HardLore Podcast – Jeremy Bolm: Touché Amoré, Grief, Growth, & 10 Years of STAGE FOUR

March 5, 2026

Overview

In a deeply resonant and candid episode, Colin Young and Bo Lueders are joined by Jeremy Bolm, vocalist of Touché Amoré, for an extensive conversation tracing his roots from Burbank’s punk-metal underground through the personal and artistic milestones that forged Touché Amoré. The trio dig into Jeremy’s formative years, early creative hunger, the evolution of his bands, and the raw process behind the landmark "Stage Four" album, offering a masterclass in vulnerability, musical lineage, and scene-building.

Main Themes

• Jeremy’s formative musical and personal influences from suburban Burbank
• The Southern California punk and hardcore lineage
• Early band experiences and DIY touring grit
• The creative and emotional process behind Touché Amoré’s discography, with a focus on grief and growth in "Stage Four"
• Navigating vulnerability, expectations, and community connection in hardcore
• Reflections on personal challenges, industry changes, and staying true to artistic intent

Early Life & Influences

Growing Up in Burbank

[04:08]

• Jeremy describes Burbank as a weirdly “devoid of culture” despite being surrounded by TV/film industry landmarks.
• Raised by a single, hardworking mother; a latchkey kid “never taken to the movies,” but obsessed with TV and music.
• “It kind of messes with your brain... you’ll put on a movie and be like, that’s the opening.” — Jeremy

Childhood Musical Discovery

[07:07]

• Michael Jackson and Nirvana loom large in his earliest musical memories; the “Bad” music video and pop culture as soft entryways to punk.
• “First CD I ever bought was Thriller.” — Beau
• The loss of Kurt Cobain (“I was about to turn 11... music is done for me, I’ll never like music again.”) was a foundational moment.

Grunge to Punk Gateway

[12:36]

• Green Day’s "Dookie" as Jeremy’s launching pad into punk, followed by NOFX’s "Punk in Drublic."
• Lists the moment KROQ played NOFX as “lore”—the sense that NOFX was "more punk than Green Day."
• Also a huge early influence: Korn’s “Blind” video, steering Jeremy into metal and later the hardcore/straight edge world via Sepultura, Earth Crisis (via OzFest '96 VHS).

Musical Beginnings & Scene Building

Local Mentors & Hardcore Discovery

[18:27]

• Mentorship from James Morris (Downset), who guided Jeremy into deeper hardcore lore (VOD, Pantera, Earth Crisis tours).
• The “map” of musical influence via liner notes is described: “The thank you list was a roadmap.”

Early Bands & First Tours

[24:10]

• Jeremy’s first tour: selling merch for Taken, supporting Poison the Well (“my first experience being in a van”).
• Early bands included Victim of Atrocity (“hardest name for a bunch of white kids from Burbank”), Stricken (nu-metal/electronics-punk hybrid), and Thriller.
• Practical effects and DIY shows at the Cobalt Cafe: “We were the Fugazi of the worst shit.”
• “All the girls would come in and just start dancing like crazy… then leave, and then the monsters would come back.” — Jeremy

Influence Network & Musical Evolution

[19:52]

• Liner notes and record store culture (e.g., discovering Strife via Deftones, Victory Records maps to Snapcase, etc.)
• Reflection on how scene discovery was once navigated via physical formats—a “lost art.”

Touché Amoré – Formation and Growth

The Band’s Genesis

[53:35]

• Jeremy leaves Thriller, puts Touche Amoré together within four months (“just wanted to chase that feeling” after filling in for I Am the Ocean).
• Early line-up: Tyson (guitar), Z (drums), Nick (bass), Clayton (guitar), Jeremy (vocals).
• “It was like getting a bunch of almost-strangers in a room and seeing what comes out.”

Early Recordings and DIY Mentality

[59:42]

• Touche Amoré’s first demo self-released in an elaborate DVD package, quickly picked up by No Sleep Records.
• Band’s only goals: “put out as many cool things on vinyl as possible, play as many cool shows as possible.”
• Art and presentation critical—Nick’s art background and connection to Sunbather album cover for Deafheaven.

Finding the Band’s Voice

[62:39]

• The band quickly establishes their identity; debut tracks remain staples to this day.
• “It seems like you kind of figured out who you were right away." — Colin

Touring and Scene Reaction

[91:17]

• Relentless touring—“playing 200+ shows a year.” Will play house shows on days off.
• First Euro tour was brutal ("snowing, don’t expect a lot of people").
• Surmounting feelings of being “unwelcome” at early hardcore shows (e.g. Sound and Fury)—despite outsider status, connection grows.

Grief, Growth & "Stage Four"

The Making of "Stage Four"

[97:48]; [98:31]

• Trigger: The passing of Jeremy’s mother—“the most personal thing I’ve experienced, put into a record.”
• Band agreed: each member must be 100% onboard with every decision; “no one’s compromising, everybody loves every song.”
• Lyrics came easily—writing about his mother, the hospital, clearing out the house, unresolved grief.
• “All I did was pour everything into that. Some people asked: Are you sure you want to do this every night?” — Jeremy

Emotional Fallout and Community Impact

[103:54]; [104:53]

• Still difficult to perform or discuss the record due to repeated triggers and emotionally heavy interactions with fans.
• “People just need to talk to me… that was the part of that album I did not expect and still don’t have a good handle on.” — Jeremy
• Sees the record as both catharsis and a lighthouse for others in mourning: “The value that has been put onto it is immeasurable.” — Beau
• On including a voicemail from his mother in the album’s outro: “As time goes on… I’m very happy that I have a recorded record, literally on a record, of that.”

