It's Episode #85! It's Marc Boerigter! It's Don Denkinger! It's...it's...Shwaggy Roaches!

Yes, yes, my friends. Stoney-Doom! was in the house talking band life, Kansas cannabis law reform, and some of that sweet, sweet music.

Please give them a follow on the ol' Instagram machine and check out their bandcamp as well, where I'm sure you'll be able to find some sweet snacks for the members of your gang.

Steve Tulipana is a son and a brother and a husband and a musician. He's also the co-owner of recordBar and miniBar, as well as partner in Lemonade Park. Last but not least, he's my guest for Episode No. 84.

I'm beyond pleased that Steve took some time out of his very-busy, very-demanding schedule to come sit with me and talk a little bit about his story as a musician in many outfits, a recording artist, and an owner/operator/partner of multiple live-music venues.

Sometimes I have one or more of these things locked, loaded, and ready to drop; other times I'm scrambling, and this week was an example of the latter. Needless to say, I'm pleased to've put the finishing touches on this installment in the 11th hour, and am now ready for a nap.

Being sensitive has got to be one of the oddest characteristics about being a human.

During my correspondence via D.M.s (as a total stranger) with Til Willis, I had a small moment of panic. It was the kind of moment wherein the rabbit hole of questioning the way you go about life doesn't suddenly gape, but it doesn't not open a little bit, either.

Anyway...it was a handful of months back, and we were swapping messages. He -- at one point -- used the phrase, "Like I said," and I might as well have just made myself a shit sandwich and eaten it.

You blew it, Dipstick, I thought. Way to go.

Hi.

I'm Blair Johnson, and I host this thing.

Normally I'm writing these deals up about the episode's guest; today I don't have to do that.

I will anyway, though. Just for grins.

I'm a son and a brother and a dad and an uncle and a pretty big, goddamn nerd.

The point of this podcast is to chat with people about some of their favorite music. So, today, I chat with you about one of my favorite albums, Play Pause Stop by Benevento/Russo Duo.

Whew.

What an experience it was to put this one together. Second time recording away from the studio. Second time sitting down with a venue owner/operator, and possibly not the last.

But I doubt they'll get much better than Jeffrey Calkins.

Aztec Jeff, everybody! Aztec Jeff!

Jeff and I connected a number of weeks back, and I never could've imagined finding myself in a situation wherein a prospective guest wants to not only do an episode with me, but have me do it in their space. And, let me tell you: The folks don't get much friendlier and the spaces don't get much finer than Jeffrey Calkins and the Aztec Shawnee Theater.

Duke Ross is a son and a brother and a husband and a father and an all-around righteous dude.

When he's not otherwise occupied behind the steering wheel of a tow truck, he can likely be found in the crowd at a Dead & Company show, or -- perhaps -- on a Mexican beach with a cold cocktail in his hand.

Duke and I connected a little over two years ago via a Facebook group called Kansas City Dead Heads. He was pedaling some merch', and I said, Yes, please.

Dane Bridges is a son and a brother and a boyfriend and a music instructor. He's also the bassist for Chowk.

Dane was kind enough to stop by for Episode No. 79, talk a little bit of background and a lotta bit of music.

And somewhere along the way, we had a peek at a few of his favorite records. They were these…

Dave Schloss is a son and a brother and a husband, and a father. He's an entrepreneur, a killer ice-hockey teammate, and he once had the pleasure of calling me his next-door neighbor.

Dave, and his wife, Anna, made career pivots and left their beloved Chicago life for some adulthood in Kansas City, going from downtown to midtown to the north town while they were here, but've recently found themselves enjoying a healthy dose of island time down in the the ol' Sunshine State.

A number of things come to mind when thinking about some of the pieces of redundancy one tends to encounter when hosting a podcast. Some of it is -- of course -- necessary. Some you hope to avoid. Still some are just plain unavoidable, such as gushing with gratitude and thanks for those that decide to join me for an episode.

It's no lie or exaggeration when I say that every episode is special, and that every guest is a treat. Patrick Sprehe for Episode #77 (Paul Coffey!) was no different.

It's the John Tait episode of Badass Records!

That's right. It's #76. Only this conversation had nothing to do with former Kansas City Chiefs, B.Y.U. alum, or left tackles at all. Nope. This one's all about Beers. Jason Beers.

