The Hustle

Mighty Lemon Drops guitarist and principle songwriter David Newton returns to the pod to tell us all about the creation of the band's 1988 breakthrough second album World Without End. This album launched them to the national stage thanks to the fantastic single "Inside Out" and solidified them as a band to take seriously. In addition, David's new project Thee Mighty Angels, just released their debut album A Gateway to a Lifetime of Disappointment which is a fantastic dollop of Brit Pop. Enjoy! 

This week we close out our series going deep on the careers of the Immediate Family by hearing from legendary drummer Russ Kunkel. Like the others, Russ's career goes back 50 years when he took off playing with James Taylor, Carole King, and the like. In this conversation we dive into his collaborations with artists like Bill Withers, Jimmy Buffett, Dan Fogelberg, Crosby Stills & Nash and many others. The Family has just released their second single "Slippin' and Slidin'" and their new EP of the same name will come out on Oct.16th! 

Lone Justice had all the potential in the world, but ended up more of a cautionary tale. They had a charismatic lead singer with Maria McKee, a big time producer in Jimmy Iovine, the backing of a major label and contributions from Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, Little Steven, and many more.The problem is none of these people knew what to do with their hybrid of classic country and punk leaving Lone Justice to fall as soon as they rose.  Founder Ryan Hedgecock tells his story passionately and compellingly and you really come away with a unique view of the rock machinery. Enjoy! 

We are honored to bring back producer Clive Langer to discuss the wonderful Madness! When "Our House" hit big in the states in 1983, the record label released this self-titled compilation to introduce them to the American market and show what Madness was all about.. This was also one of the first records Jon ever owned and Madness were instrumental to the young Jon and Jan's upbringing. Clive gives us a peak behind the curtain of working with the "Nutty Boys", the dynamic among the guys, and the stories behind the songs. Was this album impactful for anyone else? Enjoy!  

Andy Richards started out as a classical pianist, but being discovered by Trevor Horn in the early 80s changed all that. He went to work at SARM studios where he played on albums by Frankie Goes to Hollywood and Propaganda. He began getting calls to play on albums/songs by everyone from Wham ("Careless Whisper"), Chris DeBurgh ("Lady in Red"), Rush, Pet Shop Boys, Liza Minelli, Billy Squier, OMD, Seal, Grace Jones, Nik Kershaw, Prefab Sprout, Berlin, and producing artists like Corey Hart, Dusty Springfield, and T'Pau.  We discuss all these people, and Andy is refreshingly honest about his experiences. We also chat about his current solo project, which is pretty unique. This one's another instant classic - enjoy! 

Cutting Crew frontman Nick Van Eede returns to the pod to deep dive the band's problematic second album, The Scattering from 1989. Die hard fans love this album, but it was met with indifference upon its release and didn't reach the heights of the debut. Nick tells us about the challenges of making the album and why he's proud of it. We also discuss the new Crew album, Ransomed Healed Restored Forgiven, which features versions of classic Cutting Crew songs played with an orchestra. We hope you reacquaint yourself with this underappreciated album that deserves more attention. 

Tanya Donelly is a pioneer. She was a founding member of three of the most important female-fronted indie rock bands in history - Throwing Muses (with her step-sister Kristin Hersh), the Breeders (with Kim Deal), and her own Belly. She's also forged a successful solo career that includes her latest album, a collaboration with the Parkington Sisters that is a fantastic covers album. We go deep on how she selected the covers to record, why she left each of those bands, what it was like being signed to the 4AD label, motherhood and much more. And listen to the end to learn about a new giveaway. Enjoy! 

Seven-time Grammy winning producer/engineer/mixer Steve Thompson returns to the show to deep dive the posthumous release from John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Milk and Honey from 1984. Made up of half Yoko songs and half songs John was working on when he was murdered, the album features his last hit "Nobody Told Me". Steve discusses his work on the album and his relationship with John and Yoko, but also music in general. Steve is one of a kind and always great to hear from!

We are extremely honored to welcome back producer Bob Rock to deep dive The Cult's 1989 breakthrough album Sonic Temple. We learn all about Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy's mindframe when they created it, how Bob achieved the sound they were looking for, how classic songs like "Fire Woman" and "Edie (Ciao Baby)" came to be, and how the Cult relate to other Bob Rock affiliated bands like Metallica, Motley Crue and Bon Jovi. We are so lucky to hear from legends like Bob. Enjoy!