Rounds of Sound

For the Season 6 finale Amy has a long distance chat with Yazmin Lacey from across the pond. Yazmin is fresh off of her debut album release, Voice Notes and we’re incredibly excited she had some time between shows to sit down with us! Today’s episode touches on the vulnerability it takes to share your creativity with the world, the magic energy of music and art, the (sometimes) random ramblings contained within our phone’s notes app, reclaiming joy and so much more! Tune in for our insightful conversation and Keep On Movin’ through this thing called life! Thanks for another amazing season - catch us soon for Season 7!

From Yazmin Lacey's Spotify bio:

"Yazmin Lacey didn’t exactly elbow her way into a career as a singer of smoky, soulful jazz music; she had to be enticed. Growing up in a musical family in east London, she had a strong singing voice but never felt inclined to show it off. Shortly after moving to Nottingham, she let her guard down. “I’d had a lot to drink,” she laughs. “Someone persuaded me to sing. Then this girl came over and said, ‘Oh my gosh, I run this acoustic night, do you want to perform?’ I was like, ‘Yeah, take my number.’ 
 Gradually, while working at a children’s charity by day, Lacey built up a repertoire and a following. Performing at a night organised by Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood Recordings brought her to the attention of Future Bubblers, the label’s talent discovery scheme, and she was accepted on to the year-long development programme. It connected her with like-minded musicians and set her up to release an assured, richly debut EP, BlackMoon 
 Killian Fox, The Guardian / Observer"

Today's Guest: Yazmin Lacey

Today's Host: Amy Gasaway

Produced and Engineered: Alexei Shishkin

For this week’s episode Amy sits down with a favorite returning guest - John Roseboro. On John’s 3rd guest appearance on Rounds of Sound he and Amy discuss John’s new album - Johnny, mortuary arts, living amongst the amish, and the many ways you can take the L. Thanks for tuning in!

From John Roseboro's Spotify bio:

On today's episode, we have Greg Mendez! His self-titled album is coming soon, so we got on the phone to chat about self-recording, the DIY world, whether or not touring actually matters, artist/label relations, and more. We also get into a variety of food/music metaphors, and you know what they say about Rounds of Sound -- people come for the the music, but they stay for the food metaphors. Enjoy!

From Greg Mendez's Spotify bio:

"philadelphia music Photograph by Veronica Mendez"

Today's Guest: Greg Mendez

Today's Host: Alexei Shishkin

Produced and Engineered: Zoom the app

A couple seasons ago we had Graham W. Bell, founder of Rue Defense, on the show to talk about his journey running a DIY record label, and today we have him back! He join host Alexei Shishkin to talk about what his role is in helping bands get their music heard, how much money he's been paid out from Spotify, trying to get his footing in the Houston music community and more!

From Rue Defense's bio:

"Media Imprint | Brooklyn/Houston/Portland linktr.ee/ruedefense"

Today's Guest: Graham W. Bell

Today's Host: Alexei Shishkin

Produced and Engineered: Alexei Shishkin

Today’s episode is a special one! Amy is joined by fellow host and musician, Bill Waters. This is less of an interview and more of a catch up session. Amy and Bill talk character writing, sobriety, creating vs consuming and the importance of being open to becoming a vessel for whatever art you’re making. Each segment feels like a mini therapy session so get cozy and join us on the couch for an intimate conversation between friends.

From Bill Water's Spotify bio:

";)"

Today's Guest: Bill Waters

Today's Host: Amy Gasaway

Produced and Engineered: Alexei Shishkin

On today’s episode Amy sits down with Skech185, the moniker of Chicago born and raised, now Brooklyn based rapper, Willie Lee McIntyre Jr. They discuss his most recent project, He Left Nothing for the Swim Back, a collab with producer Jeff Markey, the importance of underground music and community, the inherent need for creating and Willie might even let you in on a little secret and confess one of his favorite orators… tune in to find out -- this one was inspirational, imo! As always, thanks for listening!

From Skech185's Spotify bio:

""

Today's Guest: Willie Lee McIntyre Jr, Skech185

Today's Host: Amy Gasaway

Produced and Engineered: Amy Gasaway

We're back with another beautiful episode this week, this time featuring Maya Lucia! Maya and Alexei chatted about how Shakira got her album stolen, old vs new Mac DeMarco, performance vs writing, decade-old SoundCloud tracks, and so much more. This one right here... this one's full of hot takes... mostly from Alexei if we're being honest, as Maya sits there in shock at the flagrancy emanating from our hater host. Everyone's catching strays in this one: The Strokes, Steve Lacy, the entirety of the Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul region -- it gets wild! Sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride!

From MAYA LUCIA's Spotify bio:

"Garage-Pop singer-songwriter MAYA LUCIA is the queen of hearts. Having spent the last several years bouncing between the Pacific and the Atlantic, the Minneapolis native pulls from coastal DIY sounds. Her elastic vocal styling and angst-ridden lyrics effortlessly float between pop and surf-rock. Linking with current bandmates Samuel Stroup (drums) and James Duncan (bass) while attending school in Boston, LUCIA established herself through punchy live shows and a magnetic stage presence. 
 MAYA LUCIA is currently based in NYC. 
 booking/inquiries: mayaxlucia@gmail.com"

Today's Guest: Maya Lucia

Today's Host: Alexei Shishkin

Produced and Engineered: Alexei Shishkin

Howdy, listeners. Alexei here. Gotta be honest with yall... this episode was a fuckin banger. It came together pretty last minute because some stuff had to get moved around and scheduling issues and yadda yadda yadda, but DAMN did it come together. Iris and I actually met some years ago (we'll get into that) at an old neighborhood favorite spot (supposedly the place where Big Thief met), and now here we are talking on mic. Wow, how the world turns! If you like music, and charming people talking to each other, you're sure to love this episode. Enjoy!

