BrownTown on BrownTown. BnB audio engineers Kiera Battles and Kassandra Borah hop off the 1's and 2's and onto the guest couch to help BrownTown breakdown the podcast's episodes of 2024. Last year we continued our Palestinian Liberation series, gave analysis on local and federal elections, revealed new SoapBox moves, unpacked the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, reconnected with old media-maker comrades, and had our first in-distillery recording. For better or worse, here's to 2025! Originally recorded January 30, 2025.
BrownTown on BrownTown. BnB audio engineers Kiera Battles and Kassandra Borah hop off the 1's and 2's and onto the guest couch to help BrownTown breakdown the podcast's episodes of 2024. Last year we continued our Palestinian Liberation series, gave analysis on local and federal elections, revealed new SoapBox moves, unpacked the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, reconnected with old media-maker comrades, and had our first in-distillery recording. For better or worse, here's to 2025!
With 12 total full episodes, 2024 brought 11 guest episodes (5 repeat, 8 new; 4 with 2+ guests), only 1 with no guests, only 1 virtual recordings, 4 series-type episodes, and 0 bonus episodes. In addition to the breakdown, the expanded team breaks bread about leadership, creative careers, and this political moment. Originally recorded January 30, 2025.
Listen to all the episodes on your chosen podcast application or right here!
GUESTS
Kiera Battles is nearing the completion of her master's program at Berklee College of Music. During her time there, she has begun laying the foundation for her own business as part of her culminating project. This venture is dedicated to empowering individuals in the music industry, helping them develop the skills and confidence needed to make a significant impact in the field. As her business grows, Kiera plans to continue pursuing her diverse passions—whether that's through audio, venue work, making waves in the music industry, or being an absolute menace.
Kassandra Borah is a soon-to-be graduate of Columbia College Chicago, where she currently serves as president of the Women in Audio Club. This May, she will be among the first graduates of the college’s newly launched Sound Design program. With a deep foundation in music performance and composition, she was inspired to expand her expertise into the realm of audio for visual media. Passionate and driven, Kassandra is excited to launch her career, with a particular focus on sound design for animation and video games.
CREDITS: Intro music from Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl LIX Halftime performance; outro music Free Luigi by Cooked Music. Audio recorded by Troy Alim and engineered by Kassandra Borah.
--
Bourbon ’n BrownTown
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Site | Linktree | Patreon
SoapBox Productions and Organizing, 501(c)3
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Site | Linktree | Support
BrownTown on BrownTown. BnB audio engineers Kiera Battles and Kassandra Borah hop off the 1's and 2's and onto the guest couch to help BrownTown breakdown the podcast's episodes of 2024. Last year we continued our Palestinian Liberation series, gave analysis on local and federal elections, revealed new SoapBox moves, unpacked the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, reconnected with old media-maker comrades, and had our first in-distillery recording. For better or worse, here's to 2025! Originally recorded January 30, 2025
INTRO
Intro music from Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl LIX Halftime performance;
BODY OF EPISODE
[00:01:14.910] - David
I'd like to welcome everyone to another installment of Bourbon 'n BrownTown. It's your boy David, coming to you from the Harambe studios in Chicago, Illinois. It's 2025, but I'm still here as always, my boy, Caullen. Caullen, how are you doing today?
[00:01:28.330] - Caullen
I'm doing well. How are you?
[00:01:32.560] - David
What do you mean you're doing well? Let's peel that back. What does that even mean?
[00:01:36.250] - Caullen
I think you're used to me saying a lot of words before I pitch it to you, and/or I'm like, I'm doing- I'm so stressed, mehh. Which is not the case, but-
[00:01:45.050] - David
Well, the people haven't heard from you since last year.
[00:01:49.610] - Caullen
Sure. I think end of the year, beginning of the year is, I think for a lot of folks, a reflection time and stuff and a planning time. That's not different for me or for Soapbox, but I think throughout the month of January, recording later than we normally do for the New Year's episode because people have been busy. But I think it's just been a longer time to do that reflection planning and stuff. Longer than I would like, if I'm being honest, but it's been a nice time looking at my living situation, looking at work stuff, looking at personal things, and it felt good and necessary.
[00:02:22.660] - Caullen
One of our movement and media homies, Daniel Kisslinger said a while ago was that he mentioned "moving at a human pace." And that stuck with me, I think it stuck with you as well. And so I think moving at a human pace while also getting this shit done seems sometimes contradictory. It's hard to balance. But I feel like the past month or six weeks, really, I've tried to do a better job at knowing my own capacity and others' capacity, as well as getting what is necessary to be done of the conditions set and set framework for more healing and for better work in the future. Try and do that and lean into that. And today, I just feel good for whatever reason. Slept in a little bit. My boy Taylor's in town, so we're hanging out. So it's just feeling good. Is that the answer you're used to?
[00:03:05.030] - David
That's better. I mean, I'm like, What you've been up to for the last six weeks? We haven't recorded.
[00:03:10.430] - Caullen
That's fair. Well, y tu?
[00:03:13.410] - David
Yo, man. I definitely been on the same wavelength. I think for me, it's really understanding that the winter solstice, that doesn't necessarily mean it's the end of the year. And so I think oftentimes when we try "New Year, new goal", and it's like, January 1st, and it's butt-fuck freezing. Then we get disappointed that we aren't accomplishing our goals at the beginning of the year because that's the term and the norm. You know what I'm saying?
[00:03:39.160] - Caullen
Sure.
[00:03:40.290] - David
I've been really anti that this year. You know what I'm saying? For me, it's like, I've just started getting back to the gym this week as a starter.
[00:03:48.110] - Caullen
Let's go! I see them veins popping!
[00:03:49.180] - David
My legs hurt. We did legs because it's the thing you don't want to do, so you do legs first.
[00:03:54.200] - Caullen
I love legs. I need support to do arms and chest.
[00:03:57.690] - David
Well, you know.
[00:03:59.060] - Caullen
If I could squat and get bigger arms, it'd be great.
[00:04:01.410] - David
Really?
[00:04:02.180] - Caullen
Yeah. If that could happen somehow physiologically.
[00:04:03.920] - David
Yeah. All right, that's for another episode. That's going to be part of our FAT4 programming that y'all see in Q3.
[00:04:09.390] - Caullen
Squat for liberation.
[00:04:10.200] - David
But in those terms, I don't know. To your point of moving at a human pace, just being realistic with expectations and just like... To me, it's also where my priorities have lied. I think we've seen so much rapid- at least these last few weeks, when we're recording at the end of January, as Caullen mentioned. A lot has happened in a very short amount of time. Definitely feeling reflective.
[00:04:29.630] - David
But coming into this episode, been really excited. I'm really gassed about some of the work that Soapbox has been doing with CDI, with the Death Penalty Project that we're in post on. I've been really trying to keep, not tunnel vision, but we got shit to do.
[00:04:44.220] - Caullen
Mamba mentality.
[00:04:45.470] - David
To a degree, to a degree. But really, again, really excited, really blessed. We're finally recording our first episode of the year with two homies, which is nice. Not that having new new guests, like, we recorded with Tyrus. But I had never met this motherfucker. It's a little different versus when you sit and hang and chat with motherfuckers. You already know. It's exciting. But without further ado.
[00:05:11.020] - Caullen
For all that don't know, we got our audio engineers behind the mic this time, not behind the recorder. *blow horn noise* This should be a familiar name, if not, we got Kiera Battles, who is nearing the completion of her master's program at Berklee College of Music. During her time there, she has begun laying foundation for her own business as part of her culminating project. This venture is dedicated to empowering individuals in the music industry, helping them develop skills and confidence needed to make a significant impact in the field. As her business grows, Kiera plans to continue pursuing her diverse passions, whether that's through audio, venue work, making waves in the music industry, or being an absolute motherfucking menace! KB, Kiera, what's going on? How are you feeling?
[00:05:56.440] - Kiera
It's going. I'm feeling. Yeah... I'm existing.
[00:06:02.940] - Caullen
Existence is resistance, as they say.
[00:06:06.030] - David
Facts. For the first time on the mic with Bourbon 'n BrownTown, Kassandra Borah. Kassandra is a soon to be graduate of Columbia College, Chicago- shout out, even though it has problems, we'll talk about it- where she currently serves as President of the Women in Audio Club. This May, she will be among the first graduates of the college's newly launched Sound Design program. With a deep foundation in music, performance, and composition, she was inspired to expand her expertise into the realm of audio for visual media. Passionate and driven, Kassandra is excited to launch her career with a particular focus on sound design for animation and video games. Kassandra, what's up, bro? How are you doing?
[00:06:44.200] - Kassandra
Other KB here.
[00:06:45.730] - David
Other KB here.
[00:06:46.990] - David
Oh, you're right! KB squared!
[00:06:47.650] - Kassandra
I knew you guys picked me for a reason.
[00:06:53.340] - Caullen
Her resume is awful, but it's KB and KB, so we gotta take her.
[00:06:57.770] - Kassandra
I'm doing well. Thanks. Despite everything, we are getting through January. Happy to be here, pushing through.
[00:07:08.830] - Caullen
We got a warmer day in Chicago.
[00:07:11.740] - David
It's 42. We'll take it. With the wind, it's 35.
[00:07:14.430] - Kassandra
Practically beach time.
[00:07:16.440] - Caullen
I mean, don't tempt me, girl.
[00:07:18.170] - David
I'm fucking dead.
[00:07:19.870] - Caullen
I guess for listeners who maybe their first time listening to this kind of episode, I'm going to pitch to Kiera, if you feel cool. Tell us about how you came to Bourbon 'n BrownTown, and maybe then we can pitch to the other KB ,to Kassandra, about how you started getting involved with Bourbon 'n BrownTown, the podcast, as well as Soapbox at large.
[00:07:39.900] - Kiera
Yeah. During my undergrad, I was at Columbia College, Chicago, and I found Soapbox through an ad. So I came in as an intern with Bourbon 'n BrownTown. And then instead of leaving after my 15 weeks were up, I stayed, where we, I think, changed my title seven times. We could not figure it out. And then I kept forgetting. And then Genta had left, and I pretty much stepped into his role. And yeah, that brings us up to where we are now with me.
