Keith's Music Box

The ‘80s was the decade of bad clothes and even worse hair. But oh! What a great time for some very cool music. Punk. New wave. Alt rock. We’ll hear a selection of the best of it from artists including The Go-Gos, XTC, Howard Jones, The English Beat, Talking Heads, The Motels and many others. It’s a mix you’ll hear only on the latest episode of KMB. Eat your heart out, Richard Blade!

Richard T. Bear, aka T Bear, was a leading session keyboard player and songwriter in the 70s and 80s, but then he went virtually silent for a couple of decades. Now he has his first album of new music in 25 years, "Fresh Bear Tracks," and it kicks ass. It rocks. It’s bluesy. It’s jazzy. It’s awesome. His story is one of grit, pain, redemption and, ultimately, joy. Hear from the man himse...

Where would you be without your mom? Certainly not here. For this Mother’s Day, kick back with a dozen songs celebrating moms and their hallowed place in our lives (for better or worse). We’ll hear from Pink Floyd, Paul Simon, Genesis, Queen, Three Dog Night and many others on this special episode of Keith’s Music Box.

Spirit Machines has been called “the most exciting band to come out of Utah in decades” and “the antithesis to the last major rock band from the state, Imagine Dragons.” They’ve sold thousands of copies of their first album, “Feel Again,” and the video for their Zeppelin/Tool mashup, “Zober,” was an internet sensation, especially after it was praised by Tool itself. In this exclusive interview, wh...

Out of the bars and clubs of Boston, New York City and the Jersey Shore there’s always been a steady stream of killer rock ‘n roll. From Philadelphia too, along with a healthy dose of smooth R&B. We’ll listen to 15 great tracks from America’s East Coast on this week’s episode of KMB, including songs from Aerosmith, Steely Dan, Bon Jovi, Boston, Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen, along with a co...

Remember that pacifist badass Billy Jack? How about the theme song, “One Tin Soldier,” from the 1971 Billy Jack movie? What about 707's song “I Could Be Good for You” and Montrose with “Bad Motor Scooter?” Mr. Mister with “Broken Wings?” Yep, there were some memorable tunes in the ‘70s and ‘80s that you just don’t hear anymore. We’ll fix that on this week’s episode of KMB, featuring an eclect...

The five-piece family band Liliac (Romanian for “bat”) has taken flight in recent years playing a fresh brand of hard rock they call “vamp metal.” It's loud and raucous and totally unexpected from a group of siblings aged 13-22. With more than 100 million views on YouTube and Facebook and 7 million streams on Spotify, Liliac is now poised to take an even bigger bite out of the music world. In...

The San Fernando Valley section of LA possesses a rich musical history. From recording studios to record shops, audio equipment manufacturers to music clubs, it’s all happened in the land of the 818 area code. Most importantly, the Valley is where many rock artists hail from, currently live, or once called home, including musicians Tom Petty and Jenny Lewis, and the bands Bad Religion, System of a...

Rob Shanahan has photographed many of rock’s greatest drummers, including Ringo Starr, Charlie Watts, Jim Keltner, Neil Peart, Tommy Lee, Mick Fleetwood and Alex Van Halen. His portfolio also features spectacular shots of Paul McCartney, Eddie Van Halen, Joe Walsh, Sheila E, The Rolling Stones, Aerosmith and Motley Crue, to name just a few. When he’s not shooting, he’s playing the drums himself in...

The year was 1964 and four mop-topped Liverpudlians were leading an army of Britain’s best rock musicians to the shores of America. It was the British Invasion, a relatively brief but fertile period in music history that changed the way rock is played -- and enjoyed. Hear 20 great tunes from the era on episode #38 of Keith’s Music Box, including songs from the Beatles, the Stones, the Who, the Kin...

Imagine a concert with some of the best live acts of all time. Zeppelin. The Allman Brothers. Peter Frampton. Bruce Springsteen. Cheap Trick. U2. Well, KMB episode #37 is your ticket to hear them altogether in a one-of-a-kind show dedicated to rock’s greatest stars playing live and loud.  Here's the lineup: 1. Hello There/Come On, Come On — Cheap Trick , Budokan, Tokyo, 1978 2. Since I'v...

Some bad shit went down in 1972, but that didn't stop a slew of great albums from some of rock's biggest stars from hitting the shelves. Exile on Main Street. The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. Can’t Buy a Thrill. Honky Chateau. Harvest. On KMB episode #36 we’ll listen to some of the greatest tunes from this turbulent year in world history.

