59. Bret Lunsford

59. Bret Lunsford

Author: Markly Morrison July 15, 2022 Duration: 59:42
We went on location to Anacortes, Washington to meet up with the local historian and musician Bret Lunsford in a cavernous repurposed train depot.  Calvin Johnson interjects during the intro to say a few words about his pal and former Beat Happening band mate Bret, who recently wrote a book called sounding for Harry Smith: Early Pacific Northwest Influences. To give a little background on who Harry Smith was, The Holy Modal Rounders’ co-founder, living legend and returning Low Profile guest, Peter Stampfel weighs in on Harry Smith and his Anthology of American Folk Music.In our conversation we’ll talk about Bret’s years with Beat Happening and D+, his record label/publishing company Knw-Yr-Own, and his recent book.This episode was co-hosted by Madison Nadine.  Andrew Ebright from Thurston Community Media engineered and film this episode- if you’d like to watch the video version of today show, you can follow Low Profile on social media @lowpropodcast or check out this program’s website, that’s lowprofilepodcast.com .You can find out more about Bret’s book at soundingforharrysmith.com .Much gratitude to Nathan Berko-Gibson @portabledisko for painting portraits for ALL FIFTEEN of this season’s episodes! If you want more Low Profile in the meantime, I’m still hosting live episodes and concerts at Scherler Sundays for the next five weeks , more info about that is at Scherlerbeer.com . For those who can’t make it, a lot of that will be released via this show on KAOS Community Radio, TCMedia on TV, and online starting in August.Season 6 of Low Profile is already wrapping up recording, and the first episode is tentatively scheduled to drop on September 30th, 2022. If you enjoy this show please tell a friend. word-of-mouth is the most effective means of growth for this type of thing. I’d love to hear from you too, drop me an email anytime, I’m at Low Profile markly@gmail.com.

There’s a whole world of essential music made by people who never became household names. Low Profile with Markly Morrison seeks out those artists, producers, and behind-the-scenes figures, blending their stories with the music they created. Host Markly Morrison, an audio journalist and musician based in Olympia, Washington, approaches these conversations as oral history-less about fame and more about the craft, the context, and the often overlooked contributions that shaped sounds we love. You’ll hear intimate, detailed interviews that pull back the curtain on influential work, paired with the tracks that define these careers. The show originates as a radio program on KAOS 89.3 FM but finds its enduring home as a podcast distributed by Ruinous Media, allowing these deep-dive stories to be savored anytime. Each episode is a chance to discover not just new music, but the rich human experiences behind it, focusing on the genuine artistry that exists far from the glare of the mainstream spotlight. This podcast is for anyone who believes the most compelling stories in music are often the ones you haven’t heard yet.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Low Profile with Markly Morrison
Podcast Episodes
89. Anne-Tina [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:18
Today, we’re examining a hidden gem from 1984 lovingly crafted by a nineteen year old keyboardist living in Denmark by the name of Anne-Tina, whose debut album was reissued in 2025 on Frederiksberg Records. To help us ex…
88. Shudder To Think [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:39
After moving to D.C. in 1985, then 16-year-old Craig Wedren helped shape Shudder To Think into a standout act within the Dischord Records scene, evolving from a raw hardcore-adjacent sound into a complex style that event…
Kento Oiwa - Olympia Music History Project [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:03
Musician Kento Oiwa interviewed by Markly Morrison for the Olympia Music History Project. Formed in the mid-1990s by Japanese immigrants Kento Oiwa and Michiko Swiggs, IQU was a group unlike anything folks in Olympia–or…
Low Profile Classic: Swamp Dogg [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:36
Swamp Dogg is coming to Olympia this weekend 7/13/2025! First, he'll be performing at Scherler Sundays, it's a free show that starts at 3pm. After that, Olympia Film Society will be hosting a free 8pm screening of the ne…
Pat Maley - Olympia Music History Project (Bonus) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:59
Today, instead of your usual Low Profile programming, I’m sharing an interview I conducted with Pat Maley in 2023 for the Olympia Music History Project. The whole transcript is available at olympiamusichistory.org . Pat…
87. Dick El Demasiado (Season Finale) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:12
When I first developed an interest in rough-around-the-edges cumbia music, a friend (thanks Matt!) introduced me to the music of Dick El Demasiado, purveyor of “cumbias lunaticas.” Over the years I’ve managed to glean a…
Olympia Music History Project: John Foster [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:53
It’s been a minute since I’ve put out a new show, and so I thought maybe I’d let you in on what has been keeping me so busy. A couple years ago, I started working on an oral history project funded by the city- appropriat…
Margo Guryan (Revisited) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:27
It's an election day bonus episode! Today we’re gonna be digging way back in the archive to episode 4: Focusing on Margo Guryan. This was recorded in early 2019, when I was still figuring out this show’s format. At that…
86. April March [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:52
If there was such a thing as the American ambassador to 60s French Pop it would have to be Elinor Blake, better known as April March. Elinor began her professional career in the world of animation back in the early 80s b…
85. Chris Schlarb of Psychic Temple [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:18
Psychic Temple is the extended-family project of Chris Schlarb, the proprietor of the retro-chic Big Ego studio in Long Beach, California. Chris is an old friend of mine, going back to the turn of the century when I live…