The New Scene

Keith and Tommy sit down with accomplished musician and New York City legend, Brad Truax. We discuss Brad's early days in the local scene in Tampa, the Florida death metal scene and his band Home which brought him to New York City. We also discuss living in New York City, its music scene in the mid to late 90's and early 2000's, tour stories, how Brad joined forces with Interpol, how he managed to learn their set with only a small window of time, touring with U2 and more. Finally, Keith and Tommy discover they have a lot of personal history tied to the date we recorded this episode (July 1) so we share those experiences and talk through them.

Keith and Tommy sit down for our first (almost) full band interview and our first post rock interview with Rishi Arora, Tim Cooper and Brian Vasallo of Signal Hill. We discuss the formation and early days of Signal Hill, the creation and inspiration behind their landmark 2009 LP "More After We're Gone", touring Australia and how the band has managed to stay together despite living on opposite coasts and now opposite continents. We also discuss everyone's musical history, entrance to the scene, memorable shows we've attended and a whole lot more.

Keith and Tommy sit down with Cory Brim of Glassing: recipients of our top record of 2019 nod for their LP "Spotted Horse" and one of our current favorite bands. We discuss Cory's early days in music, how he settled in Austin after spending time in Salt Lake City and New Orleans, how he initially struggled putting a band together in Austin and the formation of Glassing. We also discuss guitar tunings, gear and the secrets behind Glassing's unique and massive sound, current bands we love, the burgeoning post scene in Paris, our day to day lives and Cory's new project: Zyclops. Keith and Tommy also check in and discuss day to day anxiety, some recent videos we posted and read some reviews and comments from listeners.

Keith and Tommy sit down with guitar virtuoso and member of genre-defining bands Zao and Creation is Crucifixion: Scott Mellinger. We discuss Scott's discovery of the scene and some of the bands that influenced him early on. Scott also details his time in Creation is Crucifixion, the bands from which they drew inspiration the secret behind how they developed their extremely complex and unique sound. Scott also details his history in metalcore greats Zao, the trials and tribulations of the band, what they're up to now and what we can expect in the future. Finally, Keith and Tommy check in at the end to discuss the current state of the world and the show.

Keith and Tommy sit down with our longtime friend and front man of Philadelphia legends A Life Once Lost: Bob Meadows. We talk about the history of A Life Once Lost from their early days, to their rise to success, touring with Ozzfest, their adventures playing in Russia and eventual breakup. We also get the scoop on whether or not we can expect to see an A Life Once Lost reunion. We also discuss the glory days of Bucks County hardcore, the many now legendary shows Bob booked at Polanka Park, Siren Records and other venues and all of the great stories that go along with them. Finally, we discuss Bob's current band Mind Power and what we can expect from them in the future.

Keith and Tommy sit down with our good friend, virtuoso guitarist and South Florida hardcore magnate: Brendan Ekstrom. We discuss Brendan's early days in Maryland, how he discovered the scene, his work in 200 North and how he and the band ended up relocating to South Florida and then back to Maryland. Brendan also tells the story of how he joined This Day Forward and his experiences with the band. We also discuss the formation and early days of post-hardcore greats Circa Survive, the recording and release of Juturna and their major label experiences around the release of Blue Sky Noise. Keith also seizes this opportunity to ask Brendan some band do's and don'ts. Finally, we close out the discussion with the return of everyone's favorite game: WHO WOULD HEADLINE?

Keith and Tommy sit down with our friend and founding member of Philly mainstays Creepoid and Lovelorn, Pat Troxell. We discuss the Philadelphia scene in the mid to late 90's, train hopping to go record shopping, how Pat got a security job at Emo's in Austin by beating up the drummer of a prominent band, living in a tree house commune and wild Creepoid tour stories including getting banned from Music Hall of Williamsburg and headlining a sold out show there a few months later. We also discuss his current work in the electronic drugpop duo Lovelorn and rising Philly Noise Rock stars Plaque Marks. Finally, Keith and Pat discuss their mutual admiration of Philadelphia legends Ink and Dagger and talk about how it was to record the upcoming Loverlorn LP with Don Devore. We even get some exclusive Sean McCabe stories.

Keith and Tommy sit down with our good friend and the mastermind behind stoner rock mainstays Backwoods Payback, Mike Cummings. We discuss Backwoods Payback and how Mike managed to take the band from a self recorded demo to a nationally touring act. We also discuss Mike's solo work with MRC and the Souvenirs, Keith and Mike's band Crash of '64, Mike's work in his (and our) favorite band All Else Failed, their sold out tour of Europe, survival in the age of Corona, stuff we do to pass the time and more!

Keith and Tommy sit down with our good friend and premier drummer: TJ De Blois. We talk about discovering the Bucks County hardcore scene and how that led to TJ to playing in A Life Once Lost. TJ discusses his experiences in ALOL and shares a secret about the recording of their classic EP The Fourth Plaugue: Flies. TJ also discusses playing in an early version of Circa Survive, his band Like Lions, how they nearly attained a major label contract and the difficulties he had to overcome as a result of these and other experiences. We even manage to trace the 2010 emo boom to a friend showing TJ the band Braid a decade earlier.

Keith and Tommy sit down with master percussionist and founding member of Poison the Well, Chris Hornbrook. We discuss it all: the band's early days in the South Florida hardcore scene, their explosive rise following the release of The Opposite of December, playing legendary venues such as CBGB's and Philly's Stalag 13, their time on Atlantic Records, their hiatus and eventual re-ignition which began in 2016. Chris also discusses touring with Dhani Harrison and his work on the upcoming Greg Puciato solo record.

Keith and Tommy sit down with our friend and Syracuse legend, Grant Johnson. Grant tells us about his band band Spark Lights the Friction, how they struggled to find their place in a scene then dominated by metalcore and pop punk and shares stories with us from their days out on the road. We also discuss Grant's follow up band The Funeral, his current project Difficult and what it was like going to shows in Syracuse in the mid 90's. We also find out once and for all: is Grant vegan? Keith and Tommy also talk to Michael Hart who shares a story about how members of This Day Forward and A Life Once Lost got him into hardcore and ended up connecting with him at the last Dillinger Escape Plan show. Finally, Keith and Tommy discuss the show and share some listener emails and reviews.

Keith and Tommy sit down with one of their favorite musicians, guitarist and founding member of Hopesfall Josh Brigham. Josh walks us through the band's history from the early days, to the release of the now classic LP "The Satellite Years", to their 2007 breakup and eventual reformation that culminated with the release of their 2018 comeback LP, "Arbiter". Josh also shares with us the story of how he overcame excruciating back pain, seemingly inevitable life-altering surgery and impossible odds through the work he's done with Foundation Training. We also get to know each other a little better and discuss our day jobs, TV we've been watching (including Tiger King) and what our day to day looks like.

Keith and Tommy sit down with longtime friend, accomplished musician, master chess player and space enthusiast Vadim Taver. We discuss the formation and early days of A Life Once Lost, Vadim's transition to This Day Forward, his experiences in the band and the formation of post-TDF act Marigold. We also discuss Vadim's tour of Japan with From Autumn to Ashes, his contributions to Superstitions of the Sky, Psychic Babble and touring with metalcore greats Poison the Well. Finally, we ask Vadim about a potential This Day Forward reunion and he gives us the straight facts.

Keith and Tommy check in from Corona Virus lockdown. We discuss our day to day coping mechanisms, shows we were going to attend but have been postponed, crowd killing, exploring the abandoned Byberry mental hospital and Pitcairn Cathedral in our youth and more!

Keith and Tommy discuss their first two guests and reveal a secret about This Day Forward that they forgot to discuss with Mike during the interview. We also discuss Philly and Bucks County hardcore shows, our former bands and if being in a band is worth the trouble anymore.

Keith and Tommy sit down with one of their favorite musicians, Pat Shannon of ALL ELSE FAILED. We trace the 25 year history of All Else Failed from inception, to breakup, to reformation at This is Hardcore 2011 and to the present day. We also discuss Keith and Pat's former post hardcore project CRASH OF '64, its demise and if the project will see the light of day once again. Additionally, we talk to Pat about his excellent new post rock / shoegaze band HOLD DOWN THE OCEAN.

Keith and Tommy sit down with their very first guest: Mike Shaw from Philadelphia hardcore / post hardcore act THIS DAY FORWARD. We walk through the history of This Day Forward from inception to demise, discuss the beginning of post-TDF act CIRCA SURVIVE and play Mike's favorite game: WHO WOULD HEADLINE? Mike also talks about his new podcast: Kinder Things. We also ask the question on everyone's mind: will there be a This Day Forward reunion?

Keith and Tommy introduce the show and what it's all about: sharing memories of the hardcore, post hardcore, emo, etc. scenes both past and present. We trace our history from meeting in the late 90's in Bucks County, attending shows together and to the current day where we have teamed up once again to bring you this podcast.