David Hood, the legendary bassist and member of the Swampers, the Muscle Shoals-based band that backed up countless classic soul records, is my guest this week. Guys like David are the reason I was inspired to do this show in the first place. I first heard him through the Duane Allman anthology, an album I picked up as a kid that contained all this amazing soul music that Duane had been a part of in the late 60's. Upon further investigation, I was led to the world of Muscle Shoals, and FAME Studios, the home of classic soul music for artists like Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, Boz Scaggs, John Hammond, Clarence Carter, and so many more. David also went on to play on albums for Paul Simon, Traffic, and the list goes on and on. The Muscle Shoals documentary from a few years back is a must-see, and David was kind enough to spend some time with me talking about the studios, life during that time in Muscle Shoals, and to detail some of the sessions that so many of us know and love. Enjoy my conversation with David Hood!

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Bernie Finkelstein is my guest on the show this week. It's a natural companion piece to last weeks' interview with Bruce Cockburn. If you haven't heard that one (Episode 19), please check it out as well! Bernie has been in the biz for decades, originally starting out as a helper and manager for folk artists and rock bands around Toronto's buzzing scene in the mid/late 60's. His early success in the US with The Paupers and working with the legendary Albert Grossman (Bob Dylan's manager) led him back to Toronto to start his own label, True North Records. He made his mark early signing Bruce Cockburn, a relationship that continues to this day. His other successes have included clients like Murray McLauchlan, Dan Hill, Blackie and the Rodeo Kings, Stephen Fearing, and he even signed a little weirdo instrumental band from Vancouver called Zubot and Dawson. Bernie has great stories from all of those eras and tells them in his recent book "True North", but it's more fun to hear him tell them in person, so Bernie was nice enough to spend some time with me for the show. Enjoy my conversation with Bernie Finkelstein!

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My guest on the show this week is legendary performer and songwriter Bruce Cockburn. Bruce has been recording and touring for over 40 years, and has over 30 spectacular albums to his credit. One of the most beloved of Canadian artists, Bruce has made a huge mark in the US and Europe as well. With humble beginnings in the folk scene of Toronto in the 60's, to releasing his first few classic albums on True North Records, before achieving massive commercial success in the late 70's and 80's with hit songs like "Wondering Where The Lions Are", "Lovers In A Dangerous Time" and "If I Had a Rocket Launcher". I've always been drawn to Bruce's creative guitar playing, which incorporates blues, jazz, folk and ragtime elements into a unique sound that instantly recognizable. Bruce and I had a chance to discuss his life and career in music and all the stages of his amazing career. Enjoy my conversation with Bruce Cockburn!

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Producer and multi-instrumentalist Gurf Morlix is my guest this week. Gurf has been an integral part of the Austin, Texas music scene for decades now and has worked on stage and in the studio with an incredible list of artists such as Ray Wylie Hubbard, Robert Earl Keen, Slaid Cleaves, Warren Zevon, Mary Gauthier and Ian McLagan. Gurf was also a key member of Lucinda WIlliams' original band and produced her first albums. Gurf is a great producer, and plays a mean guitar, steel, bass and whatever else he can get his hands on. We talked about his career that took him to LA to work with Lucinda Williams, why he split and went back to Austin where he's been since the 90's, his production style, and the way he approaches recording, mostly out of his home studio. Enjoy the conversation, and please subscribe to the podcast on iTunes for free!

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Broadcasting legend and iconic label-head, Holger Petersen is my guest this week. For anyone living in Canada over the last 40+ years, Holger has been the voice coming at you on Saturday nights on CBC Radio, bringing you great blues music on Saturday Night Blues, or even longer in Alberta on CKUA Radio. His label, Stony Plain Records, is also one of the oldest and most established roots music labels in North America. Holger has a long history with music, playing drums in bands growing up in Edmonton, promoting shows for the likes of Reverend Gary Davis and Mississippi John Hurt, and releasing a steady stream of music to the world by artists such as Jeff Healey, Long John Baldry, Duke Robillard, Ian Tyson, Corb Lund, and so many more. Holger and I had a chance to talk about that history, hanging with Jimmy Witherspoon and Jay McShann, being a fly on the wall for a Herbie Hancock record, traveling with Long John Baldry, and the path his life has taken to be one of Canada's great purveyors of amazing music. Thanks for listening!

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This week is the conclusion of my conversation with producer and artist Joe Henry. Joe is one of my favorite producers, taking huge risks and pushing sonic boundaries in the studio, mixing cutting-edge jazz with folk music, and capturing stellar live tracks that sound larger than life. He's been at the helm for some of what I think are the coolest sounding records of the last decade, for artists like Solomon Burke, Mary Gauthier, Bonnie Raitt, Allen Toussaint, and so many more. Last week, I spoke with Joe about his upbringing and how he got into record-making, his association with T-Bone Burnett, and some of his first production projects. This week, the story continues and  we delve into Joe's philosophies on recording, some of his recent work, and his amazing encounter with the great Ornette Coleman. Thanks to Joe for being so generous with his time and giving us this cool 2-part interview. Enjoy, share it, and please subscribe to the podcast!

