My First Band Podcast

Latest Episodes:

130 – Kevin Tully (Telethon) Aug 20, 2021

Show notes

These days, Kevin Tully can be heard singing and playing guitar in Telethon, a Milwaukee/Chicago "hard pop" project that just released its fifth full-length. Before he was fronting the band responsible for Swim Out Past the Breakers — one of the best punk-adjacent releases of the year to this point — Tully was a curious kid in Delavan, Wisconsin, who was listening to CDs left behind by his older siblings and teaching himself to play a guitar he found under his sister's bed. Since that formative time, Tully has toured extensively, shared the stage with some notable punk and ska projects, and released dozens upon dozen of outstanding songs with some of his best friends.

Prior to today's release of Swim Out Past the Breakers and next weekend's belated release show at X-Ray Arcade, Tully talked to My First Band host Tyler Maas about the process of writing and recording the album in 2020, the story behind the record's rather familiar name, and how it feels to finally be playing shows again. Of course, his previous projects (most of which featured other current members of Telethon) came up too. Over the course of the conversation, Tully opened up about his high school folk-punk band, formative concerts in rural Wisconsin legion halls and church basements, the project he dabbled in while away at college in Minnesota, his path back to music while living in California, and the start of the band that eventually turned into Telethon.

My First Band is sponsored by Mystery Room Mastering, Lakefront Brewery and Music Go Round Greenfield. The show is edited by Jared Blohm. You can listen to My First Band on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify and wherever else you get podcasts. You can also listen to rebroadcasts of previous My First Band episodes on WMSE every Wednesday from noon to 12:30 p.m. CST. Music used in this episode comes courtesy of Devils Teeth ("The Junction Street Eight Tigers") and Telethon ("Selfstarter A.E.").

129 – David McWane (Big D and the Kids Table) Aug 13, 2021

Show notes

Over the course of the band's 25-year run, Big D and the Kids Table has released nine studio albums, traveled the globe and earned a place as one of the planet's premier ska-punk projects. As Big D's lead singer, one of its founders and its last remaining original member, David McWane has seen it all. In advance of the band's forthcoming record, Do Your Art (available for pre-order on Side One Dummy, out Oct. 22), McWane talked about the new album and all that came before it.

During the extensive conversation, McWane discussed some of Big D and the Kids Table's most significant moments, including numerous international tours and countless shows with some especially notable bands, and some of his early projects. Along the way, McWane talked about his years as drummer in bands like Twisted Reality and Spu, the start of Big D, his unlikely path to becoming a vocalist, and the importance of continuing to make art in a culture that seems to no longer value creation.

My First Band is sponsored by Mystery Room Mastering and Lakefront Brewery. The show is edited by Jared Blohm. You can listen to My First Band on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify and wherever else you get podcasts. You can also listen to rebroadcasts of previous My First Band episodes on WMSE every Wednesday from noon to 12:30 p.m. CST. Music used in this episode comes courtesy of Devils Teeth ("The Junction Street Eight Tigers") and Big D And The Kids Table ("Too Much").

128 – John Wozniak (Marcy Playground) Aug 06, 2021

Show notes

John Wozniak is the singer, guitarist and primary songwriter of Marcy Playground. Odds are you know him as the voice behind "Sex And Candy," the larger-than-life hit that topped the charts for much of the late '90s and earned his band a Platinum Record and worldwide acclaim in the process. Before he was writing songs the whole world would sing, Wozniak was a kid in Minneapolis who was learning the ins and out of the guitar and playing in a church band called Angels With Flaming Swords.

Recently, My First Band host Tyler Maas spoke to Wozniak about Marcy Playground's incredible 20-plus-year run, what he's working on now and everything that came beforehand. Over the course of the interview, Wozniak talked about growing up in Minnesota, the process of writing and recording his Zog Bogbean solo project, his formative and life-changing move to Olympia for college, the process of getting signed to a major label deal, and the even-more-unfathomable occurrence of having the biggest song in the world after getting dropped from that major label.

My First Band is sponsored by Mystery Room Mastering and Lakefront Brewery. The show is edited by Jared Blohm. You can listen to My First Band on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, and wherever else you get podcasts. You can also listen to rebroadcasts of previous My First Band episodes on WMSE every Wednesday from noon to 12:30 p.m. CST. Music used in this episode comes courtesy of Devils Teeth ("The Junction Street Eight Tigers") and Marcy Playground ("Good Times").

127 – Emma Erdbrink (Doughboys Podcast, High & Mighty Podcast) Jul 30, 2021

Show notes

This week's episode breaks format a little, as we shift the focus from music to the field of audio engineering and production with Emma Erdbrink. Though the profession is oft-overlooked, Erdbrink has quickly made a name for herself as the engineer and producer of such popular podcasts as Doughboys, High & Mighty and Marketplace. Long before she was responsible for the sound quality and many other behind-the-scenes aspects of some of your favorite podcasts, Erdbrink was growing up in New England and balancing her aspirations for vocal performance with an organic interest in recording.

Recently, Erdbrink took some time away from putting together other people's podcasts to be a guest on ours. Over the course the fun and informative conversation, she told My First Band host Tyler Maas about her path to engineering, her college years and post-graduation internship, her decision to move across the country to pursue a career in audio production, and how a mixture of talent and random circumstance resulted in some amazing career opportunities. Along the way, Erdbrink also talked about the major pandemic-related adjustments her shows had to make last year, podcasting pet peeves and advice, what music she's listening to now, her plans to make a documentary about her brother, and much more.

126 – Fred Mascherino (The Color Fred, Taking Back Sunday, Breaking Pangaea) Jul 23, 2021

Show notes

As both the bandleader and namesake of The Color Fred, singer-guitarist Fred Mascherino has released some great music and found a following with his well-received YouTube page. Though he is working on another The Color Fred album and aspires to release a new single every month of 2021, Mascherino is thankfully also willing and able to look back fondly at his previous projects. That extensive and impressive musical past includes a lengthy tenure in Brody, a handful of years fronting accomplished emo outfit Breaking Pangaea and an unforgettable stint with Taking Back Sunday.

Recently, Mascherino spoke with My First Band host Tyler Maas about The Color Fred's modern-day plans and his years in each of those aforementioned outfits. Over the course of the conversation, Mascherino talked about growing up in a small Pennsylvania town, immersing himself in learning the guitar and playing bar shows all around the East Coast in high school as a member of Stickman. He also talked about his time with Brody and Breaking Pangaea, the process of joining and subsequently writing songs with Taking Back Sunday, his decision to leave TBS, his solo turn and experiences playing with Terrible Things and The Lemonheads.

125 – Robert Finley Jul 16, 2021

Show notes

Robert Finley says he's gone from the cotton field to the Beverly Hills. At the age of 67, the veteran musician is finally earning some long-overdue attention on account of Sharecropper's Son, his new record that beautifully chronicles his childhood in the fields of rural Louisiana, the semi-recent loss of his eyesight, his unflappable faith and various other aspects of his incredible life. The autobiographical album, which was produced by Dan Auerbach, of the Black Keys, has received oodles of critical acclaim en route to landing Finley on the cover of Spin and on stage at Red Rocks Amphitheatre alongside Blues Traveler earlier this month. Though he's in a great place at the moment, it wasn't always easy for him. Not even close.

Recently, Finley spoke to My First Band host Tyler Maas about his newfound success and the long, arduous and unlikely road that brought him to this prominent point. Over the course of about an hour, the singer spoke about growing up as the actual son of a sharecropper, his years as a builder, his path back to music when life threw him some curveballs and the opportunities that were born out of especially challenging circumstances.

Finley did most of the talking in this one, but we wouldn't want it any other way. Get ready for some amazing stories about Finley's adolescence in the 1950s and '60s, the memorable walk to buy his first guitar, being discovered and appearing on America's Got Talent, and the process of making an album that both entertains listeners and serves as an insight into his personal history.

124 – Kurt Baker (Kurt Baker Combo, Kurt Baker Band, The Leftovers) Jul 09, 2021

Show notes

If you're a fan of the power-pop genre, you're almost certainly also a fan of Kurt Baker. Over the past dozen years, the singer and songwriter has released a bunch of great records under his own name (and using the "Kurt Baker Combo" and "Kurt Baker Band" project names as well). He has also toured regularly, earned a spot on Steven Van Zandt's Wicked Cool Records label and relocated from Portland, Maine, to Madrid, Spain. As impressive as his solo career has been, it's only the tip of the iceberg.

