The Tonearm

This week we're putting The Tonearm's needle on trumpeter, composer, and synthesist Mark Isham. He's out now with At the Carousel Club, his first solo album in fifteen years, built around vintage analog synthesizers and a band that includes Nels Cline, Vinnie Colaiuta, and a string quartet.We talk about where the album's title comes from, his history with David Sylvian, and what it was like hearing the finished record on vinyl after sixteen hours of sessions.(The musical excerpts heard in the interview are from Mark Isham's At The Carousel Club)—Dig DeeperArtist and Album:Visit Mark Isham at isham.com and follow on Instagram, YouTube, and FacebookPurchase At the Carousel Club from the Mark Isham store, Bandcamp, or Qobuz and listen on your streaming platform of choice.The Band:Nels ClineVinnie ColaiutaKaveh RastegarAyo AwosikaOrchid QuartetWilcoMusical References:Weather Report, I Sing the Body ElectricFriedrich GuldaSonny SharrockBach, Mass in B minorFilm:Never Cry Wolf (1983), directed by Carroll BallardTrumpet Players and Builders:Doc SeverinsenDavid MonetteMaynard FergusonArturo SandovalWynton MarsalisBay Area:Cal TjaderMerl SaundersJon FaddisJohn CoppolaDavid Sylvian:David SylvianBrilliant Trees (1984)Holger CzukayKenny WheelerJon HassellJazz Collaborators:Horace SilverCharles LloydThe Next Generation:Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah (Christian Scott)Keyon HarroldTheo CrokerFrom The Tonearm:Nels Cline: Tales of a Daunted Guitarist (The Tonearm Podcast)OK Bloomers — Nels Cline Finds His Happy Place—Dig into this episode's complete show notes at podcast.thetonearm.com—• Did you enjoy this episode? Please share it with a friend! You can also rate The Tonearm ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts.• Subscribe! Be the first to check out each new episode of The Tonearm in your podcast app of choice.• Looking for more? Visit podcast.thetonearm.com for bonus content, web-only interviews + features, and the Talk Of The Tonearm email newsletter. You can also follow us on Bluesky, Mastodon, YouTube, and LinkedIn.• Be sure to bookmark our online magazine, The Tonearm! → thetonearm.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we're putting The Tonearm's needle on famed record producer Bob Ezrin.Bob has worked with artists including Pink Floyd, KISS, Deep Purple, and countless others, though he is best known for his nearly 60-year relationship with Alice Cooper.He's back working with The Jayhawks on their latest, Sanctuary Park, twenty-six years after their first project together.We talk about how the reunion started with an offhand remark from Gary Louris, both men leaving the United States for Canada around the same time, and we talk a lot about the craft of record production.(The musical excerpts heard in the interview are The Jayhawks - "What Led Me To This Town" and "Mr. Lincoln," Alice Cooper - "I'm Eighteen," and Tim Curry - "Sloe Gin")—Dig DeeperProducer:Bob Ezrin at Primary Wave, and his Governor General's Performing Arts Award citationEzrin's production credits on AllMusic"It started to feel a bit too much like Europe in the 1930s" — Ezrin on leaving Nashville for Toronto, Toronto Life"My job was to get rid of Alice Cooper, and I did exactly the opposite" — LouderEzrin on the producer's "applause meter" — Performing SongwriterArtist and Album:Visit the Jayhawks at jayhawksofficial.com and follow on Instagram and FacebookPurchase the Jayhawks' Sanctuary Park from Bandcamp or Qobuz and listen on your streaming platform of choice.The Jayhawks perform songs from Sanctuary Park in The Current's studio"Mr. Lincoln" and the Ford's Theatre story behind it — AudioFuzzReview of Sanctuary Park — Americana HighwaysGary Louris:Visit Gary Louris at garylourismusic.comGary Louris on his Canadian love story — Rolling StoneThe First Time Around:Smile at twenty — AlbumismSmile credits on DiscogsAn interview with Josh Sarubin, the A&R who first sent Ezrin to Minneapolis — The Looking ListPlaces:Canterbury Music Co., Toronto, where Sanctuary Park was recorded, and the studio's closing announcementMusical References:Alice Cooper at alicecooper.com, and the Killer and School's Out deluxe editionsKiss celebrate fifty years of Destroyer — uDiscover MusicThe Band's "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" and its history — American SongwriterRosalía—Dig into this episode's complete show notes at podcast.thetonearm.com—• Did you enjoy this episode? Please share it with a friend! You can also rate The Tonearm ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. • Subscribe! Be the first to check out each new episode of The Tonearm in your podcast app of choice. • Looking for more? Visit podcast.thetonearm.com for bonus content, web-only interviews + features, and the Talk Of The Tonearm email newsletter. You can also follow us on Bluesky, Mastodon, YouTube, and LinkedIn. • Be sure to bookmark our online magazine, The Tonearm! → thetonearm.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we're putting The Tonearm's needle on noted reggae author David Katz.His new book, Dub Revolution: Jamaica's Sonic Innovators and the Birth of Remix Culture, traces Jamaican music from its earliest sound systems to the 21st century.We talk about the 1982 San Francisco night that blew David’s mind and opened his ears, the job that paid his way to London, and even the technology and tools the dub greats used.(The musical excerpts heard in the interview are Lee “Scratch” Perry - "Dub Revolutions," King Tubby - "King Tubby Meets the Rockers Uptown," and Scientist - "Scientific" )—Dig DeeperAuthor and Book:Visit David Katz at davidkatzreggae.com and follow Dub Me Always on Instagram and FacebookPurchase Dub Revolution: Jamaica's Sonic Innovators and the Birth of Remix Culture from White Rabbit, Hachette, or BookshopDJ Mag on the book's publicationKatz's production, annotation, and compilation credits on DiscogsThe Architects of Dub:The Strange World Of… King Tubby — The QuietusKing Tubby's first authorised biography — The WireThe life of Lee "Scratch" Perry through the lens of Dennis Morris — DJ MagScientist on Bandcamp, and at length on his methods in Tape OpKing Jammy LegacyU-Roy — Perfect Sound ForeverAugustus Pablo and Rockers InternationalEngineers and Players:Hedley Jones: The Renaissance Man Who Pioneered Jamaican Soundsystem Culture — Red Bull Music Academy DailyHedley Jones obituary — The WireThirteen classics from Philip Smart's HC&F Studio — LargeUpRemembering Joseph Hoo Kim — The Vinyl FactoryRoy Cousins and the RoyalsPeter ChemistStudios and Sound Systems:Ten essential Coxsone Dodd productions — Grammy.comSoul Jazz's Studio One reissue catalogueChannel One StudiosMaxfield Avenue: The Story of Channel One and the Sound That Defined Roots Reggae — Bass CultureStanley Motta, whose downtown Kingston appliance store was selling sound systems by 1939Dub in Britain:The unsung genius of dub innovator Dennis Bovell — The Vinyl Factory; and Dennis Bovell on BandcampDennis Bovell on The TonearmAdrian Sherwood and On-U SoundAdrian Sherwood on The TonearmAriwa Sounds, Mad Professor's south London studioDread Broadcasting CorporationLepke, DBC's founder, remembered — The WireMark LusardiRadio and Discovery:Doug Wendt's Midnight DreadMidnight Dread #13, KTIM-FM San Rafael, March 31, 1980 — the show Katz taped off his bedside clock radioRecords Mentioned:Wailing Souls, Fire House RockJohnny Clarke, "I Don't Want To Be A Rude Boy" — the B side is "Rude Boy Dub"Further Reading:Michael E. Veal, Dub: Soundscapes and Shattered Songs in Jamaican ReggaeIsis Semaj-Hall, the Jamaican academic Katz quotes in his introductionIn Search of the First Dub LP — Red Bull Music Academy Daily—Dig into this episode's complete show notes at podcast.thetonearm.com—• Did you enjoy this episode? Please share it with a friend! You can also rate The Tonearm ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. • Subscribe! Be the first to check out each new episode of The Tonearm in your podcast app of choice. • Looking for more? Visit podcast.thetonearm.com for bonus content, web-only interviews + features, and the Talk Of The Tonearm email newsletter. You can also follow us on Bluesky, Mastodon, YouTube, and LinkedIn. • Be sure to bookmark our online magazine, The Tonearm! → thetonearm.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we're putting The Tonearm's needle on Ann Arbor krautrock band Fling ii.I sat down with drummer and synthesist Brad Gowland, and guitarist Richard Murphy, to chat about their third album, 3, which is out now on We Are Busy Bodies. It’s six tracks cut down from hours of studio jamming.We talk about Richard's path from ambient guitar to doom metal, Brad finding four minutes inside a fifty-minute take, and how a Magic: The Gathering card - and a commune breakup - inspired the band’s name.(The musical excerpts heard in the interview are from Fling ii’s 3)—Dig DeeperFling ii:Visit Fling ii on Bandcamp, where the full catalog livesPurchase 3 from We Are Busy Bodies, Bandcamp, or Qobuz, and listen on your streaming platform of choice.2 (2024), the record that introduced Dave Van Dusen's pedal steel — BandcampThe self-titled debut (2022), seven tracks from the band's first weekend at Willis Sound — BandcampThe debut's 2024 vinyl reissue on Italy's Black Sweat Records, distributed by Forced ExposureThe Studio and the Label:Willis Sound — the converted church in Willis, Michigan where every Fling ii record has been madeWe Are Busy Bodies, the Toronto label behind 3 — and Exclaim!'s interview with founder Eric Warner on the label's first twenty yearsThe label's roster on BandcampElsewhere in the Band:Sif, Richard Murphy's instrumental doom project, which Brad Gowland produces and programs drums forMusical References:Neu!'s "Hallogallo" — the