We're traveling way into the Northeast for this one to bring on the legendary Randy Larsen who has done time in:

Cable

Empty Flowers

Isis

Slow Death

Tombs

Come To Grief

Randy's stories of his attempts to focus entirely on bass and shift away from vocals through some of the more turbulant times of Cable make this episode truly special. Of special note is his story for how Cable came to be parted from Hydra Head and you will definitely want to hear this one!

Hope you enjoy this one - it's definitely worth the listen!

The two songs featured in this episode are both Cable bangers:

Time Big Rock - from "Northern Failures"

Gulf Of Texaco - from "The Failed Convict"

Get all your physical Cable music from Translation Loss here:

https://translationloss.com/search?q=cable&options%5Bprefix%5D=last

Bandcamp for all your digital needs:

https://cable3.bandcamp.com/music

Find him at ALL THESE LINKS:

https://www.instagram.com/cabletheband

https://www.facebook.com/cabletheband

https://www.instagram.com/translationlossrecords

Ryan comes back onto the show to discuss all things Coliseum's 2004 Self-Titled Debut. When this album first dropped it was like an explosion in the heart of Louisville and 20+ years and two milestone reissues later this album is still just as strong as it was back then.

You'll learn about everything that went into the original album, the original line-up, how the remasters came together (and Ryan's opinions on them) and so much more.

Both songs from this episode were taken from Colseium's Self-Titled LP (duh):

"This Mind Locked Inside This Body"

"Give Up and Drive"

Staying in the Midwest for Episode 061 so we could have a nice, long conversation with the man behind the guitar in so many legendary Chicago (and New York!) bands - Jay Jancetic doing his thing in:

Plagued With Rage

Half Mast

Nevermore

Extinction

Sever the Cord

Arma Angelus

Stabbed By Words

Holy Roman Empire

Harm's Way

Black X

Atonement Theory

Contempt

Almost Always

Left Of Heaven

You might be surprised like I was to find out he originally hails from New York before he recognized just how amazing Chicago is and made the move that forever changed not only his own musical path but charted a new path through all of the influential bands he has done time in.

Jay had so many great stories and has led such an interesting life this made for an amazing episode.

The two songs featured in this episode are:

Left Of Heaven - Halo From the Upcoming (yet-to-be-fully-titled) EP

Harm's Way - Docile Bodies from "Rust"

Aside from being the shredder and voice behind Cadillac Blindside, did you know Zaq had a more singer-songwriter side? If you somehow missed out or slept on this or whatever else, check this episode out because Zaq us back to give us the complete oral history behind ...And We Danced. He discovers the theme behind the album, how it came to be (and how it was almost only made for him) and just how much this project meant to him.

There are few things more satisfying than having a guest on and realizing that music never left their hearts and their souls and Zaq embodies this just as well as anyone else. He takes all of that heart and history and wraps it up in a genuine story with some sprinkled in humor, exactly like the phenominal songwriter that he is.

This episode was a blast to record and we sincerely hope you enjoy the listen or the watch.

Both songs from this episode were taken from ...And We Danced's Self-Titled release (duh):

"The Ring"

"Little Streetlight"

Back to the Midwest for Episode 059 so we could have a nice, long conversation with the man both behind the guitar and the microphone - Zaq Zrust doing his thing in Cadillac Blindside, And We Danced, FUELtheFIRE, plus more.

Hear about his early years around his parents, his love for writing music, finding (and continually improving) his voice, learning guitar, and everything else. You'll be shocked at the work ethic and effort that Zaq put into Cadillac and how that translated to their continued popularity to this day.

This episode is also (completely unplanned) timely as Cadillac Blindside is playing three shows next month for FEST in Gainesville, FL.

We hope you enjoy the Midwest wisdom Zaq is about to share.

The two songs featured in this episode are:

FUELtheFIRE - I Got the April Epidemic... Now it Burns When I... from the split with The April Epidemic

Cadillac Blindside - Just Pull the Trigger from "Read the Book Seen the Movie"

Emily was kind enough to come back and discuss what life was like behind the microphone (and the pen!) while providing vocals for the absolutely amazing Holy Roman Empire's "The Longue Durée."

Hear about how her vocal journey and time in the studio made her into the powerful singer she is, her many contributions to the songs and how the dynamic of the band changed once she had create control over her lyrics, and how everything came together perfectly to craft this album that showed the band at the top of their game.

