"A wonderful guitar player and great songwriter " - Steve Miller      "Curry is the next guitar hero" - Peter Frampton  

   Acclaimed singer-songwriter Matthew Curry returns with his new album ONE FOR THE RIDE, a dynamic and heartfelt collection that showcases the full range of his musicianship -- from fiery, virtuostic guitar work to intimate, emotionally rich songwriting. The album explores life on the road, love celebration, personal reflection, and Americana storytelling, all delivered with Curry's signature depth and gritty authenticity.

   Born and raised in Bloomington, Illinois, Curry picked up the guitar at age four, was performing live by eight, and leading his own band by eleven. Curry's distinctive blend of blues, rock, southern rock, and old-school country has earned him a devoted audience across the globe. Over the years, Matthew has toured with major icons including the Doobie Brothers, Steve Miller Band, Peter Frampton, Journey, Don Felder, with Steve Miller praising Curry as "a wonderful guitar player and great songwriter in the league of Stevie Ray Vaughan."

   One For The Ride captures Curry's life on the road, his love for storytelling, and the musical influences that shaped him. The album bursts open with high-energy southern rock flair, drawing inspiration from the raw spirit of bands like ZZ Top and the timeless road-song tradition.Tracks like "Rum Stumblin'" showcase Curry's knack for crafting fun, bluesy, party-driven grooves, while "Born Behind The Wheel" leans into gritty riffs and harmonies rooted in the southern rock Curry grew up listening to.

For more on Matthew Curry check at the website:

https://matthewcurry.com

May Pang is our guest this week on The City's Backyard Podcast! Few people knew John Lennon as intimately as May Pang. Pang was Lennon’s lover during the infamous “Lost Weekend” which lasted 18 months. During this creative time for Lennon, Pang took candid photos of Lennon in a comfortable, relaxed environment.

Matt Zako interviews May about her relationship with John Lennon, her documentary called The Lost Weekend and the May Pang "The Lost Weekend" photo exhibition! 

Check out the May Pang “The Lost Weekend” photo exhibition. Free Admission, All Photographs available for purchase. May Pang will be in attendance.

***Please note – As per gallery requirements, May can only autograph items purchased at the exhibition.

Friday, February 20 – Sunday, February 22, 2026

Athens, GA (Winterville, GA)

Winterville Cultural Center, 371 N. Church St, Winterville, GA

“The Lost Weekend – The Photography of May Pang” featuring May Pang appearance

Hours: Friday 4p-8p, Saturday 12p-6p & Sunday 1p-5p

Tuesday, February 24 & Wednesday, February 25

Roswell, GA (Atlanta area)

“The Lost Weekend – The Photography of May Pang” featuring appearance by May Pang

Mimms Museum of Technology & Art, 5000 Commerce Parkway, Roswell, GA

Hours: 12p – 7p

Friday, February 27 – Sunday, March 1

Macon, GA

“The Lost Weekend – The Photography of May Pang” featuring May Pang appearance

Gallery West, 447 3rd Street, Macon, GA

Hours: Friday 12p – 7p (opening reception 5p – 7p), Saturday 11a – 5p & Sunday, 12p – 4p

Friday, March 13 – Sunday, March 15

Jacksonville, FL

Gallery 725, 13475 Atlantic Blvd, Jacksonville, FL

“The Lost Weekend – The Photography of May Pang” featuring May Pang appearance

Hours: Friday 5p – 8p, Saturday 1p – 6p and Sunday 12p – 4p

Friday, March 20 – Sunday, March 22, 2026

Winter Garden, FL (Orlando, FL)

The Grotto at Stoneybrook West, 12572 Stoneybrook West Pkwy, Winter Garden, FL

“The Lost Weekend – The Photography of May Pang” featuring May Pang appearance

Hours: Friday 4p – 7p, Saturday 12p – 6p & Sunday, 12p – 4p

Saturday, March 28 – Saturday, April 4

“Flower Power Cruise featuring the Beach Boys, Rascals, Micky Dolenz, Tommy James, Cowsills & more!

Fort Lauderdale, FL

Friday, April 17 – Sunday, April 19, 2026

Roanoke, VA

Wilson Hughes Gallery, 117 Campbell Ave SW, Roanoke, VA

“The Lost Weekend – The Photography of May Pang” featuring May Pang appearance

Hours: Friday 4p – 7p, Saturday 12p – 6p & Sunday, 12p – 4p

Tuesday, April 21 & Wednesday, April 22

Richmond, VA

anne’s Visual Art Studio gallery, 208 W. Broad Street, Richmond, VA

“The Lost Weekend – The Photography of May Pang” featuring May Pang appearance

Hours: 1p – 7p

Friday, April 24 – Sunday, April 26, 2026

Virginia Beach, VA

Stravitz Sculpture & Fine Art Gallery, 1217 Larkin Rd, Virginia Beach, VA

“The Lost Weekend – The Photography of May Pang” featuring May Pang appearance

Hours: Friday 10a – 6p, Saturday 10a – 6p & Sunday, 12p – 4p

Friday, June 5 – Sunday, June 7

Rochester, MN

Studio 324 (First Floor in the Fagan Studios Bldg.), 324 Broadway Ave S, Ste 100, Rochester, MN

“The Lost Weekend – The Photography of May Pang” featuring May Pang appearance

Hours: Fri 2p – 7p, Sat 12p – 6p & Sun 12p – 4p

Tuesday, June 9 & Wednesday, June 10

Fargo, ND

Underbrush Gallery, 1450 25th Street South, Fargo, ND

“The Lost Weekend – The Photography of May Pang” featuring May Pang appearance

For more info and dates click on the link:

https://www.maypang.com/

We check in with our friend Dan Halen from MULLETT! He talks about what makes this 80's tribute band fun and why they stand out from other tribute bands out there! They are playing locally in Old Saybrook, CT and Norwalk, CT soon!

Since 2010, Mullett has stood as the nation’s definitive 80’s rock-and-roll powerhouse! This isn't just a tribute; it’s a high-voltage time capsule. By fusing iconic "big hair" aesthetics with massive visual production and fanatical attention to sonic detail, Mullett recreates the arena-rock glory days with unrivaled conviction. From elite corporate events and sold-out theaters to high-stakes casinos and legendary nightclubs, Mullett possesses the rare ability to command any stage and electrify any audience. They don’t just play the hits—they embody the era. Fans and critics alike agree: witnessing Mullett is the closest you can get to the raw energy of Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, Van Halen, Journey, and Motley Crue without needing a Flux Capacitor or tricked-out DeLorean. Grab your spandex, catch Mullett at a venue near you, and let the 80’s live forever!

To check where they will play next click on their website! 

https://www.mullettrocks.com/tour-dates

Prognosis The American Pink Floyd has been performing the  music of Pink Floyd with incredible album accuarcy for 15 years both in the USA and internationally
Known for their elaborate lights, lasers, and video projections Prognosis The American Pink Floyd is considered to be the best and most accurate ​Pink Floyd experience.

On this episode we talk with keyboardist Rob Russell from Prognosis! 

UPCOMING SHOWS 2026 Tri state tour dates

Saturday 2/21 Westport VFW

Saturday 3/21 The Town Crier in Beacon, New York

Outdoor Show in West Harrison, NY this summer

More coming soon! 

To Purchase tickets to The Westport VFW which is open to the public buy here! 

https://www.prognosismusic.com

 We are going out to TENNESSEE to chat with Chris P. James is their front man. He plays keyboards and guitar and harmonica. Writes great songs too. He wound up with the Burrito Brothers in 2009. He was offered and accepted a record deal to make a new Burritos album in 2010 by the group that would trademark the name “Burrito Brothers” and would enable them to continue performing and recording as The Burrito Brothers, thus, continuing the band’s legacy.

 Will James from Gram Parsons International says, ““This latest incarnation is the closest to the original FBB sound of all of the previous bands.”

 Gram Parsons said it best…The idea'll keep going on. It's not like it's dead or anything. Whether I do it or anybody else does it, it's got to keep going."   

The band has a new album entitled, The Magic Time Machine of Love, released worldwide on the TLAK record label.

For more on The Burrito Brothers check out their website! 

https://www.theburritobrothers.net

• Comedy Night @ The VFW Westport - Friday  FEB 13th! Doors at 6pm Show at 8pm! PLENTY of Free parking! Featuring 4 great comedians! Paul Taro, Autumn Harvist, DAVIN who is the headliner and JOE PONTILLO!
• Location: 465 Riverside Avenue, Westport, CT 06880
• Laughing Gas Comedy and The City's Backyard Podcast present another night of pain free comedy at the VFW Westport. We are back following our wildly successful comedy shows!! Tickets are $20 online and at the door. Please buy in advance as this will sellout because of limited seating! The venue has a full bar as well as a limited snacks! Sponsored by Spacecat Brewing!
• Tickets: Eventbrite $20 plus fee
• https://www.eventbrite.com/e/upstairs-comedy-night-at-the-vfw-valentines-edition-tickets-1978626303537?aff=oddtdtcreator

BEYOND PURPLE performs a showcase of the biggest hits from Deep Purple and Whitesnake, as well as Rainbow and Dio; all born out of the Deep Purple family tree. The band faithfully re-creates the vivid experience of live, high-energy music from what many consider to be Rock’s greatest era.

 ​Beyond Purple consists of elite musicians with national ties, including guitarist Jimi Bell (Autograph, House of Lords); his amazing skills and prowess on guitar are truly world class.

 Mike Gill (Livesay, Johnny A.) is the lead voice of the band, with powerful soaring vocals in the style of Ian Gillan, David Coverdale, Graham Bonnet, Joe Lynn Turner, and Ronnie James Dio. His energetic stage presence brings every song to life.

 Drummer BJ Zampa (Dokken, House of Lords) pounds out thunderous beats with a huge groove that locks in the band on every note; he also contributes harmony vocals.

 Bassist Brian Camilleri rounds out the rhythm section, laying down the low-end thunder and locking in with BJ, to create a solid musical foundation.

 Welcome Gary Fox Jr. on keyboards and backing vocals, a long standing member of legendary Led Zeppelin tribute “Physical Graffiti”. His talent is beyond amazing.   
 Their high energy show fully engages the crowd, with accurate song renditions that capture the raw energy and power that has made this style of music one of the most popular of all time.
For info:

https://www.beyondpurpleband.com/:

2025 was a great year at The City's Backyard Podcast! We had so many great guests in the arts from musicians to comedians to actors it made it hard to narrow them down to THE YEAR IN REVIEW Part 1 and Part 2 "Best Of" episodes. We loved all our guests from awesome tribute bands to theater executives to a ton of funny comedians and we appreciate every one of them! 

In Part 2 of THE 2025 YEAR IN REVIEW you will hear edited down versions of episodes with Jackie Martling, Eliot Lewis (Hall&Oates), Melissa Newman(Paul Newman), Greg Walker(Beetle Bailey), Rob Fraboni Sound Engineer, Carmine Appice(Rod&Ozzy) Rosie Flores(Robert Plant tour)!

2025 was a great year at The City's Backyard Podcast! We had so many great guests in the arts from musicians to comedians to actors it made it hard to narrow them down to THE YEAR IN REVIEW Part 1 and Part 2 "Best Of" episodes. We loved all our guests from awesome tribute bands to theater executives to a ton of funny comedians and we appreciate every one of them! 

In Part 1 of THE 2025 YEAR IN REVIEW you will hear edited down versions of episodes with Steve Fossen from HEART, Lee Rocker*STRAY CATS, Corky Laing*MOUNTAIN, Bruce Sudano*Musician/Husband of the late DONNA SUMMER, Jim McCarty*THE YARDBIRDS, and Dennis Dunaway*ALICE COOPER! Part 2 will continue for the next episode with more of our featured guests on The 2025 YEAR IN REVIEW Show! Don't  miss it and thanks for listening to THE CITY'S BACKYARD! Please stay tuned and follow us on social media! 

Most musicians would only dream of opening for Robert Plant from Led Zeppelin on tour but for Rosie Flores the dream came true! Rosie drops by The City's Backyard Podcast on this episode to talk about her music, career, and new album called Impossible Frontiers with her band The Talismen! Plus she speaks about what it's like to be on the road opening for Robert Plant with Saving Grace and Suzi Dian.

Rosie Flores, triple-threat Texas musician, has never allowed the challenge of navigating the male-centric worlds of rock and country music slow her down. In fact, she often drew upon those challenges as source material in sharply observed songs she not only wrote and sang with authority and passion, but also brought to life musically as a widely respected lead guitarist in a string of notable bands.

Rosie is one of the 2024 NEA National Heritage Fellows! In September 2024 she accepted her gold medal award at the Library Of Congress, appearing at the Kennedy Center as well as the White House. 

A daughter of San Antonio whose musical journey also has included quality time in Austin, Los Angeles, and Nashville, Flores has adroitly absorbed, helped preserve, and extended the musical legacies of influential Texas musicians as varied as country music’s King of Western Swing Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys, blues guitar master T-Bone Walker, and Tex Mex innovator Doug Sahm.

In the 1970s, she became one of the most celebrated performers on the “cowpunk” circuit (a hybrid of punk rock and country), alongside such other rising stars as Dwight Yoakam, Lucinda Williams, Rank & File, and Los Lobos (2021 NEA National Heritage Fellows). The release of her 1987 debut solo album Rosie Flores proved her to be a singer and songwriter of the first rank, and helped lay the foundation for what coalesced into the alt country movement.

Flores became the first Latina to crack Billboard’s country music chart. For her enthusiastic participation in and ongoing promotion of Austin’s deep and wide music scene, including the annual South by Southwest Conference, the city has proclaimed Rosie Flores Day in 2006.

Flores has remained a spark plug live performer for more than five decades, a goosebump-inducing electric guitarist and songwriter as well as champion of the trailblazers who preceded her. Notably, she lured pioneering rockabilly heroines Wanda Jackson (2005 NEA National Heritage Fellow) and Janis Martin (“the female Elvis”) back into recording studios and onto concert stages for lauded late-career rejuvenations. Flores won a 2007 Peabody Award for her narration of the NPR rockabilly documentary, Whole Lotta Shakin’.

For more on Rosie and her tour click here > https://rosieflores.com/tour/