Stereo Embers The Podcast 0447: Willie Aron (Thee Holy Brothers, The Balancing Act)

"High In My Balloon" When it comes to the Grammy-nominated musician and composer Willie Aron, he's worked with so many people, it might be faster just to list the people he hasn't worked with. Born in Southern California, Aron studied classical piano before falling in love with the Beatles and new wave and teaching himself guitar. He co-founded The Balancing Act who signed to I.R.S., put out three excellent albums, toured with 10,000 Maniacs and They Might Be Giants before calling it a day in 1989. After the band broke up, Aron became an in-demand session musician and over the years he's collaborated with Leonard Cohen, The Dream Syndicate, Rickie Lee Jones, Milo Binder, Susanna Hoffs, Brian Wilson, Michael Penn and Peter Himmelman. Speaking of Brian Wilson, yes, that's Wilie in Love & Mercy and he was also a consultant for the Beatles doc Eight Days A Week. Willie also has worked as a film and television composer, a producer of children's music and a composer for commercials and music libraries. Additionally, he helped develop the curriculum and write original songs for a Los Angeles-based children’s music space and company called Play Music (play-losangeles.com) and he also earned a a Master’s Degree in clinical psychology from Antioch University in Los Angeles. As for the bands he plays in currently, the list is long, but let's just start with Moremen/Bonebrake with Matthew Sweet guitarist John Moremen and X drummer DJ Bonebrake, an improvisation outfit called Mushroom, The Vince Melouney Sect featuring original Bee Gees guitarist Vince Melouney, and the all-star musical collective known as The Wild Honey Orchestra that raises money for autism. All of which brings us to Thee Holy Brothers, which finds Willie teaming up with his pal Marvin Etzioni who you might remember from Lone Justice and his appearance on this podcast. The duo's new album "High In My Balloon" is a sterling platter of rootsy stomp and jangling pop that's pure melodic joy. And this conversation is equally joyful and it's also a reminder that being a nice person like Willie Aron leads to lasting friendships and as we all know, without lasting friendships, none of us would last. www.theeholybrothers.com (http://www.theeholybrothers.com) www.bombshellradio.com www.stereoembersmagazine.com (http://www.stereoembersmagazine.com) www.alexgreenbooks.com (http://www.alexgreenbooks.com) Stereo Embers The Podcast IG + BLUESKY: @emberspodcast [email protected]