The LIFERS Podcast

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13. LIFERS - Joe Bosso May 08, 2021

Show notes

In 1993 —frustrated and at the end of their rope— Local H sent a ratty looking demo tape to Quicksand’s A&R guy and, as they say, the rest is history. This week on the LIFERS Podcast, the guys talk to screenwriter and journalist (and Local H’s former A&R guy) Joe Bosso and try to untangle some of that history. We also talk about Joe’s new film project, the Soprano’s episode he wrote, playing Freddie Mercury’s piano, and Gabe’s string of perfect bowling games. We didn’t want this one to end (and it almost didn’t). Companion Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7tyOrt8XUybxtEN4b6EvRQ?si=9d5d6b78af424305 LIFERS Coffee Mugs: https://www.gandprecords.com/store/p180/The_LIFERS_Podcast_Coffee_Mug.html

12. LIFERS - A Massive Overestimation Of Consumer Curiosity: The 3x5 Tour Apr 30, 2021

Show notes

Every band has been on a tour like the 3x5 Tour. Something that looked good on paper, turned out to be SO not good in practice, and then revealed itself as one of the most rewarding and formative experiences of your band’s young career. The 3x5 Tour (featuring Limblifter, Stanford Prison Experiment and Local H) was cooked up by the major label marketing machine as a way to draw attention (and attendees) to the baby bands being developed by the various labels. The chief idea being that your average music fan would not be able to resist the siren song of seeing three fairly unknown bands packaged together for the low, low price of 5 bucks. In reality, most people wouldn’t go see three fairly unknown bands even if you paid THEM the 5 bucks. We asked our good friend Phil Palazzolo —who had the Herculean task of being sound guy for all three bands on that tour— to come on the show and try to figure out if it was the worst tour ever or the greatest tour ever. For better or worse, no answers were found — but if you can keep up, there’s plenty of great stories about a long forgotten tour that (almost unanimously) produced an enduring troop of lifers. Local H Merch: bit.ly/3du68Ow 70 Movies We Saw in the 70s with Scott & Ben: bit.ly/3qBEOl6

11. LIFERS - Rachel Lichtman Apr 23, 2021

Show notes

“The world will have you believe that you’re less and less and less relevant — and that could not be more false.” And with those words —spoken somewhere around the 59 minute mark— Network 77 creator Rachel Lichtman sums up the LIFERS ethos. For that reason alone, this might be our favorite episode of the show. But there’s a lot to love here. Rachel talks about the latest pieces of her ever expanding Network 77 universe —including Easy AM 66, New Dimension Records, and Israeli pop chanteuse Tamar— touches on her video work for Laura Jane Grace, Ted Leo and Local H, and then explains why the Lux Radio program is like fantasy baseball. Of course, this being a conversation between Rachel and Scott — the episode inevitably devolves into a “Goodfellas” quoting contest. You decide the winner. Helpful links: Ask LIFERS a question or leave a comment: https://forms.gle/tMBwJokxfnv7XcCLA Rachel Lichtman Companion Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5XNoHCHV6NX6gRPbml9mq3?si=tjsN4NmKQuyOn-X7WPzQ4g Network 77: https://www.network77.com Local H Merch: bit.ly/3du68Ow Winter Western video: youtu.be/LGDS-0b7DIQ 70 Movies We Saw in the 70s with Scott & Ben: bit.ly/3qBEOl6

10. LIFERS - Michael Shannon Apr 16, 2021

Show notes

Much has been made about the Chicago music scene of the 90s, but the city’s biggest legacy during that period might be its theater scene. Specifically, the plays “Killer Joe” and “Bug” — and Michael Shannon was in both of them. Pop open a bottle of wine and get laaaiiid back with Mike and the guys as they take a deep dive into his extraordinary career. Among the topics lazily discussed: Scorsese, Lumet, the work ethic of Eminem, why Scott should never be in charge of picking ANYBODY up, and that time Michael went to “Prison”. Companion Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5yByWTqHGH8iTlf2ir2Zoq?si=Pr0Z0ovpQWy3mOZ3YCtJYg

9. LIFERS - John Agnello Apr 09, 2021

Show notes

John Agnello has worked on more great records than you’ve had hot meals (sorry, Herb). A true lifer, John has produced, engineered or mixed (sometimes all three) records by Dinosaur Jr., Sonic Youth, Cyndi Lauper, Kurt Vile, Triplefastaction, Screaming Trees (Lanegan, too), Waxahatchee, The Hold Steady, Son Volt, Twin Peaks — Jesus! Everybody, okay? Too many to many list here — and too many to cover in this interview (indeed, we forgot to bring up Dream Syndicate, TAD, oral histories of hair metal—and the original version of “Tag-Along”). But we tried. Listen to this one, kids. You might learn something. (And don’t forget to listen to GEAR CLUB — John’s awesome, awesome podcast that he does with Stewart Lerman.) Companion Playlist: https://spoti.fi/324QzG8 Gear Club: https://www.gear-club.net/ Local H Tour Dates: www.localh.com/tour.html Local H Merch: bit.ly/3du68Ow 70 Movies We Saw in the 70s with Scott & Ben: bit.ly/3qBEOl6

8. LIFERS - March Plaidness Apr 02, 2021

Show notes

Scott is back on the coffee train, Ben deals with the after-effects of 15 hour car rides with the family, and Gabe is Gabe. It’s all here as Ander Monson from March Plaidness joins the guys for an unhinged episode of The LIFERS Podcast. In 2016, Ander (along with Megan Campbell) started March Xness, a series of yearly March-Madness-style tournaments featuring essays about songs that has steadily grown in size and, um, intensity. This year the focus was on the grunge/alternative era of the ‘90s — with writer John Melillo’s essay on Local H and “Bound For The Floor” emerging as the victor. Scott (clearly feeling the pangs of winner's guilt) talks with Ander about the history of the tournament, the inherent non-sadness of REM, the importance of building a community, and the bloody legacy of The Cruxshadows.

7. LIFERS - Who The Fuck Is Ben Reiser? Mar 27, 2021

Show notes

After the inevitable and seemingly mandatory Chicago vs. New York pizza argument (with Zion as a potential spoiler), Scott and Gabe decide to answer the real question: Just who the fuck is Ben Reiser? For those wondering the same thing, this episode is for you. Ben talks about what he did with all that Presidents Of The United States money, how a short film got him his job at UW Madison, and opens up about his late friend —and “Teen Movie Hell” author— Mike McPadden. Companion Playlist: https://spoti.fi/2PRqUhy Local H Tour Dates: http://www.localh.com/tour.html Local H Merch: bit.ly/3du68Ow 70 Movies We Saw in the 70s with Scott & Ben: bit.ly/3qBEOl6 Spotify Companion Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0niiTSeAyuZPNGvFTkDTfa?si=yna4w0wIQdiDHn-HcZBcag

6. LIFERS - Josh Caterer Mar 19, 2021

Show notes

One of the finest and most distinctive singer songwriters to emerge out of—well, fuck, take your pick. Chicago? The ‘90s? Punk rock? EVER??? There’s simply no one quite like Josh Caterer and his band (the) Smoking Popes. Josh and Scott have a long (if low-key) history together and this episode barely scratches the surface. But until a Josh episode #2 comes along, this one will have to do. Topics touched on include: Josh’s new Covid-live record (THE HIDEOUT SESSIONS), Paul Stanley monologues, the Bee-Gee-ness of the Caterer brothers, Scott’s hot sauce holster, and why the Popes classic THIS IS ONLY A TEST is the best concept album since THE LAMB LIES DOWN ON BROADWAY. Companion Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1NxMoTsNEwRQoJcR154Zqv?si=r0kGLyaQTXKJ3uSQNWVhlg Helpful links: Local H Merch: bit.ly/3du68Ow 70 Movies We Saw in the 70s with Scott & Ben: bit.ly/3qBEOl6 Josh Caterer: https://www.smokingpopesmusic.com/

5. LIFERS - An Utterly Incoherent, Impotent Frankenstein of Half Baked Ideas Mar 12, 2021

Show notes

This week’s episode is devoted to song structure. Specifically, the song structure of “It’s Gonna Get Better” — an unheralded (and admittedly minor) Genesis deep cut that Scott has been recently obsessed with. We recruited Genesis uber-fan Steve Reidell —of Hood Internet and “Duke: 40th Anniversary” fame— to help us out and lend some Collins context (a tip: You might want to listen to “It’s Gonna Get Better” before you listen to this episode). The guys also conduct a full break-down of “Abacab” to determine what the song’s title should rightfully be. Plus: Listener questions are answered and Scott ponders the one year anniversary of Local H’s last club show. https://www.stevereidell.com/ https://twitter.com/hoodinternet?s=21 http://www.thehoodinternet.com/ Local H Merch: bit.ly/3du68Ow 70 Movies We Saw in the 70s with Scott & Ben: bit.ly/3qBEOl6

4. LIFERS - Andy Gerber Mar 06, 2021

Show notes

After a long day recording new stuff at Chicago’s Million Yen studios, Scott convinces owner/operator (and long time Local H producer) Andy Gerber to take a break and be a guest on The LIFERS Podcast. Scott and Andy have a long history, so this episode goes to a lot of places — including: Andy’s time in the early stages of the ‘90s Chicago rock scene, the years that Scott took off of Andy’s life during the recording of WHATEVER HAPPENED TO P.J. SOLES?, and Andy goes fanboy over Michael Chapman, Rick Nielsen and Jeff Murphy. He also finds time to articulate the lifers ethos better than Scott ever could. This one gets deep, people. Helpful links: Local H Merch: bit.ly/3du68Ow Winter Western video: youtu.be/LGDS-0b7DIQ 70 Movies We Saw in the 70s with Scott & Ben: bit.ly/3qBEOl6 Million Yen Studios: http://www.millionyen.com/

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