Four Strings and the Truth

"Loud Bands Playing Terrible Music" - The Bass-Forward Bands of Caterwaul

Normally this show features a famous (at least, famous in our world) bassist we've been listening to for decades. But for today's episode, I went in a different direction

His Band is Better Than Your Band with Damien Sayell (Mclusky, The St. Pierre Snake Invasion)

Coming to you live and direct from the posh green room of Brooklyn club Warsaw, we sit down with gentle giant/Mclusky bassist and singer Damien Sayell, who's been in the

Feeling Minnesota Nice with Greg Norton (Hüsker Dü, Ultrabomb, Buddies)

We continue to tick off the bucket list, player by player. In the wake of a trip to Minneapolis for the Caterwaul Festival, we chat with Minnesota's favorite son, Greg No

Certain Fate Foretold with Clint Conley (Mission of Burma, consonant)

Not exactly nine lives, but the quintessentially Boston band Mission of Burma has had at least two: their initial 1979-1983 foray, which yielded such classics as "That's

Win a "Like New" IdiotBox Effects Blower Box Deluxe!

We've launched a contest to win a "like new" (seriously, I played it once) IdiotBox Effects Blower Box Deluxe pedal. This is an amazing, bass-specific distortion pedal, w

Better Bass-ing with Nate Brenner (Tune-Yards, Naytronix)

Nate Brenner has been playing music in front of people since he was four, and it shows. He and his musical/life partner Merrill Garbus have carved out a unique place in t

They're Not Booing, They're Only Yelling "Lou" with Lou Barlow (Dinosaur Jr, Sebadoh, The Folk Implosion)

We're kicking (Mini-)Season 2 off with one of our most-requested guests, Lou Barlow - a four string lifer (on bass, ukelele, guitar, etc.) and amiable fellow who's not af

Coming Soon: (The Monosyllabic Mini-)Season 2

We have a clutch of new shows coming very soon with names you might expect...or not.

"We are the most underrated and yet most important members of any band" with Brian Ritchie (Violent Femmes)

Brian Ritchie is our first guest whose primary instrument - the one that helped make his band Violent Femmes a household name - is an acoustic bass. Today we hear how all

"Cool World" by Chat Pile: The Bass-ic Review

As we gear up for our next season of Four Strings and the Truth interviews, we're introducing a new, more bite-sized feature: the Bass-ic Review. This is an analysis of n

Living Between The Songs with Klaus Flouride (Dead Kennedys)

Dead Kennedys - the scabrous, Northern Cali-based band that taught the world how to stage dive - created some of the most indelible anthems in hardcore, naming and shamin

WATT POWER with Mike Watt (Minutemen, fIREHOSE, dos, Il Sogno Del Marinaio, mssv, and a million other groups)

You didn't think we were gonna get through this season without a dispatch from the man in the van with a bass in his hand, did you? Coming to us live and shirtless from h

Back on His Grind with David Wm. Sims (Jesus Lizard, Scratch Acid, unFact)

He first caught our ears with the propulsive lines that drove Austin weirdos Scratch Acid; and then David Wm. Sims - and SA vocalist David Yow - decided to set it all on

When Inspiration Strikes with Colin Moulding (XTC, The Dukes of Stratosphear, TC&I)

In South West England, in a town called Swindon, a group of disaffected youth would come together in the early 70s and create a body of songs over the next few decades wh

Talking about Bruce Thomas (Elvis Costello & The Attractions) with Dave Derby (Gramercy Arms, The Dambuilders, Lloyd Cole)

When a planned interview with Bruce Thomas fell through for…reasons, we dusted ourselves off and decided to consult with bassist/songwriter/singer Dave Derby (Gramercy Ar

Despair, Redemption, Legacy, Family and Keeping Going with Jah Wobble (Public Image Ltd, Invaders of the Heart, etc.)

Generous with his time, expansive with his bass playing, and one of the funniest people I've ever spoken with, Jah Wobble sits down with a couple of his favorite basses t

A Gentleman and a Ska-ler with Horace Panter (The Specials, General Public, The Dirt Road Band)

(Do I really need to write any show notes after coming up with that title?) It's time to pick it up with Horace Panter (nickname: Sir Horace Gentleman), the man whose e

...And Now a Word From The Bass Master General with Karl Alvarez (Descendents, All, Massacre Guys)

Grab your bonus cups and strap on your ear goggles (kinda mixing band references here) to drink of the wisdom of one Karl Alvarez, the fleet-fingered fellow who anchors a

Fingers of Fury (Road) with Kira Roessler (Black Flag, dos, AwkWard)

Providing the rhythmic glue for Black Flag's mid-80s heyday was just a starting point for bassist/songwriter/singer Kira Roessler. Now, an Oscar- and Emmy-winning dialogu

He's The Man with Graham Maby (Joe Jackson, Marshall Crenshaw, Freedy Johnston, Natalie Merchant)

Sonic architect Graham Maby joins us to discuss his 50-something year career, which began with him fulfilling Joe Jackson's vision for a bass-led pop combo, resulting in