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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
Sunday Jul 21, 2024
Sunday Jul 21, 2024
Included in the bedrock of the American alternative rock sound created by bands like REM, the Feelies, the Bongos and the Replacements is the dB's. Their debut album, Stands for Decibels, is essential to showing what us Yanks were up to while New Wave and Post Punk were gestating largely in the UK. That seminal album was just re-released on vinyl for the first time last month and Peter Holsapple joined us to deep dive the whole experience like how he and former guest Chris Stamey split up the songwriting, what influenced the sound, how was it working with Martin Rushent and (another former guest) Don Dixon, trying to break out of North Carolina, and more. Enjoy!
Tuesday Jul 16, 2024
Tuesday Jul 16, 2024
You can't tell the story of British rock and roll without acknowledging the impact of The Jam. Unfortunately, Paul Weller pretends that chapter never happened, which is sad and confusing. Drummer Rick Buckler recently published the book The Jam 1982 depicting the last year of the band's existence. They start off releasing The Gift with singles like "Town Called Malice" and "Precious" climbing the charts, but it ends with a call from Weller out of nowhere to pack it up. Rick tries to make sense of it all (Paul still isn't talking), the influence of Paul's dad John on the band, the progression of the band's sound, and what he's been doing since, including the short lived band Time UK and About the Jam. It's a disappointing and confusing epitaph for one of the greatest bands in history.
Wednesday Jul 10, 2024
Wednesday Jul 10, 2024
Did America ever fully "get" 10cc? Their mix of perfect tunes with a biting sense of humor flew over the heads of many of us. Luckily, that didn't stop them from having a long and legendary career back in the UK. The only original member these days is the great Graham Gouldman, but he's taking the band on their first US tour in ages soon. He joins us this week to discuss his partnership with Andrew Gold to form Wax, his wonderful solo career (and new album, I Have Notes) working with other legends like Ringo Starr and Brian May, doing the Animalympics soundtrack, and more. We're lucky he's still at it, carrying the torch, and better than ever!
Monday Jul 08, 2024
Monday Jul 08, 2024
To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the masterpiece that is Prince's Purple Rain, we welcome author Andrea Swensson to discuss her fabulous new book celebrating the achievement. Andrea knew Prince and had been to Paisley Park a few times, plus she's an acclaimed writer, podcast host, and expert on the music of Minneapolis, making her the perfect person for this book. We discuss his legacy, his artistry, his impact on Minnesota, and much more. Also, we have a copy of the book to give away! There will never be another Prince!
Wednesday Jul 03, 2024
Wednesday Jul 03, 2024
This week we welcome reggae royalty to the show with guitarist Junior Marvin! If you can believe it - on the same day in 1977, Junior was offered jobs playing with Stevie Wonder AND Bob Marley! Which would you choose? He decided to go with Bob and it changed the rest of his life. After Bob's death a few years later, Junior focused on session work and solo albums while also touring with the Wailers to keep the One Love spirit alive. He recently released a brand new solo album called Happy Family. We discuss the whole journey, including what makes Bob the icon he is today, the songs he wrote (and didn't get paid for), what Rastafarianism means to him, the new Bob movie, and more. Enjoy!
Tuesday Jul 02, 2024
Tuesday Jul 02, 2024
With the recent re-release of the breakthru Call album Reconciled on vinyl and remastered, we felt it was a good time to welcome back keyboardist Jim Goodwin and guitarist Tom Ferrier (for the first time) to go deep on the album that changed everything for the band. The album includes the powerful singles "Everywhere I Go" and "I Still Believe", which was made iconic by the "Sexy Sax Man" (and friend of the show) Tim Cappello in Lost Boys. We also discuss the spiritual lyrics by the late great frontman Michael Been, working with Peter Gabriel and Jim Kerr of Simple Minds, and whether the album qualifies as "Christian Rock". Oh, and what's the deal with the baby on the cover? All of this and more will be revealed, and you'll be reminded what a strong album this is. Enjoy!
