The Lydian Spin Lydia Lunch

Raoul Björkenheim, a Finnish-American guitarist and composer, has spent four decades crafting original music from New York City and Helsinki. Known for his expressionistic and lyrical guitar style, Raul calls his ongoing work "investigative guitarism." His eclectic discography spans over 50 albums, including ambient soundscapes and free jazz, with compositions ranging from duos to big bands. Though his large-scale works for symphony orchestra remain unrecorded, he has scored music for over ten films and dance productions. Collaborating with renowned musicians like Bill Laswell and Mats Gustafsson, Raul's work is featured on labels like ECM and Rune Grammofon. His accolades include the Georgie Prize, the Young Finland Award, the Emma Prize, and three Nordic Music Award nominations.

John Colpitts, also known as Kid Millions, is a drummer, composer, drum teacher. He is best known for his work in the band Oneida and his percussion group Man Forever. Check out his latest Man Forever album Music From the Accident. This coming July, Oneida releases a new album Expensive Air out on the Joyful Noise label.

Austin Texas denizen Gary Lindsey, is the dynamic frontman of Gary Lindsey and the Pleasure Tide . He joins Lydia and Tim to discuss his travels, life in music including performances alongside Hank Williams III. Gary is a versatile artist capable of donning different musical personas, from gypsy roots jazz to beatnik poetry, akin to the transformative spirit of Tom Waits. 

New York City pianist/keyboardist Alex Marcelo believes in the power of music as a positive and uplifting force. He studied at the Harlem School of the Arts and then went on to the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, where he focused on African-American Music/Jazz Piano Performance and Composition under the tutelage of renowned saxophonist Yusef Lateef. Alex and Tim were classmates at UMass, and it was there that they became close friends and musical collaborators. Since those halcyon days in Western Massachusetts, he has performed all over the world, including at the North Sea Jazz Festival, Etnafest in Italy, Alice Tully Hall, and more. Alex is featured on recordings with Yusef Lateef, Adam Rudolph, Mike Pride, and Malcolm Mooney. Currently, he is working on a new album that should be released in the coming year.

There is a lot happening at the Lydian Spin! Lydia and Tim are both touring and we're recording and editing the next batch of interviews, set to debut next week. Meanwhile, Lydia, a big Melvins fan, is thrilled about the recent release of their new album, Tarantula Heart. To share her excitement, this weeks episode features a new intro combined with a rebroadcast of an interview with Melvins guitarist Buzz Osborne. This interview, conducted during the peak of Covid restrictions, also serves as an interesting snapshot of where we all were just 200 episodes ago. Enjoy!

The cover photograph for the second and final Richard Hell and the Voidoids album, Destiny Street features a woman standing in the background. For years, this woman was unfairly credited as "unknown woman." However, the truth is that the woman is Anne Militello, who would go on to become an accomplished lighting designer and professor at CalArts. Anne's journey began while working for the now infamous rapist Harvey Weinstein back when Weinstein and his brother were concert promoters in metro Buffalo. Seeking to leave The Nickel City but not yet prepared for New York City, she embarked on a five-day bus trip to San Francisco, packing a tin of pot brownies, which were completely consumed along the way.
Upon arriving on the west coast, Anne leveraged her experience working with lights in college to gain work at a music venue. The manager who hired her was Sylvester, who later became a disco legend. One night outside the Magic Theater, she encountered a man dressed like a trucker who seemed to be out of place and ignored by her cohort of punker rockers. Feeling sympathetic, she struck up a conversation with him.  The man told her he was a playwright and wanted her to read his new play, which she did and really liked. The trucker turned out to be Pulitzer Prize winner Sam Shepard and they became great friends.
With Shepard's encouragement, she relocated to New York City and immersed herself in the theater scene. Over time, Anne established herself as a world-renowned lighting designer, working with luminaries such as David Lynch, Tom Waits, The Wooster Group, and Lou Reed. Today, Anne resides in Los Angeles, where she operates Vortex Lighting.