The Guestlist With Sean Cannon

When I initially got in touch with filmmaker Lance Bangs about doing an interview, I was totally unaware that he had a connection to the Louisville music scene. But during our conversation, I slowly found out that my hometown played an integral part in Lance's life and career, all of which is about to culminate in a decades-long documentary project called "Breadcrumb Trail."

Coliseum frontman Ryan Patterson joined me in the studio again right before the release of his band’s latest album, Sister Faith. It’s out now, and it’s easily Coliseum’s best yet and one of my favorites so far this year. This time around, Ryan and I discuss the evolution of Coliseum and how it pertains to his legacy. He also talks about what it was like to work with J. Robbins over the years.

I couldn't talk to Howard Kremer at SXSW without asking about his old TV show, "Austin Stories." It's about Austin...we're in Austin, so you know. We opened up with that, and I eventually found out that he thinks Bono is alright, comedy was his plan B, and Janeane Garofalo was present for his first public rap performance.

I always suspected that Jake Fogelnest was something of a kindred spirit. Those suspicions were confirmed at SXSW, when I chatted with him about music, the '90s nostalgia onslaught, the importance of context and, last but certainly not least, The Best Show on WFMU with Tom Scharpling.

Apparently I look like Rob Crow. Not only did I hear that from about a dozen people, but Rob said it himself during our conversation. We talked about more than just our amazingly good looks, though. Survivor's guilt (which has nothing to do with "Eye of the Tiger"), comic books and Rob's disdain for fake facial hair also came up.

Girl Germs, Bratmobile, Lookout!, Indivision Management, Simple Social Graces, eMusic. Molly Neuman has been involved in just about every facet of the music business at a pretty high level. Like many industry veterans, however, she didn't set out to play the game. So it was nice to hear about her journey from enthusiastic zinester to digital music trailblazer.

It's been an entire decade since the last time I shaved my beard off, so I'm celebrating my beardiversary with some beard-related interviews with notably bearded individuals. First up is Patrick Hallahan of My Morning Jacket.

We're still celebrating my beardiversary (and beards in general) on the show. This time around, Mark Everett of Eels talks about being hassled by the TSA for his beard after Sept. 11, 2001. He also touches on the time he was blamed for the proliferation of beards in England over the last decade.

Things are a little different for this Beardiversary Week interview, because the guest doesn't have a beard. That said, being bearded was an important part of Matisyahu's life for a decade. He decided to shave about a year ago, which is what most of our conversation revolves around.

When I finally decided to sit down and watch "Whisker Wars," I was greeted with a surprise early in the first episode. I saw someone I know, James Moody (transplanted Texas badass, owner of the Mowhawk and one of the organizers of my favorite music festival every year), stirring the pot. So of course I had to chat with him about "the internal beard."

My conversation with Ian MacKaye covers a lot of ground, but one of the most inspiring threads therein is the idea of lifelong adherence to the punk ethos. Listening to MacKaye talk about his steadfast approach to the world around him serves as a palpable reminder that you can indeed navigate life without compromising who you are.

In celebration of Dogfish Head Brewery's latest core beer, Sixty-One, founder Sam Calagione and Will Oldham planned a special event at Louisville's Holy Grale to feature the beer and the Bonnie "Prince" Billy song it inspired. I had a chance to sit down with Sam and Will beforehand to talk about the new beer and their longstanding friendship.

During SXSW, I had the pleasure of screening a documentary near and dear to my heart: "A Band Called Death." It tells the story of the Detroit band Death, who arguably invented punk in the '70s, only to have their music sit on the shelf for almost 35 years. I also had a chance to chat with the band and the directors of the documentary.

During SXSW 2012, one of my favorite conversations was with a gentleman that now goes by the name Jonny Fritz (who, we decided during our chat, is what you might call an inlaw goodass). When I found out that he would be back this year, I had to sit down with him again and talk about things that've changed in the intervening months.

If you didn't know better, you might think that the brain of Patrick Stickles is just a huge pastiche of cultural signposts held together by duct tape, encompassing everything from Camus to Krusty. Then again, I do know better and still wonder if there might be some truth to that. In fact, that makes up a big part of our conversation.