Mark O'Connell - Founding Drummer (ME. / Taking Back Sunday)

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What's up?
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This is Scott Russo from Unwritten Law, and you're listening
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to the Fascination Street Podcast.
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Turn it up.
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Welcome back, streetwalkers.
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This episode is with Mark O'Connell.
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You know Mark as the drummer for Taking Back Sunday
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for about 24 years. And now Mark, along with former
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Taking Back Sunday alum Ed Reyes, have started a new band.
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It is called Me, capital M, capital E, period. Also
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in this band is Neil Amiruddin, playing bass, and Mike Jansen, singer, songwriter,
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and guitar player. In this episode, we get to know Mark,
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find out why he wanted to be a drummer in
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the first place, and we talk about how he got
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into Taking Back Sunday, some of their highlights, and some
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of the fun that he had being in that band
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for nearly two and a half decades. And then we
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talk about their new band, M.E.
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Period.
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Me, the band. Their debut album is called All Good Things,
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came out on July 24th, 2026, and it is badass.
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Total running time on this album is 33 minutes and
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about 17 seconds or so, so it's eminently digestible. You
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can listen to the whole thing on the way to work.
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You can listen to the whole thing again on the
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way back. It is 11 tracks, though, so it's dope
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as hell. Mark is super dope. He lets me play
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my favorite track off the album. You are going to
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love it. I don't know if you're going to love
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it as much as I do, because I don't know
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if that's possible. Along the way, we dive into Mark
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and Ed's relationship, which spans multiple decades. We talk about
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how they found Mike Jansen, the singer, and what Mike
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brings to the band. And Neil, the bass player? Mark
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and Ed have been friends with Neil since they were
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just about children. It's a real tight-knit community. They brought
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Mike in. Mike is from Chicago. Everybody else is from
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Long Island. But Mike really makes it fit. We talk
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a lot about this new album. We talk about some
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of the songs, some of the songwriting and the lyrics,
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as well as the audio mixing. I know that sounds weird,
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but when you hear this album, it doesn't sound like
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a Taking Back Sunday album, even though half the band
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was in Taking Back Sunday. This is a chance for
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them to stretch their creative wings, and boy, are they
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doing it. I had a lot of fun talking to Mark.
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He's a super dope dude. I can't wait for these
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fools to get over here to San Antonio so they
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can melt my face live. But in the meantime, this
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is my conversation with the drummer for the new band Me, period,
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Mark O'Connell. Welcome to Fascination Street Podcast, Mark O'Connell. What's up, dude?
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Hi, how are you?
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I am fantastic. Ladies and gentlemen, that's right, this is
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Mark O'Connell. He is a fantastic drummer, and for roughly
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24 years, he was the drummer for Taking Back Sunday.
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Yes, 24 years and Taking Back Sunday, yeah.
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But now he has a new band, and we're going
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to talk about that in a few minutes. But first,
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so what I'd like to do, Mark, is I'd like
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to start from the beginning. It helps us understand how
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the guests got from where they were to where they are.
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So where were you born and raised?
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Long Island, New York.
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Oh, okay.
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Yeah.
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So do you come from a long line of Long Islanders?
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Well, everybody that lives on Long Island, if you're around
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my age, your parents are from Queens, Brooklyn, or the city,
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you know?
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Have you seen the movie Boss Baby, the first one?
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Boss Baby, yes. Very funny. Alec Baldwin?
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Yeah.
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We're from Massapequa. The Baldwin brothers are from a few
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towns away from here.
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Oh, really? That's funny. In that movie, they do a
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shout-out to Long Island. I don't know if you remember it.
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They're getting out of the limo in Las Vegas, and
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he throws away a big old, I guess they're called
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a yard. Whatever you drink in Las Vegas, you walk
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around with it, right?
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Mm-hmm.
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And he throws it away, and he goes, blech, the
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people of Long Island do not know how to make
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iced tea.
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That's very funny.
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That's probably my wife's favorite movie.
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It's a good one. Very funny.
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She says, because she worked in, or she still does,
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I guess, work in the corporate world, and she has
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for decades, and she says that that movie- Tells you
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everything you need to know about working in corporate America.
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That's funny.
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So what did you want to be when you grew up, man?
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What was the plan?
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This was always the plan.
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Really?
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Yeah. Like, I loved baseball as much as, you know,
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music growing up. So I wanted to be a New
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York Yankee or a drummer in a rock band.
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You have a tattoo of a New York Yankee symbol
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on your.
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Arm, yeah?
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I do. And to be honest with you, I don't
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give a shit. I have no idea what place they're in.
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You know what I mean?
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Sure.
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Right now?
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Sure. You know, sometimes you got to fix all the
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things that you need to get right in your life
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before you give a fuck about a baseball team.
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Sure.
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It's almost there. Next season. Next season, I'll give a
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shit again.
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They're on hold until you're ready for them. How about that?
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Take that, Yankees.
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Sit down, Aaron.
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I'm not ready.
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Yeah, sit down, man. If I understand this correctly, you
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got your first drum, and I don't mean set. You
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got your first drum when you were about eight. Is
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that right?
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Yeah.
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How annoyed were your parents when you just had the
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one drum and it was the snare? Well, first tell
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everybody where you got it and then how annoyed were
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your parents?
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Yeah, eight years old, Christmas, and I went to my
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aunt's house. I was going through this stuff in the basement.
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I saw the drum and I was like, can I
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have this? Can I please take this home?
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So it was Christmas, and this was like you opened
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all your stuff, and you're like, cool, I'm going to
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go see what's in the basement.
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Well, this is like the family. I have a lot
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of cousins on my Irish side. So those Christmas parties
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were just so many people and a.
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Lot of fun.
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So it was night. Turkey was getting eaten. I went
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downstairs to the basement at my aunt's. And then, yeah,
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so everything was off. So that was the present.
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So where did it come from? Whose was it?
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My cousins, Mike and Jonah, twins, you know, they're older.
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They're about 10, 12 years older than me. So they
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were off already and they're out of the house. So
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it was one of theirs.
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I just can't believe that they only left behind a snare, man.
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Where'd the rest of the kit go?
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There wasn't.
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I don't think that they got any farther than like
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the snare.
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Ah, that's funny.
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Yeah.
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So then how annoyed were your parents when you were
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just sitting there blasting the snare all day long?
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Oh, my God.
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Well, like when I first got it, You know, so
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I had to deal with a lot of issues as
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a kid.
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You know what I mean? Like, I guess you kind
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of hear that with drummers a lot.
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Like, so I was one of those kids and having
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that drum, like I was addicted immediately. So, you know,
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it was good for me. Teachers knew it was good
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for me. The school was advocating for me. Like this
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kid could play drums. Like, so they're okay. But like,
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the thing is in middle school, high school, like I
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would go to school and leave, come home and play
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drums all night. Like, It would be 9.30, 10 o'clock
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at night, and I'm still going. I would be fixated
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on an album. So just playing that album over and
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over again, like Dude Ranch or Insomniac by Green Day,
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just playing all those albums. So the lights would flicker
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and the strings, and that was enough.
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You know what I mean? It was all right.
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I know that you're a fan of the Beatles and
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some of the older music, Led Zeppelin and whatnot, but
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When you decided that you were going to be a musician,
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like when you're practicing and you're playing to those songs,
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you mentioned Dude Ranch and you mentioned Insomniac. What drew
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you to that style of music? Why aren't you Buddy
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Ritz Jr.
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John Bonham, Les Zeppelin, John Bonham.
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You know, like Appetite for Destruction was a massive album
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for me to like learn how to play drums because
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it's just like great beats, simple, great beats put to
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a great album. But then with John Bonham, That man
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is still my hero to this day. I still watch
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videos and just listen. His triplets, just, I wanted to
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be him so badly.
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A lot of people say that Ringo's not a good drummer.
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You disagree. Tell me why.
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You can't replicate it. You know what I mean? You
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can't just go in and play. All right, well, you
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do it then. Do it. Do it like he did it.
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I've heard that you actually do that.
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I do that all. Yeah, I love it.
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I love it.
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That's one of them.
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You tell people who say that you go, well, then
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you do it and then you make them sit down
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and then they can't do it. And you're like, well,
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then shut up.
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With Lars already.
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With Lars.
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You know what I mean?
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Because it's easy to just jump on Lars because there's
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those videos out there that are funny where he's not playing.
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But like at the end of the day, if you
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put on Fight Fire with Fire, first song off Ride
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the Lightning.
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It's like, well, go ahead and fight fire with fire.
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And it's like 100% of the time, the person hasn't
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been able to do it.
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I think what some people seem to forget is that
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he's been doing this at a professional level for 50 years. Like,
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everybody just calm down.
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Exactly.
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Relax, everybody.
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Yeah.
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I mean, if it's not 50, it's getting close.
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And that's insane.
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There are six and a half minute Metallica songs that
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are fast and they still playing.
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You know, I love Metallica. Okay. And I always love
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Lars too. You know what I mean?
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So sure.
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And Travis Barker isn't going and saying, I, you know,
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making fun of it. You know what I mean?
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Like it's not drummers. Like, cause he could play that
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and he would never say, you know what I mean?
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Like a drummer like that.
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You know what I mean?
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It's the people that are not Travis Barker and Josh
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Freese and fucking Stuart Copeland and all the motherfuckers.
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I think it's funny. It's really the people that are
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at the top of the game. In any game, whatever
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it is, it's the people that are really at the
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top look around at the rest of everybody who's at
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the top and just, it's nothing but respect. They don't
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trash talk each other.
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You have, like, yeah, you gotta respect your peers. You
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have to.
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Let's talk about some of your peers. Oddly enough, You're
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not the first drummer from Taking Back Sunday that has
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been on this show. A million years ago, I had
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Antonio Longo on.
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Well, he's a singer.
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Oh, really?
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He wasn't a drummer?
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No.
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I'm very confused. So my research said that you joined
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00:10:38.139 --> 00:10:39.659
the band when he left. Is that not true?
253
00:10:40.200 --> 00:10:42.299
No, I was in the band when... You know, I
254
00:10:42.340 --> 00:10:45.419
joined in 99. Like, it doesn't say that on Wikipedia.
255
00:10:45.500 --> 00:10:49.120
It says I joined later, but that's not true.
256
00:10:49.220 --> 00:10:50.740
I joined in... In 99.
257
00:10:50.740 --> 00:10:54.429
Yeah, I'm on the first demo. I wouldn't go and
258
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listen to it, but I am on the first demo.
259
00:10:57.730 --> 00:11:00.610
I wouldn't go and listen to it. Well, my apologies, Antonio.
260
00:11:00.649 --> 00:11:02.090
I'm so sorry. I thought he did both.
261
00:11:02.690 --> 00:11:05.200
Antonio's cool as fuck, by the way. Like, I just
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saw Antonio. He's a good dude.
263
00:11:06.840 --> 00:11:09.279
Yeah, you posted. You guys still hang out. He was
264
00:11:09.299 --> 00:11:11.539
really cool. And what's really funny is at the time
265
00:11:11.580 --> 00:11:14.379
that I interviewed him, he also had a podcast called
266
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Fascination Street Podcast.
267
00:11:17.960 --> 00:11:18.519
Oh, no way.
268
00:11:20.970 --> 00:11:23.929
It was cool. He was a good dude. So let's
269
00:11:23.970 --> 00:11:26.570
talk about how you got into Taking Back Sunday. How
270
00:11:26.610 --> 00:11:28.850
did this band form and how many of them were
271
00:11:28.870 --> 00:11:30.070
your friends that you grew up with?
272
00:11:30.929 --> 00:11:34.379
Well, Taking Back Sunday is weird. Like, this is a
273
00:11:34.500 --> 00:11:35.659
really funny story, actually.
274
00:11:35.980 --> 00:11:40.889
So Neil, who's in me, Neil, who plays bass in me,
275
00:11:40.899 --> 00:11:43.340
I've been friends with him since five years old.
276
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Like we all grew up in the same.
277
00:11:44.820 --> 00:11:47.970
Hold on. I'm going to interrupt you already. So, uh, streetwalkers,
278
00:11:48.230 --> 00:11:50.179
every time that this dude is going to say the
279
00:11:50.200 --> 00:11:53.799
word me, he's talking about this new band called capital
280
00:11:53.980 --> 00:11:57.220
M capital E period me. Go ahead. So Neil, he's
281
00:11:57.299 --> 00:11:58.500
in me. Go ahead.
282
00:11:59.350 --> 00:12:01.590
Oh my God. Thank you.
283
00:12:01.610 --> 00:12:04.490
It sounds so weird when you're just like, wow. So
284
00:12:04.529 --> 00:12:05.169
Neil is in me.
285
00:12:05.429 --> 00:12:05.730
All right.
286
00:12:05.789 --> 00:12:06.230
Take it easy.
287
00:12:06.789 --> 00:12:07.500
Thank you for that.
288
00:12:07.700 --> 00:12:08.120
You're welcome.
289
00:12:08.549 --> 00:12:09.269
That's really funny.
290
00:12:09.289 --> 00:12:11.269
You can keep that in if you want because that
291
00:12:11.289 --> 00:12:14.509
is very funny. So I'll be looking out, making sure
292
00:12:14.629 --> 00:12:17.149
I watch out. I don't keep doing that.
293
00:12:17.210 --> 00:12:19.470
Watch your mouth.
294
00:12:19.549 --> 00:12:22.549
So Neil's older brother, do you know the band The
295
00:12:22.600 --> 00:12:26.379
Movie Life? Yeah. So Neil's older brother, Alex, was in
296
00:12:26.399 --> 00:12:27.039
The Movie Life.
297
00:12:27.220 --> 00:12:30.059
He did the first couple of demos and their first
298
00:12:30.179 --> 00:12:30.919
album is unbelievable.
299
00:12:31.059 --> 00:12:31.799
He's on that one.
300
00:12:32.019 --> 00:12:36.279
But Eddie started The Movie Life with Alex and they
301
00:12:36.720 --> 00:12:40.720
practiced across the street from where Neil lived. And when
302
00:12:41.019 --> 00:12:42.960
Neil and I were in high school with our friends,
303
00:12:42.980 --> 00:12:44.720
we used to just hang out during 40s and do,
304
00:12:45.000 --> 00:12:46.080
you know, bad kid shit.
305
00:12:46.179 --> 00:12:48.720
But it was in front of the drummer from Movie
306
00:12:48.740 --> 00:12:51.259
Life's house, who lives right there.
307
00:12:51.620 --> 00:12:54.929
So I knew Ed because he would always, like, Movie
308
00:12:54.950 --> 00:12:56.990
Life's practicing all the time, and he would get out
309
00:12:57.070 --> 00:13:00.669
of his van, his Ford Windstar, which is the first
310
00:13:00.710 --> 00:13:02.279
van that had taken back Sunday used to tour in.
311
00:13:02.289 --> 00:13:05.070
He would get out of that and kind of like...
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00:13:05.809 --> 00:13:07.879
mess with us and go, come on, you losers, get
313
00:13:07.909 --> 00:13:10.559
some jobs, you know, stop drinking 40, smoking blondes, huh?
314
00:13:11.200 --> 00:13:12.399
And in my mind, I was like, that guy's kind
315
00:13:12.419 --> 00:13:15.960
of a dick. But like, that's just Eddie. He's just
316
00:13:16.000 --> 00:13:18.480
being funny. So I got asked to try out for
317
00:13:18.500 --> 00:13:19.179
taking back something.
318
00:13:19.200 --> 00:13:20.659
I was like, I don't really want it. Like, I
319
00:13:20.679 --> 00:13:23.990
don't really want it. That guy, it was because of Eddie.
320
00:13:24.029 --> 00:13:25.070
You're like, no, I don't want to play in a
321
00:13:25.070 --> 00:13:26.590
band with that guy. Yeah.
322
00:13:26.610 --> 00:13:28.309
Like he was a bit of too much of a dick.
323
00:13:28.710 --> 00:13:32.929
And then Antonio was working at this Mexican restaurant in
324
00:13:33.009 --> 00:13:35.730
Westbury with an old friend of mine. And he was like,
325
00:13:35.950 --> 00:13:38.769
I'm in this band and we need a drummer. And
326
00:13:39.110 --> 00:13:40.370
my friend came and he was like, yo, you want
327
00:13:40.389 --> 00:13:42.450
to try out for this band? I work with this dude, Antonio.
328
00:13:42.490 --> 00:13:43.429
He's a cool dude.
329
00:13:43.450 --> 00:13:44.529
Just try out.
330
00:13:44.570 --> 00:13:46.879
So I'm like, cool. So I go and I try
331
00:13:46.929 --> 00:13:49.860
out and Eddie's there with Antonio and John.
332
00:13:50.320 --> 00:13:52.259
And you walk in and you're like, oh, man.
333
00:13:52.279 --> 00:13:53.460
I was like, whoa.
334
00:13:54.340 --> 00:13:58.340
And the first thing he was like, what happened?
335
00:13:58.879 --> 00:14:00.299
I thought that you were going to try out. And
336
00:14:00.320 --> 00:14:01.399
I was like, oh, I don't know.
337
00:14:03.289 --> 00:14:06.950
That's how I ended up trying out. John Cooper, who
338
00:14:07.090 --> 00:14:09.690
is a friend also of me and Neil since, you know,
339
00:14:09.730 --> 00:14:12.179
same age, played, you know, I got shown in the
340
00:14:12.200 --> 00:14:18.759
band twice. So, and recorded the demo with John and
341
00:14:18.779 --> 00:14:21.200
wrote a song with John for Straylight Run that made
342
00:14:21.220 --> 00:14:23.929
them get the recognition that they got to, but.
343
00:14:23.850 --> 00:14:24.529
No one knows that.
344
00:14:25.149 --> 00:14:25.929
No one knows that, huh?
345
00:14:26.649 --> 00:14:26.789
No.
346
00:14:27.529 --> 00:14:27.669
Why?
347
00:14:28.289 --> 00:14:29.970
I don't know. No one ever mentioned it.
348
00:14:30.070 --> 00:14:33.669
No one ever mentioned it once, but yeah, you can't
349
00:14:33.710 --> 00:14:35.509
find the demo now, but like, if you hear it,
350
00:14:35.529 --> 00:14:38.980
like that's me and John wrote those songs together, that demo.
351
00:14:39.879 --> 00:14:41.860
And I played on it. And then, but that was
352
00:14:41.879 --> 00:14:43.580
when they quit taking back Sunday and I stayed with
353
00:14:43.600 --> 00:14:44.220
them next Sunday.
354
00:14:44.740 --> 00:14:45.320
Interesting.
355
00:14:45.940 --> 00:14:49.080
That being said, taking back Sunday, tell all your friends,
356
00:14:49.100 --> 00:14:50.820
Straylight Run with their first album.
357
00:14:50.940 --> 00:14:52.019
And then me now.
358
00:14:52.649 --> 00:14:54.990
With our first album, like Casey and I, our manager,
359
00:14:55.230 --> 00:14:56.929
who is also my girlfriend, we were talking about it
360
00:14:56.950 --> 00:14:59.830
last night. It's like, you're starting your third band with
361
00:14:59.950 --> 00:15:02.509
debut albums. And she's like, she was like, this is
362
00:15:02.549 --> 00:15:04.789
just as special as Tell Your Friends or Stray Life's
363
00:15:04.820 --> 00:15:08.899
first album. Like, this is really cool. Like, to her,
364
00:15:09.500 --> 00:15:11.720
what a special thing. So I feel that way. I
365
00:15:11.740 --> 00:15:14.940
feel that way about this album. Me, I'm so proud
366
00:15:14.960 --> 00:15:15.149
of it.
367
00:15:15.620 --> 00:15:17.039
And then you're doing it with Eddie.
368
00:15:17.480 --> 00:15:18.080
Yeah.
369
00:15:18.120 --> 00:15:18.559
Your boy.
370
00:15:19.039 --> 00:15:19.299
Yeah.
371
00:15:19.720 --> 00:15:21.679
It reminds me of, you remember the 90s band, Days
372
00:15:21.740 --> 00:15:22.080
of the New?
373
00:15:22.789 --> 00:15:23.149
Mm-mm.
374
00:15:23.870 --> 00:15:27.610
You should, because it was like the most 90s rock
375
00:15:27.629 --> 00:15:30.350
band ever. Anyway, Days of the New, they were all
376
00:15:30.409 --> 00:15:33.139
over MTV and the radio and all that, number one,
377
00:15:33.159 --> 00:15:35.539
all the things. You'd recognize them if you heard it, but.
378
00:15:35.740 --> 00:15:37.360
Okay, that's what I was just thinking.
379
00:15:37.700 --> 00:15:40.320
So the whole band, they all went to high school
380
00:15:40.340 --> 00:15:43.320
together in like Indiana or some shit. And then the
381
00:15:43.360 --> 00:15:48.929
lead singer, Travis Meeks, debut album, number one, double platinum,
382
00:15:49.110 --> 00:15:51.649
tour in the world, the whole thing. Then he got mad.
383
00:15:52.220 --> 00:15:54.899
He fired the whole band. Then he hired a whole
384
00:15:55.000 --> 00:15:57.220
other band. And then they went out and did it again.
385
00:15:57.340 --> 00:16:00.240
But the band that he fired, they got a new singer.
386
00:16:00.620 --> 00:16:05.250
And then they became Tantric. And Tantric, debut album, number one,
387
00:16:05.450 --> 00:16:08.870
multiplied them, toured the world. They all did it again.
388
00:16:09.110 --> 00:16:12.929
And then during COVID, all of those band members except
389
00:16:12.970 --> 00:16:16.210
the singer, they got a different singer named Donald Carpenter.
