Keith's Music Box

The ‘80s was the decade of bad clothes and even worse hair. But oh! What a great time for some very cool music. Punk. New wave. Alt rock. We’ll hear a selection of the best of it from artists including The Go-Gos, XTC, Howard Jones, The English Beat, Talking Heads, The Motels and many others. It’s a mix you’ll hear only on the latest episode of KMB. Eat your heart out, Richard Blade!

Richard T. Bear, aka T Bear, was a leading session keyboard player and songwriter in the 70s and 80s, but then he went virtually silent for a couple of decades. Now he has his first album of new music in 25 years, "Fresh Bear Tracks," and it kicks ass. It rocks. It’s bluesy. It’s jazzy. It’s awesome. His story is one of grit, pain, redemption and, ultimately, joy. Hear from the man himself — and cuts off the new album — in this exclusive interview you’ll find only on KMB.

Where would you be without your mom? Certainly not here. For this Mother’s Day, kick back with a dozen songs celebrating moms and their hallowed place in our lives (for better or worse). We’ll hear from Pink Floyd, Paul Simon, Genesis, Queen, Three Dog Night and many others on this special episode of Keith’s Music Box.

Spirit Machines has been called “the most exciting band to come out of Utah in decades” and “the antithesis to the last major rock band from the state, Imagine Dragons.” They’ve sold thousands of copies of their first album, “Feel Again,” and the video for their Zeppelin/Tool mashup, “Zober,” was an internet sensation, especially after it was praised by Tool itself. In this exclusive interview, which you will hear only on KMB, the band's lead singer, Pepper Rose, and drummer, Michael Collins, talk about their powerful music, their pursuit of becoming a force in independent rock, and the struggle to rise above stereotypes in the Salt Lake City rock scene.

Out of the bars and clubs of Boston, New York City and the Jersey Shore there’s always been a steady stream of killer rock ‘n roll. From Philadelphia too, along with a healthy dose of smooth R&B. We’ll listen to 15 great tracks from America’s East Coast on this week’s episode of KMB, including songs from Aerosmith, Steely Dan, Bon Jovi, Boston, Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen, along with a cool set of Philly Soul featuring Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes and the O’Jays, among others .

Remember that pacifist badass Billy Jack? How about the theme song, “One Tin Soldier,” from the 1971 Billy Jack movie? What about 707's song “I Could Be Good for You” and Montrose with “Bad Motor Scooter?” Mr. Mister with “Broken Wings?” Yep, there were some memorable tunes in the ‘70s and ‘80s that you just don’t hear anymore. We’ll fix that on this week’s episode of KMB, featuring an eclectic mix of blasts from the past.

The five-piece family band Liliac (Romanian for “bat”) has taken flight in recent years playing a fresh brand of hard rock they call “vamp metal.” It's loud and raucous and totally unexpected from a group of siblings aged 13-22. With more than 100 million views on YouTube and Facebook and 7 million streams on Spotify, Liliac is now poised to take an even bigger bite out of the music world. In an exclusive interview you'll hear only on this week's episode of KMB, I chat with all five members of the band, in addition to playing classic bangers from Black Sabbath, the Scorpions, Rainbow, Alice in Chains and other hard rocking legends.

The San Fernando Valley section of LA possesses a rich musical history. From recording studios to record shops, audio equipment manufacturers to music clubs, it’s all happened in the land of the 818 area code. Most importantly, the Valley is where many rock artists hail from, currently live, or once called home, including musicians Tom Petty and Jenny Lewis, and the bands Bad Religion, System of a Down and Haim. Hear the music of the Valley on this week’s Keith’s Music Box. We'll also talk to Tommy Gelinas, founder of the pop culture palace, Valley Relics Museum, in Van Nuys.

Rob Shanahan has photographed many of rock’s greatest drummers, including Ringo Starr, Charlie Watts, Jim Keltner, Neil Peart, Tommy Lee, Mick Fleetwood and Alex Van Halen. His portfolio also features spectacular shots of Paul McCartney, Eddie Van Halen, Joe Walsh, Sheila E, The Rolling Stones, Aerosmith and Motley Crue, to name just a few. When he’s not shooting, he’s playing the drums himself in the preeminent Stones tribute band, the Hollywood Stones. Not bad for a Minnesota kid who came to LA at the age of 21 with just a few bucks in his pocket and a dream of making it in the music biz. Hear his story of success — and songs that define it — on Keith’s Music Box.

The year was 1964 and four mop-topped Liverpudlians were leading an army of Britain’s best rock musicians to the shores of America. It was the British Invasion, a relatively brief but fertile period in music history that changed the way rock is played -- and enjoyed. Hear 20 great tunes from the era on episode #38 of Keith’s Music Box, including songs from the Beatles, the Stones, the Who, the Kinks, Herman's Hermits, Dusty Springfield, and many, many more.