[00:08:26.560] - Caullen
Kassandra, how did you get involved in Bourbon 'n BrownTown and Soapbox at large?
[00:08:31.520] - Kassandra
Yeah. So similarly, also at Columbia College, Chicago, I moved here two years ago from Kansas. Finished my undergrad in music performance, specifically vocal performance. And I moved here and I was doing the school thing and realized that maybe that wasn't really the path I wanted to go down. I started doing some projects in school that were more geared towards sound design and just audio general, and discovered a job I didn't know existed. And I was like, I'm going to switch my major, and was sleuthing around for some opportunities to get more experience at that. I think it was on Handshake that I found you guys. I thought, why not? And sent out my application. And now I'm here. Interned for a while, and I'm excited to be part of the crew.
[00:09:26.040] - Caullen
Yeah! We're excited to have you! Yeah, it's always nice having you on- or whoever's behind the mic on because you obviously know our voice is too well, one could argue, and have a different perspective on the episodes and the guests and just the sonnets of all that David and I just don't understand. It's nice having a different perspective in general, but also someone's who's deeply familiar, too. I'm happy to chat about everything.
[00:09:49.820] - David
I'm just so excited because I remember when we first were thinking about how do we continue to reach out to people and engage with folks who may not be directly within our networks. I think these internship opportunities were a way to do that. I don't want to talk too much about Columbia, but I enjoyed my time there. It's cool for me to, at this point, been able to foster that type of relationship with a school like that.
[00:10:12.010] - David
I was curious, how did the internship work for you? I think each of y'all came in at a very unique time. I think the majority of yours was virtual, I think your internship? Versus you were like, I don't know, mainly here. I am curious to hear a little bit about how that as an introduction to Soapbox, as an introduction to more... Because as your bios name, y'all are doing a lot of things. And so how this little part of your world means with it or without it? Go ahead.
[00:10:39.140] - Kiera
I know, from what I remember, I started my internship at the end of November. So we were at the end of my fall semester. So we had to finesse it a little bit. And then I remember being like, I will take this for credit. And then I didn't because I didn't feel like filling out the paperwork. At all. I wanted to... I had to email too many people. I didn't feel like doing it. And I wasn't upset about it either. I was like, I don't need an extra credit, it's fine. I still graduated over the minimum requirement anyway, just from me, just doing my absolute most. But yeah, and then doing the internship in the midst of everything else, people were just watching me like, How are you balancing everything? I was like, First of all, we got to remember the internship I'm doing, I do it maybe twice a month. Everyone calm down. Because I think at the same time, I had joined the Student Government Association at Columbia. So I was creating events and listening to the near hot mess that Columbia has become. But I will say it, I don't care.
[00:11:56.910] - Kassandra
Somebody has to.
[00:11:58.060] - Kiera
As we said my bio, an absolute menace. I will do it. And in that time, I was pretty much learning what I already do now, how to balance everything.
[00:12:11.920] - David
And you were able to work directly with Genta, I think that was unique. Because for Genta, I think he also went to Columbia, so for him, teaching someone the ropes, so to speak, I think was an interesting moment.
[00:12:20.990] - Caullen
Genta being our previous, and first, audio engineer.
[00:12:23.990] - David
And again, I just recall it was all during COVID.
[00:12:27.940] - Kiera
Yeah, it was-
[00:12:28.640] - David
Cards Against Humanity, RIP. What about you, Kass?
[00:12:32.240] - Kassandra
I will say despite Columbia's current position, I somehow meet everybody from Columbia and work with everybody that has graduated from there. Also, like, most of the faculty there is graduates of Columbia, so I feel like it's a really cyclical institution. But yeah, my first semester there was a shit show. The teachers were striking for better benefits, and five of my classes weren't happening for half a semester. So I was twiddling my thumbs, not sure what to do with myself. So I'm like, okay, let me seek opportunities outside of school. And I had a really positive experience with it. I think it gave me an opportunity to try something that I've seen a million people do. And I'm like, I could do that. But then it's actually putting it into practice. Also, I love listening to podcasts, so it was just a fun little adventure in that realm. Like, Okay, I'm listening to all these different podcasts and absorbing the material, how can I use that knowledge to contribute and have the opportunity to be creative? Which has been really fun. So, yeah, thank you guys.
[00:13:59.650] - David
Facts! Just to name some quick stats for the years, we've had 12 episodes, all of them with guests, but one, which I think is… I don't know. That's interesting because some years we've had more, Caullen, where it's just you and I chopping things up.
[00:14:14.160] - Caullen
Sure.
[00:14:14.580] - David
Some years, there's more guests intentionally. Five episodes were repeat guests, including Kiera, so that was cool. Then eight episodes with new guests. We're talking about those new relationships that we build and how we get there. I think it's unique, each episode, on how we get to the guests. We had one Whiskey 'n Watching episode with the alderfolk, which I thought was super awesome, and we'll definitely get into it. Low key because the intro question that I was going to pitch was like, What was everyone's favorite episode? But I think sometimes it's hard to answer, especially if we're making it. But I think the Whiskey 'n Watching, the Black Panther one might be my favorite, low key.
[00:14:56.950] - Caullen
Jumping the gun.
[00:14:57.510] - David
I know.
[00:14:58.090] - Caullen
Is there a better phrase for that? Why did we gotta-
[00:15:00.260] - David
Why it gotta be violent? Then the last stat that I'll name, that I think is really important, really valuable for us is that 11 of them were at Harambe Studios, which is really exciting. Then one of them was at CH Distillery. Shout out to CH Distillery for sharing some of its bourbon with us. That's exactly what we sippin. So shout out to the homies.
[00:15:18.940] - Caullen
Shout out, Tyrus. Shout out, Tony. I love doing this stats because I feel like we're in a sportscaster room. "All right, what's our QB rating?" We're talking about all the stats like, 11 of us.... Go down the list. It feels like we're very much in the booth in a different way. One thing I noticed about it is, I think it's maybe similar to previous years. I haven't looked, but the majority of the episodes were some kind of series. Whether it was a 2.0, a 3.0, or a part one, part two, or some sequence of a similar topic but a little different. We discovered through last year, especially, we have different kinds of series, and it all is intentional. We didn't really know how or why until we actually sat down and looked at it. We're going to add a little bit. But yeah, the amount of series was interesting as far as how many we had. It was, I don't want to say a slow year because that sounds like bad or negative, but we didn't record as many as we have in previous years.
[00:16:10.910] - David
You weren't as productive as you were before?
[00:16:11.840] - Caullen
Exactly. Not making money for the shareholders. So 12 full episodes. It's unique that we don't have that many, but I know at the beginning of the year was slow for us, just capacity and work-wise. Then throughout the year, I think each episode, probably don't have intentionality and care behind crafting topics and talking to guests and stuff, but it felt like each one was especially crafted this year a little bit.
[00:16:37.480] - Caullen
And we had to lean into the moment, as we always do, and things that we're thinking about and feeling. We went through a slew of topics that I think, as we listen to this podcast, are always related. But 2024 primaries in Chicago and the actual national election, of course, grassroots meme and media making, which is interesting. I think that even is related with the Black Panther episode with the alderhomies. Gaza and Palestine, Palestinian Liberation, more importantly. Pop culture and the interpersonal relationships, and the DNC was in Chicago, talked about that. And just organizing strategy in general. Each couple of months of the year had a different focus. More with the memes and stuff middle of the year. Personal stuff in the summer, and then the DNC and Palestine, kinda at the beginning and end of the year. In a way, not book ending it intentionally, but we opened up with with those topics.
[00:17:33.100] - Caullen
Just wanted to name that big picture before we get into the nitty-gritty. But you named it as far as most of our episodes, all but one was here in the Soapbox office in Harambe Studios. The only one that wasn't here was intentionally planned not to be here. It wasn't like we had to record somewhere like we would scramble in previous years. I'm curious, Kiera, I know, is last year, I think.... Maybe the year before that, you were mentioning how nice it was to having one central place to come and record to. You mind speaking on that as far as how last year was compared to the year prior or in general?
[00:18:07.420] - Kiera
Yeah. Having just one place to go to record for the year, that was amazing because I didn't have to relearn a room in 10 minutes- if we had that. Especially knowing me being busy and having to look for locations, but also look for time. And then if we were racing against the clock, then it was just like, are we going to put up the best thing possible? If we're racing against the clock, if we're in a new environment, especially because for a while it was just me. So it was just like, well, we gotta figure out the room, position everybody and hope for the best. And being able to now learn the room we're in and know, oh, we do have people above us, but you usually can't hear them in the recording if they're moving. Or just, we can be in here as long as we want to. Because I do remember one of the Whiskey 'n Watchings- I can't remember the name, but I do remember the location we were at. We were pushing it on time.
[00:19:27.600] - David
They were kicking us out.
[00:19:30.270] - Kiera
They were going to be like, Yeah, we need to go.
[00:19:32.600] - Caullen
Quit talking.
[00:19:34.170] - Kiera
Yeah. So being able to be like, We don't need a two-hour episode, but could we? Yes.
[00:19:42.310] - David
Appreciate that, Kiera.
[00:19:44.620] - Caullen
What about you, any differences between-
[00:19:46.680] - David
I think to me, it's definitely like, I've gotten very comfortable in my chair. I've gotten comfortable with my setup. I now know, and so it's like I need less time to prepare, so to speak. Not that we're cutting it close to the clock, but I don't know. I definitely think I've been able to integrate it, it being in the office. Us being able to schedule it in a more unique fashion. It's like, Oh, can y'all come to us? We provide support with that. I don't know. To me, it's only made it easier. Again, I'm comfy in my chair. I know what's up. I think there was a lot of learning during this past 2024 for me, in my chair, so to speak. But no, it's only gotten easier.
