February is the month where holidays make people feel bad – bad about not having a Valentine, and bad about not being president. Which is why episode 52 of Issue Oriented is the perfect way to forget your woes. Go ahead – get lost in our eyes. We don’t have to tell a soul.

First, Joey Cape (Lagwagon, Bad Astronaut, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes) and Jon Snodgrass (Drag The River) participate in a tag-team interview that covers a wide range of topics – from sadness, to money, to regionalism, and everything in between. Joey and Jon also gave a stirring performance live in the Issue Oriented Studio. Not to be missed.

Then Freddy Cricien, a.k.a. Freddy Madball, returns to Issue Oriented for a great exchange. This discussion touches on a whole bunch of big-people stuff, like religion and politics, as well as the release of Freddy’s new hip-hop record, Catholic Guilt. A great talk – listen in!

This episode of Issue Oriented is sponsored by Warbird Entertainment. Check out WarbirdEntertainment.com for info on releases from Harbour 81, Guns On The Run, Let Me Out and many more!

LISTEN: Issue Oriented ep52 – Joey Cape, Jon Snodgrass, Freddy Madball

Welcome to 2010! If this year is anything like Episode 51 of Issue Oriented, we are in for an awesome ride!

First you’ll hear host Ronen Kauffman talk to Polar Bear Club vocalist Jimmy Stadt and bassist Goose about nicknames, marketing copy, influence pigeonholing and much more. Good times!

Then Ronen talks to Crime In Stereo vocalist Kristian Hallbert and guitarist/vocalist Alex Dunne about learning experiences, GPS conspiracy theories, Vision of Disorder and other fascinating stuff.

LISTEN: Issue Oriented ep51 – Polar Bear Club, Crime In Stereo

It is with great pleasure that we celebrate Issue Oriented’s 50th episode. First, Shadows Fall vocalist Brian Fair weighs in on the Grammys, the ever-changing music industry, the value of content and much more. There’s lots of insight here, which comes as no surprise – Shadows Fall are one of the world’s most well-known bands.

Then we shift gears, taking a look back at the past 50 episodes with the help of some friends - Ray Harkins (Mikoto, Taken), Portland (Sons of Nero, Ferret Music) and James Hepplewhite (Pastepunk.com) all reflect on their favorite Issue Oriented moments over the years.

LISTEN: Issue Oriented episode 50 with Brian Fair (Shadows Fall), plus Episode 50 Spectacular

Peanut butter and jelly. Movies and popcorn. Pummeling metal and praying for world peace. Some things just go together perfectly.

Welcome to the spectacle that is episode 49 of Issue Oriented. First, your fearless host talks to Burnt By The Sun vocalist (and Issue Oriented contributor) Michael Olender about good and evil, the perils of personal creativity, his band’s new release Heart of Darkness and much, much more. It’s a though-provoking piece and we know you’ll love it.

Then hear film maker Jonathan Kalafer discuss his new award-winning documentary, We Love You. This film documents an annual event called the Rainbow Gathering, which takes place at a different National Park each year. With up to 50,000 people in attendance, Rainbow Gatherings culminate with a prayer for peace taking place each 4th of July – even if Federal Agents shoot pepper spray at kids on July 3. Which Kalafer captured on film. We Love You recently won Best Documentary at the Los Angeles International Short Film Festival. Check out this interview – you’ll be glad you did.

LISTEN: Issue Oriented episode 49 with Michael Olender (Burnt By The Sun) and Jonathan Kalafer (We Love You)

Is your iPod full of music from bands with swoopy hair and toothy publicity photos? Then you’re probably not punk enough to handle The Kominas.

Based in Boston and NYC, this (cautiously) self-defined Punjabi punk band have become accidental media darlings thanks to their re-configuration of two seemingly incompatible cultural forms – punk rock and Islam. Muslim punk rockers? Well, sort of. And yes, it’s as uncommon as it sounds.

In fact, the very first Islam-influenced punk bands existed only in a work of fiction – a novel called The Taqwacores by Michael Muhammed Knight. The Taqwacores may have been about an imaginary Muslim punk scene, but it rippled out into the real world, inspiring real-world kids to form real-world bands. The Kominas have been covered by CNN, MTV, Rolling Stone and various other mainstream outlets, but their story is often over-simplified, or botched all together.

Which is why, of course, you tune in to Issue Oriented. In one of the most compelling interviews we’ve ever featured, The Kominas and I talked about extremism, racism, Islam, punk, the media and so much more. Kominas members Shahjehan Khan and Basim Usmani, joined by Omar Waqar of Sarmust, lay it all out with a level of clarity that would certainly make most casual music fans at least a teensy bit uncomfortable. They also wonder aloud about when the day will come when people will be more interested in their music than their unusual story. Of course, those two things are inextricably linked, so it’s complicated.

This episode of Issue Oriented is not to be missed!

LISTEN: Issue Oriented episode 48 with The Kominas

PLUS! The economy sucks. Things cost too much. So let Issue Oriented help you out. Listen to this episode for promo codes that will get you discounts at all sorts of great places – PETCO, Angie’s List, CCS, Eastbay and Foot Locker. Or just click the “discounts” link in the sidebar. You save money on things you already buy, you support Issue Oriented, and together we achieve world peace. Isn’t life awesome?