The City's Backyard

We check in with legendary drummer Carmine Appice ( Vanilla Fudge, Cactus, Beck, Bogart, Appice...Rod Stewart, Ozzy) this month to chat about the new CACTUS album.... it album merges the current members of Cactus with a big-name, star laden, ensemble of guest artists, all of whom have called the group among their biggest influences.    Featured along with the current Cactus band is a who’s who of...

  Alex Henry Foster and Momoka released their highly anticipated LP, Kimiyo , and have quickly secured top positions on multiple US and Canadian Billboard charts . Foster’s unique blend of introspective lyricism and captivating melodies has landed Kimiyo the #1 spot on the Canadian Alternative Albums chart and secured the #2 spots on Canadian Top Current Albums , Top Canadian Album Sales and Billb...

Singer\Songwriter\Guitarist Robert LaRoche, began performing professionally at age 15. Originally from Holyoke, Massachusetts, LaRoche formed Power Pop sensations The Sighs in 1982. After 10 years of touring the college\club circuit of New England, the Sighs were signed to Virgin Records and released their debut cd “What Goes On” in 1992. The disc received fantastic reviews and the single “Think A...

Liberty DeVitto Born and raised in New York City, USA… Liberty’s drumming journey began at the tender age of 14, when he was first inspired to play after watching the now world famous Ed Sullivan performance by the Beatles back  in 1964… He never looked back since then, eventually working his way up the ranks to that coveted hot seat with Billy Joel, forming a fruitful musical bond that would span...

Special Guest Dan Halen from Mullett! For over a decade now, Mullett has proven themselves time and time again to be THE Premier Rockers for Hair Band fanatics and lovers of Rock ‘n’ Roll all over the world.  By delivering the best of the 1980’s in Big Hair and faithful renditions, Mullett recreates the vibe of those times with unrivaled passion and conviction.  From corporate functions and privat...

HELL'S BELLES are first and foremost dedicated AC/DC fanatics. This is what we all have in common. We're all part of a huge community of devotees to one of the greatest rock-n-roll bands in the world. This is who we all are, and this is what HELL'S BELLES strives to deliver with mechanical precision and passionate fury. Endorsed by Angus Young himself (Blender Magazine, 2003), HELL&...

SEAN CHAMBERS TEAMS UP WITH THE SAVOY BROWN RHYTHM SECTION: Sean Chambers and the members from Savoy Brown all became friends after playing a festival together in 2019. In 2023, shortly after the unfortunate passing of Savoy Brown's founder & leader, Kim Simmonds, renowned guitarist and songwriter Sean Chambers teamed up with the Savoy Brown Rhythm Section consisting of Pat De Salvo on Ba...

SLOTHRUST rocks this episode of THE CITY'S BACKYARD PODCAST as we talk with lead singer/guitarist Leah Wellbaum! Slothrust — the duo composed of principal songwriter, guitar player, and unrepentant aesthete Leah Wellbaum and drummer Will Gorin — recently unveiled their brand new EP entitled I Promise , out now via Dangerbird Records . A key part of the tracklisting is the band's standout...

Rock Icon Carmine Appice drops by to chat about Vanilla Fudge history and their local tour dates in the NorthEast in May! Carmine was in various bands after Vanilla Fudge, including Cactus, Beck, Bogart and Appice, Rod Stewart, King Cobra, Blue Murder and even toured with Ozzy Osbourne! Vanilla Fudge was one of the first American groups to infuse psychedelia into a heavy rock sound to create “psyc...

– ROGER EARL – Celebrating 50 years of Foghat in 2021,  Roger Earl is still ferociously banging away!  Born in London, England (Hampton Court & raised in Hounslow) in 1946 to a musical family where his father played piano at home and local pubs and there was always music in the house.  Although he wanted to play piano, his older brother Colin Earl (keyboard player with the band Mungo Jerry of...

The Petty/Drayton Episode on The City's Backyard Podcast talks about The Petty/Drayton music program and the importance of supporting the arts. We chat with Adria Petty the daughter of rock icon Tom Petty, and Adria's extended family, Charley Drayton and Bernard Drayton about mentors in art and how to make the world a better place. Please join us at The Norwalk Art Space to help make the...

​ Possessing a voice as cool and crystalline as an Alpine stream, Natalie Cressman draws inspiration from a vast array of musical currents. A prodigiously talented trombonist, she’s spent the last 14 years touring as a horn player and vocalist with Phish's Trey Anastasio, while also performing around NYC with jazz greats Wycliffe Gordon, Nicholas Payton, Anat Cohen, Dave Douglas, and Peter Ap...

