At Least There’s Fest

Sometimes the stars just align in the podcast universe and you get to talk to someone who has been making terrific music dating back to your youth and this episodes captures one of those moments.

Mark and Blake talk with Danny Lore of AGAINST ALL AUTHORITY and THE VALTERRA DRAGONS. We talk about the early days of punk, specifically in South Florida where Danny spent his early years. We walk about how things have changed and how the...

Welcome back to At Least There's Fest and our second episode of the week. Joining Mark and Blake today is the entire crew for 40 Reps!

The Richmond, VA band has been at it for awhile now and has played the last two Fests. The band released their debut full length, "Heads Up" at the end of 2023 and it was one of our most listened to albums of 2025. Go check that thing out, it is very strong.

The band talks about their formation arou...

**We have some mild sound issues on this and the next episode, so I'll put up two episodes this week instead of just the one**

SPECIAL SHOW ALERT! Two firsts on this one:

1. I am joined by my new co-host, Mark! Please join me in welcoming Mark to the At Least There's Fest, make him feel like family.

2. Today we welcome James Scott, the first Fest photographer to join the show.

James is based in Jacksonville and has been shooting ...

Thank you for listening! Fun show today as we are joined by Andy and Dom from the Bay Area band, Tsunami Bomb.

Tsunami Bomb formed last millennium and, a few breaks aside, have consistently been creating and performing their unique style of punk adjacent tunes.

Dom, with the band from the beginning, shares the history of the band, which honestly could have been its own episode. He talks about how the band has changed over time in t...

Welcome back! Joining the show today is Matt Stacks from the Michigan band, Bong Moutain. Most Festers are familiar with the band and Matt talks about playing Fest, how it has changed over the years, and why it is always so fun to play.

We discuss the bands beginnings, playing with North Lincoln, the story behind their iconic/silly logo, and the challenges and joys of recording their albums live.

Matt shares what it was like playin...

Hell Beach's Jordan Hill joins the show today to discuss their extensive pre-Fest tour spanning Arizona to Florida The New Hampshire-based band shares insights into their post-pandemic evolution from studio project to touring act, featuring occult-inspired punk tunes.

Jordan reveals their prolific songwriting with 22 demos in progress for a 2026 release, upcoming projects including a vinyl reissue, plus future touring plans through...

Hello and welcome back to At Least There's Fest! Joining the show today is Nat Lacuna from The Holy Ghost Tabernacle Choir and Rosemary Nods Upon The Grave. 

Nat and I chat about being an artist in Savannah, touring in the South, and the formation of The Holy Ghost Tabernacle Choir. We also get into how the band grew and change over the years, their multiple performances at Fest, and the importance in finding community. 

We also ta...

Welcome back to At Least There's Fest! Our guest today is Mike Natoli from Timeshares.

The band just celebrated the 16 year mark as a group after forming in NY back in 2009. We discuss the bands beginnings there as well as their change from a NY band to a NY and Philly band. We talk about how weather influences what we feel like listening too as well as how Fest has changed since Mike first attended way back at Fest 8.

We also talk...

Thank you for coming back for our final episode of 2025. Today's guest is Jared Knapik a songwriter from CT. We discuss his musical evolution from childhood influences like Blink-182 and Green Day to his current solo career.

Starting with guitar after receiving a bass from his brother, Jared was inspired by Dashboard Confessional's MTV Unplugged to pursue acoustic music. He began releasing original music under his own name in 2011,...

Fun show today on At Least There's Fest as we welcome Cris Redon of Talking Props from Santiago, Chile. 

The band has been the literal journey to Fest twice since forming in 2018. Cris talks about the formation of the band, what the punk scene is like in Chile, and how the band has been working hard to make a name for themselves in Santiago and beyond.

We talk about how the their full-length "Passive Aggressive" came together and h...

Welcome back! Blake and Travis Omilian of Banquets explore the bands triumphant return after a decade-long hiatus with their new album "Petty Relics."

Travis shares how the band disbanded in 2016 due to burnout, reformed for Fest in 2020, then pivoted during COVID to create music without pressure.

They discuss modern music consumption challenges, the album's introspective themes including personal loss, and Travis's hands-on approa...

Welcome back to the show! Joining me on this episdoe are three members from Sandcrawler. The Gainesville band is no stranger to Fest, but they are a newer band and just played as this group for the first time at Fest 23.

We discuss the bands formation, playing past Fests with their other bands, where they draw inspiration, recording, and they even recount some pretty great Fest memories along with their favorites sets from this pas...

Welcome back to At Least There's Fest! TV Cop, an Iowa City punk band, joins the show today. We discuss their first-time experience performing at Fest 23 and the surrounding tour. The band members also share their musical evolution from metal to punk, their DIY recording approach, and how they navigate Iowa's diverse music scene. They outlined future plans including upcoming shows, applying to Fest again next year, and recording th...

Welcome back to ATLF! On today's show I am joined by the Washington DC band, Curse Words. The band has been honing their unique brand of sci-fi infused punk for around a decade and they have new music coming out in 2026.

I talk to the band about their formation, their changes, making a video game around an album, new music, touring, and Fest. 

The band is currently working on a new album and they will play some shows around that re...

Fun show today as I am joined by Dana Bollen. Dana does the "Two Weeks Notice" podcast which is excellent. In addition to his own podcasts he is the tour manager and cow bell expert for Piebald. He wears hats for tons of other bands each year.

We talk about his unique workload, life on the road, leaving a corporate gig for his current life, what makes Fest specials, and everything in between. Dana is a super nice dude and he has a ...

Greetings and welcome back to another episode of At Least There's Fest! Joining the show this week is Jake LeDrew of the Orlando band, Dial Drive.

The group has played the last few Fests and did an Alkaline Trio set this year. Jake and I talk about the formation of the band, traveling to the Arctic Circle, being in a band that strives to tour as much as possible and more.

Additionally, Jake discusses ANOTHER Florida Festival, the F...

Welcome back to At Least There's Fest! I hope everyone had a terrific Fest 23 and is back home safely. Over here, we are already gearing up for Fest 24 and you should get an episode a week until the April lineup announcement when things will kick into a higher gear. While you're here, please rate and review this podcast on the app of your choice and also follow us on Instagram.

Our guest for this show is Travis Miles of The Penske ...

Hello and welcome to our final episode ahead of Fest 23! What better guest to have swing by than the prolific, legendary and all-around great human, Mikey Erg!

Fest 23 will be Mikey's 19th fest in 20 years and that is some impressive longevity. In the podcast we talk about all of those Fests, the most sets he ever played in a single Fest (seriously, it'll blow your mind and it honestly seems impossible), the joys and collecting rec...

Fest is almost here! Joining the show to celebrate is Tiff Hannay of the Lansing, MI band Rodeo Boys. The band has played Fest the last two years and will be back again for Fest 23.

Tiff talks about the formation of the band, the growing pains of being a songwriter, landing on Don Gionvanni, touring with the Menzingers and Laura Jane Grace, and the joy of seeing yourself in the crowd.

Rodeo Boys are touring around Fest with Weakene...