Talking To Ghosts

This week on the podcast we talk to author, journalist, and DJ Emilly Prado. We chat about her new book, "Funeral For Flaca," which is out now from Future Tense Books.

To find out more about Emilly's work, please visit her official website.

Talking to Ghosts is produced and recorded by Michael Kurt and Wesley Mueller. For an archive of all our episodes and reviews, check out our official website.

As a reminder, the next episode will be our last episode of the podcast. We're starting a contemporary arts magazine called Berm in 2022. To find out more about Berm, and to get updates on it's release, check out the Berm website.

This week on the Talking to Ghosts podcast, we have Venezuelan-American artist Lala Drona. Through painting, video, and performance art, Lala's work addresses digital spaces and the female gaze. We talked about her video The Box, how women's bodies are used as currency on the internet, and how to be patient with yourself.

There is a CONTENT WARNING for this episode - from 44:45-45:15 there is discussion of incest and rape in a conversation about feminism in France. It is brief and does not carry on through the rest of the conversation.

The best place to check out Lala's work is on her official website.

Talking to Ghosts is produced and recorded by Michael Kurt and Wesley Mueller. For an archive of all our episodes and reviews, please visit our official website.

This week on the Talking to Ghosts podcast we have doom metal duo (debateably a 9-piece, actually) Vile Creature! We were excited to talk to them after the recent release of their Kitty "Paperdoll" cover for The Flenser Nu Metal compilation, which is available now for digital purchase or as part of The Flenser's Series 3 subscription.

Vile Creature is a great band with great folks. Michael was made to watch The Pagemaster film, we performed a focus group regarding the Juicy Mosh Shorts, and talked a lot about how to make time for creativity while also running a business.

For more information about Vile Creature, check out thier official website. Their newest full length, "Glory, Glory! Apathy Took Helm!" is available via their Bandcamp.

Talking to Ghosts is recorded and produced by Michael Kurt and Wesley Mueller. For an archive of all our episodes and reviews, check out our official website.

This week on Talking to Ghosts podcast we have Kate Bingaman-Burt, who is an illustator, professor of graphic design, and zine library archivist here in Portland, Oregon. Kate founded and operates the print space Outlet, where she provides great workshops on risoprinting, zine-making, and the business of art.

We had a great time talking about transitioning to teaching virtually and how the PSU staff had to come together pretty quickly to adapt to the pandemic shutdown. We also talked about the design-world changes in Portland, Sonic Ocean Breeze, and how zines have become accessible ways for people to get their work out there!

You can find more information about all the work Kate does at Outletpdx.com

Talking to Ghosts is produced and recorded by Michael Kurt and Wesley Mueller. For an archive of all our epsides and reviews, check out our official webiste.

This week on the show we have Jaamil Olawale Kosoko, who is a multi-spirited Nigerian-American poet, curator, and performance artist whose work is rooted in embodied ritual practice, poetics, Black critical studies, and queer theory. We spoke to Jaamil about using the pandemic as a time to slow down, turning from the investigation of Black Suffering to Black Joy, and their upcoming projects: Syllabus For Black Love and Black Body Amnesia.

Jaamil's work is best found on their website or, for more frequent updates, his Instagram.

Talking to Ghosts is produced and recorded by Michael Kurt and Wesley Mueller. For an archive of all our episodes and reviews, please check out our official website.

This week on Talking to Ghosts we are knocking out a bunch of the reviews we wish we had time to write. 2021 has been a banger of a year for content so far, so we'd thought we'd spend some time going through some of our favorites.

Wes reviewed:

Michael Reviewed:

Talking to Ghosts is produced and recorded by Michael Kurt and Wesley Mueller. For an archive of all out episodes and reviews, please check out: www.talkingtoghosts.com

This week on Talking to Ghosts we are re-running our 2019 interview with Vancouver techno-EBM friends Sigsaly! Since we spoke with them, they have released a single and new record both called Lasting Effects, which you can pick up on their bandcamp. We talked with Sigsaly about performing as Koban and the switch to a more minimal techno/ebm vibe, playing the community center in high school, and finding a new and exciting audience.

Talking to ghosts is recorded and produced by Michael Kurt and Wesley Mueller. For an archive of all our epsides and reviews, check out www.talkingtoghosts.com

This week on the Talking to Ghosts podcast we have the Oklahoma-based noise rock nu metal band Chat Pile! We talked about returning to the movie theaters, how they miss bad movie nights, and being the frat boys of The Flenser.

Chat Pile have a fantastic cover of "Roots Bloody Roots" out now and a new album on The Flenser is expected any day now :)

Talking to Ghosts is produced and recorded by Michael Kurt and Wesley Mueller. For an archive of all our episodes and reviews, check out our official website.(We are aware of the sound issue on Wes' audio track, sorry for the scratchiness! We hope to resolve this issue soon)

This week on the Talking to Ghosts podcast we talked with video artist, poet, and Marietta Magazine founder Erica Schreiner. From riot grrrl inspired introspection to the body depersonalization that comes from editing and modeling yourself for so many years, Erica takes us deep into the life of an artist living and working in New York.

Erica Schreiner's work is best found on her website. (some of it may not be safe for viewing at work).

Talking to Ghosts is produced and recorded by Michael Kurt and Wesley Mueller. For an archive of reviews and podcast episodes, please visit our official website.

This week on the Talking to Ghosts podcast we have an interview with Aidan Baker from the doom/experimental metal band Nadja. They have a huge catalog and a nearly constant state of production, so it was great to talk to Aidan about life in Berlin, soundtrack work, books, and a 3-hour performance as the sun was coming up over a parking garage in Toronto.

Nadja's new album, Luminous Rot, is out now on Southern Lord.

Talking to Ghosts is produced and recorded by Michael Kurt and Wesley Mueller. For an archive of episodes and reviews, please check out our official website.

This week on the Talking to Ghosts podcast we are finishing out our summer break re-run episodes with Bustié! This interview was originally recorded in a cafe outside of The Liquor Store in Portland, right before Bustié played on their Birds of Paradise tour in 2019. We have fond memories of this interview and the show, and are happy to bring it back out again.

Bustié's "Birds of Paradise" can be found on their bandcamp and look out for their shows starting up again!

Talking to Ghosts is produced and recorded by Michael Kurt and Wesley Mueller. For more episodes and reviews, check out our official website.  

For our second Summer Break episode we are excited to re-run our interview with the doom / experimental metal project Divide and Dissolve from February of 2019. Divide and Dissolve are one of those bands who really challenged us on our views and the way we talked about metal music. We both came away from the interview feeling like we'd just had our asses kicked in the most fantastic way.

Divide and Dissolve describe their aims as a project as “a simple one: to secure Black futures, liberation, and freedom; demand Indigenous Sovereignty; uplift people of color’s experiences; and destroy white supremacy.”

Divide and Dissolve have a new album out now called Gaslit, which you can check out on their Bandcamp.

Talking to Ghosts is recorded and produced by Michael Kurt and Wesley Mueller. For an archive of previous episode and new reviews, please visit our Official Website.

This week on the Talking to Ghosts podcast we are re-running our 2016 interview with the experimental metal band Muscle & Marrow (featuring a new intro and slightly improved audio)! Although this band is no longer active, the duo have a great new pop project called So Sensitive!

Muscle & Marrow were one of our favorite projects and it was an amazing opportunity for us to interview these great folks while they were still living in Portland, OR. 

Talking to Ghosts is recorded and produced by Michael Kurt and Wesley Mueller. For an archive of our episodes and reviews, please check out our Official Website.

This week on Talking to Ghosts we talked with Mathieu Ball from Big|Brave about their new album "VITAL," which is out now on Southern Lord. We talked about recording during the early phases of pandemic lockdown, minimalism in art and music, and sound art. 

Big|Brave is an experimental metal band from Canada and their new album is heavy and brutal. Check out more from them on Bandcamp.

**SUMMER BREAK ANNOUNCEMENT**

We will be taking a little over a month off from the show to refresh ourselves after 7 years and a hard pandemic. TTG will be re-running our next three episodes with new intros. We will still be doing brand new reviews for the site during our down time. Returning on 6/28 with a new interview!

Talking to Ghosts is produced and recorded by Michael Kurt and Wesley Mueller. For an archive of all our episodes and reviews, check out our official website.

This week on the Talking to Ghosts podcast we talk to Jamie Steward from Xiu Xiu about their new record of duets called "OH NO," which is out now on Polyvinyl Records. We talked about pandemic life without near constant touring, the Xiu Xiu subscription service through bandcamp, and the Twin Peaks album. 

Xiu Xiu is best found on Instagram, or if you want to check out their music, check out their Bandcamp page. "OH NO" is fantastic and is out now!

Talking to Ghosts is recorded and produced by Michael Kurt and Wesley Mueller. To find an archive of our podcast episodes, not to mention our Reviews, check out www.talkingtoghosts.com

This week on the Talking to Ghosts podcast Amulets returns to talk about his new album, Blooming, which is out now on The Flenser! We talked a lot about the new album, the pandemic (of course), and the new mini documentary about Amulets, Tape Wizard by Kilian Vidourek.

Amulets' new album, Blooming, is on its second pressing from The Flenser. 

Talking to Ghosts is produced and recorded by Michael Kurt and Wesley Mueller. For more episodes and reviews, check out www.talkingtoghosts.com

This week on the Talking to Ghosts podcast we talk to the founder of The Flenser, Jonathan Tuite, about the early days of the label, what he looks for in an artist, and the future of The Flenser. 

Some artists from The Flenser who we have interviewed in the past include: Street Sects, Elizabeth Colour Wheel, and Sprain! As we mentioned in the interview, the new Amulets album is now available for pre-order! For more releases from The Flenser, check out their Bandcamp page.

Talking to Ghosts is produced and recorded by Michael Kurt and Wesley Mueller. For an archive of all our episodes, and our new review section, check out our official website.

This week on the Talking to Ghosts podcast we talk about the films we watched for the Portland International Film Festival (PIFF 44). A Rifle and A Bag and many short films are on the list for conversation, so join us as we go through some of our favorites! PIFF 44 is still happening and you can grab virtual passes here. If you are in Portland, there are some Drive-In films playing, the times of which can be found here. 

There is a CONTENT WARNING for this episode. During our discussion of the short film Anita we touch on the films use of sexual assault (Minute 22 - Minute 29). Please feel free to skip this section if this is an issue for you. It does not come up again in any of our other conversations.

Talking to Ghosts is produced and recorded by Michael Kurt and Wesley Mueller. For an archive of all our episodes and reviews, please visit our official website: www.talkingtoghosts.com

This week on the Talking to Ghosts Podcast we talk about the new Miranda July film Kajillionaire and the 2006 book Catching the Big Fish: Meditation, Consciousness, and Creativity by David Lynch. This is a spoiler-filled discussion of both topics, which we recommend that you read/watch before listening if you are sensitive to spoilers.

Also in this episode: I follow up up with Wes about 2021 Global Game Jam and the latest review on our site for Holy Fawn's Death Spells.

Talking to Ghosts is produced and recorded by Michael Kurt and Wesley Mueller. For an archive of all our episodes, and to check out our reviews, head over to our Official Website: www.talkingtoghosts.com 

This week on the Talking to Ghosts Podcast we talk with Portland Institute for Contemporary Art curators Roya Amirsoleymani and Kristan Kennedy about challenging the exclusivity of art history to frame the artist’s now in their own words, the concept of the “unstitution,” and how working in any authentic way with Indigenous artists or staff means being open to new ways of working and hearing criticism. This was a great conversation that covered way too many topics to put in the description, but we did want to also highlight two performances mentioned: Javaad Alipoor’s "Rich Kids: A History of Shopping Malls in Tehran," which they saw as part of the Under the Radar festival, and Ligia Lewis’“Deader Than Dead” performance for The Hammer Museum.

Roya Amirsoleymani is the Artistic Director and Curator of Public Engagement and Kristan Kennedy is the Artistic Director and Curator of Visual Art at PICA here in Portland, OR. To support or visit upcoming events at PICA, please check out their official website.

Talking to Ghosts is produced and recorded by Michael Kurt and Wesley Mueller. For an archive of all our episodes and to check out our Reviews section, please visit our official website.

This week on the Talking to Ghosts podcast we talk with mixed media artist and educator Jaleesa Johnston. We saw Jaleesa's work as part of the 2020 Time Based Arts Festival and were very excited to talk to her about "rise x fall (work in progress ii)," how being an arts educator has influenced her art, and the nature of critique. 

Jaleesa's new work, and portfolio, is best found on her official website. Mentioned in this episode: Paper Monuments I Like Your Work (artists, curators, and critics talk about the manners of the art world).

Talking to Ghosts is produced and recorded by Michael Kurt and Wesley Mueller. To check out Michael's recent review of MSC & The Body's I Never Want to be Alone, and an archive of all our episodes, please visit our official website.

This week on Talking to Ghosts podcast we have performance and conceptual artist Maximiliano to talk about their collaborative work "rise x fall (work in progress ii)", which we saw as part of the TBA:20 festival. We talk about the veil as a fluid object to represent self, Nat Turner Project, and how casual art work can be subversive.

Maxx's latest work, "Androids in the Tower," zine and performance trailer can be found on Maximiliano's website or Instagram.

Recently on the site Wes reviewed Deli Girl's fantastic new album, "BOSS," and at the end of this podcast Michael recommends you check out the HBO show "How To With John Wilson."

Talking to Ghosts is produced and recorded by Michael Kurt and Wesley Mueller. For reviews and an archive of all our episodes, please check out our Official Website.

This week on the Talking to Ghosts podcast we have filmmaker and visual artist Rubén García Marrufo. We saw Rubén's collaborative piece "rise x fall (work in progress ii)" as part of the TBA:20 Festival this summer and were excited to talk to them about art, film, and all kinds of upcoming work. 

For all of Rubén's links, check out their Flowpage.

Talking to Ghosts is recorded and produced by Michael Kurt and Wesley Mueller. For an archive of all our episodes and Reviews, check out our Official Website.

This week on the podcast we have comics illustrator and author Liana Kangas. We talked about her Industry Fridays interviews, the value of mentorship, and she breaks down self publishing a comic vs. working on creator-owned projects.

The best place to find all of Liana’s work is on her official website. Trve Cvlt Comic is funded, but you can still sign up for the mailing list to get updates on retail copies when they become available. You can support Liana’s work and get cool behind the scenes updates on her Patreon.

Talking to Ghosts is recorded and produced by Michael Kurt and Wes Mueller. For more episodes of the podcast and our recently resurrected Reviews section, please check out our official website. The new cover art was done in house by Wes Mueller!

At Home episodes are recorded by the ever-present, still ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Please wear a mask and be safe out there. We’d love to see each other in person some day.

This week on the Talking to Ghosts podcast we chat with Picogram about their upcoming game Garden Story! Picogram is the solo developer, which was a fascinating look at pixel art, how to tell stories about communities, and what cozy games consider when thinking about the place of violence in a story.

You can find more information about Garden Story on the Official Website or, if you’re looking for more work from Picogram, check out picogram.co

Talking to Ghosts is recorded and produced by Michael Kurt and Wes Mueller. The new cover art was done in house by Wes Mueller! For our reviews and an archive of all our episodes, please check out our Official Website.

At Home episodes are recorded by the ever-present, still ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Please wear a mask and be safe out there. We’d love to see each other in person some day.

This week on the Talking to Ghosts podcast we talked with Demian Dinéyazhi' about their recent performance at PICA’s Time-Based Arts Festival, having to adjust to performing during the pandemic and forest fires over the summer, and how punk energy exists in indigenous, Black, and brown communities.

Demian is the founder and director of R.I.S.E, which creates space for indigenous artists and poets.

“At Home” episodes are being recorded and released during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Talking to Ghosts is produced and recorded by Michael Kurt and Wes Mueller. For an archive of all our episodes, please check out our Official Website.

This week on the podcast we have author and artist Tatiana Ryckman! We talked about her new novel's hotline launch event, the depression after releasing a new work, and starting a band during the pandemic.

"The Ancestry of Objects" is out now on Deep Vellum. You can still grab her novella "I Don't Think Of You (Until I Do)" from Future Tense Books. For more writing and works, please visit Tatiana's website.

Also! Reviews are back! Check out the first written review we've done in a long time on the site: Lauren Bousfield's "Palimpsest"

“At Home” episodes are being recorded and released during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Talking to Ghosts is produced and recorded by Michael Kurt and Wes Mueller. For an archive of episodes, please visit our official website.

This week on the podcast we have Heldáy de la Cruz who is an artist and illustrator working in the undocumented and queer communities in Portland, Oregon. We talked about working during COVID and how filming projects have changed, his participation in a new PICA exhibit by Carlos Motta called "We Got Each Other's Backs." 

The best place to find Heldáy's work is on his Instagram.

“At Home” episodes are being recorded and released during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Talking to Ghosts is produced and recorded by Michael Kurt and Wes Mueller. For an archive of our episodes, please visit our Official Website.

This week on the podcast we have Alex Kent from Sprain! We talked about the dramatic dynamics of classical composers, using impressionistic thinking to write, and what it means to be in (and outside of) a genre.

Sprain’s new album, As Lost Through Collision, is out now on The Flenser.

Also on this episode we talk about How you should register to vote now if you live in Oregon or Washington, and PICA’s Time-Based Arts Festival. For full notes on TBA:20 and links to great artists we saw, please visit our official website.

Talking to Ghosts is produced and recorded by Michael Kurt and Wes Mueller. For an archive of previous episodes and more info, including a contact form, please visit talkingtoghosts.com!

This week on the podcast we talk to Shawna Potter of the band War on Women! Shawna is an activists and the author of the new book “Making Spaces Safer” (out now on AK Press). We talked about recording during COVID/protests, not wanting to make a Trump record, and how to reach people with music.

War on Women’s new album, Wonderful Hell, will be out October 30th on Bridge Nine Records.

“At Home” episodes are being recorded and released during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Talking to Ghosts is produced and recorded by Michael Kurt and Wes Mueller. For an archive of all episodes, please check out our official website.

That's right! It's time again to check in with our good buddies Alex Kennedy and Bruce Lord from I Die:You Die. It's been a little over a year since we've seen each other and it was definitely time to catch up.

We talked about podcasting and maintaining a website during the pandemic, working on diversity in our coverage, and left a nice chunk at the end to talk about: Wrestling, Blaseball, and Fight Island. 

I Die: You Die produces lots of weekly content on their website, podcast, and Patreon. Check out Alex's Keyforge Podcast Help For Future Self, and the Telekompilation Vol. 3 (proceeds go to NAACP education and law fund).

