ALL Interviews Episodes

In March of 2018 we got word that two stalwarts in the Jam Band world, Tom Hamilton and Holly Bowling were joining forces with a few other musicians to create something new called Ghost Light. Of course we got Tom and Holly on the phone and talked at great length about the project, and where things were heading. Just over two years later, after an album release, and several tours, they are releasing their first ever official live album taken from their performance March 30th, 2019 at the Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom in Denver Colorado. The album, like most Ghost Light shows is filled with original songs, covers, and exploratory jams that you just have to hear. Back when we chatted in March of 2018, Tom and Holly were both really excited about how the band came together in the process. Now some two years later, I wondered if that same excitement and cohesion still existed, and that's what I asked as I started my conversation with Tom Hamilton Jr.

Song List:

Everyone in the Jam Band scene has some idea of who Mihali is. In case you don't, he's the front man for Vermont's Twiddle. Twiddle have been around since 2004, and since that time, Mihali has been the principal song-writer for the band. What you may not know is that Mihali has also spent a lot of time gigging as a solo act, but has never released his own album. As you'll soon hear, it's a project he's been thinking about for quite some time, and it really came together over the last few years. His music, as you'd probably expect, is rooted in reggae sounds and vibes. To produce the album he enlisted Eric Krasno, and invited a few friends to record as well. We caught up with Mihali fresh off his solo show at the Live from Out There virtual festival, to talk about Breathe and Let Go which he performed in its entirety and much more. 

We've been following the decade long career of Real Estate since the beginning. Now in their tenth year, they recently released their fifth album The Main Thing. The album comes at a time when the band previously in personnel flux has solidified their line-up and are set for a new beginning of sorts. It's always hard, as a band, to figure out where they want to go sonically as they mature as an act, if the circumstances afford them that opportunity. The Main Thing while still rooted in poppy hooks, vocal harmonies and solid songwriting does denote a new kind of sound for the band. So we caught up with Martin Courtney and Alex Bleeker of Real Estate to talk about the new album, a few interesting projects and a whole lot more. Stick around for the whole show and hear two great solo performances of Jerry Garcia/Robert Hunter tunes as Martin Courtney tackles Stella Blue and Alex Bleeker handles Dupree's Diamond Blues, performances taken from a special Live from Out There tribute to Garcia and Hunter.

The Steep Canyon Rangers have been busy over the last little bit, releasing two projects in wide release. The North Carolina Songbook is a re-release of sorts, having released the live album from their performance at Merlefest on Record Store Day originally on vinyl, it has now found its way to the digital sphere. They’ve also released a pseudo greatest hits record Be Still Moses that was recorded with the Asheville Symphony. We’ve never chatted with the band who are bluegrass stalwarts not only in their home state of North Carolina, but pretty much all over the country. So we got in touch with Woody Platt to talk about these two releases, and is usual the case, our conversation wandered into different subjects including the current state of bluegrass, the band’s history with comedian and banjo player Steve Martin and well, much more.

We’ve watched Nicole Atkins’ career blossom in front of our eyes. I was a big fan of her debut Neptune City back in 2007, and with each subsequent record, she has impressed and matured, and now is no longer just a musician but a bonafide artist. Her latest release, Italian Ice which comes out May 29th is a pot pourri of lush sonic landscapes and musical influences. All of it though, in some way, harkens back to her days in New Jersey, as a young musician, who sought her own voice in the music business. And so our very detailed conversation began when I suggested to Nicole that while you can take the girl out of Jersey, since now lives in Nashville, you can’t take the Jersey out of the girl, and thus I wondered how much she thinks about those old days on the Jersey Shore. For more on Italian Ice visit nicoleatkins.com. Also, do follow Nicole on social media for details on her live Saturday night performances during this Covid19 mess.

I first heard Mike Mattison’s voice, like so man my of us did, listening to Derek Trucks Band records, but truly, the break through was a song called Sweet Inspiration. But Mike is more than just a singer as his now with the Tedeschi Trucks Band, he is a musician, a songwriter, an incredibly talented artist. He’s made records with a project called Scrapomatic, which is, as you’d expect rooted in blues, but After Glow a solo record,  shows his breadth as a songwriter, and the palette of sounds at his disposal. After Glow, his second solo record offers more than what you’d probably expect. It’s filled with Americana, Country and more, giving us some insight into the singer songwriter and artist Mike actually is.

You may not instantly know the name Shira Elias, but you will recognize her voice from her work with Turkuaz, and while that is an important piece of her career, her new solo EP Goods is her big focus right now. The EP will be released May 29th and available wherever you listen to music, is inspired by her time in New York and in many ways represents a career path she had always intended. She teamed up with producer MEGA to create a 6 song EP that is soulful, personal and harkens back to the kind of music she grew up listening to. For more on Shira Elias' solo work, follow her on Instagram at shirashirabangbang.

Pacific Range are a new band out of Los Angeles that we are really digging. In fact, their new album High Upon the Mountain is one of our favorite records of the year so far, and for good reason. The band's sound is a throwback to stuff we really dig, like the Allman Brothers Band, The Grateful Dead, The Byrds, and Crosby Stills and Nash. The four piece uses harmonies, sweet grooves, and great guitar licks, to bring you into a very laid back west coast vibe. All kinds of people we have talked to in the past were involved in the project so we were stoked to learn more about the band. So we contacted Curation Records, a new label also out of LA and got in touch with Seamus Turner, the band's principle songwriter, vocalist and lead guitar player.For more on Pacific Range visit pacificrangeband.com. 

For many, like myself, Lettuce are one of the favorite bands in the Jam Band community. They are this massively awesome hybrid of funk, jazz, soul, R&B, hip-hop and much more. The truth is, the band is almost impossible to categorize, but many put them in the funk category. And if it's funk that you're after Lettuce delivers on every version of funk imaginable. It's the jams, the horns, the tight rhythm section, all of it, is just outstanding. They've been sitting on this gem of a new album for a couple of months now, but I can tell you, having listened to Resonate in its entirety a few times, it delivers where their Grammy award winning Elevate left off, and in many ways, goes deeper and farther. It's that legit. We've had several members of Lettuce on the show before including Ryan Zoidis, Adam Dietch and Eric Benny Bloom, but it was time to hear from Jesus, Erick Coomes this go around, and our conversation was just great. To learn more about Resonate, hit up lettucefunk.com and do make sure you grab it on May 8th. 

Andy Frasco’s story has been well documented. His live antics are well known. But behind all of that is a gentle guy who deals with depression, insecurity and much more. On his last album Change of Pace, we were all exposed to his personal struggle and on Keep on Keepin’ On that very authentic human condition is exposed once again. He is an excellent showman, front man and prolific digital media content maker, but he is way more complex than all of that. So though he isn’t currently on tour, he is still putting out his podcast, a weekly live stream and tons of content. When Andy and I hooked up and got to talking I was curious to understand how he finds the time to do everything.

We’ve been in the Goose hunt for quite some time. In fact, back in 2018 both Peter and Rick joined us to talk about the band and their opening slot on Spafford’s spring tour. Ever since then, we’ve been heaping tons of praise on them and scurrying around to find their music, buy their music and share their music with you. Today, the guys release their first live record, a collection of tunes from the past year, a really important time in the bands evolution.  “Alive and Well” is more than just a compilation. It’s a really solid collection if you’re a fan, but also extremely accessible for people new to Goose. We caught up with Peter, Rick, Trevor and Ben to talk about a bunch of topics, and as you’ll hear, they were candid and somewhat humbled by their current circumstance as being one of THE bands on the scene right now.

We're big fans of Leslie Mendelson. She is a multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter who is quite talented and varied in her presence in various scenes both in and out of the jam band community. She's played with Bob Weir at TRI Studios, worked on a project or two with Steve Kimock, and has opened for The Who in NYC at MSG. Her debut release was nominated for a Grammy, and her follow up Love and Murder remains one of our favorite albums since we started this podcast. Now she is set to release "If You Can't Say Anything Nice" which delves a little deeper into the human condition, more specifically hers, and offers up a fairly eclectic view of her as an artist. So, of course, we had to get Leslie on, to talk about the new record, cause we dig it quite a bit. 

We’ve had John Lovero of The Higgs on before and in the time since, their prominence as more than just an LA jam band has certainly grown. They’ve added new management and have opened for Twiddle and other well known Jam Bands on the scene. Rose Will Fall is an unbelievable mix of live music from The Higgs. Exciting stuff ahead for The Higgs and you know we’ll be following their story and bringing you updates as we hear or get them. For more info visit thehiggsmusic.com.

I’ve been a fan of keyboardist Kyle Hollingsworth of The String Cheese Incident for well over two decades, and he’s always been on my list as someone I wanted to talk with about not only his music but also that of String Cheese. With a new EP out for about a month now, I decided it was a good time to catch up and learn more about his solo working while pruning some insights on String Cheese as well. I can tell you, our conversation was very enlightening and he was very engaging for longer than I had anticipated. 

For the uninitiated, The Garcia Project is the brainchild of Mik Bondy. The band, who are celebrating their 10th anniversary is a tribute to the Jerry Garcia Band and perform live versions of the JGB show from 1976 through 1995. They recently put out Spirit a collection of inspirational and spiritual songs the Jerry Garcia Band performed. We caught up with Mik to talk about the project and our conversation started when I asked what inspired the record and it’s packaging. For more visit thegarciaproject.com

The forthcoming, Central City is John Papa Gros' third solo record after fronting Papa Grows Funk in the early part of the century. With some heavy hitters from the New Orleans scene joining him on the record, it's a conversation I have been looking forward to for quite a long time. John Papa Gros is amongst probably the next line of musicians coming out of New Orleans that really pay close attention to the heritage of New Orleans music scene. Like other musicians from that town, few hesitate to be ambassadors for the city. Our conversation started when I asked John what it is about New Orleans that makes everyone want to be an ambassador for the city. Sadly, with the Covid19 action hitting everyone, The New Orleans Jazz Festival has been rescheduled for the fall. The good news though, is that Central City is still scheduled for release April 17th, so you can listen to the record and soak up New Orleans then. For more info visit johnpapagros.com. 

Carolina has always been home for Jim Lauderdale. While he makes his residency in Nashville, this prolific singer-songwriter who’s resume speaks for itself still has a vast network of friends and family back all over the Carolinas and more specifically in North Carolina. His latest release, When Carolina Comes Home Again, his 33rd, draws on songs, stories, and indeed musicians who are now part of the scene in Carolina, most notably Ashville, North Carolina. It’s a record chalk full of amazing songs and performances. Our conversation took many twists and turns, as we spoke about the new record, John Oates, Robert Hunter and much more. When Carolina Comes Home Again is due out March 27th on Yep Roc records, and you’ll want to listen to it, over and over again.  Heck, you may even want to move to North Carolina. For more on Jim a Lauderdale visit jimlauderdalemusic.com. 

We were sent some new music from a publicist who is very supportive of our show and often connects with great bands so we can bring them to you. A few weeks ago, she sent along a link to check out Crowd Company's latest release "Lowdon". Initially heard this band was based in the UK. Having said that they are immensely talented and have some true funk chops but also a few friends who helped make this record. In fact, the record was produced by Alan Evans, a member of Soulive in his studio in the Boston area. Also, you may not instantly recognize the horns, but they are in fact, Lettuce's Ryan Zoidis and Eric "Benny" Bloom. They are absolutely outstanding. So obviously we wanted to learn more about this band and got in touch with Rob Fleming, the lead vocalist and guitar in the band and for all intents and purposes, the band's leader. You can learn more about Crowd Company by visiting crowdcompanyfunk.com. 

It’s an interesting time for Circles Around the Sun having tragically lost one of the founding members Neal Casal this past summer. I was curious how the band and long time friend Adam MacDougall was coping with what must be a series of emotions ahead of the release of this third record, which naturally has guitar player Casal’s work all over it. We caught up with Adam just before the Circles Around the Sun gig at the Sinclair in Cambridge, Massachusetts. While our heart felt conversation covered several different topics including the release of this very peppy record, it started sadly with Casal’s passing. You can pre-order the record and check out more tour dates at circlesaroundthesun.com

We've been big fans of Mapache since their debut record a few years back and have been excited to get our hands on "From Liberty Street", a new record due out March 20th. The duo, Sam Blassuci and Clay Finch as you'll soon hear, share a creative brain, and they deliver a beautifully crafted pan California sound, that will have you intrigued and wanting more.  Their sound is unique, as it blends inspiration from growing up in Southern California and spending time in Mexico. They say that it takes a lifetime to put out your first record and Mapache did that not too long ago, so I wondered what sparked From Liberty Street's birth so quickly...

The Green Leaf Rustlers are an all-star group of musicians fronted by Chris Robinson that includes Barry Sless on pedal steel, Greg Loiacono on guitar, Pete Sears on bass and John Molo on drums. These should all be household names and together in the Rustlers they make this hippified country music, that needs to be heard. Typically the band plays covers of outlaw and classic country plus music thats been influenced by that scene. With a double live record coming out March 6th, From within Marin, we wanted to catch up with someone involved in the project, and were giddy with anticipation when we heard we'd get to chat with Barry Sless. 

Antibalas has been making music now for some 20 years. Their Afrobeat sound, which has continuously expanded beyond its origin is influenced in large part by Fela Kuti, but that’s certainly not where their sound ends. On Fu Chronicles, the Antibalas ensemble explores even more sounds, with the aid of Amayo’s lyrical borage this album becomes an interesting melange or even more sounds and ideas. Martin Perna is the baritone sax player amongst on other instruments in Antibalas and is one of the band’s ring leaders with Amayo. We caught up with Martin who has been on tour with Antibalas. Our conversation started when I asked Martin about the unusual blending of Kung Fu and Afrobeat together to make this record. For more on Antibalas including tour dates visit Antibalas.com.

We've been following the career of Trout Steak Revival for quite some time, and while they've gone through some personnel changes and the like, as all bands do, the band has matured a great deal through their five records. What has remained constant though for this string band is their insistence to keep true to the bluegrass tradition, while branching out into other similar genres like Americana and folk. The Light We Bring sparks a new set of circumstances for the band, and their sound is one I dig a lot. So we caught up with Casey Houlihan the bass player in the band to get his take on the new record and much more. For more on Trout Steak Revival including tour dates, visit troutsteakrevival.com.

I can't lie, I love the Wood Brothers. There is just something very comfortable and fun about this band. That isn't to say they aren't dangerous, cause they are and perform with high octane and excellent musicianship. For those who don't know, the three piece is made up of brothers Wood; Chris on bass and Oliver on guitar and Jano Rix on drums and percussion. We've been fortunate enough to catch these guys live on one of their early tours and more recently at Borderlands Music Festival and here in Toronto at a packed and sweaty Mod Club. This is a Folk/Americana trio that makes the kind of music you want to hear more of. We caught up with drummer Jano Rix, the non brother in the band, to get his take on being in a band with two brothers, the making of Kingdom in My Mind and as you'll hear, much more. For more, visit thewoodbros.com.  

Silver Moon marks the 10th solo record for Jono Manson, and while you may not know exactly who he is, you should. In fact Jono should be credited with helping re-start the neo-jam band scene in New York. That is to say, his band The Worms, an eclectic dive bar rock band playing out of Nightingale’s in New York paved the way for bands like Blues Traveler, The Spin Doctors and Joan Osborne.  They were all big fans of his work, and continue to lend a hand today. So when we got the absolute privilege to talk with Jono, that’s where our conversation started when I asked if he thought his eclectic sonic pot pourri of sound was indeed responsible for the neo jam band movement of the early 90s and since.

Ripe is a fairly young pop funk rock seven piece outfit, but their sound is big and their chops are quite mature. So to is Ripe frontman Robbie Wulfsohn who was in town earlier this week with Ripe. We’ve chatted before, but what made this conversation so interesting is that we did it in a room Robbie had been in many times before as a fan. Make sure you follow Ripe on social media or check out their site at ripe.band.

Truth is, we've become really good friends with Reid over the years and are in awe of how he's able to bring musicians together, to share in the love of the jam, the songs and good times. First I was a fan of Strangefolk, Assembly of Dust and his solo work and continue to be, but he is a really solid dude, who has on several occasions taken time out in his life to offer some solid advice. So it's with great pleasure that we welcomed him in to chat about Reid Genauer and Folks - Extended Release and his upcoming tour if for no other reason than to get the pronunciation of his name correct. For more visit reidgenauer.com and please see him on the road, in fact when you do, tell him "Ira says hi". 

It feels like I just spoke to Mimi Naja from Fruition about the release of Wild as the Night. Turns out, my memory is spot on, because we spoke to her November 8th. At the time, I thought the record, was one of the best of 2019 and kind of left things at that. Well, we were all surprised I think, except obviously Mimi and the rest of Fruition, that the band intended on releasing a companion album, Broken at the Break of Day on January 17th. Should have known, because Mimi was quite coy, and even their manager mentioned to me, that more great tunes were in store. Well, I've listened to Broken at the Break of Day and I can honestly tell you, it picks up where Wild as the Night left off, and maybe even better than that first side, depending on your taste, I suppose. It also feels like, between these two records, and more specifically on Broken at the Break of Day, Fruition has cracked the code, as to what is their sound, and what we can expect moving forward.  You should, if you can, listen to both back to back, or get the vinyl when it comes out. All of those details are at fruitionband.com.

I'm sure all over the United States there are pockets of great jam band communities that embrace new artists, new incarnations of bands and the spread of awesome live music. I've been hearing for about a year now about a band called Neighbor from the Boston area, led by "friend of the show" Richard James, who you may know as the keyboard player and one of the vocalists in Pink Talking Fish. At his side, on lead guitar, is another New England native and a childhood neighbour of Rich's as luck would have it, guitar dynamo Lyle Brewer. So we tracked down Rich and I insisted he give me all the juicy goods on Neighbor, their fans "Neighbors" and how this small band has a very exciting 2020 ahead, one year after their incarnation. 

While we've had Moon Hooch on the show before, their new album "Life on Other Planets" created an opportunity to once again explore this trio of musicians, who are making incredibly impressive music that is certainly undefinable. There are odes to Jazz, R&B, rock and EDM, but when you put that all in a blender, the sound is more robust than those genres. Then when you think about the instrumentation of the band, which includes two horn players and a drummer, not to mention a whole bunch of synths and midi sequences being fired, well, there is a lot to discuss. So we got in touch with Mike Wilbur, a third of the trio and half of the writing team, to discuss Moon Hooch, where they are at and where they are headed.

G.Love's latest record, The Juice is out January 17th. This album marks a reunion of sorts for G. Love having reconnected with debut label mate and blues guitarist Keb Mo, who produced The Juice. The album is also filled with guests including Marcus King, Robert Randolph and Roosevelt Collier. So of course, with so many friends of the show contributing to G's record, we had to reach out. Truth be told, we're also big fans of his work, dating back to that debut record. We even chatted with him recently when he was in town as part of the tour that matched him with Blues Traveler and moe. So this time around our conversation started when I suggested that there are so many moving parts to this coming of age record, and that tackling the socio-political nature of The Juice must have been an important one. For more on G.Love and a reminder of all the tour dates and details on how you can pre-order the Juice, visit philadelphonic.com

Since we're all psyched about the news that the Lil Smokies will be releasing a new studio album Tornillo in the new year, thought we would get in touch with with Jake Simpson the band's fiddle player and one of the voices of the band. While we couldn't play any tunes from the record for you just yet, I can tell you that the Lil Smokies third studio album might be their finest yet. Our interview is filled with lots of terrific insight into the band, their new record Tornillo and all the touring that they do. Mark down January 24th on your calendars, and make sure you check out the new record. For more info on that record, and the band's tour schedule visit thelilsmokies.com. 

The Kudrachrone EP marks a rebirth of sorts for Turkuaz, taking the band back to a more soulful R&B sound more similar to the Stereochrome EP.  In fact, they’ve also shelved the colorful outfits of the last several album cycles in favor of just four colors for their on stage presence; white, black, tan and grey.  Dave Brandwein has always been really great about joining us on the podcast to explain what is going on with Turkuaz, but this time we also invited Dani, his wife, and the band’s creative director on to help explain this new chapter. 

Over the last few months, there have been a rash of deaths in the music industry and even closer in our community related to mental illness. So it makes sense that in early October a hub and resource launched at backline.care. It is an important organization and hub for music industry professionals and their families to quickly access mental health and wellness resources. They also offer a wealth of services for music industry types if they actually need help. Important work, if you ask me. We spoke with Hilary Gleason who heads up the cause. For more visit backline.care. 

The latest release from Keller Williams and the Keels is "Speed". It's a whimsical record full of great covers and a couple of originals from Keller Williams and one half of The Keels, flat picker Larry Keel. Of course Jenny Keel, the other half of The Keels, also plays upright bass on the entire record. So why would someone as prolific as Keller Williams need an additional outlet for fun? While that isn't entirely clear, it was good to talk with Keller about this project and what inspired its impetus. Speed is a ton of fun and a record you should check out. In fact you should check out Keller on the road, where he may indeed be appearing with the Keels. You can check out his busy tour schedule and more at kellerwilliams.net. 

For the uninitiated Chadwick or Chad Stokes is a member of neo-reggae folk band Dispatch but last week he released his third solo album with the Pintos, his backing band. Chad has always been a prolific writer, who is socially and political conscious. This album though is not only politically motivated, but many of the songs show a more tender side too. So it’s with that we got in touch with Chad for a really great conversation. You can learn about Chadwick and the Pistols upcoming tour dates and more at chadwickstokes.com.

We’ve been Aqueous fans since we started this podcast, and we’re so impressed with how they are maturing as a band, from their process, to their sound and even their identity. It’s great to see and hear. So we caught up with Mike Gantzer, lead guitar and vocalist with the band to talk about the new Burn it Down EP and much more. 

The Kitchen Dwellers are on the rise, and are quickly becoming a staple on the Bluegrass scene and within the larger Jam Band community. They recently released a new record that they funded with a highly successful Kickstarter campaign. In fact, they invited Chris Pandolfi of the Infamous Stringdusters to produce this record. It’s a solid effort so we tracked down mandolinist Shawn Swain to talk about the record, its songs and much more. For more on the Kitchen Dwellers, visit kitchendwellers.com. 

November 8th marks the release of Fruition's latest record Wild as the Night. I can say without any doubt, that this is one of my top records of the year. It is such a gorgeous presentation of lyrics, melodies, musicianship and a laid back vibe. More to the point, the record is a coming of age project for the band, which helps them shed any neo-bluegrass tags it may have had and presents a more complete aesthetic of what they've become. We've chatted with Kellen and Jay in the past, but fortunately we were able to track down Mimi Naja to talk about this metamorphosis and what it means for the band and their fans. To learn more about the band, including tour dates, visit frutionband.com. 

Yes Darling are a duo made up of Hayley Jane and Ryan Montbleau. Ryan is a veteran of the American and Jam Band scene with his own solo work and guest appearances, while Hayley is well known for her work with The Primates and her solo work in that same scene. Together they make music across many genres, focused on the give and take of relationships, in their case, between men and women. Their whimsical take is fun, and in each song is full of great vocal performances and real genuine emotion. So naturally we wanted to get these two on to talk about the project. You can follow their story on social media or check out yesdarlingmusic.com.

If it’s your first time hearing about Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear, it likely won’t be your last. The duo, of Madisen and his mama bear Ruth, are absolutely exceptional musicians, who blend voices and acoustic guitar playing for a truly genuine auditory experience. We’ve been big fans of the folk duo since their first release, and can’t get enough of the music they make. So on the news that there was a new record, we tracked the pair down. Check out madisenwardandthemamabear.com for tour news, videos and links to their albums.

The latest release from Robert Randolph and the Family Band, "Brighter Days" is a wonderfully full record. Not just with songs, but with inspiration, faith, and terrific musicianship. Robert Randolph never fails to deliver incredible performances on pedal steel, and the rest of the fam is equal to the task. We caught up with Robert, who we've chatted with before, in another life, and it was just like old times. He is an incredible musician, but an even better person. The man can play, and will go down as probably one of the top sacred steel players of all time. You'll definitely want to check him out live when you have a chance. For tour dates, and lots of great videos visit robertrandolph.net. 

Last Friday, Trigger Hippy released their sophomore record Full Circle and Then Some. This is a band that has sort been on quasi hiatus at least from the public for quite some time, and that record, five years in the making brings them back into the spotlight. The band, comprised of bassist Nick Govrick and Steve Gorman, now includes Ed Jurdi and Amber Woodhouse. They’ve had several other members in the band over the years including Audley Freed, Jackie Greene and Joan Osborne. Their music blends stuff we love like rock, soul, Americana and more, so we were delighted to hear they had a new record.

Everything old is new again with The New Deal. This jamtronica band who basically invented the genre in 1998 have released a new album Phoenix, and have welcomed Davide Di Renzo to the drummer's chair. For those unaware, Di Renzo was actually the trio's drummer at their first gig back at the University of Guelph some two decades ago. This three piece made up of Jamie Shields on keyboards and synths, Dan Kurtz on guitar and now Davide Di Renzo are back on the road exploring one another, their music and their relationship with their fans.

Old Crow Medicine Show shouldn’t really need any introduction. After over two decades of making pure Americana Music, their body of work is well known. They’ve won awards for their six studio records and they have been mainstays on tours and festival lineups. This veteran outfit has played all the big rooms and virtually everyone I know knows the song Wagon Wheel. So with the announcement that they were releasing a live record, fittingly one whose tracks were recorded at The Ryman, I knew I had to get someone to talk with us. So we sat down with mandolin player Cory Younts to get the low down on the new record and well, lots more. For more on Old Crow Medicine Show visit crowmedicine.com and seriously listen to Live at The Ryman wherever you get music. 

Spafford dropped their EP The Gaff Tapes late last week, specifically on nugs.net as a preview for fans who wanted to see what they were up to. Today that EP is available everywhere you listen to music. Like me, fans on-line got very excited about the new tunes and were anxious to share their thoughts on them. We've always had a great relationship with the band, so we decided to get in touch with Brian Moss, the band's guitar player, and one of their vocalists to discuss The Gaff Tapes and the band's plans for their upcoming fall and winter tour. Our conversation started, when I asked Brian why the quartet decided to put out this EP now. For more information on The Gaff Tapes and their tour schedule visit Spafford.net.

The New Mastersounds are a Funk/Soul/Blues/Rock outfit that blend all of those sounds and more into a really brilliant mix that you have to hear. The band has always added extra pieces here and there from horns to extra percussion, and this album seems them add vocalist Lamar Williams Jr.20 years in, this four piece continues to evolve and led by Eddie Roberts there is no end in sight. We caught up with Eddie to talk about New Mastersounds, Shake It and his label Color Red, based in Denver, Colorado. To learn more about New Mastersounds visit newmastersounds.com, and do yourself a favor and check out Color Red Records at color-red.co

Colonel & the Mermaids is a project from Alex Koford, a Bay area native who has been toiling for the most part at Phil Lesh's Terrapin Crossroads the last seven years and has been a part of The Terrapin Family Band amongst other side projects. Colonel & the Mermaids is Alex's chance to create his own music, shape his own band's future and create his own future in the industry and community. That is no small task, but as you'll hear, it's one that he isn't taking lightly and one that he is prepared to invest a lot of time, energy and money. We sat down with Alex who is about to come east for a small tour and our conversation started when I asked what the sonic aim of the band is. If the effort, and indeed the music is any indication, I suspect we will be hearing from Colonel & the Mermaids for quite some time. You can learn more about Colonel & the Mermaids including tour dates at colonelandthemermaids.com. 

You know all about Marco Benevento if you have been part of the jam band scene for a while. What probably isn’t obvious based on his most recent works, is that he hasn’t always been the singer-songwriter he is now. His new record Let it Slide drops September 20th, and as you’ll hear his focus has always been more on instrumental music, but this record is filled hot dance piano rock, and he sings on almost every track. Another great feature of this record, besides the pop-py tones and throw back sounds is the role Marco Benevento's bassist Karina Rykman plays as a vocalist. It’s all good fun and certainly a departure from previous work. We dig Marco a lot, so we dialed him up and our conversation started when I asked specifically about his new role as singer in the band...For more information on Let it Slide and to check tour dates visit, marcobenevento.com. 

With festival season almost wrapped up, I wanted to bring your attention to one of the best keep secrets going. Borderlands Festival which takes place this year September 20th and 21st on Knox Farm in scenic East Aurora, NY. I attended last year, sadly for just one day, and this year, we’ll be back for both days. So we wanted to talk Jennifer Brazill who heads up the festival. Sounds like an incredible festival in our midst. Excited to see so many great friends and bands but mostly share in the Borderland Festival community. We look forward to seeing you too. For more info and to buy tickets visit borderlandfestival.com.

Old Salt Union has been making string music for about 7 years now, and what’s impressive aside from their talent is their eclectic sound even though they are a string band who play very traditional music. They blend several styles to make up their own very unique sound. Jesse Farrar is a vocalist and bass player with the band. He probably has the greatest insight into their music and place within the bluegrass and larger music community, so it was great to sit down and talk all things Old Salt Union. For tour dates at some cool videos visit oldsaltunion.com.

The Adam Deitch Quartet is a side project for one of the busiest drummers on the go. Aside from his work in Lettuce and Break Science, Deitch is always matching up with other players, and in fact producing music. We get into some of those details during our conversation, but suffice it to say, this dude is talented beyond measure. Perhaps the only thing that is bigger than his talent, is his appetite to play music that inspires him. Such is certainly the case with the Adam Deitch Quartet's debut record Egyptian Secrets. Is it a hip-hop record, a jazz record, a soul record, or straight ahead funk. The answer is "yes" to all of the above. For more information on the Adam Deitch Quartet and all things Adam Deitch visit deitchbeatsdontquit.com or or fanlink.to/egyptiansecrets.

We’re big fans of Holly since her debut of Tahoe Tweezer piano composition. For the uninitiated, Holly takes songs by both Phish and The Grateful Dead, transcribes each members parts and then builds out a new composition where she plays everyone’s parts. It’s phenomenal stuff. Aside from her solo work, Holly plays keyboards in Ghost Light another band we love, and is always around for guest spots. To say she’s busy doesn’t do her calendar justice. So we're delighted that she made time to chat about Live at the Old Church and much more. Our conversation started when I asked Holly how she keeps up with everything she’s up to. You can learn more about Holly’s solo work at hollybowling.com and for Ghost Light info visit ghostlightband.com.

Jay Cobb Anderson will be releasing a solo EP August 23rd entitled, "Everything is Gonna Work Its Own Self Out". Jay as you may recall or know is part of new grass outfit Fruition, though you wouldn’t know he is in a string band if you listen to the new EP. It’s full of electricity, big riffs and more. We caught up with Jay working on a new Fruition record which we’ll get too, but our conversation started when I asked what inspired this solo effort.  For more on Jay Cobb Anderson visit jaycobbanderson.com and for Fruition updates visit fruitionband.com.

While we’ll get into some Umphrey’s business throughout the discussion, our focus is actually on a book he co-authored with Matt DeCoursey “The Realist’s Guide to a Successful Music Career”. It’s a great read with fabulous insight and a no BS approach to advice. Lots of musicians give some candid interviews too like Huey Lewis, Jake Cinniger, Taylor Hicks, to name just a few and some pretty cool music industry types like Pete Shapiro. I have a great deal of admiration for anyone who sets out to find their passion and attempts to build a career around it. In Joel’s case, he’s had success, and now he is sharing some secrets to help others get to their goals while avoiding some pitfalls. The book, is available on Amazon, Kindle and will be on sale at UM shows and at the UM online store. For more visit umphreysmcgee.com or search for Joel Cummins at Amazon.com.

While he isn’t specifically a typical “jam band” musician, G.Love has found a home within the community. Kind of makes sense when consider this delta blues/hip-hop musician not only saw the Dead as a kid, but has been on the scene for years. He was recently in Toronto on tour with Blues Traveler and moe. and we caught up to talk about well, just about everything. For more on G.Love visit philadelphonic.com. 

moe. is on tour with Blues Traveler and G.Love, while also spending time at festivals including their own, moe.down held earlier this summer. moe. has long been on our radar since their early days playing tiny shows here in Toronto, while they made their mark on the Jam Band scene through the mid 90s. So it was great to catch up with Rob Derhak who had a significant health scare and put the band on hiatus for a bit, but they are back as fierce and jammy as ever. For more on moe. including tour dates and such visit moe.org (yes, that’s how long they’ve had a website). 

The Jam Band community owes a debt of gratitude to Blues Traveler, who in many ways pioneered the neo Jam Band scene back in the late 80s and early 90s. In fact, they supported the post Garcia Jam Band scene by putting on the HORDE festival, which is the pre-cursor to Lockn' or even Bonnarroo for that matter. I've always been a fan of the band and fondly remember listening to them lots and going to see them. But it's been a while since I had, but they came through Toronto recently, after a long hiatus and wanted to catch up. Chan Kinchla, the founding guitarist made some time, which was a thrill for sure. Our conversation started when I reminded Chan of his Canadian heritage, since he was born in Hamilton, a stone's throw from Toronto. To learn more about Blues Traveler's tour schedule and other happenings visit bluestraveler.com

Turkuaz recently released Afterlife Vol. 2, a collection of songs that didn't make their last album, Life in the City or the first EP Afterlife Vol. 1 and it features tracks that continue to see the band evolve and experiment. "Better Get Ready" as an example stretches the boundries of funk into what can only be described as a rock sound. We're impressed that they are bold enough to take chances and try new things. Thats brave. So we caught up with Dave "Blue" Brandwein to talk about the second volume of Afterlife to see what the band has going on, and what their plans are for the future. Our conversation started when I suggested to Dave that this final Afterlife EP puts a nice two year bow on all the band has been working on. To find out more visit turkuazband.com. 

ALO have just released a new EP Creatures, Vol. 1: Spark. The EP features four great tracks, by the the ALO quartet of Zach Gill on keyboards on vocals, Dan “Lebo” Lebowitz on guitars and vocals, Steve Adams on bass and vocals and Ezra Lipp on Drums. Lipp has joined the band officially now as Dave Brogan departs for personal pursuits. We are big fans of ALO music, and the band members. Getting to talk to them, is like old home week, and we generally gel and laugh right out of the gate. So I decided to get Zach and Lebo on the line to talk about the plan for these new EPs and more. You should definitely check out alomusic.com for news, tour dates including details on Camp Deep End and much more. 

Wanted to tell you about a new Jazz trio called Spaga.  They make interesting stripped down acoustic jazz music, and feature Aron Magner on piano. Of course, you know Aron from his other prominent project The Disco Biscuits, but as luck would have it, he has carved out some time to get back to his original passion, jazz piano. He created this project as an ode, to his humble beginnings, and wanted to test the limits of his abilities and those of his co-horts on this project. For my ears at least, sounds like they've done a great job. For more on Spaga, visit spagaband.com.

Rayland Baxter will be releasing a new EP called Good mmornin’ due out July 26th, which is a series of covers of Mac Miller’s work. If you’re unfamiliar with Miller, he was a hip hop artist who past last September at the age of 26. He was prolific during his short life, but demons, including depression and drug abuse caught up to him. The juxtaposition of Rayland’s spirit and Miller’s work was kind of initially difficult to get my head around, but having heard the EP now several times, I’m not only a fan of what Rayland has created but now I want to explore even more of Mac Miller’s work. I can tell you the sincerity with which Rayland speaks about this project is undeniable on the work itself. Good mmornin’ is a very solid listen, and an absolute stunning tribute to Mac Miller. Though the EP is only out at the end of the month you can catch Rayland on the road where he may be performing some of these or other Mac Miller songs. For all the details or to order the EP visit raylandbaxter.com. 

I spent the last few days in Boston, MA, catching the pair of Phish shows at Fenway Park, and those were awesome. Luckily for me, Spafford, a band that we've featured on the show a couple of times and on LiveFive numerous times were also in town playing two after Phish shows at the Sinclair in Cambridge, MA, and third show Sunday at the Blue Ocean Music Hall in Salisbury, MA. Having never seen the band live, I was pretty psyched to take in all the sights and sounds and get a feel for what I imagined in my head would be a pretty great experience. I can tell you first hand now, that Spafford is a band that needs to be seen live, and at the very least, their performances need to be heard via nugs.net if you can't make a show. I've traded notes with Brian specifically quite a bit over the last two years, but getting to hang with him in person, and talk to the rest of the band was quite a treat. They don't have an album immediately coming out, or any big announcement, because they are done with those, so it was great to catch up with the whole band in Salisbury on the third night of their Boston area triumph. Our conversation started, when I asked if the band felt a palbable buzz around their music and shows in Boston, given the attention they had been receiving with Phish in town. 

Tides of A Teardrop is Mandolin Orange's latest release, and we only recently had the opportunity to sit down with them. Their last record, 2016's Blindfaller garnered wild acclaim, and I can tell you that Tides of a Teardrop should eclipse that. It's a deeply personal record, written primarily by Andrew Marlin, with some input from Emily Frantz. Together, the duo make absolutely incredible roots music, beyond the bluegrass label they've been tagged with. This interview is an intimate one with Andrew Marlin. A very intimate behind the scenes conversation with Andrew Marlin. His comments regarding Jeff Austin were so poignant and beautiful too. You can catch Mandolin Orange at several festivals and solo dates throughout the summer. For those details visit mandolinorgange.com.

