The Trap Set with Joe Wong

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136: Viola Smith (The Smith Sisters, The Coquettes) Aug 23, 2017

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Born in 1912, Viola Smith rose to fame during an era when female musicians were often relegated to novelty status; but over a career that spanned 50 years, she proved herself to be a visionary far ahead of her time. She talks to Joe about her childhood in Wisconsin, why becoming a traveling musician distanced her from religion, Chick Webb, Louis Belson, Buddy Rich ("not a likeable fellow"), and ignoring Frank Sinatra's advances.

BNS: Stephen Perkins Answers Your Questions Aug 23, 2017

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In this bonus mini-episode, Stephen Perkins answers listeners' questions.

135: Ryan Sawyer (Zeena Parkins, Charles Gayle, Boredoms, At The Drive In) Aug 16, 2017

Show notes

Ryan Sawyer grew up in Texas, where he joined At The Drive In just long enough to play on the band's first album. Now a long time resident of New York, Ryan has honed a style that exists at the convergence of punk and jazz. His collaborators have included Thurston Moore, TV On The Radio, Boredoms, Zeena Parkins, Charles Gayle, and Gang Gang Dance. He talks to Joe about self doubt, relevancy, his computer programmer parents, and the fortuitous experience of seeing Sheila E. at a young age.

BNS: Steve Ferrone Answers Your Questions Aug 16, 2017

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In this bonus mini-episode, Steve Ferrone answers questions from YOU, our listeners.

134: Roland & Steve Albini (Big Black, Rapeman, Shellac) Aug 09, 2017

Show notes

Roland, Steve Albini, and Joe discuss: Big Black, Shellac, the "Uberization" of the workforce, the Jungle of Life, and the one true God above.

133: John McEntire (Tortoise, The Sea and Cake, Bastro, etc.) Aug 02, 2017

Show notes

For nearly 30 years, John McEntire has existed at the vanguard of a modern paradigm of musician producers. He tells Joe about the impetus to start playing, his formative years at Oberlin, Bastro, Tortoise, The Sea and Cake, and how he has adapted to sea changes in the music world.

132: Pablo Rieppi Jul 26, 2017

Show notes

Born in Montevideo, Uruguay, Pablo Rieppi spent much of his 1980s adolescence in the Washington DC area. He tells Joe about his journey from Neil Peart devotee to Juilliard Faculty member (not that two things are mutually exclusive). Pablo tells Joe how he benefited from the naivete of his youth, and he explains why all great instrumentalists aren't necessarily artists.

131: James Sclavunos (Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Lydia Lunch, Sonic Youth, The Cramps, etc.) Jul 19, 2017

Show notes

James Sclavunos grew up in Brooklyn and dreamed of becoming an astronaut priest or an avant-garde saxophonist. Instead, he attended film school at NYU and became a part of the musical movement that would later be known as No Wave. He tells Joe about his relationship with Catholicism; cruising the Village in a sailor suit; his initiation into Lydia Lunch's band; writing books about Motley Crue and Paula Abdul; and the family dynamic of The Bad Seeds.

130: Susie Ibarra Jul 12, 2017

Show notes

Susie Ibarra filtered her innate creativity through the prism of jazz language to develop one of the strongest, most original voices in contemporary music. She and Joe discuss: Asian-American identity; being present; time management; and art as a vehicle for wonder, play, and joy.

This episode was recorded in 2015 and recently recovered.

129: Sebastien Grainger (Death from Above) Jul 05, 2017

Show notes

Sebastien Grainger stops by The Trap Set and tells Joe about: growing up in Canada, the origins of Death From Above, learning to define himself outside of the band, his favorite singing drummer, and bread making.

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