Songs of Our Lives

On this episode of Songs of Our Lives, it’s the return of Sarah Hennies! I always knew I’d have Sarah back, and with her new album with Tristan Kasten-Krause out now on Dinzu Artefacts, it was the perfect opportunity. (The album is incredible, by the way). We talk a lot about the point of singular genius that is Jandek, belting out “The Piano Man,” Hatebeak, The Shaggs, Cerberus Shoal, Bobby Conn, The Fire Theft, and more!

Listen to all of Sarah’s picks HERE

“The Quiet Sun”

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On this episode of Songs of Our Lives, it’s Greg Davis! Greg and I go pretty far back - I think I first covered him on Foxy Digitalis when “Curling Pond Woods” came out in 2004, but this year he’s got a new LP from Asterisk, his awesome hip-hop/beats project. With a slew of incredible MCs on board, “No School” is fun, deep, and an incredible record that invites repeat listens. We get into all of that before going long on Brian Eno & John Cale, Norma Tanega, Stevie Wonder, Gerry Rafferty, Nina Simone, MJ, and loads more!

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**This episode was originally published on February 6, 2024, but the warm days from the last few weeks have had me bumping PHASOR a lot, so - let's hear from Roberto!**

For this episode of Songs of Our Lives, I invite Helado Negro on the show. After talking a little about his process and the story of Lupe Lopez, he takes us on quite the journey (including me reacting to one of his off-the-cuff picks live - ha!). We get into the all-time greatness of Teddy Pendergrass, Piero’s timeless moments, Bonnie Raitt’s calypso side, the utter seduction of M...

On this episode of Songs of Our Lives, it’s Kaho Matsui! This is, full stop, the most fried episode so far, and I mean that as the biggest, baddest compliment possible. We talk about her latest record, the incredible “Life Lover,” plus being prolific, and a whole lot more. Then we go into the wilds with the majesty of Dragonforce, all the things that make more eaze great, Manami Kakudo being amazing, Shane Justice McCord surprising us, Charli XCX, Bright Eyes, Smash Mouth, and more!

Listen to all of Kaho’s picks HERE

“Life Lover”

On this episode of Songs of Our Lives, it’s Mark Nelson! Mark has been involved in so many incredible things across the last 30+ years - Labradford, Pan American, etc. - that this episode is a bit of a dream. His new album with Michael Grigoni, “New World, Lonely Ride” is one of the most beautiful things I’ve heard this year. After talking a bit about how the collaboration came together, we go into Karen Carpenter’s greatness, the all-time everything of the B-52s, Cindy Lauper’s shining moment, Bobbie Gentry, Damian Marley, Train, Kelela, Tribe Called Quest, and p...

On this episode of Songs of Our Lives, it’s Macie Stewart! Her new album, “When The Distance Is Blue,” has resonated with me in such a powerful way, and talking to her about some of the ideas and emotions behind it helped explain why. From there, we talk about ultimate earworms, the greatest band of the last 20 years, still getting shocked by Arthur Russell, the GOAT of GOATs, Dick Raaijmakers, Wilco, Labi Siffre, Lhasa de Sela + more!

Listen to all of Macie’s picks HERE

"When The Distance Is Blue”

Macie On Tour

On this episode of Songs of Our Lives, it’s Circuit des Yeux! My love for Haley Fohr’s work goes way, way back (shout out Night People), but this new record, “Halo On The Inside” is a different beast entirely. I am pretty much floored by it, so this was an absolute treat. We get into eternal love for the Bee Gees, Joëlle Leandre’s tearjerker, Neil Young at his worst, vibing with Jandek, the madman that is Lindsey Buckingham, Chris & Cosey, Brian Eno, Charli XCX, Van Halen, and more!

Listen to all of Haley’s picks HERE<...

On this episode of Songs of Our Lives, it’s Lucy Liyou! If it was up to me, Lucy would be a global superstar. Her music means that much to me. This episode was way too much fun. After talking about her incredible new record, “Every Video With Your Face, Every Sound Without Your Name,” it all goes up. We talk about loving Lee Greenwood’s schmaltzy voice, the audacity of Remy Ma, Nicki Minaj’s maximalism, Lil B’s greatness, the magnificence of YEOCH, Flash Flood Darlings, Ravel, Prokofiev, and, of course, Mariah.

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**This episode was originally published on January 16, 2024, but with Grails announcing a new record this week, I thought it was a good time to revisit this classic episode**

For this episode of Songs of Our Lives, I invite Ilyas Ahmed on the show. After reminiscing a bit about the 2007 Digitalis music fest, Bottled Smoke, we talked about both incredible albums Ilyas released in 2023 - his solo joint, “A Dream of Another,” and Grails’ “Anches En Maat.” We had a blast getting into the underrated shredding of Steve Stevens, Velvet Underground’s ability for tender destruction, where you go...

On this episode of Songs of Our Lives, it’s Katy Henriksen! Season three of her excellent podcast, Sound Off, debuts on March 6th, so we talk about what to expect from the upcoming episodes, and the challenges in producing podcasts on your own. Once we get into the music, we talk Thelonius Monk, Etta James, Beirut, Mingus, Tumi Mogorosi, all the incredible versions of “Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child,” and plenty more!

Listen to all of Katy’s picks HERE

Sound Off Podcast

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Liz Pelly “Mood Machi...

On this episode of Songs of Our Lives, it’s James Toth! I’ve known James for almost 20 years now (which is hard to get my head around), and in that time he’s made a ton of music that’s near and dear to me, written a lot of things that have inspired, and generally been a fellow lifer that does work that resonates with me. So, getting him on the show was a no brainer! We talk about his excellent Dunza project before bonding over Crystal Gale and Madonna, Bobby Charles’s incredible voice, Pat Methany, Black Flag, The...

On this episode of Songs of Our Lives, it’s Damon Locks! Over the last long while, Damon’s been one of my favorite artists on the planet. From the Black Monument Ensemble, his visual art, and all things in between, I have endless gratitude and awe for his work. We talked about his new, text-based record, “List of Demands,” before waxing on about Nikki Giovanni’s influence, The Hues Corporation bringing the sun, Duke and Coltrane going all-time, David Bowie, Parliament, Labi Siffre, The Specials, Bjork, and plenty more!

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“...

On this episode of Songs of Our Lives, it’s Sam Sodomsky! Sam is an old friend and an OG Foxy Digitalis alum who has gone on to much bigger and brighter things including The Bird Calls. His latest record, “Melody Trail,” is a big leap for the project and a record I’ll be returning to a lot. After we talk about that and old time Foxy Digitalis days, we get into our love of Bruce Springsteen. how nobody says it better than Joni, Carly Simon’s underappreciated greatness, Sinatra, James Taylor, Mia Doi Todd, Office Culture, and more!

On this episode of Songs of Our Lives, it’s Sarah Belle Reid! She’s got a fantastic new record, “Accidental Ornithology,” in collaboration with Vinny Golia (the legend!) out now. It’s such a fun record. We talk about that a bit, Vinny’s magic, and her learning synthesis courses. Then, it really goes places with memories of Taj Mahal, finding joy in playing music, all the places Mahler’s 5th takes us, Else Marie Pade’s underappreciated greatness, Robert Ashley, SOPHIE, Wynton Marsalis, Parmegiani, Laurie Anderson, and more!

Listen to all of Sarah’s picks HERE

“Accide...

On this episode of Songs of Our Lives, it’s Martha Skye Murphy! Her debut album, “Um” - released last year on AD 93 - has etched itself into my bones in the last couple months. We get into all of that and the weirdness of the holidays before going long on early Spice Girls memories, Gavin Bryars’ all-time turn, being in awe of Scott Walker, Langley Children’s Choir perfection, Bill Callahan, Patti Smith, Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy + more!

Listen to all of Martha’s picks HERE

“Um”

Tour Dates

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On this episode of Songs of Our Lives, it’s Ava Mendoza! She’s been one of my favorite guitarists for quite some time, and her latest album, “The Circular Train,” is incredible. We get into the details behind the record plus her time with the Bill Orcutt Guitar Quartet before Ava educates me on different Blues’ styles from various regions in Mississippi (and then some!) Then, we talk about conceptual connections between Alice Coltrane and Keiji Haino, the joy of Kid Congo Powers, Chrome’s greatness, Skip James, Loren Connors, Roy Buchanan, Earth, and more!

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On this episode of Songs of Our Lives, it’s Tony Rolando! I first learned about Tony through his incredible solo work, not realizing that he was the co-founder of one of the most interesting synthesizer companies of the last decade or so - Make Noise Music. Putting it all together, the depth and unique scope of his sonic explorations and compositional approach made more sense. His latest, “Imagine A Dolphin Dreaming,” is the latest chapter in that story. After digging into the album and our mutual love of aqueous sounds, we talk about Rockwell creating a timeless banger, unequi...

On this episode of Songs of Our Lives, it’s the return of Jeff Tobias!! In this first REMIXED episode, we tackle a whole new list of questions. We also talk about his busy 2024, the “Mandatory Liberation Vol. 1” compilation he released with Gold Bolus, and plenty more. After that, we get into Lindsey Buckingham’s insane solo arcs, Don Cherry at his most whimsical, love for Ponytail, Joe Jackson, Tullio de Piscopo, VU, Van Morrison, and more!

Listen to all of Jeff’s picks HERE

Mandatory Liberation Vol. 1

Jeff's first Songs of Our Lives epis...

On this episode of Songs of Our Lives, it’s YATTA! Even though we had to fight through some technical difficulties throughout, we had a great time talking about YATTA’s latest album, “Palm Wine” (one of the albums of the year), the Palm Wine genre, making music videos, and more. Once we get to the questions, we go long about their granduncle, S.E. Rogie, the undeniable magic of Brenda Fassie, moments when Kanye’s still got it, an unapologetic appreciation for “Sandstorm,” Whitney Houston, Sufjan Stevens, The Flamingos + plenty more!

Listen to all of YATTA’s picks HERE

On this episode of Songs of Our Lives, it’s Jeff Parker! Look, when it comes to favorite guitarists, Jeff is on my Mount Rushmore. A few years ago, he put together one of the best bands around with his ETA 4tet - Jeff, Anna Butterss, Josh Johnson, and Jay Bellerose, and they’ve got a new album - “The Way Out Of Easy” - out now on International Anthem. After talking about that and Tortoise, we get into Dionne Warwick singing some scary sentiments, the greatness of “Wichita Lineman,” learning to love Neil Young, one of Drake’s bangers, Steel...

On this episode of Songs of Our Lives, it’s LEYA! I’ve never done a regular episode with two people at once, so not only is this a first, it was such a blast. After digging into some of the concepts behind their new mini album, “I Forget Everything,” and fangirling about more eaze, we get after it. Conversations around the epicness of Yanni, the Barbie movie, getting hyped with Big Moe, Guillaume de Machaut, Daddy Yankee’s party in a box, the greatness of Joanna Newsom, Eartheater, Charli XCX, Amen Dunes, and more!

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On this episode of Songs of Our Lives, it’s Alan Licht! Alan is an absolute legend, and his latest album, “Havens,” explores new ground in a career that has covered almost all of it. We talk about that and the idea of phantom harmonics before diving into kid’s show theme songs, controversial Lou Reed songs, Jackson Browne hitting the spot, Afrika Bambaataa’s greatness, Will Oldham, Big Thief, Roberta Flack, and so much more!

Listen to all of Alan’s picks HERE

“Havens”

Love Child Reissues on 12XU

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On this episode of Songs of Our Lives, it’s Whitney Johnson! Whitney did something I’ve always dreamed about - releasing two different albums (under two separate names no less!) on the same day, and both of them are fabulous. We talk about that and some other sound projects before diving into all the sides of Sonny Sharrock, Prince’s all-time greatness, unrepentant love for ABBA, Psychic TV destroying us, the Steve Winwood hypetrain, and FINALLY someone’s favorite song is also my favorite song, so we had a moment at the end. Plus more, obviously!

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On this episode of Songs of Our Lives, it’s Jason Woodbury! After a quick chat about the connection and influence of writing about music and playing music, plus his new EP with Dad Weed, we get into unfortunate moments with the Bob Seger Band, the lifetime of influence Vince Guaraldi has had, sticking up for The Smiths, Judee Sill’s transcendent lyrics, Bill Evans replayability, Bob Dylan, Cocteau Twins, Tom Verlaine + more!

Listen to all of Jason’s picks HERE

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JPW & Dad Weed “Two Agai...

On this episode of Songs of Our Lives, it’s Tomin! This one feels full circle. Ever since learning about Tomin’s music nearly four years ago, I’ve felt a special connection to it. It’s been hard to explain, but after seeing his picks for this episode and talking to him about them, it makes a lot more sense. His latest record, “A Willed and Conscious Balance,” is out now International Anthem and is such a special listen. We talk about that, his cheat code of a band, and plenty more before diving into TLC’s eye-opening impact, the al...

On this episode of Songs of Our Lives, it’s amelia courthouse! I loved her last album, “ruby glass,” a lot, but the connection with the new one, “broken things,” runs so much deeper. We talked about growing up with church hymns and the affinity we still feel for a lot of that music before diving into one hell of an episode. We get into why there can only ever be one Leonard Cohen, obsessing over 80s Bob Dylan, finally getting Fleetwood Mac , the magic and catharsis of Larry Young, Beth Nielson Chapman crushing us, Vince Gill, The Handsome Family, Th...

On this episode of Songs of Our Lives, it’s Chuck Johnson! His new album, “Sun Glories,” has been out for a few months, but it’s hitting harder as the temperatures finally drop here. We got into the record, the nature of collaboration, hope, and more before digging into his picks. Chuck kept me on my toes as we chatted about Donna Summer’s greatness, Hamza el Din stopping you in your tracks, Beth Gibbons’ incredible range, Pauline Oliveros deep cuts, David Bowie, SANAM, Queen, and more!

Listen to all of Chuck’s picks HERE

Chuck Johnso...

On this episode of Songs of Our Lives, it’s Sarah Davachi! Sarah’s one of the hardest working people in world of experimental composition, so much so that she has TWO new releases out and on the way . Her latest, “The Head As Form’d In The Crier’s Choir,” came out last month, and it’s incredible. In November, “Music For A Bellowing Room” - a durational piece made in collaboration with filmmaker Dicky Bahto - will be released. It all feels like a dream. Even with that, Sarah took the time to chat with me about early Steve Miller...

On this episode of Songs of Our Lives, it’s Darius Jones! He’s been on a tear in recent years, and his last three albums - including the latest, “Legend of e’Boi (The Hypervigilant Eye)” - have really left a mark on me. I was thrilled to talk to Darius about the new record, his mental health journey, and so much more. We get into George Clinton’s all-timer status, classic Jacko, Andy Bey being weird and great, Meshell Ndegeocello’s multiple talents, the magic connection between MF Doom and Madlib, Henry Threadgill, Patti Labelle, and more!

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On this episode of Songs of Our Lives, it’s Mali Obomsawin! I’ve wanted to have Mali on the show for a while so when “symbiont,” her incredible new album in collaboration with Jake Blount was announced, I knew this was a perfect opportunity. This episode was way more fun than it had any right to be. After talking a bit about the record and working with Jake, we get into all the hits… Prince, ODB, Tom Petty, how great Labrys is, Roy Orbison’s wild arrangements. the Beatles politics, Bob Dylan’s sexy side, and loads more!

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On this episode of Songs of Our Lives, it’s Jake Blount! He’s got a new record in collaboration with Mali Obomsawin, “symbiont,” coming out on Smithsonian Folkways later this month. It’s absolutely incredible. We talk about how he and Mali came to work together and dig into the album a bit before going in on a bunch of songs. We talk about unlikely stadium anthems, Imogen Heap not getting the recognition she should, the amazing sound of the jouhikko, the beauty and heartbreak of Brown Bird, reassessing Linkin Park, Fiona Apple, Trent Reznor, Our Native Daughters, and more!<...

On this episode of Songs of Our Lives, it’s Wendy Eisenberg! Their new album, “Viewfinder,” just might finally answer the important question of, “Can I love a Wendy Eisenberg album more than I love ‘Auto’?” Beyond that, we get into the almost-literal timelessness of “Greensleaves,” the all-time great Beach Boys’ tune, love for Willie Nelson, GG Allin shocking us in unexpected ways, Cindy Lee, Elliot Smith, Beefheart, and more!

Listen to all of Wendy’s picks HERE

Wendy Eisenberg “Viewfinder”

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Songs of Our Lives is a podcast series hosted by B...

On this episode of Songs of Our Lives, it’s Dialect! I can’t stop listening to and thinking about his new album, The Atlas of Green. As I get deeper into it, new layers of its narrative are revealed, and sonically it’s just a delicate, beautiful excursion. So we talk about all of that plus making sample libraries before going long on Bonnie Raitt’s heartbreak, where “Pyramid Song” sits in the pantheon, Mr. Bungle hot takes, the genius of Prefab Sprout, Clarissa Connelly, Jenny Hval, and so much more!

Listen to all of Dialect’s picks HERE<...

On this episode of Songs of Our Lives, it’s more eaze! It took us a year, but we finally made this episode happen and the wait was well worth it. We could have chatted for hours about both of her new records - ---__--____ ‘s “Night of Fire” and the solo splendor of “lacuna & parlor,” but there was so much more to talk about. We go long on a song about a dog that is absolutely crushing, the distressing genius of The Red Krayola, Robert Ashley’s all-timer of all-timers, Astrid Sonne, Parsley Sound, Sufjan, and so much more!

On this episode of Songs of Our Lives, it’s Lia Kohl! How can you not love an album that finds beauty in refrigerator hums and ringtones? That’s what Lia Kohl’s new album, “Normal Sounds,” does (among many other things!). We talk about that a bit before getting into how much we love Sade, Mendelssohn bops, learning to appreciate metal through Meshuggah, being careful with your words, T-Pain’s birthday love, the everything of Nina Simone, and plenty more!

Listen to all of Lia’s picks HERE

Lia Kohl “Normal Sounds”

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On this episode of Songs of Our Lives, it’s David Grubbs! I often ask myself, is there anything David can’t do? I’m pretty sure the answer is no. We talked a fair bit about his new record with Loren Connors, “Evening Air,” before going down all sorts of rabbit holes about Mayo Thompson and The Red Krayola, the expansive magic of The Modern Lovers, Van Dyke Parks walking the line of something bananas and genius, Myriam Gendron breaking us to bits, Isaac Hayes, Bob Dylan, and so much more!

Listen to all of David’s picks HERE...

On this episode of Songs of Our Lives, it’s Nick Zanca! His new album, “Hindsight,” feels like Nick in record form in a lot of ways. It’s clearly a record he’s wanted to make all of his life. We dig into that and what it’s like to see that realized before diving into how many Americans have a Disney-song memory, Milton Nascimiento’s magnificence, Pat Matheny Group’s killer ECM run, moving past James Blake, the sweet joy of Labi Siffre, John Martyn making sexy as hell music, King Crimson, and more! PLUS, one of Nick’s answers t...

On this episode of Songs of Our Lives, it’s Anna Butterss! When it comes to bass players, Anna Butterss is in rarified air. But there is so much more to their sonic practice (just listen to 2022’s incredible “Activities”!), and we get to hear yet another side of their playing on Small Medium Large’s debut, “SML.” We talk all about that, playing with Jeff Parker and Jason Isbell, and then dive into the greatness of Meshell Ndegeocello, Courtney Barnett being one of THE ones, underappreciated Herbie Hancock gems, discovering “Hey Ya” way late, admiration for Juana Molina blazing her own pa...

On this episode of Songs of Our Lives, it’s Seth Parker Woods! When it comes to cellists and modern and experimental composition, Seth’s at the top of the call list. His latest offering as part of Wild Up in the Julius Eastman Anthology Series is “The Holy Presence,” and the front of this episode is just an absolute masterclass from Seth about the history and beauty of this piece and what makes Eastman such an important figure. From there we talk about the perfection of The Temptations, Rachael Yamagata brightening the world, being in the room for Tracy Ch...

For this episode of Songs of Our Lives, it’s Tashi Wada! This episode unfolds a little bit differently than usual, but the general spirit of it is right in the sweet spot. Tashi’s new album, “What Is Not Strange?” is such a beautiful, vulnerable expression that reveals itself through deep, focused listening. After talking a bit about that, we move into memories of his father’s music, the emotional weight of Philip Glass, La Monte Young’s sonic middle finger, having fun with Hosono, Pandit Pran Nath, and so much more.

Listen to all of Tashi’s pick...