MPS MIXTAPE PRESERVATION SOCIETY HOUR 19

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Looks like I picked the wrong month to start making shorter podcasts...

To be fair, Hour 19 is short about ten minutes... but it's also Part One of at least an epic two-parter. But my guest and I had a lot to discuss: Nicholas Culp is not only an accomplished jazz pianist and record label owner, but our friendship goes back to the early '90s. We were in a shabby high school garage band together, and over the years Nicholas has taken his passion for music (jazz in particular) to its logical extension. So this marks the first podcast I've done with someone with whom I have a history-- every other podcast has been with someone I met in Indianapolis, whereas Nicholas and I both grew up in the San Fernando Valley.

Go to Gutbucketrecords.com for more information on Nick's mission statement and details on how to purchase his album, The Culprit's Blues, released in vinyl and digital formats. Nick goes into detail during the podcast on the process he employed in order to produce and create a true analog recording that paid tribute to the studio techniques of classic jazz producers such as Rudy Van Gelder.

I also play a bit of music from the shabby garage band days, a silly little ditty entitled "WHY???" Ironically, Nick is not featured on the recording I used, but he was part of the line-up that played the novelty tune live several times. Compared to Nick's current output it's sophomoric and juvenile, but as we'll see in the second part next week, that kind of stuff was par for the course in our formative years.

Of the three songs I selected from Nick's album, only one of them ("Fantastic Dance") is played in its entirety. I would love to devote the entire podcast to just playing the album in its entirety, but it can be listened to on the Gutbucket website. The interview is the thing here, and the music serves as an excellent underscore to his recollections. The other two songs played during the podcast are "Division St." and "Tic Tac Toe" respectively.

I hope this particular podcast strikes a chord with listeners out there. It is the  most intimate and personal episode yet, and I cannot thank Nick Culp enough for taking the time to sit down with me and shoot the breeze.

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