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

John McCrea of CAKE discusses their elusive catalogue on vinyl, rarities of the band, upcoming Australian tour, new recordings, record nerdery and more.
Tickets & info on CAKE's Australian tour is here
Topics Include:
John McCrae discusses collecting records, revisiting old favorites like Perez Prado
He describes "chasing goosebumps" — the feeling of rediscovering great music
Shares vivid teenage memory seeing Led Zeppelin at Knebworth, England
Recalls dancing to washing machine rinse cycles as a toddler
Names early formative records: Beatles, Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie, Arlo Guthrie
His parents played accordion and folk guitar, shaping his musicality
Discusses his dad's Eastern European minor-key accordion versus polka music
Talks about "Rancho Seco," his first recorded song, a protest track
Song addressed a nuclear plant illegally releasing radioactive steam locally
Connects Dylan influence and poets to his built-in social justice streak
Reflects on growing up near Sacramento, Berkeley, and Nevada City, California
Compares old Bay Area culture to today's flashier Silicon Valley wealth
Describes Cake's early '90s formation, self-financed four-song EP release
EP funded through show earnings and merch, later expanded into album
Album got European distribution and unexpected early popularity in France
"Rock and Roll Lifestyle" got college radio play before wider fame
Cake signed to Capricorn Records, a small Southern rock label
East Bay Ray advised McCrea to fight for keeping album masters
McCrae says most bands don't retain their masters like Cake did
Vinyl of Cake albums historically hard to find, tied up licensing
Discusses 2014 box set now reselling for $700–$1,000 secondhand
New Cake album is finished, awaiting mixing, targeted early 2027
Explains he avoids forced album themes, focuses song by song
Reflects on why Cake albums come infrequently, citing family, industry fatigue
Criticizes modern music industry as increasingly exploitative and financially unsustainable
Explains reduced touring due to travel dislike and environmental concerns
Considers eco-friendly vinyl options and shifting kids' preference toward CDs
Discusses Cake's DIY visual identity, homemade posters, and lino-cut aesthetic
Talks rare live vinyl pressings, including $300 Crystal Palace release
Wraps up promoting Cake's Australian tour dates and Sydney ticket sales
High resolution version of this podcast is available at: www.Patreon.com/VinylGuide
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Support the show at Patreon.com/VinylGuide

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
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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
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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