PODCAST: The Sader Sound ep 6: Gus Clevenger

On this week’s episode of the Sader Sound, Tanisha Chetty and I sat down with staff writer Gus Clevenger to discuss his music taste. 

We began discussing Gus’ current favorite songs, starting with “Say Goodbye” by Beck. Beck David Campbell released his first album Mellow Gold in 1994, debuting his interesting folk-pop sound accompanied by heavy sampling from other artists. The hit song “Loser” from Mellow Gold quickly became a radio hit and landed Beck into the mainstream. He has since released 13 more albums and won 3 Grammy awards. “Say Goodbye,” Gus’ pick for this episode, was released on Beck’s 2014 album Morning Phase. Gus said the song “came in at the right time in [his] life.” 

Gus’ second pick was “Ammonia Avenue,” by Alan Parsons Project. Gus said that this song “really covers the whole range of what [he loves] about Alan Parsons.” This song hit home for me, since Alan Parsons has been a favorite artist of mine for a while (We have even featured some of his other albums on previous episodes!). Parsons helped produce the last two Beatles’ albums and gained the most fame from helping engineer The Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd.

Gus’ third and final pick was “It’s Over” by Boz Scaggs. After releasing a few albums with the Steve Miller Blues Band, named after his childhood friend and bandmate Steve Miller, Scaggs decided to focus on his personal career. “It’s Over” comes from Boz’s sixth official solo album Silk Degrees.

We continued our discussion with Gus by asking him a few questions pertaining to his music taste. When asked whether he strictly enjoys older music or finds himself listening to contemporary artists as well, Gus responded, “My biggest influence in music has been my dad. He has always encouraged me to see the whole range of what music is.” 

Gus’ taste ranges from Mac DeMarco, classic rock, all the way to contemporary indie rock. Alan Parsons Project also remains a favorite of Gus, with Tales of Mystery And Imagination being his favorite album. To hear more of Gus’ music taste, check out his Spotify playlist here.

Be sure to catch more Sader Sound episodes on Spotify if you enjoyed this interview. See you in the next episode!