Waterproof Records with Jacob Givens

When I first met Allison Scagliotti, we were playing guitars at a music event in Los Angeles where we became fast friends. Shortly after I would learn about her acting career where she is best known for roles in Drake & Josh, Warehouse 13, and Stitchers, but I knew Allison as a musician first. So when I asked her to to be a guest on the show, Allison chose Kate Bush's 'The Dreaming,' as her most i...

What is It?! It's IT! In 1990, and for many years since, a lot of us ponder this confusing question until we and just give in and sing along to Faith No More's "Epic." I remember watching MTV and seeing the music video for the first time as Mike Patton jumped around in the rain, a fish flopped on the ground and a piano exploded-- but there was something about this band's sound that was hard to def...

I welcome another fantastic musician this week who I found on TikTok named Dusty Gannon, who is the lead singer and guitarist of the goth rock band Vision Video. You can find Dusty online playing good music, wearing perfect goth makeup, and doing a hilariously charming character named 'Goth Dad.' But all of those things led him to where he is today... playing music for a living! I happily welcome...

This week I'm being taken to hip hop school, and my instructor is none other than Patrick Hicks with his music stories. You've probably seen Patrick in a viral video or two where he begins with his signature phrase, "This is a story about..." and then proceeds to take you on a well-crafted journey of a musician's career path that led them to where they are today. Patrick and I connected over TikTo...

We all remember belting out at the top of our lungs as we sang 'Whee-hen the dogs do find her' as Stone Temple Pilot's Plush played on the stereo with a group of friends in the 90s. Oh wait, I mean I still do that with my friends to this day! You've got to hand it to STP for delivering a debut album like Core, filled with Scott Weiland's unforgettable vocals and the unique guitar and bass from the...

One of the joys of being a music content creator on social media is discovering other talented musicians in the world and befriending them! This week I welcome Zach "Mac Glocky" MacLachlan, who is a singer, songwriter, TikToker, YouTuber, and multi-instrumentalist from Sacramento, CA. We go back to the beginning and talk about Mac's love of music from a young age that led him to write and record h...

I remember seeing the music video for "Seven" by Sunny Day Real Estate on MTV for the first time in 1994. This delicate singing voice luring me in close only to be smacked in the face by frenetic drum hits as if Animal from The Muppets was playing. This band would pop up again on the Batman Forever soundtrack in 1995, but it wasn't until a few years later that I really spent time listening to this...

Once the Seattle music scene exploded into the mainstream in the early 90s, bands like Soundgarden had already been carving their path since the mid 1980s. But it wasn't until the band's third album, Badmotorfinger, that some music videos were making their way to MTV in the middle of the night, but once Superunknown arrived  in 1994 the world exploded into a Black Hole Sun. From Chris Cornell's un...

Somewhere in the early 90s, an adorable nymph-like singer emerged from Icelandic landscape with heavy beats and soaring vocals and I was immediately smitten. While Debut had arrived 2 years prior, it was Post that took my breath away and made me a Björk fan for life. Whether it was the trip-hop elements, cinematic strings, or a surprising broadway cover, Björk's Post wrapped itself around me and p...

It's 1994 and the Beastie Boys drop their fourth studio album which explodes on the scene with a unforgettable music video by Spike Jonze for Sabotage. It really is the decade where anything is possible, and in this episode we talk about why Ill Communication is the perfect sequel to Check Your Head. Through art and activism, we witnessed the Beastie boys become Beastie men. Get 30% off your first...

"I'm angry... but I'm learning." I'll never forget sitting down and watching the video for Rage Against the Machine's 'Freedom' as a kid, and experiencing this aggression fueled by the injustices of the world. I was just a suburban kid in the middle of the country with my knowledge primarily given from school textbooks and generational tales. Not only was my understanding of the world changing, bu...

Flannel and combat boots. Stage dives and bellowing vocals. This... was Pearl Jam. I watched a grainy, black-and-white video on MTV with a long-haired baritone singing about being alive and I was hooked. Ten was a remarkable debut album from this collection of talented musicians from several dissolved bands. It truly was a key ingredient in the Seattle scene and generating that buzz word "grunge"...

