Bandsplain

Yasi kicks off Bandsplain’s multipart Madonna epic with returning guest and fashion icon Mel Ottenberg. They discuss Madonna’s childhood and upbringing in Michigan, her dance career and the formative relationships that led her to New York City, her history playing in bands, her immersion in the club scene, the breakthrough singles that made her impossible to ignore, her first three albums, and all the major collaborators, major looks, and major breakthroughs along the way.

Episode Playlist
Listen to the Madonna: Part 1 playlist here.

CREDITS:
Host: Yasi Salek @yasisalek
Guest: Mel Ottenberg @melzy917
Producer: Rob Sundermann
Editor: Adrian Bridges
Additional Production Supervision: Justin Sayles
Theme Song: Bethany Cosentino

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Recorded live at the Treefort Music Fest in Boise, Yasi is joined by Sabrina Teitelbaum (a.k.a. Blondshell) to dig into Life Without Buildings, the Scottish cult band whose single and singular 2001 album, 'Any Other City,' is still worth talking about today. They discuss the band’s jagged sound, their art school roots, and the second life they found when “The Leanover” went viral on TikTok two decades after it was released.

CREDITS:
Host: Yasi Salek @yasisalek
Guest: Sabrina Teitelbaum @blondshell
Producer: Rob Sundermann
Editor: Adrian Bridges
Additional Production Supervision: Justin Sayles
Theme Song: Bethany Cosentino

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Yasi is joined by writer Patrik Sandberg to break down one of Hole’s (many) perfect songs “Boys on the Radio.” They talk Courtney Love’s evolution, her relationship with critics, and the inspirations, intentions, and alternative culture of the 90’s that influenced it all.
Then, Melissa Auf der Maur stops by to discuss her new book, Even the Good Girls Will Cry. She discusses her time in Hole, her friendship with Courtney Love, and her wide-ranging life as an artist.
CREDITS:
Host: Yasi Salek @yasisalek
Guests: Patrik Sandberg @patriksandberg, Melissa Auf der Maur @xmadmx
Producer: Rob Sundermann
Editor: Adrian Bridges
Additional Production Supervision: Justin Sayles
Theme Song: Bethany Cosentino

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Yasi is joined by legendary drummer Patty Schemel (Hole) to tell the story of The Runaways, the all-girl teenage band that changed the course of history. They get into the band’s lasting influence, the surprising origin of the song “Cherry Bomb,” the band’s complicated history, and why The Runaways still matter.

Episode Playlist
Listen to The Runaways playlist here.

CREDITS:
Host: Yasi Salek @yasisalek
Guests: Patty Schemel @pattyschemel
Producer: Rob Sundermann
Editor: Adrian Bridges
Additional Production Supervision: Justin Sayles
Theme Song: Bethany Cosentino

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Yasi is joined by Chris Ryan for a quick trip into the mailbag before they each reveal their favorite new music from the first three months of 2026.
Next, Yasi talks with Justice Tripp of Angel Du$t and Trapped Under Ice about Angel Du$t’s latest album, 'Cold 2 The Touch,' and the road that brought him there.

Episode Playlist
Listen to Our Favorite Music of 2026 So Far playlist here

CREDITS:
Host: Yasi Salek @yasisalek
Guests: Chris Ryan (@chrisryan77) and Justice Tripp (@jurtice)
Producer: Rob Sundermann
Editor: Adrian Bridges
Video Production: Jamie Yukich and Donald LoBianco
Additional Production Supervision: Justin Sayles
Theme Song: Bethany Cosentino

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Yasi is joined by Chris Ryan and Sean Fennessey to discuss what music best represents the 1980s and build the Bandsplain ‘80s Movie Soundtrack Hall of Fame. They set the rules (sorry, no animated features or scores), decide what truly defines a great soundtrack, and, after some heated debate and meandering side quests, settle on the top 10 Hall of Fame-worthy soundtracks! 
Host: Yasi Salek @yasisalek
Guest: Chris Ryan @chrisryan77 and Sean Fennessey @seanfennessey
Producer: Rob Sundermann 
Editor: Chris Sutton
Additional Production Supervision: Justin Sayles
Theme Song: Bethany Cosentino

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Yasi is joined by music writer Arielle Gordon to tell the story of the Get Up Kids, the Kansas City emo band that transformed the genre. They get into the mix of punk energy and big feelings that made the band so influential, the sliding-door moments of what almost was, and the bands that emerged (and dominated) in the third wave of emo that the Get Up Kids helped create.
Listen to the Get Up Kids playlist here.
Host: Yasi Salek @yasisalek
Guest: Arielle Gordon @reallygordon
Producer: Rob Sundermann
Editor: Adrian Bridges
Additional Production Supervision: Justin Sayles
Theme Song: Bethany Cosentino

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Yasi and filmmaker Alex Ross Perry (Pavements, Videoheaven) revisit The Decline of Western Civilization films, Penelope Spheeris’s seminal trilogy that began in 1981 with the birth of Los Angeles punk. They discuss the DIY filmmaking that matched the scene it immortalized, the bands and personalities whose legacies were defined on the screen, and the visual language that would influence and shape so much of culture, most evidently in '90s MTV.

Next, Yasi is joined by the legend herself, Penelope Spheeris, for a wide-ranging talk about her iconic career, from the Los Angeles punk scene that started it all to navigating the Hollywood studios with beloved comedies like Wayne’s World.

CREDITS:
Host: Yasi Salek @yasisalek

Guests: Alex Ross Perry @alexrossperry, Penelope Spheeris

Producer: Rob Sundermann 

Editor: Adrian Bridges

Additional Production Supervision: Justin Sayles

Theme Song: Bethany Cosentino

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Yasi is joined by artist, author, and musician Pleasant Gehman to discuss the Germs and the chaotic birth of the Los Angeles punk scene, which she witnessed firsthand. They discuss the myth vs. the reality of Darby Crash, the DIY community that formed around the enigmatic singer, and how the Germs became one of the era’s most influential bands despite their short reign.

Episode Playlist
Listen to the Germs playlist here.

Credits
Host: Yasi Salek @yasisalek
Guest: Pleasant Gehman @princessofhollywood
Producer: Rob Sundermann
Editor: Adrian Bridges
Additional Production Supervision: Justin Sayles
Theme Song: Bethany Cosentino

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A Bandsplain Emo Draft recorded live at Something In The Way Festival with Patrick Flynn (Have Heart, Fiddlehead, How Much Art) and The Ringer’s Chris Ryan. In front of a Boston crowd, they draft their picks for emo bands across the decades (yes, the ’90s get two picks), reveal emo origin stories, and get into the eternal question: which bands are actually emo?

CREDITS:
Host: Yasi Salek @yasisalek
Guests: Patrick Flynn @patrickflynnx and Chris Ryan @chrisryan77
Producer: Rob Sundermann
Editor: Adrian Bridges
Additional Production Supervision: Justin Sayles
Theme Song: Bethany Cosentino

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices