Singer-songwriter Brian Erickson, left, of The Extensions, and guitarist Bill Lambusta of We’re Ghosts Now and Fake Pockets, relaunched their popular “The Great Albums Podcast” in June after a seven-year hiatus following a six-year run. PHOTO BY RYAN HANRATTY
The older I get the less tempting shows are. Since COVID, my shows have been few and far between, whereas in my early music-writing career, I would attend shows four to six nights a week, sometimes twice in New York and/or Philly.
One of the most scrumptious shows I’ve seen announced in a while is the triple release party for The Extensions, Renee Maskin & the Wilder Tide, and CUSSING on Aug. 15 on The Baronet Rooftop of The Asbury hotel. For Brian Erickson of The Extensions, the can’t-miss evening sandwiches the return of “The Great Albums,” a podcast he hosts with former Paper Jets band mate Bill Lambusta, and his latest solo album, “Others’ Songs.”
The Extensions will celebrate “Modern Vice,” which finds Brian, the band’s main songwriter, continuing to increasingly share lead vocals with his band mates. For the first time, all four vocalists take turns as lead singers. Bassist Will Blakey delivers the slick, sly, sneakily-literate “Discreet Bliss.” Guitarist Becca Cristino brings a sense of contradictory warmth to the divorce anthem “You and Me and Everybody We Know.” Then there’s “Over Now,” a song that has been in and out of Erickson’s setlists for two decades and a multitude of arrangements. All it took was someone else to finally have a go at it. In keyboardist Lisa LoVell’s capable hands, “Over Now” emerges as one of “Modern Vice’s” emotional high points.
While Brian remains the creative center of gravity -- handling lead on the album’s remaining five tracks -- and drummer Pete Stern, the heartbeat, this is unmistakably a group effort; one that discovers its identity through collaboration. No song exists in isolation. Harmony voices weave in and out of the mix, creating the sense that this music belongs not to a single narrator but to an ensemble cast.
Within this cinematic approach, vocalists enter and exit, like characters moving through interconnected scenes. Themes are introduced, revisited, and reframed as the spotlight shifts from one voice to another.
By the final track (and album’s final single), “Love at First Night,” all the characters who had circled one another for the whole album are finally in a room together, like “walking into the night when you’re 20, the lights go up, and next thing you know, you’re 40,” Brian said. That sentiment is captured within “Modern Vice’s” themes of time, memory, romance, and the subtle ways people change without realizing it.
Like an unforgettable night, you leave changed by “Modern Vice.” You come away with a new understanding of what brought you there in the first place. As in the album’s opening line, “you step in slowly.” Then, you “turn this night to day,” the album’s closer. Everything in between is “Modern Vice.” Transformations happen along the way. Due Aug. 14 via Mint 400 Records, “Modern Vice” finds The Extensions embracing the most fully realized version of themselves to date following three LPs and an EP since 2019.
Yet, Brian also remains busy with the return of “The Great Albums Podcast,” as well as readying yet another set of older solo recordings to follow the June-released “Others’ Songs” by year’s end. “The Great Albums Podcast,” a music commentary show dedicated to in-depth, track-by-track album conversations, released the second episode of its relaunched monthly run on July 1 with a deep dive into The Beths’ 2018 debut album, “Future Me Hates Me.”
As with each episode of the revived show, Bill and Brian approach the album as fans, not critics, moving track-by-track through songs. The conversation continues the show’s new relaunch-era segments, including a song-by-song album chart, album-centric awards, and reactions to contemporaneous reviews from prominent critics.
“The Great Albums Podcast” returned on June 1 with its first regular episode in more than seven years covering Vampire Weekend’s self-titled debut album. New episodes will continue to be released on the first of every month, with each month’s featured album announced on social media one week before the episode goes live.
“The Great Albums Podcast” explores great music across rock, pop, hip-hop, and more through the lens of their preferred format: the album. The show earned a devoted following for its in-depth, track-by-track album discussions, averaging over 20,000 Week 1 downloads per episode and amassing more than 6 million total downloads during its original run from 2015 to 2019.
The podcast also features guest contributions from musicians, podcasters, journalists, and other dedicated music lovers. Past musical guests have included Adam Weiner of Low Cut Connie; Fred and Richard Fairbrass of Right Said Fred; Jody Stephens of Big Star; Savannah Pope; Sarah Donner, plus journalist Steven Hyden, author Dan LeRoy, musical comedian Kyle Gordon, producer-author Jesse Cannon, syndicated DJ-podcast host Ralph Sutton, YouTuber Nando, and WXPN DJs Wendy Rollins, Dan Reed, and Mike Vasilikos.
When not busy with “The Great Albums Podcast,” Bill performs in We’re Ghosts Now and Fake Pockets. Both hosts bring the perspective of working musicians as they discuss the albums that shaped them.
They also discussed all that they have going on, as well as their rich history together since 2002. Enjoy!
Brian, ‘Love at First Night’ is the latest single from ‘Modern Vice.’ What inspired that song and why, and how did you come to write it with Tim Ryan?
Brian: We’re all getting older, and I’m watching the community around me change and grow in various directions. And ‘Love at First Night’ is about how we experience all directions of that growth. I wanted the song to evoke a feeling of anemoia, and I’m pretty sure that, as a group, we were able to do that. Tim Ryan’s part was arguably the most crucial piece of the writing: he came up with the title! I usually start writing and then I name the song last. Tim had the phrase ‘love at first night’ first, and I wrote it based off that. An entire song – an entire small universe – got made off Tim’s idea!
Will there be a video for that or any subsequent singles?
Brian: It’s an eight-song album, and we’ve already released four singles in the yearlong lead up to its release, so I think we’re done with singles. As far as a music video goes, at this level, I don’t tend to find them useful. Sure, they’re nice, but I don’t need to ask 50 friends to watch 25 seconds of something I spent thousands of dollars producing. I’d rather put that money into making more albums.
The triple release party at the Baronet looks scrumptious. What are you looking forward to most about it?
Brian: I’ve been an admirer of Renee’s music for over a decade now. And we’ve been trying to line up a marquee-level show like this for nearly as long. I’m looking forward to sharing the night with a longtime friend, with my bandmates, with our fans and community, and with our excellent supporting act CUSSING.
I’ve written extensively about Renee Maskin, including her latest band, the Wilder Tide, so I’m very familiar, but not so with CUSSING. What do you like most about them and why?
Brian: CUSSING used to be called Separatr, if that name sounds more familiar; they recently changed their name. They’re originally from the Pacific Northwest, but they started showing up around Asbury Park a few years back, and they’ve since become labelmates whose work I enjoy quite a bit. They have such a hooky synth sound and, despite just being a duo, they really bring it live!
The Extensions will celebrate the release of their latest Mint 400 album, “Modern Vice,” on Aug. 15 at The Baronet Rooftop of The Asbury hotel during a triple release part also with Renee Maskin & the Wilder Tide and CUSSING. PHOTO BY CARINA DUFFY
What is the theme of ‘Modern Vice,’ and why is that important?
Brian: I love the Martin Scorsese movie ‘After Hours’; it’s one of our great ‘whole thing takes place in a single day’ stories. So, I got to thinking about how an album could tell a compact story with a lot of movement like that. The opening line of the record is ‘Step in slowly,’ and the closing line is ‘Turn this night to day.’ And everything in between are the various lives we live. It’s the collective experiences we make, they are our secrets, they are our desires, it’s everything we’d ever said and wished we could take back. But when it’s done, both on the album and in life, we all meet the same end, no matter who we are.
How and why is ‘Modern Vice’ a departure from The Extensions’ previous albums?
Brian: It’s not so much a departure as it is an arrival at something we’ve been planning out since the beginning. After our debut EP, ‘Bellicose,’ we released a cover of ‘Stop Dragging My Heart Around’ with Lisa on vocals. Then, when we made our ‘High Charisma’ album, Lisa sang an original, and Becca joined her for a duet on a different song. When we followed it up with ‘Gravitas,’ Will made his Extensions vocal debut.
We’ve been introducing listeners to the different voices across our whole timeline. Now, everybody has their own moment to shine. ‘Modern Vice’ is a capstone.
Why did you want to share so much of the vocal duties on the album, especially with songs you wrote or co-wrote?
Brian: Otis Redding, one of the hands-down greatest singers to ever open his mouth, wrote the song ‘Respect.’ But it was only when Aretha Franklin got her hands on it that the song’s story was able to be told most effectively. Sometimes, the best person to convey the story of the song isn’t its author.
Had you previously been recorded by Derril Sellers?
Brian: Derril recorded the whole of our Keystone Trilogy: ‘High Charisma’ in 2023, ‘Gravitas’ in 2024, and ‘Modern Vice’ in 2026. He’s recorded most of our catalogue.
How and why did Derril influence ‘Modern Vice?’
Brian: Derril’s influence might not be heard directly in the notes being played; we didn’t suddenly transform into Last Legs or Lowlight. But for myself and my bandmates, he’s an even-handed, steadying presence. That type of temperament keeps things running smoothly. So, the influence is in the results: releasing three records in just over three years!
Brian, what do you like most about working with Mint 400 Records and why?
Brian: Neil and the greater Mint 400 crew are easy to work with, they foster a real sense of community, and they do what they say they’re going to do. On occasion, you’ll see some talent support or management group pop up, especially around a creative community like Asbury Park. They’re happy to take your money, or waste your time making big promises, getting you excited and letting you down. Mint 400 keeps expectations honest, above-board, and reasonable. It’s not glamorous. It’s effective.
Brian, are the rich giving the shaft to the less fortunate in Asbury, and if so, how and why?
Brian: I think attending a city council meeting and listening to the residents during the Public Comment Period would get the best insights. I don’t feel I can speak to that as eloquently. There’s race and class involved, there’s city politics that go back decades. There are a lot of factors undergirding and even fostering that sense of tension just below Asbury Park’s ‘fun little beach town’ veneer.
When and why did you restart ‘The Great Albums Podcast?’
Bill: We started recording new episodes and planning our relaunch in the fall of 2025. We stopped recording episodes in 2019 mostly because my health couldn't keep up with the pace of producing a weekly podcast. I had suffered a TIA -- aka a mini-stroke -- in 2018. After that, I started getting daily tension headaches that regularly progressed into migraines. Thankfully, things started to improve around 2022 and really stabilized back to mostly normal in 2023. Shortly after that, I started feeling the itch to talk about music again. It turns out not having daily headaches really goes a long way toward improving one's chattiness. I floated the idea to Brian, and we finally got it all back together by last fall.
What albums have you featured since returning and why?
Bill: Our first two episodes were Vampire Weekend’s first album and The Beths’ ‘Future Me Hates Me.’ Coming back, we wanted it to be fun for us first. There was a chance we were going to just do a couple episodes, put them out there, and decide that was it. So, we specifically picked albums that were for us, especially ones that were a little newer, showing off what our listening habits were like in the time since we last did a track-by-track review.
What albums will you feature in coming months?
Bill: We're keeping the upcoming slate close to the vest. New episodes come out the first of every month. About two weeks out, we start giving some hints and reveal the episode about a week out so that everyone has a chance to check it out ahead of time. That said, we also just put out our first Patreon exclusive episode! Patreon members will be getting exclusive episodes and other bonus content each month. For July, we decided to use the opportunity of a different format to talk about something different than an album, so we reviewed Jimmy Eat World’s ‘Stay on My Side Tonight’ EP.
When and how was the podcast started, and why did it stop?
Bill: The podcast's first episode came out in January 2015, with recording first happening in the fall of 2014. Really the podcast started when Brian and I met in college and spent a crap ton of too much time talking about our favorite music in the dorms. It just took until 2014 for us to do it in front of mics.
The initial idea for the podcast came to me when I was listening to a podcast called ‘U Talkin' U2 to Me?’ with Scott Aukerman and Adam Scott. Those are funny guys who were doing comedic bits while also discussing every U2 album. I liked the comedy, but I absolutely loved when they just talked about their lives and how they connected with each album. And I thought, what if I did a podcast that was just the second part? Track-by-track reviews of my favorite albums? And I say ‘reviews,’ but really it's meant to be just talking about our lives, and why we love the music. The first person I thought of to do it with me was Brian. He has crazy amounts of knowledge and loves talking about music as much as me. And the name ‘The Great Albums’ just seemed obvious to me.
Out of all the albums the podcast has featured, which are your favorites and why?
Bill: Too many to actually name. There were times I personally loved an album. And there were times a guest elevated our show by talking about what they loved. Sometimes I enjoyed discovering an album for the first time through the show. But I think one of the early episodes I loved -- the one that made me think we had turned a corner from just talking into microphones to actually being ‘podcasters’ -- was when we did Carole King’s ‘Tapestry.’
Brian: We did 360 episodes in the first go-around, so a lot of them just blend in. I recall enjoying the episode we did on ‘Billy Breathes’ by Phish with the ‘25 O’Clock Pod’ host Dan Drago. That was the day our audience learned I’m actually a pretty big Phish fan.
We’re Ghosts Now, featuring Bill Lambusta of “The Great Albums Podcast,” far left, are playing extensively in support of their recently release LP, “Love at First Haunt.” PHOTO BY KENNY BEIBER
Bill, how are The Fake Pockets and We’re Ghosts Now doing? What’s on the musical horizon for them?
Bill: It’s been a little quiet with Fake Pockets, but we’re prepping for some upcoming shows in the fall. I'm looking forward to dusting off my bass and grooving with the band again.
We’re Ghost Now, in which I play lead guitar, just put out a brand new album, ‘Love at First Haunt,’ a few months ago. We’re hosting the annual Camp Ghost Ranch festival on July 25. Later in the year, Ghostober kicks off with our first ever Philly show featuring Women in Sports at Silk City on Oct. 2. We have a Happy Mondays Wonder Bar show later that month, and then host the annual Ghostober gig on October 24.
In the meantime, We’re Ghosts Now put out a music video for our single ‘Speaking in Tongues’ that's available now. Also, we made some videos of acoustic performances last year. Videos are up on YouTube. And the album is streaming everywhere.
How and when did the two of you meet?
Bill: We met in college in 2002, mostly hanging out at the campus open-mic night.
When was the last time you worked together in The Paper Jets?
Bill: I played a handful of songs with the band at their farewell show in 2018.
Any plans for a Paper Jets reunion?
Bill: It’s up to Brian how and when that ever happens. I'd love to make music with The Paper Jets again!
Brian: The Paper Jets technically stayed together after that last show. Frank, Virok, and Scott renamed themselves SAWMOON and released a self-titled record earlier this year. Evidently it had been in the works since 2019, but if they keep on with that project, or something similar, then it’s not really up to Bill or me anymore!
Brian, you’ve released several solo records throughout the past 15 years. Bill, have you ever released a solo album?
Bill: Nope, I’m pretty happy being a sideman. I’ve found a good niche being the guy in the band overseeing our recordings. I like helping the band’s songs come to life.
Will either of you be releasing solo albums anytime soon?
Bill: I haven’t been writing much in recent years, but I have a few songs stashed away for when the opportunity arises to share them with the world. Generally, I like collaborating with a band. So, if my latest batch of songs do ever see the light of day, it’ll likely be with a band.
Brian: I just put a solo album out this past June called ‘Others’ Songs.’ And I’ve got another set of older recordings that I want to put out before the end of the year. Check back with me in the fall to make sure I’m still on track with that.
Is there anything I didn’t ask on which you would like to comment?
Bill: A big part of coming back has been expanding our behind-the-scenes team. So, I want to make sure to give credit to Bill Greenwood and Ryan Hanratty. These guys have gone above and beyond helping us bring the podcast back. Bill’s been making sure that we get opportunities to do interviews like this, and Ryan has been making all the amusing videos we’ve been promoting our latest episodes with. The voice and direction of the current iteration of ‘The Great Albums’ owes a lot to them!
Bob Makin has produced Makin Waves since 1988. Follow Makin Waves on Facebook and Instagram and contact Bob at [email protected].
