Icon Fetch

Steve Barton is best known as the leader of the Los Angeles band, Translator, who was signed to Columbia records in the early Eighties, scoring a college radio hit, “Everywhere That I’m Not,” in 1982. Barton issued his first solo record in 1999, and since then has issued six more, his latest being Tall Tales and Alibis. At a time when many artists have abandoned the album format for the far more e...

“You’re as baaad as Eric Clapton, and I know Eric Clapton” Those words were uttered by legendary bluesman Buddy Guy and he was talking about guitarist Peter Parcek, who’s been creating a name for himself playing shows in the Northeast and releasing several critically acclaimed albums, even being nominated as “Best New Artist” by the Blues Foundation. Yet, it’s been awhile since we’ve heard from hi...

Jethro Tull issued their debut album, This Was, back in 1968 to little fanfare. Few knew that this mix of blues, folk and psychedelia would usher in one of the most successful careers in all of rock. Now, a staggering 50 years later, leader Ian Anderson is celebrating that half-century mark by hitting the road with his venerable band for 50 Years of Jethro Tull, promising to not only cover the hig...

Kinky Friedman is an American original. The cigar-smoking, self-proclaimed “Jewish cowboy” has done it all – he’s toured with Bob Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Revue and been onstage at the Grand Ole Opry. He’s hobnobbed with John Belushi and Willie Nelson. Then, when his music career waned, he became a novelist, penning numerous mystery novels and non-fiction books. He also ran for governor of Texas (g...

John Mayall is one of the finest living ambassadors to the blues. His bands have been proving grounds for countless musicians, many of whom he’s outlived – and yet, he’s showing no sign of slowing down. He’s played a slew of recent live dates, and his latest studio album, 2017’s Talk About That, is one of the finest of his career. But, never one to stay in one place too long, Mayall threw everyone...

Luther Russell may not be a household name, but he’s managed to put together an impressive body of work over the last 30 years. He played in a pre-Wallflowers band with Jakob Dylan called The Bootheels; got signed to a major label in the 1990’s with the roots-rock outfit, The Freewheelers; worked with former Black Crowes’ guitarist Marc Ford in Federale, and is currently in a band with Big Star dr...

Tommy Keene was a gifted songwriter and guitarist who unexpectedly passed away in November of 2017 at the age of 59.  His melodic, hook-filled songs, made him a staple of college radio during the 1980's, and influenced many musicians that came after. Keene was a guest on the Icon Fetch podcast on five separate occasions.  These interviews reveal a musician who was dedicated to his art, but was als...

Nona Hendryx started her musical career as part of the Bluebelles, which also featured Patti Labelle, Sarah Dash & Cindy Birdsong.  The quartet hit in 1962 with “I Sold My Heart to the Junkman.”  Eventually, trimmed to a trio,  the group changed their name to Labelle and hit pay dirt with “Lady Marmalade” in 1974, before breaking up a few years later. Since then, Hendryx has forged a solo career w...

In 1984, right when the world was embracing the synthesizers and funny haircuts of New Wave, the Flat Duo Jets emerged from Chapel Hill, bringing everything back to basics - Dexter Romweber on vocals and guitar, and Chris “Crow” Smith on drums. Daniel 13 is issuing Wild Wild Love, a two-disc set that brings together the band’s first full length, 1990’s Flat Duo Jets, along with 1984’s cassette-onl...

Founding member and vocalist for the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Kim Wilson, has enjoyed hit albums, sold out concerts and even videos on MTV, but his latest project takes him back to where it all started – Blues and Boogie Volume One is a collection of raw blues, done the old-fashioned way. The 16 tracks give Wilson a chance to honor some of his idols, like James Cotton, Little Walter and Sonny Boy Wi...

Colin Hay was the lead singer of Men At Work, who sold an unbelievable 15 million copies worldwide of their debut, Business as Usual, yielding hits like “Down Under” and “Who Can it Be Now.” After three albums, the band called it quits.  Since then, Hay has forged a solo career, showing an ability to write songs with incredible depth. He’s recently issued his 13th solo platter, Fierce Mercy, and i...

Chris Barron is the lead singer of the Spin Doctors, who after much perseverance, enjoyed massive success in the early Nineties with hits like “Two Princes” and “Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong” and the accompanying album, Pocket Full of Kryptonite, which went five times Platinum.  Barron took some time out from the band to start work on his second solo record. During the process, he dealt with a paral...

Cheryl Pawelski worked her way from music fan, to stints with  labels like Capitol, Rhino and Concord, to starting her own label, Omnivore Recordings, in 2010. The company’s goal is "preserving, curating and championing some of music's greatest legacies.” The label has issued everything from the earliest recordings from the Beach Boys, called Becoming the Beach Boys, to a complete singles collecti...

Louise Goffin is the daughter of the hit-making songwriting team of Carole King and Gerry Goffin, yet she’s been able to forge her own unique path in music, beginning when she was only 19 years old with the album Kid Blue in 1979. In 1982, she placed a song on the Fast Times at Ridgemont High Soundtrack, then had a VH1 hit with 1988’s “Bridge of Sighs,” before taking a break from releasing music....

UK’s Gene Loves Jezebel formed in the early 80’s and had their biggest success in the US with songs like 1986’s “Desire” and “Jealous,” which hit #1 on the Alternative charts in 1990. Now, the band is back with their first new record in 14 years, Dance Underwater, which contains a killer single, appropriate for the time, “Summertime.” We talk with Jay Aston about bringing the original lineup of th...

Australian singer/songwriter Paul Kelly has tackled a lot of different musical projects over the last few years - he’s recorded a soul album, a duet album with Neil Finn of Crowded House, he put music to Shakespeare’s poetry and did a record with guitarist Charlie Owen of songs played a funerals. His latest project, Life is Fine, returns Kelly to his rock roots. And, he’s planning on touring the S...

Out of Cleveland Ohio came Raspberries. Led by Eric Carmen, they scored a monster hit in 1972 with “Go All the Way.” Carmen guided the band through four studio albums before embarking on a successful solo career in the mid Seventies, scoring hits like “All By Myself” and “Hungry Eyes,” and writing hits for other people, including “Almost Paradise” for Ann Wilson & Mike Reno. Finally, in 2004, the...

John Gary Williams was a member of the Mad Lads, who were signed to Stax Records in the early Sixties, while he was  still in high school.  They had several R&B hits, including "I Don't Have to Shop Around," and "I Want Someone." Williams decided to go solo in the early Seventies, recording a fantastic debut, self-titled album in 1973.  Full of lush strings, funky rhythms, and Williams' falsetto o...

Comedian Christopher Titus first gained notoriety for his comedy special "Norman Rockwell is Bleeding," where used his own warped version of the American family dynamic as a topic.  Now he's promoting his eighth special, "Amerigeddon," a show where he hilariously aims to “put to country back together." Titus also talks to us about his upcoming feature film, Special Unit, described as "Agents of Sh...

Pristine power pop and low fi collide Multi instrumentalist Jason Falkner played in the Three O’Clock, Jellyfish and the Grays before embarking on a solo career in the mid-90’s. He’s also played with numerous artists, including Beck, Air and even Paul McCartney. Falkner’s latest project is an unlikely collaboration with him and low fi pioneer R. Stevie Moore. The new album, Make It Be, meets their...

Fascinating behind-the-scenes look at a concert tribute to Big Star's swan song For an album that was deemed unreleasable at the time of recording and has never had a proper running order, Big Star’s Third has certainly gotten its due. It’s now considered one of the greatest albums of all time. After the sudden passing of Big Star frontman Alex Chilton in 2010, an all-star group of musicians got t...

Chip Taylor is best known as the songwriter for both “Wild Thing” and “Angel of the Morning,” but there’s so much more to him than just those two songs. For one, he’s written hundreds of other tunes, including “I Can’t Let Go” for the Hollies, and “Try a Little Harder” recorded by Janis Joplin. Taylor got his start in a rockabilly group, Wes Voight and the Town Three, who were signed to a subsidia...

Georgia native Jennifer Paige scored one massive hit in 1998, the seductive pop of “Crush.”  The single went to #3 in the US and topped the charts in Spain, Denmark, Russia, New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa.  Despite recording a strong debut album, she had no further hits in the States.  Her promising sophomore album, Positively Somewhere, had the misfortune of coming out the week after 9/...

It’s been an unbelievable 35 years since Night Ranger released their debut album, Dawn Patrol, and their first single, “Don’t Tell Me You Love Me.” The guys are celebrating still Rockin’ America and beyond with the release of their 12th album, Don’t Let Up. Here’s the thing, all the elements that make up a great Night Ranger album are still intact - great harmonies, fiery guitar solos, and choruse...

Matt North has done a little bit of everything. In the L.A. Comedy scene, he opened for the likes of Marc Maron, Louis CK and Chris Rock.  As a screenwriter, he did Best Western, which won multiple awards, yet has never been produced. As an actor, he starred alongside Jason Alexander in HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm, yet was written out of the script after one episode after Alexander left.  As a sess...