Pleased as punch to welcome my new friend (and hopefully yours) Jon Lullo on the podcast. He sang and played guitar in Down to Earth Approach who were active in the early 2000's and on the legendary Vagrant Records in their heyday. We spoke about his experience in the band that is well documented in a new podcast called "Even If It Kills Me". The p…

We have a damn legend in the game on the pod this week in the form of Tim Kasher from Cursive! They are releasing a new LP on Run For Cover and of course, jumped at the opportunity to talk to Tim about his screenwriting career, looking back at his catalog as well as the Omaha scene growing up (a lot of 311 talk, no joke). Go spin their entire catal…

It always makes me happy when I put the shine on people who work behind the scenes at record labels, fests, photographers and a lot more that make this whole scene grow and thrive. James and Aaron run the incredible festival based in Tulsa, OK called Flyover Fest and in the past few years, has risen to prominence as one of the destinations for band…

A rare three way podcast with two friends of the show, Vadim Taver from This Day Forward & Chris Enriquez from On the Might of Princes. Selfishly, this is to promote/celebrate our bands show on August 25 at The Bowery Ballroom but more importantly offered us a chance to speak about our experiences with each of our bands circumstances that drew us b…

Inside were always a mythic and mysterious band to me. I was able to see them twice here in So Cal, which was weird for a band all the way from Long Island in the late 90's. They disbanded before they left a trail of interviews about who they were and where they came from. Fortunately for all of us their music is widely available now and they just …

I think one of the coolest things to watch in independent music is bands growing up and evolving their sound but still staying connected to what compelled them to create in the first place. In my opinion, Four Year Strong are one of those bands we've all watched grow up, evolve and only become better over time. Dan O'Connor has played in FYS since …

There's something in the water in the Merrimack Valley (a suburban area outside of Boston) and today's guest is yet another example of someone else who was raised in the cradle of that musical mecca for punk/hardcore and metal; Joseph Grillo. He played guitar for Garrison (Revelation Records) and currently fronts the band Her Heads On Fire (Iodine …

We have everyone's favorite festival promoter on the program today, Scott Lee! The 2024 edition of New England Metal and Hardcore Festival is right around the corner so I brought him on to discuss what bands can do to make themselves noticed playing a festival, mistakes he made in the early days and how to create community. See you there! Listen to…

I am pleased to welcome Pedro Carrillo from Dying Wish to the show this week not only because I love his band, but he reps OC hardcore a lot by wearing a Throwdown hoodie on stage a lot...which makes me happy. Pedro and I nerd out about that, how he learned how to speak English, his passion for MMA and how he collaborates with his bandmates. Listen…

In a little change of pace I bring on friend of the show Joey Cahill, owner of Wanna Hear It Records, to try to answer a complicated question: "Why Is Hardcore so popular right now?" We drill down on a few theories, discuss some facts and pontificate on where it's going to go from here. Do we arrive at a conclusion? No, but it sure is fun to discus…

Happy to have the incredibly prolific indie/emo musician Ace Enders on the pod this week! He is the main singer/songwriter for The Early November and let's be honest, if you grew up in the 2000's you know that already. Ace is a open and honest human and he shows that here as we get very introspective about his thoughts on nostalgia, ego and things …

Viva la Birds In Row! We are lucky to go international here with Bart Balboa, the lead vocalist and guitarist from French screamo/hardcore/metal/awesome band Birds In Row. We discuss his life growing up in the rural French countryside, where his interest in politics began and how he got involved in being a tattoo artist. It's a great look into how …

So incredibly stoked to welcome Brett Campbell from Pallbearer which is one of my favorite bands doing this style right now. It's melodic, it's doom, it's everything you could want from heavy music and I had to bounce around his brain to be able to find out more. We discuss the Little Rock scene, being a technical player and finding your way. He's …

Welcome back to The Hope Conspiracy and to celebrate their new LP that just hit, we had the vocalist Kevin Baker on the show. He's always been a somewhat mythic figure so was happy to be able to ask him questions about his love of hockey, 90's metalcore and coming up in the Boston scene. Despite his nihilistic music, Kevin is a damn sweetheart and …

Anytime I get a guest that is connected to punk/hardcore/indie rock, but isn't immediately obvious that they are involved is my sweet spot. You know Fred Armisen, he's been on Saturday Night Live, a creator/actor on Portlandia and frankly, so much more but were you aware of his deep roots within punk/hardcore/indie rock? It's absolutely there and w…

"SYSTEMS OVERLOADED, FEAR ENVELOPS ME" You know his tone, you know his music, now get to know the man behind all of that in the form of Aaron Melnick. He played guitar for Integrity during their formative years, started In Cold Blood and has just dropped a mind-blowing solo record entitled Nuclae. He's a very thoughtful and soft spoken guy so we pe…

"CAN WE RETURN, TO THE GOLDEN AGE?" One of my favorite bands from a specific era of time called the 2000's, we have Chris McLane from Stretch Arm Strong on the pod this week! I dig in deep to the bands unconventional location (South Carolina), their relationship with Uprising Records (who is also responsible for the Chicago hardcore band, Fall Out …

I love when friends do cool stuff. I love when friends are talented. This episode is a one two punch of exactly that. Nathaniel Shannon is a NYC based photographer and you have seen his work...well, everywhere but I specifically had him on the show to discuss a real labor of love and now, it's here...the First Ten Years of St. Vitus. For the uninit…

We have a bonafide LIFER on the podcast today in the form of Steven McDonald who is currently playing with The Melvins and is also a founding member of punk legends Redd Kross. On top of that he also has done a lot of production work with bands including Fun/The Format which I punish him about in this chat. We also discuss growing up in Hawthorne, …

I love when I can bring two worlds that seemingly don't connect with one another and for this episode, it's comedy and hardcore. The man to do that with us is Neil Rubenstein who is a stand-up comedian and also the vocalist for the late 90's Jewish hardcore band, Sons of Abraham. We discuss the connection between DIY hardcore and comedy, bringing h…

"Its a decade of putting an X on my name" Tyler Short from Inclination is on the show this week and boy, what a fun discussion. I am obsessed with his band and love that I get to punish him to be on the podcast and then in turn, be my friend. He also runs a great record label based out of his home in Louisville, KY called Life Death Brigade as well…

600 episodes. That's over 600 hours of talking about punk, hardcore, metal, emo and everything DIY and while it feels stupid to type this...thank you. I couldn't have picked a more appropriate guest for this episode in the form of Geoff Rickly from Thursday. I have had the pleasure of knowing him for over 20 years (since our bands played together i…

Absolutely thrilled to welcome John Coyle from Outspoken this week. Outspoken just recently played an incredible show at Programme recently and on the eve of that performance, John came over to my place and we chopped it up big time. We discuss the importance of Uniform Choice, ego and an insane story of John working at a hotel and witnessing somet…

Boy oh boy I am happy to bring you this conversation, not even a torrential downpour here in Southern California could prevent it. Thrilled to have Aaron Bruno from AWOLNation, Insurgence and his newest project, The Barbarians of California on the show. We chat about his life in the Valley outside of Los Angeles, the craziest places he's heard his …

In this highly engaging chat, we bring in Maha Shami from No Man who is the lead vocalist from the band. They are on the verge of releasing their new LP on Iodine Recordings called "Glitter and Spit" which is a barn burner. We discuss with Maha her upbringing in Texas, the unconventional ways her family supported the DC scene and her opposition to …

Codeseven is an absolutely incredible band that everyone should listen to and pay attention to, full stop. They released a new record called "Go Let It In" that knocked my socks off and continues to do so. It only made sense to bring Jeff Jenkins, the vocalist of the band, onto the podcast! We toured together many moons ago and has always been an i…

Excited to welcome on Lexi Reyngoudt, the vocalist for Buffalo hardcore band Spaced! They are about to drop their new LP on Revelation Records later this month so hop on it and pre-save/pre-order now! We chop it up about life in Buffalo, her love for K-Pop fandom and teaching. It's a wide ranging chat from a band you will be hearing more about in t…

Spark of Life is a band that many of you most likely haven't been exposed to, that doesn't mean you shouldn't get to know Steve Jennings, the vocalist of said band. They started in the late 90's, signed a record deal in the 2000's with a Fat Wreck Chords imprint, toured the world with bands like Rise Against and Good Riddance but like all creative …

In these descriptions I try not to trip over hyperbolic language, but I am absolutely thrilled to have Will Killingsworth on the show today not only for his important record work at Dead Air Studios but also his musical output with bands like Orchid, Bucket Full of Teeth, Ampere and many more. He's a true lifer and someone who has focused on all of…

You know those record labels that you get obsessed with and start to listen to EVERYTHING that they put out, regardless if you've heard the band or not? Well, Sunday Drive Records is that for me and I had to have on the owner, Jonathan Gonzales, on the show to chat about it. We discuss the slow growth of the label since he started it out of his col…

In the immortal words of the Nora song, "Nobody takes pictures of the drummer" but here on the podcast...WE DO! I hunted down Connor McAuliffe who is the drummer for two phenomenal hardcore bands in the shape of North Carolina's Magnitude and he's also been playing with Pennsylvania's finest, One Step Closer. Connor was a great hang and we discusse…

Swedish hardcore in the house! I am proud to welcome on the man behind the mic of an incredibly overlooked but important Swedish hardcore band, Abhinanda! Jose Saxlund was not only the vocalist for the band, but was responsible for starting the awesome label Desperate Fight Records that was responsible for bringing attention to the scene happening …

Rejoice at the top of Steak MTN, we have Chris Norris on the podcast today! He's a true multi-hyphenate as an artist, author and illustrator. He played in the band CombatWoundedVeteran from Florida and has a deep history within the punk and hardcore scene down there. He also was a creative director/set decorator for a porn company that we spend som…

