11-25-25 - Playdio DAY TWO - Bands 37-39 - LADY STRANGE AND THE RITES - DAWN OF THE RISING - WITHOUT FEAR

Summary

Podcast Summary: Holmberg's Morning Sickness – Playdio Day Two (Bands 37–39)

Podcast: Holmberg's Morning Sickness – Arizona (#1 Morning Radio Show)
Episode: 11-25-25 - Playdio DAY TWO - Bands 37-39
Date: November 25, 2025
Hosts: John Holmberg, Brady Bogen, Brett Vesely, Dick Toledo
Main Focus: Review and live critique of local bands Lady Strange and the Rites, Dawn of the Rising, and Without Fear as part of the annual Playdio competition.

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Episode Overview

This episode captures day two of Playdio, the annual contest/showcase for local Arizona bands. The crew listens to, reacts to, and rates three of the final bands: Lady Strange and the Rites, Dawn of the Rising, and Without Fear. The signature sharp wit, inside jokes, and playful roasting abound as they critique each submission both musically and in terms of production and performance. There's also reflection on the quality of this year’s entrants, discussion of the upcoming live show, and celebration of the stronger bands.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Listener Engagement and Playdio Atmosphere (01:13–03:07)

• Email from Rob Menino, whose band was featured ("didn't hear the critiques. Didn't really care. Got in my work truck and rode over").
• Hosts banter about the historic difficulty of Playdio, noting this year's overall improvement:
  • “For the most part, this has been a really good one. We've had some high highs.” (Toledo, 02:49)
  • “40 bands seems like… the second day is more difficult. This year it seemed like the first day was more difficult.” (Brett Vesely, 02:58)

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2. Band 1: Lady Strange and the Rites – “Stuck in Motion” (03:07–06:13)

Intro & Expectations:

• Classic/modern rock mix with an "occult" flair; they've toured and released an album with less than a year together.

Hosts’ Immediate Reactions:

• Aggressively negative, especially about production:
  • “I feel like I've been stabbed in the heart.” (Toledo, 04:12)
  • “Who produced that? They threw everything at the wall. There was the word 'no' never said in production. Not once.” (Toledo, 05:24)

Notable Quotes:

• “That was just like, murder sounds better.” (Brett Vesely, 05:21)
• “They did give Brady a free hearing test at the start.” (Toledo, 05:29)
• “Is this how Brady hears all the time? Sorry, Brady, that was awful for you.” (Toledo, 06:30)
• “Sounded like a cat in the dryer. I'm sorry? A gay cat in the dryer to keep the theme alive.” (Toledo quoting listener email, 06:59)

Ratings:

• Scores given: Two (Toledo, 08:23), another "deuce" (Byron, 08:34), 1 from Brett, for a total score of 5.
• “That was a mess… they need to start over. That was a mess.” (Toledo, 06:03/06:14)
• The hosts lampoon the band’s name and play with social commentary (“Lady Strange and the Rites make me wish ladies had no rights.” – Toledo, 07:21)

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3. Band 2: Dawn of the Rising – “Make Your Peace” (08:36–13:24)

Band Background:

• Melodic hardcore/metal; return band with new material.

Song Commentary:

• Lyrics referenced live by Brady as the track plays.
• Various comparisons: “I felt like I was listening to Ghost Megadeth.” (Toledo, 11:03)
• “Very Alice Cooper.” (Brett, 11:12)

Listener and Host Feedback:

• Strong critical roasting, often playfully questionable:
  • “Gay Mustang.” (Brett, 13:34)
  • “Phallus Cooper… perfect.” (Toledo, 15:01)
• “Sounded like Dave Mustaine and Avenged Sevenfold had a child.” (Toledo, 13:24)
• General consensus: production was better than the previous band, but the song was not compelling.

Scores:

• John Gordon: 10 (partial bias, as he admits it via text, 14:28)
• All others: 3; total 19.
• “Even with a 10, will they make it to the final?” (Toledo, 14:49) – answer is no.

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4. Band 3: Without Fear – “Gaslighter” (15:07–29:33)

Band Introduction:

• Phoenix-based; emotional grit and melodic rock.
• Formed by Justin Marbury and Dan Drago; features John Gordon, one of the show's hosts, on guitar.
• “Wait a second. What is this? Our own JG?” (Toledo, 17:19)

Song Listening & Awareness:

• John Gordon's participation is realized mid-intro—lots of ribbing ensues.

Live On-Air Reaction:

• "I'm, it's catchy tune, guys." (Toledo, 25:20)
• “Your singer's really good. I liked him a lot.” (Toledo, 25:38)
• “Nice guitar solo. Finally some talent.” (Toledo to John Gordon, 26:43)
• Minor production/arrangement critique: “Not enough, like, vocal arrangement… like when you go into that pre chorus, the backup singer should be doing some sort of ooh…” (Toledo, 27:15)
• "The singer... came at it with about an 8, and I know he's got a 10. That guy can sing." (Toledo, 27:53)
• “Kind of like that one a lot.” (Brett Vesely, 28:20)

Scores:

• Brett: 9 | Toledo: 8 | Byron: 8
• Hosts praise the song as “catchy” and agree it could play on mainstream radio.

Listener Feedback:

• “That song rocked. Not gay. Had me moving at my desk.” (Listener email read by Brett, 29:16)
• “I loved it. I could definitely, I could hear that on the radio every day. Nice job.” (Listener email read by Toledo, 29:43)
• Some noted it felt slightly incomplete: “Underdeveloped song by a good band.” (Brett, 29:41)

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5. Playdio Recap and Reflections (29:33–End)

• General consensus that this year’s Playdio was the strongest ever, with notable live talent.
• “This has been a very pleasant year. Normally I walk away going, that was tragic.” (Toledo, 32:30)
• “You support local music, so screw you, West Valley music. This is all about supporting the local music and the bands that did well.” (Toledo, 30:49)
• Discourse about band selection, local music, and memorable past acts (“Gorgeous people a couple years ago…” 31:29).

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• “[Lady Strange and the Rites:] Who produced that? They threw everything at the wall. There was the word 'no' never said in production. Not once.” (Toledo, 05:24)
• “[Dawn of the Rising:] Phallus Cooper is pretty perfect.” (Byron, 15:01)
• “[Without Fear:] I'm, it's catchy tune, guys.” (Toledo, 25:20)
• “Nice guitar solo. Finally some talent.” (Toledo to John Gordon, 26:43)
• “I loved it. I could definitely, I could hear that on the radio every day. Nice job.” (Read by Toledo, 29:43)

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Timestamps of Important Segments

• 01:13 – Listener email, Playdio mood and quality reflection
• 03:07 – Lady Strange and the Rites intro & critique
• 06:13 – Band scoring & “cat in the dryer” comment
• 08:36 – Dawn of the Rising intro & play
• 11:03 – “Ghost Megadeth” & Alice Cooper references
• 13:24 – Roasting and scoring of “Make Your Peace”
• 15:07 – Without Fear intro; realization John Gordon is in the band
• 19:16 – “Gaslighter” song begins
• 25:20 – Full-band feedback, praise for chorus & solo
• 29:33 – Final reflection on the batch and live show hype

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Episode Tone & Style

• Classic irreverent Arizona radio energy.
• Rapid-fire, sharp-witted roasting; inside jokes & listener ribbing.
• Supportive of local music, even when giving harsh feedback.
• Infectiously passionate and enthusiastic about supporting successful local bands.

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Conclusion

Day Two closes out with strong support for Without Fear and overall praise for this year’s Playdio batch as “the best year ever.” Despite sharp critiques and irrepressible sarcasm, the ultimate vibe is enthusiastic and celebratory of the Arizona rock scene—with emphasis on both talent and local camaraderie.

For local music lovers or hopeful Playdio bands, this episode exemplifies Hoffman’s Morning Sickness’s humor, honesty, and deep love for Arizona’s best (and sometimes worst) musical acts.

