Crash Chords: Autographs

The following episode was recorded on December 3rd, 2017 on location at The Kingsland music venue in Brooklyn, NY. Today Matt welcomes Rob Malvagno (vocals) and Kevin Cassidy (bass) from the metal band Despyre. Grabbing a chance to speak with the band before playing The Kingsland, Matt chats with the guys about life on tour and playing live shows with Bobaflex. They also discuss the music video for their first single “Irritation” off their eponymous EP, they chat about their origins as a group---citing the band that influenced their sound---and they describe how having children has kept them on their toes in discovering new music. And so, from the positive and negative effects of the music industry to the inside scoop on their band name, here’s presenting Rob and Kevin of Despyre. Continue reading

Today Matt welcomes Mac Rogers, a playwright hailing from NYC. Founding member of Gideon Productions, Mac Rogers has written the plays Frankenstein Upstairs, Universal Robots, and The Honeycomb Trilogy (including Advance Man, Blast Radius, and Sovereign). He is also the writer of a new 14-episode narrative podcast Steal the Stars — a serial noir science fiction heist. With Matt, Mac chats about Gideon Media partnering with Tor Labs to bring Steal the Stars to life; they chat about its casting process and how they decided on Ashlie Atkinson as the lead. Matt asks how Mac got his start as a writer, and what inspired him to dive deep into sci-fi on the stage. And so, from the difficulties in portraying and high quality science fiction in the theater---without the use of special effects---to the challenges of writing a podcast versus a play, here’s presenting Matt Storm and Mac Rogers. Continue reading

This week, Matt welcomes Evelyn Vinyl, a burlesque performer, model, and costume designer from Nashville, TN. Founder of her own costume and lingerie design company, Blue Lawless, Evelyn chats with Matt about what inspired her to start such a company and how she got started in burlesque. In burlesque production, Evelyn chats about her ability to drift between the personal and more serious acts to the silly and the goofy ones; she chats about the positives and negatives of the burlesque scene, its community troubles, and how she’s fashioned a career around it. From her time as a figure skater to the concept of “the vortex”, here’s presenting Matt Storm and Evelyn Vinyl. Continue reading

Today, Matt welcomes Buffalo native Devin Mullen, the creative mastermind behind Anxious Kids (formerly Anxious Kids Make Good People). Previously a guest on the Crash Chords Podcast, in Ep. #141, Devin arrives on Autographs to chat about his exciting work as a professional sound engineer and his recent tenure in the Big Apple to work on the sets of The Joshua Show: Episode 2 and The Flatiron Hex. He also chats about his latest album under the Anxious Kids banner, Honestly? and how his writing has evolved since his last appearance. And so, from his writing process to his favorite tracks, to his third life an author — recently penning the novel, The Parable Life — here’s presenting Devin Mullen! Continue reading

Today, Matt welcomes Richard Torres, an actor, magician, and photographer hailing from Union City, New Jersey. With Matt, Richard chats about his early interest in magic and how he learned, ultimately, that it’s what he wants to be doing in life. He chats about the magicians that influenced him and about how he build his acts; he explores his favorite tricks (both past and present), and also what goes into performing close-up magic. And so, from the magical side of things to the business side of things, to his many other passions, here’s presenting Matt Storm and Richard Torres. Continue reading

Today Matt welcomes Nasty Canasta, a burlesque producer and performer hailing from Brooklyn, NY. A producer for Wasabassco, Nasty is known by the tag line “The girl with the 44DD brain.” She was a previously a guest on the Crash Chords Podcast, Ep. #183, where she brought on Donker Mag by Die Antwoord for discussion. Today, Matt inquires into her earliest ambitions and her transition from theater to burlesque. They chat about what she looks for in other performers and the types of acts and shows she identifies with most. They chat about her most recent Wasabassco show “Unstripped Mysteries” (a tribute to the show Unsolved Mysteries), as well as her costuming skills and what goes into creating outfits. And so, from Nasty’s future as a producer to the future of burlesque as a whole, here’s presenting Matt Storm and Nasty Canasta. Continue reading

Today, Matt welcomes Alissa May Atkinson, a comedian and bartender hailing from Brooklyn, NY. A bar manager at Precious Metal, Alissa (along with her comedy partner Lauren Vino) produces and hosts monthly comedy shows called Midd Riff Comedy, which are held at Precious Metal on the first Friday of every month. With Matt, Alissa chats about how she got started in comedy and what inspires her joke writing. They also chat about the origin of Midd Riff Comedy and how bartending (doubling as a form of entertainment) preps her for performing. And so, from her fascination with the comedic process to her plans for the future, here’s presenting Matt Storm and Alissa May Atkinson. Continue reading

Today Matt welcomes Waylon K. Smith, a musician hailing from Greencastle, PA. As one half of the band The Positronic Cats, Waylon’s roles as a musician range from singing to playing guitar and electric bass, while his bandmate Jim Taylor plays electric and acoustic mandolin. With Matt, Waylon chats about how his band’s newest record Mortal Cathedrals came to be, from its content to its artwork, and to the music video for its first single “Glitter”, (which stars previous guest Robare James Pruyn-Bush). Waylon also discusses the band’s dynamic and how they work together as a unit to create their music and perform live. And so, from Waylon’s origins to his influences, both musical and external, here’s presenting Matt Storm and Waylon K. Smith. Continue reading

Today, Matt welcomes Kati Delaney and Robare James Pruyn-Bush. Both previous guests on the Crash Chords Podcast, Kati Delaney is an animator and voice-over artist while Robare is a music producer and musician who is a member of many different bands including Rare Spirits, The Waysties, and The Rose West just to name a few. Kati and Robare both hail from Philadelphia, where this interview was recorded on location in their studio. With Matt, Kati chats about her ever-expanding voice-over career working with the YouTube channels TheRichest, TheTrendy, and TheThings. She has also now branched out into recording audio books. Robare talks about producing and recording the Rare Spirits 3-song EP Dram and also about his production style and what it's like to work with stubborn or difficult musicians. And so, from all things production to voice-over work, to the mutual past shared between them and your host, here's presenting Matt Storm, Kati, and Robare. Continue reading

Today, Matt welcomes Uncle Meg, a West Virginia born, Brooklyn-based transgender (FTM) rapper. With the release of his latest LP Bug, Uncle Meg chats with Matt about his influences and his writing process, from creating beats to penning lyrics. He also discusses what it was like to have made his transition in the glow of the internet, with some afterthoughts ranging from the public support offered by his friends, family, and fans, to the unique vulnerability of the experience. And so, from his upcoming releases to the process of filming his music video for the single, "Taylor Swift", here's presenting Matt Storm and Uncle Meg. Continue reading

Today, Matt welcomes Karama, a.k.a. Theblerdgurl, a blogger, YouTuber, and internet powerhouse hailing from Brooklyn, New York. With Matt, Karama chats about the origins of Theblerdgurl and how it grew from its humble beginnings as a Tumblr blog to the full-fledged nerd-devoted website it is today. They discuss her childhood and how her upbringing taught her to think differently. They discuss her many experiences at conventions and what it's like to meet your idols, the culture of social media, and what it's like to be an outspoken personality. And so from all things comic books, music, and television to her expanding brand, here's presenting Matt Storm and Theblerdgurl. Continue reading

This week, Matt welcomes Bunny Buxom, a burlesque producer, performer, singer, and activist hailing from Queens, NY. Producer of many shows in the NYC area including Talons and Tease, Resistance, and Rabbit Hole Presents, Bunny chats about her earliest memories involving the pursuit of burlesque and her transition into making it a full-time career. She describes the origins of Rabbit Hole Productions and explains how important it was for her to create a space that promoted feminism, body positivity, and equality. She also chats about how she got involved with The Pink Room Burlesque and her upcoming wrestling-inspired show on July 7th, called TasselMania. And so, from those stories to the special tale of what it's like being upstaged by her sphinx cat Rodger, here's presenting Matt Storm and Bunny Buxom. Continue reading

Today, Matt welcomes Viktor Devonne, burlesque producer and performer hailing from Jersey City. Producer of White Elephant Burlesque, held at Rockbar NYC every Wednesday at 8:30pm, Viktor chats about his roots in burlesque having been born of the Rocky Horror Picture Show. With Matt, he discusses the origins of White Elephant Burlesque, what it's like to run a weekly show, and what goes into making that a success. He also explains how he produces his performances, where he draws inspiration, and how that affects his craft. And so, from an update on the burlesque scene to how it's changing and evolving, here's presenting Matt Storm and Viktor Devonne. Continue reading

Today, Matt welcomes burlesque producer and performer extraordinaire Fancy Feast, hailing from Brooklyn, NY. Creator of the Coney Island show "Maim That Tune" and co-producer of the Fuck You Revue, Fancy Feast discusses her origins in burlesque and how her craft has evolved over the years. She also chats about some unconventional performances, how performing is sometimes just for the performer, and also what it's like to cultivate an audience. And so, from and her day job at Babeland to her life as a sex educator, here's presenting Matt Storm and Fancy Feast. Continue reading

Today, Matt welcomes Fernando Pacheco, a professional photographer living in New York City whose work can be found at www.photobyfernando.com. With Matt, Fernando discusses his earliest memories of being interested in art and photography, and about how moving around a lot as child (and moving to the U.S. at a young age) has shaped him and his art. They also chat about how he found a day job in the arts as a product photographer, how phone cameras and the existence of apps like Instagram have changed photography, and about how social media has been both a blessing and a curse to his form of artistic expression. And so, from Fernando's many projects to the photographers that have inspired him in his career, here's presenting Matt Storm and Fernando Pacheco. Continue reading

Today, Matt welcomes Marcus Kitchen, Mallory Feuer, and Andy Siegel, the three members of the band Mischief Night. A psychedelic rock band from Brooklyn, NY, Mischief Night has a new music video out for the song "With Me, Now!", the second single off their newest album, The Great American Worm, to be released this April. Among discussing the band's musical beginnings, as well as the numerous other projects they are currently involved with, Marcus goes into great detail about the process of putting together the new record and how his writing process works. Meanwhile, Andy touches upon his role as the band's newest member, and Mallory discusses what it's like being a touring musician and what she loves about playing live. And so, from the band's musical influences to Marcus's additional role in the director's chair, here's presenting Matt Storm and Mischief Night. Continue reading

Today, Matt welcomes Rachel Schenk, a musician, comedian, and actress hailing from Astoria, Queens. Rachel is no stranger to the world of Crash Chords; she appeared in ep. #95 (with bandmate Mark Robert Turner) as a member of the comedy music duo Afterbirth Monkey, and also in ep. #166 as herself. With Matt, Rachel chats about her newest day job working for The Ride NYC, her chance discovery that she can freestyle rap, and also about her growth as an artist. They also chat about her newest concept album with Afterbirth Monkey called Making a Beeline to Wasted and also about her solo album in the making. And so, with some reflections on her acting, her role in The Restaurant (a film written by Eric T. Ford) and her experience in improv, here's presenting Matt Storm and Rachel Schenk. Continue reading

Today Matt welcomes Amy Leland, a writer, director, and video editor living in Brooklyn, NY. Having written and directed a short film called Echoes, Amy is currently working on a documentary about tap dancer and teacher Sarah Petronio. With Matt, Amy chats about how each project came to be and about her past experience both directing and video editing. They also talk about how she got started in the arts, her plans for the future, and what it's like having a day job that both supports and informs her art, and the reciprocity of that lifestyle. And so, from inspiration to escapism, here's presenting Matt Storm and Amy Leland. Continue reading

Today Matt welcomes Stache Novak, a burlesque dancer, host and everyman hailing from parts unknown but currently living in NYC. Having met Stache through his cousin (the delightful Matthew Holtzclaw) Matt and Stache discuss his love of dance and how his show at The Slipper Room in NYC---Stache Novak's Midnight Fingers---came to be. Stache lays it bare as they discuss his questionable choices and carefree lifestyle. They also get into his sensitive side and go deep into his upbringing, which has heavily informed his artistic drive in life. And so, from Stache's origins in burlesque to the music that inspires him, here's presenting Matt Storm and Stache Novak. Continue reading

Today Matt welcomes playwright, actor, and producer Ngozi Anyanwu. Writer of the play Good Grief, which starts its run in LA at the end of February, Ngozi is also one of the producers of the NOW AFRICA: Playwrights Festival. She has also acted in Mysteries of Laura, Limitless, and Law & Order: SVU just to name a few. With Matt, Ngozi chats about how Good Grief came to be and also how she began writing---specifically playwriting. They chat about the origins of the NOW AFRICA: Playwrights Festival, the changing landscape of the arts, and the similarities and differences between her many talents. Continue reading