Tour Stories/The Check-In with Joe Plummer

Will Schwarz and Lynn Truell are two of the four founding members of Imperial Teen. Their newest record All Over You is due out October 9th via Merge Records. Will and Lynn tell us how supportive and caring collaboration plays a role in the bands creative process and longevity. We learn how All Over You reflects the current state affairs and why Will took a playfully pessimistic approach to his writing. The three discuss the resonating power of modular song titles like All Over You, Will and Lynn share their experience making the video for the new single Overdrive and they commiserate on the lost activity of “hanging at the mall” . Imperial Teen Merge Records Our sponsors keep this show alive, please give them a visit. Kingston Union MFG is thee place for the Wino, the classic punk rock shoe for all occasions. Kingston is fully restocked and are rocking their Fall/Winter collection. Visit Kingston Union now. Ep supported by @distrokid. Distrokid now offers Bandzoogle where you can build your bands website and store in minutes. @thetourstories listeners get 30% off at distrokid.com/vip/tourstories. GET YOUR MUSIC OUT THERE! ITS EASY WITH @distrokid Ep supported by Schecter Guitars. For 50 years, Schecter Guitars has pushed the limits of craftsmanship, innovation, and tone—building instruments trusted by players who demand more from their sound. This milestone celebrates a legacy forged on stages and in studios worldwide, while looking boldly ahead to the next era of performance-driven design. Have your mind blown here. Schecter Guitars Mentioned in this episode: Schecter Guitars Distrokid

Dawn Moraga and Tim Lusk are the guitarists, singers and founding members of the Kill Devil Hills based band Cor De Lux. Their third full length and Ipecac Records debut Year Of he Horse is due out on September 18th. Tim and Dawn share their live performance focused songwriting process, the evolution of singing duties in the band and why all rehearsals begin with their version of a therapy session. Dawn tells us why her vocals come second to playing guitar in the band, how she’s controls the energy in each song and why she’s apprehensive of traditional guitar instruction. We hear why the Year of The Horse reflects their lives at a certain time, they share their experience recording with the great J. Robbins and the two give us the story behind the song Blind Smile. Cor De Lux Ipecac Reocords Our sponsors keep this show alive, please give them a visit. Kingston Union MFG is thee place for the Wino, the classic punk rock shoe for all occasions. Kingston is fully restocked and are rocking their Fall/Winter collection. Visit Kingston Union now. Ep supported by @distrokid. Distrokid now offers Bandzoogle where you can build your bands website and store in minutes. @thetourstories listeners get 30% off at distrokid.com/vip/tourstories. GET YOUR MUSIC OUT THERE! ITS EASY WITH @distrokid Ep supported by Schecter Guitars. For 50 years, Schecter Guitars has pushed the limits of craftsmanship, innovation, and tone—building instruments trusted by players who demand more from their sound. This milestone celebrates a legacy forged on stages and in studios worldwide, while looking boldly ahead to the next era of performance-driven design. Have your mind blown here. Schecter Guitars Mentioned in this episode: Schecter Guitars Distrokid Kingston Union Kingston Union, your home for the original Wino shoes Kingstonunionmfg.com

Corin Tucker (Sleater-Kinney) and Tracy Sawyer (The Husbands, The Flying Tigers, The Lies) are the founding members of Heavens To Betsy. They are set to release their first project since 1994: baby’s gone, a 16-track mission statement comprising a never-before-heard demo tape originally recorded by Bratmobile’s Molly Neuman. The two tell us how it feels to get back together as both friends and bandmates after a lifetime apart and why they feel better equipped to celebrate the power of these songs and connect with their audience. We hear why they see this release as a gift and why the baby’s gone holds its relevance and fire that ignited the band. Tracy and Corin paint a picture of recording baby’s gone in an Evergreen State University classroom and we hear a new track. Heavens To Betsy Kill Rock Stars Our sponsors keep this show alive, please give them a visit. Kingston Union MFG is thee place for the Wino, the classic punk rock shoe for all occasions. Visit Kingston Union now Ep supported by @distrokid. Distrokid now offers Bandzoogle where you can build your bands website and store in minutes. @thetourstories listeners get 30% off at distrokid.com/vip/tourstories. GET YOUR MUSIC OUT THERE! ITS EASY WITH @distrokid Ep supported by Schecter Guitars. For 50 years, Schecter Guitars has pushed the limits of craftsmanship, innovation, and tone—building instruments trusted by players who demand more from their sound. This milestone celebrates a legacy forged on stages and in studios worldwide, while looking boldly ahead to the next era of performance-driven design. Have your mind blown here. Schecter Guitars Mentioned in this episode: Distrokid Schecter Guitars Kingston Union Kingston Union, your home for the original Wino shoes Kingstonunionmfg.com

Chris Leo is the guitarist, singer and a founding member of The Van Pelt. Their newest record Remain Obscure is out on September 18th via Earnest Jenning records. Chris and Joe discuss the 20+ year journey of The Van Pelt, why the band finds themselves consistently reuniting and the unique circumstances that brought them back together for the new record. Chris tells us how his writing has evolved into what it is today, why it’s still a process in motion and a sustainable vehicle for his expression. We learn why Chris felt he needed to leave his home state of New Jersey and why his traveling and touring experiences brought him back. The two share meaningful experiences of their early life on the road and we sample a new tune from Remain Obscure The Van Pelt Earnest Jenning Our sponsors keep this show alive, please give them a visit. Summer Slip On Sale at Kingston Union. Add a little leisure and style to your summer vibrations with our classic Slip-On. Right now we're offering 25% Off on ALL Slip-On's. Pre beach, post beach, breezy nights on the deck or be your chillest self on your daily errands. Use code SUMMERSLIPS25 to get yours now Ep supported by @distrokid. Distrokid now offers Bandzoogle where you can build your bands website and store in minutes. @thetourstories listeners get 30% off at distrokid.com/vip/tourstories. GET YOUR MUSIC OUT THERE! ITS EASY WITH @distrokid Tour Stories would like to welcome our newest sponsor Kuma Coffee. Kuma Coffee is a 100% Independently owned roasting company right here in Seattle since 2008. Kuma is a 5-person team, roasting over 100,000lbs of exclusively high scoring coffee each year. They source their coffees direct from origin and pay well over fair trade pricing to farmers. This guarantees the highest quality, while supporting rural farming communities throughout the Global South They also just launched an instant coffee… (Joe’s favorite instant) Find everything Kuma at Kumacoffee.com Mentioned in this episode: Kingston Union Kingston Union, your home for the original Wino shoes Kingstonunionmfg.com Kuma Coffee Distrokid

Thao Nguyen is a singer, songwriter, guitarist and multidisciplinary artist based in Oakland California. Her newest record Show Me drops October 30th via Kill Rock Stars. Thao share’s her experience growing up just outside of D.C and how playing small clubs as a teenager and the preconceptions of female musicians motivated her to operate on higher level from the get-go. She tells us what brought her back to recording and touring after a 6-year break, how a desire for communion came out of a personal reckoning and why Show Me comes from a more centered perspective. The two discuss how the single Sick Of The Times come from a single and group expression, Thao shares her experience working with Nate Brenner from Tune Yards and she tells why working alongside Working Families Party is so important to her. THAO Kill Rock Stars Working Families Party Our sponsors keep this show alive, please give them a visit. Summer Slip On Sale at Kingston Union. Add a little leisure and style to your summer vibrations with our classic Slip-On. Right now we're offering 25% Off on ALL Slip-On's. Pre beach, post beach, breezy nights on the deck or be your chillest self on your daily errands. Use code SUMMERSLIPS25 to get yours now Ep supported by @distrokid. Distrokid now offers Bandzoogle where you can build your bands website and store in minutes. @thetourstories listeners get 30% off at distrokid.com/vip/tourstories. GET YOUR MUSIC OUT THERE! ITS EASY WITH @distrokid Tour Stories would like to welcome our newest sponsor Kuma Coffee. Kuma Coffee is a 100% Independently owned roasting company right here in Seattle since 2008. Kuma is a 5-person team, roasting over 100,000lbs of exclusively high scoring coffee each year. They source their coffees direct from origin and pay well over fair trade pricing to farmers. This guarantees the highest quality, while supporting rural farming communities throughout the Global South They also just launched an instant coffee… (Joe’s favorite instant) Find everything Kuma at Kumacoffee.com Mentioned in this episode: Kingston Union Kingston Union, your home for the original Wino shoes Kingstonunionmfg.com Kuma Coffee Distrokid