Transcript

[Brett Vesely]

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[Toledo]

Still streaming Homburg's Morning Sickness online at 98kupd.com Alrighty. Look at this, boys. I got this email just popped in. Thank you guys for playing my song. It's from Rob Menino. Yeah, it says. Oh, sorry, Corey. It says, I didn't even know that I was going to be featured in this year's event. I emailed that song to Toledo weeks ago and I never heard anything. I jumped in my work truck and heard you say my name over and over and I was like, what the hell? Anyway, thanks for the free promotion. And the last I have to go back and listen to the feedback. Oh, no, no, no, you don't. No, you don't. You're good. You're good. Love the show. I've been listening to you guys since the early days. I also went to Dobson High School. Oh, I'll talk slower. I'm sorry. I didn't know you were one of ours. Mustang Pride usually comes with a 48th 50th in education. Yeah. C minus kind of vibe around it. Well, thanks, Rob. And thanks for being a good sport and hanging out with us. But you are the talk of the town right now. Rob Robino. Robino. Didn't hear the critiques. Didn't really care. Got in my work truck and road over there. Rob Menino, Lady Strange and the Rights are next. Ready? The final three. Brett said it just seconds ago. You know, play DOH is an easy week for us, but it's. It's painful. I did not get a painful vibe this year. I know we've got three left, and I don't want to jinx it. There you go. For the most part, this has been a really good one. We've had some high highs.

[Brett Vesely]

Absolutely.

[Toledo]

And some low lows.

[Brett Vesely]

And 40 bands seems like most of the time the second day is more difficult. This year it seemed like the first day was more difficult because it took us 13 almost to get to.

[Toledo]

But when we got them. Oh, yeah. Out of the yard. Yes, we're Lady Strange and the Rights. We formed about a year ago and have since released an album and toured the west coast. That's hard to do. We're a mix of modern and rock or classic rock with a fuzzy occult atmosphere. Here's our Try our track Stuck in Motion. Lady Strange and the Rights. Stuck in Motion. Three minutes and eight seconds from now. We'll see if that's going to make it all the way through. It's 98 KUPD. Good L.

[Brady]

Oh, come on. That.

[Toledo]

I feel like I've been stabbed in the heart.

[Brady]

Time thought I was done I feel.

[Toledo]

The out. God, I'll say it again. What the is there to think about?

[Brady]

Can start now.

[Toledo]

I. I left it played the hell.

[Brett Vesely]

Did you stay in that?

[Toledo]

Because I was waiting to see. At one point did someone say, hey, let's fix this.

[Byron]

Someone get murdered?

[Brett Vesely]

Yeah, that was just like, murder sounds better.

[Toledo]

Who produced that? They threw everything at the wall There was the word no was never said in production. Not once. They're like, hey, don't do that. Yeah, try it again. They said, let's double it. That was a lot. But they did give Brady a free hearing test at the start there. You know what?

[Byron]

Checking it.

[Toledo]

That's nice. Make a good point. Did you hear that? Raise your right hand.

[Brady]

What? What?

[Toledo]

I felt like Brady there in the beginning. Like, is there someone singing or am I just not hearing?

[Brett Vesely]

Kid me. I was jealous of Brady during that song.

[Toledo]

I leaning in to hear better. Like, no, no, no, you're fine.

[Brady]

Don't leave.

[Toledo]

No, no. Lean out. Yeah, that was.

[Brett Vesely]

You spoke too soon before we went into that song.

[Toledo]

You know, I gave it a nice little moment and then they screwed me up. That. I don't know if that band's good or bad or not. But if that's what they're putting there as their best foot forward, they need to start over. That was a mess.

[Brett Vesely]

Yeah.

[Toledo]

And I don't know if it was the song. The production was horrible.

[Brady]

John.

[John Gordon]

I feel like you guys have stacked the decks this year, but honestly, it's been surprisingly 80% good, 20 bad, 100 gay.

[Toledo]

That sounds like Joan Jet in the prop plane. Which one of you let that thing run so long? That was me. I was first out. Is this how Brady hears all the time? Sorry, Brady, that was awful for you.

[John Gordon]

No, it's just like a warm hug for him.

[Toledo]

This one says the only thing that I've hated about Plato this year is Toledo speaking when he's not spoken to. Wow. Taking a swing at Toledo for no reason.

[John Gordon]

Thanks, Paula.

[Toledo]

No, it's from a guy named Jason. Sounded like a cat in the dryer. I'm sorry? A gay cat in the dryer to keep the theme alive. Almost Gay Cat in a Dryer. It's a good album name, I think. More so they fuzzed up that intro to the one Breaking Benjamin song there too. That kind of a ripoff.

[John Gordon]

Let's not go that far.

[Toledo]

Lady Strange to the rights. I think that just cast a spell on me. Lady Strange and the rights make me wish ladies had no rights. Okay.

[John Gordon]

Oh, suffragettes.

[Toledo]

This makes me want to punch Mark Kelly and everyone on the left because I hate Lady Strange. On the right you get political. Oh my goodness.

[Brett Vesely]

All right, we got people asking us tonight. It's. It's a free show completely.

[Brady]

Yeah.

[Toledo]

That's about 6:30 the bands start loading up about them. We try to get the first one off around 6:30, usually about 6:45 at the trickle in factor as the night goes on is usually pretty good.

[John Gordon]

So bar is open as well. I think they do a happy hour. So if you're downtown already, swing by and show up.

[Toledo]

Five, six o' clock we'll hang out, we'll drink. But 6:30 is when everything really starts going. And Then by 9:30 usually we have them all done. Yeah.

[John Gordon]

Oh, at the latest.

[Toledo]

That copper blue.

[Brett Vesely]

Sooner than that.

[Toledo]

If.

[Brett Vesely]

If one star night makes it.

[Toledo]

Oh, that's true.

[Brett Vesely]

It's 16 seconds.

[Toledo]

So 20 minutes set up. 20 minutes, tear down 16 seconds. Song I gave Lady Strange and the rights. Two because of women. It's I gotta double my score because there's a lady in the band. Brady.

[Byron]

I'll go deuce.

[Brett Vesely]

Not worth it.

[Toledo]

11 from Brett. A total score of five. Yeesh. All right, the next one up is dawn of the Rising. And Toledo doesn't like this one because the name Dawn's in it.

[Brady]

Yep.

[Toledo]

His ex wife triggered. Dawn of the rising founded in 2016. Melodic hardcore metal band out of the southwest from Phoenix, Arizona. Vocals by get ready Brett Ray Coon. All right. Guitars by Ignacio's Saffarid and there's a black circle around Justin Coons name they played last year.

[Brett Vesely]

They did.

[Toledo]

We had the Coon boys in here last time and they. Chris Keener and Ricky Page also in this band. Dawn of the Rising is back again. The song is called make your peace. All right, see what they've got. Make your piece from dawn of the Rising, Platio's penultimate band. Let's find out what they've got.

[Brady]

When the devil comes for you there's nothing you can do Sing your prayers up to heaven Time's come to pay your dues. If you're fearing the devil Deep within your soul it's just your demons catching up when you make your peace with God and go. When it's all in front of you the choice is up to you Conjure all the strength you have the rebuff's coming for you for you.

[John Gordon]

Fear in.

[Brady]

The death deep within us it's just your demons catching up with you make your peace with God and go.

[Toledo]

I feel like I've been stabbed on the heart.

[Brady]

All right.

[Toledo]

Dawn of the Rising. That one is called make your peace. I felt like I was listening to Ghost Megadeth. Oh, wow. Yeah, it had.

[Brett Vesely]

Brady called it with Alice Cooper in there.

[Toledo]

Very Alice Cooper. Yeah, very, very much that. You say sometimes.

[John Gordon]

I mean, who talks like that?

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[Byron]

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[Toledo]

Holmberg's Morning Sickness. Oops, sorry. Say it again. Corey. I was gonna say preview Best and Metallica. Yeah, it's. Yeah, it's kind of like. It's like, oh, they're almost there. Muppet Babies. Metallica. Yes.

[Brady]

Yeah.

[Toledo]

All that build up, all that hype. Like, oh, I want to see Muppet Babies. Mattel, you bring that in. Dawn of the Rising, make your peace. I think the song's just another situation where the song just wasn't very good. You might be great at what you do. The song just wasn't very good. Sounded like Dave Must Gain.

[Brady]

All right.

[Toledo]

This guy said it, too. Ghost and Megadeth, but had a cleaner sound. Someone get a fire extinguisher to put the flames out. Gay trans.

[Brett Vesely]

Megadeth on estrogen.

[Toledo]

Gay Mustang. This one says if the gay theater teacher from high school tried to do an interpretation of rock music. Oh, no, it's Mr. Olson from Dobson. This is how you sound as a rocker. Okay, Robino, this one just says, yeesh, Phallus Cooper and Dave Mustaine song reject. Sounds like Dave Mustaine and Avenged Sevenfold had a child. Yeah, it's like a no Offense Thriller, but it's like a Dave Mustaine sevenfold preemie. It ain't right. Most of the pieces are there.

[John Gordon]

Yeah, from a surprise police officer. I hate to say it, but I'm Driving into oncoming traffic.

[Toledo]

Don't do it. Were they wearing black and yellow? I think that was Striper. Yeah. Sounds like it was written by Deal. And I got a text from our own John Gordon. He said 10, and then he hung up.

[Brady]

Yeah.

[Toledo]

So even with a 10, will they make it to the final? So we'll add in John Gordon's 10. I'm gonna give them a three.

[Brett Vesely]

Yeah, I'm good with a three.

[Toledo]

Brady sounds good. Threes all around. That's a 19. You're not gonna make it. Even with John Gordon's 10 added in with Phallus Cooper. Phallus Cooper is pretty perfect.

[Byron]

Solid.

[Toledo]

Phallus Cooper's pretty perfect. Yeah. All right, here we go.

[John Gordon]

Has to end on a high note, right, John?

[Toledo]

You know, song is called Without Fear, and the band is called Gaslighter.

[John Gordon]

No, no, no.

[Toledo]

It's the other way around. Gaslighter is the song. Without Fear is the band. Speaking of gaslighting, I got an email from a lady who said, what am I supposed to do with my husband? Gaslighting has been this new thing for the last few years. This dude's pulling a gem on her, and she goes. He constantly says, I don't flush toilets. And she goes, but I think he's peeing and putting toilet paper in there to make me feel like I did it. Oh, or you're not flushing the toilet. Let me continue. The gas light.

[Byron]

That's her.

[Toledo]

I can tell by the smell.

[Brady]

What?

[Toledo]

I can tell girl pee from boy pee. I'm like, what's the difference? Look at the size of my nose. There's more of an alkaline kind of scent to a woman's feet. It's got an acidic. I'm not kidding. Yeah. Follow this nose. It always knows for flavors of piss. Just follow this dick. I. I can tell a girl pee smell if they leave it in there. It's. It's got a weird. It's almost fragrant to an odd smell. It's like an odd bad flower. Whereas a man's pee just smells like minerals. I went enough to men's bathrooms to know. You go into a girl's bathroom, it's got like a. You go into a girl's bathroom plenty of times. It's got kind of a soury, almost spoiled smell. I mean, it's coming out of her sewer, man. It's right there. Yeah, Yeah, I can tell. So if you need me to come over to your house. Are you being gaslit? I could do it. Are you being gaslit or are you actually not flushing the toilet. That's pretty cool that this guy's got you reeling. Throw some TP in there and God damn it, you didn't flush again. I swear I did.

[Brady]

Craig.

