Look At My Records!

For Episode 210 of Look At My Records!, Tom spoke with Nils, James, and Connor of Manhattan synth-pop extraordinaires VHS Collection. The veteran act has been bringing their infectious sound to rooms across the country for the better part of the last half-decade, and in February, they shared their highly anticipated second full-length, Night Drive.  After finding a ton of success as an independent band, the trio signed with the Tiger Tone imprint for the release of Night Drive, teaming up with renowned producer Tony Hoffer. During the interview, the band dished on all things Night Drive, including what it was like working with Hoffer and the challenges that came with putting the record during the pandemic. Plus, they shared a bit about their origins as Phish-heads at boarding school, the concept that inspired the sound and vibe of Night Drive, what went into their decision to work with a label after being a successful independent band for so long, and much more. Plus, the trio picked some awesome records from Tom’s collection, including some choice cuts from The Police, Nas, and LCD Soundsystem. You can follow along with their picks via the official playlist for Episode 210.

You can stream Night Drive on your platform of choice. Keep up with VHS Collection by following them on Instagram. 

Episode 209 of Look At My Records! features an interview with New Jersey songwriter Max Feinstein. We last spoke with Feinstein on the podcast back in February of 2020, and since then, obviously, a lot has happened. In addition to a global pandemic that had profound ramifications on the day-to-day workings of his Hoboken-based studio Silverhorse Sound, a building fire in December of 2021 has left the future of the studio in its current space in question. Nevertheless, Feinstein is pushing forward. He just released his latest album, Redefine, a record that primarily explores his experiences living and coping with hemophilia and sees him expanding his already eclectic sonic palette. During the interview, Feinstein elaborated on the current situation with Silverhorse Sound, his advocacy work in the hemophilia community, the inspiration behind some of Redefine’s stand-out tracks like “Dear Anxious” and “Borderlines,” and much more. Plus, Max picked some excellent records, including some great cuts from XTC, Beulah, and Jawbox. You can follow along with his picks via the official playlist for Episode 209. 

Redefine is out now! You can check it out on Bandcamp or your streaming platform of choice. For more information on Feinstein, including his hemophilia work, you can check out his website. Keep up with him on Instagram and Facebook.

Feinstein will be celebrating the release of Redefine on April 1st at Finnegan’s in Hoboken. Emergencies and Jaime Rosey will also be performing. You can help Silverhorse Sound recover from their fire by contributing to their Gofundme.

Episode 208 of Look At My Records! features an interview with rising songwriter Jonah Kagen. Though Kagen first picked up a guitar at the age of six, he started shifting his primary focus to music during the pandemic when his song “Broken” blew up on TikTok. That song’s success led to several other social media and streaming hits, including “Wishing You Did,” “Catching A Dream,” and “Summer Feeling,” a collaborative track with Norwegian DJ Matoma. Fast forward to 2022 and Kagen is embarking on his first-ever tour in support of English artist Masie Peters, where he’s been playing to sold-out crowds at legendary venues like Webster Hall. It’s been a wild ride for Kagen, who prior to 2020, was a dedicated Division-1 soccer player at Cornell University, with hopes of eventually going pro. Tune in to the interview to hear about how all of that changed for Kagen, including how and why he first decided to share his music via social media, how his career as an athlete has helped him as a musician, the guitar players that have influenced his distinct fingerpicking style, what it’s been like playing big rooms for his first-ever gigs, and more. Plus, Kagen picked some awesome records from my collection, including choice cuts from Michael Jackson and the Go-Go’s. You can follow along with Jonah’s picks via the official playlist for Episode 208.

Kagen is on tour with Masie Peters for the rest of March! For a full list of dates, check out his website. Keep up with Kagen by following him on Instagram and TikTok. You can stream his music on your platform of choice.

Episode 207 of Look At My Records! features an interview with T.J. Strohmer of Knifeplay. The Philadelphia-based shoegaze outfit is in the early stages of their next phase as a band, which began late last with the release of two Jeff Ziegler produced singles, “Hurt Someone” and “Ornament.” The pair of tracks are Strohmer’s first releases with a new backing band and his first working with an outside producer, and thus, offer a glimpse into the project’s huge, fully fleshed-out sound, which will be front and center on their forthcoming second full length. Listen to the interview to hear all about Strohmer’s experiences working with Ziegler, including what it was like collaborating with the renowned engineer over the course of the last year, what it was like transitioning out of the bedroom recording setting, how the band’s first live shows in two years went, and much more. Plus, Strohmer picked some awesome records, including choice cuts from Yo La Tengo, Alex G, and Lou Reed.  You can follow along with his picks via the official playlist for Episode 207.

You can purchase Knifeplay’s music via Bandcamp. Their tunes are also available to stream on all platforms. Keep up with the band by following them on Instagram.

Episode 206 of Look At My Records! features an interview with Michael Imperioli of the New York City band Zopa. We’re all familiar with Imperioli from his Emmy award-winning role as Christopher Moltesanti on HBO’s The Sopranos, but in addition to acting, Michael has a long history of playing music in New York City. His current band, Zopa, released their long-awaited debut album La Dolce Vita in 2020, but Imperioli’s roots in music reach all the way back to New York City’s bustling downtown arts scene in the 1980s. He got his start playing in a no wave band called Black Angus and after answering an ad in the Village Voice, joined an early incarnation of Feelies offshoot Wild Carnation in the early 1990s. Along the way, he’s also put on gigs at Maxwell’s in Hoboken (including one featuring Miracle Legion and Yung Wu), befriended the late Lou Reed, and played shows with Zopa in places like Portugal. Tune in to the interview to hear all about Imperioli’s fascinating music background, the circumstances surrounding Zopa’s original formation and eventual reunion, the band’s recent experiences recording with notable indie rock producer John Angello, his long collaborative relationship with director Tom Gilroy, what inspired him to incorporate Lou Reed as a character in his novel The Perfume Burned His Eyes, and way more. Plus, Imperioli picked some awesome records, including some choice cuts from L.A. Witch, My Bloody Valentine, and Pylon. You can follow along with his picks via the official playlist for Episode 206.

Zopa will be performing at Baby’s All Right in Brooklyn next Thursday, February 17th with 2C-B. Get your tickets now! Tonight, the band is playing in Los Angeles at Zebulon with Crush and they’ll be at Kung Fu Necktie in Philly with Gladie next Friday, February 18th.

La Dolce Vita is available on vinyl via Mt. Crushmore Records and digitally via Bandcamp.

Joey Degroot and Kyle Wilkerson of Joy Cleaner returned to the podcast for Episode 205. A lot has happened for this Bloomfield-based power-pop outfit since they last appeared on the show back in 2018. They scaled down from a trio to a duo, released their second album, You’re So Jaded, back in 2019, and oh yeah, they rocked Pet Shop for the Look At My Records! 200th Episode bash back in November. More recently, the band shared a compilation entitled Spent Flowers, which collects assorted B-sides, compilation tracks, and a couple of never-before-released tunes from the band’s first five years. During the interview, Degroot and Wilkerson talked all about the new compilation, what they’ve been up to over the last two years, what’s next for Joy Cleaner, and more. Plus, they picked some awesome records from R.E.M., David Bowie, and Charly Bliss. Follow along with their picks via the official playlist for Episode 205.

Spent Flowers is out now via Jigsaw Records. You can purchase the compilation on limited edition vinyl via Bandcamp. Keep up with Joy Cleaner by following them on Instagram.

2021 is done! So, Zach Romano and Tom got together to do their annual countdown of their favorite records. It was a bit of a rollercoaster year for music. We all got vaccinated, so venues opened back up and shows resumed, but things got a little complicated towards the end of the year with the Omicron variant. Nevertheless, bands and artists persisted, and released some awesome records. Tune in to hear about Zach and Tom’s favorites from Turnstile, Triptides, LAPÊCHE, Kalbells, Mannequin Pussy, and more!

Episode 203 of Look At My Records! features an interview with Duncan Troast and Nick Corso of New Orleans indie-pop duo The Convenience. The two friends and collaborators have been playing music together for the better part of the last half-decade, but The Convenience has really picked up steam over the last year with the release of their fantastic debut full-length, Accelerator, on Winspear. Originally meeting while studying music at Loyola University in New Orleans, Troast and Corso would eventually join their friend Grady Bell in his project Fishplate before meeting Ross Fabre of Video Age, joining that up and coming group during the recording of their second album, Pop Therapy. During downtime in between tours with Video Age, the two began cultivating ideas and songs for The Convenience, culminating in their groove-laced debut full length. Tune in to the interview to hear all about Troast and Corso’s first meetings during their university years, how playing in Video Age and working with Fabre has influenced The Convenience, what songs from Accelerator they’re most looking forward to playing live, and much more. Plus, Troast and Corso picked some awesome records, including some cuts from Prince, Marvin Gaye, The dB’s, and more. You can follow along with their picks via the official playlist for Episode 203.

Accelerator is out now via Winspear. You can listen to it on your streaming platform of choice. You can order a copy of Accelerator on vinyl via Bandcamp. Keep up with the band by following them on Instagram.

Episode 202 of Look At My Records! features an interview with Brooklyn songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jordyn Blakely. Known across the city for her drumming prowess and her contributions to a number of great bands like Maneka, Sharkmuffin, and Jackal Onasis, Blakely stepped out from behind the kit this past year and went solo with the release of her debut EP as Smile Machine. The five-song collection, which is titled Bye For Now, showcases her intriguing first foray into songwriting, incorporating a decent amount of fuzz and a whole lot of feeling. Tune in to the interview to hear all about the EP, including insights from Blakely on some of its stand-out tracks. Plus, she dished on some of her recent experiences touring in Bartees Strange, the importance of Shea Stadium in fostering community in North Brooklyn, how she learned more about herself after writing her first batch of songs, and of course, what inspired her to begin writing her own songs after solely playing drums for so long. Blakely also picked some great records from my collection, including choice cuts from Cat Power, Elliot Smith, and Sonic Youth. You can follow along with her picks via the official playlist for Episode 202!

You can purchase Bye For Now on limited edition cassette via Exploding In Sound. The album is also available on Bandcamp and Spotify. Keep up with Smile Machine by following them on Instagram.