Formed by four high-school friends (James Giles, Matt DeBellis, Matt Kupka and Tyler Giard) who reconnected a couple of years after graduation, and named after their local bowling alley in Eugene, Oregon, which kicked them out for smuggling in beer, Southtowne Lanes have delivered a genuine one-off with ‘Give Up The Ghost.’ Drawing in emo, screamo, indie and rock it’s an album that warrants and rewards repeated listens.

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Seattle's Dead Bars, in the words of Razorcake, “make something impossible to duplicate look so simple and attainable.” For over a decade, the band—founded and led by John Maiello—has been delivering life-affirming hard rock, drawing comparisons to acts like Japandroids, White Reaper, and Fucked Up. Throughout this time, they've earned national acclaim while remaining a beloved institution. They're the band most likely to be seen sweating it out on stage any given night, delivering "emotional singalong anthems—perfect for screaming along after you've had a beer, or five," as Kerrang! puts it.

Their third LP, All Dead Bars Go to Heaven, reaffirms that there is “arguably no better Seattle band,” according to The Seattle Times. With ten hook-laden heavy hitters—from the rousing opener “I Wanna Be a Ghost” to the anthemic closer “Be Me”—the album marks a new chapter: an introduction for the next generation ready to escape the grind, and a reminder to the previous one of their enduring power. The theme is heaven: a place of eternal reward for a life lived virtuously, regardless of the love or loss that once defined it. When the band cries “Dead Bars Forever,” they mean it.

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Nona Invie is a singer/composer based in Minneapolis that has worked with a range of musical projects, including singer-songwriter Angel Olsen, slowcore heroes Low, Folk Americana band Dark Dark Dark, electronic trio RONiiA, and the choral ensemble Anonymous Choir. Their solo work layers acoustic piano with synth instruments, submerging the listener in an ethereal landscape led by the incomparable beauty of Invie’s voice.

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Flight Mode are a three-piece emo band from Oslo, Norway that have been around since 2021. They've released a succession of three EP's, all with names derived from times and places. Out the gate this band hits a nostalgic tinge, which is bolstered by the wistful music they make. Clean guitars noodle over these mid-tempo tracks, with an intentional, quivering vocals delivered with palatable vocal deliveries. It's carrying the torch that bands like Death Cab For Cutie and The Appleseed Cast did in the early 2000's, with nods to the midwest emo sound of the late 90's. Recently their three EP's were compiled and released all together by Tiny Engines, which is the essential here as their discography to date has been flawless. Enjoy.

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With members spread across Connecticut and Western Massachusetts, New England quintet Arms Like Roses play a blend of emo, indie rock, and post-hardcore that alternates between lush beauty and cathartic harshness just like the seasons do in the region they call home. With a sound harkening back to the ‘90s and early 2000s influenced by acts like Sunny Day Real Estate, mewithoutYou, Circa Survive, and Tigers Jaw, ALR made their debut in 2021 with the EP “Get Some Sleep”; they followed it up the next year with their Chris Teti (TWIABP)-produced first LP “Blooming”, which saw the band complete several east coast and Midwest tours and receive praise from press outlets like No Echo and The Alternative.

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On this week’s episode we have a great in depth conversation with drummer extraordinaire David Jarnstrom. David has had quite the drumming career, playing with bands such as GRATITUDE, ALIGN, BNLX, RAD OWL, DEAD HISTORY, and most recently SKINNY LISTER. David is also an accomplished writer and marketer. While still in school, David found himself writing for magazines like Delta SKY, Twin Cities METRO and his childhood fave, Modern Drummer. Further marrying his love for music and writing, he spent a half-decade on the creative team at McNally Smith College of Music—first as Copywriter and Webmaster, and later as Marketing Manager—where he wrote hundreds of press releases and blog posts; copy for websites, brochures, catalogs, radio spots and banner ads; and managed a social media community of over 50,000. Join us for our great conversation about all things music.

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Everything you were taught growing up is no longer true. Fight Back Mountain deal in turbulent punk dispatches that give voice to creeping disillusionment. From their St Louis hometown the quartet bring a restless urgency to the search to find belonging and mental wellbeing in a world where the chips can feel hopelessly stacked against you. Against this malaise, they kick back with visceral hooky arrangements that owe as much to early emo and grunge as they do to the godfathers of punk. Fight Back Mountain’s trajectory is rooted in the high school friendship and shared passions of Adrian Barnello (vocals/lead guitar), Anjelica Aquilino (rhythm guitar), Andy Kohnen (bass), and Devin Dessieux (drums). In the years leading up to the creation of this band Barnello and Dessieux would form the self-described “low ambition pop-punk band” The Mondales, while Kohnen played with folk punk bands, and Aquilino was a much leaned-upon artist in the local DIY scene. Finally drawn together the group carries lessons learned from past endeavors, and a renewed sense of purpose.

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Indie duo Driftwood Choir, featuring Portair and Ed Prosek, are gearing up to release their debut self-titled album on March 7th and I'd love to have you check out the release! The duo and Nettwerk labelmates joined forces after bonding over a spirit of wanderlust, creating an uplifting album about change, and connecting with nature and people.

Driftwood Choir cements the musical union of two curious creative spirits, whose songwriting eloquence and acuity matches their clear proclivity for adventure. Born in California and based in Berlin, Ed instantly hit it off with the Australia-born Drew (aka Portair), bonding over a spirit of wanderlust both personally and sonically.

Two distinct paths brought Ed and Drew to Driftwood Choir. Ed had attracted a fervent fanbase with a series of solo EPs, including The Riverbed [2014], Truth [2016], Light as a Feather [2019], and The Foreigner [2023]. Hailing from the other side of the world, Drew built a devout audience under the name of Portair, captivating with The Light That Gives EP [2021], The Ice That Breaks EP [2022], and Learning How to Die EP [2023].

During the fall of 2023, the duo met in Berlin where they linked up for a drink and made a decision to hit the studio together. During their first proper session, the musicians cooked up “Constantinople.” It eventually amassed over half-a-million streams. Inspired by this newly unearthed working relationship, they kept going. Now, the pair is forging a path together emerging with their debut album out 2025.

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