Dry Paint Signs Presents: The Next Round

Writer/comedian Dustin Sherman has a drink with a musician. They talk until the glass is empty.

Episode 54: Elizabeth & the Catapult 11/30/2017

Episode 54: Elizabeth & the Catapult Elizabeth Ziman invites me into her Brooklyn apartment for tea and ravioli. A New York native, Ziman talks about growing up in Greenwich Village and explains how a landlord battle forced her to reexamine a stack of old journals she found during the move. Combining their contents with imagery from fever dreams, she fashioned the songs for Elizabeth & the Catapult's fourth LP, Keepsake. She also discusses having an ex for a producer, why she still busks in the subway, and why it's important to acknowledge the real world while she's onstage. elizabethandthecatapult.com drypaintsigns.com /episode/index/show/thenextround/id/5995206

Episode 53: Matthew Logan Vasquez 11/21/2017

Episode 53: Matthew Logan Vasquez Matthew Logan Vasquez revisits a changing Brooklyn as he joins me for a drink at the Williamsburg Hotel's lobby bar. After a decade of fronting Delta Spirit, Vasquez has been steadily releasing music as a solo artist since 2015's Austin EP. On his second album, Does What He Wants, Matt does just that, taking the listener on a stylistically diverse journey through rock and roll. MLV tells why he had to "strike out on his own" in order to keep making music for a living, and how he strategized his son's birth around touring. matthewloganvasquez.com drypaintsigns.com /episode/index/show/thenextround/id/5967126

Episode 52: Caleb Caudle 05/18/2017

Episode 52: Caleb Caudle Americana artist Caleb Caudle joins me for a drink at Rockwood Music Hall in the Lower East Side before his show downstairs. Now sober, Caleb explains how his previous partying lifestyle had informed many of his lyrics in the past, but how he's looking forward to tackling new subject matter. Last year, he released his seventh LP, the critically acclaimed Carolina Ghost, which he describes as all love songs. With the woman from those songs now his wife, what will the tunes on his upcoming Crushed Coins be about? calebcaudle.com drypaintsigns.com /episode/index/show/thenextround/id/5367789

Episode 51: Tall Tall Trees 04/21/2017

Episode 51: Tall Tall Trees Mike Savino a.k.a. Tall Tall Trees has a quick beer with me at The Magician in Manhattan's Lower East Side before his show at Rockwood Music Hall. Savino tells how he originally went to school to be a doctor before dropping out to pursue his true passion. He also explains why and how he built his trademark "Banjotron 5000," a Swiss Army knife of an instrument that allows him to create sounds you never thought you'd hear coming from a banjo. Having recording his first two albums as a band, Mike describes what it was like to write and record his third LP, Freedays, as a solo project. talltalltrees.com drypaintsigns.com /episode/index/show/thenextround/id/5285723

Episode 50: Reformed Whores 03/30/2017

Episode 50: Reformed Whores Katy Frame and Marie Cecile Anderson of country comedy group Reformed Whores chat with me over handcrafted cocktails at the Shanty in Williamsburg. The bawdy duo explain why they gravitated to their unconventional instruments (accordion and ukulele), reveal how they relentlessly researched other comedy bands' careers as a blueprint for their own, and recount the whirlwind recording session at the legendary RCA Studio A in Nashville for their second album, Don't Beat Around the Bush. reformedwhores.com drypaintsigns.com /episode/index/show/thenextround/id/5218096

Episode 49: Cris Jacobs 11/15/2016

Episode 49: Cris Jacobs Cris Jacobs knocks back a bourbon to stave off a cold before his show at American Beauty in NYC. After noodling around on acid in his backyard with friends in high school, Cris dedicated his college years to practicing bluegrass guitar for five hours a day. It paid off, with Jacobs spending a decade in Baltimore jamband The Bridge before going solo. Cris explains how becoming a father influenced his stunning sophomore effort, Dust to Gold, and shares his plans for an upcoming LP with Ivan Neville. crisjacobs.com drypaintsigns.com /episode/index/show/thenextround/id/4834552

Episode 48: Emily King 11/15/2016

Episode 48: Emily King R&B songstress Emily King has a quick drink with me at YN in Manhattan, NY. Her debut record, East Side Story, was nominated for the 2007 Best Contemporary R&B Album, but she was dropped by her label the following year. Having just released the deluxe edition of her second full-length, The Switch, King discusses navigating the music business, the main difficulty she has when writing songs for someone else, and why it's important for her to keep performing in spite of the troubling times we're living in. emilykingmusic.com drypaintsigns.com /episode/index/show/thenextround/id/4834142

Episode 47: George Clinton 07/23/2016

Episode 47: George Clinton Funk icon George Clinton has a beer with me directly following his concert with Parliament-Funkadelic at Brooklyn Bowl Las Vegas. Clinton gives an overview of his six decades in the music business, from his early days of auditioning for Motown to his current struggles in attempting to regain the copyrights to many of his classic works. He explains why the hard-rocking Funkadelic has taken the forefront in recent years, and how having his grandchildren in the band has influenced their latest record, First Ya Gotta Shake the Gate. georgeclinton.com drypaintsigns.com /episode/index/show/thenextround/id/4536596

Episode 46: Pop Etc 07/12/2016

Episode 46: Pop Etc Pop Etc's Chris Chu and I go on a Cobble Hill bar crawl, stopping for drinks at the Long Island Bar and Henry Public. Chu reveals how seeing Elliott Smith in concert made him realize that an artist's success isn't necessarily tied to their own happiness. Instead, Chris' hope is that people will listen to Pop Etc and bond their personal experiences to it, which is why the band's latest album is called Souvenir. With a tune in the final scene of the final Twilight movie and couples asking him to use his songs for their weddings, he's getting his wish. popetcetera.com drypaintsigns.com /episode/index/show/thenextround/id/4509298

Episode 45: Lissie 06/17/2016

Episode 45: Lissie Lissie chats with me over a drink in the backyard of Muldoon's Irish Pub in Midtown Manhattan. Originally hailing from Rock Island, IL, she explains how she received an early confidence boost from G. Love, which inspired her to move out to California to pursue her music career. She recently bought a farm in Iowa, but her latest album, My Wild West, focuses on her times back in the Golden State. Lisse reveals that she views songwriting as a form of therapy, and how this LP represents a shift away from her typical song fodder, romantic relationships. lissie.com drypaintsigns.com /episode/index/show/thenextround/id/4450816

Episode 44: Cheerleader 06/09/2016

Episode 44: Cheerleader All five members of Philadelphia's haze-pop band Cheerleader have a drink with me in the basement of Mercury Lounge in Manhattan before they go onstage. They explain why playing the late show feels like a graduation of sorts, and how radio has been quite beneficial to them even in today's streaming industry. The guys tell me why it's okay to listen year-round to their summery debut LP, The Sunshine of Your Youth, and share their feelings on the record a year after its release. cheerleadersounds.com drypaintsigns.com /episode/index/show/thenextround/id/4431566

Episode 43: Brian Bonz 06/01/2016

Episode 43: Brian Bonz Brian Bonz has an IPA with me in the downstairs bar at Bowery Ballroom before opening for Nightmare of You. Bonz explains how being an opener provides him with a priceless connection to new fans, which proved especially helpful when it came to crowd-funding his latest LP, Misophonia. Although the title refers to a hatred of certain sounds, Brian reveals why he didn't mind the intrusion of construction noises during the recording process. brianbonz.com drypaintsigns.com /episode/index/show/thenextround/id/4409837

Episode 42: Findlay Brown 11/06/2015

Episode 42: Findlay Brown Growing up in Yorkshire, England, Findlay Brown played Army games in the woods with his friends. Once he'd reached his teenage years, he had his enlistment papers ready to go, but a chance encounter with LSD and a copy of Electric Ladyland changed his life forever. Over a beer in the backyard of Troost in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, Brown tells this story and how other major events have inspired his three albums. He explains how his most recent record, Slow Light, came to be as a result of his forays into minimalism and shamanic ceremonies. /episode/index/show/thenextround/id/3926275

Episode 41: Rayland Baxter 10/01/2015

Episode 41: Rayland Baxter Whilst sipping a tequila at a sidewalk table at Epstein's in New York's Lower East Side, Rayland Baxter demonstrates how to write poetic lyrics that are open to interpretation, a trick that his father learned from playing with Bob Dylan. Baxter's sophomore album, Imaginary Man, is full of such lyrics, and he explains how his questions about human existence inspired many of the LP's tracks. /episode/index/show/thenextround/id/3833852

Episode 40: Hey Anna 09/15/2015

Episode 40: Hey Anna Erin Rauch-Sasseen, her twin sisters Katie and Anna, and friends Matthew Langner and Jamie DiTringo make up the NJ/NY indie pop group Hey Anna. Erin has a drink with me at Oak & Iron in Greenpoint, Brooklyn to discuss how the band built its Japanese fanbase, where they meet to practice, and why they crowdfunded their debut LP, Run Koko. Rauch-Sasseen also explains the importance of music videos and makes her case for a Hey Anna West Coast tour. heyannamusic.com drypaintsigns.com /episode/index/show/thenextround/id/3800439

Episode 39: Orgone 08/10/2015

Episode 39: Orgone Sergio Rios and Adryon de León of L.A. funk band Orgone have some drinks with me in the spacious green room of Brooklyn Bowl Las Vegas. Rios traces the group's origins on the Venice Beach boardwalk, explains what it takes to be in the Orgone family, and reveals how they came to find de León on YouTube. Adryon discusses her first performance with the band and why it took a little liquid courage to record a certain cover for their 8th album, Beyond the Sun. /episode/index/show/thenextround/id/3726514

Episode 38: Gill Landry 07/28/2015

Episode 38: Gill Landry Gill Landry has a beer with me while he eats his pre-show pizza at Benson's in NYC's Lower East Side. After serving years as a sideman in Old Crow Medicine Show, Landry decided it was time to fully pursue his solo career with his self-titled third LP. Gill talks about his goal to make the album for fewer than $5000, how spending his 20s in New Orleans affected his songwriting, and his contributions to the touring documentary, Austin to Boston. /episode/index/show/thenextround/id/3700919

Episode 37: Dave Monks 07/03/2015

Episode 37: Dave Monks Dave Monks and I have some non-Canadian brews at Sugarburg in Brooklyn, NY. Known by many as the bassist and singer of Tokyo Police Club, Monks explains how a move to NYC inspired him to write the songs for his first solo EP, All Signs Point to Yes. Dave also reveals the differences in recording TPC's Champ and Forcefield albums, and teaches me the correct pronunciation of Toronto. /episode/index/show/thenextround/id/3654018

Episode 36: Young Buffalo 06/13/2015

Episode 36: Young Buffalo Young Buffalo's Jim Barrett and Ben Yarbrough have some drinks with me in the backyard of One Mile House before their show at Bowery Ballroom. Barrett started Young Buffalo in high school as a senior project, which he actually failed. If only his teacher could see him now, the band having finally released their debut album, House, after several lineup and label changes. Jim and Ben share what it was like growing up in the college town of Oxford, MS and what the band listens to in the van. /episode/index/show/thenextround/id/3613180

Episode 35: Robert Ellis 05/26/2015

Episode 35: Robert Ellis Robert Ellis joins me for a beer at Cheese Grille before a show next door at NYC's Rockwood Music Hall. Robert explains why he dropped out of high school to play music in Houston, and how that city's variety of music styles influenced him. Ellis also reveals how playing Katy Perry songs at weddings helps him as a performer, what it's like collaborating via text message, and the story behind Traveller, his latest side project with Jonny Fritz and Cory Chisel. /episode/index/show/thenextround/id/3575985

Episode 34: Ryan Montbleau 04/20/2015

Episode 34: Ryan Montbleau Ryan Montbleau joins me for milkshakes on the sidewalk at Jimmy's Diner in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Ryan tells his story, from coming up as a musician in Boston to recording his most recent solo record in New Orleans with greats like George Porter, Jr. and Ivan Neville. In 2013, after a decade of performing with the Ryan Montbleau Band, two of his bandmates announced they would be leaving to focus on their families. Before they parted ways, everyone traveled to NOLA to record Growing Light, the band's fifth album (and Ryan's ninth). Montbleau also discusses his recent move to Brooklyn and the pros and cons of playing with ever-changing lineups. /episode/index/show/thenextround/id/3503104

Episode 33: Frances Cone 04/18/2015

Episode 33: Frances Cone While sipping a cocktail at the Richardson in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, Christina Cone tells me that she always knew she would move to New York City post-graduation. Since she made that decision, she's been able to make the city into her own little world, teaching piano lessons by day, and performing with her indie pop group, Frances Cone, at night. Cone explains how boredom can fuel creativity, what it's like to date a band member, and why their self-titled EP was all about death. /episode/index/show/thenextround/id/3499984

Episode 32: Jenny Owen Youngs 03/17/2015

Episode 32: Jenny Owen Youngs /episode/index/show/thenextround/id/3430811

Episode 31: Howard 03/03/2015

Episode 31: Howard Howard Feibusch was supposed to go to medical school. Over a beer at Greenpoint's Brouwerij Lane, Howard divulges why he chose a career in music instead, fronting a Brooklyn alternative rock trio that shares his first name. The band recently released their debut LP, Religion, which touches upon Howard's Orthodox Jewish upbringing. He explains why he's grateful to have something to rebel against and what it was like hearing rock music for the first time. /episode/index/show/thenextround/id/3401683

Episode 30: Cymbals 02/21/2015

Episode 30: Cymbals Jack Cleverly of the UK band Cymbals sits down with me in the bustling backyard of Crown Victoria in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Jack tells why he sings some songs in French, despite the fact that none of his bandmates speak the language. He also talks about recording their EP, Sideways Sometimes, on a boat, and how his wife has influenced his music. /episode/index/show/thenextround/id/3378704

Episode 29: Cookies 12/12/2014

Episode 29: Cookies Ben Sterling of New York pop band, Cookies, joins me for a drink beside the pinball machines of Park Slope's Owl Farm. Having started recording in 2009, the final year of his time in Mobius Band, Sterling tells why it took until this year for Cookies' debut LP, Music for Touching, to come out, amidst a changing music industry and a changing New York City. /episode/index/show/thenextround/id/3238434

Episode 28: Fancy Colors 12/05/2014

Episode 28: Fancy Colors Zac Colwell and Dave Heilman of Fancy Colors meet me in the Lower East Side at Whynot Coffee & Wine for some glasses of the latter. The duo formed while both members were in indie rock outfit Jupiter One, when it became apparent that Zac was writing too many songs for one band to keep up with. Since 2012, Fancy Colors have released an EP and two albums, including this summer's Island of the Dead. Colwell and Heilman often perform with artists as diverse as Of Montreal, Sondre Lerche, and Nicole Atkins, and they reflect on how playing with different musicians influences them. /episode/index/show/thenextround/id/3220172

Episode 27: The Majorleans & "Bassy" Bob Brockmann 11/19/2014

Episode 27: The Majorleans & "Bassy" Bob Brockmann The Majorleans' Nicky Francis and Chris Buckle knock back some bottles with me at Mission Sound in Brooklyn, NY during the making of their album, Black Belt. Mission is actually the fourth studio they've cut the tracks in, with the recording process ranging from a dangerous Chinese church basement to Nicky's living room. While the guys both play guitar in the band, they explain why they wrote most of the LP's songs on drums and bass. Their Grammy-winning engineer and co-producer, "Bassy" Bob Brockmann, has worked with everyone from Bob Dylan to the Notorious B.I.G. He reveals what attracted him to the Majorleans, why he prefers tape to ProTools, and the story behind his nickname. /episode/index/show/thenextround/id/3190379

Episode 26: Vacationer 11/14/2014

Episode 26: Vacationer Kenny Vasoli has a beer with me in the backyard of Brouwerij Lane in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. While you may know him from The Starting Line, Vasoli has been making "nu-hula" tunes with his band Vacationer since 2010. He describes how the group used audience reactions to their live set to inform the mood of their more-realized follow-up LP, Relief. He also explains how he got into Polynesian music, what it's like singing about a former love, and why he wouldn't mind being the new Jimmy Buffett. /episode/index/show/thenextround/id/3181261

Episode 25: The English Beat 10/10/2014

Episode 25: The English Beat Dave Wakeling of the English Beat invites me onto the tour bus before a show at Brooklyn Bowl. With songs in films like Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Kingpin, and Clueless, Wakeling has seen his fanbase continue to grow long after the breakups of the Beat and General Public. Now those fans are even able to sing on For Crying Out Loud, the first English Beat album in over 30 years. Dave shares the stories behind a few of the new tunes and tries his hand at standup comedy. /episode/index/show/thenextround/id/3113176

Dry Paint Signs Presents: The Next Round

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