Petal Motel contributor and author, photographer, wanderer, and all-around brilliant creative Roberto Johnson was kind enough to interview Clay Finch and Sam Blasucci about their new record, Swinging Stars. Mapache has been dear to my heart ever since I saw Sam and Clay singing under the stars at Landers Brew Co. (RIP) here in the desert, long before it became my home. Mapache is integral to the overall web of Petal Motel and I can’t believe it took this long to get them on here. Read on as Roberto inquires the source about their magic. Mapache’s music is the heartbeat…

This review and Q&A were written by Nick, who runs The Third Eye psychedelic rock blog. Nick is a Philadelphia-area native who recently moved to Tennessee with his wife and two fuzzy children. Since moving to his new home, Nick’s enjoyed being surrounded by honky-tonks in the Nashville area, listening to WMOT Roots Radio, and being closer to the birthplace of country music. MARIPOSA GOLD by TOMMY AND THE OHS Through the usual Nashville scene, Nick met Thomas Oliverio, a Nashville-based producer who’s the frontman for Tommy and The Ohs, who released their debut album Mariposa Gold in early 2022…

Wes Tirey comes back to the Petal Motel podcast [virtual] studio for our first podcast episode since 2021. We talk about his 2019 album No Winners in the Blues which was just re-issued on wax on Full Spectrum Records. Wes is a unique songwriter and this album is especially unique as a departure from his usual literary style of writing character songs. No Winners is intensely personal, stark, and as textural as the pairing of Wes’s gorgeous acoustic plucking alongside Shane Parish’s electric stylings, there is a quiet, evocative emptiness in this album, creating an empathetic listening experience. The re-issue…

In the second single of a pair from Hataałii (produced by Joel Jerome, a favorite LA-based indie rock producer), he weaves a dreamlike, sensuous poetic world. The prolific young musician continues on his musical trajectory after several previous full-length releases including Banana Boy, Painting Portraits, his latest self-titled record, and a duet record with Jakob. Hear the song here – and read about Hataałii’s creative process in his own words. 👇 Cover photo credit to Shaun Price. President's Got Me All Night Long by Hataałii Your lyrics seem so dream/stream-of-consciousness like. How do lyrics come to you?I usually write the…

In this interview, I ask Greg Loiacono all about the Mother Hips’ new album, Glowing Lantern, made in the midst of the pandemic and embracing the collaborative spirit of the Hips’ youth. I also ask Greg for lots of musical advice, and later we’re joined by Tim Bluhm. The two share memories from their 30+ year career as professional musicians, including how they met and learned from each other back at Chico State, and the secrets to staying together as a band for so long. Thanks to Greg and Tim for joining, and please check out Glowing Lantern, out now…

Josh Kimbrough’s solo debut record Slither, Soar & Disappear was one of my very favorite albums that came out on Tompkins Square in 2020, and now it’s being issued on vinyl via Worried Songs. Josh’s guitar-based record isn’t like all the others. There’s no lonesomeness like many records we love via Tompkins Square. Instead, there’s a familial coziness, a very down-home feel balanced with finesse and elegance; and reading his track by track description of the album helps us understand why. In Josh’s own words, here are the stories behind this timeless collection of songs; and after you grab the…

Last week, Devin Hoff released Voices From the Empty Moor (Songs of Anne Briggs) on Kill Rock Stars. Devin is a storied solo bassist as well as a collaborator with a range of artists as far-reaching as Yoko Ono, Nels Cline, Cibo Matto and Mike Watt. After decades of intense fascination with Anne Briggs, Devin tapped talented friends like Julia Holter, Shannon Lay and Sharon Van Etten to release 9 loving tributes to the British folk musician who’s continued to touch audiences far and wide since the 1960s. As a lover of British folk and the current folk-revival-revival we’re currently…

This Friday, Pelt releases their latest recording Reticence / Resistance as part of the Three Lobed Recording’s 20-year anniversary series. It’s also the first Pelt release since 2012, and the 18th record in their nearing-30-year run, never minding the numerous overlapping projects of each individual member and in other iterations and formations. The family tree of Pelt is immense and continues to stretch its branches, rooted in the Virginia soil despite the migratory sprawl and evolution of its members. I spoke with Mikel Dimmick and Nathan Bowles, two “newer” members of the band (they have only been in the band…