[00:20:30.810] - Caullen
There's a bit of a hosting element, I think, too, especially with new people who we may not know prior to. They may know David or Caullen from a protest. They might know Soapbox from some video they saw. They're like, Okay, I'm agreeing to be part of this, but I don't really know who y'all motherfuckers are. It's like, Oh, here's our space. Here's what we're all about. The space, the physical space, can signal to new guests- or even people we know- more about what we do in the world even before we start talking. That's important.
[00:20:57.510] - Caullen
I think about the episode we had earlier- maybe this was two years ago. The episode Home from previous year, not 2024, about having a home. And David, I think you and I were both in a weird home situation. Then also trying to find the office. Then I think, fast forward to earlier in 2024, Bring Chicago Home episode with Dixon and Romeo talking about the legislation that Chicago tried to pass to have a wrap around homelessness services in that legislation, but also this idea of what is a home?
[00:21:51.450]
[audio clip from Ep. 105 - Bring Chicago Home] And so the reality of it is, is like, this is a really nice floor, but there's so much structural stuff in this- to use this house metaphor- in this home that we are trying to Bring Chicago Home into. And this is a good foundation, but there's so much else that we're going to address and our plan is to continue to do that. That is the work of NotMeWe and other groups that are part of this coalition is to long term address these issues. And it doesn't matter who the mayor is.
[00:21:52.980] - Caullen
Our conversation was about the office or finding our own space, but we have never been homeless. In a way that we think about this legislation. That was a cool episode for me just because it was nice just seeing this different idea of what home means in all the ways: from legislation, the homelessness, to how everyone, you just feel different, you have a place you can call your own.
[00:22:14.040] - Caullen
I think you ask about how I've been and stuff, this year, this past couple of months have been interesting for me because my roommate moved out and I'm living alone for a while, and it's been fucking great other than paying rent every month. But it's like I got my posters up and got to finagle some stuff, sold some things, bought some things, and it just feels like... I'm 34 years old, but it feels like I have a home that represents who I am. You know what I mean? It feels really good. I want everyone to have that. Then we talk about capitalism and homelessness and people doing that work. It just gets really-
[00:22:42.130] - David
People not wanting you to have that.
[00:22:43.620] - Caullen
Yeah. The real estate lobby can eat it. It set the, not intentionally, but it wasn't the first episode of the year, but it was in that first bucket of episodes, and it set the tone, for me, in a way, as far as what does a home looked like. But also how do we fight for everyone to have a home, quite literally? Dixon's a homie. We didn't know him prior to too much. Just his brilliance and leadership at Southside Together, and he's just goofy, and I enjoyed that energy, so that was a cool episode for me. I thought about that as far as recording in one consistent place, as well as how that lends itself to the work and to the media we're trying to create and put out in the world.
[00:23:27.880] - David
I think that's also reflected in episode we had with CA. CA Davis. I didn't know him in person until that recording.
[00:23:36.820] - Caullen
Oh, yeah. You had never met before.
[00:23:37.580] - David
We had never met before. We had a virtual recording, which was interesting, years ago. Then him being able to come into the space. I've always loved hosting. I think y'all can get that vibe. I think to your point, Caullen, I think you're just like, I'm agreeing with what you named, but I hadn't processed it in terms of like, Oh, it's a little easier for us to have motherfuckers come in. Then we're jumping around having to try to make spaces feel comfy and us without having it. I don't know. I'm just processing that with you.
[00:24:07.090] - David
But I'm naming CA Davis just because here's this dude who "I know". He finally comes into the office and we finally kick it. We're able to do some stuff throughout the day as well. I don't know. It's exciting. And then to that point, then being able to go somewhere like CH Distillery, which is also a location that we were trying to get in with CH Distillery for years.
[00:24:26.610] - David
Or years ago, rather, we had some connection and we trying to make that happen because they're like, Hey, we're starting a bourbon distillery thing. I'm like, Cool, my podcast is Bourbon 'n BrownTown. I was Ubering at the time for this motherfucker. And the follow up never happened. It's just, again, the beauty of... I don't even know how we got it from your boy, Tony?
[00:24:44.800] - Caullen
Yeah, Tony at CrossTown.
[00:24:45.950] - David
I don't know. Again, we talk about that full circle thing. I tell Tyrus, Yo, somebody originally was telling me that they were going to start this at CH Distillery because y'all don't do bourbon. Yeah, we just started, what did he say? Three, four, five years ago, some shit like that? I was like, All right, cool. We're fine. I'm glad, if we didn't even know you now, we know you now at this point. It's just perfect timing. I don't know.
[00:25:05.110] - David
CH Distillery recording, I think, was also really fucking dope. It's really exciting to think about other locations and areas within the industry because we are drinking bourbon. It was an interesting conversation to have with someone who we don't know. I don't know how you feel about that.
[00:25:18.740] - Caullen
No, I feel great about it. I think one of that first episode, we talked about... We talked about BrownTown a lot, but not about bourbon. That's fine, that's not what we're all about. But part of it was a learning experience for both of us. And again, like you said, fostered through relationships. We keep talking about putting that at the forefront of a lot of this work and how these things transition. On that, David, you mentioned your favorite episode.
[00:25:41.460] - David
I did.
[00:25:41.900] - Caullen
I'm curious, Kassandra and Kiera, what your favorite episode I was for 2024? I'm also curious for y'all if it's different. If you have a favorite episode, content-wise and sonically, and a favorite episode that you like... I don't know. If that's different from an episode you liked editing or recording, I don't know. Like, Oh, recording that was ass, but the episode was beautiful.
[00:26:01.690] - David
I wasn't there.
[00:26:02.800] - Caullen
Or, I mixed the shit out of this episode and added some ear candy here, but the content was ass. I don't know. I'm just curious if there's a difference there or not. We have thick skin, and we can take it, so it's fine. I'm my own harshest critic anyway.
[00:26:16.920] - Kassandra
I'll jump in. You stole my answer.
[00:26:19.280] - David
What do you mean?
[00:26:20.580] - Kassandra
The Whiskey 'n Watching, Wakanda Forever. I hadn't actually seen the movie, so I basically learned the plot of the movie through editing this episode. And then I went back- I had to buy it so that I could use the clips from it using Blackhole. It's basically just this little plugin that allows you to take audio from YouTube videos or other stuff.
[00:26:48.330] - Caullen
Just borrow audio.
[00:26:49.160] - Kassandra
Yeah, just borrow! And so that was a good learning experience for me, just learning how to use those tools. But I also had a lot of fun trying to figure out how to work in the scenes from the movies in an effective way, in an effective way. It was a fun creative challenge, I feel. Also, I just like Jesse and Rossana. I thought that they were awesome, so I feel like I'm partial to that episode.
[00:27:23.220] - Caullen
New to Chicago, learning the best Aldermen in the city right off the bat. Look at you. Look at you! Took me 20 some odd years. Naw.
[00:27:32.040] - Kassandra
What about you?
[00:27:35.800] - Kiera
Well, first off, you could have told me. You didn't have to buy it.
[00:27:39.780] - Caullen
I thought that, too.
[00:27:40.300] - Kiera
I got all the streaming services.
[00:27:42.510] - Kassandra
I didn't know. I was like, I felt like I should.
[00:27:45.770] - Caullen
No, put that in your next invoice, we got you. I'm dead ass.
[00:27:49.920] - Kiera
I could have ripped it so fast. Anyway.
[00:27:53.470] - David
We're still sharing as we speak.
[00:27:57.120] - Kiera
I think my favorite was was the Distillery one. It was the most different out of all of them. I like the Whiskey 'n Watching, the Wakanda Forever. I already saw that movie a million times, and then I had to go work it because they were doing it at Millenium Park as one of the free movies. So I had to watch it and also tell people to get their feet off the seats because they're not at home. If you want to lounge, go to the lawn. So I had already seen the movie a few times, but I did like the distillery one. Again, it was learning a new space, but also me in the background dying because I took a sip of bourbon.
[00:28:43.000] - Caullen
And it was 200 proof.
[00:28:45.340] - Kiera
It was too much proof. It is not the first time that you have nearly taken me out with bourbon.
[00:28:54.710]
[audio clip from Ep. 114 - Distilling Dialectics at CH Distillery] The final proof came out to be 123, so it's 61.5%. Y'all, we out here!
[00:29:06.230] - Kiera
But I do find the whole distilling process really cool anyway. I find a process of most things really cool. But hearing that and then like, Oh, you're supposed to taste things in this? Not fire? Got it. But me, I taste fire.
[00:29:29.270]
[audio clip from Chappelle's Show - "Making the Band"] I spit hot fire.
[00:29:31.810] - Kiera
But yeah, I thought that that one was my favorite.
[00:29:35.760] - David
That's what's up. What about you, Caullen? You haven't named anything.
[00:29:37.880] - Caullen
I'm scrolling through them. I have not. I think in true Caullen fashion, I may have a couple. I think one may have been the DNC Part 2 episode. They both were great. But I'm thinking about part 2 because we had two guests on that episode, Nesreen and Nadiah, and we met them literally in the streets during March On DNC protest in Chicago. So the protest against the Democratic National Convention happening that was very Palestine They both organize with USPCN: United States Palestinian Community Network. It was just cool because we knew we wanted to do a part two with someone who's involved in the protest now. Part one was with Bill Ayers, who was like, long-time OG organizer. And we didn't really know who yet, until after we were literally in the streets filming the protest and stuff, we met them.
[00:30:37.000]
[audio clip from Ep. 112 - Democratic National Convention: From 1968 to 2024, Pt. 2] I met so many amazing people from different backgrounds, different ethnicities, different organizations, just fighting for similar goals that we're fighting for. Tens and thousands of people in one crowd just calling out the Democrats and saying, You can't step all over us anymore, was amazing to see. Everyone had amazing personalities. It was so cool to meet people.
[00:31:07.770] - Caullen
Hey, we have random dudes on Instagram. Hey, we were in the protest with you. We have footage and stuff. It's like, you want to go on our podcast?
[00:31:13.150] - David
You've seen us plenty of times.
[00:31:13.720] - Caullen
You've met us, you know who we are. They're like, Oh, yeah, you guys were with the whip pans, yeah, yeah. It was just a very, very, very organic, unplanned guest, of the topic that we all wanted to lean into from a very different perspective than Bill Ayers, but also similar in ideology. That was just a cool, neat happenstance that was not really planned, but also aligned, which felt good.
