Stereo Embers: The Podcast

“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 real

“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:

“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...

Magic Dick Has Epiphanies Every Day Even though he’s considered to be one of the greatest living practitioners of the harmonica, Magic Dick never stops practicing. As a result of his tireless work ethic, the Connecticut-born musician tells Alex he has two to three epiphanies every day. A few years ago the former J. Geils Band member teamed up with guitar virtuoso Shun Ng and the two formed an acoustic duo. Creatively inspired by Ng, Dick found that he had a lot more to say on the harmonica. In a revealing and focused conversation, Dick talks to Alex about forsaking a career in science, not picking up the harmonica until college and why Bob Dylan is so special. He also gives advice to young musicians and explains why after five decades in music, he’s at the height of his powers.

"Joy Lenz Didn’t Always Love Cats" You might know Joy Lenz from shows like “One Tree Hill” and “Guiding Light” and “Colony” but on this podcast we learn a lot about the actress that you may not have known. Joy tells Alex about discovering she had a four octave singing voice, writing a musical based on the life of “Pocahontas” and how she didn’t used to love cats but she sure does now. This special mini-edition of Stereo Embers: The Podcast is to promote the one night only CATstravaganza featuring Hamilton’s Cats! The fundraiser and celebrity musical will feature live music by Olive&Ollie, magic by the Fantastic Fig and his cat Newton, $20,000 of prizes, a decadent party with open bar and live celebrity performances in an all new musical spoof featuring Fred Willard (Modern Family), Emily Deschanel (Bones), Wendi McClendon Covey (The Goldbergs), Mindy Sterling (Con Man), Kirsten Vangsness (Criminal Minds), Nicole Sullivan (Black-ish), Joy Lenz (Dexter), Elaine Hendrix (Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll), Carla Jimenez (Th

“Tav Falco Got A Late Start” The legendary Tav Falco is our guest this week and mid-way through the interview he confesses that he got a late start in life. Well, he’s sure made up for it. Not only is Tav Falco one of the most enigmatic and authentic musicians out there, it's hard to think of a bigger champion of underground music, art and literature in the modern age. A musician, photographer, historian, and filmmaker, Falco is a true American original. What’s he like? Imagine if Harry Dean Stanton was cast in a biopic about Gene Vincent and the film was directed by David Lynch. Tav sits down with Alex and gives him the scoop on his new record. He also talks about his friendships with Alex Chilton and Lux Interior of The Cramps, the psychology of David Bowie and how to avoid self parody. Tav is an authentic and unique artist and this conversation is a studied chat about art, history and how to keep the danger and the romance alive in music.

Brennan Hester Terrorized Peter Murphy While on tour with his band The Sextants in the early 90s, Brennan Hester and his bandmates kept running into Peter Murphy. So they did what any band would do when staring down the Goth legend: they kept slapping Sextants stickers on his tourbus. Brennan tells Alex about running into Peter Murphy in a speedo, opening for Jane’s Addiction, his disdain for Morrissey and working at the Fillmore and drinking dusty booze left over from the ‘70s. “We just siphoned off the flies with a funnel,” he says. Hester also talks to Alex about being on the same record label as Kylie Minogue and Henry Rollins, the demise of The Sextants and his first solo album Tell Me Where You Are Today. Alex also reveals he's the one who invented podcasting and Brennan claims to have invented Shazam...

"Joachim Cooder Could Hear His Daughter’s Voice While He Was Underwater" An avid swimmer, Joachim Cooder found that after his daughter was born three years ago, he thought he heard her voice underwater when he was swimming laps. Now a father of two, it’s not just the sounds of his kids’ voices that Cooder hears and his new EP Fuchsia Machu Pichu is a testament to the sonic elements that Cooder hears transmitted from the world-at-large. A stunning seven song effort of gliding rhythms, stirring percussion, and organic grooves, Cooder’s new EP is a family affair that includes guest appearances by his father Ry Cooder, his wife Juliette Commagere and his brother-in-law Robert Francis. Joachim talks to Alex about fatherhood, the elusive songwriting process, playing Jim Keltner’s drums and temporarily naming his newborn son Snackpack. They also both confess to losing track of time while living in a state with no weather...

“David Klotz Nursed His Broken Heart With Vintage Synthesizers” A few years ago David Klotz had two heartbreaks going on at once: the break-up of his band, (the critically acclaimed sepia pop outfit Fonda)and the break-up of his marriage. And it turned out that both events were intertwined, as Klotz was married to Fonda singer/keyboardist Emily Cook. So David Klotz did what anyone would do in this situation: he began collecting vintage synthesizers. While amassing an arsenal that included a Roland Jupiter 4, a Crumar Performer and a Korg Rhythm 55-B, Klotz met singer/songwriter Erica Elektra. The two found they shared a love of The Human League and OMD and from there, Dream System 8 was born. Klotz, who is an Emmy-Award winning Music Editor (“Stranger Things,” “Game Of Thrones”) talks to Alex about finding a musical partner whose tireless work ethic rivals his own. He also talks about My Bloody Valentine, raising his son in a digital age and why he doesn’t write when he’s heartbroken.

Xavier Boyer Cut His Date Short On Valentine’s Day How nice of a guy is Xavier Boyer? So nice that not only did he agree to talk to Alex on Valentine’s Day, he cut his dinner date short with his girlfriend to do it. While she lounged at the restaurant where they’d been eating, Xavier climbed into his car and chatted with Alex about his solo album Some/Any/New. They also talked about Tame Impala, chasing after pop songs, healthy artistic competition, the current state of Tahiti 80 and where Xavier stands on Phoenix. Charming, friendly and honest, Xavier Boyer is truly one of pop music’s good ones...

“Wendy James Has Always Been Ferociously Independent" Growing up in London, Wendy James always had to fend for herself. Her home life was emotionally bereft and the young James was often left to her own devices. Streetwise, independent and unfailingly self-reliant, James learned early on that the only person she could truly count on was herself. Right in the middle of recording her new solo album Queen High Straight, the former Transvision Vamp singer talks to Alex about her love of Bob Dylan, the importance of her fans and how to remain artistically vital after thirty years in the business.

“Elizabeth Nelson Got Depressed A Week Early” Elizabeth Nelson thought daylight savings was a week before it was actually set to take place. So, the singer of the Paranoid Style tells Alex, she got depressed about the waning light a week earlier than she needed to be. But being in the D.C. outfit the Paranoid Style is nothing to be depressed about. Redolent with thorny takes on the modern world, politics and relationships, the band sounds like Naomi Klein fronting the Attractions. Signed to Bar/None,The Paranoid Style some of the sharpest, catchiest and most literate music around. Nelson talked to Alex about They Might Be Giants, growing up in Long Island and how Bob Seger claps...

"Ben Vaughn Loved Music So Much, He Didn’t Care If He Made Money Doing It" Growing up, Ben Vaughn loved music so much he didn’t care if he made money doing it. In fact, he figured he wouldn’t ever make money doing it. He committed himself to the creative life, followed his own artistic impulses, toured with his band and kept making records. In 1995 with grunge still dominating the charts and Britpop ascending, Vaughn did the only logical thing a musician could do: he made an instrumental album. Although on the face of it, it was the least commercially viable thing he could have done, it turned out that it was THE most commercially viable thing he’d ever done. He explains how Instrumental Stylings changed his fortunes and launched his career into a whole new stratosphere. Ben also talks about Van Morrison, The Gun Club and sharing a van with the Dead Milkmen. Also, he and Alex re-write “Marrakesh Express” and Ben remembers signing a poster for Alex when he was a 17 year old punk. Alex was the punk, by the wa

"Bianca Marais Used To Watch Diff’rent Strokes" For anyone in America who grew up in the late ‘70s/early ‘80s, the above headline probably doesn't seem like a very big deal. But for the South African-born author Bianca Marais, it was a very big deal, indeed. Contorting the antenna of her television into the lock-picking bunny ears format, Bianca was able to beam in a station that was broadcasting American sitcoms like “The Jeffersons” and “Diff’rent Strokes.” The experience was the first time Bianca saw black people who weren’t repressed and it marked the beginning not only of a new racial understanding but an organic deprogramming from the institutional racism South Africa tried to instill in its citizens. Bianca talks about how her debut novel Hum If You Don’t Know The Words was received in South Africa, the intricate censorship of her home country and when she first heard hip-hop. We also talk about sea monkeys, Laura Branigan and whether or not South Africans can control the weather… (www.biancamarais.c

“Terra Lightfoot Is Terrible At Kiss Pinball” Well, who isn’t? Terra tells Alex she’s never been any good at playing Kiss pinball, but she needn’t worry, because she’s super good at playing music. The Canadian singer/guitarist’s new album New Mistakes is a scorching set of soulful stomp, ragged roots rock and bluesy thunder, all played with sincerity and heart. Terra talks to Alex about taking up Cello as an adult, having never seen the Blues Brothers and the in-fighting in the artisanal bracelet industry. Along the way they also talk about punk rock, haircuts and high school clothes…Alex and Terra sound like two people who’ve known each other for years, making this one of our most entertaining episodes yet.

"Mark Bryan Is Finally Using His College Degree" Almost 30 years after graduating from the University of South Carolina with a degree in Broadcast Journalism, singer/songwriter Mark Bryan is finally putting that degree to good use as host of the Emmy Award-winning program "Live At The Charleston Music Hall." Bryan, who also created the show, tells Alex about how the process from conception to inception took about five years. He also talks about his new solo album Songs Of The Fortnight, what it's like to teach college and his love of Scruffy The Cat. He also spills some of the beans about the new Hootie and the Blowfish album that’s in the works…

"Colin Moulding Tells Me What His Favorite XTC Album Is" He really does. But the former XTC bassist tells me a lot more than that. He details his return to pop music as one half of the band TC&I, an outfit he’s formed with ex-XTC drummer Terry Chambers. And he doesn’t stop there. Moulding talks about XTC and the current state of his relationship with Andy Partridge, he offers a warning for younger bands and he enumerates how Paul McCartney’s bass playing on Revolver was...cheeky.

“Alison Moyet Is Middle Aged Creative Woman” And she wants you to know it. Alex sits down with the legendary Alison Moyet who talks to him about getting older in an industry that covets youth and beauty. “I don’t want to pretend I’m anything but middle aged,” she says. “I hate to see women being de-valued when they move beyond being shag-worthy.” It’s an empowering conversation that encompasses Alison’s last two releases—2013’s The Minutes and 2017’s Other—and how it gets easier to say no as we get older. "Daniel McAuley Never Knew He Could Sing” But boy, can he! The Dublin-based band Cloud Castle Lake have in their frontman Daniel McAuley a voice that falls somewhere between Thom Yorke and Talk Talk’s Mark Hollis, but it also soars mightily in its own unique way. The funny thing is, McAuley never knew he could sing and actually found out about it by accident. He talks to Alex about discovering his hidden superpower and learning how to hone it.