The Lydian Spin

A San Antonio-born vocalist, lyricist, and artist, Suzy Bravo has performed in heavy metal, punk, blues, and soul bands. Formerly the front woman for bands like The Rocket 350 (later Suzy Bravo & The Rocket 350), Witchcryer and Temple of Love., she is also in the  Plasmatics cover band named Tits Out..

9/6/24 • 57:39

Nicky Miller is a Berlin-based, genderqueer interdisciplinary artist with roots in France and Vietnam. Specializing in film, performance art, and creative writing, Nicky’s work explores LGBTQ+ sexualities and identities, often tackling politically sensitive topics like sex work, BDSM, and queer practices. Their award-winning films, including Twisted Distinction and Pink Lips, have been showcased at international queer film festivals, challenging societal norms and redefining perceptions of queer identities.

8/30/24 • 75:30

Travis Jeppesen, is an American novelist, poet, artist, and art critic who is currently based in Berlin. He has authored several notable works, including The Suiciders, Poems I Wrote while Watching TV, and See You Again in Pyongyang. His latest book is Settlers Landing.

8/23/24 • 65:12

Jennifer Charles is a proud childless cat lady writer, singer/songwriter, actor, and poet, best known as one half of the New York cult band Elysian Fields. She has performed and collaborated with artists worldwide, singing in over 10 languages. Notable projects include Lovage with Mike Patton and Dan the Automator, and her Sephardic Diaspora group La Mar Enfortuna. Elysian Fields has created original music for television, film, and stage, including works by Jim Findlay and the French dance company Affari Esteri. Jennifer originated the role of Girl Angel in the Pulitzer-winning opera Angel’s Bone and played Emily Dickinson in BAM's Lightning at our Feet. Elysian Fields recently released their 14th record, What the Thunder Said. Jennifer also launched a new project called Bohemian Flesh with Thomas Bartlett and has recorded audiobooks, including Edith Wharton’s The Touchstone. In her free time, she creates art, gardens, cooks, travels, and cares for her cats.

8/16/24 • 73:40

Chris Mars, is an American painter and drummer best known for his drumming in the iconic Minneapolis band The Replacements. After leaving the band in 1990, he pursued a solo music career before shifting his focus to visual art, where he gained recognition for his nightmarish, surrealist paintings. Chris continues to create art inspired by personal themes, including his brother's struggle with schizophrenia.

8/9/24 • 68:13

The Lydian Spin's latest double feature showcases interviews with members of two standout bands: Catatonic Suns and Tina Kit. Catatonic Suns brings a mesmerizing blend of '90s indie DIY sensibilities with layers of psychedelia. Tina Kit captivates with their energetic, howling performances, represented by photographer and musician Cole Flynn Quirke. Patrick Shields, Jake Christman, and Caleb Strobl, the entire band, speak for Catatonic Suns.  

8/2/24 • 80:17

Steve Wynn, frontman of The Dream Syndicate, has released over 25 albums and had more than 300 songs recorded by artists like REM and The Black Crowes. He has played over 2000 shows in more than 25 countries. He is also known for his solo work and projects like Gutterball and The Miracle 3. Steve joins Lydia and Tim from New York to read from his book I Wouldn't Say it if Iit Wasn't True: A Memoir of Life, Music, and The Dream Syndicate.

7/26/24 • 56:38

Acclaimed poet Anne Waldman has been a key figure in the Outrider experimental poetry community for over four decades. Her work, rooted in the Beat, New York School, and Black Mountain traditions, elevates feminist and activist themes through powerful performances. A prolific author with over 60 books, including Fast Speaking Woman and The Iovis Trilogy Waldman also co-founded the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics at Naropa University.

