Icon Fetch

The O’s have taken the do-it-yourself attitude and ran with it. Both members (Taylor Young and John Pedigo) play several instruments, often at the same time. The acoustic duo has just released their second album, Between the Two, a blend of cheerful bluegrass, twangy country, and stompin’ blues, sprinkled with some Louvin-Brothers-inspired harmonies. Both guys are veterans of several other bands (...

Bucks Burnett has just opened an 8-Track Museum in Dallas, Texas. Along with Bell Bottoms and the Pinto automobile, nothing screams the 1970’s quite like the 8-track tape. For those who were old enough to remember them, those bulky cartridges provided the soundtrack for many a road trip or party. Titles like Saturday Night Fever and Frampton Comes Alive! just sound better when played on them. And,...

Big Joe & the Dynaflows have just released their brand new CD You Can’t Keep a Big Man Down. As we find out from lead singer & drummer Big Joe Maher, the title refers to an accident he had in North Carolina where he seriously injured his back. But, through rehab and perseverance, the big man was back on his feet. The new CD is an excellent mix of originals and obscure blues covers. Icon Fetch talk...

John Popper, the frontman for Blues Traveler, grabs together some of his buddies while his band is on a little hiatus. The resulting project, John Popper & the Duskray Troubadours, allows him the chance to stretch out and explore some new territory. He also talks about what Blues Traveler has in store for the future.

Japanese pianist Keiko Matsui has sold over a million and a half albums, released 22 solo records, and has toured the world incessantly. Her latest effort is appropriately titled The Road…, and features guest appearances by Kirk Whalum and Richard Bona. The album is a mix of many different styles that the instrumentalist has tried over the years. Icon Fetch talks with Matsui about recording the ne...

Mitch Easter is best known as the co-producer for the first two REM albums, Murmur and Reckoning from the early Eighties. That exposure helped him land numerous other production gigs. At the same time, Easter was leading his own fine band, Let’s Active, who released four records for IRS. After that band’s breakup, it took him almost 20 years to release new material — 2007’s Dynamico was Easter’s f...

Tad Robinson knows soul music – and it shows. His latest CD, Back in Style, harkens back to a time when sweet, string-laden R&B ruled the charts. And, people are taking notice. Robinson’s new disc has just been nominated for three Blues Music Awards (in the “Soul Blues” category). He talks to Icon Fetch about his roots, collaborating with the great musicians for this album, and working with Wayne...

Marshall Crenshaw had an MTV hit with “Someday Someway.” That slice of retro-pop came from his self-titled debut, released in 1982 to critical acclaim. Since then, he’s released ten studio albums and built up a cult following for his unique melodic songwriting. Crenshaw has also dabbled in Hollywood, penning songs for soundtracks, as well as making cameo appearances in such films as La Bamba, wher...

Kimberley Rew is probably best known for writing “Walking on Sunshine,” the 1985 smash for Katrina & the Waves. While a member of that band, he also penned “Going Down to Liverpool,” later covered by the Bangles. But before his hit-making success, Rew played guitar in the seminal alternative band the Soft Boys along with Robyn Hitchcock, who had a big impact on bands like REM. Yep Roc Records has...

Over the Rhine has just released a brand-new CD The Long Surrender helmed by studio ace Joe Henry (Solomon Burke, Ani Difranco). The thirteen tracks on the disc are both warm and haunting at the same time. At the band’s core is the husband and wife team of Linford Detweiler and Karin Bergquist, who’ve been making critically-acclaimed music for over 20 years now. Icon Fetch talks with Detweiler abo...

We all love music, but most of us run in the other direction when anyone mentions music theory; the actual nuts and bolts of it are enough to make most people’s head explode. Until now that is. Author John Powell remedies the situation with his new book “How Music Works: The Science and Psychology of Beautiful Sounds, from Beethoven to the Beatles and Beyond.” Powell does the impossible: he explai...

Arizona native Lucy Billings has just released her second album, No Other Road, featuring her personal yet melodic songwriting. The record was warmly produced by John Jennings, who’s worked his magic on several of Mary Chapin Carpenter’s best CDs. Billings talks with Icon Fetch about how she got hooked up with the producer, and gives us some of the stories behind her songs.