In the mid 1990's, the L.A. band Kicking Harold was signed to a record deal at their very first show! Founded by singer-guitarist-songwriter Tim David Kelly, Kicking Harold experienced some early success with a song charting nationwide on alt-rock radio, and their song 'Gasoline' became the theme to the TV series Overhaulin for 9 seasons. I discovered Tim on TikTok for his vast music knowledge and...

1991 was an unforgettable year. One inconspicuous night in September, MTV aired a music video called "Smells Like Teen Spirit" that would change the music scene forever. Now with an exciting counterculture movement on the rise, Nirvana already knew that the 'sheep' would get in line as they prepared themselves for a tragic demise in only a few short years. But wow, what a landmark moment Nevermind...

Few can forget the first time they hit play on Alice In Chain's Dirt and Layne Staley's voice slapped you across the face as we launched into Them Bones. An iconic record from one of my favorite grunge bands from the 90's, Alice In Chains was hit by tragedy with the death of Layne Staley and even founding bassist, Mike Starr. Join me as we reminisce about this dark, heavy and brooding album. Learn...

I am thrilled to finally release this episode I recorded with Olivia Nilsson, daughter of legendary singer and songwriter, Harry Nilsson. If you don't know about Harry Nilsson's incredible contributions in music or why he was a favorite of The Beatles, it's time for you to learn all about this talented man who was gone far too soon. Olivia shares stories about her father, and I was fortunate enoug...

Who are my real friends? Have they all got the bends? After the success and internal stress of Creep, the band was tormented over the recording of their sophomore effort, The Bends. This week I reminisce about discovering the album, go track by track to share some Radiohead trivia, and explain how this band has traveled far away from planet Earth.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone...

In 2002, my musical horizons expanded to the world of post-rock when I discovered the magical Icelandic band known as Sigur Rós. This week on Waterproof Records I thought I'd dig in to the 'Untitled Album' since that's where it all began for me personally. Let's gallop through a waterfall of stardust like centaurs!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's 1994 and Weezer arrives in the nick of time to tell all the nerdy kids that it's okay to be uncool. Doo-wop vocals with some powerful fuzz, and these catchy hooks will stay with you forever and launch the decades long career of one of the biggest bands of the 90s. Join me as I reminisce about discovering the Blue Album by Weezer on Waterproof Records. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit m...

If you know me at all, you know how excited I am to welcome Jack Bates on Waterproof Records to talk about how he's been playing bass with The Smashing Pumpkins since 2015! We also discussed what it was like growing up with the legendary Peter Hook as a father, how he started playing bass, and what album changed his life musically.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Somewhere around 1994, most of us found ourselves trying to decipher and sing-along to the rapid-fire chorus from vocalist Kay Hanley in "Here and Now" by Letters To Cleo. Decades later, I find myself fortunate enough to sit down with the Boston band's frontwoman on Waterproof Records to talk about her impressive career in music as a songwriter, performer, and the specific album that changed Kay's...

Waterproof Records Podcast is back and better than ever! This week we welcome my good buddy, Matt Neal! Matt and I met over a decade ago doing stand-up comedy here in L.A., where we also discovered our shared passion for music and I found out he was the drummer of the 90's Philadelphia alternative rock band, Mariner Nine. Matt tells us some cool stories about life on the road, and we dig in to his...

The soundtrack to the 1995 movie Angus is chock full of great bands like Weezer, Green Day, The Goo Goo Dolls and more. But if I was going to revisit this 90's soundtrack, I may as well sit down with Angus himself... actor Charlie Talbert! Charlie and I met almost a decade ago doing stand-up in L.A. and we've kept in touch over the years so I invited him on Waterproof Records! Learn more about you...

My brother Joel traveled all the way to L.A. to come visit me over the weekend so I had to take the opportunity to sit down, drink some mead and talk about his favorite band of all time, The Cure. From favorite songs to nostalgic childhood memories, me and my older brother reminisce about the haunting embrace of this phenomenal band. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on Waterproof Records I sit down with drummer, accomplished writer, and my dear friend, Jarrett Dapier to discuss the band HUM, the positive impact of Bryan St. Pere's drumming, and their stellar 1995 release, 'You'd Prefer an Astronaut.' Jarrett and I met over two decades ago in our college town of  Champaign, Illinois, which coincidently is Hum's hometown-- so it was a fitting choice f...