Crash and Ride

Crash and Ride is a weekly podcast dedicated to helping musicians and other creative people survive depression and anxiety.

Crash and Ride - Episode 89: Tierney Tough (again!) 08/29/2021

Crash and Ride - Episode 89: Tierney Tough (again!) Tierney Tough was the second guest ever on Crash and Ride and she has released a new solo EP. Normally the phenomenally talented bassist, vocalist, and keyboardist for the band The Pauses, Tierney was inspired by the isolation and uncertainty of the Pandemic to create a new EP of haunting and powerful tunes, A Farce to Reckon With. In our most recent conversation, we talk about the Pandemic, her new music, and an absolutely infuriating encounter with an obstreperous soundman. You can hear A Farce to Reckon With here: You can hear The Pauses here: You can find out more about Nuci's Space here: You can donate to Access Point GA here: /episode/index/show/crashandride/id/20297516

Crash and Ride - Episode 88: Jes Skolnik, pt 2 05/30/2021

Crash and Ride - Episode 88: Jes Skolnik, pt 2 Episode 88 is Part 2 of my conversation with Jes Skolnik. As I mentioned last week, Jes writes for Bandcamp Daily, the music journalism arm of the Greatest Music Distribution Platform of all time. Besides being an incredibly gifted music journalist, they are also a musician, a trauma survivor, former addict, and a sexual assault survivor. This week we talk about toxic jobs, the journey from freelancer to senior editor, their struggle with drugs and depression, and what they do for self-care! CONTENT WARNING: this episode contains frank and difficult discussions about sexual assault, drug use, and suicidal ideation. You can read Jes' work by going to their Bandcamp contributor profile here: /episode/index/show/crashandride/id/19288886

Crash and Ride - Episode 87: Jes Skolnik, pt 1 05/22/2021

Crash and Ride - Episode 87: Jes Skolnik, pt 1 Episode 87 is my interview with Jes Skolnik! Jes writes for Bandcamp Daily, the music journalism arm of the Greatest Music Distribution Platform of all time. Besides being an incredibly gifted music journalist, they are also a musician, a trauma survivor, former addict, and a sexual assault survivor. Together, Jes and I talk about the pandemic, surviving in isolation, overcoming trauma, and how it all relates to playing, loving, and writing about music. CONTENT WARNING: this episode contains frank and difficult discussions about sexual assault, drug use, and suicidal ideation. You can read Jes' work by going to their Bandcamp contributor profile here: /episode/index/show/crashandride/id/19200371

Crash and Ride - Episode 86: Adam Klein 04/04/2021

Crash and Ride - Episode 86: Adam Klein photo: Jeff Shipman Adam Klein is a guitarist, singer, and songwriter from Athens, GA, though he currently lives in Atlanta. Adam has released seven albums, but has also traveled the world doing volunteer work and lived in West Africa for several years. In Mali, he had a radio show that was broadcast over a large swath of remote villages at the edge of the Sahara. He also has a budding acting career in the Atlanta film industry and an album on the way this Spring. We talk about growing up Orthodox in Athens, GA, living and working in Mali, and making records with his heroes. You can see portions of a documentary about making Adam's record of West African songs here: You can hear more of Adam's music here: and finally, as I mentioned in the intro to the episode, you can donate to Access Point GA here: /episode/index/show/crashandride/id/18593393

Crash and Ride - Episode 85: Jolie Holland 03/30/2021

Crash and Ride - Episode 85: Jolie Holland Jolie Holland is an extraordinarily gifted singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist living in Los Angeles, California. She's possessed of an incredible insight and lyricism and she writes gorgeous and vivid songs that have been praised by luminaries such as Tom Waits. She escaped an abusive and toxic upbringing in a devout family of Jehovah's Witnesses and spent many years on the road, only to eventually settle down and create an enormous and stunning body of work. Jolie is currently collaborating with a group of activists and families to produce a benefit called "Abolition 2021," which will create a living space and activist space near the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola. In her words, "I’ve been helping produce this benefit to create a free hospitality house for family and lawyers of incarcerated people near Angola aka Louisiana State Penitentiary. It’s out in the middle of nowhere like an ugly secret, difficult to get to, even for people with money. Reallocating city budgets from violence to community support, ending slave labor and abolishing the death penalty are the big goals. Creating this hospitality house is one important step we can take to improve people’s lives. The house will serve as a hub for activists." The show will be online April 9th, 16th, 23rd, and 30th, and you can buy your tickets here: You can hear more of Jolie's music here: Also, as I mentioned in the intro, I've been working for a Harm Reduction organization here in Athens, and you can help us out here: /episode/index/show/crashandride/id/18531053

Crash and Ride - Episode 84: Eugene Willis 02/04/2021

Crash and Ride - Episode 84: Eugene Willis Eugene Willis is a hip hop artist who performs under the name Black Nerd Ninja. He's a rapper, promoter, IT consultant, father, husband, and also a stroke survivor. He's one of the hardest working men I've ever met, and is a relentlessly positive force for good in the world. We talk about his journey back from his stroke, how he sought to redefine himself in the world after his illness, and how he believes that emotional intelligence might save us all. You can hear his work here: His Instagram is here: As promised, here's the Corona Virus Relief Fund set up by MusiCares: And also here's a link to the Athens area musician's Covid 19 relief fund set up by Nuci's space here: /episode/index/show/crashandride/id/17815457

Crash and Ride - Episode 83: Pete Krebs 01/18/2021

Crash and Ride - Episode 83: Pete Krebs Pete Krebs has played guitar in so many influential Portland bands that it's hard to list them all: Hazel, Golden Delicious, The Stolen Sweets, The Portland Playboys, and Thee Catnip Brothers. He started his journey playing in punk bands and now he plays Western Swing at the rodeo every year in Pendleton, Oregon. He's a two-time inductee into the Oregon Music Hall of Fame, and he's survived cancer twice. I met Pete for the first time in 1992 when our bands played together in Virginia at a club called The Insect Club. It was his band, Hazel, my band, Five Eight, and the Spinanes. Someone got naked onstage and we almost got beat up and very nearly didn't get paid. The next time we played together was in Portland and that night I heard Pete play a song that has haunted me for 30 years. In this interview, I finally find out the name of it and the original artist. Wild. You can find the infamous photo that brought all of this together on the Crash and Ride Facebook page. You can read more about Pete and hear a bunch of his music here: As promised, here's the Corona Virus Relief Fund set up by MusiCares: And also here's a link to the Athens area musician's Covid 19 relief fund set up by Nuci's space here: /episode/index/show/crashandride/id/17586866

Crash and Ride - Episode 82: Che Arthur 01/10/2021

Crash and Ride - Episode 82: Che Arthur Che Arthur is a multi-instrumentalist, sound engineer, and tour manager based out of Chicago, IL. I've known Che for 30 years! I touched base to see how 2020 had gone for him, living alone in a pandemic and experiencing America as a Black man during the unrest that followed the murder of George Floyd and during the latter days of the Trump Administration. Che is an INCREDIBLY prolific musician and you can find links to much of his work here: Here is a link to his 7 hour New Years Day playlist! As promised, here's the Corona Virus Relief Fund set up by MusiCares: And also here's a link to the Athens area musician's Covid 19 relief fund set up by Nuci's space here: /episode/index/show/crashandride/id/17485214

Crash and Ride - Episode 81: Tad Doyle 01/03/2021

Crash and Ride - Episode 81: Tad Doyle Tad Doyle! TAD DOYLE of the band TAD! Before the explosion of bands out of the Pacific Northwest changed the entire face of rock music in the early '90s, TAD was crushing live shows and releasing huge sounding slabs of wax on Subpop records. Years later, Tad would struggle with drugs and depression as the "grunge" thing got mutated and commodified into an MTV-ready PRODUCT. Tad, though, is a survivor, and he is still making music "heavier than God's Balls." I was super-stoked to talk to him and this is his story. His current band is just as heavy as TAD and you can hear Brothers of the Sonic Cloth here: If you want to book time and record with Tad, you can find Witch Ape Studios here: As promised, here's the Corona Virus Relief Fund set up by MusiCares: And also here's a link to the Athens area musician's Covid 19 relief fund set up by Nuci's space here: /episode/index/show/crashandride/id/17395535

