The Hardcore Therapist

The Hardcore Therapist 150- Joseph Thomas (There Were Wires)

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2255460/fan_mail/new] Today I’m joined by Joseph Thomas of There Were Wires, a band that came out of Boston’s chaotic hardcore and post-hardcore world, making music that holds intensity, atmosphere, and a lot of emotional weight. There Were Wires are returning with Vessel, their first new full-length in more than two decades, out through Iodine Recordings on June 26th. The record reflects a band coming back after years of life experience  grief, exhaustion, persistence, trust, and the kind of heaviness that feels different when you are no longer writing from the same place you were when you were younger. What stands out to me is that this doesn’t feel like a band trying to recreate the past. It feels like people returning to music with more perspective, more restraint, and more room for the songs to breathe. Vessel was written and recorded over time, in a home studio, without the same pressure or deadlines that often shape records earlier in a band’s life. I’m excited to talk with Joseph about joining There Were Wires for this chapter, returning to heavy music after decades of life, the emotional weight of Vessel, and how creativity can become a way to process grief, fear, and change. Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2255460/support]

The Hardcore Therapist 149.5- Are You Co-Parenting or Asking Your New Marriage to Carry Your Old Family Conflict?

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2255460/fan_mail/new] In this episode of The Hardcore Therapist, I’m talking about co-parenting after divorce, especially when a new marriage, stepchildren, former partners, guilt, resentment, and unresolved family conflict all become part of the same system. I break down the difference between healthy co-parenting and overfunctioning, why children should never become messengers between households, how to protect your current marriage without abandoning your kids, and why boundaries need follow-through—not just repeated explanations. We also look at when parallel parenting may be healthier than trying to force cooperation in a high-conflict relationship. The question underneath all of it is simple: Are you building the family you have now, or still organizing your life around the conflict from the family you had before? Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2255460/support]

The Hardcore Therapist 149- Scott Crawford (Salad Days, Creem, Something Better Change Documentaries)

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2255460/fan_mail/new] Today I’m joined by Scott Crawford, a multi-talented filmmaker, musician, writer, and documentarian who directed Salad Days: A Decade of Punk in Washington, DC. A D.C. native who started the fanzine Metrozine as a teenager, Scott brings an insider’s perspective to the DIY spirit, community, and cultural force of the D.C. punk and hardcore scene, including bands like Minor Threat, Bad Brains, Government Issue, Rites of Spring, and Fugazi. Scott also directed CREEM: America’s Only Rock ’n’ Roll Magazine, which explores the influential Detroit publication’s impact on music journalism, rock criticism, and outsider culture. His newest documentary, Something Better Change, follows D.O.A. frontman Joe Keithley as he takes the politics of punk from the stage into public office. I’m really excited to talk with Scott about hardcore, storytelling, subculture, memory, politics, DIY ethics, and why documenting these scenes matters — not just historically, but emotionally. Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2255460/support]

The Hardcore Therapist 148.5- Are You Ready for Love or Just Ready to Be Chosen Again?

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2255460/fan_mail/new] After divorce, readiness for love is not measured only by time it is measured by whether you can enter a relationship without performing, self-silencing, or falling in love with someone’s potential. I explore how to recognize genuine readiness, evaluate present behavior, communicate needs without emotional begging, and choose a partner who wants the person you are now. Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2255460/support]

The Hardcore Therapist 148- Ryan Smith (Rain the Shining)

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2255460/fan_mail/new] Today I’m joined by Ryan Smith, the musician behind Rain the Shining. Rain the Shining is Ryan’s Baltimore-based music project, blending guitar-driven indie rock with roots in hardcore and punk. His music carries that tension between reflection and resistance — songs about time, memory, disappointment, injustice, and trying to make something honest out of what life gives you. His album In a Haze of Younger Days looks at what it means to meet your younger self and sit with who you’ve become, and his newer single “Take a Seat” leans into a more direct protest energy. I’m really excited to talk with Ryan about hardcore, songwriting, mental health, creativity, and what it means to keep making art as life changes. Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2255460/support]