Low Profile with Markly Morrison Markly Morrison
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Low Profile blends music and oral history interviews with the folks who have given us important music and have somehow evaded the spotlight. Markly Morrison is an audio journalist and independent musician in the exotic city of Olympia, Washington, where the program airs Fridays at 4pm on KAOS 89.3 FM and in podcast form via the Ruinous Media network. Dive deeper into the episodes at http://www.lowprofilepodcast.com
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80. Lora Logic of X-Ray Spex and Essential Logic
Once upon a time in England, a teenager named Susan Murphy brought her saxophone to audition for a new punk band called X-Ray Spex- a group that was not looking for a sax player. Despite that fact, she made the cut, and like her fellow new band mates, she adopted a stage name: Lora Logic was born. When her tenure with the band was unexpectedly cut short, a friend with a studio encouraged her to forge her own path, and in 1979 the underground scene was introduced to her next project Essential Logic- a groove-laden and experimental sort of progressive punk rock. Somewhere along the way she became a Krishna devotee and let her music career take a back seat, re-emerging on occasion with a new set of songs. Nearly 50 years after it all began, Essential Logic is back with a new album called “Land of Kali,” and a box set called “Logically Yours.” Dylan Shearer co-hosted this episode, and we spoke with Lora at length about everything- how it all began, how things have changed, her nuanced collaborative relationship with X-Ray Spex vocalist Poly Styrene, why she plays the sax, her travels to India, and collaborating with her daughter on the latest iteration of Essential Logic. Lora also shares a favorite vegetarian recipe.
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Bonus: James Spooner on Afro Punk, The High Desert, and Black Punk Now!
James Spooner is a writer, filmmaker and visual artist from Southern California. He grew up as one of two black punk rockers in the small town of Apple Valley, and he wrote a critically acclaimed graphic novel about his experience called “The High Desert,” released in 2022, twenty years after the release of his groundbreaking documentary “Afro Punk.” When I read the book, I found it so moving that I immediately reached out to him and invited him to be a guest on this Afro Punk, The High Desert, Black Punk Now!program. James joined me for a live interview in Olympia at the Capitol Theater after a screening of his film, and we discussed his experience growing up as a black punk in the desert, the avenues that led him to direct his first film, being the father of a Gen-Z black punk, his career as a tattoo artist, and his new anthology book “Black Punk Now,” which was edited by Spooner and Chris L. Terry and came out last October.
Low Profile is supported by you on Patreon and also receives in-kind support from these independent Olympia businesses: Schwart’z Deli, San Francisco Street Bakery, Old School Pizzeria, Rainy Day Records and Scherler Easy Premium S****y American Lager from Three Magnets Brewing Company.
Instagram: @lowpropodcast
Facebook Community: Low Profile Listener Hub
Patreon (donation-based bonus content+goods): patreon.com/lowprofile -
79. Death (the band from Detroit)
About fifty years ago, three brothers started a garage band in Detroit. Their sound was forward-thinking and ferocious, and their band name – Death – played no small part in killing their music career. That didn’t stop them from doing what they loved, in private, where they amassed dozens of songs that have yet to see the light of day. Their debut album For the Whole World To See was recorded in 1973, but was never released until 2008 when one of the singer’s sons discovered the group’s lone single. Since then, a documentary has been made about the group, and several more albums have been released. Today I’m speaking with vocalist Bobby Hackney about the group’s genesis, reformation, and the music he and his brothers made during the nearly three-decade interim. He also shares about his love for reggae music and his new book Vermont Reggae Fest - The Power of Music. Death has a new split single on Drag City Records with the band Rough Francis. That group’s guitar player, Julian Hackney, helps introduce today’s episode.
Low Profile is a part of the Ruinous Media network. This show is supported by you on Patreon and also receives in-kind support from these independent Olympia businesses: Schwart’z Deli, San Francisco Street Bakery, Old School Pizzeria, Rainy Day Records and Scherler Easy Premium S****y American Lager from Three Magnets Brewing Company.
This episode was edited by Rose Neilsen
Episode artwork by Jack Habegger
Instagram: @lowpropodcast
Facebook Community: Low Profile Listener Hub
Patreon (donation-based bonus content+goods): patreon.com/lowprofile -
BONUS: Brooke Wentz on "Transfigured New York: Oral Histories From Experimental Artists and Musicians, 1980-1990"
Who smoked more: academics like John Cage, La Monte Young and Vladamir Ussachevsky- or the underground scenesters, like Glenn Branca, Arthur Russel and Laurie Anderson?
Why is turntablist Christian Marclay on the cover of "Transfigured New York," but not in the book, even though she interviewed him multiple times? Could AI design be to blame?
How did the old guard of "New Music" feel about the commodification of computer-based music production four decades ago?
In the 1980s, Brooke Wentz hosted a radio show in the middle of the night that focused on experimental music, which was developing all around her in New York City. Over the course of a decade, many of the artists Brooke played on that show would join her in the studio. Her journalism days are through, (now she works on the business side of the industry) but she has just released a book with selected interviews back in the day called “Transfigured New York: Interviews with Experimental Artists and Musicians," available now from Columbia University Press. This may be a bit of a shock to you, but I’ll say it- I’m a big fan of oral history interviews, and I’m a big fan of experimental music. I’m pleased to feature Brooke and her work here today, which includes a couple of clips from her interviews (with Morton Subotnik and John Lurie, respectively). She joins me today from a working holiday somewhere in Mexico.
The artwork for this episode is a drawing by my kid Camille, based on a photo from "back when" sent to me by today's guest. Terrific. Many thanks.
Low Profile is stoked to be a part of the Ruinous Media network. This show is also supported directly by you on Patreon ( patreon.com/lowprofile ) Low Profile also receives in-kind support from these independent Olympia businesses: Schwart’z Deli, San Francisco Street Bakery, Old School Pizzeria, Rainy Day Records and Scherler Easy Premium S****y American Lager from Three Magnets Brewing Company.
More on the book: http://cup.columbia.edu/book/transfigured-new-york/9780231558631
Instagram: Brooke @seven_seas_music and Markly @lowpropodcast
Facebook Community: Low Profile Listener Hub
Patreon (donation-based bonus content+goods): patreon.com/lowprofile -
78. Vashti Bunyan
When I started this show five years ago, I made a short list of artists I wanted to feature. Near the top of that list was the British musician Vashti Bunyan. Vashti Bunyan released her beautiful album “Just Another Diamond Day” in 1970, and it was almost immediately buried in time.
She’d had her fair share of disappointment in the music business and walked away from it altogether, until some three decades later when people like me discovered her music for the first time. Suddenly, Vashti was in demand, and her music career was back on track. In her recent memoir, “Wayward” from White Rabbit publishing, she chronicles her early days in the pop music world, collaborations with members of The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin, her unbelievable horse and wagon journey throughout the UK that inspired her first album, and her unlikely return to the music world. Vashti speaks with me today from her home in Scotland.
This the Season 9 premiere, and also the first episode since Low Profile has joned the Ruinous Media Network. It was produced by Markly Morrison, edited by Rose Nielsen, with artwork by Jack Habegger.
Low Profile is supported by you on Patreon. The program receives in-kind support from Olympia, WA independent businesses San Francisco Street Bakery, Rainy Day Records, Old School Pizzeria, and Three Magnets Brewing Company. -
Scherler Sundays: Gun Outfit, Amps for Christ, Blues Faeries
On this year's final installment of highlights from the Scherler Sundays live series, headlining act Gun Outfit is a twangy , dreamy rock band that started in Olympia in the mid-aughties, and relocated to Los Angeles several years later. Carrie and Dylan still have family around these parts, so they brought their kid up to visit with the kinfolk, along with the rest of their crew as they share some favorites from their catalog and surprise with a handful of new tunes. Amps For Christ is the long-term project of Henry Barnes, and he's a friend of the show (See episode 15). He also happens to play guitar in Gun Outfit, so he gets a bit of a double feature today. Opening the show is a new power trio called Blues Faeries, comprised of Olympia heavy hitters Jon Merrithew (C Average, Mosquito Hawk, The Noses), Dave Harvey (Nudity, Tight Bros From Way Back When) and Jaysen Lee Peters (The Cold Sweats). We'll get to hear insights and anecdotes from all the performers here as well. This year's Scherler Sundays concert series was such a blast, and it was great to see so many of you there! Looking forward to plotting one in 2024...This episode was engineered by Kefa Crow, documented by Andrew Ebright, and mixed + edited by Rose Nielsen. If you like this show, please consider supporting it with flexible monthly donations at patreon.com/lowprofile to help cover the expenses associated with running a conglomerate like this.Scherler Sundays is hosted by Three Magnets Brewing Company in downtown Olympia, WA. They make lots of good beer, including their NA brand Self Care which features delicious craft flavors unlike any other. Low Profile also receives in-kind support from San Francisco Street Bakery, Old School Pizzeria and Rainy Day Records in Olympia. For a full archive of previous episodes, visit lowprofilepodcast.com and dig around.
Customer Reviews
Markly’s interviewing skills are top notch.
In a world full of subpar interviewers, Markly stands out. He knows his stuff and he is not weirdly self centered or anything. Good stuff here.
Hidden Gems Unearthed
This podcast is a personal favorite. For those of us interested in PNW music lore & the unearthing of hidden gems—bands, artists, songs, and albums—that deserve more attention, Markly caretakes these precious artifacts with a natural sense of wonder and curiosity. The interviews are great and it always feels like home. Plus it goes beyond the Pacific Northwest, digging way, way into sparkly fringe music from around the country and even the world. Highest recommendation!
Flow
The show is a great introspective of the history of music!