Interviews

Progressive thinking, thy name is Alex Lifeson. The once and forever Rush guitarist recently found new creative life within his current four-person band Envy of None, and he couldn’t be happier. In an exclusive, wide-ranging interview with AP editor Mike Mettler, Lifeson discusses how he remastered his 1996 solo album Victor specifically for a 2024 2LP vinyl reissue, his album-sequencing philosophy for Envy of None’s powerful new LP Stij(ē)ən Wāvs, what the first LP and first 45 he ever bought were, and what he hopes Rush’s enduring legacy will be. . .

The legacy of David Lynch, the inimitable audiovisual pioneer who passed away a week ago on January 15, 2025, at age 78, lives forever on — not only onscreen, but also on vinyl. In an updated historical interview with AP editor Mike Mettler, Lynch discusses the first singles he ever bought, the differences between “objective” and “subjective” science when it comes to album sequencing, and the specific way his hard-of-hearing Twin Peaks character Gordon Cole would want to listen to music. . .

The 1990s were a decade of transition. It was a time when recording artists had to figure out how to move on from MTV-era preening and get back to creating their music more for aural satisfaction, not just visual pleasure. Everclear, an alt-rock trio from Portland, Oregon, made quite a splash during the ’90s — see “Santa Monica,” “Everything to Everyone,” and “Father of Mine,” for starters — but as the calendar turned to the 2000s, bandleader and chief songwriter Art Alexakis had a vision to chronicle how his life was falling apart, in two parts. The first half of that heart-wrenching story, July 2000’s Songs From an American Movie Vol. One: Learning How to Smile, was a smash hit on CD, but it never made its way onto vinyl. Intervention Records righted that wrong back in September 2024 with their limited-edition 140g 1LP translucent yellow version of Vol. One, which is one of AP’s Best Reissues of 2024. During a recent Zoom interview with AP editor Mike Mettler, Alexakis discusses why SFAAM Vol. One sounds better on vinyl, why he always sequences his albums with vinyl in mind, and if a second LP of the overarching SFAAM storyline is in the offing.. . .

JD Souther, a consummate American songwriter known for co-writing hits and choice deep cuts for (and with) the Eagles as well as for his poignant collaborations with James Taylor, Roy Orbison, and onetime life partner Linda Ronstadt, passed away at age 78 at his home in New Mexico on September 17, 2024. In an updated and expanded interview with AP editor Mike Mettler, Souther discussed his appreciation for good turntables and mastering for vinyl, how long it took “New Kid in Town” (one of the many hit Eagles songs he co-wrote) to finally come to full fruition, and what artists/producers must do to make “great” vinyl masters. . .

Bassist Roger Glover is the secret sauce of Deep Purple. His pub-rock roots fuel the sonic elixir that gives Purple’s musical bouillabaisse blend of rock, classical, and progressive the extra oomph it needs — and it’s something that’s well in evidence on Deep Purple’s latest, and 23rd, studio LP, the 180g 45rpm 2LP set named/numeraled = 1, which was released by earMUSIC/Edel on July 19, 2024. On a recent Zoom call with AP editor Mike Mettler, Glover discussed his instinctual connection with drummer Ian Paice, which version of the band’s classic 1972 LP Machine Head is his favorite, and what vintage Deep Purple albums he’d like to remix himself. . .

Bill Payne is a glue guy — as in, the co-founding keyboardist of Little Feat is the connective tissue that sweetens the musical pot of everything he touches, something that’s in full effect on Little Feat’s new 145g studio LP, Sam’s Place. In a recent Zoom interview with AP editor Mike Mettler, Payne discussed how Sam’s Place came together so instinctively, what some of his favorite vintage Little Feat tracks are on vinyl and why, and how the band mixes complexity and beauty together to create such a signature sound. . .

Sometimes, musicians come together at a specific moment in time and capture lightning in a pop bottle. Such was the case with Tinted Windows, the unfortunately short-lived post-punk power-pop foursome that came together in 2009 and was comprised of the late, great bassist/composer Adam Schlesinger (Fountains of Wayne), guitarist James Iha (The Smashing Pumpkins), lead vocalist Taylor Hanson (Hanson), and drummer Bun E. Carlos (Cheap Trick). In honor of the self-titled album’s 15th anniversary, BMG is releasing Tinted Windows on vinyl for the first time on April 20, 2024, as a Record Store Day Exclusive in a limited edition of 1,800 copies. In a recent Zoom interview with AP editor Mike Mettler, Hanson discussed how rewarding it’s been to finally have Tinted Windows available on vinyl, how the “bliss” of record listening is inevitably intertwined with the vinyl experience, and how the very existence of music helps further the tenets of human connection. . .