Low Profile with Markly Morrison

Today, instead of your usual Low Profile programming, I'm sharing an interview I conducted with Pat Maley in 2023 for the Olympia Music History Project.  The whole transcript is available at olympiamusichistory.org . Pat and I are discussing the history of Yo Yo Recordings, a studio and record label that he ran from the 1980s to 2006, recording hundreds of touring and local artists.  Inspired by the International Pop Underground Convention in 1991, Pat Maley, Michelle Noel, Kento Oiwa, Pat Castaldo and Ed Varga started YoYo A Go Go, an independent music festival that ran for 5 or 6 days in a row.  There were four YoYo A Go Go festivals between 1994 and 2001, and all the people I just mentioned will be getting together for a panel discussion to reminisce, reflect and celebrate these events through collective storytelling and slides. This event is called “That Summer Feeling: Thirty Years of YoYo A Go Go” and it's happening next Friday, April 18th 2025 at 4pm at The Evergreen State College, in the COM 1 Recital Hall. No tickets or reservations are needed, this event will be open to the public. Here's my conversation with Pat. Illustration by Jack Habegger

When I first developed an interest in rough-around-the-edges cumbia music, a friend (thanks Matt!) introduced me to the music of Dick El Demasiado, purveyor of “cumbias lunaticas.” Over the years I've managed to glean a bit more about him, then I recently saw a documentary about him called Dick Verdult: It Is True, But Not Here. I learned Dick El Demasiado the musician is a mere sliver of what Dick Verdult the artist has to offer. His culture-jamming tendencies are a reflection of his culturally scattered upbringing- born in the Netherlands, raised all over Europe and South America, and currently living in the Spanish town of Calanda. When Arrington de Dionyso and I spoke to him last November, he was at home in Spain. Dick discusses the music that spoke to him in his youth, moving 20 times in his first 20 years, writing ugly poetry, creating music alone vs with a group, having an audience in a notorious street gang, that signature skeleton costume, and his definition of cultural distortion. Gratitude to Jack Habegger for all the the portraits you've seen this season! Such strong work. Want to hear the show more often? Be a part of the movement! Whenever I have enough money to cover a full work day sourced from supporters like you [at Patreon.com/lowprofile ] I will work on a new episode. I am currently taping season 10 for release in 2025, but in the meantime I have some fun stuff on the table- unpublished interviews with Gastr Del Sol, Elf Power, Dollar Country host Franklin Fantini and DJ Screw biographer Lance Scott Walker, plus live episodes from Scherler Sundays 2024 with interviews and performances from Chris Cohen, Mirah, Michael Hurley, Danbert Nobacon of Chumbawamba, Little Wings, Jonny Kosmo, Lori Goldston and Oh, Rose. If your want to listen to more oral history from some pretty radical musicians, scope olympiamusichistory.org and dig around. I'm the audio editor and there are over 30 hours of interviews currently available on the website. We're in the middle of recording new interviews, so expect another 10 or so interviews early this summer! Scherler Sundays is returning to downtown Olympia, WA every Sunday in July and August at 3pm. See a curated afternoon of bands and solo artists, plus live interview tapings for Low Profile. Catch artists you've heard on this show- Swamp Dogg, Stephen Steinbrink, Soul-Junk, and LAKE- plus other incredible acts like Pearl and The Oysters, Wut, Afrocop, Winehouse, Sunbathe, plus an extended throwback showcase curated by the Olympia Music History Project, and the return of Michael Hurley! Get your tickets NOWHERE. All you have to do is show up. See you there! For more information, visit freemusicolympia.org

It's been a minute since I've put out a new show, and so I thought maybe I'd let you in on what has been keeping me so busy. A couple years ago, I started working on an oral history project funded by the city- appropriately titled The Olympia Music History Project. We (myself, Mariella Luz and Kelsey Smith) have since broken off from the city into our own nonprofit organization, and I'm excited to announce that we are launching olympiamusichistory.org on New Year's Day, 2025! So let me tell you about what this is: I was a part of a team that interviewed 30 people who were doing significant things in Olympia's legendary indie music scene between 1980-2002. We spoke with folks from globally revered bands like Bikini Kill, Sleater-Kinney and The Gossip, as well as hometown heroes including Young Pioneers, The Noses, Fitz of Depression, even Olympia's only known ska band of that era, Engine 54. I've learned so much working on this project- and I've heard all the interviews several times, because I'm the guy who edited them. Have you ever seen that T-Shirt that says “Reading is Sexy?” That was designed by Sarah Utter, the singer and guitarist from The Bangs. Allegedly Patrick Swayze lived here at some point, but I don't know if he ever got out to any punk shows. And yeah, Nirvana was a part of our scene for a while too, I forget what happened after they moved to Seattle.  And there were all these festivals- International Pop Underground Convention in 1991, The YoYo A Go Go festivals after that, Ladyfest- which became an international series- and a groundbreaking, grassroots rock opera called The Transfused. All these things happened in that 22-year window.  My interview with a guy named John Foster focuses on a couple of crucial things happening, that the scene- at least in part- owes its existence.  The first one is the enactment of the Green Line Policy at KAOS- that's KAOS, 89.3 FM, Olympia- a game-changing move making it against the rules to play any less than 80% independently released music. That had a huge impact on a lot of creative people that tuned in. The second is the publication of OP Magazine, a dense zine focused on independent music of every kind, and featured contributing writers like Matt Groening, Eugene Chadbourne, Jonathan Richman, on and on. This magazine was globally distributed from right here in Olympia, and served as a regularly updated encyclopedia of indie music- and where to get it. Basically, it was like a precursor to something in-between Pitchfork and Bandcamp, in the pre-internet dark ages. John Foster was at the helm for both of these endeavors, and he was one of the people I interviewed for the Olympia Music History Project, and here is our conversation, recorded in the historic Rockway-Leland building downtown.

It's an election day bonus episode! Today we're gonna be digging way back in the archive to episode 4: Focusing on Margo Guryan. This was recorded in early 2019, when I was still figuring out this show's format.  At that time, it consisted of panelists with a shared interest (Andrew Dorsett and Michael Sean Coleman) nerding out about a favorite artist, and sometimes we'd get the chance to talk to the artist or somebody who was close to them. Margo Guryan passed away three years ago, and at the time of recording she did not agree to an interview, but she and I had some email correspondence that was helpful in researching her, and she put me in touch with her publisher, Jonathan Rosner, who also happens to be her stepson, who joined us about halfway through the show. I've re-edited that admittedly rough episode to make it more digestible, and at the top of the show I spoke with Jonathan again about the latest renaissance of Margo's music- two new reissues, plus a tribute album called “Like Someone I Know" which features Pearl And The Oysters, TOPS, Margo Price, Clairo and many others, available from Sub Pop and Urban Outfitters. Low Profile is supported by you on Patreon.com/lowprofile where you can sign up for flexible monthly donations that afford me the time it takes to research, record and edit this program. If you enjoy this show and can afford to contribute anything at all, it would be extremely helpful. It adds up in a big way. Believe me, I know things are tight, so if you can't chip in financially, please tell somebody you know about a favorite episode of Low Profile and share it on the internet. If you are in a position to donate, that address again is patreon.com/lowprofile  Thanks to this show's in-kind sponsors here in Olympia, including Three Magnets Brewing Company, Rainy Day Records, Old School Pizzeria, San Francisco Street Bakery, and Schwartz' Deli- if you come through Olympia these are all excellent places to visit.

If there was such a thing as the American ambassador to 60s French Pop it would have to be Elinor Blake, better known as April March. Elinor began her professional career in the world of animation back in the early 80s before she took on the April March rock and roll alter-ego. You've probably heard her music over the last few decades classic cartoons like The Ren and Stimpy Show and I Am Weasel and cult favorite films including But I'm A Cheerleader and Death Proof. She's rubbed shoulders with all kinds of heavy figures in the entertainment world, including Ronnie Spector, Pee Wee Herman, Frank Zappa, Maya Rudolph, and numerous figues in classic and contemporary Franch pop. I spoke with Elinor in the Summer of 2024 about her storied career, starting with a sneak preview of her upcoming 2025 album Villerville.

