The Record Player

Send us Fan Mail

Jeff and Matt have finally defeated technical and scheduling gremlins to return with a new episode of The Record Player!

We were so thrilled to welcome author Lauren Thoman to talk about her brand new book, I'll Stop the World, which was recently released by Mindy's Book Studio, the new imprint helmed by Mindy Kaling. It was an absolute blast hearing Lauren's story about her literary journey with this new book + it's been great to see all of the success she's having with it.

Signed copies of I'll Stop the World are available here and chances are good that Lauren might be coming to your neck of the woods as she continues her book tour! Find the latest greatest details at her website.

Lauren also shared her music nerd side with us to dig into one of her favorite albums, R.E.M.'s legendary Murmur. We hope you enjoy our discussion!

If you dig these episodes, we invite you to join our Patreon. Become a member of our Record Club and access a ton of additional bonus content! We appreciate your support.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

Angelo "Scrote" Bundini is the creator and musical director for the Celebrating David Bowie tour.

Fans can look forward to the inaugural Camp Stardust happening July 4-July 7  Featuring former Bowie Music Director Adrian Belew, Scrote, Spacehog’s Royston Langdon, Jeffrey Gaines, guitarist Eric Schermerhorn, sax great Ron Dziubla, bassist Matt McJunkins, and drummer Jeff Friedl

They'll be joined by  music industry maverick Miles Copeland and moderator & performer Robert Burke Warren, plus additional special guests to be announced.

We discuss how the Camp Stardust idea took shape + a ton of additional topics, including a preview of what fans can expect from this fall's Celebrating David Bowie tour which will feature Peter Murphy joining the lineup. We also dig into Bowie's music, the genius of Adrian Belew and lots more.

Check out the Record Player website for a full archive of all of our episodes and please rate and review our podcast wherever you're listening. We appreciate it so much!

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

Here's one for fellow rock doc lovers. Bobby Colomby of Blood, Sweat & Tears drops in to discuss the new film, What the Hell Happened to Blood, Sweat & Tears?

The movie, which is in theaters now, reveals an incredible story which has been under wraps for more than 50 years. Blood, Sweat & Tears traveled overseas in June 1970 to become the first American band to perform behind the Iron Curtain. The tour, which was sponsored by the U.S. State Department, put the band into a situation they never could have imagined.

Through documentary footage shot during the Iron Curtain tour (and thought to be lost) and present-day interviews with band members and historians, as well as the unsealing of government records,  What the Hell Happened to Blood, Sweat & Tears? unravels the details of this extraordinary year in the life of the band.

In addition to the movie, we also discuss Bobby's additional adventures in the music industry, working in A&R and as a producer with the band Pages, plus projects with the Jacksons and the Tubes, just to name a few. We dig through a lot of topics.

Bobby wants to hear your feedback and answer questions about the film. Get in touch via Twitter @RecordPlayerPod and we'll collect the questions for him to answer on a follow-up edition of this podcast.

Find information about local screenings via the official film website and make sure to check out the soundtrack and score which will be released on April 21 by Omnivore Recordings.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

It was an absolute thrill to get a few minutes with the legendary Rickie Lee Jones! She's got a new album, Pieces of Treasure due out on April 28.
The record reunites her with producer Russ Titelman, opening a fresh chapter for the pair. They initially worked together on her first two albums, including1981's Pirates, which landed at #49 on NPR's 2017 list of the 150 Greatest Albums Made by Women.
Pieces of Treasure finds Rickie Lee tackling a potent collection of selections from the Great American Songbook and you can preview three tracks from the album wherever you listen to music.
She also has tour dates coming up and will land at Birdland in NYC for three shows, including her April 7 gig which is available as a livestream.

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

Joe Kleon is a veteran of the Cleveland music scene who has worked in a lot of different capacities, including a lengthy career in radio. More recently, he's developed an interesting career in concert photography that's now approaching the 20 year mark.

Matt's path with Joe first crossed in the '90s when the two got together to discuss Rush and play through some vintage concert bootlegs from the Canadian rock legends -- which inevitably led into a lot of other musical discussion beyond that. In the years that have passed since then, it seems like we're often heading in two different directions when we're out and about. As Joe's heading for the front of the stage to get ready to take photographs, Matt is looking for his seat to settle in for that night's show.

It was fun to get a chance to talk a bit of shop with Joe, who is back with his fifth annual fundraiser for Kitten Krazy, Inc.  We dig into his history and how he got into photography. He also shares stories from his 20+ year friendship with Michael Stanley, plus additional music biz war stories ranging from the Jonas Brothers and the Scorpions and everything in between!

Here's a documentary about the unique photo studio that we discussed during the episode, which Joe uses for his Kitten Krazy photos -- complete with an extensive gallery of photos at the end of the doc!

Information regarding the Kitten Krazy fundraiser and related events follows. Our thanks to Joe for taking some time to tell a bunch of stories!

Kitten Krazy opened in May 2004 and operates in over 7,000 square feet
located at 930 Lafayette Road, Unit A, Medina, OH 44256. The adoptable
cats are free-roaming in multiple rooms so that you can sit and meet
them or “let your cat pick you!” Fully-vetted cats and kittens are
available for adoption every Tuesday through Friday 12-5 pm and
Saturdays 12-3 pm.

Joe Kleon has photographed over 1,500 pop & rock concerts since 2002.
This year he has donated concert photos from artists such as Paul
McCartney, The Rolling Stones, Rush, Van Halen, Aerosmith, Bruce
Springsteen, Taylor Swift, AC/DC, Kiss, Stevie Nicks, ZZ Top, Michael
Stanley, U2, Rush, and many others. To check out the photos and/or place
a bid on one or more photos, the Ebay auction begins the morning of
Friday, March 24th and ends Monday, April 3, 2023. Links to each auction
can be found at www.kittenkrazy.org.

On Sunday, March 26, from Noon to 3 pm, Kitten Krazy is hosting an
Open House fundraiser - Admission is FREE! Come enjoy a rare behind the
scenes look at how Kitten Krazy operates. There will be many cats and
kittens to adopt as well as mamas and their baby kittens to see! We will
also have Chinese Raffle baskets, 50/50, and other games of chance with
prizes for adults and children. Please consider bringing any of the
following donations: canned cat food, clay and/or scoopable litter,
bleach, and detergent. Or, simply make a cash donation to help in the
cost for the 650+ cats that Kitten Krazy adopts out every year.

Eric “Eroc” Sosinski and Jim Tigue from Wish You Were Here who will be performing throughout the event and Kleon will also have concert photos available for sale.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

With Matt's dad in declining health, Jeff suggested that today's album should be "one for Dad." We discuss Dave Brubeck's Buried Treasures, an archival release which was originally recorded across three nights in Mexico City back in May of 1967. Notably, Dave took the stage with his quartet, featuring legendary saxophonist Paul Desmond, bassist Eugene Wright and drummer Joe Morello. As Brubeck writes in the liner notes, the concerts were recorded for Bravo! Brubeck!, an album that had a "Latin American themed" concept.

Bravo! Brubeck! was released that same summer and the concept for the record meant that anything that didn't fit the theme was left on the shelf.  Which means a lot of material went unheard for years. The Buried Treasures release gave Brubeck fans a fresh round of cuts from what had been an extremely inspired run of shows. The liner notes, written by Brubeck, offer an extensive look behind the curtain of the performances. A separate booklet details Brubeck's history with Columbia Records. All of this makes for a fascinating journey into the world of Dave Brubeck if you're up for the trip.

But that's just one part of today's episode. We discuss a number of different topics, including dads and parents in general, the sacrifices they make that we often don't know about until years later -- and getting a chance to repay the gifts. Some debts can never be truly repaid, but the gratitude lasts a lifetime. This one's for you, Dad.

P.S. Get yourself a copy of Philip Clark's book, Dave Brubeck: A Life in Time. It's a must.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

Gilbert O'Sullivan has had an amazing career with 16 Top 40 hits and six of them that went to number one. While some artists would be content to coast on those stats, Gilbert keeps rolling.

His latest album, Driven, featuring collaborations with Simply Red's Mick Hucknall and others, arrived in 2022. On the heels of that release, he's heading back to the United States for his first tour here in ages. The tour launches on Saturday, 3/11 in Boston and will run through the month of March, wrapping up in Nashville on 3/22.

Gilbert also has a new collection featuring 67 tracks, a comprehensive overview of his career including material from Driven. Physical media lovers, you can get the three disc version here. Or stream each volume wherever you listen to your music!

Our thanks to Gilbert for taking time to discuss all of this and lots more here on The Record Player. Visit his official website for tour dates and other information.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

It was a thrilling 10 minutes with the legendary Rod Argent, discussing the new Zombies album, Different Game which lands on March 31st. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame legends will be at South by Southwest later this month to perform and also celebrate the debut of a new Zombies documentary.  Rod discusses the new album and documentary and recent singles including the gem "Love You While I Can." We also dig into a couple of classic stories from his Argent era. Visit the official Zombies website for more information on all things Zombies!

Thanks for listening to our episodes. You can follow us on Twitter or join our Record Club via Patreon. We appreciate all of your support!

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

For our 75th episode, we've got the most significant interruption by Jeff's dogs to date. They'll have to work hard to top this one. But we're here to discuss a number of topics, including Roomful of Blues' 1997 album Under One Roof.

For more than 50 years, Roomful of Blues have been delivering their unique blend of music to the masses -- and that's something that we explore: what is it that makes them unique in the crowded field of blues bands? We've got that answer for you. Matt also details a recent music transaction that didn't go exactly as planned and we dig into a bunch of other subjects beyond that -- including laserdiscs!

For more Record Player fun, check out our Patreon or bother us on Twitter. We love a good musical discussion! 

Thank you very much for listening.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

Blue Rodeo recently played a great evening of deeper cuts from their history at the Songs Seldom Heard performance at Massey Hall in Toronto.

As Matt watched the events (virtually) unfold, it brought him back to a conversation he'd had with the band's Jim Cuddy in late November of 2021. The pair discussed Many a Mile, the latest album from Blue Rodeo, which was released that December.

Whether you're a longtime fan or this is the first time you're hearing about Blue Rodeo, we think you'll enjoy this conversation with Jim. The chat covers a lot of ground, including some great memories of the late Gord Downie of Tragically Hip.

Stay tuned for more from The Record Player and thanks for listening! You can follow us on Twitter and also check out our Record Club on Patreon. We appreciate your attentive ears and ongoing support!

Stay up to date with Blue Rodeo at their official website.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Support the show