The Dark Stuff

Dave Splash

My name is Dave Splash and I have been involved in the underground music world for 20 years. I have worked at labels, booking agencies, web sites, promoters, and radio stations. This is my podcast. The Dark Stuff features interviews - conducted by me - with musicians, artists, and interesting folks from the community. I live in Omaha, and there may be a lot of Omaha-centered content. The show will constantly be evolving. I hope you enjoy. Check out my website at www.thedarkstuff.com

  1. 09/08/2014

    The Dark Stuff Podcast 116: Orenda Fink (Part One)

    For episode 116, we have part one of my interview with Orenda Fink. Orenda has just released her third solo album, Blue Dream, on the Saddle Creek Records label, and is about to embark on her first tour in a few years. Orenda's musical journey began when she met singer/songwriter Maria Taylor at a performing arts school in Alabama. The two began writing songs together, and eventually formed the band Little Red Rocket. LRR was signed by Geffen Records while Fink and Taylor were barely out of high school! Following some personal tragedy, LRR broke up, but Fink and Taylor stayed together and formed the band Azure Ray. It was around this same time that Orenda became involved with the Omaha music scene, and Azure Ray was signed to Saddle Creek Records, which was home to Bright Eyes, The Faint, and Cursive, at the time. Orenda would eventually re-locate to Omaha, and marry Todd Fink, who is the lead singer of The Faint. When Azure Ray went on an extended hiatus in 2004, Orenda Fink began her solo career with the 2005 album, The Invisible Ones. Her restless artistic spirit had her continuing to form new bands and collaborations, and she also recorded with Art In Manila, O + S, and toured as a member of Rilo Kiley. In our interview, Orenda and I discuss the inspiration behind the new album, Blue Dream, as well as the making of the record and her upcoming tour. We then delve into Orenda's entire career, including the reunion of Azure Ray. Our discussion was pretty long, so I have decided to make this a two-part episode. Part Two will be episode #117. This episode contains portions of the following songs: "Blue Dream," and "This Is a Part of Something Greater" by Orenda Fink, and "New Resolution" by Azure Ray. The music underneath my voice in the intro and outro is "Holy Holy" by Orenda Fink. All songs ©the artist. Thanks for listening. Enjoy. ©2014 The Dark Stuff Podcast Look for The Dark Stuff online at www.thedarkstuff.com and on twitter @davesplash

    48 min
  2. The Dark Stuff Podcast 113: Dereck Higgins (Part One)

    07/28/2014

    The Dark Stuff Podcast 113: Dereck Higgins (Part One)

    For episode #113, I have part one of an interview with Omaha music legend, Dereck Higgins. Higgins has been making music and playing in bands in the Omaha area since the 1970s. Two of his bands from the 1980s - Digital Sex and RAF - are considered by many to be the foundation of the modern Omaha indie music scene. Most people know about Bright Eyes, The Faint and Cursive. But the Omaha music scene did not start there, obviously; it began decades earlier, and Higgins was right there in the middle of it. Dereck Higgins is still playing in bands and performing today. He also makes music as a solo artist and releases it through his website: http://dereckhiggins.bandcamp.com. Dereck has also achived some notoriety from his popular Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/dereckvon. His videos are among the most popular in the "Vinyl Community" - an online group of record collectors and enthusiasts who show the world their collections and offer insights into the artists. Over the years, Higgins' videos have gone beyond the normal "VC" subject matter, and often times venture into politics and social commentary. They are a lot like diary entries that he shares with the world at large. Since Dereck and I both live in Omaha, I had him come down to the bunker (aka my basement) for the interview. We spoke for over an hour; and because I wanted to include some snippets of music along with the interview, I have decided to make this into a two part episode. In part one, Dereck discusses his earliest days as a child fascinated with music, his meeting famous jazz musicians like John Coltrane (who used to stop by his childhood home both to "jam" and to "score"), and his early difficulties being a black rock musician in an overwhelmingly white music scene. Part Two will be the next episode - #114. This episode contains snippets of two Digital Sex songs - "Dervish Dance" and "When Feelings Change." Both are ©Digital Sex. The music embedded under my voice in the intro and outro of the podcast is "Passing Apparition" from Dereck's album Sonospheres (©2013 Dereck Higgins). Thanks for listening. Enjoy. ©2014 The Dark Stuff Podcast Look for The Dark Stuff online at www.thedarkstuff.com and on twitter @davesplash

    37 min

Ratings & Reviews

4.5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

My name is Dave Splash and I have been involved in the underground music world for 20 years. I have worked at labels, booking agencies, web sites, promoters, and radio stations. This is my podcast. The Dark Stuff features interviews - conducted by me - with musicians, artists, and interesting folks from the community. I live in Omaha, and there may be a lot of Omaha-centered content. The show will constantly be evolving. I hope you enjoy. Check out my website at www.thedarkstuff.com