Tour Stories/The Check-In with Joe Plummer

Dent May is an LA based singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. His 7th full length record The Big One is due out August 14th via Carpark Records. Dent share’s his experience growing up in Mississippi and why his connection to music was so meaningful both as a child and in his formative years. He tells us how his production approach rides the line of maximalist and minimalist, why he chose t...

Evil Island have announced their debut album, Terraform The Afterlife , arriving August 14 via Blowed Out Records. Born from the creative firestorm that followed The Blood Brothers' 2024 reunion tour, the record finds Johnny Whitney, Cody Votolato, Mark Gajadhar and Autry Fulbright pushing their collective chemistry into bold new territory. In this episode, Johnny and Cody explain the story behind...

Dawson Daugherty is a singer, songwriter and founding member of Almost Monday. Their second album Thank God It’s Almost Monday is due out September 9 via Hollywood Records and are on tour now with Young The Giant and Cold War Kids. This week Joe reports from the back of a tour bus where Dawson share’s the unique origin of Almost Monday, how surfing played a role in the formation of the band and wh...

This is a special episode. We would like to present As Many Weirdos As Possible , a documentary photography project honoring the Pacific Northwest music scene from 1985 to 1995. A team of photographers is capturing portraits of bartenders, musicians, engineers, journalists and others from the community, in places that tie them to their stories. Through portraits and handwritten memories, it spotli...

Bob Bert is a New Jersey based drummer, writer, and punk rock veteran whose resume includes Sonic Youth, Pussy Galore, Knoxville Girls and Lydia Lunch. His debut solo record Beach Bongo Bloodbath is due out June 12th via Bar None Records. Bob shares the process and inspiration behind the new record, which is largely made up of an eclectic collection of covers. We learn how a specific percussion se...

Melanie Radford is a bassist, singer and songwriter based in Seattle. Her debut solo album For The Sake Of Stillness is due out June 26th via Jealous Butcher Record. Melanie shares her experience in the Boise music scene and why she shifted her playing from jazz to rock. We learn how For The Sake Of Stillness is both a personal mediation and a need for stillness and grounding. She tells us why fie...

Beck Zegans is a Queens based singer, guitarist, and songwriter. Her newest record Engraving Of Armor is out now via Exploding in Sound records. Beck tells us why Engraving Of Armor has taken her to a new level and sound in songwriting. She shares the collaborative process it took to make the new record and how arranging, mixing, and writing simultaneously shaped the overall sound. We learn how sh...

Alden Hellmuth is a NY based saxophonist and composer. Following her acclaimed 2024 debut album Good Intentions , Hellmuth returns with the aptly titled Tether , an eight-track exploration of jazz, punk and freeform improvisation. Alden share’s the inspiration behind the new direction and sound on Tether, what it was like writing for two basses and how mixing and processing played a role on not on...

Kevin Barnes is the singer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter for of Montreal. aethermead, of Montreal’s 20th studio album is due out June 5th via Polyvinyl Record Co. Kevin shares the unusual heartbreak story behind the new record, why it felt right to go with a more collaborative approach and how the invented record title relates to a very important part of his daily routine. He tells us how...

Nick Thorburn is the singer and founding member The Creem, a new collaborative project with Ratatat’s guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Mike Stroud. Their debut release The Taste of Cherry is due June 5th, with two irresistible singles Goodbye and Taste of Cherry available now. After a quick catch up from the Mister Heavenly bandmates, Nick shares the slow blossoming story behind The Creem and h...

Mini Serrano and Jojo Lavina-Maldonado are the founding members of the Philadelphia based band Cold Court. Their debut EP Hands Up is out June 19th with lead singles Burn and Nina available now. Mini and JoJo tell us how they’re music interest and proficiency evolved from their pre-teens to now and why they are increasingly relinquishing genre mixing rules to create their own identity. We learn wh...

Alexander Attitude and Kendra Cox are the founding members of Seattle based Telehealth. Their second full length and Sub Pop debut Green World Image will be available May 15th. Alexander and Kendra share the origin and evolution of Telehealth, how they secured an airtight record deal with Sub Pop and why the band partially functions as a coping mechanism. We learn how their pessimistic and satiric...

