Icon Fetch

Dance sensation Natalie Nylon has quite a diverse background – she studied classical and music theater at a young age. Then, as a teen, she sang and played bass in a punk band before moving from her Pennsylvania home to the bright lights of LA. Nylon began experimenting with synthesizers, hooking up with producer Miko – the result was several singles that topped the European dance charts. Nylon is hoping to continue that trend with the release of her first full length album, Out of Control. Icon Fetch talks to Nylon about how her roots effect her current music, how she’s preparing for her first video shoot, and how crazy it was to have her songs hit #1 overseas.

Lukas Nelson, the son of country music legend Willie Nelson, is stepping out of the shadow of his famous father, due in large part to his energetic live shows. His band, Promise of the Real, rocked over 200 dates in 2011 alone. They’ve shared the stage with the likes of Dave Matthews and B.B. King. Despite the incessant touring, Nelson found time to write and record the band’s second full-length, Wasted. Icon Fetch talks with Lukas Nelson about getting inspiration from both Neil Young and Jimi Hendrix for the new record, and helping his dad record his new CD, called Heroes.

Cassidy led the all-female band Antigone Rising for eight years, receiving critical acclaim and developing a rabid fanbase. But, she left the band after their major label debut. Now, she’s returned with a new name – Boheme – and a brand new album, Follow the Freedom, which showcases her soulful vocals and melodic songwriting. She’s also got help on one of the tracks from none other than the reclusive ex-frontman from Journey, Steve Perry. Icon Fetch talks with Cassidy about why she’s titled her new CD Boheme, why she left Antigone, and the strange circumstances that brought she and Steve Perry together in the studio.

Bassist Mike Watt stormed out of San Pedro, California in the early 1980’s with the influential punk power trio the Minutemen; blending elements of funk, jazz and classic rock into the hardcore scene. The tragic death of his close friend and bandmate, D. Boon, put an end to that great band and sent Watt into depression. Eventually, he re-emerged with the help of Sonic Youth, playing on several of their recordings before forming another trio, firehose, and the all-bass duo called Dos.

Watt has released several solo albums, written operas, and played on other peoples’ albums too numerous to mention. Now comes Mike Watt – On and Off Bass – a collection of his (surprisingly good) photography, which also includes excerpts from his tour diary. Icon Fetch talks with Mike Watt about the origins of the new book, his recent spoken-word collaboration with rock critic Richard Meltzer, and how a day doesn’t go by without him thinking of his late friend, D. Boon.

Scissormen take blues back to its raw basics: guitar and drums. Yet, it’s amazing how much intensity the band brings in its live show. It doesn’t hurt that singer Ted Drozdowski is one hell of a fantastic slide guitarist, who’s been known to stroll whatever room will have them, standing on tables to reel off another searing solo. The band has just issued a CD / DVD combo called Big Shoes: Walking and Talking the Blues.

The set contains a documentary film directed by famed filmmaker Robert Mugge, who followed Scissormen through a tour of the wintery Midwest, with stops in Red Key, Indiana, the Gennett Records Museum in Richmond, and the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. All along the way, the band manages to unearth interesting stories, showing that traces of the blues can be found everywhere. Icon Fetch talks with Drozdowski about making the film, some of the legendary bluesmen that influenced him, and the oddest item he’s picked up to play slide guitar with.

Richard Meltzer was one of the first rock critics, penning the first full-length book on the subject, “The Aesthetics of Rock,” in 1970, while reveling in much of he excesses of the day. He wrote for many of the seminal magazines, including the Village Voice, Crawdaddy, Creem and Rolling Stone. He also had a long association with Blue Oyster Cult, co-writing several songs, including “Burning For You,” “Stairway to the Stars,” and “Death Valley Nights.” He’s also hosted a radio show and fronted a punk band called VOM.

Meltzer’s latest project has been in the works for over 25 years – Spielgusher teams his spoken-word pieces with instrumental backing courtesy of legendary Minutemen & firehose bassist Mike Watt, along with some Japanese session musicians. The result is a dizzying collection of 63 tracks – some abrasive, some laugh-out-loud funny, but all delivered in Meltzer’s dry affectation. Icon Fetch talks with the infamous writer about the origins of the album, being pigeonholed as a music journalist, and how he left the original Woodstock in disgust after only one day.

Dave Getz is the drummer for one of the most important bands of the Sixties’ San Francisco music scene, Big Brother and the Holding Company. Their album, Cheap Thrills, recorded with Janis Joplin, stands as one of the finest examples of psychedelic rock, and still sounds fresh today. Sony / Legacy has just issued Live at the Carousel Ballroom 1968, a vintage recording of the classic lineup, just a couple of months before their breakup. The disc features ferocious performances, and is testament that Big Brother was a lot more than simply Joplin’s backup band. In addition, Dave’s other group, the Dave Getz Breakaway, have a new album out featuring an unreleased song that Getz co-wrote with Janis.

It was a turning point in popular culture. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were arrested in early 1967 on drug charges stemming from a party that Richards held for close friends. Local police, tipped off by an opportunistic newspaper, raided the festivities, setting off a series of events which led to a media frenzy, and the arrest and eventual temporary imprisonment of both band members. What was supposed to be a show of force by the old guard establishment on the young hedonistic hippies, ended up with an entirely different outcome.

Author Simon Wells chronicles the events down to every lurid detail in his new book, Butterfly on a Wheel – The Great Rolling Stones Drugs Bust. Wells talks with Icon Fetch about dispelling many of the rumors surrounding the affair, including the legendary Marianne Faithful Mars’ bar incident. He also touches on how he obtained his evidence, and the lasting impact that the overturned charges had on popular culture.

Australian songwriter Paul Kelly has put a new twist on the past. His new 8-CD box set, The A to Z Recordings, features recently performed live versions of 100 of his best songs in alphabetical order. The collection comes housed in a handsome booklet featuring photographs, old concert posters, paintings and pictures of artists that influenced Kelly’s music over the years.

He’s also written an accompanying book, How to Make Gravy, which he describes as a “mongrel memoir, that tells the story behind each song on the set. Icon Fetch talks with the prolific writer about the origins of the concerts which spawned the box set, how he chose the particular 100 (he’s written over 300), and some of the inspirations behind his best songs.

he Hobart Brothers and ‘Lil Sis Hobart, made up of songwriters Freedy Johnston, Jon Dee Graham, and Susan Cowsill, first came together during the annual SXSW Music Festival in Austin, and found that they each shared a common history of working in the kitchens of numerous restaurants in their younger days (Hobart is a reference to the most famous industrial dishwasher). After recording demos last year, the band launched a successful Kickstarter program that helped fund At Least We’ve Got Each Other, the band’s debut album. Icon Fetch talks with Freedy Johnston about how they put this unique band together, and how they used modern technology to help collaborate from long distance. He also talks about his forthcoming solo album and his breakthrough hit, 1995’s “Bad Reputation.”