Tue, Mar 20, 2012
Amy Fleisher Madden from Fiddler Records is the guest for the 9th episode of the Washed Up Emo Podcast. We discuss growing up in the south Florida scene, wearing tons of XL t-shirts, signing Dashboard Confessional and A New Found Glory plus her days with Saves the Day on the road. Amy was a pioneer in the scene and it was an honor to have her be a part of the podcast.
Sun, Aug 26, 2012
The first day I started this podcast, a goal was to have Chris Simpson on. Through a great network of friends, it went down earlier this month and I couldn't have been happier. We had a few technical difficulties but we got to catch up on a bunch of things including the new crop of labels like Count Your Lucky Stars, The Gloria Record possibly reuniting and the amount of unreleased music that could see the light of day. Case in point, Chris has sent me exclusively three unreleased/unheard songs. One entitled "Conclusions" is featured within the podcast.
Mon, Oct 1, 2012
Hello friends, another month, another podcast. This month in celebration of the upcoming Revelations 25 shows at Irving Plaza in NYC, we welcome Jeff Caudill from Gameface. We define the emo mid life crisis, what the equivalent of Maximum Rock n' Roll is today and the future of Jeff's solo music and Gameface. Also as a special treat, you can hear the 2nd unreleased Zookeeper song from Chris Simpson at the end of the podcast entitled "Universe Song".
Tue, Nov 6, 2012
I chat with a staple of the Long Island scene, Vinnie Caruana from The Movielife and I Am The Avalanche. Vinnie had some great insight in his early days with music, touring and the LI/NYC scene. We finished up the podcast with what is next for Vinnie and even included some sports chat about his favorite football club, Liverpool.
Sun, Nov 18, 2012
On the latest episode, I chat with Norman Brannon from Texas is the Reason. Fresh off the Revelation 25 shows, we discuss the NYC hardcore scene, shows with Mineral and Christie Front Drive and how a Warzone tattoo connected bands before the days of cell phones. We also looked to Norman's future endeavors.
Tue, Feb 12, 2013
It was an absolute honor to have Mr. Matt Pryor from The Get Up Kids be a part of the podcast. I just noticed after listening back that the only person left to interview from my opening musical montage is Jeremy Enigk. What a trip it's been. Matt was great to chat with and even had to scold his kids who you can hear at times during the interview. We dove into the first time Matt sang live in front of someone, Kansas City, Boy's Life, ripping off "Static Prevails" and why bands do 10 year anniversaries. Matt also mentioned his opinion on the word "emo" and throughout the podcast you can hear his voice ring with truth that also transcends to the bands he was in and his way of life. And you have to hear what song The Get Up Kids never have to practice that you love.
Mon, Apr 1, 2013
Twenty one episodes in and I'm finally legal. What better way to celebrate adulthood of the podcast than by having one of my favorite musicians Jim Adkins from Jimmy Eat World to chat with me. Jim and I discussed his first time singing live and what it accomplished to the audience of one, the first goal of the band and his take on how the band has had such longevity in the scene. There is so much in here that I think every fan new and old will find something interesting. From Jim's love for Guided by Voices, back story on the new album and a couple outtakes at the end you will surely not want to miss. I am beyond grateful for those that helped make this happen and Jim for taking the time to chat.
Mon, Jun 10, 2013
Honored to have Tucker Rule from Thursday to be a part of the podcast. We chatted about his upbringing, early musical influences and his time in Thursday through the ups and down. Tucker also mentioned his love for breakdowns and spoke about his new projects Get Involved and I Hate Our Freedom. We should have had Thursday on well before this so I'm glad we finally got to speak.
Wed, Aug 28, 2013
Ben from Armor for Sleep and I go back to his days on EVR and the "What To Do When You Are Dead" album, that I spent two years of my life working on. I was learning so much about the music industry and completely naive that a small indie label could compete with the majors in radio and video. What a fun ride and it was great to spend a little time with Ben talking about his life, music and what he is up to now.
Fri, Oct 25, 2013
Saves the Day, at it since 1997, has had their share of ups and downs but through it all they struck a chord with fans and still do to this day. I had the pleasure of having Saves the Day be my one and only band I ever booked. Sold out pizza restaurant in the middle of North Carolina after only booking one boysetsfire show. Take that Facebook Events. Also, vivid memories of worn out cassette tapes of "Can't Slow Down" and "Through Being Cool" that are still so near and dear to my heart. Chris was gracious enough to sit down with WashedUpEmo.com prior to their latest headlining tour in support of the new self-titled album. We spoke about Saves the Day's first show, the term "Emo Rock Stars," meanings behind the song "Shoulder to The Wheel," who designed one of their classic album covers and Chris' favorite Sean McGrath memory. Listening back, it's great to see how happy Chris is at this point in his life and how much he is enjoying the ride.
Thu, Nov 14, 2013
I chat with Knapsack drummer Colby Mancasola about the origins of the band, working with Mark Trombino, never having a website and hearing the "next big thing" thrown around in a post-Nirvana world. Plus, find out what the famous record executive Jimmy Iovine said to Knapsack after a showcase in Los Angeles. It's exactly what you think he would say. It was great to hear their story told and to learn how many bands that we know and love all intersected at one point on tour or in conversation with Knapsack. A true connector in the scene before social media and a 4 inch screen took over our lives. "Honestly, 15 years ago if you would have said, people are going to give a shit in 2013, I would have thought you were crazy."
Fri, Nov 29, 2013
After meeting Eric Richter from Christie Front Drive through a friend in the early 2000s, I got to ask all the questions I had pent up since high school about the early days of Christie Front Drive touring and connecting with the likes of Mineral, Boys Life and Jimmy Eat World. I was always intrigued about that connection with Jimmy Eat World and after interviewing Jim Adkins for the podcast, I couldn't wait to get them both in a room. Schedules aligned this year and almost instinctively I stepped out of the way on this one. No need for questions when two friends get in the room. You will hear Eric and Jim discuss how they did their first 7" together, the Capitol Records years for Jimmy Eat World and plenty of stories from the road. To be able to put this together and hear Eric and Jim wax poetic on the early days of their bands was a dream come true and a first for the podcast.
Sun, Jan 26, 2014
Recently, I got together with Mike Kinsella for the podcast who in these circles needs no introduction. Alas, for those unaware, he has been a part of some of the most revered bands in the scene from the last 90s through today. His work with Cap'n Jazz, American Football, Owls, Owen and Their / They're / There and Joan of Arc has influenced countless individuals and bands to pursue music. We talk about his upbringing, using maps while touring Europe, an upcoming American Football release, renaming "Never Meant" so it's funnier when someone yells it out at an Owen show and of course, the future. One thing is for sure, there is plenty of music left in Mr. Kinsella.
Sun, Feb 9, 2014
Frank Turner couldn't wait to talk as he bounded to the back of the tour bus before his New York City gig at Terminal 5 late last year. When settled, he proclaimed that he never gets to talk about emo in any interview. Good start to say the least. After a full tour and pushing his latest album "Tape Deck Heart," he relaxed instantly and in turn we had a great conversation. We spoke about his time with Kneejerk and Million Dead, his upbringing in the UK and how he found out about emo and hardcore plus Mineral's influence and his favorite emo band I Hate Myself. Needless to say, we got along.
Mon, Mar 24, 2014
Hey, we are now part of it. One of the most requested guests, Travis Shettel from Piebald, sat down with me a few months back to chat about the band's history. We spoke about the Boston scene, their first name Dork Knob and some of the reasons for Piebald's break up. We also get an update on Travis' latest music endeavor with the Past Haunts. A true original in a scene full of copy cats, Piebald stood out for good reason, people are still talking about them to this day.
Tue, Jul 15, 2014
Growing up a punk and metal fan in San Francisco doesn't seem like a fit for the podcast. But Sergie cut a different line through music to be a part of Samiam, one of the most revered bands on the west coast. I caught up with Sergie after the Knapsack reunion tour where we spoke about the 80s thrash scene happening in LA, his time with Solea and touring with Texas is the Reason plus what it meant to tour with Knapsack to such great audiences. Sergie also reads the worst review ever for Knapsack that I couldn't stop laughing about, what he really wants to do other than music and what two wishes he would ask a genie. Hope you enjoy.
Tue, Sep 2, 2014
Kevin Devine is one of the most genuine individuals I've ever met. He always gave me the time of day when I was performing in NYC many moons ago. To this day I'm impressed with his boundless energy and giving his heart and thoughts to anyone. It's certainly paid off with a successful career touring the world. We discuss his involvement with the Emo Diaries compilation, the Staten Island scene and Honda Civic's fantastic reliability. Our chat centers on what internal and external factors shape your life and how fucking up along the way isn't such a bad thing.
Wed, Nov 19, 2014
Geoff Farina of Karate's first response to my request to be on the podcast wasn't the best. Truth be told, he's not a fan of his music from the late 90s. Ha, what a place to start. Years ago I had done Karate's first interview ever for my high school zine and had completely ridiculous questions then for a 16 year old so at 36 I'd hope to be a bit better. Geoff couldn't have been more pleasant and comfortable with himself, his music and life. Maybe it's age or wisdom or just something someone have in themselves but I felt each moment I was learning something from the discussion. Through Geoff's days in DC, his thoughts on emo, conserving music for future generations with his uncle and his new band Exit Verse, it was a pleasure to chat with Geoff. I hope you learn something too.
Mon, Dec 29, 2014
When you have a musical career as long as Chris Carrabba, there's bound to be some reflection. I sat down with Chris face to face in New York City to discuss his musical life. This was largely unedited with many pauses and air left between question and answer. We dive into his upbringing, the Florida scene and Fiddler Records, the mid 2000s emo boom and what he wants most from his music. An absolutely beautiful soul that's worthy of his own revival.
Mon, Jan 12, 2015
What happens when you put five people in a room to discuss the emo revival? Lots and lots of laughs. Late last year, CMJ asked Washed Up Emo to moderate a panel to discuss the revival and we were up the task. For the panel we had a great group of young and old perspectives with Norman Brannon (Texas is the Reason, Collect Records), Kevin Duquette (Topshelf Records), Sean Moran (No Sleep Records) and Brian Pacris (The Syndicate, co-host of #EmoNightNYC). See? Emo ain't all about sadness. (Note: We only had three microphones so it may be hard to hear some questions from the audience.)
Tue, Jan 27, 2015
One of my favorite writers on today's scene is David Anthony. We sad down not long ago to discuss the state of music, his upbringing and thoughts on the scene moving forward. I learned a ton from this chat and I hope you do too. Fun fact: David was one of the first to check out the podcast and support it. Happy to have him on.
Thu, Feb 5, 2015
Episode 56 is with co-creators Phil Matarese and Mike Luciano of the new HBO animated series Animals. It premieres February 5th, today or depending when you listen to this, it's on demand. Phil and Mike happen to be huge fans of punk/hardcore/emo and took time out of their day in NYC to hang with me at the HBO offices and chat about the show and music.
Sat, Feb 14, 2015
Lars Gotrich from NPR Music has hands down written and supported some of the best up and coming bands from the independent scene today. A fan his writing already, his recommendations on music were always a required listen. Halfway through the recording of the podcast I realized, some of our musical upbringing overlapped. It became clear then why I connected so well to his writing. Lars is a true independent voice on music among a quickly crowded scene of clickbait opinions.
Wed, Mar 11, 2015
An absolutely beautiful discussion with Norman Brannon (Texas is the Reason), Jason Gnewikow (The Promise Ring) and Steve Pedulla (Thursday) on how they met, their lives and how they're stayed close to this day. Hope you enjoy this special episode taped live at Union Hall in Brooklyn.
Sun, Apr 26, 2015
I sat down with writers Andrew Sacher and Ian Cohen separately to talk about covering emo for their publications. Both of them provided fantastic insight into why we're in this so-called "emo revival," how polarizing this genre can be for many and what if the emo bubble of the 2000s never happened?.
Sun, May 31, 2015
Joseph and I discuss how the band met in high school, remembering to wait for things in the mail and the actual feeling of emo. I give in a little to the swoop era and Joseph explains his learnings from his rocker days that he takes to managing bands today. Finally, we discus The Early November's latest album "Imbue."
Sun, Jun 7, 2015
Jimmy Eat World are taking off the better part of a year. What does the drummer do with that down time after 20+ years on the road? Zach Lind spends as much time as he can with his wife Holly and in time, they started making music together. I talk to both of them about their side project The Wretched Desert, faith, thoughts on emo and how they kept in touch in those early days of Jimmy Eat World. I also found out from our chat that Zach probably served me popcorn at minor league baseball games I attended 30 years ago. Jimmy Eat small World.
Sun, Jun 21, 2015
Refused left us in 1998 to never return, though in 2012 they came back for a victory lap. Thankfully the band wanted to continue making music. A new album is here in 2015 and the world is better for it. Recently the band stopped in NYC and I had the chance to sit with Dennis and David to talk about their hardcore roots and new album "Freedom."