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What does it take to maintain a career in music? We track down members of bands that we love and find out what their lives are like now.
Episodes
Tuesday Apr 28, 2020
Tuesday Apr 28, 2020
At this point, Joey Scarbury is a bit of a pop culture icon. He's the voice of the eternal "Believe It Or Not", that most excellent theme song to the Greatest American Hero, which reached #2 in 1981. But what else do we know about him? Where did he come from? How did he happen to sing that song? Why was there not more? What has he been doing ever since? We go about answering those questions. Today, Joey leads as normal a life as you and me. Here's the whole story!
Sunday Apr 26, 2020
Sunday Apr 26, 2020
Jon and Jan recap the first quarter of 2020, the ups and the downs (extremes on both ends). the messiness of normal life, how we're handling the quarantine, what we're watching, and what we thought of the last three month's worth of episodes.
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Wednesday Apr 22, 2020
Wednesday Apr 22, 2020
Once again, we're joined by a fantastic producer that's behind tons of music we all love. Clive Langer started out fronting the crucial Liverpool band, Deaf School in the 70s. While they never made it global, they were a really big deal locally. Soon, Clive with his musical partner Alan Winstanley "fell into" producing the first singles by Madness (he's produced almost everything Madness has ever done) and it was off to the races. Artists like Teardrop Explodes, Elvis Costello, Dexy's Midnight Runners, Bush, Morrissey, They Might Be Giants, Hothouse Flowers and David Bowie all followed. We hear about all of these, including the creation of "Come On Eileen", how he wrote "Shipbuilding" for Robert Wyatt and, of course, the manic flurry around recording "Dancing in the Streets" with Bowie and Mick Jagger. More recently, Clive formed a new band called the Clang Group, which we also discuss. SO much great music in this one, the guy's a legend!
Saturday Apr 18, 2020
Saturday Apr 18, 2020
We're trying something different this time. We're proud to welcome Van Halen Rising author Greg Renoff to deep dive Van Halen's debut album from 1978. Greg is probably considered THE expert on the early days of Van Halen, so it made sense to hear the stories he knows about the creation of this seminal work. In addition, Greg is now releasing his next book, Ted Templeman: A Platinum Producer's Life in Music which features Ted's recollections of working with artists like Van Halen, the Doobie Brothers, Nicolette Larson, BulletBoys and many others.
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Tuesday Apr 14, 2020
Tuesday Apr 14, 2020
Peabody Award-winning rock writer David Wild joins us to share tales from his many years as a rock journalist at Rolling Stone and his tenure as a writer/producer on just about every music award show of the last 20 years. Top on that list is "Let's Go Crazy: The GRAMMY Salute to Prince" airing on Tuesday, April 21st on CBS and featuring Earth Wind and Fire, Sheila E., Gary Clark Jr. and many more. If you've heard David before you know he's a master storyteller, so we get to hear his interactions with people like David Bowie, Hall & Oates, Terence Trent D'Arby, Paul McCartney, Morrissey, LL Cool J and about a hundred more. Sit back and enjoy!
Monday Apr 13, 2020
Monday Apr 13, 2020
We're welcoming back Glen Burtnik (ep76) this week to discuss his second album, 1987's Heroes and Zeros. Glen's debut, Talking in Code, is a favorite of mine and when combined with H&Z showcases his incredible ability to write catchy, pop/rock songs. Unfortunately, neither album got the attention they deserved (even though the single "Follow You" should have been a hit), but Glen has maintained a successful and busy music career ever since. Enjoy!
Wednesday Apr 08, 2020
Wednesday Apr 08, 2020
Lisa Velez always wanted to be a singer and that dream came true when the mighty Full Force production team plucked her from the dance clubs in her early teens (!) to sing the classic "I Wonder If I Take You Home". The mixture of Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam's performance and Full Force's production struck gold for a couple years when tracks like "Head to Toe" and "Lost in Emotion" also went on to be giant hits. Eventually the hits slowed down, but Lisa Lisa has never stopped performing. In here we talk about how she got discovered, what it was like being a teenager in that environment, what the challenges were as a woman in that environment, and her thoughts on the music. She couldn't be sweeter!
Wednesday Apr 01, 2020
Wednesday Apr 01, 2020
Bruce Woolley has done a lot, but his largest contribution to pop culture is probably writing "Video Killed the Radio Star." Back in the 70s, he and his friend Trevor Horn created that song while pursuing their musical goals - Trevor with the Buggles and Bruce with the Camera Club. Of course MTV made the song iconic. His partnership with Trevor has continued to this day, in fact Bruce also wrote "Slave to the Rhythm" for Grace Jones (produced by Trevor), as well as songs by Cher, John Farnham and many others. These days he plays the theremin (!) in the Radio Science Orchestra. Imagine being an expert theremin player! He's got many wonderful stories that we uncover here. Enjoy!
Sunday Mar 29, 2020
Sunday Mar 29, 2020
Eric Bazilian of the Hooters returns to the podcast to discuss the creation and recording of their 1985 breakthrough album Nervous Night. We get into how they stumbled on their unique sound, why God and spirituality plays such a role in Eric's lyrics, and how the success changed their life. We are so lucky to hear from incredible artists like Eric!
Wednesday Mar 25, 2020
Wednesday Mar 25, 2020
There is almost nothing drummer Peter Prescott can do that will overtake the shadow caused by his band Mission of Burma. In just a brief time in the early 80s they managed to set the template for what American post-punk should sound like. After only an album and an EP, the guys split up and did other projects, but the legend just continued to grow, culminating in being featured in the invaluable book Our Band Could Be Your Life. This provoked a victory lap in the early 2000s that resulted in more albums, tours, love and recognition and lasted over a decade. Today, with Burma behind him, Peter is focused on his excellent new band, Minibeast. We discuss how he views his career, how bands get labeled "cool", how he makes a living and what Minibeast is all about. Enjoy!
Wednesday Mar 18, 2020
Wednesday Mar 18, 2020
Chris Thompson is "the voice" behind the most misunderstood lyric in rock history. Is it possible to play "Blinded By The Light" and hear anything other than "revved up like a douche"? No way! But, that's only one line item on Chris's impressive resume. In addition to singing other classic Manfred Mann songs like "The Runner", his successful solo career has netted several highlights including 80s soundtrack classics from films like The Champ, All the Right Moves, and American Anthem. He also wrote "You're The Voice" which was made famous by John Farnham and is the biggest selling single in Australian rock history. We discuss his last solo album, 2016's excellent Toys and Dishes, his work with legends like Queen, Yes, and the Doobie Brothers, and he tells us his experience helping to organize the landmark Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert. Chris is a lifer whose career has hit many highs and lows along the way. Enjoy his fascinating journey!
Wednesday Mar 11, 2020
Wednesday Mar 11, 2020
Leee John never stops. Forty years ago he fronted the British r&b group Imagination that scored loads of hits around the globe like "Flashback," "Body Talk," and their signature tune "Just an Illusion." After a decade of success, Leee went out on his own and has consistently released music in all styles and genres, solidifying his place as one of the key voices in British dance music. These days he remains as busy as ever with new projects including a documentary on British black music, a subject he knows a lot about! Have a notebook handy as Leee takes us to school this week!
Wednesday Mar 04, 2020
Wednesday Mar 04, 2020
Producer Peter Wolf (not the J. Geils frontman) is behind some of the biggest music of the 80s, but also the most divisive. No matter how you may feel about "We Built This City" and "Everybody Have Fun Tonight" (and chances are you feel strongly) those songs were, and still are, huge. They also wouldn't be what they are without his Midas touch. In addition, Peter lent his genius to other classic songs of the era like "Who's Johnny," "Playing With the Boys," "Night Shift," and "King of Wishful Thinking." Plus, he's worked with some of rock's greatest artists like Lou Gramm, The Who, Heart, Big Country and Chicago. We discuss all of it, as well as the TV show he's currently developing. The guy is nothing if not savvy, you gotta give it up to him!
