When I was in 4th grade I had this imaginary band called EFK. The name came from the last initials of its members: Ryan Echter, Beau Korselman, and me, Patrick Fleming. We didn’t have instruments or songs, but what we…
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Jun 11, 2025
Jun 9, 2025
Casios, Composition, and the Bedroom Wall of Sound
I was a teenager when I first found it, tucked away in the basement, buried among the misfit toys and forgotten junk of my siblings’ and my childhood. Between broken plastic baseball bats, cabbage patch kid with torn clothes, and…
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Jun 6, 2025
“Never Had One Lesson”: What Ferris Bueller Taught Me About Confidence
Happy Ferris Bueller Day. I wanted to reflect why this character still inspires 40 years later!
Ferris Bueller didn’t ask for permission. He didn’t wait until he had everything figured out. He didn’t even wait until he had one clarinet…
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May 18, 2025
Consult The Oracle
There’s this tiny, tender moment in the newest episode of Don’t Bother Wearing Seatbelts that just got me. We were chatting with the endlessly delightful The High Water Marks, and Hilarie was talking about her Norwegian, joking that she’s…
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May 12, 2025
Learning How to Be in a Band (Thanks to Andrew Rieger of Elf Power)
Reflections on our latest episode of Don't Bother Wearing Seatbelts
There are some musicians whose influence runs deeper than a favorite song or a beloved record. For me, Andrew Rieger of Elf Power is one of those people. I was…
Apr 29, 2025
Talking With Yale Podcast - With Patrick Tape Fleming
When you’ve been friends with someone for a long time, conversations don’t always have clear beginnings or endings and that’s the beauty of it. You just pick up right where you left off, no matter how much time has passed…
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Apr 14, 2025
The Power Of Artistic Collaboration
Artistic collaboration is one of the hardest things to get right. Creative minds often come with strong opinions, bold visions, and very different ways of working. But when it clicks? It’s magic, pure and simple. When multiple minds come together…
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Apr 9, 2025
Connections
A killer new episode of Don't Bother Wearing Seatbelts. This time, we’re diving into a fantastic conversation with @Honeypuppy an incredible band from Athens, GA that’s new to me but left a huge impression. Think a weirder, more psychedelic The…
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Mar 21, 2025
The End of SXSW Music Fest?
Mar 18, 2025
Art Is Worth Spending Time With
Over the past month, I've rediscovered the joy of music in its purest forms. I recently pulled my collection of over 900 vinyl records out of storage and started diving back in. On top of that, I bought a new…
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Mar 17, 2025
Have A Nice Decade
The 1970s, in my not-so-humble opinion, were the pinnacle of popular music. Sure, many of my favorite bands came from the '60s, but when it comes to the perfect fusion of songwriting, production, sound, and diversity, no decade comes close…
Mar 4, 2025
Clothes Don’t Make the Man!
I’ve always heard the phrase, “The clothes make the man.” But let’s be honest just because someone wears a suit to work doesn’t mean they automatically deserve respect.
Personally, I love dressing in a way that reflects my personality. Sometimes…
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Mar 2, 2025
The End Of The Tragic Story... But Hope Lives On.
There's nothing quite like the thrill of the hunt, the years-long search for something that feels just out of reach, a ghost of a treasure hiding in the dust of forgotten shelves. The internet, for all its convenience, has dulled…
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Feb 28, 2025
Hashtags Are Dead...
For years, marketers like me and avid social media users have relied on hashtags to try and boost engagement, try to increase reach, and categorize content on social media. But guess what it has no real effect on how many…
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Feb 23, 2025
Rest In Peace To The Great Bill Fay
I just learned that the great Bill Fay has passed away. I’ve been a fan of his music since I first heard it around 2004, but it wasn’t until about five years ago that I truly dug into his work.…
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Feb 21, 2025
Will Cullen Hart’s Final Interview
The Olivia Tremor Control shaped me in ways I can hardly put into words. Their music—especially Dusk at Cubist Castle—has been a constant source of joy, inspiration, and wonder. My favorite band ever!
Recently, I had the honor of co-hosting…