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It's a good day, because we get to talk about Satan. Okay, let's clarify that, actually. We're sitting down with singer-songwriter Brennen Leigh to discuss Satan is Real by the Louvin Brothers. Country music is full of fascinating corners and Satan is Real is no exception. You'll hear many artists cite the Louvin Brothers as an important inspiration and we dig into that topic with Brennen to get her own insights on that subject.

We also talk about Brennen's latest album, Ain't Through Honky Tonkin' Yet (what a title!) and her plans for the fall -- among many other things. Sadly, her roosters nearby did not make a major ruckus. We were hoping for it.

Our thanks to Brennen for spending time with us!

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Richard Patrick is our guest for the latest Bonus Track. We caught up with Richard out on the road where Filter is presently playing shows on the Freaks on Parade tour with Alice Cooper, Rob Zombie and Ministry. He joins Matt to discuss the band's new album, The Algorithm, plus a number of additional topics, including his time working with Robert and Dean Deleo in Army of Anyone, plus last year's amazing reunion with Nine Inch Nails.

Find the latest Filter tour dates here.

Music featured in today's episode: "The Drowning" and "Burn Out the Sun"

Watch the Nine Inch Nails reunion via YouTube.

Listen to the 2008 interview with Richard mentioned during the intro.

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Bill returns to the podcast to talk about all things Little Feat, including the new reissues for Sailin' Shoes and Dixie Chicken. Bill also digs into some of his past session work, including time spent with Bob Seger and Pink Floyd. He also reveals details regarding the memoir that he currently has in the works. As always, it's a thrill to talk music with Bill.

Visit Bill's website at BillPayneCreative.com and if Little Feat is coming your way, don't miss 'em! They're on the road as we speak and they'll be touring this fall performing Sailin' Shoes and Dixie Chicken in full. In short, you'll want to be in those seats for that experience!

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It's our 100th episode! We're so thrilled to welcome legendary guitarist Steve Lukather on this occasion.

Steve and the members of Toto are hosting an incredible benefit concert on Saturday, September 9th at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles. The all-star lineup features Ringo Starr, Stone Temple Pilots, Joe Bonamassa, Colin Hay and Hoobastank. Each artist will play a selection of songs from their catalog with the all-star band. Tickets are disappearing quickly, so grab yours via this link.

Proceeds will benefit the Ed Asner Family Center. Steve tells us how this event came together. We also discuss Bridges, his latest solo album -- and Steve shares a wealth of stories from across his career.

Luke is a big fan of the James Gang and Joe Walsh and tells us why their first album, Yer' Album, is his favorite. We've both spoken to Luke a number of times over the years, but this was the first time talking to him together. It was a total blast and hopefully you'll enjoy it as much as we did. Here's to the next 100 episodes!

P.S. If you dig what we do, how about joining our Patreon?  There's all sorts of bonus content that you'll love, extra interviews and other stuff! Details are here and we appreciate the support!

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This will go down as another one of our favorite episodes. Singer-songwriter David Wilcox joins us and his music is one seed in the origin story of our friendship. We've both interviewed David separately over the years, but it had been a while, so we were looking forward to this one. David did not disappoint, bringing an hour's worth of insightful thoughts about, yes, songwriting, but also, life and the things we face as humans -- and how he processes all of that back into what he does.

David has a wonderful new album, My Good Friends, which is available wherever you get your music on August 18. During the podcast, he performs a couple of songs from that album live, while also discussing some other tracks from his catalog. We talk about dads and so many other things. It was an absolute delight, as always, to speak with David.

We also get into conversation with David regarding Jesca Hoop, one of his favorite recent discoveries musically -- and his habits as a fellow music fan. Hopefully, you'll enjoy this chat as much as we did!

Please do rate and review this podcast wherever you're listening. It helps out a lot! We'll leave you with some more information about David's new album for your reading pleasure.

P.S. For some bonus reading, check out Jeff's 2011 chat with David about his essential album, Home Again.

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David Wilcox is a penetrating storyteller. The revered folk musician has an effortless talent for spinning lyrics that quietly cut deep, and crafting melodies that seamlessly ride the plot twists and turns. Wilcox handily exemplifies the power of lyrical and musical catharsis.

