20-Year-Old Jayden Binnix, aka Black Polish, just released their second album, YUNA, a concept album about a succubus that feeds off the souls of men. It's pretty bonkers and amazing, and we had a wonderful chat about this record, their early work, being a non-binary artist on a major label, and, as usual, a bunch of nerdy wormholes are stumbled upon.
YUNA is out TODAY from BMG. Stream it at your favorite DSP!
Today's episode of "How Did I Get Here?" features the amazing psych duo Ghostwoman. We talked at length about music, being in a band, and what to do when you find an excellent musical partner that happens to live on an entirely different continent!
Ghostwoman's latest record, Welcome To The Civilized World, is out TODAY (September 5th!) on Full Time Hobby. You can either stream or order it delivered to your home FROM THIS VERY LINK!
Last year, I had the opportunity to see The Sonics play at Great American Music Hall. It was a fantastic show, but I was particularly entranced by the Chicano Soul / Retro Garage band opening, The McCharmly's. We had the opportunity to speak to lead singer Angie Monroy about her musical journey.
The McCharmlys are on the road with SadGirl and put on one helluva live show. Tour Dates here. You can also pick up records and download music from their Bandcamp page.
Molly Neuman is a rock n roll legend. She is the drummer for Riot Grrl groundbreakers Bratmobile. She was also a member of The Peechees and The Frumpies. AND she helped run Lookout Records in the late 90s. AND managed The Donnas. AND was Vice President at early digital music distributor eMusic. This is only a small portion of her career.
She's now President of CD Baby and hitting the road with Bratmobile this Summer:
7/18: Los Angeles CA @ The Belasco
w/ Death Valley Girls, Trap Girl, doors 7pm (all-ages)
7/20: Oakland CA @ Mosswood Meltdown (all-ages)
8/21: Vancouver BC @ Hollywood Theatre
w/ PISS, Necking, doors 7pm (all-ages)
8/22: Portland, OR @ Revolution Hall
w/ Roselit Bone, All Girl Summer Fun Band, doors 7pm (all-ages)
8/23: Olympia, WA @ South Sound Block Party
w/ Team Dresch & more (all-ages, children under 12 free!)
Odds are that you don't know the name Kathy Foster, but you've probably seen her live a few dozen times. She's probably best known as the bassist for Portland punks The Thermals. Or as a member of the supergroup All Girl Summer Fun Band. Or any of the 8,565,233 other bands she's been a part of. Alas, after decades of backing up other acts, she's released her debut solo record under the alias Roseblood. We talked about her pathway to rock, with some adventures and misadventures along the way. We even touched on the time she played "Faith" and "Rebel Rebel" with Sleater-Kinney, where her band Hurry Up got their name from, and a LOT of time talking about how amazing Maggie Vail is.
Roseblood's self-titled debut is out now and can be found on Bandcamp or wherever you stream your music from.
Nadia Quinn is an NYC-based singer, songwriter, comedian, writer, and actress, and she probably has 100 other jobs that we neglected to cover. We had a great conversation about family and comedy and the stress of comedy music.
Nadia has TWO appearances at SF Sketchfest this week. She is part of the Middle Aged Dad Jam Band at Great American Music Hall on February 1st and brings her own show, The Nadia Quinn Show, to The Lost Church on February 2nd. The State's Ken Marino and Thomas Lennon are expected to crash both events. I plan on attending both shows, so if you see someone who looks like a visually impaired Jack Black, feel free to say hello!
Most people know Demi Adejuiygbe as the mastermind behind the legendary "September" videos. What you may not know is that he was a writer on The Good Place, possibly the greatest TV show ever, as well as The Amber Ruffin Show. As per the usual, we talked about his career, how he works, and, of course, there is a healthy dose of cat talk, complete with advice on how to properly AirTag your feline.
Demi has a sold out show at Great Star Theater on Friday Night as part of SF Sketchfest doing his classic one-man show Demi Adejuyigbe Is Going To Do One (1) Backflip , as well as appearing as part of Stamptown! at Club Fugazi on Saturday, January 18th. A limited number of tickets are available at the door, so I suggest you line up now for any and all of his SF Sketchfest appearances.
Zoe Ko is a pop/rock songwriter who has gifted the world some great, highly infectious singles and an EP in 2023. 2024 has been incredibly productive for her, and we had a great chat about nurturing your career, finding your people and your sound, and a lot about her future, including touring and what we should expect in the studio.
Zoe Ko's latest single, "Lucky," can be found here. Her website is here, but her Instagram is the best place for new news as it drops!
Jennifer Clavin has been near the top of my interview bucket list since the inception of this site, a whopping 15 years ago. (!) I've followed her career through Mika Miko to Bleached, watching her mature as a songwriter while I've matured along with her, with her music helping me navigate my life. She's recently stepped out from behind the comfort of a band and has released three singles as a solo act under the alias Dear Francis. We discussed her career, her craft, and even hit on the joy of rescuing animals.
She's been posting links to her new music here as it's ready to share. She's playing Heavy Manners Library in LA on Sunday, October 27th. This is her first EVER solo show, and I'm sad I can't come down for it. But you should if you are in Southern California. Tickets here!
Noga Erez is a brilliant MC who, after years generating buzz in the underground, is putting out her major label debut, The Vandalist on September 20th. We had a great discussion about influences, working with Missy Elliott, her epic KIDS livestream, and even managed to discuss the complexities of promoting a record while living in a politically volatile country.
I didn't know what to expect when I got on a call with Victoria Bigelow. All I knew about her was that I'd kinda fallen in love with her head-swimmy brand of reverb-drenched country and shoegaze. We ended up talking a LOT about music in general, the struggles with being a DIY artist in this modern era, and getting the seal of approval from Willie Nelson.
Her latest release, Songs For No One, Vol 2, is out now on Immortal Records, which was, in fact, Korn's first record label. Her latest video, "Forever Now And Then," is a stunning piece of filmmaking.
Enjoy!
This episode features Miki Berenyi, famous for fronting the legendary 4AD act Lush. We talked about her career, the nature of the UK music press, radio, the economics of touring, and accidentally putting together a band! Berenyi recently released a memoir called fingers crossed: how music saved me from success, and it's endlessly captivating. She is playing shows in the US in June, then returning to the UK in the fall. Those dates can be found here. And her latest single, Vertigo, is streaming in all the usual places.
Jamie Loftus is a writer, actor, comic, cartoonist, podcaster, and probably has about 3500 other jobs that we never covered on this episode because, well, there is only so much time in the day. In this episode we discussed her early playwriting days, stand-up comedy, the difference between eating dog food and condensed cream of mushroom soup, and, since this is Spinning Platters, we even talked about music!
She's taking her podcast, The Bechdel Cast, on the road! Tickets and tour dates are here, and it all kicks off with a visit to SF Sketchfest on February 1st at 7:30! You can also pick up Loftus' amazing book, Raw Dog, here. And, of course, you can find all other things Loftus here! Oh, and this is where you can enjoy the CVS Bangerz playlist!
We are trying something new with this episode. I am NOT doing any preroll. No theme song. No "warm open." Let me know what you think?
Dulce Sloan is best known for being a correspondent on The Daily Show, and often killing it in that role. We chatted about her move from theater to stand up, the folks that inspired you along the way, and, of course, The Daily Show and her upcoming book, Hello Friends! Stories Of Dating, Destiny, and Day Jobs, coming your way February 6th (Preorder Here!)
Sloan is in SF this weekend to play a slew of SF Sketchfest events, including a headline set at Brava Theater on Saturday, January 20th at 9:30pm. Her full schedule can be found here.
On this episode, we had Annie Hart, formerly of Au Revoir Simone, one of Spinning Platters' all-time favorite bands. We talked about the importance of Pee-Wee Herman, Heavy D & The Boys, Funkmaster Flex, David Lynch, Christmas Presents, and even Okuda Hiroko, the woman who wrote all of your favorite Casiotone beats! Her new record, The Weight Of A Wave, is available now, and fall tour dates are below:
You may know the name Bethany Cosentino as 1/2 of the popular LA duo Best Coast. After nearly 15 years of plugging away, they decided it was time to take a break. In the meantime, Cosentino has recorded a brilliant solo album on par with the best of Linda Rondstadt and Jenny Lewis. We had a lovely opportunity to chat with Bethany about her time in Best Coast and her noise band Pocahaunted. We talked about having a famous cat, about always being in the eye of the indie rock press, and about what she's doing now.
Bethany Cosentino's debut solo album, Natural Disaster, is in stores and online on Friday, July 28th, and can be preordered / presaved here.
Rakel Mjöll is the lead singer of UK punk band Dream Wife. This conversation was witty and full of positive, inspirational energy. Also, nothing has made me want to get drenched in shared sweat at a rock show more than this chat. Dream Wife's third full length, Social Lubrication, is available to preorder here, and is in stores June 9th. UK Fans (or those willing to pay more for shipping than the cost of the album) can get one of the few, remaining, extra-creepy gel-sleeve editions of the album here. (UK Fans coming to the US after this ships and looking for a present for me? This is a good option.)
Tour Dates can be found here, and, once again, I'd love to dance with you at Bottom Of The Hill on the 20th of September!
Louise Post is the co-leader of Chicago rock icons Veruca Salt, an important distinction that she does, indeed, correct me on in this episode. We spoke about her influences, her process, and her time in both Veruca Salt and solo. Her debut solo album, Sleepwalker, is out today and is available to purchase here or at your local record store. North American tour starts June 12th in Vancouver, and VIP Packages are available here!
Lindsay Olsen, aka Salami Rose Joe Louis, is an incredibly hard to pin down musician. I have often found her loosely labeled "jazz" or "electronic" but neither of those seem quite right. She's doing a beautiful blend of jazz, pop, psych, house, and pure imagination that you really have to listen to in order to believe. We had a chat with her about her early influences, her time in a punk band where she played the blender, as well as the process if recreating a solo project with a full band. Her latest record is called Akousmatikous and is coming out on May 19th. Preorders / Presaves are ongoing. She's also going on tour and you can find tour dates here!
79.5 are a 5 piece R&B group from New York City, and we got to chat with band leaders Kate Mattison and Lola Adonna about their career path, the evolution of the band, finding each other, the joy of DIY spaces, and so much more. Their self-titled, full length debut is out TODAY in all the usual places! You can catch their latest, Sopranos-inspired music video here.
Tour Dates:
5/8: Seattle, WA @ Madame Lou’s
5/11: San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop
5/12: Los Angeles, CA @ The Paramount
6/2: Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Made
6/24: Philadelphia, PA, @ Johnny Brenda’s