He’s been called the Godfather of British blues – John Mayall – and he’s been at it more than 50 years. His Bluesbreakers band acted as a launching pad for some of the greatest musicians of all time – Eric Clapton, Peter Green, and Mick Taylor all spent time honing their chops in his band. Mayall, who has never stopped touring and assembling stellar bands, is back with his first new studio record in five years, A Special Life on Forty Below Records. He’s released somewhere in the ballpark of 60 albums, but this one is still full of vitality. We talk the recording of his new record, how he first got interested in the blues, and what made The Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton so special.
The Jersey Boys was first a successful Broadway musical and now a Clint-Eastwood-directed motion picture, based on the life and music of the Four Seasons. Almost all of the band’s hits were co-written by Seasons’ member Bob Gaudio, who had a big hand in bringing this story to the stage and screen, as well as assembling the accompanying soundtrack. Icon Fetch talks with the New Jersey native about where the idea for the Broadway musical came from. Also, he tells us the story behind the Four Seasons’ first number one hit, “Sherry,” how he recorded “Short Shorts” when he was only 15, and what it was like to work with Barbara Streisand and Neil Diamond on the smash hit “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers.”
In the Mid 1960’s there was no bigger band in the Dayton area than Sonny Flaharty and the Mark V. Whether playing to rabid crowds at the Diamond Club or packing the house at Wamplers Ballerarina, the band was the top in town. They were best known for their song “Hey Conductor” – that piece of fuzzed out psychedelia made it to #1 in the Dayton area. It got picked up for national distribution and was tabbed by Billboard magazine as a Breakout Hit, until some strange circumstances derailed the song.
Sonny Flaharty stopped by our studios to talk about that song, and so much more. Did you know that he’s in the Rockabilly Hall of Fame? That he was signed to many major labels, including Epic, Decca, Warner Bros, and RCA? That his band opened for the Rolling Stones on their first tour of America and shared a dressing room with them? Or that Sonny’s early band the Young Americans, were courted by the same producers that made Hang On Sloopy a smash for the McCoys. If you’ve heard of Sonny Flaharty, get ready for a trip down memory lane. If you haven’t, get ready for some great stories.
Drivin’ n Cryin’ have released some fantastic albums over the years, including 1991’s Fly Me Courageous. But, in 2012, the band abandoned the format in favor of recording shorter EP’s (most only 4 or 5 songs each). Songs For the Turntable is the fourth and latest installment of this series. Icon Fetch talks to singer Kevn Kinney of the band about this latest project, which brings everything full circle, returning to the band’s signature sound. He also talks about a brand new song called “Where’s My Country.”
Singer Annika Chambers has taken an interesting road to the blues. She served eight years in the US Army, rising to the rank of Sergeant and having two deployments to Iraq and Kosovo. While on base, she entered a talent contest, singing lead on a song. After she finished, she was approached by a guitarist that introduced her to the blues – and she’s been an avid fan ever since. Now, back in her hometown of Houston Texas, she’s teamed up with a stellar lineup of local musicians, dubbed appropriately the “Houston All Stars” for her debut album, Making My Mark.
Lone Justice, live performance at The Palomino, North Hollywood, California. 6 December 1984. L-R: Ryan Hedgecock, Don Heffington, Maria McKee.
Lone Justice were mid-Eighties pioneers. Blending elements of country, punk & rock, the band, led by fiery vocalist Maria McKee, gained a reputation for their incendiary live shows. Although praised by critics, the band never received commercial success, and broke up in 1989. Yet, over the following years, the group has been cited as a major influence by many bands. Now comes This is Lone Justice: The Vaught Tapes, 1983, a collection of 12 early recordings the band made before signing with a major label. Icon Fetch talks with original Lone Justice bassist Marvin Etzioni, who has kept these tapes in his garage for years. He tells us the story of how he joined the band and the circumstances that led to these fantastic recordings, made available for the first time.
The Swimming Pool Q’s came out of Atlanta, Georgia in the late Seventies, emerging from the same fertile ground that would birth the B-52s and R.E.M., among many others. After one independent release, the band were signed to A&M Records for a pair of critically-acclaimed albums – 1984’s The Swimming Pool Q’s and 1986’s Blue Tomorrow.
After a successful Kickstarter campaign, the band is proud to finally make these seminal albums available on CD for the first time. In addition, they’ve unearthed an additional disc of rarities, and even a DVD, featuring live footage, videos and interviews. If that weren’t enough, the band has some brand new material out as well. Icon Fetch talks with vocalist / guitarist Jeff Calder from the band about the long process of gaining the rights to this material. In addition, he tells some great stories about touring with the Police and Lou Reed, and how they got turned down by a record executive that told them they needed more “furniture” in their song.
Canadian singer/songwriter Luke McMaster recorded a hit duet with pianist Jim Brickman earlier in 2013 called “Good Morning Beautiful.” Now the song has been retooled just in time for the holidays as “Merry Christmas Beautiful,” which McMaster is supporting by touring with Brickman, doing a series of holiday shows. He’s also just issued “NYC,” a collaboration with DJ Titus 1 and featuring vocals by Bek Phillips, which shows off a completely different side to his music. Icon Fetch talks with the busy songwriter about his soul album, All Roads; his love of recent Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame inductees Hall & Oates; and taking his music in a more dance-oriented direction.
Platinum-selling pianist David Lanz returns to Icon Fetch with his first new album of original material in five years called Movements of the Heart (amazon link). Inspired by a new love in his life, the record features some of the most passionate music Lanz has ever laid to tape. We discuss how immersing himself in music of the past, specifically the Beatles, had an impact on his current compositions, and how he tuned his piano differently, and the positive effect that had on his songs.
Tommy Keene has been a regular guest on our show, but his new album is something different – Excitement at Your Feet is eleven songs that Tommy didn’t write, giving him a chance to show off some of his influences. And he digs pretty deep – most people won’t recognize the covers he does of the Who and Stones. We talk to Keene about the inspiration behind the record, choosing the songs (including a rare one from the Bee Gees), and how soon we could expect a new studio album.
