Rest in peace to the universally beloved Andy "The Butcher" Williams of Every Time I Die, Atomic Rule and All Elite Wrestling. When it comes to leading by example, Andy was THE ultimate example to follow from the moment you met him. A beacon of kindness, the benchmark of cool, and an unbreakable pillar of love and support to everyone in his life. To know Andy was to love Andy, but more importantly, to know Andy was to feel loved by Andy.

Andy was our second ever guest on HardLore, and technically our 3rd ever recorded episode. In his honor, we've upscaled this original episode to 4K to preserve this important conversation in the highest possible quality. We will love and miss Andy forever and I can't wait to hear the band that he and Bo will surely be working on. Goodbye my friend.

Originally aired May 11th, 2022:

"Colin and Bo welcome Andy Williams to the show to recount some of his favorite tour stories, from his early days touring with Buried Alive, his long tenure with Every Time I Die, and how he went on to be able to balance his music career with wrestling full time for AEW as half of The Butcher and The Blade."

__________

00:00:00 - Remembering Andy Williams

00:05:29 - 10 Bell Salute

00:05:58 - HardLore Episode 4: Andy Williams

00:07:01 - The Parallels Between Music & Wrestling

00:11:53 - What Set Andy on a New Path

00:17:13 - Andy & Buried Alive

00:22:54 - Andy's Music Taste Refining

00:30:08 - Andy Asks the Worst Places We've Stayed On Tour

00:35:22 - ETID's 1 Star Hotel Gimmick

00:39:19 - Andy Tour Stories

00:48:04 - Balancing AEW & ETID

00:52:32 - Andy Loves Little Gear Now, Tour Stories Cont.

00:58:29 - Wrestlers and Their Musical Interests

01:03:27 - Wrestling Is Songwriting

01:11:16 - ETID Setting the Example For Touring Bands

01:16:45 - Andy on the End of ETID

We're joined by Pennsylvania's own ARTHUR RIZK! Longtime friend of the show and expert producer/engineer of all things extreme.

Before discussing his work with bands like Blood Incantation, Power Trip, the Cavaleras, Cro-Mags, Kreator (and so many more)... We discuss Arthur's background as the once reluctant guitar player of legendary PA Hardcore band WAR HUNGRY, which lead to him finding his footing in the hardcore community in the early oughts as a young metalhead.

These days Arthur is juggling his time as a musician between COLD WORLD, ETERNAL CHAMPION and SUMERLANDS when he's not manning the board for metal's biggest bands.

We're also joined once again by guest co-host and another modern great in extreme music engineering, our very own Taylor Young. This is a fascinating deep dive into the world of hardcore, metal & punk production with two of the greatest minds currently doing it. Enjoy.

_____________

HardLore: A Knotfest Series, fueled by Monster Energy.

Shot, edited and mixed by ⁠⁠⁠Steven Grise⁠⁠⁠

Title sequence by ⁠⁠⁠Nicholas Marzluf⁠⁠⁠

• ​Join the ⁠⁠⁠HARDLORE PATREON⁠⁠⁠ to watch every single weekly episode early and ad-free, alongside exclusive monthly episodes
• ​Join the ⁠⁠⁠HARDLORE DISCORD⁠⁠⁠
• ​Get 15% off ⁠⁠DUNABLE GUITARS⁠⁠ with code HARDLORE. Seriously. A guitar. What are you waiting for???
• ​Get 10% off ⁠⁠⁠⁠MILLS VINTAGE⁠⁠⁠⁠ site-wide with code HARDLORE.

____________

00:00:00 - Start

00:01:17 - Arthur Rizk

00:03:46 - Arthur's Path to Extreme Music

00:16:01 - Arthur's Lesser Known Bands...

00:25:41 - Engineering And Producing Music

00:27:11 - Arthur's Engineering Breakthrough (Power Trip)

00:29:14 - Approaching Production as a Musician First

00:32:45 - War Hungry

00:41:40 - WAR HUNGRY SELF-TITLED!!!

00:50:53 - Pardon This Interruption

00:53:18 - Eternal Champion & Sumerlands

01:05:27 - Remembering Brad Raub

01:07:54 - Sumerlands - Dreamkiller

01:13:04 - Balancing Time Between Producing and Writing

Music

01:15:42 - What Session Did Arthur Learn the Most From?

