The latest Gut Feeling Podcast is with Shira Blustein, the Calgary-born, Vancouver-based restauranteur behind celebrated vegetarian spot the Acorn and the newly launched Lila.

Shira has also been a part of punk and indie music for the past 30 years, including time spent with Mediaucracy, Chupacabra, Blood Meridian, Hard Drugs, the Choir Practice, A Pale Blue, Ashley Shadow, and more.

Throughout our talk, Shira touches on: meeting her Lila partner at a band photoshoot in 2010; Calgarian crust punk; who barfed at her first punk show; signing to V2 Records; film industry sound design; connections to Black Mountain, the Black Keys, Destroyer, Kylesa, Thor and more; and her new Cure cover band, Strawberries and Cream.

Hello! It's nearing the end of 2023, and per tradition I've invited Adam Mitchell onto the podcast to get into some of his favourite records of the year — this time including music from Guided By Voices, Park Hye Jin, Home Front, and People's Temple.

Adam also weighs in on traveling to Mexico to record a 7-inch as a member of punk outfit Pura Mania; upcoming projects from both Spectres and Madness Cartel; and dialing into third-wave ska classics in happenstantial fashion.

That's it until 2024!

Hello again! The latest Gut Feeling podcast is an interview with Ted Leo, the longtime punk-and-pop Pharmacist who is just about to jump into a series of reunions shows with his '90s-era outfit, Chisel.

Ted gets into the general history of Chisel, from forming the mod-and-punk-inspired band with college friends Chris Norborg (bass) and John Dugan (drums), to the time they technically headlined over Radiohead, to song specifics around their epic-in-scope 1997 LP, Set You Free (which is just about to arrive as an expanded, double-LP reissue through Numero Group).

It's a big gear talk, too, with Ted jumping into the "unhip" solid state Fender head he was using in his hardcore days, through to early Chisel; the affordability of his 8 A.M. All Day-era Tele Deluxe, fit with an unflattering Floyd Rose tremolo system; and unlocking the potential of an elegant major-to-minor chord progression.

Chisel are playing shows in Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco this February. Hoping there's more to come!

Hello! We've hit the end of 2022, and per tradition I've invited Spectres / Madness Cartel member Adam Mitchell onto the podcast to get into some of his favourite records of the year — this time including music from The Beths, Long Knife, High Vis, and more.

We also touch on Spectres' upcoming album, which is currently being recorded in Vancouver with producer Jesse Gander (Brutus, Neck of the Woods), and Madness Cartel activity following the semi-recent re-release of their 2020 demo.

That's it for now, but I'll catch you in the new year!

The latest Gut Feeling Podcast is an interview with Hot Hot Heat/Fur Trade's Steve Bays!

Steve gets into the early history of Hot Hot Heat, whom just celebrated the 20th anniversary of their pop-tastic Make Up the Breakdown with a a deluxe, remastered re-release through Sub Pop Records. 

He also dives into the jingling holiday spirit of Fur Trade's recent "Christmas in a Cage" single, which marks the first new music from the project in nearly a decade, and teases an upcoming full-length through Light Organ Records.

Steve also gets into: growing up in Victoria, BC; sneaking off to his first punk show at the age of 12; earlier hardcore and emo projects, including (Instill'), Missiles to Heaven, and Fuck You I'm Stealing Home; the self-recorded solo project that bridges the gap between Hot Hot Heat's insular keyboard hardcore and the rafters-reaching pop of Make Up the Breakdown; side shout-outs to Vue, the Walkmen, and high school classmate Nelly Furtado; and the literal buzz surrounding his current Tugboat Pl. Studio in New Westminster, BC.

The latest Gut Feeling Podcast is an interview with Lyndsay Sung, a longtime music-maker currently playing bass in Vancouver punk trio Kcar. Over the past 25 years, she's also played in The Sob Story, Le Petit Mort, Radio Berlin, Pink Mountaintops, Ice Palace, and more. She's also the owner/baker extraordinaire at Coco Cake Land!

Throughout our talk, Lyndsay gets into: becoming a "gorilla on 'roids" while drumming for her first band; queer vampire films; fantasy-based synth-metal; finding goths across America on lengthy Radio Berlin tours; upcoming cookbooks; and more.

The Gut Feeling Podcast is currently streaming through Apple, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Sounder.

