Twenty-five years ago, a scrappy, emotionally raw band out of Utah lit a fire in the post-hardcore world—and it never went out. Now, The Used are celebrating their milestone 25th anniversary in a way that’s as loud, personal, and unapologetically creative as ever.

This week, the beloved four-piece returns to Los Angeles to play three nights at The Wiltern—May 8, 10, and 11—performing their first three albums in full: The Used (2002), In Love and Death (2004), and Lies for the Liars (2007). 

These aren’t just concerts—they’re immersive fan experiences. Each night is a nostalgic, high-energy deep dive into the songs that defined a generation of emo and alternative rock fans, from the anthemic cries of “Taste of Ink” to the haunting melodies of “All That I’ve Got.”

To mark the occasion, the band has also released limited edition vinyls with reimagined cover art by renowned artists including Alex Pardee, Craola, and Cam Rackam—visual reinterpretations that breathe new life into three albums already etched into the hearts of so many fans. Explore the Reimagined Artwork →

But The Used aren’t stopping at the stage.

On May 9, between shows, the band is hosting a free one-day-only art show and pop-up experience at Secret Walls in LA (12pm–8pm). Open to all fans, the event will showcase the reimagined album artwork in gallery form, rare memorabilia from the band’s two-decade journey, exclusive merch, and a completely free signing and meet-and-greet. 

As founder and bassist Jeph Howard reflects in our conversation, this 25-year legacy isn’t just about music—it’s about connection, evolution, and staying true to who you are. Read on for a candid look into the band’s past, present, and future.

Q: You’ve said this band has become something bigger than yourselves. What do you think The Used means to fans today versus circa 2002?

Jeph:
I feel like in the band, we’ve had ups and downs, and we’ve had member changes, but our core being has always done the same thing. We’re just a bunch of friends, you know? God, I’ve known Bert for 30 years, probably, you know what I mean?

And we have friends that come out to shows—like, we just played Salt Lake. I wasn’t born there, but technically that’s where the band started. That’s where everyone else was born. The band itself is from there. And so, going back and seeing all the people we grew up with—and they’re all doing awesome stuff too—but having them come out… we had old techs come out too that are lifelong friends, that live in Salt Lake, that got to just be part of our family again.

And that’s kind of what I’m getting at: when we tour, we tour as a family. So everybody in the crew, everybody in the band, everybody that’s out there with us is part of this family. Each person we rely on equally. Our merch guy is just as important as our lighting guy, who’s just as important as our sound guy or tour manager or stage manager—every single person is important and part of the family. They all do their job to make the show what it is.

We try to bring that vibe through with our fans too. The same kind of thing—like, we care. We’re not just playing these shows because we’re trying to get rich or something stupid—because, you know, that’s never gonna happen. We’re doing it because we actually care, and we actually want to play shows, and we actually like sharing and being a family unit.

Q: There’s this new wave of emo pop-punk resurgence happening, but The Used never really left the scene. What are your thoughts on this new wave of the genre? 

Jeph:
Yeah, it’s cool. It’s okay to pass the torch, but it’s also okay to help out bands that are trying to get somewhere—trying to change and bring something new.

Being in The Used, we never really set out to be the biggest band in the world. We just set out to do something and inspire, and be different, and bring change—however that is. And that’s still what we’re doing. We haven’t stopped. We’re still touring. Currently on tour still. It’s been 25 years, and we don’t really have any way of slowing down or stopping.

And like you were saying, there are a bunch of new bands that are coming up that are trying it. And there’s room, you know? I don’t know why everyone gets so scared about it. There’s room for everyone to win. We can all win. We can all help each other up, and we can all stand up and be a part of something. There’s nothing to be scared or jealous about.

Sure, some bands come out of nowhere and get really big. And some bands are incredible and they don’t get big. It’s all part of the whole. But like I said, there’s room for everyone to win, as long as we help each other.

Q: Is there a track that hits differently now for you than it did over 20 years ago—lyrically or sonically?

Jeph:
I mean, this whole year we’re playing these three records back-to-back, three nights in a row. And it’s cool to revisit because we did it before in 2015 or 2016 or something, and it was incredible then. But now we’ve added Lies for the Liars, so it’s a pre-record one. What’s so cool about this is, it’s an experience.

Each night we play has a little different vibe. Plus, there’s a video that plays that brings that nostalgia. There’s some other stuff going on on stage—I don’t want to ruin too much. You could probably see it online if you really wanted to. But yeah, there’s some fun stuff. It’s definitely a vibe for each show.

What’s really cool about it, like you said—sonically and lyrically—it’s cool to revisit all these songs again. Some songs we don’t ever get to play because of how touring works. You don’t get that much time, and everyone wants to hear their favorite song. So we try to play as many favorites as we can, but we miss out on some songs.

For me personally, a song that’s always been a top favorite from the first three records is Pieces Mended. It’s always been up there. Musically, the way that song is sewn together is very interesting—and very fun for me.

Also, we’re playing a song that—depending on how you heard Lies for the Liars—you may or may not know. It was a B-side. If you bought the album on iTunes back in the day, it came with it. But if you didn’t, it’s not even on Spotify. That’s how deep of a B-side it is. You have to find it through, I think, a B-sides record. I’m pretty sure it was on that—or somewhere else.

But the song’s called Pain. We used to play it live a lot too, actually, which is funny. But we’ve brought it back, and it’s been so much fun for me to revisit.

Q: What’s it like revisiting your early songs on this tour?

Jeph:
What’s really cool about it is, sonically and lyrically, it’s fun to revisit all these songs again. Some of them we never get to play because of how touring works—you don’t get that much time, and everyone wants to hear their favorite song. So we try to play as many favorites as we can, but we miss out on some.

For me personally, a song that’s always been a top favorite from the first three records is Pieces Mended. The way that song is sewn together is really interesting and fun for me to play.

We’re also playing a B-side from Lies for the Liars called Pain. Depending on how you heard that record—if you bought it on iTunes back in the day, it came with it—but if you didn’t, it’s not even on Spotify. You have to find it through a B-sides release. We used to play it live a lot, which is funny, but now we’re bringing it back, and it’s been so much fun to revisit.

Q: If 2002 Jeph could time travel to these shows now, what do you think he’d say?

Jeph:
So, me talking to my old self? I’d slap myself a couple of times and tell myself to stop stressing. I’ve battled anxiety my whole life. I’m kind of an introvert. I’m talking more now because I’ve overcome a lot, but I’ve always been that way. I’m an only child—I used to just hide out.

Touring, living on a bus, and suddenly having “brothers” really helped me on that journey. The old me was a lot more afraid—not of anything scary—just regular life.

Q: What’s the one feeling that still hasn’t changed when you walk on stage?

Jeph:
“Don’t f— up.” [Laughs] We all feel that. The first five minutes are the most intense because they set the tone for the entire show.

We mess around on stage a lot. We have microphones that only we can hear, so we joke around, tease each other, and if someone messes up, we laugh about it. The minor mess-ups stick with us, but only the big ones are really noticeable.

But those first five minutes—if something major goes wrong, it can get in your head, which is the worst. I’ve learned that it’s like riding a bike: if you focus too much on little stuff, you crash. I need to take a breath, get my head in the game, and then the rest of the show is smooth.

Q: That’s amazing. After 25 years, you still get butterflies?

Jeph:
Oh yeah, those never go away. And sometimes they’re good to have. But after those first five minutes, it becomes a hangout. The nerves go away, and it’s just fun.

Q: I saw a comment on your Instagram—someone said they just discovered one of your songs for the first time. That’s got to be wild.

Jeph:
Yeah, I wonder what song it was. It’s really interesting, though. At our shows, you can definitely see multiple generations in the crowd. We’re lucky that we connect on so many levels through different experiences.

Q: So this tour is for the day-one fans and the newbies. What’s your favorite way to spot a longtime fan in the crowd?

Jeph:
Honestly, the Lies for the Liars shows. You can spot the old-school fans that come for the first record. Then there’s that second wave of fans who come for the second record. Some fans overlap, but Lies has more deep cuts. Only The Bird and the Worm was really big on the radio, so the rest of that album connects more with second- or third-wave fans.

But my favorite are the fans who know our record Artwork. That’s one of my favorite Used records. It got leaked six or seven months early, so the label didn’t push it—we didn’t get radio play. So it’s kind of underground. But it’s definitely my favorite.

Q: Let’s talk about the reimagined art show. How did that idea come about?

Jeph:
We wanted to do something really special, especially in what kind of feels like a second hometown. I lived in California for around ten years, and Burt did too. I still live here. Some of the artists live here as well.

Alex Pardee, Cam Rackam, and Craola—all the artists who reimagined the first three albums—they’re all coming in. They’ve set up a full art show with pieces based on the albums, and even some items that were part of those eras. I’m trying to be vague because I don’t know exactly what they’re using—I haven’t seen the final setup yet—but I know what they pulled from our storage unit, so I’m excited to see it.

Q: Can you share one item you’re excited for fans to see?

Jeph:
I don’t know exactly what they’re using, but I gave them some masks from Lies for the Liars. The person on the album cover? That’s a real person wearing one of those masks. All the characters in the booklet are real physical masks—they’re expensive, from this horror prop company. One of them is actually in the Punk Rock Museum in Vegas.

I also gave Cam all the laminates from every single Used show we’ve ever played. And I had a hat from The Taste of Ink music video—I gave them that too. I used to have the jacket from All That I’ve Got, but I lost it. I was holding on to it, and it just disappeared. That would’ve been great to have.

Q: Isn’t it crazy that those items are now part of music history?

Jeph:
It’s wild. Twenty-five years is a long time to do anything. But we’ve just kept our heads down and pushed forward. It’s been a really fun ride, and I’m excited about what’s next.

Q: What do you want fans to know about the shows, the tour, or the art exhibit?

Jeph:
I know some people just want to see one or two records, but honestly, this is one big show split into three days. Seeing it all together is the full experience. If you’re a big Used fan, it’s worth coming to all three. I know life happens, and tickets can be expensive, but if you can swing it, it’s worth it.

Just know that we appreciate every single fan. We appreciate the vibe, the energy, the support. We love meeting people. That’s why we do meet and greets almost every day. We care—a lot.

____________________________________________________________

For more info, visit: https://theused.net/

The post 25 Years of The Used: A Conversation with Jeph Howard appeared first on Backstage Socal.

No other duo in the world is more dynamic, talented, and hardworking than the magician legends Penn and Teller. 

In between working on their successful CW television show “Penn and Teller: Fool Us” (now in its eighth season) and performing their residency shows at the Rio in Las Vegas, the famed magicians will bring their touring production to Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts on Jan. 28 for a sold-out show. 

Teller, the notoriously “silent” half of the pair, is as vivacious and passionate as ever after over 45 years of professionally performing magic with his partner Penn. Aside from magic tricks, Teller has a load of talents in his bag of tricks, including being a painter, actor, film director, and co-director of magic-infused theater productions of “Macbeth” and “The Tempest.” 

Teller shared some of the greatest moments of his long career, what he and Penn have planned for their touring show, what it takes to produce magic trick after magic trick, and more. 

Without revealing any of your tricks, what is your audience going to experience in your current touring show?

Sure. Although, you know, revealing our tricks is kind of a trademark for us. (laughs) 

First of all, I would like to say that we are being very conscientious about COVID. It’s very important to us to allow the audience to participate in the show, but instead of doing it face to face, as we might have done in previous tours, we have some really clever ways around it. 

We have one trick that uses every single person in the audience, all doing it together. And it’s really fun. Actually, we have two tricks that involve the entire audience. We have three in which we’ve built a special little sort of space capsule for an audience member to come up on stage and be in. So they’ll be protected, and yet they can fully participate. I feel like there’s a lot of fun, while at the same time, our job is to create fun. Our job is not to hurt anybody. And so we’ve been very careful about that. 

The show’s about an hour and a half and it is suitable for all ages. It uses quite a lot of new material. There’s a few classic things in there from our repertoire. But if you’ve seen this before, you’re gonna see a ton of new stuff. You will see a chicken vanish with the assistance of a gorilla. We will teach you some of the secrets of how you navigate your way around stage with the secret markings that go on the stage. 

Penn will challenge himself to remember the exact order of a strip of nails in a nail gun so that he doesn’t puncture himself. He will also juggle broken balls. We will teach the audience to do a classic piece of magic. We test the idea that it’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven by dressing me as a camel.

We’ll try to deal with my terrible gambling problem. It’s a sad thing, but every time I go into a casino, I always win. And that’s something we’ve been fighting for years. And we think that with the assistance of the audience in Cerritos, we may finally be able to convince our casino executives that I can lose, but we’ll see. 

Is there a specific theme for this touring show?

One of our favorite themes is letting the audience decide whether they’re fooled or not. And we have one trick whose special function is to give the audience a choice between how they watch the trick. Do they want to be fooled or would they like to take away a mystery? Do they wanna take home an answer? Different people have different feelings about that. 

Something that I am just fascinated with is the production side of things. How do you remain fresh? How do you keep coming up with these tricks and these illusions? 

When I was five years old, I got really sick with a bad heart ailment, and I was watching TV and there was a kid’s TV show on called “Howdy Doody.” That was a cowboy marionette. And he had a magic clown on the show, and the magic clown fascinated me. 

And while I was recovering from my long illness, my parents agreed to send 50 cents and three Mars bars wrappers to the “Howdy Doody” show. And in return, I got this flat envelope. And in it were all sorts of little colored pieces that you punched out and made into little boxes and things. And I began to play with that. This was a “Howdy Doody” magic set, and I began to play with that. And for some reason it intrigued me like nothing else in my life.

So as a kid, I became crazy about magic. Then I became more crazy about magic in high school. I realized that very often magic is not the best way to make a friend because probably when you wanna make a friend, the first thing you don’t do is lie and magic is lying to somebody. 

So I got into theater more, and that was good because I learned a lot about how to handle myself on stage. Then for several years, I took a sidetrack and became a Latin teacher, but always kept the magic going because I can’t stop it. It must be like the feeling that people get when they shoot up drugs. It’s just always so exciting to me. 

I’m not sure exactly why it is so exciting. It has something to do with the fact that when you experience magic, you’re experiencing two things at the same time: you’re experiencing something that seems to be and something that is, and those two things are in conflict. There’s tension. It’s really hard to watch. 

People don’t sit around and watch magic tricks and let them flow over them. You might lie on the couch and listen to music, and the music would just flow over you. You might sit back and watch a movie some night and it would just flow over you. You can’t really do that with magic. Somehow it’s the nature of human beings to enjoy magic, where they simultaneously want it to be impossible and want to figure it out.

That tension is so fascinating to me that I just never get bored with it. I’m also very, very lucky in that I work with a person, with Penn, whose background and taste and talents are so different from mine that we are able to combine reality and make believe magic together. So anything we work on is an exciting adventure, because it’s never quite easy. It’s always a discussion. Sometimes it’s an argument, but that’s wonderful. That’s how we make progress. 

What is your creative process like together? 

We do every possible configuration. I think the most common thing we do is sit down and drink tea together and talk. We’ve nicknamed our work sessions Starbucks sessions because for a long while our talks were at Starbucks; now they’re anywhere. And now they’re very often on Zoom because it’s just what we have to deal with. So it’s a conversation, but it’s also independent stuff. 

The last Zoom session I had with Penn, I brought him two ideas, he brought me three; then we batted them around and said, well, yes, this is good about this and that’s good about that. Or what if we did this. We won’t be together until Thursday, so we’ve been just sort of working on the ideas separately during the week. It’s great. 

Every time, it’s like playing with your friends. When you’re a kid, you just get so excited and play, like I’ll be in the fort this time and you be the alien. So, there is that sense that is absolutely palpable, and that has not changed since I was 10.

