Episode 12 — April 6, 2022
Tracy Bonham — Down Here
Podcasts
Tracy Bonham — Down Here
On this episode of Abandoned Albums, Rob Janicke and I talk with Tracy Bonham about her album Down Here, the follow-up to her 1996 Grammy-nominated album The Burdens of Being Upright.
The four years between the two albums doesn’t sound like much. But as the dawn cracked on the new millennium, those four years had seen a tectonic shift in the music industry and people’s musical tastes.
The three of us talk about a whole lot of it; and how those shifts helped seal the fate of Down Here.
Released in 2000, the record has been well regarded critically but woefully overlooked commercially; however, as any fan of music knows, the rock and roll highway is littered with brilliant albums tossed aside.
What’s great is that Rob and I get the opportunity to pull our motorcycles over to the side of that highway, stretch our legs and kick around the vinyl detritus until we find an album that moves us. As a long-time fan of Tracy’s, it didn’t take him long to find Down Here.
Tracy’s openness and warmth made the interview easy and super fun. She tells us about:
Brunch with Lyor Cohen at Trump Plaza.
She takes us into the studio with Mitchell Froom and Tchad Blake, and discusses the inspiration behind Cold Day in Hell.
Tracy also cops to having a little crush on the tousle-haired Boomtown Rat — Sir Bob Geldof (eh, to each their own).
The coolest thing?
You’ll hear her eyes light up when she talks about her album Young Maestros, Vol 1. I don’t even have kids and found the album a hoot — if you’re feet don’t immediately start tapping when you hear “Let’s Take the Subway,” check your pulse. Even if you’re not from NYC, you’ll get it simply because it’s a solid jam.
The kids album is part of her Melodeon Music House where Tracy has created a curriculum to explore the world of music in a mindful and creative way. This is the place where the world of music converges with creativity and mindfulness.
With teaching centers in both Woodstock New York and Brooklyn, Melodeon Music House aims to spread the joy of music to kids… of all ages.
Melodeon
Melodeon is a music education curriculum for young people designed by two time ®Grammy nominee Tracy Bonham that…melodeonmusichouse.com
We were so honored to have Tracy swing by Thunderlove Studios and have a chat about Down Here and unleash some of her awesomeness on us.
Check out Abandoned Albums, “the only music podcast that matters,” wherever you get podcasts.