Striking a Chord Collin Thomas

"This is cool. It's weird, but it's cool."

That is Joey Rocco's impersonation of someone reacting to his songwriting. Joey is someone who has never feared the eclectic - as a visual artist and a songwriter he has always found just as much love in what is bizarre as he does in the things that are status quo. As the frontman of solo project Genario and Chicago-based band Winded City, his experience is one that you would expect to be able to decipher through his large body of songs. If you dive into the deep (wink), you'll see that everything isn't always as straightforward as it seems at first glance. In this episode Collin and Joey talk about the start of Winded City and how it coincides with Joey being punched in the face, how much Joey really dislikes pop punk, and how Collin's life was saved by a Jurassic 5 record. They also breakdown how Joey's older brother could have indirectly influenced his songwriting, what it's like to transition from band member to solo artist, and how his new album isn't actually about fish. Genario's new record "The Deep" is available now on all major streaming services.

Los Angeles singer-songwriter Brian Berger has put out a lot of records. But his time as a musician is about much more than that. In this episode, Brian and Collin discuss asking your parents for permission to go on tour, Brian's unintentional participation in the looting of an Indiana Subway franchise location, and how bad it hurts to sing with a cracked rib. They also touch on how Brian's career in film and love of books have impacted his sound, the logistics of musicians borrowing from other musicians, and what it's like to navigate being an artist in a relationship. Brian's music (and that of his old band The Taillight Years) can be found on all major streaming services, and his most recent record "A Circle, A Line" is available now.