Darren Jachts is the executive producer of Charlie Loves Our Band the story of From Good Homes. This film would not have been possible without Darren’s support and unending enthusiasm.

Darren lived across the street from Brady and Scott Rymer way back in the 1970’s, in Sparta, New Jersey. He has a long-lasting relationship with the Rymers and Todd Sheaffer. Darren has had a very successful 40-year career in the industrial packaging and chemical distribution business, which still occupies a good portion of his time. As well as owning an offshore sport fishing charter company which has been a passion of his, along with music and a little bit of golf for many years. You can often find Darren on the golf course with Todd, which certainly helped get our film project started, and tweaked along the way.

I bumped into Darren on Nov. 21st, 2013, at the From Good Homes concert at the Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown, NJ. During our brief backstage chat we found that we both had a connection to Vermont where I live in Montpelier, and Darren had a second home in Stowe. We connected here in Vermont and started a series of late-night visits reminiscing about the days in Sparta and sometime around 2018 the idea for a film started to get steam. We are both thrilled to be sharing the film, Charlie Loves Our Band with the world.

Music in this episode:

Tim Carbone is mostly known these days as the violinist, vocalist and electric guitar player for Railroad Earth. Tim was a founding member and has been along for the ride since day-one…and that ride now spans over 20 years.

Tim has had a long diverse career, starting as a working musician at age 17 and producing his first record in 1986. Prior to Railroad Earth, one of Tim’s most notable bands (to many of you east coast folks) was with the Fabulous Blue Sparks From Hell. And as quoted from Tim’s website, “toured continuously for 12 years from 1977 to New Years day 1990, when they began their highly profitable career of never playing together again - and the seemingly endless series of reunion gigs

After decades of experience creating music as an artist, songwriter, session musician and producer Tim says he may not be up to playing music live for the rest of his life but you will have to pry his dead, clammy hands off the mixing console. Safe to say producing records is his passion.

Music in this episode:

David Tracer, aka Dr. Zaius is a rock photographer, and the founder and purveyor of the Tood Sheaffer Fan Place – Where the Songs Begin. He is also a professor of Health and Behavioral Sciences, trained as a biological anthropologist. His main area of expertise is "human ecology" – how environment and context influence  aspects of both human biology and behavior

I met David three years ago when I traveled to Denver to interview Todd Sheaffer for the film Charlie Loves Our Band. I’m grateful to call him my friend. This interview was recorded on May 3rd, 2021.

David hosted a screening of Charlie Loves Our Band last month in Denver, July 21st 2022 at the University of Denver. thanks David for hosting the screening. You rallied together a slice of Colorado friends, old and new and of course were the perfect host for the affair.

After decades of enjoying live music and making pictures of these concerts, you can certainly call David a Music Historian, and his curated photographs, musical selections and historical references certainly defines a thread of the music and culture we all love so…

If you don’t know David…do yourself a favor and meet him. He is at most all Railroad Earth, From Good Homes and Todd Sheaffer shows…as well as ALL Bob Dylan and I do believe Steve Kimoch, and that’s just the beginning. If any of these artists are playing in and around the Denver and probably about an 1800 mile radius around the Denver, he’ll be there…

Songs in this episode: Heroes, (written by David Bowie) performed by From Good Homes Bitter End, NYC, 11/27/91; Warhead Boogie - From Good Homes, Krogh's, Sparta, NJ 12-30/90; Dover to Dunkirk, performed by Todd, Goosetown Station, 2/3/22; Suzanna Walker, performed by Todd, Gabe Gate 1/28/18 & From Good Homes, HIck-Pop; Where The Songs Begin, performed by From Good Homes, The Fields at Waterloo, Hackettstown, NJ 8/7/99.

Recorded on May 7th, this episode feature Joe Tierney & Scott Rymer. Joe is an old Sparta buddy who now lives out in Roseville, California and works for Oracle. Joe's dad, Tom Tierney owned the Speakeasy in Sparta, NJ, where Old Crow basically became the house band...while in high school! Joe talks about those early days of the "Speakeasy Beer Blasts", his first job in San Francisco...a Deadhead's dream job, working security for Wolfgang's, Bill Graham's private club, and his career in telecommunications.

This week we speak with one of the original members of the band! Not From Good Homes, not The Dogs...but Old Crow! Keyboard player and former Jersey rocker, Mike Weaver joins us on the podcast this week. Mike played in a band called Requiem with Patrick, before merging with Rare Breed to form the supergroup, Old Crow, back in the late 1970's. Mike now lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he has a home recording studio called Mountain Way Productions. He is also the "Chief Sequence Wrangler" with Mike Weaver's Live Jukebox, a one-man band where he plays guitar and sings along with his complex MIDI files that he's been crafting for decades. Mike is indeed an optimist, and it was great catching up and hearing his positive outlook on all things. 

This podcast includes a rare clip of Old Crow performing the Grateful Dead's Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo at "Lawler's Party" (that would be Dave & Jeff), which I think was back in 1979 (this is coming from an old boombox recording, but very cool hearing the boys back in their teens). There is also a version of From Good Homes covering Lou Reed's Rock 'n' Roll, from the Kenmore Club in Boston, Mass. June 12, 1991.

Recorded on May 3rd, 2020 this episode features Andy Strauss and Sarah Rockwell Strauss. Andy grew up just up the street from Todd Sheaffer, and Sarah in NYC. In the early days together they enjoyed the lavish lifestyle of Wall Street in the 80's & 90's. They worked hard and played hard, and would go to great lengths to catch the Grateful Dead and From Good Homes, and introduced a lot of their friends to the band. The tell a funny story of a trying cab ride out to Hoboken, only to catch the final notes of the band. Fortunately the band had scheduled two shows that day, and they were able to rally to the later show at the Bitter End. 

This episode features a version of Wide Open Wide from that Hoboken Street Festival on May 19th, 1991, as well as a version of Way To Go Pam from Granny Killam's in Portland Maine, May 22nd, 1993.A conversation with Andy Strauss and Sarah Rockwell Strauss

This week we visit John Cameron in his home studio in Elmwood Park, New Jersey (which he shares with his girlfriend/fellow music-lover, Barbara Reich). John spent 20 years living in Hampton Township and got to be friends with From Good Homes, and all the musicians in Northwest New Jersey. He loves to tape shows, and he hosts a weekly radio show called Tapestry, every Friday from 3:00-7:00 on Homegrown Radio. 

This episode includes a version of Broken Road from John's first show at Waterloo Village, August 5th, 1994, and the Rain Dance from the Mighty High Mountain Fest, May 29th, 2010 (where John met Barbara, while dancing to this song!)

Episode Four features Skip Daly. While studying Geology at the University of Maryland, Skip was required to take a 5-week field course and ended up at SUNY Binghamton, in upstate NY. Looking for some live music, someone suggested he check out Bogies in Albany, where the band that night happened to be From Good Homes. Skips life would never be the same. 

He became a big fan of FGH and saw shows up and down the east coast throughout the 90's. Skip ended up forming BOS records and released From Good Homes farewell live album, Take Enough Home, Todd Sheaffer's solo album, Dream of Love and the debut album from Railroad Earth, the Black Bear Sessions. He's not as deeply involved in music these days, but remains a close friend of the band and a committed FGH fan. 

This episode features "Let Go" from that infamous show at Bogies on May 29th, 1993, and "Heading To The Water" from the Stanhope House on May 5th, 1992.

Recorded on March 11th this episode features Kelly & Rich Wathne. Kelly & Rich are long-time friends from Sparta, NJ and it seems that FGH has been part of many major life events for Kelly & Rich, including their wedding, private parties and a special surprise party when Rich walked into his favorite bar in Pocatello, Idaho and found From Good Homes on stage. 

This episode features a version of "If I'm Not Mistaken" from Father O'Haras in Portland Maine on Jan. 4th, 1992.

Recorded on April 30t, this episode features the Producer of Hick-Pop Comin' At Ya, Robin Danar. Robin has been the Production Manager of The Teragram Ballroom in Los Angeles for the past five years. Robin applies old school artistry and sensibility to new music and technology as producer, recording and mixing engineer, and musician. He has done everything from front of house sound to special events production to releasing his own critically acclaimed album in the role of producer-as-artist. Check out the depth of Robins experience as his website, www.robindanar.com. 

Following our conversation is a version of Drivin' 'n' Cryin' from the Chi Phi fraternity in Athens Georgia, 9/22/93.