Close Enough for Jazz

Drummer and composer Danny Sher sits down to discuss the tug-of-war between highly intellectualized composition and raw emotion. Danny breaks down his desire to dodge "accounting jazz" and write music that forces the audience to feel the rhythm before they can analyze it. Tracing his wild musical evolution, Danny shares hilarious early memories of acting as a "Dog Star Commander" mascot for Manchild, getting humbled at early sessions, and watching a young Tyshawn Sorey casually drum in 15. Danny explains his strategy for writing "jazz disguised as rock" with Horse Torso, navigating the brutal polyrhythms of Atomic Pigeons, and pivoting from insane technical compositions to the catchy verse-chorus songs that got Crippling Alcoholism signed to The Flenser.Timestamps:00:00 - Intro: Feeling the rhythm before judging the music00:38 - The "Dog Star Commander" mascot in Manchild05:10 - A humbling session07:06 - Sitting behind a young Tyshawn Sorey playing in 1508:48 - Forming Horse Torso and blending dissonance with relatable grooves13:42 - Discovering the Mathcore Index Podcast and playing Saint Vitus17:15 - Pivoting from insane technical music to catchy verse-chorus songs20:39 - Getting signed to The Flenser with Crippling Alcoholism24:42 - Dodging "accounting jazz" and focusing on emotion26:10 - Navigating the otherworldly polyrhythms of Atomic Pigeons & Shardik28:07 - Recording with legendary no-wave producer Martin Bisi30:33 - Peter Apfelbaum's early funk days with Les Claypool32:36 - Disguising jazz as rock: Writing for Travis Reuter and Andrew Smiley38:51 - Writing cliches head-on for the hardcore band Unsee40:04 - Outro: Keeping up with @HorseTorsoBIRCH GROVE MEDIAWeb: birchgrove.ioFollow us: @birch.grove.media on Instagram.Watch on YouTube: youtube.com/@BirchGroveMediaGet the Record: Shop our current 180g LP and digital releases on our website. Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

In this Special Edition episode, Lindsay and Alan tackle the massive disruption of Artificial Intelligence in music. They break down the controversy surrounding the first AI-generated Billboard charting artist, the fierce pushback from working musicians, and the surreal "uncanny valley" of algorithmic audio. Shifting to the jazz ecosystem, they analyze new tech like Neural Audio Synthesis and Stefon Harris’s Harmony Cloud, before subjecting themselves to some truly horrific Suno AI generations attempting to mimic modern jazz artists.Timestamps:00:00 - Intro: Going in blind on AI01:13 - Meet Xania Monet: The first AI artist on the Billboard R&B charts05:11 - Alan reacts to the cookie-cutter AI pop track in real-time09:45 - The Gayle King interview and the ethics of "putting in the work"16:18 - Kehlani’s backlash: AI stealing the spotlight from real musicians24:00 - The "Uncanny Valley" effect of perfectly tuned AI audio25:26 - Transitioning to the reality of AI in the Jazz ecosystem27:22 - Neural Audio Synthesis and improvising live with AI models31:40 - Stefon Harris’s Harmony Cloud ear-training app36:39 - Suno AI Experiments: Prompting an Eric Dolphy jazz standard43:24 - Forcing AI to simulate Tyshawn Sorey drumming for Steve Lehman46:30 - Why jazz audiences won't tolerate fake, algorithm-generated music49:09 - The Gen-Z analog revival and getting away from technology50:09 - Birch Grove Media's official anti-AI label stance51:04 - Outro: Podfuel and supporting human-made musicBIRCH GROVE MEDIAWeb: birchgrove.ioFollow us: @birch.grove.media on Instagram.Watch on YouTube: youtube.com/@BirchGroveMediaGet the Record: Shop our current 180g LP and digital releases on our website. Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Guitarist and composer Josh Lopes opens up about the intersection of classical chamber music discipline and underground experimentation. He walks through the collaborative history of Dither, the psychology of working directly under John Zorn, translating Laurie Spiegel’s planetary orbit tracking data to fretted instruments, and how an iPad mechanical failure turned a performance at the Stone into a living nightmare.Timestamps:00:00 - Intro00:25 - From Rhode Island to the Avant-Garde Scene01:46 - Euphoniums, Marching Band, and Transferring Schools03:44 - William Paterson University and the "Bossa Nova" Trap05:44 - Unlearning Jazz Robot Habits and Developing Soft Skills06:39 - Getting Academic Probation for Breaking Into Shea09:25 - The Difference Between Chamber Musicians and Jazz Players11:47 - Forming the Electric Guitar Quartet14:22 - The Intensity of Performing John Zorn's Game Pieces18:39 - A Shattered iPad During a Solo Bagatelle20:09 - A Weird Mother's Day Encounter with John Zorn22:23 - Playing "Rugby" at The Kitchen23:22 - Translating Laurie Spiegel's Electronic Scores26:50 - The Pretentious Venice Biennale Concert28:37 - Blasting White Noise for Sensory Deprivation Music33:03 - The $100 Vintage Japanese Guitar Project35:15 - Learning Tuvan Throat Singing in a Trader Joe's Milk Cooler37:37 - Discovering "Genghis Blues" and Ham Radio Harmonics41:56 - Teaching Music in Newark to Kids Who Don't Listen to Music44:29 - Replacing Standard Notation with YouTube QR Codes49:49 - Why Good Guitarists Secretly Have Mental Disorders51:13 - Missing the Grit of the Old StoneBIRCH GROVE MEDIAWeb: birchgrove.ioFollow us: @birch.grove.media on Instagram.Watch on YouTube: youtube.com/@BirchGroveMediaGet the Record: Shop our current 180g LP and digital releases on our website. Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Drummer Sam Ospovat discusses his technical evolution and the historical weight of performing with masters like Cecil Taylor. He breaks down the differences between the New York and Nordic music communities, the creation of his project Blight Music in a Brooklyn warehouse, and the discipline required to maintain a creative voice across different continents.Timestamps:00:00 - Intro: The difficulty of moving to New York01:13 - Formative years at UC Santa Cruz04:16 - Mills College: An incubator for the avant-garde05:32 - Two weeks with Cecil Taylor: Focus and improvisation08:12 - Moving to NYC and the influence of mentors11:46 - Relocating to Finland and the Nordic scene19:07 - Classical music as a Finnish national identity26:19 - Rhythmic ratios: Composing with prime numbers29:39 - Virtuosity and the feeling of total abandon32:11 - The "Blight Music" concept and the warehouse scene39:51 - Writing for non-specialists in complex structures44:19 - Timbre and the intellectual component of music50:13 - The Brooklyn warehouse and the Blight Music festival56:10 - Identifying the true originals in the current era1:03:59 - How to find Sam Ospovat’s musicBIRCH GROVE MEDIAWeb: birchgrove.ioFollow us: @birch.grove.media on Instagram.Watch on YouTube: youtube.com/@BirchGroveMediaGet the Record: Shop our current 180g LP and digital releases on our website. Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Bassist Kevin Scott shares lessons from the road and the technical secrets of playing "out" while keeping the pocket. From touring with Gov't Mule to the manifestation stories that led to playing with his idols, Kevin discusses the necessity of artistic sacrifice and the "Dancing Poodle" analogy that defines the industry landscape.Timestamps:00:00 - The reality of the professional music environment00:26 - Touring with a "Raccoon Ambassador"03:49 - Tour Hacks: Bus etiquette and sideman logistics08:34 - Maintaining health and gym routines on the road09:53 - Resonant Paths: Hiring Greg Osby and Ryan Clackner13:42 - Manifestation: Joining Warren Haynes’ solo band20:46 - Handling nerves when playing when being a “fanboy”28:09 - The 55 Bar legacy and the 2026 NYC scene35:36 - Building collaborative communities through sacrifice44:19 - Playing "out" while maintaining the pocket49:31 - The "Abusive Partner" analogy: Double Bass vs. Electric53:14 - Electric Bass: The history of the "Ultimate Bastard" instrument56:26 - The Mythic Pursuit: Col. Bruce Hampton and moving to Atlanta01:06:16 - The Dancing Poodle Analogy: Why it always wins01:10:19 - Upcoming records with Matt Chamberlain and Ryan ClacknerBIRCH GROVE MEDIAWeb: birchgrove.ioFollow us: @birch.grove.media on Instagram.Watch on YouTube: youtube.com/@BirchGroveMediaGet the Record: Shop our current 180g LP and digital releases on our website. Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Alan and Lindsay Bjorklund join Matt Scollante to explore the intensive process of recording the new Bear Skinner album, Unobtainium. They discuss the technical challenge of live tracking during a snowstorm, the discipline of creating original audio patches, and the infrastructure required to document high-level creative music.BIRCH GROVE MEDIAWeb: birchgrove.ioFollow us: @birch.grove.media on Instagram.Watch on YouTube: youtube.com/@BirchGroveMediaGet the Record: Shop our current 180g LP and digital releases on our website. Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Keyboardist Trevor Lagrange joins the show to discuss the evolution of his creative voice and the necessity of visual entertainment in live music. He breaks down the history of the Brooklyn loft scene, the influence of his classical training, and the mental tools he uses to master the advanced rhythms of the Bear Skinner project.BIRCH GROVE MEDIAWeb: birchgrove.ioFollow us: @birch.grove.media on Instagram.Watch on YouTube: youtube.com/@BirchGroveMediaGet the Record: Shop our current 180g LP and digital releases on our website at birchgrove.io Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Matt Scollante interviews Alan Bjorklund on the technical and philosophical evolution of the producer's role in creative music. Alan breaks down the high-level vision for Birch Grove Media, his specific audio choices for the band Smirk, and the expansive influences that shape the label's identity.