Podcast appearances and mentions of norman brannon

In this episode of Identified, host Nabil Ayers sits down with musician Norman Brannon to explore his complex journey of identity and family. Norman delves into his difficult upbringing, his departure from home at 16, and his connection with Hare Krishnas. Following a life-changing accident, Norman experienced a breakthrough with his mother, leading to a deeper understanding of his indigenous Mapuche roots. Norman shares his unique perspective on family, emphasizing the innate connection within the queer community, which he considers his primary ethnicity.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week Jeremy interviews musician and writer Norman Brannon of Texas is the Reason / Thursday / Anti-Matter On this episode Jeremy and Norman talk changes in touring over the years, Woodside in Queens, New York, American Top 40, Andy Gibb, receiving albums as apologies, KISS, thrash metal, the Crumbsuckers, starting with drums, being a part of Thursday versus Texas Is the Reason, his first band with Rob Vitale from Black Train Jack, Krishna consciousness, playing in 108 and Shelter, working with J. Robbins, and so much more! SUBSCRIBE TO THE PATREON for a bonus episode where Norman answered questions that were submitted by subscribers! Follow the show on INSTAGRAM and TWITTER Want some First Ever Podcast merch? Click here!

Norman Brannon creates the best kind of music journalism, reflecting the heart and galvanisation of a genre in a mutual conversation with hardcore's most interesting and groundbreaking characters. Previously of Texas Is The Reason, New End Original and Shelter, Brannon is currently a touring member of Thursday - the band that introduced me to hardcore-adjacent music at a young age. Follow Anti-Matter at https://antimatter.substack.com/ Photo: John Lagucki DistroKid makes music distribution fun and easy with unlimited uploads and artists keeping the ENTIRITY of their revenue. Get 30% off the first year of their service by signing up at https://distrokid.com/vip/101pod Learn your favourite song and download AMPOLLO - the FREE app that lets you practice at home with songs, using its AI stem-removing super smart tech: https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id1659856412?pt=125376217&ct=Giles&mt=8  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Happy to welcome another bonafide "dog person" with this week's guest Norman Brannon of Texas is the Reason and is currently the touring guitarist for Thursday. Norman shares with us the life and times with his beloved Dachshund rescue Bosie who crossed the rainbow bridge in February of 2021. Subscribe to Norman's influencial hardcore music fanzine Anti-Matter at antimatter.substack.com 

Keith sits down with Norman Brannon to discuss the re-launch of Anti-Matter Zine, the origin of the zine, interviews Norman has done with bands like Judge and Rage Against the Machine,  leaving his parents' home at 16, becoming a Hare Krishna devotee, touring with Shelter and the evolution of hardcore and the scene over the years. We also discuss some Texas is the Reason history, the true origin of the band's name, the major label bidding war for the band, their initial breakup and reunions, New End Original, touring with Thursday, trying out for the Foo Fighters, the Anti-Matter Comp, the future of Anti-Matter and more. Guest co-host: Artist and Pitch Black front man Martin Munroe joins Keith for the first in-person recording since 2020. We discuss Martin's move to Oakland, some Pitch Black history, signing with Revelation Records and leaving music behind to pursue life as an artist.

Norman Brannon of Texas Is The Reason, New End Original, Shelter, and more (and currently touring guitarist for Thursday) recently relanched his legendary '90s hardcore fanzine Anti-Matter as a Substack, and we invited him on the BrooklynVegan podcast to talk more about the relaunch, and why it made sense to bring it back today. The conversation took all kinds of interesting twists and turns, and I think if you're into any type of hardcore then and/or now, it's very worth listening to what Norman had to say.   -- The BrooklynVegan Show is brought to you in part by DistroKid, a service for musicians that allows you to easily upload your music to all major streaming platforms. You can get 30% off of your first year's membership by signing up at distrokid.com/vip/brooklynvegan.    Theme music by Michael Silverstein.

In this episode of the podcast Mark, Chris and D-Spice talked about the Anti-Matter Comp which came out in the mid 90's. Anti-Matter was a fanzine published by Norman Brannon in the 90's and this compilation also came out in that time frame. It featured many of the popular bands of the 90s and I believe that most were interviewed by Norman in his fanzine. Norman has recently revived Anti Matter on the internet through substack so if you want to see what he is up to follow the link subscribe. The episode music is "Arctic" by 108 off of the comp. https://antimatter.substack.com/

In this episode of the podcast Mark, Chris and D-Spice talked about the Anti-Matter Comp which came out in the mid 90's. Anti-Matter was a fanzine published by Norman Brannon in the 90's and this compilation also came out in that time frame. It featured many of the popular bands of the 90s and I believe that most were interviewed by Norman in his fanzine. Norman has recently revived Anti Matter on the internet through substack so if you want to see what he is up to follow the link subscribe. The episode music is "Arctic" by 108 off of the comp. https://antimatter.substack.com/

Episode 125 Some thoughts that come from greater minds than mine. With the summer comes everyone too busy to come on a podcast so I had been pulling together some ideas when Norman Brannon's relaunch of Anti-Matter as a substack spurned some real energy into my brain for the first time in awhile in a way that only someone like Norm and his words could inspire. For those of you who don't know what a substack is, its a way writers can offer their time and craft and be supported by those who wish to support them. www.antimatter.substack.com Follow and support the relaunch of one of the most pivotal zines of the 90's hardcore zines For most of episode I try to pull together some ideas from my library to engage you all to think further on the subject of hardcore and selling out etc, but I don't feel like I put it together tight enough. In time I'll get better at it, but it was fun to chat with you all for a bit. Sellout by Dan Ozzi - available on Amazon www.amazon.com/Sellout-Feeding-Frenzy-Hardcore-1994-2007/dp/0358244307 Visual Vitriol: The Street Art and Subcultures of the Punk and Hardcore Generation www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=31319963456&ref_=ps_ms_370713412&cm_mmc=msn-_-comus_shopp_used_trade-_-naa-_-naa&msclkid=8ee1eedc9aca1f590a698a6c2e9ec74c">Visual Vitriol: The Street Art and Subcultures of the Punk and Hardcore Generation NYHC 1980-1990 by Tony Rettman available via amazon www.amazon.com/NYHC-York-Hardcore-1980-1990/dp/1935950126 Punk: The Definitive Record of a Revolution by Stephan Colgrave and Chris Sullivan www.amazon.com/Punk-Definitive-Revolution-Stephen-Colegrave/dp/1560257695 The Anti-Matter Anthology: A 1990s Post-Punk & Hardcore Reader by Norman Brannon Opening Track of the Episode: Berthold City - Until I Fade Away from the upcoming LP "A Moment in Time." Preorders for A Moment in Time are available now (Friday 7/14) from www.war-rec.com

In this episode Toby sits down with his friend Norman Brannon of Texas Is The Reason/Thursday/Anti-Matter! They chat about being part of NYHC scene (all the good & bad), his music career, discovering his sexuality, life & family relationships, the new age of hardcore and the 30th anniversary & return of Anti-Matter! You can find both Norman and Anti-Matter on instagram at @normanbrannon and @antimatter.zine Please remember to rate, review and subscribe and visit us at https://www.youtube.com/tobymorseonelifeonechance Please visit our sponsors! Athletic Greens https://athleticgreens.com/oloc Caddis https://caddislife.com/toby10 Removery https://removery.com code TOBYH2O Liquid Death https://liquiddeath.com/toby

This week we have the lovely Norman Brannon of Texas is the Reason, New End Original, and Anti-Matter Fanzine to talk about Slayer's legendary record Reign in Blood. We dig into what to wear on stage, looking for the perfect shoe, pop punk anti-fatigue mats, purpose built venues, Norm's London flat, the vibe shift, new and old England, fleeing to Maine, vacation itineraries, being on the Cod, the origin of New End Original, keeping Chino Moreno's secrets, working on the new Onelinedrawing record, making the Anti-Matter Fanzine compendium, Satan!, Rick Ruben's fingerprints, Slayer's vocabulary, black metal to-do list, screamo teleprompter, Tori Amos, how chill the Satanic bible is, checking Jane Doe's DMs, and the real short king. // Follow us at @danbassini, @mysprocalledlife, and @normanbrannon @runintotheground. Listen to our RITG Mixtape Vol. 7 here and our Best of RITG playlist here.

