The Hustle

Mike James Kirkland was an excellent soul singer in the 70s, releasing two albums under his own name after a stint with his group Mike and the Censations. While being equally as good as his contemporaries like Marvin Gaye and Curtis Mayfield, Mike never reached the same level of stardom. Thankfully, he's becoming one of those highly sought after r&b artists that DJs spend hours searching for. In the late 70s, Mike changed his name to Bo Kirkland and paired up with Ruth Davis to release a string of excellent dance and r&b singles. Today he plays sold out shows occasionally and is a beautiful, thoughtful man who professes his spirituality proudly.

Gerard McMahon (G Tom Mac) is the man behind one of the most iconic and beloved soundtrack songs of all time with "Cry Little Sister" from 1987's The Lost Boys. But did you know the guy has had a successful career going back 40 years, including numerous other songs from classic films and television shows (Fast Times at Ridgemont High, The Players Club, Roseanne, Scrubs, Fame, etc), as well as his own solid solo career? He's also written songs for legends like Kiss, Roger Daltrey, Chicago and Carly Simon. He's not only a jack-of-all-trades, but a master of many. He's also doing something very unique with his career these days. Fascinating guy.

Eight Seconds were a Canadian synth-prog/pop band in the late-eighties who had one minor hit in the US with a song called "Kiss You (When It's Dangerous)". Their unique sound (think The Fixx) set them apart from a lot of what else was happening at the time, but the dreaded label politics held back the release of their second album and the band sank into obscurity. After trying out several music-related projects, frontman Andy del Castillo started his own media production company in 2004 and hasn't looked back. I've always felt Eight Seconds deserved more attention, especially from 80s music fans who appreciate epic, anthemic songs with a little more going on.

Walter's the self-proclaimed "Forrest Gump of rock" and the man behind one of the most enduring hits of the 70s "Magnet and Steel" which reached #8 in 1978. His career was launched with the support of producers Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, who were also in the throes of their own drama recording the landmark Rumours album. Walter got caught up in that as well, and he drops the bomb of hooking up with Stevie around that time! In fact, his love life becomes a hot topic of discussion as well as the rest of his musical career outside of his biggest hit, which deserves more attention.

Peppy's music career goes back 50 years, from his one-hit-wonder 60s band Blues Magoos, to his one-hit-wonder 80s band Balance. The guy's never stopped, collaborating with Paul Stanley, teaching Ace Frehley how to play guitar, and writing songs for Diana Ross. His greatest monetary success might be writing and singing some of the most iconic jingles of the last 40 years. He even released his first solo album in 2013. He doesn't stop. He also has great stories!

Walter Wray was the lead singer of the excellent alternative rock band King Swamp who had a minor hit in 1989 with the song "Is This Love". The band had a great pedigree, as it featured members of Shriekback, as well as Dominic Miller, who has played with Sting for the last 25 years or so. Walter stepped away from the music biz in the early 90s, but has recently started a unique new project with the Shriekback guys called LiTTLe MaCHiNe. King Swamp is another in a long line of great bands that deserved more.

In the States, the Blow Monkeys are best known for their #14 1986 hit "Digging Your Scene" and their appearance on the multi-million selling Dirty Dancing soundtrack. But, Dr. Robert has never stopped in Europe releasing several solo albums as well as re-igniting the Blow Monkeys in 2007. We talk about how the band's sound changed over time, his conflicted feelings about his 80s work, why he can be difficult to work with, and how he almost became the next Barry Manilow!

Bertie Higgins is the man behind one of the quintessential yacht rock classics of all time, "Key Largo", which reached #8 in 1982. But, did you know that he's still huge in other parts of the world, including the Pacific Rim where he still plays to thousands of fans? There are so many interesting bits of information in this interview, including the ups and downs of his career, how he got into the movie business, and his friendship with Burt Reynolds. And, wait til you find out who his son is!

The Crazy 8s were an American ska band in the 80s and 90s out of Portland. While they had some regional success, they never completely broke nationwide, although they did get major national exposure when they appeared on Star Search! They were a band of high ideals and a strong DIY attitude, but it may have ultimately cost them the brass ring. They deserved more.

Oingo Boingo are still one of the most beloved bands of the last 35 years. When they called it quits 20 years ago Danny Elfman went on to bigger things and has never looked back, but what about the other guys. Johnny tells us about his life before and after Boingo, what music he's doing now that gets him excited, and why Oingo Boingo were especially big in Salt Lake City of all places.