Ep 213 with Babe Report! The wonderfully raucous four piece from Chicago have followed up their debut EP, The Future of Teeth, with Did You Get Better, a full-length LP due out May 31st via Exploding In Sound. We hear how the band formed following the pandemic, how they recorded and mixed the entire record over a weekend in their basement studio and the meaning behind the title Did You Get Better. They share how the first single, Turtle Of Reaper, addresses societal paranoia and why their...

Coady Willis is a drummer based in Los Angeles CA. He has a robust pedigree of performing and recording with The Murder City Devis, Big Business, Melvins and High On Fire, to name a few. He is also one of three drummers on the all percussion record, Hew Time, along with Joe and Dale Crover. Coady tells us how his uncle helped pave the way for life as a rock n roll drummer, why seeing the band Tribe 8 changed his early teen perspective on performance and he shares his experience of playing in...

This is the Built In Sun appreciation episode. Released on August 7, 2015 via PIAPTK Records, Built In Sun is Joe Plummer's first and currently only solo record. BIS began as an instrumental idea, with inspirations landing somewhere between John Cale’s Fear, the punker vibrations of The Wipers, guitarist John Reis and Joe’s favorite soundtrackists, John Brion and Clint Mansell. Recorded both at his studio in Seattle and with the late Richard Swift at National Freedom, Joe made a point to...

Kai James is a singer, songwriter, guitarist, and a founding member of Brisbane based Girl and Girl. Their newest record and Sub Pop debut, Call A Doctor, is out May 24th with extensive touring planned throughout North America, Europe, and Australia. Kai shares his experience of life growing up on a farm outside of Brisbane, how music entered his life and why it’s an important form of expression for him. Joe and Kai discuss the direct and personalness of his lyrics, the familial origin of...

Surprise! Part 2 of Joe’s interview on @thetourstories with Eric D Johnson is up with a big announcement. Bonny Light Horseman, the trio of Anaïs Mitchell, Eric D. Johnson, and Josh Kaufman, are set to release their new double album and Jagjaguwar debut Keep Me on Your Mind/See You Free on June 7th! Eric shares the origin of BLH, how he came to be a contributing member and why they use a “yes and” style in their voltronic writing process. He also tells us about how the record was made...

Eric D Johnson is a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer and film composer based in Los Angeles. He is the founding member of Fruit Bats, has played with indie luminaries Califone, Vetiver, The Shins and is a contributing member of Bonny Light Horsemen. In Part 1 of a rare two-part episode, Eric shares a few stories from the road, spanning from his early tenure in Califone (opening for Modest Mouse), his interaction with a MTV beach party, to a more recent experience of jamming...

The Red Pears are a three-piece band hailing from El Monte, Ca. Comprised of childhood friends Henry Vargas (vocals/guitar), Jose Corona (Drums) and Patrick Juarez (Bass), the trio are celebrating their fourth album, Better Late Than Never (out April 12th via Daycare Records). The three share the inspiration behind the new record and how a newfound freeness in production allowed them to toggle between listening with their hearts and employing technical input. We learn how cooperative...

Joe P is a singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who writes, records and self-produces from his basement studio in Asbury Park, NJ. HIs newest record, Shadows in the Sun is expected to be released in summer 2024 and currently has 3 singles out via Atlantic records. Joe tells us how he got his start playing music and a very young age and shares his experience of trying to fit into his local hardcore scene in his late teens. He tells us about his approach to songwriting as an entirely...

Omni is a three-piece Atlanta based outfit comprised of guitarist Frankie Broyles, bassist/singer Philip Frobos and drummer Chris Yonker. Their fourth studio album, Souvenir (out now via Sub Pop) is an angular adventure of hooky guitar wizardry, tight and slinky rhythms topped with sheeny melodies and lyrics that set them apart from other post punkers. They share their experience growing up in Atlanta, the scene that took them in and motivated them to start a band. We hear the process behind...

Bibi Club is the Montreal based pop project of singer-keyboardist Adèle Trottier-Rivard and guitarist Nicolas Basque. Their newest record, Feu de garde, is out May 10th via Secret City Records. Adèle and Nicolas tell us how the intersection of a chaotic living situation and nature inspired the record and why Adèle’s experience in the “dude world” of rock music informs her lyrics. We learn how these parents of three manage their lives as working artist’s and how why bringing kids on tour...

Julia Shapiro and Gretchen Grimm are one half of Seattle's noisy dream pop legends, Chastity Belt. Their 5th album, Live Laugh Love (out March 29th via Suicide Squeeze Records) is a dreamy layering of guitars, vocals and gentle rhythms that guide the listener through both emotional sincerity and lighthearted nostalgia, all with the sheen of cheekiness that the band has celebrated from the beginning.  Julia and Gretchen share the process and inspiration behind the new record, its cover art, ...

Joe Wong is a LA based musician, film and tv composer, producer, and podcaster. His newest record, Mere Survival, is a lush orchestral psychedelic pop odyssey laden with timeless song structure and stacked with the heaviest of heavy hitting guest musicians (Mary Timony, Nate Mendel, Money Mark, Jim Keltner and Matt Cameron, to name of few).  Joe (Wong) shares the motivation behind this realistic, yet despair rich record, and how this stage in his career naturally led to its completion. The...

         Stephen Buono is a producer, songwriter, and devisor of the collective project Church Chords. The debut record, Elvis, he was a Schlager is out Feb 23 on his new label, Otherly Love. Stephen takes us through the process of making this expansive and cohesive record, how it was initially inspired by the University of Miami marching band, and why the first version of the record was scrapped. He tells us why the spirit of freedom and collaboration was crucial for this project and why...

Justin Pearson is a singer, bass player, podcaster and founder of the record label Three One G. He has recorded, toured with and founded such bands as The Locust, Dead Cross, Deaf Club and Retox. He latest project, Planet B, is a collaboration with Luke Henshaw that celebrates hip-hop, hardcore and noise, all coated with a danceable sheen of Sci-Fi. Their second record, Fiction Prediction, is out now on Three One G.  Justin shares how his introduction to punk and hardcore music was sparked...

Nate Kinsella is a singer, multi-instrumentalist and song writer based in Brooklyn, NY. Since the mid 1990’s he’s has recorded, toured and or been a founding member of the bands Joan of Arc, American Football and Make Believe. His most recent project, Birthmark, has released a new LP titled Birth Of Omni, and is out now on Polyvinyl Records.  Birth Of Omni is a rich sonic tapestry of eclectic electro pop, close and textured vocals, and personal and experiential lyrics. Nate tells us about the...

Allen Karpinski is a song writer, guitarist and founding member of the Ohio band The Six Parts Seven. Fellow Ohioan, Joey Beltram is this the singer, songwriter behind Goodmorning Valentine. Over the course of a weekend in 2006, the two bands came together in a small in studio in Kent, Ohio. What yielded was a beautiful collaborative collection of songs called Kissing Distance (out February 16th via Suicide Squeeze). Joey and Allen share the magic of the experience and the spark that inspired...

Hatis Noit is self-taught vocalist and songwriter based in London. Her inspiration and vocal style ranges from Japanese folk, western classical, Gregorian chanting to Avant-guard, ambient and pop. In 2018 she released her debut record, Illogical Dance, which was praised not only for its unique vocal interpretations, but also her moving live performances. Her most recent and widely acclaimed release, Aura (Erased Tapes) will be re-released on vinyl ahead of her debut U.S tour this spring.  In...

Maria BC is a singer, songwriter and ambient musician based in Oakland, Ca. Growing up in a musical household, Maria was encouraged to sing and is grateful for the 10 years of vocal training they enjoyed throughout their childhood. Since 2020, Maria has self-recorded and released two well received records and the third, Spike Field (out now on Sacred Bones) is a sprawling and spacious ambient journey laced with broad reverberations, dark folk guitar, synthesizers and choral stacking. Maria...

Simon O’Connor is a musician and composer from NYC. O’Connor has been releasing records with various projects for over 20 years. He is currently the touring bassist of the psychedelic pop band, MGMT, as well as the lead guitarist of Modest Mouse. He is also the bass player, co-vocalist, and founding member of Spiral Heads, who’s newest record is out February 23 via TrashCasual/AcademyFight Songs.  In this episode, Joe and Simon talk punk, punk and more punk and how the newest Spiral Heads...

Eva Walker is the singer and guitarist for the Seattle band The Black Tones. In this episode Eva shares her experiences with the weird practices of a bizzarro sound guy on a recent week long West Coast tour . The Black Tones Episode supported by Distrokid Episode supported by Izotope Episode supported by Native Instruments

Joseph Shabason is a songwriter, a film and TV composer and a multi-instrumentalist based in Toronto, Ontario. He has recorded and collaborated with The War On Drugs, The Operators, Destroyer, DIANA and has released several solo records.  His newest record, Welcome To Hell is a concept record directly inspired by the influential 1996 Toy Machine skate video of the same name. This re-imagined soundtrack is a spacious and spacey freeish jazz odyssey that is grounded in ECM sonic textures, late...

Mary Timony is a singer, songwriter, and guitar wizard from Washington DC. For the past 30 years she has fronted, founded, toured, and recorded with such celebrated and influential bands as Autoclave, Helium, Ex Hex and Wild Flag. Her fifth solo release, Untame The Tiger (out February 23 via Merge) is a beautifully elaborate guitar pop, riff driven record that touches on familial loss, emotional freedom and psychic shift.   In this episode Mary tells us how an onslaught of simultaneous...

Joe speaks with John Familglietti, bass player, founding member and songwriter from the band HEALTH.  Following two widely collaborative records, HEALTH’S newest record, Rat Wars (out 12.7 via Loma Vista), is proving to be the bands most inner focused, vulnerable, and sonically generous output yet. In this episode Joe and John discuss the San Diego scene where John grew up, how John was introduced to punk music and the show that changed his life. John tells us why he thinks Rat Wars is this...

This episode is special because it's the first tour story Joe captured. His pal Kyle Crane, drummer, songwriter, and producer from Los Angeles, tells us how his band experienced a vegetable oil spill, an overheat, a poison ivy infection, and a pedestrian hit and run all in the span of 48 hours. We also hear a few tunes from Kyle's record "Crane Like The Bird" (featuring James Mercer). Kyle Crane Episode supported by Distrokid Episode supported by Izotope Episode supported by Native...