Music Life Radio: Recent Episodes
Dan Sauter
We speak to director and producer Corbett Redford of the documentary TURN IT AROUND: THE STORY OF EAST BAY PUNK which spans over 30 years of the California Bay Area’s punk music history with a central focus on the emergence of Berkeley’s inspiring 924 Gilman Street music collective. Narrated by Iggy Pop and executive produced by Green […]
Johnny Truant is the vocalist for the band The Truants, a self-described “SAN FRANCISCO BASED POST-PUNK/WEIRDO ROCK BAND. WE ARE QUEER, DARK AND CONFRONTATIONAL, YET MOTIVATED BY THE JOY OF ROCK N ROLL. WE WILL MAKE YOU DANCE. WE WILL MAKE YOU SWEAT. WE WILL MAKE YOU QUESTION YOUR SEXUALITY.” Johnny talks with MLR’s Erik Core about […]
Frank Castro spent time in prison where he helped start an inmate-run music program. The power of music helped to change his life around by giving him something to care about, and other positive events soon followed. Soon after he gets clean, earns an AA degree, and becomes a drug and alcohol counsellor. Frank is […]
He Who Cannot Be Named has been playing punk rock for over 25 years, most of that time with the punk rock band “Dwarves”. An original member of this San Francisco based combo, he wrote or cowrote many of their songs, was voted guitarist of the year by Flipside Magazine in 1991, but he is […]
Tia Carroll is a singer from Richmond, California, and has been performing the blues, R&B, and soul music for many years. She has often been compared to legendary female singers Tina Turner, Koko Taylor, and Aretha Franklin but she still has her own unique style and sound. She can often be found playing festivals and […]
Chris Korp sits down with Music Life Radio’s Erik Core to discuss the “legend” of the band Slackbone. Slackbone was a Bay Area punk rock band formed by a group of baggage handlers, after purchasing instruments from their local music shop who was holding a going out of business sale. The first incarnation featured Wayner (lead vocals), […]
Ben Bongers (an opera tenor featured in Opera Stories: Ben Bongers – MLR 051) returns to Music Life Radio and speaks with Erik Core about his adventures while performing in China. The winner of Chinese Idol (yes, the Chinese version of American Idol) had heard Ben singing in San Francisco and wanted him to come to […]
Timekode is the solo project of a maverick of a woman called DENI. Deni is a Producer, songwriter, composer, arranger, video artist, record company owner & author. Deni received a bass guitar from Marc Bolan (T.Rex) as a kid, and started off playing bass and singing in more traditional bands (Wildfire, the Lulu Boys, Mistress), […]
Stephen Carter-Hicks is a classically trained singer who found his calling in the world of cabaret. Starting his career in show business through his talents as a wig and hair master, he worked on Broadway productions such as Tommy but soon found himself on the stage in performances like Cats. He found his passion in cabaret performance […]
Stephen Carter-Hicks is a classically trained singer who found his calling in the world of cabaret. Starting his career in show business through his talents as a wig and hair master, he worked on Broadway productions such as Tommy but soon found himself on the stage in performances like Cats. He found his passion in cabaret performance […]
David Denny is a guitar maestro, singer, songwriter and recording engineer. He was a founding member of the 60’s psychedelic band Frumious Bandersnatch, went on to play guitar in the Steve Miller Band on and off for several years (writing one of the band’s hit’s with the song “The Stake” (Nobody Loves You Like the […]
Kevin Allison is the host of RISK! – a live show and podcast “where people tell true stories they never thought they’d dare to share”. We found about this podcast and started binge listening to every episode. It’s a great mix of hilarious and sometimes heartbreaking stories that feature a range of people including famous comedians, to […]
Jem Godfrey is an Ivor Novello Award winning, BAFTA nominated musician and composer. He wrote and/or produced numerous top 10 hits with various pop acts during the 2000s and also scored four number 1 records across the world, spending a combined total of 8 weeks at the top of the UK charts alone. Most recently […]
Danny Lobell is a standup comedian, and host of Modern Day Philosophers podcast. He was the host and founder of the influential Comical Radio show, the first comedy podcast started in 2004 which interviewed hundreds of comedians. In 2012, Danny closed the doors on the program and moved to L.A to grow as a comedian. We […]
“Disco” Donnie Lemmon, a veteran of the NW music scene, and founding member of “the Hardcount” “Guns of Nevada” and “Jack the Hotrod”. He is also in “Creedence Rising”, a tribute band to Creedence Clearwater Revival, and has branched out into a solo project called “LEMMON”. MLR Producer Dan Sauter grew up in Kent WA […]
MLR talks to Singer/songwriter duo Mat Dauzat and Heather St. Marie, aka Dauzat St. Marie who have just released their debut EP “Falling Again” We talk to the pair about growing up in Louisiana, forming their band Hydrovibe, the move to Los Angeles, and about the trials and tribulations of working musicians in this digital age. […]
Tracy Nelson is a singer who has a voice as deep as any mountain, and a soul as wide as any river. Most well known for her role in folk rock band Mother Earth from San Francisco, she harvests a rich history in rock, blues, and country, and is one of our treasured American assets. […]
Marco Thiede is the author of “Human Punk For Real”, the auto-biography about his discovery of punk rock music, and how it shaped his life. Marco grew up in Germany and describes his experiences from the late 1970’s until today, where he has relocated to from Germany to Vallejo, California. He continues to travel back to England, and his […]
Speed Vincent from the modern rock band SilverTung is on the show. SilverTung have recently released a new version of their song “Never Too Late”, produced by David Ivory and mastered by Ted Jensen, and it just hit the Billboard mainstream rock charts! We talk to Speed about how he got into music, how he […]
Ginger Coyote started the fanzine Punk Globe in July 1977, which started as photocopied pages but soon went to print media, and the magazine continues to this day in an online format. She is also the singer in the punk band White Trash Debutantes which debuted in 1989. We talk to Ginger about her punk […]
Steve Ricablana is well known as the bass player for the seminal San Francisco punk band VKTMS. The band formed in 1978, and no other band played the fabulous Mabuhay Gardens more than the VKTMS, but after a stalled attempt to get on a record label in the early 80’s, the VKTMS split up and […]
An interview with Ryan Camarda (filmmaker) and Kevin MacLeod (composer) about the making film about a composer whose music has been used in many, many, many videos. Royalty Free: The Music of Kevin MacLeod is a documentary about one composer and millions of videos. The film will discuss the vast reach of composer Kevin MacLeod and his […]
Come celebrate with co-producers Dan Sauter, Erik Core, and Josh Almond on 100 episodes of Music Life Radio. We talk about what inspired us to start the podcast, how we find people to interview, and tell lots of inside and behind-the-scenes stories about many of the episodes from our past. We talk with some old […]
Al Lujan is a film-maker working on “CLN/SBR/PNX –True Stories of Chaos, Redemption, Hope and Punk Rock”, a documentary on sober punks, mostly musicians who share their experiences staying clean and sober in an environment that is not conducive to it. Erik Core talks to Al about his passion for punk rock, his road to recovery, and […]
Glen Harris is a radio producer and award winning broadcaster for 1340 AM KWLE (The Whale) in Anacortes, WA. We talk to Glen about the art of radio production, engineering, and broadcasting, and his love for voice over work. We also hear many stories from his bass playing days in bands such as Otis Elevator […]
Chris Wade is an author, songwriter, and primary architect of Dodson and Fogg, a progressive folk recording project featuring an impressive lineup of musicians that help showcase his songwriting talents. He is the author of several nonfiction books about the music of Black Sabbath, The Incredible String Band, and the Kinks among others, and several fiction […]
David Snowden of David Snowden Promotions, Inc. which does management and marketing of fan clubs, merchandise, license deals, and promotion of entertainment artists, including graphic design work is our guest today on Music Life Radio. David has worked with many artists including Kiss, Joan Jett, Vinnie Vincent, White Lion, Nelson, Vixen, Britny Fox, LA Guns, Icehouse, Y&T, […]
CJ is the soon-to-be new owner and proprietor of Winter’s Tavern in Pacifica, CA. Winter’s website tagline “No, Really, IT’S ALL ABOUT THE MUSIC!” is no lie, they feature independent, original live music acts weekly. It’s the new happening spot in the Bay Area to catch some great live music, and kick back to some […]
Matt Stevens is a musician and composer from North London. An instrumental artist, he uses an acoustic guitar and sampler to create multi layered tracks live. This is often called Live Looping. His music has been described as “a guitar orchestra”. He plays live all over the UK and listens to Sonic Youth, Carcass, Nick […]
Ralph Spight is a master guitarist, singer-songwriter, and best known for his work in the band’s Victim’s Family, The Freak Accident, and Jello Biafra and the Guantanamo School of Medicine. After taking a guitar lesson from Ralph, Erik Core interviews him about his bands, approach to music, working with Jello Biafra, stories from the road, […]
The band Gunpowder talks about their third album, Songs of the Resistance, out now and available for free on their website. Music Life Radio’s own Dan Sauter and Erik Core, aka Doc Sauter (Guitar) and Major Erik Core (Vocals, Acoustic Guitar), along with Pancho Lamonte (Drums), and Al Yippikayda (Bass) sit down to a round […]
Carlos Daniel Ayala aka Carlos Guitarlos is a singer, songwriter, and guitar player extraordinaire. He picked up the guitar at age 10 back in 1960 and started writing songs, and has written over 7,000 and counting. He was the guitarist for Top Jimmy and the Rhythm Pigs, a well known L.A. scene club band back in the 80’s, […]
Carlos Daniel Ayala aka Carlos Guitarlos is a singer, songwriter, and guitar player extraordinaire. He picked up the guitar at age 10 back in 1960 and started writing songs, and has written over 7,000 and counting. He was the guitarist for Top Jimmy and the Rhythm Pigs, a well known L.A. scene club band back […]
Kyle and Carl are two aspiring artist from Phoenix Arizona looking to make a big impact on the music community. They are two cousins who have been working together on music for 5 years now devoting much time and effort into perfecting their craft and chasing their dreams. Taking pride in trying to spread a […]
Zen Tao-Journey Jimalric Stevensson-Zenith is a musician, and guitar instructor from San Francisco. We talk to Zen about his upbringing in an “unschooled” household, his education at the Musician’s Institute, his musical career featuring his former band Please Do Not Fight, his work as a manager for the band Picture Atlantic, his podcasting work, and his […]
Greg Kihn is a rock and roll musician, author, radio personality, and podcast host. We chat with Greg about growing up in Baltimore, moving to the Bay Area and forming the Greg Kihn Band in the 70’s and how the band signed with Beserkley Records. We discuss his hits The Breakup Song, and Jeopardy, and how the music video for the […]
Clay Tarver is a guitarist, screenwriter, and author. We talk to Clay about his life, starting with both his bands Chavez and Bullet LaVolta, his work over at MTV, how he learned the art of screenwriting from J.J. Abrams and Mike Judge, about his love of working on smaller writing projects for newspapers, and about […]
Thao P. Nguyen is a Artist, Activist, and Academic. She just finished up a solo performance run of her show Fortunate Daughter at Berkeley’s Impact Theatre. Erik Core talks to Thao about her training in performance art and comedy, studying under comedy legend W. Kamau Bell, and winning his “W. Kamau Bell Solo Performance Black Belt,” a […]
Zachary James is a songwriter and front man for the Zachary James and the All Seeing Eyes band. We talk with Zachary and fellow band and soul mate Alexandra Starlight. Zachary James started his rock career in the Thunderboys with Gearhead Records, but quickly moved on to his current project. Zachary’s influences verge on his interstellar […]
James Tracy is an author, activist, community organizer, and former singer with the Bay Area band Space Masons. MLR’s Erik Core talks with James about his musical past, his current organizing efforts, and his latest book (co-authored with Amy Sonnie) “Hillbilly Nationalists, Urban Race Rebels and Black Power: Community Organizing in Radical Times“. We also hear […]
Simon Godfrey is a prolific songwriter who has just released a solo album under the moniker Shineback entitled “Rise Up Forgotten, Return Destroyed“, and is also known for his work in the band Tinyfish. Simon ‘writes constantly to keep himself sane’, and is an accomplished studio engineer who has spent twenty years working around the […]
Thrash metal band Final Curse describes of their first tour, which turned out to be a spectacular disaster, but makes for a great story. Final Curse is Mike Plowman (vocals, guitar), Fernie ” Ferndog” Ortega (bass), Madison Stegall (lead guitar, vocals), and Brendon Blackwelder (drums). Final Curse is from Charlotte, NC. Formed in Summer 2006, and […]
Jerry Beisler is author of The Bandit of Kabul: Counterculture Adventures along the Hashish trail and beyond, a non-fiction, narrative history of the 1970s. Beisler also created and produced The Cutting Edge Television show from 1999-2006. The show won the Best Entertainment award for the Public Access Television in 2002, beating over 500 entries for the prize. Known as Jerry B in the […]
Update: 1/30/2015 – Eddie Bell aka Cookie Dough passed away on 1/29/2015 after a brief illness while getting ready to perform in Puerto Vallarta. Read more about it here. Please visit the GoFundMe website to help raise money for medical, transportation, and funeral expenses. You can see the amazing outpouring of love and comments on […]
Lynnee Breedlove (aka Lynn Breedlove) is a visionary who has long been shaping revolutionary art. Lynnee was the front-person of the first American out dyke punk band, Tribe 8, which promoted queer, transgender, multiracial, and working class visibility. Lynnee went on to become a notable solo performer, and toured the world with the one-person performance […]
Kyle Terrizzi is a San Francisco Bay Area singer songwriter who performs under the moniker The Plastic Arts. Kyle talks to Music Life Radio about his background, growing up in Tucson, AZ, his move to the Bay Area, and how he dealt with a serious bout of depression. We also discuss his musical achievements, including […]
