13th Floor MusicTalk

The Georgia Thunderbolts  have released their new album,  Rise Above It All,  and here is lead singer  TJ Lyle  to tell you all about it. The 13th Floor’s Marty Duda  spoke to TJ, who we found in Taylorsville, Georgia (pop. 252). TJ tells us about making the new record, playing for European audiences and his love of  Frankie Miller .

You may know Wellington-based musician Rob Joass from his work with Hobnail or Shotband or Too Many Chiefs . Rob has just released his 4th solo album titled Faultlines and here he is to tell you all about it. The 13th Floor's Marty Duda spoke to Rob about working with producer Wayne Bell, covering The Go-Betweens and singing with the Mitchell Sisters.

Zed  is back! After a 21-year “hiatus” they have just released their third album,  Future Memory , and we have all four members on hand to tell you about it. The 13th Floor’s Marty Duda  caught up with Nathan, Ben, Adrian and Andy who were in Akaroa on release day. Find out why its taken so long to get a third album out and what they’ve got planned for the next 21 years.

Elles Bailey has just released her fourth studio album, Beneath The Neon Glow , 10 tracks of glistening rock and soul all powered by her distinctive voice. The 13th Floor's Marty Duda spoke to Elles, who was home in Bristol, about making the record, play at Glastonbury and why 1972 hold a special place in her heart. 

Steve Wynn has been fronting The Dream Syndicate on  and off since they formed in 1981. Steve also has a thriving solo career and now he's an author with new book and album just released. The 13th Floor's Marty Duda spoke to Steve who was home in Queens, NY, about writing his memoir, Titled I Wouldn't Say It If It Wasn't True and his new solo album, Make It Right. 

Veteran Christchurch musician Al Park has just released his new album, titled One For The Dog, One For The Cat and One For The People With A Monkey On Their Back . Its a mouthful, so you can call it Monkey for short The 13th Floor's Marty Duda found Al at home in Lyttelton, keen to talk about making this new album with Adam Hattaway and Elmore Jones . Al's been making music for donkey's years so h...

Andrew Combs is a Nashville-based singer/songwriter who has just released his 6th album, titled Dream Pictures. The 13th Floor's Marty Duda found Andrew at home in Nashville and found out why he made a "record about contentment". 

Auckland musician and Pluto bass player Mike Hall has just released his debut solo album titled Nothing Stands Still. The 13th Floor's Marty Duda spoke to Mike about his decision to step up front, one that came from a hard drive disaster. Here is mike now to take us through the making of Nothing Stands Still with his good friend Jol Mulholland. Along the way we talk about his work with the Come To...

Rock & Roll Hall Of Famer Steve Cropper has just released a new album called Friendlytown . At age 82, the guitarist, producer and songwriter is still going strong with friends like Billy Gibbons and Brian May lending a helping hand. The 13th Floor's Marty Duda was thrilled to be speaking to the legend that is Steve Cropper . Guitarist for Booker T & The MGs , Cropper played, wrote and pro...

Loves Ugly Children split up in 1998 after a blistering run of singles, EPs and Albums and live shows throughout the Nineties. Against all the odds, they are back. The 13th Floor's Marty Duda invited Simon, Floss and Jason around to talk about their first show since 1998 in Christchurch and their last show, happening tonight at The Mothership in Auckland. Along the way we get tales of rock & r...

Malice K  is a New York-based project helmed by visual artist and songwriter  Alex Konschuh , who was born and raised in Olympia, Washington. We found Malice in Brooklyn and got the lowdown on how and why he made his new album, Avanti. The 13th Floor's Marty Duda spoke to Alex, or Malice, about his move from Olympia to New York and about his experience attending a performing arts hi...

The Softies are back with their first new album in 24 years titled The Bed I Made.  The 13th Floor's Marty Duda spoke to Rose Melberg and Jen Sbragia about touring with Elliott Smith , being part of the Riot Grrrl movement and why you shouldn't call them "Twee Pop"

Devon Allman has just released his new solo album, Miami Moon, recorded at the legendary Criteria Studio in Miami where his uncle Duane laid down Layla years earlier. Devon recruits Ivan Neville and George Porter to update the Allman legacy. The 13th Floor's Marty Duda spoke to Devon who was home in St. Louis, Missouri with his dog Franklin, keen to discuss the new record, an album that takes the...

