This Was The Scene Podcast

Ep. 243: Victory Records w/ Paul Friemel Nov 01, 2024

Victory Records was a hardcore label based out of Chicago. According to their website it says following Concord’s 2019 acquisition of Victory, Craft Recordings is now proudly managing the legendary genre-defining catalog. As the catalog division of Concord, Craft is working closely with Victory’s artist alumni on a variety of high-quality reissues and special content to honor the label’s 30-year legacy and cultural impact that wouldn’t be possible without the artists behind it.

I did an interview with Monika Ebly Episode 206 who worked there and it went so well that I decided to interview another alumni employee to get his take on the behind the scenes.

She introduced me to Paul Friemel who I got on the Skype and this is what we chat about:

Applying to work at Victory
Meeting Double J
The Spitalfield mess up
Hawthorne Heights
Santa Mosh
VicTorV
Pants Off Dance Off
The Ramsey Manifesto
Thursday
And a ton more

Check out his friend’s company https://www.seibertron.com/ where Paul participates on their podcast.

Lastly I started doing whiteboard animations so if your marketing department has said recently “Hey, we need a whiteboard animation” then email me at mike@drive80.com.

Ep. 242: Tokyo Rose w/ Ryan Dominguez Oct 18, 2024

Tokyo Rose is an indie rock band from New Brunswick, New Jersey. As of 2007 they have released 3 studio albums, and a short demo EP, whilst extensively changing their lineup over their 7 years of activity.

Check out their show at Crossroads in Garwood, NJ w/ Day 19 & Mike Buscio on Friday, Nov. 29.

Huge shot out to John Damiano for connecting me to Ryan who I got on the skype and this is what we chat about:

Emonite Karaoke
Day 19
Not being vocally trained
All About Records
Cartel
Portrait Studios
Their last record getting leaked with wrong song titles and band name on iTunes
Kill Brand
And a ton more

Lastly I started doing whiteboard animations so if your marketing department has said recently “Hey, we need a whiteboard animation” then email me at mike@drive80.com.

Ep. 241: Limbeck w/ Robb MacLean & Patrick Carrie Oct 04, 2024

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Limbeck is an American rock band that formed in Laguna Niguel, California, in 1999. Their sound was a mix of alternative country with pop punk origins. Their first album, This Chapter Is Called Titles, was released in 2000. Their sound had shifted by the release of Hi, Everything's Great in 2003 to showcase a more country-indebted sound. The group toured heavily, often supporting or touring alongside bands such as Motion City Soundtrack and the All-American Rejects. Their third album, Let Me Come Home saw release in 2005, and the band issued their final, self-titled release in 2007. Though the band largely ceased touring and recording by 2010, they have continued to reunite for several shows and mini-tours.

Limbeck has come up a few times in interviews especially the one with Jon Cheese Episode 61 so I thought I’d ask them to come on the show, Robb and Patrick said yes, and this is what we chat about:

Playing in a band together in high school
Home Grown
Getting on Doghouse Records
The lawsuit against Apple
Motion City Soundtrack
All American Rejects
Jon Cheese
Jesse LeDoux
The Break in story
And a ton more

Lastly I started doing whiteboard animations so if your marketing department has said recently “Hey, we need a whiteboard animation” then email me at mike@drive80.com.

Ep. 240: Voodoo Glow Skulls w/ Eddie Casillas Sep 27, 2024

Voodoo Glow Skulls are an American ska punk band formed in 1988 in Riverside, California, by brothers Frank, Eddie, and Jorge Casillas and their longtime friend Jerry O'Neill. They first played at backyard parties and later at Spanky's Café in their hometown of Riverside, where they played shows with the Angry Samoans, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Firehose, Murphy's Law, and The Dickies. They put out releases on Dr. Strange, Epitaph, Victory, Smelvis and again on Dr. Strange Records.

I got Eddie on the Skype and this is what we chat about:

Cinema Beer Nuts
Getting fan mail
Dr. Strange Records
Bill Strange’s book
the band Public Humiliation
Mike Park
Getting on Epitaph
Having anxiety
Victory Records
Shitty music
The Hickey Story
And a ton more

Lastly I started doing whiteboard animations so if your marketing department has said recently “Hey, we need a whiteboard animation” then email me at mike@drive80.com.

Ep. 239: 30footFALL w/ Butch Klotz Sep 13, 2024

30footFALL is an American punk rock band that began in Houston, Texas. In 1995 they released their first studio album Divided We Stand on Fuzzgun Records. After hearing a demo, Bob Becker of Fearless Records signed them to a record deal and in 1997 produced their next album Acme-143. In 1999, the band released their most successful album, Ever Revolving, Never Evolving, on Nitro Records. The release was followed by numerous shows including a tour with The Vandals.

I heard about these guys on the Fearless Flush Sampler when I got that at a local Jersey show when I was 18. That sampler introduced us to a ton of bands which we talk about in the interview. Their name has always stuck in my head so I wanted to get Butch on the Skype and thanks to Jason Mack I did and this is what we chat about:

The Fearless Flush Sampler
Wanting to change the name in the beginning
Current house shows in Houston
Jim Cherry advocating them to get on Fearless
The Punk Bites Comp
Playing Warped Tour
Getting signed to Nitro
Stopping Touring all together
Their album Doppler Effect
Their annual Christmas Show
Their latest release
the gross story
And a ton more

Lastly I started doing whiteboard animations so if your marketing department has said recently “Hey, we need a whiteboard animation” then email me at mike@drive80.com

Ep. 238: FATA Booking w/ Eva Alexiou-Reo Sep 06, 2024

Fata Booking is a North America-based, boutique booking agency and management firm. Founded in 1996 by Eva Alexiou-Reo, FATA has worked with and exponentially grown the careers of credible artists such as Jimmy Eat World, Hot Water Music, Flogging Molly, Elliott, Mae, Rusted Root, MC Lars, The Blood Brothers, Pretty Girls Make Graves and many more.

Eva’s name always came up back in the day and I wanted to get her perspective of what it was like to grow a booking agency. With the help of Kim Heiner, I got Eva on the skype and this is what we chat about:

The Wilkes-Barre scene
Starting Fata Booking
Advice from Kevin Lyman
Should she write a book
How are bands making money?
how has she gotten bands
Pretty girls make graves
Venues taking a cut of merch
And a ton more

Lastly I started doing whiteboard animations so if your marketing department has said recently “Hey, we need a whiteboard animation” then email me at mike@drive80.com

Ep. 237: Compilation w/ Kill Your Idols, Tripface, Brian McTernan, Shutdown, Victory Records Aug 30, 2024

This week's episode is a compilation of clips from 5 episodes that I enjoyed.

Below are the interviews I pulled clips from:

Kill Your Idols w/ Andy West - Episode 140
Tripface w/ Scott Jarzombek - Episode 180
Brian McTernan - Episode 216
Shutdown w/ Mark Scondotto - Episode 179
Victory Records w/ Monika Ebly - Episode 206

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Ep. 236: Millencolin w/ Erik Ohlsson Aug 23, 2024

Millencolin is a Swedish punk rock band that was formed in October 1992. The name Millencolin is derived from the skateboard trick "melancholy".

You might have a few of their albums in your collection including Tiny Tunes (1994) Life on a Plate (1995) For Monkeys (1997) Pennybridge Pioneers (2000) Home from Home (2002) Kingwood (2005) Machine 15 (2008) True Brew (2015) SOS (2019).

Thank you to Double J for the intro to Erik and Chris Mahon for reaching out to the band to make this happen. So I got Erik on the Skype and this is what we chat about:

Touring with Blink back in 97
Calling Fat Mike to get signed
Getting sued by Warner Bros
The Hives
Their studio getting flooded
Killercrush
Recording with Mr. Brett
How No Cigar got on Tony hawk 2
The hot sauce on their website
And a ton more

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Ep. 235: Strung Out / Pulley w/ Jordan Burns Aug 16, 2024

Jordan Burns played drums in Strung Out until 2018. He was part of the OG group that formed Pulley and played with them til 2000. He’s been featured in DRUM! and Modern Drummer magazine and was voted #1 Best Punk Drummer in DRUM! Magazines 2012 Readers Poll. He owns a long time running motocross company called Moto XXX and has been featured in Racer X, Dirt Rider, Motocross Action, Freerider, Cycle News, etc.

I got him on the Skype and this is what we chat about:

MotoXXX
Learning how to play the kick with his left foot
The intensity of the LA scene
What he thought of Strung Out when he first saw them play
Propaghandi
His relationship with Jim Cherry
Twisted by Design
The formation of Pulley
What lead to him leaving Pulley
Which band did he like being in more
And a ton more

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Ep. 234: Prawn w/ Kyle Burns & Andrew Vilchez Aug 02, 2024

Prawn was formed in 2007. In 2011, they self-released their first full-length album, You Can Just Leave It All. The band followed up this release with other releases including Ships, Kingfisher, Run and some Singles and Splits along the way.

I got Kyle and Andrew on the Skype and this is what we chat about:

Good bands from their hometown of Ridgewood, NJ
Basement shows
Moving Mountains
Top Shelf Records
Charlie Wagers
Andrew leaving the band
Yuengling
First as Tragedy, Second as Farce
Playing Audiotree
And a ton more

Check them out Sept 6 in Sommerville, MA, Sept 7 in Ridgewood, NJ, Sept 29 in Philly, and at some point the weekend of FEST. All the info is on their IG page prawnmusic

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Ep. 233: Blackout! Records w/ Bill Wilson Jul 12, 2024

Blackout! Records was formed in 1988 by Bill Wilson and Jim Gibson. In 1989, the label released its album, a New York hardcore compilation album entitled Where the Wild Things Are.[1] The album included tracks from Sheer Terror, Killing Time, and others. After this first release, Gibson amicably parted company to start his own record label, Noiseville Records.

The label ended the 1990s with records from Killing Time, Kill Your Idols, and East Bay/ Berkeley bands Redemption 87 and Powerhouse. The early part of the 2000s brought some new blood, including Crime In Stereo, NJ's The Banner, The Procedure, and The Commercials. The last official Blackout! release was The Fire Still Burns in 2005. Although no longer releasing new music, the label still maintains a blog at its website which is infrequently updated and has the catalog available digitally on Amazon, iTunes, eMusic, Rhapsody, and other major digital outlets through The Orchard.

I got Bill on the Skype and this is what we chat about

Growing up with a genetic immune condition
Designing the artwork for the Where The Wild Things Are Comp
How he got albums in record stores
Traveling on Lollapalooza
The Goops
H20
Plow United
Kill Your Idols
Business partner trying to steal his label
Will he start putting out more records
And a ton more

Lastly I started doing whiteboard animations so if your marketing department has said recently “Hey, we need a whiteboard animation” then email me at mike@drive80.com

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Ep. 232: Co-Ed w/ Waleed Rashidi Jun 28, 2024

Co-Ed was a punk band from La Verne, CA. They put out 2 releases on Cool Guy Records which were Sometimes Always Maybe Never and a split with the band Pollen.

I got Waleed on the Skype and this is what we chat about:

Their aol email account still being active
Seeing someone who has a shirt of a band you like
Opening for Less Than Jake
Playing at Steve Aoki’s apartment
How he writes songs
Working for Mean Street Magazine
Hanging with At The Drive-In
Playing a show with Fifteen
The band Pollen
Writing for AltPress magazine
The Bollweevils story
And a ton more

Lastly I started doing whiteboard animations so if your marketing department has said recently “Hey, we need a whiteboard animation” then email me at mike@drive80.com

Check out IntheCloudsnj on Instagram. They make Hand-made Custom Records. No minimum to order .. yes that means you can make 1. Order direct on our website intheclouds.io

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Ep. 231: Steve Evetts Jun 21, 2024

Steve Evetts is an American record producer who has produced music for Alesana, Poison the Well, A Static Lullaby, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Sepultura, Symphony X, Saves the Day, Lifetime, Kid Dynamite, Hightower, Story of the Year, Every Time I Die, Earth Crisis, Still Remains, Our Last Night, and The Wonder Years. Steve Evetts has been an active producer since 1992, producing mostly metal albums, as well as indie, and emo bands.

I got Steve on the Skype and this is what we chat about

Saves The Day
His 30 year career
How many days it took to make Calculating Infinity
Deadguy
Who won’t he work with
Lifetime
The Snapcase snare sound in Progression Through Unlearning
Frank Iero
Ross Robinson
Vanilla Ice
The Cure
Kid Dynamite
The story behind Let If Enfold You getting leaked
Home Grown
And a ton more

Lastly I started doing whiteboard animations so if your marketing department has said recently “Hey, we need a whiteboard animation” then email me at mike@drive80.com

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Ep. 230: Donuts N' Glory Pt. 2 w/ Freddie Torres Jun 07, 2024

Donuts N’ Glory were a band from SoCal. They opened for bigger acts, like No Use for A Name, Suicide Machines, Nonsense, Ten Foot Pole, The Queers, The Quincy Punks, etc. In 1996 they recorded “When Pregnasaurs Ruled The Earth” at Westbeach in Hollywood with Donell Cameron, the same studio where Fat Wreck Chords had used for recording many of its bands in their early years. After the release of their record, they toured the west coast once, and toured to the east coast and back twice. A second album was never recorded.

This is an accidental 2 part interview. I talked to their drummer Gary in Episode 114 which you can find on youtube or thiswasthescene.com since podcast apps only keep your current 100 episodes. Hey said I should talk to Freddie so he connected us and this is what we chat about:

Their upcoming reunion shows
Were they rusty at the first practice
Traveling the world solo
Seeing Sublime before they became Sublime
Putting out their 7in
Keeping a journal
Playing new old songs at the reunion shows
Are they writing new songs
And a ton more

Go follow their IG www.instagram.com/donutsngloryofficial

Their Saturday show on Aug 3rd is sold out but they have tickets left for their Friday Aug 2nd show. You can buy them by CLICKING HERE

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Ep. 229: As Friends Rust w/ Damien Moyal May 24, 2024

As Friends Rust is an American melodic hardcore band based in Gainesville, Florida.[1] The original line-up, which included vocalist Damien Moyal, guitarist Henry Olmino, bass guitarist Jeronimo Gomez, and drummer Matthew Crum, formed in Davie, Florida in September 1996. After recording a demo tape but failing to secure a record deal, the band parted ways in February 1997.

Check out their latest album Any Joy which was released last year and is available wherever you get your music.

I got Damien on the Skype and this is what we chat about:

Starting Shai Hulud
Why he was in so many bands
The reason for multiple lineups in the beginning
My band playing a show with them on tour
Signing to Doghouse Records
Not having a specific sound for the band
Narrowly avoiding dying on multiple occasions
The Polish Mafia gig
Annoucing new songs in 2008 with no delivery
Which does he like better, Fest or Furnace Fest
And a ton more

Lastly I started doing whiteboard animations so if your marketing department has said recently “Hey, we need a whiteboard animation” then email me at mike@drive80.com

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Ep. 228: Coalesce w/ Sean Ingram May 10, 2024

Coalesce is an American metalcore band formed in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1994. They are considered pioneers of mathcore and were known for its aggressive style of music and reckless live shows. The band broke up in 2010 and has performed two reunion shows since then. You can catch them Friday October 4th at Furnace Fest.

