Going Off Track

Rancid drummer and The Used founder Branden Steineckert grew up in Utah between a steel plant and a prison — chased by cops for skateboarding and then later having to call them to his home for domestic abuse. (They were useless.) Now he gets to play drums in one of the world's best punk bands! This is a deep, fun, upbeat conversation with one of music's most resilient dudes.

This week’s guest is Johnny Whitney, frontman of the all-star band Evil Island, whose members come from Johnny’s former band The Blood Brothers, as well as Glassjaw and …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead. Johnny tells us how he got Fugazi’s Guy Picciotto to appear on their new record—and what an incredible experience that was. He also talks about growing up in Seattle just as Nirvana was breaking through, and how that moment shaped his own interest in music.

Ensign frontman, Tim Shaw tells us tales of learning the ropes with Sick of It All, getting his ass kicked at a Discharge show and being healed of road-douchery by Rancid. Of course he and Benny also get into a lot of reminiscing about CBGB and the New Jersey scene.

This week we dip back to 2022 for a really intelligent conversation with Hot Water Music bassist, Jason Black. A bunch of ska talk, Metallica, New Jersey... enjoy.

This week we're going all the way back to 2014 to revisit this wonderful chat we had with the hilarious stand-up comedian, actress, writer, and producer, Nikki Glaser. Long-time listeners of the show should be entertained to hear original hosts, Steven and Jonah conversing along with Benny. Check Nikki's website for tour-dates and more