Dear Young Rocker

Elise Okusami of the band Oceanator started playing guitar and listening to Green Day pretty young at nine years old, and her first band wasn't long after that. On this episode of DYR, she tells the story of attending an Against Me! show and finding the musical community that really inspired her to dream big about her own musical career. She gives some advice to her younger self about living as an anxious person. Elise recommends listeners check out two organizations: the Black Trans Travel Fund and Crown Heights Mutual Aid. For more about Dear Young Rocker, visit dearyoungrocker.com, follow DYR on instagram @dearyoungrocker and go to doubleelvis.com for merch and more great podcasts.

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Katie Lau takes the mic on this episode and tells her story of adolescent self-discovery as a kid that withdrew after some harsh bullying but came out of her shell when she fell in love with punk music. Katie's band is called Painted Zeros. In this episode she recommends the following organizations: Red Canary Song, AAPI Women Lead, and Stop AAPI Hate. And for more, check out dearyoungrocker.com and follow @dearyoungrocker on instagram. For DYR merch and info on more great shows check out doubleelvis.com.

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Lira Mondal of the band Sweeping Promises shares her story of growing up in Arkansas as a nerdy choir kid longing to fit into an alternative rock subculture that she isn't sure she's cool enough for. As an only child of a single Bangladeshi mom, she doesn't feel like she blends in with her mostly white peers. She finds confidence in her voice but dreams of playing guitar or bass in a band and getting to rock out to the kind of music she loves the most - especially her favorite band Interpol. Lira provides some loving advice to her younger self and then talks with Chelsea about shared experiences as only children of single moms. She also recommends listeners check out the organization Trust Tree which holds music and arts camps for girls in Arkansas to help them bring their creative visions to life. And for more check out dearyoungrocker.com and follow @dearyoungrocker on instagram. For DYR merch and info on more great shows check out doubleelvis.com.

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Mia Berrin, frontwoman of Pom Pom Squad, tells the story of a difficult freshman year of high school in Florida. She endured racially-motivated bullying, exclusion and depression, but started to find her own path when she put on pair of Doc Martens and discovered the music of Riot Grrrl bands like Bikini Kill, Bratmobile, Hole and Heavens to Betsy. Soon she started writing her own songs and going to shows and even met an important musical partner. Mia gives some advice to her younger self about the importance of practice and patience. Be sure to check out Mia's rad band Pom Pom Squad. And for more check out dearyoungrocker.com and follow @dearyoungrocker on instagram. For DYR merch and info on more great shows check out doubleelvis.com.

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Michelle Zauner joins Chelsea to read a selection from and discuss her new book Crying in H Mart (Knopf). Chelsea asks Michelle about her writing process, her teenage relationship with her mother who passed away when Michelle was 25, and her early musical influences (including Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs). Michelle also delivers a short Dear Young Rocker letter to her younger self about how not peaking in high school is a very good thing.

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Amy Hoffman of the band Future Teens has a transformative high school summer at an academic camp in Missouri. When a teacher encourages the students to find their calling, Amy realizes their calling is playing emo rock just like their favorite bands - Taking Back Sunday, Say Anything and The Rocket Summer. Away from the pressures of family for the first time, Amy gets up the nerve to perform a song in front of the whole camp and starts to feel like their true self. Check out Future Teens and their new record, Deliberately Alive on Bandcamp. And for more, check out dearyoungrocker.com and follow @dearyoungrocker on instagram. For DYR merch and info on more great shows check out doubleelvis.com.

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Chelsea tells us the origin story of Dear Young Rocker and makes the case for creating the work you want to, rather than waiting for someone else to hand you the keys to the life you dream of. This will be the last episode of DYR devoted to Chelsea's story. Season three will continue as a series of heartfelt personal letters written by musicians to their own young rocker selves about their own musical beginnings. For more, check out dearyoungrocker.com and follow @dearyoungrocker on instagram. For DYR merch and info on more great shows, visit the Double Elvis website and follow Double Elvis on Twitter and Instagram.

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