Stereo Embers The Podcast 0207: Rick Rizzo and Janet Bean (Eleventh Dream Day)

“Nothing’s Ever Lost" Eleventh Dream Day have never stopped being great. Since their self-titled 1987 EP, over the course of 13 albums the band have retained the same scruffy splendor that has always made them one of the most riveting acts around. I always told my friends they sounded like a cross between X and R.E.M. but that was an oversimplification on my part. That might have even been a bit lazy. The fact is, Eleventh Dream Day have a lot in common with the bands I mentioned, but they’re so much more than that. They’re an arresting blend of muscle and heart and even when the songs jangle they still sting. The vulnerable numbers have frayed, poetic finesse and the faster ones rip away with ragged and battered beauty. Singer Rick Rizzo, to borrow an expression from Saul Bellow, is an open wound of a man and drummer/singer Janet Bean is a revelation—she’s sonorous and sorrowful, but she also blazes through each number with conviction and heart. Bean you might recognize from being one of the co founders of Freakwater and bassist Doug McCombs plays in Tortoise, but when they come together as Eleventh Dream Day, the sound is distinct, stirring and always energizing. The band’s new album is called Since Grazed and it’s a startling collection of thrilling indie rock bliss. Jagged, gripping, moving and deeply inspiring, the album shows that Eleventh Dream Day remain as vital as ever. In this chat with Rick Rizzo and Janet Bean, we talk about life on a major label, the Meat Puppets’ RV and why it’s always a good idea to listen to the Fall... Order Since Grazed: https://eleventhdreamday.com http://www.comedyminusone.com http://www.facebook.com/comedyminusone http://www.twitter.com/comedyminusone