SECOND SPIN: Vance Powell (Engineer for Jack White, Chris Stapleton; September 2020)
Release Date: 06/18/2024
Episode 217: Dianogah
Vinyl Emergency
Jay Ryan and Jason Harvey, bassists for the Chicago-area trio Dianogah, describe the route to -- and surprise release of -- their new, career-spanning 5LP box set. Visit to order this limited pressing, and follow @dianogah_official on Instagram for more updates.
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Episode 216: Sean Nelson of Harvey Danger
Vinyl Emergency
Harvey Danger vocalist Sean Nelson makes a good case for his group being, in his words, "the last band through the door" of the alternative revolution: Though the quartet went gold thanks to the frenetic, inescapable "Flagpole Sitta" as the nineties closed, the landscape for them (and cohorts such as Cake, Semisonic or Fastball) would look much different a year later. By 2000, a sudden contingent of beefy backwards cappers, led by the likes of Limp Bizkit and Papa Roach, had commandeered arenas and the airwaves as an antithesis to pop radio. Paired with a massive label shake-up, this left...
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Episode 215: Minus the Bear on “Menos El Oso,” Track-By-Track
Vinyl Emergency
After 15+ years on the road, Seattle's Minus the Bear said goodbye in 2018... but not for long. Marking two decades since the release of their second album, Menos El Oso -- heralded by both critics and fans alike -- the five-piece are back this year to play the album in full across the country. A sprawling, math-rock masterclass, Menos takes listeners on a globetrotting trail through Spain, Ireland, Los Angeles and more, while vocalist/guitarist Jake Snider inhabits characters seeking escape, be it from fever dreams, crime scenes or soul-crushing day jobs. Today, Jake is...
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Episode 214: Bob Mould
Vinyl Emergency
On the heels of a fiery new album (Here We Go Crazy), influential indie icon Bob Mould reflects on how record store culture informed Hüsker Dü's formation and why the jukebox singles of his youth still help him get out of the occasional songwriting stalemate. Visit for tour dates, social media and more.
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SECOND SPIN: Tommy Prine (August 2023)
Vinyl Emergency
This is an encore presentation of a previous episode, originally airing in August 2023. --- The two sounds Tommy Prine says he remembers most growing up were having the AM radio on or his father (renowned singer/songwriter John Prine) workshopping tunes at the kitchen table. Journeying through adolescence, his eclecticism later manifested through acts like Outkast and System of a Down. But now, on the heels of This Far South — his debut album — Tommy has found his own unique voice that marries his mom’s Irish wisdom and his dad’s dry Midwestern/Southern wit. On today’s show, Tommy...
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Episode 213: Adam Richman (Man v. Food)
Vinyl Emergency
Long before Hot Ones became a viral sensation, there was Man v. Food. Over four seasons on the Travel Channel, host Adam Richman cruised the country going toe-to-toe with fiery chicken wings, monster-sized pizzas, pizza-sized burgers and more. Though the Brooklyn native demolished eating challenges that boggled both the mind and the belly, the heartbeat of MvF was in the small sandwich shops and hole-in-the-wall diners that were suddenly given a national stage. Since then, he's remained an in-demand, jovial educator of eating -- whether helping demystify menus via the YouTube series Pro Moves,...
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Episode 212: Michael Shannon and Jason Narducy
Vinyl Emergency
Oscar-nominated actor Michael Shannon (Knives Out, The Shape of Water, Boardwalk Empire, Groundhog Day) and acclaimed musician Jason Narducy (Split Single, Bob Mould Band, Superchunk, Verböten) discuss their friendship through song, and their current tour performing Fables of the Reconstruction -- R.E.M.'s third album -- which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. Tickets are available at , and you can watch Michael and Jason perform “Driver 8” with their band on The Tonight Show . Follow on Instagram, plus catch the drama Eric Larue -- Michael's first film as...
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Episode 211: Eef Barzelay (Clem Snide)
Vinyl Emergency
Championed over the years by the likes of Americana superstar Scott Avett and music mogul Seymour Stein, the music of Clem Snide mainstay Eef Barzelay has become an optimistic, yet matter-of-fact touchstone in a weary world, whether crafting his own musings or covering the inspirational hits of Journey. NPR dubs him "the most underrated songwriter in the business today, with a sneakily firm grasp on poignancy and humor," and while Eef's evocative tone is of a similar caliber to Jeff Mangum or John Darnielle, his sentimental and visual lyricism puts him in a unique category. On this week's...
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Episode 210: Jeff Parker (ETA IVtet / Tortoise)
Vinyl Emergency
With high marks from The New York Times, Pitchfork and more -- plus overwhelming support from the indie record store community -- Jeff Parker's latest album The Way Out of Easy is inarguably one of the most discussed and heralded jazz LP's of the 2000's. Fully improvisational and recorded live to tape with the ETA IVtet, monikered after Parker and his bandmates spent nearly half a decade playing weekly at the Enfield Tennis Academy (a since-defunct Los Angeles cocktail bar), the album is a transcendent 80 minutes of hazy ambiance and nuanced exploration that rewards both devout jazz...
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Episode 209: Atmosphere (Slug & Ant)
Vinyl Emergency
In 1995, a fervent and wry rapper (Sean Daley, aka Slug) and a dexterous deejay (Anthony Davis; Ant for short) helped co-found a platform to help put Midwest -- and more precisely, Minnesotan -- hip-hop on the map. Three decades later, Rhymesayers Entertainment is one of the most popular and influential modern rap labels in existence, releasing seminal LP's by MF Doom, Freeway, Aesop Rock, Brother Ali, and Atmosphere: Slug and Ant's infectious repartee that helped define the Rhymesayers aesthetic from the jump: While Daley puts the listener in a metaphorical chokehold -- thanks to a volatile...
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4x Grammy-winning producer, engineer and mixer Vance Powell has worked with a wide range of artists and bands including Chris Stapleton, Buddy Guy and Phish. For vinyl collectors, he's arguably most known for being a consistent studio go-to for Jack White, not only being involved with proper studio releases from Jack and his various projects (The Dead Weather, The Raconteurs) but Vance is behind the boards of most every Live At Third Man Records LP, where bands record short sets in front of a couple hundred fans, direct-to-acetate. On this episode, Vance points to his favorite Third Man sessions he's recorded (including some mysterious Radiohead demos), how Chris Stapleton's famous cover of "Tennessee Whiskey" almost didn't happen, and why Vance's own barbecue kept him from his dream of recording U2. Visit sputniksound.com for more info on Vance's work, and follow him on Instagram and Twitter @vancalot.