Sonic Ventures

“You can taste the dishonestyIt’s all over your breath…”These are the initiatory lyrics with which Beyonce begins her 2016 album, “Lemonade.” An album that takes the listener on a mixed genre journey of betrayal and self-reflection, exploring the intimacy of relationship through the lenses of racial context and generational trauma.This album took Rob and Joël on a conv

“I remember now…”It is this thought that opens and catapults us into the mind and memories of Nikki, a young man contending with drug addiction and his dissatisfaction with the unscrupulous social and political climate of his time. In his anger and frustration, Nikki is lured into becoming an assassin for an underground revolution, and eventually finds himself questioning mor

Season 2 has been an eclectic mixture of concept albums! In keeping with the form of season 1, episode 8 is again a time for contemplation. And so in this episode, Rob and Joël reflect on the inspiration and insights that have come from their most diverse season yet: Kate Bush, Sinatra, Iron Maiden, Deltron 3030, Miles Davis, King's X and Tyler the Creator. Also, Rob and Joël rev

What does one do with unrequited love? Get angry, get even, or get depressed? How about learn from Tyler, the Creator and create!In this episode, Rob and Joël discuss Tyler, the Creator's 2019 concept album "IGOR."The conversation explores Tyler's rich palette and manipulation of vocals, samples, synths and beats - a combination which expresses Tyler's compelling intuitive pastich

The late 80's were a uniquely rich period for hard rock in the United States. There were strong existing scenes on both coasts and many regional hotspots where the bands were incubating and developing in small groups and pockets. But no one could have predicted the emergence of King’s X as they burst out alone in the middle of the country with a singularly unique and distinct sou

Released in 1970, Miles Davis' "Bitches Brew" would become a unique album in the jazz canon, not only for its improvisational explorations, but also for the timbral and textural doors it opened in instrumentation and in the use of studio as instrument.In their conversation, Rob and Joël discuss how the album came into their awareness and the influence it has had on them. They also

"It's the year 3030..."A dystopian future where galactic corporate entities sustain a strangle hold on the universe, and "Deltron-Zero" emerges to save humanity and music from this 31st century New World Order by winning The Galactic Rhyme Federation Championship.This album delivers not only in its fantastic iterations of Afrofuturism, but also in its rich tableau of multidimension

"Seven deadly sins, Seven ways to win, Seven holy paths to hell, And your trip begins..." are the first lyrical moments of Iron Maiden's "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son," and how potent these words were in setting the tone for Rob and Joël's conversational trip with this impressive and exuberant album.As always, many avenues were explored, such as the concepts woven together to forg

"Is Iron Maiden's Powerslave a concept album?" It is this question that Rob and Joël discuss in their first Vignette.Recorded during the same sessions that captured our S2Ep.3 and Aftercast discussions about Iron Maiden's "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son", we chose to explore this question about "Powerslave" as our first published audio Vignette. Vignettes are brief, focused conversa

In this episode, Rob and Joël discuss "The Voice," Frank Sinatra, and his 1955 album, "In the Wee Small Hours."Arguably the first concept album, this was the first of its kind with its innovative format and its introspective tone on love and heartache. Through their respective experiences, Rob and Joël look at not only Sinatra's performance and vision, but also the arrangements,