Band power dynamics, what it takes to get a record made, and learning from past mistakes 29:05 Missing out on good music for dumb reasons, spotify iceberg, and elitist musician types 53:30 Gatekeeping Metallica fans, Kate Bush and stranger things 1:10:38 Rob's rando Mastodon revelation ================================================================ 1:16:50 Locust general impressions 1:29:33 I am Hell, Be Still, 1:50:11 Locust, This is the end, Darkness within 2:05:59 Pearls, Who we are 2:17:19 Touring/Roadrunner timeline, wild speculation on why Locust is so short 2:29:10 Adam getting fired etc… 2:35:35 Bloodstone 3:07:22 Riff on catharsis 3:22:46 Summary and live shows

We elaborate on another factor that helped kill nu metal…. THE INTERNET! In the mid 00s everything started to get heavy. This set the stage for Machine Head's “comeback” albums.  Preamble:  1:33 The habit of healthcare, and some mental hospital stuff  21:18 political stuff and social media 36:42  Who is allowed to be angry, trying too hard to be friends with everyone, chasing spectacle 51:19 why i don't play in churches anymore =========================================== Topic 55:08  Also, the internet killed nu metal 1:09:42 2003-2004 retrospective… everything gets more metal 1:25:54 Context for Ashes release, and the Elegies Documentary 1:54:08 Through the Ashes of Empires: “and so Machine Head began composing metal” 2:03:03 Vocals/lyrics, Robb's nu metal trajectory, and making fun of metal yoda lyrics 2:25:08 Dave McClain love and track by track 2:40:14 Descend the Shades of Night and briefly meeting Robb 2:46:25 The Blackening “the perfect classic metallica album from the future”  3:06:58 track by track 3:34:57 summary

“This album reeks of experimentation… for better and for worse”   Hey!  This is basically three episodes in one, so it's long, feel free to skip around to what interests you.     Burning red is awesome. It has killer melodies, grooves, feel, and I love the vulnerability in the lyrics. It's one of my fave records.  Supercharger isn't a bad record but it didn't do well at the time. I argue that this is not because of 9/11 but because of an extreme saturation of other similar records coming out at the same time. (see google doc spreadsheet below)   We also talk about the nu metal bubble and why the genre faded away so quickly in the mid 2000s.    Preamble 00:00 intro 1:35 Shits nuts, roe v wade overturning, centrist “too cool to care” bullshit, and predictably losing “friends” when I amplify black and female voices 22:21 Performing masculinity through anger/indifference, and getting lost in the manosphere,  43:03 Crazy times, getting covid, etc… 53:19 More DAW talk, musicals, instrumentation,  and fucking up an album mix   1:14:39 Machine Head, nu metal paradigm etc…  1:26:00 Burning Red general impressions 1:42:32 Robb's thrash pedigree, trauma in nu metal, and some track by track 2:07 Supercharger general impressions 2:19:22 some track by track silliness and summary.    2:33:01 The nu metal bubble that killed Supercharger, overall metal trends from 1995-2005 3:00:00 Hot Take: “Slipknot and Eminem killed nu metal” 3:22:44 How metal and rock get codified in the mid 2000s, the importance of metalcore etc…, and a fun ICP funeral story 3:51:15 Summary   Album release dates https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/12jQnGexhP4amMM336cZWLrGMPel33WXdcHXrBso33_c/edit?usp=sharing   Demise of nu metal 2000-2002 playlist https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2HhPTLELCRbZGuM3SZw4Mn?si=o36vvRJeQrWe4k9RTTzIWA&utm_source=copy-link

“Zao was so ridiculous that I needed to show people, and I did that so many times that I started to love it”   Joined by our long time friend CJ Menard to dig into the songs that formed his musical tastes. Preamble 01:20 Black Dahlia's Nocturnal and the codification of metal, and Trevor tribute 36:14 The spilling of the Mr. Hinkus tea   1:00:10 How the christian music environment affected music discovery, religious trauma/guilt, the power grabbing nature of churches, and the relationship between youth groups and hardcore 1:51:23 Mortal Kombat soundtrack, napalm death, nu metal, and fuck as i lay dying,  2:19:50 Slayer, deftones, snapcase, strife, hardcore etc… 2:39:38 Zao and initially impenetrable art 3:03:43 Overcome, Strongarm, ideas about hardcore vocals, and Living Sacrifice 3:16:26 Neurosis, Korn, and summary Recorded 6/10/2022 https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4gPPEv6nrBZILs5hir5mym?si=892ccab2698b4b31

“Burn My Eyes gave hope to the rest of us” “It will never be my favorite, but it might objectively be their best” We LOVE Machine Head! The first of five epic parts analyzing all of their albums, adding context to the time periods of their release, and lots of speculation on what was going on behind the scenes.  00:00 Intro 1:25 DAW talk, memorizing vs looking things up in physics and programming 25:37 Experts make it look like magic, the gig economy,   the importance of a shared language in music/programming. 57:09 Contextual knowledge, the difference between tricks and fundamentals in math education, acknowledging  some current events   1:15:37 Topic Intro, comparison of the records 1:36:19 The monolithic legacy of Burn My Eyes, the everyman's modern metal production bible 1:47:05 early/mid 90s context 2:08:39 Track by track 2:25:20 Mature social commentary, Robb has always been anti-racist,  2:41:00 BME summary 2:49:32 TMTC 3:03:06 The record always ended with Violate for me 3:09:45 Summary   Recorded 5/19/2022

