Sign inOpen the app
Artwork for Transmissions
Music

Transmissions

Aquarium Drunkard

Weekly interviews with musicians, artists, authors, and filmmakers presented by Aquarium Drunkard.

SubscribeListen in podnodRSS feedShow website
  • 296 episodes
  • Updated Wednesday

Episodes296

Newest first
  • Jul 30, 2025 · 1 hr 32 min

    All One Song :: Ilyas Ahmed on "Arc"

    Welcome back to All One Song: A Neil Young Podcast. We’re spending the summer talking to some great musicians and writers about their one favorite Neil Young song. Or at least one of their favorite songs. Last week, our guest was Steve Shelley of Sonic Youth — and of course, the conversation went deep into Steve’s memories of Sonic Youth’s tour with Neil and Crazy Horse in 1991, when both bands were bringing incredible waves of feedback to the masses across North America. An exciting time! For Neil, the tour resulted in a fairly traditional live album, the classic double-disc Weld. But that wasn’t all. Inspired partly by what he heard Sonic Youth doing, Young also put together Arc, one of — if not the — most avant-garde pieces of music Young has ever created. Basically, it’s a 35-minute noise collage consisting of the elongated and improvised endings of various songs that he and the Horse played in early 91. It’s the sound of amplifiers pushed to their limits, of things falling apart in ragged, glorious fashion. It’s an expressway to yr skull, as Sonic Youth put it. Here this week to examine the mysteries and magic of Arc is Ilyas Ahmed. The Portland, OR-based musician has been making consistently fascinating music for well over two decades now, whether all on his own or in close collaboration with fellow travelers like Grouper, Jefre Cantu-Ledesma, Golden Retriever, Dania Shihab and many more. He also serves as guitarist in Grails, an awesomely uncategorizable collective that just put out one of the 2025’s best records — the appropriately named Miracle Music. No matter what Ilyas does, it’s always infused with a sense of curiosity, adventure and imagination. Our conversation about Arc goes in a bunch of different directions — it’s a rich text, as the academics like to say. So let’s get into it … Looking for a digital music platform that feels more like a record shop? ⁠⁠⁠Qobuz⁠⁠⁠ is the high quality music streaming & download platform for music enthusiasts and audiophiles, offering unique editorial, exclusive artist interviews, expertly curated playlists, liner notes, and more. With Qobuz Club, subscribers can connect and share music discoveries with a community of fellow music lovers. And for those who like to own their music, the Qobuz Download Store lets you browse and download albums in Hi-Res and CD quality. Give ⁠⁠⁠Qobuz⁠⁠⁠ a try now with an extended 30-day free trial. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • Jul 23, 2025 · 1 hr 6 min

    All One Song :: Steve Shelley (Sonic Youth) on "Vampire Blues"

    Welcome back to ⁠All One Song⁠, A Neil Young Podcast presented by Aquarium Drunkard. We’re spending the summer talking to a few of our favorite artists and writers about their favorite Neil Young song. This week, we’ve got someone very special: Steve Shelley of Sonic Youth. Steve spent about 25 years behind the drum kit for Sonic Youth as the band radically redefined and reimagined rock and roll. He’s easily one of the greatest drummers of the past four decades, as heard on such classics as Sister, Daydream Nation, Washing Machine, Murray Street, and beyond. His style is explosive, sensitive and always imaginative. Steve is so much fun to listen to, in pretty much any context. Since Sonic Youth called it quits, Steve has kept incredibly busy, not only managing the ever-expanding SY archives, but also playing with his former bandmates Lee Ranaldo and Thurston Moore, Can vocalist Malcolm Mooney, Bush Tetras, Tape Hiss and the forthcoming Orcutt / Shelley / Miller LP coming out on Silver Current Records later this year. We've heard this one already and it is absolutely fantastic. Steve also currently is handling drumming duties for the killer Winged Wheel. For those of you seeing Neil at Bethel Woods in upstate New York on August 24 this year, be sure to get there a little early. Winged Wheel will be warming things up on a separate stage, which is sure to be amazing. Now, the topic has already come up in previous episodes — Sonic Youth’s early 1991 tour with Neil Young & Crazy Horse, which saw both bands bringing their ear-shredding, feedback-laced sound to arenas across North America. Steve goes deep into that never-to-be-repeated moment in time plenty over the course of our discussion. But we also talk plenty about Steve’s All One Song selection, "Vampire Blues." A song that just so happens to have inspired the name of Steve’s record label, too. "Vampire Blues" was released in the summer of 1974 on the classic Ditch LP On The Beach. A seedy, bluesy shuffle, it seems to be sung from the point of view of an oil tycoon of some sort; though it doesn’t really sound like it at first, this is one of Neil’s ecological songs. He barely ever played it live at first, but he’s revived it in the past decade or so; it showed up most recently in solo electric guise on the Coastal soundtrack. Looking for a digital music platform that feels more like a record shop? ⁠⁠⁠Qobuz⁠⁠⁠ is the high quality music streaming & download platform for music enthusiasts and audiophiles, offering unique editorial, exclusive artist interviews, expertly curated playlists, liner notes, and more. With Qobuz Club, subscribers can connect and share music discoveries with a community of fellow music lovers. And for those who like to own their music, the Qobuz Download Store lets you browse and download albums in Hi-Res and CD quality. Give ⁠⁠⁠Qobuz⁠⁠⁠ a try now with an extended 30-day free trial. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • Jul 16, 2025 · 51 min

    All One Song :: Meg Baird and Charlie Saufley on "Interstate"

    Welcome back to All One Song, A Neil Young Podcast presented by Aquarium Drunkard. We’re spending the summer talking to a few of our favorite artists and writers about their favorite Neil Young song. This week, you’re getting two fantastic guests for the price of one: Meg Baird and Charlie Saufley. Meg first came to my attention thanks to her work with the innovative Philadelphia psych-folk collective Espers, and since then she’s created a pretty much flawless solo career — her most recent record, 2023’s Furling, is a perfect showcase for her pristine guitar work and beautiful vocals. Charlie Saufley co-produced that record with Meg and the duo also played in Heron Oblivion with Ethan Miller and Noel Von Harmonson — a group that only managed one studio record during their existence, but that’s ok. That one studio record was awesome. Charley also played in the Bay Area psychedelic rock group Assemble Head in Sunburst Sound; he’s a killer guitarist, and — like Meg — is a serious Neil head. That last fact should be apparent in the tune Meg and Charlie selected for their All One Song appearance: “Interstate.” This brilliantly moody number is a strong candidate for the best Neil Young song that barely anyone knows about. Though you probably know about it if you’re here. Neil debuted “Interstate” onstage in 1985 with the International Harvesters. But like so many of his strongest songs during that era, it was set aside for reasons that only Shakey can fathom. A few years later, producer David Briggs convinced him to cut the song with Crazy Horse during the Ragged Glory sessions. It’s an incredibly haunting performance, with skeletal acoustic guitars and high, lonesome Horse harmonies. But Neil still wasn’t feeling it —we guess “Farmer John” needed to be heard! Finally in 1996, that Ragged Glory performance was released on the Big Time CD single and as a vinyl only bonus track on Broken Arrow. These days, you can get it on the recent “Smell The Horse” edition of Ragged Glory. So yeah, it's a long, twisted story, as is the case with a lot of things in the Neil Young world. But “Interstate” deserves a place in the pantheon of Neil classics, regardless of its relative obscurity. It’s this kind of song that turns a casual fan into, well, an obsessive, promising that there’s always more buried treasure lurking in the Shakey archives. Looking for a digital music platform that feels more like a record shop? ⁠⁠Qobuz⁠⁠ is the high quality music streaming & download platform for music enthusiasts and audiophiles, offering unique editorial, exclusive artist interviews, expertly curated playlists, liner notes, and more. With Qobuz Club, subscribers can connect and share music discoveries with a community of fellow music lovers. And for those who like to own their music, the Qobuz Download Store lets you browse and download albums in Hi-Res and CD quality. Give ⁠⁠Qobuz⁠⁠ a try now with an extended 30-day free trial. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • Jul 9, 2025 · 53 min

    All One Song :: Jeff Parker on "The Needle and the Damage Done"

    Welcome back to All One Song, A Neil Young Podcast presented by Aquarium Drunkard Transmissions. We're spending the summer talking to a few of our favorite artists and writers about their favorite Neil Young song. Our guest this week is Jeff Parker, best known as the guitarist for the long-running Chicago post-rock group Tortoise. Jeff has been on a serious hot streak of late. He’s released awesome, entirely solo records like Slight Freedom and Forfolks, along with great albums with the New Breed. He’s collabed with heavy hitters like Daniel Villareal and Makaya McKraven. He’s been an invaluable part of the Big Ego label’s session player roster, contributing to great records by Psychic Temple, Dave Easley and Maria Elena Silva. And Jeff is the leader of one of the most exciting improv groups working today — the ETA quartet, featuring Parker, drummer Jay Bellerose, bassist Anna Butterss and saxophonist Josh Johnson. Their second LP, The Way Out of Easy, was one of the very best records of 2024. Oh and did we mention that there’s a brand new Tortoise album on the way later this year? Jeff is a busy dude, to say the least. Now Jeff might not seem like the most obvious All One Song guest — his and Neil’s styles feel miles apart. At least at first! But as we get into in our conversation, Jeff has found some serious inspiration in Young’s unique approach to the acoustic guitar. And the acoustic guitar is central to the song he selected to talk about: “The Needle and the Damage Done.” This haunting solo number from 1972’s Harvest remains one of Neil’s signature tunes. It’s a song that even the most casual of fans knows by heart. But Jeff’s perspective on this warhorse opened it back up — and hopefully it’ll do the same for you. Looking for a digital music platform that feels more like a record shop? ⁠Qobuz⁠ is the high quality music streaming & download platform for music enthusiasts and audiophiles, offering unique editorial, exclusive artist interviews, expertly curated playlists, liner notes, and more. With Qobuz Club, subscribers can connect and share music discoveries with a community of fellow music lovers. And for those who like to own their music, the Qobuz Download Store lets you browse and download albums in Hi-Res and CD quality. Give ⁠Qobuz⁠ a try now with an extended 30-day free trial. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • Jul 6, 2025 · 1 hr 8 min

    Transmissions :: Bureau of Lost Culture

    We hope you enjoyed the first episodes of Tyler Wilcox’s All One Song series, but we're back with, well, something different: it’s a bonus Transmissions conversation between Transmissions host Jason P. Woodbury and musician, writer, and podcaster Stephen Coates, host of the Bureau of Lost Culture. This episode also appears today in the Bureau of Lost Culture feed and I can’t recommend checking that show out enough if you haven’t already. Dedicated to counter cultural explorations, the show has covered everything: Stonehenge, club culture, Victorian freak shows, mushrooms, ska, the Beats, teddy boys (and teddy girls) and much more. One of my favorite episodes—and one that spurred this conversation—features esoteric author Gary Lachman in conversation with the great writer and magician Alan Moore—though usually, it’s Stephen who steers the conversations along, quite masterfully, as he does here. We recorded this a few months back, and we're excited to share it with you to tide you over ahead of next week’s brand new installment of All One Song, so without delay, let’s get it into it. All music in this episode by Prairiewolf. Looking for a digital music platform that feels more like a record shop? ⁠Qobuz⁠ is the high quality music streaming & download platform for music enthusiasts and audiophiles, offering unique editorial, exclusive artist interviews, expertly curated playlists, liner notes, and more. With Qobuz Club, subscribers can connect and share music discoveries with a community of fellow music lovers. And for those who like to own their music, the Qobuz Download Store lets you browse and download albums in Hi-Res and CD quality. Give ⁠Qobuz⁠ a try now with an extended 30-day free trial. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • Jul 2, 2025 · 1 hr 4 min

    All One Song :: Chris Forsyth on "Lookout Joe"

    Welcome back to All One Song: A Neil Young Podcast, presented by Aquarium Drunkard Transmissions. You may have noticed our awesome theme music. No, you’re not hearing some unreleased Neil Young and Crazy Horse rehearsal. You’re hearing Coca Leaves and Pearls, the Philadelphia-based Neil tribute band fronted by guitarist Chris Forsyth and featuring John Murray (guitar), Jordan Burgis (bass), and Joey Sullivan (drums). They’ve been playing primarily Ditch-era Neil tunes at various clubs around the northeast for the past few years, bringing a very Horse-y vibe to the chosen few (you can check out a tasty recording via Archive.org). They’re incredible—and Coca Leaves and Pearls was kind of enough to record some killer theme music for All One Song at Jeff Zeigler’s Uniform Studios. Now, Chris Forsyth is much more than just the leader of a great Neil Young tribute band, of course. Much more! For more than a decade, he’s been one of our favorite guitarists, blending Richard Thompson with Tom Verlaine, Robert Quine with John McLaughlin, Sonny Sharrock with … well, Neil Young. His albums with the Solar Motel Band are modern day classics, and his recent work with the Basic trio has been insanely good. Chris is an extremely tasteful player, but he’s also willing to stretch beyond the barriers of tastefulness into the sublime. For his All One Song appearance, Chris selected “Lookout Joe,” which first appeared on Tonight’s the Night just about 50 years ago in the summer of 1975. It’s a darkly humorous tune that has all the hallmarks of Neil’s Ditch era—that seedy swagger, a druggy vibe, Ben Keith’s wild pedal steel and backing vocals, and some dangerous guitar work. “Lookout Joe” was recorded with the Stray Gators in late 1972 at Neil’s northern California barn, but it’s a million miles away from the country rock gloss of Harvest. As we get into in our conversation, “Lookout Joe” sees Neil taking on the changing and challenging times of the 1970s. A weird, dark era! It’s a deep cut, but it’s a deep cut that’s very much worth getting into. Looking for a digital music platform that feels more like a record shop? ⁠Qobuz⁠ is the high quality music streaming & download platform for music enthusiasts and audiophiles, offering unique editorial, exclusive artist interviews, expertly curated playlists, liner notes, and more. With Qobuz Club, subscribers can connect and share music discoveries with a community of fellow music lovers. And for those who like to own their music, the Qobuz Download Store lets you browse and download albums in Hi-Res and CD quality. Give ⁠Qobuz⁠ a try now with an extended 30-day free trial. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • Jun 18, 2025 · 1 min

    All One Song: A Neil Young Podcast (Trailer)

    All One Song: A Neil Young Podcast is coming this summer from the people who bring you Aquarium Drunkard Transmissions. In this deep dive audio experience, liner notes author, musician, and Shakey historian Tyler Wilcox (Pitchfork, Uncut, host of Radio Free Aquarium Drunkard’s Doom and Gloom from the Tomb on dublab) invites musicians/artists/writers to discuss…one single song by Neil Young. Join guests like Steve Gunn, Jeff Parker, Ilyas Ahmed, Meg Baird, Rosali, Steve Shelley of Sonic Youth, author Jesse Jarnow, Ethan Miller (Howlin’ Rain, Comets on Fire), Transmissions host Jason P. Woodbury, and Chris Forsyth, whose Coca Leaves and Pearls musical combo provide the show with original Young-inspired music. “With this show, Tyler explores Neil’s work in ways that feel revelatory, as if each song is indeed just coming into existence. That’s what Young’s best music does— communicate the freshness of a single musical moment distilled down to its rawest form. With this show, Wilcox offers a glimpse into the history and lore with sensitivity and care.” —Jason P. Woodbury, host of Aquarium Drunkard Transmissions Sponsored exclusively by hi-fi streaming service ⁠Qobuz,⁠ All One Song episodes will explore Shakey lore, lyrics, chords, gear, etc, offering historical context and context personal to each guest. Like Neil famously decreed, “It’s all one song.” This summer, Tyler Wilcox takes you deep into that song with All One Song: A Neil Young Podcast from Aquarium Drunkard Transmissions, coming June 25th in the Aquarium Drunkard Transmissions feed. Listen wherever you get podcasts via the ⁠Talkhouse Podcast Network.⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • May 28, 2025 · 1 hr

    Transmissions :: Justin Gage (2025)

    We close out the 10th season of Transmissions with a special look under the hood with Justin Gage, who founded Aquarium Drunkard 20 years ago in 2005. Initially envisioned as just a place to share cultural recommendations with friends, Aquarium Drunkard blew up as the blog rush began. Suddenly, Gage found himself running a respected media outlet. 20 years later, he joins host Jason P. Woodbury to discuss how Aquarium Drunkard has stayed true to the maxim of only the good shit. In this frank back and forth, the two colleagues share how an ethos that puts music and deep engagement with it at the forefront feels like a counter-cultural endeavour in this day and age, and how they’ve managed to keep in touch with the love of art that initially inspired Aquarium Drunkard. You can read a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠full transcript⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ of this conversation at Aquarium Drunkard, where you’ll find 20 years worth of playlists, recommendations, reviews, interviews, podcasts, essays, and more. With your support, here’s to another decade. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe at Aquarium Drunkard. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Stream a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠playlist of bumper music featured on Transmissions⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, as well as selections from our guests. Transmissions is a part of the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Talkhouse Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Visit the Talkhouse for more interviews, fascinating reads, and podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • May 14, 2025 · 1 hr 26 min

    Transmissions :: Deerfhoof

    Satomi Matsuzaki and Greg Saunier of Deerhoof on Frankensteining together their art rock legacy.

  • Mar 26, 2025 · 1 hr 13 min

    Transmissions :: The Weather Station (2025)

    Call it “brain fog,” call it “attention economy burnout,” call it the dregs of late capitalism: however you label it, Tamara Lindeman has been feeling it. With “Neon Signs,” our favorite song from her 2025 album as The Weather Station, Humanhood—out now on Fat Possum Records—she gives names and shapes to the sense of dread so many of us feel permeating our daily existence. “I’ve gotten used to feeling like I’m crazy—or just lazy,” she sings in her signature flinty voice at the start of the song, articulating the ennui of being stuck in a cosmic rut. Unending conflict, climate anxiety, and the always-on buzz of the internet—all of it has rendered so many of us inert. But the pulsing piano, swirling flutes and strings, and insistent beat do powerful work here, adding forward motion to Lindeman’s existential angst. A protest song of a stripe, “Neon Signs” feels like a spiritual update of The Who’s “We Don’t Get Fooled Again”—a cautionary tale wrapped up in defiance. Untangling the politics of want and need, of trust and fear, of lust and genuine connection, Lindeman wanders a glittering landscape in which every flashing light demands notice and every notification could single doom. Is cutting through all that noise possible? “Neon Signs” doesn’t make it clear, but Lindeman tips her hand in favor of the possibility of human flourishing in spite of it all—if only we can get honest with ourselves: “I swear to god I saw real love once/But nothing needs you so badly as a lie, so lonely, drifting, unmoored from real life/if nobody believes it all it can do is die.” This week on Transmissions, she joins host Jason Woodbury to discuss Humanhood—the album, sure, but also the concept of what makes us human. We're so pleased to share this talk with you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices