The Basements Were Stars

Welcome to the last episode of the season! V. Paul welcomes Aren Emirsian of the post-hardcore bands, Musa Dagh and Harmful (also of his own solo project, Emirsian, Germany based pop duo, Arem & Chima, and LA Armenian folk duo, Emirsian & Dabandjian) to the pod. This is a great conversation between two old friends. They discuss the making of Musa Dagh's new album, Endurance , the chang...

V. Paul Janbazian welcomes one of his absolute favorite drummers to the pod. A member of both legendary Boston bands, Bullet LaVolta and The Juliana Hatfield Three, he brought a sense of pocket, feel, and flair that wasn't very common in indie rock at the time. He is of course multi-instrumentalist, Todd Philips. They get into his musical background/upbringing in Lynnfield, MA, touring with Moving...

V. Paul Janbazian welcomes long time friend, Jeremy Winter of legendary NJ shoegaze/dream pop/indie rock band, All Natural Lemon & Lime Flavors and solo project, Jett Brando to the pod. They sorta/kinda came up in the same music scenes as V. Paul's former bandmates in Sleep Station went to high school with Jer. They go deep into Lemon & Lime history, his musical/artistic upbringing, My...

V. Paul welcomes soulgaze / dream pop pioneer, Danny Chavis to the pod. They reminisce on the first time they met when Apollo Heights opened for TV On The Radio at the First Unitarian Church of Philly. They also get into the early music scene in Raleigh, their influence on bands/artists today, the resurgence of shoegaze music in the last 5 years, and a whole lot more. Follow The Veldt: Bandcamp We...

V. Paul welcomes back SayMo, hip-hop artists/producer/poet/writer to the pod. They continue their conversation from last time. Topics discussed include, songwriting, production, AI, rappers/emcees, classic Armenian musicians, cultural integration in modern popular music, and a whole lot more. Follow SayMo: ⁠ Bandcamp ⁠ ⁠ Instagram ⁠ ⁠ Threads ⁠ ⁠ Twitter ⁠ Theme music & outro music by V. Paul...

I'm finally back after taking another long unintended break. Regardless, I'm back and my guest is none other than, legendary producer, Gordon Raphael, the sonic wizard behind The Strokes' first three recordings ( The Modern Age EP , Is This It , and Room on Fire ) and a bit of their fourth album, First Impressions of Earth . We get into his upbringing in Seattle, his early bands, movin...

This episode is a response to Rick Beato’s  video⁠ from last week, the latest offering to the discourse and talk around  Wired’s now infamous article  on Chaotic Good Project’s illicit marketing tactics and their client, Brooklyn “indie” rock band, Geese. Hopefully this is the last time I have to talk about this. Somehow, I doubt it. Theme music & outro music by V. Paul Janbazian • Caspian Sea...

V. Paul welcomes SayMo, hip-hop artists/producer/poet/writer to the pod. They get into microphones, production techniques, the state of modern pop music, AI, System of Down, his upcoming Western Armenian project, and a whole lot more. Follow SayMo: Bandcamp Instagram Threads Twitter Theme music & outro m usic by V. Paul Janbazian • Caspian Seal Sounds and Music, ASCAP Background music by HitsL...

We're switching things up a bit this episode. I had a good sit down with Matthew Zeitoun (filmmaker/photographer/curator/comedian), co-founder of Phenotype Stages and resident/co-manager of Prototype 237 in Paterson, NJ. We had a nice conversation over a few beers on the patio of our mutual friend Paul Larsen's gallery. We get into our favorite Middle Eastern Paterson spots (both of our fa...

We last left things with Bernard Georges joining Throwing Muses and the recording of their live album, The Curse. In this final installment of my talk with Dave we discuss the recordings of University, Limbo & Throwing Muses’ reunion album ("Uses"), Kristin Hersh’s creative process, album art, Dave’s solo project, Lakuna (which is also the namesake of his and his wife’s design company), Jane’s Add...

V. Paul welcomes back Dave Narcizo of Throwing Muses and Lakuna for a part 2 of their conversation. We last left off with Dave talking about the impact Fort Apache and the late Gary Smith had on him. We continue with the changes and adjustments Throwing Muses went through over the years. We also get into Newport’s hardcore scene back in the day, The Pixies, REM, The Real Ramona (my introduction to...

V. Paul welcomes Dave Narcizo (one of his all time favorite drummers) of Throwing Muses and Lakuna to the pod. They get into growing up in Newport, the formation of Throwing Muses, signing to 4AD, the Boston scene, the late great, Gary Smith, and much, much more. Theme and outro music by V. Paul Janbazian • Caspian Seal Sounds and Music, ASCAP Background music by HitsLab • Ievgen Poltavsky, BMI Th...

V. Paul welcomes Eli Nowak of Break to Broken, No Wake, Doc Flo, and Dr. Reaper. Eli and V. are longtime friends, having come up in the same scenes and creative circles; their connection runs deep through mutual friends and shared musical influences. They discuss his musical family, musical upbringings, high school days, current projects, and a whole lot more. Follow Eli Nowak and all his music pr...

V. Paul welcomes Vram and Tarra Thiessen Kherlopian of Gustaf, Tea Eater, MamajoeVramajoe, Sharkmuffin, and The Big Drops for the first episode of The Basements Were Stars. They discuss their musical upbringings, influential bands, guitar pedals, classic Brooklyn & New Jersey venues, and a whole lot more. Follow Vram & Tara: patreon.com/TeaEater teaeater.bandcamp.com teaeatertarot.substack...

Just a brief overview of the podcast and also a little about myself. I discuss potential future episodes and in general what to expect from the show. The title, The Basements Were Stars is a play off Sunny Day Real Estate's The Blankets Were Stairs . Because for many of us musicians the basement is where it all starts. I'm still looking for a co-host or even just a regular(s) to co-pilot t...