This week's guest is Tom May, who you might know as a guitarist and vocalist from The Menzingers. Since the band's start in Scranton, Pennsylvania, more than 15 years ago, the punk-rock powerhouse has released a flurry of well-received EPs and studio albums (including last year's self-recorded From Exile), shared the stage with some massive acts, earned a spot on the Epitaph roster and performed to passionate fans all around the world. Before May was a founding member of The Menzingers, he was honing his skills as a member of lesser-known Scranton bands like Decadence Decay and Bob and The Sagets.
Recently, May spoke to My First Band host Tyler Maas about his early artistic efforts, formative shows from adolescence, the circumstances behind the start of The Menzingers and why he feels the band has remained intact for close to two decades. Over the course of the hour-plus discussion, May also talked about canceling The Menzingers' Australian tour last March to return to the U.S., the process of recording last year's deconstructed complement to 2019's Hello Exile, his Future Friday podcast, unforgettable opportunities music has given him and things he'd still like to accomplish before his playing days are through.
My First Band is sponsored by Mystery Room Mastering and Lakefront Brewery. The show is edited by Jared Blohm. You can listen to My First Band on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify and wherever else you get podcasts. You can also listen to rebroadcasts of previous My First Band episodes on WMSE every Wednesday from noon to 12:30 p.m. CST. Music used in this episode comes courtesy of Devils Teeth ("The Junction Street Eight Tigers") and The Menzingers ("Strawberry Mansion").