[00:31:36.810] - Caullen
The episode with Camila, the Independent Media Creation in the Age of Spin (& Memes). That was cool just because I met Camila years ago on the lefty internet circles. She was just posting a lot of stuff on our stories and lefty memes and everything. Then now, I don't know how many followers she has now, I'll see people I don't even know post some political meme I like, Oh, ComradeCami, that's the homie. She was involved in that. I was like- and this idea of memes and pop culture and digital aid and all that stuff converging and how really important it is and how everyone gets information. But also, how it's a tool that everyone uses, including the hard right. And we forget about that and stuff. And so I don't know. It was just cool.
[00:32:15.910] - David
We told you TikTok was going to get banned in that episode. You didn't listen to us.
[00:32:19.680] - Caullen
You didn't listen.
[00:32:20.570]
“You better listen!”
[00:32:22.700]
[audio clip from Ep. 106 - Independent Media Creation in the Age of Spin (& Memes) 2.0] Before that, I just want to say that we're working against the biggest propaganda machine ever in history. The US, they are constantly putting against the struggle, propaganda against people of the greater majority, and propaganda against communism, famously. I want to say that even if people look down on memes and they don't like them and they don't think it's effective, dude, they have all the money in the world to make propaganda. We got memes, and we got to make the best of what we can with what we got.
[00:33:08.460] - Caullen
That episode couldn't have happened three years ago, four years ago. Obviously, memes were a thing, but it's like, not like they are now, especially political memes. A decade ago, you definitely couldn't have that. You know what I mean? It was just very timely and unique. Then with the genocide in Gaza and everything, it's like ,Camila was going crazy and learning about just the lefty meme world and how it works. It was just interesting and cool to me. I mentioned Bring Chicago Home earlier for all the reasons I named. They all stick out, but those were just interesting. And Jesse and Rossana was dope. Anything getting into pop culture and politics in a very explicit way is a soft spot. It's hard to pick, but those stick out for those reasons.
[00:33:50.890] - David
Sure. I forgot with Camila, that was our only virtual recording.
[00:33:56.940] - Caullen
Yeah, our only virtual episode.
[00:33:57.880] - David
Meaning you and I, we were all here except for her.
[00:34:00.320] - Caullen
You're right. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Virtual recording in this room. We were looking at the screen. She can see us and it was weird, but probably do it again. We just gotta work out the kinks.
[00:34:08.380] - David
I mean, the fact that we know that we can do it, I think was a positive because we're like- yeah, I thought that was cool.
[00:34:13.710] - Kiera
I'll actually do it right next time. Because I couldn't remember how we did the virtual. And then I was like, oh, I did it. And then-
[00:34:21.030] - David
Because you recorded the Zoom recording?
[00:34:22.910] - Kiera
Yeah, but I forgot to hit the specific button in Zoom that says separate audio from each person. So I had to use the entire thing. I was like, wow. I'm like, I quit. I'm done. I can't do this.
[00:34:38.310] - Kassandra
Working with audio is really like that. You forget to click one little button and it's just going to make your life hell.
[00:34:49.260] - Kiera
I was like, do I know what I'm doing? I don't know.
[00:34:53.110] - David
Well, thank you, Caullen, for sharing your favorite. I think I totally hear you on how it's difficult to find them. Because I'm relooking at the the list of episodes that we engaged with. I think for me, in probably being more comfortable in this being our space, all things we've already named, I felt that these were also some of the most intimate conversations we had with folks. I'm really thinking, looking at the anti-zionism and Jewish solidarity. I think that was an interesting conversation. We're talking with Rabbi Rosen and Lesley, and I found this wonderful connection with Lesley being a convert and me having my own concept and just work through faith. That episode itself was very intimate with strangers. They don't know us. We don't know them. And interesting, it's always that case. Once you see the red beetle, you see the red beetle everywhere. After that episode, I saw a Rabbi Rosen everywhere, and I was like, Bro, get out of here.
[00:35:42.430] - Caullen
He was going crazy. He was everywhere.
[00:35:43.980] - David
But I'm just thinking about what this year offered us. And I think, aside from all the things y'all are naming and how all that just adds one to another, because I don't even remember how we tagged Rabbi Brant into that episode. But I'm really grateful before it, again, being just one of those conversations that was just like, I don't know, we went crazy. And I was like, okay, cool. I'm always learning during the recording, but I'm like, Oh, I'm hearing from the camel's mouth. I don't know. Is that the term?
[00:36:14.230] - Caullen
The term is whatever you want it to be, baby.
[00:36:15.400] - David
I'm hearing it directly from the source. I'm like, here's my man telling me, and here's this other person who came into it, who that's what they told were the thing. And then they're like, Hey, they learned it's not. Zionism doesn't have to equate Judaism, which it doesn't.
[00:36:30.190]
[audio clip from Ep. 111 - Palestinian Liberation: Anti-Zionism & Jewish Solidarity] So when we say, "The only way for Jews to be safe is to have our own nation state." Well, first of all, I think you could argue, and many people have, that the least safe place to be Jewish right now is in Israel, as opposed to here in Chicago or London or many other places. But even if we did think that that was true, aren't there ways that we could work to make sure that all communities are safe? That instead of saying our safety is dependent on making these other people refugees, is that really the only way that we can make Jews safe? And is that continent with Jewish values? There's a lot of talk about Jewish values, Jewish ethical values, which is a big part of the reason that I converted. Does that really fit Jewish ethical values to say that we're going to prioritize our safety, even if it means ruining the lives and literally ending the lives of millions and millions of people?
[00:37:23.480] - David
That breakdown was great, especially at the time of BS, anti-Semitism, crying wolf type shit.
[00:37:32.430] - Caullen
You heard it here first. It's always weird seeing those signs like, "stopm out anti-Semitism." I'm like, I mean, yes...
[00:37:38.960] - David
We're not-
[00:37:39.860] - Caullen
Let's qualify what that actually is. We got e-met with Brant through Rossana Rodriguez.
[00:37:45.250] - David
Oh, shit.
[00:37:46.160] - Caullen
I think earlier on, we were going to have him on and things didn't work out. We reached out back out to him later at a different point during the genocide. This is in the summer before the DNC, so things are- not heightened during the genocide ever, but they're just more layered, I guess. I reached out to Rossana a while ago, I was like, Yo, we're looking for anti-zionist, preferably rabbi, but someone in the Jewish community who would be down to talk on anti-zionism amd the Jewish faith. She was like, bet. I was like, again, homie, connection, whatever. Didn't know him and Lesley. He brought Lesley on. He's like, Hey, my homie does cool work. She's a convert.
[00:38:22.820] - David
Slide with me.
[00:38:23.330] - Caullen
It was great. That conversation was very, very rich, but I really, really appreciated it. That was part of- it's part of our Palestinian Liberation series, an ongoing series. We had one with Muhammad, we had one later with Amoona, on these different aspects of Palestinian Liberation, especially in this moment. That's one of those series that we- it's such a huge topic, and we categorized it by guest and subtopic. The protests and encampments on the college campuses, but also anti-zionism through someone who's older and a rabbi, with Muhammad who is doing the work with USPCN. Different flavors, different buckets of how you do this work. Showing that, I think Muhammad laid the groundwork for a lot in 2023 was that there's no role outside of the struggle for liberation. There's a way you can get involved in any way, which I think we've been illustrating that through that series, intentionally and unintentionally, in a way.
[00:39:27.440] - Caullen
I think one thing we've touched on earlier in the conversation, but we had another- I think our second 3.0, 2.0 type episode, the only episode with you and I, David. Creative Jobs, Life Balance, & Working towards a Liberatory Future within Capitalism. We've had that over the years at Bourbon 'n BrownTown, and as David, you and my work situation has changed, or we've lived in the world and just developed and whatever. Then also Soapbox has changed, and how money and needing it to pay rent, and to eat food, and to drink water, and do all those things, but also living within capitalism is this thing we're trying to actively dismantle. The contradictions in that and how we navigate other personal relationships. I always like that episode because it's like, we have to talk about ourselves in terms of the system, the contradictions that everyone has. And even trying to do libertory work. I just like having that topic that is always something you and I can just go back and discuss through our different worlds and stuff. Through our different hobbies and work outside of Soapbox. If you're listening, you're probably going to hear it again at some point. But you can go back and listen to that episode.
[00:40:34.060] - Caullen
I'm curious, Kassandra and Kiera, maybe if you have any thoughts on that episode or that topic yourselves from being young people in the world working, trying to figure it out, struggling against the -isms, but also working within them at the same time.
[00:40:52.130] - Kassandra
Yeah. It's like, how do you play the system while also dismantling it? I think as somebody who's been in college for seven years now and approaching being out of college, it's a little intimidating looking at the job market and figuring out how do I support myself as a creative. If you freelance, then you have to invest a lot of money into equipment and handle business aspects on your own. But then also the job market isn't exactly very kind right now. There's more people looking for jobs than is hiring, especially in the creative field. So I'll probably be doing a lot of work just to get experience and to build up my portfolio, which is, I guess, the curse of being a creative is that you just have to do it in order to be seen.
[00:41:57.330] - Kassandra
But as far as I guess the systems part, I like this job specifically because it helps me get more involved in my community and it helps me learn about Chicago. I've actually learned so much about this city from just working on this podcast, and that's been great for me. I go to a school that's pretty political. They like protesting. They really enjoy it.
[00:42:24.980] - David
Liberal art school. It be like that.
[00:42:27.700] - David
Yeah. I got my first taste of that during the strike when the students were out supporting the teachers. The issue that was going on there is that there's the part-time faculty who's like, Okay, yes, we're part-time, but because we're working two part-time jobs, we're not getting benefits from either, and we need consistency. Also, the question of what are we really spending our money on at Columbia, was challenged quite a bit. So getting to be a part of that and see, okay, the things that are going on in my community really do impact me. And what is my role in all of this, has been something that's been on my mind over the past year and a half that I've been here. And I think that Soapbox has been a great way to get more involved in that. But, yeah, we're out here, surviving. Soon to be thriving, hopefully.
[00:43:33.270] - Caullen
There you go.
[00:43:34.540] - David
Paying rent.
[00:43:35.290] - Kassandra
Yeah. Making it. One month at a time.
[00:43:42.130] - Kiera
I think for me, trying to, 1) be in grad school at the same time of trying to establish some type of career has been annoying. And then also being a creative, knowing I don't want to end up in an office ever. 9-5 is not for me.
[00:44:09.720]
[crosstalk 00:44:11]
[00:44:12.000] - Kiera
9-5 is not for me. Well, okay, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM is not for me, but maybe 5:00 PM to 9:00 AM, I could do it.
[00:44:20.790] - Caullen
Let's go.
[00:44:21.570] - Kiera
And that's what happens as a creative, as someone who does live sound, as someone who wants to work in the music business. It's flipped. And trying to navigate that without having that extra thought of me wanting to be a creative is essentially being punished by society. Because I don't want typical. I don't want uniformity. I don't want to be told that I have to want to buy a house. I have to want a family. I have to... I don't want that! Because I have already stated that for me, kids aren't happening because of the career I want. And that is not fair to bring a child into that. Because my child will not be raised by a nanny, will not be raised by a babysitter, will not be raised through a screen. And I had already determined that for myself at 16 years old.
[00:45:22.140] - Caullen
You are very mature.
[00:45:24.900] - Kassandra
I feel like people start asking you at such a young age if you want kids, and it's actually kinda crazy. I'm like, I don't know what I want for breakfast. What do you mean? I'm 14.
[00:45:37.230] - Kiera
I don't even know what clothes I want to wear today. We have to- leave me alone. But I know last year, part of my whole business plan is advocating for people in the music industry. I was also advocating for my fellow coworkers, which ultimately I ended up quitting that job anyway, only because I'm trying to communicate with the manager in this place. She was like, I'll hear you out. I'll do this. And I was like, But are you actually hearing me out, or are you just having the meetings to say you're having the meetings and then doing nothing? And then to me being like, I don't know, three steps below her and then be like, Oh, it's your fault, everything is the problem. I'm like, who makes hourly? Who makes salary? Who's actually the problem here? Who's actually in charge of the team? Because it's not me. So, yeah, that job is gone. It's also a hot mess, and I'm like, well, you should have listened.
[00:46:48.790] - Kiera
But also just navigating the world in general, because pretty soon I'll be out of school. And it's like, What do you do? Because in this entire project, I have to figure out one main part is, will it be a for-profit or a nonprofit? And then on both ends, how do you fund that? Period. How do you fund that with no money? Especially in a society that doesn't want me to make money. So I'm just here ready to dismantle everything at a moment's notice.
[00:47:27.360] - David
Yo, that's real. I'm just grateful to to listen to each of y'all. Definitely glad that B'nB has been able to be useful to you. And Kiera, it seems like you're just on the same path that Bourbon 'n BrownTown has been on. I think for us, it's been really exciting because y'all definitely listen to the way and the steps that we've taken. We say that because the idea is that you give people information and then they're able to use it right to their advantage. Not to say that you got to take a nonprofit or a for-profit necessarily there’s multiple areas.
[00:48:03.200] - David
But just thinking about that, and I don't know, I go back to just thinking of community. To me, it's really exciting that I wouldn't have known y'all if it wasn't for this internship. Because I don't know if our path would have honestly crossed at this point. You feel what I'm saying? I don't know. For me, it's really cool to be able to... For Bourbon 'n BrownTown to be at this level, but also to hear y'all speak truth to where y'all are at as well. I think it's the same.
[00:48:29.940] - Kassandra
Yeah, we're on similar paths. Yeah. And it goes to say something about being a woman in this field. This semester, as I've stepped into the role of President for the Women in Audio Club at Columbia, I've been thinking a lot about, okay, what does leadership mean? And that's been on my mind a lot. And what opportunities can I provide to these people? And it's definitely been a little bit of soul searching and also, okay, logistics. How do I plan events, make them happen, and also provide opportunities to the people that are a part of my club? And ushering in new leadership. I'm only President for a semester, so we have freshmen coming in to sit on the board and, okay, how do we usher the next generation in? That's also been something that's been present in my life as of recently.
[00:49:41.410] - Caullen
Present for the President. No, thanks for sharing. I mean, both of you guys for sharing that. My mind's- a lot of tabs are opening, but I would like to reverse. Kassandra, what you're saying about be a leader. I think part of a lot of that through line between different buckets you have to navigate is trust. How do you not do everything, right, and delegate to folks.
[00:50:07.340] - Kassandra
I struggle with that so much.
[00:50:08.760] - Caullen
But also, you have to trust folks to get the thing done and build them up to be able to do it. But also, you have to put on stuff on your own shoulder to make make sure things happen. I hear that. I understand that a little bit. Also this tight window is interesting as well because you have to do it within a certain time.
[00:50:22.790] - Kassandra
Delegation has always been challenging because if I could do it all myself, I would. But also because I'm in a position where I'm like, okay, I know how to do all these things. I had my own club back at my community college, and I just have that experience. I'm like, well, now my job has changed. Now my job is to lead people into being able to do that on their own. So it's full circle from my experiences back when I was still living in Kansas, starting a club, figuring out how to run it. Now I'm running this club I didn't even start and giving people, I guess, instruction and guidance on how to do it themselves. It's rewarding, I won't lie. I really do like working with people and throwing events and stuff. I think it's really fun. It's the itty-bitty part of the marketing major that's still in me somewhere.
[00:51:16.640] - Caullen
There's definitely some nodes to take away from it. Probably a lot you can just probably put aside, but a lot of other you can take away.
[00:51:21.430] - Kassandra
The accounting's over there. The event planning is the fun part, I think.
[00:51:28.300] - Kiera
I will say, just looking at the social media, Women in Audio is more active than it was my year, my year's there. I was part of it, but not really. I was getting the emails, but not attending everything. And then when I did do my initiative with Student Government Association, because I was the the Audio Arts and Acoustics Department....
[00:51:58.380] - Kassandra
Senator?
[00:51:58.810] - Kiera
Senator. Senator. Before they changed all the schools, I don't know what's going on now, but I was that liaison between students, faculty, and staff. And I did an entire project, reached out to Women in Audio, being like, Do you guys want to collab? So we actually ended up combining budgets. But that was the most active I had seen Women in Audio for the four years I was at Columbia compared to now.
[00:52:28.740] - Kassandra
It has been good. I mean, we struggled during the strike to really have events and do stuff just because we didn't have the capacity to do so. And then last semester, the President, Zoe, was trying to get things amped back up, but it was still a little bit of that feeling from the fall was lingering. So this semester, that was something I talked to the board members about, about wanting to be more involved in the community and build a community instead of just meeting randomly and doing stuff without real intention. So that is something I'm glad you've noticed. We are getting more active and having more events and trying to build up that community because I think that's the whole purpose of Women in Audio is that we're the minority in this big field of people who think they know it all.
[00:53:29.580] - Caullen
*coughing* men.
[00:53:30.360] - Kassandra
Well, I wasn't going to say it.
[00:53:33.610] - David
That's why we're here.
[00:53:35.300] - Kassandra
Yeah.
[00:53:35.960] - Caullen
We'll take the hooks. For the gender.
[00:53:39.900] - Kassandra
Yeah. So it's navigating that field. But then also it doesn't all have to be bad. The nice thing about Women in Audio, you don't have to be a woman. You just have to support women. And I think that's really easy. I don't think that's a hard requirement to be a part of the group and benefit from the stuff that we're doing.
[00:54:02.100] - David
Yeah. So shout out. If you're a Columbia College student right now...
[00:54:07.440] - Caullen
Or going to be.
[00:54:07.870] - Kiera
Leave.
[00:54:09.330] - David
Or join Women in Audio. I was going to be like, Women in Audio is out there.
[00:54:14.110] - Kassandra
Take a hard look at the budget.
[00:54:16.880] - Caullen
Ask for a participatory budgeting in your student organization.
[00:54:21.760] - Kiera
It's a nonprofit school, so they will see...
[00:54:23.090] - Kassandra
They give us a certain amount. I don't know if I should say it, but I'll let you guys know.
[00:54:29.600] - David
We'll bleep it.
[00:54:30.000] - Kassandra
They give us a grand for the whole year, which is actually pretty nice. So we can use that for events and supplies and stuff. But we barely used it in the fall semester, so I'm excited to use all of it this summer.
[00:54:44.860] - Caullen
Use that money.
[00:54:44.890]
[audio clip from The 40-Year Old Virgin] Is it true that if you don't use it, you lose it?
[00:54:49.560] - Kiera
SGA you get a smaller one. But SGA is a bigger thing because their E-board is paid. But I know each initiative my year got like, $600. I didn't even use it. Because going back to the whole community thing, Women in Audio had someone who worked for one of the... It was what? It was like Popcorn on Clark or something. I don't know what it's called.
[00:55:14.350] - Kassandra
Oh, Nuts on Clark.
[00:55:15.780] - Kiera
Yeah, Nuts on Clark. So I think someone-
[00:55:18.500] - Kassandra
I can't with that name. I'm sorry.
[00:55:20.770] - Kiera
I think someone worked there at the time and was like, Oh, I can just bring all these. And I was like, So no one has to use their budget? Okay.
[00:55:28.320] - Caullen
Right. Still gotta spend it on something.
[00:55:30.600] - Kassandra
I know. I'm ready to spend all of it.
[00:55:32.160] - Caullen
Pay for some Uber Blacks or something. Just show up fancy.
[00:55:34.250] - Kassandra
Even if it's just food.
[00:55:34.930] - Caullen
You're the President, so show up in the fucking Uber Black. With shades on, walk out in slow motion. I don't know. This is my own fantasy.
[00:55:40.220] - Kiera
The other club I helped run, we used that budget. It went to the fashion show. We used that budget. The budget, there was a dollar left after me, the treasurer did the math. I was like, go for it. I don't care. We didn't use the last one.
[00:55:58.990] - David
Yo. Well, this has been really exciting. Just listening to y'all go off and share more stuff. To the point of, again, Bourbon 'n BrownTown is just but a piece of this larger scope for y'all. And so I think y'all been doing some of this, sharing some of the 2025 plans and goals. We're not trying to center too much of Trump or other things for this episode, particularly. But as we started the episode with, we've known that there are very specific things have been taking place these last few days, which are changing the dynamic. Whether that's like: freezes on federal funding, and/or ICE going into communities and terrorizing community members. There's a slew of things happening, but trying to keep it positive- What's something that y'all looking forward to for 2025? We'll start with Caullen and go around.
[00:56:51.120] - Caullen
I'm looking forward to not getting hurt.
[00:56:52.720] - David
Yo.
[00:56:53.440] - Caullen
I came in 2024, recovering from a wrist… No, yeah, wrist injury. Then later in the year, I got some knee problems. I'm in my 30s, so of course, obviously, but to the point I had to go get PT and really-
[00:57:06.880] - David
The bike accident happened last year?
[00:57:08.370] - Caullen
The bike accident was in 2022.
[00:57:09.830] - David
2022, okay.
[00:57:11.280] - Caullen
That's good context, though. Right wrist, 2017... Yeah, we started Soapbox then. So bike accident, we started- maybe it's Bourbon 'n BrownTown. Maybe that's the problem. We started Bourbon 'n BrownTown in April, 2017.
[00:57:24.260] - David
He's doing too many episodes, then he goes out on his bike.
[00:57:26.390] - Caullen
Exactly. So like, right wrist 2017. Left peck- no, right peck, spring 2022. A couple of months later, my mouth got fucked up in 2022.
[00:57:39.100] - Kassandra
Oh my God.
[00:57:39.810] - Caullen
And then, left wrist, 2023. 2024 just- not just, but right knee is weird. I have some back issues, some shoulder issues- to the point I had to go to PT. I didn't have insurance because health care in America sucks, so I had to pay out the ass for stuff and put it on my budget. I just want to be healthy for 2025.
[00:58:01.600] - David
Let's get Caullen healthy.
[00:58:02.000] - Caullen
I can get sick. I'm not like... I don't have to be the pristine... I just don't want to have to pay for services. 1) on that financial tip, but 2) even if it's free, if it gets to the point where you need to go see a specialist, AHH. So I feel like not getting hurt at least in 2026. If we do a moratorium on my body for 2026, that'd be fantastic.
[00:58:19.890] - David
You mean 2025?
[00:58:21.020] - Caullen
No, I mean until 2026. I know what I'm talking about, y'all.
[00:58:24.720] - Kassandra
Okay....
[00:58:26.850] - Caullen
See, they're used to editing me. Not today. I'm just kidding. On a personal and honest tip, that's what I want for this year. But just thinking about Bourbon 'n BrownTown, thinking about Soapbox at large, I'm excited for where we are. I'm excited to have more infrastructure for everyone to do less and really do less with more. It's been the goal for a while now. I feel like we're at that precipice where that needs to happen for it to be the next tier for Soapbox at large. And for Bourbon 'n BrownTown, I'm excited to talk to more interesting people. I'm excited to do live events. CH Distillery, might do something there in a couple of months. If you're listening to this, just...
[00:59:02.190] - David
Tony, put it on your radar.
[00:59:03.440] - Caullen
Look at our newsletter, soapboxpo.com/newsletter. It's very infrequent, I swear, but it's cool. So thinking about doing in-person stuff again with the podcast. And really leaning into this time where I'm hoping to build up more personal time for myself to chill and hang out, but also read and be intentional about things. We talk about school a lot in this past couple of minutes and stuff. I'm not in school and do not plan to be, but I like being accountable for knowledge in a certain end. I have an emotional support pile of unread books.
[00:59:36.780] - Kassandra
I feel that.
[00:59:37.560] - Caullen
To be able to read those books. And you know I'm a news junkie, so I do that, and also, in the community and maybe part of a campaign, just do more stuff that's related to Soapbox as well as my own personal development. Then bring that into the space to carry these conversations and really get to the... I don't like "to the meat", but to the substance of what we're trying to do in libertory work in a cultural framework that isn't always valued. I think some of that is fair, but some of that isn't because I think we're trying to change mass consciousness. But in a way that's fun and exciting and it makes it-
[01:00:09.450] - David
Empathetic.
[01:00:09.660] - Caullen
It makes the revolution irresistible. I know it's a line, it sounds cliché, but that's what I want. That's what I think we're part of. In all those practical logistical ways for myself, maybe selfishly, but also for Soapbox at large, being able to make that more possible in a way that everyone is supported more and can support their people in the process of doing that for everyone, not just for ourselves. And just not getting hurt, bro. I want my body to work. Just work enough. I'm in my 30s, I know it's-
[01:00:36.180] - David
Both of your wants, Caullen, are realistic and possible. They're realistic and they're possible.
[01:00:42.850] - Caullen
Thank you for that validation.
[01:00:44.080] - David
I appreciate you sharing that.
[01:00:45.700] - Caullen
That's my answer. I'm curious about you, David, or Kiera, Kassandra, whoever's maybe-
[01:00:49.960] - David
Yeah, does anyone have- one of y'all?
[01:00:52.770] - Kassandra
I do.
[01:00:53.550] - David
Go ahead.
[01:00:54.360] - Kassandra
I'm graduating. Obviously, that's exciting. I've been mulling over what I'm going to over 2025. I'm in the service industry. Eleven years now, since I was 14, been working in restaurants. The goal is to get out of there. But in the meantime, I really want to go WWOOFing. You guys know what WWOOFing is?
[01:01:19.280] - Caullen
WWOOFing? It sounds like a drug.
[01:01:21.670] - Kassandra
No. So it's like a volunteer exchange program. And basically what you do, WWOOFing specifically, it's usually related to farms or some produce. Basically, you volunteer to work four to five hours a day, and they let you stay at their farm, and they feed you. It takes care of lodging and food. Yes, you're donating your time, but you're also learning practical skills, like how to make cheese, farming, growing plants, how not to kill plants, and just life skills. But what I want to do is bring my recording equipment and start building some sound libraries so I'm also able to make a little bit of money off of it. But it's a way to travel and see more of the world and not worry so much about how you're going to pay for it. That's something that I really am passionate about, figuring out how I can make that happen in 2025. I want to know how to make cheese.
[01:02:33.370] - David
I think it's an important tool.
[01:02:35.240] - Caullen
I'm not a cheese guy, so not so much. But that would be cool.
[01:02:37.940] - Kassandra
I dream of having chickens and stuff, so I feel like making cheese is just one step towards getting there.
[01:02:46.960] - Caullen
Okay.
[01:02:47.580] - David
Tomato's next. You know what I'm saying?
[01:02:49.320] - Kassandra
I actually don't like tomatoes.
[01:02:50.740] - David
You don't like tomatoes?
[01:02:51.680] - Kassandra
Okay, I don't like a slice of tomato. I like it cooked and stuff.
[01:02:57.040] - Caullen
I feel like you feel the same way I feel about cheese. I like pizza, I like mac and cheese, but a brick with two things of American cheese. I'm like, why?
[01:03:05.810] - Kassandra
I'm not talking about American cheese.
[01:03:08.200] - Caullen
No, I know.
[01:03:08.790] - Kassandra
I'm talking about good shit.
[01:03:10.590] - Caullen
No, I know. I'm saying how you see it, how you like the thing in some place, not the other. That's what I mean. I'm not even making government cheese. But it's like, yeah.
[01:03:22.460] - Kassandra
I'm talking about gouda.
[01:03:23.400] - Caullen
But tomatoes, it can be ketchup, like a fat slice tomato, put some salt and pepper, some olive oil on that motherfucker. Come on now. Come on, that's all you need!
[01:03:31.670] - Kassandra
A caprese salad.
[01:03:32.780] - Caullen
That's all you need!
[01:03:34.510] - Kassandra
Mozzarella, tomato.
[01:03:35.980] - David
I appreciate that, Kass. What about you- what about you, Kiera? What's something you're looking forward to in 2025?
[01:03:40.980] - Kiera
A nap.
[01:03:41.650] - David
A nap? Heard!
[01:03:43.350] - Kiera
I'm so tired. Zero out of 10 would not recommend grad school. I'm so tired.
[01:03:52.270] - Kassandra
Just staying away from that.
[01:03:53.970] - David
I mean, I might. I don't know we'll talk about it.
[01:03:55.180] - Kiera
But the hilarious thing is I'm considering another program.
[01:03:58.350] - Caullen
Girl, stop it. Stop.
[01:03:59.920] - David
The more you learn...
[01:04:01.230] - Kiera
I love learning. But we also have to remember my undergrad is in, technically, two places. So part of it being in live sound and the other being in music business. I'm fulfilling the music business part, but I do want to look back at the audio part and get more into production in general. And staying with Berklee, they actually do have a program. Though that program would put me in New York for a year. So I'm like, do I really want to move? No.
[01:04:30.120] - David
Well, it sounds less of a move, more like you got to chill there for a year.
[01:04:33.910] - Kiera
Oh, a year. Yeah.
[01:04:34.920] - Kassandra
Yeah.
[01:04:35.650] - Kiera
But it's fine.
[01:04:36.520] - Kassandra
If you can find a place to stay, I feel like that's the biggest challenge with New York, honestly.
[01:04:41.310] - Kiera
Yeah. But what I'm looking for most is- forward to most, is getting out of guest services because I don't want to do this anymore.
[01:04:50.790] - Kassandra
Amen.
[01:04:52.350] - Kiera
Back in 2022, when I applied to be an usher, I didn't think I'd be doing this still. And then when I got placed at one of the venues I work in, I didn't think I'd still be there. Grateful that I am being considered to be a supervisor, but I was like, I still don't want to be here. I'm like, You can change my hourly rate all you want, I don't want to come. I love the music scene. I'll stay in the music scene. That'll never change. But I would love to limit my interaction with the public. But yeah, the goal is getting back into production or moving further into the music industry, like any way. But I know for a fact- by the end of the year, I want to say that I'm... I can still say I'm at these places, but limitedly. I'm here because I like extra money.
[01:05:56.510] - David
Like, need, want, here.
[01:05:58.730] - Kiera
Yeah. Like, I don't want to need this job.
[01:06:01.100] - Kassandra
I feel that. I'm tired of having to pretend to like people. I think that's the biggest challenge being in the service industry for so long. My battery is running very low.
[01:06:15.900] - David
And/or you just find creative ways to do it. You know what I'm saying? But I definitely appreciate listening to y'all. And I think I'm just processing it and thinking of just my own what I'm looking forward to 2025. Because I think- I'm just listening to y'all. I was y'all five years ago, where I was trying to get out of the service industry, literally trying to figure out how to make a business of myself or Soapbox or more. I don't know. Just thinking about it now, it will get better. For sure. That's something to look forward to.
[01:06:51.940] - David
I'm just, again, grateful that we're able to, us at Bourbon 'n BrownTown are able to have people like yourselves with expertise, but also this other layer to it. It's not just being able to do a task. It's not just being able to sit through a meeting. It's being able to engage through all these things because I think Soapbox sometimes likes to do more than it's capable of. And y'all are definitely... You help us be able to achieve that. You know what I'm saying? In terms of goals and dreams.
[01:07:18.490]
[Awwwww]
[01:07:18.490] - David
I'm just thinking about what I'm looking forward to in terms of 2025. And I think for me, it's really... I feel like we've been planning a lot, Caullen. I think you and I, but I think, Kiera, at this part of the game, you've been planning with us in terms of like, Bourbon 'n BrownTown the relationships we've been building with people. We talk about how many new guests we've had on. I feel like that number will only go up if we're more into our systems and processes here, you know what I'm saying? At this point, this is the largest B'nB team that we have, not including Jamie Price, who's been part of our-
[01:07:54.500] - Caullen
Shout out, Jamie.
[01:07:55.680] - David
B'nB team in various ways. But I don't know. That's exciting to think about. Exciting to think about. Then the other part I think about in here is like, All right, cool. How can we get more funding for this? How can we get more money for this? How can everybody get paid a little more? Because back in the early days, Genta wasn't getting paid shit.
[01:08:11.960] - Caullen
Then when he left, we started getting paid. Genta, you fucked up. It's not a bag, but it's something.
[01:08:17.630]
[audio clip of Denzel Washington] I'm like, I'm leaving here with something.
[01:08:19.510] - David
No, that's so funny. But it's real, though. It's that balance in terms of from a leadership perspective, how do we take care of our team? Because that's always what we want to do. We want to make sure everyone's getting taken care of. But also at the end of the day, we know shit has to get done. I think I'm hearing y'all and thinking through the steps y'all are taking and learning how to balance that. It's exciting. It's exciting to hear because for us, I don't know, for me, it's like, sometimes you worry about the younger generation being like, Oh, but priorities are all fucked up, or this-that-the fifth. Everyone's on Twitch.
[01:08:52.340] - Caullen
I can't, with that shit.
[01:08:52.340] - David
I'm like, Yo, you can't.
[01:08:55.410] - Caullen
Is Twitch still a thing? I don't know.
[01:08:57.170] - David
It's still a thing.
[01:08:58.060] - Kassandra
It's very much still a thing.
[01:08:59.850] - David
But I think this conversation is a manifestation of that's not… Don't listen to legacy media and all the fucking highlights that they give us. Don't get caught up in that. I think there's definitely more to each of us. But so excited for David, for Soapbox, for my career within Soapbox to continue to bear fruit.
[01:09:20.300] - Caullen
Hear that, y'all? "Career" within Soapbox.
[01:09:22.450] - David
Kind of. At this point, me and Caullen have a career within Soapbox.
[01:09:26.230] - Caullen
You’re giving me a half chub. When you- David, you talk about... It's so weird hearing you who's my peer, what, two years younger than me? The young generation, I look at Kiera and Kassandra, I'm like, Oh, they're my colleagues. I'm like, Oh, wait, no, we're a decade apart. I'm big bro, I'm not unc' status yet. I'm not unc' status.
[01:09:46.940] - Kassandra
We are exactly a decade. I'm 25.
[01:09:51.290] - Caullen
Okay. I'm still 34. I'm turning 35 earlier-
[01:09:53.860] - Kassandra
I heard 35 earlier.
[01:09:56.120] - Caullen
I probably said it.
[01:09:56.900] - David
I'm 31, but I'm telling everyone 30. We're staying 30 for five years. No no, until 35. Or maybe 33, resurrection, we'll talk about that.
[01:10:05.070] - Caullen
No, 33 is fine because it's nice and clean.
[01:10:07.280] - David
We're having a banger. Y'all be invited.
[01:10:10.580] - Caullen
I guess what I'm trying to name is this thing of generations. For me, just thinking I'm perpetually 25, that's not the case. My knee's like, Hell, no, you're not. What is age? What is time? There's all that, which I think is very real, but I still have the energy and think and feel like I can do more than I can. That's good sometimes and also not great other times. I've been thinking about age and what that means a lot in the past couple of years, especially within, as you mentioned earlier, Kiera, with like, Oh, you're supposed to have kids and get married and do this and do that. I've been thinking about that for lots of other reasons outside of this space, a lot of relationships and things over the past couple of years. That's just been on my mind, but also bringing that into 2024, and the episodes we recorded with folks. We had the DNC part one with Bill Ayers, who's an OG organizer.
[01:10:59.840] - David
Who says he's not an OG.
[01:11:02.860] - Caullen
He was okay with OG. Because he knew what it meant culturally, but he was pushing back on the idea that he's aged out of organizing.
[01:11:10.080]
[audio clip from Ep. 110 - Democratic National Convention: From 1968 to 2024, Pt. 1] you guys referred to me as an OG, and people say- "people of your generation", dudes, I'm of your generation. I'm here right now! I'm living now, I'm not dead! You know, when I'm dead, you guys can tell stories, but that's not now. I'm going to be in the streets next week, as I often am. I'm going to be knocking on doors, as I often do. I'm going to be agitating and writing and speaking because that's what I do. Because like other people, other like-minded people, I want to pay attention to the world as it's unfolding. I want to be astonished at both the ecstasy and beauty in all directions, but also at the unnecessary suffering. Then I want to do something.
[01:11:54.710] - Caullen
He even challenged the idea of age and capacity and what you can do in "activism". Or liberation work isn't a young people's thing, it's an everyone thing. And intergenerational struggle is important. Some of the organizations that I really look after in Chicago, you mentioned Dixon Romeo earlier, ED of Southside Together. There's alderfolks who are organizers who do work with them. There's people who are teenagers who are involved in that organization. You don't just get out of trouble once you get older, or once you get some money or privilege. I think that really matters. So talking to him was cool and thinking about that. I believe that, but him challenging our words with talking about that in real-time.
[01:12:37.690] - Caullen
Then also, not part two of the DNC, but still with the forefront of housing and liberation being part of the march against the DNC and stuff and our series on Palestinian Liberation, having Amoona on, who's a student in their early 20s.
[01:12:54.680] - David
Who chose to also be anonymous.
[01:12:56.440] - Caullen
Who chose to be anonymous. We say Amoona really casually in the episode, but they wanted to be anonymous for safety reasons. That's always been real with student organizing against war, but especially with Palestine, that we talked about in the Liberation series as well. We wanted to respect that because we don't want them to get in trouble for being on the podcast. But what they had to say about being a student organizer in this moment was really important. Their early 20s, and had a lot of energy and listening to things that I'm not in school, I'm not in my early 20s.
[01:13:25.510] - David
We weren't part of the encampments.
[01:13:26.650] - Caullen
Was not part of the encampments. That was a perspective that not me, David, or Bill could have had. Nor could me, David, or Amoona have that perspective that Bill had from yelling at his-
[01:13:37.918] - David
'69.
[01:13:37.990] - Caullen
Yeah, from the fucking '60s. Maybe I thought of, my parents were-
[01:13:42.770] - David
No, hell no.
[01:13:42.890] - Caullen
My brother wasn't even born… Yeah, so my parents were just like... Yeah, no, they were like… It doesn't matter. They were not thinking of me. Yeah, just cool seeing that. David and I both had been around Bill before for different events, knew some other people, whatever. Then David interviewed for the death penalty project. It was just a cool homie of someone I know out in the world, and I kinda know personally, but then was talking to very inter-personally in this room. That generation thing, I'm thinking about, too, just looking back on the year, and talking to y'all right now about being a student and stuff.
[01:14:21.500] - Caullen
Yeah, just always having a weird reference for academia and being accountable for knowledge, having good professors, but also being like, Fuck DePaul. And like, Fuck all- having a very valid critique of institutions and academia and the Ivory Tower and stuff. But then, like you guys said, meeting awesome people throughout that experience. That's not a contradiction. But it's like, we should think about that and unpack that. I translate that to the state. I love Chicago, I don't love Ray Lopez. He's a 15th Ward Alderman in Chicago, if y'all don't know. He's a piece of shit. But it's like, people think of the mayor and aldermen and politicians and like, Oh, Chicago, daadada.
[01:14:59.120] - David
In a revered light. I see that.
[01:15:00.610] - Caullen
Any government position, whatever, people think of a place as that. I was talking to my friend Taylor, who's in town, and he's in a transitional phase in his life, and he wants to move to Texas. I'm like, Fuck Texas.
[01:15:15.970]
[all] Texas?
[01:15:16.110] - Caullen
Yeah, I know.
[01:15:17.100] - David
They're going to secede.
[01:15:17.610] - Caullen
I still give him shit. I think there's valid critiques there, but he also likes the culture and then likes the food and some of the stuff that he does work-wise makes sense. But I know a lot of people from Texas, my family is in Texas, I know good people are there. So it's not like I should cast the entire state. And part real and fair as the government, Greg Abbott can eat it. You know what I mean? There's reasons to critique Texas, but you think about people. Not everyone chooses to be where they are, and even if they do, it's like, there's good people everywhere, and I believe that. If we're supposed to do the work we want to do and be abolitionists and liberation nananana, we have to know people, we have to talk to people. You know what I mean? And everyone is human.
