Nov 30, 2018
<p>Given that Josh has already told the tales of being
kidnapped in Egypt and playing one of the first shows that an
American hardcore band in Kenya has played, I was worried that he
might not have any stories left for me when he agreed to do this
interview.</p>
<p>Never fear. Josh delivers the goods - and this is probably
the hardest I've laughed during any podcast that I've
recorded.</p>
<p>Josh has been a full-time touring musician with bands like
Evergreen Terrace, Casey Jones, Stick to Your Guns and Eighteen
Visions for many, many years. In his spare time, he often travels
to countries with unstable governments. As such, he's accumulated a
lot of hilarious stories.</p>
<p>When Josh is in Chicago, he stops in at <a
href="http://southloopsc.com">South Loop Strength &
Conditioning</a> to train, so it's always a treat to get to
chat with someone who likes the two things that I like: heavy music
and extreme fitness programs.</p>
<p><em>Note: There was an issue with Josh's mic during
the first 10 minutes or so of the podcast. We caught the issue and
fixed it - and I did a little bit of post-production management to
adjust the levels - so just skip the beginning part of the quieter
audio is annoying. Apologies for that!</em></p>
<p><b>Check out more from Josh
here:</b><ul> <li>Instagram: <a
href="https://www.instagram.com/joshjamesxxx/?hl=en" rel="noopener"
target="_blank">@joshjamesxxx</a>//<a
href="https://www.instagram.com/stygoc/?hl=en" rel="noopener"
target="_blank">@stygoc</a>//<a
href="https://www.instagram.com/18v_official/?hl=en" rel="noopener"
target="_blank">@18v_official</a></li>
<li>Website: <a href="http://www.sticktoyourguns.net/"
rel="noopener"
target="_blank">www.sticktoyourguns.net</a>//<a
href="http://18vofficial.com/" rel="noopener"
target="_blank">www.18vofficial.com</a></li>
</ul></p>
<p><b>If you're enjoying the show, <a
href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/todd-niefs-show/id1278759120?mt=2">why
not a leave a review</a>?</b> It makes a difference in
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Most of my writing never makes it to the blog, so get on that
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<p><b>Show Notes</b><ul> <li>[01:00]
Working out on the road - and some perils of awkward men working
out</li>
<li>[07:21] Josh’s first “real band” (Evergreen Terrace) and
growing up in punk music - including buying a Misfits shirt without
knowing who the Misfits were</li>
<li>[10:53] The mic is fixed!</li>
<li>[11:17] The process of digging for bands as a child in
the pre-internet era (thanks lists, interviews, zines,
etc)</li>
<li>[15:19] Joining 18 Visions and Stick to Your
Guns</li>
<li>[19:55] Purposefully blending genres on tours - and the
struggles of playing to an audience that isn’t into you as well as
the upside of catching an all new audience</li>
<li>[32:44] How does Stick to Your Guns write new music while
keeping in mind the expectations of fans who like their previous
output?</li>
<li>[41:43] When is the last time you moshed?</li>
<li>[45:04] “I want to be a janitor at a mall or something
like that” - and being forced to learn an instrument by your
mother</li>
<li>[49:09] Going on crazy adventures in countries without
stable governments - and the learning that occurs from being in
unfamiliar situations</li>
<li>[56:34] Accidentally ending up on CNN throwing
rocks</li></ul></p>
<p><b>Links and Resources Mentioned</b><ul>
<li><a
href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casey_Jones_(band)">Casey
Jones</a><br/></li>
<li><a
href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evergreen_Terrace">Evergreen
Terrace</a><br/></li>
<li><a href="https://www.quadsgym.com/">Quads
Gym</a><br/></li>
<li><a href="https://vanswarpedtour.com/splash/">Vans
Warped Tour</a><br/></li>
<li><a href="https://www.againfaster.com/">Again
Faster</a><br/></li>
<li><a
href="http://www.misfits.com/">Misfits</a><br/></li>
<li><a
href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MC_Hammer">MC
Hammer</a><br/></li>
<li><a
href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milli_Vanilli">Milli
Vanilli</a><br/></li>
<li><a
href="https://rancidrancid.com/">Rancid</a><br/></li>
<li><a
href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minor_Threat">Minor
Threat</a><br/></li>
<li><a
href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorilla_Biscuits">Gorilla
Biscuits</a><br/></li>
<li><a
href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Youth_of_Today">Youth of
Today</a><br/></li>
<li><a
href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strife_(band)">Strife</a><br/></li>
<li><a
href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_Crisis">Earth
Crisis</a><br/></li>
<li><a href="http://www.dead.net/home">Grateful
Dead</a><br/></li>
<li><a
href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Type_O_Negative">Type O
Negative</a><br/></li>
<li><a
href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_(musician)">Prince</a><br/></li>
<li><a
href="http://phish.com/">Phish</a><br/></li>
<li><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089218/">The
Goonies</a><br/></li>
<li><a
href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poison_the_Well_(band)">Poison
the Well</a><br/></li>
<li><a
href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unearth">Unearth</a><br/></li>
<li><a
href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guttermouth">Guttermouth</a><br/></li>
<li><a href="http://www.normajeannoise.com/">Norma
Jean</a><br/></li>
<li><a
href="http://lagwagon.com/">Lagwagon</a><br/></li>
<li><a
href="https://www.pennywisdom.com/">Pennywise</a><br/></li>
<li><a href="http://parkwaydriverock.com/">Parkway
Drive</a><br/></li>
<li><a
href="http://www.counterpartshc.com/">Counterparts</a><br/></li>
<li><a
href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stray_from_the_Path">Stray
from the Path</a><br/></li>
<li><a
href="https://www.motionlessinwhite.net/">Motionless In
White</a><br/></li>
<li><a href="http://www.chelseagrinmusic.com/">Chelsea
Grin</a><br/></li>
<li><a
href="https://www.bleedingthroughofficial.com/">Bleeding
Through</a><br/></li>
<li><a
href="https://slipknot1.com/">Slipknot</a><br/></li>
<li><a
href="http://www.reaper-records.com/site/bands/piece-by-piece/">Piece
By Piece</a><br/></li>
<li><a
href="https://www.emmurecult.com/">Emmure</a><br/></li>
<li><a
href="http://www.disturbed1.com/">Disturbed</a><br/></li>
<li><a
href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rivers_Cuomo">Rivers
Cuomo</a><br/></li>
<li><a
href="https://weezer.com/">Weezer</a><br/></li>
<li><a
href="http://www.h2ogo.com/">H20</a><br/></li>
<li><a
href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Negative_Approach">Negative
Approach</a><br/></li>
<li><a
href="http://www.terrorlahc.com/">Terror</a><br/></li>
<li><a
href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolescents_(band)">Adolescents</a><br/></li>
<li><a
href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bane_(band)">Bane</a><br/></li>
<li><a
href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AI130b4tMjs">Propagandhi -
How To Clean Everything LP</a><br/></li>
<li><a href="https://www.blacksabbath.com/">Black
Sabbat</a><br/></li>
<li><a href="https://www.insaneclownposse.com/">The
Insane Clown Posse</a><br/></li>
<li><a href="http://teenagebottlerocket.com/">Teenage
Bottlerocket</a><br/></li>
<li><a
href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Bike_Is_a_Pipe_Bomb">This
Bike Is a Pipe Bomb</a><br/></li>
</ul></p>