Staying in the Midwest for Episode 061 so we could have a nice, long conversation with the man behind the guitar in so many legendary Chicago (and New York!) bands - Jay Jancetic doing his thing in:

Plagued With Rage

Half Mast

Nevermore

Extinction

Sever the Cord

Arma Angelus

Stabbed By Words

Holy Roman Empire

Harm's Way

Black X

Atonement Theory

Contempt

Almost Always

Left Of Heaven

You might be surprised like I was to find out he originally hails from New York before he recognized just how amazing Chicago is and made the move that forever changed not only his own musical path but charted a new path through all of the influential bands he has done time in.

Jay had so many great stories and has led such an interesting life this made for an amazing episode.

The two songs featured in this episode are:

Left Of Heaven - Halo From the Upcoming (yet-to-be-fully-titled) EP

Harm's Way - Docile Bodies from "Rust"

Aside from being the shredder and voice behind Cadillac Blindside, did you know Zaq had a more singer-songwriter side? If you somehow missed out or slept on this or whatever else, check this episode out because Zaq us back to give us the complete oral history behind ...And We Danced. He discovers the theme behind the album, how it came to be (and how it was almost only made for him) and just how much this project meant to him.

There are few things more satisfying than having a guest on and realizing that music never left their hearts and their souls and Zaq embodies this just as well as anyone else. He takes all of that heart and history and wraps it up in a genuine story with some sprinkled in humor, exactly like the phenominal songwriter that he is.

This episode was a blast to record and we sincerely hope you enjoy the listen or the watch.

Both songs from this episode were taken from ...And We Danced's Self-Titled release (duh):

"The Ring"

"Little Streetlight"

Back to the Midwest for Episode 059 so we could have a nice, long conversation with the man both behind the guitar and the microphone - Zaq Zrust doing his thing in Cadillac Blindside, And We Danced, FUELtheFIRE, plus more.

Hear about his early years around his parents, his love for writing music, finding (and continually improving) his voice, learning guitar, and everything else. You'll be shocked at the work ethic and effort that Zaq put into Cadillac and how that translated to their continued popularity to this day.

This episode is also (completely unplanned) timely as Cadillac Blindside is playing three shows next month for FEST in Gainesville, FL.

We hope you enjoy the Midwest wisdom Zaq is about to share.

The two songs featured in this episode are:

FUELtheFIRE - I Got the April Epidemic... Now it Burns When I... from the split with The April Epidemic

Cadillac Blindside - Just Pull the Trigger from "Read the Book Seen the Movie"

Emily was kind enough to come back and discuss what life was like behind the microphone (and the pen!) while providing vocals for the absolutely amazing Holy Roman Empire's "The Longue Durée."

Hear about how her vocal journey and time in the studio made her into the powerful singer she is, her many contributions to the songs and how the dynamic of the band changed once she had create control over her lyrics, and how everything came together perfectly to craft this album that showed the band at the top of their game.

It was an absolute pleasure to have Emily on and hear her perspective.

Both songs from this episode were taken from Holy Roman Empire's "The Longue Durée" album (duh):

Action Figures

Take It Outside

For episode 057 we travel back to the lovely Midwest (specifically Chicago) to have a conversation with the talented and versatile Emily Schambra, singer extraordinaire.

Find out about her move to Chicago, early bands, vocal training, her time in Engines, Longdistancerunner, Holy Roman Empire, and more! Emily was kind enough to share all kinds of stories about her experiences navigating the music scene while developing her skills as both a writer and a singer.

As with all of our episodes, you won't want to miss this one!

The two songs featured in this episode are:

Longdistancerunner - Anger Management from "Competition Of Martyrs"

Engines - Metempsychosis from "Every Cell"

We were fortunate enough to get Thomas back on to talk all things Vorstellungskraft from the point of view of the four-strings. Hear about the legendary studio, how the songs came together, the writing and recording process, the tour, and everything else you ever wanted to know.

Thomas brings his unique insight and wit to the conversation to tell the story of how Vorstellungskraft came together and eventually became the album that I love.

Check out his most recent release where he recorded bass for Mortal Form here:

https://open.spotify.com/track/6TLvPWfJYbyXL6dUk4bs2i?si=Go3FmwBtTLqiDqNq58FLVg

Man the Change:

https://manthechangehc.bandcamp.com/

Man Vs. Humanity:

https://manvshumanity.bandcamp.com/

The Tidal Sleep:

https://thetidalsleep.bandcamp.com/

Both songs from this episode were taken from The Tidal Sleep's "Vorstellungskraft " album (duh):

Thrive & Wither

Smoke & Mirrors

We're back with another amazing international guest - this time we brought master bassist (and master of all things stringed, actually) Thomas Bretcher to talk all things music, Germany, and everything that goes into being a talented musician in an amazing band. This is actually an exceptionally amazing episode for me because when I first heard The Tidal Sleep around a decade ago there was just something about their energy and their emotion and their music that really spoke to me and as with all my guests, I'm beyond humbled that anyone would take time out of their busy schedule to sit down for way too long and talk to me.

You'll hear about Thomas' entry into music and what drew him into the scene, how effortlessly he was able to set down the guitar and pick up the bass, and follow that thread through Man Vs. Humanity, Man the Change, The Tidal Sleep, and even current day with him doing music with some of his favorite people and playing bass for Mortal Form. I honestly don't know where people get the time.

Either way, like all of my episodes, this is one of my favorites and I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as we did. Thomas is an amazing guy (he's my hero!) and it was such a wonderful talk.

Check out his most recent release where he recorded bass for Mortal Form here:

https://open.spotify.com/track/6TLvPWfJYbyXL6dUk4bs2i?si=Go3FmwBtTLqiDqNq58FLVg

Man the Change:

https://manthechangehc.bandcamp.com/

Man Vs. Humanity:

https://manvshumanity.bandcamp.com/

The Tidal Sleep:

https://thetidalsleep.bandcamp.com/

Both songs from this episode were taken from The Tidal Sleep's "Be Water" album:

Undertows

Footsteps

Greg Daniels comes back for the second part of our conversation where we do a deep dive on Vaux's "There Must Be Some Way To Stop Them."

Hear Greg's stories about how this album was conceived, what touring and popularity was like for them during this era, and so much more. Stay tuned for the fancy vinyl reissue coming to a turntable near you in the future!

The two songs used in this episode are both off "There Must Be Some Way To Stop Them" (Duh)

Set It To Bloe

Ride Out Bitch

https://www.instagram.com/drop.to.pop/

https://www.instagram.com/vaux_band/

https://www.instagram.com/gregdaniels/