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My guest on Episode 15 is producer and artist Joe Henry. Joe came up through the ranks originally as an artist, but through some early interctions with T-Bone Burnett, ended up being T-Bone's assistant on a number of projects, which led to him producing artists for himself. Joe continues to make great albums of his own every couple of years, and I’m a huge fan of all of them. He’s developed a close working relationship with my guest from episode  6, Ryan Freeland. Ryan’s ability to capture depth and live performances in the studio along with Joe’s abilities to set the stage, and create a sonic vision for his recordings has led to what I think are some of the most interesting albums made over the last 10 or 15 years. Their recordings have inspired me both as a musician and producer, and their philosophy of recording live and letting the moment dictate the feel, and spontenaity override perfection has pushed me more and more down a similar path over the years, and is something that I hold in high regard and strive for. Joe has been at the helm for some great records by Aimee Mann, Bettye LaVette, Allen Toussaint, Rodney Crowell, Mose Allison, Bonnie Raitt, his grammy-winning album for Soloman Burke, my pals the Birds of Chicago, and so many more. It’s a huge and important slice of American Music that his body of work represents, and I was really excited to talk to Joe about some of these sessions and his path to where he is now in his career. Enjoy Part 1 of my conversation with Joe Henry!

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Welcome to episode 14 of the podcast, where we welcome a Nashville veteran to the show. Fats Kaplin is his name, and when not performing slight of hand magic, Fats is one of the most in-demand sideguys around. He plays fiddle, mandolin, pedal steel, banjo, harmonica, dobro, guitar, oud, button accordion and I’m sure a bunch of other stuff. And he plays them really well. Fats has been in Music City for a long time, but he grew up in New York and got a gig as a youngster with Roy Bookbinder, a fantastic blues and ragtime player. Fats went on to play for years with Roy, and then the Tom Russel Band, touring the world. He moved to Nashville in the early 90’s and hooked up with Keiran Kane and Kevin Welch to form the Dead Reckoners, who were sort of a collective of great songwriters and instrumentalists.He’s played with tons of artists, and in the last few years ended up getting a gig in Jack White’s band, with whom he now performs and records regularly. Fats is active around Nashville and plays with his wife Kristi Rose regularly. I’ve had the pleasure of working with Fats quite a bit oiver the last coupe of years and he’s a great improvisor and an incredibly receptive musician to play with. I feel like we’re sort of kindered spirits in our weird esoteric musical tastes and we always have a good time working on music together. Fats and I talked about his whole history with all of those artists, growing up in New York, recording and working in Europe with Tom Russell through to getting the gig in Jack White's band and tells some stories about going on the tour with the male and female versions of Jack's band. Then at the end, Fats brings out the violin and rips up the fiddle as only he can. Enjoy my conversation with Fats Kaplin!

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Producer Lee Townsend is my guest on the show this week. Lee is a producer in the truest sense of the word. He’s not a performing musician, never has been, but has always been deeply into music and he brings a philosophy and easy going nature to sessions that make people rally around and perform their best. Lee is best known for his decades-long relationship in the studio and as manager for Bill Frisell, with whom he has made many records, earned Grammy Awards and countless other accolades, but he has also made some amazing records for artists as diverse as Dave Holland, Viktor Krauss, John Scofield, Charlie Hunter, Louden Wainwright, Carrie Rodriguez, and many more. He is an artistic member of the group Floratone, which is an experimental collaboration with Frisell, Matt Chamberlain, Tucker Martine, and Lee. He has also worked as VP of A&R for Verve/Polygram and as General Manager of of ECM Records in the USA. I thought Lee would be a great addition to the series here as someone who brings an intense love and passion for music to the table and has a long history of great records under his belt. He is a true Music Maker and Soul Shaker!

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This week we have part 2 of my epic conversation with guitar legend and pioneer of TWANG, Duane Eddy. If you haven’t heard the first part of the interview, head on back and pick up episode 11 of the podcast and check it out. As I mentioned last week, he grabbed a guitar off my wall and kept it on his lap the whole time we talked and when the spoirit moved him, he plucked out some examples to illustrate his point. What you’re hearing is an electric guitar unamplified, and very casual! This week we pick the story up after he’s had some hits and we get into his further series of twangy records, how he got into the blues, working on major soundtracks and a classic country record he made in Nashville in the 60’s, "Twang a Country Song" and his reverence for the great steel player Buddy Emmons. It was such an honour to have Duane Eddy drop by and I hope you enjoy the episode. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes!

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