This episode marks the 20th anniversary release of Eli "Paperboy" Reed's debut album: Eli "Paperboy" Reed Sings Walkin' and Talkin' and Other Smash Hits." 

Eli has long been played on all of my radio shows dating back to 2007-08 after he released the Ace of Spades EP. His music has followed my shows ever since and he's been generous to do a couple of interviews with me over the years. 

The last time we talked was in 2023 after the release of the Fred Davis Cleveland Blues album which he co-produced with his father. This interview plays 7 of the original 12 tracks from the original album and covers the gamut of Reed's career and musical relationships. 

You can always stream the episode live on our station at Elm City Radio. Just click the link!

Brandon Santini  s an American roots rock and blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter. Several of his releases have made the Billboard Blues chart. He is a 7-time Blues Music Award nominee. 

His music was featured in the CBS original television series, “Fire Country,” (S2 E8) and The NBC Peacock Network’s original television series, “Poker Face,” (S1 E4).

Now living in Springfield, Illinois, Santini released his fifth full-length studio album Which Way Do We Go? on May 9 on MoMojo Records. As Santini has said recently, "If there’s one thing I’m most proud of with this new album, it’s that I was finally able to pour my hopes, fears, love, and frustrations onto paper—and into music—like never before. Watching the world, especially the United States, unravel in recent years under the weight of political lies, anger, and division has been painful. I internalized it all. I took a hard look at those issues, my relationships, and my own flaws in hopes of making sense of the chaos. Despite it all, I keep coming back to the belief that love, patience, compassion, and prayer still have the power to guide us through these murky waters. Now, these songs belong to you."

This interview covers the gamut of the current blues scene and the songwriting/production of the record. 

You can find the album wherever music is sold or at https://www.brandonsantini.com/. The interview also contains 5 tracks off the current album. 

You can always stream the episode live on our station at Elm City Radio. Just click the link!

Marina V is an award-winning Russian-American recording pop artist, singer/pianist/songwriter with a "hauntingly beautiful" voice (LA TIMES) and "melodic and passionate" music (The Washington Post). A self-described "musical lovechild of The Beatles, Tori Amos and Tchaikovsky", Marina grew up in Moscow and has been singing and writing songs since a very young age.   After being rewarded a prestigious scholarship, Marina came to America at the age of 15, by herself as an exchange student to Rochester High School for a year in Central Illinois. After finishing high school in Russia, she returned to the U.S. and attended Illinois College in Jacksonville. While in Jacksonville, she began playing coffee shops and concerts in the area. After graduating from I.C., she moved to California where her musical career took off. 

 She has written multiple songs for films and ads and now is also producing children's music in her native Russian language. It's here that we pick up our interview for this month's episode.

You can read more on Marina's bio and find her music, social media platforms, and merch at https://www.marinav.com.

You can always stream the episode live on our station at Elm City Radio. Just click the link!

Fresh off of headlining shows at Pizza Records in Jacksonville and the Greene County Fair, James Tyler & The Usual Crowd are making waves as a no-genres-barred independent band. With their new EP out Middle of Somewhere, the group is picking up shows everywhere. 

Combining influences from artists and genres, they deliver a hard-hitting, energy-filled live show that comes across in their recordings. Hear this new band in their own words about where they've come from, what they're doing, and where they hope to go. 

You can always stream the episode live on our station at Elm City Radio. Just click the link!

 Scarlet's Darling is: 
 Jack McLaughlin 
 Jordan Shea 
 Noah Thuma 

This Central Illinois independent rock/punk band has reached new sonic heights and audiences with their newest release I Didn't Mean To Call Your Name (Feb. 7, 2025). Hailing from Springfield, the trio comes from a variety of musical backgrounds to create this crowd-filling amalgam that hearkens back to some of the best of 90s alternative and latter-era punk. 

You can always stream the episode live on our station at Elm City Radio. Just click the link!

Elisabeth Werries, but known to the music world as Elisabeth Ann is releasing her first national single on Friday, April 25 on all of the world’s streaming services.  The Chapin, IL native has been entertaining the world since she was young. A Ken Bradbury kid in the greatest sense, Werries attributes her current success and confidence on the late luminary’s trust and teachings while attending Triopia High School. Now living in Nashville and working as a full-time musician, Werries says she’s participating in weekly songwriting circles and is working shows on Broadway each week. Her travels have brought her in touch with recent country star Zach Top and former Loami resident and singer-songwriter Adam James. “Pray In A Bar” can be pre-saved on several platforms. 

You can always stream the episode live on our station at Elm City Radio. Just click the link!

UPDATED 3/13 - Had some issues with the original audio but we got 'er fixed after throwin' a bag of hammers at it. Thanks for being patient and enjoy the better audio!

Hope MacGregor is a Jackson, Tennessee-based artist who has taken a great journey with her music. From a theater and music kid at Rochester, Illinois High School to combat veteran to singer-songwriter; Hope's carrying the stories with her songs. 

After a series of unfortunate events and life changes, MacGregor has thrown herself full-fledged into music.  Hope and her band have played all around Tennessee, as well as Texas, Oklahoma, North Carolina, and Illinois. Most recently, they headlined one of Jackson's Summer Concerts at The Amp -- an annual summer concert series drawing a crowd from all over West Tennessee. 

On March 14th, Hope is stopping in Jacksonville, Illinois as a headliner for Pizza Records. 

You can hear cuts from the album she's been supporting since 2023 "The Matriarch" along with her brand new single right here on this second part of this month's Artist Spotlight.

Isaac Cherry (percussion) & Jerry Robushka (piano) offer up an early glimpse of the early 20th Century music. The St. Louis, Missouri duo offer up a glimpse of the roots of modern music by putting their stamp on early blues, jazz, ragtime, and pop. The duo will play at the Jacksonville, IL Public Library as a part of the Music Under the Dome free concert series on Sunday, March 9th at 4PM.

The interview includes their fresh recordings of:

12th Street Rag by Euday Bowman, 1914, Kansas City 

The Cootie Crawl by Charles Booker 1922, Memphis Charles Booker was a bandleader in Memphis from around c.1915-1925. 

The Entertainer by Scott Joplin 1902, St. Louis  

 Sunny Bleau and The Moons formed in Rochester, Michigan in 2019. Their first single hit international radio play in 2021. Now, their 4th full-length album is hitting the airwaves on Mick Kolassa's Endless Blues label, entitled Passion & Regrets.

This interview conducted in January was right before the album's worldwide release and right before the kick off of a Michigan "Women In Blues" showcase taking place in Michigan over the next month. 

This episode has a lot of great surprises and information about the album, Sunny and guitarist Nic Cocco's lives, and their plans for a Spring tour through Illinois and Missouri. The cast also includes several cuts from the new album.