MAKE // BREAK is a conversation series about the realities of making art in a world that doesn’t make it easy. Hosted by Lance Marwood, it’s less about the music itself and more about the stories, struggles, and strategies behind it. Each episode dives into the DIY grind, the changing industry, and what it takes to build something lasting without selling out. Guests range from underground bands to established voices, all sharing unfiltered experiences that mix humour, honesty, and hard-earned lessons.
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Eric Peterson is the founding guitarist and primary songwriter of Bay Area thrash legends Testament, a band that’s spent more than four decades pushing heavy music forward while peers have fallen away. With Testament’s fourteenth album Para Bellum, he’s still co-producing, evolving the band’s sound, and keeping the riffs sharper than players half his age. In this episode of MAKE // BREAK, Eric sits down with host Lance Marwood to unpack the real cost of that longevity: the grind of touring and airports, staying physically ready for extreme music, protecting creativity in an AI era, and why horror films, cult novels, and personal taste still shape everything he writes.
👀 What you’ll hear
Unpack how Eric turned flyering, bar gigs and bad jobs into a four decade thrash career
Explore why Para Bellum still feels like a first album and how Testament keep evolving
Dig into riff writing, flow states and what separates a cool idea from a career song
Break down the ugliest parts of touring, airport purgatory and staying physically ready for stage intensity
Debate AI, taste and keeping music human, plus horror movies, cult fiction and weird reading recs
🕰️ Chapters
00:00 Intro, Testament overview and setting up Para Bellum
01:15 Make or break moments, legacy decisions and early DIY grind
03:30 Old school flyering and networking vs today’s digital promotion
06:45 Ageing, health and playing extreme thrash into your 50s
09:30 Touring realities, airport lines, boredom and burnout on the road
14:30 Writing Para Bellum while chasing the feeling of the first records
20:20 Taste, identity and how horror and cult films feed Eric’s imagination
28:45 Books on the road, Master and Margarita and other strange reading recs
32:30 Riff writing, flow state jams, Logic demos and editing with the band
37:30 Surviving industry shifts from tape trading to streaming, algorithms and AI
44:20 Legacy, repeating yourself without cloning old riffs, and ACDC as a model
48:40 Honest advice for bedroom players learning Testament riffs on YouTube
Subscribe for more MAKE // BREAK conversations and drop a comment on how AI should shape metal’s future
(explicit language)
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Kelsey Dower on collaboration and creative control
Episode 14
Tuesday, January 27, 2026 • Duration 36:27
Episode 014 – Kelsey Dower | MAKE // BREAK
Kelsey Maree Dower is a symphonic metal vocalist, composer, and multi-instrumentalist whose cinematic writing style turns orchestration into front-line storytelling. Best known for her single “Rage” and the concept-driven album project Rebirth, she builds massive arrangements with a DIY, self-composed precision that still hits emotionally. She’s also a featured vocalist and co-writer on Björn Hofer’s In the Shadow symphonic metal trilogy through B-Track Records. In Episode 014 of MAKE // BREAK with host Lance Marwood, Kelsey digs into the real work behind ambitious music: MIDI composition, mixing battles between strings and guitars, creative control, and navigating the music business as an autistic artist.
👀 What you’ll hear
Trace her path from piano prodigy to symphonic metal songwriter with a clear creative compass
Learn why orchestral parts feel easy, and why guitars and drums still challenge the mix
Hear how collaboration stays open while protecting vision and keeping creative control intact
Reframe ambition when your genre is niche, expensive, and hard for algorithms to surface
Unpack the myth of getting signed young and the practical planning that replaced it
Break down Rage, cathartic anger, and how growls became a new tool in her voice
🕰️ Chapters 00:00 Symphonic metal origin story and why it finally clicked
02:49 First metal exposure, emotional catharsis, Within Temptation moment
05:44 Moving childhood, Carnegie Hall, opening for Clay Aiken
08:09 Piano and vocals foundation, ear training, early performance discipline
09:40 MIDI composition workflow, Ableton-style arranging, finding the spark
11:58 Production challenge: orchestra width vs guitars, drums, and mixing presence
Brandon O’Neill on surviving DIY music and staying true to your art
Episode 5
Tuesday, October 7, 2025 • Duration 01:13:03
Episode 006 – Brandon O’Neill | MAKE // BREAK
Brandon O’Neill is the founder, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and vocalist behind Wine & Warpaint, the Richmond-based indie rock project whose debut album Disassociate (2024) earned recognition as one of the year’s standout independent releases. Known for blending raw emotion with meticulous production, O’Neill has built Wine & Warpaint into a self-sustaining project that thrives at the intersection of DIY ethos and professional polish. In this episode of MAKE // BREAK, he joins host Lance Marwood to discuss recording with producer Kyle Black (Paramore, Pierce the Veil), the mental shifts that come with travelling for art, and the constant push-pull between algorithms, AI, and authenticity. O’Neill’s perspective offers a grounded, thoughtful look at what it means to create meaningful work in today’s music business.
