'Bach Artillerie' brings a unique spin to Johan Sebastian B.'s work; White Denim's James Petralli is listening to public radio on the road
This is Punk Rock Bach for April 2, 2026.
The last week has been full of interviews, travel and listening to tunes for your Punk Rock Bach editor.
Luckily, I still managed to make it to a record store to fill some holes in my music library — and one of my pick-ups is especially timely for NEXT week’s issue!
More on that toward the end of today’s newsletter. In the meantime, onward to this week’s Punk Rock Bach!
Bach Disruption: A new album aims to shakeup classical music sensibilities
Curt Sydnor and Greg Saunier are re-thinking one of classical music’s celebrated composers.
Sydnor and Saunier — the later of whom is also a member of the band Deerhoof — are releasing a new album based on the work of Johan Sebastian Bach called “Bach Artillerie.” The album, which is set debut later this month, takes Bach’s work and infuses it with something more modern.
I sat down with Sydnor to discuss the album. He said the album’s concept started coming together after he and Saunier performed in a band playing music from another classical composer, Antonin Dvořák.
“Greg and I were part of a band eight or nine years ago that recorded a Dvořák string quartet for guitar, bass, drum and compact organ,” Sydnor said. “And ever since that experience, I’ve been interested in a way of approaching classical music with rock instruments, but not in a way that is reminiscent of earlier attempts to bring, like, a progressive rock approach to classical masterpieces.”
Sydnor, who studied music at schools such as Vanderbilt University and the Russian Academy of Music in Moscow, said he has always been interested in Bach’s Goldberg Variations and set out to learn that “foundational, monumental work of keyboard literature.”
“And I felt that the baselines were so hip and the approach so ingenious that, you know, Bach’s approach to layering the lines of the cannons and propelling them with these very catchy bass lines. I thought, ‘Oh, this would be great,’” he said.
That line of thinking, however, could irk some traditional classical musicians.
“[The music is] kneecapped when you take it as a text that must be recited in a certain way,” Sydnor said. “So with this project, we were essentially in rebellion…traditional notions of how the music should be played, while feeling very strongly about Bach’s ideas towards it or what is actually on the page, knowing that Bach himself was constantly re-orchestrating his music, constantly repurposing it for different instruments.”
Bach Artillerie is set to debut on April 24 via Ernest Jenning Record Co. You can hear the single “Canon à la neuvième des Variations Goldberg” here.
Music News from Around the Internet
The Los Angeles Times’ Vanessa Franko has a preview of music festival Coachella 2026. Quick heads-up: the article is paywalled. (The Los Angeles Times)
Taylor Swift released a new “Elizabeth Taylor” music video, according to Variety’s Chris Willman. (Variety)
NBC News’ Andrew Jones reports the Eurovision Song Contest will have an Asia version in November. (NBC News)
In “what the heck?” news, Pitchfork’s Nina Cocoran reports that Bob Dylan — who, you’ll remember, is a Nobel laureate — has launched a Patreon. (Pitchfork)
The Weekly Stereo…
About two decades have past since the band White Denim first started serenading audiences — and the members aren’t done yet. They’ve got a new album coming out later this month titled simply “13” and prepping a tour to begin this May.
But when they’re not jamming, at least one member is enjoying songs with the rest of us music fans.
This week, Punk Rock Bach asks the band’s leader, James Petralli, about his listening habits.
Editor’s note: Q&A has been edited for style, syntax and typos.
Punk Rock Bach: How do you prefer to listen to music?
James Petralli: I listen to records at home with my family and mostly to public radio when I’m on the road. I stream as well but that is sort of a necessary evil for me. There isn’t much romance in that space — I prefer to own physical recordings and enjoy the process of discovery that the radio provides.
PRB: What are you listening to now?
Petralli: I bought Hungry Animal by Luke Temple and the cascading moms at a gig the other day and have been enjoying that very much. I like everything Luke does and this band is stellar. I like the most recent Dijon record. I feel like he and that crew are doing something very cool with the music. Speaking of that crew, the guitarist Ryan Richter has a great new album out. The concept and the playing are super sound. He kinda beat me to market with part of what he’s done conceptually. It’s a continuous long composition — fully out of step with modern media consumption. Truly brilliant music and tasteful tones and playing.
PRB: What do you listen on?
Petralli: I listen on a solid turntable connected to 70’s pioneer kit that is still in fairly good shape. I listen to the radio in a Toyota Tacoma. I am accustomed to beyer headphones in studio.
White Denim’s album “13” is set to release on April 24 via the Bella Union label. It is available for preorder on the band’s website. You can hear the band’s single “(God Created) Lock and Key” here. The band is set to begin touring in May.
The DIY Workbench…
USB input management is much more complicated than I expected in 2026.
As you’ll recall, I’m working to construct a no-internet digital music server for my digital albums and CD rips. Last week, I landed on where those music files will live: a Samsung 870 EVO Internal Solid State Drive, with 1 terabyte’s worth of space.
This week, the ripping begins! I have an LG Ultra Slim Portable DVD Writer hooked up to my MacBook Air and started ripping CDs with Apple Music to MPEG-4 files.
I had planned to rip to the higher-quality FLAC files, but I had some software issues with the freeware available. The way I figure, MPEG-4 is fine for now since I can upgrade the files later. Plus, it gives me reason to listen to the physical CD — which should sound better than the MPEG-4s.
You would think a DVD writer would be an easy plug-and-rip device. And it is…once you get past the USB chord! It comes with a Micro-B USB connector — a Micro-B plugs into the DVD writer and on the other end is a regular USB connector.
Of course, my MacBook Air only has USB-C inputs.
It took me two failed attempts at buying the correct adaptor, but I finally ordered the correct USB-to-USB-C plug-in.
Frustrating as hell, but I’ve finally started ripping my CD collection — starting with Flea’s new album, “Honora.”
An album, by the way, that is fantastic!
Hoping to have the device’s brain totally put together in the next week or two. Fingers crossed!
What I’m listening to…
Remember in the intro when I said one of my record store pick-ups was especially timely for NEXT week’s issue?
Well, this week’s “What I’m listening to…” gives a preview for next issue. Last Friday, I picked up Bratmobile’s “The Real Janelle b/w The Peel Session,” which has this incredible 90s verve that makes me forget I’m in my 40s.
My copy is a Record Store Day release in a purplish, deep magenta wax from last year, but the band just re-released the record on black vinyl on March 20 — through the Kill Rock Stars label.
Next week, Bratmobile’s Molly Neuman and Allison Wolfe are sharing with Punk Rock Bach what they’re using to listen to music these days.
Stay tuned…
That’s all for this week, but we’ll be back next Thursday!