LONELIER THAN GOD

034: Slide Away '26 feat. Domenic Palermo (Nothing)

Today’s guest is DOMENIC PALERMO [https://www.instagram.com/bandofnothing] of the band NOTHING [https://www.bandofnothing.com]. This past February, in-between tours of Japan & the U.S., they released their 5th album, A SHORT HISTORY OF DECAY [https://nothing.bandcamp.com/album/a-short-history-of-decay], on RUN FOR COVER RECORDS [https://runforcoverrecords.com]. 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 [https://nothing.bandcamp.com/album/tired-of-tomorrow-deluxe-version], 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. **** SLIDE AWAY '26 [https://www.slideaway.co] **** "VERTIGO FLOWERS" VIDEO [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjM0SRPXSUo] **** 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) **** Support the show! [https://www.patreon.com/lonelierthangodpod] **** ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

033: "Pinch and Roll" feat. Jay Ryan (The Bird Machine, Dianogah)

I’m joined today by JAY RYAN [https://www.instagram.com/thebirdmachine] — 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 [https://thebirdmachine.com] for artists ranging from HUM & Matt Talbott, to Stereolab, Melvins, Shellac, the Flaming Lips, Seam, & Silkworm, to his own band, DIANOGAH [https://www.instagram.com/dianogah_official]. 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 [https://www.instagram.com/the_most_distant_object], who are set to release their second record, VOLITION [https://themostdistantobject.bandcamp.com/album/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.] **** JAY'S BOOKS [https://thebirdmachine.com/collections/books-1] **** DIANOGAH [https://dianogah.bandcamp.com/album/1995-2008] **** THE MOST DISTANT OBJECT [https://themostdistantobject.bandcamp.com] **** POSTERS WE DISCUSS [https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/3u45vpi6xtq3hcrqhakei/JAY-RYAN-Posters.pdf?rlkey=nzfwrvpcc7v20unt54phuv4ea&dl=0] **** 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) **** Support the show! [https://www.patreon.com/lonelierthangodpod] **** ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

032: "Pewter" feat. Jonathan Perez (Trauma Ray, Juan Cordero)

Today’s conversation is with JONATHAN PEREZ [https://www.instagram.com/juancorderotx], co-founder & guitarist of TRAUMA RAY [https://www.instagram.com/trauma.ray].  This past February, they released their CARNIVAL EP [https://traumaray.bandcamp.com/album/carnival], a highly recommended 5-song trip through the warped abstractions of the psyche. It takes their sound in more meditative & even ambient directions, while also intensifying the pulverizing riffs & rhythms they’re known for. Following the success of their U.S. run with Loathe last fall, they’re just a couple weeks away from a nationwide co-headlining tour with GLIXEN [https://www.instagram.com/glixen], which goes from April 10 to May 16. Jon also writes & records music as JUAN CORDERO [https://www.instagram.com/juancorderotx], & he released his debut LP, SONGS ABOUT GHOSTS [https://juancordero.bandcamp.com/album/songs-about-ghosts], via SUNDAY DRIVE RECORDS [https://www.instagram.com/sundaydriverecords] back on Halloween 2023. FFO: Duster, Bedhead, Lowercase, Sparklehorse, & so forth. In this episode, we move song-by-song through the Carnival EP, talk about surviving the love/hate relationship with your own music, & explore the overlap between everyday life & the cosmos. **** CARNIVAL EP [https://traumaray.bandcamp.com/album/carnival] **** SPRING 2026 TOUR DATES [https://traumaray.store/pages/tours] **** SONGS ABOUT GHOSTS LP [https://juancordero.bandcamp.com/album/songs-about-ghosts] **** HUM @ CHINA CLUB / CHICAGO '93 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oscxST2Ojd4] **** TIMESTAMPS: 02:30: "Chameleon" 03:44: Carnival Record Release Show 08:44: "Hannibal" Video 10:36: Carnival EP 14:18: "Carousel" 18:38: "Hannibal" 23:19: "Méliès" 28:50: "Funhouse" 34:12: "Clown" 40:03: HUM's Influence 42:36: "Liftoff" 47:32: "Pewter" Discussion 01:06:39: "Breath" **** Support the show! [https://www.patreon.com/lonelierthangodpod] **** ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

031: "Ms. Lazarus" feat. Gabe Van (Akira Audio, Mossbreaker)

Today’s guest is GABE VAN [https://www.instagram.com/gabevanmusic] — producer, mixer, engineer, singer, songwriter, & guitarist. He owns & operates AKIRA AUDIO [https://www.akiraaudio.com] in Woodland Hills, CA, where he’s done a wide range of in-house sound work across music, film, fashion, TV, & web media. There he's recorded thousands of sessions, most frequently with drummers KELLII SCOTT [https://www.instagram.com/kelliiscott] of FAILURE [https://www.instagram.com/failurebandig] & BEN KOLLER [https://www.instagram.com/benjaminkoller] of CONVERGE [https://www.instagram.com/converge]. He’s also gone on the road to do live sound with Failure, Autolux, Local Natives, & others. His band MOSSBREAKER [https://www.instagram.com/mossbreaker] released their first album, Between the Noise & You, in 2017 on Glory Kid Records. Check the Bandcamp links below to hear that, along with an early EP, singles, & more recent demos. They opened for HUM & Mineral at the Regent Theater in LA in September 2015. In this episode, we discuss finding your niche, the stress-tests of guitar tech'ing, & the way sound travels through the memory-space of time. **** https://www.akiraaudio.com **** https://mossbreaker.bandcamp.com/album/between-the-noise-and-you **** HUM on Modern Rock Live [1998] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzeTmZTPP20] **** TIMESTAMPS: 02:25 // "Runway" (Mossbreaker) 03:37 // Akira Audio 07:53 // Recording Schools 12:55 // Working with Ken Andrews 19:55 // "Between the Noise & You" (Mossbreaker) 23:06 // Hearing HUM 26:45 // "Ms. Lazarus" Discussion 49:31 // "Shamer" (Mossbreaker) **** Support the show! [https://www.patreon.com/lonelierthangodpod] **** ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

030: Tom Windish (Booking Agent)

Today’s guest is TOM WINDISH [https://www.instagram.com/tomwindish] — a highly respected veteran booking agent, manager, A&R executive, & label owner. Across three decades, he’s worked at every level of the music industry, from booking shows out of his college dorm room to navigating the global circuits of some of music’s biggest names. His booking roster has included artists of many genres, ranging from HUM, New Radiant Storm King, & Smog to Billie Eilish, M83, & Lorde. He’s also a frequent speaker at music industry conferences, sharing his experience & guidance with audiences around the world. In this episode, we talk about bringing bands to campus, the complexities of long-distance calling, & what appeared on HUM’s very first rider. **** TIMESTAMPS: 02:08: Mowing Lawns, Buying Tapes 03:43: College Radio & Booking Bands 10:55: Poster Children & HUM @ Campus Pub 14:33: Venue Networks 16:51: Long-Distance Calls 19:23: Reconnecting with HUM 22:29: Howard Stern Show 26:43: Alternative Boom 33:50: "Yume Utsutsu" (Lamp) **** Support the show! [https://www.patreon.com/lonelierthangodpod] **** ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.