When Art And History Collide: BLKBOK Is Sparked By Green Book

Composer and pianist BLKBOK joins me to talk about his spark, the film Green Book.

BLKBOK is a neo-classical musician and there are many parallels between his career and that of Dr. Don Shirley, the subject of Green Book.  

We tackle lots of questions surrounding the intersection between music and the racist history of America:  How does the traditional classical music establishment treat Black musicians? Can all forms of music cut across racial and socioeconomic barriers? Can classical music reach younger, more diverse audiences?

Links:

BLKBOK

Green Book

The Art Of Succeeding As A Modern Artist: Sam James Is Sparked By Dave Matthews Band's Under The Table And Dreaming

Singer/songwriter Sam James joins me to chat about his Spark, Dave Matthews Band's chart topping major label debut Under The Table And Dreaming.

But we got into so much more than that! We talked about the state of the music industry, the pressure for musicians to promote their own work and make a name for themselves (particularly on social media) and as is the case with so many of my guests, we reminisced about the days of old when physical media was still a thing.

Links:

Sam James

Under The Table And Dreaming

The Lifeblood Of Pop: TATYANA Is Sparked By ABBA Gold

Singer/songwriter/harpist TATYANA joins me to chat about her Spark and our shared obsession, ABBA Gold.  

What makes a perfect pop song? How has a pop act like ABBA had such a lasting cultural impact on a massive international scale? 

TATYANA spoke to me about the effect ABBA’s music has had on the way she thinks about songwriting, as well as its ability to draw even the most reluctant listener to the dance floor.  

Links:

ABBA Gold

TATYANA  

Unabashed Joy In Song: November Ultra Is Sparked By The Sound Of Music

The spectacular singer songwriter November Ultra joins me for a joyful chat about her spark, The Sound Of Music.

November's work has drawn lots of inspiration from musicals, particularly those from the 1960's. She shared her childhood memories of watching The Sound Of Music with her grandfather, the emotional impact of its songs and the way her relationship with the film has grown and changed throughout her life.

November Ultra's fantastic debut album Bedroom Walls is out now.

Links:

November Ultra

The Sound Of Music

A Strange Loop

A Golden Country Glow: Lola Kirke Is Sparked By Miranda Lambert's The Weight Of These Wings

Lola Kirke joins me to talk about her spark, Miranda Lambert's chart topping double album The Weight Of These Wings.

Kirke, a native New Yorker, reminisces about her discovery of and subsequent love for country music. Her love for country music's storytelling, melodies and songcraft had a huge impact on her own songwriting.  

Lola Kirke

The Weight Of These Wings

Fighting The System From Within: Frank Turner Is Sparked By Fugazi's Instrument

Punk and folk singer songwriter Frank Turner joins me to talk about his spark Instrument, a documentary about seminal post-hardcore band Fugazi. What defines documentary filmmaking as a genre? How has Fugazi's approach to music making and marketing impacted the entire industry? How can artists create work in a way that stays true to their sociopolitical ideology? Frank and I dug into questions like these without taking ourselves or the subject matter too seriously.  

Links:

Frank Turner

Instrument

Tim Burgess Is Sparked By Twin Peaks: That Gum You Like Is Coming Back In Style

The Charlatans' front man and all around legend Tim Burgess joins me to talk about his spark (and our mutual obsession), David Lynch's groundbreaking TV series Twin Peaks.

It's always a joy when my guests pick an inspirational work that's also inspired me and this chat is no exception! Tim and I talk about the unique style that Twin Peaks injected into the television landscape, it's lasting impact on the broader cultural landscape and our shared love of all things Lynch.

Links:

Tim Burgess

Twin Peaks

Locke and Key

Seether's John Humphrey's Spark Is KISS Alive! : Shoot The Chaos Into Your Headphones

Seether drummer Johnny Humphrey joins me to talk about his spark, KISS' legendary live album Alive!

How can the experience of going to a rock concert be conveyed without visuals? KISS found the answer with a live album that salvaged their careers and put them on the path towards astronomical success.

In addition to our KISS deep dive, Johnny and I chatted about the unmatched feeling of browsing through a record store and the thrill of hearing your favorite band for the first time.  

Links:

Seether

Alive!

Magic Still Exists

Mykal Kilgore's Spark Is Noah's Arc: A Mirror Reflecting

I’m joined by Grammy nominated singer and Broadway star Mykal Kilgore who spoke to me about his spark, the Logo TV series Noah’s Arc. Mykal is warm and funny and smart and just an all around joy to chat with.

Noah's Arc was the first and only scripted series to focus on a group of black gay men and Mykal talks about the incredible experience of seeing his lived reality portrayed on TV for the first time.  

Links:  

Mykal Kilgore

Noah's Arc

Ladyhawke's Spark Is The Last Of Us: The Game To End All Games

This week, New Zealand born singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Ladyhawke (aka Pip Brown) joins me to talk about her spark, The Last Of Us game series.

Pip and I talk about the joys of immersive world building and queer representation in gaming. We also ponder the existence of internet trolls and try our best to figure out their motives.

Ladyhawke's new album Time Flies is released on Friday, November 19th.

Links:

Ladyhawke

The Last Of Us

Ghostbusters: Afterlife

Ambrose Kinney-Smith's Spark Is Emitt Rhodes: The Making Of A Lost Classic

This week I'm joined by Ambrose Kenny-Smith of The Warlocs and King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard to talk about his spark Emitt Rhodes' self-titled second album

Although it never got the recognition it deserved, this album was an enormous influence for artists like Aimee Mann and Mac DeMarco. Rhodes wrote the album, played every instrument and produced it; all from his parents' garage.

The album's backstory is incredible and so is Ambrose's relationship to it.  

Links:

Ambrose Kenny-Smith

Emitt Rhodes

Dune

The Spark Parade LIVE From Fotografiska NY!!

Another spectacular live show!

The Spark Parade partnered with Fotografiska NY for a live recording in celebration of more than 100 episodes of the podcast and the museums Andy Warhol: Photo Factory exhibition.

Three incredible guests joined me to talk about their New York-centric sparks: Catherine Cohen on Brigid Berlin's Polaroids, Melissa Lozada-Oliva on Because The Night by Patti Smith and Lachi on New York, New York by Frank Sinatra.

Links:

Fotografiska NY

Catherine Cohen

Melissa Lozada-Oliva

Lachi

Brigid Berlin's Polaroids

Because The Night

New York, New York

Genesis Owusu's Spark Is My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy: The View From A Career's Peak

Ghanaian-Australian musician Genesis Owusu joins me to talk about his spark, Kanye West’s album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.  

I’ve talked to a few people about Kanye and those conversations have, for the most part, focused entirely on his music and avoided talking too much about the chaos and controversy that followed him everywhere throughout his career. This conversation leans into a more holistic approach and we didn’t shy away from talking about Kanye’s complicated legacy.

Genesis and I spoke about the luxury and excess behind the scenes during the album's recording process, marvel at the collaborative nature of this musical benchmark and talk about the difficulty we both have with reconciling our love for Kanye's music with his often toxic public persona.

Links:

Genesis Owusu

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

There's Someone Inside Your House

Cory Henry's Spark Is Journey Through The Secret Life Of Plants: Stevie Wonder's Diamond In The Rough

My guest is Grammy award winning keyboard virtuoso Cory Henry who spoke to me about his spark, Stevie Wonder’s album Journey Through “The Secret Life Of Plants”.

It's one of the strangest and least known albums in Stevie Wonder's back catalogue. Part film score, part concept album, it's full of beautiful melodies and unexpected changes of direction.

Cory's appreciation for this album has grown throughout his life and he loves helping his friends to discover it. We talk about the strange history of its creation and the impact it had on Wonder's career.

Plus, you'll get to hear my exclusive preview of Fantastic Fest!

Links:

Cory Henry

Journey Through The Secret Life Of Plants

Fantastic Fest

Katelyn Tarver's Spark Is Unlocking Us: Controlling What We Can, Letting Go Of The Rest

Singer/songwriter and actor Katelyn Tarver joins me to chat about her spark, an episode of Brené Brown's Unlocking Us podcast.

In her interview with Dax Shepard and Tim Ferriss, Brown talks about the power of relinquishing control. That interview inspired Katelyn to write the first single off of her upcoming album Subject To Change.

Katelyn and I talk about learning to accept the random nature of the universe, the perils of actors' auditions and drawing artistic inspiration from unlikely places.

Links:

Katelyn Tarver

Unlocking Us

The Eyes Of Tammy Faye

Larkin Poe And Nu Deco Ensemble Are Sparked By Led Zeppelin IV: Notes On A Musical Giant

This week, I'm joined by Grammy nominated roots rock duo Rebecca and Megan Lovell of Larkin Poe along with Sam Hyken of pioneering hybrid orchestra Nu Deco Ensemble to talk about their collective spark of inspiration Led Zeppelin’s 4th untitled album, commonly referred to as Led Zeppelin 4.

How do the biggest albums of all time sound to you? Do you hear them in a different way to anyone else in the world? How would you reinterpret that music if you wanted to make it your own?

Rebecca, Megan and Sam talk through the process of collaborating on their new album Paint The Roses: Live In Concert through the lens of Led Zeppelin's globe dominating magnum opus. We also get into the Zeppelin's unparalleled musicianship and the profound impact their music has had on modern rock and pop.

Paint The Roses: Live In Concert is out now!!

Links:

Paint The Roses: Live In Concert  

Led Zeppelin IV

Songs In The Key Of Life

The Felice Brothers' James Felice's Spark Is Randy Newman's Sail Away: A Warm Blanket Made Of Songs

I'm joined by the absolutely lovely musician James Felice of the Felice Brothers who spoke to me about his spark, Randy Newman’s classic album Sail Away.

For an entire generation, Newman's voice is inextricably linked to the Toy Story movies and other cinematic classics. But those recent career highlights can be a gateway into Newman's prolific career.

In addition to our chat about Sail Away, James and I speak about learning to appreciate music through older siblings and the lost joys of buying CD's blindly without ever hearing  a note from them.

Links:

The Felice Brothers

Sail Away

American Rust

Dr. Mike's Spark Is American Hardcore: First Destroy, Then Build

Psychologist, life coach, heavy metal vocalist and podcaster Dr. Mike about his spark, Steven Blush’s book American Hardcore: A Tribal History.

Dr. Mike's discovery of hardcore punk had a profound effect on his life and the way his sees the world. We dig into Blush's detailed recount of hardcore's history. The scene only lasted a decade, but it's influence has been felt by everyone from Dave Grohl to Flea.  

Dr. Mike and I explore hardcore's chaotic energy and  the vast network of hardcore micro-scenes in towns and cities across North America.  

Links:

Dr. Mike

American Hardcore

The Chair