Cara's Basement

The first 11 minutes is Duffy . We chatted on the couch in the SPIN Magazine Press Lounge backstage at Lollapalooza .  The publisher of SPIN joins us - quite fun! Next, it's Tally Hall .  I met them while in line for a porta-john.  We discovered we are both from the same home town (West Bloomfield, MI) and when I heard the name of their band it brought a smile to my face - you'll hear why in our c...

O.A.R. is such a great band to see jam live. It was my pleasure to chat with lead singer Marc Roberge and get his take on what it's like to make music and why he thinks it's way cool to record his live shows. NOTE: Normally, all of my podcasts are "clean", but in this rare instance Marc let's a few "s_ _ t" words slip out - I was not able to edit them out because of temporary technical difficultie...

I'm a huge fan of The Police , so chatting with Joe Sumner - Sting 's son - was a bit freaky for me.  He's the lead singer of Fiction Plane , a fabulous band.  They opened up for the recent big Police reunion stadium tour.  I chatted with him in April while they were on the road with The Bravery . You'll hear a song by Fiction Plane , "Two Sisters" , at the end of this episode.

Take a good look at these guys.  They could very well be HUGE in a few years and you'll be able to say, "I remember hearing about them back in '08".  Tonight The Prom opened up for The Lovehammers a few months ago at The House Of Blues in Chicago.  I interviewed Tonight The Prom backstage after their electrifying opening set.  This is that conversation, unedited.  Enjoy! At he end of this episode...

The Chicago Music Guide is working to help the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer raise money through a music benefit. I'll be the emcee of this fun night of music. Live Life is at Joe's Bar in Chicago on Sunday, April 27. Come experience live music from Paris Delane's Tye Dye Skye , Jennifer Peterson Band , Ellen Rosner , Tracylynn & 55 South , Gina Gonzalez , White Buffalo Is Born and Twin Ray (Desiree...

In February, 2008 comedian Lee Camp was asked to appear on Fox News as a "lefty" comedian vs. a "righty" during a live segment.  He agreed to do it figuring he'd have to somehow speak his mind - and he sure did!  The video of his appearance was viewed on youtube a half a million times within a day of his appearance.  You'll hear the clip in the beginning and again at the end of this episode. Watch...

Original Shooting Star member Van McLain and new lead singer Ronnie Platt are in Cara's Basement .  Van shares a lot of fun stories from the band's long history.  "Last Chance" is one of Cara's favorite songs and he explains the meaning behind it.  There's also a bit of similarity between Shooting Star and Spinal Tap ...you'll hear why in this episode. The best is saved for last...please don't lea...

Rik Emmett is one the most talented singers and guitar players I have ever experienced.  Knowing that there is Triumph reunion planned and getting the chance to chat with Rik about it was truly a dream come true!  You will find out if it's going to be just a "one time" thing or if a world tour might happen during this episode.  He opens up about why he's finally getting along with his former bandm...

It's impossible to pigeonhole this band's musical genre.  And you certainly cannot underestimate their wide range of songwriting abilities.  Each of their albums are so completely different from one another.  Linkin Park is simply a remarkable groups of talented individuals.  One of the best bands to experience live, too. I recently had the opportunity to participate in a press conference call (re...

I had the incredible experience of talking with Lovehammers ' singer Marty Casey , bassist Dino Kourelis and drummer Bobby Kourelis in their practice studio in Chicago recently.  Unfortunately, guitarist Billy Sawilchik wasn't there because he had the flu.  I brought some beer and we just kind of hung out and chatted.  They shared some funny stories about the early days of the band including some...

Happy Holidays! Aimee Mann has an album of Christmas songs called " One More Drifter In The Snow" (you'll hear a snippet or two) and is back for her annual holiday tour.  We chat about that, the record industry, even the fact that she sometimes cooks a goose for Christmas.  This phone interview was originally done for The Chicago Music Guide - this is the extended version. Marty Casey & Lovehammer...

Jay-Z .  Paul Simon .  David Lee Roth .  Smashing Pumpkins .  John Denver .  What do all of those artists have in common?  Chris Steinmetz was behind the controls when they were in the studio.  Pretty much any artist you've heard of has recorded with Chris .  He just launched his own label,  Stonecutter Records, and their first release is "Acoustic Chicago" .  He is in Cara's Basement along with A...