It was an absolute pleasure to have Emily on and hear her perspective.

Both songs from this episode were taken from Holy Roman Empire's "The Longue Durée" album (duh):

Action Figures

Take It Outside

For episode 057 we travel back to the lovely Midwest (specifically Chicago) to have a conversation with the talented and versatile Emily Schambra, singer extraordinaire.

Find out about her move to Chicago, early bands, vocal training, her time in Engines, Longdistancerunner, Holy Roman Empire, and more! Emily was kind enough to share all kinds of stories about her experiences navigating the music scene while developing her skills as both a writer and a singer.

As with all of our episodes, you won't want to miss this one!

The two songs featured in this episode are:

Longdistancerunner - Anger Management from "Competition Of Martyrs"

Engines - Metempsychosis from "Every Cell"

We were fortunate enough to get Thomas back on to talk all things Vorstellungskraft from the point of view of the four-strings. Hear about the legendary studio, how the songs came together, the writing and recording process, the tour, and everything else you ever wanted to know.

Thomas brings his unique insight and wit to the conversation to tell the story of how Vorstellungskraft came together and eventually became the album that I love.

Check out his most recent release where he recorded bass for Mortal Form here:

https://open.spotify.com/track/6TLvPWfJYbyXL6dUk4bs2i?si=Go3FmwBtTLqiDqNq58FLVg

Man the Change:

https://manthechangehc.bandcamp.com/

Man Vs. Humanity:

https://manvshumanity.bandcamp.com/

The Tidal Sleep:

https://thetidalsleep.bandcamp.com/

Both songs from this episode were taken from The Tidal Sleep's "Vorstellungskraft " album (duh):

Thrive & Wither

Smoke & Mirrors

We're back with another amazing international guest - this time we brought master bassist (and master of all things stringed, actually) Thomas Bretcher to talk all things music, Germany, and everything that goes into being a talented musician in an amazing band. This is actually an exceptionally amazing episode for me because when I first heard The Tidal Sleep around a decade ago there was just something about their energy and their emotion and their music that really spoke to me and as with all my guests, I'm beyond humbled that anyone would take time out of their busy schedule to sit down for way too long and talk to me.

You'll hear about Thomas' entry into music and what drew him into the scene, how effortlessly he was able to set down the guitar and pick up the bass, and follow that thread through Man Vs. Humanity, Man the Change, The Tidal Sleep, and even current day with him doing music with some of his favorite people and playing bass for Mortal Form. I honestly don't know where people get the time.

Either way, like all of my episodes, this is one of my favorites and I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as we did. Thomas is an amazing guy (he's my hero!) and it was such a wonderful talk.

Check out his most recent release where he recorded bass for Mortal Form here:

https://open.spotify.com/track/6TLvPWfJYbyXL6dUk4bs2i?si=Go3FmwBtTLqiDqNq58FLVg

Man the Change:

https://manthechangehc.bandcamp.com/

Man Vs. Humanity:

https://manvshumanity.bandcamp.com/

The Tidal Sleep:

https://thetidalsleep.bandcamp.com/

Both songs from this episode were taken from The Tidal Sleep's "Be Water" album:

Undertows

Footsteps

Greg Daniels comes back for the second part of our conversation where we do a deep dive on Vaux's "There Must Be Some Way To Stop Them."

Hear Greg's stories about how this album was conceived, what touring and popularity was like for them during this era, and so much more. Stay tuned for the fancy vinyl reissue coming to a turntable near you in the future!

The two songs used in this episode are both off "There Must Be Some Way To Stop Them" (Duh)

Set It To Bloe

Ride Out Bitch

https://www.instagram.com/drop.to.pop/

https://www.instagram.com/vaux_band/

https://www.instagram.com/gregdaniels/

Denver Institution and all-around nice guy (and better than he gives himself credit for guitarist) Greg Daniels of Vaux / Glass Hits / Drop To Pop came onto the show to discuss all of the things that makes him the person he is.

Want to hear the story about how he ALMOST was in a band with friend of the show Chuck Coffey? Or how many bands he juggled at once? Or how massively large his record store is? You'll discover all that and then some during our conversation with one of the creative forces behind some amazing bands.

https://www.instagram.com/drop.to.pop/

https://www.instagram.com/vaux_band/

https://www.instagram.com/gregdaniels/

The two songs used in this episode are Glass Hits songs:

"Better Never Than Late" Off the album Better Never Than Late

"Action Potential" Off the Split with Accordion Crimes

In this chaotic conversation, Demian & Shane come back on the show as a dynamic duo (you won't believe how dynamic) to discuss noise as a "genre."

Although the conversation bounces around, we discuss some of the origins of noise, its connections to outsider performance art, some of the dangerous historical trends and fads associated with it, and what that noise ethos means to Shane and Demian.

If you were like me and were curious about noise but were too afraid to ask, I don't know if you would've asked this question, but you'd definitely get a few answers.

The songs used in this episode are intended to be representative of noise and are

Throbbing Gristle - "Hamburger Lady"

Merzbow - "Woodpecker No. 1"

Rich Lippold is back for the second part of our conversation where we do a deep dive on The Deadly's "Phantoms In the Frequencies"

Since this is the band's first material right out of the gate after being fully formed, the making of this album is closely tied into their origin story and Rich shares his insight into everything that went into creating this EP.

Find out how they got signed, how the album got recorded, and so much more. If you've never given this EP a proper listen, first listen to how it was made then put it on and enjoy something that has been missing from your life.

The two songs used in this episode are both off "Phantoms In the Frequencies" (Duh)

Nevada Audio

The Notion's Lit

https://hawthornestreetrecords.bandcamp.com/album/phantoms-in-the-frequencies

Rich's upcoming publication:

https://www.schlock.co.uk/

We don't know if Rich pulled the short straw or what, but he's the lucky guy that made it on episode 50! I can't believe this is something that actually happened.

Either way, Rich discuses his early years, what got him into music, his early attempts to move away (and what kept him there) and eventually the chain of events that led him to the Emerald Isle.

It's always great to have anyone from the Philadelphia scene on the show to discuss everything that was going on in that magical time and place. Like every other Philadelphia musician we've had on here, every band sounds completely unique and interesting and Rich was the rule, not the exception in this case. He is truly a great dude and we're lucky he graced us with his presence.

https://hawthornestreetrecords.bandcamp.com/album/phantoms-in-the-frequencies

https://plutorecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-wolves-are-here-again

Rich's upcoming publication:

https://www.schlock.co.uk/

The two songs used in this episode are both The Deadly songs off "The Wolves Are Here Again"

These Are Cherry Blossoms

Danger Endanger

For this episode that has taken over a year to materialize, we sit down with Justin Mank to discuss his various (and varied!) musical outputs as well as his direct influence on the St. Louis scene.

Like so many of the guests on this show, you can hear about the trajectory and the various interests that were floating around while Not Waving But Drowning was during their span leading up to their dissolution, their time away, and their eventual official reunion culminating in two new songs.

Fast forward to the present and you'll discover Justin's love for ambient and the freedom he has when constructing sonic landscapes with Two Hands | One Engine.

He is truly a talented and creative musician and this was a really fun conversation.

The two songs used in this episode are both by Two Hands | One Engine:

Rescind - "The Mind Wanders" Album

Taste the Mood - Stand Alone Single

Get all his links right here:

https://linktr.ee/justintmank

https://www.instagram.com/nwbdstl/

https://www.facebook.com/NWBDSTL

https://nwbdstl.bandcamp.com/

We bring Josh aka Joey Angel back for the back-half of our conversation where he and I did a deep dive into everything that made Crossed Keys' "Saviors" such an amazing album.

Since that was their first full release as a band, the conversation also digs into the origins of Crossed Keys and how they came to be.

If you're like me and you're at all curious about the meaning behind some of these songs or want to just listen to Josh's explanation of some of the lyrics, this is definitely a conversation for you. It's weird that so often on my side of the screen it seems that the album almost came together effortlessly but there is so much that goes into writing and recording and releasing and touring and everything that makes Crossed Keys the band that they are and Saviors the release that it is. And we're all exceptionally lucky that the band is still going strong and is showing no signs of losing steam.

Here is a curated playlist of every single song that Josh had a hand in:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7lFZ9nE77KSM2kvRriCncK?si=pK1i8IFFRxqnzGZ_o7SxEA&pi=5sfhSuLoSgmFb

You can preorder his new Philapino shirt design here:

https://philapino.bigcartel.com/

And all things Crossed Keys here:

https://crossedkeys.bandcamp.com/

Including the new single here:

https://crossedkeys.bandcamp.com/track/lucky-stars

We sit down with Joshua Alvarez to discuss growing up in Jersey, the move to Philadelphia, his upbringing, and what got him into music.

I wasn't at all expecting the direction of this conversation and it was fun, informative, and amusing all at the same time. Joshua has some amazing stories and his time as a bassist especially was intriguing.

Either way, sit back and listen to the man behind one of the best voices in the scene as he shares stories that you won't see coming.

The two songs taken from this episode are the new newest Crossed Keys songs:

"Notebooks (Hope For the Hopeless)" taken from The Fest 22 Compilation which you can purchase here:

https://selltheheartrecords.bandcamp.com/album/fest-22-comp

"Lucky Stars" which is their new standalone single you can purchase here:

https://crossedkeys.bandcamp.com/track/lucky-stars

Thumbnail photo credit ⁨@ROUNDWALL⁩

***PREORDER THE NEW EP HERE***

https://eradicator.bandcamp.com/album/you-can-hate-the-eradicator

We are back with Andy Slania of THE ERADICATOR to discuss everything and anything related to the LP "The Eradicator."

It was a great conversation where we got a peek behind the curtain into how this seminal album came into being. It was truly a creative effort to take the era from the EP and move it to the next level onto this LP. The album is a banger from start to finish and so many of these tracks remain part of the live setlist even today so you know they've stood the test of time.

Every time we have one of these conversations I appreciate the music so much more when I understand the creative process behind it and this conversation was equally amazing.

The songs for this episode are both off The Eradicator EP: (duh)

"Squash Queen"

"Stop Dreaming, Start Living"

All the important links below:

https://eradicator.bandcamp.com/

https://www.theeradicatorband.com/show-archive (Prior show history)

https://www.facebook.com/theeradicatorband/

https://open.spotify.com/artist/4vLryEwjmshUYM9PkH7vLI

Since the first time I saw THE ERADICATOR live, this episode has been a long time coming. Andy Slania comes onto the show to talk all things music including his early years contributing to the Chicago scene, the Milwaukee connection for his band THE ERADICATOR, and his eventual move to Florida.

We discuss how The Fest may have rejuvenated him and saved the band and how he seems to have an endless well of creativity. You'll definitely want to check out the episode to learn how he's able to understand the character in order to embody him and write the amazing songs that he does.

By the way, the new EP is now available for preorder here:

https://eradicator.bandcamp.com/album/you-can-hate-the-eradicator

And other assorted links here:

https://eradicator.bandcamp.com/

https://www.theeradicatorband.com/show-archive (Prior show history)

https://www.facebook.com/theeradicatorband/

https://open.spotify.com/artist/4vLryEwjmshUYM9PkH7vLI

Florian returns for the back-end of the conversation where he and I do a deep dive into all things 2014's "Welter Through the Ashes" by RODHA. We discuss everything that went into the album, how it built upon the "Raw" album that came before it to bring up to the next level, and what happened after the release of the album.

Having this conversation felt like I was hanging out in Hamburg in the mid 2010s and given the fly on the wall treatment to really experience everything that went into the construction of this seminal album.

It was a pleasure to have Florian on and we hope you enjoy the listen.

The two songs used in this episode are (obviously) taken from Welter Through the Ashes

"Overloaded"

"Welter Through the Ashes"

Fun fact - Florian said that not only is "Welter" his favorite RODHA track, it's actually his favorite song he's written for any of his musical projects. And I can see why because it's a real banger.

Check out Them Falls here:

https://themfalls.bandcamp.com/album/bites-ep

Check out all things RODHA here:

Bandcamp: https://rodha.bandcamp.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/weareRODHA

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wearerodha/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@UCdwRSZjsGBQDnjbpZsopzqw

And OK Wait here:

all current links: http://linktr.ee/okwait

Bandcamp: https://okwait.bandcamp.com/album/signal

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/okwait.band

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/okwait.band

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@UCPsilij8K0B29EmtpphhrIg

Unreleased RODHA track here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHeOdJ9r2X