Stereo Embers: The Podcast

“Western Skies” Darden Smith's new project Western Skies is an ambitious and comprehensive multi-media affair that’s dedicated to the mythology and history of West Texas—it’s a new album, a book of essays, photography, spoken word pieces, song lyrics, a set of videos—this thing is a monster of a release. Influenced by Neil Young, Guy Clark and John Prine, the Texas-born Darden Smith’s body of work dates all the way back to 1986. Since then, he’s put out a series of albums that consistently demonstrate he’s one of the best songwriters out there. From Little Victories to Deep Fantastic Blue to Everything to Western Skies, there hasn’t ever been a dip in quality for Mr. Smith. In addition to being an artist, Smith also founded the Be An Artist Program in 2003. The program’s mission statement is to bring arts and creativity into educational settings. His collaborative songwriting work has found him working with homeless young adults, Botswana residents suffering from HIV and both Israeli and Palestinian groups. In 2012 he founded Songwriting With Soldiers along with Mary Judd. The group’s weekend retreats finds professional musicians paring with veterans and active duty service members sharing stories of both combat and re-entry into civilian life and turning those stories into songs. Speaking of songs, Western Skies is full of them and they shimmer and roll with melodic ease. Smith has never sounded better and the songs here are informed by memory, regret and the landscape of desire. Its beautiful work. www.dardensmith.com www.bombshellradio.com www.alexgreenonline.com Stereo Embers Twitter: @emberseditor Instagram: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

“Feeling Of Emptiness” Katie Hannigan is a stand-up comic whose roots are in the theatre. But theatre and comedy aside, the Indiana-born Hannigan is a self-proclaimed introvert and in this chat she talks to Alex about the fact that introvert as she may be, she’s picked a life of performance for her career. An engaging chat about her appearance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, the community aspect of life in the theatre and her new album Feeling Of Emptiness, Katie Hannigan is a delight to talk to. www.katiehannigan.com www.bombshellradio.com www.alexgreenonline.com Stereo Embers The Podcast Twitter: @emberseditor Instagram: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

“This Life” Raised in Idaho and California, Curtis Stigers is likely comfortable in the snow and the sun--and musically, he’s equally as versatile. Trained in clarinet and saxophone, Stigers loved blues and punk rock as a kid, but found himself gravitating to jazz clubs as he came of age. He graduated from high school and high-tailed it to NY to pursue his rock and roll dream, but it was jazz that made that dream come true. His debut album went multi platinum, he appeared on the rather massive Bodyguard soundtrack and after putting out a few jazz records, he knocked out Let’s Go Out Tonight, which covered tracks by everyone from Steve Earle to Richard Thompson. Over the course of his career, Stigers has worked with Elton John, Prince, Joe Cocker and Julia Fordham. He’s put out nearly fifteen solo albums, including his brand new one, This Life, he’s had top ten hits on the Billboard charts and played shows all over the world. This Life revisits Stigers' hits over the years and his reinterpretations are refreshing and compelling. Stigers plays with finesse and soul and he’s not only unreasonably talented, he’s a blast to talk to. www.curtisstigers.com www.bombshellradio.com www.alexgreenonline.com Stereo Embers: Twitter: @emberseditor Instagram: @emberspodcast Email: Editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

“Limbs And Edgewalkers” Keely Forsyth’s new album Limbs is powerful and raw, dramatic and intense. It’s the sound of one woman shadowboxing the darkness and throwing each punch with the fluidity of a ballet dancer and the finesse of a poet. Alive with theatrical elegance, Limbs is both spare and lavish. It’s a compelling song-cycle that’s as crushing as it is inspiring. It’s a stunning stare-down with the darkness and I’m not going to tell you who blinks first. But what I am going to tell you is this album, which is the follow-up to her 2020 debut Debris, is tragic, gripping and transfixing. It’s an emotional workout for sure—and one that’s well worth doing. An accomplished actor who has appeared in Happy Valley, Coronation Street, and Luther, the British-born Forsyth is one of the most mesmerizing artists out there. www.keeleyforsyth.com www.beartreerecords.com www.bombshellardio.com www.stereoembersmagazine.com www.alexgreenonline.com Stereo Embers The Podcast Twitter: @emberseditor Instragram: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

"Power, Corruption and Truths" There’s nothing about Peter Hook that I can tell you you don’t already know, so let’s just do a refresher run through his musical CV. In the late '70s Hook formed Joy Division with childhood pal Bernard Sumner after the two friends saw the Sex Pistols play in Manchester. The band only put out two albums and one of those albums, the legendary Closer was put out two months after the band had ceased to b,e due to the suicide of singer Ian Curtis on the eve of Joy Division’s debut US/Canada tour. Rechristened New Order and consisting of the remaining members of Joy Division plus keyboardist Gillian Gilbert, New Order blended jittery post-punk rhythms with dance music. The result? Well, you know the result. They were one of the biggest bands of the '80s, spawning hits like True Faith, The Perfect Kiss, Subculture and Blue Monday, which was the biggest selling 12-inch of all time. It might still be. New Order dominated the '80s, but the '90s weren’t too shabby—they had a #1 UK hit with World In Motion in 1990 and they had their biggest US hit with “Regret” in 1993. They kept crushing it, putting out Get Ready in 2001 and collaborating with Billy Corgan and Bobby Gillespie of Primal Scream. They were given the Godlike Genius award at the 2005 NME awards and got nominated for a Grammy in 2006 for Guilt Is a Useless Emotion. Then things got a bit sour, with Hook leaving the band in 2007 and forming his own outfit Peter Hook and the Light, a band that featured his son Jack and much to his fans delight, revisited the Joy Division and New Order songbooks. Over the course of his career Hook has worked with The Stone Roses, and Perry Farrell, he toured with the Durutti Column, put out albums with Revenge and Monaco and wrote one of the best music books ever: Substance; Inside New Order. This is a partial list, btw. Almost a partial partial list because when it comes to Peter Hook, there’s a lot of ground to cover. But these are the basics. Do a deeper dive after you hear the show—the guy is a titan. As for his split with New Order and his boyhood pal Bernard, we don’t have time to go over the legal end of that dissolution, so let’s just say this. If you’re hoping for a reunion you’re wasting your good hope energy. Not going to happen. As a bassist, he plays with an authoritative blend of prowl and sting and not only is he one of the all time greats, he also happens to be a nice guy. This chat covers his fractured friendship with Sumner, why the New Order/Joy Division songbooks appeal to fans across generations and what Hooky has learned from his old material. www.peterhookandthelight.live www.bombshellradio.com www.alexgreenonline.com Stereo Embers The podcast Twitter: @emberseditor Instagram: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

“Themes From Venus" Love Tractor are an endless delight. The Athens, Georgia outfit got their start in the early 80s and they put out a handful of albums that still sound as fresh as ever. From This Ain’t No Outerspace Ship to Around the Bend to Themes From Venus(which has been reissued and remastered and comes with bonus tracks), Love Tractor established themselves as one of the most creative, vital and intriguing bands out there. And mind you, this was during a time where there were a lot of creative, vital and intriguing bands around. Just in the town they hailed from alone, you had Pylon, the B52s, R.E.M., Flat Duo Jets—you get the idea. So, what do Love Tractor sound like? They sound like magic. An effortless blend of celestial surf, heavenly jangle, cosmic dance grooves and art school indie rock, Love Tractor remain one of the great treasures in modern music. And you know how music can be fixed to a timeline? Well, Love Tractor evade that timeline with unreasonable ease. They sound like they could have existed in any era, including ones that haven’t even happened yet. They’re smart, they’re cool, they’re inventive, they’re melodic, and, to put it quite simply, they are an absolute joy. And so is this chat. Armistead and Mark offer a discursive and wildly entertaining dialogue that goes full speed ahead into the delicious unknown..... https://found.ee/lovetractor https://www.instagram.com/lovetractorathens www.propellorsoundrecordings.com www.bombshellradio.com www.alexgreenonline.com Stereo Embers: Twitter: @emberseditor Instagram: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

“The Faraway” Sometimes people say the same things about a person because they’re true. For example, Bowie was always described as being mercurial. Why? Because he was. The word intensity always comes up when discussing the work of Daniel Day Lewis for the exact same reason. When it comes to explaining the sounds that come from Robin Guthrie’s guitar, critics and fans tend to immediately go to the term ethereal as a default descriptor of the Scottish-born musician. And ethereal isn’t far off the mark, because his playing is indeed perfect in a way that seems not of this world, but it also might be a lazy way of saying that he sounds like nobody else who’s picked up the guitar. But that might be a lazy way of saying that his sound is ethereal and heavenly and otherworldly. You see the problem. The fact is, Robin Guthrie is a master craftsman whose notes swirl and sting and float and churn. It’s magical playing and that’s all there is to it. Wether you’re a fan of the Cocteau Twins or his work with Harold Budd or his band Violet Indiana or his arresting solo albums, Guthrie is a staggering player. And he’s an intuitive producer, sitting behind the board for everyone from Felt to the Gun Club to Lush. His new album Pearldiving is a stone cold stunner and his new EPS Riviera and Springtime are equally brilliant. Springtime is a rich and textured affair that rolls with a soothing majesty; the compositions are luxuriant soundscapes that summon the season with poetic finesses. This is a focused and honest chat that’s funny, moving and true. Enjoy. www.robinguthrie.bandcamp.com www.bombshellradio.com www.alexgreenonline.com Stereo Embers: Twitter: @emberseditor Instagram: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

