Cornelius F. Van Stafrin III: “Time Dysmorphia”
This is an interview with someone close to Cornelius, recorded via phone on 7 May 2020.
We are also a part of the They Might Be Giants Dial-a-Song Network! This week’s TMBG DAS is, “I Love You For Psychological Reasons.”
Topics Include:
Listening experiences, Cornelius’ style, the philosophical approach, Formadehydra, the change over time of the diversity of performers, Hobby Knife, the Internet, & Tom Furgus.
The Colourflies: “How Can I Make This Different?”
This is an interview with The Colourflies, recorded via phone on 30 April 2020 and 6 February 2019..
We are also a part of the They Might Be Giants Dial-a-Song Network! This week’s TMBG DAS is, “Jackie The Clipper.”
Topics Include:
The In-progress Album with Matt Francis & Ken Stringfellow, working in isolation, the challenges of the creative process, Matthew & Devin’s friendship going back to High School, working as a full band, the lost first album, keeping track of new songs, The Beatles & wearing your influences on your sleeve, Working with Ken, Flavor of The Year album, Been There Seen It Lived It Licensed It album, Matthew’s past mental health battles, touring with Green Jelly, Dysphasia album, unusual moments of fame, the challenges of coming home from tour, holding yourself to high standards, working with Blackhouse Records, the problem with local press and the local scene, more stories about working with Ken, problems with sexism and racism in the scene, what should I be listening to to get prepared for what’s coming from the Colourflies.
Songs:
Love (Demo version)
Bestfuck (buzzy mix)
Follow The Colourflies online!
Jeremy Hight: “What Journey Do I Want To Go On?”
This is an interview with Jeremy Hight, recorded via Skype on 20 January 2020.
We are also a part of the They Might Be Giants Dial-a-Song Network! This week’s TMBG DAS is, “Lake Monsters.”
Topics Include:
A short introduction, Jeremy’s work with Locative Narrative, GPS driven text, and other experimental formats, the creative process, The Ghost In You (with spoilers), and many other bits about being an artist, peppered all throughout.
PURCHASE A COPY OF JEREMY HIGHT’S BOOK HERE: https://wtbc.bandcamp.com/merch/the-ghost-in-you-by-jeremy-hight
References:
Our previous interview from 2018: “I’m Always Conceptual But I’m Super-Literal.”
(This is the first straight interview we did, where the topics were sort of gloss over in this interview are expanded upon in more detail.)
The Call is Coming From Inside The Podcast (from 2018)
(This is one of our Halloween programs, where Jeremy talks about his experiences with Ghosts. he is the last caller we have in this particular episode.)
Ethan’s At It Again (or, “The Jeremy Hight Show”) (from 2017)
(More about this broadcast, and how the sound quality degraded in the podcast feed, can be found here: Listening to Episode 39.)
Scot Jenerik: “It’s About The Work, It’s Not About You.”
This is an interview with Scot Jenerik, recorded in his studio on 11 December 2019.
We are also a part of the They Might Be Giants Dial-a-Song Network! This week’s TMBG DAS is, “Sometimes A Lonely Way.”
Topics Include:
Attending art school, moving from performing in bands to making sound art, the process or practice and making, and even a little history on the San Francisco experimental scene.
References:
https://scotjenerik.bandcamp.com
https://patsorifice.bandcamp.com
discogs.com/artist/361287-F-Space
Deep Pit Steep Cliff: Endometrium Cuntplow & Dendera Bloodbath!
These are performances by Endometrium Cuntplow, Dendera Bloodbath & Deep Pit Steep Cliff, recorded in The Lava Lamp Lounge on 26 October 2019.
We are also a part of the They Might Be Giants Dial-a-Song Network! This week’s TMBG DAS is, “I Left My Body.”
Topics Include:
A live performance by Endometrium Cuntplow
A live performance by Dendera Bloodbath
A live performance by Deep Pit Steep Cliff (Both of them together).
Happy New Year: Show Dates & The Olsen Twins Ghostlight Ensemble!
wtbc.bandcamp.com/album/live-from-the-lava-lamp-lounge
Shows Include:
07 January: Notes From The Underground on KWVA
08 January: The Space (Olsen Twins Ghostlight Ensemble) (facebook.com/events/2191531554488720/)
11 January: Ghost Hours (DJ Marshmallow at Old Nicks) (facebook.com/events/2250153581951213/)
19 January: Dendra Bloodbath / Pastel Dynasty at Old Nicks (facebook.com/events/547974156022922/)
24 January: Olsen Twins at Rooted Space
22 February: Film Fest at Interzone
29 February: Wally Shoup/Doug Theriault/Don Ciavereni/AlanCook, The Olsen Twins Ghostlight Ensemble & Halfbird at No Fun (facebook.com/events/1322173954657596/)
25 April: The Olsen Twins Ghostlight Ensemble at Interzone
Happy Holiday: “Between The Lights” b/w “Smee”
Sit back and enjoy a pair of Holiday Ghost Stories, perfect for those late nights when the weather outside is frightful.
We are also a part of the They Might Be Giants Dial-a-Song Network! This week’s TMBG DAS is, “Mr. Mischief Night.”
Topics Include:
Between The Lights by E. F. Benson
Smee by A. M. Burrage
My Burning Bush: “I Don’t Really Like Calling It Things”
This is an interview with and performance by My Burning Bush, recorded in The Lava Lamp Lounge on 8 November 2019.
We are also a part of the They Might Be Giants Dial-a-Song Network! This week’s TMBG DAS is, “I Haven’t Been Right Yet.”
Topics Include:
A live performance by My Burning Bush, plus a conversation about what to call music so far outside genres, our path as musicians, and how best to wield the creative “middle finger” when making art.
https://hearmyburningbush.bandcamp.com
Joshua Ploeg: “Whiskey Pie” & Other Bawdy Ballads
This is an interview with Joshua Ploeg, recorded in The Lava Lamp Lounge on 23 October 2019.
We are also a part of the They Might Be Giants Dial-a-Song Network! This week’s TMBG DAS is, “Corrupted Lyle.”
Topics Include:
A live performance by Joshua Ploeg, plus a conversation about the intersection of Vegan Cooking, Punk Rock, Queer Culture, Medieval Poetry, travel, and going to the library.
The Giant Worm: “I Thought It Was Your Idea”
This is an interview with The Giant Worm (Gary, Pete de Fraser, Xeres of Xeron & Art Law), recorded in the KMUZ Studios on 4 November 2016.
This program is sponsored by J Jean Portraits, & Peggy’s Vegan Hot Sauce. For more information about our sponsors, follow the link. We are also now a part of the They Might Be Giants Dial-a-Song Network! This week’s TMBG DAS is, “Rowboat Mayor.”
Topics Include:
Introductions, 30+ years as a group, discovering improv concurrent with songwriting, using influences to come up with something new, Ken Nordine, “Perfect Angel,” the fear factor when improving, absent bass players (Colin & Fred), “truth is a tiny hunter,” Art’s hammer-on technique, “Dr. Pavlov,” giant worm eras & “Old Red.”
Lob Instagon: “The Purest Form of Chaos”
This is an interview with Lob Instagon, recorded by phone on 30 October 2017.
This program is sponsored by J Jean Portraits, & Peggy’s Vegan Hot Sauce. For more information about our sponsors, follow the link. We are also now a part of the They Might Be Giants Dial-a-Song Network! This week’s TMBG DAS is, “Tick Tick Tick TIck.”
Topics Include:
Black Cactus, reclaiming physical media, the changing music industry, music as a forum of thought, playing collaboratively, the evolution of Instagon, starting out noise and becoming a jazz-jam hybrid, playing with Greg Ginn, an evolving line-up, creating a live happening, how venues respond to noise, Luna’s Cafe & Juice Bar, noise as the new punk rock, the supportive NorCal NoiseFest scene, starting to organize the event in 2005, “it’s more like a convention,” the early NoiseFests in the mid-90’s, the tape trading scene of the ‘80’s feeding the ‘90’s noise scene, the Japanese noise scene, Masonna & Merzbow, Nurse With Wound, the school of punk rock, the Green Day wave (the post-Stiff Little Fingers wave), the Epitaph Sound, the vastness of noise as a genre, the variety of acts and sounds, unique audio happenings, situationist & dada, NoiseFests past, the samurai sword story, The EMRL, the importance of stage managing, Rubber-O-Cement, Monte Cazaza, Floyd & The Conceptual Music Union, Sidewalk Brujeria, Big City Orchestra, Radio TroUBle/dfm, Salty Sea Shanties, Lob’s poetry & poetry readings, how Instagon got started, the metal band version of the group, The Temple of Psychic Youth, Instagon’s four initial faces, running out of places to play, the various phases of the group, discovering bass, becoming a band leader, Lost High Desert Tortoise, avoiding band drama, Lob’s varied tastes, his record store years (1985 to 2002), being 15 in 1980 in LA, zine and cassette culture, and making connections through trading physical media.
Kelly Taylor: “As A Kid I Wanted To Be David Bowie”
This is an interview with Kelly Taylor, recorded in the Lava Lamp Lounge on 7 November 2017.
This program is sponsored by J Jean Portraits, & Peggy’s Vegan Hot Sauce. For more information about our sponsors, follow the link. We are also now a part of the They Might Be Giants Dial-a-Song Network! This week’s TMBG DAS is, “The Bullies.”
Topics Include:
Recording with new technology, Haywire Studios, recording with old technology, taking advantage of the digital world, technology & control freaks, the development of arrangements (solo vs. full band), starting on a new song, finding the door, Some Chords by deadmau5, frustrations with EDM, dumb genre nonsense, the formula for predictable music, “cozies,” the freedom of boundaries, finding a voice within rules, the phone as a compositional tool, broken and expensive gear vs. what’s at hand, Caustic, not performance music, drummer stories, Years For Months, Mick of Northwest Notes, Stan & Andy of Easterly, resurrecting old songs, Come Back Maggie, writing a lot of songs, growing up in rural Oregon and discovering the guitar, downloadedshow.blogspot.com, Appetite For Destruction, Kill ’em All, the song “Numb,” ways music can be re-interpreted, Hank III, We Are Street, and looking for something new.
Marc Time: “We Were All Record Junkies”
This is an interview with Marc Time, recorded in the Lava Lamp Lounge on 19 December 2018.
This program is sponsored by J Jean Portraits, & Peggy’s Vegan Hot Sauce. For more information about our sponsors, follow the link. We are also now a part of the They Might Be Giants Dial-a-Song Network! This week’s TMBG DAS is, “Chip The CHiP.”
Topics Include:
Started at KALX in 1975, Mick & Marc’s Noise 30 Minute radio show in 1976, starting The Jars, working at Rather Ripped Records, making records, The Jars evolving into The Art Faggots, Bo, the difference between SF and LA, Crime, the difference between punk before and after 1980, Syncopated Pandemonium radio show in the early 70s, breaking records on the air, KALX flips to Punk Rock, (The band Austin was thinking of and fails to mention at this point in the interview was The Dictators), The Museum of Unfine Art / Sonar Map radio show / Shawn Mediaclast, The Sunday Morning Hangover, archive.org, Honey Vizer, getting bored with the status quo, the problem with college radio, Rumours & Fleetwood Mac, record rummaging and shopping by cover, The Sunday Morning Hangover TV show, retro vs new music, Time of the Assassins, records vs digital life, rebellion and culture, Christmas & religion, the influence of being lied to, and digital life vs real life.
Honey Vizer, LIVE! 21 June 2009
My appearance on The Sunday Morning Hangover (21 October 2018) (w/ Mark Hosler & Don Haugen)
Brad Anderson: “It’s Gotta Be Weirder, Stranger…”
This is an interview with Brad Anderson, recorded in the Lava Lamp Lounge on 8 December 2018.
This program is sponsored by J Jean Portraits, & Peggy’s Vegan Hot Sauce. For more information about our sponsors, follow the link. We are also now a part of the They Might Be Giants Dial-a-Song Network! This week’s TMBG DAS is, “Unctuous Robot.”
Topics Include:
Krackwerk album, 10 years in solo, Noisegasm five year in, Master’s in Music Composition, started playing music at 13, the sonic & visual pallet of finished work, learning technology to create new work, the wider range of Noise music, working with Doug Haire & Sonarchy radio, Dark Energy, Juiced, Goldenrod, driving long distances for a show as there are fewer places to play, and listening to music.