Wednesday Feb 26, 2020
Wednesday Feb 26, 2020
Bassist Arthur Barrow had a dream and it came true. That dream was to one day play with Frank Zappa and in the late 70s that's exactly what happened. What might be more interesting is where he went from there. Imagine going from Zappa to Giorgio Moroder! Arthur began a long and fruitful partnership with Giorgio (and his stable of producers including Keith Forsey and Richie Zito) that took up much of the 80s. This put Arthur in position to work closely with artists like Donna Summer, Berlin, Billy Idol, Charlie Sexton, Joe Cocker and former guests Martha Davis, EG Daily, Joe Esposito, and Paul Engemann. Arthur is very transparent about the ups and downs of his career. In fact, he told his story in his memoir "Of Course I Said Yes!: The Amazing Adventures of a Life in Music". He tells us all of it and more. Enjoy!
Wednesday Feb 19, 2020
Wednesday Feb 19, 2020
This week it's the accomplished producer/engineer/mixer Julian Mendelsohn! Julian's golden touch (and golden ears) created some of the most beloved songs of the 80s. He's responsible for legendary tracks like "Relax" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood and "Always On My Mind" by Pet Shop Boys. He's also worked closely with artists like Level 42, Paul McCartney, Tasmin Archer, Kate Bush, Nik Kershaw, Killing Joke, Go West, Pseudo Echo, INXS, The Firm, Fine Young Cannibals, Peter Gabriel, Aztec Camera, and many many more. We hear about all of these artists, as well as his relationship with Trevor Horn that included work with Yes and ABC. If you loved the ear candy coming from the UK in the 80s and 90s, chances are Jules had something to do with it. Enjoy!
Tuesday Feb 11, 2020
Tuesday Feb 11, 2020
This week we are honored to hear from one of the most decorated songwriters of all time, the legendary Holly Knight! Holly's career began in the early 80s with the AOR band Spider, but it was when other artists began having success recording songs she'd written (like John Waite's "Change" and Tina Turner's "Better Be Good to Me") that she switched her focus to songwriting. She went on to pen some of the biggest songs ever like "Love is a Battlefield", "The Warrior" and "The Best". In this conversation we cover those as well as many other hits and deep tracks. She also discusses her feelings about her place in history, as well as the marginalization of songwriters in general. It's the perfect show to listen to with your valentine!
Wednesday Feb 05, 2020
Wednesday Feb 05, 2020
This week we get to hear from the wonderful singer/songwriter Bonnie Hayes! Coming out of the Bay Area nearly 40 years ago with her band the Wild Combo, Bonnie mastered the new wave sound and even had a couple songs featured in the movie Valley Girl. For some reason, the solo career never quite took off like it should have, but good fortune bounced in her direction when some of her songs made their way to Bonnie Raitt and were included in her massive comeback album Nick of Time in 1989. From there Bonnie became an in demand songsmith as well as session musician touring and playing keys for both Belinda Carlisle and Billy Idol. These days she teaches songwriting at the prestigious Berklee School of Music and releases solo albums when the itch hits her. She's a fantastic lady and her story is incredible!
Sunday Feb 02, 2020
Sunday Feb 02, 2020
Jon and Noel from the Reliving My Youth podcast are at it again! This time they countdown their top 10 yacht rock songs. What counts as yacht rock? Is it a guilty pleasure or seriously awesome music? Do the songs hold up or are they tied too much to an era? You tell us how you feel!
Saturday Feb 01, 2020
Saturday Feb 01, 2020
Jon teams up with Steve and Drew from Suburban Underground once again, this time to play some of their favorite lesser known R&B jams! You hear songs you may not know from some of the legends of the genre, some modern goodies, and many others that may be completely new to you. Let us know what you think!
Saturday Feb 01, 2020
Saturday Feb 01, 2020
Jon and Jan discuss the highs and lows of 2019 including, the last few months worth of guests, our top 10 episodes of the year as well as the listener picks, and we answer your questions. 2019 was a wild ride and we share what we learned and how we feel about it. Special thanks to everyone that makes The Hustle a unique endeavor. We love you all!
Friday Jan 31, 2020
Friday Jan 31, 2020
It seemed fitting to pay tribute to an excellent Canadian drummer by speaking with another excellent Canadian drummer. Barry Connors of the fantastic AOR band Toronto (ep 9) returns to tell us what Neil meant to Canada, the influence he had on his own drumming style, and what it was like seeing Rush live back in the early days. There has never been anyone else like Neil Peart and we're lucky to discuss it with great people like Barry.
Wednesday Jan 29, 2020
Wednesday Jan 29, 2020
This week we are lucky to welcome the guitarist for one of the biggest bands of the 80s - Chris Hayes from Huey Lewis and the News! Chris and I discuss his time in the band and the stories behind many of the songs, but what I mostly wanted to know was why he chose to walk away almost 20 years ago. You realize what became more important to him was family and sobriety. He's a wonderful guy whose story is not well known. Enjoy!
Wednesday Jan 22, 2020
Wednesday Jan 22, 2020
If you were one of those people who read the liner notes on all your records, no doubt you saw the name Jerry Marotta on many of your favorites. From the late 70s til the mid 80s Jerry drummed for Peter Gabriel AND Hall and Oates at the same time! When those gigs came to an end he joined up with the Indigo Girls for a while. Along the way he recorded with the likes of Paul McCartney, Tears For Fears, Robbie Robertson, Fee Waybill, Sarah McLachlan, Los Lobos, Cher, John Mayer, and a bunch of others. Jerry is one of those brutally honest interviews and we hear amazing stories about all of these people, as well as the many things he's working on today. This one's another instant classic. You won't believe it!
Friday Jan 17, 2020
Friday Jan 17, 2020
One of our most popular guests, Marshall Crenshaw, returns to discuss the brand new deluxe vinyl edition of his 1996 album Miracle of Science. One of his great, but unsung albums is finally getting the treatment it deserves and is available now! Marshall recounts the writing and recording of it and we discuss the shows he's been doing with the Smithereens since the passing of frontman Pat DiNizio two years ago. Enjoy!
Tuesday Jan 14, 2020
Tuesday Jan 14, 2020
It's been a wild ride for Michelle Shocked. Her career as a protest singer began in the mid-80s by accident and has expanded to touch on every genre you can think of. She doesn't want to be pigeonholed and she does what she wants. Which makes the "Yoshi Incident" even more confusing. In March of 2013 during a concert in San Francisco, Michelle, believing rightly that there were bootleggers in the room, said some pretty despicable things about homosexuals and gay marriage. Her career's never been the same. Was she kidding? Did she mean what she said? Was it on purpose? Did she know she was being recorded? Why would someone who has devoted her life to fighting for artists rights and many other causes say these things? We try to get to the bottom of it, you decide if we were successful.
Wednesday Jan 08, 2020
Wednesday Jan 08, 2020
Charlie Midnight's success as a songwriter has spanned nearly 40 years. After partnering up with Dan Hartman in the early 80s, the two wrote a string of hits for both Dan and others, many of which were featured on soundtracks for films like Fletch, Ruthless People, Breakin', and Rocky 4 with James Brown making "Living in America" iconic. From there, Charlie forged his own successful writing and producing career working with artists like Joe Cocker, Billy Joel, the Doobie Brothers, and Joni Mitchell. We get deep into all of it and hear his rather inspiring take on hard work, songwriting, and surviving the music industry. Enjoy!
