RT 20 Podcast 13: Joe Savastano, Part 1

The amount of crazy adventures Joe and I have shared over the past two decades could probably fill up an entire book. (Or would have made a kick ass reality show.) We met doing radio in college, hung out a great deal the year after we graduated college and both lived in Ithaca, and then joined forces in 1995 when we both moved to New York. Our five years as roommates in Brooklyn supplied both of us with a lifetime of crazy (both happy and sad) memories. I couldn't imagine doing this podcast series without one of the best friends a guy could ever have.

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

Song of the Week 11/27/09

Miley Cyrus - "Party in the U.S.A."

Seriously.

I'm not joking.

It's been stuck in my head all week. And I guess I shouldn't be surprised since Dr. Luke, who co-wrote "Since You've Been Gone," co-wrote this one as well.

And you know what's just as crazy as me liking this teenybopper song? This video:

RT 20 Podcast 12: Victor Lisle & Geoff Storm, Part 2

Here's the second part of my chat with my former radio cohorts Victor and Geoff, or, to go by their early 90s radio nicknames, The Tor-Man and Jamming Geoff. Somehow I avoided having a nickname when we worked together at K-Rock.

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

Song of the Week 11/20/09

Chris Bell - "I Am the Cosmos"

Big Star's show at the Brooklyn Masonic Temple was pretty damn good Wednesday night. Alex Chilton seemed invested in his own songs, Jody Stephens overcame a couple of flubs behind the drum kit, and The Posies’ Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow, well, they did a great job filling the shoes of the late Chris Bell and the retired-from-music Andy Hummell. Auer’s vocal on “I Am the Cosmos” (the Big Star-ish title track from Bell’s only solo album) was particularly breathtaking, leaving my friend Vanessa stunned by his talent. The night would have been a complete success if I hadn’t caught Vanessa’s cold.

See for yourself:



BONUS: Here's the Posies Frosting on the Beater lineup tackling it. (You can find their studio version on Dream All Day: The Best Of The Posies.)

RT 20 Podcast 11: Victor Lisle & Geoff Storm, Part 1

My final on air radio gig was from 1992 to 1995 at a station called K-Rock that had transmitters in Syracuse and Utica in central New York. The format was active rock, which meant we played Guns n' Roses, Nirvana, Def Leppard, Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne and tons of hard rock and hair metal acts all the time. (Well, except during our almost all-talk morning drive program.) The uptempo music and on air uptempo delivery worked well for the 22 to 26 year old version of me, as I got to talk over the instrumental intros of songs and sound hyper while doing it. (And I might still be doing it today if it wasn't for a certain guy who didn't like the sound of my voice. Not that I'm still bitter and wish ill upon his company. Not at all.)

Victor Lisle and Geoff Storm were two of the dearest friends I made during that time. Victor and I were briefly paired together on the morning drive show (I did overnights and then hung around to play sidekick for three hours). Then he was moved to evenings and started a kick ass night time show that was always enjoyable to listen to on the way into work. Geoff did afternoons, and then shifted to middays in 1993. He and I quickly hit it off and became roommates that year. The three of us spent some rather interesting times on air (as you'll hear in the first part of this podcast) and some, well, at times close to illegal times off air. I didn't make a lot of money those days (not much has changed, I suppose), but I did have a whole lot of fun with these guys. So one night I did a conference call with the guys that resulted in the longest podcast in this pre-list series. This podcast features the most laughter out of any of them. It was truly a thrill to hang out with these guys again, even over the phone.

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

RT 20 Podcast 10: Erik Hage, Part 2

Here's the second part of my talk with author/professor/all around great guy Erik Hage about 5 albums that changed his life over the past 20 years.

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

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.

RT 20 Podcast 02: Mike Faloon

Mike Faloon is the editor of Go Metric, the co-editor of Zisk with your truly, the drummer for Egghead. and has been a friend of mine for over 22 years. We met at our college orientation--Mike approached me because I was the guy wearing a Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' 1987 tour shirt. Mike has not only been a great friend ever since, he's also been one of the most influential people of my musical life. There are tons of artists he introduced me to as the music director of our college station WICB.

This podcast sets the template for most of the ones you'll hear until mid-December. We talk about five albums that changed Mike's life that were released during the past 20 years. Well...Mike's list is sort of like that. Listen and you'll see.

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

PS: This features the best podcast sponsorship of the lot of them. Thanks to my pals Eric Holland (who does this one), Scott Wells and Victor Lisle for the use of their vocal talents.

Song of the Week 10/30/09

Neil Young - "Til the Morning Comes"



I've had this one minute, 16 seconds song stuck in my head since The Figgs played it Saturday night at the new Knitting Factory in Williamsburg.

Please, get it out.