Don't Bother Wearing Seatbelts (An Elephant 6 Recording Company Podcast)

DBWS 2-24 Elf Power Vainly Clurching with Andrew Reiger Here's another season one episode freed from behind the paywall. This episode marked the official start of Patrick Tape Fleming' as a co-host. We kinda forgot to tell Andrew Reiger about it ahead of time. But no biggie... They actually know each other and are fans of each other's musical work. We mostly discuss Elf Power's lo-fi 1995 masterpi...

DBWS 2-23: The Sunshine Fix — Age of the Sun As the 1990s came to a close, the Elephant 6 universe entered one of its most fascinating and creative chapters. The Olivia Tremor Control — the Athens, Georgia kaleidoscopic psychedelic pop machine that helped define an era .. had drifted into different corners of time and space. Its two visionary songwriters began exploring new worlds: Will Cullen Har...

DBWS 2-22 Azalia Snail We are honored to be joined by the one and only Azalia Snail — the legendary “Queen of Lo-Fi.” A true pioneer of the 1990s underground, Azalia helped shape the sound of home recording, neo-psychedelia, experimental pop, and the DIY universe that so many artists continue to explore today. She is a songwriter, a multi-instrumentalist, a sonic explorer — and someone whose life...

DBWS 2-21: Honey Puppy b/w Witch Cat Records This episode is a special two-fer. The first half is a discussion with Athens, GA upstart Honeypuppy about their "Dirty TV" release. Their previous work and "Dirty TV release on Cloud Recordings can be purchased here: https://honeypuppy.bandcamp.com Then things transition to a talk with Johnny of Witch Cat Records about his very unique physical releases...

DBWS Episode 20: Of Montreal with Andy Gonzales In this episode of Don’t Bother Wearing Seatbelts, we sit down with former Of Montreal member Andy Gonzales to dive deep into Of Montreal’s beloved Elephant 6 classic, Coquelicot Asleep in the Poppies: A Variety of Whimsical Verse. Andy takes us behind the scenes of the album’s creation, sharing incredible stories about recording the entire project o...

DBWS 2-19: Don’t Bother Wearing Seatbelts Dressy Bessy Mathew and Rudy are back in this episode from our first season... now free from behind a paywall..  speaking with Dressy Bessy core members Tammy Ealon and John  Hill about their new 1999 “Pink Hearts, Yellow Moons”.  But this ain’t no nostalgia show! In addition to discussing their debut full-length release, we get into their long history up...

DBWS 2 episode 18- Black Swan Network with Ron Kwasman In this one, we’re talking to longtime friend and archivist of all things E6 Ron Kwasman about the “Early Music Volume 1” release from Black Swan Network on May 8, 2026 on Happy Happy Birthday to Me Records. Ron was pivotal in assembling this collection and insuring the legacy of Will Cullen Hart lives on. And oh yeah, Ron is also a film maker...

DBWS 2-17 Devine and Devine and Rishis In this one, we’re diving into two mini classic episodes from our first season that still feel as alive and necessary now as they did then. First up is Chris McKay’s Devine and Devine — a record born out of the kind of circumstance that reshapes everything. Faced with his own mortality, Chris didn’t just write songs, he tore up the rulebook and created in a w...

DBWS 2-16 “Flowers Telegraphed to all Parts of the World” with Jennifer Baron of The Garment District In this one, we’re talking to Jennifer Baron of The Garment District and many other great groups. Per usual, we try to to stick to the record, but you know the drill. Talking about all the other things a bunch of music nerds is kind of inevitable. This conversation goes deep! You can find more Gar...

DBWS 2-15 “The Rose Explodes” with Dream Boat We’re back with another episode from our first season, freed from behind a paywall. In this one, we’re talking to the dreamy and ethereal Dream Boat. And the episode is much more interesting than this description. It’s actually one of the standout episodes of the first season.  You can find more Dream Boat here: https://dreamboatsound.bandcamp.com You...

DBWS 2-14 “Middle-Aged Love EP” with The Sloan Brothers In this episode, we talk with R. Sloan Simpson about his pandemic-born music project The Sloan Brothers as well as  his history as an audio documentarian of the Athens, Georgia music scene and maybe some Boston (the band, not the city) as well. Listeners of the podcast version of this episode will get an additional 10-minute of the talk.  You...

DBWS 2-13 “Songs About The Ocean” with The High Water Marks In this episode, we talk to  Hilarie and Per Olé of High Water Marks about their great debut album “Songs About The Ocean” and everything in between from KISS to Slayer. Ya know… all the things you’d expect from an Elephant 6 discussion. Listeners of the podcast version of this episode will get an additional 20-minute bonus episode at the...

