My First Band Podcast

JP Harris is less than a year removed from putting out his third full-length solo record, Sometimes Dogs Bark At Nothing. On top of releasing outstanding records, the established Nashville country music staple tours relentlessly. Oh, and he might have the most interesting backstory of all-time. Born in Alabama, Harris moved to Las Vegas in adolescence (where he discovered music and started a punk band) before leaving home at 14 years of age to move to Oakland. From there, he spent some time at an Arizona desert commune, rode the rails and hitchhiked throughout the nation, and finally wound up settling in a remote cabin without electricity or running water in Vermont. It was there that he learned to play banjo and fell in love with traditional Appalachian string music. That set the stage for his Flat Iron String Band and, later, Harris' solo project. Back in June, during one of the tireless musician's many tours, Harris invited My First Band host Tyler Maas into his to van to talk about his path from Sin City

Brett Newski has been called the "loudest acoustic act ever," and that might not be an overstatement. Since embarking on his solo project in his late 20s, the tireless troubadour has earned a reputation as one of Wisconsin's — if not one of the Midwest's — hardest-working musicians. That wouldapproach has given Newski the opportunity to tour internationally on numerous occasions and play shows in massive venues with internationally known acts like the Pixies, Violent Femmes, Barenaked Ladies,  Manchester Orchestra, New Pornographers, Better Than Ezra and countless others. Along the way, he's also endured his fair share of hardships during his "crusty adventures," including having his equipment stolen, enduring some super sketchy shows, and falling ill in Asia. Through the highs and lows, he's stayed positive and he's managed to make a living solely as a touring musician. During one of his rare spells of relative inactivity, Newski met up with My First Band host Tyler Maas at Milwaukee Record headquarters. The

This week's guest is Sean Tillmann. You probably know him much better as Har Mar Superstar. The Minneapolis music legend has made a name for himself throughout the Midwest — and far beyond — with his entertaining and ever-changing material. He's written songs with mainstream pop stars. He's made cameos in films like Whip It and Pitch Perfect, on TV shows like Broad City, and he currently leads the "Skeleton Crew" on Netflix's Mystery Science Theater 3000. Last year, he also found the time to start a great new project called Heart Bones. Before any of that, though, Tillmann was a kid growing up in the small town of Owatonna, Minnesota with an insatiable passion for music. Prior to his performance at last month's PrideFest Milwaukee festivities, Tillmann was kind enough to invite My First Band host Tyler Maas to join him in his car for an interview about his musical beginnings. There, Tillmann talked about winning the coveted "Ole Of The Day Award" from Taco John's, his upbringing in a musical family, renting V

If you've watched Dashboard Confessional at any point in the past 17 years, you've surely seen Scott Schoenbeck. Though the bassist has traveled the world and shared the stage with some of the planet's biggest bands as a supporting member of Chris Carrabba's popular project, Schoenbeck has been involved with a few other notable acts long before he joined up with Dashboard. A few weeks before Dashboard Confessional's headlining set at Summerfest, Schoenbeck stopped by Milwaukee Record headquarters to tell host Tyler Maas about starting out in a Waukesha-based band called Cleveland Bound Death Sentence in the late '80s, before finding some success with Alligator Gun in the '90s, and latching on with Pele and The Promising Ring thereafter. They also talked about his current work in projects like Rx Drugs and Mini Meltdowns, and the events that led to him become part of Dashboard Confessional. My First Band is sponsored by Boulevard Brewing and Rushmor Records. The show is edited by Jared Blohm. You can listen to

Before GGOOLLDD formed and made its rapid ascent to Midwestern music supremacy, members of Milwaukee's — and now Baton Rouge, Louisiana's — premier party-pop project had significantly different artistic aspirations. During the band's return to Milwaukee prior to their June 28 headlining set at Summerfest, singer Margaret Butler and bassist Nick Ziemann met up with host Tyler Maas at Milwaukee Record headquarters to talk about the group's unlikely start as a one-off Halloween party act that turned into much, much more. As they took down a few Boulevard beers apiece, the trio talked about Ziemann's obsession with guitar as a home-schooled kid in Northeast Wisconsin, which he put to use in Number One Fan — a band that played shows with Maas' high school group and signed a deal with a Universal Records subsidiary — as well as The Wildbirds and Hugh Bob & The Hustle. At that same time, Butler was living in a trailer in Louisiana and teaching herself to play guitar (in exactly the wrong way) by listening to Dea

You probably recognize the bass lines of Cedric LeMoyne in songs by Alanis Morissette and Gnarls Barkley. You might be aware of his work with his new band, Milwaukee’s own Rose of the West. However, LeMoyne’s first band also wasn’t too shabby. Remy Zero — a group he started with friends when he was a teenager living in Alabama — was signed by a major label, dropped by said label, scooped up by another major, relocated to Los Angeles and put on tours with the likes of Radiohead, Travis and many more mainstream music heavyhitters while they waited their turn for rock and roll superstardom. That turn ultimately never came, but along the way, Remy Zero wrote the theme for Smallville, had a song on the Garden State soundtrack, toured the world and collected a ton of amazing stories. Following a session with Morissette and prior to what has the makings of a busy summer for Rose of the West, LeMoyne stopped by Milwaukee Record headquarters to tell host Tyler Maas about his uncommon and incredible experience with his

Chicago punk-rock legend Brendan Kelly is probably best known for his work with The Lawrence Arms, his previous output in Slapstick and The Broadways, and the hilariously bleak things he tweets as his “Nihilist Arby’s” internet alter ego. Additionally, Kelly bolsters his sterling musical reputation with The Falcon and the misunderstood masterpiece that is his Brendan Kelly and The Wandering Birds solo endeavor. While you likely know and possibly love at least one of those bands, you almost certainly have no awareness of Kelly's preceding projects like Vegetable Train, J.P.B and Gladhand. Kelly recently met My First Band host Tyler Maas in the back room at Gman Tavern in Chicago, where the two talked about the prominent punk rocker's modern-day material, writing songs like "Nuts, Nuts, We Want Nuts" as a grade schooler, playing his first shows in high school, the unexpected rise (and rapid fall) of Slapstick, making kids cry tears of disappointment in The Broadways, and The Lawrence Arms' slow build over the c

Before he made a name for himself in roots and Americana music as the front man and primary songwriter of a band that bears his name, Joseph Huber was a punk kid living in the country. While growing up on the outskirts of New London, Wisconsin, the mohawked Huber learned how to play guitar on an Ibanez before spending much of his high school years playing in The Inserts and writing regrettable songs in The Rogues. After moving to Milwaukee for college, Huber hit it off with Jayke Orvis and the rest was history. Prior to leaving for a West Coast tour and shortly before the release of his forthcoming album, Moondog, Huber joined host Tyler Maas at Milwaukee Record headquarters and told him about his formative shows in northeast Wisconsin, regretting some of his early songwriting decisions, teaching himself banjo in exactly the wrong way and how .357 String Band formed and subsequently took the Milwaukee music scene by storm. My First Band is sponsored by Boulevard Brewing and is edited by Jared Blohm. You can l

Over the course of the band's 30-plus-year existence, Samiam has done it all. Since starting out on Gilman Street in the late '80s, the legendary punk band has released eight influential albums and a mess of excellent EPs. They've toured extensively, played all over the world, spent time on a major label and shared the stage with some of the planet's biggest bands. Though the band has experienced some lineup changes and members have become involved in lots of other bands along the way, Samiam is still going strong. Earlier this month, when Samiam came to The Back Room @ Colectivo to play its first Milwaukee show in more than 15 years, four members of the band spoke to My First Band host Tyler Maas. While opener Off With Their Heads prepared to play and folks filed into the venue, Sergie Loobkov, Sean Kennerly, Chad Darby and Jason Beebout allowed Maas to come backstage, where they told him about all the projects that came before (and after) this artistic endeavor, the start of Samiam, the interesting way Darb

If you live in or around Wisconsin and you like punk and garage rock, you're probably familiar with Mary Joy's work in Fox Face. The Dirtnap Records band has toured Europe, played SXSW and has rightfully earned a spot as one of Milwaukee music's heavy-hitters. On top of her work in that project, Joy also plays bass in Saebra & Carlyle and she just started a new band called Witch Bolt. Oh yeah, and she's also an invaluable figure in the Ladies Rock Milwaukee organization. Prior to Riverwest FemFest, which features all three of her bands, Joy came to Milwaukee Record headquarters to discuss the importance of the festival before talking about growing up as a ska kid in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. After taking in some of her first shows at Mission Coffee House, Joy formed a high school band called Nobody's Housewife before (briefly) moving to New Orleans for college and almost instantly being displaced by Hurricane Katrina. She wound up in Milwaukee, playing in bands like International Datelines, Pussy Collecto

