If you believe there are Consequences for our actions, this should be good news. Brad and Barry are super excited to announce that The What Podcast is now part of the Consequence Podcast Network. The show will stay essentially the same, with Brad, a 20-year radio veteran, and Barry, a newspaper guy for the last 35 years, continuing to bring us the info and stories as only two music and festival fans with some insider knowledge can. That means more access for the fans, musicians and industry people who will share their passion and expertise. It also means shows every week. And, we have a brand new killer theme song from our friends *repeat repeat.
The What Podcast originally launched in 2018 as a way for two Bonnaroo veterans to talk about the thing they love in life the most: Bonnaroo. Over time, the podcast has evolved to cover the rest of the North American festival landscape and touring industry as a whole. In between dissecting lineups and discussing the latest headlines, you'll also hear interviews with artists, such as Radiohead's Ed O'Brien and and Lizzo, as well as industry insiders like Ashley Capps (AC Entertainment) and Jim Burruss (Columbia Records). If you're a live music junkie, this podcast is for you.
New episodes air weekly, but you can revisit past episodes of The What Podcast here.
Topic: Consequence
Hey, hey, hey, hey. How y'all feeling? Journey through the stories that define the artists playing Bungaroo. Who are they? What are they? What will you see? The what? Which bands? This year's show? The show? The show? The show? The show? The show? The show? The show? The show? The show? The show? The show? The show? This year, That Matter with Brad Steiner and Barry Courter. The what Podcasts, which bands? This year, That Matter. I'm Brad, that's Barry. That's Lord Tacco on Bonnaroo-lett Day where we spin the wheel and we see where it lands and we learn bands that we never knew before. Lord Tacco, Barry Courter, how are you this week? Nice to see you again. Doing well, doing well. Nice to see you. Yeah. Yeah. show with a little bit of a surprise that you guys are not prepared for. Barry, your face is very guilty. Are you worried about the surprise? Barry Follwell Worry? No, I'm certain it's going to be terrific. I've already guessed. Robert Furrow Really? Why? Why? Because you trust me and you're worried. Barry Follwell Well, because you're so excited about it. Robert Furrow I am excited about it. Barry Follwell Which told me my first guess was you got Brittany there behind your French doors. Brittany Howard. Is she about to walk through the French doors? Robert Furrow She's been locked in my trunk for the better part of quarantine. Barry Follwell I told you there's an FBI file on you. You're Brittany obsession. Robert Furrow I'm not obsessed. I just enjoy her a lot. Barry Follwell Come on. Robert Furrow What is wrong with that? What is wrong? Barry Follwell Come on. Robert Furrow Okay, here we go. So for Bonnaroo Let, we have a I am sharing with you guys for the first time. You've never heard this before. You've never heard this. No one has heard this. We have a brand new What Podcast theme song. Oh, this is huge. Wow. Barry Follwell There is one source that we trust more than anything when it comes to picking the proper Bonnaroo band. What is that source? The Bonnaroo Let Wheel of course. Brad Steiner, Barry Courter, Lord Taco spinning the Bonnaroo Let Wheel today on The What. Brad Steiner Which band? Barry Courter This year, that matter. Brad Steiner The What Barry Courter With Brad Steiner and Barry Courter, your artists pass inside the industry into the shows we will remember. The What Podcast starts now. We're always trying to do our best. Don't worry about what happens next. Because the Never ends, it's just begun We crash into, we set it on So gather round, tell everyone We made the end, the real us The bottle roulette wheel has spun and it has landed And our old friends, Repeat Repeat, who have written us our own What Podcast theme song called Aquarius So, not only is it so cool, not only did they write us our own theme song But that's gonna be the song that starts us off each and every week from now on And the best part of all this is they wrote an entire song, not just like an opening theme song They wrote one that you can listen to, an entire song called Aquarius you can listen to on the WhatPodcast.com I just love this, I just love the fact that I said to Jared what I was thinking and within hours, boom, he's done with it He's got it, he's, he had it nailed What do you think Ross? It's amazing, it definitely gets you pumped What I love about it is, it's ours, but it sounds like them That's exactly what I asked him for, that's exactly what I asked him for And he said, he goes, he sent me an email and he said, I even added horns just for you And it works, and it works I forgot about that, she doesn't like horns though They don't like horns, they do not like horns Well, he has admitted, admitted a little bit that he likes horns, but I think that improper horn usage is very bothersome to him Well, yeah, you gotta be careful with your horns This was very proper, very proper So, you get the whole song, I think that because of like whatever deals and rights and whatever, I don't know if they can necessarily distribute it But if you want to have that song forever, maybe if you want to play it at your campsite at Insert Festival here very loudly Maybe on a Wednesday night for lots of people to hear while you're dancing around a giant bus Maybe that would be the song you would want to choose You can get a copy of it at thewhatpodcast.com So there you go It's called Aquarius? It's called Aquarius, yeah Nice, that's awesome There you go, it's our brand new open, our brand new theme song I'm very, very happy about it With all that being said, we got a lot of stuff to sort of like sort through today Tons, tons I'm sorry, I feel like I lied to you This is not going to be a Bonnet Roulette episode I did that all as a guise so that I could present to you guys the brand new theme song, I'm very sorry Yeah, we should tell people if they don't know, if they're just joining, they've never heard the show before Repeat Repeat was the first band to come to Camp Nut Butter It was the first band to ever record a podcast backstage at Bonnet Roulette That too, there was a, that's a big There's a lot of firsts Yeah, Camp Nut Butter with us, yeah, it was awesome Yeah, we found them through a random little segment we did called Bonnet Roulette where we spun a wheel And we landed on their name, we knew nothing about them And then we become very close, great friends with the guys So let's go through some of the other things that we had to announce There's a ton to get into Big, big I'll start with, we have Bonnet Roulette tickets to give away We'll be doing a Bonnet Roulette giveaway here in the upcoming weeks I'm very excited about that Haven't really figured out how to do that just yet But I do, we do have tickets, that is very, I can say we do have tickets to give away on the show this year Details, details, we'll figure it out We'll get there Some other things have been happening though in our podcast world It's not gonna, it's not gonna change the overall show And we're not looking to make a whole bunch of changes to something that's working But we are adding a piece to the show that is going to hopefully expand it and make it even bigger than we could have ever imagined When Barry and I started this little thing, it all began as a conversation over Indian food We would go to the same Indian restaurant every week for lunch It was an Indian buffet because we could get in and get out and they opened at like 10.45 in the morning And Barry and I eat lunch very early And every time that we would sit down, we would end up talking about Bonnet Roulette And one day we were talking about bands and Barry said Yeah, I said I don't know 70% of the bands on this lineup We should do a Facebook Live thing and Brad's face, one of those, what? And that was like a Friday maybe, a Thursday and by Saturday night You had already talked to Taco, you had a URL, you had a design, a name And off we went And it was originally, I'm not gonna lie, we originally made this podcast, or at least I did, so that no one would listen That was not my intent I specifically wanted no one to listen I just didn't have It's a good thing you didn't say that back then Yeah, I just, I don't know man, it wasn't you and it wasn't the show It was just my own, I didn't think that I had certain tools in my tool belt to pull this off on a regular basis So I said screw it, I'll throw caution to the wind and see if I can do this And the show started out as a deep dive into certain artists' careers, slash catalog, etc. And over the course of the next couple of years, it sort of expanded beyond that, Barry I don't think there's any question, I mean for me it was some, it was because like you said, we found ourselves talking about Bonnaroo all the time, festivals And so there was that element, for me it was a way to, another tool maybe I always, I was already doing band interviews and show interviews and all those sorts of things So this was just another vehicle to put it out there I don't think either one of us anticipated, like I didn't realize, how am I going to say this You were very good early at making it sound like a radio show and not just two guys talking And that made a huge difference, I think I was pretty good at doing the interviews And I think you've become terrific at that and we both enjoy all that So it became a, we stumbled across this whole inside thing that I think we're going to expand on, right? Yeah, and it was a weird conversation at camp one day We were at Bonnaroo, we were walking through the backstage areas and we were looking at the, I was looking at the electrical lines And I said, there's got to be hundreds, if not thousands, a million yards of electrical lines through this And I've never noticed them and they're in PVC pipe Oh my God, someone has to lay all this down Oh my God, somebody has to cover that with dirt Oh my God, they had to create a road here And then once I started realizing the work that was taking to put all of this on And that's when we started