Voice & Verse Podcast

On Episode 028, Matt from Vertical Horizon calls in for a great chat. As the frontman and chief songwriter of Vertical Horizon, Matt penned some of the biggest hits of the late ’90s and early ’00s including “Everything You Want” (which eventually hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100) and “You’re A God.” Scannell […]

We’re back with another look at an album celebrating its tenth anniversary: The Everglow by Mae. Released on March 29, 2005, The Everglow marked Mae’s second release for Tooth & Nail – and an album that to this day remains their most beloved. The Everglow is a rare concept album that doesn’t collapse under its […]

On Episode 026, I sit down with Sam Hollander, an Emmy-nominated producer/songwriter who was one of the true architects of the late ’00s emo/pop-punk scene. Boys Like Girls’ “The Great Escape”? Yeah, that’s Sam. Cobra Starship’s “Snakes on a Plane (Bring It)”? Also Sam. Along with his longtime writing partner, Dave Katz (the two dubbed […]

For our first show of the new year, we’re heading back to 2005 to chronicle Motion City Soundtrack’s breakthrough album, Commit This To Memory. Released on June 7, 2005, the Mark Hoppus-produced album served as Motion City Soundtrack’s coming-out party and established them as one of the strongest acts in the burgeoning pop-punk/emo music scene […]

This week, I’m joined by Kevin Devine, an indie-rock singer-songwriter from Brooklyn, New York. Since the early 2000s, Devine has been making some of the most forward-thinking (and thoughtful) songs in the folk rock genre, drawing on political unrest and personal heartache alike to create songs that are often beautiful but never boring. He’s also […]

This week, I sit down with Emmy-nominated songwriter Andrew McMahon to chat about his new project, Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness. In high school, McMahon and friends formed Something Corporate, a piano-pop group that would go on to be at the forefront of the early 2000s pop-punk/emo scenes and release two albums for major label […]

As you might be able to tell from the retro photo above, we’re traveling back to 2004 to explore the origins of Straylight Run’s self-titled debut album with the help of frontman, guitarist and pianist John Nolan. After leaving Taking Back Sunday in 2003 amidst a sea of controversy, Nolan formed Straylight Run with fellow […]

Graham Colton’s seen it all in the business: In college, he developed a fervent grassroots fanbase (aided by the advent of file-sharing), and soon was plucked from pubs and coffeehouses by Counting Crows’ Adam Duritz, who’d go on to serve as one of his two musical mentors. From there, Colton formed the aptly named Graham […]

With hits like “Inside Out,” “Promise,” and “Here’s To the Night” under his belt, Max Collins helped pen iconic alt-rock staples that live on to this day. In addition to fronting Eve 6, the band he formed in high school with a pair of childhood friends that would go on to enjoy gold- and platinum-selling […]

Joining me this week is Nick Thompson, frontman of pop-punk bands Hit The Lights and Thief Club. Known for a buoyant sound that incorporates elements of hardcore along with a tried-and-true pop-punk bite, Hit The Lights have been a scene staple since forming back in 2003 in Ohio. The group released two albums for Triple […]

If you’re like me, your first introduction to John Feldmann’s work came in the classic Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater videogame, which featured Goldfinger’s ska classic “Superman.” That might have been much of the mainstream’s introduction to Feldmann’s musical skills, but he’s followed it up in a huge way ever since. In addition to fronting Goldfinger, […]

Throughout his long and accomplished career, Ace Enders has put his musical mark on many projects, including Drive Thru Records emo favorites The Early November and the folky side project I Can Make a Mess. He’s also an accomplished producer and songwriter, helming projects for the likes of Aaron West & the Roaring Twenties, a […]

From the opening cries of “Are you listening?” on “Walls,” the first track on 2004’s The Weak’s End, Emery have been a staple in the post-hardcore scene. The Seattle-by-way-of-South-Carolina quintet have released several acclaimed albums since breaking onto the scene back in 2004, including The Question and We Do What We Want. These days, they’re […]

We’re changing things up this week; instead of your regularly scheduled songwriter interview, I sat down with label owner, music blogger and band manager Zack Zarrillo to chat about our favorite songs of 2014 so far — along with some hot-button issues. We delve into the practice of cowriting, whether bands should be scorned for […]

This week, we’re firing up the time machine to head back to 2004 in order to chronicle Underoath’s game-changing album They’re Only Chasing Safety. The album is still to this day heralded as a landmark release in the metalcore genre thanks to its blend of muscle and melody — provided by frontman Spencer Chamberlain and […]