The Tone Mob Podcast

This week I'm serving up something a bit different!

There is another podcast I do called Tape Spaghetti with my good buddy Scott Marquart. On that podcast, we explore strange musical stories, and I'm giving you a sample of it here. Let's get into it!

OG show notes:

You already know the chorus. In fact, you've probably scream-sung it at a bar. But, what do you know about the band behind Tubthumping?

What if we told you that the biggest pub anthem of the '90s was written by militant anarchic agitators who supported striking miners, clashed with fascists, and called a crumbling Victorian mansion home?

Yep, Chumbawamba is probably a LOT more interesting than you might have imagined. In this week's episode of Tape Spaghetti, Scott & Blake trace the band’s journey from punk squatters in Northern England to Britpop chart-toppers, and the ideological tightrope they walked along the way.

Some might have accused them of selling out, but when "Tubthumping" became a global smash, the band used their spotlight for disruption: rewriting lyrics on national TV, provoking politicians, and donating profits to radical causes.

Here's what happens when anarchists accidentally write one of the catchiest pop hooks ever recorded.

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What do you get when you mix a family legacy, a near business collapse, and a piece of gear most people treat like an afterthought?

Something that refuses to disappear.

This week, I’m talking with Danny Songhurst, the man behind The Rock Slide, a company that didn’t just survive but quietly carved out its own lane in the guitar world. We get into how a simple idea, fixing the sloppy feel of traditional slides, turned into a real business and how Danny ended up carrying it forward after losing the person who started it all.

Along the way, we cover growing up in the shadow of grunge, early guitar obsession, building and nearly destroying a custom guitar business, and what it actually takes to stay alive in an industry where most things don’t make it past year one.

There’s also talk of cold calling every guitar shop he could find, why most entrepreneurs spread themselves too thin, and how sometimes the smartest move is sticking to your lane and doing it better than anyone else.

Plus cars, dad life, NAMM chaos, and the kind of perspective you only get after 15 plus years in the trenches.

If you’ve ever tried to build something from scratch or wondered what it really takes to keep it going, this one’s for you.

Check out the stuff on Danny's website HERE https://therockslide.com/

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In this episode, Dan Tremonti shares the full story behind FRET12, from its early days creating The Sound and the Story to building a full-blown music culture brand rooted in community, storytelling, and craftsmanship. Along the way, he breaks down how working with artists evolved into building a loyal fanbase, launching original products, and eventually opening a one-of-a-kind retail space inside Chicago’s Salt Shed.

We get into the realities of building a brand in the music world, why most “merch” is missing the point, and how Dan approaches everything from handmade clothing to artist collaborations and curated gear. There’s also a deep dive into the philosophy behind experiential retail—and why the future of music shops isn’t just selling gear, but creating places people actually want to be.

Plus: the origin of the “String Thing,” supporting local builders, and why analog experiences might be more important than ever.

This one goes way beyond pedals and pickups—it’s about building something real in a world that’s increasingly digital.

Check them out at on their website https://www.fret12.com/

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Jordan Buckley is back for Part 2, and this time the conversation heads somewhere unexpectedly hopeful. After years of noise, pressure, and carrying things that don’t travel light, Jordan talks about what it actually feels like to start setting some of that down.

The recent Better Lovers shift becomes less about endings and more about perspective. About realizing not everything is meant to last forever, and that doesn’t make it a failure. Sometimes it just means it did exactly what it was supposed to do.

There’s a lot here about growth. About learning how to exist outside of the thing you’ve always been known for. About finding space where there used to be tension, and figuring out how to move forward without dragging the past behind you like a busted amp with a bad wheel.

And somewhere along the way, there’s a genuine sense of relief. The kind that doesn’t show up loud or flashy, but sticks around.

It’s honest, it’s reflective, and it’s about what can happen when you finally give yourself permission to feel better.

Check out all things Better Lovers HERE https://betterloversband.com/

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You can also help out with your gear buying habits by purchasing stuff from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tonemob.com/reverb⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tonemob.com/sweetwater⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or grabbing your guitar/bass strings from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tonemob.com/stringjoy⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Jordan Buckley is back for round two, and what starts as a classic Tone Mob conversation slowly reveals a little more weight under the hood.

In this episode, Blake catches up with Jordan about life in Better Lovers, finally taking guitar more seriously, learning from the absurd level of talent around him, and why picking the instrument back up with fresh eyes has changed everything. They also wander into the weeds on creativity, burnout, parenting, touching grass literally, internet weirdness, AI art, and the ongoing battle to stay human in an increasingly synthetic world.

It’s funny, thoughtful, honest, and very much in the spirit of Jordan’s first appearance on the show.

Stay tuned for the next one, or sign up for Patreon to get it early!

Check out Better Lovers on their main website HERE https://betterloversband.com/

Support The Show And Connect!


The Text Chat is back! Hit me up at (503) 751-8577

You can also help out with your gear buying habits by purchasing stuff from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tonemob.com/reverb⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tonemob.com/sweetwater⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or grabbing your guitar/bass strings from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tonemob.com/stringjoy⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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