HardLore Podcast – Episode Summary

Episode Title: JAMI MORGAN: The End of Code Orange, 10 Years of "I Am King", nowhere2run Productions
Date: October 23, 2025
Hosts: Colin Young (Twitching Tongues & God’s Hate), Bo Lueders (Harms Way)
Guest: Jamie Morgan (formerly of Code Orange, currently nowhere2run)

Episode Overview

This heartfelt and candid episode covers the end and legacy of Code Orange, the creative birth and ambitions of the new project nowhere2run, a history of ten transformative years since the release of "I Am King," in-depth stories about collaborations with wrestling legend Bray Wyatt, and tales of perseverance, artistic evolution, and community within hardcore and heavy music. Jamie Morgan speaks openly on struggles, creative directions, and personal tragedies, blending humor, nostalgia, and insight.

Main Topics & Key Discussions

1. Life After Code Orange

The Final Chapter & The End of an Era

• Jamie discusses the lead-up to Code Orange’s final shows, detailing the cancellations (due to member injuries/illness) and the emotional fallout ([27:34–41:33]).
• The last show was a chaotic festival set marred by technical problems, power cuts, and conflicts with festival staff ([37:59–42:46]).
• “I think Code Orange in a certain way is done. And I think Code Orange could exist in another way at some point.” — Jamie ([43:50]).

The Band's Ethos: Perfection and Competition

• Jamie explains the band's relentless practice ethic and high standards:

  “If music was a sport…when we got up there, we fucking win.” ([00:14]/[30:23])

Reflections on the Band’s Trajectory

• Jamie reflects on Code Orange’s constant need to evolve, often feeling "always gaining fans, losing fans" — a “hamster wheel” caused by ambitious artistic shifts ([15:29]).
• The band’s attitude: “We’re gonna do whatever we want. Every good one [band] used to say ‘F--- you’” ([22:30]).
• On the mission statement to break up the “same five bands” festival cycle—Jamie admits, “I was right but wrong about the type of music and bands” ([24:31–25:03]).

2. Wrestling, Bray Wyatt, and Lost Creative Potential

Creative Collaborations

• Jamie recalls the close friendship and creative synergy with the late Bray Wyatt and the impact of his passing:

  “He got me excited about creativity. He’s one of the few people…who’s really motivated me, believed in me.” ([07:15])

• Details of unfulfilled, cinematic ideas for Bray’s WWE return involving prosthetics and hidden set pieces ([06:29–07:15]).
• Jamie’s respect for wrestling’s creative world. Emotional recounting of experiencing the tribute maze for Bray ([04:14–08:12]).

3. The Making and Aftermath of "The Above"

Transitioning Sound & Reception

• "The Above" aimed for a new hybrid—blending trip-hop, alternative, and heavy underbellies, visually inspired by films like Vanilla Sky and The Truman Show ([12:22–13:47]).
• Internal and external challenges colored the release: member health, money woes, and stress ([11:06–15:29]).
• The band always tried to keep “dots connected and threads woven” through their evolution, but audience expectations often diverged ([17:11–19:22]).

Critical Reflection

• Jamie expresses pride in "The Above" but admits confusion at the intensity of negative feedback, acknowledging a pattern of pushback at every Code Orange transition ([21:41]).
• Recurring theme: perseverance, spite, and the will to “keep building” despite setbacks ([26:19]).

4. Nowhere2run & Blood Rave

Birth of the New Project

• Jamie and Shade (with Dom) dive into “starting at the bottom again”:

  “We sat…back in the room, just experimenting, trying to figure it out…building a new town” ([54:56–59:14]).

The Blood Rave Concept

• The “Blood Rave” is an immersive, DIY, multimedia event inspired by Blade, Batman, and the Matrix:

  “What would we want to be at?…Let’s just call it Blood Rave…Let’s just experiment and see what performing would be like in a super cool environment.” ([60:35–65:58])

Work Ethic & DIY Mentality

• Jamie is deeply hands-on: designing graphics, booking artists, building stage sets. “It fucking sucks for sure…but people are excited about it and we keep…crafting these rooms” ([63:32–64:59]).

5. Artistry, Hardcore Community & Influences

Scene Reflections

• Jamie discusses the vibrancy of Pittsburgh hardcore, current bands blending styles, and the enduring appeal of hybrid forms ([83:11]).

Mosh Science Legacy

• Acknowledgment that Code Orange’s innovation in heavy breakdowns influenced a whole generation ([89:21]):

  “Your innovation in mosh science defined a small generation in hardcore.” — Colin ([89:21])

Personal Favorites & Giving Flowers

• Jamie names his four favorite hardcore records:
  • Buried Alive – Death of Your Perfect World
  • Hatebreed – Perseverance
  • Built Upon Frustration – Resurrected
  • Enemy Mind – Killer Beef ([118:02–119:19])
• Personal mosh part favorites in Harm’s Way and Twitching Tongues ([116:47–117:41])

Quotes on Identity and Drive

• “End of the day, these are my brothers.” ([45:20])
• “When you're buried, you're buried…and when you're over, you're over.” ([55:14], [69:58])
• “I really do believe in myself, and I really do believe that I have some things I really want to and will achieve.” ([105:15])

6. Film Scoring, Next Steps, and Creative Vision

Debut as Film Composer

• Jamie describes scoring and soundtracking the upcoming film Violence, which also involved writing songs for an in-movie punk band (and acting) ([109:30–114:51]).
• “It was months of being deep in this thing and it was an awesome time…I’m really stoked on the soundtrack and the score and everything.” ([114:51])

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Band Practice:

  “If we didn’t know something…we stop and we redo the whole thing. Because guess what? We gotta go again.” — Jamie ([30:02])

• On Wrestling & Bray Wyatt:

  “He…gave us that…over and over…Greatest guy in the world.” — Jamie ([07:15])

• On Evolution:

  “I really tried to put a lot of effort into kind of keeping dots connected and keeping threads woven through all the records, including on ‘The Above’…” — Jamie ([17:47])

• On Motivation:

  “It's what I do…I’m forced to do it.” — Jamie, on his art and new music ([79:06])

• On Perseverance:

  “What gets me through life…is to just keep pushing forward and finding new goals.” ([106:13])

Timestamps for Major Segments

• 00:05 – Code Orange rehearsal discipline / band perfectionism
• 03:28 – Friendship/creative relationship with Bray Wyatt
• 06:29 – Bray Wyatt’s unmade cinematic ideas
• 11:06 – The making, intent, and reactions to "The Above"
• 27:32 – The end of Code Orange and canceled tour fallout
• 37:59 – Last show chaos at festival ("Avenged Sevenfold incident")
• 41:45 – Giving away mics to the crowd, mud fights, band-on-crew conflict
• 43:50 – Confirmation: end of the band (as formerly known)
• 54:50 – Launch of nowhere2run, mental health, and creative reset
• 60:35 – Origin of the Blood Rave event
• 83:11 – Pittsburgh hardcore scene and hybrid bands in 2025
• 109:30 – Film scoring for Violence and crossing into cinema

Tone & Language

• Jamie is always earnest, intense, and self-critical, sometimes self-deprecating, mixing humor with candor and creative focus.
• The hosts are playful and affectionate, regularly punctuating somber moments with jokes and “hard lore” in-jokes.
• The tone turns philosophical when discussing legacy, grief, and artistic purpose.

For New Listeners

This episode is a masterclass in hard-earned wisdom and artistic honesty from a modern heavy music pioneer. Jamie Morgan opens up about loss, ambition, creativity, and personal growth. It’s required listening not only for Code Orange or hardcore fans, but anyone interested in the mindset behind ambitious art and unrelenting self-reinvention.