Spinning Platters presents: How Did I Get Here?

This is the story of Scott Simoneaux, the booker for ATG Live, an offshoot of ATG- the organization that brings touring productions of Broadway shows to big cities around the country. He's bringing touring bands and one-off events to those theaters while they are dark. In the Bay Area, this includes the original stars of Airplane! hosting a Q+A this Friday, as well as Robert Plant and Art Garfunke...

I wish I could say that no AI was used on this podcast. I hate AI, but I also don't have a budget for a producer, so I use Riverside.com to help edit these. I know. I told Julia Kugel and Scott Montoya of Soft Palms, whose book " How To Be Self-Reliant In The Music Industry " is out now, and they are not fans of AI, either. They are smart folks that have been through a lot with Soft Palms, as well...

Eddie Argos is the lead singer of the British cult band Art Brut. They are currently on the road touring to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their classic debut, Bang Bang Rock n Roll. We talked about music, and name-dropped a bunch of very specific bands that only people born in 1979 think about (The Pipettes, Crash Test Dummies, The Donnas). Art Brut have just released a greatest hits record, A...

How Did I Get Here is back for its first episode of 2026. And my chat was with the amazing musical comedian Sydney Kane ahead of her bringing her one-woman show, Wife Material, on a West Coast tour! We talked about, well, a bunch of the usual tangential silliness, all while learning about how she found her voice and her way into comedy. Sydney Kane is bringing Wife Material to SF for SF Sketchfest...

20-Year-Old Jayden Binnix, aka Black Polish, just released their second album, YUNA, a concept album about a succubus that feeds off the souls of men. It's pretty bonkers and amazing, and we had a wonderful chat about this record, their early work, being a non-binary artist on a major label, and, as usual, a bunch of nerdy wormholes are stumbled upon. YUNA is out TODAY from BMG. Stream it at your...

Today's episode of "How Did I Get Here?" features the amazing psych duo Ghostwoman. We talked at length about music, being in a band, and what to do when you find an excellent musical partner that happens to live on an entirely different continent! Ghostwoman's latest record, Welcome To The Civilized World, is out TODAY (September 5th!) on Full Time Hobby. You can either stream or order it deliver...

Last year, I had the opportunity to see The Sonics play at Great American Music Hall. It was a fantastic show, but I was particularly entranced by the Chicano Soul / Retro Garage band opening, The McCharmly's. We had the opportunity to speak to lead singer Angie Monroy about her musical journey.  The McCharmlys are on the road with SadGirl and put on one helluva live show. Tour Dates here . You ca...

Molly Neuman is a rock n roll legend. She is the drummer for Riot Grrl groundbreakers Bratmobile. She was also a member of The Peechees and The Frumpies. AND she helped run Lookout Records in the late 90s. AND managed The Donnas. AND was Vice President at early digital music distributor eMusic. This is only a small portion of her career. She's now President of CD Baby and hitting the road with Bra...

Odds are that you don't know the name Kathy Foster, but you've probably seen her live a few dozen times. She's probably best known as the bassist for Portland punks The Thermals. Or as a member of the supergroup All Girl Summer Fun Band. Or any of the 8,565,233 other bands she's been a part of. Alas, after decades of backing up other acts, she's released her debut solo record under the alias Roseb...

Nadia Quinn is an NYC-based singer, songwriter, comedian, writer, and actress, and she probably has 100 other jobs that we neglected to cover. We had a great conversation about family and comedy and the stress of comedy music. Nadia has TWO appearances at SF Sketchfest this week. She is part of the Middle Aged Dad Jam Band at Great American Music Hall on February 1st and brings her own show, The N...

Most people know Demi Adejuiygbe as the mastermind behind the legendary " September " videos. What you may not know is that he was a writer on The Good Place, possibly the greatest TV show ever, as well as The Amber Ruffin Show. As per the usual, we talked about his career, how he works, and, of course, there is a healthy dose of cat talk, complete with advice on how to properly AirTag your feline...

Zoe Ko is a pop/rock songwriter who has gifted the world some great, highly infectious singles and an EP in 2023. 2024 has been incredibly productive for her, and we had a great chat about nurturing your career, finding your people and your sound, and a lot about her future, including touring and what we should expect in the studio. Zoe Ko's latest single, "Lucky," can be found here . Her website...

Jennifer Clavin has been near the top of my interview bucket list since the inception of this site, a whopping 15 years ago. (!) I've followed her career through Mika Miko to Bleached, watching her mature as a songwriter while I've matured along with her, with her music helping me navigate my life. She's recently stepped out from behind the comfort of a band and has released three singles as a sol...

Noga Erez is a brilliant MC who, after years generating buzz in the underground, is putting out her major label debut, The Vandalist on September 20th. We had a great discussion about influences, working with Missy Elliott, her epic KIDS livestream , and even managed to discuss the complexities of promoting a record while living in a politically volatile country.

I didn't know what to expect when I got on a call with Victoria Bigelow. All I knew about her was that I'd kinda fallen in love with her head-swimmy brand of reverb-drenched country and shoegaze. We ended up talking a LOT about music in general, the struggles with being a DIY artist in this modern era, and getting the seal of approval from Willie Nelson. Her latest release, Songs For No One, Vol 2...

This episode features Miki Berenyi, famous for fronting the legendary 4AD act Lush. We talked about her career, the nature of the UK music press, radio, the economics of touring, and accidentally putting together a band! Berenyi recently released a memoir called fingers crossed: how music saved me from success , and it's endlessly captivating. She is playing shows in the US in June, then returning...

Jamie Loftus is a writer, actor, comic, cartoonist, podcaster, and probably has about 3500 other jobs that we never covered on this episode because, well, there is only so much time in the day. In this episode we discussed her early playwriting days, stand-up comedy, the difference between eating dog food and condensed cream of mushroom soup, and, since this is Spinning Platters, we even talked ab...

We are trying something new with this episode. I am NOT doing any preroll. No theme song. No "warm open." Let me know what you think? Dulce Sloan is best known for being a correspondent on The Daily Show, and often killing it in that role. We chatted about her move from theater to stand up, the folks that inspired you along the way, and, of course, The Daily Show and her upcoming book, Hello Frien...

On this episode, we had Annie Hart, formerly of Au Revoir Simone, one of Spinning Platters' all-time favorite bands. We talked about the importance of Pee-Wee Herman, Heavy D & The Boys, Funkmaster Flex, David Lynch, Christmas Presents, and even  Okuda Hiroko , the woman who wrote all of your favorite Casiotone beats! Her new record,  The Weight Of A Wave , is available now, and fall tour date...

You may know the name Bethany Cosentino as 1/2 of the popular LA duo Best Coast. After nearly 15 years of plugging away, they decided it was time to take a break. In the meantime, Cosentino has recorded a brilliant solo album on par with the best of Linda Rondstadt and Jenny Lewis. We had a lovely opportunity to chat with Bethany about her time in Best Coast and her noise band Pocahaunted. We talk...

Rakel Mjöll is the lead singer of UK punk band Dream Wife. This conversation was witty and full of positive, inspirational energy. Also, nothing has made me want to get drenched in shared sweat at a rock show more than this chat. Dream Wife's third full length, Social Lubrication, is available to preorder here , and is in stores June 9th. UK Fans (or those willing to pay more for shipping than the...

Louise Post is the co-leader of Chicago rock icons Veruca Salt, an important distinction that she does, indeed, correct me on in this episode. We spoke about her influences, her process, and her time in both Veruca Salt and solo. Her debut solo album, Sleepwalker, is out today and is available to purchase here or at your local record store. North American tour starts June 12th in Vancouver, and VI...

Lindsay Olsen, aka Salami Rose Joe Louis, is an incredibly hard to pin down musician. I have often found her loosely labeled "jazz" or "electronic" but neither of those seem quite right. She's doing a beautiful blend of jazz, pop, psych, house, and pure imagination that you really have to listen to in order to believe. We had a chat with her about her early influences, her time in a punk band wher...

79.5 are a 5 piece R&B group from New York City, and we got to chat with band leaders Kate Mattison and Lola Adonna about their career path, the evolution of the band, finding each other, the joy of DIY spaces, and so much more. Their self-titled, full length debut is out TODAY in all the usual places ! You can catch their latest, Sopranos-inspired music video here . Tour Dates: 5/8: Seattle,...

TEKE::TEKE are a psychedelic rock band from Montreal that perform in Japanese. And by psych rock, I mean they are absolutely genre-bonkers. They bring together elements of Eleki, Punk, Spaghetti Western Score, Classic Rock, and Funk and blend them into something that makes Mr. Bungle sound like Celine Dion. I chatted with guitarist Serge Nakauchi Pelletier and vocalist Maya Kuroki about the band's...