Tag Archives: podcast

Shows

#157 – Dave Alvin – Eleven Eleven

Dave Alvin’s 30-plus year career has had a lot of twists and turns.  He helped form roots rock pioneers the Blasters with his brother Phil, he joined the punk band X near the end of their existence, and has led an acclaimed solo career.  Many of his songs have become hits for other people, most notably “Long White Cadillac,” later a hit for Dwight Yoakam.

In 2011, Alvin released Eleven Eleven, which made Icon Fetch’s Sweet Sixteen year-end wrapup. Now, his record label has reissued the album in a deluxe edition – featuring a disc of live performances, another featuring several unreleased songs from the sessions, and a live DVD.  Icon Fetch talks with the man whom Rolling Stone called “an under recognized guitar hero” about some of the great stories behind the songs on the record, and the origin of some of the unreleased material.

Shows

#156 – Steve Barton – Projector

Steve Barton helped lead the San Francisco band Translator to such underground hits as “Everywhere That I’m Not,” and “Come With Me,” before calling it quits near the end of the Eighties.  He’s since gone on to release several solo albums.  His latest, Projector, is his most personal – Barton sings and plays all the instruments on the record, which deals in large part with the recent passing of his father.  Barton talks with Icon Fetch about recording the album on 2-inch tape with the help of friend (and former member of Lone Justice) Marvin Etzioni, and the recent reformation of his old band Translator.

Shows

#155 – Peter Holsapple of the dB’s – Falling Off the Sky

The dB’s released four critically-acclaimed albums throughout the Eighties, jam packed with melodic hooks.  But for some strange reason, the band never achieved the commercial success they deserved, breaking up near the end of the decade. Then, a funny thing happened – word began to spread about how good those albums really were, and they started fetching high bids on Ebay. To meet the demand, Collector’s Choice music reissued the band’s first two albums in 2002.

Now, the band is back with a brand new record, their first with the original lineup in some 30 years, called Falling Off the Sky . Icon Fetch talks with singer/guitarist Peter Holsapple about what brought the band back together in the first place, why the recording process took so long, and how the band is joined by several young musicians from the North Carolina scene for the new record.

Shows

#154 – Natalie Nylon -Out of Control

Dance sensation Natalie Nylon has quite a diverse background – she studied classical and music theater at a young age.  Then,  as a teen, she sang and played bass in a punk band before moving from her Pennsylvania home to the bright lights of LA.  Nylon began experimenting with synthesizers, hooking up with producer Miko – the result was several singles that topped the European dance charts.  Nylon is hoping to continue that trend with the release of her first full length album, Out of Control. Icon Fetch talks to Nylon about how her roots effect her current music, how she’s preparing for her first video shoot, and how crazy it was to have her songs hit #1 overseas.

Shows

#153 – Lukas Nelson – Wasted

Lukas Nelson, the son of country music legend Willie Nelson, is stepping out of the shadow of his famous father, due in large part to his energetic live shows.  His band, Promise of the Real, rocked over 200 dates in 2011 alone.  They’ve shared the stage with the likes of Dave Matthews and B.B. King.  Despite the incessant touring, Nelson found time to write and record the band’s second full-length, Wasted.  Icon Fetch talks with Lukas Nelson about getting inspiration from both Neil Young and Jimi Hendrix for the new record, and helping his dad record his new CD, called Heroes.

Shows

#152 – Boheme (Cassidy) – Follow the Freedom

Cassidy led the all-female band Antigone Rising for eight years, receiving critical acclaim and developing a rabid fanbase.  But, she left the band after their major label debut.  Now, she’s returned with a new name – Boheme – and a brand new album, Follow the Freedom, which showcases her soulful vocals and melodic songwriting.  She’s also got help on one of the tracks from none other than the reclusive ex-frontman from Journey, Steve Perry.  Icon Fetch talks with Cassidy about why she’s titled her new CD Boheme, why she left Antigone, and the strange circumstances that brought she and Steve Perry together in the studio.

Shows

#151 – Mike Watt – On and Off Bass

Bassist Mike Watt stormed out of San Pedro, California in the early 1980’s with the influential punk power trio the Minutemen; blending elements of funk, jazz and classic rock into the hardcore scene. The tragic death of his close friend and bandmate, D. Boon, put an end to that great band and sent Watt into depression.  Eventually, he re-emerged with the help of Sonic Youth, playing on several of their recordings before forming another trio, firehose, and the all-bass duo called Dos.

Watt has released several solo albums, written operas, and played on other peoples’ albums too numerous to mention.   Now comes Mike Watt – On and Off Bass – a collection of his (surprisingly good) photography, which also includes excerpts from his tour diary.  Icon Fetch talks with Mike Watt about the origins of the new book, his recent spoken-word collaboration with rock critic Richard Meltzer, and how a day doesn’t go by without him thinking of his late friend, D. Boon.

Shows

#150 – Ted Drozdowski of Scissormen – Big Shoes: Walking and Talking the Blues

Scissormen take blues back to its raw basics: guitar and drums.  Yet, it’s amazing how much intensity the band brings in its live show.  It doesn’t hurt that singer Ted Drozdowski is one hell of a fantastic slide guitarist, who’s been known to stroll whatever room will have them, standing on tables to reel off another searing solo.  The band has just issued a CD / DVD combo called Big Shoes: Walking and Talking the Blues.

The set contains a documentary film directed by famed filmmaker Robert Mugge, who followed Scissormen through a tour of the wintery Midwest, with stops in Red Key, Indiana, the Gennett Records Museum in Richmond, and the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. All along the way, the band manages to unearth interesting stories, showing that traces of the blues can be found everywhere.  Icon Fetch talks with Drozdowski about making the film, some of the legendary bluesmen that influenced him, and the oddest item he’s picked up to play slide guitar with.

Shows

#149 – Dave Getz of Big Brother & Holding Co – Live at the Carousel Ballroom 1968


Dave Getz is the drummer for one of the most important bands of the Sixties’ San Francisco music scene,  Big Brother and the Holding Company.  Their album, Cheap Thrills, recorded with Janis Joplin, stands as one of the finest examples of psychedelic rock, and still sounds fresh today.  Sony / Legacy has just issued Live at the Carousel Ballroom 1968, a vintage recording of the classic lineup, just a couple of months before their breakup.  The disc features ferocious performances, and is testament that Big Brother was a lot more than simply Joplin’s backup band.  In addition, Dave’s other group,  the Dave Getz Breakaway, have a new album out featuring an unreleased song that Getz co-wrote with Janis.

Shows

#148 – Richard Meltzer – Spielgusher


Richard Meltzer was one of the first rock critics, penning the first full-length book on the subject, “The Aesthetics of Rock,” in 1970, while reveling in much of he excesses of the day.  He wrote for many of the seminal magazines, including the Village Voice, Crawdaddy, Creem and Rolling Stone.  He also had a long association with Blue Oyster Cult, co-writing several songs, including “Burning For You,” “Stairway to the Stars,” and “Death Valley Nights.”  He’s also hosted a radio show and fronted a punk band called VOM.

Meltzer’s latest project has been in the works for over 25 years – Spielgusher teams his spoken-word pieces with instrumental backing courtesy of legendary Minutemen & firehose bassist Mike Watt, along with some Japanese session musicians.  The result is a dizzying collection of 63 tracks – some abrasive, some laugh-out-loud funny, but all delivered in Meltzer’s dry affectation.  Icon Fetch talks with the infamous writer about the origins of the album, being pigeonholed as a music journalist, and how he left the original Woodstock in disgust after only one day.