Look At My Records!

Episode 90 celebrates the 30th birthday of one of the best independent labels in the biz, Merge Records! The label is in the midst of a weekend long celebration down in North Carolina to commemorate its founding by Superchunk members Mac MaCaughan and Laura Ballance back in 1989, so I decided to have my own little celebration by compiling my favorite songs by Merge artists. The episode starts in t...

Tom was delighted to welcome Queue to the Look At My Records! program for Episode 89! Tune in to this extra long episode to hear all about the trio’s beginnings at Penn State, their influences and creative process, and a whole lot more. This episode also includes an extensive discussion of the British/Irish film Sing Street, including an ear-worm from the soundtrack, “Drive It Like You Stole It.”...

Jersey City musician Tom Barrett stopped by the Look At My Records! studio for Episode 88 to chat about his brand new solo EP. Tune in to hear all about the new EP, Three Songs , including a live performance of the EP’s third track, “I Once Believed We Were Free.” Plus, you’ll enjoy additional tunes from Mission of Burma, Sebadoh, Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks, Neil Young, and Kurt Vile! Tom wil...

Episode 87 of Look At My Records! previews a HOT summer of upcoming Mckenzie Tapes! Tune in to get a sneak peek of some legendary shows from the 80s and 90s by Pavement, 10,000 Maniacs, Naked Raygun, The Donnas, Tiny Lights, The Jesus Lizard, The Saints, and more! These bands played at a cool variety of local venues, including Maxwell’s, The Ritz, Tramps, Irving Plaza, and more. Keep your eyes glu...

Episode 86 of Look At My Records! celebrates the 25th anniversary of the New York Rangers historic Stanley Cup Championship with an episode full of songs from 1994. Back in 1994, the Rangers exorcised the demons of 1940 to capture their first Cup in 54 years. In reflecting on this important moment in my sports life, I also revisited MANY of my favorite records that were released in 1994. Several b...

Episode 85 previews an incredible month of gigs going down this month in Jersey City. Tune in as Tom gives you a run down of some of the best with songs from Red Baraat, A Deer A Horse, The Whiffs, Trü, The Jayhawks, Cicada Radio, Young House, Long Neck, Sonic Blume, Cliff Westfall, The Minus 5, and Juliana Hatfield! See you at the gigs: June 7th: Red Baraat at White Eagle Hall June 7th: A Deer A...

Episode 84 is a milestone in the history of the Look At My Records! podcast, as it’s the first ever episode RECORDED LIVE! New Jersey rock and rollers Winnebego stopped by and played a killer live set in my apartment that shook the foundation of my building! Tune in to hear four songs from their live performance, plus as in-depth interview that touches on topics ranging from the band Slightly Stoo...

Episode 83 features a chat with New Jersey-based musician, Otis Ball! Otis has an extensive and fascinating history in the music industry that started when he sent a demo tape of his music to John Linell and John Flansburgh of They Might Be Giants in the late 1980s! His tunes caught their attention, and Otis eventually moved from his hometown of Dekalb, IL to Hoboken, NJ. Once he arrived in Hoboke...

Episode 82 features New Jersey singer-songwriter, Mark Bucci of Brewster ! Brewster just released their debut album, Forever Better Kissers , on the Austin, Texas based label Good Relation Records . Tune in to hear all about the inspirations behind the album and the writing process behind it. You’ll hear four infectious tracks from Forever Better Kissers , including two of Tom’s favorites, “Being...

On Episode 81, Tom welcomed Andy Waldron of Jersey City dance-punk group Sailor Boyfriend to the Look At My Records! studio! The duo of Andy Waldron and Alex Mercuri recently released a brand new, incredible record entitled “Shapes and Colors.” Tune in to hear all about “Shapes and Colors,” including the making of the record and its themes. You'll also hear several great tracks from the album, inc...

Episode 80 features New Jersey’s Whiner ! You’ve waited almost three years for new tunes from this band, but don’t worry, you won’t have to wait any longer. Tune in to hear all four songs from their upcoming EP, You Never Have To Feel This Way Ever Again. To celebrate, the band is throwing two release shows. The first is on April 20th at The Meatlocker in Montclair with EU1LOGY, Tiers, and Johnny...

My travels out West brought me to Austin, Texas, where I caught up with the wonderful Jackie Venson! The two of us were supposed to chat back in March during the inaugural New Colossus Festival, but illness got the best of me. Luckily, we reschedule our chat while I was in Texas. Jackie currently has a whole lot going on. She’s about to drop a brand new record, Joy , and announced a massive tour i...

Is this meme still relevant? Episode 78 of Look At My Records! features nine of Tom’s favorite songs from a decade ago and nine of his favorite songs from the first three months of 2019. Take a trip down memory lane as we revisit some classic tunes by Real Estate, Times New Viking, Yo La Tengo, Girls, Vivian Girls, and more. Plus, Tom shares some brand new tunes from Tallies, THICK, The Stoppies,...

Johnny Leitera of Tuff Sunshine joined Tom for the 77th episode of Look At My Records! The Brooklyn based Tuff Sunshine are set to release the follow up to their excellent 2015 record, Fire In The Hero Building later this year, and Look At My Records! is pumped to prior the first track from the record, “We Seal Every Deal With A Kiss.” Tune in to hear this awesome brand new track, plus two tracks...

Episode 76 features an in depth conversation with New York City music producer and engineer, Charles Newman. Tune in to hear all about Charles’ long history in music, which includes working with Stephin Merritt of The Magnetic Fields, playing in various bands, and starting The Deli Magazine, which remains an important music publication in New York City. Charles also discussed his role as music sup...

Episode 75 of Look At My Records! features a chat with fellow XTC fanatic, Mark Fisher! Mark is the founder of the original XTC fanzine “Limelight” and has authored two books on the band, “The XTC Bumper Book Of Fun,” and the forthcoming “What Do You Call That Noise? An XTC Discovery Book.” Tune in to hear all about Mark’s background covering the band, his foray into publishing two books, and deta...

Episode 74 features the awesome Tula Vera! The Montclair-based four-piece is about a year removed from their debut self-titled record, which features some real rippers! Tune in to hear some of those rippers, including “Sunspot,” “Signs,” and “With God On Her Side.” Plus, here all about their recent tour and their plans for 2019! As always, the band made some great record picks. You can purchase Tu...

On Episode 73 of Look At My Records!, Tom chatted with Montclair, New Jersey math-rockers The Planet You! This work horse group has been consistently releasing music over the last three years, including two remarkable full-length albums, I Too (Me Also) in 2017 and their self-titled 2018 sophomore release. Tune in to hear all about the band’s complex math rock inclinations, their progressive rock...

Episode 72 of Look At My Records! features the incomparable John Cozz! This guy wears his New Jersey pride on his sleeve and isn’t shy about his love for our state’s treasured meat, TAYLOR HAM (not pork roll). Tune in to hear all about John’s tunes, his art, the process behind filming his epic music video for “Braincation” and his great record picks! Oh, and this episode features a brand new song...

2018 is coming to close! To commemorate a great year in music, I invited my BFF Zach Romano back to the program to count town our 10 favorite records of the year. Unlike last year, we had some overlap in 2018! Which records made both of our lists?? Tune in to find out!!

Connor Frost of Dizzy Bats is Tom's guest for Episode 70 of Look At My Records! Based in Northern New Jersey, Dizzy Bats is heading heading out on tour to start off 2019. Tune in to hear all about the band’s tour plans for January, their most recent EP I Don’t Live Here Anymore, and their plans for 2019. Plus, Connor picks, which include some classics! Check out the dates in the above flyer and ca...

In Episode 69, Tom welcomed the Brooklyn band New Myths to the program! The trio hung out and chatted at length about their origins, their awesome debut album "Give Me Noise,” and their plans for 2019. Plus, listen in to hear tons of New Myths specific facts, like how one member is a Beatles’ expert! Keep you eye on New Myths, as the group is planning to release their second album next year! Oh, a...

In Episode 68, Tom chatted with New Jersey musician Derek Kroemmelbein. Listen in to hear all about Derek’s latest releases, including the great singles “Give It Up,” “Mark My Words,” “All The Kids Say,” and “You Can Learn.” The two also chatted about Derek’s philosophy behind writing and recording music, and of course, combed through Tom’s collection for some wax gems!

In Episode 67, Tom chatted with Jersey City artist Evan Moore! Evan is the creative brains behind SSWWANN STUDIOS, which has produced some incredibly clever designs for pins, t-shirts, and patches. Some of Evan’s noteworthy designs include the beloved Fraiserhead mashup (pictured to the right), the John Lennon inspired “Jersey City” ringer shirt (pictured above), and the Sid Vicious and Nancy comi...

New Jersey indie folk duo Seamstress stopped by for Episode 66 of Look At My Records! Boy, what a treat it was to have Seamstress on the program! Tom chatted at length with Gabi and Charlie about the origins of the project, their ever-rotating live lineup, and their plans for 2019. Seamstress plans to release three new songs in early 2019 and they were kind enough to play those three tracks, “Ever...