Figure Eights: A Music Podcast

Get a first listen of my new solo album "Detours" along with some stories behind the songs.Album is available on the High on Stress Bandcamp page this Friday, May 2nd.

Join Nick as he talks to Peter Jesperson. Topics include: discovering and managing the Replacements, Twin Tone Records, Oarkolk, New West Records, Curtiss A, Slim Dunlap, board games with Tommy Keene and so much more. Great talk!

Join me as I speak with author, Madeline Bocaro, about her book "In Your Mind - the Infinite Universe of Yoko Ono." Madeline also write the Sparks Fan Club Newsletter! 

Join me as I chat with one of the great rock drummers of today, Jon Wurster. We talk about punk rock, cleaning windows, comedy, Ryan Adams, Tommy Keene, being in the right place at the right time and so much more. Great talk!

This week on the Figure Eights Podcast!I talk with Rebecca Sorensen and Katy Vernon about the Morningside After Dark event. Rebecca founded the event 13 years ago with the late, great Laurie Lindeen. We also pay tribute to Laurie.Morningside After Dark is an arts event in Edina, Minnesota that features musicians, artists and writers performing their works in the Edina Morningside Church basement. It's an incredible event.The next event is tonight featuring John Eller, John Munson (Semisonic), Lori Yang and more. I'll be performing as well.Tonight's event and this episode are in memory of Laurie Lindeen.

Join me for my conversation with Laurie Kaye. She takes me through her life, career, interviews with Mick Jagger, David Bowie, George Harrison and Paul McCartney, cultiminating with her interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono at the Dakota in NYC on the day of John Lennon's death. Great conversation on a deep and sad topic.

Join me as I chat with award winning filmmaker, Don Hardy. We talk about his new music doc, "Linda Perry - Let it Die Here." It's a fantastic and courageous documentary. We discuss legacy in a disposable culture, living in the moment, taking chances and work results vs self worth. It's a great episode. Hope you dig it as much as I did.

Up and coming band alert!Check out my conversation with Alex Fuller from the rock band, Pullstring. We chat about their formation, influences and their brand new record, "Out with the Old." Oh yeah, lots of the Replacements talk in this one. Check out their band. They are fairly new and they rock like you remember rock to be.

Join me as I chat with Steve Bowman (Counting Crows / Third Eye Blind / the Bittersweets / Luce). We talk about opening for Bob Dylan the Rolling Stones, playing on David Letterman and SNL, working with animals, teaching and more. Nice guy. Tune in!

Join me as I chat with Jim Brunzell (Director of the Sound Unseen Film Festival). Movie Maker calls Sound Unseen  "One of the 25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World." The festival is a unique, cutting edge "films on music" festival that started in Minneapolis 25 years ago. We discuss his upbringing, upcoming festival guests, John Doe, Linda Perry and more and I also learn that his dad was a WWF/WWE Wrestling star. Great talk!

Join me for the 4 year anniversary episode as I talk with Lisa Umbarger (the Toadies). We talk about her time in the Toadies, touring in places like North Dakota, her parents hanging out with Marilyn Manson and Trent Reznor, the ghost of tour buses past, podcasting and the reasons why the Toadies made the kids sad...

Join me as I talk to record producer/engineer, Steve Fisk. As a musician, he has been in bands such as the instrumental alternative/indie rock band Pell Mell and the electronic band Pigeonhed. He has long been associated with the Pacific Northwest music scenes recording such artists as Nirvana, Soundgarden, Screaming Trees, Unwound, Ben Gibbard, the Wedding Present, Beat Happening and much more! Fun talk.

Matt Keating is a fantastic songwriter from New York City. We talk about his solo career, Steve Earle, living near the World Trade Center, opening for the Cranberries and ummmm…DAVID BOWIE! You can catch him on Thursday at the Driftwood in MPLS with his band “The Bastards of Fine Arts”. Great guy and fun conversation.

Blake Smith returns to the show and brings along his co-conspirator, Rick Ness. Join us as we talk about coffins, weird shows, unimpressed bartenders, Minneapolis, Oasis and the great yacht rock fall out. Fig Dish will reunite for two sold out shows next week in Chicago. They are also putting out their previously unreleased third record, "Feels Like the First Two Times."Always a pleasure to dish with the dish.

Join me as I chat with Dakota Shakedown about their history as well as their brand new album "We All Spin Together". We talk about run ins with Keanu Reeves, getting played during the Super Bowl and the night that Night Ranger sent them down a dark path.

Join me as I chat with Twin Cities radio icon, Brian Oake. We cover a lot of topics including the ups and downs of the radio industry, the band that changed his life, the greatest concert he's ever seen and the joys and occasional downsides of interviewing musicians. Great chat!

Thomas O' Keefe is a tour manager musician and author, best known for his work with Weezer, Antiseen, Whiskeytown, D Generation, Mandy Moore, Train and more!

Join me as I talk to record producer, Brian Paulson. We discuss his adventures producing Wilco, Son Volt, Uncle Tupelo, Slim Dunlap, Slint, Archers of Loaf and more. We touch on his relationships with Jeff Tweedy, Steve Albini, Peter Jesperson, Bob Mould and others. Great talk, great records!

Dan Murphy is an American musician best known as the the lead guitarist of Soul Asylum from 1981-2012. He is also a member of Golden Smog and the Scarlet Goodbye.We chat about Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, the Grammy Awards, Rolling Stone Magazine, the Replacements and more!

Join me as I chat with Jesse Malin guitarist, Derek Cruz. We talk about his decade and counting w/Jesse Malin, playing with Billie Joe Armstrong (Green Day) and Debbie Harry (Blondie) and head butting Paul McCartney.

Join me as I talk to my High on Stress bandmates about our "final" album "Leaving MPLS" and our return with "Hold Me In" Fun chat if you like band breakups and reunions.

Join me as I chat with Steve Albini. Steve is a key figure in the American underground music community since the 1980s. He's led bands Shellac & Big Black and has recorded some of the great albums of all time including Nirvana "In Utero," Cheap Trick "Rockford", Nine Inch Nails "the Fragile", Page & Plant "Walking into Clarksdale", Guided by Voices "Under the Bushes, Under the Stars", Jawbreaker "24 Hour Revenge Therapy", Pixies "Surfer Rosa" and so many more. Great conversation.

Check out my conversation with filmmaker and photographer, Kevin Kerslake. Kevin has directed documentaries on Joan Jett, Nirvana, Ramones, Bob Marley and more. He's made music videos for Nirvana, Prince, Rolling Stones, REM, Sonic Youth, Soul Asylum, Iggy Pop, Soundgarden, Bob Mould and more. Fun talk. He's a wizard.

Join me as I talk to Producer, Engineer, Mixer, John Agnello. John has worked with such diverse artists as Cyndi Lauper, Twisted Sister, John Cougar Mellencamp, Tommy Keene, Screaming Trees, Drive by Truckers and the Hold Steady. Such a fun guy and great conversation. Tune in!

Join me as I chat with Matthew Caws. Matthew is the singer/songwriter/guitarist of Nada Surf. He takes me through their early career, meeting Ric Ocasek of the Cars, having an MTV hit, Elektra and keeping the train rolling for all of these years. Wonderful conversation. Make sure to pick up a ticket for their upcoming tour.

Hi all, this is the 52nd episode of the podcast. I made it a year! I'm going to be taking a month or so off before starting a season 2. I need to get a few things in order. In the meantime I will be posting the top ten episodes from the first year. That will start a week from today.Today I'm speaking with my High on Stress bandmates about the making of our third album "Living is a Dying Art" which came out 10 years ago. Join as we talk about transitions in the band as well as the album itself. Thanks for listening!

Join me as I talk to Michigan's own, Jeremy Porter from Jeremy Porter & the Tucos. Fresh off his show with Soul Asylum & Local H, he talks to me about his life, songwriting and trying to stay creative during the pandemic. Good guy!

Join me as I chat with Greg Eklund. Greg takes me through his well timed meeting with Art Alexakis, releasing 3 platinum records and 1 gold, working on songs like "Father of Mine" & "Everything to Everyone", touring with Fastball and Soul Coughing and so much more. Great chat! Don't forget to check out his new solo album "Muffled Tears".

Join me as I talk to drummer, Brian St Clair. He takes me through his career with Triple Fast Action, Local H, Rights of the Accused and more. It's all here. Major label bidding wars, band breakups, Chicago in the 90s and we also talk about his current gig as Production Manager for Cheap Trick. Great guy!

Join me as I chat with Tamar Berk about songwriting, working with Steve Albini, the 90s rock scene in Chicago, Fig Dish, Caviar, her inspirations as well as her amazing new album "The Restless Dreams of Youth". Pick up her record!

Join me as I talk to Marc Solomon about his time playing guitar in Perfect w/Tommy Stinson, contributing to Puff Daddy's "All About the Benjamins," getting fired by Spike Jonze, performing with Rick James and more. Great dude!

Join me as I talk to my pals, Martin Zellar (Gear Daddies), Andrea Hyra (Billy Pilgrim) and Dave Gualandri (Songwriter Series Curator and Founder). We talk about the history of Dave's series "Harbor Stories: Unplugged" as well as house shows, terry cloth robes, "Boy in the Bubble" and hanging out at Starbucks for a little too long. Fun chat.

Join me as I talk to my current and former bandmates in High on Stress. We chat about the making of our 2008 album "Cop Light Parade". It was a blast to catch up with original guitarist, Ben Baker. Tune in!

Join me as I talk to Ronnie Barnett from the Muffs. We talk about growing up in Texas, their career, Tommy Keene, the Clueless Soundtrack as well as Kim Shattuck's battle with ALS and the making of their final album. This is one of my favorite episodes to date. He's a great guy with a lot of great stories filled with heart and humor. It's a must listen.

