Cult and Culture

Episode 40 is a conversation with drummer Joe Plummer (Cold War Kids, Modest Mouse, The Shins, The Black Heart Procession, etc.). They talk about the variety of music he has taken part in, working on research podcasts, tour stories involving frisbees and back problems, pickle ball and yoga, the San Diego connections that Joe has, and the similarities in the DNA of Seattle and San Diego. They also...

In Episode 39 of the Cult and Culture Podcast, Luke and Justin interview two of their yoga instructors, Jamie Lee and Nam Chanterwyn. Both of these teachers have a unique style to instructing, as well as interesting approaches to life that, in many ways, tie into the concepts of being in a band. Luke and Justin wanted to take this episode to focus on a different point of view that may challenge wh...

In this episode, Justin and Luke talk with Nick Reinhart (Tera Melos, Disheveled Cuss, Death Grips, Pinback). They talk less about the technical proficiency that Nick clearly has, but the morals connected with being a musician. Nick reflects on the importance of Tera Melos for himself, and Nick and JP share the memories and lore surrounding Tera Melos playing with The Locust, considering how techn...

In the latest episode of Cult and Culture, Luke and Justin have a conversation with Lucien Greaves, co-founder of The Satanic Temple and Satanic Planet. Some may remember that they had done an earlier episode with him in 2019; since then, and largely as a result of that podcast conversation, they created Satanic Planet, a musical project which combines the previously formed Planet B with the addit...

In Episode 36 of this podcast, Justin and Luke join their Planet B bandmates Scott Osment (Deaf Club, Glassing) and Kevin Avery (Cnts, Buddha Trixie) to talk about the band as a whole. They cover its beginnings, how it operates with what is essentially three drummers (two live drummers and Luke using two MPCs), and the process of writing lyrics for a band that may be too strange for people to get...

Episode 35 of Cult and Culture is a conversation with Rob Moran, filmed and recorded in one of San Diego's best bars/restaurants, Kindred. Rob is a musician in bands such as Unbroken, Some Girls, Over My Dead Body, Narrows, and others, as well as co-owner of Heartwork Coffee. Luke, Justin, and Rob discuss the formation of San Diego hardcore legends Unbroken, and the unconventional influences (such...

This episode is a conversation with producer, DJ, and turntablist D-Styles (Invisibl Skratch Piklz, Beat Junkies, Third Sight) They talk about the connection between death metal and turntablism, Mix Master Mike and the Beastie Boys, creating grimy beats from 50 cent records, and letting music do the talking over expensive gear. They also cover the Beat Junkie Institute of Sound, which is a DJ scho...

In Episode 33, Justin and Luke talk with Bobby Bray of The Locust, Holy Molar, and INUS. Bobby is a guitarist, a sound technician, and teacher. The three start the conversation with the formation of The Locust, Bobby's trajectory branching out from death metal as a teenager, and the eventual goal of being a “brutal Residents”/“brutal DEVO." They dive into the business side of music, the legal aspe...

This episode is a conversation between bassists with Chis Slorach (Metz, The Armed). The discussion touches on topics like how Metz has operated over the years, favorite drummers and the importance of them to a band, the jazziness of Nomeansno, and how being booed sometimes is more memorable than the positive highlights. Chris also shares his approach to bass playing, keeping things simple but cru...

In this episode of Cult and Culture, JP and Luke interview another JP, one of Justin's oldest and best friends, Jose Palafox. Jose is a drummer who has been in bands such as Struggle and Swing Kids with Justin, has been a college professor, and now works as a social worker in drug rehabilitation in the Bay Area. This episode focuses heavily on mental health, with discussion of suicide. The convers...

In the latest episode, Luke and Justin talk with Tad Miller, drummer of one of the pioneers of powerviolence, Crossed Out. Tad recounts his beginnings in music in school, playing percussion with power and theatricality in a way that influenced his “caveman” approach to drumming in his band. He also notes the perhaps seemingly unlikely impact on him of genres like prog and funk, as well as his conn...

In Episode 29, Cult and Culture talks with NYC-based Venus Twins, Jake and Matt Derting, simultaneously the sweetest and noisiest identical twin punks you'll ever come across. The two discuss their start in music, from learning it in a more classical sense and going to school for it, dropping out, and transitioning to the drum-bass DIY noise duo they have become. They talk telepathy, parlor tricks...

