Hello and welcome once again to Punk Rock Academic! We’ve had a little gap in programming, but here we are with Episode 5, and this one’s a real treat!

This time we’ll be chatting with Toni LaMantia, MA. Toni received her Bachelors in Music Education from SUNY Fredonia, followed by a Master’s Degree in Educational Psychology and Quantitative Methods from University of Buffalo. She also holds an Advanced Certificate in Applied Statistical Methods, also from University of Buffalo.

She is currently employed by Tesla, using her background in educational and statistics to lead a team in their Vision AI program. You can also catch her singing and playing saxophone and keys with The Abruptors, a Buffalo, NY-based ska band. The Abruptors are signed to the renowned Asian Man Records and maintain an impressive tour schedule, playing with such legends as Mustard Plug and The Slackers.

As if that weren’t enough, Toni is also a mother, so we’re really grateful she could make time to talk with us and share her story. Let’s get into it!

All right! Punk Rock Academic Episode 4, coming at you.

I know I say this every time, but this is another great episode! We have with us today Mark Petz, MPNA. Mark is currently a teacher, grant writer, and non-profit strategist in the Southwest Michigan area. He has had a long and diverse career in the non-profit sector as a director, coordinator and fundraiser, raising millions of dollars.

Mark holds a BA in History from Alma College, a small liberal arts school in central Michigan. He earned his Masters of Public and Nonprofit Administration from Grand Valley State University, also in his home state of Michigan.

Perhaps you know of Mark from his exploits with the legendary ska-punk band, Mustard Plug. Mustard Plug have been staples of the ska scene since before the Clinton era, having played over 2000 shows in 19 countries on 5 continents. Mark played saxophone with the band in the early days 1992-1995 and then lent his talents to the ‘Evildoers Beware’ album after his departure.

After many years away from the band, he began playing with the band occasionally starting in the late aughts, accompanied them on their 2020 Australian tour, and has been back on the roster as a member ever since including their newest album, "Where Did All My Friends Go?"

Time for some laughs and Michigan accents. Let’s get into it.

Punk Rock Academic EPISODE 3 IS OUT NOW w/ Royce Nunley, JD (Ex-Suicide Machines)

Greetings! Salutations! And welcome to the third installment of Punk Rock Academic. We’ve got another great episode, if I do say so myself. We’re talking with fellow Michigander Royce Nunley, JD. He is the founder of The Nunley Law Group, a full-service legal practice in the greater Detroit area.

Royce obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Spanish and received his JD from Wayne State University, both while in his 30s. Prior to his education, he founded the band Blueprint 76, operated his own recording studio, and was tour manager for Reverend Horton Heat.

But he is perhaps even better known for his earlier work as the bass player for The Suicide Machines. The Suicide Machines are a hardcore ska band formed in Detroit in the early 90s. Royce joined the band just out of high school and was with the band for their first four albums, at which time the band was signed to Hollywood Records (yes, that Hollywood Records).

Royce left the band in 2002, before embarking on his quest through academia.

Always a pleasure to talk with another nice Midwestern fella. Let’s get into it!

https://www.nunleylawgroup.com

www.suicidemachinesdetroit.com

https://open.spotify.com/artist/31v7ijnAMVL9V7Uzr1sFcI?si=8v1_xvxxSi2yIlBPFbyX5Q

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qiRuOTqcj0

Punk Rock Academic EPISODE 2 IS OUR NOW w/ Dr. Michael Bishop PhD (Gwar)

https://open.spotify.com/episode/1gmAXpMcei6nSkwz4nWYjc?si=64c0055df5a24b14

Hello and welcome to the second episode of Punk Rock Academic! And we’re in for a real treat this time! We have with us Michael Bishop, PhD. Michael came up in the 1980s punk scene of the Richmond, VA area. In his 30s he enrolled in community college and worked his way all the way to a PhD in Critical & Comparative Studies from the Music Department at University of Virginia. His dissertation was entitled, “A Socioesthetics of Punk: Theorizing Personal Narrative, History, and Place. He currently works as a Content Specialist and UX Writer for Interfolio, which makes a variety of management software aimed at academic institutions.

He is, of course, best known for his roles as Blothar the Berserker and Beefcake the Mighty in the—shall we say—‘seminal’ punk band, GWAR. Hailing from the deepest reaches of outer space, GWAR are the epitome of shock-rock bands, blending elaborate costumes and props with a deep mythos and irreverent humor.

They have appeared in movies, talk shows, video games and have played more shows around the world than this puny human can even fathom. Michael, as Beefcake the Mighty, was the bass player and principal song writer for the band on their first 4 albums. He later rejoined the band in 2014 as the lead singer Blothar the Berserker, a position he still holds.

I hope you all are as pumped about this as I am. Let’s get into it!

Dr. Michael Bishop

Ph.D., University of Virginia 2012

https://linktr.ee/blothar

https://www.instagram.com/blothar.of.gwar

Gwar:

Website:⁠ www.gwar.net

Facebook:⁠ www.facebook.com/gwar⁠

Instagram:⁠ www.instagram.com/gwar

Twitter: www.⁠twitter.com/gwar

Spotify⁠: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3dnH7fdVm2X07MK6Fkbhbt?si=73Bc-nicRt2I4cRKxslpCg

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@gwar

Welcome to the inaugural episode of ‘Punk Rock Academic’!

I’m really excited about this episode! Today we have with us Steve Lamos, PhD, Associate Professor of Writing and Rhetoric in the English Department at University of Colorado, Boulder.

He is the author of the book, ‘Interests and Opportunities: Race, Racism, and University Writing Instruction in the Post-Civil Rights Era’, which won a special commendation from the Conference on College Composition and Communication Outstanding Book Award Committee.

He is, perhaps, best known for his role as drummer of the indie emo band American Football, where his fluid and organic drumming is the perfect backbone to the intimate, melodic blend of indie emo, math rock, and jazz.

American Football actually started in the late 90s in Champaign, IL, played a few shows, recorded an EP and an album with Polyvinyl Records, then disbanded. 15 years later, Polyvinyl re-released their eponymous debut album, which launched the band to a well-deserved spot among the greats in the scene, where they continue to perform for sold-out crowds around the world.

Dr. Lamos’ upcoming book, ‘Resonant Rhythms’ will explore intersections between his work in academia and his life as an indie musician.

We couldn’t ask for a better first guest, wouldn’t you say?

Let’s get into it.

Dr. Steve Lamos

Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 2004

M.Ed., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 1997

B.A., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 1995

American Football: Website americanfootballmusic.com

Facebook facebook.com/americanfootballmusic

Instagram instagram.com/americfootball

Twitter twitter.com/americfootball

Spotify open.spotify.com/artist/5FwydyGVcsQllnM4xM6jw4

YouTube www.youtube.com/@AmericanFootballmusic

Alex Yore MS & Dallas McCulloch MPH are a couple of PhD students who have spent much of their lives on tour. They're on a mission to find other academics with a background in punk rock and adjacent scenes, and discuss how the two intersect.

There's a ton of awesome bands, promoters, label workers, managers, etc. who are shaped by the punk rock scene but also have a background in higher education. Additionally, so many people in the halls of academia spent their youth at dingy DIY punk rock shows, and bring those experiences into their approaches to research and their professional lives.

Alex & Dallas have been friends since 1st grade. They both grew up in working class families in the boonies outside of the factory town of Battle Creek Michigan. They started in gifted classes, but were both terrible students that both required summer school at some point and finished high school with a 1.9 and 2.1 GPA respectively. They spent their young adult years largely playing music and touring. Eventually, they wound up thriving in community colleges, then state universities for undergrad, before getting Ivy League educations in graduate school, and they are currently working on PhDs as they enter middle age.

... but they'll still hang in some shitty basement and watch some punk bands, but ideally they're home by 11pm.