Interview No 77 with Norman Brannon of Texas is the Reason, Shelter, Thursday, and many more.Emperor Cabinets can be found at emperorcabinets.comMusic in the intro ad by Adrian VinoMusic placed in the podcast intro:Frodus: "There Will Be No More Scum" off the record "And We Washed Our Weapons In The Sea"

YO! Honestly, with a record as big as this one...did you really think we were only going to do one episode? For this time, we spoke not only with guitarist Norman Brannon and bassist Scott Winegard - we also had producer J Robbins (Jawbox) on with us to talk about his experience with the band.  Special bidip bo to our sponsor War Records. Hit up www.war-rec.com and grab new releases by Berthold City, Bent Blue & more. GO!

Hello and welcome to REPLY ALT, the only and therefore greatest email newsletter about music in the known universe. I’ve been running a series here over the last few weeks called SELLOUT STORIES where I post extended chats with some of the people who make appearances in my BELOVED and BESTSELLING new book SELLOUT. Please see past episodes with Chris #2 of Anti-Flag, Norman Brannon of Texas Is the Reason, and Riley Breckenridge of Thrice. They’re all on Spotify and Apple and blah blah blah.Today’s guest is Sarah Lewitinn, who leads much of SELLOUT’s chapter on My Chemical Romance. Sarah has internetted her way into a ton of career opportunities. In the early days of the web, she used AOL to befriend Mikey Way, which eventually led to a brief stint managing My Chem. She also used her message board savvy to network her way into an internship at SPIN where she gained a following for her off-the-cuff online writings under the moniker Ultragrrrl. Obviously, using the internet to leverage yourself into gigs seems fairly intuitive now, but at the time, she was sort of a pioneer in the online-to-IRL-career pipeline. In fact, I’m not sure how much of this conversation will even make sense to a person who grew up on social media. Much of what we talked about involves the trials (and benefits) of networking during the dial-up days.Among other topics, we discussed making your voice stand out on the internet, why culture might have been better off with gatekeepers, how the role of A&R reps has changed over the last two decades, and Sarah’s famous controversial hill to die on: that My Chemical Romance is the Nirvana of their generation.(Also, some photos of Sarah as well as Frank Iero were published in my companion zine MAJOR LABEL DEBUT, which is still available in my merch store.)Obviously, only true posers have not read SELLOUT yet, but on the off chance you haven’t or in case you’ve been meaning to pick up ten additional copies, visit my website at SELLOUT.BIZ. (I paid $20 for that URL and I’m gonna get every penny’s worth!) But if 450-page books are too daunting for you and you’re looking to just read the part about Sarah, good news, Rolling Stone ran that section here:Oh and speaking of Rolling Stone, apologies to their social media manager but this was a very good typo and they should’ve left it up. RIP to this banger tweet:Order my book, SELLOUT, here: B&N | Amazon | Books-A-Million | Bookshop | GoodreadsShop the SELLOUT merch store.Follow me on the internet. Instagram | Twitter | Website Get full access to REPLY ALT at danozzi.substack.com/subscribe

Hello and welcome to REPLY ALT, my perfect email newsletter about music which has never had a single typo or msitake in it!I had my West Coast SELLOUT release party last week in Los Angeles and it still amazes me that an entire venue’s worth of people will show up to hear about A BOOK. THE WRITTEN WORD! Thank you for coming if you did! I really do need to set up some events in other cities, huh?I shook a lot of hands and took many pictures with people and as a result I got sick for the first time in two years. Don’t worry, it’s not The Big C. I got tested just to be sure. Just a regular boring cold. Aha, suckers! Your best efforts to infect me with your Covid germs have failed! I AM UNKILLABLE! I’m feeling much better now thank you but you’ll have to excuse the scratchiness in my voice in this interview I recently recorded with Thrice’s Riley Breckenridge.As I mentioned, I’ve been running this series called Sellout Stories in which I talk to some of the supporting players in SELLOUT about their major-label experiences. (Check out previous interviews with Norman Brannon from Texas Is the Reason, Chris #2 from Anti-Flag, and Chris DeMakes from Less Than Jake.) Glad to add Thrice to that list today.I’m forgetting who said it at the moment, but someone I interviewed for the Thursday chapter of SELLOUT told me that around the time the New Jersey band went to Island Def Jam, the label also signed Thrice, almost as a backup plan. You know, in case Thursday didn’t work out. Good to have another ‘Th—” band on deck.I don’t think it was as simple as that, but Thursday certainly did cast a long shadow at Island Def Jam. When the band got bought out from Victory Records for $1.2 million, there were a lot of expectations. The New York Times Magazine compared the band to Metallica and U2. There wasn’t nearly as much drama surrounding their West Coast counterparts in Thrice, but the band did have a similar experience with the label. They got a ridiculously overblown budget to make their major label debut (likely also somewhere around the half-mill mark) and had months to overanalyze it. They were also caught in the unfortunate transitional period when Lyor Cohen left the label and L.A. Reid stepped in.The result of Thrice’s big-budget effort was The Artist in The Ambulance, which was released in July 2003, two months before Thursday’s War All the Time. I figured, since Thrice only got a few passing mentions in SELLOUT, they deserve to have their story expanded upon here. So I convinced drummer Riley Breckenridge to chat about the band’s major label experience.Check it out above or at all the usual podcast places: Spotify, Apple, blah blah blah.Order my book, SELLOUT, here:  B&N | Amazon | Books-A-Million | Bookshop | GoodreadsShop the SELLOUT merch store.Follow me on the internet. Twitter | Instagram | Website Get full access to REPLY ALT at danozzi.substack.com/subscribe

Hello and welcome to REPLY ALT, the only/greatest newsletter about music in the world. Welp, SELLOUT has been out for a week and the response has been so overwhelming. Every morning I wake up to dozens and dozens and dozens of nice messages from you all. Apologies if I haven’t gotten to all of them but I really appreciate the support! I’ve done approximately 9,000 interviews about the book recently if you want to read/listen to any of em. There have been a few new ones I’m probly forgetting. I was interviewed by Mark Hoppus, which kinda blows my mind. He asked me to settle the debate: The Blue Album vs. Pinkerton. Naturally, I panicked and asked him to settle MY debate: Dookie vs. The Blue Album. He chose wisely. (Dookie.)Aaaaaanyway. I mentioned the other day that I was starting an interview series called Sellout Stories, where I expand the major-label tales of people in the book. (My first guest was Chris from Anti-Flag.) Since Texas Is the Reason’s Norman Brannon makes an appearance in the chapter on Jimmy Eat World, talking about how great Clarity is, I figured he should be the second guest and woooo boy what a story his band had!This conversation ended up being so much deeper than I’d expected. We talked a lot about putting mental health first, the added difficulty of being a closeted gay man in the face of rock stardom, and lots of other heavy topics. Also, haircuts. This was a really special chat and I hope you like it. You can listen above or on Spotify, Apple, etc. If you want the short text version, below is the section about Norman that appears in my new photo zine, MAJOR LABEL DEBUT, which you can pick up in my online store.Oh, and if you’re in the NY area, come to Vitus this Saturday! I’ll be in conversation with Geoff Rickly. Non-ticketed. Just show up. I’ll have books for sale. Happy to sign em. Also, the first 20 people who buy a book there will get a FREE photo zine. The first 10 people to buy multiple copies will get a FREE tote bag.SELLOUT is a book about bands releasing their major label debut albums, so technically Texas Is the Reason was ineligible for inclusion. But as far as major-label signings go, the New York band might take the award for all-time closest near miss. The band had people interested in them from their very first show in 1994, says guitarist Norman Brannon. They played six songs in his Manhattan living room for their group of friends, who happened to be members of bands like Youth of Today and Sick of It All, as well as people who ran or worked for record labels. So, there were eyes on them from day one, and they had the chance to go major very early.“At that time in New York City, there were only two streams,” says Brannon. “You were either going to be an indie band or you were going to be a major band. Quicksand, Into Another, Orange 9mm, Sick of It All, CIV, they were all on major labels. So it wasn’t foreign to us because those people were all our friends and they didn’t seem to be having a difficult or miserable time on a major label. I wasn’t super anti-major, but it didn’t feel right.” Wanting more time to figure out what their band was about, Texas Is the Reason shooed away major label A&Rs by locking in a deal with indie Revelation Records for two full-lengths and an EP. “‘That way, all the major labels will leave us alone.’ That’s what we thought,” he says. “But that did not happen. As soon as we signed, they actually got more aggressive. It got crazy.”Major labels pursued the band even harder after their debut EP sold an impressive 30,000 copies for Revelation. The band’s profile kept growing as more and more A&R reps took them out to lunch, bought them groceries, and gave them free CDs. The members started to fall under the major-label spell and finally conceded: Maybe we really are that good. Further bolstering their confidence were the price tags being thrown around. “The highest offer we received was $3.5 million for three albums,” Brannon says. “$500,000 was a non-recoupable signing bonus. They were literally gonna give us half a million just to sign us.”The band whittled the long list of interested suitors down and ultimately agreed to ink a deal with Capitol for $2.3 million. Their lawyer drafted up the paperwork while the band was on tour with the Promise Ring. As soon as they returned home, it’d be ready for signing and they'd be cut a check that day. But the nearer the signing drew, the more Brannon felt like backing out.“I was having a really difficult time in life. I’ve struggled with clinical depression for as long as I can remember, and had suicidal ideation before puberty. 1996 was a particularly difficult year for my depression. I believe it was neurological and situational. The situational aspects were the pressures of being in the band and feeling the weight of people depending on me and feeling uncomfortable with the amount of responsibility I had. On top of that, I was hitting this place in my life where I was starting to realize that I needed to be an out gay man. This was at a time when Jason from the Promise Ring was coming out and he was attacked mercilessly on the Jade Tree message board, so I knew there was risk. So now I’m about to sign a major record deal and if I do that, will I have to stay in the closet?”When he expressed to the rest of the members that he wanted to break up the band, some shared his sentiment while others thought he was out of his mind. They called it quits in 1997 and it caused a rift between them which took some years to mend.When asked if he regrets his decision all these years later, Brannon says no. “Had I signed that contract, I’m not kidding, I would be dead. 100 percent, I cannot stress that enough. ...So how could I possibly regret it?”Order my book, SELLOUT, here: Bookshop | B&N | Amazon | Books-A-Million | GoodreadsCome to the events in New York and Los Angeles.Shop the merch store.Follow me on the internet. Twitter | Instagram | Website Get full access to REPLY ALT at danozzi.substack.com/subscribe

