Cliftones W/ Jc Denison

Teddy Abrams is the Music Director of the Louisville Orchestra. A passionate composer, conductor, and educator, his musical reach in Louisville, and around the world, knows no bounds. Through his inventive approaches to community musical outreach, he's helped reinvigorate a struggling orchestra and has inserted himself firmly into the broader Louisville music fold. Fearless and focused, Teddy's proving daily that music truly does make a city. He sat down with JC to talk about developing musical personas, breaking classical boundaries, Handel, Bach, Mozart, and more... This episode is sponsored by Crosley and Dauntless Distributing.

Sydney Chadwick sings and plays bass for the incredible WOMBO. Previously, she and WOMBO's Cameron Lowe made waves with the Debauchees. While both bands are markedly dissimilar, they nevertheless showcase the duo's tendency toward writing accessible post punk songs with peculiar rhythmic changes and jarring vocal jabs. With drummer Joel Taylor, the trio have been melting faces all over town. Sydney sat down with JC to talk about acid trips, the perils of divorce, visualizing music, and more...And Jake Reber stops by to talk about the Kent Carney Awards for Comedic Excellence. This episode is sponsored by Cobra Verde and Dauntless Distributing.

Axel Cooper is the creative force behind the band New Mother Nature and has performed with Phantom Family Halo, Sapat, Tyrone, and more. He's also a farmer and a father. For his latest project, he composed and arranged music to be performed alongside a live-action puppet play based on Frankenstein called 'Creature'. He's also recently started playing bass in Louisville instrumental all-star band Copiers. Axel sat down with JC to talk about home-schooling, 4-track recorders, food, and more... This episode is sponsored by Heine Bros. Coffee and Nextflix.

Dane Waters has belted out beautiful tunes in Softcheque, Sapat, The Louisville Opera, A7A, and so many other musical projects. She serenades our city in several languages and helps bridge the musical gaps between the classical, operatic, and underground worlds. A visual artist as well, she's recently started fusing that with movement and music, creating performance art that is breathtakingly compelling. And she loves to laugh! She sat down with JC to talk about improvising, building musical muscles, John Cage, and more... This episode is sponsored by Zanzabar and Dauntless Distributing.

John King is a musician and artist, but perhaps he's best known in the Louisville music scene for his curatorial skills. He created the Louisville is for Lovers compilation to highlight Louisville bands and explore the depths of love, and he co-founded the Louisville Zombie Attack. Never one to be content with his output, he's also started teaching about glass art and consulting about pop culture. He sat down with JC to talk about the history of local glass, haircuts, losing his vision, and more... This episode is sponsored by Heine Bros. Coffee and Dauntless Distributing.

Will Oldham has had a celebrated musical career performing as Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, Palace Music, and several other monikers. An adventurous collaborator, he's worked with legendary artists like Tortoise, The Cairo Gang, and Matt Sweeney. Will's creativity knows no bounds which is evident in his extensive catalogue and constant challenges he presents to himself and his audience. Oh yeah, and he's a damn fine actor! Will sat down with JC to talk about beer, recontexualizing music, the beauty of spontaneity, and more. This episode is sponsored by Guestroom Records, Cobra Verde, and Dauntless Distributing.

Jonathan Glen Wood hails from West Virginia and has spent significant time in Chicago, but Louisville serves as his true musical home. A skillful guitar player with a one-of-a-kind voice and a penchant for poetic lyrics, his songwriting stands alone and keeps evolving. He's released several beautiful solo records and done stints with Old Baby, Jaye Jayle, Catherine Irwin, and others. He sat down with JC to talk about screaming, discovering synthesizers, Sir Mix-A-Lot, and more... This episode is sponsored by Guestroom Records, Heine Bros. Coffee, and Dauntless Distributing.

Karen Ledford plays drums for the painstakingly persistent punk pop band GRLwood. With her unique visual aesthetic and multifaceted approach to drumming, she has made her self known locally and nationally as a musical force to be reckoned with. Having grown up in Elizabethtown, she slowly migrated from small town to small town, finally settling in Louisville to study philosophy. Ultimately, though, she discovered music to be her true calling. She sat down with JC to talk about being queer in a small town high school, applying for the Navy, playing constantly, the worst movie ever made, and more... This episode is sponsored by sonaBLAST! Records & The Zanzabar

Lacey Guthrie co-founded the band Twin Limb, plays synths in Pleasure Boys, and is also in some new unnamed band. Since having honed her smoky voice and applying her piano skills to the accordion, she's been setting stages on fire all over the country. Oh yeah, and she's a Hoosier! She sat down with JC to talk about growing up in Indiana, harnessing creative confidence, the benefits of saying YES, and more... This episode is sponsored by Heine Bros. Coffee and Dauntless Distributing.

Scott Carney is the predominant creative force behind Louisville heavyweights Wax Fang. An accomplished songwriter, guitarist, and drummer, his musical adventurousness knows no bounds. His stage presence and penchant for polished production techniques have garnered his music international attention and legendary local status. He sat down with JC to talk about walking away from Catholicism, medical maladies, showing up on time, and more... This episode is sponsored by Cobra Verde and Dauntless Distributing.

Thalia Zedek & Chris Brokaw helped found the band Come in the early '90's in Boston. Before that Zedek had played in the bands Uzi and Live Skull, and Brokaw drummed for Codeine. Since Come disbanded in the early 2000's, both have gone on to maintain successful solo careers. They stopped by Louisville on a recent living room tour, and guest host Carrie Neumayer sat down to catch up with them. They talked about songwriting processes, the charm of intimate venues, politics in music, and more... This episode is sponsored by Guestroom Records, Heine Bros. Coffee, & Zanzabar.

Van Campbell is a damn fine drummer who also sells cheese, owns part of an energy drink company, and just became a father! Whether he's drumming with Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, Black Diamond Heavies, or King Mud, he brings a uniquely energetic type of propulsive energy to the kit, and has become one of the most versatile drummers around. He sat down with JC to talk about musical mentorship, trying to soak up fatherhood, cheese, chewing gum, and more... This episode is sponsored by Guestroom Records, Heine Bros. Coffee, and Dauntless Distributing.

Chris Maggio is an out of this world drummer who's played for the bands Sleigh Bells, Trap Them, Coliseum, and Wear Your Wounds. His style fuses together a combination of jazz discipline and punk rock ethos, which makes him capable of playing with just about anyone. A native of New Jersey, he moved to Louisville from Florida, and made his mark on the music scene immediately. He sat down with JC to talk about drumming technique, putting up with guitar players, navigating disaster, and (a lot) more... This episode is sponsored by Guestroom Records, featuring a live in-store with Tomberlin on October 12, Zanzabar, and Dauntless Distributing.

Anne Gauthier recently took over as lead engineer at Louisville's LaLaLand studio. She moved here from Montreal only 3 years ago but has already made a lasting impact on the music scene here and its recorded output. A former graphic designer and drummer, she seamlessly wove those skills together to become one of the only female recording engineers around. Anne sat down with JC to talk about growing up in Canada, women in sound, Kroger, and more... This episode is sponsored by Cobra Verde and Dauntless Distributing.

Ethan Buckler is the mastermind behind Louisville band King Kong. His music and songwriting is a superb blend of funk, storytelling, humor, and sexuality. He desires to make you dance. Ethan was also a founding member of Slint and appears on their album TWEEZ. He sat down with JC to talk about writing catchy hooks, dancing as rebellion, Lakeside Swim Club, and more... And Will Russell stops by with a few updates. This episode is sponsored by Heine Bros. Coffee & Dauntless Distributing.

John Timmons founded legendary Louisville record store Ear X-tacy. As owner and operator, he turned legions of local listeners onto all sorts of independent and alternative music; tourists came from all over to dig, too! A critical part of the Louisville music scene for over 25 years, Ear X-tacy played host to mainstream and local bands and served as a communal stomping ground for punks and indie kids. John sat down with JC to talk about starting the store from scratch, 'selling out', getting over letting go, and more... This episode is sponsored by Cobra Verde and Dauntless Distributing.

Kevin Coultas played drums for legendary Louisville bands Rodan, Rachel's, The Sonora Pine, King G. and the J Crew, Metroschifter, and more. His sophisticated and unique approach to drumming has made an undeniable impact on Louisville music. He's also one hell of a radio DJ, has great taste in music, and is a damn fine history teacher. He sat down with JC to talk about musical technique, Jason Noble, cops, and more... This episode is sponsored by Heine Bros. Coffee and Dauntless Distributing.

Sara Callaway picked up her first violin at age 6, studied and practiced rigorously, earned a Master's Degree in music, and then still wasn't sure if she wanted to live the life of a professional musician. But whether she found herself in China, Berlin, or Appalachia, music always found its way back to her. Once she settled in Louisville, she started making waves, performing with the likes of Dane Waters, Jacob Duncan, & Bonnie 'Prince' Billy. She also co-founded the SONIC Bernheim series and now co-directs the Louisville Academy of Music. She sat down with JC to talk about musical work ethic, connecting to nature, whale watching, and more... This episode is sponsored by Guestroom Records, Heine Bros. Coffee, and Dauntless Distributing.    

Scott Ritcher lives in Stockholm, Sweden, but recently came back to Louisville to batch and promote his own Bedtime Bourbon. Before his exodus, he fronted influential bands Sunspring and Metroschifter and founded the legendary Louisville music label SLAMDEK. He also helped run Initial Records and published his own zine, K. Composite. Oh yeah, and he ran for mayor! He sat down with JC to talk about being an ex-pat, immersing himself in DIY culture, bourbon, and more... This episode is sponsored by Cobra Verde and Dauntless Distributing.

Jacob Duncan is an incredibly talented composer and reeds player. His avant garde project Liberation Prophecy has been destroying musical boundaries since its inception when he was in high school. As a driven and hyper focused musician, he's worked with the likes of Norah Jones, Will Oldham, and Rachel Grimes; as a passionate educator he works regularly with mentally disabled children. He sat down with JC to talk about compositional processes, cultural appropriation, the necessity of hope, and more... This episode is sponsored by Guestroom Records and Dauntless Distributing.