October 27, 2015
A few weeks back we with spoke with musician/producer J. Robbins and touched upon his production work with Braid. This week we decided to revisit their 1998 album Frame and Canvas, which has made it onto top whatever lists for emo from NME, LA Weekly and Treble, just to name a few. Does it live up to the hoopla? Tune in to find out.
Songs in this Episode:
Intro - Killing a Camera
5:57 - History of the Band
15:25 - The New Nathan Detroits
20:44 - I Keep A Diary
Outro - A Dozen Roses
October 20, 2015
This week we’re joined by Morgan Taylor, formerly of the band Mink, to help us revisit our review of their album Get In Get Out from season one. We didn’t know much about the band and their history, or of the Dayton, Ohio scene in the ‘80s or ‘90s, so Morgan walks us through this small but influential town. Morgan takes us back to his earliest bands, opening for an embryonic Guided By Voices. He walks through the half dozen bands he played with, including the short lived acoustic duo Glee & Beak, that opened for Bob Dylan, along with tracing the connected lineage of each Mink member, and how an opportunity to play in the opening band for a Lisa Loeb tour launched Mink. Morgan talks about becoming the “it” band in Dayton, hanging out at Bob Pollard’s legendary Monument Club, getting a standing ovation from Kim Deal, and what led to the band breaking up. There so much to cover, including how Morgan utilized his decades as a musician and interest in illustration to create Gustafer Yellowgold, a multi-media performance of live music, colored-pencil animations and storytelling for children.
Songs in this Episode:
Intro - Straight Man from Get In Get Out
47:57 - A Social Life from The Red Album
Outro - Ohio at the End from Come Over
October 13, 2015
This week were discussing the influences on, the influence of and the variety of female artists who made an impact on alternative and indie rock in the 1990s. To help us scratch the surface of this very big topic, we’re joined by Annie Zaleski of the AV Club, Salon and many more, Jim Kopeny of the Chicagoist and Chip Midnight of Kids Interview Bands. From Riot Grrrl to Lilith Fair and Justine Frischmann to Jewel, we do our best to dissect what made the 90s different than the preceding 80s and decade that followed.
Songs in this Episode:
Intro - Rot by Scrawl
7:22 - You Oughta Know by Alanis Morissette
27:45 - Violet by Hole
40:46 - Connection by Elastica
52:46 - Beautiful John by Madder Rose
Outro - Dream of the 90s by Portlandia
October 6, 2015
This week, we’re joined by producer and musician J. Robbins, of such bands as Government Issue, Jawbox, Burning Airlines, Channels and Office of Future Plans. What do we cover in our two and half hours? Marriage and kids, and how they change a musicians life. Writing, recording and touring. Vans vs. Buses. The styles of Zach vs. Pete. Steve Albini: producing vs. engineering. Dealing with the major labels in the 90s. Guitars and amps. Touring with Stone Temple Pilots and appreciating David Bowie. Playing in Scream with the Stahl brothers and Dave Grohl. Covering (and hating) Tori Amos. Rock artists covering pop artists, and the politics of privilege. Recording Braid and Hey Mercedes. Lyric writing and how listeners interpret them. Current and future vinyl reissue plans. The difference between physical media and streaming on musical appreciation.
Songs in this Episode:
Intro - Savory by Jawbox
30:34 - Scissoring by Burning Airlines
1:38:54 - Cornflake Girl by Jawbox (Tori Amos cover)
2:05:58 - Spoiler by Jawbox
2:37:48/Outro - Helen Mirren by Channels
