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Talk About the Passion is a podcast where I will be talking with folks about their passions in creativity. There’s a slight slant towards people from the punk and hardcore scenes, but of course I’m open to anyone. Nominated for Best Music Podcast - Boston Music Awards - 2019.
100 Episodes
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Episode 102 is a conversation with Brian Fair of the band Shadows Fall, in this episode we talk about the formation of that band from his time in his band before Overcast, the scene at the time in Massachusetts, Shadows Fall at the Grammys, as well as a mutual love for the band Into Another as well as the Grateful Dead and Phish, who we both share a love for, and nerd out quite a bit about towards the end. This was a great conversation, Brian is great and tells a good story and has a great outlook on life and performance. Would definitely have him on again!
I talk with author Jim Ruland about his novel Make It Stop, his obsession with ancient cities, recovery, healthcare vigilantes and how important writing is to him. Although we barely talk about his books on punk rock, his approach to life and his philosophies talked about here epitomize the punk rock spirit. Jim has written a number of books including My Damage - Keith Morris, Do What You Want - The Story of Bad Relgion, Corporate Rock Still Sucks - The Rise and Fall of SST Records, he writes for Razorcake zine, and has a Substack called Message From the Underworld.
In this 100th episode I talk about why this podcast that is mostly focused on hardcore, punk and metal is named after an REM song. Hiding your love for disco as a young Kiss fan, being saved by a Van Halen shirt, being a skinhead and a Deadhead at the same time and other things that make no sense.
Episode 99 is a conversation with Dana Bollen, Dana has two podcasts himself: Two Week Notice and Life Free or DIY which we talk about a bit here. Dana also has worked as a tour manager for bands like Piebald and Unearth, he tells the story of how he went from being a fan of Piebald to them asking him to manage a tour. Travel is a big theme in this episode, as well as the DIY ethic. This was my first time meeting Dana and he was down to earth, great storyteller and someone I would have on again.
Episode 98 is a conversation with Brain Brannon, singer of JFA (Jodie Foster's Army) since 1981. We talk about his time in that band, skateboarding, writing for Thrasher Magazine in the 90's, joining the US Navy after 9/11 and of course more skateboarding. JFA were pretty much the beginning of the marriage of skateboarding and punk rock/hardcore music, or at least the first to wear it proudly. JFA are still playing and original guitarist Don Pendleton is also still in the band. Brian is humble, down to earth, and an amazing and hilarious story teller, he has some great views on life he talks about here. I appreciate Brian taking his time out to talk for a bit with me.
Episode 97 is a conversation with Aesop Dekker. Aesop has played drums for a number of bands like Hickey, Ludicra and Agalloch among many others. We talk about him growing up in Florida, moving to the Bay Area and then just talk about music in general. Everything from JFA to Pat Travers! Some great stories, and well thought out takes on music. This was an easy going, natural conversation and I hope to have Aesop on again some time.
In this episode I talk about humor in music, from early artists like Martin Mull to punk and hardcore bands like The Dickies and Angry Samoans. I attempt to reassess my opinion of a popular band I long dismissed. And of course Frank Zappa is discussed. Humor is a huge part of music, and the answer to this question is obvious, here I give some examples of why.
Episode 95 is a conversation with Graham McCulloch. Alongside his brother Rob he was in the hardcore band Negative Approach, playing on both of their records. Later moving on to The Meatmen, which is where we spend most of our conversation. From his first performance with Tesco to tours with the Meatmen in the 80's, there are some amazing stories here. Graham also worked with Void's Bubba Dupree in the rock band Earth Eighteen as well as other projects we talk about. Graham was a great guest and I was happy to have someone on who has made so much music I've listened to for the over 40 years.
Episode 94 is a conversation with Dean Rispler. Dean is a NY native, and we talk about growing up on Long Island and discovering music there, a life changing Butthole Surfers show, eventually making his way to playing with Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black, Murphy's Law, Dictators and Richard Lloyd among others. Dean is a great story teller and some of these stories are hilarious, some are crazy, most importantly they're all interesting and I look forward to having him on again.
First episode back in a couple of years is a solo episode where I talk about music and it's relation to traveling. What's the best Dischord band for a road trip mix? Should you collaborate with a friend on a travel playlist? What Eagles songs was partly written in the parking lot of a fast food hot dog chain? Find out here!
Episode 92 is another conversation with my good friend Michael Brousseau. On this episode we talk about rediscovering stuff you were into as a kid before you got turned on to the good stuff from your cool friend at school, and realize that stuff is good as well. This is a long loose conversation about music discovery, music listening habits and not having guilty pleasures. Michael has some really cool ideas and opinions on music, I was happy to have him on again. Check him out on the excellent podcast Gleaming the Tube!
Episode 91 is a conversation with returning guest Damien Moyal (As Friends Rust, Culture, On Bodies, Damien Done and more) On this episode we are talking about his newest project, a death metal band called Ekstasis and their new release, Paralyzing Impermanence. We talk about how this project came to be, what the future holds for the project as well as what some of the differences are making music and being a fan in the hardcore scene vs making music and being a fan in the metal scene. This was another great conversation with Damien who has some great ideas and opinions on music that I am always happy to give a platform to. Check out Ekstasis now!
Episode 28 is me alone talking about record stores. Starting at going to Tower Records on Sunset Strip as a kid to working at a few different record stores in New England, and now in the present time being a frequent customer at various shops. I also answer questions like "Does one need nine copies of the same Minor Threat record?", "Can you really impress a woman just by playing a Replacements record?" and many more. Note: This actual 90th episode is Episode 28 because the original Episode 28 has been removed.
Episode 90 is a conversation with musician Joseph Grillo. Joseph has and does play in a number of bands including Garrison, Gay For Johnny Depp, Her Head's On Fire and Judas Knife among many others. We talk about most of the projects he's been involved in, as well as what it was like to record with J Robbins, the process of recording the Judas Knife record with Drew Thomas at God City. Joseph was great to talk to and has some seriously great music out there, do yourself a favor and track it down!
Episode 89 is a loose conversation with my friend and returning guest Kevin Grant about the band Black Flag. We have an essentially open discussion about the band, how we got into them, their records, the 82 demos, the many connections to skateboarding and much more. This was a lot of fun to do Black Flag are one of my favorite bands and it was great to talk to have Kevin on again to talk about one of his favorite bands as well.
In this episode I talk to my friend Isaac Turner (Episode 82) about Neil Young's Ditch Trilogy, three dark records from the early 70's (Time Fades Away, On The Beach and Tonight's the Night) that were recorded and released during a period in Neil's life where he was just coming off the huge success of Harvest and the deaths of two of his closest friends from drugs. We have a casual conversation about each of the three records, Ike is a huge fan so it was great to have him talk about these records.
In this episode I talk with Kevin Grant about the latest record his band Wire Lines released called Harvest Verses. This is Kevin's second appearance on the podcast (First being episode 38) Here we talk about how the new record came about, what it was like to put it together during a pandemic, and Kevin goes into detail about the meaning behind some of the songs on this record. The new record on Blind Rage Records is great and it was great to have him on to talk about it and get some background on it.
On this episode I talk to Steve Risteen and Jamie Sciarappa who both did time in the Boston hardcore band Slapshot, and Jamie was also a member of SS Decontrol. Slapnot is a band comprised of dozens of ex-members of Slapshot gathering together to play a show on November 21, 2021 to celebrate the 35th anniversary of Slapshot as well as to give fans and friends the opportunity to sing on stage with various members providing the music part. We get into how exactly this will work, what it's like playing these songs this many years later as well as their time in Slapshot in the 80's into the 90's. Although short, this was a great conversation and I am looking forward to seeing this live!
Episode 84 sees Bob Mayo return for a third appearance on the podcast, this time we are talking about the "point of entry" phenomena wherein the first record you hear by an artist orients your idea of what they should sound like. We talk about getting into bands like Deep Purple, Judas Priest, Cheap Trick and Iron Maiden to name a few. When you first heard Judas Priest did you then move backwards through their catalog, or were you there for the beginning of some of these bands? We talk about the new Iron Maiden record and what other bands are still putting out solid records as well as how being a fan of music and a collector informed how he presented the excellent reissues of his band Wargasm. Look for a second episode soon where we get into underground and thrash metal!
In this episode I talk with film director, producer, musician and host of the New York Hardcore Chronicles about his life as a fan of the Grateful Dead. As someone prominent in the early Boston hardcore scene as well we go from Radio City Music Hall seeing the Dead in 1980 to the Gallery East seeing bands like SSD and Bad Brains. What's it like to hang in both of these scenes? With Drew's great story telling skills and sharp memory he paints a picture in an hour that is interesting the whole way through.
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