Transmissions Podcast :: Nate Chinen’s Playing Changes/Exploring Japan’s Kissa Bars/Little Wings

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We’re back. Welcome to the August edition of the Transmissions podcast, just under the wire. We've got a great episode this month. First, Aquarium Drunkard's Mary Sartini Garner sits down with Nate Chinen, author of a new book, Playing Changes: Jazz for the New Century. A longtime New York Times critic and scholar, Chinen’s new book looks at the shape of modern jazz, examining how the art form has incorporated new genres, how jazz education has shaped a new generation of players, and where jazz is headed.

Then, hosts Jason P. Woodbury and Justin Gage discuss Justin's experiences in Japan's kissa bars — small, intimate bars/coffeehouses where the music selection isn’t just incidental — it’s essential to the identity of the place. The concept is gaining traction in the US as well, so we ponder what makes such a dedicated listening space so appealing. To close, Jason sits down with visual artist and musician Kyle Field. For 20 years, he's played under the Little Wings banner. He’s got a new split 12” out now with Maher Shalal Hash Baz called Share, which we discussed, along with his storied history and what life on the road looks like for a DIY artist in 2018.

Transmissions Podcast :: Nate Chinen/Kissa Bars/Little Wings

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SIRIUS/XMU :: Aquarium Drunkard Show (7pm PST, Channel 35)

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Our weekly two hour show on SIRIUS/XMU, channel 35, can now be heard every Wednesday at 7pm PST with encore broadcasts on-demand via the SIRIUS/XM app.

SIRIUS 534: Jean Michel Bernard – Générique Stephane ++ Dent May - Right Down The Line (Gerry Rafferty) ++ Dent May - When Am I Gonna Make A Living (Sade) ++ The Mountain Goats - Blood Bank (Bon Iver) ++ The Mountain Goats - Bridge of Sighs (Robin Trower) ++ The Mountain Goats - Save the People (Godspell) ++ Cornelia Murr :: Why Keep On Breaking My Heart (Nina Simone) ++ Cornelia . . .

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The Lagniappe Sessions :: The Mountain Goats

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Lagniappe (la·gniappe) noun ˈlan-ˌyap,’ – 1. An extra or unexpected gift or benefit. 2. Something given or obtained as a gratuity or bonus.

Last year was a busy one for John Darnielle. In addition to releasing his third book, the spooky and spiritual Universal Harvester, his long-running project the Mountain Goats released its sixteenth studio album, Goths. Featuring empathetic and riveting songs and character studies, it signaled a bold turn in the Goats' discography, sharply melodic, sleek, and keyboard-based. Now, Darnielle returns for his first Lagniappe Session, covering Bon Iver's "Blood Bank," "Save the People" from Godspell, and Robin Trower's "Bridge of Sighs." In his own words, Darnielle explains his song selections:

Aquarium Drunkard asked us to do an EP of covers over a year ago, and I said: "Sure!", because I am pretty manic when I have a new album coming out, and I don't think about how busy I'm about to be. Complicating matters further was that I'd just published a new book a few months before, so the whole season was sort of blossoming into this glorious stress-test blur of motion, to which I was trying to respond with more "Sure!"s and fewer "I'm going to crack, like a fine porcelain figurine from Delft, or, if Delft is not where they make porcelain, then wherever it is they make porcelain, the Czech Republic or something, please somebody stop me, I don't know my limits."

Anyway, Goths came out, and people liked it, and I was relieved, because it was a pretty different record for us, and we toured & toured & toured some more, and then the paperback edition of the book came out and I toured that, and all the while, my man Ryan was saying -- hey -- you told Aquarium Drunkard you'd record them some covers, what are we if not people of our word, and I concurred, making good on your marker is an important principle at Chez Mountain Goats.

So I hollered at Matt Douglas, with whom I've developed a musical partnership so strong over the past few years that it's one of the great blessings of my entire life, not just this part of my life but legit the whole deal -- just love that dude -- and I said --

Matt, are you hip to doing some covers at that home studio of yours? We can have Chris Boerner mix them, he did such a stunning job on that cover of War's "Summer" we did a while back, plus I love that dude, too, and Matt was like, let's do the thing.

After that it took like four more months to find a hole in the calendar where we could put the session, and, even then, I kept proposing and withdrawing new suggestions -- at one point, we were going to try "Mastercontrol" by Graeme Downes, and who's to say we won't someday, but for the time being there's these: the Bon Iver song that I initially read as being about junkies in the Pacific Northwest donating plasma for money in the '80s, because that was a thing a lot of my friends did and a lot of those friends have gone home to God now so this song holds, for me, both great pain, and the sweet memory of friends too beautiful for this world; and "Save the People," from Godspell, performed entirely live, on two guitars & vocals with only the responsorial vocals overdubbed; and "Bridge of Sighs," by Robin Trower, with whom I am totally obsessed, you would not believe the size of my Robin Trower vinyl collection, I'd be willing to bet Robin Trower doesn't have as much of his own vinyl as I do, plus he's basically 60s British blues filtered through a proto-goth lens as my friend Dave Queen once noted and that is pretty much exactly the nexus at which I wish to live in six-minute blocs for the rest of my life.

I hope yall enjoy these songs; Matt and I had more fun playing them than I can tell you. Yours from the solitude of the making-new-stuff interzone, John Darnielle

the Mountain Goats :: Blood Bank (Bon Iver)the Mountain Goats :: Bridge of Sighs (Robin Trower)the Mountain Goats :: Save the People (Godspell)

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Heart of Snake :: S/T

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From the same folks who brought you Krano's lost gem Requiescat In Plavem, comes another otherworldly taste of Italian psychedelia: Heart of Snake. Released earlier this year by Maple Death Records, Heart of Snake finds Vincenzo Marando (a Krano contributor) and Alberto Danzi crafting buzzy, gorgeous folk drones. Their compositions, each filling a side of a limited-edition cassette, shift from sustained, droning viola into sprightly . . .

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Abstract Truths: An Evolving Jazz Compendium – Volume Six

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Volume Six of Abstract Truths, An Evolving Jazz Compendium. If unfamiliar with the series, please first read here per its genesis and intention. We return with Los Angeles selector Phil Cho, who can most readily be found in the real world playing around the city via his ongoing night, Floating, at the Melody Lounge in Chinatown, and/or hosting the Third Place listening parties. Cho . . .

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The Lagniappe Sessions :: Robert Walter’s 20th Congress (Second Session)

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Lagniappe (la·gniappe) noun ˈlan-ˌyap,’ – 1. An extra or unexpected gift or benefit. 2. Something given or obtained as a gratuity or bonus.

Hammond B3 composer and bandleader Robert Walter sees the release of his next full-length, Spacesuit, out next month, September 21st. An album influenced by early Fusion, Krautrock, Dub Reggae, the films of Alejandro Jodorowsky and Stanley Kubrick, and the imagery of Chris Foss, Moebius and H.R. Giger, Spacesuit finds Walter and co. exploring and improvising on a new palette of both sound and texture.

Walter's 2013 Lagniappe Session remains a favorite in the series, and here the artist follows it up with another genre-bending set of covers, kicking off with a dubbed out version of Roxy Music's "Avalon" and culminating with a take on the McCartney II enigma that is "Temporary Secretary". Walter on the selections, below . . .

Robert Walter’s 20th Congress :: Avalon (Version) (Roxy Music)

80's Roxy Music. I remember watching the video for this song on MTV as a kid. I was confused and fascinated by its weird romanticism. Shawn Everett was talking about the album a lot while we were recording Mike Gordon's OGOGO last year. I bought a copy and got really into it, and Greyboy Allstars guitarist Elgin Park suggested doing a dub/reggae version. *

Robert Walter’s 20th Congress :: My Little Red Book (Burt Bacharach)

I love Burt Bacharach/Hal David songs. My dad used to play this version from the first Love record for me when I was a kid. The opening riff supposedly influenced Syd Barrett to write "Interstellar Overdrive." It's a fun way to jam on a major 7 chord in a completely non-jazz way. This is an outtake from the Spacesuit recording sessions. **

Robert Walter’s 20th Congress :: Down In The Park (Gary Numan)

Gary Numan's dystopian synth-pop was a big influence on my writing for Spacesuit. He creates so much atmosphere and drama with relatively simple ideas. The eerie futurism feels relevant to me.  *

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Sandy Denny (Richard & Linda Thompson): Live In London, 1972

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If there were justice in this world, there would be at least three albums full of Linda Thompson / Sandy Denny duets (under the Crazy Ladies moniker, perhaps?). But no! There are only a few examples of these two incredible singers harmonizing together. On this dusty 35-year-old audience tape you can hear a few of them — Sandy's “Crazy Lady Blues” and the Everly’s “When Will I Be Loved.” Both are great. The recording (including Richard Thompson on countrified lead guitar) is not hi-fi by any stretch, but every note Sandy sings and every . . .

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Posted on Linda Thompson Live Upload Series Richard Thompson Sandy Denny

The Lagniappe Sessions :: RF Shannon

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Lagniappe (la·gniappe) noun ˈlan-ˌyap,’ – 1. An extra or unexpected gift or benefit. 2. Something given or obtained as a gratuity or bonus.

RF Shannon's Trickster Blues, from May of this year, is a slice of hazy country-psych that creates a gorgeous and hypnotic mood over its just shy of 30 minute run-time. In a year in which every bit of escape is its own welcome respite, the album just such an oasis. For this installment of the Lagniappe Sessions, RF Shannon's main songwriter, Shane Renfro, takes on a pair of country chestnuts in the form of Jerry Jeff Walker's "About Her Eyes" and Gram Parson's "Luxury Liner" -- a cover that does the opposite of Emmy Lou Harris' own notable 70s version, slowing the song down just a notch from its original take by the International Submarine Band. Both of these songs were tracked on a rainy summer afternoon in Austin, Texas. Shane's thoughts on his selections, below.

RF Shannon :: About Her Eyes (Jerry Jeff Walker)

I grew up listening to Jerry Jeff Walker, but "About Her Eyes" slipped by my radar until about two years ago. I've been obsessed with it ever since. It's so lo-fi and mellow so I thought running it through a slightly more modern lens would be interesting. We definitely tried to stay true to the mellow vibe though; we tracked it live and it's just about the most fun song I've ever recorded.

RF Shannon :: Luxury Liner (International Submarine Band)

"Luxury Liner" was sort of an experiment and a fun challenge. I have a very soft spoken voice and hazy vibe and have always shied away from chugging country music, even though I'm in love with that vibe. Years ago, my brother and friends would blast this song and wish we could pull it off. So we went for it, and for better or worse it just felt good to give in to the tempo and energy of this song. I feel a kinship with Gram Parsons, the way he wove in between genres, so it was fun to get inside his head on this one.

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SIRIUS/XMU :: Aquarium Drunkard Show (7pm PST, Channel 35)

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Our weekly two hour show on SIRIUS/XMU, channel 35, can now be heard every Wednesday at 7pm PST with an encore broadcasts on-demand via the SIRIUS/XM app.

SIRIUS 533: Jean Michel Bernard – Générique Stephane ++ Billy Nicholls -  It Brings Me Down ++ The Superimposers w/ Andrew Gold - The Beach ++ Cornelius - Fantasma ++ The Morning Benders - Sleeping In ++ The High Llamas - The Goat ++ The Ruby Suns - Remember ++ Baby Lemonade - Ocean Blue ++ Besnard Lakes - Specter ++ The Apples In Stereo - Morning Breaks (And Roosters Complain) ++ Dukes of . . .

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Tonight in Los Angeles: Talk Show / Aquarium Drunkard In Conversation With Chris Swanson

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Los Angeles: Tonight (Wednesday) Aquarium Drunkard presents TALK SHOW, an intimate series of conversations centered around the worlds of music, art, film and beyond. Our guest this month is muso Chris Swanson of the Secretly Group, in conversation with Justin discussing his past 20 years working in music, inspiration and much more. 8pm. Records and revelry to follow.

Free and open to the public at Gold Diggers in East Hollywood. 5632 Santa Monica Blvd . . .

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Glenn Jones :: The Giant Who Ate Himself

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Glenn Jones continues his unbroken winning streak of sublime solo guitar LPs with his latest effort for Thrill Jockey. Jones' intricate playing has perhaps never sounded better, recorded by Laura Baird with a richness that makes the listener feel as though he or she is getting a private performance from the guitarist. And the compositions on The Giant Who Ate Himself are gorgeous . . .

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Mondo Hollywood (A Documentary, 1967)

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Counter-Culture. Enter Mondo Hollywood -- the definitive underground celluloid guide to late sixties Los Angeles. As sprawling and bizarre as the city itself, the two hour documentary swings and skews, highlighting all manner of coastal freak -- from the acid proselytizer to the politician, from surf culture to street culture. Directed by Robert Carl Cohen, and shot between 1966-67, this incredibly non-linear doc is a series of vignettes soundtracked by the Mugwumps and Davy Allen & the Arrows. But it's really all about the imagery...so do what we do, mute it and project it during . . .

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Kitsos Harisiadis :: Lament in a Deep Style, 1929-1931

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In his new/highly recommended book, Lament From Epirus: An Odyssey Into Europe's Oldest Surviving Folk Music, Christopher C. King delivers a lot of great descriptions of the Epirotic sound, but I think this is my favorite: "[T]he music sounds like women weeping at a grave, like birds crying as they fall from heaven, like the earth is ending . . .

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The Myrrors :: The Aquarium Drunkard Interview

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If you're listening for musical borders in Borderlands, the latest from Tucson, Arizona-based psychedelic unit the Myrrors, good luck. In the record's collected extended jams and briefer numbers, whatever lines exist to separate kosmische, drone, folk, minimalism, and free jazz blur, bend and then vanish entirely. Yet however borderless the sound here may be, songwriter Nik Rayne and his crew have walls, and division, on the mind. The band's situated mere miles from the line that divides the United States and Mexico, and their meditation on how we keep out – and keep in – couldn't feel more timely, as the horrors of family seperations and abuse on our borders makes clear the real, violent effects of othering those who cross lines defined by powerful forces outside themselves. But timely records can sometimes feel timeless too, and Borderlands is that kind of record. Its meditative intensity, and "Call For Unity," suggests not only specific struggles in our time, but the struggles of people throughout history. "Tell me do you see it/the history in view/fooled us into thinking/it couldn't happen here," Rayne sings on the Amon Düül-referencing "The Blood That Runs the Border," the "here", gravely, could be anywhere.

I caught up with Rayne, whose music I've followed for more than a decade, to dig into the themes of the record, talk borders, and explore how record store culture has informed the band's sound. Borderlands is available everywhere today on Beyond Beyond is Beyond Records.

Borderlands by The Myrrors

Aquarium Drunkard: Coming from Tucson, how has your own perception of the "border" between the US and Mexico changed over the years? Is the record an attempt to comment on the concept of borders more generally, in terms of the definitions we come up with to divide our art, politics, and beliefs in daily life?

Nik Rayne: The title and themes behind Borderlands emerged pretty naturally during the process of working on the album. Living in Tucson really puts you at the front line of a lot of what has been going on regarding the border patrol, federal immigration policies, and abuses, institutionalized racism, the complexities of heterogeneous regional histories, all that...to the point where these issues really become an inescapable part of daily life. I had been thinking about trying to steer the next record in a more conceptual direction anyways, and when "The Blood That Runs the Border" became one of the first tracks cut for the session it more or less guided me into the rest.

That being said, domestic border concerns were just the starting point; the album speaks towards border conflict on a global scale, as well as what happens in that dead grey zone in between the "walls" that people construct, whether those are physical, social, or psychological. Another real historical border that played a large part in the ideas behind the album is the Durand Line, the frontier-point between Afghanistan (where my father is from) and Pakistan drawn by the British empire for political reasons which separated the Pashtun homeland and has caused endless problems over the years...many of which might sound familiar to people from, say, the Tohono O'odham Nation in the Sonoran Desert, whose land and whose families were also divided by foreign interest between two countries in a seemingly perpetual state of conflict.

As the saying goes, "we didn't cross the border, the border crossed us."

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