The Dark Stuff

For episode 118, I interview Rick Galusha. Rick has been a fixture in the Omaha music community for decades. For around 25 years, Rick worked for the Homer's Record Store chain. He began as a clerk behind the counter at the chain's first store, and worked his way up to being president of the company. Homer's began in Omaha with one store. By the 1990s, Homer's had 17 locations in Nebraska and Iowa, and had bought out its two local competitors. As the fate of the music industry began to turn in the late 90s, so did that of Homer's. As of the time of this posting, Homer's is down to one location in downtown Omaha. Rick Galusha saw it all firsthand. In the interview, we discuss the origins of Homer's and how Rick first became consumed by music. The conversation then veers into a general discussion about the decline of the music industry and of the record store.  Somewhere around 2005, Rick said goodbye to the record business and moved on to a different career. He still keeps one toe in the musical waters, if you will, by hosting a weekly radio show called Pacific Street Blues and Americana. The show airs Sunday mornings from 9am-noon (Central Standard Time) on KIWR, 89.7 The River. The station streams at 897theriver.com, and Rick archives the show at kiwrblues.podomatic.com. Thanks for listening. Enjoy. ©2014 The Dark Stuff Podcast Look for The Dark Stuff online at www.thedarkstuff.com and on twitter @davesplash  

We return with part two of my interview with Orenda Fink for episode #117. If you haven't heard part one - episode 116 - please go back and listen to that one first. Seriously.  Orenda Fink is a recording artist who has been making music since the late 90s, beginning with the bands Little Red Rocket and Azure Ray. After Azure Ray went on an indefinite hiatus in 2004, Fink embarked on a solo career. As you'll hear in this episode, that solo career has also seen frequent collaborations with other artists, and the formation of two additional bands. Fink's current release, Blue Dream, is out now on Saddle Creek Records. She is currently on tour in support of the album. Look for tour dates at OrendaFink.com. This episode contains portions of the following songs: "Set the Woods On Fire" by Art In Manila, and "Alabama" by Orenda Fink. The music underneath my voice in the intro and outro is "Holy Holy" by Orenda Fink. All songs ©the artist. Thanks for listening. Enjoy. ©2014 The Dark Stuff Podcast Look for The Dark Stuff online at www.thedarkstuff.com and on twitter @davesplash

For episode 116, we have part one of my interview with Orenda Fink. Orenda has just released her third solo album, Blue Dream, on the Saddle Creek Records label, and is about to embark on her first tour in a few years. Orenda's musical journey began when she met singer/songwriter Maria Taylor at a performing arts school in Alabama. The two began writing songs together, and eventually formed the band Little Red Rocket. LRR was signed by Geffen Records while Fink and Taylor were barely out of high school! Following some personal tragedy, LRR broke up, but Fink and Taylor stayed together and formed the band Azure Ray. It was around this same time that Orenda became involved with the Omaha music scene, and Azure Ray was signed to Saddle Creek Records, which was home to Bright Eyes, The Faint, and Cursive, at the time. Orenda would eventually re-locate to Omaha, and marry Todd Fink, who is the lead singer of The Faint. When Azure Ray went on an extended hiatus in 2004, Orenda Fink began her solo career with the 2005 album, The Invisible Ones. Her restless artistic spirit had her continuing to form new bands and collaborations, and she also recorded with Art In Manila, O + S, and toured as a member of Rilo Kiley. In our interview, Orenda and I discuss the inspiration behind the new album, Blue Dream, as well as the making of the record and her upcoming tour. We then delve into Orenda's entire career, including the reunion of Azure Ray. Our discussion was pretty long, so I have decided to make this a two-part episode. Part Two will be episode #117. This episode contains portions of the following songs: "Blue Dream," and "This Is a Part of Something Greater" by Orenda Fink, and "New Resolution" by Azure Ray. The music underneath my voice in the intro and outro is "Holy Holy" by Orenda Fink. All songs ©the artist. Thanks for listening. Enjoy. ©2014 The Dark Stuff Podcast Look for The Dark Stuff online at www.thedarkstuff.com and on twitter @davesplash

