Significance: The debut from new band Blueburst, featuring Craig Douglas Miller and Marty Willson-Piper, creates an evocative soundscape that bridges classic rock influences with contemporary flair.

Expansive guitar work seamlessly merges with Miller’s resonant vocals, imparting nostalgia and fresh energy. Each track unfurls with emotional depth, inviting listeners to immerse themselves in lush harmonies and crisp production. The reflective lyrics address personal growth and resilience, showcasing an earnest sincerity. Marty Willson-Piper’s contributions add textured sonic layers, complementing Miller’s stirring presence.

Significance proves that Blueburst is a project of substance. It forges a captivating musical path and leaves listeners eagerly anticipating more.

Blueburst on Bandcamp

In what seems like a lifetime ago, I began the Abandoned Albums podcast with Rob Janicke, and we had a ton of fun doing it.

But then he went off to write his spectacular new book Slacker 1991, Teen Spirit, Angst and the Generation It Created.

Like Rob, I am of the generation he writes about and I found Slacker to be a great read. It's not only a great read about an era in American culture that has no shortage of interpretation, but the book also helped me understand the man I shared a mic with for about a year.

Bite Me Bambi, hailing from Orange County, California, is a dynamic ska band formed in 2018. This assembly of seasoned musicians brings a wealth of experience to their energetic sound, drawing inspiration from British two-tone and third-wave ska.

Bite Me Bambi infuses their sound with pop-punk energy and rockabilly flair, creating a distinctive musical identity. Their influences include iconic ska bands like The Specials and Madness, as well as punk and rock acts, allowing them to craft a unique fusion that you're sure to dig.

Tahlena and Mike stopped by Thunderlove Studio for a chat recently and we had a blast talking with them. Many thanks to their team and to Mike and Tahlena. 

LINKS

Bite Me Bambi Web

Bite Me Bambi YouTube

Bite Me Bambi on FB

Bite Me Bambi on Twitch

Bite Me Bambi on IG

Days Between Stations, the Los Angeles-based progressive rock duo of Sepand Samzadeh and Oscar Fuentes, has consistently pushed the boundaries of art rock since their debut in 2007. Blending the genre’s classic roots with contemporary creativity, they have become a vital force in modern progressive rock. Drawing inspiration from seminal acts like Yes, Genesis, and Marillion, the duo bridges the grandeur of the past with the innovation of the present.

Their latest album, Perpetual Motion Machines, exemplifies this tradition, weaving complex compositions with thematic depth. Similar to Genesis during the Peter Gabriel era, their music is theatrical, creating vivid, often surreal soundscapes imbued with emotional intensity.

This week, bass player Matt Patterson of The Drive-By Truckers, Laura Jane Grace, The Dexateens, and Model Citizen stops by Thunderlove Studio.

Here is the last interview conducted with Lone Justice. If you haven't already, I would encourage you to listen to the first two episodes and our conversations with Marvin Etzioni and Ryan Hedgecock. 

Drummer Don Heffington passed in 2021, but through modern studio wizardry, he is an active participant in the "new to you" release Viva Lone Justice. 

These interviews have been released in the order in which they were conducted.

This last episode is our conversation with lead singer Maria McKee

Think of this as our Rashomon episode.

Welcome to Day Two.

Over the next three days, we'll release three separate interviews with the surviving members of the band Lone Justice: Marvin Etzioni, Ryan Hedgecock, and Maria McKee.

Drummer Don Heffington passed in 2021, but through modern studio wizardry, he is an active participant in the "new to you" release Viva Lone Justice. 

They're being released in the order in which they were conducted.

This second episode is our conversation with guitar player Ryan Hedgecock.  

Think of this as our Rashomon episode.

Over the next three days, we'll release three separate interviews with the surviving members of the band Lone Justice: Marvin Etzioni, Ryan Hedgecock, and Maria McKee.

Drummer Don Heffington passed in 2021, but through modern studio wizardry, he is an active participant in the "new to you" release Viva Lone Justice. 

These interviews are being released in the order in which they were conducted.

The first is bass player and songwriter, Marvin Etzioni. 

Think of this as our Rashomon episode.

This week's throwback is a revisit to the singer/songwriter/guitar slinger with an almost insatiable intellectual and musical wanderlust - Anders Parker.

We closed out the fifth season of Abandoned Albums talking with the troubadour who entered the scene in the mid 90’s when a 4-track recording he made in his Portland, OR apartment, titled Man of Sin, got passed around. Anders then formed a band and began walking a trail that has defined his life, as you’ll hear.  

As the leader/songwriter/guitarist/multi-instrumentalist of the band Varnaline, Parker toured and eventually released 5 albums under that name… and Anders entered the indie music lexicon.

As all things do, Varnaline ran its course, beginning phase two of Anders's artistry - a phase that has seen him exploring both his own solo work, collaborating with folks like Jay Farrar of Son Volt, and even adding music to some of the late Woody Guthrie’s songs. The resulting album New Multitudes found him collaborating with Jim James, Jay Farrar, and Will Johnson and remains a fan favorite.

The interview would’ve spanned two or three hours in order to cover everything Anders has accomplished in his career… and continues to accomplish. 

Geoff and Keith spoke with Anders about a fair chunk of his career and about his new album, The Black Flight, which drops on Friday, August 11.

Pull up a chair, relax, and discover one helluva great artist - by every measure and definition of the word.

THROWBACK THURSDAY

This originally aired in June of 2023.

While we're on hiatus, we're posting some of our favorite episodes, and this one caught both Geoff and me completely off guard. 

We'll return on 10.30. 

Do you like power pop? Well, we've got a band for you!

Dungeon of Skeletons!

Their album Patterns left Geoff speechless, and Keith thought it was the "best album of the year." And they both agree that despite the song title, "Doom and Gloom" is the song of the summer.

Once in a while, everything just clicks, and this episode is one of those.

Frontman Justin Kline stopped by to talk with Keith & Geoff, and the guys had a great chat about all sorts of things. And we're not speaking out of turn in saying some of the stories here might impress you.

This is a Rufus-approved, four-paw-rated episode!

Links

Dungeon of Skeletons Web

Dungeon of Skeletons Bandcamp

Dungeon of Skeletons IG

Dungeon of Skeletons FB

Book - Go All the Way