RiYL

By his own admission, George Lewis Jr. makes too much music. He describes it like an addition — referencing a folder on his desktop started in late 2019 with 150 song he confesses no one will likely ever hear. Of course, there’s plenty has shared, as a producer, songwriter and, most notably, as Twin Shadow. After a move to Brooklyn, the project began in earnest with 2010’s release of Forget, which put Lewis on the map with a unique stamp on the synth-pop genre. Twin Shadow has release three additional LPs, culminating with 2018’s Caer, a more somber approach penned as the musician recovered from a bus accident that left him temporarily unable to play. In July, Twin Shadow will deliver its fifth self-titled LP, which finds Lewis returning to some surprising roots for a joyous return to form.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The third in a trilogy, For My Mama And Anyone Who Look Like Her is McKinley Dixon’s most personal and deeply-felt work to date. The musician has taken in new experiences and explored new sounds, all while looking to explore stories that don’t get told nearly enough on record. Like much of Dixon’s work, the album sets thoughtful hip-hop verses to live jazz instrumentation. It’s electric and vibrant the way the best hip-hop albums are. Ahead of the LP’s release, Dixon joined us to discuss his history, recent stint as a farm hand and where he seeing jazz-hip-hop heading into the future.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There are all manner of reasons The Secret to Superhuman Strength was eight years in the making. For one, Alison Bechdel was dealing with the rather surreal experience of watching her book, Fun Home, be adapted into a successful Broadway musical (soon to be a major motion picture). There was also the matter of turning 60, which the cartoonist did last year — a perfect beat on which to end a book broken down by decades of her life. Perhaps the most time intensive part of the process, however, was funding the right hook. For Fun Home, it was reading list of her father’s favorite books. For the subsequent graphic novel, Are You My Mother?, it was the work of psychoanalyst Donald Winnicott. In her latest, Bechdel explores her own lifelong fascination with fitness. As the first book written after the passing of both of her parents, the author takes center stage in ways she hasn’t necessarily allowed herself in previous works. The subsequent story is both an exploration about identity and meditation on growing old.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the conversation winds down, I go grab my painting off the wall for the artist to describe. It’s a rare opportunity. It’s also the second time in a month that I’ve done this on Zoom call, following a recent one with friends where we all realized we had Keenes on our wall. In certain circles, Steve Keene’s work has become a fixture. A generation discovered the artist through his cover paintings for bands like Pavement, The Apples in Stereo and the Silver Jews — realizing that he work could be purchased in bulk through his website. In a medium where seemingly everything has been attempted over the course of thousands of years, Keene pioneered a unique niche, with a form of mass production that has generated more than 300,000 works over the course of his career. The Steve Keene Art Book: Live from Subliminal Projects LA, CA is an effort to catalog a fascinating career. The art book — which is the first of Keene’s long career — is currently seeking funding on Kickstarter.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As a second generation harpist, Mary Lattimore may have been born to play the instrument. After picking up the instrument at 11 and studying at the Eastman School of Music, however, she began to forge her own path with the instrument. A stint in Philadelphia found the music integrating into the indie rock scene, adapting a traditionally classical instrument to accompany the likes of Kurt Vile and later Superchunk’s  Mac McCaughan and Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore. Since 2013, Lattimore has released a quartet of solo records, including, most recently, last year’s Silver Ladders, recorded over nine days in Cornwall by Slowdive’s Neil Halstead. Lattimore sat down to discuss her evolving approach to the instrument, which included a recent Bandcamp-released ambient track designed to help listeners get some rest during the pandemic.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As much as anything, Time Between is an opportunity to reflect on a remarkable career. It’s one that found a young Chris Hillman falling in love with country and bluegrass, playing his way up the ranks and landings a gig as the bass player for an up-and-coming L.A. band called, the Byrds.  The musician is every bit as modest in conversation as he is in his memoir. He’ll be the first to admit that he had no idea how to play the instrument when he took over duties for bandmate, David Crosby. But the young player knew talent — and opportunity when he saw it. In this brief conversation, we discuss Hillman’s time with the band and subsequent projects, including the Flying Burrito Brothers, featuring fellow recent Byrds expat, Gram Parsons. The musician discusses his reluctance to become a frontman, the lifelong process of learning the mandolin and why bands don’t last forever.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last March, Amazon announced that the Kids in the Hall would be returning to television sketch com after 25 years. The troupe never really broke up — or at least not for long. In the intervening years, the quintet made a movie, toured North America and in 2008, released the miniseries, Death Comes to Town. The new show will return the troupe to the sketch comedy it has been performing since the mid-80s. Delayed due to the pandemic, writing for the series has already begun — albeit largely at a social distance. Ahead of the show’s return, Kevin McDonald joins us to discuss the series history and return — and how KITH is adapting its material for a changing world.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 2017, Josh Radnor entered the music world in earnest with a major assist from Australian indie-popper, Ben Lee. After two records as Radnor and Lee, he stepped out alone for the first time this year with a solo EP. Paired down down 15-17 songs, One More Then I’ll Let You Go is named in honor of a particularly fruitful period in Radnor’s burgeoning songwriting career. It’s a new world for Radnor, an actor know for TV roles like How I Met Your Mother and Hunters, who has also made a name for himself as a director with the films Happythankyoumoreplease and Liberal Arts. In this wide ranging interview, Radnor discusses music, gratitude and the role meditation and ayahuasca have played in his creative efforts.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Relative Fiction finds Nicole Georges returning to familiar territory. Eight years after the release of her book, Calling Dr. Laura, the podcast miniseries serves as both a followup and expansion to that deeply personal work. In both, the cartoonist explores the story of a father she grew up believing was dead. Following a tip from a psychic, she discovered the truth about her family and began exploring the stories about a parent she never knew. Narrated by Georges, the mini-series features interviews with family members, as she works to unravel greater mysteries about herself and her family. The show is her second podcast, following her advice show, Sagittarian Matters. Georges returns to the show to discuss freelance life, making personal work and finding love during quarantine.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s a perfect rock and roll story, and Butch Vig swears it’s true. The day that Kurt Cobain died is the day same day he met future bandmate Shirley Manson. Some things are just meant to be, perhaps. It was a profound turning point for the producer’s career. One of the era’s most successful producers going on to form one of the decade’s most popular rock bands, Garbage. These days, Vig continues to serve as a producer for some of rock’s biggest names, from the Foo Fighters to Silverspun Pickups. Last year, Vig reunited with his supergroup, 5 Billion in Diamonds, to release the band’s second LP, Divine Accidents.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.