The Hustle

What a strange trip it's been for John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band. After a decade of playing every pier and boardwalk in the Northeast, they achieved "overnight success" when they were plucked to do the music for the 1983 film Eddie and the Cruisers. This brought them big hits like "On The Darkside" and "Tender Years" but because the popular video was taken from the movie, many listeners were confused where the movie ended and the band began. JCBBB continued to have hits on their next album like "C-I-T-Y" and "Tough All Over".but they could never quite convince everyone they weren't the guys in the movie. In '89 they did the soundtrack to the sequel that no one was asking for and that was it. However, the band never went away. They continue to play in some club or bar or theater almost every weekend and have done for 50 years. John Cafferty joins us to discuss this whole wild ride, as well as the Rocky 4 soundtrack, the band finally releasing a brand new Greatest Hits cd and much more. Enjoy!

In this live and unedited panel discussion, Jon is joined by three friends and fellow podcasters to debate whether Cher, icon that she is, belongs in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Team NAY is made up of Jon and Scott Kummer of the 10 Junk Miles Podcast. Team YAY is Josh Fitzgerald of the Movies that Rock podcast and Nick Bambach of the Rock in Retrospect podcast. You like fireworks and hot takes? We have plenty. What say you, does Cher make the cut? 

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ten-junk-miles/id977007408

https://shows.acast.com/movies-that-rock-the-podcast

https://rockinretrospect.buzzsprout.com/

Did you know that Miami's Exposé are the 8th most successful girl group of all time? And did you know they were the first group to land four top 10 songs on their debut album? Accolades like that are mostly forgotten with these guys, unfortunately. The combination of Jeanette Jurado, Ann Curless, and Gioia Bruno - all great singers, all beautiful and all different - was unbeatable from the mid 80s to the early 90s. Svengali Lewis Martineé guided the girls to huge hits like "Point of No Return", "Come Go With Me", and the #1 ballad "Seasons Change". But, as is often the case with groups built like this, things were not always rosy. Jeanette is very open about how the group came together, the rough spots, her thoughts on their legacy, her relationship with the others, and her life outside of the group. It's a very unique glimpse into how it all worked. Enjoy! 

Tom Werman was one of the most successful producers of the 70s and 80s. He's responsible for making Cheap Trick what they are thanks to his work on their first few albums. He's also behind some of the best power pop of the era like the Producers, Off Broadway, and Gary Myrick. And, he helped shape the sound of the Sunset Strip by producing massive albums by Motley Crue, Twisted Sister and Poison. Oh, he also discovered Ted Hugent, Boston, REO Speedwagon and more. Surprisingly, in the 90s he left it all behind to open a Bed and Breakfast. Tom elaborates on all of these and much more including not getting along with Dee Snider, some of his favorite lesser known projects like Mother's Finest, and why he walked away. Enjoy! 

Talk Talk basically invented a new musical language with their fourth album, Spirit of Eden. The band began as a strong, but slightly derivative, synth pop group, but due to the artistic restlessness of main man Mark Hollis, Talk Talk evolved into something no one had ever heard before and hasn't heard since. Critics called what they did "post-rock", which is probably pretty close. Former guest Phill Brown was the engineer on those sessions and recounts the entirely unique circumstances Mark and his collaborators created this masterpiece. Here's the full story!

The Roots are revolutionary artists for many reasons. Not just the music they make, but being hired as Jimmy Fallon's house band changed the landscape of late night television. Guitarist Kirk Douglas has risen as one of the most exciting images on our TVs night after night. In addition to his two important day jobs, Kirk also has a solo career as Hundred Watt Heart and recently released his second solo album, New Unknown. Kirk's sound is true gumbo, but the main hallmarks are psychedelic guitar with a lot of soul and an alt rock base. In this chat, we discuss his many influences, but also some behind the scenes stories from the Tonight Show, the memorable guests, how he prepares, and much more. New Unknown will knock you out, be sure to give it a listen! 

Today sees the release of the much anticipated box set of songs from John Hughes movies called Life Moves Pretty Fast: The John Hughes Mixtapes. John's Music Supervisor, and friend of the podcast, Tarquin Gotch returns to discuss how he went about compiling the box, what got left off and why, and the love and care that went into it finally coming out. Over four discs (and plenty of extra goodies) we can relive the hugely influential music from one of the hugely influential voices of his generation. Check it out! 

Singer/songwriter Dar Williams can do it all. On top of her wonderful music career, she also publishes the occasional book and her latest is a gift to creative people everywhere. How to Write a Song that Matters shows her describing not only the best way to approach making music, but also how to tap into the best parts of yourself when tackling something inventive. She details her own experiences of stressing over a certain word, committing to an idea and seeing it through, finding the right chords, opening your mind to different thoughts, etc. It's a fascinating book whether you write songs or not. We also get into her 30 year career, a lot of her songs and much more. Enjoy! 

This week is a fun twofer with a couple of excellent singer/songwriters that are hitting the road together. First up is Toad the Wet Sprocket frontman Glen Phillips. Not only has Glen fronted Toad since the beginning with hits like "Walk On the Ocean" and "Come Down", but he's also had his own robust solo career. Glen has a new album coming out this weekend called There Is So Much Here that is a wonderfully optimistic take on the world. Glen is a deep guy and we hit all the big topics - faith, mental health, politics, and philosophy. 

This week is another special twofer!