RT 20 Podcast 09: Erik Hage, Part 1

Erik and I worked together at the beginning of this decade and kept our friendship forged over music going when he moved back upstate to mold young minds as a college professor. Erik is a fantastic writer whose work I've always enjoyed and admired. He currently has a monthly new release column for Albany's alt-weekly Metroland and also does other music-related articles for them. He was a contributor to the late alt-country magazine No Depression. And this year had his first book published, The Words and Music of Van Morrison. So you shouldn't be surprised when I say that this podcast is filled with some pretty remarkable thoughts about music.

To download through iTunes click here. To download the MP3, click here and then click on the MP3 button.

RT 20 Podcast 08: Scott Wells

I've known Scott since 1989, when he first got on the air at the Ithaca College FM station 92 WICB. He and I have shared many great radio moments over the years, so getting together again in the studio was a total treat for me. Scott and I also shared some interesting trips to see Neil Young over the years, yet we never talked about it during this podcast. Perhaps he and I will rehash those tales in another one down the road. (Yes, this podcast will continue after the list comes out on December 16th.)

(One more note--you've already heard Scott on these podcasts, as he's one of the people who I had read the sponsorships. Thanks again for a great job on those, Scott.)

To download through iTunes click here. To download the MP3, click here and then click on the MP3 button.

RT 20 Podcast 07: Ed Valauskas, Part 2

In the second part of my conversation with Ed V., we chat about a couple more albums that changed his life from the past 20 years and a great tribute album that features the first new recording from The Gravel Pit in eight years.

To download through iTunes click here. To download the MP3, click here and then click on the MP3 button.

Song of the Week 11/13/09

Norah Jones - "Chasing Pirates"

I've never really had that strong of an opinion one way or another about Ms. Jones and her hugely successful career. Her first three albums were cut from the same mellow cloth (which I believe can be bought at Ikea). This new disc, The Fall, sees her shaking things up a bit by dropping her long time band and recording with a bunch of L.A. session guys, including drummer Joey Warnoker. Jones also crafted songs that are a bit darker (no likely inspired by her breakup with her boyfriend/bassist Lee Alexander) and at times a bit funkier. "Chasing Pirates" has a bit of that funk and is the catchiest song she's ever written. I listened to it a few times before interviewing her last month and I found myself humming the chorus the rest of the day. Last week I got the full album and listening to it put "Chasing Pirates" back into that part of my brain that randomly repeats song lyrics over and over again.

Oh, and it doesn't hurt that she's, um, kind of attractive:

RT 20 Podcast 06: Ed Valauskas, Part 1

I've met a lot of great musicians during the almost two decades I've been in the music industry. I've also met a lot of great people during that same time. Ed Valauskas, bassist for The Gravel Pit, The Gentlemen and Jenny Dee & The Deelinquents, as well as an in demand producer and session musician at Boston's Q Division studios, is one of the few who falls solidly in both categories. Over the past decade Ed has been a part of many of my favorite concerts and plays on two of my favorite albums in that time--2001's Mass Ave Freeze Out by The Gravel Pit, and one of the 20 Albums That Changed My Life From the Past 20 Years, The Gentlemen's 2000 debut album Ladies and Gentlemen. During this podcast Ed and I chat about that album, five albums that changed his life from the past 20 years and a great tribute album that features the first new recording from the Gravel Pit in eight years. For this podcast I was here in New York and Ed was in Boston, but through the magic of technology it sounds like we were in the same room. (Look for part two of this podcast on Monday.)

To download through iTunes click here. To download the MP3, click here and then click on the MP3 button.

RT 20 Podcast 05: Eric Holland

For those New Yorkers subscribing to these podcasts, you might know Eric Holland as the guy who fills in on a lot of air shifts on 90.7 WFUV, the most excellent NPR Triple A station based out of Fordham University. People that went to Ithaca College will probably remember Eric from the various shifts he did on WICB and 106 VIC (including a stint on the air for 50 hours straight that got funnier as he and his co-host Mike Wallace got sleepier). I remember Eric from such films as That Time We Hosted a Countdown Show Wasted and The Only Guy I've Ever Known to Live in Hawaii--and for being a great friend. He's one of the most talented on-air guys I've ever known, has a great knowledge of all types of music--and Simpsons trivia--and is one funny guy. All of these traits are on display on this lengthy podcast.

Once again, to download through iTunes click here. To download the MP3, click here and then click on the MP3 button.

And just a little RT20 podcast update: I goofed a bit on making the podcast schedule. So to get them all in before I publish this list I need to start running more than two a week. So look for another podcast on Friday and three to four each week before it's all done.

RT 20 Podcast 04: Michael Boyd, Part 2

Michael and I spoke about Fugazi, The Sundays and Public Enemy in Part 1 of our podcast. Part 2 skews a bit more traditional indie and college rock. (And features rock blocks!)

Once again, to download through iTunes click here. To download the MP3, click here and then click on the MP3 button.

Song of the Week 11/6/09

Monsters of Folk - "Say Please"



This 21st century Traveling Wilburys -- consisting of M. Ward, My Morning Jacket's Jim James and Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis -- played a pretty good show last night at the Beacon Theater. With such expansive back catalogs to choose from each artist, as well as their self-titled collaborative album, these guys could have easily played six hours together instead just close to three. The first single from Monsters of Folk is the lightweight little ditty "Say Please." And while it's probably a song these guys could write in their sleep, it's damn catchy and a great show opener. I kept wishing they would play it again during some of the more somber numbers they broke out.

RT 20 Podcast 03: Michael Boyd, Part 1

Michael is one of the many great folks I got to know through my association with the late Magnetic Field. He picked the perfect song for me to belt out as a guest during his first ever solo show back in February of '08. He's been a guitarist in two mighty fine bands, Klimpter and Tide. He's also the mastermind behind the best social event of the year, his annual Derby Day party. It's been an honor DJ-ing and helping to traffic the sprawling sets of Live Band Karaoke that Bunnie England and the New Originals perform the last four years. His choices of five (um, I mean six) albums are very interesting and inspired some in depth discussion between the two of us.

(That being noted, the day we recorded this podcast we both had the tendency to ramble. And rather than post the file at a very low bitrate, I broke it into two parts. The second half of our conversation will be up next week.)

Once again, to download through iTunes click here. To download the MP3, click here and then click on the MP3 button.