Friday Jan 03, 2020
Friday Jan 03, 2020
Audio engineer Brad Sundberg returns to discuss the making of the epic Quincy Jones album Back on the Block from 1989. The legendary producer called all of his famous friends to contribute to this opus of an album that went on to win seven Grammys and sell a million copies. Among the legends appearing on Back on the Block are Miles Davis, Ray Charles, Ella Fitzgerald, Ice T, Barry White, Sarah Vaughn, George Benson, James Ingram, Chaka Khan, Kool Moe Dee, the Brothers Johnson, Al B. Sure, Bobby McFerrin, Dizzy Gillespie and about a hundred others. Brad shares his stories from working on the project and what all these people are like one on one. If you're a music fan, you'll gobble up this entire conversation!
Tuesday Dec 31, 2019
Tuesday Dec 31, 2019
Imagine getting only one chance at the big time and it not working out. That can't be easy to deal with, but that's what happened to this week's guest, Tom Croucier of the band Life By Night. Tom's career started picking up steam in the early 80s when he played with both Scorpions and Dokken (his brother Juan is in Ratt), so when he fronted his own band that was equal parts rock and new wave, it seemed like a slam dunk. The result is the 1985 Life By Night album that featured the closest they came to a hit with the song "Phone to Phone." Sadly, the album fell into obscurity and Tom never got a second chance as a major label recording artist. Here, Tom shares his stories from his time on the big stage, the many personalities he worked and played with (including former guest Robert Tepper) and what he did when the music career ended. Tom's a great guy and Life By Night deserve a rediscovery.
Wednesday Dec 25, 2019
Wednesday Dec 25, 2019
It's another Merry Chris-mas at the Hustle! This year we hear from indie legend Chris (get it?) Stamey! After forming the dbs in Chapel Hill 40 years ago with Peter Holsapple, Chris has carved his own unique and diverse solo path. To prove my point, this year he released a new album New Songs for the 20th Century that was heavily influenced by the likes of Cole Porter and Henry Mancini! I ask Chris why the change in style, but he doesn't see it that way. In fact, this interview goes a little sideways. You be the judge as to why.
Sunday Dec 22, 2019
Sunday Dec 22, 2019
Forrmer guest Richard Bush (ep 69) returns to talk about the brand new album Social Studies by his current band The Peace Creeps. You may remember that 40 years ago, Richard fronted the wonderful Philly power-pop band The A's. The Peace Creeps brand of rock is more psychedelic, but no less effective. The first single, "Through Our Ruins" is getting some radio attention, thankfully, so we talk about how that feels at this stage in his career and what he hopes to accomplish with this new album. Check out Social Studies today!
Wednesday Dec 18, 2019
Wednesday Dec 18, 2019
The Knack are the poster band for both extreme success and extreme flame out. They had the biggest hit of 1979 with their debut single "My Sharona", a song that remains as killer today as it was then. But, almost immediately the backlash came - they copy the Beatles too much, the lyrics are misogynistic, power pop is over, etc. Unfortunately, the band never really got over that despite staging many reunions and comebacks over the years. However, when frontman Doug Feiger died in 2010 that was all she wrote. Here, bassist Prescott Niles is eager to tell the real story of the Knack like why much of the criticism was unfair, what great musicians they were, and the story behind each album, including his favorites and least favorites. We also get into what he's doing now which includes playing with 80s favorites Missing Persons and Gary Myrick. Prescott is quite a character, but the story he tells is vital. Enjoy!
Friday Dec 13, 2019
Friday Dec 13, 2019
Jon and the boys from Suburban Underground come together for another hour of music. This time the topic is "songs that move us." You'll notice when you listen to this that we each define "move" in different ways. Who do you identify with the most? Don't be shy!
