Stereo Embers: The Podcast

"The Morrison Project" The London-born guitarist and singer/songwriter Billy Morrison has two main components to his life and for the purposes of this introduction, I'm going to tell you about the musical one. The other one I'll let him tell you about because he'll tell it far better than I can. So: the musical one. After playing in bands like Into A Circle and Stimulator, Morrison was recruited to play bass with The Cult for their opening slot with Aerosmith in the U.S., Japan and Europe. After his stint with The Cult, Morrison formed Camp Freddy with Dave Navarro, Donovan Leitch, Scott Ford and The Cult's Matt Sorum. You'll find the through-line in Morrison's life has a lot to do with The Cult. In 2006 Morrison teamed up with Fuel's Brett Scallions, Ricky Warwick of The Almighty, Slunt's Charles Ruggiero, Korn's Rob Patterson and, you guessed it, The Cult's Billy Duffy for the band Circus Diablo. In 2010 he joined Billy Idol's band and he's been with him ever since, playing stadium shows across the world. Camp Freddy morphed into Royal Machines adding Mark McGrath of Sugar Ray and Josh Freese to the lineup. Morrison's new album is called The Morrison Project and it's got a murderer's row of guests including Al Jourgensen of Ministry, Steve Stevens, Darryl DMC McDaniels of Run DMC, Ozzy Osbourne and Corey Taylor of Slipknot, among others. The album is a big crunchy blast of hard rock bliss with careening guitar riffs and hooks galore. It's not only one of the most satisfying and energizing albums of the year, it's landed Morrison his first number one. Well-deserved. Morrison has acted in movies, become a notable art collector and artist and he co-hosts a show with Ozzy on Sirius. Busy fellow. Billy is the real deal and one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet. www.billymorrison.com (http://www.billymorrison.com) www.bombshellradio.com www.stereoembersmagazine.com www.alexgreenbooks.com Twitter: @emberseditor IG: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

“4th of July Special: 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 4th of July 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, this is our perennial and evergreen 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! Stereo Embers The Podcast www.bombshellradio.com Twitter: @emberseditor Instagram: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

"Fantastic Day" Formed in 1980 in London, the new wave funk outfit Haircut 100 are one of those bands that tore right out of the gates. A top four single Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl) before even having a record out was a pretty propelling start. That record came in the form of 1982's platinum seller Pelican West, which not only went to #2 on the UK albums chart, it spawned more Top 10 singles like Love Plus One, Fantastic Day and Nobody's Fool. Singer Nick Heyward, left the band after their debut and embarked on a brilliant solo career, which yielded hit singles like Whistle Down The Wind and Blue Hat For A Blue Day, along with flawless albums like North Of A Miracle, From Monday To Sunday and The Apple Bed. And now Haircut 100 are back, playing shows across the U.K. including Glastonbury and North America in August and you should see them if you can because they've never sounded better. And I believe new music is on the way, which is very exciting. For my money, Nick Heyward is one of the most brilliant songwriters of all time. It's hard to think of someone who writes with such elegance, finesse and melodic muscle. He's a master craftsman, a writer with poetic poise and harmonic genius. I think this guy's practically peerless and his work has meant so much to me for a very long time. www.haircut100.com (http://www.haircut100.com) www.stereoembersmagazine.com (http://www.stereoembersmagazine.com) www.bombshellradio.com www.alexgreenbooks.com (http://www.alexgreenbooks.com) Twitter: @emberseditor IG: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

"A Master Class In Songwriting" Jad Fair is probably best known as one half of Half Japanese. Formed with his brother David in 1974, the Maryland by way of Michigan outift remain one of the more curious entires into the pantheon of rock and roll. Their songs are jagged and battered mini-anthems about broken hearts, monsters and...broken hearts and monsters. As Jad Fair once said, their songs are either love songs or monster songs. And there are a lot of songs. For example: the band's sophomore effort was a triple album, some records have 45 songs all under two minutes. Some of the tracks are barely one...Half Japanese have quite a discography, including classics like Music To Strip By, Charmed Life and The Band Who Would Be King. Over the course of their idiosyncratic, non-traditional career, they've counted the Velvet Underground's Moe Tucker as a member, put out albums on Penn Jillette's record label, opened for NIrvana, and collaborated with Daniel Johnston, Kramer, Steve Fisk, Thurston Moore, Fred Frith Teenage Fanclub, Yo La Tengo, The Pastels, Jason Willett and John Zorn, and were chosen by Neutral Milk Hotel's Jeff Magnum to play the All Tomorrow's Parties festival that he was curating. Half Japanese are underground heroes, who broke every rule of modern music and then broke the rules they broke. They remain a dynamic, artistic and powerful creative endeavor. As for Jad Fair, he's done anything but slow down. Aside from putting out a handful of solo albums, as a visual artist Fair's artwork has yielded several books and museum shows across the world. His papercut style is singular and charming, but also rife with a simple complexity. It's really staggering stuff. Also staggering: his new album 100 Songs (A Master Class In Songwriting). It consists of, you guessed it: 100 songs. Impressed? Well, his other new album Film Music has 150. Filled with swerving low-fi bliss, there's not a false note to be found on these records. But of course there isn't: it's Jad Fair. And Jad Fair operates from a cosmos of creative impulse. And that impulse is as pure and driving as it gets. www.jadfair.net (http://www.jadfair.net) www.bombshellradio.com (http://www.bombshellradio.com) www.stereoembersmagazine.com (http://www.stereoembersmagazine.com) www.alexgreenbooks.com (http://www.alexgreenbooks.com) Twitter: @emberseditor IG: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com (mailto:editor@stereoembersmagazine.com)

"Softcore" With over ten albums under his musical belt, Logan Lynn has firmly established himself as a singular and dynamic talent. First of all, Lynn is a musician, writer, producer, filmmaker, television personality, mental health advocate, and LGBT activist. He's worked with everyone from the Get-Up Kids to Portugal the Man to the comic Jay Mohr and his writing has appeared in the Huffington Post and the Portland Mercury,among others. He's done commercial spots, acted in shows like The Last Meal Series and the Library and in 2017 the National Council gave Lynn the Award of Excellence for Artistic Expression. His new album Softcore is a buoyant blast of blissful synth pop and indie rock stomp. It's a celebration of love and, as Lynn puts it: "the absolute wildness that happens between two people who are desperately in love with each other." Filled with catchy grooves and horny swagger, Softcore is not only pure sonic joy it's the perfect album to soundtrack your summer with. www.loganlynnmusic.com www.stereoembersmagazine.com www.bombshellradio.com www.stereoembersmagazine.com (http://www.stereoembersmagazine.com) www.alexgreenbooks.com (http://www.alexgreenbooks.com) Twitter: @emberseditor IG: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

"Planet Girls" Sponge's new album Planet Girls is a thrilling listen. But here's the thing: it isn't new. Recorded back in 1999, when the band turned the record in to the company, the folks in charge didn't think the material would connect with the current cultural zeitgeist. So what did they do? They shelved it. Big mistake. A dynamic blast of hook-laden power and melodic muscle, Planet Girls brings to mind a scruffy blend of Cheap Trick and Stone Temple Pilots. And here's the funny thing: the album can't be placed on any timeline--it sounds as fresh and as vital as ever. Over the course of their multi-decade long career, Sponge have done it all: played Lollapalooza, appeared on Letterman, toured the world, opened for Kiss at Tiger Stadium and had hit records like Rotting Pinata and Wax Ecstatic. Singer Vin Dombroski is one of the most charismatic frontmen in recent memory and also a thoughtful and engaging conversationalist. www.spongetheband.com www.bombshellradio.com www.stereoembersmagazine.com www.alexgreenbooks.com Twitter: @emberseditor IG: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

"A Few Good Moments" So: how much of a legend is the Winnipeg-born Burton Cummings? Well, let's just start with these few facts and we'll work our way backwards. He's been inducted into both the Canadian Music Industry Hall of Fame and the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. He's been named as an officer of the Order of Canada and both the Burton Cummings Theatre and the Burton Cummings Community Centre in Winnipeg are named after him. I mean, should we even keep going? We will, but there's no need. Legend status full cemented. But here's more: Cummings joined The Guess Who as a young lad of 18 and within a few years the band was an international sensation. They're the first Canadian act to land an American Number One with American Woman, and they had a wildly successful run of albums including Wheatfield Soul and Share The Land. After the band dissolved in 1975, Cummings launched a solo career that was decidedly huge. His first effort yielded the massive single Stand Tall, which sold over a million copies in the United States alone. He's put out close to ten albums, snagged six Juno awards, put out a book of poetry, sang background vocals for Eric Carmen, got a star on the Canadian Walk of Fame, did some acting and toured the world. He's got a new album on the way and we chat about that plus a whole lot more. The fact is, he has one of the most powerful voices in music history--it's a brilliant balance of muscle and soul and his vocal precision is practically peerless. I want to say this before we begin--Burton Cummings may be a legend, but his kindness is as legendary as his achievements--he's one of the nicest guys ever, www.burtoncummings.com www.bombshellradio.com www.stereoembersmagazine.com www.alexgreenbooks.com Twitter: @emberseditor IG: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

