2024 is here and this is a very special episode #30 of Pierre Pressure Podcast. This is a re-broadcast of an interview Pierre did with Gordon Gano, lead singer and guitarist of the Violent Femmes, along with then-drummer Brian Viglione (drummer of Dresden Dolls, Nine Inch Nails, World Inferno Friendship Society) on East Village Radio, hosted by Michael Messenie, AKA the Coach, on his Two For Tennis Show. This interview took place in September of 2013 in a tiny studio in the East Village in New York City. Pierre was thrilled to be asked to co-interview Gordon and Brian of the Violent Femmes on the occasion of their upcoming show at Summer Stage, re-starting an era of touring and recording for the band. The Violent Femmes were a hugely influential part of 1980's culture, starting with their massive hit “Blister in the Sun” in 1983 and continuing to this day.  Their music was life-changing for Pierre and kicked-started his journey as a guitarist and songwriter.

https://vfemmes.com/
https://www.brian-viglione.com/bio
https://www.evr2.com/

Theme song; Marchandise by Pierre de Gaillande, from the album franglais. (originally Merchandise by Fugazi.) Gone Daddy Gone, Old Mother Reagan, Jesus Walking on the Water, Black Girls by Violent Femmes. Let Me Ride by Mercey Seat. Coin-Operated Boy by Dresden Dolls. Baiser en l'Air (Kiss Off in French) by Pierre de Gaillande / Bad Reputation-franglais. Good Feeling (Violent Femmes Cover) by Sea Foxx.

Dan Reeder is an American musician and visual artist born in Louisiana and raised in California. Since 1987, Reeder has lived full-time in Nurnberg, Germany. He releases albums under his own name on John Prine's label, Oh Boy Records. Reeder writes some of the most honest, hilarious, heart-wrenchingly beautiful songs you'll ever hear. His music has been called “outsider folk,” but whatever the moniker, it punches you in the heart with perfectly crafted song-gems populated with drunks, fuckups, and regular people trying to get by. Reeder's music came into my consciousness through the song “Maybe,” a disquisistion on mortality that stands shoulder to shoulder with anything by Tom Waits, Elliott Smith, Georges Brassens, or Leonard Cohen. Did I mention he builds his own guitars and computers? We talked about his accidental discovery of computer recording, getting a call from John Prine's manager at 3am, what America looks like from the vantage point of Germany, and navigating political correctness in changing times. Enjoy this very special episode of PPP.

https://www.danreeder.com

Theme song; Marchandise by Pierre de Gaillande, from the album franglais. (originally Merchandise by Fugazi.) Maybe, Been Thinking About a New Microphone, Clean Elvis, Born a Worm, Nobody Wants To Be You, Pussy Titty, 2016 Election Song, Fun Campfire Song, Bloo You Believe in Bloo Blove, Havana Burning by Dan Reeder. Né Un Ver by Stephan Eicher and Dan Reeder.

In this episode, I talk with Kurt Wagner, founder and singer songwriter behind the band Lamchop,  which make some of the most gorgeously orchestrated indie-pop you’ll ever hear, wrapped around Kurt Wagner’s complex and  exquisite lyrics. 

Wagner lives in Nashville with his wife Mary Mancini, who ran Lucy's Records in nashville before becoming the chair of the Tennesse Democratic Party. We had a great conversation about avoiding the obvious in art and music, the trap of using politics as a promotional tool, and our mutual love of Vic Chesnutt.  Wagner was a friend of Vic’s, and Lambchop backed him for his 1998 album The Salesman and Bernadette. I had the good fortune of also perforning in Vic Chesnutt’s band around that same time.

Wagner has an amazing body of work with his band Lambchop, his solo electronica project Hecta and the excellent country album titled Invariable Heartache. Lamchop’s newest album, released in September, is called the Bible.  

https://www.lambchop.net

https://www.lucysrecordshop.com

Playlist available on Spotify:
Theme song; Marchandise by Pierre de Gaillande, from the album franglais. (originally Merchandise by Fugazi.) Man Who Loved Beer, Up With People, I’ve Been Lonely for So Long, Relatives #2, Give Me Your Love, JFK, Grumpus, and Whatever, Mortal by Lambchop. Change is In our Pocket by HecTA. Wild Mountain Berries by Kort. Scratch Scratch Scratch and Supernatural by Vic Chesnutt.

After a much-needed hiatus, Pierre Pressure is back with an extremely special episode. Pierre talks with the one and only Jedi Master of Punk Rock, Mike Watt.
Watt started his bass playing career in the legendary punk band the Minutemen in 1980 in San Pedro with his childhood friends D. Boon and George Hurley. That band is cited across the board as a lightning rod influence on the punk and indie scenes that endure to this day. After the tragic demise of the Minutemen in 1980, Watt has continued to blaze a trail playing bass with his countless solo projects and collaborations, including fIREHOSE, Dos, Iggy Pop, J Mascis and the Fog, Porno For Pyros, Banyan, Il Sogno Del Mariano, MSSV, the Secondmen, the Missingmen, and many others.
Pierre and Mike talked about the political roots of the Minutemen, the ethos of the punk movement that surrounded it and nurtured it, as well as delving into Watt's philosophies of bass playing, healthy living, collaboration, and evolving as a human being and a musician who continues to break new ground after forty years on the stage and in the studio.
hootpage.com
twfps.com
pierredegaillande.com
 

Listen on Apple Podcasts
Playlist available on Spotify
Theme song; Marchandise by Pierre de Gaillande, from the album franglais. (Translated from Merchandise by Fugazi.) Sidemouse by Dos. The Roar of the Masses Could be Farts, Do You Want New Wave or Do You Want the Truth by Minutemen. Relatin Dudes to Jazz by Firehose. Bob Dylan Wrote Propaganda Songs, Shit from an Old Notebook, Vietnam, Swing to the Right, God Bows to Math by Minutemen. Against the 70s by Mike Watt. Glory of Man (live) by MW and the Missingmen. Grease the System by Banyan. Mountain Top by Il Sogno del Marinaeo. One Reporter's Opinion by Minutemen. Forever One Reporter's Opinion by Mike Watt. Hear Me by fIREHOSE. Intense Song For Madonna to Sing by Mike Watt. Red and the Black by Minutemen. 
Everywhen We Go by Mike Bagetta, Mike Watt, Jim Keltner.

Eleni Mandell is an LA-based singer-songwriter who has been making some of the best music you'll ever hope to hear since her first album, Wishbone, came out in 1996. She's an astoundingly prolific artist with a huge discography, and she's collaborated with such heavy hitters as Nels Cline (Wilco), DJ Bonebrake (X), Joey Waronker (Beck), and Nate Walcott (Bright Eyes), putting out one great album after another. Her songs have been covered by the likes of Jackson Browne, Harper Simon, and Van Dyke Parks, and she continues to perform with her solo project as well as the four piece female miracle harmony ensemble The Living Sisters, and her side-project The Grabs. I met Eleni on tour in 2006 in Nashville, and I've since had the good fortune to work on some recordings and share a stage with her on a number of occasions. We spoke about the continuing struggle of being a creative person, a parent to twins, and a working human being in these challenging times. She also shared a sneak peak of her newest project Teardrop Ghosts with her husband and musical partner Milo Jones.

elenimandell.com

Playlist available on Spotify:
Theme song; Marchandise by Pierre de Gaillande, from the album franglais. (originally Merchandise by Fugazi.) Give Them All a Kiss, by Pierre de Gaillande with vocals by Eleni Mandell (originally Embrasse les Tous by Georges Brassens.) Circumstance Air, Box in a Box, Just Herself, I'm Old Fashioned, My Twin, Put My Baby To Bed, Nickel Plated Man, and Two Faces by Eleni Mandell. Francais Un by Eleni Mandell, with Pierre de Gaillande, vocals. Empty Locket  by Eleni Mandell and Milo Jones. Lemon Tree by Teardrop Ghosts, Eleni Mandell and Milo Jones. Political Disco by The Grabs.

Episode 25 of Pierre Pressure Podcast features very special guest Tony Scalzo from the band Fastball. Tony is a talented and prolific songwriter who wrote a string of hits for his platinum-selling band Fastball in the late 90s. He grew up in Orange County, California and moved to Austin, Texas where he still lives today. We have a lively chat about growing up behind the Orange Curtain in the 80s, his musical trajectory starting with piano lessons, playing in marching bands, joining his first cover band at 14, then jumping into songwriting and playing at Hollywood clubs, becoming politically aware after a blissfully ignorant childhood, moving to the progressive town of Austin, Fastball's trajectory through the music industry, and lots and lots of politics. He performs a brand new song, Seat at the Table live and acoustic.

www.fastballtheband.com

Music:  
Theme song; Merchandise by Fugazi, performed by Pierre de Gaillande, from the album franglais. Big Flag by Pierre de Gaillande. The Way by Fastball, The Bed I Made by Tony Scalzo. Big League Game by Electric Kool Aide. Seat at the Table (live acoustic) by Tony Scalzo. Wagen by Vibafemba. Out of  My Head by Fastball. Bad Things by Machine Gun Kelly (featuring Camilla Cabello.) White Collar and All Gone Fuzzy by Fastball.

Election 2020 Actions: 
Be a poll worker - https://www.elections.ny.gov/BecomePollworker.html  
Register friends to vote - https://voterreg.dmv.ny.gov/MotorVoter/  
Write postcards - https://postcardstovoters.org

After a three month hiatus due to Covid 19, Pierre Pressure Podcast is back! For the new season, Pierre focuses on the tradition of protest music, and how it can inspire us to speak up, stand up, and sing out about what we think needs to change in our fractured society. Pierre Pressure Podcast is extremely honored to have special guest Bill Frisell on this first reboot episode #24.

Bill Frisell is a groundbreaking guitarist, composer and arranger. One of the leading guitarists in jazz since the late 1980s, Frisell came to prominence as a stalwart for ECM Records. He went on to work in a variety of contexts, notably as a member of the New York City Downtown Scene where he formed a long partnership with John Zorn. He was also a longtime member of Paul Motian's groups from the early 1980s until Motian's death in 2011. Since 2000, Frisell's eclectic output as a bandleader has emphasized folk, country music, and Americana. Frisell has put out an astonishing amount of music, spanning all genres and styles as a bandleader and a collaborator with artists including John Zorn, Charlie Haden, Petra Haden, Richard Hell, Ginger Baker, Earth, Vic Chesnutt, Arto Lindsay, Fred Armisen, Allen Toussaint, Loudon Wainwright III, Lucinda Williams, and many, many others.

Pierre spoke to Frisell about his start as a clarinet player, the connection between breathing, speaking, and his unique guitar tone, his long time collaboration with Hal Wilner who died tragically from Covid 19 this year, his work with John Zorn, his appearance on the fabled, short-lived, David Sanborn-hosted TV show Night Music which featured a collaboration with Sting and Rufus Thomas, his foray into film music, and the meaning of protest music in our current era.  

www.billfrisell.com 
Photo: Monica Jane Frisell

Music: 
Theme song; Aime-Toi by Justin Bieber and Ed Sheeran, performed by Pierre de Gaillande, from the album franglais. Electriciousness by Pierre de Gaillande. Come Together, Masters of War, A Hard Rain's a Gonna Come, Change is Gonna Come, by Bill Frisell. You Will be Shot by John Zorn. Little Brother Bobby by Bill Frisell. Ain't No Sunshine by Bill Withers, performed by Sting. Satellite by Elliot Smith, performed by Petra Haden and Bill Frisell. Music from The Great Flood by Bill Morrison, music composed and performed by Bill Frisell, with Ron Miles, Tony Scherr, and Kenny Wollesen. Bonanza Theme, by Bill Frisell. Torture Garden by John Zorn. We Shall Overcome by Bill Frisell.

Election 2020 Actions:
Be a poll worker - https://www.elections.ny.gov/BecomePollworker.html 
Register friends to vote - https://voterreg.dmv.ny.gov/MotorVoter/ 
Write postcards - https://postcardstovoters.org

Part 2 of Pierre's Pandemic Podcast features two guests from Episode 22 and some new guests discussing life during the coronavirus lockdown. Pierre checks in on the phone with two people who had Covid 19 and recovered, a doctor and a nurse practitioner working with patients in New York City,  two musicians, a public defender, and someone living in Carriacou, a remote island in the Carribean. Don't miss this episode filled with tales of resilience, ordinary madness, quiet heroism, frustration and laughter in the face of unprecedented strangeness.

Guests: 
1: Spider, nurse practitioner in Brooklyn, NY 
2: Daria, musician in Beacon, New York
3: Sid, public defender in Brooklyn, NY
4: Genevieve, education administrator in Brooklyn, NY 
5: Izzy, musician in Bushwick, NY 
6: Wendy, retired in Carriacou, Grenada
7: Jonathan, cardiologist in New York, NY
 

Songs:
Merchandise, written by Fugazi, performed by Pierre de Gaillande. HIV by Ween. Pettin' in the Park by Daria Grace and the Prewar Ponies. Valley Winter Song by Fountains of Wayne. Still Ill by The Smiths. Biological Speculation by Parliament. Time to Get Ill by Beastie Boys. Come Sail Away by Styx. Four Senses on Alert by Pierre de Gaillande. Close to You by Karen Carpenter.

PIERRE PRESSURE PANDEMIC PLAYLIST is available for streaming on SPOTIFY. 
 

A very unusual Pierre Pressure Podcast. In this episode, Pierre called his friends in New York, California, and Florida to see how they are getting by during this world-wide quarantine. These guests range in age, gender, profession, and location, from musicians to prisoner advocates to BnB owners to school lunch administrators, they have all been deeply affected by the corona virus. I asked them all to tell me what music is getting them by during this historic catastrophe, and I made a playlist on Spotify with their suggestions (see link below.)  Shortly after this taping, the first guest, "Spider" contracted the Covid 19 virus and is in good condition at home. All other guests are coping with this unusual time in their own ways. There will be further call-in shows as this quarantine goes on.

PIERRE PRESSURE PANDEMIC PLAYLIST is available for streaming on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6eKaZ7z3EwQlSfEoRIhkWN?si=XbZKaGh2S6CzEWO1rc6RtA

Guests:
1: Spider in Brooklyn, NY
2: Jack Grace in upstate New York
3: Kevin in Polk County, Florida
4: Gretchen in Flatbush, Brooklyn, NY
5: Scheffer in San Francisco, CA
6: Izzy Rock in Bushwick, NY
7: Basquali in Hudson, NY
8: Kelsey in Brooklyn, NY
9: Zoe in San Franciso, CA

Song: Corona by Minutemen, Four Senses on Alert by Pierre de Gaillande, Night Fever by BeeGees, I Die: You Die by Gary Numan, Pandemic songs by Jack Grace, I'm Clean Now by Grouper, Gold Sounds by Pavement, I'm Still Standing by Elton John, Pressure by Billy Joel, Dance Yrself Clean by LCD Soundsystem,  We Will Never Exist by Sitar Metal, It's the End of the World As We Know It by REM, My Corona by Zdoggmb, My Struggles by Missy Elliott.
 

Chris Wells is the founder of The Secret City, and he is a high priest of art. He's been known to tower over people in platform shoes, he leads a congregation of art worshippers, his performances make people feel high, and he was raised in the high desert of California. In this episode we discuss what it means to create transcendental, communal gatherings outside the umbrella of "church."  We talk about the somatic response of fight, flight, or freeze, trying to heal the wounds of empire, gay politicians wearing "straight-face," people who let their dogs lick their face, and the performance of being a Reagan-loving, church-going young man. We also discuss Chris' journey into being a radical fairy, dissect the so-called Irish potato famine, queers in the woods, gay liberation not assimilation, and his ongoing mission to bring art-based, ecstatic spectacle to a divided world. A lot of ground is covered!

Episode sponsor: Cats Who Can Type. Opening music: Marchandise by Bad Reputation (French cover of Merchandise by Fugazi). Pixxlatd Cock by Pierre de Gaillande. Songs: Famine by Sinead O'Connor, Hold Me Baby by Christie and the NoNos, Compared to What by Les McCann and Eddie Harris. End music: All One by The Snow.

thesecretcity.org
mrchriswells.com