Podcasts about paper jets

Anchored in Asbury, a monthly music interview series, where we talk to artists and creatives about their lives, inspirations and their part in the rich heritage of The Asbury Park music scene. This episode, your host Bill Bodkin, is joined by two veterans of the Asbury Park music scene -- Brian Erickson (The Extensions, Paper Jets) and Biff Swenson (Yawn Mower, Grasser). The reason these two rad humans have joined the podcast is because they are bringing back Happy Mondays -- a free weekly show for local bands (and touring acts) to perform in front of the insatiable music fans of Asbury Park -- to The Wonder Bar. Biff and Brian talk about having the same idea of bringing Happy Mondays back unbeknownst to each other, how much the night means to them, the bands they've booked that you should be keeping an eye out for, their own personal projects and their opinions on the current Asbury scene.

My conversation with the multi-faceted, progressive musician Brian Erickson was interesting on so many levels because we not only spoke about the multitude of projects on his musical resumé (past and present), but we also took a deep dive into the process and beliefs that drive his creativity. Brian did not start playing or writing music until his college years when he first picked up a guitar. He found early success with his first band, The Paper Jets, and before the art of podcasting was the force that it is today, Brian and a buddy began The Great Albums Podcast (which has been downloaded over three million times and reached #1 on iTunes' Top Music Podcasts Chart)!Since then, Brian has continued his musical journey as lead vocalist/guitarist of the popular band The Extensions, who are creating new music at a frenetic pace. They recently participated in Mint 400 Records' Zoe's Project, a compilation of previously unreleased music to raise awareness and funds for victims of domestic abuse. On June 10th, the group plans to release their new single “With a K” ... an upbeat, dance-worthy tune which promises to be on everyone's summer playlist. And The Extensions' have even more exciting news with the promise of an upcoming DOUBLE album release!As if this weren't enough, Brian is also a solo artist, the YouTube TV Show Host of “One More with Brian Erickson,” a music reviewer and show promoter. You might guess that all those accomplishments are based upon a tenacious quest for success; however, Brian is mostly driven by the happiness and joy he gets from the creative process. He places high value on doing what has never been done before; a philosophy celebrated in Robert Frost's “The Road Not Taken” … a perspective which is the main characteristic of the true creative.  Podcast Intro by Connor Bracken

Musician, podcaster and host extraordinaire, frontman of The Paper Jets Brian Erickson returns to the mix for a surprisingly sweet and heartfelt playlist for our parents. We get into how difficult it is to be a good parent, what it's like to hear Christmas music year-round and why 70s music lends itself so well to nostalgic romance. Just in time for big Thanksgiving family dinners, a family mix! Check out the latest singles from The Paper Jets, "Charlie It Can't Be Done" and "Go On, Go On," on Spotify. And come to their album release show at the Asbury Lanes on December 7!

No stranger to the show, Brian finally gets his very own episode (he's been a guest on Ep50 and Ep71). Dan and Brian talk about Brian's band, The Paper Jets, their new record, and their upcoming farewell show in Asbury Park. From his start as a jazz fan and sax player, to college where he got a crash course in rock and pop, to his evolution as a songwriter, Brian is a sharp and prolific musical mind, and he talks about his past projects as well as the next one he's got in the works. 

It's Bonus Song Thursday! And Bill and Brian would do anything to make sure you're enjoying the listening experience as dive into Meat Loaf and Jim Steinman's epic tune that cemented their legacy through the 90s and into today. We chat about how to make cool guitar sounds, Todd Rundgren's contributions (or lack thereof), Eddie Martinez's killer guitars, the possibility of Brian's band the Paper Jets covering some Loaf tunes, and the meaning of the lyrics. Then we get into some listener emails (but not really) that lead Brian to fill in some thoughts on the Smashing Pumpkins that didn't make it into the Siamese Dream episode, and we talk about how you can we some kick ass records and memorabilia from our pals at Vinyl Emergency while simultaneously helping hurricane relief. Make sure to head to  for more info.

This week, we settle into a lengthy conversation with our pal, frontman of The Paper Jets and co-host of The Great Albums podcast Brian Erickson to discuss some of the songs that have shaped him. We discuss the importance of music in family, friendships, and childhood, as well as seeking to understand what it means to succeed in a local scene and whether your 30s are better than your 20s. Check out Brian's band, The Paper Jets, his podcast The Great Albums, and his work with You Don't Know Jersey. And as mentioned in the episode, check out Tim Ryan's music on Bandcamp!

Original Airdate: 4-09-17. Members of the Paper Jets perform live in Green Birdie Studio.

