From egg slicers to guitar solos, the Q-Tip Bandits have a story as eclectic as their sound. On this episode of the Music Drives Us Podcast, Kelsey Boch explores their musical origins, their genre-blending style, and their advice for young artists just getting started.

This Music Drives Us Podcast double feature brings two bold artists into focus. Kelsey Boch sits down with blues trio GA-20 and pop powerhouse Zolita to talk music education, first gigs, and the milestones that shaped their creative paths.

From local bars in Worcester to the Boston Calling stage, the Blue Light Bandits have carved out a sound all their own. In this episode of the Music Drives Us Podcast, host Kelsey Boch kicks off Season 2 by diving into the band’s roots, mentors, and musical evolution.

Creating your own underground venue can come at some great costs. Actual expenses, lost sleep, lost time, things breaking, noise complaints, and even the risk of people disrespecting the space. But what if that didn’t matter to you and you just wanted to see live music and put on great shows? Today on the Music Drives Us podcast, we have a great conversation with John and Rocky, the duo behind Dud’s (Dud) Dungeon! A small DIY basement venue in the south shore, the Dungeon has tons of social media presence and a HUGE group of supporters that continues to grow in the local scene.

Finding the right sound for your band can take some time. There are always the songs that don’t work at first but then slowly find their groove. Testing, editing, trying new things and even using older styles to see what fits right for them. For the lucky bands, finding their sound doesn’t take long at all. This week I had the pleasure of interviewing Party Mountain, a local band that has been putting out Music since around 2019. Performing locally in New England for quite some time, they have been avid contributors to great music throughout the underground DIY scene.

www.studio550boston.com

Host John Laurenti is joined this week by Tyler Morris for part two of their sit down interview. Tyler is a musician that has been playing live since the young age of 11 and has performed with many legends of the industry. On top of that, he's also made custom guitar pedals for the likes of Conan O'Brien, Brad Whitford of Aerosmith, Brian May of Queen, and much more!

Host John Laurenti is joined this week by Tyler Morris for part one of their sit down interview. Tyler is a musician that has been playing live since the young age of 11 and has performed with many legends of the industry. On top of that, he's also made custom guitar pedals for the likes of Conan O'Brien, Brad Whitford of Aerosmith, Brian May of Queen, and much more!

Kylie Olsson is a British TV and radio personality. She has worked with Download Fest, Sky Arts, VH1, and MTV. Currently she is working on her new show called "Life in Six Strings." Host John Laurenti chats with Kylie about her upbringing and how she fell in love with music.

Host John Laurenti interviews Alex Toli about teaching kids with Autism how to rock! Alex works at the Higashi School in Boston where he helps neurodiverse students fall in love with music and put on rock concerts in their dorms.

An English major and two music majors walk into a basement and come out as a math rock band. Host John Laurenti gets more details on the origin story of Three Mandareens and their eponymous debut album.