Joey and Cody interview Eric Jett from the band Fepeste, diving into his latest album "This World Ain't Mine to Change," including discussions on the album artwork, his three most-streamed songs on Spotify, and the music equipment he uses. They also cover how Eric met Jeff Cloud and became part of the Velvet Blue Music family, along with his future endeavors in music.

The Velvet Blue Music Podcast sits down with Rob Withem of Fine China to talk through the band’s latest album, I Felt Called, released on the long-running indie label Velvet Blue Music.In this episode, hosts Joey Esquibel and Cody Landefeld dive into a curated selection of tracks from the record — including “Television,” “I Felt Called,” and “Fraught with Danger.” Rob discusses the songwriting process behind the album, the themes that shaped the lyrics, and the music equipment and production choices that helped define the band’s sound.Along the way we explore stories about friends, family, and the creative life that continues to fuel Fine China more than two decades in. Whether you’re new to the band or a longtime listener, this episode offers a thoughtful look into an artist whose work remains quietly influential within indie music.

LIMITED RUN! ORDER MAP - SECRETS BY THE HIGHWAY ON CASSETTE TAPE TODAY WHILE SUPPLIES LAST!  

Instead of exploring an artist’s entire career in a single episode, we’re going to focus on one particular release in the VBM collection; one of Jeff Cloud’s favorite projects. We’re excited to announce the first cassette release, starting today,  of Josh Dooley’s 2004 album,  “Secrets by the highway”

It might be smart to reserve your copy right now at velvetbluemusic.com before they’re sold out.

Eighteen years ago, Riverside, California native Josh Dooley embarked on creating one of his most meaningful projects to date. Although he had recently lost his bandmates after a massive breakup during his “eastern skies western eyes” tour, he contacted Jeff Cloud in the hopes of working with an up and coming gifted producer and engineer, Richard Swift.  Swift, with the help of the legendary Frank Lenz, set out to capture Josh’s musical magic in their  small Huntington beach apartment studio in 2003. Ultimately, the talent combination of Lenz, Swift and Dooley couldn’t have been better expressed than in the 2004 VBM release, “Secrets by the highway”.

We’re honored to promote this particular record and so For now, sit back, relax and enjoy another one-on-one with Joey and Josh Dooley, as they chat about one of his most popular records. Listen as he gives us insight, song by song, into this VBM masterpiece on today’s Velvet Blue Music Podcast episode!

Song list:

Things started to get interesting when Gary discovered a local music store called “The Mad Hatter”. He would constantly rummage through bargain CDs and tapes discovering cool bands like Slowdive, Cocteau Twins, Sonic Youth,  and The Red House Painters (to name a few). He was intrigued by the noisy guitar layers, which really spoke to him and they were breath of fresh air compared to the mainstream music played on the radio at that time. With his new musical influences, he knew that sitting at home with an old acoustic guitar just wasn’t enough now. He made some local musician friends and soon, he would begin to contribute his new-found guitar skills with a  local band noise/punk called “Vacuum Star”.

We all know Gary Murray as a writer of some of the most somber, melancholy music on VBM, and “Vacuum Star” was far from that. Funny enough, some members would eventually become long-term contributors to his music in the future.  It was while participating in this band Gary gained experience playing side by side with other musicians, keeping his guitar tuned throughout an entire set, and enjoying the energy of  a crowd for the first time.

After playing for a few years in the band, he would occasionally collaborate with Vacuum Star guitarist Torey Freeman, drummer Nathan Abel and bassist Denny Kopp to focus solely on songwriting. One memorable night happened at a party in Bellevue, where they would write a full album’s worth of songs in a single evening. I guess you could say Gary was being prepared to become the future frontman of one of VBM’s much loved bands.

Velvet Blue Music Podcast is produced by Joey and Kirsty Esquibel

VBM Podcast theme song written by Josh Dooley

Song list:

Gary Murray's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/g.edgar.murray/

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He didn’t have a ton of musical influence growing up as a child, but he became interested in music after attending a last-minute ski trip in Big Bear, California in the late 1980s.  He would soon fall in love with the guest band performing at the resort that weekend, setting his sights on becoming a professional musician. For almost 3 decades, he has been a fan favorite, capturing the attention of major record labels and being featured in popular music magazines. He has co-written songs for the veteran VBM band “Lassie Foundation” and the much loved “Prayer Chain”.  He would soon be the prominent songwriter for VBM’s own “Charity Empressa'', and is currently a partial owner of Northern Records. You can also hear his music on popular tv shows like “Buffy  the Vampire Slayer”.  Nowadays you'll be able to catch him on stage with his current band “Stranger Kings”. Let’s give a big warm welcome to Eric Campuzano! A true legend of 90’s indie music, and an original of the VBM family.

Let’s listen to Joey and Eric chat about the beginnings of Lassie Foundation and the current projects he’s working on.

Song list:

ad music: You won't be coming home, Air Review

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Growing up, spending many hours at his favorite indie record store in Riverside, CA, Jeff developed a love for music that was above and beyond the standard mainstream fare. His dream of one day owning a record label would finally come true in the mid 1990s. Little did he know that one day he would sell thousands of records and have songs featured on popular TV shows such as Homeland, Boston Legal, American Idol and American Horror Story and also work with organizations such as Apple, Pacifico Beer, Nike and Disney. As other record labels dropped like flies around him, Jeff continued  to invest in top-shelf musicians and release new music for over 25 years!

Music

Puppy hearts and phone calls - Pony Express

We'll last so long - Rainbow Rider

Transparent with Blue Eyes - Pony Express

Be what I need - Bon Voyage

John the Madman - Jupiter James

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We’re very honored to introduce this month’s guest.  Everybody knows him as the legendary drummer of rock band Fold Zandura, and you might also know of his contributions to The Lassie Foundation, Headphones, and Starflyer 59. Later in his career, He would help break “The Weepies”, bringing world-wide commercial success including 2 songs high on billboard 200! Let’s not forget his critically acclaimed solo projects which would grab the attention of The Huffington Post, New York Times, This American Life, and Comedy Central’s Colbert Report. Did I mention he has written original scores for popular documentaries?

Let’s give a nice warm welcome to Frank Lenz...drummer extraordinaire, producer, songwriter, and a personal hero of Joey.

Joey had the pleasure of digging deep into Frank’s music and analyzing his motivations and inspiration throughout his VBM releases.  Let’s listen to Frank and Joey discuss all things Frank Lenz!

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Song list:

Heather Heywood had her hand in many projects from MAP to Kissing Cousins. Her friendship with the late Richard Swift has resulted in one of the most anticipated VBM releases, Kissing Cousins’ Pillar of Salt. Not only has her music been praised by many critics, but it can also be heard on some popular TV shows. And as if that isn’t enough, she also runs her own record label and loves to work with up-and-coming artists in Southern California. We’d like to welcome Heather Heywood! A true friend to the VBM staff and fans alike.

Song List:

Growing up in Riverside, CA, Josh grew to love bands such as The Smiths and Pet Shop Boys and dedicated himself to learning and mastering guitar and songwriting. Little did he know he would share the stage with bands like Dwight Yokum, Pinback, The Sea and Cake, Damien Jurado and The Cold War Kids.

Listen to Josh discuss with Joey his victories and challenges as a VBM artist!

Hosts:  Joseph and Kirsty Esquibel

Songs used in this episode:

San Francisco In The 90s - San Francisco In The 90s

Joey Interviews Rob Withem (Fine China, The Foxglove Hunt) about his music origins, projects and latest releases.

Track List:

No One Knows - Fine China, Know One Knows EP

Comforting, Gondoliering - Fine China, Rialto Bridge

We rock harder than you ever knew - Fine China, When the World Sings

Hug Every Friend - Fine China, You make me hate music

Don't Frown - Fine China, The Jaws of Life

A Building Collapsing - The Foxglove Hunt, Stop Heartbeat

Anybody Else - Fine China, Not Thrilled