Four Strings and the Truth26 Juni 2025

Better Bass-ing with Nate Brenner (Tune-Yards, Naytronix)

Nate Brenner has been playing music in front of people since he was four, and it shows. He and his musical/life partner Merrill Garbus have carved out a unique place in the indie-pop cosmos: funky, joyful, noisy and heartfelt. Between tours supporting Tune-Yards' just-released sixth album, "Better Dreaming," Nate spends some time with us to unspool his unique approach to the instrument, touching on his musical upbringing, the group's warts-and-all aesthetic, and their compelling ability to carry out live performances of their complex songs as a duo. This is a portrait of artists figuring things out in real time, whether live on stage or in the copious scores they've composed for Boots Riley's various projects.

Tune-Yards on Bandcamp (https://tune-yards.bandcamp.com)

Tune-Yards live dates (https://tune-yards.com/tour/)

Naytronix on Bandcamp (https://naytronix.bandcamp.com/)

Nate's Dad Craig Brenner's latest album "Passages," (featuring Merrill Garbus) (https://www.craigbrenner.com/music)

A partial list of cool musicians who went to Oberlin (https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/2017/10/bands_and_musicians_you_didnt.html)

An Archive of Merrill Garbus's songwriting workshop at School of Song (https://schoolofsong.org/products/songwriting-workshop-with-merrill-garbus-of-tune-yards-copy)

Today, we're launching a month-long contest to win a "like new" (seriously, I played it once) IdiotBox Effects Blower Box Deluxe pedal (video review here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nt6URsuLhD4). This is an amazing, bass-specific distortion pedal, with clean signal blend and a low-pass filter - so it will stick out nicely in live settings. It will arrive in its original box with 3M Dual Lock strips on the back, so it's ready for your pedal board.

To enter the contest, please send a screenshot of you recommending one episode of this podcast - your favorite interview - in a publicly viewable place - it can be Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or any social media outlet. Send screenshots to: fourstringspod@gmail.com, and we'll pick one winner at random on 7/31/25. Please note that previous winners of one of our contests are not eligible for this one.

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His Band is Better Than Your Band with Damien Sayell (Mclusky, The St. Pierre Snake Invasion)

Coming to you live and direct from the posh green room of Brooklyn club Warsaw, we sit down with gentle giant/Mclusky bassist and singer Damien Sayell, who's been in the band more than a decade now an...

7 Maj 47min

Feeling Minnesota Nice with Greg Norton (Hüsker Dü, Ultrabomb, Buddies)

We continue to tick off the bucket list, player by player. In the wake of a trip to Minneapolis for the Caterwaul Festival, we chat with Minnesota's favorite son, Greg Norton - who filled his time in-...

11 Aug 202544min

Certain Fate Foretold with Clint Conley (Mission of Burma, consonant)

Not exactly nine lives, but the quintessentially Boston band Mission of Burma has had at least two: their initial 1979-1983 foray, which yielded such classics as "That's When I Reach For My Revolver,"...

17 Juli 202559min

Win a "Like New" IdiotBox Effects Blower Box Deluxe!

We've launched a contest to win a "like new" (seriously, I played it once) IdiotBox Effects Blower Box Deluxe pedal. This is an amazing, bass-specific distortion pedal, with clean signal blend and a l...

7 Juli 20251min

They're Not Booing, They're Only Yelling "Lou" with Lou Barlow (Dinosaur Jr, Sebadoh, The Folk Implosion)

We're kicking (Mini-)Season 2 off with one of our most-requested guests, Lou Barlow - a four string lifer (on bass, ukelele, guitar, etc.) and amiable fellow who's not afraid to lay bare his thoughts ...

13 Juni 20251h 27min

Coming Soon: (The Monosyllabic Mini-)Season 2

We have a clutch of new shows coming very soon with names you might expect...or not.

2 Juni 20251min

"Cool World" by Chat Pile: The Bass-ic Review

As we gear up for our next season of Four Strings and the Truth interviews, we're introducing a new, more bite-sized feature: the Bass-ic Review. This is an analysis of new and recently released album...

3 Mars 202516min