Stereo Embers: The Podcast

"Reds To Blue And Back Again" John Steinbeck once wrote: "There are as many worlds as there are kinds of days, and as an opal changes its colors and its fire to match the nature of a day, so do I." All those changes of colors? Well, that’s a good way to describe what’s been going on with David Cook lately. The Texas born, Missouri raised Cook’s new single is called "Reds Turn Blue" and it’s a track that assigns manic highs to the color red and the painful lows to the color blue. The song traces not only the way our moods shift from color to color but more specially, how when we have anxiety that shift has its own punching velocity. It’s the first new blast of music Cook has put out in a while—since 2018’s Chromance EP. But don’t think he’s not been busy. The Season 7 winner of "American Idol" spent the better part of 2018 performing in "Kinky Boots" on Broadway and headlining an acoustic tour. The 37 year old musician talks to Alex about how his new song is an artistic breakthrough, why he has trouble throwing things away and his recent diagnosis of an anxiety disorder. He also talks about playing new songs for his wife, how he’s different than his onstage persona and why there’s suddenly a ukulele in his house...

“Precision, Movement and Vampires” "I am abnormally fond of that precision which creates movement," e.e. cummings once wrote. Well, it’s hard not to think that the famous poet would be abnormally fond of Local Nomad. With a satchel full of songs all written with the kind of poetic precision that brings to mind the deft wordplay of everyone from Paul Simon to Elvis Costello, Local Nomad’s new EP Young Vampires is a stirring blend of thoughtful indie rock, laced with inventive percussion, sweeping instrumentation and breezy choruses. This is an EP that definitely creates moment. Led by Michael Desmond, who fronted the now-defunct Long Island orchestral indie rock outfit Gabriel The Marine, Local Nomad's sound is meticulous and intricate. Desmond is a true pop craftsman and his band’s new EP may have the pop hooks of a band like Squeeze but it also has the deft sonic architecture of Vampire Weekend or The Police. In this conversation Desmond talks to Alex about listening to the Replacements, heading back to college and the complexity of composition. He also talks about how to know when you’re playing the right gigs, growing up in New York and his family’s musical lineage.

“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!

“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.

"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….

“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.

"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...

“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…

“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.

“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.