Stereo Embers: The Podcast

“Freaking Love Songs” I kind of developed my musical style in a vacuum,” Liz Phair once said. "Even though I listen to a lot of stuff, the way I wrote was in my bedroom, really privately." Our bedrooms are private places—not in the way your thinking—I mean, that’s true but that’s not what were talking about today. Today we’re talking about the fact that there is something about our bedrooms that inspires creativity. Maybe it’s the privacy or the comfort or the familiarity of the space—who knows? But one thing is for sure: we kind of crush it in the bedroom. Not in the way you're thinking, but you know what we mean. We do good work there. Work that is personal, vulnerable, but also strong and assured. And that work, intimate as it may be ever now and then, to quote Joseph Campbell, goes from the private to the public. Like our pal Liz Phair, for example. And our new pal Pynkie, who you’re about to meet today. So the New Jersey born Pinkie is cut from that very same Liz Phair cloth. Her bedroom creations are wistful, knowing and wise and her observations about the world are delivered in a subtle but swift pop fashion that brings to mind everyone from The Softies to Ben Lee to Yumi Zouma. The 26 year old singer songwriter’s compositions are both confidential and conversational—and they are as revealing as they are revelatory. Her new album #37 is a series of portraits that are moving, odd and oddly affecting. In this conversation, Pynkie talks to Alex about working as a Nurse during a pandemic, how she got into writing songs and the ghost that haunted her in college. They also talk about their mutual love of the movie Midsommar, Julie Doiran and the importance of not making the same record twice...

“I Haven’t Written My Favorite Song Yet” Mike Viola has written some of my all-time favorite songs. But the Massachusetts-born singer/songwriter tells me in this interview that what keeps pushing him creatively is that he hasn’t written his favorite song yet. Viola's musical career began when he was a teenager, playing in a hard rock band that garnered some pretty serious regional attention, including opening for Todd Rundgren and Joe Perry of Aerosmith. Viola’s solo career started with an EP in 1985 and since then he’s put out nearly 25 albums of some of the most perfect pop music you’ll ever hear. He’s produced for everyone from Ryan Adams to Fall Out Boy, recorded with Shania Twain, The Monkees, Jenny Lewis and Rachel Yamagata and he’s written tracks for and with Matt Nathanson, Mandy Moore, and John Wesley Harding. Along with his buddy Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of Wayne, Viola wrote and co-produced the Oscar Nominated title track for the 1996 Tom Hanks film That Thing You Do. Viola also wrote must for the film Walk Hard and Get Him To the Greek and he currently is the VP of a and r over at Verve Records. Viola’s new album Godmuffin is a thing of wonder. Filled with songwriting finesse and masterclass pop phrasing, it might very well be his best effort yet. From ruminative tracks like "Ordinary Girl" to the aching grind of “Creeper" to the bluesy pop ripple of "Drug Rug," on Godmuffin Viola has proven once again that he’s a practically peerless songwriter who knows how to land a hook better than anyone I can think of. Godmuffin is the album that we needed in 2020 to remind us that there are still good things in their world. In this conversation, Viola talks about his love of horror movies and monsters, giving up his ticket to see Randy Rhodes, parenting during a pandemic and memories of hanging out in L.A. with Dan Bern.

“Rock and Roll’s Best Relief Pitcher" Dan Bern is always ready in the bullpen. A bona-fide songwriting machine, the Iowa-born Bern stays loose by being one of the most prolific guys out there and he’s always ready to take the mound with a new track. Bern has consistently been one of the most inventive, exciting, literate, intelligent and brilliant songwriters of the last 30 years. With close to 30 albums to his name, including his latest Mitch Marine produced effort Ivan’s Barbershop, Dan Bern is one of our very best. He’s written songs for movies like "Walk Hard" and "Get Him To The Greek," he’s toured with Ani DiFranco and he’s dueted with Emmylou Harris. But he doesn’t just write songs—he’s an accomplished painter, the author of several books and a pretty solid tennis player. He and I are going to bash it around one of these days on the tennis court, but until we do, our rallies will be conversational. In this particular rally, we chat about teasing Marshall Crenshaw in Alaska, the songwriting magic of Mike Viola and the quiet magic of Peter Fleming. We also talk about the creative process during quarantine, the John Riggins theory of productivity and why it’s easier now to say no….