Wednesday Jun 26, 2024
Wednesday Jun 26, 2024
In 1985 the German group Propaganda managed their one perfect album, A Secret Wish. Released on Trevor Horn's ZTT label (he was also the Executive Producer), this synth pop classic featured hits like "Duel" and "Dr. Mabuse" which haven't aged a day. Though it was an achievement, it created friction within the group (as well as financial and interpersonal issues), causing the frontwomen, Susanne and Claudia, to leave the band before the follow up was recorded. Other bands were created and solo careers were attempted until 2022 when the two paired up with producer Stephen Lipson as xPropaganda and released the incredible comeback album, The Heart is Strange. This week Susanne and Claudia join us to discuss the entire ride and what they're up to now. It's rare we get to hear from one of them, let alone both!
Wednesday Jun 19, 2024
Wednesday Jun 19, 2024
t took a few years, but Tom Bailey is finally reclaiming the wonderful legacy of the Thompson Twins. The excellent hit makers were everywhere in the 80s, but eventually Tom lost interest in pop music and moved on with then wife Alannah Currie to making dub and trance music under the names Babble and International Observer letting the Twins' flame die out. Thankfully, about 10 years ago he brushed off those old hits, put out a poppy solo album, and has been back in our lives since. He's now joining forced with Thomas Dolby and others on the Totally Tubular tour this summer. We get into all of it including working with Nile Rodgers and Rupert Hine, the late great Matthew Seligman, John uHughes movies, and the stories behind a bunch of songs. Enjoy!
Thursday Jun 13, 2024
Thursday Jun 13, 2024
Session keyboardist Jeff Babko has a career that even he can't believe. His day job is playing keys in Jimmy Kimmel's band every night. Then, his side hustle on the weekends is as the musical director for Steve Martin and Martin Short on their tour. Those alone are incredible, but he also releases solo albums and has done sessions and tours with a bunch of legends. In this chat we discuss Huey Lewis, James Taylor, the Doobie Brothers, Sheryl Crow, Neil Young, Joe Cocker, Alanis Morissette, Smokey Robinson, Steve Perry, Colin Hay and Don Henley. He also plays on soundtracks for the likes of Scorsese and Nolan. On top of this, he's hilarious.You'll love this conversation about all of it and how it all even happened. Enjoy!
Wednesday Jun 05, 2024
Wednesday Jun 05, 2024
We have a very special twofer for you this week! We kick it off with the birthday boy himself, the great Ian Hunter! Ian turned 85 this week (!) and is still at it and as good as ever. He just released a new album called Defiance 2: Fiction (Defiance 1 came out last year) and both are star-studded affairs featuring Joe Elliott, Brian May, Slash, Todd Rundgren and tons more including the late great Taylor Hawkins and Jeff Beck. Ian and I discuss making music at this age, going glam with Bowie, his (underappreciated) solo career and more. Then we hear from John Butler, frontman for the wonderful Diesel Park West. They released one of the greatest debuts ever in 1989 with Shakespeare Alabama, and have continued to put out quality music, but remain one of those acts that deserved more. They also have a new album called Presley Trap that is among their best. You'll love what you hear!
Thursday May 30, 2024
Thursday May 30, 2024
Have we come back around to Hootie & the Blowfish yet? They went from fun, good-time band, to hugely popular, to overexposed, to punching bag, back to fun, good-time band. Today, they've settled into a nice level of fame where the band successfully tours when they feel like it and the guys each do their own projects during the downtime. Guitarist Mark Bryan joins us this week to discuss it all, especially how it affected him and his family. We also get into a lot of his solo work, which is super strong and deserves a wider audience, as well as that post peak period when the band was still churning out great music, but to a smaller audience. It's been quite a ride with a lot of ups and downs, but Mark still takes it all in stride. Enjoy!
Tuesday May 21, 2024
Tuesday May 21, 2024
Jim Peterik has the power to create a whole band for every musical impulse he ever has. Survivor is mostly in the rear view, but his original band The Ides of March still get together to perform for special occasions. He has a country band called The Stormchasers. He has a smooth jazz band called Lifeforce. He has a rock band called Pride of Lions. And he has World Stage, which is him collaborating with his musical friends like Jason Scheff, Don Barnes, Kevin Cronin and many more. Each of these continue to release new music with World Stage's Roots & Shoots Vol. 1 dropping most recently. Jim and I discuss these as well as his many collaborations over the years like Dennis DeYoung, the Beach Boys, Cheap Trick and more. He even breaks into song a couple times! Enjoy!
Wednesday May 15, 2024
Wednesday May 15, 2024
Not only did the mighty Midnight Oil bless the world with their incredible music, they also educated us on the plight of Australian people and politics which ended up informing many of us and how we see the world. Guitarist and primary songwriter Jim Moginie recently released a memoir called The Silver River which tells the band's story, but, even more impressively, tells his personal journey as someone who was adopted at a young age and found his birth parents later in life. That story is really at the heart of this excellent book. We also talk about that powerful music, the pressure he felt to produce hits, saying goodbye, his writing process, and much much more. We are so lucky to hear from anyone in the Oil's camp. Enjoy!
Sunday May 12, 2024
Sunday May 12, 2024
For this week we welcome author, podcast host and private investigator (!) Darren Paltrowitz to discuss his book DLR Book. Capturing the real David Lee Roth, while also separating the real guy from the mythology he's worked hard to create is no easy task, but Darren does his best. David Carruth joins co-hosts this episode as we dissect DLR's Hollywood ambitions, his solo efforts, his radio hosting gigs, and much much more. He's surely one of the greatest entertainers ever, and one of the most confusing characters. Enjoy!
Friday May 10, 2024
Friday May 10, 2024
Jon was invited to hang with his good friends Haydn and Bee of the INXS : Access All Areas podcast recently to discuss our love of Australian music, the rich history, and, of course, our mutual love of INXS. Any fan of this band needs to know this great podcast is out there if they don't already. Every member has appeared on there, it's a wealth of valuable knowledge. Jon tells some stories you've heard before and some you haven't, but enjoy either way!
www.inxsaccessallareas.podbean.com
Tuesday May 07, 2024
Tuesday May 07, 2024
Can you believe another year has gone by? We can't! Who would have ever thought 9 years The Hustle would become what it has. As usual, we always celebrate this day with a very special guest and this year is no different. This week we welcome the wonderful Nick Laird-Clowes of the Dream Academy! The band snuck up on everyone in 1985 with the seminal and wholly unique "Life in a Northern Town". Those who were there will never forget it. They followed that up with two more equally excellent albums before calling it quits, but Nick has never sat still. After forging a friendship with Dave Gilmour, he's collaborated with him on many projects and continues to compose his own music. They recently released a fantastic 7-disc box set called Religion, Revolution and Railways that has everything you could ever want. Nick's enthusiasm will burst through your speakers!
Saturday May 04, 2024
Saturday May 04, 2024
For this Deep Dive we welcome back John Parr to discuss his underappreciated album from 1992, Man With a Vision. By this point in his career, John was all alone with no major label support and litigation making it hard to get heard. He self-produced this album and it's an excellent slab of peak AOR goodness, even though it's from the early 90s. John gives us the full story and I hope you'll all seek out this beauty for yourselves. Enjoy!
Tuesday Apr 30, 2024
Tuesday Apr 30, 2024
The short but solid trajectory of the Undertones' career reflects the arc of popular British music during the same time. Starting off in Derry Ireland as punks with an ear for melodies in the late 70s and ending up about five years later exploring sophisti-pop is a map of what was in style in the UK. If the band wasn't so good at both genres you might accuse them of selling out, but, in truth, they're just excellent at making catchy songs. The band split up in the early 80s and lead singer Feargal Sharkey went solo before leaving music altogether. We're joined this week by bassist and songwriter Michael Bradley. He went to work for the BBC before retiring and now tours occasionally with the other guys (minus Feargal) even releasing new music. He discusses some of the classic tunes he wrote, his approach to the band now, having John Peel as a fan, and much more. They're honestly one of the greatest ever.
Wednesday Apr 24, 2024
Wednesday Apr 24, 2024
Grammy winning engineer/producer Tom Lord-Alge has been behind some major music the last 40 years. He starts out in NYC under the tutelage of his brother Chris and breaks big working on Steve Winwood's Back in the High Life album. Over the years he's engineered dozens of gigantic hits including albums by Blink-182, Pink, Weezer, Marilyn Manson and Korn. We don't talk about any of those though (to Tom's surprise). Instead we get into Simple Minds, Live, Manic Street Preachers, OMD, REO Speedwagon, INXS, Hanson, Peter Gabriel, Earth Wind and Fire, Dave Matthews and a bunch of others surprises along the way. Tom is a riot, you're going to love this.
Wednesday Apr 17, 2024
Wednesday Apr 17, 2024
Bassist Neil Stubenhaus was a key member of that pool of exceptional talent in LA in the 70s and 80s that were first calls to play on the great albums made during the era. Neil stood shoulder to shoulder with the likes of Nathan East, Lee Sklar and Pino Palladino (among many) to make good music even better. Included on his resume are people like Billy Joel, Lionel Richie, Al Jarreau, Anita Baker, Rod Stewart, Barbra Steisand, the Temptations and tons of others. In fact, we both had nothing else going on so we talked for 3 hours about these and dozens of others. For the last couple decades he's mainly lent his talents to movie soundtracks which is an entirely separate conversation. Strap in and enjoy a masterclass in being good at your instrument. Enjoy!
Tuesday Apr 09, 2024
Tuesday Apr 09, 2024
Mike Post is probably the most successful composer of the last half century. He literally wrote the themes to hundreds of TV shows from the early 70s until now. In fact, there's a good chance that during the heyday, almost every person on earth heard his work at least once a week. That's astounding. You could argue that shows like NYPD Blue, Law & Order, Magnum P.I., Rockford Files, White Shadow, Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law and tons more wouldn't be what they are without him. He recently took a big risk and composed an original piece called Message of the Mountains & Echoes of the Delta that he's really proud of. It merges Americana and Classical in a way that's never been done before. We discuss all of this as well growing up with Jim Gordon, being a part of the Wrecking Crew, and producing the ill-fated Van Halen 3 album. He's "the luckiest guy you'll ever meet". Enjoy!
Tuesday Apr 02, 2024
Tuesday Apr 02, 2024
Imagine being one of the architects of one of the biggest albums in rock history. It's like winning the lottery. As we know from the Fleetwood Mac story, what was happening behind the scenes on Rumours was as juicy and tasty as the music they were making. Witness to all of it was the great Ken Caillat! He went on to co-produce with Richard Dashut Tusk and Mirage as well before parting ways and parlaying that success into starting several music businesses over the years. Then, his daughter Colbie's massive success has provided an incredible second chapter no one would have predicted. We get into the nitty gritty on this one - the drama, the fights, the business, and the music. Enjoy!
Wednesday Mar 27, 2024
Wednesday Mar 27, 2024
This week, Jesus Jones embarks on their first US tour in 30 years! It's short, just a few shows over a couple of weeks, but it's, hopefully, the beginning of restoring a relationship with the states that will grow in the near future. Since lead singer Mike Edwards was on the show a few years ago, we are joined this time by keyboardist (and band manager) Iain Baker to not only explain the circumstances of the tour, but deep dive their 1991 breakthru Doubt while he's at it. We learn what influenced hits like "International Bright Young Thing", "Real Real Real" and, of course, "Right Here Right Now". He also gives his passionate feelings about everyone from Milli Vanilli to Michael Hutchence. It's a blast and even emotional in some parts. Enjoy!
Tuesday Mar 26, 2024
Tuesday Mar 26, 2024
This week we get to hear from acclaimed songwriter Dean Pitchford! After 45 years of near consistent success, Dean will finally be inducted in the Songwriters Hall of Fame this year, which is just another line on his impressive resume. He won an Oscar for writing "Fame" for Irene Cara and achieved the absolute peak with Footloose. He not only wrote the screenplay, but every song on the soundtrack and collected a couple Grammys in the process. He tried again a few years later with the movie Sing, but it was less successful and his thoughts on why are fascinating. Along the way there have been collaborations with Roger Daltrey ("Quicksilver Lightning"), Cher ("After All"), Peter Allen ("The Boy From Oz"), Kenny Loggins ("Don't Fight It"), writing the Solid Gold theme song, and tons more. He's just about the nicest man you'll ever meet and we're super lucky to hear from him. Enjoy!
