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Stereo Embers: The Podcast

Latest episodes

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Jul 4, 2020 • 1h 35min

Stereo Embers The Podcast 0149: Shannon McArdle (The Mendoza Line)

“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 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, it’s our 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!
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Jul 1, 2020 • 1h 8min

Stereo Embers The Podcast 0148: Satin Nickel

“Sheltering In Place Is The New Camping” Well, sort of. Experts say that if you want to test a romantic relationship, go camping. If you come back from your adventure still speaking, you’ve got a good thing going. If not? Well, camping together saved you a lot of time. In the COVID-19 age, it seems that sheltering in place works in the same way camping does, in that it can really test relationships and make you understand if you’re made of steel or the exact opposite. For the members of Satin Nickel, being a quaran-team has proven to be of the steel persuasion. The sheltering in place mandate only made this New York band even tighter and in this conversation they talk to Alex about staying creative, staying together and staying sane. They also chat about the challenges they face, the bike rides they take and how a group of theatre kids have become one of the most exciting bands around. A thrilling mix of hard rock riffs, lilting vocals and folky smarts, Satin Nickel are an innovative and infectious outfit and their debut album Shadow of Doubt is a riveting listen.
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Jun 24, 2020 • 56min

Stereo Embers The Podcast 0147: Lou Canon

"Slithering Through Sleeper Waves” The Canadian singer/songwriter Lou Canon's work is constantly challenging how we think about sounds and shapes and not only that, but the ten track song cycle of her new album Audomatic Body also confronts not only how we think about the human body and the granular curves of micro geography— it also trains its eye on the slithering backs of sea creatures, the geometry found in drops of water, a breath in a bubble, and the shoulder shove a wave in the wild. In this conversation, Canon talks to Alex about the paradox of being a performer who’s shy, getting lost at the Russian River and how she’s coping with the global pandemic. She also chats about her love of The National, the community spirit of the Canadian music community and how to separate her onstage persona with who she is offstage. Canon’s album is a stirring and sensual work filled with underwater rhythms, beguiling melodies and libidinous loops. And this conversation is a focused and thoughtful look at how an artist sees the world….
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Jun 17, 2020 • 1h 2min

Stereo Embers The Podcast 0146: Katie Malco

“They’re All In The Pub…" That’s how Katie Malco describes the musicians of her adopted home of Northampton. If you want to find any of them, they’re all hanging out in the pub. “Every last one of them,” she laughs. In this conversation, the Scottish born singer/songwriter talks to Alex about her own time in the pub, opening up for Jenny Lewis and what it was like to get on stage by herself with nothing but a telecaster. She also chats about playing guitar upside down, how she’s coped creatively with COVID-19 and what it was like to be raised Scottish in a English town…. Katie Malco’s new album Failures is out now.
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Jun 10, 2020 • 48min

Stereo Embers The Podcast 0145: Steve Dawson (Dolly Varden, Funeral Bonsai Wedding)

"Immersion In Music Is What I Love” Well, it really shows. That’s how Steve Dawson describes his relationship with his craft and though he plays guitar and sings, it’s music and instruments of all kinds that really ring his creative bell. Known for his work with Chicago’s roots-soul outfit Dolly Varden, Dawson has been a busy guy since his band’s temporary hiatus. Aside from co-authoring a book, releasing solo albums and teaching music, Dawson and his Funeral Bonsai Wedding band have just released their sophomore album Last Flight Out. Experimental, affecting and cosmically cool, it’s an innovative and inventive record that falls somewhere between Astral Weeks and The Waterboys’ A Pagan Place. In this interview Dawson chats with Alex about how he ended up in Chicago, his love of McCartney and how he started playing guitar. He also offers advice to young musicians, extols the virtues of Paul Simon, and talks about hearing Hüsker Dü while working in an ice cream store...
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Jun 3, 2020 • 1h 21min

Stereo Embers The Podcast 0144: KatieJane Garside (Liar, Flower, Ruby Throat, Daisy Chainsaw)

“Ride The Waves As They Present Themselves” In many ways that’s what KatieJane Garside has been doing her whole life. She traveled the world by sea with her parents and sister as a kid and now, all these years later, she’s doing the same thing with a family of her own. Great poetry, great novels and great art has been inspired by the ocean and Garside’s new musical project Liar, Flower can be added to that list. An extension of her beloved band Ruby Throat, Liar, Flower’s arresting debut Geiger Counter is delicious poetic menace that's filled with bees, birds, badgers, and blood and it’s all delivered by way of Garside’s inimitable growl and purr. Part feral folk and part raw rock and roll, Geiger Counter is one of the most affecting albums you’ll ever hear. In this engaging conversation, Garside sits down with Alex and they talk about her lifelong devotion to the creative process, why she doesn’t recognize herself on video, how her dedication to mediation helps free and gather her stream of consciousness and why she doesn’t listen to the news…
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May 29, 2020 • 46min

Stereo Embers The Podcast 0143: Todd Sucherman (Styx)

“A Walk Across The Rooftops” The romantic notion of a walk across the rooftops might bring to mind a series of percussive steps under the moonlight but for The Blue Nile’s 1984 album of the same name, there’s barely any percussion in sight. Nevertheless, it’s one of Todd Sucherman’s favorite albums of all time and while the fact that a drum-less album might not be an obvious choice, in this interview the Styx drummer talks to Alex about the subtle magic of that album, his love of Phil Collins and his decision to not only record his first solo album but step to the mic and sing after 49 years of playing drums. They also talk about XTC, Elbow and the back injury that almost sidelined one of the greatest drummers on the planet. Sucherman’s Last Flight Home is out now.
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May 27, 2020 • 57min

Stereo Embers The Podcast 0142: Hamish Anderson

“I Started Listening To All These Dead People” Relax. In the above quote Hamish Anderson isn’t talking about taking directives from those beyond the grave. He’s talking about how when he was a kid he discovered the blues and Charlie Chaplin and Alfred Hitchcock and his love of the past began informing his personal aesthetic of the present. In this interview the Australian-born blues guitarist talks to Alex about his love of history, his friendship with Gary Clark Jr. and his willingness to explore any musical genre. They also talk about hearing the White Album for the first time, the brilliance of Prince, what makes Ringo Starr a great drummer and the advice he would give a young musician.
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May 22, 2020 • 58min

Stereo Embers The Podcast 0141: Dylan Hartigan

“That's The Way My Bones Creak” That’s how Dylan Hartigan describes the thematic balance of darkness and light in his work. And though that’s a fair appraisal of his creative process, that creak of his produces some of the most sonorous, achingly lovely and deeply stirring music you’ll hear all year. The New Jersey-born singer/songwriter talks to Alex about the early discipline of his child actor youth, how he found his voice and the rigors of what was ultimately an essential creative double pivot that found him leaving music only to come back to it reinvigorated and revived. He also talks about the existential dilemma of new relationships, why teachers never liked him and the simple joyful memory of seeing his father come home from work at 9pm and pick up the guitar. Hartigan’s marvelous debut solo album will be out this fall….
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May 20, 2020 • 1h 18min

Stereo Embers The Podcast 0140: Salt Ashes

“Nobody’s Coming Out Of This Fluent In German” It’s a fair point. Salt Ashes thinks it’s important during these Sheltering In Place months to not put pressure on ourselves and feel we have to get more done than we should. Like learning to speak German. Or reading the entire works of Dickens. Creativity is essential, but there’s no need to have unrealistic ideas about what we have to get done. In this conversation, the singer/songwriter talks to Alex about her new EP, covering the Cure and how she’s spending her time as the world seems to have come to a standstill. They also chat about feeling comfortable in photos, the benefits of supportive roommates and what the world is going to look like for artists once the pandemic subsides….

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