Podcasts about Levon Helm

A live recording from The Big Romance about a 2008 Sub Pop-released classic album of the 2000s. Listen on Apple | Android | Patreon | Pocketcasts | CastBox | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS Feed | Podlink Step into a world of misty melodies and cavernous echoes with Seattle band Fleet Foxes' landmark debut – a defining record of the late-2000s indie folk revival. Led by Robin Pecknold, the album blends the lush, pastoral harmonies of the 1960s with a haunting baroque-pop sensibility and lyrical themes rooted in nature, tradition, and introspection. Like the Bruegel painting on its cover, every track reveals a dense, beautiful world that evokes a timeless – almost mythic Americana sound. This podcast episode is a live recording from our listening party in The Big Romance in April, with guest journalist and Fleet Foxes fan Aoife Barry. Our next Listening Party is Smashing Pumpkins later this month and it's sold out. Listen Closely: Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes (2008) A Nialler9 listening party, hosted by Niall Byrne with guest Aoife Barry. Before the album Niall: Hello everyone, how are you? Welcome to the Listen Closely album listening party. I'm Niall, and this is Aoife Barry. Aoife: Hello. Niall: We're here tonight because Aoife picked this album, as she has before. You picked Jeff Buckley last year. Aoife: Yeah, and we ended up doing three of them. Niall: We did, we went to Cork. We did two here and then we went to Cork to talk about Jeff Buckley. And you were at the My Bloody Valentine listening party last year as well, back in October. Aoife: It must have been October, yeah. Niall: Well, obviously we're here for a very different album tonight: Fleet Foxes by Fleet Foxes, from 2008. As you heard there, we played a bit of the Sun Giant EP by the band, which came out a few months before this album, because we want to give the album its full due. They're a little different, and we'll talk about that. But yeah, you picked the record. Aoife: I did. I obviously must like it. And it's such an incredible record. Is there anybody here who hasn't heard it? That's really exciting, if so. I'm excited for you to hear it. You got a sneak peek there of what the vibe is going to be. I picked it because I love this record, but I also had a funny story about how I first heard them. Back in 2008, when this record came out, I'd read about this band called Fleet Foxes in a music magazine. I don't even think I'd heard a song yet, this is back in the day. And I was on holidays in Berlin, and in the tiny little hostel we were staying in, they had a sign up on the wall: "Who's playing tonight? Fleet Foxes, Café Zapata." I said to my boyfriend, "I think that's a band I read about in the magazine, will we go see them?" And he was like, "Grand." So we went, and they were unbelievable. It was so good. Beach House were supporting them. So it was 2008 smacking you in the face. Niall: Come on. Aoife: And I took photos, which I found. I have photos. Artifacts. One is terrible, the other one's not so terrible, taken on one of those little Canon digital cameras. And I still have the ticket, I kept the ticket, I'm one of those hoarders who keeps all their gig tickets. But it was so good: the venue they played in had a dragon that breathed fire out every fifteen minutes. Niall: So they'd be playing and this dragon… Aoife: I'm not even exaggerating. Fire would just shoot out of this mechanical dragon. It was so Berlin. And Fleet Foxes were so stunning, and Beach House were so stunning. I love Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, I love all those harmony vibes, I wish I was born in the seventies, sadly I was not. So I fell in love with them immediately, and I've been a big fan ever since. Although I'll say I probably dipped a little bit around the Crack-Up era, their third album, but then I saw them when Shore came out, their most recent album, and fell right back in love with them. Niall: We're going to talk about all the albums that come afterwards, but we'll start with this one, because this is presumably your favourite, or one of them. Aoife: Shore is up there as well for me, but yeah. Niall: So what was it about Fleet Foxes at the time? For context: in 2008 there was quite a lot of this kind of music around. We previously did Bon Iver's For Emma, Forever Ago as a listening party, and the funny thing, which I only found out when we did this, is that they have the same origin story in a way. Both songwriters went to a cabin in the woods to pour their heart out and write the songs. Aoife: I think Justin Vernon just got there first in terms of the marketing. Niall: So they must have pulled back on talking about it too much, because it's basically the same thing. They never really talked about Robin Pecknold's writing process in those terms. Aoife: For Emma was such a massive moment, everybody was obsessed with this guy who broke up with a girl and went to a cabin and wrote a record about it. It was the ur indie-folk album. Niall: What was really appealing about Fleet Foxes is that they were so young, between about twenty-two and twenty-seven, and Robin Pecknold was twenty-one when he wrote the record. Which is frankly offensive, you shouldn't be allowed to be so talented at twenty-one. Aoife: I know. And they were clearly these people from Seattle, which we associate with grunge, and then it becomes this place where they're bringing out all the pastoral, outdoorsy, mountain-and-sea vibes of the Washington area. They're obviously really influenced by the seventies too, by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, by Laurel Canyon, but also by Appalachian folk. There's a real purity to what they're doing. The harmonies are unbelievable, there's even a bit of a gospel feeling. So these young guys made this album that was being called an iconic American record on release. The Guardian called it a landmark American album, something like that. And that's special, because you don't get that many records immediately being called landmark. Niall: It was a very exciting time for music around then. I actually brought some records. We mentioned Beach House and Teen Dream earlier, that's a bit later, 2010. I wanted to do a listening party for that at some point, that'd be good craic. Around that time you had Animal Collective and Panda Bear, Person Pitch was right there, that was the apex for that very experimental scene. A few years later we had Sufjan, our very first listening party. And Bon Iver, of course. There's also stuff like Neutral Milk Hotel very much of that vibe. Aoife: I've noticed people covering Neutral Milk Hotel more now. Niall: I think when we got to it, it was on its second go-round, and now it's getting a third, which is great. It's a great record. So, the band were from Seattle, they had a bit of the scruffy flannel-shirt look, but obviously didn't sound like that. The album was written in the woods, in the cabin, brought to the band, and recorded with Phil Ek. Aoife: Who did a lot of stuff with Built to Spill. Niall: Yeah, and he worked with The Shins, and Modest Mouse, a really long history. Aoife: Are The Shins from Seattle as well? Niall: I think they might be. Band of Horses is another one. So they recorded it themselves with Phil Ek, paid for it all themselves, and then the local major independent label Sub Pop came calling. Obviously known for a lot of grunge traditionally, but they'd clearly been releasing this kind of music around then too, The Shins had been on the label for a few years, Band of Horses. When it came to it, they signed to Sub Pop. Apparently there was a bidding war. Aoife: They'd become quite popular on MySpace. Anybody remember MySpace? Every time I do one of these I feel older and older, mentioning the top eight, the randomers you'd put in your top eight. Word could spread quite quickly once you got popular on MySpace. Niall: What I thought was really interesting, that I discovered when I was researching, is that recording the album was actually a total pain for them. They didn't have much money, so they ended up recording a lot of it in their houses, or in Robin Pecknold's family home. And he re-did all the vocals right before they mastered the record, because he'd been sick during the initial sessions and his voice wasn't in great shape. They recorded it all in one go, scrapped that, did another version, and kept moving the running order around. I'm always fascinated by albums where the creation was a total pain and they had no idea it would even work out. Robin Pecknold actually said, "I hope nobody cares about this album, because I just want to move on to the next one." And then it becomes this iconic record. Aoife: Isn't every artist sick of their album by the time it's done? You're like, "my paintings." Yeah. Niall: 2008 was an interesting time for it to land. The album draws on the Beach Boys and Brian Wilson, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Nick Drake, Simon & Garfunkel, Fairport Convention, Judee Sill, very much old-timey or sixties folk and pastoral stuff. And in 2008 there's a financial crash. The album was worked on before that, but it was released into that environment, and a lot of this music seemed to catch. When things go bad, we retreat, we dream, we listen to music that's maybe the opposite of what we're feeling. There was a gentleness, an unhurriedness to it that resonated. Aoife: Grizzly Bear is another band from that time. When Jay-Z and Beyoncé went to see Grizzly Bear in Brooklyn, that was kind of where all the indie music peaked. Niall: And the other part of it, which I was involved in, was the MP3 blogs, that's where you'd hear this music. Especially the American and Canadian stuff, no one was promoting it over here yet, so you'd be months ahead. You'd hear Fleet Foxes in these MP3 formats. That was a mad period, it showed how the internet could collapse geography, a song could spread really quickly on the blogs. And in an American context, this came out post-Bush, with the Obama era coming in, a more hopeful tone. You had the Lehman Brothers crash, these global pressures, and then these hopeful times too. It's interesting to wonder whether these albums are a reaction to it, or whether they appeal to us because we want nice, happy things. I feel like Fleet Foxes have so much emotional depth: there's yearning, sadness, hope, nostalgia. Aoife: I loved Yellow House by Grizzly Bear, their first record, a complex, complicated, almost jazzy thing that sounded beautiful but had a lot going on. We weren't going for simplistic music, but we wanted music that gave us depth and beauty. Is art a solution to the world collapsing? Niall: We could be answering that in 2026. We live in a cursed timeline, as I keep saying. That's all I'm going to say. But what else happened in 2008 in the wider circle of music? Portishead returned with Third. TV on the Radio released Dear Science. MGMT released Oracular Spectacular, 'Kids' and all that. Cut Copy released In Ghost Colours, Indie Sleaze night on Saturday, folks, come on. Kanye put out 808s & Heartbreak, that was November that year. Rihanna was at the peak of her powers. Aoife: Katy Perry appeared that year. And 'American Boy'. Niall: 'American Boy', still one of the best pop songs, fire. Iron & Wine was the other one I forgot to mention. So it was a really vibrant, varied year. As you heard, there's the Sun Giant EP too. Aoife: The thing about that is it came out before the album, but was recorded after. The album was done, in the bag. Niall: They decided to go into the studio and record Sun Giant, a collection of songs intended to sell on tour. It ended up being quite popular, and for a lot of people it was their first time discovering Fleet Foxes. Aoife: It wasn't like The Coronas' 'San Diego Song', their summer-holiday anthem, or anything like that. But it came out before the album, and then the album arrives. Niall: So what was the reaction at the time? Was it immediate? Aoife: Things happened really quickly. In January that year they got all the MySpace attention, and by June the album was coming out. Really, really quick. There was so much chatter about them, which is partly why I'd seen the name, and a music blog like yours would have seen it too, and known they were one of the big bands. In a way that's harder now. Niall: These days you see bands like Geese getting a lot of attention because they use companies that help them go viral. You didn't really have that then. Now you'd dress yourself up in some gimmick, polka dots, whatever, and go viral all over the internet for it. I couldn't imagine these lads doing that. Aoife: No. But maybe in a way they were cosplaying living in the forest, on the Puget Sound. Niall: Anyway, when the album came out, people loved them, and it really hit it off. Because they sound so seventies, your parents would love the records and you'd love the records. There's almost a lullaby quality to the folk stuff too. The music is applicable to anybody of any generation, and there's something lovely about nostalgic music that reminds you of a better time. To finish on that point: I think there's something very mysterious about Fleet Foxes, they feel out of time. They're these young, scruffy lads with the beards, but there's a mystery to them. They didn't come across as the hipster end of things, they weren't leaning into anything. They were presented as the kind of band that wouldn't have had phones, would have lived off-grid, which is funny because they were a MySpace band. They're the most un-MySpace band you can imagine. Surprise people, do something a bit different, don't be exactly what people want you to be, and they'll love you for it. And then your songs are unbelievable too, soaring and stunning. Can we talk for a second about the cover? It's an original painting from 1559 by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Netherlandish Proverbs. It depicts a densely populated Flemish village scene illustrating 126 folk proverbs. There's a lot there. Some on this side are cut off, but for example, this woman here, she's putting the blue cloak on her husband, meaning she deceives him. This guy is casting roses before swine, wasting effort on the unworthy. And right at the top there's a man running through a field with his arse on fire, chasing pigs, "he who eats fire craps sparks," do not be surprised at the outcome if you attempt a dangerous venture. There are 126 of those. Aoife: The interesting thing is that the band managed to get permission to use it. Really unusual to be allowed use it as commercial artwork. Niall: And apparently the museum that holds the artwork were delighted. A lot of stars aligned for them. It's an iconic cover because it's so different from what anybody else was doing, clearly of a particular period, and it has that Where's Wally quality. I have a quote about it. Robin said: "We were trying to figure out what we wanted to do, and my brother had been working some stuff out, when I saw this Bruegel painting in a book my girlfriend had. I liked that it had a really intriguing meaning, there's a story to each little scene, which felt fitting for the record. It was dense but unified, not a collage. It has a Where's Waldo quality, something you could look at for a long time on a vinyl sleeve and keep finding new little things. It was very easy to get the museum in Berlin that has it to say yes, they were super excited the band wanted to use it, and put it in their newsletter. When you open it up, on the inside there's a Paisley pattern traced from the back of a book that Skyler's mum got me. We wanted two very different feelings." So, what to look out for when we press play very shortly? Aoife: When I was going back to this, I had it in my head that every song was one of these big songs, because there are so many big moments. But actually there are two tracks that are pretty much acoustic, so it's interesting to notice how they go from the big sound to the small. And for me they're a real emotion-and-feeling band, so notice how you feel listening to it. I always feel this swell of emotion with Fleet Foxes, I was walking down the road listening to Shore and I was like, my God. So lean back and feel into the emotions they're bringing you. And listen to the lyrics if you can make them out, because they're so out of time, all about pack horses and this amazing imagery. Robin Pecknold said he didn't write about a lot of personal stuff because he didn't have enough life experience yet, so instead he wrote these beautifully poetic narratives about pastoral and rural life. So I'd say the lyrics and the feelings are the two things. Niall: Track two, 'White Winter Hymnal', is probably the biggest one, watch out for that. And a few other people thanked and cited as influences, for some extra context: Brian Wilson, Joanna Newsom, Bob Dylan, Noah Lennox and all the lads from Animal Collective, Levon Helm and Robbie Robertson of The Band, Blitzen Trapper, who they toured with at the time and who were bigger than them then. For some reason Joni Mitchell and Neil Young are listed together, which is fair enough. Marvin Gaye, Damien Jurado, Paul Simon and John Lennon listed together. Townes Van Zandt, a legend. Vashti Bunyan, and Van Morrison. There's a nice quote from Robin Pecknold I'll read afterwards. Let's just open it up and listen. I'll play it at full volume, it's about thirty-nine minutes, two sides. Close your eyes, whatever you want to do, vibe away in your own way. [The album plays: Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes, 39 minutes.] After the album Niall: It's quite an economical album, isn't it? It doesn't stick around long, thirty-nine minutes. Aoife: I like an economical album. It's also one of the first fairly short records we've done here. Niall: That's part of why I was thinking about Sun Giant in that context too. I'm going to read a bit from the liner notes, because for an album that's very much about feelings, with only a few direct songs, some of what's written here is interesting: "My first memory has always been of me and my mom on a cold grey day down at some beach in Washington, along the Puget Sound somewhere near Seattle. I would be around two or three years old, and we were with a friend of mine from the neighbourhood and his mom, walking among the driftwood looking for crabs. Even now I can remember the smell and temperature of the air, the feeling of the sand and the swaying tall grass. I can even remember looking over at my friend and how his face looked when he smiled back at me. Another memory I'll sometimes recall as my first is dressing up in the dead of summer as Jack London, with tennis rackets on my feet and wearing my dad's hiking pack, after seeing Disney's terrible version of White Fang. Or the memory of stealing my neighbour's Big Wheel and riding it halfway down the block before getting caught and having to turn around defeated. Or wearing a fireman's outfit while washing my parents' car, or eating an orange popsicle from the ice cream truck. These have always been some of my most distinct and persistent memories of childhood. So it came as a disappointment when, one day as a teenager, I opened up a photo album and found pictures of each and every one of these memories. I didn't have a single memory that didn't belong to, or somehow grow from, those pictures my parents had. I guess I've seen all these photographs at some point, forgotten they were just photographs, and over time made them into my most tangible memories. That's scary to me in a way. This leads me to something weird about the power music has: its transportability. Any time I hear a song or record that meant a lot to me at a certain moment, I'm instantly taken back to that place in full detail. Whenever I hear 'Feel Flows' by the Beach Boys, I'm taken straight to the back of my parents' car on the way to my grandparents' place, with Surf's Up in my Walkman and the Cascade Mountains going by in the window. Any song off Radiohead's Kid A brings back the airport near Seattle, from when we were on the way to Colorado for a wedding and Kid A was the only record I brought or wanted to bring. 'Crayon Angels' by Judee Sill is the whole winter of last year. And Brian Wilson's solo version of 'Surf's Up' takes me back to driving my parents' car around town alone at sixteen, windows down at night. I can't ascribe exact memories to songs by The Microphones, Joni Mitchell, Built to Spill, Dungen, Harry Nilsson and so many others, and it's a form of recall I can actually trust, there's no visual element to complicate things, no chance of a planted memory that wasn't actually supposed to be there. Maybe I should be concerned that I'm alone in almost all of these memories, but I guess I was just a private kid, and music was a private experience for me. Music activates a certain mental freedom in a way nothing else can, and that is so empowering. You can call it escapism if you like, but I see it as connecting to a deeper human feeling than the one found in the day-to-day world." Aoife: That's lovely. It's a nice addendum. And he was only twenty-one. Niall: For some reason it's signed "Warren Gamaliel Bancroft Winnipeg Harding," Warren G. Harding being the 29th president of the United States. I don't know why, he thought it was funny. Dated April 6th, 2008, Chicago, Illinois. So, any particular highlights, anything that stood out? Aoife: I was reminded how much I love 'Blue Ridge Mountains', the second-to-last song. I just love those four- and five-part harmonies so much. There's something that really gets me about beautiful harmonies stacked on each other that sound so natural. My dad was really into Neil Young and all of that era, my mum's really into Simon & Garfunkel, so I feel like I came out of the womb going, this is the music I love. Niall: There was another one I meant to mention. Aoife: I'm really bad at remembering song names, which isn't great for an arts journalist. They go in one ear and out the other. Niall: 'He Doesn't Know Why'. Aoife: That was it. I always forget the name of that one, and it's an absolute banger. It's quite a direct song, the last one on the first side. Niall: He mentions his brother Sean in 'Blue Ridge Mountains', which is interesting. And Oliver James is his younger brother, that's the last song. Aoife: His sister is Aja, after the Steely Dan album. The parents were really into them. Niall: It holds up so well. The harmonies and vocals sound incredible, there are those beautiful little flourishes, a flute on one of the tracks, the guitar is stunning, lovely little bass lines. I love the way Robin Pecknold and the band hear music. There's a really good Song Exploder episode with him talking about a song from Crack-Up, and the way he thinks about translating his thoughts and emotions into music is so illuminating. He has a beautiful melodic flow that's really similar to the flow of water and nature. There are so many nature references, it's almost parody there are so many. Aoife: You could do a Portlandia sketch about it. "Power of nature, man." "Come down from the mountain, you've been gone too long." Niall: In terms of the line-up: alongside Robin Pecknold on vocals there was Skyler Skjelset on lead guitar, his best friend from Nathan Hale High School, later joined by Casey Wescott, Christian Wargo on bass, and Nicholas Peterson on drums, who left after this album. Aoife: And who came in as the drummer? Niall: A man who's been a main character in one of these listening parties himself: Josh Tillman, Father John Misty, played drums with them. Aoife: For how long? Niall: Only a year or two, pretty short. As I said, main character, he was making his own record. Any Father John Misty fans? He writes really good songs and he's handsome, so we all love him, but he's also a bit of a pain, and he didn't get on very well with Robin Pecknold, which isn't surprising. When I was looking back at the Pitchfork interview they did in 2008, a few months after the album came out, it was a big joint interview with Robin and Josh Tillman, and Tillman is answering the questions at the start. That's confidence. Do you want to hear a quote from what Robin Pecknold said? I've written it in my little notebook, so old-school, that's the only way I remember these things. In a 2020 Reddit AMA, Pecknold said that on that tour, the Helplessness Blues tour, Tillman was supposed to bring out his own record, but his label said he could only release it after the tour. So he was on tour thinking, "I want to bring out my own record, I'm tired of Fleet Foxes." Pecknold said he "had to endure being around a lot of substance abuse, sabotaged shows, general ill treatment and shit-talking, all while paying him for songs he didn't have anything to do with. It sucked." And then Tillman left the band. Whereas in that Pitchfork interview he'd said, "I love playing in this band, these are all my friends, I'm having the best time, I'm sorry if that's a corny quote, but that's the best thing about this experience right now." Aoife: So he was lying through his teeth. I think he's the kind of person who really has to be a solo artist, too iconic a personality. You wouldn't want to wrangle him out of bed to get to the next show. Niall: Too big a price. You mentioned Pitchfork, the album was number one on their end-of-year list in 2008, and they listed Sun Giant alongside it, breaking the traditional conventions of end-of-year lists. What they said was: listing Fleet Foxes' debut album and EP together may be awkward, but it just feels right, they're two sides of a coin that equally express the band's mastery, "a catch-all Americana that takes a wide slice of our popular music spectrum and pulls it through a reverse prism to create a gorgeous and focused sound of the band's own. The threads of Brian Wilson's coastal pop, Appalachian folk, modern indie rock, Grateful Dead jams and other influences are masterfully synthesised in the band's harmonies." Robin Pecknold's sense of dynamics, they said, flows like a river, wild and free but logical, filling what needs to be filled and moving on. I swear I didn't rip that off Pitchfork, I came up with something similar on my own. Aoife: Very good. Niall: It was Uncut's album of the year too. But more than anything, and this is a strange accolade, the album was ranked number 36 on Rolling Stone's list of the greatest stoner albums. Aoife: I don't think Robin Pecknold was a stoner. It doesn't really fit. He's a reader. Niall: So what came after? Helplessness Blues, which is really difficult to say, in 2011, then Crack-Up in 2017, then Shore in 2020. Big long gaps, some personnel changes. And Robin Pecknold, as we've established, is a very literary guy, he went to Columbia to do an undergrad in English literature, because he'd left high school early and gone to a community college, and he really wanted that college experience. So that was part of the break. He's also had difficult times, he's spoken about mental health issues and suicidal ideation, many tough experiences that contributed to the gaps too. They haven't released anything since 2020, and he does a lot of cover events. There are two live records. He's actually playing a gig tonight, I think, where he covers Judee Sill. Any Judee Sill fans? Aoife: Oh my gosh, she's amazing. Nobody ever knows Judee Sill. If you listen to anything, listen to Heart Food, it's iconic. He loves her, mentions her on this record. She's the one who does 'The Kiss', people might have seen her perform it on the Old Grey Whistle Test, it's on YouTube. She had a really tragic life. Niall: One of those I've been meaning to listen to properly for years. She only has two records, so it's easy to get into. There's a documentary about her as well, which I haven't seen. Aoife: She's one of those ill-fated seventies musicians, really religious imagery, did a lot of drugs, really interesting. Niall: Did you get to see them again after your first foray in Berlin? Aoife: I saw them when they toured, though it's really bad when you can't remember what you were doing in the 2010s. Niall: Did anybody see them at that Dublin gig, the outdoor one in 2022? Wasn't it amazing. They've played here a fair bit: Vicar Street in 2008, Electric Picnic 2009, The Marquee in Cork 2011, the Iveagh Gardens in 2017. I don't know if I've missed any, maybe you can tell me. So if you were to pick, is there any further listening or reading you'd suggest to somebody, not necessarily Fleet Foxes? Aoife: Some of it is obvious. As I said, I'd definitely check out Judee Sill, because if you really like Fleet Foxes you'd really vibe with her. And he mentions Harry Nilsson, also unbelievable, more well known than Judee Sill, did the cover of 'Everybody's Talkin''. I'd also mention a guy people would have known at one point but isn't very well known now: Richard Swift. He sadly passed away a couple of years ago. He was friends with Robin Pecknold, a hugely talented musician who struggled with addiction. He has an amazing double album from around 2005 or 2006 that's brilliant, and a record called The Hex, which is referenced on 'Sunblind' on Shore, that's the song where Robin name-checks a lot of musicians he loves, like Elliott Smith, David Berman and Richard Swift. It's such a beautiful record for finding new people to listen to, and it's lovely to hear a musician pay tribute to musicians he loves. The imagery is him talking about this beautiful day where he'll go for a swim and listen to all these beautiful bands, an ecstatic kind of song. So check out all of those records, but Richard Swift deserves more fans, and The Hex is really, really good. Niall: Good shout. What we'll do now is play a tune, and then maybe give Sun Giant another go if you want to stick around. Our next listening party is on the 27th of May, and it's an indie-rock album very close to my heart: Broken Social Scene's You Forgot It in People. I've been wanting to do this one on record for a long time. They're playing here later in the year, but I want to give this record its flowers, it's incredible. My niece has just turned seventeen and I bought her a copy, because it's an anthemic record for a seventeen-year-old. I can't believe that band are still going, which is kind of mad, but it's hard to underline what Broken Social Scene meant to a certain segment of indie. Aoife: And there's four hundred of them on stage. They're from Canada, and we were all like, my God, these people are the best. Niall: For me it's the MP3 times again, we'll talk about this next month. I heard about them through the music blogs, and then I got to see them in the Button Factory, which was the Temple Bar Music Centre at the time. It was one of the first things I ever wrote about, back in 2005. A transcendental experience. Aoife: They're so good live. Niall: I once DJ'd in Galway after one of their gigs, and one of the members of the band, I'll leave him nameless, came over and turned off the decks while I was DJing. Aoife: On purpose? Niall: He was that drunk. I can't remember what I was playing, but I was like, great, DJing after Broken Social Scene and then a band member ruins it. I don't think he liked it. No, I think he was just really drunk and thought it was funny. Thumbs down to him. In a way it's surprising a man like that has managed to persist in a band with so many members. Anyway, I digress. We'll talk about it next month, May 27th. Aoife: I cannot wait. I've been listening to it a lot lately again, it's fantastic. Niall: Thank you for being here. Let's play a bit of this and see what happens. Thanks for being here, appreciate it.

