Ep537: Bongo Fury at 50 – Zappa, Beefheart and the Vaultmeister
Release Date: 03/09/2026
Ep558: John McCrea of CAKE
The Vinyl Guide
discusses their elusive catalogue on vinyl, rarities of the band, upcoming Australian tour, new recordings, record nerdery and more. Topics Include: John McCrae discusses collecting records, revisiting old favorites like Perez Prado He describes "chasing goosebumps" — the feeling of rediscovering great music Shares vivid teenage memory seeing Led Zeppelin at Knebworth, England Recalls dancing to washing machine rinse cycles as a toddler Names early formative records: Beatles, Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie, Arlo Guthrie His parents played accordion and folk guitar, shaping his musicality ...
info_outline
Ep557: The Secret Return of Neurosis with Steve Von Till
The Vinyl Guide
's reveals how the band secretly rebuilt itself, creating a career-defining album and making future plans for the victory-lap that few thought possible. Topics Include: The Secret recording of Neurosis walked away seven years ago under uncertain circumstances Four remaining members reunited quietly at end of 2024 Aaron Turner brought in to help complete the musical puzzle Reunion tied to , a suicide-prevention nonprofit Heavy music framed as protective factor for indigenous mental health Steve reflects on tribal rhythms and humanity's forgotten earth connection Band knew instantly the new...
info_outline
Ep556: Shapel Lacey - Punk, Comedy & Rising Above
The Vinyl Guide
Comedian discusses the power of music, inspiration and how a 1981 Black Flag video sparked a lifelong punk obsession that shaped his identity, art, and resilience. Shapel Lacey | | Topics Include: Talks local record stores, Amoeba, old Sunset location Discovers deep-cut Swedish hardcore at Eastside Records, Arizona Reflects on pre-streaming era, hunting records in person Notices rosary on Crash's grave, debates his beliefs Traces punk discovery to junior high guitar class Friend introduces him to ska punk, then Black Flag Watches 1981 Target video of Rollins-era Black...
info_outline
Ep555: The Taj Mahal Interview
The Vinyl Guide
Blues legend shares rare stories about Jimi Hendrix, the Rolling Stones, and the that shaped his stunning new record. Topics Include: discusses his new album, Time, and its origins Reveals his decades-long friendship and mutual respect with Bill Withers Explains how Bill Withers heard and loved this unreleased demo Bill Withers' wife gave final approval before the song's release Withers walked away from music rather than change his sound Why the industry pushed Withers to sound more commercial Taj shares why vinyl beats digital for capturing real sound Breaks down the "bell curve" problem...
info_outline
Ep554: Everlast - From Rhyme Syndicate to Embers to Ashes
The Vinyl Guide
traces his journey from Rhyme Syndicate graffiti kid to House of Pain to solo artist, revealing how Jump Around's success gave him the freedom to never chase a hit again. Topics Include: Everlast's new album Embers to Ashes drops August 28th with vinyl available He collects art and guitars, not records — leaves vinyl to the DJs His guitar collection spans vintage Fender Strats, Gretsch Falcons, and Martin acoustics Grew up immersed in graffiti culture, his kids are graffiti artists too His house is essentially a private gallery of graffiti and street art Music was always on — mom...
info_outline
Ep553: The Ghosts That Haunt Peter Hook
The Vinyl Guide
reflects on 50 years of music, the emotional weight of performing Joy Division and New Order live, and the many memories and ghosts of his past. Topics Include: New Order toured Australia as early as 1982, helped by Factory Australasia's local support. Hooky calls Australia the only place he never wants to leave — he still suffers leaving every time. Peter Hook and the Light played their seventh-ever gig in Melbourne on their first Australian tour. He is now working through every New Order and Joy Division album ever recorded live. Get Ready features songs never played live as New...
info_outline
Ep552: The Gospel According to Swamp Dogg
The Vinyl Guide
opens up about his new album "," reflecting on death, faith, and a 70-year career that's produced over 2,000 songs. Extended and high resolution podcast at: Topics Include: New album, , drops on S-Curve Swamp Dogg shares wild theories on what happens after death He opens up about faith, doubt, and fear of dying Reveals he's written over 2,000 songs across 31 albums His very first record came out way back in 1954 Stories of opening for Sam Cooke and Larry Williams Names the R&B legends who shaped his sound early on Louis Jordan's band once crashed at his childhood home Tells...
info_outline
Ep551: Lydia Lunch - Confrontationalist, Poet, No Wave Pioneer
The Vinyl Guide
unpacks the raw origins of No Wave, her squatting-and-surviving New York story, and why after five decades of confrontational art, pleasure remains the ultimate rebellion. Topics Include: Lydia Lunch is touring Australia and New Zealand in June She's performing Suicide and Alan Vega covers across multiple cities Australia holds deep personal meaning — Roland S. Howard, Tex Perkins, lifelong friends Lydia considers herself a comedian; most people are just too afraid to laugh Words are her primary art — music is just the machine gun She sleeps in two-hour shifts and wakes famished at...
info_outline
Ep550: Black Flag Vocalist Max Zanelly
The Vinyl Guide
vocalist Max Zanelly shares how she went from waitressing to fronting one of punk's most legendary bands and how the new lineup is carving their own space in legacy of the band. Topics Include: Max Zanelly checks in from Toronto, post-Canada tour Black Flag heading to Australia: four cities in late May One year ago, Max had just started rehearsing with Black Flag Only prior music experience: saxophone in middle school band A longtime fan, Max attended a Black Flag show in Vancouver Greg Ginn noticed Max singing every word from the front row Numbers exchanged; Greg said he wanted to make...
info_outline
Ep549: Dave Markey & The Secret Lives of Bill Bartell
The Vinyl Guide
Filmmaker discusses his documentary "", the punk scene's most fascinating, mysterious, and surprisingly influential behind-the-scenes figure. | Topics Include: Dave Markey has a large record collection but stopped buying recently. Vinyl prices have skyrocketed — once cheap records now cost thousands. Dave bought records directly from band members at punk shows. Ian MacKaye sold Dave a first press Minor Threat 7". Dave bought Minutemen and Descendents EPs from D-Boon for a dollar. Dave made the Bill Bartell documentary for people who don't know him. Bill Bartell was unknowable...
info_outlineZappa Vaultmeister Joe Travers discusses the Bongo Fury box set, the Frank and Beefheart origin story, Frank's cutting edge approach and what may be next from the Zappa Universe.
Order the Zappa/Beefheart Bongo Fury 50th Anniversary editions here
Topics Include:
- Joe and Nate bond over the Stooges and unreleased raw recordings
- Bongo Fury turns 50 with 48 previously unheard tracks
- Two complete Armadillo shows finally presented unedited in sequence
- Portuguese Lunar Landing emerges from rehearsal tapes—a true nugget
- Frank kept tour itineraries but few detailed production notes
- Joe worked solo digitizing tapes for decades under Gail's direction
- Universal now controls the vault—the process has changed significantly
- Frank's Mac had one gigabyte—they dumped mixes to tape constantly
- Kennedy backup tapes and Synclavier data may be unplayable forever
- Racing against tape decay and obsolete machines that can't be replaced
- Heartbreak: 1630 tapes getting stuck and destroyed inside malfunctioning machines
- Early history of Frank and Captain Beefheart
- The Soots recorded together—Tiger Roach released, two covers still unreleased
- Frank invited Beefheart to join tour to get him some money
- Beefheart was unpredictable—lyrics in paper bags, sketching onstage mid-show
- “Born to Suck” captures spontaneous studio magic with Snoop tape banter
- Frank constantly taped everything—jokes often sparked future song ideas
- Post-tour darkness: Herb Cohen fallout left Frank uncertain about everything
- Frank and Beefheart reconnected—hour-long phone calls in Frank's final months
- Warner Brothers failed to promote One Size Fits All and Bongo Fury
- Cheaper Than Cheap footage sat in vault for decades—sync issues unresolved
- Joe finally identified the mystery tapes; Universal funded the restoration
- More Atmos projects coming—Joe teases a big announcement next month
Extended & High resolution version of this podcast is available at: www.Patreon.com/VinylGuide
- Apple: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-ios
- Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-spot
- Amazon Music: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-amazon
- Support the show at Patreon.com/VinylGuide