Riffs on Riffs

Join Toby and Joe as they kick off the long-awaited return of Riffs on Riffs, diving deep into the pop sensation Taylor Swift's track "Cruel Summer." Initially released on her 2019 album Lover, the song saw a resurgence in popularity four years later, propelled by Swift's Eras tour. Now, this track isn't your typical carefree summer anthem. Oh no, there's something intoxicatingly complicated going on here. We're talking about a passionate, whirlwind romance that's equal parts thrilling and…well, cruel. In this episode, Toby and Joe dissect the infectious beats and poignant lyrics of "Cruel Summer," exploring its journey to the top of the charts and its impact on listeners beyond Swift's core demographic. Whether you're a Swiftie OG or just discovering her music, there's something for everyone in this episode. Tune in as they unravel the layers of Taylor Swift's music and its universal appeal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back to the final installment of Riffs on Riffs' 4-part miniseries about the band 24-Carat Black. On this episode: The legacy of 24CB and its landmark record Ghetto: Misfortune's Wealth, and where the former members landed. Riffs on Riffs is a production of Evergreen Podcasts. Hosted by Joe Watson and Toby Brazwell. Our Audio Engineer is Eric Koltnow and our Producer and Sound Designer is Noah Foutz. Executive Producers Gerardo Orlando and David Allen Moss. To help the former members of 24CB and get some new Riffs merch, check out our bonfire store! Listen to new music made by Princess Hearn and Niambi Steele, and to help support us make new music with them, consider donating to our Kickstarter! Check out the playlist for this season! Thanks for another great season. Huzzah! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back to our epic four part series about the band 24-Carat Black! On episode 3, we learn all about the beginning of the end; Stax Records was on the fritz, and Dale Warren was holding the group together with both hands. Hear from original band members and more about the fallout of 24-Carat Black, here on Riffs on Riffs! Riffs on Riffs is a production of Evergreen Podcasts. Hosted by Joe Watson and Toby Brazwell. Our Audio Engineer is Eric Koltnow and our Producer and Sound Designer is Noah Foutz. Executive Producers Gerardo Orlando and David Allen Moss. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back to Riffs on Riffs, Season 3! This is episode 2 of our epic four part series about the band 24-Carat Black. On today's episode: The Dream. Dale Warren's musical vision coming to bear as we hear from former band members about life on the road and in the studio. Featuring more than one exciting Uhaul story, this is an episode you won't want to miss! Riffs on Riffs is a production of Evergreen Podcasts. Hosted by Joe Watson and Toby Brazwell. Our Audio Engineer is Eric Koltnow and our Producer and Sound Designer is Noah Foutz. Executive Producers Gerardo Orlando and David Allen Moss. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back to Riffs on Riffs, Season 3! This season, we're doing things a little differently - We're bringing you the story of a dark, musical savant with a dream, a van full of teenage musicians with otherworldly talent, and an epic record that has been sampled by hip-hop royalty, even though the group lives in obscurity to this day. We're telling the tale of 24-Carat Black, and on this episode, you'll hear the first of our four part series about the band that everyone's heard, but nobody has heard of. Riffs on Riffs is a production of Evergreen Podcasts. Hosted by Joe Watson and Toby Brazwell. Our Audio Engineer is Eric Koltnow and our Producer and Sound Designer is Noah Foutz. Executive Producers Gerardo Orlando and David Allen Moss. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Riffs on Riffs is back and this season, we're doing things a little differently: a four-part series about the band that everyone has heard, but nobody has heard of, 24-Carat Black. Featuring interviews from band members, get ready to hear stories of otherworldly talent, teenage musicians honing their chops on the road in posh hotels and the backs of uhauls, an epic concept album decades ahead of its time, and a musical savant with a vision and a dark side at the center of it all. Coming this June, don't miss Season 3 of Riffs on Riffs! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Evergreen Podcasts is excited to introduce The Katz Walk. Hollywood fashion expert, VIP personal shopper and commentator Joseph "Joe" Katz brings you in-depth interviews with celebrities and influencers about their style and personal experiences. He also shares the best beauty and lifestyle tips and tricks to help you look and feel your best. Available now wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What do you call four men in a rock group that don't sing or play music? Join Joe and Toby as they search for the answer and throw plenty of shade along the way. These are a couple of groups that for some reason people love to hate. Don't enjoy this episode? We'll be happy to give you your Nickelback.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

BTS is a global phenomenon and a huge part of the popularity of the Korean Wave. So is it wrong to love K pop? Join Joe and Toby as they look to blues icon Keb Mo for some answers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are certain songs with content or subject matter that ventures into disturbing territory. Some of them are intentionally crafted stories meant to spur the listener into thinking about uncomfortable topics. Others are, well, just plain wrong. Join Joe and Toby as they examine tracks from Royce da 5’9”, Apathy, Benny Mardones, Neil Diamond, and others. They’ll also shine a light on the sexual abuse that is far too pervasive in the music industry. Warning: Content may include sexual abuse and assault triggers. Please take any necessary precautions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Change is scary, but sometimes the bigger the risk, the bigger the reward. Join Joe and Toby as they explore the history of artists that have changed musical genres and found equal — or sometimes greater — success. They'll look at pop artists like Katy Perry and Amy Grant that began their careers in Christian music, and metalheads like Michael Bolton (!) who then switched to pop. All good things must come around again, so they’ll finish up with Darius Rucker, his detour from pop into country, and his return to all things Hootie. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s never fun to have your heart broken, and it’s certainly not something you want to happen in excess. Join Joe and Toby as they connect Dua Lipa’s smash hit “Break My Heart” to another 80’s era hit from a popular band from the land down under, INXS. Along the way they’ll debate who played the better James Bond, and Q versus Stacey Q. Crank up this episode, we Need You Tonight! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We all know that girls just wanna have fun, but apparently that includes doing cover songs! From tainted love to undisputed truths, Joe and Toby dig deep to find the secrets behind smiling faces. So while Papa may be a rolling stone, here at Riffs on Riffs we will always love you! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Let's face it, nursery rhymes can hide some dark and twisted messages — yet we sing them to our kids! Join Joe and Toby as they follow the itsy bitsy spider’s web that connects Humpty Dumpty to Humpty Hump. Don’t let the beat, or the cradle, drop! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Slick Rick is respected as being one of the greatest MC storytellers of all time while Doug E Fresh is known as the human Beat Box. Put them together and you're guaranteed a good time and you get a classic hip hop song that's been sampled more times than Joe and Toby can say "back in the day" in an episode. Joe and Toby connect the dots between Slick Rick's La Di Da Di and Miley Cyrus' hit "We Can't Stop". Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

America's history is full of protests and this time is no exception. The deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and so many other black Americans have moved many to protest against police brutality. In this episode, Joe and Toby discuss protests from a musical perspective, exploring songs both past and present that have fueled protests. The revolution will not be televised, but it will be podcasted! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode Description:  Join us as we travel the coasts of Cameroon and pay a visit to Manu Dibango and “Soul Makossa”. Michael Jackson would later steal the famous hook, “ma-ma-se, ma-ma-sa, ma-ma-ko-sa” for his hit Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’, and even go on to give permission he that wasn’t his to give for Rihanna’s hit “Don’t Stop the Music”. We’ll discuss all that and along the way connect the dots to The Fugees, The Outsidaz, Eminem, D12, Quincy Jones and his daughters. What we geek out over in this episode: Manu Dibango, Coming to America, Makossa, crate digging, Ms. Fat Booty, Sing alongs with Mitch, David Mancuso and The Loft, The Fugees, Cowboyts, Pace Won, Rah Digga, The Outsidaz, offending Tupac, Famous Irish bands, Enya, Latoya Jackson, Rebbie Jackson, Eminem and D12, story time with Boo Kapone. Bonus Material: The story of the that time Tupac and The King of Pop threw down. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Back in the day, children would read stories at school during story time and would often hear the "beep” that would signify when the page should be turned.  ELO’s Evil Woman and The Pussycat Dolls' “Beep” are generations apart but both illustrate how they worked to turn the page in creativity, impact, and style. Join Joe and Toby as they wind through the connections between these tracks.

Truth be told, there is a bit of confusion about what exactly was sampled from Shuggie Otis' "Strawberry Letter 23” to help create Outkast’s “Ms. Jackson”... But one thing that isn’t up for debate is that both of these songs are hits and there’s no time like the present to discuss these artists and their impact. Join Joe and Toby as they wind through the connections between these tracks.

If given a choice between sipping whiskey and going blind, the answer is pretty clear. But when listening to Etta James’ “I’d Rather Go Blind” and Chris Stapleton’s cover of “Tennessee Whiskey”, things get a little fuzzier. Join Joe and Toby as they wind through the connections between these two tracks.

Bobby Caldwell is a longtime crooner and someone that can rightfully say he’s big in Japan. Bobby’s classic track, “What You Won’t Do for Love,” is his most recognizable hit, but in this episode Joe and Toby show how Common sampled another Caldwell track, “Open Your Eyes,” for his iconic song “The Light”.

Ed Sheeran is a gifted songwriter and performer, but that hasn’t prevented him from getting into hot water around sampling and interpolating other artist’s material. Join Joe and Toby as they explore the similarities between Sheeran’s “The Shape of You” and TLC’s “No Scrubs.” Along the way we’ll take a look at the “Stairway to Heaven” copyright case and see how it impacts Ed Sheeran’s financial future. Don’t worry, he’s going to be ok.

Before he went looking for an around the way girl, LL Cool J was just a boy with his radio, needing a beat. He became a legendary hip hop pioneer and entertainment mogul. The Mary Jane Girls were the brainchild of Rick James, and he lent his prodigious musical talents to tracks like All Night Long and In My House. Join  Joe and Toby as they connect the dots between these artists.

You may know it as the chicken dance, but The Dance of the Little Bird was originally about ducks. Joe and Toby take a look at the origins of this oom-pah classic and demonstrate how it may have inspired The Jonas Brothers to create their latest hit, Only Human.

Roy Ayers Jr. has been called the Godfather of Neo Soul, and his Roy Ayers Ubiquity project was aptly named, as the track Everybody Loves the Sunshine has been a ubiquitous sample in hip hop history. Joe and Toby connect the dots to Mary J. Blige’s second album and its title track, My Life.

Heavy D and the Boys had a smash hit in 1991 with Now That We Found Love, and Joe and Toby examine how this track interpolates the 1973 hit from the O’Jays with the same name. Join us as we follow Heavy D’s career to full-fledged entertainment mogul and learn more about the soul group that had an enormous influence on future generations.

Back long before Stefani Germanotta became Lady Gaga, Madonna was, well, Madonna. Joe and Toby examine how the Madonna song “Express Yourself” was inspiration — and some might argue more than that — for Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way”. Both artists have made an enormous impact on the pop culture landscape, extending their reach far beyond music. Madonna has done it for decades, and time will tell if Lady Gaga has the same staying power.

When it comes to the music business, Warren G hit the stepbrother lottery. But that doesn’t mean he’s not a monster talent in his own right. Joe and Toby explore how Warren G used Michael McDonald’s “I Keep Forgettin” for his debut collaboration with Nate Dogg, “Regulate”. Speaking of monster talents, Michael McDonald has one of the most recognizable voices in music. We’ll take a listen to his work with Steely Dan, the Doobie Brothers, and as a solo artist. Mount up!

What we geek out over in this episode: Van Morrison & Them, Bob Dylan vs. Keith Sweat, Them! (1954) monster movie about nuclear ants, The Band’s “Up on Cripple Creek” (1969), Bert Berns - or, the guy who wrote “Hang on Sloopy” (1964) and “Brown Eyed Girl” (1967), Eric Gale - American jazz and session guitarist, “White Lines” (1983) by Melle Mel & Grandmaster Flash, and Beck’s rap/funk/soul/folk musical inspiration.

Calling all rebellious spirits with green mohawks! It’s time to unite for this all-things-Clash episode of Riffs on Riffs. What we geek out over in this episode: The legendary 70’s punk-rock band The Clash and re-discovering the greatness of their music; Bassist Paul Simonon smashing his Fender Precision Bass; what is the deal with the famous London Calling album cover? We’ll interview an expert!; other Clash-influenced tunes by Green Day, Garbage, Blue Oyster Cult, M.I.A. and many more.

I know, I know, I know you’ll love this episode featuring Shawn Mendes “I Know What You Did Last Summer” (2015) with Camilla Cabello. What we geek out over in this episode: The life and music of Grammy-winning singer-songwriter, Bill Withers; country music legend Mel Tillis and “Coca Cola Cowboy” (1979); Lou Rawls disco soul wonder “You'll Never Find Another Love like Mine" (1976), Booker T. & The MG's “Green Onions” (1962), Chuck Berry’s “My Ding-a-Ling” (1972).

Let’s explore Fall Out Boy’s 2015 hit “Centuries” and the 1990’s indie-folk sample that influenced it’s fist-pumping pop-punk sound. What we geek out over in this episode: “Seinfeld” Theme Song, “Saved by the Bell - The College Years”, the Mother of the MP3, Fast Folk Musical Magazine, Bobbie Gentry’s “Ode to Billie Joe” (1967), DNA (band), Soul II Soul “Keep on Movin” (1989), “Tom’s Diner” 2015 remix by Giorgio Moroder ft Britney Spears, Live at Daryl’s House, and the

Enjoy this “ubiquitous” compilation of outtakes featuring hosts, Joe Watson and Toby Brazwell, which occurred during the making of Episode 28 “Bring the Noise” of Riffs on Riffs.  