You know him, you love him...it's Keith Buckley time on the podcast this week. His new band, Many Eyes, is about to embark on their first US tour and when given the opportunity to catch up with an old friend...I jumped at the chance. Keith and I discuss his time in the Buffalo hardcore scene, the early days of ETID and his sober lifestyle. He's an …

From the Great White North, it's KEN Mode! Jesse Matthewson is the vocalist/guitarist over these noise mongers and let me be clear...you have to listen to them if you are a fan of all things noisy/ugly. Jesse was a great hang as we got to discuss what it was like winning a JUNO award (Canadian Grammy Award), being a late bloomer band and the import…

Happy New Year! 2024 is here and we are going BACK to the 90's for this particular episode. Nick Pye played in the legendary screamo/indie rock band Shotmaker from Ottawa, Ontario. The band loomed large in my consciousness ever since I tripped across them in the late 90's and was like "WHO THE HELL IS THIS BAND AND I LOVE IT SO MUCH?" I had to even…

In the spirit of the holiday's, here is a bonus episode of my "honorable mentions" of the year that fell JUST outside of my top 10 list. See you in 2024! A playlist featuring them as well as other records that were on heavy rotation over at 100 Words HQ is linked here. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.…

The most wonderful time of the year is our supersized, best of 2023 list with best friends of the show, Joey Cahill from Wanna Hear It Records & Jeremy Bolm from Touche Amore, The First Ever Podcast and Secret Voice Records. Listen as we pontificate what our favorite listening experiences of the year were and hopefully, you find a record or two tha…

What a treat we have for you this week in the form of Matt LaForge from the great Canadian hardcore band, Mil-Spec. They released an incredible LP this year entitled Marathon that knocked my socks off and I had to hunt him down (since the band is notoriously off of social media) and send a carrier pigeon to reach him. Fortunately, it worked and we …

It's been a long time coming but I finally grabbed Adam Lazzara from Taking Back Sunday for the podcast! I am thrilled to have this chat with the long running emo/rock band that I don't care who you are...you have absolutely heard "Cute Without The "E" and is now a mainstay at every "emo-night" ever. Adam hung out with me in his backyard and we dis…

Incredibly exciting day on the pod covering South Florida hardcore at its finest. Jeff Howe currently plays in a band called Horsewhip but has also played in legendary bands from that area called Reversal of Man and Combatwoundedveteran. We discuss his first times touring across the US, repairing airplanes and of course the South Florida hardcore s…

We are lucky to have Lis Di Angelo from Filth Is Eternal on the podcast this week! If you aren't familiar with the hardcore/punk/grunge hybrid from the Pacific Northwest, now is a perfect time to dive in and get to know Lis. We discuss their time being raised in Central California, the attraction to the DIY community, tabletop gaming and being shy.…

We WILL make the difference! I bring on Steve Larson from the legendary hardcore band Insted on the show today. We discuss them signing to Epitaph Records (!), misconceptions the band encountered out on the road and them having a design aesthetic and being truly one of the earlier "merch bands" in the game. He was a great hang and hope you enjoy! L…

BONUS EPISODE BROUGHT TO YOU BY NEW ENGLAND METAL AND HARDCORE FESTIVAL. A special treat this week with a bonus chat from Jordan Jenkins from California hardcore band, Momentum. We speak about his discovery of punk/hardcore, the deep LA valley scene and a lot more. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.…

Live from New England Metal and Hardcore Festival we have two of the up and coming metal-hybrids joining up for a cool split 7" of a conversation! First up, we have Alex Jones (not to be confused with the bad Alex Jones) from Undeath discussing the bands ascent into an international touring machine and then we bring on Ryan Storey, the vocalist fro…

There are hardcore scenes that I know we all become interested (or in my case) and obsessed with. The Atlanta hardcore scene always made me perk my head up because of the incredible bands and sense of camaraderie. All of this to say, I was happy to welcome my friend Ezra Morris of The Power & The Glory/Downpour onto the podcast as he came from that…

This episode is brought to you by the fine folks at the New England Metal and Hardcore Festival that allowed me to have this chat face to face with none other than Joel Birch from The Amity Affliction. The vocalist for the long running Aussie metal core band sat down with me to have a fun yet very honest conversation about his bouts of homelessness…

Celebrating its 30 years of existence, Indecision Records founder and head honcho Dave Mandel finally sits down with me to podcast. I had been bugging him for the last 7 years to turn this into a reality and finally, we did it. He's a pretty private and behind the scenes person, so I am very thankful I could hear about his life in and around music …

So pumped to be sharing this conversation with one of the largest success stories in hardcore and something that I think still surprises him, we welcome Winston McCall from Parkway Drive to the podcast. We recorded this face to face at New England Metal and Hardcore festival and discussed being an "action sports hardcore band", their ability to cha…

This episode is exclusively brought to you by the New England Metal & Hardcore Festival! In this bonus episode we speak to two frontmen of up and coming modern metal core bands, Marcus from Northlane and Sean from Make Them Suffer. I recorded these chats from the festival so you get the FULL experience and energy of being there. I ducked into a cor…