Touchdowns All Day with Jon Barber & Max Dawson

TOUCHDOWNS ALL DAY w/ JON BARBER & MAX DAWSONE096 - The Guru (I Remember When) - Benjy Eisen is a New York Times best-selling author, music journalist, artist manager, promoter, and podcaster. He's also one of the original jamband influencers, and for more than three decades he has catalyzed and mythologized our scene. Benjy's relationship with The Disco Biscuits stretches back to 1997, when he became one of the band's original fans, advocates, confidants, and collaborators. In this, the first of a two-part interview, Benjy looks back on his and the band's formative days and the emergence of the Pennsylvania jam diaspora of Philly, Harrisburg, State College, Elizabethtown, and Mechanicsburg. He takes us back to the days of The Blue Terrapin and Cafe 210, a time when The Disco Biscuits were still searching for their identity, and shares his memories of meeting the dedicated coterie of young fans who would become his and the band's lifelong friends. Benjy is responsible for turning many people on to the music of The Disco Biscuits, including four guys from Vermont, and his passion for and belief in the band has been a throughline of their thirty year career. This episode features excerpts of the following live Disco Biscuits' performances:A Night in Tunisia and Boogie Stop Shuffle, from July 11, 1997 at Blue Terrapin, Elizabethtown, PABanter, from July 13, 1997 at Sturtz Court, Reading, PALittle Shimmy in a Conga Line, from January 19, 1999 at Flapjack's Pub at Paul's Pancake House, Dillsburg, PARoadhouse Blues and My Lady Survives, from December 8, 1997 at Cafe 210, State College, PA Tickets are now on sale for TDB30, Celebrating 30 Years of The Disco Biscuits! For all tour dates and links to purchase tickets, please head over to discobiscuits.com/shows.424-666-SIYDinsta: @touchdownsallday / @fymaxwell / @barbershredsx: @tdadbaby / @fymaxwell / @barbershreds

TOUCHDOWNS ALL DAY w/ JON BARBER & MAX DAWSONE095 - Basis for a Day (Song Spotlight Series) - In TDAD094 we brought you the story of Kevin Abrams, the filmmaker, novelist, and bassist for a day who, along with his college best friend, composed The Disco Biscuits' signature song in 1995. In this episode we're joined by Andy Bazany, author of The Biscuits Internet Project's definitive history of Basis for a Day, for an in-depth discussion of that song's thirty-year history. Basis for a Day is The Disco Biscuits' Dark Star (or Tweezer, if you're so inclined). Its modular structure and myriad tempo and key changes have made it the band's most exciting, exploratory, and impactful jam vehicle. Basis is a license to get weird, a laboratory for experimentation, and a lodestar for the band's ongoing evolution. We trace the history of Basis for a Day from its earliest, embryonic versions through its current-day incarnation as a show-stopping set piece via a selection of standout versions hand selected by Andy, longtime Disco Biscuits archival recording engineer Rich Steele, and their colleagues on the Touchdowns All Day Advisory Committee. Plus, Max digs deep into the PLAN C archives to uncover the earliest recorded version of the song, from the band's performance on November 9, 1995.This episode features excerpts of the following live Disco Biscuits' performances:Basis for a Day, from August 7, 1996 at Wetlands Preserve, New York, NYBasis for a Day > Help on the Way, from December 10, 1995 at an unknown venue, Philadelphia, PABasis for a Day, from July 3, 1998 at Webster Hall, New York, NYBasis for a Day, from May 1, 1999 at Wetlands Preserve, New York, NYBasis for a Day, from January 29, 1999 at Friar Tuck’s, Norfolk, VABasis for a Day, from October 6, 1999 at Palookaville, Santa Cruz, CABasis for a Day, from October 27, 2000 at Bluebird, Bloomington, INAceetobee > The Great Abyss, from November 4, 2007 at Town Ballroom, Buffalo, NYBasis for a Day, from November 4, 2007 at Town Ballroom, Buffalo, NYBasis for a Day, from December 28, 2018 at The Fillmore, Philadelphia, PABasis for a Day, from April 17, 1999 at Alley Katz, Richmond, VABasis for a Day, from April 9, 1999 at The Trocadero, Philadelphia, PABasis for a Day (fakeout), from October 2, 1999 at Café Tomo, Arcata, CABasis for a Day, from April 17, 2003 at Vogue Theater, Indianapolis, INBasis for a Day, from September 27, 2013 at The Mann Center for the Performing Arts, Philadelphia, PAMirrors > Basis for a Day, from September 19, 2009 at Stubb's Bar-B-Q, Austin, TXBernstein and Chasnoff > Basis for a Day, from May 14, 1999 at The Stoned Monkey, Huntington, WVBasis for a Day, from July 9, 2023 at Pine Creek Lodge, Pine Creek, MTBasis for a Day, from November 9, 1995 at an unknown venue, Philadelphia, PATickets are now on sale for TDB30, Celebrating 30 Years of The Disco Biscuits! For all tour dates and links to purchase tickets, please head over to discobiscuits.com/shows.424-666-SIYDinsta: @touchdownsallday / @fymaxwell / @barbershredsx: @tdadbaby / @fymaxwell / @barbershreds

