The Downbeat

My festive guests this week on Jesus' birthday are BRENDAN MURPHY of Counterparts, EMMA BOSTER of Dying Wish, JEREMY DEPOYSTER of The Devil Wears Prada and acclaimed photographer/videographer IMANI GIVERTZ. We got absolutely hammered in July and pretended it was Christmas. Enjoy. Thank you for the support over the most successful year of the podcast ever. Wishing you all the best (unless I hate you) in 2024, let's make it a good one.

My guest this week has the best, most calming voice of all time. Jake Smelley is the drummer for metalcore band Gideon and more recently he backs the singer/rapper/musician Zero 9:36. We talked about his love (and my hate) of country music, black magick, auditioning for one of the biggest music artists in the world...and much more.

My guest this week is Jerry Horton, guitarist and founding member of the massively successful rock band Papa Roach. We talk about their pivotal role in creating what is now known as ’Nu Metal’ and their resilience to that genre‘s somewhat bad connotations that has seen them remain successful and relevant for 30 (THIRTY) years. We also talk CARS, PRIMUS, METALLICA, and much more.

My guest this week is guitarist and frontman of Sylosis, and one of my personal  oldest friends Josh Middleton. We talked about their latest album A Sign Of Things To Come but mostly about growing up together (including his CRAIG REYNOLDS DOS AND DONTS sign for his room), a killer Anthony Kiedis impression, touring with Metallica, and much more. We also make eachother cry laugh at least twice. This episode is also the first episode on the new cinema cameras, thanks to the Patreon for making that possible.

My guest this week is Dan Tracy, drummer of genre-bending black metal band Deafheaven. We caught up before their blistering set at Core Fest to talk about the 10th anniversary rerelease of their seminal album Sunbather, one of my favourite albums of all time. We also talk metal's recent resurgence, Metallica, the devils lettuce, and much more.

My guest this week is one of my favourite people on planet earth Jeremy DePoyster. Jeremy is the guitarist/vocalist of iconic metalcore band The Devil Wears Prada. We talked about the business of metalcore, our fledging bromance, the secret to their longevity in the scene, our mutual love for Sam Carter from Architects... and much more.

My guest this week is internet funny man and your problematic fave Brendan Murphy. Brendan is the vocalist of the metalcore band Counterparts and grind/math/doom/whatever band END. We talked about my sexy criminal past, the price of a costco hotdog, twitter's rebranding and its devastating emotional effects, and I guess we talk about his bands. Brendan episodes are the best.

My guest this week is Tom Williams, guitarist of my band Stray From The Path, as well as multi-band manager, father, businessman and one of my best friends. We talked about the risks we as a band took when preparing for our upcoming headline tour, as well as what bands should look for in a manager, the father life, what makes a drink 'cool' and much more.

My guest this week is the phenomenal Matt Garstka. Back for his THIRD episode. Matt is the drummer for Animals As Leaders and generally considered to be one of the best drummers of his generation. Back again, I got the chance to pick his incredibly ridged brain about the drums, working out, movies, and all the good stuff.

My guest this week is Emma Boster, vocalist of Dying Wish. We talked about the creation of their STUNNING upcoming album Symptoms of Survival (and our Downbeat exclusive vinyl variant) as well as a variety of topics from Britney Spears conspiracy theories to gender and much more. Check out the exclusive Downbeat variant of Symptoms of Survival with insane death metal artwork at https://www.dyingwishhc.com