“I’m A Different Guy After Lunch” That’s how David Duchovny describes the creative process—his point is that no matter when we return to an unfinished work, we’re a different person than when we started it. Whether that’s five months, five days, or right after lunch. We’re always different people. As for David Duchovny, well, he's one of those guys who wears many hats and they all fit. He’s a Golden Globe winning actor, the author of several books, a director, an environmentalist, a producer and a singer-songwriter. You know him from television shows like "The X-Files" and “Californiacation" and movies like “Kalifornia" and "Things We Lost In The Fire" but today we’re here to talk about his music. Sonically Duchovny's work is literate and rootsy, his voice a low rumble that moves through each number with dexterity and finesse. His phrasing and his lyrics bring to mind a thoughtful blend of Springsteen circa Human Touch and Lou Reed ’s New York. Duchovny is a busy guy—he can be seen in the new film "The Craft: Legacy," he’s just wrapped up his fourth book and his new single “Layin’ On The Tracks" is from his upcoming third solo album. If the song is any indication, it may very well be his best work yet. In this conversation Duchovny talks to Alex about protest songs, Bob Dylan and the rigors of the creative process. He also talks about tennis, David Foster Wallace and why he should have bought in Vancouver when he had a chance.....

“November Spawned A Monster" The Monster is back. And boy, do we need them. After a nearly 16 year hiatus, Thelonious Monster have roared back with one of the best albums of 2020. Oh That Monster is a staggering return to form for Bob Forrest and his band of merry men. Not only is he one of the best songwriters on the planet, he’s one of the coolest guys to talk to. In this discursive, tangential and oddly linear chat, Bob talks to Alex about Joe Strummer, Donald Trump and racism in the home. They also talk about socioeconomics, Lou Reed and The Replacements and Bob recounts a story where he had a fistfight with Axl Rose and it did not end well. For Bob. In addition to his work with Thelonious Monster, Bob Forrest has put out several solo albums, as well as an album under the name The Bicycle thief. Additionally, he was a drug counselor on "Celebrity Rehab" and "Sober House," he put out the memoir Running With Monsters, he hosts the "Rehab Bob" podcast and “This Life" with Dr Drew and he co-founded Hollywood Recovery Services with Shelly Sprague. Bob Forest is an eternal punk. He’s the real deal. And once you start talking to him, you wish it would never end. And part of that is his attitude, part of that comes from the stories he tells from the life he’s lived, but most of that comes from the fact that he’s one of the most genuine people on this planet. And he reminds you that humanity is a beautiful, beautiful thing.

"Let's Keep It Weird, Shall We?" Back in 1986 a Goth friend of mine from the Bay Area who got me into Bauhaus and The Cure visited his grandparents in Sacramento and he was hanging out in the park smoking cloves and paying guitar when some dude came up to him and said "Where are you from?” My friend said he was from Berkeley and the guy said, “You should go back. There aren’t weirdos like you around here. That guy back in 1986 was way wrong. We weirdos are everywhere. Anton Barbeau is from Sacramento. And he’s a weirdo in the best sense of the word. He is one of the most innovative, idiosyncratic and fascinating musicians on the planet. The singer/songwriter is an inventive lyricist armed with post modern wit, literary smarts and a melodic sensibility that brings to mind the work of XTC and Robyn Hitchcock. He's shared the stage with Weezer, Julian Cope and Mono, he’s collaborated with The Loud Family Kimberly Rew of the Soft Boys, Cake and XTC’s Colin Moulding, he’s produced a bunch of albums including two by Alyson Seconds who’s the wife of 7 Seconds frontman Kevin Seconds and over the course of his career he’s put out over 20 albums including his new double set Manbird. A dazzling collection of soaring pop gems that jangle and roll and lift off into the most peculiar and wonderful of stratospheres, Barbeau has never sounded better. In this conversation we talk about his self-criticism regarding his prolific output, his relationship with fellow 916er Scott Miller (Game Theory/The Loud Family) and why, after all this time, he’s making the best music of his career .

