Stereo Embers: The Podcast

“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….

“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….

"Sheltering In Place With Bandits On The Run” So the Bandits on the Run aren’t on the run right now. Like everyone else on the planet, the NYC-based trio is grounded for now but they’re doing it together. The Quaran-team are hanging out in North Carolina working on new songs, making fancy drinks and hosting back porch concerts that are live streaming to their fans all over the world. The rootsy outfit are one of the most exciting live acts around, their shows a spirited collage of puppetry, costumes, bits and banter and great, great songs. A rousing blast of indie rock soul and wistful folk, Bandits On The Run are a testament to the idea that a creative life is one that sustains and enriches the spirit. In this chat the Bandits talk to Alex about love in the underground, life during a pandemic and growing up with creative fire. This conversation covers the members’ theatrical roots, their effortless collaborative process and how they make every live show a singular and unique experience that can’t be repeated. Bandits On The Run’s “Love In The Underground” is out now.

“Inside The Electric Moment” The electric moment is the one where Joan Wasser steps up to the plate in front of her fellow accomplished collaborators to show them what she’s got. And even after being in the music industry all these years, that moment is still one that she finds terrifying. Exciting, but terrifying. Wasser, who’s better known as Joan As Policewoman also happens to be terrifyingly talented and in this conversation she talks to Alex about creativity in the time of COVID-19, her lifelong friendship with Mary Timony and what it was like to see Siouxsie and the Banshees in the ‘80s. A discursive but also perfectly linear conversation, she also talks about why a violinist like her was attracted to Rites of Spring, how she’s staying sane while sheltering in place and why she has no regrets about the life she’s chosen. Joan As Policewoman’s Cover Two album is out now.

"Emergency Whiskey” While it might be true that a shot of whiskey might calm the nerves during an emergency, the wiser choice is probably music. As we wade our way through a global pandemic, actor/musician Ed Helms and The Bluegrass Situation have put together a four-episode variety series called The Whiskey Sour Happy Hour. A seamless blend of comedy and music, the show is a heartening reminder that laughter and art have powerful healing qualities. In this conversation with BGS Executive Director Amy Reitnouer Jacobs, the ripple effect of the COVID-19 pandemic and how it’s impacted working musicians is discussed in great detail. Alex and Amy also chat about how musicians survive during times like these, how she and Helms built out the Whiskey Sour Happy Hour idea and what live music might look like in a post-pandemic world. Remember, all proceeds from the Whiskey Sour Happy Hour go to MusicCares’ COVID-19 Relief Fund and Direct Relief, benefitting musicians and first line responders impacted by the COVID-19 crisis.

“I Was So Sure Of Myself, I Put Myself In Danger” That’s how Phantom Planet frontman Alex Greenwald describes for Alex the downside of a little hubris during the creative process. He’s joking about being in danger, but he’s serious about feeling so self-assured about one’s work that it doesn’t allow creative input in from others. In this conversation, Greenwald talks to Green about silencing the critical voice, how he’s become better at collaboration and how his home state of California has influenced his work. He also talks about the 12 year gap between Phantom Planet albums, how he’s coping with Sheltering In Place and he found stillness by escaping from Hollywood...

“I Never Want To Leave This Space” That’s exactly what Hockey Dad singer/guitarist Zach Stephenson thought to himself as soon as he started his career in music. Being in the company of fellow musicians, playing live and writing songs with his longtime drummer pal Billy Fleming was the exact life he wanted for himself and since he’s gotten started, he’s never looked back. Sheltering in place in his native Australia, Stephenson talks to Alex about his love of Paul Kelly, his recent discovery of country music and how COVID-19 forced his band’s U.S. tour to be cancelled. They also chat about his jazz-playing grandparents, the creative process during a quarantine, and Hockey Dad’s new album Brain Candy.

"De-bubbling In London” Look, New Zealand is not a large country—everyone seems to know everyone else (or even dated them). Yumi Zouma singer Christie Simpson decided that the best thing for her to do is escape the bubble of her hometown of Christchurch and head for London. In this conversation Simpson talks about leaving her country behind, creative life amidst the Coronavirus and how an outsider becomes an individual. Simpson tells Alex about growing up loving Fleetwood Mac, how a band that’s not in the same locale stays together and how her parents recognized early on that she was headed towards a life in art. Yumi Zouma have just put out their third album Truth Or Consequences and it’s a spry and charming effort that’s lustrous, clever and catchy.

"Shake The Disease" When we last spoke to Owen Vyse we were told that by April 4th the Coronavirus would have all but vanished. Well, it didn't. In fact, it hasn't even flexed its full strength yet. In this engaging chat, the former Echo and the Bunnymen guitarist and Starclub frontman talks to Alex about what life is like amidst a global pandemic from where he lives in Thailand. The conversation veers from breaking curfews to the absence of gyms to life in Thailand vs. life in England, to how people will re-enter society and finally to just what we're doing on this planet in the first place.

“A Musical Shark Keeps Swimming” The San Diego-born musician Illan Rubin is one of those guys that’s been moving non-stop since he was nine and he’s not slowed down the pace one bit. The youngest performer to ever grace the stage at Woodstock (Rubin was 11!), Illan Rubin is very much like a musical shark—he never stands still. Over the course of his career the powerful and inventive drummer has played with Nine Inch Nails, Paramore and Angels & Airwaves, and his own band The New Regime just put a new record out a few weeks ago. Even the global pandemic hasn’t slowed him down—Rubin’s been spending his time reading, writing new music and learning the clarinet. Although his band’s tour with Silversun Pickups got cancelled, Rubin’s not one to get down about these things—he just keeps making music. In this conversation, Rubin talks to Alex about quarantine reading, his fascination with World War II, Trent Reznor’s perfect pitch and why it’s important for musicians to learn a new instrument.