Vinyl Emergency

Fresh off of a blistering new Dinosaur Jr. album titled There Near, and the announcement of a 30th anniversary reissue of Sebadoh's Harmacy LP, Lou Barlow visits this week to discuss when the first Trump presidency kickstarted a picture sleeve obsession, why he intentionally destroyed Dinosaur Jr.'s first vinyl test pressing, and how a proper guitar tablature book for the band would be theoretically impossible. Visit dinosaurjr.com for tour dates and megamart.subpop.com for the Harmacy pre-order.

Naturally and keenly shifting from soul to folk to stadium rock (sometimes in the same song) over the last 25+ years, Jim James -- and by extension My Morning Jacket, his Grammy-nominated powerhouse quintet -- points to an unlikely influence for such a kaleidoscope of sound: Jim Henson. Through The Muppet Show and Sesame Street's wide-eyed optimism and cast diversity — be they human actors or handmade ones — songs like "The Rainbow Connection" spoke deeply to him as a youngster, leading to an admiration for the rag-tag nature of Dr. Teeth & the Electric Mayhem. Fast-forward to the present, and Jim's success as led to a few Muppet-related full-circle moments, like jamming with manic drummer Animal or crooning side-by-side with Kermin the Frog, both occurring at Newport Folk Festival appearances within the last few years. On the heels of a new solo LP titled Wowed Out, Jim chats about other early influences like AC/DC and Anita Baker, how he's collecting fonts these days more so than records, and why letting go is an integral part of the creative process. Tour dates and more can be found at jimjames.com and mymorningjacket.com.

For more My Morning Jacket talk, find bassist Tom Blankenship's visit from 2020, on Episode 134 further back in this same feed.

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Enjoy this special feed drop of The Great Albums Podcast, where Vinyl Emergency's Jim Hanke guests to discuss The Promise Ring's 1999 LP, Very Emergency, track-by-track. Find and subscribe to the Great Albums wherever you get podcasts!

Members of the Great Albums Patreon can listen to an additional interview regarding the album with Dan Didier, drummer and founding member of the band.

Describing himself as working within "the art of opportunity," Hutch Harris has been rummaging through charity bins and resale shops for years, pocketing vintage insurance ads or worn pages of childrens books, in order to create stunning, patchwork album covers for The Thermals. In today's conversation, Hutch describes what goes into those methods and how you at home can obtain personalized lyric sheets, unique LP/CD sleeves and more. Leading up to the September 4th release of Under Crushing Rain — the first new Thermals LP in a decade — we also cover when Broadway musicals fueled his interest in concept albums, and how a mastering engineer's snarky review of the band's debut full-length ended up in inscribed in that album's deadwax. A 20th anniversary repress of the Thermals' landmark album The Body The Blood The Machine is available now for pre-order via subpop.com, while Under Crushing Rain can be purchased at thethermals.bandcamp.com. Subscribe to the Thermals' Patreon for more one-of-a-kind goodness.

SPONSORS: Foregin Leisure Records | flipbin | Forge Again Records

Recorded in front of a live audience at The Salt Shed's Three Top Lounge in Chicago, all six members of The Hold Steady (along with album producer John Agnello) sit down to sum up the writing, recording and behind-the-scenes sagas of 'Boys and Girls in America,' in celebration of its 20th anniversary. Pre-order the new 2LP reissue, due out in November, from your favorite indie record store and get tickets for the band's annual Massive Nights celebration at theholdsteady.net.

SPONSORS: flipbin | StreamToWax | Forge Again Records

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Following the sudden passing of Glen Hansard, we are revisiting his appearance on Vinyl Emergency, with longtime Swell Season creative partner Markéta Irglová, to celebrate Glen's songwriting and lasting musical impact. This special ad-free encore presentation begins with new reflections on his career and essential albums before transitioning into the original interview, released in July 2025.

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Gearing up this week to release their latest album Everything I Ever Saw, Menzingers vocalist/guitarist Greg Barnett discusses vinyl's evolution since the band's inception two decades ago, their friendship and collaborations with in-demand producer Will Yip, and why allowing the group to be a democracy in the first place has kept it alive. Visit themenzingers.com for album info, tour dates, socials and more, including listening party and in-store performance details to celebrate the record's release.

SPONSORS: StreamToWax | Forge Again Records | flipbin

You'd be hard-pressed to find someone else with as much curiosity and vigor at 70 years old about the creation of art as longtime CBS News journalist Anthony Mason. Over his 40+ years with the network, he's shaped an Emmy-winning career around making songwriters of all stripes (from Bruce Springsteen to Phoebe Bridgers) feel comfortable enough to get uncomfortable about their motives, fears and process. And though his CBS schedule hasn't slowed down in the least, he's now launched 'Alchemy with Anthony Mason' — a new long-form interview program on YouTube, featuring conversations with Paul Simon, Nile Rodgers, Hozier and others — as a way of expanding upon the segues and tangents around songwriting that might normally be left on broadcast television's cutting-room floor. Returning to the podcast for his second visit, he discusses today how songwriting is a mechanism for the processing of trauma, and the sentiment of the show's rallying cry, inspired by Wilco's Jeff Tweedy. Watch Alchemy with Anthony Mason on YouTube, sign up for Anthony's newsletter at alchemy.show, and follow the program on Instagram @alchemywithanthony.

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Check out Episode 173 with Anthony from 2023, further back in this feed.

Hot on the heels of I Built You A Tower — Death Cab for Cutie's 11th album, released earlier this month — bassist and founding member Nick Harmer tells us why this LP is the band's loudest in a long time. Plus, a deep dive into his personal record-hunting habits, how the group culled through nearly 100 demos to shape this release, and pinpointing the connecting tissue between Tower's themes of grief, apathy and change. Tour dates, socials and more are available at deathcabforcutie.com.

It seems that Mike Reed's musical journey has been supported and surrounded by family from the very beginning -- whether his dad was building a stage, his uncle was installing a lighting rig, or having his brother Ben Reed at his side through Small Brown Bike, Able Baker Fox or their latest project, 84 Tigers. On this week's show, Mike details the DIY efforts -- usually involving similar DNA -- that it's taken over the years to steer his musical vision. Plus, ahead of a 25th anniversary performance of their landmark album Dead Reckoning at this year's Fest 24, why reuniting Small Brown Bike without guitarist Travis Dopp (who passed away in 2023) wasn't originally an easy place to get to. Visit thefestfl.com for tickets, and hear 84 Tigers' new album Nothing Ends wherever you stream music. Find it on vinyl from either spartanrecords.com or 84tigersband.com.