The Vinyl Guide - Artist Interviews for Record Collectors and Music Nerds

Neurosis's Steve Von Till reveals how the band secretly rebuilt itself, creating a career-defining album and making future plans for the Neurosis victory-lap that few thought possible.
Topics Include:
The Secret recording of An Undying Love for a Burning World
Neurosis walked away seven years ago under uncertain circumstances
Four remaining members reunited quietly at end of 2024
Aaron Turner brought in to help complete the musical puzzle
Reunion tied to Firekeeper Alliance, a suicide-prevention nonprofit
Heavy music framed as protective factor for indigenous mental health
Steve reflects on tribal rhythms and humanity's forgotten earth connection
Band knew instantly the new material had to be Neurosis
Reunion forced confrontation with ego, identity, and aging as musicians
Firekeeper Alliance's Fire in the Mountains offer pushed them forward
Album written and recorded in secret across three studio sessions
Secrecy maintained even among close friends touring together in Australia
Fan reaction described as unexpectedly emotional, healing, and hope-filled
Steve discusses reduced stigma around vulnerability in heavy music today
Vinyl pressing strategy explained: budget-driven first run, quick sellout
Running Neurot Recordings on a teacher's salary, tight cash flow
Multiple color variants pressed across regional distributors and mail orders
Debate over black vs. clear vinyl sound quality explored
Steve's approach to buying vinyl: music over pressing obsession
Talk turns to Melvins, Hazel Meyer, and DIY label camaraderie
Where the line sits between fan service and variant exploitation
Vinyl side-length considerations shaped decision to make a double LP
Aaron Turner's artwork process detailed, sketched live in the studio
Album title changed at the last minute, forcing new artwork
Neurosis' visual style rooted in myth, symbolism, and Jungian archetypes
Older catalog rights partly held by Relapse and other labels
Steve wants a "forever version" repress of the band's earliest albums
Original master tapes and artwork found corrupted or lost to time
Talk closes on solo tour plans and hopes for Australia
High resolution version of this podcast is available at: www.Patreon.com/VinylGuide
Apple: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-ios
Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-spot
Amazon Music: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-amazon
Support the show at Patreon.com/VinylGuide

Comedian Shapel Lacey discusses the power of music, inspiration and how a 1981 Black Flag video sparked a lifelong punk obsession that shaped his identity, art, and resilience.
Shapel Lacey tour dates  |  comedy special  |  Mad Peaceful band
Topics Include:
Talks local record stores, Amoeba, old Sunset location
Discovers deep-cut Swedish hardcore at Eastside Records, Arizona
Reflects on pre-streaming era, hunting records in person
Notices rosary on Crash's grave, debates his beliefs
Traces punk discovery to junior high guitar class
Friend introduces him to ska punk, then Black Flag
Watches 1981 Target video of Rollins-era Black Flag
Rise Above vocals trigger emotional, tearful revelation
Explains Black Flag filled a void from turbulent childhood
Contrasts Korn/Deftones' anger with punk's empowering message
Credits Rollins with teaching self-understanding and personal growth
Recalls performing onstage with Rollins at Ohio festival
Anger management counselor used Rollins to redirect his aggression
Growing up Black, punk, skateboarding in Arizona desert
Faced criticism from all sides for musical taste
Explored funk, hip-hop, grunge without genre boundaries
Connects N.W.A. and Black Flag's shared themes of injustice
Discusses punk and hip-hop confronting police brutality parallels
Champions open-mindedness across seemingly opposite music scenes
Describes local DIY scene at Mesa's Nile basement
Panhandled for five dollars to attend all-ages shows
Cheerleading came after punk, called "most punk rock" act
Discusses tattoos, straight-edge culture, Minor Threat connection
Shares personal encounters meeting Henry Rollins and Ian MacKaye
Praises Rollins and MacKaye's discipline, historical knowledge, friendship
Draws parallels between punk and comedy's DIY authenticity
Talks band Mad Peaceful, growing sold-out comedy success
Discusses Australia tour interest, interview wrap up
High resolution version of this podcast is available at: www.Patreon.com/VinylGuide
Apple: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-ios
Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-spot
Amazon Music: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-amazon
Support the show at Patreon.com/VinylGuide

Blues legend Taj Mahal shares rare stories about Jimi Hendrix, the Rolling Stones, and the unreleased Bill Withers song that shaped his stunning new record.
Topics Include:
Taj Mahal discusses his new album, Time, and its origins
Reveals his decades-long friendship and mutual respect with Bill Withers
Explains how Bill Withers heard and loved this unreleased demo
Bill Withers' wife gave final approval before the song's release
Withers walked away from music rather than change his sound
Why the industry pushed Withers to sound more commercial
Taj shares why vinyl beats digital for capturing real sound
Breaks down the "bell curve" problem with digital audio quality
Approaches albums as full journeys, not three-minute singles
Reveals how effortlessly he sequences songs like a live set
Traces his musical roots to a tight-knit 1940s community
Recalls learning piano, clarinet, trombone before finding the guitar
Explains how guitar evolved from rhythm to lead instrument
Names the blues legends who shaped his earliest influences
Credits Ray Charles as one of his deepest musical influences
Shares rare stories of jamming with Jimi Hendrix live
Discusses bootlegs, tape trading, and the ethics of live recordings
Compares the Grateful Dead's bootleg policy to other artists
Tells the wild story of Rolling Stones' Rock and Roll Circus
Recalls dancing Stones and Clapton watching him at the Whisky
Explains how British rockers reintroduced blues to American audiences
Describes his first-class trip to London and Stones' hospitality
Reveals why Labor of Love was released only on vinyl
Shares the surprising stat: vinyl never drops below 6% globally
Talks new tour dates and hopes to return to Australia
Photo by Mike Coeyman
High resolution version of this podcast is available at: www.Patreon.com/VinylGuide
Apple: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-ios
Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-spot
Amazon Music: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-amazon
Support the show at Patreon.com/VinylGuide

Everlast traces his journey from Rhyme Syndicate graffiti kid to House of Pain to solo artist, revealing how Jump Around's success gave him the freedom to never chase a hit again.
New LP "Embers to Ashes" available here
Topics Include:
Everlast's new album Embers to Ashes drops August 28th with vinyl available
He collects art and guitars, not records — leaves vinyl to the DJs
His guitar collection spans vintage Fender Strats, Gretsch Falcons, and Martin acoustics
Grew up immersed in graffiti culture, his kids are graffiti artists too
His house is essentially a private gallery of graffiti and street art
Music was always on — mom loved R&B and doo-wop, dad loved Southern rock
His dad had a guitar; Everlast taught himself basic chords by watching TV
Hip hop took over at 15, but guitar quietly stayed in his life
He plays guitar like a drummer — rhythm-first, not melody-first
The breakthrough came post-House of Pain: suddenly he could play and sing simultaneously
Whitey Ford Sings the Blues was conceived as hip hop — "What It's Like" changed everything
Jump Around's success gave him the financial freedom to never chase it again
He and Muggs deliberately made each subsequent record darker and more distant from it
Soul Assassins kept management out of sessions — artistic control was non-negotiable
His first ever rhyme came from tagging alongside Divine Styler and the Rhyme Syndicate crew
Danny Boy introduced him to punk — Bad Brains and the LA hardcore scene
His debut solo record split between pure artistic vision and label-pleasing compromises
Tommy Boy won his loyalty over bigger-money offers purely on cultural credibility
Just Another Victim with Helmet emerged organically on the Judgment Night soundtrack
Lethal sampled and slowed Helmet's track, then sandwiched both versions together
After eight-plus years away, Yellow Wolf simply asked "why don't you make a record?"
COVID, divorce, and losing his house shaped the emotional landscape of the new album
Yellow Wolf pushed him to fully sing — his strongest vocal performance on record
A near-miss connection to the Bataclan attack was redirected by a last-minute camera detour
He's got shows booked and eyes a final solo acoustic tour as his ultimate bookend
High resolution version of this podcast is available at: www.Patreon.com/VinylGuide
Apple: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-ios
Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-spot
Amazon Music: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-amazon
Support the show at Patreon.com/VinylGuide

Peter Hook reflects on 50 years of music, the emotional weight of performing Joy Division and New Order live, and the many memories and ghosts of his past.
Tickets for Peter Hook & The Light, Australia 2026
Topics Include:
New Order toured Australia as early as 1982, helped by Factory Australasia's local support.
Hooky calls Australia the only place he never wants to leave — he still suffers leaving every time.
Peter Hook and the Light played their seventh-ever gig in Melbourne on their first Australian tour.
He is now working through every New Order and Joy Division album ever recorded live.
Get Ready features songs never played live as New Order, with Steve Morris largely absent during recording.
The band's Grammy came from Orgy's heavy metal cover of Blue Monday — Hook loves the weird covers most.
He revealed a plan to stage a full New Order classical concert, eyeing the Sydney Opera House.
Ian Curtis performed with absolute conviction every single night — something Bernard Sumner couldn't match early on.
Hook recalls first seeing Ian smash up a venue at 2:30am, dancing through broken tables — terrifying and electrifying.
That chaotic Stiff/Chiswick talent show led directly to Rob Gretton becoming Joy Division's manager.
Ian's lyrics, Hook says, are heartbreaking up close — Love Will Tear Us Apart masks devastating words in euphoric music.
Singing Ian's words himself has given Hook a profound new insight into what Curtis was actually expressing.
Tony Wilson signed them with a handshake — no contracts — while other labels arrived with thick legal documents.
Bernard Sumner found the Unknown Pleasures pulsar image in a textbook; nobody planned the iconic sleeve.
Hooky was actually sued for bootlegging the Unknown Pleasures artwork — which Factory themselves had originally stolen.
Ian Curtis reportedly wrote a letter complaining about how Closer sounded — a detail Hook only learned years later.
During Closer sessions, Curtis was being torn apart: marriage collapsing, new love, epilepsy worsening, the band pushing forward.
Hook deeply regrets not seeing Ian before his cremation — but a gravedigger privately told him where Curtis is actually buried.
The inquest into Ian's death so disgusted the band they decided on the spot to continue as New Order.
Joy Division was deliberately boxed away for 30 years; Bernard called playing those songs "miserable" and refused to continue.
Bobby Gillespie suggested the album playback concept so Hook could faithfully recreate Martin Hannett's studio sound live.
Watching his son learn Joy Division bass lines at the same age Hook was then felt like staring into the past.
Performing these songs, Hook says he is "living surrounded by ghosts" of collaborators now gone.
The K-93 sessions saw Killing Joke's Geordie Walker move into Hook's Manchester home for six weeks, causing complete chaos.
Those lost K-93 tapes mysteriously surfaced after the label went bankrupt — and Jaz Coleman promptly went silent again.
High resolution version of this podcast is available at: www.Patreon.com/VinylGuide
Apple: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-ios
Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-spot
Amazon Music: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-amazon
Support the show at Patreon.com/VinylGuide