Chord Progression

Becoming one of the most desired entertainment photographers in the music industry, Nathan James to try something different. And if you are reading this description on the Chord Progression Podcast, you know that his next adventure was to become a musician, making his own style of music in the rock and metal space.What has happened has been the beginning of a massive rise to the top. With singles being featured on Sirius XM Octane regularily, and growing support in a live setting, we all want to know what is next. What is Nathan's next move? And how is he going to pull it off?That is what we talk about with Nathan James on the Chord Progression Podcast today. Talking to us on the road during the American Rejects Tour, join us to discover more from Nathan as we talk aboutHis brand new album set to release in July of 2025, what inspired the music, and how the single-focused rollout was the way to go for this album to succeed.Why Nathan has put so much focus on his YouTube Channel, why YouTube is the most import

Where has Framing Hanley been since the release of their 2020 album Envy & what have they been up to lately? That either has you asking yourself 1 of 2 questions. First is “Yeah, I love them. What have they been up to?” Or the second one is “Who is Framing Hanley and should I get into them?”That is what we set out to answer on this episode. What has Framing Hanley been up to since Envy, and does a return with new music and a brand new outlook on making music as a whole make sense in 2025? Well we found out, and the answer is truly YES!Nixon is here from Framing Hanley to answer all of your questions. With a brand new EP, Flowers, about to be released very soon and a headlining tour to support it, we take this episode to dive intoWhere Framing Hanley has been since the release of Envy in 2020, and why the guys are content with how the band has impacted their lives past, present, and future.Why Nixon cares more about the legacy of the band than streaming numbers, how that has allowed them to make the most d

Mayday Parade has been around for 20 years, making music in the pop punk and emo genres that many people not only have had a personal connection with in their formative years, but still go back to this very day. So it is only fitting to take time and look back at the impact of 20 years of music, while new music is coming your way.But what does a review of 20 years in music entail. The impact of the music on the members' lives? The impact of the music on the listeners' lives? How music delivery has changed over the course of 20 years? How an artist writes songs now vs. 20 years ago? What might the past 20 years teach us about the future? Well it could be all of these.Brooks from the pop punk & emo legends Mayday Parade joins the Chord Progression Podcast today. With the band celebrating 20 years in music and with the brand new album Sweet releasing on April 18th, it is time to dive deep with Brooks as we talk about:- Mayday Parade's 20 years in music, from the origins in the MySpace days to making music in

Magnolia Park has been considered one of the "Get to know them now before they get big" for a few years now. Their active rock blend with pop punk and alt rock has been something known to create high quality music. So what is that next step in 2025 that is going to see them BLOW UP?Could it be a new album that expands futher on their sound than ever before? Could it be a better stage show with more production and active storytelling? Could it be a mission and cause that is greater than them? Well, it is all of those things!Tristan from the Florida rock band Magnolia Park joins the Chord Progression Podcast today. With the band's newest album VAMP releasing on April 11th, we show why Magnolia Park is going to BLOW UP in the music scene in 2025. On this episode we discuss- The making of the new album VAMP. This is complete with the lore added to the album, how they expanded their sound to not only be catchy, but also have those "moments" that have you coming back for more, & doing it all so well.- Improving

Metal music has been undergoing many changes since the dawn of Spotify and the age of streaming. With more focus on the release of the single and staying relevant to an algorithm, the importance of the album has suffered. This also comes at a time when artists making money from their music is becoming more sparce, and the incentive to make music that pleases an algorithm seems to grow.So how is metal music going to grow and thrive in a time like this? Clearly there is one way, and that is to focus on the art that is the music. Quality music is what brings us back to the artists we love, not because they make a trendy sound. This band here, absolutley embodies that on this record.Ayden from the Italian fantasy metal band Elvenking is on the podcast today. Their new album and conclusion of the Readers of the Runes trilogy, Luna, drops on April 11th. On this episode, join us as we dive deep into:The concept of metal music and its artistic integrity being compromised due to more artists focus on making money and

It's 2025 in the United States of America, and it is fair to say that there is political division everywhere you look. No matter what side of the aisle you are on, you can see and experience the division caused by those well above in class & monetary status, and those in control. But that is when art, music, and expression is most needed, to make sure no voice goes silent or censored.Punk rock has always been about that since its inception back in the 1970s, and now in 2025, one Florida punk band is making sure that their voices do not get censored or suppressed.Zach and Chris from the Florida punk band Debt Neglector join the Chord Progression Podcast. With a brand new album, Kinda Rips, releasing on April 4th, we get political on this episode as we talk about:How Debt Neglector wrote music for Kinda Rips, with a focus on taking down American Exeptionalism as what it has become today.The Importance that art & music have in the delivery of a message that is threatened to be supressed and censored by t

20 years ago, Bleed From Within started out as a band humbly covering Lamb of God throughout Glasgow, Scotland. At this point in their careers, they have released 6 albums (with the 7th on the way) and have toured around the world, breaking into the USA in 2023. And in that time, they have seen their friends in bands like Bring Me The Horizon and Architects rise to international superstardom.As artists, what is a band to do with album #7 in a time when heavy music is the toast of the music industry? Do they play it safe and stay in their lane? Or do they take a chance at expanding their sound in a new way, and allowing them to continue being a band for another 30 years? We'd go with the latter.Ali from the Scottish metalcore heavy hitters Bleed From Within joins the Chord Progression Podcast today. The bands new album, Zenith, is due out on April 4th, 2025, as well as a tour supporting Bullet For My Valentine and Trivium in the United States. On this episode, dive into Bleed From Within & Zenith with us a

Heavy music in rock and metal has continued to rise in prominence and become a powerhouse once again over the past few years. The reasons behind this have been a combination of a willingness to experiment with sound, a growth of the overall capabilities of the vocals with the musicianship, and an unrelenting authenticity.Today, we are going all the way to Finland to bring you a band that is combinging their experimental heavy roots, with a vocalist who has heavily worked to master her extensive range, to bring you an up-tempo and energetic metal album that is infectious and, as the artists call it, whimsical.Lotta from the Finnish nu metal/alt metal band Luna Kills joins the Chord Progression Podcast with their newest album, Deathmatch, releasing on April 4th, 2025. Join us to discover this band and their massive sound as we talk about:The backstory of Lotta's vocal range alongside the expansive, heavy & uptempo, instrumental style that created the dynamic album that is "Deathmatch."Suggesting unreleased

Life is funny sometimes. Every one of us have massive amounts of dreams that we want to achieve and go after in life, but so many of them go by the wayside for one reason or another. Whether it is a worry about not being good enough, a fear of what others might say and think as you strive to your dream, or anything else, we need inspiration to keep going.This artist not only struggled through forgiving herself for the things in her past that were holding her back, but the work to do that allowed her to find her sound, discover her passion for heavy music once again, and is a story we can all get behind.Katerina Nicole joins the Chord Progression Podcast with her newest EP, Serene in Violet Oceans, as her return to the heavy music she has always loved, available now. Join us as we dive deep into:Karetina's journey to discovery her sound and how she wants to express herself in music, starting in a pop and EDM world, to the world of heavy music from her time as a kid.How writing and creating "Serene in Violent O

Any new artist that is trying to get as much positive buzz around their debut album as possible knows how tough of a task it is. Do you focus on the social media aspect? Should your focus go towards making the most dynamic music possible? Or is it about playing live and getting fans excited for yet-to-be released music?This band, with their second turn on the podcast, have shown that it is a combination of all 3 that gets the best buzz for a debut album. Dynamic music, appearing all over social media and other media publicaitons, and playing new songs live with an energy to make fans want them early. That is how it is done.Zak and Rex from the nu metalcore band Uncured join the podcast. Their debut LP, Warpath, is available for you to check out now, however we recorded this hours before the album dropped. On this episode, we dive into it with the guys discussing:How Uncured made fans hyped for the new album playing every song live prior to its release, without letting fans know they were new.Why Uncured did n

