No Simple Road

This week on No Simple Road we welcome Craig MacArthur of Casual Coalition! Born on the stage of countless nights at Terrapin Crossroads, The Casual Coalition are a branch from the "community music tree" that was planted at the Marin county venue, owned by Grateful Dead bassist, Phil Lesh.  The Casual Coalition features an always rotating musical cast, led by guitarist/vocalist Craig MacArthur, wh...

We are proud to have the one and only Reverend Freakchild as our guest this week! In the tradition of such Holy Blues Reverends as Reverend Gary Davis - such is the irreverent Reverend Freakchild. The Rev. primarily performs solo acoustic these days but has also recently recorded with some amazing musicians including Melvin Seals, Mark Karan, Chris Parker, Hugh Pool, Jay Collins and Grammy nominat...

We are extremely excited this week to have John Morgan Kimock as our guest! John is a Drummer, Composer, and Producer residing in Brooklyn NY. He grew up in Northern California performing at a young age with his father Steve Kimock (Bob Weir, Bruce Hornsby). He composed at an early age on the game Simon as well as with Peruvian throat singers and at set break at random performances of his fathers...

This week we are excited to bring you Ervin Stellar as our guest on No Simple Road! Ervin Stellar is the public persona of Andrew Jordan, who moved from New York to Nashville following his 2018 album, The Moment. That relocation is referenced in the first line of Nothing to Prove’s title track, setting up a series of musical snapshots that encompasses three original songs and two well-chosen cover...

What could be more perfect for our 200th episode than to have the one and only Donna Jean Godchaux-MacKay as our guest?! We're incredibly honored to talk to Donna and hear about her journey with The Band Beyond Description! Donna sang with the Grateful Dead from 1972 until 1979 but her musical trip didn't end there! In 2009, Donna Jean formed a brand new band, the Donna Jean Godchaux Band, with Je...

This week on No Simple Road we are stoked to have Jude Smith as our guest. Inspired by class acts such as George Benson, John Mayer, and Michael Jackson, Jude Smith plays to a different tune than most. A Nashville native and multi-instrumentalist, Jude rose to Instagram-stardom through his guitar playing and musical content while showcasing his one-man-band ability - gaining over 100,000 followers...

This week on No Simple Road we welcome the one and only Anders Osborne! Between the potency of his richly detailed songwriting, his intensely emotional, soulful vocals and his piercing, expert guitar work, New Orleans’ Anders Osborne is a true musical treasure. He is among the most original and visionary musicians writing and performing today. Guitar Player calls him “the poet laureate of Louisian...

We are extremely honored this week on No Simple Road to welcome Susana Millman as our guest! Around 25 years ago, Susana Millman became a Bay Area photographer. In the spirit of her love for bad puns, she dubbed herself “mamarazi,” although she’s certainly more benign than the paparazzi. Best known for her photography of Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead from the mid-1980s on through later incarn...

This week on No Simple Road we're proud to bring you Russ Lawton and Ray Paczkowski of Soule Monde! Soule Monde is avant funk erupting from the syncopated minds of power drummer Russ Lawton + B3 wizard Ray Paczkowski. An ideal union of swagger and raw talent, the duo is cemented into an indestructible pocket, where bold improvisational leaps by either player are met by a near-telepathic response f...

This week No Simple Road is extremely proud to have Gordon White as our guest. Gordon runs 'Rune Soup', one of the leading Chaos Magic blogs and is the host of his podcast by the same name. He has worked internationally for some of the world's largest digital and social media companies, including BBC Worldwide, Discovery Channel, and Yelp. We get right down to business and start discussing topics...

This week on no Simple Road we welcome Beadwork By Jenny! Jenny is known all throughout the Grateful Dead Family and the jam band community as the creator of incredible beadwork straps worn by musicians such as Bob Weir, Oteil Burbridge, Grahame Lesh, Don Was, Duane Betts, Neal Casal, Rob Eaton, Greg Ormont, and many more! We sit down with Jenny and her man Brady to talk about thier journey in lif...

Andy Stepanian from Leon III (that's pronounced Leon the 3rd) is our guest on No Simple Road this week! Andy and his Wrinkle Neck Mules bandmate Mason Brent have created something miraculous with the new album 'Antlers In Velvet'. The two left Nashville for Stinson Beach, California and Beech House Studios and created an album that is a textured pool of psychedelic wonderment, filled with deep gro...

This week on No Simple Road we welcome Jamel aka Jamal to the show! Jamel is responsible for some of the most moving, funny, heartfelt, and creative reaction videos on YouTube. Jamel's reactions to the Good Ol' Grateful Dead drew us in and reminded us of what that moment of realization was like for us. We had to have him on! We sit down with Jamel to talk about growing up without role models, find...

No Simple Road is super stoked this week to bring you Lespecial! Lespecial carves their own sonic path in modern music, creating their signature blend of “heavy future groove”. The power of the trio's fresh synthesis of varied and divergent influences doesn't underestimate the listener, reflecting a post-modern cultural climate in which fans have the space on their aural palette for J Dilla, Radio...

We are excited to bring you Rich Monroe, Author of 'The Conspiracy Diaries: The Light Beyond The Shadows'. Rich Monroe was a young JFK assassination truth activist back in the 1970s. Along with a small group of his trusted friends, he embarked on a quest to expose the cabal that orchestrated the event. His Kennedy assassination research and his involvement in the fledgling “ JFK Truther Community”...

This week No Simple Road welcomes the incredible International Orange! International Orange (a.k.a. IO) is the brainchild of New York City veteran musicians and longtime friends Todd Isler and David Phelps. Leo Traversa provides the grooviest bass and Adam Morrison's keys are the perfect sauce. IO's innovative funky originals marry the slide guitar of the American South to the sensibilities of Ind...

We are stoked to bring you Chris Couch from World's Finest as our guest this week! This on is up close and personal in the studio and the No Simple Road crew and Chris spend some time talking about all the changes that have taken place in the last year for Chris including working on a kid's album, finding a new drummer, realizing it's time to make things happen, the beauty of the Pacific Northwest...

We're honored to have Jeff Firewalker Schmitt on No Simple Road this week! It's not every day that No Simple Road can bring you an individual that at 14 had started college. By 15 he was running a research lab with a famous scientist and was being published in prestigious academic journals. Now, based in Asheville, NC, Jeff is a noted scientist, holds a PhD from Oxford, is a Chinese martial Arts e...

No Simple Road is proud to have Hearty Har as our guest this week! Hearty Har is a psychedelic rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 2012. Led by brothers Shane Fogerty (guitar/vocals) and Tyler Fogerty (guitar/vocals), Hearty Har has come to be known for their exciting and raucous live shows, which blend modern psychedelia with classic garage rock and roll. Imagine a neon lightning bo...

Get ready for a ride! No Simple Road is excited to bring you Arthur Lee Land of Blue Skye Barn Presents! Arthur takes us on a conversational journey in this episode! We talk with Arthur about the upcoming A Colorado Heart(h) Warming Valentine's Day Benefit (February 14th at 7pm) to provide assistance to L.E.A.F.(Lyons Emergency Action Fund). The free stream will include songs & conversations navig...

You're in for a treat this week as No Simple Road brings you Diggin Dirt! The whole band joins us to talk about their humble beginnings in Norcal, channeling the muse in order find the sound, what "if you want the crowd to bleed, you gotta hemorrhage" means, what the road back to the stage looks like, and a whole lot more! Diggin Dirt began planting its roots back in 2011 in the town of Arcata, CA...

This week on No Simple Road we're stoked to bring you Wes and Elizabeth from The Almost Familiar Podcast! Almost Familiar is a show that asks the questions... is Pretty Lights the Phish of EDM? Is it possible to love Dubstep and Bluegrass? Have you ever called someone a wook or been called a wook yourself? Elizabeth Dreeson and Wes Johnson discuss the evolving landscape of what they call "neo-hipp...

No Simple Road is proud to have the one and only Duane Betts as our guest this week. Duane cut his teeth sitting-in regularly as a teen with Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees The Allman Brothers Band. A Sarasota, Florida native, Betts relocated to Southern California and led Malibu rock outfits such as Backbone69 and Whitestarr, then ascended to a near-decade stint playing guitar alongside his...

No Simple Road is stoked to bring you Space Kamp as our guests this week! Space Kamp was founded circa 2017. Rooted in Pennsylvania, members Adoo and Oskee began a mission to break rules and spread love around the globe. Creating their full length LP 'Electric Lemoade', Space Kamp traveled to the legendary Hyde Street Studio in San Francisco and to Rob the Vikings own The Chamber Studio in Vancouv...

No Simple Road is stoked to bring you The Travers Brothership this week and a special surprise with Apple's Dad before the interview! Twin brothers Eric and Kyle Travers have been making music and stunning audiences since they started playing music together at 7 years old. In 2012 the brothers formed their latest project, Travers Brothership, a Soul/Funk/Rock/Jam ensemble based out of Asheville, N...