Greg Falchetto (The Mongoloids, Hold My Own)

Summary

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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

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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.

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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)

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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.”

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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)

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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)

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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).

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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.

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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

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

Transcript

[Greg Falchetto]

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. Like, let's just keep playing these shows. We would do stupid shit like get the crowd to bring a couch on stage and I would sit on the couch and sing the set just like dumb early on. Because why the fuck not? Like, oh, you don't want to watch us? Well now you have to watch us. And we're going to be. So we would play the instruments, right? But. And we play the songs, but we would just on everybody. Because we didn't give a story.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Hello, welcome. It's hard Lore time. How you doing, Bo?

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

I'm doing so good, Colin. How are you?

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

I couldn't be better. I've never been better. In fact, we've got such a great guest this week. New Jersey is in town.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Wow.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

When isn't it really? You know, Springsteen, Misfits, etc. But today we have an illustrious guest. We have our friend of decades plus now you know, some call him the crown prince of New Jersey. Straight edge. Some call him the king. It really depends on who you ask. I call him Greg Falchetto from the Mongoloids. Hold My Own and many more things. Welcome Greg.

[Greg Falchetto]

It is an absolute pleasure to be here.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

I am so glad to finally see you here on this show for a long form interview.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Yep.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

We did a mini episode many years ago that we never aired. Top secret because we felt like we wasted you, you know, it was like we can't waste this time on this guy, on this little stupid little thing.

[Greg Falchetto]

Right. I like dead spin. I'll take it.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

As a manager, you know, I gotta, I gotta spin. But. Welcome Greg. How you doing today?

[Greg Falchetto]

I'm doing great. Let me, let me start this off with a question. What do you guys know about K Pop Demon Hunter?

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

I know it's the top. Streamed. Is it a show or a movie?

[Greg Falchetto]

It's like a anime movie on Netflix.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

The movie is now the top streamed movie in the history of Netflix.

[Greg Falchetto]

Well, I didn't know that. That's very impressive.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Yeah.

[Greg Falchetto]

Who.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

That's all the rage.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

What studio put it out? Anybody know Korea? Ah yeah, I've heard of. I've heard of that.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Netflix, Korea.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

I don't know anything about it.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

I don't really Take over the world this thing.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

I don't watch anything like that. Really?

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

I heard that there's music in it.

[Greg Falchetto]

Yeah. So the soundtrack had been like a multiple times a day going on in My house. You know, my 8 year old's big fan of K pop Demon Hunter. So some of those songs. I feel like I'm los of hardcore a little bit. Listening so frequently to this soundtrack, it's. It's almost deleting my past.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Really.

[Greg Falchetto]

I'm really grateful to be here right now with you guys to kind of like rejuvenate what's being lost every day as my soul deteriorates.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

If they're into hunting demons, they're into crushing demoniacs. It's all, it's all. It can come right back.

[Greg Falchetto]

I see that.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

And you know, you've been liquidating your assets of, of hardcore memorabilia for years now, so maybe it's time to begin on South Korean pop memorabilia.

[Greg Falchetto]

You know, that is. That is true.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Check it out, dude. But yeah, I've heard good things. I'll check it out. You know, I love a musical. I love a silly song.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Yeah, you do.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

What's better than that? Speaking of silly songs. Great. When did you find hardcore punk music in your life? Tell me about discovering that in New Jersey.

[Greg Falchetto]

It was early because I was in a program in school, like seventh grade, maybe eighth grade. It was called the mentor program because I grew up without a father. So they would put you with teachers and you would hang out with them. Right. And I had this teacher that was my mentor. His name was Mr. Gangi. And he was really into music. So he gave me like a mixtape. This is probably like late 99, maybe early 2000. He gave me a mixtape and I had like a bunch of different stuff on it. More like Lester Jake L. Rough few songs, dude ranch 82, but then also like Skunk and Antsy. I don't know if you know what that is. Like a weird uk. He was just like kind of all over the place musically. So that on that mixtape was. Was Glass Jaw on Thursday. So in the third and the Thursday song on it was so called Dying in New Brunswick, which was. Was from the Waiting record. So their first. Their first record. And I remember thinking it was so crazy because I grew up in East Brunswick, so. And like New Brunswick was like a stone's throw away. So it's like, man, this is crazy. Like the. The song has the town in the title and it was just like. So that was kind of like an immediate. I kind of locked. Locked in on it. And then when I went to high school. But yeah, so that was probably eighth grade and then when I went to high school. So this is 2000. 2000, I think. Yeah, 2000. That sounds right. There is kids that I would see wearing the shirts. So I became friends with this one girl that was probably a junior senior at that point. Her name was Angela and she was going to a show for the CMJ showcases, which were something that happened in New York City a lot every year. And they were like CBs and a bunch of other places. And she brought me to. This goes really quick, right? So she brings me to the show and I meet this guy, Sean Sullivan, AKA Shawnee. And Shawnee was like a big part of all the local clubs.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Yeah.

[Greg Falchetto]

And he lived at the town next to my grandmother. So then he just starts bringing me to every show. Literally every show. Like, whether it's hardcore punk, like, I seen some just like an array. I saw Linkin park at like a 600 cap club right when Hybrid Theory was coming out. I saw. I saw Murphy's Law play a show where they wouldn't stop playing and the guitar player received a blowjob on stage while playing. Like. Yeah, like crazy shit. You know, this is 2000, 2001. So different time, different. Different time for sure, isn't it?

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

It's so fascinating to think when we're young, how small our worlds are, that we see a band like the first three of the first hardcore bands I ever heard in general were Hate Brief, Death Threat and Hundred Demons. And I'm in Connecticut listening to these bands, thinking, like, every band must be from Connecticut.

[Greg Falchetto]

Ah.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Like. Like, oh, wow. And then you leave Connecticut and you're like, it's such a miracle that these three bands existed. So the. The fact that you found Thursday talking about right up the road at that time in your life like that, that brings you the whole perspective, leaving only until you leave New Jersey and grow up a little one bit. Do you really realize how cool that is just to have somebody talking about your home.

[Greg Falchetto]

Yeah. As you get in a hardcore too, there's so much crossover, right. Like. Like before the starting line was the starting. And I know this isn't hardcore. And I would never pose to be like, yeah, Sepultura is the first show I listened to. Like, no, I was like, pretty big into like homegrown and like that. That was what I was like. And you know, my. My. I was buds with Census Fail. So when Census Fail got signed to Drive through, we were like, what the. So I like, got in the bandwidth Census film for their first US tour in. Wow. Winter 2003. So I was still a junior, got kicked out of public school, had to go to an alternative school, you know, I didn't have a cell phone at that point. I told my mom, I'm dipping, like, I'm going on this tour. She's like, sure you are. Then I went on the tour, end up on the tour, I run out of insulin. So then she's like, has to, like, mail me. And it was. It's like, lots of, like, wow thing. Yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Different time. When was when. So how early is that? Before you're in bands?

[Greg Falchetto]

Yeah. Yeah. Because Mongol started 2005. Summer 2005.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

So you're touring with. You're hitting the road hard with Census Fail as a young diabetic with no insulin on it.

[Greg Falchetto]

Exactly.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Free Mongoloid.

[Greg Falchetto]

Yep. Yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

And then while running out of insulin on the tour, you're like, I gotta. I think I got a name for a band.

[Greg Falchetto]

No, but I was watching the. I was watching your. The Skull one. And I. You know, him talking about Skinhead. And in my head, I was like, you don't even know the fucking half of it. Skinhead. Do you think that's offensive? Like, no. Imagine having to go to, like. I mean, I pretty much shielded ever being in a band, especially when I started working. I would never be like, the band was called the Molboys. It was pretty sick. We went to. You're like, no. You just pretend it didn't exist.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

I. That's in my notes. And I couldn't wait to ask you because I know you are. You're now. Your life. Your days are spent managing the stars of tomorrow. Essentially.

[Greg Falchetto]

Yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Have you have to have that conversation yet of being like, yeah, or did you. I wondered, did Greg start Hold My Own so that he could tell his clients he was in a band other than the Mongoloids?

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Right, right, right.

[Greg Falchetto]

No, I never. I mean, I don't like talking about that stuff, to be honest. Especially because then people, like, have so many questions, and it's like. It's like, yeah, you, like, yell. And then people, like, do this other stuff. It's just, like, too many things. Because, like, when you're talking to somebody that doesn't really know hardcore punk, a mosh pit is, like, people pushing around. Right.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Of course.

[Greg Falchetto]

So what happens when they see a spin kick? Then there's, like, a way more questions. Like, it's just like a whole. But obviously in life, you know, people figure things out and then it's just like. You get asked these weird questions and it's just. It becomes interesting.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

It sure does.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

It sure does.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

How long have you been straight Edge, Greg?

[Greg Falchetto]

More than 20 years. That's what's up because if I'm 39 right now. So like when I was probably similar age, like you know, 14 maybe, I like smoked weed one time in the woods and I remember walking in the woods really far with my buddy Mike actually. Mike Toronto.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Shout out, Mike. Dude, it's always mine. I have Mike Grinsfelder.

[Greg Falchetto]

It's funny because Mike is actually the only or one of two people that I grew up with that like is in hardcore and. And I played in a band with him called World of Minds. His name is Mike Tirado. Shout out. Oh yeah, he's. He's a great tattoo artist now but he. We walked in the woods, we were walking through fields. It was like raining. Got mud on my shoes, dude. And then we smoked this weed. I remember being like, this is pathetic. I'm never doing this again. And then I never did it again.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

That's how I felt when smoking the oregano and assorted herbs. I was like, this can't be with all the fuss is about. And I did it again.

[Greg Falchetto]

Who did you smoke the oregano with though?

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Mike Grinsfelder.

[Greg Falchetto]

No way.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

It was Mike. Yeah, dude. Shane Richardson.

[Greg Falchetto]

That's amazing.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

I don't know what. That wasn't weed. But at Mike Honestock's 10th birthday, that was a sleepover. I did try a beer.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Dude, shout out to all the mics out there. Just poisoning the youth.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

That is a true story.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Dude, Mike's are bad eggs. Dude, we got to get rid of the mics.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Get them out of here.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

My uncle Mike's scumbag.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Oh, my uncle Mike is my godfather. He's amazing. Great guy.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

You don't. There's some demons in that closet.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Greg, when did. How did Mongoloids come about then? If you were. Did you go from touring and think I gotta. I gotta start my own thing?

[Greg Falchetto]

Is that.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Is it your first band?

[Greg Falchetto]

It's actually my second band. I did a band called Fright Fest that was like a weird. Yeah, exactly.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

All Six Flags head.

[Greg Falchetto]

Yeah, it was. It was like something really stupid. Those like synth noises from the computer and we played. We played two shows ever. The second one being with like Converge, Sky Came Falling, a bunch of bands playing it, but we play like we kind of start to overlap with Sky King Falling and my friend was like yo, only just started and then we just finished the set and I monstrous guy be falling. Yeah, yeah, sick.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

So the Monoloids was next?

[Greg Falchetto]

Pretty much, yeah.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Fright Fest Mongoloids.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

How does that come to be? Tell me about calling your band the Mongoloids.

[Greg Falchetto]

It was Mongoloid was our drummer. So the band was a little bit. Me and the bass player Ray were. He's my age. He's like 39, 40 now. And then I think we were like 18, 19. But the rest of the band were all like 15, 16, so. Cause I was being hardcore. You become friends with everybody, right? Like, if you like, to me, as a 19 year old, meeting kids that were younger that were just so psyched, and we would like, look up videos of like the Iceman and. And Half off and just random hardcore bands that you'd be like, you find a miscellaneous band that you wouldn't know about. These were the kids that were like, we need to find this online. We need to figure it out. So it's like, regardless of age, if you have that sort of passion and you share it with people, it's like you just all become friends. You start going to shows together. So his high school, like whatever sophomore year of high school vocabulary, where it was Mongoloids, they're like, oh, shit, we just call it Mongols. Like, great idea, this. Let's do it. And then that was kind of what.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Sparked it all and that it's stuck with you for 20 years now. Oh, 20 years, exactly.

[Greg Falchetto]

Yeah. That's kind of what made us kind of figure out doing the shows for 20 years. Wow.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Now, I would say in order to get to this point where you're like, okay, I'm in high school, I'm calling my band the Mongoloids. You gotta. When do you become a silly enough guy in your life to allow that to happen?

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Yeah. Were you.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

When did the silliness. When did the. When did the. The. The mischief and then. And the. I don't know how to even ask this. How did you become so silly?

[Greg Falchetto]

I guess in the beginning, I don't know. I never. I never wanted to take any of it too seriously. Right. Because. But it's easy, right? When you're in hardcore. I mean, I mean, I would consider both of you pretty silly willies. And definitely, you know, in hardcore, when you're showing up to a show and you have people like Luke in Chicago or, or, you know, Dre, and you got some, Some, Some. Some. Some actual scary people. So it's when you go.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Start juggling or something to get on these guys. Good.

[Greg Falchetto]

Actual.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

The actual fright fest.

[Greg Falchetto]

Yeah. But when you go to the shows and you see, you know, real, real chaos ensue and, and you know how you're participating in. And it's like, oh, okay, like, yeah, I'm not gonna cosplay as some Tough guy. Because that's just never what I was. You know, I'm not gonna. I'm gonna go to the shows and, And. And something about that made it so enjoyable to me and, and so interesting. And you become more and more engulfed in it. Right? Like, it becomes like something you deal with. You're doing it every day, you don't even realize it. Whether it's listening to a record, looking up a thanks list. I mean, I'm trying to think of other I would do when, you know, you go to go to a show and. And figure it, you know, And I kind of was like backwards. So like. So Chromags did the shows with Harley, JJ. They played CB's 2002, I think. That's right. DB's was 16 plus. My birthday wasn't until June. You know, I went to that show. I was 15. Brendan, the door guy at TVs who sang at a band called SFA Numerality. I don't know. You know, if you've not heard that record, you should listen to one of the best. He snuck me into the show and I went to that show, but I wasn't there for Chromax. I didn't give a about Chrome X. I watched no Warning and I dipped the out because I was stoked on New in my head. Throw Mags is some like old, washed up.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

And that's like, you know, kid, young, kid stuff.

[Greg Falchetto]

Yeah, you know, that's.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

That's kind of what we see that as a part of our role, you know, we get to have newer bands on and then expose people to fucking world collapse. You know, you're right.

[Greg Falchetto]

Yeah. That's sick.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

I want people. I want bands with 900 monthly listeners to finally get their due. And that's fun because I felt that way, you know, I don't see that. I don't see the through line between Bad Brains and Hate Breed at first.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Right.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

And then suddenly it's all connected. It's great. That's the best. The best genre. It's the best music.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

You mentioned you got kicked out of school. And I just wonder, were you being silly or were you being bad?

[Greg Falchetto]

No. So that Census film tour was seven or eight weeks long. So I just kind of went on it. So when I come back and my mom, like, you know, she was so supportive of my idiocy at all moments. I mean, when it came to doing a band, when it came to collecting records, to. To blasting music, I mean, she was very like, you know, she. I. You know, as I'm older, Now I look back and I can. I know. You know, it wasn't easy for her, kind of. You know, I have a sister as well, and she's 30 now or. Yeah, she's 30 now. So, you know, she was raising two kids on her own and dealing with a lot of. And she was always like. I mean, I straight up left high school, got in a van with people she didn't even know. Right. Because in hardcore, you become friends people at shows, and she didn't know any of them. So it was like. And she was just like. She knew I was, you know, not getting up or doing weird shit, and she just knew what I loved and she supported that. I was like, when I read it.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Parental use, motherly trust.

[Greg Falchetto]

Exactly. She held it down for me, you know, she sent me for worse.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Yeah, exactly. So you were the kid in high school who just vanished and then people didn't know what happened. Like, what. What was the story like? Was there a rumor about you?

[Greg Falchetto]

I mean, it probably was, right? Because there was always a rumor. But, like, I wasn't there. And I only had, like. Like when I was buying out by hardcore, I just started writing everybody off like, this is a fucking poser. Fuck this other person. I don't want to talk to him anymore. You don't know about this. So it was like, by the. But, you know, because that was my only interest was this. So as. And as time was progressing, like, it was just more and more and more of that. So it's like. I mean, Mike and my buddy Justin from. From high school were the two people I was like, kind of my through line in friendship. And even the dude, Justin, I went to high school with him and him and I got a fist fight in the parking lot one time. So it was like. It's not. Yeah. Some people have, like, a big network of people they went to high school with. I have two people, so it's kind of.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Kind of same.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

That I like, you know.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Right.

[Greg Falchetto]

But do you talk or see other.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

People from high school?

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Yeah, Yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

I think there's two people that I went to high school with that I, like, actively communicate with.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Chris and I went to the same grade school together. The drummer in my band and I have just. But he's like my guy, you know, so that's not.

[Greg Falchetto]

You got the handsome one, right?

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Yes. The very handsome. Also very Italian, so obviously something jeans.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Let's talk about the early days of the Mongoloids, like, demo. The. The original cast of characters. You got. Who's writing this stuff?

[Greg Falchetto]

It was the demo was written by Frank Tattock, who we practice in his parents basement and his dad was like involved in music. He had like a old Gibson Les Paul. That is the guitar that Frank still plays to this day. Yeah, yeah. He and his dad was like him and him. So Frank was originally a drummer. He played drums in a band called Andolini, which was a cool band from, from Edison, New Jersey. And then they changed their name to Enforcer and then they kind of just stopped. Stop being a band. But he, he wanted to play guitar in a band and we were all kind of figuring it out. And they were also like learning how to record. Him and his dad like did a lot of stuff together, you know, really nice relationship. And we did this demo and when we recorded the demo, they didn't know how to like punch in basically like they did. So a lot of the demo was done like. Like the vocals were one take. Like it was very like, you know. But we were rushing the demo because I was about to go on tour with the Banner. So the tour that the Banner was doing was Terror Donnybrook, the Banner and then Hunger Demons were on some of those dates that was. That was winter 2005.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

We gotta get this demo done, guys. I am, I'm leaving.

[Greg Falchetto]

Exactly. So I wanted to hand the demos out at the merch table when people were buying banner shirts.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

So I was like.

[Greg Falchetto]

And then we printed shirts that. I was like, man, I'm gonna give Martin from Terry one of these shirts. I'm gonna give the people in the bands the shirts and people are rocking the shirts. I mean, this is 2005. So it's like, yeah, this was the.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Way you're bringing up a very interesting point. And I know it's easy for us to sound like back in our day. Back in our day, like we're the. The oldest punks to ever exist. But we are the last group before Social Media would kick off like five or six years later.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

True.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Where everyone's got it on their phone and you can find stuff easier and easier as the years go by. This is how you got word of mouth out. And it was so like, dude, I loved going to fests and getting demos and going home with demos. That was fucking awesome. That was one of my favorite things about big hardcore shows and big comps.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Little samplers and stuff.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Oh love. I love a comp in all forms, food, music.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

You did so much before Time Trials even came out. Let's talk about the first couple years right before Time Trials because you played Sound and Fury 2007.

[Greg Falchetto]

We did. Yeah. Because that was when Bob Shed was a part of sound and Fury and Bob's label, Collapse Records, was the first label to release Time Trials before we sold it to Eulogy. Yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Let's talk those first couple years because it's unbelievable what you managed to do. Word got out about the Mongol. It's fast. And I think in huge part to the Bridge 9 board, which was such a central character.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

100%.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

We're gonna talk about that a little later too.

[Greg Falchetto]

Yeah. It's a crazy message board. Message boards were crazy back in the day, let me tell you.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Yeah. I mean, but I mean, it's Twitter. Twitter is the Internet's message board now, but it used to be divided and then you'd have these, like, main characters.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Yep.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

On the. On the message boards for the day. And guys who had posted longer than you had kind of seniority.

[Greg Falchetto]

Yeah.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Had some clout. Oh, forgot about that.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

I remember Colin of Arabia. I think his name was just Colin on there. And I was so jealous he got Colin. Tell me about the first couple years. The Mongolids. How much touring did you do?

[Greg Falchetto]

Touring? We. We did a lot of weekends that was always like. Like any show we can get, we would take. So it was like one of the first weekends we did was. I think the route was South Carolina, Birmingham, Alabama, and then Warren, New Jersey. That was a Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Yeah.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

So it was like we.

[Greg Falchetto]

We. I think like somebody in Birmingham and hit us up being. Okay, we're doing this fest down here, Righteous Jams and whoever else is going to play. Do you guys want to play it or. I don't know if you guys could play, but if you wanted to come play. Right. Yeah, we'll be there.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

So we.

[Greg Falchetto]

And then the day before we got added to the Righteous Jam show, I think it was in Charleston. Maybe it was like us, them. And I don't even know if anybody else was on it, but I remember being like, damn, we're now on tour. Right. This is crazy. We played two random ass shows. But it was so sick because. And Joey C. The singer. I was. I booked them in New Jersey a couple times. And. And a big part of, I would say my like 2004, 2005, was I worked at a screen printing shop called TDT Screen Printing. TT Screen Printing was run by Jeff Sandville, Straight Edge Four Punch Crew drummer or one of the drummers of Hands Tied. I mean, he was kind of like in the zeitgeist of everything I deemed cool in my existence.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

So it's cool to you already just to work there?

[Greg Falchetto]

Yeah. And it was like, also working there was Dave Ackerman, the singer of Tear It Up. So there's a ton of people I looked up to. And the coolest part about it was aside from one person, everybody was like, very nice and like. And. And they would not judge you and they would show you. And. And this is the best part. All these years later, the one person that was a piece of. They were working in a pizza shop when they were 40 years old. And that is how it works, my friends. You were suffering and they didn't own the pizza. If you own the pizza shop, you're probably working for minimum wage. Sweat. Yeah. So it's like that is why you got to be nice to people.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Be nice to people. Or food services calling, which is, you know, can be a great career.

[Greg Falchetto]

It could be.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Dude, I love that.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

But maybe not for him.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

I'm thinking about a band starting off doing weekends and I'm like, oh, New Jersey, that's a really good location. You got Philly right over the bridge. New York's not too far. North Carolina, Birmingham. That's the first weekend.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Do, do Northeast bands know how good you have it?

[Greg Falchetto]

Yeah, for sure. Yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Okay. Because you can drive 90 minutes and you're in a whole new scene with 5, 600 more people. No matter what your five hour flight away, you are close. As close to London as you are California.

[Greg Falchetto]

That's. I mean, that is true. But I feel like, I mean, you guys can go do Oxnard.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

It's not you. Listen, you don't have.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

I have the grounds to talk. Because if you want to go to another scene here, you're going to fucking Omaha.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Yeah, but dude, most days if I drive two hours, I'm still in Los Angeles.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

That is true.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

It's not the same.

[Greg Falchetto]

It's.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

The Northeast is like the Mecca of hardcore because it can be kind of. Is anybody feeling me? Let's talk about time trials.

[Greg Falchetto]

Let's talk about it.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Yeah. Where, where did the voice. Did you have that voice on the demo?

[Greg Falchetto]

Yeah, it was like a rough version of it, but that's just kind of how it came out. I wasn't. I wasn't really trying anything. I was probably the first recording. The demo is probably the first time I'd ever yelled. So I just did whatever came out. And then obviously it changed it a little bit over time. But that's, that's, that's kind of what it was.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

What inspired the melody for Wing Way.

[Greg Falchetto]

And Life Agony Dude, I mean, even.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Being young and hearing you guys at the time, I thought it was taking no Warning a little further. That's what I equated it to. Because I'm not thinking leeway as a 15 year old.

[Greg Falchetto]

You know what I mean?

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

I'm not. I don't have that yet. So I'm. I'm seeing it as this, like, evolution of what, how Ill Blood literally ended and then if Suffer Survive was out of that time, I can't remember. But like, I'm. I'm seeing it in that light.

[Greg Falchetto]

We love no Warning. I mean, no, I mean, I just told you. I went to go see no Warning and left before. I never saw JJ and Harley play together because I want, you know, learning. And I went and got pizza.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Do you know any lore on the the End of Quarrel tour that was booked and then canceled?

[Greg Falchetto]

I actually don't. What's. What do you know about that?

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

I don't know. I know about the shirts. I know that EVR printed a ton of shirts. I had one for some time and then they were ordered to be destroyed, and they were not all destroyed. Pretty cool. So if you got one, hit me up. I want it back. Time Trials. Tell me about putting this together. The feeling, listening to it the first time and the response to it that you noticed. You played California. It was great. I was in the pit.

[Greg Falchetto]

Were you in the pit?

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

I was there, yeah. Santa Fe, 2007. You cover life of Agony?

[Greg Falchetto]

We did cover Life of Agony. We loved Life Agony.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

I was a tween.

[Greg Falchetto]

Yeah.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

You must have been so young.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

And I had already had this love for Life of Agony and thought that was a band I figured I'd never see. So at this point in my life, that's the closest I'd ever come. So I was moshing like it was. There was truly no tomorrow. Much like Agents of Man, you know.

[Greg Falchetto]

There you go.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Tell me about Time Trials.

[Greg Falchetto]

So Time Trials was recorded kind of strange because that. That record, we recorded it on Real at a studio called Chum. Yeah. Oh, yeah. So. So that was recorded on real, and it was recorded at a studio called Chum Bucket Studios in New Brunswick, New Jersey, by a guy named Brian Chum Bucket. See, we started the record and we actually recorded four songs, two of which were on like a seven inch single. Because we're playing shows now, we're like, yo, we need to get some new music out. So we recorded this, like, demo. It was basically just like four demos. We put two of them on a seven inch and then the other Two. We just sat on for a while, and then I was like, hey, why don't we just go back and do another drum setup and record more songs and make it into an LP and include these four songs? It's completely. Talking back about it sounds ridiculous, but. So that's essentially two sessions. Yeah. And I think it worked out, like, because it was same room, same setup, whatever, but it was. Yeah, that's essentially two different recording sessions we just put together as one lp.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

How do you feel looking back at time trials?

[Greg Falchetto]

I mean, I still, like. I still think it's good. Like, I think. I think, like, when you look back at something 18 years, or I guess it would be 19. We started it, whatever. Yeah. Probably 18 years ago. And, like, lyrics are what I'm looking at. And I still feel the same way. Like, every lyric I wrote, I. I still hold true to those. Like, I don't. I didn't switch up anything I'm doing. So it's like, I'm good with that. I think for kids, like, you know, the guitar player was 15 or 16 when he wrote that. Sixteen, I guess. Yeah. So it's like, you know, I can't. I also don't. I don't know. I think it's fine. Like, I. I still enjoy it.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Good. How much touring do you do on this?

[Greg Falchetto]

Because. Yeah, yeah. I'm trying to think, because we did that in the summer 2007 to sounding fury. We did that with Bitter End, and then Brace War was on some of it. And then kids like us were on the Florida shows.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

You were attached to the hip to kids like us?

[Greg Falchetto]

Yeah, yeah, we just. I mean, we were just friends with them. And honestly, like, Lars and I. I was, like, very antagonistic to him. Like, they played a garage in Brick, New Jersey, and I was like, yeah, it kind of sucked. Like, I was just talk to him and he was, like, talking back, and we just became quickly friends, you know, it's just like. It's kind of like how harm's way is with weekend nachos, I would guess, you know, you just kind of on each other, but in, like, a nice way. Right. Like, you're. You're all friends and that, you know, you go to. You go to the grave for him. But it's just like, you. You instantly have this, like, dynamic that, like, when it hits, it hits. And, you know, it was anybody else, you'd probably be like, fuck these people. They're annoying as shit. But, like, you just become friends was.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

You know, ball bus.

[Greg Falchetto]

The.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

This is for you fest that the end of that year or was it.

[Greg Falchetto]

The following year we did this is for you twice or three times actually because we did it the first year was 2006 so it wasn't. And that was. That was the year we did it with that was a run of shows we did down to nothing. Half heart us brace war on a band from Boston called Harder the Fight Ran a band.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Yeah.

