This Was The Scene Podcast

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 Bo

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

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 g

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, Appl

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 Descenden

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 In

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 officia

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

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 Sw

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,

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. Y

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 thiswasthe

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

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

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 l

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 i

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 ema

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 FE

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 G

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 lef