Yes, the banjo-wrangling, bass-playing, prolific writer/recorder of music was kind enough to give of his time and swing by for a chat about gigging, releasing material, and -- of course -- a few of his favorite records.

Yo!

This was one for the ages.

Having being fortunate enough to be invited up to Sk8bar in St. Joe, I gladly accepted and -- while there -- was able to connect with Danny "Dr. 47" Phillips to record Episode # 75 of Badass Records podcast.

Such a challenge. So much fun. So worth it.

Seriously.

I didn't know how I would attempt to make myself comfortable in someone else's space. I didn't know if I'd know how to set up all of the gear once I'd taken it apart for the first time, and I didn't know how I'd do (at all) attempting to conduct an interview beneath all of those details.

But, alas...the stress and the anxiety were completely unwarranted.

Brandon and Jesse welcomed me into their home away from home, and Danny was a gracious host/guest.

Adam Browning is a son, a brother, a music fanatic, and he is my guest for Episode #74.

And speaking of podcasts, he co-hosts his own! It's called ChemTrails with Adam & Sean and you could check it out here, were you so inclined.

Anyway...it was a blast having Adam. He brought notes!

We talked a good bit about life, his podcast with Sean Harris (Episode #62, if you're keepin' score at home.), and, well...a few of his favorite records.

Shane Hatfield is a son, a brother, a husband, a father, and a music super-fan. He's also the host of "The Scene with Pretty Boy," which airs Fridays at 10 p.m. Central on KPGZ, 102.7 FM out of Kearney, MO.

You can also catch the show online, Mondays at 7 p.m. (and again at 10 p.m.) Central on Counterclockwise KC Radio, via either Live 365 or the TuneIn app.

Shane was cool enough to swing by and record Episode #73 with me, and our conversation did not disappoint.

Matt Smith is an O.G. homey, and I can't even begin to tell you how stoked I was to get him in the chair for Episode #72 of the Badass Records podcast.

When I hatched this hair-brained idea in January 2021, Matt was a first-ballot must-have, and I couldn't possibly be more honored to have seen the thing through. Doesn't happen without Matt first saying he'd do an episode then getting me a list and ultimately carving a slice out of his busy week in town to come bullshit with me. So...many, many thanks, Matt.

Shane Powers is a son, a brother, and a ladyfriend-haver. He's also a bunch of other things, but of utmost importance in this moment, he can occasionally be found manning the vocals and one of the guitars for Sirens in the Suburbs. And if I'm being honest, Shane really brought some big energy to Episode #71.

We talked a little bit about band life, supporting live music, and songwriting, just to name a few topics.

And we of course peeked at a few of Shane's favorite records. They are these…

Brandon and Jesse Rock were kind enough to trek down to K.C. from St. Joe so we could (of course) talk a little bit about some of their favorite records, but also so that we could cover what is currently their lives, Sk8bar.

What is Sk8bar, you say?

Well, I'm glad you asked.

It's a skateboard shop, a bar, and a live music venue at 501 Francis Street in St. Joseph, Missouri.

If you ever wanna feel stupid or not crisp-and-clear, have a conversation with Jesse Kates of The Sexy Accident.

Wow.

I've been lucky to have a ton of tremendous and amazing people join me for episodes of the Badass Records podcast, but this guy...he just -- as the kids say -- hits different.

You should -- were you so inclined -- check out his bandcamp, buy some of his merch', keep tabs on when his outfit's giggin' next, etc.

Nigel Woodberry is a son, a brother, and -- among many other things -- an awesome dude. He's also the host of the Beers with Nigel podcast, though, and he was kind enough to swing by and record Episode #68 with me.

We talked a good bit about his podcast, a little bit about his background and his many lives, but we also talked about a few of his favorite records, and they are these…

If I've seen 80 Phish shows, I've seen at least half of those with one of the best dudes I've ever known, Jake Watson.

He moved from KC to Charleston a few years back, but I was lucky enough to nab a few hours of his time on a recent visit back home, and he was kind enough to spend some of that time with me recording Episode #67.

Sammy Sanchez is back!

This time, we dug in to the entire Tom Waits discography, and what a ride it was.

Sammy's first appearance on Badass Records was on Episode #44, in which we discussed a little LCD Soundsystem, a little Pink Floyd, and a little Tom Waits. And during that conversation, it occurred to me that I needed a Tom Waits fan with whom to geek out. And you know what? Sammy was game!

Here's the list of what we covered…