Wednesday Mar 20, 2024
Wednesday Mar 20, 2024
Our guest this week is multi-Grammy winning producer Russ Titelman. Russ has been deeply rooted in the music business since the 60s as a producer, an engineer, a songwriter, and even a session guitarist. His midas touch has benefitted legendary artists like Paul Simon, Chaka Khan, James Taylor, Cyndi Lauper, Brian Wilson, Rickie Lee Jones, and won Grammys for Steve Winwood and Eric Clapton. In this conversation we hit on all of that and more including how songs like "Higher Love", "Tears in Heaven", "Ain't Nobody" and tons more came to be. We're lucky to spend so much valuable time with a luminary like Russ. Enjoy!
Thursday Mar 14, 2024
Thursday Mar 14, 2024
In 1989 when Australian rock bands like Midnight Oil and INXS were screaming up the charts in the US, you'd think the easiest thing in the world would be to present one more and let them continue the streak. Such was not the story of Boom Crash Opera. Despite getting some airplay for "Onion Skin" off their second album, These Here Are Crazy Times, and despite having material just as strong as their peers, it didn't happen and BCO never got their just due (except back home where they remain a draw). Guitarist and primary songwriter Peter Farnan joins us this week to detail the whole story and discuss his wonderful solo career. What's surreal about all of this is that Peter is a fan of the show, making this a mutual appreciation society meeting! Enjoy and please dig into some BCO. It's killer!
Wednesday Mar 06, 2024
Wednesday Mar 06, 2024
The Dandy Warhols have been around for 30 years. That can't be right! In the 90s they seemed like hedonistic little hippies and now, they still are, but the rest of the world has caught up with them. On the 15th, the band releases ROCKMAKER, their first fully guitar-driven album in a while (maybe ever) and they embark on a US tour this week. Zia McCabe joins us to talk about the new album, how the band writes songs (fans know their albums are gloriously all over the place), what it's like having David Bowie, Duran Duran, Slash and other huge names as supporters, her proud stance as a nudist, and a ton more. The Dandies have projected and lived by their life philosophy since day one. In a world where so many things change, it's nice to know you can rely on their version of unpredictability. Enjoy!
Wednesday Feb 28, 2024
Wednesday Feb 28, 2024
These days, guitarist Nigel Bennett is as much an entrepreneur as he is a punk rocker. I'll explain. Nigel's career began in the 70s when he was hired to join The Members who were mixing punk, pop and reggae in unique ways. They're probably best remembered by their 1982 hit "Working Girl". The band didn't last long and Nigel bummed around until he was hired by the Vibrators in 1990, where he remains today. During the pandemic, the rest of the Vibrators called it quits, leaving Nigel to carry on and now he's remarried, moved to the states, and is wholly focused on building the Vibrators back up. He still puts out new music and tours mixing songs from his entire history. It's a fascinating story we don't hear that often. There are also stories involving Iggy Pop, Steve Lillywhite and more. Enjoy!
Tuesday Feb 27, 2024
Tuesday Feb 27, 2024
Author Joel Selvin returns to the show to discuss his new book on one of the greatest and most complicated drummers in rock history, Jim Gordon. The list of songs made better by Jim's talent is endless - "Good Vibrations", "Rikki Don't Lose That Number", "Wichita Lineman", "Apache" and hundreds of others. He was also the drummer in Derek and the Dominoes and co-wrote "Layla". Unfortunately, Jim was overwhelmed by demons from schizophrenia most of his life and murdered his mother in 1983 confining him to prison for the rest of his life (he died in 2023). Joel paints a sympathetic portrait of a man overcome by voices that ultimately did him in. It's one of the best music books you'll ever read.
Saturday Feb 24, 2024
Saturday Feb 24, 2024
The amazing Mike Scott returns to the podcast to go deep on the Waterboys' 1985 masterpiece This is the Sea. This benchmark album has been released in a massive 6-disc deluxe edition that includes almost 100 tracks, many of which have never been heard before, and a hardback book all of which tells the story of the album's creation. Mike takes us track by track through the original album, the contributions from other band members and where his head was at back then. If any classic album deserves the deluxe treatment, it's this one. We're honored to hear a part of that story.
Wednesday Feb 21, 2024
Wednesday Feb 21, 2024
Cult icon Josie Cotton joins us this week! Of course, her career exploded in the early 80s with the help of Valley Girl and the immortal "Johnny, Are You Queer?" but her time on major labels was short-lived. For almost 40 years she's built a career thriving as an indie artist and doing her own thing. Last year she released a strong new album called Day of the Gun which, like everything she does, is a complete artistic package from the music to the fashion to the videos and beyond. She discusses her long and unique career and how she conceptualizes what she puts out in the world. She's a legend in her own way. Enjoy!
Wednesday Feb 14, 2024
Wednesday Feb 14, 2024
Rich Travali is one of the most successful guests we've ever featured on the show. He began his career in the 80s at the Hit Factory in New York working with legends like Patti Smith, Sting and Paul Simon, who he was especially close to during the recording of The Rhythm of the Saints. In the 90s he formed a bond with Puff Daddy which led to a couple decades of gigantic hits - 11 #1 singles and over 140 million in total record sales. We're talking generational hits like "Hot in Herre", "Big Poppa", "Independent Woman" "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It" and tons more. TLC, Robin Thicke, LL Cool J, Pharrell and many others make him "their guy". It's a fascinating and unique story. Enjoy!
Thursday Feb 08, 2024
Thursday Feb 08, 2024
Ian Lloyd has been at this longer than many of us have been alive. He first took off fronting Stories in the early 70s for three albums. The second one, About Us, featured the surprising #1 smash "Brother Louie". From there he went solo and released some excellent (and sadly out of print) power pop albums including the wonderful Goosebumps from 1979. He also made a nice living singing backing vocals for Foreigner, Billy Joel and many others including several ads and jingles. He's still out there doing his thing with that other-worldly voice that hasn't lost a drop. We discuss all of it. Enjoy!
Monday Feb 05, 2024
Monday Feb 05, 2024
For this Book Club we welcome noted Australian author Jeff Apter to discuss his new book on Neil Finn, Don't Dream It's Over. Jeff has been a successful music writer for decades, contributing to Rolling Stone as penning books on AC/DC, Keith Urban, and the Bee Gees. Nick and I nerd out on our love for Neil, what he's like, how the band and his family works (they're often similar), his relationship with his brother Tim and the late Paul Hester and much more. The book is essential for any Neil fan and so is our conversation. Enjoy!
Tuesday Jan 30, 2024
Tuesday Jan 30, 2024
This week we welcome one of the greatest musicians alive, bassist Jah Wobble! Jah first rose to prominence in PIL alongside John Lydon on their first two groundbreaking albums. After he left he struggled for a few years before picking it back up with the Invaders of the Heart and playing with almost everyone. In this conversation we discuss artists as diverse as Sinead O'Connor, Ginger Baker and Suggs. In 2023 alone he released several new projects, the main one being his new solo album, A Brief History of Now. Jah joins us to discuss all of it (as much as we can fit anyway) including that infamous American Bandstand appearance, the late great Geordie Walker, getting sober, Buddhism, and everything in between. Enjoy!
Monday Jan 29, 2024
Monday Jan 29, 2024
Animotion's Bill Wadhams returns to the show to deep dive their excellent comeback album from 2017, Raise. I see this album as a perfect example of what legacy artists, especially ones from the 80s, are capable of doing in this day and age. It's an incredibly strong set of tunes that not enough people know about. Bill explains how the album came to be and the stories behind the songs. Please seek out this fantastic piece of pop.
Wednesday Jan 24, 2024
Wednesday Jan 24, 2024
We go deep on excellent 90s British alternative rock with this week's twofer. First up is the iconic Saffron of Republica! The band is best known for (and still make a nice living from) "Ready To Go", which is saying a lot for a band that only managed a couple albums. They have recently come back together to make some new music including their latest single "New York". Saffron discusses all of it, including her second life as a nurse. After that we talk with Sneaker Pimp lyricist Ian Pickering. They needed some help with their debut album so they called on their friend Ian to provide some lyrics, including the still potent "6 Underground", and they had hits! The band changed direction and Ian went back to normal, but these days he's focused on his new project The Noise Who Runs. His story is pretty unique. Enjoy!
Wednesday Jan 17, 2024
Wednesday Jan 17, 2024
We're honored to welcome one of music's greatest living musicians, Budgie! In this sprawling conversation we cover all the bases - coming up in Liverpool with Big in Japan, joining The Slits for their revolutionary album Cut, and joining Siouxsie and the Banshees where he would stay until the bitter end in the mid-90s. He also married Siouxsie and did their side project The Creatures for many years as well. Last year he teamed up with podcasting partner (and fellow legend), former Cure drummer Lol Tollhurst and super producer Jacknife Lee (both former guests) to release the album Los Angeles, one of the best of the year. Budgie touches on his entire career including working with Robert Smith in the Banshees, drumming with the Indigo Girls, and everything else. He's one of the best to ever do it! Enjoy!
Wednesday Jan 10, 2024
Wednesday Jan 10, 2024
We're kicking off 2024 the way we often do by hearing from a legendary producer. This year we get to hear from the great Chris Kimsey! Chris was closely tied to the Stones for many years, producing albums like Some Girls, Undercover and Steel Wheels but his genius has impacted many other greats as well. In this conversation we cover artists big and small like Killing Joke, INXS, Duran Duran, Marillion, Led Zeppelin, Escape Club, Diesel Park West, Psychedelic Furs, Billy Squier, Bad Co., Curt Smith, Peter Frampton and reggae artists like Jimmy Cliff and Peter Tosh. You'll be knocked out by these stories and the breadth of songs he's worked on. Enjoy!
Wednesday Dec 27, 2023
Wednesday Dec 27, 2023
It's a classic rock twofer this week! First up is Don Barnes of 38 Special. Next year the band will be celebrating 50 years and they're still as strong as ever. Their peak 80s period rivals anyone's with a bunch of hits that are still beloved. Don discusses the stories behind the songs, touring today, his lost solo album and much more. Then we get to hear from original Foghat drummer Roger Earl. Roger's the last man standing, but is also performing a bunch of shows every year. The band also has a brand new album called Sonic Mojo that keeps the fire going. Roger shares stories from his almost 60 years in rock. This one's a blast.
Tuesday Dec 19, 2023
Tuesday Dec 19, 2023
The pioneering story of the Veldt is a one of one. Twin black brothers from North Carolina in the 80s embrace the alternative rock coming from the UK and record their debut album in 1989 with Robin Guthrie of the Cocteau Twins producing! The album was shelved, but they did get a couple great albums out in the 90s (Afrodisiac is especially excellent) but it never really takes off mainly because labels don't know what to do with black guys making alternative rock. They've soldiered on over the years releasing consistently great music and touring, converting skeptical audiences along the way. Today they are celebrating that Guthrie album, Illuminated 1989, finally being released. Guitarist Danny Chavis joins us to tell his fascinating story that is literally unlike anyone else's in history. Enjoy!
www.theveldtmusic.bandcamp.com
www.patreon.com/thehustlepod
Tuesday Dec 19, 2023
Tuesday Dec 19, 2023
This week we welcome back two of our favorites - Maia Sharp and Garrison Starr. The girls (who are also friends) return to catch us up on what they're doing these days. Maia is producing Sarah & Shannon while Garrison has paired up again with Sean McConnell for their second release as My Sister, My Brother. They also get into the music industry's handling of lesbian artists, writing lyrics, and how they approach their career in the modern era. They're so great at what they do and we're big fans around here!
Wednesday Dec 13, 2023
Wednesday Dec 13, 2023
Isn't the race for best alternative rock bass player in history neck and neck between Derek Forbes and Peter Hook? Those two showed what making great music with a bass as practically the lead instrument could do. Anyone who has listened to those early Simple Minds albums knows that what makes them so special is Derek's incredible bass work. Unfortunately, he was sacked from the band in '84 and has never returned for any real length of time. Many believe the band hasn't been the same since then. Derek joins us this week to discuss his whole career, including playing in Propaganda, Big Country and everything else he's done. His new book, A Very Simple Mind: On Tour is a must for any fan. We've wanted to have Derek on here for years, so it's a huge honor!
Monday Dec 11, 2023
Monday Dec 11, 2023
We welcome back for a rarefied air third time, the excellent author, Martin Popoff, to discuss his Kiss at 50 book.
Kiss are a perfect band to discuss, and we enjoyed Martin's insights, and hope you do too!
www.patreon.com/thehustlepod
Wednesday Dec 06, 2023
Wednesday Dec 06, 2023
Manchester is known for all kinds of legendary bands emerging from the area. The Smiths, New Order, The Stone Roses, Oasis, Buzzcocks and tons more. The best of the 2000s has to be Doves. Beginning as the dance group Sub Sub, Doves went on to be one of the biggest and best bands the UK has brought the world, as five consistently great albums prove. They've been less busy the last decade or so (although 2020's Universal Want is a creative peak), as Jimi Goodwin works on his mental health, but there are rumblings that more could be on the horizon. Guitarist Jez Williams joins us to discuss all things Doves - every album, the Sub Sub days, side projects, key tracks and more. They are seriously so so good. Enjoy!
Monday Dec 04, 2023
Monday Dec 04, 2023
This week we welcome back our friend Kevin Armstrong to discuss his new memoir, Absolute Beginner. This wonderful book details how his unique career took flight, from forming great bands that never go anywhere, to joining forces with David Bowie and performing with him at Live Aid, and rocking alongside Iggy Pop for a decade. There are also stops with Thomas Dolby and Propaganda as well as amazing McCartney and Eno stories. The book is a blast and we love Kevin around here so be sure to add this to your Christmas list. Enjoy!
Wednesday Nov 29, 2023
Wednesday Nov 29, 2023
The real story of Sly & the Family Stone needs to be told. Sly himself recently released a reportedly underwhelming memoir and there have been others over the years, but the true story of this revolutionary group is eroding too quickly. This week we welcome their legendary drummer (and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer) Greg Errico. Greg recounts just how special those early days were and how sad it was when it all ended. Greg has had tons of success elsewhere including with Santana, Weather Report, Billy Wyman, David Bowie, Lee Oskar and Betty Davis of all people! And check out his new project Stick People on YouTube. You won't want to miss this!
Wednesday Nov 22, 2023
Wednesday Nov 22, 2023
This week we give thanks for another twofer with a couple of legends. First up is my brief chat with jazz icon Les McCann. This weekend Les is releasing a special box set for Record Store Day, Never a Dull Moment - Live From Coast to Coast 66-67. This gorgeous collection showcases his mastery of the piano in the Trio setting and is an incredible piece of history. We're SO lucky to get a few minutes of his time. Then we hear from original Guess Who drummer Garry Peterson. The band has been without Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings for decades now, but the younger and hungrier group is still making great music today. This year they released the album Plein D'Amour which, I'm not kidding, sounds just like something Jellyfish would have released in the 90s. Garry describes the band dynamic now, his relationship with his old bandmates, and where this new sound came from. Enjoy!
Tuesday Nov 21, 2023
Wednesday Nov 15, 2023
Wednesday Nov 15, 2023
The Darling Buds were another one of those excellent British alternative bands of the late 80s/early 90s that was sadly short lived. Three strong albums in four years and then nothing for a long time. People listening to college radio or scouring records stores around that time would know them well. Thankfully, the band is back with an incredible box set, Killing For Love, Albums, Singles, Rarities, Unreleased 1987-2017, just released by Cherry Red Records (they're so good at this stuff). Andrea Lewis and Matt Gray join us to share stories for the journey like the impact of having John Peel as a fan, doing Top of the Pops, moving to the US, and more. It's good to say this great band is getting what they deserve.