This past week I was able to connect with Josh Epstein of the band JR JR to discuss what went into their latest album called Back To The Land. In this interview, I asked Josh about some of the lyrical concepts/themes present in the new LP, the band’s approach to their dynamic live performances, and the freedom they feel in releasing their music. Back To The Land released last Friday on all streaming services, and there is also a vinyl pressing available here.
Read More “Josh Epstein of JR JR”My Life In 35 Songs, Track 11: “Breaking Free” from High School Musical
You know the world can see us in a way that’s different than who we are…
Look, I know what you’re thinking, but let me explain! This is the one song that, for just a couple of weeks, made me feel like a pop star.
By day, I was just another 11th grade high school student. I rolled out of bed every morning at 6am to make it to school on time for my zero-hour AP Biology block, then muddled through the rest of my classes. Most aspects of my day-to-day life felt, at best, mundane.
But in the evenings, for two weeks in November 2007, I felt like a legitimate, big-deal famous person. The stage, the spotlight, the recognizable songs, the photo in the newspaper, the “sold out” stickers on the posters, the extremely loud cheers from the audience, the autographs, the flowers and other tokens of appreciation from fans. It all added up to this little taste of how it feels for everyone to adore you, and it was intoxicating.
“Breaking Free,” for those not familiar, is the climactic song and most famous moment from High School Musical, the 2006 Disney Channel Original Movie that somehow morphed from a Friday evening special aired in the middle of January to an absolute cultural phenomenon. There had been dozens of Disney Channel Original movies before, but none of them had ever broken containment like this one did. The High School Musical soundtrack album moved 3.7 million copies in 2006 alone, becoming that year’s top-selling album. For some perspective on how big that number is, no Taylor Swift album has never had a bigger calendar year sales tally in the United States than High School Musical did in 2006.
Read More “My Life In 35 Songs, Track 11: “Breaking Free” from High School Musical”Interview: Home Is Where
Home Is Where just released their latest record, Hunting Season – a thirteen-track record that takes the Florida band’s sound beyond emo and into a more Americana, country-twinged space. It still features the high-energy music that band is known for in the form of tracks like “Artificial Grass” and “Bike Week” but there is also a more personal, tender side of the band showing through – especially on highlights such as “Shenandoah,” “Milk and Diesel,” and “Stand-Up Special.” It’s Home Is Where’s best album yet and easily one of 2025’s best offerings – a solid stone-cold lock to be on many “Best Of” lists later this year. I was fortunate enough to speak with the band’s songwriting duo in vocalist Bea MacDonald and guitarist Tilley Komorny. We touched on the new record of course – the inspiration behind it and the writing process that took place – amongst other things. Home Is Where will also be heading night one of Liberation Weekend in Washington, D.C. – a two-day festival created by Ekko Astral and the trans rights advocacy collective Gender Liberation Movement showcasing some of the best musical acts today and supporting and celebrating trans rights, with all proceeds beyond event expenses going to the Gender Liberation Movement to help fund and support future rallies, demonstrations, and direct actions in protest of anti-trans policymaking and business activity. If you can make it to this festival, I highly recommend doing so as it’s shaping up to be one of the best festivals of 2025. Below, check out my conversation with Bea and Tilley of Home Is Where.
Read More “Home Is Where”Bec Lauder and The Noise – “Give It” (Video Premiere)
Today I’m thrilled to introduce everyone to a new band called Bec Lauder and The Noise, a three-piece rock band born in the East Village of Manhattan. Front-woman Bec Lauder alternates between guitar and bass while delivering top notch vocals. She’s joined by lead guitarist Soph Shreds and on drums is Maggie Bishop. Their new single, “Give It” is a great mix of Riot Grrrl punk rock paired with great songwriting. Lauder shared, “‘Give It’ is a fantastically funky anthem to strut down the street to. This sultry tune lures the listener into a psychedelic funk pop dream world through sexy repetitive and rhythmic lyrics that you cannot resist dancing to. This song is paired with a flash dance style music video featuring me and a crew of dancers from the Brooklyn Nets dance team, even further emphasizing the idea of the ‘Give It’ fantasy; a world where you get what you want and you can shake it like nothing matters.” If you’re enjoying the new video, please consider pre-ordering the band’s debut LP, The Vessel here.
Read More “Bec Lauder and The Noise – “Give It” (Video Premiere)”Deep Thrills – “Climax” (Song Premiere)
Today is a great day to share the new single from Deep Thrills called “Climax.” Deep Thrills is the moniker of LA-based artist Matan KG and he channels his love of indie rock with an electro-style that needs to be heard to be believed. The song comes from Deep Thrills’ newly announced EP, How Deep Is Your Thrill?, that will be released everywhere you stream your music on July 11th. If you’re enjoying the video, please consider streaming the new single here.
Read More “Deep Thrills – “Climax” (Song Premiere)”Interview: Gemma Laurence
Recently I was able to connect with Gemma Laurence, a rising talented indie artist based in Brooklyn, New York, about her great new single and video for “Hedonist.” In this interview, I asked Gemma about her songwriting process for not on only this single, but her forthcoming album (We Were Bodies Underwater) slated for a July release, and much more. If you’re enjoying the video and interview, you can stream “Hedonist” on your favorite platform here.
Read More “Gemma Laurence”My Life In 35 Songs, Track 10: “Truth Is” by Sister Hazel
I stole my first kiss underneath her summer sun, how can I leave?
It’s occurred to me in recent years that, had I been born just a couple years earlier, my music taste would likely have been entirely entirely different. Maybe I would have formed a connection with the grunge craze of the early ‘90s, or maybe I would have become infatuated with that decade’s budding indie rock scene. Instead, I came to music listening consciousness when the radio waves were ruled by brightly melodic pop-rock bands, and that has absolutely defined my musical value system ever since.
I broached this subject a little bit in the chapter about Creed, but there’s not much that’s as pure as loving music with absolutely no cynicism. I think that’s why, for most of us, the music we loved when we were young remains the defining music of our lives. As a child or a teenager, you come to songs and albums and artists with enthusiasm and curiosity, but maybe not a lot of knowledge or context. And as a result, you welcome that music into your heart, mind, and soul in a different way than you will in adulthood. I firmly believe that the greatest period in any person’s musical journey comes between “awakening” (the moment that makes you consider music more seriously and deeply than you did before) and “awareness” (the moment where you start letting other people’s opinions or narratives influence how you feel about something).
Read More “My Life In 35 Songs, Track 10: “Truth Is” by Sister Hazel”Interview: Holy Pinto
A couple of weeks ago, I was able to schedule a Zoom call with Aymen Saleh, better known as Holy Pinto. In this interview, I asked Aymen about what went into his forthcoming new album that features some collaborations with Bartees Strange, among others. We also chatted about the key inclusion of voice memos in this record that helped shape the narrative between songs, as well as much more. Today, Holy Pinto has released the piano version of “NOLY” here.
Read More “Holy Pinto”Peter Salett – “Suddenly The Leaves” (Song Premiere)
Today I’m excited to introduce everyone to Peter Salett, the talented singer-songwriter and composer from Brooklyn, NY who has a steady hand in mapping out picturesque moments in his songs. “Suddenly The Leaves” is the latest single from Salett that tackles the concept of the changing of seasons and the emotions that come with this feeling. The single comes from the new record, Dance of the Yellow Leaf, that will be released on July 11th. If you’re enjoying the early listen, please consider pre-saving the new record here.
Read More “Peter Salett – “Suddenly The Leaves” (Song Premiere)”Underlined Passages – “erydy” (Video Premiere)
Today I’m thrilled to bring everyone the latest single and music video from Baltimore’s Underlined Passages, called “erydy.” This hard-working band has shared stages with Explosions in the Sky, The Stills, and many more, and their unique brand of indie rock is truly captivating. Landfill Indie is their latest full-length record and it plays out like a late-90s/early 2000’s emo mixtape of sorts. When asked about the video for the new single, the band shared:
Our music video for ‘erydy,’ the fifth track from our new album Landfill Indie, was directed by Rick Barnwell. The video brings a sense of clarity and warmth to a song about finding meaning in a digitally disconnected world. ‘erydy’ highlights our signature blend of shoegazy guitars and nostalgic, Americana-tilted tones, offering a hopeful voice in a time when many feel lost in the digital noise. With Landfill Indie, we continue to carve out space for authentic connection with fans who are drawn to songs that feel real, not perfect. The video reminds us we’re not alone in this journey.
If you’re enjoying the new video, please consider supporting this talented band here.
Read More “Underlined Passages – “erydy” (Video Premiere)”My Life In 35 Songs, Track 9: “When Canyons Ruled the City”
It felt like an earthquake when she’d shout.
It’s August 1, 2006. I’m 15 years old. I’m on vacation with my family at a secluded, off-the-beaten path vacation spot on the shores of Lake Michigan. My brother, his best friend Frank, and I have tickets to see Butch Walker play a show this evening. We’ve got a three-hour drive straight across the state ahead of us before we can walk through the doors of a sweaty, rundown club right in the heart of downtown Detroit for some loud-as-fuck rock ‘n’ roll. Oh, and it’s the hottest damn day of the year.
Such is the setup for my first-ever concert experience.
Butch Walker isn’t a household name, though I’d wager that just about everyone with a pulse has heard a song he’s written or produced. In the broader context of the music world, Butch is best known as a collaborator, and for the role he’s played in songs and records by everyone from Avril Lavigne to Weezer to Fall Out Boy to Katy Perry. In the context of my musical journey, though, Butch might be the single most important figure of all. From the moment I heard his 2004 album Letters in the winter of my eighth-grade year, nothing was ever quite the same again. Butch had this singular ability to exude not-to-be-fucked-with attitude, approachable wisecracking wit, and heart-on-the-sleeve emotion, all at the same time. To my eyes and ears, he was the coolest guy in school and the soulful poet, a guy whose tatted-up arms and long hair made it all the more surprising when he hit you with a wrenching piano ballad or a smart, insightful breakup song. Letters changed my life because it showed me how versatile songwriting could be. The songs were funny, rousing, self-deprecating, heartbreaking, and 100 percent honest, and I loved them more immediately than I’d ever loved any other music in my life.
Letters was the closest I’d ever come to hearing someone turn their diary pages into music, and that authentic realness drew me to Butch and made me a fan for life. Soon, I was delving into Butch’s back pages. There was his previous record, 2002’s Left of Self-Centered, and its crunchy, sarcastic, ultra-melodic pop-punk-leaning songs. There was his former band, Marvelous 3, who’d made candy-colored power-pop songs in the ‘90s and then pivoted to skyscraping arena rock at the dawn of the new millennium. I even dug into his live albums and b-sides, devouring every scrap of music I could get my hands on. In particular, I loved This Is Me…Justified and Stripped, an acoustic live record he’d recorded in the leadup to Letters that made him sound like the most entertaining showman on the planet. I’d never been to a rock concert in my life, but I knew very early on that seeing a Butch Walker show had to be on my bucket list.
When that opportunity came along in the summer of 2006, it was even more special than I ever could have imagined. But to explain that part of the story, I have to rewind a bit.
Read More “My Life In 35 Songs, Track 9: “When Canyons Ruled the City””Interview: Kristopher Roe of The Ataris
This past week I was able to schedule a Zoom call with Kristopher Roe of The Ataris to discuss the band’s great returning single, “Car Song.” The song is from the band’s forthcoming LP that is tentatively scheduled for a March 2026 release. In this interview, Kristopher shared key insights behind how the new album is shaping up, his life experiences that led to several of the key songs on the new record, as well as his planned release of a cover of “Summer of ’69”. The Ataris will be releasing several new singles and 7″ records leading up to the band’s new album.
Read More “Kristopher Roe of The Ataris”A.M. Boys – “Space Times Six” (Song Premiere)
Today I’m excited to bring everyone the latest single and visualizer video from New York City-based post-punk/experimental rock band A.M. Boys called “Space Times Six.” The song comes from their sophomore record, Present Phase, that just released in full today. Band member Chris Moore said, “The first album was more focused on in-studio jams and songs written for live performance, but this time we decided to stretch out more and explore adding additional layers.” If you’re enjoying the latest single, please consider streaming Present Phase here.
Read More “A.M. Boys – “Space Times Six” (Song Premiere)”Taylor Acorn – “Burning House” (Song Premiere)
Today I’m thrilled to bring everyone an early listen to the new single by Taylor Acorn called “Burning House.” The track comes from the recently announced deluxe version of Survival In Motion that hits streaming services tomorrow. “When I was dreaming up Survival In Motion, I always envisioned it having an extended life and so I’m so excited to be able to continue the story,” Taylor reflects. “I am so proud of the whole body of work that we have created and it was such a pivotal project for myself as a writer, as an artist, and as a human. It was something I truly needed at that time and I’ll forever cherish the experience of getting to create it.” If you’re enjoying the early listen to the single, please consider pre-saving Survival In Motion (Deluxe) here.
Read More “Taylor Acorn – “Burning House” (Song Premiere)”After Ours – “Different Now” (Video Premiere)
After Ours, the musical project of Kayla Janowitz, is releasing her music video today for a key song called “Different Now.” From the After Ours new LP of Imaginary Friend that releases on June 6th, this single dances around self-reflection and the realization that we can all find solace in self-healing. I was also able to catch up with Kayla for a brief interview below. If you’re enjoying the music video, please consider pre-saving Imaginary Friend here.
Read More “After Ours – “Different Now” (Video Premiere)”