Wesley’s Pop Culture Club

Issue #8 -- You Got A Printing Press Guy?

Lucas and Jonah Season 1 Episode 8

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0:00 | 29:17

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We're talkin' tunes! Summer is (basically) here and we've hand-picked a couple of perfect albums for rushing headlong into what promises to be one of the top four seasons of the year! Plus, a few honorable mentions near the end of the episode and an update on how our printing press is handling the stress of churning out these Issues on a weekly basis. Spoiler alert: NOT WELL. Tune in next week, when we'll be talking about a whole lot of comics! Thanks for listening!

Art by Maddy Asma

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SPEAKER_00

Hello. This is Wesley's Pop Culture Club. That's right. That's right there, guys. My name is Jonah. And my name is Lucas. And we have come here today to play. Yeah, we have. And have a little fun in the sun. Yeah. Why can't we do it? Oh, are we not allowed? Well, we should be. That's why we came here. Yes. Well, that's what we're gonna do. Seems like we should be allowed. We can do it. Okay. We can do it. So thank you for listening. Uh, we love you a lot. Like, just a lot. And um so much. So much. So this is issue number eight. The printing press is on fire. I checked earlier.

SPEAKER_02

Oh, it's burning. You know why? Because I think when you put in eight, you flipped it to the side. Oh, shit. And it's printing an infinity.

SPEAKER_01

Inf infinity.

SPEAKER_02

I didn't even think about the never gonna stop. I've done that before. That thing's broken. You know what? That's fine. We'll get a new one. Okay, we'll get a new guy. We're gonna have to pay for that.

SPEAKER_01

Five bucks.

SPEAKER_02

Five bucks? Yeah, I got a guy.

SPEAKER_01

You got a printing press guy?

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. I got a printing press guy. Okay. Okay, good.

SPEAKER_01

Whoo!

SPEAKER_02

My name is Pedro Pascal. Oh. The printing press guy.

SPEAKER_00

Peter Press guy. Um Daddy Alert.

SPEAKER_01

Uh oh. Zaddy. Zaddy.

SPEAKER_02

You're a pee-pee pro.

SPEAKER_01

I am. I just went. Hey, we talked about that a couple weeks ago, didn't we? We did. Peepee pro. Peep peeper. Pee-pee pro printing press. Printing press. Peeper press go. Peeper press go.

SPEAKER_00

Okay, what are we doing here? I'll tell you. What are we doing? We talk about music, movies, TV, comic books, all things popular and cultural. And cultural. In one locacion. One location.

unknown

Wow.

SPEAKER_00

One space. One space.

SPEAKER_02

One love. Yes.

SPEAKER_03

One love. One love.

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

Get it. Right.

SPEAKER_01

Mr. Pose Man.

SPEAKER_00

Let's just do this for a half hour. Um, so did I really like this? That was fun. That was fun. So this issue. We don't have any issues with this issue. This one is about music. Okay, so if you I know I know you, but you, the listener, I know you like music.

SPEAKER_02

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

And let me tell you right now, you have come to the correct location. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

And you're here on time. You're here on time.

SPEAKER_00

Hardest part's showing up.

SPEAKER_02

I'm talking about it right now, as you're listening.

SPEAKER_00

Not yesterday. No. Not two weeks ago. Not two weeks ago. Not even a second in the future from now. Nope. Right here. Now. Happening. Important things are being said at the moment. At the moment. Drop it. Drop it in. Like a raindrop. So we've picked out a couple albums here.

unknown

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_00

They have come out recently as well.

unknown

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_00

So I'm going to pass this to you, man. To me? To my to my confidant, Lucas, right here. Alright. To my pal. What what album did you select?

SPEAKER_02

The album that I selected for this month is. Look for your mind by Lemon Twigs. Where'd it go? Wow. It's hard to find. Someone must have taken it away. Yes. Well, I'm looking for it now. Yes. So this is uh this album came out on May 8th of 2026. I believe I have that right. Um this album is self-produced by the Dedario brothers, who are two of the titular lemon twigs. Um and it is about 41 minutes and six seconds long. It's 14 tracks. And uh if you're doing the math, that means every song on this album is about like two and a half minutes or something like that. It's uh it's short and sweet, you know? Yeah. Um that sour though. No, no, no, no, no. Like a lemon. It's not like a uh not like a lemon, not like a sour patch kid. Oh, those are really good. It's just the sweet part.

SPEAKER_00

Okay.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. No sourness. First they're sweet, then they're sweet. Oh, wow.

SPEAKER_00

I don't think I've ever heard that before.

SPEAKER_02

Okay.

SPEAKER_00

That turn of phrase.

