Sitting With Gianluca: Recent Episodes
Gianluca Tramontana
Sitting with Gianluca will be a rotating cast of artists engaging in lively and fascinating conversation and – when they’re musicians – some live music as well. Expect these sit-downs to be more like co-hosts sitting around the record player than interviews.
If you’re a fan of Levon Helm, The Band, BB King, Bob Dylan or a myriad of other amazing American artists you won’t want to miss this sit-down with piano wizard Brian Mitchell who has been a first call ivory tickler for a few decades.
Sitting with Gianluca celebrates iconic folk giant Dave Van Ronk, who would have been 85, together with folk singer David Massengill who toured with him for many years. Dave Van Ronk was the center for the 60s folk boom and was mentor to many fresh-faced folk-nick, including a young arrival called Bob Dylan. His knowledge and guitar arrangements of traditional music are legendary
Sitting with Gianluca celebrates the music and importance of late R&B legend Lloyd Price (RIP May 3, 2021) by airing excerpts of a sit-down from a visit to his upstate New York country mansion for MOJO Magazine (Feb ’18). Lloyd not only saw the birth of post war r&b but became a part of the birth of rock and roll when his first single, Lawdy Miss Clawdy, became a smash crossover hit in 1952 - arguably the first single to unite black and white teenagers and start desegregation a decade before Martin Luther King. After having more hits and becoming a teen sensation, Price became a club owner, boxing promoter for Mohammad Ali (along with Don King) and general impresario. Gianluca and Lloyd also candidly discuss music, desegregation and the shooting of his business partner.
Sitting with Gianluca is New York City acoustic blues player, recording artist, actor and author Guy Davis. After soaking up the arts as a child through his parents Ossie Davis & Ruby Dee, he has kept the family tradition alive by performing all over the world for the last four decades.
If you’re a fan of Texan songwriting icon Guy Clark, Sitting with Gianluca is Tamara Saviano, Guy’s friend, former publicist, biographer and producer of “Without Getting Killed or Caught” a documentary on the songwriter available for screening online.
"Sitting with Gianluca" will air an exclusive archive interview and radio session with late Texan songwriting legend Guy Clark. In seventies Nashville, a group of Texan songwriters that included Townes Van Zandt, Steve Earle and honorary Texan Jerry Jeff Walker ushered in a grittier, road-weary type of roots music that allowed long-haired, pot-smoking hippies and the short-haired, conservative country music tribe to bond. To coincide with the release of a documentary of Guy’s life and music: “Without Getting Killed or Caught”, Gianluca airs a conversation with the songwriting legend himself with an exclusive performance of two of his songs. It serves as a good primer for the documentary’s producer Tamara Saviniano’s sit-down next week.
Sitting with Gianluca is New Orleans funky piano player and bandleader Jon Cleary who carries the funky gumbo-ya-ya piano stylings that the Crescent City is known for. Gianluca and Jon celebrate what would have been funkmeister and musical chameleon Johnny “Guitar” Watson’s 86th birthday with some cuts and conversation about what made Watson such a singular talent.
Singer, songwriter, recording artist and activist Michelle Shocked helps celebrate Sitting with Gianluca’s 100th episode with live music and discussion on the history and offensive nature of blackface.
In honor of Justin Townes Earle, who passed away a week ago I am airing one of the conversations I had with him. I was one of the first people to ever interview Justin after his first CD and the second to interview when he came out of rehab. He lived down my street and we drunk at the same bar (before he went to rehab!). Justin was a really lovely lad - genuine, friendly and straight talking. Here is our candid conversation about recovery and songwriting when he stopped by my apartment after getting out of rehab.
Have you ever wondered how bands make it and keep their edge? Well it’s because publicists and record pluggers like 30 year veteran Dylan white who’s worked with everybody from Oasis and Joe strummer to U2 and Elton John. Behind every artists is a team of people that make the trains run on time with military precision. Dylan sits with Gianluca and gives him sneak peak behind the scenes of working with legends we’ve all heard on the radio. Expect great music including up-and-comers and a sneak peak at an un-released Joe Strummer from Joe Strummer demo
Sitting with Gianluca is Italian singer-songwriter Andrea Tarquini from his apartment in Milan. Andrea speaks good English and will run down how an American artist his hometown of Rome changed Italian songwriting and also play a couple of songs. You’ll even get to hear Gianluca say things in a thick Italian accent with those amazing rolling "R"s!
In honor of what would have been David Bowie’s 73rd birthday, I listen some exclusive, never-been-told recollections from people that worked with him on his last two records along with an audio documentary on the closing Magic Shop recording studio he recorded in. I was granted complete access to the iconic studio in its final days and the documentary also includes some David Bowie recollections as the engineers show me where he recorded and what set-up he used. It’s been 4 years and the story still moves me…
Sitting with Gianluca is veteran singer-songwriter, roots musician and musical chameleon Michelle Shocked. We co-host a show with pre-war country blues music and some of Michelle’s favorite songs.
In this episode, journeyman JP Steinberg - lifelong DJ, diehard raver, NYC promoter and event producer with an up-and-coming EDM journalism dedicated to the true school underground - will takes Gianluca deep into the heart of hip hop and electronica and turns him on to the genres through its history.
Sitting with Gianluca this evening is Sam Hariss bass player for New York City loveable rogues The Sweet Things. If you like The New York Dolls, Faces and seventies era Stones you will love them!
Sitting with Gianluca is transgender singer songwriter Mya Byrne who will also be singing a couple of songs.
Sitting with Gianluca is queer country pioneer Karen Pittelman of Karen and the Sorrows band leader and organizer of the annual Gay City Opry.
Sitting With Gianluca is Phil Buehler who’s book Wardy Forty uncovers Woody Guthrie’s last years with Huntington’s disease at Greystone Park State Hospital in New Jersey. Expect lots of unheard stories and plenty of Woody Guthrie music.
Sitting with Gianluca is performance artist, "psychiatrist" and Radio Free Brooklyn host Dr. Lisa of Lisa Gives a Shit. Expect funny talk and songs about shrinks and nervous breakdowns.
In honor of Indigenous Peoples Day Gianluca pays tribute to First Nations musicians that formed the basis for rock and roll. Expect to be surprised who comes up.
Gianluca replays an interview with Chris smither who plays a couple of songs, explains the art of songwriting and talks about the Cambridge Massachusetts folk scene of the sixties.
Sitting with Gianluca is top music photographer Guy Eppel who began his career shooting some of the best & brightest U.K bands of the early oughts for the illustrious New Musical Express. During his early days for the magazine, he made important connections with artists such as The Libertines, The Cribs, Franz Ferdinand and Bloc Party, among many others. Expect a vibrant conversation of the art of rock photography and lots of great music from Guy’s subjects.
Sitting with me today on Sitting With Gianluca is Liz Thompson who is organizing The Village Trip - celebration go the Greenwich Village folks scene. That runs from September 26th - 29th and will be capped with a free concert by Steve Earle. Expect to hear songs from festival performers and some of the legendary characters who made scene possible as well as the history of the village beyond music and including politics and literature along with the roots of the NAACP.
Sitting With Gianluca today will be Demus Whisper is a veteran on the house music ad electronica scene. Digital Memory Music label boss Demus Whisper Started as a promoter in the early 90's in NYC to such clubs as Palladium, USA, Tunnel, Limelight, Roxy... Got into Djing in 1995 playing Progressive House leading into Hard Trance, Hard Techno and UK Hard House & Nu Nrg.. Took a break for a few years and got back into djing in 2005. Some places he has played in NYC are Tunnel, Limelight / Avalon, Sound Factory, Katra, The Green Room, Chelsea Brewing Company, The Grand, Leopard Lounge, The East Side Company Bar, Azza, Bar 13, Le Souk, China 1, Karma, Aji Lounge, National Underground, T heater Bar, Luca Lounge, Studio B just to name a few.He has also played all over the US and overseas in London twice. Demus released his first single with a collaboration with GRon for a heavy techno workout called "Breaking My Concentration" in January 2013. Expect more singles and remixes from Demus in 2013 on Digital Memory Music and Keoki Records.Join our conversation on RadioFreeBrooklyn.com Wednesday 6PM
The fact that Art Neville was also known as "Poppa Funk" shows how he was a father figure to a whole generation of musicians. By 17 he had already had a hit with "Mardi Gras Mambo" with The Hawkettes. He also founded the Legendary Meters and later, the Neville Brothers. I saw him play a ridiculous amount of times and interviewed him a couple of times for various magazines. I'll be paying tribute to him on this week's Sitting With Gianluca this Wednesday 6PM EST on RadioFreeBrooklyn.com with recollections from bass legend George Porter jr. who played with Art for 48 years in the Meters and beyond.
Miami - New York based IFE has made a name for herself as a DJ playing drum and bass, AfroBeat and deep house and has been on stages on international festivals. She sits with Gianluca to explain what she does and turn him on to the joys of electronica.
Gianluca salutes the Crecent City and makes the case that of you follow all American black urban music back to its root, you will land somewhere in New Orleans.
Sitting with Gianluca is Joff Wilson, musician, songwriter who leads his band Soul Cake. Joff will play a couple of songs and we salute 60s downtown musician David Peel.
Sitting with Gianluca is Benjamin Gregory Jones AKA Ben Jamming house music dj and sculptor.
Sitting with Gianluca is Radio Free brooklyn host and working dj. about town Tommy James. We visit he UK of the 80s where Tommy cut his teeth as a musician.
At 86 Lloyd Price not only saw the birth of post war R&B but became a part of the birth of rock and roll when the first song he ever wrote Lawdy Miss Clawdy became a smash crossover hit in 1952 - arguably the first single to unite black and white teenagers. After having more hits and beaching a teen sensation, Price became a club owner, boxing promoter for Mohammad Ali (along with Don King) and general impresario. Gianluca plays excerpts of a conversation he had with Lloyd about how he wrote it and the song’s importance.
on the 50s and 60s Izzy Young's Folklore Center in the heart of Greenwich Village was the every folksinger's HQ and meeting spot. Bob Dylan even wrote a song about it. In honor of Izzy who died last week at age 90, Gianluca plays songs from Greenwich Village folknikswho for whom Izzy was an uncle.
Get hot and sweaty with some blazing funk by Johnny “Guitar” Watson who would have been 84 this Sunday. Sitting With Gianluca celebrates this funkmeister supreme who he blazed such a scorching trail that Pearl Jam even sang a song about him. Originally broadcast RadioFreeBrooklyn.com Saturday Feb 2nd and ResonanceFM.com Feb 3rd
Sitting With Gianluca lays down an hour of funk and soul while also paying tribute the the late great Reggie Young, possibly the most recorded session guitar player in history who passed away this week at 82. Songs by Jean Knight, Joe Tex, Wilson Pickett, Huey “Piano” Smith, etc. #guitarpicker #topguitarist #recordbreakingguitarplayer #mostrecordedguitarist #reggieyoung #JeanKnight #mrbigstuff #nashvilleguitarpicker #resonancefm #radiofreebrooklyn
All this talk about walls makes Gianluca play songs about walls and bridges. Songs by J Geils, Echo & The Bunnymen, Howling Wolf, Staple Singers and many, many more!
JGeils #Echo&TheBunnymen #HowlingWolf #Staple Singers #SRV #songsaboutwalls #songsaboutbridges #radiofreebrooklyn #sittingwith #sittingwithgianluca
Many years ago Rick Danko asked Gianluca to write sleeve notes for his last CD but passed away before it was released. This Saturday Jan 5th Sitting With Gianluca pays a birthday tribute to the Rick Danko of The Band with some personal recollections and solo material. Also included is Dr. John, Hamish Imlach a birthday salute to John Hartford. 9PM EST on RadioFreeBrooklyn.com
RickDanko #JohnHartford #SWG #theband #HamishImlach #ScottishFolk #StapleSingers
New Year's Show theme of new start, moving on, brand new day, hello city limits plus a 100th birthday celebration of Dave Bartholemew, new Orleans post-war R&B super-producer for Fats Domino, Guitar Slim, Shirley & Lee and many many more. Music by and stories about Dr. John, Lemmy & Billy Gibbons, Dr. John, Professor Longhair, Red Allen, etc
In honor of Duane Allman's Birthday 74th Birthday Gianluca plays deep non-Allman Brothers cuts from Duane's days as a session guitarist.