From Bloomsday's Spotify bio:

"Iris James Garrison and Alex Harwood come together as Bloomsday, the Brooklyn-based indie pop duo formed in 2019. The band is fronted by Iris (they/them), who writes with warmth and darkness in the quiet hours where shadows and ghosts rise to the surface. Over the course of 2020, Bloomsday’s debut album 'Place to Land' was recorded as a collection of songs written throughout Iris’ transition. The songs weave through periods of loss, upheaval, hope, fear and setting oneself free. The album explores the yearn to find homes in other people, places, addictions or memories; ultimately finding a place to land within the self. The duo expresses their learned lessons through difficult growth that they witnessed in one another over the years, with playfulness and heart wrenching melodies, they hold space for whatever comes up. The "brotherly dynamic" brings tenderness and trust to the songs, as the two set out on a new chapter with their first ever LP set to release June 10, 2022 on Bayonet Records."

Today's Guest: Iris from Bloomsday

Today's Host: Alexei Shishkin

Produced and Engineered: Amy Gasaway

On today's episode, Tim from Vista House joins Alexei as they discuss everything from Anything Bagels to Joanna Macy. They get into the idea that Rest Is Resistance, pinpoint the exact location of the bridge from the label of Mirror Pond Pale Ale, and even discuss music at some points! Oregon III is out now, and it's the culmination of years of work (maybe not by choice), so go get a cassette or at least listen to it on this very show!

From Vista House's Spotify bio:

"Vista House is the project of Portland, OR artist Tim Howe, with an ever-evolving cast of characters in support. After moving back to Oregon from a stint in the Piedmont area of North Carolina, Howe began working with artists such as Cool Original, Open Floor Plan and honeydiu.

Vista House's sound can be hard to lock down, though it always embraces a sense of authenticity over irony, reaching into the wardrobe for alt-country, dad rock and lofi indie influences. The lyrical content is largely influenced by Howe's experiences moving and touring across the country, nearly dying in a hospital, and trying to navigate the best path forward with old friends and present day love."

Today's Guest: Tim Howe of Vista House

Today's Host: Alexei Shishkin

Produced and Engineered: Alexei Shishkin

On this week’s episode Amy sits down with Softee -- Brooklyn’s DIY queer popstar-on-the-rise, and the moniker of Nina Grollman. They discuss her upcoming project, Natural, out May 12th, scorpions in Arizona vs rats in NYC, evolution through collaboration, and their thoughts on the ever rising cost of an ice cream cone. Join them as they meander their way through a delightful fusion of sound, random musings and fun!

From Softee's Spotify bio:

"Softee’s take on getting through life is poetically summed up by her own words: “feeling the anxiety but sort of dancing wildly through it.”

Nina Grollman’s moniker, Softee, isn’t just a sardonic nod to the thrifty, soft-serve giant, it’s an earnest, sometimes painfully so, descriptor of the Brooklyn-based artist’s approach to love and music. Her work is a kaleidoscopic exploration of wrought emotion, tinged with influences as sundry as Robyn, Janet Jackson, and the pure, unfettered melodrama of 80s pop. But whether she’s wrestling through a heartbreak, or making sense of her sexuality, Softee weaves her anxiety and unrest into urgently joyful, angsty queer pop.

Her song “Crush,” featured on the 2022 Queer as Folk reboot, was described by Rolling Stone as “a swooning synth-pop gem that opens up at the bridge with a stream of strings that give the song a vintage disco feel, like glittery teardrops hitting the dance floor,”). Back in the day, the Moorhead, Minnesota-born artist remembers Fargo-esque winters in her makeshift bedroom studio: recording Katy Perry covers and uploading them to Youtube, writing songs, and unleashing the emotional rhythm that would eventually lead her to experiment with loop pedals across New York City DIY stages alongside Linda Diaz, Sir Babygirl, Blake the man 1000 and Francesca D’Uva."

Today's Guest: Nina Grollman of Softee

Today's Host: Amy Gasaway

Produced and Engineered: Alexei Shishkin

Welcome, you’ve made it! We’re so excited to be back with another season of Rounds of Sound! Amy’s kicking things off today with Visuals, the moniker of NYC based interdisciplinary artist Andrew Fox. On today’s episode they reminisce on the NYC DIY scene of the aughts, discuss the juiciness of citrus sounds, dissect the concept of creative destruction as a necessity to growth, and of course, Visuals' latest project, Light Leaks. This conversation was written in the stars so buckle up and join us for a groovy ride through the cosmos!

From Visuals' Spotify bio:

On today’s episode host interviews host as Amy sits down with Alexei Shishkin to discuss his most recent album, Songs From The Money Pit. This episode is a little chaotic, a lot of fun, and a great way to wrap up season 5 AND 2022. Thanks for listening along this year and we’ll see you in 2023 for Season 6!

From Alexei Shishkin's Spotify bio:

"my goal is to release a lot of music  2023 outlook: 1 oddball single, 1 EP, 1 album"

Today's Guest: Alexei Shishkin

Today's Host: Amy Gasaway

Produced and Engineered: Amy Gasaway

Ho ho ho! Merry Xmas one and all! Santa here, writing about how awesome this episode is! Mac and Rui from Lawn had a long, winding conversation with Alexei where they went off the tracks (triple-entendre, look it up) oh so many times... which is great for a holiday episode because you've probably got nothing better to do than curl up and listen! They talked about the best venue in New Orleans (hint: it's named after a planet), FIFA being the hispanic Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, bands getting a percentage of the bar, the countercultural element of soccer in America, and a bunch more! Enjoy!