asking questions about the festival organizational part of it Into how a lineup is built, how other festivals use certain data to get you from one point to the next And then it became an inside baseball almost, you know Absolutely We call it an all access pass, an artist pass behind the rope So that you can see all the things that we think are really interesting about this lifestyle You know, it is one thing to spend a weekend with your friends, which is really fun See all bunch of bands that you want to see And if that's what you want to use this show for, we're going to be there for you But if you really like the internal inside baseball stuff of the radio industry, the record industry, the music industry And then the festival industry, we can do that too So we decided to put it all together into one show And over the course of, I would say three years I'm not going to count the first little part of season four But over the first three years, we got really lucky And we hit on some things that were probably a little bit outside of our strike zone And it got us more recognition than we thought that we were actually getting Well, that's what I was just going to add, sorry to interrupt But I think we were both surprised at how, I think that everything is about timing So our timing was right, I think, I know I was, you may disagree But I was surprised at how much the inside, the industry people want to talk about it And that's been the case from the very start I think our third or fourth guest was Ashley Capps of AC Entertainment, the co-founder That was the one that just sort of like, wow, this is legit I always paint back to the day where Letterman went on Conan O'Brien When Conan was struggling as the guy that's now over late night He was having a very tough time, the network was about to cancel him And then Letterman came on and gave him all the juice that he needed Like, oh, I'm actually part of the big boys club now When Ashley came on the show, I think that gave us legitimacy And made us feel like, oh, okay, we can actually make something of this I know it did for me, and shortly after that was the Paul Janoway from St. Paul Which we did two episodes because he was so funny So we knew we could get artists, but getting the insiders like Ashley and then Jeff Cuellar We've talked about, he's been on there, what, three times? Jeff is vice president, he's got some long title, festival development or artist He's got a long what? Title, it's all I know And he was terrific, that was the first real inside baseball one We went pretty deep That really changed the course of the show Absolutely, and so that's what we've been trying to do We've said it many, many times, you and I and Russ, we come at it as fans But also as people, you through the radio industry and me through the print We have a little bit of access that a lot of people don't But the other thing I was going to say is the inside stuff for one But we have listeners all over the country who love it as much as we do And who talk about it every day like we do pretty much And that's been the other huge component of why it's worked and why we're still doing this Four years later when we thought we were going to do three months if we were lucky And so along the way, Russ joined and took us to a whole new level When it came to video production and getting us on to platforms that we necessarily weren't on And where my technical limitations just said I'm not, I just don't, I'm not doing this I don't care Because my default position is always what Barry? I don't care I don't want anyone to listen Giving you more opportunities to listen sounds terrible to me So we finally got to a place where it looks like we're upwards of 200,000 downloads Three years in and we got a strange phone call out of literally thin air, out of nowhere We got a message on our website, it didn't get to us because there's a little bit of a hiccup there And then we didn't want people to listen Because Brad and Barry are Luddites So I got a very weird Twitter message one day that I thought was total bullshit I followed up on it and turns out the guy was legit, really legit and had a long conversation with him I then brought the guys into the conversation and it has now turned into being a real thing So we are now really excited to announce that we are part of the Consequence Podcasting Network You know Consequence is former Consequence of Sound Now rebranded into a major, major publication, major digital operation They welcomed us into their podcasting network And look, there's two levels to this It's a massive deal for the show in that it can expand into areas that we never thought it could expand And you know, look, I'm just gonna be pretty frank It comes with a little bit more juice than just some dopey radio and newspaper guy So there's definitely that Secondly, the second layer to this is you as the listener, you as the viewer How does it change your overall experience? Well, it's not, it's not going to change it one bit I don't think that, I don't think anybody worries about hearing ads anymore on a podcast Honestly, I don't think anybody cares I listen to three, four podcasts a day I listen to the ads, they come and they go and I understand why it's part of it It doesn't change the overall show It doesn't change anything about the product What it does change though is that we don't necessarily need to be a Patreon funded entity anymore Where you guys were so unbelievable to us to keep us afloat and to keep us going And it allowed us to survive frankly for the last 12 to 16 months And allowed us to get better equipment and get the show into different places and to grow it and become a better product You guys did that and now we thank you and we just don't want to take your money anymore Frankly, you've done your part here And we can't thank you enough for that, for the many, many Patreons that stuck through us for so long So now we get to play with the big boys and we're going to see how that goes We don't know, we don't know how it goes but we do know it comes with a show every week And it comes with bigger guests, one of which I can't wait to announce here in a little while But it just comes with more abilities to do what we're already doing So I couldn't be more excited, I couldn't be more proud, I couldn't be more thankful to Alex at Consequence And all of the guys that believed in us and take a chance on a podcast that we didn't even want, I didn't want anyone to listen to I find it to be truly humbling, if I wasn't humbled before about the way that you guys listen to this show I'm even more humbled now that not just people listen but they like it so much they want it to be a part of an overall podcasting network I just feel like we're going to screw it up One thing I would add is if it will change we are going to broaden, we're going to be talking more industry news Festival news, not just Bonnaroo specific You can't talk Bonnaroo 52 weeks a year And where I think that Barry and Taco have been irritated at me is I'm the reason we don't do more shows I'm specifically the reason because I just get so worried that there's nothing to talk about And I know this comes as a shock to people but I just don't want to sit around and listen to myself talk I'm stunned I am surprised I also don't believe you I don't think anyone listening believes you But no, we're going to broaden it and because I think the experience, the festival experiences While they may be different from festival to festival at their core There's a lot of similarities and there's a lot of similarities with the bands in the industry Along those lines if you're new to this and you're wondering what this is all about There are several shows I would recommend going back to listen to We mentioned the Ashley Caps one, the Jeff Cuellar shows have been terrific The one with Ali and John who book these festivals, they're booking agents That was a terrific show, the show with Brian and Steven who actually booked the 2019 Bonnaroo lineup The lineup show is really a master class if you want to know how one of these things are put together An absolute master class as to how a festival lineup is curated is really remarkable Not to pat ourselves on the back but that's the kind of thing we try to do with this show Because we're curious, we're fans and that's the kind of thing you're going to get here and nowhere else That sort of thing I would recommend going back, we've done 60 something shows, 70 shows To me they're not dated, some of them possibly are, they're lineup related to that particular year But they're not dated, you could listen today just as easily as you could have then Number one, the other thing is I'm so excited about this consequence thing Because it gets us in front of other people who are like us, they love these festivals And that's what it's about, for me it's not so much about we're going to be in front of more people just for my point of view It's because I know there are thousands and thousands of people out there who feel just like we do I want to meet more Cloys and Leazles and Davids, I want to meet more of them Look, this is always going to be a Bonnaroo heavy product But Bonnaroo is not the only place in the world that harnesses this amazing feeling They do it the best, I'm not going to lie, they absolutely do it the best But there's a culture in all of these places, I'm really interested in what that culture is People you mentioned all go to different ones, they don't just go to one, they go to several We talked to a guy that you knew back home Oh, David, he's already got his hotel rooms for like five of them I think that you nailed it, it's just going to broaden the focus There's a bunch of old shows there that I think we can repurpose for in the future I think that we can pluck out that Paul Jane away conversation and turn it into a new show today With new perspective and new fresh eyes on it and turn it into a whole new show for Insert Week here Look, again, if we're doing 52 shows a year, 50 shows a year And you can pretty much be sure that 25 to 30 of them are going to be Bonnaroo related It's just the way that the calendar works and Bonnaroo is done You've got Jazz Fest and Voodoo Fest before Bonnaroo, you've got an ACL