Welcome back to At Least There's Fest! I hope everyone had a terrific Fest 23 and is back home safely. Over here, we are already gearing up for Fest 24 and you should get an episode a week until the April lineup announcement when things will kick into a higher gear. While you're here, please rate and review this podcast on the app of your choice and also follow us on Instagram. Our guest for this show is Travis Miles of The Penske File. The Ontario band has played Fest 4 times over the last 10 years and they just released their latest full length "Reprieve" at the beginning of October. Travis talks about what it was like starting out as a band in Canada, coming to Fest, the challenges of touring in the US, what it's like to have three vocalists, the joy of creating something important with your best friends, and much more.

Hello and welcome to our final episode ahead of Fest 23! What better guest to have swing by than the prolific, legendary and all-around great human, Mikey Erg! Fest 23 will be Mikey's 19th fest in 20 years and that is some impressive longevity. In the podcast we talk about all of those Fests, the most sets he ever played in a single Fest (seriously, it'll blow your mind and it honestly seems impossible), the joys and collecting records, and much much more. It is a great conversation, we could have easily filled two hours. You can catch Mikey on Sunday night at Boca Fiesta for his only (!!!) set at Fest this year. Swing by Bandcamp and support his grind.

Fest is almost here! Joining the show to celebrate is Tiff Hannay of the Lansing, MI band Rodeo Boys. The band has played Fest the last two years and will be back again for Fest 23. Tiff talks about the formation of the band, the growing pains of being a songwriter, landing on Don Gionvanni, touring with the Menzingers and Laura Jane Grace, and the joy of seeing yourself in the crowd. Rodeo Boys are touring around Fest with Weakened Friends and are playing on Saturday afternoon at The Wooly. Get in there and have some fun. You can find their latest release over at Bandcamp and all of the other familiar places.

We're about a week from Fest 23 and we have a fitting guest for the occasion, Mike Terry of The Jukebox Romantics. The New York band has been at it for over 15 years and they've lost count of how many times they have played Fest. Mike and I talk about the early fluctuation of band members, playing the late night shifts at Fest, their new record, recording a music video is Gainesville and much more. The bands newest record "This One Looks Cool" is out on Sell The Heart tomorrow (October 17) and they are playing on Saturday night at Loosey's. Check out the album and check them out live. They will likely play their new album closer "The Walk to Heartwood" which is a total force of nature. 

It's our 50th show! Time flies. Our guests today are Colin and Justin from the New York band, Neckscars. Neckscars formed in 2018 and they have two full lengths to their credit, with their latest just coming out this summer. We talk about the new record, playing in NY, having a recording session interrupted by Covid, playing Fest, and much much more. You can catch Neckscars at Loosey's on Saturday night along with several other Sell The Heart bands. Their new album "Unhinged" can be purchased via Bandcamp or Sell The Heart.

Welcome back to another episode of At Least There's Fest! My guest today is Bobby Caruso of The Caution Children. The Florida band has been in active in one way or another for nearly twenty years and is playing Fest for the first time in around ten years (give or take). The band just released their first album in over a decade, "Appropriate Music" and it is one of the best albums of the year in my humble opinion. We talk about the new album, the changing lineup of the band, their amazing live shows and how unpredictable they often are. Buy the album here and make sure to check them out at Fest on Saturday at Vivid.

Fun show today! Stopping by the show are Viggy Ram and Eric Nakano from the Bay Area Band, DROUGHT. The band formed in 2022 and just released their first full length record, Souvenir, this summer. Viggy and Eric discuss starting a band via Craigslist, working with Pat Flynn from Have Heart/Fiddlehead, touring, writing music, playing Fest for the first time. The band will make their Fest debut on Friday at How Bazar and will tour down the East Coast just prior to that. Check them out if you can.

