85: Casey Arn & Teaching High School Science (a bit about Vinyl, too)

Casey Arn is a high school science teacher in Oregon - he’s also a massive vinyl collector and one of my good friends! Casey has been in the education world for his entire adulthood and has a lot of wisdom to bestow upon our listeners on this episode. I’m excited that we got to chat about how he got into education and how his role at a small school consists of wearing a number of hats that require him to be prepared for really anything that comes his way. We also get into how he started collecting records and discuss the renaissance that vinyl has had over the last few years. There’s a lot to cover in this one, so I hope you dig it!

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MUSIC NOTE:
- This week you got to hear tunes from the new I’m Glad It’s You album, “Every Sun, Every Moon,” which was released earlier this year through 6131 Records.
- On this episode, you got to hear the tracks, “big Sound,” “Silent Ceremony,” and “Every Sun, Every Moon.” You can check out the entire “Every Sun, Every Moon” album through all of the streaming platforms NOW! You can even download the album on bandcamp!

- Also, if you’re into physical music, make sure you snag a vinyl copy of the album as well!

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THE CONNECTEDU NETWORK
- This week, you got to learn about the ConnectEDU Network, of which this podcast is now a contributing member!
- ConnectEDU Network connects the unique perspectives and expert insight of higher education through podcasting. If you’re affiliated with higher education – from professor to director of marketing – you’ll be able to find a podcast that fits your style. Our podcasts are produced and hosted by passionate and innovative members of the field, all fueled by the excitement of the future of higher education.
- You should check out all of the Network’s content creators and podcasts right now if you’re looking for some new education-based pods!

And you can now join our Facebook community by CLICKING HERE!

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FOLLOW, RATE, REVIEW, SUBSCRIBE, AND SHARE!
- Any love on the iTunes app helps! CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE ITUNES STORE!
- Don't forget, Android users - we are now on the Google Play Store!!
- We're also FINALLY on Stitcher, so head over there if that's your preferred platform!
- Follow along on Instagram and Twitter @eduPUNXpod!

Thanks so much for tuning in - we will be back in two weeks with another great chat!

55: James Ikeda (the Michael Character) - the Folk Punk Educator

WELCOME TO THE EDUPUNX PODCAST

Photo: Nora Scott

James Ikeda is a high school History teacher, DIY musician, and an all-around brilliant human being. James is the type of person to have a lot of projects and ideas and energy to do cool creative work outside of the classroom. He also does some great work in the classroom - but through a much different approach. That’s the thing about James - he’s able to do both; the bit of being an authentic professional teacher, and the bit of being an authentic punk musician. And as you’ll learn in this conversation, everything is a bit.

So James came over to Craig and Katy’s place to sit down and chat for a couple of hours - it’s a lively, fun, and highly informative conversation that has many twists, turns, laughs, and inside jokes that develop over the course of the chat. We hope you enjoy this one - and know that there is A LOT more! So stay tuned because in a few days, we will share an extra episode that demonstrates what happens when Craig and James left the microphone on.

MUSIC NOTE:
- This week we shared tunes from James’ new LP as The Michael Character called, "That’s Why I Call Him Zachy," which comes out TOMORROW!
- The Michael Character is a brilliant folk punk educator who will play your living room, basement, or laundry room - we played the song, “Go For Broke,” which is off of his previous album, “Fame Swoll,” as well as the song, “28,” which is the single from the new album.
- Also, ALL of his music already available FOR FREE DOWNLOAD on his bandcamp site, so you have no reason to not download this album right now!

As always, you can CHECK OUT THE NEW SPOTIFY PLAYLIST!

ADVERTISING NOTES:
- Table-Turned is a DIY record-of-the-month club. Subscribers select from two genre options and receive a record each month for that genre, including some “classics” as well as albums they may have missed.
- The current genre selections are Garage Rock and Ska-Punk, and for the next month, you can start your monthly vinyl subscription for $160, which gives you a FREE MONTH, after that it becomes $175 for the year.
- Table-Turned was recently featured in Paste magazine AND in The Hype Magazine!
- To learn more and/or to start your subscription, visit Table-Turned.com!

And you can now join our Facebook community by CLICKING HERE!

FOLLOW, RATE, REVIEW, SUBSCRIBE, AND SHARE!
- Any love on the iTunes app helps! CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE ITUNES STORE!
- Don't forget, Android users - we are now on the Google Play Store!!
- We're also FINALLY on Stitcher, so head over there if that's your preferred platform!
- Follow along on Instagram and Twitter @eduPUNXpod!

Thanks so much for tuning in and we will be back soon with a special extra episode!

Up the punx!
Let's get to work.

51: Chris Paraskevas & Teaching English in French Canada

WELCOME TO THE EDUPUNX PODCAST

Chris Paraskevas is a high school English teacher, vinyl and tattoo collector and baseball player based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada! This marks our first ever international conversation! Chris is an avid fan of literature, culture, and how social issues intersect and inform everything he teaches his students. Chris is a risktaker in the classroom - having taught a unit using the first season of the TV show, Atlanta, to dissect racial issues explored in the show through the classroom context. He also makes sure to push his students to think outside of their experiences and to consider the humanity and well-being of others through literature and music.

Chris and I break down what it's like teaching in Canada, being a working professional in the education field while being very visibly tattooed, and how important it is to be confident in the classroom. We also get into something I haven't pondered in a long time - teaching from a place of fear and that limits our work. This was a wonderful conversation and I'm very excited to share it with y'all because it's this sort of conversation that made me want to start this podcast!

MUSIC NOTE:
- This week we shared tunes from the newly remastered and expanded Me in Capris EP, "For Those Who Think You," which came out on August 10 through Disposable America.
- Me in Capris is a fantastic Boston-based punk that brings as much intensity as they do heart and passion - and we play the tracks, "Pretty," "Not my Blues," "Yr Velouria," on this episode!
- The EP is currently available FOR DOWNLOAD on their bandcamp site, so you have no reason to not download this album right now! You can also snag a limited run cassette copy of the EP through Disposable America as well!

As always, you can CHECK OUT THE NEW SPOTIFY PLAYLIST!

ADVERTISING NOTE:
-Make sure you follow Jaclyn's project over at inbetweenspins.com - and follow on Twitter and Instagram to check out all of the goodies she's gonna share with the world! And check out her YouTube channel!

And as always, you can now join our Facebook community by CLICKING HERE!

FOLLOW, RATE, REVIEW, SUBSCRIBE, AND SHARE!
- Any love on the iTunes app helps! CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE ITUNES STORE!
- Don't forget, Android users - we are now on the Google Play Store!!
- We're also on Stitcher, so head over there if that's your preferred platform!
- Follow along on Instagram and Twitter @eduPUNXpod!

Thanks so much for tuning in and we will be back next week with a new episode!

Up the punx!
Let's get to work.

47: Late Bloomer & What Happens When Education Doesn't Work Out

WELCOME TO THE EDUPUNX PODCAST!

Late Bloomer: Josh, Neil, and Scott (not involved in interview)
Photo by Brian Twitty

Late Bloomer is a grunge rock and roll band from North Carolina - the band consists of three progressive dudes doing work in the scenes of their relatively conservative state to challenge toxic masculinity and to uplift social justice initiatives. And it just so happens that Josh, the bassist and vocalist of the band, initially went to college to be a teacher and was planning to continue into the field until the Great Recession of 2008 derailed those plans. Even though he watched his educator friends drop out of the field, he realized that he had other options - like music!

The band recently released a new LP, "Waiting," through our friends at 6131 Records and it truly kicks some major ass. Fans of Dinosaur Jr., Basement, Fiddlehead, and Fugazi may dig the hell out of this album.

We also dig into how weird genre classifications work, as well as claiming straight edge after getting sober, the art of piano tuning, teaching little kids how to play guitar, and a bunch about random movies. The episode was recorded at Cafe Maddies in Quincy, Mass - so there is some noise and chatter in the background.

ADVERTISING NOTES:
- This was a rough week for me and a few others, so I wanted to hype the National Suicide Prevention lifeline. Please know that you have an outlet in case you need someone to speak with when you aren't feeling great.
- Call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) if you need some support.
- You can also suggest that folks reach out to the Crisis Text Line by texting "HOME" to 741741.
- And feel free to reach out to us on social or via email if you need someone to talk with as well! we're here for you - we love you.

MUSIC NOTES:
- This week we shared tunes from the new Late Bloomer album, "Waiting," which came out two weeks ago through 6131 Records - where you can snag a vinyl copy of the record, or a CD, or a cassette!
- We shared the songs, "Sleeve" and "Heaven" on this episode.
- The album is currently available FOR DOWNLOAD on their bandcamp site, so you have no reason to not download this album right now!

As always, you can CHECK OUT THE NEW SPOTIFY PLAYLIST!

And as mentioned at the top of the episode, you can now join our Facebook community by CLICKING HERE!

FOLLOW, RATE, REVIEW, SUBSCRIBE, AND SHARE!
- Any love on the iTunes app helps! CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE ITUNES STORE!
- Don't forget, Android users - we are now on the Google Play Store!!
- We're also FINALLY on Stitcher, so head over there if that's your preferred platform!
- Follow along on Instagram and Twitter @eduPUNXpod!

Thanks so much for tuning in and we will be back next week with a new episode!

Up the punx!
Let's get to work.

33: Dane Erbach (Table-Turned) & Teaching as Performance

WELCOME TO THE EDUPUNX PODCAST!

Dane Erbach has been a high school teacher in the suburbs of Chicago for over a decade. He's also the owner of Table-Turned, which is a vinyl subscription service that allows folks to pick a genre of their choice, and each month they receive a new record in the mail! Dane has a huge heart for music and for his students, which you get to hear throughout this episode, which is full of stories and insight to his busy life - balancing full-time work as an educator, father, husband, and record label owner/vinyl subscription owner. 

Dane and I sort of feel like kindred spirits at times throughout the conversation, as our ethics and interests align very well - so well that this conversation could have easily ran double in length. We get into what it's like being an ultra authentic educator and what that looks like in terms of being an accessible resource for our students, and how we bring a lot of ourselves into our work. And how when we get home, we take out the remaining energy we have on our creative efforts.

MUSIC NOTES:
- This week, I featured tunes from the new Man Mountain album, "Infinity Mirror," which comes out THIS FRIDAY through Spartan Records. Man Mountain is a fantastic post rock instrumental band from Detroit, and I've been looking forward to a full-length from them for a while now!
- You got to hear the song, "Memory Trace," which is off the new album, and if you like what you heard, head over to Spartan Records right now and snag yourself a digital copy, a CD, or one of the few remaining vinyl copies they have left!
- I also played bits of the song, "Lucerna," throughout the episode, which is the second track on the band's 3-track EP, "To Call Each Thing By Its Right Name," which came out in 2013.

As always, you can CHECK OUT THE NEW SPOTIFY PLAYLIST!

ADVERTISING NOTE:
- This week we hyped Dane's vinyl subscription service, Table Turned!
- Table-Turned is a DIY record-of-the-month club. Subscribers select from two genre options and receive a record each month for that genre, including some “classics” as well as albums they may have missed.
- Table-Turned was recently featured in Paste magazine AND in The Hype Magazine!
- Right now, folks can subscribe for either the Post-Hardcore genre option or the Shoegaze genre option $160 for an entire year. You will eventually be able to subscribe month-to-month for $15 a month. RESERVE YOUR COPIES NOW - TONIGHT is your last chance to make this happen! After tonight, the rate goes up to $175 for the year, which is still a great price!
- To learn more and/or to start your subscription, visit Table-Turned.com!

FOLLOW, RATE, REVIEW, SUBSCRIBE, AND SHARE!
- Any love on the iTunes app helps! CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE ITUNES STORE!
- Don't forget, Android users - we are now on the Google Play Store!!
- Follow along on Instagram and Twitter @eduPUNXpod!

