The Emo(Con) Diaries

Photo by Annie Watson

Earlier this month, I went to a first-of-its-kind, academic conference on emo music, called “A Conference…, but it’s Midwest Emo” aka EmoCon for short. If you’re getting déjà vu, it’s because I interviewed the organizers about a month ago, chatting about the conference’s inception and their goals.

Things kicked off on Friday, April 10th when Dr. Steve Lamos, drummer for American Football and professor of writing and rhetoric at University of Colorado Boulder, gave a fantastic opening keynote at the music building of Washington University in St. Louis. His talk was about writing with nostalgia, closely following an article he published in the Journal of Popular Music Studies earlier this year. After about 90 minutes of discussion, Q&A, and meeting other attendees, we headed to a beautiful bar called Blueberry Hill, where we retreaded old topics with new friends in the tiniest, oldest wooden booths in all of Missouri and geared up for a Saturday full of talks.

Saturday morning, after opening remarks and familiarizing ourselves with the exceedingly generous coffee and bagel spread, attendees split up to catch whichever talks interested them the most. At any given time, there were four panels running simultaneously, each featuring 20-minute talks and 10 minutes for questions. 

The panels ranged from discussions on archivism, the aesthetics of catastrophe, and kayfabe in MCR’s current tour. It was a whirlwind of people and ideas, and I wish I could have been at every single talk. There was an immense variety of presenters, not only in topic but also in discipline, methods, and personal backgrounds. I scribbled several pages of notes, shook a lot of hands, gave out many business cards, and did my best to keep up with everyone else. 

Photo by Dan Ozzi

After the last talk, we had two hours to ourselves before the concluding keynote and concert. One quick outfit change and a glass of wine later, we made it to Platypus with just enough time for dinner and a beer before Dan Ozzi’s talk. If you don’t pay attention to the names of journalists, you should. Ozzi is a long-time music journalist who wrote “SELLOUT: The Major Label Feeding Frenzy That Swept Punk, Emo, and Hardcore (1994-2007),” which is now a foundational text for researchers and enthusiasts of alternative music. His talk focused on aspects of selling out, gatekeeping, and poserdom, and how those words mean something different now than they did 20 or 30 years ago. The setup was notable as Dan talked at the front of the room for the better part of an hour, facing down a crowd of 40-ish two-beers-in academics with questions that could have lasted the entire evening. 

Eventually, Varun and Patrick broke up the Q&A and segued us into the concert, starting with Girl Gordon from Cincinnati, Ohio. This set alone convinced me that every conference should end with a concert. Not to mention, at least half the band members had also been presenters earlier in the day. They were followed by the cover group Silly Little Emo Band, which pulled a double set of all your cooler older sister’s favorite songs, including “Ohio is for Lovers,” “Twin Sized Mattress,” and “My Immortal.” In true emo fashion, the band revealed mid-set that this was a “farewell show of sorts,” and they were going on a “temporary hiatus” until all the members could finish up their degrees. 

By the end of the night, I had sweat out about three beers and was completely losing my voice. The night ended with a cover of “Welcome to the Black Parade” and about an hour's worth of goodbyes as people trickled out of the bar one by one, making last-minute exchanges, promising to keep in touch before heading back to their hotels, AirBnbs, and friends’ couches. 

There were many unforgettable memories made at EmoCon. Though at one of the archivism talks, we discussed how EmoCon itself wasn’t being recorded or archived very much beyond iPhone pictures and Instagram stories. To help hold onto a very special weekend, we put together a wall of diary entries from the attendees. 

— Braden Allmond

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“It was hilarious to be in the same room as Steve Lamos when one of the panelists did a dramatic reading of the ‘real emo’ copypasta, which directly bashes American Football. A lot of laughter was shared throughout the whole weekend. ” — Annie Watson, Attendee

“The biggest memory I think I’ll have is how inclusive it felt, especially for someone who would otherwise consider herself an outsider to the emo world. I appreciated how accepting and welcoming everyone was.” — Lizzy Cook, Attendee

“When Patrick and I started planning EmoCon about a year ago, we never thought it would grow in the way it did. We hoped that the conference would be able to mix the welcoming realities of the DIY communities that built emo with the academic rigor that sustains educational life, believing that both could complement and improve the other. Everyone was so wonderful in every way, and it resulted in EmoCon being an effortlessly amazing event. It filled my heart with so much joy to see how welcoming, intellectually stimulating, and fun it was and to see what perhaps the best of academia (and emo) could end up being!” — Varun Chandrasekhar, Conference Organizer

