Dennis Diken, drummer of The Smithereens joined us for a joyous chat about things we have in common like our love of The Beach Boys (recorded two weeks before Brian Wilson died), Beatles, and Kinks. And more.

Secret Monkey Weekend are a family power pop trio from Durham NC. They have been playing live since sisters Ella and Lila were 13 and 8 years old. Papa Jefferson Hart (Jeff Hart) is a longtime mainstay in the NC Americana music scene. They have recorded two albums with producer Don Dixon (REM - Smithereens - Tommy Keene), the second one just released in June 2025.

PBS recently profiled the band. More on that below.

The Emmy Award winning PBS mini-feature on Secret Monkey Weekend https://youtu.be/xbBiy6lSzIw?si=DIOGQ9C6QE9dzFlq and https://video.pbsnc.org/video/secret-monkey-weekend-ukc7h8/

https://linktr.ee/secretmonkeyweekend

http://www.secretmonkeyweekend.com

http://youtube.com/secretmonkeyweekend

http://www.facebook.com/secretmonkeyweekend

http://www.instagram.com/secretmonkeyweekend

https://open.spotify.com/artist/3yHOi73zNW69IHwW9GUQEX?si=B1wljj0VTgi2lXZl6GlnTw

https://music.apple.com/us/artist/secret-monkey-weekend/1606815318

Drums and vocals - Lila Brown Hart Bass and vocal - Ella Brown Hart Electric guitar and vocals - Jefferson Hart

Americana legend Phil Lee "The Mighty King of Love" made a visit to the Secret Monkey Headquarters recently and we turned on the camera. It doesn't have the regular feel of our Zoom podcast interviews, so it's more of just "hey Phil, come sit on the couch with the dogs and see what happens." We talk about his upcoming new album, some old times, folks we both know, and it was a fine, fine time.

https://www.youtube.com/@UCaMIEz2NAIMG7szCZ304FmA https://philleeone.bandcamp.com http://www.philleeone.com/ https://open.spotify.com/artist/14jC2M58LN62K9NK285RSn https://music.apple.com/us/artist/phil-lee/1023849745

Secret Monkey Weekend are a family power pop trio from Durham NC. They have been playing live since sisters Ella and Lila were 13 and 8 years old. Papa Jefferson Hart (Jeff Hart) is a longtime mainstay in the NC Americana music scene. They have recorded two albums with producer Don Dixon (REM - Smithereens), the second one due out in 2025. PBS recently profiled the band. More on that below.

The Emmy Award winning PBS mini-feature on Secret Monkey Weekend https://youtu.be/xbBiy6lSzIw?si=DIOGQ9C6QE9dzFlq and https://video.pbsnc.org/video/secret-monkey-weekend-ukc7h8/

https://linktr.ee/secretmonkeyweekend http://www.secretmonkeyweekend.com http://youtube.com/secretmonkeyweekend http://www.facebook.com/secretmonkeyweekend http://www.instagram.com/secretmonkeyweekend

On Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/3yHOi73zNW69IHwW9GUQEX?si=B1wljj0VTgi2lXZl6GlnTw

On Apple Music - https://music.apple.com/us/artist/secret-monkey-weekend/1606815318

Drums and vocals - Lila Brown Hart

Bass and vocal - Ella Brown Hart

Electric guitar and vocals - Jefferson Hart

It was our unique honor to have this longstanding trio of pop legends on our podcast. It was family to family and we really hit it off. We were on The Cowsills Podcast in October 2024. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEhZR6yx8EM Cowsills Podcast Episode 151.

We covered many subjects with Paul, Susan, and Bob Cowsill, including the recent Super Bowl (Susan lives in NOLA), songs by their late brothers Barry and Bill Cowsill, the new record by Vicki Peterson and John Cowsill, Davy Jones' influence on Susan's dancing, Tiger Beat Magazines from '67 and '68, Bob's guitars, Paul's multi-instrumental talents (and stage jumping ability), The Troubled Men Podcast (a NOLA favorite), their upcoming shows, and much more.

Cowsill links and tour dates below: https://cowsill.com/home Their latest release, the reissue of Global https://cowsill.com/home/music/global/ Omnivore Records (for upcoming release news) https://omnivorerecordings.com/the-cowsills/

Catch them on The Happy Together Tour https://happytogethertour.com/tour/

Secret Monkey Weekend are a family power pop trio from Durham NC. They have been playing live since sisters Ella and Lila were 13 and 8 years old. Papa Jefferson Hart (Jeff Hart) is a longtime mainstay in the NC Americana music scene. They have recorded two albums with producer Don Dixon (REM - Smithereens), the second one due out in 2025. PBS recently profiled the band. More on that below.

The Emmy Award winning PBS mini-feature on Secret Monkey Weekend https://youtu.be/xbBiy6lSzIw?si=DIOGQ9C6QE9dzFlq and https://video.pbsnc.org/video/secret-monkey-weekend-ukc7h8/ https://linktr.ee/secretmonkeyweekend http://www.secretmonkeyweekend.com http://youtube.com/secretmonkeyweekend http://www.facebook.com/secretmonkeyweekend http://www.instagram.com/secretmonkeyweekend

On Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/3yHOi73zNW69IHwW9GUQEX?si=B1wljj0VTgi2lXZl6GlnTw

On Apple Music - https://music.apple.com/us/artist/secret-monkey-weekend/1606815318

Drums and vocals - Lila Brown Hart - Bass and vocal - Ella Brown Hart - Electric guitar and vocals - Jefferson Hart

Do The Secret Monkey, our video podcast, is now up to 5 episodes, but this our first with a guest! We are delighted to have Parthenon Huxley with us discussing his new memoir, Electric Light Odyssey, about his ongoing musical adventures in Orchestra, previously ELO Pt. 2. We also get him to open up about his early time in the Chapel Hill music scene, his teen years in Greece, and even his first ever song (from age 10 - which he performs!).

Visit P. Hux's site to order the book and get up to date on all of his activities, gigs, etc. http://www.parthenonhuxley.com

It would mean a TON to for you to subscribe to our channel. We live here at http://www.youtube.com/secretmonkeyweekend

We are in talks with several musical luminaries, authors, and more as we try to bring you some entertaining discussion and more. Enjoy! Secret Monkey Weekend are a family power pop trio from Durham NC. They have been playing live since sisters Ella and Lila were 13 and 8 years old. Papa Jefferson Hart (Jeff Hart) is a longtime mainstay in the NC Americana music scene. We have recorded two albums with producer Don Dixon (REM - Smithereens), the second one due out in 2025. PBS recently profiled the band. More on that below.

The Emmy Award winning PBS mini-feature on Secret Monkey Weekend https://youtu.be/xbBiy6lSzIw?si=DIOGQ9C6QE9dzFlq and https://video.pbsnc.org/video/secret-monkey-weekend-ukc7h8/

https://linktr.ee/secretmonkeyweekend http://www.secretmonkeyweekend.com http://youtube.com/secretmonkeyweekend http://www.facebook.com/secretmonkeyweekend http://www.instagram.com/secretmonkeyweekend http://twitter.com/SecretMinkey/

On Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/3yHOi73zNW69IHwW9GUQEX?si=B1wljj0VTgi2lXZl6GlnTw

On Apple Music - https://music.apple.com/us/artist/secret-monkey-weekend/1606815318

Drums and vocals - Lila Brown Hart

Bass and vocal - Ella Brown Hart

Electric guitar and vocals - Jefferson Hart

Secret Monkey Weekend welcome filmmaker (Family Band: The Cowsills Story), author, radio executive, comedy writer, and all 'round innovator Louise Palanker to the Do The Secret Monkey Podcast. From her website: "Louise Palanker is a writer, director, producer, filmmaker, author, photographer, comedian, podcaster, musician/songwriter, teacher, and co-founder of Premiere Radio Networks." https://www.louisepalanker.com

We chat with her about all of this. Enjoy! https://www.youtube.com/@louisepalanker

Secret Monkey Weekend are a family power pop trio from Durham NC. They have been playing live since sisters Ella and Lila were 13 and 8 years old. Papa Jefferson Hart (Jeff Hart) is a longtime mainstay in the NC Americana music scene. They have recorded two albums with producer Don Dixon (REM - Smithereens), the second one due out in 2025. PBS recently profiled the band. More on that below.

The Emmy Award winning PBS mini-feature on Secret Monkey Weekend https://youtu.be/xbBiy6lSzIw?si=DIOGQ9C6QE9dzFlq and https://video.pbsnc.org/video/secret-monkey-weekend-ukc7h8/

https://linktr.ee/secretmonkeyweekend http://www.secretmonkeyweekend.com http://youtube.com/secretmonkeyweekend http://www.facebook.com/secretmonkeyweekend http://www.instagram.com/secretmonkeyweekend

On Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/3yHOi73zNW69IHwW9GUQEX?si=B1wljj0VTgi2lXZl6GlnTw

On Apple Music - https://music.apple.com/us/artist/secret-monkey-weekend/1606815318

Drums and vocals - Lila Brown Hart

Bass and vocal - Ella Brown Hart

Electric guitar and vocals - Jefferson Hart

Our guest this week is the man for all occasions, Peter Holsapple of the dB's, Continental Drifters and other acclaimed combos through the years. He also happens to be a family friend even before Jefferson connected with Laura, Ella, and Lila as Peter was in a band with their birth father Matt Brown that played children's events called "Baron Von Rumblebuss". Peter also played keys on our first album and our upcoming one "Lemon Drop Hammer".

His page for his new album The Face of 68: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61573484249611

Buy it in your favorite indie record store on online at https://label51recordings.com/peter-holsapple/

He's also streaming everywhere you get your digital music. Holsapple photo by Bill Reaves

Secret Monkey Weekend are a family power pop trio from Durham NC. They have been playing live since sisters Ella and Lila were 13 and 8 years old. Papa Jefferson Hart (Jeff Hart) is a longtime mainstay in the NC Americana music scene. They have recorded two albums with producer Don Dixon (REM - Smithereens), the second one due out in 2025. PBS recently profiled the band. More on that below.

The Emmy Award winning PBS mini-feature on Secret Monkey Weekend https://youtu.be/xbBiy6lSzIw?si=DIOGQ9C6QE9dzFlq and https://video.pbsnc.org/video/secret-monkey-weekend-ukc7h8/

https://linktr.ee/secretmonkeyweekend http://www.secretmonkeyweekend.com http://youtube.com/secretmonkeyweekend http://www.facebook.com/secretmonkeyweekend http://www.instagram.com/secretmonkeyweekend

On Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/3yHOi73zNW69IHwW9GUQEX?si=B1wljj0VTgi2lXZl6GlnTw

On Apple Music - https://music.apple.com/us/artist/secret-monkey-weekend/1606815318

Drums and vocals - Lila Brown Hart

Bass and vocal - Ella Brown Hart

Electric guitar and vocals - Jefferson Hart

Episode 4 of "Do The Secret Monkey", ie. The Secret Monkey Weekend Podcast. As usual, you'll see some Chester and Claudine puppy (Great Pyrenees) face time and interruptions, plus a little talk of our upcoming 2025 album, our second, Lemon Drop Hammer. We discuss our Christmas and allude to the sad beginning to 2025. We also mention some friends of ours, and local bands, artist Kevin Dixon, Zen Frisbee, Shark Quest, The Mad Starlings, Mike Nicholson, and newer friends like The Cowsills, and so on. We also went into the fact that Jefferson has been in 3 - count 'em - 3 - Kinks bands. We also pause and dedicate the podcast to the memory of Jimmy Carter in the outro.

Secret Monkey Weekend are a family power pop trio from Durham NC. They have been playing live since sisters Ella and Lila were 13 and 8 years old. Papa Jefferson Hart (Jeff Hart) is a longtime mainstay in the NC Americana music scene. They have recorded two albums with producer Don Dixon (REM - Smithereens), the second one due out in 2025. PBS recently profiled the band. More on that below.

The Emmy Award winning PBS mini-feature on Secret Monkey Weekend https://youtu.be/xbBiy6lSzIw?si=DIOGQ9C6QE9dzFlq and https://video.pbsnc.org/video/secret-monkey-weekend-ukc7h8/

https://linktr.ee/secretmonkeyweekend http://www.secretmonkeyweekend.com http://youtube.com/secretmonkeyweekend http://www.facebook.com/secretmonkeyweekend http://www.instagram.com/secretmonkeyweekend

On Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/3yHOi73zNW69IHwW9GUQEX?si=B1wljj0VTgi2lXZl6GlnTw

On Apple Music - https://music.apple.com/us/artist/secret-monkey-weekend/1606815318

Drums and vocals - Lila Brown Hart

Bass and vocals - Ella Brown Hart

Electric guitar and vocals - Jefferson Hart

Secret Monkey Weekend were honored to be asked as guests on The Cowsills Podcast, yes that famous 60s family band that had hits with Hair, Indian Lake, The Rain, The Park and Other Things! We were given permission to share it on our channel, ie. the SMW interview part. On their channel, it's Podcast No. 151 and the whole segment can be seen here. https://youtu.be/XEhZR6yx8EM?si=a36rQKZlHG4yWeTR.

Please subscribe to their channel, they're wonderful hosts.

That they are ridiculously great vocalists and all around kind people is well known. We all love their music, and have covered them live in our shows. Jefferson is an especially longtime fan, going back to '68 when he saw their NBC TV special. We added a short intro, goofy as it is, just to introduce the piece. Secret Monkey Weekend are a family power pop trio from Durham NC. They have been playing live since sisters Ella and Lila were 13 and 8 years old. Papa Jefferson Hart (Jeff Hart) is a longtime mainstay in the NC Americana music scene. They have recorded two albums with producer Don Dixon (REM - Smithereens), the second one due out in 2025. PBS recently profiled the band. More on that below.

The Emmy Award winning PBS mini-feature on Secret Monkey Weekend https://youtu.be/xbBiy6lSzIw?si=DIOGQ9C6QE9dzFlq and https://video.pbsnc.org/video/secret-monkey-weekend-ukc7h8/

https://linktr.ee/secretmonkeyweekend http://www.secretmonkeyweekend.com http://youtube.com/secretmonkeyweekend http://www.facebook.com/secretmonkeyweekend http://www.instagram.com/secretmonkeyweekend

On Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/3yHOi73zNW69IHwW9GUQEX?si=B1wljj0VTgi2lXZl6GlnTw

On Apple Music - https://music.apple.com/us/artist/secret-monkey-weekend/1606815318

Drums and vocals - Lila Brown Hart

Bass and vocal - Ella Brown Hart

Electric guitar and vocals - Jefferson Hart

Episode 2 of "Do The Secret Monkey", ie. The Secret Monkey Weekend Podcast. We talk about our most recent show from a few nights before with NC legends Southern Culture on the Skids, some more plans for the show, potential guests, past guests on our old video show, some Chester and Claudine puppy face time and interruptions, plus a little talk of our upcoming 2025 album, our second, Lemon Drop Hammer.

Secret Monkey Weekend are a family power pop trio from Durham NC. They have been playing live since sisters Ella and Lila were 13 and 8 years old. Papa Jefferson Hart (Jeff Hart) is a longtime mainstay in the NC Americana music scene. They have recorded two albums with producer Don Dixon (REM - Smithereens), the second one due out in 2025. PBS recently profiled the band. More on that below.

The Emmy Award winning PBS mini-feature on Secret Monkey Weekend https://youtu.be/xbBiy6lSzIw?si=DIOGQ9C6QE9dzFlq and https://video.pbsnc.org/video/secret-monkey-weekend-ukc7h8/

https://linktr.ee/secretmonkeyweekend http://www.secretmonkeyweekend.com http://youtube.com/secretmonkeyweekend http://www.facebook.com/secretmonkeyweekend http://www.instagram.com/secretmonkeyweekend

On Spotify- https://open.spotify.com/artist/3yHOi73zNW69IHwW9GUQEX?si=B1wljj0VTgi2lXZl6GlnTw

On Apple Music - https://music.apple.com/us/artist/secret-monkey-weekend/1606815318

Drums and vocals - Lila Brown Hart

Bass and vocals - Ella Brown Hart

Electric guitar and vocals - Jefferson Hart

Four years ago, in the middle of the pandemic's first year, the band had a weekly video program for 20 or so weeks, with guests, music, interviews, sketches, and other fun elements. We've been asked "when are you going to do that again?". Well, the answer is we'd like to try something new, along the lines of a video podcast. The idea is to have guests on a regular basis, but not particularly every week. It's just a way for us to check in and for our fans to interact with us in the comments. The idea is to keep it light and less than 15 minutes as opposed to the half hour we did each week from mid '20 to the end of the year.

So here's just a rough intro of what we may do. Ella and Lila had no idea that Jefferson was intending this to be an informal launch of the podcast, so they seemed almost speechless at times! As they warmed up, they were more open. Jefferson is a chatterbox, so the idea is to rein him in!

Secret Monkey Weekend are a family power pop trio from Durham NC. They have been playing live since sisters Ella and Lila were 13 and 8 years old. Papa Jefferson Hart (Jeff Hart) is a longtime mainstay in the NC Americana music scene. They have recorded two albums with producer Don Dixon (REM - Smithereens), the second one due out in 2025. PBS recently profiled the band. More on that below.

The Emmy Award winning PBS mini-feature on Secret Monkey Weekend https://youtu.be/xbBiy6lSzIw?si=DIOGQ9C6QE9dzFlq and https://video.pbsnc.org/video/secret-monkey-weekend-ukc7h8/ https://linktr.ee/secretmonkeyweekend http://www.secretmonkeyweekend.com http://youtube.com/secretmonkeyweekend http://www.facebook.com/secretmonkeyweekend http://www.instagram.com/secretmonkeyweekend https://open.spotify.com/artist/3yHOi73zNW69IHwW9GUQEX?si=B1wljj0VTgi2lXZl6GlnTw https://music.apple.com/us/artist/secret-monkey-weekend/1606815318

Drums and vocals - Lila Brown Hart Bass and vocal - Ella Brown Hart Electric guitar and vocals - Jefferson Hart