[Greg Falchetto]

Sounds like a path one favor.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

I think it was the. The following year then because Nachos played Harm's Way played It was our first tour and I told the story on the mini but I have to tell it again because it's one of my. It's. When I think of Greg from the Mongol it's. Or maybe are you Greg hold my own now. Has it changed?

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Have you rebranded Greg New Jersey Straight Edge.

[Greg Falchetto]

That's what I like. Yeah.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

So when I think of you, I think of this moment where New Year's was right around the corner. It was like a week away. It was late December in Tampa. Fall Florida, I think.

[Greg Falchetto]

No, no, not Tampa. Yeah.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Daytona beach and Mongo are starting. Greg has his back to the crowd. He bends down, picks something up, turns around and he's wearing light up 2008 sunglasses that are flashing. Plays the set in them for as long as you can. Yeah, as long as you can. I don't know how long really. Then you know that that was the fast we continue on to a tour and we end in Clinton, Massachusetts, Western Mass. Play with the Mongoloids. We just happened to join back up. It's like mid January now. Mongoloids are starting. Greg, Ben's down. Pick something up Turns around lighty flash up 2008 sunglasses.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

They survived.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

They made it. And like that was how we bookended this tour was both of those. Those. That's the image I have in my head.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

2008 pilled very 2008. Everybody was. It was. It was Obama mania, baby.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

But I think the reason I bring up this is for you is you guys were. I don't remember who headlined but you were up there. You guys were. I just remember. I remember Mongol. When I got into Mongoloids it seemed like you guys were. Were already this like band. Like a band that you had to.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Know you'd been touring for tirelessly for years. So I. I need to hear about some of these antics and these hijinks etc.

[Greg Falchetto]

I mean it wasn't. I mean we. We were like on. On the bridge nine board all day. People thought it was piece of. I mean but we just didn't care because we were like it, we're just gonna play and we're friends and that's like. And we love hardcore. I mean like, you know, I missed this originally, but the first show we played out of state was in Wilkes Bar. And we went there and we played War Hungry's divine and demonic 7 inch record release. And that was like cold World War Hungry us. And the next day they did like a Richmond show. Molly's weren't on the Richmond show, but we were like, yo, we're going to the Richmond show because it's a fucking dope show in Richmond. We're just going to drive to Wilkes Bar, play the show and then we're going to stay. We stayed at Adam Rifkin's house. Who, you know, he's very, very put together guy these days. But back then he was silly bastard, so. And we stayed at his mom's house and he was being crazy. I won't disclose any of the things he did because he'd probably be very upset. But, but you know, he's. He's a legend and, and because I think he plays in Fireworker now, right?

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Yes, he does.

[Greg Falchetto]

You know, true legend. And.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

And we just went Bad seed.

[Greg Falchetto]

Bad seed and the others. Yeah, I didn't want to give him all that though because then people are like, oh man, you know, ball wash too hard. But you know, he did, he went. We all, then we all drove to this show in Richmond. We just went to the show and it was awesome. This band Tombstone played which was like a bunch of the people in iron boots other band that was like more Sabbath, I guess, Worship. But it was just dope. And that was always kind of what we wanted to do. It was never, let's go to these shows and we're going to play the craziest sets and everybody's going to care. We actually kind of liked that. Nobody cared. Like, I'll just keep playing these shows. We would do stupid shit like 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? Like, oh, you don't want to watch us? Well now you have to watch us. And we're going to be so fucking. We would play the instruments, right, but. And we play the songs, but we would just shit on everybody because we didn't give a fuck.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

The Mongols, that's it.

[Greg Falchetto]

That was the journey. And here we are 20 years later and we're still able to go and play and. And it's been like. It's been really nice getting to kind of play these shows with the original lineup of guys that we kind of started this bandwave and got to like. I mean, the band wouldn't have been what it was without the people that were doing, like, they're. Without the original lineup because they were all sick fucks, you know.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

I thought it was really cool at fya, seeing, like, when I found out that it was the original lineup, I thought that was really cool. I appreciate that. I know how difficult that can be.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Especially given the circumstances which. Which we will talk about in a minute. And I can't wait to talk about. Did you guys go to Europe?

[Greg Falchetto]

We're going there. You mean originally now?

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Yeah, yeah.

[Greg Falchetto]

Oh, dude. Molly's tour to Europe probably seven or eight times.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Talk to me. How was that experience?

[Greg Falchetto]

I mean, I'm saying it's probably better than the. The Twitching Tongue stories I've heard. Of course. I mean, we.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Tell me about that.

[Greg Falchetto]

No, I say that because it wasn't like we went and it was like, very agonizing. Like, I feel like we never went. Well, maybe once we went for, like, five weeks, but a lot of the time we would go for like two to three weeks. And it was always like a very, like, okay, True Colors is playing their last show. We're gonna go do two weeks of shows around it and then get the fuck out of there. And it was always, like, pretty enjoyable. Like, I feel like we got a lot of love and. And I mean. But again, like, my bar is so low. Maybe it was terrible and nobody gave a fuck, but the fact that three people gave a fuck, I was like, oh, this is crazy. Like. Yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

I mean, hardcore was very different then.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Three people moshing hard. I'm. I'm good. I'm so. I'm fine.

[Greg Falchetto]

Yeah, that's great.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Zero is different.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

I'm trying to think, Colin. I think even on. On our tour of Europe together, I don't think any of the shows were ever the problem. You know, it was the others.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

No, there was many that were, like, unbelievable.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Yeah, this is great.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

It's like getting everything in between. It's getting there. Not sleeping is just.

[Greg Falchetto]

Yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Get you, man. Creeps up on you. But you. So you had a really positive experience in Europe early on.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Go back seven or eight times. Sounds like it.

[Greg Falchetto]

Well, yeah, when I'm thinking about it. I mean, we got the tour with, like, Death for Dishonor over there. We toured Agnostic Front over there. We toured with a band called Numerality Over There, which is really fun band called Something Inside Over There. That was cool. They were straight edge band. What trying to. The first tour was a trash talk. That was really fun. And then. And then obviously. Or not obviously, but Dave from Always joins Trash Talk and still in Trash Talk.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

I didn't know.

[Greg Falchetto]

Yeah. I mean, I feel like we made, like, collectively a lot of, like, friendships in Europe that have lasted, you know, to this day.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Beautiful.

[Greg Falchetto]

All right. Yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

I'm excited to hear about your experience going back.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Because it's. I mean, it is different now. It's. It's incredible.

[Greg Falchetto]

Maybe it'll be the reverse effect. And was just like.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

And now it's fucking sucks.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Oh, my God.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

I hope so. Assorted music. Let's talk about that second lp. Mongoloids is back. How did this go over? Because it's. It's. It's. It's the continuation, it's the evolution. You're still hitting the road hard. Mongoloids are taking over the world. Is this. Is this Eulogy still?

[Greg Falchetto]

Yeah, Eulogy does this one with Six Feet Under Records doing the vinyl. This was another one that was like, it was going to be for something else. And then we're like, let's just turn it into a record. And we kind of, like, some of the songs got rushed a little bit that Frank, the original, like, primary songwriter, quit, and then Sean, the other guitar player, kind of like the primary songwriter. So it kind of shifts and sound a little bit. And then Dave, who, when Frank quit, he stepped in for Frank. And then that was before that. Summer 2008, Trash Talk, European tour. So then the new lineup is Dave, Sean, Ray Allen, me. So I definitely think the sound changes a bit. Frank was, like, very inspired by, like, New York hardcore. He was obsessed with it. And, like, he spent a lot of time, like. And. And Sean was more just traditional metal. Like, he. You know, And I'm not a metal guy at all, to be honest with you. I know you guys love it. And. And to this day, I mean, it's like marveling creation. I can listen to it. I'm like, oh, this is cool.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

That's where you. That's the pretty much exception, honestly.

[Greg Falchetto]

Yeah, like. Like the Legacy demo, Early Testament, like, stuff like that. I'm like, this is dope. But then, like. Like Megadeth and stuff like that. I just. I'm lost, man. I can't, like. But it was too much.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Yeah. What's some other metal you don't like? I'm curious.

[Greg Falchetto]

Yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Like, what's. What's a Hard ass metal band you hear and you're like, I don't think this is for Greg.

[Greg Falchetto]

Give me an example.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Suffocation.

[Greg Falchetto]

Yeah, I'm good. Disgusting. I don't want that.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Disgusting.

[Greg Falchetto]

Yeah, I don't need that.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Dude, I thought you were a mosher.

[Greg Falchetto]

I mean, I love to mosh, but I like to mosh to things that like. Like, I don't need all this crazy stuff going on.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

You mentioned Sepultura right in the beginning.

[Greg Falchetto]

Yep.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

You with Sepultura?

[Greg Falchetto]

I mean, honestly, I'm good. Wow. No, I'm good.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Trying to specimen.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Yeah. Like, Sepitor is probably the most crossoverable that isn't a crossover band or isn't from hardcore, you know? Yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

I would say, like one of the most objectively likable things I've ever heard about.

[Greg Falchetto]

I think my opinions too. Like, I really do think the ones I like are the ones that just like when I was working at tdt, the screen printing shop, it would just be the ones that came on a lot and there was probably these other ones playing, but like Creation. I remember listening to that record, no joke, multiple times a week. So. So like. And I. And I would. So this was also a time when I would take, like, there is no joke, thousands of CDs at the shop. Because you would put the CD and listen to it. This is 2004, 2005. So I would take Jeff, the owner, CDs home with me and I would rip them to my. My computer. So I really did give it a try. But I don't know, man. Maybe I'm just like more of a pop punk guy, you know, Like Starting Line. I'll listen to that all day. A little early November, you know. I'm good.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

I love that first early November record.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

I never heard it.

[Greg Falchetto]

It's great.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

I was already into suffocation.

[Greg Falchetto]

Yes. Yes.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Yeah, you gotta have it. So, Greg, there was a day on the Bridge 9 board that I consider to be a top five incident in the history of the board, in the history of hardcore at this time, to me. Really. And there's a thread pops up by one of the members of the Mongoloids.

[Greg Falchetto]

Yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

How active were you on the board this day?

[Greg Falchetto]

I was always active on the board. Come on. I was sitting there looking at it all day. Refreshing. Being like, what's going on here?

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Let's talk about this. So one of the members of the Mongoloid says the whole band just got kicked out by Greg. He. I'll never forget this so vividly. They said we're supposed to leave for a tour tomorrow. Greg told us he's leaving with a whole new band. And we were in shock. We can't believe it. We're also really confused because sometimes he'll be eating lavish meals such as Cheesecake Factory while we don't know what we're doing. Tell me. And the Cheesecake Factory comment has stuck with me forever. I love it. I think it's my favorite thing anyone ever said on the board.

[Greg Falchetto]

I mean, it's a great restaurant, great.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Establishment to this day.

[Greg Falchetto]

Still go there still.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

This is so legendary. Tell me about this day, how this went down. Your decision to boot them all and start a new Mongoloids and hit the road hard this day.

[Greg Falchetto]

I think so. The Mongolids played a lot with different members. We would get fill ins and we toured a lot. Like a lot a lot. So it was like in my head, I was so obsessed with the idea of doing the band. What we did. We did a European tour and things were already kind of falling apart on the European tour. And it was like. I think we talked before it and it was like, we'll do Europe. And I was like, all right, if we're going to do Europe, I want to do these other shows. And then I was like, all right then if we're going to do other shows, like, let's just be a band and we'll figure out how to be a band in, in whatever the, the, the, the way of doing it. And then it was, it just changed so many times and we were all fighting and it. There's special things going on with money and, and people didn't like how I was running the band or how I was kind of like managing the money and things like that. And we just, we were, we were not getting along. I was definitely kind of like feeling like an outcast in the group. And during the European tour, I was just like, fuck this. I'm not doing this again. Like, I don't need this. Like, I. And I was so obsessed with the idea of doing the band and it's like looking back at it now, especially after all kind of reconnecting last year and kind of like doing shows this year. I don't think I was right at all. I actually know I was completely wrong and, and I was just. I was insane. I was a up person from New Jersey. Like, there's no, there's no, there's no explaining the unhinged actions of like. Like I was on tour with these guys, like putting together a band that was good and then like telling them and like the up part was just some of the. Some of us were. Some of us didn't talk from that point until last year. 2. 2 of. 2 of the members of me didn't speak for 18 years. Straight up.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Wow.

[Greg Falchetto]

It was just. It wasn't like anything weird. It was just. We just. It was like a falling out. So that's what made kind of doing it again. And I always said after the last mogo show in 2014, I wouldn't do it again unless it was with those guys. Because, you know, I do recognize their contribution, especially, like, the overall aesthetic of insanity that they brought to the band. I mean, some of the ideas, some of what gets composed, like, even the spinner at fya, that wasn't my idea. That was. That was Dave's idea. So it's like, I can't sit here and be like, you know, that would, like, maybe then I was like, man, that's me. Like, I did all this, but I was also. I was insane. So it's like I still am. So it's like. I don't think I had this whole idea, and I rolled it out. And I was so stubborn. Like, we did the 10 for 10 tour, which was the tour that guys got cut out, and we ran it. Legendary tour. And the shows were insane. I mean, it was. It was a great tour. And it could have been. It didn't matter what the circumstance was, because the tour is a good tour. So it doesn't. It doesn't matter. The tour after that tour, let me tell you, that was just us headlining, and that was not a good tour. Yeah.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Nothing more humbling than that.

[Greg Falchetto]

But when you're a stubborn Italian from New Jersey, it doesn't matter. You're like, it. I'm gonna keep going. Oh, five kids here. Yeah, we sold five shirts. Like, and I would just spin it in my brain, like, it was all okay. And I understood, like, after the fact. Especially, like, man, those are pretty rough years. But it's just like, it was a growing experience, you know, And I. And I feel like I learned a lot from the chaos and. And whatever else. But it's like, you know, to me, this year, getting to do the shows with the. With the actual band and, like, reconnecting and getting to, like. Like, I don't think I'm a person that has a lot of ongoing beefs or, like, shitty relationships. Like, you could say I'm good or you can say I'm bad, but I don't think there's, like, active people that are like, I'll Murder him right now.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Yeah.

[Greg Falchetto]

Or whatever it would be. So it was like to have that with people that I built something with, you know, that. That was a. Regardless of what I went on, you know, having kids and creating a life and whatever, like, it didn't. It doesn't feel good when you go back and you think of those memories and you're like, man, these people, I left them feeling a shitty type of way, and it could have been done a million different ways better, but, you know, I was just so caught in the moment of, like, you don't want to do it. I'm just going to do it myself. And then I was like, you know.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

And, I mean, it's not the first time that's happened in hardcore music. So it's like you. You had.

[Greg Falchetto]

You had examples, and that is happening right now on the Internet. They got signs out there and all this crazy. And that's just true. It is what it is.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Hey, Speaking of the 10 for 10, just kind of an unrelated thought, but I. I have wanted to ask someone who was on the tour, was that a successful tour? Like, financially?

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

I think sponsors made it possible. Oh, so, like, it was going to be successful either way. But the two shows I went to on it were.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Where were they?

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Unbelievable. One was at the Glass House, maybe. The other one was maybe at the House of Blues. Does that sound familiar?

[Greg Falchetto]

Were you at the legendary show where Brody King had an incident out front?

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Of course I was.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Oh, man.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Fighting for the honor of one Juicy J.

[Greg Falchetto]

Yes.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

A different Juicy J. Unrelated.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

But those are big caps. Those are the Glass House, dude.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

But glass house is 700.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Okay. So 700.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

And that was, like, the fact that there were. I don't think it was full, but it was amazing.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

So 10 bucks times 700. You know, it just makes me. Every time I hear about that tour, I do that math, and I'm like, Even at the time.

[Greg Falchetto]

Yeah. Well, I think it was like the bands were on, like, a sliding scale. Like, this group of bands got paid this much. These rotating headliners got paid this much. It was. It was. It was done that way. And then all the bands rotated. So, like, if you showed up to Pomona, the order of bands was different than if you went to Mesa, Arizona. And it was. It was kind of built away, I think, to grow it kind of like compliment each band, whether it was like.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Warp tour, where this hell's opening this night.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Fucking Tui is second the other night.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Crazy.

[Greg Falchetto]

Very. You.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

You tore the other. I think the only time I Played with the Mongoloids early on. At that time was the chain reaction. I think it was trapping rice Mongoloids. Full blown chaos. Does that sound familiar?

[Greg Falchetto]

No, that was Reign supreme, not us.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Rain.

[Greg Falchetto]

You played Supreme. No, no, no, we didn't play that.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Yes, you did, because you shouted us out on stage and it meant a lot to me. It was Ruckus. It wasn't. Might not have been full of chaos, but there was a Mongoloids Tui tour where Ruckus played at Chain Reaction.

[Greg Falchetto]

Okay. Because I remember the tour you're talking about. That was full blown Reign Supreme. Captain. Of course I remember that one. And then that's when Reign supreme was like begging to not headline anymore. Full blown chaos. And then trapped in their ice, ended up, like headlining the tour.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Many such cases.

[Greg Falchetto]

They tapped out. They tapped out, dude.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Tui. I mean, it was a phenomenon before. Before our eyes. Was this beautiful, true.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Greg, where did the minibus come from?

[Greg Falchetto]

That was Black My Hearts. We bought that from Black my heart in 2000. Devin, when we were going to tour.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Yeah, we knew.

[Greg Falchetto]

We knew Wheeler, the singer Black My Heart. We were buds with him and. And we had stayed with. With Skull at his old, old house with kids like us because they were all friends with kids like us. Wheeler used to, like, roll to Jacksonville, like, kill with everybody and kids like us. So we kind of just became friends with all them and, like, would stay at their house and yeah, they were going to sell the van and they were going to like, stop touring or something. And then we're like, all right, we'll buy it. And then when Collapse sold Time Trials to Eulogy, we got money from that. Then we put that into buying the bus.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

So for those of you who might be wondering, Mongolids had. Was it black painted? It was white. It was a mini bus. And it had. It had.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

The Mongoloids had a short bus and.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

And it had. It had the handicap, like the wheelchair access thing. But I don't know if it worked or not. I remember that being a thing. Did it ever work?

[Greg Falchetto]

It. It didn't work.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Yeah, but. And I remember hearing. Because it was also, like, you would see bands would turn up, like, in Chicago with it. Like, it wasn't like you guys, I'm. I'm sure would loan it out or. Or do whatever. Rent it out or bar rent, just lend it. And it would always be like, oh, they have the Mongoloid bus. It. It. It broke down, you know, or like, oh, yeah, classic. They're late because of this or that. How. How well did that bus fare it was.

[Greg Falchetto]

I mean, looking back, we should have just bought a regular van. That thing cost us so much money over the years. And it was like. It was just. It was definitely a big point of contention, I would say, when it came to, like, just the general finances of, like, every time it would be thousands of dollars in repairs or just crazy going on. We lucked out because our drummer, Alan's dad, was friends with the guy that owned a shop that like, kind of specialized in, like, specialty vehicles like that. So he was always kind of the guy that would make it work. But it was, but. But it was very comfortable, right? I mean, we had the giant AC in there. It had a bunk at the top that four people could sleep across at two couches. So, like, on overnight drives we could sleep and, and rest. And I think it has to dream, money be damned. That's.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

That's important.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

I mean, we just watched Another State of Mind on Patreon a couple months ago, and it reminds me of that when they're fixing up.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

The movie is basically about how much this bus fucking sucks and how much.

[Greg Falchetto]

Money it costs when you watched it live on Patreon. Yeah, that's sick. I like that.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Check it out. So Mongolids became like shy huludes in its rotation of. Of members. You had so many incredible people come and go in the Mongols lineup. At one point you had Mike Cesario on drums, another Mike, Kyle Thomas on guitar, Kane Gordon on bass or guitar.

[Greg Falchetto]

He was. I think he probably played both.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Dude, that's an elite band right there.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

That's crazy.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Yeah, Tell me about some, some people who came and came and went through the, through the Mongols lineup that you. That are pivotal to you.

[Greg Falchetto]

Mike Cesario, for sure. I would say he's a pivotal person in my. In my life, for sure. Like, it's not somebody I talk to every day, but it's somebody that I cannot talk to for two years and we can pick right back up. And honestly, his attitude as a human, I've said this before, he's somebody I really look up to in terms of being able to take the shittiest situation and somehow spin it positively. And again, going back to just taking responsibility, I was a piece of shit. I was not a great person to be around. I was very negative down. When things would go wrong. I would, I would. I had a hard time, like, managing kind of my own right. And it was like. I remember one night specifically in Chicago, actually, we played a show and Mike was being Mike, having the best time playing, and something happened and. And Mike, like, forgot the next part and he stopped playing. And I, like, almost had a mental breakdown. Like, I, like, kicked the bass drum and, like, stormed off or something. And then after, like, obviously, like, if you're. You're in a band and you do that, like, probably be like, you're a. Like, you.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

And then for context, Mike has been in the band for. Mike is not in the band. He's been on tour for probably three weeks and, like, just learned all these songs.

[Greg Falchetto]

Yes. Literally. Probably less.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Yeah.

[Greg Falchetto]

So. So Mike had, like, a brain fart, whatever. Forgets the part. And then outside, after me being, like, a huge baby in front of people. Typical style. Mike's like, oh, bro, it's all good. We'll. We'll be all right. Like, completely normal, like, joking. And it's like, I remember that. That a lot. I don't even know if I ever talked to Mike about this, like, ever, because it's pretty embarrassing story, so why not tell it on. On this? It's not very flattering, but. But I think it's important to tell because it's like, a guy like Mike, there's not many guys like that.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

You just have to not agree more.

[Greg Falchetto]

Yes. So it's like you. And you were in that. You were in a band with him. He left the band. And, you know, relationships go up and down, but I feel like even in that, with. With Mike specifically, he just has a charm to him, and he kind of can make stepping in shit positive. And he just. Yeah, yeah. It's crazy.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Mike, as one of my best friends, from the moment I met him.

[Greg Falchetto]

Yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

We're like, the day I met him, I was like, this is the guy. And even when all of twitching tongues quit on that day, it was like, man, I can't believe they would do that.

[Greg Falchetto]

Like, wow.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Love Mike so much. I can't believe they can't be mad at him.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

I will say personally and from like, a peer, a friend and a fellow musician, I could not respect him more for stepping back up and filling Kale's shoes.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Yeah. I mean, I can't even think about that.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

That cuts through everything. That's just pure character. So just to add to what you're saying about him. What a guy.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

And the ride. The ride it's been ever since. We haven't done much, but everything is like, just being around him regularly is the best.

[Greg Falchetto]

Yeah. Him and Kyle together, too, is like a. Is a dream pact here. The Legion of Doom, for sure.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Disgrace. You had disgrace. The Heart of Disgrace playing in the Mongoloids at One point.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Kyle even played on the Mongolife record.

[Greg Falchetto]

No, he plays on. He plays on New Beginning seven Inch.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Oh, New Beginning. Dude. That's who plays on Mongo Life because they.

[Greg Falchetto]

Joe Foley from Reno.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Well, there you go.

[Greg Falchetto]

Adam Berkowitz from Tallahassee and Dan Colombo from South Florida does like all the leads. Wow. Yeah. That was Assorted guys.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Are you like scouting? Like how are you getting when you're meeting these roles?

[Greg Falchetto]

You know, I was feeling I was feeding for the next tour. I had to just figure it out. I mean that really is like truly what it became. But it would just be like a rolling cast, right? Like. Like Dan Colombo in South Florida. He played off and on with us for. From 2010. So we would. For the. For the final four years he was kind of in and out and he like helped with all the leads and kind of composing that portion of the band. And then him and I did the. Did a band called Youth Collapse which was like after like 2018 or something. It was. We put a demo out on from within and then we just didn't really do anything. But yeah, that was. That was Dan. That was cool.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

You never knew which Mongoloid you were getting when you went to see him. It's awesome that it's. It's the OG guys now. You had you briefly. I don't. I don't remember what it was called. The Context. I just remember it being really funny. You had like a hardcore. You made videos at one point because I remember you were part of some kind of like. Was it like a news show or something? Like a joke news show? Because I remember you vividly doing some report and you called Pellinore Pelosnor. And I thought about that nickname for a long time. Can you tell me about whatever that was from?

[Greg Falchetto]

I mean, I don't remember that specifically, but Austin Pelhamar had an interesting I guess history because when Frank quit Mongoloids he joined Pellinor. So it was always like these took. Took our guy and it's not even actual real. Like I. I like all like I like them and pal, an incredible band that I think, you know, if you haven't heard them, you should check them out. They're sick. But. But it was just one of those things where like they. Frank joined their band and left our band and we were like touring and stuff. So in my head I'm like you.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

They never got past Pillow Snore to me. I heard that. I was like, he. He buried him. It's over.

[Greg Falchetto]

No, I don't know what that's from. But that's hilarious.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

What was that from, dude? What was that?

[Greg Falchetto]

I don't know. It's probably just some insane. Who know.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

It was awesome. It's basically hard lore. I loved it. Pardon this interruption. This episode is brought to you by Mad Vintage.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Boy, is it ever.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

That's M A D D vintage dot com. Every band we talk about on this show, damn near every week you can find 20, 30, 40 years old, sitting, waiting for you on maddvintage.com he's got.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Everything from punk, hardcore metal, hip hop, wrestling, movie stuff. That's right, he's got it all.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

And listen, some of these shirts have survived for so long in single owner households, if you let us buy them, we're going to cut them up and do God knows what to them.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Look at this.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

So you need to save these shirts. They're sitting waiting for you to be saved on mad vintage.com Mad ball, agnostic front. Anything else that people from Mad Ball and Agnostic Front were in you can find on madventures.com so please act fast. But if you use code hardler15, you're gonna get 15 off.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

And that might not sound like a lot go on that site. That's gonna add up for you.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

It's gonna add up, okay? So quit dicking around.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

And also keep in mind that if you catch Luke, Mr. Mad Vintage, @ any fests that are happening, he was at Tied Down. He was at the rumble. He was at that Heltheria fest just now. That just happened. Helfyra. He's looking to buy, he's looking to sell, he's looking to trade. Talk to him, reach out to him through the Instagram. You never know.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Just send him a message. He's a very nice guy. He's got good stuff. Mongo Life. Were you, when you made this, were you aware that it was your last record at the time?

[Greg Falchetto]

No, but I mean, the writing was definitely on the wall. I mean that, that record's hilarious because we recorded it with Will Yip.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Dude, it sounds insane. And the songs are really good.

[Greg Falchetto]

And I pissed him off so bad because I went and I recorded the record and I sang the entire thing. Like, sang it like. Like I was, I don't know, Eddie sun or something. And then I listened back to it. I'm like, man, there's like all the hard parts are like drowned out because I'm like singing all this shit. And then I was like, well, we got to do the vocals again. And you know, Will is obviously like a huge, like He's a. He's a massive producer engineer.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Like, this is 2013, so, like.

[Greg Falchetto]

Yeah, exactly.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Shed is out there, you know.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Yeah, yeah.

[Greg Falchetto]

And. And he was like. It's like, bro. He's like, all right, let's do it. And it was just like, so. And it's just like. That's why when you look at things like that, you're like, man, that's so cool. Just like this guy that has so much success, like, even when he was building it, he was so down to just like, make. Make the guy from the Mongols happy. Like, I. I can only imagine the going through his brain when he's like, I have to record this fucking idiot a second fucking time. And I can only record like one or two songs at a time. So recording the songs takes. Yeah, two weeks more maybe. I mean, because I would never do back to back, you know, it's like, yeah, yeah. So I would do, you know, go in and do a song, and then a week would go by. I'm going to go back and do another song. It takes. It's a process. So, yeah, he. I. And I literally would sang the record. I was like, going to have to switch that up. And then he's like, all right, let's do it. Brutal.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Dude.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Dude. He's the man. I love Will. He helped me out recently with something. Still down Legend. Still just as helpful as ever.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

That's. That's a. He's in the Mike Cesario scale of just like. Yeah, that's pleasant, positive, guys.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Yeah, yeah, very much. It's hilarious to think that you recorded Mongo Life at the Conshohock and Studio, because that's where we did our last LP. But 10 years later, it's just hilarious to think that. That you guys were. Were there at the same time in the same place, rather.

[Greg Falchetto]

Yeah, I'll give you a good story from that session, too. So the two of the days when we were recording, Jermaine Dupree was also recording in the main room, but it shares a restroom. So he had to kind of like walk over and into to kind of like our lounge area to use the restroom. And, you know, there's like a Mexican spot over there. And we had eight at it. And my stomach was not doing too good that day. Sore it up. I tore it up. And then Jermaine Dupree comes over, does it and goes in there and he jumps right back out. He's like, man, what the did you guys do? And we're all just laughing like, you know, the Mongods are recording in Studio 4. Just talking about Jermaine Dupree, about our bowel movements. You know, it's, it's, it's. It's a very, like, unified studio for. Is a very unified area. Will you. Brings. Brings everyone together, you know?

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

I love that.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

He really does.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

We all use the bathroom.

[Greg Falchetto]

Yeah, exactly. Nothing to hide here, you know, I'm letting it all out here on the hardware.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

So tell me about the decision to. To end the band in 2014. 2015.

[Greg Falchetto]

20. 2014. Yeah. So I guess the beginning of 2014, probably the end of 2013 even. I think I was just tapped on it, to be honest. Like, it was. It was such a rolling cast of members, people dropping out of tours and just, like, fighting to make this ship go and realizing, like, as it's going, like there was people excited on it, but it wasn't anywhere near what it had originally been like, you know, sincere friends, like, talking about hardcore, just doing, doing, participating, doing a band, going to shows. It was just like, it felt so removed that by that point I was like, yeah, I'm going to. Like, I just. I can't do it anymore. And I wanted to.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

You were fighting for your life to keep this band going. And then. And then Monkey Paw gave you exactly what you wish for.

[Greg Falchetto]

Exactly.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

But at what cost, Greg?

[Greg Falchetto]

Exactly. It's okay. Yes. So. And also, I was, like, missing, like, census fellas offering me jobs, and I couldn't go and tour with them. I wanted to do. I wanted to, like, figure, like, a career out. I was. I was 28 or something, so I was, like, getting older. I just felt like I was just doing. Yeah. Not that I think that's old, but just. It just felt like I was kind of, like, sitting stagnant and I wanted to. To figure something else out, so I just. It just felt like it was time to put it to bed.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Beautiful. And, you know, the story wasn't over yet. We know now. Mongolids is back. We'll get to that in a little bit. That's exciting. I want to. I want to play a little game with you, Greg.

[Greg Falchetto]

Yep.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

I'm calling this the New Jersey Rorschach Test. I'm going to say a band or a guy from New Jersey, and I want you to tell me the first word or words that come to mind. Okay.

[Greg Falchetto]

Oh, my God. Okay. Yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Fury of Five.

[Greg Falchetto]

Unhinged.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

E Town. Concrete Urban. Second to None.

[Greg Falchetto]

Real.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Dead Guy.

[Greg Falchetto]

I never got into it. I don't know. That one wasn't really too much for me.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Okay. Lifetime.

[Greg Falchetto]

Beautiful.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Glenn Danzig.

[Greg Falchetto]

Beautiful.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Thursday.

[Greg Falchetto]

The best.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Saves the day.

[Greg Falchetto]

Iconic.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

New Jersey Bloodline. The Bouncing Souls.

[Greg Falchetto]

No.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Beiwei.

[Greg Falchetto]

Urban.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Gel. Now My Chemical Romance.

[Greg Falchetto]

Real.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Real. The Bouncing Souls. That I already said. That I already said.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

So last but most. Floor punch.

[Greg Falchetto]

Strange.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

I got a couple. I like this game. This is a good game. This should be a new. New segment. Bon Jovi.

[Greg Falchetto]

Rock.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Okay. Fair turning point.

[Greg Falchetto]

Best.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Yeah, perfect.

[Greg Falchetto]

All right.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

That's all I needed. I got two.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

That was. That was the New Jersey Rorschach test. Thank you for. For playing.

[Greg Falchetto]

I like honorable mention to Rorschach and Shatter Realm.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Yeah. Big time. Rorschach.

[Greg Falchetto]

Yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Get. Was the whole thing was the double entendre. If I say Shadow Realm, what comes to mind?

[Greg Falchetto]

Violent.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Yeah. I mean, that. The Broken Ties was so pivotal to me as a teenager.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

It seems like their recent run was, like, incredible.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Were you on it, Greg?

[Greg Falchetto]

I was in. I was at. Was it Phoenix, San Diego and. And Midnight Hour. Yeah, the shows were. Were incredible. And that's, you know, Shadow Realm of the band I got to see as a kid. Right. So it's like.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Yeah.

[Greg Falchetto]

To be able to kind of all these years later be a part of it and kind of helping it move along has been incredible. Like, you know, that's. And Joe. Joe Harper is, you know, a longtime friend of mine, and that's my fucking dude. So seeing them kind of flourish again has been nothing but the best for me to enjoy.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

And, dude, the songs are undeniable, so it's not surprising to me to see new generations find them. You mentioned Joe. Tell me about stage managing. This is hardcore for so many, so many years.

[Greg Falchetto]

So Joe and my friendship is a very sincere one. We're friends, and he's like the type of guy that will tell me if I'm being a fucker or put me in my place when I need to be or. You know, there's been times where we've not been friends for a couple years because we don't agree with each other or we're telling each other to ourselves. So it's. I think I hold his friendship super dear because he's been very real and transparent with me and never kind of was. I mean, he was the first person during the Mongols chaos to be like, you're being so fucking stupid. What is wrong with you? Just fucking stop. Yeah. And it was like. And even. Even then, I was like, you know, you don't know anything. Like, whatever. And. And I just, you know, I had to burn myself with the. The kennel. But Yeah, I did. I've done this as hardcore for many, many years. And then I. And then I got fired for two years and then I came back for. For the current years. And that's. And that's the beauty of it, right, because it was. It was always samba. What do you got going on over there?

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

I got a little kitty cat.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Can you tell me about the Insane collection of hardcore memorabilia? As I noted earlier that you've been slowly liquidating through the years. I mean, how did you ask such a thing?

[Greg Falchetto]

I just always liked this stuff. I mean, like, just photos of me I'll see from like 2006 and I'll be wearing like an old Shelter shirt or something. It was just different then though, because you can get an old shelter shirt for 20 or 30 bucks and now it's 300. And it's just. I think when as I'm seeing that, right. I realized that a lot of the stuff I don't even wear anymore. So it was kind of like, I'll just start selling it off kind of periodically. I mean, still have a bunch, but it's.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

I mean, you'll post. You'll do like a biannual post of like, hey, I got all this on ebay and it's like first pressings of everything.

[Greg Falchetto]

Yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

I mean, I respect.

[Greg Falchetto]

Yeah, I love hardcore. I'm in the most important to me.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Well, what's nice is you mentioned that while liquidating all these things, you. You decided to only keep the stuff that you were around for.

[Greg Falchetto]

Yeah, that's. I mean, that is really. Like. There's obviously some stuff still I have. But shirts are a little different. But records, records, I really have like my generation of stuff. So like mental Test presses, wrenching them set that stuff. I have all that. But yeah, like, not to say I don't respect Minor Threat. I obviously love it. But do I need a Minor Threat wrestling that I can get $2500 for? Like, I'd rather just get the money and go to Disney money. Yeah.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Hell yeah, it is. That's a really interesting point is I've been downsizing a lot lately too, and a lot of the stuff I end up keeping are like. Even if they're fucking mediums and shit that don't fit me anymore, but it's like my friends bands.

[Greg Falchetto]

Yeah.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

And this is the memory that, that we have. I. I do. I see your. Your point there. That makes a lot of sense.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Well done, Greg.

[Greg Falchetto]

Thanks.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

You immediately asked me for a Fire Starter Test Press. I love that.

[Greg Falchetto]

Yeah. Well, that's It. And that's the other thing too. I still buy all the records. Like. Like, I liquidate stuff, but a lot of the time I. I preorder everything from Days. Everything from you guys, everything from Triple B, from Streets of Hate. Like. Like, 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. Like Firestarter and a new strange band. Why the fuck wouldn't I pay the $50 for the two variants? I mean, unless I was a poser, 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.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Well said, Greg. Couldn't have said it better.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Hopefully the clip of that will make people.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Yeah. Can you tell me about how you got into the artist management stuff? Because it's a truly fascinating world that I don't. I mean, gotta be damn near impossible to break into.

[Greg Falchetto]

So. 2014, August 2014 was the last Mongol Age show. Right after that, like, probably like September 1, 2014, I went on a Census Bell tour. That was like all September. Coming back from. That was probably early October. And I didn't have anything set up. I was trying to figure out a job to make money. Obviously I was going to get married, like, shortly after that. I was like, all right, I need to like, start figuring it out. I was living at my mom's and. And it was just. It was. I had no money really, so besides what I just made on Sense of Spell tour. So I found out that an influencer was going to do a Tour. This is 2014, so it's early. This is like early Instagram. Yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Do we want to name him? Because he's. I mean, he's still out there influencing, right?

[Greg Falchetto]

He is, but he's like. He's like a weird, like, only fan sex person now. I think his name was Taylor Kniff. Yeah, he's.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

This is not the guy I was.

[Greg Falchetto]

No, no, no, no. Yeah, this is 2014. Since early. Yeah. He. I think he does stuff on Only fans. I don't know. But he probably makes a lot of money.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Good for him.

[Greg Falchetto]

Yeah. So he. He was gonna do a tour and I was gonna tour manage it. I was like, all right. It. I'm down. The rate was like, awesome. It was paying everybody really well. He came on the back end of a. Of a tour called magcon, which is meet and greet convention, which is like a very big tour. It was a bunch of like, big.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Influencers that was a big vine thing.

[Greg Falchetto]

It was. Yeah. Vine was still around. They were, they were all really big. The number one vine was by. At. At that point was by a guy named Cameron Dallas. That was a part of.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Right.

[Greg Falchetto]

MadCon.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Okay.

[Greg Falchetto]

So. So this guy was like, all right, I'm going to do my own tour on the tail end of madcon. I have a lot of success. So we, me and this other guy, John, who was like the quote unquote manager, literally took like a week straight, like 9 to 9am to 9pm just cold calling venues and booking what ended up being like a six or seven week tour that was just a meet and greet tour. So he would go to the city.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Holy.

[Greg Falchetto]

We set up the step and repeat. And he would just meet whoever showed up. So the tour starts and it ends up being like hundreds of people showing up every night. Like, wow. You know, in secondary markets like Nebraska, let's say there would be like 300. But when we were doing like Woodland Hills, California, we did like the Sky Zone or something in Wooden Hills.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Yeah. Oh, I know the one.

[Greg Falchetto]

It was no joke. Thousand, like a thousand people. 1500 people showing up for this meeting. So we'd be there from like 4pm to midnight and they'd be meeting all these people. Yeah, it was. There was no advanced tickets. It was $20 cash at the door. Oh. So these people.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

My God.

[Greg Falchetto]

So we, we kind of like created this thing that ended up like catching on. So by the end of the tour, we'd be going to cities like Tulsa, Oklahoma, and that would be like 800 people.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Wow.

[Greg Falchetto]

So.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Because obviously there's. There's promo going on. He's making vines.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

He's doing every day is.

[Greg Falchetto]

Yeah.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Oh, my God.

[Greg Falchetto]

And this was early, so like, you know, over saturation is 100 a real thing. But, you know, this was early. So anybody that could be like, oh my God, he's coming to our town. What the. He's gonna. And we were doing like in Illinois, we do like three shows. We did like Naperville, we did Chicago proper. And then we did another one. So it was like very.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Would it be like the mall sometimes? He's coming to the mall.

[Greg Falchetto]

We did Mall of America literally in the mall. Oh, my God. Yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

How many people came to that? 30, 000.

[Greg Falchetto]

Yes. It was literally thousands of people.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Holy.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Holy people.

[Greg Falchetto]

So on that tour, basically I'm poor managing it. He has this guy John that's managing him and on the tour he ends up firing the dude John. So I don't really Think much about it. I'm like, all right, whatever. He fired his manager. Like, we're still on the tour. Then maybe a couple days later, he's like, text me an email and the password. I'm like, what's up with this? He's like, oh, that's. That's my email password that you're just gonna manage now. I was like, sure. He's like, yeah, you seem to know, like, all this stuff, but I know you booked a lot of a tour, so can you just deal with it? So I'm like, okay, sure. So just doing, like, inbound, right? And, like, he would want, like, you're trying. Like, one of the earlier partnerships we did was with West Coast Customs. So he was like, hey, like, I want to work with West Coast Customs. It's like, all right. Yeah, exactly. So I was like, all right. So I would reach out and just make the relationship. And it was like, he was a big influencer early on. So companies, like, really, any company would be like, holy. Yeah, let's figure this out. Because it was so fresh and exciting on the marketing side.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Such a new world.

[Greg Falchetto]

Yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Now this is. This is everything.

[Greg Falchetto]

Yeah. Now it's. It's polluted straight up. But. But then it was so fresh. It was like, you know, we did a deal with West Coast Customs, and we did a deal with. It's not Sky High Sports. Is that another one? Is that. We did it. We did a straight up tour the next year. So that was. That was September. October. That tour literally started in October and ended right before Thanksgiving. So that was a very long tour. And then. Then the top of 2015, we did a sponsored tour with. I think they were called Sky High Sports was like another trampoline park. And we.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Yeah, that does sound familiar.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Okay.

[Greg Falchetto]

We. We toured to 30 across America again, did the same thing. It was the same deal. It was like we were. Now this time, every show is a thousand kids, 2,000 people. Sometimes it was like you had to turn people away from this, like, $20 ticket that everybody would just be like, yeah, we're going to the show. Like, but it wasn't a show. It was a meet and greet, like a hangout.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

So this kid trusting you on an instinct to manage him really kind of changed her, Changes your life, honestly.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Yeah, I had an. Not unrelated. But you're. You're flying to all of these, I'm sure.

[Greg Falchetto]

Well, the. The. That first tour, actually, he bought an RV in $20,000 cash. And then we just got in the RV and did the entire tour.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

So you. I mean, you're home, you're in the mongoloid bus. You're back.

[Greg Falchetto]

It was. It was literally that. That was. And that was what, to me, I think, brought me in because I was like, man, this is so diy. And just. Yeah, it was what I was already doing. But we were getting hotels every night. I was like, this is the drink.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Now the following one. You. You. It changes and it starts flying. Is that. Do you have to kind of update your skills? How do you. Because flying and checking and doing all this stuff, it's another step.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Yeah.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

You know.

[Greg Falchetto]

Well, the next one, we ended up just doing a tour bus because he was making so much money. Then it was like, all right, we're just going to tour buses. And then. And then after that, we start doing, like, international. We went to Brazil, we went to Europe. We went to. Yeah, it was like. It was stuff like that. So then. Then we're flying and. Yeah, I mean, but I always toured, so it was like. I already got to Europe eight times. So I knew kind of what it needed to be. I mean, but. But I will say this. Going to Europe then 10 or 12 years ago is so different from now. Going to Europe now is like a crazy process. Did you. I mean, Colin, you went for. I asked Colin because you're. You're obviously like a. Yeah. You're touring a lot, so I feel like Harm's Way still does the Gauntlet and, like, you're like a very successful metal band.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Thank you.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

I noticed that, yeah, Europe was a little harder. UK was way easier.

[Greg Falchetto]

Really? Okay.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Yeah. UK is just like. You apply for a thing online and they're like, all right, cool. Yeah, you can come for seven years for whatever you want, and you get.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

The response in, like an hour, too.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

It's insane.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Oh, I got it instantaneously. It used to be, like, that was the hardest one to go to for any reason. If you were going with a guitar, you're.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

But you are, right, Greg, in that.

[Greg Falchetto]

We.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

We went to Europe in 2019, and then everything with COVID happened, and then we did a new record and we didn't go back to Europe for. Until 2023 or 2024, I think, was the first time. So, like, five years. And a lot did change in that time. Europe, as Colin said, is, like, so gnarly getting into.

[Greg Falchetto]

And. And when you. So when. When Twitching Tunnels did eeper, was that like, kind of like a real celebration? Because I know that the experiences that you had to that point weren't great. So. So Twitching tunnels goes to do this Eeper. I know I talking to Mike, I don't know how it's going to be like. It was a very like an unsure thing. And then I saw the videos and it's like they were. They were waiting, they were demanding twitching tongues come and it was like this celebration, right?

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Yeah, big time. That, that was the vibe I think just to have been at. We were never asked to play you profess before. You know, we weren't asked to do one offs anywhere in Europe. We. The last thing we had really booked in Europe we canceled or I guess the second last one. The last entire tour we did in Europe ended it out at an early version of Outbreak Fest. And the tour was so grueling that it was like, all right, that show was good, so we. We probably don't ever need to come here again. But that Eeper was. Yeah, it was. It was incredible to be. And seeing people.

[Greg Falchetto]

The.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

The few people at every show across Europe all travel to the one was. It was. It was really kind of the perfect first thing back. Still not perfect, but it like really doesn't compare to even something like a FYA or something.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

So it's like. It's still not. I mean it was still like a kind of a regular sized venue, but we'll see. Maybe, maybe when we go back it's even better. Tell me about where you go from there, management wise. What? Because there's something I want to mention. You had a. You had a. A really interesting secondhand interaction with Stan Lee that I want.

[Greg Falchetto]

Oh, sure.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

I want. I want the story behind that.

[Greg Falchetto]

Yeah. So. So from the, the tail end of this, this tour, the Mad Contour, which was super popular in 2013, ends up getting revived end of 2015 and 2016 and they do another world tour which is domestic. They did like all the major cities and then they go to Europe, they do a full European tour, which is the first time. And. And the client I had at the time was. Was on the tour and then the tour actually hired me as, as a. As a tour manager for the tour. So I'm with a client, but I'm also touring on this tour now and I end up meeting up with a bunch of different people and creating relationships with a bunch of good people as you do when you go on tour. Right. And like the European tour, we shared a bus and we're all together and, and that is where I ended up at the company I'm still at now. But it was before the, the, the name. The name change that happened like twice within the, you know, those eight years, but sure, yeah. So I, I end up at that company and they had an artist signed by the name of Jacob Sartorius. So Jacob was gonna start touring independently. He did a couple dates on Madcon that he was gonna spin off and, and do his own tour. And I end up tour managing that tour from the tail end of this. So I was like, kind of like, like in transparency. Influencer management's like, really grueling in a different way because you're dealing with people that have found success through, through a moment, really. I mean, you know, you have this moment. They're not. When you're a singer, you have some. When Beau's playing guitar, Bo learned to play guitar. When Colin's playing drums, he. Whether. Whether you were traditionally trained or you're just watching a video and doing the same thing a million times, know it. You, you eventually learn it and you're, you, you're trying to get better at it. You know, Influencer is very different. So it's like you're dealing with people that like, you know, these huge financial offers will come and then they're just. Nah, that. And, and it's not even just one person I'm even referring to. I'm just, it's just a blanket statement. Like, I watched it happen a million times across my clients and a million other people's. And you just kind of get to a point where it's like, it sort of just sucks. Like you're, it's like very soul sucking because you're working, you're spending all these hours, like, building these relationships and trying to figure some of this stuff out. And then you have people just vexing the, the deals. That's like.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Or no, just like literally not understanding how monumental this is just to have this opportunity basically.

[Greg Falchetto]

And how, like, I mean, statistically, I'm going to say 98% of these influencers remain a moment in time. You know, in five years, who's still talking about this given person and their viral moment? Nobody gives a fuck. I mean, we could talk, you and I, and we could talk here and we remember vine, but like, no, nobody else does.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

There's nobody.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Very, very few find a thing to do after just being an influencer. Addison Rae is like the, the greatest example of right now of somebody who was like, all right, I have to figure something out.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Who was. Yeah, there was a girl, Ariel, and she was like, with. I don't know if it's baby or else. She went on to host Love island or whatever. That's, that's like something I got maybe.

[Greg Falchetto]

I don't know that I think, I.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Think it was someone else, but also named Ariel. But yeah, you're right. I can't think of anyone who really broke from vine specifically.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Casey Frey broke through because he was an incredible dancer. You know, he's not even trying to influence. He's just dancing, just dancing.

[Greg Falchetto]

I mean, Logan, Paul, Jake, Paul. But there. But they also have like those guys and, and this is coming firsthand from being around them. Their work ethic is. Yes. They don't play games. Like, it's not, it's not, you know, they, it's 24, 7, 25, 8. Because they want to retire and they don't have to worry about any of this bullshit. Like those guys are, are the real deal. So it's like we can sit behind the screen and be like all these clowns, but dude, they got it. They know what the fuck they're doing.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Yeah, some people just know they're gonna. Trisha Paytas knew she was gonna, she was like, I have to make this work. Some people make it work, man. And it is the work ethic. And there's also just like this. A lack of shame can get you.

[Greg Falchetto]

So far in life that is.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

And I'm sure you see it all the time, are there as a manager to influencers and stuff, are you watching TikToks and like keeping your eye on trends and like pitching them to your clients?

[Greg Falchetto]

Well, it's funny. So, so now current day, I've kind of been peeling back a little bit from, from doing the influencer stuff to the level I was. I mean I worked for 10 years. So at the, at the end of last year, beginning of this year, a friend of mine, James Alucio, was leaving the management company he was at and starting a management company to just work with bands and, and that I actually have interest in. So I'm, I'm also, I still work at the, at the influencer company, but I'm doing just more day to day stuff and I work on one client that's like a hybrid of influencer meets artists. And he just put a new record out and, and again, this is a client that we took five, six major label meetings and he was like, honestly, the major label, let's just do a partnership with a distribution company, like video. And when I'm sitting in a meeting like that with them, like, yes, that's what I want to do. All these people, because at the end of the day they'll Ball wash you and make you feel like you matter. But as soon as something goes the way they don't or makes them think you don't matter, they're out. They don't give a fuck. You can be signed to the label and they'll let you rock.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

I mean, we see it. We see it ever. We see it with everybody that doesn't go platinum, basically.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Right.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

This has. Is the major label to major label to major label, but so you're not talking to your clients anymore and being like, hey, guys, this renegade dance is really taking off. We gotta.

[Greg Falchetto]

Dude. And I did it so for so long, dude.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

The renegade. You did the renegade for so long.

[Greg Falchetto]

I mean, that one's typically. Yes, but. But all of them, dude. Like, it would just be like watching the TikTok trends and being, oh, what about this video? What about that? It was. And it was. It was fulfilling. I'm not saying, like, it wasn't. And obviously I'm still a part.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

There's worse jobs.

[Greg Falchetto]

Yeah. Dude, I'm so grateful for the jobs I. I got to do and the experiences I have. I would never say, like, I would never complain, but, you know, currently working with bands again and getting to kind of like, do that part has been so fulfilling for. For this year especially. And, like, James is an old friend of mine, and it's just cool to kind of land back where, you know, where I want to be.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Yeah. Right. Home.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

All right, Stan Lee, tell me the story. Sorry to interrupt.

[Greg Falchetto]

So the artist I was touring with at the time, Jacob Sartorius, he was seeing a girl that had a lot of deep ties with Marvel. They were on a tour. She actually came on the tour for a while, and we were just all buds. They knew I liked Marvel then.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

You don't want a name dropper. It's cool.

[Greg Falchetto]

I guess it doesn't matter. Nelly, Bobby Brown.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Whoa.

[Greg Falchetto]

Yeah. So they. So they had a relationship and they knew I liked Marvel. One day I go to my mailbox and I got this crazy box with a signed pop figure and all these different lithographs signed by Stan. His assistant hit me up and got my address and. And then one day they just sent me a video from Stan to me. And, like, we were trying to coordinate me going to a comic con to, like, meet him in person.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Yeah. All right.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

You have that video forever. Yeah. I mean, that is like, what a beautiful thing to do. And she just kind of did that on her own, straight up.

[Greg Falchetto]

Yeah.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Wow.

[Greg Falchetto]

Crazy. Like, I mean, like. And again, like, it's no, like, Jacob is the man. You know, Millie was so nice. Like, I loved working with all these people, but it just. Time is a weird thing and you kind of like, you go. You go past it and it's like, now you're trying again. Yeah, exactly. Doing the Mongols again. You're going to go on tour of one of the bands I manage, Bo.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Oh, really? Remind me.

[Greg Falchetto]

I promise the world.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

That's right. They're opening the Death Death Adventure. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Hell yeah.

[Greg Falchetto]

Pretty incredible.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

I did not know you were involved with that. Interesting.

[Greg Falchetto]

Yeah, I was gonna hit you up, you figure out some background share, you know what I'm saying? You get an email from me later today.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Yeah, we're bringing everything, so feel free. This is.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

This is.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Don't need to email.

[Greg Falchetto]

On recording. Yeah, it's on record. Done.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

You can use it all.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Two Macy's guitar by 10. Yeah, it's all good.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Use Bo's guitar. Hold my own. How does this come to be? I know it's 2021, so it's. Right, it's, you know, mid Pan as some are calling it. How does this work out?

[Greg Falchetto]

How do you.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

How do you find these guys in the Chicagoland area?

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Yeah, how. How does a group of young guys and then my beloved Shane Merrill. Do they get you or do you get them?

[Greg Falchetto]

So Ash and I became friends on the Internet because on the from within comp. Mh Chaos is on it. And then the band, I did, for a. For a brief moment, Youth Collapse was also on it. So we just started talking on Instagram, I think, and it was like, hey, 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. Like, oh, yeah, yeah. I mean, how many people do you talk to about doing a band? It doesn't actually happen.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

You don't want to know.

[Greg Falchetto]

Yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

And then it's okay, send me some stuff. I go, I got. I don't have any for you. I need to keep those now. Well, wow. Anchit stepped up, dude. He said, here. Here you go, Greg.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Here you go.

[Greg Falchetto]

Yeah. 70 songs. And then that was like. I mean, the conversation probably started in like May 2020 or. Or something like summer 2020. And then it just.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

So everybody's got time.

[Greg Falchetto]

Yes. Yes. So. So fast forward and shows are going to come back. Bob's working on the fya and I still am, like, kind of leisurely doing this demo that is taking like two years for. For whatever, four songs.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Yeah.

[Greg Falchetto]

And Bob's like, you know, would you. You think the demo will be out? You want to play the after show for FY22. 22, I think that sound right. And I was like, yeah, yeah, right. Because 21 didn't happen. So.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

21 didn't happen beginning of the year.

[Greg Falchetto]

So.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

But your demo was out in 21.

[Greg Falchetto]

So that demo comes out November 21st shows. Yeah, yeah. So then we finish it and we put it out and then we play that FYA show before that, a couple days. Playing a random Chicago show.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Yeah.

[Greg Falchetto]

Which is like a free show, I think. So it's just kind of like. Yeah. And then. And then from that we can. We get asked to play shows and it's like. I mean, I. Although they're not straight edge, you know, they really aren't.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

They're really not straight edge.

[Greg Falchetto]

Yeah, yeah, that's. They love marijuana big time. Yeah. Yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Did Taylor engineer all of your vocals for Hold My Own so far or most of them?

[Greg Falchetto]

Everything but the. The newest single I ended up doing with Jayway singer Bayway, because. Yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Does. Does Jayway know about your list of banned phrases to use when. When singing?

[Greg Falchetto]

I don't think he does yet.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Do you know your full list of banned phrases?

[Greg Falchetto]

You tell them today?

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

I know a few of them. I was wondering if maybe you could. You could share a few more. I've got on here. I'm gonna live my own way. You're not allowed to say that one anymore. Do what I gotta do. That one's not allowed. And this is maybe my favorite one. This is how I do it. You're not allowed to say that anymore.

[Greg Falchetto]

So when I was. When I had a. I had a place for a long time in Reseda, California, and Tino, California, when I was out there a bit more full time. And I did a lot of vocals with Taylor. And he's always a great treat to work with because he'll just tell you how it is, but in the. In the most tailor way possible. So rather than telling you it sucks, he'll tell you a background, you know, kind of like a backdoor way of telling you it sucks. But to make you be like, yeah, I could do better. It's awesome.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

You're gonna live your own way.

[Greg Falchetto]

You know, I never said I was beaten.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

This is how I do it. I like that one. So to this day, is Ancha doing all the writing for Hold My Own or is it more of collaborative band process now?

[Greg Falchetto]

So the last song because. So, Mike, some bulldozers in the band now playing second guitar.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

What A gift.

[Greg Falchetto]

Yes.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

What a gift you've been given.

[Greg Falchetto]

Yeah. A real life meme in our band now.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

You have the meme dude, you gotta let. He's a. That's legend.

[Greg Falchetto]

Yeah, he is a legend, which to me, obviously, I mean, it's. It's crazy playing in a band with him because I like Agents of Man, specifically, since they were active when I was a kid. I mean, dude, seeing them and. And like. Yeah, that. It's. It's a big one.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Church, bro. That's church to this day.

[Greg Falchetto]

Yeah. So. So him and an. The last single we did no Respect you. They kind of did that one together. And then on the. On the record we're working on right now, Mike does like a lot of the weeds. A lot of the. A lot of the songwriting they kind of worked on together. So it's been. It's been cool. You know, Next year the record will come out and hopefully it's cool. But I think Day style. Shout out Lumpy.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

There you go.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Lumpy.

[Greg Falchetto]

Yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Andrew Lumparelli.

[Greg Falchetto]

There he is.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Making it happen once and again.

[Greg Falchetto]

Yep.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

You got four eps now. You got a bunch of singles, you got. You got splits. What's the biggest difference so far between your life as a mongoloid and now holding your own?

[Greg Falchetto]

You mean, like, just musically? Yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

I mean, overall, your experience in each band, how they differ.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

What was it like coming back, like, doing that first show?

[Greg Falchetto]

You know, I mean, Hold My Own. We fight a lot. I mean, Anshu and I have. I don't share a lot of the same views, so we, like, have a lot of disagreements, but I think we do it in a little more constructive way. I mean, we'll tell each other and fuck off, but then, like, in a couple hours we'll be talking again. It's all good. I think previously it would be like a lot of resentment existed, which. Which sucked and it wasn't a great way to do a band. And like, it obviously is why the band deteriorated and there's all these weird years after the fact. But I think like, Hold My Own is definitely a little bit more like unit. We're a unit and we're able to kind of like, I mean, anchor to the main songwriter. He does so much for it and like, in terms of, like booking the flights, even with lyric lyrics, I mean, I'll just contribute to lyrics. You know, it's. He's a huge part of the band, so it's pretty natural to.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

You've Lear turns now to. Even. Even through the disagreements. Now you're going to The Cheesecake Factory together.

[Greg Falchetto]

Exactly. Yes.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Rather than by yourself as an escape.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

What is your go to. What's your go to item at the.

[Greg Falchetto]

Cheesecake Factory or cheese pasta all day?

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Oh, there's nothing bad on that menu. My favorite is.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Yeah, I love frozen food.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

It's the. It's the. It's the chicken pizza style, where it's a flattened breaded chicken with pasta on top. The chicken gimmick, as we call it. That thing.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

My God, one of the fattest things ever conceived. Conceived through an act of violence.

[Greg Falchetto]

I mean, I love, like. Like, I love the Olive Garden. I love Carrabba. It's like that. These are the type of things, like, if I can go do that every day on tour, I'm happy. Like, that's what's important. Like. Like McDonald's and stuff like that. I understand the appreciation, and I respect it, but to me, like, a good day is to be able to go and, like, sit in an Olive Garden, break bread, and, you know, just drink a Coca Cola. Like, that's. There's nothing really bad.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Stick. Let me tell you something.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Yeah, sorry.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

I got to tell you this, and this might be a hot take. Red Lobster is fucking awesome, dude.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

This new CEO is turning things around.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Telling you, dude, there's like a $45 meal, and you get so much food, it's fucking awesome.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

They got rid of unlimited shrimp, which, like, who cares? Give me the boy.

[Greg Falchetto]

I don't think there's any around. Where.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Dude, where I'm at, We got him. Next time you're out Chicago way, I'll take you to Red Line, dude.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

The last year for me in. In this regard has been defined by Chili's. Chili's, dude, I'm all the in on Chili's.

[Greg Falchetto]

What's the. What's the order of Chili's, Greg?

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Let me break it down for you real quick, dude.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Little thing called the triple dipper, okay?

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

You get to pick amongst all these things. There's. There's egg rolls. Don't laugh. There's sliders. Outstanding. The big mouth sliders. My favorite is the. The moth. The. The. I don't even know how to describe it. The mozzarella stick.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Imagine a brick of mozzarella cheese, like a literal brick. And then they cut it. They turn it up on its side and cut it down that way because it's like a flat, big fried piece of cheese. And you get to.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

You pull this thing. You dip it in some sauce. You pull this thing, you could potentially never stop pulling. You haven't lived yet though, because you never had this one. It's the one, dude. It is. The mozzarella stick prophecy has finally been fulfilled by Chili's. So you go. Go out today. It's unbelievable.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Just. Just now on my flight to and from you, Colin. For our. For our Davey Havoc episode. The Dallas Fort Worth has a Chili's. I got it.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

They got triple dipper at the fort at the airport. Chili's.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Bet your ass, dude.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Things are looking up in this world. That's outstanding. Tell me about the future of Hold My Own, Greg.

[Greg Falchetto]

We're gonna do a LP next year. So that'll come out on days and beginning of the year and we're playing. FYI. We're playing some other stuff. We'll be around. Yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Lp? Any.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Any.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Any re recorded classics or is this just. Hey, we're starting fresh new record. Let's go.

[Greg Falchetto]

We re recorded Deceit and Archon from the demo.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Oh, okay.

[Greg Falchetto]

Cool. Cool. Yeah. So two, two, two demo tracks are re recorded.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Yeah.

[Greg Falchetto]

There you go.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

How does it feel to be putting out like a first album again? You ain't done this since Time Trials, my brother.

[Greg Falchetto]

I have like pretty bad. I've been like doing a similar to Mongolia's Room, like retracting the vocals a bunch and scrapping vocals and I mean I'm just not like I'm gonna say this. I'm not a singer, guys. I'm just. I'm complete cosplay with this. I don't know any of it. I'm. I'm just looking at what I like and. And trying my best to. Yep, that's what it is.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

That's what we do. That's hardcore.

[Greg Falchetto]

Honestly.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

That's redo the stuff that you like.

[Greg Falchetto]

Yeah, that's.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

I can't wait to hear that that early next year. Hold my own debut lp. It's Coming Days Media Group days. You're from New Jersey, Greg?

[Greg Falchetto]

Oh yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Which to me is really the home of Halloween for sure. You believe in ghosts?

[Greg Falchetto]

Yeah. Honestly? Yes.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Really?

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

It's September now. Things are. The leaves are getting crispy. So I'm gonna need. I need your stance. Tell me about your experience with. With ghouls, etc. I mean what you've seen, what you believe.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Fright Fest day one.

[Greg Falchetto]

Yeah, exactly.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

I mean he's a long time believer.

[Greg Falchetto]

I don't. I mean I don't have like a really. Do I personally have any ghost stories? I just think it's naive to think that. That there's not these things. Right. I mean I believe in aliens too. I don't have like a. A proof of it. I've not seen it firsthand, but it's like. Although AI is very realistic, sometimes I. I do think, like, you know, there's beyond what. What we see. Like, I think it's.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

It's also like, naive, bro.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Yeah. I think. You know what? I think this is boiling down to a semantics issue.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Who the hell is Samanthic?

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Because I don't know him. What I'm saying, I'm agreeing with Greg completely. But I'm saying I think it's naive to equate it to Casper the friend ghost. I think that's silly. I think it's something we don't understand.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

But you think it's something.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

I think, yeah, but I. But gravity, something. Wind is something. You know what I mean? Like, there are things that are explainable.

[Greg Falchetto]

Eventually that we just don't know about. Wind is the ghost. What if every time you feel wind, it could. I mean, there's. This world is a very undiscovered place.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Hey, Ben saying.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

But you've never seen anything yourself, goblin?

[Greg Falchetto]

I don't think so. No. I mean, not that. Not like that. That comes to mind when we're talking about it. That's like. That's jumping out on me right now. Like, I don't think I've had a. A close encounter or anything. Like, that's confirmation.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

What. What's the. What's the scaredest you've ever been?

[Greg Falchetto]

The scaredest I've ever been? Oh, my God. I don't even know what's. Do you know the answer to this? Off topic. For you? No, for you.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

For me. My old apartment got burglarized while I was away. And when I came home, all of the doors were open and it was the middle of winter and it was just so cold and like, I didn't know if someone was at the end of the hallway. That was truly like, I have to clear this apartment. I got. I got. Here we go. You know what I mean? Like, that was really scary. I think that's the most scared I've ever been after seeing Total recall as a 10 year old because. Or not Total Recall. No Eventualizing Event Horizon.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Oh, yeah. You are so scared of Event Horizon.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Me up, man. God.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

So awesome. I couldn't tell you.

[Greg Falchetto]

Yeah, scary. I mean, that seems like it's a very like a deep. A deep. Like I. I remember when probably like 2008, maybe 9, me and my buddy Stephen drove to Baltimore for like a Trapped Under Ice blacklisted show. We went to the show driving back, it was like pouring rain and we, we hit water and we bounced off the median. And then the car was in the left lane, like whatever, like facing the, the shoulder, like we couldn't move. And I remember being like, that was. I remember being really scared because car stuff I was always like pretty scared of generally because it's like something out of your hands. Like when you take fate out of your hands, it's like it's not even about how you're driving, about how people around you are driving and that. I remember being like, yeah, very, very scared. And the person I was with, Stephen was super. Just like, what the up? Like he's like, got a very, like, who gives a. We'll figure it out. I them go around me. But we're in the left lane in the middle of the night, it's pouring rain and cars are coming like 80 miles an hour, like.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Yeah.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Driving around in missiles. The people who believe that like John Kennedy Jr. Was coming back a couple years ago, they're driving around minivans at 8.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Oh yeah.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

You know, like, it is so fucking scary.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Surrounded by the dumbest people to ever live. It's no good. Touring is, is very dangerous. I would say the most scared I've ever been is. Is just finding out that my dad was in the hospital.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Sorry.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Like, it's like, okay, where's. You know. Yeah, that was, that was the most fear I've ever felt.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

But he's okay?

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Yeah, his lung collapsed from all the sigging and he worked a 16 hour day because he's a fucking legend, which nobody should do. Capitalism. Unbelievable.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Always first in line.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Yeah, that was, that sucked.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

But hey, we're all okay. Dad's okay. You guys didn't get hit. My place never got burglarized again. We're fine.

[Greg Falchetto]

Yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Somebody asked, somebody asked. Was this last week that somebody asked what was the worst birthday party you've ever been to? That's such a great question.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

It is a great question. I am not even saying this just because Colin, you can ask Chris about this. He was there. I had my birthday at a Chili's once and a bunch of my friends like showed up and got me like gag gifts. Just like joke gifts. And for some I was really sensitive about it and I just went home. That was a really bad birthday.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

That's sad.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Yeah, but it was fine. Obviously. They all came to my mom's house and like apologized. So it's totally, totally fine. I was just in my feelings. I don't know. I was like 17 you know, the.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Worst birthday party you've ever been to, Greg.

[Greg Falchetto]

The worst. I couldn't tell you. But it's funny because the best was actually out of McDonald's. And I. And I had a birthday party at McDonald's when I was a kid at the play place. And. Oh, yeah. And I really wanted this GI Joe toy. And then I ended up getting two of them, and they were. And it was like a vehicle. So I got to open both vehicles and I had, like, you know, like, there's like. I don't know. Did you care about GI Joe or not really?

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Adjacent things, you know?

[Greg Falchetto]

Yeah. So it was like, getting two vehicles is like. Because you can actually build the army. And it's like, have, like, you know, cobra, gi. I mean, like 80s gi joe is everything, dude. So it was like, getting to. It was awesome.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Yeah.

[Greg Falchetto]

Yeah, it was. It's called the trouble bubble. And I got two trouble bubbles. So it was like. To me, I mean, you could have a real battle.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

One car. What are you wearing? One vehicle. What are you gonna do?

[Greg Falchetto]

Me and. Yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

And if you're dominating every time, I.

[Greg Falchetto]

Mean, I could still. Because I bought it on Amazon a couple, like, months ago, just out of curiosity, as I was trying to show my daughter and she was like, this sucks. But. But I put it on and I could still remember from the 86. Gi Joe. I still know majority of the dialogue, like. Like, word for word. It's pretty sick. No brag, but, you know, that's a good birthday.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

That's a good birthday. You know, about you, Colin, the worst. Sorry, I didn't have many birthday parties, personally. They were all at Chuck E. Cheese and they all fucking rocked.

[Greg Falchetto]

Of course, that's.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

But I'm trying to think of, like, other people's birthday parties that I want you remember.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Like, Leaps and Bounds and Discovery Zone, those places.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Yeah, Discovery. I was talking about Discovery Zone last night.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Dude. What a place.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Unbelievable.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Go here and go insane.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Oh, my God. It was massive.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

You could just fall anywhere from any height and you'd be fine with the nets, right? Yeah, dude.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Those video of adults falling through the nets that you'll see every once in a while are, like, some of my favorite videos that exist.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

I would kill to do that today.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Let's get down to the nitty gritty here. You were on our original episode where we asked musicians their four favorite hardcore records of all time. You had a hard time with it. You regretted some answers. I wouldn't say regret, but you were just like, oh, wow. I can't believe I didn't think second. You did it really fast. You tried to go gut answer.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

What are your answers today when I ask your top four hardcore records ever?

[Greg Falchetto]

Well, I was gonna say, because you're asking these questions, I don't think about this stuff. Like, I don't think about what are my favorite birthday party or what's like my favorite hardcore record. I just. I just like these. I just like them. Right.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Yeah.

[Greg Falchetto]

I will say I think about that specific recording a lot because in my head I was thinking about records that I know majority of the words do. Right. Like, what's a record you could put on? And I'll be able to kind of like, yeah, just talk lyrics. But there's two I didn't. I didn't name from. From the same band actually. That, that are very, very top tier. And. And it. And it's Death Threat, Last Days and Death or Peace and Security. I mean those, those two records are. Are everything to me because obviously, I mean it's. There's no need to explain here, but lyrically they were so fucking different from the stuff I was hearing in 2001, 2002. And in hardcore it was like, holy, this is like. This dude's talking about like, like heartbreak and. Yeah, in this. Yeah. Very real thing. And then you would go see them, especially in Northeast, and it would be like, like they played Death, where I played a lot of crazy shows. They played Thursday, Glass Jaw in New Jersey. And it was like they played the second stage with Most Precious Blood and it was like, you know, Most Precious Blood. Nothing in vain. I mean, I'm saying that's probably another one that's a, like a very top tier record for me with a band I saw once a month really, for. For the entirety of my childhood because they toured so much.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Rounded out. Give me one more.

[Greg Falchetto]

I'm still gonna say Promise Believer just because I mean, I was such another Victim fan. Like, dude, when that. When that two song dropped and then the LP to follow, I was like, dude, this is insane. This is crazy. Like, can't believe Anderson singing another band. Like, it's like. And it was also just so straight edge.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Straight edge.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Very overtly straight edge. Really crazy songwriting. Sounds awesome. I love Believer. Great pick.

[Greg Falchetto]

Yeah, that's. That's like a. You know. But not. Not to say, like, you know, scared to death. K9. I still obviously love that record. And trying to think when I say Shelter Attaining a supreme right. I mean, that's still an incredible record. I still Go shelter over youth today. All day. Wow. Yeah. No, no offense.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

You're an interesting guy, though. You don't like suffocation?

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

I like that.

[Greg Falchetto]

I can't.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Can't hold it.

[Greg Falchetto]

I'm.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

I'm learning. I love to learn about you, Greg. We're gonna round this out with. We got some questions from our Patreon members here.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

That's right, The Hard Lore Patreon. You want to ask questions, join it.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

You can ask people like Greg that we love so much questions. 5. This is an interesting one. I don't know that there will be five. Five favorite venues in New Jersey hardcore that don't exist anymore.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Oh, wow.

[Greg Falchetto]

Oh. Eminem hall in Old Bridge, New Jersey. Birch Hill Nightclub in Old Bridge, New Jersey. Chrome in South Amboy, New Jersey. Three Warren, American Legion and Warren, New Jersey.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Oh, I feel like I played that.

[Greg Falchetto]

I feel like I have too Harm's Way. I'm almost positive did Twitching Tongues. I can't remember, but I feel like you might have. They did a lot of shows there at a very specific point of time. That's four. Right, so Westfield, New Jersey, Church. Yeah, that was a pretty cool spot. I'm impressed.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Somebody asked. Any Tallahassee memories that come to mind from touring?

[Greg Falchetto]

Oh, my God. From touring? No, but living there for a year was probably like the lowest point of my life. It was like coming from a place like New Jersey and being able to just throw a rock and get to a show and then living in a city like Tallahassee that was, like, overrun by, like Florida State University people going to college and, like, getting up and doing drugs and just being, like, straight edge in the heart of it. And every show being two and a half hours away, and it was just like. It was actual. I was miserable that year in my life. It sucked so bad. I mean, the people there, I loved, and it was, like, good. It was. I met a lot of awesome people, but, like, actually living there was a bullet to my brain every single time.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Any birthday parties come to mind?

[Greg Falchetto]

Yeah, no. No birthday parties, but okay.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Worst sound guy experience. I mean, where to. Where to begin?

[Greg Falchetto]

Yeah, I mean, I have no idea about any of this, like, sound guy. I mean, if I. If I could hear myself, I'm good. If I can't hear myself, then I'm not gonna have a voice the next day. That's about it. I mean, some of. Some of us artists don't have the in ear setup and the nice. The nice setup. So you guys do. You know, I'm just over here.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

I. I Regret this, but. And I won't say where or when or whatever, but I had a sound guy when we were line checking critique the way I was checking and, like, critique my yelling, but, like, over. Like, over the pa. Like, people in the audience laughed. So after the set, he was like, hey, I wasn't trying. I. And I. I just threatened him. I said, you know, you ever do that again, I'm gonna smack you. And I'm really not. I'm not that kind of guy. And I've never done anything like that. I've never. You know. And he apologized and it was fine, but I was just, like, so mad. So that's what comes to mind for me.

[Greg Falchetto]

What state was it?

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Washington.

[Greg Falchetto]

Did you tell him? Like, listen, man, I hope you know that if you were a good sound guy, you'd be picked up by a band to go on tour, and you obviously aren't, so. You suck, man.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Isn't that a fact?

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

I didn't say that.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

I didn't, but that's a fact. Let's see, Colin.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

You don't have a worse sound guy.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

They're all bad, dude. Unless they have an iPad. When they come out with the iPad. That's what I'm looking for. Finally, a good one.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

I guess the question really is the best sound guy, because that's what you remember.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Yeah. And that's. Those are all my friends. Anthony.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Yeah, it's Anthony.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Zach Cannon.

[Greg Falchetto]

Leo, right. He was. He was doing sound for a minute, right?

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Yeah, big time. Fucking everybody else.

[Greg Falchetto]

Leo's touring with a crazy artist right now, right?

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Yeah, he's always doing so. I don't think he's ever done front of house for me. But he's. He rocks.

[Greg Falchetto]

He's a legend.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

And he understands music more than most people.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Yeah, yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

That's who should be doing sound.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Yes.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Musicians who know what music should sound like. Imagine, would you rather fight a goblin or a little green alien?

[Greg Falchetto]

Goblin.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

I gotta go. Goblin.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Yeah, yeah, Alien. He might have alien blood and like.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Yeah, you don't know.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

What, they got acid or something. Yeah, yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Oh, this is a great question. Can you speak on when you had the late, great Wade Allison on lead guitar?

[Greg Falchetto]

So that was Sound and Fury 2009. That was like the last show with what would have been the original Mongoloids. We. Again, this was after Europe. Then we came back from Europe. We played some random city in Pennsylvania with Four Punch and Mother Mercy. I think Mother Mercy played. Or maybe it was Bad Seed. Maybe it was Four Punch and Bad Seed. And then we did. We Did Sound and Fury. And that Sound and fury was, I think, like, me and the original drummer, Alan showed up, and then Joe Kane was there playing with Mother Mercy. So he. He. Because he played with us a bunch. He toured us a ton. And he. I mean, he would tell you probably a million stories about how actually crazy we all were, but he. He played guitar. Nick Fit, who played bass for us a bunch. He played bass. And then we didn't have a lead guitar player. Wade was able to Iron Age. And where I was like, hey, we'll give you 150 bucks to just solo the entire time. And he's like, yup, I'm in. So then he just stole the entire side. He had no idea about the songs. He had no idea what was going on.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

And that just unbelievable.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

So good.

[Greg Falchetto]

Yeah. He was just. Yeah, yeah. Rip, man.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

I'm just imagining. Rip for sure. I'm just imagining being like, this one's an E. Got it.

[Greg Falchetto]

It.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Oh, that. This one's in E2. Got it.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

I mean, I watched the set, probably side stage and awe, that's so cool. Yeah. The whole. He soloed the whole time.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

That's like Ted Nugent during punishment on that super group show on VH1. That's what Ted do. He doesn't play punishment for one second learning that. Yeah. He just. Biohazard. He just plays it. He just solos the whole time. It's amazing.

[Greg Falchetto]

That's awesome.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

What are some new bands? You like Greg.

[Greg Falchetto]

Firestarter? Yeah. Beautiful.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Good answer.

[Greg Falchetto]

Negative Force from New Jersey. They're gonna do an lp, probably the end of this year being next year on. On Takedown Records. Check it out. All right.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Love the name.

[Greg Falchetto]

Yep. Trying to think. What else? Cosmic Joke. Yep.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

You're crushing. Yes.

[Greg Falchetto]

But are these new bands anymore? I don't know. What's a new band? Yeah, like, all these bands might be old bands.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Nah, they're still new.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Enough with the best new bands we haven't heard yet.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

You know that Bloodshed.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Oh, that Demons Bloodshed demo is incredible. Barricade demo. Check out the Barricade demo. Young, actual teenagers.

[Greg Falchetto]

Perfect.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Were they from Florida? South Florida. Four songs, four minutes.

[Greg Falchetto]

Okay. I like that.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Come on. That's what it's all about.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

There's something magical happening in South Florida.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

South Florida, man.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Fountain of youth down there.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

It's out of control. Dumbest place you ever had to sleep on tour.

[Greg Falchetto]

Dumbest place.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

I mean, dumbest place to me is, like, outside of, like, we're sleeping on the ground outside because we don't have A place to stay. The, the system of sleeping in a sleeping bag on the stage. You just played in Europe. Sometimes it's like there is no more disgusting place on earth than this right now. I just spit here.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Now my bag's on it.

[Greg Falchetto]

But, but isn't it kind of cool when, when after you play a cool European show and then you're just sleeping on the venue floor like, like hours later and it's like you're kind of laying there. Maybe this is just me, but in a way they're gonna be like 5 hours ago I was just rocking this room and now here I am just in the room.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Yes, I agree.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Yeah, yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

But sometimes it depends on the room. The best aspect of that is like, wow, everybody's in here together. That's. This is really fun.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Yeah. Big sleepover.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Every night's a sleepover.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

It's very special. I like that one time because I ran out of gas. I was going to run us out of gas on the way back from Montreal, somewhere in Vermont. I pulled over, told all the guys to sleep in the van and then I went and laid down in front of a closed gas stations door so that I wouldn't miss when the guy got there so I could fill up the van.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

That's smart.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

I don't think a gas station within a mile of a highway exit should be allowed to close. I think that should be federally illegal.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Yeah, it's insane.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

If it's on the sign, it should be open. This was 2017. Yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

They're still closing out there. It's unacceptable. Nothing comes to mind for you, Greg Soundly, in your short feeling.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Yeah. The mongoloids had to have been sleeping in something crazy.

[Greg Falchetto]

We're living lavish. Yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

I mean she's so factory.

[Greg Falchetto]

I'm also one of these people that I, when I lay down, I'm tired. It's done. Like I can lay on, like I can lay on a floor with no nothing if I'm tired. It's a mountain.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Can you sleep sitting up?

[Greg Falchetto]

I don't know if I've ever tried, but I'm tired enough. Probably give it a shot on a plane.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Like, can you sleep on a plane?

[Greg Falchetto]

Oh, all day.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Oh, okay then yeah. You're a superhero. And this question doesn't apply to you. You're gifted. Who came up with the idea for the Mongo Floyd's for the March New Jersey show? And how long did that all take?

[Greg Falchetto]

Dave Allen, I think honestly everyone but me, that was kind of there. They, they kind of all did that. That's what I mean, it's like idea wise. Like, it might. Yeah, they. They're. They have crazy ideas.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Are you a big Pink Floyd guy?

[Greg Falchetto]

Me? Not at all. But I didn't sing it. Sean and. And Ray sang it. So it was like. That's. That's why. It's like. The Monolith is very different experience because we do songs and like, we did Pinkerton by Weezer at United Blood, and I didn't sing that either. They all sang it.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Are you a big Weezer guy?

[Greg Falchetto]

Me? Yeah. I love Weezer.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Yeah, that makes sense.

[Greg Falchetto]

That's good.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

This is a good lot. This is a good. Last question. Favorite hardcore band without an lp.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Ooh, great question.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

It's got. Is that Outburst?

[Greg Falchetto]

You know, Outburst or Iceman? Although there is like a. What they say? They say there's an Iceman LP that exists, but it just never came out. Trying to think.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

I don't buy it. Because then there's those two bootleg songs that are so good that people say is like, not technically the Iceman either.

[Greg Falchetto]

They call the monsters a legend. Do you ever hear. Because what he's. He. You ever see the live recording of him singing for Underdog?

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Yeah, it's incredible, dude. It's perfect.

[Greg Falchetto]

Yeah, he's. He's. He's a big melody. One that I take from too. Like when I'm trying to figure out, like, do a little melody. Melody stuff in songs like. He's in Carl the Mosher. Dynamo, dude. Come on. Yeah, and it's. It's. Yeah, it's very.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Without an lp.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Yeah, I'm thinking about it now.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Demise never had a. Technically an lp. It was a comp. Bulldozed Is. Did the Final beatdown doesn't count, right? Do they have another lp?

[Greg Falchetto]

Yeah, because it's like a comp. The compilation of everything.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

So be. It only had 27 inches, and I really love them at the time. Like, that's the first. That's like. What comes to mind is like, we're really pulling from memory.

[Greg Falchetto]

So be. It's a good reference. Those are two really good 7 inches, Norheim.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Good job, Luis.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Great question. It's probably Outburst, though.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Yeah, probably.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

You know, if it's not fucking last rights. It's. It's.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

It's gotta be Outburst.

[Greg Falchetto]

I mean, New York hardcore demo area stuff, though. There's so, like, Abomination, they had a great demo, and I don't think they ever had an lp. They just. I think. What else.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

You know what the answer is? Zero tolerance.

[Greg Falchetto]

Oh, that's a good one. Whoa.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Great point, Colin.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

That's the answer. Greg, two hours and ten minutes. Beautiful time we've had with you today. Are there any imparting words you'd like to leave the hard lore world with straight edges forever?

[Greg Falchetto]

If you're not now, you never were.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Outstanding.

[Greg Falchetto]

You're crushing it, dude.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

Greg. False Shadow of the Mongoloids. Hold my own. He's managing stuff. He's managing to have a great time with us, as always. Greg, thank you so much for joining us today. This was such a lovely chat. Support, Greg. Support all things. Thank you all so much for being here and watching. We love it. We love you all.

[Host 2 (possibly Bo)]

Yep.

[Host 1 (possibly Colin)]

See you next week.

[Greg Falchetto]

Later.