Bandsplain

Suzy Exposito, music reporter for the LA Times, joins us to unpack the story and innovative musical style of Deftones, a band from Sacramento that never stopped evolving, through genres, trends, and even tragedy. Just don’t call them nü-metal. Find Suzy Exposito’s writing at the Los Angeles Times and follow her on Twitter at @HexPositive. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Alex Pappademas returns to explain Ween, America’s first and only band "sprouted from the demon-god Boognish," and the one-of-a-kind bond between Boognish’s earthly conduits, Gene and Dean Ween. Alex’s book on Steely Dan, Quantum Criminals: Ramblers, Wild Gamblers, Babylon Sisters, and Other Soul Survivors from the Songs of Steely Dan is out in 2022 on University of Texas, Austin Press. You can follow Alex at @pappademas on Twitter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

REM is your favorite band’s favorite band. They’ve influenced countless musicians and had an immeasurable impact on the following decades of indie rock. Veteran music journalist Caryn Rose takes us through the lifespan and wide-ranging impact of Athens, Georgia’s own REM. Follow Caryn Rose on Twitter @carynrose. Her upcoming book, Why Patti Smith Matters, is out on University of Texas Press in 2022. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Counting Crows are an essential inclusion to the sensitive nineties male rocker canon, one that is very close to Yasi’s heart. Music critic and author Steven Hyden joins Yasi to count the ways they love the Crows and reimagine a context in which they should be reconsidered as good and cool. Follow Steven Hyden on Twitter @Steven_Hyden, check out his podcast Celebration Rock on Spotify, and find his books "Your Favorite Band Is Killing Me" and "Twilight of the Gods" wherever fine books are sold. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jawbreaker is one of those highly mythologized bands, the kind that feel perfectly cast in the amber of cult band-om. Yasi dissects the lore, the albums, the break-up, and the ahead-of-their-time songwriting with Jawbreaker oral historian Leor Galil, featuring a very special guest appearance by Dear You producer Rob Cavallo. Follow Leor Galil on Twitter at @imLeor and find his collection of music writing, “Best of Leor Galil,” at store.chicagoreader.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Superproducer The-Dream, aka Terius Nash, was behind some of the 2000s biggest pop hits: Umbrella by Rihanna, Single Ladies by Beyonce, even Baby by Justin Beiber. What’s lesser known is the intensity of the cult following that his solo R&B output amassed around the late 2000s. The Ringer’s Rob Harvilla comes on the pod to explain The-Dream’s influence and dissect his “lascivious, pristine R&B sex jams” (his words). Follow Rob Harvilla at @harvilla on Twitter and listen to his The Ringer podcast, 60 Songs That Explain the 90s, only on Spotify. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Patron saint of Yasi’s heart and soul, Dave Matthews, finally gets the Bandsplain treatment. Yasi bros down with journalist Grayson Haver Currin on their shared fave, Dave Matthews Band, with special tributes to 90s rock radio’s most quintessential fandom. Follow Grayson Haver Currin on Twitter @currincy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Do waste your time on us, we’re already the voice inside your head with this mega-episode dedicated to Poway, California’s pop-punk pioneers, Blink 182. Our guide is Josiah Hughes, co-host of the prolific podcast Blink 155, which explored every single Blink 182 song in a 2 hour-plus episode. Follow Josiah Hughes, the Blink 182 expert and NOT the Christian TikTok influencer, on Twitter @josiahhughes and check out his podcast Blink 155 on Spotify. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lil' Kim set the blueprint for much of female rap today but her legacy is so often misunderstood. With author Clover Hope, we unpack her history, her body of work, her influence, and how she walked so WAP could slide. Follow Clover Hope on Twitter @clovito and find her book The Motherlode: 100+ Women Who Made Hip-Hop wherever books are sold. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Juggalos may be the most cult fanbase of all time. With dedicated Juggalo and author Nathan Rabin, we dive into the beautifully twisted world of the Dark Carnival and the music of their truly fearless leaders, Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope of the one and only Insane Clown Posse. Follow Nathan Rabin on Twitter at @nathanrabin and discover his books and podcasts at nathanrabin.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices