RiYL

A few months ago, Joshua Cotter did something difficult: he asked for help. Social media posts detailing the number of copies his Nod Away series have sold struck a chord. If a supremely talented artist like Cotter can’t make a living at comics, what hope does anyone else have? Over the years, Cotter has crafted many excellent works, including Skyscrapers of the Midwest and Driven by Lemons. Those two titles have taken on a special meaning for the cartoonist, after being diagnosed with neurodivergence. Transcript available here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Few bands reach the status of “institution.” It’s a qualifier that has applied to Barenaked Ladies for several decades now. Multi-instrumentalist Kevin Hearn has been a part of that journey since 1995, joining prior to the one-two punch of Born of a Pirate Ship and Stunt, the latter of which catapulted the already-popular band into the stratosphere. Hearn’s professional career stretches back further, to the late-80s, when he joined Toronto’s legendary Look People. Transcript available here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last night was a late one – a big show at Pappy and Harriets in Pioneertown, California, followed by the inevitable after party. Zia McCabe dials in from the passenger seat of the tour bus, slightly worse for wear, but sharp as ever. After nearly 30 years, the Dandy Warhols know the road like few others – and like even fewer, they’re still committed to bringing it every night. McCabe joins us to discuss her journey with the band, family and life in real estate.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"World Worth Keeping" is a joyful song of existential crisis, celebrating a planet as it stares down the face of climate change. It's a perfect microcosm of its creator's work, at once serious and playful, with a country twang and a great hook. Jaime Wyatt hasn't always had the easiest existence, dealing with substance abuse and a stint in jail, but she's emerged from the other side confident, proud, as a rising star in the country world.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sixty-six million years ago, roughly three-quarters of the Earth’s plants and animals went extinct. As Riley Black notes, such deaths happened almost instantaneously. Those who survived asteroid impact perished shortly after. The Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event is the cheery topic that forms the basis of Black’s best-selling, The Last Days of the Dinosaurs. She joins us to discuss her path to paleontology and the experience navigating the field as a trans woman.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Music of Heatmiser affords the titular band an occasion to step outside their own large shadow. It's an opportunity to judge the group on its own merit, beyond simply serving as a launchpad for its most famous member. College friends Neil Gust and Elliott Smith serve as the songwriting forces behind the Portland act, whose unreleased recordings appear on the new Third Man record. After Heatmister's rise and quick dissolution, Gust founded No. 2. More recently, he made a second career as a video editor in New York, only to feel music's pull once again. The musician joins us to discuss Heatmiser and his subsequent journey.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A dozen different songs about death. That's how one arrives at a title like Eulogy Volume 1. But not all deaths are equal. Some are metaphorical, representing a new beginning. Josh Radnor's first solo album finds him operating without the accomplished musical safety net that is longtime collaborator, Ben Lee. The actor/musician joins us to discuss relationships, psychedelics and the wisdom of middle age.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This month marks 20 years since the Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone? The Unicorns' sophomore album is a singular triumph for a group that was clearly too beautiful to live. But it didn't take Nick Thorburn long to regroup after his seminal high school band imploded. There have been countless musical projects along the way, but Islands stands the tallest as longest tenured, most brilliant and best among them. The band returns this year with And That's Why Dolphins Lost Their Legs, the second album since Thornburn's self-imposed hiatus. It's bleak at times, but always a fantastic snapshot of a musical career ever charging ahead.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Northern (Redux) began as something altogether different. The planned record length cover of Taylor Deupree’s 2006 ambient album became a collaboration. Jeremiah Fraites brought Dupree into the projects to reimagine the original, with the Lumineers cofounder behind the piano. It was a departure from Fraites’ solo debut Piano Piano, but both projects are united as radically different works than his immensely popular alternative folk band. He joins us to discuss his distinct musical journeys.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sitting in the backseat of an Uber on the way home from a three week work trip, I tossed The Skies, They Shift Like Chords on my music player. “Centering” is the first word that comes to mind. A few minutes in, and your blood pressure starts to drop. Roger Eno has been an expert at centering for decades, constantly refining his music and distilling it to the fewest viable parts. The composer joins us to discuss his long career in music.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.