Stereo Embers: The Podcast

"Mr. Luck & Ms. Doom" Led by Willy Vlautin, Richmond Fontaine's nearly fifteen album discography is a delicious blend of ramshackle post-punk and rootsy bliss. Meanwhile, Vlautin's books bring to mind Steinbeck, Hemingway and Carver and they traverse the American landscape and find that hope and despair are oftentimes shacked up in the same hotel room, trying to figure out who makes it out alive. The Silver Pen Award winning writer has been hailed by the New York Times and George Pelecanos, Lean On Pete and The Motel Life were made into movies and his latest The Horse is just marvelous. Vlautin, who is clearly a busy guy, has been in the Delines since 2012 and their new album Mr. Luck and Ms. Doom is one of the year's very best. Along with singer Amy Boone who you might remember from The Damnations, The Delines are a band of stirring power. Filled with rootsy swagger, smoky vocals and hooks that sneak through the dim lights, Mr. Luck & Ms. Doom is a moving and powerful album that's played with tender muscle. It's really glorious work. www.thedelines.com https://thedelines.bandcamp.com www.stereoembersmagazine.com (http://www.stereoembersmagazine.com) www.bombshellradio.com (http://www.bombshellradio.com) www.alexgreenbooks.com (http://www.alexgreenbooks.com) Stereo Embers IG: @emberspodcast Bluesky: @emberspodcast

"Lookaftering" Well, we talked about doing the thing and the fact of the matter is, the British-born Vashti Bunyan started doing the thing pretty early. In the 1960s, while studying at the Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art at Oxford, Bunyan was expelled for focussing more on making music than on drawing. So she went home and started making music. When her mother's hip actress friend got the 19 year old Bunyan a face to face with the Stones' manager Andrew Loog Oldham, he was properly charmed and handed her the Stones track "Some Things Just Stick In Your Mind" to record. And so she did. Backed by her own song "I Want To Be Alone," "Some Things" featured Jimmy Page on guitar, but it didn't turn as many heads as Bunyan had hoped. She did another single, sang on a Twice As Much album, and appeared in a documentary about swinging London. So the ball was rolling. Bunyan and her fella hit the road in search of an artistic community and she ended up Holland, The Scottish Highlands and the Cumbrian Mountains. Her journey informed the songs for her debut album Just Another Diamond Day, which is fabulous, but was too fabulous for the time it was released. Look, sometimes the world just has to catch up and it did. But it took 30 years. Bunyan was so disappointed by Diamond Day not really troubling the charts, she hung up her guitar, lived in the Scottish Borders in cottages occupied by the Incredible String Band and raised three kids, putting her music career on mothballs, seemingly for good. The world was quietly catching up however, and Diamond Day had sneakily become a cult classic. It was re-released in 2000 and with Joanna Newsom and Devendra Banhart championing her work, Bunyan was introduced to a whole new generation, who adored her. Since then, she's recorded two more albums--Lookaftering and Heartleap--and she's appeared on albums by Banhart and Animal Collective, she appeared at London's Royal Festival Hall with The Heritage Orchestra () as part of Massive Attack's Meltdown (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meltdown_(festival)), she wrote a memoir, and was the subject of a full-length documentary. So she's back. Yes. No. I mean, sort of. But I also mean yes. Confused? You won't be for long. To commemorate Lookaftering's 20th anniversary, DiCristina Records is releasing an expanded edition of Bunyan's sophomore album and it's packed with demos, live stuff, fabulous liner notes, lyric sheets and paintings by Bunyan's daughter. Bunyan's music is hard to classify--it's bedroom pop that isn't pop and wasn't recorded in a bedroom but it's got this hushed and fractured quality that's filled with mysterious power. This conversation is a real treat and in the end, there's an unexpected walk across the rooftops that's really cool. IG: @vashtibunyan www.bombshellradio.com (http://www.bombshellradio.com) www.stereoembersmagazine.com (http://www.stereoembersmagazine.com) www.alexgreenbooks.com (http://www.alexgreenbooks.com) Stereo Embers IG: @emberspodcast Bluesky: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

"Run With Me" The Ontario-born Bry Webb formed the underground outfit The Constantines out of the ashes of the emo band Shoulder in 1999. With their jagged guitars, tribal drums, snarling bass lines and Webb's ferocious vocals along with his poetic lyrics, The Guelph-based Constantines were one of those rare bands that seemed to arrive fully formed. From 2004 to 2008, the Juno-award nominated Constantines put out four brilliant albums--their eponymous debut, Shine A Light, Tournament Of Hearts and Kensington Heights. And there's not a false note to be found anywhere--the syncopated rhythms, musical intensity and the sheer muscle and heart that powered every song brought to mind everyone from Fugazi to the Minutemen to The Replacements. This is a partial list of their highlights; they toured with The Tragically Hip and The Weakerthans, were signed to Sub Pop, played Lollapallooza, the Vancouver Olympics and a gig at the legendary Massey Hall. With the band on hiatus, Webb formed a band called The Harborcoats and put out three brilliant solo albums--Free Will, Provider and Run With Me. Redolent with raw intimacy, sensitivity, and poetic grace, Webb's solo work rings with as much conviction as his work with The Constantines. He's been nominated for a Genie Award, he contributed a track to This American Life and he sang back-up on Feist's album Metals. I can't say enough about this guy--he's a towering force and whether he's belting out anthems or staying low in the pocket to deliver some of the most stirring acoustic numbers you've ever heard, Bry Webb is a giant talent who is one of my all-time favorites. His body of work means everything to me and his presence on this show is nothing short of humbling. And he's one of the nicest dudes ever. www.brywebb.com (http://www.brywebb.com) www.brywebb.bandcamp.com www.bombshellradio.com (http://www.bombshellradio.com) www.stereoembersmagazine.com (http://www.stereoembersmagazine.com) www.alexgreenbooks.com (http://www.alexgreenbooks.com) Stereo Embers IG: @emberspodcast Bluesky: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

"If I Was" Midge Ure is a one-man highlight machine. The Scottish born Ivor Novello Award winning musician was in the pop band Silk, the post-punk outfit Rich Kids with Glen Matlock of the Sex Pistols, the synth band Visage, the rock band Think Lizzy and the new wave band Ultravox. If you were wondering if Ure has range, the answer is: yes. Aside from co-writing Band Aid's Do They Know It's Christmas with Bob Geldof, helping organize the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute, being the musical director of the Prince's Trust concerts, organizing Live 8 concerts, being appointed the Order of The British Empire, receiving five honorary Doctor of Arts degrees by esteemed universities, and being an Ambassador for Save the Children, Ure has also had a successful solo career, releasing close to ten marvelous albums. Not only that, but he's an author, he's been on Celebrity Master Chef and he turned down an invitation to be in the Sex Pistols. His latest effort is Live at the Royal Albert Hall, a show that was recorded back in April of 2023 and it's just wonderful. In recent years, Ure along with keyboardist Charlie Round-Turner have figured out how to play songs that have a lot of sonic architecture and replicate them in two-man band form. The results are rich and deeply satisfying and Ure will be hitting the road in this Band In A Box format in May for a North American tour. But in the meantime, he's stopped by the podcast for a chat. http://www.midgeure.co.uk www.stereoembersmagazine.com (http://www.stereoembersmagazine.com) www.bombshellradio.com (http://www.bombshellradio.com) www.alexgreenbooks.com (http://www.alexgreenbooks.com) Stereo Embers Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com (mailto:editor@stereoembersmagazine.com) IG: @emberspodcast Bluesky: @emberspodcast

"I Still Want To Share" The London-based singer/songwriter Sophie Jamieson's sophomore album I Still Want To Share is a stunner. The follow-up to her 2022 debut Choosing, which, I'd like to add, was my album of the year, I Still Want To Share is a deft and moving collection of indie folk that's stark and sweeping and textured and spare. I know textured and spare seem to be opposites, and in many ways they are, but impossibly,Jamieson manages to do both; the songs here unafraid to soar into the clouds of the bluest sky or plunge into the black waters of the deepest and darkest of lakes. Jamieson's voice is a wondrous thing; it's woebegone, it's crushingly beautiful and it's emotionally precise, making I Still Want To Share an early contender for album of the year for 2025. www.sophiejamieson.com (http://www.sophiejamieson.com) www.bombshellradio.com (http://www.bombshellradio.com) www.stereoembersmagazine.com (http://www.stereoembersmagazine.com) www.alexgreenbooks.com (http://www.alexgreenbooks.com) BLUESKY: @emberspodcast IG: @emberspodcast EMAIL: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

"High Tide" Comprised of three classically-trained musicians and friends from Boise, Idaho, Blood Lemon is an energetic power trio that was formed in 2018. Their new EP Petit Deaths finds the band sounding as confident as ever. Recorded in Joshua Tree, the mysteries of the desert proved to be an inspiring environment and as a result, Petit Deaths races away with feral grooves, undulating rhythms and pure sonic muscle. The basslines of Melanie Radford, (who also plays in Built To Spill) soar with sonorous menace and the five numbers on Petit Deaths tackle romance, politics and despair. The whipping power of this EP make it the perfect way to start the new year: with sheer force. Radford chats about being in two bands, an influential teacher and how to take a note. www.bloodlemonmusic.com www.stereoembersmagazine.com www.bombshellradio.com www.alexgreenbooks.com Stereo Embers Instagram: @emberspodcast Bluesky: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