Our 75th episode is pretty damn good one if we do say so ourselves! Norman Brannon is name very familiar if you've been listening to the podcast for any amount of time. In addition to being a member of CRUCIAL bands like Texas Is The Reason & Shelter, he's also responsible for the massively influence Anti-Matter Zine (whose comp gave the world one of the finest songs Quicksand ever blessed our ears with). This conversation is a really special one to us & we hope you enjoy it. EXTRA SPECIAL THANKS to Harmony Colangelo of This Ends At Prom (https://www.instagram.com/thisendsatprom/) for helping us with this episode & bringing it to life. You can follow Norman on Twitter & Instagram at: @normanbrannon (https://www.instagram.com/normanbrannon/)

Episode 34 Norman Brannon. A Journey from New York Hardcore to Post Hardcore and Back. www.thisishardcorefest.com/podcast/episode34 Norman's story has more turns than most of our guests. But like many of our recent ones, it starts in a familiar place: Queens. From Queens, to the LES and the world of hardcore shows, Norman is someone who fell in love with the culture and street movement and found a family he was looking for within the NYHC world. He'd later find his way from bands and briefly starting a zine to becoming a Krishna Monk, which would later take him all over the country and world with Shelter. In the aftermath of touring, He'd create Anti Matter, the magazine that would change not only the way zines in the 90s read but the way that I personally saw how interviews could work. Though only a few issues, AntiMatter shaped many people's perspective of the growing and changing hardcore world. So many prominent guests and deeper questions than your average fanzine of the time, AntiMatter was the high water mark for zines and its impact would have direct influence in how I do this very podcast. Norman would go on to create Texas Is The Reason and that band's music was a huge inspiration and impact on me as well. There is alot in this story that I want to leave out of the description just so you'll have to listen to the whole thing, but this is a fantastic story that goes many places more than you may think and Norman being in the center of so much of hardcore, punk and emo from 1986 to the present has such a great perspective and as a journalist as well, a truly powerful way to describe the culture and the going ons of the times. There is alot here and its real and deep and at times dark, but the story is truly inspiring and beautiful as well. I am indebted to have this time to talk to someone whose zine and music influenced me at an age where I was looking for things beyond what was already out in the world. This is chock full of history and insight and also a blueprint on how to not give up on yourself and find the strength to move forward and to create your own voice in the world through any means necessary. www.twitter.com/normanbrannon www.instagram.com/normanbrannon www.instagram.com/antimatterxxv Opening Track of the Episode: Time " Burden" (Unreleased Track from Upcoming LP") www.instagram.com/time_the_band www.timetheband.bandcamp.com/ www.hate5six.com/player.php?album=7618117

This episode features Norman Brannon, who is best known as the guitarist for Texas Is The Reason and New End Original, but has also had careers as a writer, educator, TV presenter, and real estate agent. A lot of this episode is about following a muse through different stages of artistic pursuits and careers, the way being in a successful band when you're young is very similar to being a child star, and the creative ideals that have driven Norman's art. This episode also gets into his struggles with depression, his connection to queer culture, and the ways the recent past is quite similar to the 1980s. You can a lot of find Norman's writing about music, including a three-part essay about his experiences in the emo scene, on Talkhouse. 

Musician and writer, Norman Brannon joins Chris to discuss his Hare Krishna punk music past, & share how we can find skeptical euphoria by moving beyond our stories.Over the last 25 years, Norman Brannon has worked as a musician, critic, author, DJ, university lecturer, television host, documentary filmmaker, marketing creative, and record label manager. Although best known for cofounding Texas is The Reason, he first made his mark in hardcore punk bands like Shelter and 108, and capped his performance career with New End Original and Gratitude. He is also the author of the Anti-Matter Anthology, a 1990s post-punk and hardcore reader featuring work that originally ran in Alternative Press, Vibe, and Anti-Matter, his very own seminal fan-zine. Norman is currently working on an expanded second edition of the Anti-Matter Anthology, in addition to a second book that examines the relationship between queer language, ethnicity, and his own personal story. Norman lives in Brooklyn with his partner John and their Dotson.

Happy Holidays to all! As a token of thanks for all of the support these last few months, we wanted to share another one of our Patreon only episodes. This conversation with Norman was so interesting and frankly, if his batteries on his headphones weren't about to run out we probably could have punished him for another couple hours just sitting and talking about hardcore. This episode really has the feel of hanging out at the diner at 1 AM after the show talking with your friends about hardcore. We hope you enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed having this conversation. Check out our website at www.whereitwentpodcast.com for info on how to become a Patron to unlock all sorts of bonus content like this episode and more!

Spinning Out (another music podcast) We talk to artists about their favorite albums and go on wild tangents. This week's guest is Norman Brannon, of Texas is the Reason, New End Original, Shelter, 108, Antimatter Zine and so many others! Today we are talking about Touche Amore's 2016 album Stage Four. As one can expect given the subject matter of the album, things get pretty deep about family, coming out & growing up in punk/hardcore. Oddly enough more religious talk, and a realization that we were both raised in the same denomination. Episode edited/produced by Sarah Blumenthal Theme song performed by Pretty Matty

Norman has worn every hat in the industry, yet manages to maintain one of the most fantastic heads of hair.  He's known for his work in Texas is the Reason, New End Original, 108, Shelter, and the writing and publishing of Anti-Matter magazine in the 90's.   We talk about his upbringing in the New York hardcore scene, songwriting, staying present during these crazy times, and much much more. You can keep up with Norman on twitter and instagram via his @normanbrannon   If you want to hear the unedited and extended conversation, head over to www.patreon.com/rigsofdad where we talk about the unspoken rules of being in a band, run-ins with skinheads, and how you earn the label "post-harcore" Big thank you to the homies at www.gillibus.com as well as www.shearrevival.com for making this episode possible! Be sure to check out www.dunableguitars.com for the hottest pickups around, and if you want to take care of your guitars: use the code ROD10 over at https://www.quantumindustries.jp/gtx01 to get the best case for the road or for a live-in.  

This week's episode is our first trip to the US! Norman Brannon, musician and writer, was busy figuring himself out when he first stumbled upon Big Cup, a gay coffee shop that stood in Chelsea, Manhattan between 1994 - 2005... I ask a bunch of awkward questions about life as a hare krishna rock star (who knew that was a thing?), and the rules of living life as a Straight Edge-r. We also talk about the thrill of being in your first queer venue, the changing face of New York and the importance of non-alcoholised spaces.

Texas Is the Reason was an American emo/post-hardcore band founded by former Shelter guitarist Norman Brannon and 108 drummer Chris Daly in 1994. They disbanded in 1997 and held brief reunions in 2006 and 2012–2013 In 1997, on the eve of signing with Capitol Records, the band flew overseas for a European tour. Ongoing intra-band tensions arising from the major label attention reached their apex. The night of the final stop of the tour in Bielefeld, Germany, Daly, and Brannon agreed before the show that if the show was "awesome", it would be their last. Brannon later related, "I walked on stage and we opened with 'Antique' and when Garrett started singing, there were eight hundred Germans singing along with us. I looked at Daly and knew that this was over." I got Norman on the phone and this is what we talked about: The Anti-Matter comp What he wanted to find out when he interviewed people Working for Keith from Cause For Alarm Going to shows at CBGBs Dealing with trauma Becoming a Hare Krishna The song “Do you know who you are?” How he got Garrett in the band Their reunion shows Bands getting paid good money for playing shows The slideshow in 2006 at Irving Plaza His amp blowing up at a reunion show Knowing that they were a possible time bomb at the beginning Jets to Brazil And a ton more Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon. Click to -> buy my sketchbook Hire me to animate things for your company – drive80.com

For our first full-length episode of Season 2, we sit down with the multi-talented Norman Brannon, guitarist and songwriter for Texas Is the Reason, among many other bands. Norman tells us about his early days in New York's hardcore scene, the faking required to get by among the punks and skinheads without getting shunned (or worse), and what it was like to navigate that world as a then-closeted gay Latino man. Lace up your Docs and tune in, friends. Episode edited by Eavvon O'Neal and Mark. You want to get in touch? Let's get in touch. You can email us at fakingitpod@gmail.com. Follow @fakingitpod on Twitter for episode extras and other goodies. You can also follow Mark @marksussman and Gabe @jetsetjunta. And of course we would LOVE it if you would rate, comment, review, like, and subscribe here and on iTunes.

Episode 330 - The hits keep on coming. One of my favorite writers around in punk/hardcore, Norman Brannon from Anti-Matter Zine and a little band called Texas is the Reason, is on the pod today. We discuss his philosophy on writing, how nostalgia sits in his life and the simple but crucial concept of survival. PLEASE check this episode out, it’s an important one for me.  Dive into YouTube Music and their new app, it’s the BEST place to stream all of your favorite music and discovering your new favorite bands. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

Norman Brannon and Steve Pedulla have both played in iconic and influential guitar based bands over the last 30 years (Brannon with Texas is the Reason, Pedulla with Thursday). They’ve both turned to more academic pursuits (Brannon with writing and teaching, Pedulla behind the lens on News Broadcasts and Feature Length Films). But these two men have one more thing in common: they’ve both toured extensively as gay men, not yet “out” to the public or even the members of their own bands. This episode dives deep into the efficacy of band therapy, the stresses of touring while “in the closet,” and what it means to have healthy secrets. Dark Blue is part of the Osiris podcast network. Osiris connects you with podcasts and live experiences about music and cultural topics you love. Check out the website for more podcasts and information.

This week we bring you a mix of music curated by Norman Brannon! Norman is best known for his work with bands like Texas Is the Reason, Shelter, and 108, as well his zine Anti-Matter. Norman's Sad Punks mix includes songs by Ida, Fuel, Samuel, Garden Variety, The Secret Stars, and The Van Pelt. As an addendum, we also include a song by Texas Is the Reason! Support these bands, and be sure to keep up with Norman on Twitter and Tumblr. Click here to find us on Facebook, or here to find us on iTunes. As always, thank you to Rubee True Fegan for the artwork for this episode! If you'd like to commission a portrait by Rubee, send an email to rubee@sadpunks.com.

An absolutely beautiful discussion with Norman Brannon (Texas is the Reason), Jason Gnewikow (The Promise Ring) and Steve Pedulla (Thursday) on how they met, their lives and how they're stayed close to this day. Hope you enjoy this special episode taped live at Union Hall in Brooklyn. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/washedupemo)

What happens when you put five people in a room to discuss the emo revival? Lots and lots of laughs. Late last year, CMJ asked Washed Up Emo to moderate a panel to discuss the revival and we were up the task. For the panel we had a great group of young and old perspectives with Norman Brannon (Texas is the Reason, Collect Records), Kevin Duquette (Topshelf Records), Sean Moran (No Sleep Records) and Brian Pacris (The Syndicate, co-host of #EmoNightNYC). See? Emo ain't all about sadness. (Note: We only had three microphones so it may be hard to hear some questions from the audience.) Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/washedupemo)

On the latest episode, I chat with Norman Brannon from Texas is the Reason. Fresh off the Revelation 25 shows, we discuss the NYC hardcore scene, shows with Mineral and Christie Front Drive and how a Warzone tattoo connected bands before the days of cell phones. We also looked to Norman's future endeavors and the band into 2013.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/washedupemo)