Crash and Ride (Patrick Ferguson for the Crash and Ride Podcast)

I have a new thing I want to do every week: I'm going to do a song explication of a song that I absolutely love. I'm going to go through the song from beginning to end and talk about the arrangement, the personnel on the track, and all of the details that I think make the song special.

The first few of these will be free and available to the public, but in the future it'll be a feature only available to my $10 per month subscribers on the Patreon page! I don't want to put any of the features of the mental health stuff behind a paywall because I want that to be free and available to everyone, but I think this is something fun and a way for folks to show their support for the podcast.

This week's song is "Born to Run" by Bruce Springsteen. In 1974, Bruce was enjoying moderate success on the heels of releasing his first two albums, 'Greetings from Asbury Park' and 'The Wild, The Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle.' He went into the studio with a band that would eventually evolve into the E Street Band, and cut two songs that summer, "Born to Run" and "Jungleland." "Born to Run" would go on to catapult Springsteen into the rock mainstream and land him on the covers of both Time and Newsweek magazines in the same week.

On this episode, I talk about who played on the track, the power of Springsteen's lyrics on "Born to Run," and some musical arrangement innovations that made the track so special. (All from the perspective of a drummer who can't play guitar!)

Enjoy!

For Episode 24 I interviewed Lincoln Barr, a singer/songwriter originally from Mississippi, formerly from Seattle, now living in South Carolina. Lincoln's work is moody, meditative, and thoughtful. He's done soundtracks and albums of songs about his struggles with depression and suicidal thoughts stemming from the violence he experienced in childhood.

You can check out his album 'Cruel Dream: Music Inspired by the Film The Past is Never Dead' here:

https://lincolnbarr.bandcamp.com/album/cruel-dream-music-from-inspired-by-the-past-is-never-dead

You can hear his album 'Trembling Frames' here:

https://lincolnbarr.bandcamp.com/album/trembling-frames

I've attached a short story he wrote to this episode, AND we talked about his favorite guitar maker, Pin-Up guitars. You can check out their work here:

https://www.pinupcustomguitars.com/

For Episode 23, I interviewed Tim Midyett, bass player from the enormously influential band Silkworm, baritone guitar player for the band Bottomless Pit, and now front person for the band Mint Mile. Tim and I talked about the death of his best friend, Michael Dahlquist, drummer for Silkworm, and the death of his friend Jason Molina.

You can check out the documentary about Silkworm here:

http://buy.couldntyouwait.com/

You can hear Bottomless Pit here:

https://bottomlesspit.bandcamp.com/

You can hear Mint Mile here:

https://mintmile.bandcamp.com/

Here is the Pablo Neruda poem I referenced about the Very Sad Poets:

http://www.naseeb.com/journals/the-invisible-man-by-pablo-neruda-121949

In the intro I talk about the Upcoming Drummers Weekly Groovecast episode where Phil is going to rebroadcast our interview. You can hear that on the DWG page:

https://soundcloud.com/phil-smith-592966725

This week is the first half of my conversation with Conan Neutron! Conan is a guitar player and singer from Modesto, CA, now living in Milwaukee! He was in the great band Replicator and went on to be in Mt Vicious and the band Victory and Associates. Now he works with a rotating cast of brilliant musicians as Conant Neutron and the Secret Friends! He's played with Dale Crover and David Pajo! And more!  In part one we talk about growing up in the Central Valley of California, the wild days of pre-techboom San Francisco and Oakland, and we talk about the loss of his best friend.

You can hear his music on his website here:

https://www.neutronfriends.com/

This week's episode is an interview I've been wanting to do for a long time! I spoke with Patterson Hood, singer/guitar player/songwriter from the band Drive-By Truckers! We talked about the wear and tear that touring puts on your brain, your relationships, your gear, and everything else! We talked about love and loss, and regrets. We talked about how amazing Nuci Space is! It's a good talk and I'm super proud of it!

You can check out Drive-By Truckers here:

https://www.drivebytruckers.com/

You can hear Patterson's solo work here:

https://pattersonhood.bandcamp.com/

And YET ANOTHER episode where we talk about Baxendale Guitar, so check them out here:

http://www.baxendaleguitar.com/

This is a heavy one. Grant and I both toured constantly in the '90s, and we really treasured the times our paths would cross on the road. We met while he was living in New Orleans, and we've been in touch almost constantly ever since. Grant is the bassist for Pleasure Club, Ballroom Dance is Dead, and a dozen other projects. He's an engineer and producer, and a good friend. He's dealt with suicidal ideation since he was just a kid, and chronic depression, fatigue, and anxiety his entire life. We talk about drugs, depression, divorce, diabetes, and The Tunnel. This one got right at my heart. I hope it moves you, too.

Grant's personal site:
http://www.grantcurry.com/about-ba

Pleasure Club:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/6O0MqjOprvG6cvXxCyoSmS

Ballroom Dance is Dead:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/2u1Sc13OAUzSYALclbwPjm

Episode 71 is the second half of my interview with Conan Neutron! Conan is a guitar player and singer from Modesto, CA, now living in Milwaukee! He was in the great band Replicator and went on to be in Mt Vicious and the band Victory and Associates. Now he works with a rotating cast of brilliant musicians as Conan Neutron and the Secret Friends! In the second half of our talk we get into the lessons he learned from the breakup of Mt Vicious, the formation of Conan Neutron and the Secret Friends and the deaths of Lauren K Newman and Vern Rumsey, Conan's bandmates in Household Gods.

You can hear more of Conan's music here:

https://www.neutronfriends.com/

J Christopher Arrison is a guitar player, songwriter, singer, writer for Adult Swim, and a friend I have known for 30 years (!!). His band Trinket had one of the most star-crossed record deals of all time, and the story is all here. Even with that bit of bleakness, this is one of the funniest episodes of Crash and Ride ever, and I'm super proud of it.

You can see and hear his work for Fish Center on his Bandcamp: https://murderwizard.bandcamp.com/album/fish-cuts-vol-4

If we ever get to go see live music again, you can see Saved By The Band at Venkman's:

https://venkmans.com/event/saved-by-the-band/

You can read his essay about his former wife's journey through cancer surgery here:

https://www.salon.com/2012/07/20/my_wifes_brain_surgery/

photo: Jeff Shipman

Adam Klein is a guitarist, singer, and songwriter from Athens, GA, though he currently lives in Atlanta. Adam has released seven albums, but has also traveled the world doing volunteer work and lived in West Africa for several years. In Mali, he had a radio show that was broadcast over a large swath of remote villages at the edge of the Sahara. He also has a budding acting career in the Atlanta film industry and an album on the way this Spring.

We talk about growing up Orthodox in Athens, GA, living and working in Mali, and making records with his heroes.

You can see portions of a documentary about making Adam's record of West African songs here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkJiJR7uz4I

You can hear more of Adam's music here:

https://adam-klein.com/

and finally, as I mentioned in the intro to the episode, you can donate to Access Point GA here:

https://www.accesspointga.org/donate

Ryley Walker is a guitarist and singer/songwriter, originally from Rockford, IL. He lived in Chicago for the better part of a decade, and has now relocated to NYC. He has an incisive, brilliant wit and he came to my attention through his sharp and funny twitter presence. Digging into his work revealed to me that he is also a thoughtful, gifted, and brilliant musician. We talked about drugs, sadness, the isolation of touring, and his suicide attempt in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico.

His website is here:

https://www.ryleywalker.com/

His twitter account can be found here:

https://twitter.com/ryleywalker

This week's Crash and Ride Spotify Playlist is here:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/79WskNMcalZwjCDprarRVi

The photo I used on this Episode was shot by Galea McGregor, one of the directors at WXPN, which is here:

http://www.xpn.org/

Boy, is it good to be back on the air. I'm locked-in to avoid catching Corona virus, but I was able to focus on getting an episode out, finally. Back before the world went sideways, I talked to Ryan Monahan, a guitarist, bassist, recording engineer, and composer about his struggles with childhood trauma and chronic thyroid malfunction.

You can check out Easter Island here:
https://easterisland.bandcamp.com/

You can watch their Kickstarter video here:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ethanpayne/help-easter-island-finally-release-lp-number-2?ref=creator_nav

I promised in the episode to post a before and after photo of Ryan from when he got his diagnosis about his bunged up thyroid. Here it is:

Well, well! Back from the dead! This is one of the Crash and Ride song explications, and this week's is "Revolution Blues" by Neil Young. Seemed apropos! Hopefully it won't be so long before we speak again!

Mary-Eleanor Joyce is a guitar player and drummer who has played in Maximum Busy Muscle, Shitty Candy and the Circus Peanuts, the incredibly influential Athens band Incindiaries, and her new project, Sewer Kitty. She's also a mother and a devoted daughter, which is why I wanted to talk to her: A lot of Gen X musicians have waited late in life to start families, only to find themselves raising young children while balancing caring for aging parents. Her father was in managed care for years before we sat down to talk. Then he passed away the morning of the day of our interview. Mary Eleanor still wanted to talk, though, so I went to her house with a very long mic cable and we sat on the back porch while the cicadas and the crickets sang all around us, and she told me all about what she was feeling and what it meant, and it was just amazing.

You can hear Incidiaries here: https://thisisincendiaries.bandcamp.com/album/give-me-a-reason

You can hear Maximum Busy Muscle here: https://maximumbusymuscle.bandcamp.com/

This week's episode is an interview with bassist and vocalist Jeff Rapier. Jeff was a member of Athens, GA punk band American Cheeseburger, as well as Donkey Punch and the Dumps. Jeff is the survivor of a deeply chaotic childhood and also the death of his younger brother. We talked about trying to find the balance between meds, self-medication, and surviving.

Hey, it's my second episode in the new song explication series! This week I'm doing "Straight Down" by the Athens band The Glands. The Glands are one of those power pop phenomenons that somehow got overlooked by history, and yet are a FANTASTIC band. This song is one of their strongest. Recorded in 1999 by Ross Shapiro, Joe Rowe, and Craig McQuiston, engineered by Andy Baker, Straight Down is 3:18 of pure joy.

You get a little background on The Glands, some thoughts on Shapiro's pathological avoidance of the spotlight from Athens photographer Jason Thrasher, and more of my terrible guitaring and thoughts on the origins of "angular" guitar.

Future episodes of the song explication series will be available only to $10 patrons! But your first taste is free! Check out Episode 41 if you're interested in hearing my thoughts on the song "Born to Run"!

While I was at SXSW back in March I spoke with Jonny 8 Track! Former drummer for Spiritualized, now a solo artist! We talked about growing up in a small, grey English town! We talked about struggling with the ups and downs of working as a musician! It was a good talk!

You can check out Jonny's work here:

https://news.chickenranchrecords.com/tag/jonny-8-track/

You can check out the whole Bialetti struggle here, if you were curious about what I was ranting about in the intro:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/10/28/trouble-brewing-classic-italian-moka-pot-coffee-pods-dominate/

Oh, dang! I'm back from vacation! This week's song explication is one of my favorite tunes ever! Tonight I explored "Quiet Whiskey" by Wynonie Harris, a jump blues classic from 1953! I talk about the evolution from jazz to rock and roll! I talk about saxophones! AND you get to hear my great-grandfather's clock chime 10pm! Check it out!

This week I spoke with Riley Kirkpatrick, a peer counselor from Alliance Recovery Center, a medically assisted treatment facility here in my town. After speaking with Dave from the Dopey Podcast (Episode 30) and Christian Lembach (Episode 27), I thought it might be good to have a guest who could fill in some of the gaps in my knowledge of treatment options for people coming off of opiate addiction. We talked about Harm Reduction, how opiate receptors in the brain affect recovery, and Riley's own history as a recovering addict.

If you want to contact the Alliance Recovery Center, you can go to their website here:

https://www.alliancerecoverycenter.com/

You can get the fentanyl detection strips that we discussed here:

https://dancesafe.org/product/fentanyl-test-strips-pack-of-10-free-shipping/

Episode 87 is my interview with Jes Skolnik! Jes writes for Bandcamp Daily, the music journalism arm of the Greatest Music Distribution Platform of all time. Besides being an incredibly gifted music journalist, they are also a musician, a trauma survivor, former addict, and a sexual assault survivor. Together, Jes and I talk about the pandemic, surviving in isolation, overcoming trauma, and how it all relates to playing, loving, and writing about music.

CONTENT WARNING: this episode contains frank and difficult discussions about sexual assault, drug use, and suicidal ideation.

You can read Jes' work by going to their Bandcamp contributor profile here:
https://daily.bandcamp.com/contributors/jes-skolnik

Episode 26 is Part 2 of my interview with Sterling Roig. In this episode. we cover everything that  happened to him after being let go from the James Hall Band, including living through 9/11 in NYC, briefly joining and then leaving the band Varispeed, having his first experiences with hospitalization, developing an emotional block against playing drums, and more. Sterling went though a lot, these last few years, and I'm really proud of this talk.

For Episode 15 I talked to Boo Ray, a fantastic singer/songwriter/guitar-picker from Nashville! We talked about drugs, sadness, addiction, and trying to get better. It's a good one. We met up in his living room in Nashville, Tennessee, drank about a million cups of coffee and got down IN IT. Thanks, Boo!

You can hear Boo's music here:

https://booraymusic.com/

And here's the Crash and Ride Spotify Playlist for this week!

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7sOzwkHgg328GBUm7yjGY4

In a good year, Hannah Aldridge is one of the hardest working musicians in the business. She tours constantly, is always writing, recording, and releasing new work. In the past four years, she's spent more time in Europe than any performer I know. She never stops.

That is to say, she never stops *in a good year*. 2020 is not a good year. I caught up with Hannah by calling her apartment in Murfreesboro and we talked for HOURS; Two salty workhorse musicians who found themselves unexpectedly sidelined by a global health crisis. We talked about the relentless nature of hand-to-mouth touring. We talked about never being satisfied with how far we've come, and trying to feel worthy of the work. We talked about trying to tour and parent at the same time. It felt like we'd known each other for decades.

You can hear her music here, including her live album that just came out in 2020:

https://hannahaldridge.bandcamp.com/

Lindsey Charles is the dynamic and powerful singer of the Chicago band The Cell Phones and also one of the creators of Dagger Cast, a podcast "a horror based podcast dedicated to the LGBTQ, Black, LatinX, female experience." She is also a talented illustrator, actress, and a new mother. We talked about all of that and more while sitting on the porch of her new home in Indianapolis, masked and bundled up against the grey autumn chill. The Cell Phones have a new record out that you can check out on their bandcamp page and you can check out her podcast at the link below. What a great talk! Check it out!

The Cell Phones!
https://cellphonesband.bandcamp.com/

Daggercast!
https://www.facebook.com/daggercast/

Here's the Corona Virus Relief Fund set up by MusiCares:
https://www.grammy.com/musicares/get-help/musicares-coronavirus-relief

And also here's a link to the Athens area musician's Covid 19 relief fund set up by Nuci's space here:
https://www.nuci.org/get-help/

I have been waiting for this interview since the very beginning. I absolutely love the work of Will Johnson, from the very beginning with his band Centro-Matic right up through his most recent solo release 'Wire Mountain,' and the million-and-a-half collaborations and releases in between, Will does absolutely tremendous work. We talk about how he's holding up under quarantine, the years he had in Centro-Matic, the decision to take that band off the road, and the work he's done since.

You can check out Will's work here:
http://will-johnson.com/

[photo: Sean Dunn]

Jodi Shapiro is a drone composer, competition poker player, world class photographer, and the best rock and roll tour guide of the Lower East Side of Manhattan that you could ever ask for. She's one of the most accomplished people I've ever met, and yet, surprisingly, she struggles with a sense that her work isn't worthy. We talk about that and so much more in this week's episode of Crash and Ride. This is part 1 and part 2 will be out in just a few days!

Here is her photography site:
http://samuraiphotog.com/

March 16, 2019 - 11:35pm, Central Time: Tierney Tough is the bassist, vocalist, keyboard player, and half of the amazing writing team that drives the Orlando band The Pauses. We took a break from hurtling from gig to gig at South by Southwest and had a great conversation. We talked about hired gun gigs, dealing with loneliness, how much we love dogs, and so much more.

This is the second half of my interview with the wondrously talented Jodi Shapiro: drone composer, card sharp, photographer, and archivist. She's just an astonishingly talented human being. In the second half, we talk about her experience of being run down by an automobile, how that experience affected her outlook on life, her experiences with meditation, and her undying love of Neil Young.

Here is Jodi's photography site:
http://samuraiphotog.com/

Also, I mentioned in the intro that I was going to include a link to the Corona Virus Relief Fund set up by MusiCares:

https://www.grammy.com/musicares/get-help/musicares-coronavirus-relief

Good luck, folks.

Edward Burch is a singer/songwriter who lives in St Louis. He was a longtime collaborator of Jay Bennett of Titanic Love Affair and Wilco, right up to the end of Jay's life. They had a long and fruitful creative partnership that weathered years of struggle, depression and frustration, drugs, and thousands of miles of touring. We talk about the record that they made together, The Palace at 4AM, and the documentary that was made about Jay's life. It's an extraordinary story.

For Episode 27 I spoke with Christian Lembach, singer and guitarist for the noise rock band Whores. We talked about the death of his father when he was still very young, the debilitating car crash he experienced a few years later, his addiction to IV drugs, and his eventual recovery.

You can hear Whores here:

https://whores.bandcamp.com/

Here is the Andrew WK advice column I referenced towards the end of the interview:

https://dangerousminds.net/comments/andrew_wk_on_the_power_of_dreams

Lindsay Powell is a Brooklyn-based singer and multi-instrumentalist who performs under the name Fielded. Her music defies genre classification and nimbly draws influences from trance, hip-hop, Neo-Soul, and new psychedelia. I have been a fan for many years, and after overcoming some shyness about reaching out to someone so accomplished, I made contact and we did one of my favorite interviews ever. Lindsay was very forthcoming about her struggles with mood issues and her restlessness with a "normal" life. Also, she just got a puppy.

You can hear all of Fielded's music on Bandcamp here:

https://fielded.bandcamp.com/

You can see the captivating and gorgeous video for "I Choose You" here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gBVyTo91bQ

This is Backwoodz Studioz, the label with whom she collaborates:

https://backwoodzstudioz.com/artists/fielded/

As promised, here's the Corona Virus Relief Fund set up by MusiCares:

https://www.grammy.com/musicares/get-help/musicares-coronavirus-relief

And also here's a link to the Athens area musician's Covid 19 relief fund set up by Nuci's space here:

https://www.nuci.org/get-help/

Maurice Rickard is one of the most prolific musicians and composers I have ever met. He is constantly creating. He's also one of the calmest people I know, so I was shocked when he told me that he had battled anxiety his entire life. We talked about how drone music and staying constantly creatively engaged has helped him to focus his mind and stay on top of his periodic bouts of anxiety.

You can check out his absolutely voluminous body of work at the following links:

Drone/semi-generative work with software he's been writing in Max/MSP: https://snwv.bandcamp.com

(of that project, one of his favorite compositions is here: https://snwv.bandcamp.com/album/live-november-5-2015 )

Streaming drone concerts are here every Monday night 8-9PM EDT:
http://onezeromusic.com:8000/

Weekly tracks (2014-2020, even years): https://weeklybeats.com/onezero

Weekly tracks (2017 and 2019): https://streak.club/u/onezero

2015's on his Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/tags/weekly%20beats%202015

Mike Dickinson is the head of Chicken Ranch Records, a label out of Austin, Texas. Chicken Ranch has been a going concern for the better part of two decades, and has artists such as Five Eight, Flat Duo Jets, Thee Idles, Starlings TN, Mr. Lewis and the Funeral 5, and more.

Chicken Ranch Records can be found here:

http://chickenranchrecords.com

You can see video from the Chicken Ranch/Five Eight trip to India here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IMTSc6CGTo

Komorebi is here:

https://youtu.be/Aiu5GFiAkLU

The Go Fund Me for Pinky Doodle Poodle is here:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-keep-pinky-doodle-poodle-in-america

Gus Engstrom is a musician and promoter from Charlotte, NC. He's an old friend and a good soul! He plays in the band Power Take Off and has long been a promoter and supporter of the Southeastern noise rock and punk scene. Gus had a late-life outburst of anxiety attacks and has spent years combating his anxiety and learning to manage it. We talk about that, about being a single parent, about being punk in drublic in the South, and more!

You can hear Power Take Off here:

https://power-take-off.bandcamp.com/

For Episode 16 I spoke with Patrick Nehoda, a singer/songwriter/guitarist living in Nashville, TN! Patrick is a former wilderness firefighter from Northern California. We talked about nearly being overrun by a forest fire while he was working a fireline, and how that affected his decision to play guitar and write songs for a living instead. We also talked about the death of his mother and how he's coping with that.

You can hear Patrick's music on Bandcamp!

https://patricknehodamusic.bandcamp.com/releases

Also, here's the Crash and Ride Spotify Playlist for Episode16!

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3LJgYiF0jVJ8l57IUpASS1

I interviewed the guy who started the Dudes Helping Dudes Facebook page! His name is Stephen Cramer and he's also the founder of Athens mental health festival Brain Aid! We talked about his struggle with depression, the effect his mother's mental illness had on him, and his multiple projects to try to break the stigma on mental health awareness!

You can check out the Dudes Helping Dudes Facebook Page here:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/285985468085333/

You can check out Brain Aid here:

https://www.facebook.com/brainaidfest/

Athens Litter Rescue Challenge here:

https://www.facebook.com/events/811751805886646/

#eternitycanwait !!

March 24, 2019 - 9:51pm, EasternTime: Phil Smith is one of the co-hosts of the fantastic podcast The Drummers Weekly Groovecast. He's also an outstanding musician and teacher. He's MY drum teacher. When I told him I was doing a podcast about mental health and musicians, he said "I really want to come talk to you," which surprised me, because he always seemed to be one of the most upbeat and together guys in the room. Now I know the whole story, and man, was it illuminating.

Our interview got interrupted by my dogs several times! I was kind of a tired and distracted mess, and yet somehow we got a great interview! 

Here are some links you might be interested in after hearing this podcast:

I'm providing a link to the Drummers Weekly Groovecast interview with Dr. Howard Schubiner, an episode we specifically mention in the interview-

https://tinyurl.com/y49z9e5m

And here is a link to the Drummers Weekly Groovecast main page-

http://www.drummersweeklygroovecast.com/

I'm a big fan and I'd strongly suggest you subscribe!

Chad Cochran is a photographer from Cleveland, Ohio, who does amazingly intimate portraits of Americana artists. Chad has recently begun a series he calls "I Didn't Want to Tell You" where he asks artists whose photos he has taken how mental health has affected their lives, then shows the photos with the text attached. You can see some examples of this work in the Fall 2019 Wellness Issue of 'No Depression' magazine. I am releasing this episode in mid-week because it's Americana Fest in Nashville and he's there shooting more portraits for I Didn't Want to Tell You.  You can catch up with him at Baby Robot Media booth at Americana Fest or check out his social media below!

For Episode 17, I interviewed Richard Salino, an audio engineer working out of Studio G in Brooklyn, a cancer survivor, and a dear friend of mine. Richard talks about how he collapsed on a subway platform from a brain tumor, less than 24 hours after asking his girlfriend to be his wife. We discuss that, his treatment and subsequent recovery from stage 4 melanoma.

Richard has asked me to make his contact information available to anyone struggling with cancer or who has a loved one who is suffering.

You can check out Richard's work and/or reach him via his website:

http://richardsalino.com/

Also, here's this week's Spotify playlist!

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2i6ukSkbWtCBMNmQHej9Z5

Heather Smith is the multi-instrumentalist and vocalist behind the band Bone and Bell. She's absurdly talented and is an incredibly generous person to interview. We talk about her brief and doomed attempt to become a playwright, her battles with anxiety and depression, her move from Chicago to Portland, and her five year journey of healing from breaking her wrist.

You can hear Bone and Bell here:
https://boneandbell.bandcamp.com/

You can see the famous ferris wheel video here:
https://vimeo.com/27485961

Here's the Corona Virus Relief Fund set up by MusiCares:
https://www.grammy.com/musicares/get-help/musicares-coronavirus-relief

And also here's a link to the Athens area musician's Covid 19 relief fund set up by Nuci's space here:
https://www.nuci.org/get-help/

This week is a very special episode of Crash and Ride! I have compiled my favorite answers to the question "What is the fondest memory you have of a meal that you've had?"

I know the holidays are tough for a lot of folks, so I wanted to make a special episode of past guests and maybe help some of my friends find the strength to make it through. Next week will be a regular interview!

The essay I talk about concerning the Waffle House video of Sean Brock and Anthony Bourdain can be found here:

https://www.crashandridepodcast.com/2019/11/21/why-i-love-the-video-of-anthony-bourdain-and-sean-brock-in-waffle-house/

Happy Thanksgiving!

Episode 62 is a very satisfyingly long interview with Victor Krummenacher (Camper Van Beethoven, Monks of Doom, The Third Mind, his incredible solo work). Victor and I met when my band opened for Monks of Doom back when the Earth was still cooling, and he impressed me then as an incredibly talented and genuinely insightful guy. We talk about the stress of having success sort of thrust upon you, fighting to have boundaries in an industry whose default model is to chew up artists and spit them into ditches, and the importance of dogs.

You can check out Victor's solo work and Monks of Doom on his website here:

http://www.victorkrummenacher.com/

Lilly Hiatt is an absolutely fantastic singer/songwriter from Nashville, TN. We talked about her early life, how much more she enjoys recording in home studios vs. big commercial facilities, and how quarantine has made a whole bunch of wandering, nomadic musicians appreciate things like new mattresses and headphones.

You can hear more of Lilly's music on her website:

https://www.lillyhiatt.com/

This is not a Christmas Episode. It's an episode about kindness. At the end of every interview, I ask my guest ten (or so) questions, the fourth of which is "Tell about a time you received an act of kindness from a stranger." I treasure their answers.

Tonight's episode is a compilation of some of my favorites.

I know the holidays are tough for a lot of us. Keep each other close. Ask for help if you need it. Be with people you like and don't be afraid to tell toxic people you'll catch up with them in 2020. Eat some good food. Go see some bands. Pet every dog you see.

Be well.

While I was on tour with Pinky Doodle Poodle two weeks ago, I was able to sit down with my good friend Evan Rowe. Evan has survived PTSD, depression, anxiety, electro-convulsive therapy, and multiple inpatient stays. Evan and I share a lot of common history and this one hit me right in the heart. Evan and I talk about finding something that finally worked to quell his worst impulses and how grateful we both are to have found bandmates and partners in life who will stick by us through the worst of it.

Here is Evan's band Maple Stave:

https://maplestave.bandcamp.com/

Here is J Kutchma's bandcamp page: https://jkutchma.bandcamp.com/

Here is Dr Nadine Burke Harris' talk about Adverse Childhood Experiences:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95ovIJ3dsNk

Way back last spring, I interviewed my old friend Sterling Roig in his apartment outside New York City. Sterling and I hadn't been in the same room together in over 20 years, but we were both soldiers in the post-Nirvana wars waged by capitalism vs. art. Sterling struggled with anxiety and sadness through those years, and we talk about that in pt. 1 of this two part interview. The reason I broke this one into two parts is because our original conversation ranged over four hours, and I had to chop it down to get it into reasonable chunks of conversation.

Tierney Tough was the second guest ever on Crash and Ride and she has released a new solo EP. Normally the phenomenally talented bassist, vocalist, and keyboardist for the band The Pauses, Tierney was inspired by the isolation and uncertainty of the Pandemic to create a new EP of haunting and powerful tunes, A Farce to Reckon With. In our most recent conversation, we talk about the Pandemic, her new music, and an absolutely infuriating encounter with an obstreperous soundman.

You can hear A Farce to Reckon With here: https://tierneytough.bandcamp.com/

You can hear The Pauses here:
https://thepauses.bandcamp.com/

You can find out more about Nuci's Space here: https://www.nuci.org/

You can donate to Access Point GA here: https://www.accesspointga.org/donate

Brad Wood is an engineer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist from Rockford, Illinois. He was the producer of the groundbreaking Liz Phair 'Exile in Guyville' and went on produce records by Red Red Meat, Veruca Salt, Ben Lee, and dozens of others. We talk about the year on the road where he played drums behind a deeply ambivalent Liz Phair, we talk about the role that anxiety, depression, and mania can play in the life of a musician, we talk about what he perceives his role to be in the studio, and lord god do we go off on a tangent about bikes. We both love bikes a lot. We talked so much I decided to split this episode in two! You can hear the rest later this week!

You can hear samples of his work at his website here:

http://www.bradwoodmusic.com/

This is the second half of my interview with Brad Wood, engineer and producer from Rockford, Illinois, now living in Los Angeles. We talk more about trying to make a living in music these days, MORE about bikes, and we get into the Crash and Ride 10 Questions. If you haven't heard pt 1, check out Episode 67 on the Patreon Page, or just search for Crash and Ride, Episode 67 on your favorite podcast app!

You can hear Brad's work here:

http://www.bradwoodmusic.com/

This will be one of my favorite episodes for a very long time. Doug Grean is an audio engineer, producer, guitar player, and filmmaker with a resume that is truly stunning: Sheryl Crow, Ricki Lee Jones, Corey Glover, Glen Campbell, Cyndi Lauper, Tim McGraw, John Taylor from Duran Duran, Annabella Lwin from Bow Wow Wow, and on and on and on. Most prominently, though, he was music director, production partner, and lead guitar player for Scott Weiland of the Stone Temple Pilots.

Doug is also a depression survivor and recovering addict. This interview goes really, REALLY DEEP. It's long, but I think it's totally worth it.

Bill Mallonee is an extraordinarily gifted singer/songwriter, originally from Athens, now living outside Taos, New Mexico. Bill and I have known each other for almost 30 years and have collaborated a few times, shared many stages, and gone through many of life's tribulations as friends and comrades.

I've always admired Bill's extraordinary talent and his commitment to being a man of faith, even while most of us in his circle of friends were staunchly agnostic. Bill's lyrics are fantastic, his commitment to telling the human story unwavering, and his work ethic is legendary. Check out his Bandcamp page. What is that, eighty albums? Astonishing. Instead of doing a mixed Spotify playlist of songs by different artists, this week is going to be a list of Bandcamp tracks that he selected from his own discography. Keep an eye out for that!

Here's Bill's Bandcamp page: https://billmalloneemusic.bandcamp.com/

My good friend Faiz Razi was my guest for last year's April Fool's episode of Crash and Ride. I interviewed him about his feelings of Imposter Syndrome. This year he wanted to interview me, and so that's what we did. We talked about the genesis if this show, the absurdity and uncertainty of the times we're living in, and we talked about the tragedy of losing our sweet, funny friend Jake Nelson.

John Howie, Jr is a fantastic singer/songwriter from Wake County, NC, now living in The Triangle, and writing incredibly stark, gorgeous, sad songs that tell the truth about love and loss. I interviewed him via phone from his home and we talked about his childhood, the death of his father, the loss of several love affairs, the resulting anxiety and sadness, and how all of these things have informed his work.

I really like John and I kind of secretly wish I'll get to play some music with him some time.

You can hear John Howie, Jr and The Rosewood Bluff here:

http://www.johnhowiejr.com/

Not Tonight can be heard here:

https://johnhowiejr.bandcamp.com/

How much do I love the Dopey Podcast? So much. So, so much. Today I talked to Dave from Dopey, and we talked about drugs, drug stories, and dumb shit! Dave is brilliant. When you hear someone described as "all heart," well, this is the guy who broke the mold.

You can hear the This American Life episode about Dave and the deaths of his friends Chris and Todd here (Episode 667, Neighbor of the Beast):

https://www.thisamericanlife.org/667/wartime-radio

The Dopey Podcast is here:

https://www.dopeypodcast.com/

DopeyCon tickets are here:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/dopeycon-tickets-71061979293

Episode 88 is Part 2 of my conversation with Jes Skolnik. As I mentioned last week, Jes writes for Bandcamp Daily, the music journalism arm of the Greatest Music Distribution Platform of all time. Besides being an incredibly gifted music journalist, they are also a musician, a trauma survivor, former addict, and a sexual assault survivor. This week we talk about toxic jobs, the journey from freelancer to senior editor, their struggle with drugs and depression, and what they do for self-care!

CONTENT WARNING: this episode contains frank and difficult discussions about sexual assault, drug use, and suicidal ideation.

You can read Jes' work by going to their Bandcamp contributor profile here:
https://daily.bandcamp.com/contributors/jes-skolnik

Spencer Thomas is an egregiously talented singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist from Jackson, Mississippi. His new album 'Hangin' Tough' is an 10-song meditation on depression and love. He was formerly the drummer for the band Young Valley and is currently packing up to relocate to Athens, GA. We talked about his new album, his workaholism, battling imposter syndrome, and Betty Lou, the Greatest Dog Ever.

photo: Drew McKercher

Matt Aaron is the guitar player, singer/songwriter for the band Endiana. He's also a phenomenal graffiti artist and fine art painter. I sat down with Matt in his house in Indianapolis on the day after Christmas and we talked about military school, Bruce Springsteen, serial killers, and falling off of a mountain.

You can check out Endiana's music here:
https://endiana.bandcamp.com/

You can hear the song "God Save Rock and Roll" here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODUSf1aO8Mo

You can read more about Matt's work here:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/chaddscott/2019/10/08/from-rembrandt-and-van-gogh-to-kusama-and-graffiti-indianapolis-makes-for-a-surprise-arts-destination/#77a2b8d03cd3

And here's our mutual friend Jilly Ballistic:

https://www.streetmuseumofart.org/jilly-ballistic/

his is a good one: this week I spoke with my friend John MacBeth and he told a whole hell of a lot of truth. We talked about childhood trauma, trying heroin for the first time at 16, a stolen shotgun, and how crack saved his life.

You can check out his band Husk here:

https://www.facebook.com/huskbandofficial/

You can listen to Dr. Nadine Burk Harris talk about childhood trauma here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95ovIJ3dsNk

Jolie Holland is an extraordinarily gifted singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist living in Los Angeles, California. She's possessed of an incredible insight and lyricism and she writes gorgeous and vivid songs that have been praised by luminaries such as Tom Waits. She escaped an abusive and toxic upbringing in a devout family of Jehovah's Witnesses and spent many years on the road, only to eventually settle down and create an enormous and stunning body of work.

Jolie is currently collaborating with a group of activists and families to produce a benefit called "Abolition 2021," which will create a living space and activist space near the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola. In her words, "I’ve been helping produce this benefit to create a free hospitality house for family and lawyers of incarcerated people near Angola aka Louisiana State Penitentiary. It’s out in the middle of nowhere like an ugly secret, difficult to get to, even for people with money. Reallocating city budgets from violence to community support, ending slave labor and abolishing the death penalty are the big goals. Creating this hospitality house is one important step we can take to improve people’s lives. The house will serve as a hub for activists."

The show will be online April 9th, 16th, 23rd, and 30th, and you can buy your tickets here:

https://noonchorus.com/abolition-2021/

You can hear more of Jolie's music here:

https://joliehollandmusic.com/

Also, as I mentioned in the intro, I've been working for a Harm Reduction organization here in Athens, and you can help us out here:

https://www.accesspointga.org/donate

This is the third in the Crash and Ride Song Explication series! Tonight I did an episode on "Clampdown" by the Clash! It's my favorite song on one of my favorite albums of all time! My day kind of sucked and this was what I needed to feel better about the world! Check it out!

Che Arthur is a multi-instrumentalist, sound engineer, and tour manager based out of Chicago, IL. I've known Che for 30 years! I touched base to see how 2020 had gone for him, living alone in a pandemic and experiencing America as a Black man during the unrest that followed the murder of George Floyd and during the latter days of the Trump Administration.

