Blowing Smoke with Twisted Rico

On this episode of the show, we are joined by Justin Keane and Amy Young, the rock duo of the group Canyons And Locusts. The pair discuss their long history of playing music together and how they have continued their rock journey while living on opposite sides of the country. We also talk about the recording session for their new album "Roll The Dice", and their subsequent signing to Red On Red Re...

Joe Nelson from Trust Records joins us on the show to talk about The Circle Jerks, 7 Seconds, SSD, and more... Music The Charms "So Pretty"(theme song) The Circle Jerks "Beverly Hills Interview recorded on zoom, additional recording done remotely. This episode was sponsored by Baby Loves Tacos and Disorder Vintage. links https://trustrecordscompany.com https://www.instagram.com/blowingsmokewithtr/...

In a bit of a twist, Jim Saxton, who hosts the UK based Temple Of Bleh podcast and is currently producing and directing "The History Of RoadRunner Records" documentary interviews Steev Riccardo, the host of Blowing Smoke with Twisted Rico about his history in the music business. Originally recorded on Zoom by Jim Saxton, additional recording and editing by Steev Riccardo. This show was sponsored b...

Al Quint joins us on the show and recommends some of the new punk and hardcore releases (The Cowboy, MAZE, Anti Machine, PCP & The Knives etc) that he's been playing and listening to the last couple years. We also get into the Record Collector's scene, the impact of Husker Du, the announcement that SSD's first album is being re-released on Trust, the greatness of The Big Boys, and the status o...

Ken Cheppaikode from Dirtnap Records joins us to talk about the Milwaukee based label's 22 year history and some of the labels bands including The Ergs!, Scrunchies, Fox Face, Proud Parents, Personality Cult etc.. We also talk about the huge Dirtnap anniversary weekend happening in Madison Ws. on June 16 & 17. Music The Charms "So Pretty" The Ergs! "Half Empty Strip Mall" Fox Face "Slow Burn"...

On this episode of the show, we are joined by Pittsburgh Rock legend Todd Porter as thrash heroes Eviction prepare to play their first shows since the early 90's. Todd talks about the early days of Eviction and the path that led to the bands' deal with Metal Blade Records. We also talk about Todd's hard working punk band The Cheats and more cool stuff about the Steel City. Plus the June 2022 Blowi...

On this episode of the show we are joined by lead singer/keyboardist Nicole Laurenne of the Darts. Following a six album run with garage rock legends The Love Me Nots, Nicole and fellow Love Me Nots bassist Christina Nunez formed The Darts in 2016. They put out two self-released EPs, before releasing "Meow" on Dirty Water Records and soon thereafter signed with Jello Biafra and Alternative Te...

Alec Peters booked some of the earliest punk and hardcore shows in Boston when he first brought bands like The Dead Kennedy and Flipper to town. He later moved on to Artist Management and  most notably repped  Gang Green and Meliah Rage and help them both bands get record deals. A&R was next, as he landed a gig at Mercury Records. These days he's working on an animated film call...

A punk rock 'n' roll round table for the ages — three repeat offenders back in the house: Chris Doherty (Gang Green), Rev. Hank Peirce, and Keith Bennett (Casket Rats). Things get a little loose, but we reel it in and have a blast digging into Boston punk, hardcore, and metal — past and present. Plus a classic from The Outlets and fresh new noise from Minneapolis' Scrunchies. Music The...

David Judson Clemmons, who just released a brand new solo album called "Lights For The Living" joined us for an interview from Berlin, Germany. David is perhaps most famous for singing and playing guitar in the LA band Damn The Machine, which featured legendary lead guitarist Chris Poland and was signed to A&M Records. We cover a lot of ground in this interview in which David talks about growi...

On this lively episode of the show, we are joined by renowned music photographer JJ Gonson, who shared some incredible stories with us about her wonderful career. We talk about her early days shooting for XXX Magazine, her move to Portland OR., shooting Elliott Smith (who also recorded his debut album in JJ's basement), Nirvana, etc and returning to the Boston area and starting up Once Somerville....

Laura Larson and Danielle Cusack of Scrunchies , who refer to themselves as "post everything rock n rollers" join us on this episode to talk about their fabulous new album "Feral Coast" which is already a hit at college radio, reaching #1 on huge stations like WMBR(Cambridge MA).  Hailing from the always cool Minneapolis, MN scene, Laura and Danielle were joined by Bassist/all-star engineer M...

Dan Kopko aka Danny The K, joins us on the show to talk about what it's like playing in three bands that are all making an impact - Watts, supergroup The Shang Hi Los, and his project with ex Stompers front man Sal Baglio, The Peppermint Kicks. We hit it off like a couple of long time buddies....and even find out something that we had in common that we didn't know...It was a blast!  Music The...

Thommy Price has played drums on "Rebel Yell," "The Warrior," and spent nearly three decades behind Joan Jett in the Blackhearts — and he's got the stories to prove it. The veteran stickman sits down to talk about his long run with Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, Billy Idol, Scandal, Mink DeVille, Tom Verlaine, and more, plus his current project Downtown Phantom with Johnn...

Drummer Mike Piehl joins us to talk about Reverse — a band that anyone deep in the Boston scene will tell you was one of the best around. Tragically, they lost their prolific frontman Ian Kennedy before the release of their outstanding 2019 album  What's Your Problem . Mike reflects on the record, on Ian, and on the craft of drumming. We also spin a couple of tracks from what stands as an incr...

Benjamin Horner and Jerome "Jerry" Poynton were in Boston for the New England Cannabis Convention and  joined us on the show to discuss a host of topics from Ben opening the first Marijuana dispensary in Flint Michigan, his magazine "The Michigan Marijuana Report", to Jerry's connections with John Sinclair, Herbert Huncke, Gregory Corso, etc.. We also play some cool tunes from The Dirtbombs a...

Lynda Mandoyln started her rock n roll journey in Detroit as a member of punk legends Inside Out, rocked out in San Francisco with great bands like Fabulous Disaster, and now is part of the Portland Me./Boston rock scene in two really cool bands like Tiger Bomb and Crystal Canyon, and most recently a fantastic collaboration with Lee Harrington(The Neighborhoods). In this fun interview we talk abou...

Allan Kraut was the sound engineer at several Boston venues including Bill’s Bar, Venus, Axis, Avalon, Quest, and Mama Kin, before moving on to The Rat where he mixed over 1000 bands in less than 3 years. He later did sound at The Linwood in the Fenway. He also Taught for 20 years at Mass Comm/New England Institute of Art, where he developed the Live Sound program. AND if that's not enough he is n...

Ryan Haas, the man behind Disorder Vintage, joins us to talk about buying, selling, and curating vintage tees and '80s and '90s alternative music merch. We also get into the upcoming "Faded" show in Providence, Rhode Island — happening late May — featuring artists Joey Mars, Joe Perez, and Sean Taggart. Plus a classic from Magnapop and a fresh one from The Gypsy Moths, who just s...

This bonus episode is a mixed bag of goodies featuring a look at Juliana Hatfield's 19th album "Blood", and a new single from Guitarist Charles Hansen's super cool project Gymnasium. Also, inspired by the Apple TV Series “1971:The Year that music changed everything”, we rank our top ten albums from what was a magical year in music. We also throw some views out there on the controversy surrounding...

On this episode of the podcast, we are joined by Steve Peck, who not only did time with the host at WDJM back in the 80's but also let him stay in his college dorm room when he was booted out of his own dorm room. Its a great Mini WDJM reunion and a lively discussion on a bunch of new releases by Frank Turner, Tears For Fears, Foals, Royal Blood, Johnny Marr, The Record Company, Nothing But Thieve...

Author Joe Milliken joins us on the show to talk about his fantastic book entitled "Lets Go" Benjamin Orr and The Cars", a biography of Benjamin Orr's career, which started in the early 60's in Cleveland Ohio and ended tragically at the age of 53 due to a losing battle with cancer. The book and the interview tell us a lot about the lifelong musicians journey. We also play a track from the outstand...

Mike Gitter's career reads like a road map through three decades of heavy music. He launched his fanzine XXX in the mid-'80s, started booking all-ages shows in Boston, then headed to Atlantic Records where he signed Bad Religion, among others. From there, 12 years at Roadrunner Records — signing everyone from Opeth to Megadeth — and now VP of A&R at Century Media in Los Angeles. Along...

Joanie Lindstrom recently celebrated her 35th anniversary as a DJ at WMBR in Cambridge, MA(MIT) and she came on the show to talk about radio, past and present, and her extensive knowledge of punk, hardcore, metal etc. We also talk about the road that brought her to the Boston music scene, and being a huge football fan, she even shared her Super Bowl prediction with us...more fun times in the studi...

Drummer John Lynch — aka "Johnny Rock" — stops by for a fun one. We dig into his run with some great Boston bands: Watts, The Neighborhoods, The Dirty Truckers, and Avoid One Thing, plus his fill-in dates with the legendary John Kay and Steppenwolf. Oh, and KISS comes up. Of course it does. Music The Charms "So Pretty" Watts "Queens" The Neighborhoods "ByGone Era...