Caropop

Graham Gouldman already had written classic ‘60s hits—including the Yardbirds’ “For Your Love” and “Heart Full of Soul,” the Hollies’ “Bus Stop” and “Look Through Any Window” and Herman’s Hermits’ “No Milk Today”—by the time he and Manchester schoolmates Lol Creme and Kevin Godley plus ex-Mindbender Eric Stewart formed one of the '70s’ most tuneful, innovative bands, 10cc. These four singer-songwriters made four distinct, head-spinning albums, with Stewart and Gouldman’s hypnotic “I’m Not in Love” providing the commercial breakthrough. After Godley and Creme split off, Gouldman and Stewart continued on as 10cc, scoring hits with the ebullient earworm “The Things We Do for Love” and the island misadventure “Dreadlock Holiday,” on which Gouldman sings lead. Now Gouldman is the only original member touring under the 10cc banner, and he reflects here on songwriting, collaborating and relationships among ex-bandmates.

“It felt like I just stepped into a rodeo, and they shut the gate behind me.” That’s how Grant Achatz describes his first day of working in the kitchen of Charlie Trotter’s, then considered one of the world’s finest restaurants. The future 3-Michelin-star Alinea chef was just 21 in the summer of 1995 when he convinced Trotter to give him a shot at his namesake Chicago restaurant. But Achatz did not have a positive experience and left after a few months, moving on to a longer tutelage under Chef Thomas Keller at the French Laundry in Napa Valley. When Achatz returned to Chicago to run his own kitchen, he and Trotter had what Achatz calls an “aggressively competitive” relationship. Trotter closed his restaurant in 2012 and died from a stroke the following year at age 54. Now Achatz—who appears in Rebecca Halpern’s documentary about Trotter, Love, Charlie (as do I)—is presenting a lavish Trotter’s menu at his restaurant Next and reflecting on his relationship with the late chef, whom he thinks hasn’t received proper credit for all the innovative ways he changed fine dining.

Susan Cowsill was the kid sister of the family band the Cowsills, and she made an indelible impression singing “and spaghetti’d!” on the Cowsills’ 1968 hit version of “Hair.” Jump to the 1990s, and she was singing and, for the first time, writing songs in the indie supergroup the Continental Drifters, which also included her friend Vicki Peterson of the Bangles and Peter Holsapple of the dB’s. With the Drifters having a resurgence with a new book and compilations—and with Susan still performing with the Cowsills and on her own—she takes us on a lively tour of her long, colorful career. Did she want to join the family band at age 7? How close did the Cowsills get to starring on The Partridge Family? How is singing other people's songs "like having an amusement park in your body?" And can we expect new Continental Drifters music?

Sima Cunningham has had two albums released this year: Not God from Finom, her band with fellow Chicago singer-songwriter-multi-instrumentalist Macie Stewart; and a long-gestating solo project, High Roller. With Finom kicking off a tour this weekend and a solo album launch and a Roches-themed show coming up, Cunningham is enjoying the culmination of a lifetime of music-making and collaboration. Here she recalls growing up in a musical and artistic household; tells of her sibling-like connection with Stewart and how they find their beautiful, surprising, distinct harmonies; recounts their history with Jeff Tweedy, who produced Not God, and her work with Chance the Rapper, Richard Thompson and Waxahatchee; emphasizes the importance of community; and explains as best as she can why the band had to change its name from Ohmme. Plus, she sings snippets of songs she wrote when she was 11. (Photo by Shannon Marks.)

Iain Matthews was an early member of the pioneering British folk-rock band Fairport Convention, singing on its first two albums and leaving during the recording of the third one, Unhalfbricking. Since then this singer-songwriter has formed other bands — Matthews Southern Comfort, Plainsong — and released much solo work, including the just-released How Much Is Enough. He has scored some hits — Southern Comfort’s cover of Joni Mitchell’s “Woodstock,” his 1979 solo song “Shake It”—and says he has recorded about 70 albums total, all projects included. So he has many tales to tell —about the Fairport years with Richard Thompson, Judy Dyble and Sandy Denny and his break from the group; the many places he has lived and whether they had an impact on his music; his years as an A&R rep; and that vocal arrangement of his that the Eagles borrowed without credit. (Photo by Lisa Margolis.)

Joan Osborne is best known for a certain big hit yet has amassed an impressive career since then. Her latest album, Nobody Owns You, may be her most personal yet, with songs about her mother’s Alzheimer’s, the impact of time spent in “Too Many Airports” and the title track addressed to her daughter. Yet she remains as enthusiastic interpreting others’ songs as her own. One early such song, Eric Bazilian’s “One of Us,” initially was intended for another singer (Osborne does an excellent impression here), but she made it her own on her 1995 debut album, Relish. “One of Us,” in turn, made Osborne a star but perhaps gave listeners a misleading first impression of a powerful blues/soul singer who belts “Right Hand Man,” “Ladder” and others. Osborne reflects on it all, including the strangeness of being a shy person whose job it is to sing in front of other people. (Photo by Laura Crosta.)

When the young Zion, Ill., band Local H shrunk from four members to two, leader Scott Lucas decided he liked the guitar-and-drums attack and has stuck with it for more than 30 years. Local H has had its moments of popularity (the 1996 album As Good As Dead and single “Bound for the Floor”), critical triumphs that fell short commercially (1998’s dazzling concept album Pack Up the Cats) and subsequent albums that showcase Lucas’ smart, melodic songwriting, his formidable vocal and guitar chops, and the duo's ferocious interplay. Local H is marking the 20th anniversary of Whatever Happened to P.J. Soles?, the album that Lucas thinks best represents him, with deluxe rereleases and shows, including the tour finale Oct. 16 at Metro Chicago. The previous evening Lucas is premiering his hybrid Local H concert film Lifers at Chicago’s Music Box Theatre. The ever-thoughtful Lucas has much to say about bands, labels, maintaining a vision and the meaning of success.

To mark Episode 150 of Caropop, we’re doing something different. My friend Steve Dawson— an awesome singer-songwriter who was my guest back on Episode 10, as well as my co-author on Take It to the Bridge: Unlocking the Great Songs Inside You—said he wanted to turn the tables and interview me for an episode. So here we go, with Steve probing me on what drove me to become a newspaper writer and, eventually, to launch Caropop. We discuss the importance of curiosity, the keys to interviewing celebrities, how my math-science brain may factor into my work, how Caropop became so music-focused, and why talking about creativity is more satisfying than talking about sales and careers. Paul McCartney, John Travolta and Cuba Gooding Jr. may make cameo appearances... (Photo by Todd Rosenberg)

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.