Fall Flavors Roundup and “Cheer” Preview

As the season begins to change, host Mike Wolf dives into many of the autumnal gems from the new book, “Cheer: A Liquid Gold Holiday Drinking Guide,” coming out November 15. The concept of the whiskey “Gateway Drink,” Cider Spritzes, Apple Brandy Manhattans, and pear cocktails are all covered. Also discussed: how to use persimmon in cocktails, the tropical wonders of the pawpaw fruit, and a savory pumpkin cordial, hold the spice. Fear not, spices are covered in depth as well!


Mike Wolf’s new book Cheer: A Liquid Gold Holiday Drinking Guide is available for pre-order now! Pick up a copy ASAP!


Music by Upright T-Rex Music.
Logo by Jess Machen

Smart Objects – “Lighten Up” [Premiere]

As we did with “Something Happened” and “Respirator“, we’re happy to premiere the latest single from Smart Objects, entitled “Lighten Up.”

The song hits with bright production, unique guitar tones and layers upon layers of things to hear. So many great flourishes are nestled throughout the track that repeated listens are a highly rewarded activity. There’s even a little Charlie Brown-esque piano line buried in there.. see if you can hear it. Smart Objects has always had a penchant for delivering a big rock song that is sneakily nuanced; a skill that is on full display with “Lighten Up.”

Lyrically, the track is infectiously memorable but tackling some real legit interpersonal issues. Songwriter Ben Harper reports, “It’s about dealing with difficult people, but also about how I wish I would lighten up and take life a little less seriously. I’ve dealt with people in life (and in bands) that seem to always be looking for the next conflict or the next thing to be offended by. … It’s hard not to get dragged under the mire that that person is basking in. I think people become addicted to their identity as someone who suffers, and become addicted to that strife and subsequent righteous indignation. I wrote ‘Lighten Up’ mostly about someone I used to work with. Kind of like a plea to drop the unnecessary turmoil. But it also made me more aware of that phenomenon in myself. So it’s also a plea to myself to do the same.”

That may not sound like a topic for an infectiously memorable rock song but it definitely works. That’s three new singles in just a short span of time but we’re told there’s one more on the way before the end of the year. We’ll be here for it.

317: Marathon Training

Getting back into the regular groove. This week we’ve got 10 fantastic local tracks across a wide spectrum – pop, hip-hop, metal, shoegaze and a bit of the unclassifiable. It’s good. Trust me.


Find more music from each of our artists linked below and be sure to follow Gardening, Not Architecture, Peachy, SONATORE / Angie Marie Go, artemis (yue), Six One Tribe, R.A.P. Ferreria, Reggie B, I Could Live in Hope, TVSEXDEATH and Gender: War Machine for more updates.

Follow us or submit your music:
Instagram: @weownthistown
Twitter: @weownthistown
Facebook: /weownthistown

“Main Theme” by Upright T-Rex Music.

Peachy
“Taste”

SONATORE
“FLOTATION”

Artemis Yue
“ART SLUT”

Six One Tribe
“We The Wave”

R.A.P. Ferrerira
“mythsizer instinct”

Reggie B
“Gone Fishing”

TVSEXDEATH
“Spirit Pump”

Gender: War Machine
“Eternal Nausea (Black Dresses cover)”

After the Episode with Jenny Black: Andrea Fecht

After a long hiatus, all the gals are happy to be back together. Jenny talks about predatory screen time, the “colored glasses” hack, and how she thinks she’s done trying to have an “identity”.


Follow Momcult on Instagram @momcultpodcast.

The Hills Are Alive Show Update

Taking a quick pause on Season Two! To that end, congratulations to Kelsey on her amazing new job in another city! Bear with us while we figure out a plan for remote recording, but in the mean time, enjoy this quick update from Alex with some additional background on the change and a brief recap of some recent show biz drama! #LeaMicheleRedemptionArch

Follow The Hills are Alive on Instagram at @thehillsarealivepod

The 1st Annual Horror Fried Awards Ceremony

It’s Awards Season, y’all! Join us as we celebrate the best (and worst) of Horror Fried’s inaugural season and whet your appetite with a preview of what’s next!


Follow The Horror Fried Podcast on Instagram @thehorrorfriedpodcast, Letterbox @thfp615 and Slasher @THFP615.

316: Track by Track: Twen – One Stop Shop


Twen released their sophomore album One Stop Shop back in July of 2022, with four singles preceeding it starting as early as December of 2021. However, journey to this album’s inception and release goes back way further than that. They were signed to a major indie for their debut album, they left their home and completely renovated a van to embrace touring, and they embraced being a dictatorship instead of a democracy within the band. Jane Fitzsimmons and Ian Jones sit down with WOTT Music to discuss all of it, as well as a track-by-track breakdown of the record.

If you haven’t heard One Stop Shop, go get it on vinyl or stream it somewhere. On repeat.

Many thanks to Jane and Ian for gabbing with me for such a long time. Also, huge shoutout to their current band members Merideth, Luke & Asher for filling out the live version of the band… which you can see at Grimey’s today (Sept 21st, 2022) at 5pm.


Follow us or submit your music:
Instagram: @weownthistown
Twitter: @weownthistown
Facebook: /weownthistown

“Main Theme” by Upright T-Rex Music.

Fun Girls From Mt. Pilot, feat. Cat, Chris, Donnie & Troy

There is no other band more legendary or more inextricably linked to Lucy’s than the Fun Girls From Mt. Pilot. Chris Fox, Troy Pigue, Charles “Cat” Tidball, and Donnie Kendall dressed in women’s clothes when they played, which caught people’s attention, but it was their songs – short bursts of frenetic pop-punk energy and clever lyrics – and their “mind-blowing” stage antics that earned them a devoted following.

To really understand how incredible they were you have to talk to the people who were at their shows. They say things like “mind-blowing,” “transformative,” “the s**t” and “the Fun Girls changed my life.”

In this episode we cover the band names that could have been, what happens when you ask a highly skilled drummer to join a band with “the worst guitar player he’ll ever play with,” shopping for their outfits, the award winning box set, why they’re hated in a couple places in the southeast, and of course their onstage antics, including the infamous 328 Performance Hall show (think confetti, flying toast, a fake security guy, 2 french maids, and a couple of dancing donut-eating stripper cops who ended up rolling around on stage in their underwear). The best.

Show Notes

For full show show notes, visit the Lucy’s Record Shop site.

Fun Girls – “Hold a Grudge
Fun Girls – “Your Girlfriend Hates Me
Fun Girls – “Monkey Flips
Fun Girls From Mt. Pilot – “Billy Dee Williams
Fun Girls – “Janelle’s At the Mall
Fun Girls – “Rocketcycle

The Muse Won’t Pay Your Bills with Steve Albini

Today we talk with legendary recording engineer Steve Albini. He’s produced thousands of albums (including Nirvana, The Breeders, Pixies, PJ Harvey) and runs his Chicago studio Electrical Audio as a highly accessible destination. He also makes his own music in the band Shellac.

He’s made a living finding the balance between art and money; two entities that don’t have a natural relationship. He talks with Devalued about his beginnings in the punk community through the economics of being in a band. Albini is known for his frank opinions and they are most appreciated in this forum.

More from Steve Albini:
@electricalWSOP
Electrical Audio
Shellac


Find Devalued at Devalued.show, on Twitter @devaluedpodcast and Instagram @devaluedpodcast.

I Could Live in Hope – “Judas” [Premiere]

Travis Trevisan is sneakily prolific. His primary project Tape Deck Mountain unleashes a new full-length record of powerful shoe-gaze inspired tunes every few years. In between those albums, he may release a series of ambient compositions or an interactive sound composition at the airport. In between that, he releases a variety of recordings with his label Nineteen 98.

If that somehow weren’t enough, he also creates “political slowcore” under the moniker I Could Live in Hope. We’re excited to announce the official lyric video for the track “Judas” off of the forthcoming full-length record Anon due out November 4th. The track itself is reminiscent of Tape Deck Mountain’s shoegaze-y foundations but more withdrawn and pensive; simmering if you will. The video feels like an art installation, best for sitting with quietly, contemplatively and attentively as each panel draws your eye. Lyrically, Trevisan paints a macabre picture military servicemen; signing their lives away for an unknown reason, usually based on a lie. For the more conservative leaning this may be off-putting but, to borrow a Southern phrase, he ain’t wrong.

Trevisan’s output is impressive, particularly given that the quality level of each project never seems to suffer. He’s managed to find an excellent balance of both quantity and quality, which is usually impossible. I Could Live in Hope is setup to be a contemplative and reflective release lyrically coupled with some scorched Earth searing soundscapes. Looking forward to it.

Swampwater and The Florida Files with Byron Stithem from Proper Sake

Hosts Mike and Kenneth are joined by the “Toji with the Koji” himself, founder and saké master Byron Stithem of Proper Saké, to discuss the bizarre but true origins of the Swampwater cocktail. Created by overzealous marketing execs in the 1970’s southeast for the purpose of selling more Green Chartreuse to hard-partying states like Florida – and to compete with late 70’s heavy hitters like the Tequila Sunrise and the Harvey Wallbanger – the Swampwater is making a comeback thanks to inspired proprietors like Byron. He discusses his new taproom and tasting bar “Rice Vice,” why cold and highly carbonated sparkling water is so important to a great highball, and how he’s managed to use the chemical compounds in pineapple to inform his new version of the Swampwater at Proper Saké. Then the crew aptly devotes the rest of the episode to “The Florida Files,” Kenneth’s long-running booze news sidebar about all the strange things happening down in the sunshine state. Also discussed: what is koji, which styles of saké to look out for at your local bottle shop, and how much damage can a forklift do if you drive it straight through a liquor store.


Mike Wolf’s new book Cheer: A Liquid Gold Holiday Drinking Guide is available for pre-order now! Pick up a copy ASAP!


Music by Upright T-Rex Music.
Logo by Jess Machen

S01.E13: Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022)

The boys review and discuss David Blue Garcia’s 2022 film Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Starring Elsie Fisher, Sarah Yarkin, Moe Dunford, Mark Burnham and Olwen Fouéré.


Follow The Horror Fried Podcast on Instagram @thehorrorfriedpodcast, Letterbox @thfp615 and Slasher @THFP615.