A conversation with American blues singer, songwriter and harmonica player, Chris O'leary (Chris O'Leary Band, Levon Helm's Barnburners) - https://thechrisolearyband.net/  

Chris O'Leary streamlines his sound The long song "19 Cents a Day" by the Chris O'Leary Band remains captivating and hits hard. Beyond solid solos and tight musicianship, the social commentary evokes comedian George Carlin's cantankerous later years. "One day I was on tour in the Midwest and needed a coat," says O'Leary, who will perform with his band at the Towne Crier in Beacon on Saturday (July 25). "In a Tractor Supply store, I realized that almost none of the plastic junk in that place was made in the U.S.A., even the American flags. Unfortunately, it's the same thing 10 years later." In the song, the ex-Marine and federal law enforcement officer bashes talk show "idiots," corporate downsizing, patriotic merchandising, "looted" pension plans, big-box strip malls, the poor treatment of veterans and "slave labor making that flag in Hong Kong … for 19 cents a day." Unlike a stand-up routine, the music amplifies O'Leary's message as a chugging, understated groove elevates the lyrics. Two saxophones build tension and add atmosphere. As if turning a switch, the music intensifies behind a raucous guitar break. After the band downshifts to the quieter, bass-driven part that underscores more angry words, O'Leary kicks into fifth gear on a harmonica solo. O'Leary's blues boot camp commenced when his Green Beret father heard him listening to KISS, cursed the band and tossed the LP Hard Again, by Muddy Waters, on his bed. "It took a while to grow on me," O'Leary says. "There's an old man on the cover, and I was 11 years old. But I was an aggressive kid, and the harmonica [by James Cotton] is so brutal. There's no nuance. I'd never heard anyone play an instrument like that." O'Leary joined the house combo at Levon Helm's club in New Orleans after The Band broke up in the 1970s and became friends with Cotton, "a fantastic human being whom I idolize to the point of craziness." While serving as lead singer for Helm, O'Leary learned a great deal from the drummer and bandleader, who later settled in Woodstock, although, at first, he recalls, he had tunnel vision. "If it did not come from Chicago, Illinois, between 1951 and 1962, I had no interest," O'Leary says. "But New Orleans blew my doors off because you could see great acts every night of the week that were technically blues bands but had different instrumentation and suggested limitless possibilities." More sage advice taught him to vary things up but keep people dancing: "Don't bore us, get to the chorus," Helm said. He once critiqued a famous guitar player this way: "He knows a lot of notes, but does he have to play them all? Leave some for the rest of us." O'Leary took the comment to heart and dialed down his all-out approach. The schooling continued into his mid-50s, when he got a break with Alligator Records, which recorded Cotton. The tune "19 Cents a Day" clocks in at 7:16. Played live, "Blues is a Woman," a melancholy slow jam with a 1950s vibe, can last for eight minutes. For his 2024 debut on Alligator, The Hard Line, followed by Blue Collar, out this month, only a handful of songs exceed five minutes. The first single off the new disc, "Bad Decisions," runs 4:20. O'Leary says the label's founder, Bruce Iglauer, told him: "Your music is long-winded. We don't need a road map. If you want to get on the radio, you have to streamline things." The Towne Crier is located at 379 Main St. in Beacon. Tickets for the July 25 show, which begins at 8:30 p.m., are $30 at townecrier.com, or $35 at the door. To download music, see thechrisolearyband.net.

Levon Helm built The Barn in Woodstock as a place to keep making music, make a home and then when stuggles hit - through throat cancer and in the process, built something just as lasting with his daughter Amy, who grew up on that stage and has kept it running ever since he passed. This episode is a tribute to that relationship, and a look at what's happening at Levon Helm Studios today, as a leadership dispute has put Amy's role there in question. We trace the history of the place, the people involved, and why we think the Barn only works when it's still in the family's hands. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we're putting The Tonearm's needle on trumpeter, composer, and bandleader Steven Bernstein. Amongst his many activities, Steven leads Sexmob and the Millennial Territory Orchestra and serves as Laurie Anderson's musical director. He's out now with an entwined set of albums. ResoNation Trio pares him down to valve trumpet, bass, and drums with Scott Colley and Nasheet Waits. Ultra Resonance is producer Scotty Hard's full reinvention of that same recording. We talk about why a trumpet trio gave him a blank slate, what Burning Spear has to do with Ultra Resonance, and what it means to still be playing Levon Helm's music twenty-two years from when he started. (The musical excerpts heard in the interview are from Steven Bernstein's albums, ResoNation Trio and Ultra Resonance)—Dig DeeperSteven Bernstein:Visit Steven Bernstein at stevenbernstein.net and browse his projects — including Sexmob and the Millennial Territory OrchestraPurchase ResoNation Trio and Ultra Resonance from Royal Potato Family, Bandcamp, or Qobuz, and listen on your streaming platform of choiceRead the All About Jazz review.The Trio and Collaborators:Scott Colley — bassNasheet Waits — drumsScotty Hard — producer of Ultra ResonanceBands, Projects, and Company Kept:Laurie Anderson with Sexmob, Let X=X (Live) on NonesuchLevon Helm Studios and the Helm Family Midnight Ramble, Woodstock, NYMusical Touchstones:Burning Spear, Garvey's Ghost (1976) — the dub companion to Marcus Garvey that seeded the Ultra Resonance concept: Wikipedia · streamingMiles Davis, Panthalassa: The Music of Miles Davis 1969–1974, reconstructed by Bill Laswell — a precedent for reworking improvised recordings: Wikipedia · streamingButch Morris, who gave Bernstein some of his earliest New York gigs, and his theory of Conduction—Dig into this episode's complete show notes at podcast.thetonearm.com—• Did you enjoy this episode? Please share it with a friend! You can also rate The Tonearm ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. • Subscribe! Be the first to check out each new episode of The Tonearm in your podcast app of choice. • Looking for more? Visit podcast.thetonearm.com for bonus content, web-only interviews + features, and the Talk Of The Tonearm email newsletter. You can also follow us on Bluesky, Mastodon, YouTube, and LinkedIn. • Be sure to bookmark our online magazine, The Tonearm! → thetonearm.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we're putting The Tonearm's needle on trumpeter, composer, and bandleader Steven Bernstein. Amongst his many activities, Steven leads Sexmob and the Millennial Territory Orchestra and serves as Laurie Anderson's musical director. He's out now with an entwined set of albums. ResoNation Trio pares him down to valve trumpet, bass, and drums with Scott Colley and Nasheet Waits. Ultra Resonance is producer Scotty Hard's full reinvention of that same recording. We talk about why a trumpet trio gave him a blank slate, what Burning Spear has to do with Ultra Resonance, and what it means to still be playing Levon Helm's music twenty-two years from when he started. (The musical excerpts heard in the interview are from Steven Bernstein's albums, ResoNation Trio and Ultra Resonance)—Dig DeeperSteven Bernstein:Visit Steven Bernstein at stevenbernstein.net and browse his projects — including Sexmob and the Millennial Territory OrchestraPurchase ResoNation Trio and Ultra Resonance from Royal Potato Family, Bandcamp, or Qobuz, and listen on your streaming platform of choiceRead the All About Jazz review.The Trio and Collaborators:Scott Colley — bassNasheet Waits — drumsScotty Hard — producer of Ultra ResonanceBands, Projects, and Company Kept:Laurie Anderson with Sexmob, Let X=X (Live) on NonesuchLevon Helm Studios and the Helm Family Midnight Ramble, Woodstock, NYMusical Touchstones:Burning Spear, Garvey's Ghost (1976) — the dub companion to Marcus Garvey that seeded the Ultra Resonance concept: Wikipedia · streamingMiles Davis, Panthalassa: The Music of Miles Davis 1969–1974, reconstructed by Bill Laswell — a precedent for reworking improvised recordings: Wikipedia · streamingButch Morris, who gave Bernstein some of his earliest New York gigs, and his theory of Conduction—Dig into this episode's complete show notes at podcast.thetonearm.com—• Did you enjoy this episode? Please share it with a friend! You can also rate The Tonearm ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. • Subscribe! Be the first to check out each new episode of The Tonearm in your podcast app of choice. • Looking for more? Visit podcast.thetonearm.com for bonus content, web-only interviews + features, and the Talk Of The Tonearm email newsletter. You can also follow us on Bluesky, Mastodon, YouTube, and LinkedIn. • Be sure to bookmark our online magazine, The Tonearm! → thetonearm.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What is the secret to a creative partnership that spans decades, shifts seamlessly from massive arenas to intimate rooms, and captures the legendary spirit of Woodstock? In this episode of Jrodconcerts: The Podcast, Jrod sits down with Byron Isaacs (The Lumineers) and Peter Cole of Lost Leaders. What began as a collection of songs written by longtime friends quickly evolved into a remarkable musical journey. From being invited to live and record at Levon Helm's legendary Woodstock barn—which culminated in their first official show at the famed Midnight Ramble—to navigating the modern music industry, Byron and Peter share the stories behind their enduring creative chemistry. We dive deep into their experiences recording in sacred spaces, working with producer and friend Amy Helm, and their exciting leap into the cinematic world—including composing the original score and soundtrack for the film RUN (directed by Melissa Miller Costanzo). Finally, Byron shares his perspective on the concept of "endurance" and what it takes to survive the long-distance race of the music industry. Topics Covered in This Episode: The Shift in Scale: Transitioning from the massive arena stages of The Lumineers to the unique, electric magic of intimate rooms. Creative Longevity: The secret to maintaining a thriving creative partnership since the late 1990s. The Spirit of Woodstock: The profound creative chemistry of recording in the presence of Levon Helm and the undeniable magic of his legendary barn. Friendship & Production: Navigating the delicate balance of having a close friend, Amy Helm, step into the role of producer. From Songwriting to Cinema: Scoring the film RUN, crafting its soundtrack, and blending Americana songwriting with narrative-driven screen composition. The Long Distance Race: How to endure, evolve, and define your legacy in the modern music industry. __ About Lost Leaders: Rooted in timeless songcraft and shaped by story, Lost Leaders is an Americana-leaning project that bridges the worlds of music and film. Critically acclaimed by Relix and No Depression, the duo's expansive sound spans from their breakout single “I'm Gonna Win” and the Top 100 Americana radio hit “Long Way Down” to their latest creative heights on the album Hungry Ghosts. Connect with Lost Leaders: Instagram: @lostleadersmusic Follow Jrodconcerts Media: Instagram: @Jrodconcertsmedia Twitter/X: @Jrodconcerts Website __ Support The Show: Apple Pay: Whether you're shopping online for everyday needs or treating yourself, skip the hassle. Shop with Apple Pay. Terms apply. https://www.apple.com/apple-pay Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

By 1971, The Band was one of the most influential forces in rock music, having steered the genre away from psychedelic excess toward a more rustic, roots-based sound. However, the recording of their fourth album, Cahoots, was a period of high tension within the group.  Despite these fractures, the album's opening track, "Life is a Carnival," stands out as a masterpiece of groove and atmosphere, drawing on Robertson's real-life experiences working in a traveling circus to paint a vivid picture of life as a relentless "hustle." Let's dive inside the track to examine the individual elements that make it work: the interplay between Levon Helm's "behind the beat" drumming, Rick Danko's fretless bass, Robbie Robertson's funky guitar work, and the "calliope" atmosphere created by Garth Hudson's Lowrey organ. And a major highlight is Allen Toussaint's contribution; the New Orleans legend's horn arrangements were written specifically to weave around Robertson's existing guitar solo, resulting in a rhythmic conversation that remains irresistible decades later. This episode is a tribute not just to a great song, but to the enduring legacy of five musicians who changed the landscape of American music. "Life Is A Carnival" Words & Music by Robbie Robertson, Levon Helm & Rick Danko copyright 1971 WC Music Corp and Canaan Music, Inc. All rights administered by WC Music Corp Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today's show, we visit a new exhibition in Fayetteville that honors the legacy of Arkansas' own Levon Helm. Plus, the World Cup is in full swing, so we get up to date on the future USL Championship team coming to the area. And Michael Tilley of Talk Business & Politics joins us with news from the River Valley.

By 1971, The Band was one of the most influential forces in rock music, having steered the genre away from psychedelic excess toward a more rustic, roots-based sound. However, the recording of their fourth album, Cahoots, was a period of high tension within the group.  Despite these fractures, the album's opening track, "Life is a Carnival," stands out as a masterpiece of groove and atmosphere, drawing on Robertson's real-life experiences working in a traveling circus to paint a vivid picture of life as a relentless "hustle." Let's dive inside the track to examine the individual elements that make it work: the interplay between Levon Helm's "behind the beat" drumming, Rick Danko's fretless bass, Robbie Robertson's funky guitar work, and the "calliope" atmosphere created by Garth Hudson's Lowrey organ. And a major highlight is Allen Toussaint's contribution; the New Orleans legend's horn arrangements were written specifically to weave around Robertson's existing guitar solo, resulting in a rhythmic conversation that remains irresistible decades later. This episode is a tribute not just to a great song, but to the enduring legacy of five musicians who changed the landscape of American music. Words & Music by Robbie Robertson, Levon Helm and Rick Danko, Copyright 1971 WB Music Corp and Canaan Music, Inc. All Rights Administered by WB Music Corp. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tony Leone has toured and recorded with bands like Ollabelle and Chris Robinson Brotherhood. He has also worked with a variety of musicians including Levon Helm, Phil Lesh, Anders Osborne, Lou Donaldson and others. In September 2020 he joined the legendary band Little Feat. Tony is active on the New York City jazz scene where you can catch his quintet at famous clubs like Ornithology and Smalls Jazz Club In this episode, Tony talks about:     Adapting to different musical scenarios     Being honest about styles of music you want to play     Playing with Little Feat and learning the catalogue     The realities of self doubt     Spending time & double drumming with Levon Helm     Following in his father's footsteps     The duality of jazz and classic rock that shaped him     Studying with Art Taylor     Fronting his own jazz group in NY ⁠⁠⁠Here's our Patreon⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Here's our Youtube⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Here's our Homepage

We knew the band room was going to rock last week as soon as we saw Danny Cox was bringing along his life-long buddy, guitarist Bobby Murnahan, who was visiting from Colorado.As noted here earlier, Danny and Bobby have known each other since before grade school. “Our parents attended the same church,” Danny has said, “and we got acquainted in Sunday school.”Almost immediately the youngsters were united by their interest in guitar innovator Chet Atkins. One day after church, Bobby showed up at the Cox house asking Danny to show him some Atkins-style picking.“I showed him what little I knew,” Dan remembers, and Bob took it from there. He and Dan purchased the Chet Atkins Goes to the Movies songbook and Bobby worked out the tunes. “I learned how to play Chet correctly because of his deciphering abilities,” Dan says. Dan and Bob have been good friends ever since. For more on the story of their friendship, see our earlier Flood Watch article by clicking here. About This Song from Last Week's RehearsalAs we noted in an earlier Flood Watch article, “Deep Ellum Blues” — first recorded on Bluebird by The Shelton Brothers (under the pseudonym “The Lone Star Cowboys”) — is all about life in a notorious neighborhood of Dallas.While New Orleans had its French Quarter and Chicago its Bronzeville, in Dallas it was Deep Ellum with its equally sketchy, colorful résumé. In the 1920s, if you walked down the streets on Deep Ellum, you could easily have rubbed shoulders with Blind Lemon Jefferson and Huddie Ledbetter, with Robert Johnson and Bessie Smith (not to mention with gangsters Bonnie and Clyde and Pretty Boy Floyd).Other versions of the song that celebrated this darker side of the Big D were made between 1957 and 1958 by Jerry Lee Lewis for Sun Records, by Bobby Jackson for Gold Air Records, by Mary McCoy & The Cyclones for Jin Records and, later still, by The Grateful Dead, Levon Helm and Rory Gallagher.For more on the history of this terrific Texas tune — as well as about the district of Deep Ellum — see our earlier article by clicking here.More from Flood Guests?Over the years, many guests — visitors like Bob, as well as returning Flood alumni (whom we call “Floodster Emeriti”) — sit in with us at rehearsals, jam sessions and performances. The band's web site devotes a page to a growing list of these guest appearances, with links to the audio and video of their visits. To use this registry, click here to reach the page, then scroll and click on an underlined date associated with a guest. On the subsequent page, click on the title of the song to hear the audio or on a video's start arrow to view it. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit 1937flood.substack.com

One especially fascinating figure who intersected with Gordon Lightfoot was named Cathy Smith. As a teenager in Ontario, she'd hooked up (literally and figuratively) with Levon Helm, Rick Danko, and Richard Manuel, then future members of The Band. Before her several-year relationship with the married Gordon Lightfoot, she helped The Band get out of a drug bust and gave birth to a daughter who became known as "The Band baby" since no one was quite sure who the father was.  Want early, ad-free episodes, regular Dumpster Dives, bonus divorces, limited series, Zoom hangouts, and more? Join us at patreon.com/trashydivorces! Want a personalized message for someone in your life? Check us out on Cameo! To advertise on our podcast, please reach out to info@amplitudemediapartners.com. Alicia's Receipts This Wheel's on Fire: Levon Helm and the Story of The Band, by Levon Helm (bookshop.org) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today's show, the world loses Bernard Edwards of Chic, Levon Helm of The Band, & Mr. Green Jeans.For more music history, subscribe to my Spotify Channel or subscribe to the audio version of my music history podcasts, wherever you get your podcasts fromALL MUSIC HISTORY TODAY PODCAST NETWORK LINKS - https://allmylinks.com/musichistorytodayChapters: 00:00 Intro 00:32 What happened on this date in music history03:04 Music award ceremonies that were held on this date in music history03:26 Albums released on this date in music history 04:29 Singles released on this date in music history 05:33 Birthdays of music artists on this date in music history 06:25 Passings of music artists on this date in music history 08:45 What's on tomorrow's episode

In this episode, Charles sits down with Victor Gurbo, a singer-songwriter, guitarist, and guitar builder from Brooklyn, New York. Victor's musical journey began early — literally from infancy, when his father discovered that Traveling Wilburys recordings were the only thing that could calm a crying baby Victor. That early imprinting on Dylan's collaborators set the stage for a lifelong obsession with live music, particularly the work of Bob Dylan, whom Victor estimates he has seen between 20 and 30 times. The conversation opens with Victor recounting his very first concert at age nine — an Arlo Guthrie show in Martha's Vineyard — a memory that exists more in fragments than in full, including nodding off during parts of the set, only to snap back awake for "Alice's Restaurant." The episode is rich with vivid concert memories. Victor shares stories of seeing Levon Helm multiple times at the Beacon Theatre and Terminal 5, reflecting on how Helm's deep love for his audience was palpable, especially after his battle with throat cancer. Victor also recounts a bittersweet Conor Oberst show in 2008, where he got to hear a then-unreleased song that would later appear on the next album — the kind of "you were there first" moment that makes live music so irreplaceable. But perhaps the most memorable story is the infamous Jack White show at Radio City Music Hall in 2012. After losing their tickets outside the venue and spending an hour on hold with StubHub, Victor and his friend were gifted front-row seats by a compassionate employee — only to watch White cut the show short, apparently unhappy with the audience's energy. For Victor, a performer himself, the experience was deeply personal and left a lasting impression on how he thinks about the relationship between an artist and their crowd. Victor's life as a performer and craftsman are equally compelling. After ordering a custom guitar from legendary New York luthier Rick Kelly — who famously builds instruments from the reclaimed wood of demolished Manhattan buildings — and waiting four and a half years for it to arrive, Victor taught himself to build guitars in the meantime, eventually winning Best Band in Brooklyn at NPR's Battle of the Boroughs in 2013 with an instrument he made himself. Since then, the band has performed at the Brooklyn Academy of Music and Carnegie Hall, where a mid-show equipment failure became the crowd's favorite moment of the night. Most recently, Victor released Gurbo and Company Live 2025, a live album recorded at NYC's Cafe Wha? featuring eight tracks, including covers of Bob Dylan's arrangement of "Rollin' & Tumblin'" and Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues." Victor can be found on all social platforms as Victor V. Gurbo, and his website has upcoming show dates and vinyl copies of his pandemic-era home recording project, Outrun the Invisible Man. BANDS: Amos Lee, Arlo Guthrie, Beach Boys, Beatles, Bob Dylan, Bright Eyes, Conor Oberst, Jack White, Johnny Cash, John Prine, Levon Helm, Mad Meg, Merle Haggard, Neil Young, Phoebe Snow, Scotia Rose, The Cure, The Villalobos Brothers, Traveling Wilburys, U2, Weezer, White Stripes, Willie Nelson. VENUES:  Beacon Theater, Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), Cafe Wha?, Carnegie Hall, China Club, Governor's Ball, Highline Ballroom, Jones Beach, Mercury Lounge, NPR Green Space, Radio City Music Hall, Riot Fest, Terminal 5. PATREON:https://www.patreon.com/SeeingThemLivePlease help us defer the cost of producing this podcast by making a donation on Patreon.WEBSITE - BECOME A GUEST:https://seeingthemlive.com/Visit the Seeing Them Live website and click on the link to fill out a form so we can consider you as a guest on the show.INSTAGRAM:https://www.instagram.com/seeingthemlive/FACEBOOK:https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550090670708

Welcome to AthCastMusic, the music of Athens,Georgia now and then. My name is Marlene SokolStewart, and this is my podcast. Hello, hello,hello, everyone. I hope everyone's doing well.It's been crazy flying around this country withthe TSA crap going on, but... We made it backto Athens fine and I made it here to record thisepisode and I'm very happy about that becausemy guest today is Randall Bramblett and he isa fine, fine musician and an Athenian still ashe moved here in 1970. And he's still here. Myconversation was great. It was just great. RandallBramblett is a singer, songwriter, and multi - instrumentalist,born in Jesup, Georgia, but based in Athens,Georgia. His music is rooted in south funk, blues, R &B, psychedelic punk, jazz, and wherever the hell else he wants to go. His music spans a careerof solo work, collaborations, and being the leaderof the band. He played with the Allman Brothers,Steve Winwood, Bonnie Raitt, Sea Level, WidespreadPanic, Levon Helm, the Atlanta Rhythm section,Delbert McClinton, Betty LeVette, you name it.Because there's just too many people to list.It really is phenomenal what this man has accomplished.He went to UNC with the intent to major in psychologyand to join the seminary. But that was not tobe after hearing artists like James Taylor, CaroleKing, and Bob Dylan and thinking, you know what,I probably could do this. Once he abandoned thatpathway, he moved to Athens to write songs and see how it would carry him. It led to much more than songwriting. It led to a plethora of creativitythat couldn't be stopped. His music continuesto grow like grapes on a vine, always tastingdifferent and always depending on the weather.He probably says yes, too many times and playswherever time will take him. We talked about beginning his music, when he went to UNC, how he got involved with Sea Level, Steve Winwoodand some of these other artists and just howhis life has been since he started this wonderful journey. So here is my lovely conversationwith Randall Bramblett.

Enjoying Frets? Send me an email.I've been a fan of Kevin's music for a long time and it was great to catch up with him recently. We talked about his early days growing up in Louisiana, his early punk band, his move to Nashville, and also the musicians, including Keith Richards, Scotty Moore, Levon Helm, Webb Wilder and Irma Thomas who've performed his songs. Stay tuned for more music and great stories from a very gifted musical artist. An interview with Kevin GordonPhoto by John Partipilo. You can view John's beautiful work here.Save on Certified Pre-Owned ElectronicsPlug has great prices on refurbished electronics. Up to 70% off with a 30-day money back guarantee!Euclid Records – Buy and sell records.A gigantic selection of vinyl & CDs. We're in St. Louis & New Orleans, but are loved worldwide!Subscribe for FREE at YouTubeFind extras like Frets YouTube Shorts & videos. Your FREE subscription helps keep the podcast going.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Thanks for listening to Frets with DJ Fey. You can follow or subscribe for FREE at most podcast platforms.And now, Frets is available on YouTube. There are a lot of fun extras like videos and shorts and audio of all episodes. Subscribing for FREE at YouTube helps support the show tremendously, so hit that subscribe button! https://www.youtube.com/@DJFey39 You can also find information about guitarists, bands and more at the Frets with DJ Fey Facebook page. Give it a like! And – stay tuned…Contact Dave Fey at davefey@me.com or call 314-229-8033

The Band -Music From Big Pink (Capitol Records)Released- July 1-1968 Music from Big Pink by The Band is widely considered one of the most influential American albums of the late 1960s. Produced by John Simon, the record introduced a sound rooted in country, gospel, blues, and folk rather than the psychedelic style dominating the era. The group's classic lineup—Robbie Robertson, Levon Helm, Rick Danko, Richard Manuel, and Garth Hudson—created a uniquely collaborative identity built around shared vocals, understated musicianship, and rich keyboard textures.Songs such as “The Weight,” “Tears of Rage,” and “I Shall Be Released” blended spiritual imagery, storytelling, and roots traditions into a deeply human musical statement. Drawing inspiration from their time working with Bob Dylan and living together near Woodstock, the album helped establish the foundations of what would later be called Americana. Its earthy authenticity and ensemble approach influenced artists from Eric Clapton to George Harrison and remains a landmark in rock history.

Jericho was the first Band studio album in sixteen years, and by the time it arrived a lot had changed. Richard Manuel was gone. Robbie Robertson was gone. What remained were Levon Helm, Rick Danko, and Garth Hudson, joined by Jim Weider, Randy Ciarlante, and Richard Bell, trying to figure out what The Band could still sound like in the 1990s. In this episode, I take a look at how Jericho finally came together after years of touring, a failed attempt at a record, and more than a little loss along the way. We talk through the songs, the players who helped make the album, and what was happening around the band when they stepped back into the studio. It's not a return to the past. It's a later chapter. A record made by musicians who had already lived through the legend and were still trying to keep the music going. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on RITY... For The Featured Five Theme, I'm playing songs that mention Christmas, but are not Christmas songs... A Stones song that's based in the American South, but inspired by the Caipira people of Brazil... Burton Cummings of The Guess Who shares the backstory behind "These Eyes"... A song by The Goo Goo Dolls that Johnny Rzeznik wrote about MTV VJ Kennedy... A rare tribute to Peanut Butter done by The J. Geils Band in the mid 70s... Levon Helm's response to an Elton John song that's named after him... A Top 40 hit inspired by a series of teen suicides in Pennsylvania during the early 80s... Deep cuts from John Prine, King Curtis, Willie Murphy & Jon Koerner, Hard Working Americans, and much more! For more info on the show, visit reelinwithryan.com

Jim Keller started in the music industry as part of Tommy Tutone, writing the hit '867-5309/Jenny', then the bands career sank and he left performing, landing as an assistant and then manager for Phillip Glass, Nico Muhly, Ravi Shankar, and others, before 'retiring' and returning to making music by hosting jam sessions with members of The Black Crowes, Levon Helm's band, The Beach Boys, The Wallflowers, The Lumineers, and more. We talk to Jim about the realities of 'crashing and burning', the business and creative divide, the power of honesty, knowing your role, showing up, and a whole lot more.Get more access and support this show by subscribing to our Patreon, right here.Links:Jim KellerTommy TuToneAdam MinkoffTony LeoneNonesuch RecordsEp 46 - Mary Chapin CarpenterEp 16 - Rodney CrowellPhilip GlassByron IsaacsChris MastersonNico MuhlyRachel PortmanAudley FreedLilly WinwoodClick here to watch this conversation on YouTube.Social Media:The Other 22 Hours InstagramThe Other 22 Hours TikTokMichaela Anne InstagramAaron Shafer-Haiss InstagramAll music written, performed, and produced by Aaron Shafer-Haiss. Become a subscribing member on our Patreon to gain more inside access including exclusive content, workshops, the chance to have your questions answered by our upcoming guests, and more.

Let's celebrate Thanksgiving 1970s-style, by watching Martin Scorsese's concert documentary of the last performance by The Band (or at least the Band with Robbie Robertson still part of it). It's not just a concert, of course--it's a meditation on the end of the 1960s counterculture, bookending Scorsese's earlier work in Woodstock. We also have an interview with Mary's mother about cinematography, editing, and keeping up with music when you age out of youth culture. Starring Rick Danko, Levon Helm, Garth Hudson, Richard Manuel, Robbie Robertson, Eric Clapton, Neil Diamond, Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, The Staples, Dr. John, Muddy Waters, Paul Butterfield, Ronnie Hawkins, Ringo Starr, Ron Wood. Directed by Martin Scorsese. This is a reposting of a recent episode without any copyright issues, to get past YouTube's blocker.

On this episode of Talking Guitars on JohnnyBeaneTV, we opened with a heartfelt tribute to the legendary Steve Cropper, whose family announced his passing today. I share the story of meeting him nearly 30 years ago at the guitar shop I worked at—an unforgettable moment with a true icon. Legendary guitarist Steve Cropper — the soulful force behind Booker T. & the MG's, Otis Redding, and the Blues Brothers — has passed away at the age of 84. His son Cameron confirmed the news to Variety on Wednesday. Cropper's influence on Memphis soul is immeasurable. As a guitarist, producer, songwriter, and engineer at Stax Records, he shaped the sound of an era. His tight, tasteful, unmistakable guitar work powered Booker T. & the MG's, while also elevating recordings by Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Sam & Dave, Rufus and Carla Thomas, Eddie Floyd, and more. In 1996, Mojo magazine ranked him the second-greatest guitarist of all time, just behind Jimi Hendrix, praising his metronomic timing, razor-sharp riffs, and perfectly placed licks — always serving the song, never overstaying their welcome. As a songwriter, Cropper co-wrote classics like “Green Onions,” “Time Is Tight,” and “Soul-Limbo,” along with timeless R&B hits including Otis Redding's “(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay”, Wilson Pickett's “In the Midnight Hour” and “634-5789,” and Eddie Floyd's “Knock On Wood.” After leaving Stax in 1970, he continued making history. Booker T. & the MG's reunited into the '90s, backing icons like Bob Dylan, John Fogerty, Neil Young, and Levon Helm. Cropper also became widely known to new generations as the guitarist for The Blues Brothers, appearing on their platinum records and in both films. In 1992, Steve Cropper was rightfully inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Booker T. & the MG's. Then it's off to the workbench! I swap out the strap pins on my TEASE Telecaster, tighten up some screws on a Squier Tele, and Ron jumps in to show off some killer 3D-printed guitar goodies he's been crafting. And somehow… we wrap the night talking about MASSIVE burgers—PermanI Brothers, local burger joints, and the monster creations Ron hunts down. Guess we were starving! Rock, mods, memories, and monster burgers—classic JohnnyBeaneTV energy.

Let's celebrate Thanksgiving 1970s-style, by watching Martin Scorsese's concert documentary of the last performance by The Band (or at least the Band with Robbie Robertson still part of it). It's not just a concert, of course--it's a meditation on the end of the 1960s counterculture, bookending Scorsese's earlier work in Woodstock. We also have an interview with Mary's mother about cinematography, editing, and keeping up with music when you age out of youth culture. Starring Rick Danko, Levon Helm, Garth Hudson, Richard Manuel, Robbie Robertson, Eric Clapton, Neil Diamond, Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, The Staples, Dr. John, Muddy Waters, Paul Butterfield, Ronnie Hawkins, Ringo Starr, Ron Wood. Directed by Martin Scorsese.

Dave Dameshek believes the Steelers should be able to handle the fraudulent Bears. Erik Lawrence of Levon Helm calls in to talk with Randy about this Saturday's Small's Waltz.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dave Dameshek believes the Steelers should be able to handle the fraudulent Bears. Erik Lawrence of Levon Helm calls in to talk with Randy about this Saturday's Small's Waltz.

Mike Delevante recently released his debut album, September Days, on Truly Handmade Records, a label founded by Guy Clark LLC's board of directors (including Grammy-winning author, producer, and filmmaker Tamara Saviano, who fell in love with the album at first listen). Not many artists release their first solo record two decades after their debut album but that's the case for Delevante, who spent the 1990s recording and touring as half of trailblazing Americana duo the Delevantes with his older brother Bob. The duo's acclaimed releases on Rounder and Capitol records in that era made a splash — Long About That Time (Rounder) was the first #1 debut album on Gavin's newly created Americana radio chart —and found them touring with like-minded artists including John Prine, Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle, Levon Helm and others. So, while it's hardly the first musical endeavor for Delevante, September Days is an important step for a musician who'd never put the spotlight directly on himself, until now. Produced by Joe Pisapia, whose production credits include work with Ben Folds, Guster, k.d. lang and many others, the album's shimmering guitars and instantly memorable melodies recall some of the 90's best guitar pop artists (Matthew Sweet, Freedy Johnston, Ron Sexsmith, The Jayhawks and more).  That decision was a long time coming. The Delevante brothers were New Jersey natives who've made Nashville their home since the ‘90s, along with frequent collaborator and co-producer, Garry Tallent of the E Street Band. Mike had shifted gears, focusing on visual arts. Both he and his brother had studied art in college, with Bob also turning more toward visual projects in the 2000s, but Bob had also made three solo records along the way. It was Tallent who got the brothers back into music. He'd enlisted them to sing on his 2019 solo album More Like Me, then invited them to be part of a live show he was doing in Asbury Park with Southside Johnny and special guest Bruce Springsteen. They had such a blast that “I felt myself getting pulled back into it,” Mike says. The result was 2021's A Thousand Turns. Its instantly appealing melodies and trademark sibling harmonies were a welcome return to form for the duo, whose mix of country and rock flowed naturally from brothers who came of age in New Jersey before moving to Nashville.https://www.instagram.com/michaeldelevante/?hl=enhttps://www.facebook.com/mike.delevante/https://mikedelevante.bandcamp.com/album/september-days"Still on the Run" - https://www.fbrmusic.com/@treymitchellphotography @feeding_the_senses_unsensoredfacebook.com/profile.php?id=100074368084848www.threads.net/@treymitchellphotographyftsunashville@gmail.com

Gäster: Jack Moy, Johannes Brenning, Leon Jämtin För 90SEK/mån får du 5 avsnitt i veckan:4 Vanliga AMK MORGON + AMK FREDAG med Isak Wahlberg Se till att bli Patron via webben och inte direkt i iPhones Patreon-app för att undvika Apples extraavgifter:Öppna istället din browser och gå till www.patreon.com/amkmorgon Relevanta länkar: ...3I/ATLAShttps://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/comets/3i-atlas/ ...Levon Helmhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Levon_Helm ...iOS 26https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGztGfRujSE&t=52s ...Filmstadens nya loggahttps://play-lh.googleusercontent.com/ry3GP_U1tFxYpnRKxU7RVRzzcMbM7C0699XiG5dlqfAy6J1aldLsiAIx57uB9RuwJA ...Coca-Colahttps://1000logos.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Coca-Cola-Logo-history.png ...Kevin Rex om smartphoneshttps://www.sydsvenskan.se/skane/utan-mobilen-blev-mina-tankar-mina-egna-igen/ ...Tom Cruise jackahttps://alexgear.com/cdn/shop/files/Tom-Cruise-Biker-Leather-Jacket.jpg?v=1705950249 ...Peaky Blindershttps://cdn.artphotolimited.com/images/647ddd6dbd40b8de8b992582/1000x1000/the-dark-reign-of-the-shelby-family.jpg ...Paul Newmanhttps://www.gentlemansgazette.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Paul-Newman-in-The-Verdict.jpg https://www.gentlemansgazette.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Paul-Newman-and-Tom-Cruise-in-The-Color-of-Money.jpg https://cdn.sanity.io/images/vxy259ii/production/b77686fb8a0cc3087da4cc2775262fbefca05921-800x800.jpg?auto=format&fit=max&q=75&w=800 ...Elons jackorhttps://www.paragonjackets.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Dealbook-Summit-Elon-Musk-Shearling-Leather-Jacket.jpg https://www.leathercult.com/cdn/shop/files/elonmuskleatherjacket_2.jpg?v=1746511050&width=1946 ...Chesterfieldstudionhttps://proce.vn/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/thiet-ke-noi-that-phong-chu-tich-phong-cach-co-dien-11.jpg ...Lil' Waynes snowboardbootshttps://www.instagram.com/p/DNTC96gAbUa/ ...Helly Hansen-Hip Hoparnahttps://www.instagram.com/p/CvpyJmCOPpg/ ...Jay Zs och R Kellys ytterkläderhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEEEKp8_xF4&list=RDZEEEKp8_xF4&start_radio=1...Crazy Townhttps://lastfm.freetls.fastly.net/i/u/ar0/7ce71a5ed5da72971c9e1889e130fd05.jpg ...Predador de Pererecahttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRBu_RLBt1A&list=RDvRBu_RLBt1A&start_radio=1 https://www.reddit.com/r/Brazil/comments/1o7limc/is_predador_de_perereca_about_rape_or_gang_bang/ ...Elaine Eksvärds ursäkthttps://www.instagram.com/p/CTmMHlGM2XB/?img_index=4 Låtarna som spelades var:Hip Hop Drunkies - The AlkaholiksPredador de Perereca - Blow Records, Mc Jhey Alla låtar finns i AMK Morgons spellista här:https://open.spotify.com/user/amk.morgon/playlist/6V9bgWnHJMh9c4iVHncF9j?si=so0WKn7sSpyufjg3olHYmg

Fresh from bringing the spirit of the Midnight Ramble to the High Sierra Music Festival stage, Amy Helm sits down with the hosts for a moving and unflinching conversation about family, recovery, and carrying forward a legacy. Recorded backstage among the festival magic, this episode blends raw honesty with deep musical history.Listen to Amy open up about:The Phoenix Rising: How Levon Helm turned personal crisis into renewal with the legendary Midnight Rambles in his Woodstock barn, sparking his recovery and Grammy-winning resurgence.The Kitchen Meeting That Changed Everything: An encounter between the Helm and Lesh families that inspired Phil Lesh to build Terrapin Crossroads.Holding a Legacy: What it means to carry forward a parent's vision with authenticity. Bringing the Ramble to High Sierra: The first-ever festival Ramble, with Amy's son on drums alongside original band members, capturing the tradition's family spirit.Phil Lesh as Mentor: How Phil guided her into the Grateful Dead songbook and gave her permission to reinvent songs in her own voice.Writing Silver City: Turning her own stories—and the story of a young fan lost to addiction—into songs of resilience, honesty, and self-discovery.Festivals, Family, and Community: Why inclusive, non-pretentious festivals matter more than ever in an industry full of “taste-makers.”Equal parts storytelling and testimony, Amy Helm's words remind us that music is more than entertainment — it's survival, legacy, and the thread that binds communities together.HIGHLIGHTS“The whole thing about holding a legacy… it doesn't matter whether your dad was a carpenter or a drummer. What matters is how other people are remembering it and feeling filled up by it.” — Amy Helm on carrying forward Levon Helm's vision“The Midnight Rambles were about recovery — physically, spiritually, financially. My dad started with 20 people just to pay the electric bill, and from there he got his voice back, his career back, and won three Grammys.” — Amy Helm on the rebirth of Levon Helm“Phil showed me that these songs were meant to be rediscovered in every fraction of every moment. That gave me permission to find my own way into the Grateful Dead tradition.” — Amy Helm on Phil Lesh as mentorSHOWSJoin Amy Helm w/ The Helm Family Midnight Ramble at the Levon Helm Down Home JubileeOctober 18, 20025 -  Marvell, ARCatch the remaining 2025  "Midnight Ramble" shows at Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock, NY on Nov 1, 28 and New Year's Eve!Check the calendar of other artists appearing at the venue in 2025 including Tales From The Green Room guests Sam Grisman (Sam Grisman Project) on October 21 and Eric Johnson (Fruit Bats) on Halloween.MUSICMoney On 7, Amy Helm – Available on Tidal – High Fidelity Music Streaming                                              Music and Lyrics by Amy Helm, JT NeroCotton And The Cane, Amy Helm – Available on Tidal – High Fidelity  Streaming                                              Music and Lyrics by Amy Helm, Mary Gauthier     LINKS                Amy Helm Official WebsiteLevon Helm Studios - Home Of The Midnight RambleHigh Sierra Music Festival

In this episode, we revisit The Band's unexpected 1983 reunion six years after The Last Waltz. With Robbie Robertson absent, Levon Helm, Rick Danko, Richard Manuel, and Garth Hudson came together once again, proving their music still carried power and soul. We trace their individual journeys in the late '70s and early '80s, the spark that brought them back, and the raw energy of their “The Band Is Back” tour. From theatre gigs and surprise Bob Dylan appearances to sold-out shows across Canada, Japan, and the U.S., this was more than a comeback, it was a second life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Trombone Corner Podcast is brought to you by Bob Reeves Brass and The Brass Ark.  Join hosts Noah and John as they interview Tom "Bones" Malone.   About Tom : Tom “Bones” Malone, trombonist, multi-instrumentalist, arranger & producer is best known for his work with The Blues Brothers, David Letterman Show and Saturday Night Live. Tom has played on 4,400+ television shows, 3,500+ radio & television commercials, over 1,500 recordings and thousands of live performances throughout the world. Tom has done 3,000 arrangements for television.   Tom plays trombone, tuba, bass trombone, contrabass trombone, euphonium, bass trumpet, trumpet, flugelhorn, piccolo trumpet, alto sax, tenor sax, baritone sax, flute, piccolo, alto flute and bass flute.   “Tom Bones Malone, a multi-instrumentalist, is perhaps the most successful musician in the history of film, live television and sound recording production.” - Ray Hair, president, American Federation of Musicians   Tom has performed, recorded and/or arranged for Ray Charles, James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney, Gil Evans, Yes, Miles Davis, Beck, Aretha Franklin, Spyro Gyra, Jimmy Cliff, Frank Zappa, Stuff, The Temptations, The Supremes, Sting, Elton John, James Taylor, J Giels Band, Blood Sweat & Tears, The Band, Levon Helm, Phil Collins, Wilson Pickett, Sam & Dave, Ben E. King, The BeeGees, Meco, The Coasters, Bon Jovie, Carly Simon, Dr. John, Olivia Newton-John, Joe Cocker, The Meters, The Neville Brothers, Leo Sayer, Boz Skaggs, Chuck Berry, Robert Plant, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Gypsy Kings, Willie Nelson, Clint Black, Dolly Parton, George Benson, B B King, Vince Gill, John Mayer, Steve Winwood, The Killers, Blues Traveler, The Stylistics, Busta Rhymes, Bonnie Raitt, Bruce Springsteen, Al Green, Gloria Estefan, Garth Brooks, Faith Hill, Eddie Harris, Cyndi Lauper, David Bowie, ‘N Sync, Coolio, Snoop Dog, 50 Cent, Solomon Burke, Steely Dan, Aerosmith, Tony Bennett, Mary J. Blige, Peter Frampton, Lyle Lovett, Etta James, Jon Secada, Joe Cocker, Sinead O'Conner, Toni Braxton, Harry Connick, Jr., Randy Newman, Little Richard, Pointer Sisters, Eric Clapton, Billy Preston, Marvin Gaye, Whitney Houston, Chaka Kahn, Four Tops, Elephant's Memory, Eddie Floyd, Count Basie, The Spinners, The Stylistics, Barry Manilow, Jose Feliciano, Woody Herman, Tom Petty, Macy Grey, Van Morrison, Frankie Valli, Hanson, Peggy Lee, Brenda Lee, Liza Minelli, Cab Calloway, The O'Jay's, Nancy Wilson, Shirley Bassey, Billy Joel, Bonnie Tyler, Lou Reed, Baja Men, Dr. Buzzard's Savannah Band, Joss Stone, Dionne Warwick, Meatloaf, Ashford & Simpson, Pat Metheny, David Sanborn, Luther Vandross, Teddy Pendergrass, Glen Campbell, Malo, Vicki Sue Robinson, Mandrill, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Diana Ross, Average White Band, Dreamgirls, Van McCoy, Mongo Santamaria, Instant Funk, Stephanie Mills, Herbie Mann, Paul Simon, Gloria Gayner, Plácido Domingo, Village People, Bobby Blue Bland, Pink Floyd, Hubert Laws, Tina Turner, Joe Jackson, Chuck Mangione, Lou Rawls, David Byrne, Phil Woods, James Ingram, Hank Crawford, Carmen McRae, Bette Midler, Phoebe Snow, Rupert Holmes, BJ Thomas, Samantha Sang, Al Jarreau, Sheena Easton, Johnny Taylor, Little Milton, Stanley Clark, Little Anthony & The Imperials, Joe Pesche, Ron Carter, Buddy Rich, Les Elgart, Larry Elgart, Billy Cobham, Louis Bellson, Stanley Turrentine, Gato Barbieri, Ringo Starr, Lady Gaga, Bob Geldoff, Debbie Harry, Run DMC, Ricky Martin, John Mellencamp, Eurythmics, Rufus Thomas, Debby Harry, Run DMC, Ricky Martin, Shaggy, John Mellencamp, Chris Montez, Joey Dee, Dusty Springfield, The Blues Brothers, Hanson and many others.

