The Self Portrait Gospel :: Podcast

We're back for another exciting episode of The Self Portrait Gospel Podcast with our friend, the talented multi-instrumentalist, artist, and fellow Nicolas Cage enthusiast, IIyas Ahmed. Pulling up a digital chair to chat with us about his visceral vision of the world and the people in it, the never-ending landscape of jazz, and its related juxtaposition, Ahmed tells the tonal tale joining the melo...

From the shapeshifting subleties of his spiritual practices in sound, tonal texture, and electrifying emotion, to the carefully cinematic essence of his eager expressions behind the scenes, there isn't much the West Coast-based, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and composer Blake Mills can't do. He's come a long ways since his classic 2010 debut "Broken Mirrors," while simultaneously capturing the...

Chicago-based drummer, producer, and multi-displinary artist Spencer Tweedy has played music as long as he can remember. Growing up in a musical household, to say the least, Spencer gravitated towards his father Jeff Tweedy, founding member of such notable acts as Unlce Tupelo and Wilco, and his profession by quickly navigating his very own unique path in music. On this episode of The Self Portrai...

Hailing from a period in time that, to this day, continues to birth bands and artists all around the world, New York-based multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, and one-half of perhaps one of the most influential bands of its time, The Holy Modal Rounders, Peter Stampfel has been creating music, and art for well over half a century. From the Rounders to the death-defying dynamics of The Fugs,...

Sharing the same timeline as ATL-based singer-songwriter, poet activist, and lyrical legend Speech, born Todd Thomas, of the acclaimed American hip hop group Arrested Development, is something that should bring us all a little comfort and peace in these crazy times. Having first established the groundbreaking group nearly four decades ago, Arrested Development pried open our culture's sore soul wi...

Jack Cooper is one of those musicians you follow no matter the artistic anatomy of the individual's journey into the universally unknown. His atmospheric approach is organic and built on the brilliance of his peers, while bravely bridging the gap between the contagious contents of the 1980s and 1990s soundscapes. From his time in Mazes, The Beep Seals, and everything he eagerly evaulated, and put...

From his homeland in New Zealand to the Big Apple, to Boston, where he formed one of the most influential bands, Galaxie 500, to the sophisticated sounds of Luna with his now wife Britta Phillips, Dean Wareham has accomplished so much in his forty-plus-year career. Settling in New York in the mid to late 1970s, the veteran musician caught some of the most anarchic acts of the decade, such as The R...

In this episode of The Self Portrait Gospel Podcast, we wrap up the 7th season of the show with the wonderful oppurtunity to finally sit down with one of our harmonic heroes, the great Will Oldham of Bonnie "Prince" Billy. Someone who needs no introduction, Oldham has been on our hearts, and minds for many years as we spin a youthful yarn of memories and reflection on some of the world's greatest...

In this episode of The Self Portrait Gospel Podcast, we speak with British-born, Chicago-based musician, producer, and all-around man of the times, James Elkington, a household name in Chicago's rich and complex music history. From his early days with the math rock outfit Elevate back in the UK to joining Thrill Jockey's long-running supergroup Brokeback, led by the legendary Douglas McCombs of To...

"GWW, "A Life Of Scare," The New Man, and much more" Just like our little operation, Evan Laffer and Ian Grant first launched their podcast, Jokermen, during the paralyzing pandemic to not only shed lyrical light and spin an endless yarn on the liberating legends that stand as their subjects but to find perfect peace and creature comfort in their harmonious heroes during one of the most horrendous...

From the intimacy of Iranian culture and its historical heritage, New York-based musician and artist Rahill Jamalifard grew up in Michigan in a family who vauled music with great admiration. Having placed herself in the creative core of her community's music scene, Rahill fell in love with the land of Lou Reed on a simple trip to "The City Of Dreams" before deciding to move there indefinitely over...

We're back after having lain dormant since our last episode back in December, and we're thrilled to announce our return to the streaming stratosphere with Susan Dietrich, known to many within the Outer Rim as The Space Lady. A colleague among the brave cosmos, Dietrich has lived many lives since first immersing herself in the disillusioned depths of creative culture in the 1960s. While busking und...

