Larry Harris was the executive vice president of Casablanca Records – home to Kiss, Donna Summer, Parliament, and the Village People, among others. The record label became a symbol for the extreme excesses of the late 70’s, eventually imploding in a haze of drugs and over-spending. Harris wrote a book documenting the rise and fall of the record company in And Party Every Day: The Inside Story of Casablanca Records. Icon Fetch talks to the author about his humble beginnings, what he thought the first time he saw the band Kiss live, and what led to the end of the good times.
Tag Archives: podcast
#86 – Scot Sax – Wanderlust and Faith Hill
Scot Sax was the leader of the Philadelphia band Wanderlust, who scored a rock radio hit with “I Walked” in 1995, before breaking up two years later. He then formed Bachelor Number One, who had a song on the first American Pie soundtrack. A few years later, in a strange twist of fate, Sax co-wrote the song “Like We Never Loved At All,” a hit for Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, which won a Grammy for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals in 2006. Icon Fetch talks to Sax about his long strange trip, how he handled that initial success, and what it was like opening for the Who.
#85 – John Oates – Mississippi Mile
John Oates is one-half of Hall and Oates, the most successful duo in rock history, scoring six #1 hits and seven platinum albums from the Seventies and Eighties. Although he helped create numerous pop smashes, Oates’ true love is still the rhythm & blues and folk music he grew up on. Which brings us to his brand new solo album, Mississippi Mile, a kind of musical road map of his long career. He gives his take on soul classics like “It’s Alright” from the Impressions and “Send Me Someone to Love” from Percy Mayfield.
More surprising is the inclusion of folk standards like “He Was a Friend of Mine,” showing that Oates’ influences are far and wide. Icon Fetch talks with the resident of Aspen, Colorado about the inspiration behind the new record, the back-to-basics recording process, and his thoughts on that monumental success of the Eighties.
#84 – Todd Park Mohr – 100 Years of Robert Johnson
Big Head Todd & the Monsters had a smash album in 1993 featuring the radio hits “Broken-Hearted Savior” and “Bittersweet.” Since then, they’ve released several albums and developed a reputation as a great live band. Their latest project, credited to the Big Head Blues Club is 100 Years of Robert Johnson, a tribute to the influential bluesman who would’ve hit the century mark this year. The band has enlisted the help of some of the finest blues legends still alive: B.B. King, Hubert Sumlin, Charlie Musselwhite, Honeyboy Edwards, and Ruthie Foster, to accompany them on reworkings of ten of Johnson’s greatest compositions. Icon Fetch talks with leader Todd Park Mohr about the inspiration behind the tribute, working with the classic blues players, and the story behind the band’s initial success.
#83 – Jim McGorman of Avril Lavigne
Jim McGorman is currently on tour as Avril Lavigne’s guitarist in support of her latest record, Goodbye Lullaby. The multi-instrumentalist was also a part of the house band for both season’s of the CBS show “Rockstar” (INXS & Supernova). He’s toured with a variety of people, including Cher, Shakira, and Paul Stanley of Kiss. In addition, he also makes music of his own. Icon Fetch talks with the Philadelphia native about his multi-faceted career – how he got hooked up with Lavigne, helped put together a made for TV band, and manged to continue to be a much-sought after instrumentalist. He also shares some great stories of being on the road.
#82 – Tiffany – Rose Tattoo
Former teen pop sensation Tiffany actually began her career singing country music. But, when she was discovered by manager George Tobin, he steered her towards pop music. She became the youngest female artist to top the Billboard Album chart with Tiffany in 1987, scoring two number one hits in a cover of Tommy James’ “I Think We’re Alone Now,” and the ballad “Could’ve Been,” as well as another top ten in a reworking of the Beatles’ “I Saw HIM Standing There.”
But, as is the case with many teen stars, she really didn’t have creative control over her own career. After her initial success, she’s delved into a variety of styles. Now, with the release of Rose Tattoo, she’s come full circle, back to her country roots. Icon Fetch talks with Tiffany about those crazy early years, moving to Nashville, the story behind the title of her album, and her teaming with fellow 80’s pop queen Debbie Gibson for a goofy SciFi channel movie.
#81 – Joe Robinson – Let Me Introduce You
Guitarist Joe Robinson won Australia’s Got Talent back in 2008 when he was only 16 years old. He’s also been named “Best New Talent” by Guitar Player Magazine. Now he’s heading out on the road for his first-ever tour of the United States. Icon Fetch catches up with the young virtuoso to talk about his experience becoming a TV star in his homeland, recording his latest CD, and where he gets the wacky titles for his songs.
#80 – Ivan Julian – Naked Flame
Ivan Julian has played with everyone from Matthew Sweet to the Clash. He was also a part of the seminal mid-Seventies punk band Richard Hell & the Voidoids. Surprisingly, the Naked Flame marks Julian’s first-ever solo record. Icon Fetch sits down with the influential guitarist and producer to talk about why now was the right time for his solo debut, plus the inspiration behind many of the songs, and how he feels about the current crop of new bands.
#79 – Thomas Dolby – Ocenea
Our RETROactive Eighties week concludes with Thomas Dolby, best known for “She Blinded Me With Science,” an early New Wave hit on MTV. But, a quick listen to any of his studio albums reveals a much deeper melodic sense than that quirky synth hit. Dolby took a great deal of time off from the music business to concentrate on developing new technology (he actually created the synthesizer that plays ringtones in most cellphones!). Now, he’s back with a brand new EP called Ocenea, a preview of a full-length album called A Map of the Floating City, due in the summer. Dolby talks with Icon Fetch about why he’s concentrating more on organic sounds these days, his unique studio built out of an old life boat, and the early days of MTV.
#78 – Martha Davis – The Motels
The Motels were one of the biggest bands of the early days of MTV, with hits like “Only the Lonely,” and “Suddenly Last Summer,” all led by the smokey vocals of Martha Davis. Icon Fetch sits down with the singer to talk about those early days, and what she’s been up to lately, including recording a jazz CD. Davis also shares her unique insight into the music business.