Crash and Ride - Episode 80: Travis Talbert 12/20/2020

Crash and Ride - Episode 80: Travis Talbert Travis Talbert is the lead guitar player for the band Frontier Folk Nebraska. He also has a solo project called Mavis Guitar where he plays pedal steel and guitar. He's a gifted and thoughtful player and a softspoken, gentle guy. He's also a man who has survived the death of his son. Tobin Talbert lived 7 months and never left the hospital. Travis and his beautiful wife Heather somehow managed to weather this tragedy and come out the other side stronger, braver, and still in love. This was one of the hardest episodes ever for me to edit, because I kept having to stop and just sit in my sadness for a minute. On one hand, it seems far too sad to be the 2020 Christmas Episode of Crash and Ride, on the other... well, 2020 is what it is, and Travis helped me to remember to be grateful for everything I have. Merry Christmas. You can hear Frontier Folk Nebraska here: You can hear Mavis Guitar here: As promised, here's the Corona Virus Relief Fund set up by MusiCares: And also here's a link to the Athens area musician's Covid 19 relief fund set up by Nuci's space here: /episode/index/show/crashandride/id/17244089

Crash and Ride - Episode 79: Lindsay Powell 12/15/2020

Crash and Ride - Episode 79: Lindsay Powell Lindsay Powell is a Brooklyn-based singer and multi-instrumentalist who performs under the name Fielded. Her music defies genre classification and nimbly draws influences from trance, hip-hop, Neo-Soul, and new psychedelia. I have been a fan for many years, and after overcoming some shyness about reaching out to someone so accomplished, I made contact and we did one of my favorite interviews ever. Lindsay was very forthcoming about her struggles with mood issues and her restlessness with a "normal" life. Also, she just got a puppy. You can hear all of Fielded's music on Bandcamp here: You can see the captivating and gorgeous video for "I Choose You" here: This is Backwoodz Studioz, the label with whom she collaborates: As promised, here's the Corona Virus Relief Fund set up by MusiCares: And also here's a link to the Athens area musician's Covid 19 relief fund set up by Nuci's space here: /episode/index/show/crashandride/id/17199029

Crash and Ride - Episode 78: Heather Smith 12/06/2020

Crash and Ride - Episode 78: Heather Smith Heather Smith is the multi-instrumentalist and vocalist behind the band Bone and Bell. She's absurdly talented and is an incredibly generous person to interview. We talk about her brief and doomed attempt to become a playwright, her battles with anxiety and depression, her move from Chicago to Portland, and her five year journey of healing from breaking her wrist. You can hear Bone and Bell here: You can see the famous ferris wheel video here: Here's the Corona Virus Relief Fund set up by MusiCares: And also here's a link to the Athens area musician's Covid 19 relief fund set up by Nuci's space here: /episode/index/show/crashandride/id/17078228

Crash and Ride - Episode 77: Lindsey Charles 12/01/2020

Crash and Ride - Episode 77: Lindsey Charles Lindsey Charles is the dynamic and powerful singer of the Chicago band The Cell Phones and also one of the creators of Dagger Cast, a podcast "a horror based podcast dedicated to the LGBTQ, Black, LatinX, female experience." She is also a talented illustrator, actress, and a new mother. We talked about all of that and more while sitting on the porch of her new home in Indianapolis, masked and bundled up against the grey autumn chill. The Cell Phones have a new record out that you can check out on their bandcamp page and you can check out her podcast at the link below. What a great talk! Check it out! The Cell Phones! Daggercast! Here's the Corona Virus Relief Fund set up by MusiCares: And also here's a link to the Athens area musician's Covid 19 relief fund set up by Nuci's space here: /episode/index/show/crashandride/id/17024453

Crash and Ride - Episode 76: Jem Moloney 11/18/2020

Crash and Ride - Episode 76: Jem Moloney photo: Rod Manning Sorry for the delay! This episode is extra long and extra epic! I spoke with Jem Moloney, the incredibly talented drummer from the Australian band Dead. They've collaborated with members of Harvey Milk and the Melvins- a truly crushing, heavy band. Jem is also one half of the label We Empty Rooms Records in AUS, and works for a suicide prevention charity called HALT. They focus on the well-being of working class men and women who do tradeswork. (We really should start something like that here.) This took an extra couple of days to get out because I've been hiding out in a different city and Jem wanted some time to have a listen to the episode, all that life stuff got in the way. So instead of breaking this up into two episodes, here's the whole thing! Listen at your leisure! Check out HALT here: Watch the video on the homepage. It's incredible. Here's the band DEAD: Here's We Empty Rooms, Jem's label: As promised, here's the Corona Virus Relief Fund set up by MusiCares: And also here's a link to the Athens area musician's Covid 19 relief fund set up by Nuci's space here: /episode/index/show/crashandride/id/16853246

Crash and Ride - Episode 75: Hilary Saunders 11/01/2020

Crash and Ride - Episode 75: Hilary Saunders photo: Morten Fog There is one globally influential magazine that focuses on Americana and I was fortunate enough to speak with its editor. Hilary Saunders is the human tornado who wrestles No Depression to the presses every quarter, and she is a phenomenal human being. For Episode 75, we had an wide-ranging conversation about her journey to the editorship of No Depression, about life in New York City during these strange times we're living in, and about using guava jelly in hamantaschen. I enjoyed every minute of it. During the course of our conversation, she recommended the email newsletters of a couple of music journalists. You can find Gary Suarez on Substack here: You can find out more about Marissa Moss and Natalie Weiner's newsletter here: You can sign up for Zachary Lipez's newsletter here: And you can find Sara Benincasa's essay about the aftermath of the suicide of Anthony Bourdain here: I mentioned in the intro that I was going to include a link to the Corona Virus Relief Fund set up by MusiCares: And also here's a link to the Athens area musician's Covid 19 relief fund set up by Nuci's space here: /episode/index/show/crashandride/id/16633418

Crash and Ride - Episode 74: Jodi Shapiro, pt 2 10/25/2020

Crash and Ride - Episode 74: Jodi Shapiro, pt 2 This is the second half of my interview with the wondrously talented Jodi Shapiro: drone composer, card sharp, photographer, and archivist. She's just an astonishingly talented human being. In the second half, we talk about her experience of being run down by an automobile, how that experience affected her outlook on life, her experiences with meditation, and her undying love of Neil Young. Here is Jodi's photography site: Also, I mentioned in the intro that I was going to include a link to the Corona Virus Relief Fund set up by MusiCares: Good luck, folks. /episode/index/show/crashandride/id/16533725

Crash and Ride - Episode 73: Jodi Shapiro, pt 1 10/21/2020

Crash and Ride - Episode 73: Jodi Shapiro, pt 1 Jodi Shapiro is a drone composer, competition poker player, world class photographer, and the best rock and roll tour guide of the Lower East Side of Manhattan that you could ever ask for. She's one of the most accomplished people I've ever met, and yet, surprisingly, she struggles with a sense that her work isn't worthy. We talk about that and so much more in this week's episode of Crash and Ride. This is part 1 and part 2 will be out in just a few days! Here is her photography site: /episode/index/show/crashandride/id/16485992

Crash and Ride - Episode 72: Lilly Hiatt 10/11/2020

Crash and Ride - Episode 72: Lilly Hiatt Lilly Hiatt is an absolutely fantastic singer/songwriter from Nashville, TN. We talked about her early life, how much more she enjoys recording in home studios vs. big commercial facilities, and how quarantine has made a whole bunch of wandering, nomadic musicians appreciate things like new mattresses and headphones. You can hear more of Lilly's music on her website: /episode/index/show/crashandride/id/16340960

Crash and Ride - Episode 71: Conan Neutron, pt 2 10/04/2020

Crash and Ride - Episode 71: Conan Neutron, pt 2 Episode 71 is the second half of my interview with Conan Neutron! Conan is a guitar player and singer from Modesto, CA, now living in Milwaukee! He was in the great band Replicator and went on to be in Mt Vicious and the band Victory and Associates. Now he works with a rotating cast of brilliant musicians as Conan Neutron and the Secret Friends! In the second half of our talk we get into the lessons he learned from the breakup of Mt Vicious, the formation of Conan Neutron and the Secret Friends and the deaths of Lauren K Newman and Vern Rumsey, Conan's bandmates in Household Gods. You can hear more of Conan's music here: https://www.neutronfriends.com/ /episode/index/show/crashandride/id/16261754

