#36: We Listen, We Shake

Digital Music on Your Old Ass Stereo, Peak Panic & a Post Punk Jam Band

Welcome back to the Ambient Audiophile—a safe space for admitting that you think Dylan hasn’t been very good since the 90s and that’s ok.

This week’s episode of The Trailhead featured a lot of guitar; from a long, mesmerizing acoustic piece from Alan Licht’s new VDSQ LP Havens, to the immersive and spellbinding new Trey ambient LP on Rubber Jungle to a fuzzy and righteous jam off Ava Mendoza’s forthcoming Palailia record The Circular Train, we covered a lot of six-string ground. We also played the stunning new single from Beacon-based psychedelic singer-songwriter Julie Beth Napolin’s forthcoming Silver Current LP Only the Void Stands Between Us, some more new Chuck Johnson, Moscow’s Frunk29 and a seriously awesome new jam from Chicago guitar genius Jake Acosta, whose new self-released album of post-Göttsching technicolor sounds needs to be heard by everyone immediately. 

Have a listen to the show here and peep the tracklist below. And if you haven’t already, please make a free Mixcloud account and give us a follow over there and like and repost the shows. It really helps spread the word. 

1. Alan Licht - Nonchalant - Havens (VDSQ, 2024) 00:00

2. Trey Anastasio - Phish Sphere Loop 2 - Atriums (Rubber Jungle, 2024) 16:59 

3. Channelers - What Need Not Be Kept - Ringing In An Open Sky (Inner Islands, 2024) 38:15 

4. Günter Schlienz - Kurorchester - Kurpark (Lighten Up Sounds, 2024) 43:30 

5. Prairiewolf - Another Tomorrow - Deep Time (Centripetal Force/Worried Songs, 2024) 47:24 50:12

6. Ava Mendoza - Dust From the Mines - The Circular Train (Palilalia, 2024) 50:12 

7. Julie Beth Napolin - Only the Void Stands Between Us - Only the Void Stands Between Us (Silver Current, 2024) 1:05:26 1:10:35

8. Chuck Johnson - Broken Spectre - Sun Glories (Western Vinyl, 2024)  1:10:35 

9. Psychedelic Source - You and Me and the Goat Makes Three - Recorded at the Goatfarm (Psychedelic Source, 2024) 1:17:34 

10. BASIC - Versatile Switch - This is BASIC (No Quarter, 2024) 1:37:27

11. Frunk29 - Prt2 - Drifting Horses (Not Not Fun, 2024) 1:43:05 

1. Jake Acosta - Hirsuit - Indumentum (Self, 2024) 1:49:30

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A reader recently recently reached out for some advice on the best way to play his digital music on his non-streaming stereo/amplifier.

This is something I think about a lot when considering how you all listen to digital music. I shudder to think of people listening to all the amazing music released on Bandcamp, that’s available via the Live Music Archive, or my little radio show on laptop speakers. Or, and this is possibly the worst, via their tiny, tinny phone speakers. 

While I have yet to investigate a proper streamer (I’ve been working on it), I’ve been pretty happy with running a USB out of my MacBook Air to my DAC (MHDT Orchid). From my DAC I run two RCAs (Pine Tree Audio) to my integrated amp. If I happen to be streaming, the Apple AirPlay does well being controlled by my phone on the couch and while it may not be completely lossless, it’s damn close. The best, of course, is downloaded uncompressed files—I simply play these with the free VLC player on my laptop. This is cool because it makes me less likely to jump around tracks as that would necessitate a jump off the couch. 

I’m ashamed to admit I’m sometimes too lazy to hook the laptop up (insane, I know) and I do use a Bluetooth receiver that runs an optical line out to my DAC. To me, this is the only acceptable way to do it as you’re losing so much sound quality from bluetooth already, you can;t let your BT receiver’s cheap little DAC mangle a diminished signal even further. 

I currently use the previous generation of this receiver from Dayton Audio. Besides the crazily bright LED lights on front, it is a fine piece of gear that connects to my devices quickly and easily. The range is somewhat limited so if you’re looking to be more than 15 feet away it might not be your solution. 

Again, avoid Bluetooth as much as you can, but if you can’t, look for a receiver that has a digital output and pair it with a Schiit Modi or an SMSL/Topping DAC. You can get lost in the weeds researching DACs but these are solid first steps into upgrading your digital game. 

I hope this helps some heads out there. 

As always, I’d love to hear how you play your digital music at home. Leave a note in the comments!

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Photo via PanicStream

Ever since picking up the Everyday album a few months ago, I’ve been exploring Widespread Panic in 1993. Thanks to the ReListen app, I can easily check out recordings while walking or commuting and the “this day in history” feature is often the first filter I use when looking for something to jam. 

This morning, the band’s 9/25/93 show from the Township Auditorium in Columbia, South Carolina was featured so I dove in. Thanks to PanicStream, the show is available to stream in Soundboard (SBD) format, and it is indeed crystal clear. 

There’s some level variance during first set opener ‘Holden Oversoul’ but by the time ‘Hatfield’ hits, everything is sounding just exactly perfect and you’re treated to a mighty fine reading of one of the band’s signature tunes. The much-missed atmospheric blue and green streaks of Mikey Houser’s playing are so sweetly captured on this tape, it’s a great entry point for Panic newbies.

Setlists from this era are never ever disappointing or disjointed and showcase the band’s excellent songwriting and energy. Yes, there are jams, but the most notable thing about these shows is the incredible flow from song to song. Even if there isn’t a segue, every piece makes sense in relation to the one before and after. Highlights are many and include the ferocious ‘Send Your Mind’, a truly free wheeling ‘Driving Song > Junior > Driving Song’, and a deeply soulful ‘Pilgrims’. 

I don’t know what Brat summer is/was but I’m feeling a Panic Autumn, that’s for sure. 

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Ace Bandage

Maybe it’s because they started up after I moved out of town and I haven’t been able to catch them live but I was long overdue to check out Brooklyn’s Ace Bandage.

I threw on one of their recordings the other day and it really is a refreshing and fun take on jambanding. Ace Bandage feel way more like some late 80s/early 90s SST band than any number of the groups duking it out on the pH scale hoping for a nod from Tom Marshall’s podcast. 

This tape opens with a loose but spirited take on the great Sheryl Crow song ‘My Favorite Mistake’. The 1998 hit is just about perfect and I’m glad Ace Bandage know this and honor it. Oh, yeah, this band does lots of covers. Some I recognize off the bat (Pink Floyd’s Fearless, Buzzcocks’ ‘Why Can’t I Touch It’, and Sam the Sham and the Pharoahs’ ‘Wooly Bully’) but there are probably many I don’t. These are hardcore music dudes from Brooklyn, they’re gonna know and deploy lots of deep shit. From there we get to the jams. The ‘Waterfall’ (Stone Roses) -> ‘Fearless’ segment is bloody fantastic. I mean, I’m sorry, but no band in the jam scene is covering The Stone Roses. Hell, I doubt any of them even know who the Stone Roses are. The jam after Fearless starts range-y and gets funky in the middle before spacing out and dissolving into Gingerly—a nice little ditty that maybe is an original? Whatever it is, it ends in a little krautrock boogie and it’s great.

The show goes on from there to more neat and unexpected places and it nevers gets stale or lethargic. Everything is played with spirit and reverence and it feels really good to listen to.

Ace Bandage may be the first post-punk jam band. I’d be unsurprised if they toss out Wire or Magazine covers on the regular. Acknowledging and embracing more niche subgenres of rock is a great move and it shows the band’s depth of knowledge and skill as players and listeners.

Check out the show I’ve been talking about here on Archive and cruise their Bandcamp for more excellent music.