RiYL

The pandemic found Lou Barlow enamored with a surprising new creative outlet. The musician took to social media like Instagram and YouTube, playing songs, performing covers and celebrating holidays with his young family. In one video, he’s dressed as the Easter Bunny. In another, he’s covering the Paw Patrol theme with his own lyrics. It’s a side of the Sebadoh/Folk Implosion/Dinosaur Jr. musician few have seen. Released in May, the fourth solo record under his own name (though, the counting is a bit tricky) Reason to Live finds the singer settling into a warm domestic life that mirrors those recent videos.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Thirteen is a long time for any act to go between albums. That’s not to say that Johnny Brennan hadn’t kept busy in the meantime. The years included plenty of voice over work — including, most notably, a regular gig on Family Guy, courtesy of long-time fan, Seth MacFarlane. The Jerky Boys, too (Brennan is quick to point out) stuck around as well, soldiering on after the departure of collaborator, Kamal Ahmed. Last year’s self-titled eighth album finds the brand returning to prank phone calls, a medium that catapulted the group to the status of pop culture phenomenon, hitting its apex with major motion picture in 1995.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In June of last year, Chris Carrabba’s motorcycle crashed. It was another terrible event in a year of them. A handful of months after the pandemic engulfed the U.S., the singer embarked on a series of surgeries and rehab. The world had thrown another wrench into what should have been a triumphant year for Dashboard Confessional. To mark its 20th anniversary, the group planned a tour, greatest hits album and reissues, only to be cut short by the pandemic. This year, has found Carrabba finding his way back, starting with virtual shows and culminating with the announcement of an unplugged tour that kicks off in September. In this candid conversation, Carrabba discusses the challenges he’s dealt with in returning to music.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s clear that Pell is calling in from a hotel room. He’s back in Los Angeles, wearing a Dodgers hat to match his former adopted home. Like so many, however, the pandemic brought the importance of home into stark relief for the rapper/producer. This latest trip to Southern California mostly involves moving some belongings and tying up some loose ends. The past year has found Pell sharing the spotlight as part of the Glbl Wrmng collective, fostering creativity in their hometown and raising awareness for causes like climate change. The group, like Pell himself, wear their allegiance to their roots on their sleeve, as evidenced by the hook of their first single, 504, “I'm out that 504, that's my home / Ain’t no need to ask, they know what I'm on / Baby I'm NOLA grown” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This January, Chris Murphy was diagnosed with Bell’s Palsy. Later that month, the Sloan bassist posted a photo on Instagram, stating, in part,  "It’s a drag but it could be worse. I have a great doctor who is on top of my treatment. Of course, I hope I get better. If I had to sum up my feelings in a facial expression, it’s the one I have." It summed up the musician’s general approach to things — self-deprecated, a little jokey and mostly positive in dealing a genuinely scary situation. It wasn’t long before Murphy was performing again for an online audience, as the pandemic continued to make live performance impossible. Above all, Murphy possesses a devotion to a devoted fanbase that has stayed devoted to the Canadian rock band through 30 years and a dozen albums. The musician joined us to discuss Sloan’s journey, his side project Tuns and dealing with facial paralysis during an already horrible year.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In February, Steve Lukather released I Found The Sun Again. The guitarist’s eight solo album arrived alongside an LP by Joseph Williams, featuring heavy contributions the Toto singer, along with bandmate David Paich. Lukather and Paich have maintained constants across the band’s 44 year history (though the latter has been forced to retire from touring over health-related reasons). It’s a timeline that’s seen ups and downs, but has managed to maintain a loyal international fanbase as many contemporaries have faded away. In this interview, Lukather discusses solo work, the band’s staying power and how he learned to love the yacht rock label.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A quarterly of reissues from Drawn & Quarterly has offered a fresh opportunity to reexamine King Cat. Not that there’s every a bad time to revisit John Porcellino’s work. The cartoonist has self-published nearly 80 issues of the series over the past 32 years. The black and white mini comic remains both deeply influential and extremely singular, built from a DIY ethos that informs all of his work, including the Spit and a Half comics distro, which dates back nearly as far. Porcellino’s work is hailed for its deeply personal subject matter, coupled with simple line work that distills images down to only the most necessary markings.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

[Spotty audio warning] Released in February, The Pahrump Report chronicles Lisa Carvers years in the titular Nevada City. A strange town in the desert some 90 minutes outside of Las Vegas, the writer found her new home on something of a whim. When we caught up, Carver had already left the town for other locations in Nevada and was planing an escape to Africa. Pahrump, for all of its magic — and, perhaps, even god — had worn out its welcome. Her kids having grown, the artist of several books and zines, musician and sometimes performance artist, Carver continues to find new ways to reinvent herself. In this breezy conversation, the artist occasionally known as Lisa Suckdog, talks Art Bell, religion and a longtime love of G.G. Allin.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The past few years found her trying something new — or, rather, old. With a pair cover albums, Juliana Hatfield first tackled the song of Olivia Newton-John and the then Police — both to rave reviews. Earlier this month, the singer-songwriter released a new solo album — her 19th. Titled Blood, the LP explores the divisiveness and psychological tole the last four years have had on much of the American psyche. Limited by the pandemic, Hatfield recorded much of the audio at home, adding overdubs and mixing at a nearby studio. The result is the emotionally raw and sometimes aurally abrasive work of an artist still breaking new ground more than 30 years after making studio debut as a member of the Blake Babies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Released in 2020, And Now, Sir — Is This Your Missing Gonad features familiar faces from Jim Woodring’s Frank universe. As ever, the artist’s masterfully fine-tuned art marries the precious with the horrific, but this time further obfuscates meaning with the addition of seemingly random captions. More than 30 years after first putting frank to paper is his self-published mini comic, Jim, Woodring continues to push the boundaries of his bipedal, buck-toothed funny animal creation. The new work —heightens a sense of surreality the artist has cultivated for decades.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.