That Record Got Me High Podcast

Formed in 1976 by husband-and-wife duo Lux Interior and Poison Ivy, The Cramps forged their own unique niche in the early punk movement with their raucous brand of rock-n-roll psychobilly. This week's guest, art gallery owner and music fan Brook Dorsch , brings us their debut full-length 'Songs The Lord Taught Us' . "Well, come on little mama, let's tear this damn place up!" Songs featured in this...

Sociologist, Appalachian scholar and activist Alana Anton is a southern girl at heart, and when she first discovered The Highwomen - the debut album by the country music super-group of the same name composed of Brandi Carlile , Natalie Hemby , Maren Morris , and Amanda Shires - it immediately brought her back to her country roots. The at times gut-wrenching collection of songs is a stunning celebr...

Singer/songwriter Greg Franco (Man's Body, Rough Church, Ferdinand) has a dark secret. Even though he came up in the early-80s LA punk scene listening to bands like Dead Kennedys and Black Flag, he's also completely enamored with the music of British pop band Prefab Sprout and it's founder Paddy McAloon. Join us as we discuss their 1990 release: 'Jordan: The Comeback' Songs featured in this episod...

For this special bonus episode, I asked my Patrons to send in a song they kind of love by a band/artist they kind of hate. It's: That ONE Song By That Band/Artist I Don't Really Like Got Me High!  As usual, they did NOT disappoint!! Songs featured in this episode: Superstar - The Carpenters; Viva La Vida - Coldplay; Stranglehold - Ted Nugent; Crazy Horses - The Osmonds; No One Like You - Scorpions...

Singer/songwriter...musician...producer...et cetera...et cetera Jim Camacho sat down to discuss a record that got him high over 35 years ago and continues to inspire him today: 1985s 'Hounds Of Love' by the incomparable Kate Bush . The songs on this record are at once dramatic, moving, wildly adventurous and undeniably Kate! "Do you want to feel how it feels?" Songs featured in this episode: Hound...

Emmy-winning writer Jeff Greenstein (Friends, Will & Grace, Parenthood, Desperate Housewives) knows a thing or two about comedy. So it's no surprise that a record that got HIM high as a young impressionable adolescent ALSO made him laugh. A lot. The songs on 'More of Tom Lehrer' by singer-songwriter/satirist Tom Lehrer combine wickedly-clever wordplay with an absurdist - at times dark - sense of h...

As teens growing up in Summit, New Jersey in the late 70s, NY Punk Godfather Jack Rabid ( Big Takeover Magazine ) and his likeminded friends would sneak off to Manhattan to catch shows by the exciting new bands and punk legends they were reading about. Even at 17 they knew Johnny Thunders and his Heartbreakers were something special, and the blistering live document 'Heartbreakers Live at Max's Ka...

In 1993, British alternative/shoegaze band Catherine Wheel paired-up with producer Gil Norton (Pixies) to create a record that fused the atmospheric beauty of their debut with a crushing wall-of-sound: 'Chrome '. The feedback-drenched tales of beauty and paranoia caught the ear of this week's guest, artist/poet Nate Levine , and he joined us for a deep-dive into the sonic muck. Songs featured in t...

This week, activist and co-host of 'The Muck Podcast' Hillary Dougherty takes a break from smashing the patriarchy to bring us a record that made the pandemic slightly more bearable for her: 'Punisher' by indie-rock sensation Phoebe Bridgers . It was a fun, lively conversation and no guitars were destroyed! Songs featured in this episode: Dylan Thomas - Better Oblivion Community Center; Motion Sic...

Returning guest, producer, experimental/noise music pioneer and curmudgeon Frank 'Rat Bastard' Falestra  invited us to his South Beach, Miami studio for a crash course on pre-eminent British singer/songwriter Sandy Denny . In her short life, Denny left an impressive body of work both with the UK folk rock band Fairport Convention and solo releases.  File under: essential listening. Songs featured...

Frequent guest and music lover Camila Risso is always on the lookout for sounds that move her...or make her want to move! When she discovered then-25-year-old Leon Bridges and his debut album 'Coming Home' in 2015, she was immediately drawn to his smooth, soulful voice and deeply personal songs. You can brand it as 'retro', but the sound he created with Austin Jenkins and Josh Block of the Texas p...

For this BONUS Valentine's Day episode, we asked our Patrons to send us a song that broke their heart. Because sometimes, love stinks! Songs featured in this episode: Love Hurts - Nazareth; Alone Again, Naturally - Gilbert O'Sullivan; Operator - Jim Croce; Whatever (Folk Song in C) - Elliott Smith; If I Didn't Love You - Squeeze; Things - Paul Westerberg; I Am The Cosmos - Chris Bell; 1963 - New O...