If you’ve been listening to this podcast for at least a year, you’ll know that we’re big fans of both Devon Allman and Duane Betts, and both have been on the show separately and together since we began. Last summer Duane joined Devon on the road, supporting the Devon Allman project. Things went well, and they collaborated on writing some tunes, recorded them, and got a band together in time for a tour, and today on June 28th, the Allman Betts Band has released their debut album, Down to the River. For more on the Allman Betts Band, visit allmanbettsband.com. 

Reckless Heart is Joanne Taylor Shaw's 6th in just a few years of recording and was produced in Detroit, Michigan a bit of a haul from Black Country in England where she grew up and indeed fell in love with the very native blues of that area, and of course soul music. So it should come as no surprise that this latest release is packed full of great blues licks, but absolutely soulful vocals which pop out of your headphones or speakers as you listen. We recently caught up with Joanne, as she gets set to do a heavy dose of the festival circuit both here and abroad. Our conversation started when I asked Joanne about her inspiration to pick up and play a guitar, let alone have a career in music.

Next week the band will be releasing their highly anticipated Bring on the Music live at the Capitol Theatre package in various CD and DVD packages. You can check out all the configurations at mule.net. Aside from front man and guitar wizard Warren Haynes, Gov’t Mule is made up of 3 other extremely talented musicians including founding member Matt Abts on drums, Jorgensen Carlsson on bass, and keyboard and frankly multi-instrumentalist Danny Louis. Together this quartet makes genre and mind bending music rooted in blues, hard rock and Americana. Our affinity for this band has been well documented, and we’ve been on the Mule train since day one. So with the release of Bring On the Music forthcoming we thought it would be fun to talk to Danny Louis about not just this awesome musical package, but also about life in Gov’t Mule more generally and indeed the intangible ingredients he brings to the table.

If you are initially shocked that this hip-hop producer has the chops to pull off a record called Hippieland, give your head a shake and think again. Adler's father, Lou Adler produced some of the greatest musicians we know of including The Mamas and The Papas and Carole King. In fact, this laid back, chill vibe, this very genuine hippie thing that Adler has re-discovered in his latest record is part of his DNA. Sure he's collaborated and won Grammy's for his day time gig but one spin of Hippieland and you'll get that this is exactly where the dude should be, naked, wearing just boots and a cowboy hat. For more stuff, including some great videos visit ciscoadler.org. 

To describe Lettuce, in any specific genre would in itself be as silly as their name. They are a genre-busting six-member funk/jazz/soul/jam/psychedelic/hip-hop/art rock/ambient/avant-garde/experimental collective formed in 1992 by four alumni of the prestigious Berklee College of Music. But you probably knew that already. They've released a series of a records, but it's been a while since 2017's Witch's Stew a tribute to Miles Davis came out. They are constantly on the road, trying out new jams, and even played some Jerry Garcia Band tunes at Lockin' festival last summer. So with all that in mind, we wanted to catch up with Ryan Zoidis the sax wielding maniac of the band, to get some insight into Elevate and more. Elevate is going to blow the roof off your car, home, or frankly your noggin' once you hear it. I can tell you, first hand, it's a burner, and you'll love it all. Good thing it's out June 14th. For more on Lettuce and their tour schedule visit lettucefunk.com. 

We've long admired Keb' Mo'. He is a crafty guitar playing bluesman, who is equally adept at both acoustic and electric blues guitar, but his real appeal is in his songwriting and storytelling. Oklahoma marks his 18th album, and it is likely his best yet, which is saying something given that he has won multiple Grammys and most recently released an album with roots-music icon Taj Mahal. So you can imagine, my absolute thrill to get the opportunity to chat with Keb. Our discussion while mostly focused on Oklahoma due out June 14th, did bounce around from politics, to the environment and much more. A lot, I'd say, like the themes of Oklahoma which are deeply personal but certainly shareable moments. For more on Keb you can visit his website at kebmo.com

Keller Williams will release yet another record, "Add" due out May 31st. Keller is just about as prolific a singer-songwriter that there is in our scene these days. As you'll soon hear, Keller is always thinking about expanding his craft, and is constantly thinking about not only how he writes and performs his music, but also how it will be received. We shared a few laughs in this one, and I can tell you first hand, Keller is a super good guy, that is always super accommodating when we reach out. So given that he is such a prolific writer, I wondered how the songs came together for Add, and thats where our conversation started. For more on Keller including tour dates and other neat stuff visit kellerwilliams.net.

Tal Wilkenfeld's sophomore record Love Remains has been out since mid March, and shame on you if you haven't heard it. Even more shameful probably is, is if you've never heard of this absolute prodigious woman who has played bass for the likes of Herbie Hancock and Jeff Beck. Her career has already been a fairy tale for anyone into classic rock, and music more generally. She counts people like Jackson Browne, Benmont Tench, as friends, which in and of itself is so random. She has also sat in with the Allman Brothers (which we'll get to when we chat with with Tal), and Bob Weir and Wolf Brothers and so many others. But what makes her even more outstanding, then just her talent at bass is her ability as a songwriter and singer. We've been trying to get in touch with Tal for quite some time, because we are intrigued by her story and talent. You can learn more about Tal Wilkenfeld talwilkenfeld.com but seriously, take the time to do a search on youtube for some unreal performances. 

The record, the Memphis outfit's sophomore release is filled with great R&B, Blues, and Funk sounds, tightly wound in a great little package. There are outstanding vocal performances from lead singer Tierrini Jackson, not to mention awesome outstanding musicianship from the rest of the band including guitar prodigy Ori Naftaly. We've been fans of this band since their debut, because, well to put it succinctly, nobody else sounds like Southern Avenue, and that is a good thing. We caught up with Ori, at his home in Memphis ahead of a grueling tour schedule that sees the band heading over to Europe and then back here for most of the summer. For more on the Southern Avenue's tour schedule and lots of great performance videos, visit southernavanuemusic.com.

It's been a decade since Perpetual Groove put out a record, and in that time, they've had some line-up juggling, a tour year performance hiatus, and well just general music industry malaise and stuff. But they are back, and their self titled record due out May 17th is everything you'd expect from the guys. We recently caught up with Matt McDonald to talk about the new record, and the bands plans moving forward. For more on Perpetual Groove visit pgroove.net.

As we gear up for this summer’s 10th edition of the the Werkout Festival, being held back in Thornville, Ohio August 1st through 3rd 2019, we wanted to hear more about what the Werks are all about and indeed what they are up to for this event and overall. So we tracked down drummer Rob Chafin and our conversation started when I asked how while they fly below the jamband radar, they still have a huge fan base, and a successful career to this point. Based on what we’ve heard from the Sonder (Encounters) EP we can’t wait for new music from The Werks as well. Their terrific blend of rock, livetronica and funk give us cause to get up and boogie to psychedelic dance music. For more on the Werkout Festival visit werkoutfestival.com and for more on the band check out the werksmusic.com.

Andy Thorn is set to release a new solo record, Frontiers Like These, and I can tell you its pretty amazing. In case you aren't familiar with Andy's name or work, he is the banjo player for Leftover Salmon, after joining the Emmit-Nershi band in Colorado back in 2008. This transplanted North Carolinian, is massive talent, who plays banjo like few others, and his finger picking is superb. We caught up with Andy on a break from the heavy touring that he does, back home in Colorado, high atop the sea, like 7300 feet in fact. If you're looking for that cool video for Blazing New Frontiers, click here. For more on Andy Thorn, and to pre-order the record visit andythornmusic.com. 

When you first hear Trout Steak Revival, you'll quickly fall in love with their terrific song writing, and beautiful vocal arrangements, to say nothing of their fantastic playing. They are, for all intents and purposes a Colorado Bluegrass band, but that classic sound doesn't do them justice. Trout Steak Revival are a band bigger than any specific genres, blending folk, americana, and yes bluegrass, mostly of course due to their configuration without a drummer, and the instruments they do play. We've been on their trail for a while, since our friend Chris Pandolfi of The Infamous Stringdusters produced their last two records. Aside from their sound, the other thing that hits you, is their name. Oh no, not another acoustic band named for fish... actually, when we sat down with Steve Foltz of Trout Steak Revival, I asked why there are so many bluegrass bands with fishy names, and thats where our conversation started. For more on Trout Steak Revival visit troutsteak.com.   

Anders Osborne has been a long time favorite of ours, not only because he is an extremely talented writer and musician, but because of his wonderful spirit. This is a guy, who moved to the United States at a young age, and not only adopted New Orleans, Louisiana as his home, but became one with its music community and indeed the larger NOLA environment. So with The New Orleans Jazz Festival upon us, and with the release of Buddha and the Blues, his 14th solo record, it just felt right to check in and talk about his latest release, and indeed a lot more. In fact, with almost 3 years since the release of his last record, Flower Box, we wondered, what took so long for a new record, in fact, thats where our conversation started. For more on Buddha and the Blues and indeed tour dates and much more visit andersosborne.com.

It's an interesting time for Dopapod after a year long hiatus. They are set to get back at it, publicly, and on stage April 27th at the Capitol Theatre. We've been following them quite closely and are a fan of their electronic-ish, progrock-ish, jamband sound, so we were excited to hear that the boys were getting back together to make it work once again. I caught up with Rob and Eli a few weeks back, and at the time, the focus was on the April 27th show, and we didn't even know Emit Time was coming out, even though, as you'll soon hear, we poked and prodded for any information. For more info drop in to dopapod.com. 

For those that don't know, or remember, Percy Hill were a band out of New Hampshire who met in 1991 at University studying jazz. They would in fact become part of that neo-jamband 2.0 scene of the 90s, and continued to tour through the oughts. They sort of fell out of the scene for a bit, but came back with some appearances in 2016 and have recently recorded at least one new song Great White Shark, which we totally dig. They do have plans to record more and tour a bit. We sat down with three members of Percy Hill recently, Aaron Katz, Yahuba Garcia and Joe Farrell. Our conversation started when I asked what prompted getting back in the studio to record "Great White Shark". You can follow their story at percyhillmusic.com a site which is being renovated. You can also follow them on Facebook for more up to date information.

It's an interesting concept album for Luther, well regarded as one of the loudest contemporary Mississippi blues and slide guitar players out there. You know him for sure, from his work with brother Cody in North Mississippi All-Stars, but this project, is completely different, softer, gentler, but equally strong in performance, production and complexity.  Luther has been a favorite of ours dating back to Shake Hands with Shorty and we've watched his career blossom since. So imagine my absolutely amazement when I received an email directly from him, a few weeks back at brunch with my family. Well, we had to get him on the show to talk about Solstice, and other things he is working on, and indeed an update on what the North Mississippi All-Stars are up to. We can't wait to get back in touch when that North Mississippi All-Star record is ready to talk about. For more on Luther Dickinson and his solo projects visit lutherdickinson.com. To keep updated on the North Mississippi all-stars visit nmallstars.com where you can find a link to Luther's Truefire app.

First Song: 00:55 - Rise Sun

Jackie has been long one of our favorites, because he represents a kind of songwriting and storytelling we appreciate and his talent as a singer and player are significant. Lots has changed in his life since his appearance on our show back in October of 2017, he’s mostly moved back west and is now a father. He's also released a second installment of The Modern Lives EP and Live from Town Hall which was recorded back in October 2018 with a very hot band aptly named The Modern Lives Band. So it only made sense to catch up with Jackie Greene now. For more on Jackie, including tour dates and some cool videos, visit jackiegreene.com.

Like you, I am always intrigued by cover songs. Truthfully, I'm even more interested in knowing what went into the band selecting the songs they want to play, and how they come up with the arrangements for these songs. Now, when you combine those two questions, and realize that Yonder, like other newgrass bands of a propensity to play covers likely never imagined for the instruments or audience they play these songs for, well, thats just a fascinating discussion.  So we sat down with Dave Johnston's Yonder Mountain String Bands banjo player, to fill us in on the mystery surrounding cover songs and talked about their free for streaming compilation "Hine's Finds Volume Three" Available now, on the band's SoundCloud page, full of great covers.

For the unaware, Frasco is a lifetime music industry type who began as a promoter and talent booker in LA at the age of 16. Through a series of circumstances, Frasco decided to try his own hand at being a performer, and in 2014 released his first record Half a Man. Some 5 years later, this latest record, sees Frasco pour out a cathartic series of well written songs at a time when the serial party boy needed a literal change of pace both personally and indeed professionally.  As you’ll soon hear this podcaster, performer, and pontificator is as real as they come, and Change of Pace will be your favorite record this year. It’s mine already. For more on Andy Frasco & The UN visit andyfrasco.com where you can also check out his podcast.

I first heard about Ida Mae, when I actually heard them open for the Marcus King Band here in Toronto back in November. I was impressed by the duo, who combine an acoustic rock sound with a gentler country blues thing. The couple's chemistry is something to be hold, and before any rumours start, Chris Turpin and Stephanie Jean are in fact married. They have received critical acclaim already from Rolling Stone magazine and other media outlets. Their debut record Chasing Lights isn't out until June, but in the interim, they are on the road opening for Blackberry Smoke. You definitely will want to check them out on the road, and check out their album when it comes out. It's best if you follow Ida Mae or social media or check their website at idamaemusic.com for more information.

Greg Loiacono of The Mother Hips, has a new solo album in the works, and recently released its first single San Felipe a song which he sings with Jamie Drake. It's very removed from anything he'd do with the Mother Hips, and having an additional outlet for creativity is probably what every artist needs. We've posted the video for San Felipe on our facebook page, so check it out. Aside from working on solo material, Greg is also a member of the Green Leaf Rustlers who begin a short tour tonight, and yes, he is already gearing up for plans with Tim Bluhm on a new Mother Hips records. Luckily, we were able to catch up with Greg before he hit the road, and our conversation started when I asked about his new record due out soon on Blue Rose music. For more, visit GregLoiacono.com.

Cris Jacobs has been on our radar since his 2016 record Dust to Gold, because, well, it was awesome. Cris is as eclectic as he talented. That is to say, both are diverse and interesting. It's hard to peg this singer-songwriter down, because although his music is true to an Americana, country tradition, the dude has soul and is equally adept at writing love songs as he is at writing beautiful stories of the human condition. Certainly the latter is of great concern these days, given the socio political climate. He paints his words with an eloquent brush full of meaning, and his musical chops, and those of his band, enhance his works real charm. His new record Color Where You Are is due out April 12, and we were excited to get in touch.

For the uninitiated, Electric Beethoven is a project initiated by Reed Mathis, a west coast bass playing legend, who thought it would be interesting to improvise over Beethoven’s work. While Mathis has been involved in several projects the last few years, I get the impression, this one, is the most meaningful to him. So it’s with that sentiment that I was intrigued to hear that Electric Beethoven was releasing new material on a new label Color Red. In fact the plan is to release new songs once a month until an entire new record is ready. So it’s with that renewed interest in the project, that I caught up with the fascinating and talented Reed Mathis. It’s all very exciting, and we’re pretty excited for this month’s new release on March 12th. You can get all the details on this ongoing project at reedmathis.com or at color-red.co.

We go back to 1968 in today’s episode with a central figure in Grateful Dead mythology, a member of the groups road crew, Big Steve Parish. Of course, if you’re any sort of historian on the Grateful Dead you are very aware of Steve’s place and role within the band. As you’ll soon hear, he not only was on the crew, but served as Jerry Garcia’s road tech, bodyguard, and eventual manager of the Jerry Garcia Band. Steve has a regular show on SiriusXM’s Grateful Dead channel, “Big Steve Hour”, and he is taking that storytelling format on the road, for more fun and frivolity. This guy loves the road. For dates and more visit bigstevehour.com.

Gnomes and Badgers is the forthcoming record from Karl Denson due out March 8th. This record, is a significant departure for Denson in that it has very strong political overtones, something he truly has stayed away from until now. Aside from the usual Tiny Universe players, Chuck Leavell, Anders Osborne, Ivan Neville and Lukas Nelson also contributed in parts to the making of Gnomes and Badgers. It’s a powerful record both sonically and thematically, one that we were excited to talk to Karl about. Gnomes and Badgers is a poignant turning point perhaps for him, one that may see him sing more in the future, and one that may inspire more great writing. For tour dates, and more visit karldenson.com.

Guitarist Steve Kimock has long toiled in the jamband scene, with bands like Zero, KVHW, Ratdog, and as hired gun playing with virtually a who’s who of this scene and others. His son, John Morgan though a drummer is following in Dad’s footsteps now, playing mostly with Mike Gordon but also dabbling in a few other bands like Oteil & Friends and of course with dad in Kimock. The Kimocks will be playing a series of shows in Alaska this week, but before they left, we caught up with the pair to talk about releasing new music, playing with several different people and more. For more on what Steve et al are up to, visit kimock.com.

You no doubt have heard the buzz not just in the larger community for Ghost Light, but from us here at The Sound Podcast. The quintet, made up of Tom Hamilton Jr., Raina Mullen, Holly Bowling, Steve Lyons and Scotty Zwang is exciting to all our ears, because it offers up something completely different than anything currently in our consciousness. So when we hear something fresh and exciting, well, yeah, we’re psyched. Up until now, Ghost Light’s music, in one form another has only been available through live performance. So this is a band, who’s fandom is totally built on word of mouth, and the reputation of its members. Frankly, they probably didn’t need to put out a record in a world of singles, and streaming services, but we are so glad that they have. I caught up with Tom Hamilton Jr. in Madison, WI, on tour with that other monster band he’s in Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, to talk about Best Kept Secrets, Ghost Light and a bunch more. You’ll definitely want to pre-order Best Kept Secrets at ghostlightband.com and check them out on the road over the next couple of months, those dates are also available on the website.

What’s so remarkable about our scene is how many musicians are part of it, that we don’t unfortunately readily know. Like other genres or other scenes, or indeed in life, there are those that toil in near obscurity, honing their craft, and occasionally making “big league” appearances. Such is the case for Marcus Rezak who has played with a list of jamband scene types that is too long to list here. In fact because Marcus is such a phenomenal player, who’s style is hard to define much like his hero’s Frank Zappa, we thought it might be interesting to catch up with him and learn more about his record Gateway to the Galaxy and all the various projects he is in.To learn more about Marcus Rezak, all his gigs, and news from the various bands he plays in, visit marcusrezak.com.

Back in September of last year we sat down with Mike and Dave from Aqueous on Episode 134 to talk about their album Color Wheel. It was their first in many years, and they were both really excited about their work on the record and were eager to go out and play their new material. Some 6 months later they released a compendium of live versions of Color Wheel songs, as part of the Element compilation series. While live shows have been available through nugs.net, this third volume of Elements showcases their favorite live versions of Color Wheel tracks. We caught up with Mike Gantzer on the road, to talk about the release of Element 3, the Color Wheel tour and more. For more on Element III, Color Wheel, tour dates and more, visit aqueousband.com.