Notable Quote

“If you try just hard enough, you can play with your favorite band, and it’s not even trying that hard… And if you’re not a dick for long enough, you’re gonna be their friend in some way.” — Jeremy [107:11]

Unique Voice & Vulnerability

Mutational Falsetto & “Secret Voice”

[32:31]; [34:51]; [35:02]

• For the first time publicly, Jeremy discusses his rare “mutational falsetto” condition: “My talking voice is in a falsetto…it’s curable, but it’s who I am.”
• The podcast was started to confront self-consciousness about his own voice—“the thing I’m absolutely most self-conscious about.”
• “Dude, you’re like the Incredible Hulk. You’re always angry and that’s your secret.” — Colin [33:52]
• “It was always called Secret Voice,” which became the label’s name and a party trick on tours.

Reception and Acceptance

[39:06]

• Despite his worries, Jeremy is beloved: “Multiple people today were like, ‘great guy’… so it don’t matter what you sound like.” — Beau
• Voice can become more fragile with stress; he describes “monk-like” vocal control for singing.

Recording with Ross Robinson & Lament

The Ross Robinson Experience

[122:47]; [125:46]; [127:49]

• Initial tryout is combative: “First thing out of his mouth is, ‘So where’s your mom right now?’ And I said, ‘Nope.’”
• Both eventually gain respect for each other’s process; “He never stood in the booth with me again. He just believed in it.”
• Recording with Robinson means heightened emotional stakes and the expectation to fully buy into every word and note.
• “If someone walked in and was like, ‘I am gonna shoot Ross Robinson unless I shoot you first,’ I would take the bullet.” — Jeremy

Notable Quote

“What drew me to Korn was the vulnerability. And that, I think, informed everything in my life going forward.” — Jeremy [123:58]

Lou Barlow (Dinosaur Jr./Sebadoh) Collab

[143:08]; [147:37]

• Lou Barlow guest spots on “Subversion” after Jeremy reaches out—a “top coolest thing” for the band.
• “It is brazen to be like, ‘Hey, would you sing your song on my song?’ …and he said, ‘Sounds fun.’” — Jeremy

Scene Lore, Touring, and Hardcore Community

Record Collecting & Scene Lore

[26:40]

• Jeremy’s most valuable collectibles: original Jane Doe pressings, rare Saetia and Acacia records, Walk Among Us first press, etc.
• Regrets trading Hums Downward is Heavenward for a water-damaged orchid split [28:47].

Show Promoting, Merch, and Economics

[72:30]

• Details the “arc” of T-shirt pricing and punk guilt about increasing prices; the reality of rising costs and changing expectations.
• “The consumer, the people who want to support you, have never batted an eye since the beginning, and that is a miracle.” — Jeremy

Touring Bands and Day-to-Day Life

[151:07]

• Chipotle is a safety food; Jeremy personally loves Smithfields (NC/SC) BBQ and Wendy’s spicy chicken.
• Describes European fast food as a “lifeline.”
• On supernatural encounters: “No, never seen a ghost, but I like to hope ghosts are real.” [153:31]

Quick Takes, Memories & Band Lore

Humorous/Notable Segment Timestamps

• Colin’s double Whopper appendix story: [03:26]
• Jeremy’s first demo, discovering punk through Green Day and NOFX: [12:36]
• Detailed elaborations on scene connections via record stores: [25:16]
• Mutational falsetto reveal & “secret voice” live: [33:14]
• First band (“Victim of Atrocity”) description: [42:36]
• Crowd dynamics at Cobalt Cafe (“all the girls would come in and start dancing... then the monsters would come back”): [46:16]
• Touche Amoré’s established goals: [60:09]
• On touring in the “Sound and Fury” scene and feeling like outsiders: [81:15]
• “The arc of a hardcore band can be measured by the prices of their T-shirts.”: [72:30]
• Spiritual (and literal) origins of "Stage Four": [97:53]
• Emotional toll of repeated fan interactions about grief: [104:53]
• Ross Robinson throws Jeremy into catharsis: [129:50]
• Lou Barlow’s “sounds fun” response to guest spot ask: [147:37]

Essential Quotes

• On influence and discovery:
  “The thank you list was a roadmap.” [20:41]

• On grief in music:
  “I didn't go to grief therapy... I just poured everything into that [record] because it was there.” [102:42]

• On scene and connection:
  “If you're not a dick for long enough, you're gonna be [your heroes'] friend in some way.” [107:24]

• On self-consciousness and acceptance:
  “My talking voice is [in a] falsetto… It's curable, but it's who I am.” [34:51]

• On hardcore:
  “Even if you don't like this, you like this [In This Defiance, Strife].” [156:40]

Top Four Hardcore Records – Jeremy Bolm [155:20]

1. Converge – Jane Doe
2. Cursed – II
3. Strife – In This Defiance
4. VOD – Self-Titled

Closing Thoughts

Touché Amoré’s journey, as told through Jeremy’s open-hearted stories and scene deep-dives, offers a rare look at the emotional engine powering DIY hardcore’s most enduring acts. From formative losses to creative legacy, Jeremy’s tale is one of persistence, vulnerability, and the life-affirming power of music.

“If you try just hard enough, you can play with your favorite band, and it’s not even trying that hard.”
— Jeremy Bolm

End of Summary