Hard Rain & Pink Cadillacs Podcast

This was really a moment for me. I can still remember dropping the needle on Marshall Crenshaw’s first record back in 1982 and feeling like Dorothy when she stepped into the Land of Oz. Everything for me went from black and white to Technicolor. I still have that same platter of vinyl decades later; it’s accompanied me across four states and several apartments and houses.

Crenshaw’s career is remarkable. On stage and screen, he’s portrayed two of rock and roll’s most seminal figures, John Lennon (Beatlemania on Broadway) and Buddy Holly (La Bamba).

But it’s his original music that deserves the most attention. From classic power pop tunes like “Someday, Someway” to “You’re My Favorite Waste of Time,” Crenshaw has always had a knack for distilling the human condition, especially love affairs and breakups, into three-minute musical masterpieces.

It was a real pleasure for me to meet him and talk.

Geoffrey and I hope you enjoy this conversation.

Crenshaw’s latest release, The Bootleg Sounds of Marshall Crenshaw, drops on October 23rd from Yep Roc Records. You can get it wherever you get your music or at http://marshallcrenshaw.com.

— Mark Finkelpearl

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LOW CUT CONNIE:

Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, and Stevie Van Zandt are among the artists who count the band Low Cut Connie as one of their favorites. Their seventh album, Living in the USA, is in stores and streaming now, at what may be the peak of precarious times on Planet Earth. Adam Weiner, the main brain behind the operation, is known for his social commentary, his hard piano attack, and his incendiary live shows.

He’s a thoughtful man who cares about the state of things. In fact, one new song is entitled “Human Condition.” The new LP arrives at a moment fraught with peril for humankind, and Weiner plows headlong into the maelstrom with songs meant to lament where we find ourselves while still celebrating our shared humanity and our deep need to find joy wherever we may.

It’s a wide-ranging conversation touching on everything from the Jewish concept of Tikkun olam (“Healing the World”) to why Iggy Pop may be one of the best live performers to ever grace the stage.

You can buy Living in the USA and find tour dates at lowcutconnie.com.

LINKS WE LIKE:

Please note that Hard Rain & Pink Cadillacs is now available on both Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Last weekend, Mark Finkelpearl went to catch a live show by one of his favorite guitar players, Jimmy “Scratch” James. Here’s Mark’s recent story on Jimmy from Premier Guitar magazine.

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Certain dogs are known to be tenacious, never letting up on that bone as they gnaw away. Jerry Williams’ (his birth name) career has combined talent with tenacity. He was told his voice wasn’t great enough to sing hits — like Solomon Burke’s. He was told he wasn’t good-looking enough compared to his contemporaries, vocalists like Jackie Wilson, Tommy Hunt, and Chuck Jackson. He proved his naysayers wrong.

Instead of giving up his creative dreams, Jerry created a musical alter-ego and launched his Swamp Dogg persona in 1970. Ever since, he’s carved a unique path through the music business, collaborating across genres and generations with artists as diverse as John Prine, Gary U.S. Bonds, Jenny Lewis, Bon Iver, and Margo Price.

And he’s worked in every facet of the music business, as a songwriter, musician, producer, A&R executive, and even as a label head.

His is a singular career and a fascinating journey. Enjoy the talk.

Swamp Dogg’s new record, Swamp Dogg Contemplates The Afterlife, is available wherever you get your music.

The Playlist:

Want more? Geoffrey curated a Swamp Dogg Spotify playlist for you right here.

And here it is as an Apple Music Playlist too.