390
00:16:16.710 --> 00:16:20.769
And they formed another band called Bliss Krieg. And that
391
00:16:20.850 --> 00:16:22.129
band did great.
392
00:16:22.889 --> 00:16:24.529
Amazing. Amazing.
393
00:16:25.070 --> 00:16:26.970
They didn't quite hit the heights that the other two did,
394
00:16:27.009 --> 00:16:29.570
but I mean, come on, man. When you got the
395
00:16:29.590 --> 00:16:31.549
skills and you're in the kitchen and you know how
396
00:16:31.570 --> 00:16:34.230
to cook, dude, you guys are killing it.
397
00:16:34.830 --> 00:16:37.169
Who's the common denominator of all those bands that you
398
00:16:37.190 --> 00:16:37.950
were just talking about?
399
00:16:38.370 --> 00:16:43.110
Everybody except the singer. Now, what I do want to
400
00:16:43.149 --> 00:16:47.269
say about that, what I do want to say about
401
00:16:47.309 --> 00:16:51.730
that is in relationships as in life, whether it's a
402
00:16:52.129 --> 00:16:56.710
romantic relationship or friends or a work relationship or a band.
403
00:16:57.149 --> 00:17:02.549
If everybody keeps leaving except for one person, there's a reason.
404
00:17:03.909 --> 00:17:04.829
And we're done with that.
405
00:17:08.650 --> 00:17:11.369
Hey, Streetwalkers, here's a word from our sponsors.
406
00:17:13.130 --> 00:17:17.380
Hey, can I rant about spices for a second? I
407
00:17:17.559 --> 00:17:20.519
cook a lot. And somewhere along the way, I realized
408
00:17:20.619 --> 00:17:23.400
I'd been seasoning my food with spices that were basically
409
00:17:23.460 --> 00:17:28.269
collecting social security. Turns out, fresh spices actually taste like something.
410
00:17:29.009 --> 00:17:31.849
I've been using Lucky Cajun in my own kitchen, and hey,
411
00:17:32.190 --> 00:17:35.930
I am hooked. Their blends have become my default for everything,
412
00:17:36.170 --> 00:17:40.150
from chicken to popcorn to roasted vegetables. They're just really good.
413
00:17:40.490 --> 00:17:43.069
Don't turn your back on your taste buds. Grab some
414
00:17:43.190 --> 00:17:46.099
Lucky Cajun... and let your food taste the way it
415
00:17:46.160 --> 00:17:51.369
was supposed to. Go to theluckycajun.com and use the promo
416
00:17:51.410 --> 00:17:54.450
code NUNER at checkout to get three items for the
417
00:17:54.509 --> 00:17:55.269
price of two.
418
00:17:56.309 --> 00:18:02.940
Let's get back into it. Ladies and gentlemen, I mean,
419
00:18:02.960 --> 00:18:04.920
we dance around it, but for those of you who
420
00:18:05.140 --> 00:18:09.319
are sadly unaware, Taking Back Sunday, Mark O'Connell's in this
421
00:18:09.339 --> 00:18:13.539
band for 24 years. They have, one, two gold albums.
422
00:18:14.109 --> 00:18:16.619
a platinum single and a platinum album.
423
00:18:17.799 --> 00:18:20.740
Maybe like we, we might have, I've been trying to
424
00:18:20.779 --> 00:18:23.759
get like trying to find out like the exact amount
425
00:18:23.799 --> 00:18:26.460
of records that we have sold. So I do know
426
00:18:26.500 --> 00:18:29.289
that tell your friends is multiple platinum where you want
427
00:18:29.309 --> 00:18:34.009
to be is multiple platinum and latter. Now is at
428
00:18:34.109 --> 00:18:37.670
least platinum. And I know that, but like they haven't
429
00:18:37.730 --> 00:18:39.970
been recognized as that yet.
430
00:18:40.059 --> 00:18:41.059
So I'm working on that.
431
00:18:41.579 --> 00:18:43.599
Why are you working on that? Why is that important
432
00:18:43.619 --> 00:18:45.220
to you? I mean, it's important to me.
433
00:18:45.279 --> 00:18:48.160
Because I want to know how many albums I've sold.
434
00:18:48.660 --> 00:18:50.940
I feel like I deserve to know how many albums
435
00:18:51.009 --> 00:18:53.309
I've sold. I agree. It's that simple.
436
00:18:53.529 --> 00:18:55.529
It's not a money thing. It's not a this thing
437
00:18:55.549 --> 00:18:58.289
or whatever. It's that simple. I want to know how
438
00:18:58.329 --> 00:19:01.630
many albums, what I've contributed to. So that would be
439
00:19:01.670 --> 00:19:02.529
cool to find that out.
440
00:19:02.990 --> 00:19:07.960
Let's talk about contributions. Besides contributing to several multi-platinum albums
441
00:19:08.039 --> 00:19:12.210
and singles, you have contributed to the soundtrack of an
442
00:19:12.269 --> 00:19:13.230
entire generation.
443
00:19:13.250 --> 00:19:14.210
Thank you.
444
00:19:14.730 --> 00:19:18.960
You're welcome. It's really weird how art can reach the
445
00:19:19.000 --> 00:19:22.099
whole width of a generation, but also reach above to
446
00:19:22.140 --> 00:19:23.819
the next one and then below to the next one.
447
00:19:25.140 --> 00:19:28.279
The people who listen to Taken Back Sunday, there's Gen X,
448
00:19:28.319 --> 00:19:32.019
there's millennials, there's Gen Y, there's whatever the hell's happening
449
00:19:32.059 --> 00:19:36.910
right now. Everybody listens to Taken Back Sunday and has forever.
450
00:19:37.349 --> 00:19:39.809
I was not familiar with pop punk until I was
451
00:19:39.849 --> 00:19:42.190
working at a bank with this other dude who was,
452
00:19:42.210 --> 00:19:45.539
I don't know, maybe 10 years younger than me. This
453
00:19:45.559 --> 00:19:47.960
would have been 18, 19 years ago, something like that.
454
00:19:48.250 --> 00:19:49.930
And so he was about 10 years younger than me.
455
00:19:49.930 --> 00:19:53.339
He's fresh out of high school or something-ish. And he
456
00:19:53.359 --> 00:19:56.680
turned me on to Taking Back Sunday and Landon Pig,
457
00:19:56.740 --> 00:19:58.920
just like all this crazy stuff that I... He turned
458
00:19:58.960 --> 00:20:01.220
me on to Blink. The only Blink-182 song I had
459
00:20:01.299 --> 00:20:04.880
ever heard was whatever that boy band pretend song was.
460
00:20:05.220 --> 00:20:07.720
What's my age? Oh, yeah. I know.
461
00:20:07.839 --> 00:20:09.619
All the small things? All the small things? Yeah, yeah, yeah.
462
00:20:10.019 --> 00:20:12.309
That was the only Blink song I had ever heard
463
00:20:12.490 --> 00:20:15.250
until this kid. He was just showing me everything.
464
00:20:15.269 --> 00:20:15.490
Yeah.
465
00:20:15.710 --> 00:20:17.349
The Ataris. I mean, just everything.
466
00:20:17.369 --> 00:20:17.529
Yeah.
467
00:20:17.789 --> 00:20:20.109
And you guys. I'm not just saying this because I'm
468
00:20:20.130 --> 00:20:24.470
talking to you. You fucking are a face melter, my friend.
469
00:20:24.609 --> 00:20:25.890
Thank you. Appreciate that.
470
00:20:25.950 --> 00:20:28.859
You're welcome. At the end of Indiana Jones, when that
471
00:20:28.880 --> 00:20:31.579
dude opens up the thing and his face melts, that's
472
00:20:31.619 --> 00:20:34.480
what you guys do every time. You guys were on
473
00:20:34.500 --> 00:20:36.599
stage or in the studio. You guys are amazing.
474
00:20:37.019 --> 00:20:46.119
Thank you. Because I know that. I love Indiana Jones.
475
00:20:46.769 --> 00:20:49.390
Sure. So I just want to thank you for all
476
00:20:49.410 --> 00:20:51.450
of the millions of times that I have listened to
477
00:20:51.490 --> 00:20:51.950
your music.
478
00:20:52.049 --> 00:20:53.309
That's cool as hell. Thank you.
479
00:20:53.950 --> 00:20:57.130
No, you're cool as hell. Now, I have a couple
480
00:20:57.150 --> 00:20:58.329
of things that I want to talk about that don't
481
00:20:58.349 --> 00:20:59.839
have anything to do with music. And then we're going
482
00:20:59.859 --> 00:21:02.529
to get back to music. Do you really, or did
483
00:21:02.589 --> 00:21:05.130
you at one point, have a flux capacitor? That can't
484
00:21:05.150 --> 00:21:07.160
be real. Or is it a tattoo, or is it
485
00:21:07.230 --> 00:21:08.339
an actual flux capacitor?
486
00:21:08.839 --> 00:21:11.160
I have a tattoo, and then I had the toy, yeah.
487
00:21:11.319 --> 00:21:14.299
I had the toy flux capacitor. I don't have it anymore, though.
488
00:21:14.720 --> 00:21:18.819
I have gotten, since divorced, like literally, I was divorced,
489
00:21:19.099 --> 00:21:21.180
out of the bank. All these things happened at the
490
00:21:21.220 --> 00:21:21.980
same exact time.
491
00:21:22.099 --> 00:21:25.140
The flux capacitor didn't make it. But I do have
492
00:21:25.240 --> 00:21:26.279
it tattooed on me, yeah.
493
00:21:26.869 --> 00:21:29.470
That's hilarious. And also, I think one of your favorite
494
00:21:29.490 --> 00:21:33.339
movies growing up was, is this right? Adventures in Babysitting?
495
00:21:34.079 --> 00:21:34.960
Oh, hell yeah.
496
00:21:35.079 --> 00:21:35.380
Yes.
497
00:21:36.339 --> 00:21:36.720
Shit.
498
00:21:36.980 --> 00:21:38.720
That's really funny that I said that.
499
00:21:39.099 --> 00:21:41.759
Definitely that is a joke, but I mean, that is
500
00:21:41.779 --> 00:21:42.539
a great movie.
501
00:21:43.039 --> 00:21:45.960
What's even funnier is that when I was doing my
502
00:21:46.000 --> 00:21:49.000
research and I found that piece of information out, which
503
00:21:49.039 --> 00:21:52.450
was last week, my guest at the time, like my
504
00:21:52.490 --> 00:21:55.190
guest that was on the show that was out was, um,
505
00:21:55.759 --> 00:21:57.579
Keith Coogan from Adventures in Babysitting.
506
00:21:57.980 --> 00:21:58.609
No way.
507
00:21:58.789 --> 00:22:01.650
And so when I was doing that research, I was
508
00:22:01.690 --> 00:22:03.200
doing that research and I came across it.
509
00:22:03.269 --> 00:22:07.589
I was like, get the, what? Elizabeth Shue was everything.
510
00:22:08.190 --> 00:22:12.109
Karate Kid. You know what I mean? We look like
511
00:22:12.210 --> 00:22:14.410
we're around the same. How old are you? How old
512
00:22:14.450 --> 00:22:14.710
are you?
513
00:22:14.730 --> 00:22:16.349
I'm 52.
514
00:22:16.349 --> 00:22:17.690
Okay. You look really good. Good.
515
00:22:18.789 --> 00:22:21.809
Whoa, that's the first time anybody's ever said that.
516
00:22:21.890 --> 00:22:23.630
Listen, man, listen, it looks like.
517
00:22:24.529 --> 00:22:26.690
And I mean in real life. Thank you.
518
00:22:26.710 --> 00:22:29.150
You look like you're, you know, I thought that you
519
00:22:29.190 --> 00:22:33.220
were around 45, you know, but good. Thanks. Wow.
520
00:22:33.519 --> 00:22:37.259
And this is over. Thanks, guys. We're going to end
521
00:22:37.319 --> 00:22:38.400
on this high note.
522
00:22:39.140 --> 00:22:43.720
Adventures of Babysitting, man, Chicago, right? They even introduced Thor
523
00:22:43.740 --> 00:22:46.730
at the end of that. Man, that's really cool. Who,
524
00:22:46.750 --> 00:22:49.210
the little kid? He's the little kid.
525
00:22:49.890 --> 00:22:51.410
He's the dishes are done, man.
526
00:22:51.430 --> 00:22:56.099
Dishes are done, but he's a little kid. Yeah, I guess.
527
00:22:56.130 --> 00:22:56.670
Yeah, he's little.
528
00:22:56.859 --> 00:22:59.039
I just said that the other day. How weird.
529
00:22:59.180 --> 00:23:02.599
I hadn't said that in years. And I said that
530
00:23:02.640 --> 00:23:06.160
the other day. No one got it or that, but
531
00:23:06.380 --> 00:23:06.880
I got it.
532
00:23:07.660 --> 00:23:09.660
Did you know that he has a website? Like, he
533
00:23:09.680 --> 00:23:11.440
does the cons and all that stuff, and then he
534
00:23:11.460 --> 00:23:13.140
does the circuit, but he has a website where you
535
00:23:13.160 --> 00:23:15.220
can buy, like, merch. Like, you can buy dishes that
536
00:23:15.299 --> 00:23:16.740
say the dishes are done, man.
537
00:23:19.329 --> 00:23:20.720
Shit, that's very funny.
538
00:23:21.589 --> 00:23:23.269
That was all. Now we're getting back to your thing.
539
00:23:24.269 --> 00:23:27.730
You started a band. It's called M.E. Period.
540
00:23:28.029 --> 00:23:28.269
Mm-hmm.
541
00:23:28.490 --> 00:23:30.069
That stands for Mark and Eddie.
542
00:23:30.089 --> 00:23:30.589
Mm-hmm.
543
00:23:30.990 --> 00:23:33.119
Why is there a period? I know it's important.
544
00:23:33.420 --> 00:23:34.339
You know, it's weird.
545
00:23:34.400 --> 00:23:36.980
Like Ed had this pin that was up on his
546
00:23:37.029 --> 00:23:41.150
Facebook that said me. with a thumbs up before me started.
547
00:23:41.470 --> 00:23:43.670
So we started talking about it. Like when we had
548
00:23:43.789 --> 00:23:47.160
songs done, like without a singer and just tracks done,
549
00:23:47.180 --> 00:23:49.460
I was like, we should start thinking about a name. Like,
550
00:23:49.640 --> 00:23:51.380
should we just call it our own name? Like Ed
551
00:23:51.420 --> 00:23:54.900
Reyes and Mark O'Connell or whatever. And then he was like,
552
00:23:54.920 --> 00:23:56.829
let me think about it. Eddie's come up with every
553
00:23:56.849 --> 00:23:59.630
band name that he's ever started. And Ed started a
554
00:23:59.670 --> 00:24:03.829
lot of bands, Clockwise, Movie Life, Taking Back Sunday. not me,
555
00:24:04.170 --> 00:24:07.609
but you fucking, I mean, you name it, silent majority inside,
556
00:24:07.710 --> 00:24:11.269
like all these are on there. Every single one of
557
00:24:11.289 --> 00:24:13.569
them is amazing. But he was like, give me a
558
00:24:13.589 --> 00:24:15.759
day or two. And he came back and he showed
559
00:24:15.799 --> 00:24:17.759
me the pin. And he was like, you're saying Ed
560
00:24:17.799 --> 00:24:19.279
and Mark or Mark and Ed, whatever.
561
00:24:19.519 --> 00:24:22.019
And he was like me. And it's so weird. Cause
562
00:24:22.079 --> 00:24:22.980
I have this pin.
563
00:24:23.299 --> 00:24:25.940
And so that, and then the period is like, he
564
00:24:25.980 --> 00:24:27.339
was like, we'll just put a period at the end
565
00:24:27.400 --> 00:24:30.359
of it because there's other bands called me without a period,
566
00:24:30.400 --> 00:24:34.410
you know, whatever, whatever. So, The period isn't that crazy,
567
00:24:34.430 --> 00:24:37.789
but it does leave a lot of room for delivering
568
00:24:37.829 --> 00:24:38.950
a message in the future.
569
00:24:40.750 --> 00:24:42.869
You can put anything you want to in that period,
570
00:24:42.890 --> 00:24:44.250
so it leaves it open.
571
00:24:45.049 --> 00:24:47.930
I will tell you that as cool as that name is,
572
00:24:48.390 --> 00:24:52.109
it is a son of a gun to search. Holy balls.
573
00:24:52.890 --> 00:24:54.210
We didn't think about that issue.
574
00:24:54.990 --> 00:24:57.569
But that's okay. It is. It'll happen. People get there.
575
00:24:57.750 --> 00:24:59.470
And the bigger you guys get, the easier it'll be
576
00:24:59.490 --> 00:25:00.829
to search it. So that works out.
577
00:25:01.210 --> 00:25:03.269
Let me just say, like, starting a band back when
578
00:25:03.309 --> 00:25:06.309
we started in 99 and then starting a band now
579
00:25:06.390 --> 00:25:09.589
in 2025 when we did is so different. And it
580
00:25:09.650 --> 00:25:12.470
is very convenient now. Like, all the things, like, you
581
00:25:12.490 --> 00:25:14.000
just get into the band and you go back in
582
00:25:14.019 --> 00:25:15.799
the day when you were a kid. Things are different now.
583
00:25:15.940 --> 00:25:20.559
So now there's instant analytics. And that's amazing. And, like,
584
00:25:20.660 --> 00:25:23.430
that is, like, how you... You really find out where
585
00:25:23.470 --> 00:25:26.470
to go and utilize whatever it is.
586
00:25:26.869 --> 00:25:27.390
Technology.
587
00:25:27.910 --> 00:25:28.109
Yeah.
588
00:25:28.529 --> 00:25:29.430
It's amazing.
589
00:25:30.329 --> 00:25:34.289
Now, you mentioned that it's different now than it was
590
00:25:34.529 --> 00:25:37.849
back then, starting a band. When you were talking about it,
591
00:25:37.849 --> 00:25:39.829
you were just talking about it on the technological level.
592
00:25:40.190 --> 00:25:42.910
But I have a question about that. You've already started
593
00:25:42.950 --> 00:25:44.230
a band. You were in it for a long time.
594
00:25:44.650 --> 00:25:48.059
What did you decide to do differently going into this band?
595
00:25:48.380 --> 00:25:52.309
What about starting this band is different than TBS?
596
00:25:53.029 --> 00:25:55.849
I know enough now that I need to protect myself.
597
00:25:56.390 --> 00:25:57.190
Do you mean legally?
598
00:25:57.890 --> 00:26:03.089
Literally, figuratively, both. Just be kind to myself. Be aware.
599
00:26:03.670 --> 00:26:10.170
Don't be silly. Don't be naive. Trust people to be themselves.
600
00:26:10.210 --> 00:26:13.900
That's what I've really learned. Trust people to be themselves
601
00:26:13.920 --> 00:26:16.660
and what they show you is who they are. I've
602
00:26:16.700 --> 00:26:20.500
surrounded myself with people that love me now. That's the
603
00:26:20.539 --> 00:26:24.660
main difference. People who respect your opinion and care enough
604
00:26:24.779 --> 00:26:27.619
to make it want to work. So, like all those things,
605
00:26:27.859 --> 00:26:31.579
the not here's fact of what to do differently, you know,
606
00:26:32.380 --> 00:26:36.549
most of it is psychological. I'd say 95% of it
607
00:26:36.750 --> 00:26:40.150
is psychological. We all, everybody knows that though. It's all
608
00:26:40.190 --> 00:26:42.970
fucking that. But don't be naive.
609
00:26:43.549 --> 00:26:48.730
How did you approach your unanchored creativity going into this project?
610
00:26:49.230 --> 00:26:52.470
I have a feeling that Both you and Eddie, at times,
611
00:26:52.670 --> 00:26:56.269
some of your creativity was maybe stifled or even sometimes
612
00:26:56.549 --> 00:26:58.950
removed after you left the studio.
613
00:26:59.809 --> 00:27:03.319
You could hear it in this album. You could hear... Yes,
614
00:27:03.359 --> 00:27:03.759
you can.
615
00:27:03.779 --> 00:27:04.920
That's why I'm bringing it up.
616
00:27:05.180 --> 00:27:08.500
That's really cool. That's very cool. And yeah, when we
617
00:27:08.539 --> 00:27:11.779
were recording it, we knew, like, holy shit. You know,
618
00:27:11.819 --> 00:27:14.940
just like one example of it is like, okay, the
619
00:27:15.029 --> 00:27:18.109
end of Violent People, I have a really long drum fill.
620
00:27:18.799 --> 00:27:22.349
I've been doing that for years, that kind of stuff,
621
00:27:22.380 --> 00:27:25.650
recording it. And then it would be gone.
622
00:27:25.730 --> 00:27:28.569
But like, that's the beautiful thing about like what Eddie
623
00:27:28.589 --> 00:27:32.220
and I, that was the initial thing. Making sure that
624
00:27:32.259 --> 00:27:35.680
we had our creative freedom was our goal.
625
00:27:36.579 --> 00:27:37.519
That was the goal.
626
00:27:38.240 --> 00:27:40.980
Because the goal was to meet up and try to
627
00:27:41.029 --> 00:27:43.839
create and see what happened. But while we're doing it,
628
00:27:43.849 --> 00:27:45.380
we're going to do whatever the fuck we want to
629
00:27:45.420 --> 00:27:48.230
do without any outside influence.
630
00:27:48.529 --> 00:27:50.289
And that could be looked at as like, well, you
631
00:27:50.329 --> 00:27:52.410
want to run? Well, this time, yeah, we wanted to
632
00:27:52.450 --> 00:27:53.329
run the show.
