Washed Up Emo

Today on the podcast we welcome Rich Balling from The Sound of Animals Fighting, Hospital Gown, Pyramids, and RX Bandits. Rich and I reconnected recently as we last crossed paths during my days at Equal Vision during The Sound of Animals Fighting release “Lover, the Lord Has Left Us…” back in 2006. Now The Sound of Animals Fighting has a new EP called “APESHIT” out on Born Losers Records. Rich and I discuss his career balancing music, collaboration and his day job. Old shows he saw growing up in LA, plus his amazing knack as a teacher in real life to provide some real knowledge about listening to your heart, your mind, and realities we face as creative people. And yes, we talk emo. It’s a podcast about emo.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on the podcast we welcome Melody Caudill. She’s the name behind Career Woman, that’s currently partnering with the fabulous Lauren Records. You may recognize the last name. Melody is the daughter of Jeff Caudill from Gameface and a new band called Low Coast. All that to say, Melody recently released a song called “Patience (I Like You)” that blew me away. Jeff had been sending me her music since she began writing and I was always intrigued with how a rock star’s daughter could go down the same path when most often times they rebel and do something opposite. I threw out the idea to chat with them together. Melody and I kicked Jeff out after about 20 minutes or so and got talk directly about her musical journey, writing process, her wants and dreams. For those listening, Melody is a freshman in college and way the hell ahead of how I was at her age and it was an absolute joy to hear her perspective on things in life and music. She even played Gilman Street in SF recently. Can’t get any cooler than that. T

Today on the podcast, we welcome M.C. Taylor of Hiss Golden Messenger and Ex-Ignota. They may have never crossed your path. That’s ok. Upon further inspection, a singer songwriter signed to Merge may bring more questions than answers. We met through a post I made on Instagram. I went, why does that name seem familiar. I reached out and after recognizing the name of his old band on Ebullition called Ex-Ignota, which were a hardcore band from the 90s in Goleta/Santa Barbara area. Fittingly, I took a drive up recently to see him perform in Santa Barbara and speak in person for the podcast. MC was insanely generous with his time and even shouted out the podcast to the crowd during the show. You’ll hear about how M.C. had house shows that would make anyone yearn for a time machine and a love for the early days of emo that was super deep and I learned a ton from him about his position in the scene and where he is today and how it shaped him. His past may be in hardcore and emo with his pedal full on a now full time

Today on the podcast we welcome Vanessa Downing from Samuel or as they known now as Samuel SC. SC is for State College in Pennsylvania where they got together. Samuel was around for 2 years from 1993-1995 and released a split 7” with Texas is the Reason and releases with Art Monk and others. They’re this great moment in that era after the alternative boom and hardcore/emo intermixed. What’s amazing is the band members reconnected further during the pandemic and are back with a new album, touring upcoming and a realization that people cared about their old band. Vanessa and I speak about her life and music endeavors that still burn bright today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on the podcast we welcome David Knudson from Botch and Minus the Bear. I was so excited that David said yes to the podcast and we spoke recently after the first set of Botch reunion shows. We talk about being creative, Seattle in the 90s outside of grunge, and his battle with making better choices in life. Including a deep conversation on how alcohol can catch up with you and the lessons he learned from rehab but also his family. This new Botch tour and music wouldn’t have happened without love from his family and friends to see this other side. We’re the lucky recipients of that but now knowing the struggle and the strength David had during that time was truly inspirational. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on the podcast we welcome Jake Brennan. I’ve wanted Jake on the podcast for years! You may know him from his podcast Disgraceland or as a member of the band Cast Iron Hike. He also started Double Elvis, a podcast network that I’m a part of. So full disclosure, we’re partners but that being said, I’ve probably had Jake on my wishlist since I started the podcast. We get into a lot about intention and what drives creators like Jake and others. He is in such a great place doing something he loves and it came out of intent. We discuss Fugazi, storytelling, origins of why he tells the stories he does and what his favorite sport is. A truly great conversation with Jake on being a creator and you know it, we talked about when he heard the word emo and his thoughts around it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on the podcast we welcome Daniel Littleton from The Hated. Daniel has a whole other band called Ida and that’s a whole separate episode. Today, we just stick to The Hated, which has had their catalog meticulously handled by our friends at Numero Group and recently played some reunion shows. The Hated were an early emo band. Daniel goes to great lengths to explain his fascination and frustration with the word but in the end he weaves a tale that talks about his upbringing in a biracial family that shaped his life and also seeing bands like Bad Brains or women in music helped guide where he is today. A true legend and I invite you to sit back and listen, which I do for most of this, on a time and place before the word was even uttered. This one is an absolute trip to listen back to and I hope you enjoy.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on the podcast we welcome back for the 3rd time, Evan Weiss. Evan and I have spoken two other times, episode 23 (2013) and episode 66 (2016). Today we talk about his new projects, his favorite emo albums of all time, and we look back at the emo revival era with a critical eye. We only had an hour with this busy man, so strap in for a quick one. I’m sure he’ll be back sooner than later. https://www.intoitoverit.com/ https://www.patreon.com/stormchasersltd Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on the podcast we welcome Ken Shipley from Numero Group and Tree Records. Many may know Numero Group for their fantastic reissues and they have a show coming up this weekend in LA celebrating 20 years called Numero 20. A very special show with bands we’ve featured on the podcast the last few weeks and more to come. What we’re going to touch on more for this episode is how he got to Numero and his first experiences figuring out the world of record making under the name Tree Records. A fantastic run of releases highlighted by a series called Post Marked Stamps that put many bands we love in the emo genre on the map. A true honor to spend an hour with a person that I look up to professionally. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we welcome Ted Leo from Chisel. You may know Ted Leo or Ted Leo and the Pharmacists. Or you’re wondering what Ted is doing on the podcast. We’re deep in our Numero Group 20 Celebration and if you heard the last episode with John Dugan of Chisel, Ted has a great history in hardcore in the NYC area going to shows at ABC No Rio among others and we talk about those days, his thoughts on emo from DC, the early 2000s scene and how special this upcoming "Set You Free" reissue and shows with Numero Group means to him. Ted was an absolute blast to chat with and you’ll wonder where the time went as he weaves stories and moments together that at one point says he’s never said in any other interview. A true honor to have a DIY legend on the podcast and couldn’t have been happier to have it line up with Numero Group’s reissue of “Set You Free” and their upcoming shows. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on the podcast we welcome John Dugan from Chisel, which we talk extensively about and they’re about to do some reunion shows for Numero Group and reissues for some classic 90s that crossed over into many genres. One that I didn’t realize happened that I do a podcast about was emo. This band is really close to my heart too. I found this band through John’s younger brother Mike. I met Mike my freshman year on campus after someone on our hall said someone down the hall likes weird music too. The first record Mike played for me was Chisel. We became fast friends and ended up seeing Chisel in 1997 with Karate at a house show in Chapel Hill. Little did we know the band would dissolve soon after that show and that would be the end of it. Years later, I’ve spoken to John through his various musical endeavors or at family functions when I’d see the Dugans in Northern Virginia. Full circle moment and happy to have John on to talk about Chisel and his many musical band over the years. We touch on his experience wi

Today on the podcast we welcome Chris Sheppard from Everyone Asked About You. If you’re not aware, this band was a late 90s gem of a band that I missed myself during this time. After finding out about them through some friends at Numero Group and talking to Chris, they intersected and overlapped with many of the bands of the time in their home of Little Rock Arkansas. Chris and I talk a lot about where he’s from, seeing early emo bands, being in a band with a woman around that time, connecting with Ken Shipley from Tree Records who now runs Numero Group and the subsequent reunion shows and music being available again for the world. Plus we preview the upcoming Numero 20 showcase they’re playing in LA next month. Finally, we talk to Chris about his career now that I guarantee you will not want to miss. I have to say, talking to bands I never knew then but connect with instantly continues to affirm my belief in this special time as a genre and as a music scene. This band I would have been obsessed with back in

Today on the podcast, we welcome Erik Fisher from The Hated. The Hated were a 4 piece emo band from Annapolis Maryland who were active from 1985-1990. They are considered an early emo band and around the same time as many we know like Rites of Spring, Gray Matter, and Moss Icon. Thankfully, Numero Group has their music streaming and available. Go search it out. Now to the interview. For those that have been in college or had a really great teacher in high school perhaps. This is for you. That one class that you felt so engaged with someone and the flow back and forth on ideas kept on a path that enlightened both the student and the teacher. I let this one stay more open than usual because the flow of this with Erik, who is a professor by profession, is glorious to listen back on. If you haven’t had a class like this before, this is close to it. When the bell rings, you felt you could take on the world and a new appreciation for what you just learned. I learned so much talking to Erik about his perspective on

Today we welcome Justin Pearson. If that name is unfamiliar, head to Three One G dot com right now. Justin was and is a musical force. He’s been in a lot of projects over the years and worth diving into his work now with Dead Cross, Deaf Club or where I found out about him when I was younger with Swing Kids and then The Locust. Justin was a little older than me and hearing about his history with punk, hardcore, and the word emo was again eye opening for me as someone that only knows so much. Justin was honest and open about how he felt about the scene and is an inspiration for myself and hopefully you after listening to this interview. Again, search out Three One G, we’ll have links on Washed Up Emo dot com and dive into him if you’ve never heard about him or ride alongside with the emo nerd and get schooled from a legend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we welcome Tim Kasher, again! He’s been on prior as a guest talking about his entire career and also was included in volume 2 of the Anthology of Emo book series, now we dive even deeper. This time we dive into the absolute classic “Domestica.” Released in June way back in 2000, this album released posthumously, really was an evolution of their last two records and started to almost restart the band out of chaos and unrest. The album, rumored to be about a divorce, as you will hear, is close but also far away as well. Tim was generous was his time to dive really deep into the album, cover, and every single track. Including some about Braces, a short lived band that was a 3 piece that you’ll hear on the reissue. Enough of me talking, this album is a shade over 30 minutes but we’ll spend the next hour to let Tim tell us all about “Domestica.” I hope you enjoy. Reissue is available via 15 Passenger. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we welcome Eva Alexiou-Reo, many of us know as Eva Fata. Think about it, you’re 18, living in Pennsylvania and some of the first bands you start booking are Hot Water Music, Elliott, and Jimmy Eat World. How’s that for a start? FATA Booking Company turned 25 in 2021 and still going strong today. Eva came up around a similar time and saw the emo boom first hand with booking and managing bands. Eva is someone I’ve wanted to have on for a long time and I’m so happy we had a chance to talk. You may even start your own business after this one, she’s that inspiring. Learn more at fatabooking.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on the podcast, we welcome Kip Uhlhorn from The Red Scare, Panthers and Cloudland Canyon. We speak about emo and hardcore from the late 90s and the many ways that I can sneak in another band that was screamo during that era. Kip has a long history of being in the industry across scoring and bands from the 90s through today. I encourage you to search out and find his music and head over to KipUhlhorn.com  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on the podcast we welcome an absolute legend. Sonny Kay. You may know Sonny from Angel Hair which put out records on Gravity Records or his own label Gold Standard Laboratories or maybe The VSS. If not, that is totally fine. You’ll learn about them all and other projects he was a part of over the next hour or so. Sonny is a pillar in the early days of emo/screamo/hardcore that shouldn’t be overlooked. He’s someone that even if you haven’t heard his bands, you’ve seen his work as an artist for The Mars Volta and many others. I can’t stress enough how much I implore you to search Sonny out, his music, his art and projects. Learn more about Sonny at SonnyKay dot com. Sit back and listen to one of the original legends. It’s an absolute honor to have him on the podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we welcome Cam DiNunzio from Lazycain and Denali. Today, he makes his wares as a composer and music supervisor. We spoke about his early days in Virginia Beach, moving to Richmond, and his thoughts on music as he navigated and survived the emo label. Cam’s contribution to music, this genre, and further throughout the musical landscape is a reason for you to stick around if you haven’t heard of the bands or his name. If you have, you’re in for a treat. We dive into the Lazycain and Denali days. At the start as context, I mention Cam’s bandmate John, who we worked together when I first moved to NYC back in 2000. With that said, as comforting as when a 718 area code calls a 917, listening back this felt more like a conversation, not an interview. I hope you enjoy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we welcome Josh English from the band Six going On Seven. Josh was raised in Portland Oregon, seasoned in Boston and an influence on many bands you love today. He should be on the tip of your tongue in this scene. Maybe after this interview the band and Josh will be. Their influence personally has stayed with me for years from their days on Some Records in the late 90s to "American’t (or Won’t)" on Big Wheel Recreation released back in 2001. The band shortly broke up and their CDs and 7”s I had have been staring back at me since. I honestly always had Josh on a list to interview and as this podcast creeps past its 200th episode and 10th year, it was an honor to speak to Josh about his life and what’s he got up next in his career. Listen to all episodes here. Washed Up Emo is a partner of the Double Elvis podcast network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices