Anne K. O'Neill (Serpentent) emerged from the void and delivered one of the most disturbingly, dark, yet beautiful collection of music that I have heard in a long time.  Based out of Seattle, WA, Anne is a multi-instrumentalist, artist, and musician who's influences range from Kate Bush to the legendary dark folk sounds of Buffy Sainte Marie and Joan Baez.  Under the Serpentent umbrella, Anne has released Ancient Tomes I: The Mother of Light which is the first of a three part concept album.  

It was so exciting to have the opportunity to speak with Anne since it seems pretty rare these days that I get to speak to a brand new emerging artist that I don't know a whole lot about.  It was so interesting to talk to her about her influences, the concept behind the Ancient Tomes trilogy, and how it's just not bad to love the dark.  

Based out of Sweden, Hallas plays what they refer to as "Adventure Rock."  With an ongoing theme of sci-fi adventure and pure escapism, one listen to songs like "Carry On", "Star Rider," and "Ellusion's Gate" and you will have an "A-HA!" moment for sure.  

Hallas just put out their second album Isle of Wisdom and has garnered critical acclaim from writers and music fans worldwide.  With only two albums under their belt, it's already clear that Hallas is going to be on a long journey and thankfully so.  

I had the chance to talk to Hallas vocalist/bassist Tommy Alexandersson and it was a great time.  We talked about the new album, the return to live music in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, and what a pain in the ass it was for them to make their epic b-rate movie-like video for "Ellusion's Gate."  

Hallas is one of the most important bands of the century that you don't know about... YET. 

TikTok for the longest time, to me, was a young person's game.  I just didn't get it.  My wife convinced me to at least lurk and check things out and I was blown away by how many cool music related things were all over the place.  One of the people who really stood out to me was a Canadian by the name of Vanessa Hughes.  Vanessa is much like me in that she's a music dork who loves sharing random facts about artists ranging from Aretha Franklin to Alice In Chains.  

Vanessa is a really cool person and I had a blast talking with her and getting to know more about her and what she does.  

If you wanna connect with Vanessa on TikTok, her handle is raised_by_hippies and is on Instagram under the same handle.  

Matt Kozar is a guitarist that I have loved for quite a while now.  As the guitarist for one of my favorite bands, Brave, Matt's style of guitar playing is a unique blend of various influences including post-rock, ambient, and straight up Heavy Metal.  Last year Matt and co-guitarist in Brave, Scott Loose, released Scott's Stellar Death project and now, with Matt at the captain's helm, we have been presented with Day of Departure, a Sci-Fi, thought provoking collection of songs that hit me in the hardest but best of ways.

Matt's an old friend so talking to him was just us having a regular conversation.  As always, prepare for me to derail shit and go off into other territories but it was a blast talking about everything from the music he is passionate about to his love of the Star Wars Holiday Special.  Yeah, we went there.

Wilma Nea is a super talented pop singer/songwriter from Sweden who has just released her debut album This Too Shall Pass.  Wilma is also a member of the psychedelic roots/rock group Children of the Sun.  Wilma was such a gracious, funny, and charming person to talk to and I really enjoyed our conversation from her home in Sweden.  We talked about her work producing, writing, and performing nearly all of the instruments on her album, growing up in Sweden, and our love of singing along with "Bohemian Rhapsody."  

This interview was conducted shortly before her album release concert which took place on March 18th to a receptive crowd and she is currently booking more shows in support of her solo album.  She will also be doing shows with Children of the Sun so 2022 is going to be a busy year for my friend!  

Slik Toxik was a band that blew my mind when I first saw them blow Faster Pussycat off the Masquerade stage here in Atlanta in 1992.  Even though the band was short lived, Slik Toxik's debut Doin' the Nasty is a favorite of mine 30 years later. 

What happens when you put a Canadian and New Orleans native on a podcast together?  You get a shit ton of talking but that's ok because you know what?  We had a lot to talk about.  I have been good friends with former Slik Toxik guitarist Kevin Gale for a few years and it was a great time talking to him as always.  

We talked about the 30th anniversary of Doin' the Nasty, the state of the world, and other cool shit so just settle in and enjoy!  Thanks for a great talk, as always, KG.  

For anyone who knows me at all, it will come as no surprise just how absolutely giddy I was to finally have the opportunity to speak with the legendary metal vocalist/songwriter Tony Martin.  Tony is nothing less than a humble gentleman with stories to tell and while proud of his past, Tony is very much about where he is and where he will be going from here. We talked about the his work with Sabbath of course, his thoughts on the Sabbath album Forbidden, his post Sabbath solo work, and his fantastic latest solo release, Thorns.  

Tony was so much fun to talk to and this was a bucket list experience of the highest level. Ok, I'm going to shut up, now.  Enjoy this one!

In my 12 years as a music writer, I have had the pleasure and honor of meeting and talking with someone of my musical heroes and in some rare cases becoming great friends with them.  Rock journalist Katherine Turman wrote for RIP Magazine when I was in high school and to now get to call her a friend and a mentor has been a life highlight for me. 

Katherine has had features in Rolling Stone, the LA Times, The Village Voice, Billboard, and Spin magazine just to name a few.  She is the co-author of the book Louder Than Hell: The Definitive Oral History of Metal and has also been a featured expert in several of VH1’s “Behind the Music” episodes.

Katherine has just about seen it all from the heyday of the Sunset Strip 80's metal scene to the arrival of grunge and back around full circle to where we are now.  I hope you'll dig this one as it was a real treat to pick the brain of my good friend and journalist Katherine Turman. 

Dorian Sorriaux has been an artist that I have admired for quite some time.  Since his work in modern psychedelic soul icons Blues Pills, Dorian has been a favorite of mine and I loved hearing and watching his dynamic guitar presence.  In 2018, Dorian and Blues Pills parted ways which opened the door for him to pursue his true musical passion: folk music.  Dorian released his stellar and critically acclaimed debut folk EP, Hungry Ghost and in 2022 is planning on releasing his long awaited full-length follow-up.  

Dorian is always a great guy to chat with and this time around was no different as we bonded over our love of folk music and, well, folk music.  

Enjoy this one!

Rebecca Martin is an artist that I have been a fan of for nearly 30 years.  From her time in the cult NYC jazz rock band Once Blue to her 2022 release After Midnight (featuring Orquestra Jazz de Matosinhos and husband/bassist Larry Grenadier), I have been a fan.  I have watched her grow and set the path to becoming what I would consider to be a jazz legend.  She has all the makings to do so and I really do believe that she will be name that will spread amongst the people long after we are gone.  

Rebecca has always been a great conversationalist and this time proved no different.  We covered all kinds of ground.  We bonded over being in weird bands in our youths (Rebecca sang metal and punk at one point!), the influence of social media, the excitement and privilege of growing older, and her philanthropy work as a director for Riverkeeper, which protects and restores the Hudson River from source to sea and safeguards drinking water supplies, through advocacy rooted in community partnerships, science and law.

Enjoy this interview with the great Rebecca Martin and spread the word!