Jamie Cheller is a founding member and guitarist of Brighton based indie dance rockers, congratulations. They will release their debut album Join Hands on February 13th, 2026, via Bella Union.  Jaime shares the story behind the formation of congratulations, why musicianship is important to them and how a combination of experimental music and 80’s rock energy seeped into their overall sound and delivery.  Jamie tells us why the band walks the line of seriousness and humor and how that plays a role in the collaborative nature of the band.  Joe and Jamie discuss the production behind Join Hands, how it was to work with friend/producer ICEBEING (Luke Phillips) and why Jamie feels like Join Hands is the bands best work yet. The two commiserate on Deerhoof, the importance of “moving butts” and why the new record is best heard LOUD. congratulations (https://www.congratulationsband.com/) Bella Union (https://bellaunion.com/) SPECIAL REQUEST FROM JOE ..."if you like this podcast, please subscribe and tell all your friends. also, if you love, hate or kinda sometimes like Tour Stories/The Check In, please express yourself loudly in the comments . Lovingly, Joe Please visit and support ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Izotope⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://www.izotope.com/) Schecter (https://www.schecterguitars.com/) and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Distrokid⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://distrokid.com/) for continued exclusive listener discounts. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Izotope⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://www.izotope.com/) is the leader in audio repair, mixing and mastering. Ruinous uses ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Izotope⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://www.izotope.com/) and you should too. Trust us. Check out Ozone 12 now! Ep supported by @distrokid. Distro now connects direct to TikTok!!!!! with exclusive access to your tiktok artist account.  @thetourstories listeners get 30% off at distrokid.com/vip/tourstories. GET YOUR MUSIC OUT THERE! ITS EASY WITH ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Distrokid⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://distrokid.com/) Schecter Guitar Research (https://www.schecterguitars.com/) is one of the world’s premier guitar companies, offering electric guitars and basses, acoustic guitars, and USA Custom Shop instruments to musicians around the world. Its continually evolving and expanding line of guitars and basses appeals to a broad spectrum of players and diverse musical styles. They offer high-quality instruments with professional components at an affordable price. Go to https://www.schecterguitars.com/ for holiday deals and all your guitar needs.

Randy talks with music journalist Evan Minsker about his website See-Saw.fun and his podcast. https://see-saw.fun/tag/podcast/ https://www.instagram.com/evanminsker/?hl=en

CORY LOYKASEK (The Dress Up Gang) slides into the Off The Records lair to check out the album “Hey Doc!” by Mike Warnke. Cory is a super funny and chill dude. He picked the album out of the pile and it turns out it’s super Christian. There are some weird facts we discovered about Mike that you won’t believe. During the episode, Cory cuts it up with B-$ and The O’Connman, we have a lot of laughs, and we even call Mike’s wife Susan.  Listen to the FULL ALBUM and unreleased OTR episodes here for $3 or pay what you wish: https://www.patreon.com/worldrecordpodcast Watch The Dress Up Gang: https://www.youtube.com/@TheDressupgang Follow Cory on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coryloykasek

Randy and Aaron discuss last week's interview with experimental guitarist Reg Bloor

Will Epstein is a composer, singer and multi-instrumentalist based in Woodstock NY. His newest release, Yeah, mostly (out January 9th via Fat Possum Records) takes a turn from his avant-guard and soundscape tendencies and very comfortably settles into a more traditional form of song writing and direct lyricism, but retains the sonic intrigue of his earlier work. Will shares his experience of growing up in an artistic atmosphere in NYC, how that shaped his expression over the years and how he found himself playing saxophone for a member of the Velvet Underground as a youngster. Will tells us why Yeah, mostly has helped him find his lyrical language, how the recording process freed him up creatively and why he thinks more direct and literal lyrics can bring the listener into reality in a psychedelic way. Joe and Will discuss the fruitfulness of the “song a day” exercise, their love for costume dramas and how Will heard John Coltrane in Animal Collective. Will tells us why laughter can be an indication of his best work and we hear some new tunes. Will Epstein (Will%20Epstein) Fat Possum Records (https://store.fatpossum.com/products/yeah-mostly) SPECIAL REQUEST FROM JOE ..."if you like this podcast, please subscribe and tell all your friends. also, if you love, hate or kinda sometimes like Tour Stories/The Check In, please express yourself loudly in the comments . Lovingly, Joe Please visit and support ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Izotope⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://www.izotope.com/) and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Distrokid⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://distrokid.com/) for continued exclusive listener discounts. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Izotope⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://www.izotope.com/) is the leader in audio repair, mixing and mastering. Ruinous uses ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Izotope⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://www.izotope.com/) and you should too. Trust us. Check out Ozone 12 now! Ep supported by @distrokid. Distro now connects direct to TikTok!!!!! with exclusive access to your tiktok artist account.  @thetourstories listeners get 30% off at distrokid.com/vip/tourstories. GET YOUR MUSIC OUT THERE! ITS EASY WITH ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Distrokid⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://distrokid.com/)

Randy chats with experimental guitarist Reg Bloor. Reg is the archivist of Glenn Branca's music and writing. She is currently running a kick starter to release a long lost recording of Glenn's Symphony number 4 . Go support! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/regbloor/release-of-glenn-brancas-symphony-no-4-physics https://www.glennbranca.com/ https://regbloor.bandcamp.com/ https://www.instagram.com/reg_bloor/?hl=en https://regbloor.com/

ALEX BLAGG (@midnight, Workaholics, Best Week Ever Blog) sits down in the record room with Muscle Shoals (B-$) & Nugget (The O’Connman) to listen to Rodney Dangerfield’s first album “The Loser”. We wax poetic about pedo hunters, nicknames, the olden days of the internet when it was funny and fun, Nugget’s Comedy Club, and of course, porn! Follow Alex here: https://www.instagram.com/alexblagg/ Listen to the FULL ALBUM and unreleased OTR episodes here for $3 or pay what you wish: https://www.patreon.com/worldrecordpodcast

Randy and Aaron discuss last week's interview with Martin Atkins.