Lamniformes Radio

This week I'm joined by Brian Barr of the Midwestern doom metal band Aseethe! Aseethe have a new album coming out on June 21st through Thrill Jockey records and personally I think it's their best yet. Brian and I talked about The Cost, why he almost walked away from doom metal entirely during COVID, touring while middle-aged, and more! You can pre-order "The Cost" here: https://thrilljockey.com/products/the-cost Or, catch Aseethe on tour: May 10 - Holyoke, MA - The Hoff May 11 - Providence, RI - AS220 Be Normal Fest! May 12 - New York, NY - Gold Sounds May 13 - Philadelphia, PA - HAUS May 14 - Washington, DC - Atlas Brew Works May 15 - Richmond, VA - Cobra Cabana May 16 - Raleigh, NC - Pour House May 17 - Columbia, SC - New Brooklyn Tavern May 18 - Atlanta, GA - Mom Said It's Fine Finally, grab "The Lonely Atom" out now: https://lamniformes.bandcamp.com/album/the-lonely-atom

This week I'm joined by songwriting, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Kabir Kumar. Kabir releases music under the name Sun Kin had has a new album called "Sunset World" dropping on April 19th. We talked about that album, writing songs as drummers, what Animal Collective has in common with South Asian classical music, why harmonized guitars are like mountain climbing, and much more! https://sunraykin.bandcamp.com/album/sunset-world https://lamniformes.bandcamp.com/album/the-lonely-atom

Writer Langdon Hickman and Kosmogyr singer Ivan Belcic return to Lamniformes Radio to discuss the return of drummer Mike Portnoy to the progressive metal band Dream Theater. The three of us are cursed with more Dream Theater knowledge than any man should have, and our only cure is passing that knowledge on to you. In this episode we discuss: -How far we each fell into the Dream Theater rabbit hole -Mike Portnoy's influence on our drumming -Dream Theater's discography at its best and worst -What Portnoy has been up to for the last 13 years -What we expect from the reunion Thanks for listening!

Ali Jaafar of Another Heave and the Zero Brightness podcast joins me to talk about Another Heaven's latest album "Heaven Sent", the Minneapolis music scene, PT Cruisers, horror, and much more! https://anotherheaven.bandcamp.com/album/iv-heaven-sent

Joseph Schafer returns yet again! This time to talk about his band Colony Drop's debut album "Brace For Impact", writing metal about anime, his influences as a lead singer, and overcoming self-doubt to release one of the year's best collections of high-speed retro metal.

This episode's guest is Cassie Weiland, a classical composer turned ambient pop artist who releases music under the name Vines. We talked about some Lamniformes Radio staples (music school, what we did during 2020 lockdown) as well as the art of covers, the intersection of art and athletics, and her new EP "Birthday Party", out on 8/18/23. Enjoy!

Frank and Jonathan return to get Podcasted in the Lamniforium once more. In the years since our first conversation The Mars Volta released a retrospective box set, then reunited with a new self titled record and a tour heavy on fan favorites. We share our thoughts on the new album, parse the contributions of the new band members, and reflect on the experiencing of seeing The Mars Volta on stage after so many years.

Today I'm joined by AJ Santillan, bassist of the New Jersey screamo band Massa Nera and an old friend from college. Massa Nera's second album "Derremar|Querer|Borrar|" comes out on December 2nd. It's a great album, mixing long-form screamo with mind-bending electronic experimentation. I was psyched to talk to AJ about how she joined Massa Nera, transitioning during the pandemic, how the screamo scene has changed over the years and more! https://massanera.bandcamp.com/

Josh Stanely came on the podcast to talk about his new album "Cataclysm Risqué" with his band Psychoid. Josh has played all types of music from rap to punk to folk and more. He even played in Lamniformes for a while! This one was recorded in person a few weeks ago. It was great chatting with Josh again, hope you enjoy the conversation! https://psychoid.bandcamp.com/album/cataclysm-risqu https://www.psychoidmusic.org/conspiracy

Producer Erik Gundel joins the podcast to talk about his new album "Level One Mage," working as a music therapist, his collaborations with Felicia Douglass (Dirty Projectors, Ava Luna) and Will Skarstad (Yellows Eyes) and playing Dungeons & Dragons during lockdown. https://erikgundel.bandcamp.com/album/level-one-mage?label=4089023467&tab=music

Composer and electronic producer Max Coburn joins the podcast to talk about his journey from shelling out burnt CDs of his music to blowing up on Soundcloud all the way to composing for the upcoming Netflix show "Battle Kitty." Max and I played in a few bands together back in the 2010s but haven't had a chance to catch up in a while, so I was psyched to have Max on to reflect on his career, video games, the rising Digital Fusion community, and much more! https://twitter.com/maxotunes https://soundcloud.com/maxo

BrooklynVegan editor Andrew Sacher joins the podcast to talk about the sudden break up of the long running Buffalo, NY metalcore band Every Time I Die. Every Time I Die were part of the boom in American metalcore in the early 2000s but out lasted their contemporaries to become a heavy music institution unto themselves over 20 years of consistent high quality work. Sacher helped break down why this band were able to endure and why their unexpected breakup leaves a void in modern metal. https://www.brooklynvegan.com/every-time-i-die-rip-a-transcendent-trailblazing-cathartic-band-till-the-very-end/ https://twitter.com/llllbfgllll

Lucio Oquendo of the screamo band New Grass joins the podcast to talk Rush, car culture, and his new album "Scoredatura Perforations" out now through Zegema Beach! https://newgrassrock.bandcamp.com/

Producer and podcaster Joseph Hurtado aka Saint Thrillah aka Young Moth rejoins the program to talk about the beat making world during the pandemic, staying organized, learning to make lo-fi music, helping produce the new 303Bam album, and joining the National Meat Treasure podcast. Always love catching up with Joey, give it a listen!

Joseph Schafer and Langdon Hickman of the Consequence of Sound column "Mining Metal" joined me to talk about Iron Maiden, one of the great bands of all time. We cover their entire discography, their outsize influence on heavy metal as well as the rest of popular music and culture, and plenty of strange digressions into all things heavy music. Because this is a long one, here are some time stamps! 0:00 - Intro and warm up 7:48 - The Di'Anno era 21:48 - The Golden Age 1:03:00 - The 90s 1:24:30 - Tracing the influence 1:36:30 - The Reunion Era 2:02:00 - Final thoughts

Violinist and guitarist Jessica T. of Daxma came on the podcast to talk about the band's new album "Unmarked Boxes", her path from classical music to heavy metal, the difference between electric and acoustic violins, recording under hellish conditions in the summer of 2020, covering Fleetwood Mac and more! Check out "Unmarked Boxes", out now: https://daxma.bandcamp.com/album/unmarked-boxes

Filmmaker Daniel Ott joins the podcast to talk about his path from making movies with friends growing up in Tulsa to working professionally in the film industry in Los Angeles. We cover our time together in college in Chicago, his upcoming short film "Apartment Story", his recent music video for Bellow's "McNally Jackson", and how Secret Movie Club survived COVID.

Puppeteer & writer Preston Wollner joined the podcast to talk about his journey as a visual artist, starting as a sculptor in high school, studying animation and performance art in Chicago, and finally launching his own Shadow Puppet show last month. Preston reached out to me to score his horror themed puppet show for children, "Morgus Bootoux's Shadow Show", so I figured that I should return the favor by interviewing him about his growth as an artist. The two of us go waaaaaaaaaaay back, so we went on a ton of fun digressions in this conversation, covering action figures, Nine Inch Nails, the importance of collaboration, and much, much more. Hope you enjoy the conversation!

An overdue explanation for the no longer weekly schedule this podcast has been operating on lately. Basically, day job got wild, other projects picked up, my booking skills couldn't keep up the pace, etc. Talk soon.

The audio version of my latest newsletter, which you can find at https://lamniformes.substack.com/ In short, I found myself frustrated and angry in the wake of Tropical Storm Ida and decided to take it out on an old Tool song that hasn't aged well. Have fun!

Today I am joined by Blake Luley, a songwriter who releases music as Rainwater. I first came across Rainwater's album “Saturn Return” shortly after it was released on Furious Hooves, the label that also released my own album Sisyphean a few years ago. As it turns out, Luley and I shared another connection, as he used to play in the bands Howth and Air Waves in Brooklyn, NY. These days Luley lives in Seattle where in addition to writing music he works as an elementary school teacher. Rainwater's most recent album “In-Between” came out on August 13th and it trades in the more ornate production of “Saturn Return” for a more insular take on Luley's soft rock inspired sound. This seemingly chill aesthetic serves as the backdrop for a group of sounds grappling with grief and anxiety. Luley and I had a great conversation about the album, becoming a father, finding new music in your 30s and much more. https://rainwatermusic.bandcamp.com/ https://lamniformes.bandcamp.com/

Some off the cuff thoughts on the new Between the Buried and Me album, the finale to The Rebuild of Evangelion, and what it means when an artist decides to return to an older project. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-human-instrumentality-podcast/id1549740529 https://lamniformes.bandcamp.com/album/you-cant-do-this-alone

Siddhu Anadalingham of Semaphore and Andrew Noseworthy of People Places Records joined me to talk about the long running prog metal band Between the Buried and Me. The three of us all got into the band during their come up in the 00s hardcore scene, but have all since fallen off after the band swerved deep into the prog zone. Since BTBAM are set to release the sequel to their beloved 2007 album Colors this month, I figured it was the right occasion to talk over the band's strange career and legacy. I had a lot of fun, hope you dig it! Semaphore: https://semaphoretheband.bandcamp.com/ Andrew Noseworthy: https://anmusiccomposer.bandcamp.com/ Lamniformes: https://lamniformes.bandcamp.com/

This is the audio version of a newsletter that I wrote about the passing of former Slipknot drummer Joey Jordison. You can read the text version of it at the following link: https://lamniformes.substack.com/p/joey-jordison-was-number-1

Calder Hannan is the host of the YouTube Channel 'Metal Music Theory', where he analyzes riffs from cutting edge metal bands with equally cutting edge music theory concepts. He also plays some really gnarly death metal of his own in the band Florid Ekstasis, and is working on a PhD from Columbia in music theory, so he really knows what he's talking about! I've loved watched Hannah's videos on YouTube so I was psyched to have him on the podcast to talk about how he comes up with his videos, his thoughts on the state of metal in academia, the tensions between academia and pop music theory, why people love to talk about Meshuggah so much, and much more! Here's the links to his channel, music, and patreon: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIrOOZeidxZjoDRFdLqabmA https://www.patreon.com/metalmusictheory

This is the audio version of my latest newsletter, which you can find here: https://lamniformes.substack.com/p/throat-clearinginput-update

Today I am joined by Derek Allen, the singer and guitarist of Lower Automation, a high energy math core band from Chicago. Lower Automation are about to release their self titled debut full length on Zegema Beach on July 12th. Recorded in a five day stretch during the summer of 2020, the album is a blistering and nerve-racking listen. Allen and I have crossed paths a few times in both the Chicago and while Lower Automation were on tour a few years back, so I was delighted to finally have him on the podcast to talk about his early interest in industrial music, why he's attracted to rhythmic complexity, his unique approach to vocals and much more. https://lowerautomation.bandcamp.com/ https://lamniformes.bandcamp.com/

Today I am joined by drummer and guitarist Stephen Schwegler. I first became aware of Steve through his drumming in the band Pyrrhon, a chaotic and cutting edge death metal band from Philly. Pyrrhon are something of a scene unto themselves, as each of the band's members extend into similarly mind bending projects. Steve's project along these lines is Seputus, a collaboration with Pyrrhon vocalist Doug Moore. Seputus just released their second album, Phantom Indigo, a dense psychedelic death metal record inspired in part by the book Hallucinations by Oliver Sacks. I had recently picked up the very same book off the street in Brooklyn, so I was psyched to give it a read and talk to Steve about his new record, as well as his background in engineering, the inspiration he draws from movies and much more. Thank you for listening. Seputus: https://seputus.bandcamp.com/ Pyyrhon: https://pyrrhonband.bandcamp.com/ Weeping Sores: https://weepingsores.bandcamp.com/ Lamniformes: https://lamniformes.bandcamp.com/album/you-cant-do-this-alone

This episode is the audio version of an article that I wrote earlier this year about how a heady concept about the nature of sound from the producer SOPHIE could be applied to how I think about the drums. If you'd like to read the text version, you can find that here: https://lamniformes.substack.com/p/the-monophonic-ear

Last Friday I dropped my first music video, for the song "Hypothermia (Saint Thrillah Mix) so I thought it'd be cool to have my good friend Richard Gin, who directed the video, on the podcast to talk about his experience shooting DIY shows in the NY DIY scene over the last decade and a half, his recent work photographing birds, and of course the process of making a music video during a pandemic. You can find Gin's work here: http://www.richardgin.org/ https://www.youtube.com/user/richardginorg Here's my music: https://lamniformes.bandcamp.com/

Frank Meadows rejoins the podcast to talk about the one and only Steely Dan, patron saints of the studio project. For the last five years I've watched Steely Dan's popularity sky rocket among deeply online millennials and music nerds at large. In the summer of 2019 I caught the bug myself, encouraged by Cat Jones, host of the Hot Blooded podcast. As a music school grade and child of boomers I have been fascinated by the insurgence of Steely Dan fandom among my generation, and I knew that I needed to talk it over with my good friend and collaborator Frank Meadows. Here are our sources: https://twitter.com/baddantakes?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/18/arts/music/dad-rock.html https://www.instagram.com/inzane_johnny/?hl=en And here are our links: https://lamniformes.bandcamp.com/ https://linktr.ee/frank_meadows_music https://hotbloodedpodcast.com/

Today I am joined by Dave Reminick of the band Paper Mice. Paper Mice are a three piece math rock band from Chicago who write songs based on bizarre and hilarious stories ripped directly from news stories. They just released their first album in eight years called "1-800-Mondays", which expands their sound into more melodic and deftly arranged chamber pop. As it so happens, Dave was also my entry level music theory teacher in college, so I was delighted to have him on to talk about his new record, formative memories listening to free jazz, and what it's like teaching music theory over Zoom. You can find Paper Mice here: https://papermice.bandcamp.com/ You can find my music here: https://lamniformes.bandcamp.com/

Today's guest is drummer and audio engineer Emmett Ceglia. In his second appearance on the podcast, I spoke to Ceglia about his musical biography starting with drumming competitions in Long Island, studying drums at Berklee College of Music, and moving to Brooklyn to become a drummer for hire. Along the way we use a lot of sports metaphors, discuss "white whale" fills, breakdown the busiest stretch of Ceglia's career, and then close up with a conversation about the anime series "Neon Genesis Evangelion", of which we are both big fans. I had a blast catching up with Emmett and talking about drums and the wider world of heavy music with him. Here is the self described: "Emmett Extended Universe": Detach The Islands (https://detachtheislands.bandcamp.com/) Semaphore (https://semaphoretheband.bandcamp.com/) Sannhet (https://sannhet.bandcamp.com/) Fluoride (https://fluoridegrind.bandcamp.com/) Heavenview (https://heavenview.bandcamp.com/) Thin (https://thinshred.bandcamp.com/) Juan Bond (https://juanbond.bandcamp.com/) Gatherers (https://gatherersband.bandcamp.com/) Cast Iron Kale (https://castironkale.bandcamp.com/releases) No Dream (https://nodreamband.bandcamp.com/releases) And here is the link to my own bandcamp, where you can grab my new album "You Can't Do This Alone": https://lamniformes.bandcamp.com/

Today I am joined by musician and writer Ivan Belcic. Ivan is the vocalist and drum programmer for Kosmogyr, a black metal band he formed with guitarist Xander Cheng while living in Shanghai. When he isn’t writing his own music Ivan also writes about other up and coming metal bands for the blog Invisible Oranges, which is where I first met him. I was delighted to have Ivan on to talk about his experience in the Chinese heavy music scene, his early influences growing up in New Jersey, his dual life as both a musician and music blogger. https://kosmogyr.bandcamp.com/ https://lamniformes.bandcamp.com/album/you-cant-do-this-alone https://reek-of-putrescine.bandcamp.com/album/the-fading-flame https://celestialsanctuary.bandcamp.com/album/soul-diminished https://balttw.bandcamp.com/album/nightmare-withdrawals https://aara.bandcamp.com/album/triade-i-eos https://songs-of-arrakis.bandcamp.com/album/etemen-nka

I put out a record on Friday called "You Can't Do This Alone" so I figured I should talk about how and why. https://lamniformes.bandcamp.com/album/you-cant-do-this-alone

Today I am joined by writer Ryo Miyauchi who runs the blog and newsletter This Side of Japan, where he reviews and catalogs the best in new Japanese music. Ryo and I first met when we wrote for the website Unrecorded in the mid-2010s. I’ve always been impressed with Ryo’s voracious appetite for new music, as well as his prolific output as a writer. Those qualities have carried over to This Side of Japan. I was psyched to have Ryo on to talk about his workflow, his perspective on the Japanese music scene as someone living in the USA, and a grab bag of other topics related to his excellent newsletter. https://thissidejapan.substack.com/ https://lamniformes.bandcamp.com/

Today I am joined by Randall Taylor who makes music under the name Amulets. Taylor’s music sits at the edge of a few genres, ambient, drone, post rock, and noise, but what interests me most about Amulets is his process. Taylor repurposes old cassettes and tape players, tinkering with their circuitry and using them to create haunting looping drones. He also details this process extensively on his YouTube and Instagram pages, where he posts short improvisations on his manipulated gear. i wanted to talk to Taylor about how he developed this style of music making, his transparency about his work on social media, and his terrific new record Blooming, out on The Flenser on April 2nd. Amulets: https://nowflensing.com/collections/amulets https://amulets.bandcamp.com/album/blooming Lamniformes: https://lamniformes.bandcamp.com/

Today I am joined by composer, percussionist and drummer, Clara Warnaar. If you’ve listened to Episode 38 of this podcast, you might already know Warnaar as the drummer of the instrumental trio Infinity Shred, but she is also an accomplished classic percussionist who makes a living performing with chamber ensembles. For the last two years she has also curated a series of compilations called A New Age For New Age. As the name would suggest, this series aims to reinterpret the often maligned genre of New Age music by opening it up to musicians who have no prior experience working in that style. Volumes 3 and 4 of A New Age For New Age are coming out on April 9th, so to mark the occasion I wanted to talk to Clara about the origins and goals of A New Age For New Age, as well as her experience working in both the metal and classical worlds. http://www.clarawarnaar.com/ https://anewagefornewage.bandcamp.com/ https://lamniformes.bandcamp.com/album/you-cant-do-this-alone

Going off script today to talk about why I spent the last year putting together a remix album, featuring former Lamniformes Radio guests like Noumenah, Saint Thrillah, Frank Meadows, Adam Holmes, and Zain Alam. Long story short: live music died, I had steady income and wanted to keep my friends busy. Also, it was time to put the "Sisyphean" era to rest. Hence, "You Can't Do This Alone" an album that reimagines "Sisyphean" as an experimental electronic record. Stick through my rambling to hear Noumenah's incredible remix of "Deep Despair In Covington, KY"

Today's guest is one that will be familiar to anyone who has looked at the art for an episode of Lamniformes Radio. I am joined by Joseph Klomes, who in addition to being a professional graphic designer, plays in the bands Droughts, Mush, and his new solo project unprdctv. I've always enjoyed working with Joseph, so I was psyched to talk to him about his origins in the pop punk scene of Chicago's suburbs, his duel path through music and graphic design, and his ambitious plans for unprdctv in 2021. Thanks for listening! https://linktr.ee/unprdctv https://linktr.ee/Lamniformes

Taking a break from my interview format this week to instead give you a taste of another project that I've been working on. Earlier this year I teamed up with my friend and former Lamniformes Radio guest Joseph Schafer to launch The Human Instrumentality Podcast, a re-cap and analysis podcast about the classic 90s anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion. The secret's out! Your boy is a certified nerd. But I think nerds and normie's alike can get something out of The Human Instrumentality Podcast. Whether it's your first time watching or a rewatch, this podcast is the perfect companion to one of the most psychologically twisted and thematically complex anime series out there. I'll be back next week with another interview, but for now be sure to keep up with the latest episodes of The Human Instrumentality Podcast on our website: https://instrumentalitypod.com/

Today I am joined by Damon Hardjowirogo of Infinity Shred, an instrumental trio with roots in the chip tune scene of the late 2000s, that have since evolved to incorporate post rock, heavy metal, and cutting edge electronic production. Last Friday Infinity Shred released EP 002: Recovery through 3Dot Recordings. I was psyched to have Damon on the podcast to talk about this latest EP, as well as the band’s sci-fi aesthetic, touring with bands like Periphery and Horse The Band, skateboarding, and much, much more. https://infinityshred.bandcamp.com/ https://lamniformes.bandcamp.com/album/you-cant-do-this-alone

Today I am joined by Mike Schleibaum, the guitarist of Darkest Hour and Be Well. For the last 25 years Darkest Hour have played a high energy mix of hardcore punk and heavy metal. After releasing nine studio albums through labels like Victory, E-One, Sumerian, and Southern Lord, the band have decided to go independent for album number ten. While working on that record, the band have also launched a patreon page, where they’ve recently debuted “Live In Lockdown,” a recording of a live stream concert that they used to raise money for the legendary DC venue The Black Cat. I was psyched to have Schleibaum on the podcast to talk about Live in Lockdown, the move to patreon, and his thoughts on Darkest Hour’s impressive catalog. Thank you for listening. https://www.patreon.com/DarkestHourOfficial https://lamniformes.bandcamp.com/album/you-cant-do-this-alone

Today I am joined by Zain Alam, who performs music under the name Humeysha. Humeysha are a difficult band to in down, Alam mixes shoegaze inspired guitar, booming 808s, and samples recorded during a year long stay in India to study the effects of the partition of 1947. The end result is like very little else out there. I've had the honor of playing drums in the live version of Humeysha for two years now, and I was delighted to have Alam on to talk about the origins of this project and the way it balances both anthropology and art. https://humeysha.bandcamp.com/

Today I am joined by Amalia Soto, better known as the web artist Molly Soda. I wanted to have Molly on the show because of her most recent project, Keeping Tabs where she attempts to break out of the web’s social media hegemony and surf towards less visited parts of the internet. One of the key themes to the series is the way that the mobile phone has completely changed the way that the internet works, which resonated with me because of the way that mobile phones have impacted music consumption. I was delighted to have Molly on to talk about these topics, internet archiving, and her art practice in general. https://www.eternal.tv/programs/keeping-tabs-with-molly https://mollysoda.exposed/ https://linktr.ee/Lamniformes

This week I'm joined by Gary Suarez. In addition to writing freelance for Rolling Stone, Vice, Vibe, NPR, The Guardian, The Quietus, The Pit, and more publications than I could list here, Suarez also runs the hip-hop newsletter Cabbages, where he highlights the best in new independent hip-hop. Suarez also just started the second season of the Cabbages podcast, where he talks to rappers and writers about TV and movies. I've been a longtime reader of Suarez's work, ever since his controversial Oceano review on Metalsucks, so I was psyched to have him on the podcast to talk about Cabbages and the state of independent media in general. You can find Gary's work here: https://cabbages.substack.com/ https://gary-suarez.squarespace.com/

Today I am joined by Dan Barrett, the singer of internet cult heroes Have A Nice Life. In December Barrett released his second album as Black Wing, a solo project where he limits himself strictly to electronic instruments, titled "No Moon." In our conversation we talk about the process for "No Moon," Barrett's acoustic project Giles Corey, the intersections of his business and artistic life, Puffin Rock, and much more! https://nowflensing.com/ https://theflenser.bandcamp.com/ https://www.betterquestionsemail.com/ https://twitter.com/enemieslist

On this episode I am joined by writer Langdon Hickman, to talk about his massive Rush retrospective project for Treble. Over the last year, Langdon has written about every studio album that the legendary Canadian progressive rock band Rush released in their 40 year career. Langdon and I went deep to cover the band's musical and personal evolution, tracing the changes in their influences as well as their shift from Ayn Rand-ian libertarianism to a more compassionate worldview. Intro - 0:00 Rush through 2112 - 33:44 A Farewell to Kings through Moving Pictures - 45:14 Signals through Hold Your Fire - 1:09:50 Presto through Test For Echo - 1:26:48 Vapor Trails through Clockwork Angels - 1:50:38 You can find Langdon's writing here: https://www.treblezine.com/author/langdon-hickman/ https://www.invisibleoranges.com/author/langdon/

Jay Kohler, the guitarist and composer behind the band Juan Bond came on the podcast to talk about the long path that led him to the release of the band's debut album "Womb", out now on Dark Trail Records. Along the way we cover everything from his middle school experiments with hip-hop, playing in rap rock bands, studying music in college, private lessons with the members of Sleepytime Gorilla Museum and his roundabout route to heavy music. We also narrowly avoid a dreaded NY vs MA sports convo. Thanks for listening! https://juanbond.bandcamp.com/

Frank Meadows and Jonathan Mondragon join me to talk about The Mars Volta, a band beloved by crowds and hated by rock critics in the 2000s. The three of us covered all six of the band's albums, their origins in the wake of At The Drive-In and the El, Paso Texas, the band's unconventional recording process, and how their work mixes progressive rock, salsa, jazz, magical realism, and much, much more. It's a long one to close out the year folks. Thanks for listening! Frank Meadows: https://linktr.ee/frank_meadows_music Jon Mondragon: https://www.instagram.com/monathanjondragon/ Time Stamps: Intro to The Mars Volta - 2:52 At The Drive-In - 8:08 Defacto - 15:56 Tremulant EP - 22:54 De-Loused in the Comatorium - 32:22 Scabdates - 42:25 Frances The Mute - 46:46 Amputchture - 1:06:34 The Bedlam in Goliath - 1:13:33 Octahedron - 1:28:25 Noctourniquet - 1:39:56

Today's guest is Christian Segerstrom. Christian is the head editor of Mathcore Index, a blog that has also spun off into the Mathcast Podcast, and the Mathcore Index Fest. Christian is also the head of Dark Trail Records. In our conversation we covered how Christian got involved with the blogging world, how he built out the Mathcore Index brand, the future of live streaming concerts, and why Djent ruined everything. https://darktrailrecords.bandcamp.com/ https://mathcoreindex.com/