Inside Music is a podcast about the lives of professionals in the music business. Each week, host James Shotwell chats with an artist or industry tastemaker to learn how anyone can navigate the world of entertainment.
On this episode of INSIDE MUSIC, host James Shotwell sits down with Hot Mulligan guitarist Chris Freeman to discuss his band’s not-so-overnight success. Chris recounts the rise of his band from the early days to present, as well as some insight into what the future might hold.
If you have yet to hear Hot Mulligan’s debut album, Pilot, we highly recommend you do so as soon as possible. The eleven-song LP is available now through No Sleep Records.
In other news, Inside Music is now available on YouTube! Click here to stream the latest episode on our official channel. You can also subscribe to the show on iTunes, as well as any other podcast streaming service.
Inside Music is a podcast about the lives of professionals in the music business. Each week, host James Shotwell chats with an artist or industry tastemaker to learn how anyone can navigate the world of entertainment.
“…And we’re back.”
On this episode of INSIDE MUSIC, host James Shotwell apologizes to listeners for his absence by sharing a new chat with Baggage frontman Jono Diener. Jono tells James about his band’s brand new EP, The Good That Never Comes, as well as his hopes for the future. The pair also discuss the changing Michigan economy, food deserts, learning to find your place in music as you grow older.
If you enjoy this episode, PLEASE support Baggage and check out their new EP: baggageband.bandcamp.com.
If you’re anything like me, you probably started the day by recognizing that the start of a new work week had indeed arrived and then immediately began shaking your fists at the sky in anger. Monday is rarely anyone’s favorite day, and from what I have seen firsthand it feels safe to say it’s the one day of the week some people outright hate. I guess to them the arrival of the work week symbolizes the end of their quote/unquote freedom, and as a result they head into the office/factory/restaurant/store with a negative outlook already on their mind. This leads to bad attitudes, which only makes the experience of being at work worse, and for some reason it also seems to make time slow to a crawl. We’re not about that life, and we hope this post can do the same you that the song contained within it did for us.
The likelihood of encountering a catch-22 in your development as a professional in any facet of the entertainment industry is so high it might as well be considered a given. To live is to grow, and to grow is to develop interests and tastes that may not fit into the mold of the person you once were. This is true for almost everyone on Earth, but only a small percentage of those walking among us are tasked with creating something from nothing using only their imagination and musical prowess that is packaged and sold to the masses as some form of entertainment. For those people change can be harder than because accepting that you are no longer who you once were means you might not ever create the same way again, and if that is true then there is a good chance the people who once supported you without a second thought may soon reconsider their allegiance to your creative output.
Sum 41 burst onto the international music scene with the release of their single “Fat Lip” in 2001. The song, which arrived just as bands like Blink-182 and Green Day were pushing pop-punk into the mainstream, was an instant smash at MTV and top 40 radio. I was fourteen at the time, and as such I – not to mention everyone in my graduating class – was the target market for the song. We sang the track together on field trips and in the back of class before the first bell of the day would ring. We also sang along on our bikes as we explored our town, and in the back of our parents’ cars (until they had enough and shut off the radio). For a few months it seemed like the world would never be without “Fat Lip” again, but eventually a day came when our culture’s obsession with the track began to subside. Fortunately for the band, they had additional singles (like “In Too Deep”) ready to go.
The singles that followed “Fat Lip,” as well as the album that followed the record that contained “Fat Lip,” were both considered successful in the eyes of the music industry. The rap-punk mix of “Fat Lip” was never outright recreated, but the band had a knack for pop-laden punk hooks that could not be denied. They never saw the same fame that came their way when they first were introduced, but for a few years they were considered one of the biggest punk bands in the world.
When a band achieves the kind of global status Sum 41 reached with the success of “Fat Lip” they find themselves with an untold number of new fans who likely them specifically for a single sound found on a single recording that is just one of many found on that group’s latest album. People are curious to hear more, as anyone who finds themselves enjoying anything typically is, but to be more specific they are curious as to whether or not the band can harness a similar sound and find success once more. If the band choose to try something different, or if they abandoned the sound that catapulted them into the public eye to begin with altogether, those same fans who rushed to support the group initially may begin to seek out other entertainers.