The latest Gut Feeling Podcast is an interview with Kyle De Ville, a British Columbia-born, Portland, Oregon-based guitarist with Enact, whom just released their self-titled debut album through War Records.

Throughout the talk, Kyle gets into: plotting hardcore songs in the shower; Enact fighting against political apathy; what happens when the Youth Crew ages into parenthood; growing up a pre-teen suburban death metal head; lessons learned at a Metallica show; and more.

On the throwback side of things, Kyle and I also played in our first bands together in the mid '90s, so we touch on our failed skate-punk band, Rugburn, and our more emo-styled The Self Esteem Project, whose 1997 demo tape I just posted up on Bandcamp .

Enact's debut album is available through your streaming service of choice, and vinyl copies can be found at their Bandcamp site and over at War Records .

The Gut Feeling Podcast is currently streaming through Apple , Spotify, Google Podcasts , and Sounder .

The latest Gut Feeling Podcast is an interview with Stephen McBean, a prolific, Vancouver Island-born, Los Angeles-based musician currently making music with Black Mountain and Pink Mountaintops. Back in the mid '90s, though, Steve was briefly a vocalist/co-guitarist in Ex Dead Teenager, a Vancouver quartet whose 1997 demo, It's OK to Laugh at People Wearing Gas Masks, flirted with full-bore hardcore, sludge nihilism, tattered-psyche post-punk melancholia, and impressionistic, synth-skit weirdness.

Throughout the talk, Steve gets into: hardcore mêlées at East Vancouver's legendary New York Theatre; writing and recording as a roommates-only project in the basement of the Frances Street punk house; the on-tour implosion of his previous project, Gus; dumpster diving for keyboards; reconnecting with members of Converge and Saviours decades after first meeting them on tour with Ex Dead Teenager; and more.

The Gut Feeling Podcast is currently streaming through Apple, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Sounder.

You can also check out my interview with Steve on his latest Pink Mountaintops record, Peacock Pools, over at Guitar World.

The latest Gut Feeling Podcast is an interview with Lucas McFadden, a Vancouver based musician currently drumming with Madness Cartel and Tilted, though formerly of blisteringly fast hardcore unit Reserve 34 .

Throughout the talk, Lucas gets into the life of Reserve 34, from the mid '90s through to their final show in 2002, but he also touches on: realizing that in a guitarists world, he needed to become a drummer; teen vandalism; punk mansions; fortuitous parking spots. It's a story that also manages to connect Reserve 34 with members of Trooper, the Pointed Sticks, SoCal straight edge group Carry On, and more!

Nothing from the Reserve 34 discography is streaming officially, but the episode features some samples of unreleased demos, radio show performances, live sets, and studio recordings.

The Gut Feeling Podcast is currently streaming through Apple, Spotify, and Sounder.

The latest Gut Feeling Podcast is an interview with Larissa Loyva, a Vancouver based singer-songwriter currently releasing experimental electronic pop as Kellarissa.

The talk gets into the making of Kellarissa's new Voice Leading album, but also: hands-on career changes; Anne Garréta’s 1986 Oulipan nightclub novel Sphinx; high school choirs; her first band's show at a mall photography exhibit; playing in bands like P:ano, Boring, the Choir Practice, and A Luna Red; and finding harmony in life, not just music.

Kellarissa's Voice Leading sees release April 1 via Mint Records .

Hello! It's just about the end of the year, and once again I've invited Spectres guitarist Adam Mitchell onto the podcast to get into some of our favourite records of the year—hitting on some contemporary Oi (The Chisel, Boss), sax-smooched synth-pop (Riki), arguably adult-geared post-hardcore (Quicksand), and more.

We also get into Spectres recent Hindsight collection, which traces the Vancouver band's career from their earlier, shoutier, greyer days towards the synth-spangled pop of new tunes like "Tell Me".

I think I'm going to take the next couple of weeks off, but I'll catch you in 2022!

Spectres' Hindsight is out now via Artoffact Records.

The Gut Feeling Podcast is currently streaming through Apple, Spotify, and Sounder.

The latest Gut Feeling Podcast is an interview with Ashley Webber, a Vancouver based singer-songwriter whom just released her second solo album, Only The End, as Ashley Shadow.

