Pigs in a Podcast: Recent Episodes
KPIG.COM
Erika Tiejen (of The T Sisters) chats with Jamie about their band's new EP, "Sheroes" and their upcoming show (August 8th) at Felton Music Hall.
Reverend Freakchild checks in with host Jamie Coffis to talk about about his newest record, "Songs of Beauty and Ashes of Realization".
Songwriter Jackson Emmer makes his way to "Neighborhood Night," talking songwriting with host Jamie Coffis and playing several live tunes including "Goddess In My House," "Cereal Dust" and "Paper Savior."
All the way from Sydney Austrailia, songwriter Imogen Clark drops into the sty to chat with Ramblin' Ror' and showcase tunes from her new record "Art of Getting Through," just days before it drops! This episode includes the CD tracks "Sebastian" and the title track, along with Imogen playing the songs "All Hard Feelings" and "Squinters" a tune she cowrote with Steve Poltz.
Anthony Arya returns to Neighborhood Night to chat with guest host Mick Gray and showcase his newest record, "As It Turns Out."
Laura Monroe, Rick Allen and Tammi Brown chat with Jamie Coffis about their upcoming fundraiser for The Raven Drum Foundation.
Nate Hilts chats on the phone with Jamie about his band The Dead South. You can catch them here in the bay area at The Warfield (in San Francisco) on Thursday, August 15th!
Jacob Sharp from the North Carolina outfit Mipso chats from the road with host Jamie Coffis on a recent episode of "Neighborhood Night."
A recent Neighborhood Night episode where host Jamie Coffis interviews his brother (and bandmate) Kellen Coffis. Kellen plays a few tunes live, and they chat about upcoming gigs for their band AND their country side project, Swell City Opry (playing locally at El Vaquero Winery in Corralitos on Sunday, April 21st.
Alex Lucero, likely the hardest working musician in Santa Cruz (when he's not on the road, too) sits in with host Jamie and plays a few tunes live on a recent issue of Neighborhood Night.
Local songwriter (by way of the greater Houston area) Mike Hellman visits the sty and chats with guest host Mick Gray about his new record, "Trials and Triumphs." This episode includes FOUR tunes from the album - two played live by Mike and two from the CD.
Triple threat musician, songwriter, and producer (Panic! at the Disco, Ryan Adams, Mandy Moore, and Jenny Lewis) Mike Viola chats with Jamie on the phone. And you can check out Mike and his music this Saturday as he joins the big Coffis Space2 event at Moe's Alley!
Chris Jones of the cool local band Wolf Jett plays live-in-the-sty and chats with Jamie on a recent episode of Neighborhood Night. Includes Chris playing the tunes "Sycamore Wind" and "Time Will Finally Come," the title track from the band's new record.
Yes, we've hit 100 Episodes! In this outing, longtime (and hometown) favorite Jesse Daniel chats on the phone with Jamie about his annual show at The Catalyst, this year coming on Friday April 12!
Longtime KPIG favorite John Craigie chats on the phone with Jamie Coffis about his new record, "Pagan Church" and lays out his tour plans for the year.
Songwriter Mamma Coal joins Jamie by phone on an episode of Neighborhood Night to talk about her new record, "Dance Hall Crush."
Adam and David Moss (aka "The Brother Brothers") chat from the road - on the phone - with Jamie about their latest tour, their upcoming January Album, and all of them share the experience of playing as brothers in their respective bands.
Alabama songwriter Adam Hood talks from the road with guest host Mick about his new record "Different Groove," and goes in-depth about the differences between the writing process, cowriting, recording, and playing on the road. Fun fact: We lost Adam for a bit during this interview, so this episode also includes the CD tracks "Different Groove" and "22 Days Too Long."
Harmonica great Mark Hummel chats with Jamie about his annual Harmonica Blowout concert at Moe's Alley in Santa Cruz. Mark also dives into some fun-facts about harmonica techniques in this fascinating interview, too!
Local songwriter Anthony Arya plays live on Neighborhood Night and talks about his upcoming record.
Longtime Santa Cruz (and KPIG) favorite Lacy J Dalton chats on the phone with Jamie for a recent episode of Neighborhood Night and previews the huge cast of friends she's gathering for an upcoming benefit at Moe's Alley.
Mick sits in on a recent interview from Neighborhood Night and chats on the phone with artist Charlie Mars about his new record, "Times Have Changed." This episode includes the CD tracks "Silver Dollar" and "Don't You Want to Know Me."
Lukas Nelson chats with Jamie Coffis by phone about this new record, "Sticks and Stones". NOTE: This is a rather short episode. Lukas was calling in immediately after the Maui fires, and their call was cut short. If you'd like to learn how to help out the Maui fire victims, you'll find a list of resources and agencies where you can contribute to at Aloha-thon for Maui.
Guitar hero Nina Gerber chats with Jamie Coffis on a recent episode of Neighborhood Night.
Eilen Jewell, one of the pig's absolute favorite artists, chats with Jamie Coffis on a recent Neighborhood Night about the writing behind her brand new record, "Get Behind the Wheel"
Slide guitar wizard - and longtime favorite artist here at the pig - Roy Rogers chats on the phone with Mark Mooney on the eve of The Redwood Mountain Faire weekend.
Ben Morrison of The Brothers Comatose chats on the phone with Jamie Coffis about an upcoming two-night run at Moe's Alley in Santa Cruz.
Former Santa Cruz songwriter Adrea Castiano - now living in Nashville - drops into the sty to play a few live tunes and chat with Jamie. This includes live version of Adrea's songs "Angel" and "One-Way Flight."
Austin songwriter chats with Jamie (via phone) before a recent show here in Santa Cruz and gives the details that led to his latest record, "Together Through the Dark".
Local favorite - now living in Austin - Taylor Rae returns to the scene of the sty - to chat with Jamie about her show that week at Moe's Alley and play some new tunes including "Clone," The Airport Song," and "That's Not Mine."
Laura T. Lewis and Ryan Avellone chat and play live on Neighborhood Night with Jamie Coffis
Jamie Coffis chats buy phone with Mari and Tor of Darling West. This episode includes the studio track "Light Ahead" off their newest record, "Cosmos"
Ramblin' Ror' chats with songwriter Mark Erelli (phoning in from a wintery Boston) about his new release, "Lay Your Darkness Down". This episode includes the CD cut of "The Man I Am" from the new record.
Local songwriter Alex Lucero hangs and plays LIVE IN THE STY and chats with Jamie Coffis on Neighborhood Night.
Jamie chats on the phone with songwriter Mike Beck, calling in from Montana. Mike is a longtime favorite here on the pig - and also a former resident whom we still claim as one of our own.They chat about his recent appearance at the Elko Nevada Cowboy and Poetry gathering, along with the story behind Mike's latest single, "Woman In the Wave," which has become an instant KPIG favorite. Mike also talks in depth about the influence of the late Ian Tyson (whom we just lost) and how he's literally cowboy'd and traveled, taking care of horses and playing music over the years. This episode concludes with two of Mike's songs, including the new single and "Nevada Is King".
Via phone from another neighborhood (Mass), Jamie chat with Aaron Flanders of The Burnt Pines on a recent Neighborhood Night. They chat about the band's new record, "Don't Look Down". They chat about how the new album came about, recorded during the pandemic, and how the band's is uniquely spread out, geographically.
Amy Ray of The Indigo Girls talks with Jamie Coffis about her new solo release, "If It All Goes South."
Songwriter Sunny Sweeney joins Jamie by phone for a recent episode of "Neighborhood Night" as she literally just stepped offstage to talk about her new record, "Married Alone". Jamie opens this episode with two songs from the new record, "Easy As Hello" and "Someday You'll Call My Name". Sunny will be out here on the west coast with stops at Felton Music Hall, the Siren (Moro Bay) and Sweetwater Music Hall (Mill Valley) in December. Be sure to catch her live and learn more in this cool interview with Jamie!
From a recent edition of "Neighborhood Night," local favorite Jim Lewin drops by with singer/songwriter Diana Z to share a few tunes and talk about their upcoming duo shows.
This episode's live tunes include a take on Mary McCaslin's "Bramble and the Rose," Jim's tune "Key to Happiness," and a cover of Bob Dylan's "Never Say Goodbye".
Longtime KPIG favorite James McMurtry drops by the sty on his way to a show later that night at The Rio Theater. James chats with Mark Mooney and plays "If It Don't Bleed" and "Jackie" off his latest, "The Horses and the Hounds". This episode also includes the studio track "60 Acress" off James' record "Live in Aught Three".
Guest host Michael Gaither welcomes award-winning blues singer https://www.janivamagness.com/ to a recent episode of Neighborhood Night. Janiva talks about briefly "spinning" during early 2020...and then promptly getting back into the studio to record "Hard to Kill" (her 16th record!) and then promptly hitting the road to get back on tour.
Legendary folk icon "Ramblin'" Jack Elliot visits "Sleepy" John Sandige on KPIG's live music show, "Please Stand By". Jack reminisces about touring Europe in the early days, and his daughter mentions the mastered (and online) release of the film "The Ballad of Ramblin' Jack".
John then fast forwards as we hear some great stories about Jack's time with songwriter Guy Clark. This episode also includes the CD cuts of Guy Clark's "Ramblin' Jack and Mahan" and Jack covering "Me and Billy the Kid".
Jack concludes by throwing in an improvised tune advertising his Santa Cruz show at Moe's Alley that evening.
This is a special one - be sure to listen!
Local favorite Keith Greeninger shares thoughts behind his veteran's tribute tune, "22 Angels" (and performs it live on the pig) and chats about the upcoming "Felton Still Remembers" Veteran's Day Celebration at Hallcrest Vineyards in Felton.
Another afternoon ramble to the past: Ramblin' Ror' interviews Mato Nanji of Indigenous as he dropped by the sty in 2010 to showcase some tunes off his (then) new acoustic release, appropriately titled "The Acoustic Sessions".
Jamie Coffis talks by phone with Brennan Leigh, a new artist here at the pig - and we're quite fond of. Her songs have been recorded by Lee Ann Womack, Rodney Crowell, Sunny Sweeney, Charley Crockett, and many others. As renowned for her musicianship as for her writing, it's easy to see how Leigh caught the ear of greats like Guy Clark, who colorfully endorsed her flatpicking: "Brennen Leigh plays guitar like a motherf**," and David Olney, who described her writing as "tender, violent, sentimental, foolish and wise.
Her new record, "Prarie Love Letter," was produced by Robbie Fulks.
Jamie Coffis talks with former local songwriter Jesse Daniel. Jesse's currently in Texas, though we still claim him as one of our own. The two musicians talk about the impact that 2020 has had on touring (there isn't any) and new record releases (there haven't been any, but that's starting to change). They also look forward to what might be in store next year as new types of live shows (drive-in concerts, etc.) and other creative events become the norm. Jesse's latest record is "Rolling On," available at jessedanielmusic.com.
This week, the official Oscar Meyer Weinermobile rolled through Santa Cruz, spreading joy, fun, and weinermobile whistles. Here's a fun chat that Ramblin' Ror' had with the vehicles pilots, Mayochip Molly and Sauce Spence.
They said it was "bunderful" to be at the pig, and as Ror' said best, KPIG "relished" the opportunity to speak with them.
A recent "Neighborhood Night" session with host Jamie Coffis and guitar wizard and songwriter Sadler Vaden. Probably best "heard" to KPIG audiences as a member of Jason Isbell's band, Vaden is a dynamite songwriter in his own right...as you'll soon hear.
Jann Haworth is an American Pop artist. A pioneer of soft sculpture, she is one of the founders of Pop Art in the 1960s and is well-known as the co-creator of The Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" album cover. Her art work has been exhibited in major museums around the world and is included in the permanent collections of institutions such as the Tate Modern, the Walker Art Center, and the Smithsonian Institution.
In this 2017 phone interview, "Sleepy" John Sandige talks with Jann about the Beatles' specific suggestions for people on the cover and her artistic influences that went into this Grammy-award winning iconic work. Listening tip: Have your copy of Sgt. Pepper at the ready as Jann and John going into detail about how specific famous people ended up on the cover.
KPIG favorite Michael Franti does a very socially distanced episode of Neighborhood Night with Jamie Coffis. Michael was literally calling from an island (Bali) to chat with Jamie about his new album, "Work Hard & Play Nice" and talked about what it's been like to be quarantined with his wife and family for the past several months. (Due to COVID19, his summer tour - as well as flights to/from the island - have been put on hold).
Michael describes how his most positive songs have come from "his darkest places" and how he's learned to embrace livestreaming as a way to connect with his audience this year. As always, Franti is inspiring. This particular chat is just a little moreso.
Note: Because of the technical challenges in this particularly long-distance call, there are a few dropoffs during the interview. But this Neighborhood Night was so special, we wanted to make sure to save it for posterity and share it with our listeners.
Another pigcast flashback this time out. A vintage interview with our founder Laura Ellen Hopper and KPIG (and KFAT) favorite - AND ex-DJ Tom Russell. Tom plays "Who's Gonna Build Your Wall" and "Blue Wing" live in the sty.
This new episode features a vintage interview between our founder, the late Laura Ellen Hopper with KPIG favorite, The Greencards. The band stopped by the sty while on tour - and while enjoying a rare day off - to chat with Laura Ellen and play some tunes from their then-new release, 2007's "Viridian".
We lost John Prine, the legendary songwriting icon, treasure, legend - choose your favorite appropriate superlative - on April 7th, 2020. In this special interview, KPIG's "Sleepy" John Sandige does an in-depth interview with Mitchell Drosin, who was John Prine's Road and Business manager for nearly 30 years.
This extended "Pigs In a Podcast" episode contains exclusive stories and annecdotes, along with the CD tracks to "Fish and Whistle," "Long Train," "Let's Talk Dirty In Hawaiian," and "Saddle In the Rain". Please enjoy this special insight into Prine's career, and a very appreciative THANK YOU to Mitchell for sharing his stories one of our absolute favorite artists.
Interview produced and edited by Michael Gaither.
This week's episode of "Pigs In a Podcast" is an exceptionally fine visit on a recent "Neighborhood Night" between Jamie Coffis and two of our local musicians: Moshe Vilozny and David Holodiloff. Moshe and David share three new, unreleased tunes, "Taller," "Wishing Well," and "Be Free". They also turn the tables on Jamie Coffis for a bit and interview him about The Coffis Brothers upcoming record. This one's a warm visit between three musicians, talking shop and sharing tunes.
American Idol finalist, rocker, and local dude done good James Durbin drops by the sty during "Out to Lunch" to talk about his Americana project, "Hometown Revival" and play a couple of tunes from his upcoming record.
Santa Cruz local Mira Goto (who spends a good half of her time in Nashville these days) talks about how important live radio still is in getting new music out into the world. AND we hear the debut of Mira's new single, "Nobody Warned Me," right here on the pig.
A visit with KPIG local favorite Dayan Kai. (Well, TECHNICALLY he lives in Maui these days, but he grew up here, so we still claim him as one of our own.) Dayan stopped by during a recent mainland visit to chat with Laurie Roberts about life in Hawaii and to play a couple of tunes from his new solo release, "To Be Free". Listen in to hear the title track and "Bank Robber Blues". Always a fun time with Dayan!