Scottish musician Hamish Hawk has just released his new album titled A Firmer Hand featuring a collection of original songs that he considers "a step forward". The 13th Floor's Marty Duda spoke to Hamish on the eve of the album's release and found him in his nephew's bedroom in West Yorkshire as he and his band are on tour. It turns out Hamish is a Kiwi of sorts, so we get that business out of the...

Jontavious Willis is just about to release his latest album titled West Georgia Blues. His mission is to reinvigorate today's blues. Let's find out how. The 13th Floor's Marty Duda found Jontavious in the West Georgia town of Luthersville where he's revving up for released day on August 16th. In the meantime, listen and watch as he tells how Taj Mahal and Keb Mo put him on the path to the blues.

Bob Mould , he of  Hüsker Dü  and  Sugar  fame, is returning to New Zealand after a long absence to  play a solo show at Auckland’s Powerstation.  Bob’s last show in Auckland was at The Gluepot, so  the 13th Floor’s Marty Duda  thought it might be time to give Bob a call and find out what he has in store for us this time around.

Blues-rocker  Amanda Fish  has just released her third studio album titled  Kingdom . Written over a six-year gap, its her first since 2019’s  Free.  The 13th Floor’s Marty Duda  found Amanda at home in St. Louis where she hunkered down to talk about making  Kingdom  with  Paul Niehaus IV , addressing the current state of the mainstream media and realiz...

American Aquarium have just released their new album, The Fear Of Standing Still. Front man BJ Barham shows no fear when expressing his opinions, be they about toxic masculinity or mayonnaise. The 13th Floor's Marty Duda found BJ at home in North Carolina enjoying a bit of domestic bliss before he and the band hit the road later this year. Despite being  a father and a husband, BJ's rock &amp...

The Nathan Bowles Trio are three musicians based in the fertile music scene in and around Durham, North Carolina and they've just released their debut album, titled Are Possible on Drag City. The 13th Floor's Marty Duda spoke to Nathan Bowles (banjo), Casey Toll (double bass) and Rex McMurry (drums) about the making of Are Possible and how an obscure band from New Zealand may have informed what th...

Crack Cloud  is a (mostly) Canadian music collective formed in 2015 by  Zach Choy . They have just released their 3rd album,  Red Mile , recorded (mostly) at Joshua Tree in the Mojave Desert. The 13th Floor’s Marty Duda  spoke to Zach along with  Bryce Cloghesy  and  Aleem Khan  about free flying over the desert, why  Marshall McLuhan  is still rel...

Kiely Connell is a Nashville-based, rustbelt-born Country singer who has widened her musical horizons by recording her new album, My Own Company in Portland, Oregon with producer Tucker Martine. The 13th Floor's Marty Duda spoke to Kiely about what drew her to work with Tucker, about how her theatre background informs her music and how she separates the artist from the art. 

Kyle Daniel is a journeyman country rocker who, at age 38, has finally released his debut album titled Kentucky Gold. The 13th Floor's Marty Duda found Kyle in his home town of Bowling Green, Kentucky where he was ready to talk about the town's rich musical history, the long gestation period needed for his first album and his love of Gregg Allman.

The Menzingers were originally meant to play their first NZ shows back in 2020, but we all know what happened then. Now, four years later the Pennsylvania rockers on on their way. The 13th Floor's Marty Duda spoke to Menzingers' front man Greg Barnett about how the band has evolved over the intervening years and we also discuss The Replacements, Black Sabbath , baseball and being a left-handed gui...

Bette Smith has just released her third album, appropriately titled Goodthing. The 13th Floor's Marty Duda found the soulful singer in Brooklyn and managed to spend a few minutes with Bette to talk about working with British producer Jimmy Hogarth , her reaction to being compared to the likes of Betty Davis, Mavis Staples and Macy Gray and thoughts on Einstein's Theory Of Relativity.

Nashville rocker  Bones Owens  has just released his second album titled  Love Out Of Lemons.  The 13th Floor’s Marty Duda  spoke to the soft-spoken, hard rocking Bones who, indeed, was in Nashville and ready to talk about working with producer  Paul Moak , writing for film and touring on his Harley.