I Hate Music

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...

I was not going to miss a Mr. Bungle reunion, and neither was my old friend Nick.  Nick Loiacano and I became friends over 20 years ago in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and have collaborated on a number of musical endeavors.  He was my partner in crime on Nothing's "The Grey Subaudible" album, he's the main writer in Climb to Zalem and has been involved in a number of bands including Killer Whale, Self...

Upon arriving at my studio, I told Scot we would record for two hours at the most.  We recorded for six.  This is the first installment of our long form meeting. Scot and I have known each other for a relatively short period of time, but we became fast friends, and even though we come from two different musical worlds, those two worlds share a lot of commonalities.  Scot is a composer and conceptu...

Mirai Kawashima and Sigh have been pushing, dare I say, smashing the paradigms within metal for decades.  From their early days on Euronymous' Deathlike Silence Productions to their most recent album "Heir to Despair," Sigh has found comfort in the dark seeping underbelly of music.  I asked Mirai to provide some music to share with my cohort Don Anderson.  Music that has intrigued him, confused hi...

For this episode I was joined by my good friends Joy Von Spain and Masaaki Masao.  They are the duo that comprises the death industrial project To End It All, and as if that didn't keep them busy enough, they are in Eye of Nix as well. These two are two of my favorite performers and I have been blessed to see them, and share the stage with them many times. I was able to catch up with them when the...

Once again, back is the incredible, the rhyme animal, the uncannable CC-P.  He brought with him the latest King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard album, "Infest the Rats' Nest."  As always, when the Gizz releases a new record, we are here with bated breath, ready to digest and dissect, to criticize and celebrate. On this album King Gizzard decide to tread through waters that are dear to me heart, they...

In the first of what I hope is a series of many, I welcome a guest curator for this episode.  This time, I asked legendary producer/engineer/musician Dan Swano to pick six songs from his career to share with us.  You may know him from his work with Edge of Sanity, Pan Thy Monium, or Bloodbath, or perhaps even his production or engineering work with bands such as Marduk or Opeth, but get ready to d...

Jori has been a guest before.  Last summer when Eneferens came through Portland on tour, he stopped by to share some music.  This summer bore witness to another Eneferens tour, so we decided to do it again. At the time of this recording, Jori was in the process of moving back to Bozeman, Montana after living for a couple of years in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He joined me towards the end of his tour...

Nick Wusz and I go way back.  I first met him when I moved to Portland to join Sculptured.   He played guitar for the band and immediately welcomed me with a hug and some Cajun pretzels.  Since then, we've become very close and often share stories and music with each other.  This visit was no different. Join us as we talk about Sparkling Water, Sepultura, we read some listener Email, geek out abou...

Velnias has been an underrated yet powerful force in the American Black Metal scene for many years.  After a moderate hiatus, the Velnias cult has returned with an impending new album and a short tour of the West Coast. Taking a small break from tour, Velnias joined me for talk about Thrash Metal, the Cascadian Annex, True Water Music, Portable record players, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Dungeon Th...

A new King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard record means a new episode with Casey C-P.  This time their latest, "Fishing for Fishies."  The Australian wonder-band mellows out a bit on this album, and assaults us with their over-use of the word "boogie" and apparently can't put down their harmonica for more than a few seconds. Casey C-P and I unwrap the album, dissect it's contents and drink its sweet...

Let's try this again. Last time Aaron John Gregory of KHôRADA, Squalus and Giant Squid was on, we ended it early.  This encounter was much more pleasant.  We were a bit rushed though as we decided to record right before going to perform as main support for Melvins.  Our energy was up, attitudes were good, and beer and music was flowing. We settled into some nice conversations about IBUs, ABV, Vide...

Sometimes things don't go as planned.  Sometimes, the best intentions fall flat.  Sometimes, even friendship just isn't enough. Join AJ and I for this eye opening episode where we discuss light bulbs, carry-on luggage, The Oregon Trail, and of course, ska."I Hate Music" theme by Marius Sjoli, performed by Billy Smeer. Closing music by Squalus. https://www.facebook.com/hatepod.music/ --------------...

Kayo Dot is a very important band to me, so it was an honor to welcome Ron Varod onto the podcast.  Ron is a multi-instrumentalist who is in Kayo Dot, Sabbath Assembly and performs solo under the name Zvi.  Zvi was on a tour across America supporting his new record "Deer Pink" and stopped in to share some interesting music and perspectives. Join us as we talk about Ulver, the pros and cons of drum...

Ione and I had been discussing for a while starting a series of podcasts, shorter episodes that exist in the larger body of IHM, that focus on bands or artists we both enjoy, but that we assume most listeners of I Hate Music would not enjoy.  We are calling this series "In Defense of...", and this is the first installment.  21 Pilots are very hit and miss for me, but I find them clever, ominous, s...

Robert Hunter and I go way back.  He is one of my favorite people.  He and I have collaborated on many things, including Snares of Sixes, Self Spiller and my short lived label, Audio Savant, that we both struggled with years ago.  He also makes music with IHM's very own Marius Sjoli in Hollow Branches, and solo under the moniker Occulted Sound.  Join Robert and I for beer, music and a few laughs."...

Asa Eisenhardt spearheads the shoegaze/postpunk band Nostalgist as well as runs the label Nostalgium Directive.  Asa and I have been friends for quite some time, and it was a pleasure to have him in my studio to share music.  Nostalgist's "Dissafection" was in my top 5 favorites records from 2018 so I wanted to get him in here to promote it a bit.  Join us for music, memories and a bit of nostalgi...