Brian Fallon (The Gaslight Anthem) with Greg Barnett (The Menzingers)

On this week’s Talkhouse Podcast, we’ve got a great chat between two rockers whose bands tuck classic-sounding songs into punk-inspired packages: It’s Brian Fallon of the Gaslight Anthem and Greg Barnett of the Menzingers.

The Menzingers are one of those bands that are sort of easy to take for granted: They’ve released a steady string of punk anthems for 20 years, and their songs are as reliable as the sunrise. But when you step back and take a look at their catalog, it’s pretty massively impressive. The Scranton, Pennsylvania band just released their eighth album, Everything I Ever Saw, and it’s as big and catchy as you’d hope. They’ll head out on a US tour this fall with one of their big inspirations, Hot Water Music, in the opening slot. Check out "Chance Encounters” from Everything I Ever Saw right here.

The other half of today’s conversation, Brian Fallon, fronts a band of a similar age and sound as The Menzingers, though as you’ll hear in this conversation, his band took a chunky hiatus a while back. The Gaslight Anthem broke through back in 2008 with the instant classic album The ‘59 Sound, which won them acclaim from fans, music writers, other bands, and even their fellow New Jersey-ite Bruce Springsteen. The Gaslight Anthem seemed to split in 2015 but have since reformed; during that time, Fallon also amassed a catalog of solo records, and he’s got another great one on the horizon. Not Bad for New Jersey will be out in September, accompanied by a big tour. The album features his usual anthemic songs plus fun guest appearances from Brandon Flowers of the Killers, among others. Check out the song “Pearls” from Not Bad For New Jersey right here, and again, it’s out in September and available to pre-order now.

In this chat, Fallon and Barnett talk about their lengthy shared history, about stretching out sonically, about their mutual friend Wicca Phase Springs Eternal—including a story about a high school battle of the bands—and much more. Enjoy.

0:00 Introduction

2:47 Start of conversation, touring, and releasing new albums

4:10 On dogs, new babies, and raising kids

6:41 On tour openers, Tiger’s Jaw, and learning from Adam McIlwee

11:28 On learning guitar and songwriting by watching friends, and interesting chords

12:50 On the songwriting process and making iPhone demos

15:42 On the connection between vocals and drums

16:32 On having a recognizable sound, and dealing with reviews and public opinions about your work

20:02 On feeling like you’re creating “real” songs, and how the music industry affects your perceptions

21:43 On the Menzingers’ newest album, and the inspiration for the title track

23:49 On feeling inspired by other bands’ live gigs

25:51 On their bands turning 20, celebrating together, and early recordings

29:16 On their experiences with different record labels, and which ones support artists’ growth

34:58 On how solo work is different from working with their bands, and loving what they do

Thanks for listening to the Talkhouse Podcast, and thanks to Greg Barnett and Brian Fallon for chatting. If you like what you heard, please follow Talkhouse on your favorite podcasting platform, and check out all the great stuff at Talkhouse.com. This episode was produced by Myron Kaplan, and the Talkhouse theme was composed and performed by the Range. See you next time!

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