HardLore Podcast: Greg Falchetto (The Mongoloids, Hold My Own)

Hosts: Colin Young (Twitching Tongues, God’s Hate), Bo Lueders (Harm’s Way)
Guest: Greg Falchetto (The Mongoloids, Hold My Own)
Date: September 4, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode of HardLore dives deep into the life, music, and hilarious lore of Greg Falchetto, iconic figure in hardcore through his bands The Mongoloids and Hold My Own, and now experienced artist manager. The conversation flows from formative days in New Jersey’s hardcore scene, through touring chaos, to management stories from the influencer world. Greg’s trademark humor and candor is on display as the hosts and guest bounce between personal lore, rambunctious tour stories, band drama, scene history, and the affectionately silly side of hardcore. If you want a sprawling oral history of 21st-century hardcore through one dude’s wild ride, this is as rich as it gets.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

Early Hardcore Discovery and New Jersey Roots

• Discovering Hardcore:
  • Greg’s entry into punk and hardcore came via a mentor/teacher mixtape in the late '90s containing a wide spectrum of artists. The inclusion of Glassjaw and Thursday’s “Dying in New Brunswick” resonated because of the hometown connection.
    • “The song has the town in the title... I kind of locked in on it.” (05:01)
• First Local Shows:
  • Early shows included everything from Linkin Park in a 600-cap club (“right when Hybrid Theory was coming out”) to Murphy’s Law chaos (“the guitar player received a blowjob on stage while playing”).
    • “I saw Murphy’s Law play a show…like, yeah, crazy shit. You know, this is 2000, 2001.” (05:04)

Formative Years, Bands, and the Mongoloids Origin Story

• Band Formation:
  • Early bands: Fright Fest (with synth noises and show shenanigans), leading to The Mongoloids with a blend of older and much younger members united by obsessive love for hardcore and not caring what others thought.
    • “We actually kind of liked that nobody cared. Like, let’s just keep playing these shows.” (00:00 / 36:01)
• Naming the Band:
  • The name “The Mongoloids” directly came from a vocabulary word one member learned in high school.
    • “His high school…vocabulary, where it was Mongoloids, they’re like, oh, shit, we just call it Mongols. Like, great idea.” (12:23)

Ethos of Silly Hardcore and Chaos Over Seriousness

• Greg and the band always leaned into humor and not taking themselves seriously:

  • “I never wanted to take any of it too seriously... I would never cosplay as some tough guy. I’m gonna go to the shows and…something about that made it so enjoyable to me.” (14:01)

• Onstage Antics:

  • Bringing a couch on stage for Greg to sit and sing from, wearing light-up “2008” sunglasses at pivotal set bookends—embracing spectacle and fun as response to apathy.
    • “[We’d] get the crowd to bring a couch on stage and I would sit on the couch and sing the set just like dumb shit early on because why the fuck not?” (00:00/36:01)
    • “Greg bends down, picks something up... light-up 2008 sunglasses. Plays the set in them for as long as you can…” (32:29)

Band Dynamics, Touring, and Scene Lore

• Relation to Bandmates & Falling Out:

  • The Mongoloids went through dramatic line-up changes. Greg kicked out the original lineup at one point after a grueling European tour, leading to an infamous Bridge 9 message board post referencing eating Cheesecake Factory meals.
    • “Greg told us he’s leaving with a whole new band. And… sometimes he’ll be eating lavish meals such as Cheesecake Factory while we don’t know what we’re doing.” (43:05)
    • “Looking back at it now… I know I was completely wrong and, and I was just. I was insane. I was a fucked up person from New Jersey.” (44:15)

• Touring Approach:

  • Willingness to travel anywhere for shows, the advantage of Northeast proximity, and the grind-it-out attitude before social media made scene building easier.
  • “We did a lot of weekends… like any show we can get, we would take.” (23:13)
  • “You can drive 90 minutes and you’re in a whole new scene with 5-600 more people.” (25:40)

• Van/Bus Stories:

  • The acquisition and maintenance nightmares of the Mongoloids’ infamous mini-bus (“we should have just bought a regular van…that thing cost us so much money”), and its status as a rolling icon loaned/rented to friends.

Records, Songs, and Scene Evolution

• Early Recordings and Their Impact:

  • Demo urgency driven by Greg’s need to have music to hand out on tour. “A lot of the demo was done...like the vocals were one take. It was very like...we were rushing the demo because I was about to go on tour with The Banner.” (19:24)

• Time Trials LP:

  • Recorded in two different sessions mashed into one record, capturing youthful energy and sincerity.
    • “I still think it’s good...every lyric I wrote, I still hold true to those.” (29:42)

• Musical Influences:

  • Cites Life of Agony, No Warning, and Leeway as key influences, but is (humorously) not into most metal—specifically dislikes Suffocation and is unmoved by Sepultura.
    • “Yeah, I’m good. Disgusting. I don’t want that.” (41:03)
    • “Maybe I’m just like more of a pop punk guy, you know, Like Starting Line. I’ll listen to that all day.” (41:41)

Band Rotating Cast, Notable Collaborators, and Pivotal Members

• Shifting Lineups:
  • Mike Cesario, Kyle Thomas, Kane Gordon, and future members of Disgrace, Trash Talk, and others passed through the Mongoloids.
    • “Mike Cesario…someone I really look up to…his attitude as a human...to be able to take the shittiest situation and somehow spin it positively.” (54:33)

Mongoloids’ End, Transition to Management, and “Hold My Own”

• End of Mongoloids:
  • By 2014, constant lineup changes and diminishing personal connection prompted Greg to pull the plug.
    • “I was just tapped on it, to be honest...I just can’t do it anymore.” (65:24)
• Transition to Management:
  • After Mongoloids, Greg gets into tour and artist management via influencer meet-and-greet tours, rising from cold calls and chaos to international operations for digital stars.
    • “We set up the step and repeat. And he would just meet whoever showed up...hundreds of people showing up every night…” (75:57)
    • “I was like, all right, I need to start figuring it out... I found out that an influencer was going to do a tour. This is 2014, so it’s early. This is like early Instagram.” (74:21)

Return to Hardcore: Hold My Own

• Band Genesis:
  • Linked up online with members of Hold My Own during the pandemic; wrote and recorded remotely; found fresh purpose and connection.
    • “You want to do a band? He’s like, sure. But then he sent me songs, so it was kind of like, oh, he actually wants to do the band.” (93:45)
• Hold My Own vs. Mongoloids:
  • HMO is more collaborative, less resentment-driven, and Greg reflects on learning better ways to work with bandmates.
    • “Hold My Own is definitely a little bit more like unit. We’re a unit and...we do it in a little more constructive way.” (99:00)
• Forthcoming LP and Current Activities:
  • New LP due early next year on Days; frequent shows, festival appearances; “It’s crazy playing in a band with [Mike from Bulldoze].” (97:43)

Hardcore Community, Collections, and Reflections

• Memorabilia:
  • Greg’s collection of rare records and shirts; selectively liquidating but keeps what’s personally meaningful; “I love hardcore. I’m in. The most important to me.” (72:20)
• Core Values:
  • Lifelong straight edge; values friendship, scene support, and real connection over clout; “If you’re not now, you never were.” (126:11)

Notable Soundbites & Quotes

• On Tour Antics:
  • “We didn’t give a fuck. We would play the instruments, right, but we would just shit on everybody because we didn’t give a fuck.” (36:01)
• On Kicking Out the Band:
  • “Some of us didn’t talk from that point until last year. 2 of the members of me didn’t speak for 18 years. Straight up.” (46:03)
• On Collecting & Selling Hardcore Stuff:
  • “Do I need a Minor Threat wrestling that I can get $2,500 for? Like, I’d rather just get the money and go to Disney.” (72:32)
• On Current Management Approach:
  • “Currently working with bands again...has been so fulfilling for this year especially...James is an old friend of mine, and it’s just cool to land back where I want to be.” (91:17)
• On Hardcore’s DIY Heart:
  • “I was thinking about records that I know majority of the words to... It’s Death Threat, Last Days and Death or Peace and Security... those two records are everything to me.” (111:47)

Timestamps of Important Segments

• 00:00 — Opening antics philosophy: “We actually kind of liked that nobody cared.”
• 05:01 — Discovering Thursday, the surrealism of hearing your hometown in a song.
• 07:52 — Early touring with Census Fail, mishaps, and jumping into the road life.
• 13:21 — The origin of The Mongoloids and the story behind the name.
• 36:01 — “Get the crowd to bring a couch on stage…”: peak antics stories.
• 43:02 — Infamous “Cheesecake Factory” Bridge 9 message board lore.
• 54:33 — On Mike Cesario’s positivity and Greg’s own growth.
• 65:24 — Why the Mongoloids ended (“I was just tapped on it…”)
• 74:21 — Entering artist/influencer management post-band.
• 93:45 — How Hold My Own formed: “He actually wants to do the band.”
• 99:00 — Comparing band vibes: Mongoloids' “resentment,” HMO’s “unit.”
• 126:11 — Final words: “If you’re not now, you never were.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Greg Falchetto:

• On band beginnings: “It was never, let's go to these shows. We're going to play the crazy sets and everybody's going to care. We actually kind of liked that nobody cared.” (00:00)
• On Bridge 9 drama: “Greg told us he’s leaving with a whole new band... sometimes he’ll be eating lavish meals such as Cheesecake Factory while we don’t know what we’re doing.” (43:05)
• On reconciliation: “Some of us didn’t talk from that point until last year... to have that with people that I built something with... it didn’t feel good when you go back and you think of those memories.” (46:03)
• On scene lifeblood: “If you ask any of these labels you'll see my order in there. It's not like I sit here being like, oh, this is cool... Why wouldn’t I do that? I don’t even have to hear it. I just know it’s going to be great and I want to participate.” (73:26)
• On straight edge: “If you’re not now, you never were.” (126:11)

Hosts:

• Colin Young on hardcore bonding: “I want bands with 900 monthly listeners to finally get their due.” (16:15)
• Bo Lueders on scene geography: “If you want to go to another scene here, you’re going to fucking Omaha.” (26:03)
• On favorite food: “There’s nothing bad on that menu.” (100:05)

Audience Q&A Highlights

• Favorite lost NJ venues: Eminem Hall, Birch Hill Nightclub, Chrome, Warren American Legion, Westfield Church. (114:23)
• Best hardcore band without an LP: Outburst, Iceman, S.O.B.
• Stage managing “This is Hardcore”: Friendship with Joe Hardcore, the realities of fest management, personal and professional ups and downs. (70:25)
• Tour sleep stories: European venue floors, buses, and being able to sleep any place when tired enough. (121:17)

Final Section: Lightning Round (“New Jersey Rorschach”)

Greg rapidly characterizes classic New Jersey bands and figures (“Fury of Five: Unhinged”, “Thursday: The best”, “Saves the Day: Iconic”), capturing local lore with a single word each (67:18).

Conclusion: What Makes Greg Falchetto Essential Lore

Through lighthearted stories and unvarnished reflection, Greg embodies the do-it-because-you-love-it spirit of hardcore. His journey—mistakes and all—maps the importance of community, humility, and having fun with your friends (and enemies) along the way. He’s a scene lifer, and his stories—from Mongoloids’ drama to Hold My Own’s new chapter—are a blueprint for giving a damn, but not too much, for those who want to last.

Listen to this episode if you want:

• Uncensored insight into hardcore’s 2000s/2010s ecosystem
• Riotous tales and very real emotions behind band dynamics and falling out/making up
• Unpretentious advice on being a lifer, building DIY bands, and trusting your friends
• Laugh-out-loud moments, scene in-jokes, and poignant scene history
• Real talk about being straight edge, blowing up and burning out, and what’s next

“If you’re not now, you never were.” – Greg Falchetto (126:11)