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Ep. #48: Ben Blackwell of Third Man Records

Ben Blackwell works at Third Man Records, a multi-platform label, record store, venue, and studio in Nashville, Tennessee and he once claimed his business card listed his position as “psychedelic stooge.” Blackwell has also played drums in the Dirtbombs, he runs his own label, Cass Records, and is the official archivist for the White Stripes whose Jack White owns Third Man. As a label, Third Man has been doing some amazing work, releasing cool new records and going deep into history to reissue recordings by important artists and labels like Sun and Paramount Records. In this in-depth conversation, Blackwell and I cover the evolution of Third Man, its emphasis on vinyl and penchant for grand projects and releases, its interest and execution of documenting historically significant musical artefacts, The Rise and Fall of Paramount Records 1917-1932 wonder-cabinet, how sales for vinyl compare to those for CDs, the troubling vinyl shortage, the new Gories record, The Shaw Tapes: Live in Detroit 5/27/88, which Third Man is releasing in November, the song “Real Cool Time” and more.

Related links: thirdmanrecords.com cassrecords.com vishkhanna.com

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Ep. #47: AroarA

AroarA is a unique two-piece band that hails from Montreal and consists of married musical couple, Ariel Engle and Andrew Whiteman. You might recognize Whiteman’s name from his work in Broken Social Scene, Apostle of Hustle, and the Bourbon Tabernacle Choir among other entities. Though lesser known, Engle is an equally accomplished musician and a well-respected vocalist who has worked with Feist, Socalled, and Jerusalem in my Heart among others. AroarA recently released their full-length debut, In the Pines, whose title and 14 songs are taken from a book by noted avant poet, Alice Notley, and they’re on tour now, including a stop at Silence (46 Essex St.) in Guelph on Oct. 30. Here, over breakfast on the phone, both Whiteman and Engle discuss the impending birth of their first child, the history of their band and their musical approach, Alice Notley’s book, the song “#4” and much more.

Related links: aroara.com clubroll.com vishkhanna.com

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Ep. #46: Al Tuck

Al Tuck hails from Charlottetown on beautiful Prince Edward Island in Canada. Over the past 20 years, Tuck has established himself as one of the world’s great songwriters and musicians, quietly releasing one stellar album after the next and earning the respect and admiration of any lyricist and guitarist who hears him. His latest album is Stranger at the Wake and was released by Cameron House Records earlier this year. It was longlisted for the Polaris Music Prize and earned critical accolades elsewhere and brings Tuck to the Halifax Pop Explosion this week. In September, Tuck joined me in-studio at CFRU for a good chat about Guelph, his status as a “cult figure,” his upbringing and early musical influences, his time in Halifax when its music scene was discovered by the international press, his songwriting, his voiceover work in films, his recent prolific streak of albums, the song “That Married Life” and much more.

Related links: altuck.com cameronhouserecords.com halifaxpopexplosion.com vishkhanna.com

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