13th Floor MusicTalk

Veteran funk-rockers Little Feat are about to release their 16th...or is it 17th...studio album. Strike Up The Band is classic Little Feat and here is vocalist/guitarist/songwriter Scott Sharrard to tell us how he fit into Feat.

Marty Duda spoke to Scott, who at age 47, wasn't even thought of when the band formed in 1969. Now he's fronting this group of respected veterans and the band is sounding as fresh as it ever has. Watch and listen as Scott tells us how that still happens.

PUP, the pop-punk band based in Toronto, Canada has just released their fifth album, asking the musical question, Who Will Look After The Dogs.

Marty Duda spoke to guitarist Steve Sladkowski just days before the album, “dropped”. Steve was in Toronto busy packing to head out on tour…they will be in New Zealand in August…but he wasn’t too bust to stop and talk about the serious circumstances behind the songwriting on this album or to discuss working to top notch producer John Congleton (St. Vincent/Bill Callahan) or to enlighten us as to how unlikely influences such as Marc Ribot, Billy Gibbons and Marshall McLuhan all feed into the PUP sound.

Dope Lemon (aka Angus Stone) releases Golden Wolf. This is the fifth Dope Lemon album, one that will be followed by live shows coming in July.

The 13th Floor's Marty Duda spoke to Angus about the concept of Golden Wolf  and the progression of Dope.

Craig Finn is the lead singer for The Hold Steady, but he also has a flourishing solo career, with a new album out called Always Been.

Marty Duda found Craig at home in Brooklyn, NY, just as he was packing to head out on the road with The Hold Steady. He took a few moments to talk about his very well-received solo album which was produced by the War On Drugs' Adam Granuciel. Additionally, Craig hosts a popular podcast called That's How I Remember It, so we have plenty to talk about!

Haiku Redo is an Auckland-based power pop quartet, led by Craig Horne and borne out of the ashes of Andrew Fagan's band LIG. The new album is called Disco Summer.

Marty Duda spoke to Craig just after the band's record release show at Auckland's Ding Dong Lounge to find out how the project, including band member Dianne Swann, label Failsafe Records and JB HiFi all came together to make this thing happen.

Multi-disciplinary artist Lonnie Holley has released Tonky, another collaboration with producer Jacknife Lee that breaks new ground while simultaneously mining the rich history of the blues and gospel.

Marty Duda spoke to Lonnie, who was in Atlanta, Georgia, decked out in jewelry he accumulated on his first trip to Africa. Here he is to tell us about his most recent stories and songs.

Austin-based singer-songwriter Taylor Rae has just released her second album, The Void and we think she’s onto something special.

 Marty Duda spoke to Taylor just after release day to find her ready to talk about the 10 songs she wrote after feeling like ‘the last four years felt like staring into the void’.

At the tender age of 80, Detroit native and Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame member Mitch Ryder is still rocking like its was 1965.

Marty Duda spoke to Mitch about his new album, With Love, produced by fellow Detroit rocker Don Was. Mitch was also in a reflective mood, remembering sharing the stage with Otis Redding, recording with Marianne Faithfull and having a "personal meeting" with Prince.

Dunedin artist Neive Strang has just released her new album, Find Me In The Rabbit Hole, working for the first time with a producer…Sean James Donnelly…aka SJD.

Marty Duda spoke to Neive about how she and Sean worked together in his basement studio to come up with this rich-sounding collection of original songs.

JD Clayton has just released his second album, titled Blue Sky Sundays. The son-of-Southern preacher man muses on the premise that, perhaps, "Rock is a sub-genre of Country, now".

Marty Duda spoke to JD, who was in Nashville, where Blue Sky Sundays was recorded and where Rock lives comfortably next to Country, Bluegrass and Gospel music.