K evin Burt's soul-inspired performances are unique, which consistently gets him compared to a range of artists like Bill Withers and Aaron Neville, with the ability to build an audience rapport that has been compared to B.B. King. Burt is a musician (vocals, harmonica, and guitar) whose smooth, warm vocal presentation and humor audiences of all ages seem to enjoy. Two of Kevin’s primary infl...

Heavy Metal artist JANET RUTKOWSKI drops by The City's Backyard to chat about a great event happening called Behind The Mask in Long Island City, New York going on now until the end of April! Tune in to hear all about the works on display!   Janet Rutkowski is a NYC based artist (lives/works in a famed Williamsburg firehouse frequently by Rock Stars) who has worked in various styles and mediu...

Studio D'Lux is a supergroup formed by Doug Kistner (The Lords of 52nd Street) who tells the story in this episode how this new project came about with top notch musicians in the industry!  Studio D'Lux features artists such as Bill Champlin (Chicago), Liberty DeVitto (Billy Joel), Glen Burtnik,  Jon Herington(Steely Dan), Elliott Randall and Joel Hoekstra!  If you are fans of Chicago, D...

Cindy Smith Dunaway is the wife of bass player Dennis Dunaway...they both drop by the backyard of NYC  on this episode to chat about taking  part in VersoFest at The Westport Library at 1pm April 7th with "Glam To Punk" moderated by our friend Christine Olhman! Listen to the podcast episode to hear all about it! Dennis Dunaway was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011 as a...

Icarus Phoenix is Drew Danburry (gtr/vox), Eli Sims (drums), Leena Rhodes (gtr/vox/synth) and Brendan Russell (bass). The band originally formed in Missoula, Montana (2020) and has had 5 different lineups, one of them playing Treefort Music Fest in Boise, ID (2021). Currently based in Baltimore and formed by friendships and connections Drew made working at Old Bank Barbers.  Having built a cult fo...

Music Theatre of Connecticut will welcome Norwalk, CT native & Tony nominee, Robin de Jesús in his cabaret show, Getting Started. Get to know how Robin’s childhood love for golden era Broadway shaped him and how he chooses sanity in today’s mad world. Packed with personal stories, Broadway AND pop music that’ll leave you thinking you just had a first date. Getting Started is a one night only e...

Kentucky born and bred, OTIS is a young, hard rocking quartet who performs and plays their exciting original music like they’ve been around for 40 years.  Alongside Boone, John Seeley (bass), Alex Wells (guitar), and Dale Myers (drums), these tight-knit guys stay connected to their homegrown roots having been around traditional instruments from a young age in piano, fiddle, and guitar instilling i...

Rest in Peace Paul Nelson...we never imagined a couple of weeks ago this would be our last conversation together....thank you for your friendship and your good hearted soul! You are missed by many and thanks for touching all of us while you were here friend! You are a true rock star! Keep riffin in heaven! To help with Paul's wife and family that he left behind too soon and if you care in the...

This episode we go out to Nashville and talk with American Drummer Chad Cromwell! In 1987, Cromwell began a collaboration with songwriter Neil Young . The initial sessions became Neil Young & The Bluenotes. Since then he has recorded and toured with Young on several occasions, and appears on albums such as Freedom (1989), Prairie Wind (2005) Living with War (2006) and Chrome Dreams II (2007)....

This episode is all about the  OZZY ANTHOLOGY WORLD CLASS TRIBUTE SHOW! Are You An Ozzy Fan? Then Get Ready to Rock!  The members of the band take great pride in creating the next best thing to a live Ozzy performance that transports you through time to experience the energy of Ozzy Osbourne capturing his solo career from Randy Rhoads to Zakk Wylde. As the song says, “You can’t kill rock-n-roll, i...

Born in Germany and raised in Canada and England, Alice Merton's absorption of different styles and sounds helped craft the worldly progressive pop leanings on her debut "No Roots," , which came out in 2016. The last couple of years could fill an entire career: Playing Coachella, 8x Platinum, US-Gold, and the release of her album "MINT+4" in January 2019. All done independ...

 Eliot Lewis checks into the backyard of New York City with his new album called Anything Is Possible, featuring  Love Is Alive and What We Make It! A singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Eliot Lewis has toured the world over as a member of the Daryl Hall & John Oates band, as well as a former member of The Average White Band. Eliot has also been the only musician to appear on every e...

Tramps Like Us....the #1 Springsteen Tribute Band in the Land drops by to talk about their tour dates in the tri state area for 2024...we chat with founder  and band leader/singer Mark Salore!  In keeping with the tradition of a typical Springsteen concert, Tramps prides itself on long and intense concerts, often playing 3.5 to 4 hour shows and at times without a break. Tramps has been able to cov...