Brian Magill: “A Sound That Nobody Really Knew”
This is an interview with Brian Magill, recorded by phone on 15 December 2018.
This program is sponsored by J Jean Portraits, & Peggy’s Vegan Hot Sauce. For more information about our sponsors, follow the link. We are also now a part of the They Might Be Giants Dial-a-Song Network! This week’s TMBG DAS is, “Mrs. Bluebeard.”
Topics Include:
The House of Records “Switched-On Eugene” release event, the Numero Group approach, three years on the project, started playing classical as a child, skipped out between 11 and 19 to pursue architecture, graduated U of O with a BS in Music (piano) & sang in the choir, discovering Stratosfear by Tangerine Dream at 15, began pursuing electronic music at various college labs parallel to his other school work, actually stolen recordings, the intersection of sci-fi & electronic music, doing it all yourself with a sound you like, Carl Juarez introduces Brian Eno & Pere Ubu, the New Dreamers on KLCC, meeting people and discovering music, starting Another Green World on KLCC with Nathan Griffith in 1984, the legendary Halloween shows, Waiting For Toast, The PM Show, Carl & Brian’s xerox design aesthetic, Diane Arbus, the packaging of Switched-On Eugene, the influence of DIY punk aesthetic in Eugene at the time, The Carrion Commandos, recording bands and booking shows, where the comp misses the mark and what it gets right, other impending releases, Phyllyp Vernacular is retired, the influence of the reel to reel recorder, outlying industrial areas, Clock Facelift & Fervent Torpor.
Thollem: “In Fact, We’re Improvising Right Now”
This is an interview with Thollem McDonas, recorded on the Lava Lamp Lounge Patio on 27 September 2018.
This program is sponsored by J Jean Portraits, & Peggy’s Vegan Hot Sauce. For more information about our sponsors, follow the link. We are also now a part of the They Might Be Giants Dial-a-Song Network! This week’s TMBG DAS is, “Re-PETE Offender.”
Topics Include:
Touring and the practical aspects of being on the road, living on the road for over a decade, activist throughout his youth, the interconnectedness of everything, “The Hundredth MONkEY Generation, Difference Between Everything Anarchist Can-Do Whether or Not the Cops Will Let Us Bicycle Band,” rebelling in different ways as you get older, improv & anarchism, composition vs. improv, being creative at times and in ways that aren’t traditional, Bob Bucko Jr. & Personal Archives Records, being human, Rent Romus & Edgetone Records, an impending Nels Cline collaboration, working with Sarah Lund, grew up with punk & Jazz in San Jose in the early ’80’s, collaborating with Andy Kaufman through dreams in 2002.
This is (among other things) a performance by The Bren’t Lewiis Ensemble, recorded at The Space Concert Club on 26 August 2018.
This program is sponsored by J Jean Portraits, & Peggy’s Vegan Hot Sauce. For more information about our sponsors, follow the link. We are also now a part of the They Might Be Giants Dial-a-Song Network! This week’s TMBG DAS is, “Istanbul (Not Constantinople) Live in 2018.
Silent Night * Bren’t Lewiis Ensemble * from the early 1980s, recorded at KCSC, Chico.
Its Beginning To Look A Lot Like Xmess * Termite With Guest No. 66
Jingle Bells * This Is Yvonne Lovejoy
LIVE * Bren’t Lewiis Ensemble * 26 August 2018
Jeff Cellars: “Remember 25 Years Ago When You Were In A Band?”
This is an interview with Jeff Cellars, recorded by phone on 16 September 2018.
This program is sponsored by J Jean Portraits, & Peggy’s Vegan Hot Sauce. For more information about our sponsors, follow the link. We are also now a part of the They Might Be Giants Dial-a-Song Network! This week’s TMBG DAS is, “John Postal.”
Topics Include:
Growing up in Junction City, collecting records and listening to Modern Mono, finding the community of punk rock and local music, discovering The Ramones and other weird music, The Eugene Music Scene and the attractiveness of DIY culture, the difference between Eugene & Portland and LA, Billy Jack, the problem of venues over time, Dunghill Tapes, Johnson Unit & Snakepit, Panic On 13th Blog and Comp, capturing a time and a place, Disgraceland Tapes, Icky’s Teahouse Library Blog, shooting video at shows to get in while underage, The Exploding Cat and Bunny Summer, E-13 and the unreleased album, unreleased Punishment Farm, Robert Shepard of Giant Worm and Fate vs. Free Will Turn Signals, Douglas McGowan & the Numero Group, The Chuck Clearwater Story, people getting older and dying, playing basketball with Robert Christie, record store stories, House of Records & Green Noise, KPANTS, the Eugene sense of humor, Cherry Poppin’ Daddies, small town life, WOW Hall, Nomeansno, Rawhead Rex – Tango of The Void, Moose Lodge, Ghosts of 13th Street, more talk about music and record labels, the Pilot Story, Awolnation and the lost Foam Lords tape from 1980.
Peter Thomas: “I Can Really Do Something With This”
This is an interview with Peter Thomas, recorded by phone on 26 November 2018.
This program is sponsored by J Jean Portraits, & Peggy’s Vegan Hot Sauce. For more information about our sponsors, follow the link. We are also now a part of the They Might Be Giants Dial-a-Song Network! This week’s TMBG DAS is, “Courage The Cowardly Dog.”
Topics Include:
The House of Records “Switched-On Eugene” release event, the power of self-released cassettes, started studying and playing classical guitar at 13, Andrés Segovia, discovering the potential of guitar, discovering guitar tones, libraries and late night radio on WRPI, wanting to escape the East Coast, arrives in Eugene in late ’70’s, The Eugene Guitar Association In 1982, Editing the EGA Newsletter, meeting Brian Magill and the Eugene Electronic Music Collective, the New Dreamers on KLCC, Peter Nothnagle‘s electronic music class at LCC, the niche world of electronic music in the early ’80’s, Tangerine Dream, The Hours Away cassette, mail order tapes and ‘zines as the Internet of the era, the flexibility of electronic music and being able to make the whole song yourself, Northwest Passages comp, the change in the scene after midi and the shift from composers to pop performers, Mythic Sky, teaching classical guitar and playing around regularly, pooling gear, thoughts on the compilation, Carl Juarez’s version of what happened and the revisionist historical document, recording “Shimmer,” more on composers and the diversity of artists in the EEMC, Yes, the staleness of modern music, The Complete Guide To Sythesizers, Steve Rappaport and “The Martian Hop.”
Geoff Parks: “It Always Takes A While To Find Yourself”
This is an interview with Geoff Parks, recorded on the Lava Lamp Lounge Patio on 26 September 2018. (Performance bits from The Space Concert Club on 28 August 2018.)
This program is sponsored by J Jean Portraits, & Peggy’s Vegan Hot Sauce. For more information about our sponsors, follow the link. We are also now a part of the They Might Be Giants Dial-a-Song Network! This week’s TMBG DAS is, “I Am A Ring.”
Topics Include:
Started comedy in 2011, Moved to Salem in 2012, met Chad Johnson through Capital City Theater, Open Mics, Suki’s, Ron Funches‘ Salem connection, learning to “do” comedy at open mics, Emma Jonas‘ style on the mic, comedic philosophy, Todd Glass, Jesse Whitehead, music, The Fur Coats (Chris & Tom), The Broken Wings, finding comedy styles, Geoff Needs Something To Do, Season Two, writing songs vs. writing funny songs, music taking a backseat to comedy, Brendon Small, short form vs. long form improv, Off Book, plans for the future, hosting, The Pilots, memes, roasting right-wing jerks online, shitty dudes & Tina Högström.
Mini-Mutations: “Very Specific Minutia”
This podcast was recorded in the Lava Lamp Lounge.
This program is sponsored by J Jean Portraits, & Peggy’s Vegan Hot Sauce. For more information about our sponsors, follow the link. We are also now a part of the They Might Be Giants Dial-a-Song Network! This week’s TMBG DAS is, “Door To Door Minotaur.”
Topics Include:
NegativNews (band status, new album status), Tania Chen and Jon Leidecker albums: Morton Feldman: Triadic Memories, Live in Japan, Chopping Channel: Health, Chopping Channel: World Release, The Weather Rabbit: More Stupidity, Over The Edge Archive, Movies: Media About Media About Media, How Radio Isn’t Done, impending movie by Leah Gold, Live Performances, Octob-Tour Performances, Live Mutations Disc 1, Live Mutations Disc 2, and Mini-Mutations Bandcamp.
My interview with Tim Maloney
My interview with William Davenport
My interview with Ryan Worsley
My interview with Leah Gold
******
Octob-Tour Breakdown
It’s time to reflect on the Octob-tour, and we need to start by rolling the clock back to the end of What’s This Called? on KPSU. I recorded this track live in my studio, and sent it to Ricardo Wang for the program. On air, Ricardo played it from his phone into the mic in the studio, so there are two versions of the recording. This was created using samples of Ricardo’s program, including bits from the first “What’s This Called?” broadcast on KPSU, and other odds and ends associated with the program. Thanks again Ricardo and KPSU for helping give me some radio love to help ramp things up when things were just getting started.
I was invited to perform over the phone on KDVS to help promote the impending NorCal NoiseFest, on the program “He Hates Music, He Loves Noise,” hosted by Robin Redbeast. I recorded my performance off of my mixer, so there are two versions of the performance, too. Special thanks to Lob Instagon, Denise Chelini, Chopstick, The Stolen Elk, Smite & Collapsist for making this happen.
Our first stop on the tour was at the The Luggage Store Gallery in San Francisco, for a gig hosted by Rent Romus. The line-up included Nicotine Mantis, Cellista, War Hippy & Mini-Mutations, all performers that would appear at the NorCal NoiseFest this year. Special thanks to Marla for doing all the driving and handling A/V, Lob for making it happen, Amy & Linda for coming out (and giving me a place to stay), and everyone else for making this a great show.
Rachelle Schmid invited me to perform on KPSU‘s Live Friday program, a show that goes back to the early 2000’s, and one I used to host for a number of years. But this was the first time that I was a guest performer, on this or any other program (outside of calling in). For this show, I invited my friend Red Panda Death March (Joe Peg) to jam along with me, and the results broke down into three separate performances. The sound is not perfect, unfortunately, and there’s some digital distortion on every recording that surfaced. However, I’ve done some re-mixing after the fact to patch things up as best I could, and they don’t sound all that bad in the end. The videos (ironically) have the best sound of all. Special thanks to Vicky & Joe for making this possible.
NorCal NoiseFest is always a lot of fun, and this year was no exception. I’m hoping I can keep making this a tradition, as I had an incredible time, and my performance was great. This recording is from the board, so it sounds better than it did in the room! Special thanks to Lob Instagon, Marla for doing the driving and AV, Andrea for streaming live video and giving me a place to stay, Ninah & Das for filming and including my performance on their episode of UB RADIO SALON, Denise & Chopstick, and everyone else for showing up and having a good time. Same time next year?
All throughout NorCal NoiseFest attendees could pick up a CD of “From The Island of Misfit Noise,” where Mini-Mutations was lucky enough to have this track included. It was a collaboration between Red Panda Death March (Joe Peg) and myself, and it was a pleasure to be included on a collection like this, with so many other incredible artists. This disc is now sold out in physical form… except I have a few copies squirreled away that I may be willing to sell. But otherwise, you’ll have to pick it up here or on the NorCal NoiseFest Bandcamp Page (see the comments), where they are also hosting all the live recordings from all the performances at the fest. This was a fun track to assemble, and I’m happy to share it with you all. (Do I need to mention that Lob helped make this happen?)
I had to cancel one of my radio appearances. (Sorry Phineas Narco, next time?) So to make up for it, I performed this livestream from my cousin’s house, who was letting me stay with her for much of my tour in California. (Thanks again Andrea!) She also supplied the room and the stereo that I used to make this stream possible. This is a reflective, slow-paced performance that I’m quite fond of, and has a mood and a vibe that I really enjoy. This is a board recording, and sounds better that the audio on the stream. I want to pursue more sounds like this, so until I make that happen in the future, this is your chance to hear a new direction for us. Enjoy!
Northwest Notes on KMUZ is dedicated to Northwest artists in a way that few other shows are, so getting a chance to play on the program (hosted by Mick Hickman) was a real treat. I was lucky enough to get to perform three pieces over the course of the two hours program, so in addition to my piece on Kavanaugh that I had prepared, I took another stab at the “Forest Jam” that I did on KPSU, and then a condensed version of the piece I did at NorCal NoiseFest. In addition to the audio, there is super-grainy “security cam” footage of these, which are sort of eerie to look at. Hanging out with Mick is always a treat, and I really enjoyed this radio performance.
I have been a fan of Don Haugen‘s work since I first met him in the ’90’s, but it wasn’t until recently that we reconnected in person, and entertained the idea of collaborating. We had done this once before on my program, but for this tour the idea of doing a performance together was very appealing, and to that end we cooked this gig as a sort of rehearsal for our show at the Cowfish Dance Club the coming weekend. Additionally, it was a good excuse to play on KWVA, where I first cut my radio teeth, and was therefore meaningful to me for other reasons. Special thanks to Don for taking the idea seriously, and Chris Gierig for setting it up and hosting us. (You can see him lurking around in the video.) This was a lot of fun and I can’t wait to do something like it again.
My next stop was an incredibly fun hometown show, at a venue I’d never played at before, and the rainbow flags going in only made me more happy and comfortable. Shotski’s Wood Fired Eats is a pretty huge stage, so a Mini-Mutations gig feels a bit disproportionate, but I did get to share the bill with Katy & the Null Sets(who are always a treat), as well as Motorcoat, who were out on their first tour, also, and that more than made up for my botched recording. Special thanks to Marla for doing the driving and handling the AV, Jared Sheridanand the United Sound Collective for setting it up, and Katy for playing a killer opening set. I’m looking forward to more Shotski’s shows, especially considering how close that place is to my house.
For several years I’ve been a sometimes-performer in the Dead Air Fresheners, and for even longer a behind-the-scenes collaborator, so it made sense to try and work with them on my Portland stop. To this end we performed a livestream from their practice space, where we got to jam out to our hearts content, and have a pretty great time. I had planned two “instrumental” pieces for this tour, where I don’t focus on “vocal” samples, but instead create a soundbed through “painting with sound.” I’m quite fond of doing these, and this one was no exception. Special thanks to Ryan A Ray & Ricardo Wang for making this happen, and Kiisu & Kim for offering me a place to crash out afterwards. Ya’ll are the best.
Chris (Corvallis Experiments in Noise) always manages to assemble some impressive noise shows on zero budget, and so it was incredibly exciting to be a part of this evening, where I could to open for Mark Hosler at Interzone Inc. I have a special fondness for Smokey The Bear, as well as our forests, and so this felt like an important piece to perform, and I think I was among the right crowd to grok what I was trying to say. The line-up was incredibly excellent, including nOiZepHyZiX, The Sabrina SiegelLarge Ensemble, Project Aisle, myself and Mark Hosler, and thanks to the genius booking at Interzone, we where done by 10 PM. Special thanks to Marla & Don for doing all the driving, Jim Whittemore (Luthor Maggot) for the sound reinforcement and table loan, and all the amazing patrons at the Interzone who really love to foster the noise scene. Ya’ll are amazing.
It was certainly a huge accomplishment to play a live gig with Don Haugen in his home town, but to open up for Mark Hosler in Eugene at the Cowfish Dance Club was a delight. This was an incredible show, with an excellent turnout, and well hosted by Shawn Di Fiore, whom I had not seen in far too long. (And my, what an excellent host he was.) Everyone sounded great, there was an excellent crowd, and I had a ton of fun. This set is different than the radio set we did previously, but they are certainly a matched set, and I think we have fun with them. This might have been my favorite show on the tour. Special thanks to Devin & Rachel for offering up their home as a base of operations for the Eugene portions of this tour and in general for being amazing folks, Kim for doing the wrangling and driving, and Chris & Colin for being excellent moral support.
One of the unexpected treats of this tour was getting invited by Marc Time to appear on The Sunday Morning Hangover with Don Haugen & Mark Hosler, to talk about the show at the Cowfish Dance Club, our tours, our music, and other things that come up during the two hour conversation. As a fan of Marc and his show, and incredibly jazzed about opening for Mark at a number of shows, this was a very cool way to spend Sunday Morning. Marc was an excellent and attentive host, and he even played a Mini-Mutations track during the program. You can hear the entire show at the link below. Special thanks to Kim for doing the driving and wrangling. Can’t wait to appear on the show again!
The Space Concert Club is an incredible local venue, and I was incredibly excited to be able to open up a show with Mark Hosler and Don Haugen, all of us doing solo sets. This performance was a refinement of a piece I love performing, “The House That Man Built,” and to have all my friends in town there to watch was a lot of fun. Special thanks to Summer Keightley for the excellent food, Stan Keightley & Taylor Gene Quackenbush for the incredible sound, and Douglas Hoffman for setting the whole thing up. It was an amazing night, and one I’ll never soon forget.
Growing up, Olympia seemed to be where a number of my favorite bands were from, so it seemed like a good idea to try and book a show there on this tour. Ashley Shomo put me in touch with Zach Zinn, who set up a late-night gig for us at Le Voyeur, one of the few places I’ve actually been to before. Sharing the bill with us included r33k (Jason Lazer) and the magnificent Brad Anderson, and all of us performed an intimate show for a discerning Olympia audience. I’d been considering unleashing this piece about microdosing at some point on the tour, and the more I thought about it, Olympia was perfect for just such a thing. Special thanks to Brad Anderson for going above and beyond the call of duty, and giving me a ride all the way to SeaTac after the show. He had no good reason to do so, especially considering he’d already purchased a fair amount of merch, too. You are a champion, Brad, pure and simple.
Probably the wildest show on the tour was the 24-Hour Art Show at the Alternative Library in Bellingham. This event combined music, performance and a number of other things to create an atmosphere of decadent acquiescence to all things creative, and to that end Forrest Friends and I developed a presentation where our two sets blended into each other to create an hour-long presentation… beginning at about 2 AM. On the heels of having seen Mark earlier in the night, and the ominous storm that we had to drive in to get there and back, it was curious that I wanted to perform a séance on this night. But there we have it. Special thanks to Futureman for setting the whole thing up, Garrison for doing a monumental amount of driving that night in the wind and rain, and everyone who was dancing to a wild Houdini cut-up at such an hour.
I’ve been a fan of Arvo Zylo‘s work ever since Bob Bucko Jr clued me in, so being invited to contribute a track to a No Part of It release was very exciting to me. “Pussification” contains music about or inspired by cats, released by a wide range of artists, and being on a comp with Fhtagn and Forrest Friends just felt right for an early Mini-Mutations release. At one point, Arvo referred to me as, “The Mr. Rogers of Noise,” and I let that steer my inspiration while I made this track, which was recorded over an afternoon between prepping for this tour. I have a handful of these discs for sale, Arvo has them too, and you can always pick it up form nopartofit.bandcamp.com.
While opening for a member of Negativland on several stops on this tour was very excellent, this show with Blood Rhythms, Sacred Signs, Marcus Price & Blevin Blectum was not only good enough to get a write-up in The Stranger, but was good enough for Mark to check out on his night off. As we were in prime Halloween territory for this evening, I wanted to do a little Vincent Price / Nathanial Hawthorne mash-up, and while it wasn’t my strongest performance, it was certainly a lot of fun, and very well received, too. There was no streaming live video of this performance (unfortunately), but Matt Orefice shot a brief clip, which I used and mixed with all of my “traveling” footage from the tour, which you can see in the video (linked below). This show was incredible, and could not have happened without Garrison Heck and the excellent staff at Gallery 1412, who put it all together. A massive thank you goes out to Tanner for the ride into Seattle, and my cousin Brandy, who offered up a place to stay while in Washington, making this part of the tour possible. Thanks again!
With the last day of the tour being on Halloween, and knowing my own particular inclinations, it was obvious that I needed to do a ghost story for this final show. So I dusted off a couple of Halloween treats and did my best to represent the holiday on this exciting bill at the Re-bar Seattle. Talk about a silly dream line-up: The Weatherman (Buddy Runyan) DJing for an hour, myself doing a set, Mark Hosler AND The Weatherman performing together (for the first time in 18 years!), and then a massive closing set by Monster Planet, which included all of us jamming together. This was an incredible night, with an excellent crowd, and could not have happened without the incredible help of Marla, who made this entire tour possible. It was also amazing to meet Cindy Reichel and Leah Gold, and in general have the kind of Halloween few people get. Check the links below for sound and video. This was the end, the climax, and the incredible come-down for the tour, all in one night.
Here’s the raw numbers for those who like playing that game:
Releases: 5 CDs, 1 Cassette, & 2 Compilations Tracks, all in preparation for the tour. The CDs contained bonus tracks not available on Bandcamp or elsewhere online. (The Bandcamp versions had bonus tracks not on the CDs.) The Cassette was not available in any other format (or for download) anywhere else. 2 of those CDs were of “ancillary” material that were not strictly Mini-Mutations. (1 MKU release, one “spoken word” release.) All “self-released” by WTBC Radio In Beautiful Anywhere, Anywhen.
Octob-Tour: 10 Live Performances in 9 Cities across 3 states. 7 Radio Broadcast Appearances. 2 Live Webstreams, 1 Podcast
Collaborations: 4 (Red Panda Death March / Joe Peg, Don Haugen, Dead Air Fresheners & Monster Planet, which included Buddy Runyan & Mark Hosler)
Screw-Ups: I had to cancel two gigs due to transportations issues. Both were “made up.”
The unsung hero of this tour is none other than Marla, who went above and beyond by doing a tremendous amount of the driving, by doing a tremendous amount of the moral support, AND by handling a tremendous amount of the A/V responsibilities. This tour just wouldn’t be possible and wouldn’t have happened if she hadn’t been into the idea, and while I might have been theoretically capable of doing the tour on my own, having her there at so many of the shows really made this something that I could pull off. Runner up is certainly a tie between Brad Anderson & Garrison Heck, who each did Herculean Shifts driving in Washington (during storms, no less). Thank you, everyone. (But Marla more, for obvious reasons.)
Housing is the #1 expense while on the road, and if it weren’t for the various people who were willing to put me up in the month of October, then this tour would have also been incredibly difficult to pull off. A massive and very huge thank you goes out to: Amy in SF, Andrea in Sacramento, Linda in Oakland, Kiisu & Kim in PDX, Devin in Eugene, and Brandy in SeaTac, who all opened up their homes to me smelling like the inside of a tour van and begging for the use of a shower, laundry, and a flat space to stretch out for a few hours. All of you are owed more than I can adequately compensate for as a meager artist, and I can only say that ya’ll are amazing.
There’s a ton of people I’m sure I’m forgetting – perhaps Amtrak & Greyhound need a shoutout? – but I’ll close by saying: to everyone who came to a show, to everyone who picked up some swag, to everyone who helped me out, and to everyone who even remotely enjoyed some aspect of Mini-Mutations: thank you. Ya’ll are amazing. For reals.
FAQ & Final Thoughts on the Octob-tour:
The question I’ve gotten the most on tour was: Who Did The Booking? Who set up your shows? Who did you work with? How did you get these shows?
The answer is, unfortunately, boring: I set up the tour myself. I called, messaged, and e-mailed people who were setting up and / or booking at the venues, and cold-called most of them. A few I knew from other stuff. In a few cases, I contacted friends in relevant cities and asked for a show. And, once a few things got strung together, the holes began to fill in themselves. In two cases, I was asked to play a show. But I think that was largely due to the momentum of the acts I was opening for, and not so much due to my “draw” as an “act.”
So, to reiterate: I looked up phone numbers and e-mails, and I cold-contacted people And many said yes. If you’re wondering how to make a tour happen, or how to book a show, now you know how I did it. I didn’t know most of the people booking the shows, and in a few cases, the people booking didn’t even ask to hear my music. So you don’t even need a demo or a Soundcloud page or anything. Just enthusiasm, and a willingness to have most of your phone calls and e-mails unreturned.
While most of the “shows” were in bars, two were in art galleries, and those two were excellent performances and shows, and at each of made a fair amount of money, too. (Compared to the bar shows, where I rarely made anything.) I feel like this is food for thought. While the radio gigs universally did not pay, I enjoy seeing radio stations and playing on the air so much that those are almost like vacation stops for me. I will say that, personally, I like being able to get a drink for free after I play, and you don’t get that if the show isn’t in a bar. And some of my favorite shows were in bars. But the success of the shows that were not in bars has really given me pause when considering my next move.
I should probably recognize my privilege here. I’m a white, middle-aged male, who had financial resources I could lean on in emergencies and who what a support network of family and friends to help make it all work out. And, I’ve been working as an artist for 25 years, so I had cultivated a couple of contacts in that time. Full disclosure: I leaned on that financial resource a few times, to procure transportation on short notice. But I tried to remain as self-sustaining as possible, making as few excessive purchases as possible. All of that said, I did have advantages working in my favor; even in a weird neighborhood in a strange city, I can usually get a car to pick me up and drop me off without any trouble.
On that note: I had a largely uneventful tour. Early on I had two cock-ups, one involving transportation, and another where the gig fell apart after a car was broken into. But aside from those problems, the worst thing I had to deal with were the long bus and train rides between gigs. Occasionally I slept on uncomfortable couches or floors, but nearly all my creature comforts were met, even when I was away from home for long periods of time. So touring was fairly easy for me. But aside from asking politely and being willing to inconvenience myself, I hardly had to go out of my way to get everything done. Certainly, buses, trains, and Lyft will get you everywhere in this country.
There wasn’t exactly much “press” for the shows. I think Eugene covered Mark, and Seattle covered him and Blevim, but any mention of Mini-Mutations was limited. In spite of that, I got a pretty great response from people online, and I think live streaming the performances helped. In spite of all of this, my favorite responses to my work came from my cousin Andrea, who said that I was, “woke as fuck,” and from Arvo, who described me as, “a cartoon character come to life.” I got may other positive responses throughout the tour, and it seemed like people generally liked what I did. But those comments will certainly stick with me.
While on the road I met a very different kind of America than I do while I’m in my hometown, or on the Inter-Web-A-Tron, for that matter. I met people who were smart, savvy, woke, and excited about music. People engaged with the performances, asked questions and inquired about what I was doing, and I made money for the work that I was doing. (Not much, but a little.) I met humanity largely at their best, where nearly every club I performed at flew a rainbow flag, and the ones that didn’t were queer friendly and incredibly progressive. I was overwhelmed with gifts of food, music, art, and great conversation. Most importantly, I met people who were not white dudes, I was exposed to a number of ideas and points of view, and I gained a new sense of how artists should relate to the world at large in 2019.
It is a lot to take in, but compare this to the kinds of things we encounter in the Oregon Mid-Valley: racism and sexism, Red State thinking, small and unfunded art / music scenes, and a general suspicion of anyone who looks or acts differently. Oregon might be “Blue” due to a few key cities, but most of the state is dark Red. It was certainly cultural whiplash to go from San Francisco, to Seattle, and then back home. I met more strangers on the road that were willing to give me a wad of cash and drive me 150 miles to my next gig than I do when I’m at home, and while that certainly has to do with the size and density of big cities, it has been something to consider what I do next.
Strangely enough, the city that I had the hardest time getting a show in was Portland, the supposed “music town” in our state where I booked shows for almost 15 years. Contrast that to my hometown, where I was able to get two gigs (and a radio spot) fairly quickly, and Salem is not exactly known for “experimental” music. So there are always exceptions to everything.
I had a lovely time traveling, and in many ways this was an extended creative vacation. (Or, at least, cost the same.) Who knows if this will happen again, but I will say that I really enjoyed it, and wouldn’t mind taking another swing at it. Who knows? We shall see…
Some thoughts on the “two-disc set” audio document of the Octob-tour:
One of the central concepts behind Mini-Mutations was that I wanted to bring the ideas of Mid-Valley Mutations to a live audience at a venue, instead of on the radio. (MVM itself is my interpretation of Don Joyce’s incredible Over The Edge radio program.) With that in mind, I set out a number of ground rules for what this project would be: sample heavy, as live-mixed & mutated as possible, and lastly, lets try not to repeat ourselves. It was a pretty lofty goal, certainly, and perhaps even unattainable. But it wasn’t something I was gonna back down from, and to that end, I approached the Octob-tour with that same intention: let me create a series of shows that are enjoyable each on their own, but are each completely different. All of this planning was building up to a climax with a huge Halloween performance in Seattle.
“Ambitious” is probably the wrong word for it, but however one could refer to it, I was determined to make sure that each show and performance was unique. For a variety of reasons, I did accomplish that, and I’m proud of the results.
In this collection of 43 recordings, you can now hear all of the Octob-tour performances… AND, every live performance by Mini-Mutations since it’s inception. (One from before the group had a name, and several from before the name was shortened to something less ego-centric.) This is everything that was documented, everything that survived, and everything else that could be found from other sources. It’s a massive amount of audio, and in its own way, tells a story. In spite of a few technical shortcomings & fidelity issues, it is a collection of which I’m very proud.
Mini-Mutations is many things, and in this collection, you can hear nearly all of them. This includes my collaborations (w/ Red Panda Death March / Joe Peg, Semi-Colin, Don Haugen, The Dead Air Fresheners, Forrest Friends, Monster Planet & The Black Noise Orchestra), all the solo performances, all the radio guest appearances… essentially, everything that wasn’t broadcast on Mid-Valley Mutations. Going back to the summer of 2017, this turned out to be an excellent document of this project.
Disc 1 includes everything leading up to the Octob-tour, and the first two stops. (Plus a bonus track from one of the compilation tracks released in October.)
Disc 2 includes the remaining performances from the Octob-tour, and a couple of bonus bits that relate to the tour. (Plus a bonus track from the other compilation track released in October.)
Each of these performances are different, with a couple of exceptions. (Here and there I did a second take on a theme, or repeated a piece with a new interpretation.) I put a lot of care and thought into each of these, and I think it comes across in these recordings.
You can pick up each individual performance for a very small amount. Buying one disc allows you to pick up over forty dollars of recordings for a cheaper, nominal fee. If you want to support Mini-Mutations, and help us recoup the costs of the tour, please consider picking up something from these collections.
You can also still pick up all our releases that we had on the tour, too. So please, help a mutation out.
Wobbly: “Keep Discovering Mistakes”
This is an interview with Wobbly, recorded over Skype on 9 November 2017.
This program is sponsored by J Jean Portraits, & Peggy’s Vegan Hot Sauce. For more information about our sponsors, follow the link. We are also now a part of the They Might Be Giants Dial-a-Song Network! This week’s TMBG DAS is, “Dunkin Of Course Of Course.”
Topics Include:
Familiar, working with Dieter Mobeius, Negativwobblyland, 2012, touring with Fred Frith, working with Tim Story, Music From the Hearts of Space, Cluster, Mobeius’ directness and studio habits, collaborations vs. solo work, People Like Us, the benefits of working with others, more solo vs collaborations, playing recordings of other people as art, expressing a culture’s voice in the art we make, joining Negativland and working with them, honing your own creative voice, going to Negativland camp, Variations Radio Program and the culture wars, Kenny G (ubu.com), artist’s rights and the ownership of culture, the concept of the author, self expression through social media and the evaporation of owning our own expressions and data, the changing politics of culture jamming, post-vaporwave data profiles dictating our reality, artistic merit slipping away as time moves on, generational sea-changes, culture tacking to the libertarian center, It’s All In Your Head, the changing technology and gear, 100% iPad album, his residency at the S1 Synth Library in Portland, the ergonomics of devices (for the audience), a Don way of doing things, more history about the original booper from 1974, The Booper Symphony, the live Negativland Experience, Over The Edge with Wobbly & KROB, Puzzling Evidence, Don as teacher, doing radio with him, making art and remaining open, how to stay confused, listening as a creative tool, a live performance every time you press play, making a “mix” show on live radio and why that’s difficult, radio and music reporting killing the mix show, KPFA supporting mix radio, approaches to sampling, discovering sample sources, natural record shopping habits, finding music under your own power, our varying radio styles, Over The Edge stories, archive.org’s collection, more episodes being uncovered, Tim Maloney’s role behind the scenes, Don’s vision for the show, KROB’s role behind the scenes, Wobbly’s new record Monitress, the surveillance state, a Zeena Parkins record of duos, Sagan’s second album in 2018, Cosmos, Who Speaks For Earth?, pseudo-obscurity, the impulse behind these interviews, working on the new Negativland Record.
Mark Hosler: “We’re Dumbing It Up”
This is an interview with Mark Hosler, recorded over Skype on 25 October 2017.
This program is sponsored by J Jean Portraits, & Peggy’s Vegan Hot Sauce. For more information about our sponsors, follow the link. We are also now a part of the They Might Be Giants Dial-a-Song Network! This week’s TMBG DAS is, “Ampersand.”
Topics Include:
NorCal NoiseFest, Rat Bastard and the International Noise Conference, the term “noise” in music, Tony at Make Noise Co., modular synth scene, radio performing, gear talk, the Booper, learning how to play live, the change in technology, Mark taking on the ashes of past members Ian Allen, Don Joyce & Richard Lyons (plus his brother & parents), coping with and processing death, Richard’s sense of humor, Dayle Embree photo, grieving and finding ways to come to terms with loss, the process of selection, The U2 Record, comedy, Firesign Theater, & Monty Python, creative influences, Mark’s record collection, prog rock, breaking the fourth wall like I’m doing addressing you right now, Prog Rock (Yes, Genesis, Gentle Giant), Music For 18 Musicians by Steve Reich, Phillip Glass‘ Music in Twelve Parts, Neu, Todd Rundgren, Body Love by Klaus Schulze, The Modern Dance by Pere Ubu, Eraserhead, wanting to create whole worlds in art, Mark’s lectures, Free, grunge and Steve Fisk, Nirvana, lawsuits and what to do after the U2 single, controlling your image as artists, punk ideas, working with SST Records, not giving photo credits, Talking Heads, letting art take center stage, doing lectures, a complete work of art, Dispepsi, Jon Anderson’s Olias of Sunhillow, A Big 10-8 Place, Mad Magazine, having a sense of humor, Making Deathsentences, more about the Booper, The Weatherman’s Interview, listening to records as an activity, Negativland’s Audience, shuffle play listening, their website, Pastor Dick’s Jukebox, making music in the CD era vs. the vinyl era, sequencing and arrangements, consuming art as it was intended, Negativland’s approach toward new material, sequencing, finishing work, Our Favorite Things DVD & Tim Maloney, the traps of being an artist, Peter Gabriel, It’s All In Your Head, Pastor Dick, Richard Lyons, David Wills, Negativland’s art shows in 2005, the impact of death, Over The Edge and The Archive, Don Joyce, more on Tim’s archival work and recovering lost OTE shows, Jason Scott, Brewster Kahle, No Business, the selection process, Trump’s impact on the new Negativland record, Body English, Steven Colbert & John Oliver, Taylor Jessen, old Don material on new releases, live performances now, the modest goals of young Negativland, processing loss, What Would Don Joyce E-Mail?, Escape From Noise, Mark’s record collection, being misquoted, Helter Stupid, fake news, other kindred lost souls & The David Bowie story.
The Mark Hosler Interview Part I (#78)
The Mark Hosler Interview Part II (#87)
The Weatherman: “I Just Experiment With Sound”
This is a performance & interview with The Weatherman, recorded over Skype on 2 October 2017.
This program is sponsored by J Jean Portraits, & Peggy’s Vegan Hot Sauce. For more information about our sponsors, follow the link. We are also now a part of the They Might Be Giants Dial-a-Song Network! This week’s TMBG DAS is, “I’ve Been Seeing Things.”
Topics Include:
Getting into electronics and recording, White Front in Contra Costa County, tuning KPFA for the first time, digital vs. analog sound, Oregon talk, Gravity Falls, those gay bears, normal life, meeting Negativland, meeting Richard Lyons, processing death, Firesign Theater & The Weatherman’s post about their record cover, building The Booper, getting The Weatherman nickname, getting bullied, comics & sci-fi, The Outer Limits, The Weatherman’s post about the show, The Guests, Don’t Open ’til Doomsday, Twin Peaks, Eraserhead, YouTube & archive.org, Weatherman’s blog, how Negativland got started, Audience Studies Incorporated, meeting Mark, audio experiments, making that first record, The Weatherman’s radio show: Colloquy Electronic Music, Charles Amirkhanian, Professor Brookmeyer, more about the Booper, The Weatherman’s performances online, Teletours, Negativland’s website, The Waybackmachine, Pastor Dick’s Jukebox, more about Richard Lyons home life, The Outer Limits again, The Weatherman’s mom & grandmother, No Other Possibility film, doing “the U2 song,” “Mark made me do it,” Facebook as a drug, A Facebook For Radio, about Mid-Valley Mutations and KMUZ, playing the Booper over the Internet, Software defined Radio, CBs & Jamming in San Francisco, Jamcon ‘84, “not live” broadcasts, family radio service (walkie talkies) Family Radio 2017 on Hollow Earth Radio w/ Wobbly (Hollow Earth Radio), The Weatherman’s Dumb Stupid Home Page, The Bufferin Aspirin Commercials, Don gets added to the group, Night Sky Music, digitizing analog work properly, The Weatherman’s creative process, nonsense words and phrases, image 1 image 2 & image 3, the act of selection, Night Flight‘s influence, Media memories, strange noises from the sky, voice to skull transmissions and other conspiracies, performing live online, Over The Edge, and more Firesign Theater, even More Firesign Theater continued, the dangers of the outside world, making art now, breaking all the social media rules, wrapping up.
The Weather Report (w/ The Weatherman!) (#76)
The Mother’s Day Special (w/ The Weatherman) (#101)
Forrest Friends: “Creating A Soundscape”
This is a performance & interview with Forrest Friends, recorded in the The Lava Lamp Lounge on 31 August 2018, and a performance recorded on What’s This Called? on 23 March 2013.
This program is sponsored by J Jean Portraits, & Peggy’s Vegan Hot Sauce. For more information about our sponsors, follow the link. We are also now a part of the They Might Be Giants Dial-a-Song Network! This week’s TMBG DAS is, “Gudetama’s Busy Days.”
Topics Include:
The ecosystem of Forrest Friends, developing a mode of creation and performance, halloween records, the Forrest Friends origin story, 11 years in, outside forces as another band member, developing a musical language, pulling yourself out of a comfort zone, balancing the chaos vs. the mundane, Nathan Pepperoni w/ CEOs Inc. in Bend OR, discovering improvisation, warbled Confusion Is Sex, Trout Mask Replica, Caroliner, Sun City Girls, Tult, Mr. Powers & his “music theory” class, high school influences, and the banjo.
The Paintings: “I Just Like Playing With These Guys”
This is a performance & interview with The Paintings, conducted in the Guitar Castle on 12 December 2017, and at The Space Concert Club on 24 June 2018.
This program is sponsored by J Jean Portraits, & Peggy’s Vegan Hot Sauce. For more information about our sponsors, follow the link. We are also now a part of the They Might Be Giants Dial-a-Song Network! This week’s TMBG DAS is, “The Poisonousness.”
Topics Include:
Aldo, Tim & Jayson, Beef Kitchen & Mickey leading to the original Paintings line-up, Aldo’s garage prog with Mitch Duafa & Breviamor, Live Streaming and the problem with bars, Tim’s time in the Hundred Dollar Jayhawks, Aldo & Jayson’s new friendship, Jayson’s re-introduction to the scene, recording as a part of songwriting, timing of shows, the long lost outdoor stage at The 50 Pub ‘n’ Grub (a venue that has since passed), the problem with music scene in Salem, having fun when you play together, scheduling, Kelly & Mick, Schizophonic Records, other venues and closing bits.
Hal McGee: “The Personal Touch”
This is my interview with Hal McGee, conducted by Phone on 16 August 2018.
This program is sponsored by J Jean Portraits, & Peggy’s Vegan Hot Sauce. For more information about our sponsors, follow the link. We are also now a part of the They Might Be Giants Dial-a-Song Network! This week’s TMBG DAS is, “Flo Wheeler.”
Topics Include:
Hal’s first band Medusa in 1977, Purely Physical In 1979, Peaches Records & Tapes, Talking Heads, Debbie Jaffe & Viscera, dexterity vs. ideas, The Beat influence, haltapes.com, the Leslie Singer / Girls On Fire Archive, Confessions of a Shit Addict, Psychodrama, being transgressive and extreme, underground magazines, living cheaply, jobs, HalZine #11, audio assemblages, ElectronicCottage.org, add & pass cassettes, the necessity of variety, Electronic Cottage ‘zine, embracing technology changes, the economics of art, going to Gainesville noise shows, Apartment Music shows in the afternoon (see albums titled “Apartment Music”), The Museum of Microcassette Art, working within limitations and the one minute Automatic Confessional.
Bitz ‘n’ Bitz and Luthor Maggot: “It Has To Be Live Before Anything Else”
These are recordings made on the Lava Lamp Lounge Patio on 21 June 2018.
This program is sponsored by J Jean Portraits, & Peggy’s Vegan Hot Sauce. For more information about our sponsors, follow the link. We are also now a part of the They Might Be Giants Dial-a-Song Network! This week’s TMBG DAS is, “Thankful For Your Service.”
Topics Include:
First Bitz ‘n’ Bitz performance, Chemotroph, the ‘Live’ thing, evolving sounds, the genius of punk, Corvallis scene, Interzone, Sinking City Festival.
univac (aka Tom Koch): “The Shadows of the Original Object”
This is my interview with univac, conducted via FaceTime on 6 August 2018.
This program is sponsored by J Jean Portraits, & Peggy’s Vegan Hot Sauce. For more information about our sponsors, follow the link. We are also now a part of the They Might Be Giants Dial-a-Song Network! This week’s TMBG DAS is, “Lake Monsters.”
Topics Include:
Working in Radio & Big City
Orchestra on dfm.nu,
Omnimedia, film school background, guesting on Negativland’s Over The Edge & No Other Radio at KPFA, working with Don Joyce on the air vs. dAs on the air, Omnimedia Cell Space & Peter Conheim, running the sound on the True False Tour, It’s All In Your Head, getting into circuit bending, techdweeb.com, Tiny Flaccid Tubby Boxes, univac’s music, synthlab, the univac index (Peter Washburn), glitch video art, web & sound design in the ’90s and the appeal of the early web, collaborating with Wobbly, Ovenguard Music, Bran Flakes & Survival Research Laboratories, San Francisco & Sacramento scenes, the diminishing art spaces, the problems of gentrification, writing about circuit bending, The Death of Circuit Bending on Over The Edge, Don as an artist, and the first audio net-stream working with Real Player in 1995 with Paul Godwin and Miguel Noya, and the impact of live streaming video on our lives today. univac is also featured in the upcoming circuit bending documentary The Benders Circuit (http://benderscircuit.com).
Jayson Selander: “There’s No Destination”
This is my interview with Jayson Selander, conducted in the Lava Lamp Lounge on 6 August 2018.
This program is sponsored by J Jean Portraits, & Peggy’s Vegan Hot Sauce. For more information about our sponsors, follow the link. We are also now a part of the They Might Be Giants Dial-a-Song Network! This week’s TMBG DAS is, “The Comunists Have The Music.”
Topics Include:
Finding yoga after rehab, Bikram yoga, becoming a yoga instructor, establishing a studio in Salem, getting into music, Skate Rock & Metal, seeing a Metallica show and buying a guitar at ABC Music, Sister Saw Double, Shiner, the wealth of bands up and down the I-5 corridor, Salem Armory shows, playing in Plaid Pantry Project, concurrent lives, getting into LivBar, ’90’s revival weekend and getting back into music, Jayson’s daughter Willow, getting into The Paintings, design work life, the change in technology, the family / city connections.
Tina Högström: “Derail Into Details”
This is my interview with Tina Högström, conducted in the Lava Lamp Lounge on 2 September 2018.
This program is sponsored by J Jean Portraits, & Peggy’s Vegan Hot Sauce. For more information about our sponsors, follow the link. We are also now a part of the They Might Be Giants Dial-a-Song Network! This week’s TMBG DAS is, “Applause, Applause, Applause.”
Topics Include:
Statesman Journal story, stand up for a year and two years in improv, watching sketch comedy, the impact of the first laptop, comedy personality types, Beth Stelling‘s impact on Tina’s voice, “borrowing” instead of borrowing, going to open mics at first, Dash Thompson, changing for the audience, Katy & The Null Sets, “blue” material, specificity grenades, the details, describing creepy dudes in a funny way, Date Night, single comedy vs. couples comedy, a fart cannon, Facebook.com, a unique last name, voted class clown in High School, and being the Volcanoes’ Mascot.
This is my interview with AL1CE, conducted in the Lava Lamp Lounge on 1 September 2018.
This program is sponsored by J Jean Portraits, & Peggy’s Vegan Hot Sauce. For more information about our sponsors, follow the link. We are also now a part of the They Might Be Giants Dial-a-Song Network! This week’s TMBG DAS is, “The Neck Rolls Aren’t Working.”
Silent Night
Major Tom
Breathe (Part Two)
Topics Include:
Introducting the band (Steve, Sascha, Gordon, Scott, Tash), ‘Musical’ chairs, choreography, The Alice Project, Mankind Is Obsolete meets Lotus Rain, then started writing new material, the diversity of projects and events, making videos, Breath (Part 2) video, new record, a new release every full moon, the motivation of a ticking clock, the value of imperfections, “tour tight,” AL1CE boxed set, social media, AL1CE Tours Dates, The Labyrinth Masquerade Ball, the USB Keys, the outdoors and making videos, putting on shows, Happy Poo Time, AL1CE philosophy, playlists on The Road & driving.
AL1CE Touring Playlist:
Books & Podcasts
Synth wave
Fm87
Massive Attack
The Doors Greatest Hits
The background music in podcasts
Radiolab
Martian Chronicles
Artemis
Jan Freya: “Jumping In The Cold Ocean”
This is my interview with Jan Freya, conducted by phone on 28 June 2018.
This program is sponsored by J Jean Portraits, & Peggy’s Vegan Hot Sauce. For more information about our sponsors, follow the link. We are also now a part of the They Might Be Giants Dial-a-Song Network! This week’s TMBG DAS is, “An Insult To The Fact Checkers.”
Topics Include:
Getting into editing & writing, Jan’s college path, High Performance magazine, Art In The Public Interest, psychology, editing and the technological changes, how the writer / editor relationship begins and develops, working at Pacifica Graduate Institute, bringing Jungian ideas to real-world social problems, psychology students processing their own issues through writing & editing papers, the varied career paths of writers, Breakin’ II: Electric Boogaloo, Michael Ventura, Cannon Films, Julie Reichert, interviewing the actors and seeing the sets to inspire the script, standing her ground on the story, using Dick Powell musicals & Fred Astaire as a model for the script, the longevity of Breakin’ II as a phenomenon, trying to get other films made, writing & editing process talk, getting into the rhythm, pushing through creative blocks, the High School teacher influence, the hope found in creativity, other script ideas, Step Up movies, painting to music, jazz music, Stan Getz & Bill Evans.
WTBC Radio Joins They Might Be Giants Dial-A-Song Radio Network!
We are very excited to announce that WTBC Radio in Beautiful Anywhere, Anywhen has now joined the They Might Be Giants Dial-A-Song Radio Network!
Every week, our podcast will feature the new Dial-A-Song song as a part of our show. If you want to catch all our great interviews, and great music like this, then you’ll want to listen to our show every week.
Subscribe to WTBC Radio in iTunes, your podcasting app of choice, or right here from this website, available for stream or download, every week.
WTBC & TMBG. It was only a matter of time.
Aldo Calrissian: “I Don’t Want To Use Words Too Much”
This is my interview with Aldo Calrissian, conducted at the Lava Lamp Lounge on 2 July 2018.
This program is sponsored by J Jean Portraits, & Peggy’s Vegan Hot Sauce. For more information about our sponsors, follow the link.
Topics Include:
Previous chat, Halo // Run single, Dusks Embrace vs The Paintings vs Solo, Michael Windows, remix philosophy, rhythms and minimalist beats, polyrhythms & other time signatures, psychedelic electronic, spiritual experiences making music, process talk, getting started, BitWig, not playing live, the listening experience, convenience as a human fault, the digital audience becomes an international audience, Destroy All Bring New, not fitting in, Salem as a rock and roll town, politics, intellectual anarchy through music, morality and making mistakes in life, America’s teenage phase, rock & roll’s complacency, The Paintings being different than most “rock” bands, the challenge of singing and playing, Dusks Embrace not being an average “metal” band, getting stuck on old records, Led Zeppelin, making accessible music, telling someone else’s story vs making it your own, the internal experience of listening to music, digital platforms, and needing breaks between creative experiences.
Aldo’s Personal Playlist:
Ravyn Lenae: “Sticky”
Glass Animals
Radiohead
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
You can find Aldo at:
Bandcamp, Soundcloud, Spotify, YouTube, Mixcloud, Vimeo, iTunes, CD Baby, Amazon.
The Unraveling of Mrs. Potts: “Transparency & Intimacy”
This is my interview with The Unraveling of Mrs. Potts, conducted on the Lava Lamp Lounge Patio on June 21st 2018.
This program is sponsored by J Jean Portraits, & Peggy’s Vegan Hot Sauce. For more information about our sponsors, follow the link.
Topics Include:
Environment and location, what sounds are music, the philosophy of improvised music, re-evaluating percussion, moments of zen while performing, playfulness vs. silliness, art causes listeners to reflect, communicating complex emotions, being in the moment, the future and recordings, playing in pro side-gigs, the common ground between mainstream and experimental music and exceeding the limitations of self.
Chad Johnson: “Cheeseburger Drunk”
This is my interview with Chad Johnson, conducted on the Lava Lamp Lounge Patio on June 27th 2018.
This program is sponsored by J Jean Portraits, & Peggy’s Vegan Hot Sauce. For more information about our sponsors, follow the link.
Topics Include:
Salem Comedy Studios, The Pilots, why podcasts are interesting, kids and being a Dad, The Podchaost, discussing jokes and the local world of comedy, Geoff Needs Something To Do, your first time, Dash Thompson, starting in improv, school plays, five years in comedy, podcast styles, comedy reflecting life, finding identity and learning through putting yourself out there, working on new material, being a Dad without being a Dad joke teller, not doing the same set twice, Fart Proudly and bodily strangeness, Snow Crash & Ender’s Game, Front Street Inn Open Mic & Karaoke, FB, Capital City Thursday Open Mic, Friday night Funny, starting out open mic mistakes, recording performances and listening practices.
Chris Sicard of Waking Things: “I Don’t Like to Write The Same Song Twice”
This is my interview with Chris Sicard conducted by phone on 26 July 2018.
Topics Include:
Started in 2013, joined with Matt to record Idée Fixe, working out the lineup, toured in 2016, finalizing the group last November, “That Rotting Feeling,” Hang In There EP, songwriting and collaboration, “Mozzarella,” learning to be a band, 17 August at The Space, Summer Eyes, booking shows, getting the identity down, Samantha on vocals, Matt on drums, Brian on Bass, the origin of Idée Fixe and older recordings, “Pretend” from the Nervous Energy Sessions, Spotify, iTunes, Amazon & Bandcamp, Doug & Topher.
Phonograph DJ MAC: “This Is What Feels Right”
This is my interview with MAC, conducted by phone on 5 June 2018.
This program is sponsored by LivBar, J Jean Portraits, & Peggy’s Vegan Hot Sauce. For more information about our sponsors, follow the link.
Topics Include:
Centennial Songs, MAC’s previous WFMU show, the changing times, the Enrico Caruso story, mentor collectors helping dig up information about these artists that isn’t online, sourcing the recordings, life 100 years ago and now, jazz music emerging 100 years ago, performers on film, Buddy Bolden, the constraints of recordings and technology and its influence on art, getting into the fashion of the era, Nora Bayes grave marker, Woodlawn Cemetery Tours with Crank up machines, Charles Aznavour, The Library of Congress & University of Santa Barbara, the problems of collecting and the devaluation of records over the years and A Tree In A Forest.
Phonograph DJ MAC: “I Guess People Still Appreciate Radio Shows”
This is my interview with Phonograph DJ MAC, conducted by Skype on 16 November 2015
This program is sponsored by LivBar, J Jean Portraits, & Peggy’s Vegan Hot Sauce. For more information about our sponsors, follow the link.
Topics Include:
The Antique Phonograph Music Program, the sound of the program, getting into antique collecting, getting the idea to play crank-up machines on the radio, getting on WFMU, exposing these artists that are now forgotten, The National Jukebox, the Antique Phonograph Enthusiasts page on Facebook, finding old records is easy, The Mechanical Music Extravaganza, the act of listening to music in different formats, the change in radio transitioning from terrestrial to digital, having a curated guide to this era, doing live events with the machines, learning about the era and the machines, presenting offensive music in a historical context, the incremental steps between genres, finding some new old stock in upstate NY, MAC’s Experimental side, the 100 gramophone Laughing Record idea, hearing recorded sounds for the first time, Perfecting Sound Forever, how simple the technology is, how fragile the formats are, The Internet Museum of Flexi / Cardboard / Oddity Records, learning to hear these songs, and DJing with these machines.
MACs 20th Anniversary Broadcast live on WFMU,
The UCSB Cylinder Audio Archive.
Radio Boredcast, People Like Us & MAC’s hour of programming.
Timothy Knight: “I Found Me In The Desert”
This is my interview with Timothy Knight, conducted in person on 18 December 2017.
This program is sponsored by LivBar, J Jean Portraits, & Peggy’s Vegan Hot Sauce. For more information about our sponsors, follow the link.
Topics Include:
Helped open Ranch Records with Kit Close in 1982, opened Guitar Castle in 1988, music in the valley in the 90s, The Mad Plaids, John Moen & Jeremy Wilson, The Digs, seeing The Doors and other groups, playing with John Fahey & Lee Ranaldo, college & teaching, drifting hippie days, hooking up with John Fahey to start a noise band, Dead Moon and Fred’s passing, Fahey’s death, meeting George Winston, more Fahey stories, trains & literature, other bands, The Bohemian Enclave, Hundred Dollar Jayhawks, Pete’s Place, The Nettles, Mickey Bear, bands shopping from Tim, working for The Boys & Girls Club and other programs, bringing Guitar Castle back, John & Exene’s Show at Guitar Castle, The Paintings, & living in desert in Eastern Oregon
(Here is a short list of the people who have – and in many cases, regularly – shop at Guitar Castle.)
Allman Brothers, X, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Sonic Youth, Beastie Boys, John Fahey, Joe Strummer, Smokey Hormel, Sean Lennon, Tom Waits, Nirvana, Foo Fighters, Social Distortion, Mudhoney, Neil Young, Decemberists & Typhoon.
Sound of Tomorrow: “I Have So Many Questions”
This is my appearance on The Sound of Tomorrow on WAYO.
Topics Include:
Morrissey and separating art from the person, a slight interview with Austin, and some general privacy concerns, among other things.
Heather Zajkowski: “I Think It’s Better To Go And Do What’s In Your Heart”
This is my interview with Heather Zajkowski, conducted by Skype on 6 January 2018.
This program is sponsored by LivBar, J Jean Portraits, & Peggy’s Vegan Hot Sauce. For more information about our sponsors, follow the link.
Topics Include:
The Sound of Tomorrow & Easter eggs, 10 years in, WAYO as the show’s new home, KMUZ and the changing face of radio, podcast talk, talking about noodles vs news, hunting for news stories, meeting Ross at work, wanting to do a talk show, starting out and figuring out how to do it, Mixcraft, Audacity & Garage Band and workflows, figuring out the Sound of Tomorrow content, live vs pre-recorded, figuring out audience, talking about topics outside the straight-white paradigm, more voices being added to the conversation, podcasting and radio supporting each other, The Squires of Subterrain and The Spacebridge, skit production, long running short stories and writing jokes, playing ukulele, having musical guests and taking calls, solo Uke recordings, decoding Bowie, using humor to deal with now, supporting WAYO, Radio Garden and They Might Be Giants.
/root_DIR: “Damn, We’ve Gotta Break Up More Often”
This is a pair of performances and an interview with /root_DIR, recorded at The Space Concert Club on 13 May 2018 & The Space Concert Club on 5 January 2018, and an interview by phone on 4 June 2018.
This program is sponsored by LivBar, J Jean Portraits, & Peggy’s Vegan Hot Sauce. For more information about our sponsors, follow the link.
Set 1 (13 May 2018 at The Space):
Guilty / Not Guilty * WILSONCORE * MF Mountain * Out of Order * pokemongofuckyourself * Oily Discharge * Fuck Yeah Fuck * Can Life * Fuck The Piss Jug
Interview 1 (at The Space): Topics Include:
Destroy The Deck grew into /root_DIR, Disrupt & Dropdead, beers & Lamb of God, WILSONCORE, the 5 second show.
Set 2 (13 May 2018 at The Space):
Hobo Sandwich * I Fucking Love Sand * An Object In Grind Stays In Grind * Newsworthy * Fuck You Drummer From Brudos (You’re Just Pissed You Have to Live In Salem) * McNasty
Interview 2 (by phone): Topics Include:
/root_DIR tour update, Salt Lake City show, drums and bringing in other styles, pizza in Redmond, cauliflower mash, wrapping up the band (for now), Semi-Colin’s photography, the Boise scene, Greg Saunders in Vale Oregon, The Old Girl, DB Crust & Jinglecore, /root_DIR road tunes, Budweiser & Memory Foam sponsorships, Sacramento show, Reno show, sausages & sauerkraut, & “Four beers in!”
Set 3 (5 January 2018 at The Twilight Cafe):
SOPA v2.0 * Technically Death Metal * Beau Fucking Lucas * Book Learnin’ * Face Fisted * Monsanto * SwearPoint (Feature Creep) feat. kiisu d’salyss
Outro (13 May 2018):
Old As(s) Fuck(s)
The Semi-Colin Interview (#52)
Amao Quartet: “We Are Not Only Performing, We Are Creating”
This is my interview with Amao Quartet, conducted by Skype on 30 November 2017 & 9 June 2018.
This program is sponsored by LivBar, J Jean Portraits, & Peggy’s Vegan Hot Sauce. For more information about our sponsors, follow the link.
Topics Include:
Introductions, Improcreations, Amao history and line-up changes, guided improv and song development, the SoundCloud page, inviting guests to play with them for shows and recordings, live collaborating in real time in two different places via Skype, the art of listening, learning and challenging each other, experimental music scene in Brazil, no overdubs, iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, Spotify & Facebook, “Voce Morto” short film, getting Improcreations in a physical form, collaborations, Brazil and current politics going crazy, building strong scenes, the “Ciclo” single, solo work, scientist musicians and playing instrumental “air guitar.”
Rodney Anonymous: “They’re Not Jokes To Me”
This is my interview with Rodney Anonymous, conducted by phone on 18 April 2018.
This program is sponsored by LivBar, J Jean Portraits, & Peggy’s Vegan Hot Sauce. For more information about our sponsors, follow the link.
Topics Include:
Running in panic mode, 7th Victim, Heærts Combine Comp, writing songs, shopping for records as a kid, Rodney Anonymous Tells You How To Live radio show, Youth Code, Rasputina, “Joe’s world makes more sense,” radio stories, the identity of The Milkmen and protecting the legacy, picking opening bands and meeting audiences, Rodney’s goth roots, other Milkmen tidbits, Rodney’s version of ‘Church’, clones of original ideas, gear talk, Dead Milkmen as a lesson of what not to do, a documentary about the Milkmen featuring people who hate The Milkmen, the record all the Milkmen owned, The King in Yellow, Soul Rotation, Stoney’s Extra Stout (Pig), getting back into writing Milkmen songs, reunion bands, who Pretty Music for Pretty People was originally about, “Don’t Go Outside And Never Talk To Anybody,” Welcome To The End of The World, Edgar Allen Twain & Chad Dalí, writing for Deadspin, Darkness on The Edge of Town, “Fly By Night.”
Bitches In The Beehive: “I Think It’s Just A Matter of Exploring”
This is a performance and interview with Bitches In The Beehive, conducted at KMUZ and in the Lava Lamp Lounge on 20 May 2017 & 2 June 2018 respectively.
This program is sponsored by LivBar, J Jean Portraits, & Peggy’s Vegan Hot Sauce. For more information about our sponsors, follow the link.
Topics Include:
Minda’s old tunes re-worked while jamming, mixed with new tunes written by the group, the band’s origin story, getting into music, recording the album, the political angle, solo vs band performance, practicing, the other band members, Album Release Party on July 19th at The Liquor Store w/ The Bevelers, Maurice and The Stiff Sisters and July 29th at The Space Concert Club.
Dashiell Thompson: “Well I’m Gonna Do This Forever”
This is my interview with Dashiell Thompson, conducted on the Lava Lamp Lounge Patio on 31 May 2018.
This program is sponsored by LivBar, J Jean Portraits, & Peggy’s Vegan Hot Sauce. For more information about our sponsors, follow the link.
(Performance Excerpts are from a show at The Space Concert Club on 13 May 2018.)
Topics Include:
Helium‘s “Dirty Dozen” show, three years in, the road to being good at comedy, The Space Show, working on material and pacing yourself, process-talk, Chaotic Amateurs w/ Bentley Michaels, actual play D&D games, Sneak Attack & Critical Role, improv & The Pilots, main cast improv team, Dash’s backstory, going up and performing anecdotes, figuring out improv, finding a good persona, trying to be somewhat “clean,” Date Night, open mic talk, killers & networkers, D&D talk, Friday Night Funny and other shows.
Emma Jonas: “I Have to Assume The Audience Does Not Agree With Me”
This is my interview with Emma Jonas, conducted on the Lava Lamp Lounge Patio on 27 May 2018.
This program is sponsored by LivBar, J Jean Portraits, & Peggy’s Vegan Hot Sauce. For more information about our sponsors, follow the link.
(Performance Excerpts are from a show put on by Jane Malone at The Drake in Eugene, OR on 25 May 2018.)
Topics Include:
Getting on the student team at The Capital City Theater, finding your voice, Dash Thompson & Chad Johnson, Salem Comedy Studios, The Pilots, Andy Daly Podcast Pilot Project, starting out advice, The “One & Dunn” cautionary tale, doing a lot of shows, Tony Meyer, working on material, DJing on The Moon Sundays at 6 PM, musical taste, musicality and playing instruments, Geoff Needs Something To Do, a cautionary tale about recording albums, Friday Night Funny, Front Street Inn, Emma on Facebook & Instagram, Truth or Dare Live, & Zach Chappell Everybody.
Little Fyodor: “The Human Condition is Hilarious”
This is my interview with Little Fyodor, conducted by phone on 18 April 2018.
This program is sponsored by LivBar, J Jean Portraits, & Peggy’s Vegan Hot Sauce. For more information about our sponsors, follow the link.
Topics Include:
The 10 Albums Meme, On The Beach and Neil Young, listening to the radio & records as a kid, starting out in radio in college, discovering punk, punk as a gateway to other stuff, what his early radio shows were like, Under The Floorboards, writing songs & feeling alienated, Evan Cantor & moving to Colorado, Ed Fowler, Walls of Genius, The Dave, cassette culture, releasing 30 tapes in three years, Little Fyodor begins to emerge, meeting Babushka, being funny and serious at the same time, writing “Everybody’s Fucking,” depression as an entertainment device, touring with Negativland, playing the SubGenius X Day Shows, making a name for themselves in Denver, fashion talk.
Obadiah Baird: “I Like To Take People Out of Their Comfort Zone”
This is my interview with Obadiah Baird, conducted in The Book Bin’s Rare Book Room on 8 May 2018.
This program is sponsored by LivBar, J Jean Portraits, & Peggy’s Vegan Hot Sauce. For more information about our sponsors, follow the link.
Topics Include:
The Audient Void, ‘zines and their influence, Dan Sauer, Fox Blue Printing, The Crimson Circle, The Book Bin, the poetry problem, Lovecraft’s influence, playing in bands, Cozeth and The Despots, ‘zines connecting punk & weird fiction, 
Book Bin origins, what’s wrong with college, the education you get from bookstores, Rare Book Room History, Cometbus & Jawbreaker, bookselling as a profession, Independent Bookstore Day, favorite rare books:
Caves of Steel by Issac Asimov
Dark Carnival by Ray Bradbury
Genius Loci By Clark Ashton Smith
What Is Noise?: “Please Welcome…”
These live performances were recorded live at The Majestic Theater on 31 March 2018.
Performers (in this presentation):
Chemotroph
Deadly Discs
Camas Swale
Camas Swale
Mononym
Kyle Stant, TJ & Scav
Kyle Stant, TJ & Scav
Sea Moss
Rust Promoter
Don Haugen & Klowd
Juice Machine
The Halloweener
The Halloweener
Chris Durnin: “Fascinated By All Sounds”
This is my interview with Chris Durnin, conducted by phone on 4 April 2018.
This program is sponsored by LivBar, J Jean Portraits, & Peggy’s Vegan Hot Sauce. For more information about our sponsors, follow the link.
Topics Include:
What is Noise? Fest March 31st, the monthly Interzone noise shows four years running, creating a space for art to flourish, breaking gender expectations and cultivating diversity, the Willamette Valley noise scene, The Majestic Theater, The Halloweener and artists working in experimental fields, gathering the non-audio artists, Camas Swale / Hobby Knife, sound worshipers, Don Haugen & KLOWD, an encounter with the police, trying to keep money out of booking shows, negotiating with venues, growing up with drums in the house, Don’t Say Anything They Won’t Sue You, finding free-jazz through noise, Goblins, experimental is the new punk rock, Luther Maggot, the butoh dancer story, making your own gear, and complaints putting on shows.
Luthor Maggot Meets The Grumpy Punk! (#63)
Some Kind of Nightmare: “It Never Ends”
This is a live performance by and interview with Some Kind of Nightmare recorded live at The Space Concert Club on 28 February 2018 (& 21 September 2017).
This program is sponsored by LivBar, J Jean Portraits, & Peggy’s Vegan Hot Sauce. For more information about our sponsors, follow the link.
Topics Include:
Tour stories, We The Lepers EP, Still Not Broken, fighting illnesses, rotating drummers, 11 years as a band, “FDA Approved,” learning from people on the road, the anonymity of the Internet, being a couple as artists, show stories, future plans, how to live on the road, getting robbed and the power of the punk scene, punk DIY tips, Bridge To Poison breast cancer awareness record.
Michael Pilmer: “I’m Not Sure I Ever Grew Up”
This is my interview with Michael Pilmer, conducted by phone on 17 January 2018.
This program is sponsored by LivBar, J Jean Portraits, & Peggy’s Vegan Hot Sauce. For more information about our sponsors, follow the link.
Topics Include:
Meeting Thor, helping with the 97 / 98 tours, making websites in the early days, I Am Thor, getting into music as a kid, seeing KISS live as his first show, doing shows & concerts right, first tentative bands, Rabid $alesmen, Silica Gel, Krapper Keeper & Banana Twins, Motor Tic Posse, the influence of Mr. Jaws and weirdness, farts from 1982, 
discovering punk through rock magazines, recording Silica Gel, Devo-Obsesso and seeing Devo in 1998, meeting Devo, making shirts for Devo, updating Devo’s website, meeting Negativland and releasing Silica Gel’s CD, designing the Silica Gel vinyl reissue, the Devo book, the Devo visual aesthetic, FB live videos, Hardcore Devo reissues & pinbacks.
Jeremy Hight: “I’m Always Conceptual But I’m Super Literal”
This is my interview with Jeremy Hight, conducted by Skype on 16 March 2018.
This program is sponsored by LivBar, J Jean Portraits, & Peggy’s Vegan Hot Sauce. For more information about our sponsors, follow the link.
Topics Include:
The Ghost in You, music and writing, art and weather, discovering conceptual art, absorbing philosophy as a kid, discovering the relationship between music and making art, making music, playing in a tribal speed metal band, playing in Snail (SF punk band), hanging out at radio stations, making digital and augmented reality art, inventing locative narrative, GPS Narrative, 34 North 118 West, writing art textbooks, experimental electronic literature, his use of social media narrative, impermanence in performative literature, Poems Made From Gifs, trying to ‘break’ social media, Tech Theorist, realizing that he’s a writer, writing short stories quickly (I Am The Ghost Here), Lisa’s cameo, the perils of trying to hit a creative home run, What Remains, the inspiration of classical music, more about The Ghost In You, being bad at school as a kid, taking on writing challenges, music and meteorology and papers that were almost written.
The Call Is Coming From Inside The Podcast! (Ghost Stories Part I) (#71)
(Jeremey’s call during one of our Halloween shows to talk about his experiences with Ghosts.)
(And explanation of what happened to his previous appearance on the show, and how it slowly degraded over time.)
KrOB: “If You’re Only Being The Host You’ll Never Let Show Happen”
This is my interview with KrOB, conducted by phone on 12 January 2018.
This program is sponsored by LivBar, J Jean Portraits, & Peggy’s Vegan Hot Sauce. For more information about our sponsors, follow the link.
Topics Include:
Meeting the Puzzling Evidence crew, discovering Escape From Noise and KPFA, becoming a caller on Over The Edge, Puzzling Evidence & Crack o’ Dawn, the characteristics of good and bad radio, the characteristics of live phone interactions, Over The Edge then and now, discovering the SubGenius books, how different weirdness is now, working with Dr. Hal and Doug, the balance between host and show and bad radio habits, Crosley Bendix and Don’s cast of characters, Wobbly’s role on OTE, Don’s callers, buying all of the OTE backcatalog from Don, taking over OTE and KrOB’s version of the show, the story of the Firewood show, Richard Lyons on This American Life, more about Don and OTE, and the problems of receptacle programming in the modern era.
Leah Gold: “I Was Even A Trapeze Artist For A Year And A Half”
This is my interview with Leah Gold, conducted by phone on 8 March 2018.
This program is sponsored by LivBar, J Jean Portraits, & Peggy’s Vegan Hot Sauce. For more information about our sponsors, follow the link.
Topics Include:
Meeting Mark & getting to know Negativland, studying performance art at Evergreen and playing in punk bands as a youth, sound engineering, what punk signifies as we get older, Little Fyodor’s words of wisdom, touring with the SubGenius in Europe, making a living DJing in Berlin, playing in Noisy Pink Vagina, Vagina Jones & DJ Vaginasaur, getting hooked up with The Church of the SubGenius, moving back to the US, taking classes in animation and learning about filmmaking, working as a trapeze artist, getting connected with Ryan Worsley, having Vicki Bennett as an editor, changing the focus from the whole band to just The Weatherman, what a Weatherman performance is like, playing in bands in Olympia and dining with The Weatherman.
William Davenport: “I Started Out As A Punk Rocker”
This is my interview with William Davenport, conducted in The Lava Lamp Lounge on 27 January 2018.
This program is sponsored by LivBar, J Jean Portraits, & Peggy’s Vegan Hot Sauce. For more information about our sponsors, follow the link.
Topics Include:
What attracts William to art and creative philosophy, getting into punk rock and seeing shows in the late 70s, finding minimalist composers and post-punk, discovering films as a kid with his grandmother, finishing Media about Media about Media, Unsound zine, starting Problemist, meeting Chris Rankin, finding David Lawrence for the album, Mark Hosler’s tape edits, The Industrial Handbook, being a collector, how exhausting making art can be, taking the ‘90s off, making TV commercials and other projects, the difficulty in a Problemist show now, the intentions of artists, getting into teaching and autism activism, what makes people on the spectrum so interesting, The Great American Cassette Masters, Too Sane For This World, The New Punks, Ziners, the lost Noise Nation TV Show, meeting Negativland for the first time, the digitized Unsound, possible new music from Problemist and the coming Hunting Lodge documentary.
Ryan Worsley: “You Have To Really Be Into It To Follow Through”
This is my interview with Ryan Worsley, conducted by Skype on 6 March 2018.
This program is sponsored by LivBar, J Jean Portraits, & Peggy’s Vegan Hot Sauce. For more information about our sponsors, follow the link.
Topics Include:
Screening How Radio Isn’t Done, getting to know Don Joyce and Over The Edge, starting out with filming Negativland live, having the epiphany about what her film is about, Don’s history in Negativland, Razing The Bar & The Funhouse, the stories of places, the process of documentary, the archive.org OTE collection, Disturbance short film, the power of deadlines, staying productive as time goes on, the origins of Ryan’s creativity, avoiding documentary tropes, Shit Happens and universal moments.
My Conversations with The Members of Negativland
My Conversation with Tim Maloney
Aaron Stern of Mystrionics: “I Think Answers Are Not Interesting”
This is my interview with Aaron Stern conducted by phone on 14 March 2018.
Topics Include:
Making music with friends, high school musical growth and progressive death metal, home recording, being sidelined by injuries which lead to inspiration, the influence of punk rock and not caring what people think, setting goals to keep things moving, booking with the line-up in mind, April 7th at The Space, @starfish_hospital’s art and considering the visual component, confronting your own ugliness, making personal art, finding earnestness in heavy music and The Mystrionics mini-tour.
A Vegan & A Butcher: “You’re Gonna Make It Today”
This is my interview with A Vegan & A Butcher (Summer Keightley & Derek Boaz), conducted at the Space Concert Club on 12 March 2018.
This program is sponsored by LivBar, J Jean Portraits, & Peggy’s Vegan Hot Sauce. For more information about our sponsors, follow the link.
Topics Include:
Instant Pot, how Summer got interested in cooking, cooking shows, how Derek got interested in cooking, making carrot stew, The Glad Cow Cookbook and its future sequel, Summer & Derek meeting, bringing punk and DIY into the kitchen, planing their first event at The Space, demystifying the unglamorous parts of kitchen life, the eating habits of chefs, vegan yogurt, Rob Groves and the deep fryer, the problems of ambitious meals, the music in the kitchen of Vegan & A Butcher, Derek playing in Mouth, the Isle of Treasures Garden, Vegan & Butcher Brunch May 20th.
*I do mention in the show that we should include some pictures of The Space Concert Club, but I realized that our previous episode with Sadgasm highlighted what the place looks like when a band plays. I do suggest that you look at the photos on their Instagram & Facebook, where there are a number of photos of their shows and brunches.
This is a performance by, and interview with, Sadgasm, recorded at The Space Concert Club on 28 February 2018.
This program is sponsored by LivBar, J Jean Portraits, & Peggy’s Vegan Hot Sauce. For more information about our sponsors, follow the link.
(https://youtu.be/wXw_7brmzWY)
Topics Include:
Sadgasm’s album release party, recording Ramen, the fine line between serious and sad, and a food related question about marriage that only this band can mediate. 
Taylor Jessen: “There’s Different Kinds of Collectors”
This is my conversation with Taylor Jessen, conducted by phone on 24 February 2018.
This program is sponsored by LivBar, J Jean Portraits, & Peggy’s Vegan Hot Sauce. For more information about our sponsors, follow the link.
Topics Include:
Firesign Theater Live, Phil Austen did not fly, stumbling upon Firesign albums in record stores, Taylor’s comedy radio show on 89.3 in Moscow Idaho in 1993, hearing Firesign for the first time, funny nightmares, interviewing Phil Proctor in 1995, writing about Negativland in college, moving to LA and lunching with Phil Proctor, earning the trust of Firesign, archiving Firesign performances at KPFK’s Pacifica Archive, The Razzberry Show, the dangers of archiving and collecting, Carlos’ Archive, the problem with major label archives, How To Speak Hip and The Cherry Red Records story, the Box of Danger and becoming the Firesign’s archivist, Peter Bergman and the Dear Friends era of Firesign, and The Duke of Madness Motors, Richard Metzger, Firesign & Negativland, Everything You Know Is Wrong DVD project, The Bob Sideburn News story, The Les Crain Show story, the secret true origin of Firesign Theater, Jack Poet Volkswagen dealership, the vinyl problem, the Berkeley Firesign fan, digitizing Negativland’s raw archive reels, working for the mouse and the Disney crank file, and The History Channel Story.
The Mark Hosler Interview Part I (#78)
The Mark Hosler Interview Part II (#87)
Tim Maloney: “The Weirdest Things We Could Possibly Make Up”
John Trubee: “You Have To Resolve The Absurdity Somehow”
This is my conversation with John Trubee, conducted by phone on 22 January 2018.
This program is sponsored by LivBar, J Jean Portraits, & Peggy’s Vegan Hot Sauce. For more information about our sponsors, follow the link.
Topics Include:
Growing up in New Jersey, Cousin Brucie on WABC, discovering Sci-fi & music, playing guitar, Gloop Nox & The Stik People, the meaninglessness of terrible jobs, attending Berkeley College of Music in Boston, moving to LA, “Why are you living here?”, “Blind Man’s Penis”, Off The Charts & song poems, living in a sales culture, The Ugly Janitors of America, the gulf between what is promised and what is delivered, the Jandek Interview, writing songs vs. collecting records, all those wasted hours in our youth, looking at the world objectively, The Gloop Nox Reunion and Continuing Where the Beatles Left Off, sending albums to Paul McCartney and the story of the DUI film.
johntrubeeandtheuglyjanitorsofamerica.bandcamp.com
Daniel Loren: “I Can’t Be Myself”
This is my interview with Daniel Loren, conducted at the Space Concert Club on 24 January 2018.
This program is sponsored by LivBar, J Jean Portraits, & Peggy’s Vegan Hot Sauce. For more information about our sponsors, follow the link.
Daniel & Pussidan, the Space Cat.
Topics Include:
School band, Indigo Hearts, Alex Preciado, Aldo Calrissian, searching for new sounds, the old and new Orchards, playing new music for kids, A Shallow Birth, college, Brave The Weather, the original Orchards, Jackson Blair, the emotional creative journey, The Blog That Celebrates Itself, fighting drug problems, the concept behind A Shallow Birth, band personas, Brides & Jocelyn Paige, The Cure & other Daniel bands. (Jocelyn & Pussidan make short cameos in this episode.)
Four Dimensional Nightmare: “Nobody Sounds Like Me”
This is a performance by, and interview with, Four Dimensional Nightmare, recorded in the Lava Lamp Lounge on 21 January 2018.
This program is sponsored by LivBar, J Jean Portraits, & Peggy’s Vegan Hot Sauce. For more information about our sponsors, follow the link.
(https://youtu.be/dpNz_1OzaXo)
Topics Include:
Changing gear quickly, modular synthesis, Modular on The Spot in Seattle, the relationship between New Age and Sci-Fi, Throbbing Gristle & Skinny Puppy, seeing shows over the years, The Puddleheads and playing in bands, Tad, making science fiction music, Bandcamp, Reverbnation, SoundCloud, book recommendations, Watt From Pedro.
Four Dimensional Nightmare, LIVE! (#28)
Arvo Zylo: “I Was No Longer Interested In Anything Commercially Viable”
This is my phone interview with Arvo Zylo, conducted on 11 January 2018.
This program is sponsored by LivBar, J Jean Portraits, & Peggy’s Vegan Hot Sauce. For more information about our sponsors, follow the link.
Topics Include:
Blood Rhythms live vs. recordings, object permanence & death, the inner lives of cats, Assembly LP, aesthetic choices, Art School experiences, realizing that popular culture is garbage, Aadams Family & the Munsters, being aware of time, the economics and scheduling of making LPs, 333 and working with Yasutoshi Yoshida and Jason Ogawa, media formats, Sequencer Works on Personal Archives, Bob Bucko Jr., discovering music, touring and playing live, No Part of It Records, insomnia, making art until it is finished, radio, Halloween Records, recording with Blake DeGraw (FHTAGN), Chicago vs Seattle, traveling and crossing borders.
Don Bolles: “It Was Fun To Be Pissed Off And Broke”
This is my phone interview with Don Bolles, conducted on 9 January 2018.
This program is sponsored by LivBar, J Jean Portraits, & Peggy’s Vegan Hot Sauce. For more information about our sponsors, follow the link.
Topics Include:
Radio DJing, KDIL, Freddy Snakeskin, playing in bands, The Meatloaf Cigarettes & Speed Orchestra, Phoenix in the late ‘70s, The Consumers, growing up on radio, The Beatles, discovering art and avant-guard music, ‘record foraging,’ Zolar X, The Screamers & Devo, The Residents, Captain Beefheart & Alice Cooper, discovering punk, the insular Phoenix punk scene, The Liars / Krazy Homicide, The Exterminators, the Germs, Pat Smear, recording GI, punk growing out of glam, recording with Joan Jett & Jack Nitzsche, Darby Crash & the Legend, Don’s other groups, Fancy Space People, playing with Shane, 45 Grave, more about radio & getting Glossololia on at KXLU.
Mick Hickman: “I’ve Always Just Played Whatever Comes Out”
This is my interview with Mick Hickman, conducted in the Lava Lamp Lounge on 4 January 2018.
This program is sponsored by LivBar, J Jean Portraits, & Peggy’s Vegan Hot Sauce. For more information about our sponsors, follow the link.
Topics Include:
Five year anniversary for Northwest Notes at KMUZ, Tim King, local bands, local venues past and present, The Fifty and The Space, The Kelly Taylor Show, Years For Months, Stan Keightley, JP Brides, Easterly, guitars, the Neil Young and Beat Happening influence, slowly recording material, more gear talk, Bass 6 & Electro Harmonix KEY9, Eric Lovre, listening The Doors Soundtrack, the fleeting nature of live radio, record collections, Ranch & Second Ave Records, Nail Distribution & Schizophonic Records.
r33k: “Everything Just Evolved Piece By Piece”
This is a performance by, and interview with, r33k, recorded in my home on 10 December 2017
This program is sponsored by LivBar & J Jean Portraits. Go to LivBars.com & jjeanportraits.com for more information.
Topics Include:
Aesthetic audio choices, gear talk, Crank Sturgeon noise toys, Noisephysics, Mulva Myasis, Sea Moss, drum machines, music history, KFJC, Molten Russians, Mulch, r33k started in 2014, began performing in 2016, touring, Corvallis Experiments In Noise at Interzone, Jim Whittemore, r33k Music, Cromwell.
Loftän: “When You’re Just Beginning”
This is my interview with Loftän (Janell & Julia), conducted by Skype on 13 January 2018.
Topics Include:
The current music scene in Eugene, “Mystery Blue,” meeting at pilates, Jan 26th at The Space, Janell’s musical past, Julia’s musical past, David Nevory, Chromatic Colors & Rebecca McDade, The Delilah Sessions, having a lot of ideas, Fleetwood Mac and other influences, the future, thebandloftan.com.
Nathan Carson: “How Not To Be A Hobbyist As An Artist”
This is my interview with Nathan Carson, conducted by Skype on 4 January 2018.
This program is sponsored by LivBar. Go to LivBars.com for more information.
Topics Include:
The Willows, Floating World Comics, Sam Ford & Wizard Rifle, Paul Chadwick, making adaptations in comics, non fiction writing, Witch Mountain, KARP, The Whip, booking tours, stonerock.com, Heavy Metal Sewïng Cïrcle, Kyuss, touring with Danzig, engaging with your record collection, DJ Nate C, Starr Creek, getting short fiction published, plans for the future, going to cons, making the time to write, Creating Short Fiction by Damon Knight, writing advice, “Midnight” by Witch Mountain single on adultswim, communication etiquette, Bishop of Battle and Moon Patrol.
Tim Maloney: “The Weirdest Things We Could Possibly Make Up”
This is my interview with Tim Maloney, conducted by Skype on 14 December 2017.
This program is sponsored by LivBar. Go to LivBars.com for more information.
Topics Include:
Cat-Head Theater 360 degree, bad timing & media shifts, Vicki Bennett’s Gone Gone Beyond film for Cinechamber, Jim Woodring, learning your tools, Everything You Know Is Wrong (2017), The Firesign Theater, Anna (2017), the finances of independent filmmakers, working for Disney’s 1997/98 Saturday Morning Block, Prudence Fenton, Allee Willis, Mark Mothersbaugh, Paul Reubens, WNUR in Chicago, Tim’s mix show in 1986/87, discovering Negativland, Snuggles Mailing list, Richard Lyons, Bob Chance, Making “Gimme The Mermaid,” Our Favorite Things DVD, The Institute for Sonic Ponderance, Droplifting, sampling, downloading and copyright violations, God Hates Cartoons (2002), working with Ivan Brunetti, Diaper Dyke & Captain Boyfuck, The 180 Gs / David Minnick, “Over The Hiccups,” Naked Cosmos and Gilbert Hernandez, Dr. Creep, archiving Over The Edge, The True/False Tour, archive.org & Jason Scott, lost ‘80s Over The Edge shows being recovered from fans, teaching film & Craig Baldwin.
The People Like Us Special! (#81)
Zander Schloss: “Be Fuckin’ Real”
This is my interview with Zander Schloss, conducted by phone on 22 December 2017.
This program is sponsored by LivBar. Go to LivBars.com for more information.
Topics Include:
Dear Blue, Gus Seyffert producing, the limitation of options, that analog sound, the long play experience, doing things the old way, Jake Blanton & Josh Adams, the essence of angry punk rock, “I Have Loved the Story of My Life,” the great mysteries, learning from Joe Strummer and collaborators, meeting Alex Cox, playing funk & soul in LA, hitting the road with the Circle Jerks, Straight To Hell and Zander’s Latin phase, working with Joe Strummer, What makes a great man?, writing “Salsa Y Ketchup” with Miguel Sandoval & Joe Strummer, Pray for Rain, Dan Wool, Walker, Repo Man, working with Ted Hutt, beyond dollars and cents, working with Alex Cox, and Karl the wiener man’s death.
WTBC Radio In Beautiful Anywhere, Anywhen! 