Jacob Turnbloom is the singer, guitarist and founding member of Mrs. Magician. The newest record Spiritual Hangover is due out May 15th via Swami Records. Jacob tells why the new record is driven by a heftier sound, what inspired that and how the magic of The Foo Fighters Studio 606 brought it to fruition. He tells us how his song-writing perspective has evolved, what role humor plays in his lyric...

Evan Cartwright is a composer, collaborator, and drummer for the band Cola. Cola’s third LP, Cost Of Living Adjustment is due out May 8th via Fire Talk Records. Evan tells us how the band allowed themselves more time and space in the writing process for Cost Of Living Adjustment and how that contributed to the sound of the record. Joe and Evan discuss the of the newest single Conflagration Mindset...

Rae Chen is a singer, songwriter and guitarist operating under the moniker tofusmell. His debut full length album All My Time is due out April 24th via Hardly Art. Rae tells us how he grew up in Florida on the edges of both a pop punk and worship scene, and why he picked up the guitar and eventually found himself in Winnipeg. We hear how his approach to writing gives a feeling of sonic closeness,...

Carla J Easton is a Glasgow based singer, songwriter, and filmmaker. Her newest record, I Think That I Might Love You is due may 8th via Ernest Jenning Records. Carla tells us why the new record is more guitar focused than her previous releases and how it changed her view on the creative process. We learn why she in more comfortable with her lyrics and how that has has translated into a more evoca...

Billy Fuller is a song writer, bass player and founding member of the band Beak>. Billy’s debut solo album Fragments is a sonic journey that spans time as it collects fragments of Billy creating alone in his home studio over the last few years. The songs not only inspire the visual, but they hypnotize, pulse and guide the listener through a hazy, atmospheric, and groovy motorik landscape. Fragm...

Bach Artillerie is made up of multi-instrumental wizards Greg Saunier (Deerhoof) and Curt Sydnor. This absurdist take on the nine canons from Johann Sebastian Bach’s Goldberg Variations and his Brandenburg concerto no. 5. will be released on April 24th via Ernest Jenning Records. We get a unique perspective from both Greg and Curt not only on Bach’s musicality, but his work ethic, the root of his...

Alex Edkins is a singer, song writer and guitarist for Weird Nightmare, Noble Rot and Metz. The newest Weird Nightmare album Hoopla is out May 1 via Sup Pop Records and is the quintessence of power pop punk rock and roll. Alex tells us why the new record leans into a more direct and fun approach and where his love for power pop began. We learn how his lyrics have moved to a more personal delivery...

Austin Brose is the percussionist, drummer, and a founding member of The Nude Party. Their newest record, Look Who’s Back” is out now just ahead of an extensive North American tour. Austin shares the origin of The Nude Party, the inseparable and nomadic nature of the group and why he thinks learning to play their instruments together has forged a healthy evolution of song writing. He tells us why...

Formed in Yogyakarta, based in Jakarta, Grrl Gang is an Indonesian indie pop band consisting of vocalist/guitarist Angee Sentana, bassist/vocalist Akbar Rumandung, and guitarist/vocalist Edo Alventa. Their newest maxi-single release Online 24/7 is out now via Green Island Music. Angee and Akbar share the origin of the band and how The Stone Roses not only changed Akbar’s life but played a role in...

Asher White is a songwriter and multi-instrumentalist based in NYC. Her newest release, Jessica Pratt, is a full album cover of Jessica Pratt’s self-titled debut LP (out now on Joyful Noise). Asher share’s her love for the Pratt record, the motivation behind covering an entire record and how the kernel of this idea may have stemmed from a tiny fib. She explains why the recording already written so...

James Petralli is the singer, songwriter and founding member of the now Los Angeles based band, White Denim. The newest release 13 will hit the streets on April 24th via Bella Union. Second time guest Petralli share’s the thoughtful and sonically aggressive nature behind the new record and how it relates to his personal experience his community and the state of affairs in the US. The two discuss J...

Andrew Becker is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, and founder Human Potential. The newest release Eel Sparkles in out on March 6th via What Delicate Recordings. Andrew tells us how band dynamic drove him start his solo project and why he puts music before self in his expression. He shares his approach to learning other instruments outside of drumming and why he dedicated himself to the craft of...

Zak Sally, a Minneapolis resident, talks with Joe about the unwarranted and ill planned ICE invasion of his city that resulted in the murder of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Read Zak's thoughts on the ICE invasion here. Zak Sally Zak's music here. The Hand Mentioned in this episode: Distrokid Izotope Schecter Guitars