Psychic Temple is the extended-family project of Chris Schlarb, the proprietor of the retro-chic Big Ego studio in Long Beach, California. Chris is an old friend of mine, going back to the turn of the century when I lived for a brief period time in Long Beach. This episode is being released shortly after the announcement of the dissolution of Psychic Temple, which is addressed during a quick follow-up call at the top of the show. This episode was engineered by Chris Schlarb at Big Ego in the summer of 2023. Chris shares with me about his musical background, his creative endeavors, and some of his work-for-hire as a record producer, including the final Psychic Temple album, Doggie Paddlin' Through the Cosmic Consciousness. The portrait of Chris Schlarb for this episode was hand-drawn by Jack Habegger. Low Profile is supported by YOU at patreon.com/LowProfile. Producing this show costs time and money! Thanks for chipping in. Low Profile receives in-kind support from these Olympia independent businesses: Rainy Day Records, Old School Pizzeria, Schwart'z Deli, San Francisco Street Bakery, and Scheler Easy Premium Shitty American Lager from Three Magnets Brewing Company.

Bob Log III is a one man band from Tuscon, Arizona. He tends to tour at least half the days of the year all over the planet, bringing a party, and doing it all by himself, ever since his old band Doo Rag broke up while on tour with Ween back in the 1990s. Nowadays, when Bob's's not on the road, he lives in Australia. If you catch him on the tour in your area, there's balloons, an oversized rubber duck, a boat, and even rides! No wonder this guy's side hustle is writing personalized birthday party songs. He regales us today with tales of busking on the streets of Tuscon with Doo Rag, how he developed his solo act, why it's hard for him to collaborate, his misadventures in Sweden (like being hired to play the Swedish national anthem for a bunch of metal musicians), and how he challenges himself to keep the party level in the red. He's also got some surprising health tips for touring performers. I spoke to him on the phone, presumably the one protruding out of his motorcycle helmet. Low Profile is a part of the Ruinous Media network and airs Fridays at 4PM Pacific Standard Time on KAOS in Olympia, WA. Supported by you at patreon.com/lowprofile, and in-kind sponsors Rainy Day Records, San Francisco Street Bakery, Schwartz's Deli, Old School Pizzeria, and Three Magnets Brewing Company (where you can catch live tapings of Low Profile and music performances Sundays at 3pm until 9/22/2024!) Catch a live episode! visit Scherlerbeer.com for details. Illustration of Bob Log III by Jack Habegger See an animated segment of this interview, created by Andrew Ebright, on my YouTube Channel. https://youtu.be/NlO9Sw85EXw

Bonjo Iyabinghi Noah is the percussionist and vocalist behind African Head Charge, the experimental dub project he co-founded with legendary studio wizard Adrian Sherwood in the late 1970s. With dozens of albums to his credit, he's been established as an influential and singular performer with a sound all his own. Today I'm speaking with Bonjo about how he found his musical and spiritual calling in the Poco churches of Jamaica in his youth, how an encounter with Fela Kuti changed the course of his life, his collaborations with classic reggae and soul artists like Desmond Dekker, Prince Far I, Creation Rebel and the Foundations, how he turned an experimental studio project into a large live ensemble, and insights into African Head Charge's latest album, A Trip To Bolgatonga on Adrian Sherwood's On-U Sound label. Scherler Sundays is returning to downtown Olympia for summer 2024!! That means ten weeks in a row of free outdoor concerts and live interview tapings for future broadcast.  Come see your next favorite artist and get to know them in one fell swoop, week after week! This year's lineup includes Little Wings, Mirah, Tender Forever, Lois, Damien Jurado, Michael Hurley, Chris Cohen, Oh Rose, Jonny Kosmo and more than 20 others, all curated and hosted by yours truly.  It's happening every sunday at 3pm from July 21st through September 22nd. Find more info at ScherlerBeer.com If you're a fan of this show, please consider taking a moment to support this show by committing to a flexible monthly donation at patreon.com/lowprofile. It would mean the world to me if I could set aside a proper work week at a living wage every month, and I believe with enough of the regular listeners chipping in 5 bucks, it could happen.  So thanks a lot to those of you who have continued to support me on Patreon, and if you haven't yet, give it a try! It will be great for your karma, I bet! You can find links to more of their work on this episode's website at lowprofilepodcast.com, where you'll also find a treasure trove of oral history from exceptional musicians of all stripes. Low Profile is a part of the Ruinous Media podcast network, and this episode's artwork was drawn by Jack Habegger.  Thanks to Howard Wuelfing at Howlin' Wuelf Media for facilitating today's interview.

The band Danielson started when Daniel Smith worked with his siblings to satisfy a requirement for his senior thesis three decades ago. If you're not familiar with their music, one thing you'll notice throughout today's show is that nobody else sounds anything like them. Daniel and I are talking today about the thirty-year evolution of the group, why he sings the way he does, how the group incorporates visual art into their work, producing records for others (including friends of the show Soul-Junk and Hermit Thrushes), creating the soundtrack to the film Electric Jesus, a new album in the works via Joyful Noise Recordings, collaborations with Sufjan Stevens, Half-Handed Cloud, Kramer, Jad Fair and so many others. Since recording this interview, Danielson has released a short film for their song “Come and Save Me” directed by Chris White that stars Fred Armisen and features previously unused lyrics by the late Larry Norman. Daniel spoke to me from his studio in New Jersey. Low Profile is supported by you on Patreon and also receives in-kind support from these independent Olympia businesses:  Schwart'z Deli, San Francisco Street Bakery, Old School Pizzeria, Rainy Day Records and Scherler Easy Premium Shitty American Lager from Three Magnets Brewing Company. Instagram: @lowpropodcast Facebook Community: Low Profile Listener Hub Support this show: patreon.com/lowprofile Illustration by Jack Habegger Scherler Sundays (live episode tapings + free concerts) is happening again in Olympia for Summer 2024, visit scherlerbeer.com for updates!

Mayo Thompson is the founding member of The Red Krayola, an experimental rock group that has existed in various formations since 1966. He's collaborated with The Raincoats, Pere Ubu, and the Fall as a record producer, is an active visual artist, and has recently published his second novel, “After Math,” a sequel to 2020's “Art, Mystery” (both available via Drag City Publishing). Mayo joins Low Profile to discuss the unconventional processes of several Red Krayola albums, his lone solo album “Corky's Debt to His Father” and its recent live embodiment, his experience as a writer, a long-standing collaborative relationship with the conceptual collective known as Art and Language, and working with others including Lora Logic, featured on the previous episode.  The interview is conducted by a panel featuring returning cohosts Dylan Shearer and Jack Habegger teaming up with Markly to tackle this heavyweight guest. The unedited interview is available for supporters at patreon.com/lowprofile in this episode: The Red Krayola “People Get Ready, The Train's Not Coming” (00:02) The Red Crayola “Hurricane Fighter Plane”  (08:30) The Red Crayola “Freeform Freakout no. 3” (15:05) The Red Crayola “Transparent Radiation” (16:32) Mayo Thompson “The Lesson” (18:25) The Red Crayola “Coconut Hotel” (25:03) The Red Krayola with Art and Language “Ergastulum” (34:02) Mayo Thompson and the Corky's Debt Band (live) “Worried Worried” (35:53) The Red Krayola with Art and Language “The Milkmaid” (39:13) The Red Krayola “If S Is” (45:57) The Red Krayola “Bad Medicine” (51:43) The Red Krayola “Breakout” (55:12) Low Profile is supported by you on Patreon and also receives in-kind support from these independent Olympia businesses:  Schwart'z Deli, San Francisco Street Bakery, Old School Pizzeria, Rainy Day Records and Scherler Easy Premium Shitty American Lager from Three Magnets Brewing Company. Instagram: @lowpropodcast Facebook Community: Low Profile Listener Hub Support this show: patreon.com/lowprofile Illustration by Jack Habegger Scherler Sundays (live episode tapings + free concerts) is happening again in Olympia for Summer 2024, visit scherlerbeer.com for updates!

Markly brings his weekly pub trivia game "Questionable Music" to the radio in this exciting segment from the new two-hour Patreon release featuring Markly Morrison and Jack Habegger being interviewed by KAOS station manager DJ Jonny H. Full show available at patreon.com/lowprofile Play Questionable Music in-person at Three Magnets Brewing Company in Olympia, WA, Monday nights at 6:30.

Friend of the show Sean O'Hagan returns to the Low Profile to discuss “Hey Panda,” the first release from The High Llamas in eight years. When we last spoke in 2021, he had dropped the High Llamas moniker and forged a new path under his given name, embracing more contemporary influences.  In the years since, he's recruited Llamas new and old to reroute the course of the band he's led since the early ‘90s, and invited exciting guest performers to come along for the ride. “Hey Panda” is out on March 29th from Drag City Records. Today Sean explains the process that led to this album, collaborating with Bonnie Prince Billy and Fryars, recent production and arrangement work with other artists, and a bit of the contemporary music he's been getting into lately.

Once upon a time in England, a teenager named Susan Murphy brought her saxophone to audition for a new punk band called X-Ray Spex- a group that was not looking for a sax player. Despite that fact, she made the cut, and like her fellow new band mates, she adopted a stage name: Lora Logic was born. When her tenure with the band was unexpectedly cut short, a friend with a studio encouraged her to forge her own path, and in 1979 the underground scene was introduced to her next project Essential Logic- a groove-laden and experimental sort of progressive punk rock. Somewhere along the way she became a Krishna devotee and let her music career take a back seat, re-emerging on occasion with a new set of songs. Nearly 50 years after it all began, Essential Logic is back with a new album called “Land of Kali,” and a box set called “Logically Yours.” Dylan Shearer co-hosted this episode, and we spoke with Lora at length about everything- how it all began, how things have changed, her nuanced collaborative relationship with X-Ray Spex vocalist Poly Styrene, why she plays the sax, her travels to India, and collaborating with her daughter on the latest iteration of Essential Logic. Lora also shares a favorite vegetarian recipe.

James Spooner is a writer, filmmaker and visual artist from Southern California. He grew up as one of two black punk rockers in the small town of Apple Valley, and he wrote a critically acclaimed graphic novel about his experience called “The High Desert,” released in 2022, twenty years after the release of his groundbreaking documentary “Afro Punk.” When I read the book, I found it so moving that I immediately reached out to him and invited him to be a guest on this Afro Punk, The High Desert, Black Punk Now!program. James joined me for a live interview in Olympia at the Capitol Theater after a screening of his film, and we discussed his experience growing up as a black punk in the desert, the avenues that led him to direct his first film, being the father of a Gen-Z black punk, his career as a tattoo artist, and his new anthology book “Black Punk Now,” which was edited by Spooner and Chris L. Terry and came out last October. Low Profile is supported by you on Patreon and also receives in-kind support from these independent Olympia businesses:  Schwart'z Deli, San Francisco Street Bakery, Old School Pizzeria, Rainy Day Records and Scherler Easy Premium Shitty American Lager from Three Magnets Brewing Company. Instagram: @lowpropodcast Facebook Community: Low Profile Listener Hub Patreon (donation-based bonus content+goods): patreon.com/lowprofile

About fifty years ago, three brothers started a garage band in Detroit. Their sound was forward-thinking and ferocious, and their band name – Death – played no small part in killing their music career. That didn't stop them from doing what they loved, in private, where they amassed dozens of songs that have yet to see the light of day. Their debut album For the Whole World To See was recorded in 1973, but was never released until 2008 when one of the singer's sons discovered the group's lone single. Since then, a documentary has been made about the group, and several more albums have been released. Today I'm speaking with vocalist Bobby Hackney about the group's genesis, reformation, and the music he and his brothers made during the nearly three-decade interim. He also shares about his love for reggae music and his new book Vermont Reggae Fest - The Power of Music. Death has a new split single on Drag City Records with the band Rough Francis. That group's guitar player, Julian Hackney, helps introduce today's episode. Low Profile is a part of the Ruinous Media network. This show is supported by you on Patreon and also receives in-kind support from these independent Olympia businesses:  Schwart'z Deli, San Francisco Street Bakery, Old School Pizzeria, Rainy Day Records and Scherler Easy Premium Shitty American Lager from Three Magnets Brewing Company. This episode was edited by Rose Neilsen Episode artwork by Jack Habegger Instagram: @lowpropodcast Facebook Community: Low Profile Listener Hub Patreon (donation-based bonus content+goods): patreon.com/lowprofile

Who smoked more: academics like John Cage, La Monte Young and Vladamir Ussachevsky- or the underground scenesters, like Glenn Branca, Arthur Russel and Laurie Anderson? Why is turntablist Christian Marclay on the cover of "Transfigured New York," but not in the book, even though she interviewed him multiple times? Could AI design be to blame? How did the old guard of "New Music" feel about the commodification of computer-based music production four decades ago? In the 1980s, Brooke Wentz hosted a radio show in the middle of the night that focused on experimental music, which was developing all around her in New York City. Over the course of a decade, many of the artists Brooke played on that show would join her in the studio. Her journalism days are through, (now she works on the business side of the industry) but she has just released a book with selected interviews back in the day called “Transfigured New York: Interviews with Experimental Artists and Musicians," available now from Columbia University Press. This may be a bit of a shock to you, but I'll say it- I'm a big fan of oral history interviews, and I'm a big fan of experimental music. I'm pleased to feature Brooke and her work here today, which includes a couple of clips from her interviews (with Morton Subotnik and John Lurie, respectively). She joins me today from a working holiday somewhere in Mexico. The artwork for this episode is a drawing by my kid Camille, based on a photo from "back when" sent to me by today's guest. Terrific. Many thanks. Low Profile is stoked to be a part of the Ruinous Media network. This show is also supported directly by you on Patreon ( patreon.com/lowprofile ) Low Profile also receives in-kind support from these independent Olympia businesses: Schwart'z Deli, San Francisco Street Bakery, Old School Pizzeria, Rainy Day Records and Scherler Easy Premium Shitty American Lager from Three Magnets Brewing Company. More on the book: http://cup.columbia.edu/book/transfigured-new-york/9780231558631 Instagram: Brooke @seven_seas_music and Markly @lowpropodcast Facebook Community: Low Profile Listener Hub Patreon (donation-based bonus content+goods): patreon.com/lowprofile

When I started this show five years ago, I made a short list of artists I wanted to feature.  Near the top of that list was the British musician Vashti Bunyan. Vashti Bunyan released her beautiful album “Just Another Diamond Day” in 1970, and it was almost immediately buried in time.  She'd had her fair share of disappointment in the music business and walked away from it altogether, until some three decades later when people like me discovered her music for the first time.  Suddenly, Vashti was in demand, and her music career was back on track.  In her recent memoir, “Wayward” from White Rabbit publishing, she chronicles her early days in the pop music world, collaborations with members of The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin, her unbelievable horse and wagon journey throughout the UK that inspired her first album, and her unlikely return to the music world. Vashti speaks with me today from her home in Scotland. This the Season 9 premiere, and also the first episode since Low Profile has joned the Ruinous Media Network. It was produced by Markly Morrison, edited by Rose Nielsen, with artwork by Jack Habegger. Low Profile is supported by you on Patreon. The program receives in-kind support from Olympia, WA independent businesses San Francisco Street Bakery, Rainy Day Records, Old School Pizzeria, and Three Magnets Brewing Company.

On this year's final installment of highlights from the Scherler Sundays live series, headlining act Gun Outfit is a twangy , dreamy rock band that started in Olympia in the mid-aughties, and relocated to Los Angeles several years later.  Carrie and Dylan still have family around these parts, so they brought their kid up to visit with the kinfolk, along with the rest of their crew as they share some favorites from their catalog and surprise with a handful of new tunes.  Amps For Christ is the long-term project of Henry Barnes, and he's a friend of the show (See episode 15).  He also happens to play guitar in Gun Outfit, so he gets a bit of a double feature today.  Opening the show is a new power trio called Blues Faeries, comprised of Olympia heavy hitters Jon Merrithew (C Average, Mosquito Hawk, The Noses), Dave Harvey (Nudity, Tight Bros From Way Back When) and Jaysen Lee Peters (The Cold Sweats). We'll get to hear insights and anecdotes from all the performers here as well.  This year's Scherler Sundays concert series was such a blast, and it was great to see so many of you there! Looking forward to plotting one in 2024...This episode was engineered by Kefa Crow, documented by Andrew Ebright, and mixed + edited by Rose Nielsen. If you like this show, please consider supporting it with flexible monthly donations at patreon.com/lowprofile to help cover the expenses associated with running a conglomerate like this.Scherler Sundays is hosted by Three Magnets Brewing Company in downtown Olympia, WA.  They make lots of good beer, including their NA brand Self Care which features delicious craft flavors unlike any other.  Low Profile also receives in-kind support from San Francisco Street Bakery, Old School Pizzeria and Rainy Day Records in Olympia.  For a full archive of previous episodes, visit lowprofilepodcast.com and dig around. 

