Ep. #48 – Feat. Anja Keister

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!

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Ep. #30 – Feat. Matt Donnelly, Paul Mattingly, & Jacob Smith

Come celebrate the 30th episode of the series by hearing about Matt’s chance honeymoon encounter with Matt Donnelly, Paul Mattingly, and Jacob Smith of Matt & Mattingly’s Ice Cream Social, a podcast out of Las Vegas and spinoff of Penn’s Sunday School Podcast (which Matt Donnelly co-hosts with Penn Jillette). Matt & Paul—successful comics who were found teaching improv classes aboard the Celebrity Summit cruise ship, en route to Bermuda—graciously agreed to meet with Matt Storm for an impromptu podcast under the Autographs banner. In front of a small audience, hear them talk about the origin of their show, the state of comedy, and the difference between pushing the envelop and advocating reprehensible behavior. Cruise with them all by pressing play!

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CCP Ep. #150: Music Podcasts | Analyzing our Peers

Welcome to our 150th Episode Special and THIRD-year anniversary! In the vein of our previous anniversaries, this themed episode takes a short leave from our album analyses to discuss something just as pertinent: the nature of our own medium—music podcasts. We take a careful look at a hand-picked group of music-focused podcast series, from the high-traffic behemoths to some ambitious go-getters. We describe their mission, praise their contributions, and address their challenges. The selections before the panel are: Song Exploder, TAP to Music, Music A to Z, Jonah Raydio, Classical Performance Podcast, Sound Opinions—and for kicks, Compleatly Beatles. [Cue Beatles debate.] In short, this unaffiliated crew of dedicated podcasters care deeply about music… much like yours’ truly. And how could we care about our product if we didn’t care about our peers? So check them out, check us out, and dole out your fanship; we certainly all value it.

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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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