100 Words Or Less: The Podcast

From growing up in the shadow of Western Pennsylvania industry to helping shape some of the most abrasive and intellectually confrontational music of the early 2000s hardcore underground, Nathan Martin has always existed in the space between resistance and reinvention. In this episode, we dig into life in Greensburg, PA, the strange collision of small-town culture and radical art, early internet-era hacktivism, and how DIY politics evolve once adulthood, careers, and survival enter the picture. Nathan reflects on the legacy of Creation Is Crucifixion, the paranoia and possibility of the early digital underground, and whether “selling out” is even a meaningful concept anymore when underground culture and corporate branding increasingly speak the same language. It’s a conversation about identity, compromise, creativity, and what happens when the people who once rejected systems eventually learn how to operate inside them.
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From the suburbs of Rancho Cucamonga to the deeply personal world of Knumears, Matthew Cole joins the show to talk about the path that shaped both his life and music. We get into growing up in Southern California during the 2000s DIY era, discovering bands like Born Against, and how punk and emo became an outlet while navigating suburban isolation and the Inland Empire/OC show circuit. Matthew also talks about balancing life as a carpenter while building Knumears from the ground up, the realities of modern DIY touring, and the slow evolution of the band’s sound and identity over the years.
Steve Evetts The GoFundMe
Weekly Recommendation Playlist brought to you by Evil Greed
Apple Music
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Rockabilia sells you officially licensed Merch from ALL your favorite bands (and your Dad's favorite band, your siblings etc...). Use the promo code 100WORDSORLESS for 10% off your order.
Get 10% off your Evil Greed order by using the code NEWWAVE (for a limited time only)
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Scott Mellinger has spent decades shaping heavy music from the inside out. Best known as the guitarist and primary songwriter for Zao, his path runs through some of the most forward-thinking corners of underground metal and hardcore that span the chaotic experimentation of Creation Is Crucifixion to the long, evolving arc of Zao’s discography.
In this conversation, Scott reflects on what it meant to join Zao at a turning point and help push the band into darker, more atmospheric territory often chasing sounds inspired by bands like Neurosis, even if it started as what he jokingly calls “trying to rip them off.” That instinct to stretch beyond genre expectations became a defining trait of his writing, blending heaviness with tension, space, and mood.
We also get into the role of politics in heavy music in how it shows up, when it feels necessary, and when it can miss the mark. Scott speaks candidly about personal belief systems, including the band’s complicated history with Christianity and his own perspective now, and how those shifts shaped both the music and the identity of Zao over time.
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Rockabilia sells you officially licensed Merch from ALL your favorite bands (and your Dad's favorite band, your siblings etc...). Use the promo code 100WORDSORLESS for 10% off your order.
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See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week we sit down with Piper Ferrari from Roman Candle for a conversation that drifts between isolation, creativity, and the strange ways identity takes shape.
Piper talks about growing up in the kind of desert environment where time moves differently and where boredom, space, and silence end up shaping how you see the world. That sense of distance bleeds into everything, from songwriting to how you connect (or don’t) with people.
We also get into how graphic design became part of her life almost by accident literally falling into it through necessity, curiosity, and the endless feedback loop of the internet. What starts as function slowly turns into another creative outlet, blurring the line between visual identity and music.
A big thread through the conversation is the tension between online life and real life where the push and pull of building something in public while trying to stay grounded in something real. Piper opens up about how that balance affects her work, her perspective, and the way she navigates being a creative person right now.
It’s a thoughtful, honest conversation about finding your voice in strange places and figuring out what actually matters once you do.
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Rockabilia sells you officially licensed Merch from ALL your favorite bands (and your Dad's favorite band, your siblings etc...). Use the promo code 100WORDSORLESS for 10% off your order.
Get 10% off your Evil Greed order by using the code NEWWAVE (for a limited time only)
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode, we talk with Travis Shettel of Piebald about the band’s unique mix of humor and sincerity, and how their songs have aged into something more universal than anyone expected. Travis reflects on the early days, including working with Kurt Ballou, and how that era shaped both their sound and perspective.
We get into longevity, cult status, and why Piebald feels more like a living band than a nostalgia act. At the core of it all: keeping things fun, staying connected, and embracing the idea of never breaking up again.

Weekly Recommendation Playlist brought to you by Evil Greed
Apple Music
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Subscribe to the podcast on YouTube
Rockabilia sells you officially licensed Merch from ALL your favorite bands (and your Dad's favorite band, your siblings etc...). Use the promo code 100WORDSORLESS for 10% off your order.
Get 10% off your Evil Greed order by using the code NEWWAVE (for a limited time only)
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.