You don’t see much genre-mashing these days (sad face) so when metal group  Anthrax hooked up with hip hop pioneers, Public Enemy in 1991… history was truly made. Producing a fresh, thrashed-up take on Public Enemy’s 1988 single “Bring The Noise”, the collaboration spawned a hit single, a groundbreaking tour and a sound that would change heavy music. Joe & Toby get into the cross-pollination of rap-rock and the slew of sampling behind this revolutionary track. 

Get into the smooth vibes of Charlie Puth singing “See You Again” (2015) and a very, very, very subtle Ray Charles sample used in this heart-melting song. What we geek out over in this episode: The legendary Ray Charles & American guitarist Lowell Fulson, BB King “Three O’Clock Blues” (1951), who sampled Ray Charles’ “I Got a Woman” (1954)?, “Georgia On My Mind” (1930) Hoagy Carmichael & Stuart Gorrell, Percy Mayfield’s “Hit the Road Jack” (1960), Charlie Puth and his perfect pitch

This super hot episode takes the heat to another level with DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince and their mega hit “Summertime” (1991) with musical ties to a soul gang from the 70’s. What we geek out over in this episode: Kool & the Gang, Miles Davis, tubas!, “Despacito” (2017), Toby’s Slow Jamz Mixtape, Ruffles Potato Chips, the early years of DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, Mike Tyson, and story-telling raps on the mic. 

This epic episode is comprised of two music icons… Boston and Elton John! Joe & Toby explore the sounds of “More Than A Feeling” and the original sample taken from Elton’s 1973 hit song.  What we geek out over in this episode: Everything Elton John (a.k.a. Reg), bandmates Elton Dean and Long John Baldry (1966 Bluesology), Dr. Robotnik, lyricist Bernie Taupin, Tom Scholz & iconic band Boston, Polaroids & Hey Ya!, Mixolydian mode, and Samantha vs. Amanda. 

Joe and Toby connect the musical dots from Tyler, the Creator’s hit track “Igor’s Theme” (2019) and trace it back to a Paris-based 70’s soul group. What we geek out over in this episode: Head West, Fleetwood Mac “Black Magic Woman” (1968) & “Oh Well” (1969), sounds of the 70’s from “Sentimental Lady” (1972) and it’s mondegreen, skateboards, Odd Future, Fruity Loops & Captain Crunch, horrorcore hip-hop music genre, and Tyler the Creator’s hits, controversy and beyond. 

Joe and Toby connect the musical dots from Too $hort’s hit track “The Ghetto” (1990) and trace it back to an unforgettable 70’s soul singer. What we geek out over in this episode: NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) Controller, Donny Hathaway & Roberta Flack, “I Thank You Baby” (1969) with June Conquest, George Benson’s cover of “The Ghetto” (2000), Leon Russell’s “A Song For You” (1970) and covers - grab a box of tissues! - “This Christmas” (1970) … and Richard Marx.

Good night and sweet Lucid Dreams… Joe & Toby dive into a fan favorite by Juice WRLD and the 1993 sample he used to make this hit! What we geek out over in this episode: Sting’s Catalog, MC Nicknames, Sting sitting on a piano by accident during the recording of Roxanne, Queensryche, MC Milk Dee and Audio Two’s Top Billin’ (1988), and The Chainsmokers & Juice WRLD In My Head (2018).

A rappers plight… is country music friend or foe? Joe & Toby answer this and more in a discussion about country rapper Lil Nas X with hints of NIN. What we geek out over in this episode: Susie Stop Playin’, Trent Reznor, Iggy Pop’s Nightclubbing (1977), Johnny Cash’s cover of Hurt (2002), Country-Rap a.k.a. Hick-Hop, Ryan Upchurch track called Country Cut Celebrity (2018), Old Town Remix with Billy Ray Cyrus, and Bubba Sparxxx Country Folks (2013).

Joe & Toby take you to another dimension with the futuristic sounds of an iconic German Electro-pop band. To Kraftwerk and beyond! What we geek out over in this episode: Hot Tub Time Machine (the movie), Afrika Bambaataa and the Soulsonic Forces’s Planet Rock (1982), Coldplay’s Talk (2005), Timbaland’s Bounce (2007) featuring Dr. Dre, Justin Timberlake & Missy Elliot, Blue Monday (1983) by New Order, Leave Home (1995) by The Chemical Brothers and Redman and Method Man collab How High (remix) (1995).