Going Off Track

The mythical Chuck Ragan of Hot Water Music gets our heads straight this week with tales of fishing, brawling and reveling in the glory of nature while staying respectful of it's fury.

Punk-rock pro, Matt Caughthran of The Bronx misses all the stupid little shit of being on the road and with his fans. Among other road-stories is a stunner involving Fletcher from Pennywise in Australia with a deadly bottle of vodka. Don't miss it.

A NYC musical treasure, singer songwriter, Jesse Malin could also be called the Zelig of rock and roll. He's seen a few decades and incarnations but is as vital as ever. He's also a great guy to talk to, which we definitely enjoyed doing, so listen up.

Singer/songwriter, Laura Stevenson who is basically 'Offtrack family' joins us after giving birth in quarantine to bring hope while discussing Benny Goodman, Blink 182 and surviving an avalanche in western Canada. Oh yeah... "banana" is her safe word.

Singer/songwriter Jared Hart of Mercy Union and The Scandals, gets down with fellow Mercy-member Benny, discussing Tiki bars, pink flamingo crimes and baseball. But things really kick into gear when Jared starts talking about his hometown, the amazing Bayonne, NJ!

Sean Bonnette of folksy-punkband, AJJ comes on board this week to discuss serious social change. Don't worry, that's only the first half. We also get to his favorite skate spots, Chris Farren on mushrooms, and Ben's cousin, the nun.

Hardcore kid turned national security reporter, Spencer Ackerman joins us to talk some shit about THE SHIT. But he's old pals with Benny so we do go off track and talk a little music-90's hardcore... and political journalism. Check it.

Milo, from The Descendents! Do we really need to say any more? No. But we will... it's Milo! From The Descendents! Punk rock, Minutemen, Black Flag, "she tolerates my farts"... it's Milo!.. from The Descendents!

Mathcore's main man, Ben Weinman of The Dillinger Escape Plan gets our heads straight on keeping it fucking real down on the farm. He also advocates for taking care of your own business and doing whatever it takes to support your muse.

Teenage Bottlerocket singer/guitarist Ray Carlisle checked in with us from the prairie to talk about cowboys and fishing... well that's just the first 5 minutes. The interview is as fun as his awesome punk rock band, bouncing from Nicolas Cage to road-dog tips. If you don't like Teenage Bottlerocket it's because you haven't heard them, so AFTER this interview, crank it up!

Specialist of sex, Liz Goldwyn is also a renown writer, filmmaker and artist. She came on board by to straighten us out on the ins and outs of the birds and the bees and all those in between. This is an intelligent woman with a lot going on, so listen up!

Legendary photographer Danny Clinch joins us to talk about how he captured some of the most iconic images in music. From Tupac's tattoos to Saint Springsteen, his pictures are stunning and revealing. It's a great talk with a true artist and genuinely nice guy.

Amazing and talented, punk-folk, singer-songwriter, Frank Turner reveals that this pandemic "is like the first few days after getting off tour... forever." But really, the mood is light and you'll enjoy hearing Benny and Frank get into some epic tour stories that will make your forget all your troubles.

Author, writer and rock-scenester, Lizzy Goodman returns to Offtrack for our 2nd Corona-series episode, helping us all with ways to stay mentally, physically and entertainedly healthy. From movies and surgical-mask-porn to a Lady Gaga connection.

Indie, punk songwriting powerhouse, Jeff Rosenstock joins us for our first 'Corona episode' to talk about his and the world's current state of affairs and how best to deal with it without going crazy. Don't worry, we also talk about donuts and sports.

Cleveland still rocks and The Sidekicks prove it. The entire band sat down to chat with old pal, Benny and Brad about road dog tips, driving in NYC, the 'River of Fire' and why people from Cleveland are just so damn nice.

The Worriers' front-person, Lauren Denitzio came by to talk Benny off the ledge regarding the state of the union, social media and general jerk-bags. We get positive too though, with punk rock, songwriting and New Jersey getting into the mix.

The Gaslight Anthem frontman and solo artist, Brian Fallon talks with his old pal, Benny about songwriting, religion, owning a record label and being driven to tears by a live show. Benny also tells his infamous Killers story. Not to be missed.

Emo/indie-rock, catchy-guitarist Jade Lilitri of Oso Oso, gets into basketball with Benny, (being a Knicks fan). He also speaks of the positives of songwriting and recognizing the perfection in every moment.

Against Me! front person, Laura Jane Grace talks with Benny on the road before one of their shared bills.

The host of Bar Rescue on Spike TV talks about his successful show, boobie cam and butt funnel. What?!? There’s also some music talk, like witnessing the Adam Ant/Black Flag beef and owning Jimmy Hendrix’ guitar.

Akron/Family drummer talks about his new solo album, Malcom Gladwell, the downer of sharing drums and reflects on the magic of the NYC blackout.

Buddhist, punk rocker, author, Josh Korda goes deep on everything from Matt Dillon to Fela Kuti with some Led Zeppelin thrown in.

Drummer and guitar/vocalist for the punk band chat about touring with Sublime, fights at shows and some end-of-the-world scenarios.

For our 300th episode, we recorded live, in front of an audience at the Knitting Factory in Brooklyn. Guests were Blake Schwarzenbach of Jawbreaker, Brian Baker of Minor Threat and Bad Religion, and Laura Stevenson. What a blast!