1. Sam Stone (The Excellent Sides of Swamp Dogg)

2. Don’t Take Her (She’s All I Got) (Sorry You Couldn’t Make It)

3. Please Don’t Bury Me (Swamp Dogg Contemplates the Afterlife)

4. Total Destruction to Your Mind (The Excellent Sides of Swamp Dogg)

5. Waka Waka Waka (Swamp Dogg Contemplates the Afterlife)

6. To the Other Woman (Blackgrass: From West Virginia to 125th Street)

7. Final Approach (Swamp Dogg Contemplates the Afterlife)

8. Mama’s Baby, Daddy’s Maybe (Hits Anthology)

9. Acid Tongue (Swamp Dogg Contemplates the Afterlife)

10. Memories (Sorry You Couldn’t Make It)

11. Daddy’s Little Girl (Swamp Dogg Contemplates the Afterlife)

12. If It Hadn’t Been for Sly (The Excellent Sides of Swamp Dogg)

13. Sleeping Without You Is a Dragg (Sorry You Couldn't Make It)

14. God Bless America for What (The Excellent Sides of Swamp Dogg)

15. Surfin’ in Harlem (The Essential Collection)

16. I Couldn’t Pay for What I Got Last Night (Gag a Maggot)

17. Count the Days (Blackgrass: From West Virginia to 125th Street)

18. Please Let Me Go Round Again (Sorry You Couldn’t Make It)

19. Wife Sitter (The Excellent Sides of Swamp Dogg)

20. If I Ever Kiss It (He Can Kiss It Goodbye) (The Excellent Sides of Swamp Dogg)

21. Rise Up (Blackgrass: From West Virginia to 125th Street)

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hardrainandpinkcadillacs.substack.com/subscribe

Today on the show, Teddy Thompson. His new record, Never Be The Same (Royal Potato Family), is his first since 2020. You can find it streaming, on CD, and on vinyl.

It cannot be easy being the offspring of English folk rock royalty; Teddy’s parents are Richard and Linda Thompson, who, through various projects, including Fairport Convention and their now-legendary duo records, have been writing and performing acclaimed music together and apart for nearly six decades.

Yet Teddy is clearly his own man and a singular musician and songwriter in his own right.

In this conversation, we talk about how his parents’ musical tastes during long car rides shaped him, how he works to avoid being repetitive in his music, and the relationship between American rock and roll and the British take on it. And more!

Enjoy. And thank you for your support of Hard Rain & Pink Cadillacs!

-Mark Finkelpearl

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hardrainandpinkcadillacs.substack.com/subscribe

It’s not simple to articulate Peter Case’s place in American music. That’s partly because he’s so singular and partly because he’s accomplished so much. He began as a street busker, formed two bands known for being at the vanguard, then torpedoed his own major-label deal (on Geffen Records) to venture deep into Americana territory as an acoustic guitar-wielding troubadour.

In this detailed conversation, Peter talks to Geoff and me about a broad range of subjects. We cover everything from the differences between the Nerves and the Plimsouls — the bands that put him on the map — to writing with John Prine. We go over why McCabe’s Guitar Shop in Santa Monica, California, is such a unique venue for live music. We discuss why key changes are central to the Beatles’ music. We explore why Mike Wilhelm of the seminal San Francisco band, the Charlatans, had such a big impact on Case. We cover how punk rock developed on the West Coast. And more. We hope you enjoy this talk as much as we enjoyed having it.

Peter’s new record, My Life to Live: Peter Case at McCabe’s, reaches listeners on Friday, April 24th, 2026.

- Mark Finkelpearl

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hardrainandpinkcadillacs.substack.com/subscribe

Amy Rigby was born and raised in Pittsburgh, but she left for New York City in 1976, just in time to be part of the punk scene explosion erupting at landmarks like CBGB’s and the Mudd Club. In the 80’s, she married dB’s drummer, Will Rigby, and played in bands like The Shams and Last Roundup before embarking on a solo career. There's more to the story — a lot more, in fact. But we’ll let Amy tell it.

Among many other subjects, Amy talks with us about living her life without fear or thinking twice when making big decisions, a trait she traces back to her mother and to how she walked through the world.

By now, Amy has evolved into one of those songwriter’s songwriters, admired by her peers and with a loyal legion of fans around the globe.

She’s written about her life and her time in Nashville in a new memoir called Girl to Country. It’s the sequel to her first book, Girl to City, which chronicled her time downtown in New York and her early artistic evolution.

