Stereo Embers: The Podcast

“Artists Find Each Other Because They’re The Only Ones Awake” He has a point. In this engaging interview, singer/songwriter Tim Baker tells Alex that no matter where you go in the world, you’ll always find the artists of a city because they’re the ones who never sleep. The former Hey Rosetta! frontman talks about his new album Forever Overhead, whether he felt the phantom limb of his old bandmates...

“Victor Krummenacher Doesn’t Want To Live In San Francisco Anymore” After decades living in San Francisco, singer/songwriter Victor Krummenacher decided he didn’t want to live there anymore. Transformed by the tech industry and literally bathing in riches, the city the Riverside-born Krummenacher first fell in love with back in the ‘80s is a far different place. So he got out. In this candid conve...

“Finding Romance In Knowing How Things Work” Having relocated from Ojai to a 50-acre farm in Iowa, Lissie has gone from the California life to the more…rustic life. And for this fledgling farmer, knowing how things work and finding an immense capability in one’s self is a decidedly romantic idea. The Illinois-born singer/songwriter has a rather busy last decade, releasing five albums, collaboratin...

“Playing Laser Tag In The Backyard” Although it’s hard to imagine a guy who radiates intensity onstage playing laser tag in the backyard, Live’s Ed Kowalczyk tells Alex that he’s mellowed out a bit over the years and doesn’t take things as seriously as he used to. That said, Live’s new EP Local 717 is a stunning return to form, filled with the band’s trademark muscle, melody and rock and roll crun...

“Prince From Minneapolis Comes To Seattle” Alex sits down with MOPOP curator Brooks Peck to talk about the Seattle museum’s new exhibit Prince From Minneapolis. A staggering installation that compiles photographs, instruments, outfits and ephemera from Purple Rain, Prince From Minneapolis is an arresting visual presentation of one of the most iconic performers in music history. Peck tells Alex tha...

Lindy Vopnfjörð Heard Quiet Riot Before He Heard Woody Guthrie Look, Lindy Vopnfjörð and I both grew up in the ‘80s and in this interview we both admit we were into Quiet Riot long before we had even heard Woody Guthrie. But don’t worry: Lindy Vopnfjörð has caught up. The Manitoba-born Vopnfjörð, who got his start playing in his Icelandic parents’ band The Hekla Singers, moved west to Victoria in...

"Jackie Speier Should Be President” U.S. Congresswoman Jackie Speier has devoted her life to helping people. A forty year veteran of politics, Speier is committed to public service, she cares about people and she has an enormous heart. In this conversation recorded in front of a live audience in Oakland, California, the Congresswoman talks to Alex about surviving the Guyana airport firefight with...

An Investigative Reporter Of The Darkness” Whether he was hanging out with Samoan gun runners or locked up in Cook County Jail in Chicago, when Michael McDermott was at his wildest he thought of himself as a kind of investigative journalist doing research on the dark roads that addiction can take a soul down. But McDermott grew weary of those roads and taking notes about the night and after gettin...

“Marty Willson Piper Thinks Fleetwood Mac’s Heads Are In The Wrong Place” Marty Willson Piper doesn’t understand why musicians as talented as those in Fleetwood Mac haven’t put out new music in ages. “How can they not be doing whatever they want based on their history and their skills?” he wonders. The former Church guitarist is befuddled that Fleetwood Mac would opt for playing “Say You Love Me”...

"Taylor Jenkins Reid Loves Rock And Roll Couples" Author Taylor Jenkins Reid admits she’s transfixed by couples that play music together. Sonny and Cher, Lindsey Buckingham And Stevie Nicks, Johnny and June Carter Cash—you get the idea. There’s something about all that creative, emotional and, ultimately, combustible energy between them that really appeals to the Maryland-born novelist. A rabid fa...

(Part Two)“If Bill Pritchard Is Such A Recluse, How Come We’re Chatting On The Phone?” In Part Two of this engaging and entertaining chat with Bill Pritchard, the British-born singer/songwriter talks to Alex about Mark E. Smith and The Fall, his daughters’ forays into music and Billy Joel. He also talks about why everyone thinks he’s so reclusive, having the same manager as Howard Jones and the el...

“If Bill Pritchard Is Such A Recluse, How Come We’re Chatting On The Phone?” (Part One) Over the course of his career, Bill Pritchard has made some of the most stirringly lovely music you’ll ever hear. But, the British-born singer songwriter has, over the years, developed something of an elusive sheen and was even once dubbed the “JD Salinger of Pop” by Rolling Stone France. But, in Part One of th...

"Jordan Wright Didn’t Sleep In A Bed Until He Was Married” When he arrived in Los Angeles from Indiana, City of Sound frontman Jordan Wright knew no one. But thanks to his gregarious nature and endless charisma, he made friends fast and crashed on couches and floors while pursuing his musical career. Of course when his wife moved to L.A. to be with him he had to get a bed immediately, but Wright’s...

"Richie Sambora And The Absence Of Democracy” Hugh Harris didn’t have a ton of time to chat, but we made good use of what we had. In this interview with the guitarist for the Kooks, we talk about Richie Sambora, crying on airplanes and why Harris loves being on the road. He also addresses the absence of democracy when making a solo record, why new cities fill him with optimism and seeking out the...

“Having No Enemies (That You Talk To)" When Alex had the chance to sit down with singer/songwriter Glenn Shorrock, he jumped at the opportunity. Not only is Shorrock a two-time inductee into the Australian Recording Industry Association’s Hall Of Fame, the former Little River Band frontman’s composition “Help Is On The Way” is regarded as one of the top 30 songs in Australian history. In this conv...

“Craig Elkins Has Nap Anxiety” Craig Elkins doesn’t have anxiety about taking naps, his anxiety comes after he’s taken one. In this interview he tells Alex that the anxiousness comes not from the actual nap, but rather why he’s napping in the first place. But naps aside, in this candid, entertaining chat, the Huffamoose frontman talks about being labelmates with No Doubt, the the break-up of his b...

“Arriving With Not A Bit Of Scruff” While a lot of artists just starting out have to go through the scruffy apprentice phase, David Mead seems to have arrived fully formed. The singer/songwriter’s 1999 debut The Luxury Of Time didn’t have an ounce of scruff on it. A shimmering pop song-cycle, the album was as perfectly crafted as anything by pop veterans like Crowded House or Squeeze. Mead’s divin...

“Keeping Your Eyes On Athens” As a teenager in Atlanta, Parker Gispert grew up listening to Built To Spill, Modest Mouse and the Velvet Underground. But everything changed once he discovered the Athens, Georgia Elephant 6 Label. Mesmerized by bands like Elf Power, Olivia Tremor Control and Neutral Milk Hotel, Gispert was not only drawn to their sound, he was drawn to their geography. So much so, t...

“Seeing Bad Brains When You're Twelve” Although you might not know it by listening to Alana Davis’ brand of sultry soul, she’s a huge fan of hardcore. So much so, that at 12 she got a fake ID so she could see shows at CBGB’s. Transfixed by the power and truth of the legendary band, Davis became a lifelong fan. Although her original plan was to be the bassist in a reggae band, Davis ended up steppi...

“The Leading Writer On Manchester United” Wayne Barton got his start as a sportswriter, but it didn’t take long for his talents to land him gigs ghostwriting autobiographies for notable soccer stars. From there Barton stepped from the shadows and wrote Fergie’s Fledglings under his own name. Focusing on the youth soccer system in Manchester under Sir Alex Ferguson, the book found The Guardian decl...

“Maira Kalman’s Dog Ate Her Camera” And she thought it was hilarious. In this interview, which was recorded in front of a live audience at the Montclair Presbyterian Church in Oakland, author and artist Maira Kalman talks to Alex about why she would have been furious if her kids broke her camera, but found it comical that the culprit was her dog. A candid chat about the legacy of family insanity,...

“The Amazing Kreskin Returns!” When it came time to book a guest for our last show of the 2018 season, Kreskin was our first pick. After all, who better to look ahead to the new year than the best mentalist to ever walk the planet? In his return to the program Kreskin talks to Alex about thwarting a murder, his new book and the truth behind his gravestone. They also chat about Ricky Jay, cannabis...

“Louise Goffin And I Go The Distance, Part Two” In the second part of my interview with Louise Goffin we really break things down. Louise tells a story about learning a life lesson after hanging out at CBGB’s with Madonna, how she internalized feedback from her parents Carole King and Gerry Goffin, and why she didn’t tell me about her new record All These Hellos the last time we talked. Louise and...

“Louise Goffin And I Go The Distance, Part One” Louise Goffin returns to the podcast for the second time this year and she willingly plumbs the depths of the songwriting process, explains how her new album All These Hellos came to be and talks about her experience interviewing folks like Van Dyke Parks and Martha Davis of the Motels on her own podcast, The Great Song Adventure Podcast. In Part One...

“Erica Jong Tells Alex To Wear A Hat And Sunscreen” When Erica Jong gives you advice, it’s probably a good idea to take it. The key for men as they get older, she says, is to wear a hat and sunscreen. And that’s just the beginning of the wisdom Jong dispenses in this interview. The best-selling author of 25 books—her debut novel Fear Of Flying alone has sold almost 40 million copies--talks to Alex...