My Mom's Basement - EPISODE 442 - THE STARTING LINE/WINONA FIGHTER

Episode Date: July 18, 2025

Robbie is joined by Kenny from The Starting Line and Winona Fighter in this interview edition of the show! The Starting Line are releasing their first album in 18 years titled 'Eternal Youth' on September 26th and Winona Fighter are releasing the deluxe edition of their debut album 'My Apologies To The Chef' on September 5th! ****************************************   My Mom's Basement is a weekly podcast hosted by Robbie Fox, started in March 2019, to discuss movies, music, comic books, wrestling, mixed martial arts, and more with his friends and idols alike!   Subscribe on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/my-moms-basement/id1457255205 Follow Robbie on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thatrobbiefox Follow Robbie on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RobbieBarstool My Mom's Basement Merchandise: https://store.barstoolsports.com/collections/my-moms-basementYou can find every episode of this show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube. Prime Members can listen ad-free on Amazon Music. For more, visit barstool.link/mymomsbasement

Hey My Mom's Basement listeners, you can find our episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube, and Prime members can listen ad-free on Amazon Music. Hello and welcome to My Mom's Basement presented by Barstool Sports. It is Robbie Fox coming at you with an interview episode today, and specifically a pop punk interview episode. I've got Kenny from The Starting Line kicking things off, and then we'll throw it over to an interview with a new band, one of my favorite new bands, Winona Fighter. They've got the deluxe edition of their album about to drop. Kenny from the starting line is here to talk about the first starting line album in 18 years. Very exciting stuff. I can't wait to hear the new material from both bands and hopefully I'll have you uh discovering someone new today. I don't know, maybe you're a starting line and Winona Fighter fan already but if not you'll learn a little bit about each band. Also look out for my interview with CM Punk and Rhea Ripley coming to the pod feed on

Monday and of course, our Fantastic Four review will be out next week. We also put out a good nerd news show last night, so check that out if you missed it. But without further ado, let's get into this interview with Kenny from the Starting Line and right afterwards, it'll throw over to an interview with Winona Fighter. All right, welcome back to My Mom's Basement, ladies and gentlemen. It is Robbie Fox, and I am here with Kenny from the starting line, someone I've been a fan of for a really long time, and we're here to talk Eternal Youth, the first album from the starting line in 18 years, which is pretty crazy, coming out in September.

How do you decide, let's start right there, EP versus LP? I know there's been some EPs in between. What makes you come to the conclusion, all right, it's time to do another Starting Line album? I was ready to just retire into 7 inches. I was ready to do just a series of 7 inches for the rest of our career. And we were sort of making a transition with management. And so when we were talking to new people who may fill that position, we got to talking

with a guy who is our now current manager. And on our first phone call, I was sort of laying out this plan. I was just like, I don't think that people are interested in a full length from us because my logic was I'm not interested in full lengths from other bands that are of our era nine out of 10 times. I mean, that's a general statement that there's definitely exceptions that blow my expectations out of the water. But in general, even the bands that I find really popular are kind of disappointing me with their new records that come out versus the things that I became attached to and became a fan of. So that was, I think, a lingering phobia of me embracing the idea of doing another full

length. I also thought we went out, you know, pitching a perfect game. So I didn't want to then come back with a half-assed attempt or something half-cocked. So I was talking to our guy about this and he just, you know, he would listen to me ramble on and I was like, I just want to make seven inches now and I just want to be punk. And then there's lower bar to get over. We can make it in a short amount of time. We can make a lot of them.

We can do it whenever we want. It's not a big preparation thing. The turnover would be pretty quick. And then we can sort of feed this fire with some kindling every once in a while. That was my logic. And he was just kind of sat back and said, you could do that. And I think you should do that. But if you want people to really pay attention to your band, I think that a full length is the best way to do that. And I sort of just reiterated, I don't think that people are going to care the way they used to. And he said, I just think that that's an insecurity thing.

And that one sentence, I just think it's an insecurity thing just pushed a button in my head where I just wanted to prove him and myself wrong that I'm not insecure about the music that I make. And then I'm at the top of my game now. And really to be able to come into an album process with a fresh perspective is a real gift.

And having the experience under our belts and still being the same unit that we came up as, I think, is something to behold and something for us to cherish and not steer away from the expectations or the possibilities of what could happen. I think it was just best to have that mentality that we're confident in what we do and there's a reason that people are still showing up to see us play.

Absolutely, yeah. And we shouldn't just become a band that rests on the laurels of albums that we put out in the past. We should be fearless about making music. Yeah, I mean, I'm not blowing smoke. As a starting line fan myself, I'm very interested in a full length from the starting line at this point. And even when you just say it's the first starting line

album in 18 years, I feel like heads perk up and it's like, oh, what, what's going on here? We gotta check this out. Yeah, and then, so now after this one, I'm always gonna have that. It's like, well, now we just put one out, so now it's gonna, you one, I'm always gonna have that A couple years after this as well. Yeah Four will like be that you know enough of an anticipation will be like what's happening with these guys? And then maybe the excitement will build again

Unless I really on the follow-up do a one-two punch and yeah out of the park double album use your illusion style do a one-two punch and get out of the park. Double album, use your illusion style. It could happen. So do you think about that phobia when you're in the studio? Obviously when you have a band like yourself who put out such iconic albums, I mean the debut album is as iconic as it comes, how do you balance pushing forward the sound that you want to write with now and satisfying the people that will forever associate that sound with your band?

with now and satisfying the people that will forever associate that sound with your band? I think that the key to that is approaching it with the same spirit that you made the first record. And that was easy because we had all this time to reset and there was really no preconceived notion of what should happen now. And we have a refreshed sense of inspiration now as a band. We've had an accumulation of influences over the years. And then also things that we listened to back in 99 through 2002, those records that stood the test of time now were a real great source of inspiration because that helped us

Identify what it is about this music that still keeps us in it in a creative satisfaction point of view and I think just running on that kind of adrenaline and momentum and not second-guessing things and not having a perspective of trying to predict what fans will think of it. I think it's really just about trusting gut instincts. Yeah. What were some of those albums that you were referring to there that you kind of look back

to inspiration for here. I think big ones were Shape of Punk to Come by Refused, Jersey's Best Dancers by Lifetime, Floral Green by Title Fight. Those were kind of, I think, a big triangle and face to face big choice, stuff like that. You know, all this stuff that came out generally mid 90s. Lifetime and face to face I embraced right away, but Refused was one that was a tough pill for me to swallow when I first heard that record. I didn't think the drums sounded good at all.

I thought they sounded too dry and weird and I didn't like his scream. I thought it was like kind of thin and only in the past maybe three or four years did I really start combing through the lyrics of that record and then I'm now picking up on how perfectly worded even the things I'm thinking about as far as a tug of war between, you know, commercial success and creative satisfaction. Like, that record puts that feeling worded so perfectly, I think. Yeah. And then what was the, like, general vibe of making this album or are you? Recording this with a new producer an old producer that you've worked with in the past

Well, what was the vibe in the studio kind of both? We've never made a record with will yet before but we've known him for ages we actually Started to work with him before we even knew it. He recorded our live record some someone's Gonna Miss Us in 2007. And we didn't realize that he was the one that recorded it. He was there behind the board recording it and all this time. It was him and then he went on to make these legendary records that speak for themselves. But he lives very close to me and his studio four is about 15 minutes from my house.

Oh, beautiful. Yeah, so it was just, it was sort of in the stars that we should have been doing it. We did a seven inch back in 2016 with him and that experience was so great that when the opportunity came to make the record, I was lobbying really hard. And are you bringing song ideas that you've had for, say, 18 years to them?

Or is it like, let's create a new record now, let's write? Yeah, we had to create a new record. I'm not the type that has a backlog. You don't have things stored away. A vault. If they don't reach the recording studio within the five years that it's written, it usually gets forgotten about in the cracks, unless it's something really good. I mean, I guess a couple of the songs had existed for quite some time, maybe five years or so. But I was kind of bullshitting when they were like yeah we

could get into the studio in September do you have songs and yeah I'll have songs I'll have them by then yeah that's like eight months away yeah so I did start to employ even in the prior year when I was making a vacationer record, this approach of just trying to get a song done a month. And for vacationer, that was pretty good because there's a lot of components that were going into it and it was very methodical and thought out. And punk music is way more instant gratification. You know, I don't wanna say formula,

but the components that go into it are just, it's simple. It's more like a puzzle. Just click things into place. Yeah. I mean, at least with the record that I was setting out to make, like Lifetime, Jersey's Best Dancers and you know, Floral Green and stuff like that, they don't rely on production tricks or anything besides just like these four corners of just like drums, bass, guitar, vocals. And

when you just approach it like that versus like this like you know hybrid organic electronic music that I was making that was very layered and nuanced and you know sample based stuff like that. This was a real welcome, simplistic change of the game for me, because it's a music that I do know and love. I've never stopped listening to punk rock and now it's become a little bit more clear what I want to get out of our music when I write it. So it becomes a little bit easier in a way

Do you have any songwriting tropes or pet peeves that you try to avoid when you're in the studio like that? Consciously come to mind when you're writing. Yeah, I have some hard rules one is no woes Never a woe never a woe never a woe never never every now and then a whoa is Justified not not in my van But that's the thing is like I do do ohs and I do do whoo

Okay, it's like and possibly an ah what about a nah no wait enough. Yeah, it's even worse than a whoa Yeah, so yeah, we do like it's a misdemeanor and Nas are felony Yeah, we're not so it's just it's lazy it's like we can't think of or maybe you can think of words, but that's like We can't think of or maybe you can think of words, but that's like You know get up kids were talking about this band that they came up with I won't name names But they were talking about them and they're a bit popular and they came of the same era and we were backstage talking about them And they're like oh yeah that band had chased in the hit And that's what like Nas and woes are for me. It's like you're just chasing the hit because you are sort of

insulting the intelligence of your listeners. Does the rest of the band know this hard rule or has there ever been a moment where someone's like What if we threw in a woe there and you're like fuck no. I'm sure that they've heard me say it enough that at least consciously or subconsciously they probably just roll their eyes. Consciously or subconsciously there they probably just roll their eyes. Yeah the hundredth time I've said it Is there anything else like theme wise or lyric wise that you stay away from? Not really anything that makes it into the lyrics is just usually what's on my mind at the time And it has to just be something that's substantial and significant to my life at that point in time enough for it to warrant life at that point in time enough for it to warrant subject matter that is actually meaningful. Yeah and then as a bass player myself I gotta ask about the

playing bass and singing at the same time thing. Oh nightmare. It's something that no matter how much practice I've tried to do and I don't really have a good voice I just basically just trying to do Nas. See I can't do it though it's like it's easy that's I always say that it's that yeah Yeah, I'm the head if you do Nas in the rhythm of the bass playing then I know The Nas not always in the rhythm of the bass playing did you pick that up quickly with did it take you a long time? To figure out how to do that. I'm still yeah, it's still a struggle and it's a lot. It's also thankless because I Realize it, but probably most people in the crowd are.

Yeah, respect. Yeah. I'd say to the to the general viewing 99.9% of people. Yeah, they don't realize the work that I'm doing up there to stay in the pocket. They probably just think it's a good like a good like, oh, I see singers playing guitar all the time. Totally. It's a completely different beast. I think more akin to being a drummer in terms of the fundamentals of it. So I just rehearse a lot, a lot, a lot. And I do. Still to this day. Oh, yeah.

There's just on my own a lot of homework that I do. For a vacationer, it's really tough, because I try to incorporate a lot of homework that I do. For vacationer it's really tough because I try to incorporate a lot more finesse with those bass lines. Punk rock is awesome. I don't think I'd be able to do it in many other genres, but punk rock is probably the most forgiving as far as being a bass player and a singer. I don't know how like Geddy Lee did it. That seemed pretty. And sometimes he would be playing keys with his feet.

