WashedUpEmo.com was started in 2007 as a place to remember those forgotten bands of the late 90s. It has now turned into a monthly DJ night in NYC and podcast that has interviewed many of the major bands in the scene. I have spoken with members of Jimmy Eat World, The Promise Ring, Texas is the Reason, Braid, Christie Front Drive, Mineral, The Get Up Kids, and Thursday to name a few.
Podcast Features
Multiple features on iTunes Podcast page
Nerd Shit: Podcasts That Go Deep -The Pitchfork Review Issue 4
"...it could prove to be one of the best niche music podcasts out there." - A.V. Club
Top 5 Podcasts You Should Try Out - Sound Convictions
5 Music Podcasts You Should Listen to - Aux.tv
Podcast Guest
Guest on Billboard's podcast Alt In Our Stars discussing the emo genre.
Guest on Clicktrack Podcast discussing the history and importance of emo.
Guest on Dig Me Out Podcast for Emo Roundtable.
Guest on Dig Me Out Podcast discussing Jimmy Eat World's album "Clarity".
Guest on Dig Me Out Podcast discussing 90's reunions.
Guest on Let's Chat Podcast discussing my career.
Guest on Edgeland Podcast discussing straightedge and emo.
Writer/Curator
Co-wrote and unearthed never before seen Nirvana footage - Noisey
Maritime album preview - Noisey
Wrote about first memory of Nirvana's Nevermind - No Echo
Interviewed Mike Kinsella on American Football reunion - Vice/Noisey
Darren Walter interview, co-founder of Jade Tree Records - SinglesClub.fm
Show Review - Sunny Day Real Estate - Brooklyn Vegan
Curated Emo Channel on Pandora
Weekly one hour radio show - DashRadio.com
Verified Spotify account
Tumblr Music Spotlight Account
Interviews and Quotes
Verified Reddit AMA - /r/PostHardcore
Interview - "Emo Night's Founders Have One Message And It's You Belong Here" - Village Voice
Interview - "The Medium: How Tom Mullen Took a Stand for Emo" - Paste Magazine
Quoted in article about Boys Life reissues and possible reforming - Brooklyn Vegan
Quoted in article about Emo Night LA's Trademark Request - Noisey
Quoted in oral history of The Jazz June - Noisey
Quoted in Sunny Day Real Estate "Diary" 20th Anniversary - Stereogum
Staff Pick by Tumblr
Mention by Monterrey Emo Night (Spanish) - Young Offenders
Cover mention and Interview with Manual Dexterity
Interview - Once We Were Misfits
Interview - Kill The Music
Interview - Funeral Sounds
Interview - No Echo
Interview - Is This Thing On? Blog
Interview - Now Spinning
Interview - Manual Dexterity
Interview - Swimming.ly
Interview - The Saddest Landscape Tumblr
"People who came up with emo in the late ’80s and ’90s, when the genre hadn’t strayed far from its punk/hardcore/post-hardcore roots, are endlessly frustrated by how “mallpunk” appropriated it for something fashionable and profitable—two things “washed up” emo bands from back in the day never were. Hosts Tom Mullen and Ray Harkins celebrate that era with interviews of the people who participated in it, like bands, label people, and journalists. Early episodes included modern emo-revivalists such as Bear Trap PR/Tiny Engines records co-founder Chuck Daley, as well as members of popular ’90s acts like The Promise Ring and Knapsack. After a month-long break, the podcast returns this week with its eighth episode, featuring Christie Front Drive guitarist/vocalist Eric Richter. The episode suffers some technical difficulties—mostly due to the interview being done over the phone—but the content makes up them. The hosts keep the episode flowing nicely as they have a deep knowledge—and reverence—of their guest, and they avoid becoming overly energetic fans. Richter’s anecdotes, mixed with his willingness to discuss anything at length, keep the interview conversational but informative. If the Washed Up Emo podcast can stay on a regular schedule, it could prove to be one of the best niche music podcasts out there."
Article on the resurgence of midwestern emo. Tom Mullen, digital marketing director for Sony Legacy, knows the midwestern emo sound well, and he's been watching the scene as that sound has started to bubble up again. In the late 90s, while attending Elon College in North Carolina, he fell for it hard; in 2007, during the third wave (which he refers to as emo's "hair metal" phase), he launched a blog called Washed Up Emo to catalog bands he'd loved from the midwest and elsewhere. Within a couple years, readers were regularly e-mailing him about new independent groups that sounded like his old favorites. "These random kids would send me their demos . . . and all they did was copy Mineral," Mullen says. "That told me that the scene had longevity and the scene will come back."
Interview with Bryan from The Jazz June on why they got back together
"And social media, wow, what a game changer. We didn’t have this back in the day you know. Late last year I opened the bands twitter handle and this @washedupemo dude tweeted at us…said something about doing an interview for a podcast. I thought, yeah yeah, washed up, dude wants to make fun of us…but after digging deeper I found out, Washed Up Emo is thee curator of the scene we were a part of. Tom (Washed Up) affirmed the notion that there are people still listening to The Jazz June and that some bands of today were influenced by us. I couldn’t believe it, I never thought that any of our songs would stand the test of time, but it turns out, some have…this really inspired our creative side and fueled our desire to make music again."
Interview with Sound Convictions
"This is very much a quality over quantity venture, and at 24 episodes as of today's date, you'll be hard pressed to find a podcast with half as solid of a guest lineup as Tom's. He puts the work in, and it has resulted in what has become one of the stronger podcasts out there, music or otherwise...and there are a lot of good ones. Washed Up Emo only gets better and better..."
