Episodes

In our 117th episode, we’re joined by the one and only Jonah Matranga! Jonah is the vocal and guitar legend behind Far, onelinedrawing, Gratitude, New End Original, and many others. We cover damn near everything in this conversation: Jonah’s Boston roots and his early intro to music, moving to Cali and the 90s Sacramento scene, Far’s legacy and their impact on music, the Gratitude album, his songwriting approach, collaborating with the likes of Lupe Fiasco/Mike Shinoda/Taproot, and deep dive int...

In our 116th episode, we dig into 3 classic albums that turn 20 years old this year. Time travel back to 2002 with us. An era before streaming and a time when CDs still dominated. It was a massive year for music, with a lot of commercial pressure on some big names. We give Red Hot Chili Pepper’s ‘By the Way,’ Eminem’s ‘The Eminem Show,’ and Box Car Racer’s ‘S/T’ the Podioslave treatment this week. Talk about 3 albums that run the gamut sonically, lyrically, and kings of their respective genres. ...

In our 115th episode, we’re joined by the legendary Jesse Leach! Jesse is the vocal mastermind behind Killswitch Engage, Times of Grace, Seemless, The Weapon, and host of the Stoke the Fire Podcast. We talk 20 years of ‘Alive or Just Breathing’ (making of, influence, and legacy), Killswitch Engage’s return to touring and staying sharp during the pandemic, his creative and writing process, the upcoming live KSE album, what’s next for his music projects, and much more. Opening transition music:...

In our 114th episode, the pod does something it hasn’t done in a while….check in on what we’re listening to currently. We’ve had a crazy 2022 so far, between all-time guests and looking back on some of our favorite records, we thought it would be fun to go over some new music from this year that’s piqued our interest. What records are you spinning from 2022? Let us know! We open this episode with Nate recapping his 3 night stint seeing Pearl Jam out in California. He dives into his experience, ...

In our 113th episode, we dig into all things setlists. How long should a setlist be? What should a band open with? What’s a good mix of new and old material? Where should the biggest hit go? Should encores be a thing, or no? How does the size of a band factor into all of this? Have an opinion? We’d love to hear it…hit us up! We open this episode with a reflection on some of the amazing conversations we’ve had recently (Sergio Vega, Casey Cavaliere, Out of Service, Mike Hartsfield). If you like...

In our 112th episode, we’re joined by east coast indie rock band - Out of Service. Mike (Vocals), Teebs (Guitar), and Brian (Bass) come on the podcast to talk about the early days of the band, signing to Enjoy the Ride Records, the overall creative process, and their new album ‘The Ground Beneath Me’ — dropping on June 3rd. Come for the stories behind the album features (John Nolan of Taking Back Sunday, Devin and Toby from Emery, and more), stick around to see what’s next for the band. Podiosla...

In our 111th episode, we’re joined by the one and only Sergio Vega! Sergio is the the Bassist mastermind behind the Quicksand catalog, as well as being the Bassist extraordinaire for Deftones for the last 12+ years. We talk about his recent experience at the Grammys, what he’s up to creatively with Quicksand and his new writing/production projects (some exciting names in the mix!), as well as an in-depth look into his time with Deftones. Want to know how songs like “Tempest” came together? We ha...

In our 110th episode, we’re joined by Casey Cavaliere, Lead Guitarist of the The Wonder Years. Casey is a triple threat, in that he’s a guitarist, producer/engineer, and podcaster. With The Wonder Years having just completed their 40 date full US tour to celebrate the albums ‘The Upsides’ and ‘Suburbia…’, we thought who better than Casey to give us a recap on the whole experience. We talk what goes into playing a 30 song set list, picking support acts like Spanish Love Songs and Origami Angel, p...

In our 109th episode, we’re joined by Mike Hartsfield - Founder/Owner of New Age Records, Bassist of Freewill, Guitarist of Outspoken, and many other bands. We dive into Mike’s come up with music in the 80s, the formation of Freewill and the legend surrounding their debut album, how New Age Records gets started, some epic show stories from the 80s and 90s, and the full circle moment of Freewill still putting out music and playing shows in 2022. Come for the music nerdery and Cali scene stories, ...

In our 108th episode, we dig into some of our favorite songs that use samples from older tracks. We have a few straightforward ones….and a few off the wall takes on this! We also discuss some of our favorite producers and who we think is the best in this corner of the music world. What are some of your favorite songs that make use of samples? We’d love to hear ‘em, hit us up! We open this episode with a discussion on the tragic passing of Taylor Hawkins, what he and the Foo Fighters have mean...

In our 107th episode, we’re rejoined by our Episode 57 guests, Sean (vocals) and Seth (bassist) of the band Trawl. We catch up on what they’ve been up to over the past year, including opening for Blacktop Mojo and Nonpoint, new music in the pipeline (which we lended our voices to!) and much more. Lots of interesting talk about being a DIY band in todays landscape, don’t miss this one! We also talk about summer shows we’re excited for as fans. This was recorded before the news of the untimely ...

In our 106th episode, we take inspiration from Ep 21. This time around, instead of discussing band names that elevate the band, we’re discussing album titles that elevate the album (we call this a Bandvantage). The 3 of us come to the table with a few titles that we feel take albums to the next level —- album title cheat codes if you will. Spoiler: every album we picked is either a classic or on its way to being a classic. Do you have any that come to mind? We’d love to hear em! The beginning...

In our 105th episode, we (finally) turn the camera inward at our resident rain man, Tony. He’s often heard spouting off facts and memories on the podcast, so we figured we’d put him to the test. “Stump the Tone” features different trivia curated by both Anthony and Nate, and is set to test Tony’s (and all of the PodHeads) Nerdery acumen. Play along and let us know how you did! The beginning of the episode features a quick mention of 2 years of the podcast, as well as a brief explanation of ho...

In our 104th episode, we’re joined by Scott Alderman - Author and creator of the Tattoo the Earth Tour. We dive into Scott’s early music life, his work getting Tattoo the Earth off the ground in the summer of 2000, jockeying for position in the live music landscape with Ozzfest and Warped Tour, and the book he’s written chronicling all of this - Caravan of Pain. Come for the music nerdery and industry talk, stick around to hear about grannies getting Scott and Co. banned for life in his home sta...

In our 103rd episode, we’re joined by the one and only Vinnie Caruana. Vinnie is the vocalist of The Movielife, I Am the Avalanche, Constant Elevation, and Peace’d Out. We talk Vinnie’s come up in the Long Island music scene, the formation and early days of The Movielife, the Revelation Records and Drive Thru Records signings, the initial break of The Movielife and start of I Am the Avalanche, his various other projects, and what’s next for him. Vinnie has always stayed true to himself and has a...

In our 102nd episode, we’re joined by Matty, Miyagi, and G from The World. We talk how the band formed, their musical approach and creative process, signing with Velocity Records and Equal Vision Records, their debut EP, and what’s next for the band. Matty (Vocals), Miyagi (Guitar), G (Bass), and the rest of The World are putting their own spin on hardcore and we’re here for all of it! Opening transition music: The World - “Lifeline” Fade out music: The World - “Intro” Both tracks can be foun...

We’ve all heard of the typical mailbag episode, where listeners submit questions to be answered on the podcast (we’ve done two of them - Ep 22 and 48)….well this is the host mailbag episode. We, the hosts, ask questions to each other. A few teasers: What is your most bizarre/unexpected interaction with a musician? Which listening medium to get rid of— in headphones, in the car, or on your home stereo? What’s your bucket list concert venue? What’s your take on the current Spotify landscape? These...

Episode 100…we made it! We wanted to do something special for this one, so we brought some old friends back and asked them “what’s your go-to down home cookin’/comfort food album that you always come back to?” This is a compilation style episode that has all new, never before heard content. Episode features commentary from: Tucker Rule/Thursday, Spose, Brian Fair/Shadows Fall, Benny Horowitz/The Gaslight Anthem, Greg Bergdorf/The Bourbon Bros/ex-Zebrahead, Ryan Sinnott/The Distillers, Steve E...

In our 99th episode, we’re joined by Benny Horowitz, Drummer of The Gaslight Anthem and Mercy Union. Benny is a 90s OG, having booked and played shows for over 25 years at this point. We dig into Benny’s DIY roots in the NJ punk/hardcore scene, the start of The Gaslight Anthem, signing to SideOneDummy, eventually signing to a major label and everything that comes with it — and much more. Benny’s conversation chops rival his ability to crush the drums, and we couldn’t have asked for more. This is...

In our 98th episode, the 3 of us come to the table with bucket list live bands. These are bands that we haven’t seen before, but would love to see at some point (if possible). As always, we didn’t share our lists beforehand! The show starts with a recount of Tony’s trip to see our friends in Trawl (peep episode 57) open for the mighty Nonpoint in NH! Don’t forget to check out Tony’s guest appearance on the Playlist Wars Podcast, where he puts together the best 10 song Green Day playlist kn...

In our 97th episode, we pin Weezer’s first two albums against each other, Tale of the Tape style. Which album has the best song, the Blue Album or Pinkerton? Does the Blue album have better album art? Does Pinkerton have better replay value? Which album has aged better? All of these questions and many more. Let us know how we did! If you like what you hear, please rate, subscribe, and share! (On the episode: (0:00) Podcast intro. (3:24) Weezer segment starts) Check us out at: www.pod...

In our 96th episode, we all bring a few perfect songs to the table. We didn’t do this alone though — we brought back Rob to help us out! Rob is a dear friend of the pod, New England rock radio legend, and previous guest (Episode 17). What makes up a perfect song you ask? Is it the lyrics? Melodies? Song structure? All of the above? Is Bohemian Rhapsody a perfect song? Reach out to us and let us know what your perfect songs are, what we got right, and what we got wrong! We open this episode...

In our 95th episode, we dig into what we’re anticipating in 2022. We talk albums, music industry themes, music predictions, and more. Is 2022 the year of the Bandicap (band name handicap)? Is live music back for good or will the touring world get put on hold again? We answer these questions and plenty more. We open this episode with a thank you to all the listeners and guests for an amazing 2021! Don’t forget to keep an eye out for Tony’s appearance on the upcoming episode of Playlist Wars...

In our 94th episode, we’re joined by Brian Fair, Vocalist of Shadows Fall, Overcast, and many others. Brian is a legend in the game and really needs no introduction. We talk the early Shadows Fall days, their touring come up (clubs to theatres to arenas), their recent reunion in Worcester, MA and what’s next. Want to hear about the infamous “Ceiling Show” or “Kitty Litter Show”? We have you covered. It was an absolute honor to talk with a New England metal legend like Brian! This is a can’t miss...