Recently, Baker spoke to My First Band host Tyler Maas about living in Spain for the past eight years, the process of making his latest album (After Party — out now!) and his performance plans after an isolated year-plus. Of course, the conversation also turned to Baker's musical past, including his early bands in Maine, playing and promoting shows at a formative local all-ages venue called The Well, and really going for it in his teens and early 20s with his band The Leftovers. Along the way, the power-popper talked about his first European tour, playing with The Queers and Tommy Stinson, and the time his band blew three amps just minutes before opening for The Offspring.

123 – Alex Dalnodar (Dig Deep, Wrath of the Girth, The Ditchrunners) Jul 02, 2021

Show notes

As the singer and guitarist of Dig Deep, Alex Dalnodar has played hundreds of shows in all corners of the Midwest (and beyond) and has seen his blistering bluegrass band become a Central Wisconsin music mainstay. Following an uncharacteristically quiet 2020, Dig Deep is hitting the road hard this year with dozens of performances booked all over the Badger State.

With a busy year ahead, Dalnodar had a lot to say about his band's plans when he spoke to My First Band host Tyler Maas recently. Over the course of the discussion, Dalnodar talked about Dig Deep's active summer — with oodles of bar shows and appearances at festivals like Two Rivers Snowfest and Blue Ox — and some of his favorite parts of the band's seven years (and counting) together. The interview also focused on Dalnodar's previous projects, including a lengthy stint in a metal band called Wrath of the Girth and a few years playing "Gutter Grass" with The Ditchrunners. Along the way, Dalnodar talked about the formative role seeing .357 String Band had in changing his musical trajectory and the value he sees in playing concerts in small towns.

My First Band is sponsored by Mystery Room Mastering, Lakefront Brewery and Blue Ox Music Festival. The show is edited by Jared Blohm. You can listen to My First Band on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify and wherever else you get podcasts. You can also listen to rebroadcasts of previous My First Band episodes on WMSE every Wednesday from noon to 12:30 p.m. CST. Music used in this episode comes courtesy of Devils Teeth ("The Junction Street Eight Tigers") and Dig Deep ("Heavy Heart").

122 – Ray Carlisle (Teenage Bottlerocket, Homeless Wonders) Jun 25, 2021

Show notes

As the singer, guitarist and founding member of Teenage Bottlerocket, Ray Carlisle has performed all over the world, shared the stage with some of punk's most legendary acts and been an ever-present part of his own band becoming a modern punk rock mainstay over the course of its two-decade run. After more than a year away, Teenage Bottlerocket is back on the road again, and they're making national news in the process. The band is headlining a show in Florida this weekend that has a "No-Vax Tax" cover charge of $999 for people not vaccinated against COVID-19.

Prior to that show, Carlisle spoke to My First Band host Tyler Maas about the stir the unconventional concert has caused, the process of writing and recording Teenage Bottlerocket's forthcoming album (Sick Sesh!, out on Fat Wreck Chords on Aug. 27), and memorable moments from the band's 20-plus years of existence. Of course, Carlisle also spoke about his pre-Bottlerocket projects, including an elementary school group called Carlisle Crew, a short-lived metal band called Vehicular Homicide and an accomplished high-school-age punk project called Homeless Wonders. Along the way, Carlisle also talked about some of the goals he hopes to achieve before he's done playing music. The ball is in your court, Green Day!

121 – John R. Miller (Prison Book Club, The Fox Hunt) Jun 18, 2021

Show notes

If you're a fan of country or bluegrass music, there's a chance you've seen John R. Miller perform without even realizing it. The singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist has spent most of his adult life as a touring musician, both in his own bands and as the touring bassist or guitarist in other projects. After years spent supporting the artistic efforts of others as a hired hand, Miller is ready to make a name for himself. On July 16, Miller was release Depreciated, his wonderful full-length debut on Rounder Records that's already earning high praise from respected music resources.

Prior to the record's release and his return to the road, Miller spoke to My First Band host Tyler Maas about making Depreciated, staying productive and positive in a year without touring, and all the projects that preceded his solo turn. Over the course of the conversation, Miller talked about his punk past in a small West Virginia town, his brief-yet-artistically significant stint in college, busking all around the East Coast during his 20s, his time in bands like The Fox Hunt and Prison Book Club, and the ups and downs of spending years on the road.

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