Kings of No Hope: The Story of The Stereo

In 1999 The Stereo released the debut album Three Hundred on Fueled By Ramen Records. Born of humble means in a basement in Minneapolis, Three Hundred culled together the best new songs from two idiosyncratic songwriters and forged it into what felt like the launching point for an unstoppable rise to power pop fame and fortune. The next step would be putting the band together and then hitting the road for a never-ending string of tours - but one member of the original power duo would ultimately not end up coming with.

Hosted, Written and Produced by Rory Phillips

Twitter:@RoryATX Instagram:@RoryATX

You can find the The Stereo at thestereorock.com and on all major music streaming platforms, including Apple Music and Spotify.

This episode features excerpts from interviews with Scott Heisel (former Managing Editor, Alternative Press), and Jeff Rosenstock.

20 years ago I helped start a band that was going to be the next big thing on a tiny indie record label out of Gainesville, Florida. 10 years later Fueled By Ramen Records had set the music industry on fire, but our band had burned itself out. It was a cautionary tale of bad blood and missed opportunities, but music icons like Jack Antonoff took note of our influence on the scene. Alternative Press said we made one of the 10 most influential records of 1999, and members of incredibly successful, multi-platinum acts like Fall Out Boy and Fun. sang our praises, but most people have never even heard of us. So what happened? This is the story of THE STEREO.

Hosted, Written and Produced by Rory Phillips

Twitter:@RoryATX Instagram:@RoryATX

You can find The Stereo at thestereorock.com and on all major music streaming platforms, including Apple Music and Spotify.

This episode features excerpts from interviews with Chris Carrabba (Dashboard Confessional), Patrick Stump (Fall Out Boy), Ryan Seaman (I Don't Know How But They Found Me), Chad Gilbert (New Found Glory), Adam Samiljan (former VP Digital Marketing, Fueled By Ramen), and Vinnie Fiorello (Less Than Jake, Co-founder of Fueled By Ramen).

Series Finale

The Stereo return to Europe, this time with a completely different line-up. The first trek across the Atlantic had ultimately led to Jamie firing all the other members and rebuilding the band from scratch, and this was a chance to rewrite some of that painful history. Unfortunately, new obstacles would replace the old ones, and the band would find itself coming to terms with unexpected chaos and gut wrenching decisions. Decisions that, despite being designed to shore up the band’s foundation, could only delay its inevitable collapse.

Hosted, Written and Produced by Rory Phillips

Twitter:@RoryATX Instagram:@RoryATX

You can find the The Stereo at thestereorock.com and on all major music streaming platforms, including Apple Music and Spotify.

This episode features excerpts from interviews with Patrick Stump (Fall Out Boy), Andrew Dost (Fun.), Ryan Seaman (I Don't Know How But They Found Me), Scott Heisel (former Managing Editor, Alternative Press), Adam Samiljan (former VP Digital Marketing, Fueled By Ramen), and Vinnie Fiorello (Less Than Jake, Co-founder of Fueled By Ramen).

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20 years ago I helped start a band that was going to be the next big thing on a tiny indie record label out of Gainesville, Florida. 10 years later Fueled By Ramen Records had set the music industry on fire, but our band had burned itself out. It was a cautionary tale of bad blood and missed opportunities, but music icons like Jack Antonoff took note of our influence on the scene. Alternative Press said we made one of the 10 most influential records of 1999, and members of incredibly successful, multi-platinum acts like Fall Out Boy and Fun. sang our praises, but most people have never even heard of us. So what happened? This is the story of THE STEREO.

After Rory got kicked out, The Stereo became Jamie Woolford, the two Jeremys - Bergo and Tappero - and a revolving door of rhythm guitar replacements. After seeing some success from the release of the “New Tokyo is Calling” EP, The Stereo’s next album seemed like it would be the one that finally broke through. Jamie shares how his relentless ambition and the conflict that it caused turned the band members away from being a winning team, and Jeremy Tappero provides the context on how a new musical endeavor would lead them to becoming bitter adversaries.

Hosted, Written and Produced by Rory Phillips

Twitter:@RoryATX Instagram:@RoryATX

You can find The Stereo at thestereorock.com and on all major music streaming platforms, including Apple Music and Spotify.