Performance Anxiety

Today’s guest has just reissued a hidden gem. Welcome Matt Devine. Matt has played with a lot of previous guests of this podcast. And after listening to his bands Permanent Green Light and Ventilator, I know why. He talks about how he got into music and the bands he loved growing up. He talks about starting his own bands and keeping the expectations low. After Permanent Green Light formed and dissolved, he focused on the music he had been writing for himself in his apartment. That music became Ventilator’s first album, Reseda Spleen. Reseda Spleen was released in 1996 and I am amazed that it seems to have slipped through the cracks. And it turns out that Reseda Spleen isn’t the only lost classic he’s played on. He also appears on Paul D’Amour’s post-Tool band, Feersum Ennjin. Matt talks about his post Ventilator career and how Reseda Spleen came to be reissued on Bar None Records. The digital release even comes with a couple of bonus tracks. Matt talks about what it’s like going back and listening to songs he wrote 30 years ago. But with this reissue, more people will be hearing it for the first time! So grab your vinyl from bar-none.com. Follow the band on Instagram @ventilatorofficial for some exclusive pictures and videos. Follow us @PerformanceAnx. Merch is available at performanceanx.threadless.com. Send coffee funds to ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. I hope you enjoy Matt Devine & Ventilator as much as I have on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network.

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Today’s guest is a very interesting artist. I’m pleased to present Wesley Stace, aka John Wesley Harding. He’s just released a new album called One Last Heist and it’s wonderful. Wesley has always been an artist who follows his instincts and they’re currently pulling him into a jazzy stage. But he was gracious enough to step back in time with me and discuss his career, starting even before his debut album, a daring solo, live, acoustic disc called It Happened One Night. It turns out, his plans were NOT to become a musician. But when he did, he chose a pseudonym instead of using his given name. We talk about that and how his style has evolved over the decades. His latest albums are being released under his given name and he reveals why that is. He talks about writing novels and the effect that’s had on his lyric writing. We also discuss jazz and food, his band, his philosophy on making music at 60, and if John Wesley Harding might see the light of day again. Give him a follow as Wesley Stace on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. Grab the album One Last Heist at pravdamusic.com or wesleystace.com. Follow us @PerformanceAnx on Instagram. Check out merch at performanceanx.threadless.com or send coffee money to ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. And I hope you enjoy the stylings of Wesley Stace on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network.

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Today’s show is a little different. I’m joined by former podcast guest Timothy Reid. He reached out to me about our subject, bassist Tim (T.R.) Miller. He’s an American bass player who lived in Japan for many years. He’s an important, but possibly underappreciated, figure in the Japanese rock scene. Timothy followed his career for a long time and, eventually, met up with him and even played in some bands with him. Tim had issues and had to leave Japan. He agreed to speak with Timothy via phone calls from his halfway house, in order to tell his story. Timothy compiled the calls and asked if he could release Tim’s story through this podcast. I thought it was a great idea! It’s exactly the reason this podcast was created; to tell the stories of artists who are not household names but whose stories are just as important. I hope you enjoy the story of Tim (T.R.) Miller.

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Today we’re talking about collaborations. And by we I mean, of course myself, Jordan Zadorozny and Stephen Bluhm. Both Jordon and Stephen have partaken of the fruits of collaboration. Jordon hath tasted the delights on many an occasion whilst Stephen has recently just taken his first bite of the apple of collab.

We talk about our favorites, some that really didn’t turn out so well, and the reasons why. Stephen’s collaboration is with the legendary Mike Watt. He talks about how it happened and how he wound up doing a three hour tour of San Pedro with Watt as his guide. Jordon discusses some of his collaborations and shares some amazing stories of ones that went well and the one that went very wrong. He also talks about his collaborations wit Lindsay Buckingham, both intentional and accidental.

Go to Bandcamp or Subvert.fm to find Stephen’s new song with Mike Watt under the name Work Crush. Go to Bandcamp for Jordon’s collabs as Blinker the Star and his band Velorum. Check out our stuff at performanceanx.threadless.com. Or throw us a few shekels at ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. Now buckle up because this one goes down so many rabbit holes, i lost count. Here’s Collaborations with Stephen Bluhm and Jordon Zadorozny on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network.

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Today’s guest came to my attention through a friend. Welcome guitarist Darren Michael Boyd. Technically, he’s a multi-instrumentalist but let’s keep things simple for the introduction. He first came to my attention through Astrid Young and her cover of Hell Hole for the Teen Cancer America Spinal Tap Tribute. He released a new album last year but that's just the latest in a string of solo albums in addition to the other bands he plays in and contributions he makes. He talks about his early days, touring as a teen (one stop turned out to be the scene of a murder). Darren talks about shifting from bands to a guitarist-for-hire role. He also talks about why he started writing and releasing solo albums and the difficulties of being an independent artist. He’s got a great live band but Darren is still getting used to being out front. He talks about the Spinal Tap project and how he got involved. He also tells me how he got started in the reptile business. Be sure to pick up his music at darrenboyd.com and follow him on socials @darrenmichaelboyd. Follow us @PerformanceAnx and grab merch at performanceanx.threadless.com. You can also send money to ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy Darren Michael Boyd on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network.

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