Stereo Embers: The Podcast

“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 and wrenching balladry, Walsh is practically peerless. His band’s new album In And Out Of The Light is mesmerizing, heartbreaking and unreasonably beautiful. After the band broke up, Walsh played in the Go-Betweens and Ed Kuepper’s Laughing Clowns before getting the second incarnation of the Apartments going. In this conversation the genial Walsh talks to Alex about how his recording process has changed, the creative and editorial synergy of Robert Forster and Grant McLennan,the tricky sequencing of the new album and what becomes of beauty in the physical world...

“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 riveting work with the Doors, his seven solo albums really showcase his dexterity a player. His work is inventive, deft, experimental and classic. His phrasing, his innovations and his freedom as a player, make you realize that Krieger works from an expansive canvas. His new album The Ritual Begins At Sundown makes that abundantly clear—produced by Arthur Barrow who played bass for Frank Zappa, the instrumental album has a Zappa cover, a new reading of The Doors’ “Yes, The River Knows," and 8 other tracks that showcase Krieger’s mastery and finesse. In this conversation Krieger talks to me about why he was never a huge fan of Frank Zappa, sinking his second boat and why Jim Morrison was the best collaborator he ever worked with. He also talks about getting hit in the eye with a tennis ball, how playing the guitar may or may not be like playing golf and his upcoming reggae record.

"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 mess with you. And if they do, mess with them right back. Nobody can mess with Imogen Clark. Not anymore. The Australian singer songwriter has felt that over the course of her career she was carrying out an image of what other people expected of her and the fact is, she got sick of it. Imogen starting playing gigs in bars at 13, so it’s understandable that someone so young could get caught up in catering to what other people thought she could be artistically, but by 25 she’d had enough. Nothing like romantic wreckage, stoning self doubt and artistic frustration to make someone state themselves down and take ownership of what happens next. And that’s what Imogen Clark did. Weathering all those storms, taught Imogen something. She could do it. And if she could do it she could do a nothing. and so she did. Her new EP The Making of Me is an exhilarating rebirth of an artist whose taken command of her career and is burning with confidence. Imogen clark is no longer feeling artistic claustrophobia. She’s staring at the open road and she’s pushing the petal to the floor. And it sounds awesome. In this conversation she talks to Alex about taking command of her life, her love of Gang Of Youths and her friendship with Emma Swift. She also talks about her bold new rebirth, gives a little relationship advice and talks about life during lockdown….

"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 haircut and then, well, you know how this part of the story ends. The virus hit and it big and that pretty much sent that plan careening off the road. That’s the bad news—by the way, the documentary might still happen, which Tim will talk about in our chat, but let’s get to the good news. Tim has a band with DA guitarist Ian Harvie and that band is Aliens. The music they make is just phenomenal. It's a dreamy groove of thoughtful indie pop, that swirls mightily away with otherworldly melodies, infectious choruses and atmospheric instrumentation that’s indicate, thoughtful and immensely satisfying. Tim’s the singer of the band, but his story didn’t start there. I’ll let him tell you all about his life—from being in an band in the '80s that seemed to be on the brink of stardom, immersing himself in Latin at Oxford, making movies, and having a talented daughter whose own career in music is shifting into full swing. And we talk about Aliens upcoming sophomore album Plague Dogs. This is a great chat with a fascinating and lovely fellow.

"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 Chemistry. Lure survived the Heartbreakers and went from being a punk rocker to being a stockbroker. Not a normal punk trajectory, but Lure is a man of great texture and he speaks frankly and honestly to Alex about working on Wall Street, getting off drugs and how a nice college boy found himself in one of the wildest bands on the planet. He also talks about Johnny Thunders, his relationship with Richard Hell and why you shouldn’t trust anything Nick Kent writes. And speaking of writing, the interview ends with a reflection on Proust….

"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 nothing to do with the universe I just described. Like for example, when your union informs you out of nowhere that your benefits and your pension have been severely compromised. In this engaging conversation with actors Arjay Smith (“Perception," "The Day After Tomorrow") and Michael Charles Roman ("Grace and Frankie" "Keeping The Faith”), the two men talk about being blindsided by news that could negatively affect the lives of thousands of working actors. A great chat about booking roles, not booking roles and fighting back, this is a seamless and riveting conversation that gives a rare glimpse into an actor’s life.

“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, being born sad and promising me that she’ll take the guitar off the wall behind her and start work on her new album. The former Mendoza Line singer is one of the finest voices in music and her solo career makes a great case that she’s also one of the most gifted songwriters we’ve got. Shannon also talks about the music scene in Athens, Georgia, why she gives cards on weird anniversaries and she assures us all that she won’t be getting scurvy, in spite of her reticence to eat fruit. This conversation means Shannon is tied for first place with the Coronas Danny O’Reilly for most appearances on the podcast. She’ll be back again in September to climb to the top of the heap….

"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 filled with so many highlights, to list them all would require a separate podcast. Over the course of her career, she’s put out 12 solo albums, including classics like Without the Fanfare, and By The Time It Gets Dark. She also found time to record two great albums with the traditional Irish folk band De Dannan and toured the world with them as well. Over the course of her winning career, Mary Black sold out the Royal Albert Hall, collaborated with Joan Baez, Steve Martin Liam Clancy, and Westlife, won IRMA’s for Entertainer of the Year and Best Female Artist and in the process of all this work, became one of the most treasured voices in music, both in her native Ireland and internationally. And speaking of that voice, What HiFi magazine once declared that Black’s voice was so pure, they used it as an audiophile benchmark for comparing the sound quality of different high fidelity systems. In this conversation, Mary talks to Alex about heading to Tasmania, the work of Bob Dylan and Shane MacGowan, being protective of her voice and what adding orchestration taught her about the songs we’ve known her for all these years...

“World Of Burning Hate” Jesse Michaels is perhaps best known as the singer of the Berkeley punk band Operation Ivy. Although they were around for just a couple of years, they remain one of the most influential punk bands of all time. After the band’s dissolution, Michaels played in Big Rig, put out two fabulous albums with Common Rider and then formed Classics of Love in 2008. Classics Of Love put out an EP and a full length in 2012, but have been pretty quiet until now. The band’s new EP World of Burning Hate is the exact shot of sonic momentum you need right now in this uncertain and troubled time. A searing and ferocious blast of feral punk rock, the five songs are filled with momentum and heart. It’s an exhilarating listen. In this interview Jesse talks to Alex about putting his death rock project on hold, how the name of his band came to him in a dream and why he listens to prog rock...

“True Love Waits” Well, if you love The Coronas, you didn’t have to wait too long for the follow-up to 2017’s Trust The Wire. But because of the global pandemic, you might have to wait a bit to see one of the best live bands on the planet in the flesh. In the meantime, the Dublin outfit’s new long player True Love Waits is one of the most riveting, soul-affirming and rousing albums of 2020. Making his third appearance on the podcast, singer Danny O’Reilly talks to Alex about staying creative in the time of Covid, how sports keep our days structured and living with the void of physical contact. He also recalls the last live gig The Coronas played, why he’s looking forward to the U.S. having different leadership and finding out that his mom toured Japan before he did….