A breakdown of some of our current faves 00:00 intro 1:36  lessons learned from trying to start a record label, copyright law and anarchists,  21:52  Physics digression on the nature of symbols and some light professor blackmail 37:53 Pantera digression 48:31 Roe V Wade   1:07:48 Topic start, Kettel's Wingtip 1:42:57 Chick Corea's Leprechaun album  2:14:19 Steve Gadd digression 2:28:15 Meshuggah's I    Recorded 5/7/2022   Kettel: Wingtip https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lCmDd_T7bSBpEdHElhHUA3Uxu6wqoB88I&feature=share   Chick Corea: Leprechaun https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nLRy2BFKeruhTGzGZXea3NtzLm7VF4WFo&feature=share   Meshuggah: I  https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kGb7YD3oXI9Pcat1FvIW1k0WcelcItGws&feature=share

Shae commits violence against Richard and Robert stands by   Guests: Shae Cottar and Robert Rabel   Recorded 4/20/2022 00:00 Intro 2:13 Preamble: Addictions, the role of language in recovery,  24:00 my frustration with the bjj community and celebrity practitioners, and my how my motivation changed over time 33:00 Don't let assholes take jurisdiction over the things you love   44:06 Topic: First impressions, apologies, and what does the term “psychedelic music” even mean 1:09:02 Early period: Piper through Obscured 1:34:46 The transition to dark side of the moon 1:42:55 Final Cut, Roger Leaving, speculation on band dynamics in general, and Momentary Lapse of Reason 2:13:15 Roger and David's differing lyric styles, Division Bell, and Endless River 2:35:36 Rich's hot takes 2:45:15 Summary   https://open.spotify.com/playlist/73Jin6i4Fwce3afgjkEXwE?si=65e3d63140d549f5

Rob and Shae initiate Rich into the “middle” era of Pink Floyd Guests: Shae Cottar and Robert Rabel   I have traditionally not been a big fan of Pink Floyd, I didn't actively dislike their music but it just wasn't for me for whatever reason. But two of my best friends and collaborators are HUGE Pink Floyd fans…. So we figured the only sensible thing to do would be to force feed me floyd until I love it… results pending.    Recorded 4/14/2022   00:00 Intro 1:00 Preamble: Little bit of rambling and riffing on Joe Campbell 14:54 Into the Floyd: Early exposures and generational differences 58:58 Rob's Playlist, Roger vs David, David's influence on Rob & Shae,  1:32:51 The Lyrics of Floyd, The Wall, their clear influence on Marilyn Manson, some digressions about U2 and Beck 1:56:26 Speculation about why Rich didn't get into PF, the dynamic of songwriting teams,  2:12:45 F**& Stryper and a Motorhead digression 2:16:13 Wrap up

“Down is the only super supergroup”  A look at Down, New Found Power, Hellyeah and the Pantera side projects; Dimebag and Vinnie's death; and some final thoughts on all things Pantera   Recorded 4/02/2022   00:00 Intro 1:45: Preamble: RIP Taylor Hawkins, and Foo Fighters put on maybe the best concert I've ever seen 12:44 Phil's prolific output and the risk he puts in all his projects 27:49 NOLA: Robert and I gush about what a pristine gift from the gods this record is. Perfect songs, perfect production, perfect vibe, perfect performances.  1:11:26 New Found Power: This has always had a charm to me, not so much for Rob 1:31:13 Dimebag's death: I talk about how devastating this was. I also give a rundown of going to the memorial in Arlington (Zakk Wylde getting impatient with EVH and Vinnie's one request) 1:48:45 Hellyeah: Music is hit or miss with us but we respect em 2:02:59 Some shit talking about Hellyeah 2:16:49 Vinnie's death 2:22:17 an ol Jeff “Death” Stockstill bit 2:25:11 Final thoughts about Pantera 2:32:29 FINAL RANKING of all the records  A side of Phil https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDy9MGihz1egWJnJZhmiMjO5teg64Fhk9   Hell… Meh https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDy9MGihz1ejLBAyXO0ibnr8peiGynzbJ

“On the redbeard, SONOFABITCH Dimebag!” Harrison joins as Rob and I wax nostalgically about the Pantera live experience and the best live metal record ever made. There are a few essential elements to a Pantera show and if you've seen one then 101 proof reminds you of all of them: the subtle ways the songs are performed differently, phil's inspired improv vocals, the surprise outros and breaks, and Phil shrinking the room with how he spoke to the crowd (for better or worse). It all contributed to this feeling of absolutely not knowing what was going to happen and it was unlike any other concert I've ever seen.    We also debate Reinventing the Steel. In my opinion, the great tragedy of this album is that we didn't get the next one. I think it was a transition record to the next stage of Pantera that we never got. Rob and I feel very differently than Harrison about this record and it's interesting to consider the possible reasons why. 00:00 Intro 1:14 Preamble: general riffage on Korn, Slipknot, Metallica, and my four quadrants of metal  31:05 Harrison's background: picking up the guitar, starting bands with friends, and finding extreme metal 57:46 As Eden Burns and touring life   1:12:29 101 Proof: The Pantera live experience, alternative vs metal, why this is the best live metal album ever made, and Phil as proxy for the audience 2:16:57 Reinventing the Steel: We debate whether this album is lazy phoned in trash or an underrated gem.    Recorded 3/18/2022

