Episodes Featuring Barry Courter

This week on The What Podcast, we take a field trip to The Caverns in Pelham, TN - a music venue like no other. Located just 20 minutes from Bonnaroo's Farm, The Caverns offers an extraordinary experience, hosting shows underground in a breathtaking cave and on a sprawling outdoor amphitheater. We sit down with Todd Mayo, the visionary behind The Caverns, to uncover its remarkable story. Read More

We are still unpacking last week's conversation with Brad and Cory from C3 about what to expect for Bonnaroo 2025. Lots of new information on changes and improvements for next year, and of course we've got to take a guess at who they are hinting at for headliners. In addition to all the Bonnaroo info, we take a look at some of the recent news about When We Were Young Festival, and Chappell Roan's SNL performance. Read More

Could comedy make a comeback at Bonnaroo in 2025? Expanded camping options, or even a two-weekend event? This week on The What Podcast, we dive deep with Bonnaroo insiders Festival Director Brad Parker and Marketing Manager Cory Smith from C3 Presents. They share exclusive insights into what worked in 2024, what fans loved, and the exciting changes planned for 2025. Read More

It's been five years since Exit 111 took place on our beloved Farm in Manchester, featuring heavy-hitting acts like Lynyrd Skynyrd, Def Leppard, and Guns N' Roses. Bryan Stone attended with Taco, while Barry made a visit to check it out. The hosts reflect on the festival's surprising gun policy and discuss how things have changed since then. Read More

We conclude our coverage of South Star 2024 this week with an exclusive peek behind the curtain into how the festival came together in such a short period of time, and the long-term vision the city has for it. Despite the hurricane weather and Sunday's cancellation, the event was a huge success for the city. Read More

We continue the South Star Festival conversation this week with Jim Striker, who ran bars and clubs in Chattanooga for over 20 years before getting into music promotion. Jim was there with his wife on Saturday for South Star, and shares his experience rocking out to Tom Morello despite the muddy and rainy weather. Read More

Hurricane Helene has made a big impact on the Southeast, and while we're all grateful to be safe, our weekend took an unexpected turn. The inaugural South Star Festival in Huntsville, AL came and went, but it was shorter and muddier than we had planned. Despite the setbacks, was it worth the trip? After Sunday's cancellation, we sat down with Daniel and Sharla, Evan Bonnaroo, Chloe, and Shaina to chat about 'Couch Star,' and reflect on how we felt lucky to have even one day of the festival-and even luckier to experience a mid-year Bonnaroo reunion. Read More

It's the week of South Star Music Festival, and Barry and Bryan are gearing up to head to Huntsville, while Russ, unfortunately, has to miss out due to a wedding. To make matters worse, the news that Tom Morello is replacing Jane's Addiction only deepens his FOMO. Thanks to The What Podcast's roving correspondent Trevin, the trio also gets some insight into the Bourbon and Beyond festival, which took place this past weekend in Louisville, KY. Read More

The What Podcast is back after taking a couple of weeks off! What have we been up to? Find out how Bryan's trip to NYC to see Pearl Jam went, and why Barry is wearing those ridiculous sunglasses. We also take the time to make our picks for South Star Festival, coming up soon in Huntsville, AL. Note that we recorded this before the news broke that Jane's Addiction was cancelling the rest of their tour. Read More

It's "last call" before The What Podcast takes a short break, so the crew gathers to tie up a few loose ends. No special guests, no topics, just Bryan, Barry, and Russ. But first, Barry has a little news to break about the first confirmed booking for Bonnaroo 2025. It's still too early for rumors and speculation, but Childish Gambino is making the rounds as a potential headliner. Read More

We take a short break from Bonnaroo this week and finally dive into the upcoming South Star Festival in Huntsville, featuring an exclusive interview with Cory Smith, the marketing manager at C3 Presents. Cory, who has experience working on major festivals like Bonnaroo and Railbird, shares his insights on the challenges and excitement of organizing a new festival. Read More

Imagine preparing for your first trip to Bonnaroo, only to have your wristband stolen before it arrives. That's exactly what happened to our guest this week, Abbey Sugrue. Rather than letting this setback ruin her festival experience, Abbey turned to the Reddit community for help and reached out to The What Podcast for additional advice and we awarded her a package of Bonnaroo memorabilia from Barry's basement. Read More