Thanks so much for tuning in and I'll see you next week!

Up the punx!
Let's get to work.

- CRAIG.

017: Xavier Pastrano (Skin of Our Teeth) & High School Poetry

WELCOME TO THE EDUPUNX PODCAST!

This week, we bring you a very chill conversation with Xavier Pastrano, who is the bassist and lead singer of the sludge/stoner metal band, Skin of Our Teeth. Xavier is also a high school English teacher in Sioux Falls, South Dakota! The dude is incredibly passionate about poetry and literature and we connect on our shared experiences as English teachers - since I taught high school English for a couple of years as well.

We also get into race relations a bit, since Xavier was raised as a mixed kid by a single white mother. And since Xavier lives in a very conservative state, we get into the politics of being a more progressive educator in areas where inclusiveness might not be a priority in the education system. Needless to say, we had a lot to discuss - so much so that there will be a bonus episode later this week of just us talking about music and vinyl!

EPISODE NOTES:
- Xavier discusses how his Black Like Me unit with his students was deeply impactful for his students.
- It was powerful to hear how Xavier's students reacted to the racist murder of Emmett Till.
- Xavier and I have a shared love of the post punk/dark wave band She Wants Revenge.
- I was glad to learn that Xavier took one of his students' favorite artists, Twenty-One Pilots, and demonstrated the poetic devices at play in their song, “Car Radio."
- I discuss how I used four songs in Thrice's "Alchemy Index" album as a demonstration of Shakespearian sonnets.
- It might not be the recipe that Xavier references in the conversation, but here is a recipe for eggless egg salad!
- In classic English teacher fashion, Xavier lists "Catcher in the Rye" and "Perks of Being a Wallflower" as two of his favorite books of all time.
- For his all-time music favorites, Xavier displays his true varied taste in music by naming, Baroness (specifically the "Blue" album) and No Doubt (specifically “Tragic Kingdom”) as the top of the list.
- Make sure to check out new album from Monolord (“Rust”), and the uniquely polarizing, Zeal and Ardor ("Devil is Fine").

MUSIC NOTES:
- This week you get to hear tunes from the new album by stoner/sludge band, Skin of Our Teeth, titled, "Omnicide," which is due out on November 10th. Xavier is the lead singer and bassist (he also does some drums too) of this two-man band; yes, only two people are making all that noise you're hearing throughout the episode. They even trade off between drum and bass throughout their sets, which is pretty damn sweet.
- If you like what you hear, visit skinofourteeth.bandcamp.com to snag yourself a CD or a digital copy of the album now!

ADVERTISING NOTES:
- Since Xavier and I discuss the creativity of some of our students, I wanted to hype the work of one of my former students once again!
- If you need some design work done, check out the work by my buddy and former student, Nevan Doyle! He is one of the best up-and-coming graphic designers and artists today!
- Visit Mishko.co to check out his artwork, videos, and music! You can commission him to create artwork and/or videos for your band, brand, program, company, and/or office! Make it happen!

FOLLOW, RATE, REVIEW, SUBSCRIBE, AND SHARE!
- Any love on the iTunes app helps! CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE ITUNES STORE!
- Follow along on Instagram and Twitter @eduPUNXpod!

Thanks so much for tuning in and I'll see you next week!

Up the punx!
Let's get to work.

- CRAIG.

CHECK OUT OUR PREVIOUS EPISODES

• October 2020 2
• September 2020 1
• August 2020 3
• April 2020 2
• March 2020 1
• February 2020 2
• January 2020 3
• December 2019 1
• November 2019 2
• August 2019 3
• July 2019 2
• May 2019 2
• April 2019 2
• February 2019 2
• January 2019 3
• December 2018 1
• November 2018 2
• October 2018 2
• September 2018 4
• August 2018 4
• July 2018 3
• June 2018 4
• May 2018 6
• April 2018 5
• March 2018 6
• February 2018 5
• January 2018 4
• December 2017 3
• November 2017 3
• October 2017 7
• September 2017 4
• August 2017 4
• July 2017 4
• June 2017 4