Glen Hansard, Remembered (2025 Interview)

Admitting he never looks forward to looking back, Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament also says releasing a retrospective like Since Forever — a new visual memoir spanning the band's first decade together, through hundreds of intimate black-and-white snapshots — was "one of the most important things I could've done at this point in my life; I just didn't know it." And while Ament's talents behind the lens have led to some of the most iconic album covers in the Pearl Jam catalog, the impetus for Since Forever came from his younger brother Barry, whose design work has appeared on t-shirts, posters and more for the band since the earliest of days. Together, the duo combed through 15,000 potential images -- some never-before-seen, others whose negatives were on the cusp of decomposition -- to tell Since Forever's story: one of gratitude and joy, acting as a loose, yet personal love letter to Jeff's bandmates. On this episode, Jeff details his early 80's hardcore seven-inch collection, the ways in which the band has championed vinyl from the very start, and why album packaging -- even for terrible music -- still matters. Order Since Forever directly from pearljam.com, follow Jeff on Instagram @officialament, and stream Paving The Way — a short documentary film Jeff recently scored — for free on YouTube. Ten Live, a 2016 concert recording of Pearl Jam's landmark debut LP front-to-back, will be available November 27th.

With the Milwaukee Brewers kicking off their first World Series appearance in nearly 45 years tonight, we bring you this wide-ranging conversation from 2024, on Episode 193 with retired MLB pitcher John Axford. With the 2011 Brew Crew, he racked up the most saves of any National League reliever, and has himself pitched in the 2013 WS, then as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals. Check out our Instagram post as well, featuring visuals of John's audio set-up and LP collection, to go along with the audio. GO BREWERS!

Fresh off of a blistering new Dinosaur Jr. album titled There Near, and the announcement of a 30th anniversary reissue of Sebadoh's Harmacy LP, Lou Barlow visits this week to discuss when the first Trump presidency kickstarted a picture sleeve obsession, why he intentionally destroyed Dinosaur Jr.'s first vinyl test pressing, and how a proper guitar tablature book for the band would be theoretically impossible. Visit dinosaurjr.com for tour dates and megamart.subpop.com for the Harmacy pre-order.

Naturally and keenly shifting from soul to folk to stadium rock (sometimes in the same song) over the last 25+ years, Jim James -- and by extension My Morning Jacket, his Grammy-nominated powerhouse quintet -- points to an unlikely influence for such a kaleidoscope of sound: Jim Henson. Through The Muppet Show and Sesame Street's wide-eyed optimism and cast diversity — be they human actors or handmade ones — songs like "The Rainbow Connection" spoke deeply to him as a youngster, leading to an admiration for the rag-tag nature of Dr. Teeth & the Electric Mayhem. Fast-forward to the present, and Jim's success as led to a few Muppet-related full-circle moments, like jamming with manic drummer Animal or crooning side-by-side with Kermin the Frog, both occurring at Newport Folk Festival appearances within the last few years. On the heels of a new solo LP titled Wowed Out, Jim chats about other early influences like AC/DC and Anita Baker, how he's collecting fonts these days more so than records, and why letting go is an integral part of the creative process. Tour dates and more can be found at jimjames.com and mymorningjacket.com. For more My Morning Jacket talk, find bassist Tom Blankenship's visit from 2020, on Episode 134 further back in this same feed. Follow @vinylemergency on Instagram for visuals relating to our episodes.  

Enjoy this special feed drop of The Great Albums Podcast, where Vinyl Emergency's Jim Hanke guests to discuss The Promise Ring's 1999 LP, Very Emergency, track-by-track. Find and subscribe to the Great Albums wherever you get podcasts! Members of the Great Albums Patreon can listen to an additional interview regarding the album with Dan Didier, drummer and founding member of the band. 

Describing himself as working within "the art of opportunity," Hutch Harris has been rummaging through charity bins and resale shops for years, pocketing vintage insurance ads or worn pages of childrens books, in order to create stunning, patchwork album covers for The Thermals. In today's conversation, Hutch describes what goes into those methods and how you at home can obtain personalized lyric sheets, unique LP/CD sleeves and more. Leading up to the September 4th release of Under Crushing Rain — the first new Thermals LP in a decade — we also cover when Broadway musicals fueled his interest in concept albums, and how a mastering engineer's snarky review of the band's debut full-length ended up in inscribed in that album's deadwax. A 20th anniversary repress of the Thermals' landmark album The Body The Blood The Machine is available now for pre-order via subpop.com, while Under Crushing Rain can be purchased at thethermals.bandcamp.com. Subscribe to the Thermals' Patreon for more one-of-a-kind goodness. SPONSORS: Foregin Leisure Records | flipbin | Forge Again Records

Recorded in front of a live audience at The Salt Shed's Three Top Lounge in Chicago, all six members of The Hold Steady (along with album producer John Agnello) sit down to sum up the writing, recording and behind-the-scenes sagas of 'Boys and Girls in America,' in celebration of its 20th anniversary. Pre-order the new 2LP reissue, due out in November, from your favorite indie record store and get tickets for the band's annual Massive Nights celebration at theholdsteady.net. SPONSORS: flipbin | StreamToWax | Forge Again Records Follow @vinylemergency on Instagram.

Following the sudden passing of Glen Hansard, we are revisiting his appearance on Vinyl Emergency, with longtime Swell Season creative partner Markéta Irglová, to celebrate Glen's songwriting and lasting musical impact. This special ad-free encore presentation begins with new reflections on his career and essential albums before transitioning into the original interview, released in July 2025. Follow @VinylEmergency on Instagram.

Gearing up this week to release their latest album Everything I Ever Saw, Menzingers vocalist/guitarist Greg Barnett discusses vinyl's evolution since the band's inception two decades ago, their friendship and collaborations with in-demand producer Will Yip, and why allowing the group to be a democracy in the first place has kept it alive. Visit themenzingers.com for album info, tour dates, socials and more, including listening party and in-store performance details to celebrate the record's release. SPONSORS: StreamToWax | Forge Again Records | flipbin  

You'd be hard-pressed to find someone else with as much curiosity and vigor at 70 years old about the creation of art as longtime CBS News journalist Anthony Mason. Over his 40+ years with the network, he's shaped an Emmy-winning career around making songwriters of all stripes (from Bruce Springsteen to Phoebe Bridgers) feel comfortable enough to get uncomfortable about their motives, fears and process. And though his CBS schedule hasn't slowed down in the least, he's now launched 'Alchemy with Anthony Mason' — a new long-form interview program on YouTube, featuring conversations with Paul Simon, Nile Rodgers, Hozier and others — as a way of expanding upon the segues and tangents around songwriting that might normally be left on broadcast television's cutting-room floor. Returning to the podcast for his second visit, he discusses today how songwriting is a mechanism for the processing of trauma, and the sentiment of the show's rallying cry, inspired by Wilco's Jeff Tweedy. Watch Alchemy with Anthony Mason on YouTube, sign up for Anthony's newsletter at alchemy.show, and follow the program on Instagram @alchemywithanthony. -- Check out Episode 173 with Anthony from 2023, further back in this feed.