At Least There’s Fest

91: Jordan Shroyer of Whatever, Dude Productions

The Fest 24 lineup is out! I hope all of your favorite bands are playing this year.
We try to be fun and helpful here at ALTF and I think we have a fun and helpful episode for all of you today. Joining the show is Jordan Shroyer. You know Jordan from his bands Teen Agers and Virginity. However, Jordan also heads up Whatever, Dude Productions and for 12 years now he's put together some dynamite pre-Fest shows.
Like years past, Jordan is putting on a pre-pre-Fest in Orlando on Wednesday, October 21 and an unofficial pre-Fest in Gainesville  on Thursday, October 22. Both shows are absolutely STACKED and will take place across multiple stages. 
This is your chance to see a bunch of Fest 24 bands a day or two early in relatively small, intimate venues. Tickets are on sale now and you can buy them right here for Orlando and here for Gainesville.
The Gainesville show ALWAYS sells out, so if you know you're going to be in GNV on Thursday anyway, do yourself a favor and grab yourself a ticket. They do wristbands so you can come and go as you please at both shows.
 
**Itsa Coookie on Instagram**
**Theme song "The Walk to Heartwood" by Jukebox Romantics**

90: Rory Phillips of The Impossibles

Welcome back to At Least There's Fest and we are officially closing in on our 100th episode. We hope you've enjoyed this non-stop thrill ride as much as we have.
Joining the show today is Rory Phillips from the Austin, TX band, The Impossibles. The band formed over 30 years ago and put both ska and non-ska records out on Fueled By Ramen back in the day.
Rory walks us through the history of the band, why they left and why they are now coming back, the reason(s) for switching away from ska, and why they are so excited to be back.
The group is playing Fest for the first time and will play their first shows outside of Texas in 25 years this coming August. 
 
**Itsa Coookie on Instagram**
**Theme song "The Walk to Heartwood" by Jukebox Romantics**

89: Bear Vs Shark

Welcome back to the show! This is quite frankly a bucket list show for Blake and Mark. As college students during Bear Vs Sharks recording time, this has been a favorite of their's for about a quarter-century and this was just a total treat.
We have four members of the band joining the show today in Ashley, Brandon, Derek, and Nick and they share with us the humble beginnings of the band, their decade absence, what it's been like coming back and how in the world they explain their surge in popularity after breaking up (spoiler alert: they have no idea at all).
The band is playing Warped Tour in Long Beach this summer along with a show at Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco. They are making their triumphant return to Fest this fall for the first time since Fest 4. That is a 21 year gap between Fest appearances. There will be people at Fest this year that were not alive the last time BVS played. Wowzers.
Anyway, this is a terrific episode and the band is both forthcoming and humble. Just the best dudes. We hope you enjoy the show.
 
**Itsa Coookie on Instagram**
**Theme song "The Walk to Heartwood" by Jukebox Romantics**

88: Phil Dalton of Drosera

Greetings and welcome back to another episode of At Least There's Fest! We are excited to be joined by Phil Dalton of the Gainesville band Drosera.
Drosera makes blistering metallic hardcore that will make the perfect soundtrack to your next run, gym visit, pit session, or rage room visit. 
Phil tells us about how the band formed, their process when making music, his love for Poison the Well, and the release that takes place when playing live music.
He also talks to us about the new Drosera album "Outlier" which came out on Friday, their legendary set at Swampfest, and of course we talk about Fest.
 
**Itsa Coookie on Instagram**
**Theme song "The Walk to Heartwood" by Jukebox Romantics**

87: Keith M of Memory Entry/The New Scene Podcast

Very fun show for Mark and Blake today as one of their podcast heroes, Keith M stops by to chat about music, life, and Fest.
Keith fronts the NY based band, Memory Entry who will be playing Fest for the first time this year. He also is the man behind The New Scene podcast, the BEST music podcast in our scene. This was a real treat for us.
Keith talks about the formation of the band and how some of the best things in life can come from the ashes of things falling apart all around us. He also talks about how their first EP came together and how they have gather momentum around writing and recording their first full-length record as well. 
We also spend some time talking about podcasting, and to me, this is riveting stuff, I hope you all agree. Finally, this is Keith's first time coming to Fest, let's make sure we show him a good time at Fest this fall.
 
**Itsa Coookie on Instagram**
**Theme song "The Walk to Heartwood" by Jukebox Romantics**
 

86: Nicolle Maroulis of Hit Like A Girl

Hello and welcome back to At Least There's Fest. Joining the show today is Nic Maroulis of Hit Like a Girl. The band has stayed busy over the last decade, releasing four full-length records and playing as many shows as possible.
We talk about what it's like to tour so much, the why behind touring for Nic, recording and putting out music, and the fact that you could build two full soft ball team rosters out of people that have at one time been in this band. 
We also talk Nic's non-profit No More Dysphoria, Nic and team do great work there. For more information on this work, please check out the link below. You can catch Hit Like A Girl on tour almost of the time and at Fest 24.
**Itsa Coookie on Instagram**
**Theme song "The Walk to Heartwood" by Jukebox Romantics**
**No More Dysphoria**

85: Devon Kay and Hell Beach

Joining the show today we have Jordan Hill from Hell Beach returning to the those and he brought along his good friend Devon Kay of Devon Kay and the Solutions as well as Direct Hit!
Jordan and Devon both fill us on what they have been up to with their projects as well as giving us some hints of what may lay ahead (new music!). We also discuss the ups and downs of touring and how you find the rights bands with which to hit the road.
To that end, Devon and Jordan will be touring together starting this weekend at Stoop Fest in Lansing, MI as both of their bands travel to Pouzza Fest. You can find their full schedule of stops on their socials, and both bands put on a terrific live show.
If you cannot make to any of those shows, I do have some good news: Hell Beach is playing Fest 24!
**Itsa Coookie on Instagram**
**Theme song "The Walk to Heartwood" by Jukebox Romantics**

84: Dear Cincinnati

Greetings and welcome back to another episode of At Least There's Fest! This is an exciting time of year because we are able to confirm who is playing Fest 24 and really zero in on bringing you the goods.
Joining the show today is the entire lineup from Dear Cincinnati. The Tallahassee band has been around for just one short year, but they have crammed A TON into that time. 
We discuss their busy year of recording multiple EPs, touring, writing new music constantly and even working on their first full-length record. We talk about the idea of a concept record and the pure joy that comes from hitting the road with your friends and doing what you love.
***You can check out Itsa Cookie on Instagram, and make sure to their Fest tent this year as they will have a collab cookie up with Dear Cincinnati!***

83: Tony Truzzolino of Tired Radio

Hello and welcome back to At Least There's Fest! Joining us on the program today is Tony Truzzolino from the New York band, Tired Radio. Tired Radio was just announced on that first Fest 24 lineup drop and they will be returning to play Fest for a fourth straight year. We are psyched to have them on the pod and back in Gainesville.
Tony tells us about their brand of "bummer punk" and how it is helpful to him and how we can all use music to help us navigate the murky waters of life. He also talks about the origins of Tired Radio and how it shifted from a solo project to the terrific full-band sound we hear now on the records and at shows.
We also dig into the importance of establishing real connections with those around us. Tony talks about how vital this is in building our community and getting a band started. This is a necessary step in being in a band and being a human and it cannot be faked. We all smell it when it's fake. 
You can catch Tired Radio at Fest 24 this fall and you can follow them at all of the familiar places. 
 
***Check out Itsa Cookie Bakery on Instagram***

82: Fest 24 Lineup Extravaganza!

Welcome to a very special episode of At Least There's Fest. Mark and Blake sat down and talked to bands, tattoo artists, and a baker to see who they were most excited to see now that we have our first wave of bands.
Fest is great, we all know this, but one of the challenges each year is diving into all of the bands and giving them all a fair shake. Our panel of experts will tell you who they are excited to see from headliners to bands further down the bill, this is the perfect place to start preparing for Fest 24. 
In order, you will hear thoughts from:
Glazed
Anthem Tattoo
Dopamines
Little Low
Unseemlier
New Junk City
Cape Crush
Tides
Rebuilder
Tired Radio
Itsa Cookie
Dikembe
Teen Agers
In addition to this fun primer, you can also check out a Fest 24 playlist we put together over on Apple Music. Here you will find 3-4 songs from every band on the lineup. 
We hope you enjoy this episode.
 
***Visit Itsa Cookie Bakery on Instagram***