Stereo Embers: The Podcast

“Going Places” Over the course of his brilliant career, which has spanned roughly 15 albums or so, the Nebraska-born Josh Rouse has established himself as one of the finest singer-songwriters on the planet. Armed with the poetic flourishes of everyone from Paul Simon and John Prine, Rouse’s work is many things at once: subtle but catchy, elegant, graceful and undeniably infectious. Work your way through his discography—maybe grab Under Cold Blue Stars or 1972 or his fabulous new one Going Places and you’ll see what we're talking about. He’s toured with Mark Eitzel and Aimee Mann, had his music used in films like Cameron Crowe’s Vanilla Sky, and won a Goya award for Best Song in Spain, which is their equivalent of the Oscars And speaking of Spain, the Spanish love Josh Rouse. And he loves them right back—his wife and his band are from there, and it’s not an uncommon thing to find him playing in Spain to a packed house. We saw him play to a packed house here in SF, too, so Rouse is crushing it on many shores. We love his new album—it’s got gentle grooves, musical precision, fine-drawn hooks and miles of soul. www.joshrouse.com www.bombshellradio.com www.alexgreenonline.com Stereo Embers The Podcast Twitter: @emberseditor Instagram: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

“Age Of Finding Stars” David Long and Shane O’Neill grew up together in Ireland and have been pals since they were six. They were in a band together as teenagers then they went their separate ways, Long to Into Paradise and O'Neill to Blue In Heaven. Both fabulous bands who put out a series of flawless albums. Into Paradise had all the delicious dark drama of Echo and the Bunnymen or The Sound while Blue In Heaven, who were signed to U2’s label before inking a deal with Island, brought to mind a jittery and adrenalized blend of Joy Division and the Triffids. In the late 90s the two friends reconnected as Supernaut and now they’re collaborating again and arguably making the most urgent and stirring work of their careers. Their new EP Age Of Finding Stars is a riveting blend of dramatic soundscapes juxtaposed with introspective lyrics and stirring vocals—it’s infectious and thoughtful and decidedly moving work. www.david4long.bandcamp.com www.bombshellradio.com www.alexgreenonline.com Stereo Embers The Podcast: Twitter: @emberseditor Instagram: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

“Philadelphia, Mississippi” Over the course of his nearly thirty year career, the Grammy-nominated G. Love has put out close to fifteen albums both solo and with his band Special Sauce. From Coast To Coast Motel, to Yeah, It’s That Easy to The Juice, his catalog is a consistently effortless blend of blues, hip-hop, R&B and alternative rock. Throughout the years G. Love has collaborated with Dr. John and Jack Johnson, played the HORDE tour, acted as the house band for Comedy Central’s "Turn Ben Stein On" series, and helped launch the Coca Cola advetisting campaign for Coke Zero with his own take on the track “I’d Like To Teach The World To Sing.” G Love’s new album is Philadelphia, Mississippi and it is just what its title suggests: a seamless hybrid of hip-hop and the delta blues that combines to make the quintessential album of the summer of 2022. Or any summer. This is a summer record—from the breezy bliss of Laughing In The Sunshine to Love From Philly, which features Schooly D., the Luther Dickinson-produced album also features Speech from Arrested Development, Alvin Youngblood Hart and Chuck Treece. It’s got swagger, it’s got soul and it’s got heart. It’s a perfect record. www.philadelphonic.com www.bombshellradio.com www.alexgreenonline.com Stereo Embers The Podcast Twitter: @emberseditor Instagram: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

“Volcano, Volcano” Steven Lambke rose to prominence as the guitarist of the mighty Canadian outfit The Constantines. The Juno-Award nominated band are a muscular blend of Fugazi, the Replacements and Creedence Clearwater Revival, and they’re one of those bands that are redolent with integrity and heart. It’s important to note that by the time the Cambridge-Ontario born Lambke joined the Constantines in '99, he’d been in a band called Captain Co-Pilot and had finished his university degree in Physics at the University of Guelph. Over the years he would take a busman’s holiday from the band to release albums on his own under the name Baby Eagle, which featured guest appearances from Folks like John K. Sampson of The Weakerthans and Julie Dorion. Lambke’s artist run label You’ve Changed Records put out several more of his albums, including his brand new one, Volcano Volcano. A swirling blend of fractured folk, spritely indie rock and low-fi bedroom pop all recorded using dollar store shakers and guitars procured at Goodwill, Volcano Volcano is a charming blend of raw and nervy songs that infectiously rip through the delicious chaos. This album is uplifting and weird and lovely and real—and whether it’s the percussive The World Filled To The Brim, or the rolling perfection of Bats In Blue Twilight, this is one of the most delightful, inspiring and wonderfully raucous albums of 2022. www.youvechangedrecords.com www.bombshellradio.com www.alexgreenonline.com Stereo Embers The Podcast Twitter: @emberseditor Instagram: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

“4th of July Special: What's The Point Of A Strawberry?” Well, not counting the fact that they lower your blood pressure, are high in fiber, rich in antioxidants and guard you from cancer, strawberries are pretty much useless. In this wildly discursive 4th of July chat with singer-songwriter Shannon McArdle, the Brooklyn musician talks to Alex about why she’s not into strawberries (or fruit for that matter), why she got on a subway in the middle of a pandemic and how she lost the tip of her finger. Look, this is our perennial and evergreen 4th of July Shannon Spectacular and this conversation not only covers all the bases, it will make you forget that there’s no (legal) firework celebrations this year. This chat covers the genius of the new Dylan album, the durability of Soda Stream machines and the 20th anniversary reissue of Shannon’s old band The Mendoza Line’s We’re All In This Alone. Oh, and Alex worries Shannon might get scurvy. And Shannon doesn’t seem worried about this at all. An hour and a half of comedy, antics and dogs. Enjoy! Stereo Embers The Podcast Twitter: @emberseditor Instagram: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

“Violent Desires" The Manhattan-born Blake Morgan is a musician, singer, executive, music producer, writer, record label owner, and activist. Raised by activist parents who were also writers—his mother is the poet Robin Morgan and his father is the poet Kenneth Pitchford--Morgan was immersed early on in the arts. By five he was at the piano playing Mozart and writing his own songs and the classical pianist path was being forged. But then he heard the Beatles and that path forked a different way. Educated at the United Nations International School in New York City and later Berkelee College of Music, Morgan graduated and hit the ground running, playing in bands and living the rock and roll lifestyle. He signed a seven-record deal with Phil Ramone’s fledgling label in '96, his debut album featured Lenny Kravitz singing back up, he toured the U.S. opening for Joan Jett and received tons of attention and critical acclaim. Morgan was crushing it, but he was mistrustful of the corporate label life and he got himself out of his contract. In 2002 he decided to form Engine Company Records, which became ECR Music in 2012. ECR has an associate publishing company and the music the label has released has ranged from punk to classical and in 2005, they had five albums in the Top 20. Meanwhile, Morgan kept cranking out great critically acclaimed solo albums. From Burning Daylight to Silencer to Diamonds in the Dark to his new one Violent Delights, Morgan’s music is a crunchy blend of melodic pop, introspective ballads and hook-laden numbers that are played with equal parts muscle and heart. And speaking of heart, Morgan’s is with artists and his political activism is specifically on their behalf. His Pandora takedown alone cost the company’s stock to fall 130 million in less than a day and signaled a major victory for musicians. He’s spent hours with Congress fighting for the rights of musicians which are always being marginalized especially in the digital age. Just Google his Art and Music Are Professions Worth Fighting For essay and you’ll get a sense of who this guy is. He’s one of the good ones. And this is a great chat. www.ecrmusicgroup.com www.bombshellradio.com www.alexgreenonline.com Stereo Embers The Podcast Twitter: @emberseditor Instagram: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

“All Going Out Together” It makes sense that the Massachusetts-born Steve Michener was in three seminal Boston bands: The Volcano Suns, Dumptruck and Big Dipper. The Volcano Suns were an outfit that Michener formed along with former Mission of Burma drummer Peter Prescott, he stepped in on bass with Dumptruck after their first album and he co-founded Big Dipper who were on the Homestead label before signing a big major deal with Epic. I’ve always loved Steve’s playing—he’s steady and strong and his baselines roll with power and groove. And the story today that he’s going to tell is about how he jumped into music and very slowly inched his way out. And I think the inching out is what’s the most fascinating thing here—sometimes people have the ability to look ahead and actually ask: What do I want and is this the best way to get it? Steve did that and he realized the things he wanted could not be attained while playing in a band. And so he stopped. Sort of. Then he really stopped. I’ll let him tell you his story—that seems fair, right? Anyway, Steve is a lovely guy and a voracious listener to music of all kinds—he may have inched his way out of rock and roll, but he’s kept a foot firmly in it on his own terms. www.bombshellradio.com www.alexgreenonline.com Stereo Embers The Podcast Twitter: @emberseditor Instagram: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

“Black Leather On The Inside” Victor DeLorenzo rose to global prominence as the drummer for the Violent Femmes—but he did really cool stuff before that and really cool stuff after. An actor since the age of five, after college DeLorenzo was a member of Theatre X, a pretty punk rock and way ahead of its time improv theatre group, who performed all over the world. He formed the Violent Femmes with Brian Ritchie in 1980 and although the group toured and recorded pretty exhaustively, DeLorenzo still stayed involved with Theater X. A minimalist drummer who comes armed with a spare kit and steel brushes, DeLorenzo is one of the most innovative players in modern music. His rhythms roll and swing with precision and finesse and his flourishes are infectious, powerful and stirring. After parting ways with the Femmes, DeLorenzo toured with the Velvet Underground’s Moe Tucker, put out a handful of marvelous solo albums, opened a recording studio, and formed a chamber rock duo called Nineteen Thirteen with cellist Janet Schiff. But that’s not all. DeLorenzo writes the Showoff column for Milwaukee.com, co-hosts the Frail Pagans radio show on WSUM with Mr. G and his new project is the Night Crickets with David J of Bauhaus and Love and Rockets. Their debut A Free Society is filled with dark, percussive beauty and lyrical invention and t’s buoyed by sneaky rhythms and brilliant melodic touches. www.victordelorenzo.weebly.com www.facebook.com/DougSeymourPhotography @dougseymourphoto www.bombshellradio.com www.alexgreenonline.com Twitter: @emberseditor Instagram: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

"Bleeding Audio And The Life Of A Match" I’m a Bay Area guy, so I remember in the late '90s when this group of kids from Bishop O’Dowd high school in Oakland got things going and started generating a buzz in this community as The Matches. And community is the key word here. The Matches found a way to connect with their audience in the most grass roots of ways—they were super accessible to their fans and were even known for playing acoustically before or after shows in the streets outside the clubs. Their music was hard to define—if one was feeling lazy, they would say they were pop punk, but they were way more than that. They were operatic, idiosyncratic, artistic and sonically adventurous in ways that were way ahead of their time. And they were nice people. And that means something. And the Matches meant everything to their fans. They still do. But the Matches' story is the perfect example of what happens when a rising career—and they were rising fast, signing with Epitaph, playing the Warped tour, touring with BIffy Clyro—gets derailed by an industry that got destroyed by the sudden accessibility of digital music. It started with Napster and it ended with record stores closing—and the in between? Well, it wasn’t pretty. And that’s where Chelsea Christer’s winning documentary Bleeding Audio comes in. A loving and intimate look at The Matches' march towards the mainstream and how that march ended up being a near miss at widespread success, Bleeding Audio redefines what it means to be a success in the music industry and it examines how a legacy—what bands leave for their fans—is something that has nothing to do with a price tag. Bleeding Audio is a very singular music documentary—there’s no fistfights, or tension or scandal—it’s just four really nice dudes playing music until playing music plays itself out. Why it played itself out is something the movie handles beautifully and you’ll have to see it to see what I mean, but spoiler alert: it has to do with money. Or, more specifically, not making it. And that’s the weird thing—they should have been making it. But there’s a series of reasons why they weren’t and the movie is a fascinating study of how a band that should have been financially solvent, weren’t, and at the dawn of their 30s, they were physically tired of living the way they were at the dawn of their 20s. This chat with Chelsea along with the Matches’ bassist Justin San Souci is a revealing and personal conversation about friendship, music, success and the unbreakable bond between anyone who knows what it means to bleed audio. www.bleeding-audio.com www.thematches.com www.bombshellradio.com www.stereoembersmagazine.com Stereo Embers The Podcast Twitter: @emberseditor Instagram: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

“The Songs Between The Docks and the Roads” Over the course of his career, the east London-born singer/songwriter Graham Parker has put out close to thirty albums and they’re all great. All of them—Whether its Howlin' Wind or Squeezing out Sparks or Another Grey Area or Deepcut To Nowhere or Cloud Symbols, every single GP album is a winner. Parker grew up a huge fan of the Beatles, Otis Redding, Sam Cooke and ska and reggae music and you can hear those influences coursing through his songbook. His compositions swing and shake and sway and groove with some of the most infectious pop hooks you’ll ever hear. Parker’s early life could be a series of novels—he hung out in the Channel Islands and Paris, hitchhiked thourhg Spain and Morocco and worked on the docks in Gibraltar. And you and I both know, there are stories in between those docks and roads and islands. Graham Parker has lived a life. And his life in music is equally as staggering as his adventures. With his band the Rumor he was produced by Nick Lowe, opened for Dylan, played on Top Of The Pops, had Top 40 hits and albums, toured Australia, been on labels as varied as RCA, Arista and Bloodshot and collaborated with folks like Bill Janovitz of Buffalo Tom, The Smithereens and Kate Pierson of the B-52s. And he’s stilt at it. His two new singles (“Humans Are The Mutant Virus” and '3-D Printer”) are all the proof you need that Parker is still at the top of his game. He’s practically peerless. www.grahamparker.net www.100-percent.co.uk www.alexgreenonline.com www.bombshellradio.com Stereo Embers The Podcast Twitter: @emberseditor Instagram: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com