Ep. #107 – Feat. The Return of Insane Ian

In this episode, Matt welcomes back nerd, comedian, game enthusiast, and musician Insane Ian! The two catch up on Ian’s life since his last Crash Chords appearance 3 years ago. Their conversation ranges from Ian’s appearance with Beefy (“I Don’t Get It”) on Vince Vandal’s latest record, FNFII: Advanced Friends & Fandoms, to his project with fellow comedy musician TV’s Kyle called Scooter Picnic and their latest song “This Groove (Is Too Dope For Us).” They also talk about Ian’s upcoming solo work, his YouTube series “1st Ian-pressions,” as well as how recent life events have affected his focus and his music.

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Ep. #47 – Feat. Austin Aeschliman of Smashy Claw

Today, Matt welcomes Austin Aeschliman of Smashy Claw, an experimental rock duo from Longmont, Colorado consisting of guitarist Austin and keyboardist Nathan Long. A veritable engine for new ideas, Smashy Claw is currently engaged in a year-long project to release a new song every week, each accompanied by a brand new YouTube video. Presented for general entertainment (and to spur public interest in the group), these songs are currently compiled into Smashy Claw’s newest record, Claw Machine. With Matt, Austin discusses the band’s name & its inception, his early influences and what spurred him to start writing, as well as the band’s writing process. Also touching upon the band’s primary sources of inspiration, Austin discusses plans for the future of Smashy Claw and their involvement with The FuMP, of which former Autographs guest Insane Ian is also a member. Filled with macabre imagery, surrealist overtones, and brought to life by its talented animators, Smashy Claw’s YouTube channel won’t disappoint. So go ahead, check it out, and support the project.

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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. #18 – Feat. Mike Phirman

First appearing on Crash Chords in a 2010 interview, following the release of The Very Last Songs I Will Ever Record (Part 1), Matt welcomes back one of the most creative comedy musicians to emerge from the west coast, Mike Phirman. With his humble self-released ditties, Phirman’s capacity for brilliant satire also extends to a penchant for over-blowing benign subjects, such as breakfast, streetmeat, and children’s games. Whatever subject is at his whim, he consistently extracts a hilarious and addicting adventure. This time around, Matt and Phirman discuss the process behind writing a great comedy-music song, Phirman’s many influences, how certain tracks came together, and finally the peculiar position he is placed in as a full-time family man — thus caught between writing funny kids songs and writing funny songs for adults.

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