Transmissions

One of the pet theories we've nursed on this show is that music allows the right listener to do something like travel through time. Or, maybe, a better way to say it would be: music allows us a way to step briefly outside of the experience linear time.

Our guest this week on the show, Ishmael Butler of Shabazz Palaces and Digable Planets, is used to swimming in waters where science fiction weirdness and musical expression mingle. Shabazz Palaces' new album, It’s a Style Sport, represents a new high water mark for the Seattle-based rapper; at once memoiristic and mystical, it’s a strange and beguiling listen. This week, he joins Transmissions host Jason P. Woodbury to discuss basketball, his "Afro-fractal" artistic approach, the influence of artists like the Cocteau Twins, and of course, that goofy old standby: what's it like being a middle aged guy in rap?

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Social media is a strange thing. Not long ago, Transmissions host Jason P. Woodbury was ⁠retweeted by famed MTV News legend Kurt Loder⁠. Loder was sharing a repost of a viral video featuring Detroit band Protomartyr, performing their song “Jumbo’s” at a BBQ in 2011.

In the video, frontman Joe Casey smokes a cigarette and sips whiskey, alternating between deadpan ambivalence and dark menace as he prowls the stage and the band churns behind him. Loder noted, "Apparently [rock & roll] actually will never die…"

This week on Transmissions, I’m speaking with return guest Casey of Protomartyr, a band that, perhaps all on their lonesome, is indeed keeping something like rock & roll alive—whatever we really mean by that—on their new Protomartyr album is called Hotel Usona.

Since 2012’s debut No Passion All Technique, the band has taken leaps forward with each album, and Hotel Usona, recorded with producer Dave Friedman, incorporates elements of mid-century exotica, musique concrète, and jazzy noir.

Yet, there are moments on the album that radiate heaviness too—the band’s post-punk informed take on indie rock has never sounded more bracing. And it all sets a groundwork for Casey to create his most fully realized lyrical concept to date. Set around the loose concept of a hotel in which each room contained a character and a story, it's both a timely meditation on an empire in decline and a genuine work of defiance and hope.

In this conversation, we discuss Detroit’s cinematic glories, Catholicism, JD Vance, and much more. It was a blast to catch up with Joe and a pleasure to share this conversation with you on Aquarium Drunkard Transmissions.

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Hippies, Thugs, and Heroes finds guitarist Richard Thompson sounding as savage, lyrical, and eloquent as ever. This week on Aquarium Drunkard Transmissions, we're pleased to welcome Thompson back to the show.

If you dig this show, there’s a pretty solid chance that you already know that he's one of the founding fathers of British folk rock, known for his work with Fairport Convention, Sandy Denny, his former wife Linda Thompson, Nick Drake and others.

Writing about Thompson, Aquarium Drunkard’s own Tyler Wilcox praised his “unparalleled instrumental prowess, his superhumanly sensitive tone, and his singular melodies.”

Thompson last joined us in 2021 to discuss his memoir, Beeswing: Losing My Way and Finding My Voice (1967-1975). Since then, he’s released Ship to Shore in 2024, and now Hippies, Thugs and Heroes, which was produced by Thompson and James Frazee in Weehawken, New Jersey.

In this conversation, Thompson guides us into the crime-ridden world of the new album, discusses the jangling influence of Tom Petty and The Byrds, his own prowess on the drum kit, working quickly and without much worry, and some of his past collaborators, including Mitchell Froom and Tchad Blake.

From outlaw ballads to the wilds of social media, from Buddy Holly to Johnny Cash, Thompson is a well seasoned guide through this conversation, so let’s get into it. Aquarium Drunkard Transmissions drops weekly on Wednesdays in partnership with the Talkhouse Podcast Network.

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Stones Throw is one of the most dynamic labels of the 21st century. The label's founder, Peanut Butter Wolf, joins us to discuss the label’s journey, from a small backpacker hip-hop imprint to an Adult Swim-boosted powerhouse, to the diverse roster of post punk, electro, and R&B artists taking the stage to celebrate Stones Throw’s 30th anniversary on Saturday, October 16, 17, and 18th in Highland Park.

Presented by Lodge Room and KCRW, ⁠Stones Throw 30 ⁠speaks to just how expansive the the label’s sound is in 2026, from the fuzzed out synth punk of N8NOFACE to the violin powered art-soul of Sudan Archives.

In this career spanning conversation with host Jason P. Woodbury, Wolf takes us back to the label’s earliest days, discusses his own major label experiences, and traces the thread that connects the Stones Throw artistic lineage.

Along the way, we devote conversational space to the greats, including talk about Madlib, J Dilla, and the major hip-hop artists, including Nas and Kanye, who pulled from the vast catalog of sound in the Stones Throw sonic universe.

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Certain people play guitar in a way that is immediately recognizable, no matter the context. Our guest this week on Transmissions, Johnny Marr, is one of those guitarists. As a founding member of legendary indie band The Smiths, as well as a collaborator with groups like The The, The Pretenders, The Cribs, Modest Mouse, and Electronic, his sound is recognizable, a blend of jangle, chime, bite, and attitude.

But this recognizability never comes at the sake of the song. In fact, that’s what makes Marr so iconic, not just his tone or his parts, but the way he operates in first and foremost as a composer—turning the guitar into an instrumental of orchestration, a way to bring each song to life.

On October 2nd, Marr releases his latest solo album, The Age of Everything. Inspired by the everything-all-at-once pace of our current age, it’s a record that finds Marr sounding spry and loose.

In this conversation, Marr reflects on the new album, and gets into his philosophy regarding collaboration. It’s not just that Marr played on a Modest Mouse or Cribs record—he actually joined those bands full-on. What makes him so willing to dive in? What makes for a great artistic team-up? Marr drops his takes on those questions here.

Along the way, we also get into the global influence of The Smiths, discuss how Black American musicians inspired his sound, and share some of his less apparent influences, including Neil Young, who if you hear Marr tell it, played a rather pivotal role in the development of British punk rock. Style, sound, and spirit—Johnny Marr brings each this week, so tune in.

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Welcome back to Aquarium Drunkard Transmissions. This week on the show, guitarist and psychotherapist Matt Baldwin, who is here to teach you How To Play Guitar. 

OK, not exactly. But Baldwin is the author of How To Play Guitar, a series of zines that have been collected into a handsome book edition. If you’re just picking up the instrument, well, Baldwin isn’t writing about how to play a C chord or run scales. 

These aren’t “how to” guides so much as “why to” prompts, stressing intuition over technique, dismissal of music industry norms, and the imperative to hone a singular, personal philosophy regarding the instrument—think Captain Beefheart’s “Ten Commandments of Playing Guitar.” 

Baldwin is just as likely to devote page space to warning about being on time to the gig, stressing moral and internal rectitude, and the exposing dangers of social media as he is to dispense tips like “stop using a flat pick” and “play banjo for a while”—both solid tactical suggestions he espouses.

When he’s not writing or exploring ketamine therapies, Baldwin makes music himself. His latest LP is called Welcome to Your Pool, a wonderfully languid set of instrumentals housed in a fully 3D lenticular cover sleeve—it’s a wonder to listen to, but also just a wonder to see.

On October 3rd, Baldwin will perform at one of my favorite Los Angeles places, the Philosophical Research Society, with fellow traveler Imaad Wasif. In this talk, we discuss his own guitar journey, the paranormal, John Fahey, Philip K Dick, and much more. Dive in: the water is fine.

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Welcome back to Aquarium Drunkard Transmissions with Jason P. Woodbury. This week on the show, comedian James Austin Johnson joins us to dive into the music nerd obsessions of his new comedy special, He'll Yeah.

You've likely seen JAJ on the TV. He's known for portraying Donald Trump, Joe Biden, and occasionally, Bob Dylan, on SNL. But He’ll Yeah’s vignettes and on-stage footage find Johnson creating a more "indie rock" styled special—something deeply specific to his own life and interests. In other words, if you're coming for Donald Trump impressions, you're out of luck. But if you're one of the, to quote the special, "seven other people who know who David Fricke is," it's tailor-made for you.

That signature blend of the genuine and the goofy is also on display in Johnson's music work. If you search him on your streaming service of choice, you’ll find some great Bob Dylan covers. Obviously, Johnson is a great impressionist, but he’s not so much aping Bob's signature vocal styles with these songs as much as he is genuinely inhabiting them.

It all lands somewhere between earnest sincerity and all-out goofs—as does this conversation. We want to thank our Talkhouse compatriots The Jokermen for connecting us after I listened to their great talk with James. Do support them on Patreon, they are in the midst of their new Leonard Cohen series.

James Austin Johnson’s He’ll Yeah is currently available exclusively on Gorilla Comedy+ before launching on 800 Pound Gorilla’s YouTube channel on September 22. 

So press play and dive in as Johnson talks his comedy, dig into the filmography of Wes Anderson, and reveal what he said to Scarlett Johansson when he met her, is James Austin Johnson on Aquarium Drunkard Transmissions.

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Welcome back to Aquarium Drunkard Transmissions with Jason P. Woodbury. This week on the show, writer and musician Sam Sodomsky, who records and releases music—a lot of it—under the name The Bird Calls.

His latest slice of literate folk rock and alt-country songcraft is called Take Leave, and it was released on August 28 via Ruination Record Co.

Inspired by songwriters like Dan Bejar of Destroyer, who’s appeared here on Transmissions and Bruce Springsteen, who has not appeared on the podcast—yet—Take Leave rattles with downcast charm. Its songs are sly and full of knowing. Take opening track “Some Bands” for instance, where Sodomsky sings, with poetic scope: “Some bands break up/Some stay together/Ice sculptures in the front yard/Melting in the sun.”

When he’s not making records, Sodomsky writing about them, primarily at Pitchfork. Here, he discusses his songwriting process, how he keeps hearing new things to love in the work of Springsteen, and where he thinks music journalism is headed.

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Welcome back to Aquarium Drunkard Transmissions with Jason P. Woodbury. This week, we’ve got something extra special: a behind the scenes look at the forthcoming documentary, Sun Ra: Door of the Cosmos, a sonic cinema odyssey through the life, work and philosophy of the surrealist composer and musician. 

In addition to a conversation with director Drew DeNicola, who you may know from the 2012 doc Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me, this episode will present archival material gathered for the film, including interviews and statements from Ra himself, rare recordings of the Sun Ra Arkestra in action, and previous Transmissions guest Camae Ayewa, also known as Moor Mother, reading from Sun Ra’s book of poetry, The Immeasurable Equation. 

The documentary has ⁠launched a Kickstarter campaign⁠ to raise finishing funds that will run for the month of September, offering unique array of premiums at all donation levels, including a selection of vinyl recordings from the Modern Harmonic label, and limited edition t-shirt and large format art prints from legendary jazz photographer, Veryl Oakland.

Now, settle in as we explore the Sun Ra's esoteric ideas, hear his singular voice, and explore the Arkestra's vast lore and history. Crack open this door of the cosmos and enter in.

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Since 1998, Jim James has led My Morning Jacket. In the early 2000s, the band's blend of Southern rock, psychedelia, dub, classic songcraft, loner country, and experimental folk put them on the forefront of festival stages.

Last year, MMJ released its 10th studio LP, the Brendan O’Brien-produced Is, and earlier this year, they dropped Peacelands, an anti-ICE collection of acoustic music. And now, James has a new solo album: Wowed Out. It’s his first solo music in eight years, and a killer return to form. 

Inspired by the nonstop deluge of information we are all exposed to and the process of attaining a little peace in the midst of it all, many of the songs here first began as cues for a film project that never came to fruition. But when James returned to these snippets, he found them deeply inspiring, which caused fully formed songs to begin pouring out. 

Touching on soul, psychedelic pop, folk, and ambient sounds, it’s some of the most spiritual music James has ever recorded, and tellingly, this conversation takes a heady, mystical turn.

In it, we focus on meditation, and the personal—and entirely personalized—ways that we come up with to navigate the world. Anyone who has listened to James’ songs understands the way he taps into the universal via the personal—Wowed Out is an example of him working in his highest capacity. 

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