I got Sean on the Skype and this is what we chat about:

Getting attacked by dogs
Earth Crisis’ aggressiveness
Finding his voice
Sean messing with their album artwork
Functioning on Impatience
Crews threatening his life
Recording of 0:12 Revolution in Just Listening
How they broke up
Reuniting without Jess on guitar
Singing for Dillinger Escape Plan Shot out to Ziggy for this question
Reuniting in 2005
Playing Furnace Fest this year
And a ton more

Go check out the re-releases of their vinyl at https://www.relapse.com/

Lastly I started doing whiteboard animations so if your marketing department has said recently “Hey, we need a whiteboard animation” then email me at mike@drive80.com

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Ep. 227: Gallows w/ Frank Carter Apr 26, 2024

Gallows are an English hardcore punk band from Watford, Hertfordshire. The band was formed in 2005 and their debut album, Orchestra of Wolves, was distributed in the United States by Epitaph Records. The band were subsequently signed to Warner Bros. Records, and released their second album Grey Britain in 2009. In 2011 Frank Carter left the group and went on to do Pure Love from 2011-2014 and has been doing Frank Carter & the Rattlesnakes from 2015 to present day.

I reached out to Frank on Oct 2, 2022 and have been bombarding him with requests until he finally had the time to chat.

I got Frank on the Skype and this is what we chat about:

His career as a tattoo artist
Piecing the band together
Not liking the bands he was on the road with during Warped Tour
Recording Orchestra of Wolves
Getting a show cancelled by Disney
Playing Redding Festival
Leaving the band
Is there a possibilty for a reunion
And a ton more

Check out SMART Recovery which Frank mentions at the end.

Lastly I started doing whiteboard animations so if your marketing department has said recently “Hey, we need a whiteboard animation” then email me at mike@drive80.com

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Ep. 226: The Locust w/ Justin Pearson Apr 19, 2024

The Locust was an American hardcore punk band from San Diego, known for their mix of grindcore speed and aggression, and new wave experimentation complexity. Vocalist/bassist Justin Pearson said, "I wanted to change the way people perceive music, or maybe just destroy it in general." The Locust's music is complex, dynamic and fast-paced, often featuring abrupt and inconsistent time-signature changes. These erratic elements are, according to vocalist/guitarist Bobby Bray, "a reflection of perhaps how our brains have to function in order to be able to do anything in the Western societies we live in."

I got Justin on the Skype and this is what we chat about:

How the uniforms came about
Getting kicked out of the house at 16
What it was like recording
Touring with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Getting shit for signing to Epitaph
The Extreme Elvis interview
Being on the Jerry Springer Show
Head Wound City
And a ton more

Check out his podcast Cult and Culture which is his podcast along with producer and musician Luke Henshaw. The show explores the DIY-driven, subversive world of art and culture, featuring a diverse array of guests from various subcultures. The podcast, recorded at PengOne Studios in San Diego, offers frank, informal, and well-informed conversations with guests ranging from Grammy-winning musicians, to actors like John Waters, and to Black Panther Party members. The aim is to blur traditional guest-host lines and foster casual openness. "Cult and Culture" is available wherever you podcast.

Check out Justin’s other projects including Deaf Club and the Mike Patton fronted Dead Cross.

Lastly I started doing whiteboard animations so if your marketing department has said recently “Hey, we need a whiteboard animation” then email me at mike@drive80.com

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Ep. 225: Ryan Cabrera Apr 05, 2024

Ryan Cabrera is an American musician. He began his career as a lead singer for the Dallas band Rubix Groove before pursuing his solo career. Following the 2001 release of independent album Elm St., he released his first major-label album, Take It All Away, on August 17, 2004. Earlier in the year, Cabrera had become known for his up-tempo pop-rock single "On the Way Down". It was then followed by Cabrera's second single, "True"; and his third single "40 Kinds of Sadness". He’s still performing to this day and you’ll hear all about that in this interview.

I saw him on MTV a lot back in the day so I was super interested to know how the punk scene influenced him and what his lifestyle has been like since he broke out.

I got him on the Skype and this is what we chat about

What bands got him into punk music
Connecting with Joe Simpson
How he would sell himself at meetings with record labels
The Ashley Simpson show
Butting heads with John Rzeznik during their recording session
His TV show Score
Getting Punk’d
Perez Hilton giving him a lot of shit
Changing his sound
Being on TRL
The Lindsey Lohan story
And a ton more

Check him out on the Pop2000 Tour and listen to his latest single PRESCRIPTION OF YOU on Manic Kat Records.

Check out Chitty from Houston Calls new podcast with his wife called the education breakdown podcast where the 2 of them explore the myriad of educational methods through interviews with teachers, administrators and parents. The goal is to inform those out there of how methods show up in day to day so parents can work to find the best fit for their children. (Side note: they have an interview with Jon Tummillo from Folly since who's a high school teacher).

Follow them on Instagram - Educationbreakdownpodcast

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Ep. 224: Steel Train w/ Evan Winiker Mar 29, 2024

Steel Train was an indie rock band from New Jersey. They met in the mid-1990s at The Solomon Schechter Day School of Bergen County, New Jersey. Before the band existed, Jack Antonoff and Daniel Silbert were part of the hardcore band Outline and Evan Winiker and Matt Goldman were in the punk band Random Task. After the dissolution of these bands, Steel Train formed in 2002. The band soon signed to Drive Thru Records. they disbanded in 2013 and you probably have heard about what Jack has been up to these days.

I got Evan on the Skype and this is what we chat about:

Joining Range Media
Growing up in the Jersey scene
The Juliana Theory Story
Starting Steel Train
Being the black sheep of Drive Thru Records
The Finch show
Playing Coachella with FUN
Brace Face Zine
Their video at the Teaneck Legion Hall
Is there a reunion on the Horizon
And a ton more

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Ep. 223: The Bollweevils w/ Daryl Wilson Mar 22, 2024

The Bollweevils is a punk band from Chicago. They formed during the Naked Raygun era which was where the band members met and also, for whom they eventually opened. The group released a number of albums on Dr. Strange Records; though, their first, minor releases were on Underdog Records (Chicago). The group's current record label, Go Deaf Records LLC, is owned and operated by the band. The Bollweevils released a new album, "Essential," on Red Scare Industries in 2023. It was their first album release in 14 years.

These guys have come up a lot in interviews so I thought it would be awesome to talk to Daryl, he agreed, and this is what we chat about:

Playing with the Adolescents
Making the newer version of Bottomless Pit
Naked Raygun
Getting on Dr Strange
face to face
Never playing the Metro again
Getting kicked off Riot Fest
The ABC7 appearance
Why the latest record isn’t on Dr. Strange
And a ton more

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Ep. 222: Baxter and The Lawrence Arms w/ Neil Hennessy Mar 01, 2024

Neil Kevin Hennessy (born December 12, 1978) is a punk rock musician, music producer and engineer from Chicago, Illinois. Hennessy currently plays in The Lawrence Arms, Colossal, The Falcon, The Smoking Popes, Sparta and is currently filling in on bass for Rise Against on their Blink 182 tour down in Australia because Joe the bassist had to fly home for personal stuff. He has also been a member of Noise By Numbers, Baxter, The Killing Tree, Quattro and played multiple shows with Teenage Bottlerocket.

Fun fact, he co-wrote the Rise Against song "Swing Life Away" with McIlrath, and also played percussion on the Less Than Jake album, GNV FLA.

I got him on the Skype and this is what we chat about:

All the projects he’s working on
Joining Baxter
The Chicago scene
Killing Tree
The Whipple House
the Lawrence Arms starting
Matt Allison
Oh Calcutta
The Falcon
How the Lawrence Arms practices for shows now a days
The War On Christmas
Writing a new album
The infamous Hennessy Painting
And a ton more

Be on the lookout for the Lawrence Arms new album sometime in the next year or so based on what he told me.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Ep. 221: Compilation w/ Saves The Day, Dynamite Boy, Midtown, Eyeball Records, Hankshaw Feb 23, 2024

This week's episode is a compilation of clips from 5 episodes that I enjoyed.

Below are the interviews I pulled clips from:

Saves The Day w/ Bryan Newman - Episode 183
Dynamite Boy w/ Sean Neil - Episode 200
Midtown w/ rob hitt - Episode 87
Eyeball Records w/ Alex Eyeball - Episode 189
Hankshaw w/ Harold Hasselback - Episode 169

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Ep. 220: Go-Kart Records w/ Greg Ross Feb 09, 2024

Go-Kart Records was an independent record label specializing in punk rock located in New York City that was most active from 1995 to 2005. It also had a European division in Mannheim, Germany.

Some of the bands on the label you may have heard of were Weston, The Lunachicks, Wives, iFarm, Doc Hopper, Boris the Sprinkler, Plan A Project, Vision of Disorder, The Menzingers, and a ton more.

I’ve been hounding Greg to come on the podcast for the past year and he finally said yes which made me extremely happy because this is one of my favorite interviews.

Side note, The Victory comp I couldn’t remember the name of was Incompatible

I got Greg on the Skype and this is what we chat about:

Red Leader Matt Rosenberg
Putting on Fugazi’s first show in NY
Having money stolen by his business partner
Butt Steak
What the logo design is based on
Weston’s effect on the label
The Double Exposure Comp
Their video comp
CBGBs
Meeting the Lunachicks
The Village People story
Signing the Menzingers
Getting fucked over by Koch
The Joey Ramone / Joan Jett / Debbie Harry story
And a ton more

Check out www.visionmerch.com

This episode is sponsored by Jon McKesten Real Estate…. Also known as Jon Cheese. Jon is a punk real estate agent licensed in NY & NJ. He worked on the Vans Warped tour for 10 years and he’s been selling residential real estate for the last 12 years. There’s got to be Someone listening to this who is thinking about moving or knows someone who is and wouldn’t you rather deal with someone who can hang but also knows his shit instead of some dinosaur real estate agent that sucks? Give him a call or text (203)824-4464. Or email him JonMcKesten@gmail.com. Also go follow his instagram.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Ep. 219: Dr. Strange Records w/ Bill Strange Feb 02, 2024

Dr Strange Records is not a "company" or "corporation" making money off punk rock. Bill Strange has been into punk since 1980 and it is truly a way of life for him. Bill started Dr. Strange Records in 1988 in an effort for like-minded people to get rare punk records for FAIR prices. His "hobby" not only turned into the biggest mail-order for punk in all the world, but also a record label (in 1989) and a store in California (opened in 1997). Some releases from the label that you may remember are from such bands as Guttermouth, The Bollweevils, Rhythm Collision, face to face, Man Dingo, Schleprock, Brown Lobster Tank, Voodoo Glow Skulls, Gameface, Skankin Pickle and many more.

I’ve been trying since Feb 2020 to make this happen and I am very happy that it finally came to fruition.

I got Bill on the Skype and this is what we chat about:

The 35 year reunion show
How he started the mail order
His thoughts on Guttermouth
How he started the label
His clientele at the record store
face to face
What happened to the Bullshoviks EP
How the record store happened
Skankin Pickle
Voodoo Glow Skulls
And a ton more

Go follow their IG account and check out his Weds & Fri Instagram and Facebook LIVE at 4pm where he hosts a sort of QVC for records

Link to their website - https://drstrange.com/

Check out my friend Jess Price’s new instagram where she creates the letters of your kids names out of animals. These are SICK designs and I purchased one for my buddy’s new baby girl.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Ep. 218: Kyle Kinane Jan 19, 2024

Kyle Kinane is an American stand-up comedian and actor from Addison, Illinois. Since his debut he’s done a shit ton with Comedy Central and released a bunch of specials. I reached out to Kyle because he grew up in the Chicago punk scene and I’ve heard his name mentioned a few times on other podcasts including Brendan Kelly’s Road to the Skeleton Coast. It just so happened that I was following his Instagram account when I found all of this out and figured it would be awesome to get his perspective of the scene.

I asked Kyle to be on the podcast, he said yes, and this is what we chat about:

Chris Gethard
Brendan Kelly
Brian Peterson
Nike Park
Getting started in comedy
Jawbreaker
Tiltwheel
Getting robbed at gun point
And a ton more

Check out his podcast No Accounting for Taste and his website www.kylekinane.com.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Ep. 217: Pulley w/ Scott Radinsky Jan 05, 2024

Before we begin, go buy Amy Fiddler Records new book “Negatives” which is A gorgeous hardcover time capsule of the emo music scene as it was from 1996 to 2006, featuring never-before-seen photographs and never-before-told stories from key emo musicians, photographers, and icons. And go check out Episode 139 to hear my interview with her.

Pulley is an American, California-based punk rock band, formed in 1994. The band is known for straightforward, hard-edged melodic punk rock.

They came about from vocalist Scott Radinsky's departure from Ten Foot Pole. Their initial lineup included Strung Out drummer Jordan Burns, guitarist Jim Cherry also from Strung Out, guitarist Mike Harder, and former Face to Face bassist Matt Riddle. Pulley's debut album, Esteem Driven Engine, was released in 1996 by Epitaph Records. They followed up with 4 records in the next 8 years.

They’ve released a ton of records since then and are still playing shows.

I got Scott on the Skype and this is what we chat about:

Ten Foot Pole
Wendy Cherry
Mystic Records
Splitting with Ten Foot Pole
Getting cancer
Starting Pulley
Jim Cherry
And a ton more

Today’s episode is sponsored by NJ band THIEV. After playing in hardcore bands for more than a decade (hell mary, silence equals death, entropy, the banner and so on), THIEV was started to play the music that got them into playing music in the first place- fast, melodic punk like those old fat, nitro and epitaph comps. Check out their double ep 12 inch “break/fade” out on protagonist music and recorded at Nada. Follow their ig @thiev_nj for the most current happenings.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Ep. 216: Brian McTernan Dec 22, 2023

Brian McTernan is an American musician and record producer from Baltimore, Maryland. He was the lead vocalist in the hardcore punk band Battery, the guitarist in Ashes, and is the singer in Be Well. Brian operates the recording studio Salad Days from his home in Beltsville, Maryland. His studio is named after the Minor Threat song of the same name. In 2003, he formed Salad Days Records, a record label affiliated with Atlantic Records, through which he signed and released music by Moments in Grace.

I got Brian on the Skype and this is what we chat about:

the song Hello Sun
Battery
Starting Salad Days
Moving back to DC
Almost burning out
What was/is he like in the studio
Recording with Hot Water Music
What types of bands will he work with
Converge
Circa Survive
The power going out at Fest
The Turnstile story
And a ton more

Go follow Be Well and Salad Days' Instagram accounts. I have links in the show notes

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Ep. 215: Harvesting the Crust w/ Shane Rock Nelson Dec 01, 2023

Harvesting the Crust was an inline skate movie from the mid 90s that was shot out in the Mid West. I used to watch the shit out of this movie with my buddies back in the day because we were all into inline skating. I even mention this in my Ten Foot Pole interview.

I reached out to Shane Nelson who helped make the movie and even stars in it, asked him to do the podcast, he said yes, and this is what we talk about:

Ten Foot Pole
How people found other skate videos
Being a stunt double in Mighty Ducks
Chris Edwards
Having a seizure
Helping to make Like a Lion - The True Story of Legendary Skier Tanner Hall
Producing an Against Me! video
Jon Cheese
did they get licensing for the songs in Harvesting the Crust
the skateboard dude from the video
Dave Paine from Videogroove
Brian Smith
Scribe
sled dogs
Producing a NOFX video
And a ton more

Check out his company Omni-Fusion.com.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Ep. 214: Ten Foot Pole w/ Dennis Jagard Nov 17, 2023

Ten Foot Pole was founded in 1983 under the name Scared Straight. After going through several members and name changes, they began playing with some "Nardcore" bands from nearby Oxnard, California, which helped them gain recognition. They eventually changed their name to Ten Foot Pole. One of the reasons for the name change was to move away from the "straight-edge" reputation that followed the band with a name like Scared Straight. After the release of Rev and a split EP with Sweden's Satanic Surfers, Singer Scott was forced to leave the band due to his professional baseball commitments and Ten Foot Pole's desire to be a full-time touring band. From then on Dennis took over lead vocals for the band and has been the front man ever since. They’ve released 7 albums since Rev including their latest album Winning which came out in 2022. You can catch them out on the road becasue they're still touring.

I reached out to the band, got Dennis on the Skype and this is what we chat about:

Harvesting the Crust
Brian Walsby
The Tour with NOFX
Mystic Records
Coming up with the name
Departing with Scott Radinsky
Doing sound for Prince, Beck and others
Victory Records
The Rev cover
How to release songs on Spotify
Playing for a wedding
And a ton more

Go follow them on Instagram and check out their website tenfootpole.com for merch and news.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Ep. 213: HRVRD w/ Jason Shaw Nov 03, 2023

Founded in 2004 by guitarists Lee Herrera and Jason Shaw, HRVRD progressively evolved into a quintet of brilliantly imaginative musicians, rounded out by drummer Tim, bassist Garrett and the hypnotic frontman, Jesse. Together the band released their debut EP Animals in 2008 followed by the critically acclaimed full-length album The Inevitable and I less than a year later through Enjoy The Ride Records. HRVRD also went on to release their self-produced album Interpretations in 2010, a five-track EP of reimagined versions of songs off of The Inevitable and I, followed by a year and a half of writing for their last album From the Bird's Cage.

I got Jason on the Skype and this is what we chat about:

Seeing them at Mexicali in Jersey in 2012
Being lumped in with sounding like Circa Survive
The Pirate Bay debacle
Playing their first show sans a singer
Utilizing Myspace to book tours
His thoughts on FashionCore
Brian McTernan
Breaking down some songs on Inevitable and I
His thoughts on booking agents and managers
The Tik Tok generation
Camping on tour
And a ton more

A quick shot out to my friend Azarja’s tattoo shop Zink Modern Tattooing which opened it’s doors on January 2, 2023. Their artists have a combined experience totaling over 60 years. After working decades in other tattoo shops in northern Jersey, they wanted to do things a little differently. So they opened Zink Modern Tattooing to bring a fresh perspective to an old tradition. No attitudes, egos or judgement- just great tattooing in a modern space where all are welcome. Go stop by and get some new ink in Butler, NJ on 503 Main St.

Click here to follow their instagram

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Ep. 212: Drop Zone w/ Chris Murphy Mar 31, 2023

Drop Zone were a pop punk band from NJ who never made it out of high school before they broke up. I got Chris on the Skype and this is what we chat about.

Going to law school with Anthony from Armor for Sleep
Calling Gabe Saporta
Meeting them for the first time
The Quinn EP
Winning a talent show
Gary Bender
Boxing
Possibly being on a Fat Wreck Comp
What would be considered emo
And a ton more

CLICK HERE If you need a commercial real estate lawyer check out his firm Murphy Schiller & Wilkes.

CLICK HERE for Ben Weinman from The Dillinger Escape Plan’s online course “In The Business of Uncompromising Art”

This week's episode is sponsored by Mint 400 Records.

Albany NY based indie-rock band E.R.I.E. releases their sophomore album Suburban Mayhem on April 7th via Mint 400 Records. Citing diverse influences such as Blink 182, Tom Petty, and The Menzingers; E.R.I.E. has traded in the internalized existential struggle of debut Don’t Wanna Live, Don’t Wanna Die, to take on the myriad forces that permeate a modern existence. Single “Bad Man’s World” presents a tongue-in-cheek evaluation of fitting into a stereotypical idea of “manhood,” without turning into chauvinistic asshole.

In addition to their album release show in Albany on April 7th, E.R.I.E. has upcoming shows in Metro NY, Connecticut, Philadelphia, and more! For more information, visit their website, abandcallederie.com

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Ep. 211: Wizo w/ Axel Kurth Mar 17, 2023

WIZO played their first show way back in 1987 and released their first EP in 1990. They’ve went on to become Germany’s second biggest all-time punk band (second only to arena rockers Die Toten Hosen) and have played everywhere from squats to stadiums. Although some of their lyrical content is lighthearted and even comical, WIZO is a band that has a very strong anti-racist/anti-fascist message. Their outspoken liberal politics have caused plenty of scandals and captured national headlines as well as coverage from European TV networks. So much controversy surrounds this band that they’ve been investigated several times and censored by the German authorities. Unlike most punk bands, WIZO is very open to outside musical influences and embrace their eclectic sound. A fine example is their cover of Ace of Base’s ‘All That She Wants’, which became a chart-topping hit in numerous European countries. In the early 90’s WIZO played a show with the illustrious NOFX and first caught the attention of Fat Mike. After the NOFX frontman witnessed the unpredictable and entertaining live show that WIZO put on, he knew the German trio could be adored and appreciated outside their homeland’s borders. And boy was he right, WIZO have went on to become an international favorite and boast record sales of over 500,000! All independently and without the help of those slimy major labels.

I was picking my brain of some obscure Fat bands to interview and Wizo popped into my head. So I message Axel, asked him to come on the show, he said “Sure, thanks for asking”. I got him on the Skype and this is what we chat about.

Wizo being his full-time gig
How they got on Fat
High Standard
Tom from Goober Patrol
The Ace of Bass cover
Propagandhi
Playing in Me First and the Gimme Gimmes
Nerf Herder
No Use For A Name
Not using amps for their live show
And a ton more

This week's episode is sponsored by Mint 400 Records.

Albany NY based indie-rock band E.R.I.E. releases their sophomore album Suburban Mayhem on April 7th via Mint 400 Records. Citing diverse influences such as Blink 182, Tom Petty, and The Menzingers; E.R.I.E. has traded in the internalized existential struggle of debut Don’t Wanna Live, Don’t Wanna Die, to take on the myriad forces that permeate a modern existence. Single “Bad Man’s World” presents a tongue-in-cheek evaluation of fitting into a stereotypical idea of “manhood,” without turning into chauvinistic asshole.

In addition to their album release show in Albany on April 7th, E.R.I.E. has upcoming shows in Metro NY, Connecticut, Philadelphia, and more! For more information, visit their website, abandcallederie.com

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Ep. 210: The Progress w/ Evan Weiss Mar 03, 2023

The Progress were an indie rock band from Cherry Hill, NJ and existed from 2001 to 2008. They were four grade school friends who learned how to play music (and their instruments) together. In their lifespan, they wrote two EP's and a LP. They spent the majority of their time as a band winning the hearts of girls in their 20's and getting booked on metal shows that didn't make any sense playing. Live and learn. Their singer Evan went on to start his own project Into It. Over It. while living in Chicago, IL. He also plays in Their / They're / There and Pet Symmetry.

There’s a funny story on how this interview happened but you’ll have to listen to hear what that was. So I got Evan on the Skype and this is what we chat about:

His Patreon for his record label
Finding The NJPP archive
Releasing Merit on vinyl
Lobster Records
Negative Progression Records
Starting Into It. Over It. Solo
Currently working for reverb.com
The pee story
And a ton more

Check out his label Storm Chaser’s patreon by clicking here.

This week’s non paid shot out is for my buddy Chris Vaglio who is a member of the NJPP Facebook group and also played in Situation at 1200.

Are you ready for a music showdown like no other? Look no further than Chris and Amanda's Song Swap Showdown - the ultimate music-talk podcast for music lovers!

Join Chris and Amanda every Monday at 8:15 AM EST for a fun-filled podcast where they swap three songs they think the other has never heard before.

From punk to pop, rock to country, and everything in between, they rate each song on a scale of 1-5 records and share their honest opinions, laughs, and stories along the way.

Whether you're a die-hard music fan or just looking for a new podcast to brighten up your week, Chris and Amanda's Song Swap Showdown is the perfect choice. Tune in on Facebook, Twitch, and Youtube, or follow them on your favorite podcast platform.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Ep. 209: REPOST The Stereo w/ Jamie Woolford & Rory Phillips Feb 24, 2023

This week's episode is a repost of Episode 99 with Jamie and Rory from the Stereo.

If you'd like to donate to help Rob Heiner out please click here.

Here is what we chat about in the episode:

Their performance wardrobe
Working for Fueled By Ramen
The Impossibles
Animal Chin
Coming up with the name
Their dynamic as a band
Rory’s exit from the band
And a ton more

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Ep. 208: Bracket w/ Angelo Celli Feb 17, 2023

Bracket is an American rock band from Forestville, California formed in 1992. They have issued numerous albums, EPs and singles since its inception, including many releases for Caroline Records and Fat Wreck Chords. Their sound could most easily be described as power pop influenced punk rock with a continued focus on vocal harmonies. Bracket emerged during the pop punk resurgence of the early 1990s and released its first two albums 924 Forestville St. (1994) and 4-Wheel Vibe (1995) on Caroline Records. Following a staff shake-up, the label dropped the group and cancelled the release of its third album Like You Know in 1996. Bracket's next two albums Novelty Forever (1997) and When All Else Fails (2000) were put out by Fat Wreck Chords, who had previously issued 7-inch vinyl for the band. They released Live in a Dive (2002) which gathered some of the band's best-known material into one performance. Requiem came out in (2006), released by Takeover Records. They have a 70 minute album consisted of one “song”, the 28th installment of their “Warren’s Song” series. The band recorded nearly 100 short fragments of songs, with the intention of piecing them together to create the 70 minute “Warren’s Song Pt. 28”. Bracket completed work on their ninth studio album “Too Old to Die Young” in late 2018, which came out on Fat in 2019.

I got Angelo on the Skype and this is what we chat about

Hen House Brewing
Bracket starting off as a cover band
Being one of Fat Mike’s favorite bands
How were they perceived by Fat Wreck Crowds
Their album Requiem
Recording Live in a Dive
Their split with Humble Beginnings
Questions that Josh Humble submitted
Their 70 minute song
Beavis and Butthead
Their latest release on Fat
And a ton more

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Ep. 207: Kid Dynamite, Good Riddance w/ Dave Wagenschutz Feb 10, 2023

Dave Wagenschutz is a kick ass drummer that has graced the punk scene since the mid 90s. He’s played in such bands as Lifetime, Ink & Dagger, Kid Dynamite, Good Riddance, Paint it Black, None More Black and now Crossed Keys.

I got Dave on the Skype and this is what we chat about:

Does he still go to shows
Playing in Lifetime
Playing in Ink & Dagger
Finding the singer for Kid Dynamite
The Kid Dynamite artwork
The Face 2 Face tour
Playing in Good Riddance
None More Black
Is a Kid Dynamite reunion in the works?
And a ton more

Check out his new band Crossed Key which includes members of Step Ahead, Kill The Man Who Questions, Zolof the Rock and Roll Destroyer, Halo of Snakes, The Curse, and obviously Kid Dynamite, Ink & Dagger. Their new album CROSSED KEYS BELIEVES IN YOU comes out this spring with an announcement about preorders coming very soon! Go follow their Instagram at @crossedkeysphl

This week’s episode is sponsored by Iodine Recordings who have just announced that they will be releasing the 30th Anniversary Edition of Quicksand’s classic debut “Slip” on vinyl. They are presenting the record in several configurations, including a limited deluxe gatefold with slip case, and a deluxe LP with a 64-page hardcover book that includes a foreword by Walter Shreifels, Neve-before-seen photos, rare concert posters, original art, and more from 1990-1994. The book chronicles the history of the influential album and has commentary from many notable bands, including: Anthrax, Helmet, Sepultura, Thursday, Rise Against, Refused, Youth of Today, Thrice, Agnostic Front, Snapcase, Earth Crisis, Cave In, and more. Complete with several beautiful vinyl variants. Available for pre-order now, and in stores on March 31, 2023.

Iodine Recordings has been busy since returning in 2021, with almost 20 new releases to date from bands like Stretch Arm Strong, The Darling Fire, Onelinedrawing, Jeromes Dream, Smoke or Fire, and more. We can expect a lot more amazing music from them this year. Head over to iodinerecords.com for more, or follow them on Instagram @iodinerecordings.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Ep. 206: Victory Records w/ Monika Ebly Feb 03, 2023

Victory Records is a Chicago-based record label founded by Tony Brummel. It operates a music publishing company called "Another Victory, Inc." and is the distributor of several record labels. It has featured many prominent artists including Thursday, Hawthorne Heights, Silverstein, Taking Back Sunday, Bayside, Streetlight Manifesto, and A Day to Remember.

Some Victory bands I’ve interviewed include Doug fromThe Sleeping, Andrew from Strife, and Mark from Shutdown. I also interviewed Double J who used to worked for Victory for 10 years as a designer who was basically their art director.

In September 2019, years after buying part of the label's catalogue, Concord bought Victory Records and Another Victory for $30 million. Craft Recordings has been managing Victory Record’ catalog since Concord acquired the label. Victory has since not signed any new bands or released new records. Instead, the label operates for the current distribution of the label's alumni, as well as for reissues. Victory's catalogue includes 4,500 master recordings and 3,500 compositions through its publisher Another Victory.

Monika has been listening to the show for a while and would always message me with random stories about people I’ve interviewed. I found out she worked for Victory and she said she’d like to tell some stories since no one really wants to talk honestly about the label.

I got her on the Skype and this is what we talk about:

What could they listen to at the office
The cops showing up
The Holiday party
Did the staff know about the deals bands were getting
The Sleeping
The Damnation AD showcase
Blackberrys
360 deals
The soda machine story
Freezing checks
And a ton more

Here are some people I’d like to interview if you have a connection - Greg from Gokart, The Lunachicks, Dan Adriano just about Tuesday, Rainer Maria, Ace from Early November, Steve Evetts, just to name a few.

Get your Realtor Instagram Stickers by clicking here.

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day. I also have an Instagram for it.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Or go to thiswasthescene.com to possibly buy some merch.

Get your Realtor Instagram Stickers by clicking here.

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day. I also have an Instagram for it.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Or go to thiswasthescene.com to possibly buy some merch.

Ep. 205: Producing Bands w/ Ryan Greene Jan 20, 2023

Ryan Greene is an American record producer, sound engineer, former owner of Crush Recording Studios in Scottsdale, Arizona and founder of Area 52 Entertainment in Los Angeles, California. In an over 25-year-long career he has worked with many artists including Jay-Z, Lita Ford, Tonic, Megadeth, Alice Cooper, Cheap Trick, Usher, Patti LaBelle, and Gladys Knight.

Ryan was THE guy when it came to producing the bands on Fat Wreck Chords. Some of those bands were NOFX, Lagwagon, No Use For A Name, Propaghandi, Pulley, Hi-Standard, Tilt, Bracket, and a shit ton of others that probably graced your CD collection.

There are so many good stories in this and I think a lot of you who love or loved the Fat bands from the late 90s will absolutely love them.

I got Ryan on the Skype and this is what we talk about:

Demoing Stranger Than Fiction
What the word Demo means to him
Figuring out the emotion of each record he records
Punk in Drublic’s Mastering debacle
Recording Hoss
Some of the tricks he learned during his sessions
Recording Less Talk More Rock by Propagandhi
Recording Guttermouth
Tony Sly
And a ton more

Get your Realtor Instagram Stickers by clicking here.

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day. I also have an Instagram for it.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Or go to thiswasthescene.com to possibly buy some merch.

Get your Realtor Instagram Stickers by clicking here.

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day. I also have an Instagram for it.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Or go to thiswasthescene.com to possibly buy some merch.

Ep. 204: Bridge Nine Records w/ Chris Wrenn Jan 13, 2023

Since their inception in 1995, Bridge Nine Records has turned from a hobby to one of the most well known heavy music brands in the world. Headquartered in Beverly, Massachusetts with affiliates and distributors worldwide. They’ve put out defining releases for American Nightmare, Terror, and Champion. Today, Bridge Nine is a recognized brand worldwide as one of the the best in underground music with a roster boasting over a dozen full-time, active bands. With over 300 releases to date, Their back catalog includes some of the biggest and best names in underground music (H2O, Defeater, Ceremony, Agnostic Front, Have Heart and many more) and it continues to get stronger.

There’s a lot of pops in the beginning on Chris’ vocal track but we fix that pretty quickly.

His new record store
Sharing a space with Big Wheel, Hydra Head and Doghouse
Designing his merchandise
Well hidden cash
Being friends with the dude who created the dialer
what went wrong in the early years
Being part of the Yankees Sucks crew that was on 30 for 30
His relationship with Victory
Johnny Cupcakes
Polar Bear Club
New Found Glory
Would he break out of the labels genre when signing new bands
The $500 fist fight
And a ton more

Check out his new record store in Beverly, MA at 282 Rantoul Street.

Get your Realtor Instagram Stickers by clicking here.

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day. I also have an Instagram for it.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Or go to thiswasthescene.com to possibly buy some merch.

Get your Realtor Instagram Stickers by clicking here.

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day. I also have an Instagram for it.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Or go to thiswasthescene.com to possibly buy some merch.

Ep. 203: Jejune w/ Joe Guevara Jan 06, 2023

Jejune was an American rock band formed in 1996 at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. The band has been commonly identified with the emo genre, and was heavily involved with the scene at the peak of the "second wave" of emo in the mid-1990s. The three founding members, Arabella, Joe, and Chris, met while studying at the college. The band relocated to San Diego, California, in 1997. They have 3 releases which are Junk (1997) This Afternoon's Malady (1998) and RIP (2000). I believe a lot of you have or had that split with Jimmy Eat World which we do discuss.

I’ve tried for a while to get Joe on the Skype and I finally did and this is what we chat about.

Being roommates with the President of Geffin Records
Dropping out of Berklee
Rama from Big Wheel
Staying in touch with Jim from Jimmy Eat World
Will they ever have a reunion show
The split with Jimmy Eat World
His band I wish I
The Actuality of Thought video comp
Changing their sound on the second record
almost being kidnapped by Germans
And a ton more

Get your Realtor Instagram Stickers by clicking here.

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day. I also have an Instagram for it.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Or go to thiswasthescene.com to possibly buy some merch.

Ep. 202: The Westwood Garage w/ Chris Whalen and Pete Valenzano Dec 16, 2022

The Westwood Garage was located at 234 Third Ave in Westwood NJ. It existed between 1995 and 2002 before ending its run. The garage hosted such bands as AFI, Bane, Heckle, Revolution Summer, the Lawrence arms, and a fuck ton of others. This episode is full on Jersey focussed but I think a lot of people not from here will still connect with lens of the scene that Chris and Pete bring to the interview.

It took a long ass time to get these 2 together but I finally got them on the Skype and this is what we chat about:

Heckle’s new album
Plan A Project
Heckle getting on Hopeless
Link 80 playing the house
Their band Revolution Summer
Are they socially conscious still
Getting in Thrasher Magazine
How did the neighbors like the shows
Chris Gethard
How Heckle ended
And a ton more

Check out Heckle’s latest release on Spotify "The Motive Power of Fire"

Check out the book Blood & Ink: The Scandalous Jazz Age Double Murder That Hooked America on True Crime released by Joe Pompeo who was the dummer of Scratch Kid. Pete gives him a shot out in the interview so I wanted to plug his book.

This week's episode is sponsored by Spell It Out

Spell It Out is a melodic hardcore/pop punk band from NY and NJ that features members of Lounge, Lakota, Vice Transmission and Entropy. Their debut album, Out Of Chaos is available for digital download through Let's Trade Records and on LP and CD which is available through the bands Instagram page @spellitoutHC

Get your Realtor Instagram Stickers by clicking here.

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day. I also have an Instagram for it.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Or go to thiswasthescene.com to possibly buy some merch.

Ep. 201: Assholeparade w/ Matt Sweeting Dec 09, 2022

Assholeparade is a hardcore band from Gainesville, Florida. They released two LPs and an EP for No Idea Records, as well as some compilation appearances. They have short aggressive songs. Only two of Assholeparade's original members are left in its current 5-piece setup.

Thank you Drew from Ashtray Monument for connecting me to Matt whom I got on the Skype and this is what we chat about:

Not playing FEST this year
The mithios of Gainesville
The serial killer in Gainesville
Owning the Hardback
Joining the band
Did the name effect them
Playing in Japan
Hawaiian T-shirts
And a ton more

Get your Realtor Instagram Stickers by clicking here.

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day. I also have an Instagram for it.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Or go to thiswasthescene.com to possibly buy some merch.

Ep. 200: Dynamite Boy Pt. 2 w/ Sean Neil Dec 02, 2022

Dynamite Boy were a pop punk band from Austin, TX. You can check out Pt. 1 of this interview with Adrian Muñoz at Episode 103.

Sean reached out to me to say he liked that episode and wanted to know if he could fill in some gaps. I said yes, got him on the Skype and this is what we chat about:

The original Dynamite Boy members
The tour with The Impossibles
Kicking out Craig from the Impossibles
Getting influence from bands about running the band
Tom Petta getting them on Fearless
Having Massive stage fright
His relationship with Bob from Fearless
Matt Riddle
What’s his relationship like with past members
And a ton more

Get your Realtor Instagram Stickers by clicking here.

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day. I also have an Instagram for it.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Or go to thiswasthescene.com to possibly buy some merch.

Ep. 199: Counterfit w/ Marc Allen Nov 18, 2022

Click here to buy tickets to the Lanemeyer show at Stanhope House in Stanhope, NJ on Dec 1, 2022.

Counterfit were a emo band from San Diego. Some of the releases they put out were On The Downside, From Finish To Starting Line, and Super Amusement Machine For Your Exciting Heart. That’s basically all there is out there about these guys but you can go to their Facebook page and see a lot of pictures.

Thank you Seth Hyman from Negative Progression records (Check his interview out at Episode 121) for connecting me with Marc whom I got on the Skype and this is what we chat about:

How he knows Chris Barker from Lanemeyer’s brother
No Knife
How was the San Diego scene for them
Negative Progression Records
What was the band’s internal dynamic like
Scott from Blink
Touring a lot and being broke
Playing with the Mars Volta
The Starting Line accidentally giving them exposure
A string of bad luck
Playing drums for Finch
The San Diego band Prizefight
The Finch story which is amazing
And a ton more

Check out his design company marcallen.design and his band Helen Earth Band that he did after Counterfeit.

You can buy their DVD documentary here youthconspiracy.bigcartel.com

Get your Realtor Instagram Stickers by clicking here.

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day. I also have an Instagram for it.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Or go to thiswasthescene.com to possibly buy some merch.

Ep. 198: REPOST Midtown w/ Rob Hitt Nov 11, 2022

Click here to buy tickets to the Lanemeyer show at Stanhope House in Stanhope, NJ on Dec 1, 2022.

This is a REPOST of Episode 87 where I interviewed Rob Hitt about Midtown and this is what we chatted about.

Constantly playing a song on repeat
The bands that influenced Midtown
Writing really high notes in Lanemeyer
His first band which wasn’t Professor Plum
Meeting Josh from Humble Beginnings
How Midtown formed
Gabe’s usage of big words in songs
Buying CDs with friends and dubbing them for each other
Jay Pinball
New Found Glory
Their first album being amazing
Vinnie from I am the avalanche singing background on a Midtown song
Fenix TX and Drive-Thru Records
Almost getting fired from the band
Being roommates with Max Bemis
And a ton more

Check out his label here http://isurrenderrecords.com/

Check out Bodega cats https://www.bodegacats.nyc/

I’ll link to the video for the song on the This Was the Scene's Instagram Story so you can check it out. American Television plays The Fest, Sunday, October 30th, 9:40pm at Vecinos.

Get your Realtor Instagram Stickers by clicking here.

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day. I also have an Instagram for it.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Or go to thiswasthescene.com to possibly buy some merch.

Ep. 197: Silver Scooter w/ Scott Garred Oct 28, 2022

Click here to buy tickets to the Lanemeyer show at Stanhope House in Stanhope, NJ on Dec 1, 2022.

After hooking up with Peek-a-Boo Records, Silver Scooter issued their debut seven-inch "Biting My Nails; " the singles "Ball of Yarn" and "Cup & String" followed before they issued the full-length The Other Palm Springs in 1997. A split ten-inch with Cursive as well as a split seven-inch with Tiara followed in 1998 before the trio dropped their second LP, Orleans Parish, early the next year and Goodbye followed in fall 2000. Blue Law appeared in early 2001.

I heard of this band in 98-99 ish when my buddy John Price introduced me to Pumpkin Eyes which was on the Crank Records don't forget to) breathe comp.

I wanted to find out more about the band so I reached out to Scott and asked him to be on the podcast, he said yes, and this is what we chat about:

His 50 songs project
peekaboo fan zine
Getting a call from Bob Mould
Dave Mcnair
What Pumpkin Eyes is about
Their split with Cursive
Death Cab For Cutie liking Silver Scooter
Getting stuck in Japan during 911
Tiny Desk Concert
His other band Super XX Man being the first release on Courtney Barnett’s label
And a ton more

Go check out his site scottgarred.com where he has a ton of music and videos.

I’ll link to the video for the song on the This Was the Scene's Instagram Story so you can check it out. American Television plays The Fest, Sunday, October 30th, 9:40pm at Vecinos.

Get your Realtor Instagram Stickers by clicking here.

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day. I also have an Instagram for it.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Or go to thiswasthescene.com to possibly buy some merch.

Ep. 196: Crank! A Record Company w/ Jeff Matlow Oct 21, 2022

Click here to buy tickets to the Lanemeyer show at Stan Hope House in Stan Hope, NJ on Dec 1, 2022.

crank! A Record Company was an independent record label which was started by Jeff Matlow in September 1994. The label "played a huge role in the spreading of emo in the mid-’90s", according to Alternative Press magazine. The label's first release was a 7" by Vitreous Humor, released under the name Geerhead Records; all subsequent releases were issued as Crank!

I got Jeff Matlow on the Skype and this is what we chat about:

His current career as a business consultant
Working with James Brown
Mineral
Starting his other company SaulGoodman
Why he released a ton of 7inches
Meeting Brett Gurewitz
Mineral breaking up
The Sensefield, Jimmy Eat World, Mineral split 7”
The Icarus Line
Bright Eyes
And a ton more

Go sign up for his news letter by clicking here

This week’s episode is sponsored by the band American Television.

American Television are a gritty pop-punk band from the DC area that has shared the stage with Piebald, Spanish Love Songs, Dirty Nil, The Copyrights, and many more. Their new song, Moments, is out today on all streaming services and will be featured on the exclusive 12-inch Fest 20 Comp, available through Sell The Heart Records and at The Fest in Gainesville, FL. October 28-30.

I’ll link to the video for the song on the This Was the Scene's Instagram Story so you can check it out. American Television plays The Fest, Sunday, October 30th, 9:40pm at Vecinos.

Get your Realtor Instagram Stickers by clicking here.

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day. I also have an Instagram for it.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Or go to thiswasthescene.com to possibly buy some merch.

Ep. 195: The Escape Engine w/ Dominick Lettera Oct 14, 2022

The Escape Engine was founded in the spring of 2002. The band's name comes from a Burning Airlines song titled "The Escape Engine". Within a matter of months of recording their demo the band was approach by Jon Strauss whose intentions were to start an independent record label. The band ended up becoming the first band to sign with the newly created Fidelity Records.

The band broke up in 2006 and then re-united on May 4, 2012, for a single sold-out performance at Maxwell's in Hoboken, New Jersey.

I apologize in advance because we laugh a lot during this interview so I figured I’d give a disclaimer.

George if you’re listening, Dom wanted me to make sure that you know that you were the person that made that band possible. He wanted to let you know this because he wasn’t sure if he said it in the interview so hence this disclaimer.

I got Dom on the Skype and this is what we chat about:

Being in one of Escape Engine’s videos
Being in Lanemeyer 2.0 for 2 or 3 weeks
Mothermania
Scratch Kid
Roading for Beefcake
Singing on stage with The Ataris
Losing a ton of weight
Creating Escape Engine
Fidelity Records
The sound fuck up on their video on MTV
The Playboy Party
Almost playing with Say Anything
And a ton more

Check out his buddy’s company Sure Thing Toys which he mentions during the interview.

Get your Realtor Instagram Stickers by clicking here.

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day. I also have an Instagram for it.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Or go to thiswasthescene.com to possibly buy some merch.

Ep. 194: REPOST Sunny Day Real Estate w/ Willam Goldsmith Oct 07, 2022

This is a REPOST of Episode 100.

Sunny Day Real Estate was an American rock band from Seattle, Washington. They were one of the early emo bands and helped establish the genre. In 1994, the band released their debut album Diary on Sub Pop Records to critical acclaim. However, shortly after releasing their second album LP2, the band broke up, with members Nate Mendel and William Goldsmith joining Foo Fighters and Jeremy Enigk embarking on a solo career. In 1997, they regrouped long enough to record two more studio albums and a live album but ultimately disbanded once again in 2001. The band reunited again in 2009. Bassist Nate Mendel, who chose to remain with Foo Fighters during the previous reunion in 1997, took part in this reunion. In 2014 the band released one song from those sessions, "Lipton Witch," on a split 7" vinyl with Circa Survive on Record Store Day.

I got William on the Skype and this is what we talk about:

My sunny day tattoo story
What drumming has done to him physically
What was his scene
How the band got together
Diary’s artwork
Breaking up right when they were taking off
Red Elephant
Trying to find inspiration to make music again
Recording Rising Tide
Working through anxiety
Their unreleased album
And a ton more

Check out William's band, Assertion

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Ep. 193: The Gadjits w/ Brandon and Adam Phillips Sep 30, 2022

The Gadjits were an American ska and rock and roll band from Kansas City, Missouri, United States. Formed by the brothers Brandon, Zach, and Adam Phillips they were signed as young bucks to Hellcat Records in 97. They released 3 albums on that label before heading to Thick Records, then RCA where they were dropped when Clive Davis took over. From there they went on to create more bands such as The Architects, Brandon Phillips & The Condition, and Other Americans.

My old band Lanemeyer played a few gigs with these kids on the road back in the day and I was beyond stoked to get them on the podcast to chat about life. The following is what we chat about:

Constantly being in bands with each other
Playing with Rancid as teenagers
How were they treated as being a young band
The Wix
Hellcat Records
Changing over to The Architects
The Gallows
The fucking crazy Bosstones show brawl
Grossing each other out
Drug use
The Canadian Booking Agent story
And a ton more

Get your Realtor Instagram Stickers by clicking here.

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day. I also have an Instagram for it.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Or go to thiswasthescene.com to possibly buy some merch.

Ep. 192: Zoinks! w/ Bob Conrad Sep 23, 2022

Before we start, my old band Lanemeyer has 10 green etched vinyl records left of "Stories for the Big Screen" over on the iSurrender store.

Zoinks! were a pop punk from Reno, Nevada. Born '93. Died '98. A couple reunion shows in 2005 and 2006. They were on rotation with my buddies back in High School and were introduced to us, I believe, by Alan Rappaport from Flipside records (Episode 24).

I got Bob’s email from Alan, got him on the Skype and this is what we chat about:

The Reno scene
How he joined the band
Dr. Strange Records
Playing a show with Green Day
Having a label of his own
His new band
And a ton more

Get your Realtor Instagram Stickers by clicking here.

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day. I also have an Instagram for it.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Or go to thiswasthescene.com to possibly buy some merch.

Ep. 191: The Rocking Horse Winner w/ Jolie Lindholm Sep 16, 2022

The Rocking Horse Winner was an American indie rock band based in Davie, Florida. They formed in mid-1999 and toured with Dashboard Confessional, Coheed and Cambria, The Format, Bayside, The Blood Brothers, The Weakerthans, Further Seems Forever, Midtown, and a ton. You may remember Jolie’s voice in some of the OG Dashboard Songs.