Today on part one the Rarified Heir Podcast, we speak to Sharyn Felder, daughter of one of the greatest songwriters of the 20th century, Doc Pomus. While you may not know the name Doc Pomus, you absolutely know his songs. Everyone from Elvis Presley, Dolly Parton, Bruce Springsteen, Ray Charles, Leonard Cohen, Dr. John, B.B. King have all recorded Doc Pomus songs…the list goes on and on. And we'll get to those songs he wrote shortly. On the day we spoke to Sharyn, it was release day of a new box set of her father's music, You Can't Hip a Square: The Doc Pomus Songwriting Demos on Omnivore Recordings, a six-CD set of lost, archival tracks that are a fascinating look into Doc's music and his voice. We also get to hear the back story of how the music survived, the family archive  as well as some famous people who also sang on the demos as well as the famous names whose sides didn't survive. Along the way we discuss more famous and infamous characters who were part of Doc's inner circle and those who sought out his help when the ships were down. And let us tell you, it's one hell of a list. Like who?  Robbie Robertson and Levon Helm when they were in Ronnie Hawkins band, Bob Dylan at a creative low point , Dr. John when he was struggling to quit heroin, Phil Spector, Bobby Darin, Otis Blackwell and many more. Somehow we concluded part one with a tale about the Runyon-esque existence her father lived to the fullest and the literal death of a clown. It's funny/not funny. Take a listen to this episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast.

Our guest Wednesday August 13, is Ragged Union. This tight bluegrass ensemble has toured the US, UK, and China, since 2013, has released 4 studio albums and one live album. Whether you like traditional sounding grass or something with a more syncopated progressive feel, I think this will check all the boxes for you. Ragged Union also tosses in their own take on some cover tunes by artists from Levon Helm, to the Marshall Tucker Band.Their latest release is called Pyramid Stars, and you should check it out in the coming weeks to whet your appetite for a deliciously Bluegrassy evening of music and conversation with Ragged Union.

WBZ NewsRadio's Drew Moholland reports. 

Multi-instrumentalist Grasshopper revs up some stories about working with The Band legendarians Garth Hudson and Levon Helm; how Mercury Rev was once booted off stage by the mayor of Denver for being too loud; and the time he lunched with psychedelic drug evangelist Dr. Timothy Leary. Find Mercury Rev tour dates and music: https://www.mercuryrev.com Mercury Rev on IG: @theMercuryRev --- ***http://distrokid.com/vip/tmep*** Too Much Effing Perspective is grateful to be sponsored by DISTROKID - the best way for Musicians, Songwriters, Producers, DJs to get their original music into Spotify, Apple, TikTok, and all the major platforms. Get the VIP treatment that you and your music deserve AND get 30% OFF your first year subscription to DISTROKID at this special link. ***http://distrokid.com/vip/tmep*** --- Get in touch with Too Much Effing Perspective Contact us: hello@tmepshow.com Website: https://tmepshow.com Social: @tmepshow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Guests: Steven Lewis, author of Richard Manuel: His Life and Music, from the Hawks and Bob Dylan to The Band Richard Manuel was a fearless original. Sweetly soulful as a vocalist and endearingly creative as a songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, he was a vital part of some of rock 'n' roll's pivotal moments, including Bob Dylan's controversial move to electric music, Woodstock 1969, and the legendary Last Waltz. For the first time, Manuel's compositions and performances are critiqued with expert commentary in a new book by Steven Lewis—alongside new interviews with family, friends, and fellow musicians, including Eric Clapton and Van Morrison. The story traces Manuel's journey from Stratford, Ontario, to Woodstock, New York, and beyond, beginning with his first band, the Revols, then singing the blues with Robbie Robertson, Levon Helm, Rick Danko, and Garth Hudson in the Hawks. This group would later become the Band. Manuel's influence was profound, his distinctive vocals infusing songs with emotion and depth. His songwriting flourished in classics like “Tears of Rage,” co-written with Dylan, and “We Can Talk.” His keyboard work added a lovable funkiness to the Band's sound, blending elements of rock, folk, country, and blues into what would become the genesis of Americana. Despite the Band's successes, Manuel struggled with personal demons, battling addiction and inner turmoil. Looking beyond his human frailty, this book celebrates Richard Manuel's immeasurable contributions to music, ensuring that memories of his voice and artistry endure. For more info, check out my review of the book published by NYSMusic.com - https://nysmusic.com/2025/06/06/the-bands-talented-and-troubled-richard-manuel-profiled-in-new-biography/"Reading is Funktamental" is a monthly one-hour show about great books written about music and music-makers. In each episode, host Sal Cataldi speaks to the authors of some of the best reads about rock, jazz, punk, world, experimental music, and much more. From time to time, the host and authors will be joined by notable musicians, writers, and artists who are die-hard fans of the subject matter covered. Expect lively conversation and a playlist of great music to go with it. "Reading Is Funktamental" can be heard the second Wednesday of every month from 10 – 11 AM on Wave Farm: WGXC 90.7 FM and online at wavefarm.org. It can also be found as a podcast on Apple, Spotify and other platforms.

Six String Hayride Classic Country Podcast, Episode 59, The Steve Cropper Episode. The Son of Missouri farmers falls in love with the Guitar Playing of Chet Atkins and Chuck Berry and becomes a cornerstone of STAX Records in Memphis. Steve Cropper becomes the guitarist, arranger, producer, and songwriter for American Classics like Green Onions, In The Midnight Hour, Knock on Wood, 634-5789, and Sitting On The Dock Of The Bay. Steve Cropper and future Willie Nelson Collaborator, Booker T Jones, help failed Country Fiddle Player, Jim Stewart, and his music savvy sister, Estelle Axton, build Soulsville USA, the Legendary STAX Records in Memphis. Cropper becomes a great guitarist and songwriter, collaborating with Booker T Jones, Otis Redding, Sam and Dave, Wilson Pickett, Alabama, Bob Weir, Levon Helm, Wynonna Judd, Dolly Parton, John Prine, Jeff Beck, Lucinda Williams, Neil Young, and The Blues Brothers. Cropper is a guitarist, producer, and songwriter in demand by the greats in ALL types of Music. He is Country Music's BFF and groovy next door neighbor, someone you have heard a lot and someone you should know. Chris and Jim talk about Cropper's life and work, give a good Memphis Dry Rub Recipe, and much suggested listening from Cropper's amazing body of work in Soul, Country, Rock, and Beyond. Lots of "Rawhide" and "Orange Whips" for everyone and all the usual Hayride Fun.

The farmer, the farm, and songs of farming are at the core of this week's theme show, an encore presentation from 2017. Whether the songs' focus is that of the hard-working folk of the farm, the raw materials, or the nostalgic reminders of life on the farm, we'll push forward the playlist plough and take you to the barn for an early morning celebration with performers including bluegrass from James King, gritty Americana from Levon Helm and Bill Neely, core country from Bobby Bare and Porter Wagoner, or maybe some field recordings from the 20s featuring the likes of the Carolina Tar Heels…all of this music going Back On The Farm.

Producer/bassist Jim Reilley will most likely be remembered as a founding member (along with musical partner Reese Campbell) of seminal folk rock band The New Dylans. Founded in 1986,the band barnstormed the US throughout the 90's and won critical praise from Rolling Stone (who called their songs “offbeat classics”) and virtually every other major music publication and major newspaper. The Village Voice placed the band in the top 5 Ep's of 1986 in their prestigious Pazz and Jop Poll. The band won the hearts and minds of many fans in the then burgeoning AAA American radio format and had several feature spots on important tastemaking radio shows including NPR's All Things Considered, Idiot's Delight with Vin Scelsa, Partridge Family Imp Danny Bonaduce's WLUP show, Mountain Stage, WXPN's World Café and Acoustic Café. Michael Stipe of R.E.M. proclaimed The New Dylans his favorite band of 1986 and Natalie Merchant (of 10,000 Maniacs) would often jump onstage and sing with the band.After 10 years of solid touring often over 175 dates a year sharing stages with many luminaries including (R&R Hall Of Famers) The Band, Reilley moved to Nashville to sign a writing and production deal with Curb Records. As a songwriter, Reilley had over 60 songs recorded by such artists as Hal Ketchum, Sam Bush, Vince Gill, Lauren Daigle, Hillary Scott, Claudia Church, Leann Rimes, Cowboy Crush, Jana Kramer, Jack Ingram, Lila McCann, Carly Pearce, John Cowsill, Vicki Peterson (The Bangles), Tim O'Brien and had a European hit with Danish Rock legend Peter Belli. In his career, Reilley has produced or made music with Sheryl Crow, Pam Tillis, Lee Brice, Levon Helm, Ethan Hawke, John Osborne, Brothers Osborne, The Fleshtones, Pure Prairie League, Leann Rimes, Rodney Crowell, Shawn Colvin, Rodney Atkins, Cowboy Jack Clement, Lucinda Williams, Ryan Adams & The Cardinals, Uncle Tupelo, Kathleen Edwards, Mary Gauthier, Superdrag, Gillian Welch, Prince's  New Power Generation, Linda Hargrove, Harlan Howard, Jim Lauderdale, Hillary Scott, Jenna Von Oy, Tommy Womack, Carly Pearce, Jana Kramer, Linda Davis, Vince Gill, Cheetah Chrome of The Dead Boys, Vicki Peterson (The Bangles), The Mavericks, Jack Ingram, Tiffany, NRBQ, Patty Larkin, Dave Van Ronk, Leah Andreone, Diamond Rio, Hank Williams Jr, Jett Williams, Shel Silverstein, Townes Van Zandt, Richie Havens, Al Perkins, The Story, Kasey Chambers, Del McCoury Band, Minton Sparks, Joy Lynn White, Sam Bush, David Mead, Daniel Tashian, members of The Jayhawks, Wilco, Genesis, Cheap Trick, Buckcherry, The Milk Carton Kids, Lake Street Dive, Blondie, John Mellencamp, Foo Fighters, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, The Doobie Brothers, Counting Crows, The Wallflowers, Joe Perry Band, The Black Crowes, Old Crow Medicine Show, The Bangles, Ben Folds, Alabama Shakes, Jack White band, Ten Years After, The Black Keys, The Band, The Beach Boys, 10,000 Maniacs, R.E.M. and more.www.producerjimreilley.com"Still on the Run" - https://www.fbrmusic.com/Host - Trey MitchellIG - treymitchellphotography IG - feeding_the_senses_unsensoredFB - facebook.com/profile.php?id=100074368084848Threads - www.threads.net/@treymitchellphotographySponsorship Information/Guest Suggestions  -  ftsunashville@gmail.com

Haegri Dagurinn, Levon Helm, Peter Cushingn & A Whole Lotta PainPlaylist: J.G. Thirlwell - No VacancyThe Dik Van Dykes - Road WarriorShadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet - Spy School Graduation ThemeCandygirl - Jacky BoyThe Rage - I've Got Your NumberRonnie Hawkins - Mary JaneRoy Clark - Spooky MoviesClass - First To Finish LastThe Go-Devils - EndMoron's Morons - Slash DanceForbidden Dimension - AnnabelThe Bureaucrats - Feel The PainSatan's Pilgrims - The JuggernautVicky & The Vengents - Sha NaEbba Gron - TotalvagraTommy & The Commies - Hurtin' 4 CertainSuburban Lawns - JanitorThe Phantom Surfers - OrbitronThe Parkades - The Man InsaneAlien Nosejob - RnR Rubbish BinU.K. Subs - Down On The Farm

A talk with author Stephen Lewis about Richard Manuel of The Band. We explore Manuel's musical legacy, his life story, and his heartbreaking end.  Purchase a copy of Richard Manuel: His Life and Music, from the Hawks and Bob Dylan to The BandVisit Stephen Lewis's websiteListen to Stephen Lewis's podcast Talk From The Rock Room ---------- BookedOnRock.com The Booked On Rock Store The Booked On Rock YouTube Channel Follow The Booked On Rock with Eric Senich:BLUESKYFACEBOOKINSTAGRAMTIKTOKX Find Your Nearest Independent Bookstore Contact The Booked On Rock Podcast: thebookedonrockpodcast@gmail.com The Booked On Rock Music: “Whoosh” by Crowander / “Last Train North” & “No Mercy” by TrackTribe

I'm super excited to welcome Bill Payne, founding member of @littlefeat_official, for this week's episode!!  For over five decades, Bill has been playing music and delighting fans with his expert piano and keyboard playing, great vibes and amazing songwriting. Bill is also a legendary collaborator and has played on 100s of albums and toured with a legion of amazing bands in addition to his enduring commitment to the music of Little Feat.  He's toured with The Doobie Brothers, James Taylor, Simon & Garfunkel, Jimmy Buffett and Bonnie Raitt just to name a few. Bill is also a noted photographer and author, and is currently working on a memoir documenting a life in music and his passion for collaboration.Little Feat is still going strong -- producing music full-time -- and are excited about the release of their first studio album in 15 years, Strike Up The Band, out May 9. They're hitting the road in May with tour dates throughout the remainder of the year.Bill is a stellar human with a terrific sense of humor — he's a kind soul with a firm grasp of the history of music and his place in that world — and it's truly an honor to share this interview with all of you!!  Enjoy!!Show Notes:New Little Feat album, Strike Up The Band, out May 9!!More info on Little Feat and tour dates, click here For more info on Bill Payne's artistic and creative efforts, click here for Bill's website:  Bill Payne CreativeDon't forget to please leave a review describing what you enjoyed most about this episode!!  Thanks for listening!!  =============================For more information on Roadcase:https://linktr.ee/roadcasepod and https://www.roadcasepod.comOr contact Roadcase by email:  info@roadcasepod.comRoadcase theme music:  "Eugene (Instrumental)" by Waltzer  

Zac Wilkerson is a SOUL ROCKER from the COUNTRY. Powerful, soulful vocals and a driving guitar style combine with poignant songwriting to deliver a new take on Americana, Soul, Country, and Rock.Wilkerson cut his musical teeth in a country church where he started singing at 4. At a young age, he discovered his parents' country, soul, Motown, rock, and folk records, creating a musical foundation with as much variety as passion. By 12 he played several instruments, including piano and guitar, which led to songwriting that same year. The musical voice that has evolved since is a fresh take on Rock, Soul, Country and Americana evoking Aretha Franklin, Bill Withers, Bonnie Raitt, and Levon Helm.Catch Zac Wilkerson on Tour: https://www.zacwilkersonmusic.com/shows

Levon Helm's move to Capitol Records in the early '80s was his final shot at keeping his musical vision alive. His bold choice to record at the iconic Muscle Shoals Sound Studio represented his commitment to authentic Southern rock at a time when synth-pop and MTV hits dominated the airwaves. Featuring a remarkable lineup of musicians, his second solo album, simply titled "Levon Helm," embodied his dedication to musical honesty over commercial success. Songs like "You Can't Win 'Em All" and "Money" showcase Helm's gritty realism and uncompromising style. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're thrilled to have a true legend of American roots music on The Someone You Should Know Podcast! He is a multi-instrumentalist, an award-winning producer, and an essential figure in The Band's history, having collaborated with legends like Levon Helm, Rick Danko, Graham Parker, and Jose Feliciano. For over 25 years, his group, Professor Louie & The Crowmatix, has been producing exceptional music that preserves the essence of roots and blues. In this episode, we will highlight tracks from their latest album, Crowin' Around. Prepare for an incredible journey through music history. Please join me in welcoming my new friend, Professor Louie. He's Someone You Should Know Click here to buy Rik Anthony a cold one.Show Links:Click here to go to Professor Louie's WebsiteClick here to go to Professor Louie's FacebookClick here to go to Professor Louie's Twitter/XClick here to go to Professor Louie's YouTube ChannelClick here to hear Woodstock Rockin' Review on WKZE-FMClick here to hear the album "Crowin' Around"All music used with permission from the artistSomeone You Should Know 2025 // CatGotYourTongueStudios 2025Feedback: Send us a text.How to Contact Us:Official Website: https://Someoneyoushouldknowpodcast.comGmail: Someoneyoushouldknowpodcast@gmail.comTwitter: @RIKANTHONY1Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rikanthonyInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/someoneyoushouldknowpodcast/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rik-anthony2019/TikTok: @SomeoneYouShouldKnow2023YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@someoneyoushouldknowpodcastThank you for listening!Theme music "Welcome to the Show" by Kevin MacLeod was used per the standard license agreement.

This week, musicians born into powerful family musical traditions recorded live at the Ozark Folk Center State Park. Also, commentary from some of these living legacies. Legacy is something handed down from the past. The tradition of folk music and culture is rooted in legacy. Musical legacies can exist in the form of songs, melodies, musical instruments, styles of playing, and sometimes even people. A musician born into a powerful family music tradition may find themselves a living connection to that legacy for thousands of fans. On this week's show, we feature some of these living legacies: Amy Helm; A.J. Croce; Carlene Carter; Dale Jett; and Thom Bresh. Amy Helm is an American singer-songwriter and daughter of The Band drummer Levon Helm and singer Libby Titus. She is a past member of the Levon Helm's Midnight Ramble Band and Ollabelle, as well as her own touring band. Born in Woodstock, New York, Amy spent her childhood between Woodstock, Los Angeles, and New York City. She attended Trinity High School where she studied jazz with Dr. Aaron Bell, while singing in bands, and playing in New York City clubs and bars. A lifelong musician and music-lover, Helm's parents guided her training and influences. She later became a founding member of the alt-country collective Ollabelle and served as a backing musician in her father's Midnight Ramble Band. Adrian James "A.J." Croce is an American singer-songwriter. He is the son of singer-songwriters Jim Croce and Ingrid Croce. A.J. Croce has been inextricably linked to a version of his own story by virtue of his name. He's experienced a lifetime of comparisons to a father he lost at age two, whose music bears little resemblance to his own output yet still serves as a reference point despite the years that have passed and the many iconic mentors who have stepped in to offer their counsel, creativity, and endorsement throughout his long career. Carlene Carter is an American country singer and songwriter. She is the daughter of June Carter of the famed Carter Family and her first husband, Carl Smith. She became the step-daughter of Johnny Cash. Between 1978 and the present, Carter has recorded twelve albums, primarily on major labels. In the same timespan, she has released more than twenty singles, including three No. 3-peaking hits on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. Dale Jett is a proud bearer of the Carter Family musical legacy. Son of Jeanette Carter and grandson of A.P. and Sara Carter, Dale performs songs from the Carter Family song book with his group “Hello Stranger.” With his wife Teresa on bass, and Oscar Harris on auto harp, Dale keeps the music of his family tradition alive and relevant. Thom Bresh has led an incredible, multi-faceted life in the entertainment business. To start, his birth father is guitar royalty, Merle Travis. Thom was raised in California during the golden age of television and worked as a stuntman/actor during his youth. He went on to become one of the premier practitioners of his fathers “thumbpicking” style of guitar. Harnessing a quick wit and an equally quick set of ten fingers, there is nothing like a Thom Bresh performance. In this week's “From the Vault” segment, OHR producer Jeff Glover offers an archival recording of country music legacy and our very own Mark Jones performing in the banjo style of his famous father Grandpa Jones the tune “Mountain Whippoorwill,” from the Ozark Folk Center State Park archives. In this week's guest host segment, renowned traditional folk musician, writer, and step dancer Aubrey Atwater describes therapeutic music and her role as a musician in a pediatric hospital.

This week, Louisiana old time and traditional Cajun music father-daughter duo the inimitable Dirk Powell with his daughter Amelia recorded live at the Ozark Folk Center State Park in Mountain View, Arkansas. Also, interviews with Dirk. “Dirk Powell is known as a “musician's musician” in the circle of American roots music and beyond. He learned banjo and fiddle from his Kentucky grandfather, James Clarence Hay, and has been a part of the thriving Cajun/Creole music community in Louisiana since his early 20s. He has toured and recorded with musicians such as Joan Baez, Rhiannon Giddens, Eric Clapton, Buddy Miller, Loretta Lynn, and Levon Helm, while his contribution to film has found him collaborating with directors like Anthony Minghella ("Cold Mountain"), Ang Lee ("Ride with the Devil"), and Spike Lee ("Bamboozled"). His solo records, which often combine a traditional foundation with a wide-ranging commitment to emotion and original songs, have had impact around the globe. His original song “Waterbound” has been recorded over 100 times. He is also in demand as a producer and owns his own studio, the Cypress House, on the banks of Bayou Teche near Breaux Bridge, Louisiana. On this performance, Dirk is joined by his daughter Amelia.” - https://www.dirkpowell.org/about In this week's “From the Vault” segment, OHR producer Jeff Glover offers an archival recording of Ozark originals Aunt Lilly Freeze and her son Ervin Freeze singing the gospel classic “Just One Drop,” from the Ozark Folk Center State Park archives. In this week's guest host segment, renowned traditional folk musician, writer, and step dancer Aubrey Atwater deconstructs how melodies are played on the mountain dulcimer.

Amy Helm has had one of the most fascinating lives that any person can have. As you might have guessed from her famous last name, she comes from roots music royalty. Amy Helm is the daughter of Levon Helm, the beloved late drummer for the incredible groundbreaking Canadian American group The Band. She also continues to run and uphold the musical legacy of The Barn, a music venue and recording studio built by her dad and Garth Hudson and served as Levon Helm Studios.In her own career, she has created a new lineage of musical tradition, family, great songwriting, poetry, and a feminine power that emanates off of her. We're talking about her new album, Silver City, but we're also talking about songwriting process and creative writing through letters to women in her life. We're talking about grief, writing about addiction and recovery with Mary Gauthier. We're talking about single parenthood. We're talking about family. We're talking about being on the road. We're talking about how our bodies change over time and how that makes us different as a vocalist and as an artist. Amy Helm generously dives into the emotional storytelling of her new album and the female empowerment she's felt throughout her career and life. Follow Basic Folk on social media: https://basicfolk.bio.link/ Sign up for Basic Folk's newsletter: https://bit.ly/basicfolknews Help produce Basic Folk by contributing: https://basicfolk.com/donate/ Interested in sponsoring us? Contact BGS: https://bit.ly/sponsorBGSpods Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Welcome back to an all-new episode of State of Amorica! Back from our summer sabbatical, we sit down with the legendary Larry Campbell to talk about his latest record, his work with Bob Dylan and Levon Helm and his contributions to The Crowes' "Before The Frost" album. Check it out!

This week, Danielle and Millie discuss THE LAST WALTZ (1978) and MADONNA: TRUTH OR DARE (1991), combining Levon Helm and Robbie Robertson to make the perfect boyfriend, Warren Beatty's death grip on the rights for DICK TRACY, and Van Morrison's kicking ability.  To see a full ISWYD movie list, check out our Letterboxd here: https://letterboxd.com/isawwhatyoudid/films/diary/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices