Kicking off our two-part wrap up of the year in music, Quinn, Tori and Paul from Hometown Sounds stop by the basement to shine a light on some of the best music DC had to offer this year. Typefighter, The Cowards Choir, Priests, Seàn Barna, Lauren Calve and more all helped make 2014 one of the best years for DC music in recent memory, and it’s only getting better. So tune in as we play some of our favorite tracks and discuss the past, present and future of the scene we know and love on Episode 95 of ChunkyGlasses: The Podcast – Best of 2014 DC EDITION!      

In our latest podcast (and last regular podcast for 2014) we sit down with the wonderfully unique Marian McLaughlin. Her sublime work on her debut Dèrive , released early in 2014, has led Marian and her musical cohorts from the smallest of smallest of house shows to being featured on NPR’s acclaimed Tiny Desk Concert series and back again. Kevin sat down with Marian to discuss what the future holds for the talented musician including her artspace/home The Holy Underground in Baltimore, her plans - including her in progress Kickstarter -  for her second album Spirit House, and much much more.

It’s the last regular podcast of the year and we’re going out on a high note on ChunkyGlasses: The Podcast Episode 94!

Both formidable musical talents on their own, together Olivia Mancini and Jarrett Nicolay make up the electro-pop duo known as Astra Via! Prior to the release of their upcoming EP SUPERBESTLUCKYSONGS (due out 12/16 on Aerobic International) Adam sat down with his friends and past collaborators to talk their long, strange trip of a music career, Cracker Barrel, some ugly truths about the industry, and much, much more.

PLUS! Because Astra Via loves you,  A LIVE IN THE BASEMENT performance of SUPERBESTLUCKYSONGS track “Action Junkie” to put in your ears and enjoy early and often!

This week we’re delivering a double-stuffed podcast just in time for Thanksgiving! It’s no secret that the DC music scene has been blowing up, and for the past three years one of the scene’s biggest supporters has been Hometown Sounds. Part internet radio, part blog, and part podcast, Paul Vodra and Tony Porreco have been working overtime to make sure the best and brightest sounds DC has to offer makes it to the place that’s most important: Your Ears.

Recently the pair paid a visit to the basement to chat with Kevin about the scene, podcasting, the ins-and-outs of music licensing and much, much more. So tune in, kick back, and loosen your belt as we serve up our latest episode of ChunkyGlasses: The Podcast with the good gentleman of DC’s one and only Hometown Sounds. 

It’s been 20 years since we’ve heard from Pink Floyd, but now they’re back to bid one final goodbye and journey on down The Endless River. How does this this mostly instrumental album comprised of Division Bell “outtakes”, and musical vignettes stack up? Journey down the Floyd-hole with Kevin, Paul and Adam as they review the new album and revisit the long-history one of their all-time favorite bands on the podcast they were BORN TO DO - Episode 91 of ChunkyGlasses: The Podcast!

Two weeks ago pop/country superstar Taylor Swift very publicly pulled her entire catalog from streaming music Spotify, and teh internets…well…it asploded. Some artists (like Swift) feel that they’re being “robbed” by this new format; some feel that streaming is not just the future, it’s the savior, of the music industry. Who’s right? Who’s wrong? Who’s getting paid? How much are they getting paid? Where does the consumer fit into all of this?

Tune in as guests Ali Sternburg (Policy Council, CCIA) and Marcus Dowling stop by the basement and go full “wonk” on the truth, lies, and harsh realities of this technology that impacts musicians and music fans alike. It’s an impassioned discussion about a topic that’s near-and-dear to our hearts on Episode 90 of ChunkyGlasses: The Podcast.

You may know him as the shred-tastic lead guitar player for Wilco, but with his trio the Nels Cline Singers, and more recently an upcoming collaboration with jazz guitar virtuoso Julian Lage, Nels Cline has proven to be a major player in the jazz/avante garde world for over 30 years now. We sit down with the man who Rolling Stone listed as “the 82nd greatest guitarist of all time” to discuss his beginnings as a musician and music fan, his ability to effortlessly hop styles/genres, his work with the Nels Cline Singers and their latest record Macroscope, and much, much more. Tune in and catch a fascinating discussion with one of the greats on our latest episode of ChunkyGlasses: The Podcast!

In our latest episode, the internets takes us up on our offer and random listener Patrick stops by the basement to talk music with the gang. PLUS! Quinn dishes all the good and the bad on this years CMJ Music Marthon and we review Spite, the new album from the greatest band you may or may not have heard of, Austin, TX’s HUNDRED VISIONS!

In our latest podcast, Kevin sits down with multi-instrumentalist/producer/songwriter Louis (pronounced 'Loo-E') Weeks to talk about his stellar debut album Shift/Away, what all this music stuff really means, the house show scene in DC and much, more. You thought we were music nerds before? You ain't heard nothin' yet. Tune in and get turned on to one of 2014's best new artists - DC or otherwise - on Episode 87 of ChunkyGlasses: The Podcast!

In our latest podcast, George Washington University's recently launched D.C. Vernacular Music Archive promises equal representation for punk (duh), go-go, folk, bluegrass, and more in what could potentially end up one of the District’s best records of its musical history. Quinn Myers and Tori Kerr stop by the basement to weigh in on the exciting new project’s origins and more.

PLUS! We review the unpossibly cool debut album from DC’s very own Ex Hex! Will Rips shine a new light on the DC scene? Does it really matter if it does? Is it a shoo-in for best album of 2014? All of these questions and more will be answered on ChunkyGlasses: The Podcast, Episode 86!

In 2009, DC-based musico Andy Zipf decided it was time for a change, and thus The Cowards Choir was born. What was initially a “solo” project (there were always collaborators) has developed into a full-fledged band featuring fellow DC-area stalwarts Ryan Walker on bass, Ben Tufts on percussion and Adam Neubauer on drums, and October 4th, the quartet released their latest effort, Cool Currency.

Fresh off the release of that EP (and we do mean fresh…as in the morning after the release show), Andy and the guys stopped by the basement to talk about, the making of Cool Currency, the evolution of The Cowards Choir to date, their upcoming slot at the Magnificent Intentions Music Festival, and more.

In this week’s “bonus” podcast, we take Weezer’s latest album, Everything Will Be Alright in the End, to task with the help of DCist music editor, Tori Kerr. Is it the new Pinkerton, or is it just the same old latter day Weezer that we’ve grown to know and (some of us, maybe) love. PLUS we discuss the impact of Thom Yorke’s BitTorrent release on his fanbase, independent musicians and more. All of this and an ACTUAL bonus commentary from Weezer SUPERFAN Thor Slaughter (check the Show Notes) on Episode 84 of ChunkyGlasses: The Podcast!

In this week’s podcast, Kevin sits down with Ryan Walker and Brian Pagels of DC’s The Beanstalk Library to discuss their latest grand idea, the upcoming Magnificent Intentions Music Festival. Taking place at Arlington, VA’s legendary IOTA Club & Café and spanning THREE DAYS (Oct. 17-19), this ambitious event features some of the best, and most diverse musical acts the DC area has to offer. Tune in to find out everything you need to know about the fest, The Beanstalk Library, the burgeoning DC scene and more on Episode 83 of ChunkyGlasses: The Podcast!

In this week’s episode we sit down with up-and-coming singer/songwriter Lauren Calve. Soulful, storied and powerful are just few of the words that come to mind when talking about her debut EP, Between The Creek and the Tracks, and Lauren filled us on the inspirations for her music, the unique recording experience (in a barn!!) that produced her debut, and much, much more. So tune in and meet an artist that you’re going to be hearing a lot about soon on Episode 82 of ChunkyGlasses: The Podcast.

In our latest episode: We review the new album Sukierae from Tweedy. Wilco front-man Jeff Tweedy and his son Spencer may have the most appropriate band name ever, but does that familial familiarity translate to record? Is it nepotism, genius or somewhere in between?  PLUS! Rawk feuds, U2 proposes a new music format that will “save the industry” and snacks - oh so many snacks - on Episode 81 of ChunkyGlasses: The Podcast!

In our latest episode we review the latest release from alt-country/pop superstar Ryan Adams, taking some detours through the late 80’s and artist/press relations along the way. PLUS! U2 just dropped a new record in your iTunes. Happy? Sad? What does it all mean?!! We try and get to the bottom of it in Episode 80 of ChunkyGlasses: The Podcast!

Love him or hate him, Ty Segall has proven to be one of the most prolific and consistent artists working in music today, and on his latest effort, Manipulator, he airs out the garage a little to produce his most polished work to date. Does it work? Is it the “album of the year” as many have claimed? Kevin, Adam, and Quinn get to the bottom of these questions PLUS consider the art of the ridiculous band name on Episode 79 of ChunkyGlasses: The Podcast! 

In our latest podcast we head straight into the danger zone…of completely blown expectations. The gang takes on Neuroplasticity, the latest from “doom soul” purveyor Cold Specks, and the results aren’t quite what Kevin expected. PLUS! All of the Sturgill Simpson gushing this week isn’t over, as Kevin and Adam recall Simpson’s barn-burning performance at the legendary Birchmere Music Hall in Alexandria, VA. All of this and brand new way to get in touch with us to reward those who stick with us to the end of Episode 78 of ChunkyGlasses: The Podcast.

In our latest episode we cross the streams and break the laws of time and space to bring Andre back from far away lands and discuss In Tongues, the debut album from ROADKILL GHOST CHOIR. Emotions, thoughts, space jams, and probably lots of booze await you good listener as we dive, for better or for worse, into the latest record from one of the hardest working bands we know.  

This week Kevin and Adam take a road trip…to Clarendon, VA. In our latest podcast we sit down with David Schlank, proprietor of CD Cellar - one of the few record stores left standing in the DC area - to talk about out how they have weathered the digital storm, what he sees as the future of retail music and much, much more. Live from the record store, it’s ChunkyGlasses: The Podcast Episode #76!