SPEAKER_02

Well, now you have. And there's a first time for everything. Thank you, Lucas. Speaking of first times, this album was my first exposure to this band.

SPEAKER_00

Oh, really? Okay, that was a segue. That was a nice segue, yeah. I was wondering if you had been a fan before.

SPEAKER_02

No, um, I feel like I'd heard of them, and actually, um uh a few weeks prior to choosing this album, my buddy Mike uh reached out to me and said, Hey man, if you have not heard these guys, you need to listen to them. And uh uh Mike and I are very uh similar with our music taste, I feel like. So um I did what he said and I haven't looked back.

unknown

Wow.

SPEAKER_02

And then I think right around then this album came out. Um and man, it is uh a really solid effort, I feel like. Um I really like this album because I think the the short and sweet thing plays into it for me. It's like all of these songs are like fairly catchy. It sounds very, it's very like power poppy. Uh there's definitely some like Beach Boys influences happening here. Um but on the on the outskirts of all of that, sort of, on the periphery even, okay, there's a little bit of psychedelic stuff going down here. Totally is. There's some interesting sonic happenings that are occurring. Yeah, not knuckles, but sonic. And I think I I really like both of those things uh when they are when they are brought together. I think like kind of the weirdness and the catchiness uh commingling make for uh an interesting sound and uh and and a great sing-along album. I gotta say, I'm not gonna spoil anything, but I think both of our albums this month, Summer's Here, baby. Oh, it is. I'm just saying, dude.

SPEAKER_00

And we'll come back to it, but but great thought. Yeah. I really like what you said about being psychedelic and catchy, because that yes, the it's very unique, they're very unique sounding, and and it's yeah, it just you've hit that on the head with the the psychedelic kind of sixties kind of yeah.

SPEAKER_02

So what are your what are your overall takes? What are your takes on this album?

SPEAKER_00

Dude, I I really enjoyed this album. Nice. Also, um it's it's definitely something it was it's different for me. I I don't really listen to this kind of genre, you know. Um so very original sounding. I really liked the first track a lot. Like the harmonies, the the guys' harmonies are really nice, really tight. Um it's yeah, it's it's just like it definitely feels like from the 60s, but it's you know, this just came out, as you just said. So um yeah, and I think the whole production qual like everything seems very, like I said, very high quality. Um I don't know, yeah. It's it I was definitely getting Beach Boys vibes, Beatles vibes, but also their own thing.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Like there was kind of even in the look for your mind song, the title track, um, there's like kind of some almost discordant type of vocals.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

You know, that's like it's like, oh, I don't really hear that on the radio. You know, I don't really hear that often. Um and um I like the lyrics too. I remember liking I like My Heart Is in Your Hands Tonight. I mean I like the name of that song, first off, but um I remember liking that one. But yeah, I mean overall, I thought this was really cool.

SPEAKER_02

Nice. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, it's good. I I like um I feel like like I said, like the power pop thing is kind of throughout. Um, but there's elements like like we were talking about like the psychedelic stuff, like um the last song on the album, Your True Enemy, very like the vocals are like kind of like flanging and like swirling around a little bit. And uh I like that it pivots like kind of back and forth from like like ballads with like kind of catchy melodies to then you have that song Bring You Down, like right in the middle of the album, which is like straight up like Song of the Summer, like surfing USA, just surf jam. Nice. Heck yes. That's a it's a great song, and uh it's just like a I like that it's about like the man, you know? Like it um the the lyric in the choruses you know that the man was made just to bring you down. It's like about this guy who's like working this job that he doesn't get paid enough for, and he's like, Yeah, you know, um, but it the song itself is like so like upbeat and poppy, like it's and uh I I like um you know I like those two things mixing together. Dude, totes, man. Um a couple of my other faves from this album are the the singles, um, two or three, and I just can't get over losing you. Um those are great, like super catchy, really fun. Um I also really like the title track. Um I like the song Gather Round Fire and Gold is really good. Um, and then Towards the end, You're still my girl. And the one you mentioned, actually, My Heart is in your hand tonight, hands tonight. Um, yeah, those are I mean, that's a lot of highlight. I feel like I just said half the album, but I really did like this one. Uh I was I was happy that I found this. I I had a couple others like in uh in the running for which album I was gonna pick, and then like when I finally listened to Mike and I started listening to this, I think I got like three songs in. I was like, ah, this is this is the album for the month.

SPEAKER_00

Dude, heck yes. Yeah. Yeah, I I agree. It was it's a really fun, a really fun vibe. Um and yeah, I feel like it had like it kind of took different kind of tones and like moods as well. There's like kind of some love more love songs are about like a break like breakups, but then like more uh like summary songs, yeah, too. So um yeah, I thought yeah, it was just like very like I was impressed by their their vocals and their like harmonies. And it and like also in this kind of like yet eerie discordant way at times.

SPEAKER_02

You know, they say um family members uh give the best harmonies.

SPEAKER_00

Ah, okay. Well that I I think we have uh seen that that that is that has been proven true with other bands that like I know like the Abbott Brothers.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. Um they sound great together.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. So but yeah, I think that I was I was gonna ask, so I was reading up on them, like it says that they're the sons of this like famous dude. Oh, interesting. Diodario, um, I was on their bio on I was looking on Spotify. Okay, so the sons of Ronnie Diodario. The the So I was wondering if that's the dude that like invented that guitar string brand.

SPEAKER_02

Oh.

SPEAKER_00

I gotta ask if you like knew had any insight on that.

SPEAKER_02

I d I don't.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, because it was it sounds like they're the father was like kind of prolific in the 70s. Ronnie Diodario. Yeah. But I mean maybe it's not too. Um I I don't think it is. Okay. Yeah, I'm looking on Ronnie Diodario, and he has 10,000 listeners on Spotify, so that's not really that much. Um, so I'm not sure.

SPEAKER_02

Um DiDario was founded in 1973 by Jim DiDario, his brother John DiDario and uh John DiDario Soon Senior? Okay.

SPEAKER_00

Okay, someone else.

SPEAKER_02

Actually, uh now this says it was founded in 1973 by Jim and Janet DiDario. Who knows what to believe?

SPEAKER_00

Ah man. There's so much information out there now. Um but I I actually I had heard of this band and I I don't think I've listened to them before though, but I remember seeing the name. And I I was like, I remember thinking like, oh, are they like from now or from the past? I didn't know when they were from. Yeah. And also I think of it reminds me of the lemon heads too. Oh yeah. And that candy. And the candy.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, it's just a good candy. Good candy.

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Good candy, yeah. Good candy, good candy. Um all right. Well, yeah, that's it for that one, I think. I think that was a good, a good pick. All right, thanks, man.

SPEAKER_00

That was fun.

SPEAKER_02

Um, all right. Let's move along here. Jonah. I'm gonna give you a drum roll, and then you you let me know what your album is for the month.

SPEAKER_00

Okay. All right. Surf film music by Jack Johnson. That's the first time I've heard that word said out loud. It is quite uh a cool, interesting word. Kind of a mouthful.

SPEAKER_02

Kind of a mouthful. A little a little uh portmanteau, if you will.

unknown

Oh.

SPEAKER_02

Wait, what does that that mean again? Isn't it just kind of uh combining words?

SPEAKER_00

Ah, okay. That sounds that sounds right. I know I've seen that word, but um like brunch. Oh nice breakfast and lunch.

unknown

What?

SPEAKER_00

Okay, so I uh so I really like this album. Um Jack Johnson is one of my all-time faves. And so this is uh this is a cool album because it's uh he like made this documentary. Yes. And um so he made this documentary, like I think it's kind of like chronicling his uh uh like so. Basically, like he used to be, I believe, a professional surfer. And then like when they were surfing, he would just like film his friends and like make little video like uh movies, and then um so that was like the film part, and then he got like in a really bad surfing accident, and then that's how he took up playing guitar at one point. And so this that documentary kind of like chronicles like his early, I believe, like the period when he's getting into music. Okay, and like so there's like some cool footage and stuff, and I'm actually gonna go see the documentary uh in a couple weeks. Nice, yes, yeah. I wanna tell you that so it'll be it'll be sweet. Um but yeah, so this I think is kind of like a soundtrack for it.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

And uh I I really like so I've listened to like all of his music, so he's actually I listen to him like pretty frequently. Um so he's like I said, he's one of my faves. So I I knew like a lot of the like a lot of the songs that were on this album are they kind of like did reimagined versions, right? You know, and like on the uh four track as well. Yeah, which is cool, which I didn't really cool. I had to like ask my dad like what what's a four-track exactly. I didn't remember what it was exactly. Um, but it's pretty cool um because it gives it like a more stripped down and like lo-fi sound. Yeah. And dude, I I listened to this album like four times. Wow, like I'm not even kidding you. I mean, especially because I went up north this last last weekend, but um I just uh I just yeah, I just really like the vibes, like it's just good vibes, but um music is great, but I I really liked the like like I said, the reimagined versions of some of the older songs. Yeah, he made him kind of like trippier, yeah. Um like there's one called Fall Line, which was probably my favorite um on the album. And it's like he just sounds like his singing is like he's like he's like very tired sounding, and it's not really like that in the studio, like the original one. Yeah, and the guitar sounds a little you know off too, and it's there's a couple songs that do that where they kind of like it sounds a little off or a little like like down tuned. Yeah, like might be what it is. But um, so that was cool, and then there's also like he there's like some original songs on this. Um I should pull it up here, but um but he works like uh like one of the features, like there's another group featured on the album um called Hermano's Gutierrez. Yes. And I'm just gonna pull this up real quick. But those guys are so cool, like I didn't know about them until this album. And so they just add some really nice instrumentals, kind of like just some cool electric guitar, yeah. That's very like relaxing. Um, hold on to the light, it was the original for this album. Um yeah, and then I mean yeah, even like the song Drink the Water is on here like three times, which I thought was kind of funny. Yeah, or like different variations. Um and then yeah, it's just it's just kind of a it's a cool like it's also kind of made me think like because Jack Johnson, I think his first album came out, it was in the 90s. Um sorry, not the nineties. Oh man, I should know this. I think it's early 2000s.

SPEAKER_02

Okay.

SPEAKER_00

It was Brushfire Fairy Fairy Tales. But a lot of the ones on this album are from that album, and they're just like reworked versions, so it's like you know, that was like, you know, 25 years ago. So it's cool to see somebody like if this was the case, if he made these now, I don't actually even know, maybe these were from a while ago, but if he made these tracks now, it's cool to see how they kind of naturally progressed into a different way of sounding.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Um but what did what did you think, man?

SPEAKER_02

I really like this one. Yeah, yeah, this was a lot of fun. Um, like you said, I think it's just it's good vibes, it's very like easy listening. Um I think like I could definitely tell. I mean, obviously, like I knew beforehand that like upon looking into it that there was a documentary part to it. I think this probably like seeing that with these songs will make it make like even more sense. Like I feel like the the lo-fi recordings and the four-track like really lend themselves to a sort of like soundtrack type thing, especially like like about what I assume it's about, which is like kind of his um rise from like surfing to musicianship, you know, or music musician dumb. Um but yeah, I mean this was um this was a good one. I I did quite enjoy it. Um I did not know I'm not super familiar with like a lot of his stuff. Okay, I feel like I know some of the big songs, but I didn't realize that he was doing um like just four-track versions of songs that were already quite like famous for him until probably Fortunate Fool, which I think is like six songs into the four tracks. Okay, yes. Wait a second. I know this song. Nice, nice.

SPEAKER_00

Well, a lot of the songs are they're like deep cuts on the first album.

SPEAKER_02

Oh, okay, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

A lot of these are like so like posters and middleman yeah, like a lot of them are sexy plexi. So it I thought I I think yeah, I was thinking that too. Like seeing the documentary will be kind of nice because I think it focuses on that early area, which is a lot of that first album, I think.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, so yeah, definitely. It was probably it must be like I don't I don't have any details on like you said, like when these recordings originated from. Yeah, but um if he was like I could I could see a world wherein like the documentary coming out was like incentive for him to like kind of revisit these things, and that was probably like pretty cathartic, you know. Oh I would think if that's the case. I don't know. I'm just speculating. But um that's it's cool. Also, I wanted to note uh um Hermanos Gutierrez, those guys. Yeah, have you listened to any of their other stuff like since listening to this? Not no, they are really. Good. Okay, sweet. They have kind of like a uh like a crungbin thing going almost where it's very like kind of deserty. Nice. Um like the electric guitar that you find throughout like the first half, like the soundtrack part of this album is kind of like their signature. I actually was driving to work the other day and I put this album on and I did not know that they were attached to it in any way. Oh, and I I got to um drink the water, like the not the sketch one, but the actual like song with them on it. And they started doing some like spacey electric guitar stuff, and I thought to myself, I was like, this sounds like Hermanos Gutierrez, and then I got to work and I was trying to find the song, and I was like, Oh, okay. That makes sense. Like I was proud of myself. That's impressive.

SPEAKER_00

That's like a kind of a deep cut right there. Yeah, a deep find.

SPEAKER_02

They um I discovered them with help um probably I think it was like 2022. Um because at a previous job I had, we would do like an album of the day kind of thing. Um, because we could like wear headphones, so it was like not that hard to take an hour out of your day to listen to like, you know, something that someone put in the chat. Um and this guy I worked with, um, he submitted their album El Bueno y El Malo from 2022. And um it's really good. It's very like yeah, like um kind of Western sounding. And I don't know, just a really like it's something like I wouldn't have imagined before this that this that these guys would be working with Jack Johnson. Like in my brain, that's like those two sounds are like very different. Sure. But then you hear it together, and I feel like it's kind of a really nice like marriage of sounds. Like dude, yeah. They're very complementary. Yeah, I think that's well said. Also, just another random note. Um, they I don't know if they still are, but for at least two albums, they were on Easy Eye Sound. Oh, the Dan Auerbach, and he produced their most recent two albums, I think. Um which is you know, interesting. That's pretty cool. Dan Auerbach of of Black Keys fame. Um, those guys were kind of our jam in high school. Yes. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

I was actually just thinking about them. Oh, I heard Howlin' for you this morning.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, I think they have a new album out.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, they do. Yeah, I think it's Peaches.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Um, yeah. This was a good one. I I uh I'm glad you brought this one to my attention.

SPEAKER_00

Dude. Likewise to you, man. Like Yeah, I think these were both very fun. Um they weren't I know last month um I don't wanna, you know, like I some of the albums were kinda a little more depressing. Um but or one of the albums was, but um these were both these were both um like some good summary vibes, like you said. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

I believe um the day this album comes out, we're like or this sorry, this issue comes out. Man, what are we gotta be uh when does summer start this year? 21st? We're like two days away. Wow. This will be Juneteenth. Happy Juneteenth, everybody. Oh yeah. Um yeah, that's good. So yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Because we're in we're in the future a little bit right now. Currently we are. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

But we're about to snap back, though.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, we'll we'll snap back.

SPEAKER_02

We'll snap back.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. That sounds good. No, man, yeah, so good good picks here.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Um definitely I was I'll also just kind of toss out there into our mixture. Um, I also checked out because I I had like kind of a hard time picking an album, but like I really like Jack Johnson. Um, but I also listened to Shaky Graves' new album that kit yeah just came out, um called Fondness, etc. Um that's a really good listen. It's a little more like relaxed. I know we we both like Shaky Graves, so um kind of relaxed, a lot of good finger picking.

SPEAKER_02

Okay, nice.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, that was good, and then I also listened to Rostum's American Stories. Wow. Yeah, how was that? That was that was really cool. Yeah, that was a good one too. It was like very uplifting, kind of more spiritual sounding. And um, yeah, so those were some other goods so I think those those all came out in May. Nice. So there's May was a pretty good month for music.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, yeah. Um I'll jump on this train real quick. Yeah. Oh, speaking of, uh, I listened to an album by Aldous Harding called Train on the Island.

SPEAKER_00

Oh, okay. I like that dude. Wait, is it a lady? Yeah. Oh, I'm thinking of Curtis Harding. Oh, yeah, okay, never mind.

SPEAKER_02

Um yeah, um, it was really good. It's kind of like uh at times it kind of reminded me of like the dry cleaning album. Um there's some spoken word mixed in with some singing. Um, but the instrumentals throughout are really cool. And um I liked it. Also, the album cover scares me.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I'm looking at it right now. Skewy. A little scary. It kind of looks like Rachel a little bit.

SPEAKER_02

Oh. Well, I'm sure that that is a compliment. I think it's a compliment. Oh yeah. Otherwise, I'd have to give you a knuckle sandwich. Oh no.

unknown

Oh no.

SPEAKER_02

Alright, man. Well, what do you think?

SPEAKER_00

Dude, I think I think we've hit the musical um itch that we've hit the itch that people needed. So, yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Then it doesn't itch anymore if you hit it.

SPEAKER_00

Right.

SPEAKER_02

Okay.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. We just kind of like yeah, like smack it. Smack it. Just smack it. If I get any mosquito bites, I usually just start punching my arms. Does that work pretty effectively? It's really effective. Yeah. Cool. Yeah, but if I get one on my leg, I just slap it. I don't punch that. Okay. Yeah. Do you ever try that? Alright. I've never tried that.

SPEAKER_01

Ever tried it?

SPEAKER_00

Okay. No.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, it's pretty good. Okay. Yeah. Cool.

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Alright, man.

SPEAKER_01

Okay, man.

SPEAKER_02

Well, yeah, we will be coming back next week with some talk about comics.

SPEAKER_00

You ever heard of them? You ever heard of them? You ever heard of them? You ever seen it? You ever seen it? You ever seen one? You ever seen one? You know where they're at?

SPEAKER_02

On the stands. On the stands. Yeah, they are.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, and they're being printed.

SPEAKER_02

At all times. Daily. Not on our printing press, because we need to buy a new one. It's on fire. Yeah. It's probably done burning now. I haven't checked. But I'll talk to my pee pee guy and we'll get that up and running. Good. Talk to your pee pee guy and we'll get it, we'll get it ready.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Alright, everybody. Thanks for listening. Thanks. Bye. Bye.