Interview: 2:00 AM Wake Up Call

Recently I was able to schedule an interview with 2:00 AM Wake Up Call, the solo project from Micah Leith, to discuss the band’s latest single called ”No Nostalgia.” In this interview, I asked Micah about what went into the process for creating the visualizer video for the new track, how Micah does most of the songwriting for this project, and the opening of 2:00 AM Wake Up Call’s new merch store. If you’re enjoying the new single, please consider supporting this artist here.

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Interview: Shane Told of Silverstein

Recently I was able to schedule a Zoom interview with the lead vocalist of Silverstein, Shane Told, to discuss the band’s tour preparations for their anniversary tour of their sixth record, This Is How The Wind Shifts. In this interview, I asked Shane about what went into the writing process for they current album (Misery Made Me), the band’s thinking behind doing the REDUX album re-recordings, and some advice he has for young bands navigating the changing music business. Silverstein will be embarking on their This Is How The Wind Shifts tour starting November 23rd in Toronto, and tickets can be purchased here.

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Interview: Barry Johnson of Joyce Manor

It’s release week for Joyce Manor’s sixth album, 40 Oz. To Fresno and vocalist/guitarist Barry Johnson is thinking about how it’ll be received. “I care about the reviews, I don’t know why I care about the reviews, but I do. So, if we got bad reviews it would really hurt my feelings. But so far everything I’ve read has been really positive. So, that’s a huge relief.” It’s refreshing to hear that kind of honestly from a musician, as it’s typical for artists to say they avoid (or pretend to) the critiques on their art. But Johnson isn’t like most artists, his self-awareness shining through during the entirety of our Zoom session. His band’s latest collection of emo-leaning power-pop punk songs look back on past eras of Joyce Manor while staying true to the natural progression the band has made since 2011’s self-titled record. The 9-track 17-minute album features some of the band’s most explosive work yet (“Gotta Let It Go,” “NBTSA,” and “Secret Sisters” being the main culprits) along with the band’s incredible knack for creating inescapable melodic mid-tempo tracks (“You’re Not Famous Anymore” and “Did You Ever Know?”) – making 40 Oz. To Fresno the Joyce Manor record for Joyce Manor fans. Below Johnson and I chat about the origins of this record, trying to take a break from the Joyce Manor machine, working with Tony Thaxton, the big Long Beach show in 2023, and more.

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Interview: Bayside

Bayside have steadily become one of the preeminent forces in alternative music by simply being themselves throughout their entire career. The band has a unique sense of self which displays itself every time they release new music. The band’s seventh full-length record, Vacancy, just dropped last week, and to celebrate, they hit the road with some incredible bands supporting them: The Menzingers and Sorority Noise. I’ll have more on that tour a little later this week, but for now, enjoy my conversation with Anthony Raneri and Nick Ghanbarian about managing fan expectations, what they feel their responsibility is as a band with a platform, and how you continue to write the most honest music of your career seven albums deep.

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