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175. Jess Sylvester Discusses Blonde Redhead, Misery Is a Butterfly
Send us a textSinger, songwriter and guitarist Jess Sylvester (Marinero) joins Al and introduces him to Blonde Redhead’s 2004 album Misery Is a Butterfly. Jess talks about why he chose this album for the episode and how he was first exposed to it. Among many aspects of the album he focuses on, Jess observes how Blonde Redhead integrates their classical influences with different musical styles and how they convey the album’s lyrical themes across its 11 tracks. Jess also talks about his brand-new Marinero album, La La La, and the process of recording it in Los Angeles.As Jess mentioned on the show, the best place to keep up with him and his work is on Instagram. He is @marin_guero.You can find Jess’ music on his Marinero Bandcamp page: https://maringuero.bandcamp.com/.Al is on Bluesky at @almelchior.bsky.social. This show has an account on Instagram at @youmealbum. Subscribe for free to You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter! https://youmealbum.substack.com/. You can also support the show on Buzzsprout at https://www.buzzsprout.com/1542814/episodes or at the link at the bottom of these show notes.Have a comment, question or suggestion about the show? Contact Al by clicking on the “Send us a text” link just above.1:27 Jess joins the show1:50 Jess explains why he chose Misery Is a Butterfly—and not The Beach Boys’ Smile Sessions4:13 Al was especially happy to do a Blonde Redhead episode5:28 Jess talks about the mixtape that introduced him to Blonde Redhead7:39 Jess recalls his first impressions of Misery Is a Butterfly11:55 Jess has nostalgic feelings about the album14:41 Al had a memorable experience when listening to Misery Is a Butterfly for the first time15:46 Jess talks about Blonde Redhead’s influences17:51 Jess provides some specific examples of how Blonde Redhead integrate their different influences20:52 Jess and Al talk about the tracks that act as palate cleansers for them24:25 Al was impressed by the album’s sequencing and how its themes were developed27:33 The album takes a surprising turn with “Equus”31:10 Jess explains what makes Misery Is a Butterfly a standout in Blonde Redhead’s discography33:29 Misery Is a Butterfly launched Jess into a new level of Blonde Redhead fandom35:16 Jess observes how the album hits him now after he hadn’t listened to it much in recent years38:00 Jess talks about what he enjoys from other Blonde Redhead albums41:08 Jess picks out his favorite moment from Misery Is a Butterfly43:13 Blonde Redhead ties opposing themes together throughout the album45:51 Jess hears “Magic Mountain” as a unique song on the album47:29 Jess appreciates Simone Pace’s drumming49:53 Jess hears Misery Is a Butterfly as a reflection of Blonde Redhead being composers, not jammers52:27 Jess talks about recording his new Marinero album La La La54:50 Jess consciously pushed himself to incorporate many different styles on La La La58:43 Jess reveals his plans for the coming monthsOutro music is from “The Mystery of Miss Mari Jane” by Marinero.Support the show
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1:04:38
174. Henry Kaiser Discusses Captain Beefheart, The Spotlight Kid
Send us a textGuitarist, improviser and research diver Henry Kaiser visits YMAAA and introduces Al to Captain Beefheart’s 1972 album The Spotlight Kid. Henry talks about his personal connections to Captain Beefheart’s backing ensemble, The Magic Band, and particularly his connection to Elliot Ingber, who passed away just days before this episode was recorded. Henry recalls how seeing a live performance of one of the tracks from The Spotlight Kid led to him taking up the guitar, and how he developed as both a fan and a colleague of Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band. Henry also talks about his deployments as a research diver in Antarctica, as well as some of his recent musical projects, including his work on Two Views of Steve Lacy’s The Wire.Henry had mentioned that he found a video of the Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band performance at Tufts University that inspired him to become a guitarist. You can find it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzDaFDhkv9A. The specific moment that Henry mentioned begins at 5:19.You can find Henry’s music on his website, http://www.henrykaiserguitar.com/, as well as on the Cuneiform Records YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@CuneiformRecords). Among many other videos, that’s where you can find Henry’s recent Elliot Ingber tribute video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpoVA6qkEX0).Al is on Bluesky at @almelchior.bsky.social. This show has an account on Instagram at @youmealbum. Subscribe for free to You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter! https://youmealbum.substack.com/. You can also support the show on Buzzsprout at https://www.buzzsprout.com/1542814/episodes or at the link at the bottom of these show notes.1:24 Henry joins the show1:45 Henry talks about the important role that Elliot Ingber played in his life8:58 Henry explains why The Spotlight Kid was not loved by The Magic Band10:49 Henry recounts the first time he met Ingber and other members of The Magic Band12:52 Henry talks about his first experience with listening to The Spotlight Kid16:15 Henry discusses his YouTube videos, including his tribute performances18:48 Henry talks about how The Spotlight Kid was a different kind of album for Captain Beefheart20:00 Henry explains why he chose The Spotlight Kid for this episode and what it’s like for him to listen to it now22:15 Al picks his favorite tracks from the album and explains what he gets out of them29:10 The Spotlight Kid gets overshadowed by several other Captain Beefheart albums29:54 Henry cites his favorite tracks from the album31:36 The Spotlight Kid had some commercial success32:41 Henry’s Captain Beefheart fandom was shaped by his inside knowledge of the band’s workings36:01 Henry identifies what makes The Spotlight Kid unique among blues rock albums38:05 Henry talks about becoming a diver and his path to becoming a scientific diver in Antarctica43:00 Henry discusses his recent Steve Lacy cover album collaboration46:33 Henry enjoys reworking some of his favorite music48:13 Henry talks about his recent projectsOutro music is from “Esteem” by Ackley-Chen-Centazzo-DeGruttola-Kaiser-Manning.Support the show
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52:45
173. 10 Albums You Need To Listen To with Mike Montgomery
Send us a textOn nearly every previous episode of You, Me and An Album, Al has invited a guest to introduce him to one album he doesn’t know well (or at all), but this week’s guest talks about seven of his favorite albums. Mike Montgomery, who owns Candyland Recording Studio in Dayton, Kentucky, and is a member of R.Ring and Ampline, suggested 11 possible albums to discuss on this episode, but he and Al weren’t able to narrow the list down. So Mike talks about seven of those albums (noted in the rundown below).Not only were they unable to settle on one album from Mike’s list, but Mike also suggested that Al introduce him to some of his favorite albums. From Al’s short list of eight albums, he decided to discuss three of them on this episode, bringing the total albums featured up to an even 10.Mike explains how his love of skateboarding led him down a musical rabbit hole that ultimately brought him to several of the albums on his list. Al talks about his tendency to immerse himself in a single artist’s discography, and how that led him to discover several of the albums that made his short list.Mike also discusses his Nervous Verbs solo project and the debut Nervous Verbs album Pony Coughing, which will be out on February 28. He explains why he decided to not record his Nervous Verbs songs with his other bands and talks about some of the musicians he collaborated with for this project.There are several places to keep up with Mike and his bands on Instagram, and they’re all worth a follow!@candyland_recording_studio@[email protected]@amplinegramAl is on Bluesky at @almelchior.bsky.social. This show has an account on Instagram at @youmealbum. Subscribe for free to You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter! https://youmealbum.substack.com/. You can also support the show on Buzzsprout at https://www.buzzsprout.com/1542814/episodes or at the link at the bottom of these show notes.1:27 Al introduces Mike and explains why they will discuss several albums instead of just oneMike’s picks:4:40 Speed Freaks by Santa Cruz Skateboards Soundtrack9:25 Dinosaur Jr., You’re Living All Over Me10:53 fIREHOSE, Fromohio (plus an aside about Steve Martin’s “King Tut”)12:37 Dead Kennedys, Plastic Surgery Disasters16:58 Superchunk, Here’s Where the Strings Come In21:34 Weakerthans, Left and Leaving23:42 Hayden, The Closer I GetAl’s Picks:26:03 Unwound, Leaves Turn Inside You (and a side discussion of Lungfish)38:36 Deep Sea Diver, Impossible Weight 43:07 Toto, Tambu48:06 Mike explains how his Nervous Verbs project came together52:49 Mike talks about why “Chasing the Strings” didn’t wind up as an R.Ring song54:38 Mike created a “Zoom band” during the pandemic59:31 Mike talks about the status of R.Ring and his other plansOutro music is from “Vicious Riffs” by Nervous Verbs.Support the show
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1:05:54
172. Ann Powers Discusses The Roches, self-titled
Send us a textOn this episode, NPR music critic and correspondent Ann Powers gets Al acquainted with The Roches’ 1979 self-titled debut album. Ann explains how she got to know the album and how it became an important part of her life and the lives of her friends. She also talks about the elements that make The Roches unique, including their harmonies, clever songwriting and misfit style. Ann discusses her 2024 biography of Joni Mitchell, Traveling: On the Path of Joni Mitchell, and why she took a different approach to researching the book than other Mitchell biographers have taken.You can follow Ann on Bluesky, Instagram and X, all at @annkpowers.As Ann mentioned on the show, you can read her work for the NPR Music Newsletter by signing up for it on the NPR website. Just go to https://www.npr.org/newsletter/music and enter your e-mail address.Al is on Bluesky at @almelchior.bsky.social. This show has an account on Instagram at @youmealbum. Subscribe for free to You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter! https://youmealbum.substack.com/. You can also support the show on Buzzsprout at https://www.buzzsprout.com/1542814/episodes or at the link at the bottom of these show notes.1:32 Ann joins the show2:10 Al and Ann discuss her review of The Roches from the ‘90s4:53 Ann explains how The Roches’ music was related to the New York punk scene7:59 Ann and Al talk about Robert Fripp’s contributions as the album’s producer9:37 Ann discusses The Roches’ unique harmonies and musical styles11:48 Ann talks about The Roches’ identity as misfits18:55 Ann sees the album as both accessible and mysterious20:41 Ann discusses the background behind “Hammond Song” and its enduring popularity29:40 Ann recalls where she learned about The Roches and discusses her early fandom37:56 Ann—and the critics she admired—found The Roches’ lyrics relatable44:30 Ann explains what makes the “The Married Men” a special song48:18 Al talks about his one memory of The Roches from his teen years50:09 Ann expands on her approach to writing her Joni Mitchell biography56:15 Ann discusses her current and upcoming workSupport the show
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1:00:01
171. Dave Alvin Discusses Underground Blues (compilation)
Send us a textOn this episode, guitarist/singer/songwriter/producer Dave Alvin (The Blasters, X, The Knitters, The Third Mind, solo) digs deep into the 1969 Underground Blues compilation album. He explains how he became acquainted with the album and why it was such an important part of his introduction to the folk blues tradition. Dave also dissects the work of some of the artists featured on the album, including Lightnin’ Hopkins, Jimmy Reed and John Lee Hooker. Dave talks about how one of his bands, The Third Mind, is connected to the folk blues tradition and how it’s not—and he discusses their upcoming live album (Live Mind) and other possible plans for 2025.You can keep up with Dave and The Third Mind on Instagram!Dave: @davealvinoriginalThe Third Mind: @thethirdmindDave is also on Facebook at @davealvin.You can learn more about Dave’s and The Third Mind’s music on his website, davealvin.net.Al is on Bluesky at @almelchior.bsky.social. This show has an account on Instagram at @youmealbum. Subscribe for free to You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter! https://youmealbum.substack.com/. You can also support the show on Buzzsprout at https://www.buzzsprout.com/1542814/episodes or at the link at the bottom of these show notes.1:33 Dave joins the show2:18 Dave explains why he decided to buy Underground Blues when he was 138:16 The compilation introduced Dave to the variety of blues styles13:34 Dave talks about the uniqueness of Lightnin' Hopkins’ music17:24 Dave became familiar with blues artists at a young age22:42 Dave learned a lot from being a record collector27:02 Dave explains why he initially focused on flute and sax instead of guitar32:17 Dave’s time as a saxophonist has informed his guitar playing35:52 Dave enjoys the guitar interplay on the Jimmy Reed tracks41:28 Dave recounts how the man who chose the tracks for the compilation wound up becoming a close friend of his49:50 Dave talks about the origins of The Third Mind and how the lineup came together1:07:05 Dave explains the band’s approach and the nature of their setlists1:12:48 The Third Mind’s music is connected to the folk blues music that Dave has typically played1:21:19 Will there be a Third Mind tour in 2025?Outro music is from “Morning Dew” (live) by The Third Mind.Support the show
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1:32:15