Washed Up Emo

Today, we welcome Chris Crisci from The Appleseed Cast. Chris has been on my list for the entire 8 years of this podcast’s existence. I am honored to finally have him on the podcast. I loved Chris’ appreciation for the scene, constantly challenging himself, and not resting while making the band work alongside his day job, family and life. The band’s discography is one of my favorites in all of my music and to finally hear some of the questions I’ve had over the years was a true treat. Last, to note, there is a new album by the band entitled “The Fleeting Light of Impermanence” out of Graveface Records that we discuss. You can start listening to this on Friday, or if you’re listening to this in the future, it’s on your favorite streaming service. Chris was honest, sweet, and thoughtful throughout this beautiful conversation and I hope you enjoy.   Washed Up Emo is a partner of the Double Elvis podcast network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A few months ago, I asked a couple of prior podcast guests Brian Lowit from Lovitt Records and now Dischord Records and John Davis from Q and Not U, if they thought an in-person interview could happen. Through their help and a little timing of a personal wedding in DC set this plan in motion.  As this podcast gets into its 8th year with no signs of slowing down, I thought it was time to have the person partly responsible for why I first got into straightedge, punk, hardcore, and the DIY ethos I continue to carry through during my day job in the music industry at large.  Ian couldn’t have been more gracious and after some back and forth and a nice Delta airlines agent, I was there with enough time to do the interview and make the wedding later that day.  I never expected to have the opportunity to talk to one of my heroes in this setting and for Ian to spent a couple of hours showing me around the Dischord house, the archives and then an interview will be remembered forever.   Washed Up Emo is a partner of the

Today we welcome Mitch Wilson from No Knife! Mitch and I have spoken to each other over the years and finally got some time to chat. We got deep into the San Diego scene, meeting Rocket from the Crypt and Drive like Jehu and early days of being on a label associated with a major. How No Knife met The Get Up Kids, their deep relationship with Lazycain and Jimmy Eat World. We find out that we both utilize a set of jokes that we use relentlessly to our friends and family. Finally, chat about his life as a dad and you’ll hear his son a couple of times in the podcast.    Washed Up Emo is a partner of the Double Elvis podcast network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we welcome John Vanderslice. I found out about John through his album in 2000 called, Mass Suicide Occult Figurines, on Barsuk Records. It stuck with me and I’ve followed him since. Last month, he released his latest album “The Cedars” on Native Cat Recordings. He’s on tour with Pedro the Lion and worth a listen if you’ve never dived into the mind of Vanderslice.  We talk about how he started late in music, how creating music takes some narcissism to survive, about the loss of life, and the depression that he’s been dealing with, including how this album saved his life. Plus, we dive into a discussion about having fame and critical acclaim early on in your career and what that does to you during and after. This is probably one of the more emotional as John opened up about his struggles with dependency on drugs and the battle he has every day with life, creating art, and keeping his recording studios, Tiny Telephone, afloat. Many of your favorite albums have been recorded there like ones from Death Cab f

A documentary was released a few years ago called "Don’t Break Down," about Jawbreaker. Fun fact: Dan Didier, drummer for the Promise Ring, Maritime and Vermont was the producer of the film!  After seeing a screening of the film, I was fascinated at how much footage they had of Jawbreaker. I found out later from Dan that Adam was the one that has been saving everything. When I approached Adam to do the podcast a couple of years ago, Adam said we would need to wait as they were just about to announce all of the reunion shows.  Recently in Brooklyn, Adam and I finally sat down to talk. We discuss where these archival/documentation thoughts started in his life and how the video store that he owned for years was feeding that same itch.  We also discuss what it’s like being in Jawbreaker now and not being as neurotic about taking photos or saving the flyers. In the same light, Adam is fully realizing how important these things are later and the love for his band is how everyone should think about their own band’s

Wow, we made it to 150 episodes. Crazy to think about all the folks that have come on to share their story with you and I. To that, a big part of this is agreeing to be open and talk about their music. American Football gets the gold star.  Before the reunions, in January 2014, Mike was on the podcast for the first time chatting about his career.  For LP2, I had everyone in American Football individually to discuss reuniting and what it was like to write together again. So for LP3 I wanted to do something different… This time, I got Mike and Nate together in a room in NYC to discuss every single song in detail on LP3. We go from beginning to end on the writing process, the disagreements, sequencing, and why they made certain decisions for every song.  Mike also recommends some bands I’ve never heard before and Nate reads an email he sent to the band passionately discussing why he feels his track listing order is the way it should go.    Washed Up Emo is a partner of the Double Elvis podcast network. Learn mo

