Daniel Castady, Aaron Green, Mark Rhoades (The Fold)

On this episode of The Rumors Are True, Jeremy sits down with Dan Castady, Aaron Green, and Mark Rhoades from The Fold for a trip back to the early and mid-2000s Chicago music scene and the story of one of the bands that became an important part of the Tooth & Nail Records family.

The Fold came together in Chicago in the early 2000s, growing out of the members' experiences in other bands and the local scene. Dan Castady, Aaron Green, Keith Mochel, and Mark Rhoades eventually formed the lineup that would take The Fold to Tooth & Nail Records. The band signed with the label in 2005 after years of sending demos and building a following through relentless touring.

We talk about the early days of The Fold, how the band came together, their connections to Showoff and other Chicago bands, and what it was like trying to find their own identity while coming out of an already established music scene. Dan, Aaron, and Mark share stories from those early years, the process of writing and recording, and the journey that eventually landed them on Tooth & Nail.

The conversation also dives deep into This Too Shall Pass, The Fold's 2006 Tooth & Nail debut. Produced with the goal of capturing the band's melodic, energetic sound, the record helped introduce The Fold to a much larger audience and put them alongside a growing roster of Tooth & Nail artists.

We also get into Secrets Keep You Sick, the band's 2007 follow-up, and the more personal direction of the record. Dan has previously described that album as a much more open and unfiltered look at what was happening in his life at the time. Songs such as “Faster Still” and “Revisited” dealt with the loss of Dan's cousin Andrew, while other songs explored family, relationships, faith, and the struggles of trying to move forward.

And of course, there's plenty of discussion about the Tooth & Nail Records years — signing to the label, recording records, touring, playing shows with bands like Anberlin, Project 86, Sherwood and others, the legendary Tooth & Nail touring circuit, and what it was like being part of that particular scene at a time when independent Christian music was reaching a much larger audience. The Fold's sound drew from the worlds of pop-punk, indie rock, emo, and alternative rock, with influences including bands like Far and Saves the Day.

Jeremy, Dan, Aaron, and Mark look back at the records, the tours, the friendships, the lineup, the changes, and the stories that happened behind the scenes. It's a conversation about The Fold before Tooth & Nail, The Fold during Tooth & Nail, and everything that came after — told by three people who were there.

For anyone who remembers This Too Shall Pass, Secrets Keep You Sick, the Tooth & Nail tours, Chicago's early-2000s music scene, or simply loves digging back into the stories behind the records, this is an episode you won't want to miss.

The rumors are true.

Produced by Wesley Hill (@thebigwes)
Artwork by Jared Chase Bowser (@jaredchasebowser)
Music by Brian Jerin (R.I.P.)

I don’t own rights to the music or songs used in this episode.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices