Choke Artist

Ska isn't dead f**ker!

Sat down with my pals in the band  Kill Lincoln on the eve of the Best of the Worst's Album release show at Pino's in Highland Park.  They've been a ska band since 2010 and have seen a lot of ups and downs with the scene.  If you like ska/punk you should absolutely check Mike from Kill Lincoln's label out Bad Time Records.  It's got a ton of new and relevant ska punk bands.

This was a really good hang with my buds, hope you enjoy <3

Full video episode on youtube -  check it out for the real experience.  

Pods happen twice a month, subscribe and leave a review.

Special thanks to friend of the show Will Smith xo

Uh oh - this week's guest is my fiancé!  Kaitlyn helps a lot with behind the scenes stuff at Choke Artist:  graphic design, logistics, and most importantly talking me off the ledge when I want to throw in the towel.  She's my #1 supporter and this was a nice flirtatious and fun chat we had. 

We get into some nitty gritty behind the scenes stuff on Choke Artist fest and recap some fun stories from touring on drums with Floral this past year.  Pulling the curtain back and blowing out the back of the 4th wall, gangnam style.  

Full video episode on youtube -  check it out for the real experience.  

Pods will be twice a month, subscribe and leave a review.

chokeartist.limitedrun.com to buy things xo

WOW.  It’s been a while but welcome to Season 2 of the pod.  I’m excited to do this again and burn any remaining bridges I may have had.  My guest today is my buddy Shaye- he’s a music journalist who writes for Lambgoat.com.  He also used to intern for me and helped out a ton with label operations.  We talk about heavy music, gatekeepers, the state of music journalism, and more.  It was a fun episode and good hang.  Buckle up snowflake!!! 

Shoutout Brian Liddy for editing the audio and video.  If you want the full experience I would check the show out on Youtube we’ve got a little cute production going on <3

Pods will be twice a month, subscribe and leave a review.

chokeartist.limitedrun.com to buy things xo

Standards, Floral, & Cloutchaser are embarking on a two week math rock tour in the Midwest, South & East Coast. We sat down a bit to chat and squash our internet beef. Come see us on tour xo

pulses. & With Sails Ahead are two “progressive”-post hardcore bands from VA and NJ respectively. I got a chance to sit down with them right before a weekender tour together.

In this episode we talk about dumbass swancore redditors, phony networking, how COVID forced us all to unplug for a bit, scene clout pyramid schemes and more.

Bandcamp: pulses. / With Sails Ahead
Spotify: pulses. / With Sails Ahead

Choke Artist Shop: here

Rally Point is an indie/math rock band from Philly.  This podcast was recorded right after an impromptu show in my backyard.  The band’s original show had been cancelled due to a possible Covid exposure.  

We talk about their experiences in DIY, share some hell gig stories, talk about booking tours and more.

Check out their last EP “Transitional at Best” on bandcamp

My pal Mddy comes through to talk Ogbert, DIY, 5th wave emo, sending emails, publicists, and much more.

Check out the last Ogbert LP "I Don't Hate You" here

Also our bands our playing a show together at the Knitting Factory in BK, come through xo

Marcos Mena is the guitarist of LA based “fruit-rock” band Standards. After a couple of years of extensive touring and loads of online content, the band has etched a name for themselves as a super fun and colorful instrumental band.

If you know Marcos you know that he’s a super driven person. It was great to pick his brain about the music industry and what he’s done so far with his projects. Also was great to see how far he’s come as a person and musician in the past few years.

”yum !!” is out on 9/24. I’ve heard it and it rules so definitely check it out <3

Pre-order “yum !!” vinyl here
Watch the video for Papaya here

Vanessa is a friend I've made through touring to Chicago in bands. She is the guitarist of the band Crowning, freelances illustration/photography, and runs a DIY space in Chicago called "Empty Bliss".

In this episode we talk about getting older in DIY, the pitfalls of freelancing, the recording process for our bands and a lot more.

Listen to Crowning
Pre-order new Choke Artist comp

Kurt Travis is a singer/songwriter, primarily known for his work in the bands Royal Coda, A Lot Like Birds, and Dance Gavin Dance.

We talk a bit about what he’s been up to with his new company Big Wave, how the pandemic has affected his livelihood, and shoot the shit about some album’s he’s been a part of.  We also get into the pros and cons of being such a highly respected/influential musician.  DGD fandom gets a bit nerdy/culty so it was interesting to pick his brain about that.

Kurt’s a genuinely nice guy who loves music and it was rad to hang and talk with him for a bit

Shop: chokeartist.limitedrun.com