van's Archives - Fascination Street

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December 11 2023

Emily Whitehurst – Singer / Songwriter (Survival Guide / Tsunami Bomb)

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Emily Whitehurst
Take a walk with me down Fascination Street, as I get to know Emily Whitehurst. Emily first gained recognition in the pop punk bands Generic Asphalt, and Plinky; before gaining world wide acclaim as the front woman for Tsunami Bomb, and later The Action Design. In this episode, we chat about her getting into music at a very young age, how she came to be involved in each of those bands, and some stories from the road. She also explains what it was like to play a ridiculous number of Van’s Warped Tour shows. We also touch on why she moved to San Antonio, Texas, and how that opened the door for her to have her very first Christmas tree as an adult! Then we get into her newest band, Survival Guide, and her new album Death Dreams. I love this album; so we talk about a good bit of it. She explains why she used some household items as instruments on some songs, which songs are actually about death dreams, and she lets me play my favorite track from the album. Plus, she talks about teaming up with a San Antonio country band, to play some shows, and release a song together! Check out Death Dreams, available everywhere, and follow her to see where she tours next!

January 30 2023

Chris DeMakes – Singer/ Songwriter (Less Than Jake)

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Chris DeMakes
Take a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know Chris DeMakes. Chris is the lead singer and guitar player for the ska-punk band Less Than Jake. In this episode we chat about how the band started, why they chose that style of music, and some of the cool things they were able to do as a result of the band’s success. Less Than Jake has played more Van’s Warped Tour shows than any other artist, and I ask Chris tons of questions about it. We discuss what exactly it means to be a “sell out”, & how they managed to keep vinyl rights for every album no matter the record label. Chris put together a book during covid called Blast From The Past, so l ask him about that. Then we dive right into Chris’ songwriting and how he has turned that into a full blown business. Finally, I grill him about his podcast “Chris DeMakes A Podcast” where he & a songwriting guest break down one of that guest’s biggest hit songs. From the lyrics, to the melody, to the strange instruments used on the track; they really get into these songs.
Check out Chris’ podcast everywhere you find podcasts, and if YOU need a song written by Chris, he gives that contact email toward the end of the episode.