Stereo Embers: The Podcast

“Tony Lewis Is Always On Time” He sure is. The former Outfield frontman tells Alex that he and his bandmate John Spinks were always known for being punctual and he’s continuing that tradition. But, he confesses, away from his musical life, he’s rarely on time ever. In this interview Lewis talks about his new solo album Out Of The Darkness, the death of his musical partner Spinks and the joys of being a grandfather. He also tells Alex what his personal favorite track is on his new album and how he was influenced by Paul McCartney.

“Kari Kimmel Is Everywhere And You Had No Idea” Kari Kimmel’s music has probably been in your head at one point or another and you had no idea it was her. With her music and her voice appearing in almost 1,000 films, television shows and commercials, Kimmel is perhaps one of the most ubiquitous singer/songwriters out there. The only thing is, she could knock on your door and you wouldn’t know who she was. Perhaps the most un-famous famous person in music, Kimmel likes it that way, just fine. And that’s the thing about Kari Kimmel: she knew early on what felt right to her and what didn’t. In this conversation Kimmel talks to Alex about the importance of artistic advocacy, how she got herself out of some sticky record contracts and how vital it was to stick with her guns. She also talks about her new album Gold And Glitter, her love of Michael Jackson and why being so famously not famous suits her just fine.

“James Williamson Doesn’t Need To Do This Anymore” When you’re one of the most respected guitar players on the planet and you’ve already been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and everyone from Johnny Marr to Kurt Cobain has sung your praises, you don’t need to do much anymore. But thankfully, James Williamson is still doing what he does. The Texas-born Williamson talks to Alex about his new band James Williamson and the Pink Hearts, how he approaches his guitar after all these years and whether or not he was one of those guys who used to lock himself in his room and practice all night. Spoiler alert: He was. This episode also finds James and Alex talking about his band's new album Behind The Shade, why Petra Haden and Frank Meyer ended up in The Pink Hearts and how improvisation factored into the Stooges’ sound. Spoiler alert: It did.

"Don’t Remind John Andrew Fredrick About How Obscure The Black Watch Are" …Because he already knows and he’s kind of sick of hearing it. And why wouldn’t he be? After nearly 25 albums and EP’s, Fredrick’s the black watch remain one of the best kept secrets in music and that they are remains a befuddling fact. However, in spite of outlets ranging from USA Today to Trouser Press declaring that the Santa Barbara outfit should be massive, the black watch soldier on under the radar. In this conversation Fredrick talks to Alex about The Jazz Butcher, the artist’s pursuit of perfection and being called the California Cure. Fredrick also talks about his band’s new Paper Boats EP, the black watch’s upcoming album and maintaining the manic pop thrill.

"Liam Croker Rode A Horse Named Zeus” And that shouldn’t surprise you. Why? Because The Winachi Tribe frontman is as fearless offstage as he is on. That brand of confidence has given his band a clean shot of momentum. Together since 2015 The Winachi Tribe has released a string of critically-acclaimed singles, been lauded by the NME, gotten heavy airplay from KCRW to the BBC6, opened for The Happy Mondays and headlined their own major tour. And they did all this without ever releasing an album. In this candid and wildly entertaining conversation Liam talks to Alex about finding the seedy side of L.A., loving Guns n’ Roses and why he loves Liverpool.

“Dane Lloyd Came Home From Tunisia And Got A Phone Call From Sony" After a six month sojourn to North Africa where he and his Into The Ark bandmate Taylor Marshall Jones were playing holiday resorts, the duo came home to find the EP they recorded before they left had garnered some hefty interest from several labels. Their soulful harmonies and rootsy grooves not only landed them a final appearance on “The Voice” UK, it endeared them to millions of new fans. One of those fans was fellow Welshman Tom Jones, who decided to take them out on the road to open his U.S. tour. Lloyd talks to Alex about busking in the red light district of Sydney, the worries he had about performing on “The Voice” and about that time the Manic Street Preachers visited his school.

“Petra Haden And I Admit We’ve Never Heard Pavement” A bit of a shocker, for sure. But in this conversation, singer/violinist Petra Haden tells Alex she’s never heard the legendary indie band. And Alex admits he hasn’t either. And that’s just the beginning of the confessions in this wildly entertaining chat. Haden talks about how she handles self-consciousness, why she put down the violin as a teenager and how she came to be a member of James Williamson and the Pink Hearts. She also talks about not reading a book Peter Falk gave her and she scolds Alex in several voices from the Simpsons….

"Andy Wickett Is Sick Of Talking About Duran Duran" Well, after all this time, you probably would be, too. After leaving the Birmingham outfit TV Eye in 1979 Andy Wickett replaced Stephen Duffy as the singer of Duran Duran. What did Stephen Duffy do? Well, he replaced Wickett in TV Eye, naturally…With Wickett Duran Duran cut a series of tracks, including Wickett’s “Girls On Film.” That song was the standout on the demo that got the band signed, but Wickett saw the way things were going artistically, and wasn’t interested in heading down that path. Over the course of his career Wickett played with the Xpertz (the first band to fuse electronica with dub) and World Service. He found himself opening arena tours for the likes of Culture Club, The Clash and—you guessed, it: Duran Duran. With the original demos unearthed, Wickett tells Alex about teaching Simon LeBon how to sing, who the best musician was in Duran Duran at the time, and his new album Creatures Of Love. "David Haskell Gives Great Advice" He really does. The first-time director of the indie comedy “The Outdoorsman” tells Alex that if you want to get something done, the secret is to set a schedule. It sure worked for Haskell. For his first feature film he secured funding and was able to cast Sasheer Zamata (“Saturday Night Live”) and Brent Morin (“Undateable”) as the leads. A lighthearted look at how we face our demons and how we learn to let them go, “The Outdoorsman” is one of the sweetest, smartest and funniest films of the year. Haskell tells Alex about the rigors of getting the script right, how Zamata and Morin found their way to the film and writing a movie about punk legend Atom and his Package.

“Daniel Ash Knew I Drove A Honda Fit” It didn’t take long for Daniel Ash to know Alex drives a Honda Fit. Only minutes after their chat began, the former Love and Rockets frontman could tell Alex wasn’t a fellow thrill-seeking motorcycle enthusiast. Call it intuition, call it a lucky guess, but either way, Ash was right on the mark. Also on the mark is Ash’s new band Poptone, which finds him paired up with his former Bauhaus/Love and Rockets bandmate Kevin Haskins alongside Haskins’ daughter Diva on bass. Postpone plays the songs of Ash’s former bands as well as numbers by Tones On Tail, all reimagined in a dark and glorious new direction. As exciting as that news is, in this interview Ash talks about…motorcycles. And Brigitte Bardot standing next to a motorcycle. And Easy Rider. And if an ad for a motorcycle can upstage a beautiful girl. You get the idea. “Thank you for talking to me about things I like,” Ash says at one point. It’s an entertaining and discursive talk, but the through-line is motorcycles: why some people ride them and others don’t, what the best motorcycle films are and whether or not stepping on stage gives Ash the same thrill as blasting through the desert at 100 miles per hour on…you guessed it: a motorcycle. He also talks about his new single “Alien Love,” says Kevin Haskins is always making lists and he tells Alex what picture he has hanging in his bathroom. Cover photo: Brett Widmann

“Steve Barton Didn’t Have A Plan” When college rock favorites Translator broke up in the mid-‘80s, singer Steve Barton didn’t have a plan as to what he was going to do next. So he did what he does best: He wrote songs. With a series of winning solo albums under his belt and Translator back together and putting out records, the L.A.-born Barton talks to Alex about songwriting, his life with Translator and his new triple album Tall Tales And Alibis. He also talks a bit about his father, Wire Train and Brandi Carlisle...