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Wednesday Dec 11, 2019
Wednesday Dec 11, 2019
The 90s were a fickle time. Fads came and went, stars were made and just as quickly left behind. Austin's Fastball had what it took for the long haul, but it hasn't been easy. Lead by the dual songwriting chops of Tony Scalzo and Miles Zuniga, the band broke big on their second album with hits like "The Way," "Out of My Head," and "Fire Escape." But, as it often happens, by the time the follow up came out the crowd had moved on. They've never really gone away though and they even released a solid new album recently called The Help Machine. Drummer Joey Shuffield joins us to talk about how it all goes down and how they keep it together I especially wanted to hear about the incredible rock band he was involved in in the early 2000s called Young Heart Attack. If all you know is the hits, Fastball deserve a deeper listen.
Wednesday Dec 04, 2019
Wednesday Dec 04, 2019
Imagine this - one of the greatest rock singers in history decides to leave his hugely successful band and you've been selected to take his place. That's what happened with Johnny Edwards. Though it was the beginning of the 90s, Foreigner's Mick Jones felt that even though Lou Gramm was out of the band there was still enough gas in the tank to keep things going. He recruited Johnny and they recorded Unusual Heat, a solid rock album that never really stood a chance. This scenario wasn't entirely new to Johnny as he took over vocal duties on latter day versions of both Montrose and King Kobra (both stories are nuts!). Along the way he fronted many of his own bands, but none of them really took off and he eventually left music behind. Today he's a regular working man and sings in an excellent blues rock band called Bleu Phonque on the side. Nobody has a story quite like Johnny's, you're going to love this!
Sunday Dec 01, 2019
Sunday Dec 01, 2019
Walter Egan's 1978 smash "Magnet and Steel" will follow him around wherever he goes, deservedly so, but what gets lost sometimes is the absolutely stellar power pop album he made in 1983 called Wild Exhibitions. It featured his last hit "Fool Moon Fire", but didn't get the attention it deserved then, and still doesn't, so we attempt to right that wrong. In this Deep Dive, Walter and I shed light on this hidden gem, while also gliding over his entire career. We love Walter and hope that you will discover an album you must have in your collection.
Wednesday Nov 27, 2019
Wednesday Nov 27, 2019
Wednesday Nov 20, 2019
Wednesday Nov 20, 2019
In a decade that churned through artists as tastes and fads changed weekly, Everclear managed a heckuva lot of hits. Storming the gates with the hyper-catchy "Santa Monica," the guys dropped radio staple after radio staple like "Everything to Everyone," "Father of Mine," "I Will Buy You a New Life" and the list goes on and on. By the 2000s, the wave was starting to die down, but the band never really went away, even if the players came and went. The mainstay has always been leader Art Alexakis, a one-of-a-kind rock personality. Art recently released the solo album he's been threatening to do for years with the all acoustic Sun Stories. In this conversation, Art is honest about the Everclear albums he isn't crazy about, the time he was on the "O'Reilly Factor", the Summerland Festival he heads, the great 2015 Everclear album Black is the New Black, and tons of other stuff. He's one of the great personalities in rock and we're lucky to hear from him!
Sunday Nov 17, 2019
Sunday Nov 17, 2019
Cinderella may have been put to bed years ago, but frontman Tom Keifer has been slowly building up his solo project for a while now and it just keeps getting bigger. The Tom Keifer Band recently released the new album Rise and completed a US tour (another leg is taking shape early next year). In this short conversation, we discuss the difference between his current band and his old one, how he views his legacy, the state of his health (he's undergone several throat surgeries over the years, but is back on the mend), his spiritual views, and his working dynamic with his wife, Savannah. Tom could be seen as a Maverick who's followed his muse from day one and produced a lot of killer rock and roll in the process.
Wednesday Nov 13, 2019
Wednesday Nov 13, 2019
The last few years have been a blur of prolific activity for Juliana Hatfield. There was the anti-Trump album Pussycat from 2017, there have been side projects with Paul Westerberg (The I Don't Care's) and Nada Surf's Matthew Caws (Minor Alps), and there have been albums of new material (2019's Weird and 2015's Whatever, My Love), but what is a wonderful new focus for her are these albums of covers. In 2018 she released Juliana Hatfield Sings Olivia Newton-John to wide acclaim and this week she drops the follow up, Juliana Hatfield Sings the Police. This wonderful collection brings new depth to these classic tunes and presents them in a new light completely unique to her. We discuss all of this as well as her favorite albums and bands, her love life, her feelings about accolades, and much more. She's a total delight and full of great stories!
Sunday Nov 10, 2019
Sunday Nov 10, 2019
It was bound to happen sooner or later. Jon engages in conversation with his 12-year-old daughter Georgia, discussing their love of Kiss and counting down their top 5 songs. This was done quick and dirty, no editing, no production. Hope you're all impressed!
Wednesday Nov 06, 2019
Wednesday Nov 06, 2019
The summer of 1991 belonged to bands like EMF. When they took over the world with their debut single "Unbelievable," it signaled a change in the sound of mainstream music where white British guys merged alternative rock with dance music, hip-hop and skate culture. Coming out of the gate with a song as big as that one, you'd think EMF would continue on, but such was not the case. Like so many others, they suffered the dreaded sophomore slump on the second album and barely released a third before hanging it up. Frontman James Atkin talks openly about how difficult those years were, but is also in a very good place today teaching children at a local school and recently releasing a solo album called Popcorn Storm. We also discuss how they found their sound, their style, and how Andrew Dice Clay got in there. Enjoy!
Tuesday Oct 29, 2019
Tuesday Oct 29, 2019
Sometimes you just have to wonder why some bands don't make it. Take the Hollywood Stars. Brought together by famous impresario Kim Fowley, the guys were meant to be a West Coast answer to the New York Dolls. After some stops and starts, the band finally released their debut album in 1977, but it didn't show what the band could do, it under-performed, and the band broke up ending the potential for greatness. Guitarist Ruben De Fuentes enjoyed the LA music scene of the period and went on to play with 80s versions of classic psych rock bands like Steppenwolf and Blue Cheer. Thankfully, as vinyl junkies began discovering the band in later years, the Hollywood Stars are back in business! In 2013 their great lost album from 1974, Shine Like a Radio, was finally released (it features the original version of "King of the Nighttime World" made famous by Kiss) and earlier this year another collection of hidden gems, SOUND CITY (named for where it was recorded), was released and it's excellent. Ruben is an example of a guy that has devoted his life to rock and roll. Enjoy!
Wednesday Oct 23, 2019
Wednesday Oct 23, 2019
Flesh For Lulu had it all. They mixed the Stones' swagger with the New York Dolls' grease and added a healthy dose of 80s glam to perfection as evidenced on possibly their best known hit, 1987's "I Go Crazy" from the Some Kind of Wonderful soundtrack. But, it all ended too quickly and now it never will be again. Lead singer Nick Marsh passed away in 2015 of cancer, putting a permanent end to this wonderful band. Guitarist Rocco Barker tells us the full story - how his first band Wasted Youth was bigger than FFL, how the band he and Nick started after FFL, Gigantic, never quite got off the ground, his experience in reality TV, crazy ex-girlfriends, drugs, family, money, and his new career as an eyeglass maker (you read that right). He's a wonderfully entertaining bloke and Flesh For Lulu deserve a rediscovery. Enjoy!
Friday Oct 18, 2019
Friday Oct 18, 2019
In part 2 of our crossover episode with Reliving My Youth, Jon and Noel countdown their Top 10 soundtrack songs of the 90s.
Wednesday Oct 16, 2019
Wednesday Oct 16, 2019
Red Rockers were all set to be the "American Clash." They may have started as the go-to punk band in their native New Orleans, but when they wrote the 1983 hit "China" for their second album, not only did their style change, but MTV played them incessantly, recognition soon followed, and original fans screamed "sell outs!" Unfortunately, the switch to a more commercial sound only led to moderate commercial success. Other than the still beautiful "China" they never quite got off the ground. When it ended, bassist Darren Hill didn't really find success again until he began playing with, and then managing, Paul Westerberg. From there, his roster of clients grew to include luminaries like the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, New York Dolls, Dropkick Murphys, and the late Roky Erickson. Darren tells fascinating stories about all of these great people like what makes Paul tick, why was Roky special, working with former guest William Wittman on Red Rockers' final album Schizophrenic Circus (and why it has one of the worst covers ever), and the pop culture store he runs in Providence, RI. So many great stories here and you know we just scratched the surface. Enjoy!
Monday Oct 14, 2019
Monday Oct 14, 2019
It's that time again, Hustlers and this time Jon and Jan are joined by Brad Page of the I'm In Love With That Song podcast. We're honored to have the man with the buttery voice slumming it with us knuckleheads. Not only do we recap the last three months of episodes, but we also discuss bad publicist experiences, we get an update on Jan's love life, whatever happened with HustleFest, and who was it that cut our interview short? And good news - no airports this time! Enjoy!
You can find out information about the band that closes out this episode at the link below.
Friday Oct 11, 2019
Friday Oct 11, 2019
Wednesday Oct 09, 2019
Wednesday Oct 09, 2019
Martha Wash has one of the most recognizable voices in pop history. Well, maybe a better word for it is "utilized." She has sang on some of the biggest club/dance hits of the last 40 years and you may not even realize it. In the 70s she and her friend Izora Rhodes began singing back up for disco legend Sylvester, becoming known as Two Tons O' Fun. This lead to their own record deal and two albums released under that name before changing it to the Weather Girls. Then came "It's Raining Men," a giant hit and an anthem in the LGBT community. From here the dance hits just kept on coming - "Everybody Everybody" and "Gonna Make You Sweat" among them. With the success did not come the credit or the money, an issue Martha fought the law for and won changing the music industry forever. All told she's sang on 12 #1 dance hits and today is heavily involved in First Ladies of Disco, who will be appearing on the 2020 Ultimate Disco Cruise. She's also changing it up musically, just listen to her last album, 2013's Something Good, which is so good and not dance music at all. She has an incredible story that everyone should hear. Enjoy!
Friday Oct 04, 2019
Friday Oct 04, 2019
We lost another good one recently. To discuss the great Eddie Money we bring back Steve "Eddie" Rice of the killer Bay Area rock band Eddie and the Tide. Money produced their album Go Out and Get It in 1984 for what we think may be Eddie's only production credit of his whole career. Steve shares stories about what Eddie was like to work with, the jokes he told, his approach to songwriting and even a somber recent phone call they had that may have implied Eddie knew what was down the pike. Once again, we're so lucky to hear wonderful artists like Steve talk about other wonderful artists like Eddie from first-hand experience.
Wednesday Oct 02, 2019
Wednesday Oct 02, 2019
It almost didn't happen for George McCrae. In fact, the whole thing was a total fluke. He and his wife Gwen sang back up on recording sessions around Miami with his focus more on managing her career than pursuing his own. But when Harry Wayne Casey wrote a new song that was too high for his register, he asked George, who happened to be around, if he would sing it. That song, 1975's "Rock Your Baby", went on to be one of the biggest selling singles of all time, selling at least 11 million copies, and went #1 all over the world. Success like that is almost impossible to replicate, and George was no different. He continued in music for years, even singing back up on a Bill Wyman solo record, but nothing else took off. He even went back to working normal, blue collar jobs. Thankfully, Europe re-embraced Disco eventually so he moved there and is performing to enraptured audiences. In fact, in February, he will be a part of the 2020 Ultimate Disco Cruise. His story is unlike anyone else's. Enjoy!