Behind the Vinyl

We took a trip into the mind of Shannon Taylor of awakebutstillinbed for this interview. Shannon was able to tell us all the details from the band's EP "stay who you are" which came out in December of last year. We heard some stories that not too many people think about when it comes to producing and recording an album. Shannon tells us that vocals is dependent on how the person is feeling on that day. Also, since most music from last year didn't happen in an actual studio last year, Shannon talked about being more involved in the production of the EP since everything happened at home. There are fun stories about the time Jawbreaker joined one of Shannon's livestreams, which led to the creation of the awakebutstillinbed salt girl shirt. We discuss album cycles from the past year and about how band's have a decision on whether or not they want to do release songs or move on to their new material. Lastly, Shannon talks about being from San Jose -- there's even a conversation about the hardcore scene there. Shannon will be doing a solo acoustic run with I'm Glad it's You in August, so if you are out in California, definitely check it out.

Bamdcamp: https://awakebutstillinbed.bandcamp.com

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0NvYpRJfbFyOI4QdsLJ1Jw?si=MFDGpQy3Rsi8AW00Vz5LeQ&dl_branch=1

Apple: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/awakebutstillinbed/1343990672

Instagram/Twitter: awakebutstillinbed/absibca

This week's episode is with the one and only Laure Stevenson! Laura discusses with us the journey of being a mom and a musician, her and her husband meeting at a rock and roll summer camp, her journey into the underground tunnels of Disney, and the fun she had shooting her recent music video for 'State.' We dive into Laura's themes in her music, and her hopefulness that being honest and vulnerable in her music will convey to others that they are not alone. As a musician during COVID-19, she discusses her excitement returning to live music, her songwriting process, and her opportunities working with other musicians and artists, having her chance to express herself on her friends' records. Laura Stevensons's new self-titled record will be out August 6th, and we know we can't wait! A great conversation with a great artist, check out her work below!

Website: https://www.laurastevenson.net

Bandcamp: https://laurastevenson.bandcamp.com

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1lVadNivMiSkc2N6irhWdg?si=BKYIsPPDRPi4_c3CWcevIg&dl_branch=1

Apple: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/laura-stevenson/298214700

Instagram/Twitter: @laurastevenson

We had Colleen Green on for this interview. I remember hearing "I Wanna Be a Dog" for the first time last month and it caught my attention because it has such an upbeat and catchy sound. Colleen's most recent release "It's Nice to Be Nice" followed up with the same cheerful sound. We talked about the album coming our way way in September — the first in several years for Colleen. We also chatted about the story behind the legendary sunglasses, a list Colleen made about all of the places she has been to, making shirts by the request, and so much more! Check out Colleen Green's music below and stay up to date with what she is doing!

Bandcamp - https://colleengreen.bandcamp.com

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/0LHZaUvES8NniRWNuhHNJl?si=CjbtkBcsTnabFWDrhFn6Xg&dl_branch=1

Instagram/Twitter - @colleengreen420

This week we bring you a fun filled conversation with the lovely Alicia Boganno from @bullythemusic! We discuss her role as a woman in music and as a recording engineer, and her stride to continue to push women to get more involved with the music industry. She discusses the use of analog on Bully's first two records, and how she loves …the natural mishaps that make people smile." Next Thursday kicks off Bully's first tour post-COVID, and Alicia discusses her excitement for being back on the road. Quarantine had been the longest time she had spent without playing shows in 7 years, and she expresses how unreal it feels to be getting back. We talk about Alicia's struggle to begin getting into social media at the beginning of quarantine and the process of marketing music and tours with social media as your only main option. Aside from music, Alicia volunteers at a women's shelter, an LGBTQ+ youth counselor, and recently completed training to be an emergency foster parent. She also discusses her sobriety from alcohol and her avoidance from it on tour for the first time, and how supportive the band has been on her journey. Take a dive into our wonderful conversation with Bully!

Website - http://www.bullythemusic.com

Bandcamp - https://bullythemusic.bandcamp.com/album/sugaregg

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/34LdbFt5sVXKTJOzf1iExQ

Apple - https://music.apple.com/us/artist/bully/79012932

Tour dates - http://www.bullythemusic.com/shows Sent from my iPhone

This interview was a real treat as we welcomed Chris Freeman of Hot Mulligan on the podcast. Hot Mulligan is tuning up for a massive tour with Sincere Engineer, Prince Daddy, and Super American. We got to hear the history of Hot Mulligan and about how they didn't expect to be around for too long. Chris opens up about coming from a small town and how it was either go away to college or work at the local businesses for the rest of your life. We also talked about their music and went into a fun conversation about how the band released an album and an EP over the past year. Chris has also began getting involved with the production side of the business. He took a trip to New Jersey in the fall/winter to learn the ways of engineering a record. He got to work with some cool acts, including Good Sleepy out of Massachusetts. Chris is a perfectionist when it comes to his own personal projects and while he is working in production. He pays attention to everything that goes down in the studio. Lastly, Chris chats about his solo project called "Extra Large Holiday Card." Check out all of his projects below!

