Justin Mank is BACK to discuss all things "If It's Too Cute Set It On Fire" by St. Louis' very own Not Waving But Drowning. As the man behind all things with six strings on the album, Justin was a wealth of knowledge on everything that went into making this seminal album. If you've ever had a question about the album but were afraid to ask, listen up because we have no shame and we'll ask all the dumb questions.

This episode was a blast on so many levels and I'm glad we finally got to record it and release it so everyone can listen. We hope you enjoy this one!

The two songs used in this episode are both off "If It's Too Cute Set It On Fire" (Duh)

Somewhere Away

Covering Ground

Get all his links right here:

https://linktr.ee/justintmank

https://www.instagram.com/nwbdstl/

https://www.facebook.com/NWBDSTL

https://nwbdstl.bandcamp.com/

For this episode that has taken over a year to materialize, we sit down with Justin Mank to discuss his various (and varied!) musical outputs as well as his direct influence on the St. Louis scene.

Like so many of the guests on this show, you can hear about the trajectory and the various interests that were floating around while Not Waving But Drowning was during their span leading up to their dissolution, their time away, and their eventual official reunion culminating in two new songs.

Fast forward to the present and you'll discover Justin's love for ambient and the freedom he has when constructing sonic landscapes with Two Hands | One Engine.

He is truly a talented and creative musician and this was a really fun conversation.

The two songs used in this episode are both by Two Hands | One Engine:

Rescind - "The Mind Wanders" Album

Taste the Mood - Stand Alone Single

Get all his links right here:

https://linktr.ee/justintmank

https://www.instagram.com/nwbdstl/

https://www.facebook.com/NWBDSTL

https://nwbdstl.bandcamp.com/

We bring Josh aka Joey Angel back for the back-half of our conversation where he and I did a deep dive into everything that made Crossed Keys' "Saviors" such an amazing album.

Since that was their first full release as a band, the conversation also digs into the origins of Crossed Keys and how they came to be.

If you're like me and you're at all curious about the meaning behind some of these songs or want to just listen to Josh's explanation of some of the lyrics, this is definitely a conversation for you. It's weird that so often on my side of the screen it seems that the album almost came together effortlessly but there is so much that goes into writing and recording and releasing and touring and everything that makes Crossed Keys the band that they are and Saviors the release that it is. And we're all exceptionally lucky that the band is still going strong and is showing no signs of losing steam.

Here is a curated playlist of every single song that Josh had a hand in:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7lFZ9nE77KSM2kvRriCncK?si=pK1i8IFFRxqnzGZ_o7SxEA&pi=5sfhSuLoSgmFb

You can preorder his new Philapino shirt design here:

https://philapino.bigcartel.com/

And all things Crossed Keys here:

https://crossedkeys.bandcamp.com/

Including the new single here:

https://crossedkeys.bandcamp.com/track/lucky-stars

We sit down with Joshua Alvarez to discuss growing up in Jersey, the move to Philadelphia, his upbringing, and what got him into music.

I wasn't at all expecting the direction of this conversation and it was fun, informative, and amusing all at the same time. Joshua has some amazing stories and his time as a bassist especially was intriguing.

Either way, sit back and listen to the man behind one of the best voices in the scene as he shares stories that you won't see coming.

The two songs taken from this episode are the new newest Crossed Keys songs:

"Notebooks (Hope For the Hopeless)" taken from The Fest 22 Compilation which you can purchase here:

https://selltheheartrecords.bandcamp.com/album/fest-22-comp

"Lucky Stars" which is their new standalone single you can purchase here:

https://crossedkeys.bandcamp.com/track/lucky-stars

Thumbnail photo credit ⁨@ROUNDWALL⁩

***PREORDER THE NEW EP HERE***

https://eradicator.bandcamp.com/album/you-can-hate-the-eradicator

We are back with Andy Slania of THE ERADICATOR to discuss everything and anything related to the LP "The Eradicator."