Local guitar slinger and songwriter Scott Cooper sits in with guest-host Michael Gaither on "Neighborhood Night". Michael and Scott reminisce about their early days when they both wrote for the Santa Cruz Sentinel newspaper, then settle in to talk shop. Scott chats about how he writes songs about "places" and "characters," and plays "Warren Zevon" (a tribute to the great songwriter, "Tulsa Bound," and a new one, "Call My Name".
Taylor Rae and Lindsay Wall join host Jamie Coffis on his weekly show "Neighborhood Night," for a chat about life after leaving Santa Cruz (Taylor is in Austin TX these days) and some of the interesting aspects about booking shows in December.
Local favorite, award-winning AJ Lee and her stellar band Blue Summit appear on "Neighborhood Night" with Jamie Coffis, and talk about how their rehearsal space in a rented house became the impromptu studio where they recorded their debut record, "Like I Used To".
It's a special "Out to Lunch" as Laurie Roberts interviews Mark Stuart, from the San Diego-based outfit The Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash.
POSTED ON 5/5/20: Singer/Songwriter Kimberly Ford visits Laurie Roberts during "Out to Lunch" for a special preview of her Joni Mitchell tribute show - and it happened to be on Joni's birthday!
Longtime KPIG favorite Todd Snider visits Laurie Roberts for a sitdown about the 2019 World Series (which segues into a chat about his basball song "America's Favorite Pastime,") his latest record, "Cash Cabin Sessions Vol. 3," and how he ended up writing his ballad, "D.B. Cooper," which he plays live on the air.
Austin guitar slinger/songwriter Jesse Dayton stopped by the sty after a Moe's Alley show - and en route to SLO - to chat with Michael Gaither. Jesse is the real deal. He started sneaking into bars and playing guitar professionally at age 15. Waylon Jennings saw him on a local Nashville station (true story) and had a limo pick him up and take him on the road.
He's toured and recorded with Waylon, Willie, and Charlie Pride, to name a few. A KPIG favorite, Jesse's latest record is "Mix Tape, Vol. 1," a tribute to '70s songwriters.
Local songwriter Christie McCarthy recaps her recent show at Kuumbwa Jazz Center, plays a few tunes live, and then recaps what went into her latest album, "Big Picture," recorded at Keith Greeninger's Wind River Studios.
Going way back to one of Jamie Coffis' first Neighborhood Night interviews, here's a long, fun chat with longtime local favorites: Singer and Songwriter Sharon Allen and the Santa Cruz goto drummer, Jimmy Norris. Great conversation with music shop talk from three close music pals.
KPIG favorite James McMurtry visits Laurie Roberts to talk about fine wine and fine swine music, and play a couple of tunes live during "Out to Lunch".
Looking back on this way cool Neighborhood Night special, Jamie Coffis talks with Carolyn Sills, Gerard Egan and Sunshine Jackson of The Carolyn Sills Combo. (Cowboy the dog makes a quiet, cameo appearance.)
This was recorded back when Carolyn and Gerard were hosting their fabulous "House of Twang" show here at the pig, so there's lots of chat about how they came to love western swing - and adopted the "Sphaghetti Western Swing" moniker for their own music.
This episode of "Pigs In a Podcast" features live performances of "Rotary Phone" and "Even Villains Once Were Babies" off the band's "Dime Stories Vol 2" record, and a new (at the time) tune "Hold Your Horses," which made its way on their "Return to El Paso" project.
Longtime favorites Chris Webster and Nina Gerber chat with Ramblin' and play a few tunes in this 2018 appearance. Fun fact: Chris and her band Mumbo Gumbo were one of the very first bands to play "live in the sty". This set includes live takes on the songs "You Just Have to Laugh" and "Wild Ride"
Eliza Gilkyson and Nina Gerber chat with Ramblin' Ror' before a show at Michael's on Main. Includes live performances of "Looking Glass" and "Conservation," and the CD cut of "Runaway Train".
The one and only Kinky Friedman makes a rare appearance on the pig. He was on a short, ten-show tour, for his (at the time) new CD, "Circus of Life". This interview includes the CD track "Sold American".
Mark Stuart and The Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash drop into the sty (circa 2018) before their first-ever show at Michael's on Main. Mark talks about the origin of the band's name and how the man in black himself dug the idea and ended up inviting them over to record their first album at his studio! Includes live versions of the songs "Austin Night," "No Honky Tonks," and "440 Horses" (which was a Cash favorite).
We pick this one up mid-conversation with The Beach Boys' Al Jardin and Ramblin' Ror' talking about Al's 2018 storytelling tour that covers hits, deep cuts, and history behind some of the songs. They also talk about how Al discovered and eventually settled into the Big Sur region of the Central Coast.
Laura Love visits the sty (appropriately enough, on Valentine's Day in 2018) and plays two tunes from her latest record, "She Loved Red".
Longtime KPIG favorite Fred Eaglesmith and his wife Tif Ginn talk about Fred's latest release "Standard" and play a few tunes live in the sty before their duo show at Kuumbwa in Santa Cruz.
Ramblin' visit with guitar and banjo player extraordinairre Tony Furtado as he brings his acoustic trio into the sty. Tony was in town to play Michael's on Main that night, circa September 2017.
Long-time KPIG favorites from down under, The Waifs, visited the sty in this flashback to 2010. They were in town to play the Rio Theatre after a short hiatus and chatted with Ramblin' Ror' about what they did in their downtime (started families) and then broke out several new tunes live on the air. Great stuff from a great band.
Rodney Crowell has been a staple of KPIG, dating back to the pre-days of KFAT radio. He stopped by the sty in August of 2019 before his show that night at the Rio Theatre in Santa Cruz. Rodney chats with Mark Mooney about his current record, "Texas," which evolved into a who's who of "gang's all here" lineups featuring guest stars including Ringo Starr, Willie Nelson, and Billy Gibbons.
He talks about how important the station has been for Americana music, and plays a few tunes live during the interview. One of our absolute favorites. You'll soon hear why in this episode.
In this very special "Pigs In a Podcast," we go back to the 2007 Americana Music Festival and listen in on a tribute to our founder, Laura Ellen Hopper.
You'll learn why Laura Ellen was amazing and humble where the American format was back in 2007, hear a few recorded thoughts from Laura Ellen herself, and then sit back to listen to KPIG favorite Todd Snider talk about his close friend Laura and play one of her favorite songs. It's touching and a great reminder of our radio roots.
Another wonderful vintage interivew this week. Our founder, the late Laura Ellen Hopper, chats with KPIG favorite Kevin Welch on the weekend's eve of the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festical, circa 2006. Kevin played Don Quioxte's Music Hall that night, then joined with trio-mates Kieran Kane and Fats Kaplan for the festival that weekend.
Listen in, as Kevin plays live versions of "Killing Myself" and "Flycatcher Jack and The Whipporwhill's Song". The show concludes with the CD version of "Life Down Here On Earth".
Another "Pigs in a Podcast" vintage flashback, as we listen to Laura Ellen Hopper chatting with Chris Smither. Chris was in town for a show at Kuumba, and chatted about this then-new release, "Leave the Light On". He played the title track along with another now-favorite pig tune, "Origin of Species".
A special vintage interview this time out, as our founder the late Laura Ellen Hopper interviews longtime KPIG favorite Ray Wiley Hubbard. Ray talks about playing Monterey Live (which was a brand new venue at the time) and plays "Snake Farm," accompanied by his son "Mud Puddle". This was likely the first time that iconic KPIG tune was first played live here at the station.
A very special vintage interview this week: Our founder, the late Laura Ellen Hopper, interviews Austin songwriter Slaid Cleaves while he was doing a west coast tour for his pet project, "Unsung". This is a record full of songs all written by close pals of Slaid.
This sitdown with Laura Ellen also features live performances of "Devil's Lullaby" written by bandmate Michael O'Connor, and "Drinkin' Days," a Slaid original (and a favorite here at KPIG).