RiYL artwork

RiYL

665 episodes - English - Latest episode: 3 months ago - ★★★★★ - 57 ratings

Recommended if You Like: longform conversation with musicians, cartoonists, writers and other creative types.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Arts interview music comics alternative comics indie rock literature
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Episodes

Episode 626: Will Butler (Sister Squares, Arcade Fire)

December 17, 2023 20:42 - 50 minutes - 40.1 MB

When the time came to put out a new record, Will Butler formed a band. Comprised of the group he’d toured with for his 2015 debut, Policy, Will Butler and Sister Squares released a 14 track self-titled album that is as reflective as is it is danceable. It’s the work of a mature artist, propelled by his two decades playing alongside older brother, Win, in the critically-acclaimed Arcade Fire. Butler joins us fresh off a long run in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park. Transcript available here. Hosted...

Episode 625: Chris Oliveros

December 10, 2023 11:35 - 45 minutes - 36.5 MB

In 1989, a 23-year-old Chris Oliveros founded a quarterly publication that grew into one of the world’s most respect independent comics publishers. In 2015, he left the company after 25 years, in order to focus on his own work. Oliveros released The Envelope Manufacturer the following year, chronicling the titular character’s financial and mental struggles in a changing world. Earlier this year, D&Q released Are You Willing to Die for the Cause?, which delves into a fascinating an oft-overloo...

Episode 624: Jack Tatum (Wild Nothing)

December 04, 2023 19:12 - 48 minutes - 44.8 MB

In 2019, Jack Tatum and his wife made the move from Los Angeles to Virginia. As timing goes, the decision couldn't have been better, as they rode out the pandemic with considerably more space. Since then, the couple have had a son, a factor that weighs heavily on the themes of his latest, Hold. The album is his fifth as Wild Nothing, and his first fully self-produced record since 2010's Gemini. Tatum discusses his creative process and using music to work through pain. Transcript available her...

Episode 623: Joshua Cotter

November 30, 2023 15:52 - 50 minutes - 40.7 MB

A few months ago, Joshua Cotter did something difficult: he asked for help. Social media posts detailing the number of copies his Nod Away series have sold struck a chord. If a supremely talented artist like Cotter can’t make a living at comics, what hope does anyone else have? Over the years, Cotter has crafted many excellent works, including Skyscrapers of the Midwest and Driven by Lemons. Those two titles have taken on a special meaning for the cartoonist, after being diagnosed with neurod...

Episode 622: Kevin Hearn (of Barenaked Ladies)

November 26, 2023 13:21 - 39 minutes - 32.2 MB

Few bands reach the status of “institution.” It’s a qualifier that has applied to Barenaked Ladies for several decades now. Multi-instrumentalist Kevin Hearn has been a part of that journey since 1995, joining prior to the one-two punch of Born of a Pirate Ship and Stunt, the latter of which catapulted the already-popular band into the stratosphere. Hearn’s professional career stretches back further, to the late-80s, when he joined Toronto’s legendary Look People. Transcript available here. ...

Episode 621: Zia McCabe (of the Dandy Warhols)

November 20, 2023 13:58 - 53 minutes - 37.8 MB

Last night was a late one – a big show at Pappy and Harriets in Pioneertown, California, followed by the inevitable after party. Zia McCabe dials in from the passenger seat of the tour bus, slightly worse for wear, but sharp as ever. After nearly 30 years, the Dandy Warhols know the road like few others – and like even fewer, they’re still committed to bringing it every night. McCabe joins us to discuss her journey with the band, family and life in real estate. Hosted on Acast. See acast.co...

Episode 620: Jaime Wyatt

November 12, 2023 14:46 - 40 minutes - 30.9 MB

"World Worth Keeping" is a joyful song of existential crisis, celebrating a planet as it stares down the face of climate change. It's a perfect microcosm of its creator's work, at once serious and playful, with a country twang and a great hook. Jaime Wyatt hasn't always had the easiest existence, dealing with substance abuse and a stint in jail, but she's emerged from the other side confident, proud, as a rising star in the country world. Transcript available here. Hosted on Acast. See aca...

Episode 619: Riley Black

November 08, 2023 17:41 - 1 hour - 54.7 MB

Sixty-six million years ago, roughly three-quarters of the Earth’s plants and animals went extinct. As Riley Black notes, such deaths happened almost instantaneously. Those who survived asteroid impact perished shortly after. The Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event is the cheery topic that forms the basis of Black’s best-selling, The Last Days of the Dinosaurs. She joins us to discuss her path to paleontology and the experience navigating the field as a trans woman. Transcript available her...

Episode 618: Neil Gust (of Heatmiser, No. 2)

November 02, 2023 16:34 - 57 minutes - 43.4 MB

The Music of Heatmiser affords the titular band an occasion to step outside their own large shadow. It's an opportunity to judge the group on its own merit, beyond simply serving as a launchpad for its most famous member. College friends Neil Gust and Elliott Smith serve as the songwriting forces behind the Portland act, whose unreleased recordings appear on the new Third Man record. After Heatmister's rise and quick dissolution, Gust founded No. 2. More recently, he made a second career as a...

Episode 617: Josh Radnor

October 29, 2023 20:32 - 48 minutes - 40.4 MB

A dozen different songs about death. That's how one arrives at a title like Eulogy Volume 1. But not all deaths are equal. Some are metaphorical, representing a new beginning. Josh Radnor's first solo album finds him operating without the accomplished musical safety net that is longtime collaborator, Ben Lee. The actor/musician joins us to discuss relationships, psychedelics and the wisdom of middle age. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 616: Nick Thorburn (of Islands and the Unicorns)

October 25, 2023 11:06 - 50 minutes - 39.6 MB

This month marks 20 years since the Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone? The Unicorns' sophomore album is a singular triumph for a group that was clearly too beautiful to live. But it didn't take Nick Thorburn long to regroup after his seminal high school band imploded. There have been countless musical projects along the way, but Islands stands the tallest as longest tenured, most brilliant and best among them. The band returns this year with And That's Why Dolphins Lost Their Legs, the ...

Episode: 615: Jeremiah Fraites (of The Lumineers)

October 22, 2023 17:05 - 51 minutes - 37.2 MB

Northern (Redux) began as something altogether different. The planned record length cover of Taylor Deupree’s 2006 ambient album became a collaboration. Jeremiah Fraites brought Dupree into the projects to reimagine the original, with the Lumineers cofounder behind the piano. It was a departure from Fraites’ solo debut Piano Piano, but both projects are united as radically different works than his immensely popular alternative folk band. He joins us to discuss his distinct musical journeys. ...

Episode 614: Roger Eno

October 18, 2023 13:16 - 50 minutes - 38 MB

Sitting in the backseat of an Uber on the way home from a three week work trip, I tossed The Skies, They Shift Like Chords on my music player. “Centering” is the first word that comes to mind. A few minutes in, and your blood pressure starts to drop. Roger Eno has been an expert at centering for decades, constantly refining his music and distilling it to the fewest viable parts. The composer joins us to discuss his long career in music. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more inform...

Episode 613: Kristin Hersh (of Throwing Muses and 50 Foot Wave)

October 15, 2023 12:58 - 42 minutes - 31.4 MB

Some artists prefer to "let the art speak for themselves." It's a stance I respect, but hope to never encounter during an interview. Kristin Hersh, on the other hand, is an open book. The musician has faced adversity head on, and chronicled it great detail through memoir. It's a breath of fresh air -- particularly from an artists whose work stands on its own, several times over, as the founder of Throwing Muses, 50 Foot Wave and nearly a dozen solo albums. Her latest, Clear Pond Road, arrived...

Episode 612b: Daniel Clowes again

October 13, 2023 10:03 - 38 minutes - 30.3 MB

Several months before the release of Monica, I spoke with Daniel Clowes for a magazine feature. I consider this a kind of companion piece to our more recent conversation, digging deeper into his latest book and the stories behind it. I hope you get something out of it, too. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 612a: Daniel Clowes

October 13, 2023 10:00 - 50 minutes - 40.4 MB

With a few days between book tour dates, Daniel Clowes is decompressing in his Bay Area home. It had been a few months since we’d spoken for a magazine piece – a perfect time to reflect on the critical acclaim surrounding his latest book, Monica. It’s a deeply personal book in a number of ways, inspired by his mother who passed during the several years it took to craft. It’s also a welcome return for one of the finest cartoonists of his generation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for...

Episode 611: Norman Blake (of Teenage Fanclub)

October 11, 2023 18:19 - 53 minutes - 41 MB

For 34 years, Teenage Fanclub has remained remarkably consistent, both in terms of lineup and quality. Emerging from the Glasgow scene at the tail end of the 80s, the band’s 11 records maintain a level of quality matched by remarkably few. The streak continues with the Ominously Named Nothing Last Forever, which arrived this September. The album embraces heavy topics, like aging and loss, all while maintaining a knack for writing a great pop song. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for ...

Episode 610: Jerry Harrison (of The Modern Lovers and Talking Heads)

October 10, 2023 13:08 - 38 minutes - 28.3 MB

As a member of both the Modern Lovers and Talking Heads, Jerry Harrison has had a profound impact of rock music. Along with his solo work, he’s also produced some of equally influential acts, including the Violent Femmes, General Public and the Bogmen. Harrison took at extended break from touring, following the end of the David Byrne-free trio, The Heads. His LinkedIn tells the story of a successful businessman, including – most recently – cofounding equity crowdfunding platform, RedCrow. The...

Episode 609: Avey Tare (of Animal Collective)

October 08, 2023 11:59 - 56 minutes - 44.8 MB

Knowing full well that I've become the interviewer who asks about album names, I can't help but draw a parallel between Isn't it Now and Ram Daas. There's truth in the comparison, stemming from the band's evolving approach to music and the simple act of existing in the world. But there are countless other meanings to extract from those three words. Few things are as simple as they appear in Animal Collective land. David "Avey Tare" Portner joins us to discuss life inside and outside an ever e...

Episode 608: Ibrahim Maalouf

October 05, 2023 22:33 - 51 minutes - 39.8 MB

For some musicians, touring is a strange dichotomy. In him home of France, Ibrahim Maalouf plays stadiums. It’s a different vibe here in the States where he finds himself playing to a few hundred, in spite of last year’s Grammy nomination. The Lebanon-born musician was up for the award courtesy of Queen of Sheba, his reent collaboration with Angélique Kidjo. Maalouf joins us to discuss how he came to love the trumpet. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 607: Jon Lajoie (of Wolfie’s Just Fine)

October 03, 2023 19:24 - 1 hour - 53.7 MB

The first Wolfie's Just Fine album arrived in 2016. I Remembered, But Then I Forgot marked a major shift in Jon Lajoie’s music, toward more earnest songwriting.He admits to an initial hesitation. After all, Lajoie built a career around comedy songs, going on to star as Taco in FX’s beloved series, The League. The move worked. An EP arrived in 2018, followed by Everyone Is Dead Except Us, which arrived this summer. Lajoie joins us from a truck to discuss his unique trajectory. Hosted on Acas...

Episode 606: Shakey Graves

October 02, 2023 10:59 - 52 minutes - 41.3 MB

Soundtracking a movie was a perfect opportunity to flex new songwriting muscles. As is often the case in life, however, things went nowhere near according to plan. There's not a lot you can do when you and the director don't see eye to eye. But Alejandro Rose-Garcia found opportunity amid frustration. Movie of the Week finds Shakey Graves embarking on his own imaginary film soundtrack, courtesy of AI and endless remixing. It's a perfect outlet for an artist who is every bit as restless as his...

Episode 605: Laurie Berkner

October 01, 2023 10:57 - 59 minutes - 50 MB

Play children’s music long enough and something peculiar starts to happen: your fans start having kids of their own. A quarter century after releasing her album, Laurie Berkner is a veritable music institution. She’s racked up more than one million streams and 350 YouTube videos – but most importantly, her work has engaged multiple generations. Berkner joins us to discuss her start and musical growth over the decades. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 604: Rina Ayuyang

September 30, 2023 14:33 - 59 minutes - 45.3 MB

Set during the first year of the Great Depression, The Man in the McIntosh Suit is a classic noir meets immigrant story. The book follows one-time lawyer from the Philippines, who finds employment as a migrant work, before heading to San Francisco to track down his missing wife. The book is Rina Ayuyang’s third. The Pittsburgh born, Oakland, CA-based cartoonist also runs comics publisher, Yam Books, and cohosts The Comix Claptrap. Word of warning to comics fans: there's some sports talk at t...

Episode 603: Kyle Kinane

September 26, 2023 11:16 - 51 minutes - 40.7 MB

Released on YouTube earlier this year, Shocks & Struts finds Kyle Kinane in top form. The comedian may have intentionally slowed down his breakneck touring schedule, but he remains one of the consistently funny standups in the business. In addition to touring, Kinane also co-hosts the podcasts, The Boogie Monster amd No Accounting for Taste. He joins us to talk about not talking about politics and  competing with Fast & Furious films. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informat...

Episode 602: Sarah Mary Chadwick

September 23, 2023 12:44 - 1 hour - 47.2 MB

There’s a sense of optimism that breaks through on Messages to God. It’s marked change from the darkest moments of its predecessor. Consistent across all of Sarah Mary Chadwick’s songs, however, is a sense of honesty – however brutal or funny (or both) it might be. Honesty is a trait, thankfully, that is also on full display in Chadwick’s interviews. The musician joins of to discuss her songwriting and life. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 601: Hari Kondabolu

September 20, 2023 17:11 - 51 minutes - 48 MB

Few things in this life make one rethink the state of the world quiet like parenthood. It’s a subject Hari Kondabolu knows well. The comedian’s dives into the topic on his latest standup album, Vacation Baby – though the subject of social consciousness is never too far behind. That’s something that has permeated his career from the beginning, including Politically Re-Active, a podcast cohosted with W. Kamau Bell, and 2017’s The Trouble With Apu. Kondabolu joins us to discuss his journey throu...

Episode 600: Bill Griffith

September 14, 2023 17:06 - 1 hour - 53.6 MB

After Invisible Ink, the floodgates opened. Since the book's publication, Bill Griffith has been a graphical novel producing machine. In fact, he's working on one right know, as I write this. Nobody's Fool followed in 2015, painting a three-dimensional picture of Freaks star, Schlitzie. A few weeks back, Three Rocks hit shelves, doing the same for Nancy artist, Ernie Bushmiller. All the while, the cartoonist has continued to produce the beloved strip, Zippy the Pinhead, as he has for the last...

Episode 599: Joyce Farmer

September 10, 2023 15:15 - 57 minutes - 44.3 MB

Tits & Clits changed the underground comics scene forever. Over its 15-year-long existence, the anthology published such now legendary cartoonists as Mary Fleener, Roberta Gregory and Trina Robbins. The series tackled then-verboten topics like female sexuality, abortion and more, driven by cocreators Lyn Chevli and Joyce Farmer. Both artists continued to have impacts on comics and social movements, though Chevli passed in 2016. In 2010, Farmer released Special Exits, a powerful and touching b...

Episode 598: Heather Woods Broderick

September 06, 2023 12:18 - 49 minutes - 37.7 MB

“Many of us yearn for stillness and peace, as an escape from the movement all around us,” Heather Woods Broderick says of her latest LP. “Yet movement is perpetual, happening all the time on some level.” But Labyrinths was conceived at the stillest moment for many: March 2020. It was a moment to improve her home production and build from scratch. The album arrived in an entirely different world, after things had reopened and musicians returned to their lifeblood of touring. Hosted on Acast....

Episode 597: Alasdair MacLean (of The Clientele)

September 01, 2023 18:43 - 55 minutes - 43.3 MB

The imagery of a distant fire found its way into several of I Am Not There Anymore’s tracks, most notably “Claire’s Not Real.” Frontman Alasdair MacLean says he was inspired by trip to Spain in the summer of 2020, spotting an orange glow on the horizon. The Clientele’s long career is speckled in surrealist imagery, and real-life moments. The death of MacLean’s mother a quarter century prior permeates the record, as well. The musician sat down to discuss process and inspiration ahead of the ne...

Episode 596: Julia Wertz

August 27, 2023 22:51 - 42 minutes - 33.5 MB

In many ways, Impossible People is a companion piece to Drinking at the Movies. The new book finds Julia Wertz confronting the period of her life detailed in its predecessor. It’s as much a story about getting one’s life together, as much as it is about recovery. Wertz returns to the show to discuss the book and the aspect of her life that informed it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 595: Michael Gira (of Swans)

August 21, 2023 13:55 - 42 minutes - 33.4 MB

Last year marked 40 years since the Swans hit the scene. Those decades have produced some of the most forward-looking albums in an era when rock music often feels stagnant. Released in June, the Swans’s 16th record, The Beggar, finds the group continuing to push boundaries, even as most of their contemporaries have either seen fit to rest on their laurels or pack it in. Frontman Michael Gira joins us to discuss songwriting, god and his soft spot for Lana Del Rey. Hosted on Acast. See acast....

Episode 594: Alex Winter

August 14, 2023 13:53 - 31 minutes - 24.9 MB

When we last spoke to Alex Winter, he was in the midst of a publicity push for his Zappa documentary – a longtime passion project about enigmatic musician of the same name. This time out, the actor-turned-documentarian has returned to the tech world. It’s topic that he has returned to several times, including 2012’s Downloaded and 2015’s Deep Web – the latter of which was the subject of our first conversation that same year. The YouTube Effect finds Winter and company exploring the light and ...