On this episode of Cult and Culture, Luke and Justin speak with prolific San Diego musician John Reis of Pitchfork, Drive Like Jehu, Hot Snakes, Rocket from the Crypt, Plosivs and more. They discuss the idea of speaking through an instrument, trying to play every show with the goal of making it feel like the only place in the world someone would want to be, experiencing the chaos of a live GG Alli...

Cult & Culture Podcast Episode 27, feat. Julie Robbins and Jamie Stillman of EarthQuaker Devices, dives into the history of one of the most highly regarded pedal companies among musicians right now. Julie and Jamie share their approaches to running a business placing DIY ethics above all else, the importance of valuing their employees/team over profit, and often draw comparisons in their day t...

In Episode 26 of Cult and Culture, Justin and Luke catch up with two members of short-lived 90s hardcore band End of the Line, Cory Linstrum (John Henry West) and Matt Anderson (Gravity Records, Heroin). They talk about coming up DIY, seeing Born Against play in their own garage, working with Ebullition to release their only album (now being reissued by Three One G), and the second (third? fourth?...

In episode 25 of Cult and Culture, Justin and Luke interview the "hard leather disco” queer duo, Plack Blague. Raws and Loren (also known for his drawings under the moniker Butch Dick Art), who are also long term partners, touch on growing up at different times and places, in Lincoln, Nebraska and San Francisco respectively. The two went through disparate experiences in connection to the gay commu...

Detroit-based synth punk band ADULT., Nicola and Adam, come to talk with Justin and Luke on this episode of Cult and Culture in the midst of their most recent 51-date tour. The couple, who have been together for 25 years and been a band just as long, discuss the formation of ADULT. purely as a way for Nicola to go to Germany for free, how decades together leads to melding aesthetically into the sa...

In episode 23 of Cult and Culture, Justin interviews Barney and Shane of legendary extreme metal band Napalm Death. The trio discuss the idea of pacifism as a way to combat hatred, the chokehold global war machines have on our ways of life, the shortcomings of governments as they stand today, animal rights activism, and some of the more dangerous situations they've encountered during performances...

Cult and Culture episode 22 looks into the prolific career of San Diego's Mario Rubalcaba, best known as drummer of bands such as Earthless, Hot Snakes, Rocket from the Crypt, Clikatat Ikatowi, Off!, 411 and more, as well as guitarist in Chicano-Christ-- all of which is in addition to his time as a professional skateboarder. Mario gives insight as to how he found his way into various bands startin...

In episode 21 of Cult and Culture, Providence-based musician, author and writing professor Eric Paul discusses different facets of his career and life. Having been in bands such as Arab on Radar, The Chinese Stars, Doomsday Student, and currently Psychic Graveyard, Eric, Justin, and Luke discuss his wholly unique and feral stage presence, and where it stems from. They also delve into the evolution...

In episode 20 of Cult & Culture, Justin and Luke take part in another double-interview with two old friends-- both members of Seattle-based hardcore punk band Filth is Eternal-- Lisa Mungo (He Whose Ox is Gored) and Rah Davis (Cattle Decapitation). The discussion starts with Rah and Lisa's first connections to music, which both include growing up in musical families, and the struggles as well...

Episode 19 is a conversation with San Diego-based Karlos Paez of B*Side Players and Sonido de la Frontera. Karlos is a “musician, DJ, producer, songwriter, activist, and thrift store hustler” whose music incorporates elements of cumbia, funk, acid jazz, soul, Latin groove, Afro-beat, and hip hop, among others. With a career spanning over 25 years, this episode touches on many of Paez’s early music...

Brian Amalfitano (ACxDC) and Tommy Meehan (The Manx, Squid Pisser), both guitarists in Deaf Club with Justin, take part in this episode of Cult and Culture. They discuss their methods when it comes to collaborating in the band, and the shared goal of creating organized chaos in order to push the listener and themselves. They share some of their early influences, including Gwar and Nirvana, and the...

Cult & Culture’s 17th episode features Black Dice, a band that has undergone transformation over its 25 years in existence from a frightening hardcore band whose dangerous reputation preceded them to an electronic style that still has its teeth but with a different approach. The band reflects on the opportunities they’ve had while at the same time not quite ever fitting into any one scene. The...

Episode 16 features Heather Galipo. Heather is an artist of different realms, including music (guitar and vocalist) as well as makeup and special effects. Luke, Justin and Heather discuss being a feelings/emotions-based musician, bending the rules and approaching music from an untrained perspective, the relationship between the film and music world, and more. The concept of Cult and Culture began...