Though the members have all been involved in a variety of projects through the years, Bad Cop/Bad Cop seems like a case of the right band with the right people happening at the right time in life. The Fat Wreck Chords foursome just finished headlining a European tour and they're currently wrapping up a U.S. and Canada jaunt before heading back to California to continue their quest for world domination one great album at a time. Before Bad Cop/Bad Cop's recent concert at X-Ray Arcade in Cudahy, two of the band's members invited My First Band host Tyler Maas up to the club's green room to discuss everything that preceded this project. While their tourmates in War On Women finished up their soundcheck, Jennie Cotterill and Stacey Dee — both singers and guitarists — talked about what led them to their eventual decisions to take up music. Cotterill talked about growing up in the Midwest before moving to California after high school and eventually pursuing a career in art that's included work on Parks & Recreat

In the roughly year-and-a-half span since her project, Sincere Engineer, released Rhombithian — the band’s debut album — on Red Scare Industries, Deanna Belos has earned heaps of attention and praise from music publications and punk audiences alike. Along the way, the Chicago singer-songwriter got the opportunity to open for notable acts, tour the country, play some huge festivals in Montreal and Florida, and hit the road with her idols in The Lawrence Arms. Belos recently met up with My First Band host Tyler Maas at a room he'd reserved at a public library in Elmwood Park, Illinois. There, they discussed their shared love of Norm Macdonald, and Deanna talked about Sincere Engineer's exciting 2018, teaching herself Alkaline Trio and Lawrence Arms songs as a teenager in suburban Chicago, her soon-to-be-released beer, and how giving a stranger a ride unknowingly started a chain of events that led to a record deal. Along the way, there were lots of fun deviations and the repeated realization they were doing this

Few have heard of Josh Caterer's first band — Speedstick — but after a name change and a swap of drummers, that band, now The Smoking Popes, quickly made a name for themselves in the early '90s Chicago punk scene. The Smoking Popes toured relentlessly, signed to Capitol Records and even appeared on the Clueless soundtrack. The band would break up in 1998 after four studio albums but reunited in 2005 and have put out an additional four albums, including 2018's "Into the Agony." Caterer recently invited My First Band host Tyler Maas into his on-the-market home in Elmwood Park, Illinois, just outside of Chicago. The 47-year-old front man, who is also a worship pastor at a nearby church, updated fans on his current projects before discussing coming up in a musical family along with his two bandmate brothers, discovering punk rock thanks to his cousin's record collection and learning that his ability to hear a song and almost immediately play it on guitar was unique. Caterer also discussed the benefits and pitfall

Before Nick Woods was the singer, guitarist and founding member of Direct Hit! and the co-owner of X-Ray Arcade, the punk rock front man and all-ages venue owner/operator was a suburban kid with an insatiable passion for music. The journey that started with taking violin lessons from his mother as a child led to learning guitar in adolescence, starting bands as a teen and touring the country to play music during his college breaks. Woods recently welcomed My First Band host Tyler Maas to X-Ray Arcade to talk about the new business, the influence his guitar teacher had on him, playing in a nu metal cover band, discovering punk rock, learning how to book cross-country tours, his decision to eventually take the lead in a group and how Direct Hit! went from being a jokey side project to a pop-punk sensation on the Fat Wreck Chords roster. My First Band is sponsored by Boulevard Brewing and is edited by Jared Blohm. You can listen to My First Band on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify and wherever else you get podcasts. Mu

Even though this is technically the seventh My First Band episode, this was the first interview recorded for the show ... by a long shot. Last October, host Tyler Maas asked Restorations if any members wanted to be interviewed for the yet-unnamed show when the band came to Cactus Club in Milwaukee to play in support of their recently released masterpiece, LP5000. Despite the whole "podcast not actually existing" thing, two members of the Philadelphia rock outfit graciously agreed to sit down to talk about some of their early work. Restorations bassist Dan Zimmerman and guitarist/keyboardist Ben Pierce met Maas in the venue's green room before their show last year. There, Zimmerman talked about growing up in small-town Pennsylvania and Pierce discussed starting out in New Jersey before both were brought to Philadelphia to be part of a number of bands in the city's vibrant D.I.Y. music scene. Along the way, the bandmates mentioned early shows in churches and skating rinks, they reminisced about CD-R demos, and

You might know Amos Pitsch as the singer of Tenement, a Northeastern Wisconsin punk band that garnered national acclaim after releasing the 2015 double-album masterpiece, Predatory Headlights. Maybe you know him as a member of Dusk, an up-and-coming Fox Cities project that's quickly making a name for itself in the Midwest (and beyond) on the heels of last year's self-titled debut full-length. However, you probably don't know Pitsch from his time in Obvious Man Hands, Social Classics, The Waffles or any of his other early musical endeavors. Pitsch recently welcomed My First Band host Tyler Maas into his Crutch Of Memory Studios to talk about making Predatory Headlights in a dilapidated home without running water, the formation of Dusk, and how he'll always be chasing the feeling he got from playing drums in a band with his cousins when he was in grade school. They discussed Appleton's burgeoning music scene, and they spent some time reminiscing as well. Coincidentally, Maas' one and only band actually played s

Before he was the front man, bandleader and namesake of a Los Angeles-based project on the Merge Records roster, Mike Krol was a Wauwatosa teen who loved ska. Recently, while in Milwaukee to play a homecoming show in support of his latest/greatest album, Power Chords, Krol met up with My First Band host Tyler Maas to talk about his very early musical endeavors. In a studio space that was kindly offered to them by WMSE, Krol openly talked about his "checkered past" in suburban ska projects like Spazmatics and The Reactants, recording a demo at UW-Oshkosh, playing shows in churches, his short-lived Saved By The Bell tribute band called The Lark Voorhies, and the impetus of his solo venture (which he almost named "World Denominators"). Before setting out on the European leg of the Power Chords tour, Krol also sent us a few Reactants songs to play at the end of the episode, including a never-before-heard demo about his high school teacher's hairstyle. My First Band is sponsored by Boulevard Brewing and PrideFest

Jackson Bradford might have the most interesting job in music. The Milwaukee native spends at least half of each year wearing a cop costume and short-shorts while sporting a mustache as part of his lovable “heel with a switch” character that Masked Intruder fans know as “Officer Bradford.” The pop-punk villain’s unique line of work has taken him to Europe, Asia, Australia, and much of North America. Currently, Bradford's punk rock patrol is taking him all around the country, as Masked Intruder is on a tour in support of their new album, III. Before he hit the road (and prior to Masked Intruder's April 2 show at Turner Hall), Officer Bradford met up with My First Band host Tyler Maas to discuss his charity calendar and all of the ... more conventional bands that came before he landed his unique role in Masked Intruder. Bradford talked about his Masked Intruder origin, then got into his time in unheralded suburban Milwaukee acts like Mindframe and Leafrust before being tabbed as the original bassist for Direct

Though you probably know Kyle Kinane as a comedian, actor and "the voice of Comedy Central," the prolific stand-up first took the stage in a musical capacity. That's right! Before earning a reputation as one of the funniest comedians working today, Kinane was the guitarist for an Addison, Illinois-based pop-punk band called The Grand Marquis. Even though the band hasn't played since the early 2000s, Kinane — a proud punk rock aficionado to this day — still looks back fondly on his stint in the band. Last week, during a run of shows at Comedy On State, Kinane met up with host Tyler Maas to discuss his path to music. He talked about what it was like seeing Screeching Weasel for the first time in his early teens, his decision to pick up a guitar, when he realized comedy was a better artistic pursuit for him and what it was like to tour with The Falcon and Arms Aloft. Thankfully, the conversation also took tons of hilarious tangents along the way. Plus, Tyler tried (and absolutely failed) to make a joke about jam

Another week, another prolific percussionist who got his start in Grafton, Wisconsin. This time around, we had the pleasure of speaking with Dan Didier. The drummer (and current keyboard/synth player in Dramatic Lovers) is best known for his work in The Promise Ring. Before his tenure in the legendary emo outfit and the subsequent Maritime, Didier cut his teeth in unknown projects like Proud, Peace Loving Anarchists and an especially short-lived band called Dog. At least he thinks it was called Dog. Over the course of the conversation, Didier tells host Tyler Maas about his mother signing him up for drum lessons as a child in an effort to combat is anxiousness, learning the ins and outs of touring in his high school band Ceilishrine, hosting a college radio show with Eric Szmanda of CSI, and the experience in Europe recording what he knew would be the final Promise Ring album. Along the way, Didier talks about being in bands with people who’d go on to play in Braid and Arcade Fire, and Maas makes a bunch of d