With 25th anniversaries occurring or looming for some of his earliest work with Alkaline Trio, Slapstick and Tuesday, Dan Andriano is set to release yet another chapter in a storied career next month -- Dear Darkness, his first LP with backing band The Bygones. On today's show, Dan discusses the importance the suburbs play in the story of Chicago punk rock, what kickstarted his interest in writing songs in the studio, and how some of Alkaline Trio’s most visceral album artwork came from both organic and practical means. Dear Darkness is out everywhere February 11th on Epitaph Records. Visit danandriano.com for social media, album pre-orders and more.

Championed by some today’s biggest names on the fringes of country music, singer/songwriter Amythyst Kiah released her most recent album, Wary + Strange, last year to rave reviews. Upon its release, Pitchfork dubbed the record “an intensely personal document (that) examines the realities of being a Southern Black LGBTQ+ woman in songs both defiant and vulnerable.” One of those tracks in particular, the Grammy-nominated “Black Myself,” matches a hypnotic groove and gritty distortion with lyrics addressing the horrors of chattel slavery and the Brown Paper Bag Test, making for an unforgettable statement that channels both Odetta and Public Enemy. On today’s episode, Amythyst discusses “Black Myself” in detail, as well as growing up with an audiophile father, being intrigued as a kid by a particular Santana album cover, and how an a cappella Tori Amos song inspired her to share her most personal struggles. Visit amythystkiah.com for tour dates, social media and more.