13th Floor MusicTalk

Whanganui-based blues rockers BB & The Bullets release their debut album, High Tide, today...a collection of original tunes sprinkled with a few old favourites. The 13th Floor's Marty Duda gathered the three members of the band on one couch at the studio where High Tide was recorded and interrogated them about their music, their moves and their motives...

Tav Falco , he of Panther Burns, is about to release Desire On Ice , a new collection of old favourites "reinterpreted in new and unlikely ways". The 13th Floor's Marty Duda found Tav in Thailand where he's been living since Covid hit. Tav and his guitar-slinging partner Mario Monteroso set up shop at Sam Phillips Studio in Memphis and "reimagined" a dozen tunes with the help of friends like Kid C...

Ed Kuepper  co-founded  The Saints  in 1973 and made music history with debut single,  I’m Stranded  in 1976. Now Ed has formed  The Saints ’73-’78  along with drummer  Ivor Hay  and ringers  Mick Harvey  (Bad Seeds) and  Mark Arm  (Mudhoney). The 13th Floor’s Marty Duda  spoke to Ed about those early days and about what to expe...

SunYears  is the current solo project by  Peter, Bjorn and John’s Peter Morén . Or is it? Here is Peter to tell us if  SunYears  is an alter ego or a band. The 13th Floor’s Marty Duda  spoke to Peter, who was home in Stockholm, Sweden, about his new musical identity, one that he shares, on this album, with  Lisa Hannigan, Sam Genders  and  Nicole Atkins , am...

Bluesbreaker  Walter Trout  has just released a new album,  Sign Of The Times , his third in the past four years. The 13th Floor’s Marty Duda  asked the former member of  Canned Heat  and  John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers  why he’s so prolific and why he’s freaked out by AI.

Tami Neilson  has had quite a year…touring with Willie and Bob and releasing her critically acclaimed  Neon Cowgirl  album along with playing with  Neil Finn  and  Kaylee Bell  at Roundhead Studios. The 13th Floor’s Marty Duda  spoke to Tami during her “down time” between the Infinity Session and her upcoming NZ Tour dates. Here she is, “celebrating where I...

Grant-Lee Phillips  has just released his latest album titled  In The Hour Of Dust , and here he is to explain what it all means. The 13th Floor’s Marty Duda  spoke to  Grant-Lee Phillips  at his home in Nashville about making  In The Hour Of Dust  with  Jay Bellerose, Jennifer Condos  and  Patrick Warren .

Margo Price has just released her new album, Hard Headed Woman , touted as "a return to Country Music"...but on her terms. The 13th Floor's Marty Duda spoke to Margo shortly after release day and talked about... Bob Dylan, Sinead O'Connor, Kris Kristofferson and her memoir, Maybe We'll Make It .

Dunedin indie-rockers  Pearly*  have just released their debut album,  Not So Sweet,  immediately garnering rave reviews. Marty Duda  found  Joel Field  and  Phaedra Love  having a cold one at their local,  Pearl Diver Pub , celebrating release day and talking to  The 13th Floor.

Coyle Girelli has just released a new solo album...a collaboration of sorts, with the late, great Mac Davis ( Suspicious Minds/Baby Don't Get Hooked On Me ) called Out Of This Town, on Sun Records! Marty Duda spoke to the British singer-songwriter, and former indie-rocker about his relationship with one of America's great songwriters and the resulting album that features his interpretations of 11...

New Math  were one of the first punk/new wave/post-punk bands to emerge from Rochester, New York,, a city that, until then was known for  Chuck Mangione, Lou Gramm  and Eastman Kodak Company. The 13th Floor’s Marty Duda  spoke to newly-reunited  Gary Trainer  and  Roy Stein  of  New Math  to talk about old times (they played at his wedding) and the...

Georgia Lines  is on the move! After releasing her new EP,  The Guest House,  and playing couple of shows, the Tui-winner is heading north to Nashville. The 13th Floor’s Marty Duda  spoke to Georgia just ahead of release, where he found Georgia packing for the big move and prepping for the two shows.

The Texas Headhunters  are  Jesse Dayton, Ian Moore  and  Johnny Moeller  and together these three Texas tornadoes have created quite a storm on their just-released debut album. The 13th Floor’s Marty Duda  spoke to  Jesse Dayton , who was home in Austin, and found out how the legacy of  Albert Collins, Johnny Copeland  and  Clifford Antone  l...

Pete Droge  has just released his first solo album in a while,  Fade Away Blue , a autobiographical affair with some of the best session players supporting Pete’s songs. The 13th Floor’s Marty Duda  found Pete at his home studio in Vashon Island, Washington State. Along with his solo work, Pete was a member of  The Thorns  along with  Matthew Sweet  and  Sha...

Award-winning Kiwi singer, songwriter and producer  Janine  has just released a new album titled  Pain and Pleasure  and is happy to tell us all about it. The 13th Floor’s Marty Duda  found  Janine  in her adopted home of Los Angeles and talked to her about the journey that brought her to make this “career-defining” album.

The Grip Weeds  have released  Soul Bender   and founding member  Kurt Reil  reports from Upstate New York on how it all came together. The 13th Floor’s Marty Duda  spoke to Kurt about the band’s experience on  Little Steven’s Underground Garage Cruise , meeting  Brian Wilson  and thinking about  Gene Clark …its all a Promise Of The Real!

From Hobsonville comes Ed Ackman and his EP, Cocoon ...4 songs written by Ed with more than a little help from A.I. The 13th Floor's Marty Duda spoke to the retired advertising guru about how and why he created "an EP in four genres" all with the help of his keyboard and no other humans.

University  are 4 kids from Crewe…that’s in England…and their new album is the audaciously-titled,  McCartney, It’ll Be Ok . The 13th Floor’s Marty Duda  tracked down 3 of 4 bandmembers who happened to be attending a barbeque. Between bites they talk about food, surfing, spiders and  Damon Albarn .

Formed in 1981,  The Blow Monkeys  are still going strong, releasing their new album,  Birdsong   on a new label founded by  Alan McGee . The 13th Floor’s Marty Duda  spoke with founding front man  Dr. Robert  about making, what McGee describes as “a brilliant Blow Monkeys record” and why “the first 10 yards are in the head”.

Chicago rockers Rise Against have just released Ricochet , their first new album in four long years. Marty Duda found front man Tim McIlrath at home in the Second City just prior to release day. Watch and listen as Tim talks politics, music and why they are still out there "planting seeds" after 25 years.  

T. Hardy Morris  has just released his new solo record,  Artificial Tears , twelve original songs crafted and collaborated with  My Morning Jacket’s Carl Broemel  in Nashville. Marty Duda  found Morris at home in Athens, Georgia a talked about the state of…everything…from baseball to broken hearts.

Wellington's Butter Wouldn't Melt has grown from a duo to a quartet and they have a new album, Where The Roots Grow Deep , to prove it. Marty Duda spoke with Andrea, Nick, Cara and Marz about making this new album and the next one...due sometime next year. Those lucky enough to grab a vinyl copy of the album will also get a packet of Oracle Cards, handmade by the band, along with the 10 new songs,...

Wellington-based artist Hannah Virk has just released her second album, Pocket Clocks , and we've got questions! Marty Duda spoke to Hannah about making Pocket Clocks , how her sound has evolved from her previous album. Along the way we discover a twin sister, bagpipes and how to outpace the algorithm.

Christchurch electro-pop duo The Response have just released their new album, Novel Idea ...this after collaborating with Goodshirt's Rodney Fisher . Marty Duda found Andy and Victoria Knopp at home where they are preparing to reunite with Rodney at the upcoming Go Live Festival. The dynamic duo share their thoughts on the Christchurch music scene and how they came up with this Novel Idea.

Australian indie artist Gordi is about to release her third studio album, a John Congleton -produced affair titled Like Plasticine . Marty Duda spoke to Gordi , who is also a practicing medical doctor, about making Like Plasticine , a record that ' chronicles the last few transformative years of Gordi’s life. From coming out and having to adjust the vision of her future, to working as a doctor on...