“I think of all the Gerard Way love. He and MCR make women, youth, and LGBTQ+ feel seen and safe during post-9/11. Also, Ella’s classic Gerard photos, the fashion, the laughs, the uplifting of BIPOC scholarship, and all forms of emo. An honorable mention to Blueberry Hill grilled cheese and gooey butter cake with my new friends.”— Kristy Martinez, Presenter 

“Love was on full display at EmoCon 2026. The love of music and community was palpable; I hope this is the first of many emo conferences to come. I believe I made lifelong friends and colleagues. A special thank you to Steve Lamos for being such a kind spirit. Eternal gratitude to everyone who made this possible! <3” — Victoria Smith, Presenter 

“I’m watching Free Throw and Macseal at Delmar Hall alone after the conference, feeling desperate to keep the magic alive. It’s been over a decade since Those Days are Gone came out. The kids in the middle are anxious to start a pit, and I realize they all look so young. So familiar. The openers, Wakelee, all look about the same age. The stage lights cast Cory Castro in long, wilting pink shadows across the far left wall, and I think of that Current Joys lyric, “all the punks are writing memoirs.” I don’t stand for the whole set, but I record Two Beers In on my voice note app before I walk to the hookah bar. I tell Luna and Braden over text the next day that it felt like walking into my own house party on the last song when everyone is giving it everything they can.” — Sarita “Rita” A. Deleon-Garza, Presenter

“It was so beautiful to be surrounded by fans and enthusiasts of a genre that literally saved my life. My favorite memory was Izzy yelling ‘Hello gay people!’ before the LGBTQ+ emo scholars’ working lunch and seeing an idea we had for ages take form in flesh and blood. Also, sorry Stars and Stripes, but the MCR Trans Flag is the only flag I’ll salute. It was an empowering experience to meet Mick and learn the stories behind this flag, especially as a queer person in Nashville, Tennessee, where Vanderbilt University has stopped doing gender-affirming healthcare.”— Logan Dalton, Attendee

Photo by Dan Ozzi

“Being a non-academic elder emo, I had no idea what to expect from this conference and was blown away by it all. Seeing people from so many life paths come together to talk about this lens of identity we all share, from their own points of view, expanded my mind (and heart) in the best way. The emo in me sees the emo in everyone who attended.”  — Amanda Brennan, Presenter

“I spent much of my beautiful Saturday tuning into various Zoom rooms from Philadelphia, PA, the emo capital of the world (to me). I got to learn about agency and individualism across three different waves of emo, see some cool maps on the genre’s locality, and delve deep into the Queer Worldmaking of My Chem. That evening, I walked to catch Ultra Deluxe and Boyclothes at a local pizza shop and felt overflowing with positivity about this genre that’s so easy to parody, skewer, and criticize. There’s cool stuff happening everywhere, you just have to know where to look, and I thank EmoCon for elevating such thoughtful discussions on this genre I love so dearly.” — Taylor Grimes, Digital Attendee

“It’s not very often you attend an academic conference, and then four hours later all those same attendees are jamming out to a live performance of “Catalina Fight Song” straight into “Constant Headache.” It was special and surreal. I blinked and it was over.”— Keno Catabay, Presenter

“Home is a feeling, or so the cliché goes. When you’re queer and Filipinx and maybe emo and coming up in the semi-rural exurbs of St. Louis, the feeling of home is always ambivalent, always asterisked, always with one or two or twelve caveats sticking in your ribcage, sharp and stubborn and raw. On top of this, emo is (or can be) a scene with rigid, sometimes violently policed borders and high barrier to entry. We all know the truism-turned-meme about “real emo.” So, it’s a tremendous testament to the organizers, participants, and community that EmoCon was wholly a space of welcome and refuge. What this gathering made clear is that if emos are antisocial, it’s because we’re busy facilitating different forms of the social. It felt radically open. It felt radically undisciplined. It felt intentional, exciting, and new. If home is a feeling, EmoCon felt like coming home.” — I.F. “izzy” Gonzales, Presenter

Collage by I.F. “izzy” Gonzales

“I think a lot about the words of the artist Corita Kent when it comes to art making: ‘Find a place you trust and try trusting it for a while.’ This applies to everything, though. How are we supposed to build new, beautiful worlds if we don’t trust each other? EmoCon gave me that place physically, and now I’ve brought it home as I continue to stay in contact with my new friends/colleagues! The work we are doing is important, and I want to hold everyone at the conference in my arms and tell them, ‘You matter! What we are doing is so fucking special that they’ll have to write about it in the history books!’ ” — Luna Maldonado-Velez, Presenter

“Emo has meant a lot to me since I was wee. Growing up as a Scottish, Nigerian, and Welsh kid in Edinburgh in the 90s/00s, I found my way to emo through blogs, zines, and friends. Being at EmoCon in St. Louis felt beautifully surreal, especially hearing and learning from many people who, too, have been at the fringes of emo and who embrace how it collides and communes with jazz, punk, post-hardcore, hip-hop, and rap. A very generous and insightful opening keynote by Steve Lamos set the tone for the heartening times that followed. The “Musickal Mattering” that he shared about was deeply felt throughout, including during the brilliant gig by Girl Gordon and Silly Little Emo Band. Big thanks to everyone who made this awesome, caring, and intergenerational space <3 I’m excited for all that’s ahead.” — Francesca Sobande, Presenter 

“EmoCon was nothing short of a delight. During lunchtime, many people clustered around the courtyard of the conference venue, talking to strangers, making new friends, and organizing new groups. A repeated comment I heard from both presenters and attendees was that this was the friendliest academic conference they had ever been to—and as someone who's only been to philosophy conferences, I have to agree. EmoCon hosted a broad range of disciplines spanning a wide intersection of generations, cultures, and identities. People were safe and welcome to be who they are, regardless of labels and appearance. The result was a turnout that boasted the most creativity and diversity I have ever seen at a conference—but none of that compromised the passion, quality, or rigor of the presentations. That's the beauty of it: People being their full selves, pouring love into their favorite art. It's what community is all about.” — Kierra Hammons, Attendee

“Everything about EmoCon was so ideal—from the presenters who provided the academic quality to the audience members who brought a warm, DIY energy to every panel. Not only was the positivity palpable, but our wonderful keynote speakers (Steve Lamos and Dan Ozzi) gave EmoCon a validity that matched the program’s impressive scholarship. There was also something poetic about ending the conference with a concert. Even after a long day of presentations, the venue was still packed with a bunch of emos, academics, and emo academics singing along to their favorite songs. Varun and I still can’t believe how beautiful EmoCon was. All of this leads me to believe that while EmoCon ‘26 was the first academic conference on emo, it will not be the last. We hope to see you soon <3” — Patrick Mitchell, Conference Organizer

Photo by Annie Watson

“In grad school, you're told to go to conferences to network, make introductions, sell your book. Real ones know the best conferences are the friends you make on the way. Three Cheers for Varun and Patrick for creating a welcoming place where innovative interdisciplinary scholarship can thrive within (and break down) the university walls. Also, never forget that the Daily Mail once described The Black Parade as ‘the place emos go when they die.’” — Alex Valin, Presenter

“This was truly one of the most enjoyable conferences in which I’ve ever participated.  Varun, Patrick, and everyone else involved in the event were just wonderful–and I truly hope that this is the first of many EmoCons to come!” — Steve Lamos, Keynote Presenter

“EmoCon was genuinely one of the most thoughtful and engaging conferences I have ever attended. It was amazing to meet and talk to people from so many different places and scenes and hear about their experiences. As an elder emo kid, it was so electric to hear from younger folks how they discovered these bands and what their scene is like. It was the best mixture of academic nerding out and meeting new (have I actually known you my whole life??) people. Emo Summer Camp vibes! The reception I received at EmoCon healed my deep academic trauma in so many tangible ways. Thanks, Varun and Patrick, for creating such an intellectually engaging space for us to come together!” — Alex Plante, Presenter

“I think so often in the academic world, we get caught up in our field and collect accolades to build up ‘cred’ with those peers. However, having an outlet for such a variety of people to come together in shared love and express themselves in authentic ways speaks to the power of this conference! I’ve never been a fan of ‘passion projects,’ but I feel like I found a real one. Sure, I love my job and the work I do, but to have a legitimate place to explore, learn, and play with people from all over gets me excited for the future with you all!” – Pete White, Presenter

“EmoCon was such a wonderful experience. It’s amazing to see so many people studying this music, and we’re grateful we could share our research with this community. Thanks to Varun and Patrick for putting it all together, and we look forward to the next one!” — Matt Chiu & Tyler Howie, Presenters

“EmoCon was all of the experiences I love about academia—connecting with others about the same interests, sharing my ideas and learning in return, and having deep and satisfying conversations about a topic that is important to all of us. I met so many insightful, passionate, and open-minded people from all sorts of places and fields that I would likely never have crossed paths with otherwise. I wish there had been more time to talk to everyone, but I can’t believe how many meaningful new friendships I was able to make in such a short time, and I am really looking forward to watching this community continue to grow!” — Lauren Posklensky, Presenter

Photo by Dr. Jenessa Williams

Prince Daddy & the Hyena – Hotwire Trip Switch | Album Review

Counter Intuitive Records

Is there anything more dreadful than waking up in the aftermath of a party you threw? Bottles everywhere, trash can overflowing, the social hum of your friends long gone. All that’s left is exhausted air and a pile of miscellaneous stuff that friends and acquaintances will have to stop by to pick up at some point. You’re probably hungover, your mouth is dry, and the last thing you want to do is trudge out to your living room to see what carnage awaits you. Then the panic sets in: Was the party fun? Why did that guy leave early? Do my friends hate me? But then you check your phone and look back at some IG Stories. Maybe it wasn’t all so bad… Well, except the puke in your kitchen sink. 

Prince Daddy & the Hyena are back with Hotwire Trip Switch. This album has been framed as a collection of singles, all mapping out years of feeling good and feeling bad in the raucous way only this band can capture. These rockers are rapidly approaching the tenth anniversary of their debut album, I Thought You Didn’t Even Like Leaving, and a decade later, maybe they're not forgetting to take their meds anymore, but they still seem to find themselves asking what’s the point.

It's been a while since Prince Daddy & the Hyena last released an album — their 2022 self-titled album on Pure Noise Records — quite a gap for the notorious road dogs. It’s not that they disappeared or anything. During this gap between albums, they embarked on multiple tours and contributed to several projects, like their double release God Complex / La Da Da, their cover of “You Get What You Give” on Pure Noise’s Dead Formats series, their cover of Foxing’s “Rory,” and their 2025 one-off “Mr. Transistor” to mark their return to Counter Intuitive Records. But it’s been a hot minute since we heard a full-length project from Albany’s rowdiest, so I think it’s fair to do a bit of a retrospective here.

I was first introduced to Kory Gregory’s iconic voice with his apology on a 2017 split with Mom Jeans and Pictures of Vernon called Now That's What I Call Music Vol. 420, specifically on a duet called “Thrashville 2/3” with Kississippi. His scratchy yelp melded with Kississippi’s croon as they yelled “Sorry in advance, I’m sorta bad at this,” before devolving into a song about feeling like a piece of shit and smoking too much weed. That’s a good example of a lot of Prince Daddy & the Hyena’s early songs: but there’s nuance to feeling like shit, and over multiple albums and EPs, they grappled with every angle of it — the hilarity, the misery, the apologies. 

From there, they took an intergalactic dive with Cosmic Thrill Seekers, a 2019 concept album crafted in the aftermath of a devastating acid trip. Their songs, once short and acerbic (as on their 2015 EP Adult Summers), suddenly enveloped listeners with longer studies on feelings of being trapped and frustrated. The band seemed to long for the friction they struggled against for years. Their barbs were no longer pointed outwards, but inwards too. They continued this thread into their 2022 self-titled LP, by far their most desperate and darkest work yet, but also their sunniest. That description is not meant to be taken literally, even though the opener is a harmonious song called “Adore the Sun.” Prince Daddy bounced between these two feelings throughout the album: believing in some kind of tangible hope after a horrific van accident while also coating their lyrics in an infestation of bugs, rats, and mold. This brings us to Hotwire Trip Switch, kind of an album, kind of a collection of songs, but definitely not like anything else they’ve released yet.

The album starts with a kick drum on “24-03-04_Birthday_B4,” immediately charting us on a synth-y sail, full speed ahead. They pick up even more velocity with the following song, “Big-Box Store Heart,” which has been stuck in my head since the second I heard it. Initially, this was a surprise. Prince Daddy’s last full release was moody, even grim at times, so to return with a refreshed, bouncing, pop-punk single was unexpected. But this is Prince Daddy & the Hyena, and by now I should have learned to expect the unexpected. One thing you can count on, however, is a hit, and "Big-Box Store Heart" is a crowd-pleaser just begging to be danced to, and by God, it will be.

Daniel Gorham’s drums surge through the band on “NQA,” but the heartbeat of the Hotwire Trip Switch thumps in “Crash Taylor,” somewhere in the center of the project, but more like the close of the first half. This is a quote-unquote “singles record,” and I definitely get what Prince Daddy means by that; it’s about the individual stories within songs themselves rather than the larger landscapes they create, but there is still a clear throughline connecting these songs. There are insurmountable feelings of frustration, constraint, and the glimpses of joy you get despite that. When Kory jokingly sings, “what goes up / must come down / and boy it comes down whenever I’m underneath,” it is clear that this sentiment is the crux of the album and maybe even Prince Daddy's discography as a whole.

Hotwire Trip Switch picks back up with “30days30days30days,” a blistering plea for help cutting through the most materialistic aspects of society. Over a Scooby Doo chase scene-esque melody, Gregory mutters to himself about trying to medicate with alcohol and pills before picturing a sedentary, unactualized dream of isolation. The song revs into overdrive, Kory’s voice becoming supersonic as he lists a kind of unattainable cottagecore fantasy: “move to the mountains / cancel the subscriptions / maybe start a juice cleanse.” While Kory states that this is done to “repair what’s malfunctioning,” it's clear, even as he says it, that this isn't happening. It almost seems to mock punk songs, encouraging the opposite: instead of learning guitar, getting in the van, and playing shows, Gregory humors himself with the suggestion that maybe the cure for all his problems is escape.

The debaucherous pleas riddled through “30days30days30days” leads into “SHITSHOW or Boulevard of Soaking Dreams,” which is also probably the best song title on the album — it’s between that and “Sure Could (A Random Exercise In Life-Altering Party Fouls).” Prince Daddy & the Hyena has always been funny, not haha funny, more like funny because if I don’t make a joke out of [whatever thing] I’ll cry. While they may have changed several aspects of their sound — Joe Reinhart, producer of artists like Hop Along and Joyce Manor, cleared up Cameron Handford’s guitar tones, focused on Kory’s more reserved vocals, and cranked Jordan Chmielowski’s bass to eleven — they have never lost their humor. This is a revelation I made after Gregory closes the song with “The water's running out / I don't know why it turns me on / But it turns me on.”

If “Crash Taylor” was the heart of Hotwire Trip Switch, then the penultimate track “Something’s Gotta Give” is the brain. Unexpectedly chuggy compared to the pop-punk fury Prince Daddy deliver throughout the rest of the album. It’s not quite a self-titled B-side; “Something’s Gotta Give” is introspective and earthy like that record, sure, but it’s a fresh wound. Rather, it’s a wound that keeps getting reinfected. The song seems to come from a place of internalized doubt; it’s been over ten years of Prince Daddy, and what do they have to show for it? Gregory takes a morose, lamenting tone at the end, singing “five albums of this / everyone is concerned / something’s gotta give/ you’re scaring off the kids / they’ll probably turn it off before the end.”

Over a decade of music can’t end there, so distraught, so regretful. So, ever the mighty party band they are, Prince Daddy & the Hyena rally one last time to close the album out with “Pinch Me.” While the lyrical content doesn't change significantly (things suck, you don’t think you deserve all this, and you plead that one day you’ll feel like you do), the song is ultimately jovial. Prince Daddy messes around with chiptune in a cartoon-like vortex of sound; their songs always seem to sound on the verge of collapse, and here they finally do collapse. It’s the perfect place for the party to end. That moment when you crash into your bed in the early hours of the morning, only to wake up when the sun peeks through the blinds or the neighbor starts vacuuming. 

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Caro Alt (she/her) is from New Orleans, Louisiana, and if she could be anyone in The Simpsons, she would be Milhouse.

Pro Wrestling The Band – Weanling | EP Review

Thick Freakness

Coming down the aisle, hailing from London, Ontario, is Pro Wrestling The Band. Like any wrestling superstar, the group has a flair for the dramatic; they know how to play to the back of the room with over-the-top rock that’s fast, loud, and pumped-up. The four-man stable is led by frontman Danny Kidd, whose voice is so deadly that it can wrestle any crowd into submission. Behind him, you have Nitro Nathan Stock, known for his explosive drumming behind the sticks. Of course, we can’t forget the intercontinental champion of the bass, Bobby “Don’t Call Me” Calwell, and the most electrifying man in all of indie rock, Craig Gignac, giving the people what they want with magnetic guitar solos. In the words of WWE Hall of Fame wrestling announcer Jim Ross, “Bah Gawd, that’s Pro Wrestling the Band music.” 

The group’s new EP, Weanling, is a continuation of their jaw-droppingly fun Falling In Love With Pro Wrestling The Band, which bound together their first two EPs into one full-length. While Falling In Love With has some power pop tucked in, it’s impressively diverse, with a lot of punk influence, especially in the vocals, plus some twangy elements throughout for good measure. Weanling finds the four-piece fully leaning into their power pop ethos with contagious choruses and guitar chords struck to the max, all executed with sharp-shooter precision.

Opening track “Irish Goodbyes” is one of those songs that would melt the summer radio airwaves in the mid-90s. The track has everything people would want, laced with revving high-energy guitars, thudding drums, and an infectious stadium-level chorus. Kidd’s vocals on the chorus fly above the guitars like a Macho Man Randy Savage elbow drop. When he sings at the top of his lungs, “Was looking for something painless / But Irish goodbyes got so weighted / Left me breathless,” it’s one of those moments that feels mega.

I could have seen “Tarps” on the soundtrack for the Brendan Fraser-starring rom-com Blast from the Past, nestled right in between R.E.M.’s classic “It’s the End of the World as We Know It” and Squirrel Nut Zippers’ “Trou Macacq.” The chorus is sentimental, yet also feels like it was meant to be yelled from a rooftop. Pro Wrestling The Band is firing on all cylinders with these two lead singles, proving that their ear for pop-centric hooks is up there with the best of them going today.

This EP is only five songs, but the music flies free and fast at a suitably explosive breakneck speed. “Replacements” has the shortest runtime, but it’s just pure muscular intensity between the drums and guitars from the word go. There’s a real swagger with Kidd’s vocals on “Space,” giving the kind of flair and edginess that reminds me of Liam Gallagher in his heyday. Really enjoyable to hear that level of confidence being brought out in a song. I need more of that. 

At the tail end of the release, “Don’t Mind Me” kicks off with a triumphant classic rock guitar solo which soon gives way to soaring vocals that are nothing short of world-conquering. With a slower tempo that feels like last call at the bar, “Don’t Mind Me” feels like the bright, blaring lights were just turned on and it’s time for everyone to find their jackets and stumble on home.

Weanling is the best 1996 album made in 2026. The boys from up north seem to go about their music in an old-school wrestling kind of way, with vivid storytelling, technical proficiency, and respect for the artists who came before them. While the songs themselves aren’t strictly wrestling-themed, the four-man stable has a knack for memorable, anthem-level choruses that would fit pouring out of stadium speakers. Pro Wrestling the Band’s songs are filled with steel chair shots to the head, full of guitar solos, flying off the top rope power pop, and crowd-pleasing choruses that can beat any opponent for the 1, 2, 3 count. 

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David is a content mercenary based in Chicago. He’s also a freelance writer specializing in music, movies, and culture. His hidden talents are his mid-range jump shot and the ability to always be able to tell when someone is uncomfortable at a party. You can find him scrolling away on Instagram@davidmwill89, Twitter@Cobretti24, or Medium@davidmwms.

In Memoriam: Bo Lueders of Harm’s Way

Photo by Mikey McInnis

Growing up going to metal and hardcore shows in Chicago, it almost felt like a requirement to get into Harm’s Way. This wasn’t hard to do; the band are masters of their craft and what I refer to as a “perfect heavy band,” not pigeonholed into any one specific subgenre, but well-versed in all of them. They aren’t just a metal band, or a hardcore band, or a punk band, or an industrial band; they’re all of those and more. Their distinct sound has been established by a rotating cast of members since 2006, but at its core are monster vocalist James “Hammers” Pligge, powerhouse drummer Chris Mills, and thunderous guitarist Bo Lueders, who tragically passed away last Thursday morning.

