Stereo Embers: The Podcast

"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)

“Shapes & Forms" There’s nothing Sandra Bernhard can’t do: she’s an actor, a singer, a comic, a radio host, an author and a pioneer of the one-woman show and the list goes on. I was going to say that in many ways, Sandra Bernhard is the Shohei Ohtani of entertainment, but that’s not totally accurate because she’s been around longer, so the right way to say it is Shoehei Ohtani is the Sandra Bernhard of baseball. The Michigan-born, Arizona-raised Sandra Bernhard is nothing short of a cosmic force. She’s been in over 40 movies like The King Of Comedy, Playing Mona Lisa and Zoolander and she’s been in over fifty television shows like The Richard Pryor Show, Pee-Wee’s Playhouse, Roseanne, Will and Grace, The Larry Sanders Show, Dr. Katz, Broad City, American Horror Story and the Sopranos. Her CV is packed with riches, so keep in mind this is just me sifting through the gold and it’s really a partial list because there’s so much. She’s performed on Broadway, appeared on Letterman almost 30 times, put out a handful of great albums, and wrote three amazing books, including the essay collection Love, Love and Love. She’s got a great run of shows on the West Coast as part of her Easy Listening tour, where she’ll play her favorite songs as a kid. Then, under the Shapes& Forms banner she’ll have a multi-night stand at Joe’s Pub in New York City at the end of the month. Along with her Sandyland Squad Band, Bernhard will play new material and old favorites. www.sandrabernhard.com (www.sandrabernhard.com) www.stereoembersmagazine.com (www.stereoembersmagazine.com) www.bombshellradio.com (www.bombshellradio.com) Stereo Embers IG: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

“Here And Now” Letters To Cleo may seemed to have suddenly shown up on the pop culture landscape in 1994, but the fact is, the Boston outfit had been grinding it out on the club since 1990. Their single “Here and Now” was an instant classic—a melodic dose of perfect pop stomp that showcased singer Hanley’s powerful vocal delivery. The band tore through the ‘90s, releasing three perfect albums (Aurora Gory Alice, Wholesale Meats And Fishes and Go), appeared as the house band in 10 Things I Hate About You, played SXSW, and playing with everyone from Cheap Trick to Neds Atomic Dustbin. Oh, and I almost forgot: In 1996, playing Mary Magladene, Hanley co-starred with Extreme’s Gary Cherone in the Boston Rock Opera’s performance of Jesus Christ Superstar. In the early 2000’s, Hanley was the singing voice for Rachel Leigh Cook in Josie and the Pussycats and though the band called it a day that same year, they did record 15 new and original songs for the Kids’ WB cartoon Generation O! That will become important in a second, but just to round out the corners here, Hanley toured as a back-up singer for Miley Cyrus’ Hannah Montana venture, put out a handful of great solo releases, sang the National Anthem at Gillette stadium for the Patriots and got to work on her new career, composing all-original songs for animated TV shows like Doc McStufins, DC Super Hero Girls, and Harvey Girls Forever, to name a few. How’s that career going? Well, in 2022 Hanley won an Emmy for songwriting on We The People. So I’d say, not too shabby. On that front, she and her writing partners Michelle Lewis, Dan Petty and Charlton Pettus created Disney Jr.’s Kindergarten: The Musical and Hanley is also co-executive director of Songwriters of North America (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Songwriters_of_North_America), an LA-based non-profit which advocates for fair pay and other rights for songwriters. As for Letters to Cleo? Well, the band may no longer be a full-time concern, but they pop up here and there to play gigs. They just completed a mini-November tour and they have a show on Jan 9th in Madison at the Majestic. Get your tickets now. Well, listen to the show, THEN get your tickets. Or multi-task. We know you can do it. www.letterstocleo.net (www.letterstocleo.net) www.bombshellradio.com (www.bombshellradio.com) www.stereoembersmagazine.com (www.stereoembersmagazine.com) Stereo Embers: IG: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

"Thanksgiving Day Special" There's a lot of things I miss about being a kid--somebody else driving, somebody else making dinner, not having to pay bills, not having to shave or get gas or pay rent--I was just going mention one or two things, but apparently I'm not pleased about being an adult. The reason why I brought this up is because the one thing I really miss about being a kid are the holiday TV specials that mark time. From The Grinch That Stole Christmas to It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, those specials helped keep me grounded as a kid. They made the calendar kind of stop and forced me to realize where I was and who I was with.They felt like something tangible. I wish I could do something like that for you here on the podcast and the closest I can come is my chat with Justin of 98 degrees. To me, it feels Thanksgiving-ish. At first it's sort of a talking points interview, but then something happens and it just kind of takes off and it takes off in a way that has to do with actually caring about other people. I'm not going to say too much more, but I will say this. This is our Thanksgiving special and I'm very proud of it. I'm thankful for this chat with Justin, I'm thankful he opened up and I'm thankful you get to hear it. And THANK YOU, for continuing to support this podcast. www.98degrees.com www.bombshellradio.com www.embersarts.com www.stereoembersmagaine.com www.alexgreenbooks.com IG: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

“Who We Are” The London-born pianist, singer, composer and bandleader Ashley Henry is one of the most inventive, fascinating and altogether thrilling musicians out there. Educated at the Royal Academy of Music, Henry’s work is informed by a love of classical music sure, but also a love of jazz, trip-hop, reggae soul, dub and hip-hop. Imagine if Mozart was a big fan of Digital Underground. It’s kind of like that. Henry has played all over the world, he’s performed in the Unisia International Piano Competition, is the youngest musician to be on the bill at the Piano Trio Festival and he’s covered everyone from The Enemy to Nina Simone.The guy has range. His new album Who We Are, which is the follow up to his debut Beautiful Vinyl Hunter, is a ravishing blend of styles; from the soulful album opener Love Is Like A Movie to the dreamy “Fly Away” to the sax-tinged hip-hop of “All For You,” Who We Are is an assured album that’s filled with self-possession, musical diversity and a heart full of joy. www.ashleyhenrymusic.com (www.ashleyhenrymusic.com) www.stereoembersmagazine.com (www.stereoembersmagazine.com) www.alexgreenbooks.com (www.alexgreenbooks.com) www.bombshellradio.com (www.bombshellradio.com) Stereo Embers: Twitter: @emberseditor IG: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com