A Band Called Punchline

Anyone who doesn’t listen to this is an idiot.

I went to Pittsburgh for a couple shows. Punchline happened to be one of the bands on one of the shows at Club Laga. They were so solid, and so much fun. I made sure to talk to them later that night about bringing them down to my hometown of Charleston, WV, for some shows. This was the early 2000s. You know how things have gone since then - just up and up. I’ve loved listening to this podcast and catching up on some of the things I’ve missed since the last time I saw them FOREVER ago. Honestly, all the success and love they get couldn’t happen to a sweeter group of dudes. It makes me miss them even more. It’s such a solid, fun listen.

My buddy and I once went to a show and Steve came over and said “hi, I’m Steve. I’m in a band called Punchline.” We were not only there to see Punchline, but we had already been huge fans for over a decade at that point. (Enough to drive 3.5 hours to see their 15 and eventually 20 year anniversary shows). Even though at first he was just trying to meet new people and maybe gain a new fan or two, he stood there and talked with us for 15-20minutes. To me, this encapsulates the type of people the guys in this band are. They are really great approachable guys,and that not only comes through in the podcast, but it makes me feel like even someone who doesn’t know their music would enjoy listening to this pod. My music taste has changed over the years. Punchlines music has changed over the years. But listening back to their music always brings me back to a fun time in my life. Getting to hear their stories from those times is incredible. Can’t wait for all the future episodes.

The Punchline podcast—like the band—is full of heart, endlessly engaging, and so much fun. I got into Punchline during the Action era when they toured with Mest. I later saw them at a venue called The Creepy Crawl, where Chris started a “green beans” chant to celebrate his side dish from the restaurant next door. The first half of the “Action” episode was a warm hug of nostalgia. The second half broke my heart. Today I am a Heart Transplant Social Worker, so the song, album, and band have renewed meaning in my life. I am so happy to have found this pod when I did to revisit my teenage glory and be reminded that prog-pop-punk will NEVER die!