DBWS 2-12 “OK Shine OK” with The Tammy Shine In this episode, we talk to Tammy of Dressy Bessy about her new solo album “OK Shine OK” and, of course, a whole lot of other things, too.  You can pre-order or order the new Tammy Shine record here: https://hhbtm.bandcamp.com/album/ok-shine-ok Full details on where to see The Tammy Shine live and other assorted info: https://thetammyshine.com   You can...

DBWS 2-11 “The Albemarle Sound” with The Ladybug Transistor Those who have heard The Ladybug Transistor’s “The Albemarle Sound” know it’s an absolute masterpiece and standout among late 1990s Elephant 6 releases. Joining OG E6 fan Mathew and E6 newbie Rudy are THREE KEY MEMBERS of the band’s iconic lineup. That’s Gary Olson, Jennifer Baron, and Sasha Bell. They share all sorts of information about...

DBWS 2-10 “Leap Through Poisoned Air” with Andrew Reiger In the summer of 2025, the world was treated to new music by not only Andrew Reiger of Elf Power, but also Will Cullen Hart of Olivia Tremor Control and Circulatory System. It was  a collaboration that dated back to the late 90s when the two lived together. And while Hart is sadly no longer with us, Andrew was more than willing to discuss al...

DBWS 2.9 “Are You Sleepy?” with The Gerbils While not as prominent as some other bands, the Elephant 6 Movement owes a great deal of its foundation in Rustin, Louisiana to an astoundingly great band called The Gerbils. Try not to smile, laugh, cry, and just tap your toes to the music and words of this charmingly naive band that greatly exceeds their limitations. Plus this episode from our first se...

DBWS 2.8 “The Apples in Stereo” with author Josh Bloom In this episode, Mathew and Patrick are speaking with author Josh Bloom about his long time friendship and working relationship with Robert Schneider and other members of The Apples in Stereo. He’s written a pretty detailed insider’s look at the band and it’s coming out just in time for the holidays! You can pre-order or purchase a copy of the...

DBWS 2.7 “Don’t Swim Too Close” with Benjamin Crum of Great Lakes This episode marks the second appearance of Benjamin Crum on the show and we’re discussing the new Great Lakes album “Don’t Swim Too Close” on Happy Happy Birthday to Me Records. You can purchase a copy of “Don’t Swim Too Close” on vinyl or digital download here: https://greatlakesbencrum.bandcamp.com/album/dont-swim-too-close You c...

DBWS 2.6 “Explanation II” with Will Cullen Hart This episode is a re-packaging of a season one episode that originally appeared behind the Discograffiti paywall on Patreon.  One year ago, on November 23rd, hosts Rudy Fischmann and Mathew Bell were joined for the first time by new co-host Patrick Tape Fleming for what none of us knew would become one of the most meaningful conversations in the hist...

Don’t Bother Wearing Seatbelts episode 2-5: Black Foliage by Olivia Tremor Control with John Kiran Fernandes” This episode is a free re-broadcast of our very first episode which appeared behind a paywall as part of the Discograffiti music podcast's Patreon account. Special thanks goes out to Dave Gebroe for being cool with us re-releasing these episodes so we can share these really compelling disc...

DBWS 2.4 “Proverbs” with The Shut-Ups   This is a band with an immense catalog and their latest release… “Proverbs”, a double-album, does not fail to confound just like all their previous efforts.   And despite their efforts to dissuade any serious evaluation of their work, we at “Don’t Bother Wearing Seatbelts” feel like we made some inroads into helping the world better understand the enigma tha...

DBWS 2.3 Chris McKay’s “The Price Of A Wish Some artists look death straight in the eyes and refuse to flinch. Henri Matisse, confined to a wheelchair after cancer surgery, reinvented his process entirely, cutting bold, life-affirming shapes from paper when his hands could no longer guide a brush. Georgia O’Keeffe, nearly blind from macular degeneration, refused surrender, dictating color and form...

DBWS 2.2 Giant Day’s “Alarm” zOMG zOMG!!! We can’t be excited enough about Giant Day’s new release “Alarm” out Oct. 10, 2025 on the Elephant 6 Recording Company imprint. Seriously, it’s really good. But so is this discussion with the band. We talk about everything from the ins and outs of recording this record to Mutt Lange’s marital history. It’s got literally everything you could ever want from...

DBWS 2.1 Jardin Botanique’s “Isthmus” Welcome to the second season of “Don’t Bother Wearing Seatbelts”, the podcast that explores the extensive world of the Elephant 6 Movement with the artists behind it yesterday, today, and tomorrow. This episode marks the beginning of the show’s second season, now out from behind a paywall and a part of Bored Music Geek Radio.  Our premiere on this new platform...