David Bazan has always been on my list to be on the podcast, it just took almost 8 years. I always sorta thought he’d want nothing to do with me or the podcast. As with this stuff, I got over it and just asked. It worked and fittingly, David has also resurrected Pedro the Lion, with the first album under that name in 15 years. The album “Phoenix” out on Polyvinyl Records, is an amazing return. David and I speak about his religious upbringing, lots of Fugazi and we talk a lot about what music does to us when we close our eyes. Specifically that journey that music takes us on and what story you end up telling in the end. I think you’ll enjoy and I was nervous for a lot of this. I don’t know why, just meant a lot I guess.    Washed Up Emo is a partner of the Double Elvis podcast network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we welcome Matt Traxler, guitarist from Brandtson. The band, out of Cleveland was on Deep Elm and The Militia Group back in the day and they recently reissued some lost demos through Matt’s label Steadfast Records. Super fun talking to Matt and a band that if you didn’t realize was around then or now, it’s worth going back and listening to their records.    Washed Up Emo is a partner of the Double Elvis podcast network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I first heard Starmarket on the 3rd Emo Diaries compilation in 1999 and soon after they released their third album “Four Hours Light.” I was instantly blown away with the post-hardcore sound and the next level indie rock/emo sensibility. I never met these guys back in the day and with some reunion shows recently in Japan and their home country of Sweden, I slide into the DMs on Instagram to see if they’d be up to chatting about their band. Fredrik, the lead singer and guitar player, was more than happy to chat.    Washed Up Emo is a partner of the Double Elvis podcast network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we welcome Steve Schiltz from Longwave. Steve is also an accomplished music producer and composer for film, TV and advertising. If you’re wondering why Steve is on. I have three reasons. First, when I moved to NYC, the Brooklyn thing was about to blow up and I was working at a label nearby a lot of these venues in the city where bands like the Strokes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and others cut their teeth. Longwave were active around the same time as well and I loved them. Second, I was and still am, obsessed with shoe gaze. The similarities to the long droning emo songs that I also can’t stop emulating is directly related to my love of shoe gaze. I’d happily quit my job and join a shoe gaze band tomorrow. Hit me up. Third, I find out a half hour in that a past band Steve was in, Scout, toured with Sunny Day Real Estate! He waited 30 minutes to tell me that. Steve has a very funny story about Jeremy Enigk you’ll want to listen for. To be honest, this one is sorta for me. Over the years, Steve and I have crossed pa