In this eighth installment of highlights from 2023's Scherler Sundays live series, we have another all-Olympia showcase.  This time, we hear performances and stories from Morgan and the Organ Donors, XOHNO, and Chance of Ghosts. The MODs feature Sara Peté's soft dreamy vocals and rhythmic 60s garage riffs, with "Wildman" James Maeda weaving in subtle guitar complexities, all held together by COCO's Olivia Ness and Bikini Kill's Tobi Vail on bass and drums. You may have seen wife and husband duo Sara and James playing a couple of songs together when James opened for Michael Hurley at last year's Scherler Sundays. If you missed it, check it out here!X.O.H.N.O. is Olympia's own glossy arena pop anthem machine, blending the shimmering sweetness of Donna and Summer's vocal delivery with the hard-hitting dance floor grooves of producer/songwriter DR WOW. Expect a hefty serving of earworms.And kicking off today's show is Chance of Ghosts- a new post-punk group comprised of folks who have been rocking Olympia since before you were probably born. It's a perfect storm, featuring members of Tiger Trap, C Average and more!This episode was engineered by Kefa Crow, documented by Andrew Ebright, mixed and edited by Rose Nielsen.Low Profile is supported by you on Patreon and also receives in-kind support from these independent Olympia businesses:  Schwart'z Deli, San Francisco Street Bakery, Old School Pizzeria, Rainy Day Records and Scherler Easy Premium Shitty American Lager from Three Magnets Brewing Company.Instagram: @lowpropodcastFacebook Community: Low Profile Listener HubPatreon (donation-based bonus content+goods):  patreon.com/lowprofile

Recorded at the beginning of the 2020 lockdown, this remains one of my favorite interviews in the last five years of working on this project. Tjinder Singh's Cornershop has been a long-standing go-to band in my rotation since I came across them on MTV in the mid nineties, watching back-to-back videos for “Sleep on the Left Side” and their ubiquitous hit “Brimful of Asha.”  Since then, they have continued to release tons of great singles, albums and collaborations.  It's a tasty mix of Punjabi folk, psychedelic rock, disco, dub, pop and everything in between.  I hope you enjoy this deep dive into the world of Cornershop. Find a full archive of this program at lowprofilepodcast.comThis show is supported by you at Patreon.com/LowprofileLow Profile receives in-kind support from Three Magnets Brewing Company, Rainy Day Records, San Francisco Street Bakery and Schwartz's Deli in Olympia, WA.

 In the seventh installment of highlights from this year's Scherler Sundays concert and interview series, we're getting another healthy helping of Olympia, WA rock and roll music. First up is Riley Kendig and his newly christened Magenta Sextet in their first public appearance, performing fully-realized arrangements of tunes off his excellent debut bedroom pop cassette entitled “Yr Car.” Next up, local power trio UK Gold takes the stage for a blistering onslaught of urgent post-punk outbursts. This episode was engineered by Kefa Crow, documented by Andrew Ebright, and mixed by Rose Nielsen.Recorded outdoors before a live audience behind the historic Carnegie Library in downtown Olympia, WA on July 30th, 2023.Much obliged to Three Magnets Brewing Company, Rainy Day Records, San Francisco Street Bakery and Old School Pizzeria for sponsoring this live event.  Support this podcast by giving flexible monthly donations via patreon.com/lowprofile

On July 23rd, 2023 a meeting of the minds occurred behind the Carnegie Library in downtown Olympia, WA.  Pat Maley and Mary Sharp (formerly of Oly rock duo Little Red Car Wreck) arrived with their new band Guidon Bear to warm up the grassy knoll for Anna Oxygen, who has lived in New York for almost twenty years, and Tae Won Yu + Rachel Carns, better known as Kicking Giant.  In between all the music, I spoke to the five of them about their glory days in the 90s Olympia punk scene, and got caught up on what's been going on since. Spoiler, a lot's been happening!  This episode was engineered, mixed and edited by Rose Nielsen, and documented by Andrew Ebright.Low Profile is supported by you on Patreon.com/lowprofile, plus in-kind support from Olympia's Old School Pizzeria, Rainy Day Records, San Francisco Street Bakery and Three Magnets Brewing Company. 

It's a bonus episode! Here's a little radio piece I made back in January to promote a Blind Boys of Alabama concert here in Olympia.  The gospel singing group has been in existence since 1939 or so, with its members changing over time... you know, like Menudo, The Preservation Hall Jazz Band or the London Philharmonic.  I spoke with Ricky McKinnie, who's been in the group since 1989.  He tells me about his background in gospel music, his own experience of blindness, the group's latest Grammy nomination, and the ins and outs of a group that has been evolving for over three quarters of a century.  Short and sweet, hope you like it!

This is the fifth installment of highlights from this year's Scherler Sundays concert and interview series. Today's show was recorded on July 16th behind the Carnegie Library in Olympia, WA and features performances from San Diego band The Gift Machine and Hot Rush, plus Joshua James Amberson reads from his latest book “Staring Contest.” The Gift Machine is returning to Low Profile, after being featured way back on episode 7. Their latest album is called “Consolation Prize.” This episode was engineered by Kefa Crow, documented by Andrew Ebright, mixed and edited by Rose Nielsen.Low Profile is supported by you on Patreon.com/lowprofile, plus in-kind support from Olympia's Old School Pizzeria, Rainy Day Records, San Francisco Street Bakery and Three Magnets Brewing Company. 

Karl Blau makes his fourth appearance on Low Profile- first as featured guest back on episode 29, and then taking over the show producing interviews with Temple of Bon Matin and Hermit Thrushes.  Now episode marks his first appearance on the program as a live performer, with a smoking hot quartet behind him.  After the performance, we discuss his goings on in Philadelphia and back here in the Pacific Northwestern United States.  Good thing this was an early show, he had to head to a gig down in Portland right after.  Enter Olympia's own Tim McBride and the Divide, a band that started just in time for the global pandemic and re-emerged about a year ago, uncaging a skillfully crafted world of punk rock storytelling.  Tim and co. stick around for a disarming round of “gotcha journalism.”This episode was recorded live on July 9th, 2023 at the Scherler Sundays with Markly Morrison concert series in downtown Olympia, in the parking lot of Three Magnets Brewing Company.Low Profile is supported by you on Patreon and also receives in-kind support from these independent Olympia businesses:  Schwart'z Deli, San Francisco Street Bakery, Old School Pizzeria, Rainy Day Records and Scherler Easy Premium Shitty American Lager from Three Magnets Brewing Company.Instagram: @lowpropodcastFacebook Community: Low Profile Listener HubPatreon (donation-based bonus content+goods):  patreon.com/lowprofile

The movie "Dreamin' Wild," about the unlikely and belated fame of Donnie and Joe Emerson, is released in theaters today. It stars Casey Affleck, Beau Bridges, Walton Gogging and Zooey Deschanel.  Today I'm sharing my interview with the real Donnie and Joe, along with their parents Don Sr. and Salina Emerson.  They spoke to me from their parents' farm in Fruitland, WA.  Enjoy!

Alice Stuart was a singer-songwriter from Washington Sate.  She passed away yesterday. In celebration of her life, here is Rob Smith's interview with Alice from 2021.  This episode is a cross-release between Low Profile and Rob's podcast, Welcome to Olympia.  Rob also produced this one, be sure and check out his show if you like what you're hearing. Love eternal to Alice and those close to her.  I'll be cooking dinner tonight in the crock pot we got from her yard sale a couple of years ago. Check out her discography after you hear pieces of it on this episode.

Recorded live on 07/02/2023 from this year's Scherler Sundays concert series, prog-pop trio Heatwarmer returns to Low Profile in person performing a handful of songs from their latest album "It's A Nightmare" and catches up on what's been going on since the geographically dispersed group's previous appearance on this show. Olympia honky-tonk mainstays The Purple Shadows kick this event off with a hearty helping of original cosmic American music.

 On today's show, Jason Traeger of the Traegermethod podcast is filling in for me as host, presenting performances and conversations with Olympia synth rock artist Doctor Sleep and Tacoma rapper Ralph Reign. Interestingly enough, both of these guys incorporate a Nintendo Game Boy into their distinctly different sounds. This episode is being cross-released on both Low Profile and Traegermethod via the podcast universe. If you like one show, you'll probably like the other, and there's a lot of episodes to dig into. This is the second installment of Scherler Sundays 2023, recorded by Andrew Ebright and Kefa Crow, in front of a live audience behind the Carnegie Library in Olympia, Washington.

This is the season eight premiere of Low Profile!  This season is gonna be coming at you every Friday for the next couple of months, and it's all pretty fresh stuff.  Right now we are in the middle of Scherler Sundays, a weekly concert and interview series hosted by 3 Magnets Brewing in downtown Olympia.  If you're in the area, it'd be great to see you there, every Sunday at 3pm through August 13th.  This is the first one, recorded on June 18th 2023.  First up is a puppet theater troupe from Arcata, CA called the Kinetic Paranormal Society.  Unfortunately, there were some technical difficulties with the recording of their performance and it just didn't turn out, but we did manage to get a good recording of my interview with  Bartleby, one of the puppets.  You can hear their scripted podcast wherever you're hearing this, just look for the Kinetic Paranormal Society podcast.  After that, it's a performance from Your Heart Breaks, the long term project of musician, filmmaker and visual artist Clyde Peterson. We'll be talking about his new documentary about the band Earth, and his new Your Heart Breaks album “The Wrack Line” out now on Kill Rock Stars records.  Finally, a set from our friends Elf Power, who drove out west from Athens, GA to play a show in the rain.  Vocalist/guitarist Andrew Rieger catches up with Markly at the end of it all.

