Stereo Embers: The Podcast

"Remembering Mark Stewart of The Pop Group" Throwing curveballs at the moon is how The Pop Group's Mark Stewart describes the creative process and it might also very well be the perfect description of the Pop Group's career. Unconventional, ferociously innovative, and delightfully idiosyncratic, The Pop Group have never cared about what's happening in the mainstream and instead adhered to the rhythms and sounds that they wanted to make. In this whirlwind of an interview, the Bristol-born Stewart talks to Alex about UFO's, having tea with Sun Ra, The Sex Pistols, and how music bridged the racial divide in his town in the late 70s. He also talks about why he likes to hang out with oddballs, the avant-garde New York scene and a fight he once had with Allen Ginsberg. www.bombshellradio..com www.stereoembersmagazine.com www.alexgreenbooks.com Stereo Embers The Podcast IG + Bluesky: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

“New Girl Syndrome” The New Zealand-born Lisa Crawley has fearlessly created art and then just as fearlessly followed that art all over the world. From a small town in Japan to a cruise ship to Los Angeles, Crawley is not afraid of the hard miles and she’s bravely traversed the globe performing wherever she can. Armed with a luminescent voice and melodic muscle, Crawley’s work suggests a dreamy mix of Amy Winehouse and Bic Runga. Over the years she appeared in the Tony-Award winning musical Once, opened for Paul Weller, Simply Red and Suzanne Vega, she’s performed with the Auckland Symphony Orchestra and she’s had her work appear in everything from The Last Days Of Capitalism to Nancy Drew to Good Trouble. Her new EP New Girl Syndrome is an infectious and stirring song cycle that’s contemplative, probing and unreasonably catchy. Lisa’s a really funny person and her humor is deadpan and sly and it’s a fascinating counterpoint to her emotive and affecting songbook. www.lisacrawley.com www.stereoembersmagazine.com www.bombshellradio.com www.alexgreenbooks.com IG + Bluesky: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

"Face Of 68" The Connecticut-born Peter Holsapple isn't hiding his age--his new album Face Of 68 proudly blares it in its title and though the 68 is representative of his current chronology, like our old friend Billy Bragg, he knows that number is a temporary thing and another waits in front of it. So, to honor this moment in his life, Holsapple's third solo album is a celebration of a year in a man's life and it couldn't sound more life-affirming. The d.B.'s frontman, whose output with that beloved outfit include classics like Stand For Decibels and Like This remain timeless classics, is one of music's busiest characters. Here's a quick and partial glance at his rock and roll resume': In the late-'80s, he was a full-time fifth member of R.E.M., He was an auxillary member of Hootie and the Blowfish for nearly 30 years, he was in the indie pop supergroup the Continental Drifters with members of The Bangles, The Dream Syndicate and The Cowsills, and he's currently playing with The Paranoid Style, the reformed d.B.'s and solo shows on his own. Holsapple's Face Of 68 is one of 2025's very best; a smoldering batch of songs that are filled with jangle, shimmer and stomp, Holsapple and his power trio of Robert Sledge of the Ben Folds Five and Rob Ladd of The Connells, play with confidence and nerve. This is a dynamic album with heavy grooves, pop hooks and melodic muscle and the fact of the matter is The Face Of 68 has never sounded better. www.stereoembersmagazine.com (http://www.stereoembersmagazine.com) www.alexgreenbooks.com (http://www.alexgreenbooks.com) www.bombshellradio.com (http://www.bombshellradio.com) Stereo Embers: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com (mailto:editor@stereoembersmagazine.com) IG + BLUESKY: @emberspodcast

"GPYR" I'm admittedly a bit fixated on a 16 year old Josh Joplin getting in the van and driving away from his family, his friends and high school in order to blaze his own musical trail out there in the American wild, but I think I'm mostly fixated on that for both its ambition and its bravery. For starters, it's cool that Josh had the belief the world would find him--and it did. But to know that or believe that at 16 is remarkable--when I was 16 I was staying up late watching Letterman and making mix tapes for girls and had no ambition that would get me in a van by myself and head down the highway peddling my wares. But Josh Joplin did. And we talk about that a great deal because I'm in awe of him doing something most 16 year olds couldn't have done. All these years later, the DC born Joplin has almost fifteen albums under his belt, and each one further proves his uncanny genius. From his first album A Present For Hitler--which is maybe one of the best debut album titles ever--to his new one GPYR, Joplin has demonstrated he's a songwriter of tremendous poeticism and unreasonable melodic smarts. I'll get to GPYR in a second--but before I do, let me give you a few biographical bits; he's toured all over the U.S. as well as Europe and Australia, been on Conan and Letterman, had his albums produced by Jerry Harrison of the Talking Heads and the Modern Lovers, had his music appear in shows like Scrubs, Dawsons Creek, Party of Five and Roswell, was neighbors with Dan Zanes of the Del Fuegos, he's put out several fabulous albums with Garrison Starr under the name Among The Oak And Ash and In 2015, Joplin founded the award-winning film production company NarrowMoat. Reuniting with his trusty pals in the Josh Joplin Group, GPYR finds Joplin sounding better than ever. Bringing to mind Reckoning-era R.E.M. and the later work of Tommy Keene, GPYR is a thoughtful blend of jangling indie rock and stirring folk both of which are augmented by sweeping musical architecture that heightens the emotional quality of this powerful, dramatic and altogether thrilling album. www.joshjoplingroup.com (http://www.joshjoplingroup.com) www.bombshellradio.com www.stereoembersmagazine.com (http://www.stereoembersmagazine.com) www.alexgreenbooksonline.com Instagram + Bluesky: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

"The Rain Never Came" As The Delevantes,the New Jersey-born Mike Delevante and his brother Bob put their stamp on the '90s by releasing two perfect albums of shimmering Americana: 1995's Long About That Time and 1997's Postcards From Along The Way. They were pretty much crushing it; they appeared on Conan, had a #1 album on the Gavin Americana charts and got rave reviews from all over the world. With Gary Tallent and Benmont Tench of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers in the fold, The Delevantes' sound fell somewhere between the Jayhawks, the Louvin Brothers and early R.E.M. Firmly transplanted into Nashville, The Delevantes went dormant for about 25 years as the brothers pursued careers in graphic design. Their 2021 album A Thousand Turns was a brilliant return to form and now, four years later, Mike is checking in with his first solo album.

"Developer" Formed in the mid-80s in Missoula, Montana by high school pals Tim Midyett, Joel R. Phelps and Andy Cohen and rounded out by Seattle-born drummer Michael Dahlquist, Silkworm remain one of the most singular indie rock bands of all time. They relocated from Montana to Seattle in 1990 and then the real fun began. Their 1994 album In The West was produced by Steve Albini, who actually went to the same high school in Montana, and this is the album where Silkworm really hit their stride. From Garden City Blues to Raised By Tigers, In The West was filled with dark, churning rhythms, brooding percussion and inventive lyrics. Phelps left the band after In The West, but Silkworm kept moving from strength to strength, putting out classic albums like Developer, Italian Platinum and It'll Be Cool. Their close to 15 album discography is near-perfect and repeated listens always yield new sonic surprises. The band ended in 2005 after the death of Dahlquist in a car accident, which also claimed the lives of several of his friends. However, after the death of Albini back in 2024, the high school unit of Phelps, Midyett and Cohen along with drummer Jeff Panall played a tribute show in his honor. One thing led to another and now we have the first Silkworm live dates in over 20 years which will start in September. Look, Silkworm are a fascinating band--check out the documentary Couldn't You Wait? The Story Of Silkworm to get the holes filled in and pick up the re-mastered and expanded version of Developer that Comedy Minus One just put out, but let me just say this: it's hard to think of a more idiosyncratic, and downright appealing band than Silkworm. The innovative word-play, the guitars that rise and fall in big crunchy bursts, the prowling bass-lines and the bursts of stirring percussion make them one of the most enigmatic, unique and altogether appealing bands in recent memory. www.skwm.bandcamp.com www.bombshellradio.com www.stereoembersmagazine.com (http://www.stereoembersmagazine.com) www.alexgreenbooks.com (http://www.alexgreenbooks.com) IG & BLUESKY: @emberspodcast

"House Of Steam" Putting it simply the L.A.-born Nels Cline's resume' is so deep, to quote Mark Eitzel, it "would make the ocean proud." The guitarist and composer is one of the most respected names in the business and though he's perhaps best known these days for being the guitarist of Wilco, let's not single story Mr. Cline, because his body of work is varied and extensive. Aside from his early jazz work with his twin brother Alex, he's played with everyone from the Geraldine Fibbers to Mike Watt to Thurston Moore. But that doesn't even scratch the surface. Cline has played on close to 200 albums in jazz, pop, rock, country, and experimental music. Let me give you a few of those 200 to play with: Yoko Ono, Henry Kaiser, Firehose, Wayne Kramer, Rickie Lee Jones, John Zorn, Ramblin' Jack Elliot, Neil Finn, Lee Ranaldo and Chris Stamey. And belive me when I tell you that's a heavily expurgated list. Over the years Cline has been in bands with his pal Mike Watt Floored By Four, band with his wife Yuka Honda of Cibo Matto and he's had the Nels Cline Singers, the Nels Cline Trio, and the Nels Cline 4. Now comes The Consentrik Quartet, which is Cline along with saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock, bassist Chirs Lightcap and drummer Tom Rainey. Improvisational, experimental and downright wonderful, the band's debut album is a profound blend of rich cycle grooves, unexpected rhythmic excursions, and subtle meter innovations. It's marvelous work. Filled with delicate percussive brushes, virtuoso sax fills, prowling bass lines idiosyncratic sax melodies and Cline's nimble guitar lines moving through each composition with dextrous finesse, it's hard to think of a richer listening experience in recent memory. It's hard to think of a nicer guy as well--Nels is a lovely fellow and now you get to meet him. www.nelscline.com (http://www.nelscline.com) www.bombshellradio.com (http://www.bombshellradio.com) www.stereoembersmagazine.com (http://www.stereoembersmagazine.com) www.alexgreenbooks.com (http://www.alexgreenbooks.com) Stereo Embers The Podcast IG & Bluesky: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

"Anything At All" Since the late '90s, the Pennsylvania-born musician Denison Witmer has been quietly producing one of the most stirring and affecting bodies of work in modern music. That body of work is also one of the most consistent. With close to fifteen albums under his belt, including Of Joy And Sorrow, Philadelphia Songs and The Ones Who Wait, Witmer's music brings to mind the work of everyone from Paul Simon to John Martyn to Elliott Smith. The Lancaster native has collaborated with everyone from The Innocence Mission to Rosie Thomas, he's toured the U.S. and Europe, did a side project called The River Bends with members of One Star Hotel, and he's been recording for Sufjan Stevens' Asthmatic Kitty label since 2011. Produced by Stevens, his new album Anything At All is his first since 2020's American Foursquare and it's a gentle stunner. From the rousing opener "Focus Ring" to the contemplative "Slow Motion Snow" Anything At All is filled with tremendous sensitivity and poetic elegance. It's a meditation on time, family, and art and rather than stress out about the sand falling through the hourglass, it chooses instead to examine each grain as it falls. It's brave, unflinching and glorious work. www.denisonwitmer.bandcamp.com (http://www.denisonwitmer.bandcamp.com) www.stereoembersmagazine.com (http://www.stereoembersmagazine.com) www.bombshellradio.com www.alexgreenbooks.com (http://www.alexgreenbooks.com) Stereo Embers IG and BLUESKY: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

“Forwards” For more than 40 years the Welsh band the Alarm have been one of the most consistent acts on the planet, playing songs with conviction, heart and belief. With almost 20 studio albums under their belts, along with a discography that includes live albums, box sets and EPs, The Alarm are one of those bands where you pretty much want everything they put out. From albums like Declaration to Strength to their brand new one Forwards, The Alarm are a completist’s band. Speaking of Forwards, it’s a remarkable record—singer/songwriter Mike Peters has never sounded better, his voice alive with muscle and belief. The Welsh band have had a remarkable career that’s filled with endless highlights-- they toured with U2 and Bob Dylan, played at Queen’s Live at Wembley concert in 1986, been on IRS’s the Cutting Edge and American Bandstand, had hit singles all over the world even cracking the Billboard Top 50 here in the States, and wrote a song that became the official Welsh anthem for Euro 2020. This is a band that’s all about community, support and they remain as vital as ever. www.thealarm.com www.bombshellradio.com www.stereoembersmagazine.com www.alexgreenonline.com www.embersarts.com Stereo Embers: IG and BLUESKY: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

"Drop The Man" Persona is easy if you're an artist that doesn't perform under your own name. The separation there is pretty simple and it's easy to keep the character's life out of yours. But what if the character has the same name? I'm talking today or course, about Zoe Ko, whose Zoe Ko persona happens to share the name with the real Zoe Ko. You can see how this can lead to some confusion for the artist, but for Zoe Ko, she's got a handle on it, thank you very much. It wasn't always that way, but recently, the New York singer/songwriter and dancer realized that her on-stage persona may have some things in common with her besides just sharing a name, but they are not the same person. As soon as this dawned on her, the persona got wilder, more exaggerated, more fun. With the freedom to embellish her with costumes, an attitude and a larger than life confidence, Zoe Ko found this artistic liberation--well, liberating. But it also allowed her to keep things separate. So what of Zoe Ko the persona? Well, she's a towering presence who's unafraid, empowered and dominating She's tons of fun. And Zoe Ko, the real person is, too. But she can be introspective and internal and probably has the same worries and fears you have. Why? Because she's a real person. Zoe Ko the artist is the creative release for Zoe Ko the person. Her new EP Not UR Girlfriend is a lashing and percussive blast of buoyant club anthems that have equal parts muscle and pure pop swagger. Let's meet her, shall we? www.zoekomusic.com (http://www.zoekomusic.com) www.bombshellradio.com www.stereoembersmagazine.com (http://www.stereoembersmagazine.com) www.alexgreenbooks.com Stereo Embers The Podcast IG and Bluesky: @emberspodcast