Sappenin’ Podcast with Sean Smith

EP. 376 - The Used (Bert McCracken & Jepha Howard) | Live @ E.N.D Cruise 2026

11 snips
Feb 6, 2026
Bert McCracken, lead vocalist and author, shares touring anecdotes and songwriting stories. Jepha Howard, longtime bassist, talks about bass technique, anxiety, and studio quirks. They discuss revisiting early albums, weird recording experiments, lost lyric notebooks, cruise shows, surprising celebrity moments, and why some songs are a live struggle. Conversation is lively, candid, and full of backstage tales.
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INSIGHT

Anniversary Shows Reignite Memory

  • Playing full early albums transported the band and fans back to specific moments the songs were written.
  • Bert called the 25th-anniversary run the most special year of touring in his life.
ADVICE

Prioritize Catchy Live-Ready Songs

  • Make music that works live and aims for catchy hooks to stick in listeners' heads.
  • The band plans to balance raw, visceral sound with memorable melodies on their next record.
ADVICE

Hoard Rough Ideas, Then Cull

  • Keep many rough ideas and riff samples; vet them with producers to find what clicks.
  • The Used maintain around 40 draft ideas and refine them before full production.
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