About this episode

Nathan Larson discusses his musical journey and influences in this episode of Backtracking.

Welcome to Backtracking – the podcast where three old friends take a second listen to influential bands' albums, track by track. For our third season, we've each selected five albums that we think deserve a good old Backtracking. Wrapped around my email: backtrackingrox@gmail.com GUEST Nathan Larson Instagram | Bandcamp CHAPTERS 0:00: Welcome Nathan! 1:14: Nathan’s early days in the D.C. punk scene 3:10: Swiz and early influences (Metallica! Megadeth!) 4:30: Transitioning from bass to guitar and joining Shudder to Think 6:45: Developing a "guitar pyrotechnics" style influenced by 80s rock like Van Halen and Def Leppard 8:40: The New York scene: Knitting Factory, The Swans, and noise rock 10:20: Musical complexity: Finding the balance between Prog and Pop 12:15: Recording Pony Express Record in Baltimore and the creative process behind Mind Science of the Mind 15:10: Working with Joan Wasser, Mary Timony, and Kevin March 16:45: The influence of Jeff Buckley and his love for "weird rock" 18:15: Lyrical approach: Word games and the "exquisite corpse" technique 20:50: Transitioning to film scoring and the pop sensibility of First Love Last Rites 22:30…

People in this episode

Host: Backtracking

Guest: Nathan Larson

Topics covered

• punk scene
• music influences
• guitar style
• lyrical approach
• film scoring
• personal growth

Keywords

• Nathan Larson
• Shudder to Think
• punk scene
• Mind Science of the Mind
• music influences

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Shudder to Think, Metallica, Megadeth, Van Halen, Def Leppard, The Swans, Joan Wasser

Books & works: Mind Science of the Mind, Pony Express Record, First Love Last Rites, Jealous God

Places: D.C., Baltimore, New York

More episodes of Backtracking

• S3E8 Felt "Forever Breathes the Lonely Word" Side A · April 22, 2026 · 1h 44m
• S3E7 U2 "Wide Awake in America" · April 15, 2026 · 1h 51m
• S3E6 Ozzy Osbourne "Blizzard of Ozz" Side B · April 8, 2026 · 48 min
• S3E5 Ozzy Osbourne "Blizzard of Ozz" Side A · April 1, 2026 · 1h 35m
• S3E3 Mind Science of the Mind S/T Side B · March 18, 2026 · 58 min
• S3E2 Mind Science of the Mind S/T Side A · March 11, 2026 · 1h 54m

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