Johnny Winter is one of the greatest guitar players of all time. Yet, so little is known about him. Finally, his story can be told. In Raisin’ Cain: The Wild and Raucous Story of Johnny Winter, author Mary Lou Sullivan reminds us that Winter was a major figure in the rock n’ roll of the late Sixties and early Seventies. But, through drug addiction and misguided managerial decisions, his star faded...

Ohio Guitarist Kelly Richey has released eleven albums on her own label and toured extensively throughout the Midwest. Recently, she’s begun to branch out, finding new ways to use her talents, including becoming a Life Coach and forming an organization to help bring music to underprivileged schools. Icon Fetch talks to the talented blues player about her last record, Carry the Light, as well as he...

Pete Anderson spent 18 years as Dwight Yoakam’s guitarist and producer, helping spearhead the “back to basics” movement of the late Eighties. He’s also produced a wide array of artists, including Michelle Shocked, Roy Orbison, Tanya Tucker and the Meat Puppets. He’s just released a deluxe edition of his fourth solo record, Even Things Up, which adds four bonus tracks, including a searing guest voc...

Auditorium is a one-man-band project of Spencer Berger, whose new CD is called Be Brave. The 30-minute song cycle was recorded solely by Berger in his LA bedroom. The album utilizes very few elements; only his lead and background vocals, accompanied by his acoustic guitar and bass. Yet, the result sounds surprisingly orchestrated, with Berger’s haunting background vocals at the forefront. Icon Fet...

Underground pioneer Steve Wynn has been making critically-acclaimed records for over thirty years. He led the Dream Syndicate, who received substantial college radio airplay through most of the Eighties, before venturing out on his own. His latest project, Northern Aggression, recorded with his band the Miracle 3, has a grittier feel than his previous efforts. Icon Fetch talked with Wynn about rec...

Guitarist Wally Bryson was a member of the Raspberries who had an enduring hit with “Go All the Way.” The band released four albums in the early Seventies before breaking up in 1975. Those records are now regarded as early examples of “power pop,” mixing the melodic sense of the Beatles, the intensity of the Who, and the summery harmonies of the Beach Boys. His son, Jesse Bryson, has forged a musi...

Better Than Ezra first broke on the scene in 1995 with “Good” from their album Deluxe. Several other hits on alternative radio would follow. The band is currently on their “Road to Mardi Gras” tour which caps off with the “Krewe of Rockus” 3-day event, the first weekend in March. The band is offering a destination package for Mardi Gras where Better Than Ezra are your hosts during the festivities,...

Donnie Iris had a monster hit in 1981 with “Ah! Leah!.” Now’s he’s just released his first-ever holiday-themed record, “Ah! Leluiah!” One of the disc’s highlights is a take on Handel’s “Hallelujah Chorus” in which Iris overdubbed every single vocal part himself – a total of 81 Donnie’s on that single track! We also chat with him about his new venture King Cool Light beer.

You hope it never happens, but there are times when things go horribly wrong during a show. Patricia Shih has compiled some of the best stories in her new book, “Truly Rotten Gigs From Hell.” We talk with her about tracking down these great tales from a wide array of performers. Especially entertaining is her own story of playing Woodstock ’99.

Shelby Lynne is back with her first-ever holiday disc, “Merry Christmas.” The Grammy-winning singer/songwriter recorded the disc earlier in the summer. Among the eleven tracks are two new songs penned by Lynne. She talks to Icon Fetch about choosing the holiday songs, how she still loves listening to vinyl, and what she wants under the tree this year.

Lennon Tribute Week concludes with Pianist David Lanz, who has just released “Liverpool – Re-imagining the Beatles.” Hardly a straight covers album, the nine songs on the set instead take certain elements of each Fab Four song and expound on it with piano, cello and flute. The result is a collection that is both fresh and familiar. Lanz talks with Icon Fetch about choosing songs from the vast Beat...

Thursday night marked the 31th anniversary of John Lennon’s death. We pay tribute to one of the most influential musicians in the history of music through a special 2-hour edition of Icon Fetch. The show will feature live calls from listeners and recorded interviews with a wide array of musicians who were affected by Lennon’s talent. Among the guests are May Pang, who was Lennon’s girlfriend durin...

John Lennon Tribute Week continues as we talk with Keith Elliot Greenberg, author of “December 8, 1980: The Day John Lennon Died” (Backbeat Books). Greenberg digs deep into that day, chronicling not only what Lennon was doing, but also what the other Beatles did during that day. In addition, he profiles each person who played a role in that day, from the photographer and journalist who were in his...