Share
Across the Margin: The Podcast
Episode 163: Steven Bernstein & Sexmob's The Hard Way
•
This episode of Across The Margin: The Podcast presents an interview with musician trumpeter, slide trumpeter, arranger/composer and bandleader from New York City, Steven Bernstein. Steven is best known for his work in The Lounge Lizards, Sexmob, Spanish Fly, and the Millennial Territory Orchestra. He has released four albums under his own name on John Zorn's Tzadik Records and he has performed with jazz giants including Roswell Rudd, Sam Rivers, Don Byron, and Medeski, Martin & Wood, as well as musicians ranging from Aretha Franklin to Lou Reed, from Linda Ronstadt to Digable Planets, from Sting to Courtney Love. Steven was a member of Levon Helm's Midnight Ramble band, playing in Helm's Woodstock home, as well as touring with the band. As an arranger he has written for Bill Frisell, Rufus Wainwright, and Elton John, just to name a few. He has composed for dance, theater, film and television, and with composer John Lurie, arranged the scores to many feature films, including Get Shorty. While Steven is prolific with his output, this episode centers on two of his projects, Sexmob, which just released a terrific new album called The Hard Way, and The Millennial Territory Orchestra, which recently released four excellent records, in one day, on the Royal Potato Family label. Sexmob’s latest release is a bit of a departure for the band, as with producer Scotty Hard at the board, The Hard Way skews decisively electronic. On it, Hard’s beats and soundscapes provide Steven, saxophonist Briggan Krauss, bassist Tony Scherr and acoustic/electric drummer Kenny Wollesen, all the stimulus they need for further compose and fearlessly reinvent. With each offering, and certainly with The Hard Way and its rich electro-acoustic groove canvas, Steven and crew reveal a modernizing impulse, but also an equally strong foundation in the roots of jazz and American song. Funky, bluesy, with a tattered dissonance conjured up by Krauss Throaty saxophone tone, the distinctive wail of Steven’s rare horn, and the swagger of Scherr and Wollesen’s rhythm section grind, Sexmob continues to chart new paths in 21st-century creative music. In this episode host Michael Shields and Steven Bernstein talk about Sexmob’s new direction sonically found on The Hard Way while exploring the production process behind this captivating work of art. They converse on producer Scott Hard’s influence on the album, the unique art house label that The Hard Way was released on called Corbett vs. Dempsey, and the four albums Steven recently released with The Millennial Territory Orchestra. They even discuss Sexmob’s forthcoming tour with Laurie Anderson, the many “gifts” Steven received in his career from renowned producer Hal Willner, and so much more.
More episodes
View all episodes
Episode 225: You're No Island with Andrew Daly Frank
33:03|This episode of Across The Margin : The Podcast features an interview with singer-songwriter and guitarist Andrew Daly Frank. Andrew is an inimitable songwriting voice and virtuosic guitarist, and his debut album, You’re No Island — the focus of this episode — is a gorgeous, affecting piece of art that is pacifying and vitalizing. Andrew is a guitarist who has lent his thrilling leads and delicate chordal touch to albums by Charlie Kaplan and released a series of beguiling EPs in the lead up to You’re No Island. Andrew’’s arrangements on You’re No Island are both intimate and expansive, and he emerges here as an auteur in his own right, a songwriter of uncommon wisdom and an architect of subtle musical effects. In this interview host Michael Shields and Andrew Daly Frank discuss the genesis of You’re No Island and the ways in which the songs on it took shape over the past five years. They talk about the cunning lyricism found on the album, Andrew’s musical influences, and so much more. Songs featured in the episode: “Alone in the Frame,” “Someone Somewhere,” “Lisbon.”
Episode 224: The 90s Jam Band Explosion with Mike Ayers
56:35|This episode of Across The Margin : The Podcast features an interview with author and seasoned music and culture journalist, Mike Ayers. Mike has had work published in Billboard, The Wall Street Journal, Rolling Stone, Time, Esquire, and Relix. His first book, One Last Song: Conversations on Life, Death, and Music came out in 2020, with Variety declaring it as one of the best music books of the year. His latest book, Sharing in the Groove: The Untold Story of the '90s Jam Band Explosion and the Scene that Followed, is the focus of this episode Sharing in the Groove is a rich examination of an underdog genre that helped define the 1990s musical landscape — a scene that paved the way for modern-day cultural institutions such as the Bonnaroo Music Festival and kept the Grateful Dead ethos alive. Beginning in the mid-’80s and traveling up to New Year’s Eve 1999, Sharing in the Groove covers milestones such as getting signed to record labels and working the club scenes to playing amphitheaters and arenas. Along the way, details emerge of the scene’s own cultural values and the desire to be unique in a world that wanted them to follow a prescribed path. Ultimately, it’s a DIY story of creativity and making music — and how that won over a huge audience. Filled with anecdotes and stories directly from the musicians, promoters, managers, roadies, producers, label executives, and fans who lived this scene, Sharing in the Groove is a fun, fast-paced oral history that will appeal to music lovers everywhere.
Episode 223: Keep The Line Open with Joe Alterman and Mocean Worker
50:28|This episode of Across The Margin : The Podcast features an interview with bassist/producer Mocean Worker (aka Adam Dorn) and pianist/composer Joe Alterman, who have come together for Keep The Line Open, a funky, feel-good tribute to the late soul jazz legend Les McCann. Keep The LIne Open remarkably taps into the genre-blurring spirit that defined McCann’s music, as well as his influence on Joe and Adam. Both Joe and Adam called Les McCann a friend, collaborator, and mentor. Joe was a devotee of Les who had the rare opportunity to open for his hero, and later craft songs with him. Adam met Les through his dad, Joel Dorn, who produced several Les records for Atlantic Records, including the iconic Swiss Movement. Adam and Joe created Keep The Line Open by melding sampling with live instrumentation to pay homage to an era when the groove reigned supreme and the vibe was decidedly danceable. It’s a super fun and funky sonic journey designed to sound like it was captured at a jazz club circa 1964. Learn all about it and more in this episode.
Episode 222: Organize or Burn with Fabian Holt
48:49|This episode of Across The Margin : The Podcast features an interview with Fabian Holt, Associate Professor in the Department of Communication and Arts at Roskilde University. He is the author of Everyone Loves Live Music: A Theory of Performance Institutions. His latest book, Organize or Burn : How New York Socialists Fight For Climate Survival, is the focus of this episode. Climate inaction is already causing widespread suffering and devastation around the world. How can citizens take collective action? Fabian Holt argues that we must go beyond protest and direct action, and turn to the potential of hybrid organizations that bring together social movements and political parties. One such “movement party” with recent political success is the New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (NYC-DSA), which has become the city’s main organization for movement climate politics, running multi-year climate pressure campaigns and a slate of climate-focused electoral campaigns, Organize or Burn situates the NYC-DSA in the history of the Democratic Socialist movement in the United States, In it, Fabian contests that NYC-DSA has developed a distinct approach to political organizing that has broad relevance to citizen climate mobilization. Ultimately, Organize or Burn shows that NYC-DSA can offer powerful lessons in how political collective action can be meaningful in the present moment of political turbulence.
Episode 221: The Song That Changed Our Lives with Rick Korn
31:02|This episode of Across The Margin : The Podcast features an interview with film and TV producer, writer, and director Rick Korn. Rick is the co-founder of In Plain View Entertainment which specializes in creating socially conscious documentaries. Rick has produced benefit concerts with Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi, Sheryl Crow, Peter Frampton, Kevin Bacon, and Joan Jett (amongst others). He executive produced the documentary about Paul McCartney, My Old Friend, and in 2024, he directed and released A Father’s Promise, the inspiring story of professional musician Mark Barden who lost all joy in music when his son Daniel was murdered at Sandy Hook Elementary school. Mark rewired himself and became a powerful voice and activist when he co-founded Sandy Hook Promise. Rick’s latest documentary, the focus of this episode, is entitled Harry Chapin — Cat's In The Cradle: The Song That Changed Our Lives. This new documentary explores Harry Chapin’s deeply affecting folk song’s lasting impact on music and culture decades later. In it, reflecting on the song's universal themes of parenthood, time, and relationships, are legendary musicians Billy Joel, Pat Benatar, Judy Collins, Dee Snider (Twisted Sister), Darryl McDaniels (Run-D.M.C.), Mandy Patinkin, Robert Lamm (Chicago), Whitfield Crane (Ugly Kid Joe) and more. In this episode host Michael Shields and Rick discuss what it is about “Cat’s In The Cradle” that has affected generations of people from across the world so deeply. Join in on a celebration of Harry Chapin who was more than just a singer-songwriter; he was a storyteller, activist, and humanitarian whose life and music touched the hearts of millions.The documentary will benefit WhyHunger, Long Island Cares and the Harry Chapin Foundation.
Episode 220: Jenna Nicholls — The Commuter
34:34|This episode of Across The Margin : The Podcast features an interview with singer-songwriter Jenna Nicholls. Hailing from the small town of Irwin, PA near Pittsburgh, after college Jenna set her sights east to test her wings as a songwriter and performer. Initially trying Boston, she ultimately gravitated to the creative hotbed of Manhattan’s Lower East Side forging lasting friendships with other like-minded artists and musicians. Jenna made three albums on her own dime: Curled Up Toes in Red Mary Janes, The Blooming Hour, and Radio Parade. The albums revealed a restless muse and a theme that would be a constant for Nicholls: a love of vintage music – anything from classic music films like “Singin’ in the Rain” to Bessie Smith. Her latest album — The Commuter — is the focus of this episode. The title of Jenna Nicholls’ new album The Commuter is fitting in every sense — the story of a journey both musical and personal. The recording signals a departure and new beginnings: a new producer (multiple Grammy winner Larry Campbell), a new record label (Hudson Valley based Royal Potato Family), a lusher sound with inventive, fleshed-out arrangements, and an astoundingly wide-ranging collection of original songs. The constant: Jenna’s unique ability to transport the listener to a different place and time with her writing and inspired singing. The Commuter displays Jenna’s melodic and lyrical gifts in full flower. It’s a cinematic trip that takes the listener to 1930’s Parisian cafés, New Orleans juke joints, and beyond. It is an album that communicates the excitement of venturing forth and the reassurance of returning home to an abiding love. Learn all about it and more in this episode.
Episode 219: Orcutt Shelley Miller with Bill Orcutt
32:47|This episode of Across The Margin : The Podcast features an interview with guitarist and composer Bill Orcutt. Bill is one of experimental music's most influential guitarists, known for weaving melodic lines into a dense landscape of American primitivism, outsider jazz, and a stripped-down re-envisioning of the possibilities of the guitar. Bill’s jagged sound is utterly unique and instantly recognizable, compared with equal frequency to avant-garde composers and rural bluesmen. The New York Times has called him a "powerful musician" and a "go-for-broke guitar improviser." His most recent album — which is the focus of this interview — is entitled Orcutt Shelley Miller, a fiery release which finds him teamed with two other legendary, electrifying musicians, Ethan Miller and Steve Shelley. While Bill is known for his prolific solo work and his time with the band Harry Pussy (amongst many other projects), Steve Shelley is best known for his many years as the drummer of Sonic Youth, and Ethan Miller for his time with the bands Howlin Rain and Comets On Fire. Following in the footsteps of the high-firing free jazz and European outer-rock bands of the ‘60s and ‘70s and the Pacific Rim’s subterranean reimagining of “rock” form in the 90s, the teaming of these three powerhouses utilizes explosive group chemistry, focused intention, and the chance to pursue the creation of song in its rawest, purest form. Orcutt Shelley Miller is an exciting ride of an album brought to life three highly celebrated figures of experimental music, and in this interview with Bill you will learn more about the genesis of the album, how two days of studio improvisation brought the album to life, what life on the road with the album has been like, and much more.
Episode 218: A Hat Upon The Bed with Charlie Kaplan
54:23|This episode of Across The Margin : The Podcast features an interview with Brooklyn- based independent singer and songwriter Charlie Kaplan. Charlie has released three solo albums to date, each excellent in their own right, and he is the bassist in the art-pop quartet Office Culture. Charlie also helms the independent record label Glamour Gowns Records. His latest album, A Hat Upon The Bed, is the focus of this episode.A man pleads with the sky for Halley’s Comet to return. Washing the dishes devolves into a catastrophic anxiety spiral. Figuring out which key the microwave emits could foretell the secret of the universe. Messages of love extend to people who cannot receive them. These are some of the magical, everyday scenarios that singer-songwriter Charlie Kaplan weaves throughout his epic new album, A Hat Upon The Bed, all in service of surveying the unknowability of death. Drawing on the flood of love and pain that arrived during his “fatherless decade” — spanning the loss of his father in 2013 and the birth of his son in 2025 — the album pairs the strongest writing of Kaplan’s career with music that matches its untameable ambition and empathy.Order Charlie Kaplan’s The Hat Upon The Bed now!
Episode 217: Loud and Clear with Brian Anderson
58:00|This episode of Across The Margin : The Podcast features an interview with Brian Anderson, a Webby Award-winning senior features editor, writer, and producer at VICE. Brian was a science editor at The Atlantic, where he was part of the Pulitzer Prize-winning team for early pandemic coverage, and was later an editor at Vox. He lives in Chicago with his partner (and a piece of the Wall of Sound). Loud and Clear: The Grateful Dead Wall of Sound and the Quest for Audio Perfection is his first book, and the focus of this episode. Loud and Clear is the first book to tell the full story of the Grateful Dead’s “Wall of Sound,” an unprecedented and since unparalleled speaker system that was as tall as a school bus is long and more than a hundred feet wide. The band’s quest for a roaring yet crystal clear sound began after their formation in 1965, colliding with the ‘60s progressive social climate. Over the next few years, the Dead’s growing crew of sound-obsessed techies and eccentric roadies took their speaker system to new technological heights. But as the Dead’s relentless, drug-fueled touring schedule met this increasingly burdensome yet sonically perfect machine, in 1974, the Wall brought the band to its knees. The two years of “Wall shows” are legend among Deadheads, and Loud and Clear is the compelling character-driven tale about human ambition, achievement, and the limits of both on a larger-than-life scale. Brian Anderson interviewed hundreds of people associated with the band and the construction of the Wall itself, including band members, roadies, tech wizards, fans and many more. Loud and Clear is the fascinating inside story of one of the most legendary rock bands of all time.