Author: Esoterica the Podcast

S3E19 Something Could Be Nothing (w/ Fat Boys and Little Men)

May 21, 2021

Today we revisit a group from way back in Season One of Esoterica the Podcast! In April 2020, we discussed Fat Boys and Little Men’s self titled EP. This week, the Mansfield based band joins Aaron to discuss their newest release (dropping today!), Something Could Be Nothing. If you missed the episode, FBLM are a … More S3E19 Something Could Be Nothing (w/ Fat Boys and Little Men)

S3E18 you’ll be fine

May 12, 2021

This week, join us as we listen to the 2020 release from Lansing, Michigan’s own Hot Mulligan. Released on No Sleep Records, their sophomore album is titled you’ll be fine. In 2015, Hot Mulligan released two EPs titled Fenton and Honest & Cunning via Michigan based label Save Your Generation Records. After signing to No Sleep Records in 2017, Hot Mulligan re-released … More S3E18 you’ll be fine

S3E17 Kollaps (w/ Blixa Bargeld)

May 5, 2021

This year marks the fortieth anniversary of the release of Einstürzende Neubauten‘s first official LP Kollaps. To celebrate, we are joined by none other than Blixa Bargeld. Blixa talks about the making of Kollaps, as well as some of his major influences. Einstürzende Neubauten (“Collapsing New Buildings”) is a German experimental music group, originally formed in West Berlin in 1980. The … More S3E17 Kollaps (w/ Blixa Bargeld)

S3E15 Bone Machine

April 21, 2021

Recorded in the cellar of Prairie Sun Recording Studios, in an area described as “just a cement floor and a water heater,” Bone Machine is Tom Waits‘ eleventh studio album. It was released in September of 1992. Bone Machine was recorded and produced entirely at the Prairie Sun Recording studios in Cotati, California, in a room of … More S3E15 Bone Machine

S3E14 The Balcony

April 14, 2021

This week we cross the pond to check out Welsh band Catfish and the Bottlemen. Formed in 2007, the band formed in Llandudno, North Wales. Their musical style can best be described as indie or alt rock. Which, to be honest, is a description I have issues with. Being a Gen Xer, alt rock was … More S3E14 The Balcony

S3E13 Dry As a Bone

April 7, 2021

We’re back, and this week we’re heading back to the mid 80’s to check out some proto-grunge. This week’s album is Dry as a Bone, the second EP by  Green River. It was released in July 1987 through Sub Pop Records. Green River formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1984. Although the band had very little commercial Success outside their … More S3E13 Dry As a Bone

Taking a Break

March 31, 2021

Hello there! We pride ourselves on keeping a regular weekly schedule. Consistency is the key to success, or so we’ve heard. Well, not this week. We will be taking a brief respite from our regular schedule as real life intrudes on our time. The Mad Wanderer (aka Chris) is running for re-election, and that little … More Taking a Break

S3E12 Savage Sinusoid

March 24, 2021

This week finds out checking out French artist Gautier Serre, known by his stage name, Igorrr. Initially influenced by the likes of Meshuggah, Chopin, Cannibal Corpse, Bach, Domenico Scarlatti, Taraf de Haidouks and Aphex Twin, traces of these artists can be found littered across Igorrr’s discography, but Serre has never been interested in remaining static … More S3E12 Savage Sinusoid

S3E9 The Most Beautiful Moment In Life, Part 2

March 3, 2021

Merriam-Webster defines esoteric thusly: designed for or understood by the specially initiated alone. This week’s album choice, on the surface, may seem to be the antithesis of esoteric. But it is with this definition in mind that we take a look at one of, if not the biggest bands in the world: BTS. BTS (Bangtan Sonyeondan), also … More S3E9 The Most Beautiful Moment In Life, Part 2

S3E8 Mister Asylum

February 24, 2021

This week we continue our journey through Aaron’s “laid back and heavy” motif with Highly Suspect. Highly Suspect  is an American rock band from Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The band consists of twin brothers Rich (bass guitar, backing vocals) and Ryan Meyer (drums, backing vocals), Johnny Stevens (guitar, lead vocals), and Matt Kofos (guitar, synthesizer, backing vocals). After starting as a bar … More S3E8 Mister Asylum

S3E7 Cure for Pain

February 17, 2021

So, here’s the thing. Morphine was one of the best bands to come out of Boston in the 90’s. You can argue the point, and you can be wrong. Formed in 1989 by Mark Sandman, Dana Colley and Jerome Deupree, Morphine combined blues and jazz elements with more traditional rock arrangements, giving the band an unusual sound. Sandman sang distinctively in … More S3E7 Cure for Pain

