Performance Anxiety

Today we go international. Welcome the greatest person from the Faroe Islands since Venceslaus Ulricus Hammershaimb.  She also has a much shorter name. It’s Eivør! She’s currently on a North American tour to support her new album Tungl and she was kind enough to take some time and talk about her musical life with me. And I do mean musical life. She was already performing on TV by thirteen. By seventeen she was not only preparing to study music in college, she was already finished with her second solo album! And I say solo album because she had also released an album singing for the band Clickhaze. I ask her about shifting from jazz to more experimental music with her fourth album and how she incorporates traditional Faroese music into her contemporary sound. She’s also the voice behind the music for The Last Kingdom TV series and two God of War video games. Eivør is really open and candid about her career, her changes in sound, audience reactions, and the differences between Scandinavian and US audiences. She once wrote an album in Faroese and then rewrote it entirely in English! She describes songs as pickles and is a good sport when I butcher her Faroese song titles. Her live shows are wonderful and mesmerizing as she recreates vocals that I thought were studio creations. Give her a follow @eivormusic on social media. Pick up Tungl from her website eivor.com. Follow the show @PerformanceAnx. Grab merch at performanceanx.threadless.com. Use ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety if you want to send coffee funds. Now go grab Akvavit and get ready for Eivør on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network.

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This episode is fun and really interesting. Matt North returns with a new album and a different perspective on making it. Matt lives in Nashville but chose to make his album in Champaign-Urbana, instead. We talk about how Nashville has changed over the past several decades; the positives and the negatives. We go off onto a few tangents during the show. Actually, we kind of start off on a tangent. Matt explains the purple cow theory, totem pole culture, and remote recording with Paul Chastain, in Japan while using old high scholl friends and his old high school band director as bandmates and arrangers.

He also talks about how his former roommates comedians Mitch Hedberg and Patton Oswalt, as well as Dave Attell, have influenced his songwriting. And, somehow, Ray Charles gets into the conversation. Check out Matt’s new album, Savoy, at mattnorthmusic.com or Bandcamp. Follow him @mattnorthmusic. Follow us @PerformanceAnx. Merch is available at performanceanx.threadless.com. Money for coffee is accepted through ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. Now I hope you enjoy Nashville vs Champaign-Urbana with Matt North on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network.

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This was a fun one. Welcome brookelen to the podcast. I stumbled across one of her reels on Instagram and was immediately drawn to her sound. I reached out about doing a podcast episode and a week later, here we are.Brooke grew up a military kid but found a home in Arlington, VA, after several moves.She picked up violin as a kid and was inspired by the epicness of Celine Dion.Her early musical aspirations weren’t necessarily that of an artist, though, but more behind-the-scenes.Although she was writing music, she didn’t really throw herself into it until she moved to Los Angeles. She met up with friends and started playing in parks and with friends. She’s played in a few projects but it wasn’t until she lost her job that she really decided to throw herself into her music.

Her music has evolved over the relatively short period of time she’s been releasing it. Each EP has a different reason for it’s different sound; from dealing with familial relationships to depression, and more, each album charts new ground. The new EP is no exception. It’s loud, raw, and was recorded live in the studio. It was a way of breaking the hold that perfectionism had on her. The new release, Dark Side of the Sun, is out everywhere and there are physical copies! Listen on Spotify or buy it on Bandcamp! If you’re into 90’s alternative, you’ll love this EP. Give her a follow @brookelen on Instagram and TikTok. Follow us @PerformanceAnx. Merch is at performanceanx.threadless.com. Or just help with coffee money at ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. I know you’re going to love brookelen on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network.

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This guest is one I’ve wanted to have on for a while. I’ve been a fan for about 20 years but I had always been nervous about approaching him for one specific reason. It’s a sensitive topic that will be obvious when you listen. But after seeing him open up about it on his own YouTube videos, I reached out. And I’m so glad I did. Please welcome Harley Di Nardo to the show. He’s a modern renaissance man, being a musician, film maker, and hair stylist. 

I heard his first band, Closer, through Pandora. Imagine that, a platform that really did help me discover music! We talk about getting signed and dropped twice, switching gears, and one day that turned his life upside down.

He’s making new music, finding old music he had forgotten about, and helping others (including me) stay positive about obstacles and failures in our lives. Not only does he share some great stories, he’s consistently releasing new music on Spotify, so keep looking and checking him out there. Follow him @harleydinardo on Instagram & Harley Di Nardo on Facebook. Follow us @PerformanceAnx on Instagram. Grab merch at performanceanx.threadless.com or just send money to ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. Now let’s get closer to Harley Di Nardo on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network.

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Today’s guest has just reissued a hidden gem. Welcome Matt Devine. Matt has played with a lot of previous guests of this podcast. And after listening to his bands Permanent Green Light and Ventilator, I know why. He talks about how he got into music and the bands he loved growing up. He talks about starting his own bands and keeping the expectations low. After Permanent Green Light formed and dissolved, he focused on the music he had been writing for himself in his apartment. That music became Ventilator’s first album, Reseda Spleen. Reseda Spleen was released in 1996 and I am amazed that it seems to have slipped through the cracks. And it turns out that Reseda Spleen isn’t the only lost classic he’s played on. He also appears on Paul D’Amour’s post-Tool band, Feersum Ennjin. Matt talks about his post Ventilator career and how Reseda Spleen came to be reissued on Bar None Records. The digital release even comes with a couple of bonus tracks. Matt talks about what it’s like going back and listening to songs he wrote 30 years ago. But with this reissue, more people will be hearing it for the first time! So grab your vinyl from bar-none.com. Follow the band on Instagram @ventilatorofficial for some exclusive pictures and videos. Follow us @PerformanceAnx. Merch is available at performanceanx.threadless.com. Send coffee funds to ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. I hope you enjoy Matt Devine & Ventilator as much as I have on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network.

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Today’s guest is a very interesting artist. I’m pleased to present Wesley Stace, aka John Wesley Harding. He’s just released a new album called One Last Heist and it’s wonderful. Wesley has always been an artist who follows his instincts and they’re currently pulling him into a jazzy stage. But he was gracious enough to step back in time with me and discuss his career, starting even before his debut album, a daring solo, live, acoustic disc called It Happened One Night. It turns out, his plans were NOT to become a musician. But when he did, he chose a pseudonym instead of using his given name. We talk about that and how his style has evolved over the decades. His latest albums are being released under his given name and he reveals why that is. He talks about writing novels and the effect that’s had on his lyric writing. We also discuss jazz and food, his band, his philosophy on making music at 60, and if John Wesley Harding might see the light of day again. Give him a follow as Wesley Stace on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. Grab the album One Last Heist at pravdamusic.com or wesleystace.com. Follow us @PerformanceAnx on Instagram. Check out merch at performanceanx.threadless.com or send coffee money to ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. And I hope you enjoy the stylings of Wesley Stace on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network.

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Today’s show is a little different. I’m joined by former podcast guest Timothy Reid. He reached out to me about our subject, bassist Tim (T.R.) Miller. He’s an American bass player who lived in Japan for many years. He’s an important, but possibly underappreciated, figure in the Japanese rock scene. Timothy followed his career for a long time and, eventually, met up with him and even played in some bands with him. Tim had issues and had to leave Japan. He agreed to speak with Timothy via phone calls from his halfway house, in order to tell his story. Timothy compiled the calls and asked if he could release Tim’s story through this podcast. I thought it was a great idea! It’s exactly the reason this podcast was created; to tell the stories of artists who are not household names but whose stories are just as important. I hope you enjoy the story of Tim (T.R.) Miller.

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Today we’re talking about collaborations. And by we I mean, of course myself, Jordan Zadorozny and Stephen Bluhm. Both Jordon and Stephen have partaken of the fruits of collaboration. Jordon hath tasted the delights on many an occasion whilst Stephen has recently just taken his first bite of the apple of collab.  

We talk about our favorites, some that really didn’t turn out so well, and the reasons why. Stephen’s collaboration is with the legendary Mike Watt. He talks about how it happened and how he wound up doing a three hour tour of San Pedro with Watt as his guide.  Jordon discusses some of his collaborations and shares some amazing stories of ones that went well and the one that went very wrong. He also talks about his collaborations wit Lindsay Buckingham, both intentional and accidental.

Go to Bandcamp or Subvert.fm to find Stephen’s new song with Mike Watt under the name Work Crush. Go to Bandcamp for Jordon’s collabs as Blinker the Star and his band Velorum. Check out our stuff at performanceanx.threadless.com. Or throw us a few shekels at ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. Now buckle up because this one goes down so many rabbit holes, i lost count. Here’s Collaborations with Stephen Bluhm and Jordon Zadorozny on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network.

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Today’s guest came to my attention through a friend. Welcome guitarist Darren Michael Boyd. Technically, he’s a multi-instrumentalist but let’s keep things simple for the introduction. He first came to my attention through Astrid Young and her cover of Hell Hole for the Teen Cancer America Spinal Tap Tribute. He released a new album last year but that's just the latest in a string of solo albums in addition to the other bands he plays in and contributions he makes. He talks about his early days, touring as a teen (one stop turned out to be the scene of a murder). Darren talks about shifting from bands to a guitarist-for-hire role. He also talks about why he started writing and releasing solo albums and the difficulties of being an independent artist. He’s got a great live band but Darren is still getting used to being out front. He talks about the Spinal Tap project and how he got involved. He also tells me how he got started in the reptile business. Be sure to pick up his music at darrenboyd.com and follow him on socials @darrenmichaelboyd. Follow us @PerformanceAnx and grab merch at performanceanx.threadless.com. You can also send money to ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy Darren Michael Boyd on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network.

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Today’s guest really didn’t have a choice in what he did. Rock and roll chose him. Please welcome Dizzy Reed to the podcast. You may know him best as the keyboardist and second longest tenured member of Guns N’ Roses but that’s not the beginning (or end) of his story. From learning to play organ from his grandmother to his first gig playing Smoke On The Water on an unusual instrument, all the way to meeting GNR and releasing two solo albums and everything in between, Dizzy has some of the best stories I’ve heard. He talks about perfecting the after-party and being a part of The Dead Daisies and Hookers & Blow to play some of his favorite covers. We talk about the four songs Guns has never played live, improv Christmas songs, and meeting Ronnie James Dio at the mall. He also tells me the story of how he got the nickname Dizzy, playing with Spinal Tap as The Legendary Wheatabix, and the career he MIGHT have chosen, had not rock and roll chosen him. And I want to wrap up with a thank you to Jason Achilles for connecting me with Dizzy and introducing him to the Teen Cancer America Spinal Tap project. And a special thank you to former guest Timothy Reid (no relation) for technical audio assistance on this episode. I owe you one!

Go to dizzyfnreed to pick up the limited vinyl version of his latest solo album, go see Guns N’ Roses on tour, and give man a follow @dizzyfnreed.    

Follow the show @PerformanceAnx, grab our merch at performanceanx.threadless.com. Or just send money to ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. And I thank you for choosing US and Dizzy Reed of Guns N’ Roses on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network.

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