Month: August 2017

• August 23, 2017Show Posts

  Ep098: Eugene Robinson (Oxbow, Whipping Boy, Sal Mineo)

  

  

  (stream and download – Episode 98)

  What if Yella from NWA sang the hit of Yellow the band (of “Oh YEAAAAAAH!” fame), that and a few other things before Conan and Josh dive right into the remarkable Eugene Robinson and his many bands, projects, sojourns and creative exploits. Eugene conducts himself with alacrity and poise and a good time is had by all!

  -The origins of Sal Mineo (The band)
  -Making art worth a good God damn
  -spending 12 hours in France and playing a show
  -not playing where you oughtn’t
  -Advocating the encyclopedia of the voice.
  -Singing what your soul calls out
  -Old HC fellas that don’t really “get” Oxbow.
  -Charating a musical course with no reference points
  -Shit talkers being good people to have around / speaking honestly
  -Getting hit on by one’s idols.
  -the equivalent of automatic writing.
  -martial arts.
  -“Hey Frenchy, put the chainsaw down”
  – Compartmentalizing “Fight”
  -Writers vs. People who can write.
  -To Arms, two legs and the magic of subtlety.
  -Whatever happened to Dukowski
  -Cross-Cultural experience vs cross-class experience.
  -Where the stories come from

  Songs played:

  Oxbow – Clean Well-Lit Place
  Xiu Xiu – Sharp Dressed Man
  Sal Mineo – the Primary Bell

  Black Face – I Want to Kill You
  Oxbow – The Finished Line

  Shellac – The End of Radio (Closing Theme)

  …

• August 17, 2017Show Posts

  Ep097: Mike Blaha (The Blind Shake, BLAHA, Shadow in the Cracks)

  

  (stream and download – Episode 97)

  On this episode, Conan and Josh have a chat with Mike Blaha of the Blind Shake and countless variations thereupon! Topics include, but are not limited to:

  -collaborations and being open
  -subbing in bands mid-tour
  -Blind Shake vs. solo writing
  -air-drumming auditions
  -Chipotle!
  -the Blaha health regimen
  -surfin’ with John Reis
  -working through new songs on the road
  -“Play ‘Hurrican!'”
  -acoustic vs. electric
  -“I watch Netflix as much as the next guy”
  -expressing more emotion
  -attempting to book a show before this podcast ends
  -living in small boxes
  -joining Castle Face Records without changing the band’s sound
  -the equal desire for safety and adventure
  -keeping ears open to young bands
  -Iowa
  -the conceptual Blind Shake

  Then Mike had to go load out for his solo show, so we ended up talking not exactly about Twin Peaks (although there are a few spoilers if you haven’t watched through episode 8 yet) but more about fandom and experiencing it real-time.…

• August 4, 2017Show Posts

  Ep096: J. Robbins (Jawbox, Burning Airlines, Channels)

  

  

  (stream and download – Episode 96)
  Conan and Josh kick off the show with a brief discussion of big shows from the past weekend, then have a great chat with J. Robbins! Topics include:

  The songwriting process:

  -Bendy guitar loop overdubs
  -Reviving/rewriting old songs and playing acoustic shows
  -Shading confessional songwriting
  -The integrity of a band and its members vs. being the sole songwriter
  -Going out on a musical limb
  -Collaborative projects
  -Using the studio as a compositional tool

  Stories of various recording projects:

  -Roomrunner
  -The great moment when a recording project sounds like a record
  -the Dismemberment Plan
  -What a producer’s role is and/or what it should be
  -the Monorchid
  -Shiner
  -Hand-editing 2-inch tape
  -Coliseum

  The grand story of his brief time playing with Scream:

  -“J., EVERYBODY knows ‘Ballroom Blitz.'”

  Jawbox’s influence, and how influence works in general:

  -Creating your own culture

  We almost entirely avoided discussing politics!

  Music played:

  Jawbox – FF=66
  J. Robbins – Our Own Devices
  Jawbox – Won’t Come Off

  Shellac – End of Radio (Closing Theme)

  …