The band Generifus from Olympia is kind of a big deal- the group's unassuming founder, Spencer Sult, is gifted with a poignant, understated sense of delivery. Active sincew the mid-aughties, he continues his long-term project writing songs that reflect his personal take on every day Monday in interactions with nature, society, music, and probably business. Generifus has a new album out called Rearrangel- it came out a week ago as of the release of this episode. Spencer joins me today along with band mates Andrew and Wilson in the live studio at KAOS in Olympia. They're performing a handful of new songs, and we also had a surprise visitor who brought some pizza. It's gonna be a good time.Thanks to Isaac and Ian for documenting this episode, I couldn't have done it without you.  This is the season seven finale.  Thanks to band members Spencer, Wilson and Andrew, to Adam at KAOS for the studio time, to Isaac and Ian for documenting the program, and to Spencer's dad Bruce for explaining what the hell a Generifus is. If you'd like to hear more of this show, visit Lowprofilepodcast.com, where you'll find a complete archive of previous episodes. This is the end of season Seven, and you're invited to come be a part of Season Eight at Scherler Sundays this summer-  ten outdoor concerts and episode tapings on the lawn behind the old Carnegie library in downtown Olympia, every Sunday from June 18-Aug 13 at 3PMWe'll have beer from 3 Magnets Brewing Company, Bombay street food from Akashic Food Truck, and unique merch table goodies every week.Thanks to San Francisco Street Bakery, Rainy Day Records and Old School Pizzeria and Three Magnets for sponsoring the bands at this event.You can find all the particulars at scherlerbeer.comIf you love this show and want to be partially responsible for its creation, please consider supporting with a flexible monthly donation at Patreon.com/LowProfile. There you'll find things like unedited interviews, video clips, behind the scenes updates and whenever possible, early release episodes. Thanks a lot for your help there! I love making this thing but it's a lot of work and every little bit helps. Thanks for listening today, and hopefully I'll see you for the next taping at Scherler Sundays on June 18th with Elf Power, Your Heart Breaks and the Kinetic Paranormal Society.  Hope you have a good summer.

Asuna is a Japanese sound artist and musician who has been performing and releasing albums since the turn of the century. I first became aware of Asuna's music when his album “Organ Leaf” was released as part of the Sparkling Composers series in the early aughties via Lucky Kitchen Records, whose founders Alejandra and Aeron featured back on Low Profile episode 48. In 2014, when I was on tour with LAKE, I asked our tour manager Koji about a handful of my favorite Japanese artists, and when I mentioned Asuna, he said we would be playing a show together in a couple nights, and later in the week we would be staying the night at his family's farm house. The rest is history. Last year, he visited the USA as part of worldwide tour performing his immersive sound installation, “100 Keyboards.” With translation help from Mami Takahashi, we were able to record an interview at the Portland Institite for Contemporary Arts, which you are about to hear. We're talking about his early works up to his latest projects, the logistics of traveling with 100 keyboards, his connection to the experimental music scene in the Pacific Northwest, and the blurry line between noise and ambient music.Low Profile is supported by you on Patreon and also receives in-kind support from these independent Olympia businesses:  Schwart'z Deli, San Francisco Street Bakery, Old School Pizzeria, Rainy Day Records and Scherler Easy Premium Shitty American Lager from Three Magnets Brewing Company.Instagram: @lowpropodcastFacebook Community: Low Profile Listener HubPatreon (donation-based bonus content+goods):  patreon.com/lowprofileIllustration by Lani WildhoneyScherler Sundays (live episode tapings + free concerts) is happening again in Olympia for Summer 2023, visit scherlerbeer.com for updates!

This week, Low Profile presents music and conversation with Kim Salmon of the Scientists.  This program was originally broadcast on the KAOS program Jack Habegger's Celebrity Telethon.  Jack has co-hosted and guest hosted previous episodes of Low Profile, interviewing Lavender Country, Jeffrey Lewis, Michael Hurley and James Maeda.  Here's what Jack had to say about this episode:     “A little over a year ago, I connected with Kim Salmon over Zoom to discuss his long, storied career for my KAOS FM radio show. Kim is best known as the singer, guitarist, and driving force of the Australian post-punk band Scientists. Their self-titled debut was released in 1978, featuring a sound that blended classic punk and power pop. In the intervening years, Scientists evolved drastically, incorporating slashes of deconstructed rockabilly, fractured blues, and sludgy no-wave into a unique sound often credited as an early inspiration for the grunge and alternative rock scenes to follow. Scientists's legacy would cast a long shadow on anybody's career, but Kim was far from content to leave it at that. After the Scientists initial breakup in 1987, he split his time between his project Kim Salmon & The Surrealists and a reformed version of The Beasts of Bourbon, an aussie rock n' roll supergroup that Kim had been playing with on the side since the early ‘80s. We're not anywhere near through the list of envelope-pushing projects that he's been involved with, either. In this interview we cover his first punk band Cheap Nasties, his acoustic duo the Darling Downs with Ron Peno of Died Pretty, his recent solo work, and the ongoing Scientists reunion. Kim also breaks down a number of his classic songs for us, providing details about their influences and development. The songs are presented here in their entirety, so allow this episode to act as both an interview and a mixtape of all your favorite Kim Salmon tunes!”-Jack HabeggerLow Profile is supported by you on Patreon and also receives in-kind support from these independent Olympia businesses:  Schwart'z Deli, San Francisco Street Bakery, Old School Pizzeria, Rainy Day Records and Scherler Easy Premium Shitty American Lager from Three Magnets Brewing Company.Instagram: @lowpropodcastFacebook Community: Low Profile Listener HubPatreon (donation-based bonus content+goods):  patreon.com/lowprofileIllustration for this episode by Lani Morrison

 Today I'm talking with the band Califone's founding member Tim Rutili.  Califone began 25 years ago as a solo project after the dissolution of his previous group Red Red Meat in Chicago.  You may have heard his collaboration with Modest Mouse's Isaac Brock, Ugly Casanova, or his ambient rock group Loftus.  Tim has continued to do sporadic collaborative efforts over the years, but Califone has been a constant having released 15 albums as well as a bunch of singles and EPs.  Their experimental take on Americana, musique concrete and indie rock is unlike that of any other group around.  On May 19th, 2023 they are releasing a new album called Villagers on Jealous Butcher Records.  I spoke with Tim about live performances, the new material, the group's previous album Echo Mine which was a score to a dance piece, their experiments with live improvised silent film scoring, the virtue of acting like a baby, writing and directing the film All My Friends are Funeral Singers, and several of his other projects over the years.  Tim Rutili spoke with me earlier this year from his home in Los Angeles.Low Profile is supported by you on Patreon and also receives in-kind support from these independent Olympia businesses:  Schwart'z Deli, San Francisco Street Bakery, Old School Pizzeria, Rainy Day Records and Scherler Easy Premium Shitty American Lager from Three Magnets Brewing Company.Instagram: @lowpropodcastFacebook Community: Low Profile Listener HubPatreon:  patreon.com/lowprofile

Today, my co-host Madison Nadine and I sit down with Mike Stax joining us remotely from his home in San Diego.  For kicks, Mike records and tours with his band, the Loons,  but he's better known as a writer, having published the magazine UGLY THINGS for 40 years and running.  In 2022,  he  started an excellent new podcast bearing the same name. Ugly Things is an established authority on the golden era of obscure underground rock music, and today we'll be talking to Mike about a guy named Craig Smith, later  known as Maitreya Kali. Smith was a rising star in the LA music world in the 1960s— He was on The Andy Williams Show as a member of The Good Time Singers, filmed a TV pilot, and formed a band called Penny Arkade, championed by Michael Nesmith. While traveling in the middle east, Craig's life was thrown off the rails by a tragic incident.  Smith rebounded from the trauma by taking on the spiritual name Maitreya, a self-proclaimed deity among men, and would-be cult leader… had he found a devoted following.  He faded into obscurity after self-releasing a pair of records, and Mike Stax took it upon himself to track down Maitreya-- or at least, as much of his story as possible.  His findings resulted in the 2016 book “Swim Through the Darkness: My Search for Craig Smith and the Mystery of Maitreya Kali.” Mike shares about his experience in living out this mystery novel,  the people he met along the way, further developments since the book's completion, hamburgers, Ugly Things, and the Loons.Illustration by Lani Morrison.Low Profile is made possible by you on Patreon and also receives in-kind support from these independent Olympia businesses:  Schwart'z Deli, San Francisco Street Bakery, Old School Pizzeria, Rainy Day Records and Scherler Easy Premium Shitty American Lager from Three Magnets Brewing Company.Instagram: @lowpropodcastFacebook Community: Low Profile Listener HubPatreon (donation-based bonus content+goods):  patreon.com/lowprofile

Phil Elverum (The Microphones, Mount Eerie) returns to Low Profile with his audio engineer friend Matt Fenton to discuss the time they gave the Kamloops, British Columbia band Peace a chance. They discuss their behind-the-scenes experience facilitating the 2006 debut by the band Peace, “On Earth.” It was the first project Elverum signed to his own label PW Elverum and Sun, up to which point had only released his own music.  One might argue that the album has not particularly aged well, but regardless, just ahead of the album's deluxe 3xLP+Coffee Table Book expanded reissue, Low Profile is proud to present the sordid tale of this 17-minute cult classic.  You're welcome.This episode contains numerous cuss words.  Click here for a bleeped version.Visit the website for this episodeLow Profile is supported by you on Patreon and also receives in-kind support from these independent Olympia businesses:  Schwart'z Deli, San Francisco Street Bakery, Old School Pizzeria, Rainy Day Records and Scherler Easy Premium Shitty American Lager from Three Magnets Brewing Company.Instagram: @lowpropodcastFacebook Community: Low Profile Listener HubPatreon (donation-based bonus content+goods):  patreon.com/lowprofile

Singer, Author and Nashville Songwriter Hall of Famer Layng Martine Jr's compositions have been performed by the likes of soul legends The Pointer Sisters, Featherbed frontman Barry Mannilow, Bo Diddley, Reba McEntire, Las Vegas regional sensation Elvis Presley, and Philly correspondant Karl Blau.  Now an octogenarian- with over six active decades in the background and just a handful of singles under his own name- 2023 marks Layng's debut album, “Music Man.” The album was produced by his son Tucker Martine, who has brought us records by tons of folks including Bill Frisell, Modest Mouse, Roseanne Cash, Mudhoney, Laura Viers, My Morning Jacket and friend of the show Karl Blau.   Today, the two of them visit Low Profile from Tucker's Portland, OR studio Flora Recording and Playback.  Layng shares stories about doing landscaping for big band leader Benny Goodman, writing songs “in the air”,  accidentally meeting Jerry Lee Lewis, his first attempt at an album that never saw the light of day- produced by Ray Stevens- and how he reacted when he first heard one of his songs recorded by the king of rock and roll, Karl Blau.  And there's even a story about Elvis! Meanwhile, Tucker tells of his development in sound engineering and music, and his side of the story behind his dad's first proper album. Low Profile is supported directly by you through flexible monthly donations at patreon.com/LowProfile Olympia Washington in-kind support thanks to Schwartz's Deli, Rainy Day Records, Old School Pizzeria, San Francisco St Bakery and Scherler Easy Premium Shitty American Lager from Three Magnets Brewing Company.Artists and musicians! Want vinyl records but can't afford to order 1000 and wait 8-12 months? Check out our friends at Lathecuts.com. They will make you vinyl singles in quantities as low as 50 as quickly as 3-4 weeks. All of their pricing is ala carte and they can help pick a package that fits your budget. Email Mike at Lathecuts@yahoo.com and mention Low Profile to get a 10% overrun on your order!

Karl Blau takes over the show again, this time to speak with members of our mutual friends Hermit Thrushes, recorded at various locations in Philly back in 2021.  Band members Yianni Kourmadas, Taryn Jones and Andrew Keller share why they use the cheapest gear possible, their experiences with bars vs D.I.Y. and all ages spaces, musical influences, and tour stories including how they rebounded from a robbery.  The group often learns new material by way of MIDI demos, and we'll be hearing a clip from one of them.   Spencer Carrow, who spent a decade with the group, speaks with Markly Morrison for the introduction.Low Profile is supported by you on Patreon and also receives in-kind support from these independent Olympia businesses:  Schwart'z Deli, San Francisco Street Bakery, Old School Pizzeria, Rainy Day Records and Scherler Easy Premium Shitty American Lager from Three Magnets Brewing Company.Instagram: @lowpropodcastFacebook Community: Low Profile Listener HubPatreon (bonus content+goods):  patreon.com/lowprofile

Austin Leonard Jones is a singing storyteller, spinning narratives based in fact and fiction with a penchant for writing country-flavored tunes that feel familiar from the get-go.  Born and raised in Texas, he currently calls Ojai, CA his home.  In the past year he's released four albums on cassette tape: a live record, a collection of new songs called “Dead Calm,” and a ten-year retrospective in two volumes, called “The Wonder Years of Austin Leonard Jones” on Perpetual Doom records.  He's the guy who helped to facilitate my season one interview with Bobby Frank Brown, one of the most popular episodes I've put out to date, and since then I've discovered Austin's albums and I literally cannot stop listening and singing along.  I rank him along side my favorite American songwriters, right up there with Kris Kristofferson and David Berman.  You might have heard his live performance and interview from the Scherler Sundays 2022 concert series, if not, you might wanna check that out after this is over to get a double dose of goodies from this guy.  Today we're talking tour stories, wholesome activities in Mexico, veggie burgers, the Beach Boys, being a strict band leader, and riding around in the pickup with his best friend Shenandoah.The illustration for this episode is by Lani Morrison.Low Profile is supported by you at patreon.com/lowprofileFind all episodes archived at lowprofilepodcast.comThanks to Olympia WA in-kind supporters Schwartz's Deli, San Francisco Street Bakery, Old School Pizzeria, Rainy Day Records and Scherler Easy Premium Shitty American Lager from Three Magnets Brewing Company.

Chronophage is a band that started in Austin, TX and has since scattered into various locations.  While on tour in winter 2021, band members Adam, Casey, Sarah and Parker dropped by for an in-studio taping at the Happy Birthday House for Channel 22 on Thurston Community Media.  Madison Nadine conducts this interview along with first time co-host Markly Morrison. The group talks about their new self-titled album recorded by studio masters Craig Ross (Lenny Kravitz, Sheryl Crow, Daryl Hall, Patty Griffin) and Stuart Sullivan (Willie Nelson, Sublime, Meat Puppets, Butthole Surfers), touring, collaborative approach in and out of the band, and solving the mystery of love. Chronophage also performs two songs from each of their most recent albums, Th' Pig Kiss'd Album and Chronophage. This episode has been adapted from a made-for-TV production that isn't out yet.  Watch this space for that release.  In the meantime, enjoy some of Chronophage's videos and recordings:A/V: Andrew Ebright, Miles Rozatti, Hannah ByrdIllustration by Lani MorrisonLow Profile is listener supported via patreon.com/lowprofileIn-kind support from Olympia, WA businesses San Francisco Street Bakery, Schwartz's Deli, Old School Pizzeria, Rainy Day Records and Tapes, and Scherler Easy Premium Shitty American Lager from Three Magnets Brewing Company.  Follow @lowpropodcast on intragram for developments of our collaborative concert series Scherler Sundays.Want to make your own vinyl singles in quantities as low as 50 copies, with an average turnaround time of 2 weeks? Mention Low Profile in your email to lathecuts@yahoo.com to receive a %10 overrun on your order.

Born 100 years ago in Scotland, the late musician/poet/author/humorist Ivor Cutler was a self-described Oblique Music Philospher.  He released tons of art by way of radio, television, books and records.  His work, no matter the medium, is thoughtful as it is absurd, as irreverent as it is romantic.  Author Bruce Lindsay took it upon himself to write the greatest-and-only biography on the O.M.P. called Ivor Cutler: A Life Outside the Sitting Room.  Markly Morrison and Andrew “Hollywood” Dorsett speak at length with Mr. Lindsay on Ivor's storied career that spans from the 1950s until his death in 2006 including his work as a music teacher, his recurring radio and television performances on the BBC, the story behind his character “Buster Bloodvessel” in the Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour movie, his books for children and adults, his friendship with prog-rocker Robert Wyatt, his shocking habit of vandalism, and artists who have covered Mr. Cutler.  One such artist is Jim O'Rourke, who in the first few minutes shares an anecdote about the time that Ivor reached out to him, in an outtake from episode 66.Illustration of Bruce thinking about Ivor drawn by Lani Morrison@3magbrewing @rainydayolympia @schwartzsolympia @old_schoolpizzeria @blindsay @myselfies2006 #ivorcutler #poetlauriate #fave #jam #trafficjam #scottishpoetry #harmonium #geezer #absurdism #weirdmusic #outsiderart #yolatengo #parentheticalgirls #robertwyatt #phyllisking #adoughtnutinnyhand “beautifulcosmos #beatles #magicalmysterytour #busterbloodvessel #organist

Jim O'Rourke is a composer and producer living in Japan after spending most of his life in Chicago. His solo and collaborative works range from pop songwriting to electronic and avant-garde, being one of the first musicians to use a computer for live improvisations. His albums have been released on Table of the Elements, Drag City, Mego, and his own label Moikai. As a producer he has worked with Joanna Newsom, Wilco, US Maple, Stereolab and countless others. He has been a member of Sonic Youth, Loose Fur, Illusion of Safety, Boxhead Ensemble and Gastr Del Sol. O'Rourke's collaborators include Christian Fennesz, John Fahey, Tony Conrad, Loren Connors, Keiji Haino and the Red Krayola. As a film composer he has made contributions to School of Rock, Werner Herzog's Grizzly Man and a smattering of Japanese films. Jim chats from his home studio The Steam Room with Markly and guest host Dylan Shearer about his formative years, musicians he admires, his current works and aspirations, his take on the world of streaming music, responds to listener questions, and discusses why he no longer writes songs with lyrics or tours. Includes an introduction from Sean O'Hagan of Stereolab, High Llamas and Microdisney.Find this episode's website at lowprofilepodcast.com to dive even deeper.Special thanks to Forrest for editing in the music selections for this program, to Lani Morrison for this episode's illustration, and to Eli Moore and Miles Rozatti for helping with cleaning up the remote audio.If you enjoy this show and want to help support it, you can join the community of patrons at patreon.com/lowprofile. For a flexible monthly donation, most people go for 3 to 5 dollars a month, you'll receive access to things like advance release episodes, behind the scenes footage, insights into my research for this program, first dibs on merchandise, and unedited interview recordings. Plus you'll be helping to make this oral history project sustainable, and if you join up I'll also send you a sticker and a button as a thank you. Again, that link is patreon.com/lowprofile This show also receives in-kind support from several Olympia businesses including Rainy Day Records, San Francisco Street Bakery, Schwartz's Deli, Old School Pizzeria, and Scherler Easy Premium Shitty American Lager from 3 Magnets Brewing Company. Artists and musicians! Want vinyl records but can't afford to order 1000 and wait 8-12 months? Check out our friends at Lathecuts.com. They will make you vinyl singles in quantities as low as 50 as quickly as 3-4 weeks. All of their pricing is ala carte and they can help pick a package that fits your budget. Email Mike at Lathecuts@yahoo.com and Mention Low Profile to get a 10% overrun on your order for free!

On today's episode, instead of our usual format, I've got a folkorist.  Derek Piotr lives in Connecticut, and was introduced to me by Dollar Country host Franklin Fantini, who you might remember from a bonus episode from October 2021.  Derek's released several albums of experimental and electronic music this century (see listening links below), but in recent years has shifted his focus to collecting folks songs as remembered by folks.  He has traveled here and abroad collecting field recordings which he'll be sharing with us today.  I spoke with Derek last spring in Connecticut.  Today he's sharing anecdotes working both locally and abroad, being in cahoots with both legendary underground radio station WFMU and the Library of Congress, working with acclaimed 20th century composers, and preserving oral tradition by documenting the life of the song, and his new album "The Devil Knows How." We also swap some found tape and field recordings.  You know, regular stuff.  It's a great time, welcome aboard!Low Profile is supported by you on http://patreon.com/lowprofile and in December 2022 up until new year's eve, anybody who joins the Patreon community at the $5 level will get a mixtape in the mail featuring exclusive recordings from previous episodes of the show.  (free delivery to USA addresses, others may opt in and pay only postage)Find Derek's field work at http://www.fieldwork-archive.comFind Derek's music at https://derekpiotr.bandcamp.com/Open call for recording artists- submit your own theme song for Low Profile that includes the show's title.  Anywhere from 3-60 seconds.  If I play it on an episode, I'll also shout out a link to your project! Send submissions to LowProfileMarkly at gmail dot comLow Profile receives in-kind support from:San Francisco Street Bakerysfsbakery.comRainy Day Records and Tapes@rainydayolympiaSchwartz's Deli@schwartzsolympiaOld School Pizzeria@old_schoolpizzeriaScherler Easy Premium Shitty American Lagerscherlerbeer.com ARTISTS AND MUSICIANS! Want vinyl records but can't afford to order 1000 and wait 8-12 months? Check out our friends at Lathecuts.com. They will make you vinyl singles in quantities as low as 50 as quickly as 3-4 weeks. All of their pricing is ala carte and they can help pick a package that fits your budget. Email Mike at Lathecuts@yahoo.com and Mention Low Profile to get a 10% overrun on your order for free!

If you don't know already, La Luz is killing it these days.  They got the thick harmonies, they got the deep twang in the guitar department, and everybody in the band brings a hell of a lot to the table.  Outside the band, they all have other music projects that are keeping it fresh.   The solo projects of guitarist Shana Cleveland and keyboardist Alice Sandahl are glorious in their own right, as well as bassist Lena Simon's new studio project Kairos Creature Club and drummer Audrey Johnson's Fresno-based band Fatty Cakes and the Puff Pastries. When all those forces combine, it really hits.  While on tour this past summer, they made a detour in Olympia and came into the KAOS air studio earlier to give us a show.  I brought them some instruments so they didn't have to unload all their gear, so in addition to the interview, they're doing a special unplugged set with celestette, shaker, and dual acoustic guitars.  This episode is a co-production of Thurston Community Media and KAOS 89.3FM and is adapted from a video recording, which will eventually be made available on this episode's web page.  Get cozy, there's a lot of music on the show today.For the month of December, I'm doing a patreon drive.  Folks who support this show will be helping out me and my family, chipping in with the costs of doing this program, and making a huge difference... a little goes a long way.  And as a bonus, everybody who is a part of the Low Profile Patreon community donating $5 or more per month gets an exclusive mixtape- yeah, a physical cassette - featuring tunes that have never been released outside of Low Profile, with artists like Donnie and Joe Emerson, Stephen Steinbrink, Doug Martsch, Ashley Eriksson, Lavender Country and more.  I'll be sending the tapes out at the end of the month, and you'll get yours right in the beginning of 2023.  To support the show, visit patreon.com/lowprofile and sign up for flexible monthly donations.Also, since this episode was recorded, Lena has left the band La Luz after 8 years.  We wish her the best with her new endeavors in Florida!The artwork for this episode is by Lani Morrison.

 Hey, Markly here, this is the sixty-third episode of Low Profile. A couple years ago, my friend and former bandmate Nehemiah St-Danger told me about this band he started playing bass for, and thought would be a good match for this show. I loved what I heard- in fact, I started listening to it all the time, but I was hesitant because A: there were only two albums out, and I usually like to do a lot of research in a deep discography before having them on as a guest, and B: I already had a years-old, over-ambitious list of dream guests who, to my pleasant surprise kept accepting my invitations. But here's the thing: the more I listened to those two albums, Jonny Kosmo (2019) and Pastry (2021), the deeper the discography felt.  I got in touch with Jonny and Nehemiah, and then later in June of 2022, we managed to get together while my family was visiting Los Angeles. Turns out the three of us have a bizarree experience in common almost 20 years ago. We also discuss Jonny's earlier days on the East Coast (when he went by “Jonny Tea”), putting a little sunshine in your ears, sonic fondue, how Nehemiah got involved on bass, how much fun it is to play bass (spoiler: it's more fun than you think), the intersection of therapy and song crafting, and of course, the ideal burger. As of November 2022, Jonny Kosmo now has a third album out, called “Light Speaks the Quilt. This episode's website:https://www.lowprofilepodcast.com/season-7/63-jonny-kosmoJonny Kosmo on IG: @jonnykosmoJonny Kosmo on bandcamp:https://jonnykosmo.bandcamp.com/Nehemiah St-Danger on bandcamp:https://saint-danger.bandcamp.com/ This episode was produced by yours truly, Markly Morrison. If you like this show, please, tell your fellow music history nerds about it. Leave a review, smash the subscribe button, follow us on social media @lowpropodcast, and find more content related to this and all previous episodes at lowprofilepodcast.com.If you want to help pay the bills, and a big thank you to those that do, you can join other financial backers at patreon.com/lowprofile.Low Profile receives in-kind support from these Olympia, Washington independent businesses:San Francisco Street Bakery,Schwartz's Deli,Old School Pizzeria,Rainy Day Records,and Scherler Premium Shitty American Lager from 3 Magnets Brewing. 