The only solution is MORE PANTERA!   00:00 Intro 2:06 Preamble: Offspring, my first show, coal chamber, our first demos, and Jeremy hated singing   14:57 Pantera: revisit cbfh & vulgar, more essential and trash tracks, and Vulgar's profound influence 33:38 Far Beyond Driven overview: essential and trash tracks, Phil's prolific output and different lyric perspective, good friends and a bottle of masculinity  1:11:14 Love for Vinnie and Dime 1:25:01 Track by Track: I'm Broken, Strength beyond strength, Becoming 1:43:25 5 Min alone, Hard Lines and Sunken Cheeks, Slaughtered, 25 Years 2:05:43 Shedding Skin, Use My Third Arm, Throes of Rejection, and Planet Caravan 2:21:35 Harrison essential and trash fbd tracks   2:22:15 Trendkill Overview 2:40:42 Track by Track: Great Southern Trendkill, War Nerve, Drag the Waters 3:01:23 13 steps, Suicide Notes, Living through me 3:19:57 Floods, Underground in America, Sandblasted Skin 3:37:42 Summary    recorded 3/4/2022   These two albums are so damn important to us. GST has traditionally been both of our favorite Pantera record because of it's insane vibe but FBD might objectively be their best record. I think the grime and vulnerability of FBD influenced the nu metal movement. Here we see Phil's lyrical perspective shift from detached aggro bro word salad to intense, sincere, vulnerable, and outright uncomfortable honesty. By using different vocal styles and harsher screams Phil paves the way for the next 10-15 years of mainstream metal music. Vinnie permanently etches his name into the history of metal drumming by expanding the vocabulary to places that people still haven't really caught up to. Dime gets weird af and establishes himself as a legit legend. And the unsung hero, Rex, holds in all together. Above all both of these records are creative and artistic statements. Anyway, I'm gonna stop typing because I have too much to say, so take a listen.

The first of FOUR Pantera episodes! Robert and I picked up our instruments during the height of Pantera's relevance and they are maybe our biggest influence. So we have VERY strong and detailed opinions about almost every song in their catalog.    00:00 Intro 01:14 Anti-trans bills in texas, russian invasion of Ukraine, and assortment of people we want to F*&! off 46:54 Cowboys From Hell 2:05:26 Vulgar Display of Power 2:31:54 Phil's racist lyrics and speeches 3:02:30 back to what we love about Vulgar recorded 2/25/2022   This episode was recorded as Putin was beginning his invasion of Ukraine and Abbott was laying out his latest trans bill. We discuss this and more of our left wing politics in a particularly inspired preamble. If you want to know what our politics are then this is a good place to hear it.    To get things started with each album we did "three essential tracks and one to trash"    We also unpack the racist things that Phil has said on stage. I have so much love for Phil and his body of work, it was and still is a profound influence on me as an artist, lyricist, vocalist, and as a frontman back in the day, so please know that I did not want to talk about the racist speech he puts out there. But we are discussing his legacy and when he decided time and time again to stop a Pantera show to rant about racial issues and when he sieg heiled and screamed "white power" from the stage at dimebash I have to talk about it. I didn't make this a part of his legacy, he did.  The book I referenced in the preamble The Road to Unfreedom by Timothy Snyder https://www.timothysnyder.org/books/the-road-to-unfreedom-tr/the-road-to-unfreedom-hc   The video I referenced when talking about Rogan For Harriet - Joe Rogan is Uncancellable https://youtu.be/N_3ftvxceO8

 What to expect, why the chaotic upload schedule, and wtf is All Severed?   recorded July 14th 2022   What to expect moving forward? -we just finished recording episode 32. We've got a four part series on Pantera, two parts on pink Floyd, four parts on machine head, and a few rando episodes. -initially I was going to try and release things every week but that doesn't work for me. They will go up as soon as I get them edited. Probably 2-4 a week until I'm caught up then 1-2 every two weeks.  -We are also going to have more guests    Notes on format  -after 30 episodes Robert and I have settled into a rough general format.  45-60 min preamble  -then the topic, which seems to last anywhere from 2-3 hours. Yes they're long; we do alot of prep and have alot to say sometimes. It is what it is.    What is all severed -it's a band that Robert and I were in a long time ago with jeremy barnes. We are still really proud of it and it's a big shared experience of ours so we refer to it constantly.  -I'll be releasing more stuff from it officially soon so people can check it out if they're interested    Why is there such a backlog of episodes?  Two answers 1) lots of life stuff and a big learning curve 2) I have issues and creative blocks about releasing stuff I make. I'm getting over it and I'm not going to sit on things for so damn long anymore All Severed live at Houston Metalfest 2005 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKTIBa9Nslc&t=849s

"I'll do anything, to make you..."   Recorded 2/18/2022 Every now and then we do a current faves episode to cleanse that palette. For this one we talked about Grave Babies: Holographic Violence, Type-O-Negative: October Rust, and Les Discrets: Predateurs. Along with a bunch of other tangents as per usual   00:00 Intro 1:53 Why it's taking so long to release the episodes and some podcast editing shop talk 11:29 Dan Olsens “Line Goes Up” video, some breatube love, and other folding ideas vids   34:51 Topic start and intro 40:15 Grave Babies 1:20:23 Tool's changing stage presence, Rammstein and Foo Fighter's mid show acoustic sets, love old bands new albums, and christ adler doesn't get enough credit 1:31:39 October Rust 2:12:29 The Stadium Arcadium Story ie “Richard is dumb and deprives himself of joy” 2:16:37 Les Discrets Grave Babies - Holographic Violence https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mWW-2Ep65lf5xanv7s6EKhDf4CHp1cl98   Type-O-Negative - October Rust https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lNP0kF67wb3o6plzpuZjMBBpZ6JzARfEY   Les Discrets - Prédateurs https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mfbyyavR79g_suuEI15zs5ZdQIgoD0yWk Line goes up https://youtu.be/YQ_xWvX1n9g