Crash and Ride - Episode 70: Conan Neutron, pt 1 09/27/2020

Crash and Ride - Episode 70: Conan Neutron, pt 1 This week is the first half of my conversation with Conan Neutron! Conan is a guitar player and singer from Modesto, CA, now living in Milwaukee! He was in the great band Replicator and went on to be in Mt Vicious and the band Victory and Associates. Now he works with a rotating cast of brilliant musicians as Conant Neutron and the Secret Friends! He's played with Dale Crover and David Pajo! And more! In part one we talk about growing up in the Central Valley of California, the wild days of pre-techboom San Francisco and Oakland, and we talk about the loss of his best friend. You can hear his music on his website here: /episode/index/show/crashandride/id/16169021

Crash and Ride - Episode 69: J Christopher Arrison 09/20/2020

Crash and Ride - Episode 69: J Christopher Arrison J Christopher Arrison is a guitar player, songwriter, singer, writer for Adult Swim, and a friend I have known for 30 years (!!). His band Trinket had one of the most star-crossed record deals of all time, and the story is all here. Even with that bit of bleakness, this is one of the funniest episodes of Crash and Ride ever, and I'm super proud of it. You can see and hear his work for Fish Center on his Bandcamp: If we ever get to go see live music again, you can see Saved By The Band at Venkman's: You can read his essay about his former wife's journey through cancer surgery here: /episode/index/show/crashandride/id/16075214

Crash and Ride - Episode 68: Brad Wood, pt 2 09/16/2020

Crash and Ride - Episode 68: Brad Wood, pt 2 This is the second half of my interview with Brad Wood, engineer and producer from Rockford, Illinois, now living in Los Angeles. We talk more about trying to make a living in music these days, MORE about bikes, and we get into the Crash and Ride 10 Questions. If you haven't heard pt 1, check out Episode 67 on the Patreon Page, or just search for Crash and Ride, Episode 67 on your favorite podcast app! You can hear Brad's work here: /episode/index/show/crashandride/id/16038617

Crash and Ride - Episode 67: Brad Wood, pt 1 09/14/2020

Crash and Ride - Episode 67: Brad Wood, pt 1 Brad Wood is an engineer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist from Rockford, Illinois. He was the producer of the groundbreaking Liz Phair 'Exile in Guyville' and went on produce records by Red Red Meat, Veruca Salt, Ben Lee, and dozens of others. We talk about the year on the road where he played drums behind a deeply ambivalent Liz Phair, we talk about the role that anxiety, depression, and mania can play in the life of a musician, we talk about what he perceives his role to be in the studio, and lord god do we go off on a tangent about bikes. We both love bikes a lot. We talked so much I decided to split this episode in two! You can hear the rest later this week! You can hear samples of his work at his website here: /episode/index/show/crashandride/id/15995852

Crash and Ride - Episode 66: Hannah Aldridge 09/10/2020

Crash and Ride - Episode 66: Hannah Aldridge In a good year, Hannah Aldridge is one of the hardest working musicians in the business. She tours constantly, is always writing, recording, and releasing new work. In the past four years, she's spent more time in Europe than any performer I know. She never stops. That is to say, she never stops *in a good year*. 2020 is not a good year. I caught up with Hannah by calling her apartment in Murfreesboro and we talked for HOURS; Two salty workhorse musicians who found themselves unexpectedly sidelined by a global health crisis. We talked about the relentless nature of hand-to-mouth touring. We talked about never being satisfied with how far we've come, and trying to feel worthy of the work. We talked about trying to tour and parent at the same time. It felt like we'd known each other for decades. You can hear her music here, including her live album that just came out in 2020: /episode/index/show/crashandride/id/15956546

Crash and Ride - Episode 65: David Pajo 08/24/2020

Crash and Ride - Episode 65: David Pajo For Episode 65 I finally got to talk to David Pajo. David was, of course, the incredibly influential guitar player in the band Slint,. David later went on to play with Will Oldham, The For Carnation, Tortoise, Stereolab, Royal Trux, King Kong, Bush League, Zwan, Peggy Honeywell, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and, most recently, Interpol. Despite his incredibly prolific musical career, he still struggled with depression. In the winter of 2015, he attempted to take his own life. As a survivor he has made it his mission to talk frankly and openly about his depression and how grateful he is that he survived. I am so happy that we had this conversation. We talked about how Slint's record 'Spiderland' absolutely spun out a generation of indie rock nerds like me, about our mutual friend Lance Bangs, about his life since his suicide attempt, and about espresso for maybe longer than anyone could possible care about. /episode/index/show/crashandride/id/15727034

Crash and Ride - Episode 64: Edward Burch 08/18/2020

Crash and Ride - Episode 64: Edward Burch Edward Burch is a singer/songwriter who lives in St Louis. He was a longtime collaborator of Jay Bennett of Titanic Love Affair and Wilco, right up to the end of Jay's life. They had a long and fruitful creative partnership that weathered years of struggle, depression and frustration, drugs, and thousands of miles of touring. We talk about the record that they made together, The Palace at 4AM, and the documentary that was made about Jay's life. It's an extraordinary story. /episode/index/show/crashandride/id/15654605

Crash and Ride - Episode 63: Mary-Eleanor Joyce 08/08/2020

Crash and Ride - Episode 63: Mary-Eleanor Joyce Mary-Eleanor Joyce is a guitar player and drummer who has played in Maximum Busy Muscle, Shitty Candy and the Circus Peanuts, the incredibly influential Athens band Incindiaries, and her new project, Sewer Kitty. She's also a mother and a devoted daughter, which is why I wanted to talk to her: A lot of Gen X musicians have waited late in life to start families, only to find themselves raising young children while balancing caring for aging parents. Her father was in managed care for years before we sat down to talk. Then he passed away the morning of the day of our interview. Mary Eleanor still wanted to talk, though, so I went to her house with a very long mic cable and we sat on the back porch while the cicadas and the crickets sang all around us, and she told me all about what she was feeling and what it meant, and it was just amazing. You can hear Incidiaries here: You can hear Maximum Busy Muscle here: https://maximumbusymuscle.bandcamp.com/ /episode/index/show/crashandride/id/15535712

Crash and Ride - Episode 62: Victor Krummenacher 08/03/2020

Crash and Ride - Episode 62: Victor Krummenacher Episode 62 is a very satisfyingly long interview with Victor Krummenacher (Camper Van Beethoven, Monks of Doom, The Third Mind, his incredible solo work). Victor and I met when my band opened for Monks of Doom back when the Earth was still cooling, and he impressed me then as an incredibly talented and genuinely insightful guy. We talk about the stress of having success sort of thrust upon you, fighting to have boundaries in an industry whose default model is to chew up artists and spit them into ditches, and the importance of dogs. You can check out Victor's solo work and Monks of Doom on his website here: /episode/index/show/crashandride/id/15464477

Crash and Ride - Episode 61: Will Johnson 07/27/2020

Crash and Ride - Episode 61: Will Johnson I have been waiting for this interview since the very beginning. I absolutely love the work of Will Johnson, from the very beginning with his band Centro-Matic right up through his most recent solo release 'Wire Mountain,' and the million-and-a-half collaborations and releases in between, Will does absolutely tremendous work. We talk about how he's holding up under quarantine, the years he had in Centro-Matic, the decision to take that band off the road, and the work he's done since. You can check out Will's work here: [photo: Sean Dunn] /episode/index/show/crashandride/id/15363719

Crash and Ride - Episode 60: Spencer Thomas 07/19/2020

Crash and Ride - Episode 60: Spencer Thomas Spencer Thomas is an egregiously talented singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist from Jackson, Mississippi. His new album 'Hangin' Tough' is an 10-song meditation on depression and love. He was formerly the drummer for the band Young Valley and is currently packing up to relocate to Athens, GA. We talked about his new album, his workaholism, battling imposter syndrome, and Betty Lou, the Greatest Dog Ever. photo: Drew McKercher /episode/index/show/crashandride/id/15251192

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