Transmissions

Latest Episodes:

Transmissions :: Medicine Singers Sep 21, 2022

Show notes

Welcome to another episode of Aquarium Drunkard Transmissions. This week on the show, Daryl Black Eagle Jamieson and guitarist Yonatan Gat join us to discuss their collaborative work as Medicine Singers, which pairs the powwow drum and the voices of the Eastern Medicine Singers with Yonatan’s electrified guitar and contributions from experimental composer Joe Rainey, Ikue Mori of DNA, Thor Harris of Swans, previous Transmissions guest Laraaji, and the late jamie branch. Tapped into a kind of frenzied energy, the album is an overpowering force, and it features a transcendent cover of Link Wray’s immortal “Rumble.” Ahead of a performance September 24 at Pioneer Works with guests Lee Ranaldo, Laraaji, and Thor Harris, Jamieson and Gat join us to discuss their collaboration. A quick word: sorry about some of the audio in this one; there was an issue with a connection, but the conversation is more than worth it.

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Transmissions :: Gloria de Oliveira and Dean Hurley Sep 14, 2022

Show notes

Today on Transmissions, representatives of the Cosmic Network Gloria de Oliveira and Dean Hurley join us to discuss their new album of dream pop bliss and New Ages swoon, Oceans of Time, out this week from Sacred Bones Records.

Dean is best known for his work with David Lynch, with whom he’s collaborated on sound design, music, and more since 2006’s Inland Empire. Gloria is a German-Brazilian songwriter and singer. Without ever meeting in person, they fashioned Oceans of Time. Part Cocteau Twins, part Pure Moods, and also entirely its own thing, it’s a fantastic recording. In this interview, they join host Jason P. Woodbury to discuss their haunting cover of Jeff Buckley and Elizabeth Fraser’s “All Flowers in Time,” the myriad ways Lynch influenced the project, and the ever elusive nature of time and existence.

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Transmissions :: The Stepney Sisters on Charles Stepney Sep 07, 2022

Show notes

We're sitting down with Chicago sisters Eibur, Charlene, and Chanté Stepney, who join us to discuss the work of their father, the late Charles Stepney. As a producer and arranger, Stepney was at the helm for incredible '60s and '70s work with Earth, Wind & Fire, Rotary Connection, The Dells, Muddy Waters, Minnie Riperton, Ramsey Lewis, Terry Callier, and many more before his passing in 1976. But on Step on Step, a mind-blowing new collection from International Anthem, a new vision of Stepney emerges: that of a home recording genius.

Propelled by a drum machine and warm synths, the music here was recorded alone on a 4-track in his Southside Chicago basement, it retains the sophistication of his studio efforts but presents his sound in a raw, utterly unvarnished manner. As the Summer of Stepney rolls on, the Stepney Sisters join host Jason P. Woodbury to unpack who Stepney was, his relationship with his wife and partner Rubie, his love of science fiction, and his status as one of hip-hop’s most sampled composers.

Thanks for checking out Transmissions. If you dig the show, please consider leaving a five star rating or a review—or just forwarding your favorite episodes to a friend. We’re a part of the Talkhouse Podcast Network and you can find us on Patreon. Next week on the show: Gloria de Oliveira and David Lynch sound designer Dean Hurley join us to discuss their new age/cosmic synth album Oceans of Time.

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Transmissions :: Chris Forsyth Aug 31, 2022

Show notes

Our return guest today on Transmissions: Chris Forsyth. The Philadelphia-based guitarist and bandleader is back with a new album, Evolution Here We Come. On it his backed up by an all-star cast including Tom Malach (Garcia Peoples), Douglas McCombs (Tortoise), and Ryan Jewell (Ryley Walker), with guest appearances by Marshall Allen of the Sun Ra Arkestra, Steve Wynn and Linda Pitmon of The Dream Syndicate, and more. Produced by Dave Harrington, the album leans into electronic textures, conjuring into the existence a zone where ZZ Top goes kosmische musik or Popol Vuh dons skinny ties. Forsyth joins host Jason P. Woodbury to discuss the interplay between man and machine, power pop, improv ethics, and more.

Thanks for checking out Transmissions. If you dig the show, please consider leaving a five star rating or a review—or just forwarding your favorite episodes to a friend. We’re a part of the Talkhouse Podcast Network. Next week on the show: Charlene, Chante, and Eibur Stepney, who join us to discuss the work of their father, the late Charles Stepney, as featured on International Anthem's fantastic new release, Step on Step.

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Transmissions :: Delicate Steve Aug 24, 2022

Show notes

Today on an all-new episode of our weekly interview podcast: Steve Marion, better known by his recording name Delicate Steve. As a sideman, Steve’s joined up with folks like Paul Simon, MacDeMarco, Tame Impala, The Black Keys and Yeasayer, but all along he’s made his own instrumental guitar recordings. His latest album is out on Anti Records, and it’s called After Hours, and it blends viby rhythms with cyber rock riffs, always placing an emphasis on emotionally compelling melodies. For this talk, we dug into his cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah," his work with previous Transmissions guest Shahzad Ismaily, his complicated artistic relationship with Kanye West, and his work on Amen Dunes’ Freedom.

Thanks for checking out Transmissions. If you dig the show, please consider leaving a five star rating or a review—or just forwarding your favorite episodes to a friend. We’re a part of the Talkhouse Podcast Network. Next week on the show: Chris Forsyth joins us to discuss Evolution Here We Come.

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Transmissions :: Panda Bear and Sonic Boom Aug 17, 2022

Show notes

Built on loops culled from doo wop, psychedelic pop, and early rock & roll records, Panda Bear and Sonic Boom's new album Reset is an exuberant and oracular listen. Mining resonance in the past—including musical themes that recall their past work, both solo and in Animal Collective and Spaceman 3—the duo create the kind of ecstatic music that renders time elastic. In this all-new episode of our weekly interview podcast Transmissions, Noah Lennox (Panda Bear) and Peter Kember (Sonic Boom) sit down with host Jason P. Woodbury to discuss their collaborative partnership, the influence of far out futurist Buckminster Fuller, memory and musical optimism. We connected with these frequent collaborators from their respective places in Portugal following after a long night of celebration.

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Transmissions :: Glenn Mercer (The Feelies) Aug 10, 2022

Show notes

If you’re a fan of jittery guitar-driven indie rock, you’re probably most familiar with our guest today, Glenn Mercer from his work with The Feelies. While this episode of Transmissions doesn't skimp on Feelies discussion, Mercer also discusses the diversity of his catalog, including work The Trypes, whose 40th anniversary edition of Music for Neighbors was released earlier this year, and his solo canon. Along the way: the Velvet Underground, The Dead, Peter Buck of R.E.M., his tribute works to David Bowie, Brian Eno, Roxy Music, and Marc Bolan, plus even more.

If you dig the show, please consider leaving a five star rating or a review. We appreciate you helping us connect with new listeners however you do so. You can listen to and subscribe to Transmissions via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and of course, the trusty RSS feed. We’re a part of the Talkhouse Podcast Network. Next week on the show: Panda Bear and Sonic Boom discuss their new album Reset.

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Transmissions :: Cheri Knight Aug 03, 2022

Show notes

We’ve been captivated by the striking music featured on Cheri Knight’s American Rituals lately—one of our favorite songs from it opens this episode, the mantric “Prime Numbers.” Recorded in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s at Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, Knight’s experimental compositions recall the minimalism of John Cage or Meredith Monk, but are shot through with a post-punk streak, all delivered with meditative, repetitive vocal abstractions that evoke her interest in Buddhism and meditation.

Hailing from Western Massachusetts, where she grew up a “farm girl,” which she remains to this day, Knight’s travels eventually took her away from Olympia. She joined up with an alt-country band, Blood Oranges, and after that embarked on a solo career. Cheri is a rare person who connects equally to Pauline Oliveros and Steve Earle, who we discuss in this episode.

Thank you for listening to Transmissions. If you dig the show, please consider leaving a five star rating or a review. We appreciate you helping us connect with new listeners however you do so. You can listen to and subscribe to Transmissions via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and of course, the trusty RSS feed. We’re a part of the Talkhouse Podcast Network. Next week on the show: Glenn Mercer of New Jersey indie rock legends The Feelies.

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Transmissions :: Mitch Horowitz Jul 27, 2022

Show notes

Our guest this week on the show is Mitch Horowitz. Perhaps you’ve heard the occult scholar and author on Coast to Coast AM or The Duncan Trussell Family Hour or perhaps you’ve heard him right here on Transmissions. With the occasion of his new book, Daydream Believer: Unlocking the Ultimate Power of your Mind, out this week, as well as the forthcoming essay collection,Uncertain Places: Essays on Occult and Outsider Experiences out on October 18, we invited Mitch back to the show for another fascinating and wind ranging conversation about mind causation, ESP, the paranormal, and music.

Daydream Believer—yes, it’s named for the Monkees song—focuses not only on the subject of research into psi, or extrasensory perception, but also examines some of the pitfalls that Aquarian or New Age thinkers sometimes stumble into. Meanwhile, in Uncertain Places, Horowitz offers thoughtful and entertaining essays about UFOs, bigfoot, gnosticism, the historical roots of the Illuminati conspiracy theory, and many other fascinating topics, as well as an uncut version of his David Lynch interview. Horowitz joins host Jason P. Woodbury to discuss all that and more.

Thank you for listening to Transmissions. We’re a part of the Talkhouse Podcast Network. Check out Aquarium Drunkard on Patreon to support the show.

Rate, review, subscribe, and spread the word if you dig Transmissions. Next week on the show: minimalist Cheri Knight joins us to discuss American Rituals.

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Transmissions :: Glenn Jones Jul 20, 2022

Show notes

Welcome to Aquarium Drunkard Transmissions. Our guest today on the show Glenn Jones, who joins us to discuss his new album Vade Mecum, out now on Thrill Jockey Records, as well as touch on and illuminate the complicated legacy of John Fahey. Both solo and as a member of Cul-de-Sac, Jones has been a force of creative energy in the world of solo acoustic guitar, guitar soli, or American Primitive music, a term we discuss in this chat. Before we get into the talk, we want to acknowledge a debt of gratitude to Steve Lowenthal, for his great book on Fahey, Dance of Death: The Life of John Fahey, American Guitarist. Though we mostly focus on Jones’ own work—and the new album is a fantastic example of what makes him such an enduring presence in the avant-guitar field—we do at one point shift into discussion of the complicated relationship Fahey had with race. Steve's book serves as a great resource. We also want to thank Glenn for the candidness and honesty he brought to our talk.

I want to thank you for listening to Transmissions. We’re a part of the Talkhouse Podcast Network. Check out Aquarium Drunkard on Patreon to support the show.

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