633
00:27:53.369 --> 00:27:58.150
We didn't want anyone just nitpicking or micromanaging with garbage ideas.
634
00:27:58.710 --> 00:28:03.269
That's definitely not what we wanted. So that's what we
635
00:28:03.549 --> 00:28:06.170
kept it just the music is me and him. That
636
00:28:06.250 --> 00:28:06.789
is the rule.
637
00:28:07.170 --> 00:28:07.930
And that is what we did.
638
00:28:08.589 --> 00:28:11.470
Except for Big Smiles, which Mike came up with and
639
00:28:11.710 --> 00:28:14.329
like on the spot and recorded it in one take.
640
00:28:14.369 --> 00:28:18.420
Let me tell you what, that motherfucker, man, is crazy,
641
00:28:18.799 --> 00:28:24.599
crazy talented, crazy driven and respects his craft in a
642
00:28:24.619 --> 00:28:26.220
way that I had never seen before.
643
00:28:26.559 --> 00:28:28.700
But like with Eddie and I, that was the rule.
644
00:28:28.720 --> 00:28:31.130
Like even with ourselves, like getting in the way of
645
00:28:31.210 --> 00:28:35.480
ourselves to grown men. Another example, like Eddie had that
646
00:28:35.569 --> 00:28:41.430
opening riff. And then he was like, well, maybe it's
647
00:28:41.450 --> 00:28:45.230
just too much like me or it's too simple. I'm like, dude,
648
00:28:45.309 --> 00:28:46.750
that's what we're here to do. Like we had to
649
00:28:46.809 --> 00:28:49.069
remind ourselves. He had to remind me at the end.
650
00:28:49.089 --> 00:28:53.309
I was like, yo, is that Phil too much? Tell me, Mark, Marky, no,
651
00:28:53.349 --> 00:28:56.150
that's why we're here. Keep the Phil. Like, so we
652
00:28:56.230 --> 00:28:59.890
did that and we were creatively liberated and you could
653
00:28:59.910 --> 00:29:00.849
hear it to me.
654
00:29:01.329 --> 00:29:02.329
You can definitely hear it.
655
00:29:02.329 --> 00:29:03.029
That's awesome.
656
00:29:04.150 --> 00:29:05.930
Like I said, I listened to a lot of Taken
657
00:29:05.950 --> 00:29:08.390
Back Sunday back in the day and this new album.
658
00:29:08.890 --> 00:29:14.559
It doesn't sound like you guys are the same people
659
00:29:14.619 --> 00:29:18.160
that you were in Taken Back Sunday, but it is reminiscent,
660
00:29:18.440 --> 00:29:22.619
if that makes any sense. It's almost like the guys
661
00:29:22.720 --> 00:29:26.670
that were in Taken Back Sunday inspired you guys now.
662
00:29:27.970 --> 00:29:30.089
And real quick, I do want to say this. Everything
663
00:29:30.109 --> 00:29:32.680
that you just said about you and Eddie... being like,
664
00:29:32.740 --> 00:29:34.569
this is me. This is what I'm doing. Like, this
665
00:29:34.640 --> 00:29:36.930
is me. Like, I felt like that's what the period
666
00:29:36.970 --> 00:29:39.329
was about in the name of the band. Like, both
667
00:29:39.369 --> 00:29:40.829
of you guys are standing at the front of the
668
00:29:40.849 --> 00:29:44.910
stage just screaming into the crowd this is me period.
669
00:29:44.990 --> 00:29:47.529
Without a doubt. That is kind of like what Eddie
670
00:29:47.589 --> 00:29:50.549
has said before. Because he came up with it. He
671
00:29:50.589 --> 00:29:52.450
came up with that period. He wanted it. And he's
672
00:29:52.490 --> 00:29:56.339
kind of said, no, it's about me now. Also, it
673
00:29:56.380 --> 00:29:58.759
can be looked at like, this is about me now.
674
00:29:58.819 --> 00:30:00.740
I'm going to do what I want. Man, we've been
675
00:30:00.779 --> 00:30:02.240
doing it our own.
676
00:30:02.140 --> 00:30:04.700
Way since we started it to make sure that none
677
00:30:04.740 --> 00:30:09.960
of the bullshit infiltrates our little family that we have growing.
678
00:30:10.200 --> 00:30:10.779
You know what I mean?
679
00:30:10.799 --> 00:30:13.579
I think that as we get older, we realize that
680
00:30:13.619 --> 00:30:16.309
there are minefields. You know, when we're younger and like
681
00:30:16.329 --> 00:30:18.650
you're in Taking Back Sunday, you had no idea that
682
00:30:18.670 --> 00:30:21.170
there was a minefield out there. And there's always going
683
00:30:21.190 --> 00:30:23.529
to be one. But now you know that there is one.
684
00:30:23.589 --> 00:30:27.220
So you can approach things differently, which I love about
685
00:30:27.279 --> 00:30:29.380
growing up. That's just one of the things about growing
686
00:30:29.460 --> 00:30:30.599
up that nobody ever tells you.
687
00:30:31.299 --> 00:30:32.279
No, it's cool.
688
00:30:36.329 --> 00:30:37.349
Hey, Streetwalkers.
689
00:30:37.549 --> 00:30:39.029
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690
00:30:40.910 --> 00:30:45.329
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691
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692
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693
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694
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695
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It was one of those cases that everyone thought couldn't
696
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697
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Until Authram Technology changed everything. Now, for the first time,
698
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the full story is being told on YouTube. Search Authram Studios.
699
00:31:10.619 --> 00:31:17.589
Let's get back into it. The band is M.E., period.
700
00:31:17.670 --> 00:31:17.890
Me.
701
00:31:18.170 --> 00:31:19.309
Who else is in this band?
702
00:31:19.910 --> 00:31:24.710
Mike Jansen is the singer, guitar player. Ed Reyes, guitar player.
703
00:31:25.089 --> 00:31:27.890
Neil Amarudin, bass player. Mark O'Connell, drummer.
704
00:31:28.430 --> 00:31:31.920
Now, if I understand correctly, you guys had just about
705
00:31:32.019 --> 00:31:34.500
this entire album written before you found Mike. As a
706
00:31:34.519 --> 00:31:36.980
matter of fact, I don't even think you guys wanted
707
00:31:37.059 --> 00:31:39.420
a singer. Were there any lyrics? Was this going to
708
00:31:39.440 --> 00:31:41.029
be an instrumental project? What's going on?
709
00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:43.960
There was a point where I was, we were thinking like,
710
00:31:44.059 --> 00:31:47.140
it might just have to be that because the very
711
00:31:47.180 --> 00:31:49.380
first thing was like, we don't want a singer. Like
712
00:31:49.420 --> 00:31:52.069
we didn't want to sing. Like I didn't like, that
713
00:31:52.109 --> 00:31:54.390
was actually at the same time of like Eddie and
714
00:31:54.430 --> 00:31:55.289
I making that rule.
715
00:31:55.349 --> 00:31:58.190
Like, no, like we don't get in the way of ourselves.
716
00:31:58.269 --> 00:32:00.809
And at the same time I was being so protective
717
00:32:00.950 --> 00:32:02.839
that I was like, I don't want a singer coming
718
00:32:02.910 --> 00:32:05.799
in and, or, or just adding another human being to
719
00:32:05.819 --> 00:32:06.200
the bunch.
720
00:32:06.240 --> 00:32:09.000
Like, why don't we just get one, for each song.
721
00:32:09.099 --> 00:32:10.980
And then like, if we go out and tour, then
722
00:32:11.000 --> 00:32:13.359
we could find one singer to sing it out on tour.
723
00:32:13.400 --> 00:32:16.230
That was my initial idea. And Eddie was into that
724
00:32:16.410 --> 00:32:18.849
and he respected it. But there were times where he
725
00:32:18.890 --> 00:32:20.930
was like, Mark, like you might have to open up
726
00:32:21.230 --> 00:32:24.829
to that. And I wasn't willing to. And then walks
727
00:32:24.890 --> 00:32:27.859
in Mike Jansen. It's like, okay, well now like that
728
00:32:27.930 --> 00:32:31.180
idea actually seems silly because that dude is so good.
729
00:32:31.809 --> 00:32:33.970
I feel like he didn't just walk in. I think
730
00:32:34.490 --> 00:32:38.670
he screamed in. He came in singing. He singed his
731
00:32:38.809 --> 00:32:39.230
ass off.
732
00:32:39.609 --> 00:32:40.089
Yes, he did.
733
00:32:40.309 --> 00:32:41.230
To get that job.
734
00:32:41.450 --> 00:32:41.990
Yes, he did.
735
00:32:43.259 --> 00:32:44.819
Who writes the lyrics? Everybody?
736
00:32:45.170 --> 00:32:45.650
No, he did.
737
00:32:45.690 --> 00:32:46.259
Just him?
738
00:32:46.279 --> 00:32:47.059
For the whole album?
739
00:32:47.640 --> 00:32:51.119
For the whole album. Okay, ladies and gentlemen, again, me,
740
00:32:51.259 --> 00:32:54.359
the band. The debut album is called All Good Things,
741
00:32:55.019 --> 00:32:57.789
and it came out on July 24th. with a total
742
00:32:57.809 --> 00:33:02.099
runtime of only 33 minutes and about 17 seconds, which
743
00:33:02.119 --> 00:33:06.539
makes it imminently digestible. Yesterday, I was sitting in traffic.
744
00:33:07.019 --> 00:33:08.720
I had about an hour commute on the way home,
745
00:33:08.880 --> 00:33:12.829
and I listened to the whole album again twice, but
746
00:33:12.890 --> 00:33:14.950
then for the rest of my trip, I just kept
747
00:33:14.990 --> 00:33:19.079
hitting repeat on this one song. Every song on this
748
00:33:19.319 --> 00:33:22.240
album is badass, and None of the songs really sound
749
00:33:22.259 --> 00:33:24.549
like any of the other songs on the album. It's
750
00:33:24.609 --> 00:33:26.170
not like you hear one song and you just know
751
00:33:26.190 --> 00:33:28.609
what the whole album is because they're all so different.
752
00:33:28.869 --> 00:33:29.210
Thank you.
753
00:33:29.690 --> 00:33:31.509
Which I think is a testament. You're welcome. I think
754
00:33:31.549 --> 00:33:33.210
it's a testament to all of your skills and all
755
00:33:33.230 --> 00:33:35.390
of your experience. And I mean, all of y'all, all
756
00:33:35.470 --> 00:33:37.900
of you guys. You have released a couple of singles.
757
00:33:38.460 --> 00:33:43.140
I think your favorite song on the album is Sun Poison.
758
00:33:44.000 --> 00:33:45.640
I guess it switches.
759
00:33:46.380 --> 00:33:47.869
That's the one that you think is going to change
760
00:33:47.910 --> 00:33:48.190
the world.
761
00:33:48.829 --> 00:33:51.089
I think it's going to make a mark on. Yeah.
762
00:33:51.130 --> 00:33:53.410
I was told that like, maybe don't say that because
763
00:33:53.430 --> 00:33:55.609
I might come off a certain way and I never
764
00:33:55.670 --> 00:33:57.849
meant to, but like, I'm very excited about it.
765
00:33:58.450 --> 00:34:01.490
Buddy, this whole band is about not letting people tell
766
00:34:01.509 --> 00:34:10.269
you what to do. So let's not fall into our
767
00:34:10.329 --> 00:34:14.090
old habits. Okay. Look, I'm just going to say it.
768
00:34:14.650 --> 00:34:17.010
You might not agree with me and that's fine. You're
769
00:34:17.030 --> 00:34:20.989
allowed to have your incorrect opinion. The absolute best song
770
00:34:21.110 --> 00:34:24.150
on this album, which I cannot get out of my head,
771
00:34:24.869 --> 00:34:28.409
I cannot get it out of my head, is The
772
00:34:28.510 --> 00:34:31.210
Astronaut Show, and in parentheses, Crazy.
773
00:34:31.610 --> 00:34:32.110
Okay.
774
00:34:32.989 --> 00:34:36.550
That song is less than three minutes, but it is
775
00:34:36.889 --> 00:34:38.309
bonkers badass.
776
00:34:38.949 --> 00:34:39.570
Very cool.
777
00:34:40.090 --> 00:34:43.389
From the first notes of that song, you're reaching for
778
00:34:43.449 --> 00:34:47.170
a seatbelt. Like, from the very first notes, you're pulled in,
779
00:34:47.190 --> 00:34:49.219
and the first notes are guitar notes. And then in
780
00:34:49.880 --> 00:34:53.079
comes Mr. Mark O'Connell to let you know that if
781
00:34:53.119 --> 00:34:56.630
you thought that my drumming was going to be my drumming, well,
782
00:34:56.650 --> 00:34:58.309
you're right, but it's also going to be my drumming,
783
00:34:58.389 --> 00:34:58.849
but louder.
784
00:34:58.869 --> 00:35:03.090
Oh, 100%. That's actually a fact.
785
00:35:03.650 --> 00:35:06.719
The mix, I don't know who did the mix, but
786
00:35:06.780 --> 00:35:09.039
the mix on this is badass.
787
00:35:09.099 --> 00:35:09.420
It is.
788
00:35:09.440 --> 00:35:11.719
You know, a lot of times when you're hearing other bands,
789
00:35:12.739 --> 00:35:15.670
You'll hear a song and maybe the vocals are, I
790
00:35:15.989 --> 00:35:18.090
don't know, levels. Let's say the vocals are at a
791
00:35:18.090 --> 00:35:19.670
10 and the guitar is at a 7 and the
792
00:35:19.710 --> 00:35:23.050
drums are at a 4. And then the bass, you're like,
793
00:35:23.150 --> 00:35:25.829
is there even a bass there? I can't. But I mean,
794
00:35:25.849 --> 00:35:30.860
I don't know who mixed these levels, but everything is perfect.
795
00:35:31.409 --> 00:35:34.440
The guitar is exactly as loud as it needs to be.
796
00:35:34.780 --> 00:35:37.260
The drums are finally as loud as they need to be.
797
00:35:37.679 --> 00:35:40.679
And Mike, with the singing, holy moly.
798
00:35:40.860 --> 00:35:42.219
Yeah. Thank you.
799
00:35:42.670 --> 00:35:43.050
You're welcome.
800
00:35:43.070 --> 00:35:45.110
Thank you for saying all that. Chris Bittner mixed it.
801
00:35:45.780 --> 00:35:46.989
Chris. Good job, Chris.
802
00:35:47.639 --> 00:35:51.559
Yeah, he's amazing. He's an amazing producer. The guy is wicked. Like,
803
00:35:51.599 --> 00:35:54.079
he's just fucking... You know, we're taking back something we
804
00:35:54.099 --> 00:35:57.199
worked with Eric Valentine, who's widely known as one of
805
00:35:57.239 --> 00:36:02.980
the best producers within the producer world. So, like, without question,
806
00:36:03.039 --> 00:36:05.820
I told this to Chris. Like, he asked, like, who's
807
00:36:05.860 --> 00:36:08.789
your favorite... producer to work with. And like, we're working
808
00:36:08.829 --> 00:36:11.250
on this album. So like, hands down, without a doubt,
809
00:36:11.329 --> 00:36:13.710
I was like, the only one that's comparable to you
810
00:36:13.949 --> 00:36:17.519
is Eric Valentine. And he was so happy with that.
811
00:36:17.659 --> 00:36:22.179
But man, yeah, Chris mixed it. I was going into
812
00:36:22.239 --> 00:36:26.679
this album with a sound that I had been looking
813
00:36:26.780 --> 00:36:30.019
for and trying with Taking Back Sunday for a whole
814
00:36:30.199 --> 00:36:34.199
bunch of years, like rock In general, I feel like
815
00:36:34.400 --> 00:36:37.739
it's just missing this fire. Not totally like there's amazing
816
00:36:37.780 --> 00:36:40.000
bands that are, turns out, like is it a perfect
817
00:36:40.059 --> 00:36:42.940
example of a band that is just bringing hardcore to
818
00:36:43.400 --> 00:36:44.920
the forefront, which is amazing.
819
00:36:44.940 --> 00:36:45.829
I fucking love it.
820
00:36:46.059 --> 00:36:49.750
But a lot of rock music that comes out now
821
00:36:50.030 --> 00:36:52.369
seems like they're trying to adapt to what is the
822
00:36:52.409 --> 00:36:56.610
most popular thing, which is EDM. Or hip-hop or whatever,
823
00:36:56.710 --> 00:36:59.369
not rock. But it's making its way back up. But
824
00:36:59.710 --> 00:37:02.710
one thing that rock is missing is loud motherfucking drums.
825
00:37:03.550 --> 00:37:07.599
Yeah, where's Appetite for Destruction? Where's that? Where is that?
826
00:37:07.780 --> 00:37:10.440
I mean, you mentioned it at the beginning as one
827
00:37:10.480 --> 00:37:14.139
of your favorite albums. Where is that music today?
828
00:37:14.380 --> 00:37:14.699
It isn't.
829
00:37:15.159 --> 00:37:15.739
There isn't any.
830
00:37:16.099 --> 00:37:21.260
Because there's that grit. that need, that survival instinct that
831
00:37:21.300 --> 00:37:25.679
you could hear in first albums. Like, when money starts
832
00:37:25.820 --> 00:37:30.420
becoming a thing, and then if you're comfortable, like, this
833
00:37:30.639 --> 00:37:32.349
album was survival for Eddie and I.
834
00:37:32.719 --> 00:37:33.860
Like, absolutely.
835
00:37:34.280 --> 00:37:38.070
We have families, we have women and children that need us,
836
00:37:38.429 --> 00:37:40.829
and this needed to work. Back to the mix, so, like,
837
00:37:41.030 --> 00:37:42.530
there was a sound that I was looking for for
838
00:37:42.550 --> 00:37:45.969
the drums specifically, which was very loud. If you listen
839
00:37:46.030 --> 00:37:51.269
to Pinkerton, right, We used their second album. People would go,
840
00:37:51.409 --> 00:37:54.909
the drums sound so good on that album. And what
841
00:37:54.929 --> 00:37:58.699
I've realized is that, yes, they do, because they're so
842
00:37:58.860 --> 00:37:59.519
fucking loud.
843
00:37:59.539 --> 00:38:00.699
Yeah, because you can hear them.
844
00:38:01.059 --> 00:38:03.780
Yeah, because you can hear them. It's that simple. Also,
845
00:38:03.880 --> 00:38:05.460
there's this sound.
846
00:38:05.980 --> 00:38:10.250
Especially in the 90s, with hardcore, there was a sound
847
00:38:10.630 --> 00:38:12.510
that I didn't know what I was hearing that I loved.
848
00:38:12.980 --> 00:38:14.199
And it was drums clipping.
849
00:38:14.579 --> 00:38:18.659
It was actually not doing what should be done at
850
00:38:18.699 --> 00:38:22.079
the end of the mix, which was happening. So I
851
00:38:22.099 --> 00:38:25.010
was showing Chris a bunch of things like VODs for
852
00:38:25.070 --> 00:38:28.550
song demo and just like old hardcore shit, bulldoze, like
853
00:38:28.650 --> 00:38:31.369
all this. And I was like, what is that sound
854
00:38:31.650 --> 00:38:34.150
with the drums? He was like, they're clipping. And I
855
00:38:34.190 --> 00:38:37.980
was like, let's do that. Let's fucking clip the shit.
856
00:38:38.139 --> 00:38:41.420
Make it way too fucking loud. So he went about
857
00:38:41.460 --> 00:38:45.059
it in a way to where I wouldn't ruin my career.
858
00:38:45.940 --> 00:38:50.960
Or his. Or his, exactly. And he reeled it in.
859
00:38:51.300 --> 00:38:54.880
There's sub bass and there's just fucking, like we went through,
860
00:38:54.940 --> 00:38:57.320
like Eddie and I have been through it. I wanted
861
00:38:57.389 --> 00:39:01.889
the album to have the feeling of like, holy fucking shit.
862
00:39:01.969 --> 00:39:04.889
Like shit is wild, but here we are, we're doing it.
863
00:39:05.250 --> 00:39:08.730
And man, it like, it's so crazy because the way
864
00:39:08.769 --> 00:39:10.869
that he mixed it, he did it in a way
865
00:39:10.929 --> 00:39:13.280
to where I was like, I'll say like, do something
866
00:39:13.300 --> 00:39:16.460
like blast that kick drum. I would say like, do
867
00:39:16.519 --> 00:39:19.960
it to where you're uncomfortable and then bring it down one.
868
00:39:20.440 --> 00:39:23.590
And that's what we were doing. And like, that is
869
00:39:23.639 --> 00:39:27.510
how that sound came. And he, we went with it
870
00:39:27.590 --> 00:39:29.269
and he went with it. And when he mixed it,
871
00:39:29.269 --> 00:39:33.360
holy shit. that guy is fucking incredible. And then through
872
00:39:33.440 --> 00:39:36.699
Chris and Michael Birnbaum, Michael Birnbaum is is the studio
873
00:39:36.840 --> 00:39:41.079
owner in Woodstock. He is friendly with Howie Weinberg, who
874
00:39:41.099 --> 00:39:42.659
mastered it, who has like 57 Grammys.
875
00:39:44.239 --> 00:39:44.760
You know what I mean?
876
00:39:44.800 --> 00:39:48.219
He did Nevermind in utero, you name it, Metallica, Master
877
00:39:48.239 --> 00:39:51.599
of Puppets. This motherfucker did everything. And he said yes
878
00:39:52.199 --> 00:39:56.820
to mastering this album, which was massive for us. That's
879
00:39:56.880 --> 00:40:01.039
why it sounds... His mastering, he's just known to master
880
00:40:01.059 --> 00:40:03.820
it also way too loud. The guy doesn't give a
881
00:40:04.039 --> 00:40:06.460
fuck about, like, no, the.
