Performance Anxiety

Today’s guest is Rock ‘N Roll distilled. Welcome Bryan Small of The Hangmen to the podcast. This guy lived the sex, drugs, & rock ‘n roll life until he realized it wasn’t sustainable. Born in Montana and raised in Idaho, Bryan moved to L.A. because his favorite bands were there. From there, every rock ‘n roll story seems to have happened to The Hangmen. There first album was remixed just before release without their knowledge, the follow up album was hampered by drug addiction and was never released. Bryan talks about the mental aspects of drug addiction and what he and the band would do to feed it. But after seeing the devastation of addiction, he cleaned up and has been that way for 30 years. He started recording again and after a more than decade long gap between the first and second Hangmen album, he’s been releasing music consistently.

He talks about the latest version of The Hangmen, why there’s basically two bands on the album Cactusville, and why he moved back to Montana. Follow The Hangmen on Facebook and Instagram @the_hangmen. If you like some dirty, Stones-y rock, do yourself a favor and check out The Hangmen. Check us out @PerformanceAnx. Our merch is through performanceanx.threadless.com. Send us money for coffee at ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. Check us out on Gigaverse where I’ll be doing some live streams. Now let’s get ready to rock with Bryan Small of The Hangmen on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network.

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Today’s guests, yes guests, are so uplifting. I’d like to welcome Cara Maurizi, Jim Standerfer, Alan Honeycutt, and eventually Ryan Groff; 4/5s of the band Modern Drugs. This band is so positive it’s almost too good to be true. And you know what they say about things that are too good to be true. They usually are. Or they’re Modern Drugs. But all the members of the band truly love and respect each other. They each talk about their trials and tribulations of being musicians before they all got together and the complicated story of how the band got together. At the center, even if he’s too modest to say so, is Ryan Groff. Just ask bass player Alan Honeycutt. That guy uprooted his life to play with him. But the band is actually quite democratic in nature. Nothing is precious when they’re working out their songs. Like drummer Jim Standerfer says, nothing means more to them than each other and their friendship. 

Jim came up with the band name and talks about how it was chosen, but kind of keeps the meaning a bit of a mystery. Modern Drugs writes music by the same motto as comedy improv groups; Yes, and. Every idea gets a chance. So give them a chance! Check out their music on Spotify, Bandcamp, YouTube, or wherever you get your music. Follow them on socials @moderndrugsband. Follow us @PerformanceAnx. Get some merch at performanceanx.threadless.com or send us coffee money at ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. But for now, try some Modern Drugs on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network.

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Today’s guest is a blast from my past. Please welcome the multi-talented Esther Canata. Esther and I went to school together. We weren’t great friends (she was a freshman when I was a senior and you know how that goes), but we did know each other. She was definitely the “artsy” one in her class. You know every class has at least one. 

We reconnected several years ago through social media, which is where I discovered all the different projects she’s involved in. I also found out that she had moved to Croatia. That was a surprise! 

But before Croatia, there was acting in New York City, including a rock opera at the legendary Limelight. That’s also where her music career started. She also modeled in Miami and moved out to LA to get back into acting. But music was still lurking. Esther’s done some cool projects with Michael Madsen and many others and she shares some really great stories from that time. But after a bit of a dark period for her, she stepped back and refocused. That brought her to music licensing. That was exactly what she was looking for. That can also be said about her husband. After an unconventional introduction, they fell in love and started a family. But the story only gets wilder from there. They moved to Croatia which gave Esther a reason to concentrate on her visual arts in addition to her latest musical project, Liongale. And there’s a great project on the horizon. Check her out at Liongale on Spotify, @alottacanata on Instagram, and Esther Canata on Facebook. Follow her for info on everything she’s doing because she does not rest.

Follow the show @PerformanceAnx. Merch is at performanceanx.threadless.com. Send us coffee funds at ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. Check us out on the Gigaverse at Performance Anxiety Podcast. We will be doing some live streams there soon. Now get ready for some east coast via Croatia attitude & talent with Esther Canata on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network.

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Today’s guest really brings me back. Welcome central Jersey’s finest, Kevin Shields of Detention and Bigger Thomas. Kevin was a founding member of the central New Jersey punk scene that birthed bands like Bouncing Souls and Vision. He talks about what the scene was like, how it developed, and how it changed. He also talks about life before punk. He was in the Coast Guard and traveled all over; which is how he discovered punk rock in San Francisco in 1979. After an honorable discharge, he moved back to Jersey, picked up a bass, and formed Detention. Their first gig was an eviction party that was shut down by the cops. Their second gig resulted in a ban. Despite, or maybe because of, that, they were championed by none other than Matt Pinfield. Detention was, and really still is, a DIY affair in the truest punk sense. They were working class and wanted to have some fun. Now Left For Dead Records is releasing a compilation of some of Detention’s material and it really is a time capsule. Check out Dead Rock ‘n Rollers on Left For Dead Records. Go to leftfordeadrecords.com or follow @leftfordeadrecs on Instagram. Follow us @performanceanx on socials. Merch is at performanceanx.threadless.com. Send us coffee money at ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. And check us out on the Gigaverse @theperformanceanxietypod. Now let’s have some fun with Kevin Shields of Detention on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network.

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Today’s guest is a sweet soul. Welcome Nikki O’Neill to the show. She’s a singer/songwriter steeped in classic soul music. But her story is not one of coming up in Memphis or Muscle Shoals, Detroit, or even Chicago, where she’s based, now. It’s LA to Sweden with a quick layover in Poland. But we don’t even start this episode discussing music. We find our first piece of common ground in home appliances. Part of the way through this episode, I have to move a refrigerator. But through the magic of editing, you don’t have to suffer through all of that. Nikki talks about her global journey; what it’s like being the new kid in an entirely different country, what brought her back to the States, her musical influences, how she found love (and a drummer) at NAMM, her career in music journalism, and how she started working on her own music. Her new album is called Stories I Only Tell My Friends and it’s out tomorrow. Go to nikkioneill.com or Bandcamp to order it. Follow her on social media. Follow us @PerformanceAnx. Our merch is through performanceanx.threadless.com. Keep me awake with coffee money at ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. So grab you passport because Nikki O’Neill is global on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network.

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Today’s guest makes me feel heavy. If you’re a fan of I Mother Earth, that’ll make sense to you. My guest is Edwin, I Mother Earth’s lead singer. This was such a great discussion, a long time in the making. Edwin talks about growing up in a pretty strict household where his first musical instrument was…the accordion. After ditching that, he started singing in cover bands, playing classic rock like Kansas & Journey. I don’t know about you but I’d love to hear the Edwin rendition of Don’t Stop Believin’! He met Jag Tanna from IME after moving back to Toronto from LA. Edwin talks about the really early days of IME when the initials didn’t stand for I Mother Earth yet. Their early shows were more like events, built to keep people coming back. It worked and he reveals some wild facts about their first demos. 

Edwin is incredibly candid about why he left the band and how it affected him. He talks about what got him writing music again and how he started his solo career. We discuss all the ups and downs of his work post I Mother Earth, including how the supergroup Crash Karma came about, after a bit of sleight of hand by one of the members. Edwin tells me exactly how the reunion with I Mother Earth came about, the one-off show that kind of became the reformation of the band, including some strange shows with both IME singers. And Edwin breaks a bit of news about going into the studio with I Mother Earth to write new music this month. Follow Edwin on Facebook at Edwin Edwin and on Instagram @edwin99999. I Mother Earth’s account is @imotherearth. Follow us @PerformanceAnx on socials. Grab merch at performanceanx.threadless.com. Send coffee money at ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. Thanks, everybody, for listening. And ain’t it good to be alive, with Edwin on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network.

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Today we’re talking about jazz, eventually. My computer crashed so this is take two! My guests are Mike Baggetta from mssv among other projects and Chris Greene of the Chris Greene Quartet. They’ve both been on the show before. I highly recommend going back to their episodes to get their stories. Today I’ve posed a challenge to these guys. What jazz artist or album should I check out if I like a specific genre of music? I get some great recommendations but more importantly, the conversation goes to places I never imagined. Mike talks about how Mike Watt and Stephen Hodge have helped him grow as a songwriter and a singer. Chris talks about discovering raw talent in his own family. And we talk about the latest Chris Greene Quartet album and the upcoming mssv album from Mike Baggetta, Mike Watt, & Stephen Hodge. Check them both out on Bandcamp or on their websites: chrisgreenejazz.com or @chrisgreenejazz on socials.Mike is at mikebaggetta.com and mainsteamstopvalve.com or @mikebaggetta on Instagram & mssv on Facebook. Follow us @PerformanceAnx on X & Instagram. Our merch is found at performanceanx.threadless.com or you can support us at ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. Now get ready to love some jazz with Chris Greene & Mike Baggetta on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network.

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This guest makes me feel like I’m in a Mark Twain novel. Welcome James Cook of Trashcan Joe. He’s got a new project called Captain’s Audio Project and the two bands are like yin and yang. They both have that old-time jazz feel. But where Trashcan Joe is fun, upbeat, and occasionally raucous, Captain’s Audio Project is a little more melancholy. 

James grew up in a very musical family but he’s the only one of his siblings to find his way into the music business. As I’ve mentioned, he plays old-time jazz. But he didn’t start out that way. He got into Hendrix, Zeppelin, Sabbath, and the rock of the day when his neighbor gave him his entire record collection. That’s an interesting story! He tells me how he went from hard rock to the jazz he plays now. He talks about busking through Europe with Jimbo Trout, building instruments from found objects, and how Trashcan Joe started. 

Check out Captain’s Audio Project on Bad Man Records. Preorder it and maybe James can come play a gig in your area. Follow him at Trashcan Joe’s social pages, for the time being. Follow us @PerformanceAnx on socials. You can support the show through merch at performanceanx.threadless.com or by sending us money for coffee at ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. Now get your washtub bass out and jam along to James Cook of Captain’s Audio Project on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network.

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Today’s guest was bound to happen. Meet Tex Mosely from Neverland Ranch Davidians. Tex and his band were suggested to me a couple of years ago by my friend Ian. I reached out and we tried to get everything to mesh but just couldn’t make it work. A few years later, here we are. 

Tex talks about growing up in Philly and having music all around him. His uncle was a professional bass player. Tex started playing guitar and even took lessons from jazz legend, Pat Martino! He began his life in music in Philly, but he eventually found his way to LA. He joined up with The Slaves and found favor with Concrete Blonde, one of my favorite bands. But after a while, rock and roll and substance abuse took its toll on him. But he found help, love, and safety back with his family in Philly. 

After his recovery, Tex moved back to LA and joined a band called Neighborhood Bullys. They had such a good sound that they ended up being Suzi Quatro’s band for her album In The Spotlight. But there’s one odd thing about that recording and I’ll let Tex tell that story. Tex’s latest band is Neverland Ranch Davidians. It started off as a lo-fi project and wound up being his singing debut. He tells how he met the other band members, Max Hagen and Will Bentley and how he came up with the band name. Their sophomore release is out soon and it’s an amalgamation of all Tex’s influences (except maybe Pat Martino). It's called Shout It On The Mountain and that title tells it all. It’s a rock album. That’s it. Tex is a blast to talk with and shares great stories from his early days through the making of the new album. Pre-order it on Heavy Medication Records, buy the debut, and follow Neverland Ranch Davidians on the socials. You can’t miss them. Follow us @PerformanceAnx, buy merch at performanceanx.threadless.com and send money through ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. Now saddle up with Tex Mosely of Neverland Ranch Davidians on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network.

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I've wanted to do this episode for a long time; not just the subject matter, but my guests as well. Today I’m talking about making sophomore albums with Vashti Bunyan and Lucy Kruger; two people who have vastly different experiences making their second albums. Lucy has done it twice with her bands Medicine Boy and Lucy Kruger & The Lost Boys. But they were both very different approaches from one another. 

Vashti took a different route. She waited 35 years to make her sophomore album. In fact, she said that, between the disappointing reception to her debut and the extended gap between the two albums, her second album, Lookaftering, didn’t feel like a second album at all.

This was a fun topic, but I had been looking for a reason to have Lucy & Vashti on together for years. And the reissue of Vashti’s second album, Lookaftering, complete with live or demo versions of almost every song on the album, was the perfect reason. And we go a bit beyond sophomore albums because that’s what happens when you’re enjoying a casual conversation.

Check out Lucy Kruger’s latest album, A Human Home, on Bandcamp or wherever you get music. Follow her @lucy_kruger to keep up with her. Pick up Vashti Bnyan’s reissue of her sophomore album, Lookaftering, on Fat Cat records, Bandcamp, or wherever you buy music. Follow her on Facebook or on Instagram @vashtibunyan. Follow the podcast @PerformanceAnx on socials. Our merch is available at performanceanx.threadless.com. Coffee money is happily accepted at ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. Now let’s talk sophomore albums with Lucy Kruger & Vashti Bunyan on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network.

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