Cara's Basement

Michael Franti talks about how he wrote his hit song Say Hey (I Love You) in Woody Harrelsons bathroom...why he hasn't worn shoes in ten years...and more! Michael Franti  plays two MIX concert events in Chicago on Friday, June 25- Free lunchtime concert outside at noon on the plaza at the John Hancock Center Jammin' At The Zoo with Lifehouse at the Lincoln Park Zoo  

Green Day's new ROCK BAND game comes out June 8, 2010.  Holy cow it's gonna be AWESOME!  Drummer Tre Cool describes the incredible graphics and what went into making the game.  He also talks about the irony of long ago being the very first band in the lineup at Lollapalooza , and this year being the headliner.  My, how things have changed!

Gary Sinise brings his Lt. Dan Band to the Hard Rock Cafe' in Chicago Friday, May 7, 2010.  Get all the details on the concert here: http://www. USVAP.org  

Edwin McCain play's a MIX CONCERT EVENT at The Cubby Bear in Chicago Friday, April 9, 2010.   We chat about his wedding-singer tendencies, his close relationships with REO Speedwagon and Styx , plus his touring for the troups...and of course his sweet accent!

Dan Castady is the lead singer of The Fold and a dead-ringer for actor Justin Long .  It was a pleasure talking with Dan about the amazing recent  Miley Cyrus homage (sounds better than parody) The Fold released.  The song is so great and the video is even better. Watch it on youtube .  And better yet...head to their website www. TheFoldRock.com to see many other great video's from The Fold like "...

Everclear will play at The House Of Blues in Chicago January 27, 2010.

Rick Springfield is on tour and will play a show in Elgin, IL on Dec 4, 2009. He's also busy with his remarkable TV stint on Showtime's "Californiation" playing himself. This conversation covers everything from being naked on TV to drinking the blood of young virgins to Rick wearing a kilt. Seriously!

Keith Nelson from Buckcherry took a few moments the chat with Cara from backstage as they tour the country with KISS to talk about...touring the country with KISS !

Michael Buble' has sold 22,000,000 albums (so far) worldwide.  His songs capture romance, heartache, love and every other emotion that goes along with any relationship you've ever been in.  His song "Everything" is a very popular first-dance song at weddings.  And his live performances are unreal. It was an honor to be the very first radio personality in the USA to speak on the phone with Michael...

It's no secret that I am a HUGE fan of the Lovehammers .  They've been featured on my podcast Cara's Basement a few times already. Their first new album in three years, Heavy Crown , is coming out next month...of course I absolutely HAD to talk to them again! You will hear some new songs from Heavy Crown (which isn't even out until July 21) and the backstory on the writing & recording process This...

Despite throwing his back out the night before and having a bad cold, Dave Matthews made sure to keep our appointment to chat about his incredible new album "Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King". He's amazingly candid about everything he discusses...from the tragic death of a LaRoi Moore to the horrific situation years ago in Chicago when one of his bus drivers dumped 800 pounds of human waste on th...

Mike Pinder was the original founding member of one of the most influential rock bands, The Moody Blues .  We talk about everything from music to UFO's to his unique way of helping up & coming musicians on his website, www. MikePinder.com

Simply put...she is the coolest chick ever. This episode is short & sweet - well under 5 minutes.

Wow... Creed is back!  They split up about 6 years ago at the height of their fame.  Scott Stapp & Mark Tremonti chat about their new album, tour and how having kids brought them back together as a band. One very funny part is when Scott Stapp describes their concert history in Chicago, referring to the infamous night where he was allegedly (I wasn't there so I can't say for sure) so incoherent he...

This Beat Goes On/Switch In' To Glide has been a favorite song (okay, it's two songs) of mine for decades.  It was such a thrill to speak with Mister Zero from The Kings and get the whole backstory on how that song came to be. You can get the rest of the story on their DVD "Anatomy Of A One-Hit Wonder: The Kings' 'This Beat Goes On/Switch In' To Glide" ...check it out on their website: www. TheKin...

It's been a life long dream to have one-on-one conversation with Bono from U2 .  This is pretty darn close!! Daniel Burrow is Bono in the greatest U2 tribute band, Elevation . We recorded this interview on a day when the real U2 was in Chicago for an intimate, private appearance.  I walked around the city with Danno and witnessed people doing double takes since he looks & walks so much like Bono ....

Randy Jackson is one of the most amazing performers. Not the judge from American Idol ...this is the Randy Jackson from Zebra who also performs amazing concerts with an Orchestra interpreting Led Zeppelin , The Eagles , Pink Floyd & The Doors .  OMG...amazing! FYI - he'll be in Milwaukee performing songs from Led Zeppelin with a full orchestra this Thursday, February 26, 2009.  Check out his full...

Kelly Clarkson is the very first winner of American Idol and her massive success continues to grow with her current number one single, "My Life Would Suck Without You". She chats about what it was like to hear Steve Carrell scream "Kelly Clarkson!" when he got his chest waxed in 40 Year Old Virgin , she talks about not catering to the gossip blogs, and much more...

I had the pleasure of moderating the press conference for Fall Out Boy prior to the Nike+ Human Race at Soldier Field in Chicago, IL.  They talked quite a bit about their new album FOLIE A DEUX .  At the time of this press conference the album was set to be released on election day - they've since pushed back the release until 12-16-08. This is my first VIDEO podcast (vidcast?)...

The Steepwater Band is based in Chicago and they're releasing their new album "Grace and Melody" on December 2.  The new record is produced by former Black Crowes guitarist Marc Ford and I love it!  I had the pleasure of chatting with drummer Joe Winters in this episode of Cara's Basement . To celebrate the release of their new album, The Steepwater Band is putting on a FREE show at the Double Doo...

Andy Taylor wrote a new tell-all book called "Wild Boy" and shares plenty of juicy stories from his crazy history of Duran Duran .  It really was a wild time.  His book is fun to read and it was a pleasure talking to him.

This interview took place in the summer of 2008, just after J osh Kelley played a packed gig at the Taste of Chicago .  He opens up about songwriting and his musical influences.  He's a very down-to-earth guy and a fabulous singer/guitar player/songwriter!

I had the pleasure of introducing The Plain White T's for WTMX when they performed an acoustic set at Best Buy (in Downers Grove, IL) on 9-26-08.  They were fantastic and attracted a huge crowed!  Before they played I spoke with band members Dave Tirio & Tom Higgenson just before they played.  This is that conversation... (By the way, the "D" word I refer to is "Delilah" as in their hit song "Hey...

Disturbed was part of the amazing lineup of Mayhem Fest during the summer of 2008.  I sat down with lead singer David Draiman in his dressing room a few hours before they hit the stage.  His intelligence and demeanor impressed me quite a bit.  This guy is one the smartest people I've ever met and despite his great success has absolutely no ego issues.  He rocks!

Nils Lofgren has jammed with Crazy Horse , Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band .  Besides his stellar guitar work backing others, he has also released many solo albums.  His latest is a tribute to his longtime friend and musical collaborator Neil Young :  "The Loner: Nils Sings Neil" .  Nils covers the early days of meeting Neil to the behind the scenes making of his new album.  His l...