Transmissions Podcast :: Gillian Welch / Shinya Fukumori Trio / Marissa Anderson

And we’re back. Welcome to the May edition of the Aquarium Drunkard Transmissions podcast, our recurring series of conversations and audio esoterica. On this program, we’re joined by singer/songwriter Gillian Welch. Along with her partner David Rawlings, Welch has tapped into the wellspring of American vernacular music. Her albums — including 2001’s Time (The Revelator) and 2011’s The Harrow & the Harvest — are part of one of the strongest bodies of work in modern folk music. Welch is about to hit the road with Rawlings, embarking on a series of “An Evening With” dates June through October, and this summer sees the vinyl reissue of her 2003 LP Soul Journey. We spoke to Welch via phone about her attention to the long player, album-length statement. Then, we have a review of the release by the Shinya Fukumori Trio, For 2 Akis by writer and head of Footfalls Records Leah Toth; released by the stalwart ECM label, the new release unites players from France, Germany, and Japan for a quiet, but subtly immersive new album, produced by ECM head Manfred Eicher. And we close out this month’s episode with a conversation recorded live backstage with Marisa Anderson. She’s one of the most engaging solo guitarists in the field today, blending blues, folk, and country forms into political and personal statements. On June 15, she releases her debut for Thrill Jockey Records, Cloud Corner. A meditative and peaceful record, the record serves as a respite from the constant noise of our modern times. We spoke with Anderson about the need for those kinds of musical spaces, the influence of science fiction on her work, and her subversive reinterpretation of traditional and public domain music.