“Proclaimer Of Things” The co-founder of the legendary Elephant 6 Collective that spawned Neutral Milk Hotel, Olivia Tremor Control and her band The Apples In Stereo, Hilarie Sidney has very quietly been one of the most important figures in modern music. By the way, before we continue, I’m sure you’re like Neutral Milk Hotel? Cool. Olivia Tremor Control? Cool. The Apples In Stereo? Cool. Yes, all cool for sure, and all massively influential bands. But even cooler? Sidney was the only woman in that gang of dudes. Which is even cooler. Along the way, Sidney fell in love with a Norwegian fella who also was a musician and they joined forces as The High Water Marks, putting out two fabulous albums of engaging indie pop. Sidney moved to Norway thanks to a Study Abroad fellowship to Norway, married that Norwegian fella and put music aside to raise a family, 2020 ended the High Water Marks' hiatus in the form of the fabulous Ecstasy Rhymes album and now two years later, its follow up Proclaimer of Things is ready to go. A blast of hook-laden numbers that careen and roll mightily away with jangling precision and indie rock smarts, Proclaimer of Things is a stirring collection of spry pop anthems thats both spellbinding and rousing. From her home in Norway, Hilaire talks to Alex about culture, music and Viking Music Festivals…. www.thehighwatermarks.com www.alexgreenonline.com www.bombshellradio.com Stereo Embers: The Podcast Twitter: @emberseditor Instagram: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

“Hard To Get (ish)” This is the continued post-mortem of a band that I’ve explored over the course of several episodes of the show. Now, bands break up all the time—big deal. But a band that signed the most lucrative contract for a debut album in the history of Island Records and called it a day after only one record? Not so common. The album in question is Starclub’s 1993 self-titled album. When it hit shelves here in the US, it was all I listened to. Hard to Get, which you just heard, remains my favorite song of the 90s and back then I didn’t get how it wasn’t the #1 song in America. I still don’t. But the bigger question about Starclub is what the hell happened? These were childhood friends who shared a dream and a love of the Beatles and a clear vision for what they wanted for their band. How did they only put out one record? Well, I’ve been obsessing about this for years and the singer Owen Vyse is a close pal of mine and we’ve talked about it, we even did an episode where the band's bassist Julian Taylor appeared with Owen and I was pretty satisfied with the sonic autopsy, because it did provide an explanation about how things went down. But then the guitarist Steve French reached out and asked if he could have his say about the whole thing. And I said absolutely and you’re about to hear that chat. But does this finally put a pin in things or make them more complex? You tell me. What I’ll tell you is the mystery continues. Or does it? Maybe it all makes sense now. Let’s find out by continuing to piece together the story of Starclub. Stereo Embers The Podcast Twitter: @emberseditor Instagram: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

“New Kings Of Pop” The Mommyheads got their start somewhere around 1987 or so in New York. They relocated to San Francisco and in the 90s they were Bay Area staples. Their music is a charming blend of wobbly pop beauty that brings to mind everyone from Jellyfish to XTC but the Mommyheads are not just a pop band—they’re an idiosyncratic outfit that, over the course of their career, have thrown sonic curveballs that even their most ardent fans never saw coming. They had a brief dalliance with a major label, signing to Geffen in 1997, but that yielded only one fabulous self-titled album. After they parted ways with Geffen they kind of parted ways with each other, taking a break from recording that lasted almost 11 years. With close to 15 albums under their belts, the Mommyheads output is rich and rewarding. The band have had their songs covered by Jenny Toomey and Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, they appear in a Time Warner TV ad, and we're happy to report that the Mommyheads are not only back, they're more creatively alive than they’ve ever been. Their latest two albums New Kings Of Pop and Age of Isolation rank among their finest work. Singer Adam Elk is our guest today and this is one of the most entertaining and interesting chats we’ve ever had. www.mommyheads.com www.bombshellradio.com www.alexgreenonline.com Stereo Embers The Podcast Twitter: @emberseditor Instagram: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com