(*both laugh*) Episode 51: Sarah Shook!!

<p>This is an episode that I've been looking forward to since before (*both laugh*) was even an idea for a show. I was introduced to Sarah Shook's music when their debut album, Sidelong, was rereleased by Bloodshot Records back in 2017 (it had initially been self-released by their band, Sarah Shook and the Disarmers, several years prior but I was waaaay out of the loop at that point). I found Sidelong to be an interesting listen; it felt like it ran a real throwback country-and-western vibe through a little bit of a modern roadhouse filter. It certainly wasn't like much else I listened to at the time, and Sidelong and its follow-up, 2018's Years, even stood out amongst the large quantity of Bloodshot artists I'd been listening to for a long time (Cory Branan, Scott H. Biram, Murder By Death, Lydia Loveless, etc). </p>
<p>The Disarmers went into the studio in California to record their third album in early 2020, just as the world was on the cusp of shutting down for the foreseeable future. Label issues and supply chain issues and inability to tour issues got in the way got in the way, as they're wont to do. Fast forward to 2022 and Sarah Shook is on the cusp of releasing their third album. It's called Nightroamer and it's on a new label (Thirty Tigers) and it's really, REALLY good. Fans of Sarah Shook and the Disarmers will certainly find plenty of recognizable sounds, but there are left turns and even-further-left turns and some new and different subject matter. All of that results in an immensely compelling listen, easily their best output to date.</p>
<p>We caught up with Sarah to talk at length about the new album; from finishing the recording roughly a week before the pandemic became "a thing" in the States, to the obvious label issues, to the choice of when to actually release it to the world. We also talked about some of the subject matter; parts of the album were written after Shook got sober, and obviously created a very different writing process for them this time around. Perhaps most compellingly, we talked about their increasing involvement as a vocal force to be reckoned with, advocating for the elevating of queer and non-white voices in the country music world. Oh, and we talked about their growing up in strictly religious household and teaching themselves to play guitar and write songs in spite of having no popular music frame of reference, a concept that is truly mind-boggling to me.</p>
<p>Nightroamer is due out February 18th. Pre-orders are still available here: <a href='https://www.disarmers.com/store/Music-c23349544'>https://www.disarmers.com/store/Music-c23349544</a></p>
<p>You can also check out the Disarmers' videos and live performances and more on their YouTube page here: <a href='https://www.youtube.com/c/SarahShooktheDisarmers/videos'>https://www.youtube.com/c/SarahShooktheDisarmers/videos</a></p>
<p>(*both laughs*) theme song is an excerpt from [laughs] track "Hurts To Laugh." © KALI MASI 2021 ℗ Take This To Heart Records 2021</p>

YOU VANDAL VIDEO PREMIERE AND VINYL PRE-ORDER

<p>We’ve been holding our breath on this one for a while, but we’re finally ready and super excited to announce that Gainesville, Florida’s You Vandal is premiering their brand new […]</p>
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YOU VANDAL SINGLE PREMIERE ON NEW NOISE

<p>The fine folks over at New Noise Magazine are now premiering the first single from You Vandal’s upcoming LP release Pretend I Don’t Exist. “Hold for Applause” is the first […]</p>
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(*both laugh*) Episode 50: Hushdrops’ John San Juan!!

<p>Back in early 2020, Hushdrops, the long-running Chicago-based power trio (John San Juan on guitar and vocals, Joe Camarillo on drums, Jim Shapiro on bass) were slated to go into the studio to finish work on what would become their third full-length record. Then in what's become a recurring theme on this show, plans were put on hold due to the onset of Year One of the pandemic. </p>
<p>While that part of the story is certainly not unique, the story took a sharp and unexpected and tragic turn a year ago. As Year Two of the pandemic kicked off, Camarillo was hospitalized for a stroke and a heart attack. While in the hospital, he suffered and ultimately succumbed to a brain stem stroke. At only 52, the literal backbone of the band was taken much, much too soon.</p>
<p>After some time, San Juan and Shapiro decided the best way to honor their longtime friend and collaborator was to pull together the album that they'd been working on prior to the pandemic. The problem, obviously, is that it wasn't done yet. As fate would have it, there was a soundboard recording of one of the band's last pre-lockdown shows, a set that included a few new tracks that were intended for the new release but that hadn't made their respective ways to the recording studio yet. What followed was the fascinating (to me, anyway) challenge of recording studio guitar, bass and vocals over the isolated live performance drum tracks for two songs that ended up on the album, creating what is a very unique feel to both those tracks and the album in general.</p>
<p>We were lucky enough to catch up with John San Juan to talk about all of this and more. It was the first time we talked, although we've talked about him on a few episodes of (*both laugh*) to date, as he plays bass in the trio that Smoking Popes' Josh Caterer put together for the pair of live albums that he released as bookends in 2021. We talked a lot about Josh, and about Joe, and about mellotrons, and all things in between.</p>
<p>Order "The Static" the latest – and last?! – Hushdrops release from Pravda Records here: <a href='https://pravdamusic.com/album/2067945/the-static'>https://pravdamusic.com/album/2067945/the-static</a></p>
<p>Find "The Static" and all the other Hushdrops releases on Bandcamp here:</p>
<p><a href='https://hushdrops.bandcamp.com/'>https://hushdrops.bandcamp.com/</a></p>
<p>(*both laughs*) theme song is an excerpt from [laughs] track "Hurts To Laugh." © KALI MASI 2021 ℗ Take This To Heart Records 2021</p>

HAPPY NEW YEAR! HOW ABOUT SOME FREE MUSIC?

<p>Happy New Year! Thanks again for taking the time to support this lil’ old label. I can’t express in words how crazy it is and how much I have appreciated […]</p>
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