On this very special bonus episode of Lipps Service, Scott sits down with three of the six acts who performed on June 4 at the historic New York City venue The Bitter End for our first-ever live event – LIPPS SERVICE LIVE!

The live concert was a reflection of Lipps Service podcast, as the night will brought together past and present NYC-bred music, including three legendary acts – Ed Kowalczyk of LIVE, Hamilton Leithauser of The Walkmen, and Eugene Hütz of Gogol Bordello and Casa Gogol, featuring Steve Shelley of Sonic Youth – and three of the best up-and-coming bands of the city’s contemporary music scene – Jackson Hamm of Telescreens, Thesaurus Rex, and Torture and The Desert Spiders.

To reflect on the amazing night and live show, Scott sat down with Hamilton Leithauser, frontman Jackson Hamm of Telescreens, and frontman Calvin Rezen and guitarist Varun Jhunjhunwalla of Thesaurus Rex in this episode. (Go back and check out part one with Ed, Eugene, and Torture!)

Starting with Hamilton, he talks about his newest album, This Side of the Island, his take on the ‘Meet Me in the Bathroom’ era, the early days of The Walkmen, and he shares his favorite song on the new album. Next up, Jackson gets into the band’s early days playing at The Bitter End, his favorite local bands, what it was like opening for Franz Ferdinand on tour, and his take on the new Turnstile album. To close, Calvin and Varun discuss how the band formed, their musical influences, how they write thought-provoking lyrics, and they list their top 5 NYC bands.

Tune into this exciting episode of Lipps Service, learn about the artists, hear their thoughts on the live show, and check out footage from LIPPS SERVICE LIVE! on all Lipps Service socials, in case you missed it!

CREDITS (Instagram handles)

Host @scottlipps

Edited by @toastycakes

Music by @robby_hoff

Produced by @whitakermarisa

Recorded at Melrose Podcasts NYC

Sonos makes it so easy to fill your home with incredible sound! Check out the new Sonos Ace headphones, which are Bluetooth-enabled and have three buttons. The content key allows you to play, pause, accept calls, and control the volume. Plus, they feature noise cancellation and voice assist!

These headphones are exceptionally well done and sound incredible, whether listening to your favorite playlist, chatting on a call, watching a movie, or even recording a podcast like this one. They sound particularly fantastic when listening to Lipps Service!

Sonos has great gifts for everyone on your list. Visit sonos.com/Lipps to save 20% on select products.

Hamilton Leithauser

00:00 - Start

00:30 - Lipps Service Live! at The Bitter End

01:00 - Intimate vs. big venues

02:00 - The Carlyle Hotel

03:32 - The joys of the 2000s

05:39 - The 2000s

06:30 - Meet Me in the Bathroom documentary and era

08:00 - The early Walkmen days to the current marketing of records

09:44 - The economics of being in a band

10:45 - Being next in line to The Strokes

13:00 - The Walkmen reunion

14:00 - Going solo and This Side of the Island

14:45 - Playing music for his wife

17:20 - Redoing his record

17:40 - Honesty in lyricism on new album

18:00 - Funny tour story

20:15 - Favorite song on new album

20:45 - One song that embodies NYC

23:26 - New music

Jackson Hamm of Telescreens

00:33 - Paying homage to Telescreens

01:15 - The Bitter End

04:00 - Contemporary NYC scene

05:50 - Favorite NYC band right now

07:50 - New Turnstile album

10:33 - Rock being shocking

11:37 - AI

13:02 - Pressure to hold the rock ‘n’ roll flag in NYC

14:00 - Franz Ferdinand

15:42 - Early road stories

18:12 - Top 5 films

Calvin Rezen and Varun Jhunjhunwalla of Thesaurus Rex

00:45 - How the band formed

01:55 - Influences

04:15 - AI

05:59 - Lyrics

09:23 - Thought-provoking lyrics

11:09 - Finances of an indie artist

16:15 - Top 5 NYC bands

On this episode of Lipps Service, Scott sits down with one of the biggest duos in indie-pop music today, who made waves with their debut album, Pratts & Pain, and two viral covers, “Linger” and “Murder On The Dancefloor” … Royel Maddell and Otis Pavlovic of Royel Otis! They get into their early days, including how they met, writing and playing in pubs and chicken shops, and other Australian bands. They also get into their most popular tracks, including “Oysters In My Pocket,” the two viral covers, and one of their newest singles, “Moody.” They discuss their sound evolution, vulnerable lyricism, branding strategy, and the rise of guerrilla music marketing. To close, they share the best cities to play and craziest fan moment, and they list their Top 5 duos, cover songs, and Aussie terms. Tune into a funny and insightful chat with indie-pop’s favorite duo – Royel Otis!

CREDITS (Instagram handles)

Host @scottlipps

Produced by @whitakermarisa

Edited by @toastycakes

Music by @robby_hoff

Recorded at Melrose Podcasts NYC

Sonos makes it so easy to fill your home with incredible sound! Check out the new Sonos Ace headphones, which are Bluetooth-enabled and have three buttons. The content key allows you to play, pause, accept calls, and control the volume. Plus, they feature noise cancellation and voice assist!

These headphones are exceptionally well done and sound incredible, whether listening to your favorite playlist, chatting on a call, watching a movie, or even recording a podcast like this one. They sound particularly fantastic when listening to Lipps Service!

Sonos has great gifts for everyone on your list. Visit sonos.com/Lipps to save 20% on select products.

00:00 - Start

01:18 - Guerrilla music marketing

02:15 - Writing in a pub

02:45 - Australian bands

03:00 - LA

04:39 - Lil Nas X party

06:00 - Growing up

09:00 - How they met

10:22 - Musical influences

11:00 - The decision to take this live or just make it a recording project

11:45 - The success of “Oysters In My Pocket”

13:00 - Leaving for Italy

13:50 - First concerts

16:15 - The story behind “Oysters In My Pocket”

17:36 - Process then and now

19:23 - “Murder On The Dancefloor”

19:30 - Cover songs

23:00 - Courtney Love

26:00 - Pratts & Pain

30:22 - Analyzing lyrics

32:00 - “Moody”

33:00 - Sound evolution

34:00 - Vulnerable lyrics

35:30 - Branding

37:00 - Getting nervous before gigs

37:42 - Playing chicken shops

40:00 - Best cities to play

41:27 - Craziest fan moment

43:15 - Top 5 duos

45:44 - Top 5 cover songs

47:52 - Top 5 Aussie terms

On this episode of Lipps Service, Scott sits down with singer-songwriter, painter, actor, and the frontman of All-American Rejects, Tyson Ritter! In front of a live studio audience, Tyson gets into how the band came up with its name and shares some of the early contenders. Tyson also talks about the Oklahoma music scene he grew up around, his first music inspirations, and his music career. He also discusses his art, what painting means to him, and his NYC art gallery debut. The two musicians exchange feelings about touring, and Tyson talks about the band’s current tour and upcoming tour with the Jonas Brothers. To close, Tyson lists his top 5 one-hit wonders, tells a great story about his friend David Bryan of Bon Jovi, and shares what Van Halen’s sophomore album means to him. Tune into a fun and exciting chat with everyone’s favorite house-party rockin’ frontman – Tyson Ritter!

CREDITS (Instagram handles)

Host @scottlipps

Produced by @whitakermarisa

Edited by @toastycakes

Music by @robby_hoff

Recorded at Melrose Podcasts NYC

Sonos makes it so easy to fill your home with incredible sound! Check out the new Sonos Ace headphones, which are Bluetooth-enabled and have three buttons. The content key allows you to play, pause, accept calls, and control the volume. Plus, they feature noise cancellation and voice assist!

These headphones are exceptionally well done and sound incredible, whether listening to your favorite playlist, chatting on a call, watching a movie, or even recording a podcast like this one. They sound particularly fantastic when listening to Lipps Service!

Sonos has great gifts for everyone on your list. Visit sonos.com/Lipps to save 20% on select products.

00:00 - Start

01:15 - Band name

03:20 - Oklahoma music scene

04:29 - Early music inspirations

06:45 - His parents, his career, deciding to stay in school or play music

07:42 - How the band got a record deal

10:24 - Band’s early days

11:52 - NYC and what it means to him

12:40 - His art and how it helps him

15:49 - Commerce versus art

17:27 - Touring

19:09 - Band’s hiatus

22:33 - Band dynamic

24:17 - Jonas Brothers tour

26:08 - Top 5 one-hit wonders

27:32 - David Bryan of Bon Jovi story

30:12 - What does this record mean to you? (Van Halen)