Best Grayson Carpenter Podcasts (2025)

1
Live From New York, It’s Stream Big 1:30:28

Play Pause

3d ago1:30:28

1:30:28

We’re off this week because of Juneteenth, but back in February, Nathan released a book! About Twitch! As part of that, he hosted a launch event at Wonderville in Brooklyn, NY with a panel featuring Chris and Gita, as well Polygon’s Simone de Rochefort. It was basically a live episode of Aftermafh Hours, so here it is now, as an episode of Aftermat…

1
Jose Carlos Montejo (Drive By) 44:00

4d ago44:00

44:00

On this episode, I'm joined by one of my close friends, Jose Carlos, or Joey, to chat about his favorite coffee, his intro to hardcore, moving from Mexico to Canada, singing in a band after 15 years, and upcoming plans for Drive By. During the episode we were drinking Tabi from Balance Coffee Roasters. Episode Links: https://www.instagram.com/balan…

1
Summer Game Mess 1:42:01

10d ago1:42:01

1:42:01

On this week’s episode, Nathan, Chris, and Riley reflect on the latest installment of Geoff Keighley’s mid-year video game advertisement carnival, Summer Game Fest. It was a weird one! High-profile announcements were few and far between, leaving relative no-names shaped kinda like the industry’s heaviest hitters to fill in the gaps. But at least St…

1
Colin & Ahad (Kongstyle/Gutbust 1:05:34

10d ago1:05:34

1:05:34

On this episode, I'm joined by Colin of KongStyle and Ahad of Gutsbust to chat about Atlanta's scene, legendary venues, dark coffee, being an old head, and their new split EP. During the episode, I was drinking The Morning Light from Overwinter. Episode Links: ⁠https://overwinter.coffee/⁠ ⁠https://www.instagram.com/kongstyle_hc/?hl=en⁠ ⁠https://www…

1
The Satisfying Snap Of A Switch 2 1:19:52

17d ago1:19:52

1:19:52

On this week’s episode, we are joined by Xalavier Nelson Jr. of Strange Scaffold to talk about the Switch 2 (because neither of us bought one at launch.) We discuss the satisfying click of the magnetic controllers, the strange emptiness of Mario Kart World, and the idea of trying to return to a yesteryear that can never be recaptured. Then, we disc…

1
Micha Riopel (La Cabra Coffee) 1:59:58

18d ago1:59:58

1:59:58

On this episode, I'm joined by Micha, QC Manager for La Cabra in New York to chat about his coffee journey, favorite hardcore, Ottawa, and wine, During the episode I was drinking Hacienda La Papaya from La Cabra. Photo by @thomasanphoto Episode Links: https://us.lacabra.com/ https://www.instagram.com/beansandbreakdowns/…

1
Parrying Is Either The Best Or Worst Thing In Video Games 1:18:28

24d ago1:18:28

1:18:28

On this week’s episode, Riley, Luke, and Isaiah intend to talk about a lot of topics, but mostly can’t keep themselves from talking about Clair Obscur. We start by talking about two stories Aftermath ran this week: one in favor of parrying in video games, and one against. Those stories kicked off a flurry of discourse on social media, which we foun…

1
Brendan Hayter (Obsidian Tongue) 25:42

25d ago25:42

25:42

On this episode, I'm joined by Brendan from Obsidian Tongue to chat about his favorite coffee, Maine culture, growing up with metal, the Massachusetts scene, and Eclipsing Worlds of Scorn LP. During the episode, I was drinking Decaf from Balance Torrefacteur. Episode Links: https://www.balancecoffeeroaster.com/ https://obsidiantongue.bandcamp.com/a…

1
Polygone, But Not Forgotten (With Nicole Carpenter) 1:50:56

1M ago1:50:56

1:50:56

On this week’s episode, Nathan and Luke are joined by Aftermath’s newest regular contributor, former Polygon senior reporter Nicole Carpenter to discuss her tenure at the freshly gutted games media institution, as well as how she got into journalism in the first place. She also tells us about the time she got to speak to the voice of Barbie for a s…

1
Jayway (Bayway, Shattered Realm) 1:14:36

1M ago1:14:36

1:14:36

On this episode, I'm joined by Jay, vocalist of Bayway, to chat bout his coffee order, New Jersey love, hip hop and hardcore parallels, his approach to recording, and upcoming Bayway stuff. During the episode, I was drinking Catalan from Pilot. Episode Links: https://pilotcoffeeroasters.com/ https://www.instagram.com/baywaynj/?hl=en https://www.ins…

1
Gianter Bomb (With Jeff Grubb) 1:41:14

1M ago1:41:14

1:41:14

On this week’s episode, Nathan and Chris are joined by Jeff Grubb of the newly independent Giant Bomb, an incredible turnaround from just a few weeks ago when it seemed like corporate meddling had blown the whole operation sky high. We discuss how Jeff and the rest of the Giant Bomb crew managed to buy their freedom and what the future holds now th…

1
Camilo Jaramillo Pulido 59:34

1M ago59:34

59:34

On this episode, I'm joined by Camilo, vocalist and guitarist of Blood Wraith to chat about his coffee preference, cooking for bands, his background in metal, and Half of It, the newest Blood Wraith EP. Photo Credit: analogdigitalobsucrity During the episode, I was drinking Sebastian Ramirez from Escape Coffee Roasters. Episode Links: https://escap…

1
JoJo’s AI Adventure (With Ed Zitron) 1:50:09

1M ago1:50:09

1:50:09

On this week’s episode, Nathan and Gita engage in a savvy act of brand synergy by bringing on extremely vocal AI critic and friend of the show Ed Zitron to celebrate the release of Aftermath’s new “Destroy AI” shirt, which we made in conjunction with Kim Hu, an incredible (human) artist, and are very proud of. We eventually get around to talking ab…

1
Zach Stachura (Pain of Truth) 1:13:08

2M ago1:13:08

1:13:08

On this episode, I'm joined by Zach, bassist of Pain of Truth, to chat about Brooklyn coffee, cold brew, how he was introduced to hardcore, the CTHC scene, joining POT, and the new split and tour with Sunami. During the episode, I was drinking Myanmar from Rogue Wave. Episode Links: https://roguewavecoffee.ca/ https://www.devocion.com/ https://pain…

1
Buddy Armstrong (Stigmata, Unbeaten Records) 49:08

2M ago49:08

49:08

On this episode, I'm joined by Buddy from Stigmata and Unbeaten Records to chat about the Troy and Upstate scene, joining Stigmata, starting a record label, and collecting records. During the episode I was drinking Spotted Frog Blend from Eco Coffee. Episode Links: https://www.eco-coffee.ca/ https://merchnow.com/collections/unbeaten-records https:/…

1
RIP Polygon and Giant Bomb 2:15:36

2M ago2:15:36

2:15:36

On a very special (for bad reasons) episode of Aftermath Hours, Nathan, Riley, Chris, and Luke convene to mourn the apparent – and horrifyingly sudden – passing of two games media institutions: Polygon and Giant Bomb. None of this was, strictly speaking, necessary, with the former an unqualified success in terms of traffic and regard while the latt…

1
BDS Vs TES (With Autumn Wright) 1:30:03

2M ago1:30:03

1:30:03

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

1
Greg Kepka 1:10:46

2M ago1:10:46

1:10:46

On this episode, I'm joined by Greg, vocalist of Desecrate, to chat about his caffeine preferences, past band stories, Straight Edge, and Without Fear of Consequence LP. During the episode, I was drinking Honduras from Smile Tiger. Episode Links: https://smiletigercoffee.com/ https://www.instagram.com/desecrate514/ https://desecrate514.bandcamp.com…

1
Weeb Been Watching Some Anime (With Isaiah Colbert) 1:39:39

2M ago1:39:39

1:39:39

This week Nathan and Chris are joined by Aftermath’s first-ever regular contributor, Isaiah Colbert, to talk about the latter’s speciality: anime. It does not take long for this to spiral into a fittingly multi-part conversation about JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, but we also manage to at least briefly tackle issues pertaining to labor in the anime and…

1
Viktor Bjørnstad (SPLIT, NECKBREAKKER) 1:01:54

2M ago1:01:54

1:01:54

On this episode, I'm joined by Viktor, drummer for SPLIT and NECKBREAKKER to chat about life in Copenhagen, his introduction to metal, playing double duty on shows, favorite live tracks to play, and new records from both his projects. During the episode I was drinking Purple Violet Caturra from ESCAPE. Photo by Marcelina J Photo Episode Links: http…

1
Inside Baseball Week II (With Defector, 404 Media, And Hell Gate) 1:53:11

2M ago1:53:11

1:53:11

To celebrate the return of Inside Baseball Week – during which we publish a barrage of stories about the lesser-known parts of game dev, the ins and outs of games journalism, and other topics so specific no other website would ever touch them – we put together a roundtable about worker-owned media featuring Aftermath’s Nathan Grayson and Riley MacL…

1
Nick, Ryan and John (Bruiserweight) 1:04:20

2M ago1:04:20

1:04:20

On this episode, I'm joined by the three other members of Bruiserweight to chat about coffee, road stories, and ou new EP "Still Standing." During the episode we were drinking Acatenango de Guatemala. Episode Links: https://nucleuscoffee.com/ https://www.instagram.com/bruiserweight_hc/ https://merchnow.com/collections/unbeaten-records https://www.i…

1
Donkey Kong Rap 2 (With Mike Drucker) 1:22:40

3M ago1:22:40

1:22:40

This week Nathan and Chris are joined by special guest Mike Drucker, comedian and writer on shows like Adam Ruins Everything, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, to talk about his new book, Good Game, No Rematch: A Life Made of Video Games. We discuss how games and people’s relationship to them have changed o…

1
Derryk Esquivel ( DerykWithaY, postdr0me) 1:31:14

3M ago1:31:14

1:31:14

On this episode, I'm joined by Derryk, aka DerrykWithaY, for a second time. This time, we chat about his time living in LA, his new band postdr0me, taking a step back from content, mean comments, and other hot takes. During the episode, I was drinking Genji Challa from Pista. Episode Links: https://cafepista.com/en https://postdr0me.bandcamp.com/ h…

1
Big Boy Size Nathan (This Title Was Gita’s Idea) 1:34:22

3M ago1:34:22

1:34:22

This week Nathan, Gita, and Riley briefly talk about their true passion, shirts, before elegantly segueing into a conversation about Ubisoft’s extremely eventful week: The embattled publisher announced that it’s spinning off its most successful series, including Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six, into a separate subsidiary thanks to a $1.2…

1
Hannah & Giuliano (Cross Check) 1:13:32

3M ago1:13:32

1:13:32

On this episode, I'm joined by Hannah and Giuliano from the band Cross Check to discuss their coffee taste, the Montreal scene, intro to heavy music, and their new EP: If You're Afraid Then Why Are You Shaking. During the episode, I was drinking Wush Wush from ZAB. Episode Links: https://zabcafe.com/ https://www.balancecoffeeroaster.com/ https://ww…

1
The Hills Are Alive With The Sound Of Stabbing (With Yussef Cole) 1:13:01

3M ago1:13:01

1:13:01

This week Chris is holding down the fort with Luke and is joined by writer Yussef Cole (@youmeyou.bsky.social) who reviewed Assassin’s Creed Shadows for The New York Times. We get into Assassin’s Creed generally and Shadows specifically, what we like and dislike about the game and if it makes good its narrative promise. Is it simply enough for a ga…

1
Jalon Swinton (Nuff Said HxC) 1:40:14

3M ago1:40:14

1:40:14

On this episode, I'm joined by Jalon, vocalist of Nuff Said, to chat about Flint coffee, collecting toys, drumming for pop rock, A Real Perspective, that one breakdown sample, and upcoming plans. During the episode, I was drinking Jairo Mora from Cafe Union Micro Lot. Episode Links: ⁠https://cafeunion.com/en/microlots⁠ ⁠https://fostercoffee.co/⁠ ⁠h…

1
108 Out Of 10 (With Aidan Moher) 1:22:42

3M ago1:22:42

1:22:42

This week Nathan and Chris are joined by freelance writer Aidan Moher to discuss his upcoming book about Suikoden I and II, a pair of sneakily influential JRPGs from the PS1 era that, yes, are very much worth writing an entire book about. Then we discuss news from the eye of the pre-GDC storm: Next week thousands of game developers will convene in …

1
Jesse Lewin (Traffic Coffee) 1:24:24

3M ago1:24:24

1:24:24

On this episode, I'm joined by Jesse, founder of Traffic to chat about the coffee market, Montreal coffee lore, music background, favorite Montreal bands, and creating original branding. During the episode we were drinking Limoncillo from Balance Torrefacteur. Episode Links: https://www.trafficcoffee.com/ https://www.balancecoffeeroaster.com/ https…

1
Dry January For Waifus 1:28:08

4M ago1:28:08

1:28:08

This week Nathan, Chris, and Riley overcome a slew of technical issues to bring you the latest news about guys who suck. First we discuss two Twitch dramas that broke containment and produced consequences that reverberated into the wider world: Several female streamers, Valkyrae, Cinna, Emiru, and Amouranth, found themselves in severe mortal peril …

1
Christian Nowatzki (Left To Suffer) 1:00:52

4M ago1:00:52

1:00:52

On this episode, I'm joined by Christian, bassist for Left To Suffer to chat about his coffee preference, Atlanta shit, the Seven Venue, picking up bass, starting Left To Suffer, and the Leap of Death LP. During the episode I was drinking Alex Reynoso from Bows Coffee. Episode Links: https://lefttosuffer.com/ https://www.instagram.com/beansandbreak…

1
RIP Monolith 2:04:20

4M ago2:04:20

2:04:20

This week Nathan and Gita accidentally burst the dam on another wellspring of Riley Lore – perhaps the wildest yet – before we all move on to a discussion of more sobering matters: WB recently closed three video game studios, including Monolith, the makers of quietly revolutionary games like No One Lives Forever, F.E.A.R., and Shadow of Mordor, as …

1
Jeff O'Leary (Smoke Signals) 1:05:58

4M ago1:05:58

1:05:58

On this episode, I'm joined by Jeff, guitarist of Smoke Signals, to chat about his favorite coffee, play some Newfie trivia, discuss the all-ages scene, and hear about Beyond The Mind EP. During the episode, I was drinking Super Naturel from Escape. Episode Links: https://escape.cafe/ https://www.instagram.com/smokesignalshc/ https://www.instagram.…

1
Exchanging (Opinions About) Avowed 1:21:18

4M ago1:21:18

1:21:18

This week Nathan, Chris, and Luke find themselves champing at the bit to talk about Avowed, which they can’t stop playing, but first, The News: NetEase shocked the game-playing public by laying off members of the team behind Marvel Rivals, the biggest breakout success story to come out of the live service sector in years. What happened? Well, decay…

1
Ty Askin & Ty Shaw (Slewfoot) 2:00:04

4M ago2:00:04

2:00:04

On this episode, I'm joined by the Ty's of Slewfoot to chat about some Barrie coffee, best shows of 2024, Baytown Hardcore, Built For War EP, and upcoming plans. During the episode, I was drinking Quasikomodo from TRAFFIC. Episode Links: https://www.trafficcoffee.com/ https://www.instagram.com/bohemiabarrie/ https://slewfoothc.bandcamp.com/album/bu…

1
The Downfall Of Civilization 1:30:51

4M ago1:30:51

1:30:51

This week Nathan, Chris, and Luke convene on the eve – if we’re measuring in podcast time – of Nathan’s book release (Stream Big, available wherever books are sold) to talk mostly about other stuff. First up, Activision and former Activision CEO Bobby Kotick both got into dustups with CWA, the union that represents over 1,000 workers across Microso…

1
Dylan Wainwright (Deal With God, All 4 All) 1:22:56

4M ago1:22:56

1:22:56

On this episode, I'm joined by Dylan from Deal With God and All 4 All to chat about his coffee preferences, hardcore hot takes, playing in Canada, The Bitter Die Hard, and upcoming plans. During the episode, I was drinking Koji from Balance Torrefacteur. Episode Links: https://www.balancecoffeeroaster.com/ https://dealwithgod.bandcamp.com/ https://…

