The Hang! As Seen On Almost Famous Magazine!

Christian Pinchbeck and Natalie Holmes of UK indie-pop duo Girlhood join The Hang! to talk about their new album, "This Will Make Sense in the End", and how a chance meeting turned into a creative partnership neither expected. Christian had spent years building Girlhood around his own productions, working with different vocalists and often making the final creative decisions himself. Natalie was an established singer-songwriter with a very different approach. When they started working together, things got a little messy. Songs were rewritten, chords were changed, and neither was afraid to challenge the other. As it turns out, that was exactly what the music needed. The story of how they met is pretty funny, too. Christian first saw Natalie opening for Jesca Hoop in Stroud, England. His wife was nine months pregnant, and after walking home from the show, she went into labor that same night. Christian got a new musical collaborator and became a father again, all within a matter of hours. We spend time talking about how Girlhood's fourth album came together, including the writing and production of "Lemon Aid," "Born Hungry," "Silver Lining," and "It Could Be Worse." Natalie explains how "Lemon Aid" grew out of her struggles with sleep, mental health, and trying to find something positive when everyday life feels difficult. Christian talks openly about his earlier years with Elephant and Girlhood, addiction, rehab, and learning that he didn't always need to control every part of a song. He also explains why this album affects him so deeply that listening to it has brought him to tears. There's plenty of conversation about the actual music, too. Christian builds tracks around samples, unusual arrangements, and electronic production. Natalie brings the lyrics, melodies, and vocals, sometimes completely changing where a song is headed. They also discuss working with producer and mixing engineer Barry Jamieson, who helped develop the album's arrangements and added live instrumentation. We get into the artists who have influenced them, including Guillemots, CocoRosie, AURORA, The Flaming Lips, The Avalanches, and Cameron Winter. Natalie also talks about the producer who believed in her early in her career, while Christian shares what he learned about making music from one of his longtime musical heroes. And, of course, we ask whether Girlhood will finally take these songs on stage together. "This Will Make Sense in the End" is scheduled for release November 5, 2026, through OK! Good Records. Listen to and support Girlhood: Girlhood — https://okgoodrecords.com/ "Lemon Aid" — https://lnk.to/lemon-aid Girlhood on Bandcamp — https://okgoodrecords.bandcamp.com/ Natalie Holmes — https://natalieholmes.co.uk/ Natalie's music — https://natalieholmes.bandcamp.com/ If you've ever tried making something with another person and discovered that their ideas changed yours for the better, you'll probably relate to this conversation. Watch the interview, tell us what you think about Girlhood's music, and subscribe to The Hang! from Almost Famous Magazine for more conversations with the people making it. Chapters: 00:00 Christian Pinchbeck's Early Bands and Girlhood's Origins 10:08 How Christian Met Natalie Holmes at a Jesca Hoop Show 17:13 Girlhood's Creative Chemistry and Songwriting Process 25:55 Producing the Album with Barry Jamieson 30:11 The Meaning Behind This Will Make Sense in the End 33:34 Lemon Aid: Mental Health, Sleep and Finding Hope 37:17 Born Hungry, Silver Lining and Favorite Album Tracks 47:22 Will Girlhood Perform the New Album Live? 53:00 The Musicians Who Changed Christian and Natalie's Lives 01:06:00 Dream Collaborations, AURORA, CocoRosie and Musical Influences #Girlhood #ChristianPinchbeck #NatalieHolmes #ThisWillMakeSenseInTheEnd #IndiePop #Songwriting #MusicInterview #TheHangPodcast The Hang! Podcast – Presented by Almost Famous Magazine https://www.almostfamousmagazine.com