Thank you for tuning into another episode of At Least There's Fest. Joining the show today for episode 47 is Jon Oddo from the Seattle, WA band, Dead Bars. Dead Bars plays Fest just about every year and Jon makes the argument that Dead Bars wouldn't exist without Fest. He also talks about history of the band, the current lineup, how they write songs, the diversity of styles on the new album, and much more. Dead Bars released their latest record "All Dead Bars Go To Heaven" earlier this year and it is seriously just a total pleasure, I highly recommend it, whatever that's worth. The band is playing Friday at Vivid and they are also playing a pre-Fest show at the Atlantic on Thursday night as part of a pretty stellar line up. Check it out.

Hello and welcome to the 46th (!!!) episode of At Least There's Fest, thank you so much for listening.  Joining the show for this episode are Ben Roy and Chuck Coffey of the Denver band, SPELLS. The band has been around for over a decade and is playing Fest for the 5th time this fall. The band is knows for their prolific output, fun music, and lively shows. Ben and Chuck talk about how the band formed, their primary drivers in being a band, what makes this thing work, the energy they try to bring to a room, new music, and their favorite things to do in Gainesville. Ben is also an accomplished comedian with his latest special "Hyena" being particularly terrific. You can check out both SPELLS and Ben Roy stand up at Fest in a few weeks. Get out there!

On today's episode I am joined in the virtual studio by John Massel. John is in the Grand Rapids, MI (my hometown) band North Lincoln who will be playing Fest for the first time since Fest 8! John talks about the formation of the band in the last century, connecting with the Gainesville scene and No Idea, touring with Planes Mistaken for Stars, unreleased tunes, his other band Spares (also playing Fest), and much more. If you are a fan of old band, label, and venue references, then this is the exact episode you've been waiting for. North Lincoln and Spares both play on Saturday at Boca Fiesta and Loosey's respectively. You can find their records on Bandcamp and streaming services.  

Joining today's show is Peter Marullo of Protagonist. The Florida band formed in 1999 (!!!) and will be playing Fest for the 13th time this fall.  Peter shares the formation of the band, writing for two vocalists, working with Omnigone, recording new music, past tours, and much more. On the Fest front Peter impressively recalls every venue Protagonist has played at Fest (RIP to many of them) and gives plenty of food recs for folks who are interested.  You can check out the Fest 21 compilation for their contribution to the record. The band is playing at Loosey's on Saturday afternoon, swing on by.

Hey, if you've enjoyed this podcast so far please consider sharing, rating, saving, and/or supporting this work via our Patreon. I don't want to have make some episodes pay only, it defeats the purpose. But I would love to not lose money. Thanks so much! Joining the show today is Maxwell Stern. Max is known for his solo work and for fronting the terrific band, Signals Midwest. The band is playing Fest for the 11th time this fall and is back after a one year hiatus. We talk about his solo work, eating well on the road, his first Fest, food recs in Gainesville, what gets him in the pit, ska, and so much more.  You can catch Signals Midwest on the road October 2-11  as the they tour around with friends of the show, 500 Bucks. In addition to playing a solo set at Fest and with Signals Midwest, you can catch Max at Fest playing with Timeshares and Orbits as well. Yes, he's playing 4 shows this year. 

HUGE show today in terms of fun and in volume of bands. We have THREE bands on today's show with Mega Infinity, PWRUP, and Joker's Republic stopping by together to talk ska, Fest, and their upcoming tour to Fest. The bands talk about their local (NE) scenes, sharing band members, why everyone looks to Joker's Republic when they need a sub, touring down to Fest as a group, and the changing venue landscape. If you live on the East Coast, the bands are working their way down from CT on their way to Fest. Check them out! Additionally, Joker's Republic has a new album out on October 10. Listen to the episode to hear about a Fest exclusive variant.

Greetings and welcome back to another episode of At Least There's Fest. Our guests for the show are Duck and Becks from the NOLA band, Joystick. The band has been playing their unique blend of ska, hardcore, punk, and jazz for over 15 years. They will be playing Fest for the sixth time this fall. Duck shares about how they moved to NOLA and knew they wanted to start a ska band. They were able to fill the group out quickly given the amount of musicians and shows in New Orleans. Becks joined years later and has helped fill out the horn section from their home base in NJ.  Hear about the start of the band, the challenges of traveling as a ska band, how having a huge band is really great in many ways, the must see bands at Fest this year, new music, and much more. Check out the band as they tour their way East to Fest starting in TX. They are playing shows with Omnigone, Jer, and Hell Beach. 

Joining the show today is Steve Brewer of Distants. The Michigan band has played Fest the last few years and will make the long trip south again for Fest 23. Steve tells us the story of the band, their process for making new music, how breweries make a perfect home for local punk shows, and why this year's Fest will be a special show for the band. You can find their stuff on Bandcamp and at Fest this year. Check out their most recent record "LP", it's a good one.

Joining the show today are the guys from Miller Lowlifes. The Tampa band is a recent Fest fixture, but their members have been in bands playing Fest for nearly twenty years. Mario, Matt, and Richie talk about being a Florida band, how this project started, baseball history dating back over a century, being at the FIRST Fest (we think?), their full length "Pinch Hitters", and much more.  The band is playing a Thursday night pre-Fest show with Dead Bars and others at The Atlantic if you are heading into town hear. You can also head to Bandcamp to pick up their full length or any of their killer merch.

Welcome back to At Least There's Fest. We're only about a month away from Fest 23 and my hope is that this podcast has helped you feel connected to Fest and also helped you learn about some new bands. If you've enjoyed the podcast at all, please take a moment to rate and review on your podcast platform of choice. Joining the show today is the Brooklyn-based band, Qwam. The band has been around for several years, but this is their first album in some time and it represents a serious shift in lyrical content and musical styles.  Four out of five members of the band are on the pod, led by front person, Felicia Lobo. They discuss the formation of the band, the addition of some new members, balancing life and music, their new sound and and how they got here, and why they are excited to all make the trip to Fest for the first time. The bands newest album "girls aren't afraid of blood" came out on August 1st and it's a great record. I'm looking forward to hearing it live at Fest. 

I've enjoyed doing every single one of these episodes, but this is one I was looking forward to a great deal. New Junk City is a Fest institution at this point. They are playing for the ninth time this year and you don't want to miss it. The whole band sits for this one and we discuss how they got the band together out of a solo project, their strong merch game, why playing in a band is so important to them, Fest, and NEW music (!!!).  You can catch the band at the Loosey's Pre-Fest show on Thursday night (sold out in 24 hours) and on Friday at the Heartwood. You can pick up their records and the aforementioned killer merch by stopping by the band site.

On today's episode I am joined by Chance Smith of Kerosene Heights. The band just released their terrific sophomore full-length, Blame It On The Weather, on Sideonedummy.  Chance talks about how he started writing songs for Kerosene Heights right at the start of Covid on his phone and how he would go on to add band members to make the songs a reality. Over the years the band has continued to produce music and has toured relentlessly.  We also discuss the new album more in depth and the bands first appearance at Fest.  Kerosene Heights will head out on a national tour right after Fest, including their first ever west coast dates. Check them out.

Today were are joined by Worlds Scariest Police chases. The Pittsburgh band has been making their own unique brand of punk for fifteen years. They release their first full length in seven years on September 26 via Say-10 records. The band talks about how they got together, how the band has evolved from a "joke band" to a band that "tells jokes", where they got their name, tales from as far back as Fest 2, and much much more.  You have two chances to catch the band at Fest this year. They're doing a Police Chases set and a "Blonde Ramones" set. I try to get them to share about that set, but they were quite cagey, particularly on what they'd be wearing. You can pre-order the new album in all of the obvious places or pick it up at Fest. Stay on the pod until the end when they accidentally a pretty big tour they'll be going on later this year.