CORE

Appleton Beer Factory's Mark Mader is back for another ABF Monthly on WCZR Code Zero Radio, and he brings listeners two exclusive announcements: a Tom Petty tribute night with an all-star Wisconsin lineup, and Old Shoe performing Dark Side of the Moon with fiddler Ali Krall. Mark also recaps a busy few weeks at ABF, including sell-outs against Packers and World Series games, and the Edgehill s...

Scissor Kicks guitarist and singer Aaron joins Andy McNamara on Fox Cities Core to talk about the Fond du Lac pop punk band, its long hiatus, and the punk fest he's booking at The Passenger Lounge on Saturday, November 14.Aaron breaks down the band's history since 2013, from a first show in his basement to winning the Fond du Lac County Fair Battle of the Bands in 2016, then a break from 2...

Neenah native Phil Johnston, the Academy Award-nominated writer of Wreck-It Ralph and Zootopia and co-director of Ralph Breaks the Internet, joins Andy McNamara in the Code Zero Radio studio in Appleton, Wisconsin to talk about Rally for the Valley, the free benefit event in Menasha supporting Fox Cities neighbors still recovering from the storm. Phil explains how a phone call from his mom in Neen...

Andy McNamara spends a bit of time with Briscoe — Austin, Texas duo Philip Lupton and Truett Heintzelman — ahead of their show at Appleton Beer Factory, in the middle of a busy fall tour that's taken them through Milwaukee and Chicago on the way to Asheville, NC. The guys open up about how they first met as middle schoolers at summer camp (matching sandals and all), and the on-the-road disaste...

A tornado hit the Fox Cities on July 27 — and this community is answering back with music, comedy, and giving. Andy McNamara talks with some of the team behind Rally for the Valley, a free benefit taking over downtown Menasha on Saturday, October 3rd from 2-10pm. In studio: Event Organizers Alex Drossart and Adrienne Palm. Calling in: Wisconsin legend and Garbage drummer/producer Butch Vig — and f...

Irish Fest of the Fox Cities returns to Jones Park in Appleton, WI on September 18–19, 2026! On this episode of Fox Cities Core (Code Zero Radio), Mark Hudson — Executive Director of Irish Fest of the Fox Cities — joins Andy to break down everything happening at this year's festival. Mark talks ticket prices and the advance-sale deadline, the push to finally crack 5,000 attendees, this year&#3...

Descartes a Kant (DAK) — the theatrical rock band from Guadalajara, Mexico — joins Fox Cities Core on Code Zero Radio during their Mile of Music run in Appleton, WI. Band members Sandra, Memo, and Leo dig into the philosophy-inspired origin of their name, the wild theatrical concept behind their live show (choreography, and "the machine"), and the story behind recording with legendary pr...

Brett Newski returns to Fox Cities Core on Code Zero Radio for a wide-ranging conversation ahead of his Mile of Music sets in Appleton, WI. Known for a mix of folk grunge, garage rock, old country, and 90s alt-Americana, Brett dives into his new album "Have a Thing, Miss Your Moment (Wait for the Revival)," why he keeps music off Spotify and Amazon on principle, how fatherhood has reshap...

Punk-inspired rock trio R-NØT made the trip from the D.C. area to Appleton, WI for their second year at Mile of Music, and they stopped by Fox Cities Core on WCZR Code Zero Radio to talk about it! The band has been turning heads with recent releases like "Sheep" and their newest single "K.I.S.S.," with more new music (including "Marmalade") already out and a lot more...

Milwaukee pop punk band Gold Steps stopped by Fox Cities Core on WCZR Code Zero Radio during their first-ever Mile of Music appearance in Appleton, WI! Alternative Press has called them out as one of the artists reclaiming pop punk, and the band has toured with acts like Charlotte Sands and Stand Atlantic, played Warped Tour and Summerfest, and even performed in the legendary pool at The Rave in M...

Indie rock band Scorched Waves stopped by Fox Cities Core on WCZR Code Zero Radio for an in-depth interview during Mile of Music 13 in Appleton, WI! The Stevens Point, Wisconsin group — Tyler Armstrong (guitar), Finn Vaughn (bass), Tiernan Brinkman (lead vocals), and Jaron Chick (keys), with drummer Damien Kessler holding down the road — sat down to talk band history, songwriting, touring stories,...

Atlanta blues-rock artist Buddy Red joins Fox Cities Core on Code Zero Radio live from Appleton, Wisconsin, ahead of his run of shows at Mile of Music 13. Booking agent Fiona Bloom (Frontrunner Music) also stops by as guest co-host to share how Buddy Red landed on the festival lineup. In this conversation, Buddy Red breaks down his "psychedelic, human experience" approach to songwriting,...

Indie pop-rock trio Koyal stopped by the Fox Cities Core studio on Code Zero Radio (Appleton, WI) ahead of their Mile of Music 2026 shows for a wide-ranging chat about their journey from a Georgia Tech dorm basement to Los Angeles. In this interview, Pooja (vocals/bass), Wallace (drums), and Noah (guitar/production) dig into:- The meaning behind the band name Koyal — named after a rare Indian song...

Adriel Denae joins Fox Cities Core ahead of her set with Hilary Reynolds this Saturday at the Chapel for Mile of Music 13! In this conversation, Adriel opens up about growing up in a religious music commune in Chicago (complete with secret cassette-tape trading and hidden Alanis Morissette albums), learning guitar from her dad by tackling "Blackbird" as her first song, and the wild early...

Jim Runge spent over 30 years on the road as a tour manager for The Black Keys, Wilco, Jeff Tweedy, Alice in Chains, Major Lazer, Shakira, L.L. Cool J, Collective Soul, and dozens more. In 2020, just weeks after marrying his wife Stacy, Jim suffered a stroke — and in 2022, a Parkinson's disease diagnosis changed everything again. In this wide-ranging Fox Cities Core interview, Jim and Stacy st...

The Morbs make their media debut on Fox Cities Core! Jasmin Folkesson and Charlie DeVillers — both bass players by trade, from Green Bay and Stockholm — sit down for their first-ever long-form interview to talk about how a joke ("what if two bass players started a band?") turned into a real project a year after they met. In this conversation, Jasmin and Charlie break down:- How the band...

Rökker Smith has been a part of the Madison, Wisconsin music scene for nearly four decades. In 1996 he founded Maximum Ink Music Magazine, a statewide monthly publication that ran for 27 years. In 2011 he brought that same mission to the airwaves with Max Ink Radio, now broadcasting statewide every Saturday and Sunday night on the Civic Media Network. He's also the drummer for Madison rock ban...

Candlebox frontman Kevin Martin talks with Code Zero Radio's Andy McNamara ahead of the band's show at EPIC Event Center in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Thirty-plus years after their quadruple-platinum self-titled debut, Candlebox is back with original guitarist Peter Klett back in the fold — and new music on the way. In this candid conversation, Kevin opens up about the true story behind "F...

Mile of Music is back — and this year it's officially a nonprofit! With Mile 13 less than a month away, Fox Cities Core host Andy McNamara sits down with three of the people who make it happen: founder Dave Willems, Director of Talent & Partnerships Ian Thomson, and Venue & Artist Relations lead Melissa Freeman. In this episode of Fox Cities Core — Code Zero Radio's weekly deep div...

Ryan Vander Sanden — General Manager and Entertainment Director at EPIC Event Center in Green Bay — joins Fox Cities Core on WCZR Code Zero Radio for a wide-open conversation about the business of live music, the stories behind the shows, and why Northeast Wisconsin's concert scene is better than ever. Ryan pulls back the curtain on everything from his first (hilariously disastrous) national b...

Kalamazoo noise rock duo Bronson Arm — Blake Bickel (baritone guitar/vocals) and Garrett Yates (drums) — stop by the studio in Appleton, Wisconsin for a wide-ranging conversation on Fox Cities Core, the weekly live interview show on WCZR Code Zero Radio, hosted by Andy McNamara. The band is on the road supporting their latest album Casket Schwagg (Learning Curve Records).In this interview, Blake a...

Sam and Tony from Horace Green stop by Code Zero Radio's Fox Cities Core with host Andy McNamara to talk all things Powerlounge — their brand new full-length album dropping June 6th, recorded entirely in their own home studio over the course of two-plus years. In this episode, the guys break down the origins of their self-invented genre "Powerlounge" (yes, they looked it up — they&#3...

Tim Schweiger talks about his early days with Yesterday's Kids — how a homemade Everly Brothers pop-punk tape landed them a deal on Ben Weasel's Panic Button Records — and the lessons learned from years of grinding tours, before finding his footing as a solo artist and frequent collaborator with Tommy Stinson of The Replacements. Tim digs into the realities of the modern music industry, th...

Reverend Norb, Paul #1, Paul #2 and Ric Six appeared on Code band talks about their upcoming benefit show for Dan Dillon — former singer of The Minors and one of the founding figures of the Green Bay punk scene — who is recovering from a serious stroke. The show takes place June 13 at Badger State Brewing in Green Bay with Fun w/ Atoms, Rebel Waltz, and the Smart Shoppers. Tickets are $20, with pr...

ABF Monthly is back! Join us as we sit down with Mark Mader from the Appleton Beer Factory and Appleton Music Factory for our monthly catch-up covering all the latest music, events, and brewery news happening in and around Appleton, WI.In this episode we cover:- Cheese Fest and Paper Fest lineup announcements, including Astronomers, Holly, Post-Sex Nachos, Vo, Six Foot Blonde, Scorched Waves, Cand...