Stereo Embers: The Podcast

“A Level Presentation Of A Human Being” That’s how Tyler Glenn describes how after all this time of being in a band he’s finally arrived at a mindset that takes in both criticism and praise. Being level means he’s not dazzled by the positive or felled by the negative. “I don’t feed into the good or bad anymore,” he says. Well, when it comes to Neon Trees, there sure is a lot of good. The California born Glenn and his bandmates put out three albums in four years—2010’s Habits, 2012’s Picture Show and 2014’s Pop Psychology. And that concentrated level of activity yielded some pretty impressive results, like nabbing Billboard and BMI awards for the alternative chart topper "Animal," touring the world and opening for everyone from Duran Duran to the Flaming Lips to My Chemical Romance, playing the Macys Thanksgiving Parade, performing on Kimmel, Fallon, Leno and Letterman, doing an episode of Live From Daryls House, and having their single "Everybody Talks" in a commercial for the Buick Verano. And that’s just a partial list. Rather than me running through their Linked In profile, let me say this: Neon Trees are one of the most original, arresting and utterly satisfying bands on the planet. Every song has a perfect dose of edge, melody, musical precision and infectious choruses. Breaking a 6 year silence, they're back with I Can Feel you Forgetting Me, a sterling collection of one manic pop thrill after the other. From Nights to Everything Is Killing Me, Glenn and his bandmates swing freer than ever and it results in one of the very best albums of 2020. In this conversation Glenn talks to Alex about his love of The Smiths, how he’s coping with not performing, and how to retain an air of mystery while still being accessible to his fans. They also talk about the catharsis of both coming out and leaving the Mormon Church, why Springsteen is such a great performer and the perils of co-dependency….

“It Takes A Lifetime To Be Comfortable With Who You Are” Those are sage words from a rather sagacious fellow named Tommy Emmanuel. One of the greatest guitar players on the planet, Emmanuel talks to Alex about a lifetime of being a professional musician. And when we say lifetime, we really mean it—Emmanuel went pro at the age of 6 and his CV is so packed with accomplishments, it would take a separate podcast to list them all. In this conversation Tommy discusses Golden Boy Syndrome, why it’s important to be a good listener, and his love of George Benson. They also talk about what it was like for Tommy to hear Dire Straits for the first time, how it feels to be watched on stage and how he bounced back from a gruesome finger dislocation. The Australian-born Emmanuel is now a U.S. citizen and the release of his new album The Best of Tommysongs is a reimagining of songs from his winning back catalog. A guitarist of tremendous finesse and precision, Emmanuel is as elegant of an interview as he is as a player.

“West Coast Antidote" A long way away from their native Brisbane, the young Australian outfit Between Kings are now officially based out of Los Angeles. Although COVID -19 has gotten in the way of everything from the release of their new album Young Love to playing live gigs, they are firmly committed to basing out of the West Coast. Now, Young Love was supposed to hit the streets, but the global pandemic made the band decide to instead put out an EP called Antidote which is comprised of half of the tracks that will be found on the record--the second half of the album will come in the form of another forthcoming EP. This wasn't Plan A. but the band decided that it was the best way to stay connected to their fans. In this conversation, guitarist Jordan Coyne talks to Alex about Australia, in-house pull-up pranks and how mindfulness is connected to mental health. He also recalls a moving conversation he had with his father about his music, life in Los Angeles and how sometimes he’s so creatively driven, he forgets to sleep. Comprised of pals that met in music school--singer Nic Machuca, Coyne, bassist Jayden Marsh and drummer Nick Fanning, Between Kings' 2018 debut The Escape, was a thrilling blast of stadium sized choruses, thoughtful arrangements and big crunchy riffs that brought to mind everyone from the Red Hot Chili Peppers to Linkin Park. Their new work picks up on the promise of their debut—it’s melodic, it’s muscular and it’s utterly infectious. With 1.5 million streams on Spotify, the band is catching on—and rightfully so. These guys have got the goods.

"Reds To Blue And Back Again" John Steinbeck once wrote: "There are as many worlds as there are kinds of days, and as an opal changes its colors and its fire to match the nature of a day, so do I." All those changes of colors? Well, that’s a good way to describe what’s been going on with David Cook lately. The Texas born, Missouri raised Cook’s new single is called "Reds Turn Blue" and it’s a track that assigns manic highs to the color red and the painful lows to the color blue. The song traces not only the way our moods shift from color to color but more specially, how when we have anxiety that shift has its own punching velocity. It’s the first new blast of music Cook has put out in a while—since 2018’s Chromance EP. But don’t think he’s not been busy. The Season 7 winner of "American Idol" spent the better part of 2018 performing in "Kinky Boots" on Broadway and headlining an acoustic tour. The 37 year old musician talks to Alex about how his new song is an artistic breakthrough, why he has trouble throwing things away and his recent diagnosis of an anxiety disorder. He also talks about playing new songs for his wife, how he’s different than his onstage persona and why there’s suddenly a ukulele in his house...

“Precision, Movement and Vampires” "I am abnormally fond of that precision which creates movement," e.e. cummings once wrote. Well, it’s hard not to think that the famous poet would be abnormally fond of Local Nomad. With a satchel full of songs all written with the kind of poetic precision that brings to mind the deft wordplay of everyone from Paul Simon to Elvis Costello, Local Nomad’s new EP Young Vampires is a stirring blend of thoughtful indie rock, laced with inventive percussion, sweeping instrumentation and breezy choruses. This is an EP that definitely creates moment. Led by Michael Desmond, who fronted the now-defunct Long Island orchestral indie rock outfit Gabriel The Marine, Local Nomad's sound is meticulous and intricate. Desmond is a true pop craftsman and his band’s new EP may have the pop hooks of a band like Squeeze but it also has the deft sonic architecture of Vampire Weekend or The Police. In this conversation Desmond talks to Alex about listening to the Replacements, heading back to college and the complexity of composition. He also talks about how to know when you’re playing the right gigs, growing up in New York and his family’s musical lineage.

“What's The Point Of A Strawberry?” Well, not counting the fact that they lower your blood pressure, are high in fiber, rich in antioxidants and guard you from cancer, strawberries are pretty much useless. In this wildly discursive chat with singer-songwriter Shannon McArdle, the Brooklyn musician talks to Alex about why she’s not into strawberries (or fruit for that matter), why she got on a subway in the middle of a pandemic and how she lost the tip of her finger. Look, it’s our 4th of July Shannon Spectacular and this conversation not only covers all the bases, it will make you forget that there’s no (legal) firework celebrations this year. This chat covers the genius of the new Dylan album, the durability of Soda Stream machines and the 20th anniversary reissue of Shannon’s old band The Mendoza Line’s We’re All In This Alone. Oh, and Alex worries Shannon might get scurvy. And Shannon doesn’t seem worried about this at all. An hour and a half of comedy, antics and dogs. Enjoy!

“Sheltering In Place Is The New Camping” Well, sort of. Experts say that if you want to test a romantic relationship, go camping. If you come back from your adventure still speaking, you’ve got a good thing going. If not? Well, camping together saved you a lot of time. In the COVID-19 age, it seems that sheltering in place works in the same way camping does, in that it can really test relationships and make you understand if you’re made of steel or the exact opposite. For the members of Satin Nickel, being a quaran-team has proven to be of the steel persuasion. The sheltering in place mandate only made this New York band even tighter and in this conversation they talk to Alex about staying creative, staying together and staying sane. They also chat about the challenges they face, the bike rides they take and how a group of theatre kids have become one of the most exciting bands around. A thrilling mix of hard rock riffs, lilting vocals and folky smarts, Satin Nickel are an innovative and infectious outfit and their debut album Shadow of Doubt is a riveting listen.

"Slithering Through Sleeper Waves” The Canadian singer/songwriter Lou Canon's work is constantly challenging how we think about sounds and shapes and not only that, but the ten track song cycle of her new album Audomatic Body also confronts not only how we think about the human body and the granular curves of micro geography— it also trains its eye on the slithering backs of sea creatures, the geometry found in drops of water, a breath in a bubble, and the shoulder shove a wave in the wild. In this conversation, Canon talks to Alex about the paradox of being a performer who’s shy, getting lost at the Russian River and how she’s coping with the global pandemic. She also chats about her love of The National, the community spirit of the Canadian music community and how to separate her onstage persona with who she is offstage. Canon’s album is a stirring and sensual work filled with underwater rhythms, beguiling melodies and libidinous loops. And this conversation is a focused and thoughtful look at how an artist sees the world….

“They’re All In The Pub…" That’s how Katie Malco describes the musicians of her adopted home of Northampton. If you want to find any of them, they’re all hanging out in the pub. “Every last one of them,” she laughs. In this conversation, the Scottish born singer/songwriter talks to Alex about her own time in the pub, opening up for Jenny Lewis and what it was like to get on stage by herself with nothing but a telecaster. She also chats about playing guitar upside down, how she’s coped creatively with COVID-19 and what it was like to be raised Scottish in a English town…. Katie Malco’s new album Failures is out now.

"Immersion In Music Is What I Love” Well, it really shows. That’s how Steve Dawson describes his relationship with his craft and though he plays guitar and sings, it’s music and instruments of all kinds that really ring his creative bell. Known for his work with Chicago’s roots-soul outfit Dolly Varden, Dawson has been a busy guy since his band’s temporary hiatus. Aside from co-authoring a book, releasing solo albums and teaching music, Dawson and his Funeral Bonsai Wedding band have just released their sophomore album Last Flight Out. Experimental, affecting and cosmically cool, it’s an innovative and inventive record that falls somewhere between Astral Weeks and The Waterboys’ A Pagan Place. In this interview Dawson chats with Alex about how he ended up in Chicago, his love of McCartney and how he started playing guitar. He also offers advice to young musicians, extols the virtues of Paul Simon, and talks about hearing Hüsker Dü while working in an ice cream store...