Stereo Embers: The Podcast

“A Castle For A Song” It’s hard to explain how profoundly important Miles Copeland has been to modern music. Put it this way: without him, a lot of your favorite bands wouldn’t have been your favorite bands because you never would have known they were bands in the first place. Copeland’s I.R.S. Records brought R.E.M., Fine Young Cannibals, The Cramps, The English Beat, The Go-Go’s and The Bangles to the masses and along the way he managed The Police, Squeeze, Wishbone Ash and Sting. Copeland’s new autobiography Two Steps Forward, One Step Back chronicles his nearly 50 year career as a music executive and, as you can imagine, it’s an extraordinary read. From having a father who co-founded the CIA to a brother who played drums for the biggest band in the world, to being raised during his formative years in the Middle East, the London-born Miles Copeland has lived quite a life. In this in-depth conversation he talks to Alex about…well, about everything: Jools Holland, R.E.M., Bruce Springsteen and Concrete Blonde. He also talks about his writing retreats in France and he explains why music always comes second and image is always first. www.jawbonepress.com www.performingartsinternational.com/cia www.bombshellradio.com www.alexgreenonline.com Stereo Embers The Podcast on Twitter: @emberseditor Stereo Embers The Podcast on Instagram: @emberspodcast Stereo Embers The Podcast email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

“Rip Tides And Clean Horizons" With his band New Model Army, Justin Sullivan has put out 15 fabulous albums, including such legendary efforts like 1986’s The Ghost Of Cain, 1993’s The Love Of Hopeless Causes and 2019’s From Here. Formed in West Yorkshire in 1980, New Model Army have turned out a bit like The Fall—hard to categorize, defiantly original and boasting a revolving door of so many members, we could do a podcast on their personnel, alone. Back in the '80s New Model Army were one of those bands that everyone liked and every group claimed. Goths, mods, metalhead and college rock kids all thought New Model Army were in their camp, but the fact was, New Model Army were in everyone’s camp. They were versatile that way—and part of that versatility was the way that they stretched the intersectionality of their own music—there were bits of metal and punk and goth and folk in their musical attack and that was what led to their widespread appeal. Career highlights? Oh, they’ve got those. John Peel loved them, they bumped the Smiths from the top slot on the indie charts in ’84, they played the Reading Festival and even opened a gig for Bowie. Sullivan’s new solo album—only his second one overall—is called Surrounded and it’s a stirring effort, filled with introspective Viking ballads and plaintive musings on human nature. He plays with depth and finesse and has quietly turned in one of the best records of 2021. In this chat, Sullivan talks to Alex about how he feels about birthdays and band anniversaries, traveling in the Middle East and why the lockdown made everyone a more extreme version of themselves. www.newmodelarmy.org www.bombshellradio.com www.alexgreenonline.com Twitter: @emberseditor IG: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

“Pull It Out Of The Bag” So, Salt Ashes has been on the show before and I asked her to come back because I love talking to her. She’s charming, witty, honest and she’s one of those people that just feels familiar to me. And I think it won’t be long before her music is familiar to a very big audience. The London-based singers' work is inventive, artistic, bold, and thrilling. A ravishing blend of synth pop and electro bliss with overtones that range from goth to new wave, the music of Salt Ashes is riveting and alive. In this illuminating conversation, Salt Ashes talks about her frustrations with social media, how she handles bumps in the road and why in the music business the music is always second. Her new single is "Too Many Times" and she’s got an album coming out this Fall. So get ready. www.saltashes.com www.instagram.com/saltashes www.facebook.com/SaltAshes www.bombshellradio.com Stereo Embers The Podcast: Twitter: @emberseditor Instagram: @emberspodcast

“American Canyon” The Jenny Thing are back. Although it’s been 20+ years since the Bay Area band have put out a record, they have returned more potent than ever. Formed on the campus of U.C. Berkeley, The Jenny Thing’s brand of catchy New Wave and carefully crafted indie rock made them fan favorites in the Bay Area in the early ‘90s. The band’s original lineup finds them on their brand new fourth album American Canyon, playing with muscle and heart. The hooks are big, the bass is funky and the synths are popping and as a result, American Canyon brings to mind U2’s All That You Can’t Leave Behind and Rubyhorse’s Rise. Singer Matt Easton talks to Alex about being a fellow Bay Area native, why the album sounds like wide open spaces and how all those years ago he managed to be in a band and in college at the same time…. The Jenny Thing: Matt Easton, vocals Shyam Rao, guitars Ehren Becker, bass Mike Phillips, drums www.thejennything.com www.bombshellradio.com www.alexgreenonline.com Alex on Twitter: @emberseditor Alex on Instagram: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

"Motherhood, Butterflies And American Quilt" We're so happy to welcome back Paula Cole to the podcast. The Massachusetts-born singer/songwriter is one of our favorite guests and in this chat she talks about maternal responsibility, baby butterflies and her fabulous new album American Quilt. The Grammy Award-winning musician is about to head back on the road to support American Quilt and she discusses what that experience feels like as we crawl slowly out of pandemic restrictions. A singer of tremendous muscle and grace, Cole is a riveting and stirring performer and she talks about what it means to hit the road at this stage of her 30+year career. A conversation about nurturing, Joni Mitchell and aging parents, Paula Cole's return to Stereo Embers The Podcast is thoughtful, funny and deeply moving. www.paulacole.com www.alexgreenonline.com www.bombshellradio.com Alex on Twitter: @emberseditor Alex on Instagram: @emberspodcast Alex's email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

“Beast Of Eden” Our guest today on the program is a real artist. The Jersey born J Hacha De Zola is hard to categorize—he’s wholly original and unlike anything out there today. A feral blend of David Johansen, Screaming Lord Sutch and Nick Cave,over the course of his five album career, J Hacha Zola has delivered some of the most captivating, fascinating and utterly infectious music around. Like a junkyard DaVinci, Hacha De Zola has demonstrated that he knows how to take rusty horns, scrap metal saxophones, guttered guitars and battered drums and turn them into pure gold. And that gold not only sparkles under the moonlight, it was spun by a dark figure lurking in the alley and prowling through the abandoned avenues of a city that everyone knows but is too afraid to name. Filled with ragged melodies, rabid rhythms and corruptive carnival stomp, the music of J Hacha De Zola is the real deal. It’s spellbindingly brilliant in every turn. The enigmatic singer’s new album East Of Eden is a startling departure from his previous work. East of Eden is an aching collection of dark and dreamy doo-wop, street soul and urban R&B. It’s J Hacha De Zola in his most unvarnished and purest iteration. Or is it? Yes, it is, but this guy is a moving artistic target—you never know where he’s going to go next. In this conversation Hacha and Alex talk about having an alter ego, keeping his artistic identity a secret from his family and what it’s like being in touch with his shadow self... www.jhachadezola.bandcamp.com www.fanaticpromotion.com www.bombshellradio.com www.alexgreenonline.com

“Reason To Live” Well, if you're looking for the kings of the indie rock grand slam, it’s a short list. But Lou Barlow is on it. The Ohio-born Barlow has Dinosaur Jr., Sebadoh, the folk Implosion and his solo career on his CV and that’s only a partial list that doesn’t include Sentridoh and Deep Wound. Yes, Lou Barlow has been a major part of major bands that were all groundbreaking and game changers in terms of sound, recording approach and aesthetic. He’s been on legendary labels like SST, Homestead , Sub Pop, Merge and Domino and he’s one of the most recognizable and adored indie rock dudes of all time. So yes, Barlow is a founding member of three groundbreaking indie rock outfits and his solo career has yielded several remarkable albums, including his fabulous new one Reason To Live. A songwriter of startling depth, introspection and pinpoint emotional accuracy, Lou Barlow is, to put it simply, one of the best we’ve got. Over the course of his career, he’s collaborated with Mike Watt, Stephen Merritt, Dale Crover of the Melvins and Belgian musician Rudy Trouve’ He’s both vulnerable and brave his work redolent with intimacy, observational wisdom and longing. Reason To Live might very well be his best work yet. Managing to be both layered and spare, this album is filled with breezy acoustic numbers, rolling pop jangles and textured indie rock that’s catchy, memorable and moving. In this conversation Lou talks to Alex about eating dinner with strangers, walking the financial tightrope, writing again with John Davis of The Folk Implosion and why it was so hard to ask J. Mascis for a drumbeat….

"There’s Room On The Street For More Than One Restaurant" James Mastro’s musical CV is a string of highlights—over the course of his career, he’s worked with Patti Smith, John Cale, Steve Wynn of the Dream Syndicate, Phoebe Snow, Richard Lloyd of Television, and The Jayhawks. In between all that, he formed the Health and Happiness Show who put out two fabulous albums on Bar None and for almost twenty years he’s been playing guitar, mandolin and sax for Ian Hunter’s band. He also owns and operates the Guitar Bar in Hoboken and he’s readying his debut solo album for a Fall release. His new single is "My God,” a moving ballad that was produced by Tony Shanahan who plays in the Patti Smith band. The song is reflective, honest, deeply moving and decidedly melodic. As a guitar player he’s got the perfect blend of muscle and grace and as a singer songwriter he’s deft and intuitive. In this conversation, James talks to Alex about his friendship with Ian Hunter, the guitar playing of Brian Setzer and playing softball with Yo La Tengo. He also talks about the impetus behind his new single, whether or not there will be a new Bongos record and his admiration of Jesse Malin. www.jamesmastro.bandcamp.com www.guitarbar.com www.velvetelkrecords.com www.bombshellradio.com www.alexgreenonline.com

“Fatal Mistakes” In this special mini-episode, Alex reviews the new album from Del Amitri. Titled Fatal Mistakes, the album marks the first new effort from the legendary Scottish band in almost 20 years. Singer Justin Currie will be on the podcast in a few weeks, so in the meantime, Alex breaks down Fatal Mistakes and plays two songs from the album. His verdict? "Fatal Mistakes is as searing as it is soothing—it's a thrilling battlecry from true pop warriors who are free from the past, crushing the present and riding fearlessly into the future." www.delamitri.info www.cookingvinyl.com

“Silent Dreams” When the Victims were an active proposition back in the ‘80s, hard rock and hair metal were running the show, so a few dudes dressed like new romantics or goths playing the kind of new wave that fell somewhere between OMD and the Cars, probably weren’t an easy sell in their small town of La Crosse, Wisconsin. But they did get out there and play and before too long, they had a devoted fanbase and seemed poised to break and break big. The trio was comprised of Steve Harm and his brother Jeff on drums and Jeff Rinartz on guitar. Their lone album Silent Dreams, on the strength of catchy numbers like "Let Her Go" and "Whispering Walls" should have been huge. And it almost was. There was label interest, there was a night out drinking with the Cure in Chicago, there was a little blast of daylight that could have been burst through, but it just didn’t happen. Why? We'll let Steve tell you, but in the meantime, the digital remastered version all these years later should finally get this album into the hands of everyone who should have had it in the firsts place. This is one of those stories where the band members are finished with the unfinished business they started all those years ago. The postscript is Silent Dreams and the story really does end there. But it’s an interesting tale of how we got from 1986 to 2021 and Steve is here to fill in the details; he’s a great guy and this is one of those stories in the lore of musical history about what could have been, what actually was and why that’s totally okay. victimsog.bandcamp.com/album/silent-dreams-2021-reissue www.WarehouseRocks.com www. WHrocks.com www.warehousealliance.org