LONELIER THAN GOD

Today’s conversation is with TIM DOW, one of my all-time favorite drummers. He’s played in and/or toured with SHINER, YEAR OF THE RABBIT, SEASON TO RISK, THE JOY CIRCUIT, ON, VAE VICTIS, & more. He was in Shiner from 1993 to ‘98, & drummed on their early landmark records, SPLAY & LULA DIVINIA, as well as on their first 6 EPs. Both LPs have since been remixed & remastered, & then reissued in 2024 on SPARTAN RECORDS. After leaving Shiner, he played in a couple of early 2000s L.A. bands with Failure’s Ken Andrews: first the pop-leaning electronic project ON, then the heavier rock band Year of the Rabbit. He & his Y.O.T.R. bandmates, Jeff Garber & Sol Snyder, then tracked & self-released their first & only studio record, so far, called EP 1. He’s also done studio session work for Pete Yorn, Abandoned Pools, Jonny Polonsky, & others. In this episode, we talk about ‘90s recording styles, the web of alt-rock riff tropes, & the revved-up release of thunderous drumming.****TIM'S DRUM DISCOG (Streaming)****"Iron Clad Lou" Video****TIMESTAMPS:02:34 // "Brooks" (Shiner)07:10 // Pre-Shiner Recordings12:23 // Shiner & Indie Production19:47 // Riff Drumming22:43 // "Sailor's Fate" (Shiner)26:12 // "My Life as a Housewife" (Shiner)32:22 // '90s Drumming Influences33:18 // L.A., Ken Andrews, & Year of the Rabbit39:12 // "Absent Stars" (Y.O.T.R.)41:59 // The Joy Circuit44:32 // "X's" (T.J.C.)45:48 // Pete Yorn Sessions48:42 // "Undercover" (P.Y.)49:42 // HUM's E2K Tape56:34 // "Iron Clad Lou" Discussion01:26:13 // "Sideways" (Shiner)****Support the show!****

Sat down today with KEITH M., singer & guitarist of the Brooklyn post-hardcore/screamo band MEMORY ENTRY. Earlier this year, they released their 5-song debut EP, Our World is Going to Disappear, on IODINE RECORDINGS, & they’ve got new stuff on the way. Link below.Since 2020, Keith has hosted THE NEW SCENE PODCAST, which released its 300th episode a few weeks back. He’s done wide-ranging interviews with members of Quicksand, the Jesus Lizard, Jawbox, Melvins, Seaweed, & many others, as well as with friends of this pod, Chris Enriquez from Spotlights & Josh Brigham from Hopesfall.In this episode, we do a recent gig round-up, discuss the revealing language of dreams, & explore the chilly vastness of the arctic soundscape.****TIMESTAMPS:02:17 // "Lost Dreams" (Memory Entry)03:19 // Shiner + Ink & Dagger Shows09:59 // Memory Entry: Influences & Origins13:21 // Dream Logics19:22 // The New Scene Podcast26:41 // Hearing HUM32:46 // "The Inuit Promise" Discussion1:07:36 // "Holler Wild Rose" (Memory Entry)****Support the show!****

Today I’m joined by DEREK NIEDRINGHAUS & LYLE HODGES, who were both involved, in different ways, in the making of Centaur's debut album, In Streams.Derek plays bass in Centaur, & does art design for the band, including the iconic & oddly soothing Gaudí-inspired In Streams cover. He also plays bass in CASTOR, who just re-released their discography in remixed & remastered form as a vinyl set called Moving Backgrounds, on Earth Analog Records. He previously made music in Sarge, the Big Bright Lights, & National Skyline, among others.Lyle was a studio assistant, tape op, & White Russian maker during the recording of In Streams. He's also been in many bands himself, including Amphibian, Tractor Kings, The Mezzanines (NYC edition), & he currently performs in ELECTRIC STALLION & CHROME CHRIST. He runs Twin Radar Records as well.In this episode, we talk about Centaur’s hazy origins, the precarious ecosystem of the recording process, & the healing flows of pure volume.****https://matttalbott.bandcamp.com/album/in-streams****https://castorindierock.bandcamp.com/album/moving-backgrounds****TIMESTAMPS:02:34 // "Fields" (Centaur)04:58 // Hearing & Seeing HUM13:51 // Centaur Origins16:55 // Recording In Streams26:35 // Working with Keith Cleversley37:30 // Release Date41:29 // In Streams Artwork50:28 // Sonics & Atmosphere53:18 // "Placencia"59:06 // The Champaign Sound & Writing Lyrics01:04:58 // In Streams Themes01:11:29 // "Life Begins"01:18:58 // "The Same Place"01:34:31 // "In Streams"01:45:14 // Cover Songs01:47:29 // "Strangers On 5"****Support the show!****

Today I’m joined by SCOTT KIMBLE & DON KING from the Champaign, Illinois band TERMINUS VICTOR. Their most recent album, EVERENDING, came out in 2023, & was tracked by Matt Talbott @ Earth Analog. It’s textured, it’s heavy, a little sludgy, a little spacey; it’s awesome from front to back. Highly, highly recommended. Link in the show notes. Before T-Vic & its predecessor HUSHTOWER, Scott played in Little Black Spiders, Wicked Walls, & the Falbonauts, & Don played in Social Imaginary & Bristle. We make a couple references here to a previous conversation the guys had with Sven from the Champaign is Also a Band podcast, in which they go deep into the fan-favorite song “This Isn’t Real.” Link below.In this episode, we talk about early ‘90s gig-watching, the power in restraint, & the importance of keeping things “noily.” ****T-VIC BANDCAMP****"This Isn't Real" Discussion (C.I.A.A.B.)****”In the Den” (2/24/18)****TIMESTAMPS:02:22 // "Stress in the Midwest" (T.V.)03:38 // The Blind Pig09:42 // Early T-Vic Shows14:04 // "Taking the Advantage" (T.V.)15:20 // From Duo to Trio18:28 // Everending LP24:07 // Recording @ Earth Analog27:57 // Songwriting for Everending30:59 // "To the Very End" (T.V.)37:59 // "This Isn't Real" (T.V.)40:02 // Hearing & Seeing HUM46:24 // Inlet52:19 // "In the Den" Discussion01:28:11 // "Here Comes Everything" (T.V.)****Support the show!****

Joining me today from Scotland is GEOFF EVANS, an admin for the fan-driven HUM Reddit & Facebook groups.With over 13,000 members between them, these pages have helped keep the band in the public consciousness for decades, & they're both reliable sources of news, discussion, & music recommendations. In this episode, we talk about the joy of the live experience, wearing your fandom on your sleeve (literally), & the parallel universes of unreleased music.****REDDIT // FACEBOOK****"Inklings" Versions:Chicago, IL // 2010Austin, TX // 2011Chicago, IL // 2011Charlotte, NC // 2015Gainesville, FL // 2017****MISSION CONTROL****DRAGONFLY DESCENDING****TIMESTAMPS:02:26 // HUM Tattoo04:53 // Hearing & Seeing the Band07:42 // Fan Socials15:28 // "Inklings" Discussion****Support the show!****

Today’s conversation is with JOEY GINALDI, drummer of the Pennsylvania bands MAGIC AMERICA & CLEVER HOUR.Magic America just released their debut album, Get in the Truck, a couple weeks back on Funeral Party Records. The first video, for the song “Carried by Angels,” is now up on YouTube. Clever Hour, which also features Jake Clarke from Superheaven & Evan King from Magic America, put out their 5-song self-titled debut EP in 2024. Links below.Joey’s also recorded and/or toured with many other bands from the northeast, including Knifeplay, Webbed Wing, Pony, Thought Patterns, Euphoria Again, & others.He’s also an accomplished graphic designer, having done album art, layouts, shirts, & other merchandise for Superheaven, Drug Church, Destiny Bond, Foxing, Teethe, Run for Cover Records, & many many more to come. The best place to see all of that is on his Instagram, also linked below.In this episode, we talk about hometown DIY pride, the transcendent impact of the band Curve, & the elements that make a perfect song truly perfect.If you’d like to back the podcast, click “support the show” at the bottom of the notes & then “see membership options.” Donations only, no paywalls.****https://www.instagram.com/joeyxginaldi****https://magicamericaphl.bandcamp.com/album/get-in-the-truck****Magic America, "Carried by Angels" Video****https://setterwindrecords.bandcamp.com/album/demo-24****TIMESTAMPS:02:33 // "Burning Desire" (Clever Hour)03:56 // Philly Roots07:33 // Local Bands, First Bands22:31 // Clever Hour EP23:33 // "A Worried Existence" (Clever Hour)28:03 // Magic America LP29:44 // "Texting the Dead" (Magic America)35:06 // Discovering HUM40:36 // "I Hate It Too" Discussion01:13:44 // Design Influences & Approach01:19:57 // "Lights On" (Magic America)****Support the show!****

Joining me today is RAY HARKINS, vocalist of the Southern California melodic hardcore bands TAKEN, MIKOTO, &, most recently, BLOODGUILT.Taken burned brightly from the late ‘90s until 2004, releasing one LP & 2 EPs on Goodfellow Records. They’ve since added a demos & b-sides compilation, a collected version of the first 3 records, & a 2018 EP titled With Regard To, on Other People Records. Links below.Ray’s also run the DIY music & culture podcast, 100 WORDS OR LESS, for the better part of a decade, with over 670 episodes in the archive. He’s interviewed everyone from Ken Andrews & Page Hamilton to members of Fleshwater & Bleed to the Jesus Lizard, Quicksand, & dozens of other scene lifers crucial to the growth & expansion of underground music.In this episode, we talk about the Big Bang of music culture in ‘90s Orange County, the shifting meanings of heaviness, & the waveform pathos of the EKG machine.If you’d like to back the podcast, click “support the show” at the bottom of the notes & then “see membership options.”Donations only, no paywalls.****TAKEN Bandcamp****MIKOTO Bandcamp****BLOODGUILT Bandcamp****TIMESTAMPS:02:29 // "The Most Feared Thing" (Taken)03:32 // '90s Orange County14:17 // LA/OC Venues21:00 // Taken27:58 // Hearing HUM: YPAA & DIH36:45 // "If You are to Bloom" Discussion01:13:05 // "Eternity was on Our Lips" (Taken)****Support the show!****

Joining me today is BALTHAZAR DE LEY — singer, guitarist, bassist, producer, engineer, studio technician, &, most recently, amp maker. In the early ‘90s, he joined HUM, which was, back then, written in all lowercase. He played bass on their first record Fillet Show, & toured & wrote songs with them over the course of several years. He then formed & fronted MENTHOL, formerly known as Mother, whose 3 beloved LPs combined off-kilter riffing & synth lines with surrealistic & Faustian tales of the '90s alt rock signing boom. When Menthol parted ways, he began engineering records for other bands. He then worked as a studio technician for the Smashing Pumpkins for close to a decade. In 2017, he founded BALTHAZAR AUDIO SYSTEMS, where he designs & builds vacuum tube guitar amplifiers. He also plays guitar in the Chicago shoegaze band LIGHTFOILS. Links below. In this episode, we talk about youthful insouciance, a specific strain of ‘90s midwestern space rock, & the endearing & enduring power of smallness. If you’d like to back the podcast, click “support the show” at the bottom of the notes & then “see membership options.” Donations only, no paywalls.****https://www.balthazaramps.com****https://lightfoils.bandcamp.com****TIMESTAMPS:02:35 // "What's Your Rationale?" (Menthol)04:19 // The Breeders Amp06:30 // Bad Flannel09:11 // "Frustration" (Bad Flannel)12:10 // Joining HUM15:16 // Rick & Rose17:24 // Fillet Show LP20:00 // "Space Gun" (Poster Children)25:20 // Early HUM Influences28:40 // Menthol29:39 // Mud Records35:22 // "Walk of Shame" (Menthol)36:40 // Ardent Studios40:00 // Writing Lyrics44:23 // "Dry Heaves" (Menthol)48:36 // "Bedheaded, Red-Eyed, & Bewildered" (Menthol)49:57 // '90s Alt Rock Explosion58:13 // Menthol Artwork / Danger: Rock Science!01:04:21 // "Hello Kitty" Discussion01:28:58 // Lightfoils & Balthazar Audio Systems01:32:21 // "Strange Living" (Menthol)****Support the show!****