Urban Achiever

Thank God, 2016 is finally coming to a close. It was mostly bad, but not all bad. I'm going to talk about some of the not-so-bad things from the year.

As a teenager, Aaron Stone (My Epic) saved up his own money to buy his first guitar, a Gibson SG. This was an early indication of the kind of vision and purposefulness he would show in the years to come. On today's program, we discover the fate of that guitar, explore Aaron's upbringing and his five years living with friends and bandmates in Charlotte, North Carolina neighborhood Optimist Park serving the local community. My Epic - http://myepicrock.com/

We just had an election and I have some thoughts about it. These are those thoughts.

Tune in to URBQ.fm this Sunday, November 6th at 8pm for the 2 hour debut of the Make America Punk Again radio show. Then tune in Friday November 11th at 9pm Eastern for The Street Justice Radio hour with Dan Brimstone. Thanks for your support!

Taylor Weston (Alderbrook, Vanguard Symphony) loves living in Arkansas, except for the humidity. And we will make fun of Taylor's home state, but I assure you it's all in good fun! We also learn what it's like to be in a graduating class of 8 people. And Taylor makes the case for still buying music on CD...in a store!

Bryan Patton (The Meltdown, Echo Broke Alone, Something Beautiful Records) has been doing podcasting a lot longer than me. He also thinks it's a good idea to start a record label in 2016, so like a lot of us, he's a mixed bag. I kid! I kid! Speaking of kids, Bryan was the oldest of 8! Sensitive listeners beware, we do talk about Bryan trying to murder his sister at least twice! OK, maybe he didn't try to murder her, but he did try to chop off her fingers. After all that, he finally found a Church that accepts his crazy views on Genesis. There may or may not be a story about Bryan physically running into Henry Rollins at Whole Foods. How much of this is true? Tune in and find out! Echo Broke Alone - http://noisetrade.com/echobrokealone The Meltdown Podcast - https://themeltdownmusic.com/ Something Beautiful Records - https://www.facebook.com/somethingbeautifulrecords/ East Ghost - http://eastghost.bandcamp.com/ East Ghost Vinyl Pre-Order - http://sbrecords.storenvy.com/

This week we're going to conclude my look back on 40 years of Rodney On The ROQ and that shows priceless influence not only on me but countless bands, musicians and fans. But, really this is just the beginning of something. Make America Punk - http://makeamericapunk.com/

This week we're continuing our celebration of the 40th anniversary of legendary Los Angeles based radio show Rodney On The Roq. This was the show that primarily introduced me to punk rock and underground music, changing me in the process. That was the day classic rock died for me and I pretty much never looked back. We're going to imagine what it might have been like in the summer of 1979 for me to turn my radio dial and discover this music for the very first time. Join me as we try to Make America Punk Again Vol. 2! Make America Punk - http://makeamericapunk.com/

This week we're celebrating the 40th anniversary of legendary Los Angeles based radio show Rodney On The Roq. This was the show that primarily introduced me to punk rock and underground music, changing me in the process. That was the day classic rock died for me and I pretty much never looked back. We're going to imagine what it might have been like in the summer of 1979 for me to turn my radio dial and discover this music for the very first time. Join me as we try to Make America Punk Again! Make America Punk - http://makeamericapunk.com/

What could this be? What does this mean? What is this strange transmission?

Alright Achievers, the Letters Trilogy officially comes to an end with this episode, The End of Letters. We've got postcards from bands, corrections from punk zines, letters from disappointed parents, letters of recommendation, letters from congressmen and more! It's all leading up to something that's not really even a letter. What could it be? Tune in and find out!

I have returned to The Archives from Tooth & Nail mail order, Blenderhead, Point Blank and such. It seems there is a deep well of these strange artifacts from the past called letters. Things written in pen and pencil on paper, placed in an envelope and sent through the mail with stamps! I know, I know...very strange indeed! One of these letters makes me look bad...so bad...painfully bad. I hope you enjoy more letters!

What's up Achievers? I took a little dig into The Archives this week and pulled out some letters. Letters to Tooth & Nail. Letters to Blenderhead. Fan letters. Business letters. Good letters. Bad letters. I hope you enjoy a little look into the past this week.

