The Self Portrait Gospel :: Podcast

LA based musician, multi-instrumentalist and producer Chris Cohen has been involved in the forever changing and challenging music scene for nearly three decades now. Having participated in groups such as Deerhoof, The Curtains, Natural Dreamers, Cryptacize, as well as contributions to Cass McCombs and Weyes Blood albums, Coehn released his accalimed debut back in 2012 entitled "Overgrown Path" and...

We're very excited to begin yet another season of The Self Portrait Gospel Podcast and what better way to kick things off then with our special guest and music hero, the legendary Lou Barlow of Dinosaur Jr., Sebadoh, The Folk Implosion, just to name a few. Having met J Mascis back in highschool, the two set out to form their very own hardcore band, Deep Wound, after being inspired and influenced b...

Sometimes you feel like you've know someone forever... well at least since that one time he came to your small town during his "Impossible Truth" tour back in 2013 and played your local coffee shop. I'm talking about our southern brother, William Tyler. A legend among greats, Tyler played with the likes of Silver Jews and Lambchop prior to launching his solo career around 2010. He has crossed path...

Naomi Yang is an artist that has defined her career with incredible pivots into various collborations and projects over the last 4 decades. Having been part of the renowned NYC based trio, Galaxie 500, in the mid to late 80s, Yang takes us on an adventure through her early days of attending highschool with futrue G500 bandmates, college as an architect major, pursuing music, the NYC scene of the 1...

On this episode of the Self Portrait Gospel Podcast we speak to frontman and guitarist Martin Courtney of New Jersey based group Real Estate about growing up outside of NYC, seeing bands for the first time in the city, The Beatles, meeting long time friend and bandmate Alex Beeker, forming Real Estate in the mid 2000's, connecting with the Woodsist folks for the band's debut LP, signing with Domin...

Born and raised in the countryside of Ohio, Nashville, TN based musician and visual artist Michael Ruth (Rich Ruth) saught creative refuge in a more music driven community with like minded people as his horizons began to expand. Eventually coming into his own as a musician, Ruth connected with locals such as Spencer Cullum Jr. and the folks over at Third Man Records and since been on journey that...

On this very special episode of the podcast we speak to Buoy about his youth growing up in various locations around the east coast in a milirary family, begining his music journey through wind-instruments before connecting to percussions, his love and early influence of hip-hop, punk and jazz, eventually meeting longtime friend and bandmate Seth Olinsky, forming Akron/Family, meeting the great Mic...

An absoutle cherished gem in both the music world and the articulated documentation of the creative human process, Chasny is one of the greats of our generation and a sincere force of nature to be cherished for all of time. On this very special episode of the podcast we explore Chasny's youth growing up in Northern California listening to metal music, being first introduced to the guitar and his u...

On this special episode of The Self Portrait Gospel :: Podcast we explore the songwriter's daredevil youth, the influence of the ocean and the surrounding elements, how he got into playing music and sonwriting, the constant fountain of songs and material that flow from his unique mind, meeting longtime friend and creative partner Kyle Field of Little Wings, recording the amazing trilogiy: "Just a...

Making an epic return with her most distinctive effort to date, Timony followed up her long awaited LP "Ex Hex" with "Untame the Tiger" on Merge Records and is ready to share this one with the world. On this episode we explore the musician's youth growing up during the influential punk scene in WA, her relocation to Boston to find herself both personally as well as creatively, forming the incredib...

Born and raised in Michigan, the now North Carolina based musician joins us to talk about her childhood growing up with her older siblings, relocating to Philly where she participated in an experimental outfit influenced by the likes of Sun City Girls, the Long Hots trio, releasing her 2016 debut "Out of Love", her groundbreaking LP "Trouble Anyway", the pandemic and its effects on creatives, her...

Boston legend Rick Maguire has been writing and recording music under PILE for nearly two decades now. With the projects '07 debut entitled "Demonstrated" initiating Maguire's distinctive career, the musician has gone on to to release an outstanding body of work with titles such as "Dripping", "Magic Isn't Real", "A Hairshirt of Purpose", "Green and Gray" and 2024's "Hot Air Balloon - EP". On this...