afterwards The calendar works where this is a 24 hour a day, 52 week a year entity Even though sometimes I don't think it is, an entity like Consequence is a lot smarter than I am So if they think it's a 52 week a year venture, alright, you know what? I guess maybe I'm wrong about that Let me throw, I mean, just add in again to jump on what you said, thanking our Patreons We asked those guys, what, a year and a half ago to throw a little bit of money at us for three months Most of them haven't left And that, I think, says several things It says about this community, like the Leesels and the Davids that you mentioned Which is an amazing thing, but it also proves your point about Consequence is the interest is there These guys have become friends of ours, they've become a community, we talk online That's not going to change, that won't change It proved to us that we're not alone in our conversations over Indian food We're not the only ones That and all of them, I mean, Taka, we've got listeners in pretty much every state, right? I mean, that's the other thing that just blows me away They're all over the place We've done interviews going back with some of our Patreon people driving 13, 16 hours to come to a festival I mean, that's, that to me is the interesting sort of things that are worth sharing in all of this And obviously the interviews with the insiders and the bands But the festival goers are just as interesting to me as those interviews Yeah, it's like David Bruce Bruce, what a great one He meets the people, you know What a great one I am Bonnaroo This guy heard about this, his wife, or his daughter mentioned there's this festival down in Tennessee I've never heard of and thought, well, I'd like to go down there and do a photo essay and bought a camera And now he goes every year It's incredible Yeah, those are the kinds of things that are fun to tell Yeah, and I hope that through telling those stories, we don't screw it up That's what I'm here for, Brian I'm really worried about it now, I'm very worried So yeah, I mean, it's really exciting news It's really big news and look, I don't know what it looks like 12 months from now But it sure helps when you are calling insert person here and saying this is what we have to offer So I hope it works out But it's thrilling that you might be a part of something that you don't even know where it ends You don't even know how the octopus arms stretch and how far those things go And where it could take, you know, insert thing here So for those that have been along with us since the beginning of the ride, I mean, you're part of it too You're part of this ride and see, we don't know where it goes But it's pretty fun to be on a roller coaster But to jump on that, I mean, the guy like the folks who drive 13, 16 hours, a lot of them come by themselves And they either connect through us or they connect through Reddit or they connect through They do group camping and those are all things that we've talked about The community thing is such a huge part of it And I think that's why we're moving forward like we are and that's exciting Yeah, I'm very excited about it. Anything else? Did I miss anything? That repeat repeat song is so good That's so exciting. Thanks to Jared and Kristen I mean, I implore you to put this as a part of your and by the way, it is unmastered I mean, I pretty much asked for it to be unmastered I mean, this is as rough of a cut as it gets and that's what's even more exciting to me You know, I love the idea that we got like this zygote of a baby and they just like whipped it out that quickly You know, they just put it together. That's how good they are So I'm really excited about that and all those lines Again, if you're new to this the What Podcast calm, we've got merch. I've got stuff. I'd love to get rid of if you need something Yeah, I think we're gonna run some sales Barry Barry literally is trying to run a yard sale I've got a base. He's got stuff that he's trying to get rid of. He's got an old golf club sets You see behind me make an offer Excited guys, yeah, I'm excited by the way, just letting you know we lost DMX a couple weeks ago New Orleans is so amazing. There was a DMX second line I mean that to me is just the epitome of cool What I DMX second line is just the greatest and they were telling stories about how and this has nothing to do with anything I don't know like to hit me but they were telling stories about a David Bowie second line where everybody was dressed in a David Bowie. Are you guys on your way? Which era? David Bowie? Which one did you go as? It happened years ago. Are you on your way? Are you coming down Barry? I'll be there in a minute. Keep the light on. Brad Stine, No More Podcasts, see you next week. You're always trying to do your best Don't worry about what happens next Don't worry about what happens next Don't worry about what happens next Don't worry about what happens next Don't worry about what happens next Don't worry about what happens next Don't worry about what happens next Don't worry about what happens next Don't worry about what happens next Don't worry about what happens next