The Vinyl Detroit Podcast

The Vinyl Detroit Podcast

by The Vinyl Detroit Podcast

Music Commentary Music Interviews

Season 2

The Vinyl Detroit Podcast - Bigger Than Before - ex vöid

In this special episode of the The Vinyl Detroit Podcast, I had the privilege of speaking to Owen Williams of ex vöid regarding their absolutely stunning Bigger Than Before album on Prefect Records. Owen shared his experiences in recording the album, their mysterious online facts (or not) and how the band started-up after the dissolution of Joanna Gruesome. Owen is a prolific artist currently involved in a multitude of acts including The Tubs, Sniffany and the Nits as well as helping to co-found Prefect Records with ex-Field Mice drummer Mark Dobson. I found Owen to be a fascinating guest. Both articulate and warm, Owen was a pleasure to speak to regarding #2 of vinyl_detroit’s top albums of 2022. A true artist, Owen and the rest of ex vöid created a gem of a pop album that keeps me wanting more. Bigger than Before can be found on Prefect Records and Don Giovanni Records in the US…and if you listen closely, you can even find it at Target. I hope you enjoy episode 21 of The Vinyl Detroit Podcast featuring my discussion with Owen Williams of ex vöid.

The Vinyl Detroit Podcast - Mike Schulman of Slumberland Records Part 2

This episode of The Vinyl Detroit Podcast features Part 2 of my discussion with Mike Schulman of Slumberland Records. Slumberland started in 1989 in the DC area and was the brainchild of Mike as well as other folks from that scene including members of Velocity Girl, Big Jesus Trashcan, Black Tambourine and Powderburns. The label has been a stalwart of the independent music scene for over 34 years. Mike relocated, along with the label, to the Bay Area near San Francisco and continued to release important records from the likes of The Aislers Set, Stereolab, Frankie Rose, Go Sailor!, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart and most recently The Umbrellas, Chime School and The Reds, Pinks & Purples. During these two episodes, Mike recalls many of the highlights of Slumberland, as well as sharing the challenges of running an independent music label. Mike was a fantastic guest who was open about Slumberland and its very diverse and broad releases. Joined by Slumberland artist Glenn Donaldson of The Reds, Pinks & Purples as co-host, Mike provided context to the broad tapestry that is Slumberland Records.

The Vinyl Detroit Podcast - Mike Schulman of Slumberland Records Part 1

This episode of The Vinyl Detroit Podcast features Part 1 of my discussion with Mike Schulman of Slumberland Records. Slumberland started in 1989 in the DC area and was the brainchild of Mike as well as other folks from that scene including members of Velocity Girl, Big Jesus Trashcan, Black Tambourine and Powderburns. The label has been a stalwart of the independent music scene for over 34 years. Mike relocated, along with the label, to the Bay Area near San Francisco and continued to release important records from the likes of The Aislers Set, Stereolab, Frankie Rose, Go Sailor!, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart and most recently The Umbrellas, Chime School and The Reds, Pinks & Purples. During these two episodes, Mike recalls many of the highlights of Slumberland, as well as sharing the challenges of running an independent music label. Mike was a fantastic guest who was open about Slumberland and its very diverse and broad releases. Joined by Slumberland artist Glenn Donaldson of The Reds, Pinks & Purples as co-host, Mike provided context to the broad tapestry that is Slumberland Records.

The Vinyl Detroit Podcast - Unisex - Blueboy

This episode of The Vinyl Detroit Podcast features the superbly-talented Paul Stewart of Blueboy where we discuss the band’s seminal 1994 masterpiece Unisex. Blueboy formed when Paul met the late Keith Girdler in church in 1983. It is in this church where Paul witnessed Keith famously carving the word “Dexy” in a pew while wearing an Orange Juice t-shirt! From this point forward, the two went on to write and record together through a number of projects including Blueboy, Arabesque and Beaumont. In 1994, Blueboy now being a proper band after adding the likes or Gemma Townley, Lloyd Haggar and others, went on to write and record the stunningly beautiful and expansive Unisex. Being influenced by acts like early Everything But The Girl, Power Fountains, Louis Philippe and labels such as 4AD, Creation and Factory, the band’s stellar song craft, production and art direction make Unisex a true classic album. In fact, many agree that Blueboy were so far ahead of their contemporaries in terms of writing and performance that their work has captured the love of fans across the globe. As a special exclusive to this episode of The Vinyl Detroit Podcast, Paul agreed to perform live excerpts of his choosing including Fleetway, So Catch Him, Marble Arch and others. This was an unbelievable treat that you will surely enjoy. Paul was funny, insightful and honest as we shared stories about the band and the making of the album. A real class-act and an unbelievably-talented songwriter. I hope you enjoy my conversation with Paul regarding 1994’s Unisex, released on legendary independent Bristol-based label, Sarah Records.

The Vinyl Detroit Podcast - Clinic Stars

This episode of The Vinyl Detroit Podcast features up-and-coming Detroit-based band Clinic Stars. Clinic Stars is comprised of its main songwriters Christian Molik and Giovanna Lenski. Christian is a life-long Detroiter who has been influenced by a wide array of music, much of which includes seminal UK outfit 4AD as well as classic folk of the 1970s. He and Giovanna met after she wrote him to tell him how much she liked his music upon hearing it online. This connection resulted in her relocating to the Detroit area and Clinic Stars was born. Still unsigned to a label proper, Clinic Stars embraces the DIY spirit found in most all of the artists featured on this podcast as they write, record and put together the releases themselves. With help from their close group of collaborators, Clinic Stars creates lush, enveloping compositions reminiscent of Slowdive, My Bloody Valentine and even Pixies. Having recently played their first series of live shows in and around Detroit, I was fortunate to sit down with them before they ever set foot on the stage. Clinic Stars is beginning to generate significant buzz in and around the scene. Their live shows are an auditory assault as they expand to a five-piece for their performances. Having live performance skills far beyond their years, Clinic Stars show the dedication to their craft and their embrace of those that came before. Clinic Stars would have found themselves right at home on the superb Third Man Records 2020 Southeast of Saturn compilation, which chronicles the criminally under-exposed 90s Detroit shoegaze/dream pop/space rock scene had they been writing and recording in the early 90s.. I hope you enjoy my conversation with Christian and Giovanna as their chat with me was their first interview as Clinic Stars. Their thoughtfulness and conviction are on full display in this very special episode of The Vinyl Detroit Podcast.

The Vinyl Detroit Podcast - The Orchids

What an absolute treat! When Amelia Fletcher (Talulah Gosh, Heavenly, The Catenary Wires, Marine Research, Skep Wax Records) reached out and asked if would be interested in speaking to The Orchids about their new album, I responded with an emphatic “YES”! I have been a fan of The Orchids since the very early 90s when I was first discovering the world of Sarah Records. The Orchids are one of the few, possibly only, artist to be with the label from its inception to its epic conclusion. Their longevity is on full display with The Orchids having been making music for a whopping 4 decades! Still featuring essentially the same line-up since their early records, The Orchids embody a reoccurring theme on The Vinyl Detroit Podcast of “making music with your friends”. Music is, and has always been, the glue of their friendship. This episode was recorded about 4 months before the album was released and to ensure I didn’t leak any piece of the album, I included the single at the time, This Boy Is A Mess. And yes, I did mispronounce the song title in the beginning…Since the episode was void of much new material, I took the opportunity to feature some of my favorite Orchids tracks from their career. Once we got the technical issues sorted with drummer Chris Quinn’s connection, my discussion with the band real took off. They were warm and sharing in recalling their early days, the use of the term “sophisticated” to describe their sound and their evolution as a band. We also discussed the importance of Ian Carmichael in the creative and production process. I also learned the Glasgow pub that the boys like to frequent, sharing that they have always been attracted to “old man pubs”. If you are a fan of The Orchids, Sarah Records or just plain good ole’ pop songwriting and performing, you will surely enjoy this episode.

The Vinyl Detroit Podcast - The Umbrellas

Season 2 of the The Vinyl Detroit Podcast kicks off with my very special discussion with San Francisco’s own The Umbrellas. I had the privilege of speaking to the entire band on the eve of the 2022 Oakland Weekender, where they rocked the show! Matt, Keith, Morgan and Nick share their experiences recording their absolutely wonderful debut LP, which I firmly stand behind my comment that it will be an “modern classic pop album”. The band also opened up about many different subjects including Sarah Records, the songs of Bobby Wratten and the effects of the pandemic on their work. They even expounded on their love Seinfeld, our shared support of Del Taco, their place in the San Francisco pop lineage as well as their support of up-and-coming British indie label, Prefect Records. I’m happy to kick off Season 2 of The Vinyl Detroit Podcast with my discussion with The Umbrellas. All episodes of Season 2 will feature an all-new introduction track generously composed by season 1 guests Shoestrings! I hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as I loved putting it together. Find this and all previous episodes of The Vinyl Detroit Podcast here - https://linktr.ee/vinyl_detroit

Season 1

The Vinyl Detroit Podcast Interview - Push Kings - Push Kings

For this episode of The Vinyl Detroit Podcast, Brian sat down for a fun discussion with Finn and Carrick Moore Garety of Push Kings. They discuss their fantastic self-titled debut released in 1997 on Sealed Fate. Drawing influences from The Beatles, Pavement, Bowie, T-Rex and funny enough Bjork, the brothers share their experiences during the recording of this iconic album. Finn also shares the intimate story behind the writing of one of their finest tracks, Mrs. McKean, a song about their great-grandmother and famous painter Margaret Sargent. They also go into great detail on their love/hate relationship with the sound of The Beatles and Lennon & McCartney. Finn and Carrick also share their secret of track sequencing that plays into their brotherly bond. Finn, now a professor at Brown University and Carrick an accomplish director, Push Kings’ late 90s debut could be described at the perfect pop album. Conceived during their time at Harvard University, Push Kings debut places itself as one of the important indie pop albums of the 90s. I urge fans of Push Kings and this album to seek out one of the very few videos of Push Kings live at Green Street Grill to best understand the energy of the band live. This interview features many of the tracks from the album including Nine Straight Lines, Pop Phenomenon, D.J. and others. For this very special episode 14 of The Vinyl Detroit Podcast, Brian is happy to present this special conversation with Finn and Carrick Moore Garety of Push Kings.

The Vinyl Detroit Podcast Interview - We’re All Trying To Get There - The Sugargliders

For this episode of The Vinyl Detroit Podcast Interview, Brian spoke to Josh Meadows of Australian-based band The Sugargliders. The Sugargliders were very active in the early 90s releasing singles on Summershine Records and later seminal indie label Sarah Records. We’re All Trying To Get There is a compilation of many of those Sarah singles. The Sugargliders were a different act for Sarah who’s artists drew their inspirations from 60s acts and artists with classic British and European sensibilities. The Sugargliders’ sound represented a unique divergence from their label mates writing and recording songs including references to nature and possessing a hopeful ethos. Josh was very complimentary of the impact of Captain Cocoa’s nurturing influence on the early interaction of the band. Thank you to Josh for speaking so candidly about the band, their influences and the influence of the natural world on their music.

The Vinyl Detroit Podcast Interview - Christopher Porter of Audrey’s Diary

For episode 12, Brian had the opportunity to speak to Christopher Porter, the primary creative force behind indie pop act Veronica Lake and co-founder of Audrey’s Diary. Founded in metro Detroit in the early 90s, Audrey’s Diary had a very brief run of 6 releases, each holding a place in the pantheon of American independent, space and dream pop. For those of you wondering about the importance of Audrey’s Diary on today’s music, 2 tracks released by the Audrey’s Diary were featured on the epic Southeast of Saturn compilation released on Third Man Records in 2020. As an art project, Audrey’s Diary has had an influence on independent music in a far more reaching way than Christopher is willing to admit. Featuring the likes Black Tambourine (Pam Berry, Archie Moore and Brian Nelson of Velocity Girl and Mike Schulman of Slumberland Records), this supergroup of sorts kicked off the label with the classic “Throw Aggi From The Bridge”. Brian and Christopher, now a journalist and writer, step through each of the Audrey’s Diary releases exploring them in great detail. The final release was a fanzine, Emily’s #777, an ode to the likes of Sarah Records featuring a 7” with music by Bark Psychosis, Jessamine and Buddah on the Moon. If you have never heard any of the Audrey’s Diary releases or are just curious about this important independent American indie label, this interview is a treat. For fans of the label, this episode is somewhat of a love letter to those who loved the work of Christopher and Audrey’s Diary. A key theme of this interview was best put by Christopher when he said “never stop making music with your friends”.

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