I Hate Music

In this episode we are joined by Canadian composer and guitarist Nathanael Larochette (Musk Ox, The Night Watch, Solo) to talk turkey about all our favorite Thanksgiving songs and more importantly, discuss why acoustic music, and particularly acoustic guitars, are metal.  We share with each other how acoustic music has impacted us, why we think it works in a metal context, and pontificate on why w...

Nick and Jason kick off the episode by catching up a bit before getting into some fascinating and terrifying listener emails.  They then dive into the theme of Halloween in music, which of course, devolves into related themes such as Fall and Horror films.   Discussions of time traveling for the sake of witnessing historic moments in musical history and which bands took some getting used to for Ja...

You can't deny this episode.  From protest music of the '60's, to punk, thrash metal, and grindcore, musicians and artists have been warning us about climate change for decades, but why aren't we listening?  We have no idea but we sure love the music.  We discuss politics in music and environmentally aware bands like Nuclear Assault, and D.R.I, as well as discuss climate changes within music such...

I Hate Music is back!  After a much needed vacation, we finally got sick of putting our feet up and sipping on cocktails and decided we missed this too much to retire permanently.  During our vacation we had a lot of time to reflect, and ponder our history and what we are doing.  We realized we needed something different, something to revitalize our spirits and inspire us to move further into unch...

Tanner Anderson.  I hate the word talent, but people like Tanner make me rethink my aversion to the concept.  I've been fortunate enough to call Tanner a friend for quite awhile now, and am overjoyed to watch him evolve and grow as an artist particularly with Obsequiae.  If you like "Non Serviam", with a touch of "Skydancer", and a sprinkle of "His Majesty at the Swamp," and if you don't need me t...

Daniel Lake is a contributor to Decibel Magazine, but as of late, he has been more in the public eye due to his book, USBM.  The book dives into the motivations, histories, and music of a number of heavy hitters in the United States Black Metal scene, and I wanted to learn more about his process of researching and writing this gem.  So, please pass the aux to Daniel, and join us as we talk about b...

Lawnmower Deth.  Often ignored, usually misunderstood, but has been a staple in my ears and in my heart since the early '90s.  The boys from Nottingham took quite the hiatus and are back with a new album after a 28 year gap; their first record since 1993's "Billy."  In this episode I talk with Pete Lee, vocalist for Lawnmower Deth, and we listen to a couple new songs, an old song, and discuss vari...

On Episode 46, Dylan Neal of Thief came on the show and played us a bunch of crazy music.  This time, Dylan and I sit down and listen to the new Thief album recently released by Prophecy Productions entitled "The 16 Deaths of my Master." Dylan shares with us production techniques, reveals hidden gems within the songs, and we discuss the themes and ideas within the music. This is, without a doubt,...

Feral Season is good.  Feral Season is damn good.  The band's debut album, "Rotting Body In The Range Of Light," out on Profound Lore records harkens back to the second wave of Norwegian Black Metal, but without truly biting the style, or sound.   Karl and I delve into a couple songs off of the album, discuss the writing process and the themes behind the record, an manage to listen to some of his...

I always assumed that episodes with my daughters would not be as engaging, or appreciated, as episodes with notable musicians, but listener feedback has been overwhelmingly positive for these breaks in the normal programming.  So, we are back with “Listener Requests Part III” with Ione Walton.  These installments tend to blend podcasting with sound collage at times, and this is no different.  Ione...

Today we tell the humidity to take a hike, and we delve into the minds of Hunter Ginn and Gael Pirlot; two linchpins in a long-running yet vibrant collective based out of Georgia.  Together these two are members of Canvas Solaris, Plague Psalm, and Gorging Shade, and through the duration of this episode, we listen to, and discuss, each of these fascinating projects. Hunter, Gael, and I also talk a...

Toby Driver is one of the most engaging and important musicians currently active.  His resume is astounding, his persistence is unmatched, and his work is always challenging, fresh, and most importantly, inspirational and enjoyable.  Toby may be best known for being the leader of the often confounding Kayo Dot, but his music spans many genres, bands and projects.  I sat down with Toby to discuss a...