Thank you Casey Iodine for the intro. I got Jolie on the Skype and this is what we chat about:

Her new band The Darling Fire
Having stage fright
How she got connected with Dashboard
Being on Equal Vision
Hankshaw’s antics at Fest
Mackrock
The Coheed story
The Crazy house in Florida story
Being in Seventeen magazine
Did dating someone in the band cause riffs
How scrappy of a band they were
And a ton more

Check out her new band The Darling Fire’s new album "DISTORTIONS” available on Iodine Recordings. The band features members of

The Rocking Horse Winner, Shai Hulud, Further Seems Forever, and As Friends Rust.

Available on several vinyl variants and CD from Iodine Recordings, iodinerecords.com or at Deathwish Inc. along with new merch designs.

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day. I also have an Instagram for it.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Or go to thiswasthescene.com to possibly buy some merch.

Ep. 190: Vagrant Records w/ Rich Egan Sep 02, 2022

Vagrant Records is an American record label that was founded in 1995 by Rich Egan and Jon Cohen. It is home to artists such as Dashboard Confessional, Saves the Day, The Get Up Kids, Senses Fail, and Alkaline Trio, and a ton of others that you know and love.

I asked Rich if he’d like to be on the podcast, he said “Sure man, would love to do your pod.” So I got him on the Skype after 30 minutes of trying and this is what we talk about:

What was the first Vagrant release
How he started Managing Face to Face
Signing the Get Up Kids
The massive Vagrant Tour
The roadie leaving merch money in NYC story
What were the best years at Vagrant
Emanuel’s record leaking
The Vagrant podcast
His thoughts on Saves the Day on Connan
Ignorance is Bliss leading to a shit ass tour
Amy Madden and the Dashboard Story
And a ton more

Here's a link to Diner Parking Lots

Here's the Arcade Academy Bandcamp

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day. I also have an Instagram for it.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Or go to thiswasthescene.com to possibly buy some merch.

Ep. 189: Eyeball Records w/ Alex Eyeball Aug 26, 2022

Eyeball Records is an independent record label originally established in NYC out of Apartment 4C on 14th St at Avenue A. The label later moved to Kearny, New Jersey. They’ve released albums by artists such as H20, Thursday, My Chemical Romance, Humble Beginnings, Pency Prep, and Murder by Death. In 2020 the label began releasing exclusive cassette and t-shirt bundles exclusively through The Hyv.

I heard about Eyeball for the first time when Humble put out their EP which we talk about in this interview. So I thought getting Alex on here would be a fine idea, he agree, and this is what we chat about:

Eyeball starting back up
Internal fuck ups on some releases
Recording at the studio where Tupac was shot
Getting help from Greg GoKart Records
The Eyeball house
How the H20 release was funded
The aggressive lore that surrounded him
Humble Beginnings
Becoming homeless
His relationship with Warner Bros
The Gaslight Anthem record that never saw the light of day
And a ton more

Go check out their website for the latest releases at eyeballrecords.org.

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day. I also have an Instagram for it.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Or go to thiswasthescene.com to possibly buy some merch.

Ep. 188: Threadline w/ Craig Cirinelli Aug 19, 2022

Threadline were a post hardcore band from NJ. The life of the band was short lived but this was one of the very first bands that I met in the scene who my old band used to play shows with. Craig also did a bit of a run promoting shows under NOISExtra. From there he went on to do Elemae, and a ton of other bands.

I got Craig on the Skype and this is what we chat about:

The NJ show where someone stole the cannon ball
Joe Pulito taking forever with replies
How he started throwing shows with NOISExtra
Elizabeth from Hot Topic
The Shades Apart show in White Meadow Lake
Camber
Ignition rebrand because of Oasis
Did he tour over seas
Do we love writing or playing music these days
And a ton more

Check out his latest band The Atlantic Union Project.

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day. I also have an Instagram for it.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Or go to thiswasthescene.com to possibly buy some merch.

Ep. 187: REPOST Buddyhead w/ Travis Keller Aug 12, 2022

This is a REPOST of my interview with Travis Keller (episode 62) about the days of Buddyhead. Here is what we chat about:

Meeting people through his photography
Calling Dave Navaro
How they got so many phone numbers
Living in Tarzana
The Icarus Line
The Transplants not digging one of the posts
Fred Durst
Is he still down with Buddyhead following him
Drive-thru Records
And a ton more

Check out his new project http://americanprimitive.org/

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day. I also have an Instagram for it.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Or go to thiswasthescene.com to possibly buy some merch.

Ep. 186: Nowhere Fast w/ Ryan Roberts Aug 05, 2022

Nowhere Fast were a pop punk band from New Jersey. You may remember them from their 2 songs that were on the Pinball Records comp and their split with LWL. You may also remember their cover of Crowded House’s “Don't Dream It's Over” on the Making Decisions about Punk compilation.

They had a short lifespan and 2 of their members (Heath and Tyler) went on to join Gabe Saporta’s brain child, Midtown. We talk about this at the end of the interview which is quite entertaining.

Side note, the band I’m trying to think of later on in the interview who was from Chicago is Man Dingo.

I’ve had many many many people ask for this interview so luckily I got in touch with Ryan and this is what we chat about:

His new book out that’s called Nimrod
The Bound Brook flood
Jay Turon
Matt Haick
Big Wig
The Heathcliff cover
Breaking up before the split with LWL
Heath and Tyler going off to be in Midtown
Gabe Saporta
Ben from Dillinger managing Merciana
being the light guy for Dillinger for a tour
And a ton more

Go check out his new book “Nimrod”

And go hire his dog walking business if you have a pet that needs to be taken care of. Dog Days NJ

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day. I also have an Instagram for it.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Or go to thiswasthescene.com to possibly buy some merch.

Ep. 185: Stick Figure Suicide w/ Paul Suicyde Jul 29, 2022

Stick Figure Suicide was a punk rock band from Milltown, New Jersey. The band was formed in 1997, and were part of the emerging emo-punk rock scene of the late 1990s in the Northeast. Their music has been described as a mastery of "old-school hardcore moves and hyperspeed tempos" with clean, precise, over-driven guitars, and they are classified as a blend of fast and melodic hardcore-punk, with lyrics that are occasionally humorous. They drew comparison to the music of the hardcore punk band Minor Threat, and even Against All Authority. Maximumrocknroll described their songs on the Road Kill EP Split with Mohawk Barbie as "displaying some pretty good energy of their own with their early '90s style hardcore.

I got Paul on the Skype and this is what we chat about:

How to develop a screaming voice
Dave Smalley
Trash this CD comp
Slicing his hands up at their first show
Vintage Vinyl
Their drummer over selling them to get them on shows
Their song Dred
Playing with Anti Flag
Getting in a fist fight
The Road Kill EP
Meeting Dave Smalley
And a ton more

Check out his latest band Sophistipunx.

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day. I also have an Instagram for it.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Or go to thiswasthescene.com to possibly buy some merch.

Ep. 184: Boxer w/ David Vicini Jul 22, 2022

Formed in early October of 1995, Boxer was a Boston-based four piece fast on the rise in the indie scene. With aggressive, heartfelt lyrics Boxer delivered the finest in east-coast punk. They managed to share the stage with acts such as Lagwagon, Weston, Lifetime, Screw 32, Good Riddance, Jimmy Eat World, and Bracket. Their debut and only album, "The Hurt Process," was put out on Vagrant Records as the labels first release. The band broke up soon after that release and Dave and Will went on to form The Lot Six.

Thank you again Casey from Iodine Recordings for connecting us

Just wanting to be a pop punk band
Passing on being the singer for Big D and the Kids Table
Playing a show with Lifetime
Being Vagrant’s first band
Rama from Big Wheel
Recording with Trevor Keith
How signing to Vagrant effected the crowd size
Auditioning for Kid Dynamite
Chris leaving to play with The Dillinger Escape Plan
Their guitarist going off to play with Jared Leto and Tom Delonge
The Lot Six
Getting a gun pulled on them
And a ton more

Go check out his latest band Beat Awfuls on bandcamp.

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day. I also have an Instagram for it.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Or go to thiswasthescene.com to possibly buy some merch.

Ep. 183: Saves The Day w/ Bryan Newman Jul 08, 2022

Saves the Day is an American rock band from Princeton, New Jersey, that formed in 1997. They released their debut studio album, Can't Slow Down, in 1998. It was followed by Through Being Cool in 1999, which featured their first single, "Shoulder to the Wheel". Stay What You Are was released in 2001, peaking at No. 100 on the Billboard 200. It spawned two successful music videos on MTV2, for the singles "At Your Funeral" and "Freakish", and has since sold 300,000 copies.

Thank you to Andy Luca from the new jersey pop punk 1994 - 2002 group for posting a link to Bryan’s website which lead to me getting in touch with him.

I got Bryan on the Skype and this is what we chat about

Quitting the band
The Earth Crisis yogurt show
Sounding like Lifetime
Eben joining the band
The Stryder
Getting stage fright
Psychodelics
Staying in Gerard Butler’s apartment while recording Stay What You Are
The Jimmy Chamberlin story
In Reverie
And a ton more

Go check out the band Soul Glo that Bryan talks about.

This week’s sponsor is Mint 400 Records.

Mint 400 Records is an indie record label from NJ with bands across the United States, Canada, and Europe. The label features everything from Indie Rock & Folk to Post-Punk and Soul. Over 400 exciting releases.

You can find Mint 400 Records' releases streaming at Spotify, Pandora, Tidal, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Deezer, and more or at all mp3 outlets worldwide. Visit www.mint400records.com for links and more info.

Here’s a clip from their artist Yawn Mower's song "Sixteen Minutes" from their forthcoming release To Each Their Own Coat.

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day. I also have an Instagram for it.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Or go to thiswasthescene.com to possibly buy some merch.

Ep. 182: The Jazz June w/ Andrew Low Jul 01, 2022

The Jazz June was formed in 1996 by students attending Kutztown University. The group recorded its first full-length album in 1997; their first two albums were recorded through Canadian record label Workshop Records. In 1998, the band signed with Initial Records and went on to release three albums through the record label. They disbanded in 2003 after four full-length albums, but reunited for benefit shows in 2006 and the release of an outtakes-and-rarities compilation the following year. In 2014, the group announced they were reforming and releasing new material on Topshelf Records.

I got Andrew on the Skype and here’s what we chat about:

The meaning of Jazz June
Taco Bell
People we dislike from high school
City Gardens
Jon Cheese and punk rock realtors
Making Rolling Stone’s top 40 list
J Robbins
When the drums kick in
The Built to Spill story
And a ton more

Check out the release of their album The Medicine on tape by Friend Club Records.

Check out his new band Post Skeleton

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day. I also have an Instagram for it.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Or go to thiswasthescene.com to possibly buy some merch.

Ep. 181: RX Bandits w/ Rich Balling Jun 24, 2022

Rx Bandits are an American four-piece band from California. The band formed in 1995 in Orange County, California. They have appeared on the Vans Warped Tour, Bonnaroo, Coachella, Bamboozle, and plenty of club shows throughout the world I think.

In 2001, after touring on their third album "Progress", Rich left the band, citing frustrations he had with certain aspects of the music industry. He later went to form The Sound of Animals Fighting. They released a trilogy of records between 2004 and 2008, and performed only four live shows, following their second release in 2006. The band's live lineup consisted of 12 different musicians and they often employed the use of animal masks to conceal their identity.

Rich slid into my DMs on IG a while back after he found the Donuts N’ Glory interview (Episode 114) and we’ve been chatting about old scene stuff since then. I wanted to find out about his days in RX Bandits and The Sound of Animals Fighting, so I asked him onto the podcast, he said yes, and this is what we chat about:

Donuts N Glory
Flyers
How The Sound of Animals Fighting got their sound
Shame about the masks
No Knife
Nick from Link 80 writing him a letter
The ska band shame
Rejection letter from Mike Park
How they got on Drive Thru
Fenix TX
The Gadjets
Finch
Being on the Bloodhound Gang’s CD
And a ton more

Go buy his Revolution on Canvas books and check out all of the music he’s created by clicking on the links in the show notes.

Check out all of his other things below:

RxBandits

"Progress" Drive Thru Records

Revolution On Canvas: Poetry From the Indie Music Scene

Volume 1

Volume 2

The Sound of Animals Fighting

"Tiger & the Duke" Equal Vision Records

"Lover, the Lord Has Left Us" Equal Vision Records

"The Ocean and the Sun" Epitaph Records

Pyramids

"S/T" Hydra Head

"Pyramids with Nadja" Hydra Head

"Pyramids/Horseback: A Throne Without a King" Hydra Head

"Mamiffer/Pyramids" Hydra Head

"A Northern Meadow" Profound Lore

Sailors With Wax Wings

"S/T" Angel Oven Records

White Moth

"S/T" Angel Oven Records

Hospital Gown

Instagram

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day. I also have an Instagram for it.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Or go to thiswasthescene.com to possibly buy some merch.

Ep. 180: Tripface w/ Scott Jarzombek Jun 10, 2022

In 1992, Tripface was born. They began to organize and play shows with their friends within their small town, in basements, recreation halls, and garages. For the most part, they were parties, gatherings of a handful of skaters, metalheads, and geeks from the local area high schools. The bills were always shared with their friends Grid and a mix of side projects.

Playing a cross of 1990s metalcore and NYHC, the band grew in popularity on Long Island and began to make a dent on the East Coast. After a few months, the band recorded the Closed In demo.

They would go on to play many shows, including CBGBs, the QE2, Right Track Inn, the PWAC, and the Wetlands, sharing stages with bands like Warzone, Sheer Terror, Agnostic Front, Hatebreed, and Outburst. The rest of the information you will find out in this interview.

I think this time Monkey told me about their FB account where I got in touch with Scott and this is what we chat about:

Loving the obscure hardcore bands
What was their message
Getting into fights
Stony brooks radio station
How they got on the Weston show I always talk about
What was Earth Crisis like
His anxiety with playing large shows
The reunion show
Who put their songs on Spotify
And a ton more

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day. I also have an Instagram for it.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Or go to thiswasthescene.com to possibly buy some merch.

Ep. 179: Shutdown w/ Mark Scondotto Jun 03, 2022

New York hardcore took a positive turn in December, 1994, when Shutdown emerged on the scene as one of few bands ready to take their music and message to the next level. With an emphasis on old-school values and new school musical sensibility, Shutdown were poised to take over where bands like Warzone, Cro-Mags and Gorilla Biscuits left off. With older members of the NYHC crowd supporting these "kids", success has been a natural transition.

They have played some of the biggest shows in past hardcore history, including one of the two tributes to Raybeez (Warzone) at CBGB's in the fall of 1997. Raybeez himself actually went as far as to state that Shutdown is "the future of hardcore".

Shutdown stopped playing full-time shortly after finishing a quick stint on Warped Tour in 2001. In 2006, Black & Blue invited Shutdown to play the NYC Superbowl of Hardcore which stands as the biggest hardcore show in NYC every year. In 2010, Shutdown announced its rebirth back to playing and doing random shows a few times per year.

I state in the interview that Monkey helped me find the band but it was actually Brian Schatzel who helped connect me. So thank you Brian and I apologize for always saying Monkey introduced me to everyone even though he was done it a lot.

I got Mark on the Skype and this is what we chat about:

His thoughts on the current hardcore scene
Andy from Kill Your Idols
His brothers introducing him to hardcore
Rick 2 Life
The home promo video he sent Tony from Victory
Signing with Victory
California Takeover
Why The band suddenly stopped
Bands not liking them
Working on a new record
The Harley story
And a ton more

This week’s sponsor is Mint 400 Records.

Mint 400 Records is an indie record label from NJ with bands across the United States, Canada, and Europe. The label features everything from Indie Rock & Folk to Post-Punk and Soul. Over 400 exciting releases.

You can find Mint 400 Records' releases streaming at Spotify, Pandora, Tidal, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Deezer, and more or at all mp3 outlets worldwide. Visit www.mint400records.com for links and more info.

Here’s a clip from their artist Yawn Mower's song "Sixteen Minutes" from their forthcoming release To Each Their Own Coat.

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day. I also have an Instagram for it.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Or go to thiswasthescene.com to possibly buy some merch.

Ep. 178: Seti Alpha Six w/ Matt Klein May 27, 2022

Seti Alpha Six were a band from New Jersey. There's no write up out there on the internet so this is going to be the only thing really documented about them.

Also, We TRIED to get Joe on the podcast but he was stuck in traffic. So we had to carry on with out him and this is what Matt and I chat about:

Losing 23% of his hearing
My band touring with these fools
Professional skateboarders skating at his house as a kid
Playing with the Bouncing Souls when they were a funk band
Recording with pneumonia
The Rob Heiner piss gun story
The Stan Hope House
Rico
Jay Pinball
Working on the Vans Warped Tour
The Shark Song
The Goose
And a ton more

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day. I also have an Instagram for it.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Or go to thiswasthescene.com to possibly buy some merch.

Ep. 177: REPOST Atom and His Package w/ Adam Goren May 20, 2022

This is a REPOST from Episode 078 with Adam about the days of playing with his Pacakge.

I reached out to Adam thanks to Chris Gethard and this is what we talk about:

His amazing website that still exists
Chris Gethard
Buying shitty albums
the band Fracture
How he found the Package
Playing on the Chris Gethard show
Playing Fest
Who did his artwork
The hate-mail he got
And a ton more

Check out his favorite band, Future of the Left.

If you’d like to support the podcast you can donate as little as $1 a month through Patreon.

Check out my webcomic - dailyBred

I also animate things - drive80.com

Ep. 176: Blount w/ Jack Wesley May 13, 2022

Blount were a skate punk band from Pensacola, Fl. They had splits with Shocking Truth, Strung Out, and put out their only LP on Fearless records in 96.

Thank you Josh Marsh for your intro to Jack who I got on the Skype and this is what we chat about:

Replacing the first singer
Playing a show with Rancid on their first tour
Hanging with Lagwagon
Opening for Rancid
Signing to Fearless
Working with Jim Cherry
One decision changing the whole band’s history
The photo on Discogs
Brian Fallon
And a ton more

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day. I also have an Instagram for it.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Or go to thiswasthescene.com to possibly buy some merch.

Ep. 175: The Militia Group w/ Rory Felton May 06, 2022

The Militia Group was founded in 1998 by Chad Pearson as a booking agency, booking for artists such as Slick Shoes, Craig's Brother, Dogwood, twothirtyeight, Acceptance, and Element 101. In 2000, Pearson teamed up with Felton to turn the agency into an independent record label based out of Huntington Beach, CA. Some of the bands they signed were Rufio, Noise Ratchet, Copeland, The Rocket Summer, Acceptance, and Cartel. The Militia Group stopped releasing new music in 2012, though its back catalogue is still in print.

I got Rory on the Skype and this is what we chat about:

The Kansas City scene
Putting out records when he was 16
Revelations distribution
Noise Ratchet
The Rocket Summer
Cartel
Getting burned out
And a ton more

This week’s sponsor is Mint 400 Records.

Mint 400 Records is an indie record label from NJ with bands across the United States, Canada, and Europe. The label features everything from Indie Rock & Folk to Post-Punk and Soul. Over 400 exciting releases.

You can find Mint 400 Records' releases streaming at Spotify, Pandora, Tidal, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Deezer, and more or at all mp3 outlets worldwide. Visit www.mint400records.com for links and more info.

Here’s a clip from their artist Yawn Mower's song "Sixteen Minutes" from their forthcoming release To Each Their Own Coat.

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day. I also have an Instagram for it.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Or go to thiswasthescene.com to possibly buy some merch.

Ep. 174: Dogpound w/ Jefferson Campoli Apr 29, 2022

Dog Pound were early 90's punks with a van-load of attitude from Passaic County, NJ. They toured the US from dive bars to legion halls to basements to pizza joints.

Real quick, the connection we had wasn’t great so there are some spots where it sounds like the audio jumps around. That’s because there were random delays when Jeff was talking so some stories have weird transitions mid sentence.

I contacted him through his FB account, asked him to chat, he said yes, and this is what we talk about:

Not starting off punk rock
Getting told to grow his hair
What made them start putting on legion hall shows
Forgetting the words while playing live
Sound Exchange in Wayne, NJ
Playing with Jawbox
Having an edge as a band
King Dickley Kool
Getting soured by the scene change
The Heroine story and shit on the walls stories
And a ton more

You can visit their Dog Pound bandcamp page to listen to their albums.

You can also check out his songs on bandcamp.

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Ep. 173: Smoke or Fire w/ Joe McMahon Apr 22, 2022

Smoke or Fire originally formed in 1998, Originally calling themselves Jericho. Their fan base grew as they played DIY basement shows and small clubs throughout the Northeast. When living in Boston proved too expensive, the quartet moved to Richmond, Virginia to explore the punk rock scene and to work on their second album. They changed their name to Smoke or Fire when they signed to Fat in late 2004. Their debut album, Above the City, was co-produced by Fat Mike of NOFX and was released in March 2005. From there they released 2 more albums before calling a day.

Thank you Casey from Iodine Recordings for the intro to Joe. This interview is awesome so I’m ecstatic for you fine folks to check it out.

Side note, Joe lives in Germany so there’s a part where we start talking about where he lives but I don’t reference that it’s there which would make that part of the conversation confusing.

I got him on the Skype and this is what we chat about:

How he started singing without knowing how to sing
FSU fucking up the scene
Playing a show at a club in some random dudes basement
How they met Tim from Avail
Quitting their jobs to go on tour with Avail
Getting signed to Fat
What he said to Drive Thru
Touring with Against Me
The Czech Mafia story
The Gwomper plane crashing story
And a ton more

Check out there new release on Iodine Recordings “Beauty Fades” which features Smoke Or Fire’s debut EP “Worker’s Union” and many other unreleased tracks on vinyl for the first time. It’s available for pre-order now through Iodine Recordings with only a few color variants remaining. Available everywhere on May 27.

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Ep. 172: Sense Field w/ Chris Evenson Apr 08, 2022

Before we start, if you're company has a hard time explaining what it does you can hire me to do that in 60-90 seconds with an explainer animation. Go to drive80.com or email me at mike@drive80.com to learn more.

Formed in 1990, Sense Field was one of several contemporary bands to popularize the post-hardcore or "emo" subgenre. The band was initially signed to Revelation Records, releasing three albums, and later signed with Warner Bros. in 1996. However, problems within the label caused the band to sit in limbo for five years as the label was re-staffed multiple times. The band was eventually released from their contract and Sense Field won the right to re-record the album they had originally written for Warner Bros. Records.

They later broke up in 2004. They reunited for Revelation Records 25 Year Anniversary Show. And played again for Jon Bunch’s Tribute concert in 2016.

To this day I rock out to Overstand and Outlive The Man on a weekly basis because they are fucking bangers.

I was lucky enough to get guitarist Chris Evenson on the Skype and this is what we chat about:

Finding their scene
The Revelation van
Playing shows with harder sounding bands
Writing Building
Getting mixed by Andy Wallace
Overstand’s guitar riff
Signing to Warner Bros
What Save Yourself did to the band
Jon joining Further Seems Forever
Playing Revelation 25
How they got the singers for the Jon Bunch Tribute concert
And a ton more

This week’s sponsor is Mint 400 Records.

Mint 400 Records is an indie record label from NJ with bands across the United States, Canada, and Europe. The label features everything from Indie Rock & Folk to Post-Punk and Soul. Over 400 exciting releases.

You can find Mint 400 Records' releases streaming at Spotify, Pandora, Tidal, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Deezer, and more or at all mp3 outlets worldwide. Visit www.mint400records.com for links and more info.

Here’s a clip from their artist Tom Barrett’s song "Together, Together, Together" from the Five Songs EP.

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day. I also have an Instagram for it.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Or go to thiswasthescene.com to possibly buy some merch.

Ep. 171: Strife w/ Andrew Kline Apr 01, 2022

Before we start, if you're company has a hard time explaining what it does you can hire me to do that in 60-90 seconds with an explainer animation. Go to drive80.com or email me at mike@drive80.com to learn more.

Strife formed in 1991 signing on with Caroline Records, who issued their debut album, One Truth, in 1994, before signing on with one of the country’s leading hardcore labels, Victory. In 97 they issued In This Defiance, a recording on which the band attempted to broaden their sound, as it featured guest spots from members of such acclaimed non-hardcore acts as Fear Factory, Sepultura, and the Deftones.

But just when it seemed things were going good for the band, Strife announced their disbandment in early 1998. Sporadic reunion concerts followed (as well as a collection of odds and ends, 1999’s Truth Through Defiance, and almost exactly two years later, Strife decided to reform. In 2001, Strife issued their third studio album, Angermeans, which was followed up by their first major tour in nearly four years.

I’m sure many of you bought The OG California Takeover back in the day. I did as well. But did you know there’s a new The Return Of The California Takeover that was put out on Andrew’s label War Records in 2021? You should go check that out.

I first heard about these guys on the Cinema Beer Nuts comp which I’ve talked about on numerous episodes and their video blew my fucking mind. I immediately went out and got In This Defiance and loved that CD.

Luckily, Andrew runs the IG account so I sent them a message, got him on the Skype and this is what we chat about.

The new California Takeover Release
What’s the new crowd like compared to the old
Backlash from the One Truth DVD
Sepultura having an influence on In This Defiance
The video for Blistered
The change in sound
Angermeans
And a ton more

Check out his band Berthold City’s new record “When Words Are Not Enough on WAR records” which just released recently so go check that out.

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day. I also have an Instagram for it.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Or go to thiswasthescene.com to possibly buy some merch.

Ep. 170: Elliott w/ Chris Higdon Mar 25, 2022

Before we start, if you're company has a hard time explaining what it does you can hire me to do that in 60-90 seconds with an explainer animation. Go to drive80.com or email me at mike@drive80.com to learn more.

Elliott was formed in 1995. Their most notable LPs were U.S. Songs, False Cathedrals, and Song in the Air. 2000's False Cathedrals was a more polished affair than its predecessor, featuring vocal harmonies and more piano than US Songs. It was met with critical acclaim by a broad cross-section of the underground rock community.

Shortly after Song in the Air's release, Elliott announced their intention to break up. They completed final tours of Europe and the US, before disbanding in November 2003.

We tried getting Kevin on but for some reason, I couldn’t hear his audio and we were pressed on time so we had to do the interview without him so sorry Kevin!

We had to take a 3-week break between the interview because Chris had parental responsibilities so it picks up in the middle. But I got him on the Skype and this what we chat about:

Playing Furnace fest in 2022
Revelation Records
2 members quitting at the same time
not playing False Cathedrals the same way live as it was on the recording
The Toadies tour debacle
What were they like on stage
The Humble Beginnings story
What would have happened to the band if they had continued
The porn house
And a ton more

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day. I also have an Instagram for it.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Or go to thiswasthescene.com to possibly buy some merch.

Ep. 169: Hankshaw w/ Harold Hasselback Mar 18, 2022

Before we start, if you're company has a hard time explaining what it does you can hire me to do that in 60-90 seconds with an explainer animation. Go to drive80.com or email me at mike@drive80.com to learn more.

Known for singer Harold's beautifully bespoke tenor vocals, Tampa, FL's Hankshaw (founded in 1994) played melodic indie rock- emo. The band saw releases on Network Sound, Doghouse Records, No Idea Records (among others), and tours with Hot Water Music, Elliott, Ann Beretta, and more.

I heard about these guys from my dude Casey Lee Morgan when my old band first traveled to FL and he put us up. Go check Casey’s business Sparkway Smoke & Vapor shop in Bloomingdale and Netcong, NJ.

I reached out to Harold on the Hankshaw IG account, asked him to chat, he said yes, and here’s what we chat about:

Limbert Fabian
Carrying a machete in his car to shows
Their label Network Sound
What Joined In The Sky is about
Playing shows with no lyrics
Developing his high octave range
The whole story about King Kandy
Why he stopped doing music
Are they going to do some new stuff?
The story about them at the Real World house in New Orleans
And a ton more

This week’s sponsor is Mint 400 Records.

Mint 400 Records is an indie record label from NJ with bands across the United States, Canada, and Europe. The label features everything from Indie Rock & Folk to Post-Punk and Soul. Over 400 exciting releases.

You can find Mint 400 Records' releases streaming at Spotify, Pandora, Tidal, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Deezer, and more or at all mp3 outlets worldwide. Visit www.mint400records.com for links and more info.

Here’s a clip from their artist Tom Barrett’s song "Together, Together, Together" from the Five Songs EP.

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day. I also have an Instagram for it.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Or go to thiswasthescene.com to possibly buy some merch.

Ep. 168: Sicko Josh Rubin REPOST Mar 11, 2022

Before we start, if you're company has a hard time explaining what it does you can hire me to do that in 60-90 seconds with an explainer animation. Go to drive80.com or email me at mike@drive80.com to learn more.

Sicko was an American rock group from Seattle, Washington, formed in 1991. Exceptionally, the three-piece pop-punk group maintained a constant membership for every recording as a band. This line-up was Denny Bartlett (guitar, bass, vocals), Ean Hernandez (guitar, bass, vocals), and Josh Rubin (drums, brother of Aaron Rubin from The Mr. T Experience). Sicko released four full-length albums and five 7″ eps as well as a retrospective CD with unreleased and rare material, a released demo and a tour video. They also appeared on approximately fourteen compilations on labels such as Lookout! Records and Liberation Records. They once exchanged covers with Cub. The vast majority of their recorded output was recorded by Kurt Bloch of The Fastbacks and released on Seattle-based punk label eMpTy Records. One EP and the retrospective CD were released on Mutant Pop Records. Three Sicko songs were featured on the Xbox game Project Gotham Racing 2 alongside artists like The Flaming Lips and Princess Superstar.

Alan Rappaport being the #1 fan
His Misfits T-shirt
Empty Records
Who did their album artwork
Having their stuff released digitally on Red Scare Records
Switching instruments during their set
The Reunion show they played recently
Frank from the Mr. T Experience
And a ton more

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day. I also have an Instagram for it.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Or go to thiswasthescene.com to possibly buy some merch.

Ep. 167: Link 80 Matt Bettinelli-Olpin Feb 25, 2022

Before we start, if you're company has a hard time explaining what it does you can hire me to do that in 60-90 seconds with an explainer animation. Go to drive80.com or email me at mike@drive80.com to learn more.

I did the intro for who Link 80 was in Adam Davis' interview so go check it out there.

I luckily got Matt Bettinelli-Olpin on the Skype and this is what we chat about:

Directing the latest Scream Movie
Starting the band
The first practice with Nick
Being seen as a scrappy band
Not thinking they were a ska band
Not being welcomed by the Gilman crowd
Getting band from Gilman for the Verbal Kint video
How he got the credits song for Scream
And a ton more

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day. I also have an Instagram for it.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Or go to thiswasthescene.com to possibly buy some merch.

Ep. 166: Ann Beretta w/ Rob Huddleston Feb 18, 2022

Before we start, if you're company has a hard time explaining what it does you can hire me to do that in 60-90 seconds with an explainer animation. Go to drive80.com or email me at mike@drive80.com to learn more.

Ann Beretta is a punk rock band from Richmond, Virginia. Formed in 1996, the band plays straightforward punk with small doses of rockabilly and country mixed into their sound.

They spent several years on tour playing with bands including Hot Water Music, ALL, the Bouncing Souls, Less Than Jake, and city-mates Avail. They were on Fueled by Ramen and Lookout! Records. In the fall of 2004, Ann Beretta disbanded until 2012 when they toured Europe and the UK in support of WIld, Young, and Free - an LP released exclusively in Europe by Gunnar Records and made up of demos and outtakes. In 2017 Ann Beretta released the album, Old Scars New Blood, a collection of re-recorded songs that spanned across the band's career representing each album previously released.