From Lawn's Spotify bio:

On today’s episode, Amy sits down with the soon-to-be LA-based alt pop duo, Fake Dad. Amy, Andrea and Josh discuss musical taste profiles, the nuances of genre, navigating the vastness of today’s music industry and staying nihilistically upbeat. Throw your headphones on and join us for some good laughs and fun!

From Fake Dad's Spotify bio:

"It's Andrea and Josh. Much cheaper than therapy, and almost 50% as effective („ᵕᴗᵕ„)

fakedadtheband@gmail.com"

Today's Guests: Andrea and Josh from Fake Dad

Today's Host: Amy Gasaway

Produced and Engineered: Alexei Shishkin

On today’s episode Amy sits down with Nya, Piya and Sabrina, of the Brooklyn based Disco-delic trio, Say She She. Hot off a headlining West Coast tour and debut album release, Say She She is having a moment, to say the least! Today’s music takes us on a journey through love songs, art as protest, processing through grief, and music that command you to get up and move! Put on your favorite dancing shoes and get ready to groove, this show is full of delights!

From Say She She's Spotify bio:

"The female-led discodelic soul band Say She She - named as a silent nod to Nile Rodgers (C’est chi-chi!: It's Chic!) will transport you with their dreamy harmonies, catchy hooks and up-tempo grooves. Hailing from London & Brooklyn, the band's sound is a hat tip to late 70’s girl groups with the three strong female lead voices of Piya Malik (El Michels Affair staple feature, and former backing singer for Chicano Batman), Sabrina Mileo Cunningham and Nya Gazelle Brown (former 79.5) at the epicenter of a roaring 7 piece band.

The band’s debut single FORGET ME NOT quickly proved to be a certified dance-floor banger. Written as an ode to New York City’s Guerilla Girls fighting racial and gender discrimination in the art world and premiered by DJ Novena Carmel on Morning Becomes Eclectic.

Say She She’s follow up single - a sultry B side BLOW MY MIND has catalyzed their Karma Chief /Colemine 7” release as a must cop 45 for DJs coast to coast. They followed that with a billowing protest anthem NORMA in June; it was Say She She’s response to the then impending decision to overturn Roe Vs Wade is an urgent call for ACTION in support of protecting women’s rights and preserving the right to choose. Their last single, TROUBLE, was released earlier this month and made its debut in KCRW's weekly Top 10 charts."

Today's Guests: Piya Malik, Sabrina Mileo Cunningham, and Nya Gazelle Brown

Today's Host: Amy Gasaway

Produced and Engineered: Amy Gasaway

Today on Rounds of Sound host Alexei Shishkin is joined by the wonderful Chris A. Cummings of Marker Starling for a winding conversation that covers a lot of ground. That's very fitting however, as Chris's career in music has spanned over 20 years -- hell, this thing probably could've gone another hour if we had it! We talked C&D's, scoring films, drawing inspo from other media, albums vs singles, and more! Hope you dig it!

From Marker Starling's Spotify bio:

Today Amy sits down with Xena Glas. Their conversation journeys through the many uses of ambient city sounds, running into a favorite artist in the wild, creating through insomnia and a very special rat in NYC. This episode is full of amazing sounds - like candy to your ears, so settle into a comfy spot and enjoy this treat!

From Xena Glas's Spotify bio:

"Xena Glas is a creator attempting to explore new areas of the artistic world and unravel her human experience through her work. Interested in art of all forms including music, visual art, and poetry, Xena loves experimenting, pushing boundaries, and creating interdisciplinary and thought-provoking art. Her music flows through different styles including experimental electronica, folk, and contemporary classical. Often, she uses her art to communicate on her own life experiences and perception of the world. Xena currently lives in Brooklyn, occupying a scene of underground electronic experimentalists creating new and interesting sound worlds. Her Debut EP Body was released in January 2022. Many tracks on the unique EP were crafted from guitar fragments, electronic blips, ethereal and indistinguishable vocals, and sharp percussive samples. Additionally, Body contained more structured and lyrical songs, showing off the diverse range of styles Xena produces. On Body, HighClouds wrote “Besides its undeniable beauty, it reveals rewarding secrets after each new listen.”

xenaglas.com"

Today's Guest: Xena Glas

Today's Host: Amy Gasaway

Produced and Engineered: Amy Gasaway

On today’s episode Amy sits down with Local Kid Zeus to discuss tour life, bowling with Bad Bunny, penning bars from a retail stock room, the journey of growth and keeping big dreams alive. Thanks for joining us - let’s get into it!

From Local Kid Zeus's Spotify bio:

"Cypress Hills, Brooklyn @localkidzeus"

Today's Guest: Local Kid Zeus

Today's Host: Amy Gasaway

Produced and Engineered: Amy Gasaway

For this week's episode we are joined by the endlessly talented Damon Hankoff, from Out of Sight of Land. We spoke with Damon about his eclectic musical influence, playing house shows in Montreal, and why there is a recently leaked video of him playing piano with Lauryn Hill on the set of a Woolrich commercial. Buckle up, dive in, ignore your texts, and smash the play button!

Today's Guest: Out of Sight of Land (Damon Hankoff)

Today's Host: Bill Waters

Today's episode brings us Nick Krgovich all the way from Vancouver, Canada -- in this one we talk about the Vancouver-Toronto connection, confidence in the studio when working with other musicians, underrated 80's music, music embodying a location, and we finally find out what the hell Scaramouche actually is! It was a joy having Nick on the show, and I definitely had a bit of a fanboy moment when he said he'd do it, so I'm pretty excited about this one. Enjoy!

From Nicholas Krgovich's Spotify bio:

Today's episode is long, and for a good reason. We have Ron Gallo join us virtually from Philadelphia to chat about pretty much everything. Smash the play button to hear his best and worst experiences while performing, his process while writing lyrics, why Ron knows Jonathan Richman's side hustle is, and so much more. Thanks for listening, this is great one! 

From Ron Gallo's Spotify bio:

"the world is completely fucked, but the universe is inside you ?"

Today's Guests: Ron Gallo 

Today's Host: Bill Waters

For this episode, we have producer and multi-instrumentalist Luke Jr join us in the studio. He tells us about drinking a red bull after having your blood drawn, his recording techniques, and the magic of properly serving a song. Listen closely to hear mow many times we hit the juul in this episode! This is a good one so buckle up and enjoy!

From Luke Jr's Spotify bio:

"Live lobster's for sale. the kind you can't help but fall in love with."

Today's Guests: Luke Jr

Today's Host: Bill Waters 

Produced and Engineered: Bill Waters

Wow. Season 5. We're about to embark on a hell of a journey, but it's not our first rodeo... and in a way... it is. Today's guests are the transcontinental superstar duo, First Rodeo! We get into some wild stories about West Virginia, an absolutely bussin apendix, skinny dipping with your in-laws, Nathan's hot dogs, mesmerizing thousands of boomers, and so much more. This one was a great way to kick off the season, so hit play, stick around, and enjoy the sound!

From First Rodeo's Spotify bio:

"First Rodeo is the cross-country songwriting and recording project of longtime friends and collaborators Nathan Tucker (Cool Original, Strange Ranger) and Tim Howe (Vista House, The Great American Commute). Tucker and Howe first met in Portland, Oregon in 2008, eventually touring and recording as part of each other’s bands. Though Tucker moved to Philadelphia in 2019, the two’s songwriting styles grew closer rather than further, and they soon began talking about how to keep making music together.

Maybe it was homesickness, or maybe just the many months in the van, but Tucker had started to experiment more with the motifs and textures of country, Americana, and late 20th-century American road music in general—sounds that Howe had always gravitated naturally towards. After sending demos back and forth for a year and a half, the two friends finally found the time to commit their ideas to tape, traveling to Washington’s San Juan Islands in August 2021 to record in a friend’s cliff-side cabin. The result is First Rodeo’s self-titled debut LP, out August 5th on Forged Artifacts. The self-produced album brings Tucker and Howe’s songs to life with the unfussy, relaxed fidelity of a remote session in a beautiful place, as well as instrumental and vocal contributions from old friends and bandmates from around the country. The album's ten tracks celebrate the hard work and blind faith involved in keeping something alive simply because it feels crazy not to."

Today's Guests: Nathan Tucker, Tim Howe

Today's Host: Alexei Shishkin

Produced and Engineered: Bill Waters

For the season four finale, Emmett Kai joins us remotely from his studio in Kingston, NY. Emmett dives into his creative workflow, navigating the music industry, and most importantly, admits that he's only listened to one track off of the new Beyonce album. Emmett has a great perspective on the in's and out's of being a musician and producer in this day and age, so we were thrilled to have him for the finale of season four. Enjoy! 

From Emmett Kai's Spotify bio:

"Emmett Kai is a recording artist from Northern California, currently living in New York. Currently, Emmett is working on his 3rd album. 
 May 2022"

Today's Guest: Emmett Kai

Today's Host: Bill Waters

Produced and Engineered: Bill Waters

On today's episode, from halfway around the world, we've got High Tropics' own Josh Stewart zooming his way into the hearts and minds of the people. I gotta be honest, the time difference from Brooklyn to Brisbane is no joke, so we recorded at 10am his time, which is 8pm mine. Regardless, we had a blast and chatted for nearly an hour and a half, buzzing through a bunch of tunes along the way -- unplanned, a lot of them ended up being covers, so if you love new takes on classic tunes, this is the episode for you. We also checked in on Josh's first music NFT release, how it did, how he feels about NFTs now that the market has taken a downturn, and so much other stuff. If you don't like web3 chatter, skip segment 4... but I think you should still listen to it because we talk about music consumption in general and how to get artists properly compensated, etc. Okay, I'm done dragging on, time for the episode! Enjoy! 

From High Tropics's Spotify bio:

"Birthed by the fuzz-filled glory years that were the 2000's, High Tropics is the moniker of QLD based singer/songwriter Josh Stewart and his live band. Formed as an outlet to house songs outside of the now defunct garage rock group The Ninjas, the project has already racked up over 5 million streams online and garnered praise from both international and local taste-makers alike, including Rolling Stone Australia, Red Bull Music, Cool Accidents, and Triple J to name a few."

Today's Guest: Josh Stewart of High Tropics

Today's Host: Alexei Shishkin

Produced and Engineered: Alexei Shishkin

On this week’s episode host Amy Gasaway sits down with Long Beach based artist Emily Yacina. Grab a cup of hot chamomile tea - this one gets deep! Join them as they discuss moving through grief, the mind blowing images from the James Webb telescope, the beauty of happenstance meetings, the selection process for Emily’s new compilation album, NYC humidity and much more. Be easy on yourself and enjoy this week’s episode!

From Emily Yacina's Spotify bio:

"Emily Yacina is a Pennsylvania-born Long Beach-based musician and songwriter who began writing and recording songs at age 14. Drawing on making sense of relationships and navigating inner cosmology, Yacina released her first set of songs in 2011 and continued to release batches of EPs over the proceeding years, culminating eventually in her first full length album Heart Sky in 2017 and her first studio album Remember The Silver in 2019. Due to be released July 2022 on Danger Collective, All The Things is a career-spanning compilation of songs by Yacina that highlights her ability to work adeptly across a wide range of styles and abilities as both a producer and collaborator. Yacina’s songs have the power to convey large-scale feelings and ideas with striking immediacy, just as much in her lo-fi home recordings as in her glossier recent studio recordings, which have a richness that gives them an extra dimension of space to bloom. On this compilation there are three new, previously unreleased songs; “DB Cooper”, “White Bull” and “Dominos" which were recorded and produced with Melina Duterte of Jay Som"

Today's Guest: Emily Yacina

Today's Host: Amy Gasaway

Produced and Engineered: Alexei Shishkin

Today we've got a windy, whimsical episode with Louisville's own Wombo! Sydney, Cameron, and Joel joined us in the studio, fresh off a long journey from Ohio, right before their show at the Broadway in Bushwick. Did I almost make them late for the gig? Yes. Did we have a fun-ass conversation? Also yes. So I think it was worth it. We cover a lot of ground in this episode, including the very late-capitalist crossover between "musician" and "content creator", Wombo's return to touring after Covid (which included some massive trips), playlist culture, a faux-pas they had in a music video, and so much more. Hope you dig it!

From Wombo's Spotify bio:

"The weird world of Wombo is a kaleidoscopic journey of sharp turns and surprising visions, a melting pot of influences with a cheeky cheshire-cat grin that coalesce into a trippy but infinite universe, a portal into their unique vantage point without limitation. Already committed to living outside the traditionally-heralded country sound of the music scene in their hometown of Louisville Kentucky, Sydney Chadwick (vocals) and Cameron Lowe (guitar) had previously played in punk pop band the Debauchees, and with the addition of Joel Taylor (drums) in 2016 they found a winning combination of more straightforward indie rock combined with Chadwick’s pitched up, oscillating vocals and unpredictable shifts in melody that see the band moving forward at an impressive pace. Their 2018 album Blossomlooksdownuponus is a snapshot of Wombo’s wide-ranging aspirations that careen across avant pop, psych and wonky post punk interludes with a sky’s-the-limit approach to translating the mundanity of regular life into their own high-frequency language."

Today's Guests: Sydney Chadwick, Cameron Lowe, and Joel Taylor

Today's Host: Alexei Shishkin

Produced and Engineered: Amy Gasaway

On this week's episode, we're chatting with Daniel Got Hits -- we get into everything from his start as a soccer freestyler to his love of pop punk to his ADHD, Gemini-esque recording techniques. Along the way, we touch on the current state of music and specifically music marketing/promo -- what exactly is the value of music today? Has the market been completely oversaturated to the point where it's useless? That sounds pretty brutal, but maybe Dan will steer me out of my pessimistic tailspin! Stick around and find out!

From Daniel Got Hits's Spotify bio:

"SOCCER GANG WE LIT 💙⚽️😍😍 follow me @DanielGotHits"

Today's Guest: Daniel Got Hits

Today's Host: Alexei Shishkin

Produced and Engineered: Alexei Shishkin

This week we have a very special episode: we're trying out Rounds of Sound **LABEL EDITION**! As you may have guessed, rather than featuring an artist, we're featuring an independent label and highlighting a few of their artists. Today, Graham Bell, founder of Rue Defense, joins us in the studio to discuss discovering artist communities in places where they're hard to find, the thankless grind behind pitching new releases, and his goal of assisting artists who might need help getting their music out. Lots of talk about the third coast, Houston represent, in this one, so if you've got any connection to the space city, this one goes out to you. Plus: we discuss using the tip of the Louvre as a record needle. Enjoy!

From Rue Defense's bio:

"Media Imprint | Brooklyn/Houston/Portland

On this week's episode, Rami Hanna joins us in the studio to discuss his debut singles, explains why Tears For Fears is "jazzy", and tells us which hour of the night will make or break his recording session. This is a hangover episode so no need to buckle up, just sit back and relax. Stick around 'til the end for a very special round of "f*ck, marry, kill". Enjoy!

From Rami Hanna's bio:

"Rami Hanna is a widescreen songwriter from Upstate New York who embraces a broad range of glittering textures, gummy layers of synths, and walls of pulsing bass. Their debate single “Power of Uuu” arrives as a bombastic and confessional synth pop hymn through the lens of somebody learning to navigate their existential dread surrounding their mortal purpose, falling in and out of love, and fascination with the afterlife. A synth-y layer lasagna with cult-y mantras that aren’t afraid of being ugly and human."

Today's Guest: Rami Hanna

Today's Host: Bill Waters

Produced and Engineered: Ian Dwy

On this magical episode of Rounds of Sound, Earth Dad joins us in the studio for a juicy chat. Amy gets into the band's process of recording their latest album "Birthday", what songs they were referencing while mixing their record, and maintaining the growth of their songs throughout recording and performing live. This is a great heat wave episode so sit back, crank the AC, crack a seltzer, and enjoy the episode! 