I did not know Bo personally, but there’s a weird weight to eulogizing someone who is so close to your circle. He was a friend, coworker, and collaborator with many of my friends, coworkers, and collaborators. Not only is Harm’s Way tied for the band I’ve seen the most times in my life, but I would often see Bo attending and moshing at many metal and hardcore shows around Chicago, including Life Of Agony, Obituary, and a handful of times at Riot Fest. He was one of our local celebrities, always repping for Chicago and Chicago bands, which strengthened my connection to him and his music. Bo was Chicago, Bo was hardcore, and most importantly, Bo was Chicago Hardcore.

Despite having mutual connections and similar musical interests, I always felt intimidated to strike up a conversation whenever I’d pass by him. I never wanted to feel like I was bothering him; I just continued to admire his presence from a short distance away. With his podcast, HardLore: Stories From Tour, co-hosted by Colin Young from Twitching Tongues, God’s Hate, and several other metal and hardcore bands, myself and hundreds of thousands of other fans got to learn a ton about Bo and his personal HardLore, and looked up to both him and Colin as trusted voices in our scene. When you hear or see someone on your devices on a weekly basis, it’s easy to feel like you’re close to them in some way, and I think I didn’t want him to feel like I was immediately cool with him just because we knew similar people or because I listened to his band and his podcast. But he always seemed charismatic, bright, and approachable, on and off stage, and on and off screen.

If you are even remotely tapped into alternative or heavy music discourse, you likely saw at least a portion of the immense outpouring of fandom, love, and support for Bo Lueders and Harm’s Way from regular fans and professional musicians alike. Icons like Claudio Sanchez of Coheed And Cambria, Jamey Jasta of Hatebreed, and Freddy “Madball” Cricien, all former guests of HardLore episodes, shared their condolences. Cricien’s was particularly stinging, as part two of his HardLore interview was published just hours before the news broke of Bo’s passing. And of course, Colin Young’s message to his friend, co-host, and brother in hardcore, is as beautiful, sorrowful, poignant, and heartfelt as a tribute can get.

The collected works of HardLore and Bo Lueders’ discography in Harm’s Way, Few And The Proud, Double Crossed, Convicted, Wolfnote, and XweaponX are all worth diving into for the uninitiated. My personal favorite HardLore episode is with Dan Seely of King Nine, and Harm’s Way’s latest album Common Suffering is a note-perfect reflection of everything the band is capable of. I am a proud fan of everything Bo was able to accomplish in his time, and he left a mark on Chicago that will never be forgotten. Rest in peace.

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, please use the following resources:
Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Call or text 988
Crisis Text Line: Text “HOME” to 741-741
National Alliance On Mental Health Helpline: 1-800-950-6264

Donate to Support for Bo's Memorial Service

Tigers Jaw – Lost on You | Album Review

Hopeless Records

Time is such an endless and abstract concept. It’s understandable why, from an early age, time is typically explained to us in the simplest terms: that it exists linearly. “The past is the past” is an adage most of us have heard at one point or another throughout our lives; however, not everyone prescribes to this idea, positing that time exists cyclically. The past, present, and future versions of ourselves exist at the same time, eternally replaying on our respective timelines. As unconventional as it is, it’s tempting to entertain this theory when many of us are feeling more reflective and sentimental than ever in the face of a world that continues to implode on itself with each passing day. 

Whether one views time as linear or otherwise, it feels inherently human to track its passage through our relationships with others. It’s easier to accept a past self as the superior version, even more refined when attached to someone else, but it’s always an illusion. If we measure ourselves only by bits and pieces of memory, we can become locked in stasis, never reaching our full potential. True evolution of the self lies in accepting where each entity lies in our timeline, rather than allowing one version to consume ourselves and our futures alike. 

In Lost on You, the latest album by Pennsylvania Indie quintet Tigers Jaw, the band explores this idea of our various selves existing alongside one another through their tried-and-true brand of melodic and multi-layered rock ballads. It’s been a trying and turbulent five-year-long interim since their last record, and, in a post-covid world, that half-decade has felt like an eternity. I Won’t Care How You Remember Me landed at such a different time in all of our lives; it’s hard not to feel like a completely different person. Having that time to marinate and sit with the band’s last album only makes Lost on You that much more gratifying. They’ve matured and been hardened by the years – and so have their listeners. Tigers Jaw elegantly navigates this parallel growth with their audience, leaning into what feels most natural without feeling overly harvested. 

Sticking to what works creatively isn’t inherently bad, but certain bands suffer when they rely too heavily on what feels comfortable. It’s been particularly exhausting in recent years to wade through albums that mostly iterate on previous releases without any sense of risk. There’s seemingly an overabundance of confidence in what works and not enough confidence in being adventurous. Lost on You only reinforces that I wouldn’t want Tigers Jaw to tweak their creative method in a million years, because they seem incapable of losing that balance. 

Throughout their seventh studio album, the band expands on their load-bearing qualities – gentle, swinging rhythms meeting harsh guitar tones, ornamental keyboard work, dynamic sequencing, rich instrumental color – approaching it all with a fresh touch. When you have as symbiotic a setup as Tigers Jaw, especially the vocal back-and-forth of Ben Walsh and Brianna Collins, why tinker with that kind of sonic chemistry? Being a massive Menzingers fan for years as well, it’s hard not to draw the comparison to lead vocalists Greg Barnett and Tom May’s reciprocity, their own chemistry similarly evident in each of their releases. Whether Ben and Brianna are switching lead vocals for entire songs or imperceptibly shifting between lead and backing vocals on tracks like “Primary Colors” or “Staring at Empty Faces,” their mutual confidence in one another is as palpable as ever. 

Every element of Tigers Jaw is performing at their absolute best on this album, fluently exploring new ways to do what they’ve been doing for years. Teddy Roberts’ drumming and Colin Gorman’s basswork anchor every track tightly, with Mark Lebiecki’s guitar tones and solo lines giving form and shape to standout tracks like “Lost on You.” The old upright piano textures of “It’s ok” are enchanting in a way that’s unmistakably Brianna – sensibilities that can only come as a product of being with a band that she has known since her teen years. Lost on You delivers a novel experience while still laying down quintessential Tigers Jaw bangers like “Baptized on a Redwood Drive,” which exude the classic elements that make this project so special. 

The band’s consistent writing style and unique way of weaving their lyrics together have never felt more potent. It may seem trite to view a Tigers Jaw album as a collection of poems when that describes most albums, but this description feels especially apt for Lost on You. Each song acts as a small vignette of time, place, and feeling, cleverly wrapped in abstract metaphors that harken to a time when the only tool one had to pick apart an album was their own thoughts and best guesses about the musician’s intentions. 

As someone who is constantly thinking about previous relationships as they relate to the past, present, and future, Lost on You hits like a ton of bricks. Tigers Jaw’s particular composition style only complements the ways in which time and our own idiosyncrasies can distort our approach to relationships. “Roses + Thorns” feels deceptively melancholic despite the “love song” essence in its lyricism, while “Light Leaks Through” unabashedly eviscerates with the lines “It hurts to be alive and not beside you / The version of the person that you miss does not exist / I’m learning everything I was refusing to admit.” When it comes to the people or the relationships we’ve lost, we hang on to idealized concepts because those scraps are all we have. They’re frozen in time as our own subjective versions, but that isn’t real life. The key to moving on is letting go of those apparitions.

The final track, “Lost on You,” returns to the beginning of the album with a single progression shift that feels so rewarding, both as a thematic and compositional device. Repeating the lines “I am blood in the gums of a sensitive mouth / I am looking for peace in a world full of doubt” established in the opening track, “It’s ok,” articulates this idea of time being recursive and allowing your past to come back and haunt you. Lost on You seamlessly evolves from start to finish, and it almost feels a disservice to ever digest it piecemeal. The album features so much diversity in its melodies and concepts, yet forms a cohesive experience thanks to the band’s ability to ensnare the listener and lead them anywhere. 

Consistency doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing, and Lost on You is proof of that. There is a heartwrenching, pensive message to this album, achieved by a gravitas so uniquely Tigers Jaw. Perennial art helps us to navigate challenging ideas wrapped in illusion and abstract concepts, hiding their meaning in plain sight. It can help tap into past versions of oneself, enrich our current self, and challenge us to be a better version of ourselves tomorrow. Tigers Jaw has delivered on all fronts in Lost on You, and it’s evident that they are in tune with all of the best versions of themselves, too. 

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Ciara Rhiannon (she/her) is a pathological music lover writing out of a nebulous location somewhere in the Pacific Northwest within close proximity of her two cats. She consistently appears on most socials as @rhiannon_comma, and you can read more of her musical musings over at rhiannoncomma.substack.com.