I reached out to Mr. Rob Huddleston to see if he’d like to chat, he said yes, and this is what we talk about:

The start of acoustic punk records
The origins of Rumbleseat
How that rougher vocal sound came about
What inspired Forever Family
How they first met Hot Water Music
American Steel
Playing the first FEST
Sending letters to people to book tour shows
Fueled By Ramen
The upcoming Avail shows
And a ton more

Check out their new release “RISE". It's the first record of new material since 2003’s Three Chord Revolution and following 2018’s Old Scars New Blood; a collection of re-recorded songs from the band’s catalog.

Available now on all streaming services

Lastly, Rob tells a story at the very end of the episode about an ALL cover that he did with the help of Bill Stevenson teaching him out to play it. Click here to listen.

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day. I also have an Instagram for it.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Or go to thiswasthescene.com to possibly buy some merch.

Ep. 165: Absolute Punk w/ Jason Tate Feb 11, 2022

Before we start, if you're company has a hard time explaining what it does you can hire me to do that in 60-90 seconds with an explainer animation. Go to drive80.com or email me at mike@drive80.com to learn more.

AbsolutePunk was a website, online community, and alternative music news source founded by Jason Tate. It mainly focused on artists who were relatively unknown to mainstream audiences, but it was known to feature artists who have eventually achieved crossover success, including Blink-182, Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, New Found Glory, Taking Back Sunday, The Gaslight Anthem, Anberlin, Thrice, All Time Low, and a shit ton more. The primary musical genres of focus were emo and pop-punk, but other genres were included. On March 31, 2016, it was announced that founder Jason Tate would be re-acquiring AbsolutePunk from SpinMedia (the parent company of Buzznet) and the website would be shuttered and folded into Tate's new music and social platform, Chorus.fm.

I reached out to Mr. Tate on Instagram, asked him to be interviewed and he was delighted. So I got him on the Skype and this is what we chatted about:

When We Were Young festival
Starting Absolute Punk
How honest was he with reviews
Spin buying the website
The toxicity of the internet
Becoming the place that released new songs or streaming albums
Rob Dobi
Emogame
Panic at the Disco
Blender’s article including him
Andrew McMahon’s diagnosis
His relationship with Victory Records
Downloading music
Brand New’s leaked demo
And a ton more

Go sign up for his newsletter at www.chorus.fm/newsletter

Check out the band Anxious and their new album Little Green House that he likes and talks about at the end of the podcast.

This week’s sponsor is Mint 400 Records.

Mint 400 Records is an indie record label from NJ with bands across the United States, Canada, and Europe. The label features everything from Indie Rock & Folk to Post-Punk and Soul. Over 400 exciting releases.

You can find Mint 400 Records' releases streaming at Spotify, Pandora, Tidal, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Deezer, and more or at all mp3 outlets worldwide. Visit www.mint400records.com for links and more info.

Here’s a clip from their band Reese Van Riper’s song “Well Runs Dry” from the album The Swamps Are Burning.

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day. I also have an Instagram for it.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Or go to thiswasthescene.com to possibly buy some merch.

Ep. 164: Baby Gopal w/ Alex Garcia-Rivera Feb 04, 2022

Before we start, feel free to support the podcast if you’ve been listening for a while by signing up for my Patreon for $1 and I will love you forever.

Baby Gopal was fronted by Australian-born singer/guitarist Sri Kesava the band fused Hari Krishna dogma laced lyrics with a meld of hardcore and pop-punk to astonishing results. The music is endlessly catchy and Sri‘s beautiful voice will keep you captivated like a siren from wire to wire. This amazing album was sadly overlooked in 1996 because of another similar “girl power” band that was already ripping up the charts. You might have heard of them, No Doubt anyone? They later signed to Tommy Boy in 1998 before breaking up shortly thereafter.

Shot out to Casey Iodine for the intro

I got Alex on the Skype and this is what we chat about:

Playing in Kingpin
Playing in Shelter
How he got involved in Baby Gopal
How was it seen that Shelter made money off the band
What happened with him and Shri
How he got into recording bands
Out of Band Experience Stickers in Boston
American Nightmare
Why they had to change their name
Touring with them in 2022
And a ton more

If you want to record your band in all-analog studio in Medford, MA then check out Alex’s studio Mystic Valley Studio.

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day. I also have an Instagram for it.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Or go to thiswasthescene.com to possibly buy some merch.

Ep. 163: Thick Records w/ Zak Einstein Jan 21, 2022

Before we start, feel free to support the podcast if you’ve been listening for a while by signing up for my Patreon for $1 and I will love you forever.

Thick Records was formed in 1994 by Detroit native Zak Einstein, who started the label when he relocated to Chicago after graduating from Michigan State University. Early releases include albums from Chicago ska-punkers The Blue Meanies, Alton, IL's Judge Nothing, Seattle's grunge rockers Truly, and the Omaha-based Commander Venus. Blue Meanies singer Billy Spunke joined Einstein and signed multiple Chicago punk rock artists including The Tossers, The Arrivals, and The Methadones. Thick released picture disc vinyl including 7" records from Alkaline Trio, At The Drive-in, ALL, and Citizen Fish. The label also released several compilations documenting Chicago rock and punk music. The compilations included 2000's Magnetic Curses: A Chicago Punk Rock Compilation, which included music from Gaza Strippers, Alkaline Trio, and Pegboy. Oil: Chicago Punk Refined, a 2003 release from the label, included tracks from nineteen Chicago-area punk acts, including Rise Against, The Lawrence Arms, The Tossers, Plain White T's, Bob Nanna, and Local H.

In 2004 Einstein moved the label to Los Angeles. The last label releases came in 2007 with CDs from The Brokedowns and Seven Storey Mountain.

Thank you Monika Ebly for the intro to Zak who I got on the Skype and this is what we chat about.

Brendan Kelly
Rise Against
Picture disc vinyl
The palette of Blue Meanies CDs
The letter the Blue Meanies sent to MCA
What did the record label look like on a day to day basis
The At the Drive-In / Burning Airlines split
Turning an oil production factory into a studio
What really killed the music industry
What 2008 did to the label
And a ton more

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day. I also have an Instagram for it.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Or go to thiswasthescene.com to possibly buy some merch.

Ep. 162: Crash Romeo w/ Travis Weber Jan 14, 2022

Before we start, feel free to support the podcast if you’ve been listening for a while by signing up for my Patreon for $1 and I will love you forever.

Crash Romeo was formed by members who had previously played together in the band Centsless. They put out their debut album, Minutes to Miles, out on Trustkill Records and had it produced by Chris Badami Episode 2 of this very podcast. A follow-up full-length, Gave Me the Clap, was later released before they broke up soon after.

I got Travis on the Skype and this is what we chat about;

The first Quarantines
What it was like being in a band with his Brother
Being called Roma
Getting signed to Trustkill
their photoshoot
Ryan Sellick
Playing Warped Tour
Their music video for “Popular”
Giving people the clap
Their gold records
And a ton more

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day. I also have an Instagram for it.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Or go to thiswasthescene.com to possibly buy some merch.

Ep. 161: Say Anything w/ Max Bemis Jan 07, 2022

Before we start, feel free to support the podcast if you’ve been listening for a while by signing up for my Patreon for $1 and I will love you forever.

Say Anything is one of my favorite bands of all time. If you don’t know who they are just start with Is A Real Boy… and then consume each album after that.

Max heard Rama from Big Wheel’s interview (Episode 148) and messaged me to chat, we set up some time for an interview and this is what we chat about:

Writing songs for people
Playing for Drive-Thru
The intro to belt
Buddyhead
Rama from Big Wheel
Bipolar and Manifesting
How fast did Is A Real Boy blow up
Anarchy, My Dear
In Defense of the Genre
Amy Fiddler
And a ton more

This week’s sponsor is Mint 400 Records.

Mint 400 Records is an indie record label from NJ with bands across the United States, Canada, and Europe. The label features everything from Indie Rock & Folk to Post-Punk and Soul. Over 400 exciting releases.

You can find Mint 400 Records' releases streaming at Spotify, Pandora, Tidal, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Deezer, and more or at all mp3 outlets worldwide. Visit www.mint400records.com for links and more info.

Here’s a clip from their band Ladybirds’s song “Regional Community Theater” which features Max on 2 tracks, originally released in 2007 it is available on all streaming platforms from Mint 400 Records.

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day. I also have an Instagram for it.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Or go to thiswasthescene.com to possibly buy some merch.

Ep. 160: Audio Karate w/ Jason Camacho Dec 24, 2021

Before we start, feel free to support the podcast if you’ve been listening for a while by signing up for my Patreon for $1 and I will love you forever.

From the suburbs of East LA, four Mexican American kids came together in 2001 to form the band Audio Karate and developed a unique sound that drew from their many influences such as Descendents and Jawbreaker. Their unique mix of melodic and emotional punk rock helped them develop a big fan base and quickly caught the attention of Kung Fu Records, who signed them in 2001 alongside bands like Blink-182 and Tsunami Bomb. Their blend of melodies and hooks set them apart, making it difficult to place them in any one genre. The band has mastered the art of writing infectiously catchy songs with deeply personal lyrics, while still remaining upbeat and fun.

They recently signed to Iodine Recordings and will be releasing a new LP this January called ¡OTRA! that features rare and unreleased music spanning the band’s career, produced by Bill Stevenson of the Descendents and Trever Keith of Face to Face.

Audio Karate are also working on new music that will be released on Iodine later in 2022, and the band is gearing up for some music festivals and regional tours.

Thank you Casey Iodine for the intro to Jason whom I got on the Skype and this is what we chat about:

Releasing old material on Iodine Recordings
Having shows get shot up by local gangs
8-hour practices
Their love for No Knife
Kris Roe’s assistance in getting them on Kung Fu Records
Trevor Keith producing their record
Recording with Bill Stephenson
Holding their ground on artwork and stage show
Their record Malo
Why they got back together
Almost getting killed by the African Mob
And a ton more

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day. I also have an Instagram for it.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Or go to thiswasthescene.com to possibly buy some merch.

Ep. 159: The Commercials w/ Tony Bavaria Dec 10, 2021

Before we start, feel free to support the podcast if you’ve been listening for a while by signing up for my Patreon for $1 and I will love you forever.

The Commercials Post-hardcore/punk band from Harrisburg, PA active from 1996-2006 with releases on Blackout! Records, Jumpstart Records, and more.

I got Tony on the Skype and this is what we chat about

Talking about Jeremy from Jumpstart Records
Their 25 year reunion show
Balancing school and touring
Jumpstart Records
Their cover of Texas is the Reason
Changing singers
The song My Bologna has a First Name
His current band with Dave Smalley
And a ton more

Lastly, here’s a foreword by Tom Simon who’s a good buddy of mine and grew up in the Jersey scene. He tells a story about how Tony and the Commercials played a small role in him starting his career in the music industry.

Check out Tony's band with Dave Smalley called Don't Sleep.

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day. I also have an Instagram for it.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Or go to thiswasthescene.com to possibly buy some merch.

Ep. 158: The Blue Meanies w/ Billy Spunke Dec 03, 2021

Before we start, feel free to support the podcast if you’ve been listening for a while by signing up for my Patreon for $1 and I will love you forever.

The Blue Meanies made their recording debut in 1991 with the release of their first single, "Grandma Shampoo". Although their personnel was continuously changing, The Blue Meanies' sound would remain consistent throughout their first four albums.

The band signed with MCA Records towards the end of the commercially successful third wave of ska.

By this time, a total of twenty-two musicians had passed through the band since their formation, including Jay Vance, as a bass player, who went on to form the one-man metal band Captured! By Robots. Their sixth full-length album, The Post Wave, released in late 2000 on MCA Records, was the most musically different from their other five albums. In 2001, the band regained the rights to The Post Wave and reissued it on Thick Records, their original record label. The band ceased touring, though they never issued an official break-up statement.

Thank you Sean Dolan for giving me Billy’s info.

I got Billy on the Skype and this is what we chat about:

Trying to play some reunion shows
The Post Wave
The show where I saw them in NJ
Jay Vance
Rick Bonde
The Plea for Peace tour
The megaphone
Getting on MCA
Snagging the last pressing of CDs
And a ton more

This week’s sponsor is Mint 400 Records.

Mint 400 Records is an indie record label from NJ with bands across the United States, Canada, and Europe. The label features everything from Indie Rock & Folk to Post-Punk and Soul. Over 400 exciting releases.

You can find Mint 400 Records releases streaming at Spotify, Pandora, Tidal, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Deezer, and more or at all mp3 outlets worldwide. Visit www.mint400records.com for links and more info.

Here’s a clip from their band Reese Van Riper’s song “Well Runs Dry" from the album The Swamps Are Burning

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day. I also have an Instagram for it.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Or go to thiswasthescene.com to possibly buy some merch.

Ep. 157: Jughead's Revenge w/ Joe Doherty Nov 26, 2021

Before we start, feel free to support the podcast if you’ve been listening for a while by signing up for my Patreon for $1 and I will love you forever.

Jughead's Revenge is an American punk rock band. They originally formed in LA in 1989. After 12 years of recording and touring extensively, They disbanded in 2001 after getting on Nitro Records. The band reformed in 2009 and has continued to perform at a number of live shows since 2010.

In the 1990s, they had a roadie who was in the band False Alarm, Fat Mike's first band. Such a random fact.

I reached out to Joe on Instagram, asked him to talk, he said yes, and here's what we chat about:

Punk in the Park
Jay Bentley introducing him into the punk scene
Making up press kits just to get on shows
Recording at West Beach
Working for a warehouse that distributed porn
Being very smart with the music business
Nitro Records
No Use For A Name
Filming their video for the Cinema Beer Goggles video comp
Green Day
Singing some songs with Black Flag
And a ton more

Check out their new song American Gestures on streaming platforms.

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day. I also have an Instagram for it.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Or go to thiswasthescene.com to possibly buy some merch.

Ep. 156: Producing Bands w/ Matt Squire Nov 12, 2021

Before we start, feel free to support the podcast if you’ve been listening for a while by signing up for my Patreon for $1 and I will love you forever.

Matt Squire is known for producing and writing pop and rock music. He has a knack for discovering underground artists and helping them refine their sound. Prior to producing, Squire was in numerous bands such as Ashes, Miltown, The Dubnicks, Long Distance Runner, and The Rise Park. After his band days ended he went on to produce and song write with such names as Underoath, Panic! at the Disco, Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato, Sum 41, Simple Plan, All Time Low, Good Charlotte, The Used, Taking Back Sunday, and a shit ton of others.

Dave Gorman spoke about his love for Matt in his interview (episodes 152 & 153) so I reached out to him, we got on the Skype and this is what we chat about:

Working with Underoath
Meeting Ian MacKaye
His band Miltown
Not having any aspirations to become a record producer while in college
His thoughts on living in LA
Working with Swedish songwriters
Orange Island
Recording Panic at the Disco’s first album
And a ton more

Check out his business ventures entangledaudio.com and emo coin.

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day. I also have an Instagram for it.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Or go to thiswasthescene.com to possibly buy some merch.

Ep. 155: Managing Bands w/ Evange Livanos Nov 05, 2021

Before we start, feel free to support the podcast if you’ve been listening for a while by signing up for my Patreon for $1 and I will love you forever.

Evange Livanos cut her teeth as a booking agent then became a manager over at Fata Booking in the early 2000s. Her name has come up plenty of times in the past few years especially in Matt Been from Emanuel’s interview (episode 138) which we will talk about in this episode.

We started chatting on the Gram and I asked her to be on the show, she accepted, and this is what we chat about:

Growing up in the Scranton hardcore scene
Starting working for Eva at Fata Booking
Were they starstruck by the bands they booked?
Managing Emanuel
The brawl with the Suicide Girls
What went wrong with the Orange Island tour
Why she left Fata
Managing Slipknot
Armor For Sleep
And a ton more

Check out her full-service music company Alternate Side

This week’s sponsor is Mint 400 Records.

Mint 400 Records is an indie record label from NJ with bands across the United States, Canada, and Europe. The label features everything from Indie Rock & Folk to Post-Punk and Soul. Over 400 exciting releases.

You can find Mint 400 Records releases streaming at Spotify, Pandora, Tidal, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Deezer, and more or at all mp3 outlets worldwide. Visit www.mint400records.com for links and more info.

Here’s a clip from their band Reese Van Riper’s song “Well Runs Dry" from the album The Swamps Are Burning

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day. I also have an Instagram for it.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Or go to thiswasthescene.com to possibly buy some merch.

Ep. 154: Douglas w/ Jamie Allen & Phil Morgan Oct 15, 2021

Before we start, feel free to support the podcast if you’ve been listening for a while by signing up for my Patreon for $1 and I will love you forever.

Douglas was a pop punk band from the UK who put out one release on GFY Records. They toured the US 2 times with Bigwig and then focused the rest of the time in the UK.

This one is a super deep cut and Jamie and Phil are hilarious so you’ll love this one.

Thanks to Monkey (Episode 6) for connecting me to Jamie and Phil who I got on the Skype and this is what we chat about:

Having no photos from back then
Buskin
Getting on GFY records
Going on tour with only stickers
Playing Canada with Bigwig
Going from Doug to Douglas
Never playing Europe
The Serial Killer comp
Working for At The Drive-In
Matt Grey
And a ton more

Check out Phil’s Illustration Instagram @pmillustration where you can see his awesome work.

I’ll be at FEST in October if all things work out with this Delta thing so if you have any way for me to get backstage at some shows please let me know. You can email thiswasthescene@gmail.com.

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day. I also have an Instagram for it.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Or go to thiswasthescene.com to possibly buy some merch.

Ep. 153: Orange Island w/ Dave Gorman (Pt. 2) Oct 08, 2021

Before we start, feel free to support the podcast if you’ve been listening for a while by signing up for my Patreon for $1 and I will love you forever.

This is part 2 of 2 since this is a very long interview. Thank you to Casey Iodine (episode 134) for connecting me to Dave who I got on the Skype and this is what we chat about:

No Knife asking for Whip Cream on their Ryder
The story behind the artwork for The Shape of Calling
Hand delivering that record to people at their homes
Roading for Brand New as they started to blow up
The disaster of Surf and Skate
Having a massive asthma attack on stage (this story is nuts)
How he found out the band was over
And a ton more

Iodine has just re-issued and remastered their debut EP ‘The Shape of Calling’ digitally and they are working on vinyl reissues of their later recordings due out in 2022.

I’ll be at FEST in October if all things work out with this Delta thing so if you have any way for me to get backstage at some shows please let me know. You can email thiswasthescene@gmail.com.

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day. I also have an Instagram for it.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Or go to thiswasthescene.com to possibly buy some merch.

Ep. 152: Orange Island w/ Dave Gorman Oct 01, 2021

Before we start, feel free to support the podcast if you’ve been listening for a while by signing up for my Patreon for $1 and I will love you forever.

Orange Island was a rock band based out of the town Clinton, Massachusetts. They wrote and recorded several demos before being signed to the Boston-based record label Iodine Recordings in 2000. The Shape of Calling was Orange Island's debut album and shortly after its release, the band started touring the US with many well-known bands including Brand New, The Movielife, Breaking Pangaea, Kill Verona and others. They left Iodine and signed to Triple Crown Records and released a self-titled CD that was very well received by reviewers and the indie scene.

This is part 1 of 2 since this is a very long interview. Thank you to Casey Iodine (episode 134) for connecting me to Dave who I got on the Skype and this is what we chat about:

Working on a farm
Going through a lot of bass players
Iodine Records
Their album The Shape of Calling
Working with Matt Squire
And a ton more

Iodine has just re-issued and remastered their debut EP ‘The Shape of Calling’ digitally and they are working on vinyl reissues of their later recordings due out in 2022.

I’ll be at FEST in October if all things work out with this Delta thing so if you have any way for me to get backstage at some shows please let me know. You can email thiswasthescene@gmail.com.

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day. I also have an Instagram for it.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Or go to thiswasthescene.com to possibly buy some merch.

Ep. 151: Small Empire / Buddyhead / Day 19 Photography w/ Jeremy Weiss Sep 24, 2021

Before we start, feel free to support the podcast if you’ve been listening for a while by signing up for my Patreon for $1 and I will love you forever.

Jeremy Weiss is one-half of the photography company, Day 19. He runs it with his wife Claire and together they take some amazing photographs for some very large Clients. What does this have to do with the late 90s scene? Well, you may have seen Jeremy’s photos in the Stay What You Are album and also Piebald’s We’re The Only Friends We Have. He also was part of the team that opened up Small Empire in NJ and worked for Buddyhead. You can hear Travis Keller talk about Buddyhead in Episode 62.

Thanks to Rama from Episode 148 for mentioning Jeremy at the very beginning of his interview which lead to us connecting and this interview. I got Jeremy on the Skype and this is what we chat about:

Small Empire
Hiring “Telly” from Kids
Day 19 the ska band
Starting his photography career because of Norm from Texas is the Reason
Jon Cheese
Getting involved with Buddyhead
Running GTFU radio in LA
Shooting the photos that are in Save’s the Day’s Stay What You Are album artwork
Shooting photos for the Myspace secret shows
Playing Risk with Piebald all day
Rama from Big Wheel
Converse seeing the photo he took of Casey from Hot Rod Circuit
Keith Morris’ stories on his radio show
And a ton more

Make sure you visit https://day19.bigcartel.com/ to buy some of their merch including the gray shirt that just says JERSEY on it

I’ll be at FEST in October if all things work out with this Delta thing so if you have any way for me to get backstage at some shows please let me know. You can email thiswasthescene@gmail.com.

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day. I also have an Instagram for it.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Or go to thiswasthescene.com to possibly buy some merch.

Ep. 150: Link 80 w/ Adam Davis Part 2 Sep 17, 2021

Before we start, feel free to support the podcast if you’ve been listening for a while by signing up for my Patreon for $1 and I will love you forever.

Welcome to episode 150. Thanks to everyone for making this happen since March of 2018. Today I have a follow-up conversation with Adam Davis from who played guitar in Link 80 His first interview is Episode 34 if you want to check that out after. This is basically some extra stories that he didn’t tell last time plus just the 2 of us bantering about current music affairs.

I got him back on the Skype and this is what we chat about:

The saxophone player from Lost Boys
Patrick Stump from Fallout Boy
The other Adam from Link 80
Bad Time Records
Playing ska again with Omnigone
The East LA ska scene
The band Turnstile
Playing Fest this year
88 Fingers Louie saving the day at Fireside bowl
Being hopeful for an Op Ivy reunion
How can the current ska scene not dissolve again
And a ton more

This week’s sponsor is Mint 400 Records.

Mint 400 Records is an indie record label from NJ with bands across the United States, Canada, and Europe. The label features everything from Indie Rock & Folk to Post-Punk and Soul. Over 400 exciting releases.

You can find Mint 400 Records releases streaming at Spotify, Pandora, Tidal, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Deezer, and more or at all mp3 outlets worldwide. Visit www.mint400records.com for links and more info.

Here’s a clip from their band Reese Van Riper’s song “Well Runs Dry" from the album The Swamps Are Burning

I’ll be at FEST in October if all things work out with this Delta thing so if you have any way for me to get backstage at some shows please let me know. You can email thiswasthescene@gmail.com.

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day. I also have an Instagram for it.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Or go to thiswasthescene.com to possibly buy some merch.

Ep. 149: Mineral w/ Chris Simpson Sep 03, 2021

Before we start, feel free to support the podcast if you’ve been listening for a while by signing up for my Patreon for $1 and I will love you forever.

Mineral is an American emo band originally from Houston, Texas. Soon after their formation, they relocated to Austin. After disbanding in 1998, its members worked on other musical projects, including The Gloria Record, Pop Unknown, and Zookeeper. In 2010, a compilation CD of all the band's songs (except for "Sadder Star") was released in Japan, entitled TheCompleteCollection. Mineral announced a reunion tour on April 24, 2014. In 2019, the band celebrated their 25th anniversary with two new songs titled "Aurora" and "Your Body Is The World", a retrospective book, and by going on tour.

Why they changed Zookkeeper to Mountain Time
Christie Front Drive
Touring with Jimmy eat World and Sensefield
Love My Way
EndSerenading
How he came up with the song &Serenading
Signing to Interscope
The Clive Davis story
And a ton more

Lastly, I’ll be at FEST in October if all things work out with this Delta thing so if you have any way for me to get backstage at some shows please let me know. You can email thiswasthescene@gmail.com.

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day. I also have an Instagram for it.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Or go to thiswasthescene.com to possibly buy some merch.

Ep. 148: Big Wheel Recreation w/ Rama Mayo Aug 27, 2021

Before we start, feel free to support the podcast if you’ve been listening for a while by signing up for my Patreon for $1 and I will love you forever.

Big Wheel Recreation was an independent record label based in Boston, Massachusetts. It was formed in the fall of 1994 by Rama Mayo and Dickie Cummings. Started as a hobby, Big Wheel became a fully functioning record label in 1999. The label took a hiatus from releasing records sometime in 2004 until September 23, 2015, when it released an audiobook version of Hyena by Jude Angelini.

Thank you Casey from Iodine Records (episode 134) who helped me get Rama on the Skype and this is what we chat about:

Jon Cheese
Being business partners with Gary Vee
New Bedford Fest
Cast Iron Hike
Max Bemis
Putting out the Jimmy Eat World / Jejune split
The Explosion
Piebald
River City High
And a ton more

Lastly, I’ll be at FEST in October if all things work out with this Delta thing so if you have any way for me to get backstage at some shows please let me know. You can email thiswasthescene@gmail.com.

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Or go to thiswasthescene.com to possibly buy some merch.

Ep. 147: Grey AM w/ Chris Murray and Todd Fogle Aug 20, 2021

Before we start, feel free to support the podcast if you’ve been listening for a while by signing up for my Patreon for $1 and I will love you forever.

The Grey AM was a punk band from Herndon, PA who released full-lengths on Fiddler Records, and One Day Savior Recordings. They also did splits with Mid Carson July, One Line Drawing, Ruined in a Day, and Juliana Theory.

I actually did an interview with Bryon Lippincott about Mid Carson July (episode 127) where he talked about being best buds with these dudes so I had to get them on.

I got Todd and Murray on the Skype and this is what we chat about:

The Goth Scene
Murray creating his own tunings
Stealing members from other local bands
Playing the first Fest
Using fire on stage (this is where the interview really starts to get great)
Lighting bottle rockets off their guitars
Vampire Teeth merch
Fiddler Records
Ipecac
Catching a girls hair on fire
Watching porn with The Locust
The crackhead story
Shooting fireworks at bands
And a ton more

Lastly, I’ll be at FEST in October if all things work out with this Delta thing so if you have any way for me to get backstage at some shows please let me know.

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Or go to thiswasthescene.com to possibly buy some merch.

Ep. 146: Allister w/ Tim Rogner Aug 13, 2021

Before we start, feel free to support the podcast if you’ve been listening for a while by signing up for my Patreon for $1 and I will love you forever.

Allister is an American pop-punk band from Chicago. The four-piece formed in 1994 when the original band members were still in high school In 1998 Allister became one of the first bands to sign to Drive-Thru Records. They have released six studio albums: Dead Ends and Girlfriends (1999), Last Stop Suburbia (2002), Before the Blackout (2005), Countdown to Nowhere (2010), Life Behind Machines (2012), and 20 Years and Counting (2019). The band also made a cameo appearance in the 2004 film Sleepover.

They went on hiatus in 2007, then reunited in 2010, and have become Uncle Jessie Famous over in Japan. I got Tim on the Skype and this is what we chat about:

How seeing Rhythm Collision changed his life
Starting off as the drummer who was the singer as well
Their original name being Fall Out Boy
Signing to Drive-Thru
Did they coordinate their stage presence
Home Grown
Going Gold in Japan
Touring with Day At The Fair
Does a band actually have to pay for the Gold records
And a ton more

Check out Tim’s current band Hot Alice. You can find them on Spotify, the Gram, and the other socials.

This week's sponsor is Mint 400 Records.

Mint 400 Records is an indie record label from NJ with bands across the United States, Canada, and Europe. The label features everything from Indie Rock & Folk to Post-Punk and Soul. Over 400 exciting releases.

You can find Mint 400 Records releases streaming at Spotify, Pandora, Tidal, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Deezer, and more or at all mp3 outlets worldwide. Visit www.mint400records.com for links and more info.

You can find the clip from Ruby Bones' song here.

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Or go to thiswasthescene.com to possibly buy some merch.

Ep. 145: Rhythm Collision w/ Tony Cicero Aug 06, 2021

Before we start, feel free to support the podcast if you’ve been listening for a while by signing up for my Patreon for $1 and I will love you forever.

Rhythm Collision was a 3-piece punk rock band from California. They released numerous records on Dr. Strange, Does Everyone Stare, and Fueled By Ramen. Their debut LP was called Pressure (1991) and was followed by Now in 1993. Clobberer in 1995, a live album called Crunch Time in 1996, and a CD of b-sides, comp, and 7" tracks called Collision Course were also released during the 90s. In 2001, they released a new album called All Bombs Away.

I got Tony Cicero on the Skype and this is what we chat about:

Being best friends since they were kids
Why he chose to play drums
Why he’s the one running the social media even though he left the band in the mid-90s
The strategy behind the art on the first 7”
How they found Radio Tokyo
Jay Bentley’s help with the band
Not having a look as a band
Dr. Strange’s label mates
How their iconic character was developed
Why he left the band
Playing shows with Green Day
Playing Bad Religion in Mexico
And a ton more

This week's sponsor is Mint 400 Records.

Mint 400 Records is an indie record label from NJ with bands across the United States, Canada, and Europe. The label features everything from Indie Rock & Folk to Post-Punk and Soul. Over 370 exciting releases.

You can find Mint 400 Records releases streaming at Spotify, Pandora, Tidal, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Deezer, and more or at all mp3 outlets worldwide. Visit www.mint400records.com for links and more info.

You can find the clip from Ruby Bones' song here.

You can buy the Lanemeyer vinyl by clicking here.

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Or go to thiswasthescene.com to possibly buy some merch.

Ep. 144: Weston w/ Chuck Saltern REPOST Jul 30, 2021

Before we start, feel free to support the podcast if you’ve been listening for a while by signing up for my Patreon for $1 and I will love you forever.

Weston is a punk rock band hailing from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1990, they took their name from singer Dave Weston's family, since his parents allowed them to practice in their basement. The band never found mainstream success but their energetic and irreverent live shows earned them legendary status amongst their peers as well as their fans. Following their major-label debut, the band split up. It was announced on October 17, 2006, that Weston would be reuniting for three shows in late December. This led to even more reunion shows in the following years and a live album released in December 2009.

Here's what Chuck and I talk about:

Not missing playing late at night
Helping a friend run away from home
Starting off writing harder sounding songs
Getting chased by the singer of Ignite with fireworks
The poop in the shower story
The Ricky Fataar story
What he thought about Got Beat Up
Their friendship and tour with Lifetime
The wrestling outfit he wore on stage
Why he left the band
The Gwar story
Alien from Latex Generation
Did he do an underground wrestling group?
And a ton more

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Or go to thiswasthescene.com to possibly buy some merch.

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