Oakland-based singer-songwriter Stephen Steinbrink, one of my favorite artists and a friend to boot, is my guest today.  Multi-instrumentalist and frequent co-host Andrew Dorsett is also in on the conversation, accompanying Stephen on piano and steel guitar in the Lounge of the ABC House.  He has released 14 albums and EPs under his own name and his earlier moniker French Quarter on the labels Holy Page, Western Vinyl, No More Second Chances, Lost Sound Tapes, and Melodic Records.  Steinbrink has also recently assumed a producer role for the Bay Area band Boy Scouts.  In this interview, we discuss songwriting, collaborations, fun gags on tour, uncomfortable fashion, astrology, plus a special lightning round.  This episode was filmed for television and includes live performances and music videos, you can fix yourself some popcorn and watch it at lowprofilepodcast.comArtwork for this episode by Lani MorrisonDirected and engineered by Andrew EbrightEdited by Markly MorrisonCameras by Andrew Ebright, Miles Rozatti and Madison Nadine. This podcast is supported by listeners like you at patreon.com/lowprofileLow Profile recieves in-kind support from these independent Olympia businesses:San Francisco Street Bakery, Schwartz's Deli, Rainy Day Records, Old School Pizzeria, and Scherler Easy Premium Shitty American Lager from Three Magnets Brewing Company.

Come for a ride down Interstate 5 with Suzzy Roche and Lucy-Wainwright Roche as I talk to them on their way to the next gig on their west coast tour.  Suzzy is one-third of The Roches, a group of sisters whose records since the 1970s have been creating fanatic enthusiasts around the world, myself included. Her daughter Lucy has released several killer solo records in the last couple of decades, and the new album “I Can Still Hear You” is the third that the two of them made together.  This one's an especially big deal for me, because I'm a huge fan on the Roches and their extended universe, including Lucy and her siblings Rufus and Martha Wainwright, not to mention their father Loudon Wainwright III.  Earlier this year, I took my family to see Suzzy and Lucy perform in Seattle a few days before recording this interview while they were on the road (and I joined by speakerphone technology).  Today we're talking about the Roches legacy, including being among the first artists to earn the classification “folk punk,” Suzzy and Lucy's experience collaborating remotely on an album that was meant to happen in a Nashville studio, balancing humor and sincerity in their music, the adjustments necessary to incorporate Roches songs into their set, and Suzzy's most recent novel “The Town Crazy.”Links related to this story can be found on this episode's page at https://www.lowprofilepodcast.comEpisode Artwork by Lani MorrisonProduced by Markly MorrisonThis show is supported by you at patreon.com/LowProfile and in-kind supporters Old School Pizzeria, Rainy Day Records, Schwartz's Deli, San Francisco Street Bakery and Scherler Easy Premium Shitty American Lager.  Bonus track "Love To See You (Roches)" by Stephen Steinbrink.

I'm very excited to kick things off today, I've been working on this season for a little over a year and as usual, I'll be presenting a ton of terrific musical guests.  Also, my wife Lani Is supplying hand drawn portraits of all the artists for each episode, starting with today's guest, Peter David Connelly of the Mona Reels, whose latest self-released album “Without Love” is available on bandcamp.  In addition to the band's output over the past twenty years or so, Peter and I talk about how to hack the algorithms that police low-res photos, worshiping The Beach Boys, the role of piano in contemporary rock music, his old band called Weezer, and Peter gives a few piano and vocal performances we taped in his home here in Olympia.  This episode is also available on video, filmed and directed by Andrew ebright at TCTV Studio A.  You can find a link to watch this on this episode's website at lowprofilepodcast.com or cat hit late at night on Channel 22 in Thurston County.  Some, but not all of the visual references have been edited out for this audio-only version.You can find links to their music on this episode's website at lowprofilepodcast.com where you can also watch the broadcast television version of this episode.  If that's not enough Mona Reels for you, they gave another performance and interview during the Scherler Sundays live series, two episodes back in time.  Today's show was recorded for Thurston Community Media by Andrew Ebright.  If you'd like to support Low Profile and get early access to future episodes and occasional exclusive bonus content, head over to Patreon.com/lowprofile and sign up for flexible monthly donations and join the crew of executive producers.  Next time on Low Profile I'll be speaking with Suzzy Roche of the Roches, and her daughter, singer-songwriter Lucy Wainwright Roche.  You can subscribe to this show wherever you get podcasts to make sure you hear new episodes as soon as they are released, and catch up on previous shows you may have missed.  Thanks for listening!The Mona Reels on IG: @themonareelsThe Mona Reels on Bandcamp: themonareels.bandcamp.com

 Dev Ray, Dylan Shearer and Ali Baker (with Summer Schief) make an appearance at the final Sherler Sundays concert of 2022. Ali and Summer reveal their new band name, discuss singing harmony with the Mona Reels, and share about their recent opportunity to share the stage with hip-hop royalty. Dylan performs in Olympia for the first time in 20 years and talks about his formative years in the Mojave desert, and the chapter of his life in the Bay Area leading to working with members of the Osees and Comets on Fire. Dev visits Olympia for the first time ever, sharing songs from his upcoming record and talking about previous projects. I've also collaborated musically with each of these friends of mine, so we're talking about those experiences as well.This concludes the series of live highlights from Scherler Sundays, and Low Profile will be back soon with a brand new season that's over a year in the making, starting with The Mona Reels.You can find all of today's featured artists on Bandcamp:Dev Rayhttps://devraymusic.bandcamp.comDylan Shearerhttps://dylanshearer.bandcamp.com/Ali Bakerhttps://alibakermusic.bandcamp.com/Scherler Sundays is a collaboration of Low Profile and Three Magnets Brewing Company.https://www.3magbrewing.comAnd of course, this show is supported by you at https://patreon.com/LowProfile !You can find all previous episodes of Low Profile with Markly Morrison at https://www.lowprofilepodcast.com

The penultimate live episode for this series of highlights from the Scherler Sundays concert series features three Olympia acts and one out-of-towner, Austin Leonard Jones.  The Mona Reels has been the ongoing  project of singer-songwriter Peter David Connelly for over 20 years, today we hear his current and self-proclaimed favorite line-up of the band, a six-piece ensemble.  Included is a suite of songs from their latest record, "Without Love."  The Mona Reels will also be kicking off the seventh season of Low Profile later this month.  Olivia Rose is the namesake of the red-hot Pacific Northwest band Oh, Rose.  In this performance, however, she is joined by a cellist and several backup singers, delivering a performance unlike anything else out there, including a debut performance of a brand-new song.Lee Baggett is best known for his work with Kyle Field in the band Little Wings, and is a terriffic songwriter himself.  Originally from San Luis Obispo, CA, he moved to Olympia and started a family some years ago.  His latest album, "Anyway," is out now on Perpetual Doom Records and features a brand new set of sunshine-laden road songs.  Austin Leonard Jones is one of the best kept secrets in modern country music.  Originally from Texas and currently based in Ojai, CA, his latest album is called "Dead Calm."  Like Lee Baggett, his new album is available on Perpetual Doom Records.  Coincidentally, Lee and Austin perform with the same rhythm section for this performance: Spencer and Henry of the band Generifus, who were featured a few weeks ago in this series.Find links to all of these artists and their music at lowprofilepodcast.com and get into it!The performances and interviews on this episode were recorded live in front of an audience in Olympia, WA behind the historic Carnegie Library on July 31 and August 7th, 2022 by Miles Rozatti.Scherler Sundays is a collaboration between Low Profile and the Three Magnets Brewing Company.

This is the sixth installment of highlights from the Scherler Sunday's concert series earlier this summer. We'll be hearing interviews and three songs each from Hot Pursuit of Happiness, my old friends LAKE, and Kelsey Magnuson.  The first two sets were recorded on July 24th, and Kelsey's set is from July 31st of this year, all recorded in front of an audience behind the Historic Carnegie Library in Olympia.  If you want to hear the complete sets and unedited versions of the interviews, it will be available via Patreon.com/lowprofileHot Pursuit of Happiness is the current songwriting project from improvising keyboardist Thollem McDonas.  We talk about his expansive practice in improvised and composed music, his activist anti-war stance, and share some laughs.  LAKE is no stranger to Low Profile, but this is the first time everyone has been on the show together.  It also marks my first performance with them since the group's ten year anniversary, such a fun time!  Kelsey Magnuson is an Olympia transplant from Nebraska whose new band has been making a big impression in the local scene with solid, thoughtful rock and roll music.Find music from Thollem and Hot Pursuit of Happiness at www.Thollem.comFind LAKE's music at www.laketheband.comFind Kelsey Magnuson's music at kelseymagnuson.bandcamp.com