When Eric Daino formed The Holophonics in Denton, Texas in 2012, there weren't a lot of other bands in his area playing ska. That was fine with him. The group went hard regardless, recording originals and a ton of ska covers (18 covers albums in fact!). The vibe was goofy. They imagined exaggerated versions of Reel Big Fish and Less Than Jake as characters they were playing.

That changed. The band no longer plays cover songs and doesn't want to be perceived as a goofy band. Their latest album, LAVOS, on Bad Time Records, really showcases this. It's an extremely personal, heartfelt record that deals with Eric's anxiety and trauma, and finds him grappling with his identity. Musically it's informed by RX Bandits, Thrice and Mars Volta--though still rooted in ska-punk.

Today, we talk to The Holophonics singer Eric Daino. He walks us down the band's interesting history, while also shedding light on Denton's music scene, as well as the scene in Long Island, where he grew up. We talk about the band's many covers, which even included Luis Fonsi's "Despacito." (Their ska cover has over 2 million views!) Eric also tells us about the covers record that was their most sincere, a full album tribute to Jimmy Eat World's Clarity. 

We also get into detail about LAVOS. Eric talks about the trauma that informed the record, how therapy helped him process his pain, and how he used Chrono Trigger to help articulate it all in his music. 

He also tells us about the Ska By Skawest festival and which song he told the crowd is about "how we're all going to die." 

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If you like our theme song, go download the EP Lives by Slow Gherkin. They wrote the opening and closing songs for our podcast. You can get both tunes from their Lives EP. Also, check out Dan P and the Bricks two LPs. They provided the mid-roll ad transition music. 

Support the In Defense host Aaron Carnes by purchasing a copy of his book, In Defense of Ska. The 2nd, expanded edition of In Defense of Ska will release in Oct 2024. 

Co-host Adam Davis has a band called Omnigone. Their latest record, Against The Rest released on March 31, 2023. 

The In Defense of Ska editor Chris Reeves runs a record label called Ska Punk International. They have new releases coming out all the time.

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