We’re back and stoked to have episode 145 of the podcast with Hutch Harris, most widely know from the band, The Thermals. Hutch and I have been conversing back and forth on Twitter for years. I’d always loved his take on music, especially the punk and hardcore references. As a fan of his band, The Thermals, I was bummed when not long ago they called it quits. In addition to Hutch being a songwriter, I had also enjoyed his writing he’s done with various outlets, especially a recent piece on Pete Shelley from the Buzzcocks. On top of all that, he recently released a solo album entitled “Only Water” that’s absolutely beautiful! So the stars aligned and we caught up late last year to talk music.    Washed Up Emo is a partner of the Double Elvis podcast network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today welcome Erik Ratensperger from the legendary screamo band Jeromes Dream. Jeromes Dream were around for a very short time from 1997 to 2001 born out of the Connecticut hardcore scene. They had a unique way of playing by way of the singer Jeff Smith refusing to use a microphone for shows. Also, the band was known for playing very short sets, usually no longer than 10 minutes. Pretty unique. These guys are right along side Pg.99, Orchid, Saetia in the early screamo era. If you’re unaware, it’s well worth a dive into their career. Head on over to their site jeromesdreamforever.com and you can learn more about them and be ready for new music next year.   Washed Up Emo is a partner of the Double Elvis podcast network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lauren and I connected a few years ago and I found out she listened to the podcast! The stars aligned and we finally caught up recently to chat.  Lauren is a massive emo fan and we chat deeply about her early days playing drums in bands around Glasgow, Scotland that helped shape who she is today. She was in a couple killer bands before this including Boyfriend/Girlfriend and Blue Sky Archives. Both are mathy, epic and remind me of the mid 90s. Find those on Bandcamp. You should also know the other two members in CHVRCHES, Martin and Iain, were in a great post rock band called Aerogramme. Their first release, A Story in White, is epic and worth a listen.   Washed Up Emo is a partner of the Double Elvis podcast network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you aren’t aware, Anthony’s YouTube channel, The Needle Drop, is insanely popular and influential for reviewing music. How he ended up with this title of Internet’s busiest music nerd, is quite a story. Recently, Anthony and I connected over the phone to discuss how he got into doing this for a living and what he enjoys most out of reviewing music. Don’t worry, we got nerdy on some real screamo too.    Washed Up Emo is a partner of the Double Elvis podcast network.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we welcome Justin Courtney Pierre, who you may know from Motion City Soundtrack, Farewell Continental or The Rapture Twins.  He recently released his first solo album entitled “In The Drink” that we discuss extensively in this episode and what it took to make it happen. We also chat about his upbringing with friends and family that helped him get into music, his years in speech therapy and the label of pop punk and emo with the band. Plus we talk about his struggles with dependence on drugs and alcohol and what he feels like looking back at those years. Finally, there is a cameo from his daughter that is absolutely hilarious that you don’t want to miss.    Washed Up Emo is a partner of the Double Elvis podcast network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we welcome Ian King, author of Appetite for Definition: The A to Z Guide to Rock Genres.  This book contains 100s of genres explained and as we will discuss, there’s a way to jump around and learn about other genres by way of like minded artist, genres that connect and specific songs. I had the honor of being interviewed for the book and you can guess which genres I was a part of. We talk a lot about genres in general, his take on emo, upbringing in Seattle, finding out about punk and his amazing homemade emo shirt he was wearing during the interview.    Washed Up Emo is a partner of the Double Elvis podcast network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The band is celebrating 20 years of The Moon My Saddle with a few select shows and it was time to get David on. This podcast episode is a lot about redemption and letting things go as times pass. One of those is an amazing quote on The Moon My Saddle when it first came out in Alternative Press. It says “David Moore on this record makes Huey Lewis sound like the king of the Delta Blues.” Then, 10 years later, Alternative Press does a big feature/interview on the band. Some things are ahead of their time. David’s father drove his motorcycle across the United States to Los Angeles, California to try and make it as an actor. It never materialized and he came back to Indiana to raise his family. David also made that same decision after Chamberlain broke up, deciding to hang up the music and stop chasing the dream and get on with his life. It wasn’t entirely that simple as you’ll hear. We talk about David’s approach to music, the initial response to “The Moon My Saddle,” the band’s downfall and what David did after

Today we welcome Eric Melin from Ultimate Fakebook. Ultimate Fakebook are from Kansas and were on the amazing independent label, Initial Records. They toured with bands from the era including The Get Up Kids, At the Drive In and Motion City Soundtrack. Eric also was in a couple bands before that called Truck Stop Love and The Dead Girls. He’s also a film critic alongside his day job doing marketing/social media and he’s also a world champion in air guitar, which we start talking about as the podcast starts up.    Washed Up Emo is a partner of the Double Elvis podcast network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we welcome Dave Brown. Dave helped start a zine called Muddle, co-founded Better Looking Records, did some marketing and PR under the name Holiday Matinee for your favorite bands and now lives in Seattle and works with Microsoft. Not a bad ride and for someone that was there in the moment and took advantage of what was around him. A truly great chat with someone deeply connected to the inner workings of the scene.    Washed Up Emo is a partner of the Double Elvis podcast network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we welcome Ryan Grisham from Mock Orange! They’re back in the news a bit as they recently announced a 20th-anniversary tour for their very much loved “Nines and Sixes” album. Ryan and I talked about the band’s changes, their high profile producers they’ve worked with, how they were a midwest band but never really toured in the Midwest and their life in Japan that kept them going. Mock Orange should be your favorite band, I hope it is after this episode. Finally, we’ve named the episode The Unknown Blur. You’ll figure it out by the end. It’s pretty beautiful.    Washed Up Emo is a partner of the Double Elvis podcast network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices