Ep. #26 – Feat. Sexy Heroes

Welcome to the one-year anniversary of CC: Autographs! For the occasion, Matt is joined by the first FULL band to appear on the series: the pop/punk/rock ensemble known as Sexy Heroes, hailing from Upper Saddle River, NJ. In anticipation of their newest album Yellow Fever (and its September release date), you’ll hear bandmembers Mike Watts, Nick Everett, Nick Magliano, and a belated Chris Watts discuss everything from their songwriting process, to the evolution of the bandname, to their downtime shenanigans, and finally, the band’s future. For touring info, single releases, and a discussion on crowd funding, tune in to this exclusive interview!

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Ep. #25 – Feat. Alexis Brown of Straight Line Stitch

This week, Matt is joined by Alexis Brown of the metal & hard rock group Straight Line Stitch (based out of Knoxville, TN). As of today, they’ll be celebrating the release of their new EP Transparency. They’ll also be wrapping up their west coast tour, and will now be headed east for the remainder of the summer. Matt and Alexis chat about how she started singing from a very young age, and how she wasn’t always a rock singer. She also discusses her tour life and the social makeup of the ‘touring band’ mentality. The first single on the EP is called “Human Bondage”, which was also accompanied by a video shoot. Hear about how that experience went down and plenty more with this exclusive interview between Matt Storm and Alexis Brown.

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CCP Ep. #149: Lost Themes by John Carpenter | Featuring Ed Reynolds and Chuck Collins

Nearing our 3-yr. anniversary, the inkwell is far from dry — especially in the presence of cartoonists Ed Reynolds (of Fermented Zen) and Chuck Collins (of Bounce)! Shuffling up the format this week, we kick off the episode with an interview to explore the Zen/Bounce style and philosophy, and then (from 0:30:00 on) we dive straight into Ed & Chuck’s album of choice. Director John Carpenter, known for scoring most of his early films, has never released a studio album… that is, not until Lost Themes! Steeped in hazy imagery, Lost Themes is a fanciful excursion through your mind’s own creations. Join us for this in-depth analysis! Then, starting at 1:45:38, we begin a round table discussion on the use of music in cartoons. Ever since the golden age of American animation, have cartoons been less musical?

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Ep. #24 – Feat. Jose Urquiza of 3 Years Hollow

Today we welcome Jose Urquiza, lead singer of 3 Years Hollow. With Matt, Jose discusses the band’s 2014 LP The Cracks, which was spotted by Matt in a Crash Chords article last year. With a singing talent that dates back to childhood, Jose burgeoned forth with the heavy rock scene, which later shaped his style and sound. Hear Matt and Jose discuss their mutual love for the heavy rock acts of the late 90s and early 2000s. Also hear about Jose’s touring life, the band’s next record, and finally an upcoming tour with SOil and Powerman 5000 (whose lead singers were featured in earlier Autographs interviews).

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CCP Ep. #146: Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance by Belle and Sebastian | Featuring Andy Heidel

The one and only proprietor of our affiliate bar & venue, The Way Station (haven for some Brooklyn musicians, launchpad for others), Andy Heidel is today’s special guest and co-panelist! Also a published science fiction/fantasy writer, Andy’s unique perspective as a successful artist–businessman could well inspire the likes of any myopic upstart who feels snared by the metaphysical and perturbed by entrepreneurship. Speaking of the metaphysical, his acclaimed story collection Desperate Moon is ripe to snare your curiosity (and your currency). For the full interview, skip to 1:40:58. For today’s album, brave the innards! Andy brings us Belle and Sebastian’s Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance. Well-experienced at mellowing out their fans, this time Belle & Sebastian take us dancing! Sort of… Listen to the album, listen to us, and listen to Andy Heidel to find out!

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Ep. #23 – Feat. Insane Ian

Prepare your ears for Insane Ian, parody artist and comedy musician extraordinaire from Baltimore, Maryland. Also a member of the The Funny Music Project (a.k.a. The FuMP), Ian is here to chat with Matt about how he got started down the path of hilarity, and about what goes into creating a solidly funny sketch on a comedy album. His latest album, Internet Famous, has a title track featuring Chris Ballew of The Presidents of the United States of America. Hear about how that connection developed, the origins of the FuMP, about music, movies, gaming, and more, in this Insane-ly entertaining interview!

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Ep. #22 – Feat. Mega Ran

Back to nerdcore! This week we take an excursion through the life of Mega Ran, nerdcore rapper hailing from Phoenix, Arizona. For the full excursion, fans can now purchase a documentary that was released about Mega Ran’s life called MEGA-LO-MANIA. With Matt, however, he discusses recent projects such as his latest solo record, Mega Ran Com: Mission, as well as a collaborative effort with fellow nerdcore rapper Storyville called Soul Veggies. Touching upon an upcoming record and the concept behind its inspiration, they also chat about how gaming has influenced his life & music, what it feels like to be officially licensed by Capcom as an indie artist, and his unique transition from a teaching career to full-time rapper.

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Ep. #21 – Feat. Kyle Stevens of Kirby Krackle

Matt has sure taken a slice out of the nerdcore community, but today he sidesteps towards… “nerd rock!” by introducing Seattle-man Kyle Stevens of Kirby Krackle. Apart from Kyle’s roles as frontman, singer-songwriter, and guitarist for the band, Kyle can tack on “founder of the Charging Hippo Brewing Co.” to his résumé. Along with Kirby Krackle’s latest LP, Mutate, Baby!, the band has also ventured into the world of podcasting, with their series: The Kracklekast. On this podcast, however, you can hear Kyle discuss everything from his decision to pursue nerd rock, to Kyle & Matt’s initial meeting at the NY Comic Con, to a whole slew of complimentary digressions on comics, video games, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Enjoy!

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CCP Ep. #141: Nocturne by Wild Nothing | Featuring Devin Jackson Mullen of Anxious Kids Make Good People

Anxious Kids Make Good People (AKMGP): the acronym, the axiom, and the “-nym” are all coined by today’s guest, Devin Jackson Mullen, who writes & performs under the namesake. Straight from his career in sound design and the release of his latest EP, Radio Fire Flies, Devin joins our team to unveil the 2012 album Nocturne by Wild Nothing (the brainchild of Virginia-based artist Jack Tatum.) After Devin helps us break apart the album, we go on to break apart Devin! Figuratively, that is. For those who can’t wait, Devin’s interview begins at 1:25:37. For his three groovy surprises however, you’ll have to hunt.

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Ep. #20 – Feat. Graham Elwood

This week we welcome special guest, Graham Elwood: comedian, documentarian, and podcast host. An influencial figure in the work of Crash Chords, Graham’s presence in the podcasting community is just as revered as his standup career, particularly as host of the Comedy Film Nerds podcast (co-hosted by Chris Mancini). He is also one of the creators of the podcast festival in L.A. called L.A. Podfest. Having released a documentary on his time performing for the troops in Afghanistan (called Laffghanistan), he is extending his interest in documentaries to a project called “Ear Buds”, a documentary about podcasting. Matt and Graham chat about his latest album, Palm Strike Dance Party (featuring a self-titled song written with former guest Mike Phirman), and about the many branches of the podcasting industry collectively changing the face of entertainment.

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