This is where things get tricky. On the one hand, creative people have to be willing to risk losing their audience in their pursuit of authentic self-expression, but at the same time they need to continue selling records and concert tickets in order to fund their creative endeavors. When a band like Sum 41 finds themselves evolving beyond the sound that launched their career the backlash from the general public can be downright mean, and for many the idea of losing the affection of the masses can be too much to bare. So much so, in fact, that many artists from all over the globe will restrict themselves from pursuing new ideas in order to maintain the status quo. This is why some bands will release what is dubbed as an ‘experimental’ album before releasing one that sounds like everything they have ever done in the past (with the exception of the experimental release). They fear being disliked, so instead of growing they just keep revisiting the same themes and ideas over and over until they have accumulated enough money to take a few years off. That might mean years of regurgitating old ideas, or in some cases even decades.
The reason I chose Sum 41 for today’s Monday Motivation post is because they have never compromised their artistic integrity in an effort to pander to the masses. The band knows they do not have the following they did when “Fat Lip” was the biggest song in the world, but whenever you see them or hear them you get the feeling they could care less about this fact. For them, the music is the ultimate accomplishment. Fans are nice, and they certainly help make further creative expression possible, but Sum 41 has always placed a lot of importance on keeping themselves happy with their output that is rarely found in musicians today. Could they do what they did before all over again? Sure. Do they want to? No.
This week, Sum 41 will release their new album 13 Voices through Hopeless Records. The album is the result of the band coming together in support of vocalist Deryck Whibley, who made headlines last year for his struggles with addiction. Music was always a way through the band times for Whibley, and together with his bandmates he has crafted a record that entertains while also providing a platform to vent frustrations and confront demons. To hear the album is to understand the struggles the band has undergone over the last two decades, which has now culminated in an album that ties together themes from previous records without revisiting the ideas that made those recordings unique. This album is everything the band has been working toward, and to know they are still playing the game by their own rules inspires me to do the same every single day.
James Shotwell is the Digital Marketing Manager for Haulix. He is also a professional entertainment critic, covering both film and music, as well as the co-founder of Antique Records (RIP). Feel free to tell him you love or hate the article above by connecting with him on Twitter. Bonus points if you introduce yourself by sharing your favorite Simpsons character.
On this episode of INSIDE MUSIC, host James Shotwell calls Richie Gordon to discuss a new pop-punk themed webseries called HEADLINERS that is currently seeking support on Kickstarter. The show is set in 2003 and follows the lives of numerous people connected to the pop-punk scene, including a fictional band in search of their big break. It’s a big concept we believe in here at the show, and we think you might feel the same after you hear what Richie has to share.
The music you hear in this episode is “Violence” by Blink-182.
You may already know this, but Inside Music is now available on iTunes! Click here to subscribe.
On this episode of INSIDE MUSIC, host James Shotwell connects with fast-rising artist manager Jan Powers to discuss the current music industry and what it takes for a young band to quote/unquote ‘make it.’ Jan has built his career from the ground up and now spends his time helping others to do the same. Whether you’re interested in management or wondering if a manager could help your career, this is one episode you should not miss!
The music hear in this episode of INSIDE MUSIC is provided by Before The Streetlights. Learn more about their unique brand of pop punk by picking up Westward through Antique Records.
You may already know this, but ‘Inside Music’ is now available on iTunes! Click here to subscribe.
If you’re anything like me, you probably started the day by recognizing that the start of a new work week had indeed arrived and then immediately began shaking your fists at the sky in anger. Monday is rarely anyone’s favorite day, and from what I have seen firsthand it feels safe to say it’s the one day of the week some people outright hate. I guess to them the arrival of the work week symbolizes the end of their quote/unquote freedom, and as a result they head into the office/factory/restaurant/store with a negative outlook already on their mind. This leads to bad attitudes, which only makes the experience of being at work worse, and for some reason it also seems to make time slow to a crawl. We’re not about that life, and we hope this post can do the same you that the song contained within it did for us.
I spent the last week traveling from the coast of New England to the heart of the midwest and back again, all while packed in a tiny rental car with my fiancé and our two overweight cats. It was the kind of travel situation you might expect to find in a holiday road trip comedy, with people and animals fighting to be comfortable around a growing pile of luggage, snacks, phone chargers, and empty bags of greasy fast-food. We have made a similar trip every year for the last four years, but for whatever reason the 14-hour drive (each way) has only grown more frustrating in time. I initially thought this was due to the fact that upstate New York is a rather boring place to look at, which is inarguably true, but on our return journey this past weekend I realized that my inability to deal with the length of the journey might also have something to do with my age.
28 is a lot closer to 30 than anyone who is 28 would like to believe, and it comes with a new world view that challenges things you have accepted as absolute truths up to this point in life. In the time since my last birthday I have had several panic attacks over my role in life, both from a professional and personal standpoint, as well as a near constant state of anxiety over what the future may hold. I have had to come to terms with the fact I am moving further and further away from the target market of the genre(s) and bands that first got me interested in music, as well as how that evolution has impacted the things I do within my role as a music professional. I can remember a time when Warped Tour was what my summer revolved around, but now I groan at the idea of spending another 100+ degree day standing in an overcrowded amphitheater parking lot to watch bands perform what typically amounts to a 25-minute greatest hits set. I also used to go to basement shows, but anytime I see them advertised now I (somewhat ridiculously) believe the audience such events draw would probably look at me as if I were a chauffeur for someone younger. These thoughts are frustrating for someone who has dedicated their life to alternative music, but they are thoughts anyone in this scene will face as the grow older.
While I have yet to fully understand where I am destined to go from this point in life, I have learned to cherish the alternative scene in a way I never could before, especially when it comes to discovering new talent. What brings me peace in these often hectic times is knowing there are young artists and professionals who are breaking their backs to ensure the fun and communal aspects of alternative music continue to exist. If there is one thing I want for my children, as well as any future music fan, it’s the ability to know and experience the carefree state of mind that comes with connecting to alternative music. Be it through headphones or a crowded venue, there is a spirit found within alternative music that makes it easier for people to reveal their true selves to the world around them, and sometimes I worry that as my generation begins to age that aspect of the scene will be lost.
ROAM, a pop punk band hailing from the UK, are one of the driving forces behind my faith in the future of alternative music. Their sound is born from a deep love of mid-2000s punk, as well as a desire to leave their own mark on a world of music they themselves would be lost without. They understand that music is bigger than themselves, and while they write from their perspective there is an inviting aspect to their material that welcomes all walks of life in need of motivation to face another day. When ROAM plays, you feel their desire to succeed with every strum of a guitar and every line sung (or in some cases, screamed). You become lost in their sound, remembering the way you felt the first time you heard punk music, and you’re overcome with the desire to somehow make that sensation last forever.
In January, ROAM will release their debut full-length LP for Hopeless Records. We at Haulix were fortunate enough to receive an advance stream of the record, which is titled Backbone (out 1/22), near the beginning of December. I cannot tell you how many times the album has played on repeat since it first hit our inbox, but suffice to say it is easily the most streamed release of the last four weeks by a wide margin. Our company is comprised of people on the verge of 30 and 40, but when Backbone plays we are collectively pulled back to those awkward teen years spent doing everything we could to discover who we were meant to become. The album speaks to the desire to be the best version of yourself, as well as the struggles one faces when trying to break away from the person others have always thought them to be. ROAM appreciate how hard bettering yourself can be, and they have created a soundtrack to promote self-realization that carries a punk edge so infectious that I personally believe no one will be able to resist its charm.
I may still be months or even years away from fully understanding my role in alternative music as an older person, but as long as bands like ROAM exist I can live knowing the type of music that made me dedicate my life to this business is still being created. More importantly, it’s being made in such a way that it draws in an untold number of new music fans, each of whom will contribute to the diversity and community found within alternative music in ways that cannot even begin to predict. As far as I am concerned, ROAM is the sound of the future, and the future sounds great. Knowing this, I am able to stop worrying so much about the state of alternative music and focus instead on helping others navigate this crazy business. That is what I am here to do, and thanks to ROAM I have a soundtrack to motivate me day in and day out. They can be a soundtrack for you as well, if you give them a chance.
James Shotwell is the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. He is also a professional entertainment critic, covering both film and music, as well as the co-founder of Antique Records. Feel free to tell him you love or hate the article above by connecting with him on Twitter. Bonus points if you introduce yourself by sharing your favorite Simpsons character.
The idealized version of being a young band on the rise in America is becoming more and more of a myth with each passing day. The market for talent is more crowded than ever, and the number of venues looking to take a chance on a low-to-no level band just starting to cut their teeth in the business is at its lowest point in recent memory. Music has always been a buyer’s market, but these days you don’t even have to be an actual consumer to set the rules for engagement. There will always been an artist willing to play for less, and there will always be people willing to give away their music, but the number of artists and groups who actually establish themselves by doing everything for free is pretty low. Like, so low you probably can’t think of more than 10 artists you enjoy who made their career that way. A free release or two, sure, but somewhere along the line they had to start making a living through their art before a label or management company would pay attention. That’s just the way things work in the music business. You have to be, for better or worse, a business.
With all this in mind, it’s easy to understand how an artists starting out in 2015 or 2016 may be completely lost on how to establish themselves in the world of music. Anyone can upload a song online and anyone can email blogs with links to said content, but the likelihood of breaking through the vast array of wannabes and never-gonna-bes that exist today through strictly promoting online is again, very low. You have to follow the saying about rolling up your sleeves and doing, day I write it, actual work. You have to build your career one step at a time, just like the vast majority of musicians big and small who have ever existed throughout all recorded time. You have to start small and dream big, striving daily to make your reality more closely resemble the future you envision for yourself.
Claiming to know the right way to establish yourself is easy enough, especially when using vague words and tired motivational phrasing, but proving your knowledge is far more difficult. No one at Haulix has been in a band or musical project that ever made an impact on the world at large, but we do know a few people who have, so we’ve turned to them for additional insight. Joey Genovese, vocalist for Maine based pop punk group Friday Night Lites, was kind enough to write something for our readers on the topic of establishing yourself that we feel really puts into focus the elements of marketing that matter most. You can enjoy his thoughts below.
Theres a certain reality in becoming an established band. Where do you want to be established? Some establish themselves heavy in their hometown. Starting off strong as a cover group. Then trying their hand with originals. Unless you’re Our Last Night, doing both can be stressful and damn near impossible to succeed in. But if you start from the bottom, write your own material, and keep a level, humble mind. You can succeed. You don’t necessarily need to be “the next big thing.” Rather, focus on what you do know, as the future is just so flooded with unknown(s), in this industry. Who’s ears you may land on, and what may come of that. Fight for a chance in the spotlight. Love what you do and how you do it. If luck is on your side and the hard work pays off, then there’s a future in this. With luck you can “skyrocket” onto the scene. Making waves in a huge pond, isn’t easy. But, there’s a chance. There’s also the "slow steady climb" method. That may seem more of a reality for most.
With the ever so crowded & growing Internet and social media outlets being mobbed with bands that also want their chance. How do you stand out? Get original material that speaks to people. You have to stand out. My guitarist Matt and I have been writing music for almost a decade together. It’s work. We put in the hardest of work. You have to. We didn’t even have a band for a long time. But we kept creating. The Internet and social media is full of thousands and thousands of bands. Where does it end? It doesn’t. Kids are brilliant these days.
Gigs/promoters aren’t paying some “nobody” tons of money to be on their bill. So you have the classic “you have to spend money, to make money” business model knocking hard and loud on your door. Requiring you to travel down wherever and whenever, as much as you can, to bust your asses to impress the hell out of promoters and potential “authentic” new fans. This will cost you. But that’s where you decide, where’s your commitment? How much sacrifice do you have in you?
Being in a small band is HUGE! You have to start somewhere. With all the small bands out there, there’s gonna be some amazing acts breaking out into the scene. It’s important to get your local scene up and running and as much alive as you can. Hit the streets post up fliers go to local shows that I have bigger acts. And to talk to the local kids. A small band in your town could be the next BIG thing!
If you’re anything like me, you probably started the day by recognizing that the start of a new work week had indeed arrived and then immediately began shaking your fists at the sky in anger. Monday is rarely anyone’s favorite day, and from what I have seen firsthand it feels safe to say it’s the one day of the week some people outright hate. I guess to them the arrival of the work week symbolizes the end of their quote/unquote freedom, and as a result they head into the office/factory/restaurant/store with a negative outlook already on their mind. This leads to bad attitudes, which only makes the experience of being at work worse, and for some reason it also seems to make time slow to a crawl. We’re not about that life, and we hope this post can do the same you that the song contained within it did for us.
