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Pristine power pop and low fi collide

Multi instrumentalist Jason Falkner played in the Three O’Clock, Jellyfish and the Grays before embarking on a solo career in the mid-90’s. He’s also played with numerous artists, including Beck, Air and even Paul McCartney.

Falkner’s latest project is an unlikely collaboration with him and low fi pioneer R. Stevie Moore. The new album, Make It Be, meets their two styles midway, with songs mostly written by Moore, featuring backing mostly by Falkner. He talks about how the pairing came about and how both of them chose which songs to record.  Falkner also addresses his successful Bedtime with the Beatles series, and how soon we’ll see a new Falkner solo album.

Fascinating behind-the-scenes look at a concert tribute to Big Star's swan song

For an album that was deemed unreleasable at the time of recording and has never had a proper running order, Big Star’s Third has certainly gotten its due. It’s now considered one of the greatest albums of all time. After the sudden passing of Big Star frontman Alex Chilton in 2010, an all-star group of musicians got together to pay tribute, including Mike Mills of REM, Mitch Easter of Let’s Active, Chris Stamey of the dB’s and members of the Posies. They found that the magic they created was worth continuing.

After playing live shows all over the world, they decided to document things with Thank You Friends - Big Star’s Third Live…and More, a DVD/CD combo just released by Concord Bicycle Music. To talk about it, we welcome in the musical director of the project, Chris Stamey. He also talks about playing in a post-Big Star band with Chilton and what led to him releasing Chris Bell’s single “I Am the Cosmos” on his own label in 1978.

Chip Taylor is best known as the songwriter for both “Wild Thing” and “Angel of the Morning,” but there’s so much more to him than just those two songs. For one, he’s written hundreds of other tunes, including “I Can’t Let Go” for the Hollies, and “Try a Little Harder” recorded by Janis Joplin.

Taylor got his start in a rockabilly group, Wes Voight and the Town Three, who were signed to a subsidiary of King Records back in 1958. He released a series of critically-acclaimed solo LP’s in the Seventies before retiring from music in the Eighties.

After returning to music in the mid-Nineties, Taylor has been on a hot streak as of late, releasing an average of an album a year. He’s also issued several successful records with fiddle player Carrie Rodriguez. His latest release is A Song I Can Live With.

Georgia native Jennifer Paige scored one massive hit in 1998, the seductive pop of “Crush.”  The single went to #3 in the US and topped the charts in Spain, Denmark, Russia, New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa.  Despite recording a strong debut album, she had no further hits in the States.  Her promising sophomore album, Positively Somewhere, had the misfortune of coming out the week after 9/11 in 2001.  She returned with a third album, Best Kept Secret in 2008, but lost both of her parents and was diagnosed with melanoma the same year.  Not surprisingly, she lost the desire for music.

Now, she’s healthy and has returned with her fourth album Starflower, funded by a successful Kickstarter program. We talk what got her back on the path to music, her collaboration with Coury Palermo, and the fact that she’s been one of the voices on the successful “Nationwide is on your Side” ad campaign.

It’s been an unbelievable 35 years since Night Ranger released their debut album, Dawn Patrol, and their first single, “Don’t Tell Me You Love Me.” The guys are celebrating still Rockin’ America and beyond with the release of their 12th album, Don’t Let Up. Here’s the thing, all the elements that make up a great Night Ranger album are still intact - great harmonies, fiery guitar solos, and choruses you can sing along to.  In 2017, that’s a rare find.

To talk about it, we welcome guitarist and founding member Brad Gillis, who talks about a few setbacks that delayed the album’s release. He also reminisces about Rubicon, a band that he and Jack Blades were in before Night Ranger.  Also, how Night Ranger's record label knew they had a hit with "Sister Christian," and actually held off releasing it.

Matt North has done a little bit of everything. In the L.A. Comedy scene, he opened for the likes of Marc Maron, Louis CK and Chris Rock.  As a screenwriter, he did Best Western, which won multiple awards, yet has never been produced. As an actor, he starred alongside Jason Alexander in HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm, yet was written out of the script after one episode after Alexander left.  As a session drummer, both in Los Angeles and Nashville, he’s worked with Maria McKee, Jay Bennett, Peter Case and Mink Stole.

Over the last few years, North has taught himself guitar and piano and has just issued his first album, Above Ground Fools - ten songs all written by North.  We touch on the twists and turns of his varied career, including what got him playing drums in the first place, and the inspiration behind songs like "Cronkite and Cosell" and "I Sold it All."

He helped define the sound of early Sixties' British rock

The name Shel Talmy may not be immediately recognizable, unless you’re a liner note junkie.  But, you’ve certainly heard his work.  Talmy is responsible for producing all of the early singles for the Kinks including “You Really Got Me,” “All Day and All the Night,” and “Sunny Afternoon.”

He also went on to do the same for the Who, with “I Can’t Explain,” “My Generation” and “Anyway Anyhow Anywhere.”  “Friday on My Mind” by the Easybeats is another credit.

But, probably the band he’s most proud of is one that didn’t make it.  The Creation had everything, catchy songs, a flashy guitarist in Eddie Phillips, an incendiary live show, yet they never even made a dent in the US charts.

The Numero Group is issuing Action Painting, a 2-disc set bringing together everything this seminal band put to tape, including some brand new stereo mixes overseen by Talmy, plus alternate takes, and an exhaustive booklet with multiple essays, session notes, and a treasure trove of pictures - it’s an impressive collection for any fan of mid-Sixties British rock.

We talk to Talmy about the high hopes he had for them, and why they never lived up to his lofty expectations.  We also touch on his work with the Kinks, the Who and the Easybeats.

olk-blues singer covers Black Sabbath on her new album

Austin singer Ruthie Foster defies classification.  Her previous albums have featured covers from the likes of Johnny Cash, David Crosby and Adele, as well as her own originals.  For this new project, Joy Comes Back, her first release in three years, the approach is equally eclectic: she tackles songs by the Four Tops, Mississippi John Hurt and, most notably, a Son House-flavored rendition of Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs.”

She’s also joined by several stellar guests, including guitarist Derek Trucks, bassist Willie Weeks and drummer Joe Vitale.  We talk to Foster about how music got her through a tumultuous chapter in her life, plus why she quit the business and signed up for the Navy several years ago.

What if we traveled back in time and the tour buses for the Kinks and Louis Armstrong’s Hot Five crashed into each other? Well, we’d have quite a mess on the road, but you might come close to the sound of the Chandler Travis Philharmonic, equal parts rock irreverence and vintage jazz, with a bent sense of humor thrown in for good measure.

The band is celebrating 20 years together and have commemorated the event with the release of Waving Kissyhead volume 2 & 1. Chandler Travis returns to our show to talk the new disc, the band’s ongoing “Best Bedhead Contest,” and why putting lyrics to songs almost always screws them up.   He also tells the story about playing Carnegie Hall on the opening slot for comedian George Carlin.

Things are definitely looking up for singer/songwriter Em Rossi.  She’s recently collaborated with Jim McGorman, who’s worked with Avril Lavigne & Paul Stanley, and has also been a guest on our show.  The two of them have put together a series of singles that she’s been issuing on Youtube and social media.

Well, people are responding - Em’s up to 5 million views on the online video channel.  The video for her latest single, “Empty Space,” just premiered on the Huffington Post’s website.  Like many of her recent songs, it deals with the sudden loss of her father and the void that it left behind.  Em’s working toward an eventual full length album, hopefully coming soon.

We talk to her about what got her singing in the first place, the filming of her new video, and how her partnership with Smule has helped her reach even more fans worldwide.