Before The Stream

Jason asked drummer/songwriter/bandleader Alex Kirkpatrick to introduce him to music that has been important to Alex.  Alex chose Chris Weisman and pointed Jason to 6 songs to listen to and discuss.  Those songs are: " Double Bill " " The Fingers of Mars " " Fa Mi May (Dream Away) " " Living With Poison  " " The Winning Blues " and " Changes in the Fourth Dimension " The two friends talked about h...

For the next full-length episode (episode 39, next week), Jason asked drummer/songwriter/bandleader Alex Kirkpatrick to school him on an artist Jason didn't know, but who has had a profound impact on Alex. Alex chose singer/songwriter Chris Weisman .  In this preview/primer for the full-length episode, Jason lays out the 6 songs that Alex chose for them to dig into, where to find the songs if you...

Mike O joins Jason to talk about U2's 1997 album  Pop .  Did the tepid response to this somewhat experimental album lead U2 to make safe music for the rest of their career?  Is this album sequenced for the CD era, and does it trail off at the end because they didn't quite finish it?  The two friends discuss their memories of U2, the album, how they're connecting with music these days, and much mor...

Finally a Fugazi episode.  Singer/Songwriter/Multi-instrumentalist Chris Buckridge joins Jason to discuss Fugazi and their 1990 album Repeater. Was Fugazi preachy? Were they sloppy? Were they an amazing example of creativity, integrity and creating a community?  The two friends and erstwhile bandmates discuss their memories and updated thoughts about Fugazi and Repeater. Subscribe , rate and revie...

Singer/Songwriter Pascal Balthrop ( Balthrop, Alabama ) joins Jason to discuss Billy Joel's 1982 album  The Nylon Curtain .  Pascal remembers all the reasons this was an important album for him in his childhood while Jason tries to track down why exactly he never gave a crap about Billy Joel.  This all leads to an in-depth discussion of every song on the album plus songwriting, production, vocal e...

Drummer/percussionist/businessman extraordinaire Dean Anshutz joins Jason to talk about Tom Petty's 1994 album  Wildflowers .  The two friends have a wide-ranging discussion about first impressions of the album, it's place in Tom's body of work, lyrics, production, drumming.  Is it front-loaded? Is it a little uneven as it goes on? Could some of the newly released tracks from the sessions worked b...

Michael Arthur (@inklines) joins Jason to discuss R.E.M.'s 1996 album New Adventures in Hi-Fi .  Did everyone grow up in a crappy time for pop music? Does anyone want to be someone's Easter Bunny? What is it about this band? About Michael Stipe? Is this record just too long or too same-y because it's so live?  Jason and Michael discuss all these things, plus the creative process, how bands keep it...

D. James Goodwin rejoins the pod to discuss Jane's Addiction's 1990 album Ritual de lo Habitual . Jason and Dan discuss Jane's place among rock bands during a time when popularity was switching from Hair and Glam Metal to Alternative. They go through the sounds and production on each instrument, how to get the most out of less technically proficient singers, Navarro's place amongst rock guitarists...

Photographer, producer, podcast host, musician Bryan Bruchman ( bryanbruchman.com ) joins Jason to discuss the 1991 Guns N' Roses releases Use Your Illusion I & II.  Both Bryan and Jason got these cds before they had cd players, but they did different things about it. They discuss their memories of first hearing the music, the lasting impacts it had on them, how it sounds to them now, and how thei...

Jason and Polish guitarist Rafal Sarnecki ( rafalsarnecki.com ) grew up on different continents but they both had a strong relationship with Metallica's The Black Album in the 90s.  The two friends, who met and studied jazz together in NYC, revisit the album and talk about the difficulties of purchasing it in Poland, seeing Metallica live in the 90s, the impact it made on them as musicians, and mo...

Jesse Marchant makes another in-person appearance on the podcast to discuss his new album Antelope Running (released 6/25/21 - AntiFragile). Then Jason calls him back to ask more questions about stories depicted on the album, songwriting, process, etc.  We started a YouTube channel   You can see video clips of this conversation with Jesse on the YouTube channel, and there will be more there soon. ...

Singer/songwriter, bassist, patch creator, tour manager, musical jack of all trades Andrew Carlson ( namesofwar ) returns to the pod to discuss RHCP's 1991 album Blood Sugar Sex Magik .  Topics include: Toxic Masculinity, funk-shouting, Rick Rubin's influence, hits and filler tracks, Flea and Frusciante's musicianship, Chad and Anthony's limitations, and more. Subscribe , rate and review wherever...

The final chapter of Jason's conversation with Jesse Marchant and Dan Goodwin from the control room of The Isokon studio during the making of Jesse Marchant's new LP "Antelope Running".  They talk about the production on Ok Computer, the contributions of Colin, Phil and Ed, what is the best Radiohead record, lyrics, how a track like "Fitter Happier" fits on the album, and more.  Subscribe , rate a...

Finally a Radiohead record! Finally another in-person talk! This part 1 of 2 took place in the control room at The Isokon in Woodstock during the making of Jesse Marchant's 5th studio LP "Antelope Running", which is due out June 25th.  Jesse, Jason and Dan sat down after a long day of basic tracks to discuss Radiohead, OK Computer, Lars von Trier, Pink Floyd, lyrics, production, and much more.  Su...

Happy 25th Anniversary to  Bringing Down The Horse  by the Wallflowers! Dr. Rob Collier returns to the podcast to play some trivia, to debate what's special or important about this album, and to talk about Jakob and Bob Dylan, the album's legacy, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, songwriting, and lyrics lyrics lyrics.  Subscribe , rate and review wherever you listen to podcasts. Email: beforethestr...

It's a jazz extravaganza on Before the Stream.  Jason met pianist/singer/songwriter Claude Rosen ( clauderosen.bandcamp.com ) on one of his first days at jazz school in New York City and they have been friends ever since.  They discuss the album  Ugetsu , but also what drew Claude to jazz at a very young age, what music school was like, how the record sounds to them now that they aren't in school...

The thrilling final chapter of our 2-part episode with Anthony LaMarca on Indianola Pizza Dough,  the new album by The Building. Anthony and Jason pick up where they left off in part 1 and continue to dive into the songs, the process, the stories and the people behind the album.  Subscribe , rate and review wherever you listen to podcasts. Email: beforethestreampodcast@gmail. com Twitter: beforeth...

Pizza! Polka! Rock and Roll! Collage! Truth!  We're doing a brand new album this month on Before the Stream.  Anthony LaMarca writes, records and performs music as The Building and he has a new album called Indianola Pizza Dough out on April 23rd.  In this part 1 of 2, Jason and Anthony discuss the inspiration and process behind making the album, where it fits in The Building's catalogue, and how...

Jason's good friend Megan LaMarca ( bravealsatianmakes ) had some thoughts about the recent Everclear episode, podcasts, evaluating music, John Mayer, and lots of other things, so they hopped on a zoom call and hashed some things out.  This is a rare episode that doesn't revolve around one album, but it allowed Megan and Jason to talk about a wide range of artists, from Beethoven to Staind. Subscr...

Singer/songwriter Chris McFarland ( chrismcfarland.com ) joins Jason to discuss The Afghan Whigs' 1993 album  Gentlemen .  The two friends share their memories of finding out about the Whigs and the album and go track by track diving into how the songs struck them back in the 90s and how they sound now.  They also talk about creative process, songwriting, the very effective use of ugliness on this...

Adam Aizer ( @AdamAizer ), host of the CBS Sports Fantasy Football Today Podcast, joins Jason to talk about Everclear and their hit album  So Much for the Afterglow .  Adam and Jason discuss their memories of first hearing the record and try to track down what made this music special and how it might have stood out from all the other alternative rock bands from the 90s.  Then they tackle some deep...

Caithlin De Marrais (caithlindemarrais.com) joins Jason to discuss their memories, lasting impressions, and new revelations about Portishead's debut album Dummy.  The two friends also discuss Caithlin's new album What Will You Do Then?, what makes albums feel coherent, what makes music sexy, songwriting and inspiration while parenting, and so much more.  Please subscribe, rate and review wherever...

The world has turned, and Weezer's still here. Jesse Marchant (jessemarchant.com) joins Jason to talk about Weezer's 1994 debut album. The two friends discuss their memories of how they were introduced to and influenced by the album, how it sounds to them now, and they try to figure out what the heck happened to Weezer.  They also discuss Jesse's career, his upcoming 5th studio album and the evolu...

Yes, we've already done this album but Jason got the chance to talk to Eric D. Johnson (Fruit Bats, Bonny Light Horseman) about it, and about his full cover of the album so of course we're doing it again! Jason and Eric talk about the significance of Siamese Dream to Eric when it came out, Eric's process of recording his version of the album, boiling songs down to their essential elements, and so...

Jason is welcoming in 2021 by talking to one of his favorite musicians and producers, Josh Kaufman.  The two friends reflect on Wilco's classic album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, how it influenced them when it came out and how it sounds to them now.  They also discuss many of Josh's recent projects (Bonny Light Horseman, Muzz, The Hold Steady, etc) and how to approach all the drastically different situat...