John Flansburgh, co-founder of They Might Be Giants, joins Scott Saldinger on The Hang! to talk about 40 years of making music, the unlikely beginnings of Dial-A-Song, their new album *The World Is to Dig*, and why the band is still finding ways to surprise its fans. It all started, at least for Flansburgh, with seeing Elvis Costello perform in a small London club when he was 17. That show changed his thinking about songwriting and what it meant to be a musician. Punk and new wave were opening doors for people who didn't fit the traditional rock-star image. You didn't have to be a virtuoso. You just needed something to say. When Flansburgh and John Linnell started They Might Be Giants in Brooklyn in 1983, they weren't counting on a record deal. They were trying to get people to come to their shows. Their solution was Dial-A-Song, a telephone service where anyone could call and hear their music. For a while, Flansburgh admits, Dial-A-Song was actually more famous than the band itself. We get into what it was like building an audience before the internet, when local music papers like the Village Voice, independent clubs, and word of mouth helped create entire music scenes. Flansburgh also shares his thoughts on today's recording technology, the disappearance of local venues, and why the best concerts feel like celebrations between the musicians and the audience. And They Might Be Giants are certainly giving audiences something different on their current tour. Flansburgh says the band has around 85 songs ready to perform, plays roughly 30 per night, and changes about 80% of the setlist between consecutive shows. Favorites like "Birdhouse in Your Soul" and "Particle Man" share the stage with selections from their extensive catalog and new material. We also talk about how the band's children's albums introduced They Might Be Giants to an entirely new generation. Those kids are now adults, discovering the rest of the catalog and showing up at concerts on their own. Flansburgh shares the story of how "Dr. Worm" was completely reworked into a shorter, tighter song that became a live favorite, especially in Australia. He also discusses the band's creative partnership, their unexpected success after leaving a major label, and their continuing love of recording and performing. Their latest album, "The World Is to Dig", includes "Wu-Tang" and "Get Down," which has also received a remix by Michael Wilbur of Moon Hooch. Flansburgh talks about bringing the new songs into the live show and the renewed interest in vinyl records. If you've followed They Might Be Giants since their early days or discovered them through their children's music, there's plenty here to enjoy. What was the first They Might Be Giants song that hooked you? Let us know in the comments, and subscribe to The Hang! for more conversations with the artists behind the music. 🎵 THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS — OFFICIAL LINKS Official website: https://www.theymightbegiants.com/ New album, music and discography: https://www.theymightbegiants.com/discography Tour dates and tickets: https://www.theymightbegiants.com/shows Official merchandise and vinyl: https://tmbgshop.com/ CHAPTERS: 00:00 John Flansburgh of They Might Be Giants 02:33 How Elvis Costello and Punk Rock Changed Everything 08:28 Music Industry Gatekeepers and the Birth of Dial-A-Song 13:57 Recording Technology and the Decline of Local Music Scenes 21:43 Why the Best Live Shows Feel Like Celebrations 23:43 They Might Be Giants Tour: 85 Songs and Changing Setlists 26:27 How Children's Music Created a New Generation of Fans 29:18 Leaving Major Labels and Building an Independent Career 35:23 The World Is to Dig and the Story Behind Dr. Worm 39:40 Vinyl Records, Reissues and the Future of They Might Be Giants 🎙️ THE HANG! | ALMOST FAMOUS MAGAZINE Subscribe for more interviews with musicians, songwriters, and artists who have shaped the music we love. #TheyMightBeGiants #JohnFlansburgh #DialASong #AlternativeRock #TheWorldIsToDig #MusicInterview

Mariel Loveland of Best Ex talks about leaving the world she knew with Candy Hearts, making the new album Good Girl, and what it’s actually been like being a woman inside the pop-punk scene. Before Best Ex, Mariel fronted Candy Hearts, playing Vans Warped Tour and sharing stages with bands including New Found Glory. It was the career she'd wanted, but the reality wasn't always what she'd imagined. Mariel remembers tour after tour where being the woman in the room became part of the problem. Eventually she reached a point where she had to decide whether fitting into that world was worth it. Her answer became Best Ex. We get into that transition, why she was initially afraid to step out from behind the identity of a band, and the realization that much of Candy Hearts' creative vision had actually been hers all along. Then there's Good Girl, Best Ex's 11-track album produced by Andy Tongren of Young Rising Suns. The record brings Mariel back toward guitar-driven '90s alternative rock while writing about adulthood, identity and the expectations women inherit as they get older. Iodine Recordings is releasing the album, with Mariel and Tongren credited across the record. Mariel breaks down several songs in the interview. “Good Girl” came from questioning why women so often get defined as somebody's daughter, wife or mother instead of simply as themselves. “Sick of Myself” turns the messy, flawed male narrator of '90s rock songs around and asks why women aren't afforded the same space to be imperfect. “Papercut” deals with the smaller daily cuts of living in a culture that repeatedly rewards people and behavior she can't understand. And “Living in Hell” takes a different turn: sometimes the person who hurt you doesn't need revenge because living with themselves may already be punishment enough. We also talk about imposter syndrome, social media, the “token girl band” problem Mariel still sees in pop punk, and why seeing dads bring their daughters to punk shows means so much to her. There's also the story of how a DM eventually led Candy Hearts to work with Chad Gilbert of New Found Glory—because Mariel initially assumed he was just being nice and ignored his request for demos. And when we get to dream collaborations, she has one name ready: Jack Antonoff. If you've followed Mariel since Candy Hearts, tell us what first pulled you into her music. And if you're finding Best Ex through this episode, let us know which song you're starting with. Subscribe to The Hang! for more conversations with artists about the parts of making music that usually don't make the press release. #MarielLoveland #bestex #goodgirl #WomenInMusic #PopPunk #AlternativeRock #musicinterview  https://bestexnj.bandcamp.com/album/good-girl https://www.instagram.com/bestexnj/ https://www.youtube.com/@Bestexnj CHAPTERS 00:00 Mariel Loveland of Best Ex & Candy Hearts 03:05 The Music That Started Everything 09:34 Why Mariel Moved On From Candy Hearts 13:14 Women, Pop Punk & the “Token Girl Band” Problem 21:31 How Best Ex Began 30:42 Good Girl, Womanhood & Getting Older 34:30 Sick of Myself, Papercut & Living in Hell 44:37 Making Good Girl With Andy Tongren 48:24 New Found Glory, Candy Hearts & Imposter Syndrome 53:02 Why Mariel Wants to Work With Jack Antonoff The Hang! Podcast – Presented by Almost Famous Magazine https://www.almostfamousmagazine.com

Austin punk band CorMae started with a social media ad and a dream. Now vocalist Amber Appleton and drummer Aaron Gilligan are talking about their album "Everything Is SO GREAT!", signing with DC-Jam Records, and what it actually costs to chase a career in punk rock. Amber didn't start out playing punk. She grew up singing, spent years performing folk, country, and indie music, and eventually left a career as a paralegal to put everything she had into CorMae. Aaron came to Austin from New Zealand in 2021 to pursue music. They met through the local music scene, fell in love, and eventually started building a band together. On this episode of The Hang!, we get into how CorMae developed its sound, mixing late-'90s riot grrrl, early-2000s indie rock, garage punk, and the wonderfully strange world of egg punk. Their seven-song album "Everything Is SO GREAT!" takes the everyday frustrations of trying to survive and turns them into loud, funny, sometimes painfully relatable songs. Amber explains how "Credit Card? You Got It!" came out of losing jobs, struggling to pay bills, and repeatedly reaching for her credit card to stay afloat. She also talks about "ADHD," the mental overload of juggling music and everyday responsibilities, and "Tired," a song about exhaustion, uncertainty, and trying to keep a dream alive. We also talk about CorMae's signing with DC-Jam Records, their experiences touring with of Montreal, and their first independent western U.S. tour, the Sunny Side Tour, running October 21 through November 12, 2026. One of my favorite parts of this conversation is hearing Amber explain why she wants to be right in the middle of the audience. She doesn't want people standing around watching a performance. She wants them participating, shouting, dancing, and feeling like they're part of something. That leads us into a bigger conversation about the punk community, women in music, riot grrrl, and why independent musicians need people to show up and support them. We also get into Karen O and Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Bikini Kill, Aaron's love of post-punk, and Amber's Riot Them Collective, which supports femme-fronted and queer-fronted rock bands. If you've ever wondered how independent punk bands survive financially, what goes into booking a DIY tour, or why punk music still brings people together, there's plenty here to talk about. SUPPORT CORMAE 🎵 Music, vinyl, CDs, cassettes and merch: https://cormae.bandcamp.com/ 🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4D5AqxIGoCoCHMB0IfAkWx 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cormae_band/ 🏷️ DC-Jam Records: https://app.dcjamrecords.com/ 📩 Band inquiries: [email protected] Check out CorMae's music, catch them on tour, and tell us which song you connected with. Riot theme playlist    Subscribe to The Hang! from Almost Famous Magazine for more conversations with the musicians making the music worth showing up for. #CorMae #RiotGrrrl #EggPunk #AustinPunk #DCJamRecords #PunkRock #IndependentMusic #TheHangPodcast Chapters:  00:00 Meet CorMae: Austin's Riot Grrrl Egg Punk Band 02:10 Amber Appleton's Musical Beginnings 05:20 Aaron Gilligan, New Zealand and Moving to Austin 07:18 How CorMae Formed Through Social Media 10:05 Band Auditions and Signing With DC-Jam Records 12:50 Everything Is SO GREAT! — Credit Card, ADHD and Tired 19:18 Why Punk Rock Community Matters 25:33 CorMae's Wild Live Shows and Audience Participation 29:36 The Sunny Side Tour, Vinyl and Supporting Indie Music 34:16 Karen O, Musical Influences and the Riot Them Collective The Hang! Podcast – Presented by Almost Famous Magazine https://www.almostfamousmagazine.com

Cocktail Slippers guitarist Stine “Rocket Queen” Bendiksen and bassist Astrid “Sugar Cane” Waller join The Hang! to talk about 25 years of the Oslo rock band and their new album, Joyride. Rocket and Sugar go back to the beginning, when a previous garage rock band called The Barbarellas lost its singer and drummer. Instead of calling it quits, the remaining members started writing their own songs, changed the name and eventually became Cocktail Slippers. One thing hasn't changed much since then: there really aren't many rules. The band's sound pulls from very different places. Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, punk, progressive rock, jazz, ’80s and ’90s hard rock and Scandinavian rock all come up in the conversation. Those differences also shape how Cocktail Slippers write. Rocket says songwriting means rehearsing, jamming and rewriting until the song works. Their other rule is pretty simple: if somebody in the band really hates something, they don't use it. That brings us to Joyride. Rocket and Sugar talk about the title track, “Don't Know Why,” “This Town” and why some songs can take years to finally reach their finished form. “This Town” started with a bass idea from Sugar and became a song about Oslo that they believe could really be about anyone's hometown. Rocket has also described the track as intentionally more pop-leaning than much of Joyride. There's also a great story about Stevie Van Zandt. Rocket and Sugar remember getting a call from his office in 2004 after he had been playing their music on his radio show. That relationship eventually led to Wicked Cool Records and roughly two decades of working together. They respect Stevie's musical instincts, but they don't automatically agree with him. Sometimes they push back. Sometimes they stop talking for an hour. Then they get back to work. The conversation also gets into women in rock, mansplaining and the meaning behind “She Devil,” plus Joan Jett's influence on Rocket and some advice Joan gave her about taking time for fans. Rocket and Sugar also talk touring, the Underground Garage Cruise, the pressure musicians now feel to constantly create social media content, why selling merch at shows still matters, and the simple combination that's kept Cocktail Slippers alive for 25 years: stubbornness and loving the music. Watch the full conversation, tell us your favorite Cocktail Slippers song below, and subscribe to The Hang! for more conversations with the people making the music. #CocktailSlippers #joyride #StevieVanZandt #LittleSteven #norwegian #womeninrock #RockAndRoll #musicinterview  Instagram Facebook YouTube  CHAPTERS 00:00 — Meet Rocket & Sugar of Cocktail Slippers 02:35 — How Cocktail Slippers Started From The Barbarellas 04:05 — Led Zeppelin, Sabbath, Jazz & the Band's Influences 08:25 — How Cocktail Slippers Handle Creative Disagreements 10:27 — Making Joyride and Writing Without Rules 13:39 — “Don't Know Why,” “This Town” & Songs That Keep Evolving 19:06 — 25 Years Together and Being Women in Rock 22:53 — How Stevie Van Zandt Discovered Cocktail Slippers 26:13 — Touring America, the Underground Garage Cruise & Fans 32:56 — Social Media, Selling Music & Surviving the Music Business The Hang! Podcast – Presented by Almost Famous Magazine https://www.almostfamousmagazine.com

Alex Windsor plays guitar in Bad Cop/Bad Cop, but "Superego" is something different. It’s her first solo EP, six songs that let her step outside the band and finally find out what happens when the songs, lyrics and decisions are hers. Alex joins The Hang! to talk about making "Superego", the self-doubt that almost kept her from doing it, and the long road that took her from a small Illinois town to international punk stages. Her connection to music started young, but Green Day’s "American Idiot" changed the direction of her life. She remembers being 13, realizing she could actually play those songs and thinking, “If they can do this, I can do this.” She went on to study music and jazz, worked as a teacher and session player, moved to Los Angeles through Guitar Center and eventually joined a band she had already become a fan of: Bad Cop Bad Cop. We get into how that background followed her into Bad Cop/Bad Cop and the making of the band’s 2025 album "Lighten Up". Alex talks about bringing jazz harmony, music theory and a different guitar vocabulary into punk without losing what makes punk work. Bad Cop Bad Cop currently features Stacey Dee, Linh Le, Myra Gallarza and Windsor, with "Lighten Up" released through Fat Wreck Chords. Then we get into "Superego". “Fix Me (Tear Me Apart)” grew out of Alex’s experience with people trying to make her fit their idea of who she was supposed to be. “Goddess Complex” takes on imposter syndrome and the uncomfortable gap between how other people see you and how you see yourself: “I wish I could love myself the way you love me.” And “Light” closes the EP with a different idea of love—standing beside someone and fighting for their rights, happiness and existence. Alex also talks about Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy helping her see that even accomplished songwriters wrestle with fear, why taking care of yourself on tour matters more than living out some outdated rock-and-roll fantasy, and what it means to look into a Bad Cop Bad Cop audience and see young girls watching women own the stage. One of Alex’s favorite things to do after a solo is find a young girl near the front and hand her the guitar pick. For Alex, it means: your turn. We also talk Green Day and Billie Joe Armstrong, Prince, Paul McCartney, The Baboon Show, Honey Revenge, Winona Fighter, touring Europe and the moment at Punk Rock Holiday in Slovenia when Alex realized the kid with the big dream had actually gotten there. What part of Alex’s story connected with you most? Let us know below, and subscribe to The Hang! for more conversations with the people making the music. https://www.instagram.com/alexnicolewindsor/ www.youtube.com/@alexnicolewindsor https://www.facebook.com/alexnicolewindsor/ https://music.apple.com/us/album/superego-ep/6817935522 #AlexWindsor #BadCopBadCop #Superego #PunkRock #WomenInPunk #FemaleGuitarist #PunkInterview #TheHangPodcast CHAPTERS 00:00 Welcome To The Hang! 00:25 Meet Alex Windsor of Bad Cop Bad Cop 02:04 How Green Day’s American Idiot Changed Her Life 11:13 Why a Punk Guitarist Studied Jazz 15:17 Moving to Los Angeles and Finding Bad Cop Bad Cop 24:38 Why Alex Windsor Finally Started Writing Solo Music 33:50 Inside Superego and “Fix Me (Tear Me Apart)” 40:53 “Goddess Complex,” Imposter Syndrome and Self-Love 43:20 Why “Light” Ends the EP With Hope 49:27 Women in Punk and Passing the Guitar Pick to Young Girls 1:06:22 The Moment Alex Windsor Realized She Made It   The Hang! Podcast – Presented by Almost Famous Magazine https://www.almostfamousmagazine.com

Lia Braswell spent years behind the drum kit for artists including A Place to Bury Strangers, Le Butcherettes, Sextile and She Wants Revenge. On The Hang!, she talks about why making her solo album Rising meant finally creating something that was completely hers. Her relationship with music started before she really understood what music was. As a five-year-old in Van Nuys, Lia remembers feeling the vibrations of her older brother playing music in the family garage. After he died from cancer, drums became part of how she processed the loss. By seven she was taking lessons, eventually moving through jazz, alternative rock and the Southern California DIY scene before touring internationally. That career took Lia to Coachella and stages around the world, but there was another side to it. She tells Scott that after years of putting her own ideas on the back burner to play for other artists, she began feeling isolated and inauthentic. The pandemic stopped the touring cycle. Getting sober pushed things further. Instead of immediately going back on the road, she sat down and finished the record she had kept putting off. That record became Rising, released by Waxwork Records. Lia gets into several songs during the conversation. “Romantic Comedy” came from the fantasies and emotional rush that can follow an unexpected connection. “Entitlement” grew out of the uncertainty of 2020, a band breakup and her tendency to turn blame back on herself. “Carve My Name” is tied directly to her late brother and an old family video she didn't see until decades after it was recorded. Then there’s “Gloomy Gazebo,” the song Lia calls her favorite on the album. Its roots go back to a lonely night on tour in Brighton when she found herself dancing alone by the water and confronted a surprisingly difficult idea: what would it actually mean to fall in love with herself? Lia also talks about femininity in music, being labeled a “female drummer,” jazz greats Elvin Jones and Max Roach, Ringo Starr, the musicians who shaped her playing, and why her dream studio collaboration would be Kate Bush. We also get into her new single “If Not for the Chaos,” her work with Derek Coburn, life after getting sober, and the challenge of supporting independent musicians in a world where creating the music is only part of the job. Watch the episode, tell us which part of Lia’s story connected with you, and subscribe to The Hang! for more conversations with artists about how the music actually gets made. #LiaBraswell #rising #womeninmusic #femaledrummer #dreampop #musicinterview #TheHangPodcast Instagram Bandcamp CHAPTERS 00:00 Lia Braswell: Drummer, Songwriter and Solo Artist 02:30 Feeling Music Before Understanding It 05:12 Losing Her Brother and Discovering the Drums 12:26 Ringo, Jazz, Bowie and Lia’s Musical Influences 17:30 Women, Femininity and Inequality in Music 26:30 Why Lia Braswell Finally Made Music for Herself 33:54 The Sound and Emotion Behind Rising 37:48 Romantic Comedy, Entitlement and Carve My Name 48:06 Gloomy Gazebo and Learning to Love Herself 58:43 Why Lia Braswell Wants to Work With Kate Bush The Hang! Podcast – Presented by Almost Famous Magazine https://www.almostfamousmagazine.com

In this episode of 'The Hang!', Tipa Tipo take us inside a musical and romantic partnership built across Peru, New York and beyond. Adele and Felipe explain how they learned to create together without letting perfectionism, disagreement or artistic insecurity derail the relationship. This interview explores the making of Arquetipas, arriving October 2, 2026 via Bit Rosie, and the deeply personal story behind “No Me Fui” — a song Felipe wrote about getting lost inside a relationship without wanting to leave. They also break down “My Country Se Come Vivo,” “Solo Mover Mi Cuerpo,” “Peter Pan” and “Boyfriend Island,” while exploring how Spanish, English, politics, movement, color and cultural identity shape their music. What You’ll Learn from Tipa Tipo: * How Tipa Tipo blends cumbia, salsa, disco and yacht rock * How Adele and Felipe navigate love and creative conflict * The real relationship story behind “No Me Fui” Why vulnerability and imperfection became part of their process Here’s what you’ll learn from two independent musicians building a sound that connects North and South American musical worlds while staying fiercely DIY. Subscribe to The Hang! from Almost Famous Magazine for more artist interviews, new music discoveries and conversations about the stories behind the songs. #TipaTipo #Arquetipas #TropicalYachtRock #LatinMusic #TheHang #yachtrock  Instagram YouTube Website TikTok CHAPTERS: 00:00 – Meet Tipa Tipo & Arquetipas 02:37 – Adele Fournet’s Musical Beginnings 08:01 – Felipe Wurst’s Journey From Peru to Music 14:25 – Making Music as a Couple 21:49 – Perfectionism, Vulnerability & Letting Go 25:06 – Why Tipa Tipo Writes in English and Spanish 28:27 – My Country Se Come Vivo & Political Songwriting 32:22 – Solo Mover Mi Cuerpo: Moving Through the Chaos 35:24 – Peter Pan, Boyfriend Island & Modern Archetypes 39:38 – Grifo, Arquetipas, Touring & Dream Collaborations The Hang! Podcast – Presented by Almost Famous Magazine https://www.almostfamousmagazine.com

Alex Band, founder and lead singer of The Calling, talks about his Parkinson’s diagnosis, the band’s 22-year wait for a new album, and why he refused to change The Calling’s sound just to follow whatever was popular. The Calling return with Before The World Turns To Dust, their first full-length album since 2004’s Two. Alex tells me he had been trying to make another Calling record for roughly 15 years, but label problems, his solo career and a serious health crisis kept getting in the way. The new 15-track album was produced by John Fields and features Alex alongside Daniel Damico and Dom Liberati. It arrives digitally September 25, 2026. We get into the new single “Dust” and why Alex sees it as the natural song for somebody who knows The Calling through “Wherever You Will Go.” He also talks about resisting years of pressure to make music that sounded like whatever happened to be current. Some of those songs, he says, simply didn’t sound like him. There’s a lot more behind this record than a comeback. Alex talks about being diagnosed with Parkinson’s at 30 and reaching a point where he says he couldn’t walk and spent roughly six months using a wheelchair. Years later, after treatment and significant improvement, new scans no longer showed the disease. Alex is careful about what that means: he says his doctors couldn’t tell him for certain whether the disease had gone dormant or whether the original diagnosis may instead have been Parkinson’s syndrome. One of the hardest parts of the conversation is “The Fool That You Are.” Alex wrote the song for his younger brother while his brother was struggling with drug use. His brother later died from an overdose during COVID, and Alex says the lyrics now line up with what eventually happened in a way he never could have expected. We also go back to “Wherever You Will Go,” which Alex wrote as a teenager. The song eventually spent 23 consecutive weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult Pop Airplay chart and has passed one billion Spotify streams. Alex remembers nearly emptying his bank account when the label was ready to stop pushing the single. Then we get into how much the music business has changed: streaming economics, buying physical music, touring, merchandise and what Alex thinks AI could mean for musicians over the next five years. Watch the episode and tell me what part of Alex Band’s story surprised you most. Subscribe to The Hang! for more conversations with the people behind the music. #AlexBand #thecalling #whereveryouwillgo #rockmusic #musicinterview #TheHang  https://www.thecallingmusic.com