Stereo Embers: The Podcast

"Unbreakable Heart" The Texas-born Amber Martin has no regrets. The singer/songwriter has lived quite a life and it's one that found her moving coast to coast in the name of art. But geography aside, Martin moves relentlessly forward and doesn't look back with revisionist repentance. She'll tell you all about that, so let me fill you in on the other stuff. A brilliant and powerful singer with precise phrasing and improvisational smarts, Martin is a force of nature, her live shows punctuated by comedic tales, observational stories and a classic cabaret sensibility. Her career has a lot of highlights, so let me give you a partial list: She opened for Joan Rivers, sang with Sandra Berhnard, recorded with the Scissor Sisters, performed on Broadway, had several solo art residencies and starred in the live variety show Cassette Roulette with the Tony Award winning John Cameron Mitchell of Hedwig and the Angry Inch. The follow-up to her AM Gold album, Martin's Unbreakable Heart is a wicked blast of classic country played with reverence and playful fun. From Devil Came Down The Dancefloor to I Want You To Be A Real Man, Unbreakable heart is played with precision, heart and a lively wink. The album features Mitchell, Rufus Wainwright and Jake Shears of the Scissor Sisters. A writer, a singer, a choreographer, and a dancer, Amber Martin is also a fabulous conversationalist. We had a blast and I think you will, too. www.ambermartin.org www.bombshellradio.com (http://www.bombshellradio.com) www.stereoembersmagazine.com (http://www.stereoembersmagazine.com) www.alexgreenbooks.com (http://www.alexgreenbooks.com) Stereo Embers Twitter: @emberseditor IG: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com (mailto:editor@stereoembersmagazine.com)

"Shot Of Blue" Well, if the name Tom DiCillo sounds familiar, it’s probably because you’ve seen the movies he’s directed, like Living In Oblivion, Box Of Moonlight, The Real Blonde and the Grammy Award-winning documentary on the Doors When You’re Strange, which was narrated by Johnny Depp. Over the course of his winning career, DiCillo has directed Brad Pitt, John Turturro, Dave Chapelle, Catherine Keener, Steve Buscemi and Kathleen Turner. A man of many talents, DiCillo is an actor, director, writer and a cinematographer. But he’s also a brilliant singer/songwriter whose has just released his debut solo album Shot Of Blue. A meditative and haunting song cycle of love, mourning and hope, DiCillo’s compositions are redolent with rippling guitars, undulating percussion and crooning vocals that soar with cosmic cool. A dark blend of stirring surf and burning balladry, Shot Of Blue is a pure dose of jangling night music made for the restless souls in all of us. It’s stunning work. I can’t wait for you to meet Tom—he’s a great guy and he also happens to be a close friend of mine, so this is going to be fun. www.tomdicillo.com (www.tomdicillo.com) www.bombshellradio.com (www.bombshellradio.com) www.stereoembersmagazine.com (www.stereoembersmagazine.com) www.alexgreenbooks.com (www.alexgreenbooks.com) Stereo Embers Twitter: @emberseditor IG: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

"What About You?" With time running out on 2024, Spooky Mansion are checking in with one of the best albums of the year. The California outfit's new long player What About You? is a rousing blast of scruffy surf and west coast soul. Led by braintrust Grayson Converse, Spooky Mansion are one of the most inventive and exciting bands around.Filled with winning tracks like "Weather," "Long Time Ago,", and "The River," What About You? is filled with horny swagger, bluesy howl and scrappy indie rock. Converse is an enigmatic frontman by night, but by day he works as a contractor and the duality of his life is something we cover in this chat. We also cover a whole lot more--a seafaring father, growing up in California and the reality of romantic notions. This is a great chat--you're going to love this guy. www.spookymansionofficial.com www.bombshellradio.com www.alexgreenbooks.com (http://www.alexgreenbooks.com) www.stereoembersmagazine.com (http://www.stereoembersmagazine.com) Stereo Embers The Podcast Twitter: @emberseditor IG: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

"Para Llevar" You might know Johnny Delaware from the South Carolina alt-country outfit SUSTO, but the singer/songwriter's new solo album Paro Llevar reminds us that he's a musical force even when he's away from the band he co-founded with Justin Osborne. SUSTO's five albums, including Ever Since I Lost My Mind and 2023's My Entire Life are roots rock classics and the band has a pretty rabid global fanbase, but the South Dakota-born Delaware, who was a collegiate runner, is no stranger to going it alone. His new solo album Para Llevar is produced by Delaware himself, who also plays a majority of the instruments on the album. A stirring and dreamy blend of gliding psychedelia, Latin American rhythms and blissful rootsy grooves, Para Llevar is one of the most moving albums of 2024. It's filled with philosophical ruminations, personal revelations and internal meditations and it's inviting, engaging and downright beautiful; it brings to mind everyone from Paul Simon to Elliott SmithHow does Mexico fit into all of this? Well, long story short: he went there and fell in love. With the country and a girl. I'll let him tell you all about that and so much more. www.stereoembersmagazine.com (http://www.stereoembersmagazine.com) www.bombshellradio.com (http://www.bombshellradio.com) www.alexgreenbooks.com (http://www.alexgreenbooks.com) Stereo Embers Twitter: @emberseditor IG: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

