Performance Anxiety

I’ve said it in the past but it bears repeating…I love doing this podcast for episodes like this one. Mercury from the band Priest joins me to talk about their new release, Body Machine. Electronic music is not my area of expertise, but I had a lot of fun checking these guys out. Mercury talks about growing up with musical parents and starting his musical career in pop music. He joined his first band as a bassist because his mom had a bass in the house. He didn’t tell the band that he didn’t know how to play!

Mercury is REALLY candid about his time as Water in the band Ghost and his dismissal from the band. He had already started working on the project that would become Priest, so that became his focus. And with so many visual aspects to the band, it became a full time band very quickly. In the time this band has been in existence, it has gone through some pretty big changes. But things have settled down enough to release a new album called Body Machine. Mercury discusses the concept of Body Machine being part one of a trilogy that’s almost completely written and recorded already! Their touring and working on getting to the US. Apparently it’s not easy to get a visa when you wear masks and use aliases. Check out the band’s website priestnexus.com to get their socials, buy the album, and get tour dates. Follow us @PerformanceAnx. You can help us out with merch at performanceanx.threadless.com or by just buying us a cup of coffee at ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. Now get ready to get some electronic religion with Mercury of Priest on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s guest was into music earlier than most. Neil Gust had an obsession with vinyl as a toddler; he would walk around the house with records in his hands. His obsession stayed with him through college where he met Elliot Smith and started playing in bands with him. After graduating, the duo decided they would continue playing together and decided Portland Oregon was the place to go. That’s where Neil & Elliot formed the band Heatmiser. After their third album, Elliot’s solo work began getting a lot of traction and the band dissolved. 

Neil decided to continue on with a new band which was accidentally given the moniker No. 2. Unfortunately, the band never really got the label support it deserved. And as the second album was released and things were getting harder, not easier, Neil put down music and began a new career in video editing. That took him to NYC where he found great success creating videos for Jaguar automobiles. But one night, playing Skyrim, Neil had an epiphany and No. 2 was reborn. It was picking up steam when COVID stalled everything. But Neil soldiered on in a Connecticut boathouse. So check out the new album by No. 2 called First Love. Follow their IG account @___numberdeux___, pick up the album from Jealous Butcher or wherever you get music. Follow us @PerformanceAnx. Show us some support with coffee at ko.fi.com/performanceanxiety or purchase things at performanceanx.threadless.com. At this point, I present to you, Neil Gust of No. 2 on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Heavy metal veteran Jack Starr is our guest today. He’s been playing metal and hard rock guitar since the 70’s. He talks about moving to the US from France when he was a kid. He tells me the best TV shows to watch to learn english. When the music bug hit as a student, he didn’t start off on the guitar. He began his journey as a drummer. But he discovered that he wasn’t coordinated enough to be a drummer. So he shifted his focus to guitar. By the time he was in his teens, he was gigging in clubs. He founded the seminal metal band Virgin Steele. But two albums into that band, he left to start a new band, Burning Starr. After several albums, Jack went a different direction and Burning Starr went on hiatus. But in the early 2000’s Jack revived the band and they have been going strong ever since. They have signed to a new label, Global Rock Records, who are not only re-releasing his entire Burning Starr catalog, but releasing a brand new Burning Starr album called Souls Of The Innocent. Pick it up if you like riff filled metal guitar! And follow Jack Starr’s Burning Starr on social media for more information. Follow us @PerformanceAnx on social media. You can show us a little love with a cup of coffee on ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety or with some merch at performanceanx.threadless.com. And I hope you enjoy my conversation with metal legend Jack Starr on Performance Anxiety part of the Pantheon Podcast Network.

And remember to enter our contest for a VIP experience with Nick Mason’s Saucerful Of Secrets at pantheonpodcasts.com/nickmason

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Blues guitarist Albert Cummings is my guest on this episode. And although music is literally in his DNA, he got a bit of a late start playing music. He didn’t even start out on guitar: there was the trumpet and 5 string banjo before he started playing the blues. But after a friend suggested he play at wedding, he was hooked. He formed his first band, Swamp Yankee, recorded his first album, 11 tracks, in one 90 minute recording session! But  it worked! He got a slot as the local headliner at a music festival and one offhand remark, along with that Swamp Yankee album, got him hooked up with Double Trouble. That experience was so good for all them the it led to them recording an album together. He’s also played with legends like Buddy Guy & B.B. King. But Albert tells me how difficult the blues can be. Not only is it hard to sound unique, but once you’re saddled with that classification, it’s not always easy to change your style. He’s got a new album called Ten. And yes, it’s his tenth release. He’s got high hopes for it, too. Pick it up at albertcummings.com or wherever you get music. His social media accounts are there, too. Follow us @PerformanceAnx. You can give us a hand with merch at performanceanx.threadless.com or with some coffee at ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. And leave your blues cliches out here, because Albert Cummings and I are having none of it on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I’m joined by photographer Paul Natkin. You may not know the name but you’ll recognize his images. He tells me about his father’s own incredible photographic legacy before we get into his own. Paul reveals the exact moment he knew he wanted to be a photographer and the serendipitous moment that thrust him into live music photography. He discusses how two months in 1984 changed his life, starting with Prince’s birthday party. He’s worked with Springsteen, The Rolling Stones, Oprah Winfrey, and the 1985 Chicago Bears. Remember the Super Bowl Shuffle? There’s also his stint as Brian Wilson’s road manager. Paul is honest about the decision that cost him 90% of his business and the new rules to shooting live shows. He has a new book, The Moment Of Truth, with over 150 of his best images, from ABBA to ZZ Top. Look for it on Amazon. You can check out his website at natkin.net. Give us a follow @PerformanceAnx on social media. Show us some support with coffee at ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety or with merch at performanceanx.threadless.com. Now get ready for a real behind the scenes discussion with photographerr Paul Natkin on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Let’s give a warm welcome to singer/songwriter Alicia Blue. She’s got an interesting history with music. It starts with her father, who learned English listening to Sam Cooke on his way to America to propose to Alicia’s mom! She and I also decide that maybe we should trade dads for a day.But it wasn’t her father who instilled a love of music in her. It was the relationship she developed with soul singer Malcolm Hayes. His music and friendship changed the path she was on. He also introduced Alicia to another huge influence in an unusual guitar teacher which led Alicia to learn a few songs, phonetically, in Thai!

Alicia is also a poet and she describes the differences between her poetry and her lyrics.Now as far as releases go, she’s had a wild ride. Starbucks picked up a song from her first EP. And then two weeks after her first full length album came out, the world went on lockdown. So she decided to do a live stream to promote it instead. Unfortunately she had appendicitis just before the stream and had to cancel. So now she’s got a new EP out called Inner Child Work and the timing seems good! So go pick up the new release & give Alicia a follow @aliciabluemusic.Follow us @PerformanceAnx. Buy a coffee at ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety or merch ar performanceanx.threadless.com. And now check out Alicia Blue and her music on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network. 

And don’t forget our VIP contest with Nick Mason’s Saucerful Of Secrets. Enter at pantheonpodcasts.com/nickmason to enter!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Two legends join the podcast for this episode. Danny Kortchmar and Steve Postell hop on to talk about what got them into music in the first place. Steve defines what a musical director does. Danny discusses his Spinal Tap connection and working with Carol King. And while Danny was producing albums with Neil Young and others, Steve was touring Man of La Mancha with Bonnie Raitt’s dad, John.They had very different paths with their careers, but they converged to form The Immediate Family; a cover band that plays all original material. Danny and Steve, along with Waddy Wachtel, Leland Sklar, and Russ Kunkel are The Immediate Family and they have just released a live EP. It’s a great mix of new songs and classics. But they aren’t covers. Give the band a follow @theimmedfamily on Instagram & @theimmediatefam on Twitter. We can be found @PerformanceAnx on both. Support us with a review, merch at performanceanx.threadless.com or a cup of coffee at ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. And I hope you enjoy Danny Kortchmar & Steve Postell of The Immediate Family on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

My guest today is Chuck Wright. We hit the ground running, talking about his new album, Chuck Wright’s Sheltering Sky. It’s an impressive piece of work with 41 guest musicians on it! It also contains a wide variety of styles and genres, reflecting his own musical career. Chuck reveals some very strange coincidences with this album. And he admits that this album is 100% a result of being in lockdowns. 

We also get into Chuck’s history, like how getting a bass changed his career path from the military to musician, his favorite bass players and what they all have incommon, and how he started playing with Quiet Riot, at a very important juncture in music history. Chuck is really proud of this new album, and he should be. But he’s already working on his next project and new bands. He’s got a Field Of Dreams attitude towards touring for Sheltering Sky. He says, if they want it, he will come. But between new music and the Ultimate Jam Night residency at the Whiskey A Go Go, he doesn’t have a lot of free time. Pick up the album anywhere, like chuckwright.com, where you will also find his social media links. Follow us @PerformanceAnx on Twitter & Instagram. Support the show with a cup of coffee at ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety or with merch at performanceanx.threadless.com. So let’s get this episode started with Chuck Wright on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This show is different from most of the others I’ve done. My guest is Scott Dikkers. He’s not a musician. He is a writer, comedian, podcaster, and co-founder of The Onion. He jumps on the podcast to chat with me about creativity. He talks about his early influences, like The Muppets & Jay Leno, how he gets inspiration from bad comedy, and how he got his start writing the comic Jim’s Journal all the way to writing a New York Times bestseller that was self-published. Scott goes into some great stories about starting The Onion, how it was named, favorite & least favorite moments, and expanding The Onion’s reach simply due to the desire to be literally everywhere. Scott also talks about leaving The Onion, writing books about comedy that actually go step by step through the entire process, and creating a podcast that is just as helpful. Finally we wrap up with what he’s working on now. Follow Scott on Twitter @ScottDikkers and on Instagram @itsscottdikkers. Check out his YouTube page and his website, scottdikkers.com. He’s very approachable! Follow us @PerformanceAnx on the socials. Support the show with merch at performanceanx.threadless.com or a coffee at ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. Now get ready for a fascinating journey in comedy with Scott Dikkers on Performance Anxiety, part of the Pantheon Podcast Network.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Janet Weiss of way more bands than I can mention here joins the podcast. She’s here to talk about her latest release, Cockroach In A Ghost Town by her band, Slang. But we go back to find out how that band came to be. We start with her playing guitar, NOT drums. But once she did find drums, it was an instant connection. It was so obvious that everyone else felt it, too. Janet talks about how many lessons she took before joining a band and opening for The Flaming Lips! She also explains her move to Portland, starting a few other bands, like Quasi, who ended up being Elliot Smith’s band for a bit. We also talk about joining Sleater-Kinney, her terrible car accident that could have spelled the end of her career. But she had an incredible support system of family, friends, & fans that kept her recovery on track. We do talk about Slang’s album, how things have changed from a duo doing covers to a full band. And we wrap up on our mutual love of the automobile.Give the band a follow on Facebook, check out @theeslang on Instagram and @realslang on twitter. Follow us @PerformanceAnx on twitter & instagram. You can help us out through ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety or performanceanx.threadless.com for merch. Now let’s get right into the show with Janet Weiss of Slang on Performance Anxiety, part of the Pantheon Podcast Network.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices