I feel like it’s pretty standard for bands to start in someone’s basement, and according to bassist Chase Mueller, that’s where the dream truly started. Aside from that, he recalls getting drunk with vocalist and rhythm guitarist Sammy Elfanbaum on break in Sammy’s parents’ basement and writing some songs. Along the way, while writing more songs – I’m not going to say crap even though that is the word that Chase used – they found their drummer, Hunter Pendleton. Hunter apparently claimed to know how to play the drums but did not at the time they met. From there, the band only continued to grow as they welcomed Mitch Broddon on guitar and, now just recently, Jack Hazel on the keys. Together these guys make up the band known as Post Sex Nachos to the world. 

Unfortunately, they all signed a blood pact vowing to never tell the world how their group name came to be, so the story behind that remains a mystery and open to all your imaginations. Interesting because at the end of the interview Sammy claims he has no secrets, but I guess for now, the world will never know how their name was chosen.

However, we do get to hear about the songwriting process. It’s not a secret that most musicians don’t have much of a method in creating their music because why should there be? There is no definite right or wrong way when it comes to creating art because it’s a subjective creation. Think about how many different genres and even subgenres exist in the world because someone wanted to be just a little bit different from the rest. Mitch did joke and claim it was mostly madness, but he notes that Sammy carries the weight when it comes to the song’s lyrics. He says, “Everyone plays a role in the songwriting process, but it is different every time. Sometimes those (lyrics) come first, and we end up writing a great instrumental behind, or other times we’re looking to find what the lyric idea is on top of it.” With the openness in how they write, their musical inspirations run just as wild because it ranges from Classic Yacht Rock (heavy emphasis) to Lola Young. Jack chimes in how Geese has also been a big one for them, but they also discover new artists all the time on the road and the list continues to grow regularly. 

I love knowing what inspires a band in writing and playing because those are often not synonymous. Some might be inspired to play like one band but use another band to write their music; the industry is massive, and new artists surface every single day. I try to keep myself open-minded when it comes to artists I’m not always familiar with because sometimes they end up becoming my new obsession. I can tell you right now, and my husband can confirm, that there were several artists I caught at Summerfest 2025 who get played regularly in the car because I fell in love with their sound from the get-go. That is also one of my favorite parts of partaking in attendance at a festival as large as Summerfest: the variety that can be seen because everyone deserves to be heard. 

 Post Sex Nachos are dropping a brand-new album this September, and tickets to their already announced tour have been on sale. Don’t miss out on them coming to a city near you!