👀 What you’ll hear
• Unpack how Wine & Warpaint built momentum with their debut album Disassociate and a fiercely DIY approach
• Share what Brandon learned working with producer Kyle Black (Paramore, Pierce the Veil) and why meticulousness matters
• Debate the rise of AI tools, social media burnout, and whether content creation helps or hurts real artistry
• Expose the broken incentives of algorithms that reward rage and novelty instead of genuine music discovery
• Explore why local community, collaboration, and micro-level choices are how artists can break out of toxic systems
• Leave with Brandon’s advice on how artists can stay humble, experiment, and keep making the work they believe in
🕰️ Chapters
00:00 Intro and welcome with Brandon O’Neill
02:00 Flying cross-country to record with Kyle Black
05:00 Shifting headspace and finding inspiration in LA
09:00 Discovering meticulous creativity in the studio
Garrett Anthony Rice talks albums, authenticity, and the music business
Tuesday, September 30, 2025 • Duration 59:04
Episode 005 – Garrett Anthony Rice | MAKE // BREAK
Garrett Anthony Rice is an Irish songwriter whose double album Equinox has already drawn early praise as one of the most ambitious debuts of the decade. Recorded across Ireland and the UK with producer Chris Potter (The Verve, The Rolling Stones), the record spans 18 songs that move from swamp blues slide guitar to Britpop shimmer and politically charged anthems. Singles like “Eden,” “I Found Myself Today,” and “Property” show the range: gospel haze, anti-war urgency, and a re-framing of Syd Barrett’s legacy. On MAKE // BREAK, Garrett speaks candidly about craft, industry saturation, and his belief that music must carry both truth and weight. He pushes back against formula and fleeting trends, pointing instead to Dylan, Bowie, and Ashcroft as reminders of how songs can change lives. It’s a grounded, passionate look at what it means to create art with conviction in a crowded, uncertain era.
👀 What you’ll hear • Break down Garrett Anthony Rice’s creative process and how Equinox sets up future albums already in the works • Call out the formulaic “two-chord clones” dominating airwaves and why true artistry comes from somewhere deeper • Debate streaming saturation, shocking Spotify stats, and what it really takes to find an audience today • Explore DIY promotion, relentless posting, and how persistence plus authenticity can cut through the noise • Highlight the holy trinity of artist income streams: touring, merch, and sync opportunities beyond streaming pennies • Share advice on balancing business and creativity without losing the magic that makes songs matter
🕰️ Chapters
00:00 Introduction and the joy of songwriting
01:00 Writing Equinox and future albums
04:00 Breaking clichés in the acoustic scene
07:30 Influences from Bowie to Ashcroft and Hendrix
Collin Young (ONE HUNDRED MOONS) on Hustle Culture and Artist Identity
Episode 4
Tuesday, September 23, 2025 • Duration 57:33
Collin Young of One Hundred Moons joins host Lance Marwood on MAKE // BREAK to discuss Black Avalanche, art, and the music business.
Episode 004 – Collin Young | MAKE // BREAK
👀 What you’ll hear
-Break down the sound and vision behind One Hundred Moons’ new album Black Avalanche
-Explore why Collin sees music as a “third thing” beyond work and relaxation
-Contrast stoicism, hustle culture, and the myth of making art a full-time job
-Reflect on performing live as proof of existence and the struggle for audience connection
-Consider how meaning, story, and context can shape how we receive music
🕰️ Chapters
00:00 Intro and welcome with Collin Young
01:00 What Collin is trying to make to “break through”
02:30 Naming and themes of Black Avalanche
06:45 Challenges of creation vs. survival work
09:30 Do artists have the right to complain about music business struggles
14:00 Promotion, press, and the burden of self-marketing
16:00 Playing live shows vs. social media promotion
19:00 The need for “receipts” that bands are real
23:00 Stories, mythology, and why context matters
27:00 Letting the music itself be the story
30:00 Abstract meaning and listener interpretation
39:00 Transcendent live moments and audience connection
45:00 Niches, cults, and today’s fragmented music culture
47:00 Career vs. vocation: music as lifelong identity
Jordan Holman (Kentucky) on Hope, Death, and Surviving as a Songwriter
Episode 3
Tuesday, September 16, 2025 • Duration 01:06:01
Episode 003 – Kentucky | MAKE // BREAK
Kentucky is the musical project of Canadian artist Jordan Holman, whose debut album Second Chance Music weaves together near-death experience, hard-won clarity, and a refusal to quit. Influenced by The Tragically Hip, Neil Young, Bryan Adams, and R.E.M., Holman’s work blends acoustic rock and indie folk with a voice that’s both intimate and unshaken. On MAKE // BREAK, he reflects on decades in the business, the myth of the starving artist, and why he simply wants to keep writing until the end. It’s a conversation that swings between Tolstoy, Cormac McCarthy, Ligotti, and the economics of survival—big ideas balanced by the daily grind of an artist carving out space in today’s fractured industry. Kentucky’s songs, from “No More Tomorrows” to “The First Day of the Rest of Your Life,” are reminders that music can still hold weight when it speaks to survival and second chances.
👀 What you’ll hear
Explore Kentucky’s philosophy on hope, death, and why meaning is self-assigned in a creative life
Contrast nihilism, spite, and the daily practice of living with intention as an artist
Revisit the glory days of artist development and why labels rarely take risks today
Break down how homogenization and streaming culture reshaped music’s role in society
Unpack why Kentucky just wants the right partners to help him keep writing until the end
🕰️ Chapters 00:00 Intro and welcome with Kentucky 01:00 The “make or break” question on what truly matters 03:30 Tolstoy’s Three Questions and daily meaning 07:00 Hope, possibility, and building your personal deck of cards 12:00 Thomas Ligotti, nihilism, and living in spite 19:00 Cormac McCarthy, death, and “die trying” 32:00 The starving artist myth and the need for support 37:00 Partnerships, publishing, and why labels fall short 43:00 From artist development to homogenized culture 50:00 Novelty, combinations, and the next musical shift 55:00 Streaming, AI, and the future of entertainment 01:02:00 Kentucky’s honest admission: the struggle for help and resources
Elan Mlgenovich (Authors of Fate) on content, merch, and not giving up
Episode 1
Thursday, July 10, 2025 • Duration 34:16
Episode 001 – Elan Mlgenovich | MAKE // BREAK
Authors of Fate make jagged, blackened metalcore out of Los Angeles. Guitarist Elan Mlgenovich joins MAKE // BREAK to discuss the EP “Seat’s Taken” with producer Taylor Young and the band’s earlier studio work with Steve Evetts. He explains how the group formed during COVID, what DIY touring looks like on the ground, and why chasing platform algorithms rarely helps heavy bands grow. We also get into practical social media habits that do work, from tagging peers to posting strong live clips, and the constant pull between posting and writing. If you want a clear look at how underground bands build real momentum today, this episode delivers.
👀 What you’ll hear
• Break down how Authors of Fate formed during COVID and built momentum in the DIY metal scene
• Explain why major labels chase sure things and how that shifts artist development today
• Share frustrations with Spotify algorithms and finding underground bands through Instagram
• Reveal the brutal realities of DIY touring, from no-shows to promoters who don’t deliver
• Debate the pressure on artists to be content creators versus staying true to making art
• Offer candid advice for bands: collaborate, stay humble, and keep pushing forward
🕰️ Chapters
00:00 Introduction and band background
02:00 Artist development and the major label model
03:30 Why DIY bands must be self-sufficient
05:00 Streaming algorithms and discovery struggles
07:30 Using Instagram to find and book bands
10:00 Word of mouth, tagging, and collaboration
Scot “Little” Bihlman on touring and staying in the now
Episode 13
Tuesday, January 13, 2026 • Duration 01:00:27
Episode 013 – Scot Little Bihlman | MAKE // BREAK
Scot “Little” Bihlman is an Emmy Award-winning multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, and SAG-AFTRA actor, best known as the drummer/vocalist in Grinder Blues alongside dUg Pinnick (King’s X). In Episode 013 of MAKE // BREAK with host Lance Marwood, he unpacks what it takes to last: choosing quality of life over noise, staying present through drumming and motorcycle riding, and protecting your creative identity in a culture obsessed with imitation. Little also gets real about touring pressure, the seductive comfort of sideman work, and why technique only matters if it serves the song, as he builds toward his next chapter under Little Bihlman.
👀 What you’ll hear
Hear how four Emmys happened through timing, fit, and staying ready for the call
Unpack why motorcycle riding and drumming force presence, and how that unlocks writing
Learn the boundary he draws around tribute bands, authenticity, and scene culture
Get a candid look at tour pressure, sideman perks, and the hidden costs of what’s next
Compare technique to songwriting, and why songs are the only currency that lasts
🕰️ Chapters
00:00 Intro, Emmys, and the Little Bihlman pivot
01:29 Emmy awards and luck in film/TV placements
03:22 Finding your voice and honouring influences
06:52 Tribute bands, covers, and authenticity
09:16 Hollywood sets, Spider-Man, and staying grounded
13:42 LA vs Nashville quality of life for artists
17:43 Motorcycle meditation and staying in the now
24:08 Tour pressure and make-or-break moments
38:56 Sideman life vs solo career focus
45:24 Drumming book, teaching, and technique in service of songs
Aaron Farrell on Writing and Identity, from Barcelona to V13
Episode 12
Wednesday, December 10, 2025 • Duration 53:48
Episode 012 – Aaron Farrell | MAKE // BREAK
Welsh-born writer Aaron Farrell returns to MAKE // BREAK for a candid, high-signal conversation about discipline, identity, and creative survival. Author of The Lost and Found and the poetry collection Artbeat, The Ekphrastic Spastic, Aaron traces the path from lockdown essays and his “Violent Expression” column to an unflinching Barcelona manuscript, while reopening his work with V13. We get into stay-at-home parent realities, pandemic PPE and burnout, martial arts as a writing method, and why killing perfectionism is the only way forward. With Jung in one hand and Eastern philosophy in the other, Aaron makes a case for truthful prose, pragmatic publishing, and showing up when it’s hardest.
👀 What you’ll hear
Trace the leap from lockdown columns to longform books without waiting for permission
Compare discipline in martial arts to muscle memory in writing and creative practice
Unpack honest fatherhood, neurodivergence, and why progress is jagged not linear
Reframe perfectionism with pragmatic publishing habits you can start today
Map the “violent expression” era to a new V13 chapter and concrete next steps
🕰️ Chapters 00:00 Cold open and return-guest banter
00:22 Who is Aaron Farrell now and why he’s back on MAKE // BREAK
03:05 Stay-at-home dad energy, sick kids, showing up anyway
05:22 PPE reality check and pandemic life in hospitals
08:31 Barcelona move, curfews, and starting over
12:18 Transmetropolitan, Spider Jerusalem, media cynicism
22:06 Self-publishing in lockdown, first books and columns
26:24 Beat of Barcelona draft, decadence and discipline
Dave Fowler on Building a Career That Lasts in the Music Industry
Episode 11
Tuesday, November 25, 2025 • Duration 37:27
Episode 011 – Dave Fowler | MAKE // BREAK
Dave Fowler is a Nashville-based bassist, producer, and songwriter whose career spans work with icons like Dolly Parton, Dr. John, Cinderella, and Billy Ray Cyrus. A sought-after live and studio player, he’s also the co-founder of GET JOE Records, a producer at Fowler–Wells Productions, and the force behind Running With Giants, his mentorship and clinic platform for musicians. In this episode, Dave joins Lance to unpack the realities of a lifelong career in music—from the discipline behind professional performance to the humility that keeps great players in demand—and what it really takes to build both longevity and legacy in an ever-changing industry.
👀 What you’ll hear
Tracing Dave Fowler’s roots from Southern gospel to touring with Dolly Parton and Dr. John
The truth about persistence and why “not quitting” is the only real career plan
Inside Nashville’s studio culture and how pros record songs they’ve never heard before
The moment Dave nearly quit music — and what pulled him back
Lessons from decades in the industry: humility, discipline, and creative adaptability
A look ahead to Dave’s upcoming memoir and his mentorship platform Running With Giants
🕰️ Chapters 00:00 Welcome + intro to Dave Fowler 02:00 Finding bass and early church influences 06:30 What separates musicians who last from those who don’t 08:00 The myth of “making it” and the persistence mindset 11:20 Lessons to his younger self and Nashville’s evolution 14:30 Inside the studio: how pros build songs on the spot 18:00 The bass player’s role: when to lead vs. blend in 24:40 Make-or-break moments and personal resilience 28:00 The story behind Dave’s upcoming book 33:30 Running With Giants and mentoring new artists37:00 GET JOE Records, new projects, and Texas success stories39:30 Final reflections + closing thoughts
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