We’ve been big fans of Galactic dating back to 1998 and Crazy Horse Mongoose. They’ve always been a band that’s hard to describe blending New Orleans funk with R&B, soul, rock and several other sounds. In fact it’s almost impossible. What we appreciate most, aside from the music though, is the ambassadorship for New Orleans this band has taken on, no matter where they go, or what they do. They not only share the passion for the music from that town, but they’ve put their name behind the notion of curating music from all around North America with their recent acquisition of the famed Tipitina’s. With Already Ready Already Galactic continues to push both music boundaries while maintaining a very authentic funk sound. Stanton Moore the drummer of the band, who himself comes with a great degree of pedigree and prowess has always been one of our favorite personalities in the scene. Luckily we had the opportunity to chat with him about Already Ready Already, and way more. You can check out Already Ready Already wherever and however you listen to music and you can visit galacticfunk.com for tour dates and more.

When I heard Tim Bluhm was releasing a “country” solo record, his seventh if you count his Ball Point Birds stuff, we were eager to get him on. It’s true, Sorta Surviving, has a country feel, which made us even more curious about the project. While the album isn’t out until March 29th, we were eager to unpack the record with Tim, since we’ve been playing it quite a bit in the studio. You should definitely refer to timbluhm.com for tour dates, news about the record’s release, and more.

I’ve had a chance to listen to the forthcoming Signs from the Tedeschi Trucks Band, multiple times, and it’s definitely eclectic and very strong. Their fourth album might be their finest collection of tunes to date. It’s a deeply personal album, and this band, has been through quite a bit the last few years…. The album is dedicated to Col. Bruce Hampton, and when our conversation started with Derek Trucks, I asked if tragedy, loss, and change, ultimately fuels the fire to make inspired music, full of hope, celebration and love. You can pre-order Signs in various configurations with cool swag at tedeschitrucksband.com where you will also find upcoming tour dates.

When I first met Phil Tessis at a Jam Labs event here in Toronto at a local bar, he was a quiet, unassuming, gifted guitar player. What I didn’t know at the time, or rather immediately is that Phil is indeed part of an amazing Funk quartet that although local to Toronto has found some success across Canada and indeed the United States. So when we heard After Funk was releasing a new record, we had to get him on the show to talk about the band, their success to date, and where they are headed, figuratively and literally. For more on After Funk including tour dates all over North America and to pre-order Santa Barbara visit afterfunk.ca.

When we were first were notified that Hayes Carll was releasing a new record, we needed to get in touch with him. He’s absolutely one of our favorite songwriters because he paints such vivid pictures and blends excellent words-smithing with a very dry sense of humor. That isn’t to say though that he doesn’t have a lot to say about the human condition, socio-political issues or love, what is true though, is that he does it in a very genuine and authentic way without ramming his perspective down your ears. “What It Is” is out February 15th, and when you do get a chance to hear the record, pay particular attention to his carefully crafted phrasing, tremendous use of language and indeed the vivid way he paints a picture. You can learn more about Hayes’ other recordings and his upcoming tour at HayesCarll.com.

Truthfully until The Higgs reached out We had no idea about them, or their sound. Since then we’ve listened to whatever music we could find, and have been impressed with what we’ve heard. Their jams have purpose and their more slightly less goofy songs are well written. We recently caught up with The Higgs frontman John Lovero and our conversation started when I asked him to take us back to how it all started. You can learn more about The Higgs by visiting thehiggsmusic.com, or following them on social media where they are quite active.

The Michigan Rattlers are a four piece, originally as the band name would suggest, from Michigan. They are currently on tour opening for the Lil’ Smokies, and that’s a pretty big break for them, this early on. Rather than telling you about their sound and story, we caught up with Graham Young the band’s primary song writer, vocalist and guitar player. You really need to hear all of their debut Evergreen to get the full scope of Graham’s songwriting ability. For more visit michiganrattlers.com.

In late 2018, The Infamous Stringdusters released “Live from Telluride”. The 20 song album was indeed taken from an entire performance at that famed festival, and the set spans the bands 12 year and 8 album career. A Hard Life Makes a Good Song was a track off their 2017 Grammy award winning record Laws of Gravity. Though the album was released back in November, the boys have been on the road, you know, doing what they do, so up until recently we haven’t had a chance to catch up with anyone to talk about the live release, or their winter tour plans. Finally, we tracked down Dobro magician Andy Hall to talk about the live release and all the other things they have going on. Of course, you can also catch The Dusters on the road and you can check thestringdusters.com for all the relevant details and more.

We’ve all been listening to the Disco Biscuits forever. We always keep an eye out for Marc Brownstein’s work, since we appreciate his work on bass, and he has similar taste in music. So when we read that he started this new project called Star Kitchen, a Funk type thing, we were jonesing to hear exactly what was going on. Luckily there is some music floating around, and we’re fortunate that tapers like Eric McRoberts who make awesome live recordings was at Stageone in Fairfield, Connecticut to catch Star Kitchen last week. Once we heard the music, we had to get Brownie on the line, to ask what was going on with Star Kitchen.

The Lil Smokies are a progressive bluegrass band has been around since 2009 and has gone some personal changes but have pretty much solidified their lineup since 2015. One of the newest members of the band is Matt “Rev” Rieger, a strapping grizzled guitar player who’s stellar picking and strumming certainly adds to the band’s sound. We caught up with Rev chillin’ ahead of a gruelling tour schedule that sees the band on the road for most of January through March.

It would be nearly impossible for me or the rest of the team to be aware of every band out there that somehow in some way fits into the community of music we bring you. So it’s nice when a band reaches out to us to tell about their project and what they are up to. We can’t feature all of them on the show, but there was something about The Alpine Camp that really intrigued us. Probably the blend of musicianship, song writing and fun, that caught our attention.

Welcome in to our very last show of 2018. It has been an incredible year, and this will mark our 95 episode of the year. We thanked a whole bunch of people for their contributions for our year in Episode 163 so listen back to that show at thesoundpodcast.com or on your favourite podcast platform to hear all about the wonderful people that we can’t thank enough for 2018.

These are the top 5 most listened to episodes of 2018. It’s an intriguing list of musicians and genres, and music and includes some heavy weights in the scene, both past and present.

By the end of 2018, we will have produced 95 episodes of the Sound Podcast. We thought it would be awesome to look back at the year that was and share with you the top 10 episodes based on downloads of the show. This is the first of our two part series. Here is the first part from that top ten list…

Scott Metzger is like crazy busy. Aside from the Showdown Kids, he has own trio Wolf! that plays surf/soundtrack rock, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, and like 4 other projects that he appears with. His 2018 could be an entry on its own in Wikipedia under Jam Bands. Truth is, Scott is supremely talented and thats why he either wants to play with other musicians or gets too because well, as soon you’ll soon hear, everyone loves playing with the guy. We caught up with Scott to reflect on 2018 and hear about his upcoming plans for 2019.

We’re big fans of the Greensky Bluegrass sound, because although they are bluegrass in name, they rock and jam pretty hard for a group that features traditional acoustic instruments like mandolin, banjo and dobro, aside from acoustic guitar and upright bass. All for Money will be the seventh album for this band that has been slugging it out on the road for 18 years. We caught up with Michael Bont to talk about All for Money and all things Greensky as they our affectionately called. All for Money is an incredible record which really should make top ten lists next year. There are so many great songs on the record, that I suspect will get lots of play on the road this winter, and well into the Greensky touring schedule. If you’ve never seen these guys, I’d encourage you to do so, and if you have you are already am sure well into their music. I mean honestly, how could you not be. For more on Greensky Bluegrass visit their website at greenskybluegrass.com.

The Motet have been on our radar for a long time. We like their version of Funk, Soul and R&B quite a bit. They have a new record "Death or Devotion" which is dropping January 25th, so it just made sense to sit down and talk with someone from the band before they hit the road. Luckily, we tracked down Lyle Divinsky a fairly new member to the group. In fact in 2016 three new members were added to the line-up, Lyle, Parris and Drew. The Motet also have an extensive tour coming up, and you should definitely check them out on the road at themotet.com.

While I’m not generally a Jamtronica fan, when Frames Per Second hit my inbox I gave it several spins before reaching out to the Lotus team to get someone on the show. Actually, Frames Per Second was somewhat of a surprise for fans of this band, since they released it without the typical fan fare, build up, or hype that is assumed for new releases. I caught up with Luke Miller to talk about the new record and their plans for 2019. For more on Lotus check out lotusvibes.com.

The Kitchen Dwellers are a straight ahead bluegrass/newgrass band from Montana. We caught up with Max Davies and Torrin Daniels on a rare off day, to talk about the Reheated Vol. 1 EP, their gruelling tour schedule and the potential of a new record in 2019. Shhhh don’t tell anyone. Our conversation started though with a discussion around the inspiration to cover The Band. While there are some tribute concerts a la “The Last Waltz” revisited, for whatever reason, The Band probably don’t get their proper due in the Jam Band community… until now.

While you may not have heard of Ben Sparaco and The New Effect yet, no doubt in the coming year you will. Ben, a Florida native, has played in a Grateful Dead cover band and has performed with Butch Trucks amongst other jam band notables. The New Effect came together in 2017 as a trio with Berklee College grads Anthony Quirk and Adam Discipio in Nashville. The trio has spent a lot of time on the road and plan to get at it in an even bigger way in 2019. I recently sat down with Sparaco to learn more about the New Effect, their music and their plans. You can learn more about Ben Sparaco and the New Effect at bensparaco.com.

John Kadlecik has been on the show before and we always enjoy welcoming such a talented guy. We were absolutely blown away by his new solo record On The Road, not only because of the tunes but because the time and care John put into tracking the record. The whole record is tremendous, and I would encourage you to grab it at johnkmusic.net.

Donna the Buffalo, are in fact a band beyond description, blending all a host of genres, into a hodge podge of styles from folk, to country to zydeco to everything in between. The band has had a rotating cast of characters, but the principle songwriters and vocalists, Tara Nevins and Jeb Puryear have been at the helm of the herd since day one. Since the release of the White Tape in 1989, they have managed to host festivals, put out records, and tour extensively. Thats impressive for any band, let alone one that relies so heavily on touring for revenue. We caught up with Tara and Jeb on the road with the release of their latest record, Dance in the Street now a few weeks in the rearview mirror. Our conversation started when I asked if they ever get tired of the work that is an active touring band.

Joe Firstman has been a guy who has toiled in near obscurity but has had a fairly high profile career in the music business for almost two decades now. I suspect that’s about to change. He was, for almost a decade the band leader for Carson Daly’s late night show where he enlisted the likes of Kamasi Washington and Thundercat, and also put together other bands with people like Carl Broemal of My Morning Jacket and Slim Gambill of Lady Antebellum before we knew who they were. He’s opened for Sheryl Crow, Jewel and Willie Nelson. All of this is to say, that this native North Carolinian has been developing his chops, both as a songwriter and a bass player, all this time, and he’s about to bust out large with The Cordovas. They’re a little bit country, a little bit southern rock, and a lot Bakersfield sound.

For the uninitiated, Sam Bush was a founding member of the band New Grass Revival, and as the name of this 70s outfit would suggest, this mandolin player and his cohorts including Bela Fleck, brought forth the progressive sounds of bluegrass that several of the newer bands are playing today. So it was quite a delight when a publicist sent me a streaming copy of Revival: The Sam Bush story. I knew many of the stories, but like most great documentaries, you always learn something new. The film, has been out on Amazon Prime now for a couple of weeks, and I’d encourage you to watch it, but first, have a listen to our conversation with Sam. The conversation started when I asked Sam how this film came about…

Way, way, way back in the day, I was obsessed with a band from Vermont called…. Strangefolk. There was something at the time that I really dug about the gentile voices of the singers, the great playing and indeed the messages of the songs. I felt their sound was a throw back to other sounds I was digging at the time, like American Beauty from The Grateful Dead and Music from the Big Pink from The Band. It was 1997 as I recall, and I was a tie-dyed, Jew-Fro hippy, and I sought music that none of my classmates knew or cared about. I would read Relix, to learn more about The Grateful Dead, Phish, and once in a while, new bands like Strangefolk. I kept an eye on them, but they would eventually break up. Reid would later emerge as a solo artist and then founded Assembly of Dust. This is all to say, that this guy, no matter what else is going on in his life, is a musician, a very talented one. I’m fortunate some 21 years later, to reminisce with some of my favorite musicians and bring their stories to you. Reid recently released a social feel good experiment called Conspire to Smile. Its a cover album filled with songs that no doubt will make you happy in these difficult times. Oh, and the guest musicians on this record, are mostly people you’ve heard of on this show and in the community.

We’ve been big fans of Dispatch, since 1997’s “The General”. Wow, it just hit me, that was over 20 years ago. Their sound blends folk and reggae, and this trio, who are back at it in earnest after a tumultuous break, have never sounded better. We caught up with Chad who has many different pseudonyms to talk about Location 13, their political and social discourse and much more.

California Kind is a jam band super group from the Bay Area in California mostly. The sounds and playing may all sound vaguely familiar, since their sound in many ways, is reminiscent of other San Francisco based jam bands. More to the point though, this super group comprised of Katie Skene along with Barry Sless, Pete Sears, John Molo and friend of the show Rob Barraco all have been stalwarts of the psychedelic, jam band scene forever. Together they make beautiful music, that you no doubt will enjoy. Katie is the young lead vocalist of the troupe, who all take this project very seriously. In fact, each time that I met Rob during the summer at DSO shows, he mentioned this pet project. He told me that he was having an amazing time playing with this group. So it was quite a treat to sit down with Katie Skene to learn more about her specifically and about how the California Kind project came together and their plans for the future.

The Skiffle Players are some what of a hodge podge of terrific California players including singer-songwriter, Cass McCombs, Neal Casal of Chris Robinson Brotherhood and Circles Aaround the Sun, Dan Horne also of Circles Around the Sun and Grateful Shred, Aaron Sperske of Beachwood Sparks along with the incomparable and outstanding Farmer Dave of Beachwood Sparks. Together they play a sort of Skiffle music that blends jazz, blues, folk and American folk all together. Its an extraordinary sound, and SKIFF their second full length album is a tremendous delight. Fortunately, we were able to catch up with Farmer Dave, the skiffle music historian of the group, and the glue that holds the enterprise together. We dig these guys a lot, and SKIFF is a hoot. For more on the Skiffle Players visit skiffleplayers.com or check them out on Facebook.

While John Medeski fronts Mad Skillet, an interesting four piece borne out of New Orleans jams, the project is certainly a sum of its of it’s parts. The band includes the under appreciated Will Bernard on guitar and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band rhythm section featuring sousaphonist Kirk Joseph and Terence Higgins on Drums. It’s a very cool project, one that I certainly would love to see live. I caught up with John Medeski fresh off a stint in Japan. I can’t begin to tell you what a thrill it was to talk to John, who is a freaking musical genius. Like you, I have been listening to Medeski, Martin and Wood since day one. Mad Skillet’s debut is a tremendous record, and when you do listen to it, make sure you tune everything else out, and pay close attention to the production, the instruments, and the passion with which each of the players play. Oh, and I know you will want to get up and dance. For Mad Skillet tour dates visit johnmedeski.com or find the band on Facebook.

You may remember Elliott Peck’s name from Midnight North the band she fronts with Grahame Lesh. This project however is more personal and the songs are mostly her own. The record features an all-star cast of a backing band, a who’s who of the San Francisco music scene. We’ve always been big fans of Elliott’s sound, but hearing her sultry twangy stylings as the sonic focal point is a tremendous treat. Elliott’s sound combines a lot of the things we enjoy about music. Solid songwriting, excellent performances, and genuine personality. There is no doubt she wears her influences on her sleeve, but what’s exciting is that she makes each song her own. We’re sure that Elliott has a long career ahead of her both with Midnight North and as a solo artist. While she is our first time three time guest, we know doubt will hear lots more from her. You can too, by visiting elliottpeck.com and listening to her music, catching her live or following her on social media where she is fairly active.

Keller is one of those guys we’ve been dying to have on the show, because he is so unique in his musical approach, while performing so many different types of music. He is an artist in the truest sense of the word, and we’re always impressed when we see him play, or hear what he has to offer the community. We were particularly intrigued by his latest effort, an album, without words, and for an artist that has a lot to say, well, its quite the feat. While some of the work on Sans is a rework of some of older material, the album, is very fresh and exciting. With a packed tour ahead and lots of great music on board, you’ll want to check out kellerwillams.net.

Lindsay Lou and her band the Flatbellys have been mainstays of the current neo-bluegrass revival. Her recognizable sound is both memorable and refreshing. As a woman on the newgrass scene, there are no doubt hurdles she has to overcome to be part of the gang. We recently caught up with Lindsay to talk about her tour, the band’s more contemporary sound, and indeed being a woman in a male dominated environment. Our conversation started when I asked Lindsay how the audience is taking to a more eclectic sound, that keeps much of the Bluegrass tradition, but ads new flavours and textures to her sonic tapestry.

I think you’ll agree that Sister Sparrow’s voice is absolutely incredible, and this songstress’s past efforts with her band mates the Dirty Birds have all been awesome soulful efforts. This record though, GOLD, marks a change, having written all of the songs with a team of writers including producer Carter Matschullat and not the band. The album, recorded in Brooklyn at Matschullat’s studio DOOM, is a bit of a departure with a strong pop and hip-hop influence. We sat down with Arleigh AKA Sister Sparrow to get the low down on the record and her plans moving forward. We really dig the new sound, and still find time to listen to some of her older material which you definitely check out wherever you listen to music. For more on Sister Sparrow, you can visit her website at sistersparrow.com.

Been So Long is the title of Jorma’s recent autobiography available from St. Martin’s Press. The memoir is filled with delicious stories from this one time Jefferson Airplane guitarist, who now, 77 years young continues to perform with his pal Jack Casady in Hot Tuna, and as a soloist. Jorma’s life is fascinating and his anecdotes match the great stories of his very early days to more contemporary ones. I should mention that we recorded this interview, a week before Jefferson Airplane co-founder Marty Balin’s passing. I can tell you, that he was exuberant to talk about his book and story even before we started to record. You can learn more about Jorma at his website, which also houses his blog at jormakaukonen.com.

Having listened to Marcus King Band’s Carolina Confessions now several times, I can tell you, that Marcus has grown as a songwriter, and this collection of songs shows a maturity beyond his years that match his guitar playing. We caught up for a lengthy discussion about the record while Marcus and his mates were on the road last week. he Marcus King Band are headed overseas for a bunch of dates, but will be back in North America ready to play what I can only assume will be a whole bunch of sold out dates so check out marcuskingband.com for tour and more. Get your tickets now.

Amy Helm’s sophomore release, This Too Shall LIght is a gorgeous record, that taps into Amy’s wonderful spirit, her undeniable voice and a selection of songs that are both personal and important. Though this is only her second solo record, she has an extensive recording background having recorded with her father Levon Helm, and so many other incredibly talented musicians. For her sophomore release she pegged Joe Henry as the producer, which ultimately meant she would have to travel away from the studio and barn her family built in Woodstock, New York to LA to record with Henry. The harmonies, the lyrics, and indeed the stories behind the songs are all so brilliant and intertwined. Amy is carrying on the massive musical tradition laid by her father and his bandmates in a very earnest way, and for that we are grateful. You can catch Amy on the road, or at “The Barn” in Woodstock, New York, for details visit Amyhelm.com

We’ve had so many talented people on the show since we began in January 2017, but few have had the recording, producing and touring career Doyle Brahmill the Second has had. Since he arrived on the scene back in 1992 with the Arc Angels, Doyle’s discography looks like an exhibit at the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame. Thats no coincidence either given his lineage but make no mistake about it, he is an extremely talented guitar player, singer, songwriter and as you’ll soon here a hell of a guy. His new album Shades comes out out October 5th, and aside from standout performances of his own, he is joined on the record by Eric Clapton, Norah Jones and the Tedeschi Trucks Band. We were absolutely thrilled to catch up with Doyle to talk about the new record, and the conversation took so many fun twists and turns. Shades like his previous solo records is an absolute gem, one I recommend you check out when its out October 5th. For more on Doyle visit db2music.com.

Though not a household name to many, decker. has been toiling as a singer songwriter for just under a decade in Sedona, Arizona. It’s from that vibrant landscape that his words and playing are fused into a sort of alt.country/country/rock hybrid on acid. Those aren’t my words, as you soon will hear, those are his. His latest effort Born to Wake Up combines the aesthetic for which he is known with a much more personal approach to the themes of his music this go around. For more on decker. visit deckermusic.com.

In 1972, Ray Charles released "A Message for the People", a record, that combined his soul and R&B style with some distinctly country nuance. The album, now out of print is filled with really important, socially conscious songs delivered in a way only Ray could. Almost 50 years later, the stories of these songs still resonate, so much so, that the Band of Heathens decided to cover the album in its entirety, of course putting their own more modern, classic rock and country spin on it. We recently sad down with Ed Jurdi, to talk about A Message for the People - Revisited and its relevance today. Both A Message for the People and A Message for the People Revisited are two incredible albums you should check out. The former, the original from Ray Charles may be harder to find, but the Revisited record is available on all your favorite streaming services and of course to purchase at bandofheathens.com. Band of Heathens continues to be one of my favorite bands out their on the road, and they are definitely worth checking out.

If you’ve part of the jam band scene for a while, you’ve no doubt heard the name Erik Deutsch. He’s been somewhat of a fixture dating back to his days with Fat Mama, solo pursuits and now part of Leftover Salmon. He is an extremely talented keyboard player and lends his talents to a multitude of projects. We recently caught up with Erik to talk about his solo record Falling Flowers.

Since Gregg Allman's unfortunate passing, Scott Sharrard has found himself at a crossroads between hanging on to his love and work with Gregg, and getting on with his own career. Luckily for us, he will be releasing his first solo record in quite some time but his fifth thus far, September 21st, Saving Grace, and I can tell you its a gorgeous blues, soul and R&B record with standout slide guitar playing and passionate vocals. For more on Scott's work visit scottsharrard.com and make sure you get your ears on Saving Grace and see Scott at one of his various dates.

Attempting to define the kind of music Ghost Note plays, would be near impossible. They are a jazz hybrid that play funk, r&b, soul, hip-hop and yes, they rock. Started by Snarky Puppy’s drummer Robert “Sput” Searight and percussionist Nate Werth. Rather than just telling you about this band that has complete blown my mind, we got in touch with Sput to talk about the Ghost Note Project. For more on Ghost Note check out Ghost-Note-Official.com.

Color Wheel is Aqueous’ first length album since 2014s Cycles, and though the band has released a few EPS, Live compilations and regularly release their live shows we haven’t had new studio music from them in quite some time. Actually the album is being released in waves with three tracks of ten each week. We recently caught up with Mike and Dave to talk about Color Wheel, touring and much more. We’re excited to hear more from Color Wheel and catch them live on the road during their fall tour. For more on Aqueous visit Aqueousband.com. You should also check out the podcast “All in With Aqueous” from our Osirispod pal Myke “Memo” Menio.

Magic in the Other is the brainchild of drummer Ezra Lipp, who’s name may be familiar from the San Francisco Jam Band scene. He’s toiled with Phil Lesh and Friends, often hangs at Terrapin Crossroads and plays with ALO as well. Actually ALO bassist Steve Adams is also in the band, as well as guitar wizard Roger Reidlbauer. It’s an interesting project, blending solid instrumentals, with thought provoking songs. For more on release information, tour dates, and some cool videos, check out magicintheother.net.

MMW’s forthcoming release Omnisphere featuring Alarm Will Sound, is something definitely a little different for our audience and those that love Medeski Martin and Wood, but certainly not for guys themselves. Both John Medeski and Billy Martin are classically trained musicians who while dabbling in the jazz music we’ve been accustomed to hearing from them, always have sought opportunities to work on more complex arrangements. Alarm Will Sound is a chamber orchestra that focuses on contemporary pieces. Since I’m not even close to an expert on Classical music, we asked Billy Martin to come on the show and talk about the project since we’re big MMW fans, and give us an update on other MMW goings on. For more information on MMW visit medeskimartinandwood.com. You can also check our our MMW playlist at tsp.show/ECMMW or our MMW playlist on youtube at youtube.com/thesoundpodcast.

The Lockn’ Festival in Arrington Virginia has wrapped up, and we have some audio goodness for you to enjoy, as a recap of the festival. Episode 131 part 2 features more great performances from the festival including songs from Southern Avenue, Turkuaz, Spafford, Umphrey’s McGee, and Widespread Panic featuring Margo Price.

The Lockn’ Festival in Arington Virginia has wrapped up, and we have some audio goodness for you to enjoy, as a recap of the festival. Episode 131 is our first ever two-parter, and in part one you’ll hear music from Lettuce, Ghost Light, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, Foundation of Funk (with Zig Modeleste and George Porter Jr.) and Joe Russo’s Almost Dead as we wrap up this summer’s last great music festival!

Though the record won't be out until September 28th, I did have a chance to sample it, and have to tell, you it might be their best to date. You can tell that the band, fronted by Dave Brandwein has really coming together and matured on this record. As you'll soon hear, this record was more collaborative then past efforts, and sonically you can tell that this band is hitting their studio stride. Long known for awesome live performances, I suspect Turkuaz will take another giant leap forward with their brand of funk, R&B, rock, and psychedelia. We chatted with Dave Brandwein about recording the new record, the song writing process and some other cool things. You should definitely check out turkuazband.com for tour dates, to pre-order Life in the City and much more.

Fruition dropped the EP filled with four songs a day before they were set to play Red Rocks opening for Railroad Earth. We caught up with Jay Cobb Anderson, settled and home after another amazing weekend for the band at that fabled venue. You should definitely listen to Dirty Thieves and New Colussus as money will go to both the Community Housing Project and the National Immigration Law Centre. For more on Fruition visit fruitionband.com. You can also listen to our Essential Collection of Fruition songs at tsp.show/ECFRUITION.

We first heard about Liz Cooper and The Stampede from our pal Steve. He sent us a link to an AudioTree Live session, and we liked it and so too did over 220,000 people. We’ve been jonesing to get her on the show ever since, and luckily with the release of her record “Window Flowers” we indeed got a chance to chat. Given her life on the road, the talented people she hangs with, and the songs she writes and performs, I suspect we will be hearing a lot more from Liz. She has an absolutely unmistakeable sound, and her guitar playing along with the talent of the stampede will take her even further. For tour dates, album info and more visit lizcooperandthestampede.com.

The thing about being a talented musician is that you are often are in demand to play with many different people, and doing so, you aren’t necessarily afforded the time to work on your own projects. Such is the case for keyboard wiz, Robert Walter. He’s been touring extensively and making records with Mike Gordon, and is always is ready to jam with whomever asks. So when I heard that he had a new project inspired by space, comic books and science fiction I was psyched to check out. Robert and the 20th Congress will be playing a select number of dates around Spacesuit’s release, and to learn more visit robertwalter.com.

Living in the shadow of a family member is nothing anyone truly wants to deal with. Particularly, when your parent, is a musician in a world famous band who is adored by millions of people. Following in their footsteps, can be, and likely is a daunting task, but being able to carve out a niche for yourself with the rich history of a last name, can and is brave and noble. Such is the case for Devon Allman who has trudged through the music industry for some twenty years, and Duane Betts who has done the same, for quite some time. Needless to say, both thrive on their father’s legacies and talent but more to the point have become great musicians in their own right. We have spoken to both individually, but recently got the chance to catch up with them both on tour as part of the Devon Allman Project. You can learn more about the Devon Allman Project at devonallmanproject.com. Check out the new Duane Betts EP Sketches of American Music wherever you listen to music or at duanebetts.com.

Truth be told, when the latest album from Circles Around the Sun showed up in my inbox a few weeks ago, I was psyched to check it out. Circles or CATS is undoubtedly one of my favorite acts going right now. They are a four piece instrumental jam band. On the surface, knowing that Neal Casal, Adam MacDougall, Dan Horne and Mark Levy are the players in the band, you are likely to think this is some hippie outfit performing jams straight out of a Dead show. Truth is, while those sorts of sonic landscapes are very much part of their sound, this record, Let it Wander is filled with all kinds of jams from all sorts of different genres. We recently sat down with Adam MacDougall the keyboard player in the group, who also performs with Neal Casal in Chris Robinson’s Brotherhood to talk about Let it Wander, and making a go of CATS. For tour dates and to get Let it Wander, you’ll want to check out their website at circlesaroundthesun.com. You may also be intrigued to check out our youtube channel at youtube.com/thesoundpodcast for a special TSP CATS live performance playlist that we’ve assembled.

I have long been fascinated by the emergence of the live EDM/Prog rock thing and it’s place within the Jam Band scene. That conversation has to involve Papadasio a five piece originally from Athens, Ohio who now call the hot bed of southern music Asheville, North Carolina home. We recently sat down with brothers Billy and Sam Brouse along with Anthony Thogmartin to get the lowdown on their genre-less sonic tour de force. Papadosio will be on the road quite a bit over the next little bit. You can get all the details at papadosio.com . We’ve also created a YouTube and Spotify playlists, and those details are available on our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter feeds.

The emergence of Grateful Dead tribute bands, both locally and nationally, indeed internationally is at an all time high. Between members of the Dead playing the repertoire they made famous, to acts like DSO, JRAD, and others more locally like Mars Hotel and Barely Dead. The music lives on and has never stopped. Back a few months ago, we had Sam and Clay and Mapache on the show. A listener who heard the show, alerted us to the fact that this duo were part of yet another Dead tribute outfit Grateful Shred. Since then, we’ve heard several performances, and tracked their trajectory. We recently sat down with Dan Horne, who holds down the Phil Lesh role with the band, playing bass. You can check out Grateful Shred’s tour schedule at gratefulshredmusic.com or check out our Grateful Shred playlist on youtube at youtube.com/thesoundpodcast.

After talking to Grahame and Elliott of Midnight North about that record, I decided to check out where they were playing after Peach Festival. Turned out that they would be only 4 hours away in Canandaigua, New York, so technical producer Adam Karch and I hopped in a car and drove out to one of my favorite venues in North America. We indeed booked an opportunity to talk with members of Midnight North, and to our great amazement members of Twiddle. So picture it, me, Adam, and a roundtable that included Grahame, Ellliott of Midnight North, and Mihali, Gubb and Ryan of Twiddle. A few others interjected, but you get the basic idea. Our conversation started when I asked Mihali about hooking up with Midnight North a few years ago. For more midnight north info and dates visit midnightnorth.com, and for more Twiddle info visit twiddlemusic.com

Just over a year ago, we chatted with Grahame Lesh about the release of Midnight North’s record “Under the Lights”. Since that time, Midnight North has been reasonably busy, playing tour dates, festivals, and making various media appearances. With news that Midnight North was releasing a live record, “Selections from the Great American Hall”, we reached out to not only get Grahame on the show, but also Elliott Peck who shares lead vocal, songwriting and harmonies with Grahame. For more on “Midnight North Selections from the Great American Music Hall” visit midnightnorth.bandcamp.com.

We’re big fans of Hot Buttered Rum, a west coast mainly bluegrass outfit for quite some time and are really impressed with their latest effort which continues to be an eclectic blend of bluegrass, americana and rock n roll. Recently we caught up with multi-instrumentalist, and one of the two voices in the band Erik Yates to learn more about their latest release, their 6th, Lonesome Panoramic and about the inner workings of “Butter”. To learn more about HBR visit hotbutteredrum.net

We’re big fans of all of Cory’s projects including his work with Vulfpeck, and had no idea until recently the physical and indeed mental crossroad he faced when he was just sixteen. Almost two decades ago, Cory suffered a concussive head injury which created a scenario where his right arm kept going numb. Unsure of what exactly was causing the numbness, doctors suggested that it was a blood clot that could potentially reach his brain, and ultimately kill him. His diagnosis was an ominous one, either he would die in a short amount of time or he would be fine. Luckily, his own gumption and perseverance guided him, and eventually the numbness and any thought of a blood clot faded. To learn more about The Optimist, and Cory’s upcoming tour schedule visit corywongmusic.com.

The Magpie Salute is somewhat of a supergroup fronted by Rich Robinson once of the Black Crowes along with former Crowes Marc Ford and Sven Pipien, John Hogg who played in Robinson’s Brown Hookah and Matt Slocum and Joe Migestro who have played on several of Rich’s solo projects. The band’s birth came accidentally, after a show in Woodstock, and has grown organically since. It’s a great record with familiar sounds and some new ones. They’ve been touring consistently since 2016, playing all kinds of music on the road. Though the record isn’t out for a bit, you will be able to catch The Magpie Salute on a series of dates through out the summer. You can check if they’re coming to your town at themagpiesalute.com. You can also purchase some of The Magpie Salute’s live performances at nugs.net.

On August 9th, 1995 the world learned that Jerry Garcia, the once jovial, uber talented leader of the Grateful Dead had passed. Following that was a performance of the Walkin’ Blues, the second song of the set that night. What unfolded for the 20 or so years following that night, has long been the stuff of gossip, rumour and innuendo. To suggest that anyone was completely aware of what went on behind the vaulted doors of the Grateful Dead and its various business tentacles would be folly, since for the most part collecting all the various stories, and connecting all of the dots would be a fairly time consuming but mostly a contentious endeavour. Publishing those findings, and providing a narrative for what could only be described as a complete and utter melt down of what was once a mighty musical industry powerhouse seems on the surface to be a completely impossible task. So while the rumours, gossip, and tall tales persisted, noted music journalist and San Francisco Chronicle reporter, Joel Selvin decided to tidy up some of the loose ends and broken telephone for a book. “Fare the Well: The Final Chapter, The Grateful Dead’s Long, Strange Trip” was published mid June of 2018, and the narrative reads and feels like a profoundly sad tale that for the most part concluded at the 50th anniversary of the Grateful Dead at Chicago’s Soldier Field in 2015.

I’ve been following Rayland Baxter’s career ever since his debut Feathers and FishHooks, an album I wore out, if you could do such a thing to a CD or digital files. What I appreciate most about Rayland is his attention to detail in his writing regarding the human condition. His thoughts, are your thoughts, and while he is serious about his personal craft, he isn’t disjointed from the reality we all live in. I sat down with Rayland to unpack this new record, one I think you should listen to. “Wide Awake” is definitely one of my favorite records of the year thus far. The outstanding song writing is matched by the absolute magical production value and playing by the entire cast. For more on Rayland visit raylandbaxter.com.

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. For more information, visit mule.net.

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.

As you know we’ve been toiling in Bluegrass music of late, and when we came across Billy’s music we had to get him on the show. While he is a pretty young cat, and started in the business as somewhat of a prodigy, he has a very mature sound to his voice and his playing, his flat picking in particular is off the charts. We caught up with Billy on the road, where, he spends a lot of time. Billy not only brings a maturity to his music and to the bluegrass genre with a very fresh take, but he also has a ton of knowledge about those who have come before him, and his role within that ecosystem. You’ll want to visit billystrings.com for more on his music and his tour dates. We’re pretty psyched to follow what happens with King and Strings at the Rooster Walk festival, and we’ll be sure to pass that information along from our facebook page.

A few weeks ago, while putting the finishing touches on one of our weekly Spotify playlists, I came across Big Something. Shame frankly that I didn’t know about these guys earlier, because they play a blend of music styles that I enjoy. In fact, its this sub genre of genreless bands that is continuing to pique my interest. Hailing from North Carolina, Big Something have been at this awhile and are set to release their fifth studio record, The Otherside in late April. Like other bands of their ilk, Big Something make their bread and butter on the road. This 6 piece has shared the stage with the likes of Umphrey’s McGee, Galactic and The B52s!

When two of your favorite musicians team up to create a new “super group”, you want to get all the details you possible can on the project. Unfortunately those details have been few and far between, so we tracked down Holly Bowling and Tom Hamilton Jr. to try and pry a little more out of them, about Ghost Light. We had a moderate degree of success, and are excited for the release of their debut record, and their upcoming tour as a band.

For those unfamiliar with Kevin Kendrick, he is a New York based singer songwriter, who got his start with Fat Mama back in the early 2000s. In fact, virtually all of the members of Fat Mama are now in Kevin’s project Big Yes and a small no. His latest record Mise En Abyme due out April 20th, is a musical ode to Kevin’s trials and tribulations. It is, artistically an opportunity to turn the personal page and begin a new. It is filled with thoughtful lyrics and a sonic landscape I found appealing, fresh and eclectic.

A few weeks ago, during the north east leg of Spafford’s tour, they invited Goose to open their shows. I had never heard of them, so I checked out their record on Spotify, and really dug what they they were doing. We even played a track on our weekly playlist on Spotify. They saw on Twitter that they were part of the playlist and reached out. I’m glad they did. Always great to hear from guys excited about the music they are making and the response they are getting. Goose is definitely a band we are going to keep on our radar, and you should too. Their current tour schedule and more is available at Gooseband.us.

I first came across SOJA, a reggae infused 8 piece outfit, back in 2009, when their third record Born in Babylon was released. Since that time, they have grown substantially and are a mainstay now on many festival dates, and continue to tour extensively. Poetry in Motion is actually their eighth record, and front man Jake Hemphill continues to deliver genuine, socially motivated lyrics in keeping with reggae’s tradition of thoughtful messaging. We caught up with Trevor Young, who has a unique story on how he became a full time member of the band.

Soulive has been a part of the quote unquote Jamband scene for quite some time now. The trio fuses hip-hop grooves, R&B melodies and jazz playing to deliver a unique sound onto its own. Each of them are terrific musicians and have gone on to busy careers in the larger music industry. Many of us have kept our eye and our ears on them, and have been waiting since 2012 for new recorded music from. They'd play the odd festival, their bowlive series at the brooklyn bowl each year, but the trio never committed any new music to recordings, as Soulive. Towards the end of last year, the trio went to Japan where they have a huge following to play some dates. While their they too came to the epiphany that they hadn't recorded in some time. As the story goes, thats what got them back in the studio. Recently I sat down with drummer Alan Evans to talk about just that.... and thats how our conversation started. While, Cinamtics Vol.1 is a great EP. I wish it was way longer. I am thrilled that they have developed a new formula for making music, and will hopefully make some time to record more.

The Ode is the title track from the Horseshoes and Hand Grenades latest release, and their first on Tape Time Records, the Infamous Stringduster's label. We had the very good fortune of sitting down with Adam Greuel to talk about the new record, the band's maturation process and of course being signed to a label fronted by the Infamous Stringdusters. Make no mistake about it, while this band is rooted in "old-timey" music, they, like many of their newgrass colleagues have expanded their sound. I dig Horseshoes & Hand Grenades quite a bit. Mostly because while Ode is such an eclectic  record, it does more or less stay in the pocket of newgrass, and thats a sound I am digging right now. You'll want to check out hhgmusic.com for tour dates and more. Show Notes First Song: 00:34 - The Ode Interview: 04:02  Closing Song: 28:50 - Eat the Cake

SIMO is a band that is difficult to define, and I am not sure you need to. They are a traditional power trio featuring namesake JD Simo on guitar with Elad Shapiro and Adam Abrashoff making up the rhythm section. We sat down with JD recently to get an understanding of why it is so hard to define his band. Intriguing and somewhat mysterious, marks that define a true artist. I suspect we will hear a lot more from SIMO as JD and the band continue to develop their sound.

The Animal Liberation Orchestra is one of those bands that you listen to, and they just instantly make you happy. This quartet features Dan Lebowitz on guitar and vocals, and when he isn’t playing with ALO he is quite busy in a whole host of projects. We caught up with Lebo as he’s affectionately known to talk ALO, his gigging with Phil Lesh and lots more. Seriously, Lebo is one in a million. A very sweet guy who had so much to share, and would have talked for hours if we asked him to. We’ll keep an eye out for new ALO music, and of course any projects Lebo comes in contact with. You’ll be able to catch him at the High Sierra music festival this summer. For more on ALO visit alomusic.com and for more on Lebo visit lebomusic.com.

I’ve been listening to The Mother Hips out of the Bay area for almost as long as I can remember. Their studio albums particularly Pacific Dust where “One Way Out” comes from is amongst my favorites of all time. While they been at this music thing for about twenty five years, the last five or so years, since the release of the album Chronicle Man have been filled with personal challenges, and thus we haven’t heard much from the band. As you’ll soon hear from Tim, working on a new record was a cathartic way to deal with the curveballs he and his band mates faced. I’ve only heard bits and pieces of Chorus thus far, I can tell you I am eagerly awaiting its release, and you should be too! For more on the Mother Hips you can visit the.motherhips.com.

Hannah Wicklund is a 20 year old that brings a very mature sonic presence, and I think you’ll agree both her playing and singing is solid for anyone of any age. Hannah wears her influences on her sleeve, and her 3rd record, this one self titled, will no doubt be her break through. We caught up with Hannah while she was on the road, and our conversations started when I asked just how young she was when she got started…

When we caught up with Devon Allman a few months back, he was all jazzed about his new project, and getting to share the stage with Duane Betts in the Devon Allman Project. We’ve been playing tag with Duane on Instagram ever since, and we finally had the chance to sit down and chat. Dude is busy with gigs on both American coasts. For those who don’t know, Duane is quite an accomplished musician, having played and sat in with countless bands, and his own outfit The Pistoleers. He brings an eclectic rock n’ roll sound that spans the genres, but there is absolutely no mistaking his guitar playing and now his singing. We spoke to Duane about carrying on his dad Dickie’s legacy, making music with Devon Allman, and of course his own projects.

Jim Cuddy has been toiling in the music business for 35 years, for the most part as a key member of Canandian alt-country, country, folk-rock outfit Blue Rodeo. He has written and co-written some of the past few decades most loved and iconic songs, and brings a tenderness in both his words and performance that envelopes you and makes you feel right at home. He has been recognized by both peers and Canadians with several accolades and awards for his work. I’d suggest his true reward is continuing to work at an art he is so good at. He recently released his 4th solo record Costellations, his most eclectic effort yet, that continues his legacy of writing genuine and authentic songs that paint beautiful portraits of the human condition. I had the chance to catch up with Jim as he prepared to tour the record across Canada, and he was as warm and honest with me as he is in his work.

Fruition has gone through tremendous change since it’s early days as an acoustic based string outfit in 2008, to a full fledged rock band. Maybe that’s why they enlisted noted producer Tucker Martine to help their sonic shifting moods for their fifth release. We caught up with Kellen Asebroek while on tour, to talk about the band’s metamorphosis and what the future holds.

You may recognize Alex Koford’s name, the front man of Colonel and The Mermaids,  because he spends most of his time as the drummer in Terrapin Family Band and Phil and Friends. Beyond those duties, he’s also the drummer at Terrapin Crossroads and plays in Cosmic Twang with friend of the show Ross James. We caught up with Alex after watching some his fun and frivolity on Instagram in Hawaii. We spoke to Alex just before two Phil shows in San Francisco. The conversation started when I asked him how he hooked up with Phil.   

The Wood Brothers 6th full length album One Drop of Truth, is already an early contender for one of my favorite records of 2018. Seriously, its that good. Which really shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone, considering how talented the Wood Brothers are. One Drop of Truth is due out February 2nd, and you really should listen to it at least once. I’ve worn the digital copy out, if there is even such a thing, playing it a ton in the car. For those that don’t already know the Woods brothers are a trio of made up of Oliver and Chris Wood and Jano Rix. I recently caught up with Oliver Wood, the lesser known of the Wood brothers in some circles, because many know his brother’s work in jazz trio Medeski, Martin and Wood. I’ve chatted with Oliver before, so it was great to hear his signature voice on the line. Our conversation started when I asked Oliver about the eclectic nature of this new record even though River Takes the Town is so much of their signature sound……   For more on the Wood Brothers including tour information visit thewoodbros.com. 

G.Love is actually Garrett Dutton, a Philadelphia native who toiled in clubs and bars playing his brand of hip hop blues before getting to Boston where he met the “special sauce” in 93. That connection propelled G. to his first record deal and 25 years later, the rest as they say is history. Since he is celebrating his 25th year, we sat down with the guy that’s played with all kinds of great people, but more to the point has made great music in his own right.G.Love and Special Sauce’s longevity in its various forms is absolutely a testament to their live performances, the community they have built around those shows and their fairly prolific recording history. Our conversation started when I asked Garret how the 25th anniversary was going….   You can check the tour schedule at philadelphonic.com or listen to their music wherever you stream tunes.

Something slightly different today. We’ve talked to members of bands like Pink Talking Fish, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead and even Dark Stark Orchestra, who by all accounts are tribute or cover acts that stick for the most part to one bands catalogue or in the case of PTF three bands. In Toronto and the surrounding area, there has been a ground swell of support over the last few years for a collective called Dwayne Gretzky, an ensemble that features a wide variety of covers in their shows. Sometimes, they even have theme nights like playing a 90s night, a Motown night etc. Dwayne, as they are known by their fans, recently played to a 3 thousand person crowd on New Years Eve. With a few dates coming up stateside, we decided it would be timely to catch up with Tyler Kyte the frontman and brains behind Dwayne Gretzky.  To learn more about Dwayne, surf on over to DwayneGreyzky.com. We’ve created a playlist for you to hear some of the songs that have been in and out of Dwayne Gretzky setlists at thesoundpodcast.com. 

The Sheepdogs’ sound is a familiar one, and this is a band that wears their influence on their sleeves, and don’t care. I’ve been following the career of The Sheepdogs for quite some time and we’ve shared many laughs along the way. Thats why I was excited to get bassist Ryan Gullen on phone to talk about their 6th studio album, and everything going on with them. Definitely blue collar types that love the music they write and play, and that genuine approach comes through in everything they do. If you’ve never heard of The Sheepdogs, you can check them out on all the music streaming services or at their website thesheepdogs.com. You’ll want to check out their touring schedule and be sure to see them when they hit your town.

When I sit down each week to compile The Sound Podcast’s Weekly Mix-Tape playlist, the goal is always to find artists and songs that fit the general philosophy of music that we love. Meaningful, inspirational tunes, that are genuine in their creation, and authentic in their sound. Obviously the playlist is compiled from songs and artists that we already know and love, but sometimes, I come across a new artist that is new to me, that may in fact may not be new to anyone else. Such apparently was the case when we added Sugar Queen by The Band of Heathens last week. I didn’t realize at the time, that the band had quite a large following and through there 13 years of writing and performing music they had honed their craft into quite a career. So I was elated to sit down with Ed Jurdi to talk about his band, The Band of Heathens, to learn more about them, their inspiration, and a whole lot more. For more visit bandofheathens.com, and do check them out when they visit your town, or on your favorite music streaming platform.  Show Notes: First Song:  1:04 - Sugar Queen (Live) Interview Begins: 06:04 Extro Song:  29:27 - Refugee (Live - Tom Petty cover)

I enjoy talking to solo performers, the singer-songwriter type, because there isn’t anything more genuine, than a performer and their guitar. When you peel the layers of any song, ultimately it’s that individuals ability to connect with their audience through their words, and the way they play their instrument that makes a lasting impact. I’m often in awe of the process, as much as the performance. So it was a treat to connect with Grayson Capps a man who you will soon hear doesn’t take his craft too seriously, but is serious about what he does.  I suspect we’ll be hearing a lot more of Grayson Capps but he might be the type of artist you have to seek out. I believe thats time well spent, cause his music is just so great. For more on Grayson visit graysoncapps.com. Show Notes:  First Song:  00:37 - Scarlett Roses Interview Begins: 05:00 Extro Song:  20:50 - Taos

Samantha Fish launched her career in 2009 and hasn’t looked back. She has cemented her place amongst up and comers in the blues world, and has begun branching out, playing other genres quite capably. That’s the thing these days, its hard to pigeon hole artists in one spot, and quite frankly as you’ll soon hear, they don’t necessarily want to placed in one specific bucket. She is a go getter, on the road, gigging and making a name for herself, as an original artist. When we caught up with Samantha, I asked about riding the wave of excitement that is certainly building around her…. For more on Samantha Fish, visit samanthafish.com.  Show Notes: First Song:  00:47 - Belle Of The West (taken from Belle of the West)  Interview Begins: 04:12 Extro Song:  19:52 - Daughters (taken from Belle of the West)  You can listen to this episode below, or by connecting and subscribing to one of the podcast platforms here or search your favorite podcast platform for “The Sound Podcast”; Itunes: http://bit.ly/sndpodi GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/sndplay Spotify: http://tsp.show/2ysMdHH TuneIn: http://bit.ly/sndti Stitcher: http://bit.ly/sndsti Check out The Sound Podcast on Youtube, and subscribe today.  Get The Sound Podcast for iOS: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/the-sound-podcast/id1255563328?mt=8 Get The Sound Podcast for Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nobexinc.wls_2975722995.rc&hl=en

You’ve been listening to parts of Touch of Grey, Truckin’, and Ripple taken from the musical Red Roses, Green Gold which features the music and lyrics of Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter. The musical has been getting rave reviews from both Deadheads and typical theatre goers alike, and so we thought, we’d sit down with Rachel Klein, the musical’s director to get her take on the Michael Norman Mann book adaptation, the show, and how things are going down in New York. The conversation started when I asked Rachel if she was familiar with the Garcia/Hunter canon before she started working on Red Roses Green Gold…   For more information on Red Roses, Green Gold visit redrosesgreengold.com    Show Notes:   First Song:  00:14 - Montage - Touch of Grey \> Truckin \> Ripple (from Red Roses, Green Gold)    Interview Begins: 01:02   Extro Song:  Cumberland Blues - 24:23 (Grateful Dead May 2, 1970 Harpur College, Binghampton, New York)  You can listen to this episode below, or by connecting and subscribing to one of the podcast platforms here or search your favorite podcast platform for “The Sound Podcast”; Itunes: http://bit.ly/sndpodi GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/sndplay Spotify: http://tsp.show/2ysMdHH TuneIn: http://bit.ly/sndti Stitcher: http://bit.ly/sndsti Check out The Sound Podcast on Youtube, and subscribe today.  Get The Sound Podcast for iOS: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/the-sound-podcast/id1255563328?mt=8 Get The Sound Podcast for Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nobexinc.wls_2975722995.rc&hl=en

You may not know the name, and if you do, you already know that this mysterious singer songwriter cloaks himself in an alias to stay as secretive as possible. Ironic, when you consider his songs are written and sung with such a genuine and authentic tone and mood. He is a modern day poet of the american landscape, and when we sat down to talk, I asked about just that, the potential political nature of his music, and the the reality with which he paints it.    Visit the whitebuffalo.com for more.    Show Notes:   First Song:  Avalon - 00:14 (from Darkest Darks, Lightest Lights)    Interview Begins: 02:59   Extro Song:  Nightstalker Blues - 20:08 (from Darkest Darks, Lightest Lights)  You can listen to this episode below, or by connecting and subscribing to one of the podcast platforms here or search your favorite podcast platform for “The Sound Podcast”; Itunes: http://bit.ly/sndpodi TuneIn: http://bit.ly/sndti Stitcher: http://bit.ly/sndsti GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/sndplay Check out The Sound Podcast on Youtube, and subscribe today.  Get The Sound Podcast for iOS: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/the-sound-podcast/id1255563328?mt=8 Get The Sound Podcast for Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nobexinc.wls_2975722995.rc&hl=en

One of our favourites around these parts is Neal Casal. You know him as the ace guitar player with Chris Robinson’s Brotherhood, but he’s also the brains behind the Circles around the Sun project. We’ve had him on the show before and enjoyed our chat, so when news broke that there were new Circles Around the Sun dates coming, we tracked him down to talk about those dates, a potential new Circles record and of course his full time job with the CRB.  Our conversation started when I asked Neal about the Circles Around the Sun dates in January…. It’s true, Neal is one of the hardest working men in the jam band scene. He takes his work seriously, and is a great follow on Instagram if you’re into photography. If you’re looking for more information on Circles Around the Sun head over to circlesaroundthesun.com. For more on CRB check out chrisrobinsonbrotherhood.com.   Show Notes:    First Song:  Gilbert’s Groove- 00:36 (taken from Circles around the Sun: Interludes for the Dead)    Interview Begins: 12:47   Extro Song: If You Had A Heart To Break - 25:38 (taken from Chris Robinson’s Brotherhood: Barefoot in the Head)      You can listen to this episode below, or by connecting and subscribing to one of the podcast platforms here or search your favorite podcast platform for “The Sound Podcast”; Itunes: http://bit.ly/sndpodi TuneIn: http://bit.ly/sndti Stitcher: http://bit.ly/sndsti GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/sndplay Check out The Sound Podcast on Youtube, and subscribe today.  Get The Sound Podcast for iOS: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/the-sound-podcast/id1255563328?mt=8 Get The Sound Podcast for Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nobexinc.wls_2975722995.rc&hl=en

I remember watching the tribute to Gregg Allman, Butch Trucks and Col. Bruce Hampton put on at the Peach Festival last summer, thinking that this one event didn’t do those three gentlemen especially Gregg and all he had done for us enough justice. Don’t get me wrong, I thought the jam was magnificent, but I wanted more. We all did. So it was so great to hear that Gregg’s son, Devon was organizing his own sort of tribute, as part of his new project with Duane Betts (yes, Duane, son of Dickie). I was psyched to get on the phone with Devon as soon as I heard the news, and luckily was able to track him down on Instagram. Since he is so prolific on social media our conversation started I asked how important the medium was for him. Devon is no doubt doing his dad proud and we are excited to hear all about the December 8th gig, and how the entire Devon Allman Project comes together, and indeed the world tour.  To learn more about the Devon Allman project, and the upcoming tour dates, incluidng the December 8th show in San Francisco, visit devonallmanproject.com and be sure to catch them on the road wherever you are.  You can listen to this episode below, or by connecting and subscribing to one of the podcast platforms here or search your favorite podcast platform for “The Sound Podcast”; Itunes: http://bit.ly/sndpodi TuneIn: http://bit.ly/sndti Stitcher: http://bit.ly/sndsti GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/sndplay Check out The Sound Podcast on Youtube, and subscribe today.  Get The Sound Podcast for iOS: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/the-sound-podcast/id1255563328?mt=8 Get The Sound Podcast for Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nobexinc.wls_2975722995.rc&hl=en

  You’ve likely heard of Karl Denson, the flutist and saxophonist who began his career with Lenny Kravitz, was involved in the Greyboy All-Stars and has guested with several other musicians both in a live and studio setting. He continues to expand his horizons with his own group, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe and the Karl Denson 3. He is currently experimenting with a project he calls “Eat a Bunch of Peaches” where Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe sprinkle their own versions of Allman Brothers songs into their set.  Karl is just back from playing in Europe with the Rolling Stones. When we sat down, the conversation started when I asked what it was like to play with the Stones….   You’ll definitely want to check out karldenson.com for music, upcoming tour dates and more.   Show Notes:    00:49 - Sweet Melissa 11:47 - Interview  34:11 - Seven Nation Army

Once in a while, we get thrown music our way, we play it, and sometimes are absolutely stunned about the great music that is being made everywhere. Once you hear Mapache, I think you’ll agree that their debut Spiritual Pajamas is that kind of band. The whole record is a throwback to that acoustic, harmonizing California sound made so popular in 60s by bands like Crosby, Stills and Nash, The Grateful Dead, Flying Burrito Brothers amongst others. Now if I tell you, the two guys in the band, Clay and Sam are barely in their twenties, you may wonder how they got to where they were. Who knows what the future holds for the dudes from Mapache, but I can tell you, I am psyched to see their story unfold, and listen to more great music.   For now head on over to mapachesounds.bandcamp.com to check out their music. You can listen to this episode below, or by connecting and subscribing to one of the podcast platforms here or search your favorite podcast platform for “The Sound Podcast”; Itunes: http://bit.ly/sndpodi TuneIn: http://bit.ly/sndti Stitcher: http://bit.ly/sndsti GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/sndplay Check out The Sound Podcast on Youtube, and subscribe today.  Get The Sound Podcast for iOS: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/the-sound-podcast/id1255563328?mt=8 Get The Sound Podcast for Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nobexinc.wls_2975722995.rc&hl=en Show Notes:    00:41 - Mountain Song (From Spiritual Pajamas) 05:18 - Interview  41:36 - Chico River (From Spiritual Pajamas)

Fresh off of three shows with Everyone Orchestra and a Fall tour with Marco Benevento I recently had the chance to sit down with bassist Karina Rykman. While she isn’t yet a household name, this up and comer is taking the scene by storm. When she isn’t playing, you can catch her spinning records at bars, or hanging out at many of the shows we all go to, or wish we were at. When we did sit down, I started by asking how she got involved with Marco in the first place.  We’ll be keeping an eye on Karina, and you can check our her site karinarykman.com or marcobenevento.com for upcoming dates.  You can listen to this episode below, or by connecting and subscribing to one of the podcast platforms here or search your favorite podcast platform for “The Sound Podcast”; Itunes: http://bit.ly/sndpodi TuneIn: http://bit.ly/sndti Stitcher: http://bit.ly/sndsti GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/sndplay Check out The Sound Podcast on Youtube, and subscribe today.  Get The Sound Podcast for iOS: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/the-sound-podcast/id1255563328?mt=8 Get The Sound Podcast for Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nobexinc.wls_2975722995.rc&hl=en Show Notes: 00:41 - At The Show - Live Woodstock Session 06:51 - Interview  41:36 - Follow Karina - Everyone Orchestra Show - Live From The Brooklyn Bowl on November 10, 2017.

While we have the memories and the music, the fact that so many great moments in our scene’s history have been captured on film in photos is another added bonus. More to the point, those that continue to document the ebbs and flows of the scene in photographs are doing incredible work. Thats the case for Bob Minkin who has spent decades following and photographing all of our beloved musicians and their fans. For him, it was a dream to move out to Marin County in northern California, to live amongst the community in its fiery core. And while he didn’t make out west from Brooklyn until 1990, he had been dreaming of that very thing from an early age, and as he recounts, it all started back in ‘77. What’s notable about Bob Minkin is that he continues to document the Marin County music scene and for that we should all be grateful. If you have a chance, check out themusicneverstoppedbook.com and for more on Bob and his work visit minkinphotography.com.  You can listen to this episode below, or by connecting and subscribing to one of the podcast platforms here or search your favorite podcast platform for “The Sound Podcast”; Itunes: http://bit.ly/sndpodi TuneIn: http://bit.ly/sndti Stitcher: http://bit.ly/sndsti GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/sndplay Check out The Sound Podcast on Youtube, and subscribe today.  Get The Sound Podcast for iOS: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/the-sound-podcast/id1255563328?mt=8 Get The Sound Podcast for Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nobexinc.wls_2975722995.rc&hl=en  

For many of us who have been fans of the music of this scene, it comes down to three very basic things; the community, the musicianship and the improvisation. So it’s a no brained that a project like Everyone Orchestra exists. It combines all three of those elements, so crucial to the jam band scene. I recently discussed the Everyone Orchestra concept with Matt Butler and our conversation started when I asked him to take us back to how the whole project began…. Learn more about Everyone Orchestra here! You can listen to this episode below, or by connecting and subscribing to one of the podcast platforms here or search your favorite podcast platform for “The Sound Podcast”; Itunes: http://bit.ly/sndpodi TuneIn: http://bit.ly/sndti Stitcher: http://bit.ly/sndsti GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/sndplay Check out The Sound Podcast on Youtube, and subscribe today.  Get The Sound Podcast for iOS: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/the-sound-podcast/id1255563328?mt=8 Get The Sound Podcast for Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nobexinc.wls_2975722995.rc&hl=en Show Notes: Show Notes:  00:57 - Jam - Recorded Live on November 4, 2017 in Sarasota Springs, NY 10:43 - Interview  40:57 - Sittin’ On Top Of The World - Recorded Live on March 11, 2017 in James Island, SC ​​​​​​​

You’ve heard all of the different terms for the new bluegrass music that’s popular amongst the Jam Band community, whether it’s new grass, progressive bluegrass, or jamgrass. Each of the bands in the re-emergence of this genre all bring a different flair to the table. The Yonder Mountain String Band, who have been at their craft since the late 90s have remained true to their original sound, though currently electrified. With Yonder Mountain String Band in town recently, I thought it only made sense to sit down and talk with two members, Jake and Dave about their sound, performing live, and much more. For more on Yonder Mountain String Band, visit yondermountain.com. You can listen to this episode below, or by connecting and subscribing to one of the podcast platforms here or search your favorite podcast platform for “The Sound Podcast”; Itunes: http://bit.ly/sndpodi TuneIn: http://bit.ly/sndti Stitcher: http://bit.ly/sndsti GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/sndplay Check out The Sound Podcast on Youtube, and subscribe today.  Get The Sound Podcast for iOS: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/the-sound-podcast/id1255563328?mt=8 Get The Sound Podcast for Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nobexinc.wls_2975722995.rc&hl=en Show Notes: 00:42 - Deep Pockets - Recorded Live in Toronto on November 3, 2017 03:45 - Interview  25:18 - All The Time - Recorded Live in Toronto on November 3, 2017

When you do anything for 20 years with a group of people you spend a great amount of time travelling, sleeping, eating and working with, you begin to build not only a strong bond, but also a connection to whatever it is you are doing. Such is the case for Umphrey’s McGee one of the most talked about bands in the scene. With their 11th studio album due out in January, I had the opportunity to sit down with Joel Cummins to talk about about that record “it’s not us”, and their 20th anniversary. If you know Umphrey’s McGee, and know their music, you’re bound to agree that “The Silent Type” may be one of their most accessible songs to date. In fact “it’s not us” is filled with all kinds of music that really honed in on the band’s songwriting ability and musicianship. Joel Cummins has been with the band since day one, and when we sat down to chat the conversation naturally started with questions bout being together for 20 years…. You can learn more about Umphrey’s McGee at Umphreys.com.   You can listen to this episode below, or by connecting and subscribing to one of the podcast platforms here or search your favorite podcast platform for “The Sound Podcast”; Itunes: http://bit.ly/sndpodi TuneIn: http://bit.ly/sndti Stitcher: http://bit.ly/sndsti GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/sndplay Check out The Sound Podcast on Youtube, and subscribe today.  Get The Sound Podcast App: http://bit.ly/TSPAPPS Show Notes:  00:46 - The Silent Type - Taken from Umphrey’s McGee’s upcoming record “it’s not us” 04:14 Interview  40:26 Ringo - Taken from a live performance November 3rd, 2017 in Madison, Wisconsin

The Barr Brothers, are a pair of brothers originally from Rhode Island, who now make Montreal home. While they have been at this new construct for about 6 years, you may remember their former group, The Slip. I first met the Barr Brothers almost 6 years to the day, and have watched, rather listened to the growth in the music ever since.    You can learn more about to The Barr Brothers here!   You can listen to this episode below, or by connecting and subscribing to one of the podcast platforms here or search your favorite podcast platform for “The Sound Podcast”; Itunes: http://bit.ly/sndpodi TuneIn: http://bit.ly/sndti Stitcher: http://bit.ly/sndsti GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/sndplay Check out The Sound Podcast on Youtube, and subscribe today.  Get The Sound Podcast App: http://bit.ly/TSPAPPS Show Notes:  00:53 - Queens of the Breakers  - Taken from Queens of the Breakers 05:47 - Interview  31:32 - Defibrillation - Taken from Queens of the Breakers

Had the opportunity to sit down with Mark Karan recently. For those of you who don’t know, Mark rose to prominence in the Deadhead community after stints with The Other Ones and Ratdog. A Bay area musician, Karan currently keeps busy with many very cool projects. including LiveDead69, a solo record and generally jamming with cool individuals around the Bay area.

There’s busy, and then there is the Infamous Stringdusters who have already played 110 shows this year and have at least twenty more to go as they run up to a New Years Eve gig in Aspen Colorado. Amidst this torrid pace, they are set to release a collection of songs, a follow up EP to their first Undercover EP. This one, is slightly more eclectic than the first, covering songs by Marvin Gaye, Daft Punk, The Allman Brothers Band, My Morning Jacket and… the Cure. While they are a band certainly rooted in Bluegrass music, as you’ll soon hear, that is just a starting point to the kind of music the “dusters” as they are affectionately called want to be. I recently sat down and chatted with Andy Falco to get his take on the journey, the music and much more. Our conversation started when I asked if he envisioned sold out crowds and massive popularity in and outside the bluegrass community….  More Links:  Infamous Stringdusters on Youtube. Infamous Stringdusters on Spotify. Infamous Stringdusters on Facebook. You can listen to this episode below, or by connecting and subscribing to one of the podcast platforms here or search your favorite podcast platform for “The Sound Podcast”; Itunes: http://bit.ly/sndpodi TuneIn: http://bit.ly/sndti Stitcher: http://bit.ly/sndsti GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/sndplay Check out The Sound Podcast on Youtube, and subscribe today.  Get The Sound Podcast App: http://bit.ly/TSPAPPS Notes:    00:47 - Just Like Heaven taken from Undercover Vo.2  04:46 - Interview 43:26 - A Hard Life Makes A Good Song taken from Laws of Gravity Live

Lettuce a funk collective known for their infectious live performances, took a sonic turn last year at the Catskill Chill in Lakewood Pennsylvania and completed a set of music, a tribute to the late great Miles Davis one of their most beloved influences. Seven tracks from that performance will be released on October 13th, as part of a hand-picked live record called Witches Stew. During a break in Lettuce’s tour schedule I had the chance to catch up with trumpeter Eric Bloom to discuss the Witches Stew project, Miles Davis’ impact on the music he and Lettuce make, and much more. I started by asking Eric about filling the shoes of Reshawn Ross, one time trumpeter of Lettuce who now hangs with the Dave Matthews Band….  For more on Lettuce visit lettucefunk.com and be sure to check out Witches Stew when it becomes available on October 13th.  More Links:  Lettuce on Youtube. Lettuce on Spotify. Lettuce on Facebook. You can listen to this episode below, or by connecting and subscribing to one of the podcast platforms here or search your favorite podcast platform for “The Sound Podcast”; Itunes: http://bit.ly/sndpodi TuneIn: http://bit.ly/sndti Stitcher: http://bit.ly/sndsti GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/sndplay Check out The Sound Podcast on Youtube, and subscribe today.  Get The Sound Podcast App: http://bit.ly/TSPAPPS Notes:  00:41 - Shhh Peaceful - taken from Witches Brew  11:07 - Interview  31:07 - Mt. Crushmore - taken from a live performance in Dallas, Texas 9-22-17   

Jackie Greene is one of those artists who you hear and think, “hey this guys sounds great, who is it”? And then when you find out who it is you say to yourself, “oh yeah, that guy, he’s awesome”. There is no question that Jackie has a knack for writing songs with a story. His talent as a storyteller is only surpassed by his ability to play and sing those genuine songs he creates. If you know his work, you know I’m right, if you’ve never heard him, have a listen to our conversation, and some of his music.

Pigeons Playing Ping Pong are all about raw, emotional fun. I really dig their sound and you will to. Like most jam bands today, they blend all kinds of genres but they are rooted in a very sassy funk groove. We recently sat down with front man Greg Ormont to talk about their upcoming release Pizazz and a whole lot more. The conversation started just after I watched their Lockn’ set, and I asked Greg to recall how awesome that set was…… You can listen to this episode below, or by connecting and subscribing to one of the podcast platforms here or search your favorite podcast platform for “The Sound Podcast”; Itunes: http://bit.ly/sndpodi TuneIn: http://bit.ly/sndti Stitcher: http://bit.ly/sndsti GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/sndplay Get The Sound Podcast App: http://bit.ly/TSPAPPS

Something a little different today as we sit down with rock n’ roll photographer Jay Blakesberg. If you’re a fan of The Grateful Dead, The Jam Band scene or frankly rock music since the 80s, you have no doubt scene Jay’s work in Relix and Rolling Stone Magazine, never mind the dozens of album covers and books he has done. He is an absolute treasure and a man full of many incredible stories. With a book, Eyes of the World: a compendium of Grateful Dead photographs from 65 - 95 on its way, and several other ambitious projects coming soon, we decided to sit down with Jay to uncover his story and a whole lot more.  You can listen to this episode below, or by connecting and subscribing to one of the podcast platforms here or search your favorite podcast platform for “The Sound Podcast”; Itunes: http://bit.ly/sndpodi TuneIn: http://bit.ly/sndti Stitcher: http://bit.ly/sndsti GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/sndplay Get The Sound Podcast App: http://bit.ly/TSPAPPS

If you like you like the Jam Bands that rock hard, but are indescribable in terms of one true sound, you’re already well aware of Dopapod. Blending deep grooves, with hard hitting percussion and catchy guitar licks, creative keyboard playing, wild song structure and interesting lyrics. The genre actually doesn’t matter these guys are totally cool and really fascinating. Don’t forget to check them out at dopapod.com for news about Megagem and their tour schedule. You definitely want to see them when they hit your town.  You can listen to this episode below, or by connecting and subscribing to one of the podcast platforms here or search your favorite podcast platform for “The Sound Podcast”; Itunes: http://bit.ly/sndpodi TuneIn: http://bit.ly/sndti Stitcher: http://bit.ly/sndsti GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/sndplay Get The Sound Podcast App: http://bit.ly/TSPAPPS

If you don’t know the name, you should, because he’s played with just about everyone in the Jam band community, and the bigger community. From Eric Clapton to Robert Randolph, Phil Lesh, and Bob Weir amongst others. Crosby’s resume looks like a who’s who of rock hall of famers and potential ones. A multi-instrumentalist who has done his duty both on the road and in the studio, we sat down with Jason Crosby to learn more about his latest release Cryptologic.  You can listen to this episode below, or by connecting and subscribing to one of the podcast platforms here or search your favorite podcast platform for “The Sound Podcast”; Itunes: http://bit.ly/sndpodi TuneIn: http://bit.ly/sndti Stitcher: http://bit.ly/sndsti GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/sndplay Get The Sound Podcast App: http://bit.ly/TSPAPPS

This band’s name in and of itself should evoke fun and frivolity, but giving Organ Freeman a listen will no doubt get you up and dancing. The three piece organ based trio brings a frenzied soul and funk attack that I’m sure you’ll appreciate. We recently had the chance to sit down with Trevor Steer the chief protagonist given that he’s the keys and organ player in Organ Freeman recently, to get his take on the project and their new album Respect My Art. We started by asking him how their sophomore release’s sound was so different from their first record…. 

When I sat down with John Kadlecik, I wasn’t entirely sure how the conversation would go, and certainly wasn’t sure how he’d respond to some of the questions I had. There is no doubt he is an extremely talented guitar player and vocalist, but stepping into the shoes or at least performing the work of Jerry Garcia on a regular basis is no easy feat. Couple that with the ferocious tour schedule and constant playing, I suspected John was going to be a touch ornery. Turns out, he was awesome, and had lots to share. For the uninitiated, John founded Dark Star Orchestra along with several other bands, and was the lead guitar player for Further with Bob Weir and Phil Lesh.  You can learn more about John and his tour schedule on his website here!  You can listen to this episode below, or by connecting and subscribing to one of the podcast platforms here or search your favorite podcast platform for “The Sound Podcast”; Itunes: http://bit.ly/sndpodi TuneIn: http://bit.ly/sndti Stitcher: http://bit.ly/sndsti GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/sndplay Get The Sound Podcast App: http://bit.ly/TSPAPPS

We recently caught up with Andrew Altman the bass player for Railroad Earth to talk about the misconceptions about the band, the new grass revival, recording a record with Warren Haynes and much more. It was a robust conversation that started when I asked Andrew about the rigours of being on the road A LOT….. You can listen to this episode below, or by connecting and subscribing to one of the podcast platforms here or search your favorite podcast platform for “The Sound Podcast”; Itunes: http://bit.ly/sndpodi TuneIn: http://bit.ly/sndti Stitcher: http://bit.ly/sndsti GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/sndplay Get The Sound Podcast App: http://bit.ly/TSPAPPS

The day Gregg Allman left us, I was personally rocked, having grown up listening to the Allman Brothers Band, meeting Gregg on a couple of occasions and seeing not only the “Brothers” live but also The Gregg Allman Band. His legacy and work will live on, as one of the finest blues vocalists and musicians we will ever know. We sat down with Michael Lehman Gregg’s manager to learn more about the posthumous release of Southern Blood and Gregg Allman.  You can listen to this episode below, or by connecting and subscribing to one of the podcast platforms here or search your favorite podcast platform for “The Sound Podcast”; Itunes: http://bit.ly/sndpodi TuneIn: http://bit.ly/sndti Stitcher: http://bit.ly/sndsti GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/sndplay Get The Sound Podcast App: http://bit.ly/TSPAPPS  

One of the things I love most about The Sound Podcast is the really wide and diverse music we get to listen to, and talking to the artists who share their craft with us. Such is the case with Tauk a quartet from New York who mix all kinds of genres for explosive sometimes hard hitting instrumental jams. We recently sat down with AC Carter who plays keyboards and guitarist Matt Jalbert of Tauk. The discussion started when I asked Matt how the band hones their sound……    You can listen to this episode below, or by connecting and subscribing to one of the podcast platforms here or search your favorite podcast platform for “The Sound Podcast”; Itunes: bit.ly/sndpodi TuneIn: bit.ly/sndti Stitcher: bit.ly/sndsti GooglePlay: bit.ly/sndplay Get The Sound Podcast App: bit.ly/TSPAPPS  

I know you’ve heard Cory Wong play, because who isn’t a fan of his full time project Vulfpeck. With time away from the band, and deciding to stretch his creative muscle, Cory put together a pretty neat project called The Green Sc   reen Band. We recently sat down with Cory to get the low down on the Green Screen project, but I started with asking him how he liked Toronto since he was recently here with Vulfpek.   You can listen to this episode below, or by connecting and subscribing to one of the podcast platforms here or search your favorite podcast platform for “The Sound Podcast”; Itunes: bit.ly/sndpodi TuneIn: bit.ly/sndti Stitcher: bit.ly/sndsti GooglePlay: bit.ly/sndplay Get The Sound Podcast App: bit.ly/TSPAPPS

We were all set to talk with Mungion last week but unfortunately something went horribly wrong for them, so we had to reschedule. Their entire van and trailer were stolen in Detroit just before they were set to head cross country for their first headlining tour. Wisely, they’ve started a GoFundMe campaign, and are putting their best foot forward and continuing with their tour plans. I sat down with Justin Reckamp to get the low down on the band, and their plans moving forward.  You can listen to this episode below, or by connecting and subscribing to one of the podcast platforms here or search your favorite podcast platform for “The Sound Podcast”; Itunes: http://bit.ly/sndpodi TuneIn: http://bit.ly/sndti Stitcher: http://bit.ly/sndsti GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/sndplay Get The Sound Podcast App: http://bit.ly/TSPAPPS

Living Colour is a band thats been in your ear for almost 30 years and for good reason. Though you wouldn’t immediately fit them in any specific musical box, nor should you, they continue to make sonically bombastic records with a hugely important political agenda. Their latest was four years in the making so it made sense to sit down with vocalist Corey Glover before the album Shade comes out September 9th. I started by asking why the record took so long to make….  You can listen to this episode below, or by connecting and subscribing to one of the podcast platforms here or search your favorite podcast platform for “The Sound Podcast”; Itunes: http://bit.ly/sndpodi TuneIn: http://bit.ly/sndti Stitcher: http://bit.ly/sndsti GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/sndplay Get The Sound Podcast App: http://bit.ly/TSPAPPS

With the proliferation and abundance of music at an all time high, it’s almost impossible not to find something new and exciting on the music platforms we listen to. It’s also easier than ever to go back and listen to stuff you may have forgotten about or put aside years ago. That was certainly the case for me, when I remembered the name Antibalas, and the Afrobeat music this ensemble makes. Different incarnations of the band or individual performers have literally played with a who’s who of the music industry, but remembering the band’s name got me in the mood to check them out again. I recently sat down with the ring leader for lack of a better word of Antibalas baritone sax player Martin Pera. You can listen to this episode below, or by connecting and subscribing to one of the podcast platforms here or search your favorite podcast platform for “The Sound Podcast”; Itunes: http://bit.ly/sndpodi TuneIn: http://bit.ly/sndti Stitcher: http://bit.ly/sndsti GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/sndplay Get The Sound Podcast App: http://bit.ly/TSPAPPS

The Jamband community is so diverse in it’s talent that when you see someone you know about or even have never heard of, step up and play with other musicians you enjoy so much, you get super psyched. That’s certainly the case when we caught Anders Osborne playing with Sandy Kosek and Randy Rothman of the Jerry Garcia Almost Acoustic Band accompanied by Travis Book and Chris Pandolfi of the Infamous Stringdusters at Jerry Garcia’s 75th birthday celebrations at Red Rocks a few weeks ago. We’ve been following Anders for quite some time so it was a thrill to catch up with him and hear about that performance and what he’s up to now, including his plans to open for Bonnie Raitt and an upcoming tour with Jackie Greene. We started though with that Red Rocks performance…. You can listen to this episode below, or by connecting and subscribing to one of the podcast platforms here or search your favorite podcast platform for “The Sound Podcast”; Itunes: http://bit.ly/sndpodi TuneIn: http://bit.ly/sndti Stitcher: http://bit.ly/sndsti GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/sndplay Get The Sound Podcast App: http://bit.ly/TSPAPPS

Sometimes you have to go a long way from home and try things way out of your comfort zone, to ultimately reach your goals…. that’s the case for Ross James a Bay Area guitar and pedal steel player who grew up listening to punk rock and country in his home state of Michigan. He left shortly after high school to live with his sister specifically for the warmer weather. As fate would have it, he wound up working with a Bay Area legend in Phil Lesh and his family. Now Ross is set to release a solo record one I think is quite good. We caught up with Ross to get the low down on the bushy bearded guy with dark glasses we often see around Phil Lesh. You can listen to this episode below, or by connecting and subscribing to one of the podcast platforms here or search your favorite podcast platform for “The Sound Podcast”; Itunes: http://bit.ly/sndpodi TuneIn: http://bit.ly/sndti Stitcher: http://bit.ly/sndsti GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/sndplay Get The Sound Podcast App: http://bit.ly/TSPAPPS

If you don’t know Hayley Jane yet, you will, I promise. And after you listen to this conversation we had a few weeks back, I guarantee you will be scouring the internet for videos and other music. She is, an artist, who doesn’t fit into any pre-conceived boxes. What separates her though from other young singers in the business, besides her immense talent and range, is her background in musical theatre which provides an electric on stage presence. We caught up with Hayley at her home in Burlington Vermont….. after a whirlwind at Moedown…..    You can listen to this episode below, or by connecting and subscribing to one of the podcast platforms here or search your favorite podcast platform for “The Sound Podcast”; Itunes: http://bit.ly/sndpodi TuneIn: http://bit.ly/sndti Stitcher: http://bit.ly/sndsti GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/sndplay Get The Sound Podcast App: http://bit.ly/TSPAPPS

It’s hot in Arizona these days and we’re not exclusively talking about the weather. Spafford a four piece rock act out of Phoenix are catching fire. Since 2012, they’ve been making a name for themselves the old fashioned way, touring extensively. Initially in the south western United States and now all across the country. We sat down with Brian Moss and Cameron Laforest recently to get the low down on Cam’s addition to the band, their busy schedule and a whole lot more…..   You can listen to this episode below, or by connecting and subscribing to one of the podcast platforms here or search your favorite podcast platform for “The Sound Podcast”; Itunes: http://bit.ly/sndpodi TuneIn: http://bit.ly/sndti Stitcher: http://bit.ly/sndsti GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/sndplay Get The Sound Podcast App: http://bit.ly/TSPAPPS

In case you don’t already know, Hard Working Americans is an all-star cast of characters fronted by Todd Snider, that also includes Daniel Sproul, Chad Staehly, Jesse Aycock, Duane Trucks and Dave Schools. We recently sat down with bassist and producer extrodinaire, Dave Schools fresh off Widespread Panic’s record setting time at Red Rocks to talk about We’re All in This Together, Hard Working Americans in general, and a whole lot more. We started with a bit on Widespread and jumped right in…..   You can listen to this episode below, or by connecting and subscribing to one of the podcast platforms here or search your favorite podcast platform for “The Sound Podcast”; Itunes: http://bit.ly/sndpodi TuneIn: http://bit.ly/sndti Stitcher: http://bit.ly/sndsti GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/sndplay Get The Sound Podcast App: http://bit.ly/TSPAPPS

On the heels of a great trip to Boston to see Dead and Company I had the fortunate opportunity to sit down with Dennis McNally long time publicist for the Grateful Dead. With Amir Bar-Lev’s Long Strange Trip still fresh on my mind, I began the conversation with Dennis asking if four hours could possibly capture the depth of the Grateful Dead history…… If you want to check out Susana Millman’s book “Alive with the Dead” you can head to her website here.

You’ve heard his incredible work, in Soulive and before that Lettuce, but perhaps you don’t know enough about Eric Krasno.  He has risen to become a sought after Grammy award winning writer and producer that plays with virtually everyone on the jam scene. When he’s not hanging with Aaron Neville, 50 Cent and Norah Jones, Krasno finds the time work on his own projects. His wide swath of inspiration comes from a wide variety of sources and it was a thrill to sit down with him to talk shop…..

While he certainly has the musical pedigree, this Lesh is making his own mark with a great band that features outstanding 3 part harmonies, great songs and a really great vibe. We’ve had a chance to listen to their latest release “Under the Lights” due out June 16th and we were thoroughly impressed with the playing and memorable songs. I sat down with Grahame to get an understanding of where the band is at in their very early career. We talked about that, the song making process, their residency at Terrapin Crossroads and more. 

Since his debut record for this project “Beathoven” put out, Reed Mathis has assembled a hot band dubbed Electric Beathoven and taken his latest project on the road. To be clear, Electric Beathoven is an improvisational rock band that is guided by the works of Beathoven and for the debut record they are particularly inspired by his Symphony #3 and # 6. There isn’t anything more I can say about this project but wow, so I was psyched to sit down and chat with Reed who offered all kinds of interesting takes and insights…..

Describing Turkuaz as a pure funk band doesn’t do the musicians in this band enough justice, they play it all. Favorites on the Jamband Festival scene, these guys know how to bring the party wherever they go. I had a chance to sit down with Dave Brandwein the front man for the group just before they left for Bonnaroo……..

Nicole is an incredible vocalist and songwriter who’s taken some time since her last record Slow Phaser, to get married, figure out life and write new material. We’ve always been a big fan of her work, and the fact that she’s joined Joe Russo’s Almost Dead on stage makes us appreciate her even more! We sat down to talk to her about the delay between records, writing music and her performances with JRAD…..

The aptly named “Kimock” is the current muse of guitar magician Steve Kimock and includes his son John Morgan Kimock on drums, long time collaborator Bobby Vega on bass and Leslie Mendelson. It was a gigantic thrill to sit down with Steve to catch up on his goings on and to pick his brain on a variety of subjects including recent stints with Bob Weir and other projects he is working on. 

Leslie Mendelson is a Grammy nominated artist that is not as a house hold name but should be! Her 2009 debut Swan Feathers did receive accolades and through all kinds of crummy circumstance we’ve waited a long time for a follow up. The good news is, the tide has turned and Leslie with the help from some notable friends is well on the path to certain creative justice.  She recently released Love & Murder, a haunting and memorable solo album, that is absolutely gorgeous We sat down to discuss the new record, and the goings on her life now and the very bright future.

What a LONG STRANGE TRIP is the title of the new Amir Bar-Lev authorized documentary of the Grateful Dead that I caught at the HOT DOC’s screening here in Toronto just a few nights ago. To say it’s a trip doesn’t do this four hour long look at our beloved band justice. The film takes you from the very earliest days of the Mother McCree Uptown Jug Band to the unfortunate end with Jerry Garcia’s passing and everthing in between. I had the opportunity to sit down with both Director Amir Bar-Lev and friend of the show Grateful Dead archivist David Lemieux to get some insight into the making of the film and the Grateful Dead story. 

Though they aren’t a household name yet, I predict big things for Southern Avenue, a Memphis based Blues, R&B, Gospel, Soul quintet, who have burst on the scene virtually out of nowhere. While their sound is tried and true, their story is a little less conventional.I sat down with Ori Naftaly to get the goods on Southern Avenue and their quick rise……

I sat down with Neal Casal guitar player extraordinaire for the Chris Robinson Brotherhood to get his take on what the Betty Blends project, an update on CRB’s forthcoming release and a few other items including information on a potential new Circles Around the Sun release. We started though talking about what it’s like to work with the legendary Betty Cantor Jackson….

I would imagine innovating a sound, or rather pioneering a sound and then making your own by mastering it night after night can be a tiring task. That isn’t to say The New Deal, a live electronic band got bored of what they were doing, rather, they decided to improvise another career path. So in April 2011 after 12 years of playing hundreds of show, they took a collective deep breath and went away to work on other projects.  Since that time, they’ve recorded and played a few festivals and continue to jam together now in a retooled incarnation, with being inventive and fresh still their motivation. I caught up with Jamie Shields the keyboard player for a the New Deal to get the scoop on their current goings on….

I’ve been following the trajectory of Tom Hamilton’s career ever since his Brother’s Past days in the late 90s back at the Wetlands in New York. Since that time he has moved on to form a new band American Babies and is one of two guitar players and vocalists in Joe Russo’s Almost Dead . I’ve always heard he’s fairly outspoken about the music he makes and the general jamband scene and was excited to talk to a young veteran of said scene about all his current projects including American Babies, Electron and of course JRAD……

If there was ever a musician’s musician, a spiritual leader for the likes of Phish, Blues Traveler, Derek Trucks and the like, that individual is Col. Bruce Hampton (Retired). He has had a storied music and movie career, and is absolutely a genius for those who know and understand. His tutelage and guidance to musicians reads like a who’s who of the jamband community. When I sat down to talk to him, I had no idea where the conversation would go, but it was, as he is, legendary.  

Imagine living in the shadows of the world’s premiere jambands. That’s the case for Twiddle who hail from Vermont and often compared to Phish pioneers in the improvisational jamband scene. The truth though, is that the only thing worth of comparison is the extensive touring and playing the bands do. Both have their own community, musical style (funk, reggae, bluegrass, rock) and sensibilities. I sat down with Brook Jordan, Twiddle’s drummer to learn more about the band, and get his take on the comparison. 

Show opens with an interesting take on The Grateful Dead’s Bertha. Though they are relatively fresh on the jamband scene Aqueous has quickly built up a reputation as a solid groove band who has toured and played many festivals around North America. Hailing from Buffalo New York, the quartet has shared the stage with the likes of Umphrey’s McGee, Twiddle and others. I sat down with Mike Gantzer to learn about the band’s formation, and overall story….. 

The Dark Star Orchestra in it’s 20 year existence has become the premier Grateful Dead tribute band. Playing a show from the band’s history each night, has rekindled a fan base’s love for the music and it’s community. Jeff Mattson has played the role of Jerry Garcia for 7 of those years. We sat down and talked to Jeff about his role and a whole lot more. 

Given his lineage, prowess and ability, it’s no surprise that teaming with his equally gifted wife Susan Tedeschi was bound to create an extremely rewarding project for Derek Trucks. 7 years in The Tedeschi Trucks Band has proven to be a musical tour de force (pun intended) and is now his sole focus. So when we sat down to talk about the Tedeschi Trucks upcoming live release Live from Oakland at The Fox which is also a must see film, I wasn’t surprised that he’s excited about where things are at….

When blues musician Susan Tedeschi joined forces with her ace guitar playing husband Derek Trucks to create the Tedeschi Trucks Band 7 years ago, it was a matched made in musical heaven all over again. With the Tedeschi Trucks Band set to release their second live album and first concert film Live from Oakland at The Fox, I had the opportunity to catch up with Susan and asked if things 7 years are going as expected….

Inspiration can come from all kinds of places. When Adam and his brother Matthew decided to put together Jazz is Phish, they weren’t only inspired by the music of Phish, but also the Jazz is Dead project. The idea to bring a jazz sensibility to Phish’s music seemed like a natural way to tackle the band they love and the music they make.

You may know her name from her work with The Trey Anastasio Band, but Natalie Cressman’s work with that group, only scratches the surface of her ability and story. We had a chance to sit down with her to talk about this trombonist solo work, her time with TAB and much more. 

We started The Sound Podcast to give rise to music and musicians inspired by the Grateful Dead and the Jamband community. In my little Deadhead community, Mars Hotel is doing just that. Friends? Sure. Musicians? Positively. A great vibe? Absolutely. We sat down with Mars Hotel last week after a rehearsal and got the scoop on what makes them tick. 

Blackberry Smoke are a rock n roll band out of Georgia, that contend with an old notion that a band, of its stature needs to fit into some neat marketing box of yesteryear. Charlie Starr the band’s front man knows exactly what they are, and thats how our conversation started…  

Living beyond the borders of where your favorite bands make and tour their music can be a touch annoying. Sure there are always opportunities to travel, but being able to hear the music you love with your community in your own town is also easiest. Those were the thoughts of Rich Grossman who fronts The Lizards, Canada’s Premiere Phish Tribute Band out of Toronto. 

You may recognize Marco’s name from his work with the Benevento/Russo duo, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead and countless other projects. It’s his solo projects that Marco Benevento though may be most excited by. When you are as accomplished as Marco Benevento is, making records and touring is just part of life. We sat down recently to discuss his new live record The Woodstock Sessions out February 17th. Since he’s on the road with the trio he fronts we also talked about touring, his evolution as a musician and much more. 

David Gans is a radio host, a writer, a musician, a lecturer and a historian. Few people have lived a professional life inspired by the Grateful Dead and their fans. You probably recognize his name as the host of the syndicated radio show the Grateful Dead Hour or his Sirius XM Show with Gary Lambert. David though, is a serious musician in his own right and his written extensively about the band as well. 

Scott Metzger has played guitar with a diverse group including Trixie Whitely, Phil Lesh and Trey Anastasio amongst others. Aside from also participating in Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, Metzger fronts Wolf! A trio that came to be after he and the other two guys now in Wolf were left stranded without a singer one fateful night….I asked Scott how it all happened….

You’ve heard of supergroups before, like bands that are formed by musicians from other groups. But what if an entire band’s repertoire was formed by other groups. Yes, that would be SUPER. Pink Talking Fish is that band, a group that fuses the music of Pink Floyd, Talking Heads and Phish. It’s craziness I tell ya, and worth a listen. 

Scott Sharrard isn’t a household name, and thats definitely a mistake. Being the music director and lead guitar player for the Gregg Allman Band is in fact only the tip of the iceberg for this very talented musician. This guy has learnt his craft with some of the great bluesman like Pinetop Perkins, Buddy Miles, Luther Alison to name just a few. When you hear Scott talk about his passion for the music he has become a servant of, you will get more than just the tip of that iceberg. 

While the Deadhead community has certainly borne witness to some incredible music and tales from the road, few have documented both the factual history and the fabled oral history of the band it’s community.  Scott Allen though, the author of Aces Back to Back has captured that history, and continues to share great insight and anecdotes on his facebook page of the same name. 

To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Grateful Dead’s debut album, Rhino Records have released a special re-issue of the album, coupled with a live as yet unreleased recording of the Grateful Dead’s appearance at the Trips Festival in Vancouver in July 1966. We had a chance to sit down with Grateful Dead archivist David Lemieux to talk about this release and his own set of archival releases Dave’s Picks…… 

A friend of mine, who's opinion I trust implicitly when it comes to music, encouraged me to give The Marcus King Band a spin. What came out of my speakers almost immediately was a sound all too familiar, raging guitar, pleasing horn lines and the sweet sound of the Hammond b. I got up, I danced and I put the first track on repeat for hours. If you're a fan of Warren Haynes and Gov't Mule, Derek Trucks, The Allman Brothers Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Marshall Tucker Band, and other great R&B, Blues, and southern rock acts, you will be up and dancing too.....

Don’t judge a book by it’s cover. In fact, if you do, you may miss Levi Robin’s sound entirely. This up and coming singer-songwriter needs to be heard. His songs are beautiful, combining mindful lyrics, a soulful sound and very distinct guitar player. We sat down with Levi to learn more. You can listen to everything else here: https://soundcloud.com/levirobin and follow his exploits at levirobin.com

Imagine being so curious and transfixed by a live performance of a song by one of your favorite bands that you spend hours, transcribing and re-conceiving that song into something equally spectacular. Holly Bowling’s story takes a huge shift on July 31st, 2013 after experiencing the Tahoe Tweezer from Phish and her new journey begins. You can pick up Holly’s music here: CD / LP: http://bit.ly/blulp iTunes: http://bit.ly/hoboblu Spotify: http://bit.ly/hoboblu16 Catch Holly on tour: http://bit.ly/hobotixs