ALL Interviews Episodes

As this pandemic and it’s multiple waves hopefully slowly wind down, we’re finding out what artists in our community have been up to. Aside from zoom performances and playing small acoustic gigs, Rob Derhak of moe., was quietly creating an album of songs commissioned by fans. The 8 song collection is very different from what you’d imagine the moe. bassist would be a part of, so we tracked him down to talk about “Songs for Other People” and a few other things on our mind. See omnystudio.com/list...

Last year, on Christmas Day 2020, we lost the great Tony Rice. He was an influential acoustic guitar player not just for the bluegrass community but for the folk and acoustic jazz worlds as well. He was undoubtedly one of the best acoustic players at his peak, and likely since. His credits are too numerous to mention here, but some career highlights include playing in the Bluegrass Alliance, the New South and collaborations with Ricky Skaggs, David Grisman Bela Fleck and Jerry Garcia to name a f...

Mother Hips co-founders Tim Bluhm and Greg Loiacono have been at it now for 30 years. The pandemic allowed the pair to work on their record Glowing Lantern a great representation of their career to date. Master songwriters, players and Tim and Greg continue to be great ambassadors for the Bay Area and it’s music scene. With Glowing Lantern available now everywhere you listen to music, I thought it was a good time to catch up with Tim and Greg. First song: I Don’t Want To Drive You Away Second ...

Admittedly, I’ve gotten to the Jake Shimabukuro story a little late. For those unaware, Jake is the Jimi Hendrix of the ukulele. That is to say, many play his instrument, but few have the skill, dexterity and finger strength to carry off equally incredible playing of such a small instrument. This prowess is evident in the company he keeps, the career he’s had and the continued touring and music he’s making. His latest effort, a few years in the making, is a compilation of terrific tunes and coll...

If you know Winnipeg, Manitoba, the thought of that city producing an instrumental psychedelic jazz infused rock band is pretty crazy. Located in central Canada, Winnipeg is generally known for two things; cold winters and buggy summers. It was where Neil Young got his start and where The Guess Who began their iconic careers but those are rock artists, not Psychadelic Jam Bands. So when I heard that ostensibly a Jam Band born out of the tundra of Winnipeg were releasing their third EP A Relation...

Lacuna, is as much an ambient LP as it is a journey into raw improvisation from pianist Holly Bowling and guitarist Tom Hamilton Jr.. Sure, tracks on this new LP from the Ghost Light band mates could certainly be featured on one of your meditation apps, but in truth, these jams are far more exciting as a distinct piece of music that came together organically. You see Holly was visiting Philadelphia last summer while pregnant with her first child. With Tom’s new studio The Ballroom just recently ...

Neal Casal was a brilliant musician, singer, songwriter, and music aficionado who we lost way to early back in 2019. Like everyone else who crossed his path, I was devastated to hear that Neal sadly took his own life, just days after performing at the Lockn’ Festival. He was such a kind and gentle soul who was always ready to share his time talking about his own music, the music he collaborated on, and music more generally. I had the great pleasure of welcoming him to this show a couple of times...

There has been a palpable buzz over the last little bit for singer songwriter Neal Francis whose album "In Plain Sight" is due out November 5th on ATO Records. This Chicago based piano player is a bit of a throwback in everything he does. From his personal aesthetic to the kind of music he makes, Francis would not be lost in the mid 70s. That isn’t to suggest he’s just a copy cat of people we dig like Dr. John, The Meters or Allen Toussaint. It’s just that Neal gives you an immediate sense of co...

Explaining The Slip and their sound is quite frankly near impossible. They are a trio made up of Brad Barr on guitar, drummer Andrew Barr and bassist Marc Friedman. In simplest terms, they are an avant-rock outfit that’s been playing music since 1996 in this configuration. But please don’t let that label fool you. like many of their contemporaries, they are a genreless band. The Slip, were a big part of the Jam Band scene in the late 90s and early 00s and have long been considered favorites of t...

For the next album, Gov’t Mule have produced their first real blues record, Heavy Load Blues arriving on-line and in store November 12 on Fantasy records. It’s a 13 track masterpiece with both Warren Haynes penned originals and a bunch of great cover songs, which Mule have of course transformed and turned into their own. While the record isn’t out for another few weeks, I caught up with the frontman of Gov’t Mule, Warren Haynes to talk about the record, how it came to be and what’s next for the ...

I get all kinds of pitches regarding guests for the podcast. I also pour over hundreds of hours of music that’s sent to me. So when a publicist sends me a press release about a hardcore artist who has recently had a musical epiphany and is listening to the Grateful Dead while going through the roller coaster of life and recovering from addiction, I’m obviously intrigued. What makes this story even more unbelievable for me, is that Wade MacNeil, the artist who has created and fronts the Dooms Chi...

Marble Eyes are a rock band based out of the New Hampshire Seacoast. They are actually a supergroup made up of musicians from the area who came together to play music during the pandemic. The most recognizable member of the band may be bassist Eric Gould who at one point was in jam band Particle and is currently playing with Pink Talking Fish. There’s been a lot of buzz about this band on-line so I decided to contact Eric to learn more about Marble Eyes. First song: Tollbooth Second song: You ...

