In The Mix

Culture today may have its issues, but that doesn't mean that everything from the cultures of yesteryear was great. So we banded together in this, our season finale, to examine some of the worst songs from when we were growing up. We discuss bad attempts at being an R&B song, the scourge of butt rock, and a hit song that has been nearly totally disappeared from the internet. Plus, why don't they make hit songs for movie anymore? That was fun!

Nearly a year ago, we decided to record an episode of songs about the end of the world. Instead of being about fictional apocalypses, we talked depressingly about our concerns of a real life apocalypse. However, Steve's old computer overheated and damaged the episode beyond repair, and we never released it. This week, we returned to that playlist to discuss these songs, what we felt last year and how weird it feels to discuss this all in the midst of an actual pandemic.

Getting older can suck. But it can also be a fun time, and there's a lot of good music that gets to the heart of this conflict. Joined by return guest and Chapter Surfing host Lenny Burnham, we discuss some of our favorite songs about aging. From 90s ska bands to the latest in European dance, we get down to just how it feels to remember you're not that young anymore. To learn more about Lenny's new podcast Chapter Surfing and more, check out his Patreon here!

If you're lucky enough to have a backyard/patio/deck/fire escape/any means of getting some solitary fresh air during this pandemic, we've got you covered with music for the occasion. From some silky smooth Steely Dan to classic Beach Boys, weed rap to ska Sinatra, we've collected a group of songs perfect for slinking into a chair while you're taking in a summer day. End song: Mad Caddies - Backyard

We grew up as alternative rock kids, as did our guest, returning champion and We're Ghosts Now bassist Max Resnick. So we shuffled every song that ever went #1 on the Alternative songs Billboard chart (currently the Alternative Airplay chart) and discussed the first 10 that came up. How has alternative rock evolved from the chart's beginnings in the late 1980s to now? Why does everything these days sound like it's made specifically commercials? And what the hell even is alternative rock?

Steve and Dave embark on a solo episode this week in which they do a deep dive in the famous "Punk Goes" series of compilations. Going from different eras, from pop punk to emo pop to crunkcore and much more, we ask: what does it mean to have a good Punk Goes Pop song? What makes one worse than others, and is it better to play it safe or try and do something crazy with your cover?

Music fans love finding songs, falling in love with them and then listening to them until you can barely stand them anymore. Returning guest writer/actor/podcaster Katie Wright joins us to talk about some of our favorite songs we couldn't stop listening to throughout our lives. From depressed Paramore to The Pogues, Craig Finn to The Smiths, we cover songs the three of us have gone through periods of exclusively listening to. If you're interested in donating to Katie's workshop fund, donate here!

NYC-based cinematographer Adam Kolodny joins us to talk about some artists we've enjoyed but who no longer make music. From classic 70s punk to 2010s indie, to folk artists who disappeared, we get into some great artists and why they stopped.

Not every artist you dislike is disliked for a rational reason. So we decided to talk about the artists we refuse to give a chance for admittedly petty, nonmusical reasons, and to join us are returning guests Jessie McCormick and Avery Mandeville! Is a jam band's annoying fanbase enough of a reason to dislike them? Do you NEED to like Frank Sinatra just because old people do? Would listening to John Mayer talk about a song he wrote make it even worse? Hard yes to that last question.

Steve and Dave return to a familiar well for some comfort: some of their favorite cheesy songs. What makes a song cheesy in a good way, as opposed to in a bad way? What made the 90s so conducive to classic cheesy tracks? What makes one corny Michael Buble song good as opposed to all the bad ones? All that, plus a song that is exclusively about PlayStation.

Steve and Dave stumbled across various memes based on the iconic midwest emo song "Never Meant" by American Football, and dedicate an entire episode to some of their favorites. What makes "Never Meant" such a good song, what makes it such a unique candidate for memes and what genres manage to turn it into something entirely new? Want to enjoy the playlist on your own, and without us getting in the way of it? Check it out here!

Quarantine has made us a little weird and loopy, and it has us missing a lot of experiences we didn't think we missed, or took for granted, or outright hated before all of this. Gross bars, chain restaurants, overrated cities, crowded beaches and more: these are the things we miss that we never would have imagined wanting to return to.

We are back! Ruby Bones guitarist Chris Fox returns to the show and the three of us discuss some of our favorite music we've found while being stuck in the house all day every day, from new discoveries to tracks from our old favorites. Also holiday music. Tune in!

It's our season finale! We wanted to talk some of our favorite songs about beer from ska to classic rock, Nina Simone to Barenaked Ladies, etc. And as drinking beer is something we do with friends, we brought our old pal Dave L back on the show not just to talk music, but do an old fashioned power hour! Well, not necessarily old fashioned. We used hard seltzer. We're old.

With Steve on vacation, Dave needed a guest host. And wouldn't luck have it, one of his good friends, Matt, jumped at the opportunity to be apart of the great legacy of In The Mix! On today's episode, Matt brings a special theme to the ITM studio, one that revolves around one of Earth's favorite characters...Sonic the Hedgehog! 

With Dave on vacation, Steve needed a guest host. So Chris Dubrow returns to do a sister episode to his first one. In that episode, we dove into the world of The Mountain Goats, and in this one the two discuss another one of their shared favorites: They Might Be Giants. It's a retrospective of the band's decades of work, how we discovered our love for them and songs we think are good tracks to use for introducing someone to the TMBG oeuvre.

After ending 2019 with a month of positive shows, we're burnt out on liking things. So for an episode we decided to just dedicate some time to rant about some of our least favorite songs. Are Imagine Dragons really as bad as people say, or is there a new contender for worst alternative rock band? How did it take so many people to write High Hopes? And just who do the Chainsmokers think they are? For just a couple of hours, we let ourselves get mad.

We're back with part 2 of our favorites of the 2010s to highlight some of our absolute top picks. Songs to get angry to. Songs to get sad to. Songs to feel a little bit of happiness to. And of course, songs to get horny to. Chris Fox of Ruby Bones is still on mic too as the three of us talk about what makes these songs great and our hopes for the 2020s.

With just a week and a half to go in the 2010s, Steve and Dave decided to put up a pot/buy a box of coffee and dive into some of their absolute favorite songs of the decade for a few hours. With the eventual help of Ruby Bones frontman Chris Fox, we talk about what makes some of this decade's finest in punk, folk, pop, indie, funk and more so darn special to us. Grab your own box of joe and join us!

We continue our end of the decade mixes by discussing our favorites from this year, with the help of returning guest Devon Moore of Fake Pockets. What were our favorite songs and bands from the worlds of pop punk, indie, hip-hop, surf rock and more this year?