Pick any song from Wilcox’s new acoustic album, My Good Friends, to be released August 18 on his own Fresh Baked Records, and you will find yourself instantly immersed. Sometimes you’ll see yourself in the lyrics, other times you’ll marvel at the 4-minute mini-movie. My Good Friends is a stripped-down, acoustic collection of 10 songs, a fan-requested creative respite for Wilcox as he also continues to work on a full band album coming in 2024.

My Good Friends features Wilcox on guitar, Bill Berg on drums, and Steve Cohen on bass. It is produced by Wilcox and almost entirely written by him except for co-writer Robert Vincent on “Just a Trace of Light.” Of special note are “Jolt,” with its jittery rhythm playing perfect backdrop to lyrics about today’s obsession with online fear mongering and internet disinformation. The title track is a folk-blues number about living a life filled with close calls and surviving them all. Then there’s a trio of story songs – “Dead Man’s Phone,” “This Is How It Ends,” and “Lost Man” – that are as cinematic as they are charismatic. Wilcox says those last three songs “create a whole movie in my imagination.”

In fact, the way Wilcox feels about every tune on My Good Friends proves this is indeed a fan-requested labor of love. “I am grateful for the community that sustains me – my good friends,” he says. “These are the kind of friends that get you through difficult times. The kind of friends that you go to for a fresh perspective when the future looks grim. These songs grew out of conversations with friends, and they hold ideas that I like to have around.”

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It was a thrill to get a chance to chat a bit with longtime comrade (via Twitter and X and whatever we're calling it now) Jude Gold for this latest Bonus Track.

Jude is currently out on the road with Jefferson Starship (he's been their guitarist since 2012) as the band tours as part of the inaugural Parti-Gras festival lineup with Bret Michaels and Night Ranger (in addition to a flurry of special guests).

We dig into Jude's thoughts regarding Poison's music, his early experience getting to see the legendary Brad Gillis play live -- and how the Parti-Gras tour is a mecca for those who love guitar players.

He's got some cred to address that whole guitar player thing as a longtime fellow journalist for Guitar Player and many other outlets. Since 2015, Jude has been the mastermind behind the essential No Guitar is Safe podcast. Even if you're not a guitar player, you will love the hell out of the musical journey that Jude takes with each episode of No Guitar is Safe. Some of the episodes that we mention include his conversations with Kevin Cadogan (ex-Third Eye Blind), Jake Faun (David Lee Roth, Winger) and Vinnie Moore (UFO).

Big thanks to Jude for taking the time. We'll have to get a part two one of these days to dig deeper into his work on No Guitar is Safe and the many career highlights that we didn't get a chance to address. You can read more about Jude at his website. P.S. Don't miss the latest Jefferson Starship release, Mother of the Sun. It's an excellent listen.

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As Tres Hombres turns 50, Jeff and Matt get together to talk about the wild, weird and wonderfully eccentric, rockin' world of ZZ Top. They examine the band's history from the early years to the Eliminator era and beyond (with an occasional argument about certain songs). Along the way, there are stray topics, including listener mail, a discussion of band fan clubs and lots more.

On a related note, if you haven't seen the ZZ Top documentary from Banger Films, you'll want to check that out. It's an excellent watch.

Please rate and review this podcast wherever you happen to be listening. We appreciate it! Also, if you enjoy these episodes, please consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps fund the beer and pizza we mention on the podcast -- but it also (okay, this part is serious) helps to cover the hosting costs and other associated expenses. In exchange, you'll receive a ton of bonus material and additional interviews related to this podcast.

Thank you and enjoy!

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Jeff and Matt are alone in the studio this week to discuss Michael Bolton's big breakout album, 1989's Soul Provider. They review the history which led up to this record (including "Fools Game," which could be one of the best Bolton songs you've never heard) and dig into some of the stories and Michael's own musings from the time period. Is this the smoothest episode of the Record Player that you'll hear in 2023? Time (Love and Tenderness) will tell.

If you enjoy listening to these episodes as much as we enjoy doing them, consider supporting our Patreon. Record Club members receive a wealth of bonus content and additional fun stuff. Thank you. We appreciate your support!

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We’re dipping into the archives for this previously unreleased Bonus Track featuring a conversation with Steve Howe recorded in September 2022. The legendary Yes guitarist joined Matt to discuss the band’s forthcoming (at that time) tour featuring a full album performance of Close to the Edge.

Additionally, Steve talks about Lunar Mist, the posthumously released collaboration with Virgil Howe, the follow-up to the pair’s 2017 album Nexus. Plus, he shares stories regarding Yes albums including Heaven and Earth, Fly From Here, The Ladder and more.

Don’t miss Mirror to the Sky, the latest Yes album, which is available wherever you buy music. Thanks for listening!

If you enjoy this podcast, please consider supporting our Patreon. Record Club members enjoy access to bonus interviews and a wealth of additional material. We appreciate your support!

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Today's Bonus Track features the legendary John Lodge of the Moody Blues. John's heading out this week for a special tour starting on July 18 where he'll be playing the entire classic Moody Blues album Days of Future Passed.

We dig into a lot of different topics, including Days of Future Passed, of course -- and John also shares some stories regarding the individual members of the Moody Blues and some of his favorite memories.

A couple of weeks after this interview, John announced that he'd completed a full re-recording of the album, titled Days of Future Passed - My Sojourn. Information on how the new version of the record came together follows.

Our thanks to John as always for taking the time to chat!

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John Lodge, legendary bass player, songwriter and vocalist of The Moody Blues and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, has announced that he will be releasing his version of the iconic album ‘Days of Future Passed’, entitled ‘Days of Future Passed – My Sojourn’, to accompany his upcoming tour of the same name.
 
The album is to be released on CD as special fan club only release, and will be available at the upcoming shows starting July 18th, and through John’s website https://shop.johnlodge.com for pre-orders, with shipping on August 7th.
 
The album was recorded over the last year, and has grown from John’s current live show as he, and his 10,000 Light Years Band, lovingly recreate this classic album. The album also features a special recording by the late Graeme Edge and performances by Jon Davison of YES. It is being released as part of John’s celebration of the album ‘that changed his life’, and with the hope that it will continue to introduce fans to the original iconic recording. The album’s orchestration is by John’s long-term collaborator, and great friend, Alan Hewitt.
 
“November 2023 will be the 56th anniversary of 'Days of Future Passed’. It’s incredible to look back on this album that changed my life, and that still has so much impact today on so many, and I felt that it deserved celebrating, and so I began rehearsals in 2021/2022 to bring this celebration to life on stage. What was important to me was to make this concert another milestone in the history of ‘Days of Future Passed’, and so I asked Graeme if he would record his poetry, ‘Morning Glory’ and ‘Late Lament’, to include in my concert. Graeme gave me his blessing and said, ‘John, Keep the Moody Blues music alive’. We had a fantastic time putting the show together, with Alan, Duffy, Billy and Jason, and Jon Davison, giving me so much support and helping bring my vision to life. After the final rehearsals for the concert, I realised I should capture this new moment in time, although a reflection of the past, forever, by going into the studio and recording the album, ‘Days of Future Passed – My Sojourn’. I am hoping that this will bring a new generation of listeners to the album, that they then may rediscover the original recording, and the beautiful vocals of Mike Pinder, Justin Hayward, Ray Thomas and myself.  I dedicate this album to Graeme, Justin, Mike and Ray, to Tony Clarke, and to all the fans that are with me on this sojourn, no matter when you joined…”  John Lodge July 2023
 
The CD in Digipak will be available starting July 18th at John’s first show in Rockford, IL, and a vinyl album is due to follow in the Fall.  The album will also be available to stream and download from July 14th. The cover features a poignant photograph of John and his wife, Kirsten, taken by his daughter-in-law, Inga Wilson - for John, this was an image that perfectly encapsulated the idea of past and future and what this album means to him.
 
Go here to stream and download, https://slinky.to/DaysOfFuturePassed

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