Bill gets to play the "Hey, Brian!" game as Brian returns from touring with his band, the Paper Jets, and welcomes singer-songwriter, musician, and podcaster Brian Rothenbeck (rothenbeck.com) as a guest. In this episode, we discuss the Weakerthans' Reconstruction Site (2003, Epitaph). Their first record with major label distribution behind it, the Weakerthans broke through to a wider audience with their infectious pop hooks, intelligent lyrics, and fantastic guitar tones. As we discuss the album with a track by track analysis, we also talk about sonnets, the difference between a pedal steel and a lap steel, the philosophy of Cream, a theory about pet ownership and relationships with fathers, how to write songs in a single key, rhyming, and more!

Bonus! Song! Thursday! It's what it is! Brian is still away, touring the Northeast with his band The Paper Jets (thepaperjets.com), so Bill enlists the help of his own bandmate, Andrew Kolbenschlag of Small Planet Radio (smallplanetradio.com), to fill in as guest host. Returning from Monday's episode is guest Eric Nelson, guitarist and songwriter for The Lights Beneath (thelightsbeneath.com), to talk a little bit more about Bright Eyes. This time, we focus on the song "Poison Oak" from the 2005 album I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning.

While Brian is out on tour with his band, The Paper Jets, Bill invites friend of the podcast, musician, and songwriter Andrew Kolbenschlag to fill in as guest co-host! Joining us is musician/songwriter Eric Nelson from The Lights Beneath (hear their whole debut album at www.thelightsbeneath.com) to talk about Bright Eyes' Digital Ash in a Digital Urn (Saddle Creak, 2005). Released as a companion to the slightly more commercially successful, folk influenced album I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning, "Digital" took the opposite approach to Conor Oberst's stark, honest lyrics and nestled them amongst computer programming and digital instrumentation. Bill, Andrew, and Eric discuss their reasoning for talking about this album over other Bright Eyes' albums, breathing fetishes, electronic music production, death and drug use as themes on the album, and more as we talk about what makes this album great and then get into a track by track review of it!

Musician and luthier Mike Virok (of the Paper Jets and Bordentown Guitar Rescue, bordentownguitarrescue.com, respectively) joins Bill and Brian to discuss some great songs off of some not-so-great albums. In a reprise of the format we introduced back in our "10 Great Songs," we push the limits by adding one more song! We talk about the Hooter's influence over all great music, Father's Day, whether or not one should date a person who has traveled the country for John Mellencamp, the value of Michael Jackson's songwriting, and the difference between Joe Dante and Joe Johnston! Songs by the following artists are discussed on this episode: The Police, Joan Osborne, Boston, Butthole Surfers, John Mellancamp, Michael Jackson, Todd Rundgren, Fleetwood Mac, The Gaslight Anthem, Modest Mouse, and Jimmy Eat World. 

Tonight we are joined by Brian and Mike from The Paper Jets, Discussing the geographical advantage to the Garden State, Tiny Tim’s Register and they play us a few tunes. -Long Faces - Closer -The Gray Company - Temporary Love -The Black Mariah - Royal St. Blues -Keith Kenny - Dream Awake -The Paper Jets - Elizabeth Distressed (LFTDR In-Studio) -The Paper Jets - Cooking Up An Accident (LFTDR In-Studio) -Logan Carpenter - Hollow (ft. Honah Lee) -Honah Lee - I Hate My Job -The Ergs - Throttle Boy -The Paper Jets - Watch My Fingers (LFTDR In-Studio) -The Paper Jets - Joe Doesn’t Let Me(Tim Ryan) (LFTDR In-Studio) -A Love Like Pi - Jack and the Giant -Secret Photos - Privileged -dollys - Oh, Please -The Paper Jets - Go Your Own Way (Meetwood Flack) (LFTDR In-Studio) -The Great Depression - Lose Most -Eyeswan - All Eye Know -The Paper Jets - Two and Two (LFTDR In-Studio) -The Paper Jets - Set of Rules (LFTDR In-Studio) -Not The Bees! - Hey Who Wants to Take Me to The Hospital (Live PRBBQIV)

Multi-instrumentalist and singer/songwriter Frank Letteiri of The Paper Jets (thepaperjets.com) and Dust of Days (dustofdays.com) joins Bill and Brian to help us talk about what makes Pearl Jam's Ten (1991, Epic) so great! After the tragedy that led to the end of Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament's previous band Mother Love Bone, they sought out some new people to play with, finding Mike McCready and Eddie Vedder who completed the core of the band. On their first album, the band already showed passion and an ability to create unique sonic lanscapes. As we make our way through the album track by track, Brian gives us a lesson on how to write like Eddie Vedder, Frank makes an argument for the latter half of the album, and Bill tries not to geek out too much (and fails).