https://www.instagram.com/thecalling/ https://www.facebook.com/TheCallingMusic https://www.tiktok.com/@UCE9ACImhXiPZge8z3vCRWyg  https://recordstoreday.com/UPC/823375316480 CHAPTERS 00:00 Alex Band and The Calling Return 02:20 Alex Band's Musical Beginnings and Getting Signed at 15 04:22 Why The Calling Waited 22 Years for Another Album 06:31 Refusing to Change The Calling's Sound 09:47 The Meaning Behind Before The World Turns To Dust 14:18 “The Fool That You Are” and the Loss of Alex's Brother 17:36 The Story Behind “Wherever You Will Go” and Star Trek use 21:50 Alex Band on His Parkinson's Diagnosis and Recovery 32:17 What's Next for The Calling 33:59 Streaming, AI and the Future of the Music Business The Hang! Podcast – Presented by Almost Famous Magazine https://www.almostfamousmagazine.com

Erik “Smelly” Sandin, longtime drummer of NOFX, sits down with The Hang! to talk about addiction, 34 years of sobriety, the end of NOFX’s live run, 40 Years of Fuckin’ Up, and why punk rock gave him a purpose. Sandin’s relationship with music started long before NOFX. Growing up in Southern California, he remembers hearing Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Pink Floyd, Deep Purple and Miles Davis around the house. By his teens, he just wanted to play. It didn’t really matter what instrument. Drums happened to be the open spot in a punk band, and he took it. That eventually led to NOFX and a completely different life. Erik talks about developing his approach behind the kit and why “less is more” became central to the way he plays. For him, drums aren’t there to fill every available space. They’re there to support the song. That leads into a great conversation about young musicians, social media, technical ability, AI-generated music and the difference between copying something well and actually creating something of your own. The conversation gets much more personal when Sandin talks about heroin addiction. Fat Mike eventually told him that unless he went to rehab and got sober, he was out of NOFX. Erik describes that moment as realizing he was about to lose the last thing in his life that still meant something to him. He went into a 60-day program determined to give it everything he had. More than three decades later, he says one of the biggest changes wasn’t simply stopping drugs. It was acceptance. Erik also looks back at his relationship with Fat Mike, the intervention NOFX later held for him, the band’s final shows and what it was like realizing just how far this group of teenage punks had traveled. NOFX concluded its farewell tour with three San Pedro shows in October 2024 after more than four decades together. There’s also 40 Years of Fuckin’ Up, the 2026 James Buddy Day documentary about NOFX’s history and farewell run, and a conversation about why the Punk Rock Museum matters as a place where the punk community can actually see its history under one roof. And before Erik has to run, we talk about something else changing punk: more women finding their place in the scene and more parents bringing their daughters to shows. We didn’t get to everything. Pickle Stix, Erik’s custom surfboard company, is waiting for Part 2. Sandin turned his longtime surfboard-shaping hobby into a business during the pandemic. What part of Erik’s story hit you the hardest? Drop it in the comments, and subscribe to The Hang! for more conversations with the people making music and the people who helped shape it. https://linktr.ee/Nofx83 https://www.40yearsoffuckinup.com https://picklestixsurfboards.com/ https://www.thepunkrockmuseum.com #ErikSandin #nofx #smelly #punkrock #40YearsOfFuckinUp #PunkRockMuseum #PunkInterview #drummer  CHAPTERS: 00:30 Meet NOFX Drummer Erik “Smelly” Sandin 02:43 Growing Up on Zeppelin, Dylan and Deep Purple 04:10 How Erik Sandin Became a Drummer 07:34 Why “Less Is More” Behind the Drum Kit 11:29 Social Media, Musicians and AI-Generated Music 19:50 Fat Mike and the People Who Changed Erik’s Life 22:32 Heroin Addiction, Rehab and 34 Years of Sobriety 28:00 Looking Back Through 40 Years of Fuckin’ Up 32:21 Is NOFX Really Finished? 35:00 Punk Rock Museum, Community and Women in Punk The Hang! Podcast – Presented by Almost Famous Magazine https://www.almostfamousmagazine.com