I first met Ethan Miller, the Howlin’ Rain's frontman, a few years back and have always found him to be quite musically eclectic and an extremely poignant wordsmith. So when I got word that this Bay Area based musician was releasing a new record and then heard Dharma Wheel, I knew we had to chat. First song: Annabelle Second song: Under The Wheels See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Just a few weeks ago, Larkin Poe and Nu Deco Ensemble released the collaborative effort Paint the Roses (Live in Concert) The pairing is an interesting one with roots rock sisters Rebecca and Megan Lovell of Larkin Poe being joined by members of the Nu Deco Ensemble, an orchestra led by conductor Jacomo Bairos and Artistic Director Sam Hyken. Together the larger ensemble performed songs from Larkin Poe’s 2020 release Self Made Man and a few other tunes in December of 2020 in Miami. I sat down w...

Little Feat are, without a doubt one of the pioneering bands of the jam band scene. They’ve managed to keep going after key personnel have passed, and remain one of the most influential bands in rock music. The list of bands they’ve influenced is too many to list. Their style is unique, their sound a blend of many genres, and their performances, legendary. So it was with great pleasure that I was able to catch up with founding member Bill Payne to talk about the band in its current formation and...

It’s been 4 years between SOJA records, but with the release of Beauty in the Silence, fans can once again rejoice. It’s a superb record with lots of great guests, so we caught up with Jacob Hemphill to talk about the new record. First song: Press Rewind Second song: Jump ft. Slightly Stupid See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week we talk about Gov’t Mule's forthcoming record, Warren Haynes’ awesomeness, a little more about Dead & Company’s summer tour, and why we won’t be buying any Eric Clapton albums. Segment 1 Tune: Gov’t Mule - Heavy Load Link: https://open.spotify.com/track/10zwPTX4CiU3axwgy4LcXW? si=Xj2n7GiQR3SOdWsVea0FBw&dl_branch=1 Segment 2 Tune: The Mother Hips - Looking at Long Days - Glowing Lantern Link: https://open.spotify.com/track/4QOxmBhJ7ER9C9Hdt0660d? si=51QM5RHiR6mPVdxAnL4OJg&dl_branch=...

Phish Summer Tour Wraps Up at Dick’s, Lots more Dead @ Co. Tour, would you buy old studio gear?, Shout out to NOLA and more. Segment 1: Phish - Mike's Song > The Man Who Stepped into Yesterday > Aveinu Malkenu > Weekepaug Groove - 09-01-21 - Shoreline Amphitheatre - Mountain View, CA Link: https://bt.etree.org/details.php?torrentId=613665 Segment 2: Jimmy Herring and Circles Around the Sun - Bird with No Name Link: https://open.spotify.com/album/2ta6jEw57IeEqT38ZJtg11?si=2H13L8I5Q0eZsrO7faO7-...

On today’s show: Remembering Charlie Watts and Lee Scratch Perry, Dead & Co summer tour rolls on, Phish begin the second leg of their summer tour, some notes, thoughts and more. Listen wherever you get podcasts or at thesoundpodcast.com. Intro Song: 00:14: Leon III - This Whisper Is Ours - Lee Perry Remix from Antlers in Velvet Talk Break: 06:29 Second Song: 11:50: The Last Time - Dead & Company - 08-25-21 - Darien Lake - Buffalo, NY Talk Break: 17:49 Third Song: 29:59: Move into the Light ...

On today’s show: wishing Blues Traveler all the best, a fresh perspective on Dead & Company, so much great music to discover and much more. Plus music from Dead & Company, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead and Widespread Panic. Intro Song: 00:14: Dead & Company - Touch of Grey - 08-16-21 - Walnut Creek - Raleigh, NC Link: https://2nu.gs/3xt7n6G Talk Break: 07:38 Second Song: 25:14: JRAD - Look Out Cleveland - 03-16-29 - Masonic Auditorium - Cleveland, OH Link: https://2nu.gs/2jHtJSn Talk Break: 28:4...

We’ve done some tinkering, and think you’ll like the new format for the show. Have a listen and let us know what you think on Twitter via @thesoundwithira. On today’s episode we talk COVID, JRAD at LOCKIN’, Phish Summer Tour and more… Intro Song: 00:14: Billy & The Kids - Thunder - July 12, 2021 - Red Rocks Interview: 08:42 Second Song: 17:59: Phish - Mull - August 3, 2021 - Nashville, TN Interview: 24:31 Third Song: 33:08: JRAD - In Memory of Elizabeth Reed - June 19, 2021 - Westville Musi...

For their upcoming album release, Blues Traveler were determined to do something different than just putting out another record like they had three years ago with Hurry Up and Hang Around. The band this time decided on a covers record, specifically though with blues songs. On July 30th, Traveler’s Blues will be released. Let’s pick up my discussion from the very beginning with Chan Kinchla founding member and guitar player of Blues Traveler… First Song: 00:14: Funky Bitch Interview Begins: 04:...

43 years into making records, Los Lobos, who actually formed in 1973 wanted to do something different for their latest release, the first on New West Records. Originally the plan was to do an all covers record, something the band is quite adept at doing, but upon deeper discussion they settled on narrowing the covers list to 13 songs from native LA musicians, since East LA is home. You can only imagine what a unique set of songs appear on Native Sons, since Los Lobos themselves have a very eclec...

Like you, we’ve been following the Midnight North story for a while now. For the uninitiated though,they are a roots rock Americana quartet out of the Bay Area. While there have been personnel changes over the years, the constants have been Grahame Lesh, Elliott Peck and Conner O’Sullivan who have been joined more recently by Nathan Graham. I purposely didn’t mention what each member contributes to the fabric of the band, because they all play a part in vocals and instruments besides their main ...