Having A Blast with Kyle Devlin

In this episode, I talk with my long-time friend and musician/producer extraordinaire about his favorite record of all time! We talk about Saosin's debut full length. We discuss what led to the genre-defining album as well as Saosin in their early stages with Anthony Green. 

We talk about how Cove Reber had some big shoes to fill, and how he surpassed expectations with this opus of an album. We also talk about what Kyle has going on with his band What A Wreck, and his most recent production effort with the band The Way Way Back. Enjoy!

Saosin, also known as “the beetle album”, is the debut full-length, self-titled studio album by American rock band Saosin, released September 26, 2006 through Capitol Records. It is the band's second release to feature lead vocalist Cove Reber. The album is best known for its lead riffs with delays and natural harmonics as a form of creating melodies. The guitar riffs on the album were listed on Alternative Press's "Best Guitar Riffs of 2000s Rock." The first single, "Voices" was listed on the Top 46 post-hardcore songs of the 2000s, and the second single, "You're Not Alone" was listed on the Top 10 Essential Emo Power Ballads by the Alternative Press.

A limited edition version of the album was also released and included a behind the scenes look into the making of the album as well as music videos of "Bury Your Head" (Saosin EP version) and "Lost Symphonies" (a song first included on the 2003 Translating the Name EP). The album has currently sold an estimated 800,000 copies worldwide

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In this episode, I talk about one of my favorite bands of all time, Yellowcard. 

Ocean Avenue is their most recognized album and today we take an inside look at the album, the band, and the stories surrounding it.  

I was fortunate to really know these guys during this time in their lives and there's so much more to this album than meets the eye!

Ocean Avenue is the fourth studio album by American rock band Yellowcard. It was released on July 22, 2003, through Capitol Records. After touring to promote their third studio album One for the Kids in 2001, the band signed to the label in early 2002. Following this, bassist Warren Cooke left the band in mid-2002, and was replaced by Inspection 12 guitarist Peter Mosely. 

In February and March 2003, the band recorded at Sunset Sound in Hollywood, California, with Neal Avron. Ocean Avenue is a pop-punk and punk rock album, which was compared to Blink-182 and Simple Plan.

Before Yellowcard's promotional tour of Ocean Avenue, Mosely was replaced by Alex Lewis. 

Yellowcard appeared on the Warped Tour, during which "Way Away" was released as the album's lead single on July 22, 2003. The band went on a club tour of the United States, before going on tour with Less Than Jake and Fall Out Boy. "Ocean Avenue" was released as the second single on December 16, 2003. 

Lewis was kicked out the band and replaced by Mosely before a co-headlining tour with Something Corporate and a stint in Europe. "Only One" was release as the third single in June 2004; they toured Europe, Australia, and Japan. "Believe" was released as the fourth single in September 2004, which was followed by a US tour.

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In this episode, I talk to my long-time friend Rishi Bahl from the band Eternal Boy. Rishi and I had a blast catching up. 

Not only is he the front-man of the band Eternal Boy, but he's also a professor of marketing, as well as the founder of The Four Chord Music Festival and the founder of Four Chord Music. 

Four Chord Music has released records by Eternal Boy, Fortune Cove, and Harbor, just to name a few. We discuss what it's like being a professor and how marketing ties into the DIY ethos derived from playing in bands. Enjoy!

Eternal Boy is an American pop punk band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which had been called The SpacePimps prior to 2017. The band consists of vocalist and lead guitar player, Rishi Bahl, bass guitar player, Joe Harbulak, and drummer, Andy Mayer. 

The group have released five full-length albums and have a touring history that includes years on the Vans Warped Tour, as well as touring in China and Japan. 

The debut Eternal Boy album, Awkward Phase, charted on five of the Billboard charts in 2017 (the Billboard 200, Heatseekers, Top Independent Albums, Top Rock Albums, and Top Vinyl Albums charts). In April 2021, Eternal Boy released their fifth overall album, Bad Days Are Over, which charted for 4 weeks in Billboard top 100 New Albums.

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In this episode, I interview my friend Shane Henderson, the singer of Valencia. 

Shane and I go way back. 

We discuss the history of the band Valencia, the re-release of their album "Dancing With A Ghost", and what Shane has planned for the future.

Valencia is an American alternative rock band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States.

Valencia met by playing local shows together around the tri-state area in separate bands. George Ciukurescu and JD Perry grew up together; attending elementary school, high school, and their first year of college. 

They joined a band in 2001 called The Capgun Heroes with Brendan Walter and former members Sean Mundy and Ryan O'Hara. Shane Henderson sang in the band Attracted to Miss and Max played drums in The Emphasis. They formed the band that is known today as Valencia in 2004. The band is named after the wife of the protagonist, Valencia, in the book by Kurt Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse-Five. 

In 2005 Valencia signed to I Surrender Records after the label's owner, Midtown's drummer Rob Hitt, heard their demo tape.

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In this episode, I have my first guest! My buddy Adam and I chat about the second album "Where You Want To Be" from Emo virtuosos Taking Back Sunday. 

Where You Want to Be is the second studio album by American rock band Taking Back Sunday. While touring to promote Tell All Your Friends (2002), guitarist John Nolan and bassist Shaun Cooper left the group and were replaced by Fred Mascherino and Matt Rubano, respectively. After a co-headlining tour with Saves the Day in fall 2003, the band began working on Where You Want to Be. 

Dismissive of several early songs, they wanted to "grow musically with this [new album]." In March 2004 recording of Where You Want to Be began, with Lou Giordano as producer. The band recorded at Mission Sound in Brooklyn, New York for two weeks before moving to Water Music in Hoboken, New Jersey, finishing recording by April.

Where You Want to Be has received mixed-to-positive reviews, selling 163,000 copies in its first week. The album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 chart, remaining there for an additional 19 weeks. It topped the Independent Albums chart and remained on that chart for 50 weeks. "A Decade Under the Influence" reached number 16 on the Alternative Songs chart and the UK Top 75 chart. Where You Want to Be is Victory's highest-charting album; in July 2005 it was certified gold in the U.S. for sales of 500,000 copies, and sales have since exceeded 700,000.

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In this episode, I'll be discussing going to the 2002 "Pop Disaster Tour" with co-headliners Green Day and Blink 182 with the openers Jimmy Eat World and Saves The Day. 

I talk about attending the show and getting on stage with Green Day to play a song with them and somehow walking away with Billie Joe's guitar. The Pop Disaster Tour was a concert tour co-headlined by American rock bands Blink-182 and Green Day. 

The Pop Disaster Tour was a concert tour co-headlined by American rock bands Blink-182 and Green Day. The two groups, with supporting acts Jimmy Eat World, Kut U Up and Saves the Day, toured for two months across the United States and Canada, mostly in outdoor amphitheatres.

The tour was conceived by Blink-182 to echo the famous Monsters of Rock tours; the idea was to have, effectively, a Monsters of Punk tour. The tour, from the band's point of view, had been put together as a show of unity in the face of consistent accusations of rivalry between the two bands, especially in Europe. Instead, Green Day's Tré Cool acknowledged in a Kerrang! interview that they committed to the tour as an opportunity to regain their status at the top of tree, as their spotlight had faded over the years. "We set out to reclaim our throne as the most incredible live punk band from you know who", said Cool. 

Cool contended that "we heard they were going to quit the tour because they were getting smoked so badly […] We didn't want them to quit the tour. They're good for filling up the seats up front." 

The 2003 film Riding in Vans with Boys follows the Pop Disaster Tour throughout the U.S from Kut U Up's perspective. DeLonge and Hoppus had the idea for the film, and enlisted Matt Beauchesne, who also worked on their documentary The Urethra Chronicles II: Harder Faster Faster Harder, to direct. It was designed to be "a social experiment that shows exactly what would happen if an average Joe band spent two months with two of the biggest groups in rock." 

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In this episode, I'll be discussing the album "Bleed American" by the band Jimmy Eat World. 

I do a deep dive on the history surrounding the album. 

Bleed American is the fourth studio album by American rock band Jimmy Eat World, released on July 24, 2001, by DreamWorks Records. Originally released as Bleed American, it was re-released as Jimmy Eat World following the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington, D.C., which took place seven weeks after its initial release. The Jimmy Eat World title stayed until 2008 upon its re-release with its original title returned.

Following a lack of recognition for their third studio album Clarity (1999) from Capitol Records, the band departed from the label in late 1999. Aside from working odd jobs, the band toured to raise money for their next album. It was recorded with Mark Trombino and the band as producers in Los Angeles in October and November 2000 at the Cherokee and Harddrive studios. The musical style was more direct and accessible than its predecessor, with simpler chord structures.

"Bleed American" was released to radio on June 5, 2001 as the album's lead single, coinciding with tours of Australia and Japan (the latter supporting Eastern Youth). After appearing on the East Coast dates of the Warped Tour, the band supported Blink-182 and Weezer. "The Middle" was released as a single on November 19, 2001. The band went on a headlining European tour in early 2002, followed by a Japanese tour, leading up to a two-month support slot for Blink-182 and Green Day on their Pop Disaster Tour. "Sweetness" was released as the third single on June 3, 2002. The band supported Incubus in Australia, before embarking on headlining tours of the UK and the US. "A Praise Chorus" was released as a promotional single during 2002.

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In this episode, I discuss the album "Dookie" by Green Day. 

We go over the entire history of the album, including the making and production of the record. I also give my thoughts on all of the songs, as well as some fun memories with the record. 

Green Day is an American rock band formed in the East Bay of California in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong and bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt. For much of the band's career, they have been a trio with drummer Tré Cool, who replaced John Kiffmeyer in 1990 before the recording of the band's second studio album, Kerplunk.  

Dookie is the third studio album and the major label debut by American rock band Green Day, released on February 1, 1994 by Reprise Records. The band's first collaboration with producer Rob Cavallo, it was recorded in late 1993 at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, California. 

Written mostly by front man Billie Joe Armstrong, the album is heavily based around his personal experiences, with themes such as boredom, anxiety, relationships, and sexuality. The album was promoted with five singles: "Longview", "Basket Case", a re-recorded version of "Welcome to Paradise" (originally on their Kerplunk album), "When I Come Around", and the radio-only "She". "All by Myself" is a hidden track performed by drummer Tré Cool.

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Having A Blast is a podcast dedicated to punk rock and personal development.

a pop punk, emo, post-hardcore, and skate punk podcast. 

All under the umbrella of modern punk music and all it's subgenres. 

We're going to do deep dives of important bands and albums. We're also going to find out what makes these people unique, how they managed to take their destinies into their own hands, and how they approach self-development and exercise.

We're also going to be speaking with band members, producers, songwriters, and friends. 

I may also drop in a story from my two bands (Gametime and The American Life). 

Who we've interviewed so far: Members of Valencia, Eternal Boy, The Swellers, The Dangerous Summer, The Way Way Back, Sparks The Rescue, Home Grown, The JV Allstars, Hidden in Plain View, A Few Too Many, Lights Over Bridgeport, Hit The Lights, Over It, Runner Runner, and Mae.

Producer Aaron Sprinkle 

Podcast Hosts of The Christie Gee Podcast, Growing Up Punk, and Talking Records

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