Explore every episode of the podcast Comfort Monk Podcast

Our first return guest, Peter Jesperson! Peter chats with Dylan about his new book ‘Euphoric Recall’ which covers his eclectic career in music. The two discuss his time managing the Replacements and R.E.M., his tenure at the legendary music store Oar Folkjokeopus, working with New West records and much more.

Dylan chats with Bob Mehr (2X Grammy Winner and Author of ‘Trouble Boys: The True Story of the Replacements’) about all things ‘Mats and more. Dylan and Bob discuss the upcoming Replacements reissue, “Tim: Let It Bleed Edition” and the behind the scenes work that helped this project come to fruition.

Dylan chats with Robert Holguin about Robert’s eclectic career as a journalist, news anchor, filmmaker and more. The two discuss Robert’s new documentary project about the making of the new Sloppy Boys record, ‘Sonic Ranch’.

Dylan talks to Nathan Price about the new Jenny Besetzt record and organizing Hopscotch Music Festival. The song featured in the episode is “Abridged Dream (Disintegration)” off of the album Goner by Jenny Besetzt.

Dylan and guest host Brett Nash sit down with Bob of the legendary band Pavement. Come one, come all, hear horse talk, tennis talk, and even some music talk!

The talented Lori Goldston was kind enough to sit down and chat with Dylan about her outlook on music and life. Enjoy!

Michael “Mookie” Blaiklock is a hilarious actor, writer, comedian, and podcaster. You may know him from a million things but one that stands out to me is his role as Eli in “Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23.” Enjoy!

We’re back with Ross Harris (https://rossangeles.net/) talking to Dylan about his career behind a camera, making music videos and other visual art along the way.

Welcome back to Season 3 of the Comfort Monk podcast! So excited for what we have in store this year. Today, Dylan sits down with Nick Thorburn and talk about his approach to art in all of its forms. Thanks for everyone’s ongoing support for CM!

Guest host John Furr talks to Hudson Bell about his upcoming album, Psychic Breaks coming out November 26th! Check out comfortmonk.com for the video premiere of “Big City, Small World”!

Eddie and Paul have a nice chat about his new album “Words Are Fragile Vessels,” labor issues, and southern Brutalism. Read his newsletter Brutal South here.

Guest host (almost a regular host at this point!) Nick Black has a short chat with Bay Area legend Ross Farrar about his history with Ceremony’s changing output and how Spice came to be. Spice’s new self-titled album is available here!

Tim Baltes joins guest host Michael Crawford to give shape to his career, from becoming a bearded tech-death drummer to becoming a groove player. Tim has constructed a positive and fun Instagram community, where he plays drums joyfully and eats snacks critically. Check out his website at timbaltes.com!

Eddie got an opportunity to hear the bass-wielding, always-cracking-up Jeremy Radio describe his long career on the road and his DIY approach. Check out Thousand Dollar Movie’s latest release on their bandcamp and/or Comfort Monk: Pursuance Vol. 1.

Nick Black has a late night chat with Mark Burgess, pioneering post-punk vocalist and bassist for The Chameleons. They trace a lineage from Alice Cooper to The Chameleons to Soft Kill.

Comfort Monk is psyched to present our interview with Milo & Bill of the Descendents! Guest host Nick Black talks to these legends of the early hardcore/punk rock scene in California about coffee, touring, and growing up on a band’s music. Their new record ‘9th & Walnut’ is out July 27th via Epitaph!

Celebrate our 70th episode with special guest Gerald Casale! Gerald and Dylan talk Rolling Stone(s), devolution, and his new Record Store Day release.

Dylan and Kiefo talk about his wildlife photography, playing his father’s music, and the intersection between comedy and music. **Bumper music is Rainmaker by Harry Nilsson, performed by Kiefo Nilsson**

Guest Host Nick Black talks to Tobias Grave. They talk about a scene’s revival vs revitalization, Spotify vs Bandcamp, and Brittney Spears vs. Modern Art. Their spectacular live record “Live at the Crystal Ballroom” came out earlier this month!

Julianna and Dylan do a deep dive into her songwriting philosophy and process! Check out her J.R. EP here! Featuring a surprise guest. **Bumper Music – “BE MY MAN” by J.R.**

“Sometimes humans get a bad rap” – The psychedelic guitar wizard Stephen McBean joins Eddie today for a talk about growing up in Vancouver, punk rock, his musical journey, and what it’s like being a music fan in 2021. Enjoy!

“I think maybe what life is about is doing the things you want to do, and maybe doing them as best as you can or as hard as you can.” – Derek Erdman talks to guest host Dana Witkowski about painting, rapping over the telephone, and going on tour to sell art. Derek is hitting […]

Guest host Michael Crawford spends some time talking to José Medeles about his philosophy of art and relationships! José is the author of “The Stoic Drummer,” a musician, and the owner of Revival Drum Shop (Portland, Oregon). He is also involved in producing the Deep Happening gatherings in Portland, multi-disciplinary avant garde art events. **Bumper […]

“The whole point of that band was to heal a little bit…” Paul fills Eddie in on the artistic & life lessons he learned from Screamers and The Germs, leaving his mark on the 80s LA DIY punk scene and SST community, which lead into his immense recorded output of the 90s and studio and […]

Ale and Dylan talk about record stores, Iggy Pop, and the minimum tour length it takes just to leave the state of Florida. Along the way, Ale gives her musical history and a look into the Miami DIY scene. **Bumper Music is “Deposit Slip” by Las Nubes, available here!**

