Lisa Loeb and Nine Stories’ Tails

10 months agoby Mark & Thom

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On this edition of Once, Every Two Weeks, Mark and Thom chat through Lisa Loeb and Nine Stories’ album Tails.

Today, we’re tuning in to the “Tails Full Episode,” an album that became the soundtrack of the 90s for many of us. Dive into the world of Lisa Loeb, a musician whose rangy talent and thoughtful lyrics have turned her into an enduring cultural icon. From her early days playing at bars and her ascent to a chart-topping independent artist, we explore the album she made with Nine Stories, Tails.

Join us as we dissect the layered complexity of songs like “It’s Over” and feel the empowered ambivalence of her empowering yet wistful lyrics. We’ll wander through the contemplative “Snow Day,” energize with “Taffy,” and unpack the emotional depth of “Do You Sleep?” and “Hurricane.” Our conversation is a journey through Loeb’s artistic vision, from her thoughtful approach to album packaging to her savvy business decisions, and from the rocking grooves of “Taffy” to the sensitive strains of “Rose Colored Times.”

We’ve got tales to tell, and tails to chase, in today’s full episode dedicated to the one and only Lisa Loeb. So, make yourself comfortable, turn the volume up, and let’s step into a world where music weaves the fabric of our memories here on Once Every Two Weeks

Show notes

00:01:33 – Mark and Thom celebrate covering a musician they actually like and bemoan missing an episode drop.
00:02:07 – Thanksgiving catchup and recap
00:03:18 – Intro chat to Lisa Loeb
00:04:02 – Thom and Mark take a Hot Tub Time Machine back to discuss Lisa Loeb pre Lisa Loeb and discuss her life
00:08:23 – Lisa forms Nine Stories and meets friend Ethan Hawke
00:10:27 – The Purple Tape
00:12:00 – Ethan Hawke, Ben Stiller, Stay, and the rise to stardom courtesy of Reality Bites
00:15:13 – Signing with a label and the making of Tails
00:38:04 – It’s Over
00:40:44 – Snow Day
00:44:06 – Taffy
00:47:40 – When All the Stars Were Falling
00:48:21 – Do You Sleep
00:51:37 – Hurricane
00:52:23 – Rose-Colored Times
00:53:33 – Sandalwood
00:55:28 – Alone
00:57:19 – Waiting for Wednesday
00:58:22 – Lisa Listens
01:01:01 – Garden of Delights
01:02:12 – Stay (I Missed You)
01:08:35 – Mark’s top 3
01:08:48 – Thom’s top 3

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Mark & Thom

MARK:
Mark is the creative director and co-founder of Burro Borracho Records. After high school he spent a few years working as a manager with Wherehouse Music. He occasionally plays drums and has been in such non-productive go nowhere band start ups that no one has ever heard of like The Unsex, Avenue C, The Reaganauts, and Next Time I See Murphy (which also saw him play some guitar and take on vocal duties). He was the original drummer for Quiet Morning & the Calamity but left the band to pursue a degree in Motion Graphic Design.
During his college years, as photo editor of his school newspaper, his review of Radiohead's Kid A won first prize for Critical Review in a California statewide collegiate journalism contest. After graduating with his degree he filled in back on drums for QM&TC's first national tour in support of their debut EP Son of the Sad Soul, which features the song Gambling On Old Tires which Mark co-wrote.
Thanks to the influence of his mother who spent all her years playing guitar and singing folk songs, as well as three older brothers with drastically differing musical tastes, Mark has always known the important role music can and should play and has been a music fan all his life but he's only been a stubborn overly opinionated asshole about the superiority of his on musical tastes since his early teenage years. At the last count he had about 1,200 compact discs. Yes, he still collects cds.

THOM:
Thom's a digital marketer by day and armchair theologian, podcaster, writer, amateur home chef, and beer aficionado by night. When not working, he's a typical family man with a propensity to create.