Our guest this week is Johnathan Ford of Unwed Sailor. For more than two decades, he’s led the post-rock band Unwed Sailor. In that time, Ford has steered the band—an ever-evolving collective that’s included members of Pedro the Lion, Fleet Foxes, Danielson Famile and more—through a searching string of albums, incorporating the influence of ambient music, shoegaze, new age, math rock, and drone into its body of work, which constitutes one of the great under-recognized discographies in all of indie rock. 

Unwed Sailor’s latest is called Look Alive, and it showcases the collective’s more driving side, marrying Peter Hook-inspired basslines to rumbling soundscapes that evidence the early influence of groups like Bedhead and Tortoise. I caught up with Ford to discuss his history in American indie rock, and how he made his way from the grinding math rock of Roadside Monument to the slow-core folk of Pedro the Lion, and Unwed Sailor’s vast genre-diverse tapestry of sounds—and all zones in between. 

He’s got a new one, too: You Make Me Feel. Produced by Scott Bomar, it’s a raw, live feeling record, but it also showcases the subtle lyricism and sophistication of Bryant’s songwriting chops. He joined host Jason P. Woodbury to discuss highlights from his massive songbook, his marriage and creative partnership with Ann Peebles, and his return to the stage.

Our guest this week: Joe Casey of Protomartyr. One of the most exciting rock bands of the last decade, the Detroit-based post punk band will release its fifth album, Ultimate Success Today via Domino Records July 17th. The word prophetic isn't a stretch. With its references to disease, institutional brutality, and gross inequality—symptoms of “a cosmic grief, beyond all comprehension”—the new record matches the apocalyptic mood of the US, and much of the world, in 2020. But it also speaks to the continued growth of the Protomartyr aesthetic, pairing guest vocals and contributions by players associated with free jazz and experimental music with reverb-drenched guitars and brittle rhythms. Writing about the album, Ana da Silva of the Raincoats says: “Our world has reached a point that makes us afraid: fires, floods, earthquakes, hunger, war, intolerance..there are cries of despair. Is there any hope?” For this episode of Transmissions, Jason P. Woodbury asks Casey to answer that question, as well as Protomartyr's artistic growth, the uncanny influence of Robocop, and other doomed and damned topics. A reminder: Transmissions relies on our supporters on Patreon. Everything at Aquarium Drunkard does—so if you enjoy this show, our mixes, the Lagniappe Sessions—where your favorite artists cover their favorite artists—our weekly Sidecar newsletter, and the rest of our efforts, consider helping us by pledging your support of our independent outfit. 

We're back. This week, we’re featuring Jesse Locke’s interview with Jack Cooper of Modern Nature. The band’s new mini-album, Annual, is the follow up to the band’s debut, 2019’s How to Live. Inspired by the group’s time on the road in support of that album, this new one demonstrates the way live performance and improvisation has informed Cooper’s continually more expansive approach to Modern Nature.  

Drifting, seasonal, and often focused on the subtle saxophone work of Jeff Tobias of Sunwatchers, the album also features percussionist Jim Wallis and Kayla Cohen of Itasca, who’s been a guest here on Transmissions as well. That talk’s available in our archives, like all our past episodes. This show is sponsored—like everything at Aquarium Drunkard—by our listeners, who support us directly via Patreon. Supporters receive access to bonus audio, notes, special mixes and other projects. 

Welcome to another episode of the Aquarium Drunkard Transmissions podcast, our weekly interview series. Our guest this week is Lisa E. Harris, whose new album with Nicole Mitchell is called EarthSeed. It was recorded live at Fullerton Hall at the Art Institute of Chicago and features the Black Earth Ensemble—an all-star collection of Chicago improvisers and free jazz artists—backing up the two composers.  

Presented alongside a gallery of artist Cauleen Smith’s Human_3.o Reading List, EarthSeed was inspired by the work of Octavia E. Butler and will be released June 22nd, on Butler’s birthday. It’s the third album from Mitchell to draw from Butler’s work. It also represents a return to the ideas of Butler for Lisa Harris. An interdisciplinary artist, composer, and activist from Houston, Texas, Harris had been at work on an opera called Lilith before even learning of Butler’s work—but says that learning the author’s pioneering science fiction opened her up to new worlds of thought. 

Welcome to another edition of the Aquarium Drunkard Transmissions podcast, our weekly interview show featuring artists reflecting on their creative process, history, and work. This week, counter culture icon David Crosby. Anyone familiar with his Twitter feed knows Croz is a fount of opinions and insight, capable of immense warmth and good humor, but never one to pull punches. On July 31st, he’s reissuing the catalog of CPR, his cheekily named late ’90s and early 2000s supergroup with guitarist Jeff Pevar and Crosby’s son, keyboardist James Raymond. Alongside the trio’s two studio albums, 1998’s CPR and 2001’s Just Like Gravity, two live albums, Live at Cuesta College and Live at the Wiltern (featuring guest musicians Graham Nash, Marc Cohn, and Phil Collins) round out the overview of the group that set Crosby off on a late career renaissance that continues with recent albums like 2018’s Here If You Listen.

A quick note. Crosby spoke with Transmissions co-host Jason P. Woodbury as the mass Black Lives Matter that began in late May were beginning. The conversation does not reflect the remarkable events of the last few weeks. The latest issues of our Sidecar newsletter is dedicated specifically to the inspirational struggle for justice happening in the streets of America right now.

And we’re back. Welcome to another edition of the Aquarium Drunkard Transmissions podcast, our weekly series of conversations with artists, writers, and creators. This week: a discussion with sitarist and ambient composer Ami Dang, whose new project is called Meditations Mixtape, Vol. 1. Dang is a multi-instrumentalist from Baltimore, and we reached her there to discuss her particular fusion of sounds and the way she explores the middle ground between what’s considered sacred—and what isn’t

You can her her new album wherever you listen to music—we recommend heading over to Bandcamp to support Dang and Leaving Records directly by purchasing it digitally or on cassette. We'll be back on Wednesday with a conversation with David Crosby. Thanks for listening.

And we’re back. Welcome to another installment of Transmissions. For this episode, we’re bringing you one from the Radio Free Aquarium Drunkard’s archives: a live conversation with Ben Kramer and our founder Justin Gage, discussing 15 years of Aquarium Drunkard. Though RFAD is on pause, keep your eyes open for the eventual return of the Tonight Zone, Kramer’s late night call-in show. For now, tune in and drift as Kramer and Gage discuss the evolution and vision behind Aquarium Drunkard.

Were joined by singer/songwriter/producer/guitarist Steve Gunn for this episode of the Transmissions podcast—completing our round of talks with the participants of the Gunn/Lattimore/Tyler canceled tour. But there’s much more to hear here than another pandemic rap. Topics of conversation include the new Livin’ In Between EP, which pairs Gunn’s last Lagniappe Session with a brand-new cover of Neil Young’s “Motion Pictures,” Steve’s hardcore youth, immersion in the experimental Philadelphia scene, and his longstanding creative partnership with drummer John Trucinski.