[Toledo]

I don't know what's going on. One more time. I swear to God, if you do this again, you're out. Oh, my God. That's a pretty ridiculous gaslighting situation. And that brings us to our final song, Without Fears. Gaslighter. It's a Phoenix based rock band that Bland blends. Blands is a bad start. It blends emotional intensity with melodic grit, creating music that speaks to the soul and shakes the stage. Formed by longtime friends and collaborators Justin Marbury and Dan Drago. Drago, Come on. One immediate point for Drago, you will lose. The band was formed from a shared vision to craft honest, hard hitting rock. Rounding out the lineup is Dale Keys on bass, Brett McKinney on drums and John Gordon on guitar. Wait a second. What is this? Our own JG. Hot diggity. Well then he takes the 10 away from the last band and he immediately gives it to this one. Dynamic interplay and three part harmony vocals adds depth to the band's signature sound. Their upcoming single, Gaslighter is about a woman who doesn't flush. You bastards. It's produced by Arizona rock veteran Larry Elio. Hey, can we get Larry on the phone from John and actually get that production time back? A blistering track that marks a new chapter in their sonic evolution. Without Fear has shared the stage with national acts like Edema and Trapped, earning a reputation for electrifying live performances and a loyal following in the southwest. Rock John G. He's got his own shirt on.

[Brady]

Sure enough.

[Toledo]

That's gay. I'll just get it out of the way now. It's coming regardless. John, are you nervous?

[Brady]

Nope.

[Toledo]

Not at all. You're pretty confident. Okay. John Gordon is really liking. Did you like the last song? Okay, good. That's a good sign. All right. Without fear, gaslighter. Our own JG's in it. Who knew? I just found that out now. All right, here we go. Let's see if John's got it. We're gonna be brutally honest, buddy. All right, here we go.

[Brady]

Manipulation of the mind to avoid everything you deny. You are just questioning what's wrong and what is right. You're so ashamed of the truth you carried. You try to keep them locked inside so you can eventually bury them with all your lies with all your lives. So light it up and keep feeding the flames. We've had enough of playing your mindless games and so light it up and the price is higher you can watch it all burn to the ground W you're a gas lier. Oh gaslighter. Burning down our sanity with all your toxic energy he was questioning our own reality Let us function inside your mind it's all been poisoning and we have always taken the blame for everything. For everything. Light it up and keep feeding the flames We've had enough playing your mindless game and so lighting it up and as the smoke rises higher you can watch it all burn to the ground and all your gas fire Sam. We've had enough playing your mindless games and so lighting it up and there's no rises higher you can watch him over to the ground.

[Toledo]

Look at that.

[Brady]

Morning sickness Hear the.

[Toledo]

Words you say sometimes I mean who talks like that 98 KPD let me.

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[Toledo]

Holmberg's Morning Sickness the last song by the last band makes it all the way through because one of the members was staring at us the whole time.

[Byron]

Antiming I just want to light my Gaslighter.

[Toledo]

I mean it's our own John Gordon and his band Without Fear. We didn't. I. Toledo knew. I did not know that John had entered. And I gotta say that's a. I'm. It's catchy tune, guys.

[John Gordon]

People are saying, John, you are deducting a point from the jump for wearing his own shirt.

[Toledo]

No, no, I took that off. Right off. Right off the bat. It's. It's. That's. I just said, is Corey Taylor in this band? That was sweet, huh? How about that? Your singer's really good. I liked him a lot. As much as you tell all the bands not to sound local, you score the bands that actually have mass potential. Low and crappy bands, High Veins of Ether Sizzi and Invisible, you actually have a larger appeal. I don't know any of their appeal. And Piss on Balls gets a higher score. It's not even a song. It's literally a joke. Maybe every band should submit a tense. Oh, somebody's mad. West West Valley music Az has gotten mad at me. Look. Doesn't mean that one of the ones.

[John Gordon]

That tried to submit yesterday, by the way song.

[Toledo]

This doesn't mean your. Your fate is sealed. Right. It just means that you didn't pop.

[Byron]

Right.

[Toledo]

And that song did. That was a fun song. 16 second song can be fun and silly. And we gave it a good score because it got us. That's it. Do we want to listen to that again or not? And a lot of them we don't. Right. So. So that's it. John Gordon, nice guitar solo. Finally some talent. And Brady's family. Just kidding. And not really related. I did not play that song. They think you're Charlie. That wasn't you on the solo. You're just rhythm guitar.

[Brady]

Guitar.

[Toledo]

Guitar player. I'm disappointing another point off the singer though. Justin. He was in a band that was second in Playdoh years ago called Holistate. Oh yeah, yeah. I know. For singer, Justin was in Holla state. No kidding.

[John Gordon]

That was a battle that year. That was a battle that.

[Larry McFeely]

Yeah.

[Toledo]

He won by a flood. They lost by a coin flip. Was he the Saints fan? Is he in New Orleans? No, no, he's a KC fan. Okay, well, he might have another point off. Yeah, another point, you guys. These guys are killing your hopes.

[Brady]

John.

[John Gordon]

I have to give it up for.

[Toledo]

J and the G. Yeah, I liked it. I. I thought two things as I'm listening to that. Not enough, like, vocal arrangement. I heard things that were missing. Like when you go into that pre chorus, the backup singer should be doing some sort of ooh, Thing going on. It's just the vocalist the whole time. I think if you broke that up with, like, a couple little additions that break away because the song. The song is great. But when I'm hearing something like, ooh, that would sound cool. There's there that. I've heard a couple of those. We'll go over it after because I'm going to get your opinion on.

[John Gordon]

What do you think? Like, he was a little deep in the mix where he wasn't kind of on top of it.

[Brady]

Just. That's.

[Toledo]

No. The singer. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I didn't. Our speakers in here stink. Put it on my headphones. Sound better. I actually really like that one. Yeah. If I had any complaint, it would be that there was stuff that I wanted it to have that it didn't. And I thought maybe the vocalist could actually push more. He said, came at it with about an 8, and I know he's got a 10. That guy can sing. That was good. Brett, what'd you think? I got a nine going with a nine for them. Kind of like that one a lot.

[Brett Vesely]

With you on that one. I mean, it was just.

[Toledo]

Just something.

[Brett Vesely]

Just missing something.

[Toledo]

Like, everything's great. You know, When I'd listen, a very catchy chorus. But when I'm listening, I'm like, I'm listening for somebody. Oh, in the back. Or something like that. Just to kind of go along with. There's a hole in it somewhere. Yeah, I'm gonna go an eight. Brady.

[Byron]

Eight as well.

[Toledo]

All right. Guess what? You got something to do tonight, I think.

[Brett Vesely]

How about that?

[Toledo]

Let's hear it for everybody. Even if the West Valley music people pop in and every year we hear from somebody goes, you didn't like the bands I like. So the whole thing stinks.

[Brett Vesely]

You're taking the day off.

[Toledo]

I'll email you back and go, you didn't like the bands I liked. We're even. John Gordon. I'm impressed. Well done. Limp Bizkit just dropped a new song, by the way, after hearing that, called Making Love to John Gordon in the studio. So I think that's great. Said until West Valley Music that two years ago, Katie and the Hobbs got a three and next year they won. So suck it. Kevin's right.

[Brett Vesely]

That song rocked. Not gay. Had me moving at my desk.

[Toledo]

Yeah, I was dancing. He's got a great chorus. Who writes it? Okay, the two guys. It's awesome. That sounded really good. John. Nice job. Job. Be proud of that. So there's a hole in it. I just. I can't.

[Brett Vesely]

Right.

[Toledo]

I want to listen again and go right there, right there. Because there were a couple times my brain heard things that weren't there. And a couple of times that happens.

[Brett Vesely]

Underdeveloped song by a good band.

[Toledo]

Exactly. This one says I loved it. I could definitely. I could hear that on the radio every day. Nice job.

[Brett Vesely]

Yeah.

[Toledo]

You guys are getting positive feedback. Nobody's called you gay yet. Give it time. If they like you, they'll call you. That's exactly. Well, that's not true.

[John Gordon]

Do we want to break up the three way tie for fifth or do we want to try and have three?

[Toledo]

Well, we got all seven of them. Let's see how many can come. Five, but let's get right to our.

