Cort listened to Brian’s Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats setlist-turned-playlist assignment. Brian spent a week in Colorado going to concerts and is ready to talk about it! Brian is still watching shark movies ... good ones, even. The guys also get into Memphis’s craft brewery scene, and Cort waxes nostalgic about one of his favorite beverages, which is all followed up by Brian mentioning the bizarre saga of Walmart's possibly radioactive shrimp.

Also in this episode: a bean-based app that’s somehow revolutionizing ADHD productivity. And in breaking news Cort finally gets Brian to accept his first audiobook assignment.

Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats Playlist (Brian's assignment to Cort): Spotify Amazon Music

Cyrus Oh Cyrus – The Flying Scrub Jays (theme music): Listen on Spotify

In this episode, did Brian enjoy the Old Gods of Appalachia horror podcast? Cort didn’t listen to it, despite promising to, which prompts Brian to demand a new, more reliable system for assigning homework. AUDIOBOOKS ARE ON THE TABLE! (accountability is not)

Brian recounts his recent trip to see The Wiz, a show marred only by an unfortunate tangle of hair. We discuss the Memphis craft beer scene, including the loss of Memphis Made Brewing. There’s a detour into South Park’s latest political parody and ICE’s apparent attempt to draft Superman (seriously). But the real, "bury the lead why don't ya," bomb-drop is that Brian went to Colorado and saw not one, but two live shows: The Lumineers and Regina Spektor. Tune in to see which blew his mind.

Finally, Cort’s next assignment is a Colorado-trip-inspired, Brian-curated playlist of Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats tracks, so we're giving you an early link to the playlist in case you want to play along for next episode.

Theme Music: Cyrus Oh Cyrus – The Flying Scrub Jays

Check out Old Gods of Appalachia here: Old Gods of Appalachia Cort's Next Assignment: Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats playlist → Listen on Spotify → Listen on Amazon

Brian assigned Talking Through Tin Cans by The Morning Benders, and what starts as Cort’s simple album review turns into a deep dive on the band’s identity shift, artistic shift, and the fact that the name change apparently changed everything. Cort did his research, people, but Brian came with doctorate-level analysis, as per usual.

Elsewhere, the new Ben Folds Live with the National Symphony Orchestra gets full marks (who’s surprised?), and the first part of HBO’s new two-part Billy Joel documentary sparks conversation, appreciation, and… Cort’s possibly under-examined thing for pianists.

Brian watched more shark movies (it was all for research, of course) while Cort recommends something different to Brian to shake things up for the next episode. And they might’ve made it through an entire episode without talking politics, but no guarantees.

🎧 Talking Through Tin Cans by The Morning Benders 🎶 Theme music: Cyrus Oh Cyrus by The Flying Scrub Jays