One surefire way to know you’re beginning to grow older is when you realize you no longer relate to the vast majority of pop punk music the way you once did. If you were never that devoted to the genre I guess it’s entirely possible that such moments never have nor will happen to you, but I am confident there is some genre you connect with youth that you will struggle to feel close to at some point in the future. The point is, with age comes change, and when you are old enough to grasp the fact the themes of the genre(s) you love rarely evolve it can take some time to find a place within that scene that you still feel welcomed.
(This is/was the last anthem of my young love affair with pop punk)
For me, the breaking point came immediately after college. The Wonder Years had just released The Upsides during my final semester, and that record had quickly become the soundtrack to my journey out of adolescence. The real world was just around the corner, and when I found myself wondering what kind of future there may be for a college grad with a degree in Music Business who lived in West Michigan I felt a shiver of terror flow through my body. Graduation came and went, followed by months of applications being sent all over the industry, and by the fall I was taking a job at my local Hot Topic thanks almost entirely to the fact I knew a manager at another nearby store (his band needed coverage online and I, as it just so happens, had a music blog). It was literally as close to the ‘music business’ as I could get, and I quickly began to panic over whether or not I had steered my life in an very wrong direction.
Music had been my safe place up to that point, and to be more specific it was within the pop punk scene that I felt the most comfortable. There is a sense of community in pop punk that has existed since day one, and it’s in celebrating the things we can accomplish through our bonds with one another that has lead to many timeless songs being created. The aesthetic of the genre, to me, has always been something like a battle cry for making life whatever you want it to be. There is definitely talk of smaller details, like relationships, high school, and pizza, but at the end of the day the biggest pop punk artists tend to be those who talk about grabbing life by the proverbial horns and taking control.
The problem is, most those life lessons end right around the time the storytellers (aka songwriters) reach or outgrow the average age of a college student. We can debate the reasons for this, as the possibilities are as numerous as the number of bands with members in this age range, but more often than not it seems to be that it’s in that window between the late teen years and early twenties that most musicians start to become less connected to the lives their listeners lead. There will always be bands working day jobs just so they can keep their music dreams alive, but the biggest artists of the genre tend to become full time bands whose day to day struggles and experiences are very different than those who must face life as a college graduate with little to no clear paths to a career in their desired field. To cope with this, most artists turn their focus to life events, such as relationships and dealing with death, and the results are often quite good. However, they are not the same as the artist’s earlier material.
I’m not saying artists who pivot their lyrical focus are bad or in any way making a wrong turn. All I’m saying is at that point in my life, when I was scraping pennies together to pay rent for an apartment I didn’t care for in a city I wanted to leave, I could not find a band or record that spoke to me the way so many artists had just a year prior while I was still knee-deep in my studies. There were no anthems for the educated and unemployed, or at least none being created by the artists who had guided me up to that point, and I began to drift away from the genre I had spent the better part of the previous decade promoting at every opportunity.
As time passed I found new artists to love and I realized that my relationship with pop punk wasn’t over, but rather that it had simply begun to evolve. All my punk heroes raised me to believe it was on me to create a future for myself, so in time I was able to seek out artists that spoke to me in a way that I felt related to my post-college life experiences and I embraced them with open arms. Some of the music came from musicians in a similar position who were never able to make full time band life work, but most of it came from artists who chose to avoid college altogether. These artists didn’t celebrate their lack of higher education, but rather let fans know that just because college is where most aspire to be after high school it is not the only option available. They saw life as a veritable smorgasbord of opportunity, and they encouraged people to follow their hearts, but not without warning them that heartache may ensure.
I still struggle to find more than three or four pop punk releases a year that speak to me and the way I see the world today, but recently I came across one album that immediately soared into my favorite releases of the year. It comes from Handguns, a band with a history of telling life as it is, and the titled is Disenchanted. The record and band perfectly fit the description I gave in the preceding paragraph about artists who chose to avoid college altogether and face the struggles of adulthood head-on. This album focuses on the challenges those choices present, as well as the things in this world that are weighing on the band members. It’s a record made out of frustration, but also one made out of the understanding that few things in this life are actually within our control. The best you can hope to do is be yourself to the fullest extent possible.
