Episode 50: Noah Gabriel and Adam Gardner

Whether performing solo or fronting the power-trio Noah's Arcade, Noah Gabriel's songs are powerful dissections of characters in desperate times, often taking even more desperate measures. Based just north of Aurora IL, Noah has opened for the likes of the Old 97's and Robert Randolph, crafting his own blend of Americana by pulling equally from the fiery blues of Stevie Ray Vaughn as well as the wry folk witticisms of Lucinda Williams.    Recently, with the help of producer and longtime friend Adam Gardner, Gabriel has made his most introspective and best album yet with "Dead Reckoning" -- a concept record about terminal illness, death and the grieving process. Gardner, who recently moved back to suburban Chicago, built a strong reputation doing session work in Nashville with Grammy-winning producer Dave Cobb (Beck, Chris Stapleton, Jason Isbell) and collaborating with artists like Sturgill Simpson, Keb' Mo', Foo Fighters guitarist Chris Shiflett and others.   Today, Noah and Adam sit down to talk about their own record collections, the struggles of breaking into the Austin and Chicago music scenes, how "Dead Reckoning" was structured for vinyl since its conception, the history of Nashville's RCA Studio A, the specific family members that have influenced Noah's writing and certain records from Ryan Adams, Joni Mitchell and more that have changed their lives. For the release of "Dead Reckoning," Noah Gabriel will showcase his acrylic paintings and perform both a solo/acoustic and full band/electric set in Batavia, IL at Water Street Studios and Kiss The Sky respectively tonight, March 24th. You can also order the album, find additional show information and more at noahgabriel.com. PLUS tune in to learn how you could win a free copy of "Dead Reckoning" on vinyl!   SPONSORS: Pinwheel Records at 1722 W. 18th St. in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood; Vinyl For A Cause, promoting charitable good, one record sale at a time; Flipbin: the handy as hell, flip-thru, now-playing, keep 'em close, flip/play/display storage for your favorite vinyl records. Use promo code EMERGENCY to save $10 off your order, for a limited time!   Follow @VinylEmergency on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Questions and feedback are always welcomed at [email protected]. Please consider making a donation over at vinylemeregncy.com, leaving an iTunes review or sharing our program with a friend!