This Was The Scene Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Rye Coalition came out of Jersey City in the early nineties and quickly built a reputation as one of the most fearless and inventive bands in the post-hardcore world. They toured with heavyweights like Queens of the Stone Age, Foo Fighters, and The (International) Noise Conspiracy, earned praise from outlets including Spin, Pitchfork, and The Village Voice, and worked with legendary producers Steve Albini and Dave Grohl. Their documentary "Rye Coalition: The Story of the Hard Luck 5" became a cult favorite, cementing their status as one of the most underrated but widely respected bands of their era. Loud, chaotic, swagger-filled, and always a little dangerous, they were the group other musicians whispered about as a secret influence. If you know, you know.

I got Ralph on the Zoom and this is what we chatted about:

• John Hiltz
• Gern Blandsten Records
• What bands inspired their live show
• Did their music stand for anything?
• Recording with Steve Albini
• recording with Dave Grohl
• What did signing to Dreamworks do for the band
• And a ton more

Be on the lookout for some old music of theirs to release in 2026 and follow their instagram.

Click here for Herbs GofundMe

Sleepytime Trio formed in 1995 in Harrisonburg, Virginia, originally as a side project of Maximillian Colby. Known for their volatile, emotional sound and chaotic live shows, they quickly became a defining force in the late 90s post-hardcore scene, sharing stages with bands like Hot Water Music, Frodus, and Shotmaker. After a hiatus in 1998, members went on to form acts like Engine Down, Rah Bras, and Milemarker before reuniting to tour again. Their definitive discography, remixed by J. Robbins and remastered by TJ Lipple, showcases all their studio recordings and captures the raw energy that made them legendary.

In 2024, Solid Brass Records partnered with Sleepytime Trio and their longtime label, Lovitt Records, to work on a vinyl discography to memorialize this important band. The definitive Sleepytime Trio discography to date is packaged in a single pocket gatefold LP sleeve with complete lyrics. It also includes an 8-page zine/booklet featuring an extensive show list, behind-the-scenes notes, photos, and memories from friends of the band. There is a BONUS insert also included in this pressing only!

I got Drew on the Zoom and this is what we chat about:

• 911
• His thoughts on still touring
• Fan tattoos
• The meaning of 4 AM Friday
• Their album artwork
• Writing songs with no lyrics
• Never having bad shows
• Ink and Dagger
• Why they chose to be on different labels with their releases
• Butterscary Flies
• re issuing Memory Minus Plus Minus
• Drive Like Jehu
• And a ton more

Go buy their vinyl here

Day at the Fair was a New Jersey-based pop punk band that gained attention in the early 2000s with their emotionally charged lyrics and catchy, melodic hooks. Best known for their 2005 album The Rocking Chair Years, the band blended heartfelt storytelling with energetic, anthemic soundscapes. Though their time was brief, they left a lasting impression on fans of the Drive-Thru Records era.

I got Rob on the Skype and this is what we chat about.

• The weird show at Mt Arlington Elks in Jersey
• Joining Lanemeyer
• Joining Scratch Kid
• Joining Humble Beginnings
• The antics of Humble Beginnings
• The Forever Endeavor
• Almost getting killed by Casey Lee Morgan
• Him being the reason Brian Fallon joined Lanemeyer
• The origins of Day at the Fair
• The Pain Game
• Signing to Drive Thru / Rushmore Records
• The Bees artwork on the LP
• The Mile After trying to out drink them
• Having weed in the Humble van while it's getting searched
• The time he slapped me across the face
• And a ton more

Here are the links that I mention in the intro:

Check out his company www.aimplfy.com

Go see him play with Humble Beginnings

Go see him play with Day at the Fair

Before we start, if you're company has a hard time explaining what it does you can hire me to do that in 60-90 seconds with an explainer animation. Go to drive80.com or email me at mike@drive80.com to learn more.

Elliott was formed in 1995. Their most notable LPs were U.S. Songs, False Cathedrals, and Song in the Air. 2000's False Cathedrals was a more polished affair than its predecessor, featuring vocal harmonies and more piano than US Songs. It was met with critical acclaim by a broad cross-section of the underground rock community. 

Shortly after Song in the Air's release, Elliott announced their intention to break up. They completed final tours of Europe and the US, before disbanding in November 2003.

We tried getting Kevin on but for some reason, I couldn't hear his audio and we were pressed on time so we had to do the interview without him so sorry Kevin!

We had to take a 3-week break between the interview because Chris had parental responsibilities so it picks up in the middle. But I got him on the Skype and this what we chat about: 

• Playing Furnace fest in 2022
• Revelation Records
• 2 members quitting at the same time
• not playing False Cathedrals the same way live as it was on the recording
• The Toadies tour debacle
• What were they like on stage
• The Humble Beginnings story
• What would have happened to the band if they had continued
• The porn house
• And a ton more

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day. I also have an Instagram for it.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Or go to thiswasthescene.com to possibly buy some merch.

Before we start, if you're company has a hard time explaining what it does you can hire me to do that in 60-90 seconds with an explainer animation. Go to drive80.com or email me at mike@drive80.com to learn more.

Known for singer Harold's beautifully bespoke tenor vocals, Tampa, FL's Hankshaw (founded in 1994) played melodic indie rock- emo. The band saw releases on Network Sound, Doghouse Records, No Idea Records (among others), and tours with Hot Water Music, Elliott, Ann Beretta, and more.

I heard about these guys from my dude Casey Lee Morgan when my old band first traveled to FL and he put us up. Go check Casey's business Sparkway Smoke & Vapor shop in Bloomingdale and Netcong, NJ.

I reached out to Harold on the Hankshaw IG account, asked him to chat, he said yes, and here's what we chat about:

• Limbert Fabian
• Carrying a machete in his car to shows
• Their label Network Sound
• What Joined In The Sky is about
• Playing shows with no lyrics 
• Developing his high octave range
• The whole story about King Kandy
• Why he stopped doing music
• Are they going to do some new stuff?
• The story about them at the Real World house in New Orleans
• And a ton more

This week's sponsor is Mint 400 Records.

Mint 400 Records is an indie record label from NJ with bands across the United States, Canada, and Europe. The label features everything from Indie Rock & Folk to Post-Punk and Soul. Over 400 exciting releases. 

You can find Mint 400 Records' releases streaming at Spotify, Pandora, Tidal, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Deezer, and more or at all mp3 outlets worldwide. Visit www.mint400records.com for links and more info.

Here's a clip from their artist Tom Barrett's song "Together, Together, Together" from the Five Songs EP.

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day. I also have an Instagram for it.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Or go to thiswasthescene.com to possibly buy some merch.

Before we start, if you're company has a hard time explaining what it does you can hire me to do that in 60-90 seconds with an explainer animation. Go to drive80.com or email me at mike@drive80.com to learn more.

Sicko was an American rock group from Seattle, Washington, formed in 1991. Exceptionally, the three-piece pop-punk group maintained a constant membership for every recording as a band. This line-up was Denny Bartlett (guitar, bass, vocals), Ean Hernandez (guitar, bass, vocals), and Josh Rubin (drums, brother of Aaron Rubin from The Mr. T Experience). Sicko released four full-length albums and five 7″ eps as well as a retrospective CD with unreleased and rare material, a released demo and a tour video. They also appeared on approximately fourteen compilations on labels such as Lookout! Records and Liberation Records. They once exchanged covers with Cub. The vast majority of their recorded output was recorded by Kurt Bloch of The Fastbacks and released on Seattle-based punk label eMpTy Records. One EP and the retrospective CD were released on Mutant Pop Records. Three Sicko songs were featured on the Xbox game Project Gotham Racing 2 alongside artists like The Flaming Lips and Princess Superstar.

• Alan Rappaport being the #1 fan
• His Misfits T-shirt
• Empty Records
• Who did their album artwork
• Having their stuff released digitally on Red Scare Records
• Switching instruments during their set
• The Reunion show they played recently
• Frank from the Mr. T Experience
• And a ton more

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day. I also have an Instagram for it.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Or go to thiswasthescene.com to possibly buy some merch.

Before we start, if you're company has a hard time explaining what it does you can hire me to do that in 60-90 seconds with an explainer animation. Go to drive80.com or email me at mike@drive80.com to learn more.

I did the intro for who Link 80 was in Adam Davis' interview so go check it out there.

I luckily got Matt Bettinelli-Olpin on the Skype and this is what we chat about:

• Directing the latest Scream Movie
• Starting the band
• The first practice with Nick
• Being seen as a scrappy band
• Not thinking they were a ska band
• Not being welcomed by the Gilman crowd
• Getting band from Gilman for the Verbal Kint video
• How he got the credits song for Scream
• And a ton more

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day. I also have an Instagram for it.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Or go to thiswasthescene.com to possibly buy some merch.

Before we start, if you're company has a hard time explaining what it does you can hire me to do that in 60-90 seconds with an explainer animation. Go to drive80.com or email me at mike@drive80.com to learn more.

Ann Beretta is a punk rock band from Richmond, Virginia. Formed in 1996, the band plays straightforward punk with small doses of rockabilly and country mixed into their sound.

They spent several years on tour playing with bands including Hot Water Music, ALL, the Bouncing Souls, Less Than Jake, and city-mates Avail. They were on Fueled by Ramen and Lookout! Records. In the fall of 2004, Ann Beretta disbanded until 2012 when they toured Europe and the UK in support of WIld, Young, and Free - an LP released exclusively in Europe by Gunnar Records and made up of demos and outtakes. In 2017 Ann Beretta released the album, Old Scars New Blood, a collection of re-recorded songs that spanned across the band's career representing each album previously released. 

I reached out to Mr. Rob Huddleston to see if he'd like to chat, he said yes, and this is what we talk about:

• The start of acoustic punk records
• The origins of Rumbleseat
• How that rougher vocal sound came about
• What inspired Forever Family
• How they first met Hot Water Music
• American Steel
• Playing the first FEST
• Sending letters to people to book tour shows
• Fueled By Ramen
• The upcoming Avail shows
• And a ton more

Check out their new release "RISE". It's the first record of new material since 2003's Three Chord Revolution and following 2018's Old Scars New Blood; a collection of re-recorded songs from the band's catalog. 

Available now on all streaming services

Lastly, Rob tells a story at the very end of the episode about an ALL cover that he did with the help of Bill Stevenson teaching him out to play it. Click here to listen.

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day. I also have an Instagram for it.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Or go to thiswasthescene.com to possibly buy some merch.

Before we start, if you're company has a hard time explaining what it does you can hire me to do that in 60-90 seconds with an explainer animation. Go to drive80.com or email me at mike@drive80.com to learn more.

AbsolutePunk was a website, online community, and alternative music news source founded by Jason Tate. It mainly focused on artists who were relatively unknown to mainstream audiences, but it was known to feature artists who have eventually achieved crossover success, including Blink-182, Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, New Found Glory, Taking Back Sunday, The Gaslight Anthem, Anberlin, Thrice, All Time Low, and a shit ton more. The primary musical genres of focus were emo and pop-punk, but other genres were included. On March 31, 2016, it was announced that founder Jason Tate would be re-acquiring AbsolutePunk from SpinMedia (the parent company of Buzznet) and the website would be shuttered and folded into Tate's new music and social platform, Chorus.fm. 

I reached out to Mr. Tate on Instagram, asked him to be interviewed and he was delighted. So I got him on the Skype and this is what we chatted about:

• When We Were Young festival
• Starting Absolute Punk
• How honest was he with reviews
• Spin buying the website
• The toxicity of the internet
• Becoming the place that released new songs or streaming albums
• Rob Dobi
• Emogame
• Panic at the Disco
• Blender's article including him
• Andrew McMahon's diagnosis
• His relationship with Victory Records
• Downloading music
• Brand New's leaked demo
• And a ton more

Go sign up for his newsletter at www.chorus.fm/newsletter

Check out the band Anxious and their new album Little Green House that he likes and talks about at the end of the podcast.

This week's sponsor is Mint 400 Records.

Mint 400 Records is an indie record label from NJ with bands across the United States, Canada, and Europe. The label features everything from Indie Rock & Folk to Post-Punk and Soul. Over 400 exciting releases. 

You can find Mint 400 Records' releases streaming at Spotify, Pandora, Tidal, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Deezer, and more or at all mp3 outlets worldwide. Visit www.mint400records.com for links and more info.

Here's a clip from their band Reese Van Riper's song "Well Runs Dry" from the album The Swamps Are Burning.

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day. I also have an Instagram for it.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Or go to thiswasthescene.com to possibly buy some merch.

Before we start, feel free to support the podcast if you've been listening for a while by signing up for my Patreon for $1 and I will love you forever.

Baby Gopal was fronted by Australian-born singer/guitarist Sri Kesava the band fused Hari Krishna dogma laced lyrics with a meld of hardcore and pop-punk to astonishing results. The music is endlessly catchy and Sri's beautiful voice will keep you captivated like a siren from wire to wire. This amazing album was sadly overlooked in 1996 because of another similar "girl power" band that was already ripping up the charts. You might have heard of them, No Doubt anyone? They later signed to Tommy Boy in 1998 before breaking up shortly thereafter.

Shot out to Casey Iodine for the intro

I got Alex on the Skype and this is what we chat about:

• Playing in Kingpin
• Playing in Shelter
• How he got involved in Baby Gopal
• How was it seen that Shelter made money off the band
• What happened with him and Shri
• How he got into recording bands
• Out of Band Experience Stickers in Boston
• American Nightmare
• Why they had to change their name
• Touring with them in 2022
• And a ton more

If you want to record your band in all-analog studio in Medford, MA then check out Alex's studio Mystic Valley Studio.

Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day. I also have an Instagram for it.

If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors.

Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon

Or go to thiswasthescene.com to possibly buy some merch.