7/19/24 • 67:58

Kramer is a musician, composer, and record producer whose creative ideas can be found all over the American cultural landscape. He is known as the founder of the record label Shimmy-Disc. He was a member of  New York Gong, Shockabilly, Bongwater, and Dogbowl & Kramer, and has toured with Butthole Surfers, B.A.L.L., Ween, Half Japanese, and The Fugs. As a producer, Kramer's notable work includes collaborations with Galaxie 500, White Zombie, GWAR, Daniel Johnston, and Urge Overkill.

7/12/24 • 60:15

Richard Cabut is an author, journalist, and musician. He is the author of the post-punk novel Looking for a Kiss, which has been adapted for the screen. Richard's journalism has been featured in prominent publications like The Guardian, Daily Telegraph, NME, and The Independent. He co-edited the anthology Punk is Dead: Modernity Killed Every Night and contributed to several other notable works. His short fiction and poetry have been published in various acclaimed books and magazines. Additionally, he played bass for the band Brigandage and co-wrote tracks for The Necessary Animals.

7/3/24 • 74:16

Marianna Simnett is an artist and musician newly based in New York, known for her vivid and visceral explorations of the body as a site of transformation. Her psychologically charged works challenge both herself and the viewer, creating radical new worlds filled with untamed thoughts, strange tales, and desires. Her current work titled Winner is on view at the Hamburger Bahnhof, which the Berliner  called  "a campy love letter to the world’s most laddish sport(soccer) and its players"

6/28/24 • 63:31

  Hey have you heard the news? Jesus Lizard is back! They've dropped a new album and are hitting the road for a tour. To celebrate this exciting comeback, we're jumping on the Jesus Lizard bandwagon. So, we're bringing you a replay of our classic interview with the one and only David Yow.  

6/19/24 • 46:48

Matt Katz-Bohen,  began playing piano at age 7, expanded his repertoire to include cello, violin, and guitar. An alumnus of New York City’s LaGuardia High School, he became the guitarist and Music Director for the drag queen rock troupe The Touchables, collaborating with notable artists like Jody Watley and Lady Miss Kier. Introduced to Debbie Harry at the Squeezebox party, Matt soon joined Blondie on keyboards for their 2008 world tour. As a co-writer of Blondie songs and a musical director for NYC’s Bowieball party, he has also written for RuPaul and toured with Boy George and Tony Bennett.

6/13/24 • 59:29

Timo Ellis is a musician, composer, and producer from New York City. Over the past two decades, he has appeared on nearly 100 albums and collaborated with artists like Yoko Ono, Sean Lennon, and Mark Ronson. His music spans genres, including rock, punk, metal, soul, and electronic. Timo's progressive sludge band, Netherlands, has been active since 2010. He also composes and produces music for TV, web, and film, with clients like MTV, CNN, and Harper’s Bazaar, continuously creating new music daily. Timo will join Tim, Lydia and Kevin Shea on tour this summer as part of Big Sexy Noise

6/6/24 • 57:06

Blag Dahlia has been a force in the punk rock scene for nearly four decades, starting with his 1985 band The Suburban Nightmare, which soon evolved into The Dwarves. Despite never achieving massive commercial success, The Dwarves have left an indelible mark on both hardcore and punk. They’ve always eschewed mainstream conventions, forgoing major label support in favor of raw, unfiltered expression. As such, they're live shows, notorious for their intensity and unpredictability. The Dwarves have a new album out titled Concept Album.

5/31/24 • 73:52

Raoul Björkenheim, a Finnish-American guitarist and composer, has spent four decades crafting original music from New York City and Helsinki. Known for his expressionistic and lyrical guitar style, Raul calls his ongoing work "investigative guitarism." His eclectic discography spans over 50 albums, including ambient soundscapes and free jazz, with compositions ranging from duos to big bands. Though his large-scale works for symphony orchestra remain unrecorded, he has scored music for over ten films and dance productions. Collaborating with renowned musicians like Bill Laswell and Mats Gustafsson, Raul's work is featured on labels like ECM and Rune Grammofon. His accolades include the Georgie Prize, the Young Finland Award, the Emma Prize, and three Nordic Music Award nominations.

5/24/24 • 53:11

John Colpitts, also known as Kid Millions, is a drummer, composer, drum teacher. He is best known for his work in the band Oneida and his percussion group Man Forever. Check out his latest Man Forever album Music From the Accident. This coming July, Oneida releases a new album Expensive Air out on the Joyful Noise label.

5/17/24 • 70:02

Austin Texas denizen Gary Lindsey, is the dynamic frontman of Gary Lindsey and the Pleasure Tide . He joins Lydia and Tim to discuss his travels, life in music including performances alongside Hank Williams III. Gary is a versatile artist capable of donning different musical personas, from gypsy roots jazz to beatnik poetry, akin to the transformative spirit of Tom Waits. 

5/10/24 • 62:40

New York City pianist/keyboardist Alex Marcelo believes in the power of music as a positive and uplifting force. He studied at the Harlem School of the Arts and then went on to the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, where he focused on African-American Music/Jazz Piano Performance and Composition under the tutelage of renowned saxophonist Yusef Lateef. Alex and Tim were classmates at UMass, and it was there that they became close friends and musical collaborators. Since those halcyon days in Western Massachusetts, he has performed all over the world, including at the North Sea Jazz Festival, Etnafest in Italy, Alice Tully Hall, and more. Alex is featured on recordings with Yusef Lateef, Adam Rudolph, Mike Pride, and Malcolm Mooney. Currently, he is working on a new album that should be released in the coming year.

5/3/24 • 62:06

There is a lot happening at the Lydian Spin! Lydia and Tim are both touring and we're recording and editing the next batch of interviews, set to debut next week. Meanwhile, Lydia, a big Melvins fan, is thrilled about the recent release of their new album, Tarantula Heart. To share her excitement, this weeks episode features a new intro combined with a rebroadcast of an interview with Melvins guitarist Buzz Osborne. This interview, conducted during the peak of Covid restrictions, also serves as an interesting snapshot of where we all were just 200 episodes ago. Enjoy!

4/26/24 • 57:16

The cover photograph for the second and final Richard Hell and the Voidoids album, Destiny Street features a woman standing in the background. For years, this woman was unfairly credited as "unknown woman." However, the truth is that the woman is Anne Militello, who would go on to become an accomplished lighting designer and professor at CalArts. Anne's journey began while working for the now infamous rapist Harvey Weinstein back when Weinstein and his brother were concert promoters in metro Buffalo. Seeking to leave The Nickel City but not yet prepared for New York City, she embarked on a five-day bus trip to San Francisco, packing a tin of pot brownies, which were completely consumed along the way. Upon arriving on the west coast, Anne leveraged her experience working with lights in college to gain work at a music venue. The manager who hired her was Sylvester, who later became a disco legend. One night outside the Magic Theater, she encountered a man dressed like a trucker who seemed to be out of place and ignored by her cohort of punker rockers. Feeling sympathetic, she struck up a conversation with him.  The man told her he was a playwright and wanted her to read his new play, which she did and really liked. The trucker turned out to be Pulitzer Prize winner Sam Shepard and they became great friends. With Shepard's encouragement, she relocated to New York City and immersed herself in the theater scene. Over time, Anne established herself as a world-renowned lighting designer, working with luminaries such as David Lynch, Tom Waits, The Wooster Group, and Lou Reed. Today, Anne resides in Los Angeles, where she operates Vortex Lighting.

4/19/24 • 54:33

Meredith Monk is truly an American treasure. She is a composer, performer, and interdisciplinary artist. Her unique contributions to music and experimental theater have spanned over six decades. Meredith's body of work combines elements of music, voice, movement, and visual art.  Through these mediums, she explores the myriad ways one can freely as a human express themselves. Meredith's art has made her a visionary of the avant-garde. We are thrilled and lucky to have her on the Lydian Spin. 

4/12/24 • 72:11

Jeffrey "Chairman" Couch fronts the Portland, Oregon band Nasalrod, known for their frenetic, genre-bending, manic art-punk style. Nasalrod's music attempts to look beyond punk's boundaries, all the while retaining the genre's adventurous spirit. Jeffrey and Lydia crossed paths at one of her last Portland shows, where he invited her to participate in Nasalrod's latest video. Although Lydia declined, she was impressed by the band's music and invited Jeffrey to appear on the Lydian Spin.

4/5/24 • 60:33

  Dan Levenson is a visual artist based in Los Angeles who engages in installation, performance, video, painting, and sculpture. His artistic endeavors revolve around the concept of an imagined institution, the State Art Academy, Zürich (SKZ). Dan's paintings adhere to the formalist teachings of this fictitious academy, employing metrically sized canvases divided geometrically to produce rational and reproducible abstract compositions. Through performance, installation, and video, he further develops the narrative of this fictional institution. Each painting bears a unique title, symbolizing a student from the State Art Academy, Zürich, with no repetition of names. In 2004, Dan used a computer script to generate hundreds of millions of distinct names by combining surnames from the Zürich phone book with common Swiss first names. From this extensive list, 135,000 names were randomly selected and published in a book, with the titles of his paintings drawn from the same pool in random order.

3/29/24 • 59:21

Berlin based band Cuntroaches is composed of Claire Panthère(drums), David Hantelius(bass) and Martina Schöne-Radunski(guitar, vocals). Together they unleash a ferocious blend of hardcore-infused no wave. Their music is a cacophony of intoxicating chaos. They have a new album coming out on Skin Graft Records.

3/22/24 • 51:23

Trans woman Swedish-US American writer Alvina Chamberland, co-authored All that is mine: Rape, Stigmatization and Reparation, which was published in 2015. In 2018, she released Locked Out – A nostalgic account of growing up for freaks. Her works have appeared in journals and newspapers in Swedish and English. Her book Love the World or Get Killed Trying is out now.

3/15/24 • 61:45

Ben Greenberg has played in over 50 bands, including The Fugue, Archaeopteryx, Bloody Panda, The Men, Little Women, and his project Hubble. He attended the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, joining the avant-garde band Zs. Ben is also involved in recording music through his recording studio Circular Ruin, having recently recorded Couch Slut's latest album.

3/8/24 • 66:14

Sandy Ewen, is an experimental guitarist, artist, and architect based in Brooklyn, NY. She focuses on texture and timbre in her guitar playing, using various objects and extended techniques. Her recent recordings include collaborations with Jason Nazary, Maria Chavez, Lisa Cameron, Roscoe Mitchell, Damon Smith, Weasel Walter, and Keith Rowe.  Sandy has played internationally at festivals  such as the Moers festival, Wels festival, and Molten Plains festival. Sandy also creates video art, digital animations, slide projections, and microcollages to accompany her music.

3/1/24 • 53:17

At 14, budding draftsman and tattoo artist Eddy Deutsche left his birthplace, Detroit, for the west coast, immersing himself in the local punk rock scene. It was there that he honed his tattooing skills through trial and terror. Initially struggling to get a start as a professional due to his young age, Eddy eventually found a mentor who guided him into the industry. Now residing in Nashville with his children, he continues to pursue his passion for tattooing. In this episode, he reflects on his journey from a rebellious punk rock kid to a respected figure in the tattooing world. Check out more of Eddy's illustrations and books at Raking Light Projects.

2/23/24 • 69:48

Cynthia Ross co-founded the all-girl band the B-Girls in Toronto before relocating to New York City. The band quickly made a mark, touring with acts like the Clash and sharing stages with Iggy Pop, Blondie, and others. In this episode, she reminisces about her musical journey, her relationship with Stiv Bators of the Dead Boys, and shares some of her poetry and writing.

2/16/24 • 58:08