Episodes
Tuesday Feb 23, 2016
Episode 42 - Derrek Van Eaton of Lon & Derrek Van Eaton
Tuesday Feb 23, 2016
Tuesday Feb 23, 2016
Lon & Derrek Van Eaton were a singing duo in the early 70s. They partied at Andy Warhol's and open for legends like the Doors, David Bowie and the Moody Blues. In addition to being excellent musicians, what makes them a small part of rock history is the fact they were discovered by the Beatles. George Harrison heard their demo, signed them to Apple records and flew them to England to record their debut album, 1972's Brother. Unfortunately, the album underperformed and Apple went out of business shortly thereafter. Lon and Derrek then relocated to LA where they put out one more album and got work as session musicians. Today, Derrek has settled nicely in the Denver suburbs. His story is pretty fascinating.
Tuesday Feb 16, 2016
Episode 41 - Billy Vera
Tuesday Feb 16, 2016
Tuesday Feb 16, 2016
Billy Vera and the Beaters can claim one of the flukiest #1 songs in pop history. In 1986 a song they wrote and recorded in 1981. "At This Moment", was chosen to appear in an episode of Family Ties. It caused such a stir that it eventually propelled the song to the top of the charts in January of 1987. What most people probably don't realize is that Billy had already been around for 20 years writing songs for artists like Ricky Nelson and Dolly Parton, not to mention a couple of hits on his own. And, he's continued to reap loads of success since "At This Moment" by diversifying into acting, voice-over, and jingle writing.He's done and seen it all and conquered almost every corner of the music industry.
Tuesday Feb 09, 2016
Episode 40 - Matt Caisley of Reacharound/Former Human Beings
Tuesday Feb 09, 2016
Tuesday Feb 09, 2016
Reacharound were a killer rock and roll band (think Social Distortion mixed with Rev. Horton Heat) in the mid-90s that had one hit on alternative radio with "Big Chair" in 1996. But, after one album (and only one single) the band was done. Lead singer Matt Caisley has bounced around L.A. working regular jobs while continuing to follow his rock star passions. Today, his primary creative outlet is the more electro-industrial band Former Human Beings. We talk about the highs he experienced in the 90s, the inspiration for his biggest hit, the very ambitious project Former Human Beings are working on now, and why you should never give your band a sexually suggestive name.
Wednesday Feb 03, 2016
Episode 39 Bonus - David Frank and I discuss some of his collaborations
Wednesday Feb 03, 2016
Wednesday Feb 03, 2016
I hit David with a list of some of my favorite credits of his. The artists include Scritti Politti, Phil Collins, Steve Winwood, Chaka Khan, Billy Idol, Billy Squier, and Rod Stewart.
Tuesday Feb 02, 2016
Episode 39 - David Frank of The System
Tuesday Feb 02, 2016
Tuesday Feb 02, 2016
David Frank was one half of the highly influential r&b group The System, who released a string of trendsetting dance hits throughout the 80s culminating with their biggest hit, "Don't Disturb This Groove," which hit #4 on the pop charts in 1987. Along with his musical partner Mic Murphy, they did some great soundtrack work on classic films like Beverly Hills Cop, Coming to America, and Beat Street, in which they also appeared. After the duo went on hiatus, David pored himself into writing and producing with upcoming artists like 98 Degrees and Christina Aguilera. He co-wrote her first hit "Genie in a Bottle" which changed his fortunes forever. He's one of the all-time greatest minds in r&b.