Icon Fetch

Australia's Hoodoo Gurus have mixed garage rock, psychedelia, Motown and punk into their own brand of catchy tuneage for the last 30 years.  Some of their alternative-rock hits include "Come Anytime," and "Miss Freelove '69".  They've just released their first new album in six years.  Purity of Essence finds them doing what they do best: rocking out and having fun.  Icon Fetch talks with singer Dave Faulkner about the new CD, managing to keep the same group of guys together, and recording one of their classic songs with the Bangles.

For twenty years, guitarist Michael Harris has stretched the boundaries with his progressive guitar playing.  His latest effort, Tranz-Fused, adds an element of jazz fusion to his instrumental fretwork.  Icon Fetch talks with the Dayton native about his new CD and his involvement with several other projects, including the legendary Ohio band Arch Rival.

Geoff Tate has led Queensryche through 11 albums that have combined metal with thought-provoking lyrics. The band is celebrating the 20th anniversary edition of their landmark album Empire. Tate talks with us about the direction they decided to take after the previous album, Operation: Mindcrime, and how their smash single “Silent Lucidity” almost didn’t make the album. He also talks about the band’s surreal performance on the 1992 Grammy Awards.

Outrageous is his middle name. Mojo Nixon first rose to prominence in the mid Eighties with a string of punkbilly college radio hits like “Stuffin’ Martha’s Muffin,” “Burn Down the Malls,” and his most-famous track, “Elvis is Everywhere.”

As his music career waned, Nixon found work as a DJ, first in Cincinnati, and now on Sirius XM Radio, where he hosts a daily afternoon show on the Outlaw Country channel. He also hosts two weekly shows, one on NASCAR and one loosely based on politics. Icon Fetch talks with the king of satellite radio about the difference in all his shows, plus his bold move in 2009 to give away his entire music catalog for free on amazon.com for a month.

Australian Claude Hay is literally a one-man band, using his custom-made twin neck guitar-bass combination, plus a looping machine, to layer instruments while he plays. He’s just released Deep Fried Satisfied, a collection of songs as greasy and irresistible as the fast-food that inspired them. Icon Fetch talks with Hay about making his own instruments, and his love of both American music and food.

Gary Brooker has led Procol Harum since their 1967 hit “A Whiter Shade of Pale,” which was the first ever song they recorded. His band’s multifaceted output got labeled Prog rock because there was no better name. But, Procol Harum tackled many different styles, oftentimes on the same album; mixing rock with classical, jazz, blues, folk and turn-of-the-century nostalgia. The band’s catalog is getting an overhaul with each album featuring remastered sound and bonus material.

Brooker takes Icon Fetch through the last four albums the band released in their Seventies heyday. He also touches on why the band called it quits originally in 1976 and what led to their regrouping in 1991.

Elijah Wald is the author of a new book, The Blues: A Very Short Introduction. In a little over 100 pages, he explores the history of blues, covering it’s many styles and key pioneers. He also traces its connection to other forms of music, like jazz and country. Wald has written several other music-related books, including the controversial-titled How the Beatles Destroyed Rock n’ Roll. Icon Fetch chats with the current blues professor at UCLA about his new book and more.

ommy Keene has been making his brand of melodic rock for almost 30 years now. His early independent releases garnered high praise from critics, and when he jumped to a major label, big things were expected. Through a series of industry blunders and bad luck, Keene’s rock star ship never came in. Despite the numerous setbacks, the excellent quality of his songs has never wavered.

He’s just released his first-ever career spanning collection called Tommy Keene You Hear Me: A Retrospective 1983-2009. Icon Fetch talks to the influential songwriter about his many pitfalls, as well as how he assembled his new collection, and teamed up with Bob Pollard of Guided By Voices.

Martin Briley, primarily known for his lone hit from ’83 “The Salt in My Tears.” But, what people may not know is that he is a prolific songwriter who has penned songs for a diverse list of artists, including Pat Benatar, Celine Dion, Night Ranger and Barry Manilow. Briley has had a long, interesting career in the music industry, but has shunned the spotlight. He shares some of his experiences with Icon Fetch, from the unwanted fame that came from his video getting played on MTV, to a crazy stalker that traveled cross country to confront him.

Dwight Twilley is best known for a pair of #16 hits: “I’m On Fire,” from 1975, and “Girls,” from 1984, but he’s been making songs with catchy hooks his entire career. He’s set to release a brand new disc called “Green Blimp.” Icon Fetch talks with the power pop master about his notorious struggles with record companies, and how, with the support of his devoted fans, he’s been able to finance his latest project on his own