The Bret Saunders Podcast

It's been almost a decade since the last Bright Eyes album. Their latest is the critically acclaimed "Down In The Weeds, Where The World Once Was." Conor Oberst, singer- songwriter and founding member, told Bret how the album came together, memories of visiting Colorado in his youth, early gigs in Denver (15 Street Tavern!), recent record buys, and why splitting his time between Omaha and Los Angeles is good for his psyche.

Ruston Kelly's 'Mockingbird' from the album Dying Star is a KBCO favorite. His new album is Shape And Destroy. Bret and Ruston talk about the Johnny Cash connection to the record, being sober and making music, the purpose of art...and his time as a competitive figure skater.

Seth Avett, along with his brother Scott, put The Avett Brothers together in Concord, North Carolina back in 2000. Bret and Seth chat about the philosophy behind the band's Gleam series (The Gleam III comes out Aug. 28th), what he's been up to during this down time, on turning 40, and he reveals what he's ready to get serious about (you probably feel the same way...).

The Go-Go's rose out of LA's punk scene in the late 70's to the top of the charts (in 1981, their debut, "Beauty and the Beat" became the No. 1 album on the Billboard chart for six weeks, the first by a female band that wrote their own songs and played their own instruments). Meet Charlotte Caffey, guitarist and founding member. She and Bret talk about the Go-Go's new song, a just released documentary about the group, and what's next for the band.

Harry Shearer is a modern day renaissance man; he's a comedian, actor, musician, and author. His career spans the decades from the National Lampoon Radio Hour, Saturday Night Live, to the voices of Mr. Burns, Smithers, and Ned Flanders on The Simpsons. And he's also bassist Derek Smalls in Spinal Tap. Harry and Bret discuss satire in the 60's to the age of COVID, his new comedy album, 'The Many Moods Of Donald Trump', and pushin' in on the New York Times map. Do you do that too?

Lou Reed was a founding member of the massively influential group The Velvet Underground and masterminded an eclectic solo career that spanned five decades. In this interview from 2003, Lou talked with Bret about his new album at the time, “The Raven.” He also shared his insights on revisiting his catalog for a compilation project, and the state of the music business. And, oh yeah, Reed hated CD packaging. He had a hard time opening them just like the rest of us.

This episode features two very different keyboard players.

First, Harry Connick Jr. talks about a road trip he and his daughter took to personally thank the essential workers who have kept our lives running during COVID and the new song it inspired. The song "Stars Still Shine" benefits the Ellis Marsalis Center in New Orleans. Harry talks about Ellis as a mentor, a teacher, and the impact he had on music.

Then it's Kyle Hollingsworth from String Cheese Incident, long time members of the Colorado music scene. Kyle reflects on his brief career as a child actor, what he misses most as a musician during the pandemic, and what's next for String Cheese Incident.

When you need a funky bass, Bootsy Collins is the man you call. On this episode, Bootsy talks about his days with James Brown (you'll find out what the power of the one is...) and Parliament/Funkadelic. He also talks about his upcoming album and a new song for the MusiCares Covid-19 Relief Fund.

This week, Bret talks with Mary Ellen Hudson and Tyler Benz - who had to forego the traditional wedding ceremony due to the COVID-19 crisis...so they decided to climb a Colorado 14er and get married at the top!

Jesse Colin Young, along with his band the Youngbloods, sang the classic "Get Together". On this episode, Jesse explains the fortuitous way in which he discovered the song, the heady days of the folk scene in New York City, and why he's rerecorded "Get Together" with Steve Miller.