Episode 512 of Concert Pipeline, featuring Ambrosia as well as a review of The Man in Black - A Tribute to Johnny Cash, in which we first review The Man in Black show at Uptown Theatre in Napa. Then we chat with Burleigh Drummond, drummer of Ambrosia about forming in 1970 in Los Angeles, working with Alan Parsons, both on their albums and on Alan Parsons Project, touring with Fleetwood Mac and Doobie Brothers, his role beyond the drummer, the label of Yacht Rock, the band dynamics and longevity, and what he’s most proud of of from his time with the band. 

Episode 511 of Concert Pipeline featuring Pablo Cruise, in which we talk to guitarist/vocalist Dave Jenkins about growing up, his first concert being The Beach Boys, wrestling with Mickey Hart of Grateful Dead, joining the band Stoneground and forming Pablo Cruise with Cory Lerios and Steve Price, some of his favorite shows he performed, their single “Breathe” that they wrote in 2020, whether they will make new music and their upcoming show at Orinda Theatre on February 28. 

Episode 510 of Concert Pipeline featuring Shawn Barker of The Man in Black and a review of The Format’s show at Easy Street Records in Seattle. We talk to Shawn about starting by singing in church with his family as a kid, serving in the army, early touring gigs portraying Elvis, the Million Dollar Quartet that started his portraying Johnny Cash, structuring his live show as a chronological journey, kinship with his bandmates, stories about Johnny Cash, and the band’s upcoming show at Uptown Theatre in Napa on February 20.

Episode 509 of Concert Pipeline featuring a review of Guster's show at Great American Music Hall and an interview with Daniel Donato of Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country, in which we talk about the impact of his move to Nashville at age 7 and his dad putting a guitar in his hand immediately after, how his dad impacted his music taste, busking on the streets of Nashville at age 14, making every show unique and different, the impact of Dylan’s music, his band’s Camp Cosmic festival, playing the legendary Red Rocks Amphitheatre, creating his first EP in 2019, his new album “Horizons” and working with Vance Powell on it, and the value of playing new songs live in front of an audience up to 50 times before recording them for an album.

Episode 508 of Concert Pipeline podcast featuring Weakened Friends, in which we chat with Sonia Sturino and Annie Hoffman about listening to the radio with their parents growing up, high school bands they were in, touring with Hockey Dad in 2024, their upcoming tour, including playing Bottom of the Hill on January 24 as well as times they played there a few years ago, being pulled over for flipping off a cop, working with Buckethead on their song “NPC” and their new album “Feels Like Hell.”

Episode 507 of Concert Pipeline featuring Sons of Cream and a review of Motion City Soundtrack’s show at The Warfield in San Francisco. We chat with Kofi Baker, son of Ginger Baker of the legendary band Cream about possibly being conceived at Cream’s final show, his dad introducing him to drums at age 6, doing drum duets with his dad around the US, performing as part of The Music of Cream 50th Anniversary tour in Australia and New Zealand, Eric Clapton possibly being his godfather, being a counselor at Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp, teaching drumming, his forthcoming album “Half and Half” with Cream covers as well as original music, and the band’s upcoming tour including a stop at Uptown Theater in Napa on January 30.

Episode 506 of Concert Pipeline featuring Henry J. Star in which we talk to the man behind Henry J. Star, Devin Badgett about his musical influences growing up in Knoxville, Tennessee, his previous band Vanosdale and the transition to Henry J. Star, the influence of “The Neverending Story,” diving deep into his debut album “The Soft Apocalypse” and its impact on his fans, and what he’s thankful for this Thanksgiving. We also feature a review of Jack’s Mannequin’s show at The Warfield in San Francisco as well as a few songs from the set. 

Episode 505 of Concert Pipeline featuring Everclear and a review of Barns Courtney’s concert at Bottom of the Hill. We chat with Art Alexakis about how he made a memorable concert experience for my son, playing a show in the bay with The Rolling Stones and Metallica 20 years ago and a memorable interaction with Mick Jagger, the 30th Anniversary of “Sparkle and Fade,” the process of creating that album and playing the album in its entirety 30 years later, writing from an autobiographical nature, and covering “American Girl.” We also review Barns Courtney’s recent show in San Francisco and share a few songs from his set.

Episode 504 of Concert Pipeline featuring Maygen & The Birdwatcher in which we chat with Maygen Lacey and Noah Neumann about growing up listening to 90s country, classic rock and metal, their first bands, what birds Noah watches, winning Midwest Country Music Awards Album of the Year and Americana Artist of the Year, overcoming fear of performing live, their favorite shows they have performed, a funny story of performing at a wedding, and their new album “The Americana Dream” that just came out. I also review The Format’s show with Phantom Planet at Hollywood Forever Cemetery and share a few songs from their set.

Episode 503 of Concert Pipeline featuring Eddie Schwarz, in which we talk about his parents’ influence with Broadway music, his early band, Icarus, knowing Lorne Michaels before SNL, writing songs for Joe Cocker, his work as International Council of Music Creators president, his new EP “Film School,” and writing “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” for Pat Benatar.