Labeled: The Stories, Rumors & Legends of Tooth & Nail Records

Trey Celaya has traveled an interesting path to find himself in the unique position of being a member of 2 metal-core bands that are both in their stride. He is the drummer of Fit For A King and he is also one of the primary writers and guitarist/producer of Invent Animate, whose newest album Heavener is enjoying break-out success. This conversation explores some of the deeper parts of where his music and creativity live in the musical sphere and how this influences his process.

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For Today is a particularly interesting band because they were one of the most outspoken Christian bands ever, but, instead of trying to carefully walk the line between Christian and secular, they just went hard musically AND lyrically. They were able to penetrate deeply into the secular market finding great success in many opportunities like Warped Tour. They were able to achieve longevity, earn a decent living and create brutal music that is still popular and relevant today.

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If you need a screen printer, Ryan's brother Brandon, owns a screen printing shop in Cincinnati, Ohio called Independent Print Shop.

Sent By Ravens lived together in a trailer in South Carolina and built a reputation for a killer live show. They got signed to Tooth & Nail and headed straight to Seattle to record their debut album with Aaron Sprinkle. That record released in 2010 with a swan song follow-up album in 2012. Although their time in the scene was short, they left a real mark with genuine music that still connects with many people today

Capital Lights came along in the peak of Tooth & Nail’s power and influence. Oddly, in this period there there are many bands who seemed to have everything going for them and were musically outstanding, yet their full potential was never realized. Bryson Phillips is a a truly gifted singer and songwriter that has been praised by both Brandon Ebel & Aaron Sprinkle over the years. I have had no personal experience with him though, so I really enjoyed getting to hear his perspective of the time he spent in the scene. I’m sure you will too! 

Capital Lights on Spotify

Listen to His Favorite Christmas Story

Special drop here!. Matt and Devin got the chance to preview the 2023 Furnace Fest lineup and have Chad Johnson and Johnny Grimes join the show so we could all react to it together. Emery is not playing this year, but we love the fest and we love Chad and Johnny and just like talking about all these bands, the history of the scene and fest and the future of it all.

Grab your tickets at: https://www.furnacefest.us/

Matt Baird of Spoken has been walking the line between club shows and church shows since the late 90's. He’s seen it all and remained steady with both his interests and convictions since day one. I have a ton of respect for creators that can find a way to do what they love long-term, but it’s quite rare. Over the years. I’ve met so many Spoken fans that tell me how much and why they love Spoken. Despite having very similar journeys, i have spent very little time around Matt Baird and Spoken. It has been over a decade since I’ve seen them and was really glad to have the chance for this exchange with Matt.

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Josh Porter is one of the most interesting frontmen from our scene and is of a particular type whose spirit of rebellion resonates across many mediums, one of which being Showbread’s music. Their legendary set at Furnace Fest last year seemed to be a testament to how deeply connected their fans were.

This podcast spends a lot of time analyzing the musical, relational and professional choices that bands make. We are often asked why we don’t get into people’s faith more on the podcast, given that it’s such a central theme. Certain people just have a more inherent energy toward the spiritual things, and Josh Porter is one of those people. In this case, he has a new book called Death To Deconstruction, and it seemed like an ideal opportunity to give more perspective into how Josh’s mind works.

Fit For a King is one of the most successful bands in the modern era of Solid State Records since their signing in 2012. They have worked incredibly hard to build the band’s following in both the physical & digital realms. They come from a long history of shared values & sounds with other Solid State bands and have integrated well into the larger metalcore scene. They continue to build a presence in the even wider space of metal in the digital space. Ryan Kirby is the lead vocalist, lyric writer and co-manager of the band, and I think you will find this conversation to an illuminating perspective into his mindset and why it all works so well

James Johnson of COTA and Ryan Loerke of SAW join the show to discuss and give perspective on a pocket of talent in the western Canadian music scene that made its way into the Tooth & Nail/Solid State culture. Jimmy Ryan and Chad Johnson recruited these bands who both had exciting but short careers near the peak of the label’s success. In this episode we cover the scene they came from, how their careers unfolded and what ended them.

James and Ryan are now launching a new band, In The Arena, along with SAW member Jason Ciolli, and COTA members Garrett Packer and Nik Wagener. They have new music releasing this week that you can find through the links below.

Listen/watch In The Arena's first song!

https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/inthearena/destroy-disavow

https://youtu.be/BaH0WfhfRMM

If you have been paying any attention to Tooth & Nail over the last several years, you can tell that they have a special regard for Tyson Motsenbocker. Tyson seems to always have been able to make great connections with other artists with both his personality and his songwriting. He’s great as a solo performer and on another level when he has a full band. I always enjoy hanging with him. I do love his new record, Milk Teeth, and we start this episode with an amazing story that caused us to postpone the original recording of this episode.

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