TOUCHDOWNS ALL DAY w/ JON BARBER & MAX DAWSON.E094 - A Bassist for a Day, A Friend for Life - Kevin Abrams is a filmmaker and author whose first novel, Mt. Forgotten, hits bookstores this May. He's also one of Barber's oldest and closest friends. In this episode, Kevin and Barber reminisce on more than thirty years of friendship and collaboration. Astute Biscuits fans will recognize Kevin's name from the songwriting credits for Basis for a Day. In addition to co-writing The Disco Biscuits' signature song, Kevin was present at the birth of the band, and played an important role in introducing Barber, Marc, Aron, and Sam to one another. Kevin and Barber recount their days at UPenn and the musical influences they absorbed in the clubs of Philly and in the halls of their fraternity, Zeta Psi. In the process, he and Barber delve deep into their respective creative processes and acknowledge the ways in which they continue to influence and inspire one another.Check out Kevin's films, which are available to stream on Amazon.com:I Got A Monster (2023), a documentary on the Baltimore Gun Trace Task ForceMarisol (2023), a coming-of-age drama about an undocumented woman who is falsely accused of a crimeThis episode features excerpts of the following unreleased Disco Biscuits live performances:Bassist for a Day, from March 21, 1996 at Trocadero, Philadelphia, PABasis for a Day, from June 5, 1996 at Downtime, NY, NYIn Memory of Elizabeth Reed, from October 23, 1995 (unknown location)Slipknot!, from December 1, 1995 at 4000 Pine Street, Philadelphia, PADinah Moe Hum, from November 9, 1995 (unknown location)Soul Sacrifice, from December 1, 1995 at 4000 Pine Street, Philadelphia, PATickets are now on sale for TDB30, Celebrating 30 Years of The Disco Biscuits! For all tour dates and links to purchase tickets, please head over to discobiscuits.com/shows.424-666-SIYDinsta: @touchdownsallday / @fymaxwell / @barbershredsx: @tdadbaby / @fymaxwell / @barbershreds

TOUCHDOWNS ALL DAY w/ JON BARBER & MAX DAWSON.E093 - Riding With You - Step inside the studio with The Disco Biscuits in this special behind-the-scenes audio documentary about the making of Under Ur Spell. On January 2, 2024, Barber, Magner, and Joey convened in Barber's basement to begin work on what would become the band's first new song of 2025. This episode traces the story of Under Ur Spell through interviews, unreleased demos, live performances, and documentary-style footage recorded in the studio.This episode features excerpts of the following Disco Biscuits live performances:Hot Air Balloon, from September 7, 2024 at The Mishawaka, Bellvue, COPhilly Fire and Ice, from December 31, 2024 at The Fillmore, Philadelphia, PAUnder Ur Spell (unreleased backstage rehearsal), from January 17, 2025 at Revolution Hall, Portland, ORUnder Ur Spell, from January 18, 2025 at Revolution Hall, Portland, ORUnder Ur Spell, from March 13, 2025 at The Queen, Wilmington, DETickets are now on sale for TDB30, Celebrating 30 Years of The Disco Biscuits. For all tour dates and links to purchase tickets, please head over to discobiscuits.com/shows.424-666-SIYDinsta: @touchdownsallday / @fymaxwell / @barbershredsx: @tdadbaby / @fymaxwell / @barbershreds