The concept of the album in rock and metal has forever changed since the streaming revolution took over. As people, artists, and labels put more importance on releasing singles to maximize a song's life in a time with shorter attention spans, does that mean the album will die out.We say it will not, because it will take its construction and build onto its legacy as a time capsule of the band at that time. It may just be seen as a collection of singles, but it is the marker to an era for that band. And this newer band is driving that idea home with their career.Mitch from Moon Fever returns to the Chord Progression Podcast, with our first actual episode not plagued by interent connection issues. With the band's debut LP, Forever Sleep, already out, discover the band with us as we talk about:The new meaning and symbolism in rock & metal albums as the age of single-focused streaming forges on, as the encapsulation of an era or a time period in their evolving histories.A look into the release of Forever Sleep

Writing music is no easy task in the year 2025. At times it seems like artists past and present have either come up with the progressions and ideas that you have previously, or the only way to find success is to chase the trends of what is popular on Tik Tok and social media. So how do bands like Bad Omens, Sleep Token, and Knocked Loose pop off with unique sound and flare?The answer to those questions can be found right here, in this episode, with someone who lives this in his music, and needed to try and always be unique, in order to discover the answer.Aaron Nordstrom of Gemini Syndrome joins the Chord Progression Podcast today, with new music and a new album coming out in 2025. In this episode join us as we talk about:How the music industy being so single-dominated in the streaming age has its roots back when artists and labels were pitching to radio, and trying to follow what was popular on those platforms.Why artists being authentic in their niche is causing those music artists to find success in this e

When someone is the son of a well known musician such as Jason Bonham, and the grandson of legendary Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, naturally people are going to assume this person is going to follow in their footsteps and make similar music.But that is not what happened. This man went on his own journey to discover what his desires in life were, and when it was found to be music, what his sound should be. What came out was vastly different than expected, more experimental than anticipated, and something that makes this artist his own person.Jager Henry joins the Chord Progression Podcast today! His debut LP "Heart of Thorns" released back in August of 2024, but this is the best way to discovering an emerging artist. On today's episode, we go deep into:Jager discovering his love for music and creating his own sound in his own unique way, bucking any expections others may have had for him.Why it is important to make music for what you want, and not to please an algorithm, or whatever is going to be the catc

One major goal of any musician is to make sure their live show is engaging, captivating, and a memorable experience for anyone in the audience. There are many tools and tricks that artists use in order to ensure this is achieved. But of those tools out there, is ther one that could be better.Prompters have been used in the music industry for quite a while now. But most prompters limit what you can use them for. We found someone who tried to better the prompter for live musicians. And we work to see if using a prompter limits what the artist can do on stage. The debate rages on.Tory Smith of Black Box Prompter comes to the Chord Progression Podcast for a different episode, trying to help out musicians with their live show. On this episode, we dive deep into:Why Tory created Black Box Prompter and what it needed to include to stand out from other prompters being used in the music industry.The debate on if a prompter will help an artist create a better live show, or if it will become a crutch that young artists

When we all discover a younger artist, we get the privilege of watching them grow and watching the sound they create evolve as time passes. Typlically, we see a change for artists as they go from what they feel they should create, to artists that create the music they want to.Then, we as fans get to go on that journey of life with the artist, and fully appreciate the music they create, and the overall sounds that amplify our emotions and our lives going forward.Sorry X (a.k.a. Alexa) joins the Chord Progression Podcast to show you who she is, and show you the musical journey her young career has gone on, and will take you on in the future. On this episode, we discuss:Alexa's backstory getting into music and creating art from a young age, and why not following imposed and set limits allowed her to create a more free-flowing, hard rock sound.The mindset any musician, artist, creative, or person needs to have when dealing with hate and negativity online.Working on her debut album and the type of creative sound t

