Holmberg’s Morning Sickness: Playdio Day One – Bands 11–16 (Nov 24, 2025)

Main Theme & Purpose

This episode covers Day One (Bands 11–16) of "Playdio," 98KUPD's annual local band contest. Host John Holmberg and his crew—Brady, Brett Vesely, and Nick Toluto—introduce, listen to, and hilariously critique six Arizona rock bands competing for radio glory. Their tone is sharp, irreverent, and unsparingly honest, peppered with jokes, side tangents, and the occasional heartfelt praise when a local act truly impresses.

1. Veins of Aether – "Siren"

[06:54–09:42]

Introduction:

• Veins of Aether, from Phoenix, described as hard rock/modern metal with electronic touches. Fronted by Sam Richardson, an emergency room physician who incorporates themes of life, death, and loss into his lyrics.
• Name discussion: aether – mythological/archaic "upper air," and the crew riff on the fancy spelling.

Song Reaction:

• Initial surprise at the professionalism: “That sounded like a real band actually trying.” – John Holmberg [09:42]
• Brett: “In the middle there, it sounded a little like Korn–Skrillex or a little Korn.” [10:00]
• John: “I heard a lot of Nothing More. Then I heard Shinedown, and a little weirdly Disturbed sometimes. At least I heard a lot of Nothing More.” [10:04]
• Nick: “Little Miles Kennedy in his voice.” [10:19]
• Joking comparison: “It sounds like a bad song by a good band.” – John [12:09]
• Crew agrees production is solid, though the direction feels a little generic.

Ratings:

• Brett & John: 6
• Brady & Nick: 7
• “Gay or not, I’d crank this in my car.” – Brett [12:18]
• “These guys have a good producer.” – John [12:20]

2. The Woodworks – "Threats"

[14:22–17:14]

Introduction:

• Band hails from Tempe/Phoenix, gives a minimal bio which the hosts ironically love.

Song Reaction:

• Bafflement over lyrics, vocal style, and general structure.
• John: “I don’t know what that is. Like the beginning of 60 Minutes with a seizure.” [17:41]
• Brett shortly and brutally: “I’m giving them a one for the bio.” [17:53]
• “Everything about it, not just her.” – Nick on the overall performance [18:05]
• “Listen, toots, leave the singing to the men.” – Brett [18:07]
• The hosts imagine the singer as Yoko Ono, which becomes a running joke.

Ratings:

• Brett: 1 (for the bio)
• Brady: 3
• John: 2, with debate on unquantifiability (“a shape, a circle, a zero”).
• Nick: “Fail. I’ll put ‘R’ down.” [18:37]

3. Whiskey Famine – "Streams of Whiskey"

[20:28–24:49]

Introduction:

• Self-described as Arizona’s only Irish thrash band, blending Celtic, punk, and metal.
• Hosts are amused-skeptical at the description: "Maybe there’s a reason for that…” – John [20:09]

Song Reaction:

• Standard Irish pub-rock with bagpipes, wild instrumentation, and rowdy vocals.
• “They’re your drunken mix.” – John [22:37]
• “It should be called March 17th.” – Nick, referencing St. Patrick’s Day [22:40]
• “Dropkick Murphy’s retarded cousin.” – John quoting a listener [23:00]
• “The only people who like Irish music are the Irish.” – John [24:06]
• General consensus: good for Irish pubs and St. Paddy’s, but not something any of them would listen to for fun.

Ratings:

• Brady: 5
• Brett: 4 (“I just can’t stand it, but I think they’re good at what they do.”) [25:00]
• John: 5
• “If you have a bar gig on March 17th, you’ll always have work.” – John [24:49]

4. Reckless Eden – "Skeletons"

[26:10–29:09]

Introduction:

• No proper bio provided, but the hosts know a member (Sanjay) from previous radio collaborations and from his work with "big real name bands." High expectations for production quality.

Song Reaction:

• The professionalism leaves the hosts in awe.
• “I thought we were on commercial break and this was just a song on the radio. Like, it’s not bad.” – Brett quoting a listener [30:32]
• “That was outstanding… song’s a perfect 10. Shut the contest down. That’s the winner.” – John [33:10]
• “You did play that as a wake up song… It’s memorable to that point. It’s been months, and I remembered it.” – John [33:11]
• “Pay for production.” – Nick advocating for other local bands to invest in pro quality [33:22]
• “Those guys put that together because they’re good at it.” – John [34:00]
• “If Jelly Roll did that, it would be a massive hit.” – John [31:59]

Ratings:

• All: 10 (“Perfect score, ’cause it deserved it. That was really good. Really good.” – John [34:23])
• Recognized as disqualified due to previously airing and band member’s location (Lithuania), but held up as the gold standard for local acts.

5. Witness Protection – "Breath of Poison"

[37:43–41:23]

Introduction:

• Humorous, mysterious bio with lots of tongue-in-cheek jokes about “witness protection,” their longevity, and kidney count.

Song Reaction:

• The panel is floored, comparing the band’s sound to international acts and questioning if it’s AI-generated due to its slickness.
• “That was spectacular… for a couple dudes throwing something together, that was great.” – John [43:03]
• “That was a 10.” – Nick [43:39]
• “If that was on this station, would be an around-the-blocker. I call it—you go around the block to hear the whole thing.” – John [44:40]
• “Honestly, those last two… I want both of—that was amazingly good.” – John [45:16]
• Producer clarification: Not made by AI, but with studio assistance apps. “You could perform this.” – John [44:40]

Ratings:

• All: 10

6. Graves of the Monuments – "Suffocate"

[47:12–50:46]

Introduction:

• Minimal bio: “Hello. We are Graves of the Monuments.” [47:05]
• Tough placement, following two “perfect 10” bands.

Song Reaction:

• Fast, technical, modern metal with high energy. Hosts praise musicianship and production, though genre isn’t to everyone’s taste.
• “If I’d heard that live… the crowd would have started the mosh pit without thinking these guys are just some local band.” – John [51:15]
• “Production was good. Everything about it was on point.” – John [50:47]
• “There are people who will like that song a lot… not in my house.” – Nick [51:33]

Ratings:

• John: 8
• Brett: 7
• Brady: 7

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On production value:
  “Pay for production.” – Nick [33:22]
  “If you don’t have any money, then you’re not ready… Did you hear yourself? That’s how it should sound.” – John [34:56]

• On song similarity: “Irish music sounds just like the last Irish music song you heard.” – John [23:29]

• On AI and modern tools: “Even if it’s done with AI, it takes skill to put that out.” – Nick [42:54]

• On local bands raising the bar: “If you’re listening and you thought we were too hard on you, and then you heard that, didn’t you deep down in your heart go, oh, I see now?” – John [33:54]

Key Segments

• [06:54] Veins of Aether — critique and scores
• [14:22] The Woodworks — critique and scores
• [20:28] Whiskey Famine — critique and scores
• [26:10] Reckless Eden — critique and scores
• [37:43] Witness Protection — critique and scores
• [47:12] Graves of the Monuments — critique and scores

Conclusion

Playdio Day One revs up slowly but crescendos with three outstanding acts who floor the hosts with pro-level production and songwriting. “If you’re in a band… listen to this track again. For production value alone, pay for production.” – Nick [33:22]. The episode is a masterclass in honest local music critique—with plenty of humor, deep dives into why production matters, and memorable analogies along the way.