For Pete’s sake, there doesn’t seem to be a podcast today… for Pete’s sake! That’s right. For Pete’s sake. Didn’t you know? It’s annual “For Pete’s Sake Day!” And for the love of Pete, how could we go through with a podcast on this time-honored holiday? For Pete’s sake! How dare you suggest!? Honest to Pete, I’m surprised we have to tell you these things. But there’s no cause for swearing in the name of Pete; we’re back starting next week!
Today Matt is joined by Ruben Romero, a writer at and founding member of the production company Think Alike Productions, a company that will appear at the 2015 New York Comic Con. Ruben was pointed in the direction of Autographs by previous guest Bob Salley (Ep. #27), who is also a member of Think Alike Productions. Touching upon Ruben’s role in the creation of Think Alike, Matt also pries into his creative origins as a writer, his past pursuits as a rapper, and some background on the two comics he is currently writing: The Agency & Prey for Angels. They also have a nice long tangent on the influence of Star Wars and their mutual excitement for The Force Awakens. Enjoy!
Crash Chords covers ‘Vinyl Day’ at Barnes & Noble… LIVE! In honor of the retail giant’s exclusive marketing event, merchandise manager Joe Mastropiero invited Crash Chords’s own Matt Storm & Steve Nagel to conduct a ‘live audience’ podcast through CC: Autographs. Held on July 25th, 2015 (in the music section of Barnes & Noble’s Staten Island outlet), Matt & Steve confronted Joe on all things vinyl related, media related, marketing related, and Joe related! Listen in for some hard-hitting questions on the status of the beloved music format, followed by an up-close (and public) interview with the music-loving proprietor. Finally, we wrap up by taking some amazing questions from our delightfully curious audience. Many thanks to all who came! Now let the spinning begin!
Today we arrive at the long-awaited appearance of rapper and Philadelphia native, Adam WarRock. Another pillar in the annals of nerdcore, WarRock is also known for his sincere raps about life in all respects. His latest release, Gifted Student, was produced by previous guest to the podcast Mikal kHill and was released on January 22nd, 2015. Matt and WarRock discuss this working relationship, along with their shared addiction to Magic: The Gathering. Then we hear about WarRock’s participation in the annual 24-hour Rap-A-Thon, a charity event, for which (in its latest run) Adam contributed over 18 songs — written, produced, and released, in just 24 hours. This and more chitter-chatter with today’s prolific artist and your host, Matt Storm.
Today we rejoice in the first guest appearance of our new writer, Tony Catalano! Answering up our earlier, less-refined analysis of Flying Lotus’s Until the Quiet Comes (back in CCP Ep. #19), Tony thrusts us into the artist’s latest project, You’re Dead! — this time with the combined force of the entire Crash Chords think tank. But first, we kick-start the episode with Matt’s detailed account of his journey to see the play Hamilton, written by Lin-Manuel Miranda and presented by the Public Theater. This clever Hip-Hop narrative of Alexander Hamilton’s life—and ultimate feud with Aaron Burr—runs until May 3rd. Finally, after the album, we talk to Tony about Tony, covering his background in jazz, his life as a copywriter, his ambitions for the website, and of course, the eternal theme of objectivity.
Dipping into a slightly heavier rock scene and burgeoning talent, Matt shares his time this week with Justin Doyle of ADAGE. A relatively young band from Winston-Salem, their debut came as recently as August 19th, in the form of Defined, an EP that showcases what they have to offer the world of music. Vying for that coveted listenership (and a lump sum to boot), they’ll be performing in a Battle of the Bands concert at Ziggy’s Main Hall in Winston-Salem this October 10th. Hear about Justin’s musical upbringing, his thoughts on the EP, and even his love for cars — all here on Crash Chords: Autographs!
If you’ve never heard an interview from a gondola lift before, now’s your chance! The Indie rapper/rocker Coolzey took some time out of his sky-high excursions to speak with Matt about his current musical endeavors. Having released his latest album Hit Factory, Coolzey now also has two new music videos to promote: “Want It The Most” and “Glasses.” The latter features his fellow rapper and touring mate, Schaffer the Darklord, who accompanied him on the Fam Fiction Tour along with MegaRan and Fresh Kils & Uncle Fester. Listen in for discussions on nature, horror flicks, and of course for the gondola portion as this guest is surely taking interviews to new heights.
On August 21, 2014, I officially had my face melted by a rock concert. Thanks to the generosity of Mark Young of (HED) P.E., I was given a ticket to see the amazing line-up of Sunflower Dead, (HED) P.E., and Powerman 5000. The show was at B.B. King Blues Club in New York, NY. As a long-time fan of both (HED) P.E. and PM5K, I was pretty excited about this show in the weeks leading up. Then, after conducting interviews with both Mark Young and Spider One for CC: Autographs, I was even more fired up than ever to see both bands live on the same night.
Powerman 5000 is a band that is no stranger to the ebbs and flows of the high seas of Rock and Roll, but they pilot their ironclad galleon of powerful lyrics and killer riffs with ease and proficiency. Riding like a bat out of hell on the heels of their brand new record, Builders of the Future, Powerman 5000 is still doing exactly what they’ve already mastered, which is taking great heavy rock and mixing it with heavy doses of pop culture and science fiction. I had the incredible pleasure of chatting with Powerman’s frontman, Spider, about all this. In the same interview, we also covered the band’s involvement in Rob Zombie’s Great American Nightmare, and much more.
Well we’ve made it. That simple third digit marks the beginning of our third year. We’ve come a long way since the podcast first aired on 7/3/2012, with many memorable reviews, topics, guests, and most of all the discussions that were born out of each. Today’s episode, much like our 50th Ep., features a full discussion in lieu of an album review—this time to talk about yours truly: the hosts, the podcast, its origins, its process, and its future. We hope you enjoy this 3-segment podcast as it serves to provide our listeners with an insight to our critical reasoning, and to the passion that we employ on a weekly basis. Could we do any less? For of course, music is life… and life is good.