Recorded 1/21/2022   Part 2: 2003 ==============   This playlist represents more exploration that occurred while learning/playing jazz in college. Compared to the first playlist this has more music that friends told me about. Things here tend much more toward the fusion side of things. It was interesting to see how some of this hit Robert. We also riff on performance vs composition, hip hop in jazz, cultural appropriation, how this music influenced my improv chops, and challenges in navigating big band charts.  Preamble 00:00 Intro 00:52 Social Media affecting the creative process 17:31 Bill Hicks spiritual word salad, health & wellness peeps ruined Ram Das for me, nationalism sucks, and armageddon is pure propaganda 35:58 Critical thinking when consuming info and high school football is a misallocation of resources 54:28 post columbine high school environment, post 9/11 flights, and Corey Taylor's antiracist speech at the Pledge of Allegiance tour Topic 1:05:54 Jazz composition vs performance; cuong vu, herbie hancock, candiria, john zorn, and steve coleman 1:47:57 World music, cultural appropriation, leave Lil Wayne alone, and racist aspects of metal culture 2:08:53 more jazz: mccoy tyner, andre 3000, hip hop & jazz, roy hargrove, and max roach 2:42:30 How this music prepared me for extreme non-jazz improv situations in the yoga and ecstatic dance communities 2:51:48 what makes reading a big band drum chart so hard 3:05:15 frustration of finding jazz/classical music that you like, players vs composition, and wrap up.  Playlist https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDy9MGihz1ehdPJqgyBbMn3gkqwT-Qp8q spreadsheet https://drive.google.com/file/d/1szoNRmO35WWOubjzK8Afl9I89zVgxk00/view?usp=sharing   Trio Da Paz - Manhattan Style Manfredo Fest - Guararpes Miles Davis - Orbits McCoy Tyner - search for peace Max Roach - Driva'man Jeff Tain Watts - JC is the Man Steve Coleman and the Metrics - Hyped Charles Lloyd, Zakir Hussain, Eric Harland Candiria - Constant Velocity Is As Natural As Being at Rest Cuong Vu - Bound Lake Trout - #2, Little Things Herbie Hancock - kebero pt.1 (ends at 3:10 in video), essence, be still John Zorn - You Will Be Shot, Latin Quarter RH Factor - Hardgroove, I'll Stay (Ft. D'Angelo)

Recorded 1/14/2022 Part 1: 2002 ==============   This is mostly a reflection of how I immersed myself in Jazz when I started taking formal drum lessons in college. My drum instructor made me join the big band so I had a lot to learn fast. This is not a history of jazz or what I think the most important jazz songs are. This is an attempt at identifying the songs that I came across that greatly affected me in one way or another. Some of these songs are very emotional for me, some are just influential to me as a musician or drummer, and some I just like. I also talk a bit about the difference between subgenres of jazz, the history of the drumset, flaws in the perception of music history, and the nature of striving during a performance.    Preamble 00:00 Intro 01:24 Old School recording with Roland Vs1680 and some NFT talk 25:46 Frank Turner lyrics and why I respect KISS's political stances Topic 39:12: my first drum lessons with jazz drummer Joel Fulgham  47:56 Playlist riffage begins.    *Note* Big screw up, around the 2 hr 26 min mark, I forgot that Ella Fitzgerald did Solitude not Billie Holiday. Both are amazing but different, listen    Spreadsheet https://drive.google.com/file/d/12PXQ5Fz4Q3hIPYgU_H_0HnWpjmcYs69_/view?usp=sharing   Playlist https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDy9MGihz1ehcxkRXE4UaBijlEo55mdxe   Buddy Rich - Mercy, Mercy Miles Davis (trumpet) - So What, Milestones, Seven Steps to Heaven Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers - The Opener Max Roach - For Big Sid Louis Armstrong & His Hot Five - Heebie Jeebies Duke Ellington - Black Beauty Count Basie - Jumpin At The Woodside Sonny Rollins - St. Thomas Weather report  - Birdland  Gordon Goodwin - Count Bubba Billie Holiday - Strange Fruit John Coltrane (tenor) - Pt. 1 Acknowledgement  Roy Hargrove (trumpet) - O My Seh Yeh

Recorded 1/6/2022   00:00 intro 00:59 Preamble 5:03 Don't look up  47:16 Type O Negative makes sad man music and October Rust has programmed drums?!?!   57:00 topic start 1:05:10 Undertale 1:29:10 Rando Percussion talk, Shovel Knight, and Retro Game riffage 1:39:32 Nier Automata 1:55:24 Necrodancer and Persona 5 2:12:24 Garth Brooks story and beer rant 2:21:00 What the F*#k kind of game is Inscryption?! 2:31:54 Gravity Rush 2:55:16 bonus Rob sez:   Why these specific games/tracks: ============== Special to me/nostalgia Tended to favor rhythmically interesting over atmospheric for Richard's benefit Just good tunes There are many other tracks from games that I love, but weren't as interesting to talk about or required specific experience because they're more mood builders/enhancers   Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWvzvA9F-7moDf-8u-IItwhxzCezQ9P5D   Part 4: 2014 - 2021 =============== Shovel Knight - Jake Kaufman, USA, 2014, Retro Platformer, Difficult Undertale - Toby Fox, USA, 2015, RPG, Absurdist humor, Sincerity Gravity Rush 2 - Kohei Tanaka, Japan, 2017, Anti-gravity 3D Platformer, Ghibli-esque world Nier: Automata - Various, Japan, 2017, Action RPG, Character-focused, Existential dread, Hope? Persona 5 - Shoji Meguro, Lyn Inaizumi, etc, Japan, 2016, Modern-day Supernatural Japanese RPG Crypt of the Necrodancer - Danny Baranowsky, USA, 2015, Rhythm, Dungeon Crawler, Roguelike Inscryption - Jonah Senzel, USA, 2021, Room Escape, Card Battler, Roguelike, Seeecrets

Recorded 11/19/2021   00:00 Intro 01:26 Preamble: Kevin smith aint hurting anybody, Rob Zombie makes trauma films not horror films, what and boys in Live have in common with fauxcest, and more 23:09 When did our tastes diverge and why didn't Rob go deeper into extreme metal. Includes riffing on Strapping young lad, meshuggah, fear factory, electronic music, black sabbath, our different approaches to our instruments, and nitpicking metal subgenres) 01:02:32 Why this format is so interesting to me   01:07:27 Topic intro 1:12:10 Inmomentum 1:20:44 Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery 1:26:37 Binding of Isaac 1:47:56 Shatter 1:57:39 digression about being consistent when deviating from artistic norms and guitar usage in video game osts 2:10:25 Fez 2:18:45 Nier:Gestalt (“The reason these playlists exist”) 2:38:20 Dustforce 2:40:53 Demon's souls  2:50:39 why these games Rob sez:   Why these specific games/tracks: ============== Special to me/nostalgia Tended to favor rhythmically interesting over atmospheric for Richard's benefit Just good tunes There are many other tracks from games that I love, but weren't as interesting to talk about or required specific experience because they're more mood builders/enhancers   Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWvzvA9F-7mpmLmUV5VyyUEweurMEEGlP   Part 3: 2009 - 2013 =============== Demon's Souls - Shunsuke Kida, Japan, 2009, Action RPG, Methodical, Masochistic, Weird? Inmomentum - Gareth Coker, United Kingdom, 2011, Parkour, Rhythm Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery - Jim Guthrie, Canada, 2011, Adventure, Atmospheric The Binding of Isaac - Danny Baranowsky, USA, 2011, Roguelike, Religious, Gory, Grotesque Shatter - Module, New Zealand, 2009, Arcade, Frenetic, Breakout-like Fez - Disasterpeace, USA, 2012, Platformer, Puzzle, Mysterious, Fourth-wall Nier: Gestalt - Keiichi Okabe & Emi Evans, Japan, 2010, Action RPG, Character-focused, Existential dread Dustforce - Lifeformed, Taiwan, 2012, Time/score attack, Precision platformer, Janitorial

The Middle Period and Suffocation 2002-2016 recorded 11/04/2021   00:00 Intro 00:52 Making art, getting distract with business stuff, and my plans for the pod 15:35 Rob's tiny social battery and socializing in the pando 27:45 Richard joined some online bands and it's awesome   35:28 Topic overview 38:24 Group 1(opeth, god dethroned, dimmu…) 1:21:18 The gospel of crotchduster 1:26:49 Gojira 1:35:20 Group 2 (Nile, decapitated, necrophagist…) 1:56:46 Group 3 (Suffocation lovefest, my return to the extreme, and meeting the guys) Part 2: The Middle Period and Suffocation 2002-2016 ============== This carries on with death metal and death metal inspired music that I was exposed to throughout the 00s, mostly through friends etc… Then in 2016, on a whim, I went to the summer slaughter tour and saw/heard suffocation for the first time and it changed my life. Partly because Suffocation is amazing and I had somehow avoided hearing them until that day and also because of their new drummer at the time, Eric Morotti. I had never heard an extreme metal drummer sound that good live. Ever. Seeing him play live inspired me to get back into this style of drumming.    Playlists ============== Youtube playlist:  https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDy9MGihz1eg6h7mYM8JQObw4uZyNXMRw   Spreadsheet: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ra9tJPyd2i7AUKmHRR1JfJM8gyA4hkxY/view?usp=sharing   Eric Morotti Links: Liege of Inveracity (for maximum kick clarity) https://youtu.be/F0VHIil0nSw   Clarity Through Deprivation Live (start around the 1:54 mark for maximum effect) https://youtu.be/MoGTOisf9LM   Here is a full show of the lineup that I saw, really good overall sound. Maybe skip around in here.  https://youtu.be/dpZWrRdpE8s Songs ============== Group 1: 2002-2007 Opeth  - Deliverance God Dethroned  -  Serpent King, Nocturnal, Execution Protocol Dimmu Borgir  -  Blessing Upon the Throne of Tyranny Strapping Young Lad  -  Force Fed Cephalic Carnage  -  Scolopendra Cingulata, Foruitous Oddity, Black Metal Sabbath Crotchduster  -  Let me into Starfish Land Bloodbath  -  Eaten Gojira  -  Backbone   Group 2: 2009-2011 Nile  -  Utterances of the Crawling Dead Necrophagist  -  Stabwound Decapitated  -  Day 69 Arch Enemy  -  Enemy Within Amon Amarth  -  Valhalla Awaits Me Group 3:  Suffocation (Summer Slaughter 2016) Suffocation   -  Thrones of Blood, Pierced From Within, Funeral Inception, Entrails of You, As Grace Descends

