Rock 'n' Roll Grad School

This week we get a fascinating look into the heart of Nashville and, in many ways, all the music we talk about every single week. The Country Music Hall of Fame is dedicated to preserving and promoting country music in all its various incarnations.

We talked with RJ Smith, a writer & editor for the museum about his job there (he just started!) as well as the biographies he's written on Chuck Berry and James Brown.

The Zombies are rock royalty. Their album, Odessey and Oracle is a classic. And, unlike some of their contemporaries, they're still making quality new music. We talked with lead singed Colin Blunstone about the long saga of the band and what they've been up to now. (Hint: It involves getting their masters back.)

For more information, you can follow The Zombies on Facebook, or you can check out their website.

If you don't know Tom Paxton & John McCutcheon, you should. And their new album (the first one they've done together) is called 'Together.' It was written over weekly Zoom calls where they would talk and hang out and, occasionally break out the instruments. 'Together' is available now and the two are doing several dates on the east coast of the US to support the record- they are definitely worth checking out.

For more information, check out Tom's website, or check in on John's website.

It’s pretty safe to say Steve Conte has played with everyone. No, really. From the New York Dolls to Bernard Purdie. It’s impressive. And now, with his most recent solo work, he’s collaborating with Andy Partridge from XTC to make some really wonderful rock music. His most recent single, “Girl with No Name,” is available right now. For more information, check out his website or follow him on Facebook.

The Who and Quadrophenia is the new book by Martin Popff and it takes a detailed look at the making and response to the Who's second double album rock opera. The book is now available from Motor Books, wherever you find your reading material.

For more information, check out Martin's website.

Plus, Heidi just saw Ringo Starr perform and gives us her full review.

This week, we're talking with Robert Ortiz, drummer for Escape the Fate. The band has a new album out on October 13th, called Out of the Shadows. For more information, check out the band's website.

Plus, CAA proves yet again that Roger Waters is still a dink and we discuss Stephen Stills' biggest selling single.

As soon as you hear Firefall, you know it's them. Now the band has an album covering some of the great songs by their friends and family. Friends & Family, the album is out now. And you can catch Firefall on tour this fall. For more information, check out their website, or follow them on Facebook.

This week we wrap up our preview of the Summit Indie Fest, which is happening September 30th in Portsmouth, NH. We sat down with Henry McItyre and Tyler Legare. The two songwriters have only recently combined their talents, and it was a great conversation full of pop music conversation. (You can find out more about Henry and his music with Tyler on his Facebook page.) And you can find out more about Summit at their website.

Also, we have two new contestants for dink of the year. Unfortunately.

We continue our countdown to this year's Summit Indie Festival by talking with band Cat Wolf. They're one of the acts playing at this year's fest, and their appearance is part of a regional tour. The band has been together for two years and are already getting blurbed by some big names.

For more information, check out their website, or follow them on Facebook. And for more information about Summit Indie Fest, check out their website.

This week is our first in a series of interviews with artists performing September 23rd at the Summit Indie Fest in Portsmouth, NH.

Amanda Shea is a poet, artist, teacher and so much more. She sat down with us for a wide-ranging and fascinating conversation.

For more information, you can check out Amanda's website or follow her on Instagram. And for more information about the Summit Indie Fest and all the acts playing this year, check out their website, or find them on Facebook.