Today I’m talking with guitarist & producer KURT BALLOU — a true luminary of the heavy music scene, on both sides of the mixing board.

In 1990, he co-founded the pioneering metalcore band CONVERGE, whose 11th studio album, LOVE IS NOT ENOUGH, arrives on February 13.

Kurt also owns & operates GOD CITY STUDIO in Salem, MA, where he records, engineers, produces, & mixes a breathtaking array of bands. He’s given an instantly recognizable mix of grit & clarity to scores of landmark punk, metal, & hardcore records, including LPs by his own band, as well as Cave In, Isis, Pg. 99, Torche, Trap Them, Russian Circles, & many more.

In this episode, we discuss the mechanics of track sequencing, the alien geometry of sound capture, & the dreamy rhythms of deep time.

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https://godcitystudio.com

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https://www.godcityinstruments.com

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TIMESTAMPS:

02:19 // "Love is Not Enough" (Converge)

03:27 // Album Leaks

06:52 // New LP & Track Sequencing

12:09 // Studio Geometry

16:01 // ‘90s Boston Rock Scene

21:22 // Hearing HUM / “Stars” on the Radio

27:34: "Isle of the Cheetah" Discussion

01:01:01 // "Eagles Become Vultures" (Converge)

[Misc: Karate, "This Plus Slow Song"]

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Today’s conversation is with TIM DOW, one of my all-time favorite drummers.

He’s played in and/or toured with SHINER, YEAR OF THE RABBIT, SEASON TO RISK, THE JOY CIRCUIT, ON, VAE VICTIS, & more.

He was in Shiner from 1993 to ‘98, & drummed on their early landmark records, SPLAY & LULA DIVINIA, as well as on their first 6 EPs. Both LPs have since been remixed & remastered, & then reissued in 2024 on SPARTAN RECORDS.

After leaving Shiner, he played in a couple of early 2000s L.A. bands with Failure’s Ken Andrews: first the pop-leaning electronic project ON, then the heavier rock band Year of the Rabbit. He & his Y.O.T.R. bandmates, Jeff Garber & Sol Snyder, then tracked & self-released their first & only studio record, so far, called EP 1.

He’s also done studio session work for Pete Yorn, Abandoned Pools, Jonny Polonsky, & others.

In this episode, we talk about ‘90s recording styles, the web of alt-rock riff tropes, & the revved-up release of thunderous drumming.

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TIM'S DRUM DISCOG (Streaming)

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"Iron Clad Lou" Video

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TIMESTAMPS:

02:34 // "Brooks" (Shiner)

07:10 // Pre-Shiner Recordings

12:23 // Shiner & Indie Production

19:47 // Riff Drumming

22:43 // "Sailor's Fate" (Shiner)

26:12 // "My Life as a Housewife" (Shiner)

32:22 // '90s Drumming Influences

33:18 // L.A., Ken Andrews, & Year of the Rabbit

39:12 // "Absent Stars" (Y.O.T.R.)

41:59 // The Joy Circuit

44:32 // "X's" (T.J.C.)

45:48 // Pete Yorn Sessions

48:42 // "Undercover" (P.Y.)

49:42 // HUM's E2K Tape

56:34 // "Iron Clad Lou" Discussion

01:26:13 // "Sideways" (Shiner)

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Sat down today with KEITH M., singer & guitarist of the Brooklyn post-hardcore/screamo band MEMORY ENTRY.

Earlier this year, they released their 5-song debut EP, Our World is Going to Disappear, on IODINE RECORDINGS, & they’ve got new stuff on the way. Link below.

Since 2020, Keith has hosted THE NEW SCENE PODCAST, which released its 300th episode a few weeks back. He’s done wide-ranging interviews with members of Quicksand, the Jesus Lizard, Jawbox, Melvins, Seaweed, & many others, as well as with friends of this pod, Chris Enriquez from Spotlights & Josh Brigham from Hopesfall.

In this episode, we do a recent gig round-up, discuss the revealing language of dreams, & explore the chilly vastness of the arctic soundscape.

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TIMESTAMPS:

02:17 // "Lost Dreams" (Memory Entry)

03:19 // Shiner + Ink & Dagger Shows

09:59 // Memory Entry: Influences & Origins

13:21 // Dream Logics

19:22 // The New Scene Podcast

26:41 // Hearing HUM

32:46 // "The Inuit Promise" Discussion

1:07:36 // "Holler Wild Rose" (Memory Entry)

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