Amy Rose, Doug Briney, and Josey Milner are all up and coming country music artists managed by Michael Stover of MTS Management group. We listen to each artist tell their story in three separate mini profiles, and listen to songs from each one. Amy Rose is a Canadian country powerhouse vocalist, who grew up in Barrie, Ontario, Canada, where she […]
Far I Shields is a singer, songwriter, artist, author, and green business entrepreneur. Far I talks with Music Life Radio about his various bands including Sacred Journey, his current solo work, his Green Carpet cleaning business (BGreen4Life), and how he obtained his magical guitar for $5. We also listen to some live tracks performed at […]
Michael Starita is a lifelong musician with over 15 years of experience as an engineer and producer. He started his career at the famous Hyde Street Studios in the late 90s learning from many of the Bay Area greats. Moving to EDNET, Starita had the pleasure of being the ISDN engineer for clients such as Rick Rubin, […]
Randy Walker is the vocalist for the band Carletta Sue Kay, where he takes on the persona of front woman Carletta, adopting the name of his cousin who served time for attempting to fire bomb her ex-boyfriend’s apartment. He has a four octave vocal range, and writes songs that are brilliantly moving, often humorous, and […]
Bucky Sinister is a poet, self-help author, and a comedian. He’s also a published journalist with focus on film reviews, and he’s written a few short stories. Erik Core interviews Bucky about his move from the mid-west to the Bay Area to hang out with the beat poets and punk rockers, his recovery from drugs and […]
Bucky Sinister is a poet, self-help author, and a comedian. He’s also a published journalist with focus on film reviews, and he’s written a few short stories. Erik Core interviews Bucky about his move from the mid-west to the Bay Area to hang out with the beat poets and punk rockers, his recovery from drugs and […]
Kurdt Vanderhoof is a musician well known as the guitarist and songwriter of the pioneering heavy metal band Metal Church. Sometimes referred to as the other “Curt” from Aberdeen, Washington, he has played in many groups including The Lewd, Hall Aflame, Vanderhoof, and Presto Ballet. In all aspects of his music, he strives for an […]
TeaganIsm is a punk rocker, model, and performance artist in Oakland, California. She grew up in Portland, Oregon, then moved to the Bay Area to live in the punk rock community warehouse known as HAZMAT where she befriended many folks, including local Oakland Pyrate Punx, and soon began performing at punk rock shows and events with […]
Saxophonist and composer Hermann Lara is a product of the San Francisco’s jazz sound and tradition. Born and raised in the City’s vibrant Mission District, his musical credits range from performances with the local funk group Stymie & the Pimp Jones Luv Orchestra and stints with the Ray of Light Theatre Company to engagements with […]
Alexandra Starlight started her musical career in the punk rock bands The Daggers, and later moved to The Holograms in 2004. She then formed The Hollywood Harlots, which Sugarbuzz Magazine described as the “gritty spawn of The New York Dolls” blended with the “dirty girl appeal”…of The Runaways, where she quickly earned the reputation as the female Iggy Pop […]
Antonia Vai is a 24-year old singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Sweden, well-established on the music scene of Stockholm. She has been called a “Bohemian Soul Diva”, mixing the elegance of a pop star, with the free spirit of a hippy, and she has is clearly been influenced by folk. Focused on storytelling, shaped by […]
The Yes Go’s are truly an original San Francisco Band. With two natives and a long-time resident, you know the music is a reflection of the city itself. Original, quirky and without shame, The Yes Go’s will give you a set in which no song sounds remotely like another. This trio has punk rock punch […]
Dominique Leone wears many hats, has only a few faces, and has composed hundreds of songs. He is a classically trained musician from Texas who now operates out of San Francisco. He’s a songwriter and producer, with more than a slight command of pop history and theory, and has used these skills as a music […]
This is a re-podcast of episode 36 from May 2011 in celebration of Stephen Tobolowsky’s new book, The Dangerous Animals Club. Stephen is an amazing storyteller, and was an excellent and gracious guest. Please check out his new book! The Dangerous Animals Club encompasses stories in the first twenty-five Tobolowsky Files podcasts with new material and presented in a […]
Jack Conte is a working musician who has had quite a bit of success via YouTube with his Video songs which have a couple of rules: 1. What you see is what you hear. (No lip-syncing for voice or instruments), 2. If you hear it, at some point you see it (meaning that there are […]
Penelope Houston, lead singer of the San Francisco punk band the Avengers, and successful solo artist, has released a new solo album entitled On Market Street. We talk to Penelope about her early punk roots including when her band opened up for the Sex Pistols at Winterland, her expansive solo career, the re-release of the […]
Travis Larson joins MLR producer Josh Almond to talk about his instrumental fusion rock group, the Travis Larson Band. Think of a musical stew mixing a thick brown Rush gravy with big hearty chunks of Steve Morse and a dash of Jeff Beck. Comprised of Travis Larson (guitar), Jennifer Young (bass), and Dale Moon (drums), TLB’s complicated […]
Kathy Peck is co-founder of Hearing Education Awareness for Rockers aka as H.E.A.R, a non-profit volunteer organization dedicated to preventing hearing loss and raising awareness of the real dangers of repeated exposure to excessive noise levels from music which can lead to permanent, and sometimes debilitating, hearing loss and tinnitus. Kathy talks about her first […]
Robert Pielke, author of Rock Music in American Culture – the Sounds of a Revolution, talks about his book which investigates rock music from a philosophical perspective. We discuss several of the concepts used in the book, including how a cultural revolution succeeds, and examine two prominent symbols of the revolution: Elvis as the negation […]
Dave Meros is an American bass guitar player, best known as the bassist for Progressive Rock band Spock’s Beard. Josh Almond of Music Life Radio interviews Dave about his background, including his time as bass player and tour manager for Eric Burdon and The Animals, and his musical career with Spock’s Beard. Dave’s main creative venture […]
Geoff Robinson is best known as the lead guitar player for the epic Seattle grunge band Blood Circus. They were one of the first bands on Seattle’s Sub Pop record label, playing with bands such as TAD, Nirvana, and Soundgarden back in the late 80’s. In part two of the interview, Geoff talks about their first and only American tour, and how they […]
Geoff Robinson is best known as the lead guitar player for the epic Seattle grunge band Blood Circus. They were one of the first bands on the Sub Pop record label, playing with TAD, Nirvana, and Soundgarden back in the late 80’s. In part one of the interview, Geoff talks about his upbringing in Georgia, his experience […]
Steve Ritchie is a pinball game designer, working at Stern Pinball. He is a Coast Guard Vietnam veteran, and has played in the rock bands Sweet Asylum and Legs Diamond in his early life. In 1976 he walked through the doors of Atari looking for work, and was soon creating his own games. His designs are legendary, […]
Australian Pianist and Composer Richard Goldsworthy creates tranquil, melodic and uplifting music for Solo Piano. Josh Almond interviews Richard about his early life in rock bands, his stint as the Australian Elton John, his collaboration with soul singer Tarvin Watson, his solo performance work, and his thoughts on music as a healing art form. Richard […]
Architecture of Sound from the American Sabor exhibition at San Francisco Public Library is a panel discussion that explores the relationship between architecture, acoustics and the live performance experience and how it has influenced musical venues throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Panelists include architect Mark Cavagnero, whose projects include the new SFJAZZ Center; Kurt Graffy, […]
Ben Bongers, tenor, is an artist in demand by many opera companies throughout the world. MLR’s Erik Core interviews Ben about his life, including how he went from the Nebraska farmlands to star of the opera stage, and all places in between. Ben breaks down an opera for us, talks about how to take care […]
Steve Moriarty is a drummer who has played in many bands, but most notably in the Seattle punk band The Gits. In part two of this interview we cover the details surrounding the tragic rape and murder of the Gits lead singer, Mia Zapata in 1993, how the surviving Gits went on to form a new band, […]
Steve Moriarty is a drummer who has played in many bands, but most notably in the Seattle punk band The Gits. In this first part of the interview we talk to Steve about his background as a jazz drummer, how spending a year in Spain changed his world views, his Antioch college experience, joining the […]
Dave Dalton has been playing music since the 1980’s. He started out in the punk bands Screaming Bloody Marys, and Cell Block 5, and is now diversifying his sound after picking up the dobro. His current projects include the Irish Folk rock band Ol’ Cheeky Bastards, the acoustic busker punk band Pissed Off Punks (POPS), as […]
Gregg Inhofer is a singer-songwriter, pianist, and vocalist who has played a significant role in the Minneapolis music scene, and is a member of the Minnesota Rock and Country Music Hall of Fame. We talk with Gregg about his early career with Pepper Fog, This Oneness, Olivia Newton-John, and Soldiers of Fortune (featuring Jesse Ventura), […]
Bill Collins is a guitarist, singer/songwriter, and music teacher, who has performed for over 35 years, playing everything from hardcore punk to children’s music (Irish, Rockabilly, Ska, Folk, Blues, Metal, Reggae, Country, Rap, and nearly every kind of Rock ‘n’ Roll). He has made music with the best, gigged in sixteen countries and most U.S. […]
Bryan Beller is a bassist, composer, writer, solo artist, and contributing editor for Bass Player magazine. He has played with several musicians including Steve Vai, Mike Keneally (Frank Zappa), Dweezil Zappa, his wife R&B / soul singer Kira Small, and as member of the touring band Dethklok – from the Adult Swim show Metalocalype. Josh Almond interviews […]
Ron Shock is a comedian with one hell of a life story. His career path includes priest in training, chain gang member, attempted jewel thief and subsequent guest at a maximum security penitentiary, computer programmer in the U.S. Army, and Vice President of a Fortune 500 company. At age 40 he had an epiphany, and became […]
Ron Shock is a comedian with one hell of a life story. His career path includes priest in training, chain gang member, attempted jewel thief and subsequent guest at a maximum security penitentiary, computer programmer in the U.S. Army, and Vice President of a Fortune 500 company. At age 40 he had an epiphany, and […]
Erik Core interviews Kate Knox about her role as an organizer for the international punk rock festival BOBFEST. The BOB stands for Bremen – Germany, Oakland – California USA, and Bath – England and every couple of years the festival rotates between these three cities. Folks come from all over to get together and enjoy […]
Singer-songwriter Crystal Monee Hall is perhaps the hardest working person in music. The Virginia-born native came to Oakland by way of New York, where she spent several years singing in the Broadway musical Rent. Her debut album River Train is a mix of folk, soul, gospel, and rock. We talk to Crystal about River Train, her love of […]
J.P. Kallio is a Finnish born singer-songwriter best known for his work in the traditional irish folk band Sliotar. This however is the story of his new band JPKallio.com, a Dublin based indie rock band that mixes classic and punk rock to form their basis. The band features J.P. on vocals and guitar, Tomek Jastrebski […]
Chuck Lindo‘s current projects include The American Professionals, and the indie rock band Actionslacks. Chuck hails from the St. Louis punk band The Nukes, the surf-inspired Jumbo Shrimp (featuring Dead Kennedy’s East Bay Ray and Klaus Flouride), and alt rock band Dryspell. In 2007, Chuck founded music house Jingle This with partner John Schulte. They […]
Carole Sauter joins us today on Music Life Radio to talk about her personal history, and relationship with music. She is a flute player in the Gateway Concert Band, a community-based concert group, and she is the mother of MLR’s host and executive producer, Dan Sauter. Having survived two husbands, a career in teaching, Carole […]
Gary Tubbs of the progressive metal band Tetrafusion speaks with MLR’s Josh Almond about his band. What is progressive metal – well in this case throw in some Dream Theater, a hearty scoopful of Rush, a dash of Live, a meaty chunk of Metallica, and mix liberally with Jazz, and Classical influences, and top of with […]
Stephen Tobolowsky is a master storyteller, an actor appearing in over 150 movies and TV shows, and is a man with a remarkable musical background. We talk to Stephen about his upbringing, his early band Cast of Thousands who recorded with a young Stevie Ray Vaughan, and his friendship with Jimmie Vaughan on the set of Great Balls […]
Cecilia Populus is the editor of the music magazine On the Tip of My Tongue (formerly of Ears and Mouth), which also used to be the name of the music performance and interview show on San Francisco Channel 29, Public Access Cable TV that she produced and directed. MLR talks to Cecilia about the trials and tribulations […]
Derek Theron is a singer-songwriter from Boston MA, and a two-time ”Billboard World Songwriting Contest” award winner. He is the guitar player and vocalist for the rock band “6S”, with Mike Sedani (bass) and Dave Perry (drums), named after the number of a rented studio room – as it rhymed with “success”. Derek’s songwriting vision […]
Jon Herington is regarded as the “guitarist for the stars”, playing with notable greats Steely Dan, Boz Scaggs, and Madeleine Peyroux. In his youth his high school band opened up for Bruce Springsteen, and he went on to study jazz and classical music composition in college. He was awarded a national Endowment for the Arts […]
Moon Hooch is a Brooklyn based collaborative trio featuring Mike Wilbur and Wenzl McGowen on tenor saxophone, and James Muschler on drums. They write their songs as electronic music, and then perform them using acoustic instruments. This approach produces music that is a fascinating combination of house, dance, drum and bass, jazz, world and classical […]
Bobby Joe Ebola and the Children MacNuggits. Part Two – Interview with Dan Abbott (guitar, vocals) and Corbett Redford (vocals), the talented musical comedic duo who make up the band, who have reformed after a 10 year hiatus. Today you could easily make comparisons to Tenacious D or Flight of the Conchords, but Bobby Joe […]
Bobby Joe Ebola and the Children MacNuggits. Part One – Interview with Dan Abbott (guitar, vocals) and Corbett Redford (vocals), the talented musical comedic duo who make up the band, who have reformed after a 10 year hiatus. Today you could easily make comparisons to Tenacious D or Flight of the Conchords, but Bobby Joe […]
Eric Riel, is a poet, an IT professional, and an avid gamer. Eric describes his creative process, talks about his inspirations, tells us some funny stories, and reads selections from his poetry collection. Poetry and music have a distinct connection, and so as an experiment we set Eric’s poems to music from Kevin MacLeod‘s Incompetech […]
Aviv Cohn, who goes by the moniker “the Widest Smiling Faces”, is a singer-songwriter from New York City who has released one independent self-titled album. Aviv talks about his experience playing with NY singer-songwriter David Peel & The Lower East Side Band, how he sees music in colors (a form of synesthesia), and we discuss work […]
Kevin MacLeod, a composer who runs Incompetech.com, one of the most popular Royalty Free Music sites on the internet, talks about his creative process, his business model, the advantages of the Creative Commons licensing structure for composers and musicians, and why current copyright law is out of place in today’s age. We also discuss life […]
Hot Fog is a San Francisco metal band, a late 70’s early 80’s metal experience with elements of Iron Maiden and Metallica. We talk metal music, listen to songs from their latest EP Wyvern and Children First, and even discuss the glory of Dungeons and Dragons! This is a high octane interview with all four […]
Powell St. John was in the Waller Creek Boys (with a young Janis Joplin) while at the University of Texas in the early 60’s. He went on to form the St. John the Conqueroo, wrote songs for the 13th Floor Elevators (featuring Roky Erickson), and helped to found the San Francisco band Mother Earth with Tracy Nelson. […]
Powell St. John was in the Waller Creek Boys (with a young Janis Joplin) while at the University of Texas in the early 60’s. He went on to form the band St. John the Conqueroo, wrote songs for the 13th Floor Elevators (featuring Roky Erickson), and helped to found the San Francisco band Mother Earth with […]
Wendy De Rosa is a musician, author, and an intuitive energy healer. Wendy talks about her musical background, her work as a solo artist and as a member of the Colorado based band Mosaic, and how she got into the world of energy healing. A day after our interview I had a session with Wendy […]
Jason Everman has lived a very interesting life, and he is just getting started! He has been in several of my favorite bands including Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Mindfunk, and he has spent parts of his life as a commercial fisherman, a Nepalese monk, a bike messenger, both an Army Ranger and Special Forces soldier, and a student […]
Lawrence Genova is a singer/songwriter who was born in the Philippines, raised in Hawaii, spent 6 years in the US Air Force, and now resides in the San Francisco Bay Area. He’s playing the clubs, and making a name for himself with his songs which cover personal, political, and cultural topics. We talk to Lawrence […]
John Montagna is a professional bass player out of Brooklyn New York. John talks to MLR about session work, supporting live acts like Alan Parsons, Todd Rundgren, Denny Laine, and his involvement in the Godfrey Townsend band supporting the Happy Together tour, and Hippiefest. We listen to some of John’s solo work as well. Check […]
Danny Lobell, the great host of Comical Radio, comedian, and part time concert security guard, talks music with MLR. We discuss the tragic death of Danny’s friend Harvey Pekar, the impact he had on Danny’s life, especially with respect to his love of jazz music. Recorded the day of Pekar’s death, we get to listen to […]
John Montagna, a professional musician, describes what life is like on the road during his stint as the house band bassist on the Happy Together tour through a series of road diaries. John Montagna is a Brooklyn native, he has logged thousands of road miles while touring with acts like Alan Parsons, Todd Rundgren, and […]
Rob McCann started out studying music, and playing in bands in the Las Vegas area. He eventually moved to Austin and found his own voice as a solo artist under the moniker Trainwreck in Sarasota. Rob tells us his musical story, and we interweave samples of his songs from his new EP Something to Call […]
Dirty Power is a hard rock band from San Francisco that builds upon a solid musical foundation, taking from all the great influences of the past and molding their own new and exciting music. Drawing from bands like AC/DC, Motorhead, Black Sabbath, they mix in a little Cheap Trick and Def Leppard and finally apply […]
Marc Maron, comedian, and host of WTF Pod, talks music. Marc had a string of gigs at the legendary San Francisco club Purple Onion May 10th-12th, home to many famous comedians and garage/punk rock bands, and was able to swing by Music Life Radio for an interview. Marc entertains with stories of his favorite gigs, his love […]
Matt Blackett, Associate Editor of Guitar Player magazine, talks about the business of producing a guitar magazine. We get to hear some great stories about Matt’s musical trip, his time spent hanging out with Eddie Van Halen, and his humbling interview with the legendary Jeff Beck. Plus we get to hear some amazing guitar work […]
Kyle Thompson tells us about his days in the Las Vegas music scene, his move to New York City, his first solo live performance appearance on the Keith and the Girl show (which he is an intern on). Kyle, who also goes by the musical pseudonym “Charlie Wright”, describes his experience with music, the importance of […]
Mig aka MIGUELICUSEYE (pronounced Mig-el-eh-kus-I) talks about his love of playing music, his burnout, and how he regained his mojo after a much needed break. Mig has played in several bands, most notably Left Out Lamont, which performed nearly 200 shows in it’s 4 year history. Lot’s of sagely advice from a man who has learned […]
MLR talks with John Binkov, best known as the guitarist for the seminal punk rock band, VKTMS. John reminisces about the early days of the San Francisco punk rock scene, recalls life at the legendary rock club Mabuhay Gardens, discusses his band’s resurgence in the mid 90’s, and talks about his current bands the D’Jelly […]
Nick V is one half of Party Crashers, a hip-hop duo based in Oakland CA that defy classic boundaries. Party Crashers mix quirky lyrics and head nodding beats, with a wild stage presence and alluring personalities. Nick V discusses his musical partner DJ Expel, the importance of themes, Hyphy music, and he spins some great […]
MLR interviews Stacy Soibelman about her love of music. She introduces us to some fresh faces we might not have heard of yet, comments on her love of pop music, and how she can go beyond pop and embrace all kinds and styles. For music fans everywhere, this is one super fan! Credits: intro music […]
Rick DiDia and Aireene Espiritu are two amazing musicians who perform together as a guitar and ukulele duo, fusing blends of folk, Americana, roots, blues, bluegrass, and rock into a powerful musical force. MLR talks with Rick and Aireene about their upcoming release entitled Ten Ton Feather, how they met, their musical influences, and their ‘Spinal Tap’ like […]
Phil Johnson is a comedian and a musician that expertly merges both worlds into a delightful and hilarious blend. Leader of the band Roadside Attraction, Phil kills audiences with his down to earth wit, and amazing song crafting. I haven’t laughed this hard in a long time! Credits: Intro music “Blue Collar Anthem” by “Phil […]
Steve “Sid” Osgood explains what it is like to be lit on fire at an actual rock and roll show. Includes actual video footage of the event. Sid also talks about his early years playing bass in a punk band, how he got his nick name, and many other interesting stories. Credits: Opening […]
Scott Warder, musician and film maker, talks about his musical roots, and what led him to want to make films. He tells us the story of the making of his documentary about the San Francisco music scene in 1999 when many bands were struggling to find places to play as clubs started closing due to […]
Erik Core hits the road as the supporting act for the White Trash Debutantes, on a whirlwind tour of the Pacific Northwest in 1996. Sometimes truth really is stranger than fiction! An extremely entertaining story from the king of acoustic hardcore. Credits: Opening song “Green Onions” written by “Booker T and the MG’s”, and performed […]
Chris Panny, an indie musician, describes his journey while in search of the big rock-n-roll dream of getting signed to a label.Along his musical rollercoaster ride, he gets close several times, but never quite manages to close the deal.With no regrets, Chris keeps on making music and never lets the little things get in the […]
Tom Mulder reflects on the impact of music in his life. Growing up in the Nazi occupied Netherlands as a child, listening to Jazz during his teenage years in the Hague, his experiences in the Dutch military, love and life in Holland, his marriage to Sophia, emigrating and becoming a citizen of the United States. […]
Three college students make a pact to start a band their senior year without any musical training, and they do! The founding members revisit the glory days of their youth and reflect on their first band ‘Illegal Action’. Credits: Intro music – “Whole” by Miguel “Migman” Vallejo. Intro Voiceover – Deanna Mulder-Sauter. Interviews featuring Dan […]