Tour Stories/The Check-In with Joe Plummer

James Goodson is a singer, songwriter and founding member of Richmond, VA based Dazy. His newest release, MAXIMUMBLASTSUPERLOUD VOL. 2: 24 SONGS FROM 2023-2026 is due out 10.23 via Lame-O Records. James tells us how a 24-song release is ironically a product of his affinity for short, non-limiting philosophy of releasing music and why he thinks this represents the Dazy vibe at this point the bands...

Taylor Zantingh and Tyler Paterson are two founding members of PISS, a noisy, genre-bending four-piece from Vancouver, B.C. Their debut album you made me / skin on linen is due on October 30th via Sub Pop Records. Taylor and Tyler tell us how their separate disciplines combined to form PISS and why Taylor’s collage writing project informed the shape of made me / skin on linen. We learn how anonymi...

N8NOFACE is a singer, musician and writer raised in Arizona, based in California. His new album Tomorrows World is due out October 16th via Stones Throw. N8 shares his experience growing up in the Sonoran Desert and how his inherent need for music and literature shaped the artist he is today. He tells how producer Dave Sitek pushed him in a new direction on Tomorrows World and why that was such a...

Yoni Wolf is a singer, songwriter and founding member of Cincinnati based WHY? His newest album Oh Golly/Yes Lord is due out October 30th via Waterlines. Yoni shares his relationship with music as and youngster and how his dad opened his songwriting world with just a few major chords. He tells us how a reductive approached shaped the new record and why Oh Golly/Yes Lord functions as a mediation on...

Spread Joy Feel It Records Briana Hernandez is the singer of Chicago based band Spread Joy. Their newest record III is out now via Feel It Records. We learn how Briana went from being over the idea of being in a band to becoming the lead singer of Spread Joy. She shares how the band approached the new recorded differently, why they scrapped their first attempt and why slowing down the writing proc...

Will Schwarz and Lynn Truell are two of the four founding members of Imperial Teen. Their newest record All Over You is due out October 9th via Merge Records. Will and Lynn tell us how supportive and caring collaboration plays a role in the bands creative process and longevity. We learn how All Over You reflects the current state affairs and why Will took a playfully pessimistic approach to his wr...

Dawn Moraga and Tim Lusk are the guitarists, singers and founding members of the Kill Devil Hills based band Cor De Lux. Their third full length and Ipecac Records debut Year Of he Horse is due out on September 18th. Tim and Dawn share their live performance focused songwriting process, the evolution of singing duties in the band and why all rehearsals begin with their version of a therapy session...

Corin Tucker (Sleater-Kinney) and Tracy Sawyer (The Husbands, The Flying Tigers, The Lies) are the founding members of Heavens To Betsy. They are set to release their first project since 1994: baby’s gone , a 16-track mission statement comprising a never-before-heard demo tape originally recorded by Bratmobile’s Molly Neuman. The two tell us how it feels to get back together as both friends and ba...

Chris Leo is the guitarist, singer and a founding member of The Van Pelt. Their newest record Remain Obscure is out on September 18th via Earnest Jenning records. Chris and Joe discuss the 20+ year journey of The Van Pelt, why the band finds themselves consistently reuniting and the unique circumstances that brought them back together for the new record. Chris tells us how his writing has evolved...

Thao Nguyen is a singer, songwriter, guitarist and multidisciplinary artist based in Oakland California. Her newest record Show Me drops October 30th via Kill Rock Stars. Thao share’s her experience growing up just outside of D.C and how playing small clubs as a teenager and the preconceptions of female musicians motivated her to operate on higher level from the get-go. She tells us what brought h...

It's that time again, my annual Michael Cera episode. Yes, the first face you see when you open Netflix is Michaels from the forever giving show Arrested Development. Yes, three generations of humans understand ALL the jokes from his hit movie Superbad. And finally, yes he played the most iconic character in film history in Barbie , the most watched film in film history. But none of this helps the...

Chelsey Hahn is a singer, organist and founding member of Perennial. They’re newest record Modernism will be released on September 18th via Earnest Jenning Record Co. Chelsey tells us how the band approached the new record and why capturing their live energy is essential to all of their recordings. She shares the band’s dual vocal and writing process, how their instrumentation allows them to maxim...

Jim Blaha is a singer, guitarist and a founding member of The Blind Shake. His debut solo effort Hang From A Cloud from his new project I Will Die In This Jean Jacket is due out August 21st via Swami Records. Jim shares how his songwriting process became the catalyst for the new record and why it steps away from the punk garage sounds of The Blind Shake. Joe and Jim commiserate on the importance o...

Mallory Hawk is a singer, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist based in Philadelphia by way of Fayetteville NC. Her self-released debut record Chinook is out July 31st. Mallory shares her experience growing up in a music rich household and why she ultimately settled with guitar as her main instrument. We learn how her songwriting style has evolved for the new record, she tells us the story behind t...

Lily Wolter is a singer, multi-instrumentalist and along with her brother Jack, a founding member of Brighton based band, Penelope Isles. Their newest release, 3 is due out September 25th via Bella Union. Lily shares her experience growing up on the Ilse of Mann, how that shaped her relationship with music and what motivated her and her brother to start playing music together. She tells us why the...

Dent May is an LA based singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. His 7th full length record The Big One is due out August 14th via Carpark Records. Dent share’s his experience growing up in Mississippi and why his connection to music was so meaningful both as a child and in his formative years. He tells us how his production approach rides the line of maximalist and minimalist, why he chose t...

Evil Island have announced their debut album, Terraform The Afterlife , arriving August 14 via Blowed Out Records. Born from the creative firestorm that followed The Blood Brothers' 2024 reunion tour, the record finds Johnny Whitney, Cody Votolato, Mark Gajadhar and Autry Fulbright pushing their collective chemistry into bold new territory. In this episode, Johnny and Cody explain the story behind...

Dawson Daugherty is a singer, songwriter and founding member of Almost Monday. Their second album Thank God It’s Almost Monday is due out September 9 via Hollywood Records and are on tour now with Young The Giant and Cold War Kids. This week Joe reports from the back of a tour bus where Dawson share’s the unique origin of Almost Monday, how surfing played a role in the formation of the band and wh...

This is a special episode. We would like to present As Many Weirdos As Possible , a documentary photography project honoring the Pacific Northwest music scene from 1985 to 1995. A team of photographers is capturing portraits of bartenders, musicians, engineers, journalists and others from the community, in places that tie them to their stories. Through portraits and handwritten memories, it spotli...

Bob Bert is a New Jersey based drummer, writer, and punk rock veteran whose resume includes Sonic Youth, Pussy Galore, Knoxville Girls and Lydia Lunch. His debut solo record Beach Bongo Bloodbath is due out June 12th via Bar None Records. Bob shares the process and inspiration behind the new record, which is largely made up of an eclectic collection of covers. We learn how a specific percussion se...

Melanie Radford is a bassist, singer and songwriter based in Seattle. Her debut solo album For The Sake Of Stillness is due out June 26th via Jealous Butcher Record. Melanie shares her experience in the Boise music scene and why she shifted her playing from jazz to rock. We learn how For The Sake Of Stillness is both a personal mediation and a need for stillness and grounding. She tells us why fie...

Beck Zegans is a Queens based singer, guitarist, and songwriter. Her newest record Engraving Of Armor is out now via Exploding in Sound records. Beck tells us why Engraving Of Armor has taken her to a new level and sound in songwriting. She shares the collaborative process it took to make the new record and how arranging, mixing, and writing simultaneously shaped the overall sound. We learn how sh...

Alden Hellmuth is a NY based saxophonist and composer. Following her acclaimed 2024 debut album Good Intentions , Hellmuth returns with the aptly titled Tether , an eight-track exploration of jazz, punk and freeform improvisation. Alden share’s the inspiration behind the new direction and sound on Tether, what it was like writing for two basses and how mixing and processing played a role on not on...

Kevin Barnes is the singer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter for of Montreal. aethermead, of Montreal’s 20th studio album is due out June 5th via Polyvinyl Record Co. Kevin shares the unusual heartbreak story behind the new record, why it felt right to go with a more collaborative approach and how the invented record title relates to a very important part of his daily routine. He tells us how...

Nick Thorburn is the singer and founding member The Creem, a new collaborative project with Ratatat’s guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Mike Stroud. Their debut release The Taste of Cherry is due June 5th, with two irresistible singles Goodbye and Taste of Cherry available now. After a quick catch up from the Mister Heavenly bandmates, Nick shares the slow blossoming story behind The Creem and h...