Shane Hochstetler (Call Me Lightning, Howl Street Recordings, Hero of a Hundred Fights)

These days, listeners probably know Shane Hochstetler as the owner, operator and recording engineer at Howl Street Recordings. In addition to recording hundreds of projects from all corners of the Midwest (and beyond!) at his long-running and highly respected studio, Hochstetler is also one of Milwaukee's favorite percussionists. Through the years, he's drummed in renowned bands like Call Me Lightning, Hero of a Hundred Fights, Managra, Zebras, Haymarket Riot, Bad Grades and more. Before that, however, he was a kid living in Rhinelander who was performing at northern Wisconsin bars with his uncle's country band.

Recently, Hochstetler invited My First Band host Tyler Maas to Howl Street Recordings to talk about his lengthy tenure behind a drum kit, his turn to recording and where his career in music all started. Over the course of the conversation, Shane talked about challenges the COVID-19 crisis brought to the recording industry, being on tour with Child Bite when the pandemic made its presence known in the U.S., his country cover band origins and all the memorable moments from his various projects over the course of his 30-year musical run. Along the way, Hochstetler also discussed standout shows (both good and bad), each of Call Me Lightning's outstanding albums, and a new band he's working on called Shit's Fucked.

My First Band is sponsored by Mystery Room Mastering, Lakefront Brewery, and Music Go Round Greenfield. The show is edited by Jared Blohm. You can listen to My First Band on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify and wherever else you get podcasts. You can also listen to rebroadcasts of previous My First Band episodes on WMSE every Wednesday from noon to 12:30 p.m. CST. Music used in this episode comes courtesy of Devils Teeth ("The Junction Street Eight Tigers") and Bad Grades ("Whatja Doo").