The talk gets into making the album, her first in five years, with collaborators including Will Oldham (a.k.a. Bonnie "Prince" Billy), Josh Welles (Lightning Dust), Ryan Beattie and more, but it also gets into growing up in Maple Ridge, B.C.; sharing the stage with Donny Osmond in her youth; performing with early '00s post-punks the Organ, as well as Lightning Dust and Pink Mountaintops; knowing your limits; and more!

Ashley Shadow's Only The End is out now via Felte Records.

The Gut Feeling Podcast is currently streaming through Apple, Spotify, and Sounder.

The latest Gut Feeling Podcast is an interview with Tom Thacker, the Fraser Valley, BC-raised founding guitarist of pop-punkers Gob, and longtime member of Sum 41.

Throughout the talk, Tom touches on: getting Gob off the ground with co-founder Theo Goutzinakis; bringing punk rock shows to suburban Langley, BC in the '90s, and possibly dusting their Punk Strikes Back concert series off in 2024; record store jobs; the sonic influence of Vancouver hardcore; running away from a bull on his way to a bush party; and whether or not original Gob drummer Wolfman Pat was in fact Andy Dixon from d.b.s.'s dad.

Gob's recent round of vinyl reissues are out now through Dine Alone Records, while Tom's also bracing himself for a mega-tour supporting Sum 41's upcoming final album, Heaven :x: Hell.

This month's Gut Feeling Podcast is an interview with Supercrush vocalist/guitarist Mark Palm. While currently based in Seattle, Mark grew up in Vancouver, so we got into some of his earliest experiences in the Lower Mainland punk and hardcore scene.

Throughout the talk, Mark gets into: playing shows with his first proper band, Look Inside; joining the great Reserve 34; the time he tried his hand at stand up comedy; the time he modeled for Wrangler Jeans; somewhat hesitantly joining a joke band about competitive swimming; the impact of Expo 86 mascot Expo Ernie on the world of Supercrush; and a couple of other things, too!

Mark was the first person I'd interviewed for Gut Feeling last fall (just a couple of hours ahead of a call with Steph from Punitive Damage ), so this is something of an anniversary party. Enjoy!

Mark was the first person I'd interviewed for Gut Feeling last fall(just a couple of hours ahead of a call with 

This month's Gut Feeling Podcast is an interview with The Noise Floor Recording Studio's Terry Ondang. Currently based in Gabriola Island, B.C., the Noise Floor's idyllic beachside setting has brought artists like Orville Peck, Dead Soft, Wolf Parade, Partner through its doors.

On top of studio life, Terry gets into: Nirvana as her gateway to punk and hardcore; starting her concert promotion career booking SNFU shows at The Java Joint; winging a show offer e-mail to Fugazi, and cinching it; and prepping new music of her own some 25+ years after first grappling with a Strat copy. 

It's a deep dive, hope you enjoy!

The latest episode of the Gut Feeling Podcast is an extended look at True Loves/Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio guitarist Jimmy James, who I’d profiled for the newsletter a couple of issues ago. There were a number of musical moments to our talk, which Jimmy punctuated with his prized Silvertone, and since the bulk of that didn’t quite fit the Q&A format, I’m posting the audio so you can get a feel for his style.

The True Loves’ Sunday Afternoon is out this Friday (May 28) via Color Red, and you can also peep the band playing a record release livestream show the same day via KEXP. In the meantime, please enjoy Jimmy's playing in this latest episode!

Photo by Mark PalmThe latest episode of the Gut Feeling podcast is an interview with Regional Justice Center drummer/vocalist Ian Shelton. The band’s beautifully brutal sophomore LP, Crime and Punishment, was released this week through Closed Casket Activities.Ian gets into formative experiences that impacted Crime and Punishment; discovering street punk through a library of burned CDs; whether or not the singer of the Adicts was the original juggalo; his brother Max hearing RJC’s music from inside prison; and more.The Gut Feeling podcast is also streaming through Apple and Spotify Subscribe, review, and recommend the podcast/newsletter if you can! Get on the email list at gutfeeling.substack.com

Photo by Andrew DennisonThe fourth episode of the Gut Feeling podcast is an interview with Sean Lande, lead guitarist and founding member of Strain, a dominant force in Vancouver’s hardcore scene during the mid to late ‘90s.Among other things, Sean gets into: how he fell into straight edge hardcore; embarrassing first band names; and recording Strain’s massively chunky Here and Now LP at Mushroom Studios, a recording facility where Heart and Loverboy tracked some of their biggest records. The talk also connects Strain to SNFU, Gob, Undertow, Metallica, Pushead, and a bunch of Vancouver hardcore bands. 2021 marks the 25th anniversary of Here and Now, and you can check the record out through Apple Music and Spotify. The Gut Feeling podcast is also streaming through Apple and Spotify Subscribe, review, and recommend the podcast/newsletter if you can!Photo by Andrew Dennison Get on the email list at gutfeeling.substack.com

Photo by Lindsey Wallace (IG)This month’s Gut Feeling podcast is an interview with Adam Mitchell, a mainstay of the Vancouver underground who currently plays with post-punks Spectres, alt-pop quartet Tilted, and d-beat mashers Madness Cartel. The talk bounces between what it was like to be touring the U.S. with Spectres last March as COVID restrictions really started to ramp up across the world, and what some of our respective favourite releases of the year were. We also got into a bit of a gear talk, which you’ll find below!Having mostly played in hardcore bands over the years, what can you say about exploring a different tone and style through Spectres?Adam Mitchell: I started out as a bass player, and for years I was only a bass player. I’ve never really been formally trained on anything, so a lot of it was me sitting in my room, just playing guitar and doing what I wanted to do. For a couple of years I was doing a band called Circles that, while our recorded output never showed this, started veering towards Embrace/Rites of Spring territory, and I got to explore beyond power chords. Having, for a lack of a better word, a flowery, jangly guitar style was a learning curve. I’d sit around my house playing Smiths songs, or McCarthy songs, or James Dean Driving Experience songs...now, maybe, I can actually write stuff like that. Even throughout the time I’ve been in Spectres, [my style has] evolved, which is nice! As a musician, you force yourself to try new things. I’m certainly not a great guitar player— I  wouldn’t even say I’m a creative guitar player—but considering the vast majority of my recording/touring life playing in hardcore bands, getting to do something melodic with arpeggios and flourishy guitar stuff is a nice change of pace. Have you had any significant gear changes since joining Spectres?A: Historically, I’ve played my Les Paul through a 50 watt JMP, a 1980 JMP. In Circles, I dabbled with pedals a bit—some delays and some chorus. Other than that, with Vacant State and Cheap Appeal it was straight through the amp, with a tuner. With Spectres, my primary guitar for the first while was my Rickenbacker 330. Shortly after I joined the band, since I didn’t think the Marshall would fit with what I wanted to play, I bought a Vox AC30. About this time last year, I bought one of those Johnny Marr signature Jaguars, being a bit of a Johnny Marr sycophant. I was impressed with it. It did away with everything that I didn’t like about Jaguars. I thought Jaguars looked cool, but they didn’t really have a sound that I thought was appropriate for me. But the Johnny Marr signature is the guitar I used predominantly on the tour that we did at the beginning of this year. We also just recorded a new single with Jesse Gander in October, and I exclusively used the Jaguar on that.As far as pedals go, I always have my Diamond Compressor and my Electro-Harmonix Small Clone chorus pedal on. I use a Nemesis Delay sparingly, and an Electro-Harmonix Super Pulsar trem pedal sparingly. And just little, you know, bits and pieces on top of that. I would say for the most part I can do 90 per cent of what I need to do either running the Rick or the Jaguar through my chorus pedal, into the Vox.End HitsDeaf Club “The Wait” (Bandcamp)Deaf Club made their debut last year with Contemporary Sickness, a six minute acid bath of discordant guitar shred and blast beats. The quintet are going a different route with their latest single, a relatively faithful, darkly melodic cover of post-punk icons Killing Joke’s “The Wait”.Structurally, the cover rumbles as hard as Killing Joke, with the biggest difference coming in how Justin Pearson’s (The Locust, Retox, Dead Cross) inimitable hollow point howl punctures the mix instead of Jaz Coleman’s coarse, flanger-affixed melodicism. Its video packages footage of drone strikes and citizen uprisings with factoids on the military industrial complex. Deaf Club’s cover of “The Wait” is available now as a pay-what-you-ca

We’ve got another Gut Feeling podcast interview on deck this week, and it’s a doozy! The talk is with Jesse Gander, a longtime member of Vancouver’s music community as both a performer (d.b.s., Needles//Pins, Uptights, Operation Makeout, Black Rice, Ghost House, and more) and a prolific engineer/producer.Jesse gets into how he first got interested in the recording arts, from experimenting with his boombox’s bass and treble levels, to cutting four-track demos for bands in exchange for a six-pack, to investing in himself by learning Pro Tools and opening his Rec Age Recorders in his parents’ basement, to tracking countless bands these days at Rain City Recorders. His CV is massive, nearing six hundred releases and counting, including records with Japandroids, White Lung, the Pack A.D., Brutus, a Juno-winning album from Anciients, and so much more. Some things to look forward to that Jesse mentions throughout the discussion: he’s recorded new work from Brutal Poodle and Grave Infestation; he and the rest of Needles//Pins have another record coming out; d.b.s. is having their full catalogue re-released digitally through Boat Dreams from the Hill (with the possibility of some vinyl re-releases coming up, too). Also hoping that the World of S**t solo album he’s been prepping since the ‘90s sees the light of day.Third time’s a charm: I’d mentioned this in the interview and the intro, but want to clarify that the old photos of the Cramps, Nick Cave, and R.E.M. that have hung in Jesse’s various studios were taken by his dad. Hope you enjoy! Get on the email list at gutfeeling.substack.com

Joshua Brown (left) and Sean McCabe, outside of 924 Gilman. Berkeley, CA. 1998. Photo: Travis Keller (IG)Hey! I’m doing things a little differently this week, and premiering the Gut Feeling Podcast. This first episode is with Joshua Brown, a currently Victoria, B.C.-based musician who came up through Philadelphia’s early ‘90s straight edge hardcore scene, playing bass in Flagman, Crud is a Cult, and legendary gothic hardcore outfit Ink & Dagger along the way.I’d met Josh a few years back at a friend’s book launch in Vancouver, and have been dying to ask him about the Dagger days ever since. He also recently started up an Instagram account for Crud is a Cult, where he’s been posting old photos and demo tape layouts, so it seemed like a perfect time to talk. Throughout the conversation, Josh gets into the Crud days, how he wasn’t initially sold on Ink & Dagger’s vampire-themed punk, touring Europe alongside Refused in ‘98 (when both bands were expanding into electronica-infused hardcore), and awkwardly live-scoring a brawl during a bar show in Vancouver. His wife Leanne, who herself played in Vancouver hardcore group Dissent in the ’90s, also pops by.There is so much more to cover around Ink & Dagger, and Josh and I ended up texting about more stories after the fact. Their final, self-titled LP from 2000, for instance, draws influence not so much from punk and hardcore, but rather from Irish dream pop outfit Rollerskate Skinny, the Beach Boys, and maybe even the Stone Temple Pilots. I’m going to add some of Josh’s thoughts on the record’s “Facedreamer,” written and recorded shortly before Sean McCabe’s tragic passing in the summer of 2000 at the age of 27. We should get into that last song too—the last song we we released, and how Sean isn’t on it. The lyrics totally foreshadow his death. It’s really crazy.I sang the whole song ‘cause he never showed up and we needed to finish it. We didn’t have lyrics, so I picked up a book of Charles Bukowski poems lying around on the studio, randomly opened a page to Facedreamer, and just put all the vocals together on the spot as we were recording it. I’m super proud of it, but the lyrics, man: “The best often die by their own hand….Sometimes we will only note their existence suddenly in vivid recall after they they’re gone....where have they gone to?”Somewhat on the topic of vampires, I’ve been reviewing vintage Monster Party songs all month through my Instagram stories. Definitely some great bashes along the way, with a lot of camp twists on mummies, werewolves, and zombies having a ball. I made a Spotify playlist to go along with it, which you’ll find below.I think the big surprise this year was the theme to 1967’s Spider Baby, sung by horror icon Lon Chaney Jr. There’s something especially sinister about the way he stutters and gulps his way through the track, warning us that pretty much any monster is fair game for Baby’s next snack. The grossest part about it is how he delivers this sort of inward belch on the word “tummy.” Just nasty. The original film theme isn’t streaming, but the Fantômas did a version that’s just slightly less discomforting.Happy Halloween! Get on the email list at gutfeeling.substack.com

The latest Gut Feeling Podcast is an interview with Jordan Blilie, the onetime co-vocalist for surrealistic hardcore outfit The Blood Brothers. The band recently delivered a deluxe anniversary reissue behind 2003's Burn, Piano Island, Burn, which is out now via Epitaph.

Throughout the talk, Jordan touches on: the dynamic, daring, and essential tandem he maintained with co-vocalist Johnny Whitney; the difference between vocal confidence and vocal competence; going into "survival mode" in the studio; working with Ross Robinson (Korn, Limp Bizkit); making a truly bizarre major label debut; and plying one's trade as a "grotesque mess."

The latest Gut Feeling Podcast is an interview with Vanessa Heins, a Toronto-based photographer who has worked with artists in the worlds of punk, folk, pop, hip-hop, and so much more for more than 20 years.

Throughout the talk, Vanessa touches on: growing up in Vancouver; getting her start behind the lens in high school while taking photos of her friends' punk bands (including future members of Said the Whale); setting a scene comfortably; an upcoming tour with City and Colour; and memories of shoots with the likes of Alexisonfire, Beastie Boys, Carly Rae Jepsen, U.S. Girls' Meg Remy, John Prine, Sister Ray, and more!

You can find Vanessa's work over on Instagram.

The latest Gut Feeling Podcast is with Jack Duckworth, the Vancouver Island-born, Glasgow based musician currently crafting darkwave odysseys as Soft Riot. The synth-heavy solo project's snarky, urgent and playful new No album comes out August 11 through Jack's own Possession Records and the Netherlands' Wave Tension Records.

Throughout the talk, Jack gets into: Soft Riot's latest collection; finding his way back to guitar; cosmic coincidences; Vancouver Island punk in the early '90s; playing his first-ever show with an Acid casualty fill-in singer; hitchhiking; the quaintness of early internet culture; and his time in bands including The Forgotten, Anthony Monday, Slough of Despond, The Measure, and Radio Berlin.

The latest Gut Feeling Podcast goes down the '90s straight edge hardcore rabbit hole with Dead Quiet vocalist-guitarist Kevin Keegan, who got his start as the 14-year-old drummer for Kelowna, BC's Decoy.

Throughout the talk, Kevin gets into: building up his drum chops to Metallica's Kill 'Em All; getting pulled into his local hardcore scene as a teenage wunderkind; the Refused show Decoy were supposed to play; road trip chaperones; why he ultimately switched over to guitar; voice acting; dog walking; and more!

You can also find out more about the making of Dead Quiet's most recent album, IV, over here through my feature for RANGE magazine.

Hello again! The latest Gut Feeling Podcast is an interview with Justin Gradin, the Vancouver-raised, and soon-to-be-L.A.-based multi-disciplinary artist whom most recently released his debut graphic novel, Mystic Debris (out now via Fantagraphics).

Throughout the talk, Justin gets into: Mystic Debris' somewhat biographical origins; upcoming audio-visual projects with Grammy winner and onetime roommate Tobias Jesso Jr.; the ways our bodies hang onto trauma; transcendental meditation; learning to play drums behind his surf rock-loving dad; early bands w Gossip's Nathan Howdeshell; starting up underground punk venue the Emergency Room; making music videos for White Lung and Louise Burns; how he lost his job at a Toys 'R' Us; and more!

You can also find out more about Mystic Debris, as well as Justin's favourite drummers of all time, over here through my feature for RANGE magazine.

Hello again! The latest Gut Feeling Podcast is an interview with Mark Palm, the Seattle-based vocalist-guitarist for contemporary power pop titans Supercrush, and a Vancouver-grown hardcore kid at heart.

Did you realize that this Saturday (April 15) marks the twentieth anniversary of the first ever live performance from Vancouver's Go It Alone? Mark sure hadn't, so I gave him a call to drum up some old memories about the early days of the band.

Throughout the talk, Mark gets into: earnest, emotional hardcore lyrics; recording a demo as a duo, but building out the line-up a year later as a quintet; the fatal flaw of naming your group Go It Alone; early shows and the first West Coast tour; East Vancouver's Second Ave punk house; questionable guitar tone; the Vancouver Gold EP; and how the band looked by the end of 2003.

Back in the present, Mark also offers up some details on Supercrush's forthcoming covers album, and the new compilation he's putting together around some of his favourite Seattle-area bands.

Hello, hello! The latest Gut Feeling podcast is an interview with Murray A. Lightburn, a longtime member of orchestral pop group the Dears who is also about to release his third solo album, Once Upon a Time in Montreal.

Murray has described his latest full-length as an "audio version of a biopic," inspired by the life of his father William, a jazz saxophonist who passed away in 2020. It’s a contemplative, massively moving collection of jazz, folk, and r&b-styled moments, all of which being anchored by the golden tone of Murray’s tenor-baritone vocal.

Throughout the talk, Murray gets into: early memories of singing in church; moving from teen cover bands to the Dears; learning to sing "from the belly"; when to forgo falsetto; his father's sax style; how vocal range evolves; his recent instrumental score for filmmaker Chandler Levack's I Like Movies; bread-baking; his mother's radio show; and more!

Once Upon a Time in Montreal is out this Friday (03/31) through Dangerbird Records.

The latest Gut Feeling Podcast is a conversation with Marc and Brent Belke, brothers and co-founding guitarists of Edmonton, Alberta-formed and later Vancouver, BC-based hardcore icons SNFU.

Throughout the talk, Muc and Bunt hit on: the new Come With Me, I’m On My Way horror comic featuring four gruesome tales inspired by classic SNFU songs; Trust Records’ upcoming 40th anniversary project behind debut album ...And No One Else Wanted to Play; Edmonton’s early ‘80s punk and skateboarding scenes; the absurdist and sometimes misunderstood lyrics of late frontman Mr. Chi Pig; the making of 1995’s The One Voted Most Likely to Succeed; the ‘90s punk boom, and touring with Green Day and Bad Religion; gear and guitar solos; Strain bassist and SNFU roadie Eric "Flexyourhead" Thorkelson’s very bad day; Brent’s current film score work; and more!

3Press Comics’ Come With Me comic is out now, along with an SNFU tribute 7-inch from Dad Religion; Trust Records’ Play repress out soon; and a repress of Voted is out in November via La Agonia De Vivir.

You can also read a 2020 feature I’d written around some of the most poignant, poetic and occasionally profane lyrics Mr. Chi Pig brought to the mic over at Exclaim!

The latest Gut Feeling Podcast is a conversation with Mark Palm, guitarist and vocalist for Seattle power-pop institution Supercrush, and onetime vocalist and songwriter for Vancouver-to-Seattle-based heavy rock outlet Devotion.

Throughout the talk, Mark hits on: new Supercrush singles and covers coming out in 2026; the band losing their HMS Studio space in the SODO district, and the grungy history of the old building; the demolition of North Vancouver’s Seylynn Hall; Devotion’s pipeline from detuned hardcore to sludging metallic groove; naming your album Bastard Son of Affluence Blues, and what your parents might think about that; obscure Canadian amps; getting someone to work your wah pedal for you; communicating solitude; neon-glow nocturnality; early work with drummer Aaron O’Neil (Lights Out, Supercrush), guitar soloist Graeme “Smokestack” Honeyman (Go It Alone, September), lead guitarist Sean Meyer (Supercrush); and more.

The latest Gut Feeling Podcast is a conversation with Jesse Gander, acclaimed producer/engineer at Vancouver’s Rain City Recorders and onetime vocalist for Lynn Valley punk teens d.b.s., who just had a pair of albums from the Nineties pressed onto vinyl for the very first time.

Throughout the talk, Jesse touches on: a recent recording project in Quebec’s cabin wilderness; learning engineering tricks from producer Cecil English (D.O.A., SNFU); crafting teenage punk songs about love, politics and the price of cheese; re-upping the represses with new art, lost recordings and drastic cuts; early shows and dangerous highway drives; d.b.s.’ famed striped t-shirts and Jesse’s stinky pair of cargo shorts; Much Music coverage, and the time one of them crashed into a skateboard bowl on national TV; reconnecting with his old bandmates for the reissue project; an upcoming live LP; how his recording career is still rooted in the punk friendships he made on tour; and more!

1995’s Tales from the Crib and 1999’s Some Boys Got It Most Men Don’t vinyl reissues are out now via Dine Alone Records. The full d.b.s. catalogue is streaming now via Boat Dreams From the Hill.