Che is an INCREDIBLY prolific musician and you can find links to much of his work here:

http://www.chearthur.com/music/

Here is a link to his 7 hour New Years Day playlist!

https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/nye-2021/pl.u-XkD0YYpIeBoyD

As promised, here's the Corona Virus Relief Fund set up by MusiCares:

 https://www.grammy.com/musicares/get-help/musicares-coronavirus-relief

And also here's a link to the Athens area musician's Covid 19 relief fund set up by Nuci's space here:

https://www.nuci.org/get-help/

Pete Krebs has played guitar in so many influential Portland bands that it's hard to list them all: Hazel, Golden Delicious, The Stolen Sweets, The Portland Playboys, and Thee Catnip Brothers. He started his journey playing in punk bands and now he plays Western Swing at the rodeo every year in Pendleton, Oregon. He's a two-time inductee into the Oregon Music Hall of Fame, and he's survived cancer twice.

I met Pete for the first time in 1992 when our bands played together in Virginia at a club called The Insect Club. It was his band, Hazel, my band, Five Eight, and the Spinanes. Someone got naked onstage and we almost got beat up and very nearly didn't get paid. The next time we played together was in Portland and that night I heard Pete play a song that has haunted me for 30 years. In this interview, I finally find out the name of it and the original artist. Wild.

You can find the infamous photo that brought all of this together on the Crash and Ride Facebook page.

You can read more about Pete and hear a bunch of his music here:

https://www.heypetekrebs.com/

As promised, here's the Corona Virus Relief Fund set up by MusiCares:

 https://www.grammy.com/musicares/get-help/musicares-coronavirus-relief

And also here's a link to the Athens area musician's Covid 19 relief fund set up by Nuci's space here:

https://www.nuci.org/get-help/

photo: Rod Manning

Sorry for the delay! This episode is extra long and extra epic! I spoke with Jem Moloney, the incredibly talented drummer from the Australian band Dead. They've collaborated with members of Harvey Milk and the Melvins- a truly crushing, heavy band. Jem is also one half of the label We Empty Rooms Records in AUS, and works for a suicide prevention charity called HALT. They focus on the well-being of working class men and women who do tradeswork. (We really should start something like that here.)

This took an extra couple of days to get out because I've been hiding out in a different city and Jem wanted some time to have a listen to the episode, all that life stuff got in the way.

So instead of breaking this up into two episodes, here's the whole thing! Listen at your leisure!

Check out HALT here:
https://thehaltbrekky.com/
Watch the video on the homepage. It's incredible.

Here's the band DEAD:
https://deadsounds.bandcamp.com/

Here's We Empty Rooms, Jem's label:
https://weemptyrooms.bandcamp.com/

As promised, here's the Corona Virus Relief Fund set up by MusiCares:
https://www.grammy.com/musicares/get-help/musicares-coronavirus-relief

And also here's a link to the Athens area musician's Covid 19 relief fund set up by Nuci's space here:
https://www.nuci.org/get-help/

Leslie Sokal Berg is an extraordinarily gifted singer. She's also a music educator, a mother, and a survivor of suicide. She attended the Jazz program at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami, until she fell into a deep depression and attempted to end her life. Since then, she has bounced back, become a music educator, and a mom. She talked frankly and honestly with me about the events that led up to her suicide attempt and the long road back.

Leslie is also the mother of Parker Dillard, the bassist for the ridiculously talented Athens band Fishbug. We talk about Fishbug a good bit in this interview, too! You can hear Fishbug here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mH305Kwe9Xs

I sat down with Buick Audra and Jerry Roe from Friendship Commanders in the sunny kitchen of their Nashville home. I first saw Friendship Commanders when our bands played together earlier this summer. I have been a devoted fan ever since. Both Buick and Jerry survived difficult, unusual childhoods and found each other as adults. Together they have created an artistic and romantic partnership of mutual trust and protection. We talked about surviving and thriving, recording with Steve Albini, the travails of touring, and life on the road as a couple.

You can hear Friendship Commanders and see a list of their tour dates here:

https://friendshipcommanders.bandcamp.com/

You can read the Elizabeth Bishop poem, 'One Art', which Buick referenced in the question about loss, here:

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/47536/one-art

photo: Morten Fog

There is one globally influential magazine that focuses on Americana and I was fortunate enough to speak with its editor. Hilary Saunders is the human tornado who wrestles No Depression to the presses every quarter, and she is a phenomenal human being. For Episode 75, we had an wide-ranging conversation about her journey to the editorship of No Depression, about life in New York City during these strange times we're living in, and about using guava jelly in hamantaschen. I enjoyed every minute of it.

During the course of our conversation, she recommended the email newsletters of a couple of music journalists. You can find Gary Suarez on Substack here:
https://cabbages.substack.com/people/1989736-gary-suarez

You can find out more about Marissa Moss and Natalie Weiner's newsletter here:
https://marissarmoss.substack.com/p/coming-soon?r=5wdr&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&utm_source=copy

You can sign up for Zachary Lipez's newsletter here:
https://zacharylipez.substack.com/

And you can find Sara Benincasa's essay about the aftermath of the suicide of Anthony Bourdain here:
https://humanparts.medium.com/when-they-leave-8eb15cc2ee1f

I mentioned in the intro that I was going to include a link to the Corona Virus Relief Fund set up by MusiCares:
https://www.grammy.com/musicares/get-help/musicares-coronavirus-relief

And also here's a link to the Athens area musician's Covid 19 relief fund set up by Nuci's space here:
https://www.nuci.org/get-help/