Toby Morrell (Emery, BadChristian, The Unstoppable Badass) was in jail once. Ok, twice. He was also a wrestler...for a couple of months. And then in a shocking unexpected turn of events, he "got saved" at a backward masking CD burning. This was, of course, years before he was a well known touring musician, author, podcaster, entrepreneur, father and comedian. A fun conversation with my friend and sort of boss, Toby! The Unstoppable Badass - https://itun.es/i6hY5Y2 The BadChristian Podcast - https://itun.es/i6hY5Yp Emery - http://www.emerymusic.com/ Toby on Instagram - http://instagram.com/theunstoppablebadass Toby on Twitter - https://twitter.com/tobytobyjoyjoy

Mike Dunn describes his time in "the Beverly Hills of the south," Winter Park, Florida as where he lived in the cheapest place in the best area. We explore Mike's idyllic childhood where he loved his small Catholic school and entertained himself by crushing his grandparents empty beer cans. His upbringing was not particularly religious, but by his own admission he did collect prayer cards "like baseball cards" and had a small shrine in his room. We try to get to the bottom of what happened to "the Kings of New England," but not without touching on his divorce, his teaching job and what inspired the single "Faith Healer" from his latest album "Hard Luck Soft Rock." Mike Dunn Website - http://www.mikedunn.co/ Mike Dunn Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/mikedunnmusic Mike Dunn Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/mikedunnusa/ Mike Dunn Twitter - https://twitter.com/mikedunnusa/

Shealeen Puckett (Poema) almost gave up playing piano at the age of 10, but her parents wouldn't let her due to the cost of buying a piano. It's a good thing they didn't cave in, because there's a lot of fun she would have missed out on. For example, playing a show outside in 116 degree weather with a broken keyboard stand! We explore the special bond shared with her sister Elle, childhood hobbit adventures involving 8 meals, the appeal of audiobooks and changing brain chemistry through water color painting. We also get deep on Israel, miracles and healing. There will be no FOMO (fear of missing out) on this one! Shealeen's Website - http://shealeenlouise.com/ Shealeen on Twitter - https://twitter.com/shealeenlouise/ Shealeen on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/shealeenlouise/

Jordan Butcher (The Weather, Copeland, Studio Workhorse) caught the art and music bug as a pre-teen and he's been headed down the road ever since. Hear about why he calls his art school education an expensive mistake and how he's managed to be a working drummer with zero musical training. We talk about how Jordan landed his "dream job" at Tooth & Nail Records where he created album artwork for Underoath, Anberlin, the No New Kinda Story film/book and more. We also explore his time at Mars Hill Seattle before and after the implosion. Drum nerds - we get in deep on tone, tuning and cymbals. Design nerds - we reflect on the current state of graphic design and what keeps Butcher in it. Studio Workhorse - https://www.instagram.com/studioworkhorse Jordan on Twitter - https://twitter.com/studioworkhorse The Weather on iTunes - http://smarturl.it/waterselectric

We get back into it for the 2nd hour with Aaron Ford (Bluetip, Forget Cassettes, The Sincerity Guild, And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead). We begin at his entry into the Dischord Records band Bluetip and then through a litany of bands that culminated in his "8 months or more a year" touring and recording with Trail of Dead. And we also learn about his new career in the culinary world. Get your pens and paper together and be ready to take notes!

Aaron Ford (Bluetip, Forget Cassettes, The Sincerity Guild, And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead) was just a kid from small town Georgia playing air drums with pencils and then Hit Stix to his favorite RUN DMC cassette. But then a magical moment on a neighbors orange Ludwig vistalite drum set changed everything. In this first hour of two we learn about those early days where he practiced for "6-8 hours a day" while working at a meat and three with "a bunch of women over 70." You will not believe where it all leads.

Elle Puckett (Poema, Eisley) was already touring the country playing music at the age of 15. From growing up in the "desertier" Albuquerque, New Mexico suburb of Rio Rancho to life in Nashville and now Portland, Elle has experienced a life in music far beyond her years. She is a gifted songwriter, guitarist and vocalist who has been performing with her sister Shealeen since they were 10 and 12 years old. Hear how they used every vehicle available to criss cross the country on the Warped Tour in 2010 and how a chance encounter with sisters from the band Eisley in a bathroom at SXSW led to her current role as their guitarist. This and much, much more! Poema - http://www.poemamusic.com/ Eisley - http://www.eisley.com/ Elle on Twitter - https://twitter.com/ellepuckett Elle on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ellepuckett/