Hey there, Late Era fans! Check out the first episode of our new fiction podcast Sugar Maple, starring Fred Savage. If you like what you hear, be sure to subscribe to hear where the story goes from here! In the series premiere, we meet our narrator, Terrance Woodridge, who brings us a tale he’s chased down: the story of Sugar Maple, the guitar of legend with a timeless sound that's passed from hand to hand over the years. In this episode, we go back to 1951 and hear the story of "Sweet Licks"...

Breaking Waves: Seattle is the story of the scene that defined rock in the ‘90s. The show traces the roots of grunge, and details the rise and fall of the Seattle scene, and concludes with a look forward, examining the legacy of grunge and highlighting the current and emerging artists who will create Seattle’s next breaking wave. Produced for Audacy by Osiris Media.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In the gripping Late Era season finale, the core trio is joined by music critic Mark Richardson (@MarkRichardson) to discuss the polarizing, blockbuster work of Eric Clapton in the 1990s. It was a time when his MTV Unplugged set launched him to new commercial heights, and his mysterious electronic project T.D.F. propelled him into strange creative depths. The focus of our discussion is 1998’s Pilgrim, his futuristic, adult contemporary attempt to make the “saddest album ever written.” Did he...

In 2005, the English art-rock legend Kate Bush returned after a hiatus that spanned more than a decade to release Aerial, one of her most ambitious and mystifying albums. Joined by critic and journalist Jude Rogers (@juderogers), the Late Era trio discusses this magnificent double album: a conceptual opus that incorporates birdsong, a recitation of the digits of pi, and tributes to Elvis Presley and Kate Bush’s son (and frequent collaborator) Albert, aka Bertie. During the conversation, we...

Jay-Z in the 2010s and beyond embodies the sort of imperial excess we’ve generally associated with rock and capital-P Pop musicians on this podcast so far. He’d already ascended the highest mountains of success. The budgets were virtually unlimited, and the hits were still coming. But somewhere along the way, he lost touch with the essential spark of his artistry. Rapper, comedian, and podcast mogul Open Mike Eagle (@Mike_Eagle) joins us for a frank discussion of Magna Carta Holy Grail—the...

In 2004, Loretta Lynn collaborated with Jack White for Van Lear Rose, a surprise critical and commercial comeback that helped secure the country icon’s legacy in the 21st century. Putting a focus on her gifts as a songwriter and backed by the kind of rootsy, stripped-back blues-rock that the White Stripes made their name on, it is a singular and strange moment in Lynn’s remarkable catalog. Joined by music journalist Allison Hussey (@allisonhussey), the Late Era trio discusses the pros and...

The long, strange career of Van Morrison has given the hosts of Late Era plenty to talk about, and on this very special episode, we discuss his uncommonly topical new album. Latest Record Project Volume 1 is a 28-track, two-hour dump of anti-lockdown protest songs, soulless blues vamps, and unfiltered rants that range from alt-right conspiracy theories to bitter musings about his ex-wife. An abysmal document of an aging artist’s worst tendencies, it inspires the Late Era boys to pose a...

Sir Paul McCartney presents a fascinating point-and-counterpoint in the Late Era canon. 2018’s elaborate, pop-leaning Egypt Station and 2020’s looser, homemade follow-up McCartney III pose a series of existential quandaries: Which type of album is preferable from our rock gods? And at a certain point, how much of a difference is there between the two? Plus a rare visit from our producer Ian, a touching letter from a long-time listener, and a frank conversation about one of Macca’s worst songs...

Joined by New Orleans singer and songwriter Dawn Richard (also known as DΔWN - @DawnRichard), the Late Era crew dives into Damita Jo, Janet Jackson’s conceptual, suite-like 2004 album. Released shortly after her scandalous Super Bowl performance and unfairly eclipsed by an intense industry backlash, it is a fascinating document of a fearless artist at a crossroads. We reflect on Janet’s career-long battles against the mainstream, her ever-inventive choreography, and her lasting influence on...

Joined by New Orleans singer and songwriter Dawn Richard (also known as DΔWN - @DawnRichard), the Late Era crew dives into Damita Jo, Janet Jackson’s conceptual, suite-like 2004 album. Released shortly after her scandalous Super Bowl performance and unfairly eclipsed by an intense industry backlash, it is a fascinating document of a fearless artist at a crossroads. We reflect on Janet’s career-long battles against the mainstream, her ever-inventive choreography, and her lasting influence on...

Show a little faith, there’s magic in the ’90s! The core trio makes a thematic detour to discuss a pair of mid-career Bruce Springsteen albums—1992’s Human Touch and Lucky Town—as we investigate the “late-era energy” of these divisive pivot points following his triumphant run in the ’70s and ’80s. Why did he ditch the E Street Band for an army of Los Angeles session musicians? How did he end up releasing two albums at once? What do we think of “57 Channels (And Nothin’ On)?” In a...

The Late Era crew is joined by the hilarious and insightful Gregg Turkington (Neil Hamburger, On Cinema) to discuss a late-career landmark by Frank Sinatra. Best known for featuring Ol’ Blue Eyes’ immortal rendition of “Theme From New York, New York,” 1980’s Trilogy: Past, Present, Future is a surreal, self-referential, and strangely moving triple album organized through the lens of Sinatra’s own experience in show business. This means we get a selection of standards, some fresh takes on...