I was fortunate to be part of a press conference with Amy Lee prior to the Family Values tour (which Evanescence headlined with Korn ) representing The Chicago Music Guide .   It took me this long to post it only because I was so backlogged with other interviews.  She is an amazing talent.  Such a spectacular songwriter and singer - certainly one of a kind!  

MelodicRockFest is the celebration of 10 years of one of the most awesome websites (I check it out often), www. MelodicRock.com . Three of the many artists that will be part of that concert are in CARA'S BASEMENT :  Jim Peterik (ex- Survivor ), Jimi Jameison   (ex- Survivor ) & Kelly Keagy ( Night Ranger ).  Andrew McNeice , the founder of www. MelodicRock.com and organizer of MelodicRockFest , al...

Singer/Songwriter Kevin Chalfant is a wonderful talent and a great friend.  He has been in many bands ( The Storm , 707 , Shooting Star , The View , Two Fires , etc.) written songs for others ( Cher , etc) and recorded several solo albums.  His latest effort is his tribute to his favorite band, Journey .  You'll get to hear a bit of it in the beginning and also the very end of the interview - you...

It's a TWOFER... please try to listen to BOTH fascinating interviews. (total runtime is 28:54) First, you'll hear a fun phone call with Dino Kourelis - bass player with Marty Casey & The Lovehammers (one of my very favorite bands!).  We spoke while his infant son slept on his lap.  If you know what a crazy rocker his is, that mental image is very unique!  He discusses new ventures for The Lovehamm...

First, you'll hear a short conversation with Ikaro , lead singer of Ankla , an excellent metal band on the Ozzfest tour.  We spoke a few minutes before they hit the stage in Chicago.  He shares some funny backstage Ozzfest stories (the lead singer of Lamb of God likes to BBQ for all the bands on the tour) and breaks the news of their involvement in next years' Sirius Sattelite Radio tour.  Next, y...

I can now honestly say I have a RATT in my cellar, since original RATT lead singer Stephen Pearcy is in Cara's Basement ! It's quite a shock that RATT has recently reunited and is touring.  Some very bad words were said to the press years ago by members of RATT about each other.  Stephen obviously wasn't happy when there was a RATT reunion without him a few years ago.  But they've patched things u...

Styx is one of the greatest albums EVER .  It spent several years on my turntable.  I knew every word to every song.  And I remember being very distraught when my parents wouldn't allow me to go to a Styx concert when I was a sophomore in high school because it was on a school night.  Ironically, years later I not only saw Styx perform many times but also met them in person on several occasions. ...

Foreigner's "Double Vision" album was so prominent during much of my pubescent years...I used to crank it up all the time on my bedroom stereo while staring at the picture of the guys in the band on the album cover - so I can't believe I actually had the chance to spend 20 minutes chatting with the one and only Mick Jones !  Foreigner songs were HUGE in my "coming of age" years and he is a rock &...

Rick Kaempfer just released an amazingly entertaining satirical novel: $everance .  It is the first book I've managed to finish in two years (due to my preoccupation with my crazy toddler) and I laughed out loud many times while reading it - yeah, it's that funny!  If you work in the radio business you'll love the inside view of the industry and if you're not in the media you will certainly learn...

Jim Peterik visits Cara's Basement !  Survivor was one of my favorite bands in high school so sitting down with him one-on-one was very a very surreal experience.  Jim Peterik has written (or co-written) many well known songs - go to his website to see a detailed biography on him.  ALERT:   Do not bail early - he plays TWO amazing live acoustic songs at the end of the podcast! Here's the songs you...

Michael Tafoya visits Cara's Basement !  The Boyzz From Illinoizz were a legendary Chicago rock band in the late 70's.  They toured nationally, including a televised jam with Meatloaf (we talk about that night in the podcast).   After The Boyzz , Michael Tafoya formed The B'zz (the ONLY unsigned band to ever perform on American Bandstand ) and now Tafoya's Lost Boyzz .  You'll hear a great convers...