1
Lovable Rascals (With Rowan Zeoli) 1:41:35

5M ago1:41:35

1:41:35

This week Nathan and Riley are joined by special guest Rowan Zeoli of Rascal, an independent, reader-supported, worker-owned outlet for journalism about tabletop roleplaying games not unlike Aftermath. The site is celebrating one year of life on the increasingly tumultuous planet Earth with a subscription drive, so we ask Rowan how things are going…

1
Jamie Strachan (Caravan Coffee, Dark Arts Coffee) 1:27:44

5M ago1:27:44

1:27:44

On this episode, I'm joined by Jamie to chat about his background in coffee, coffee hot takes, becoming a metalhead, neglected coffee origins, and making great merch. During the episode, I was drinking Privam from Pilot Coffee. Photo by @cursedespresso Episode Links: https://pilotcoffeeroasters.com/ https://caravanandco.com/ https://www.darkartscof…

1
Episode 24: Wesley Yin-Poole (Director of News at IGN) 57:30

5M ago57:30

57:30

Wesley Yin-Poole is in charge of the news desk over at IGN and has been reporting on the games industry for almost two decades at this point. He's also been a mentor of mine ever since our days working together at Eurogamer where he helped shape some of my very first stories, while he himself published some incredible work on the rise and fall of L…

1
BioWare-fore Art Thou (With Kat Bailey) 1:21:35

5M ago1:21:35

1:21:35

This week Nathan and Riley are joined by special guest Kat Bailey, former news director at IGN and current host of the Axe of the Blood God podcast, to discuss a news week that’s certainly been… interesting. First we talk about the entire staff of long-running video game site God Is A Geek quitting after its now-ex-priest owner threw up a Nazi salu…

1
D'Andre Tyre (A Wake In Providence) 1:40:34

5M ago1:40:34

1:40:34

On this episode, I'm joined by D'Andre, guitarist and singer for A Wake In Providence, to chat about starting out DIY, having too many interests, writing orchestra music, not being a deathcore band, and I Write To You, My Darling Decay LP. During the episode I was drinking PONYBOY from HANDSXFEET and Pair Cupworks. Episode Links: https://paircupwor…

1
Da Movies Baby! 1:39:40

5M ago1:39:40

1:39:40

This week Gita and Chris talk about the most exciting entertainment news of the day: the announcement of a new Ninja Gaiden game! Oh yeah, and the Oscars. For some reason, Emilia Perez has been nominated for a ton of awards and Chris and Gita fear that this dogshit movie may indeed sweep the Academy Awards. As they go through the nominations, they …

1
Corey and Dev (Move BHC) 1:53:12

5M ago1:53:12

1:53:12

On this episode, I'm joined by Corey and Dev of the band Move BHC to chat about love and indifference to coffee, running, local Boston area coffee, moshing as a sport, being politically minded, and upcoming shows. During the episode I was drinking a coffee from Cafe Don Toño. Episode Links: https://www.instagram.com/cafe_dontono/ https://move-bhc.b…

1
Woke 2: Good, Switch 2: ??? 1:29:06

5M ago1:29:06

1:29:06

This week Nathan, Chris, and Luke break down Nintendo’s long-awaited reveal of the Switch 2 – although we use the term “reveal” loosely. After months of speculation, we now know… what it will look like. And it looks like a Nintendo Switch! Some people, Chris included, are disappointed by this. Nintendo used to swing for the fences with its hardware…

1
Pete Hanbury (Walking Wounded) 1:25:54

5M ago1:25:54

1:25:54

On this episode, I'm joined by Pete from Walking Wounded. We chat about a lot of coffee things, Alabama metalcore, living in Cleveland, building drums, Bestial Condemnation EP, and lots of other stuff. During this episode I was drinking a cup of CHINA from PERC. Episode Links: https://perccoffee.com/en-ca https://www.cafedomestiquemadison.com/ http…

1
The Gaming Angle (With Chris Bratt) 1:42:26

5M ago1:42:26

1:42:26

This week Nathan and Gita are joined by Chris Bratt of People Make Games – one of the best investigative outlets in all of video games – to discuss his new video about workplace abuse at outsourcing studios in southeast Asia. We try to get to the bottom of why big video game companies turn a blind eye to these sorts of incidents, which in this case…