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