"Midwinter Swimmers" Since 1986 the Pennsylvania outfit The Innocence Mission have quietly been crafting one of the most affecting songbooks in modern music. The nearly fifteen albums in their discography, including Birds Of My Neighborhood, Glow, We Walked In Song and their new one, Mid-Winter Swimmers, have found The Innocence Mission elegantly asserting themselves as a truly singular band. At the core of it all is the husband/wife duo of Don and Karen Peris and their partnership is redolent with intuition, poetic finesse and musical grace. Over the course of their career, The Innocence Mission have built a kingdom of quiet that's at once distinct and universal. They've been signed to a major, played on a Joni Mitchell album and toured with Natalie Merchant but in spite of these high-profile highlights, the band has kept a modest and relatively low profile, choosing creativity over cultural overexposure. Their new album is an absolute stunner; it's a ravishing blend of indie folk and faraway pop, played with expertise and heart. This conversation, which is also their first podcast ever, is a quiet meditation on the creative life, friendship and human kindness. www.theinnocencemission.com www.bombshellradio.com www.stereoembersmagazine.com www.alexgreenbooks.com

“Merry Christmas, Emily” David Lowery does so many things, his CV needs a sequel. He's a professor, a mathematician, a writer, a musician, a producer and an entrepreneur. He's also the singer of two of my all-time favorite bands: Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven. Let's start with the former. Lowery formed Camper Van Beethoven when he was a student at UC Santa Cruz in the early '80s. I was so obsessed with Camper Van when I was in high school I cut class to buy their new album--but I had the wrong day, so I cut class the next day to get it. Totally worth it, by the way. Camper Van Beethoven put out a handful of genius albums likeOur Beloved Revolutionary Sweetheart and Telephone Free Landslide Victory before temporarily disbanding in 1990. Lowery didn't miss a beat and formed Cracker with guitarist Johnny Hickman and they put out a handful of genius albums like Kerosene Hat and The Golden Age, logged a #1 Modern Rock track with "Teen Angst (What The World Needs Now)" and scored three platinum albums. This is only a partial history, by the way; but I would recommend reading up on both bands because they have fascinating histories.Lowery has produced everyone from Counting Crows to Sparklehorse, founded Sound of Music studios, was a seed investor in Reverb.com (), knocked out his PhD and was named a Global IP Champion by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. A ferocious advocate for artist's rights, among other things, Lowery launched a pair of class actions alleging major streaming services had failed to properly license and account to independent songwriters. Lowery currently teaches the economics and finance of the music business at the University of Georgia.An authentic career-spanning collection that boasts re-recordings, demos, b-sides and live takes that have never been heard, ‘Alternative History: A Cracker Retrospective’ is out now. It's a deep and privileged dive into the rich and vast Cracker cataloge and to say it's a treat falls short of the mark. It's a musical treasure chest. Cracker are touring now and will be on the road at the beginning of 2025 and Camper Van will be playing dates as well. www.crackersoul.com Www.bombshellradio.com www.stereoembersmagazine.com www.alexgreenbooks.com IG: @Emberspodcast editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

"Swept Away" Is this an emergency episode of the podcast? Kind of. And by kind of, I mean...yes. It is. It's actually quite urgent because art is at stake and without art, we have nothing. This show is about the current creative moment in an artist's life and on that front, this episode couldn't be more on the nose. My guest today on the show is currently starring in a Broadway production that, in spite of its massive critical praise, is set to shut down prematurely on December 29th. We have a lot to go over, but the thesis of the show today is we don't want this production to get Swept Away. Adrian Blake Enscoe is currently starring on Broadway in the musical Swept Away, which is based on the Avett Brothers' album Mignonette and written by John Logan. Centered around a group of sailors who have capsized while on a whale expedition, the show opened up to rave reviews from The Washington Post, Entertainment Weekly, The Wall Street Journal, The Daily Beast, The Wrap and Deadline. So the question is, if the show has been crushing it, why is it closing early? Well, that's what we're here to talk about today. The New York-born Enscoe has been on the show before with his band Bandits On The Run, and he's a lovely guy and it's great to see him again, but this chat is a sobering reminder that those who create art need you to support it. www.sweptawaymusical.com www.bombshellradio.com (http://www.bombshellradio.com) www.stereoembersmagazine.com (http://www.stereoembersmagazine.com) www.alexgreenbooks.com (http://www.alexgreenbooks.com) IG: @emberspodcast Bluelsky: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com (mailto:editor@stereoembersmagazine.com)

"Shelters" If you think you recognize the name Josh Lovelace, you probably do. Lovelace's full-time job is the keyboardist of the South Carolina outfit NEEDTOBREATHE, a band he's been with since 2011. Lovelace is a busy dude, but the Tennessee-born musician has found time to not only play with NEEDTOBREATHE, but he's also put out a handful of spirited and charming albums for kids under the moniker Young Folk. There's no doubt that Lovelace's creative endeavors have left him satisfied, but another endeavor had been marinating in his brain for a long time and he knew it was time to put the shovel in the earth and break ground. The result of all that personal digging is Shelters, Lovelace's first solo album under his own name. A stirring 11-track song-cycle that's intimate, personal and deeply moving. Shelters is an unflinching look at the wounds of the past and the results are achingly precise and deeply moving. Filled with melodic finesse and interior harmonies and subtle pop immedi. Shelters is a quietly rousing collection of personal fight songs that reminds us the path to healing is always waiting. Www.joshlovelace.com (Www.joshlovelace.com) Www.bombshellradio.com (Www.bombshellradio.com)