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PODCAST

Tour Stories/The Check-In with Joe Plummer

Joe Plummer and friends share their stories from life on the road. We hear funny, sad and sometimes scary tales from musicians, comedians and writers. He"s also "Checks-In" with artists to hear new music, find out what they"ve been up to and whats next on the creative docket. Have a tour story? Want to get in touch with Joe? Send a message to hello@ruinousmedia.com. Tour Stories is produced by Ruinous Media. http://www.ruinousmedia.com/tourstories/

music music interviews

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01:37:55

Welcome PUNK THIS WEEK with Nina Corcoran and Evan...

Tour Stories/The Check-In with Joe Plummer ·

2026/01/23

Joe drops the newest episode of PUNK THIS WEEK and sneaks onto the show to welcome Nina and Even to the Ruinous Podcast Network. "As of this moment, our podcast has joined Ruinous Media! We get a check-in from our new pod father Joe Plummer (Tour Stories, The Check-In) before we even had a chance to sweep up all the crumbs from our conversation about Wheatsville popcorn tofu, Jet’s turbo crust, and Cel-Ray.Discussed this week are excellent new records from DBR, Gylt, Teini-Pää, Rifle, Poor Girl, and

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24:56

The Check-In with Louis Bradshaw-Plantoid

Tour Stories/The Check-In with Joe Plummer ·

2026/01/16

Louis Bradshaw is the drummer and a founding member of Brighton based band Plantoid. They’re second full-length album Flare is set to be released on January 30 via Bella Union records. Louis tells us how the new record quickly slipped from a writing session to a recording session on the edge of the Welsh national park, Snowdoina. We learn why the band pivoted from a live recording approach to a more intentional slowed down and thoughtful process.The two discuss the role of repetition on the new

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14:51

Nate Mendel from the Foo Fighters: Live Nude Guys

Tour Stories/The Check-In with Joe Plummer ·

2026/01/09

Nate Mendel is the bass player of the Foo Fighters. He cut his teeth in the Northwest punk rock scene touring and recording with Diddly Squat, Christ On A Crutch and Sunny Day Real Estate, to name a few. In this episode Nate shares the curious history of nudity in his rock n roll career.Music by Nate Mendel, Lieutenant, and Joe Plummer.⁠https://lieutenantmusic.bandcamp.com/album/if-i-kill-this-thing-were-all-going-to-eat-for-a-weekThis episode supported by our friends Izotope This episode is

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32:45

Jim Fairchild and Joe announce the new All Smiles...

Tour Stories/The Check-In with Joe Plummer ·

2026/01/02

Today we celebrate the release of the new All Smiles record Skate Videos From Memory (out January 6). Jim Fairchild (Grandaddy, Modest Mouse) and Joe discuss the visual inspiration behind the record and how skate videos shaped the sound. They talk about the impact that skate culture has had on not only their own music, but their general mindset and approach tolife. We learn why the new record is a prayer to the universe, why Jim and Joe are celebrating more reflexive music and they muse on

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30:41

The Check-In with Sari Jordan

Tour Stories/The Check-In with Joe Plummer ·

2025/12/26

Sari Jordan is a vocalist, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist based in New Orleans. Their debut album Perfect Be The Enemy is due out May 2026 with the video and lead single Freak hitting the streets on January 9th. Sari tells us how New Orleans has shaped and nourished their musical life and why it’s a healthy and challenging scene. Sari shares how their approach to recording has changed from the previous EP, why the new record comes from a place of both lightness and existential

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31:56

The Check-In with Memorials

Tour Stories/The Check-In with Joe Plummer ·

2025/12/19

MEMORIALS is Verity Susman (Electrelane) and Matthew Simms (Wire, Better Corners, It Hugs Back, Uuuu, Fitted). Their newest single In The Weeds is out now via Fire Records. This is their first release since the acclaimed debut album, Memorial Waterslides. The duo tell us how both film scoring and the band Sterolab brought them together and why the formation was an accident in reverse. Verity and Matthew share how their recording approach has changed and how physical space and concision

