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Today, Matt welcomes magician, DJ, and host Nelson Lugo, a.k.a. DJ LugoTron, a.k.a. DJ Jalopy. A three-time Crash Chords Podcast podcast veteran, Lugo stops in to Autographs to chat with Matt about his continued work, and some updates to his latest one-man show, ‘Cheating Death: Magic, Memoirs & Mortality’. They talk about his relatively recent dive into DJing, how he got started, his partnership with Schaffer the Darklord, and what it’s like to be a performance DJ in a live show environment. They also discuss Lugo’s monthly gig at the Red Room (above KGB Bar in NYC) called Green Fairy, a live Jazz Age party, show, and Absinthe tasting event. And so from Lugo’s monthly open mic & variety show to his love of 90s hip-hop, here’s presenting Matt Storm and Nelson Lugo. Continue reading
Today, Matt welcomes Buffalo native Devin Mullen, the creative mastermind behind Anxious Kids (formerly Anxious Kids Make Good People). Previously a guest on the Crash Chords Podcast, in Ep. #141, Devin arrives on Autographs to chat about his exciting work as a professional sound engineer and his recent tenure in the Big Apple to work on the sets of The Joshua Show: Episode 2 and The Flatiron Hex. He also chats about his latest album under the Anxious Kids banner, Honestly? and how his writing has evolved since his last appearance. And so, from his writing process to his favorite tracks, to his third life an author — recently penning the novel, The Parable Life — here’s presenting Devin Mullen! Continue reading
Today Matt welcomes Nasty Canasta, a burlesque producer and performer hailing from Brooklyn, NY. A producer for Wasabassco, Nasty is known by the tag line “The girl with the 44DD brain.” She was a previously a guest on the Crash Chords Podcast, Ep. #183, where she brought on Donker Mag by Die Antwoord for discussion. Today, Matt inquires into her earliest ambitions and her transition from theater to burlesque. They chat about what she looks for in other performers and the types of acts and shows she identifies with most. They chat about her most recent Wasabassco show “Unstripped Mysteries” (a tribute to the show Unsolved Mysteries), as well as her costuming skills and what goes into creating outfits. And so, from Nasty’s future as a producer to the future of burlesque as a whole, here’s presenting Matt Storm and Nasty Canasta. Continue reading
Today, Matt welcomes Kati Delaney and Robare James Pruyn-Bush. Both previous guests on the Crash Chords Podcast, Kati Delaney is an animator and voice-over artist while Robare is a music producer and musician who is a member of many different bands including Rare Spirits, The Waysties, and The Rose West just to name a few. Kati and Robare both hail from Philadelphia, where this interview was recorded on location in their studio. With Matt, Kati chats about her ever-expanding voice-over career working with the YouTube channels TheRichest, TheTrendy, and TheThings. She has also now branched out into recording audio books. Robare talks about producing and recording the Rare Spirits 3-song EP Dram and also about his production style and what it's like to work with stubborn or difficult musicians. And so, from all things production to voice-over work, to the mutual past shared between them and your host, here's presenting Matt Storm, Kati, and Robare. Continue reading
Happy New Year from Crash Chords! Due in part to the holidays, but mostly to flu season, we took a short break and now it's time to play catch up! It's the race to Ep. #225 as we kick off the year with FIVE consecutive days of the Crash Chords Podcast. Today we commence with the first in the lineup by following through with our December guest's own listener pick. Many thanks to Mike Rugnetta for spurring us to tackle the third signed album by Childish Gambino---that is, the stage name and alias for actor and comedian Donald Glover---euphorically titled "Awaken, My Love!" Come join us for an analysis of the album and also for a discussion on music suggestions that always seem to come with warnings and caveats. Continue reading
Today Matt welcomes Gary O: podcaster, producer, and nerd hailing from NYC. As the holidays are upon us, this episode of Autographs is a bit more casual with Matt and Gary delving into a lengthy conversation on pop culture as a whole. They chat about Gary's experience with conventions, interviews, and creating content; they chat about his previous appearance on the Crash Chords Podcast; and then they cover the top 10 movies of 2016 according to Box Office Mojo. And so, from Disney, to superheroes, to gaming and more, here's presenting Matt Storm and Gary O. Continue reading
Today, Matt welcomes back another "crossover guest" -- that is to say, a guest who made an appearance on our other series, the Crash Chords Podcast, in Episode #77. That guest would be the rapper, writer, director, producer, and video editor hailing from New York City, known as Hops. Given the opportunity for a second interview, Hops updates Crash Chords on his latest exploits. Having stepped away from rap temporarily to work on a dance record, Hops discusses his current job doing video editing for Fortune.com as well as a short film he's directed called Take Me With You. Seeing as there's plenty afoot for the talented producer, the two also discuss the current state of the film industry and media's effects on modern-day society. Continue reading
…And into the "200s" we go! To inaugurate "Season 5" of the Crash Chords Podcast, we're sitting down with a group favorite: the music world's funk-tastic, alt-rock failsafe for over 30 years running, the Red Hot Chili Peppers! Specifically, we're looking at their brand new release The Getaway (their 11th studio album!) And then, being that we're taking on such consistently funky veterans, our topic briefly examines the rarity of finding bands that are joined at the hip, and who withstand the test of time. Continue reading
Today Matt welcomes Brooklyn burlesque producer & performer Anja Keister. The producer of D20 Burlesque, Anja is the first Crash Chords "crossover guest" in that she has now appeared on both the Crash Chords Podcast and on Autographs. You can hear us tackle her album pick, Beat the Champ by The Mountain Goats in CCP Ep. #161. Today is a special episode of Autographs because Anja is coming on to promote her upcoming show: D20 Burlesque Tribute to Podcasts. Matt (a.k.a. DJ Stormageddon) will be a special guest DJ for this event. Hear Anja discuss the inspiration for the show and the kinds of podcasts Anja listens to. Also hear about the performers, about some of Matt's favorite acts (and how they came to be), and about Matt & Anja's work in the 2016 Nerdlesque Festival. The host of performers for the D20 event will include Anja Keister, Iris Explosion, Seedy Edie, Triple Jay, Fancy Feast, Mx Macabre, Ravenessa, Legs Malone, and a special duet by Mary Cyn and Johnny Caligula with go-go by Taylor Sweet -- and, of course, your host DJ Stormageddon manning the sound board! Continue reading
Two-thirds of the Wall Street Playaz---the hottest "financial rap" trio you'll likely ever hear about (not to mention distinguished first-ever guests of the Crash Chords Podcast)---are back for their third appearance! Together with Future Money and the Profit Prophet, we hold an interview discussing the group's music & comic influences along with a detailed origin of their concept. (Also keep an ear open for some track previews/throwbacks.) Soak 'em up!… because at [00:41:51] we tackle the guests' pick of the week: Run the Jewels 2 by Run the Jewels (a collaboration between rapper-producer El-P and Atlanta-based rapper Killer Mike). Enjoy! Continue reading
Come and join us on an excursion through the debut, self-titled release, Heron Oblivion by, you guessed it, Heron Oblivion. Composed of seasoned musicians Charlie Saufley, Meg Baird, and former Comets on Fire members Ethan Miller and Noel Von Harmonson, Heron Oblivion lies on the fringes of psychedelic rock… and we want to see what makes it tick! Bear with us for this full album analysis and let us know your feelings below. Also, stick around 'till [1:19:50] for an interesting conversation on the concept of mood music (sometimes derisively called "musak"). Is society guilty of isolating, partitioning, and oversimplifying moods in music, or rather of condemning the confidently one-dimensional? These questions -- and some scary predictions -- on this week's Crash Chords Podcast! Continue reading
Today the Crash Chords Podcast welcomes the magician extraordinaire, sought-after special effects consultant, and delightfully entertaining Matt Holtzclaw! In an opening interview, Matt shares with us some tales from his long career, his stint on Penn & Teller: Fool Us, and the essence of what magic means to him as an art form. But wait! For Matt's last trick, he conjures up an album for our weekly group analysis. That album---Paper Gods by the synth/pop darlings of the 1980s, Duran Duran. So go ahead and join us on this magical journey and don't forget to check out Matt's upcoming shows (posted on the magician's webpage). Continue reading