01:20:36 - Goats****

01:22:18 - Shout Out To All Producers' Spouses

01:24:17 - Re-Recorded Sepultura Classics

01:28:30 - Blood Incantation - Absolute Elsewhere

01:32:49 - Most Difficult Records They've Made

01:38:01 - Perfect Production

01:41:42 - Best Drum Sound of All Time

01:44:49 - Best Guitar Tone

01:46:54 - Heaviest Record Ever

01:49:41 - Production End Game?

01:51:23 - Re-Recording Age of Quarrel

01:59:19 - Arthur Kinda Likes Touring

02:04:31 - Making Records vs. Playing Live

02:06:23 - You Hungry Arthur?

02:12:28 - Top 4

Split your lungs with blood and thunder…

We’re joined by MASTODON co-founder and guitarist Bill Kelliher on the eve of their newest album Marrow Deep.

We dive deep into the origin of the band, the recent loss of Brent Hinds after his dismissal from the band, Bill discovering extreme music in Rochester, NY and linking up with Brann first in Lethargy & Today is the Day, Mastodon’s humble but competent beginnings, and we break down the entire Mastodon discography and accompanying tours and tales in between.

Featuring special guest co-host, engineer & producer Taylor Young of God’s Hate, Twitching Tongues and more.

_______________

HardLore: A Knotfest Series, fueled by Monster Energy.

Shot, edited and mixed by ⁠⁠Steven Grise⁠⁠

Title sequence by ⁠⁠Nicholas Marzluf⁠⁠

• Join the ⁠⁠HARDLORE PATREON⁠⁠ to watch every single weekly episode early and ad-free, alongside exclusive monthly episodes

• Join the ⁠⁠HARDLORE DISCORD⁠⁠

• Get 15% off ⁠TIMELESS COFFEE⁠ site-wide and grab a bag of my favorite beans and the best vegan cookies I’ve ever had

• Get 10% off ⁠⁠⁠⁠MILLS VINTAGE⁠⁠⁠⁠ site-wide with code HARDLORE.

____________

00:00:00 - Start

00:01:42 - Bill Kelliher

00:02:19 - Bill Reflects on the Loss of Brent Hinds

00:07:07 - Healing And What Comes Next

00:08:02 - "Your Ghost Again" / Marrow Deep Production

00:14:56 - Snakes For Dinner

00:21:52 - Finding Extreme Music

00:31:12 - Favorite Fret

00:31:38 - Meeting Brann & Joining Lethargy

00:39:04 - The Origin of Mastodon

00:43:33 - MASTODON DEMO, Evolution of Live Production

00:49:22 - Pardon This Interruption

00:51:46 - Touring On The Demo

00:56:11 - REMISSION

01:00:34 - Ideal Music Production (Turnstile Glow On)

01:05:14 - LEVIATHAN: Why Moby Dick?

01:08:15 - Exercising Restraint In Songwriting

01:11:47 - Touring on Leviathan

01:14:32 - Features With Scott Kelly

01:17:23 - BLOOD MOUNTAIN

01:24:31 - CRACK THE SKYE

01:33:23 - Death Magnetic Tour

01:35:49 - THE HUNTER

01:42:31 - ONCE MORE ‘ROUND THE SUN

01:45:24 - Building A Set List

01:50:46 - Game Of Thrones

01:52:45 - EMPEROR OF SAND

01:56:53 - “Clandestiny”

02:01:13 - Remembering Nick John / HUSHED & GRIM

02:08:41 - Leading up to Brent's Exit From Mastodon

02:14:51 - Performing With Ozzy One Last Time

02:18:21 - Top 4 Hardcore Records

For the very first time on HardLore, the interviewer becomes the interviewee…

Myself, Brody King and Taylor Young of GOD’S HATE sit down with Anna Zanes, who up until just days ago was the editor in chief of Alternative Press, to deep dive into the development and intention of our brand new 12” EP, WON’T BE DISGRACED.

In our own words… Won’t Be Disgraced is a dense, urgent collection of 3 songs driven by grief and the state of the greater hardcore community and beyond.
Your mind can be your most powerful tool or a weapon used against you in your darkest moments, and the only guaranteed way to fail yourself and your loved ones is to quit.

As the world continues to be destroyed from within by greed, religious extremism, and 24 hour news cycles of division and violations of human rights… It has never been more apparent that all we have is each other. Use your hate to make a change. Don’t be disgraced.

Dedicated to Bohan Daniel Lueders.

You can stream all three songs and pre-order the record now: https://www.godshate.us

You can support a few of the other journalists who were recently laid off below: 

• https://andrewsacher.substack.com/

• https://soundbitesnyc.substack.com/

_____________

HardLore: A Knotfest Series, fueled by Monster Energy.

Shot, edited and mixed by ⁠Steven Grise⁠

Title sequence by ⁠Nicholas Marzluf⁠

• Join the ⁠HARDLORE PATREON⁠ to watch every single weekly episode early and ad-free, alongside exclusive monthly episodes

• Join the ⁠HARDLORE DISCORD⁠

• Get 15% off ⁠DUNABLE GUITARS⁠ with code HARDLORE. Seriously. A guitar. What are you waiting for???

• Get 10% off ⁠⁠⁠MILLS VINTAGE⁠⁠⁠ site-wide with code HARDLORE.

____________

00:00:00 - Start

00:01:25 - Introducing Anna Zanes

00:04:13 - Picking Up Where God's Hate Left Off

00:10:07 - The San Fernando Valley

00:12:36 - Colin Meeting Brody, Starting God's Hate

00:17:33 - Everything Comes From Somewhere/God's Hate Lineups Through the Years

00:22:24 - God's Hate Lyrics, Having Faith in Your Writing

00:28:15 - WON'T BE DISGRACED

01:04:24 - Pardon This Interruption....

01:07:46 - What "Job" Must Be Finished?

01:16:25 - Creating Hateful Music "Out of Love"

01:23:44 - Does Art Require Pain?

01:33:30 - What's Next For God's Hate?

01:37:07 - Deciding On The 3 New Songs & Finishing This Record

01:45:10 - Favorite Extreme Musical Songwriters

01:47:10 - Shutting Out Music When Writing

01:51:10 - What is "Being Harder?

Our 4th annual Sound & Fury week event: LIVE from the SOLD OUT Brain Dead Studios in Hollywood, California.

We're once again proud to present HardLore Jeopardy, featuring Davey Havok of AFI, Todd Jones of NAILS/Carry On and our reigning champion Martín Stewart from Terror/God's Hate/Sound & Fury head to head to head in CLASSIC Jeopardy fashion, with a hardcore/metal/punk twist...

HardLore Jeopardy theme by Jordan Olds (Blood Vulture) and Ben Hutcherson (Khemmis)

_________________

HardLore: A Knotfest Series, fueled by Monster Energy.

Shot, Mixed & Edited by ⁠⁠Steven Grise⁠⁠

Title sequence by ⁠⁠Nicholas Marzluf⁠⁠

• Join the ⁠⁠HARDLORE PATREON⁠⁠ to watch every single weekly episode early and ad-free, alongside exclusive monthly episode.

• Join the ⁠⁠HARDLORE DISCORD⁠⁠.

• Get 10% off ⁠⁠GUILTY PARTY⁠⁠ site-wide with code HARDLORE and grab some of our favorite clothing brands of all time.

• Get 10% off ⁠⁠MILLS VINTAGE⁠⁠ site-wide with code HARDLORE.

_______________

00:00:00 - Start

00:01:21 - Meet the Contestants

00:04:18 - HardLore Jeopardy Round 1

00:33:24 - Double Jeopardy

00:39:35 - Pardon This Interruption

00:41:58 - Double Jeopardy Continued

01:09:11 - Final Jeopardy

HardLore is joined by Ryan George & Todd Jones of CARRY ON for a thorough deep dive into the complete history of the band, following their long awaited return this past June at Tied Down fest, and on the eve of their hometown return at Sound & Fury festival.

From beginning as a metallic band called Persevere in Atascadero, California, to changing their name (and their many lineups), recruiting Todd, Corey Williams and Nick Jett in the band, finding their musical identity on their Roll With The Punches 7", refining it on their one and only album A Life Less Plagued, and Ryan infamously deciding to stop being straight edge, quickly ending the band...

This is a fascinating window into a band Bo and I grew up listening to and loving for 20+ years, and it was honor to be in the room as these two shared so much about such a beloved band. X's always win.

____________

HardLore: A Knotfest Series, fueled by Monster Energy.

Shot, Mixed & Edited by ⁠Steven Grise⁠

Title sequence by ⁠Nicholas Marzluf⁠

• Join the ⁠HARDLORE PATREON⁠ to watch every single weekly episode early and ad-free, alongside exclusive monthly episode.

• Join the ⁠HARDLORE DISCORD⁠.

• Get 10% off ⁠GUILTY PARTY⁠ site-wide with code HARDLORE and grab some of our favorite clothing brands of all time.

• Get 10% off ⁠MILLS VINTAGE⁠ site-wide with code HARDLORE.

____________

00:00:00 - Start

00:01:13 - Hello Welcome

00:02:18 - Ryan Finding Hardcore & Meeting Todd

00:07:19 - Becoming Straight Edge / Strife's Influence in the 90s

00:12:37 - Persevere / Ryan's First Band

00:16:14 - CARRY ON

00:23:44 - Revisiting Carry On Lyrics / The Line Is Drawn 7"

00:31:07 - Pickle Patch

00:32:04 - Roll With The Punches / Todd Joining Carry On

00:40:57 - Off My Chest

00:46:14 - Pardon This Interruption...

00:48:15 - American Nightmare & Signing to Bridge Nine

00:52:25 - A Life Less Plagued

01:16:27 - Ryan Questioning Hardcore & Straight Edge

01:19:37 - Breaking Edge

01:22:56 - Terror

01:24:02 - Reconciling Post Edge Break

01:26:42 - Ending Carry On

01:28:58 - New Carry On Material?

01:31:40 - Carry On Ends, Terror Begins

01:33:35 - Hearing The Terror Demo

01:34:19 - Last Shows At Showcase Theater

01:41:30 - Youth Code

01:44:24 - The Carry On Coke Lines Shirt

01:46:22 - Carry On From 2005 - 2025

01:52:48 - Expectations Going Into the Upcoming Sets

01:54:53 - Tied Down, Returning to the Stage

01:58:28 - Theoretically Giving Up On Music

02:01:18 - Youth Code And Getting Into Industrial Music

02:09:55 - Veganism

02:13:29 - Top 4 Hardcore Records

In our first special Q&A episode since the passing of our late Bo Lueders, we’re joined by Britty Drake (Pity Sex) & Mike Cesario (Twitching Tongues, Disgrace, Forced Order) to help bring a fresh perspective to recent questions asked by our Patreon and Discord members.

Naturally, the majority of the conversation revolves around Bo, grief, and everything in between from these past few months. Thanks to all of you for the questions, Mike & Britty for joining us, and the rest of you for being here and for watching.

Intro to Sick of It All Playlist:

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6SYnjnzXC7uqWxfOKiTPgL?si=59a0a1e398c847ea

Apple Music - https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/intro-to-sick-of-it-all/pl.u-3G3bcPVy8XV

_______________

HardLore: A Knotfest Series, fueled by Monster Energy.

Shot, Mixed & Edited by ⁠⁠⁠Steven Grise⁠⁠⁠

Title sequence by ⁠⁠⁠Nicholas Marzluf⁠⁠⁠

• Join the ⁠⁠⁠HARDLORE PATREON⁠⁠⁠ to watch every single weekly episode early and ad-free, alongside exclusive monthly episode.

• Join the ⁠⁠⁠HARDLORE DISCORD⁠⁠⁠.• Get 10% off MILLS VINTAGE site-wide with code HARDLORE. • Get tickets for LOUDER THAN LIFE Festival! Can’t wait to see you all there.

_______________

00:00:00 - Start / Lou Koller

00:03:24 - Hello Welcome

00:06:45 - Favorite lie you've ever told

00:11:38 - Songs we'd like to perform with an orchestra

00:12:56 - Holy Grail T-Shirt

00:19:09 - Little Moments That Get Us Through The Day

00:25:18 - Top 5 Death Metal Tracks Of All Time

00:28:53 - Booking process For HardLore

00:30:54 - Best Live Sets in 2026

00:33:11 - Ruckus LP Has NO SKIPS?

00:35:48 - Amp Modelers

00:39:13 - Favorite Restaurant in LA

00:41:34 - Favorite Mosh Part In A Non-Hardcore Song

00:45:03 - Pardon This Interruption...

