Archive for the Interviews Category

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Video Interview: Boston’s 7-11 Jesus – Fans of Smashing Pumpkins, Maneka – Are Converting Noise-Rock Fans With a (Gasp!) Positive Attitude

Posted in Interviews, Videos with tags , , , , , , , on 07/19/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

Join arguably the most amicable noise-rock band to ever come out of Boston – all three members of 7-11 Jesus, in fact – for some lighthearted fun, lotsa laughs and maybe the most definitive account yet of their history, in this recent interview with The Bad Penny. We caught up with the trio shortly after the conclusion of a tour of theirs that ended on June 26 at Wildflower Festival.

Vocalist/guitarist August Darula, drummer Will “The Thrill” Bryan and bassist “Animal” Adam Rioux (The Bad Penny has dibs on the latter nickname) will win you over with their collective humble charm. In fact, they’re probably the first Bostonians to claim such attributes. But in the event their gnarly and noisy music doesn’t, 7-11 Jesus’ recently released White Noise full-length will seal the deal.

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On Tyranny: Leetham, Queer Pop Artist Who Grew Up Mormon, Mocks MAGA for Getting ‘Star Wars’ Canon Backward

Posted in Features, Interviews, On Tyranny, On Tyranny, Videos with tags , , , , , , , , , on 07/18/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

Vibrant SLC newcomer Leetham wants to be taken seriously – but only by people who also know how to throw down on the dance floor. Raised in a Mormon household and now embraced by the queer community with which he proudly associates himself, he’s furious that intolerance is driving trans kids to suicide. He’s also mystified as to why young MAGA don’t seem to grok that the Dark Side were the villains in Star Wars. Yeah, folks, it’s worse than we thought out there.

Catch Leetham in concert soon when he opens for another ascendant pop newbie, Zee Machine – and in the meantime, savor his recently released, four-track, must-get EP, KINK, for all its worth.

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Favorite Films: Tim and Eric Turn Vancouver Psych Squad Meltt Into a Puddle of Laughter

Posted in Favorite Films, Features, Interviews, Lists with tags , , , , , , , , , on 07/18/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

Last we checked in with Meltt – Vancouver’s greatest psych-rock band this side of Black Mountain – we tried to channel their excitement over playing Boise’s Treefort Music Fest shortly before they graced the annual event three years ago. Fast-forward to 2026, and the duders were once again in good spirits, still giddy over the release of their fourth full-length, Pathways (Nettwerk), last month.

As much as we recommend you snag Meltt’s new release, when they graciously granted The Bad Penny the chance to catch up with them for a second time, we all agreed to mix it up and rope the band into our consistent-ish ongoing Saturday series, the self-explanatory Favorite Films. Each band member generously participated in the exercise – and, wouldn’t ya know it, The Bad Penny would’ve raved about many of the same flicks were the tables turned.

But, of course, this story is not us. It’s about Meltt, Pathways and movie recommendations that might inspire you to take a hop, a skip and a jump during your weekend. Scratch that: These selections might prompt you to pick up a chainsaw, commune with an octopus underwater or reminisce about Star Lanes (RIP) instead.

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On Tyranny: Belgian Music Magazine Editor Creates Benefit Comp to Fund Ukrainians Amid Russian Horrors

Posted in Features, Interviews, On Tyranny, On Tyranny, Videos with tags , , , , , on 07/17/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

Before Russia unleashed its shocking, abhorrent, genocidal and unlawful invasion into Ukraine in February 2022, Bernard Van Isacker – Chief Editor of Side-Line – didn’t have designs on focusing his music publication on current affairs and events per se. “But it did happen,” Isacker, a Belgian citizen, confided in a candid interview with The Bad Penny on Friday, July 17. “I had witnessed something I never imagined … [would be] possible in a democratic country. Tyranny can hit quite close sometimes. You’d never imagine this would be possible in a democratic country, but it happens,” Isacker continued. “And it happened to me. [Not to mention] a lot of crap being published online about myself.”

In response, Isacker spearheaded an initiative to help the people of Ukraine. Specifically, a pay-what-you-want-compilation called United 1 – The Freya Files, a various-artists dark-wave compendium issued by Side-Line. The collection just came out today.The track list is below:

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Exclusive: Nightrage Founder and Frontman Marios Iliopoulos, Greek’s Undisputed King of Melodeth, Gives His Most Epic Interview Ever

Posted in Interviews, Videos with tags , , on 07/16/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

The Bad Penny revels in one of our favorite interviews to date: An all-encompassing conversation with Marios Iliopoulos, who founded Greek melodic death metal squad Nightrage in 2000 and has held the throne ever since. The reigning king leaves no stone unturned in providing the ultimate historical account of how heavy metal sowed its roots in Greece and developed there in the decades since.

From revealing previously unshared stories about the growth of extreme heavy metal in Greece to reflecting on past troubles and tribulations that he later vanquished to his staggering prolific output in Nightrage and beyond, Iliopoulos delivers what perhaps could be the greatest interview of his lifetime.

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On Tyranny: Garage-Rock Band Joudy Escaped Violence in Venezuela, Found Asylum in US – but Still Live in Fear. Here Is Their Story.