Don't call it a comeback.  Genghis Tron have returned after a 10 year hiatus with one of 2021's best and most compelling records, Dream Weapon.  The band has been through a lot of changes in that time, personally and musically, an even with line-up changes and a decade of growth and evolution, Genghis Tron still sound like themselves, and at the same time, sound like no one else. On this episode t...

I was first made aware of Tim Smolens when I discovered Estradasphere.  Tim was the bassist and producer for the incredible, genre-hopping, Bungle adjacent band.  As I delved further into the works of the various members, it became clear that Tim has a unique musical personality and vision.  Today, Tim has assembled a super group of sorts in High Castle Teleorkestra, featuring members that have pl...

Derek Rush is a lifer.  In my mind, that's about the biggest compliment an artist could receive.  Derek has been highly involved and productive in so many facets of music, it's not only daunting, its intimidating, and I can't conceive of him ever stopping.  Derek is perhaps best known for his work as the head of the Chthonic Streams label, and his music under the names of A Murder of Angels, Decem...

Today guitar virtuoso Nathanael Larochette joins me to guide us through the twisted trails and rough seas charted by his band The Night Watch on their latest album, "An Embarrassment of Riches."  We listen to the album in its entirety; dissecting, discussing and reveling in the creative process.  You may know Nathanael from his work with Musk Ox, or perhaps his beautiful guitar interludes on Agall...

Today I am joined by British punkers Rose (age 13) and Matilda (age 11) who also happen to be sisters, and together they are known as Yee Loi.  Yee Loi are currently recording their debut album, but they really caught my attention on the internet with their fantastic Ramones, Thin Lizzy and Motorhead covers.  So please pass the aux to Rose and Matilda as they share a few of their covers, and discu...

This is like one of those cheesy '80s sitcom crossovers, but better... much better.  Jeff and Hunter, the two maniacs behind the insanely awesome and inspiring podcast, Radical Research, join me to celebrate I Hate Music's 50th episode!  I asked each of them to bring to the table a band or album that they love, but is largely ignored or derided, and I chose one as well.  We then shared these selec...

I really enjoy getting listener suggestions.  I typically get them via Email, but this morning Ione and I decided to get on FaceBook and Instagram and ask listeners to send in their recommendations as we record.  We received roughly 50 requests from all over the world, and I can say without hyperbole that this group of songs are by far the worst, most annoying, and painfully ignorant bunch of song...

Tal Fried is an Israeli native living in Tel Aviv.  Israel has a long and vibrant history of fascinating metal bands, rich with the culture of their homeland but also with an ear turned towards the metal community worldwide.  Unfortunately, a large number of these bands have remained unknown to metal fans outside of Israel, so I asked Tal to show me the hidden gems that lay next to The Mediterrane...

I stumbled across this lost recording the other day.  Ione and I recorded this right before the pandemic hit.  We were taking listener requests that had been Emailed in, but the pandemic and subsequent quarantine had distracted me, and the episode had become buried by time and dust, and forgotten... until now. Ione plays some music she likes, I play a little that I like, and we both critique and c...

When I first heard about Thief, I was skeptical.  I was about to embark on a short tour with one of Toby Driver's various projects, (Piggy Black Cross), and Toby told me Thief from Los Angeles would be joining.  That first night of tour Dylan and Thief stunned me with the craft of their songs, the passion in their performance, and I was instantly impressed with their unique and dynamic shows each...

Life in quarantine rolls on, and so does the music.  Our first "Quarantine Songs" episode received a warm welcome, so we decided to follow it up, with the same basic format, but some slight changes.  Most notably, there are no listener submissions on this episode.  This episode is comprised of a handful of notable musicians, and people in the music industry sharing their quarantine picks with us. ...

We won't let this die, and neither will King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard.  Casey C-P and I made a pact, a blood oath, that each time this band of scruffy Aussies makes a new album we will be there, just like the Jackson 5, to dissect, critique and perform a deep dive to the depths of degradation.  Nothing will keep us from recording a podcast each time King Gizzard completes a project.  Not snow...

COVID-19 has swept the earth, and a large portion of the world is in isolation.  I didn't have an episode ready to go, so I pulled this one out of the archives.  This was recorded months ago with my daughter Ione, but I felt it wasn't strong enough to release at the time.  But these are strange times afoot, so here you are, I figure even the slightest amusement is welcome in isolation. In this epi...