Season 7 Ep. #19 - James Elkington
The Self Portrait Gospel :: Podcast
In this episode of The Self Portrait Gospel Podcast, we speak with British-born, Chicago-based musician, producer, and all-around man of the times, James Elkington, a household name in Chicago's rich and complex music history. From his early days with the math rock outfit Elevate back in the UK to joining Thrill Jockey's long-running supergroup Brokeback, led by the legendary Douglas McCombs of Tortoise, Elkington has navigated a challenging landscape of hard work, unwavering dedication, and a keen eagerness to learn and explore the endless possibilities found in music's melodic memory...
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Season 7 Ep. #18 - Evan Laffer (Jokermen Podcast)
The Self Portrait Gospel :: Podcast
"GWW, "A Life Of Scare," The New Man, and much more" Just like our little operation, Evan Laffer and Ian Grant first launched their podcast, Jokermen, during the paralyzing pandemic to not only shed lyrical light and spin an endless yarn on the liberating legends that stand as their subjects but to find perfect peace and creature comfort in their harmonious heroes during one of the most horrendous times in contemporary history. Revealing the melodic meditation and stunning zeitgeist of some of the greatest minds in music, art, and cosmic culture, from The Beach Boys to Lou Reed, Van Morrison,...
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Season 7 Ep. #17 - Rahill
The Self Portrait Gospel :: Podcast
From the intimacy of Iranian culture and its historical heritage, New York-based musician and artist Rahill Jamalifard grew up in Michigan in a family who vauled music with great admiration. Having placed herself in the creative core of her community's music scene, Rahill fell in love with the land of Lou Reed on a simple trip to "The City Of Dreams" before deciding to move there indefinitely over a decade ago. Influenced by her surroundings and their anciet teachings, Rahill pulled from the great Brion Gysin and his Dream Machine while effortlessly embodying the city's atmosphere and...
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Season 7 Ep. #16 - The Space Lady
The Self Portrait Gospel :: Podcast
We're back after having lain dormant since our last episode back in December, and we're thrilled to announce our return to the streaming stratosphere with Susan Dietrich, known to many within the Outer Rim as The Space Lady. A colleague among the brave cosmos, Dietrich has lived many lives since first immersing herself in the disillusioned depths of creative culture in the 1960s. While busking under the sun and moon with poetic perserverance to evade the cruel draft of the Vietnam War alongside her partner, Dietrich's story is uniquely universal, filled with a wealth of inspiration, hardships,...
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Season 7 Ep. #15 - Dent May
The Self Portrait Gospel :: Podcast
Mays says, "The craft of songwriting is 100% what I'm about. That's what keeps me going. My goal is to just live a long life and write a ton of good songs." And while the essence of his outstanding career, which dates back to this 2009 debut "The Good Feeling Music of Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele" on Paw Tracks, is something built entirely on melodic magic and sonic sweat, the multi-faceted musician has only expanded his harmonious horizons over the years into a brilliant catalog of pure odyssey and imagination. On this episode of The Self Portrait Gospel Podcast, we explore...
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Season 7 Ep. #14 - Bob Nastanovich :: The Silver Jews / Pavement (Part One)
The Self Portrait Gospel :: Podcast
Bob Nastanovich is a household name in contemporary music, having participated in two of the most influential bands of all time, The Silver Jews and Pavement, Nastanovich inhabited both the iconic and irresistible imagination of the zesty zeitgeist of independent music, while standing directly in the middle of his generation's epic nerve center to eagerly report his fabulous findings among his poetic peers. Part One of a multi-series episode, we lay the boisterous blueprints of a journey rich in sound and sonically charged conversation in this exciting installment of The Self Portrait Gospel...
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Season 7 Ep. #13 - Rogê
The Self Portrait Gospel :: Podcast
After a much-needed break, the longest since first starting the podcast back in 2021, we've returned to continue finishing out season 7 with the wonderfully wholesome and sonically smooth Brazilian legend, Roge. A staple and serenader to all surrounding sunsets, the iconic musician has been occupying his rhythmic renaissance since the release of-2023's "Curyman", part one of an on going trilogy on self reflection, cultural captivation, autiobiographical alchemy and the ultimate freedom in music. We speak about his family's epic relocation from Brazil to LA, the courage and commitment of...
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Season 7 Ep. #12 - Sam Blasucci :: Mapache
The Self Portrait Gospel :: Podcast
LA-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Sam Blasucci was first introduced to music by his father, who was a prominent musician during Blasucci's childhood. Eventually learning to play himself and some influential relocating over the years, he soon connected with local friends and together formed Mapace, while he was still attending high school. With a number of incredible releases from the band that explore various themes on culture, cosmic community, elements of vibration, Blasucci makes an epic return with his highly anticipated follow-up to "Off My Stars" entitled "Real Life...
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Season 7 Ep. #11 - Wes Tirey
The Self Portrait Gospel :: Podcast
The Ohio-born, North Carolina-based singer-songwriter and poet, Wes Tirey has been releasing music for well over a decade now with such titles like "O, Annihilator", "Black Wind", "No Winners in the Blues" and his most recent effort entitled "Wes Tirey Sings Selected Works of Billy the Kid", that came out on Sun Cru earlier this summer. Based on the 1970 novel by Michael Ondaatje, Tirey successfully manifested the timeless spirit of Billy the Kid, while simultaneously narrating the landscape of an old American legend that is both infamous and melodically told. On this episode of the podcast we...
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Season 7 Ep. #10 - Nathan Bowles
The Self Portrait Gospel :: Podcast
Multi-instrumentalist Nathan Bowles has been hard at work this year with the recent release of his Trio's debut album on Drag City entitled "Are Possible" as well as the highly anticipated follow up from Setting, "At Eulogy". These recent years haven't been in favor of anyone creative, or brave enough to share thier process with the certain ecosystems and landscapes that are seemingly drying up like that of something from a biblical text, but Bowles has always been someone known for his ability to pivot and make it happen. On this episode we talk about our mutual heroes and friends, the...
info_outlineBoston legend Rick Maguire has been writing and recording music under PILE for nearly two decades now. With the projects '07 debut entitled "Demonstrated" initiating Maguire's distinctive career, the musician has gone on to to release an outstanding body of work with titles such as "Dripping", "Magic Isn't Real", "A Hairshirt of Purpose", "Green and Gray" and 2024's "Hot Air Balloon - EP". On this episode of the podcast we explore Maguire's youth and how he got into music, Weezer's "Blue Album", recording PILE's groundbreaking "Dripping" on Exploding in Sound, touring with the band as well as solo, Nashville and back to Boston, Covid, 2024's plans and much more.