Posted in Features, Interviews, On Tyranny, On Tyranny, Videos with tags , , , , , , on 06/29/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

Imagine your dream is to be a rock star – an aspiration that’s probably occurred to many readers of this website. Now imagine that you work as hard as you possibly can, exhausting all your drive and motivation, squeezing every drop of your creativity and spending every moment at your disposal to make your dream come true.

And it does, because there is still some justice in this world, and because perseverance and the human spirit can lead to extraordinary outcomes. You’ve established your heavy-psych/garage-rock band in your homeland of Venezuela, you’re continuing to put in the hard work, you’re gaining traction, you’re building a fanbase. And then – without any time to prepare or redraw the plan for your future that you’ve had all along – you’re upended by external factors that are totally out of your control, and threaten your life, the lives of those you love, and your lifelong ambitions. Rampant violence and thugs with no regard for human life are willing, ready and able to extinguish yours without a second thought and the simple pull of a trigger or slice of a blade.

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Ripple Music Prez Details All ‘Beneath the Desert Floor’ Heavy-Psych LPs, Hints at New Fireball Ministry Album

Posted in Interviews, Lists, News with tags , , , , , , , , , on 06/28/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

Earlier this week, we brought you a long-overdue but hugely rewarding interview with Fireball Ministry co-founder and guitar virtuoso Emily Burton. The conversation revolved mostly around the desert-rock band’s big win in regaining the rights to their record The Second Great Awakening, which they then recently reissued in conjunction with their current label, Ripple Music (based in San Ramon, California).

Today, we focus on the series in which the reissue is part of: Beneath the Desert Floor, a program that Ripple Music President/CEO Todd Severin launched in January 2024. Best of all, said discussion revolves around an interview with – can you believe it? – Severin himself. Join us as one of most important figures in the world of heavy psych comments on each installment of the treasured series.

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Favorite Films: Dez Dare Digs Nicolas Cage, Mia Goth, ‘Moon,’ ‘Midsommar,’ ‘Ex Machina’ (and Puppets)

Posted in Favorite Films, Features, Interviews, Videos with tags , , , , , , , , , on 06/27/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

As we trudge through an cultural era of moribundity that will hopefully reach a conclusion some day, we rely more heavily on those of us who, while aware of the enshitification of the world, refuse to let it pop their bubble. One of the essential artists who lives his life in this regard is Darren Smallman, who goes by the name Dez Dare when performing his heartwarmingly zany, zest-for-life music with the reckless abandon of someone who refuses to let reality get him down.

Beginning in March, Dez started slipping out one song a month digitally, with the compiled result called These Days Are Wild & Blind and available now on Bandcamp.

Because we’ve interviewed Dez multiple times before about his music, we decided to rope him into our Favorite Films series this time around. Still, we’d be doing both him and you a disservice if we didn’t precede Dez’s film picks with this video for his new song “You Woke Up on My Side of Time.” (Pro tip: Never say no to puppets.)

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Built to Spill Bassist Melanie Radford Spent Years on Solo Debut – And Now She’s Already Planning Her Next One

Posted in Interviews with tags , , on 06/27/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

Yesterday saw the release of Sake of Stillness, the forever-in-the-works debut record by Built to Spill bassist Melanie Radford. Its poetic title reflects the care, time and patience the Boise musician put into an exquisite collection made available through Portland, Oregon’s Jealous Butcher Records.

The Bad Penny had never communicated with Radford, who now lives in Seattle and has a second band called Blood Lemon that started in 2018. That is, except for the time we obtained a quote from her in which she commented on Built to Spill’s performance at a Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez rally held in neighboring Nampa earlier this year.

So, after seeing Radford perform with various projects at various venues on various occasions over the years, we were revved up to pick her brain and finally get to know her what makes her tick. We had the opportunity to do so on Wednesday, and what follows is the bulk of our conversation.

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Shoegaze Sensation Novulent Lacing Up for First Boise Show Tonight

Posted in Concert Previews, Interviews with tags , , on 06/27/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

More and more musicians seem to be playing their first gig in Boise these days, no doubt a sign of the city’s growth (150,000 more people live here now than in 2020). That gives Novulent, an up-and-coming shoegaze musician, an opportunity to convert many attendees into fans – whom the singer/songwriter affectionately refers to as his “novas.” The Bad Penny caught up with Novulent, who hails from Dallas, about playing Boise for the first time, what’s on tap for tonight’s show and which record is the tops.

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Hiya Novulent. I can’t seem to find any indication you’ve played Boise before. Did you decide to come here simply because of routing, or were there other reasons why you chose to grace this city for the first time?

Honestly, I came here ’cause I wanted to explore [new places] this tour. Ninety-nine percent of these stops are in cities I’ve never been to. I’m a shut-in that stays in the house all day, playing with my cats, so [when it comes to] tour, I’m like, “Fuck it, let’s go anywhere.” My novas [fans] are worldwide, so I’m sure they appreciate me coming to their home.

Aside from integrating new material, is your set on this tour gonna be different in any other ways than in tours past?

Mainly songs off Vol. 3, my final Vol album [released in February]. It’s my most underrated work yet – too many sleep on it – so what better way to show it off then touring with it?

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