Today’s guest is ANDY MUELLER — designer, photographer, art director, filmmaker, business owner, record label founder, & longtime visual wizard of HUM-world.

As with Love Cup last time around, Andy’s been mentioned in almost every episode, & for good reason.

In 1993, he founded OHIO GIRL DESIGN CO., a Chicago-based art studio with an amazing portfolio that looks more & more influential with every passing year.

He’s done image & packaging work for artists ranging from HUM & Shiner, to Castor, Braid, Menthol, Jimmy Eat World, Molly McGuire, Trans Am, & many others.

Across the late ‘90s & early 2000s, his Ohio Girl offshoot label Ohio Gold Records released albums by Dianogah, C-Clamp, the Zincs, & Pinebender, for all of whom he also did design & photography.

He started THE QUIET LIFE clothing company in 1997 & has run it full-time ever since. They have an always-updating online store, as well as a flagship location in the Highland Park neighborhood of Los Angeles.

In this episode, we discuss the spooky alchemy of photography, dissect the design of HUM’s 3 most recent records, & explore the surprising monumentality of a less-is-more approach.

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VERY IMPORTANT: We talk about lots & lots of images in detail during this conversation, & a 50-page PDF of those is linked below.

[Some quick factual corrections: the R.E.M. album with Starn Twins photography is actually Out of Time from 1991, & the photographer behind the “Green to Me” single cover is ALISON DYER.]

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IMAGES WE DISCUSS

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THE QUIET LIFE

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TIMESTAMPS:

03:12 // Pinebender, "California" (Ohio Gold Records)

04:42 // Ohio Girl Origins & Early Influences

13:27 // Steakdaddy Six, the U. of I., & Honcho Overload

27:40 // Y.P.A.A. Design

45:46 // Ohio Girl Credits

50:38 // Y.P.A.A. Design, Part 2

01:07:54 // "The Pod" & "Stars" Videos

01:16:51 // D.I.H. Design

01:30:14 // "Puppets" & "Comin' Home" EP Designs

01:34:25 // Inlet Design

01:41:37 // '90s Album Art Peers

01:45:31 // C-Clamp, "Morning" (Ohio Gold Records)

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Today I’m speaking with 2 fixtures of the Champaign-Urbana music scene, MARK BALDWIN & KENT WHITESELL.

In the ‘90s, Mark sang & played guitar in the highly influential Love Cup, a band name you’ve heard in almost every episode of this show. Their discography was small but their impact was huge, gradually perfecting what Mark has called the “heavy but pretty” sound at ear-splitting volumes.

Since then, he’s played in Absconder, California Mummy (with Matt Talbott), The Shit People, & The Mezzanines, who just released a new record called Sugarpants this year. There’s lots to explore in his ever-expanding discography on Bandcamp, links below.

Kent started playing in & recording with power-pop bands in high school, including The Martyrs, Schoolyard Truce, The Outnumbered, & Three Hour Tour, with whom he’s working on new material this year. In 2010, The Martyrs released a CD reissue of their discography, including their first & only record, plus compilation tracks & other extras.

He’s also produced dozens of Champaign bands at his local studio, Clubhouse, from the ‘80s & ‘90s through today, including HUM’s first record, Hot Glue Gun, Mother, 16 Tons, Corndolly, Hardvark, & many others.

In this episode, we talk about Champaign’s early indie & alternative scene, the importance of Jane's Addiction, & the telepathic thrill of improvising songs in public.

There were some technical difficulties toward the end of the interview, so the song conversation is a little abbreviated.

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LOVE CUP BANDCAMP

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MEZZANINES BANDCAMP

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LOVE CUP INTERVIEW

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THE MARTYRS BANDCAMP

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TIMESTAMPS:

03:04 // "Billfershort" (Love Cup)

04:52 // Mark & Kent's Early History

06:06 // Kent's '80s Bands

06:55 // "Trends of the Turmoil" (The Martyrs)

08:19 // "Boy on a Roof" (The Outnumbered)

12:06 // Mark's First Bands

15:34 // Clubhouse Studio

18:03 // "Strangled with Flowers" (The Flat Earth Society)

20:55 // Love Cup Demos & Tearing Water EP

25:35 // "Tearing Water" (Love Cup)

27:30 // Jane's Addiction, the "Heavy But Pretty," & Local Touring

38:06 // ...Grefus Gronks & Sheet LP

46:47 // "Nothing in Particular" (Love Cup)

49:00 // Meeting HUM Members

53:50 // "Roar, I'm a Tiger" Discussion

01:07:00 // "Scientifically Yours" (Love Cup)

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This week I’m talking with MATT MCGUYER & ALEX WALLWORK of the Evansville, Indiana bands FAERIE RING & AMBLARE.