TOUCHDOWNS ALL DAY w/ JON BARBER & MAX DAWSON.E092 - Hot, Confident, Cocky, and Exploratory - Aron Magner returns to the pod to recap the concluding east coast leg of the 2025 Bubble Tour. Max and Aron listen back to a selection of the most exciting jams from the final shows of the run and discuss how the band's confidence is translating into more risk taking and exploration on stage and off. Aron also shares an update (and a few quick snippets) from the band's recent studio sessions, and looks forward with excitement to his future Michael McDonald years. This episode features excerpts of the following Disco Biscuits live performances:Scars of the Brave (unreleased VIP Soundcheck), from March 1, 2025 at The Paramount - Huntington, NYUnder Ur Spell, from March 13, 2025 at The Queen, Wilmington, DEPhotograph, from March 15, 2025 at Starland Ballroom, Sayreville, NJFreeze, from March 13, 2025 at The Queen, Wilmington, DEMirrors, from March 15, 2025 at Starland Ballroom, Sayreville, NJIda Fith, from August 28, 1998 at Wetlands Preserve, New York, NYCheck out the video version of this episode, featuring exclusive, unreleased footage, only on YouTube!Cover photo courtesy Andrew Scott BlacksteinThis June The Disco Biscuits will host "Camp Home Again," an interactive all-inclusive musical vacation! Join us June 17-20 at Full Moon Resort in Big Indian, NY for workshops with the band and special guests, live performances, open jam sessions, a live Touchdowns All Day recording, and much, much more. Full details at camphomeagain.com424-666-SIYDinsta: @touchdownsallday / @fymaxwell / @barbershredsx: @tdadbaby / @fymaxwell / @barbershreds

TOUCHDOWNS ALL DAY w/ JON BARBER & MAX DAWSONE091 - "Slayerville's Greatest Hits (with PLAN C Archivist Jon Goldberg)" Few venues hold as fond a place in the hearts of The Disco Biscuits community as The Starland Ballroom. Between 2004 and 2012 the band played 18 shows in "Slayerville," many of which fans regard as amongst the band's finest performances ever. In celebration of the The Disco Biscuits' upcoming return to The Starland, Touchdowns All Day is proud to present "The Jernee Mill Road Back to Sayreville," a three-part miniseries exploring the band's history at this storied venue.The third and final installment of our series is dedicated to the music. PLAN C Archivist Jon Goldberg returns to the show to walk Max through a collection of his favorite musical moments from the band's previous Sayreville runs, including a number of previously unreleased soundboard recordings. Jon and Max have compiled these highlights and more into a 17-track, six hour long playlist that can be streamed for free on the band's official Soundcloud page! Along the way, Jon shares his behind-the-scenes memories of his time at The Starland, and Max admits that he actually kind of loves "Strawberry Girl."This episode features excerpts of the following Disco Biscuits live performances (all recorded at The Starland Ballroom unless otherwise noted):Spacebirdmatingcall > Bernstein and Chasnoff, from February 17, 2007Crickets > Shem Rah Boo, from May 9, 2004Jigsaw Earth > Helicopters, from November 26, 2004Little Betty Boop > Svengali, from November 27, 2004Math Jam (Hope), from March 25, 2005Mindless Dribble, from March 26, 2005Strawberry Girl > Svengali, from February 24, 2006Shadow, Mario Star Jam, Gangster, and Crickets, from February 15, 2007 (previously unreleased recording)Strobelights and Martinis, from February 16, 2007Mindless Dribble, from September 1, 2001 at Wetlands Preserve, New York, NYMindless Dribble, from April 12, 2003 at Webster Theater, Hartford, CTDigital Buddah, from Bisco Lives 2 (recorded live on September 1, 2001 at Wetlands Preserve, New York, NY)Bernstein and Chasnoff, from February 17, 2007The Overture and Caves of the East (ft. Ann Marie Calhoun on violin), from February 29, 2008Pi Jam (Run Like Hell) and Basis for a Day, from March 1, 2008Mr Don (Tractorbeam version), from September 12, 2009Tempest, from September 13, 2009Aquatic Ape > Svengali, from July 12, 20012Minions, from February 15, 2007 (previously unreleased recording)Bernstein and Chasnoff, from February 17, 2007Air Song (ft. Ann Marie Calhoun on violin), from February 29, 2008The 2025 Bubble Tour concludes on March 15, 2025 at The Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, NJ. For the latest Disco Biscuits tour dates, please visit https://www.discobiscuits.com/shows.This June The Disco Biscuits will host "Camp Home Again," an interactive all-inclusive musical vacation! Join us June 17-20 at Full Moon Resort in Big Indian, NY for workshops with the band and special guests, live performances, open jam sessions, a live Touchdowns All Day recording, and much, much more. Full details at camphomeagain.com424-666-SIYDinsta: @touchdownsallday / @fymaxwell / @barbershredsx: @tdadbaby / @fymaxwell / @barbershreds

TOUCHDOWNS ALL DAY w/ JON BARBER & MAX DAWSONE090 - "Jake Szufnarowski and The History of The Starland" Few venues hold as fond a place in the hearts of The Disco Biscuits community as The Starland Ballroom. Between 2004 and 2012 the band played 18 shows in "Slayerville," many of which fans regard as amongst the band's finest performances ever. In celebration of the The Disco Biscuits' upcoming return to The Starland, Touchdowns All Day is proud to present "The Jernee Mill Road Back to Sayreville," a three-part miniseries exploring the band's history at this storied venue.Our guest in this second installment is Jake Szufnarowski of Rocks Off and Bowery Presents, the talent buyer at The Starland Ballroom. Jake first encountered The Disco Biscuits in the late 1990s when he booked New York City's Wetlands Preserve, and he's worked closely with the band members and their various side projects ever since. Jake walks us through The Starland's long history, starting with its origins as a polka hall, continuing through its later incarnations as an 80s hair metal venue and 90s dance club, taking us right up to the venue's current incarnation as American's premier rock and roll roadhouse. He also shares his earliest memories of working with The Disco Biscuits and reflects on the role he played in launching the careers of The New Deal, Lake Trout, STS9, and other jamtronica acts.Check out Jake's band Trükken, a supercharged, rip roarin’, hard rockin’, heavy metal tribute to the GRATEFUL DEAD!The 2025 Bubble Tour concludes on March 15, 2025 at The Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, NJ. For the latest Disco Biscuits tour dates, please visit https://www.discobiscuits.com/shows.This June The Disco Biscuits will host "Camp Home Again," an interactive all-inclusive musical vacation! Join us June 17-20 at Full Moon Resort in Big Indian, NY for workshops with the band and special guests, live performances, open jam sessions, a live Touchdowns All Day recording, and much, much more. Full details at camphomeagain.com424-666-SIYDinsta: @touchdownsallday / @fymaxwell / @barbershredsx: @tdadbaby / @fymaxwell / @barbershreds

TOUCHDOWNS ALL DAY w/ JON BARBER & MAX DAWSONE089 - "Dan Berkowitz and the Hunka Bunka Bus" Few venues hold as fond a place in the hearts of The Disco Biscuits community as The Starland Ballroom. Between 2004 and 2012 the band played 18 shows in "Slayerville," many of which fans regard as amongst the band's finest performances ever. In celebration of the The Disco Biscuits' upcoming return to The Starland, Touchdowns All Day is proud to present "The Jernee Mill Road Back to Sayreville," a two-part miniseries exploring the band's history at this storied venue.In this first installment, Max is joined by Dan Berkowitz, the founder and CEO of 100x Hospitality. Dan is widely regarded as a pioneer in the live music industry and has produced destination events and enhanced/VIP experiences for artists including Phish, Dead & Company, Metallica, Chris Stapleton, Luke Bryan, and Odesza. But before all that, Dan was the tour manager of The Disco Biscuits. In this interview, Dan recounts how his experiences of first touring with, and later working for, the band have shaped his life and career. He shares his memories of the band's first visits to Sayreville, which took place under the shadow of original drummer Sam Altman's impending departure from the lineup, and reflects on the special relationship that exists between The Biscuits, their fans, and The Starland's staff. Central to these stories is the legendary Hunka Bunka Bus. What began as a practical solution to the problem of getting Disco Biscuits fans to and from The Starland would in time grow into a business, and eventually spawned an entire industry built around celebrating the passion of live music fans.This episode features excerpts of the following Disco Biscuits' performances:Basis for a Day (fakeout) > The Thieving Magpies, from June 29, 2001 at Gathering Of The Vibes, Red Hook, NYLittle Lai, from December 30, 1999 at Theater of the Living Arts, Philadelphia, PAHelicopters, from March 8, 2002 at Whisky A Go-Go, Los Angeles, CAStrobelights and Martinis, from February 16, 2007 at The Starland Ballroom, Sayreville, NJThe 2025 Bubble Tour concludes with a two-night stand at The Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, NJ. For the latest Disco Biscuits tour dates, please visit https://www.discobiscuits.com/shows.424-666-SIYDinsta: @touchdownsallday / @fymaxwell / @barbershredsx: @tdadbaby / @fymaxwell / @barbershreds

TOUCHDOWNS ALL DAY w/ JON BARBER & MAX DAWSONE088 - "Baba in a Bubble'" Barber is fresh off the road and ready to recap the west coast leg of the 2025 Bubble Tour. Barber and Max shout out the venues, the songs, the jams, and the fans who made this tour such a special one, and roll back one of its most exciting jams.This episode features excerpts of the following Disco Biscuits' performances, many of which can be streamed on Nugs.net:Also Sprach Zarathustra, from February 7, 2025 at Boulder Theatre, Boulder, COHelicopters > Country Royale, from February 8, 2025 at The Mission Ballroom, Denver, COThe 2025 Bubble Tour rolls on! For the latest Disco Biscuits tour dates, please visit https://www.discobiscuits.com/shows.424-666-SIYDinsta: @touchdownsallday / @fymaxwell / @barbershredsx: @tdadbaby / @fymaxwell / @barbershreds