Caropop

This week’s episode takes us behind the scenes of an independent record label and record store out of Portland, Oregon: Jackpot Records, with its founder Isaac Slusarenko. He opened the store in 1997 as a place that was all about music, no T-shirts or candles. He launched the label in 2004 with a vinyl edition of the 1971 self-titled psychedelic soul album by Beauregard, a Portland wrestler, followed by albums by local rockers the Wipers. With repeat Caropop guest Kevin Grey providing the all-analog mastering then and now, the label offers Record Store Day treasures (Gandalf!) while releasing higher-profile titles by the Meters, Booker T. and the M.G.’s, Etta James, the Electric Prunes, Bill Evans, Martin Denny and others. How does the licensing of albums work? How does Slusarenko make his Jackpot pressings stand out? How important are the cover art, colored vinyl and limited editions? Slusarenko pulls back the curtains.

Immediately after Uncle Tupelo co-leaders Jay Farrar and Jeff Tweedy parted ways 30 years ago, bassist John Stirratt and his fellow bandmates followed Tweedy into a new band, Wilco. Now Stirratt and Tweedy are the only members left from that original lineup, and Stirratt reflects on Wilco’s exciting, turbulent early years as well as the more stable past two decades with the same lineup. Then there’s Stirratt’s other band, the Autumn Defense, which he and multi-instrumentalist Pat Sansone (who joined Wilco later) formed to highlight their melodic songwriting and sweet lead vocals. Ten years have passed since the last Autumn Defense album, but a new one is coming. From playing with the unpredictable Alex Chilton while a young man in the South (and singing his songs later) to entering the hospitality industry from his current home in Maine and being on call for Wilco, the ever-gracious Stirratt has many adventures to share.

The Dream Syndicate/Baseball Project singer-songwriter-guitarist just released a new memoir, I Wouldn’t Say It If It Wasn’t True, and solo album, Make It Right. But Steve Wynn’s second Caropop visit is no mere rehash of his book and career. He loves talking about music, and our subjects this time include the guitars that got away, the fun of hunting for obscure records in the pre-digital era, and his 1981 pilgrimage to Memphis to track down Big Star’s Alex Chilton. Wynn also shares his perspective on finding happiness in a long career where disappointments are inevitable, whether he considers travel a hassle or a joy, and whether writing a memoir transformed how he views his early years or prompted him to revisit any relationships. He knocks this conversation out of the park. (Photo by Guy Kokken)

Jeff McDonald’s band Redd Kross is marking its 45th anniversary this year, which is all the more impressive given that the singer-songwriter-guitarist is barely in his 60s. Jeff and his younger brother, bassist Steven, started the band in their teens, and their songs are as catchy and powerful as ever on their new self-titled double album. (A Redd Kross documentary and memoir also are out this year.) As you’d expect from someone whose love of music bursts from every power chord, massive hook and pop-culture shout-out, Jeff McDonald is a lively conversationalist who’s as keen to debate whether it's OK to reuse another song’s title as he is to revisit his band’s adventures. How have his and Steven’s songwriting dynamic changed over the years? Have they actually met Linda Blair?

Wanted to let you know that we’re taking the last three weeks of August off, and we’ll be back the Thursday after Labor Day, Sept. 5, all refreshed and ready with a new Caropop conversation. In the meantime, we encourage you to explore our back catalog. There are 145 episodes, after all.

Have you listened to Ep. 102 with jazz-R&B pianist/singer/composer Patrice Rushen? How about Ep. 90 with Suzzy Roche of the Roches? Or Ep. 88 with Eddie “King” Roeser of Urge Overkill? Or Eps. 24 and 25 with, respectively, Colin Blunstone of the Zombies and Sam Phillips? Or Ep. 9 with legendary mastering engineer Bernie Grundman? How about one of the XTC episodes with Colin Moulding, Dave Gregory or Terry Chambers? You can find these and discover others at https://www.caropop.com/caropopcast or go to Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Producer Chris Cwiak and I wish you all a great end of summer, and we’ll talk with you again soon. Thanks!

When I spoke with guitarist Jimmy James a few weeks ago for Caropop Ep. 143, he cited Steve Cropper of Booker T. and the M.G.’s. as a key inspiration. Listen to James’ work with the organ trio Parlor Greens and, before that, the Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio, and you hear how he, like Cropper, is a rhythmic guitarist who never overplays yet can make your head spin. I told James I’d love to hear him to interview Cropper, and he said that would be a dream come true. Turns out, the 82-year-old Cropper, my guest for Caropop Ep. 93 last summer, has a new album, Friendlytown, coming out Aug. 23. I pitched the idea of James talking with Cropper, guitarist to guitarist, generation to generation, and here it is—with fantastic stories and insights plus a few guitar licks. (Photo by Stacie Huckeba.)

Dan Zanes enjoyed a good run with the Boston band the Del Fuegos but had no idea what broader, more enthusiastic audiences awaited him when he began making “family music” with friends such as Sheryl Crow and Suzanne Vega. The Dan Zanes and Friends albums and concerts got fans young and old dancing and singing along—and earned him a Grammy Award. Now he and his wife, Claudia Zanes, have a new album, Pieces of Home (out Aug. 30), as the couple continues expanding its reach through sensory-friendly performances and events for various communities. Zanes talks about the Del Fuegos’ rise and fall, how his younger brother Warren joined, why they did that beer commercial and how, once he discovered family music, there was no turning back. Claudia Zanes also comes on to tell her part of the story—in perfect harmony, of course. (Photo by Schaun Champion.)

Jimmy James is a fantastic, funky guitarist who never plays more than is needed yet can seize any moment. This Seattle native is a longtime member of the big soul-funk band True Loves but may have been best known for his standout work in the Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio. He left that group (and discusses his departure here) and now plays in a new, all-star organ trio, Parlor Greens, with Hammond player Adam Scone of the Sugarman 3 and drummer Tim Carman of GA-20. Its new album, In Green/We Dream, came out last week. James is precise about how he plays and passionate and encyclopedic about earlier-era guitarists who have inspired him, including Jimi Hendrix, with whom his family had a personal connection. He also offers a tribute to his late mother that's as lyrical as any part he might play. (Photo by Chris C. Bowden)

Guitarist Chris Stein was a driving force behind Blondie and, with longtime songwriting/personal partner Debbie Harry, co-wrote many of its classic songs, including “Rip Her to Shreds,” “Heart of Glass,” “Dreaming,” “The Hardest Part” and “Rapture.” His passion for exploration pushed Blondie beyond its punk roots into disco, pop, reggae and rap, and in this conversation we dig into the details. What struck him most about Harry’s voice and songwriting? Where did Blondie fit amid the art-punk CBGB scene? What song did Stein model “Dreaming” on before drummer Clem Burke blasted it in another direction? Which Blondie album did the label complain had no singles? Which one Blondie song did Stein know would be a hit? How did Stein overcome an autoimmune disease and all-consuming drug addiction? And how did writing his new memoir, Under a Rock, change his perspective? (Photo by Axel Dupeux)

After a fluky financial windfall, Mona Best bought a Victorian mansion in Liverpool, opened the Casbah Coffee Club in the cellar, and the Quarrymen, an early version of the Beatles, became the resident band. When the Beatles needed a drummer for their 1960 Hamburg residency, they called on Mona's son Pete. Pete Best became a key player in the Beatles' evolution before being unceremoniously replaced by Ringo Starr on the eve of the band's EMI recording sessions. Here, in vivid detail, he recalls those early years, including the grueling living and playing conditions in Hamburg and his and McCartney's arrest there for attempted arson. What were his impressions of John, Paul and George? What did he think of the first Lennon-McCartney songs? What happened with the Beatles' Decca audition? He also reveals the last time he had contact with any of them and details about the Casbah's new incarnation as a B&B.