Couch Riffs

Latest Episodes:

Ep. 13: Joe Reineke (Society of the Silver Cross) Jun 13, 2019

Show notes

This episode features my good friend, musician, engineer and producer, singer/songwriter, and all-around good and decent human being, Joe Reineke of The Meices, Alien Crime Syndicate and, most recently, Society of the Silver Cross which has been making waves with their dark and heavy music and visually striking videos. Their new album has been earning much deserved praise in advance of the 6/28/19 release coming up very soon. Go check out their singles When You're Gone and The Mighty Factory of Death now, available on iTunes and on all streaming platforms now.

If you enjoy Couch Riffs please support by subscribing where ever you enjoy listening and/or watching the companion musical performances! And, if you really really enjoy please do support by buying a shirt, a hoodie, a record turntable slip mat, and pretty soon a trucker hat or a sew-on patch. I mean, C'mon. That's pretty much something for every one!

Thanks again for listening. XO Squires

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Ep. 12: Mrs Smith May 21, 2019

Show notes

This episode's guest is the charismatic, mysterious, unlikely guitar hero Mrs Smith. Mrs Smith first came on radar a couple of years ago after some videos of street-shredding/busking came across my screen. I've been quietly following along since and it is quite entertaining. I reached out to see about a guest spot back in November 2018 and have actually played bass for Mrs Smith at a live show in New York in between then and now. And, what a fun show. Mrs Smith's ability to improv and interact on stage, off-the-cuff, is really great and it is worth going to catch the solo shows OR the full-band shows if you're able to. If not, Mrs Smith operates one of the most entertaining and interactive social media accounts around. Go check it out.

Thanks again for listening to Couch Riffs! Please, if you can and would like to, support Couch Riffs by listening, pledging at anchor.fm/couchriffs, buying t-shirts and hoodies and sharing episodes with your friends you think would enjoy. You're the best.

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Ep. 11: Vivian Campbell (Def Leppard, Dio and Last In Line) May 08, 2019

Show notes

Vivian Campbell has had a great career playing in legendary bands since the early 80s. Sweet Savage (as covered by Metallica), Dio's original band for the first three albums (Classic KILLERS, all three), Whitesnake (stepping in to cover John Syke's place), and for the last 27 years Def Leppard who was inducted in to the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame earlier this year (2019). Vivian is currently out touring small theaters and clubs with Last In Line who is supporting their sophomore release. He was a great story-teller, a great guest, and a humble guitar hero. Thanks for listening and I hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed making it.

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Ep. 10: Shane Enholm (Santa Clarita Tattoo) Apr 21, 2019

Show notes

I'm honestly not sure how this slipped by and went unpublished until now. I mean, Shane recorded the intro that I use on every single podcast for crying out loud. At any rate, Shane Enholm is an open book and anyone willing to read the big words (and the subtext) through his many social media posts, mostly IG videos, already feel like they know him. I certainly did. But, each time that you tune in to his videos or you talk with Shane you learn some insanely interesting little tidbit about him, his life, or the things in his life that he has read up on and studied.

Shane clearly paved a rough road in his earlier life. Unlike many others before and after him he was fortunate enough to make it through and turn himself around and tune his life up, changing his attitude and outlook. Admittedly, many of his instagram stories can be taken in a number of different ways if you only take them at face value. However, Shane is one of the realest dudes I've ever met and his stories are not brags or boasts. He states himself that he's not proud of some of the things he's done in his life. He's just telling the story. And, let me tell you there are a million insane stories with Shane. I'm happy to have had him as a guest on Couch Riffs and I'm even happier that we remain friends.

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Ep. 9: Stevie D, Kelly Lemieux, and Kevin Roentgen (Buckcherry) Apr 03, 2019

Show notes

On this episode of Couch Riffs Podcast I had the pleasure of hosting the guitar/bass team from Buckcherry, Stevie D, Kelly Lemieux, and Kevin Roentgen. We played Nights On Broadway by The Bee Gees and it was a gas! If you haven't seen it please go check it out on IG, YouTube, of Facebook.

We cover a few things in this conversation including the new album, road rage, guitars, and the sexual power of Barry Gibb. Our performance and the conversation we recorded/filmed were bisected by some band business and a drive in my Jeep back and forth to The Chance where the band was playing this night in Poughkeepsie. So, we were only just getting back in to the groove when we had to call it and get back for the band to play their show.

As always, please leave reviews and help support Couch Riffs by subscribing where ever you listen to your podcasts as well as showing pledge support at Anchor.fm/couch-riffs . I also have some great shirts for sale to help fund the purchase of some more new gear to keep the Couch Riffs improvements rolling. Thanks for listening!

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Ep. 8: Timo Ellis (Netherlands/Cibo Matto) Mar 27, 2019

Show notes

My guest on the Couch Riffs podcast this week is one of the earliest Couch Riffs performance guests from pre-podcast conception. Timo Ellis is an incredibly multi-talented musician with a mind tuned for thrashing convention. As always, Timo and I didn't talk about the weather when we hung out. We cover drugs, classic metal, Grateful Dead, random thoughts, and his career timeline amongst other things. I hope you enjoy this episode and please help support Couch Riffs if you're able! Subscribe, leave messages, and pledge at Anchor.fm if you're able.

Thanks so much. It really makes a difference!

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Ep. 7: Jared James Nichols Mar 15, 2019

Show notes

This is the complete conversation during my hang with Jared James Nichols in which the entire video was loooooost! NO! That's okay, the show was salvaged and I got a good video episode still. Please go check it out! Jared is currently on fire and for good reason: he's amazing and just as genuine and cool as he is talented.

I had such a great time making this episode and the song we performed, Albatross by Fleetwood Mac, is an all-time favorite from the psych-blues genius mind of Peter Green. Go check it out at www.couchriffs.com YouTube, IG, and Facebook!

Thanks for your support!

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Ep. 6: Nabil Ayers (4AD) Feb 27, 2019

Show notes

I've known Nabil for over 20 years, been in two bands with him, and clocked countless van miles with him. He's one of the most consistent and rock solid humans I've ever known and I'm happy to call him my friend. Being a big Soundgarden fan, Nabil picked this week's Couch Riffs song and he crushed it! I totally clammed ALL of my weird little bits, though. And, that's how the cookie crumbles here at Couch Riffs, kids. Practice like you will perform (also, Do as I say, not as I do). As for Nabil, our conversation in this video is an abbreviated edit of a much longer story of his trail from small indie label owner to being the US General Manager of one of the coolest labels of all time, 4AD (while still operating his own label, The Control Group). I hope you enjoy! PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO BE NOTIFIED OF ALL NEW EPISODES!

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Ep. 5: Brad Houser (Edie Brickell and The New Bohemians/Critters Buggin') Feb 24, 2019

Show notes

To say that Brad Houser merely impacted my musical life is hardly true. He almost entirely put me on a course, in fact. I must've seen Critters Buggin' 25 times in Seattle in the 90s and when I couldn't find myself a guitar gig I got myself a bass gig. Brad was my guy. I even started a band with some friends that was our answer (read: attempted rip off) to Critters, an instrumental band consisting of my 3 different basses (4 and 5 string plus fretless), drums and a percussionist, and a clarinetist. So, yeah. Brad had an influence on me. And, as I've said a million times: playing the bass was one of the most important things I've ever done for my guitar playing. So, Brad eventually influenced my guitar playing by my estimations. Getting in to Critters opened doors for me to go back and listen to Miles, Herbie, and some other 70s stuff like Mahavishnu. Edie Brickell & The New Bohemians' debut album had a break out single, What I Am. As a young rock/metal kid it was unusual for me to get into something like that. I wasn't a Deadhead and only appreciated very few things outside of my preferred comfort zone. But not much. Later I realized a huge element to What I Am that drew me in was the interesting bass playing. There was something going on that I'd never heard before which was so musical, complex and busy but not overpowering. I loved it. The bass just didn't stand out in much music I was listening to. So, of course, when I eventually began playing bass I sought out Brad when I heard he lived in Seattle. We didn't get far in lessons, 2 or 3 I think. But, I went and watched him play a ton of Critters Buggin' shows. At one of our lessons he blew my mind when he told me he was taking an African dance class to help with his bass playing. I'd never heard someone speak of such a completely physical relationship to an instrument and performing on it. He became my benchmark bass player and though I knew I'd NEVER be the bassist he is I figured I had to sort out how to fool folks into thinking I belonged in a category of musicianship that he existed in......In this episode of Couch Riffs we talk about some of this stuff. PLUS, Brad's new signature bass coming out with Reverend Guitars. Brad and I stayed friendly over the years and when we would run into each other it was always fun and good to catch. So, when I saw the band was touring to support the new album (which is great) I was super excited to see the Brooklyn date. Brad agreed to appear on Couch Riffs and here are the results. Always great to catch up, Brad. Thank you so much and good luck with the new album and everything you do.

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Ep. 4: John Roderick Part 2 (The Long Winters) Feb 24, 2019

Show notes

What can I say? John Roderick is like my brother, driving me crazy much of the time but I love him a lot. Like anyone close to John I've spent countless hours having discussions with him, like this one, late in to the night. Usually with some iHop pancakes and strawberry milkshakes..... We've been in two bands together. One as bandmates (Harvey Danger) and one with him as the leader (The Long Winters). I can tell you with confidence that I preferred to play with him as a peer, though. John, as he states himself, has a lot of "ideas". You can listen yourself to some of them in my upcoming Couch Riffs Podcast. Our conversation was a whopping 93 minutes long. Sheesh. It has been something like 12 or 13 years since the last record was recorded by The Long Winters. I tracked some guitar (and bass that was unceremoniously recorded over after I quit mid-session) on that record and I think it is a really sweet collection of tunes. I would love so much for John to find the inspiration to commit himself to making the simplest and best record The Long Winters has ever created. Hell, maybe it is a solo record and not The Long Winters? What do I know? What I do know is that John, like tons and tons of musicians and other creatives, is full of self-censorship (except when it comes to talking, duh) based in undeserved doubt. Roderick and I share a love of some, but not all, of the classic hard rock and metal bands. Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, and this band: Def Leppard. The thing that ALL of these bands have in common? Twin guitar attack and harmonies. We, unfortunately, didn't "completely" nail the harmonies here but I think that all in all we did okay considering that this is a first and only take, like all Couch Riffs episodes. But, what's more is this is a FIRST for Couch Riffs! John SINGS on this episode. And, I should say he did a great job. Thank you for being game for this, John. You were and always are a great conversationalist, player, and friend (sometimes almost always).

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