Jon: These days, Shop Talk is really just Tristan and me. I play guitar and sing lead, and Tristan plays bass and sings backing vocals.
We’ve worked with a few different drummers. Alexander Perrelli plays on the LP, but left after we made the record. Angie Boylan (Sleater-Kinney, Lost Balloons, etc.) played drums with us for most of 2025, and she’s on the Museum of Sex 7-inch. Nathaniel Meek filled in on our recent tour, and he’ll be playing some local gigs as well.
Shock Treatment: What band or musician first made you want to pick up an instrument and start learning to play music or write songs?
Tristan: This is going to sound manufactured, but for me it was the Beatles. My dad was a big fan and I grew up listening to them. After I had my first acoustic guitar, I went to Borders and bought a Beatles song book… ya know, because the internet wasn’t fully formed yet.
Jon: For me it was the Rolling Stones. I started taking guitar lessons in 3rd or 4th grade if memory serves. I had the Hot Rocks compilation on cassette.
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| Photo by Kevin Daniel |
Jon: The LP was recorded during a five-day session in Nashville, in the middle of our summer tour. We recorded with James Mechan (of the Sleeveens) at 302 Sound. He’s a great engineer. We were all crashing at the studio, so the process was pretty immersive. We were able to stay in the world of the record, and work strange and/or long hours when needed. I don’t think that would’ve been possible for us in New York.
Previously we’d only released an EP and singles. The LP felt overdue. Some of the songs had been in my back pocket for years, and I’d been waiting for the right opportunity to put them down. I’m a patient motherfucker.
Shock Treatment: The band is currently based in New York City. What’s it like being in a band right now in a city that huge, with so much going on all the time.
Jon: I like the energy of the city, but it can be fatiguing for sure. It’s also hard to cut through the noise. Hundreds of thousands of bands are competing for your attention. I’m grateful to’ve met some really talented collaborators here, though. There’s a community of musicians and artists who feel like kindred spirits, and for better or worse they keep me from getting on with my life.
Tristan: As Jon said, living in NYC is great but a double-edged sword, especially with how expensive it’s getting. That being said, I will never leave this place
Shock Treatment: And speaking of the “city that never sleeps”, what is your favorite post gig activity to do in NYC? Any favorite eateries you guys like hitting after a long sweaty rock n roll show?
Tristan: Always TV Eye. It helps that our rehearsal space is near there and the gear always has to go home first.
Jon: I’m not much of a post-show eater, but I might stop at TV Eye for a nightcap. More often than not the show is happening there anyway.
Shock Treatment: What can people expect from a Shop Talk show? What do you want people walking away with after seeing you guys play?
Jon: I still find live music to be kind of mysterious. I don’t fully understand how it works, but if the chemistry is right I leave my body for a while. On a good night the show can feel transcendent. Hopefully people leave feeling more alive.
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| Photo by Kevin Daniel |
Shock Treatment: Do you feel like subcultures meant more to past generations? People that actually had to shell out money and set aside time to go to a record store and go see gigs as opposed to just listening to records online and seeing shows on YouTube? Does this cheapen the rock n roll experience in any way you think?
Tristan: The way that people interact with music has changed drastically over the past couple decades. Add to that the fact that subculture has been absorbed and commodified by the mainstream and the picture is certainly bleak. You can buy an H&M Ramones shirt. CBGBs is now a John Varvatos, which is a “punk/rock n roll” luxury brand. That being said, I think subcultures will always persist because we need to find a sense of community, even more so now. Modern life can be very isolating, and subcultures tend to help people connect.
Shock Treatment: What do you think is the best thing about being in a punk/rock n roll band that people don’t talk about?
Tristan: I would say that punk doesn’t shun the old like pop music and other genres that are youth obsessed. We are gonna do this forever and no one bats an eye, rather people respect the lineage of bands that came before them, and the scene becomes more inclusive.
Jon: It’s sort of like belonging to a secret society or something. Strangers who come from a punk rock background tend to treat each other very hospitably.
Shock Treatment: What does the near future hold for Shop Talk?
Tristan: The goal is to get on the road as much as possible.
Shock Treatment: Where can people go to listen to your music and buy your records?
Jon: Our music is pretty easy to find now, thankfully. It’s on all the streaming services. You can order from Bandcamp, or via the One Track Mind site.
Why not take a walk to your local record store? If they don’t have the LP in stock they’ll be able to order it from Revolver USA.
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