[John Gordon]

But I'm asking you if all seven can come, do we want to do seven?

[Toledo]

Sure. One of them plays a 16 second song. Maybe if all seven can come, they'll only do the one song. Submission admitted.

[Byron]

Okay.

[Toledo]

Except for that 16 second band. This has been, as I was about to say, my email popped and said it. This is the best year of Playdoh we've ever had. Now we've had a couple of them where we go live. And I remember that one year, Larry, we were up at Desert Ridge and Larry turned to me and he goes, I'm putting two of these bands in ufest next year. And he did. And, and, and the awesome part was we all thought to ourselves, I would have paid for that. I think we've said that about a couple. I'd pay for the live show. It's free entertainment and these guys are great.

[Brady]

Great.

[Toledo]

And you support local music, so screw you, West Valley music. This is all about supporting the local music and the bands that did well. And every year we have five or six where you're like, you know what? You picked the right bands. Doesn't mean everybody stunk outside of the finalists. I just did Sizk and the other ones that you're bitching about didn't make it because they're close, but not close enough.

[Brett Vesely]

Nobody could believe we picked Katie and the Hobs last year. And this year nobody bitched about the.

[Toledo]

Song, Not a Piece of Deep.

[Byron]

That has a little something to do with it on the live side of it.

[Brett Vesely]

Sure.

[Byron]

I hear this. Doing our intro in the morning.

[Toledo]

Yeah.

[Byron]

But now it's. These are. These bands are more. What was more to the bands, I think this year as far as.

[Toledo]

What was that band quality? Gorgeous people a couple years ago.

[Brady]

Forts.

[Toledo]

Jesus. That girl was stunning. And they didn't win, but they could have. Is that last year? Yeah, it was last year. I was there for it, man. Yep.

[John Gordon]

And she does major stuff for the electronic gaming scene.

[Brady]

Okay.

[Toledo]

Like those.

[John Gordon]

Those big tournaments and stuff.

[Toledo]

Esports, Ornaments.

[Brady]

Yeah.

[John Gordon]

There you go. Thank you.

[Toledo]

She was ridiculous and easy to look at. And then the guy next to her, I'm like, you know, to follow this year's theme. Gay. Because that guy was beautiful. They were a beautiful group of people.

[Byron]

Figure skate on the side.

[Toledo]

And they didn't win. And they were spectacular. And I'm hoping that they have a huge one. But we went to those things, like, somebody should be paying for this. They shouldn't be here. So I hope we have that again tonight. And I get that feeling we're going to have that with DJ Bathsheba. Jesus Christmas. That was. What a song. All right, well, we'll have Toledo compile number one.

[John Gordon]

Last year, they didn't win so great.

[Toledo]

I think they had a sound issue, remember? And it took like 30 minutes to get going.

[Brady]

1.

[Toledo]

And we were like, you use too many tracks. You got to just go, all right, let's get a little compilation of the top seven for Toledo to put together for us and get this thing done. Nice job. This is. This has been a very pleasant year. Normally I. I walk away going, that was tragic. I actually wish there were more. And we've got 10 more bands than normal this year. And it wasn't 10 sucky bands. More than normal. We actually got a nice B.

[Brett Vesely]

It was suck in there, but it wasn't as bad as, you know.

[Toledo]

Certainly, yeah. Suck in there. I mean, I go no further than this. Yes, we do have plans tonight at Copper Blues. We can go over all of this together live and see if these bands can pull it off in person. And keep in mind, we've got seven good bands on this list. Two can't make it or we'd have nine. Brett.

[Brett Vesely]

Oh, man.

[Toledo]

We almost had nine great bands. Could you imagine the battle between, I mean, the Reckless and Reckless Eden and the Witness Protection. Witness Protection and DJ Beth Sheba. They're three almost perfect singers.

[Brett Vesely]

I'd pay for that show.

[Toledo]

I'D pay for that, too. Playdoh is over, and we are pleased. If you're not, we don't care. It's 98, Arizona's most powerful rock radio station. He said fully erect. 98.

[Brady]

Can you.