60. The Mona Reels

60. The Mona Reels

Author: Markly Morrison October 14, 2022 Duration: 54:49
I'm very excited to kick things off today, I’ve been working on this season for a little over a year and as usual, I’ll be presenting a ton of terrific musical guests.  Also, my wife Lani Is supplying hand drawn portraits of all the artists for each episode, starting with today’s guest, Peter David Connelly of the Mona Reels, whose latest self-released album “Without Love” is available on bandcamp.  In addition to the band’s output over the past twenty years or so, Peter and I talk about how to hack the algorithms that police low-res photos, worshiping The Beach Boys, the role of piano in contemporary rock music, his old band called Weezer, and Peter gives a few piano and vocal performances we taped in his home here in Olympia.  This episode is also available on video, filmed and directed by Andrew ebright at TCTV Studio A.  You can find a link to watch this on this episode’s website at lowprofilepodcast.com or cat hit late at night on Channel 22 in Thurston County.  Some, but not all of the visual references have been edited out for this audio-only version.You can find links to their music on this episode’s website at lowprofilepodcast.com where you can also watch the broadcast television version of this episode.  If that’s not enough Mona Reels for you, they gave another performance and interview during the Scherler Sundays live series, two episodes back in time.  Today’s show was recorded for Thurston Community Media by Andrew Ebright.  If you’d like to support Low Profile and get early access to future episodes and occasional exclusive bonus content, head over to Patreon.com/lowprofile and sign up for flexible monthly donations and join the crew of executive producers.  Next time on Low Profile I’ll be speaking with Suzzy Roche of the Roches, and her daughter, singer-songwriter Lucy Wainwright Roche.  You can subscribe to this show wherever you get podcasts to make sure you hear new episodes as soon as they are released, and catch up on previous shows you may have missed.  Thanks for listening!The Mona Reels on IG: @themonareelsThe Mona Reels on Bandcamp: themonareels.bandcamp.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…