How early is too early for a midlife crisis? Katie Morrison explains…Von Carl Gratiot

What role will AI really play in the future of our civilization? This question has been haunting me over the past few weeks. I’ve pondered over whether tools like ChatGPT will simply make our lives easier or if they’ll straight up take our jobs. Personally, I feel like any sort of creative work will always require a “human element” of some kind. Bu…

As companies, start-ups, and other institutions continue to prioritize DEI initiatives, we need to remember that it’s on ALL OF US to ensure that they’re actually meaningful. I traveled to Philadelphia to chat with Kepler’s Associate VP of the DEI Center of Excellence, Justin Roberts, about how best to do that.…

Without warning, the battery in my 2006 Pontiac Vibe stopped working. Luckily, I know a car guy.Von Carl Gratiot

Sarah T. Cummings does A LOT. This is how she does it.Von Carl Gratiot

Instead of dwelling on the fact that I haven’t kept up with photo-based memory preservation, I decided to interview my kids.Von Carl Gratiot

This episode is all about gratitude. Also BDE. Sarah joins us to discuss a recent BDE moment she had at work. Then we all share our albums of the year with the group. Some of them were from 2018, others, COUGH, Sarah's, were from like 1971. Next, we workshop our ideas for what Okay Time should look like in Season Two. Lots of ideas are brewing. Not…

We're so near the end, aren't we? Ahem, of Season One of this podcast I mean. This week Steve talks about the very troubling documentary, Abducted in Plain Sight. I then chat about Made Out Of Babies's 2008 album, "The Ruiner." We also briefly touch on ghouls and what we should do in Season Two. Thanks for listening! - Carl…

How lit is your Linkedin profile? This week Carl and I brainstorm ways to make ourselves more marketable on the internet via everyone's favorite networking site. Once that's out of the way we discuss the assignments Sarah gave us, Octavia Butler's "Bloodchild" and Pinc Louds 2017 EP. If you ask me, it's a freaking Okay Time. -Steve…

Hello all. Steve took a little holiday in the Bay Area so Sarah and I had a little chat in our kitchen/basement about the following. Big Bear’s (the band from Boston, not the California lake mountain community) unnamed first LP, and Pedro the Lion’s recent “Phoenix.” Also, Sarah tells us all about her obsession with all (most) things Sweden. Won’t …

Sorry this wasn't live on Monday everyone. I was laid the fuck off from my job and had to take a few days to ponder my next move. I found out that I have some "relevant skills" so I am confident I will find another job soon. Anyhow, Stevie and I chatted about Forth Wanderers' "self-titled," and Alexander "they call him Skip" Spence's "Oar." Hope yo…

Greetings from West Philadelphia. This week Carl and I talk about Melvin Davis' Detroit Soul Ambassador and Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band's Lick My Decals Off, Baby. Other topics include: Magic the Gathering, the Crossfire commercials from the 90s and non sequitur wisdom from Twitter. It's official, we had an Okay Time and so can you. -Steve…

You ever have one of those experiences where you are just totally having a terrific time? That's how I felt this week talking with Steve. We totally are now finishing each other's sentences and all that. This week, we're chatting about the Green Line's favorite touring band, Dark Thoughts, and the "dume" rock of Windhand. Enjoy! - Carl…

This week I got to sit in my apartment while I talked to Carl from his Pontiac Vibe. Luckily, he remembered that a running car inside a closed garage is a no no. We had a conversation about the Black Angels "Passover" and Lala Lala's "Sleepyhead". Other topics include: What class Carl should take to get out of the house and meet new friends, Great …

This might be our best episode of the year. LOL. Do you ever get sick of those "of the year" jokes that people do every January? I know I don't. Kind of. Anyway, on this episode of Okay Time, we talk about the pains associated with having one of your creations taken away from you, and we revisit the hardships of middle school. That's right, we're t…

Last week, Steve assigned all of us (including Sarah) a very specific mission. To experience 60 minutes inside of a sensory deprivation tank. Well, we all did it, and each had unique experiences. To find out what happens, when we started to get real in there, listen to this episode. Happy New Year!

Forgive us on this Christmas Eve for the cave-like quality of Sarah and I's vocals. We finally moved into our own place, and the lack of furniture made us sound a little Batman-esque. Regardless, I feel strongly that this is still a great conversation between us three. Steve has a pretty neat challenge for us to undertake next week. He also had a w…

Can you tell that Steve turned off the heater in his apartment? We think you probably can. We're always trying to improve the production of this podcast, and we welcome any feedback you may have. So by all means, if you have it, go ahead and let us know. You can tweet us or message us on Instagram using the hashtag #SadBoiVapeOkayTimeFeedback or fe…

Apologies for not getting this one out on Monday everyone. It's been kinda sorta stressful trying to get into this new housing situation, and it threw off my editing flow. Appreciate you sticking around with us. This time around, Steve and I travel to the magical land of Xobeci, and ask Miranda Winters, "what grows here?" JK, but we talk about her …

This week was a week of firsts. Steve had has first encounter with Adele. More on that after the 22 minute mark, and I had my first 144p (video quality) viewing experience on YouTube. I am chatting about U.S. Maple's "Acre Thrills," and Steve shares his experience with Adele's "21." It goes about as well as you'd expect. Thanks for listening. - Car…

Happy gizzard pullin' everyone. We hope you had a terrific Thanksgiving and got to watch the Lions lose like I did. We appreciate you sticking around with us all the way to ep #16. That's pretty neat. In this one we're chatting about Warpaint's self-titled album, and Mitski's "Be the Cowboy." Spoiler alert: we both had an okay time listening to the…

Finally! Sarah is back with her guidelines on how we should be abiding by our "bugs in there" rating system going forward. They're very specific and detailed. Looks like me giving out fives like they're 'lil swag bags might be a thing of the past. Hope no one is offended by any subsequent fours or threes. Anyhow, in this episode I chat about Rocket…

Hello there. Do you ever feel like a complete asshole? I do sometimes when I feel like I am being judgey. I try to remind myself that the whole point of Okay Time is to share music and other art with my friend, and talk about OUR specific reactions to it. Not to give my intense critical feedback. That helps if my reaction isn't 5 bugs in there, but…

I never thought the day would come when I'd get to review an album that had intro and outro songs that both topped 22 minutes long. Well my friends, that day has arrived. I talked about Cheer-Accident's "Introducing, Lemon" and Steve goes on about "The Growlers's "Hot Tropics." We also got a nice visit from Sarah where she tells us to get more MEAN…

Buzz Buzz Buzz up in the air, the flies are bothering me again. I can't figure out why they've invaded my living space. One thing that gave me some release was talking to Steve this week about The Coathangers's record, "Suck My Shirt." It's great. I asked Steve to listen to Night Beats' Self-titled, "Night Beats." Did you know that's what self-titl…

What's the most brutal thing you can imagine on the menu at a bar 'n' grill? Is it Ogre Blood-infused Jalapeño Poppers? Whatever you choose, it's safe to assume that High on Fire's new album, "Electric Messiah," might be playing while you order. I reviewed that one this week, while Steve talked about The Schizophonics's recent full-length, "Land of…

Wow, did we have fun at the Yowler record release show on Wednesday night! If you haven't ever heard them, go right now to your favorite avenue for that sorta thing and check 'em out. Any how, this week Steve and I took a right turn off of our regular scheduled path, and landed in the land of Kendrick Lamar. Steve listened to his masterful album, "…

Oh man, assigning Gritty to Sarah was a sure-fire way to get her back on the podcast. Gritty is here and she has been affected by it. Then I talk about Harvey Milk's "Life...The Best Game in Town," and Steve talks about The Sword's "Age of Winters." Pretty enjoyable conversation if you ask me. But who reads these descriptions number one? If you are…

One of the nice things about Carl living in Delaware (besides all of the milk) is being able to drive up to Philly for an in-person podcast recording at Steve's joint. That's what happened this week. Listen as Steve and Carl chat about The Mr. Rogers doc, "Won't You Be My Neighbor," and Super Unison's "Auto." Also, what the hell is Gritty and where…

#SadBoi is a pretty decent way to some up how Carl felt after watching Margaret Brown's "Be Here to Love Me," which is a doc about Townes van Zandt's life/career. But, it's worth a watch for sure. Beautiful look inside the life and times of Townes. Steve on the other hand, dove face first into the Motor City's own, Terrible Twos, and their hit reco…

Get ready everyone 'cause Steve and Carl have their Dr. Merkinstocks on and are ready to discuss Danava's "Hemisphere of Shadows" and Jay Reatard's "Blood Visions." Steve is also headed to a conference so they chatted about that. Oh, and about tortured artists and what not. Giver a listen please, thanks!…

Oh dip, Steve and Carl are back for episode 5. Hell yeah. This week, Carl listened to Marnie Stern's "This Is It and I Am It and You Are It and So Is That and He Is It and She Is It and It Is It and That Is That," and Steve listened to Protomartyr's "The Agent Intellect." They had a lot to talk about. They also talked about the mysterious cult lead…

This week Steve is fresh off of a week at a Meditation Retreat. Meanwhile, Sarah and Kevin were tasked with talking about the unique musical arrangements of Atom and His Package, and the album he did called "Attention! blah blah blah." They also talk about All Dogs' "All Dogs." Please listen. Thanks!…

This week Steve and Carl are chatting about the wonderful culinary spectacle known as the Great British Baking Show, and the toxic-infused, sponge rock of Austin-based band, Spray Paint, and their album "Feel the Clamps." Also, Producer Sarah joins us for Songs of the week. Have a good one.

This week Steve and Carl are back on opposite ends of a blue yeti microphone and are talking about Team Dresch's "Captain My Captain," and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club's "Take them on, on your own." We also finally created the Spotify playlist for our Songs of the Week segment. Thanks for listening.

This week Steve and Carl meet IRL to discuss Kepone's "Self Titled" album, and T. Hardy Morris's "Dude, The Obscure." Not really sure if there's supposed to be an "apostrophe s" there or not but it seems correct. Our new selected tracks Spotify playlist is now live as well!

Listen, choosing a name for this podcast has been harder than we thought. So, we decided to devote this week's episode to trying to figure out (and hopefully) finally settle on the permanent name. We're joined by our Producer, Sarah, who offers up some names of her own. Hope you'll stick with us and have an "okay time."…

Hello, this may not be the best podcast you've ever heard, but we're fairly certain if you listen, it might be an Okay Time. We're two friends (Carl Gratiot & Steve Ellis) who ask each other to listen to new music each week. This week we're chatting about Thee Oh See's "Mutilator Defeated at Last," and War on Women's "Capture the Flag."…