Sunburned’s latest record, the exhilarating Pick a Day to Die, comes out in early March on the Three Lobed Label. It’s the quintessential pandemic project, pieced together out of what’s at hand in a long, solitary lockdown. We talked to one of the founders, John Moloney, about his long-running band, their influences, their process, this current album and how and when music can get back to normal.
Month: February 2021
Mirry :: S/T
30 or so years ago, Tom Fraser found a record by his great aunt Mirabel Lomer. Along with family members and Simon Tong (The Verve, The Good, The Bad, & The Queen), he’s reworked and expanded her recordings. Fans of Gavin Bryars, The Caretaker, and Virginia Astley take note.
Wau Wau Collectif :: Yaral Sa Doom
Uniting West African musicians, poets, and producers with Karl Jonas Winqvist, Wau Wau Collectif builds a cosmic jazz sound, weightless and joyful. And while it may feel tempting at times to describe this as “West African music,” it is in truth a trans-global work.
Peter Guralnick :: Transmissions
Legendary music writer Peter Guralnick joins us this week on Transmissions. He’s been writing about the blues, rock & roll, soul, and R&B since the late 1960s. His latest book is called Looking To Get Lost: Adventures in Music & Writing. It is a book about the creativity that fueled artists like Johnny Cash, Robert Johnson, Ray Charles, Dick Curless, Howlin’ Wolf, and others. He joins us for an open discussion about the early days of music journalism, artistry, and the curiosity that fuels his work.
Endlings :: Cither
Diné avant garde composer Raven Chacon and John Dieterich team up as Endless for another vast chasm of overwhelming noise. Their latest, “Cither” began as a phone app experiment but becomes something monumental in the duo’s hands.
R.L. Burnside :: Brotherhood Sportsmen’s Lodge, Como, Mississippi, September 28, 1974
We may still be a ways away from gathering in a crowded bar to catch a little live music — but in the meantime, enjoy this downright miraculous 17-minute clip of R.L. Burnside in 1974. Filmed in glorious black-and-white by Memphis’ unclassifiable Tav Falco, it’s a startlingly vivid portrait of the then-thriving Mississippi Hill Country blues scene, with Burnside presiding over a packed house with nothing but a guitar and amplifier
Aquarium Drunkard Book Club :: Chapter Three
Welcome back to the stacks. The Aquarium Drunkard Book Club gathering up some new (and not so new) reads by Brian Eno, Ram Dass, Oliver Stone, and more, spanning historical texts to music histories and beyond.
Radio Free Aquarium Drunkard :: February 2021
Freeform transmissions from Radio Free Aquarium Drunkard on dublab. Airing as a four-hour block every third Sunday of the month, RFAD features regular shows, friends, and collaborators. The February broadcast features new episodes of New Happy Gathering, Range and Basin, Doom and Gloom from the Tomb, and Threat to Creation, a mixtape by In Sheep’s Clothing Hi-Fi. Listen Sunday, February 21, from 4-8 PM PT on Dublab.
Arab Strap :: The Aquarium Drunkard Interview
The return of Arab Strap. A few weeks before the album’s release date, Aidan Moffat shared his thoughts on the reunion, long-term relationships, the utility of nostalgia and the hope for at least enough normal to return so that Arab Strap can tour again.
Wayne Horvitz :: This New Generation (Live at CBGBs, 1987)
We love John Zorn associate and composer Wayne Horvitz around here, especially his late ’80s-early ’90s output with his avant garde jazz outfit, The President. Next week, he’ll open the archives with Live Forever, Vol. 1: The President: New York in the 80’s, a compilation of live tracks, demos, and studio outtakes.
The Aquarium Drunkard Show: SIRIUS/XMU (7pm PST, Channel 35)
Outré California. Via satellite, transmitting from northeast Los Angeles — the Aquarium Drunkard Show on SIRIUS/XMU, channel 35. 7pm California time, Wednesdays.
34.1090° N, 118.2334° W
Iceage :: Vendetta
Danish rock & roll band Iceage return with a swaggering crime drama humor on the booming and bluesy “Vendetta.” It’s the Sonic Boom-produced second single from the forthcoming Seek Shelter, out May 7.
Fletcher Tucker :: Transmissions
Northern California mysticism with Fletcher Tucker. His latest album of ritualistic folk music is called Unlit Trail, a record settled deep into the sacred nature of existence. Tucker joined us to discuss Star Trek, animism, family, the Esalen Institute, human potential, and the deep history of his instruments and home in Big Sur, California.
Transfigurations 2021 :: Recent + Recommended 21st Century Guitar
A survey of genre-expanding guitar soli from Yasmin Williams, Rob Noyes, Mason Lindahl, Adeline Hotel, Steffen Basho-Junghans, and more, each expanding what you can do with six (or 12) strings.
The Lagniappe Sessions :: Alabaster dePlume
The Lagniappe Sessions blast off in 2021 with Alabaster dePlume–the man behind one of our favorite lps of last year. The following three covers find the artist paying tribute to friend and contemporary, Jaimie Branch, a traditional Russian love song, and the incomparable Arthur Russell.