The very first time I saw Matt Whitesides, I couldn’t take my eyes off of him. It was the middle of the afternoon, my girlfriend, my buddy and myself were in the crowd at the Bluebird Theatre waiting to see Yellowcard and Home Grown, he was fronting local punk band Step Short, and I was hooked. Shortly thereafter, Step Short guested on my KCSU radio show and we started hanging out. It wasn’t until this conversation that I truly realized just how much we hung out. It was a lot!

So it’s weird that it took me this long to invite him on my show, but I’m happy we finally got a chance to do this because we had plenty to catch up on. We touch on everything from the quick rise of his first band Petrol Apathy and its dissolution to dropping random Seinfeld references on people at bars like Tony’s (*hunky Tony! Hey, hey, hey…*). We also discuss the journey of Step Short, Matt’s guiding philosophy in dealing with bookers, promoters, club owners and other people in the business that has afforded him impressive longevity, and the great heartbreak jams of No Bueno! Notably in this episode, Matt is candid about his past drug and alcohol use, his ongoing journey with sobriety and the incredible health scare he had about a year and a half ago. It’s a hell of a listen.

Matt’s a good buddy, and I’m thrilled we finally reconnected with a long conversation for real. For your enjoyment, here we are with two other members of Step Short at Herman’s Hideaway in what I’m guessing is either 2002 or 2003. We look like sweaty babies.

Be sure to follow No Bueno! on Facebook, listen to their tunes on Spotify, and see their videos on YouTube. And be sure to check out Love Lasts Longer Than Life, an awesome clothing brand Matt supports.

Available on iTunes, streaming on Spotify, on podcatchers everywhere, and at the Jon of All Trades homepage.

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