[01:16:00.460] - Caullen
I think, I'm not going to get on a tangent with this because it's a whole episode- but thinking about: talking to and thinking about folks on the interwebs as well as in person, who are like, Trump did this, Trump did that, Trump did this. Certain folks, it's like, Look, we had a long time to not be here. Y'all chose differently. Part of the conditions of you having this shitty analysis on Trump, what he's doing now, what he has been doing, got us here in the first place. Instead of bitching about this, let's do the work. This last thing I'll say, "the Trump voters are dumb" memes and little things. It's like, Okay, where did that get us in eight years? It got us Trump again. How about let's do the work and actually…
[01:16:42.320] - David
Yeah, instead of trying to…
[01:16:43.960] - Caullen
Don't get me wrong. I have- Trump is a piece of shit, dumpster fire of a human, whatever. There's all that. We know it to be true if you're listening to this podcast. But it's like people are people, and part of this was not reaching or doing right by people that made them make this crazy decision to choose this man, again. I don't know, this idea of we should hold a political line as institutions and know it'll be hard to navigate, but we're all human beings. I mean that in a radical way as far as we got to have these tough conversations, tough conflict, and do right by people in ways that may not always feel good. That's hard to do, but we have to do hard things, or we're going to keep electing fucking fascists to run our government and do horrible things. And if we do that and we get there, like we are now, we need to be able to throw down harder than we were before, and that's going to be uncomfortable.
[01:17:35.030] - David
I don't think people are ready for that. I think one thing to name as you're talking about is the municipal elections are coming back up. I think oftentimes when people think of government, it's always federal. It's always the country. I think this showed, and I think the conversation that we were able to have earlier in the year with Stephanie Skora and Raeghn and Draper.
[01:17:57.310]
[audio clip from Ep. 104 - Voter Guides, Electoralism, & the 2024 Cook County Primaries] So we can go out there and say, yeah, fuck Joe Biden. Yeah, fuck Congress. And, you know, let's pay attention to the water reclamation district because that's the thing that actually matters. Let's pay attention to the state's attorney because that's what actually matters. Whereas a lot of people, I think, in politics, get very caught up with the big shiny toys of the federal government. We can just cut through all of that and say, no, the federal government's fake, it doesn't do anything. There's three worthwhile people in the whole thing. Fuck it, we'll cover it because it's on the ballot. But let's talk about state representatives. Let's talk about the referendums. Yeah, let's talk about the ballot measures. Let's talk about the tax districts, the stuff that nobody knows about.
[01:18:35.100] - David
It's always local. Let's fuck everything else, but judges. I think that was something that was really good to harp on. Oftentimes, we think of this big power structure. It was like, Okay, let's think and look at local. I'm really excited. I think one of the conversations that we're having in the PIC organizing space is Pritzker, two years, he's moving or grooving. Is that somewhere the-
[01:18:56.490] - Caullen
He's definitely moving.
[01:18:57.750] - David
Well, I think that's an interesting line where we as Illinoisians for that term and phrase, and/or what we see in Chicago, I think that's really where we get to step up. I think I'm really excited to see similar reactions that we saw in 2016, 2017. Trump came in, everybody else was like, Oh, fuck that. Then we had 2020. Y'all forget. That was after Trump. It was after people dealt with four years of bullshit.
[01:19:21.070] - Caullen
It was during.
[01:19:21.130] - David
Well, okay, yeah. And then COVID hit. But I hear you. So it was in the midst of, but I feel it was that bubbling effect.
[01:19:27.530] - Caullen
Definitely part of it, for sure.
[01:19:29.470] - David
We're going to hit that again. I think for us, it's like, let's look at the municipal elections that are coming up in two years.
[01:19:36.190] - Caullen
I didn't think of that, as far as Illinois.... Yeah, that's-
[01:19:38.600] - David
Bro, I'm telling you, we dropped dimes on B'nB before they're known. Y'all got to stick with it.
[01:19:43.360] - Caullen
There's going to be a progressive vacuum in Illinois leadership for governor on the way down, when Pritzker leaves. We're calling that now. Y'all get in tune.
[01:19:49.530] - David
Or he's like, he's not leaving. He's like, no, I know I'm not going to... I know I don't want the president shit, blah, blah, blah, blah.
[01:19:55.560] - Caullen
President shit.
[01:19:55.560] - David
That would be his move. Is that what it's called? I don't fucking know. It's the bourbon at this point.
[01:19:59.900] - Caullen
From here on out, it's the "president shit".
[01:20:01.070] - David
At this point, you know what I'm saying?
[01:20:02.290] - Caullen
Pritzker gets on the... He gets on to the thing he's going to announce he's going to run for a president. He's like, [audio clip from The Wolf Of Wall Street] "I'm not leaving. I'm not fucking leaving!" Like Jordan Belfort.
[01:20:15.810] - David
But it's a cluster fuck. But to our audio engineers, thank y'all so much for hanging out with us, having a little bourbon, talking about the year. I think it's been really cool, a moment of reflection as we then jump into 2025 and all the things that it's going to offer us. I did want to give y'all an opportunity to give any shoutouts or love to anybody in particular. And/or if folks wanted to engage with Women in Audio this semester or in the upcoming year, how they do so, et cetera. So however y'all want to go ahead.
[01:20:44.960] - Kassandra
Yeah, I'll go ahead. So I'm looking for jobs, so I'll go ahead and shout myself out real quick. Kassandra Borah, working on building up a website, will be out soon, but if you want to connect with me, my socials are aurora_borah, B-O-R-A-H. Also, I'm obviously involved in the Women in Audio community. If you want to follow that account, we have a lot of fun educational events we're planning on doing this semester. I don't know if you'll be able to go to them if you're not at Columbia, but...
[01:21:21.650] - David
That's true.
[01:21:22.160] - Caullen
If you want to throw them bread, just to support them....
[01:21:24.070] - Kassandra
But maybe some Columbia students are listening, you never know. Can follow our socials: womeninaudioccc. That's it for me. Thank you guys for having us on.
[01:21:34.620] - Kiera
I don't remember to use my socials. So if you see me on the street, just say hi.
[01:21:39.220] - Caullen
You be looking in the stories. I see you.
[01:21:41.380] - Kiera
I do, when I remember, I have social media. I have it! Look, so there was something wrong with my Instagram for a while, where it would give me ghost notifications. So I turned them all off because I don't like notifications on my phone.
[01:21:52.640] - Caullen
Ghost notifications?
[01:21:53.010] - Kiera
Yeah, there was always a notification, but for nothing. So I completely turned them off and never turned them back on.
[01:22:00.350] - Caullen
The room is nodding. I didn't know about this.
[01:22:02.360] - Kiera
I don't know what was going on. Because you would think it was from the random artist or whoever you follow doing the broadcast thing.
[01:22:09.340] - Caullen
I hate that shit.
[01:22:10.590] - Kiera
I'm in one of them because that is the only way they're active. But I don't know what was going on. So I was like, You know what? I don't need notifications and then I just stopped opening it. So me and social media, we don't get along. You can follow it if you want to, whatever it's named, at this point. But I'm usually just more active if you like, just see me in life. I work at half the venues in the city.
[01:22:37.560] - Caullen
I ran into Kiera at a comedy show, I was like, Kiera?
[01:22:38.970] - Kiera
Literally.
[01:22:41.330] - David
I'm dying. Well, again, thank y'all so much. Appreciate the shoutouts. As always, it's a new year, so check out our Patreon. If you want to do some monthly donations, we still got T-shirts for sale. If y'all ever seen it, we probably have it on the Instagram.
[01:22:56.540] - Caullen
Please buy a fucking T-shirt, y'all.
[01:22:57.420] - David
First and foremost- well, I mean, if you want it.
[01:22:59.420] - Caullen
I mean, if you want it. Consent is good if you want it, but they're dope T-shirts, and we're trying to get rid of them.
[01:23:05.710] - David
We're trying to get rid of them.
[01:23:06.550] - Caullen
To get more and better ones.
[01:23:07.280] - David
The new ones, the new versions.
[01:23:08.820] - Caullen
Yeah, but they're very cool shirts, and y'all should tap in. $18, come on. If you live in Chicago, I will get it to you. I will bring it to you for free. If you want a crop top, I will crop it for you. Tell me where your belly but- mm, I'm not going to say it, it sounds weird. But I'll crop it for you. I'll crop it for you. Come on, buy T-shirts. They're great. Please!
[01:23:29.400] - David
I'm super excited for 2025. Shout out to all the homies here in the room today. Troy, thank you for coming in, being on the ones and twos.
[01:23:37.240] - Caullen
Free my nigga Luigi. He ain't do it.
[01:23:39.220] - David
Free Luigi. I heard he's going to get out!
[01:23:41.910] - Caullen
I was with him. We were hanging out that day. December 4th.
[01:23:45.570] - Kassandra
Yeah, me too.
[01:23:46.300] - Caullen
Yeah, we all were hanging out with Luigi. We were chilling.
[01:23:48.380] - David
He was in Chicago, he wasn't in New York. I'm fucking dying.
[01:23:50.510] - Caullen
He wasn't in New York. He was in Chicago.
[01:23:51.930] - David
We didn't even talk about that. That'll be another episode. We're going to bring him back.
[01:23:55.430] - Caullen
What if we had homeboy on??
[01:23:56.790] - David
I mean, he's going to get out. That's what I'm saying. He's going to want to go everywhere.
[01:23:59.820] - Caullen
Yo. Okay.
[01:24:01.040] - David
We're naming it here. We're going to have Luigi on 2025. But as always, from Bourbon 'n BrownTown, stay Black, stay Brown, stay queer.
[01:24:07.890] - Caullen
Stay tuned, stay turnt.
[01:24:09.080] - David
We'll see you for the next one. Peace!
OUTRO
Music Free Luigi by Cooked Music.