Performance Anxiety

Marc Shea
Performance Anxiety

Have you ever wanted to sit down with your favorite artists and talk about what happens behind the scenes? Have you wanted to hear the crazy stories about recording, touring, and creating art that we all know exist? Performance Anxiety gets those stories for you.

  1. James Cook (Captain's Audio Project, Trashcan Joe)

    FEB 11

    James Cook (Captain's Audio Project, Trashcan Joe)

    This guest makes me feel like I’m in a Mark Twain novel. Welcome James Cook of Trashcan Joe. He’s got a new project called Captain’s Audio Project and the two bands are like yin and yang. They both have that old-time jazz feel. But where Trashcan Joe is fun, upbeat, and occasionally raucous, Captain’s Audio Project is a little more melancholy.  James grew up in a very musical family but he’s the only one of his siblings to find his way into the music business. As I’ve mentioned, he plays old-time jazz. But he didn’t start out that way. He got into Hendrix, Zeppelin, Sabbath, and the rock of the day when his neighbor gave him his entire record collection. That’s an interesting story! He tells me how he went from hard rock to the jazz he plays now. He talks about busking through Europe with Jimbo Trout, building instruments from found objects, and how Trashcan Joe started.  Check out Captain’s Audio Project on Bad Man Records. Preorder it and maybe James can come play a gig in your area. Follow him at Trashcan Joe’s social pages, for the time being. Follow us @PerformanceAnx on socials. You can support the show through merch at performanceanx.threadless.com or by sending us money for coffee at ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. Now get your washtub bass out and jam along to James Cook of Captain’s Audio Project on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1h 22m
  2. Tex Mosely (Neverland Ranch Davidians)

    FEB 1

    Tex Mosely (Neverland Ranch Davidians)

    Today’s guest was bound to happen. Meet Tex Mosely from Neverland Ranch Davidians. Tex and his band were suggested to me a couple of years ago by my friend Ian. I reached out and we tried to get everything to mesh but just couldn’t make it work. A few years later, here we are.  Tex talks about growing up in Philly and having music all around him. His uncle was a professional bass player. Tex started playing guitar and even took lessons from jazz legend, Pat Martino! He began his life in music in Philly, but he eventually found his way to LA. He joined up with The Slaves and found favor with Concrete Blonde, one of my favorite bands. But after a while, rock and roll and substance abuse took its toll on him. But he found help, love, and safety back with his family in Philly.  After his recovery, Tex moved back to LA and joined a band called Neighborhood Bullys. They had such a good sound that they ended up being Suzi Quatro’s band for her album In The Spotlight. But there’s one odd thing about that recording and I’ll let Tex tell that story. Tex’s latest band is Neverland Ranch Davidians. It started off as a lo-fi project and wound up being his singing debut. He tells how he met the other band members, Max Hagen and Will Bentley and how he came up with the band name. Their sophomore release is out soon and it’s an amalgamation of all Tex’s influences (except maybe Pat Martino). It's called Shout It On The Mountain and that title tells it all. It’s a rock album. That’s it. Tex is a blast to talk with and shares great stories from his early days through the making of the new album. Pre-order it on Heavy Medication Records, buy the debut, and follow Neverland Ranch Davidians on the socials. You can’t miss them. Follow us @PerformanceAnx, buy merch at performanceanx.threadless.com and send money through ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. Now saddle up with Tex Mosely of Neverland Ranch Davidians on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1h 22m
  3. Side Projects: Sophomore Albums

    JAN 24

    Side Projects: Sophomore Albums

    I've wanted to do this episode for a long time; not just the subject matter, but my guests as well. Today I’m talking about making sophomore albums with Vashti Bunyan and Lucy Kruger; two people who have vastly different experiences making their second albums. Lucy has done it twice with her bands Medicine Boy and Lucy Kruger & The Lost Boys. But they were both very different approaches from one another.  Vashti took a different route. She waited 35 years to make her sophomore album. In fact, she said that, between the disappointing reception to her debut and the extended gap between the two albums, her second album, Lookaftering, didn’t feel like a second album at all. This was a fun topic, but I had been looking for a reason to have Lucy & Vashti on together for years. And the reissue of Vashti’s second album, Lookaftering, complete with live or demo versions of almost every song on the album, was the perfect reason. And we go a bit beyond sophomore albums because that’s what happens when you’re enjoying a casual conversation. Check out Lucy Kruger’s latest album, A Human Home, on Bandcamp or wherever you get music. Follow her @lucy_kruger to keep up with her. Pick up Vashti Bnyan’s reissue of her sophomore album, Lookaftering, on Fat Cat records, Bandcamp, or wherever you buy music. Follow her on Facebook or on Instagram @vashtibunyan. Follow the podcast @PerformanceAnx on socials. Our merch is available at performanceanx.threadless.com. Coffee money is happily accepted at ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. Now let’s talk sophomore albums with Lucy Kruger & Vashti Bunyan on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    50 min
  4. Clinton Jacob (Mr. Phylzzz)

    JAN 15

    Clinton Jacob (Mr. Phylzzz)

    Today’s guest has the best outlook. Welcome Clinton Jacob of Mr. Phylzzz to the podcast. He’s based out of Chicago but originally hails from Clarksville, OH. Apparently they have quite the gruesome claim to fame. Clinton began his musical career playing in bands that were a little more traditional in their sound and approach, which he hated. But there wasn’t much in Clarksville besides that and dead bodies. And that’s actually what made Clinton realize that music was what he wanted to do. Mr. Phylzzz was formed as a joke by driving a member of one of those hated bands to quit the band he loved. Around that same time, he also started working at a comedy club and dabbling in stand up. The perseverance Clinton saw from comedians crashing and burning one night just to kill the next had a profound effect on him and his view of his band and the philosophy of “do it all backwards”.  Clinton talks about how he connected with the legendary label Amphetamine Reptile and how the band’s relationship with The Melvins formed and how important it is to him. After going through a few drummers, Clinton found his equal in Dan Sein. The two make a very noisy dynamo. To that end, Clinton tells some of the odd studio techniques the band has employed over the years. They have some big plans for 2025 including new music and touring a lot. So grab the music on Bandcamp or wherever you get music (bt Bandcamp is best). Follow them @mrphylzzzband on Instagram, mrphylzzz on Facebook, or at mrphylzzz.com. And make sure you spell it wrong. Follow us @PerformanceAnx on socials. Our merch is at performanceanx.threadless.com. Send money for coffee at ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. And now check out the insanity of Clinton Jacob and Mr. Phylzzz on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1h 44m
  5. Maura Pond (Luna Honey)

    JAN 6

    Maura Pond (Luna Honey)

    This guest harkens back to the original concept of this podcast. And she has possibly the most unusual band setup I have ever heard of. Welcome Maura Pond of Luna Honey. And this band has really captured my attention. They’ve got this new take on the no wave sound that spawned bands like Swans, Rhys Chatham, Theoretical Girls, and others. It’s experimental music that’s really accessible. Maura and I discover some similarities like being from the VA/DC area and procrastination.  She talks about getting a bit of a late start in the whole “being in a band” thing. She spent most of her twenties going to shows in the DC area instead of performing in shows. But that’s not to say she wasn’t creating. She was recording on her own, figuring, maybe even counting on, no one ever hearing those songs. And no one will because that hard drive is long dead. She had (and still has) some pretty serious performance anxiety. But playing drums while hanging with future bandmate and future ex-husband Levi Flack, really helped her learn how to handle it. They formed Luna Honey and things have been complicated ever since. There’s being in a band with her ex-huband Levi AND current partner Ben Schurr. There’s delaying their sophomore album to write and record a completely new album with a completely different sound as a favor for an aunt who was dying. There’s the collaborative album they did with Norman Westberg of Swans. And then there’s the new album, Bound. It’s their best and most diverse album to date. It’s simultaneously experimental, haunting, spooky, and catchy. And Maura has some great stories to go with the music. So check them out wherever you get music and follow them @lunahoneymusic. Follow us @performanceanx, subscribe to the podcast, grab merch at performanceanx.threadless.com. Send coffee money at ko-fi.com/performance anxiety. And let’s get over performance anxiety with Maura Pond of Luna Honey on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1h 17m
  6. Kerry Jones (Death Doula)

    12/28/2024

    Kerry Jones (Death Doula)

    This guest had me pining for the 90’s. Welcome Kerry Jones from the band Death Doula. If you’re like me, you may be asking what a death doula is. Fortunately for us, Kerry talks about what it is and why she gave her band that name. She played a number of instruments growing up but never sang. She never thought that singing was a talent that she could possess. She learned how to play guitar during a high school independent study. Before she started working on her own music, she went through so many phases of music appreciation. She started playing in her first band in college. She even tried doing the long distance band thing while she was living in New York City, way before COVID made it cool. But while she was there, she took a job that led her to a completely new career as a personal chef, through Craigslist. But music was always there. Kerry talks about how she met her bandmate and partner, Kyle Alexander. She talks about how the band has evolved over time, over pandemics, and over drummers and her amazing Craigslist kismet. Death Doula is playing select shows and hopefully playing a lot more as 2025 progresses. Check them out at deathdoulaband.com or @deathdoulaband on Instagram. Get the music and some cool ass merch through the site, through Bandcamp, or wherever you listen to music. Check us out @PerformanceAnx on social media. Grab merch at performanceanx.threadless.com or send us money (ostensibly for coffee) at ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. Now prepare to disembark on a fascinating trip with Kerry Jones of Death Doula on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1h 22m
  7. Django Haskins (The Old Ceremony)

    12/19/2024

    Django Haskins (The Old Ceremony)

    Today’s guest is a busy guy. He never seems to stop working. It’s Django Haskins from The Old Ceremony. And with a name like Django, your future is basically pre-determined. Music was big part of his parents’ (and therefore, his) lives. His parents were a folk duo and had Django playing classical violin at age five. He’s been in rock bands since the age of thirteen. And that includes while he was studying literature at Yale and spending a year in China. DId I mention that he got life advice from Ike & Tina’s sax player? Well he did. And it stuck because his band, The Old Ceremony, is celebrating 20 years together. Django talks about how he went from Django & The Regulars, International Orange, Au Pair, and Big Star’s Third to The Old Ceremony’s latest release called Earthbound. That journey includes writing and pasta sessions at Jack Hardy’s place, moving from NYC to NC, and writing over 100 songs during the pandemic. Earthbound is The Old Ceremony’s first album in nine years, but it was worth the wait. Pick it up wherever you get music or through theoldceremony.com. Follow them on social media @theoldceremony. Follow us @PerformanceAnx and grab some merch at performanceanx.threadless.com. Send us coffee money through ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. I hope you enjoy this conversation with Django Haskins of The Old Ceremony as much as I did on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1h 13m
4.5
out of 5
28 Ratings

About

Have you ever wanted to sit down with your favorite artists and talk about what happens behind the scenes? Have you wanted to hear the crazy stories about recording, touring, and creating art that we all know exist? Performance Anxiety gets those stories for you.

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