KGNU’s DJ Jack Armstrong hosts Boulder-based punk/emo trio Shorts for a high-energy studio session and listening party celebrating the release of their new EP. Band members Zane Manning, Graham Lauren, and Ari introduce themselves, talk about their roots in Boulder’s DIY scene, and reflect on the importance of venues like Unit Five in building community for emerging punk bands. Throughout the interview, Shorts preview upcoming shows including New Year’s weekend lineups, a Fort Collins bill with Mood Swing Misery, and local house shows, while sharing insights into the making of the EP, their love of live performance, and their plans for future releases. The band closes out the segment by introducing a two-part track, “Camping with Emos” into “Dog Three Part Two,” showcasing their signature Midwest-emo flair and offbeat humor (November 21, 2025).
https://on.soundcloud.com/yU4g06oJENslG3TTCR
DJ Jack Armstrong: Now I need everybody real quick in the studio to say hi to shorts. Hello? Shorts. Shorts. That’s right, that’s right. Now shorts themselves, say hi to me. Starting over here.
Shorts: Hi, Jack.
DJ Jack Armstrong: All right. I’m gonna do real quick and dirty bios because I guess musicians can’t follow instructions. I’m gonna do quick dirty bios: name, sex, location, and instrument that you play.
Shorts: My name’s Zane Manning. I’m a male, he/him. I play bass.
DJ Jack Armstrong: Location?
Shorts: I’m in Boulder. I’m from Boulder.
My name is Graham Lauren, male. I play guitar, and I’m originally from Virginia Beach, Virginia.
And then behind the screen, my name’s Ari. My sex is male. My location—well, my original location is the Bay Area, California.
DJ Jack Armstrong: Okay, and then you play the drums.
Shorts: Yeah. Sorry.
DJ Jack Armstrong: Yeah. Process of elimination here. All right. We’re gonna get right into it. We have a very special event going on. It’s the listening party of these guys’ new EP. Shorts just came out with a new EP and they’re from Boulder, Colorado, or they’re playing from Boulder, Colorado.
I’m gonna do something that I think every Midwest emo band like yourselves should do. I think I need you guys to do a favor for me. I feel like there’s always a good introspective sample, usually from a TV show or a movie before an emo band starts a really banger song. So do you think you could give me a one-liner before I cue you guys into your first track, which is called G? First one to hit the money, then I’m gonna go.
Shorts: Zane, you were at the—Leave the gun. Take the cannoli.
Speaker 5: That was good.
DJ Jack Armstrong: Do you.
Shorts on KGNU. This is Smash It Back. I’m so excited. It’s the Shorts EP and it’s the Shorts EP listening party. Say hi again, shorts.
Speaker 5: Hi shorts.
DJ Jack Armstrong: Yeah. Hello shorts. Next thing I want to ask is: there was just a show at Unit Five, and Unit Five is a pretty central Boulder DIY venue. It’s the only one I know that’s constantly running shows. I had stuff at the church, but that’s kind of just what you guys do anyway. So I want to know about the inseparable connection between what you’re doing with Shorts and Unit Five and how it’s platforming you. Who wants to go with it?
Shorts: Graham.
Shorts: We had all played punk standard shows and DIY shows in Boulder in our other bands. So it kind of seemed natural to have that be some of our first shows. It’s such a wonderful crowd. Some of the best shows you can play—everybody who goes to those shows is incredible. So that was a great starting point.
DJ Jack Armstrong: Cool, cool. Are there any lineups you want to shout out? Anything you could preview? Any cool shows coming up? The holidays are around the corner, people will be in and out of Boulder, but you might want to advertise early.
Shorts: The weekend of New Year’s, that week—it’s like the fifth and the sixth—we’re looking at Monkey Man, incredible band, I think Insipidus. And then we’re still figuring out some of the bands. But you know, Surprise Soup could be an option.
DJ Jack Armstrong: Surprise Soup could be an soup. Got it. And for those where these names mean nothing and we’re just saying garble noise, what can they expect to hear at that show?
Shorts: You got some crazy doom metal. You got one long song of straight doom metal from Monkey Man. Insipidus is very… they’re cool. They’re cool. I don’t know how to describe them. I love their drummer. Yeah, I love their drummer.
DJ Jack Armstrong: And is there something there for the old folks who listen to KGNU—and I do mean that in a derogatory way—who think young Boulder punk and rock groups can’t throw down? What do you have to say to them?
Shorts: Every small band of these youngins you hear about—whether you like it or not, they probably took inspiration from the music you grew up with. And those people knew how to throw it down, and we just throw it down harder.
DJ Jack Armstrong: Yeah.
Shorts: I don’t know what you’re thinking.
DJ Jack Armstrong: Help me intro this next track. It’s the second track off your EP. They can find it on all platforms. The next track is PB and J. Tell me about it.
Shorts: It’s fast, it’s wicked, it’s sick, it’s gnarly. You can do some kickflips to it.
DJ Jack Armstrong: Let’s do some kickflips on KGNU. If you’re not dancing in your living room or pulling over and dancing outside your car, I don’t know what you’re doing. This is KGNU. This is Smash It Back, PB and J Shorts.
It is KGNU and where are we? What are we listening to?
Speaker 5: Smash it back.
DJ Jack Armstrong: Oh man, that was too loud. I think someone’s gonna get mad at me for that one. Oh man. Anyways—Smash It Back on KGNU. I’m Jack Armstrong. It’s 11:37 on listener-supported KGNU. It’s the Colorado Punk Show. All Colorado and Colorado-adjacent punk bands that I know and love. I’m your host, Jack Armstrong. With me in studio listening to their new EP is Shorts. Wasn’t that a kickflipping good time? Say yes. Say yes. Don’t make me sound stupid. Kickflip grinds.
Okay, so we’ve got one more song left on the EP, which makes me sad because I want to hear more Shorts. Where can we find more Shorts? Shout yourselves out.
Shorts: December 5th—to be announced soon—house show in Boulder.
DJ Jack Armstrong: Ooh. Yeah. We want to listen to more Shorts live.
Shorts: Playing at The Atrium December 12th. Atrium, December 12th. It’s gonna be sweet. Up in Fort Collins.
DJ Jack Armstrong: Up in Fort Collins. Who’s on that bill?
Shorts: Surprise Soup. Just Surprise Soup I think for now. Oh—Mood Swing Misery.
DJ Jack Armstrong: Ooh. Ooh.
Shorts: We love them.
DJ Jack Armstrong: I love Mood Swing Misery. I wish I could play more of their stuff, but it’s not Smash It Back on KGNU material.
Shorts: Yeah.
DJ Jack Armstrong: And I hate to say that. But you know what is Smash It Back material? Shorts. I’ve got a couple more questions. Can you deal with that?
Shorts: For sure.
DJ Jack Armstrong: Cool. So what’s next after this EP? Are you gonna shoot for a full album? More singles? Are you just gonna vibe and play live stuff and say, “Here’s our EP”? What’s the deal?
Shorts: Playing live is definitely the most fun, but doing recorded music is seeing it all come together. I’m guessing we’ll throw out some singles, maybe another EP, then do the full album. It all comes with time. Play it by ear.
DJ Jack Armstrong: That sounds like the one-to-two-year plan. But is there a five- or ten-year plan for Shorts? Ari, I haven’t heard much from you, but I see you smiling.
Shorts: I thought the question was good. Ten-year plan? What’s your tenure looking like, Ari? Where are we gonna be in ten years? I don’t know. Doing this when we can in between our jobs and hanging out with our beautiful children. We’ll be doing it full-time. Yeah. We better be. It’s too fun.
DJ Jack Armstrong: Is full-time pants?
Shorts: Yeah. Is it pants or shorts but like overalls?
DJ Jack Armstrong: Is it shorts but you zip them up? Is it like a combo move?
Shorts: Combo move kind of deal?
DJ Jack Armstrong: Combo move. Okay, we’re getting too into the weeds. Help me finish out this show—at least our segment. Right, so it’s a combo of two songs, one leading into the other. Somebody intro it for me. What are we gonna hear? Graham?
Shorts: Camping with Emos into Dog Three Part Two.
DJ Jack Armstrong: Cool. And what’s it sound like?
Shorts: Midwest emo stuff. Zane says some good stuff on it. There’s some guitar, there’s some drums.
DJ Jack Armstrong: Zane, what did you say on here?
Shorts: Poetic. I don’t know. Your dog ran away? I think my dog ran away. I think I want a dog too. Something about moving away. I don’t know. I make ’em up.
DJ Jack Armstrong: Got it. One last thing—your Shorts artwork is phenomenal. It only says Midwest emo to me.
Shorts: Oh, thank you. Yes, thank you.
DJ Jack Armstrong: Okay, let’s hear it. Camping with Emos into Dog Three on KGNU.
