Episodes
Tuesday Jan 30, 2018
Episode 143 - John Oates
Tuesday Jan 30, 2018
Tuesday Jan 30, 2018
Do we really need to list the accomplishments of John Oates? No way, he's been omnipresent in the best way for over 40 years. But, this last year he's really stepped out on his own. First off, he's releasing a new solo album, Arkansas, this Friday, Feb. 2nd! His recent move to Nashville has greatly influenced this latest offering which is a charming gumbo of rustic Americana and blues and bluegrass music. Also, last year he published his memoir, Change of Season, a wonderfully engaging read for all Hall and Oates fans. In this engaging chat we cover the album, the book, some Hall and Oates, and the stories behind some of his best H&O tunes. Enjoy!
Tuesday Jan 23, 2018
Episode 142 - Bill Janovitz of Buffalo Tom
Tuesday Jan 23, 2018
Tuesday Jan 23, 2018
Buffalo Tom were (and remain) one of the most critically-acclaimed bands of the last 30 years. Starting out in Boston in the late 80s under the tutelage of J. Mascis of Dinosaur Jr., Buffalo Tom really hit their stride in the early 90s with hallmark albums like 92's Let Me Come Over and 93's Big Red Letter Day featuring classic tracks like "Taillights Fade" and "Soda Jerk". Unfortunately, despite appearing on the TV show My So-Called Life, racking up a devout following and attracting a host of famous fans, they never quite crossed over. Frontman Bill Janovitz spends the first part of this conversation discussing why that is and what the arc of the band has been. His deep education on rock history contextualizes that arc in unique ways. But, then we start debating the current state of rock music criticism, the enduring mystique of Exile on Main St. (he wrote a book on the subject) and even the Red Sox. It's a little bit of everything! Oh, and they have a new album coming out in a few weeks - Quiet and Peace. Check it out!
Tuesday Jan 16, 2018
Episode 141 - Bobby Harris of the Dazz Band
Tuesday Jan 16, 2018
Tuesday Jan 16, 2018
The Dazz Band were one of the best and most innovative funk and r&b acts of the 70s and 80s. They started out in Cleveland as Kinsman Dazz ("danceable jazz") putting out two successful albums produced by EWF's Philip Bailey (who stepped in when Marvin Gaye had to back out). They shortened their name when they signed with Motown and kicked off a string of hits on the r&b charts over the next decade. The band only crossed over to the pop Top 40 once when "Let It Whip" rose to #5 in 1982. That track still cooks! Eventually, success slowed down, but the Dazz Band has always been in play and they still perform many shows a year. Through it all, founding member and musical director Bobby Harris has been at the helm, absorbing every up and down. Here's his story!
Friday Jan 12, 2018
Bonus - Q&A and Top 5 of 2017
Friday Jan 12, 2018
Friday Jan 12, 2018
Jan and Jon answer questions sent in by listeners, and rank their top 5 episodes of 2017
Tuesday Jan 09, 2018
Episode 140 - Danielle Dax
Tuesday Jan 09, 2018
Tuesday Jan 09, 2018
Danielle Dax was an artist in the truest sense of the word. Yeah, she had a successful music career during the 80s, but that was just one facet of her boundless creativity. Her career started with an avant-garde group called the Lemon Kittens when she didn't even know how to play an instrument. Experimentation and performance art remained her guiding force as her solo career took off and she garnered radio play on alternative stations with tracks like "Big Hollow Man", "Cat House", and "The Id Parade". Unfortunately, at the dawn of the 90s she largely disappeared from the spotlight and has never really come back. We learn in this conversation what happened (it's a hot current topic), as well as what motivated her creativity and how she experiences music. It's fascinating to hear from such a strong female artist.
Sadly, we learned last week that the listener that requested Danielle, Brian Jenson, took his own life on New Year's Eve, bringing a tragic tone to an otherwise uplifting conversation.
Tuesday Jan 02, 2018
Episode 139 - Michael Camacho of Sly Fox
Tuesday Jan 02, 2018
Tuesday Jan 02, 2018
For a duo with a hit as big as "Let's Go All The Way" was in 1986, there should be more to the Sly Fox story than there is. Brought together in an almost "boy band" fashion, Michael Camacho and Gary "Mudbone" Cooper only managed one album that featured one giant hit (#7 in 1986) and that was all she wrote. To this day, their one album, also titled Let's Go All the Way, has never been released on cd. This week Michael tells us how the band came together, what that brief moment in the spotlight was like, and what he's been doing since, which includes his solo jazz album Just For You from 2006.