“At Home” episodes are being recorded and released during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Talking to Ghosts is produced and recorded by Michael Kurt and Wes Mueller. For an archive or past episodes, please check out our official website.

This week on the Talking to Ghosts podcast we spoke to Jasmine Wood about her new project Lota Leona. We talked about moving to Ireland, releasing a new album during quarantine, and how she had to adapt to playing professionally as part of the Portland Center Stage production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch!

Lota Leona’s new release, Pink Sun, is out now on Bandcamp.

“At Home” episodes are being recorded and released during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Talking to Ghosts is produced and recorded by Michael Kurt and Wes Mueller. For a complete archive of episodes and more information, please visit our official website.

This week on the Talking to Ghosts podcast we talk about the 2020 Kelly Reichardt film First Cow (A24, written by previously featured guest Jon Raymond). We were supposed to see this film during the Portland International Film Festival, but it was shut down before we had the chance. Wes went to a rally in Portland to protest racial injustice and police violence and Michael watched some calming Vlogs.

In this episode we recommend: Ganser’s fantastic new album Just Look At That Sky; Voting! (and checking your voter registration); Joop Joop Creative; Buying stamps to support the US Post Office; and Beyond Press.

Talking to Ghosts is produced and recorded by Michael Kurt and Wes Mueller. For more episodes please visit our Official Website.

This week on Talking to Ghosts we have artist and game designer Mickey Sanchez! We talked about the long cycle of independent video game development, pandemic work/life, and touring as a semi-professional musician.

Mickey Sanchez is part of the New Beings team who recently put out a game called Robot Island! Also mentioned in this episode is the ongoing collaboration project Pidzn Club.

“At Home” episodes are being recorded and released during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Talking to Ghosts is produced and recorded by Michael Kurt and Wes Mueller. The best place to find all of our episodes is on our Official Website. 

This week on Talking to Ghosts we talk to Intelligame founder and games journalist Josh Boykin about creating a space to post and support the content you want to see, how platform holders win by making money on creators supporting other creators, and the risk of never shutting down from work mode during the pandemic.

Check out Josh's podcast Intelligame Radio. We highly recommend the most recent episodes "Labor (ft. Lana Polansky)" and "Black Lives Matter (ft. Zoe Schneider)"

“At Home” episodes are being recorded and released during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Talking to Ghosts is produced and recorded by Michael Kurt and Wes Mueller. For an archive of all our episodes, and more, please visit or Official Website.

This week on Talking to Ghosts we talked to Jaye Jayle about making a collaborative album on the road, working in minimalism to find emotion, and how the COVID lockdown has allowed Evan and his wife, Emma Ruth Rundle, to take time off from touring and get a dog.

Jaye Jayle's new album Prisyn is out August 7th on Sargent House. You can also find the stems for "Don't Blame The Rain" as part of the Isolate/Create project.

“At Home” episodes are being recorded and released during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Talking to Ghosts is produced and recorded by Michael Kurt and Wes Mueller. The best place to find more information, and an archive of previously released episodes, is on our Official Website.

This week on Talking to Ghosts we have Portland-based electronic musician Omari Jazz! We talked about the early days of SoundCloud, Lo-fi culture erasure, and participating in an art residency with his dad.

Omari has a new album out now called Dream Child. All funds received from this project get distributed to different Black Lives Matter charities.

“At Home” is a version of the podcast that is being recorded and released during the COVID-19 pandemic. Please forgive our audio quality and the awkward conversation, I think you understand why it had to be this way.

Talking to Ghosts is produced and recorded by Michael Kurt and Wes Mueller.

This week on Talking to Ghosts we talked with Zandi Dandizette! Zandi is a multi-disciplinary artist working out of Vancouver BC. We talked about virtual meeting spaces during shelter in place, finding and making a place in the art community, and the how artists can support each other and their community by demanding and working towards fair wages.

Zandi can be found on their official website. We would also recommend you follow The James Black Gallery for tons of cool art and events.

CONTENT WARNING: Police Violence - We talk about police violence in the outro section of this episode from 1hr 25min to the end of the episode. If this is topic of sensitive for you, please skip the outro section and thank you for listening.

“At Home” episodes are being recorded and released during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Talking to Ghosts is produced and recorded by Michael Kurt and Wes Mueller. The best place to find us is on our official website. 

This week on Talking to Ghosts we have Stephanie Marlow! Stephanie is an independent PR professional and one of our most frequent contacts! She works with labels like The Flenser and Dais Records to promote new releases and tours for recents guests like: Elizabeth Colour Wheel, Jacob Bannon, and Drowse. We talked about a day in the life of a PR person, working with artists during a global pandemic, and why Road Burn Festival is so special.

“At Home” is a version of the podcast that is being recorded and released during the COVID-19 pandemic. Please forgive our audio quality and the awkward conversation, I think you understand why it had to be this way.

Talking to Ghosts is produced and recorded by Michael Kurt and Wes Mueller. Our fantastic 5-year cover art was made by Alicia Gaines (of the band Ganser, who have a new album available for pre-order!). 

This week on the show we have author and screenwriter Jon Raymond. Originally scheduled to meet up with Jon as part of the Portland International Film Festival, we caught up instead from our homes to talk his new film First Cow (Directed by Kelly Reichardt, A24), radical adaptations of novels into scripts, and Portland Art History in the 1990s.

First Cow is on hold at the moment, but you can check out some of the other Kelly Reichardt collaboration films: Night Moves, Meek’s Cutoff, and Wendy & Lucy.

“At Home” is a version of the podcast that is being recorded and released during the COVID-19 pandemic. Please forgive our audio quality and the awkward conversation, I think you understand why it had to be this way.

Talking to Ghosts is produced and recorded by Michael Kurt and Wes Mueller. Our fantastic 5-year cover art was made by Alicia Gaines (of the band Ganser, who have a new album coming!). The best place to find us is on our Official Website.

This week on Talking to Ghosts we talk to our friends from the band Aviator! (again, again). We caught up about our new lifestyles, wrestling without a crowd, and who the hell knows what else. It's a long one.

Also! We got a really nice voicemail from our friend Rodney Anonymous. 

“At Home” is a version of the podcast that is being recorded and released during the COVID-19 pandemic. Please forgive our audio quality and the awkward conversation, I think you understand why it had to be this way.

Talking to Ghosts is produced and recorded by Michael Kurt and Wes Mueller. Our fantastic 5-year cover art was made by Alicia Gaines (of the band Ganser, who have a new album coming!). The best way to find previously released episodes and bonus content from this episode is on our official website.

This week on Talking to Ghosts we have the return of one of our favorite bands, Ganser. Back in 2016, Ganser came to Portland for the Out From The Shadows festival and we loved talking to them. Since then, we’ve travelled to Chicago for a number of reasons and have always tried to meet up with them. Like many bands, their tour schedule, jobs, and lives have been impacted by the novel Corona virus outbreak. We talked about their lives in isolation, making music videos, and how nice it will be to play shows again (once it’s safe).

“At Home” is a version of the podcast that is being recorded and released during the COVID-19 pandemic. Please forgive our audio quality and the awkward conversation, I think you understand why it had to be this way.

Talking to Ghosts is produced and recorded by Michael Kurt and Wes Mueller. Our fantastic 5-year cover art was made by Alicia Gaines, who was on this episode! The best place to find us is on our Official Website.

This week on Talking to Ghosts we talk about our experience at the Portland International Film Festival (before half of it was cancelled by COVID-19). We break down our thoughts on each film we saw and our festival experience overall. To check out the film trailers, or descriptions, see this list on the PIFF website.

Through this tough time, we will continue to podcast and get guests on the show, even if it is remotely. Please stay safe.

Talking to Ghosts is produced and recorded by Michael Kurt and Wesley Mueller. Our 5-year cover art is by the fantastic Alicia Gaines (of the band Ganser). The best place to find us is on our Official Website.

This week on Talking to Ghosts we have the multi-talented artist Clamber! We talk about their theory of Non-Places, growing up with computers and homemade electronics, and creating temporary identities. Clamber has many current projects and works to archive places and times before they disappear. To keep current on Clamber’s projects, visit their official website or for the strictly musical, check out their bandcamp.

Talking to Ghosts is produced and recorded by Michael Kurt and Wes Mueller. Our wonderful 5-year cover art is by Alicia Gaines (of the band Ganser, on tour now!). The best place to find Talking to Ghosts is on our official website.

This week on Talking to Ghosts we talked to Thief! D. Neal tells us about finding the hammered dulcimer in a Swedish instrument museum, forming the sound for Thief after Botanist, and the influence of Greek Orthodox on the band image and sound.

Thief has a new album out now on Prophecy Productions called Map of Lost Keys.

Talking to Ghosts is recorded and produced by Michael Kurt and Wesley Mueller. Our fantastic 5-year cover art was done by Alicia Gaines (of Ganser). The best place to find our episode archive is on our official website.

This week on Talking to Ghosts we have experimental musician and artist Dolphin Midwives! We talk about experimental music performance, the process of creating and performing Dröna Choir, and the background of her Variform Gallery piece “Break: Preparations for the Apocalypse”.

Dolphin Midwives is best found on her official website. 

Talking to Ghosts is produced and recorded by Michael Kurt and Wesley Mueller. For more episodes and content, please visit our official website. Our fantastic 5-year cover art is by Alicia Gaines. 

This week on Talking to Ghosts we have Crystal Quartez! Crystal is a multimedia artist, teacher, and musician in Portland. We talked about going from student to teacher, sound art in Portland, and Marina Abramovic.

Crystal’s debut full length album “Causal Loop” will be out Friday January 31st, 2020 from Beacon Sound. The record release show in Portland will be at Holocene on Thurs. Jan 30th, 2020.

Talking to Ghosts is produced and recorded by Michael Kurt and Wes Mueller. Our 5-year cover art was made by the wonderful Alicia Gaines (from the band Ganser). You can find and download all of our episodes from our official website.

This week on Talking to Ghosts we talk about some shows we went to recently, Wes' Cats experience, and important soundtracks from our childhood. There's no guest this week, but the conversation is still flowing! 

Talking to Ghosts is produced and recorded by Michael Kurt and Wesley Mueller. Our fantastic cover art is by Alicia Gaines (of Ganser). For more information and direct downloads of all our episodes, check out our official website.

This week we talked with the fantastic synthwave act Makeup and Vanity Set! We talked soundtracks, the history of the synthwave/outrun genre, and the era of blog bands.

This week on the podcast we have Marlowe Dobbe! Marlowe is an animator and illustrator in Portland who works at Rose City Games and recently was part of the Dicey Dungeons team! We talked about idea generation, giving bad ideas space, and the making of Dicey Dungeons.

You can find all of Marlowe’s work on her official website. Dicey Dungeons is available on Steam and Itch.io now and we highly recommend checking it out! Also, look out for Marlowe’s talk at next year’s GDC!

Talking to Ghosts is produced and recorded by Michael Kurt and Wesley Mueller. Our great 5-year anniversary cover is by Alicia Gaines (of the band Ganser). For direct downloads of all our episodes, please check out our official website.

This week on the podcast we interviewed Jason Corbett from Actors! We talked about their very long tour schedule, how to keep the shows good, and Transcendental Meditation.

Actors debut album is available from Artoffact Records, and you can find Jason’s other projects at Jacknife Sound.

Talking to Ghosts is recorded and produced by Michael Kurt and Wes Mueller. Our fantastic 5-year Anniversary artwork was done by Alicia Gaines (of the band Ganser). The best place to find the more episodes, links, and bios is on our official website.

This week on the podcast we have the LA-based electro-techno-futurist project Panther Modern. We talk to Brady Keehn about his work in the band Sextile, transitioning to the Panther Modern sound, and how to use AR and AI technologies in art. 

Panther Modern has an EP out now called "Los Angeles 2020." 

Talking to Ghosts is recorded and produced by Michael Kurt and Wes Mueller. Our wonderful 5-year anniversary cover art was done by Alicia Gaines of the band Ganser.

For direct downloads of all our episodes, the contact form, and more information about our podcast, please visit our official website.

This week on Talking to Ghosts we have no guest! We talk to each other about all the new stuff we have out now, or coming up, including a new EP from The Blood of Others, the new Telekon Compilation, a game experience Wes made, and the trailer of a movie Michael made music for called Scare Me. Wes went to the Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art recently and tells Michael about the cool stuff they saw. 

There are a limited number of SØLVE / The Blood of Others cassette left for online sale through the I Die: You Die bandcamp.

Talking to Ghosts is best found on our official website. This podcast is recorded and produced by Michael Kurt and Wesley Mueller. 

This week on the podcast we interviewed the solo blackened doom project Vouna. We talked to Yianna Bekris about forest ecology, a unique greek synthesizer, and playing squats in Greece. 

Vouna's debut self titled album is out now on Bandcamp.

Talking to Ghost is produced and recorded by Michael Kurt and Wesley Mueller. Our fantastic 5-year cover art is by Alicia Gaines of the band Ganser.

(Direct Downloads of all our episodes are available at our official website)

This week on the podcast we talked to Matthew Bogart and Jesse Holden, creators of the comic Incredible Doom! We talked about the behind the scenes work that goes into making the comic, finding the emotional core of the story, and about the early internet. 

You can read Incredible Doom online for free right now, or subscribe to their Patreon for a lot of exclusive content and physical editions. Physical editions are also available here. 

Talking to Ghosts is recorded and produced by Michael Kurt and Wes Mueller. Our fantastic 5-year anniversary cover art is by Alicia Gaines (of the band Ganser). 

The best place to find us is on our official website.

This week on Talking to Ghosts we have Nina Freeman and Jake Jefferies! We talked to them about their fantastic new game We Met In May, game jams and fine art in New York, and scary games!

We Met In May is a game you should definitely check out if you like personal, fun games. Wishlist it here!

Talking to Ghosts is recorded and produced by Michael Kurt and Wes Mueller. Our fantastic 5-Year Anniversary art is by Alicia Gaines (from the band Ganser). Please visit our official website for more details about this episode and other episodes, or if you want to directly download this episode.

This week on the podcast we have musician and artist Jet Shea! We talked about getting started in noise projects, traveling the US on a motorcycle, and what led them to Dire Trine and ultimately the solo project. 

You can find Jet Shea's first EP on Soundcloud.

Talking to Ghosts is recorded and produced by Michael Kurt and Wes Mueller. The best place to find our podcast is on our official website. The 5-year anniversary cover art is by the wonderful Alicia Gaines of the band Ganser. 

This week on Talking to Ghosts we have the emotional doom band Elizabeth Colour Wheel! We talked about living and working in DIY spaces, finding your own politics in DIY, and being careful and respectful of the emotional strength the band puts out. 

Elizabeth Colour Wheel have a debut album out now on The Flenser called "Nocebo." Lane is also featured on the new Drowse Mini-LP, which is available for pre-order. 

Talking to Ghosts is produced and recorded by Michael Kurt and Wes Mueller. The best place to find our episodes is on our official website. Our wonderful 5-year anniversary cover art is by Alicia Gaines of the band Ganser. 

This week on the podcast we have Bustié! We talked about touring in Trump American while being extremely queer and extremely brown, showing kids they can empower themselves through music and booking their own shows, and taking some time off from tour in New Orleans.

Bustié’s debut album, Birds of Paradise, is out now on Climax! Records.

Also mentioned in this episode: PAWNS, Anatomy, Audios Munda Cruel, and Remorseless.

Talking to Ghosts is recorded and produced by Michael Kurt and Wesley Mueller. Our amazing 5-year anniversary cover art is by Alicia Gaines (of the band Ganser, who are also great).

The best place to find Talking to Ghosts is on our official website.

This week on the podcast we have Youryoungbody, the awesome post-witchhouse-eurodance-banger project from Seattle, WA. We talked about sending playlists back and forth to develop the new sound, finding witchhouse, and how f'in cool Chris Angel still is (live in Vegas).

Youryoungbody's new album Devotion is up on their Bandcamp page.

The best place to find Talking to Ghosts is on our official website. The podcast is recorded and produced by Michael Kurt and Wes Mueller.

Our wonderful 5-year anniversary artwork is by Alicia Gaines (of the band Ganser, who have an a.m.a.z.i.n.g. new single and video out!)

This week on Talking to Ghosts we had the always wonderful and generous Real Cardinal of Comaduster and Underfelt! We talked about the serialized release schedule the new Comaduster material is on with FiXT, navigating the threshold of what people will tolerate in terms of releases, and the difference between the Comaduster process and the Underfelt process. THEN we talked for a really long time about game development sound design and the steps to creating a new sound for combat weapons, elemental considerations, and the technical math behind it. Not to mention things like building tells into your sound design and having to consider the environmental storytelling you are trying to communicate to the player.

You can find all the new FiXT releases on the Comaduster page, including some stems packages and cool stuff we talked about towards the end of the interview.

The best place to find us is on our official website

Talking to Ghosts is recorded and produced by Michael Kurt and Wes Mueller.

Our fabulous 5-year anniversary cover is by Alicia Gaines of the great Chicago band Ganser.

This week on Talking to Ghosts we have the legend, the teacher, and the greatest fan Rodney Anonymous. How do you sum up a conversation with this guy? I have no idea. Here are my raw episode notes:

Talking to Ghosts is best found on our Official Website.

Rodney Anonymous can be found at The Dead Milkmen shows or you can check out his 7th Victim stuff here!

Talking to Ghosts is produced and recorded by Michael Kurt and Wes Mueller. Our fantastic artwork was done by Alicia Gaines.

This week on Talking to Ghosts we talked with TJ from the band Inter Arma. We talk about the recording and reviewing the new album, Sulfur English, which was staged as a response to the modern metal cliches.

Talking to Ghosts is best found on our official website.

This podcast is recorded and produced by Michael Kurt and Wesley Mueller.

Our wonderful 5-year anniversary artwork is by Alicia Gaines. Check out her band Ganser from Chicago!

This week on Talking to Ghosts we have Jacob Bannon! We talked about the crazy tour schedule that goes with the Converge universe of bands, making Wear Your Wounds a full project with a steady band of collaborators, and how he made abstract art in the dunes for an artist residency. Then! We talked for about 20 straight minutes about MMA and how he was a judge for awhile.

Jacob Bannon has a lot of projects, but here are a few: Wear Your Wounds, Dunedevil Art Book, and Deathwish Records.

Talking to Ghosts is best found on our Official Website.

Our 5-year anniversary cover art is by the awesome Alicia Gaines (check out her band Ganser).

This podcast was produced, recorded and edited by Michael Kurt and Wes Mueller.

This week on Talking to Ghosts we caught up with the senior staff of the great I Die You Die website. Unsurprisingly, we went from patting each other on the back for being cool and awesome to talking about wrestling and pasta.

I Die You Die is a powerhouse of a website. They do reviews and interviews all around the dark music scene, not to mention the podcast We Have A Technical.

Talking to Ghosts is best found on our official website.

This podcast is produced by Michael Kurt and Wes Mueller. Our 5-year anniversary cover art is by the wonderful Alicia Gaines. Please check out her band Ganser, they are awesome.

This week on Talking to Ghosts we have sound artist and musician Marcus Fischer! We talked about sound art, the residency he did in Florida, and having a healthy balance between work creativity and personal creativity.

Marcus has a lot of great art and music, if you are in New York you should definitely check out his work at the Whitney Museum’s Biennial exhibit running May 17 - September 22, 2019.

Talking to Ghosts is best found on our official website.

Produced and recorded by Michael Kurt and Wes Mueller.

5-year cover art by Alicia Gaines.

This week on Talking to Ghosts we have Kyle Bates from the experimental ambient band Drowse. We talk about his artist residencies in both Iceland and Japan, working within the curation of The Flenser, and getting past self doubt.

Drowse has a new album called Light Mirror coming out on June 7th!

Talking to Ghosts is best found on our official website.

This week on Talking to Ghosts we have author, activist, and journalist Cory Doctorow! We talked about his work to fight the copyright directive in Europe, Little Brother 10 years later, and his writing process. This is a long form interview with a deep look at encryption privacy tools, housing advocacy, cooperative ride sharing apps, and a lot more!

Cory’s new book Radicalized, a series of novellas, is available now in hardcover from Tor Books, or in DRM-Free eBook/audio formats from his website. His journalism can be found on Boing Boing and his work with the Electronic Frontier Foundation can be found on their website.

Talking to Ghosts is best found on our official website.

This week on Talking to Ghosts we have Vancouver EBM / techno project Sigsaly! We talk about forming Sigsaly's sound after performing as Koban for 10+ years, playing the community center in high school, and finding a new and exciting audience.

Sigsaly has a few releases up on Bandcamp that you should definitely check out. If you are in Chico, Olympia, or Victoria BC - go see them live this month!

Talking to Ghosts is best found on our Official Website.

This week on the podcast we catch up after both being out of town for vacation. Sandra Lanz was hanging out, so we roped her into talking to us too! Tune in for stories about our luxury house vacations, wearing Cradle of Filth T-shirts at church, and how we should make time to just be outside and chill. 

Talking to Ghosts is best found on our official website and Sandra is wrapping up her run on Archie Comics' Betty & Veronica! 

This week on Talking to Ghosts we have Omniflux! Wes was out sick, so Michael talked to Omniflux about trying to find a studio space that feels right, growing up without western influence, and the OhGr / Lead Into Gold / Omniflux tour.

At some point, Michael thinks it’s omnifluxmusic.NET, but it isn’t… it’s definitely omnifluxmusic.com that you should check out!

This week on Talking to Ghosts we have Australia-based progressive doom metal band Divide & Dissolve! We talked about making their album and performance deaf accessible, working on empathy, and how accessibility fights colonialism.

Divide & Dissolve just announced their tour with Deafheaven, so definitely check that out!

You can find Talking to Ghosts on our official website.

This week on the show we have Blackwater Holylight, who are a doom/ heavy psych metal project from Portland. We talked to them about forming a supergroup with the talented folks they knew, making their debut album, and setting time aside for practice. 

Blackwater Holylight’s debut album is out now on RideEasy Records

This week on the show we have techno producer, DJ, and label owner Mor Elian! We talked about moving and living in Berlin, playing your own tracks in your DJ set, and her crazy travel schedule.

All of Mor Elian's info can be found on her Resident Advisor page.

Talking to Ghosts is best found on our official website.

This week on Talking to Ghosts we have the final episode for 2018! Thou is an experimental metal band from Baton Rouge who put out a crazy number of records this year! We had the opportunity to sit down with Thou frontman Brian Funck after their run of two Portland shows to talk about working on records from different parts of the US, their various projects, and being a workaholic to keep things level.

Thou is out on the road near constantly and we highly recommend you check out all of their 2018 releases!

Also, please check out our website for a special thank you to our listeners and a list of all episodes we released in 2018 - it was a hell of a year.

This week on Talking to Ghosts we have Christina from SciFiSol! We talked about her website Femme Cult and making time for your own music while trying to support others, looking for a techno label for her last album, and getting over some self-promotional imposter syndrome.

Sci Fi Sol will be playing the January edition of Volt Divers in Portland!

Solar Drift on SDM Records

Camino Acid on Soundcloud

Earthlings Compilation (feat. Sci Fi Sol and Camino Acid)

Femme Cult is a great website you should check out!

Talking to Ghosts is best found on our Official Website.

This week on Talking to Ghosts we have Sabine Rear! Sabine is an autobiographical illustrator and zine-maker in Portland who loves wrestling and comics. We talk to Sabine about women's studies, working with the Portland Independent Publishing Resource Center on learning comics, and the editing process.

You can find Sabine's work on her website, or if you are in Portland on Dec. 13th at Clinton Street Theater for the Holiday Comics Spectacle!

Talking to Ghosts is online, but the best place is our Official Website.

This week on Talking to Ghosts we have SRSQ, who recently put out their project debut album on Dais Records. SRSQ is the solo project of Kennedy Ashlyn, who was the keyboard/vocalist for Them Are Us Too. We talk about the mental health of touring, home decorations, and how to make sad music while still living a functional life.

SRSQ is opening for Godflesh in Portland on December 5th.

Talking to Ghosts is best found on our Official Website.

This week on Talking to Ghosts we have a very SPOOKY Halloween special episode. We reached out to some of our friends and fans and asked for Halloween stories and got some great stuff back!

This episode features stories from:

Alex Kennedy from the fabulous website I Die: You Die (and the podcast they do called We Have A Technical)

Matt Fanale from Caustic and Klack and The Causticles and Beauty Queen Autopsy and Daddybear and who knows what else!

Eric Gottesman from Everything Goes Cold and every live band ever.

And Sophie.

Thanks again to all of our contributors! We might do this again next year and give everyone way more time to think about it.

Our next episode will be out on Monday 11/19/18.

This week on Talking to Ghosts the hosts step in to talk about recent traveling, books, TV, and video games, and Sophie does some crazy memorization mentalism tricks.

You can find Talking to Ghosts on our official website.

This week on the podcast we have Sloane Leong who is the creator behind Prism Stalker (Image Comics) and the upcoming A Map To The Sun (First Second) comics. We talked about making Prism Stalker and working on creator owned material vs. working with a larger team, heritage, and body horror! 

Sloane also has a podcast called Salt & Honey.

The best way to get ahold of us, or find more episodes, is by visiting our official website.

This week on the show we have MSC, which is the new project from Zack and Isaac from Brave Young and Giant. We talked about band interviews, forming MSC after Braveyoung, and how to come to peace with being an anti-capitalist who wants to sell records.

You can check out MSC on Soundcloud now.

The best place to find Talking to Ghosts is on our Official Website.

This week on the podcast we have Susan Subtract from Physical Wash, High-Functioning Flesh, and Branes. We talked about the evolution into Physical Wash after High-Functioning Flesh went on an indefinite hiatus, the writing of Culture Cut (and the gear), and meeting Sid from Schwefelgelb for the first time.

Physical Wash has a show coming up: Cold Waves LA Kick Off Party (opening for previously featured guest Rhys Fulber) on September 26th!

You can find Talking to Ghosts on our official website.

This week on the podcast we have Uniform, an industrial noise project from New York! We talked about adjusting to the size of the Deafheaven tour, recording the collaboration album with The Body, and the sustainability of modern capitalism. 

Uniform have a brand new album out on Sacred Bones called "The Long Walk." 

They will also be out on the road later this year with The Body (as a collective), Author and Punisher, and Street Sects! (which is very exciting).

Talking to Ghosts is best found on our official website.

This week on Talking to Ghosts we caught up with Lingua Ignota at the end of a long run with The Body. We talked about the rerelease of her latest album, the experience of a listener vs. the experience of a creator, and being accountable for your message.

You can find Lingua Ignota on bandcamp.

Talking to Ghosts is best found on our Official Website.

This week on the podcast we talk to Colin H. van Eeckhout of the blackgaze / ritual metal band Amenra! We chatted about the Church of Ra collective, writing a WWI memorial set for a special performance which included a bell tower, and evolving their music together without changing heart. 

Amenra has a number of great albums. The most recent, Mass VI, can be found on their Bandcamp.

The best place to check out Talking to Ghosts is on our official website.

This week on the podcast we have comics journalist and debut editor at The Nib Eleri Harris! We spoke to Eleri about her long-form piece "Reported Missing", coming from a creative family, and writing for an American audience. 

Some recommendations from this episode:

- "The American Revolution's Greatest Leader Was Openly Gay" by Josh Trujillo and Levi Hastings

- "How To survive In The North" by Luke Healy

The best place to find Talking to Ghosts is on our Official Website.

This week on the podcast we have Zola Jesus! We talked about looking for experimental music after studying opera, performing at the Guggenheim with JG Thirlwell conducting a string quartet, and making music based on how it feels. 

You can grab the new Zola Jesus record, Okovi, on Bandcamp.

The best place to find Talking to Ghosts is on our Official Website.

This week on the podcast we have Chicago industrial band HIDE. We talked about some of their early work together, playing a hotline-only fetish party, and some of their individual and collaborative art installations! 

HIDE have a new album out on Dais Records that you can check out here.

For more episodes and other fun stuff, please check out the Talking to Ghosts official website.

This week on Talking to Ghosts we chat with Daniel B. of Front 242 and many other projects! We talked about what it was like to sign with Sony in the early years of Front 242, the complications of getting out of that deal, and the kinds of trashy novels that you bring on tour.

As mentioned in the intro, Daniel B. has a new album out on Alfa Matrix!

The best place to find Talking to Ghosts is on our official website. 

This week on Talking to Ghosts we chat with Thor Harris before his Thor & Friends show here in Portland! We talked about being suspended from twitter, the subversive nature of kindness, and dealing with depression.

Thor & Friends have a new album out called “The Subversive Nature of Kindness,” which is available now from Living Music Duplication.

You can find Talking to Ghosts on our Official Website.

(episode fixed 5/21 - 1830 - MK)

This week we talked to Noelia Towers who is a fine artist from Chicago. We chat about growing up in Barcelona, touring with Russian Circles, and all of her great art projects! 

You can find Noelia Towers and her art on her official website. 

Talking to Ghosts is best found on talkingtoghosts.com

King Woman is the drudge / doom metal project led by Kristina Esfandiari (Miserable, Nghtcrwlr), who have a new album out now on Relapse Records! We spoke to Kristina outside of their Portland show about the new Miserable EP, doing what makes you happy, and finding the right people to be in your band.

Check out our website for a list of music suggestions at the end of this episode!

You can find Talking to Ghosts on our official website!

This week on Talking to Ghosts we talked with Ritualz! We chat about touring in Greece, running a tape label, and a particularly funny story about losing a shoe at a show.

Ritualz has a new album out now on Artoffact Records! His tape label, Maligna, has some great tapes up on Bandcamp!

You can find Talking to Ghosts on our Official Website, Facebook, and Twitter.

This week on Talking to Ghosts we talked with Kontravoid about Terminus Festival, producing on hardware, and how EBM is like drumming on a bass synth.

You can pre-order the new Kontravoid album now (out in April 2018 from Fleisch Records)! 

You can find Talking to Ghosts on our official website, Facebook, and Twitter.

This week we talked to comic book colorist Kelly Fitzpatrick! We chatted about her cute dog and his comic namesake, the different roles of artists in the comic world and how they're credited, avoiding movie spoilers and a lot more!

You can find Talking to Ghosts on Facebook, and Twitter!

This week on Talking to Ghosts we spoke with GLAARE at their Portland show! We chatted about translating the recorded material to a more exciting live show, hitting your stride as a band, and some of their favorite shows on the tour.

GLAARE has a new album out now called To Deaf and Day on Weyrd Son Records!

You can find Talking to Ghosts on our official website, Facebook, and Twitter!