ALL Interviews Episodes

Ben Caplan recently released “Old Stock” a collection of songs that he wrote with fellow collaborators for a musical called “Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story”. As you heard, this baritone voiced artist is a songwriter, performer and wild entertainer. His infectious stage presence and ability to get everyone standing is always something to behold. We caught up with Ben, on the road, to talk about “Old Stock” and literally everything and anything he is up to. For tour dates and much more about Ben Caplan visit bencaplan.ca.

Hailing from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, Five Alarm Funk has just one thing on their mind, creating music that makes you get up and dance, and SWEAT a lot. With a wide variety of influences from Antibalas to Zappa, this organically shaped funk outfit brings more than just the traditional sounds of James Brown and Tower of Power to the party. We caught up with drummer, vocalist and original member Tayo Branston to get the low down on the band, and their various collaborations. There is no disputing that Five Alarm brings the funk, and they do it all over the continent. Their shows are a party, one, you don’t want to miss. For more on Five Alarm Funk visit fivealarmfunk.com

You wouldn’t think that great bluegrass music would come out of Austin, Texas, but as it turns out, Wood & Wire though not originally from the area, do call it home. They’re a four piece, who make great music, inspired by both jambands and country music. Like most acts these days they make a name for themselves at festivals and grinding it on the road. For more on Wood & Wire visit woodandwireband.com.

The Garcia Project performs full set lists of classic Jerry Garcia Band shows and is fronted by Mik Bondy, a “Jerry Head” to say the very least. The tone and spirit of the Jerry Garcia Band is what the Garcia Project pride itself on. We caught up with Mik on the road, as he usually is, to talk about the Garcia Project, and just exactly what they are up to. The conversation started when I ask Mik about his first encounters with Garcia… For more on tour dates, to hear some more music from GarciaProject or to watch some videos check out thegarciaproject.com.

While Rebelution’s sound is true to its reggae roots, they have expanded their sonics horizons even further on theri new record Free Rein, blending all kinds of styles. After 14 years of doing the rock/reggae thing its only natural that the sound becomes fuller as Eric Rachmany explores the music that inspires him. We caught up with Eric ahead of the band’s stop at the Bonnaroo to talk about Free Rein, specific songs on the record and a whole lot more.

With well over 350 Grateful Dead, and Dead related shows under his belt, Grateful Dean as he’s known online brings a fresh, genuine and often hilarious take to the official home of unofficial Grateful Dead and Music News. In our candid conversation Dean gives us a bit of his background, and explains why he does what he does, not matter what the haters say. We dig this cat, and you will too.

We’re big fans of the music Mungion makes. Whether its the blend of different styles of music, the general groove, or the fun lyrics, these guys are what jam bands should be about, FUN! There 2017 ended with a bit of a thud, as you’ll soon here, but since the Winter of 2018 these guys have been gigging hard, and Live Fun Vol.1 is a compendium of some of the musical highlights of that tour. We caught up with friend of the show Justin Reckamp to check the pulse of the band coming off Summer Camp Festival last week, and to talk about Live Fun Vol.1 out now. Mungion’s complete tour schedule is available at mungion.com.

Ethan Miller the principle behind Howlin Rain is one of those dudes, who doesn’t just make great music, he makes a lot of it. Not only that, but aside from writing and composing the band’s music he also oversees virtually all facets of getting his music to you via his own imprint Silver Current Records. He is a fascinating individual, who is involved in several bands, and writes poetry in his down time. Our discussion leaves a lot to unpack and for good reason. Ethan Miller is both thoughtful and provocative and those sentiments come across in all his work. With a jam packed June and July in the offing, you may want to check out howlinrain.com for dates in your area and a lot more stuff on the band.

Dark Star Orchestra’s 7th annual Jubilee goes this weekend in Thornville, Ohio. Luckily for us ,we caught up with Rob Barraco just before the Buffalo show, the last show before the Jubilee. We asked Rob about his tenure with DSO, the Phil Lesh quintet and mastering the parts of four iconic keyboard players of the Grateful Dead. We’re looking forward to more great music from DSO and his latest project, California Kind. For more info on DSO, visit darkstarorchestra.net.

Off the top of the show, you’ll hear Evermore off of Leftover Salmon’s latest release “Something Higher”. We wanted to highlight this track, specifically, because while listening to the record in the car with my daughters, I pointed out Eric Deutch’s tremendous piano playing. Real honest playing, without any digitization. Just authentic, emotional playing. With pop culture being so inundated with plastic garbage, its so refreshing to hear this kind of music, something that the guys in Leftover Salmon have been doing for 28 years. We caught up with Vince Herman, one of the grizzled veterans of the now 6 piece band, to get a glimpse into the making of “something higher”, Leftover’s place amongst their peers and much more.Show Notes:

Hiatus is a tricky word in the music business, in some cases it marks the end, in others, it gives way to a triumphant return. In 2016, Trampled by Turtles, the acclaimed bluegrass outfit from Minnesota decided it was time for a break. As you’ll soon hear from mandolinist, Erik Berry figuring how to deal with the hiatus and subsequent return, was initially weird, but the coming back was as natural as getting back and riding a bike. With their new record Life is Good on the Open Road already out, and a tour well underway, we caught up with Erik Berry and asked how he took the news when the hiatus was announced. For more information on TbT check out trampledbyturtles.com.

If you aren't familiar with the California Honeydrops they are a 7 piece ensemble that started as a busking duo. It's been 11 years since multi-instrumentalist Lech Wierzynski and percussionist Ben Malament were two dudes in the Oakland subway system. Since then they have grown into that big band, put out 5 studio records, and 1 live one, opened for the likes of Bonnie Rait, BB King, Buddy Guy, and Dr.John. They blend several influences from Bay area R&B, funk, soul, to delta blues to so much more. This sonic pot pourri offers a great soundtrack to your day, and what must be an absolutely body shaking live performance.

CBDB’s latest release Out of Line dropped May 4th, and its a solid record from top to bottom. It’s probably a slight departure from previous offerings from this southern jam band, and thats not a bad thing. Once purveyors of “joyfunk” these guys shifted focus since their 2015 release of Joy Fuck is Dead, and have since released an EP and a couple of singles that blend all kinds of musical styles. What is consistent though is Cy Simonton’s lyrics and storytelling throughout. It’s unfortunate that CBDB ​don’t make their way to the Northeast more, but in time, that too will happen for these guys. They are a great band, one that I think we’ll hear a lot more from. For more on CBDB visit CBDBMusic.com.

Allen Stone 8 years into a career has already put out two records, and has sights on putting out a third this year. This Soul singer has a lot to say, and recently appeared on American Idol as a guest coach. We caught up with him on his tour bus, as he continues his 3 month tour with Andrew McMahon, Zach Clark and Bob Oxblood aptly named Pen and Piano tour. Insightful, bright, and an incredible talent. Thats the holy grail probably when it comes to being a musician in 2018. With pending nuptials and more touring and recording in his future, Stone is a busy dude with a lot on the go. Look out for his new release soon, and catch him on the road this spring and summer. For more info on Allen Stone visit, allenstone.com.

Nolatet a jazz quartet from New Orleans, that features vibraphonist Mike Dillon, pianist Brian Haas, bassist James Singleton and drummer Johnny Vidacovich. Blacksheep is actually taken to their sophomore release, No Revenge Necessary, but these musicians are hardly just getting around to making a second record. Each have individual resumes that are significant, and the blending of rhythms, and sounds is quite evident on this record. I’ve always wanted to chat with Johnny Vidacovich the accomplished big easy drummer who has toiled on the scene for over 40 years. He’s about as New Orleans as beignes, crawfish and mardi-gras. With the world famous Jazz Festival well underway, we caught up with Johnny to talk about his drumming, Nolatet and much more. For more info about Nolatet and “No Revenge Necessary”, please visit Nolatet.com and for more info on Mr.Vidacovich’s universe, visit facebook.com/neworleansdrummer.

Warren Haynes, has been a favorite musician of mine, and indeed the scene dating back to his time with the Dickey Betts Band, his subsequent tenure with The Allman Brothers Band, and more recently and since, with his own outfit Gov’t Mule. Along the way, he’s played in other projects including the Dead, Phil and Friends, and as solo artist, and with various symphonies playing the works of Jerry Garcia. He is, for all intents and purposes one of the most prolific live guitar players of our generation, and his sound, both his singing and his playing are unmistakable and undeniable. Now over two decades since forming Gov’t Mule with the late Allen Woody and Matt Abts, Haynes continues his assault with that band, and it remains his main focus. Gov’t Mule will be out on the road all spring and summer, and you likely want to see them wherever you are, especially, if you can catch some of these Dark Side of the Mule performances that also have The Avett Brothers and Magpie salute on the bill…

If you aren’t familiar with Roots of Creation they are a reggae rock outfit in the vein of Sublime or Dirty Heads, so indeed a Grateful Dead tribute, while a reggae one is a touch far fetched for the genre, this one sounds really terrific. I recently caught up with Brett Wilson frontman of Roots of Creation to talk about the project and it’s inspiration. I mean you can’t ask for a more genuine discussion around the motivation to pay homage to the Grateful Dead than that. It’s clear that this project was born organically and carried out with with a ton of love, a love and authenticity that continues as Roots of Creation take the package on the road. For tour dates and more visit rootsofcreation.com.

Spafford is one of those bands, that I absolutely want to root for. They blend modern with the old, and create music that is both sonically appealing, but also a ton of fun. This band is the real deal. When I heard they were dropping a follow up to their self titled debut some six years later, I immediately contacted their manager and publicist to ensure we got the chance to speak to them, because I know, like me, you guys are certainly curious about what is going on. We recently spoke with Jordan Fairless, the bands bassist to get the inside scoop on the upcoming release “For Amusement Only”. For Amusement Only is absolutely a great record, but to fully experience Spafford sound you need to see them live. With several tour and festival dates this spring and summer, you definitely want to catch them on the road, or get their live releases at nugs.net. For more on the band, and that hectic tour schedule visit spafford.net and don’t forget to pre-order For Amusement Only out May 4th.

Many of us know Jerry Garcia, as the frontman of the Grateful Dead and the spiritual leader of the Deadheads. But his story doesn’t nearly begin with the Mother McRee’s Uptown Jug Champions, the acid tests or even the goings on at 710 Ashbury Street. His passion for music and his ability to play at a high standard, his penchant for story telling began much earlier. We’ll unpack that history with Dennis McNally the Grateful Dead’s biographer and publicist for the majority of their existence. We recently down with him to discuss the forthcoming release of a rich compendium of early Garcia works aptly titled, “Jerry Garcia before the Dead”.

Last time we spoke to TAUK, they were gearing up to get in the studio to record the follow up to Sir Nebula. At the time I remember letting Matt and A.C. know that I really dug their sound, and was looking forward to new music. Well, since then, they have indeed recorded a new record, but before they release that canon of music in the Fall, they dropped an EP Shapeshifter 1: Construct a tidy 5 track effort with lots of new twists and sonic turns. We caught up with Matt to talk about the the EP and to get more info on the new record and their spring and summer plans….

I first heard about Anderson East from a friend in New Jersey, who I trust implicitly with music recommendations and such. He's the guy that turned us on to Marcus King, so as you can imagine, when he says I need to check something out, I usually obey and listen. We actually posted pictures on our instagram channel back in January of Anderson's gig at the Bowery Ballroom. Truth is, I cannot say enough about this young dude's tremendous talent as a singer-songwriter, but to say he is exclusively that, also doesn't tell the whole tale. Anderson's vocal stylings will make you think of R&B and Soul singers of days gone by, but his lyrics, will conjour up images of love lost, good times and plenty more.

One of the things I enjoy most about The Sound Podcast project is bringing you new artists and bands that are on the cusp of really big things. I spend a lot of time reading about up and coming bands on-line, and listening to all kinds of music. I’m kind of your filter for whats good, and what isn’t so strong. As for what’s good, I recently came across Ripe, a band based out of Boston, that combine rock, funk, and fun into a tight little package of lively songs. They also feature a small but powerful horns section, which contributes mightily to the band’s overall sound. Ripe recently began a 30 city plus North American tour, and have also released their first full length record, Joy in the Wild Unknown. I caught up with Robbie Wulfshon the band’s lead singer, to get the scoop on their sound, their aspirations, and much more. For more on Ripe visit ripetheband.com and if you plan to see one of their shows, don’t forget to take a toy to the show for their toy drive.

Truth be told when I first hit play on this record I was a touch confused. Matthew was dubbed as blues instrumentalist, who has played with Charlie Musslewhite, but what I heard was something totally different. A bit of a mind bender to be sure. You see Matthews music combines all kinds of genres like garage rock, psychadelic rock, acid blues, and afrobeat. But a man, with the talent that Matthew Stubbs brings to the table shouldn’t be pigoen holed into any sort of genre. His guitar playing is tenacious yet melodic. He blends riffs with melodies and attacks you sonically with a bevy of takes. Actually, its a very refreshing record, and if you listen right through, to his record, you’ll quickly find that he has created a great soundtrack for your day. Since the record has been out, I’ve enjoyed multiple spins, and the record itself has been lauded within the jam band community.

Moon Hooch makes more noise than anyone I think I’ve ever heard. For those of you who don’t know, Moon Hooch is comprised of drummer James Muschler with Mike Wilbur and Wenzl McGowen on various saxophones. There are also some synthesizers mixed in for good fun and to keep the beat, and the electricity going! Now only 8 years into a professional career that started with busking on New York city streets, these cats are on fire, having recorded 4 full length albums and a couple of EPs in that short time. I find their live presence extremely intricate but totally interesting. I’m not sure anyone truly understands how all that stuff works, but Mike and the boys do, so good on them. They sound great, and we’re looking forward to hearing more from them, and seeing them on the road. For more on Moon Hooch and some tour dates in North America visit moonhooch.com.