Stereo Embers: The Podcast

"Ben Jaffe Makes Me Guess How Old His Dad Is" Ben Jaffe may have grown up with a father who was a bit older than the other dads, but his record collection was far more comprehensive and it gave the younger Jaffe a wider musical palette to draw from. Raised on Art Blakey, classical music and blues, Jaffe’s wide array of tastes are all over his new album Oh, Wild Ocean Of Love. The honey honey guitarists’ solo debut will be out in early 2018, but he shares two new tracks from the record that are featured on today’s show. Alex and Ben talk about L.A. Confidential, Caleb Carr, Paul Simon and how having curiosity can push us artistically.

Inara George Doesn’t Know What’s In Weird Al’s Heart But then again, none of us do. Singer/songwriter Inara George sits down with Alex Green for a candid chat about youth, why it’s hard to make friends when you’re older and Weird Al. That’s right. Weird Al. Inara tells Alex her kids prefer Weird Al over their mom’s music. When Alex says he hopes Weird Al records an album of heartfelt acoustic ballads, Inara says she’d listen to it because after all these years we have no idea what’s in Weird Al’s heart. However, one listen to Inara’s new album Dearest Everybody, and you’ll know exactly what’s in hers.

“New Tales To Tell” It’s true. The drummer of the legendary band Bauhaus had pretty much put down his sticks for almost eight years before deciding to pick them up again and join forces with his old Bauhaus/Tones On Tail bandmate Daniel Ash and Kevin’s daughter Diva on bass under the moniker Poptone. Kevin talks to Alex about growing up in Northampton, the cruelty of the British press and the state of his relationship with former Bauhaus singer Peter Murphy. Kevin also talks about how his new book Bauhaus Undead: The Visual History And Legacy Of Bauhaus had to literally rise from the dead to get published.

“Hearing Your Wins And Your Losses” Our guest this week is Bradley Skaught, the lead singer of Oakland’s The Bye Bye Blackbirds. Erudite, gracious and humble, Bradley is not only one of the most literate songwriters around, he’s one hell of a nice guy. Bradley talks to Alex about Wallace Stevens, Bob Dylan and the enduring power of art. He also tells Alex that when he listens to the ‘Blackbirds’ new album he can hear the arguments that he won and the arguments that he lost with his producer Scott Evans.

“Mark Olson Just Wants To Go Fishing” Mark Olson cooks up his organic rootsy compositions at home in Joshua Tree and he hand delivers the goods to audiences all over the world. The former Jayhawks singer/songwriter along with his wife, the multi-talented musician Ingunn Ringvold, were in the midst of touring their new album Spokeswoman of the Bright Sun throughout the Netherlands when we had this chat. During our interview Olson went from a festival to a cab to a hostel and he never missed a beat. He talked about coming to California when he was 14, collaborating with his wife and how he’d really like to go fishing...

"Danny O’Reilly Has His Doubts" The Coronas are not only just about the biggest band in Ireland, they’re fast becoming one of the biggest bands in the world. But with a brand new album (Trust The Wire) that’s hit #1, a series of sold-out shows across the globe and millions of adoring fans, frontman Danny O’Reilly talks about how even at the height of his success, he still struggles with self-doubt. But he explains how that doubt can be a motivating factor to get better and better.

“Louise Goffin Makes A Lot Of Cooking Analogies” Louise Goffin has spent virtually her entire life in the music business. She got her start singing on her mom’s albums in the early 70s and from there she launched her own solo career. Not only that, but she’s proven to be a powerhouse of a session musician, playing banjo with Bryan Ferry and touring as the guitarist for Tears For Fears. When Goffin sat down with Alex Green the conversation quickly shifted into a studied and expansive craft talk about the nuances of songwriting. To illustrate her points, Goffin used several cooking analogies—see if you can catch them all!

“You Have To Find Your Teammates” Singer/songwriter Kristin Hersh is the singer of Throwing Muses, the braintrust of a winning solo career and a celebrated author. Harsh sits down with Alex for a chat about PTSD, how to crawl inside one’s head and overcoming shyness on stage. She also says that her son reminded her recently that in life we have to find our teammates. They’re out there and in order to live a life surrounded by like-minded folks, it’s up to us to not only find them, but to recognize them when they cross our paths.