From Earth Dad's bio:

puzzle rock and electric shock in new york city

Today's Guests: Earth Dad

Today's Host: Amy Gasaway

Produced and Engineered: Bill Waters

What an episode we have for you today! The beauty of this show (other than the phenomenal listening experience we provide) is that we get to discover new music we love and meet amazing people along the way -- this episode was chock full of that. Host Alexei Shishkin sat down with Billy from Spilly Cave, and the two delved into everything from Guitar Hero to their mutual beginnings chopping samples and making beats. Alexei discovered Billy's music via TikTok, bringing the total guests we've gotten from TikTok up to two, both absolute legends. You're not gonna want to miss this one!

From Spilly Cave's bio:

patron saint of the good times.

Today's Guests: Billy Cave

Today's Host: Alexei Shishkin

Produced and Engineered: Bill Waters

In this fever dream of an episode, we're joined by a couple Dead Wicks -- Ian & Derek sit down with Bill Waters to delve deep into the creation, foundation, and what in tarnation of their catalogue. This episode's got it all: townie trash personas, Rocco III pizza, Derek learning the Fuck Marry Kill game, and plenty of cheersing. There's even a Goldfish jingle (they're baked and not fried). This one is trip, so crack one open, and tell 'em the Wicks sent ya!

From Dead Wicks's Spotify bio:

Dead Wicks are a garage rock band from Brooklyn, NY. This mischievous group is certainly not known to make club owners angry by sneaking people into their shows with tambourines & kazoos. The four members work together to make their recordings, artwork, videos & guitar pedals. Despite their indie approach, they trace influences of punk, funk, citypop, MPB, EDM, & HBO. It’s a chopped-up mess! If you like their songs, you seem to be part of a special few. This paragraph might have been about you instead -- you never know. Things are crazy these days.

Today's Guests: Derek Daunicht & Ian Dwy

Today's Host: Bill Waters

Produced and Engineered: Alexei Shishkin

As season four continues, we're joined by Dida Pelled. We discovered Dida through the serendipity of this very podcast, after friend of the show Liam Kazar featured her on guitar during a live show at TV Eye. In this episode we talk about liberation from a creatively constricting jazz bubble, learning English through music, being confident and comfortable in your own style, and so much more. Please enjoy this chat, and make sure to smash the living daylights out of that subscribe button.

From Dida's Spotify bio:

Brooklyn-based, Native Tel-Avivian, Dida Pelled, is widely regarded as the greatest jazz guitarist this side of the Mississippi. Pelled’s ambitions took shape as a child, when, entranced by bebop, she sequestered herself from the world and resolved to master guitar, later earning a spot in the Israeli Army band before training at the New School on a scholarship to study jazz. She quickly made a name for herself in the New York jazz scene, recording with Jazz masters like Roy Hargrove and Gregory Hutchinson and touring the world. As her jazz star rose, Pelled felt a pull toward classic American songwriting, shifting her direction and redefining her voice. Love of the Tiger, Pelled’s upcoming album, is the product of a jazz prodigy gone rogue, it's a love letter to the obscure, weaving across genres, twisting and turning with Pelled’s ever-expanding range of musical abilities and interests.

Today's Guest: Dida Pelled

Today's Host: Alexei Shishkin

Produced and Engineered: Amy Gasaway

For the season four premiere, we dive into part two of our interview with John Roseboro. In this episode we get into John's recent beef with Topo Chico (they owe him money), the process of recording his album, what he's been listening to, and most importantly, we premiere an unreleased song of his. Smash the play button to hear an exclusive stream of "Freak" by John Roseboro. 

Today's Guest: John Roseboro

Today's Host: Bill Waters

Produced and Engineered: Bill Waters 

For the season 3 finale, Nic of !!! joins us in the studio to chat about their extensive and prolific discography. Nic dives into how the sound of the band has evolved through the years, the difference between and "album band" and a live band", and why kids love Neil Diamond. If you've wondering what the "alphabet trick" is for writing lyrics, this episode is for you. 

From !!!'s bio:

"The band’s ninth record, Let it Be Blue, takes that feeling of constant, radical transformation to new, untapped zones. It’s a record of sparse dance music. The kind of stuff you want to put on loud, let loose, go to the bar to get a drink only to abandon your plans because the song that just came on was too good not to dance to."

Today's Guest: !!!

Today's Host: Bill Waters

Produced and Engineered: Amy Gasaway

On this episode of Rounds of Sound, host Amy Gasaway hangs out with Elise Okusami of Oceanator and the two chat about Oceanator’s newest release: Nothing’s Ever Fine, missing your guitars when you’re away, creative freedom in collaboration, music as a feeling and much more. Hit that play button and enjoy this insightful conversation.

From Oceanator’s bio:

After a handful of cassette releases, including the Lows EP in 2018, Brooklyn’s Oceanator released their proper debut album, Things I Never Said, in 2020. The album was a clear portrayal of the immense and growing talents of songwriter / multi-instrumentalist Elise Okusami and was immediately praised in the likes of Noisey, Under The Radar, Stereogum, and SPIN, who featured the band on their “20 Most Interesting New Artists of 2020” list.

Today's Guest: Oceanator

Today's Host: Amy Gasaway

Produced and Engineered: Bill Waters

On this episode of Rounds of Sound, host Bill Waters sits down with J.Scott! They dig into the genius of J's EP titles, the connections between fashion and music, recording with people that you get along with, and most importantly, the cast of Euphoria. If you're wondering if having a good aesthetic as a musician is crucial or not, tune in and pay attention. Enjoy!

From J.Scott's bio:

"Genre-defying J.Scott is an ever-evolving singer-songwriter derived from the slums of Jacksonville, FL. Born Javon Scott, the classically trained vocalist found his love for music at a young age through singing in church and classical choirs. In 2018 he released his debut EP "Call Me When You Get This" - a collection of Pop/R&B moods. As his voice pierces through a variety of textures, the singer meshes the influences of Kelis, Brandy, and Stevie Wonder to formulate old-school melodies over new school sounds."

Today's Guest: J. Scott

Today's Host: Bill Waters

Produced and Engineered: Amy Gasaway

On this episode of Rounds of Sound, host Amy Gasaway chats with Erik Garlington & Natasha Johnson of Proper. This episode they talk about the convenience of a bodega chopped cheese, the time Natasha met Erik and Eli and offered to play harp in the band, seeing Coheed and Cambria live for the first time 20 years after discovering them, faking it 'til you make it, and trying to find a children’s choir to sing the refrain on a song about not wanting to have kids. We had fun on this one and we’re excited for you to listen!

From Proper.'s bio:

“N.W.A.”

Today's Guest: Proper.

Today's Host: Amy Gasaway

Produced and Engineered: Bill Waters

On this episode of Rounds of Sound, host Bill Waters sits down with Dylan Citron of Bedbug. The two chat about analog recording, the importance of modest mouse, playing shows on Twitch during the age of covid, and plenty more. Dylan is a prolific songwriter and offers some great insight into the world of home recording. Smash the play button and dig into this great episode! 

From Bedbug's bio:

On this episode of Rounds of Sound, host Alexei Shishkin sits down with Molly Hamilton of Widowspeak! This episode is a grade-A example of what happens when two chatterboxes sit down together, resulting in a nearly 2 hour long episode. From artist longevity to bootlegging shows, from inspirational ephemera to the digital dark ages, from "The Lexicon of Grunge" to writing music as if it's a movie, we get into all that and more in this behemoth of an episode. Hope you dig it!

From Widowspeak's bio:

On this episode of Rounds of Sound, host Amy Gasaway sits down with Oceanic! The group gets into why you should be in love with The Killers, fantasizing about punching a wall street bro in the face, and everything in between. This one's a banger so buckle up, tune in, and tell your friends! 

From Oceanic's bio: 

Oceanic is a versatile indie pop band based in Charlotte, NC. Heavily influenced by a number of genres, they aim to create original music with diversity that enables the listener to see the world in a new way. The band is comprised of four members: Nathan, Jacob, Sam, and Joseph. Nathan is the lyricist and lead singer, Jacob styles the song with electric guitar, Sam plays bass, and Joseph is the drummer; all members contribute ideas and personality to the arrangement.

Even before Oceanic was formed, each member of the band was well-versed in performing arts. The band works together during shows to create a high-enthusiasm experience focused on personality, musical interest, and artistic visual effects.

Today's Guest: Oceanic

Today's Host: Amy Gasaway

Produced and Engineered: Bill Waters

On this episode of Rounds of Sound, host Alexei Shishkin chats with Josh Stewart of High Tropics! Josh comes to us (via Zoom) all the way from Australia, so as you may imagine, the scheduling was a little bonkers with the 12+ hour time difference. Nonetheless, we made it happen, and this one was a doozie. They covered a lot of ground including how formative music videos were for Josh's music, the future of music ownership/distribution, and favorite Australian acts, so stick around and enjoy this episode of Rounds of Sound (down under)!

From High Tropics' bio:

Birthed by the fuzz-filled glory years that were the 2000's, High Tropics is the moniker of QLD based producer/songwriter Josh Stewart and his live band. Formed as an outlet to house songs outside of the now defunct garage rock group The Ninjas, the project has already racked up over 4 million streams online and garnered praise from both international and local taste-makers alike, including Rolling Stone Australia, Red Bull Music, Cool Accidents, and Triple J to name a few.

Today's Guest: High Tropics

Today's Host: Alexei Shishkin

Produced and Engineered: Bill Waters

On this episode of Rounds of Sound, host Bill Waters chats with Frankie Cosmos (aka Greta Kline)! Greta has been mentioned by many of our guests as an influential songwriter and we're super excited to have her as a guest! The two talk about the importance of good chemistry between your bandmates, sending rough mixes to your parents, the ongoing legacy of The Strokes, and everything in between. The cure for demo-itis is revealed in this week's episode, making this a "must listen" for any musicians. Make some tea, pop on the headphones, and dive in!

From Frankie Cosmos' bio:

On this episode of Rounds of Sound, host Alexei Shishkin sits down with CS Hickey, coming to us all the way from Jacksonville, FL! This conversation feels like less of an interview and two longtime friends having a chat... because it's literally that. The two have known each other since 2004, and in that time, CS Hickey has been through a lot of heavy stuff, which comes out in the music he writes. He has, however, made it through all the trials and tribulations that life has thrown his way so far, which leads one to believe there is a light at the end of the tunnel. This is a great one, and we hope you enjoy it!

From CS Hickey's bio:

There was no bio to be found, but be sure: this episode will sum it up nicely!

Today's Guest: CS Hickey

Today's Host: Alexei Shishkin

Produced and Engineered: Amy Gasaway

On this episode of Rounds of Sound, host Amy Gasaway chats with Pictoria Vark (aka Victoria Park)! We all know it's the Year Of The Vark, and this episode of the show really proves it. Amy and Victoria go in-depth on how it felt to move from metropolitan-adjacent New Jersey to slower-paced Iowa City, how beautiful Wyoming is, how her parents helped her with a music video, going to Treefort, getting tattoos, and so much more! We're so excited that we got to have Victoria on the show, and we hope you dig this episode!

From Pictoria Vark's bio:

On the season 3 premiere of Rounds of Sound, host Alexei Shishkin sits down with Kennedy Freeman, the mind behind Philadelphia's own Highnoon! In this meandering conversation, Kennedy and Alexei discuss touring in the Covid age, their mutual love of Foster The People's Torches, and how Kennedy discovered secular music after being raised on Christian tunes. They also try to figure out what level of cheesiness is the right level of cheesiness, and they delve into the Philly music scene. Plus, you'll find out what Highnoon song Alexei wants to put in a movie! It's truly an action-packed episode filled to the brim with fun and good vibes -- enjoy!

From Highnoon's bio:

“When people ask me what kind of music I make, I always reply with ‘dream pop’ but my sound is more markedly influenced by what dreaming sounded like to me as a kid.” Kennedy Freeman began their musical education through classical and jazz piano lessons. Raised in a religious Black home, they were brought up on Christian music, save for the car rides that exposed them to funk, love ballads, and RnB classics. Staring out the window while enveloped in this sentimental warmth always felt like dreaming to them, a bridge between their past and their future.

At nineteen, Kennedy had just begun to write music of their own, sending song sketches to their friend Justin Roth. Together, they pieced together what would become the Philadelphia project’s 2019 debut, Semi Sweet, a process that Freeman remembers as loose and unrestrained. “I didn’t make it with the intent of anyone hearing it.” After its eventual upload, the release garnered warm reception, listeners drawn to the songs’ immediacy and homegrown production values. Highnoon would take shape with Justin on drums, later joined by lead guitarist Brendan Simpson.
 “Back to You” was the first time the band had deliberated on a song together, a process overseen by Kennedy’s careful assembly of each members’ stems to create a solid pre-studio demo. “Being a fairly new band, it was hard for us to adapt to the changes of lockdown, but I’m really proud of how much we’ve learned in making this single.”

Today's Guest: Kennedy Freeman

Today's Host: Alexei Shishkin

Produced and Engineered: Bill Waters

It's the season finale of Rounds of Sound! To celebrate, the tables turn as Bill Waters plays host to the music of Alexei Shishkin. Think of it as last week's episode but inverted. And before you come for us for booking ourselves, remember that we had to do it sometime, so why not put us in the mostly non-existent crevice between Christmas and New Year's? In this episode we talk a lot about jazz, Treefort, how Alexei got the omicron variant, and so much more! We're taking January off, but we'll see you in February for Season 3 -- enjoy!

From Alexei Shishkin's bio:

Alexei Shishkin is nothing if not prolific. He started writing and recording music in his Los Angeles bedroom in 2013, and since then, not a year has passed where we haven't seen some sort of release from Shishkin. He has traveled frequently (for work and leisure) and now finds himself living in New York City, after a brief stint in Portland, Oregon.

On this episode of Rounds of Sound, we're keeping it in-house! Host Alexei Shishkin sits down with guest Bill Waters -- that's right, folks; he's on the other side of the table! We got into the problems with Spotify's algorithm (from an artist's perspective), doing karaoke for Venmo bux, and recording an album in the basement of a bar. Plus: are music NFTs the new blogosphere? Prodigal son of the Hudson River Valley, Bill Waters, gives us a peek into his process and his influences, only on Rounds of Sound. Enjoy!

From Bill Waters's bio:

“Send me some cash, okay?!?” - Bill Waters billwatersmusic@gmail.com

Today's Host: Alexei Shishkin

Today's Guest: Bill Waters

Produced and Engineered: Bill Waters

On this episode of Rounds of Sound, host Bill Waters chats with Bud Wilson, the mastermind behind Portland, OR's very own Aan. In this touching conversation, Bud & Bill get into the creative shifts since the birth of Bud's daughter (congrats!), the last song that made him cry (and how, sometimes, art can elicit more response than real life), and being "wholly spooked" by Bradford Cox's presence at a Deerhunter show in 2008. We don't normally do remote episodes, but sometimes we make an exception, and in this case, we're glad we did. Ladies and gentlemen, Bud Wilson -- enjoy!

From Aan's bio:

Aan (short for "Amor ad nauseam") is a psychedelic-pop group from Portland, Oregon. On record, the heart of the group is songwriter/frontman Bud Wilson, and live they come together as an explosive five-piece ensemble. Wilson lives on a small farm several miles outside of town in a small house, surrounded by ducks, chickens, coyotes and trees, where he writes most of his songs. Although the end result is a long aural drive from anything resembling the countryside, the music retains the sincerity of that familial place – a feeling of home – a home that Wilson invites the world into through his new album, Losing My Shadow, out June 13 on Fresh Selects.

Aan’s music puts forth a gritty, progressive, searing sonic boom of sound that might just be the exact wake-up call the current indie climate needs. The album finds the singer/multi-instrumentalist parsing through his inner-most thoughts, feelings, and vices after the sudden passing of his father two years ago. At perhaps its most wrenching moments, the album deals with Wilson attempting to understand his mother’s perspective in this new world, without her partner for the first time. A therapeutic exercise as much as it is an exorcism, his all-too-personal storytelling reckons with the demons that often find their way in when one is living with grief, and how important it can be to cast them out before they consume the soul.

Today's Host: Bill Waters

Today's Guest: Bud Wilson

Produced and Engineered: Alexei Shishkin