CORE

Tim Schweiger

Tim Schweiger talks about his early days with Yesterday's Kids — how a homemade Everly Brothers pop-punk tape landed them a deal on Ben Weasel's Panic Button Records — and the lessons learned from years of grinding tours, before finding his footing as a solo artist and frequent collaborator with Tommy Stinson of The Replacements.Tim digs into the realities of the modern music industry, the rotating cast of musicians that make up the Middlemen, the joy of slipping covers (Madonna's "Borderline," The Beatles' "Hey Bulldog") into live sets, and talks about an unreleased track featuring Dan McMahon. He also opens up about raising a musically gifted daughter, his 75 voice memos worth of songs waiting to be recorded, upcoming shows in Milwaukee and Madison, and a summer run of dates back on the road with Tommy Stinson.Plus: the Fox Cities band Tim wishes would reunite and what he says makes a show — or a song — truly successful.https://timschweigerandthemiddlemen.bandcamp.com0:00 Introduction & Tim's Background1:11 Coming Out of Hibernation Post-COVID2:14 Yesterday's Kids & The Obsoletes: Are They Done?4:02 Panic Button Records & the Realities of Early Touring4:33 Has Touring Changed? Playing with Artists Who Have Hits5:19 Justin Perkins: Still in Touch?6:18 Early Songwriting with Justin — Learning from Records7:05 The Mission Statement: Ramones Meet the Everly Brothers8:04 How an Everly Brothers Tribute Tape Got Them Signed9:03 Throwing Covers into the Set — Madonna's "Borderline"10:02 Tribute to Dan McMahon10:27 Owning the Covers: "Hey Bulldog" & Slide Guitar11:06 Getting Ready for a Show — Vocal & Finger Warmups11:50 Can You Tell If a Show Will Be Good Before It Starts?12:36 Watching Other Bands (Or Not) & Musician Egos14:10 Daughter Beatrix — Saxophone State Competition15:15 Growing Up in the Fox Cities Music Scene16:48 Meeting Justin Perkins & Learning First Chords17:24 Collaborating with His Daughter & Horn Arrangements18:16 Analog vs. Digital Recording Through the Years20:28 The Upside of Being an Independent Musician on Bandcamp22:01 Tim Schweiger & the Middlemen — A Rotating Cast of Friends23:47 Recording at Smart Studios & the Blueheels24:43 Drumming for Walt Hamburger: Guitar vs. Drums26:13 The Year He Played 100+ Shows & Needed to Decompress27:23 Music His Daughter Introduced Him To — DJO & Mitski28:44 The Fox Cities Band Tim Wishes Would Reunite: Vesicular Basalt31:17 What Makes a Song Last? The Legacy of Good Art31:34 How Tim Writes a Power Pop Song — The Voice Memo Process33:37 How Long Should a Song Be? Hey Jude vs. Bohemian Rhapsody34:20 One Song to Nuke Forever: Mustang Sally34:51 Upcoming Shows in Milwaukee & Madison36:03 The June Tour with Tommy Stinson37:37 Merch Plans for the Tommy Tour — CDs, Shirts & Tote Bags45:24 Playing with Tommy — His Work Ethic & Calling Audibles47:01 Tommy Stinson's Fanatic Fans on the Road47:37 Were You a Replacements Fan Growing Up?48:45 Dream Collab: Tim Picks Jack Black50:20 Actors Who Make Music — Keanu Reeves, Kevin Bacon & Dave Grohl52:14 Reigniting the Creative Spark — 75 Voice Memos & New Music53:13 What Does Success Look Like to Tim?54:19 Will New Music Sound Different from the Power Pop Days?55:47 Where to Find Tim & the Tommy Stinson Tour Dates57:15 Final Words & Sign-Off

Boris the Sprinkler

Reverend Norb, Paul #1, Paul #2 and Ric Six appeared on Code band talks about their upcoming benefit show for Dan Dillon — former singer of The Minors and one of the founding figures of the Green Bay punk scene — who is recovering from a serious stroke. The show takes place June 13 at Badger State Brewing in Green Bay with Fun w/ Atoms, Rebel Waltz, and the Smart Shoppers. Tickets are $20, with proceeds going to help Dan and his family with medical expenses.Along the way, the guys dig into how Boris got started, how the band started their number-naming system, how Ric Six got his name (hint: blame Vesicular Basalt and Mötley Crüe), what it was like to accidentally play "Kill the Ramones" in front of a terminally ill Joey Ramone, Norb's book, the band's recording history from Testicle Pogo Machine through Saucer to Saturn and beyond, and whether a Boris the Sprinkler documentary will ever happen (short answer: your guess is as good as mine!).You can visit the bands official website at:boristhesprinkler.com0:00 Introduction & Welcome0:30 Meet Boris the Sprinkler0:54 The Benefit Show for Dan Dillon1:49 Who Is Dan Dillon & Why He Matters to the Green Bay Punk Scene3:48 Ric Six Joins Remotely from New Jersey5:34 How Paul #1 & Rev Norb First Met6:42 Early Days: Bernie's Game Room & the Rat Eaters8:12 Paul Comes Back from the Army & Boris Is Born9:22 How the Band Numbering System Started10:31 How Ric Six Got His Name11:37 Ric Six Joins Boris12:34 The Classic Lineup Comes Together14:49 The Discography Begins: Eight Testicle Pogo Machine15:49 Lessons Learned: Why Boris Started Self-Releasing Records16:38 The Green Bay Punk Scene & the Concert Cafe18:59 Mapping Boris Albums to the Ramones Blueprint20:04 Songwriting & Studio Decisions — Norb Runs the Show20:59 "For Paul's Sake" — The Ballad That Wouldn't Die22:43 The Ramones Covers Album & the Controversial Cover Photo24:18 "I Gave Boris My Panties" & Other Button Campaigns26:41 Does Punk Rock Need More Showmanship Today?27:16 The Dan Dillon Benefit Extravaganza Details & Silent Auction28:47 "Drugs and Masturbation" — Boris's Biggest Seller29:38 Colored Vinyl Variants & Record Collecting Shenanigans32:14 Paul #2's Animated Drumming Style34:23 Band Injuries & Stage Chaos Stories40:10 Touring with the ERGs! — Brotherhood on the Road41:01 Will Boris Ever Tour Again?41:21 The Antler Helmet & the Punk Rock Museum44:44 Boris Returns: Recording at Crutch and Memory Studio with Amos Pitsch48:09 The Reaction to the Comeback Album49:09 The Ephraim Green Shoot Cowboys — Playing Incognito50:47 Boris Gets a Clue — Recording in Joe's Garage52:10 Future Plans: New Songs in the Pipeline53:39 Ric Six as a Songwriter55:08 The Origin of "Dirty Candy" (Brace Yourself)56:44 Playing "Kill the Ramones" in Front of Joey Ramone59:00 Rev Norb's Book & Songs Recorded Without the Band's Input1:00:59 What Are You Most Proud Of? / How Should Boris Be Remembered?1:03:00 Still Amazed Fans Exist After 30+ Years1:03:37 A Boris Documentary? (An Animated One, Maybe)1:05:02 Show Details & Farewell

Mark Mader - Appleton Beer Factory Monthly: April 2026

ABF Monthly is back! Join us as we sit down with Mark Mader from the Appleton Beer Factory and Appleton Music Factory for our monthly catch-up covering all the latest music, events, and brewery news happening in and around Appleton, WI.In this episode we cover:- Cheese Fest and Paper Fest lineup announcements, including Astronomers, Holly, Post-Sex Nachos, Vo, Six Foot Blonde, Scorched Waves, Candy Cigarette, Demon Liriano, Joe Stamm, Pendulum Arts, and more -- plus a Friday headliner hint: Armchair Boogie at a free show in Kimberly- The Little Stranger, Drop a Dollar, Java, and Jarvis show at Tanner's on Labor Day weekend -- and why you should grab tickets now- A brand new intimate music venue coming to The Vault, a converted bank vault space in Kimberly that will hold 75-100 people, with a first show tentatively scheduled for May 29th- Manic Mondays recap, including a surprise drum appearance by Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers- Appleton Beer Factory's freshly canned Guy Series IPAs -- mango, pineapple, and blood orange -- plus the story behind the Banjo Strings cold IPA and its Yeti can art- The Road to Blue Rock show featuring Early James, a ticketed comedy show coming with Manny's Productions, and a huge returning act: Silverado on September 8th- Open mic comedy nights, happy hour details (3-4 PM, half price apps and BOGO beers), and what positions ABF is currently hiring forVisit appletonfactory.com for tickets and show info. Support original music -- and original beer!

Joey's Song Founder Mike Gomoll

Andy sits down in the WCZR studio with Mike Gomoll, the founder of Joey's Song — a Wisconsin-based nonprofit that has raised over $1 million to support families affected by epilepsy and fund research toward a cure.Mike shares the deeply personal story behind the organization: how he lost his son Joseph just days before his fifth birthday to Dravet syndrome, a severe form of epilepsy that left Joey nonverbal — but with an unmistakable love for music. Joey would grab everyone's finger in the room and make sure they were up and dancing with him. That spirit became the heartbeat of everything Joey's Song does.In this interview, you'll hear about:- How Mike went from a $500 fundraising goal to over $1 million raised for epilepsy research and family support- The origin story of the annual Freezing Man Festival in Madison, WI — and how it evolved from a sports bar CD release party into what feels like a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony every January- The legendary musicians who have performed for free, including Butch Vig (Garbage/Nirvana producer), John Rzeznik of the Goo Goo Dolls, Tracy Bonham, Portugal. The Man, Vicky Peterson of The Bangles, Soul Asylum, and many more- Why Mike's son Sam performs at the event every year — and how his first-ever full band performance was backed by Paul McCartney's guitarist Brian Ray with Butch Vig on drums- The behind-the-scenes "beautiful chaos" that makes every Joey's Song show unrepeatable and unforgettable- New limited-edition artist merchandise available now at joeysong.org, designed by artists like Kurt Smith, Vicky Peterson, and Charlie Berens- Mike's dream wish list of future performers (hint: Dave Grohl, Eddie Vedder, and Jason Isbell are on it)If you've never been to a Joey's Song event, people who have will tell you: you cannot understand it until you're there.Learn more, donate, or get on the mailing list: joeysong.orgFollow Joey's Song on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn & YouTube: @joeysong

Quokka

What happens when a pandemic hobby like birdwatching crashes into the DIY indie-rock scene of Madison, Wisconsin? You get Lifer—the bird-themed album you didn’t know you needed. In this live Interview on Fox Cities Core, we talk with the members of Quokka to peel back the layers of their unique sound and history. From the technical hurdles of recording vocals in a thin-walled apartment to the "human part" of nervous pre-show rituals (yes, that includes a specific grilled cheese), the band shares the grit and humor behind their creative process. Inside the Interview: The "Lifer" Concept: How ten Wisconsin birds inspired a full album, complete with field recordings and a watercolor stained-glass cover. The Madison Music Scene: Why the "Isthmus" is one of the most accessible places for local bands to find their footing and a dedicated following. Gear Talk: Discover why the band uses a Squire J Mascis Jazzmaster and how Fountains of Wayne influenced their choice of amps. The Creative "Chopped" Method: Why setting strict limits and "chopped creativity" helps produce the most interesting music. Pre-Show Secrets: From "nervous vomiting" to essential white Chuck Taylors, find out what happens before the first chord is struck. You can find out more about Quokka on their Instagram page:instagram.com/quokkaband