Aaron "Ab" Abernathy has built his career on helping artists like Black Milk and Slum Village elevate their art, but now he's breaking out on his own with his new album, Monologue.

A potent combination of autobiography and R&B retrospect, Monologue is a capital "S" SOUL record, that recounts Abernathy's formative years growing up outside Cleveland, Ohio. We sit down with Aaron to discuss the origins of the album, why his high school experience had such an important impact on his life even today, and the power of art and truth in times when we need help the most.

PLUS! Hailing from the Bay Area, R&B outfit The Seshen's second LP Flames and Figures is out on 10/14 and we've got a taste of the first single for you to get on down to. 

Franz Nicolay is a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, composer, true punk philosopher, and now…an author.

The Humorless  Ladies of Border Patrol chronicles Nicolay and his wife Maria’s tour through the underground punk/DIY scene of Russia and the Ukraine and is unlike any travelogue that has come before it. Immersive, poignant, and a treat for the senses , Ladies is the next step in an already vital career for Nicolay that is required reading for fans of music, punk, or just gaining a new perspective on the world we all share.

But enough of us gabbing. How about we let Franz tell you all about it…

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olyShitRad.

That's kinda what it's like listening to The Mystery Lights.

This is what it's like talking with them.

Sixteen years ago, All Songs Considered’s Bob Boilen didn’t just change the game with his podcast about the music he loved and nothing but, he pretty much INVENTED the game.

Now Bob has set his sights on the literary world with his new book Your Song Changed My Life. A collection of conversations that is “…less like a record and more like a stack of 45’s,” Your Song Changed My Life checks in with some of rock and roll’s biggest names, as well as a few up -and -coming greats to explore not just what makes these artists tick, but why music is so important to us all.

For our 200th episode we’re sitting down with Bob to talk about his book, his life as a journalist (and other things), what drives his love of music, and much, much more.

Whether you’re a fan of All Songs Considered, a creative looking for inspiration or just a lover of music, this podcast might change your life.

Mail The Horse is a BAND. 

Don't call em Americana band. Don't call em a Folk band. Don't call em a Jam band. They're just a BAND.

And a goddamn good one at that.

Here's the part where we hang out. 

With 2011's Photograph and 2014's The Lights From The Chemical Plant, Robert Ellis established himself as one best singer-songwriters working today. 

Robert Ellis, his third major release (and one of the best albums of 2016) builds on that foundation, but refuses to be constrained to any genre, country or otherwise. 

On a recent visit to Washington, DC, Robert stopped by the basement to talk about his new album, life on the road and how great songwriting beats all. 

You deserve this podcast. You earned it. 

Wanted Man is a righteous rock and roll band from Washington, DC.

Kenny Pirog is a righteous dude who fronts said righteous rock and roll band from Washington, DC.

This is a righteous conversation with a righteous dude who fronts a righteous band.

Any questions? 

In March of this year, singer/songwriter Laura Gibson released Empire Builder. Not only was it her strongest record to date, but it is undeniably one of 2016's finest releases.

Around that time, we invited Laura (and her band) over the morning after an exhilarating performance at Iota Club and Café to talk about the new album, her transition to becoming a (mostly) full-time New Yorker, higher learning, and much much more. 

PLUS: Our friend Jonny Grave drops by to talk about his new album and the release show on June 7th for said album where he aims to prove its mettle to ya.

This is podcasting at it's fullest potential. 

A few years ago in the small town of Washington, DC, Maddy Wolpow-Gindi and Quinn Meyers (along with the steady hand of friend Jordan Grobe on sound) set out to host a few rock shows at their shared space above a Cajun restaurant known as The Bayou.

Over the course of two years that space which started out just hoping to turn out "a few rock shows" turned into one of the most vibrant and vital music venues the nation's capital has ever seen.

But all good (great) things come to an end, and so it was that the last bittersweet notes rang loud from Above the Bayou's withered bay windows out into the streets of DC in May of this year. 

Dead is dead, and the past is the past, but there are always stories to be received from those who were there.

This is theirs. 

Since 2001, Fruit Bats' Eric Johnson has proven time and time again why he has become one of the 21st Century's most revered songwriters. After a brief "retirement" where he released music under his own name - 2014's excellent EDJ - Johnson has revived the Fruit Bats name and delivered Absolute Loser, one of the strongest and most personal albums of his career.

Before his recent show here in Washington, DC, Johnson stopped by the basement to talk about his new record, the worth of a name, almost two decades in the constantly shifting music industry, and much, much more.

Dig it. Dig it the most.

One day in early Spring budding hip hop superstar and creative powerhouse K.A.A.N. (Brandon Perry) dropped by the basement to hang out with Kevin, Random Nerds’ Bryce T. Rudow, and Marcus Dowling.

The following is a true account of what happened next. 

Way back in February, Richmond, VA's Lucy Dacus released her debut album, No Burden.

No Burden happens to be one of the best albums of 2016 to date.

This is what happened when we talked to Lucy and her band the day after her album came out.*

*we included a sweet track from one of Lucy's fellow Richmonders Clair Morgan too because AWESOME, that's why.

Music has always been the lifeblood running through multi-instrumentalist Phil Cook's veins for as long as he can remember. In 2015 he fully dialed in to that guiding presence for the first time in his life, and the result was the magnificent Southland Mission. Mission mined a deep history of American gospel and blues to deliver songs of beauty, hope and rejuvenation, that didn't just honor what came before them, but weaved themselves into the very fabric of the rich tapestry of the culture that's at the root of our modern experience.

We (finally) caught up with Phil before his recent show here in Washington, DC to talk about his past, the music he loves, and how a goofy kid from Wisconsin found enlightenment at at an early age in the most unlikely of places.

This podcast can be the instrument to mend a broken heart or to straighten out your life through the sincere testimony of one righteous dude. A must!

Independently, Sam McCormally and William McKindley-Ward are longtime staples of the DC music scene. Together they are FELLOW CREATURES!

Following the demise of their previous band - the beloved Ugly Purple Sweater - both were looking for a different direction for their music. They found it in electronic experimentation coupled with masterful songwriting and the result is a mind-blowing, self-titled LP that defies categorization.

In advance of the release, Sam and Will stopped by the basement to chat with Kevin and special guest Paul Vodra (Hometown Sounds) about the making of Fellow Creatures, life in the DC music scene, and much, much more.

Above The Prairie, the latest release from Minneapolis folk auteurs The Pines, is a sonic tapestry rich with atmosphere that transports the listener to a land that is as recognizable as it is just down the road from nowhere. David Huckfelt and brothers Benson and Alex Ramsey just kicked off their tour for Above The Prairie, and stopped by the basement before a recent DC stop to talk about the inspirations for the album, working with Native American author, poet, and activist, John Trudell, and what it’s like to create worlds from nothing but heart and imagination.

DC’s Stronger Sex is back with a new track, an expanded lineup , and approximately 4.7 times the awesome.

If you need us, we'll be selling plasma and our first born to try and snag some Bey tickets.

This week on the podcast we’re checking in with multi-instrumentalist / producer Nick Sanborn. Hot on the heels of Sylvan Esso’s massive tour supporting their spectacular self-titled debut, Sanborn  is back with the EP Penumbra, his latest project under the name Made Of Oak. An atmospheric collection of rhythmic adventures that draw as much inspiration from the natural world as they do from the machines with which they were made, Penumbra soundtracks the smaller, quieter moments in life, then sends them crashing into the club. We talk to the Nick about the genesis of Penumbra, the magic of mystery in music, Kendrick Lamar and more in an inspiring and enlightening hour with one of music’s brightest and most forward thinking artists.  

PLUS! Phil Moore of Bowerbirds is back with his new project TUSHKA. A deft mix of electronic music, and R&B that straight up jams, “The Program”, is the first single off of his upcoming album is here, and ready to move you.

Your holiday week begins NOW on Episode 143 of ChunkyGlasses: The Podcast!

This week on the podcast we’re sitting down with Tracy Wilson and Kenneth Close of Richmond, VA’s POSITIVE NO! Each longtime veterans of the indie music scene in their own rights, the couple joined forces in 2011 in the wake of a tragedy – Wilson was hit by a car crossing the street – and began work on the songs that would eventually become the 2013 EP Via Florum.

Now they’re back with their debut full length entitled Glossa¸ years of experience, and a WHOLE lot to talk about.  Tune in for a personal, insightful, and often hilarious conversation with two rock and roll survivors for whom the torch will never go out – it’s Episode 142 of ChunkyGlasses: The podcast with POSITIVE NO! 

This week on the podcast we’re sitting down with DC’s Jonny Grave in advance of his Third Annual Halloween Circus at taking place at the Black Cat in Washington, DC this weekend. Part bluesman, part historian, and all heart, Jonny shares his love of music, DC, history and much, much more. First though, fresh off two days at this year’s Future Of Music Coalition Policy Summit, Kevin shares some brief thoughts on the conference, the organization, and what it all means to you, (especially if you’re a musician). And finally, following a hot tip from Random Nerds’ Bryce Taylor Rudow (@brycetrudow), we’re playing a track from Columbia, MD rapper K.A.A.N.’s most excellent mixtape, Abstract Art.

Grab a beverage and loosen yer ears, because you’re about to get rocked by Episode 139 of ChunkyGlasses: The Podcast featuring Jonny Grave!

This week on the podcast we’re getting meta as we invite Futurebirds down to the basement to talk about Futurebirds, a little bit about us, and much, much more. Out on tour now in support of their most excellent new album Hotel Parties (you can hear our take on it here), these road warriors have seen it all and dish some honest takes on life on the road, making it in the modern music industry and the often strange relationship between critics and musicians.

Plus Typefighter may be dead, but Ryan McLaughlin soldiers on with his new band Polyon! Their upcoming EP Blue – out 11/13 – is a loud, feedback drenched reminder that McLaughlin is one of the best musicians DC has to offer, and we’ve got the first single “Reserve” for you to make the rock with right here, and right now.

Get comfortable, check your facts, and settle in for yet another delicious hour in the basement, here comes Episode 138 of ChunkyGlasses: The Podcast! 

This week on the podcast we’re going full wonk as Kevin and Marcus Dowling sit down with Future Of Music Coalition CEO Casey Rae to try and save the music industry! With their 15th Annual Policy Summit just around the corner (October 26-27th) it was about time that Casey dropped by the basement to fill us in on the important work done by his organization, talk the literal future of music, and much, much more.

Plus! You’ve seen PJ Sykes covering Hopscotch Music Festival in our pages, now hear a brand new single from his band Hoax Hunter’s upcoming EP, Clickbait.

Put on your thinking cap, and get ready to learn everything you need to know about how to save the music industry in 90 minutes or less on Episode 136 of ChunkyGlasses: The Podcast!