Certain Fate Foretold with Clint Conley (Mission of Burma, consonant)

Four Strings and the Truth

Not exactly nine lives, but the quintessentially Boston band Mission of Burma has had at least two: their initial 1979-1983 foray, which yielded such classics as “That’s When I Reach For My Revolver,” “Academy Fight Song” and “That’s When I Escaped My Certain Fate”; and an unlikely reunion in the early 2000s, yielding some equally influential albums as well as as a definitive bio-pic, “Not a Photograph: The Mission of Burma Story” in 2006. Through it all, bassist, vocalist and songwriter Clint Conley has persisted, holding the same media gig for over 35 years (!) and raising a family in the wooded environs outside of Boston. Tune in to hear how this sage bassist and song architect found his sound, and continues to hew to the minimalist stylings of spindly bass lines in outings with the Chris Brokaw Rock Band, among others.

ALSO! You have until 7/31/25 to enter to win a “like new” (seriously, I played it once) IdiotBox Effects Blower Box Deluxe pedal (video review here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nt6URsuLhD4). This is an amazing, bass-specific distortion pedal, with clean signal blend and a low-pass filter - so it will stick out nicely in live settings. It will arrive in its original box with 3M Dual Lock strips on the back, so it's ready for your pedal board.

To enter the contest, please send a screenshot of you recommending one episode of this podcast - your favorite interview - in a publicly viewable place - it can be Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or any social media outlet. Send the screenshot to: [email protected], and we’ll pick one winner at random on 7/31/25. Please note that previous winners of one of our contests are not eligible for this one.

We thank the entrants so far - who hail from around the globe - and encourage you to shoot your shot as well.

Mission of Burma on Bandcamp (https://missionofburmamusic.bandcamp.com/music)

Mission of Burma on Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/artist/5UMQV83wwZCCvRSQCVjZw6?si=1eSFR-5UQRqhuLz14sDIsQ)

consonant on Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/artist/07xPqvLLSdQTw0Go6sJdk8?si=Su_5kyY0Q0-uRy-cKUqp6Q)

“Not a Photograph: The Mission of Burma Story” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14bGcdg2eQo)

“Chronicle” on WCVB-TV in Boston (https://www.wcvb.com/chronicle)

“Academy Fight Song” by ‘Mission of Brokaw’ (featuring Peter Prescott and Chris Brokaw) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHko_-sGj-Y)

Mission of Burma live at the Williamsburg Waterfront in 2009 with Clint, Peter and Roger all wearing sunglasses at some point (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiMc7RftWa0)