Ep. #97 – Feat. Lex The Lexicon Artist

Today, Matt welcomes Lex The Lexicon Artist, a Taipei-raised, Oakland-based nerd core rapper. With a debut full-length album out called Raging Ego, and two music videos (for the singles “Glasses” and “Artist Anthem”), Lex discusses her early exposure to rap in Taiwan and who her early influences were. With Matt, they discuss her visit to NYC, what it was like to perform at SXSW 2018, and chat about the connectivity of social media and how it’s helped her reach more people more quickly and directly. And so, from her love of anime to the progress she’s already made on her second album, here’s presenting Matt Storm and Lex The Lexicon Artist.

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Ep. #96 – Feat. Nelson Lugo

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.

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Ep. #95 – Kayla Smith

Today, Matt welcomes Kayla Smith, vocalist for the band The Scars Heal in Time, a band consisting of Kayla, her sister Tayler Smith on drums, and Tyler Niccum on guitar. The band’s latest EP Unidentified is recently released, featuring the singles “Grip”, “In Your Flame” and “I’m About to Break.” With Matt, Kayla chats about how long she’s been playing and writing music with her sister and about the band’s origins. They dip into tour life, their influences, and the idea behind making a live performance video for the single “Grip”. And so, from some notes on the album’s cover art to more facts about Kayla and the band, here’s presenting Matt Storm and Kayla Smith.

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Ep. #94 – Feat. Kara Eliza

Today, Matt welcomes Kara Eliza, a singer/songwriter hailing from New York, NY. Known for making a splash on YouTube with her cover videos of “Empire State of Mind” by Alicia Keys and “Mirrors” by Justin Timberlake, Kara chats with Matt about her upcoming 2018 release and the process of writing for it. She talks about her early days singing and playing instruments, which artists have had the biggest effect on her style and songwriting, and why she chose to do covers for YouTube. And so, from the process of shooting her cover videos to some details on her live album at The Bitter End in NYC, here’s presenting Matt Storm and Kara Eliza.

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Ep. #92 – Feat. The Brides of Burlesque

Today, Matt welcomes Faux Pas le Fae & Aurora North, together known as The Brides of Burlesque. Hailing from NYC, the duo’s productions, dance routines, and burlesque performances have taken the cabaret tradition to a new place; queer/trans-inspired burlesque, cirque, and world class modern dance are brought together in provocative art! With the duo, Matt chats about their new monthly variety show at BIZARRE Bushwick (DJ’d by Matt himself). They also chat about how they got their start in performance and burlesque, their background in theater and dance, how they create new performances, and what goes into producing a variety show vs. a burlesque show. And so from their production company (Kinetic Cabaret Productions) to how the duo met, fell in love, and got married, here’s presenting Matt Storm and the Brides of Burlesque.

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Ep. #91 – Feat. Saint Tragedy

Today, Matt welcomes the members of the hard rock band Saint Tragedy via Skype. Hailing from Kenosha, WI, Saint Tragedy formed their unique hard rock sound in 2008. Their line-up features Wayne Wiginton (vocals), Matt Brudniewicz (guitar), Eric Serbedzija (bass), and Jason Scuffham (drums). Their new EP is called Prolonging The Agony and their first single off the record is “No More Religion”. With Matt, the group chats about how and when the band got started, they chat about the songwriting process and their musical roots, what inspires them, and how long they’ve been at their craft. They also discuss Wayne’s passion for writing and how some of his songs were written before the band even formed. And so, from their ‘live show’ experiences to their excitement at hitting the road, here’s presenting Matt Storm and Saint Tragedy.

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Ep. #90 – Feat. Broody Valentino

Today, Matt welcomes Broody Valentino, a Boylesque performer, puppeteer and theatre educator based in the NY/NJ area. Known as the “Teddy Bear With Claws”, Broody chats with Matt about how he got started in burlesque and how he’s always loved theater from a young age. They talk about how going to school for theater has informed his performances and how he tends to lean towards a ‘classic Hollywood’ style.  He talks about the first show he saw, how he’s come so far so fast, and about the power he draws from being a confident stage performer. And so, from his unabashed love of birds to the costumes they’ve inspired, here’s presenting Matt Storm and Broody Valentino.

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Ep. #89 – Feat. Collibrina

Today, Matt welcomes Collibrina, a model, yoga instructor and singer hailing from Boston, MA. Having first met Matt when she was primarily a singer, Collibrina discusses her shift to nude (and nearly nude) modeling and how she’s continued to grow her presence online. She chats about the ups and downs that go with being a professional naked person on the internet, her vetting process before agreeing to work with photographers, and how the model community comes together to recommend professionals. And so, from her Naked Yoga series, to her ability to make strange things sexy and sexy things bizarre, here’s presenting Matt Storm and Collibrina.

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Ep. #88 – Feat. Kate Nyx

Today Matt welcomes Kate Nyx: songwriter, showgirl, seamstress, and wrestling enthusiast from Philadelphia, PA. Her latest singles “Bet It On the Bootstraps” and “Changeling” can be found on her bandcamp along with her last full-length record Sage & Silver Bullets. With Matt, Kate discusses her love of wrestling, her clothing line Closet Champion and what it’s like to design costumes for wrestlers. They chat about her podcast Bump and Grind, which she co-hosts with her husband, the wrestler Ophidian the Cobra, and they chat about the wrestling-themed burlesque show Tasselmania as well as “GLOB: Gorgeous Ladies of Burlesque.” And so, from her online store to her neighbor’s annoying dog and the struggles of back pain, here’s presenting Matt Storm and Kate Nyx.

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Ep. #87 – Feat. Kita St. Cyr

Today, Matt welcomes Kita St. Cyr, a burlesque performer, producer, fire spinner, fire eater, renaissance faire performer, and actor hailing from New York City. A two-time guest on the Crash Chords Podcast (Eps. #45 & #129), Kita chats with Matt about some developments in her life including her recent hiatus from and triumphant return to burlesque. They explore her background and training with fire — and how exactly one becomes a fire eater/spinner/dancer. They talk about her new monthly show at The Way Station called The Kita St. Cyr Show; her first summer performing at the Renaissance Fair in Tuxedo, NY; and why she has retired her tiki act. And so, from the importance of self-awareness and growth as a performer to Kita’s love of comic books, here’s presenting Matt Storm and Kita St. Cyr.

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