Show Notes
Today’s guest is a fan of birds. Not really. I don’t know. He’s been in two bands named after birds, so maybe. Welcome guitarist Arad Evans to the podcast. I think Arad may be my first Alaskan on the podcast. Now he wasn’t born there, but he did grow up there. He tells me what got him into music and what kind of music scene there was in 1970’s and early 80’s Anchorage.
Arad moved to New York City specifically to play contemporary, avant garde music. Well, he was pretty successful. His first gig was with the legendary experimental composer Glenn Branca. In fact, Arad played with Glenn until his passing in 2018.
Arad has played in several bands. He talks about one that was inspired by Captain Beefheart and Alaska. This band, Heroes of Toolik, is so unique. Arad said the premise of the band was making a conscious effort to not make a conscious effort.
His new band, kind of new, is called The Whimbrels and the lineup is stellar! In addition to Arad, there’s Norman Westberg and Luke Schwartz on guitar, Steve Dibenedetto on drums, and Matt Hunter on bass. Their debut, self-titled album is out and is so catchy. With so many experimental artists in the band, you might think it’s an avant garde album. But it’s wonderfully accessible, no matter if you like experimental music or not. Check it out on Dromedary Records. Follow The Whimbrels on social media and keep an eye out for live dates. Follow us @PerformanceAnx on socials. Grab our merch at performanceanx.threadless.com. Send money through ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. Now I hope you enjoy this chat with Arad Evans of The Whimbrels on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network.
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More from Performance Anxiety
This was a fun one. Welcome brookelen to the podcast. I stumbled across one of her reels on Instagram and was immediately drawn to her sound. I reached out about doing a podcast episode and a week later, here we are.Brooke grew up a military kid but found a home in Arlington, VA, after several moves.She picked up violin as a kid and was inspired by the epicness of Celine Dion.Her early musical aspirations weren’t necessarily that of an artist, though, but more behind-the-scenes.Although she was writing music, she didn’t really throw herself into it until she moved to Los Angeles. She met up with friends and started playing in parks and with friends. She’s played in a few projects but it wasn’t until she lost her job that she really decided to throw herself into her music.
This guest is one I’ve wanted to have on for a while. I’ve been a fan for about 20 years but I had always been nervous about approaching him for one specific reason. It’s a sensitive topic that will be obvious when you listen. But after seeing him open up about it on his own YouTube videos, I reached out. And I’m so glad I did. Please welcome Harley Di Nardo to the show. He’s a modern renaissance man, being a musician, film maker, and hair stylist.
Today’s guest has just reissued a hidden gem. Welcome Matt Devine. Matt has played with a lot of previous guests of this podcast. And after listening to his bands Permanent Green Light and Ventilator, I know why. He talks about how he got into music and the bands he loved growing up. He talks about starting his own bands and keeping the expectations low. After Permanent Green Light formed and dissolved, he focused on the music he had been writing for himself in his apartment. That music became Ventilator’s first album, Reseda Spleen. Reseda Spleen was released in 1996 and I am amazed that it seems to have slipped through the cracks. And it turns out that Reseda Spleen isn’t the only lost classic he’s played on. He also appears on Paul D’Amour’s post-Tool band, Feersum Ennjin. Matt talks about his post Ventilator career and how Reseda Spleen came to be reissued on Bar None Records. The digital release even comes with a couple of bonus tracks. Matt talks about what it’s like going back and listening to songs he wrote 30 years ago. But with this reissue, more people will be hearing it for the first time! So grab your vinyl from bar-none.com. Follow the band on Instagram @ventilatorofficial for some exclusive pictures and videos. Follow us @PerformanceAnx. Merch is available at performanceanx.threadless.com. Send coffee funds to ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. I hope you enjoy Matt Devine & Ventilator as much as I have on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network.
Today’s guest is a very interesting artist. I’m pleased to present Wesley Stace, aka John Wesley Harding. He’s just released a new album called One Last Heist and it’s wonderful. Wesley has always been an artist who follows his instincts and they’re currently pulling him into a jazzy stage. But he was gracious enough to step back in time with me and discuss his career, starting even before his debut album, a daring solo, live, acoustic disc called It Happened One Night. It turns out, his plans were NOT to become a musician. But when he did, he chose a pseudonym instead of using his given name. We talk about that and how his style has evolved over the decades. His latest albums are being released under his given name and he reveals why that is. He talks about writing novels and the effect that’s had on his lyric writing. We also discuss jazz and food, his band, his philosophy on making music at 60, and if John Wesley Harding might see the light of day again. Give him a follow as Wesley Stace on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. Grab the album One Last Heist at pravdamusic.com or wesleystace.com. Follow us @PerformanceAnx on Instagram. Check out merch at performanceanx.threadless.com or send coffee money to ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. And I hope you enjoy the stylings of Wesley Stace on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network.
Today’s show is a little different. I’m joined by former podcast guest Timothy Reid. He reached out to me about our subject, bassist Tim (T.R.) Miller. He’s an American bass player who lived in Japan for many years. He’s an important, but possibly underappreciated, figure in the Japanese rock scene. Timothy followed his career for a long time and, eventually, met up with him and even played in some bands with him. Tim had issues and had to leave Japan. He agreed to speak with Timothy via phone calls from his halfway house, in order to tell his story. Timothy compiled the calls and asked if he could release Tim’s story through this podcast. I thought it was a great idea! It’s exactly the reason this podcast was created; to tell the stories of artists who are not household names but whose stories are just as important. I hope you enjoy the story of Tim (T.R.) Miller.