The Sharp Notes with Evan Toth

Between the British Invasion and the Summer of Love, there was a time when American music was trying to figure out just exactly what it was, what made it unique from the rest of the world. Many might answer - that in that slim window of time - one of the most important American bands on the scene were the Rascals, they were certainly unique: they were soul and R&B oriented, they knew how to ro...

When was the last time you really danced and just lost yourself in the music without caring what you looked like? Analyzing music is a rewarding experience, but sometimes it’s best to just shut up, enjoy what you’re hearing and simply dance. And if you’re going to engage in such an activity, there’s no one finer to provide a soundtrack than James Hunter. Hunter’s 2004 breakthrough album, People Go...

Sometimes, in order to go forward, you must first take a look at your past. Graham Nash has a rich and undoubtedly storied history behind him and he has recently released a live album titled, Graham Nash: Live which features him performing his first two albums - Songs for Beginners (1971) and Wild Tales (1973) - in their entirety. Mr. Nash will also be performing at the Count Basie Center for the...

Some people are just so skilled and talented at their craft that you make judgements, you think they’re going to be one way, but they often turn out to be something quite different. I’ve learned not to judge books by their covers, but sometimes it’s hard to avoid. I have so much respect for Bruce Hornsby, his writing, his performing, the fact that he’s one of the most adventurous musicians alive t...

If you consume any kind of media, then you’ve experienced the very talented Michael Des Barres. His media presence is ubiquitous: he’s had a long history performing as a vocalist in rock bands, been on television hundreds of times, worked as an actor in many films and now hosts his own music program on Little Steven’s Sirius XM channel, Little Steven’s Underground Garage .  So, it’s almost difficu...

Sometimes we take ourselves, and our music, too darn seriously. Of course, there are appropriate times for thoughtful contemplation, but there’s no harm in basking in the enjoyment that comes with creating or consuming art with wild abandon and maybe being a little bit silly at the same time. It helps keep us sane and provides us with a youthful perspective of the mean old world in which we live....

When people think about the music of New Orleans, it’s usually the traditional jazz scene that comes to mind. But, NOLA is also one of the most consistent melting pots in our great country, so it’s bound to birth some amazingly unique and exciting music.  Born in the Big Easy, Tank and the Bangas honed their musical skills during their time as backing band in many of the city’s open mics before mo...

Record Store Day is on its way, but do you ever stop to think about the hard work that goes into such an event? All of the special issues need to be cleared for copyrights and publishing. Designs and packaging have to be created and manufactured. Of course, the music must be mastered and actually pressed onto those vinyl discs that we love so much. There’s a lot that happens before you bring your...

It’s a crazy world out there, so why shouldn’t we take some time to stand on line, conversate with fellow music lovers and purchase some beautifully recorded and manufactured vinyl records? Record Store Day is just the opportunity to do such a thing and while many record labels have something interesting to offer, Craft Recordings continues to make an enduring name for themselves when it comes to...

Spring fever is in the air and Major League Baseball’s Opening Day is just behind us: there’s no better way to celebrate the changing of the seasons than with America’s Pastime. But what do music and baseball have in common? Well, aside from the fact that there have been numerous songs written about baseball - and conversely many classic tunes tht have been used to pump up the energy level at a ba...

Even though listening to and collecting music are wonderful pastimes, it is when you’re able to actually share in the creative process of performing, creating and playing music with someone else that true bonds are forged. Avi Wisnia and I met while both performing at the - now defunct - New Jersey Songwriters Conference which took place, for many years, in beautiful Cape May, NJ. Avi would perfor...

America is very fortunate to have supported many different genres of music: there are composers of every stripe scattered throughout all 50 states. However, there is one style of music that has been long taken for granted and that is Exotica. The genre became popular during the American mid-century and is often associated with the Tiki bar scene and maybe Pee Wee’s Playhouse; it consists of melodi...

Rock and roll didn’t waste any time growing up, even in the earliest years of its inception. Like a delicious batch of chili, it heartily welcomed extra ingredients and spices. In fact, it was those accouterments which allowed the revolutionary musical style to splinter and create so many successful sub-genres. Carlos Santana did more than anyone else in those early days to initiate and imbue stro...