Thanks to the suggestion of listener & "Scoop Cruise" traveler Jessica Votaw, this week we had a nice long sit with Static, the latest album by the metal band Huntress. A revealing work, skirting some personal challenges, Static certainly tests our "mettle" as we analyze it top to bottom (music, structure, lyrics, & all) and express our feelings along the way. Opinions of your own? Comment below! Finally, to close out the episode, at 1:31:56 we step over to our topic: HYPE. Can't get enough of that sweet marketing goodness? Or, are you feeling sorely overpumped -- just to be deflated in an instant? Let's cover the pros & cons together, all on the Crash Chords Podcast! Continue reading
Today we're tackling No No No by Beirut. Negative much? With an album called No No No, that might be a required state of mind going in. Then again, the music seems to conflict with that idea. Confused yet? Don't be. I'm just the show notes, what do I know? Press play already! As for the topic, head to 1:15:11 for a discussion on the foreground/background nature of lyrics. Do they slap you in the face or fade into the instrumentation? Does the music steer the message or does the message steer the music? We even grapple with the nature of the subliminal, and much, much more in today's episode of the Crash Chords Podcast. Continue reading
For the third and most ear-piercing occasion on the Crash Chords Podcast, it's NELSON LUGO! That's right, our resident magician and comrade-in-mic (from the EPIC PIEcast) joins us once again, this time with an album called Benjamin Booker, a debut LP by the artist of the same name. For the bulk of the show, we tear into the lauded work and see what makes it tick -- but not before discussing Nelson himself! Soak in the updates on his "Gathering the Magic" act (previewed in Ep. #72), and hear us commiserate with Nelson over his latest "YouTube blues" -- the artist's struggle with the deadening woes of the medium. Finally, we close out the episode with some thoughts on the application of music in performances and routines. Enjoy! Continue reading
To kick off "Season 4", we look at a fairly big name from across the pond: Florence + The Machine. Joining our recent lineup of dynamic female singer/songwriters, Florence Welch (with her expansive melodies and enchanting lyrics) appears to bring it home once more with the vastly-titled How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful. (Just how big and how beautiful remains to be seen.) So go ahead, join in the analysis, and field your opinions in the comment board! Afterwards, stick around for a hefty discussion on the fairness of lyrical criticism. Have you ever seen a gem of a lyric fly under the radar? Or an overrated lyric reach Pulitzer acclaim? We'll be exploring the possibility of a double standard in the critical approaches to lyrical verse vs. standalone prose today on the Crash Chords Podcast! Continue reading
This week on Autographs, we bring you the one-on-one between Matt and the Dallas-based Country Rock artist, Erik Neff. Not long ago in Crash Chords history, Neff's debut LP, At the End of the Day (released Nov. 10th), was featured in a written (and raving) record review titled "Subtle Revitalization" by writer and CCP co-host, Steve Nagel. To prod behind the art, Matt interviews Neff on how his sound has molded over the years, on his touring ambitions, and on the mutual benefits of having a music and modeling career. Also listen in for Neff's take on covers, and finally on—you probably didn't guess it—football! Continue reading
To inaugurate “Season 2″ of Crash Chords Podcast, we dive into something a little more complex: The Envisage Conundrum by the Welsh Prog trio, Godsticks. Then we talk a bit about the developing interactive capabilities of music, how marketable they are, and whether or not they’ll be a positive move for the industry. Continue reading
Well, we’ve made it! Fifty episodes of previews, reviews, interviews, and issues. After covering such a variety of styles and subjects, we’ve decided to take a step back and look at the larger picture. Music is, after all, a single art form—a favorite of ours, as you might imagine—which is why we feel the need to have a little intervention. We shine the spotlight on music and objectively compare it against all the other arts, humanities, and disciplines out there. What do they share? Where do they differ? Are any of them more versatile? These questions and more get hashed out on this special edition of Crash Chords Podcast. Continue reading