"Forever Shining"

In 1976 brothers Tony and Chip Kinman founded the legendary Carlsbad punk band The Dills, who in just four short years crammed their music CV with highlights. Before they disbanded in 1980, The Dils had recorded classics like "Class War" and Mr. Big" opened for the Clash and appeared in Cheech and Chong's Up In Smoke. The Kinmans went on to form Rank and File, who are considered by many to be one of the first cowpunk bands around. Rank and FIle's rootsy stomp and melodic muscle powered them through three perfect albums--Sundown, Long Gone Dead and their self-titled 19897 swansong. The Kinmans had an uncanny ability to read the cultural room before anyone else--they were hardcore before it hit the suburbs and they were cowpunk before it was cool and with their next band Blackbird, they were techno metal before Korn and Linkin Park shirts at Hot Topic. The Kinmans went on to play in bands like Cowboy Nation and Ford Madox Ford and sadly, Tony Kinman died in 2018. Which brings us to KInman's self-titled Kinman's new album. A stirring song cycle filled with acoustic numbers, Tex-Mex techno, the undulating rhythms and "Me And Tony" a streetwise tribute to a life in music with his brother, Kinman's new record sounds like nobody else. It's filled with unexpected sonic flourishes, heartfelt emotional ruminations, great storytelling and devastating beauty. It's bold and brilliant work.

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"Rocks Off"

The Connecticut-born singer songwriter Sean Griffin has helmed the Irish punk outfit The Ruffians for close to thirty years. With three great albums under their belts, the band has played shows with everyone from Shane MacGowan to Black 47 and in the process, they've garnered a reputation for being one of the best live acts around. Sean's solo work swaps some of the traditional instrumentation of the Ruffians and makes winning detours into Britpop and indie rock bliss. His first single was the rousing "People Are Mad" which was followed up by "Rocks Off" which is a swaggering blast of pop mastery which may very well be a late entry into one of the year's biggest bangers. Griffin's voice has plenty of muscle and plenty of elegance and that rare mix brings to mind the raw but polished athleticism of a gymnast, which, by the way, Griffin actually was. We talk about that and so much more...

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"Hammer + Echo"

Getting their start in the early '80s, the Kilkenny Cats were one of the most fascinating bands at a time when there were a lot of fascinating bands around. Formed by the North Carolina born Tom Cheek, who had relocated to Athens, Georgia for college, the Kilkenny Cats played a dark and moody blend of post-punk and psychedelia that still, after all these years, feels decidedly timeless. Here's what I mean by that--sometimes when you listen to a band you can hear the years they existed. We won't name. names, but you know what I mean--however, when it comes to the Kilkenny Cats, their music was so singular, they elude the timeline. Although their fellow city dwelling comrades ranged from REM to Pylon to Love Tractor, they were their own thing. Alive with jangling guitars, prowling basslines, foreboding drums and sonorous vocals, the Kilkenny Cats' music was awash in mystery and maybe that's why all these years later, they still sound as pressingly relevant as ever. They were a beloved live act, they had a deal with Twin/Tone, played shows with REM and Husker Du and then? Well, then decades of silence. Why? Well, that's what we're here to figure out and Tom Cheek walks us through it all. Spoiler alert: The 'Cats are back and more music in addition to the wonderful expanded reissue of 1988's Hammer + Echo, will be coming. I'll let him explain.

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"Medicine Show"

Over the course of nearly ten winning studio albums, four fabulous live records and a handful of EPS, the Dream Syndicate are one of those bands that

nail the cover off the ball every single time. Formed in 1981 and reactivated in 2012 after nearly three decades apart, as far as I'm concerned, The Dream Syndicate are

