Just Friends Podcast: The Juice

Recorded just a day before we hopped the pond, this episode is a Central Valley special. We’re joined by Ben from Just Friends, along with Bart and Logan from Chain: the full 559 crew in effect. 

We dive into what it’s like commuting for hours, not just for band practice, but also to pile into a van and disappear for a month on tour. We unpack the legendary, steaming green mystery that is Pea Soup Andersen’s. And then it gets real...

We are back! The kickoff to our three part UK Tour series! Recorded one week before we left for our first-ever headlining tour in the UK, starting in Ireland and working our way from Glasgow down to Brighton. Yes, we’re international now.

Sammy and Brond break down what they’re looking forward to, what’s keeping them up at night, and why this tour feels different. In the second half of the episode, we drop some bittersweet news: ou...

This is a monumental episode, people. A landmark. The moon landing of The Juice. Why? Because for the first time ever—we’ve got a guest. And not just any guest. We’re joined by Will Levy of The Story So Far. Guitar slinger. Riff wizard. Chill dude supreme.

We kick things off with some hometown talk—and yes, the rumors are true: the A’s are now in Sacramento, and it hurts. It hurts deep in the soul. So we pivot to something more joy...

We start off the show catching up on the weekend. Brond was back in the studio with Marta, cooking up new stuff but of course, nothing’s ever easy. They discovered an issue with one of the very expensive mics. You know the one. The fancy mic. Meanwhile, Sammy and Yanko were out at the Oakland Roots home opener, and look Sammy’ll say it every time: the Coliseum is his favorite place on Earth.

We talk Mom Jeans Summer, California hea...

Yanko survives a near-death driving experience, then we dive into “My Recent Obsessions”—Ibanez guitars, one song on repeat, and Sammy’s passionate (and concerning) love for cold cheese from In-N-Out.

Then, Chain’s debut record No Spirit is out! We celebrated the right way—by rolling up to Chain Reaction with a Blackstone grill 

And Just Friends is making a new record! Bart Thompson (Mom Jeans, Chain) is producing, and we’re deep i...

Magic of Tajín: Mom Jeans, Metal, and Mother Selene

We kick things off with a gift from the heavens Brond’s signature egg sandwich, featuring mayo mixed with Tajín. A perfect choice. 

Then, in The Most Current Thing Happening, Sammy’s band, Mom Jeans, just got announced for Aftershock 2025. Yes, the same festival packed with metal and hardcore bands. Emo at Aftershock? Sacramento’s getting adventurous, and we’re here for it.

Next, ...

On today’s show, we take a trip down memory lane with some tour toilet war flashbacks—because of course, that’s where we’re starting. Yanko gives us the inside scoop on a dinner outing at Thee Parkside in SF (was it good? Was it terrible? Who knows?). We break down our weekend run with Chain, and then Brond soft-launches her new doom project, Mother Selene—big things happening there. And finally, we dig into the mailbag, where we g...