In this episode we sit down with the four members of Riot Course — Kate Emrich, Spencer Haithcock, Mark Losey, and Nathan Vogt — for a wide-ranging conversation about the band's evolution, their newly released EP, and the tight-knit DIY community that holds it all together.
Riot Course is a Southeast Michigan band rooted primarily in Ypsilanti, with Nathan repping Toledo, Ohio. Kate and Spencer are founding members who have been building the project for about five years, releasing their first EP in 2020 and a second (Skin Deep) in 2022. Their third EP, "Before You Can Say Knife", dropped in October 2025 and marks the first full recording with the current four-piece lineup. The band recorded it at I/O Studio in Detroit with engineer Patrick Sheffield, and the results clearly impressed — even casual previews had friends immediately asking where it was recorded.
Mark and Nathan's origin stories offer two fun windows into how the Michigan/Ohio scene works. Mark found Kate and Spencer through a Facebook group after seeing them at a local festival; Nathan's band the Heartthrobs crossed paths with Riot Course at a DIY barn show called the Skephouse, eventually leading to Kate and Spencer asking him to join after a Toledo gig. Nathan still plays in both bands and manages the scheduling through a shared calendar — a practical tip that any multi-project musician can appreciate.
On the music itself, the band describes their sound as "guitar music" (said with a knowing laugh), landing somewhere between post-grunge, emo, and heavier alternative rock. Kate cites Failure, Chevelle, and Sunny Day Real Estate as touchstones, while Nathan and Spencer nod to Mineral, My Bloody Valentine, and newer acts like Jay June. The new EP is widely considered their fullest, most dynamic record yet — with special praise going to Mark's machine-precise drumming in the studio, which left bandmates wondering if his takes were copy-pasted.
The conversation also covers the band's pragmatic approach to writing and rehearsing across different sites — mixing sessions at Grove Studios in Ypsilanti, renting warehouse space from friendly building owners, and trading riffs in apartments with acoustic guitars and small amps. Their recent show at ThePyramid Scheme in Grand Rapids (with Pretty Sure, Ficus, and Low Phase) will mark their first time playing the beloved venue, though both Kate and Spencer have been attending shows there for years — and Kate even credits The Pyramid Scheme show as the night she and Spencer first really connected.
The episode winds down with favorite venues (a tie between Ziggy's and the Olympia skate shop warehouse in Detroit, with Nathan giving a nod to a DIY spot in Bowling Green called Girl House), a spirited pizza debate (New York vs. Chicago vs. Detroit styles), a digression into New York's Anti-Rat Day of Action, and excitement over the brand-new Sheetz opening in Ypsilanti — which the band confirmed they were heading to immediately after the stream.