It was a great conversation where we got a peek behind the curtain into how this seminal album came into being. It was truly a creative effort to take the era from the EP and move it to the next level onto this LP. The album is a banger from start to finish and so many of these tracks remain part of the live setlist even today so you know they've stood the test of time.

Every time we have one of these conversations I appreciate the music so much more when I understand the creative process behind it and this conversation was equally amazing.

The songs for this episode are both off The Eradicator EP: (duh)

"Squash Queen"

"Stop Dreaming, Start Living"

All the important links below:

https://eradicator.bandcamp.com/

https://www.theeradicatorband.com/show-archive (Prior show history)

https://www.facebook.com/theeradicatorband/

https://open.spotify.com/artist/4vLryEwjmshUYM9PkH7vLI

Since the first time I saw THE ERADICATOR live, this episode has been a long time coming. Andy Slania comes onto the show to talk all things music including his early years contributing to the Chicago scene, the Milwaukee connection for his band THE ERADICATOR, and his eventual move to Florida.

We discuss how The Fest may have rejuvenated him and saved the band and how he seems to have an endless well of creativity. You'll definitely want to check out the episode to learn how he's able to understand the character in order to embody him and write the amazing songs that he does.

By the way, the new EP is now available for preorder here:

https://eradicator.bandcamp.com/album/you-can-hate-the-eradicator

And other assorted links here:

https://eradicator.bandcamp.com/

https://www.theeradicatorband.com/show-archive (Prior show history)

https://www.facebook.com/theeradicatorband/

https://open.spotify.com/artist/4vLryEwjmshUYM9PkH7vLI

Florian returns for the back-end of the conversation where he and I do a deep dive into all things 2014's "Welter Through the Ashes" by RODHA. We discuss everything that went into the album, how it built upon the "Raw" album that came before it to bring up to the next level, and what happened after the release of the album.

Having this conversation felt like I was hanging out in Hamburg in the mid 2010s and given the fly on the wall treatment to really experience everything that went into the construction of this seminal album.

It was a pleasure to have Florian on and we hope you enjoy the listen.

The two songs used in this episode are (obviously) taken from Welter Through the Ashes

"Overloaded"

"Welter Through the Ashes"

Fun fact - Florian said that not only is "Welter" his favorite RODHA track, it's actually his favorite song he's written for any of his musical projects. And I can see why because it's a real banger.

Check out Them Falls here:

https://themfalls.bandcamp.com/album/bites-ep

Check out all things RODHA here:

Bandcamp: https://rodha.bandcamp.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/weareRODHA

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wearerodha/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@UCdwRSZjsGBQDnjbpZsopzqw

And OK Wait here:

all current links: http://linktr.ee/okwait

Bandcamp: https://okwait.bandcamp.com/album/signal

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/okwait.band

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/okwait.band

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@UCPsilij8K0B29EmtpphhrIg

Unreleased RODHA track here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHeOdJ9r2X

We've finally gone international (well, out of North America) this week when we bring on Florian Zeh, the man behind the four-string for some amazing bands like Rodha, OK Wait, and Them Falls.

We dig into his past and find out what drew him into music, what interested him in playing bass, the Hamburg scene, and so much more. We even discuss sharing vocal duties in Them Falls.

Florian is not only a talented musician that has produced some amazing music, but he's also a real stand-up guy and had some great stories to share. Enjoy this discussion.

The two songs used in this episode are off the sophomore album by OK Wait - "Signal":

Damage

Horses

Check out Them Falls here:

https://themfalls.bandcamp.com/album/bites-ep

Check out all things RODHA here:

Bandcamp: https://rodha.bandcamp.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/weareRODHA

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wearerodha/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/ ⁨@rodhaband⁩

And OK Wait here:

all current links: http://linktr.ee/okwait

Bandcamp: https://okwait.bandcamp.com/album/signal

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/okwait.band

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/okwait.band

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/ ⁨@okwait⁩

Unreleased RODHA track here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHeOdJ9r2XI