Chris Conley is nothing if not original. His ability and willingness to listen to and follow an inner voice led him to an early arrival into the all-ages music scene with great influence. Saves The Day continued to evolve musically and did not get stuck in a certain sound even though commercial success would have wanted just that. After helping set…

Silverstein is in the club of bands that are true workhorses - continuously active year after year while racking up new achievements. They seem to benefit greatly from being able to self-manage, adapt, engage in long range decision making, while always trying new things. They have played over 2500 shows and have over a million monthly listeners on …

Today we have a convo with Chad Gardner of Kings Kaleidoscope. What's most intriguing about Chad is that he is an incredibly efficient, high-level, high-energy problem solver. He fits a pattern that we see over and over again in this world of kids who come from families with engineering and technical talent and use this to power high level creativi…

Reese Roper is simply a legend. Five Iron Frenzy (FIF) was one of the first Christian bands truly existing in both the Christian and mainstream space. In the late 90s during the ska explosion, they achieved real commercial success, made a bold choice to stay on a small independent label, and were delivering absolutely scorching lyrics that were ful…

JT Woodruff is one of the most intentional and efficient leaders and operators in the history of the scene. His band Hawthorne Heights has had absolutely huge ups and downs. Ups like their first 2 records going gold and creating one of the most iconic emo songs ever, Ohio Is For Lovers, which has almost 100 million Spotify plays. The downs include …

Mayday Parade is an incredibly well-balanced group of guys. Balanced in a way that equates to functioning well as a healthy team in a high output, low drama, great to be around way. Mayday has been able to remain extremely hard-working and consistent for over 15 years in a landscape full of ups & downs and unhealthiness. They have achieved long-ter…

Jason Dunn started Hawk Nelson in 2000 with his pals northeast of Ontario where they were like thousands of other aspiring garage bands who just loved to make noise until a connection with Trevor McNevan towed them in to ride the wave of pop punk right into the height of Tooth & Nail's dominance. In the decade that followed they enjoyed great succe…

The mind of Brandon Ebel is quite a unique thing. He has an ability to rapidly shift his perspectives to analyze things at multiple levels, and has a strong bias toward action and a incredible eye for talent of all kinds. He seems to be all over the place but a better description might be that he has a laser focus and intensity that is consistent o…

Capital Lights came along in the peak of Tooth & Nail’s power and influence. Oddly, in this period there there are many bands who seemed to have everything going for them and were musically outstanding, yet their full potential was never realized. Bryson Phillips is a a truly gifted singer and songwriter that has been praised by both Brandon Ebel &…

Special drop here!. Matt and Devin got the chance to preview the 2023 Furnace Fest lineup and have Chad Johnson and Johnny Grimes join the show so we could all react to it together. Emery is not playing this year, but we love the fest and we love Chad and Johnny and just like talking about all these bands, the history of the scene and fest and the …

Josh Porter is one of the most interesting frontmen from our scene and is of a particular type whose spirit of rebellion resonates across many mediums, one of which being Showbread’s music. Their legendary set at Furnace Fest last year seemed to be a testament to how deeply connected their fans were. This podcast spends a lot of time analyzing the …

If you have been paying any attention to Tooth & Nail over the last several years, you can tell that they have a special regard for Tyson Motsenbocker. Tyson seems to always have been able to make great connections with other artists with both his personality and his songwriting. He’s great as a solo performer and on another level when he has a ful…

It’s the inaugural music draft! Matt Carter and Devin Shelton join to make their picks for a team of songwriters from the Tooth and Nail / Solid State universe. Lots of weirdness in this one, as we are friends with and have played in bands with people who are eligible to be drafted. Voting will go up 24 hours after this episode airs in both the Lab…

Jason Wisdom himself falls into a certain archetype. A Tooth & Nail kid with a uniquely-wired mind who was inspired by bands like MXPX and Zao - and the range of possibilities for mixing various styles, genres, and mediums of expression that is permitted in the underground scene. Becoming the Archetype began in 2005 and released records until 2012.…

Today we’re talking to Nathan Richardson of Salt Creek. Nathan started promoting shows as a teenager in Nebraska, he started his own merchandise company, and he has continued to make connections while growing his DIY skills. It seems that Nathan has real gratitude, curiosity, motivation, and finds joy in all that he throws himself into. Salt Creek …

Furnace Fest means so much to so many different people. From the bands who performed, to the fans who attended. All voices in the Labeled community have truly gathered around this Festival in a deeply meaningful way. Today we're talking to Jason Zeimet, founder of UnoriginalVinyl, frequent collaborators on physical media projects with Solid State &…

Ernie and his band members in idle threat seem to have arrived at a very interesting time in Tooth & Nail/Solid State history. There is currently a resurgence of interest in raw, aggressive music that incorporates intimate, spacious, and emotional elements. idle threat has done a masterful job of absorbing the important feels of the last 30 years f…

his conversation with Kevin Klein from Valleyheart is a great look at how a modern artist sees the landscape today, and in what ways some things always stay the same in the midst of constant change. The one trend that continues to grow is the amount of control artists have over more and more layers of their art form, and why having clear vision and…

The Ongoing Concept is one of the most DIY bands in the Tooth & Nail/Solid State catalog, and they have achieved many innovative things like building their own instruments from scratch. The journey they have been on has been shaped by those that came before, but is a long quest for the artist to have as much creative control as possible. That desir…

In this episode, we get the chance to to talk about a bunch of people in the Labeled universe through the perspective of Seth Roberts whose band Watashi Wa is back and doing big things. Watashi Wa has a new album out on Tooth & Nail on which Seth has pulled together some awesome collaborations. Not only do they have a new record coming out, but the…

Lee Humerian was the drummer for Phinehas for nearly a decade. He is a very classic stereotype of a Tooth & Nail kid who followed his passion for music, energy and mission for God. Lee was drawn from music into full-time missions landing him in Ukraine in 2014. He and his family have made a home and life there during the escalating conflict over th…

Mark Lafay was is a big part of the Haste The Day story as you heard in the recent Jimmy Ryan and Stephen Keech HTD episodes. We really needed to speak with Mark as well to further color the stories and see what we might have missed. This is a very fun conversation, and a must listen if you enjoyed the last 2 HTD episodes…

This episode is a continuation of the previous Haste The Day chapter with Jimmy Ryan, who was not a Tooth & Nail kid but found his way into the scene. Jimmy helped build a legendary Solid State band and then walked away from his dream. This left a giant hole which provided the opportunity for a Tooth & Nail kid if there ever was one, the multi-tale…

Jimmy Ryan, the original lead singer of Haste The Day, is in a rare category. His band was a breakout hit in the pinnacle of the Tooth & Nail/Solid State golden age, but Jimmy was NOT a Tooth & Nail kid. The rest of his band certainly were as they were youth group kids from a nice Indianapolis suburb when they joined forces with Jimmy. He was consi…

The Moon is Down is one of the most influential albums in the entire Tooth & Nail catalog. Of course it is a fan favorite, but this one also checks the box in a big way as a named influence by countless artists, drummers, guitarists, song arrangers, and vocalists. Many of whom cite this album as helping them expand their minds to new possibilities …

Ivoryline is one of those bands that accomplished a lot in a short time but due to the circumstances of reality did not have a career that was able to reach its full maturity. Their fairly short run gives us all that feeling of slight tragedy but also leaves us with a nostalgic feeling of what might have been or still could be. Ivoryline did 2 amaz…

The Labeled Universe is expanding! In addition to this Stories, Rumors, and Legends feed, we’re introducing A new labeled podcast called Deep Dives! This introductory episode looks at coming off of “Erase Me”, the band was filled with conflict over sonic direction and personal issues. Underoath found themselves at a crossroads and were forced to di…

Garrett and Thomas from Silent Planet join us for a discussion from the studio to talk about their new record Iridescent and beyond. In this episode, we discuss being a third or even fourth wave Solid State band along with their philosophy and process. Follow Silent Planet on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3nHveO5 Grab some Silent Planet merch here: htt…

Doug Van Pelt has been focused on our music scene well before it ever existed. He was drawn to heavy music and then Christian music since he was a kid in the 70's. It’s safe to say that he has witnessed the entire phenomenon. What’s more, he literally made it his business to pay attention and share it with others. Doug is very entrepreneurial and b…

For this final Labeled episode of 2021, we are partnering with Aaron’s Sprinkle’s brand new podcast, Moontraveling. This episode takes a deep dive into Aaron’s many years at The Compound studio in Seattle working on many iconic Tooth & Nail albums along with some other amazing projects. Be sure to subscribe to the Moontraveling podcast and definite…

It used to be that you could tell the reaction to an album by things like first week sales or reviews in major publications, but in 2021 it's a lot different. You can still feel the energy around an important release like this one, but the buzz comes from places like “reaction videos” from prominent YouTubers and other new media. It's a little bit …

Josh Kemble is someone who instantly strikes me as having two of my favorite qualities, mindfulness and authenticity. Combined, they give the experience of being present in a conversation while able to tie in multiple layers of meaning. It's almost as if Josh is aware of the experience he is creating in others, and that's key in crafting music or a…

Furnace Fest was over a week ago but we’re still coming down from the FF high. Brandon stops by my basement to talk about his top three Furnace Fest moments.Learn more about the upcoming Beloved hometown show that Knuckle Breakers Productions will be capturing and how you can be a part of it. https://fb.watch/8rr9wz8o4H/https://labeledpodcast.com/M…

In 1995, The Get Up Kids began exploring their surroundings and expanding their horizons in much the way that early Tooth & Nail and Solid State artists did. In the midwest emo scene, they were sharing the stages with bands of seemingly all genres, while making friends in many other states. They didn’t ask permission for what they did, and no one s…

Mark Salomon is a legend and forefather of the Tooth & Nail scene. He was pioneering new artistic and cultural territory while being iconic, professional and a showman all at the same time. He has been massively influential from The Crucified and Stavesacre to Neon Horse and his podcast, Never Was, and his reputation for having solid personal relat…

Welcome back to labeled, the stories rumors and legends of tooth and nail records, I’m your host Matt carter and today’s episode features the not only legendary but iconic drummer Steve Kleisath from Strong arm, Shai Halud, further seeems forever, and the darling fire. He is a legend because he had tremendous influence on records that were tremendo…

Terminal can be described in many ways. One and Done, One Hit Wonder, Casualty of the industry, a career that seemed over before it began. Similar to Beloved in many ways, with a single album destined for an explosive followup the bands had seemingly failed before their future fanbase could materialize. The bands were able to achieve great things q…

Hopesfall is a very influential post hardcore/spirit filled hardcore band. They emerged in the North Carolina scene and the greater Southeast with bands like Beloved, Stretch Armstrong, he is legend, Underoath and Luti-Kriss around 2000. they were a Furnacefest band and a Cornerstone band. They were signed to Takehold Records who was acquired by To…

Joe Musten is the heartbeat of Beloved. He is known for doing all the lead screaming while being an absolutely brutal drummer. I think of Joe as an uncompromising and incorruptible purist and someone who sees the whole picture. He is driven to authentically express his passion in every situation, from live performance, to the studio recordings, to …

Chad Johnson is a significant figure in this movement who was identifying next level talent that was yet to reach its potential and creating opportunities for them. He was quite successful in aggregating and attracting further talent primarily in the southeast region. Further Seems Forever, Underoath, twothirtyeight, hopesfall, and more. He created…

One the first releases ever on Solid State, Stretch Armstrong were pioneers of the scene that was emerging in the southeast in the late 90’s. Known for being straight edge and positive, Chris McLaine was one of the most engaging front men of the era. His message was always to include and to encourage and to make a positive impact. From the beginnin…

Scott Mellinger joined the legendary band Zao to replace Brett Detar as a musician between the albums, When Blood and Fire Bring Rest and Liberate Te Ex Inferis. He immediately brought a new sonic element helping them arrive at their signature sound, but his influence didn't stop there. Despite being in a band with big personalities, Scott emerged …

The Showdown is a very special band who was able to break a lot of new ground and turn a lot of heads by taking what was going on in heavy music and amplifying it to extreme levels by adding new layers of performance that mixed art and crowd interaction with humor to create a symphony of chaos that played the audience like an instrument. Their fron…

Lead singers tend to get and often deserve the most attention in most bands. They carry a large burden and the spotlight is not at all easy to manage, but some of the most talented and valuable people are not the ones in the limelight. Randy Torres has done it all in the Tooth & Nail world, and he has done it well. Guitarist for Project 86, enginee…

Hangnail is an old school classic Tooth & Nail punk band and is back with new holiday music! It's their first new music in 17 years. This seemed like a good occasion to hang out with the whole band and look all the way back to the mid 90's as this group of best friends in high school, who never had a lineup change and were first generation Tooth & …

Acceptance is a Tooth & Nail artist a couple of decades in the making. They just made and released their first album on Tooth & Nail called Wild, Free this year. But it was right here in the Seattle Tacoma area where Acceptance was founded in 2003, right at the time that

Frodus was a pioneer post hardcore band whose influence is larger than their footprint ever was. This important group was recognized early by Brandon and Tooth & Nail, who acquired Frodus, a non-Christian from the 90’s DC punk scene that transitioned into the Tooth

Chapter 29 We have reached the final chapter of our series! We’ve seen both Tooth & Nail and the scene grow from being independent, in basements and obscurity, and grow until they were partnered with a giant corporation and had artists all over MTV and mainstream radio. Today we see how Tooth & Nail came full circle from all the mayhem and tied han…

Chapter 27 Former Tooth & Nail employee, Derek Tenbusch, in many ways is a similar to Brandon Ebel. Both got their start as low level employees of a record label in southern California, because of their love for music, and thought it would be satisfying to help good art thrive. Eventually both became di…

Chapter 23.2 Not only was Josh Moore focused on his goal of becoming a musician from a very early age, but he was also recognizably good as an early teenager who eventually was noticed by older kids at his school who picked him up and made him their lead singer. Finishing high school by an alternative program, Josh is touring as Beloved's frontman …