"Georgia On All Of Our Minds” Well, when it comes to Georgia, there’s no one better to talk to than Amy Ray. The Decatur-born singer songwriter may have started her collegiate career at Vanderbilt but her coming back home to attend Emory in Atlanta has been a kind of metaphor for her life: She’s been all around the world but she always comes back to Georgia. Ray is one half of the internationally beloved Grammy Award winning band the Indigo Girls and along with Emily Sailers, they’ve put out 15 studio albums, including 2020’s marvelous effort Look Long. Ray, who has put out six solo albums including 2018s awesome Holler, is a punk at heart and she’s collaborated with everyone from The Butches to Joan Jett. Armed with an infectious lippy snarl and pure folk finesse, Ray is truly one of the greatest American songwriters out there and her lyrics are always literary, socially conscious and deeply felt. Her new single "Tear It Down” tackles the spirit of southern rebellion and its complicated history. Written with Nina Simone and Billie Holiday in mind, on this track Ray grapples with what it truly means to be anti-racist by deconstructing the symbols and myths that she feels perpetuate racism in the first place. In other words, can you be a proud southerner, living in the south while also rejecting the iconography that embroiders the landscape? A record label owner, a mother, a partner and a social activist , Amy Ray is the real deal and every number she writes adds more depth and power to the American Songbook. In this conversation she talks to Alex about the political climate in Georgia, her love of punk rock and why a songwriting slump can be a valuable thing. She also talks about the upcoming Senatorial runoff, her love of fiction and why though she can live anywhere she wants, her heart will always belong to Georgia.

"Electric Sea View" Well, it’s hard for us to think of a more charming, beguiling and altogether mysterious band than The Bats. The New Zealand outfit got their start in 1982 in Christchurch and their By Night EP in '84 was one of the first releases for the now legendary Flying Nun label. Flying Nun aren’t the only legendary ones in this conversation—The Bats fall into that category as well. With ten album under their belts, including classics like Silverbeet, The Law of Things and Free All The Monsters, The Bats remain one of the most consistently brilliant bands around. Although they’re based in NZ, over the course of their career they’ve toured the U.S. and Europe, including a stint opening for Radiohead. Their CV also includes playing SXSW, garnering rave reviews from magazines ranging from Mojo to Uncut, being shortlisted for the prestigious Taite Music prize and playing in front of nearly 150,00 people for the free relief concert in Hagley Park after the 2010 Canterbury earthquake. The Bats sometimes take a year between records and other times they take ten. But no matter how long they take, their work just keeps shining with that unique Bats sound. Their new album Foothills might even be their best yet. Filled with sneaky rhythms, wistful melodies and poetic lyrics, the fact is The Bats have never sounded better. In this conversation with bassist and New Zealand Hall of Fame inductee Paul Kean, the subjects range from what’s kept the Bats lineup unchanged for 40 years, their admiration of Nirvana and editorial honesty within the ranks of the band.

"I Like The Way You Talk About The Future" With the U.S. Presidential election wrapping up, Alex admits the week-long process of declaring a winner left him feeling pretty drained. Although therapeutic remedies were manifold, he found the easiest way to calm his nerves was to talk to a Canadian. The Canadian in question? Sam Roberts. The Quebec-born singer/songwriter has just put out his new album All Of Us and in this conversation he talks to Alex about how he writes songs, why renting a cabin to be creative only results in doing cabiny things, the limitations of putting a new album out during a pandemic and what it's like being a misty-eyed middle aged dad. Thoughtful, funny and honest, Roberts is one of the most engaging guys around and his new album is one of the year's very best.

“Election Night Ratio” We’re posting this podcast on election night and we can’t bear to glimpse the results because right now, the ratio is disturbingly close. However, there’s another ratio we’d rather think about and that’s A Certain Ratio. The legendary Manchester band has just put out a new album called ACR Loco and it’s another genre-defying effort, replete with jagged electronica, inventive percussion, and more sonic adventures than most bands can manage in a career. In this conversation, the band’s drummer Donald Johnson talks to Alex about why it’s important to listen to music you don’t like, what it was like to not make an album for 12 years and trying to figure out how to know when to re-enter the live music scene in the time of COVID. They also talk about the art form of the album as a true experience....