Conversations with interesting people about music, film, art, philosophy, Del Taco, literature, politics, and more music. Recorded on to a single 60 minute tape with no edits and broken in to two 30 minute parts (Side A and B). Hosted by Chris Schlarb.
Junatime mastermind Heather Sommerhauser talks about the two years spent making her album Remember The Magic, how she approaches rhythm and songwriting, and being validated in her love for Def Leppard and being an artist for the first time.
Guitarist, songwriter, and sideman for Califone, Alex Dupree, and others, Max Knouse talks about how seriously everyone takes music, knowing what you're good at by how others react, finding inspiration in gear, and being a guitar-for-hire after the pandemic.
Guitarist, songwriter, and conceptualist Josh Ottum talks about the power of sound, if proficiency is the enemy of the creative process, honest passions vs. post-modern irony, and the effects of listening to Patrick O'Hearn's album Between Two Worlds in the late 80's.
Alto saxophonist, arranger, and composer Alex Sadnik talks about his newest album Flight, contending with Charlie Parker, the difference between working for yourself and others in the recording studio, and defining success as an artist.
Drummer, percussionist, and studio denizen Ryan Jewell talks about why some drummers sound different even when they're playing the same thing, loving Weird Al Yankovic, and dissecting Al Jackson Jr.'s drum parts for Al Green limb by limb.
A rambling solo start to the fourth season of BIG EGO Tapes featuring a general wellness check, an update on the future of the studio, the voice of Stewart Copeland, album release news, photography talk, and other meanderings.
Prodigious drummer & composer Chad Taylor discusses his time spent playing alongside Pharaoh Sanders and Marc Ribot, cutting Sam Prekop's self-titled album, why Stereolab took Chicago Underground Duo on tour, and William Parker's admonition that "The music doesn't care whether you think it's good or bad."
Maria Elena Silva talks about the trust and telepathy of Eros, touring the album, getting COVID, touring again, the American Dream prescription, and balancing her creative and maternal selves.
Guitarist, singer/songwriter, and Guma mastermind T.J. Masters talks about the recording his newest album, "A List of Sightings" before and after the pandemic, how different the record would be if he hadn't shown up for mixing, and the possibility that his next collection of songs will be entitled, "Workingman's Guma."
Astral Spirits owner Nate Cross pours the sotol and talks about why he still listens to unsolicted demos, releasing 30 albums a year, how record labels are modern day record stores, and being the home for a potential Peter Brötzmann disco album.
Bassist, composer, and improviser Steuart Liebig talks about quitting Les McCann's band in 1979, founding the avant-pop group BLOC with Nels Cline, joining Julius Hemphill's JAH Band, auditioning for Oingo Boingo, and why he won't hire drummers younger than 37.
Engineer, photographer, and musician Devin O'Brien has been at the center of BIG EGO from the very beginning. For the last few years Devin balanced his time playing in Cherry Glazerr with jumping into dozens of sessions; documenting both sight and sound with a unique, unified vision.
Alicia Walter sold her belongings, bought a car, and left New York to record her newest album with a live band of musicians she'd never met in California. In this conversation she talks about the transformative nature of art, fighting perfectionist tendencies, and the ruthlessness of pop music.
Jerry David DeCicca on his preferred BLT composition, producing Will Beeley's first album in 40 years, the singularity of "the voice that fell from outer space," computers hiding humanness, and working security at a Rush concert.
Equally at home leading a slow dance or a blazing honky-tonk, Katie Jo talks about living out of her van during the pandemic, shooting a video at her childhood roller rink in Wichita, and the dual journeys that lead to the release of her album, "Pawn Shop Queen".
Drummer and percussionist Danny Frankel on growing up in Cleveland, playing CBGB's with Urban Verbs in the late 70's, recording demos with Brian Eno, working with producers Steve Lillywhite and Hal Willner, and what retirement means for a musician.
Singer / songwriter Alisha Westerman on the recording studio as a holy space, group flow state, paranoia, processing trauma, and the spiritual visitation from Ikey Owens that led to the making of her album "Ego Trip".
Bassist, composer, and bandleader Anthony Shadduck talks about why Charlie Haden sitting in with the Minutemen was a pivotal moment, shouldering the burden of the song, discovering music in the 21st Century, and the loss of artist mythology via social media.
Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon on the euphoria and ambition of recording his debut album Namesake, how "Almost Heaven" died and came back to life, why an artist sings a song, and escaping the star-maker machinery of American Idol.
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations.
Every week comedian and infamous roaster Nikki Glaser provides a fun, fast-paced, and brutally honest look into current pop-culture and her own personal life.
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people.
A straightforward look at the day's top news in 20 minutes. Powered by ABC News. Hosted by Brad Mielke.