NEM#128: Roger Joseph Manning Jr.’s Crazy Fun with Arrangements

Roger rose to fame as keyboardist/songwriter for Jellyfish in the early '90s, then formed Imperial Drag, The Moog Cookbook, TV Eyes, backed Beck, and finally released two albums under his own name starting in 2006. He's recently released a solo EP and one with The Likerish Quartet that reunites him with some other members of Jellyfish. We discuss "Lighthouse Spaceship" by  Continue Reading …

NEM #34: Todd Long: Don’t Have to Say “Frontman”

Todd held down the beat and wrote some songs for Grand Rapids, MI's Molly in the '90s through 2003, then wrote a few more songs and sang a bit for Dutch Henry for about ten years, then pushed forward to sing and write all the songs for his projects The Star Darts and now Cartorson. We discuss Cartorson's new Richfield Skyline EP, specifically "The Last Time," plus "Say It"  Continue Reading …

NEM #32: Bradley Skaught’s The Bye-Bye Blackbirds: Crafting Power Pop

Bradley started as a drummer, graduated to front-guy, and in 2005 formed the Bay Area band, The Bye-Bye Blackbirds, which inhabits the niche of Byrds-influenced "power pop" even though Bradley really doesn't like that term or its sometimes very shallow connotations. We discuss the band's 2016 boogie single "Let Your Hair Fall Down," the country ballad "Hats" from Fixed  Continue Reading …