This is not Handguns’ first album. They actually have two previous full length releases, as well as a few EPs chock full of basement show ready punk anthems. Each record the band has made has explored where the members were at in their lives when they entered the studio, and as a result fans of the band have been able to follow the group’s evolution both in music and in life since their inception. Disenchanted is the first of these releases to speak about life after you’ve begun to settle into your twenties, and it’s written with a near perfect balance of wit and angst that keeps you coming back again and again. You know the band has things they want to address, but they don’t allow making a good point about the way most people lead their lives get in the way of delivering infectious pop punk with massive genre appeal. Handguns, like all good adults, understand that perhaps the best way to incite meaningful change is by engaging people in a way that is assertive without being aggressive. You want to inspire change, not force it, and on Disenchanted Handguns find a way to do just that.
I wish I could tell you exactly why it was Disenchanted of all the pop punk albums released this year to grab me by the collar from track one, but the closest I have come to forming an explanation is realizing that I myself have struggled with my own frustrations about life and the world around me as of late. It can be incredibly hard to believe you can inspire change in the world, especially as just one person on a planet of billions. but when you listen to Disenchanted you realize you are never really alone. You may be on your own course in life, filled with twists and turns known only to you, but the desire to create something better for yourself and those you love is something felt by everyone at one point or another. When you listen to Disenchanted you are inspired to seek out like-minded individuals, perhaps even at a Handguns concert, and do something to create the world you want to see. It may be something big or it may be something that only impacts a select number of people, but size isn’t really what matters in these situations. What really matters is that you try, as often as possible, to make the world a better place.
James Shotwell is the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. He is also a professional entertainment critic, covering both film and music, as well as the co-founder of Antique Records. Feel free to tell him you love or hate the article above by connecting with him on Twitter. Bonus points if you introduce yourself by sharing your favorite Simpsons character.
Here at Haulix, we pride ourselves on knowing a lot about life in the music industry. We could discuss piracy, promotion, distribution, and publicity from sunrise until sunset, but the one thing we never claim to fully understand is life in this business as seen from the artist’s perspective. Everyone on staff plays music in their free time, but none of us have reached the kind of professional standing as an artist needed to advise others on the realities of the business. For that, we turn to those musicians currently on the road today, and we hope by doing so we can present a more complete view of the current music business.
Trophy Lungs are a fast-rising punk band from Boston. They have found a lot of success in and around New England, but they have yet to rise to the point of national recognition. We think their debut album, Day Jobs, may change that fact when it arrives later this month, and recently frontman Kevin Bogart was nice enough to shed the light on how they survive the countless hours and miles spent traveling from show to show this time of year. You can find the advice he has to share below.
I always get super pumped when we book any kind of tour in the fall. It’s honestly my favorite time of the year and having the chance to head out with my best friends and see how different parts of the country change with the seasons is always exciting. There’s definitely a few things that I always force myself to remember to pack, hitting the road toward the end of the year can get a little dicey if you’re not ready for it.
It may sound lame but I’ve found some of the most important things to bring out are anything that’s going to help prevent you from getting sick. Drastically changing weather mixed with a lot of whiskey and no sleep is a perfect cocktail that’ll make you feel like your dying. This past tour I developed a routine of Emergen-C, Excedrin, Vitamin D, and a boat load of water every morning. After that and a cup of coffee I’d feel like a million dollars and ready for the next show.
The thing about fall is it’s usually beautiful during the day but then crazy cold at night. When you’re a smaller touring punk band, chances are you’re not staying at warm comfy hotels. You’re staying in punk houses who don’t want to pay for heat and aren’t always loaded with blankets. Bringing a warm sleeping bag on tour is essential. There’s nothing worse than waking up freezing on a hardwood floor and reaching for your hoodie to lay across your legs like a blanket. Lastly and most importantly, bring as many pairs of socks as you possibly can. It’s getting colder and with that comes rain and maybe even snow. Wet socks could possibly be the worst feeling of all time and you don’t always get the chance to do laundry when you’re on tour. Nobody in the van wants to smell that, especially for two weeks straight.
We know it would take far too long to highlight every client’s new release each week, so we’re going to choose a few select titles each week that we feel everyone should support. These are albums we will be buying ourselves, and we hope at the very least you give them a proper spin before deciding to purchase something else. James may write the column, but everyone at Haulix will have a say in who gets chosen.
When I first discovered punk music I thought I had finally found my true home. The house I shared with my parents and our pets was nice, and I knew I would always be welcomed there, but the punk community allowed me the opportunity to fully express myself in a place where I felt free from criticism and backlash. I could be anyone I wanted to be as long as whoever I became was not an asshole or someone who made it their mission to tear others down, and in my opinion those rules were easy to follow.
As my involvement in my local music scene began to develop, I found myself believing more and more that it was my responsibility to ensure the punk community that first embraced me continued to thrive so future generations could find a similar safe place for self-expression. The older I get the more I realize it was around that same time I dedicated my life to music. I don’t know that I ever felt like my own person until I was a part of the music community, but I knew as soon as I felt like I could be anyone or anything I wanted that I needed to share that sense of freedom with everyone I was able. This was the motivation behind my desire to start promoting shows while still in high school, which lead to promoting record labels and hosting a radio show in college. From there, I launched a music blog and eventually a record label of my own, all because I wanted to ensure there was some semblance of the music community I loved still around when my kids were old enough to discover alternative music.
Then something started to change within me, and it continues to evolve to this day. Around the time I hit 26 I began to realize I had spent a decade in a scene built on the false promise of eternal youth. While I toiled away trying to make the artists I cared about into major stars my peers began settling into reliable careers, getting married, having kids, and generally going through the motions of become ‘normal adults.’ I felt as young as ever, but the face staring back at me in the mirror spoke of many miles journeyed and many late nights without sleep. While others had sacrificed whatever selfish desires they had in lieu of more common lifestyles, I had forged ahead with a passion for cultivating a friendly community of creative minds, and I believed it was my mission to do so as long as I was able.
What I didn’t admit to myself at that time, but now know all too well, is that no one man is an army. I wanted to be a savior for a scene that didn’t need saving, or at least not saving in the way I thought was necessary. I thought if I stopped caring about punk or the punk community that it would somehow disappear. As if the decades of community and culture that existed before I discovered punk was somehow not enough to sustain if I were not also active in the scene. The truth is, and forever shall continue to be, that I am just one cog in very large machine. I have a role to play in the continued celebration of punk culture, just like you, but there is no need for me to feel as if it will live or die by my actions alone. There are literally thousands of people carrying the torch for the punk community, including one young band who are so good I no longer worry about whether or not young people will find a community of acceptance like the one I once knew. They’re called Neck Deep, and today their new album Life’s Not Out To Get You arrives in stores.
I won’t go into all the reasons Life’s Not Out To Get You is a special release because there are countless reviews circulating online that will provide you with that information. What I will say, and this is not something I often express, is that Neck Deep are the latest torch carrying heroes of pop punk. Like The Wonder Years or Blink-182 before them, Neck Deep have found a way to connect with an entire new generation of music fans around the globe through honest and direct lyricism that cuts through the bullshit of everyday life and examines the true human experience. They write about life, love, loss, and their hometown, which like every hometown is a place beginning to be left, and people hang on every line as if its red-lettered text from the Bible. To some, maybe it is.
When I first heard of Neck Deep I expected them to be like every other pop punk band that has risen to prominence in recent years, which is to say I thought they would be good, but not necessarily all the memorable. Life’s Not Out To Get You proves they are more than that however, and in fact the album makes a strong argument for the group to be claimed the young kinds of the modern pop punk scene. I don’t necessarily relate to every line they utter, but I don’t know that I’m supposed to at this point in my life. There is an aesthetic to the punk community I will always connect with, but that doesn’t mean I will forever relate to talk of break ups and wanting to find something more than whatever you’ve known in life. I’ve been places, seen things, and lived through experiences I will probably never hear mirrored in song, but that doesn’t mean I won’t connect with music ever again. Whenever I hear someone being truly themselves I feel inspired to do the same, and as far as I am concerned there are few, if any, bands in pop punk right now as authentic or infectious as Neck Deep.
James Shotwell is the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. He is also a professional entertainment critic, covering both film and music, as well as the co-founder of Antique Records. Feel free to tell him you love or hate the article above by connecting with him onTwitter. Bonus points if you introduce yourself by sharing your favorite Simpsons character.
