Nakedly Examined Music

Nick started as a teen punk jazz guitarist in Chicago and has fronted 10+ carefully arranged solo albums in various styles from R&B to Latin to alt-country. He has also been in groups with Alejandro Escovedo (Fauntleroys), Bun E. Carlos from Cheap Trick (Candy Golde), and now the Chi-Town Social Club. He's also a teacher and has scored 40+ films. We discuss "Amanda and  Continue Reading …

Vashti was discovered in the mid-60s by the Rolling Stones manager, recorded a seminal (though commercially unsuccessful) acoustic album in 1970, then quit music until her children were grown, recording two more albums since 2005, touring, and her old songs have appeared on several commercials and soundtracks. She's just released her autobiography, Wayward: Just Another Life to  Continue Reading …

Initially compared as a rock singer with John Lennon in the late '70s and early '80s with The Nerves and The Plimsouls, his subsequent sixteen solo albums beginning in 1986 have embraced blues, solo acoustic guitar, and on his new album, highly percussive piano (on his new album). We discuss "Have You Ever Been in Trouble?" from Dr. Moan (2023), "Every 24 Hours" feat.  Continue Reading …

Ivan started as a teen guitarist in the early '70s touring with The Foundations and then in 1977 was a founding member of Richard Hell and the Voidoids. After an album with them (and a recording with The Clash), he fronted The Outsets through the early '80s and then toured with Shriekback, briefly co-led a group called Lovelies, toured and recorded with Matthew Sweet, was in a  Continue Reading …

Chris and John were friends since the '80s in the Portland music scene, playing separately in several bands (sometimes as front men, sometimes not). By the '00s, John was drumming for bands like the Decembrists, Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, and Elliot Smith, while Chris was doing a stint on bass for Guided by Voices and running a record shop. They recorded together as Boston  Continue Reading …

Jad estimates he's sung on 2000 songs and released over 180 albums between his band, solo, and collaborative work. He started Half Japanese as an improvisational punk band with his brother David in 1975, and its style evolved through jazz, rock,   and alternative; they opened for Nirvana on one of their biggest tours. The band was based in Maryland for most of its  Continue Reading …

Claire started in the early '70s as a folk prodigy, took some detours through country and Elton-John-esque pop rock, played with Wishbone Ash and members of Yes in the late '70s and early '80s, had her real career break-out as a New Age artist in the mid '80s (with some of her music used extensively by the BBC), did a dance record, and has most recently released several records  Continue Reading …

Pat played saxophone and guitar with Lydia Lunch's group 8-Eyed Spy in 1979, and then moved on to The Raybeats, a "neo-surf rock combo," which recorded four albums through 1984. He wrote for stage shows and eventually joined the B-52s as a second guitarist/keyboardist in support of their Cosmic Thing album in 1989. In 1992 he had his first musical director role for TV with  Continue Reading …

Eszter is an actor/musician, gaining initial fame starring in Jim Jarmusch's first major film Stranger Than Paradise (1984). She has released four albums of often autobiographical songs since 1998. We discuss "The First Day" (and end by listening to "Freaks") from I Hate Memory (2022) feat. Stew and Syd Straw; this album has been made into a stage show. We then turn to "Exit  Continue Reading …

Simon has produced programmed dance music since the early '90s, and has won Grammys and topped charts with his partner Felix Buxton as Basement Jaxx through their seven albums and several EPs. We discuss his most recent project, Village of the Sun (the song of that name from First Light), which he recorded with jazz drummer Moses Boyd and his partner, the saxophonist Binker  Continue Reading …

Bruce is best known as Elvis Costello's bassist for his first on about a dozen albums as The Attractions, but he's been in bands since 1970 and has done numerous session gigs, most notably for Al Stewart's early albums, plus The Pretenders, John Wesley Harding, Billy Bragg, and many more. We discuss his work on "Blood Makes Noise" by Susanne Vega from 99.9 Degrees (1992),  Continue Reading …

Mike has put out 18 releases of largely instrumental guitar music since 2004, sometimes with his jazz quintet or as a duo with trumpeter Kris Tiner, and more recently in more of an instrumental rock format with legendary bassist Mike Watt and with drums by either Jim Keltner (Traveling Wilburys, Ry Cooder) or Stephen Hodges (Tom Waits). We discuss the title track to  Continue Reading …

Neil is known as the long-time collaborator of the late Elliot Smith (pictured with him here from 1995). They met in college in 1987, had a band named Swimming Jesus, then moved to Portland and released three albums and an EP together as Heatmiser starting in 1993. Then Neil fronted the band No. 2 for two albums (1999 and 2002) before taking a break until recently from  Continue Reading …

Through the 00's and four studio albums, Allan led the "baroque pop" Oklahoma band Starlight Mints. Then he met his wife Barb who'd played piano and sang, and together they write and record as doubleVee. They've released two albums and an EP since 2017. The three of us talk about "The Middle Side of Me" from Treat Her Strangely (2022), then the title track from Jack the  Continue Reading …

Robyn has been producing a distinctive flavor of very British rock with surrealist lyrics for 35+ albums since 1979, and he describes his technique as no so much expanding the doors of perception but merely not editing the weird things we think, which involves composing without self-consciousness. We discuss "The Raging Muse" (and close by listening to "The Shuffle Man")  Continue Reading …

Rebecca has balanced her musical career with her acting career since the mid '80s, starting in Scotland with Ruby Blue and then moving to New York in 1989 and releasing 10 solo albums and some EPs. We discuss "Silent Sound" from Parts of Speech Pieces of Sound (2022), the title track to the Stark Naked EP (2020), and "24 Hours of Love" from New York Girls' Club (1996). End  Continue Reading …

Mike played keyboards and shared lead vocals for synth jazz-pop Level 42's initial run for nine albums from 1982-1994 (and rejoined in 2006 for touring and some more recording) and is currently working on his fourth solo release. We talk about his new single from that upcoming album, "Atlantia," plus "Madness" from On the One (2011) and Level 42's "Weave Your Spell" from The  Continue Reading …

The daughter of a blues musician in Tennessee and originally a saxophone player, Chastity has since 2007 released seven albums from Minneapolis that she calls "new blues," but which spread into pop, Americana, soul, and Irish-flavored spirituals. We discuss "Wonderment" (co-written with Dan Wilson) and listen at the end to "Back Seat" from Sing to the Walls (2022), "Drive  Continue Reading …

Susan teaches songwriting at Berklee and has released six albums since 2009. As she tells us, she started wanting to be a Nashville songwriter, decided to then sing those country songs herself, but decided that it was too much of an act. Her subsequent, meticulously crafted Americana albums in Boston better reflect her unique sensibilities. We discuss “Broken Things” (and  Continue Reading …

Bill is a highly successful Nashville songwriter, co-writing country hits for artists like Martina McBride, Trisha Yearwood, and Robert Ellis Orral as well as his  late '80s duo Foster and Lloyd. His country collaborations go back to the late '70s, and he has a long connection to Rusty Young's latter-day iterations of Poco. But his true love has been power pop, starting  Continue Reading …