Hall of Famers, full stop. The Santa Monica-born Wynn's output as a musician is staggering: his solo career spans close to 25 albums, he's also put out records with Smack Dab, Gutterball and with Dan Stuart of Green on Red

as Danny and Dusty. He's also put out several albums with his other band The Baseball Project--and if you want to talk about a deep bench, that's what the Baseball Project has--the band is comprised of Wynn, his wife Linda Pitmon of Zuzu's Petal, Peter Buck and Mills of R.E.M., and Scott McCaughey of Young Fresh Fellows. The Dream Syndicate's sophomore album Medicine Show is celebrating its 40th anniversary and what better way to commemorate it than with a four disc box set. This thing is a beast and it traces the evolution of the landmark 1984 effort that time and perspective have revealed to be one of the most enduring and accomplished albums ever made. The Dream Syndicate play with grinding beauty, bluesy howl and jangling blis and Medicine Show has never sounded better or more urgent.

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"Anywhere But Here"

Ben Arnold is a busy dude. The Philadelphia-raised musician not only has two bands--Pistol For Ringo and U.S. Rails--his solo career is in full swing and his new solo album XL finds the singer/songwriter never sounding better.

His three endeavors keep him on the road but Arnold is a happy guy when he's on any highway anywhere in the world. With a handful of fabulous albums under his belt like Lost Keys and Sunday Morning Meltdown, Arnold keeps moving from

strength to strength with each release. Eleven not only keeps Arnold's winning streak going, it's a beast of an album. From Catch The Lightning to "My America" to "Long Cool Shadow," Eleven is filled with rootsy fight songs, melodic muscle and bluesy bliss. It's a rousing record that's filled with nostalgia, love and regret but it also reminds us that resilience has its own rare power. This is a cool chat--here's me and Ben Arnold having a conversaiotn .

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"In The Garden"

The New York-born saxophonist/composer Alison Shearer's new album In The Garden is one of the most dynamic, stirring and altogether thrilling albums of the year. The follow up to her View From Above album, which was a moving tribute to her father John Shearer, the legendary civil rights-era photojournalist, In The Garden is a delicious blend of inventive time meters whose inspirations range from philosophy to children running through a Pakistani marketplace. Played with elegance and grace

the compositions on In The Garden are a seamless collision of formalism and modernism and it's just exquisite work. Not only has Alison toured all over the U.S., Canada and South Asia, she's a touring member of Red Baraat and Sunny Jain's Wild Wild East, and she's on the faculty of Jazz at Lincoln Center's High School Jazz Academy. She's busy! But what's cool about Alison being busy is she's busy in her discipline and she's living the life of an artist with authenticity and joy.

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"Only Hoping"

There's real magic in the work of Al Nicol. There's also real magic that guided the work of Al Nicol but we'll get to that in a second. The Canadian-born singer/songwriter writes some of the most affecting compositions around. His lyrics are contemplative and thoughtful, his voice has a bold and breezy command and his pastoral compositions bring to mind everyone from Nick Drake to Ron Sexsmith. The path leading to Nicol's new album Only Hoping was shown to him through a visit with a shaman and once he received that knowledge, Nicol wasted no time in venturing into the unknown to discover the sonic riches that would form the record. I'll let him tell you that story, but let me say this: Only Hoping is a stirring blend of indie folk and spare psychedelia and it was helmed by MC Taylor of Hiss Golden Messenger whose production effortlessly lifts the songs into the cosmos. Featuring members of Bonny Light Horseman, Erin Rae, and Taylor himself, Only Hoping finds Nicol kicking his songwriting into another otherworldly gear. It's a work of pure magic.

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"Only Hoping"

There's real magic in the work of Al Nicol. There's also real magic that guided the work of Al Nicol but we'll get to that in a second. The Canadian-born singer/songwriter writes some of the most affecting compositions around. His lyrics are contemplative and thoughtful, his voice has a bold and breezy command and his pastoral compositions bring to mind everyone from Nick Drake to Ron Sexsmith. The path leading to Nicol's new album Only Hoping was shown to him through a visit with a shaman and once he received that knowledge, Nicol wasted no time in venturing into the unknown to discover the sonic riches that would form the record. I'll let him tell you that story, but let me say this: Only Hoping is a stirring blend of indie folk and spare psychedelia and it was helmed by MC Taylor of Hiss Golden Messenger whose production effortlessly lifts the songs into the cosmos. Featuring members of Bonny Light Horseman, Erin Rae, and Taylor himself, Only Hoping finds Nicol kicking his songwriting into another otherworldly gear. It's a work of pure magic.

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"The Very Day"

If you're wondering if the Connecticut-born Grammyt Award winning keyboardist and composer grew up with music in the house, the answer is yes--his father Joe Porcaro was a renowned jazz drummer who played with everyone from Sinatra to Stan Getz to Madonna. He also played on hundreds of film and television scores including The Wild Bunch, I Dream Of Jeannie and Edward Scissorhands. He also founded the Percussion Institute of Technology and later the drum department at the Los Angeles Music Academy (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles_College_of_Music). So, yeah music was the lifesblood of the Porcaro household and at very young ages, Steve and his brothers Mike and Jeff went into the family business. How early of an age you might be wondering? Well, at 17 when most of us were finishing our last year of high school and thinking about who and who wouldn't go with us to the prom, Steve was playing with Gary Wright's band on his 1976 Dream Weaver tour. A year later while most of us were fumbling our way through our first year of college, Steve and his brothers were in Boz Scaggs's band. In 1978 Steve and his brother Jeff along with a few other session playing pals formed their own band called Toto. How'd that work out? Well, 50 million albums later, I'd say it worked out very well, thank you. From "Hold The Line" to "Rosanna" to "Africa" Toto had a procession of hits, became one of the biggest bands on the planet and went on to compose the music for David Lynch's Dune. Steve left the fold in 1987 and went on to compose and score for countless film and television projects, including From Dusk Til Dawn 2, Eddie Murphy's Metro and he did all the original music for Justified. This is just a partial list, by the way--he also wrote the song "Human Nature" which Michael Jackson recorded on his Thriller album, the beginning of several compositions he wrote for Jackson to record. Considered one of the pioneers of analog synths, Porcaro's inventive loops appeared on works by everyone from Elton John to Don Henley. When it comes to artists he's collaborated with, here's a list that's going to knock you out: Hall and Oates, Earth Wind and Fire, Sheena Easton, Diana Ross, Warren Zevon, Jefferson Airplane, Yes, and Michael McDonald. Also a partial list. And speaking of Yes, Porcaro was good friends with Yes's Chris Squire and played in his band The Chris Squire Experiment. Porcaro's second solo album The Very Day is one of 2025's real bright spots. Featuring guest appearances by Stan Lynch, Jude Cole, Michael McDonald, Gardner Cole and his Toto pal David Paich, The Very Day is a stirring song cycle of effortless pop melodies, rootsy grooves and insanely catchy hooks. It's pure magic. And this conversation felt the same. Steve's an open book and a lovely guy and I can't wait for you to meet him,

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"Crashing Dream"

Like many aspiring artists of all kinds, the New York-born singer/guitarist Matt Piucci found himself in Los Angeles in the early '80s with his college pal David Roback playing in the band

they formed. That band was Rain Parade and they hit the ground running--a stirring blend of 60s jangle and dark post-punk rhythms, Rain Parade put out two instant classics--Emergency Third Rail Power Trip and Crashing Dream, a brilliant live album recorded in Japan called Beyond The Sunset. They were nerve short of critical acclaim and their shows were inspired and rousing, but by 1986 the band called it a day. In 2023 Rain Parade put out their first album in nearly 40 years called Last Rays Of A Dying Sun and the band is back at it, with creative energy running as high as ever. Over the course of their career Rain Parade toured with The Jazz Butcher Conspiracy, the Jesus and Mary Chain and The Church and Piucci has recorded with everyone from The Bangles to the Dream Syndicate. There were personnel changes over the years--Roback left the band early on and went on to form Opal and Mazzy Star while his brother Steven joined the fold and he and Piucci found a creative synergy that was almost cosmic. The deluxe reissue of Crashing Dream restores it to it original vision and it's just glorious.

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