"Hammer + Echo" Getting their start in the early '80s, the Kilkenny Cats were one of the most fascinating bands at a time when there were a lot of fascinating bands around. Formed by the North Carolina born Tom Cheek, who had relocated to Athens, Georgia for college, the Kilkenny Cats played a dark and moody blend of post-punk and psychedelia that still, after all these years, feels decidedly timeless. Here's what I mean by that--sometimes when you listen to a band you can hear the years they existed. We won't name. names, but you know what I mean--however, when it comes to the Kilkenny Cats, their music was so singular, they elude the timeline. Although their fellow city dwelling comrades ranged from REM to Pylon to Love Tractor, they were their own thing. Alive with jangling guitars, prowling basslines, foreboding drums and sonorous vocals, the Kilkenny Cats' music was awash in mystery and maybe that's why all these years later, they still sound as pressingly relevant as ever. They were a beloved live act, they had a deal with Twin/Tone, played shows with REM and Husker Du and then? Well, then decades of silence. Why? Well, that's what we're here to figure out and Tom Cheek walks us through it all. Spoiler alert: The 'Cats are back and more music in addition to the wonderful expanded reissue of 1988's Hammer + Echo, will be coming. I'll let him explain. www.propellorsoundrecordings.com www.bombshellradio.com (http://www.bombshellradio.com) www.stereoembersmagazine.com www.alexgreenbooks.com (http://www.alexgreenbooks.com) Stereo Embers IG + BLUESKY: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

"Medicine Show" Over the course of nearly ten winning studio albums, four fabulous live records and a handful of EPS, the Dream Syndicate are one of those bands that nail the cover off the ball every single time. Formed in 1981 and reactivated in 2012 after nearly three decades apart, as far as I'm concerned, The Dream Syndicate are Hall of Famers, full stop. The Santa Monica-born Wynn's output as a musician is staggering: his solo career spans close to 25 albums, he's also put out records with Smack Dab, Gutterball and with Dan Stuart of Green on Red as Danny and Dusty. He's also put out several albums with his other band The Baseball Project--and if you want to talk about a deep bench, that's what the Baseball Project has--the band is comprised of Wynn, his wife Linda Pitmon of Zuzu's Petal, Peter Buck and Mills of R.E.M., and Scott McCaughey of Young Fresh Fellows. The Dream Syndicate's sophomore album Medicine Show is celebrating its 40th anniversary and what better way to commemorate it than with a four disc box set. This thing is a beast and it traces the evolution of the landmark 1984 effort that time and perspective have revealed to be one of the most enduring and accomplished albums ever made. The Dream Syndicate play with grinding beauty, bluesy howl and jangling blis and Medicine Show has never sounded better or more urgent. www.thedreamsyndicate.com www.bombshellradio.com (http://www.bombshellradio.com) www.stereoembersmagazine.com www.alexgreenbooks.com (http://www.alexgreenbooks.com) IG + BLUESKY: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

"Anywhere But Here" Ben Arnold is a busy dude. The Philadelphia-raised musician not only has two bands--Pistol For Ringo and U.S. Rails--his solo career is in full swing and his new solo album XL finds the singer/songwriter never sounding better. His three endeavors keep him on the road but Arnold is a happy guy when he's on any highway anywhere in the world. With a handful of fabulous albums under his belt like Lost Keys and Sunday Morning Meltdown, Arnold keeps moving from strength to strength with each release. Eleven not only keeps Arnold's winning streak going, it's a beast of an album. From Catch The Lightning to "My America" to "Long Cool Shadow," Eleven is filled with rootsy fight songs, melodic muscle and bluesy bliss. It's a rousing record that's filled with nostalgia, love and regret but it also reminds us that resilience has its own rare power. This is a cool chat--here's me and Ben Arnold having a conversaiotn . www.benarnold.com www.bombshellradio.com www.stereoembersthepodcast (http://www.stereoembersthepodcast) www.alexgreenbooks.com Stereo Embers: BLUESKY + IG: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

"In The Garden" The New York-born saxophonist/composer Alison Shearer's new album In The Garden is one of the most dynamic, stirring and altogether thrilling albums of the year. The follow up to her View From Above album, which was a moving tribute to her father John Shearer, the legendary civil rights-era photojournalist, In The Garden is a delicious blend of inventive time meters whose inspirations range from philosophy to children running through a Pakistani marketplace. Played with elegance and grace the compositions on In The Garden are a seamless collision of formalism and modernism and it's just exquisite work. Not only has Alison toured all over the U.S., Canada and South Asia, she's a touring member of Red Baraat and Sunny Jain's Wild Wild East, and she's on the faculty of Jazz at Lincoln Center's High School Jazz Academy. She's busy! But what's cool about Alison being busy is she's busy in her discipline and she's living the life of an artist with authenticity and joy. www.alisonshearer.bandcamp.com www.alisonshearermusic.com www.bombshellradio.com (http://www.bombshellradio.com) www.stereoembersmagazine.com (http://www.stereoembersmagazine.com) www.alexgreenbooks.com (http://www.alexgreenbooks.com) IG + BLUESKY: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

"Only Hoping" There's real magic in the work of Al Nicol. There's also real magic that guided the work of Al Nicol but we'll get to that in a second. The Canadian-born singer/songwriter writes some of the most affecting compositions around. His lyrics are contemplative and thoughtful, his voice has a bold and breezy command and his pastoral compositions bring to mind everyone from Nick Drake to Ron Sexsmith. The path leading to Nicol's new album Only Hoping was shown to him through a visit with a shaman and once he received that knowledge, Nicol wasted no time in venturing into the unknown to discover the sonic riches that would form the record. I'll let him tell you that story, but let me say this: Only Hoping is a stirring blend of indie folk and spare psychedelia and it was helmed by MC Taylor of Hiss Golden Messenger whose production effortlessly lifts the songs into the cosmos. Featuring members of Bonny Light Horseman, Erin Rae, and Taylor himself, Only Hoping finds Nicol kicking his songwriting into another otherworldly gear. It's a work of pure magic. www.alnicol.com www.stereoembersmagazine.com (www.stereoembersmagazine.com) www.alexgreenbooks.com (www.alexgreenbooks.com) www.bombshellradio.com (www.bombshellradio.com) IG + BLUESKY: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

"The Very Day" If you're wondering if the Connecticut-born Grammyt Award winning keyboardist and composer grew up with music in the house, the answer is yes--his father Joe Porcaro was a renowned jazz drummer who played with everyone from Sinatra to Stan Getz to Madonna. He also played on hundreds of film and television scores including The Wild Bunch, I Dream Of Jeannie and Edward Scissorhands. He also founded the Percussion Institute of Technology and later the drum department at the Los Angeles Music Academy (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles_College_of_Music). So, yeah music was the lifesblood of the Porcaro household and at very young ages, Steve and his brothers Mike and Jeff went into the family business. How early of an age you might be wondering? Well, at 17 when most of us were finishing our last year of high school and thinking about who and who wouldn't go with us to the prom, Steve was playing with Gary Wright's band on his 1976 Dream Weaver tour. A year later while most of us were fumbling our way through our first year of college, Steve and his brothers were in Boz Scaggs's band. In 1978 Steve and his brother Jeff along with a few other session playing pals formed their own band called Toto. How'd that work out? Well, 50 million albums later, I'd say it worked out very well, thank you. From "Hold The Line" to "Rosanna" to "Africa" Toto had a procession of hits, became one of the biggest bands on the planet and went on to compose the music for David Lynch's Dune. Steve left the fold in 1987 and went on to compose and score for countless film and television projects, including From Dusk Til Dawn 2, Eddie Murphy's Metro and he did all the original music for Justified. This is just a partial list, by the way--he also wrote the song "Human Nature" which Michael Jackson recorded on his Thriller album, the beginning of several compositions he wrote for Jackson to record. Considered one of the pioneers of analog synths, Porcaro's inventive loops appeared on works by everyone from Elton John to Don Henley. When it comes to artists he's collaborated with, here's a list that's going to knock you out: Hall and Oates, Earth Wind and Fire, Sheena Easton, Diana Ross, Warren Zevon, Jefferson Airplane, Yes, and Michael McDonald. Also a partial list. And speaking of Yes, Porcaro was good friends with Yes's Chris Squire and played in his band The Chris Squire Experiment. Porcaro's second solo album The Very Day is one of 2025's real bright spots. Featuring guest appearances by Stan Lynch, Jude Cole, Michael McDonald, Gardner Cole and his Toto pal David Paich, The Very Day is a stirring song cycle of effortless pop melodies, rootsy grooves and insanely catchy hooks. It's pure magic. And this conversation felt the same. Steve's an open book and a lovely guy and I can't wait for you to meet him, www.steveporcaromusic.com www.stereoembersmagazine.com (http://www.stereo) www.bombshellradio.com (http://www.bombshellradio.com) www.alexgreenbooks.com IG + BLUESKY: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com (mailto:editor@stereoembersmagazine.com)

"Crashing Dream" Like many aspiring artists of all kinds, the New York-born singer/guitarist Matt Piucci found himself in Los Angeles in the early '80s with his college pal David Roback playing in the band they formed. That band was Rain Parade and they hit the ground running--a stirring blend of 60s jangle and dark post-punk rhythms, Rain Parade put out two instant classics--Emergency Third Rail Power Trip and Crashing Dream, a brilliant live album recorded in Japan called Beyond The Sunset. They were nerve short of critical acclaim and their shows were inspired and rousing, but by 1986 the band called it a day. In 2023 Rain Parade put out their first album in nearly 40 years called Last Rays Of A Dying Sun and the band is back at it, with creative energy running as high as ever. Over the course of their career Rain Parade toured with The Jazz Butcher Conspiracy, the Jesus and Mary Chain and The Church and Piucci has recorded with everyone from The Bangles to the Dream Syndicate. There were personnel changes over the years--Roback left the band early on and went on to form Opal and Mazzy Star while his brother Steven joined the fold and he and Piucci found a creative synergy that was almost cosmic. The deluxe reissue of Crashing Dream restores it to it original vision and it's just glorious. www.rainparadeofficial.com (http://www.rainparadeofficial.com) www.stereoemberrsmagazine.com (http://www.stereoemberrsmagazine.com) www.bombshellradio.com (http://www.bombshellradio.com) www.alexgreenbooks.com Stereo Embers: IG+ BLUESKY: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

"Wait For Fire Burning" Formed in Oakland in 1985, Legal Reins were comprised of singer/guitarist Danny Benatar, bassist Eden Unger and drummer Tim Freund. They tore up the Bay Area scene, playing show after show and cementing themselves as one of the best live bands around. This is a band who did the work, got in the reps and eclipsed the Gladwellian idea of 10,000 hours. Opening for everyone from Madness to Killing Joke, Legal Reins proved themselves time and again that they could step on any stage and match anyone in terms of power and heart. Their exhilarating blend of sweeping pop epics and punchy hook laden rock and roll brought to mind everyone from The Sound to Echo and the Bunnymen to the Waterboys. After a bit of a bidding war, they signed to Arista in 1987, put out their debut album Please, The Pleasure soon after and then? Well, then things turned the other way. I'm going to let Tim tell you the story, but let me say this: In 1986 I was the music director of KVHS, an all-metal station located conveniently on my high school campus. I was in the habit of sneaking in The Smiths and The Chameleons in between Accept and Venom just to see if anyone noticed--they did, by the way. It was slightly terrifying to be 16 and getting death threats for not playing King Diamond, but I digress. Legal Reins called me up and they were very kind and I loved their music and one time I played them in between Y&T and Armored Saint and this one guy called up and said, very aggressively, Who was that you played after Y&T? I told him Legal Reins and he was quiet for second and then he said, That was pretty good... TEED: https://open.spotify.com/track/64o01ap4UeiY5Y8fVaqChx www.bombshellradio.com (http://www.bombshellradio.com) www.stereoembersmagazine.com (http://www.stereoembersmagazine.com) www.alexgreenbooks.com (http://www.alexgreenbooks.com) BLUESKY + IG: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

"Futility" It's true--the last time I saw Sandy Smallens was in the spring of 1989 when his band Too Much Joy came to the campus radio station to play on my weekly show. The band were incredibly cool and I've never forgotten that they took the time to traipse into the East Bay hills to get to my school and how nice they were. They even played an unrehearsed acoustic version of Clowns at my request, which was awesome. I'd play it for you now, but guess what? After the band left, I took out the tape and found that I hadn't hit record. It's bothered me for years. At any rate, Too Much Joy and Wonderlick which is Tim and Jay from TMJ, have a lot of news coming out their camp, so they do come up a bit in this chat, but really, the focus here is on Sandy's other band Surface Wound. Informed by the undulating jagged basslines of bands like Gang Of Four and Wire, Surface Wound's new album Futility is a riveting blast of post-punk magic. The Scarsdale-raised, Yale-educated Smallens played football in high school and as a result his bass playing has a real athleticism to it and not only that, but his voice has never sounded better. Filled with prowling basslines and muscular hooks, Futility is filled with fight songs for desperate times. Sandy Smallens is a busy guy--he's in a bunch of bands, he hosts the Four Strings And The Truth podcast and as the guy who launched Spotify's original content department, he now runs the podcast company Audiation. Not only that, but he's a massive supporter of the arts . And, he's one of the nicest guys around. www.surfacewound.bandcamp.com Sandy Smallens' podcast: Four Chords And The Truth Podcast: https://pod.link/1733284004 www.bombshellradio.com (http://www.bombshellradio.com) www.stereoembersmagazine.com www.alexgreenbooks.com BLUESKY + IG: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

"Baby Man" The Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter Eric D. Johnson has one of the most consistently wonderful bodies of work you'll ever run to in this lifetime. From his 2001 debut Echolocation to albums like The Ruminant Band, Tripper, Gold Past Life, A River Running To Your Heart to his brand new one Baby Man, Johnson's discography has no dips and or musical unforced errors--every note, every melody, every turn of phrase is deeply affecting and altogether stirring. The Chicago-born Johnson is a prolific songwriter, who, in addition to his Fruit Bats endeavors, was a member of The Shins and currently is one-third of the the exquisite folk trio Bonny Light Horseman. Over the course of their career, the Fruit Bats have toured with everyone from Modest Mouse to The Sadies, had their songs covered by folks like The Decemberists and Guster, had their songs appear in movies like Youth In Revolt and Our Idiot Brother and played festivals like Bonnaroo, Pickathon and the Dave Matthews Band Caravan. By the way, this is a partial list, but here's a few more resume' highlights: they've garnered rave reviews from No Depression, Variety and MOJO, recorded a cover of the Smashing Pumpkins album Siamese Dream and played on late night shows like Craig Ferguson and Seth Meyers. As for the new album Baby Man, it may be hushed and intimate, but it's also decidedly rousing. A spare collection of songs where Johnson handles all of the instruments, Baby Man is subtle, personal and spare, but it shimmers with pure pop majesty. www.fruitbatsmusic.com www.bombshellradio.com (http://www.bombshellradio.com) www.stereoembersmagazine.com (http://www.stereoembersmagazine.com) www.alexgreenbooks.com (http://www.alexgreenbooks.com) Stereo Embers: BLUESKY + IG: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

"Crayon Shades" Formed out of the ashes of the late great Australian band Soap Star Joe, the Moderate Lovers are a three-piece outfit from Sydney whose debut EP Crayon Shades is refreshing and swoonworthy blast of indie pop. Fronted by Mick Wilson and rounded out by Saul Foster and Adam Taylor, the Moderate Lovers got going sometime in 2024 and since then, they've been moving from strength to strength, releasing winning singles like "Lucy's Gardening Again" and "Lost City." Filled with guitars that jangle and buzz, and falling somewhere between New Zealand's Garageland and You Am I, Moderate Lovers' compositions are filled with wonder and observational smarts. A hook-laden burst of melodic majesty, Crayon Shades heralds the arrival of one of the most exciting new bands around. https://moderatelovers.bandcamp.com www.stereoembersmagazine.com (http://www.stereoembersmagazine.com) www.bombshellradio.com (http://www.bombshellradio.com) www.alexgreenbooks.com Stereo Embers The Podcast IG +BLUESKY: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

"Earthly Delights" The earthly pleasures of the temporal world are fine food, expensive wine, monetary wealth, a long list of friends and raves that last for days. The Miami-born David Archuleta is no stranger to earthly delights--with almost ten albums to his name that have yielded millions of sales and countless multi-platinum hits all over the globe, Archuleta is back with a new six-song EP called Earthly Delights. A smooth platter of pop, R&B and disco, set against percolating beats and synth pop grooves, Earthly Delights finds Archuletla's vocal finesse paired with infectious, textured arrangements. It's lovely work. So why did I open with raves? Well, because David has recently discovered them and along with the freedom, social liberation, acceptance and joy of rave culture, it's also awakened him musically and it really shows on this EP. www.davidarchuleta.com (https://davidarchuleta.com/music/) www.bombshellradio.com (http://www.bombshellradio.com) www.stereoembersmagazine.com (http://www.stereoembersmagazine.com) Stereo Embers: IG + BLUESKY: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

"OCD" The Ohio-bornTamar Berk first showed up on my radar in the mid-90s when she sang for the iChicago outfit Starball. Starball were a really great band and they worked with everyone from Material Issue to Steve Albini and their Holstein Park record remains one of my favorite records of the '90s. Tamar's solo output now numbers five fabulous albums like The Restless Dreams Of Youth, Good Times For A Change her new one, OCD,. Weaned on everyone from Liz Phair to the Small Faces, Berk's new album is scruffy blast of melodic indie rock that's doused in reverb put together with vulnerability and honest and coated with some of the most unforgettable choruses you'll hear all year. Now based in San Diego, Berk is on a creative tear, which actuall ties into her new album's title. The compulsive need to create--and this is something I think most artists understand--can bring on a version of OCD that can inform the work, sure, but it can also be a nagging voice that relies on patterns to be silenced. We talk about all of that, and so much more; she's real and honest and funny and sharp and you're going to love her. www.tamarberkmusic.com https://tamarberk.bandcamp.com/merch www.stereoembersmagazine.com (http://www.stereoem) www.alexgreenbooks.com (http://www.alexgreenbooks.com) www.bombshellradio.com

"Hangover Terrace" The Ontario-born Ron Sexsmith is one of the great musical treasures on this weird and troubled planet. And we need him now more than ever. Over the course of his decorated career, the three-time Juno award-winning singer/songwriter has put out close to twenty winning albums and here's a quick note about that--his discography is perfect with not even a trace of a dip of quality. In fact, every album seems to top the last one, which is saying a lot because every album is absolutely brilliant. If this sounds like hyperbole, it's not. From his self-titled album to Cobblestone Runway to Retriever to Blue Boy to Carousel One to his brand new record Hangover Terrace, which is one of the greatest album titles ever, by the way, Ron Sexsmith always delivers the goods. It's hard to think of a musician who sings with such elegant precision and poetic finesse. Like Sinatra or Costello, his phrasing is unique and distinct--all it takes is a syllable of a song and you know instantly know it's him. He's toured with John Hiatt, Squeeze, Coldplay and Nick Lowe and his songs have been covered by folks like Rod Stewart, Nick Lowe, Emmy Lou Harris, Feist, Michael Buble, and Stevie Nicks. His 2017 novel Deer Life, A Fairy Tale is just wonderful and this year he made his theatrical composer debut with the internationally renowned Stratford Festival production of ‘As You Like It’ in Stratford, Ontario, Canada. But back to Hangover Terrace. A moving and deeply stirring 14-track song cycle, Hangover Terrace is filled with dark whimsy, wistful ballads and mid-tempo magic. Sexsmith's fluid and free flowing voice is untouched by time, his delivery as free flowing and and as a result this is an album of emotional exactitude and pure indie soul. And this conversation is a real joy. www.ronsexmith.com (http://www.ronsexmith.com) www.bombshellradio.com www.stereoembersmagazine.com www.alexgreenbooks.com (http://www.alexgreenbooks.com) https://podcast.feedspot.com/california_music_podcasts/ https://podcast.feedspot.com/california_art_podcasts/ IG + BLUESKY: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

"The Song Forlorn" Perhaps best known as the Peter portion of the Swedish outfit Peter Bjorn and John, Peter Morén and his band have put out close to ten albums of catchy indie rock that's yielded worldwide hits like "Young Folks," tours around the globe, international television ads and TV and movie placements in everything from Gossip Girl to Bandslam. Raised in the Swedish countryside, Morén grew up listening to Ride, Depeche Mode, The Housemartins and the Stone Roses and his sonorous and melodic body of work reflects his love of well-crafted pop songs. With four fabulous solo albums under his belt, a side project with members of The Shout Out Louds and The Concretes and handling producer duties for Robert Forster's wonderful new album Strawberries, Morén is a busy guy. And I'm leaving things out, I'm sure. But what I'm not leaving out is his second album under the moniker SunYears. The follow up to the dazzling Come Fetch My Soul, The Song Forlorn is a stirring and rousing song-cycle filled with wistful pop, affecting ballads, fuzzed out psych jams and rootsy instrumentals. Featuring guests like Lisa Hannigan, Sam Genders, Nicole Atkins, and Madison Cunningham, The Song Forlorn is an album that's filled with tremendous stylistic range. There's touches of Aztec Camera and Prefab Sprout, Beatle-esque jangle and spare indie folk. It's percussive, melodic and magical work. https://www.roughtrade.com/en-us/product/sunyears/the-song-forlorn IG: @sunyearssongs www.bombshellradio.com (http://www.bombshellradio.com) www.stereoembersmagazine.com www.alexgreenbooks.com (http://www.alexgreenbooks.com) Stereo Embers IG + Bluesky: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

"Boys Talking" Yes, it's true that Will Dailey's seventh album, Boys Talking is not technically out. I mean, it is and it isn't. Hold that thought because we're going to circle back to it. The Boston-born Will Dailey is one of the most affecting, soulful and moving singers you'll ever hear. His back catalog, which features records like Goodbye Red Bullet, National Throat, Golden Walker and his new one Boys Talking, is a perfect discography that filled with rootsy soul, road-kissed Americana and wrenching ballads that make you miss everyone you ever lost. Will's resume' is a winning read: he's signed to a major label, played with Juliana Hatfield, Peter Buck and Eddie Vedder, opened for The Wallflowers, received endless critical acclaim and played the Folk, Americana, and Roots Hall of Fame induction ceremony, paying tribute to the late Richie Havens. Will Dailey is the real deal--a singer with tremendous range and poetic prowess and if you want to classify him as one of the best kept secrets in music, that's fine, but he's one secret that shouldn't be kept. So what's the story with Boys Talking? Is it out? Yes and no. You can't find it on any streaming service, but you can buy it from Will at his website. And as he innovates further against the current digital model, another move he's made is to record a song that only you will hear--give him ten bucks and you get a song you can only listen to once. Art is valuable and Will Dailey's creativity in how to distribute art is reminding us of its joy, its dynamism and that it's not something to be thrown around or thrown away. www.willdailey.com www.bombshellradio.com (http://www.bombshellradio.com) www.stereoembersmagazine.com www.alexgreenbooks.com (http://www.alexgreenbooks.com) Stereo Embers The Podcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com (mailto:editor@stereoembersmagazine.com) IG + BLUESKY: @emberspodcast

"Deck" Over the course of their nearly-fifteen album career, Hallelujah The Hills have established themselves as one of the most unpredictable, inventive and fascinating bands on the planet. Hard to pick favorites in their discography because every album is unbelievable--there's 2012's No One Knows What Happens Next or 2013's Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Trashcan or 2016's A Band Is Something To Figure Out--pick any one you like and you can't go wrong. Speaking of picking the Boston outfit's new effort Deck requires you to do just that. Or, asks you to do just that. Or, if you don't want to, you kind of are because not making a choice is a choice. A sprawling, thrilling and altogether deliciously ambitious project, Deck is arranged into four loosely thematic elements that correspond to the suits of a deck of cards. Each suit has its own musical style; introspective spare numbers, orchestrally arranged compositions, indie rock stomp and idiosyncratic tracks that wind and loop and twist and rattle and diverge tunefully away. Along the way you'll run into Craig Finn of the Hold Steady, Ezra Furman, Mission of Burma's Clint Conley and Will Dailey. There's a song for every card in a deck and this fifty-two track effort is filled with surprises, detours, hard lefts into the darkness and jet-powered pulls into whipping storms and sunny wide open fields where a lone guitar angles under the sunlight then bursts into flames. It's hard to explain but it's easy to experience so I urge you to pick up Deck and toss it into the air and follow it wherever it goes. Ryan Walsh is the band's braintrust and visionary and he's the perfect frontman and musical director--his compositions are literate and unexpected and his voice filled with presence and urgency. Walsh's book Astral Weeks: A Secret History of 1968 is genius by the way, so get that if you have a chance. But for now, let's let Mr. Walsh cut the deck and walk us through what's happening with his marvelous band. www.hallelujahthehills.com www.bombshellradio.com (http://www.bombshellradio.com) www.stereoembersmagazine.com www.alexgreenbooks.com (http://www.alexgreenbooks.com) Stereo Embers: BLUESKY + IG: @emberspodcast Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

"Bonus Episode" Okay, so this was recorded before Ilan Rubin was named as the new drummer for the Foo Fighters, but this is a cool chat and if you aren't familiar with his work with Nine Inch Nails and Angels and Airwaves and The New Regime, this is a great catch-up on his career. He's a really nice guy and a great drummer and in case you missed this episode, we've got you.

"Can You Fly" Yes, Freedy Johnston did his California Thing and it was immortalized on his 1992 album Can You Fly. When you're an artist you can go one of two ways: east or west and he Kansas-born singer-songwriter Freedy Johnston went east, landing in New York after college. Firmly planted in the 212, Johnston worked odd jobs and wrote songs and after keeping at it, he signed with the fledgling indie label Bar/None and that kicked off a career that has yielded classic albums like This Perfect World, Never Home, Back On The Road To You and, of course Can You Fly, which, after almost 30 years is available again in a remastered on CD and clear vinyl pressing. More on that in a second. Johnston has worked with Butch Vig, Aimee Mann, T-Bone Burnett, The Embarrassment and John Dee Graham, he's played all over the world, been praised by everyone from Rolling Stone to The New York Times, had a hit song with "Bad Reputation," played Conan, SXSW and signed to a major label. It's a partial list, but you get the idea: Freedy Johnston has had quite a career. With a new album on the way, Johnston has never sounded better. And Can You Fly has never sounded better either; a storming set of jagged pop like Trying To Tell You I Don't Know and In The New Sunshine along with wistful ballads like Tearing Down This Place and We Will Shine, Can You Fly is a timeless classic that remains dynamic and vital. www.freedyjohnston.com (http://www.freedyjohnston.com) www.stereoembersmagazine.com (http://www.stereoembersmagazine.com) www.bombshellradio.com (http://www.bombshellradio.com) www.alexgreenbooks.com (http://www.alexgreenbooks.com) Stereo Embers The Podcast: Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com (mailto:editor@stereoembersmagazine.com) BLUESKY + IG: @emberspodcast

"Xtra Cherries" An aspiring baseball player with a solid fastball, the Illinois-born Chip Znuff put down the glove in favor of the bass and he left home at 17 going west with his punk rock band D-Generation. The D Generation story is told best by Chip himself, so I'll leave that one to him, and I'll cover what happened after that band broke up. Licking his wounds from his first time around on the rock and roll train, Chip formed Enuff Z'Nuff in 1984. Inspired by everyone from The Rasberries to Cheap Trick to Squeeze, Enuff Z'Nuff had pop hearts filled with hooks, but they were marketed as glam metal dudes, which led them into that lane, but it was probably a misrepresentation of the band's real chops. If you listen to the music and and ignore the image, they come across more like a tougher version of Jellyfish. Nevertheless, they made it work; in spite of their image, hits from their debut self-titled album like Fly High Michelle and "New Thing" were catchy blasts of ragged psychedelia that found the band all over MTV. Their follow-up record Strength found them looking decidedly less glam and it garnered rave reviews from Rolling Stone and the Washington Post and they absolutely crushed it on Letterman. Over the course of their career, Enuff Z'Nuff has toured all over the world, been on Howard Stern numerous times, been featured on VH-1, played on the Jenny Jones show, had Little Steven sing their praises as one of the most underrated bands on the planet and have put out close to thirty albums, including greatest hits and live recordings. Although the band has had its share of tragedies, losing members like Derek Frigo and Rickey Parent and its share of personnel changes with singer Donnie Vie stepping away from the band on two separate occasions, Enuff Z'Nuff are survivors. Chip took over vocals in 2014 and the band has never sounded better. Their new album Xtra Cherries has a deep bench, featuring Steve Stevens, Robin Zander of Cheap Trick, Donnie Vie, Gunnar Nelson and Steven Adler, who Chip played with in Adler's Appetite. The album is a refreshing blast of gritty pop that's played with muscle and heart, each track finding the band tearing the cover off the ball. https://enuffznuff.bandcamp.com/album/xtra-cherries https://www.enuffznuff.com/music www.bombshellradio.com (http://www.bombshellradio.com) www.stereoembersmagazine.com (http://www.stereoembersmagazine.com) www.alexgreenbooks.com (http://www.alexgreenbooks.com) Stereo Embers: Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com (mailto:editor@stereoembersmagazine.com) BLUESKY + IG: @emberspodcast