Circa filmed this incredible afternoon session on our 9-cam, high def sound stage a few weeks back, before their sold-out Chicago show at House of Blues. I’ve always enjoyed their music, but somehow avoided crossing paths with them for an interview or general hangs until now. Based on accounts from our mutual friends in Madina Lake, I knew going in they’d be good dudes. And after spending the day with them (topics of conversation included parenthood and inspiring performers), I can confirm that supporting Circa Survive is support well spent. During the performance, their singer Anthony Green asked our JBTV studio audience, “Who’s coming to our show later tonight?” A handful of kids said they couldn’t get tickets in time and they’re now selling for a few hundred bucks a pop on StubHub. In one of the cooler moves I’ve ever seen an artist pull, Anthony took their names and added them to the band’s guest list. So solid. As is their stripped down, JBTV exclusive set.

Also this week, JBTV cameras follow host Brendan Kelly backstage at UIC Pavilion for an exclusive interview with Slayer. The concept of an artist like Brendan (The Lawrence Arms) interviewing fellow artists like Slayer is endlessly fascinating to me, so I asked BK to walk me thru the atmosphere and his thought process before and during the interview. “I was pretty intimidated interviewing Dave and Kerry ,” he admits first and freely. “They put us in a makeshift living room stocked with beer, soda and somebody’s kid playing Xbox. We waited in there watching this incredibly bored and disenfranchised kid play some version of Mario Bros. for what seemed like hours before Kerry and Dave finally came in saying, “Eh, another one of these [interviews], eh?” as though they were about to get yet another anal probe.” Hilarious insight. I still have a tough time figuring out why some artists have such a disdain for interviews. Maybe because I’m the one always asking the questions?

Brendan continues, “I tried to be conversational and Dave was slightly receptive, but Kerry was clearly wanting to just get in and get out. His answers were super curt and, while he was pleasant enough, he’s scary as hell. Big beard, flame head, in Slayer, etc. Matt Skiba (Alkaline Trio) is really into Nazi mysticism and all that. Slayer has written a lot of songs that seem to imply a fascination with the third reich, so I tried to go there without being accusatory. The results were pretty entertaining.”

Host Jenna Martinelli sits down with New York City indie rockers, The Do, at Schubas’ Harmony Grill for a candid look at the band during dinner. “Our conversation was really amusing and random,” Jenna told me. “A lot of talk about food and fashion.” Subject matter clearly close to Jenna’s heart.

I head out to Hard Rock Hotel on Michigan Ave. for a visit with our friends from Ocala, Florida, A Day to Remember. This interview was particularly exciting – moments before the shoot, the band had got word that their new album, What Separates Me from You, had unseated Taylor Swift for the number 1 spot on the iTunes music charts. No small feat. Celebratory drinks were had and Hard Rock memorabilia may or may not have been ripped off the walls. At least frontman Jeremy McKinnon stopped short of smashing any of it.

Finally this week, Jerry Bryant revisits one of his favorite classic JBTV segments featuring John Lydon a.k.a. The Sex Pistols’ “Johnny Rotten.” I asked Jerry to recall some details from this legendary 1992 encounter. “John was on the PIL [Public Image, LTD.] tour at the time. He was doing an interview at 93 WXRT and decided he didn’t like how it was going, so he walked out and showed up at JBTV 90 minutes early. I had no cameraman and no crew,” Jerry explains. “We usually have someone tour the guest around the studio before ending up in the on-air studio. John refused the tour and said, “I’m only answering ONE question on this crappy TV show.” So I took the camera, pointed it at John and he talked nonstop, for 40 minutes, about everything from bad music videos to showing his bare ass on TV.”

Jerry Bryant has the pleasure of talking with Terrible Things, an alt-rock supergroup, so to speak. Made up of former members of Taking Back Sunday, Coheed & Cambria and Hot Rod Circuit, the band drops by to jam and spread the word on their debut, self-titled concept album. The Terrible Things moniker, and their music, is inspired by a yearlong series of arsons in Coatesville, PA, that killed one, left over 40 families homeless and caused more than $3 million in property damages. A sad story, for certain, but the resulting music – which you’ll see them perform – is rich. Whether you caught the band on the 2010 Vans Warped Tour or this will be your first taste, JBTV is giving you total access to Terrible Things.

Host (and Lawrence Arms frontman) Brendan Kelly invited his friends in Riverboat Gamblers by the studio for an interview and performance. Cuz that’s how we do things at JBTV. The Austin, TX-based punks accepted and we, in turn, opened the invite to you (via Do312.com) to attend the taping. Little did we know (though we should’ve guessed) that Riverboat Gamblers would then invite our entire studio audience on stage with them during their rowdy set. It’s a JBTV first and it goes down on this week’s show!

Host Jenna Martinelli hung with Jimmy Eat World at the Riv on the band’s most recent stop in Chicago. Touring in support of their 7th studio album, “Invented,” the band made time for Jenna (and who wouldn’t?) before the sold-out gig. Thankfully JBTV cameras were there to capture our visit with frontman Jim Atkins.

JBTV had all access to this year’s Carnival of Madness tour, featuring the long-awaited homecoming of my pals in Chevelle. It was definitely the summer’s most straight-ahead rock tour; the bill included Shinedown, Puddle of Mudd, Sevendust and 10 Years. Don’t miss my interview shot steps from Lake Michigan at Charter One Pavilion with drummer, Sam Loeffler.

Finally, Jerry Bryant has pulled two of his favorite classic segments for this week’s show – a JBTV exclusive Radiohead live performance at Metro from 1993 and an in-studio interview with Ministry’s Al Jourgensen. Just two more reasons why JBTV is unmatched at what we do. You literally cannot find this footage anywhere else!

This week's other featured artist is Bayside. It was a real treat to have the guys come up to play live on our HD stage. Pretty sure it's one of my top 3 performances of the year. And wait til you hear their Weezer cover. It's ridiculous. It is fascinating, on the 5th anniversary, to hear singer Anthony Raneri open up about the band's van accident that took the life of Bayside drummer John "Beatz" Holohan. Anxious to get your feedback on this one!

Plus, Tom Delonge of Angels & Airwaves and Blink-182 gives JBTV's Toby Jeg and Brendan Kelly exclusive pre-show access before AVA's Aragon show. Host Jenna Martinelli takes viewers backstage at House of Blues Chicago for an intimate visit with Fun. Jenna and new JBTV host Tanner Rittenhouse hit Threadless' 10 Year Anniversary party at Bottom Lounge. See how the people behind the world's biggest t-shirt empire get loose! Jerry Bryant rewinds to a 2003 in-studio visit with party-rocker Andrew WK and his 2009 interview with Metric.

The same is true, but by a much different approach, for our other featured artist this week – The Gaslight Anthem. Typically best heard and seen at max volume, Gaslight joins JBTV hosts Brendan Kelly and Tobias Jeg for a conversation and then unplugs for an intimate interpretation of their 2008 breakthrough “The ’59 Sound” and 2010’s criticallyacclaimed “American Slang.” Vocalist Brian Fallon is such a tactful songwriter that it’s almost an entirely new set of chills you’ll get from these JBTV exclusive stripped down versions of songs you already know.

Host Ryan Manno goes on location for an up-close interview with NYC-based, indie rockers Interpol. Manno sits down with drummer Sam Fogarino and guitarist Daniel Kessler in the band’s Ritz-Carlton penthouse to discuss the band’s recent personnel changes, their new self- titled album and, of course, how they manage to always look so damn fashionable.

Host Jenna Martinelli visits with Murder by Death in the JBTV studio. Supporting the release of “Good Morning, Magpie,” the band from Bloomington, Indiana discusses the unconventional making of the new record – they wanted to create something that captured what life is like at home, so they made the album in a barn while sitting around, drinking whiskey with their friends. “That’s what we do,” explained singer Adam Turla, moments before he serenaded

Jenna with a little Johnny Cash. Host Toby Jeg takes JBTV viewers inside the opening of Heather Gabel’s “Wild Card Art Show” at Chicago’s Johalla Projects Gallery. Gabel (wife of Against Me! Singer, Tom Gabel) offers some incredible images and insight behind the concept of the show, which is a series of pieces based on the Tarot card, the 21 cards of the Major Arcana.

And our namesake, Jerry Bryant, unearths some of his classic JBTV studio footage with Green Day (when Billie Jo had pink hair) and Smashing Pumpkins (when Billy had hair). This is never-before-seen, must-see footage of the bands letting loose with Jerry!

Ready for the incredible, all-star roster? Devo, Erykah Badu, Hockey, Slightly Stoopid, Ludo, Kill Hannah, The New Pornographers, Blues Traveler, X Japan, Foxy Shazam, Lovehammers, Har Mar Superstar, Wolfmother, Semi Precious Weapons, JP, Chrissie and the Fairground Boys, The Last Vegas, Nneka, Dan Black, Against Me!, Billy Corgan, Frightened Rabbit, Cymbals Eat Guitars, American Bang, Chromeo, J. Cole, Neon Trees, Los Amigos Invisibles, Jukebox The Ghost, Team Bayside High, Aaron Paul from Breaking Bad, Alia Shawkat from Arrested Development, Billy Dec from Rockit Ranch Productions, and more!

Michigan's The Swellers are gearing up to head out on the road as part of Van's Warped Tour this summer, but before all that they stopped by the JBTV studio for an exclusive performance on the HD sound stage along with an interview over at Reggies Rock Club.  Get pumped to rock out to their melodic punk stylings on this week's episode of JBTV.  After that, we'll be catching up with Martin Atkins, who you may know as founder of Chicago's own Invisible Records, founding member of industrial band Pigface, or as the author of Tour: Smart, the comprehensive guide to the music industry for fledgling bands.  Basically, this guy knows a lot about music and the DIY lifestyle, and will be sharing a bit of his knowledge right here on JBTV.  Jenna Martinelli is going to be on the scene giving us a heads up on up-and-coming indie rock artists TAB The Band.  Then, continuing on with our 25-year JBTV retrospective, we'll be looking back at interviews with two Chicago greats, Material Issue and Smoking Popes, as well as not-from-Chicago-but-still-great California band The Offspring.

Awesome band with and awesome sound on their first headline tour. They have such a strong finished sound and a really great video to go with it. This episode they talk about their recording process, the creation of the video, and how great their label is to give them full creative control of their record. Another great band on JBTV, and to see more go to http://www.jbtvonline.com