Dylan chats with London guitarist and songwriter Andy Cortes. Andy shares his experiences growing up as a young guitarist hanging out at blues jams all the way to opening for the Rolling Stones. They also discuss the freedom of stepping outside of the traditional music business. *Please forgive the background noise for the first 10 […]

Austin and Eddie talk a lot about movement – both of people through space & motion through music – which isn’t surprising given Austin’s background in Human Geography. Hear about the creative and technical process that brought us the excellent new Valley Maker record, “When The Day Leaves,” which is out now via Frenchkiss Records! […]

Dylan chats with Langhorne Slim about life on the road, the ups and downs of creative impulse, and his huge new record Strawberry Mansion (available here!!). *Bumper music: “The Mansion” by Langhorne Slim, photo by Harvey Robinson*

Tony takes Eddie on the wild ride from making raps at middle school lunch tables to recording his latest masterpiece “Exotica” in Jamaica. Buy his new record and be sure to check out the video for “Gambling Man (Mariachi Remix)”!

Prepare yourself for a world of gunslingers, vaudeville actors, and the combined nostalgia & embarrassment of your old high school band. Eddie talks to Shane about his journey to the newest Wayfarer record (A Romance With Violence, out now on Profound Lore). *Bumper music by Wayfarer, photo by Elizabeth Marsh*

John Furr (Grand Republic, EZ Shakes) guest hosts this week, chatting with Neil Gust about his roots in the Portland music scene and everything he’s been doing since then!

“Both sides of the Atlantic, everybody got fed up with the same old things at the same time… there was a real air of despondency.” – Glen Matlock gets on mic with Dylan to describe the conditions in which punk arose and how they mirror the present.

Cameron & Dylan talk about the highs and lows of touring: vintage Levis in Japan, falling apart at frat parties, and watching the sun rise in Brazil after a late set. Enjoy the soothing sounds of a light rain during this episode!

Grammy-winning musician and composer Danny Weinkauf joins Eddie on today’s episode to talk about his musical journey that brought him to TMBG and how it took him into his solo career – making children’s music. Enjoy!

Guest host Brett Nash chats with Lars Finberg about his new record, Tinnitus Tonight! They run down the record track by track and then talk about Lars’ career and artistic philosophy.

“‘Did the world get any heavier when you were born?’ We’d rather that the book gets shut and you talk to your kid about what that means” – Thomas Berkau talks to Dylan about his musical background and what it’s like being a children’s author.

We’re celebrating our 50th episode on the last day of the year. Joe Lally and Dylan talk about the new Coriky record and Joe’s musical journey since his Fugazi days. We hope you have a better year next year!

Two guests on this episode! You’ll get some background on the writing and recording processes of Aaron (Gláss) and Chuck (Bing Krosby) and their respective contributions to Gratitude Vol. Two. And you’ll get to hear Eddie and Dylan chat about the compilation and the first year of Comfort Monk. (Chuck Treece at 4:20, Aaron Burke […]

“We don’t know anyone who played drums… so the Casio keyboard drums.” Eddie and Thom chat about starting bands when you’re young, loud old heavy beasts of amps, and the joy of finding undiscovered art.

“Skateboarding is like the words you choose when you speak; everyone has their own way.” This episode of Comfort Monk features French skate pro Bastien Salabanzi chatting with Dylan!

“She can hear music in the house. I wanted to make sure it was something to help her stay calm.” – Chuck Johnson on composing music to soothe his dog. Pre-order his new album “The Cinder Grove” here!

“I almost drove my car into Mitch’s house, not out of shock, but hours later… as an act of vengeance.” – Actors/Comedians/Musicians/Writers Paul Rust & Michael Cassady join our dual guest-hosting team of Brett and Henry to talk about their ongoing weekly songwriting show with DSOWD.

“There are these sentences that tear themselves out of these books… they keep themselves stuck in my mind” – Avant-garde composer and lute player, Jozef van Wissem talks with Eddie about letters from nuns, the resurgence in lute playing, and noise bands. His newest record “Ex Mortis” is out now on Consouling Sounds!

“Because we were on the same wavelength, sometimes things happened all at once…” The Columbia Beat’s Mike Jones hosts post-punk/new wave artist Vanessa Briscoe Hay!

“The classroom was a stifling thing, you have to raise your hand to speak, why are we not just fluidly talking about these things?” Junior Astronomer Terrence Richard talks to Dylan and a few unplanned guests make appearances.

James talks with Dylan about his early influences when he was playing with Weston, all the way through to the anthemic power pop of Beach Slang and the piano and strings of Quiet Slang. The Deadbeat Bang of Heartbreak City is out now on Bridge 9 Records (featuring our very first guest Tommy Stinson)!

Marissa and Eddie discuss supergroups, Motel Sixes, and what the sudden halt in touring this year means to someone who’s spent most of their adult life playing live music. Keep an eye out: Screaming Females is releasing a special limited run edition of Chalk Tape for the first time on vinyl!

Bo White has fronted more bands and produced more records than could ever be neatly chronicled, but here he gives Dylan a tour through some of his varied career highlights and gives an insight into why he makes art the way he does. Patois Counselors’ new record The Optimal Seat is out now on Ever/Never!

Our friend Tyler Gordon hosts the show with guest Tommy Guerrero, Bones Brigade legend and prolific musician. They chat about music and skating and the inevitable blurred lines between both art forms. [Photo: Claudine Gossett]

Sam was kind enough to make the insanely cool album art for our new compilation, Gratitude Vol. 2! He tells Dylan about his career path, and how happening upon mini-comics gave him the artistic outlet he’d been looking for, before becoming a story board artist for Cartoon Network.