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! 

 On Saturday, August 16th, Vienna’s famed Jammin’ Java will host the Fourth Annual Ben Tufts and Friends fundraiser for the Craig Tufts Educational Scholarship Fund. With a promised SEVEN HOURS of music from the best of the regional scene and more, it’s sure to be one of the most memorable events of the year. With his brother Dan and friends, Derek Evry, Ryan Walker, Jasmine Gillison, and Aaron Mason in tow, Ben stopped by the basement yet again to talk in depth about the Craig Tufts Memorial Fund, share stories of how he and his friends met, the music they’ve created together over the years, and much, much more.  

In our latest podcast, pop mastermind’s is the name, new music is the game as we talk out Sand + Silence, the latest release from indie-pop icons The Rosebuds, and EDJ, the first post-Fruit Bats material from the consistently prodigious Eric Johnson.

PLUS!! Did Coolio really sign a record deal with a PORN site? Could PORN be the way forward for the music biz? Is Paul Really a “Cooliologist”?

And last, but certainly not least, the van runs out of gas as we say [a temporary] goodbye to Andre, as he heads off into the great unknown – otherwise known as Turkey – to experience new adventures, oil wrestling, and most assuredly lots and LOTS of music

Since 2008, the Austin, Texas collective known as MOTHER FALCON have been making rock, quite literally, the old fashioned way. With instrumentation that you’re more likely to see in a symphony orchestra or jazz quartet, the [currently] seventeen piece group turns out soaring, triumphant songs that challenge the notion of what “pop” can be as much as they fit comfortably into that tradition.

Recently the band staged a run of East coast shows and, several of the members stopped by the basement to talk about the history of the band, the challenges of touring with a small army of musicians, and the ambitious Summer Camp program launched in 2011 that teaches younger musicians the ins and outs of songwriting, arranging, and pretty much everything else you would want to know on how to “make it” in a band.

Continuing our unintentional extended coverage of the Richmond scene, Kevin sits down with Hoax Hunters front man and renowned concert photographer PJ SYKES to find out all there is to know about their upcoming debut, Comfort & Safety as well has his “side job” as a renowned concert photographer.

Recently tapped to be the official photographer for Merge Records 25th anniversary festival this week, PJ has built a career out of doing what he loves, and after listening to his stories, we’re betting you’ll be compelled to do the same. All that plus a Cheesy Western and a bowl with on this latest episode of ChunkyGlasses, The Podcast!

Last year when the members of the Richmond, Virginia six piece AVERS got together to jam, they had no expectations for anything except to have a good time and make some noise. All members of already well established bands, J.L. Hodges (Farm Vegas), Alexandra Spalding (Hypercolor), Tyler Williams (The Head And The Heart), Adrian Olson (Hypercolor), James Mason (The Mason Brothers), and Charlie Glenn (The Trillions quickly realized off-the-charts creative chemistry between them, and inside a month they had knocked out the material for what would become one of 2014’s best releases, Empty Light.

Before their recent show in Washington, DC at the Rock & Roll Hotel, Kevin and Quinn sat down with this “super group” to talk about the creation of that album, their accelerated creative process, what the future holds for this nascent powerhouse of a band and more. 

In June of 1984, a diminutive musician from the most unlikely of musical hotbeds started a revolution with the release of his magnum opus, Purple Rain. Part film, part soundtrack, part fiction, part autobiography, and all rock n’ roll, it didn’t just charge across racial divides to conquer the radio, box office AND the album charts, it shattered any notion that we had as a culture that there were limits to what we can create. Pulling from every conceivable style of music and sounding like none, Purple Rain wasn’t just the high water mark of Prince’s career; it was the purest expression of everything he’s done before, or since.

Thirty years after this landmark achievement, Kevin, Adam, Derek, and Marcus “gather(ed) here today” not just to “get through this thing called life,” but to try to figure out just what makes Purple Rain tick, discuss its impact on music today, share stories of growing up with such a grown up record, and more.