When we finished taping our Season Two premiere on Santana’s Supernatural, we realized we had too much good material for one episode. So this week we’re airing a bonus episode featuring our full interview with guitarist Matt Sweeney (Superwolf, Chavez) and many other great projects, which you heard snippets from in the premiere. We talk plenty of Santana, but also get into stranger waters, including Matt’s high school days hanging with Dean and Gene Ween, his forthcoming duo album with Bonnie...

The bad boys of podcasting are back to discuss the fantasies and delusions of late-career musicians. With insight from guitarist Matt Sweeney (Superwolf, Chavez), the Season Two premiere focuses on Santana’s star-studded comeback smash, 1999’s Supernatural. Which of these unlikely collaborations fares best? Is Carlos Santana’s guitar tone similar to Robert Fripp’s? Has his entire career been guided by angels? In what way is “Smooth,” featuring Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty, like Shrek? Who...

The podcast bad boys that you knew are back….Late Era Season 2, coming Thursday, March 11!   Late Era is hosted by Andy Cush (Garcia Peoples, Pitchfork), Sam Sodomsky (The Bird Calls, Pitchfork, Various Publications), and Winston Cook-Wilson (Office Culture, Winston C.W., Various Publications). Late Era is Co-produced, mixed, and mastered by Ian Wayne.   Please consider reviewing this podcast on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. We invite you to join us for Season 2 - Episode...

On Late Era’s Season One Finale, we’re joined by brilliant pianist, composer, and Long Islander Kelly Moran for a discussion of Fantasies & Delusions, Billy Joel’s final album to date, a collection of faux-classical instrumentals for solo piano. We attempt to engage earnestly with his uncanny compositions—which include blatant attempts to mimic heavy-hitters like Beethoven and Bach—but soon fall into our own fantasies, imagining Joel as a Citizen Kane-like figure, alone in his mansion,...

Joined by special guest Ryley Walker, the hosts discuss the long, strange career of beach bum icon Jimmy Buffett. Exploring the longevity of his brand and the cult-like devotion of the Parrothead community, we dive into his 1996 album Banana Wind, a collection featuring a legendary steel drum player, a rap verse, and a song about an unfortunate plane ride with Bono that ended in gunfire. The conversation also turns toward Buffett’s connections to the Grateful Dead, the subtle complexities of...

This week, we’re taking on a record that has perversely fascinated us for years: Honkin’ on Bobo, Aerosmith’s misguided attempt to capture the bluesy essence of rock’n’roll. If the blues is raw, this was microwaved twice. If the blues is about pain, this is about getting paid and getting back to your yacht. Through Bobo, we try to understand why so many aging white rockers start wearing fedoras and professing their affinity for rural Black musicians of yesteryear, and why anyone might enjoy...

Do you belieeeve in life after Late Era? This week, we’re joined by Rolling Stone staff writer Brittany Spanos for an episode that’s all about Cher. The pop icon’s entire discography could be seen as a series of late era comebacks, culminating with 1998’s ‘Believe,’ her biggest album ever, released over three decades into her career. Its iconic title track, the first single ever to use Auto-Tune as a deliberate creative effect, rewrote the pop music playbook for decades to come. After that...

We’ve spent a lot of time this season with artists and albums we genuinely love. This episode is something different. We’re digging into Jethro Tull’s final album of original material to date, 1999’s J-Tull Dot Com, whose title also served as an advertisement for the band’s then-new official website. A perversely wonderful artifact of its time, it features occasional lyrics about e-mail, tons of flute solos (naturally) a Donald Trump reference, and one of the most heinous album covers ever...

In Episode Five, the gang is joined by special guest Tim Heidecker, and the hosts go deep on Paul Simon's 'Surprise,' a 2006 collaboration with Brian Eno that dressed up his classic folk-pop songwriting as slick electronica, adding breakbeats and synthesizers to musings about spirituality, aging, and the afterlife. We also discuss Tim's new album Fear of Death, and the ways that Simon has influenced his own songwriting. Late Era is hosted by Andy Cush (Garcia Peoples, Pitchfork), Sam...

In Episode Four the gang digs into Joni Mitchell’s 16th studio album, 1998’s 'Taming the Tiger,' a beautiful record that’s not quite like any other in her catalog. Around this time, Mitchell was experimenting with a new guitar that allowed her to control synthesizers with the instrument, complimenting her idiosyncratic playing with washes of electronic ambience. It’s like the sprawling sound of her 1976 classic ‘Hejira,’ updated for a decade of strip malls and ‘Pure Moods’: slick but soulful,...

Late Era will closely examine the underappreciated and overlooked records from some of the most notable artists of the last sixty years. Through empathetic and critical analysis, the show will explore the earnest missteps, misunderstood gems, and artistic left turns created years after widespread acclaim, which confound and further deepen our appreciation for the artists which have shaped our time. Late Era is hosted by Andy Cush (Garcia Peoples, Pitchfork), Sam Sodomsky (The Bird Calls,...

Late Era will closely examine the underappreciated and overlooked records from some of the most notable artists of the last sixty years. Through empathetic and critical analysis, the show will explore the earnest missteps, misunderstood gems, and artistic left turns created years after widespread acclaim, which confound and further deepen our appreciation for the artists that have shaped our time. Late Era is hosted by Andy Cush (Garcia Peoples, Pitchfork), Sam Sodomsky (The Bird Calls,...