"Detroit Soul" The six-time Grammy-Award winning Don Was' resume has more highlights than a Steph Curry career retrospective. It's just three pointer after three pointer with this guy. The Detroit-born musician, producer, film composer, documentarian and record executive got his start in the high school outfit The Saturns, but his band Was (Not Was) is the one that put him on the musical map. A kind of New Wave soul outfit, Was (Not Was) put out a handful of fabulous albums, and had a few hits before calling it a day. From there he became the music director and consultant for movies like Thelma and Louise, Toy Story, Honeymoon in Vegas and The Paper. He produced albums by the B-52's, Iggy Pop, Bonnie Raitt, The Rolling Stones, Kris Kristofferson, and Bob Dylan, directed the Brian Wilson documentary I Just Wasn't Made For These Times, and snagged an Emmy for his work on the CBS special "The Beatles: The Night That Changed America." Remember, this is just a partial list. He's hosted a show on Sirius XM, been in a band with the Dead's Bob Weir, led the house band at the Library Of Congress and currently serves as the President of Blue Note Records. Oh, and he's the voice of Neville the Dog in the children's show Pete The Cat. His new band Don Was And The Pan-Detroit Ensemble play a raw blast of fevered R&B and kinetic soul. An energizing mix of originals and covers, their sound is a dynamic blend of feral grooves, prowling basslines and pure musical joy. They're on tour for the rest of the month and the beginning of June with more to come. www.instagram.com/donwas www.bombshellradio.com www.stereoembersmagazine.com www.alexgreenbooks.com Twitter: @emberseditor IG: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

"Bloodbrothers" The Bronx-born Richard Blum took his love of wrestling and Catskill Mountains humor and created Handsome Dick Manitoba, the wildly charismatic frontman of the legendary proto-punk outfit The Dictators. Along with his childhood best friend Scott Kempner, Andy Shernoff, Ross Friedman and Stu Boy King, The Dictators tore out of the gate with all the fuel-injected energy of the MC5, and absolutely demolished the stage with high octane live shows that were nothing short of legendary. Although not huge commercial successes, albums like Go Girl Crazy! and Manifest Destiny were instant classics and still sound as urgent and alive as they did over 40 years ago. So why weren't they commercial successes? I don't know. The Ramones had their leather jackets, and The New York Dolls had their sleazy glamour, but hook of The Dictators was a mystery? I mean, come on--a fevered cultural cauldron of cars, girls, television, and raging weekends, The Dictators' hook was simple: it was an adrenalized and fevered vision of the modern world, simplified into three minute blasts of feral punk wrath. But it was also funny. A big Jewish flex of humor and irony, The Dictators weren't messing around about messing around. They were enjoying themselves. Using an updated blast of Borscht Belt comedy with youthful frustration, The Dictators weren't a high concept band--they were economical in their approach and somehow this went over a lot of people's heads and even though their members had nicknames like Top Ten or The Boss or... Handsome Dick Manitoba, they were taken literally and not ironically and the point of the fun was totally missed. They covered The Stooges and Sonny and Cher, they even took a gleeful stab at California Sun--not too shabby for kids from New York, Look, the songs are as timeless and anything The Ramones or The Dolls ever did, and their lack of massive success seems a huge generational oversight, but what can one do? The band dissolved like bands do, Handsome Dick later fronted Manitoba's Wild Kingdom, fronted a later iteration of The MC5 and is now playing under his own name with a killer band behind him. www.handsomedickmanitoba.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

"Anniversary" Abigail Lapell is one of the most arresting voices in modern music. The Canadian-born singer-songwriter has been on an undeniable winning streak since her 2011 debut album Survivor. She followed that up with stunners like 2017's Hide Nor Hair, 2022's Stolen Time and her brand new one Anniversary. We'll get to Anniversary in a second but before we do, here are a few things to know about Abigail. Aside from snaring honors like the Canadian Folk Music Award, the Colleen Peterson Songwriting Award, the Toronto-based musician has scored a Canadian folk radio #1, logged close to 50 million streams and been quietly forging a reputation as a heart-stopping live performer, knocking people out at SXSW, the Edmonton Folk Fest and POP Montreal. Her new album was recorded with Tony Dekker of the Great Lake Swimmers in a 200 year old church in Niagara on the Lake and it's a riveting listen. Filled with haunting percussion, musical precision, and folky finesse, Anniversary is one of the most achingly beautiful albums of the year. www.abigaillapell.com www.bombshellradio.com www.stereoembersmagazine.com www.alexgreenbooks.com Twitter: @emberseditor IG: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com