You Should Check It Out

It’s “Three for Thursday” as Jay brings us three new releases to check out. First up, Jason Isbell released his ninth studio album, “Weathervanes,” this past week. It’s a calmer and more intimate sounding record than some of his previous and is getting great reviews from past critics. Next up we have a reordered & amended reissue titled "The Complete Dirty South" by The Drive-By Truckers. Comp...

First off, thank you for the lovely messages of support. We hear from Harry Waters, Scott Tournet, Kaz PS, Nate Kalwicki, Austin Loman, Keith Grasso, Charlie Lentz, Ciri, Cam, and Charlie Kline, Alex Kline, Katie Stover & Erik Lenhart! (Thanks to Jay’s impressive networking acumen, we also had some, somewhat enthusiastic messages from Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Dr. Hibbert & even King C...

In the lead up to our 200th episode, we thought it’d be fun to do three episodes based on the original premise for the show. We’ll each present an album over the next three episodes that we think should be heard and appreciated. Last up, Nick brings us an album that he first heard only months ago, but that has brought him an incredible amount of inspiration and positive energy. He talked about it...

In the lead up to our 200th episode, we thought it’d be fun to do three episodes based on the original premise for the show. We’ll each present an album over the next three episodes that we think should be heard and appreciated. It’s Jay’s turn at the helm and he brings us an album that, over the past 10 years, has increasingly fascinated and impressed him. It’s not at album that reaches out and g...

In the lead up to our 200th episode, we thought it’d be fun to do three episodes based on the original premise for the show. We’ll each present an album over the next three episodes that we think should be heard and appreciated. First up, Greg brings us the album Thrust by Herbie Hancock. Released in 1974, it was Hancock’s fourteenth studio album and the second under The Headhunters billing. Greg...

Before we begin, we’re going to celebrating the lead up to our 200th episode by bringing back the original concept for the show. For the next three episodes, we’ll each be picking an album that we want everyone to check out. Greg’s up first next week with the album “Thrust” by Herbie Hancock. Give it a listen before the show! Nick kicks the week off with a story from the NY Times about a mid-50s f...

Jay kicks us off with a remembrance of another lost legend. Considered one of Canada’s greatest songwriter, Gordon Lightfoot passed away at the age of 84. He helped define folk-pop in the 1960s & 70s and we celebrate his music and legacy. Songs: Gordon Lightfoot - “Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” Gordon Lightfoot - “If You Could Read My Mind” Nick started a new job a few months back and he’s b...

Greg has been quite busy since we last left him, all of it related to the shows with Red Not Chili Peppers. So much so that there’s too much to tell as an aside, so he’s going all in….We Want Chilly Willy! Song: Sleep Token - “DYWTYLM” Jay took a trip with Nick out to visit friend of the show, Keith Grasso, to play some music. Along the way, his beloved Newcastle United was absolutely obliterating...

Nick’s excited that Coachella is back but only so we can play your favorite game, “Viral or Eyeroll.” For any new listeners, in this game contestants hear a headline and decide it’s a viral sensation or a total fabrication. Given the subject matter, every story is anyone’s guess! Song: Julius Rodriguez – “Blues at the Barn” Keep those seatbelts on kids, because Greg is taking straight to NAMM! The...

The owner of the 930 club is opening a new venue at it’s original location & they’re calling it The Atlantis, after the club that originally preceded them. With a maximum occupancy of 450, they’re offering $44 tickets 44 shows to see major acts like Foo Fighters, Pixies, Maggie Rogers and more. Jay is participating in the TicketMaster experiment and has some really positive initial thoughts. S...

Greg kicks things off with a remembrance of the Japanese composer, record producer and actor, Ryuichi Sakamoto, who passed this week at the age of 71. A prolific composer and performer, he rose to fame as a founding member of the influential Yellow Magic Orchestra in the late 70s. From there he worked with everyone under the sun & his accolades are too many to list. Go and listen to his music,...

Last week Nick ditched his planned topic to discuss a new band, so this week he’s circling back. “Streaming in the Dark: Where Music Listeners’ Money Goes—and Doesn’t” by Meredith Rose was released as a whitepaper by the think-tank Public Knowledge and it deals, entirely, with the reasons we don’t and can’t find out what artists are making through streaming services. It’s dense, comprehensive and...

“Viral or Eyeroll” is clearly our most beloved game so you should know the drill by now! This week Jay takes on hosting duties while Greg & Nick occupy opposing sides of the scoreboard. Plus you get to play too, can you guess if each story is a viral sensation or a total fabrication? Song: Charley Crockett - “Odessa” Nick wants everyone to stop what they’re doing at some point this week and li...

