One of the most creative rock bands around today is Virginia-based indie rock trio The Duskwhales. Drummer/singer Chris Baker joins me to talk about their new EP, Hospital Dreams, a set of melancholic, folky acoustic songs he wrote while battling cancer.  In this episode I also discuss the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s controversial Heavenly Bodies exhibit, and give a couple of movie recommendations.

Links

Listen to and purchase Hospital Dreams on Bandcamp https://theduskwhales.bandcamp.com/album/hospital-dreams

My interview with The Duskwhales about their 2017 album Sorrowful Mysteries https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/otc.cfm?id=1473

Follow The Duskwhales on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TheDuskwhales/

Timestamps

1:32 Heavenly Bodies exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Movie recommendations

12:34 Babette’s Feast

15:28 A Quiet Place

19:41 Chris Baker interview (songs used with permission)

20:39 Song: “Hospital Dreams” by The Duskwhales

24:32 The story behind Hospital Dreams: Chris’s cancer

27:41 Writing songs as a way of occupying time during chemo

28:42 Song discussion: “Hospital Dreams”

29:57 You can’t spell the word “chemotherapy” without “mother”: Mary in “ All Her Wonder” and “Turn White”

32:20 The band’s first time self-recording

33:56 Plans for a trilogy of albums

35:20 Keyboardist Brian Majewski’s departure and return

36:10 Hospital Dreams cover art

37:23 Chris’s ill-fated but diverting Twitter campaign

38:09 The Duskwhales’ future

39:02 Music Chris is currently listening to; influences on Hospital Dreams

44:25 Weekly excerpt: Hans Urs von Balthasar