Show Notes
With a new solo album dropping later this month — In the Heart of the Mountain, his first in over 15 years — Lucero frontman Ben Nichols addresses why some of his recent songs feel like graphic novels, how he's reconnected with the mythological Arkansas of his youth, and the parts of him that still wrestle with his southern heritage. Vinyl pre-orders, tour dates and more can be found at bennichols.net.
More from Vinyl Emergency
With the Milwaukee Brewers kicking off their first World Series appearance in nearly 45 years tonight, we bring you this wide-ranging conversation from 2024, on Episode 193 with retired MLB pitcher John Axford. With the 2011 Brew Crew, he racked up the most saves of any National League reliever, and has himself pitched in the 2013 WS, then as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals. Check out our Instagram post as well, featuring visuals of John's audio set-up and LP collection, to go along with the audio. GO BREWERS!
Fresh off of a blistering new Dinosaur Jr. album titled There Near, and the announcement of a 30th anniversary reissue of Sebadoh's Harmacy LP, Lou Barlow visits this week to discuss when the first Trump presidency kickstarted a picture sleeve obsession, why he intentionally destroyed Dinosaur Jr.'s first vinyl test pressing, and how a proper guitar tablature book for the band would be theoretically impossible. Visit dinosaurjr.com for tour dates and megamart.subpop.com for the Harmacy pre-order.
Naturally and keenly shifting from soul to folk to stadium rock (sometimes in the same song) over the last 25+ years, Jim James -- and by extension My Morning Jacket, his Grammy-nominated powerhouse quintet -- points to an unlikely influence for such a kaleidoscope of sound: Jim Henson. Through The Muppet Show and Sesame Street's wide-eyed optimism and cast diversity — be they human actors or handmade ones — songs like "The Rainbow Connection" spoke deeply to him as a youngster, leading to an admiration for the rag-tag nature of Dr. Teeth & the Electric Mayhem. Fast-forward to the present, and Jim's success as led to a few Muppet-related full-circle moments, like jamming with manic drummer Animal or crooning side-by-side with Kermin the Frog, both occurring at Newport Folk Festival appearances within the last few years. On the heels of a new solo LP titled Wowed Out, Jim chats about other early influences like AC/DC and Anita Baker, how he's collecting fonts these days more so than records, and why letting go is an integral part of the creative process. Tour dates and more can be found at jimjames.com and mymorningjacket.com. For more My Morning Jacket talk, find bassist Tom Blankenship's visit from 2020, on Episode 134 further back in this same feed. Follow @vinylemergency on Instagram for visuals relating to our episodes.
Enjoy this special feed drop of The Great Albums Podcast, where Vinyl Emergency's Jim Hanke guests to discuss The Promise Ring's 1999 LP, Very Emergency, track-by-track. Find and subscribe to the Great Albums wherever you get podcasts! Members of the Great Albums Patreon can listen to an additional interview regarding the album with Dan Didier, drummer and founding member of the band.
Describing himself as working within "the art of opportunity," Hutch Harris has been rummaging through charity bins and resale shops for years, pocketing vintage insurance ads or worn pages of childrens books, in order to create stunning, patchwork album covers for The Thermals. In today's conversation, Hutch describes what goes into those methods and how you at home can obtain personalized lyric sheets, unique LP/CD sleeves and more. Leading up to the September 4th release of Under Crushing Rain — the first new Thermals LP in a decade — we also cover when Broadway musicals fueled his interest in concept albums, and how a mastering engineer's snarky review of the band's debut full-length ended up in inscribed in that album's deadwax. A 20th anniversary repress of the Thermals' landmark album The Body The Blood The Machine is available now for pre-order via subpop.com, while Under Crushing Rain can be purchased at thethermals.bandcamp.com. Subscribe to the Thermals' Patreon for more one-of-a-kind goodness. SPONSORS: Foregin Leisure Records | flipbin | Forge Again Records