Born and raised in Pasadena, CA, Hanson grew up with a very influential mother, who is also a songwriter, making this the perfect base for a career in music himself in the years to come. With the growing skateboard scene at the time, Hanson soon found himself gravitating towards the arts and the creative individualism that comes with the territory. He would later go on to form Wand, releasing titl...

Born and raised in Coppenhagen, Ronnenfelt grew up with his classmates and future bandmates of Iceage before setting out on a music journey that has since launched an incredible career dating back to 2008. On this episode we explore Ronnenfelt's youth and early infleuences, the 2006 riots in Ungdomshuset, traveling the world at an early age as well as an early stage in the band, releasing groundbr...

Born and raised in Santa Barbara, CA, McMahon immediately fell in love with music once Elivs. hit the scene and years before The Beatles and the rest of the British Invasion took over the world. Having played in bands during his school days, McMahon, like most men in our country during this time, were afriad of being drafted into the Vietnam war, so McMahon inlisted in the Air Force. Stationed in...

Born and raised in the UK, Nick Saloman saw the rising influence of the psychedelic movement first hand and it forever changed his life. Having first formed a variation of The Bevis Frond back in '68 called "The Bevis Frond Musuem", Saloman was in the middle of one of the most influential times in music and was eager to be a part of it all. Influenced by groups such as The Pretty Things/Twink and...

This week's episode of the podcast is a great pleasure to share. The very talented and incredibly inspiring Rain Phoenix is our guest this week. A prolific artist, founder and host of the Launch Left podcast and musician in bands suchs as Aleka's Attic with late brother River Phoenix, Venus and the Moon and most recently Escape Artist Lovers with fellow musician Kirk Hellie. Rain is a courageous p...

On this episode of the podcast we explore Wallace's youth, early inspirations from bands like Pink Floyd, discovering gospel music, moving to Nashville, TN where he spent well over a decade honing in on his craft and the deadly dedication it takes to be an artist, getting his first break with YK Records and in recent years relocating to California. Wallace just released his most highly anticipated...

Pro skater for companies such as Toy Machine and RVCA, husband and father to three boys, Harmony is a special cat in the skateboarding world. Born and raised in California, Harmony relocated on a few different occassions with his family before relocating back to the west coast for good. It was then he met his long-time friend and boss man, the great Ed Templeton. With classic parts in vidoes such...

Born and raised near the Bay Area alongside his brother, Presley was influenced by a plethora of different moments in culture, music and the arts. From hip-hop to punk and hardcore, it was in the mid to late 90s that Presely began his career in music with early outfits such as Model American and The Nerve Agents. Wanting to shape-shift, in the mid 2000's he put a new band together called Darker My...

Andrews has been making beautfiful and unique music for quite sometime now with earlier outfits such as Quilt. Now occupying his very own band, John Andrews and the Yawns, on this episode of the podcast we explore Andrews' youth growing up in Yardville, NJ, his love and passion for illustrations and visual art, becoming a mutli-instrumentalist, writing and recording music in New Hampshire with a c...

Growing up outside of Dallas, TX, Williamson was heavily influenced by her late grandmother. Someone Williamson says has not only inspired her music, but has acted as a muse to help express herself throughtout her carreer. Having a deep love and admiration for the late Jimmy Buffett at an early age, Williamson knew she wanted to be involved in music somehow. She began writting reviews and intervie...

Born and raised in Smyrna, TN, the states largest town as of 2020's census, Spencer grew up with a younger brother and two very supportive parents. A teen in mid 2000's Nashville, Spencer was influenced by the explosive hardcore scene that was sweeping across America at the time. With bands that occupied the local community and headlining festivals such as Van's Warped Tour, it was here that he re...

Born and raised in Portland, Maine in the early 1960s, Colley's parents were both a teacher and illustrator. With a household built on education and creative influences, Colley was already in motion to become an artist of some sort. Eventually relocating to Hanson, Massachuetts, Colley began to learn the clarinet and saxophone throughout his elementary school days. As college began to roll around...

Born and raised in Denton, TX with his younger brother Max, the Savage brothers had influential parents growing up in the mid west. Andrew eventually relocated to NYC and in years time his younger brother would joini up and the two, along with members Austin Brown and Sean Yeaton, would go on to form one of todays most influential groups Parquet Courts. On this episode of the podcast we explore th...