Bare Bones Tattoo: Where the Craft Meets the Chaos

No Paper Nights and the Art of Being Invisible

Most people think tour security means being big, intimidating, and ready to throw someone out. Mehdi Rabii has spent 22 years proving that the real job looks nothing like that. It is logistics, empathy, advanced planning, and the kind of situational awareness that never really turns off, not at a show, not at a school recital, not anywhere. In this episode of Shady Characters, Tim and Evan reconnect with Tim’s longtime friend to pull back the curtain on what it actually takes to keep a world-class touring act safe. Mehdi has worked with some of the biggest names in music, including Green Day, My Chemical Romance, Queens of the Stone Age, Ozzy Osbourne, Paramore, The Offspring, Swedish House Mafia, and Twenty One Pilots, and he walks through everything from building out security perimeters for arena shows to navigating real Al-Qaeda threat assessments, managing rogue drones in RF-heavy environments, and carrying a 90-pound client on his back for a mile after a rough afternoon in Cancun. He also opens up about the personal cost of being gone, two broken relationships and a lifestyle that most people flame out of fast, and why he is finally starting to slow down, water his garden in the morning, and enjoy the honey from the bees in his backyard. The best night on tour? No paper. Not a single incident report.

Bare Bones Tattoo: Where the Craft Meets the Chaos

When Bare Bones Tattoo opened its doors in San Juan Capistrano, it became the first tattoo shop in a city that just celebrated the 250th anniversary of the Mission. Alex Blackwell and Zane Leibowitz did not stumble into this craft lightly. Between them, they have over 30 years of experience, hard-earned apprenticeships, and enough war stories to fill a flash book. In this episode of Shady Characters, Alex and Zane get into all of it: the unglamorous reality of sweeping shop floors and scrubbing tubes before ever picking up a machine, the surprising learning curve between putting something on paper and putting it on skin, and the unwritten rules that separate a good tattoo from one that holds up 20 years later. They also talk about what makes a street shop different from a gallery shop, how AI is starting to creep into their world, and why tattooing under anesthesia misses the whole point. Equal parts candid, funny, and genuinely insightful, this one is for anyone who has ever sat in the chair or wondered what it takes to earn a place behind it. “You get what you give.”

Beneath the Surface: Storytelling, Conservation, and the Power of the Ocean

Beneath the Surface: Storytelling, Conservation, and the Power of the Ocean Katie Thompson has spent her career building brands, but her true impact lives far below the surface. As Executive Director of the PADI AWARE Foundation, she is helping mobilize a global community of divers to protect and restore the ocean through data, conservation, and storytelling. In this episode, Katie sits down with Tim and Evan to trace her path from Oakley to PADI, and how the principles of emotional storytelling shaped her approach to conservation. What began as a passion for adventure evolved into a mission to create meaningful change, using diving as a gateway to connection, awareness, and action. The conversation explores the transformative power of the underwater world, from personal stories of resilience and recovery to the technical challenges of capturing those moments on camera. Katie shares how diving can reconnect people to themselves and to nature, often becoming a catalyst for profound personal change. They also unpack the scale of PADI AWARE’s work, including global programs focused on marine debris, habitat restoration, vulnerable species protection, and marine protected areas. With millions of divers worldwide contributing data and participating in conservation efforts, the organization is turning exploration into measurable impact. At its core, this episode is about perspective. It is about what happens when you look beyond the surface, challenge conventional thinking, and choose to build something that matters.

Water Project: Finding Your Lens on Life

Water Project: Finding Your Lens on Life Seth Willingham didn’t set out to become one of Southern California’s most recognizable drone photographers. He grew up splitting time between Hawaii and Laguna Beach, fell in love with the ocean through GoPros and free dives, and stumbled into drone flying when a friend basically handed him a Phantom and said to just try it. Ten years later, that borrowed drone has taken him to Australia, Alaska, French Polynesia, and everywhere in between, and it all started with the right people refusing to gate keep. In this episode of Shady Characters, Seth sits down with Tim and Evan to talk about the grind behind the gorgeous: waking up before sunrise not knowing if the sky will cooperate, flying off the bow of a boat hoping the battery holds, and the discipline of always going after the best initial shot rather than fixing it in post. He also opens up about selling his supplement franchise right before COVID, navigating the transition to full-time creative work, and what legacy really means when you’re raising a six-year-old who’d rather be cliff diving in Hawaii than doing just about anything else. “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” Follow Seth at @waterproject.

She Didn’t Follow the Market. She Built Her Own.

She Didn’t Follow the Market. She Built Her Own. Nicole Bowyer did not start with a polished brand or a clear roadmap. She started with a vision, a small budget, and a willingness to figure things out as she went. In this episode, the founder of Coco on the Go breaks down what it actually looks like to build a brand from the ground up, long before the wins start showing up. From hand labeling her first pieces at home to traveling internationally in search of the right fabrics, Nicole shares the messy and unfiltered early days of entrepreneurship. What began as a passion for design and a desire to empower women through confident and versatile clothing evolved into a premium athleisure brand now found in luxury spas, resorts, and fitness clubs across the country. We get into the real decisions behind the brand. Why she chose quality over margin early on. How she differentiated in a crowded athleisure market. What it takes to stay consistent when growth is slow and uncertain. She also talks about navigating partnerships, breaking into major retail, and balancing her own brand while taking on private label opportunities. Beyond business, Nicole opens up about the reality of juggling motherhood and entrepreneurship, staying organized under pressure, and maintaining the discipline it takes to keep moving forward. This is a candid conversation about resilience, brand building, and playing the long game to create something meaningful and make it last.