20 years into being a band is quite the accomplishment. Being the stallworts of deathcore for that entire time is another accomplishment in itself. And after coming off of 2 well recieved records in "The Valley" and "Kin," what do they do to make sure they hit on 3 albums in a row.The answer is use their competitive nature and challenge themselves to write the heaviest record they could reminiscent of their 2nd album "This Is Exile," while keeping the evolved song structure found on "The Valley" and "Kin." So what is the result? And album that boasts those objectives incredibly well, and easily stands out as an "album of the year."Ben from the legendary deathcore band Whitechapel joins the Chord Progression Podcast. Their 9th album, Hymns of Dissonance" releases on March 7th and it is nothing short of heavy, enthraling, and increible. On this episode, we dive deep into:Why Whitechapel wanted to write their heaviest record to date for their 9th album, and how they absolutley succeeded in that endeavor.How Whit

As a podcast, not only do we want to help you discover many great bands to get into in the rock & metal world, but we also want to deliver knowledge to all the up and coming artists to help them avoid the pitfalls other bands have experienced before them.This time we found a band that has been experienceing success after only 2 years of being a band, and they are able to deliver some wisdom for many younger bands to find success early on.Chase from the San Antonio rock band Raven's Banquet joined the Chord Progression Podcast today. Get to know them and learn a lot more about how to gain success early in your bands career as we talk aboutHow the band got on the Rocklahoma lineup in their 2nd year as a band, including a funny story meeting Randy Blythe of Lamb of God.The mindset that is needed to find success early on in a band's career.Why quality in your music is everything for a band, but just not all the time (think live show, presentation, social media tendencies).We are delivering bands and content l

Music has a wonderful quality, regardless of genre, of being able to create a shared experience out of something increibly personal and individual. Listening to music creates that individual connection, experiencing live music creates that collective shared experience.When two sisters worked through the lost of a grandparent and the grief caused by it, they created music that expressed their personal experiences with grief, but also how those experiences intertwined. They created "harmonized dialogue."Sarafina and Emma from the Canadian gothic post-punk band Bonnie Trash are guests on the Chord Progression Podcast today. With their new album, Mourning You, set to release, discover the band and the beauty in their art as we discuss:Why playing songs heavier in a live setting is done to create that colletive moment between people, and enhance that individual emotional experience.How Bonnie Trash became an art and how the influence of heavier music mixed with childhood stories created their gothic post-punk soun

There are sometimes when a band comes out of nowhere with something fresh, something new, that just has you wanting to scream YES! This could be caused by a multitude of things, but when it is an artist that does it in music, it is something special about the sound that does it for you.This brand new band inspired by the Cyberpunk 2077 soundtrack and wanting to build off of that takes that sound with the backdrop of a dystopian society to create a brand of music that sounds classic yet fresh, and has the depth to understand the inequality in the world's richest places today.Craig from the new band The Dark joins the Chord Progression Podcast today. The band's first release, their self-titled EP, drops on February 21st and we have so much to share with you about them including:How The Dark was started by Alan Ashby of Of Mice & Men wanting to make music inspired by the Cyberpunk 2077 soundtrack.The reason why free flowing creativity led to an exciting debut EP, and why joy amplifies the creative process mo

Losing a loved one, or someone incredibly close to you, is never an easy thing to process. The grief can be overwhelming, and can easily have anyone questioning why this happened, and how do they move forward from this point in time.A band that we haven't spoken to in 3 years has experienced a loss just like this. Through music, being there for one another, and having a community that supported them through it all, the band was able to find closue and move forward, with the memory of their friend still strong within them.New Jersey pop punk band All Systems Go return to the Chord Progression Podcast for the first time in over 3 years with their latest EP, Finding Closure, coming on February 19th. Join us as we discussThe highs and lows the band experienced since the beginning of 2022, from the release of an album, building momentum as a successful regional band, to the loss of a band member and how they worked through the grief together.How the band healed together after the loss of Dean, and the way that eve