This week I'm joined by Stephen Christian, mastermind behind the project Anchor & Braille and former frontman of Florida alternative rock band Anberlin. Anberlin was a mainstay of the punk and emo scene throughout the 2000s, releasing celebrate

Episode 042: Sam Means

Jan 20th, 2016 52m 14s

Along with his writing partner, Nate Ruess, Sam Means was responsible for making some of the most compelling and forward-thinking pop music of the new millennium as one-half of indie-pop band The Format. The band's debut album, Interventions an

Episode 041: Steven Page

Nov 11th, 2015 38m 13s

Episode 041 is a really special one for me, because I'm joined by Steven Page, co-founder and former frontman of Barenaked Ladies and my all-time favorite songwriter. With BNL, Steven's songs—including "Brian Wilson," "If I Had $1,000,000," "Th

Episode 040: Max Schneider

Oct 23rd, 2015 33m 8s

(photo credit: Jade Ehlers)This week, I'm joined by singer, songwriter and actor Max Schneider, known as MAX. You might have seen him out on the road this summer with Fall Out Boy and Wiz Khalifa, or on YouTube, where he's a prolific cover ar

Episode 039: Casey Crescenzo (The Dear Hunter)

Sep 16th, 2015 37m 39s

I've had the pleasure of knowing Casey Crescenzo for 11 years, back when he was playing in The Receiving End of Sirens. Since then, he's gone on to become one of the most prolific and praiseworthy songwriters in the scene as frontman and brain

Episode 038: Dan Wilson

Aug 6th, 2015 40m 57s

Dan Wilson's first hit single came in the late '90s, when his band, Semisonic, released the seminal sing-along "Closing Time" – a song that practically feels like a federally mandated inclusion to any karaoke night. But his songwriting prowess

Episode 037: Sam Harris (X Ambassadors)

Jul 22nd, 2015 1h

If you own a TV, odds are you've heard an X Ambasasdors song. This New York quartet have exploded recently, with their hit singles "Jungle" and "Renegades" appearing everywhere from Beats and Jeep commercials to a promo for the 2014 World Cup.

Episode 036: Dan Schwartz (Good Old War)

Jul 8th, 2015 57m 14s

Good Old War's new album, Broken Into Better Shape, was just released a few weeks ago, but it's already in contention for one of my favorite albums of the year. Combining the band's knack for picture-perfect folk with a newly tuned melodic prec

Episode 035: Frank Iero

Jun 25th, 2015 29m 15s

Frank Iero is best known for his time spent in My Chemical Romance, but the guitarist shouldn't just be defined by that decade-plus period. He's also fronted hardcore band Leathermouth, joined up with My Chem and Get Up Kids keyboardist (and Re

Episode 034: Ryan Miller (Guster)

Jun 11th, 2015 37m 37s

What a thrill it is for me to welcome Guster's Ryan Miller, one of my all-time favorite songwriters, onto the show. I first heard Guster in 2000, but they'd already been making music for nine years at that point. Their 1999 major-label debut, L

Episode 033: Stacy Jones (American Hi-Fi)

May 27th, 2015 1h

You'd be hard pressed to find a more iconic couplet in the early '00s than "He's too stoned/Nintendo," from American Hi-Fi's hit single "Flavor of the Weak." That's why I'm thrilled to have Hi-Fi frontman Stacy Jones joining me on Episode 033.

Episode 032: Gatsbys American Dream (10-Year Retrospective)

May 13th, 2015 49m 19s

We're serving up another blast from the past this week with a deep dive into Gatsbys American Dream's beloved album Volcano. Released on April 12, 2005, Volcano was GAD's debut release for Fearless Records and cemented the Seattle-based band as

Episode 031: Alex Gaskarth (All Time Low)

Apr 29th, 2015 58m 22s

Photo: Tom FalconeAlex from All Time Low drops by on Episode 031, just after topping both the US and UK sales charts with a brand-new album, Future Hearts. In this hour-long chat, Alex and I discuss our shared musical interests, how his opini

Episode 030: The Receiving End of Sirens (10-Year Retrospective)

Apr 16th, 2015 1h 7m

On Episode 030, I chronicle the making of one of my all-time favorite albums: The Receiving End of Sirens' Between The Heart And The Synapse. Released on April 26, 2005, Between The Heart And The Synapse was TREOS' debut full-length album – and

Episode 029: John O’Callaghan (The Maine)

Apr 1st, 2015 58m

Photo credit: Alex Liscio (Twitter | Instagram)On Episode 029, John O'Callaghan, frontman for Arizona-based rock band The Maine, stops by. The Maine formed in 2007 and quickly became one of the hottest young acts in the late-00s pop-punk/emo

Episode 028: Matt Scannell (Vertical Horizon)

Mar 4th, 2015 58m 3s

On Episode 028, Matt from Vertical Horizon calls in for a great chat. As the frontman and chief songwriter of Vertical Horizon, Matt penned some of the biggest hits of the late '90s and early '00s including "Everything You Want" (which eventual

Episode 027: Dave Elkins (10-Year Mae Retrospective)

Feb 11th, 2015 1h

We're back with another look at an album celebrating its tenth anniversary: The Everglow by Mae. Released on March 29, 2005, The Everglow marked Mae's second release for Tooth & Nail – and an album that to this day remains their most beloved. T

Episode 026: Sam Hollander

Jan 28th, 2015 58m 45s

On Episode 026, I sit down with Sam Hollander, an Emmy-nominated producer/songwriter who was one of the true architects of the late '00s emo/pop-punk scene. Boys Like Girls' "The Great Escape"? Yeah, that's Sam. Cobra Starship's "Snakes on a Pl

Episode 025: Justin Pierre (10-Year Motion City Soundtrack Retrospective)

Jan 14th, 2015 48m 52s

For our first show of the new year, we're heading back to 2005 to chronicle Motion City Soundtrack's breakthrough album, Commit This To Memory. Released on June 7, 2005, the Mark Hoppus-produced album served as Motion City Soundtrack's coming-o

Episode 024: Kevin Devine

Dec 3rd, 2014 1h 20m

This week, I'm joined by Kevin Devine, an indie-rock singer-songwriter from Brooklyn, New York. Since the early 2000s, Devine has been making some of the most forward-thinking (and thoughtful) songs in the folk rock genre, drawing on political

Episode 023: Andrew McMahon

Nov 19th, 2014 41m 48s

This week, I sit down with Emmy-nominated songwriter Andrew McMahon to chat about his new project, Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness. In high school, McMahon and friends formed Something Corporate, a piano-pop group that would go on to be at the

Episode 022: John Nolan (Straylight Run 10-Year Retrospective)

Oct 29th, 2014 49m 8s

As you might be able to tell from the retro photo above, we're traveling back to 2004 to explore the origins of Straylight Run's self-titled debut album with the help of frontman, guitarist and pianist John Nolan. After leaving Taking Back Sund

Episode 021: Graham Colton

Oct 15th, 2014 55m 21s

Graham Colton's seen it all in the business: In college, he developed a fervent grassroots fanbase (aided by the advent of file-sharing), and soon was plucked from pubs and coffeehouses by Counting Crows' Adam Duritz, who'd go on to serve as on

Episode 020: Max Collins (Eve 6)

Oct 1st, 2014 52m 24s

With hits like "Inside Out," "Promise," and "Here's To the Night" under his belt, Max Collins helped pen iconic alt-rock staples that live on to this day. In addition to fronting Eve 6, the band he formed in high school with a pair of childhood

Episode 019: Nick Thompson (Hit The Lights)

Sep 17th, 2014 54m 59s

Joining me this week is Nick Thompson, frontman of pop-punk bands Hit The Lights and Thief Club. Known for a buoyant sound that incorporates elements of hardcore along with a tried-and-true pop-punk bite, Hit The Lights have been a scene staple