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27Mar/130

Hauschka and Mark E. Smith of The Fall Interview (Part 1 of 2) [Listen 30:56] – Finding meaning at the bottom of a Rift S04 Ep03

Hauschka interview - Finding meaning at the bottom of a Rift

Special Guest: (Written) Mark E. Smith of the Fall (Part 1 of 1): is an irascible genius. It has been said that journalists might rather punch their way out of a brick wall than to interview the frontman of "The Fall", one of the most notable bands to come from the post-punk era. Always one to speak boldly, and never shy about demeaning whomever he feels deserving, (sometimes with violence) we actually seem to have gotten him on a good day. Below, he touches upon the importance of music, and his love of record producers.

Special Guests: (Audio)  Hauschka  (a.k.a. Volker Bertelmann) (Part 1 of 2): is a wonderful example of a musician bridging the gap between the vibrant but challenging sounds of modern classical music with a more traditional and conservative style of playing, keeping classical music moving forward but doing it without substituting beauty or taste. Hauschka started his musical education as a child studying classical music on piano, but stopped around 18 to study medicine and economics, only to be drawn into hip hop and electronic music a few years later.  His music has shifted away from the straightforward hip hop and electronic sounds that we know in the clubs today to a more classical vein (ala John Cage with his interpretation of the prepared piano), using the piano as an experiment and adopting natural instruments but with electronic music in mind. Recently he teamed up with one of the biggest names in classical music, Hilary Hahn, to record Silfra. In the interview, we talk about his evolution as an artist, working with Hillary Hahn, the meaning behind Silfra and the process in making it, and we get into his other latest works and his remix album and wax philosophic on the concept of remixing.

The Fall (The 2013 Mark E. Smith interview)

GTV- The band's name was taken from Albert Camus' "The Fall" which is said by many to be Camus' most advanced and least understood book. (Sartre amongst them) Why did you take the title? Does the work and it's interpretation still influence the band after your more than 35 years in existence?

Mark E. Smith - WANTED TO CALL THE GROUP IN ITS NEMESIS "THE OUTSIDER", BUT IN THOSE DAYS FINALLY DISCOVERED THAT A LOT OF GROUPS WERE CALLED THAT SO I DECIDED ON "THE FALL" INSTEAD.

GTV- Your "existence" as a band has come in constantly shifting forms,with no member ever remaining throughout except yourself, to which you have stated to the effect that you are The Fall; that you, and any other fashion even if it were something like a monkey beating on cans and yourself would be "The Fall." We're not criticizing that, but would you say this is what has led to the band's high turnover rate, or is there another reason you could name as the primary issue?

Mark E. Smith - LIKE CAMUS, I WAS A VERY DISGRUNTLED GOALKEEPER.

GTV- Considering the heavy rotation of the band, aren't you worried about having your wife play keys?

Mark E. Smith - THE FACT IS THAT ELENI IS A SUPERB KEYBOARD PLAYER, THE FACT THAT SHE'S MY WIFE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH IT.

GTV- You keep your artistic talents mostly to music, and rather prolifically. If not for music, what other form of art would you pursue?

Mark E. Smith - I AM NOT A MUSICIAN, I AM A WRITER.

GTV- Forming in 1976, and identified and shaped by the "Post-Punk" genre, you hammered out a style that is unique and immediately recognizable, your sound has, of course, taken different sounds and forms throughout the years, but always maintains a strong core, plus you maintain a consistent devoted following. What would you say that you provide to the music world that no one else can? Why does it still work when so many other Post-Punk bands can sound so dated?

Mark E. Smith - APPRECIATED THE QUESTION. THIS IS A QUESTION THAT I AM OFTEN ASKED, AS I DON'T LISTEN TO ANY OLD FALL MATERIAL I DON'T KNOW.

GTV- Being a more literate band than most, I assume you are familiar with Chuck Palahniuk's "Fight Club" (also made into a movie) which, partly, deals with a group eschewing society's constraints of a pacified and manipulated population, and acting on man's more primal (truer) nature. I see The Fall's music an artistic realization in this fashion, and thus it's lasting appeal. Not to flatter your ego, for which you are known, but would you agree?

Mark E. Smith - NO FILM IS AS GOOD AS THE BOOK.

GTV- Also you complain a lot about other bands, or, rather, you get press attention when you state a negative remark about another band or on music in general, and more than likely we'd be in agreement, but there has got to be something good to speak of on music.

Mark E. Smith - MUSIC IS, I THINK, A MUCH ABUSED FORM. IT IS TOO EASY FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE. WHEN YOU THINK OF STOCKHAUSEN,THE MONKS, ETC. YOU REALIZE IT IS NECESSARY TO CONTINUE.

GTV- Theoretically speaking, we have the potential to achieve immortality with the aid of nano-robots, would you go for injecting yourself with nano-robots for immortality? Assuming you would, what if the condition was that drinking alcohol would destroy the robots (and thus, your immortality?) What if the necessary condition was you had to be friends with Oasis (for eternity?)

Mark E. Smith - SINCE WHEN?

GTV- What is the title of The Fall's new album. What's the significance of the title?

Mark E. Smith - RE-MIT. WHICH MEANS I NEED A GLOVE WHEN I GO OUT.

GTV- Where did you look to for inspiration for this album?

Mark E. Smith - TRIED TO KEEP IT AS SHARP AND HARD AS POSSIBLE. YOU MUST REMEMBER THAT I HAVE TO DEAL WITH INDOLENT PRODUCERS.

GTV- What piece of work are you most proud of?

Mark E. Smith - RE-MIT, MAYBE HEX.

- FIN -

24Jan/131

Keith Levene Interview (Part 2 of 2) [Listen 37:11] – Doing An Event With But Never Getting Hired by Keith Levene S03 Ep08

S03 Ep08 (Part2 of 2) - Doing An Event With But Never Getting Hired By Keith Levene

Special Guest: Keith Levene is a punk rock icon. He started off his career as one of the founding members of the Clash – helping write some of the bands early songs like "What's My Name", only to leave before they recorded their first album. His next project was another short lived but significant band, The Flowers of Romance, which consisted of Sid Vicious (pre Sex Pistols days) as well as Palmolive and Viv Albertine just before they formed the Slits. But Keith Levene is probably most famous for his unique guitar style and his powerful song writing skills in the band, Public Image Limited, which included the lead singer of the recently defunct Sex Pistols, Johnny Rotten, a.k.a. John Lydon as well as a then unknown bass player by the name of Jah Wobble. PiL as they became to be known changed the direction of punk for good taking it away from the pre-packaged punk music created by people like Malcolm McLaren and veering into completely uncharted territories with albums like First Edition, The Flowers of Romance, and their landmark album Metal Box (or known in the states as Second Edition). Keith Levene recently teamed up with his old bandmate, Jah Wobble, and have a new album titled Yin and Yang out on Cherry Red Records.

In this Podcast Keith Levene and I talk about The Clash and what early Clash songs he contributed to, we discuss what Johnny Lydon was/is really like, the band PiL and the behind the scenes band politics, his friend Sid Vicous and what he was like behind all the hype. I ask him about Bernie Rhodes and Malcolm McLaren, the time he started playing with Fishbone, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, how flea inspired him to play again, and what the future holds for Jah Wobble and Keith Levene.

Enough Is Enough

It has been proven. Now is a time when pop music is becoming the same. The same to each other, and the same in itself. The same to each other, that is, that there is less differentiation from one pop song to the next, and same in itself as in there's less changes, less of a dynamic range in pop songs these days.  One can follow this progression through to the point where all pop songs will become a constant drone with a steady beat of 120 bpm and an autotuned vocal track that wavers only between two pitches of a short range. Ok, actually, that sounds strangely interesting to me, and I'm reducing the problem to the absurd, but the problem is legitimate. Pop music is becoming too much the same.

The point I want to make, is that music is losing something. It's losing it's flavour, the personality. While some may say that pop music never had that much substance to begin with, and that's not it's particular aim, a quick introduction into the history of pop music will show that there was much more there in the early days of the 20'th century. Love and loss, the subjects weren't that broad or deep, but the personality of the performers shone through. And now there's a homogenization taking place, and it's going on under the noses of people perhaps too pacified already to take notice and speak out for their own benefit.

The unfortunate thing is that the music is being packaged and sold in pretty, glittery packages that dazzle the eye of the consumers. The rate of exchange comes so quick that there isn't enough time to discover the ruse before the public is dazzled by the next latest offering. It's more about production and advertizing. Much like the days that punk emerged. Punk emerged out of an era of over-produced music. Music that had gotten outside of itself and into the hands of heavy-handed producers and laden glitter and dazzle. It became less about the music and more about the show. I'm afraid that this is the result when music becomes too much an industry and follows a formula, and too far removed as an art form.

In the late seventies, this was, by large, what you had to choose form: music that had lost sight of itself. It's true that there was always music of integrity, if you had the paitience and dedication to search for it, but what was being marketed was filler. Punk was the anti-movement, the reaction. Then, of course, the terrible inevitable happened. Punk became too big and itself became manipulated, watered down and over produced with an eye for marketing and turning a buck. The answer: Post-punk. Steering the reins away from the managers and advertisers once again and making music for music's sake. For the joy of music. The need to make a sound. A tribal gathering, not an event just to fill a stadium and line pockets.

This is what's missing today; the reaction. The backlash. The anti-movement to the mind-numbing consumer fad and conformity.

How it'll come,  I don't know, perhaps the seeds are sprouting right now. But I believe it will, and it'll have the impact that punk had on the scene in the late seventies. The blank canvas is prepared. It'll come, and I'm waiting for it in anticipation. Most likely, once again, it'll come on the heels of the disaffected youth sick of the pablum they've been force fed for so long. Keith Levene might be the best one to ask, he was on the punk & post-punk scene, in nearly every scene that mattered. He never seemed to carve his place in one particular band, not in those turbulent and visionary times, but he was the journeyman, coming in and seeding his influence then kicked out or moved on to the next scene.

Keep in mind, as Benjamin Franklin said, “If everyone is thinking alike, then no one is thinking.”  There is at some point when someone realizes that and decides to act against conformity and produces a profound and worthwhile change fueled with exuberance and exhilaration. Every great epoch of music is hinged on it. I'm waiting.

-- Guthrie Alan Corwin

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2179432/All-songs-DO-sound-Modern-pop-louder-uses-chords-classic-albums-Fifties-Sixties.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2012/jul/27/pop-music-sounds-same-survey-reveals

17Jan/130

Keith Levene Interview (Part 1 of 2) [Listen 37:10 min]- Slashing Through The Rules With Keith Levene S03 Ep08

S03 Ep08 (Part1 of 2) - Slashing Through Rules With Keith Levene

Special Guest: Keith Levene is a punk rock icon. He started off his career as one of the founding members of the Clash – helping write some of the bands' early songs like "What's My Name", only to leave before they recorded their first album. His next project was another short lived but significant band, The Flowers of Romance, which consisted of Sid Vicious (pre Sex Pistols days) as well as Palmolive and Viv Albertine just before they formed the Slits.   But Keith Levene is probably most famous for his unique guitar style and his powerful song writing skills in the band, Public Image Limited, which included the lead singer of the recently defunct Sex Pistols, Johnny Rotten, a.k.a. John Lydon as well as a then unknown bass player by the name of Jah Wobble. PiL, as they became to be known changed the direction of punk for good taking it away from the pre-packaged punk music created by people like Malcolm McLaren and veering into completely uncharted territories with classic albums like First Edition, The Flowers of Romance, and their landmark album, Metal Box (or known in the states as Second Edition). Keith Levene recently teamed up with his old bandmate, Jah Wobble, and have a new album titled Yin and Yang out on Cherry Red Records.

In this podcast, we talk about his guitar style, the newish album Yin and Yang and some of the songs and concepts on the album, we touch upon drugs and his experiences and thoughts, the Beatles, what dub music was like growing up and he gives a shout out to Dub Gabriel.

BTW since the recording of this interview (back on December 6) Keith Levene has released a new album titled Search4AbsoluteZero that I think will be one of the best releases of 2013.

Buy it here: http://keithlevene.com/

Keith Levene

Whether you're a fan of the British punk/post-punk scene or not, the influence that just a few individuals had upon the world's music scene is monumental. Really, for what impact they've made, they simply aren't famous enough. The tangents and avenues opened up from this scene (small as it was in the beginning) has had a profound and lasting effect on music that still reverberates today, and I'm not simply speaking of punk music/genre itself and all the off-shoots, but of contemporary music in general. Punk got in there and wormed it's influence into whatever music wanted to be seen as contemporary, somewhere, at some point. Enough credit isn't paid to the originators. And the originators really come down to just a small collection of people. If you want to go by today's measure of whether music is good by judging the degree of separation to Brian Eno, then Levene and the crew are in very good standing. One doesn't have to look far for that connection. I'm sure that some people who know the dub and ambient type of work Eno & Wobble produced would say that it's a far cry from punk for there to be an influence, but I'm saying that there is a punk influence there; and to prove otherwise, one would really have to go to the source and ask them specifically. I'm betting that they'd say that punk has an influence in whatever they do at least to some degree. Really, the argument could be made that punk imparts itself despite whatever they would say. To be involved in the formation of a scene, and such a shift from the current scene, and at such a impressionable time in one's age has to have a lasting effect in the foundation of a person's being, especially a scene that attracted so much attention, fury, and controversy.

Even the formation of punk itself has its controversy; some say that it all was a manufactured orchestration from Malcolm McLaren, but we'll leave that debate as it is and focus more on Keith Levine.

One could say that Levene has had his hand in the punk/post-punk cookie jar more than any others through being involved with Public Image Limited (PiL), The Clash, the short lived, but notable band, Flowers of Romance, and not forgetting Pigface, (although nearly everyone in a band is a member of Pigface, and probably even you) plus his courtship with the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Fishbone, and not only with his physical presence, but his playing style has had a far reaching influence; The Edge from U2 gets referenced most often, but there are many more that owe a great deal to his style, many probably don't know it, but his influence has spread far and shaped so much, and he doesn't get his due credit, and that's really a shame.

All this, ironically, comes from someone who first stepped into the music scene by becoming a roadie for the very non-punk, but progressive, and symphonic band "Yes." Ironic because punk is supposed to be the kick-in-the-teeth counter-action to the music and bands that had grown to such a degree to be something in awe of its own manifestation. Strangely, Levene doesn't classify himself as a punk, rather he calls himself a hippie. One has to wonder now, why it is that of any musicians that have been interviewed here on Going Thru Vinyl, that it's the musicians that call themselves hippies but play music far outside the "hippie" spectrum that seem to be the happiest with where they are today with their music (ref. John McLaughlin). In fact, when Levene talks of leaving the Clash, he says that the parting wasn't on bad terms at all, but that he simply said that the music just wasn't for him. His departure from PiL wasn't the same by any means, (he was a founding member, and spent 5 years within the band, plus was a profound influence in their sound), but those were different days, and his departure was under different circumstances. The truth of the matter is hidden behind great clashing egos. Unfortunately, his departure came just before PiL's tour in Japan. It's clear, from listening to Levene in the interview, what an impact this split from PiL had on him, and still does to this day. It's clear when he speaks of his ambition to play Tokyo in 2013.

Levene labels himself a hippie, but speaks not in idealisms, but with candour, pragmatism, and ingtegrity. His views on heroin use are particularly poignant.

Considering their experiences, one could forgive them all for being road weary, yet, they're at it again - producing music, releasing albums, and touring. Levene most recently with his own release "Search 4 Absolute Zero", Wobble with Levene - "Yin & Yang", and John Lydon with another manifestation of PiL, "This is PiL". And one has to wonder why, for being as old as they are, and all that they've been through, for all to be producing music so far above expectation. Judging against their peers, one has to think that maybe they had the right idea at the beginning - an ethos of being and of music as an anti-production, but simply of being, despite convention and politeness for the sake of the status quo.  It's unfortunate that something was too passionate and honest that it become the cause of it's own destruction, but these men still carry the glowing embers that once sparked a revolution.

- Guthrie Alan Corwin

Parting Thoughts:

As you probably know David Bowie is bringing out an new album (The Next Day) due out in March. I thought I would remind our listeners that we have two Bowie related podcasts already up and hope to have a few new ones by the time the album comes out. Also I thought I would give a shout-out to a fellow Bowie fan Adam Dean (of Bowie Downunder) who has probably the most up-to-date unofficial Bowie website out there. So here`s a link to that: http://www.bowiedownunder.com/

Lastly, we are really excited to announce that Dub Gabriel has agreed to come on the show!  We highly recommend him and his music and think you should check him out. Here is a link to his site: http://destroyallconcepts.bandzoogle.com/home.cfm

14Nov/121

John McLaughlin “Now Here This” Interview Part 2 [Listen 28:44] – Sitting in the control room with Teo Macero and John McLaughlin S03 Ep04 (Part 2 of 2)

S03 Ep04 (Part2 of 2)- Sitting in the control room with Teo Macero and John McLaughlin

Special Guest: John McLaughlin: McLaughlin started his career off as a 19 year old trailblazing guitar master, blowing away audiences just as the British blues was exploding on the scene. Bands like Cream and the Yardbirds were just starting to take shape, and guitarists like Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, and Jimi Hendrix were just starting out and hoping to cut their teeth. My next guest had a different calling, going on a different tangent and taking his sound away from the blues-rock world of guitar hooks and classic rock solos and instead schooling himself on some of the most beautiful but also technically challenging music styles known in music. He delved into playing styles like flamenco guitar with Al Di Meola and Paco de Lucia; world music with people like Carlos Santana and Trilok Gurtu, and straight ahead jazz with too many jazz legends to mention. John McLaughlin was a major player in helping take jazz on one of most extreme and interesting rides ever with the sub-genre 'jazz fusion.' He is so highly respected that Miles Davis immortalized him in two songs, one of them on his landmark album, Bitches Brew, with the honorarily titled "John McLaughlin." Currently, McLaughlin and his band, The 4th Dimension, have a brand new album out called “Now Here This” an album about which McLaughlin has been quoted as saying “It’s the best thing I ever did, from the beginning until today.” In this podcast we talk about the elder blues statesman Alexis Korner and his effect on the British Blues world, John McLaughlin's days with Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce previous to the formation of their band Cream, we also get into anecdotes with Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana, Jimi Hendrix, the album Emergency!, Tony Williams, Larry Young, Joey DeFrancesco, Elvin Jones, John Mayall and finish off with the story of how Miles Davis came to write the song titled "John McLaughlin."

Going Thru a Miles Davis collection

Getting into Miles Davis' music for the first time can be a daunting undertaking. First off, he released many records, and many of them groundbreaking. He also changed his style quite dramatically at different time periods in his career, so where to start, and what to look for can be a little overwhelming. Of course, there are the albums that must be in the collection which are well known and loved by everyone and need to be there to say that they're into Miles Davis, according to aficionados. Then there are albums that are not necessarily must-haves but come down to being just as good, or very close to just as good, and ones that the neophyte would do better to try after they've gained some familiarity into his music. Of course, it can all come down to a matter of opinion, but take the advice from those who have gone through it and are willing to impart what they've found.

For those who get it in their blood, rich appreciation takes hold, it gets to be a hunger, and later, after having spent hours upon hours savouring every nuance and note, the albums get to be second nature and fans couldn't imagine being without the albums in their collection. For the music fan, it truly becomes a thing of beauty. But for the beginner, all these different albums and musical periods can be hard to sort through. The good news is, that for those starting out, Davis may be the most accessible jazz artist – easier to get into than later period John Coltrane, Eric Dolphy or say Ornette Coleman.

For myself, I have never come across a Miles Davis record that I didn’t like.

Here is a small sample of Davis albums. Though most fans categorize Davis’ collection according to time periods; I personally separate Davis’ playing into tempos to put on according to my mood. I have sorted this list with both categorizations in mind. If you're new to it, try it out; I hope it broadens your horizon.

Early Period

Generally Davis’ playing during this period tends to be of a quick and agile straight ahead jazz. All of it is pretty accessible and sound like “Jazz” in a traditional sense.

Birth of Cool (Released in 1957) (Tempo : Mid-slow)

This is Miles Davis in a big band setting and is notable for among other things, one being the first time he worked with arranger Gil Evans. Though released in 1957, the recordings themselves actually date from 1949 and 1950. This pivotal album was Miles Davis’ first big change to the jazz world – ushering in the switch from Bebop Jazz, playing with Charlie Parker in these years, to what became to be known as “cool jazz" (in no small part because of this monumental album.) In short, a great album that goes well with any occasion.

'Round About Midnight (Released in 1957) (Tempo:  mixed - Slow and Quick tracks)

A phenomenal record. After recording for smaller labels like Prestige, Davis decided to move to Columbia Records to record ‘Round About Midnight (his first album in a long career with the label). Considered his first great quintet, the album has John Coltrane, Red Garland, Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones. They really clicked on this album.

Bags Groove (1957) (Tempo: Mid to Quick)

Although this it a lot of people’s favourite record; I personally just put this record on when I feel like changing it up and listen to a Miles Davis record I haven’t heard in a while.  The players on this album are an all-star roster playing at their best.

Milestones (1958) (Tempo: Quick)

Another straight ahead jazz style record and one that I reach for more often than any other of this time period; in short one of his best.

Ascenseur Pour L’echafaud (1958) (Tempo: Very slow)

This has to be one of Davis' easiest records to listen to, and one that gets frequent play. While touring Europe, Davis decided to record a soundtrack (Ascenseur Pour L’echafaud) – it doesn’t have any star players on it apart from Davis himself, but it's a great album. It has a cool minimalist quality to it. The only problem with this record is that it’s hard to find. Get it if you see it.

Mid Period

Generally marked by his work with Gil Evans; these are some of his most loved and sought after records.

Kind of Blue (1959) (Tempo: Mid)

Maybe the most loved Jazz record of all time. For me what differentiates this from his other records is the inclusion of Bill Evans. Not to say that Evans was the star, but I just think that he mixed really well with Davis, John Coltrane and the rest of the band.

Sketches of Spain (1960) (Tempo: Low to Mid)

A great collaboration between Gil Evans and Miles Davis that is set to Spanish folk tunes; a much loved Miles Davis record. Although I rarely put it on myself.

At Carnegie Hall (1961) (Tempo: Quick)

Having heard Kind of Blue so often, it took me a while to get into the rendition of “So What” and the other classic tunes that Davis plays with orchestration. If you find you have the same difficulty, my advice is to not give up on it; you will most likely fall in love with it after some time.

ESP (1965) (Tempo: Quick and Agile)

This album rings in his second great quintet and consists of Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter and Tony Williams. Each member of this band have gone on to change jazz in their own unique way.

Live at the Plugged Nickel (1965) (Tempo: Quick and Agile)

Recorded at a club called Plugged Nickel in Chicago 1965; this stuff is legendary. I play this a lot.

Jazz Fusion/Electric

For some, this was where jazz stopped being jazz and turned into a free-for-all with musicians focused only onto what they were doing individually. I think less people hold this opinion in general these days; that said, this stuff isn't for everyone. Miles Davis was one of the first to plug in and has some of the most extreme examples of "Jazz-Fusion."

In a Silent Way (1969) (Tempo: Ultra slow)

Albums don`t come any better than this one. The first record that John McLaughlin played on – this record is one of the most relaxing and awe-inspiring records in my collection.

Bitches Brew (1970) (Tempo: Slow to Mid)

This is where the rubber hits the road as far as electric instruments and jazz being combined. This is a record that I didn't originally warm up to but is now one of my favorite albums of all time. If I had one complaint it would be that the `Complete Bitches Brew` needs to be easier to find and cost much less on vinyl.

Post Retirement Period

After releasing "On the Corner," Davis called it quits (for five years). After reading his autobiography, I think this wasn't the healthiest move on his part. Luckily, he released some stuff from the vaults during this time period and eventually came  out of retirement. Though he didn't bring out any career changing albums, for me, he still brought out some good stuff.

Agharta (1975) (Tempo: Funky/Crazy)

Recorded February 1, 1975 in Japan, Agharta (the afternoon set) was part of a two part live release (the evening set was also released; called Pangaea). Davis has never been more crazy, wild or unapologetically funky than he was here. In fact, he was so wild that critics at the time were accusing him of not acting his age and borrowing too much from Jimi Hendrix, Sly and the Family Stone, and James Brown. What do critics know. On this album, the band is absolutely stellar and the music is totally moving. Although it's definitely not the album to start with. Not for a gentle immersion anyway.

Tutu (1986) (Tempo: Mellow/Smooth with an 80's flair)

Once you get past the dated 80’s drum machines and synthesizers sounds and settle into what's being played, you will realize that this is a great record. No, this is not as good as “In a Silent Way” or “Kind of Blue,” but it's still a great Miles Davis record.

-- Jason Hoffer

Next week: Steve Albini

Plus a bonus interview with Brett Anderson (of the Stripminers and the Donnas)

27Jun/121

Drinking scotch, smoking cigarettes, and hanging out with Feldman, Rothko, and Budd [Listen 37:00]S02 Ep11 (Part 1 of 2)

S02 Ep11 (Part 1 of 2) - Drinking Scotch, smoking cigarettes and hanging out with Feldman, Rothko and BuddS02 Ep11 (Part 1 of 2) - Drinking Scotch, smoking cigerettes and hanging out with Feldman, Rothko and Budd

Interview Date: May 3, 2012 @8pm EDT

Special Guest: Harold Budd is an American composer and poet who is known for his soft pedal piano style and his ground-breaking projects.  In this podcast we talk about how he started his training, meeting Morton Feldman and Mark Rothko, some of his earliest albums, and much more.

Bands and Musicians Battle Royale (Part 2 - Get Ultra-Violent with the Punk  Rock Legends)

We love contrast, so I thought I might balance out my calm and sophisticated audio interview with Harold Budd with some mindless, weaselly ultra-violence in Part 2 of Battle Royale (the Punks fight back). So just like before, we are asking you which bands you prefer. Don't expect a clean fight though, this group of misfits may not look so tough to you, but they are wiry, good at cheating, and know how to smash it up. Remember this battle is best served cold in a med/small size group, and oh yeah "don't forget to beat on the biggest brat with your baseball bat."

We are starting off big!

The Sex Pistols versus The Clash

These two have been battling it out since the beginning, and there never has been a clear winner.