Stereo Embers: The Podcast

“Freaking Love Songs” I kind of developed my musical style in a vacuum,” Liz Phair once said. "Even though I listen to a lot of stuff, the way I wrote was in my bedroom, really privately." Our bedrooms are private places—not in the way your thinking—I mean, that’s true but that’s not what were talking about today. Today we’re talking about the fact that there is something about our bedrooms that i...

“I Haven’t Written My Favorite Song Yet” Mike Viola has written some of my all-time favorite songs. But the Massachusetts-born singer/songwriter tells me in this interview that what keeps pushing him creatively is that he hasn’t written his favorite song yet. Viola's musical career began when he was a teenager, playing in a hard rock band that garnered some pretty serious regional attention, inclu...

“Rock and Roll’s Best Relief Pitcher" Dan Bern is always ready in the bullpen. A bona-fide songwriting machine, the Iowa-born Bern stays loose by being one of the most prolific guys out there and he’s always ready to take the mound with a new track. Bern has consistently been one of the most inventive, exciting, literate, intelligent and brilliant songwriters of the last 30 years. With close to 30...

“I’m A Different Guy After Lunch” That’s how David Duchovny describes the creative process—his point is that no matter when we return to an unfinished work, we’re a different person than when we started it. Whether that’s five months, five days, or right after lunch. We’re always different people. As for David Duchovny, well, he's one of those guys who wears many hats and they all fit. He’s a Gold...

“November Spawned A Monster" The Monster is back. And boy, do we need them. After a nearly 16 year hiatus, Thelonious Monster have roared back with one of the best albums of 2020. Oh That Monster is a staggering return to form for Bob Forrest and his band of merry men. Not only is he one of the best songwriters on the planet, he’s one of the coolest guys to talk to. In this discursive, tangential...

"Let's Keep It Weird, Shall We?" Back in 1986 a Goth friend of mine from the Bay Area who got me into Bauhaus and The Cure visited his grandparents in Sacramento and he was hanging out in the park smoking cloves and paying guitar when some dude came up to him and said "Where are you from?” My friend said he was from Berkeley and the guy said, “You should go back. There aren’t weirdos like you arou...

"Georgia On All Of Our Minds” Well, when it comes to Georgia, there’s no one better to talk to than Amy Ray. The Decatur-born singer songwriter may have started her collegiate career at Vanderbilt but her coming back home to attend Emory in Atlanta has been a kind of metaphor for her life: She’s been all around the world but she always comes back to Georgia. Ray is one half of the internationally...

"Electric Sea View" Well, it’s hard for us to think of a more charming, beguiling and altogether mysterious band than The Bats. The New Zealand outfit got their start in 1982 in Christchurch and their By Night EP in '84 was one of the first releases for the now legendary Flying Nun label. Flying Nun aren’t the only legendary ones in this conversation—The Bats fall into that category as well. With...

"I Like The Way You Talk About The Future" With the U.S. Presidential election wrapping up, Alex admits the week-long process of declaring a winner left him feeling pretty drained. Although therapeutic remedies were manifold, he found the easiest way to calm his nerves was to talk to a Canadian. The Canadian in question? Sam Roberts. The Quebec-born singer/songwriter has just put out his new album...

“Election Night Ratio” We’re posting this podcast on election night and we can’t bear to glimpse the results because right now, the ratio is disturbingly close. However, there’s another ratio we’d rather think about and that’s A Certain Ratio. The legendary Manchester band has just put out a new album called ACR Loco and it’s another genre-defying effort, replete with jagged electronica, inventive...

“The Strongest People Have Tender Hearts” Evangeline Gentle is strong—one would have to be to start playing clubs at 14. While it’s true that the Scottish born, Canadian raised singer/songwriter did indeed make their foray into live music at a young age, their incandescent songs about love and loneliness could make even the loudest bar go quiet with utter awe. With a voice that soars across each c...

"Remembering Tony Lewis" We look back at Alex's chat with the late Tony Lewis of the Outfield. The original title was "Tony Lewis Is Always On Time," and it was recorded in 2018. The former Outfield frontman tells Alex that he and his bandmate John Spinks were always known for being punctual and he’s continuing that tradition. But, he confesses, away from his musical life, he’s rarely on time ever...