A self-professed band geek whose first instrument was trumpet, this week's guest - bassist extraordinaire Dan Bonebrake (Dashboard Confessional, The Lightworkers, Vacant Andys, Quit, Honest Liars...) - brought us a record that for him is an amalgamation of everything he loves about music: "Allroy's Revenge" by ALL . 3/4 of legendary CA punk band Descendents (Bill Stevenson, Karl Alvarez, and Steph...

This week's guest Bob Fay (Sebadoh, Deluxx, Cardinal) has played on a wide swath of punk/indie releases, so it makes perfect sense that the album he chose to discuss was ' Songs in the Key of Life'  by Stevie Wonder , right? Right?? Both Elton John and Michael Jackson sited it as a personal favorite, and Prince simply called it the best album ever recorded - so Bob may be onto something... Songs f...

We ventured once again into the Rat's lair - otherwise known as the South Beach studio of Frank 'Rat Bastard' Falestra - and sat down with Miami-via-Pennsylvania singer/songwriter Nick Mencia a.k.a. Nick County  to discuss the stunning "Car Wheels on a Gravel Road" by Lucinda Williams . The soul-baring songs of Williams transcend any alt-country/American roots-rock labels, and the album is truly a...

What do Guns N' Roses , Young Frankenstein and Johnny Rotten all have in common? They are all name-checked in this episode as we take a deep dive into guitar prodigy - and former GnR member - Ron 'Bumblefoot' Thal's 7th solo release, 'Abnormal' , with special guest Larry Smith . Come for the over-the-top musicianship and quirky-but-catchy songs, stay for the self-effacing humor and Axl Rose shade....

When our guest Steve Carroll was a North London lad of fourteen in 1979, the Virgin Records window display of Elvis Costello's 'Armed Forces' (his 2nd album with the Attractions and 3rd overall) caught his eye, but he wasn't quite ready for the record to catch his ears yet. The heady mix of catchy melodies, fierce musicianship and ultra-clever wordplay eventually won him over a few years later, an...

U.K. punk/mod titans The Jam burned fast and bright in their relatively short existence - they released 18 consecutive Top 40 singles in the United Kingdom, from their debut in 1977 to their break-up in December 1982, including four number one hits. This week we're joined by California Public Utilities Regulatory Analyst - and music fan - Rory Cox to discuss their fourth record, the thematically a...

In this special BONUS Episode, we asked our Patrons to send in a favorite song by a female artist or female-led band. Let's hear it for the girls!! Songs featured in this episode: Can't Stop - Missy Elliott; You Don't Own Me - Leslie Gore; Valentine - Snail Mail; Billy's Birthday - Romeo Void; Our Lips Are Sealed - The Go-Go's; Emotions & Math - Margaret Glaspy; Hypocrite - Lush; Stop In The Name...

In 1990 Matthew Sweet - who was going through a divorce and was just dropped by his record label - assembled a band that included iconic guitarists Richard Lloyd and Robert Quine and released what would be his breakout album, 1991's 'Girlfriend' . Singer/songwriter Paul Roub sat down with Rob to discuss this stripped-down slab of noisy pop goodness. Songs featured in this episode:  Be Human  - Pau...

At the time of their 1989 debut album 'You And Your Sister' , The Vulgar Boatmen constituted two bands: one based in Florida and one based in Indiana. Returning guest Steve Michener (Big Dipper, Volcano Suns, Dumptruck) makes the case that their wonderfully subdued, heart-tugging songs easily overshadow their slightly bizarre backstory. Come along for the ride... Songs featured in this episode: Al...

For our 200th episode, Boston guitar legend Rich Gilbert ( Human Sexual Response , The Zulus , Frank Black & The Catholics ) joins us to discuss a record that stoked his lifelong passion for creating music without boundaries: 'On The Corner' by Miles Davis . It's also the return of Barry Stock to the guest co-host chair, making sure Rich had someone intelligent to talk jazz with. Dig it! Songs fea...

Political Consultant and Speechwriter Brian Franklin knows a thing or two about the impact words can have, and the existential dread and barely repressed frustration of Matt Berninger's lyrics paired with his band The National's viscerally elegant music hits him in all the right places. We discuss the Brooklyn-by-way-of-Cincinnati band's breakout 2013 album 'Trouble Will Find Me' in this slow-burn...

Haledon, New Jersey's The Feelies were a touchstone for bands as diverse as R.E.M ., Sonic Youth and Weezer . Although their 1980 debut Crazy Rhythms is the one that put them on the alt-influencer map, this week's returning guest Tom Lawery has a particular fondness for their 2nd record made six years later - the Peter Buck produced 'The Good Earth'. Songs featured in this episode: The Boy With Th...

This week's guest Heidi Caballero felt a connection with New York hip hop explorers Beastie Boys from the time she was 8 years old - through her older brother - and by the time 1994's 'Ill Communication' appeared her road to spiritual awakening had begun in earnest. In many ways her path mirrored that of late Beastie member Adam 'MCA' Yauch, who was a practicing Buddhist and became an important vo...