Talkin‘ the Talk With Don

If Jeff Sipe isn't a name you know at this point, it's probably time now that you should.  For over 40 years, Jeff Sipe has been a drummer that has wowed people all over the world with some of the most notable improvisational musicians on the planet.  While studying at Berklee, Jeff met and played in a band with a young guitarist named Steve Vai in a band called Winter.  Jeff moved to Atlanta in 1983 where he was teaching and Atlanta Institute of Music and this is when he met a gentleman by the name of Col. Bruce Hampton who took a liking to this young fellas drumming.

Jeff reached out to some friends of his, Jimmy Herring (guitar) and Otiel Burbridge (bass) and together they formed the Aquarium Rescue Unit and as a band they are considered forefathers of the modern Jam Band movement.  Along with other up and coming bands like Phish, Spin Doctors, and Blues Traveler, ARU embarked on the first ever HORDE Tour which exposed this improvisational concept of musical performance to Amphitheater's all over the US. 

Jeff Left ARU in 1995 and joined the bluegrass jam band Leftover Salmon in 1997 (my wife and I followed Leftover Salmon all over the southeast for 3 years.)  After leaving the band in 2000, Jeff would go on to work with such artists as Jonas Hellborg, Jay Lane, Susan Tedeschi, Derek Trucks, Leftover Salmon, and Jazz Is Dead just to name a few.  Jeff is a living legend and I am lucky to call him a great friend. 

Enjoy this one, y'all!

Check out Jeff Sipe's Official Site: www.jeffsipe.com

This is the 2nd time I've interviewed guitarist Maggie Geeslin and guitarist/vocalist Grace "GEP" Repasky.  I have been a fan of them ever since meeting Maggie's mother very fatefully doing, of all things, JURY DUTY.  This story never gets old.  Anyway, Maggie's mom and I were talking while serving jury duty, I told her I was a music writer, and she said, "You need to hear my daughter's band."  From there, I became a HUGE Lunar Vacation fan with a whopping 3 shows under my belt now!

2024 saw Lunar Vacation releasing their 2nd full length album Everything Matters, Everything's Fire which, in my opinion is their best stuff to date.  I had a great time talking to Maggie and Gep about everything, and I really mean, EVERYTHING.  Life on the road, Bob Weir's wicked workout regiment, and killer ideas for merch are just a few things we gabbed about and I had an absolute blast.  These two are hands down two of my favorite people to interview and it's always a great time. 

CHECK OUT THEIR NEW ALBUM HERE

If you were alive in the '90s, you undoubtedly heard a Collective Soul song or two. "Shine" dominated MTV and radio and was followed by a string of hits such as "The World I Know," "December," and "Precious Declaration" just to name a few. Collective Soul had a busy summer on tour with Hootie and the Blowfish and Edwin McCain and recently embarked on their own headlining tour.

During a brief break from the insanity, i had a great chat with Collective Soul bassist/founding member Will Turpin. We talked about the bands 30 year career, what it was like being a musician in Atlanta in the '90s, and we bonded over drinking at Applebees in Stockbridge, GA which, believe it or not, was the hoppin' place for Southside rats like myself on a Tuesday night!

I have interviewed musicians of may different genres: pop, alternative, classic rock, psych rock, jazz, blues, etc.  I have also interviewed an author, a b-rate horror movie actress, and a tour manager but never a comedian... until now. 

One evening while aimlessly scrolling through TikTok after taking my evening edible, I stumbled upon some videos from LA comedian Emily Vokal.  Emily is an up and coming comedian and she is definitely on her way up.  Her materials is witty, self-deprecating (sometimes we have to make fun of ourselves, I know I do.), and observant of the world around her.  Being on her own in LA, working hard to make a mark on the world of stand up comedy, Emily is putting the work into it and it shows. 

It was a great time talking with her about her journey as a comedian, mental health in comedy, and other awesome shit.  Enjoy this one.  I know I did. 

I have been a huge fan of the songwriting husband/wife duo Mat and Maria Fowler since first hearing their previous band Galley Beggar back in 2015.  After the release of their 2017 album Heathen Hymns, I finally stalked Mat and Maria out and managed to get Maria to be a guest on my podcast.  Since then, we have become very good friends and watching them grow as humans and as artists has been an honor. 

Galley Beggar called it a day in 2022 but Mat and Maria aren't ones to just lay down and rest it out.  They returned in 2023 with a new band called Guillotine Spring and this year they released their debut album Ecolision which is hands down one of my favorites of 2024.  I caught Mat and Maria shortly after they put their kids to bed and we had a long distance wine date and talked about the new album, the future of Guillotine Spring, and Maria and I bonded over our love for Wilhelmina Cunk (Cunk on Earth.) 

I hope y'all enjoy this one as much as I did!

Poison, Mother Head's Family Reunion, Winery Dogs, Mr. Big, Smith/Kotzen, and highly regarded and iconic solo artist.  Exhausted yet?  Being in ONE band was enough to wear me down but for Richie Kotzen, wearing many different hats and staying busy is what he does.  Richie recently released a new song called "Cheap Shots" and it's classic Richie.  Soulful, gritty, and full of 'tude, "Cheap Shots" is a testament to the fact that he is nowhere near being done. 

This was my 2nd time talking to Richie and he's a great human being and a great conversationalist.  We bonded over our love for Dobermans and also talked about the new song and why it's just better to not know the story behind a song and to create you own narrative for it.   Once again, a great talk with Richie Kotzen and I'm already looking forward to the next one.

Enjoy, y'all. 

One of the things I love the most about being a music journalist is that there is no end to the absolutely amazing music that I cross paths with from time to time.  While I do see and hear a lot of crap, every now and then an artist stands out from the pack and grabs my full attention.  This was the case with Dutch vocalist, musician, songwriter, and producer Kati Ran. 

Kati Ran performs an eclectic genre of music that pulls from her ancient Nordic roots using instruments such as  Swedish nyckelharpa, moraharpa, hammered dulcimer, Norwegian Kraviklyra, bone flutes and overtone whistles, hurre, shells, primal percussive textures and skin-drums and vocalizes mystical ‘characters’ and powerful emotions.

Kati was gracious enough to take the time to talk with me about her forthcoming album SÁLA’ which is her first release since 2015's Lys.  We talked about the spiritual and emotional connection to this style of music as well as the sensual yet primal elements to the music used to evoke emotions of solace, discomfort, and tension (sometimes all at the same time.)  Kati was amazing and I hope you all will dig getting to know more about Kati Ran and her spectacular talents.

Enjoy, y'all.

As of 2024, folksinger/songwriter Dorian Sorriaux has been kicking it on his own as a solo act since parting ways with Swedish rockers Blues Pills (who hate me by the way, but that's a different story) in 2018.  Since then, he released his debut EP Hungry Ghost, toured all over Europe doing festivals and supporting Alter Bridge/Slash vocalist Myles Kennedy.   In 2023 he signed with The Sign Records and this year released his full-length album Children of the Moon. 

This was the 2nd time having Dorian on my podcast and he's a fantastic human being to talk with.  I hope you'll enjoy hearing us bond over our love of folk music, songwriting, and more folk music!

Enjoy, y'all!

The first time I heard Whitesnake in 1987 I became obsessed.  I loved everything about that band but after seeing them live in 1988, that's what pushed it over the top for me.  I was so captivated by guitarist Adrian Vandenberg that he quickly became one of my guitar heroes.  From there, I dove headfirst into the discography of his solo band Vandenberg and that just solidified his place as one of my favorite guitar players ever. 

In 2024, Adrian and his new Vandenberg lineup hit the road with former Queensryche vocalist Geoff Tate for an extensive Spring tour of North America.  This was his first tour of North America since the 1990 Whitesnake tour so this was a truly exciting time for me.  Who would've thought that at the age of 50 I would be having a conversation with Adrian Vandenberg?  Adrian is an amazing guy and much like us music dorks could talk about music all day.  His passion for the Allman Brothers, classic blues, and soul music was such a great thing to hear him talk about. 

Adrian was such a joy to talk to and this was without a doubt one of my absolute favorite interviews.  I hope you dig it and then go check out the new Vandenberg album, Sin. 

Living in a city that has the highest number of shitty bands per capita than any other city in the US can be a real drag.  Atlanta is a city full of bands and musicians that have underwhelmed me to the point of no return but there are a few exceptions to that.  One of those exceptions is that outstanding band Rae and the Ragdolls. 

Rae and the Ragdolls are a band of young hippie misfits with old souls and a sound as classic yet fresh as the ‘60s and ‘70s bands that inspire them.  Rae and the Ragdolls pull from influences such as the Grateful Dead, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, and Jefferson Airplane.  Just don’t go trying to compare lead vocalist  Natasha “Rae” Wermers to Stevie Nicks. 

Rae and the Ragdolls are something very new yet very familiar.  They are a band that I very much needed to hear and I’m so glad I stumbled upon them.  I had the pleasure of talking with vocalist Natasha “Rae” Wermers and guitarist Will Bennett and they were so much fun to chat with.  We talked about their love of the Grateful Dead and jam bands, why playing live is where it’s at for them, and just how a bunch of youngins got into playing the fantastic music that the make!

Enjoy, y’all!