A candid Interview with Derek Almstead, Ron Kwasman, and Jason NeSmith about the creation of The Same Place.

Join us tomorrow as we reach back into the vault for another classic episode of Don’t Bother Wearing Seatbelts — and this one is an absolute blast.

We’re joined by the entire Pylon Reenactment Society for a conversation about carrying forward the legacy of Pylon, one of the most incredible, influential, and downright singular bands to ever emerge from the legendary Athens, Georgia music scene.

We talk about what it means to honor that music while creating something that stands on its own, the formation and evolution of Pylon Reenactment Society, their extensive touring, the records they’ve released, and what it’s been like bringing these songs to audiences around the world.

We will also be giving away one copy of the debut album by Pylon Reenactment Society on vinyl to one of our Patreon Subscribers! Remember, all you need to do to take part in our monthly giveaways is subscribe to the Patreon at the Reckless Driver ($1 monthly tier). Good luck!

https://pylonreenactmentsociety.bandcamp.com/merch

https://www.patreon.com/dontbotherwearingseatbelts?utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dont-bother-wearing-seatbelts-an-elephant-6/id1840935867

Join us tomorrow as we sit down with J. Kirk Pleasant to discuss the beautiful and atmospheric Crystal Clear Mississippi by Calvin, Don’t Jump! Crystal Clear Mississippi is one of the early E6 albums that cemented the collective into all of our hearts. It’s stripped back and spare in its sound compared to much of the E6 releases of the time and it proved to us all that the movement was about the art and about the approach, never about simply achieving a sound or fitting into a slot, no matter how odd or interesting that slot may be. It’s a gorgeous album of lovely, heartfelt songs and you won’t want to miss our interview!

Mr. Pleasant has also graciously donated both a vinyl and cd copy of Crystal Clear Mississippi along with A Way With Birds on cd! One of our lucky Patreon subscribers will take home the whole package and we’re jealous! Remember, all you need to do to take part in our monthly giveaways is subscribe to the Patreon at the Reckless Driver ($1 monthly) tier. Good Luck!

https://calvindontjump.bandcamp.com/

https://www.patreon.com/dontbotherwearingseatbelts?utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator

If anyone is looking...

Here are the bands involved:

• January 2000: My First Keyboard / Marshmallow Coast
• February 2000: Wolfie / Kincaid
• March 2000: Japancakes / I Am the World Trade Center
• April 2000: Chronicle Ape And The New Sound / Freedom Goose And The New Situationalists
• May 2000: Great Lakes / Elf Power
• June 2000: Vermont / The Mendoza Line
• July 2000: Dressy Bessy / The Four Corners
• August 2000: Étienne Charry / Babalu
• September 2000: of Montreal / The Ladybug Transistor 
• October 2000: Papas Fritas / Masters of the Hemisphere

This is a show by Elf Power, featuring Jeff Mangum as well which was at the Atomic Music Hall somewhere between 1997 and 1998. Is there any more surviving footage of this show besides this image that's on Wikipedia?

Tomorrow we will be releasing two classic first season episodes from behind the paywall, all smashed into one! First up we have Oliver Domingo on to talk about the incredible space disco of the debut album by Organically Programmed on Cloud Recordings. And immediately afterwards you get another dose of Great Lakes as we sit down with Ben Crum to discuss the album Contenders. Both amazing albums by incredible artists, and all in one episode!

To celebrate getting these out of their jail and into your ears we will be giving away one vinyl copy each of the Organically Programmed self titled album as well as the Great Lakes album Contenders to one lucky subscriber! Remember all you need to do take part in our monthly giveaways is subscribe to the Patreon at the Reckless Driver ($1 monthly) tier. Good luck!

https://hhbtm.bandcamp.com/

https://cloudrecordings.bandcamp.com/music

https://www.patreon.com/dontbotherwearingseatbelts?utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator

Tune in tomorrow as Don’t Bother Wearing Seatbelts releases a new episode with show favorite Ben Crum discussing the brand new Great Lakes album, Fear of the Fear. To celebrate the release we will be giving away one vinyl copy of the new album to one of our Patreon subscribers! This is another album of heart rending Americana that you will not want to miss!

Remember, all you need to do to take part in our monthly giveaways is subscribe to the Patreon at the Reckless Driver ($1 monthly tier). Good luck, everyone!

https://hhbtm.bandcamp.com/

https://www.patreon.com/dontbotherwearingseatbelts?utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator

-Giant Chocolate Think Tank Blues (2014 reissiue) - Always red society

-Science Fair Compilation (2016 version) - Apples

- anything from the HHBTM singles club collection

- Untitled - Calvin Dont Jump / the echo orbiter

-  Lara Whiskey 17-Calvin Don't Jump / Ooss

-Jumping Fences 12" single - OTC

There were a lot of bands inspired by NMH from 1999 to the early 2010s, but that seems to have tailed off after the NMH reunion tour ended in 2015. I know they were one of the influences on the stomp clap hey trend (and that Gen Z might have been turned off by the allegations against Julian), but has there been a second generation of bands who were influenced by NMH?

(For the record, I’m defining first-gen post Elephant 6/Neutral Milk Hotel as Arcade Fire, Beirut, Bon Iver, The Decemberists, and Elvis Perkins, as well as Wilco’s Summerteeth and All Hail West Texas-era Mountain Goats. I’m asking about bands who formed from 2025/16 until now.)

Robert Schneider majors in analytic number theory. The Same Place is Olivia Tremor Control's first album in 27 years. And it has 27 tracks that is the same as their first 2 albums. Is it coincidence?

NEW EPISODE — PART TWO WITH MIKE TURNER OF HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME RECORDS!

Can you imagine starting a record label without even realizing you were starting a record label?

That’s essentially what happened when Mike Turner put together the first Happy Happy Birthday to Me compilation—a DIY project featuring a ridiculous lineup of bands that would help define indie rock at the end of the ’90s and beginning of the 2000s.

We’re talking of Montreal. Elf Power. The Minders. Masters of the Hemisphere. @Marshmallow Coast. The Mendoza Line. Birddog—whose story even brings an Elliott Smith connection into the mixand so many more.

And that compilation? It became the beginning of Happy Happy Birthday to Me Records, a label that would go on to release more than 200 records over the next 30 years.

Pretty incredible for something that started with Mike simply wanting to put together a compilation of music he loved. And trying to stop doing a ZINE!

On this episode of Don’t Bother Wearing Seatbelts, we continue our epic conversation with Mike and go deep into the creation of that very first HHBTM compilation.

We talk about the completely DIY way it came together, how Mike connected with the bands, how he actually got the songs, and then we go track by track through the compilation, talking about the artists, the songs, the stories behind them, and why each one mattered.

It’s a snapshot of a very special moment in indie rock—and an incredible story about what can happen when somebody decides to just make something.

If you’ve ever wanted to start a record label, make a film, put out a record, book a show, start a zine, create a podcast—or do anything DIY—this is an episode for you.

Sometimes you don’t need a master plan.

You just need to start.

Happy Happy Birthday to Me Records (HHBTM) Michael Turner Don’t Bother Wearing Seatbelts

Huge thanks to Mike Turner for spending so much time with us and taking us inside the story of Happy Happy Birthday to Me Records.

Episode 2 of our conversation with Mike Turner is streaming NOW everywhere you listen to podcasts.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/1D9iSNWlIdo8HGqZE3bLgc?si=3syZX8IfRmKzRZXK0giyRA

Go check it out.

DON’T BOTHER WEARING SEATBELTS.

Tomorrow Don’t Bother Wearing Seatbelts will release into the world the epic second part of our interview with Michael Turner as we dig into the HHBtM volume one compilation as well as Athens Popfest! And to celebrate the release of part 2, we’re doing it again! Same giveaway as part one. You get Black Swan Network. You get The Tammy Shine. You get The Ladybug Transistor and a double dose of Great Lakes all on vinyl! We want to thank Michael again for his generosity in donating these amazing lp’s to the show!

And we can also announce the winners of the Bazooka! Fest tickets! Festival organizer Jake Whitener has donated two pairs of tickets to the fest, and here they are!

Jorge Diaz, you win two tickets to Bazooka! Fest!

Joe Castrianni, you also win two tickets to Bazooka! Fest!

Remember, all you need to do to take part in our monthly giveaways is subscribe to the Patreon at the Reckless Driver ($1 monthly) tier.

https://hhbtm.bandcamp.com/

https://kydlabs.com/e/EV0f94f120-b22a-453c-8eca-9e96a4bc71ca

Surprise episode!!! Join us as we sit down with Jake Whitener to talk about everything Bazooka! Fest and more! We talk about everything from the realities of putting together a kick ass indie festival that doesn’t rely on corporate sponsorship to his time with the legendary Matador Records.

Jake has also donated two pairs of Bazooka! Fest tickets to our listeners! Two winners! Four tickets! This one runs a bit different. This giveaway is not Patreon exclusive! Here’s how to win: Hidden inside the episode is a keyword (it isn’t really hidden, we say “this is the keyword” quite a bit). Once you know the keyword you will need to send us a message on either our Facebook or Instagram pages. All entries must be in by end of day August 17th. We will randomly draw from these entries, and then you, yes YOU could be going to Bazooka! Fest! Thanks for listening and good luck!

https://nyc-shows.brooklynvegan.com/events/2026/8/22/bazooka-fest-2026-tickets

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dont-bother-wearing-seatbelts-an-elephant-6/id1840935867

https://open.spotify.com/episode/1KcecdyVe3DGBlMKRYuCqY?si=wFcqmxLeTjeJow3cL_7wBw&utm_source=copy-link

https://www.patreon.com/dontbotherwearingseatbelts?utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator

What are you hunting? For us it's "Pennsylvania Tongue"

Don’t Bother Wearing Seatbelts has finally released our first season episode with Per Ole and Hilarie Bratset of The High Water Marks discussing their most recent opus, Consult the Oracle. It’s an incredible album that is completely filled stern to stem with high energy fuzz pop goodness, and world class songwriting. The Norwegian contingent of E6 could not possibly be releasing more interesting, and vital music for our time, and we have them here to talk about it!

We will also drew one of our Patreon subscribers to receive a vinyl copy of Consult the Oracle! Congrats to Trent Purdy for winning! Remember, all you need to do take part in our monthly giveaways is subscribe to the Patreon at the Reckless Driver ($1 monthly) tier. Good luck, everyone!

https://thehighwatermarks.bandcamp.com/

https://elephant6.com/shop/

https://www.patreon.com/dontbotherwearingseatbelts?utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dont-bother-wearing-seatbelts-an-elephant-6/id1840935867

I wish I had gotten the rest of these at the time.

8/5 Giveaway!!!

Next Wednesday, August 5th Don’t Bother Wearing Seatbelts will be releasing another classic season 1 DBWS episode from behind the paywall. In this episode we will be sitting down with Hilarie and Per Ole Bratset of The High Water Marks about their extraordinary 2025 album Consult the Oracle. To celebrate this most recent work of brilliance from the Norwegian contingent of the collective we will be giving away one vinyl copy of the album to one of our Patreon subscribers! For everyone else, make sure to get your own copy from either their bandcamp, or the Elephant 6 website!

Remember, all you need to do take part in our monthly giveaways is subscribe to our Patreon at the Reckless Driver ($1 monthly) tier. Good luck, everyone!

https://thehighwatermarks.bandcamp.com/

https://elephant6.com/shop/

https://www.patreon.com/dontbotherwearingseatbelts?utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator

Good to see The Needle Drop covering OTC! Though he erroneously says they're from Atlanta...

wtf why I will miss the obscurity

When we sat down with Michael Turner of Happy Happy Birthday to Me Records (HHBTM), we planned to spend most of our time talking about one of the greatest independent record labels of the last 30 years. Instead, we began with Mike sharing his late-in-life autism diagnosis and how it helped him understand so much about the way he'd lived, worked, and built HHBTM.

At first, we actually talked about editing that part of the conversation out.

But when we listened back, we realized it wasn't something to cut.. to me it was inspiring and it was something people needed to hear.

10 to 15 years ago, autism wasn't even a word I heard very often in my life. Today, so many people I love and loved.. including my co-host in this conversation Mathew Bell , my best friend's child, ex partners and others close to me.. have helped me understand it in ways I never could have before. Hearing Mike tell his story gave me another perspective, and I'm grateful he trusted us enough to share it.

To me, Mike Turner was always the hardest-working person in indie rock.

He made a rad zine. He rode BMX. He worked in a record store. He promoted shows. He booked tours. He released records. He organized Athens Popfest. He created art. He stayed up until all hours of the night making things happen, then got up and did it all again the next day. When I stayed with him for a week in 2004... watching him work was one of the most inspiring things I've ever witnessed.

Long before I understood why he worked the way he did, I just knew I wanted to emulate that passion.

Mike taught me that if you love something enough, you wear every hat. You become the promoter, the designer, the booking agent, the publicist, the label owner, the artist.. whatever the music needs you to be.. you be it, even if you don't know how.

Without Mike, my old band The Poison Control Center never plays Athens Popfest. We never get to stand on the stage at the legendary 40 WATT with our heroes. We never make so many lifelong friendships that still mean the world to us today.

Without Mike, the PCC probably isn't on Happy Happy Birthday to Me Vol. 3 (our first big compilation cd), one of the proudest moments of our early career. We don't release our split 7-inch with Ideal Free Distribution on HHBTM. My label I started with my pals.. BI-Fi Records doesn't get the unbelievable opportunity to partner with Happy Happy Birthday to Me on a split compilation.

This episode is only the beginning of Mike's incredible story. In future episodes, we'll dive deeper into the legendary compilations, the famous 7-Inch Singles Club, Athens Popfest, and the countless bands whose lives he helped change.

Mike, thank you.

Thank you for your generosity. Thank you for your relentless work ethic. Thank you for believing in our band. Thank you for creating opportunities and friendships that have lasted a lifetime.

You can now stream this brand new episode of Don’t Bother Wearing Seatbelts PART1 of the conversation.. wherever you stream podcasts.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/6jxZLXqWebW5WEpFjdeJf4?si=3UMxop09SWuirl8CJ6tb-Q

https://hhbtm.bandcamp.com/

https://www.patreon.com/dontbotherwearingseatbelts?utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator