Episode 130: Chris Wood (Ascension)

"The racoon killed some ducks. That's my life now." I've known Chris Wood for a very, very long time. I have not seen Ascension for a very, very long time. So when they announced they're reunion show (at Globe ron in Cleveland on November 13), it only made sense that we hung out for a bit and talked music. I thoroughly enjoyed this one.

"That's the name of the episode" I've wanted to do a deep dive on this specific record for a while, but held off for a variety of reasons. I'm definitely glad that I did because I had an awesome time dissecting this classic with Marc and Tim. I could have went with "We're Not in This Alone", but ultimately decided on the one that made me first fall in in love with Youth of Today's music.

"Nothings Gonna Change Because Your Prophets Shout" In the quest to upload all of the past episodes from the old feed to the new, due to the loss of a host, I've added this one to the current feed. At the time of this recording, it had been over a month since the prior episode was posted. Apparently, I just wanted to catch up with everyone in the interim, but ended up rambling on a little more than I intended. Things are still pretty rough out there, but this is a reminder that like The Impressions, we need to keep on pushing. Thanks for checking in, Larry (Original release date 6/5/2022)

"Lay Down Your Souls for the Gods Rock and Roll" RIP Cronos. I won't say too much more because there are much smarter folks that have said everything there is to say about Venom and their impact of extreme music, particularly metal. What I will say is that they rule. I loved them from the first time I heard "Rip Ride" on a janky mix tape given to me by a friend with a more than dubious reputation. Which only makes sense because what made Venom awesome was that they too were dubious. Dubious muscians with a dubious aesthetic, with (potentially-I've heard otherwise) dubious intentions. Venom rules, Cronos rules.

“Larry is Narc” Beth Anne was the bassist for Soul Charge and at the time, new pal! Now she is an old pal. She was also a DJ on WCSB 89.3. We talk a bit about how she started playing music and about a wide variety of music. Here’s some of what we cover; Soundgarden, Massive Attack, The Selecter, Funkadelic, Lead Belly, Mark Lanegan, PJ Harvey, MC5, Bikini Kill, Eddie Hazel, and Black Sabbath. soulchargehxc.bandcamp.com (Interview originally published 6/18/21)

“Thrifty” Beth Anne was the bassist for Soul Charge and at the time, new pal! Now she is an old pal. She was also a DJ on WCSB 89.3. We talk a bit about how she started playing music and about a wide variety of music. Here’s some of what we cover; Soundgarden, Massive Attack, The Selecter, Funkadelic, Lead Belly, Mark Lanegan, PJ Harvey, MC5, Bikini Kill, Eddie Hazel, and Black Sabbath. soulchargehxc.bandcamp.com (Interview originally published 6/18/21)

"Speaking of unhinged....." Aaron Melnick wear a lot of hats, but he is best known as the guitarist of Integrity. A band through which his impact on "extreme music" has been severe. But, Aaron is not one to rest on his laurels and has put in work through his other bands; In Cold Blood, Inmates, Nuclae as well as Final Agony. He's also published a novel as a companion to Nuclae entitled "Bringing Out the Beast". So of course he'd make a great guest.....  It took a while to make it happen, but it was worth the wait.   (photo by Rafa Barbosa)

"Like Cream, but without the fascist guitar player" Lex Walton (née Alex) is an American songwriter, actress, prose poet, and filmmaker, whose work is defined by an unflinching confessionality and live performances by ecstatic masochism and flailing. In addition to her catalog of a dozen or so mostly home-recorded albums, EPs and singles, she has also recorded collaborations with Devi McCallion (Black Dresses, Girls Rituals), Geese, and Ezra Furman, written the pop music manifesto The Sound Rocker's Prayer, and starred as lead character "Circle" in Louise Weard's five-hour epic film Castration Movie Anthology II: The Best Of Both Worlds. I had the chance to talk with Lex and she introduced me to a lot of cool music. Her new Sub Pop release is out now and it rules.

"It sounds like music made by madmen" I don't really know Dwid. Our paths have crossed briefly in the 90s, but he is largely an unknown quantity to me. What little I do know includes his eclectic taste in music and art, which has informed his own music in profound ways. So, he makes a perfect guest for this format. Right? What took me so long to invite him on? I dunno. I am occasionally lazy and prone to overlooking the obvious.    

"I'm not holding your coat." Nancy Barile has seen things. She has seen some awesome things and not so awesome things. The former has informed Nancy on how to deal with the latter and fortunately for us, she’s documented all of it in her memoir “I’m Not Holding Your Coat”. Nancy grew up a suburban, Catholic school girl that fell in love with music and eventually found her way to hardcore-punk. But, she wasn’t just a spectator content to sit on sidelines. She managed bands and booked shows during the first wave of 80’s hardcore. Nancy has also been an english teacher for the past 29 years – so naturally I was eager to speak with her about some of the music that had impacted her life. Here’s some of the artists we cover; Ohio Players, David Bowie, The O’Jays, SS Decontrol, Bad Brains and Blondie. You can order her memoir from www.bazillionpoints.com Interview originally published 3/17/2022