Nick Saloman of the Bevis Frond first began banging out psychedelic guitar riffs as a schoolboy, starting out on his instrument at age six and immersing himself in an exploding U.K. and American rock movement. His latest album, Little Eden, is his 30th full-length, a roaring, raging triumphant double album that Saloman recorded almost entirely by himself during the COVID lockdown. We caught up with Saloman to discuss early musical fascinations, the pros and cons of recording alone, the state of psychedelic music, his substantial collection of singles, and the ways in which ageing—he’s nearly 70—has and has not had an impact on his music.
Category: The AD Interview
John Andrews :: The Aquarium Drunkard Interview
A mellow conversation with John Andrews concerning his dreamy album Cookbook, which plays like an extension of his personality; the foot-tapping and head-swaying effect from his previous two albums is still there, but its more relaxed, more easy-going. A perfect soundtrack to the incoming fall weather.
Tim Story :: The Aquarium Drunkard Interview
Dieter Moebius’ restless creative spirit is at the heart of a new project, overseen by his widow Irene and Story, his friend and frequent collaborator. Titled Moebius Strips, the work is an audio installation that uses a wealth of loops, noises, and recordings from the late artist, as well as adaptations of his work created by Portishead’s Geoff Barrow, Eve Maret, Phew, Devo’s Mark Mothersbaugh, and others—all fed into a multi-channel speaker system.
Marissa Nadler :: The Aquarium Drunkard Interview
The Path of the Clouds is a bit of a departure, coming after Nadler relocated from Boston to Nashville. Hemmed in by quarantine in an unfamiliar city, Nadler rekindled a childhood fascination for the stories in Unsolved Mysteries. She was transfixed, in particular, by the tales about people who disappeared suddenly and were never heard from again—the wilderness explorers Bessie and Glen Hyde, the hijacker D.B. Cooper, the prisoners who made the only successful escape from Alcatraz. She began obsessively rewatching episodes about these stories, taking notes and working the details into a collection of songs.
Bedouine :: The Aquarium Drunkard Interview
On the heels of two outstanding studio records, singer-songwriter Azniv Korkejian (Bedouine) has crafted an enviable trajectory sharing a creative space akin to the folk sphere of Karen Dalton or Nick Drake. Ahead of the forthcoming lp (out October 22), Bedouine joins us to discuss the nuances of the project, including the ability to truly focus on the recording and musicianship for the first time. Or, in her own words, “songs for the sake of songs”.
Jonny Trunk :: The Aquarium Drunkard Interview
For the past 25 years Jonny Trunk has done things his own way. Never content to simply repackage an album for the nth time, Trunk has always dug way deeper than most when it comes to the reissues and discoveries he releases on his Trunk Records imprint. Starting with the first-ever commercially released compilation of library music and the initial release of The Wicker Man’s glorious soundtrack, Trunk has continued to unassumingly and consistently influence certain subsections of modern music and the ever-churning reissue juggernaut.
Daniel Romano :: The Aquarium Drunkard Interview
Since his debut onto the Canadian music scene just over a decade ago, multi-instrumentalist, poet, and visual artist, Daniel Romano has been living every aspect of the word prolific. Now with close to 20 releases under his belt (including 10 in last year alone) the artist just dropped Cobra Poems, an album he describes as one of his most collaborative works with his dynamo band, The Outfit.
Just back from the states, we caught up with Romano to discuss the nee LP, his constant musical shapeshifting, the creative loss of memory, and recent praise from Bob Dylan.
Hayden Pedigo :: The Aquarium Drunkard Interview
Guitarist Hayden Pedigo joins us to discuss his latest, Letting Go, a pristine and gentle collection of acoustic guitar songs—and why he’s determined to refuse the stuffiness often associated with his genre.
Gordon Gano (Violent Femmes) :: The Aquarium Drunkard Interview
Joining us for a wide-ranging interview, Violent Femmes songwriter Gordon Gano discusses the new 30th anniversary edition of Why Do Birds Sing? and the sub rosa influence of Prince and Sun Ra.
The Creator Has a Master Plan: A Conversation with Warren Ellis
Per his new book, Nina Simone’s Gum, Warren Ellis reflects “I wanted it to be about the good in people. The light, rather than the darkness, especially after the year we’ve all just had.” And it is.
We recently caught up with Ellis, via Zoom, to discuss the new book and much, much more.
Myriam Gendron :: The Aquarium Drunkard Interview
Myriam Gendron has returned with the double album Ma délire – Songs of love, lost & found, an even more ambitious affair than her lauded debut. In a rare email interview, she discussed the record’s genesis with Aquarium Drunkard.
Pastor TL Barrett :: The Aquarium Drunkard Interview
José González :: The AD Interview
It’s been six years since the last album of new studio music from José González, but from the sound of his latest, Local Valley, there’s clearly been a lot on his mind over that time. The Swedish songwriter’s latest is a record that stretches the sound and focus of what has been an impressive body of work dating back to his 2003 solo debut.
We recently caught up with González to discuss learning to be a working musician with kids, expanding the actual language of his songs, putting listeners in the room with him when he records, and finding number one hits in your own head.
Badge Epoch :: The Aquarium Drunkard Interview
Before adopting the Badge Époque Ensemble banner and a palette of ’70s prog, jazz rock, and funk, Toronto’s Maximilian Turnbull recorded art rock under the alias Slim Twig. It’s fitting then that he reached for a third designation for Scroll, his new 90 minute audio collage under the Badge Epoch designation. Drawing from nearly a decade of recordings, sessions, snippets, and demos, the album documents Turnbull’s restless experimentation, drifting from minimalist tones to crisp beatwork, from jazzy washes to intense musique concrète freak outs.
Tropical Fuck Storm :: The Aquarium Drunkard Interview
Tropical Fuck Storm emerged out of the remnants of the furiously articulate, punk rock outfit, Drones. If anything, an even more unhinged vehicle for the scathing rants of frontman Gareth Liddiard, the band has grown, over three albums, into a messy, hyperverbal, supremely danceable monolith.
We recently caught up with Liddiard to discuss the frustrations of isolation, the unlikely persistence of creativity during lockdown, why conflict and contradiction make for the best songs, and what the band hopes for in the future.