Your Dark Companion Podcast

Mike fires up Your Dark Companion with a literal lightning strike, then welcomes Dallas lifers Ward Richmond and John Pedigo to talk about Ward’s new album, Big Addict Energy—a brutally honest, oddly hilarious chronicle of high-functioning drinking, rehab math, and rebuilding a life that actually fits. We bounce from Lakewood and Deep Ellum war stories to the therapist who called her shot (“alcoholic”), the Truck Yard-as-office era, and why Ward now tours with… a pedal that plays his whole band (karaoke, but make it auteur). Pedigo breaks down the “producer as translator” approach—less sprinkle, more spine—while the guys trade memories, cuss less (sometimes), and make a pretty airtight case for talking about addiction without the shame fog. Stick around for the closer: Ward’s earworm “Non-Alcoholic Beer Drinking Man.” It slaps, even if your drink is Topo.00:00 – Cold open, lightning strike, live-at-5 banter01:41 – Meet Ward & Pedigo; the new record is the story03:05 – “Big Addict Energy”: single in Aug; album out Nov 2104:31 – Three friends lost in Summer ’24; writing through grief07:49 – High-functioning drinking in CRE culture09:09 – Genetics, social anxiety, and why alcohol “worked”10:15 – Lakewood roots → Deep Ellum bands (Boys Named Sue, Slick57)12:32 – Ward + John origin story (choir class to clubs)14:19 – “High-functioning” vs. “asshole”: the counselor’s wake-up18:34 – The decision to quit; mapping rehab like a project20:46 – Day one, therapy, psychiatrist, acceptance22:36 – The call that changed it: AA, rehab choice, no rock bottom25:21 – Lunch drinking, Truck Yard “office,” living in the open30:42 – Turning the mess into music31:33 – From early sobriety songs to darker honesty34:24 – Calling Pedigo; the producer’s job: serve the story36:11 – The “Party Police” and John’s producing origin39:20 – Parallel divorces, Tulum writing trips, new studio41:27 – Pedigo’s philosophy: make the song bigger, not busier44:01 – Clean/explicit cuts, sequencing chaos, mastering45:22 – Ward’s writing workflow (click, scratch, build)46:06 – The players: Joshua Ray Walker, Charlie Wiles, Trey Pendergrass, Chad Stockslager & more47:28 – Releasing with Idol Records; PR; the Beyond the Bar show49:05 – The “pedal band” plan (full band, one pedal)51:12 – Using the record to talk openly about addiction (+ book tease)52:09 – Setup to the feature track53:00 – Song: “Non-Alcoholic Beer Drinking Man”56:38 – Wrap and sign-offFollow Your Dark Companion on Patreon for every episode: patreon.com/YourDarkCompanion IG: https://www.instagram.com/yourdarkcompanion/ X: https://x.com/YDC_Dfw TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@yourdarkcompanion FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559876685445 The Old Grey Wolf: X: https://x.com/TheOldGreyWolf IG: https://www.instagram.com/theoldgreywolf16/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mikerhyner579 To reach out email us at: Info@Stolenwatermedia.com

Show Notes

Mike fires up Your Dark Companion with a literal lightning strike, then welcomes Dallas lifers Ward Richmond and John Pedigo to talk about Ward’s new album, Big Addict Energy—a brutally honest, oddly hilarious chronicle of high-functioning drinking, rehab math, and rebuilding a life that actually fits. We bounce from Lakewood and Deep Ellum war stories to the therapist who called her shot (“alcoholic”), the Truck Yard-as-office era, and why Ward now tours with… a pedal that plays his whole band (karaoke, but make it auteur). Pedigo breaks down the “producer as translator” approach—less sprinkle, more spine—while the guys trade memories, cuss less (sometimes), and make a pretty airtight case for talking about addiction without the shame fog. Stick around for the closer: Ward’s earworm “Non-Alcoholic Beer Drinking Man.” It slaps, even if your drink is Topo.

00:00 – Cold open, lightning strike, live-at-5 banter
01:41 – Meet Ward & Pedigo; the new record is the story
03:05 – “Big Addict Energy”: single in Aug; album out Nov 21
04:31 – Three friends lost in Summer ’24; writing through grief
07:49 – High-functioning drinking in CRE culture
09:09 – Genetics, social anxiety, and why alcohol “worked”
10:15 – Lakewood roots → Deep Ellum bands (Boys Named Sue, Slick57)
12:32 – Ward + John origin story (choir class to clubs)
14:19 – “High-functioning” vs. “asshole”: the counselor’s wake-up
18:34 – The decision to quit; mapping rehab like a project
20:46 – Day one, therapy, psychiatrist, acceptance
22:36 – The call that changed it: AA, rehab choice, no rock bottom
25:21 – Lunch drinking, Truck Yard “office,” living in the open
30:42 – Turning the mess into music
31:33 – From early sobriety songs to darker honesty
34:24 – Calling Pedigo; the producer’s job: serve the story
36:11 – The “Party Police” and John’s producing origin
39:20 – Parallel divorces, Tulum writing trips, new studio
41:27 – Pedigo’s philosophy: make the song bigger, not busier
44:01 – Clean/explicit cuts, sequencing chaos, mastering
45:22 – Ward’s writing workflow (click, scratch, build)
46:06 – The players: Joshua Ray Walker, Charlie Wiles, Trey Pendergrass, Chad Stockslager & more
47:28 – Releasing with Idol Records; PR; the Beyond the Bar show
49:05 – The “pedal band” plan (full band, one pedal)
51:12 – Using the record to talk openly about addiction (+ book tease)
52:09 – Setup to the feature track
53:00 – Song: “Non-Alcoholic Beer Drinking Man”
56:38 – Wrap and sign-off

Follow Your Dark Companion on Patreon for every episode: patreon.com/YourDarkCompanion IG: https://www.instagram.com/yourdarkcompanion/ X: https://x.com/YDC_Dfw TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@yourdarkcompanion FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559876685445 The Old Grey Wolf: X: https://x.com/TheOldGreyWolf IG: https://www.instagram.com/theoldgreywolf16/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mikerhyner579 To reach out email us at: Info@Stolenwatermedia.com


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Creators and Guests

Host
Mike Rhyner
Mike Rhyner… "a little on the bumpy side, but rather likable"…so stated famously by a grade school teacher in Oak Cliff, where Mike grew up. A complicated guy, yet a guy who can do long division and remember call strike three to A Rod. Probably best left unattended. Don't expect assistance from him if a medical situation arises.

What is Your Dark Companion Podcast?

"Whatever I want it to be about on a given day; is what it is." Your Dark Companion couples your familiar friends from radio, Mike and Grubes! Mike brings his classic interviews that draw you in, and Grubes—The Devil—drops…well the drops, and throws the occasional grenade. Mike likes to draw on his fascinating acquaintances and friends allowing them to tell their stories as you've never heard them. But he also goes outside his network, sharing Grubes' network, and often outside of both, to bring you those they don't know, but believe have a story that will make you laugh, make you think, think differently, or just entertain you…"that's what we are trying to do here."