On August 21, Faerie Ring will release their self-titled third album on KING VOLUME RECORDS. It was produced, engineered, & mixed by Tyler Watkins, Alex Kercheval, & Morgan Satterfield @ Postal Recording in Indianapolis & mastered @ Sound Artillery in Miami by Jonathan Nuñez of Torche. Two singles are out already, & -- in my opinion -- this record is the band’s best work yet. Pre-order links below.

Across the month of July, they’re passing through Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, & Indiana, with hopefully some more dates in more cities later this year. Not to be missed.

In 2024, Amblare released their self-titled debut on Melodic Virtue, & if you haven’t heard it, pause this & play that. (Link below.) The album features the late Bryan St. Pere’s final recorded drum work, & it’s a beautiful testament to his craft & personality behind the kit. His playing is the first thing you hear on the record, as it should be.

In this episode, we discuss amplifier worship, crawling deeper into love, & vibrational empathy at the micro-scale.

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FAERIE RING

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"NEW GODS" VIDEO

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"FATTEST WITCH" VIDEO

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AMBLARE

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EPISODE 001: AFTERNOON WITH THE AXOLOTLS

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TIMESTAMPS:

02:37 // "New Gods" (Faerie Ring)

03:56 // Faerie Ring News

11:15 // Live Show Ethos

15:50 // New Singles & Videos

24:07 // "Fattest Witch" (F.R.)

25:32 // Amblare to Faerie Ring Chemistry

32:45 // Hearing HUM, Meeting Bryan

36:25 // BSP's Drum Approach

42:38 // "Puppets" Discussion

01:15:49 // What's Next

01:20:27 // "Mine'd" (Amblare)

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Today’s guest is BOB NANNA of the bands BRAID & HEY MERCEDES.

Earlier this year, POLYVINYL RECORDS reissued the entire Hey Mercedes discography on vinyl, & in 2023 they released a 25th anniversary remixed & remastered edition of Braid’s Frame & Canvas. Obviously, those are highly recommended. Links below.

His other projects include Lifted Bells, The City on Film, Friction, & -- as we’ll discuss in a few minutes -- the explosive but under-heard ORWELL, who released a compilation LP called 1995 on EXPERT WORK RECORDS.

He has an extensive archive of both original solo work & cover songs on his Bandcamp, also linked below.

In this episode, we discuss genre-fluid shows, the Champaign-Urbana/Chicago nexus, the joys of alliteration, & the sonics of the psychonautic state.

[Editor's note: the Castor song title we couldn't remember is "Stay Lo"]

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BRAID @ CBGBs '97

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BOB NANNA BANDCAMP

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HEY MERCEDES REISSUES

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BRAID, FRAME & CANVAS 25TH ANNIVERSARY ED.

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ORWELL, 1995 LP

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TIMESTAMPS:

02:20 // “A-List Actress” (Hey Mercedes)

03:35 // CBGBs Flyer & Fireside Lineups

09:00 // Champaign/Urbana/Chicago Scenes & Venues

15:41 // Touring with (& Covering) Castor

20:53 // “Moving Backgrounds” (Bob Nanna/Castor)

21:49 // Orwell, 1995 LP

23:12 // “Ph9 Green” (Orwell)

25:25 // “4242” (Orwell)

29:06 // “9.30” (Orwell)

30:40 // HUM & Braid Shows

32:27 // “The Pod” Video & DIH Fandom

35:42 // “The Pod” Discussion

01:02:22 // Upcoming Shows

01:04:16 // “A Dozen Roses” (Braid)

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Today’s episode features a couple of LTG alumni, LYLE HODGES & KEITH M., & they’re back to discuss the first 2 Slide Away shows.

We talk about the '90s rock scene’s newest youth infusion, bask in the hypnotic audiovisual spectacle, give thanks to everyone who made it happen, & pick some standout moments from an unforgettable weekend.

Links to these guys’ previous episodes & various musical projects in the notes below.

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LYLE:

ELECTRIC STALLION // CHROME CHRIST

EPISODE 024: CENTAUR'S IN STREAMS

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KEITH:

MEMORY ENTRY // THE NEW SCENE PODCAST

EPISODE 025: THE INUIT PROMISE

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Today’s guest is DOMENIC PALERMO of the band NOTHING.

This past February, in-between tours of Japan & the U.S., they released their 5th album, A SHORT HISTORY OF DECAY, on RUN FOR COVER RECORDS. It veers from raw downer lullabies to overdriven beat-based raptures of distortion, sometimes even within the same song.

Nothing will play their second album, TIRED OF TOMORROW, in full at all 6 dates of this year’s Slide Away Festival, which begins this Friday & Saturday (May 15th & 16th), in New York City, then moves to Chicago & L.A. the following weekends.

As everyone listening already knows, HUM are headlining those shows, marking their first live performances in almost 7 years.

Nicky started the festival in 2024, & it’s already featured a multi-generational variety of shoegaze-adjacent bands like Swervedriver, Astrobrite, Swirlies, Whirr, Knifeplay, Mo Dotti, & many others.

In this episode, we discuss the logistics of festival curation, night-capping at a pseudo-strip club, the weary routines of touring, the kaleidoscopic gloom of songwriting, & meeting Kevin Shields when you can barely stand up.

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SLIDE AWAY '26

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"VERTIGO FLOWERS" VIDEO

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TIMESTAMPS:

02:35: “Cannibal World” (Nothing)

04:07: Japan & M.B.V. Shows

18:24: Album Titles

22:08: Touring Logistics

24:29: Slide Away Prep & Production

32:00: Lineups, HUM, & '90s Influences

43:24: Tired of Tomorrow LP

49:39: “Vertigo Flowers” Song & Video

57:59: “Curse of the Sun” (Nothing)

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I’m joined today by JAY RYAN — bassist, guitarist, screenprinter, poster-maker, author, teacher, & longtime shining star in the HUM-verse.

For 3 decades, Jay’s been designing & making posters & prints at his studio THE BIRD MACHINE for artists ranging from HUM & Matt Talbott, to Stereolab, Melvins, Shellac, the Flaming Lips, Seam, & Silkworm, to his own band, DIANOGAH.

He’s published a trio of richly illustrated books brimming with his designs, from the 90s to now, with lots of helpful captions that situate the works in their respective times & places. The first book is called 100 Posters, 134 Squirrels, & it was followed by Animals & Objects In & Out of Water, & then No One Told Me Not to Do This. Links to everything below.

Dianogah recently released a discography box set titled 1995-2008, which compiles their 4 full-lengths & another LP of singles & compilation tracks. The sets have sold out, but you can still get the remastered audio from their Bandcamp, also linked below.

In addition to Dianogah, Jay plays in the live presentation of Chicago band THE MOST DISTANT OBJECT, who are set to release their second record, VOLITION, on May 4th.

In this episode, we discuss the productive limitations of screen printing, dig into the scratchy histories inside his images, & try to make sense of the ups & downs of the angsty bounce.

[We refer to quite a few posters during the conversation, & a PDF of those is linked below as well.]

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JAY'S BOOKS

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DIANOGAH

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THE MOST DISTANT OBJECT

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POSTERS WE DISCUSS

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TIMESTAMPS:

03:05 // "Lone Tree Point" (Dianogah)

04:11 // Line Work

11:50 // The Bird Machine

15:53 // Gig Poster as Concept & Challenge

24:25 // HUM Posters

32:42 // Matt Talbott Solo Posters

38:34 // Early '90s & Electra 2000

49:24 // "Pinch and Roll" Discussion

01:08:07 // "The Smallest Chilean" (Dianogah)

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