The Hard Times

The Hard Times is a satirical website with a focus on punk (especially hardcore punk and first wave screamo), alt music, and millennial culture founded in 2014 by former SF Weekly music editor Matt Saincome, his brother Ed Saincome, and comedian Bill Conway. It has been compared to The Onion, ClickHole, and Reductress in style, and has received praise for its specificity and niche appeal. The Hard Times also publishes Hard Drive, a satirical video game vertical, hosts stand-up comedy shows at music festivals, and produces podcasts. As of 2021, the Hard Times podcast network included: The Hard Times Podcast, hosted by co-founders Bill Conway and Matt Saincome The Hard Drive Podcast, hosted by Hard Drive co-creators Jeremy Kaplowitz and Mark Roebuck Hard Money’s Million Dollar Podcast The First Ever Podcast, hosted by Jeremy Bolm, vocalist of Touché Amoré Fanboys Up the Blunx Coward Hour, hosted by comedians Brendan Krick and Nik Oldershaw The Ace Watkins Presidential Hour The Pitch Group, hosted by Eric Navaro The Horror Times, hosted by Tiana Miller, Lauren Lavin and Dan Rice Hipsterocracy, hosted by comedian Johnny Taylor, Jr. Vert Button, hosted by Bill Conway, Andrew Cannon, and Tim Ward Deep Dive in the Shallow End, hosted by Kris Casey and Jeremy Kaplowitz Content published by The Hard Times is typically virally spread through engagement on social media such as Facebook. The site averages between 2 and 6 million views a month. History Founder Matt Saincome began pitching the idea for The Hard Times in 2012 as a junior studying journalism at San Francisco State. He formally founded The Hard Times with his brother Ed and comedian Bill Conway in December 2014, following a soft launch earlier in the year.