People don’t want to be songwriters so much anymore. Sure, maybe they want to write songs, but today it’s a part of some other greater, grander plan: maybe super stardom in one way or another; songwriting in the 21st century is often a means to an end. But there was a time when a musical person recognized that they didn’t want to be the one surrounded in the stage's spotlight, but did want to...

The top of the Empire State Building is an impressive place to say that you’re doing any activity, and it’s even more exciting to say it’s where you’re hosting a radio program. That’s what listeners in the New York City area imagined when they tuned to Z100 on their radio dial. Okay, so maybe in actuality they weren’t broadcasting exactly from that lofty location, but the theatrical panache solidi...

The idea of being eclectic is a beautiful one, who doesn’t want to experience the depth and breadth of whatever it is they are trying to experience? However, usually, we find that institutions reject the heavy lifting that comes with embracing an eclectic body of work. Be it a restaurant, radio station, or shoe store; most things have some sort of theme, some kind of common thread. It’s understand...

Marshall Crenshaw bridged an important gap during the end of the twentieth century. His early hits glimpsed into the recent past; recognizing the work of the 50s and 60s masters but soldering it onto 1980s pop thereby creating a sort of vintage-modern hybrid. Crenshaw also portrayed Buddy Holly in the 1987 film, La Bamba which added yet another layer to his aura back then: as if he were saying, ‘H...

Jacob Plasse is the producer of - and a musician in - the critically acclaimed Cuban big band, Orquesta Akokán and he is my guest on this episode. Jacob and the group found great success with their first self-titled, Grammy nominated album and they have returned with another electrifying set of tunes highlighting and elevating their love of Cuban music, specifically within the mambo genre. The new...

Sure, there’s Detroit’s Motown, Los Angeles' famed music scene and we know all about the great records that were recorded and produced in New York City. However, during a certain, special period of time in the 1970s, Philadelphia reigned supreme. Philadelphia International Records was founded in 1971 by songwriting and production team Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff and their partner, Thom Bell....

Corey Feldman is an icon: he represents a certain time and place for a generation of moviegoers who existed just prior to the internet’s big bang, before wi-fi conquered civilization. In the 1980s, one didn’t begin watching a film without assuming Feldman might pop up somewhere ; he appeared in an astounding batch of pop culture blockbusters; many of which still roundly resonate today: Gremlins (1...

We begin the new year by trying something a little different. This week, we focus our radar’s attention on food. And we talk about it with the “highest paid professional restaurant server on the planet.” Meet Eric Valdivieso, he’s a longtime food service industry insider who has a new book out called, “The Valdivieso Method” which explores the idea of applying the tools he learned in the service i...

Sometimes, it’s the smallest instruments that make the biggest impact. If you’re of a certain age, you can remember tuning into this new thing called YouTube to watch a young man absolutely shred on a version of the Beatles’ “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”. What made this musician stand out, however, was that he did it on ukulele.  Over the last two decades, Jake Shimabukuro has not only continued...

Any good collection has a great number of different niches and subcategories: music and record collecting is no different. Some of us focus on rare soundtracks or hard-to-find instrumental music from Europe and the US that was released in the 1960s and 70s. One could scour record stores for years and spend a great deal of money trying to chase down these revered sounds, or you could just pick up s...

Vinyl gets plenty of love in the 21st century even though streaming offers plenty of convenience and stability, while the venerable CD quietly sits waiting for someone to rediscover it. But what’s left for the cassette? In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Iain Taylor who joins us all the way from Birmingham City University in the UK. Taylor is a Lecturer in Music Industries, and a researcher with...

As you know, this program typically finds me exploring the work of others, but for this episode, I hope you’ll allow me to turn the attention over to myself. The last few years have found me compiling a special project: it’s my new album, it’s called “The Show” and there is an interesting story attached to it that I think you’ll enjoy hearing.   Like many folks growing up in the 80s and 90s, I bec...