64. La Luz

64. La Luz

Author: Markly Morrison December 9, 2022 Duration: 55:10
If you don’t know already, La Luz is killing it these days.  They got the thick harmonies, they got the deep twang in the guitar department, and everybody in the band brings a hell of a lot to the table.  Outside the band, they all have other music projects that are keeping it fresh.   The solo projects of guitarist Shana Cleveland and keyboardist Alice Sandahl are glorious in their own right, as well as bassist Lena Simon’s new studio project Kairos Creature Club and drummer Audrey Johnson’s Fresno-based band Fatty Cakes and the Puff Pastries. When all those forces combine, it really hits.  While on tour this past summer, they made a detour in Olympia and came into the KAOS air studio earlier to give us a show.  I brought them some instruments so they didn’t have to unload all their gear, so in addition to the interview, they’re doing a special unplugged set with celestette, shaker, and dual acoustic guitars.  This episode is a co-production of Thurston Community Media and KAOS 89.3FM and is adapted from a video recording, which will eventually be made available on this episode's web page.  Get cozy, there’s a lot of music on the show today.For the month of December, I'm doing a patreon drive.  Folks who support this show will be helping out me and my family, chipping in with the costs of doing this program, and making a huge difference... a little goes a long way.  And as a bonus, everybody who is a part of the Low Profile Patreon community donating $5 or more per month gets an exclusive mixtape- yeah, a physical cassette - featuring tunes that have never been released outside of Low Profile, with artists like Donnie and Joe Emerson, Stephen Steinbrink, Doug Martsch, Ashley Eriksson, Lavender Country and more.  I'll be sending the tapes out at the end of the month, and you'll get yours right in the beginning of 2023.  To support the show, visit patreon.com/lowprofile and sign up for flexible monthly donations.Also, since this episode was recorded, Lena has left the band La Luz after 8 years.  We wish her the best with her new endeavors in Florida!The artwork for this episode is by Lani Morrison.

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…