recorded 10/28/20212   Preamble 00:00 intro 00:41 Pantera is amazing live and metal bands sounded like garbage live in the mid to late 2000s 20:46 Sting, police reunion tour, and learning odd times from Joel 30: 52 Richard's compass graph for rock drummers (Ringo, Bonham, Neil, and Stewart) 37:52 Dave Grohl and Foo Fighters   Death Metal 50:19 Topic overview 1:01:36 Group 1 (Morbid Angel etc…) 1:55:45 Group 2 (Cradle of Filth, Emperor, etc…) 2:11:27 Slipknot and eeyore shoutout to Cj 2:21:54 Group 3 (Terrorizer, Napalm  2:39:16 Honorable mentions (slayer, slipknot) 2:49:59 Outro   Part 1: The Early Years 1998-2002 ==============   This list is in chronological order of the death metal and grindcore I was exposed to. Not all of these bands are strictly grindcore or death metal but the songs contain elements of these genres. The songs often represent an early exposure to one or more of those elements (guttural vocals, blast beats, grindy D-beats, etc..).    Ace Ventura clip: https://youtu.be/8dM_TN7I5m8   Playlist:  https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDy9MGihz1ehmG7qaMVl5d7EmfwcZUyy1   Spreadsheet: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ra9tJPyd2i7AUKmHRR1JfJM8gyA4hkxY/view?usp=sharing   Honorable mentions playlist https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDy9MGihz1ejXOqB5ZS8d5ZuYjlYzOK89 Group 1: 1998, Early Exploration Morbid Angel  -  Nothing is Not, Heaving Earth Fear Factory  -  Scapegoat Human Remains  -  Weeding out the Thorns, Waste of Time Arch Enemy  -  Beast of Man Strapping Young Lad  -  All Hail the New Flesh Grave  -  Restrained Nile  -  Barra Edinazzu At the gates  -  Blinded by Fear Carcass  -  No Love Lost Cryptopsy  -  Slit Your Guts   Group 2: 1999-2000 Testament  -  Demonic Refusal Cradle of Filth  -  Desire in Violent Overture Emperor  -  Curse you all men slipknot  -  eeyore Lock up  -  Submission Brujeria  -  Pititis Te Invoco, Labratorio Cristalitos Morbid Angel  -  Summoning Redemption   Group 3: Emusic research Terrorizer  -  After World Obliteration Napalm Death  -  Scum Napalm Death  -  Evolved as One, It's a MANS World Opeth  -  Demon of the Fall   Group 4: Honorable mentions, not included in main playist  Slayer  -  Angel of Death (main riff and double bass), Necrophobic Emperor  -  Ye entrancemperium, loss and curse of reverence  Slipknot  -  surfacing (palm muted bridge riff), People=shit (intro),  Disasterpiece     (second half) System of a Down  -  X (verses)

recorded 10/21/2021 with Robert Rabel   Intro: 00:00 Preamble FD Signifier, Kanye, Kayfabe in metal/rap music, and Kayfabe Kowalcyk: 00:37 Bad Author Friend and virtue signaling: 40:07   Topic Overview: 49:31 Playlist Breakdown (Silent Hill, Eve, & Half-Life): 1:10:24 Synthwave will be the Yacht Rock of our Generation: 1:38:11 Rob's Top 3 games and cool af grandparents: 1:50:34 More Playlist (splinter cell, persona, & portal): 1:53:28 Rob sez:   Why these specific games/tracks: ============== Special to me/nostalgia Tended to favor rhythmically interesting over atmospheric for Richard's benefit Just good tunes There are many other tracks from games that I love, but weren't as interesting to talk about or required specific experience because they're more mood builders/enhancers   Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWvzvA9F-7mpJ07a58uks6PLB_o1qCVXM   Part 2: 2001 - 2008 =============== Silent HIll 2 - Akira Yamaoka, 2001, Supernatural Religious Psychological Survival-horror Silent HIll 3 - Akira Yamaoka, 2003, Supernatural Religious Psychological Survival-horror Eve Online - Jón Hallur Haraldsson, 2003, Lonely Deep Space Ship-building MMO Half Life 2 - Kelly Bailey, 2004, Story-focused Sci-fi Shooter Half Life 2: Episode 1 - Kelly Bailey, 2006, Story-focused Sci-fi Shooter Half Life 2: Episode 2 - Kelly Bailey, 2007, Story-focused Sci-fi Shooter Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory - Amon Tobin, 2005, Globe-trotting Political Stealth Persona 3 - Shoji Meguro, 2006, Modern-day Supernatural Japanese RPG Persona 4 - Shoji Meguro, 2008, Modern-day Supernatural Japanese RPG Portal - Jonathan Coulton, 2007, Sci-fi Puzzle FPS

recorded 10/14/2021 with Robert Rabel   Rob's favorite Video Game OSTs Pt1   Intro: 00:00 Overview and general impressions: 00:43 Playlist Breakdown: 34:42 Stuck Mojo digression: 1:24:03 Wrap up: 1:31:40   Rob sez:   Why these specific games/tracks: ============== Special to me/nostalgia Tended to favor rhythmically interesting over atmospheric for Richard's benefit Just good tunes There are many other tracks from games that I love, but weren't as interesting to talk about or required specific experience because they're more mood builders/enhancers   Why this is an especially difficult topic: ============== So much of what music does for a game comes from the context in which it is experienced. This means that without the visuals, control feel, sound effects, story, characters, etc that comprise a game, you're never going to get the full understanding of what the music "means" to the experience.   Also: better to do a more personal retrospective or a more medium-representative one? I went with personal, since you can find any number of Best Gaming OSTs of the 90s/00s/10s out there, and they usually contain the same few games. Or stuff like Rock Band, Guitar Hero, or Grand Theft Auto which contain primarily or solely licensed music created outside the scope of the game. All of the music I've chosen for these lists was written specifically for these games, often in creative tandem.   Very interested to see how these hit Richard's ear, because despite me still *believing* that I think it's all good music, I can't honestly say that I'm hearing it objectively. For instance, every track on here (to varying extents) calls to mind some part of the game it's from and even some tangentially related memories.   Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWvzvA9F-7moCMAnko3hlnRAzv_FWxjTg   Part 1: 1991-2000 ============== Sonic the Hedgehog 1 - Masato Nakamura, 1991, Mascot platformer, Fast Sonic the Hedgehog 2 - Masato Nakamura, 1992, Mascot platformer, Fast Sonic the Hedgehog 3 - Various (and more, incl. Michael Jackson), 1994, Mascot platformer, Fast Streets of Rage 1 - Yuzo Koshiro, 1991, Beat-em-up Streets of Rage 2 - Yuzo Koshiro, 1992, Beat-em-up Castlevania: Symphony of the Night - Michiru Yamane, 1997, Metroidvania (the O.G.) Final Fantasy VII - Nobuo Uematsu, 1997, JRPG Deus Ex - Alexander Brandon (and more, incl. Reeves Gabrels), 2000, Immersive Sim Pictionary - Tim Follin (Tim chill it's just Pictionary), 1990, Board Game

Recorded 10/7/2021 with Robert Rabel https://youtu.be/dn12l0fGsDs   Here we speculate what exactly Ed Kowalcyk was thinking as his desire to destroy his band's career migrated from his subconscious to conscious.   I use this as a starting point to reflect on my own experiences concerning the desire to be spiritual while wrestling with my unnamed performative masculinity. I projected much of this onto Ed, sometimes unfairly but sometimes… he really deserves it.  Preamble “what have we been listening to recently?” 01:34 start 08:47 Mastodon, metal elitists, and breaking Kayfabe in metal 48:05 Kanye's first few records, different forms of racism, and why Richard doesn't jump to criticize Kanye's public shenanigans  01:11:16 Deal with the Live BS 01:12:56 Distance to Here 01:21:36 V… briefly 01:26:03 Birds of Pray 01:36:46 Songs from Black Mountain 01:41:39 Band breakup, solo projects, Gracious Few, and born again BS 01:47:08 the turn  and Jerry “miracle editor” Harrison 01:50:10 “I still have so much to learn from the songs I've written”  and other full of sh*t, things Ed says in this interview https://youtu.be/sCqCJGz7-8o 02:09:53 Deep analysis of the lyric Horror that is V  02:40:32 Eastern philosophy, performative masculinity, and the allure of being born again. Richard reflects on the parallels between Ed's journey and his.  Live is a great band https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDy9MGihz1ehStiqsl-NmFWGAvJB1UOJj   Live writes terrible songs https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDy9MGihz1egRJAbHpznY0_pQXRqhHiIk

Recorded 09/23/2021 with Robert Rabel and Allison Wooten   https://youtu.be/LjLOmKrnBGo Allison's back with more knowledge and frontline experience for us. This one is a little lighter and more general. When exactly should you go to the ER because of a prolonged erection? Why does Richard hate health and wellness types asking him about quantum mechanics? What are the ethics of ovary kicking? What does “the poison is in the dose” mean? How many times has Robert been a groomsman? We answer all these questions and more!

https://youtu.be/U_YsAzUu7zw   Recorded 09/16/2021 with Robert Rabel   Live has made some of my favorite records of all time (throwing copper and distance to here). Their music is extremely important to me. They have also made some of the most confusing records, and some of the worst songs. At times their output has left me feeling confused and other times traumatized. In this episode we cover their first few records. I criticize Ed quite a bit but please know that I do genuinely love most of this band's music.  Note: the audio cut out while we were recording so this one ends abruptly.     00:00 intro 01:36 Norm McDonald, Neil Peart, and Celebrity death 29:19 Start 53:47 Mental Jewelry 01:00:44 Throwing Copper 01:12:27 What all good Live records have in common 01:13:40 Secret Samadhi (lots of Ed criticism in here) 01:46:36 Jeremy's Origin Story  Live is a great band https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDy9MGihz1ehStiqsl-NmFWGAvJB1UOJj   Live writes terrible songs https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDy9MGihz1egRJAbHpznY0_pQXRqhHiIk

Recorded 09/09/2021 [audio only] Allison joins Robert and me to talk about what it was like working in an ICU before and during COVID. This one alternates from being intense, heartbreaking, informative, and hilarious.  0:00:57 Start 0:06:51 Covid in the beginning for Rob (software engineer) 0:10:18 Covid in the beginning for Rich (live music) 0:14:18 Allison job description, education background,  1:02:56 Covid in the beginning for hospitals 1:23:23 Accusatory patients, ivermection, vaccines, misinformation, and lack of resources 2:02:11 "There's no appeal to authority"

[TRIGGER WARNING: Mental Health, Violence, and Suicidal Ideation]   Recorded 09/08/2021 with Zach Robison   *deep breath* I am bipolar. I had a breakdown and was diagnosed in fall 2007. I had another severe breakdown in spring 2008 and I was hospitalized. My close friend Zach Robison was there for the second breakdown. In this episode we tell the story of those chaotic nights and the aftermath. We talk about my slow and messy path to stability.    This one is heavy and will not be for everyone but it is a part of my story so I wanted to tell it.    It is okay to get help, no matter how mild or severe the issues are.  Help looks different to different people and that is okay.  Help can feel uncomfortable at first and that is okay.  Sometimes the process is messy and that's okay too Episode Video Link https://youtu.be/ZwhIK7hHlqs

Recorded 09/02/2021 We watched the extremely well done HBO documentary and then talked about it. We add some context by discussing the nu metal movement and the concert climate of the time. We speculate that part of the decision to go with this lineup was to poach from the ozzfest tour.    We question whether Fred Durst is the villain he's made out to be and conclude that Kid Rock has always  been an incendiary privileged s***   Episode video  https://youtu.be/a1c7FJHuPyU   Trailer https://youtu.be/h62RmIsx6MA   Woodstock99 movie  https://youtu.be/lQVUwsdW82M

w/ Robert Rabel. Recorded August 27th, 2021.    Having grown weary of our trips into nostalgia we decided to talk about some recent favorite records of ours. Rick's Picks Cattle Decapitation: Death Atlas https://youtu.be/wdw2It8GIG8 https://tidal.com/browse/album/115147560   Warning: Watching From a Distance https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kLVMW9XcneQ5FqOpOw0QBUVEsKRlVvwNY https://tidal.com/browse/album/82289118   Rob's Throbs Infected Mushroom:  https://youtu.be/RjYoZLUY9xs https://tidal.com/browse/album/96797975   Avalanches:  https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvsYXqtYjMYcq0JEJxLnRHzQzCRZwoprM https://tidal.com/browse/album/164741256 Master playlist https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/b2967d4b-74b7-4416-8d99-250bad017056

https://youtu.be/dKJoq_NocYo Robert and I  continue to explore the musical environments we grew up in. This covers what I call the “earl-agency” phase where we started to make decisions about what we liked and wanted to listen to. Also, what we were exposed to came from other sources besides our parents. As expected there is plenty of overlap but the most interesting divergences occur because Robert had access to MTV and I did not.    Richard Playlist https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDy9MGihz1ehKIhIRw4lo6pJMmc8T3xNK https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/c7b1274b-16a8-420a-8267-fdabe4f54b05 Robert Playlist https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDy9MGihz1egMKzREANRaDRIasGYgPaVa https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/217c4a95-762a-4376-a80a-1de33a8ecb9c  

Ep 3 w/Robert Rabel. Recorded August 13th, 2021.   00:00 Intro 02:20 Joey Jordison Tribute   41:00 Art Album Debate    Robert and I discuss Joey Jordison's impact, influence, and untouchable legacy.  I believe he should be considered the Tony Williams or Stewart Copeland of metal drumming. Truly one of the greats that will be remembered for decades to come.    What is an "Art Album" ?  Robert and I unpack this and propose several different candidates.  I feel an art album has several possible features  - It is a pivot from the artist's previous work - it is often polarizing for the fanbase - If it's a commercial success it is often seen as a "sellout" - If their career survives then they can do whatever they want We were still new to the podcasting format and forgot to say every album that we mentioned so here is a list of the order in which they are discussed. Pantera: Great Southern Trendkill Slipknot: Vol. 3 Metallica: Load Mastodon: Crack The Skye Marilyn Manson: Mechanical Animals Oukast: Love Below/Speakerboxx Mudvayne: LD50 Red Hot Chili Peppers: Stadium Arcadium Link Park: Minutes to Midnight Meshuggah: Catch-33/I Smashing Pumpkins: Adore Strapping Young Lad: Alien Deftones: White Pony Megadeth: Risk Baroness: Yellow & Green Fear Factory: Obsolete Slayer: Undiputed Attitude Radiohead: OK computer/Kid A Machine Head: Burning Red Slayer: Diabolus en Musica Tool: Aenima Beastie Boys: Paul's Boutique Buckethead: Coma???? Beatles: various The Police: Synchronicity Alice in Chains: Jar of Flies Soilwork: Stabbing the Drama U2: Pop

Ep2 w/Robert Rabel. Recorded August 13th, 2021.    https://youtu.be/TVeb98Lf5mo 00:00 Intro 05:30 Confederate Flag discussion 24:15 How racism affects music tastes 39:10 Outro    In the first episode the subject of the confederate flag came up naturally because it's featured on the original cover of the Alabama album “Roll on.” Robert and I felt that we softballed the topic and wanted to be absolutely clear. In short: Even if the confederate flag has positive associations to someone because it was just around when they were growing up etc… Displaying it, at best, contributes to making black people feel unwelcome in a space and at worst, to making them feel unsafe. And thus displaying it is always… well read the thumbnail. I bring up examples from my childhood that I feel demonstrate this. We also talk about some of the structural and societal factors that affected the music our parents were exposed to and thus the music we were exposed to.    The ending of this was a little clunky so I added an outro which corrects some of the issues. Perhaps this is a better way to say it… I don't think anyone should be ashamed of the music from their past that has emotional weight. But I do think we should interrogate how we continue to support artists that have promoted racist/bigoted speech.

 Ep 1, w/Robert Rabel. Recorded July 29th, 2021   This episode is about the early music environments that we grew up in. So this mostly reflects the music our parents listened to but also other music we were exposed to by relatives, neighbors, peers, or happenstance. I call this the "pre-agency" period of musical taste development. You'll notice how close our playlists were in some places but also how they diverged wildly in others. Hope ya dig.    Richard's Playlist https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDy9MGihz1ejObQyYvGk4fMnZGod9AOSq   https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/64eef14c-d2a5-4ecd-a898-683332914b56   Robert's Playlist https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDy9MGihz1ejG0X0S51nV73fFosS3R2qX   https://tidal.com/playlist/56f3eac7-73db-4bf7-8a7c-cc2f3d40a1b4   Repo Man Soundtrack (Rob) https://youtu.be/wZgIt5MPKqI