
About this episode
Jenny Eliscu reconnects with The Format to discuss their new album and band history.
To kick off season 9 of the LSQ podcast, I had the pleasure of reconnecting with my old friends The Format , who are back together with their first new album since 2006’s Dog Problems. Produced by the legendary Brendan O’Brien (Pearl Jam, Rage Against The Machine, Bruce Springsteen), Boycott Heaven is a welcome return from the duo of Nate Ruess and Sam Means , who continue to expand into new terrain on this collection. In the interview, Ruess talks about how, leading up to this album, he learned to play guitar (with help from his friend Buckethead !) and demo songs on his own, for the very first time. We also delve into the history of the band, going back to when the pair first met in high school, bonded by their shared love of Weezer and other 90s bands, and the evolution of their writing process. The Format will start their U.S. tour for Boycott Heaven in late March, and you can get tickets here .
People in this episode
Host: Jenny Eliscu
Guests: Nate Ruess, Sam Means
Topics covered
- music
- band history
- album release
- interview
- guitar learning
- tour announcement
Keywords
- The Format
- Boycott Heaven
- Nate Ruess
- Sam Means
- Brendan O’Brien
- Dog Problems
- music interview
- U.S. tour
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: The Format, Weezer
Books & works: Dog Problems, Boycott Heaven
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