Greg brings us an obscure micro-genre from the 70’s, one that combines jazz, funk, and R&B, called Rare Groove. While the artists and their albums may not ring a bell, portions of their songs might, as the micro-genre was created by the DJs that sampled them. Songs: Eugene McDaniels - “Headless Heroes” Beastie Boys - “Get it Together” Roy Ayers - “We Live in Brooklyn” The Charmels - “As Long A...

Pitchfork has six ideas on how to solve the broken ticketing system and Nick is eager to discuss them. Central to the question though is the premise that ticketing is actually broken. Is it and, if so, how? Song: Billy Cobham - “Solarization” Greg remembers the father of modern jazz, Wayne Shorter, who passed lsat week at the age of 89. Gaining prominence in the 50’s, the jazz saxophonist earned a...

Jay opens things with a crazy Rolling Stone article about the demise of the 90’s alt rock band Live. The band’s 1995 performance on MTV’s Unplugged sparked Jay & Nick’s lifelong friendship. They remained a strong band through the 90’s, but it all went to hell after that… Song: Live - “Stage” Nick has some rare follow-up to a topic back in episode #135 , when he discussed Epic’s acquisition of...

Greg had a spark of inspiration last week while listening to an early Ornette Coleman album. Now regarded as a pioneer of was jazz for founding free jazz, Coleman was a very polarizing saxophonist in his time. He was kicked out of his high school band for improvising during a song… “wait a second,” thought Greg, “Lisa in The Simpsons intro…YES.” A meme was born, and then posted. “This is my master...

Nick & Jay tell us about their journey to Chambersburg, PA to see Wynton Marsalis in our latest Tales From the Concert. A traditionalist, Mr. Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra performed a night of Duke Ellington compositions at the historic Capitol Theater. Song: Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra - “Portrait of Ella Fitzgerald” Greg reports on the Tweet storm...

Elton John’s “Farewell Yellow Brick Road” Tour has become the most profitable tour in history, as reported by Pollstar. Pollstar has been tracking concert industry tickets sales for over 40 years. They recently published a list of artist’s with the most tickets sold & the highest grossing concerts. Jay found this to be an interesting treasure trove of potential quiz material…and so we have one...

Greg is back from playing at one of his favorite venues and decided the time was right for BienVenue. Cain’s Ballroom, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, was built in 1924 and converted into a dance school in 1930 when it was purchased by Madison W. “Daddy” Cain. Host to many country western stars in the 40’s & 50’s, it later hosted early punk & heavy metal acts. It’s popularity has only grown and today...

Nick kicks things off this week with a brand new game! With the arrival of technologies like Chatbot GPT, a predictive language engine that’s scaring as many people as it’s impressing, songwriters like Nick Cave have been responding, uh…strongly (you can read his post here ). Cave claims the attempt to emulate his writing is atrocious, but is it? Introducing A.I. or Real Guy? Contestants are prese...

This week we converge to listen and remember the music and life of legendary guitarist, Jeff Beck, who died last week at the age of 78. He was such an influential guitarist with a born gift for the instrument, and we spend the whole hour talking about his life & legacy as one of the greatest rock guitarists of all time. Songs: Jeff Beck - “Cause We’ve Ended as Lovers”  The Yardbirds - “Th...

Greg brings three metal adjacent bands to the show this week, more of a heavy flirtation than a heavy rotation. English rock band Porcupine Tree, led by the prolific Steven Wilson, formed in 1987. The progressive rock band Karnivool is our latest Aussie band to add to the show, hailing from Perth since 1997. Finally we listen to the prog metal band Opeth, which formed in Stockholm in 1990. Combine...

Hey everybody, Happy New Year! We return unrested from the holidays with our favorite album picks from 2022. We hope everyone had a great holiday and thank you so much for listening! Nick’s Picks black midi - Hellfire Dawes - Misadventures of Doomscroller King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard - Changes Greg’s Picks Kendrick Lamar - Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers The Bad Plus - The Bad Plus Meshu...

It seems as though the 2022 Holiday Season was particularly hectic this year and we’ve decided to take the week off. However, instead of just skipping, we thought we’d revisit a few of our favorite episodes from the past year…a clip show, if you will. We hope everyone is having a lovely holiday and we’ll see you next week. Happy New Year! Jay features his old friend Keith Degrasso, from episode #1...