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27:45

The Check-In with Jamie Chellar-congratulations

Tour Stories/The Check-In with Joe Plummer ·

2025/12/12

Jamie Cheller is a founding member and guitarist of Brighton based indie dance rockers, congratulations. They will release their debut album Join Hands on February 13th, 2026, via Bella Union. Jaime shares the story behind the formation of congratulations, why musicianship is important to them and how a combination of experimental music and 80’s rock energy seeped into their overall sound and delivery. Jamie tells us why the band walks the line of seriousness and humor and how that plays

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39:06

The Check-In with Will Epstein

Tour Stories/The Check-In with Joe Plummer ·

2025/12/05

Will Epstein is a composer, singer and multi-instrumentalist based in Woodstock NY. His newest release, Yeah, mostly (out January 9th via Fat Possum Records) takes a turn from his avant-guard and soundscape tendencies and very comfortably settles into a more traditional form of song writing and direct lyricism, but retains the sonic intrigue of his earlier work. Will shares his experience of growing up in an artistic atmosphere in NYC, how that shaped his expression over the years and how

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19:29

The Check-In with Thalia Zedek-VIA-Come-UZI-Live Skull-E

Tour Stories/The Check-In with Joe Plummer ·

2025/11/28

Thalia Zedek is a guitarist and singer based in Boston. Throughout the 1980’s and 90’s, she has joined and or been a founding member of several influential rock bands including Live Skull, UZI, and Come. She continues to record and tour with her solo project Thalia Zedek Band and E. Recently her mid 80’s band Via, a short-lived project with members of Nuclear Theater, Six Finger Satellite, UZI and Cell, have released their long lost self-titled EP, available now via Dromedary Records

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32:30

The Check-In with TŌTH

Tour Stories/The Check-In with Joe Plummer ·

2025/11/21

Alex Tōth is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist based in Bedford-Stuyvesant, NYC. His newest album, And The Voice Said (out February 27th via Northern Spy/Egg Hunt Records) is a co-production with long-time friend Caroline Rose and features a duet with Kimbra. Alex tells us about his rowdy teen years led to a teen jazz program and why the trumpet gave him an identity amongst the Jersey hardcore scene. He explains the voice(s) that inspired the record title, how Caroline Rose

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41:38

The Check-In with New Car Smell

Tour Stories/The Check-In with Joe Plummer ·

2025/11/14

New Car Smell is wildly spirited London based trio made up of Alex Shaw (Sax), Jack Marks (Tuba) and Alex Shad (Drums). Their newest EP, Nerdz After All is available now. Nerdz After All is a more produced answer to their previous release, Keep Them On The Streets, and ode to busking and live performance. Both EPs retain a high level of psychotic energy in their own respects. Alex, Jack and Alex share their views on the struggle of playing live shows in London, how busking has informed the

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24:15

The Check-In with Devon Church

Tour Stories/The Check-In with Joe Plummer ·

2025/11/07

Devon Church is a guitarist, singer and a songwriter based in Queens NY. His newest solo record, All That’s Solid Melts Into Air is out 11.7. Growing up in Winnipeg, Devon tells us how his connection with music developed and why he feels songs are the best medium for his interest in poetry and literature. Joe and Devon discuss how his voice/word forward music combined with “bedroom production” has developed his unique sound and delivers both a poetic and concise message. Devon explains

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16:46

The Check-In with Jon Chaney-MAGIC FIG

Tour Stories/The Check-In with Joe Plummer ·

2025/10/31

Jon Chaney is the keyboardist and a founding member of San Francisco’s prog-psych-pop band, Magic Fig. As a quick follow to their 2024 S/T ep, their debut full length record, Valerian Tea, is due out 11.21 via Exploding In Sound Records. In this episode, Jon shares his path from hardcore and punk to more psychedelic and prog sounds. He tells us why France’s most famous astronomer became the inspiration for the single Flammarion, how they how they expanded their sonic reach on the new record

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59:16

SPECIAL EPISODE: "PAVEMENTS" with Matt Maust (Cold...

Tour Stories/The Check-In with Joe Plummer ·

2025/10/24

Matt Maust is the bass player for Cold War Kids, a visual artist and a t-shirt shirt collector based in Los Angeles. Ryan Kattner is a singer, composer, actor and founding member of the band Man Man. In this special episode, Joe talks with long time pals and bandmates about the movie Pavements, the experimental docufiction meta biopic about the legendary Stockton California band, Pavement. We begin with Ryan and Matt’s experience with Pavement, their contrasting introductions to the band at

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36:55

The Check-In with Colin Newman and Malka...

Tour Stories/The Check-In with Joe Plummer ·

2025/10/17

Immersion is the electronic duo formed by life and art partners Colin Newman of Wire and Malka Spigel of Minimal Compact. Their newest record WTF?? is out now via their own label swim ~. In this episode, Colin and Malka share the story behind their long-time collaboration, why it continues to evolve and how giving each other space played a role on the new record. They tell us how the songs they wrote for a tour became WTF?? and they explain the importance of the direct, positive, and

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31:32

The Check-In with Olivia Barton

Tour Stories/The Check-In with Joe Plummer ·

2025/10/10

Olivia Barton is a singer-songwriter based in Pasadena,CA. Her third and most recent record For Myself and For You is described as a ‘‘powerful collection about queer love, family life, heartbreak, aging, anxiety and body image that are startling in their directness and crushing in their emotional weight”. In this episode Olivia shares the dynamics that drove a new creative process on For Myself and For You, how trusting herself played a role and why the new record feels more realized than

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59:21

The Check-In with Alicia J. Rose-MENOPUNKS

Tour Stories/The Check-In with Joe Plummer ·

2025/10/03

Alicia J. Rose is a musician, award winning photographer, director, and overall seasoned creator based in Portland Oregon. Alicia’s newest project, Menopunks, is a documentary and movement that follows Gen-X musicians and medical professionals as they challenge misinformation surrounding menopause and advocate for hormonal healthcare. Menopunks has been described as “a raucous, myth-busting documentary that follows how middle-aged Riot Grrrl era musicians and female doctors are fighting to

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25:31

The Check-In with Izzy Hagerup-PREWN

Tour Stories/The Check-In with Joe Plummer ·

2025/09/26

Izzy Hagerup is a singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist now based in Los Angeles by way of western Massachusetts. She operates under the moniker Prewn. Prewn’s sophomore effort System (out Oct 3 via Exploding In Sound) is described as a “private journal made public” and has taken a beautifully explorative and self-reflective turn from her debut record, Through The Window. Izzy shares her early relationship with music and how a “bad boyfriend” drove her to eventually focus on the

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27:46

The Check-In with Ron Gallo

Tour Stories/The Check-In with Joe Plummer ·

2025/09/19

Ron Gallo is a Philadelphia based singer-songwriter and creator of the social media project 7AM Songs of Resistance for The Internet. His newest album checkmate is due out October 17th via Kill Rock Stars. In this episode Ron tells us how growing up in the diverse South Jersey/Philadelphia DIY scene shaped his formative years, why he remains dedicated to music, and why words are the focus of his creativity. We learn why making checkmate was a vastly different experience from his previous

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49:15

The Check-In with Martin...

Tour Stories/The Check-In with Joe Plummer ·

2025/09/12

Martin Atkins is a drummer, producer, educator, author, and museum operator. He has worked with PIL, Ministry, NIN, Skinny Puppy, Killing Joke and was a founding member of Pigface alongside fellow drummer and multi-instrumentalist, Bill Rieflin. He also works as a consultant, has written multiple books on the music industry, and is the music industry studies coordinator at Millikin University. Martin is the owner and operator of the Museum of Post Punk and Industrial Music. Joe jumps in

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