“What You Get Is What You See” Jessie Wagner has seen a lot. As a touring vocalist with Duran Duran, Little Steven and Lenny Kravitz, the Virginia native has not only seen the world several times over, she’s seen how pros like the aforementioned artists run their businesses, handle their affairs and keep their careers on track. Now commandeering her own solo career, Wagner made the decision to emp...

“We Sure Could Use A Smooth New Day” Euripides once said, "Life is a short affair; we should try to make it smooth and free from strife….” Well, if you’re having trouble in the free from strife department, throw on some Dave Koz and let the smooth begin. Kos’s new album A New Day is as smooth as it comes—not only does it feature guest performances from Brian McNight, Earth Wind and Fire's Ralph Jo...

“I Am A Complicated And Potentially Agonizingly Frustrating Person" John Vanderslice may describe himself that way, but as far as interviewees go, Vanderslice is the least difficult guy around. Genial, open, and forthcoming, Vanderslice will chat about anything. In this conversation, the Florida-born singer/songwriter talks to Alex about politics, taking drugs, his rejection of conventional life a...

“I’m Worried About America” I’m worried about America the country for obvious reasons. But I’m worried about America the band, too. With COVID-19 decimating the live music industry, the legendary band haven’t been able to tour and the future, for the time being, is uncertain. But with a new album on the way and a mammoth box set called Half Century out now, things have never been better for Americ...

"The Indie Rock Grand Slam" Alright, so Tanya Donelly is one of the few to have completed the indie rock grand slam. In tennis, it’s the Australian, the French, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open and in music terms, it’s being in three undeniably great bands and then having a successful, critically acclaimed slo carer. Think about it—how many people can you name who have done this? Donelly was in Throwin...

“In And Out Of The Light” Peter Milton Walsh of the Apartments is the Dean of the darkness and the light. Like an indie rock Virgil, in his work the Brisbane-born singer/songwriter expertly guides us through the roughest waters and brings us back to solid ground. It’s hard to think of anyone else who’s oeuvre' is so devastatingly perfect. A songwriter of poetic precision, spellbinding stillness an...

“Golf, Tennis And Reggae” You might not expect a conversation with Robby Krieger to cover those three topics, but this one does. Look, the former Doors guitarist has been interviewed to death and we wanted to try to offer a different kind of chat with this rock and roll legend. The L.A. born Krieger is one of the greatest guitar players of all time and although he might be best known for his rivet...

"Don't Let People Mess With You" Self empowerment isn’t easy. We tend to think of other people and how they’ll receive us so we try to mold our responses and desires to that expectations. But by doing that, we forget about one thing; ourselves. It’s true. You can go a whole lifetime forgetting that what you feel is important. So, the basic punk rock version of empowerment is this. Don’t let people...

"Plague Dogs Are Coming" Okay, so I met Tim May about a year ago when he contacted me about a documentary he was making about one of my all time favorite bands, Del Amitri. Tim had read my essay about the band’s album Waking Hours and the plan was for him and his crew to fly from the UK to SF, interview me for the film, hang out, and then fly back. I was totally excited--I cleaned the house, got a...

"A Punk Who Reads Proust” Remembering Walter Lure. As a member of The Heartbreakers, Walter Lure may have tenured in one of the most hedonistic, wild and downright feral punk bands of all time, but there was a lot more to this native New Yorker than met the eye. For one, before Lure joined the Heartbreakers he had finished college, graduating from Fordham with an English major and a minor in Chemi...

"Day By Day” Well, that kind of perfectly describes the life of an artist. Because one never knows when they’ll book a series, or sell a painting, or get a gig supporting U2 on a world tour, most artists just take things one day at a time. And that has its challenges, but those challenges are expected—they’re part of the game. What’s not expected are things that happen out of nowhere that have not...

“When I’m Not Having Fun I Miss The Fun We Have” That’s what Shannon McArdle texted me after our latest chat. And it’s true—we DO have a ton of fun when we talk. And this latest conversation is no exception. Shannon and I seem to operate on the same weird frequency—we’re both wildly tangential, anecdotal and discursive. This installment finds Shannon talking about learning to ride a bike again, be...

"The Summer Sent You” The summer sent us Mary Black. And we are better for it. And we’re so lucky to have her. The legendary Dublin-born singer doesn’t do a lot of podcasts so we’re very appreciative that she chose to do ours. And, coincidentally enough, she appears one week after her son Danny of the Coronas made his third appearance on the show. Mary Black has the kind of musical CV that is fill...