882
00:40:06.380 --> 00:40:09.320
Hit album now is mastered at this. He didn't give
883
00:40:09.340 --> 00:40:12.739
a fuck. He blasted the shit. And it's amazing.
884
00:40:13.190 --> 00:40:15.730
He's like, I got 57 Grammys that say I don't
885
00:40:15.750 --> 00:40:16.230
give a shit.
886
00:40:18.070 --> 00:40:18.349
Yes.
887
00:40:18.469 --> 00:40:21.699
So the fact that he chose to master ours and
888
00:40:22.179 --> 00:40:23.780
got on board was really cool.
889
00:40:24.599 --> 00:40:29.079
In that song, The Astronaut Show, in parentheses, crazy. There's
890
00:40:29.239 --> 00:40:31.820
several breaks in the music, which my dad, who's a
891
00:40:31.860 --> 00:40:34.889
lifetime musician, he says they're called rests. I don't know
892
00:40:35.030 --> 00:40:36.989
dick about music terminology, but it's.
893
00:40:37.130 --> 00:40:39.429
The kids call them drops nowadays, I think.
894
00:40:39.730 --> 00:40:40.530
Is that what they call them?
895
00:40:40.969 --> 00:40:43.760
I think the kids call it a drop. I don't know. Maybe.
896
00:40:44.260 --> 00:40:47.460
It's where everybody in the band stops playing for like
897
00:40:47.579 --> 00:40:49.579
one beat or two beats, and then everybody just starts
898
00:40:49.619 --> 00:40:51.800
right back again. And there's three or four of them
899
00:40:51.840 --> 00:40:53.920
in that song, and every one of them is just
900
00:40:54.000 --> 00:40:57.539
so clean. It's such a clean stop. It's like a snap.
901
00:40:58.119 --> 00:40:59.739
It's badass. Now, that said.
902
00:40:59.760 --> 00:41:00.099
Thank you.
903
00:41:00.400 --> 00:41:04.110
You're welcome. Hey, Mark, can I play that song on
904
00:41:04.130 --> 00:41:06.789
this episode so everybody knows what the fuck we're talking about?
905
00:41:07.579 --> 00:41:09.460
I would love for you to play that song.
906
00:41:09.519 --> 00:41:11.360
And let me start it off by saying this is
907
00:41:11.539 --> 00:41:14.219
one riff that Eddie was playing for so goddamn long.
908
00:41:14.260 --> 00:41:16.809
Like when I heard him just noodling around with it
909
00:41:16.849 --> 00:41:19.030
at the studio, like I turned to him, I was like,
910
00:41:19.090 --> 00:41:24.369
holy shit, you're still like, I remember that. So he
911
00:41:24.389 --> 00:41:26.789
was trying to make that song for years. So I
912
00:41:26.809 --> 00:41:28.500
was like, fuck it, let's go in, let's do it.
913
00:41:29.150 --> 00:41:32.000
And as it was coming into its own, I was like, man,
914
00:41:32.019 --> 00:41:34.500
this feels like a punk rock Eye of the Tiger. Mm-hmm.
915
00:41:35.139 --> 00:41:38.039
We kind of went with that. Everyone started laughing. So
916
00:41:38.059 --> 00:41:40.800
that's what I think. It's a really good song. Yes,
917
00:41:40.860 --> 00:41:41.440
please play it.
918
00:41:41.760 --> 00:41:43.719
Will you introduce it like you're a radio DJ?
919
00:41:44.590 --> 00:41:48.869
Yeah. All right, everybody. This is Mark O'Connell coming right
920
00:41:48.889 --> 00:41:52.210
from Long Island. You are listening to Astronaut Show by
921
00:41:52.250 --> 00:41:53.369
the band Me.
922
00:41:54.110 --> 00:41:58.309
Here it is. Of their debut album, All Good Things.
923
00:41:59.880 --> 00:42:00.900
All Good Things.
924
00:42:25.030 --> 00:42:31.340
I see the real. I see it all.
925
00:42:45.380 --> 00:42:48.079
There's a blacklist put in place There's a.
926
00:42:48.099 --> 00:42:49.300
Power at the.
927
00:42:49.239 --> 00:42:56.940
Hand A sparkle in the gutter A salvage of the
928
00:42:57.000 --> 00:43:04.050
damned We can make the most of it Or slowly.
929
00:43:03.869 --> 00:43:05.170
Die all alone I am a company.
930
00:43:05.030 --> 00:43:07.510
Man But I have a mind of my own Above
931
00:43:07.550 --> 00:43:16.780
hand Beyond hand Star of the astronaut show. It's pretty,
932
00:43:16.900 --> 00:43:18.239
my pretty fiction.
933
00:43:20.010 --> 00:43:21.909
Smile for the camera.
934
00:43:22.929 --> 00:43:23.909
I see the real.
935
00:43:24.050 --> 00:43:26.320
Don't break your legs, you little shit.
936
00:43:28.159 --> 00:43:31.059
There's a black place put in place There's a power
937
00:43:31.199 --> 00:43:35.880
at the hand A sparkle in the gutter A salvage
938
00:43:36.300 --> 00:43:40.019
of the damned We can make the most of it I'll.
939
00:43:40.000 --> 00:43:41.780
Slowly die out of love.
940
00:44:29.940 --> 00:44:33.260
There's a blacklist put in place. There's a power at
941
00:44:33.280 --> 00:44:39.969
the hand. A sparkle in the gutter. A salvage of
942
00:44:40.070 --> 00:44:42.409
the damned. We can make the most of it.
943
00:44:42.510 --> 00:44:44.429
I slowly die all alone.
944
00:44:44.449 --> 00:44:48.349
I am a company man. I have a mind of my.
945
00:44:50.489 --> 00:44:52.050
Own.
946
00:44:54.829 --> 00:44:56.670
That's so funny. When I said Radio DJ, I didn't
947
00:44:56.690 --> 00:44:59.800
know you were going to get off. NPR. Hello, this
948
00:44:59.820 --> 00:45:01.010
is Mark O'Connell.
949
00:45:01.329 --> 00:45:04.010
That's what I was trying to do, but I didn't
950
00:45:04.050 --> 00:45:04.829
really come.
951
00:45:04.590 --> 00:45:09.409
Through the way you just did. That was really funny.
952
00:45:10.289 --> 00:45:13.889
So this album came out July 24th, and it's available everywhere.
953
00:45:14.369 --> 00:45:17.150
I do have the streaming services, but streaming services aren't
954
00:45:17.170 --> 00:45:21.710
my favorite because, well, for one, you're not making a
955
00:45:21.849 --> 00:45:24.829
dime when I'm listening to it on my phone. When
956
00:45:24.869 --> 00:45:28.389
I pay for the album, you guys... get whatever it is,
957
00:45:28.389 --> 00:45:31.449
10 bucks for the whole album versus I got to
958
00:45:31.489 --> 00:45:34.150
listen to it. I think it's 400 million times for
959
00:45:34.190 --> 00:45:35.130
you to get 10 bucks.
960
00:45:35.630 --> 00:45:38.809
I think you're right. I think it's 400 million streams
961
00:45:38.909 --> 00:45:40.670
is about $ 10.
962
00:45:39.969 --> 00:45:40.170
Yes.
963
00:45:40.730 --> 00:45:43.989
So I prefer to purchase albums.
964
00:45:44.659 --> 00:45:47.739
Even if you listen to it where you're streaming it
965
00:45:48.320 --> 00:45:50.960
just for algorithm support.
966
00:45:51.059 --> 00:45:51.320
Sure.
967
00:45:51.860 --> 00:45:54.599
We wouldn't hate that. I guarantee you that, but however
968
00:45:54.639 --> 00:45:55.550
you want to listen to it.
969
00:45:56.079 --> 00:45:59.730
Okay. What if somebody wanted to purchase this album? How
970
00:45:59.769 --> 00:46:00.849
would one go about that?
971
00:46:01.869 --> 00:46:03.449
I know that Spotify has a link.
972
00:46:04.059 --> 00:46:04.679
To purchase?
973
00:46:05.400 --> 00:46:08.719
To purchase the vinyl. We have CDs.
974
00:46:08.860 --> 00:46:09.900
So you have a website then?
975
00:46:10.559 --> 00:46:12.619
Yeah. I think we do.
976
00:46:14.860 --> 00:46:16.679
All right. One more time with a little conviction.
977
00:46:16.699 --> 00:46:20.030
I think we do have a website. I should probably
978
00:46:20.429 --> 00:46:22.150
know what the name of the website is.
979
00:46:23.809 --> 00:46:28.300
Sure. The band Me. I don't know, to be honest
980
00:46:28.320 --> 00:46:28.619
with you.
981
00:46:28.889 --> 00:46:29.670
Love that.
982
00:46:30.010 --> 00:46:30.309
Yeah.
983
00:46:30.710 --> 00:46:40.820
That is hilarious. It's TheBandMe.com. That's what it is. TheBandMe.com.
984
00:46:40.860 --> 00:46:42.360
TheBandMe.com. Okay.
985
00:46:42.440 --> 00:46:42.659
Yeah.
986
00:46:43.199 --> 00:46:45.420
It's the official site and store of Hit Me Period.
987
00:46:45.980 --> 00:46:49.659
Featuring tees, hats, hoodies, vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, and more.
988
00:46:50.039 --> 00:46:53.500
And it's independently put out. Like, we've been on Billboard,
989
00:46:53.920 --> 00:46:57.420
you know, in the hundreds, but we are charting every time.
990
00:46:57.639 --> 00:47:00.239
And it's on, you know, me, Casey, and Neil, we
991
00:47:00.260 --> 00:47:02.840
started Follow the Money record. Like, just follow the money.
992
00:47:03.699 --> 00:47:05.989
Which is a line in The Astronaut Show.
993
00:47:06.679 --> 00:47:09.639
Yes, it is. That's because Mike Jansen's a cool motherfucker
994
00:47:09.659 --> 00:47:10.320
and he knows how to.
995
00:47:10.820 --> 00:47:15.599
He perfectly absorbed his surroundings just meeting Eddie and I
996
00:47:15.719 --> 00:47:18.099
and then Neil and Casey and everybody and just coming
997
00:47:18.139 --> 00:47:21.199
into our world, seeing what was happening around them, what
998
00:47:21.239 --> 00:47:24.519
was being talked about, and then just quietly jotting it down.
999
00:47:24.960 --> 00:47:28.119
The way that that man absorbed himself into our world
1000
00:47:28.260 --> 00:47:31.809
and then made it his also is unbelievable.
1001
00:47:32.550 --> 00:47:34.829
Also, I want to say about Mike, I don't know,
1002
00:47:34.829 --> 00:47:37.860
10 minutes ago, you had said something about you and
1003
00:47:37.920 --> 00:47:41.969
Eddie were thinking, well, maybe we'll just get a different
1004
00:47:42.260 --> 00:47:44.550
singer for every song. And if we tour, then we'll
1005
00:47:44.570 --> 00:47:48.530
figure something out. Mike sounds like a different singer in
1006
00:47:48.590 --> 00:47:51.650
every song. There's this song on here, and I think
1007
00:47:51.690 --> 00:47:53.670
it might be the last one. This is what it
1008
00:47:53.710 --> 00:47:55.550
feels like or whatever it's called.
1009
00:47:55.750 --> 00:47:56.969
That's one of my favorites.
1010
00:47:57.610 --> 00:47:59.929
I think it's that song. The very beginning of that song,
1011
00:47:59.969 --> 00:48:02.809
he sounds like the singer for that 90s band Live.
1012
00:48:03.030 --> 00:48:05.469
Do you remember that band, Live? Throwing Copper? Yes, I do.
1013
00:48:05.829 --> 00:48:08.849
At the very beginning, he sounds like that dude. His
1014
00:48:08.929 --> 00:48:13.780
voice is a little fried at the beginning. And it's
1015
00:48:13.840 --> 00:48:18.000
that fry, but also the power behind his voice. Anyway,
1016
00:48:18.559 --> 00:48:20.400
every song on here, it sounds like it is a
1017
00:48:20.420 --> 00:48:22.079
different singer. So good job, Mike.
1018
00:48:22.739 --> 00:48:25.119
Yeah. You know, that song is what it feels like
1019
00:48:25.139 --> 00:48:25.780
to be normal.
1020
00:48:26.079 --> 00:48:28.199
Like going through the divorce and then the band thing
1021
00:48:28.219 --> 00:48:31.300
at the same time, like I was accused of things
1022
00:48:31.340 --> 00:48:32.079
I don't even want.
1023
00:48:31.960 --> 00:48:34.579
To say out loud. Sure. because I don't want to
1024
00:48:34.619 --> 00:48:36.550
be put in the same box, right?
1025
00:48:36.690 --> 00:48:39.110
But it had affected my custody.
1026
00:48:39.130 --> 00:48:40.789
My daughter's right behind me.
1027
00:48:41.329 --> 00:48:44.639
But that song, the first time I got to hold
1028
00:48:44.679 --> 00:48:48.039
her again long enough for her to fall asleep in
1029
00:48:48.079 --> 00:48:48.599
my arms.
1030
00:48:49.420 --> 00:48:50.420
I just started writing.
1031
00:48:50.820 --> 00:48:53.480
Like, I took out my phone and just started writing
1032
00:48:53.619 --> 00:48:56.909
on GarageBand and then Logic. And I came up with that.
1033
00:48:57.269 --> 00:49:00.630
The music, just the layout for it, right in that spot.
1034
00:49:01.110 --> 00:49:04.090
So I told him about that. And then he just
1035
00:49:04.650 --> 00:49:07.550
took that story and then wrote around it.
1036
00:49:08.050 --> 00:49:11.090
Are you happy with your life? It's amazing. It, like,
1037
00:49:11.289 --> 00:49:14.989
actually gets me fucking... It should. It should. Thank you.
1038
00:49:15.130 --> 00:49:19.159
That's real some things end that doesn't mean the story
1039
00:49:19.360 --> 00:49:22.960
is over no way the title of this new album
1040
00:49:23.059 --> 00:49:26.280
is all good things because that's all that's left in
1041
00:49:26.320 --> 00:49:28.780
you guys future it's just all good things.
1042
00:49:29.139 --> 00:49:31.320
Thank you thank you I'm really excited no more.
1043
00:49:31.219 --> 00:49:33.719
Rear view bro just look out that windshield fuck yeah
1044
00:49:33.760 --> 00:49:35.769
I heard somebody say something and it made me laugh
1045
00:49:36.269 --> 00:49:37.710
and I think oh shit I think it was Ted
1046
00:49:37.750 --> 00:49:40.619
Lasso He said, there's a reason that the rearview mirror
1047
00:49:40.679 --> 00:49:41.840
is smaller than the windshield.
1048
00:49:42.119 --> 00:49:44.679
Fuck yeah. I love Ted Lasso. And he's right.
1049
00:49:45.280 --> 00:49:48.119
I love that. So that's what all good things is, guys.
1050
00:49:48.340 --> 00:49:51.079
That is looking at the windshield instead of the rearview mirror.
1051
00:49:51.840 --> 00:49:54.320
Nothing but good shit in the future for these guys.
1052
00:49:55.059 --> 00:49:57.260
This was a great interview. I really enjoyed it.
1053
00:49:57.739 --> 00:50:00.070
I'm going to need you to tell all your friends.
1054
00:50:00.659 --> 00:50:01.429
See what I did there?
1055
00:50:01.510 --> 00:50:01.889
I did.
1056
00:50:06.530 --> 00:50:10.239
So Casey grew up a really big Taking Back Sunday fan, right?
1057
00:50:10.360 --> 00:50:16.400
And she'll do that to me all day long. And
1058
00:50:16.559 --> 00:50:17.679
it is very funny.
1059
00:50:21.099 --> 00:50:24.369
Oh, that's funny. It's like the drums in this new album.
1060
00:50:24.929 --> 00:50:27.250
Louder now. The drums are louder now.
1061
00:50:27.269 --> 00:50:32.489
The drums are louder now than they used to be, 100%.
1062
00:50:32.489 --> 00:50:36.900
That's fucking hilarious. I didn't even, that literally, one more?
1063
00:50:36.940 --> 00:50:37.599
You got one more?
1064
00:50:38.260 --> 00:50:41.699
Well, I mean, look, if you are going to get
1065
00:50:41.739 --> 00:50:45.559
back with Ed and start a band, you and Ed
1066
00:50:45.619 --> 00:50:48.239
haven't been together in a decade. I mean, you better
1067
00:50:48.639 --> 00:50:56.360
make damn sure. That this is where you want to be. Okay,
1068
00:50:56.400 --> 00:50:56.920
now I'll stop.
1069
00:50:57.099 --> 00:50:57.579
Thank you.
1070
00:50:59.159 --> 00:51:01.119
Mark, tell everybody where they can find you on social media.
1071
00:51:01.840 --> 00:51:04.510
Mark O'Connell TBS is my Instagram handle.
1072
00:51:04.909 --> 00:51:05.550
You're going to keep that?
1073
00:51:06.030 --> 00:51:06.230
No.
1074
00:51:06.230 --> 00:51:08.150
25 years, bro.
1075
00:51:08.190 --> 00:51:08.489
Come on.
1076
00:51:09.130 --> 00:51:16.150
Probably at some point I would mark me or whatever.
1077
00:51:16.170 --> 00:51:18.630
I probably won't come up with it.
1078
00:51:19.039 --> 00:51:20.880
Well, maybe Ed will. He comes up with everything else.
1079
00:51:21.320 --> 00:51:21.699
He does.
1080
00:51:22.420 --> 00:51:22.679
Wow.
1081
00:51:23.039 --> 00:51:23.400
Name it.
1082
00:51:23.440 --> 00:51:24.300
Yes, the name.
1083
00:51:24.340 --> 00:51:25.239
Name it.
1084
00:51:25.300 --> 00:51:25.659
Yes.
1085
00:51:25.739 --> 00:51:32.570
All right, cool. Dude, Mark O'Connell from the band Me, period.
1086
00:51:33.070 --> 00:51:34.170
That is so cool to hear.
1087
00:51:34.469 --> 00:51:36.050
Thank you so much for taking the time out of
1088
00:51:36.070 --> 00:51:39.030
your busy day on your hectic drumming all over the place,
1089
00:51:39.110 --> 00:51:41.599
super loud schedule to hang out and let us get
1090
00:51:41.639 --> 00:51:43.579
to know you a little bit better on Fascination Street, man.
1091
00:51:43.599 --> 00:51:44.389
I really appreciate it.
1092
00:51:44.820 --> 00:51:46.039
Yeah, it's been awesome. Thank you.
1093
00:51:46.420 --> 00:51:47.400
Dude, you're a badass.
1094
00:51:47.980 --> 00:51:48.219
Same.
1095
00:51:48.980 --> 00:51:49.179
What?
1096
00:51:50.000 --> 00:51:50.440
Go on.
1097
00:51:50.659 --> 00:51:51.179
So are you.
1098
00:51:51.199 --> 00:51:53.250
Oh my God.
1099
00:51:53.369 --> 00:51:55.789
Straight up. I enjoyed my time.
1100
00:51:56.349 --> 00:51:58.670
Thank you. And are you guys going to tour this album?
1101
00:51:58.690 --> 00:51:59.849
Is that the plan?
1102
00:51:59.969 --> 00:52:00.510
Yes, we are.
1103
00:52:00.530 --> 00:52:04.780
I think those analytics, like end of September is like
1104
00:52:04.800 --> 00:52:06.480
when we'll start knowing where.
1105
00:52:06.500 --> 00:52:07.360
All right, cool.
1106
00:52:08.000 --> 00:52:08.199
Yeah.
1107
00:52:08.480 --> 00:52:10.320
We'll get that ass down here in San Antonio, man.
1108
00:52:11.099 --> 00:52:11.800
Oh, fuck yeah.
1109
00:52:11.880 --> 00:52:13.260
Since you don't drink, I'll buy you a coffee.
1110
00:52:13.920 --> 00:52:14.539
I would love that.
1111
00:52:14.559 --> 00:52:15.900
All right. Peace, homie.
1112
00:52:16.079 --> 00:52:16.320
All right.
1113
00:52:16.340 --> 00:52:17.159
Take it easy, buddy. All right.
1114
00:52:17.619 --> 00:52:21.730
Hey, again, thank you for Decades of amazing music. I
1115
00:52:21.750 --> 00:52:22.230
appreciate it.
1116
00:52:22.230 --> 00:52:22.929
Thank you.
1117
00:52:23.389 --> 00:52:24.349
Skies and Limit Homes.
1118
00:52:24.389 --> 00:52:24.630
Peace.
1119
00:52:25.389 --> 00:52:25.949
Have a good one.
1120
00:52:35.059 --> 00:52:39.539
Opening music is from the song FSP Theme, written, performed,
1121
00:52:39.659 --> 00:52:44.269
and provided by Ambush Vin. Closing music is from the
1122
00:52:44.329 --> 00:52:48.530
song Kosh. Written, performed, and provided with the blessings of
1123
00:52:48.630 --> 00:52:52.789
Kosh Mojo himself. If you like the show, tell a friend.
1124
00:52:53.510 --> 00:52:56.090
Subscribe and rate and review the show wherever you listen
1125
00:52:56.110 --> 00:53:01.960
to podcasts. All episodes are available ad-free at patreon.com forward
1126
00:53:02.059 --> 00:53:06.320
slash Fascination Street Podcast. And don't forget to follow the
1127
00:53:06.360 --> 00:53:11.239
show on YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, and TikTok. And again, thanks
1128
00:53:11.260 --> 00:53:11.820
for listening.