For episode #115, I interview Dave Rosenhiem, who is currently the singer for Bay Area indie band Winchester Revival. We discuss the new band and its new record, Eyes in the Canopy. Dave and I share some history, and we take a trip back to the 1990s to discuss his old band, Hugh. He and I met in the early 90s when I started an independent record label called Mafia Money Records. Hugh was the first signing, and together we released three CDs and two 7" singles. At the tail end of the 90s, Rosenheim transitioned from being an artist to creating an online music magazine and later to a website called MusicFans.com. Recently, he left the business world to lead an environmental non-profit called The Climate Registry. Winchester Revival's music can be found on their bandcamp page: http://winchesterrevival.bandcamp.com/ This episode features the following music: Winchester Revival - "Chemical Yellow"; Winchester Revival - "Submarine Bell" (portion); Hugh - "Seeds"; Hugh - "Grapeviner"; Hugh - "Albuquerque". Underneath my voice during the intro and outro is "Ashtrayland" by Hugh. All songs ©the artist who performed them. Thanks for listening. Enjoy. ©2014 The Dark Stuff Podcast Look for The Dark Stuff online at www.thedarkstuff.com and on twitter @davesplash

For episode 114, I bring you part two of the interview with Omaha music legend, Dereck Higgins. In part one, we went through Dereck's musical childhood, his earliest bands, and his time in bands Digital Sex and RAF. Part two picks up exactly right where the first one left off. We discuss Dereck's move into ambient and electronic music, the formation of his record label (DVH Recordings), his introduction to the online Vinyl Community, his collaborations with filmmaker/musician Nik Fackler, and all of his current projects. Remember that all of Dereck's music can be purchased through his bandcamp page: dereckhiggins.bandcamp.com. This episode contains snippets of the following music: "War Statement" by Dereck Higgins, "Drebump" by Dereck Higgins (© Dereck Higgins), "Saw a Blind Dad" by In Dreama (© Team Love). The music embedded under my voice in the intro and outro of the podcast is "Passing Apparition" from Dereck's album Sonospheres (©2013 Dereck Higgins). Thanks for listening. Enjoy. ©2014 The Dark Stuff Podcast Look for The Dark Stuff online at www.thedarkstuff.com and on twitter @davesplash

For episode #113, I have part one of an interview with Omaha music legend, Dereck Higgins. Higgins has been making music and playing in bands in the Omaha area since the 1970s. Two of his bands from the 1980s - Digital Sex and RAF - are considered by many to be the foundation of the modern Omaha indie music scene. Most people know about Bright Eyes, The Faint and Cursive. But the Omaha music scene did not start there, obviously; it began decades earlier, and Higgins was right there in the middle of it. Dereck Higgins is still playing in bands and performing today. He also makes music as a solo artist and releases it through his website: http://dereckhiggins.bandcamp.com. Dereck has also achived some notoriety from his popular Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/dereckvon. His videos are among the most popular in the "Vinyl Community" - an online group of record collectors and enthusiasts who show the world their collections and offer insights into the artists. Over the years, Higgins' videos have gone beyond the normal "VC" subject matter, and often times venture into politics and social commentary. They are a lot like diary entries that he shares with the world at large. Since Dereck and I both live in Omaha, I had him come down to the bunker (aka my basement) for the interview. We spoke for over an hour; and because I wanted to include some snippets of music along with the interview, I have decided to make this into a two part episode. In part one, Dereck discusses his earliest days as a child fascinated with music, his meeting famous jazz musicians like John Coltrane (who used to stop by his childhood home both to "jam" and to "score"), and his early difficulties being a black rock musician in an overwhelmingly white music scene. Part Two will be the next episode - #114. This episode contains snippets of two Digital Sex songs - "Dervish Dance" and "When Feelings Change." Both are ©Digital Sex. The music embedded under my voice in the intro and outro of the podcast is "Passing Apparition" from Dereck's album Sonospheres (©2013 Dereck Higgins). Thanks for listening. Enjoy. ©2014 The Dark Stuff Podcast Look for The Dark Stuff online at www.thedarkstuff.com and on twitter @davesplash

For episode 112, I bring you my interview with Austin, Texas band Ringo Deathstarr. Ringo Deathstarr's music is a loud mixture of shoegaze, Noise pop, indie rock, and psychadelic rock. The interview was conducted in the band's dressing room at The Waiting Room in Omaha. RD was playing in town as the opener for Peter Murphy. I spoke to guitarist/singer Elliott Frazier, bassist/singer Alex Gehring, and drummer Daniel Coborn. The trio discusses how the band was formed, the legal consequences of the band's name, and the making of the current album, God's Dream. As with many other episodes of the Dark Stuff, the band Swervedriver enters the discussion. Turns out, Adam Franklin of Swervedriver plays on a song on the current Ringo Deathstarr album! In between segments of the interview, I put in some snippets of music from Ringo Deathstarr. It's just a tease. You need to pick up the records ASAP. The band's website: ringdodeathstarr.org. Find the band on twitter: @RingoDeathstarr Thanks for listening. Enjoy. ©2014 The Dark Stuff Podcast

For episode 111, I interviewed Bill Sweet from the MAHA Music Festival. MAHA is an annual music festival that takes place in Omaha, Nebraska. This will be the festival's sixth year; and it has grown in both quality and stature with each year. The date is August 16, 2014. This year's line-up includes: Death Cab For Cutie, The Head and The Heart, Local Natives, The Both (Aimee Mann and Ted Leo), Doomtree, Radkey, The Envy Corps, Icky Blossoms, Domestica, Twinsmith, Matt Whipkey, and M34N STR33T. MAHA is a unique festival in that it is a non-profit operation. The festival is run entirely by volunteers, and is supported with donations from local sponsors. In addition to the two music stages, there are also tents that feature local artists, poets, and comedians.  Bill and I talk about the origins of the festival, its goals for the future, and how much actual work goes into pulling off one of these things. For more information on the festival and getting tickets, go to mahamusicfestival.com Thanks for listening. Enjoy. ©2014 The Dark Stuff Podcast

For episode 110, I bring you what I am now calling "The Replacements Roundtable." I had an idea that I wanted to explore which centered around the reunion of The Replacements. The legendary band played its first shows in 22+ years in the Summer of 2013, and they are still playing together today. To many people, The Replacements are more than just a band, and liking them is as much a statement about them, personally, as it is about their musical taste. Being able to debate - in an articulate and inspired way - about which LP is better, Tim or Let It Be, Sorry Ma or Hootenanny, or whatever records you want to compare, is just as essential as owning those albums. Real Replacements fans are serious. For this "roundtable," I gathered up some friends - all of whom saw at least one reunion show - ordered up some drinks, and turned on the recorder. Besides me (@davesplash), the other voices you'll hear belong to: Marq Manner (@marqmanner), Chip Duden (@chipduden), and Joel Henriksen (@joelhenriksen). In between segments of the interview, I spliced in some music and stage banter from some of the reunion shows in '13 and '14. Thanks for listening. Enjoy. ©2014 The Dark Stuff Podcast

For episode 109, I am calling an audible. Originally, this was supposed to be a discussion on The Replacements reunion. However, on the scheduled recording night, Omaha was subjected to flash flooding, extreme storms, and tornadoes. So, obviously, we had to reschedule. In its place, I have found an interview with Ira Kaplan from indie legends, Yo La Tengo. This short interview was conducted live, on-air, during my radio show, New Day Rising. It was recorded Sunday, October 15, 2006, a week before Yo La Tengo's first ever Omaha concert. The interview had taken me by surprise, as I thought it had been cancelled. I didn't even bring my questions! I did the interview live on-air despite there being a strong prohibition against doing so at my station. At the time, Yo La Tengo was promoting its album, I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass. The rest is pretty self-explanatory. Sorry for the confusion about the episodes. All should be back to normal next week. ©2014 The Dark Stuff Podcast

