Stereo Embers: The Podcast

“No Loops For Robert Forster” It may come as no surprise for fans of Robert Forster, but the singer/songwriter is not a guy who uses laptops and loops when he’s recording. A traditional studio approach works just fine for the Brisbane-born musician and his winning body of work verifies that. The co-founder of the legendary Australian band The Go-Betweens has just put out a new solo album called Inferno and in this interview he talks to Alex about his affection for his home town, his love of the Velvet Underground and how his songwriting pace compared to that of his former Go-Betweens bandmate Grant McLennan. Forster also chats about why his songwriting vaults are empty, recording in Berlin and how he feels about the Go-Betweens’ legacy.

“Jenn Vix Is NOT Having It” Jenn Vix admits that at this point in her life, her fuse is smaller than it’s ever been and she refuses to tolerate nonsense from anyone. “I can’t afford to,” she says. “I’m not going to tolerate crap from anyone…Jenn Vix is NOT having it.” With a voice that’s sonorous, soulful and stirring, Vix is one of the most fascinating and inspiring artists around. Refusing to be seen as a victim, Vix has confronted her battle with PTSD as well as recent medical scares that nearly killed her with self-empowering sovereignty and advocacy. In this unflinching, honest and inspiring conversation, Vix talks to Alex about how hard it was not to be able to make or listen to music, the rigors of being a recording artist in 2019 and her new role with the band Positive Negative Man. She also chats about working with the late drummer Andy Anderson of The Cure, her new EP 6 and why she decided to intentionally write a pop song….

“Robin Wilson Doesn’t Want To Watch YouTube” Well, to be more specific, Robin Wilson doesn’t want to watch a YouTube channel of some guy with a guitar singing covers. In this conversation, the Gin Blossoms singer tells Alex that he may not be into that, but he’s into a lot of other stuff. For example, the home studio he built with his son, sailing on his boat and the Gin Blossoms themselves. Together since 1989, the Arizona band are arguably more prolific than ever and they’ve never sounded better. Juggling duties fronting the legendary Tempe outfit and singing for The Smithereens, Wilson’s a busy guy these days. In this conversation he talks about his love of The Smiths and Johnny Marr, why he hates waiting for the check after a meal and the legacy of The Gin Blossoms. He also talks about the stability of the band’s lineup, the brotherhood of the Tempe scene and what bands he’s turned his son on to.

“Artists Find Each Other Because They’re The Only Ones Awake” He has a point. In this engaging interview, singer/songwriter Tim Baker tells Alex that no matter where you go in the world, you’ll always find the artists of a city because they’re the ones who never sleep. The former Hey Rosetta! frontman talks about his new album Forever Overhead, whether he felt the phantom limb of his old bandmates while working on his first solo album and why Newfoundland is a community bound together by music. He also chats about the downside of touring, reading Kerouac while living in San Francisco and why he’s never been a guy who plans ahead….

“Victor Krummenacher Doesn’t Want To Live In San Francisco Anymore” After decades living in San Francisco, singer/songwriter Victor Krummenacher decided he didn’t want to live there anymore. Transformed by the tech industry and literally bathing in riches, the city the Riverside-born Krummenacher first fell in love with back in the ‘80s is a far different place. So he got out. In this candid conversation, the Camper Van Beethoven/Monks of Doom member talks to Alex about what happened to San Francisco, how to be creative with a broken heart and why it’s so important for an artist to have a community. Krummenacher also chats about going through the darkest period of his life, keeping his instruments in the Counting Crows' storage space and knowing that sometimes he was a hard guy to deal with in the studio. Krummenacher’s fabulous new album Blue Pacific is out now!

“Finding Romance In Knowing How Things Work” Having relocated from Ojai to a 50-acre farm in Iowa, Lissie has gone from the California life to the more…rustic life. And for this fledgling farmer, knowing how things work and finding an immense capability in one’s self is a decidedly romantic idea. The Illinois-born singer/songwriter has a rather busy last decade, releasing five albums, collaborating with Elton John and Snow Patrol, opening for Lenny Kravitz and Tom Petty and appearing on Twin Peaks. But Lissie is in a new phase in her life and as she surveys her new acreage, she’s also finding new things out about herself. From knitting to making flower beds, Lissie is settling into farm life in the most seamless of ways. In this chat she talks to Alex about leaving California, her relationship with her voice and how each album she’s made represents a specific time in her life. She also talks about why we choose bad relationships even though we know better, how she is with outward affection and why she keeps watching old episodes of “The Office.”

“Playing Laser Tag In The Backyard” Although it’s hard to imagine a guy who radiates intensity onstage playing laser tag in the backyard, Live’s Ed Kowalczyk tells Alex that he’s mellowed out a bit over the years and doesn’t take things as seriously as he used to. That said, Live’s new EP Local 717 is a stunning return to form, filled with the band’s trademark muscle, melody and rock and roll crunch. In this interview Kowalczyk talks about how Live started when everyone in the group was 14, his recent discovery of the Velvet Underground and what plans for a new Live album look like. Live are touring with Our Lady Peace and Bush this summer to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the band’s landmark album Throwing Copper.

“Prince From Minneapolis Comes To Seattle” Alex sits down with MOPOP curator Brooks Peck to talk about the Seattle museum’s new exhibit Prince From Minneapolis. A staggering installation that compiles photographs, instruments, outfits and ephemera from Purple Rain, Prince From Minneapolis is an arresting visual presentation of one of the most iconic performers in music history. Peck tells Alex that the positioning of the photographs themselves reveal the transformation of the Prince onstage character and he talks about how the museum was able to procure the pieces they did for the show--including the original cash register from Purple Rain. He also discusses the challenges in setting up the show, the power of the early photographs and Alex puts him on the spot and makes him pick his favorite Prince song….

Lindy Vopnfjörð Heard Quiet Riot Before He Heard Woody Guthrie Look, Lindy Vopnfjörð and I both grew up in the ‘80s and in this interview we both admit we were into Quiet Riot long before we had even heard Woody Guthrie. But don’t worry: Lindy Vopnfjörð has caught up. The Manitoba-born Vopnfjörð, who got his start playing in his Icelandic parents’ band The Hekla Singers, moved west to Victoria in the the '90s with his brother and started the beloved band Northern Junk. Although Vopnfjörð also played in the band Major Maker, who had a smash hit with “Rollercoaster,” his string of critically-acclaimed solo albums established him as a songwriter of tremendous sensitivity and grace. In this conversation Vopnfjörð tells me about his Icelandic lineage, writing songs while his kids nap and why he thought he needed to go back to school for songwriting. He also talks about how he receives criticism, why he was drawn to Judas Priest, the history of Icelandic hockey players in Canada and his new album You Will Know When It’s Right.

"Jackie Speier Should Be President” U.S. Congresswoman Jackie Speier has devoted her life to helping people. A forty year veteran of politics, Speier is committed to public service, she cares about people and she has an enormous heart. In this conversation recorded in front of a live audience in Oakland, California, the Congresswoman talks to Alex about surviving the Guyana airport firefight with Jim Jones’ henchmen, the importance of friendship and whether or not she’d run for President. A candid, moving and inspiring chat, Speier also talks about writing her autobiography Undaunted, the importance of friendship, and how her Mid-Western husband helped slow her down. Recorded live in Oakland and produced by Jake Dawson