I never saw that, wow. Which is like keys with his feet, bass with his hands, singing at the same time, hitting high notes. It's crazy. Did you have like an inspiration that made you wanna do this? Or was it out of necessity that you were playing bass

and singing at the same time? Kind of both. I really just wanted to be a bass player. OK. And I always kind of just got dragged into being the singer because I could do it. Great voice. Yeah. Thank you. I I still joke with my band that I just want to be the bass player. We got to find a new guy. That would be that would be unreal if the starting line took the stage in 2025

and everyone's like, who the fuck is that singer? Is he hurt? Is his throat? This has always been the plan. We've always been looking. It's just nerve-racking for him. Who are your favorite bass players? Do you have favorites? I do. Nick, do you have like childhood favorites that made you want to play bass? Funny enough. It was Les Claypool. Okay, because I think bass? Funny enough it was Les Claypool. Okay. Because I think I just he was the most prominent. Yeah. At the time. I don't even really love that style of bass playing but I still kind of fuck with Primus though and a guilty pleasure sort of way. It shouldn't be guilty but I do listen to it out of enjoyment. They're a

decent guilty pleasure I would say. It's kooky. Yeah. So him yeah and also Mike Durnt was awesome. One of my favorites ever. Yeah Matt and Scott from Face to Face were awesome. That band was really instrumental in my approach to bass playing and pop punk in general because it was kind of just four chord structure but the bass would always just take off. Especially in just certain places and certain fills and hinges of the song. I still listen to those records and I'm like, it's just flying over that thing.

And I know this is a really nerdy question, so all the viewers out there who don't care about this, please excuse me, but as far as bass tone goes. Oh, here we go. What do you search for in a bass tone, both when you're in the studio and when you're playing live? I like for, it kind of depends actually on what music you're making,

but for this band. Yeah, for the starting line. I like something to sound almost in between the tone of Take Off Your Pants and Converge, All We Love We Leave Behind. So yeah, those are two very different records. One's very punchy and yes One is almost like takeoff almost sounds like a piano Almost like it's very string every single instrument on that record sounds incredible. I'm obsessed with Jerry Finn's production We really actually nerded out quite a bit about Finn's production and he was able to I don't want to give away too many of the secrets, but he was able to split signals in a way from the guitars that was very

useful and kind of a hack and for us it was great. It's just a way to layer one track in a lot of ways that makes it sound a lot wider and more textured. So yeah, I love that clean, sort of bright, new string kind of sound, but I also rarely change my strings. So I'll have one bass with dead ass strings that have been on there for a year and a half and then one that have been on there for a week so I can have the option.

And then yeah, that convergedged tone Nate has this like just Growling say a little more grungy, right? Oh, yeah, it's just the perfect Driven to it. Yeah, but it has that like You know when they try to like scoop the bass in the EQ, but oftentimes it's just like a Hair too much scoop like he just brings it back So that there's a little bit more bottom to it But with that grime of the overdrive full scoop the full scoop tone. That's what we're looking for Yeah

That's I just got like my first like little pedal board thing because I was like it would kind of be cool to have my bass Sound good and not just like dead strings. Oh, yeah, so now I'm trying to figure out the tone and stuff. So bass sound good and not just like dead strings. Oh yeah. So now I'm trying to figure out the tone and stuff. So that was a selfish question for me to ask where I could improve basically. I could talk about that all day. Hopefully people are still listening. And going back to the early days of the starting line, you guys have obviously toured with

like a who's who of the entire scene. Who were the first bands that you became really tight with from touring? Definitely, well I gotta shout out RX Bandits because they took us on our first full US ever, not really even knowing us at all. And they were so sweet in a mentor, elder band type of way. They'd been on the label for quite some time before us. And I'm sure that we were not their first cup of tea choice for an opening band musically.

You know, they were showing me, they would steal me into their van and have me smoke weed with them and play me Black Sabbath and Hell and Mates Estate. And that really was so memorable for me because it felt like this acceptance into the fold. They didn't have to be like that. I've met a lot of bands that are not that way,

so I always have to give them a shout out for how welcoming they were into the touring life and it just sticks in my memory forever. Of course, Newfound Glory, they were really helpful taking us on some of our first biggest shows. Also Good Charlotte were very nice to us in the beginning. They took us to Japan. And also we would play shows with them in Delaware

before they were the Good Charlotte juggernaut that we know today. And they were always so kind. That's awesome. And then is it true that the band got together because of basically like an AOL mass email chain that you responded to No, it wasn't it's on Wikipedia, and I didn't I didn't ever hear you tell that story No, I think that it's sort of the story of this is kind of snowballed into that you know something

That's a not quite right. It's was really just what's that's not quite right. It was really just what's was on AOL. And in AOL, you can kind of you could search people's profiles. And I don't know if I had, you know, bass player or singer musician necessarily in my profile. But I do remember just any space that I had, I just listed punk bands that I liked. So other people could maybe find, you know, similar fans, yeah. It was even to just like find like chat rooms and stuff. I was just trying to find like new bands.

That was a lot of what I was using AOL for at the time. And then randomly I just got cold called with an email one day from Matt Watts saying, hey, I'm putting together this punk band in the area. Would you know anyone that would want to just, I think, just sing? He didn't need a bass player. There was a guy who was a friend of ours

that actually became our guitar tech for us for a long time that was playing bass that first practice. And I just showed up. Oh, no, no, I'm sorry. Then I responded saying, yeah, like I'm interested. I want to play in a few bands, but one of them is playing the skate park. It's in Ivy land. Is that close to you? And he said, yeah, that's like five minutes from my house. So that weekend, I played that show, Matt Watts and maybe Mike and Sean, the guy that was playing bass that first practice, they showed up, saw my band. He was like, yeah, I like it. I like your voice. Let's get together. And then got together for one practice. Mike, our guitar player, was actually playing drums

that first practice. Yeah. It was like a musical chairs almost. It was. Yeah. And it went really well. I remember they gave me a demo tape of some sort of riffs they were working on.

I was like, this is leaps and bounds kind of ahead of the stuff that I'm writing and the other peers that I'm trying to get into bands with. So I was really excited. The first jam went really well. Then I got a call from him a few days later saying, hey, the guy Ryan that was playing guitar for us, he quit music, so Mike is gonna play guitar. How old are you at this point?

I'm 14. It's funny to be 14 be like I'm quitting music Yeah, oh, he was like he's a little older that guy was like maybe yeah like Yeah, that was the dynamic with my first middle school band I was like four years younger than all of them yeah made for very awkward like I would show up to Our drummer that wound up being like my best friend the first day ever met him We showed up to rehearse him for the band and we all got out of the car And he went whose little brother is this I was like fuck this guy, and then it wound up being like my best friend

Which is funny? Gotta have this you guys might be one of the only bands still together that got together via a well It could gotta be a scarce group at this point a well bands I'd say get in touch with Guinness because that sounds like a record to me And then as far as shows do you have one that stands? Above the rest and then one that stands below the rest you have a best and worst starting line show that come to mind Oh God The best one I

Don't know if there is a best one necessarily. I guess that was nice when we played Skate and Surf and it was pretty much the last of the shows before we were taking our break and the future of us was uncertain. And we were doing this thing where we would, at the stop of Best in Me, we would walk off the stage and just let the crowd sing it,

and then just be gone from the stage while the crowd is still singing. But when we tried doing it at that show, we got like mobbed by the Four Year Strong guys and a bunch of other bands, and they just like pulled us back onto the stage and like everybody sang it together. So that was a nice moment. And the worst show, the one that sticks out to me was

South by Southwest, 2005. And it was the kind of deal where it's not even part of South by Southwest. It's like, yeah, South by Southwest was happening, but this is not, we can't say that we're part of it. Yeah, and it was the lineup was Hawthorne Heights Fallout boy us and I have in that order so you're headlining Technically yeah And Boy did everybody leave no And I'm talking

And it was packed That wasn't a great feeling yeah, we had that once we played which was it was Barstool's own event We also did a pizza fest because our boss is the whole pizza thing yeah And they booked Teddy swims to open up for our cover band Oh, yeah, and Teddy swims went and tore the house down. People were like, holy shit, what a voice. Sing like a bird, yeah, come on. And then afterwards, we were literally, we were playing covers to nobody,

and the stage ends are like, you gotta get off stage. And they just started unplugging our stuff. Mid-song, just unplugging. And it's tough, but yeah, I guess that's what happens. Fall Out Boy, Teddy Swims, that's. You gotta take your lumps. Yeah, yeah, take your lumps where you get them. Yeah.

How did you find out that Taylor Swift name checked you in her song? Word had gotten around to us pretty quick once... Yeah. I think it was one of the state champ guys that actually leaked it. Really? On Twitter somehow before any of us knew. But yeah, I'd say like 48 hours before. Before it dropped?

Yeah, before it dropped we had heard a leak. Other than obviously like her name checking you, did anything else crazy come of that? Not really. Not as crazy as like one would think. I'm just thinking like someone reaching out that you would never thought of or something like that. No, nothing really.

Well, besides just everyone that I know. Everyone that you know never thought of or something like that. No, no, no Well besides just everyone everyone that I know ever holy shit with the high school with you for a day was like Oh my god, I got old real quick. You're like, yeah heard it People are like even I am just sort of Almost forgetting that it happened It's like enough of a flash in the pan that it's not Defining us. Yeah, but it was. Yeah It's like enough of a flash in the pan that it's not defining us. Yeah, but it was nice It's nice. I mean it was I feel like every Few months with this band and with this life in general something happens where I'm just like Holy shit. Yeah, and that's so cool when stuff like that happens

So I have to take it as a people. People still care that they're still like, let's fucking, Taylor Swift was in the studio being like, let me shout out the starting line. Like, that's fucking cool. Yeah, this life just never ceases to amaze me. Um, I have some rapid fire questions for you. Um, just first band or artist that comes to mind, strongest vocal performance you've ever seen live?

Ooh, that's a great question. Oh, man. Strongest vocal performance I've ever seen live. Mmm, mmm, mmm. This is like breaking my brain. I gotta come up with someone good. So, this is an unlikely one,

but I think the first time That I saw LCD sound system. Oh, yeah, and and it's The thing with him and his vocals is he's like a chameleon every song It's like sometimes it's just like cupping the mics like almost screaming punk rock Yeah, and then sometimes it's this like deep like new order baritone kind of vibrato vampire thing. And then other times it's just like crazy falsetto. But every time it's perfect. Yeah. And it's also he uses one of those like flat.

Is it like the vocoder or something? I don't know it's like one of those like flat like sennheiser mics that you see Maybe it doesn't but the first time I saw him I swear to God he was using one of those flat put it on the guitar amp funniest musician you've ever met funniest musician I think Oh man. Anyone from your band? Oh, Schmutz is definitely the funniest. Well, he and I can just...

Well, also Tom is very funny. And our sound guy is very funny. We just have a funny we got a funny crew. Craziest crowd you've ever been in or seen live. Ooh, these are good. Going back to all my shows here. Probably Glassjaw, because I've seen them the most in my young age, like this far as braving the pit.

And there were some, they got hairy a couple of times. Yeah, ever get injuries to yourself in a pit? Only at a Midtown show way long ago, I got punched in the head. Oh yeah, classic. So. Tightest band you've ever seen live? Ooh, these are all so good.

I think. Tightest band I've ever seen live, geez. Primus. I've never seen Primus live, funny enough. It might be fire theft. Really? Yeah, I mean, that one was just really great. I really like that band. It was like the band after Sunday real estate I remember the drummer had the plexiglass thing

Oh, yeah, which for like a band in the punk scene to bust that out I don't care about how this sounds and it sounded some prog shit. Yeah Yeah, and then your bucket list dream concert. This could be any band alive or dead that you would like to see Live that you haven't yeah, how many bands do I get on the bill? Let's say three. Tidal Fight, Fugazi Lifetime. Wow, that's a good three, pretty instant too. Oh yeah, I'll be just flying off.

