LONELIER THAN GOD

Today’s conversation is with JONATHAN PEREZ, co-founder & guitarist of TRAUMA RAY.

This past February, they released their CARNIVAL EP, a highly recommended 5-song trip through the warped abstractions of the psyche. It takes their sound in more meditative & even ambient directions, while also intensifying the pulverizing riffs & rhythms they’re known for.

Following the success of their U.S. run with Loathe last fall, they’re just a couple weeks away from a nationwide co-headlining tour with GLIXEN, which goes from April 10 to May 16.

Jon also writes & records music as JUAN CORDERO, & he released his debut LP, SONGS ABOUT GHOSTS, via SUNDAY DRIVE RECORDS back on Halloween 2023. FFO: Duster, Bedhead, Lowercase, Sparklehorse, & so forth.

In this episode, we move song-by-song through the Carnival EP, talk about surviving the love/hate relationship with your own music, & explore the overlap between everyday life & the cosmos.

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CARNIVAL EP

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SPRING 2026 TOUR DATES

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SONGS ABOUT GHOSTS LP

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HUM @ CHINA CLUB / CHICAGO '93

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TIMESTAMPS:
02:30: "Chameleon"
03:44: Carnival Record Release Show
08:44: "Hannibal" Video
10:36: Carnival EP
14:18: "Carousel"
18:38: "Hannibal"
23:19: "Méliès"
28:50: "Funhouse"
34:12: "Clown"
40:03: HUM's Influence
42:36: "Liftoff"
47:32: "Pewter" Discussion
01:06:39: "Breath"

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Today’s guest is GABE VAN — producer, mixer, engineer, singer, songwriter, & guitarist.

He owns & operates AKIRA AUDIO in Woodland Hills, CA, where he’s done a wide range of in-house sound work across music, film, fashion, TV, & web media.

There he's recorded thousands of sessions, most frequently with drummers KELLII SCOTT of FAILURE & BEN KOLLER of CONVERGE.

He’s also gone on the road to do live sound with Failure, Autolux, Local Natives, & others.

His band MOSSBREAKER released their first album, Between the Noise & You, in 2017 on Glory Kid Records. Check the Bandcamp links below to hear that, along with an early EP, singles, & more recent demos. They opened for HUM & Mineral at the Regent Theater in LA in September 2015.

In this episode, we discuss finding your niche, the stress-tests of guitar tech'ing, & the way sound travels through the memory-space of time.

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https://www.akiraaudio.com

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https://mossbreaker.bandcamp.com/album/between-the-noise-and-you

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HUM on Modern Rock Live [1998]

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TIMESTAMPS:
02:25 // "Runway" (Mossbreaker)
03:37 // Akira Audio
07:53 // Recording Schools
12:55 // Working with Ken Andrews
19:55 // "Between the Noise & You" (Mossbreaker)
23:06 // Hearing HUM
26:45 // "Ms. Lazarus" Discussion
49:31 // "Shamer" (Mossbreaker)

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Today’s guest is TOM WINDISH — a highly respected veteran booking agent, manager, A&R executive, & label owner.

Across three decades, he’s worked at every level of the music industry, from booking shows out of his college dorm room to navigating the global circuits of some of music’s biggest names. His booking roster has included artists of many genres, ranging from HUM, New Radiant Storm King, & Smog to Billie Eilish, M83, & Lorde.

He’s also a frequent speaker at music industry conferences, sharing his experience & guidance with audiences around the world.

In this episode, we talk about bringing bands to campus, the complexities of long-distance calling, & what appeared on HUM’s very first rider.

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TIMESTAMPS:
02:08: Mowing Lawns, Buying Tapes
03:43: College Radio & Booking Bands
10:55: Poster Children & HUM @ Campus Pub
14:33: Venue Networks
16:51: Long-Distance Calls
19:23: Reconnecting with HUM
22:29: Howard Stern Show
26:43: Alternative Boom
33:50: "Yume Utsutsu" (Lamp)

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This week I’m talking w/ DAVID CHAVEZ & RACHEL STANG from the Kansas City band FOREVER ☆.

A few months ago, they released a 7-song EP called 2ND GEN DREAM on À LA CARTE RECORDS, & it’s bursting with euphoric waves of guitar, smeared ethereal vocals, & the manic energy of drum n bass.

Highly recommend checking that out, along with their 3 SERIES EP from 2023. Links below.

David also works at SEEN MERCHANDISING, where he probably had a hand in screen-printing the HUM shirt you’re wearing right now.

In this episode, we talk about the mechanics of the breakbeat, the acoustics of sonic weapons, & the cosmic patterns of deep space.

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https://foreverstar.bandcamp.com/music

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TIMESTAMPS:
02:08 // "Heat Seeking Missile" (F☆)
03:25 // 2nd Gen Dream EP
12:23 // 2GD Layout
15:55 // "Blade Silver Metallic" (F☆)
22:10 // "Competizione" (F☆)
27:40 // Discovering HUM
35:22// "Little Dipper" Discussion
58:56 // "Your Angel Speaks" (F☆)

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Joining me today from the outskirts of Austin, Texas is singer, guitarist, & songwriter ANDY SWITZKY.

In 1989, Andy co-founded HUM, & he wrote for & played on their demo, the first LP (Fillet Show), & the subsequent 2 singles (Hello Kitty & Sun Dress).

He was a vital part of the Champaign music scene in the ‘80s & ‘90s, & also made music in Tugrik Dhugugrik, Designer Mustard Gas, Obvious Man, & Alaskan Mothership.

From time to time, he uploads material from that period to his SoundCloud page; link below.

In this episode, we talk about the mid-to-late ‘80s Champaign music scene, blending the dissonant with the melodic, & trying to match the volume of your awe-inspiring drummer.

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https://soundcloud.com/aswitzky

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Steve Albini's Basement Studio

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TIMESTAMPS:
02:16 // "Lake of Fire" (Alaskan Mothership)
03:29 // Early Music Fandom
07:29 // First Bands
10:16 // Tugrik Dhugugrik
11:34 // "Mucus" (T.D.)
12:48 // Obvious Man
15:46 // "Facts & Figures" (O.M.)
17:51 // Designer Mustard Gas
18:39 // “Workstation” (D.M.G.)
20:42 // Forming HUM
22:20 // “Kissing Me is like Kissing an Angel, She Said” Demo Tape
30:18 // "Time is Melting"
34:45 // "Kissing Me..."
37:44 // "Diamonds"
41:32 // Fillet Show LP
50:48 // "Sunshine" (Alaskan Mothership)

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