track Richard played Brad in high school, and the founding reference point for the bandEarth's The Bees Made Honey in the Lion's Skull (Southern Lord, 2008), the ambient half of Brad's original pitch — also on BandcampElder, the stoner-metal band whose turn to unqualified krautrock Richard citesBlood Incantation's Timewave Zero, the synth record Brad keeps returning toWater Damage, the Austin group whose In E the live show came to resembleAmon Düül II, whose split from their parent commune gave the band its nameOsees, whose cover art set the visual templateScenes and Support:R. Solomon, the goth synth-pop act who shared the Ann Arbor billRyan Spencer, the Detroit DJ and producer whose new project closed the showNew Orleans Synth Cult, the collective Richard describes playing laundromats — also on InstagramRead More:RetroFuturista's August 2026 interview with Brad Gowland, on motorik, pedal steel, and recording at Willis SoundFifteen Questions: Fling ii about krautrockElsewhere on The Tonearm:Suzanne Ciani: The Buchla's Orchestral Homecoming — the episode Brad name-checks at the close, and its companion article, Speaking the Word of the Buchla—Dig into this episode's complete show notes at podcast.thetonearm.com—• Did you enjoy this episode? Please share it with a friend! You can also rate The Tonearm ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. • Subscribe! Be the first to check out each new episode of The Tonearm in your podcast app of choice. • Looking for more? Visit podcast.thetonearm.com for bonus content, web-only interviews + features, and the Talk Of The Tonearm email newsletter. You can also follow us on Bluesky, Mastodon, YouTube, and LinkedIn. • Be sure to bookmark our online magazine, The Tonearm! → thetonearm.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we're putting The Tonearm's needle on producer and engineer Martin Bisi.Bisi has run BC Studio out of the Gowanus section of Brooklyn since 1981, recording Sonic Youth, Swans, Herbie Hancock's "Rockit," and countless others.We discussed his new album, Dancing On The Power Lines, his ongoing community activism, the changing landscape of New York's music scene, and so much more. It’s a good one.(The musical excerpts heard in the interview are from Martin Bisi's Dancing On The Power Lines)—Dig DeeperArtist and Album:Visit Martin Bisi at martinbisi.com and follow on YouTube and FacebookPurchase Dancing On The Power Lines from Bandcamp or Qobuz and listen on your streaming platform of choiceBC Studio — established 1981, Gowanus, BrooklynPrevious release: Your Ultimate Urban Fantasy EP (2024)BC35: The 35 Year Anniversary of BC StudioLive:The Martin Bisi Ensemble plays Sure We Can recycling center in Brooklyn, Sunday, September 13, 3–7 pmCollaborators:Nora Almeida — writer, performance artist, and activist who wrote about half the lyrics on the album, including "CubeSmart Sunset"Almeida's Last Street End in Gowanus (2021), the public artwork behind the street-end conversationThe Last Street End of Gowanus by the Autonomous People of Gowanus — Martin Bisi Collective, on Sleeping Giant GlossolaliaJoan Hacker (voice, synth)Diego Ferri (bass, baritone guitar) and Oliver Rivera Drew (drums), the Berlin chapter of Bisi's bandGowanus:Voice of Gowanus — the all-volunteer group Bisi belongs to, advocating for a cleanup fully protective of human healthArts Gowanus — the arts advocacy organization he says conceded they hadn't thought about musicGowanus Dredgers Canoe Club — Lawrence Peryer's old paddling clubPowerhouse Arts — the converted power plant at 322 Third AvenueVenues:Lowlands — 543 Third Avenue, live music Mondays and TuesdaysMama Tried, BrooklynMax Fish, formerly of Ludlow StreetMusical References:Genre Is Death — the Brooklyn duo Bisi recorded at BC StudioGlenn Branca's Symphony No. 13 (Hallucination City) for 100 Guitars — reviewed after its June 12, 2026 performance at David Geffen Hall, conducted by Reg Bloor, the first New York performance since the 2001 premiere at World Trade Center PlazaKevin Sun on The Tonearm PodcastHerbie Hancock, "Rockit," and Grand Mixer D.STMartin Bisi: NYC Producer & Sonic Youth Engineer - Tape OpDocumentary:Sound and Chaos: The Story of BC Studio — directed by Sara Leavitt and Ryan C. Douglass—Dig into this episode's complete show notes at podcast.thetonearm.com—• Did you enjoy this episode? Please share it with a friend! You can also rate The Tonearm ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. • Subscribe! Be the first to check out each new episode of The Tonearm in your podcast app of choice. • Looking for more? Visit podcast.thetonearm.com for bonus content, web-only interviews + features, and the Talk Of The Tonearm email newsletter. You can also follow us on Bluesky, Mastodon, YouTube, and LinkedIn. • Be sure to bookmark our online magazine, The Tonearm! → thetonearm.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.