Lauren Denitzio is the driving force behind the band Worriers.  They began the band after having been in another band called The Measure, and have now released 3 full-length albums along with a few EPs, most recently a 5-song album of cover songs featuring their take on Rancid, Tom Petty, The New Pornographers and more.

Now in their 10th year of existence, Worriers has established themselves as a true standout in the current punk scene, and have been able to partner with labels like No Idea, 6131, Don Giovanni, Side One Dummy along with self-releasing material.  On top of this, they have worked with some really fantastic producers including Laura Jane Grace and John Agnello.

The band is essentially Lauren's project, and is currently backed by Nick Psillas on bass and Mikey Erg on drums and Frank Piegaro (formerly of the band Ensign) on guitar. As Lauren describes in the episode, having a certain fluidity in the make up of the band has allowed them to take on more opportunities and not be as restricted by what sometimes conventional band structures might otherwise hinder.

Currently living in Los Angeles, Lauren has roots in the East Coast having grown up in New Jersey and living in Brooklyn for many years after attending college.  Besides performing full time in Worriers, They have an established career in illustration and design, which we talk about during the episode.

For more info on Worriers - https://www.worriersmusic.com/

To know more about Lauren's design work - https://www.laurendenitzio.com/

To hear some of the music mentioned on this and our previous episodes, check out and follow this playlist on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3oI01ZU​​​​​​​​​ 

Question The Answers is co-sponsored by The Bad Copy and Sell The Heart Records, be sure to follow them as well to stay up to date on music news, reviews, and to check out the releases on our label.

Sell The Heart Records - https://www.selltheheartrecords.com​​... | @selltheheartrecords (IG)

Our guest today is Terry Smith, one half of the core team at Riot Squad Media.  Herself and co-founder Laura Rose formed the multi-faceted agency out of a shared love for the music scene, punk rock, and a desire to contribute to them utilizing their strengths.

Part PR agency, part website and design shop, part promotions group, Riot Squad Media kinda do it all.  As Terry shares in the episode, they met while attending a music festival and became fast friends.

Though she is located in Canada and Laura is in New York, the two of them have been able to stay connected and bring a lot to the punk scene.  For example, every week they contribute a video which showcases two albums that they are currently stoked on, called Sunday Spin.

This year, they are endeavoring on a major music festival, Camp Punksylvania.  The fest features headliners Voodoo Glow Skulls, Bigwig, The Queers and Blanks 77, along with about 20 other bands!  The logistics behind making this kind of thing work are pretty intense, as Terry attests, but they are up for the challenge!

For more info about Riot Squad Media, or to hire them for their services - https://www.riotsquadmedia.com/ 

For more info on Camp Punksylvania - https://www.camppunksylvania.com/ 

To hear some of the music mentioned on this and our previous episodes, check out and follow this playlist on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3oI01ZU​​​​​​​​​

Question The Answers is co-sponsored by The Bad Copy and Sell The Heart Records, be sure to follow them as well to stay up to date on music news, reviews, and to check out the releases on our label.

Sell The Heart Records - https://www.selltheheartrecords.com​​... | @selltheheartrecords (IG)

The Bad Copy - https://www.thebadcopy.com​​​​​​​​​ | @thebadcopy (IG)

Neckscars are a four-piece post-hardcore band based out of New York City, with members living in the Northern side of the greater metro area.  Having come together back in 2019 as long time friends and occasional bandmates, they have culminated in putting together a sound that is familiar to fans of Hot Water Music, Nothington, Leatherface & Seaweed, but they are far from a carbon copy of any of those bands.

Principal songwriter/vocalist/guitarist Will Romeo and guitarist/backing vocalist Justin Parish join the podcast today to discuss the band's new album, Don't Panic, and also give us an insight into the beginnings of the band and where they are headed.  The individual members of the band each perform in other projects alongside Neckscars, and are veterans of the music scene, showing a maturity in their songwriting and overall approach to the craft.

During the pandemic, the band opted to push forward with the release of the album, partnering up with Sell The Heart Records (hey, that's us!!) and Engineer Records (UK).  The album has seen some high praise, and with shows starting to slowly return, they have already gotten to work with shows in their home area with homies Jukebox Romantics, American Thrills, Oh! The Humanity and more, and they are certainly eager to get the band on the road.

To hear or buy the new album Don't Panic - https://neckscars.bandcamp.com/album/... 

To hear some of the music mentioned on this and our previous episodes, check out and follow this playlist on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3oI01ZU​​​​​​​​​ 

Question The Answers is co-sponsored by The Bad Copy and Sell The Heart Records, be sure to follow them as well to stay up to date on music news, reviews, and to check out the releases on our label.

Sell The Heart Records - https://www.selltheheartrecords.com​​... | @selltheheartrecords (IG)

The Bad Copy - https://www.thebadcopy.com​​​​​​​​​ | @thebadcopy (IG)

Phil Smith has had a wild musical journey. The Cincinnati, Ohio native started playing in punk and metal bands in his youth, including the one time Victory Records signed Corpus Christi.  They managed to tour the country a few times and even had a video on MTV. But Phil wanted to expand his catalog, and for the last 10 years has been releasing self-produced rap & hip-hop albums under the moniker Eugenius.

His most recent full-length effort, Midlife, was self-released in late 2020 but is now getting the vinyl treatment thanks to a successful Kickstarter campaign and a partnership with Friend Club Records.  The album is an introspective look at his own life, and acts as a follow up to a previous album called Of Age, released back in 2018.

Described as a mix between Lupe Fiasco and Death Grips, Phil Smith has taken the stance of incorporating all of his influences into the music he produces, which is certainly present in tracks.  As he describes in this episode, he likes to attempt to tell a story or show a "lyrical movie".

In this episode we discuss his musical journey, and what he has coming up, which includes some collaborations with the likes of Nathan Gray (BoySetsFire).  We dig into what it was like to be on Victory Records and the ups and downs of touring.  We touch on his creative process and he of course offers some artists to check out as well as his 5 desert island albums.

To hear Eugenius - https://eugenius.bandcamp.com/

To hear some of the music mentioned on this and our previous episodes, check out and follow this playlist on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3oI01ZU​​​​​​​​​  

Question The Answers is co-sponsored by The Bad Copy and Sell The Heart Records, be sure to follow them as well to stay up to date on music news, reviews, and to check out the releases on our label.  

Sell The Heart Records - https://www.selltheheartrecords.com​​... | @selltheheartrecords (IG)  

The Bad Copy - https://www.thebadcopy.com​​​​​​​​​ | @thebadcopy (IG)  

#eugenius #hiphop #rap #friendclubrecords #selltheheartrecords #thebadcopy

If there is one person that may be holding the ska community together, it may be Brent Friedman, who is our guest this week.  Brent is known within the greater ska scene for being the drummer for We Are The Union, Skatune Network & Omnigone, but he also works very hard behind the scenes for Bad Time Records, Suicide Machine & Skatune Network among others.

Growing up in Huntington Beach, CA, Brent fell in love with the ska scene, and soon became well known as "that ska guy"  (much to his chagrin), eventually opting to wear it as a badge of pride and taking it as far as creating his social media handle @pleasetagmeinyourskaposts to solidify the truth that YES, he is in fact THAT SKA GUY!

As a true defender of the genre, he has spent a good portion of his adult life affiliated with some of the biggest names in the ska world, and as is laid out in our discussion, he is beyond proud of where ska has gotten during the last few years, and his role in that.

We spend some time learning about how he got involved in the various projects that he works with.  We dig into the role that "Ska Twitter" plays in keeping things within the scene buzzing, and we reflect a bit on whether or not there is potential 'danger' of ska potentially falling out of favor again (psst... it never went away in the first place, so the answer is NO!).  He also provides some artists that you should have on your radar, as well as his 5 desert island albums.

To checkout We Are The Union - http://wearetheunion.net/ 

To checkout Bad Time Records - https://www.badtimerecords.com/

To hear some of the music mentioned on this and our previous episodes, check out and follow this playlist on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3oI01ZU​​​​​​​​​  

Question The Answers is co-sponsored by The Bad Copy and Sell The Heart Records, be sure to follow them as well to stay up to date on music news, reviews, and to check out the releases on our label.  

Sell The Heart Records - https://www.selltheheartrecords.com​​... | @selltheheartrecords (IG)  

The Bad Copy - https://www.thebadcopy.com​​​​​​​​​ | @thebadcopy (IG)

#punk #ska #skapunk #wearetheunion #skatunenetwork #omnigone #selltheheartrecords #thebadcopy #badtimerecords

Fest!  Say it again with me... FEST!  Unless you've been living under a rock, you're likely quite familiar with the annual punk rock festival which takes place in Gainesville, Florida.  Our guest this week, Tony Weinbender, is the founder and principle organizer of the event.  

Coming up on it's 19th year (well, 20th if you include the pandemic version of Fest At Home), Fest has become one of the most highly sought after tickets in the country within the punk rock community.  

What began with a handful of local venues over a 1 night period has turned into a three-night blowout featuring over 100 bands across upwards of 20 venues within the college town that spawned the likes of Less Than Jake, Hot Water Music, Against Me! among others.  

Tony has had a life long love affair with the punk scene, having grown up in a small town in Virginia following the likes of Avail and Fugazi. He cut his teeth on the road working with Less Than Jake as a roadie, and spent many years as a label employee for Fueled By Ramen & No Idea Records.  

After branching off from one of his earlier endeavors with MACROCK (Mid Atlantic College Radio Conference), Fest has truly become his job, where he spends the entire year curating the lineup, planning with city officials and local businesses to make sure that everything runs smoothly.

During this episode we dig into what he and the crew at Fest have been doing to ensure that this year's planned (and postponed from last year) event goes smoothly and safely.  We also dig into the history of the event, and where it's going.  He provides some pointers to bands that are interested in being part of the event, and of course, we dig into some bands he believes you should have on your radar, and his 5 desert island albums

To see more about FEST - https://thefestfl.com/  

To hear some of the music mentioned on this and our previous episodes, check out and follow this playlist on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3oI01ZU​​​​​​​​​  

Question The Answers is co-sponsored by The Bad Copy and Sell The Heart Records, be sure to follow them as well to stay up to date on music news, reviews, and to check out the releases on our label.

Sell The Heart Records - https://www.selltheheartrecords.com​​... | @selltheheartrecords (IG)

The Bad Copy - https://www.thebadcopy.com​​​​​​​​​ | @thebadcopy (IG)

#punk #fest #thefest #selltheheartrecords #thebadcopy #tonyweinbender

Ben Flanagan joins us this week, and we love to see it.  Ben is the vocalist and bassist of the heavy hitting trio Black Map.  The band is comprised of himself along with guitarist Mark Engles (of Dredg fame) and drummer Chris Robyn (of the band Far).  As far as "super groups" go, these guys certainly fit the bill.

A veteran of the rock n' roll lifestyle, Ben cut his teeth in the bands IO, The Trophy Fire, and The Actual prior to starting Black Map.  He even spent some time as the "5th member" of Dredg for a spell, touring with them all over the world.  Black Map have released two full length albums, some split records, and a few digital singles, as well as some awesome cover songs, most recently a mashup of Billy Idol's "Eyes Without A Face" and U2's "Exit" (with a touch of Jane's Addiction's "Mountain Song" thrown in for good measure).

Beyond his work as a musician, he has worked for many years as a member of the booking team at San Francisco's famed club Bottom of the Hill, which we talk about in this episode.  He also provides a few bands that he feels should be on everyone's radar, and his 5 desert island albums.

To hear Black Map - https://www.blackmapmusic.com/ 

To hear some of the music mentioned on this and our previous episodes, check out and follow this playlist on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3oI01ZU​​​​​​​​​

Question The Answers is co-sponsored by The Bad Copy and Sell The Heart Records, be sure to follow them as well to stay up to date on music news, reviews, and to check out the releases on our label.

Sell The Heart Records - https://www.selltheheartrecords.com​​... | @selltheheartrecords (IG)

The Bad Copy - https://www.thebadcopy.com​​​​​​​​​ | @thebadcopy (IG)

Crimson Riot hail from sunny (and too hot for my blood) Las Vegas, the city of sin.  The 3-piece pop-punk outfit was born out of wanting to create original material outside of their professional gig as a full-time cover band, called The Roxy Gunn Project.  The members of the band have been lighting up the Vegas Strip for many years now, to pretty huge crowds.

A family affair, the band is comprised of singer/guitarist Roxy, her husband and bassist/co-vocalist Chris, and her father Ryan on drums.  For them, music is literally a way of life, which is pretty much the dream that most musicians strive for.  When they aren't performing hours long cover sets to the Vegas patrons, they are mostly focusing on getting Crimson Riot out into the world.  The band just released a brand new album via Die Laughing Records, called It Took An Apocalypse, which you should listen to right meow!

Obviously the pandemic caused a huge stir for musicians everywhere, but for them it was even tougher since their literal bread and butter was taken away from them when Las Vegas shut down... so the band got crafty and decided to pivot to doing live streams, eventually landing on Twitch.  They will spend upwards of 6-10 hours at time taking cover requests from viewers, which for many musicians would be an unattainable feat, but for these seasoned professionals, it's all in a days work

To checkout Crimson Riot - https://crimsonriot.com/ 

To checkout The Roxy Gunn Project - https://www.roxygunnproject.com/ 

To hear some of the music mentioned on this and our previous episodes, check out and follow this playlist on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3oI01ZU​​​​​​​​​

Question The Answers is co-sponsored by The Bad Copy and Sell The Heart Records, be sure to follow them as well to stay up to date on music news, reviews, and to check out the releases on our label.

Sell The Heart Records - https://www.selltheheartrecords.com​​... | @selltheheartrecords (IG)

The Bad Copy - https://www.thebadcopy.com | @thebadcopy (IG)

Josh Goldman is someone that has found a way to make punk rock his job, and he takes it very seriously.  Mind you, he still manages to have a lot of fun while performing in his bands The Raging Nathans, The Dopamines and others.  

Along with that, he owns and operates a killer independent punk label called Rad Girlfriend Records, who have worked with the likes of DFMK, Mikey Erg, The Queers, Western Settings, Strangelight, and more.  

What started in earnest as a way to release his own records, Rad Girlfriend has turned into quite a record making machine, seeing year over year growth, with this most recent crazy dumpster fire of a year being no exception.  Many of his most recent albums sold out while in pre-order, forcing re-presses before they were even released.

His main band The Raging Nathans just released a brand new ripper of an album (with a track from that album able to be heard at the end of the podcast), and he's not showing any signs of slowing down at all.

During the episode, we talk about what it's like to run a record label... the good, the bad, the ugly.  We chat a bit about what it's like to meet your heroes.... also the good, the bad, the ugly.  We bond a bit over our appreciation of Dicky Barrett of The BossToneS, and he of course shares some of his favorite bands and 5 desert island album pics with me.  

To hear Raging Nathans - https://radgirlfriendrecords.bandcamp.com/album/waste-my-heart

To checkout Rad Girlfriend Records - https://radgirlfriendrecords.bandcamp.com/

To hear some of the music mentioned on this and our previous episodes, check out and follow this playlist on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3oI01ZU​​​​​​​​​  

Question The Answers is co-sponsored by The Bad Copy and Sell The Heart Records, be sure to follow them as well to stay up to date on music news, reviews, and to check out the releases on our label.  

Sell The Heart Records - https://www.selltheheartrecords.com​​... | @selltheheartrecords (IG)  

The Bad Copy - https://www.thebadcopy.com​​​​​​​​​ | @thebadcopy (IG)  

#punk #punkrock #ragingnathans #radgirlfriendrecords #selltheheartrecords #thebadcopy

I am thrilled to have my long time friend Kevin Sur as the featured guest this week.  Kevin and I go back well over 20 years as friends, and he has always been someone that I could count on to give me sound advice about the music business, and guidance about what to do with the bands I was in.

Kevin Sur, affectionally known for many years among his musical peers as "Bubba", was a member of the beloved Sacramento punk outfit Luckie Strike.  He cut his teeth in that band over the course of 7 years, where they were true road dogs, touring constantly, and doing everything they could in a pre-internet world to stay in constant contact with their fans.

After Luckie Strike called it a day, Kevin ventured to Seattle to focus on school, but eventually found his way back to the Bay Area (his hometown area), and started a new project called Indian Valley Line with two longtime friends.  A far cry from the pop-punk of his former band, Indian Valley Line blended roots-Americana, indie-folk which paired well with Kevin's newly found skills as a composer.  Heading back to Seattle, Kevin turned his sights to music promotion, starting Artist Home.

Artist Home focuses mostly on their annual music festivals these days, but they also serve as a professional consultancy for artists that are trying to grow their careers.  Kevin is definitely the right kind of person you'd want on your team for this, I know from experience.

To hear Luckie Strike - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-MCH... 

To hear Indian Valley Line - https://indianvalleyline.bandcamp.com/ 

To learn more about Artist Home - http://artisthome.org/ 

To hear some of the music mentioned on this and our previous episodes, check out and follow this playlist on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3oI01ZU​​​​​​​​​

Question The Answers is co-sponsored by The Bad Copy and Sell The Heart Records, be sure to follow them as well to stay up to date on music news, reviews, and to check out the releases on our label.

Sell The Heart Records - https://www.selltheheartrecords.com​​ | @selltheheartrecords (IG)

The Bad Copy - https://www.thebadcopy.com | @thebadcopy (IG)