Join me as I talk to Lori Barbero (Babes in Toyland) about touring with Sonic Youth, her favorite concerts, hanging out at the Nirvana "In Utero" recording sessions, whether there will be more Babes in Toyland shows and so much more. She's one of the nicest people you could possibly meet. Tune in for a fun conversation.

Join me as I talk to Phil Solem. He takes me through his music career including his time in Great Buildings and the Rembrandts. Also, he talks to me about how the "Friends" theme, "I'll Be There For You" came to be. Great chat!

Check out my conversation with record producer, Ted Niceley. Ted takes me throw his life and career including playing bass in the Tommy Keene group and recording such brilliant records as Fugazi's "Repeater," Shudder to Think's, "Pony Express Record" and much more. Fun chat!

Join me as I chat with former Atlantic Records recording artist, Mary Karlzen. We talk about Billy Pilgrim, playing CBGBs, VH1, opening for Bob Dylan and balancing being a mother and a recording artist at the same time. Fun talk.

Join me as I talk to legendary producer and musician, Mitch Easter, about his career. We talk Let's Active, meeting REM and recording "Radio Free Europe", recording Wilco and so many more fantastic stories. Gracious guest with an amazing career. Tune in!

Join me as I chat with acclaimed singer/songwriter, Cory Branan from Memphis, TN. We chat about Foghat, the movie "Splash", David Letterman, meeting Prince and he shares a great story about the one and only, John Prine. It was a fun talk. Tune in!

Join me as I talk to drummer, William Goldsmith (Sunny Day Real Estate / Foo Fighters / Assertion / Fire Theft). We talk about stage fright, his career, parenthood and what he's up to these days. Fun talk

Join me as I talk to the very talented, Craig Wedren, frontman of Shudder to Think. We talk about his life, Shudder to Think, approach to songwriting as well as his successful career scoring TV & Film including School of Rock (Jack Black), Shrill (Aidy Bryant), Reno 911, Moxie (Amy Poehler) and so many others. It was quite a pleasure.

Join me and special guest co-host, Bill Muller from the band Saint Small, as we talk to Matt Gentling about his life, hobbies, history of Archers of Loaf, joining Band of Horses and all sorts of bass guitar talk. Fun conversation with a great guy. Go see him this summer at Lollapalooza with the Band of Horses.

"I lived my dream"Join me as Gary Lee Conner of the Screaming Trees talks to me about SST Records, the early 90s Seattle scene, Kurt Cobain, Layne Staley, Soundgarden, Mudhoney, Mark Lanegan, drugs, van crashes and everything else under the sun. Awesome in depth conversation.

Join me as I chat with Record Producer / Engineer, Jim Ebert, as he takes me through his career producing the "Hey Album" by Marvelous 3, solo Butch Walker records, Matthew Ryan, Meredith Brooks, Madonna, Jason Falkner and more. He also talks to me about his program "Cancer Can Rock" which is for a fantastic cause. Nice guy! Great talent.

Join me as I chat with Mike Malinin. Mike was the drummer of the Goo Goo Dolls from 1995-2013 starting with the "A Boy Named Goo" Tour, through the huge success of "Dizzy Up the Girl" and more. He's now the band leader and drummer for country music legend, Tanya Tucker. Really fun talk about punk rock, country music and Minot, North Dakota. Give it a listen!

Join me as I speak with music journalist and author, Charles R. Cross. He was the Editor of The Rocket in Seattle for fifteen years (1986–2000) during the height of the Seattle music mania. He is also the founder of Backstreets Magazine, a periodical for fans of Bruce Springsteen. His 2001 biography of Kurt Cobain (Heavier Than Heaven) was winner of the 2002 ASCAP Award for Outstanding Musical Biography. We chat about Kurt Cobain, Elvis Costello, Tom Petty, cancel culture and so many more topics. Fun music fan chat. Give it a listen!

Join me as I chat with musical wizard, Jason Falkner. Jason chats with me from his porch about being in the studio with Paul McCartney, the origins of Jellyfish, the Grays, playing shows with Cheap Trick and many other wild adventures. He's most likely been on some of your favorite records. Fun chat with a one of a kind musician.

Join Nick as he talks to Sam Powers, former bass player of Superdrag as they discuss touring with Guided by Voices, playing live shows with Lees of Memory and what's he's been up to since his time in Superdrag. Good talk!

Join Nick as he talks to David Bash. David is the founder and CEO of the International Pop Overthrow Music Festival that talks place all over the country as well as a handful of other countries including the Cavern Club in Liverpool, England. They chat about the festival, record collecting, COVID and silver linings. Nice talk!

Join Nick as he chats with American actor, comedian, and writer, Brian Stack. Brian is best known for his sketch comedy work on all three Conan O'Brien late-night talk shows, previously working on Late Night with Conan O'Brien and The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien, and on O'Brien's current talk show, Conan on TBS. Stack left Conan in April 2015 to join the writing staff of the CBS series The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Topics include entertainment giants Chris Farley, Jon Favreau, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Steve Carell as well as musicians Neil Young, Jeff Tweedy, the Replacements, Lou Reed and more. Hilarious guy! I'm Wiki Bear...yay!