"Underwater Detection Method" I always knew the San Francisco-born musician Greg Lisher as a guitar player. As a member of Camper Van Beethoven and the Monks of Doom, Lisher's imaginitive and distinct playing remains instatnly recogniziable. But for his new solo album Underwater Detection Method, Lisher decided to make a left turn and make the keyboard the central instrument on the album. A riveting 12-song collection, Underwater Detection Method is a series of synthesized soundscapes made up of dreamy dub, prowling post-punk, artful ambient fills, swirling electronica and elegant prog rock detours. The instrumental album is nothing short of experiential; it's like being given a tour of the cascading hills of a Dali-colored parallell universe with Lisher acting as your trusty guide. From the stirring "All Things Japanese" to the musical finesse of "Snowblind," Underwater Detection Method is a riveting and evocative listen. www.bombshellradio.com (http://www.bombshellradio.com) www.stereoembersmagazine.com (http://www.stereoembersmagazine.com) www.alexgreenbooks.com (http://www.alexgreenbooks.com) Stereo Embers Twitter: @emberseditor IG: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com (mailto:editor@stereoembersmagazine.com)

"Backbone" The Australian-born Kasey Chambers has been in this game for a long time. At sixteen she and her family formed the ARIA Award winning Dead Ringer Band, who put out four perfect albums, including Living In The Circle and Home FIres, which won best Country album in 1996. In 1999 she decided to go solo and hit the ground running with her debut The Captain. How did that decision pan out? Well, let's just say this: Kasey's solo career is an endless reel of highlights. With almost fifteen albums to her credit, Chambers has been piling up acclaim from the beginning--if you think I'm exaggerating, try these numbers: She's had five number one albums, won fourteen ARIA Awards, ten APRA awards, had four top ten singles, won nine Country Music Association of Australia awards, and put out two books--A Little Bird Told Me and Just Don't Be A Dickhead and Other Profound Things I've Learnt. She's collaborated with Paul Kelly, Keith Urban, Ed Sheeran, and Foy Vance, she was inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association Hall of Fame in 2018 and she's considered by many to be one of the most important Australian artists of all time. Her new album Backbone is a riveting blend of roots rock and lilting country; Chambers' voice is truly wondrous; it's graceful, it's stirring and it's as vulnerable as it is commanding. Backbone is another winning entry into Chambers discography and new book is a hilarious and insightful admixture of philosophy and life lessons from the world at large. I loved this conversation; it goes thousands of unexpected directions, each one an endless joy. https://kaseychambers.com/ www.stereoembersmagazine.com (http://www.stereoembersmagazine.com) www.bombshellradio.com (http://www.bombshellradio.com) www.alexgreenonline.com Stereo Embers: Twitter: @emberseditor IG: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com (mailto:editor@stereoembersmagazine.com)

"A Boot And A Shoe" The Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter Sam Phillips has had quite a career. The Glendale-born musician has almost fifteen albums under her musical belt, including The Indescribable Wow, Cruel Inventions, Martinis and Bikinis, Cold Dark Nights and the newly reissued version of A Boot And A Shoe. We'll get to that in a minute, but before we do, let me give you a partial list of folks she's collaborated with over the years: R.EM., Elvis Costello, T-Bone Burnett, Van Dyke Parks, Marc Ribot, Jim Keltner, Gillian Welch and David Rawlings. Other career highlights; she's composed scores for Gilmore Girls, Bunheads and the Marvelous Ms. Maisel, she appeared in Die Hard With A Vengeance and Wim Wenders' The End Of Violence (the throat cutting I referenced comes in the former) and her handmade collages on repurposed vintage album sleeves that were found at flea markets.were exhibited at the Gertrude Contemporary in Australia. But back to a Boot and A Shoe. The 2004 album has been given a proper reissue by Omnivore to commemorate its 20th anniversary. Available on CD and on vinyl for the very first time along with new liner notes penned by Phillips, the thirteen track album has never sounded better. Thanks to Phillips' lyrical dexterity and elegant phrasing and featuring numbers like "Reflecting Light," "If I Could Write," "Hole In My Pocket" and "One Day Late," A Boot And A Shoe" remains a timeless classic. www.samphillips.com www.stereoembersmagazine.com (http://www.stereoembersmagazine.com) www.bombshellradio.com (http://www.bombshellradio.com) www.alexgreenbooks.com (http://www.alexgreenbooks.com) Stereo Embers The Podcast Twitter (what's left of it): @emberseditor IG: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com (mailto:editor@stereoembersmagazine.com)

"It's Only Rock and Roll" There's a lot to tell about Michael Des Barres, but let's start with the music. In the early '70s, the Sussex-born singer/songwriter fronted the glam rock band Silverhead, who were signed to Deep Purple's label. He decided to try his luck on the West Coast, moving to L.A. and fronting the rock/soul outfit, who were signed to Led Zeppelin's Swan Song Records. In '82, Des Barres formed the hard rock band Chequered Past with Steve Jones of The Sex Pistols and Clem Burke of Blondie. That band opened for folks like INXS and Duran Duran and that Duran Duran association proved auspicious as Des Barres was invited by Andy Taylor to replace Robert Palmer as the singer of The Power Station. I know I said Des Barres was a rock and roll chameleon, but at this point he sounds more like a rock and roll shark, doesn't he? He never stops moving. Des Barres fronted The Power Station at Live Aid and along the way he co-wrote "Obsession" with Holly Knight, which became a global hit for Animotion, he put out fabulous solo records, fronted another band called The Mistakes and in 2013 he joined the Los Angeles Philharmonic for the world premiere of 200 Motels: The Suites, by Frank Zappa in which he appeared as Rance, the narrator. We'll get to his new album in a second, but let's talk about his acting first. Des Barres has so many IMDB credits, it's dizzying. Getting his start at age eight, he's appeared in over 100 television shows and close to fifty movies. Let me run through a few because it's nuts: All you '80s kids might remember him in The Ghoulies, but he was in To Sir With Love, Under Siege, and David Lynch's Mulholland Drive and on television he was on Roseanne, Just Shoot Me, Frasier, Seinfeld, St. Elsewhere and MacGyver. Des Barres is a true rock and roll chameleon, because, like a chameleon, he's able to effortlessly change from situation to situation. That subtle shapeshifting quality makes folks like Des Barres able to basically do whatever he wants because he has massive range and can move through the cultural space with otherworldly ease. Des Barres' new album It's Only Rock and Roll is an affectionate tipping of the hat to the songs of the '70s that he loves. From Roxy Music's Love Is The Drug to Sweet's Fox On The Run to the Faces' Stay With Me, this is a scorcher of a record that features Des Barres sounding better than ever--his delivery still has the same muscular pounce and raw elegance and the 12 songs here are delivered with equal parts affection, admiration and grace. And this interview? An absolute blast. www.michaeldebarres.com (http://www.michaeldebarres.com) www.bombshellradio.com (http://www.bombshellradio.com) www.stereoembersmagazine.com (http://www.stereoembersmagazine.com) www.alexgreenbooks.com Twitter: @emberseditor IG: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com (mailto:editor@stereoembersmagazine.com)

"Photograph" Born in Honduras during a military coup, Lily Vakili has had quite a life. Raised on military bases in Thailand, Florida, Puerto Rico and Iowa, Vakili's musical worldview has been formed by the fact that she's been all over the world. Over the course of her fascinating life, she's been a waitress, a dancer, an actress, a filmmaker, a choreographer, a stage director, a human rights researcher, a Harvard-trained biotech lawyer. I mean, those are pretty much all the things. But there's more. A mother and a ferocious advocate for disability rights, Vakili is the real deal; a passionate person who believes in authenticity and truth, Vakili's music is redolent with those very same qualities. A blistering blend of streetsmart punk, smoldering poetry and big rock and roll hooks, The Vakili Band bring to mind the Velvet Underground, The Pretenders and Jimmy Gnecco of Ours. The music is as driving as it is sensual; it's rich, it's textured and it's wonderful. From the Tannersville EP to albums like Honey or Walking Sideways, The Vakili Band's discography is one that's moving from strength to strength. Lily is doing a solo tour with John Douglas of the Trashcan Sinatras www.vakiliband.com www.stereoembersmagazine.com (http://www.stereoembersmagazine.com) www.bombshellradio.com (http://www.bombshellradio.com) www.alexgreenbooks.com (http://www.alexgreenbooks.com) Twitter: @emberseditor IG: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com (mailto:editor@stereoembersmagazine.com)

"Between Time" When it comes to a life in rock and roll, South African singer/songwriter Steve Louw has had three of them. The inductee to the South African Rock Hall of Fame fronted the band All Night Radio in the '80s and their two albums The Heart's The Best Part and The Killing Floor remain undisputed classics. From there, Louw formed Big Sky and they hit the ground running in 1990, putting out five winning albums like Waiting For The Dawn, Horizon and Going Down With Mr. Green. The song Waiting For The Dawn, by the way, is considered by many to be one of the most important songs in the history of South African music. As a solo artist, Louw has released three albums, including his new one Between Time. A rousing blast of rootsy rock and roll , Between Time has as much muscle as it does finesse and it's one of our favorite albums of 2024. Louw has collaborate Brian May of Queen and Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics, he's toured with Rodriguez, had hit singles all over the radio and he sells out wherever he plays. He's a fabulous guy and a global treasure and we're lucky to have him on the show. www.stevelouw.com www.stereoembersmagazine.com www.bombshellradio.com www.alexgreenbooks.com Twitter: @emberseditor IG: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com