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At the very peak of the Hippie movement, here comes Sha Na Na to remind everyone that “Rock n’ Roll is Here to Stay.” They were the second to last performers at Woodstock, opening for their friend (and fan of the band) Jimi Hendrix. After that prime slot, the band went on to high-profile gigs at the Fillmore, best-selling albums, and even a hit TV show in the mid-Seventies. Sha Na Na ushered in a...

Nicki Bluhm hails from Lafayette, California. The singer/songwriter released her first album in 2008. She also was a a part of Nicki Bluhm and the Gramblers. Her latest project, Avondale Drive, deals a lot with making a fresh start in life - after a divorce and a relocation to Nashville, Bluhm is ready to make music on her own terms. The new album was produced by Jesse Noah Wilson and features gue...

Sass Jordan hit pay dirt in the early 90’s with rock radio hit albums like Racine and Rats, and songs like “Make You a Believer” and “You Don’t Have to Remind Me.” But, she also garnered a Juno award in 1989, and even portrayed Janis Joplin in an off-Broadway musical. While Covid was raging, Sass issued her first all-blues album called Rebel Moon Blues to critical acclaim. Now, she’s put together...

They were the first Queen tribute band: Killer Queen was formed in 1993, just a year after Freddie Mercury's passing, and they've been celebrating the legacy of Queen ever since. We chat with frontman Patrick Myers about what got him to form the band in the first place, plus admiring Freddie's moves, and how timeless Queen's music really is. Amazingly, Killer Queen has managed to play some of the...

Seth Walker has been issuing music for almost a quarter century. His albums have charted on the blues, Americana and folk charts, showing his diversity as an artist. His latest release, I Hope I Know, is his 11th album, once again produced by longtime collaborator, Jano Rix. We discuss why he chose to relocate from Nashville to Asheville, NC, how an end to a relationship mixed with the worldwide p...

Michigan born singer/songwriter May Erlewine has been putting out her own music for almost 20 years. She's also released music with the Sweet Water Warblers. Her music has been covered by many artists, including Sawyer Fredericks, who performed her song, “Shine On,” on NBC’s The Voice. Her brand new album, Tiny Beautiful Things, deals a lot with the connections between people - something sorely mi...

Black Swan, a hard rock supergroup featuring Robin McAuley of MSG, Jeff Pilson of Dokken, Reb Beach of Winger and Matt Starr of Mr. Big. The band issued their debut album in 2020 called Shake the World, now they’re back with their sophomore release, Generation Mind, once again recorded at Pilson’s home studio in L.A. McAuley talks about how Jeff Wayne's musical of War of the Worlds inspired one so...

Australia’s Hoodoo Gurus have spent the last 40 years blending Troggs’-inspired garage rock with Beatles’ soaked melodies done with a New York Dolls’ sneer. The band were darlings of college radio during the eighties, and even scored a #1 Modern Rock hit with “Come Anytime,” in 1989. During the pandemic, the guys found themselves on a creative streak and the result is their 10th-long player, Chari...

King, Sun, Motown & Stax - all independent record companies that helped shape the course of popular music. Another such label, 415 Records, emerged in the late Seventies out of San Francisco. Originally, the company just covered the burgeoning punk movement that was happening there, but eventually they expanded, releasing an album by psychedelic pioneer Roky Erickson, then landing videos on MTV wi...

Matt North spent his 20's living and working in LA, writing screenplays, starring opposite James Woods in 2000’s Dirty Pictures, and was a guest on Curb Your Enthusiasm. He also became a in-demand session drummer, working with Maria McKee, Peter Case, Blondie Chaplin of the Beach Boys, and others. Eventually, North relocated to Nashville and began working on his own songs. We first talked back in...

Marshall Crenshaw’s 40 plus year career has included ten studio albums, a US top 40 hit in 1982 with “Someday, Someway,” some collaborations, and some movie appearances. Crenshaw recently regained the rights to several albums he released originally on the Razor & Tie label. We talked to him in 2020 for the first in that series, Miracle of Science. Now comes the reissue of #447. The eleven song alb...

The Memphis duo of Loveland Duren is made up of singer/songwriter Vicki Loveland and multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Van Duren. Both are veterans of the Memphis scene, with Loveland playing with the likes of Albert Collins and Isaac Hayes, while Duren played with Big Star alum Chris Bell & Jody Stephens before releasing solo material, and with his group, Good Question. The pair teamed up for...

Orleans, formed in Woodstock, New York in the early Seventies, found success in the middle part of the decade with “Dance with Me” and “Still the One.” Founding member John Hall left in the late Seventies, scoring a Rock Radio hit with “Crazy (Keep on Falling)“ with his John Hall Band in 1981, while the rest of Orleans hit with “Love Takes Time” in 1979. Hall became a US Representative for New Yor...

Sue Foley has been putting out music for the last 30 years, issuing a remarkable 16 albums in that time. She hails from Canada, but spent her formative years in Austin, soaking up the scene and playing with a host of legendary artists. She’s won a Juno Award, many Maple Blues Awards, and most recently, A Blues Music Award in 2020, garnering the Koko Taylor award in the Traditional Blues Female cat...

Back in 2013, photographer Lisa S. Johnson released 108 Rock Star Guitars, and it was a unique book. She photographed some of the most hallowed guitars in history from the likes of Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, and Keith Richards. But, she went a step further, often zooming in on a worn fretboard, or flipping the guitar over to see sweat stains on the back of the body. By focusing on each guitar as a pie...

Artwork in music is mostly an afterthought these days. A small, thumbnail photo shows up when we stream a song from our phone. But, for decades when vinyl was king, album covers played a crucial role in the success of a record. Think about what Sgt. Pepper or Led Zeppelin IV or Dark Side of the Moon would be without the packaging. Bob Heimall was responsible for creating some of the most iconic LP...

Jefferson Starship has gone through a lot of changes over the years. First, rising from the ashes of the previous Jefferson Airplane, it was a vehicle for Paul Kantner, Grace Slick and David Freiberg. Over the years, and numerous lineup changes, the band scored many hits, like “Miracles,” “Count on Me,” “Find Your Way Back,” and “Jane,” which was co-written by Freiberg. The band is currently out o...

Chris Hillman is one of the unsung heroes of popular music. Starting out as bassist for the Byrds, the band was part of the American answer to the Beatles, electrifying the lyrics of Bob Dylan on “Mr. Tambourine Man,” but showing they could write trailblazing material of their own in songs like “Eight Miles High.” Hillman introduced Gram Parsons to the band and their all-country Sweetheart of the...

Before the mid-90’s success of the Wallflowers, Jakob Dylan and Tobi Miller were part of the Bootheels, a quartet led by bassist/vocalist Luther Russell. Although the group’s time was short – they only played a handful of gigs, they left behind some incendiary music – documented in 1988: the Original Demos from Omnivore Recordings. Russell later formed the Freewheelers before joining Big Star drum...

New England singer/songwriter Dar Williams has been putting out music for over 30 years. She’s played with Mary Chapin Carpenter, Ani DiFranco and Joan Baez, among others. She’s also written several books, including What I Found in a Thousand Towns: A Traveling Musician’s Guide to Rebuilding America’s Communities – One Coffee Shop, Dog Run, and Open Mic Night At a Time. Her latest album is her fir...

Tito Jackson is part of one of the most talented musical families in history, the Jacksons. With the Jackson 5, their first four singles for Motown Records all went to Number One, including “I Want You Back,” and “ABC.” After leaving Motown in the mid-Seventies, Tito began showcasing his multiple talents, writing songs, playing guitar and keyboards on many albums, especially those of his family me...

Donna Loren was a fixture of the 1960’s. She was chosen as the Dr. Pepper girl after a nationwide search, and appeared in numerous TV commercials over a span of five years. She also starred in several Beach Party movies with Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello, including Beach Blanket Bingo, where she sang her signature song, “It Only Hurts When I Cry.” Loren was a featured vocalist on the weekly...

Jimmie Vaughan is an American legend. He’s spent almost 50 years playing his blues guitar, first with the Fabulous Thunderbirds, who hit big in the mid 80’s with songs like “Tuff Enuff,” “Wrap it Up” and ‘Powerful Stuff,” before teaming with his brother, Stevie Ray, right before his passing for the Vaughan Brothers album. Since then, he’s played with a who’s who of the blues world, while also rele...

Doug “Cosmo” Clifford played drums for legendary rockers Creedence Clearwater Revival, who’s time on top was brief, only about two years. During that span, they issued 11 million selling hit singles and six albums - unbelievable by today’s standards. After the band disbanded, Clifford worked on a variety of projects, assembling various groups of musicians and recording albums...a lot of these have...

Johnny Mathis created the blueprint for romantic singers, recording timeless classics like “Chances Are,” “Misty,” “The Twelfth of Never,” and “It’s Not For Me to Say.” Unlike some of his contemporaries, he’s never stopped touring or recording. This year marks his 65th year as a recording artist with Columbia Records, and to celebrate, he’s embarking on his 65 Years of Romance Tour. We chat with h...