You Had to Be There

Cola’s Evan Cartwright on Post-Punk, Minimalism, and the Band’s New Release

Welcome to You Had to Be There, the podcast where we deep dive into the world of the music industry. I’m your host, Julia Gomberg. This week, I’m thrilled to welcome Evan Cartwright, drummer of the post-punk band Cola from Montreal. We chat about the band’s new release, Cost of Living Adjustment, out now, and Evan takes us behind the scenes of how the band’s separate musical lives came together to form a sound that blends post-punk edge, minimalism, and intelligence. Be sure to check out Cola’s music and upcoming tour dates below, and follow the pod on Instagram at @uhadtobetherepod [https://www.instagram.com/uhadtobetherepod]. Thanks for listening, and I’ll catch you next time. Cola on IG: https://www.instagram.com/band_cola/ [https://www.instagram.com/band_cola/] Listen to 'Cost of Living Adjustment': https://found.ee/colaband [https://found.ee/colaband]

Musician Jonathan Plevyak on Vintage Soul, Nashville, and the Human Connection

Welcome back to You Had to Be There, the podcast where we deep dive into the world of the music industry. I’m your host, Julia Gomberg. This week, I had the pleasure of speaking with Nashville-based soul artist Jonathan Plevyak. With vocals and a style that feel pulled straight from a vintage jukebox, Jonathan blends classic soul influences with timeless themes of love, belonging, and self-discovery. We talked about his evolving sound, the nostalgia woven throughout his music, and his upcoming releases, including his newest single, “Turn Me On.” Be sure to check out the curated playlist Jonathan made to accompany this episode below, along with his socials and where you can find his music. Thanks so much for listening, and I’ll catch you next time. Jonathan’s Playlist [https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5SmuKUmN3ZobYnMH7320XJ?si=fadf6956c707448c] Jonathan’s IG [https://linktr.ee/plevyak] Follow @uhadtobetherepod [https://www.instagram.com/uhadtobetherepod]

JVK’s Jo Krieger on Songwriting, Performing, and Breaking Genre Rules

Welcome to You Had to Be There, the podcast where we deep dive into the world of the music industry. I’m your host, Julia Gomberg. I’m so excited to share my interview with Jo, the frontwoman of the band JVK. They describe their sound as “pushing the boundaries of the rock genre through their empowering, retro glam-rock/dark-pop sound”, and their new album release, Pop Culture Affair, proves that to be true. It’s a super fun record that feels both nostalgic and futuristic, and it was so fun getting to talk to Jo about her songwriting process, what it’s like getting on stage, and all of the incredible things in store for JVK this year. Thanks so much for listening, and be sure to check out JVK’s album Pop Culture Affair out now, everywhere. Jo has also curated a playlist alongside the episode, which you can find in the show notes. Catch you next time. Stream Pop Culture Affair [https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/jvk2/pop-culture-affair?ref=release] Jo’s Playlist JVK’s Instagram Catch up on all YHTBT episodes

Caroline Romano on Turning Cinematic Alt-Pop Music into her Legacy

Welcome back to You Had to Be There! While I'm frolicking in Coachella Valley this coming weekend, I'm happy to kick off this week's episode featuring Nashville-based singer-songwriter, Caroline Romano. Caroline started writing emotionally driven songs at just 13 years old, even performing at a college bar open mic with her parents’ support. Since then, she’s grown into a versatile artist who moves seamlessly between misty-eyed ballads and fiery alt-rock anthems. If you’re drawn to the cinematic storytelling of artists like Gracie Abrams or Holly Humberstone, her new EP, It Took Me Falling, captures that same feeling: the vulnerability, the intensity, and those fleeting butterfly moments of meeting someone new. Make sure to check out Caroline’s EP, which is out now everywhere, along with the playlist she curated to go with our conversation. Thanks so much for listening and I’ll catch you next time. Stream It Took Me Falling [https://ffm.to/9pxepgm] Caroline’s Playlist [https://open.spotify.com/playlist/65Gt8JX3e9GU5OA9ARZTtI?si=Qg8w7UeJT3Cjh2xELIflOQ] Follow YHTBT on IG [https://www.instagram.com/uhadtobetherepod]

How Book More Women Is Changing Festival Lineups featuring Abbey Carbonneau

Imagine your favorite music festival just dropped its lineup. You pull up the poster, scanning the names, planning your weekend. Now imagine that same lineup, filtered by gender. Suddenly, whole sections start to disappear. Headliners shrink. Entire days feel emptier than they should. That’s not hypothetical; it’s the reality Book More Women [https://www.bookmorewomen.com/] is working to change. This week, I spoke with Abbey Carbonneau, the founder and executive director of Book More Women, an organization that holds music festivals accountable and drives real progress toward gender-balanced lineups. Book More Women is in the final stretch of their crowdfunding campaign, raising funds to move from tracking the issues to actually building solutions through festival partnerships, data-driven research, and new initiatives that create real accountability across the industry. You can learn more about Book More Women and learn how to support the incredible work they do, and check out Abbey’s curated playlist below. Support Book More Women [https://fundraising.fracturedatlas.org/book-more-women/] Book More Women IG Abbey's Playlist Follow the Pod Outro music: