Stereo Embers: The Podcast

"House Of Steam" Putting it simply the L.A.-born Nels Cline's resume' is so deep, to quote Mark Eitzel, it "would make the ocean proud." The guitarist and composer is one of the most respected names in the business and though he's perhaps best known these days for being the guitarist of Wilco, let's not single story Mr. Cline, because his body of work is varied and extensive. Aside from his early jazz work with his twin brother Alex, he's played with everyone from the Geraldine Fibbers to Mike Watt to Thurston Moore. But that doesn't even scratch the surface. Cline has played on close to 200 albums in jazz, pop, rock, country, and experimental music. Let me give you a few of those 200 to play with: Yoko Ono, Henry Kaiser, Firehose, Wayne Kramer, Rickie Lee Jones, John Zorn, Ramblin' Jack Elliot, Neil Finn, Lee Ranaldo and Chris Stamey. And belive me when I tell you that's a heavily expurgated list. Over the years Cline has been in bands with his pal Mike Watt Floored By Four, band with his wife Yuka Honda of Cibo Matto and he's had the Nels Cline Singers, the Nels Cline Trio, and the Nels Cline 4. Now comes The Consentrik Quartet, which is Cline along with saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock, bassist Chirs Lightcap and drummer Tom Rainey. Improvisational, experimental and downright wonderful, the band's debut album is a profound blend of rich cycle grooves, unexpected rhythmic excursions, and subtle meter innovations. It's marvelous work. Filled with delicate percussive brushes, virtuoso sax fills, prowling bass lines idiosyncratic sax melodies and Cline's nimble guitar lines moving through each composition with dextrous finesse, it's hard to think of a richer listening experience in recent memory. It's hard to think of a nicer guy as well--Nels is a lovely fellow and now you get to meet him. www.nelscline.com (http://www.nelscline.com) www.bombshellradio.com (http://www.bombshellradio.com) www.stereoembersmagazine.com (http://www.stereoembersmagazine.com) www.alexgreenbooks.com (http://www.alexgreenbooks.com) Stereo Embers The Podcast IG & Bluesky: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

"Anything At All" Since the late '90s, the Pennsylvania-born musician Denison Witmer has been quietly producing one of the most stirring and affecting bodies of work in modern music. That body of work is also one of the most consistent. With close to fifteen albums under his belt, including Of Joy And Sorrow, Philadelphia Songs and The Ones Who Wait, Witmer's music brings to mind the work of everyone from Paul Simon to John Martyn to Elliott Smith. The Lancaster native has collaborated with everyone from The Innocence Mission to Rosie Thomas, he's toured the U.S. and Europe, did a side project called The River Bends with members of One Star Hotel, and he's been recording for Sufjan Stevens' Asthmatic Kitty label since 2011. Produced by Stevens, his new album Anything At All is his first since 2020's American Foursquare and it's a gentle stunner. From the rousing opener "Focus Ring" to the contemplative "Slow Motion Snow" Anything At All is filled with tremendous sensitivity and poetic elegance. It's a meditation on time, family, and art and rather than stress out about the sand falling through the hourglass, it chooses instead to examine each grain as it falls. It's brave, unflinching and glorious work. www.denisonwitmer.bandcamp.com (http://www.denisonwitmer.bandcamp.com) www.stereoembersmagazine.com (http://www.stereoembersmagazine.com) www.bombshellradio.com www.alexgreenbooks.com (http://www.alexgreenbooks.com) Stereo Embers IG and BLUESKY: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

“Forwards” For more than 40 years the Welsh band the Alarm have been one of the most consistent acts on the planet, playing songs with conviction, heart and belief. With almost 20 studio albums under their belts, along with a discography that includes live albums, box sets and EPs, The Alarm are one of those bands where you pretty much want everything they put out. From albums like Declaration to Strength to their brand new one Forwards, The Alarm are a completist’s band. Speaking of Forwards, it’s a remarkable record—singer/songwriter Mike Peters has never sounded better, his voice alive with muscle and belief. The Welsh band have had a remarkable career that’s filled with endless highlights-- they toured with U2 and Bob Dylan, played at Queen’s Live at Wembley concert in 1986, been on IRS’s the Cutting Edge and American Bandstand, had hit singles all over the world even cracking the Billboard Top 50 here in the States, and wrote a song that became the official Welsh anthem for Euro 2020. This is a band that’s all about community, support and they remain as vital as ever. www.thealarm.com www.bombshellradio.com www.stereoembersmagazine.com www.alexgreenonline.com www.embersarts.com Stereo Embers: IG and BLUESKY: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

"Drop The Man" Persona is easy if you're an artist that doesn't perform under your own name. The separation there is pretty simple and it's easy to keep the character's life out of yours. But what if the character has the same name? I'm talking today or course, about Zoe Ko, whose Zoe Ko persona happens to share the name with the real Zoe Ko. You can see how this can lead to some confusion for the artist, but for Zoe Ko, she's got a handle on it, thank you very much. It wasn't always that way, but recently, the New York singer/songwriter and dancer realized that her on-stage persona may have some things in common with her besides just sharing a name, but they are not the same person. As soon as this dawned on her, the persona got wilder, more exaggerated, more fun. With the freedom to embellish her with costumes, an attitude and a larger than life confidence, Zoe Ko found this artistic liberation--well, liberating. But it also allowed her to keep things separate. So what of Zoe Ko the persona? Well, she's a towering presence who's unafraid, empowered and dominating She's tons of fun. And Zoe Ko, the real person is, too. But she can be introspective and internal and probably has the same worries and fears you have. Why? Because she's a real person. Zoe Ko the artist is the creative release for Zoe Ko the person. Her new EP Not UR Girlfriend is a lashing and percussive blast of buoyant club anthems that have equal parts muscle and pure pop swagger. Let's meet her, shall we? www.zoekomusic.com (http://www.zoekomusic.com) www.bombshellradio.com www.stereoembersmagazine.com (http://www.stereoembersmagazine.com) www.alexgreenbooks.com Stereo Embers The Podcast IG and Bluesky: @emberspodcast

"23" If I hadn't received an email from Oregon way back in 2010, this episode would never have happened. Out of nowhere, 15 years ago, I got a letter from Dave Cantrell who wrote a very kind email about my 33 1/3 book on The Stone Roses. The lovely things he said were...lovely and deeply appreciated, but what really stood out to me where a couple of things. First of all, Dave and I both grew up in Concord, CA a town here in the East Bay of California. And that's its own specific thing--but the other thing that really stood out was his writing. Error-free, meticulous, generous and grounded, I immediately wrote back and recruited him to write for Stereo Embers. You would have, too. It would be like walking past a park and seeing a guy throw a 105 mile an hour fastball. You want him on your team. And I'm happy to report that he still is.Cut to 15 years later, and not only is Dave a close friend, he's the Senior Editor of Stereo Embers Magazine and his new book 23 is out now. Putting it in music terms, 23 is a perfect mix tape of his work for Stereo Embers--a compilation of pieces hand-picked by Dave that represents his work over the last decade and a half. By the way, I call him the post-punk professor because, whether it's old bands or new. he's one of the leading experts on the genre. In 23 you really get a sense of the range of Post-Punk professor's knowledge, passion and enthusiasm for music. His writing is focused, articulate and precise and he writes with organic momentum and intellectual pace. And unlike many music journalists, Dave's work isn't about him--it's about the music. And that makes the writing driven, selfless and pure. www.stereoembersmagazine.com (http://www.stereoembersmagazine.com) www.bombshellradio.com www.alexgreenbooks.com (http://www.alexgreenbooks.com) Stereo Embers Instagram AND Bluesky: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

"What I Deserve" Over the course of almost fifteen albums, Kelly Willis has made a pretty good case that she's one of the greats. The Oklahoma-born singer/songwriter is not only a beautiful and affecting singer, her phrasing is filled with purring vowels, consonants fearlessly taking sharp corners and delicious diction which powers each number with authority, vulnerability and grace. Willis' career has a pretty good stockpile of highlights and here's a few for you: She's collaborated with Allison Kraus, Vince Gill, Jay Faraar of Son Volt and Chuck Prophet, a few of her songs were in Thelma and Louise, she was in the movie Bob Roberts, she's played all over the world, including Hardly Strictly Bluegrass here in San Francisco, put out a holiday album with her ex-husband Bruce Robison and is now celebrating the 25th anniversary of her 1999 album What I Deserve. And what to say about that album? Well, it's an absolute classic and the new edition is a must-have. Kelly is really sweet and very honest and this was a delight. www.kellywillis.com (http://www.kellywillis.com) www.bombshellradio.com (http://www.bombshellradio.com) www.stereoembersmagazine.com (http://www.stereoembersmagazine.com) www.alexgreenbooks.com Instagram: @emberspodcast Bluesky: @emberspodcast Editor: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com (mailto:editor@stereoembersmagazine.com)

"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