00:47:10 - Favorite Albums This Year So Far

00:49:04 - Favorite Elvis Song

00:50:52 - Tips For Writing Lyrics

01:00:32 - Master Killer Tier Album Thats Recently Been Released

01:03:31 - What's Bo Up To?

01:06:31 - Favorite Girly Pop

01:09:17 - Are We Going To Be Okay?

01:18:25 - Top 4 Hardcore EP's

01:22:41 - Favorite MIsheard Lyric

01:23:52 - Most Time Consuming Instrument When Recording

01:26:10 - Top 4 Punk Records

01:30:06 - Why Bo As Co-Host

01:32:57 - Pop Punk

01:36:45 - Best Airline For Musicians

01:41:02 - A Burning Question For A Guest

01:47:13 - What Have You Learned About Yourself This Year

01:53:08 - Tips For Coping With Loss

01:58:10 - Mini Clone Of Hitler

02:00:34 - Who Feels Like A Rockstar To You

02:07:59 - Favorite Smell

02:10:32 - Favorite Drummer Ever

02:14:11 - Black And Gold Color Scheme

02:14:36 - Least Chance Of Explosive Sh*ts

02:15:51 - Pivotal Point

02:28:25 - Music Project With Bo

02:29:14 - Hardest Laugh While Touring

02:34:32 - Top 5 Sauced Out Tracks

02:38:49 - Mike's Question

02:41:56 - Frontman With Best Skank On Stage

02:43:15 - Britty's Idea

HardLore and special guest co-host Brody King are joined by TERROR founders Scott Vogel & Nick Jett for a special excursion all around the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles.

We learn all about the origin of the band, which started from the ruins of Carry On, and visit a few key hotspots around our mutual hometown that played an integral role in Terror’s story.

We eventually meet up with Martín Stewart to discuss all things Terror and all things STILL SUFFER, their 10th and newest LP that released in this past April.

This was something scheduled for Bo and I to do together, and I can’t thank of a more appropriate way to finally make it happen than with my LEFT hand man, Mr. Brody King. Thank you to Terror for joining us for this first special episode like this in a long time.

________________

HardLore: A Knotfest Series, fueled by Monster Energy.

Shot, Mixed & Edited by ⁠⁠Steven Grise⁠⁠

Title sequence by ⁠⁠Nicholas Marzluf⁠⁠

• Join the ⁠⁠HARDLORE PATREON⁠⁠ to watch every single weekly episode early and ad-free, alongside exclusive monthly episode.

• Join the ⁠⁠HARDLORE DISCORD⁠⁠.

• Checkout UNPLUGS to learn more about THE best earplugs I have EVER used! (and you can quote me)

_________________

600:00:00 - Start

00:01:31 - TERROR, Zomu Coffee

00:02:46 - Nick Jett Discovering Hardcore

00:06:44 - Carry On

00:09:46 - Carry On Ending (& Reuniting)

00:13:40 - Piece By Piece

00:16:03 - A Change of Pace for Scott & The Magic of Nick's Garage

00:20:02 - Scotts First Apartment In LA

00:23:15 - Scott Meeting Nick & Todd Jones

00:26:47 - Naming "Terror"

00:28:07 - Terror - Life & Death Demo

00:33:54 - Writing Lowest Of The Low

00:39:17 - Bridge Nine & The Response to Lowest of the Low

00:43:48 - Studio S, North Hollywood

00:46:13 - Pardon This Interruption...

00:48:01 - Worst Terror Show Ever Played

00:53:11 - @NickGoDie

00:56:21 - Terror HQ, Swinton Ave

00:58:34 - One With The Underdogs, Todd Exiting Terror & Chaos at the House

01:03:33 - Moving In & Remembering Terror HQ

01:06:30 - Recording Without a Click Track (Hell yeah)

01:08:23 - Recruiting Frank 3 Gun

01:10:19 - Midnight Hour Records and Martín Stewart

01:17:28 - Underrated Terror Records

01:20:19 - Four Word Album Titles

01:23:43 - Crazy Terror Shows

01:24:28 - Terror At The Whisky A Go Go: A HardLore Investigation

01:31:42 - Unconventional Terror Tours

01:33:48 - Least Sane Member of Terror

01:35:55 - The Current President of Scott's Tots

01:40:10 - Cultural Explosion of Keepers Of The Faith

01:44:40 - Reuniting With Todd Jones on Pain Into Power

01:47:51 - Terror Parts That Felt Like Monumental Achievements

01:50:15 - The Pit Recording Studio, Still Suffer

01:55:36 - Recording with Taylor Young

02:04:46 - Terror Has TEN ALBUMS

02:09:12 - Advice For Younger Bands & People

02:15:22 - Top 4 Breakdowns

This is another piece of HardLore history in the making, as we’re joined by our first ever actor, the great Brooke Smith of Silence of the Lambs, Grey’s Anatomy, Bates Motel and more!

I am once again joined, very appropriately, by Alec Faber of Holy Blade, Twitching Tongues & God’s Hate (and formerly of the Reel Deal podcast with… me)

Long before she graced the silver screen as the iconic Catherine Martin in Silence of the Lambs , you could find her romping around all over the lower east side as one of the infamous WARZONE WOMEN, and a staple of 1980’s New York Hardcore. She spent the golden decade of NYHC taking legendary photos of bands like Agnostic Front, Bad Brains, Cro-Mags, Underdog and more, as documented in her incredible book Sunday Matinee.

We get into her life as a legendary publicist’s daughter, befriending and falling out with the Cro-Mags, the informal formation of the Warzone Women, growing out of hardcore just as acting started to become more serious, her life changing by being in one of the greatest movies of all time, AGAIN with Grey’s Anatomy, and everything in between…

An incredibly fun conversation with a genuine legend. Thanks to Brooke for joining us.

_______________

HardLore: A Knotfest Series, fueled by Monster Energy.

Shot, Mixed & Edited by ⁠Steven Grise⁠

Title sequence by ⁠Nicholas Marzluf⁠

• Join the ⁠HARDLORE PATREON⁠ to watch every single weekly episode early and ad-free, alongside exclusive monthly episode.

• Join the ⁠HARDLORE DISCORD⁠.

• Head over to THE MUSIC ZOO for all of your guitar needs! Get 15% off a Dunable custom with code HARDLORE.

• Visit GOOD SNOOTS DOG RESCUE to support the fostering and rescuing of dogs all over California.

_______________

00:00:00 - Start

00:01:39 - Brooke Smith

00:04:09 - Growing Up

00:06:39 - Women in Early New York Hardcore

00:09:28 - Picking Up Photography

00:10:33 - Sunday Matinee

00:12:54 - The Cro-Mags

00:17:32 - Best Mosher in Early 80s NYHC

00:18:40 - "New" Bands That Formed In Real Time & Changed Things

00:22:12 - Hardcore in the 80s vs. Now

00:23:49 - The Warzone Women, Straight Edge, & Her Infamous Pool Party

00:27:33 - Brooke Flips The Script on us smh

00:29:00 - People & Details in Sunday Matinee That Stood Out to Her

00:31:48 - Phones at Shows Now, The Ramones

00:33:49 - Agnostic Front & The Donahue Show

00:36:05 - Hare Krishna

00:37:57 - Modern Day Equivalent of 1980s CBGBs (Shut Down the Internet)

00:41:04 - Close Calls at CBGBs

00:42:28 - Playing Bass In A Band with Carl the Mosher

00:43:42 - Pardon This Interruption…

00:46:22 - The Misfits & Growing out of Hardcore in 1990

00:50:42 - Acting & Hardcore Intersecting

00:53:05 - Getting the Acting Bug

00:54:43 - Developing a Project With Elgin James

00:56:33 - Silence Of The Lambs

01:05:48 - Friendship with Ted Levine

01:08:08 - Brooke's Silence of the Lambs Journals, Vanya on 42nd St

01:12:37 - The Roles That Could Have Been

01:16:38 - Worst Career Advice

01:18:55 - Grey’s Anatomy

01:29:25 - Jeff Buckley

01:33:08 - Motherhood

01:42:06 - Every Character Goes To See AF

01:45:10 - Top 4 Hardcore Records

We're joined his week to by Chris Conley, the founder, vocalist, and songwriter of Saves The Day for a comprehensive, career retrospective conversation… Featuring special guest co-host, Dr. Britty Drake of Pity Sex.

In this true 3.5 hour epic, we start from the beginning and deep deep into Chris and STD’s entire history… From discovering punk through free tickets to a Rancid show, instinctively writing music the second he touched a guitar, Sefler’s humble origin and demo quickly evolving into Saves The Day, working with Steve Evetts and Equal Vision records, Lifetime’s influence on the early days and Can’t Slow Down, dropping out of school to tour on Through Being Cool, taking a leap into the mainstream with Stay What You Are, the harsh reality check of In Reverie, all the way up to feeling “resurrected” by his family in 2026 and finding new ways to handle his lifelong battle with depression.

A true feast of information for any fan of the band, Chris, hardcore, punk, emo or beyond… Thank you to Chris and Britty for joining us.

___________

HardLore: A Knotfest Series, fueled by Monster Energy.

Shot, Mixed & Edited by Steven Grise

Title sequence by Nicholas Marzluf

• Join the HARDLORE PATREON to watch every single weekly episode early and ad-free, alongside exclusive monthly episode.

• Join the HARDLORE DISCORD.

• Get 10% off GUILTY PARTY site-wide with code HARDLORE and grab some of our favorite clothing brands of all time.

• Get 10% off MILLS VINTAGE site-wide with code HARDLORE.

• Visit GUITAR SANCTUARY for all of your guitar, amp, or pedal needs.

00:00:00 - Start

00:01:22 - Chris Conley

00:02:24 - Discovering Music in New Jersey

00:08:58 - Developing His Songwriting Chops

00:11:24 - Everything Comes From Hardcore

00:13:47 - The Show That Changed It All...

00:19:09 - New Jersey Word Association

00:28:56 - How Sefler Became SAVES THE DAY

00:34:13 - Saves The Day's First Hardcore Show

00:36:48 - Sefler

00:38:20 - Saves The Day's Relationship With Steve Evetts

00:41:44 - Equal Vision Records

00:43:21 - CAN'T SLOW DOWN

00:51:38 - Pardon This Interruption...

00:55:04 - Favorite Fret

00:57:37 - Evolving as a Teenage Lyricist

01:04:41 - First U.S. Tour with Bane

01:10:08 - The Story Behind "I'm Sorry I'm Leaving"

01:12:22 - Attending NYU

01:15:26 - Dropping out of NYU

01:16:57 - Can't Slow Down Songs that Resonate with Chris Now

01:18:20 - "Blindfolded"

01:20:35 - "Always Ten Feet Tall"

01:21:04 - THROUGH BEING COOL

01:30:50 - The Iconic Through Being Cool Album Cover

01:32:26 - "Shoulder to the Wheel"

01:35:31 - Saves the Day's First Consistent Lineup

01:37:24 - Shoulder To The Wheel Music Video

01:38:31 - Pop Punk vs. Emo

01:45:34 - "Banned From The Back Porch"

01:49:44 - Tours On Through Being Cool

01:51:39 - Vocal Conditioning & Early Voice Changes

01:55:12 - Reflecting on Through Being Cool

01:57:10 - "Sell My Old Clothes, I'm Off To Heaven"

01:58:06 - STAY WHAT YOU ARE

02:01:41 - "At Your Funeral" & Working With Rob Schnapf

02:07:53 - Chris' Voice Changing

02:09:15 - Stay What You Are 25 Years Later

02:11:06 - Growth Over The Years

02:19:20 - Criticism After In Reverie

02:22:19 - IN REVERIE

02:24:39 - Dreamworks

02:27:38 - In Reverie's Cursed Roll Out and Release

02:30:50 - Fatherhood Changing His Perspective

02:31:41 - UPS AND DOWNS

02:34:50 - Trilogy Chapter 1: SOUND THE ALARM

02:43:05 - Formulating the Idea for This Trilogy

02:45:50 - Trilogy Chapter 2: UNDER THE BOARDS

02:47:31 - Touring On The Records

02:50:28 - Trillogy Chapter 3: DAYBREAK (GOATED)

02:54:54 - Dealing With Criticism

02:58:10 - S/T

02:59:51 - Re-Signing to Equal Vision

03:02:58 - Five Year Gap Before 9

03:07:51 - Feeling "Resurrected" in 2026 Thanks to His Wife

03:15:15 - Next Chapter For Chris & Saves The Day

03:18:45 - Top 4 Hardcore Records