Mays says, "The craft of songwriting is 100% what I'm about. That's what keeps me going. My goal is to just live a long life and write a ton of good songs." And while the essence of his outstanding career, which dates back to this 2009 debut "The Good Feeling Music of Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele" on Paw Tracks, is something built entirely on melodic magic and sonic sweat, the multi-faceted...

Bob Nastanovich is a household name in contemporary music, having participated in two of the most influential bands of all time, The Silver Jews and Pavement, Nastanovich inhabited both the iconic and irresistible imagination of the zesty zeitgeist of independent music, while standing directly in the middle of his generation's epic nerve center to eagerly report his fabulous findings among his poe...

After a much-needed break, the longest since first starting the podcast back in 2021, we've returned to continue finishing out season 7 with the wonderfully wholesome and sonically smooth Brazilian legend, Roge. A staple and serenader to all surrounding sunsets, the iconic musician has been occupying his rhythmic renaissance since the release of-2023's "Curyman", part one of an on going trilogy on...

LA-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Sam Blasucci was first introduced to music by his father, who was a prominent musician during Blasucci's childhood. Eventually learning to play himself and some influential relocating over the years, he soon connected with local friends and together formed Mapace, while he was still attending high school. With a number of incredible releases fro...

The Ohio-born, North Carolina-based singer-songwriter and poet, Wes Tirey has been releasing music for well over a decade now with such titles like "O, Annihilator" , "Black Wind" , "No Winners in the Blues" and his most recent effort entitled "Wes Tirey Sings Selected Works of Billy the Kid" , that came out on Sun Cru earlier this summer. Based on the 1970 novel by Michael Ondaatje, Tirey success...

Multi-instrumentalist Nathan Bowles has been hard at work this year with the recent release of his Trio's debut album on Drag City entitled "Are Possible" as well as the highly anticipated follow up from Setting, "At Eulogy". These recent years haven't been in favor of anyone creative, or brave enough to share thier process with the certain ecosystems and landscapes that are seemingly drying up li...

Both prolific and philosophical, while also containing potential, Emil Amos is a legend in the world of music, art, culture and existential expressionism. A career that spans back some 30 odd years, Amos first began his jarring journey in music during his college years in NC, where he also met his longtime friend and cosmic brother, the great comedian, Duncan Trussell. Throughout the decades, Amos...

From Harlem to the holy land of music majesty, Chris Stein is a household name when it comes to being one of the founding members of one of the most infleuntial bands of the last 21st century, Blondie, but did you know he is also a world renowned photographer and writer? Stein captured some of the most iconic figures and their historical situations of the last century, from William S. Burroughs, T...

Born and raised in Kansas City, Lowe was first hit by music with an introdiction to The Bad Brains in the mid to late 80s. From there, the young musician played in such groups like Secular Theme, 90 Day Men and later OM before fully immersing himself in the world of sound and music with his outstanding career as a solo musician. Releasing a wide range of albums that transcend countless genres and...

Born in Kingston, Jamaica, LA based legend and pioneer of 'Dub Music', Hopeton Overton Brown, known around the world as "The Scientist", first began his career in the 80s working alongside greats like King Tubby, Jung and countless others during the dawn of Dub. We have the legend sit down with us to talk about his most recent gig with Folk Yeah! Events a few weeks back, a career spanning over fou...

Born and raised in Wales, Moxham grew up with his brother and future YMG bandmate Philip Moxham during the late 50s and into the 60s with influences such as The Kinks and The Beatles. picking up the guitar on a cosmic whim, starting the incredibly infleuntial and acclaimed Young Marble Giants, signing with Rough Trade, the legend and legacy of the band,  his solo career and most recently his new a...

Acclaimed musician, multi-instrumentalist and prodcuer Sean O'Hagan sits down with us to talk about his youth growing up in England and being of Irish decent, early influences such as blues, jazz and the dawn of rock n' roll in America, our mutual obsession with David Bowie, meeting the late Cathal Coughlan and forming Microdisney, establishing The High Llamas, the band's new album entitled "Hey P...

You may have heard that Underwood's primitive classic from 1988 entitled "California Sigh" was recently reissued by Drag City Records, but did you know that he played alongside the late and great Tim Buckley? Underwood was responsible for laying down those incredible guitar and piano parts on esteemed albums such as Buckley's self-titled debut, the monumental "Goodbye and Hello", "Starsailor" and...