S3E6 Royal Blood

February 10, 2021

This week we listen to and discuss one of Aaron’s picks: English rock duo Royal Blood. Formed in Brighton in 2011, Royal Blood consists of Mike Kerr on vocals and bass and Ben Thatcher on drums. Their sound is anchored in Kerr’s unique bass playing technique, in which he uses various effects pedals to make his electric bass sound like … More S3E6 Royal Blood

S3E5 Fresh Faced & Effervescent (with The Fairview)

February 3, 2021

This week we are joined by Nolan McGovern and Jake Perreault of The Fairview as we discuss their album Fresh Faced & Effervescent. The Fairview is a punk pop DIY outfit from Southeastern Massachusetts / Rhode Island. Started in 2014 by Nolan McGovern and his friends from high school, the amateur band played small venues, … More S3E5 Fresh Faced & Effervescent (with The Fairview)

S3E4 Safe As Milk

January 27, 2021

In September of 1967, an eccentric young musician named Don Van Vliet released his debut album under his stage moniker, Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band. That album was called Safe As Milk. Van Vliet was quite a character. He was a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and visual artist. His music blended elements of blues, free jazz, rock, and avant-garde composition … More S3E4 Safe As Milk

S3E2 The Gereg

January 13, 2021

On this week’s episode, we take a listen to The HU‘s 2019 debut album The Gereg. The HU is a band from Mongolia that blends heavy metal and traditional Mongolian throat singing. The band’s name, The HU, is the Mongolian root word for human being. They call their style “Hunnu Rock,” inspired by the Hunnu, … More S3E2 The Gereg

S3E1 You’re Gonna Miss It All

January 6, 2021

This week we revisit a Season One favorite: Modern Baseball. This time around we’re taking a look at their 2014 release “You’re Gonna Miss It All.” Like their debut album Sports (2012), You’re Gonna Miss It All was written while the band members were attending college. Unlike Sports which only featured Lukens and Ewald, “we were just excited to have a full … More S3E1 You’re Gonna Miss It All

S2E19 Goosebump

December 30, 2020

President of the Cryptic Corporation and long time manager of The Residents Homer Flynn joins us once again to discuss one of my all time favorite Resident’s albums: Goosebump. Released in 1980 as a B-side to the “Diskomo” single, the Resident’s Historical site describes Goosebump thusly: “The Residents had long planned to produce a children’s … More S2E19 Goosebump

S2E17 No Dogs Allowed

December 16, 2020

We’ve covered a fair number of Massachusetts based bands on our podcast, and this episode is no different. Although from New Jersey, our artist of the week self published her album while attending Northeastern University in Boston. Sidney Gish is an American singer-songwriter. Her first album, Ed Buys Houses, was self-released on Bandcamp in 2016. Her second album, No Dogs Allowed, was … More S2E17 No Dogs Allowed

S2E15 Wrong-Eyed Jesus (The Mysterious Tale of How I Shouted)

December 2, 2020

For our latest episode, we take a listen to one of my all time favorite musicians, the one and only Jim White. Jim’s a bit of an enigma. Categorized as Americana or alt country, Jim has a unique sound that defies an easy label. Once a professional model, for a time a New York City … More S2E15 Wrong-Eyed Jesus (The Mysterious Tale of How I Shouted)

Aaron has a new album out!

December 1, 2020

While you’re waiting for our new episode to drop, check out Aaron’s new album The Little Things, available on Bandcamp! Aaron’s running a deal, today only. Purchase an Esoterica the Podcast tee shirt or the Yuck Foo album and get a free download of The Little Things! Click here

S2E14 Dope Humor of the Seventies (w/ David Ossman)

November 25, 2020

Called “The Beatles of Comedy” by The Library of Congress, the four-man Firesign Theatre wrote and performed together for over forty years, but their early studio work (1968-1975) for Columbia Records remains their best known and most influential. Innumerable phrases from their albums have entered the English lexicon: What’s all this brouhaha? More Sugar! What you … More S2E14 Dope Humor of the Seventies (w/ David Ossman)

S2E13 Musique pour Supermarché

November 18, 2020

And now for something truly esoteric. Musique pour Supermarché (English title: Music for Supermarkets) is the sixth studio album by electronic musician and composer Jean-Michel Jarre. Only a single copy was pressed and distributed, and its master plates were deliberately destroyed. In 1983, Jean-Michel Jarre was asked to compose the background music for the supermarket-themed art exhibition Orrimbe show. Jarre agreed, recording Musique pour Supermarché (English: Music for … More S2E13 Musique pour Supermarché

S2E11 Infamous Angel

November 4, 2020

“Everybody’s wonderin’ what and where they all came from” This week’s episode once again finds us exploring the Americana genre, this time with our first look at a female artist. Iris DeMent is a two time Grammy nominee signer-songwriter. Her musical stylings incorporate elements of folk, country and gospel. “Iris DeMent makes music that celebrates … More S2E11 Infamous Angel