STAGE DIVES

From Zach De La Rocha seated to Tom Morello tackled, we broke down Rage Against the Machine's music, activism, and legacy after hitting their show in Toronto on July 23. Aaron & Jared talked about the other great pantheon protest acts, how Killing in the Name became a meme and much more.

It’s HAIM time on Stage Dives. Aaron is joined by Intermission’s Aisling Murphy and Michael Religa from Indie88 to review HAIM’s May 24 show at RBC Echo Beach. We broke down HAIM’s career, their One More HAIM tour & setlist, and Women in Music Pt III. We took a look at the transformational year of 2013 for both indie and pop and why it’s harder for bands to break into the mainstream.

Aaron, Jared, and special guest Blake Haarstad have some laughs as they break down Radiohead's seminal work for its 25th birthday sonically, thematically, and historically. They chatted about the idea of overhype, "male manipulator music," if the album is a concept record, if Radiohead count as progressive rock, and what makes them a canonical band. Then they spouted a ton of trivia and research. Listen until the end to hear two millennials argue with a Gen Z on why The Bends is a great album.

We're joined by Intermission's Aisling Murphy along with your host Tony Todorovah to break down Avril Lavigne's nostalgic showcase at the Coca Cola Coliseum in Toronto. They broke down everything from how Avril was the original e-girl, the Anti-Britney, her fiancée Mod Sun, and of course the infamous "Clone Conspiracy" before Aisling reviews her current Bite Me (Love Sux?) tour.

We’re joined by sports wizard Ian Pickett to break down the factual inaccuracies behind the controversies in HBO’s Winning Time. We talked about all of the hoopla around Jason Clarke’s performance as Jerry West (19:02), (36:27) the score and stat discrepancies, compared the dramatized versions of Kareem (41:42), Pat Riley (1:01:32), Larry Bird (55:35), and Magic (1:11:07) to their real-life composites, and then discussed why the Lakers suck so much now (1:19:27). Also discussed: rating the basketball scenes in the show (9:28), what eras future seasons of the show could cover (1:05:55) and why fictional Magic Johnson is so good at cunnilingus in the show (1:17:15). Check out our bonus episode where Ian compares NBA players to Succession characters.

We play a game with our guest Ian Pickett and find out who the Logan, Kendall, Roman, Shiv, and Tom of the NBA are. Things get even weirder when we find comps for the Fly Guys and Piss Bucket Ray. A must listen if you love Succession and follow basketball.

Jared and Aaron talk about the insane amount of content that has been and will be hitting streaming platforms this year including a tripartite in crime shows with Ozark, Barry, and Better Call Saul (17:05), Atlanta (39:33), and The “Pseudo-Wire” comeback in We Own this City (26:11). They break down how the prestige era of television never ended and its effect on the box office (13:46). Then they discuss how music used on TV has changed from Entourage and The Sopranos all the way to Pam & Tommy (48:55) plus their favourite uses of pop music in shows this year (1:03:58) and the worst uses as well (1:17:00).Other shows mentioned: Euphoria, Severance, The Dropout, Super Pumped, Abbot Elementary, Succession, Breaking Bad, The White Lotus and probably more. It’s true…there’s too much content out there, but have no fear, we’re here to tell you what’s worth watching.

A conversation with a few tunes with Wisconsin's DIY genius Alligator Orange who promises this is just a hobby despite his Stick Figures EP being totally awesome.

Aaron & Jared are joined by Intermission's Aisling Murphy and The Underscene's Andres Guzman to talk about the snubs, the songs, and yes....the slap that defined this year's Oscars.

“Here Come the Bats!” SMACK’s Aaron & Nate broke down Nick Cave & Warren Ellis’ marquee gig for Carnage at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Vancouver. We deep dove the Bad Seeds’ prolific career (10:07), Nick Cave at the movies from Gladiator 2 to Harry Potter to Lawless (31:14), and his touring setlist featuring mostly new material (47:30). Plus the problem with hecklers (1:13:37) and the magic of Warren Ellis (21:39).

We’re joined by Jared Marshall and Antoaneta Todorova to break down massive indie singer-songwriter Mitski’s incredibly received concert at Massey Hall. We also delivered a larger conversation on her use of fiction and persona (23:40), how she is influenced by theatre (51:42), her intense fanbase (1:15:54), and what to expect when she opens for Harry Styles (1:24:55). Then join us as we give out awards for different aspects of the show (1:00:00). All this from three people who have trouble holding back tears and phone cameras!

Aaron and Jared discuss Tyler the Creator’s amazing performance in Toronto for his incendiary Call Me If You Get Lost Tour featuring a career spanning set. We explore what Call Me if You Get Lost is all about (1:07:49) and the outrageously well curated setlist (50:04), before we give awards to the best moments and players of the night (1:18:37). We also have a look at when Odd Future entered the culture in 2011 (8:10), plus Jared takes us from Cherry Bomb (22:00) to Flower Boy (28:40).

Introducing Stage Dives, the first podcast from the media nerds who run SMACK out of Toronto Canada and hosted by Aaron Chan. We’re going to be talking about everything we’ve been listening to and watching, but first and foremost we’re going to be talking about concerts.