Podcasts about pravda records

This guest is not what I expected. Welcome jazz saxophonist Chris Greene to the podcast. I was worried that he'd be a jazz snob but he was the exact opposite. He was happy to teach me what he could in an hour podcast. And that included learning how he got into jazz. It all started to make sense to Chris in high school. He went on to study jazz at Indiana, which is where he started playing in bands outside of school for the first time.He formed Chris Greene & New Perspective. He had some definite ideas and plans for that group. He talks about what worked and what didn't. He also talks about how that band ended and the Chris Greene Quartet began. And he avoided playing tenor sax for quite a long time and for a specific reason. But he eventually succumbed to its draw. Chris and I talk about why jazz seems to be open to doing unusual cover songs and some of the unusual ones that he's done. He was also influenced by some very unusual covers by some jazz heavyweights. Chris talks about how the quartet goes about songwriting and the story behind the title of their second album. They have a new album out called Conversance. He discusses that name and the music on the album, including a special song with a connection to his son. We also talk about the writing process which includes road testing their songs. Check out Conversance on Pravda Records. It's their very first jazz release ever! Pick it up through them or wherever you get music. Follow Chris on the socials @chrisgreenejazz. Follow us @PerformanceAnx on socials. Grab our merch at performanceanx.threadless.com or send coffee money through ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. I've managed to steer clear of all jazz puns so far. Let's keep that going with Chris Greene on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At the start of this blistering set, recorded live in Cologne Germany in 1992, saxophonist Maceo Parker declares it will be "2 percent jazz and 98 percent funky stuff." He does not disappoint. This week's guest, Chicago saxophonist Chris Greene (Chris Greene Quartet), joins us to discuss how Parker's 'Life On Planet Groove' got him high and helped inform his own musical journey. Turn it up! Songs discussed in this episode: Shake Everything You've Got (Live) - Maceo Parker; The Emperor Strikes Back, Broken Glass - Chris Greene Quartet; Out Of Sight - James Brown; Do That Stuff - Parliament; If Eye Was The Man In Ur Life - Prince; In Time, Children's World, Southwick, Shake Everything You've Got (Live), Pass The Peas (Live) - Maceo Parker; The Overweight Lovers In The House - Heavy D & the Boyz; Fight The Power - Public Enemy; I Got You (I Feel Good) (Live), Got To Get U (Live) - Maceo Parker; Addictive Love - BeBe and CeCe Winans; Addictive Love (Live), Children's World (Live) - Maceo Parker; Georgia On My Mind - Ray Charles; Georgia On My Mind (Live), Soul Power '92 (Live) - Maceo Parker; The Emperor Strikes Back, Outro - Chris Greene Quartet

Chris Greene is one of Chicago's A-list sax players, and his band, Chris Greene Quartet, just put out their first album in 7 years, “Conversance.”   It's also the first-ever jazz release for long-running local indie label Pravda Records, and it's a win for both parties.   I met Chris at Prairie Moon in Evanston - 1635 Chicago Ave, and owner Rob Strom joined us for conversation over some of the best catfish nuggets and tenders I've ever had. Visit Prairie Moon in person for a full menu that showcases the best of American cuisine. https://www.prairiemoonrestaurant.com/   Chris and I talked about “Conversance” in detail, including its accessibility to new jazz fans. We also talked about his bandmates and how the four of them make amazing music together. Rounding out the Chris Greene Quartet:   Damian Espinosa - piano and keyboards Marc Piane - bass Steve Corley -drums and percussion    Visit Chris online: chrisgreenejazz.com  instagram.com/chrisgreenejazz facebook.com/chrisgreenejazz   ##   Car Con Carne is presented by Easy Automation.   Safety and security are things you and I want, need and expect. What if you could always come home to a well-lighted house knowing that you and everyone inside were safe?   Or know that the package you were waiting on was delivered and secured.   Embrace the future of smart living. Empower your home with intuitive control. Call Dan at Easy Automation for a free, no-hassle quote. 630-730-3728. Or visit easy-automation.net.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Interview with saxophonist Chris Greene For saxophonist Chris Greene, turning 50 was a double milestone. It inspired him to look back on his career and the strides he has made as an independent jazz artist. It also inspired him to reflect on his life as a husband, father and family man. Little did he know how happily those two worlds would collide.   Greene was working at home on music for his excellent new album, Conversance, when his attentive 12-year-old son Alex, a talented pianist and drummer and major Star Wars fan, played a melody for him inspired by one of the tunes his old man was playing. The elder Greene liked it so much, he decided to use it as the A section of the song, a six-measure blues in 6/4 time with a bridge. "It was a perfect fit," he says. "It really made the tune."  Dad properly gave his son a co-writing credit and called the song "The Emperor Strikes Back," also a nod back to Chris' earlier composition, "Future Emperor of Evanston." There are numerous high points on Conversance, but none as high as this one for the older half of this rare father-son collaboration. Greene, the pride of Evanston, Illinois, has been one of the Midwest's most popular jazz artists since his quartet in 2005. The group, featuring pianist Damian Espinosa, bassist Marc Piane and drummer Steve Corley, was voted best jazz band in Chicago in a poll by the alternative weekly, the Chicago Reader. A fan friendly artist with strong ties to the community, Greene has gifted his followers with a trio of mixtapes by the group that were recorded live various clubs and jazz festivals. Those recordings, dubbed Playtime I, II and III serve as sidebars to his regular efforts, as do a pair of subsequent albums released under the tag PlaySPACE. Following the single "Beyhive Traffic Blues," featuring emcee D2G, Conversance is the first-ever jazz release for Pravda Records, a prized indie of eclectic leanings that has been releasing recordings since 1984. It is the Chris Green Quartet's first studio album in seven years.       Chris Greene's Info  chrisgreenejazz.com instagram.com/chrisgreenejazz facebook.com/chrisgreenejazzthreads.com/chrisgreenejazz youtube.com/@chrisgreenejazz

Pravda Records celebrates 40 years of independent music with PRAVDAFEST at Fitzgerald's in Berwyn (6615 Roosevelt) on August 31. The all-day event spans three stages and includes performances from:  Nathan Graham, Steve Dawson, Diplomats of Solid Sound, The Handcuffs, Ivan Julian with Nick Tremulis, Chris Greene Quartet, Sunshine Boys, The Service, the Slugs, Chamber Strings, Cheer-Accident, Allen Hill, Susan Voelz, Brian Krumm & His Barfly Friends, Rex Daisy, Thrift Store Halo, the Swampland Jewels To preview the event, I'm joined by Susan Voelz, Thymme Jones of Cheer-Accident and Scott Schaefer of Pravda. We talk about Pravda's history and impact while eating fantastic food from the always-enjoyable Honey Butter Fried Chicken (3361 N Elston Ave, Chicago, IL 60618). Special thanks to the team there for the spectacular entrees and desserts; I have loved everything I've ever ordered from their menu. __ Transform your living space with cutting-edge home automation. Experience seamless control over audio/video, lighting, climate, security, and more. Embrace the future of smart living – your home, your rules. Get a quote by visiting Easy-automation.net, or call Dan at 630.730.3728See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This episode of Side Projects sees the return of Steve Dawson and Mark Mallman. They join me to discuss song structure. We go over some basic terms and structures that are typical and atypical. We talk about songs like The Wreck Of The Edmunds Fitzgerald by Gordon Lightfoot, Don't Stop Believin' by Journey, Stairway To Heaven by Led Zeppelin, and others. Is a successful song necessarily a GOOD song? Are streaming services, algorithms, & metrics changing pop song structures? Does the music delivery system (records, CD's, streaming) play a part in the song structure that's popular within that system? Steve studies the structure of a Taylor Swift song and Steve and Mark discuss where song structure might be headed in the future. Wrap up talking about Steve's new album, which was recorded live, and Mark's book, new music he's writing, and how this conversation has inspired him. Go to stevedawsonmusic.com or Pravda Records to grab his new album. Follow him @stevedawso on Instagram. Follow Mark Mallman @markmallman on Instagram, TikTok, and X. Follow us @PerformanceAnx on Instagram and X. Grab merch at performanceanx.threadless.com. Send money for coffee at ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. And now get ready to know everything you wanted to know about song structures on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode of Side Projects sees the return of Steve Dawson and Mark Mallman. They join me to discuss song structure. We go over some basic terms and structures that are typical and atypical. We talk about songs like The Wreck Of The Edmunds Fitzgerald by Gordon Lightfoot, Don't Stop Believin' by Journey, Stairway To Heaven by Led Zeppelin, and others. Is a successful song necessarily a GOOD song? Are streaming services, algorithms, & metrics changing pop song structures? Does the music delivery system (records, CD's, streaming) play a part in the song structure that's popular within that system? Steve studies the structure of a Taylor Swift song and Steve and Mark discuss where song structure might be headed in the future. Wrap up talking about Steve's new album, which was recorded live, and Mark's book, new music he's writing, and how this conversation has inspired him. Go to stevedawsonmusic.com or Pravda Records to grab his new album. Follow him @stevedawso on Instagram.Follow Mark Mallman @markmallman on Instagram, TikTok, and X. Follow us @PerformanceAnx on Instagram and X. Grab merch at performanceanx.threadless.com. Send money for coffee at ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. And now get ready to know everything you wanted to know about song structures on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Interview with Steve Dawson 2024. Ghosts is the sixth solo album from Chicago-based musician and songwriter Steve Dawson. It's being released June 7 on venerable Chicago label Pravda Records on CD, 12” LP vinyl, digital download and on streaming platforms. Steve's info  http://www.stevedawsonmusic.com http://www.instagram.com/stevdawso https://www.youtube.com/c/SteveDawsonMusic https://www.facebook.com/steve.dawson1 https://twitter.com/stevejdawson  

Show #1023 Pick Up Some Blues 01. Mick Clarke - Mind Over Matter (2:50) (The Blues, Man, Rides Again, Rockfold Records, 2023) 02. Cary Morin - Big Sky Sun Goes Down (4:03) (Innocent Allies, Maple Street Music, 2023) 03. Ryan T Higgins - Mad Love (I Want You To Love Me) (4:15) (Mad Love, self-release, 2023) 04. Emma Wilson - Drug (3:14) (Memphis Calling, self-release/Select-O-Hits, 2023) 05. Bobby Rush - You're Gonna Need A Man Like Me (3:49) (All My Love For You, Deep Rush Records, 2023) 06. wht.rbbt.obj (White Rabbit Object) - No Rainbows In Indiana (4:40) (Whiskey Hotel Tango, self-release, 2023) 07. Wily Bo Walker & E D Brayshaw - Red Jacket & Jeans (5:07) (Single, Mescal Canyon Records, 2023) 08. Sandy Carroll - Tryin' To Feel Heaven (5:11) (Love On It, Blue Heart Records, 2023) 09. The Wicked Lo-Down - Mind Your Mind (5:01) (We Hot, Jeffrey Records, 2022) 10. Artur Menezes - She Cold (3:35) (AM/FM, Round Hill Records, 2023) 11. Tommy Lee Cook & the Buckingham Blues Band - Dancing With My Baby (5:24) (Tommy Lee's Jonesin', self-release, 2023) 12. Jack's Waterfall - Call Dr. John (3:40) (Call Dr. John, MC Records, 2023) 13. Nathan Graham - Somebody Else (3:09) (Saint Of Second Chances, Pravda Records, 2023) 14. Coyote Kings - The Best You Couldn't Do (4:33) (Hot Mess, TwinLion Records, 2023) 15. Scott Weis Band - Lost Myself (5:08) (Raise Your Hands, self-release, 2023) 16. Ray Bonneville - Made Yourself A Home (3:11) (On The Blind Side, Stonefly Records, 2023) 17. Danielle Nicole - Make Love (3:47) (The Love You Bleed, Forty Below Records, 2023) 18. Tas Cru - One More Time (7:22) (Riffin' The Blue, Subcat Records, 2023) 19. Micke Bjorklof & Blue Strip - Into The Fire (4:13) (Colors Of Jealousy, Hokahey! Records, 2023) 20. Andrew Riverstone - Dust Left Behind (3:52) (Pushing Against The Flow, Atlantic Highway Records, 2023) 21. Willie J. Campbell - Docksidin' (4:08) (Be Cool, Blue Heart Records, 2023) Bandana Blues is and will always be a labor of love. Please help Spinner deal with the costs of hosting & bandwidth. Visit www.bandanablues.com and hit the tipjar. Any amount is much appreciated, no matter how small. Thank you.

For this week's episode, Chicago musician Brian Krumm (The Great Crusades, Brian Krumm and his Barfly Friends) brings us Minneapolis pop purveyors Trip Shakespeare and their 1990 major-label debut 'Across The Universe'.  Songs discussed in this episode: Drummer Like Me - Trip Shakespeare (Live at First Avenue, 1988); Barfly Friends, Just Fade Away - Brian Krumm and his Barfly Friends; Closing Time - Semisonic; Sioux City Swinger - The Twilight Hours; Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana; Elenore - The Turtles; Turtledove, Pearle, Snow Days, Drummer Like Me - Trip Shakespeare; Heavy Metal Drummer - Wilco; Gone Gone Gone, The Slacks, Unlucky Lady, The Nail, The Crane - Trip Shakespeare; Wonderful Tonight - Eric Clapton; Late, Honey Tree - Trip Shakespeare; Wasn't Born Yesterday - Brian Krumm and his Barfly Friends

Kenn Goodman joins us to talk about the long history of Pravda Records. 2024 will be the 40th anniversary of Pravda and Kenn explains how it got this far. We also talk about his musical history and, of course, we chat about all things Chicago.Time stamps:2: When did you start playing music?6:11: You were sneaking into shows as a fake Rolling Stone reporter.10:35: I can do this (make a record label), why not?11:28: Young bravado, or you'd do it all over again?14: When did Pravda become a label that released records for people outside of your band?18:40: Any good Billy Corgan stories?22:15: How do you strike the balance of running the label and playing in bands?25:21: How did you navigate the changing music industry?29:11: With the 90's ethos of not wanting to sell out, was it hard to convince bands to put their music into tv shows and commercials?32: Did you have anybody who was influential in helping you navigate the label waters?35:30: What is your process like for deciding what to put out?40: Have there been releases that you loved that didn't pan out the way you wanted?41: What is a day in the life like for you in running the label?48: If someone puts out a good single, does it really make a difference?49:15: Anything special planned for your 40th anniversary?51:25: Thick or thin crust pizza fan?53: Favorite venue to play shows and favorite venue to see a show at in Chicago?55:21: What makes Chicago a unique music scene?59:20: What is your go to cheap drink?60:23: Are you a Chicago lifer?61:05: When you have friends come to town, where are you taking them? (edited) Message podcast

  Ivan Julian has been one of music's most celebrated players and most in-demand collaborators for more than four decades.   Indeed, Ivan Julian has spent his life soaking up a wealth of experiences, musical and otherwise. The son of a Navy officer, he grew up in such exotic locales as Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, nurturing a sensitive, creative streak that quickly manifested itself musically. At the age of 13, while living in Washington, D.C., he became the singer in a Led Zeppelin  cover band; the following year, he began playing guitar. Having already studied bassoon and saxophone, Julian spent his high school years studying music theory as  a part-time student in a college program. At 19, his wanderlust led him to London, where he joined U.K. R&B hitmakers The Foundations, (Build Me Up Buttercup) with whom he toured throughout Great Britain and Europe. It was during one of these tours that he decided to stay on in Macedonia to absorb and study the musical scales and rhythms that would have a major influence on his playing.     Then Julian returned to the U.S. and settled in New York, just in time to become part of the emerging punk rock movement. A founding member of the seminal Richard Hell and the Voidoids, he was now playing alongside trend-setting punk poet Hell, fabled guitarist Robert Quine and drummer Marc Bell (a.k.a. Marky  Ramone). Julian's instrumental and songwriting contributions to the band's classic  album Blank Generation established him as one of the scene's most acclaimed and influential axemen.  After the Voidoids disbanded, Julian stepped out to form the Outsets as a vehicle for his own vocal and songwriting efforts. Combining rock, funk and  African rhythms, the Outsets became a beloved fixture on New York's burgeoning  club scene, winning considerable critical acclaim for such releases as the debut single  “I'm Searchin' for You”/”Fever,” a self-titled EP produced by Garland Jeffreys and  the posthumously released The Punk/Funk Voodoo Collection. Teaming up with Bush  Tetras singer Cynthia Sley Julian's next band, the Lovelies, won substantial  attention with the release of the Mad Orphan LP. Also, during this time he regrouped with former bandmate Richard Hell to do an extensive tour of Japan.  By this point, Julian's abilities as a collaborator had become sought after by a wide array of acts. He plays on “The Call Up” and “Ivan Meets GI Joe” with The Clash (on their Sandinista album), collaborated with Afrika Bambaataa and Bernie  Worrell of Parliament/Funkadelic. He also joined England's Shriekback for two  tours of North America and Europe. Julian spent much of the 1990s touring and recording with Matthew Sweet.   In recent years, Ivan has concentrated mainly on studio work, producing and/or recording artist such as Sean Lennon and producing three albums by The  Fleshtones. He's also developed his recording studio, SuperGiraffeSound into one of New York's hottest new recording facilities, working with numerous local, national and international bands.  His solo LP, The Naked Flame was named one of the best records of the year by several trade magazines in Europe and the states including Trouser Press. Soon after came The Fauntleroys EP, Below the Pink Pony, a collaboration with Alejandro Escovedo, Nick Tremulis and Linda Pittman.     His newest album ‘Swing Your Lanterns' is available on PRAVDA Records. The songs encompass his experiences of the past five years and more; Some of which, we have all lived through.  Ivan's Info Web site home Spotify  5jcYTu6SCsjZnl4AEL5Rc2    

Ivan Julian in conversation with David Eastaugh  Julian is now releasing Swing Your Lanterns, his latest solo offering. Ivan's had a long and distinguished career as a provocative songwriter and one of New York City's most distinctive guitar stylists. As a founder member of Richard Hell & The Voidoids, Julian was an essential part of the original Punk scene while sowing the seeds for Post-Punk with the pointedly lopsided rhythms structures and scorched, askew guitar lines that comprised the Voidoids' oeuvre. Swing Your Lanterns is being released by Pravda Records as download, CD, 12” vinyl LP and on streaming platforms. I hope you'll consider covering him via an interview, feature, news item or album review. Let me know if you need a download or CD.

Email: audioofftheshelf@gmail.com. Instagram: @audioofftheshelf Twitter: @AOTS204 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/audioofftheshelf Nirvana. “Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge On Seattle.” In Utero. DGC, 1993. CD. LP. Negativland. “Michael Jackson.” Escape From Noise. Seeland, 1987/1999. CD. LP. Let's Go Bowling. “Jesse Jackson.” Let's Go Bowling Does the Spiral Live. Spare Records, 1994. Cassette. EP. The New Duncan Imperials. “Donna Summer Song.” Sticky. Pravda Records, 2000. 2CD. LP. Doucet, Luke. “Judy Garland.” Outlaws. Six Shooter Records, 2004. CD. LP. Copyright Disclaimer under Section 107 of the copyright act 1976, allowance is made for fair use for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favour of fair use.

This is a cool episode. Nora O'Connor joins me for the second time, but it's her first as a solo artist. This time we get a chance to go a bit deeper into her musical past. She talks about being child bartenders at parties her parents would throw where, eventually, everyone would gather together and sing, just for the joy of it. She went to college for music, but mostly for the business side of the industry. She's been a fixture on tour with Neko Case and she discusses how learning bass for Kelly Hogan eventually led to that gig. But that wasn't her first musical credit. That would be a prog song by the band It. Nora also talks about rum and making great decisions.Nora has worked on so many great projects and we touch on quite a lot of them, including Urban Twang, The Blacks, Andrew Bird, & The Flat Five. She's just released her third solo album called My Heart, and it's not just a hit with me, but also with my 18 year old daughter. So she's definitely done something right. Pick it up on Pravda Records. Follow Nora on social media. Follow us @PerformanceAnx. Buy us coffee at ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety or get merch at performanceanx.threadless.com. Reach out on social media or theperformanceanxietypod@gmail.com. Now get ready to learn the secret of Winwoof, by Nora O'Connor on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network.

Zig At The Gig interview with Brad Elvis & Chloe F. Orwell of The Handcuffs   Led by drummer Brad Elvis (Screams, The Elvis Brothers, Big Hello, The Romantics) and vocalist/guitarist/saxophonist Chloe F. Orwell (Big Hello), Chicago's The Handcuffs will be releasing their fourth studio album Burn The Rails. The 13-song album was tracked at Kingsize Sound Labs, Chicago with producer/engineer Mike Hagler (Wilco, Neko Case, Billy Bragg, Mavis Staples, My Morning Jacket, The Mekons). Burn The Rails is being released by Pravda Records in June on CD, download and via streaming platforms and later on 12″ vinyl. For the the new album, The Handcuffs found inspiration from the heady, analog days of early 1970s rock & roll, weaving together elements of glam, indie, garage, art and blues rock. Inhabiting some of the same musical turf as T-Rex, Mott The Hoople, Roxy Music, The Raconteurs, P.J. Harvey, Led Zeppelin, and Patti Smith – all filtered through a modern lens – they deliver bold, sexy songs with memorable melodies and unexpected twists. Guest keyboardist Morgan Fisher (Mott The Hoople) demonstrates his synthesizer and piano prowess on a couple of tracks on the new LP. The relationship with Fisher, a musical hero of the band, began after singer Orwell's rave review of Mott The Hoople's 2018 reunion tour went viral on social media, attracting the attention of Fisher, who got in contact. From there a creative collaboration was sparked, in-spite of an ocean separating the now real-life friends. Finishing the record during the peak of the pandemic and lockdown, gave several of the songs an inadvertent anthem-for-the-times feel – with themes of love and loss, heartache and hope, and even the great ideological divide that was as omnipresent as the virus. Elvis and Orwell formed The Handcuffs from the ashes of Big Hello, their first band together, which released three indie label records and toured from coast to coast. Elvis' career also includes a few major label go-arounds, arena tours, and a backstory that will be documented in a new autobiography in the near future. The duo's eagerness to explore new sonic territory and evolve into an entity that aligned more with their ever-expanding influences and broad range of musical tastes prompted a change. The Handcuffs began as primarily a studio project, in which Elvis and Orwell wrote and recorded an abundance of material. During the process, they realized they missed the live band experience, so The Handcuffs as recording artists and a dynamic live band was born. Completing the line-up are bassist Emily Togni, lead guitarist Jeffrey Kmieciak, and keyboardist Alison Hinderliter, all of whom originate from different parts of the country, but have made Chicago their home. Handcuff's info http://thehandcuffs.com  

Today we welcome Brad Elvis & Chloe F. Orwell of The Handcuff to the show. They have a new album out, Burn The Rails,  that's inspired by 70's rock. It's got big guitars, great vocals, and Mott The Hoople's Morgan Fisher playing some keys! But before we get into all of that, we go deep into Brad's extensive discography. We go so deep that Chloe thinks I'm a wizard. Brad talks about his time with The Elvis Brothers got their name, his very unusual drumming style, how he and Chloe met (it wasn't Farmer's Only, no matter what you've heard), and how Chloe's humorous review of Mott The Hoople's reunion resulted in Morgan Fisher playing with The Handcuffs. Follow the band @TheHandcuffs on social media. But the new album, Burn The Rails, on Pravda Records. Follow us @PerformanceAnx. Pick up merch at performanceanx.threadless.com or get us a coffee at ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. And check out all the other great shows on Pantheon. Now enjoy Brad Elvis & Chloe F. Orwell of The Handcuffs on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network.

On this episode of Analog Smile, Sherry speaks with Brad Elvis and Chloe F. Orwell from The Handcuffs. Led by drummer Brad Elvis (Screams, The Elvis Brothers, Big Hello, The Romantics) and vocalist/guitarist/saxophonist Chloe F. Orwell (Big Hello), Chicago's The Handcuffs, released their fourth studio album Burn The Rails. The 13-song album was tracked at Kingsize Sound Labs, Chicago with producer/engineer Mike Hagler (Wilco, Neko Case, Billy Bragg, Mavis Staples, My Morning Jacket, The Mekons). Burn The Rails was released by Pravda Records in June on CD, download and via streaming platforms and later on 12″ vinyl. For the new album, they found inspiration from the heady, analog days of early 1970s rock & roll, weaving together elements of glam, indie, garage, art and blues rock. Inhabiting some of the same musical turf as T-Rex, Mott The Hoople, Roxy Music, The Raconteurs, P.J. Harvey, Led Zeppelin, and Patti Smith – all filtered through a modern lens – they deliver bold, sexy songs with memorable melodies and unexpected twists. Guest keyboardist Morgan Fisher (Mott The Hoople) demonstrates his synthesizer and piano prowess on a couple of tracks on the new LP. The relationship with Fisher, a musical hero of the band, began after singer Orwell's rave review of Mott The Hoople's 2018 reunion tour went viral on social media, attracting the attention of Fisher, who got in contact. From there a creative collaboration was sparked, in-spite of an ocean separating the now real-life friends. Finishing the record during the peak of the pandemic and lockdown gave several of the songs an inadvertent anthem-for-the-times feel – with themes of love and loss, heartache and hope, and even the great ideological divide that was as omnipresent as the virus. Elvis and Orwell formed The Handcuffs from the ashes of Big Hello, their first band together, which released three indie label records and toured from coast to coast. Elvis' career also includes a few major label go-arounds, arena tours, and a backstory that will be documented in a new autobiography in the near future. The duo's eagerness to explore new sonic territory and evolve into an entity that aligned more with their ever-expanding influences and broad range of musical tastes prompted a change. The Handcuffs began as primarily a studio project, in which Elvis and Orwell wrote and recorded an abundance of material. During the process, they realized that they missed the live band experience, and so The Handcuffs as recording artists and a dynamic live band was born. Completing the line-up are bassist Emily Togni, lead guitarist Jeffrey Kmieciak, and keyboardist Alison Hinderliter, all of whom originate from different parts of the country, but have made Chicago their home. Sherry, Brad, and Chloe chat about ‘Burn The Rails' and much more! Visit thehandcuffs.com for more information.

  Chicago band the Handcuffs will release their finest moment to date on Friday (6/3), “Burn the Rails,” on Pravda Records.   ⅗ of the band joined me to talk about the new album onsite at Sketchbook Brewing in Skokie, which is where the Handcuffs will perform in a few weeks for Pravda Fest:   Friday June 24:  Boom Hank  Hushdrops  Steve Dawson  Josh Caterer    Saturday June 25:  The Handcuffs  Diplomats of Solid Sound  The Service  The Slugs

PravdaFest celebrates the 38th anniversary of Chicago-based Pravda Records on June 24 & June 25. Sketchbook in Skokie is playing host to epic Pravda reunions and performances, including: FRIDAY 6/24 -Boom Hank, Hushdrops, Steve Dawson, Josh Caterer SATURDAY 6/25 -Handcuffs, Diplomats of Solid Sound, The Service, The Slugs Joining me to preview the event and talk Pravda history are Service members and Pravda founders Kenn Goodman and Rick Mosher.

Back in early 2020, Hushdrops, the long-running Chicago-based power trio (John San Juan on guitar and vocals, Joe Camarillo on drums, Jim Shapiro on bass) were slated to go into the studio to finish work on what would become their third full-length record. Then in what's become a recurring theme on this show, plans were put on hold due to the onset of Year One of the pandemic.  While that part of the story is certainly not unique, the story took a sharp and unexpected and tragic turn a year ago. As Year Two of the pandemic kicked off, Camarillo was hospitalized for a stroke and a heart attack. While in the hospital, he suffered and ultimately succumbed to a brain stem stroke. At only 52, the literal backbone of the band was taken much, much too soon. After some time, San Juan and Shapiro decided the best way to honor their longtime friend and collaborator was to pull together the album that they'd been working on prior to the pandemic. The problem, obviously, is that it wasn't done yet. As fate would have it, there was a soundboard recording of one of the band's last pre-lockdown shows, a set that included a few new tracks that were intended for the new release but that hadn't made their respective ways to the recording studio yet. What followed was the fascinating (to me, anyway) challenge of recording studio guitar, bass and vocals over the isolated live performance drum tracks for two songs that ended up on the album, creating what is a very unique feel to both those tracks and the album in general. We were lucky enough to catch up with John San Juan to talk about all of this and more. It was the first time we talked, although we've talked about him on a few episodes of (*both laugh*) to date, as he plays bass in the trio that Smoking Popes' Josh Caterer put together for the pair of live albums that he released as bookends in 2021. We talked a lot about Josh, and about Joe, and about mellotrons, and all things in between. Order "The Static" the latest - and last?! - Hushdrops release from Pravda Records here: https://pravdamusic.com/album/2067945/the-static Find "The Static" and all the other Hushdrops releases on Bandcamp here: https://hushdrops.bandcamp.com/ (*both laughs*) theme song is an excerpt from [laughs] track "Hurts To Laugh." © KALI MASI 2021 ℗ Take This To Heart Records 2021

The good ship (*both laugh*) keeps sailing along with our 48th episode, and it features one of our only repeat guests to date. He's the owner of one of my favorite voices in the pantheon of punk rock, and he's also one of my favorite songwriters and one of, in my opinion, the most underrated guitar players in the scene. A triple threat! Anyway, he's the inimitable Josh Caterer, and if you remember back at the beginning of 2021, we chatted about what was to be his first solo release, The Hideout Sessions. It was an album recorded in front of a live stream online audience at an otherwise empty club in Chicago, and it marked the first real appearance of any sort by this particular project, which featured Caterer on guitar and vocals, John Perrin on drums and John San Juan on bass. To mark the release of that album this spring, the band played an album release show, but because all of the clubs were still closed to the public, they did it via live stream and recorded it as an album...AGAIN! If you're keeping score at home, that makes not one but TWO live albums recorded before actually playing a show in front of an in-person, human audience. The result of that latter show is The SPACE Sessions, due out next week (December 17th) on Pravda Records. It was recorded at - you guessed it - at SPACE in Evanston, Illinois, and like The Hideout Sessions, it features an interesting mix of songs from Caterer's catalog (via Smoking Popes and, yes, Duvall!!!) and some standards that you might otherwise think of as from the big band era, because they were popularized by the likes of Judy Garland and Sammy Davis Jr. and Elvis Presley and, in the case of "At Last," which happens to be my wedding song...Etta James. The set also closes with Caterer being joined on vocals by his daughter, Phoebe, for an updated take on "Somethin' Stupid," popularized by Frank Sinatra and his own daughter, Nancy. If been even tangentially aware of the punk scene over the course of the last three decades, you're of course aware of a legion of bands that have covered songs from outside the typical punk rock milieu, but they've done them with a fair amount of tongue planted firmly in cheek, as in "oh, isn't it funny/ironic that we're playing this song this way!" Sometimes it works great and sometimes it's a gag that tires after the first few listens, much like a comedy album. What's different about the old standards that Caterer et al., take on is the appreciation that the band has for the source material, paying considerable homage in their modern retellings. Anyway, I'm rambling (I know, right?)...if you liked The Hideout Sessions, you'll love the SPACE Sessions. I'll add pre-order links when they're available (it'll be available digitally and on CD next weekend but the vinyl will have to wait until...who knows, honestly. Friggin' Adele...). Catch the Josh Caterer Trio (along with the Sunshine Boys) live and in person: December 16th at SPACE in Evanston, IL December 17th at The Lyric Room in Green Bay, WI December 18th at the Back Room at Colectivo in Milwaukee, WI https://joshcaterer.bandcamp.com/music https://sunshineboys.net/ https://www.pravdamusic.com/ (*both laughs*) theme song is an excerpt from [laughs] track "Hurts To Laugh." © KALI MASI 2021 ℗ Take This To Heart Records 2021

After a false start this summer, Car Con Carne is back in the car! This episode finds the car parked outside Village Inn (8050 Lincoln Avenue in Skokie) for a conversation with John San Juan of the long-running Chicago band Hushdrops. Hushdrops release what very may well be their finest recorded output to date, “The Static,” on Pravda Records this Friday (11/12).   Also joining in on the conversation is Village Inn co-owner Desi Mulingbayan, who kindly provided delicious thin crust pizza (½ sausage, ½ pepperoni) to move the conversation along. Go visit Village Inn. Like Desi says, it's the “Cheers of Skokie.”

After a false start this summer, Car Con Carne is back in the car! This episode finds the car parked outside Village Inn (8050 Lincoln Avenue in Skokie) for a conversation with John San Juan of the long-running Chicago band Hushdrops. Hushdrops release what very may well be their finest recorded output to date, “The Static,” on Pravda Records this Friday (11/12).   Also joining in on the conversation is Village Inn co-owner Desi Mulingbayan, who kindly provided delicious thin crust pizza (½ sausage, ½ pepperoni) to move the conversation along. Go visit Village Inn. Like Desi says, it's the “Cheers of Skokie.”

Zig At The Gig with Steve Dawson Chicago Folk / Americana singer / songwriter, Steve Dawson, has been called “one of the most underrated songwriters in American music, ” who writes, “graceful, poetic songs akin to a volume of great short stories in their precise, exacting wordplay and soulful heartache.” Dawson has released six albums with his long-time band, Dolly Varden, and four solo albums, including 2020's critically-acclaimed “Last Flight Out” with his folk / jazz ensemble, Funeral Bonsai Wedding. His upcoming album, “At The Bottom Of A Canyon, In The Branches Of A Tree,” will be released on Pravda Records in 2021. Originally from San Diego, California, he spent his teen years in Hailey, Idaho, where he learned guitar and started writing songs. After a few years at the Berklee School of Music in Boston, Dawson moved to Chicago and formed the band, Stump The Host, with his future wife, artist and singer, Diane Christiansen. Dawson also teaches songwriting at the legendary Old Town School of Folk Music and co-wrote a book on songwriting and the creative process with Mark Caro called, “Take It To The Bridge: Unlocking The Great Songs Inside You.” Steve's Info https://stevedawsonmusic.com/ https://www.instagram.com/stevdawso/ https://www.facebook.com/steve.dawson1 https://twitter.com/stevejdawson https://open.spotify.com/artist/3qywfCk95QoCCGbbT6NBRt?si=RpcmMFSFSbO6lKX777UjeQ&nd=1  

Josh Caterer is our guest. And he's got quite a story. He started a band with two brothers which became the Smoking Popes. They decided to let Josh sing because he was the best at singing and playing while not looking at his hands. They quickly went from recording 18 songs in a day to opening for bands like Green Day. There's a funny story about that. But with all that success came a pretty big fall in the form of a cocaine overdose. Josh survived and found a new purpose in his Faith. But trying to integrate that into his music was a challenge. After forming Duvall, forming his occasional blues band Jackson Mud, and then returning to Smoking Popes, Josh is releasing a new live solo album. It's a mix of Popes songs and cover songs. Pick up physical copies from Pravda Records or digitally on Bandcamp. Follow Josh @joshcaterer. Follow us @PerformanceAnx. We accept coffee at ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. Merch is at performanceanx.threadless.com. I hope you enjoy Josh Caterer on Performance Anxiety part of the Pantheon Podcast Network.

Josh Caterer is our guest. And he’s got quite a story. He started a band with two brothers which became the Smoking Popes. They decided to let Josh sing because he was the best at singing and playing while not looking at his hands. They quickly went from recording 18 songs in a day to opening for bands like Green Day. There’s a funny story about that. But with all that success came a pretty big fall in the form of a cocaine overdose. Josh survived and found a new purpose in his Faith. But trying to integrate that into his music was a challenge. After forming Duvall, forming his occasional blues band Jackson Mud, and then returning to Smoking Popes, Josh is releasing a new live solo album. It’s a mix of Popes songs and cover songs. Pick up physical copies from Pravda Records or digitally on Bandcamp. Follow Josh @joshcaterer. Follow us @PerformanceAnx. We accept coffee at ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. Merch is at performanceanx.threadless.com. I hope you enjoy Josh Caterer on Performance Anxiety part of the Pantheon Podcast Network.

Josh Caterer is our guest. And he's got quite a story. He started a band with two brothers which became the Smoking Popes. They decided to let Josh sing because he was the best at singing and playing while not looking at his hands. They quickly went from recording 18 songs in a day to opening for bands like Green Day. There's a funny story about that. But with all that success came a pretty big fall in the form of a cocaine overdose. Josh survived and found a new purpose in his Faith. But trying to integrate that into his music was a challenge. After forming Duvall, forming his occasional blues band Jackson Mud, and then returning to Smoking Popes, Josh is releasing a new live solo album. It's a mix of Popes songs and cover songs. Pick up physical copies from Pravda Records or digitally on Bandcamp. Follow Josh @joshcaterer. Follow us @PerformanceAnx. We accept coffee at ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. Merch is at performanceanx.threadless.com. I hope you enjoy Josh Caterer on Performance Anxiety part of the Pantheon Podcast Network.

Josh Caterer is our guest. And he’s got quite a story. He started a band with two brothers which became the Smoking Popes. They decided to let Josh sing because he was the best at singing and playing while not looking at his hands. They quickly went from recording 18 songs in a day to opening for bands like Green Day. There’s a funny story about that. But with all that success came a pretty big fall in the form of a cocaine overdose. Josh survived and found a new purpose in his Faith. But trying to integrate that into his music was a challenge. After forming Duvall, forming his occasional blues band Jackson Mud, and then returning to Smoking Popes, Josh is releasing a new live solo album. It’s a mix of Popes songs and cover songs. Pick up physical copies from Pravda Records or digitally on Bandcamp. Follow Josh @joshcaterer. Follow us @PerformanceAnx. We accept coffee at ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. Merch is at performanceanx.threadless.com. I hope you enjoy Josh Caterer on Performance Anxiety part of the Pantheon Podcast Network.

This week, a conversation with Chicago-based singer/songwriter Steve Dawson (Funeral Bonsai Wedding, Dolly Varden) about his new album, AT THE BOTTOM OF A CANYON IN THE BRANCHES OF A TREE (out July 16 from Pravda Records), the art of songwriting, and much more. The new single from the album, "22 Rubber Bands", is available now on Bandcamp, Spotify, Apple Music, and you can see the video on YouTube. Please visit https://stevedawsonmusic.com for further info. Thanks for listening, and please, rate/review and subscribe to the show. Learn more at http://mentalplatypus.com Find us on Instagram and Twitter at @Mental_Platypus Email us at mentalplatypusquarterly@gmail.com Support us at https://patreon.com/hootnwaddle

Pravda Records has been a part of the independent music scene since the 80s, with a mighty talent roster including names like Matt Wilson, Josh Caterer, Wake Ooloo, Green, Cheer-Accident, The Slugs, New Duncan Imperials, The Diplomats of Solid Sound and Susan Voelz. I caught up with Pravda head Kenn Goodman tonight to talk about the label, the business and our shared love of music.

Chances are, if you're familiar with Tobias Nathaniel, it's through the decades he spent primarily behind the keyboard as one-half of the duo at the core of San Diego's Black Heart Procession. (Okay, so maybe you know him from Three Mile Pilot. Or, sure, maybe you know him from playing keys on that Blonde Redhead song that got used as Evil Morty's theme on Rick & Morty.) Anyway, about a half-dozen years ago, Tobias moved from the West Coast to Belgrade, Serbia, where he lives with his now-wife. He started a new project called The Red Step, which finds him not only playing guitar but assuming lead vocal duties for the first time as well. The Red Step put out their long-awaited, self-titled, debut full-length last week on Pravda Records, and it's a really great piece of sometimes haunting, sometimes thrashing, sometimes punishing piece of post-punk. This was a fun conversation, covering a lot of ground that started with Tobias' musical upbringing and his decision to step out in front of a band for the first time, and with special importance played to the unique guitar that's been along with him for the duration (an Ibanez AM300, of course). Make sure you pick up The Red Step here: https://pravdamusic.com/album/1860124/the-red-step

EDITOR'S NOTE: Yes, I know the audio says it's Episode 29, but I recorded a couple out of order, so it's technically Episode 30. Glad we cleared that up. What do you do if you're stuck in pandemic-related shutdown and your band has to put plans on hold indefinitely? If you're Smoking Popes frontman Josh Caterer, you record a live album at an empty bar in Chicago with a few guys you've never played with before! For the project, Caterer teamed up with John San Juan of the Hushdrops and John Perrin of NRBQ, and the trio took over the Hideout in Chicago for a night in late October. The resulting album is due out later this month on Pravda Records!

I'm joined by Ryan Smith & Pony Hixon-Smith of Ryan & Pony on this episode. They tell me about their paths into music. Pony's in particular is very unique. She also tells me how she got the nickname, Pony. Ryan remembers it well. And Ryan's been writing music for a long time. From his days in The Melismatics to the new album by Ryan & Pony, his music is crazy catchy. But he's also been playing guitar in Soul Asylum since 2016. He talks about getting that gig and how he's dealing with the touring shutdown.Follow Ryan & Pony on social media and pick up their debut album on Pravda Records. You'll be happy you did. Follow us @PerformanceAnx. If you like the podcast, check us out at ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety and consider helping support us so we can keep bringing you great guests. And don't forget to check out all the other great shows on the Pantheon Podcast Network. Let's saddle up & jump right into this episode on Performance Anxiety.This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.

I'm joined by Ryan Smith & Pony Hixon-Smith of Ryan & Pony on this episode. They tell me about their paths into music. Pony's in particular is very unique. She also tells me how she got the nickname, Pony. Ryan remembers it well. And Ryan's been writing music for a long time. From his days in The Melismatics to the new album by Ryan & Pony, his music is crazy catchy. But he's also been playing guitar in Soul Asylum since 2016. He talks about getting that gig and how he's dealing with the touring shutdown.Follow Ryan & Pony on social media and pick up their debut album on Pravda Records. You'll be happy you did. Follow us @PerformanceAnx. If you like the podcast, check us out at ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety and consider helping support us so we can keep bringing you great guests. And don't forget to check out all the other great shows on the Pantheon Podcast Network. Let's saddle up & jump right into this episode on Performance Anxiety.This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.