The latest Gut Feeling Podcast is a conversation with Marc and Brent Belke, brothers and co-founding guitarists of Edmonton, Alberta-formed and later Vancouver, BC-based hardcore icons SNFU. Throughout the talk, Muc and Bunt hit on: the new Come With Me, I’m On My Way horror comic featuring four gruesome tales inspired by classic SNFU songs; Trust Records’ upcoming 40th anniversary project behind debut album ...And No One Else Wanted to Play; Edmonton’s early ‘80s punk and skateboarding scenes; the absurdist and sometimes misunderstood lyrics of late frontman Mr. Chi Pig; the making of 1995’s The One Voted Most Likely to Succeed; the ‘90s punk boom, and touring with Green Day and Bad Religion; gear and guitar solos; Strain bassist and SNFU roadie Eric "Flexyourhead" Thorkelson’s very bad day; Brent’s current film score work; and more!3Press Comics’ Come With Me comic is out now, along with an SNFU tribute 7-inch from Dad Religion; Trust Records’ Play repress out soon; and a repress of Voted is out in November via La Agonia De Vivir.You can also read a 2020 feature I’d written around some of the most poignant, poetic and occasionally profane lyrics Mr. Chi Pig brought to the mic over at Exclaim!
The latest Gut Feeling Podcast is with Shira Blustein, the Calgary-born, Vancouver-based restauranteur behind celebrated vegetarian spot the Acorn and the newly launched Lila. Shira has also been a part of punk and indie music for the past 30 years, including time spent with Mediaucracy, Chupacabra, Blood Meridian, Hard Drugs, the Choir Practice, A Pale Blue, Ashley Shadow, and more. Throughout our talk, Shira touches on: meeting her Lila partner at a band photoshoot in 2010; Calgarian crust punk; who barfed at her first punk show; signing to V2 Records; film industry sound design; connections to Black Mountain, the Black Keys, Destroyer, Kylesa, Thor and more; and her new Cure cover band, Strawberries and Cream.
Hello! It's nearing the end of 2023, and per tradition I've invited Adam Mitchell onto the podcast to get into some of his favourite records of the year — this time including music from Guided By Voices, Park Hye Jin, Home Front, and People's Temple. Adam also weighs in on traveling to Mexico to record a 7-inch as a member of punk outfit Pura Mania; upcoming projects from both Spectres and Madness Cartel; and dialing into third-wave ska classics in happenstantial fashion. That's it until 2024!
The latest Gut Feeling Podcast is an interview with Tom Thacker, the Fraser Valley, BC-raised founding guitarist of pop-punkers Gob, and longtime member of Sum 41. Throughout the talk, Tom touches on: getting Gob off the ground with co-founder Theo Goutzinakis; bringing punk rock shows to suburban Langley, BC in the '90s, and possibly dusting their Punk Strikes Back concert series off in 2024; record store jobs; the sonic influence of Vancouver hardcore; running away from a bull on his way to a bush party; and whether or not original Gob drummer Wolfman Pat was in fact Andy Dixon from d.b.s.'s dad. Gob's recent round of vinyl reissues are out now through Dine Alone Records, while Tom's also bracing himself for a mega-tour supporting Sum 41's upcoming final album, Heaven :x: Hell.
The latest Gut Feeling Podcast is an interview with Jordan Blilie, the onetime co-vocalist for surrealistic hardcore outfit The Blood Brothers. The band recently delivered a deluxe anniversary reissue behind 2003's Burn, Piano Island, Burn, which is out now via Epitaph. Throughout the talk, Jordan touches on: the dynamic, daring, and essential tandem he maintained with co-vocalist Johnny Whitney; the difference between vocal confidence and vocal competence; going into "survival mode" in the studio; working with Ross Robinson (Korn, Limp Bizkit); making a truly bizarre major label debut; and plying one's trade as a "grotesque mess."
The latest Gut Feeling Podcast is an interview with Vanessa Heins, a Toronto-based photographer who has worked with artists in the worlds of punk, folk, pop, hip-hop, and so much more for more than 20 years. Throughout the talk, Vanessa touches on: growing up in Vancouver; getting her start behind the lens in high school while taking photos of her friends' punk bands (including future members of Said the Whale); setting a scene comfortably; an upcoming tour with City and Colour; and memories of shoots with the likes of Alexisonfire, Beastie Boys, Carly Rae Jepsen, U.S. Girls' Meg Remy, John Prine, Sister Ray, and more! You can find Vanessa's work over on Instagram.
The latest Gut Feeling Podcast is with Jack Duckworth, the Vancouver Island-born, Glasgow based musician currently crafting darkwave odysseys as Soft Riot. The synth-heavy solo project's snarky, urgent and playful new No album comes out August 11 through Jack's own Possession Records and the Netherlands' Wave Tension Records. Throughout the talk, Jack gets into: Soft Riot's latest collection; finding his way back to guitar; cosmic coincidences; Vancouver Island punk in the early '90s; playing his first-ever show with an Acid casualty fill-in singer; hitchhiking; the quaintness of early internet culture; and his time in bands including The Forgotten, Anthony Monday, Slough of Despond, The Measure, and Radio Berlin.
The latest Gut Feeling Podcast goes down the '90s straight edge hardcore rabbit hole with Dead Quiet vocalist-guitarist Kevin Keegan, who got his start as the 14-year-old drummer for Kelowna, BC's Decoy. Throughout the talk, Kevin gets into: building up his drum chops to Metallica's Kill 'Em All; getting pulled into his local hardcore scene as a teenage wunderkind; the Refused show Decoy were supposed to play; road trip chaperones; why he ultimately switched over to guitar; voice acting; dog walking; and more! You can also find out more about the making of Dead Quiet's most recent album, IV, over here through my feature for RANGE magazine.
Hello again! The latest Gut Feeling Podcast is an interview with Justin Gradin, the Vancouver-raised, and soon-to-be-L.A.-based multi-disciplinary artist whom most recently released his debut graphic novel, Mystic Debris (out now via Fantagraphics). Throughout the talk, Justin gets into: Mystic Debris' somewhat biographical origins; upcoming audio-visual projects with Grammy winner and onetime roommate Tobias Jesso Jr.; the ways our bodies hang onto trauma; transcendental meditation; learning to play drums behind his surf rock-loving dad; early bands w Gossip's Nathan Howdeshell; starting up underground punk venue the Emergency Room; making music videos for White Lung and Louise Burns; how he lost his job at a Toys 'R' Us; and more! You can also find out more about Mystic Debris, as well as Justin's favourite drummers of all time, over here through my feature for RANGE magazine.
Hello again! The latest Gut Feeling Podcast is an interview with Mark Palm, the Seattle-based vocalist-guitarist for contemporary power pop titans Supercrush, and a Vancouver-grown hardcore kid at heart. Did you realize that this Saturday (April 15) marks the twentieth anniversary of the first ever live performance from Vancouver's Go It Alone? Mark sure hadn't, so I gave him a call to drum up some old memories about the early days of the band. Throughout the talk, Mark gets into: earnest, emotional hardcore lyrics; recording a demo as a duo, but building out the line-up a year later as a quintet; the fatal flaw of naming your group Go It Alone; early shows and the first West Coast tour; East Vancouver's Second Ave punk house; questionable guitar tone; the Vancouver Gold EP; and how the band looked by the end of 2003. Back in the present, Mark also offers up some details on Supercrush's forthcoming covers album, and the new compilation he's putting together around some of his favourite Seattle-area bands.
Hello, hello! The latest Gut Feeling podcast is an interview with Murray A. Lightburn, a longtime member of orchestral pop group the Dears who is also about to release his third solo album, Once Upon a Time in Montreal. Murray has described his latest full-length as an "audio version of a biopic," inspired by the life of his father William, a jazz saxophonist who passed away in 2020. It’s a contemplative, massively moving collection of jazz, folk, and r&b-styled moments, all of which being anchored by the golden tone of Murray’s tenor-baritone vocal. Throughout the talk, Murray gets into: early memories of singing in church; moving from teen cover bands to the Dears; learning to sing "from the belly"; when to forgo falsetto; his father's sax style; how vocal range evolves; his recent instrumental score for filmmaker Chandler Levack's I Like Movies; bread-baking; his mother's radio show; and more! Once Upon a Time in Montreal is out this Friday (03/31) through Dangerbird Records.
Hello again! The latest Gut Feeling podcast is an interview with Ted Leo, the longtime punk-and-pop Pharmacist who is just about to jump into a series of reunions shows with his '90s-era outfit, Chisel. Ted gets into the general history of Chisel, from forming the mod-and-punk-inspired band with college friends Chris Norborg (bass) and John Dugan (drums), to the time they technically headlined over Radiohead, to song specifics around their epic-in-scope 1997 LP, Set You Free (which is just about to arrive as an expanded, double-LP reissue through Numero Group). It's a big gear talk, too, with Ted jumping into the "unhip" solid state Fender head he was using in his hardcore days, through to early Chisel; the affordability of his 8 A.M. All Day-era Tele Deluxe, fit with an unflattering Floyd Rose tremolo system; and unlocking the potential of an elegant major-to-minor chord progression. Chisel are playing shows in Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco this February. Hoping there's more to come!
Hello! We've hit the end of 2022, and per tradition I've invited Spectres / Madness Cartel member Adam Mitchell onto the podcast to get into some of his favourite records of the year — this time including music from The Beths, Long Knife, High Vis, and more. We also touch on Spectres' upcoming album, which is currently being recorded in Vancouver with producer Jesse Gander (Brutus, Neck of the Woods), and Madness Cartel activity following the semi-recent re-release of their 2020 demo. That's it for now, but I'll catch you in the new year!
The latest Gut Feeling Podcast is an interview with Hot Hot Heat/Fur Trade's Steve Bays! Steve gets into the early history of Hot Hot Heat, whom just celebrated the 20th anniversary of their pop-tastic Make Up the Breakdown with a a deluxe, remastered re-release through Sub Pop Records. He also dives into the jingling holiday spirit of Fur Trade's recent "Christmas in a Cage" single, which marks the first new music from the project in nearly a decade, and teases an upcoming full-length through Light Organ Records. Steve also gets into: growing up in Victoria, BC; sneaking off to his first punk show at the age of 12; earlier hardcore and emo projects, including (Instill'), Missiles to Heaven, and Fuck You I'm Stealing Home; the self-recorded solo project that bridges the gap between Hot Hot Heat's insular keyboard hardcore and the rafters-reaching pop of Make Up the Breakdown; side shout-outs to Vue, the Walkmen, and high school classmate Nelly Furtado; and the literal buzz surrounding his current Tugboat Pl. Studio in New Westminster, BC.
The latest Gut Feeling Podcast is an interview with Lyndsay Sung, a longtime music-maker currently playing bass in Vancouver punk trio Kcar. Over the past 25 years, she's also played in The Sob Story, Le Petit Mort, Radio Berlin, Pink Mountaintops, Ice Palace, and more. She's also the owner/baker extraordinaire at Coco Cake Land! Throughout our talk, Lyndsay gets into: becoming a "gorilla on 'roids" while drumming for her first band; queer vampire films; fantasy-based synth-metal; finding goths across America on lengthy Radio Berlin tours; upcoming cookbooks; and more. The Gut Feeling Podcast is currently streaming through Apple, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Sounder.
The latest Gut Feeling Podcast is an interview with Kyle De Ville, a British Columbia-born, Portland, Oregon-based guitarist with Enact, whom just released their self-titled debut album through War Records. Throughout the talk, Kyle gets into: plotting hardcore songs in the shower; Enact fighting against political apathy; what happens when the Youth Crew ages into parenthood; growing up a pre-teen suburban death metal head; lessons learned at a Metallica show; and more. On the throwback side of things, Kyle and I also played in our first bands together in the mid '90s, so we touch on our failed skate-punk band, Rugburn, and our more emo-styled The Self Esteem Project, whose 1997 demo tape I just posted up on Bandcamp . Enact's debut album is available through your streaming service of choice, and vinyl copies can be found at their Bandcamp site and over at War Records . The Gut Feeling Podcast is currently streaming through Apple , Spotify, Google Podcasts , and Sounder .
The latest Gut Feeling Podcast is an interview with Stephen McBean, a prolific, Vancouver Island-born, Los Angeles-based musician currently making music with Black Mountain and Pink Mountaintops. Back in the mid '90s, though, Steve was briefly a vocalist/co-guitarist in Ex Dead Teenager, a Vancouver quartet whose 1997 demo, It's OK to Laugh at People Wearing Gas Masks, flirted with full-bore hardcore, sludge nihilism, tattered-psyche post-punk melancholia, and impressionistic, synth-skit weirdness. Throughout the talk, Steve gets into: hardcore mêlées at East Vancouver's legendary New York Theatre; writing and recording as a roommates-only project in the basement of the Frances Street punk house; the on-tour implosion of his previous project, Gus; dumpster diving for keyboards; reconnecting with members of Converge and Saviours decades after first meeting them on tour with Ex Dead Teenager; and more. The Gut Feeling Podcast is currently streaming through Apple, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Sounder. You can also check out my interview with Steve on his latest Pink Mountaintops record, Peacock Pools, over at Guitar World.
The latest Gut Feeling Podcast is an interview with Lucas McFadden, a Vancouver based musician currently drumming with Madness Cartel and Tilted, though formerly of blisteringly fast hardcore unit Reserve 34 . Throughout the talk, Lucas gets into the life of Reserve 34, from the mid '90s through to their final show in 2002, but he also touches on: realizing that in a guitarists world, he needed to become a drummer; teen vandalism; punk mansions; fortuitous parking spots. It's a story that also manages to connect Reserve 34 with members of Trooper, the Pointed Sticks, SoCal straight edge group Carry On, and more! Nothing from the Reserve 34 discography is streaming officially, but the episode features some samples of unreleased demos, radio show performances, live sets, and studio recordings. The Gut Feeling Podcast is currently streaming through Apple, Spotify, and Sounder.
The latest Gut Feeling Podcast is an interview with Larissa Loyva, a Vancouver based singer-songwriter currently releasing experimental electronic pop as Kellarissa. The talk gets into the making of Kellarissa's new Voice Leading album, but also: hands-on career changes; Anne Garréta’s 1986 Oulipan nightclub novel Sphinx; high school choirs; her first band's show at a mall photography exhibit; playing in bands like P:ano, Boring, the Choir Practice, and A Luna Red; and finding harmony in life, not just music. Kellarissa's Voice Leading sees release April 1 via Mint Records .
Hello! It's just about the end of the year, and once again I've invited Spectres guitarist Adam Mitchell onto the podcast to get into some of our favourite records of the year—hitting on some contemporary Oi (The Chisel, Boss), sax-smooched synth-pop (Riki), arguably adult-geared post-hardcore (Quicksand), and more. We also get into Spectres recent Hindsight collection, which traces the Vancouver band's career from their earlier, shoutier, greyer days towards the synth-spangled pop of new tunes like "Tell Me". I think I'm going to take the next couple of weeks off, but I'll catch you in 2022! Spectres' Hindsight is out now via Artoffact Records. The Gut Feeling Podcast is currently streaming through Apple, Spotify, and Sounder.