Of course, nowadays I have luxuries that I didn’t have when I was 10. I have a crew of people who just work with magic for me. And these are people who are skilled at building things, and they understand the art form because they’ve been working with us. Most of them have been working with us for at least a decade, some sometimes longer. 

So when we have a work session, which we’re gonna have later this afternoon, I’ll go into the theater. And all of the things that we were working on last week will have made some progress. If there were props that needed to be adjusted, they’ve been adjusted. And our stage manager will lead us through a rehearsal that she’s planned out in which we deal with each of these things to see what kind of improvements can be made.

And then we take it step-by-step, and sometimes ideas fail. Sometimes ideas are just not good ideas. But magic has this awkward thing where you really never know whether a potentially good idea is good until you actually see it. 

You have to see it actually really done and it has to be pretty deceptive, or you don’t know whether that will be the right feeling for the audience. I mean, I’m pretty good at guessing what’s going on, after being in it since I was five, I’m pretty good at guessing what might be good, but I really never know what’s really good until we get out there.

What a life you lead! I don’t think there’s anything like it. 

I am the luckiest guy in the world. I did not ever expect to be able to earn my living doing what I love. Turns out that’s really thanks to Penn, and a mutual friend that we were with for the first six years we worked together. We were a trio and then our friend sort of dropped out. But, it’s thanks to Penn that I resigned from my position as a teacher in New Jersey and went into this line of work. So I owe that to him and to our old friend Weir.  

What would you say is the most memorable show you’ve put on?

I can tell you several things because there’s not one that’s most memorable. The most memorable television appearance we ever did, I think, was back in the 1980s. We did a piece on Saturday Night Live that was unbelievably difficult and really it’s perfectly conceived for television. 

I can’t really ever remember a piece of performance that had me more terrified and thrilled at the same time. And when I came down from what we were doing, every core puzzle in my body was pulsing with joy.

With that said, we’ve done three Broadway runs. And the Broadway runs are always of joy, because when you’re in New York, you have all of the best artistic people with you. We have a wonderful set designer that we use when we can have a set. It’s nice to have the best designers and things there. We also have a wonderful lighting designer who travels with us. 

Other times that are terribly memorable, was playing London. We did a television series going to Egypt, India, and China that were physically miserable to do, because that kind of travel is very stressful. And some of the countries are terribly, terribly impoverished, but it was a fascinating adventure. It will stick in my mind forever. 

And of course, for me doing both the Tempest and Macbeth as a director were a big deal. We’re doing a new production of the Tempest with the same script and music this spring and this next fall in Maryland. Assuming that there’s still theater by that time. Who knows?

I was actually going to ask if you were planning to pursue theater again in the near future. 

Right now, most of my artistic life is devoted to creating new material for the television show (Penn and Teller: Fool Us is on its eight season, with the second half starting last week). Which we are told is very likely to be renewed. And that requires us to come up with 14 brand new tricks to end each of these shows. 

So we work really hard at that. Sometimes we’ll start with the nugget of some preexisting trick and then completely transform it. Sometimes we just start with an idea that is exciting. I just bought a ventriloquist figure the other day, because we have an idea for a trick to do with one, which we’ve never done before. It’s just a constant adventure and I just don’t believe I could be happier.

That’s wonderful. You are truly a legend, yet you have continued to remain a hardworking professional. 

It’s the combination of working with a partner, which of course, is at times challenging, but it’s so helpful to me. If I had been a solo artist, I wouldn’t have gotten anywhere. It’s the combination of things. Penn and I have worked together for 46 years. So now it’s like an old marriage that really works. 

Our disagreements are no longer bitter; they’re present, but they’re not bitter. In the first six years, we did a lot of yelling at each other and saying, “Get off the stage, you idiot.” But it’s been 40 years since those first six years that have improved things a bit. So it’s just a pleasure to work really all the time. I’ve had all kinds of back problems and stuff like that. All of those things fade away in the big picture, because this part of my life is so important.  

Penn & Teller

Where: Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, 18000 Park Plaza Drive, Cerritos

When: 8 p.m. Jan. 28 

More info: cerritoscenter.com

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