Episode 593: John McCauley (of Deer Tick)

August 10, 2023 15:19 - 42 minutes - 32.4 MB

[Apologies for the literal jackhammering 10 feet from my window for portions of the recording. I promise it hurt me more than it hurts you.] “I feel very lucky that we all ran into each other at some point pretty early on in our lives,” John McCauley explains in the press material for Deer Tick’s latest. For nearly 20 years, the band has quietly been one of America’s best. From its folk-rock roots to earnest explorations of rock, the band has maintained a consistency that feels increasingly r...

Episode 592: Alison Leiby and Halle Kiefer

July 30, 2023 20:16 - 40 minutes - 32.3 MB

[Apologies for the poor audio quality on my end. I was unknowingly dealing with microphone issues.] Ruined’s premise is simple enough. One host loves horror movies. The other can’t bring herself to watch them. She does, however, want to know everything about what she’s missing out on.  Good podcasts are rarely so simple, of course. The Crooked Media program is as much a meditation on friendship and society as genre films. When not podcasting, Alison Leiby is a standup comedian, whose has perf...

Episode 591: Bill Janovitz (of Buffalo Tom)

July 25, 2023 22:05 - 54 minutes - 41.2 MB

Leon Russell: The Master of Space and Time's Journey Through Rock & Roll History is every bit as grandiose as its subtitle suggests. It’s a sprawling and lovingly researched portrait of an unsung rock hero. Author Bill Janovitz knows a thing or two about that world, as the longtime frontman of Boston-based alternative rock stalwarts, Buffalo Tom. The band continues to tour and release music – though the pace has slowed since the halcyon days of the late-80s/90s. The band’s latest record, Quie...

Episode 590: Trever Keith (of Face to Face)

July 20, 2023 00:11 - 58 minutes - 45 MB

What do you do when you’ve got a bunch of paintings and nowhere to show them? If you’re Trever Keith, you do the same thing you’ve done your entire adult life: go on tour. The Face to Face front man is playing a handful of dates across the U.S. that showcase work he’s created based on his own songs. The events also feature an acoustic performance, something the lifelong punk singer has grown increasingly more comfortable with. Keith is currently working on an album of Americana-style original...

Episode 589: Cindy Crabb

July 09, 2023 21:05 - 53 minutes - 42.8 MB

In terms of both influence and longevity, few zines rival Doris. While Cindy Crabb hasn’t published an issue in several years, it remains a prominent presence in bookstores across the world. The series, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, is both deeply personal and broadly relatable, regularly tackling life’s obstacles, both large and small. These days, Crabb runs a somatic therapy practice, focusing on the ways the mind and body react to stress and trauma. She continues to writ...

Episode 588: Jad Fair (of Half Japanese)

July 02, 2023 23:50 - 35 minutes - 27.8 MB

There’s prolific and then there’s Jad Fair. The 30 albums released by his seminal art punk band Half Japanese just scratches the surface. Since 1974, the musician has released hundreds of albums, including 150 issued through Bandcamp in a single year. Beyond the output with his band, Fair’s best known work may be his collaborations with artists like Daniel Johnston, Yo La Tengo, R. Stevie Moore and the Velvet Underground’s Mo Tucker. Fair is also a prolific artist whose paper cuttings have b...

Episode 587: Tommy Stinson (of The Replacements and Guns N’ Roses)

June 28, 2023 21:44 - 46 minutes - 32.9 MB

Wronger finds Cowboys in the Campfire embracing the sort of stripped down twangy Americana such band name suggests. It’s the latest left turn in a career full of them. Tommy Stinson’s musical career began in his pre-teen years, courtesy of bass gifted by older brother, Bob. Joined by Paul Westerberg and Chris Mars, The Replacements would ultimately become one the 80s most influential acts. In the years since the band’s 2021 dissolution, Stinson has gone on to play with Guns N’ Roses and Soul ...

Episode 586: Chad Clark (of Beauty Pill)

June 24, 2023 00:45 - 1 hour - 54.2 MB

Last year, Chad Clark got a new heart. It was an emergency transplant, after a mechanical version failed – the latest in a horrific season of events that began when he was diagnosed with a rare heart virus. The condition has been a surprise motivator. For one thing, the $2 million fee was only partially covered by insurance. Facing massive medical debt, Clark opted to release a remix of the band’s 2015 album, Beauty Pill Describes Things as They Are. Touring presents its own issues, in the ag...

Episode 585: Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg

June 17, 2023 01:07 - 1 hour - 50.5 MB

The bad apology has become a major feature of modern American life. “I’m sorry to anyone I might have offended” more often than not boils down to “I’m sorry I got caught. Are the impacted obligated to forgive? And more importantly, what is the process for earning such forgiveness? Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg draws on the teaching of 12th century philosopher and Torah scholar Maimonides for her latest, On Repentance and Repair, which explores the steps for repairing mistakes, both large and small. ...

Episode 584: Debora Iyall (of Romeo Void)

June 07, 2023 03:55 - 55 minutes - 45.2 MB

Fifty years after its founding, Romeo Void finally got its first live album earlier this year. Released in limited quantities for Record Store Day, Live from the Mabuhay Gardens: November 14, 1980 finds the young band at the top of its game. Teetering at the edge of post-punk and new wave, the group rose the charts on the strength of timeless tracks like "Never Say Never" and "A Girl in Trouble (Is a Temporary Thing),” before dissolving in 1985. Lead singer Debora Iyall joins us to discuss th...

Episode 583: Vashti Bunyan

June 03, 2023 01:17 - 53 minutes - 41.3 MB

In the early 70s, Vashti Bunyan went away. Frustrated with an industry unwelcoming of her talents, she eventually moved back to Scotland and raised three children. She never sang, and rarely missed it. It was a perfectly content life. But 30 years later, music once again came calling. The singer experienced a resurgence in interest at the turn of the millennium – more interest than she’d ever had the first go round. Last year Bunyan released Wayward: Just Another Life to Live, a memoir recoun...

Episode 582: Poolblood

May 27, 2023 01:04 - 57 minutes - 45.5 MB

A wonderfully lush and layered debut, Mole is awash with ideas. Maryam Said’s Poolblood project arrive with a truck full of ideas and a reverence for pop rock. Said’s religious upbringing offered little access to secular music, though Yusuf Islam’s (née Cat Stevens) gentle folk rock managed to slip through. A later embrace of artists like Fiona Apple, Nick Drake and Apples in Stereo, however, left an indelible imprint of the songwriting that populates this first LP. It’s an album about relati...

Episode 581: Kid Koala

May 20, 2023 00:36 - 1 hour - 54.5 MB

There’s no such thing as half-measures in Kid Koala land. Take, for example the recent release of Creatures of the Late-Afternoon. Most would be perfectly content to issue 20 tracks half as innovative and vibrant at this point in their career. Koala, on the other hand, created his own accompanying board game. For nearly 30 years, the Canadian DJ has pushed musical boundaries, fusing a broad range of genres together, with little regard for status quo. He’s also elevated the work of others, fro...

Episode 580: Vashti Bunyan, Howard Fishman and Ryan Walsh

May 07, 2023 00:30 - 1 hour - 48.5 MB

A special edition of the podcast this week, as we joined by three musicians who have released books. Howard Fishman’s To Anyone Who Ever Asks: The Life, Music, and Mystery of Connie Converse is available now from Dutton. The book explores the life of converse, who remained largely unknown until her music was reissued in 2009 with the compilation, How Sad, How Lovely. Vashi Bunyan’s music had its own renaissance around the turn of the millennium, when her album, Just Another Diamond Day was di...

Episode 579: Carl Newman (of the New Pornographers)

May 04, 2023 22:38 - 40 minutes - 29.9 MB

Few in the indie world are as deft at creating a perfect pop song as Carl Newman. Since the late-90s, he’s served as the principle songwriter, front man and nucleus of The New Pornographers. A little over a month ago, the band issued its 9th studio album, Continue as Guest – living proof that the band still has new ideas more than a quarter century into its existence. Over the years, Newman has released trio of solo albums under the name A.C. Newman, but he’s always found himself returning t...

Episode 578: Leslie Stein

April 28, 2023 22:13 - 58 minutes - 45 MB

Brooklyn's Last Secret is a wonderful synthesis of its creator’s twin passions. It’s a book that cartoonist and rock guitarist Leslie Stein was uniquely qualified to create. The book is built around the daily minutiae of an indie rock band that sets out on tour in hopes of finally catching that one important break. It’s a meditation on friendships, relationships and the harsh realities of the modern music industry that’s alternately funny and touching. Stein returns to the show to discuss the...

Guests

Mary Roach
2 Episodes
Cory Doctorow
1 Episode