I'll come out of Mosh retirement for that. And then I mentioned, I'm a big Oasis fan, and Noel Gallagher once said he summed up everything he ever wanted to say in life with three songs he said rock and roll star cigarettes and alcohol and live forever and after that he's just repeating himself with different phrases and different meanings so if you had to select three songs that you've written that sum up everything you've ever wanted to say which three would you pick that I've written yeah three well I Sense of Humor has to be in there

because it's the most recent, so it's probably the most lucid kind of statement of- Where you are now. Exactly, yeah. It's actually a pretty good one to sum up how I'm- It's a great song. Oh, thank you. Appreciate it.

So probably that one, Are You Alone, I think is a good one. That's a good peer into my psyche. And another one, Ready? Three good picks. Thank you. Yeah, I'm very excited for the album. Seriously, can't wait. And obviously, headlining tour as well.

You'll be on tour all summer? We will, yeah. It's picking up in about a month, so please come find us. Absolutely. Go check out the tour dates and obviously Eternal Youth out September 26th. Hello and welcome back to My Mom's Basement, ladies and gentlemen. It is Robbie Fox and I am here with Winona Fighter, one of my favorite new bands, I would say truly.

I have been listening to you guys nonstop this year on constant rotation and honestly the live shows, the videos that I'm seeing from the live shows and even the posts that I'm seeing all over like pop punk or Reddit are saying you're one of the best live shows going today. So thank you for coming in, I appreciate it. And how you guys doing?

Yeah, thanks for having us. Yeah, doing good. Doing good, tired. I know you guys have been on tour for a while, huh? This is a long tour. Yeah, we started back in February And then we had like from March until May some time off and then we've been just going at it since the beginning of May But we're on the last leg now. So we're getting there. Does it feel like the homestretch now finally? Yeah, actually it does, yeah.

We do this thing where we play like 12 shows in 14 days. And so it is kind of crazy, yeah. I was gonna talk about that actually. How do you maintain your voice through that? I know right now I'm a little, I am a little hoarse. I think it's because I'm like the big horse right there. Could we get a zoom out?

Yeah. Because it's been so fucking hot lately. Yeah. Like our first show for this final leg was Rally on Tuesday? And it was so hot immediately, I was just like, well, this is just how it's gonna be for the next couple weeks. But yeah, I mean, just warmups and proper,

taking care of myself. And tea and stuff like that. Yeah, I got this big tea right here. Yeah, tea and honey. I mean, tea and honey is such a great start. Do you ever have to use the spray on stage, like the throat coat stuff? Yeah, I should bring it on stage.

That'd be a good idea. Yeah, I do use it though. Like everything you could possibly do to maintain vocal health, I am doing 1,000%. Because Winona Fighter songs don't sound like they're easy to sing. No. It's a lot of energy.

It's a lot of energy, and it's also like a lot of hard singing parts, and then on top of the hard singing parts, there's also like screaming parts too. So it's it's a balance for sure. But I just pretend that I can do it all and then it just kind of happens. Fake it till you make it? And then there's all the bullying in between that you do for the crowd. Yeah, and that really gets me going.

Every time I bully someone in the audience, I gain a little extra like strength in my... Two XP points back. Yeah. I want to hear more about the bullying. What is the audience, I gain a little extra strength in my... Two XP points back. Yeah. I wanna hear more about the bullying. What does the audience bullying entail? It's just like, if you're just standing there... Just fucking move. Why?

Yeah. Do you know where you are? Especially if you could see them from the stage. Like if you're in the front couple rows and the singer could see that you're standing there, you gotta start moving. Yeah, and sometimes people will like, they love to be called out. They'll be like, yeah, hey, that's me. It's almost like people that go to a stand-up show wanting to get echoed or wanting to get crowd worked or whatever. Yeah.

I love getting into the origin stories of all the bands and artists that I bring in here. So what is the Winona Fighter origin story? How did you guys get together? Craigslist. of all the bands and artists that I bring in here. So what is the Winona Fighter origin story? How did you guys get together? Craigslist. Craigslist, really? You bet, baby. We both, Chloe and I answered an ad for somebody else's band, Chloe for drums, me for guitar, and we had the first rehearsal in my apartment,

and I think within the first five minutes, Chloe and I headed off and and realized this band stunk. So we were like, let's get out of here and do our own thing. But you were answering to be the drummer of that band. Yeah. It's so fine. The starting line in here yesterday and almost like the exact same story, but instead of Craigslist, it was AOL. But like all auditioning to be different members of the band kind of on musical chairs thing.

Yeah. Yeah, we're young and fun. So yeah, it was it was pretty crazy. And then I am so Dan and I like started playing together. I mean, almost what almost a decade ago, and just grinding it out and feeling out what worked, what didn't work, and especially like in Nashville, such a country town. And we were just going to Honky Tonks and playing these rock and roll sets and just hoping that we didn't make people too angry. And then I lived in LA for a little bit and that's where I met Austin.

Austin was working with my sister and I was out there for songwriting. You wanted to start writing more and so she connected us. And he was like just also like a killer bass player. You were playing in bands as well at this time? Yeah, I was like a hard gun bass player in LA. So I met Chloe's sister. I was playing for an artist named Rachel Platten. Oh yeah. For that fight song. This is my fight song.

Big time. Yeah. I'm a UFC UFC fan girls walk out to them all the time Swear to God And then I actually I played bass for Sabrina carpenter for like three years oh shit really yeah, that's unreal Yeah, it was it was awesome, man We got to like travel all around and open for like Ariana Grande Wow That's crazy Yeah, it was awesome, man. We got to travel all around and open for Ariana Grande. Wow. And Japan twice. That's crazy. It was crazy.

So I was doing my hired gun thing, and then I was really trying to get more into producing and songwriting. And it was kind of a weird gatekeep-y thing, where you can't really cross over. If you're in the hired gun scene, and you're like, hey, do you want to write a song with the artist or whatever? It's like no, it's like the water

That's your table player said before they kicked him out of the band. I have a song idea. Yeah so and so I was just like trying to get more into that scene and stuff and I mean, I think it has its own scene to the songwriting scene versus like just the hired player scene But and so I've been closed like yell right with you know, like, oh, sweet, let's do it. And then, you know, it was LA. So it took like three months for us to get a rights. And then and then, yeah, we just like hit it off. Yeah. And then we started like I started writing stuff for the band with him.

But he was obviously doing other projects and stuff, a hot commodity. And then we all ended up back in Nashville. I mean, Dan and I continued to play together through this whole time. I would go back and forth to Nashville and then we all ended up there. And then as soon as Austin's schedule freed up, we poached him. Yeah. When did Winona Fighter become like the label you slapped on this band? Was it like before Austin was in the band or was it? We, when was it?

When was that? 2022? Yeah, right before we released our Father Figure EP. Yeah. We, yeah, slapped. And who came up with the name? The name's so good. So good. I did.

Do you think Winona knows? Have you heard? We haven't heard. We haven't heard. We're trying to though. Yeah. Yeah. Is the dream like her in a music video?

Honestly, yeah. That would be amazing. Yeah. That's the goal. Yeah. Favorite Winona Ryder role or movie? Heathers. Love Heathers.

I love Heathers. I'm expecting that's a good pick. I'm gonna say Girl Interrupted. Great one. Damn. I'm in on a scope, one damn I'm an honest go stranger things. Yeah stranger things We went we went without going a Beetlejuice or Edwards scissor hands there Yeah, and and I Edward scissors scissors Can you believe I sing on stage for an hour and a half?

I can't even talk. Edward Scissorhands is like a very close second for me, I would say. Yeah, yeah. When you guys were together just making music for the past 10 years, was it a similar vibe to the Winona Fighter sound? I would say it started like a little more indie rock,

and then I think it just naturally found its way. Like maybe it took three years of us playing live together. Because we would like play live and we would put on like the same show we put on, which is this ridiculous energy filled show. Yeah. Because I do think that it was like, not that the music was like soft necessarily,

but it was like, that the music was like soft necessarily, but it was like Um, yeah, not as harsh, but then the live show would be the exact Opposite would be really intense And I think we were realizing that that's kind of where the strength was of like let's pivot a little bit more towards that Because that's what we want to do. Anyway, just kind of be ourselves and it seems to work out I remember going to see you guys because I wasn't in the band yet and I went and saw you I mean I saw you guys several times and I really think It like you like the drummer that you guys have for a while like I feel like was like in it

But not maybe fully in it And so like I didn't think he like he could bring all the energy that this that the that you wanted really and and so maybe there's just like some players that were like, I don't know, maybe it was like maybe the bass player. Maybe we needed the bass player. What I'm so so anyways, but yeah, I think it was an evolution. Yeah. Yeah. And then like now, who do you feel that you guys take inspiration from?

Like the album you put out, the debut album is so friggin good Who are your song rating inspirations on that? That's a good question I think we took from a lot of different from newer bands like turnstile and yeah And I mean they're not like a new band, but just kind of bands that are flourishing right now So like turnstile I'm a really big Mannequin Pussy fan to like The Offspring and Foo Fighters and even like we took some Limp Bizkit inspiration for guitar tones and stuff.

Yeah. I'm a big like Queens of the Stone Age fan as far as like tones and stuff like that. I mean, you Fall Out Boy I feel like for like lyrical and like, sort of that sort of stuff. And no love songs, right? I read an interview with you where you said that's like a rule, steadfast rule. It's not a rule, I just try to like,

I like to challenge myself to write about more than that. Yeah. I don't know. I feel like you can really get stuck in this cycle of love song, breakup song, love song, breakup song. Does it feel easy as a songwriter to just do that? Yeah, definitely. Yeah, and I just want us, I think people who come

to our shows, they're having this like huge emotional response when they're there. So it's great to like have songs that are about all different types of walks of life and like situations you've been through besides just that one douche bag that one time, you know? And then what song has the Limp Bizkit guitar tones? Do you remember?

I don't, I mean, I feel like, maybe Are You Famous a little bit? I mean, they have some pretty varied like guitar tones, I would say, but. Wes Borland's the man. I know, man. He's got some crazy parts. That whole honestly, like people will shit on Limp Bizkit.

They rock. Yeah, they really do. Limp Bizkit does rock. John Otto and an unreal drummer. Oh yeah, yeah. I mean, I love Limp Bizkit. I rock. Yeah, they really do. Limp Bizkit does rock. John Otto and an unreal drummer. Oh yeah, yeah. I mean, I love Limp Bizkit, I'm not afraid to say it. And that friend Durst is a cutie. There'll be no Limp Bizkit's plan there here, yeah.

And when you guys were getting together as a band, the first couple tours that you went on, do you have any horror stories? I love the spinal tap, show's gone wrong stories. I mean, yeah, I suppose, But there's been even just like us sitting like, okay, yeah, the venue's got an apartment for you guys to stay at right after the show. Like, oh, amazing. A free place to stay. And they're like, yeah, is it going to fit everybody? Yeah, for sure. No problem.

We get up there, there's like a couch for like all of us. And so it's like, I've took, I've got like the cushion on the ground. I'm sleeping the couch with no cushions. And I'm a stomach sleeper, although I'm trying to sleep on my back now, but I was a stomach sleeper. And so like my feet were like behind me like this. I was going to say you guys have a really good New York story of when I wasn't in the band yet. Washington Square Park. Did you guys play in Washington Square Park? No, I didn't. I was in the band.

I was in say you guys have a really good New York story of when I wasn't in the band yet Washington Square Park Do you guys played in? The weirdest thing I've ever seen in my whole life. We were walking through the park just like to a bar or something and You like walked through Washington Square Park and it it was like these two kind of like dominatrix gals with like They were like holding this guy, kind of looked like he was from Mad Max,

and they were filming something. And I remember we were like having like a regular conversation, walked past that, and we're like, oh, that was kind of weird. Yeah. They were holding the guy because he was like three feet tall, right? Yeah, it was interesting.

Yeah, that's New York. The city. The city. And honestly, that's Washington Square Park. Dressing a baby. Yeah, you go to Washington Square Park you'll run into that What about the best Winona fighter show ever is there one that springs to mind that's like one above the rest For me and you Y'all's might be different, but I the first one that comes to my mind is the very first festival we did

Was Bonnaroo. And we did a set in the campground area in a barn at noon on the very first day. You're like the first band of the whole. You're like kicking it off. Yeah. It was fucking, and we were at a point, and we still feel like we're at this point

where we're like, is anyone gonna show, like does anyone know who we are? I mean honestly that was a ritual for awesome and I like every festival back I hope I was gonna work out. Yeah, it's like peeking out there like oh, there's like ten people on the barricade right now Yeah, like okay. Yeah, I mean this will be fun though, right? Yeah, and then and then we go out like 15 minutes later completely, so I mean it was like I think that was our first moment of like okay it's working it's working yeah singing your songs back to you yeah yeah yeah would you agree Banaru? I do think there are some festivals that we've played where I think it's just a shock factor where, I don't know what happens, but Riot Fest was really,

really great. Yeah, that seems like such a Shaking knees. Your audience too. Yeah, Riot Fest was crazy. Yeah, Shaking Knees too, yeah. What was the one recently that we did that we were like? In the UK, we did Slam Dunk.

Oh shit, yeah. And that was, I think that was a huge wow moment for us. And even we, all of our headliner shows out there we had sold out and the very last one we did was in London. And that was that was fucking crazy. Could you hear accents when they

were singing your songs back to you? Actually, no. But when they were heckling us between songs, we could across the pond. I forgot. Yeah. When they when they chanted the C word at us, I was like, OK, they chanted the c-word at us I was like okay

They chanted it well because they were like guys I started Yeah, it was like hey, would you guys please start the chair for you my favorite word you guys is you know the c-word yeah? Well, it's fun. You're an American you go over there. You're like we get to say this Yeah, it doesn't mean going back in the states. Yeah, no yeah kind of just what's up fucker Yeah, one of those exactly all right Swing it back in the states. Yeah. Oh, yeah kind of just what's up fucker Alright, I've got a couple questions for all of you guys that are kind of rapid fire like the first bands or artists that come to Mind the strongest vocal performance you've ever seen live Oh, you know what I saw Adele one time oh wow and it was hard to beat Adele another experience goosebumps the whole time I saw Adele one time. Oh wow. And it was. Hard to beat Adele. Another experience.

Goosebumps the whole time. Yeah, I mean I wanna say, so we got to open for Incubus. Oh shit, yeah. What was that, 2022? Yeah. Or 2023. 2022, yeah.

Yeah. Holy shit. And honestly, it was, cause we saw them at, what was the festival we did with them recently and there I feel kind of start Oh innings innings fest. Yeah Anyways, thank you best Brandon my My first concert that I ever went to is the Backstreet Boys. So probably those delicate pipes I went to a wedding in Cancun last year and it was just like a wedding on a resort

It was my fiance's friend and we didn't, but the Backstreet Boys were there that weekend. And we just got to walk on the beach and watch a free Backstreet Boys show. Oh, yeah. Oh, and they did rip. They were absolutely. Yeah. Incubus. We got to play a festival with like our Barstool band. Got to play a festival with them. They blew me away. Like I liked Incubus going into that show and came out like an incubus fan

Oh, yeah, don't say it's a whole discography and a great bass player. Is it my gosh row? Yeah. Yeah. Oh my god Yeah, your rips. Yeah, I remember her from LA. She was like another hired gun player. She like played for Miley Cyrus I remember she's in panic at the disco for a long. Yeah, she played for a little bit. Yeah, yeah crazy The funniest musician you've ever met. Oh Man can't say yourselves I want to say our we have a buddy named Neil Daniels is a drummer in LA and he plays for Matchbox 20 and Rob Thomas now, it's pretty funny and he's Hilarious, but anyways check out Neil Daniels drummer

Anybody that tops us Yeah, probably our good friend Neil Yeah, I think of like funny conversations. We've had with other bands or whatever, the Hot Mulligan guys seem fun. Yeah, I was about to say, they were like, they're a bass player with Jonah. He was funny, we had some juggles. Did you guys play shows with them recently? Yeah, we did a festival with them a few weeks ago

in Maryland and then both us and them stood backstage watching Third Eye Blind and all cried cried to how's it gonna be? And then we also played elsewhere the same night, but we played zone one and they played zone two in Brooklyn Oh, yeah, yeah, and so yeah, we were like following each other Yeah, I introduced myself to them and I said hey, could you guys not fucking do that next time? And I said hey could you guys not fucking do that next time? Yeah, when I have them in here, I'll get their answer for sure yeah Craziest crowd you've ever been in or seen live

we went to furnace Fest inside turnstile and No barricade no barricade And I feel like we got there And it was like I don't know 10 minutes before the set and I was like How come there's not more people here? And so we were like 15 feet from the stage and then I was like, wait a second Do we want to do we want to be right here here in this? Yeah, and then like they came on and well

so a lot of people came and then they came on and it was like it was like we were in a wave pool and The big wave just came and we literally got tossed like ten feet in a different direction It was it was crazy. I just saw them under the K bridge in Brooklyn. Did you see that? Literally, yeah Wow, it was insane like outrageous, but I was staying far away from the danger zone Yeah, you know this body type doesn't do well Yeah the tightest band you've ever seen live I Staying far away from the danger zone. Yeah, you know this body type doesn't do well fragile. Yeah the tightest band you've ever seen live I Saw Cory Wong play

pretty recently it's like Insane like everybody up there is just a sniper. You know like crazy guys See mine for that would be incubus probably oh. Oh yeah, they're dialing it. They're a great answer for it. Yeah, even the guy who's doing the frigging turn tables and shit. Yeah. I'm trying to think if I have one. I mean, Third Eye Blind.

Oh yeah. We got to stand, so the drummer was like kind of stage left a little bit We were standing stage left and he was just so locked. Oh, he was yeah, and he had a fun little He had all these fun little drummer toys Just locked and then came off stage well, so Dan was like I met him in the bathroom We became friends in the bathroom as you do. Did you introduce yourself in the bathroom? We just like really I don't know if we were just like, oh man, I went out here today.

It's always so awkward to see someone cool, but you're in a bathroom and you're like, oh. But he walks, they walked off stage. They walked off stage, it was just like an acoustic song for a second, and he sees me, so I just go, bathroom buddy! I was like, what's up? I'm like, that's the coolest guy ever.

Did you have an answer for Craziest Crowd crowd by the way? I'm trying to think I went to I went to see Slayer once that was pretty unbeatable. Oh shit. On their farewell tour. Oh well. One of many. Yeah but that was pretty insane because everybody was like this is the last time I'm ever gonna see Slayer oh my god I gotta go crazy. It was like three years later. They were just overseas so I saw the Oasis show in Cardiff. Oh Slayers there the night before so Oasis fans and Slayer fans were like getting into arguments on the street Yeah, fucking pussy music. Oh, yeah

We could hear the Slayer show from our hotel a mile away from the venue. Holy shit insane But I saw they were there for, I guess, the Ozzie farewell show. Oh yeah. And Ozzie's first farewell tour was in 1992. Jesus. So this first one. Oh my gosh.

The no more tours. Yeah. And I think the Who is currently on their farewell tour right now, I think it's the same thing. I think their first was maybe 89 or something like that. Oh my gosh. Yeah, that's crazy. Crazy.

Well then you saw Knocked Loose a few times. Oh yeah, Knocked Loose. And you always like played in the gosh. Yeah. That's crazy. Well then you saw Knocked Loose a few times. Oh yeah, Knocked Loose. And you always like, oh shit. Yeah, those are crazy. The wall of death worries me. When I watch those videos and you see like, scary, you see the ones where there's someone picking up garbage in the middle

and she doesn't know what's about to happen. Oh no. It's like, go in there. Yeah, Knocked Loose crowds are fucking crazy. I saw them, I think it was 2016, in a 100 cap room. Like before. Yeah, so you've been there, yeah, you've been there the whole journey, yeah.

I mean, I'll always go there. It is fucking wild, and they are also locked in. Now you see them on like Jimmy Kimmel and stuff. I know, it's a lot of crazy. Yeah, and then your Bucket List Dream Concert, we could do like Dead or Alive, any band like, that you would love to see that you haven't Yours is coming up. I'm cross enough. I'm going to see Oasis in Toronto. Oh shit. That's my number one. Yeah

Fingers crossed boys. Yeah, let's everyone knock on wood. Yeah, we're gonna hope they get there for you. I think they will I think so. I think I Would have really loved to see the Who in their prime. Yeah. Yeah. That would have been... Get to see Keith Moon behind the kit. Yeah. Yeah.

Blow up his drum kit. Yeah. Start kicking shit around. Yeah. Damn, I don't know. I feel like I've gotten to see a lot of bands that I really, really love. Okay.

Like, well like Third Eye Blind was one where I was like, is that ever going to happen? Then we like, so the size age and I was like, well, what the fuck? Yeah, you were kind of blown away by that. I'm like, I don't know. I feel like I've just been doing this for a long time and I've seen so many bands and stuff like- Also living in LA makes that pretty easy, right? Everyone comes through. Yeah. Oh yeah, yeah, totally. And I've, and like bands and stuff. Also living in LA makes that pretty easy, right? Everyone comes through.

Oh yeah, yeah, totally. And I've, I don't know, I've done those jingle ball things with Sabrina and stuff, and so it's like, you see Taylor Swift, you're in the dressing room next to Taylor Swift or whatever, so it's like, yeah. But for Threat of the Blind, I was saying Side Stage and I was just like, holy shit, this is amazing. We saw Bon Iver in Nashville, it's one of my favorite

artists slash bands or whatever. And yeah, Bucket List. Meanwhile, Dan and I are just dough-eyed at everything. We're like, oh my God. There's free beer? I just want to blow away. Yeah, no, to be honest, I don't have a Bucket List dream one anymore because it was Oasis for me for so long

and then did it. So it was like, all right, we need a new one now. I think maybe I'll have a bucket list dream one anymore because it was Oasis for me And then did it so it was like alright. We need a new one now I think maybe I'll have a venue like I've never seen red rocks, so I would like oh yeah Dan has a red rocks goal my bucket list goal just in life is We play red rocks. I walk out blasts and cigs put it in the headstock and then just start ripping Hell yeah, you play eruption and play eruption yeah And Dan doesn't smoke cigarettes. No, no, neither.

But I want to do that. Baby, I would get that horrible head high from one rib of the SIG and like throw up on stage. I take one bubble. But I'm going to get the 3D printed thousand cigarette holder. And then because I'm such a big Oasis fan, I ask every band or artist that comes in here,

Noel Gallagher said he summed up everything he ever wanted to say with cigarettes and alcohol, rock and roll star, and live forever. So if you had to sum up everything you've ever wanted to say with three songs that you've written, which three would you select? Damn. That's a good one. I would say Wilburn is one of them. Yeah, Wilburn

Probably Wilburn don't wallow and Maybe hams in a glass Maybe those are my three. I like that. You guys agree? Yeah. Yeah. Cause it's like you have,

don't wallow which is like, there's hope. And then you have, will burn which is like, telling someone to fuck off. And then you have hams, which is like, I'm gonna kill myself.

I'm gonna kill myself. If one more bad thing happens. All right, thank you guys for coming in. Is there any more tickets available for this tour? You sold out the rest of it? People get tickets if they're watching this? If you're watching this somewhere that's not Columbus, Ohio or Chicago, Illinois, I think you can still get tickets. And tonight we released a limited amount of tickets as well

So there you go get tickets on the Winona fighter tour. Is it that my apologies to the chef tour? Yes chef tour. Yes chef tour. I love that Go get tickets and go stream the album because it's fucking awesome