-Mark Finkelpearl

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hardrainandpinkcadillacs.substack.com/subscribe

Gloriously, a talk with Jorma Kaukonen can flow in a bunch of directions in a short time. In this interview, recorded yesterday on 1/13/26, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer goes deep on his late pal, Bob Weir. Jorma talks about the relationship between rhythm guitar players and their lead player counterparts. He discusses why the Haight Ashbury and San Francisco became ground zero for psychedelic rock and much of the cultural explosion of the Sixties. Jorma covers the impact that Reverend Gary Davis and others had on him and his cohort. And a whole lot more — including some geeking out on guitars and guitar gear!

We hope you enjoy the talk as much as we did having it with him.

Here’s a companion playlist for the conversation:

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In my brand new Premier Guitar magazine piece about Pat Sansone and his bandmate, John Stirrat, I described Sansone in performance by quoting the famous record producer, Bob Johnston, when he summed up Bob Dylan: “He can’t help what he’s doing. He’s got the Holy Spirit about him; you can look at him and tell that!”

That about encapsulates how music runs through Pat Sansone, too. In this conversation, he talks in detail about how, fifteen years or so after the British Invasion, bands like the Beatles, The Who, and the Kinks set him down a musical path that, in many ways, seemed preordained, given his family history and his father’s work in the music business.

It’s a great talk with a deep guy. We enjoyed our time with Pat and hope you do too.

— Mark Finkelpearl

Here’s a companion Spotify playlist!

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hardrainandpinkcadillacs.substack.com/subscribe

Happy Sunday morning, folks. If you’re so inclined to snuggle into the couch and nurse a few cups of coffee for a while, let this great new conversation be your companion.

It’s been said that there are three essential elements to a Willie Nelson record: His voice, his guitar, Trigger, and Mickey Raphael’s harmonica playing. Raphael joined Nelson in 1973 and has been by his side on stage and in the studio ever since.

We cover a lot of ground in this hour, from his early days in Dallas and the story of how he got into the band to his insight about why Nelson needed to leave Music City and flee Nashville to really make it in music.

Raphael even talks about his recent sit-ins on tour with Bob Dylan, adding harmonica on many concert stops to Dylan’s 1975 classic, Simple Twist of Fate.

- Mark Finkelpearl

Here is a companion Spotify playlist curated by Geoffrey for this episode:

PLAYLIST: MICKEY RAPHAEL

(all songs credited to Willie Nelson)

1. Bloody Mary Morning (Live at US Festival)

2. Night Life (Two Men with the Blues)

3. Sister’s Comin’ Home (Sunday Set) (The Complete Atlantic Sessions)

4. Outskirts of Town (Rainbow Connection)

5. Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground

6. She’s Gone (Me and Paul)

7. Little Old Fashioned Karma (Tougher than Leather)

8. Georgia on My Mind (Two Men with the Blues)

9. Crazy-Live (Live at US Festival)

10. If You Could Touch Her at All-Live (Willie and Family Live)

11. Till I Gain Control Again-Live (Willie and Family Live)

12. Funny How Time Slips Away-Live (Live at US Festival)

13. She Thinks I Still Care (Sunday)

14. Good Hearted Woman-Live (Live at US Festival)

Spotify version:

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When it comes to musicianship, I refer to Darrell Scott as a penta-threat: Songwriter, singer, guitar slinger, producer, and sideman. He plies his craft with so much integrity, skill, and grace that it’s afforded him collaborations with artists like Robert Plant, the Chicks, Patti Loveless, Patti Griffin, Buddy Miller, Brad Paisley, Guy Clark, and many others.

We hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we loved having it.

Darrell’s latest record, Wayne’s Pain, is in honor of his late father, the songwriter and performer, Wayne Scott. It’s available wherever you buy music.

— Mark Finkelpearl

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hardrainandpinkcadillacs.substack.com/subscribe