Hot Mulligan's website: https://www.hotmulliganband.com

Hot Mulligan on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1lKZzN2d4IqiEYxyECIEHI

Hot Mulligan on Apple: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/hot-mulligan/941918833

Hot Mulligan on Bandcamp: https://hotmulligan.bandcamp.com

Extra Large Holiday Card on Bandcamp: https://extralargeholidaycard.bandcamp.com

We had a really awesome interview with Greg and Amanda of Cheekface. They have been super busy this year by releasing an album "Emphatically No." and a single called "We need a Bigger Dumpster." We talked about the specific style of artwork that Amanda created for the album covers. For their music, Cheekface writes their honest reflection on the world and that continued during their most recent releases. They have a unique style where there are metaphors and creative one liners throughout. Greg tells us about when the idea of "talk singing" came. Also talk about picking songs that sounded right for the album. A cool conversation about letting the band grow organically. Greg and Amanda agreed when they started the band that it would be about the creative fulfillment and not about how much money they are making. It has grown into a fun creation that puts out music that makes others happy. Check out the band below!

Bandcamp - https://cheekface.bandcamp.com

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/32kCEAvtuFzIZA15zrhQDW

Apple - https://music.apple.com/us/artist/cheekface/1362262157

Instagram/Twitter - @therealcheekface/@cheekfaceREAL

This interview we take a trip across the pond to chat with Kathryn Woods of Fresh! Some of the topics that appear in this interview include Kathryn talking about her writing style and how she had trouble with choruses early on, so she stuck to quick two minute punk songs. Also, we dive into the music community, especially all of the friends Fresh made when they made their first trip to America. Kathryn discusses the emotions she feels when people compare her to certain bands because they are fronted by a female. She also talks about her busy schedule and what it's like juggling multiple music projects while working on top of that. Kathryn tells us about living in London and her love/hate relationship with the location. There's an exciting part of the interview where we talk about tours returning and Fresh's first show back at a brewery. And, of course, we go into the recent EP called "The Summer I Got Good at Guitar." Check out the band below! Bandcamp - https://freshpunks.bandcamp.com/album/fresh

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/0q2GJGveytu4IRflsL05Xg?si=ahSLikKMT2aylcJwymGuFw&dl_branch=1

Instagram/Spotify - @freshpunks

Another interview in the books! We had an epic conversation with Anthony Bucci of Broken Field Runner. Anthony just released a song called Shrouds, which was made when he decided to take a trip home to New York back in December at the height of the pandemic. He was living in his parents' basement again and while doing so he received news that literally ripped his heart out of his chest. His aunt had to go through a procedure to remove a cancerous tumor. That day Anthony decided to pick up his acoustic guitar and write. There were feelings of guilt and pain flowing through his body. Guilt because for several years he did not make an effort to reach out to his family and stay in touch. This is a lesson of realizing that family is not there forever, so we might as well put in the work and find out their story while they are still here. Anthony is in the middle of releasing three EPs. Broken was put out last year. Field will be this year. With Runner being the conclusion. This episode had countless amazing stories about his music and more. It's definitely a loaded episode. Check out Broken Field Runner below!

Bandcamp: https://brokenfieldrunner.bandcamp.com

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/15Z9hqFoZrW1jJuBuh5Q4y

Apple: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/broken-field-runner/739976946

Instagram/Twitter: @Brokenfieldrun

We had Josh and Peter of Sore Thumb on for this interview. Sore Thumb is fresh off an EP called Chronically Late that came out in April. We also explored topics like the theme of being late, being at a different point in their music careers (Sore Thumb being a labor of love), the charity compilation album they put together that raised a bunch of Monet for the LGBTQ Freedom Fund, and so much more! Plus, there's a School of Rock reference in this interview! Check out Sore Thumb below:

Bandcamp - https://sorethumbband.bandcamp.com

Instagram - @sorethumbband

This interview brought another opportunity to not only chat with the band, but also bring in the record label as well. We sat down with Tyler Stodghill of Stars Hollow and Eric Smeal and Martin Hacker-Mullen of Acrobat Unstable. We got to take a look at both worlds of music. Tyler talked about the intense cycles of how he feels about music and diy in general. Plus, he is currently going for a masters in school counseling. Tyler would like to continue the band and put out music when he is in the mood, but is unsure about what extent it will be. Tyler is just enjoying the release of "I Want to Live My Life" which came out in May. There's plenty of merch and vinyl available. The album largely talks about mental health and the desire to be better in life.

Then there's the record label side. We had a cool discussion about Dogleg. We hear stories about the beginning of Acrobat Unstable. Eric goes into how the label connected with Stars Hollow and how both sides agreed that the EP would be a trial run. Eric and Martin talk about what they look for in an artist. There's a fun discussion about the business side of the label and being able to do perks like putting a band in the studio. Lastly, there are some interesting takes on reputation of record labels in music. Check out Stars Hollow and Acrobat Unstable below!

Stars Hollow Bandcamp - https://starshollowia.bandcamp.com/album/i-want-to-live-my-life

Instagram/Twitter - @starshollowia

Acrobat Unstable website - https://acrobatunstable.com

Instagram/Twitter - @acrobatunstable