Danny Kortchmar. Waddy Wachtel. Leland Sklar. Steve Postell. Russ Kunkel. They’re five of the busiest musicans in the world, and their band, The Immediate Family, plays rock the way it was meant to be played: with skill, passion and amps cranked way up. Stream KMB episode #35 today to hear my exclusive conversation with the guys, as well as some of their best-known songs.

Barry Smolin has been a fixture on public radio station KPFK in Los Angeles for more than 25 years. His first show, “The Music Never Stops,” was a Sunday-night destination for Deadheads. His latest program, “Head Room,” is a wide-open venue for exploratory rock, be it psychedelic pioneers such as the Dead, contemporary jam-rock, healthy doses of vintage progressive rock, new music from myriad expe...

We’re diving under the covers this week on KMB, playing a great selection of cover tunes — along with the originals they’re based on. This is a show you're not likely to hear on any other station or service. Listen today to hear different interpretations of the same song from artists including Tom Petty & Johnny Cash, the Zombies & Santana, the Rolling Stones & Devo, and George Ha...

You’ve heard Lee Sklar on some of the greatest rock songs of all time. He’s played with James Taylor, Jackson Browne, Carole King, Phil Collins, Linda Ronstadt, Toto, Rod Stewart, Hall & Oates, Warren Zevon, the Section and the Immediate Family, just to name a few. Tune in to hear my chat with Lee about his impressive career, along with a selection of songs handpicked to showcase the scope of...

2020 has sucked, but it's almost over and the holidays are here. Hell yeah! In this, the final KMB episode of 2020, we'll celebrate with a unique mix of holiday tunes that you simply won’t find on any other show. Coming down your chimney are artists like the Ramones, AC/DC, Weezer, Tom Petty, Fountains of Wayne, Eels, Jethro Tull, the Kinks, David Bowie and many, many others!

What’s it take to be a top rock radio personality, MC and DJ in a major market like the San Francisco Bay Area? To get tens of thousands of people fired up at a San Francisco 49ers football or San Jose Sharks hockey game? King Raffi knows — and will tell us all about it on the latest episode of Keith’s Music Box. Hear his stories and some of his favorite songs from bands like XTC, AC/DC, David Bow...

Drum Workshop, better known as DW, is one of the world’s great drum companies. Its kits are played by many of rock’s all-time best drummers; Mitch Mitchell, Neil Peart, Nick Mason, Mick Fleetwood, Jim Keltner, JR and Russ Kunkel to name a few. DW co-founder John Good and I rap about the company’s kits and the folks who play them on this week’s show. Along the way we'll spin tunes from Toy Mat...

Photographer Neal Preston has shot iconic images of rock’s most legendary artists, including Led Zeppelin, Queen, the Who, Bruce Springsteen, Fleetwood Mac, the Allman Brothers, the Eagles, Kiss, Motley Crue, Jimi Hendrix, U2 and Bob Marley. His work has been displayed at the Rock Hall of Fame, the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, and the National Gallery in London, and has appeared on t...

We all know that women rockers can kick ass just as well as any dude. We’ll listen to some of the best in this week’s episode of Keith’s Music Box. Of course, you have to start with Janis, but we’ll also hear from classic and contemporary artists including Linda Ronstadt, Chrissie Hynde, Sheryl Crow, Stevie Nicks, Jenny Lewis, Shirley Manson and others.

Guitarist Adam Zimmon has carved out an impressive career as a sideman for a wide range of internationally acclaimed artists, including Iggy Pop, Shakira, Glen Campbell, Enrique Iglesias, Dido and Lissie. He’s a member of Ziggy Marley’s band, as well as Vida Blue, a side project from Page McConnell of Phish. Adam and I will chat about his career and play a selection of hand-picked music on this we...

From its earliest days, rock music has been a study in evolution. In this week's episode of Keith’s Music Box, we’ll trace the changing sound of rock from 1955 to the present with some of the greatest songs ever recorded, from artists including Chuck Berry, the Beatles, the Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, the Clash and the White Stripes. 

This week’s episode is dedicated solely to the music of Eddie Van Halen, a true guitar hero if ever there was one.

Some nights you just can’t sleep. Other nights your sleep is haunted by bizarre dreams and nightmares. Either way you just can’t win. This week’s episode of KMB explores the mystery of sleep, dreams and nightmares. We’ll also pay tribute to a few ‘70s hitmakers we’ve recently lost. Set your alarm and tune in to hear rousing songs from John Lennon, Metallica, Alice Cooper, the Electric Prunes, the...