Stereo Embers: The Podcast

"Let Go" Formed by braintrust Sascha Konietzko in Germany and Paris in 1984, KMFDM got their start as a performance art project but it didn't take long for their propulsive industrial rhythms to establish them as one of the most dynamic bands around. Over the course of their career they've toured the world, sold millions of records and unleashed an uninterrupted string of classic albums like 1986's What Do You Know, Deutschland?, 1990's Naive, 2002's Attak and their brilliant new one Let Go. KMFDM's albums are always a blast of unbridled energy and Let Go is no exception--it's a dynamic blend of crunchy electronica, cascading metal riffs and lashing industrial beats and all combining to make one of the most ferociously danceable albums of 2024. As far as branding consistency goes, it gets no better than KMFDM, whose unmistakable and inimitable sleeves have been done by artist Aidan Brute Hughes, whose work captures the ferocious energy and belief system of the band. And what of that belief system? Well, let's just say it's a continued railing against oppression, censorship, war and violence. Not too shabby, right? Now, KMFDM are really a musical collective so they've had a revolving door of members; the Long Island-born singer Lucia Cifarelli joined the band in 2002 and close to 25 years later, she's still there. Married to Konietzko, the two have forged an enduring creative and romantic partnership. A singer of tremendous power and range, Cifarelli was the former singer of Drill, whose lone album for A&M in the '90s was one I listened to a lot. She's one of those performers who was put on this planet with instant artistic force--she sings with muscle and finesse and like a great baseball pitcher, the best way to describe her is as someone who's got the stuff. www.kmfdm.net www.luciacifarelli.com www.bombshellradio.com www.stereoembersmagazine.com www.alexgreenbooks.com X: @emberseditor IG: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

"Starting Over" With close to thirty albums under his belt, the Iowa-born Dan Bern is one of the great iron men of rock and roll. I guess he's kind of the Cal Ripken of modern music--why? Because he keeps showing up with high quality work. From albums like Fifty Eggs to to the newly re-mastered New American Language, Bern is one of the very best we have. His music is observational, clever and poignant, and it always comes with a melodic center that makes each number he writes more impossible resist than the last. He's collaborated with Emmylou Harris, opened for The Who, written songs for the movie Walk Hard, authored two books, recorded children's albums, created and hosted two podcasts, and painted countless portraits of sports figures. If you're getting the idea that Dan Bern is busy creating things you're right. Part traditionalist, part punk, Bern has proven over and over that he's one of the best and most durable songwriters on the planet. His 2001 album New American Language has been re-mastered and issued on vinyl for the first time and his new album is on the way. Glad to grab Dan for this chat in between his busy schedule.... www.danbern.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

"I See You" Led by the Bay Area born Destani Wolf, Destani's Piece is a sonic healing project whose compositions are lush and layered affairs, boasting rich textures that conjure vast heavenly landscapes. Filled with dreamy musical nuances--like rolling angelic harps, harmonic pianos and Wolf's otherworldly vocals, the music of Destani's Piece is reflective and meditative and each composition serves as a balm for a world, that, let's face it, can be a bit raw. The Grammy-nominated Wolf has emerged as a brilliant sonic architect and this music is restorative, comforting and healing. As for Wolf, she's been in the game since she was 15 and found herself playing live at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco. Since then, she's been packing her resume' with achievement after achievement. Her voice has been heard on over forty albums, and she's worked with everyone from John Cale to Bobby McFerrin to The Pharcyde. You've heard her on video games like Call of Duty, soundtracks like Disney's The Descendents, Kevin Hart's Laugh At My Pain and Fox's So You Think You Can Dance. She's traveled the globe singing for Cirque du Soleil, is a current member of Bobby McFerrin's MOTION and she collaborates and tours with the Bandaloop Aerial Dance Company. Keep in mind, this is just a partial list. But you get the idea. She's incredible. https://www.instagram.com/destanispiece 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

"Shane O'Mara Wore Mascara" Okay, so let's not be ridiculous--it's impossible to tell you a little bit about Lindy Morrison because there's so much to tell. But for the sake of time I'll condense what I can about this remarkable woman--just keep in mind this is a partial and very expurgated description of her accomplishments. My suggestion is that you read My Rock And Roll Friend, by Everything But the Girl's Tracey Thorn, who writes about her friendship with Morrison while offering a contextual explanation about why she's such an important musician, drummer and artist. The Sydney-born Morrison played in the all-female Aussie punk band Zero before joining the Go-Betweens in 1980. She was with the Go-Betweens until 1989, playing on such classic albums as Tallulah, Spring Hill Fair and 16 Lovers Lane. In addition to being a drummer, Morrison is an activist, a social worker and a humanitarian. She's worked on behalf of Aboriginal rights, women's rights and the rights of musicians with mild intellectual disabilities. Her extensive writing about gender issues in the music industry is peerless. She was awarded The Order of Australia Medal for services as a performer and advocate, and back in 2007 she was appointed as an Honorary Lifetime Member of the Music Council of Australia for her services assisting community music initiatives and guidance around performer's rights. She's a rockstar, yes, but she's also a rockstar as a person. Over the course of her career she's collaborated with everyone from Nikki Sudden to Nick Cave, and currently she's playing with Alex the Astronaut and the SnarskiCircusLindyBand with Rob Snarski of the Blackeyed Susans. Morrison is a subtle and smart drummer, whose sneaky percussive fills roll with rhythmic grace and steady muscle. And she's a blast to talk to--you're going to love her. www.robsnarski.bandcamp.com www.go-betweens.net www.bombshellradio.com www.alexgreenbooks.com www.stereoembersmagazine.com Twitter: @emberseditor IG: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

"Kindergarten Heart" Well, the Canadian singer/songwriter Shaina Hayes finished university and did what most graduates do--she started a farm. Ambitious? Of course it was--but Hayes, who was actually raised on a farm, was more than up for the challenge and spent her twenties tilling the land for her vegetable farm which was also a local CSA. The art of farming gave way to another art form--music. Hayes put out her debut album To Coax A Waltz in 2022 and two years later comes the follow-up Kindergarten Heart. A stirring blend of aching melancholia and gentle indie folk, Kindergarten Heart is powered by percussive rhythms and poetic flourishes that weave through each composition with hopeful elegance. It's truly beautiful work. And this is a lovely, lovely chat. www.shainahayes.bandcamp.com www.stereoembersmagazine.com (http://www.stereoembersmagazine.com) www.bombshellradio.com X: @emberseditor IG: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

"Natural Magick" Formed in the mid '90s in London, Kula Shaker emerged as one of the most dynamic and engaging musical acts around. Mixing psychedelia with traditional Indian music and pop, Kula Shaker tore it up right out of the gate, with their debut album K hitting #1 and making them immediate superstars. Over the course of their career they played Glastonbury, T in the Park, the V Festival, and they supported Oasis at their legendary Knebworth shows. Singer Crispian Mills is the grandson of the Academy Award Winning actor Sir John Mills and the son of director Roy Boulting and actress Hayley Mills, who you might remember from the 1961 film The Parent Trap. Mills got into ancient Sanskrit texts as a young man and carried their wisdom into his adulthood. He also got into psych music as well as The Doors. He's played with X-Ray Spex and appeared on the Prodigy's The Fat Of The Land album and when Kula Shaker were on hiatus, he played in a band called The Jeevas. Also, he's a writer and director; he wrote and helmed the Simon Pegg film A Fantastic Fear Of Everything and has other projects in the works. With Kula Shaker he's put out six marvelous albums, including K, Pilgrim's Progress, 1st Congregational Church of Eternal Love and Hugs and their brand new one, Natural Magick. A riveting return to form, Natural Magick finds the original Kula Shaker lineup reunited and the results are stunning--this album is an energetic blast of psych pop redolent with rich hooks, textured instrumentation and melodies galore. It's fabulous work. www.news.kulashaker.co.uk www.stereoembersmagazine.com www.bombshellradio.com (http://www.bombshellradio.com) www.alexgreenbooks.com (http://www.alexgreenbooks.com) Twitter: @embersditor IG: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com (mailto:editor@stereoembersmagazine.com)

"I Will Never Let You Down" Marcellus Hall has been doing so much, his resume it'll make you look at your resume and think What have I been doing? Let's back up: The Minnesota-born Marcellus Hall went to the Rhode Island school of design then moved to New York after graduating to form the band Railroad Jerk. Railroad Jerk put out four perfect albums for Matador, thought they recorded a fifth called Masterpiecemeal, that didn't come out but is available now on Bandcamp. After the band broke up, Hall formed White Hassle with Railroad Jerk's Dave Varenka, who were awesome and they put out a handful of brilliant albums like National Chain and Death of Song. After White Hassle called it a day in 2006, Hall put out phenomenal solo albums like The First Line, Afterglow and now his new one I Will Never Let You Down. But what about those ten years? You're probably still wondering. He's been illustrating. As an illustrator, Hall's work has appeared in The Atlantic, New York Magazine, Fortune and he's done several New Yorker covers. He did the weekly comic strip Bill Dogbreath that appeared in The Onion and Baltimore City paper, among others, and he illustrated books--lots of them, like Sherry North's Because You Are My Baby, Lee Bennet Hopkins' City I Love and Karma Wilson's The Cow Loves cookies. Keep in mind, this is a partial list. Another partial list: books that Hall wrote and illustrated, like Kaleidoscope City, Everyone Sleeps, Virtual Reality, and Multiplicity. As for his new album, it's a stunner. A breezy blend melodic muscle and musical finesse, this is an instant classic. Hall plays with a kind of freewheeling precision, and his songs are the kinds of songs you will carry with you for the rest of your life. Trust me. Have I ever let you down? Okay, maybe once or twice, but Marcellus Hall will never let you down. www.marcellushall.bandcamp.com www.marcellushall.com (http://www.marcellushall.com) 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

"Angles And Ordinary Men" Back in the late '90s Wendy Lands' debut album Angels and Ordinary Men landed on my desk in the form a package from Canada and I dove right in. Falling somewhere between Beth Orton's Trailer Park and Sade's Stronger Than Pride, the album was a revelation. It was soulful, it was atmospheric, it was melodic, it was rich, and it was filled with musical finesse and jazzy textures that made repeat listens more and more rewarding. So who is Wendy Lands and what in the devil has she been up to since her marvelous debut album? She's going to fill you in far better than I ever could, but let me give you some quick details: In the early '90s the Montreal-born, Toronto-raised Wendy Lands cut her musical teeth doing theatre adn playing in a pop band called Double Dare. Her debut album spawned two top 40 hits and landed her a Juno nomination for Best New Solo artist in 1997. She toured with Jann Arden, grabbed two Canadian Radio Music Award nominations and as a side hustle, she recorded a series of commercial voice overs. Remember that last bit...She moved to LA to be a songwriter, writing numbers with Paul Williams and Melissa Manchester, then moved back to Canada where she released two more fabulous albums Mumble and Altitude. This is a partial list, Wendy is going to fill in the blanks, but her main gig now is being a widely respected voice actor. Is there new music simmering? Of course there is, but I'll defer to her on that one, too. Look, Wendy Lands is wonderful. Her voice is smooth and stunning, her vocal poise is otherworldly and aside from her gifts behind the mic, she's one of the nicest people ever. www.wendylands.com (http://www.wendylands.com) www.bombshellradio.com www.stereoembersmagazine.com (http://www.stereoembersmagazine.com) www.alexgreenbooks.com (http://www.alegreenbooks.com) Twitter: @emberseditor IG: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

"Boom Boom Boom Bingo" Scruffy The Cat dominated the College Rock scene of the late '80s with a run of fabulous albums like Tiny Days and Moons of Jupiter, plus two stellar EPs High Octane Revival and Boom Boom Boom Bingo. If you don't have these four releases-get them. They're the most perfect blasts of rootsy indie pop you'll ever hear. The six member Boston outfit, which formed in '83 lasted just under a decade, breaking up in 1990. Over the course of their career they went Top 5 on the CMJ College Radio Charts, were played on MTV's 120 minutes, were critically lauded by pretty much everyone, including the Village Voice and The Chicago Tribune, cracked the Billboard Top 200 and toured with Los Lobos, The Replacements and Yo La Tengo. The six member Scruffy personnel consisted of Charlie Chesterman, Stephen Fredette, MacPaul Stanfield, Randall Lee Gibson IV, Stona Fitch and Burns Stanfield. Omnivore put out two great anthologies that celebrate the band's legacy and as far as alums go, Scruffy is down two men with the deaths of Chesterman and Gibson, but the music remains and it sounds as fresh as ever. As for Stephen Fredette, he's a marvelous and accomplished artist who did all the Scruffy covers, and he just had his first gallery show in the Boston area. And he's been working on some songs.... www.scruffythecat.com (http://www.scruffythecat.com) www.stereoembersmagazine.com (http://www.stereoembersmagazine.com) www.bombshellradio.com www.alexgreenbooks.com Stereo Embers Twitter: @emberseditor IG: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com (mailto:editor@stereoembersmagazine.com)

"Chaos And Wonder" Donnette Thayer went west for college and when the Colorado-born Thayer arrived at UC Davis with veterinary aspirations she found a thriving arts community that she fell right into. She'd played classical music growing up, but suddenly found herself fronting alternative bands like X-Men, The Veil and No Matter What. She guested on Game Theory's Blaze of Glory and then joined the band full-time in 1986. She was in the band for the Lolita Nation and Two Steps From The Middle Ages albums before she left in 1988. That same year she formed Hex with Steve Kilbey of The Church and put out two marvelous albums--the self-titled debut and the swooning follow up Vast Halos. Thayer put out a solo album called Chaos and Wonder and then what? Well, I'll have her fill in the gaps and bring you up to date. But let me say this about Donnette--her voice is a breathtaking blend of beauty and finesse and it swirls through the compositions with a beguiling and airy command. She's a marvelous musician and an absolutely lovely person. www.bombshellradio.com www.stereoembersmagazine.com www.alexgreenbooks.com www.embersarts.com Stereo Embers The Podcast Twitter: @emberseditor IG: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com