The Dark Stuff Podcast #108 features an interview with and music by Omaha duo, Drakes Hotel. Drakes Hotel is Amy Drake and Chris Y, and together, they have recorded four albums and an EP. The band's music has drawn comparisons to artists like Cocteau Twins, Mazzy Star, The Raveonettes, and Psychadelic Furs. Chris and Amy are married and have been making music together for over a decade. After stints in Seattle and Portland, the duo made Omaha home. I discovered Drakes Hotel by accident -- seeing them open for Crocodiles -- and have been a fan ever since. Chris and Amy came down to the bunker for an interview, and I learned an awful lot about this talented twosome. For example, the band has had its music appear in TV shows such as Being Human and Lost Girl on the SyFy Network. You may already know the music without realizing it! The following songs were used with permission: "Leave It Dark" "Here's to the Days" "Broadcast to the Addicted" and "From Over". All songs ©DH Music. The music can be purchased through CD Baby: http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/DrakesHotel1. Thanks for listening. Enjoy. ©2014 The Dark Stuff Podcast

The Dark Stuff Podcast #107 features music and an interview with a brilliant, new band called See Through Dresses. STD are a new band from Omaha that has just released its debut, full length album, and is about to embark on its first national tour. The band's music has drawn comparisons to groups like Joy Division, The Cure, Lush, My Bloody Valentine, and many other greats from the late 80s/early 90s. I sat down with band members Sara Bertuldo and Matt Carroll to discuss how the band formed, the making of the album, and the band's goals for the future. Both Bertuldo and Carroll have played in bands in Omaha for years, and both feel that See Through Dresses is the band that best represents what they have been trying to achieve for many years.  In addition to working in their own bands, both Sara and Matt have done touring stints with other bands, with the most notable example being Sara's time as the bass player for Tim Kasher's (Cursive, The Good Life) solo band. The following songs were used with permission: "When Summer Ends" "Glass" "Happy" and "Johnny." All music ©See Through Dresses, and all songs appear on the band's self-titled debut LP. The album can be purchased from the band's Bandcamp page: seethroughdresses.bandcamp.com. Thanks for listening. Enjoy. ©2014 The Dark Stuff Podcast

The Dark Stuff Podcast #106 features an interview with Annie Clark aka St. Vincent. St. Vincent appeared recently in Omaha on her current Digital Witness Tour. Before the show, I sat down with Annie to discuss the state of St. Vincent.  We discussed a number of things including her recent change in record label, the current state of the music business, whether or not it's okay to be a "rock star," her collaboration with David Byrne of Talking Heads, her "emotional" meeting with Eddie Vedder, and that if she could be any other person on earth, it would be Pat Smear (Nirvana, The Germs).  Annie Clark became St. Vincent in 2007 with the release of her debut LP, Marry Me. Since then, she has released four other albums and toured around the world repeatedly. With the release of her newest, self-titled album, St. Vincent is positioned to conquer the mainstream. She recently performed at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony fronting Nirvana, and she just appeared as the musical guest on the season finale of Saturday Night Live.  ©2014 The Dark Stuff Podcast

The Dark Stuff Podcast #105 is a special one, folks. This episode features my interview with the legendary guitarist and founding member of KISS, Ace Frehley! Ace helped form KISS in 1973 and remained in the band until 1982, when he embarked on a solo career. In 1996, he re-joined KISS for a reunion tour, and remained in the band until 2002. Ace Frehley, along with the three other original members of KISS, were recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I conducted this interview with Ace during the run-up to the release of his solo album, Anomaly, in 2009. This was his first solo release in 20 years, and the expectations were high. He and his band were about to begin an international tour in support of the album, and that tour began in Council Bluffs, IA, which is a mere 10 minutes from midtown Omaha.  I have been a lifelong KISS fan, and this was, literally, a dream come true for me. I hope you enjoy the episode. This interview has never been aired anywhere. It is 100% exclusive to this podcast. I want to point out that in the time since the interview, Ace has completed a new album. It is called Space Invader, and will be released on June 24, 2014. ©2014 The Dark Stuff Podcast

The Dark Stuff Podcast #104 is a continuation of the interview with Josh Haden of the band Spain from #103. In this part of the interview, Haden talks about the second and third Spain LPs, his contractual issues with Restless Records, and the initial break-up of Spain. He then discusses his solo career, his collaborations (Handsome Boy Modeling School, Sean Lennon, DJ Shadow, Blue Man Group), and the re-formation of Spain. Since the last episode was posted, Josh got in contact with me through twitter. His twitter is http://www.twitter.com/joshhaden and the band Spain's is http://www.twitter.com/spaintheband. The official website for Spain is: http://www.spaintheband.com Thanks for listening. ©2014 The Dark Stuff Podcast

Dark Stuff Podcast #103 features an interview with Josh Haden, best known for his work in the fantastic indie band, Spain. Haden's career began as a teenager when he performed in the band Trecherous Jaywalkers, who recorded for SST Records in the 1980s. After that band's dissolution, Haden decided to take his music in another direction.  That other direction became the band Spain. Spain's stellar debut album, The Blue Moods of Spain, was released in 1995 to much critical acclaim. The album combined elements of jazz, pop, and indie rock into a magical and unique sound. One of the album's songs, "Spiritual" was later recorded by Johnny Cash. After a few follow-up albums, Spain went on hiatus in the early 2000s, and Haden ended up going solo. In addition to his solo career, he also collaborated with Dan the Automator, Handsome Boy Modeling School, Sean Lennon, and the Blue Man Group, among others.  Spain later re-formed has released a total of seven albums (including compilations). The band's newest is called, Sargent Place. This interview was conducted sometime in 2008, and was then lost to the ages due to a computer crash. I recently recovered the file, and am presenting part one of the interview here. Part Two will follow next week. Josh Haden is the son of jazz musician, Charlie Haden, and brother to Petra Haden (that dog, The Decemberists), Rachel Haden (that dog, The Rentals), and Tanya Haden. ©2014 The Dark Stuff Podcast

Dark Stuff Podcast 102 features my interview with Eddie Spaghetti from The Supersuckers. The Supersuckers are a hard rocking, hard living, punk/country/garage/metal/grunge band from Seattle, Washington. They are the self-proclaimed "Greatest Rock n Roll Band in the World." The band formed in 1988 in Tucson, AZ, but quickly re-located to Seattle to be a part of the burgeoning "Seattle scene." After one album on Empty Records, the group signed to Sub Pop and became one of the label's most successful bands. Grunge has come and gone, but the Supersuckers are still here! I conducted this interview in 2008 with singer/bassist Eddie Spaghetti, but assumed the file was gone after a computer crash, so I never was able to use it. I recently salvaged the interview and am bringing it to you here, for the first time ever. At the time, Supersuckers were celebrating their 20th anniversary as a band, and touring in support of their album, Get It Together. At the time of this posting, the Supersuckers are on the verge of releasing their 16th album, Get The Hell. Besides that, little has changed. Enjoy. ©2014 The Dark Stuff Podcast

The Dark Stuff #101 is dedicated to the short-lived Bay Area rock band Overwhelming Colorfast. The band formed in 1990 in Antioch, CA and was frequently compared to Hüsker Dü and Buzzcocks. Six months after its first performance, the band was signed to an offshoot of Sony Records and in the studio with celebrated producer Butch Vig (Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Against Me!). Colorfast toured the US numerous times and shared stages with artists like Ramones and Social Distortion, as well as headlining club tours. Despite a valiant effort, commercial success eluded the band. For this podcast, I interviewed band leader Bob Reed (gtr/vox), who tells the story of the group from its inception to its premature demise. PLEASE NOTE: This podcast was originally published in 2008. That version was removed a while back. This is a re-post of that show without the music. Since that 2008 interview, Overwhelming Colorfast's first two albums have been added to itunes, thus making them available for the first time since their initial release in the early 90s. As of this posting, a label called Texas Jesus Records (https://www.facebook.com/TexasJesusRecords) is planning to release a single of previously unreleased Colorfast music. Visit my website: http://www.thedarkstuff.com/

For this episode, the spotlight is on a great 90s band from New York called Madder Rose.The band existed from roughly 1992-1999. Based on its debut album, Bring It Down, Madder Rose was heralded as the "next Velvet Underground" in the British press. I interviewed former Madder Rose drummer, Johnny Kick for the podcast, and he tells the story of the band's fast rise and slow decline. Madder Rose is one of the best unsung bands of the 90s, and they deserve more accolades and posthumous discovery than they are getting. This is a re-posting of what was episode 24 of the original Dark Stuff Podcast. It was published originally in April 2008. This "new" version has removed any songs that were used originally, so there will be no copyright issues. Sorry about that.