Stereo Embers: The Podcast

"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 Twitter: @emberseditor IG: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

"When We Rise" Over the course of her career, the New York born Jess Klein has put out nearly fifteen perfect albums. From her Rykodisc debut Draw Them Near in 2000 to other winning entries like 2006's City Garden and 2014's Learning Faith, Klein has demonstrated she's a singer/songwriter of tremendous strength and heart. Blessed with a natural penchant to write hook-filled songs with burning emotional center and big scruffy hearts, her new album When We Rise is another winning entry in her brilliant discography. Redolent with hope, resolve and stability in a world that doesn't stop shaking, When We Rise is a rousing call to arms--from the defiant "You're Never Gonna Break Me" to the stirring "Safe Harbor," this album is a blast of sonic comfort that's fiery, affecting and reviving. www.jessklein.com www.bombshellradio.com www.stereoembersmagazine.com www.embersarts.com www.alexgreenbooks.com Stereo Embers Twitter: @emberseditor IG: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

"Continuance" Don't feel bad if Joey Alexander's resume' makes you feel inferior about your childhood achievements. We all feel that way. The Indonesian born pianist taught himself to play at age 6 and was flawlessly covering Thelonious Monk before he was in 1st grade. Because of the paucity of jazz opportunities at home, Alexander sat in with the top jazz players in Bali and Jakarta. At 8 he played for Herbie Hancock, at 9 he won the Grand Prix at the 2013 Master Jam Fest in Odessa and by 10 his family had moved to New York City so Alexander could have more playing opportunities. After catching the attention of Wynton Marsalis, Alexander made his U.S. debut at Marsalis' annual gala playing Monk's Round Midnight and the next day, nothing was the same. Hailed as a genius by the New York Times and Downbeat Magazine, from there Alexander's career took off. He's played for ex Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, snagged a Grammy nomination, put out six perfect albums, including his new one Continuance, played shows all over the world from Copenhagen to Montreal to the Apollo Theatre in Harlem, and he was nominated as Music Scholar by the T. Washington Scholars Program. Bear in mind, this is just a partial list. At 20, Alexander is now more than just a prodigy--he's a bandleader. And Continuance is a perfect example of his maturity as a player. Filled with arrangements that are windswept, jaunty and achingly precise, Alexander's talent is one of those rare and expansive things. He's commanding, he's elegant and he's got the kind of rhythmic finesse that comes from the Cosmos, so it's no surprise that Continuance rolls with majesty and grace. www.joeyalexandermusic.net www.bombshellradio.com www.stereoembersmagazine.com www.embersarts.com www.alexgreenbooks.com Twitter: @emberseditor IG: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

"Ozark Symphony" Born in Memphis into a musical family, Kelly Hunt grew up listening to classical, folk and Delta Blues. She sang in the choir and played the piano, but it was the five-string banjo that stole her heart. Hunt was both a traditionalist and a modernist, blending old-time picking with her own brand of improvisation. After graduating from college she explored farming, the visual arts and French breadmaking and then she settled in Kansas City and got to work on the songs that would make up her debut album Even The Sparrow. Even The Sparrow is a stunner of a debut, garnering a nomination for the International Folk Music Award. Her sophomore effort Ozark Symphony ups the ante' and makes the case that Hunt might very well be one of the most spellbinding forces in folk music. Summoning philosophy, poetry and the legacies and stories of the American South, Ozark Symphony brings to mind Joni Mitchell, Walt Whitman and Rhiannan Giddens. From the soaring glory of Top Of The World to the gentle percussion of On The Bayou, Ozark Symphony is a stunner. The songs are played with precision and finesse and the lilting melodies and achingly beautiful hooks are emotionally exact. Now, I've interviewed Jesse Malin while he was running errands, Xavier Boyle from Tahiti 80 talked to me while he was on a date, and Kelly Hunt? Well, she did this whole interview on a swing. Seriously. So let's swing!! http://www.kellyhuntmusic.com http://www.compassrecords.com www.bombshellradio.com www.stereoembersmagazine.com www.embersarts.com Twitter: @emberseditor IG: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

"Get Me To A Nunnery" The Hawaii-born, Wisconsin-raised Heather Lynne Horton has a lot of stories to tell and because she's a born storyteller, she does so with the perfect blend of humor, hi-jinx and self-deprecation. We'll let her tell you those stories, but in the meantime, we'll offer this quick version of who she is. After college she hit Minneapolis in search of the mythical Prince and then landed in Chicago where she met her real life prince, singer/songwriter Michael McDermott. She plays fiddle and sings backup in McDermott's band and the two also had the fabulous side project The Westies. Her first solo album Postcard Saturdays came out in 2012, which was followed by Don't Mess With Mrs. Murphy in 2018. Although it took nearly six years for the follow-up Get Me To A Nunnery to hit shelves, it was well worth the wait. A moving and stirring song cycle that brings to mind Beth Orton, Sinead Lohan and 1,000 Kisses-era Patty Griffin, Get Me To The Nunnery is redolent with strength, vulnerability, humor and darkness. Horton's phrasing is emotionally precise and each syllable lands with finesse and grace. It's a top to bottom a perfect album and this conversation is so much fun. She's a character--you're going to love her. www.heatherhortonmusic.com www.bombshellradio.com (http://www.bombshellradio.com) www.embersarts.com (http://www.embersarts.com) www.stereoembersmagazine.com (http://www.stereoembersmagazine.com) www.alexgreenbooks.com (http://www.alexgreenbooks.com) Twitter: @emberseditor IG: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

"Heart Like Thunder" The Colorado-born, Brooklyn-based Hallie Spoor is a true artist. And she's a true athlete. And she knows that to be either one of those things, you've got to put in the reps. Trust me when I tell you, Spoor has put in the reps.The trained opera singer and former collegiate soccer player is well aware of the hard work that's needed to hit a note that carries to the clouds or kick a soccer ball that soars right alongside it. Hallie Spoor's voice is wondrous, elegant and filled with limitless beauty. Her new long player and her fourth overall, is Heart Like Thunder and it's nothing short of spellbinding. Bringing to mind everyone from to Nina Simone to Beth Orton, Spoor's vocal command is a cascading blend of power and grace and her compositions are moving blends of indie folk and rolling jazz.  www.halliespoormusic.com www.bombshellradio.com www.embersarts.com www.stereoembersmagazine.com www.alexgreenbooks.com Twitter: @emberseditor IG: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

"Summer of No Light" The Philadelphia-raised Kip Berman had a musical life before he was the Natvral and that life could be found in his band The Pains of Being Pure At Heart. The beloved New York outfit was around for a little over a decade, calling it a day in 2019 after four perfect albums of indie pop that brought to mind everyone from Aztec Camera to Belle and Sebastian. Berman's 2021 debut as The Natural was the scorching beauty of an album called Tethers, which, for those of you keeping score, was my favorite album of the year. His sophomore album Summer Of No Light is a straight-up killer. It's got all the howl of Basement Tapes era-Dylan and the raw pop smarts of early Dream Syndicate, and it's one of those records that grabs you from the beginning, leaving you mesmerized by its raw and tender power. I love this album. It's somehow feral and polished and it's filled with the most achingly lovely hooks you'll hear all year. www.thenatvral.bandcamp.com www.bombshellradio.com www.stereoembersmagazine.com www.embersarts.com Twitter: @emberseditor IG: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

"Messages To God" The New Zealand-born Sarah Mary Chadwick fronted the deliciously feral post-Grunge outfit Batrider in the early 2000s. She made her first solo foray with the riveting 2012 album Eating For Two and from there she’s moved from strength to strength with records like Please Daddy and Me And Ennui are Friends, Baby. Her new one Messages To God is nothing short of stunning. An aching blend of Jonathan Richman, Mark E. Smith of The Fall and Rid Of Me-era PJ Harvey, Chadwick has never sounded better. The album is spare and savagely beautiful featuring brilliant songs like Shitty Town and I Felt Things In New Zealand. Chadwick’s raw emotional precision is singular and stunning and she’s one of our favorite musicians ever. IG: @sarahmarychadwick https://sarahmarychadwick.bandcamp.com/music www.killrockstars.com IG: @killrockstarsofficial www.bombshellradio.com www.embersarts.com www.stereoembersmagazinee.com Twitter: @emberseditor IG: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

"Entelechy" The work of the Ohio-born Sandy Bell is pure magic. I guess by now, you're getting the feeling I'm a big admirer of what she does. But the work that we're talking about which is so effortless and beautiful, was hard-fought and the journey to get where we are today with Sandy's songs, was fraught with some pretty heavy stuff. We'll let her tell you all about that, but along the way, she went West as many do, and along the way found herself writing songs with Jeff Buckley, which many....don't. She also fronted a band that was on the cusp of some potential '90s glory before she ghosted them, and as she dug her heels into L.A. life, she was also battling deeply serious addiction issues and for a while slipped way off the grid and was living off Hollywood Blvd and grappling with demons that were in a full-time flex of trying to destroy her. But they didn't. Moving to New York with her partner and producer Jeff Lipstein, Bell was revived, rejuvenated and ready to be the artist she was meant to. Her first album When I Leave Ohio is a stone cold stunner--it has the stillness of a Hopper painting and all the raw loneliness of Nick Drake. The follow up, Entelechy, which is a phrase borrowed from Aristotle, which refers to ‘’That which realizes or makes actual what is otherwise merely potential," is, quite simply, one of the best records you'll ever hear. Atmospheric, mesmeric and emotive, Entelechy is a textured song cycle that explores devastation and darkness with the probing eye of a philosopher and the atmospheric lens of a filmmaker. In other words, think David Lynch collaborating with Plato on music that sounds like Karen Dalton fronting the Bad Seeds. It's regenerative, restorative, terrifying, comforting and powered by an enormous heart that beats with hope. Sandy has collaborated with everyone from Rachel Yamagata to Bat For Lashes and now, she's collaborating with us. www.sandybell.com (http://www.sandybell.com) www.bombshellradio.com (http://www.bombshellradio.com) www.stereoembersmagazine.com (http://www.stereoembersmagazine.com) www.embersarts.com (http://www.embersarts.com) Twitter: @emberseditor Instagram: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

"Face To Face" Although she got her start behind the drum kit playing for her dad's band, the Detroit-born Suzi Quatro taught herself how to play bass so she could be in her sister's band, The Pleasure Seekers. She moved to England at 21 and released a string of rather massive albums like her 1973 self-titled debut and the searing Your Mamma Won't Like Me in 1975. A pioneering presence in the pop world, Quatro influenced everyone from Joan Jett to Chrissie Hynde to the Talking Heads' Tina Weymouth. A global superstar with over 50 million albums sold, Quatro's CV is a wealth of riches. Here are just a few of her highlights: She toured with Slade and Thin Lizzy, headlined the 'Girls Night Out' at the Isle of Wight Festival, won a handful of Bravo Otto awards, appeared on Happy Days as rocker Leather Tuscadero, was awarded the Icon Award by the Women's International Music Network, was inducted to the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame, received an honorary doctorate in music from Anglia Ruskin University and appeared as Annie Oakley in a London production of Annie Get Your Gun and friends. The singer/songwriter is a stone cold legend and her music is filled with melodic muscle and harmonic smarts. Her new album, a joint effort with Scottish singer/songwriter KT Tunstall is an instant classic. Titled Face To Face, it's a stirring song cycle that's reflective, confessional, tough and tender and catchy as hell. It's a perfect album that's an end to end delight. www.suziquatro.com www.bombshellradio.com (http://www.bombshellradio.com) Stereo Embers www.stereoembersmagazine.com www.embersarts.com Twitter: @emberseditor IG: @emberspodcast