The Upgrade Podcast

Episode 030 - Len & Gary rock this week with no guest. The show starts with a special shoutout for listeners of the show. From there the guys talk about how they each think they have have had covid before anyone really started talking about the virus. The conversation continues with discussion about the current state of health care (especially in poor areas), fake news & conspiracy theory...

Episode 029 - Tom Schlatter (Hundreds of AU, ex-You And I/The Assistant) is this week’s guest. Tom talks to Len & Gary about his musical journey, their shared hair metal roots, the inner logistics of making a band work, his past band history including his work with the band Thursday, his introduction to hardcore music, working with his current project Hundreds of AU, writing songs remotely, an...

Episode 028 - Powerhouse content creator Sunny Singh joins Len & Gary for an in depth discussion about his brand Hate5Six, his video work (including non-music content), Rage Against The Machine as a gateway drug, hardcore music as an empowering force in other aspects of life, live vs streaming, covid vs live music, haters, current events, Star Wars and much much more. https://hate5six.com/ htt...

Episode 027 - Mani Mostafi from Racetraitor joins the show this week for a deep discussion about his personal musical journey and the history of the band, hardcore music and the deep roots of social activism that have run through it since the beginning, online trolls, touring as a minority, left and right politics in the current scene, putting together the “Shut it Down: Benefit for the Movement f...

Episode 026 - The election is finally over! Oh wait no it’s not…. Len & Gary get into a deep analysis of the election, voting “Not Trump”, what the numbers really show about our country, the mythical evil of “socialism”, the role of progressive candidates, Trump denying reality, underestimating Cult 45, the transition that won’t really happen, and where the country is going from here. #theupgr...

Episode 024 - The last episode before the election! This episode was recorded on Monday November 2nd, the night before Election Day. Len & Gary wrap up a lot of the ongoing political discussion and touch on a lot of the important points that are bringing people to the polls: covid, racism, fascism, party politics, progressives, Cult 45, Vanilla ISIS, and the impending class war. And then for a...

Episode 024 - Rich Hall from 1000 Knives Productions joins the show. After a long conversation about the infamous CBGB “throne”, Rich discusses the origins of his 20+ year friendships with both Len & Gary, then gets deep into his career booking and promoting shows in NYC & Long Island. He talks about some highlights of his successful run booking shows at CBGB, and how the culture of the ci...

Episode 023 - On this week’s special episode of The Upgrade: QUARANTINE QUESTIONS! Len & Gary spend a few hours answering questions submitted by Upgrade listeners. How did the two of them meet? What is their ideal guitar/bass gear setup? What hobbies do they have outside of music & podcasting? Find out all of that and more in a convo that covers everything from pro wrestling to movies to s...

Episode 022 - John Wren returns to the show for his first full show (sort of, don’t ask). John, Len & Gary compare their shiny bald heads and then get into a full rundown of the UFC 253 card & some other UFC talk (including Jon Jones & Colby Covington), and then discuss the upcoming Mike Tyson vs Roy Jones Jr. fight. From there the discussion turns to John’s Gwar obsession, worst live...

Episode 021 - A bonus episode of serious talk from Len & Gary. Did/does Trump really have Covid? Has he been hiding it? Was it karma? The guys talk about these questions and more in a very serious conversation about politics, race relations, the economy, the current administration, the state of our country, and the reality of just what is at stake in this election and what the future holds. If...

Episode 020 - Emily Lindemann joins the show. Emily is a therapist and a transplant from Wisconsin to New Jersey, so the show starts off with Len & Gary discussing geographic politics around those and some other areas, including the “North South”. From there the conversation goes in many different directions: being fans of villains, Cindy McCain endorsing Joe Biden, Mitt Romney the fencewalker...

Episode 019 - Another guest free episode… This time around Len & Gary get deep with the politics again. There’s talk about Trump’s love letters with Kim Jong Un, Biden vs Trump, other candidates, the Democratic Party and their shit choices, Trump hate, and tons more. #theupgrade #theupgradepodcast #podcast #landminestudios #billyclubsandwich #hardcoremusic #nyhc #newyorkhardcore #nyhardcore #f...

Episode 018 - No guest this week…. Just Len & Gary talking mostly about movies and tv. After discussing the potential for life on other planets, the guys discuss Lovecraft Country (which will DEFINITELY be the subject of a future episode), Watchmen, Regina King, The Sinner, Donnie Brasco, Quentin Tarantino, Spaceballs, Rick Moranis, John Candy, I Am Legend (2010), The Sopranos, The Wire, Bette...

Episode 017 - This week’s guest is Demetrius Kelly. Demetrius discusses the perils of living in Japan as a large American black male. Len & Gary talk to Demetrius about navigating life when not knowing the native language, looking for work, working as a DJ and a tattoo artist, how he met Len, his introduction to heavy music and the live music scene in NJ, dealing with police, the 2011 earthqua...

Episode 016 - This week’s guest is Yohannes Habtu, a personal trainer and musician from Philadelphia. Yohannes, Len & Gary discuss Jim Cornette and old school pro wrestling for a bit . From there the conversation turns to discussions about old school vs modern hip hop, reinventing yourself as an artist in any genre, Yohannes’ musical background, young man touring vs old man touring, poor recor...

Episode 015 - This week Len & Gary are joined by Marty Shea of Iron Price. The conversation starts with a discussion of quarantine weirdness and current events. From there the trio get super deep about all things music (from watching shitty bands live to taking bass lessons), pro wrestling (WWE vs AEW vs Indies), comedy, Star Wars, UFC, boxing, and everything in between. #theupgrade #theupgrad...

Episode 014 - No guest this week… just Len & Gary talking about current events. They talk about the horror of the Republican National Convention, Covid-19, the fantasy & reality of the stock market, Democratic bullshit, Republican bullshit, small business nightmares, quarantine insanity and much more. #theupgrade #theupgradepodcast #podcast #landminestudios #billyclubsandwich #hardcoremusi...

Episode 013 - This week’s guest is Rich Vatalaro, NYC school teacher & former guitarist of the band State of Disgrace. Len & Gary talk to Rich about his music background playing in bands like State of Disgrace (w/Gary) and Jets Jaguar. From there the conversation gets deep into Rich’s work as a teacher, how the pandemic has affected his work, and the push to get kids back in school and the...

Episode 012 - This week’s guest is Will Romeo of Crippled Earn. Len & Gary speak to Will about his musical background, his current projects Crippled Earn & Neckscars, the Bronx music scene and much much more. Will Romeo: http://www.facebook.com/willromeomusic Crippled Earn: http://www.facebook.com/crippledearn Neckscars: http://www.facebook.com/neckscars http://www.theupgradepodcast.net #t...

Episode 011 - Once again The Upgrade takes on UFC! Len & Gary discuss this past weekend’s UFC 252 event with special guest John Wren making his return (his first episode will actually be posted next week… time travel, don’t ask). #theupgrade #theupgradepodcast #podcast #landminestudios #billyclubsandwich #hardcoremusic #nyhc #newyorkhardcore #nyhardcore #UFC252 #UFC #MMA #johnwren #selfishlove...

Episode 010 - Singer/rapper/chef Chris Robert aka Franklin joins the show. Chris starts the conversation with Len & Gary talking about his work as a professional chef, learning the ropes from family members, working his way from the cash register to the kitchen, comparing different cuisines & equating cooking to music, the secrets of New York Pizza, the differences In food between the US a...

Episode 009 - Part 2 of the big conversation with Phil Vibez (ex-Irate/The Judas Syndrome) gets deep into music! Phil, Len & Gary kick it off with a long discussion about Phil’s favorite band of all time: Metallica. From there the conversation weaves around The Big 4, Guns n Roses, Death & the death metal scene. The discussion then turns to Phil’s new music project with his son Jason (#KOT...

Episode 008 - The boys are back talking about all the madness going on in this country. This monster THREE HOUR conversation was recorded on Monday night 7/27 (the night BEFORE Trump’s tweets about the looney “demon sperm” doctor and delaying the election... too bad we missed THAT). Once again a LOT of subjects are discussed: nazi facemasks, cops tackling children, totalitarian & fascist tende...

Episode 007 - We’re talking HORROR MOVIES! Phil Vibez (ex-Irate/The Judas Syndrome) gets on the horn with The Upgrade for a two part mega interview! In Part 1, Len & Gary talk to Phil about his love of horror movies, his sizable collection of horror memorabilia, and his trips to Monster Mania & other horror conventions. Rob Zombie, the Halloween franchise, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Thin...

Episode 006 - Chris Frascella joins the show. Chris, Len & Gary talk about working in record stores in the golden age of the 90s (before the internet), the hazards of mall parking lots, and Idiocracy becoming a reality.  Common musical favorites are discussed, including Kreator, Faith No More, Beastie Boys, Bad Brains and more. The trio then explore Chris’ history as a musician, then move on t...