Category Archives: Pickin’ Players Interviews

Heading into Madison this Sunday is JJ Grey and Mofro..bringing that sweet Southern Soul to a place that’ll keep warm to music like this. JJ’s newest album Orange Blossoms is making a splash all around music, hitting the tops of charts all over and we spend a little time here visiting with the album and its relationship to one other album of Mofro’s that seems to have a similar feel. Orange Blossoms is another Alligator Records release and this one is finding JJ in full musical bloom himself. There are hard hitters and soulful swayers, it is a complete album that is comfortable in its roots and the main people behind its blossoming, JJ and Producer Dan Prothero. There is a beautiful bevy of bandmates on this release and all of them deserve the same recognition I give to JJ, as I am sure he would tell you—it wouldn’t be the same without ’em.

check out our chat here.

Known for his work in the 80’s with Hanoi Rocks and current work in New York Dolls, Sami and I actually spent time talking about a recent project and new album: Mad Juana’s Bruja on the Corner is a different species of gypsy swinging rock, with mystery and an allure still undefined. We spend a little time talking about some of the previous gigs Sami has had in his career, including time with some of greenarrowradio’s pals, we also find out what Sami’s set-list built around Mad Juana would look like and when you might get a chance to see them live at a venue near you..and you.

Check out our conversation here.

On the 11th &12th of September, watch out Wisconsin coz Backyard Tire Fire is heading in. First on Thursday they will be rockin’ at the Rave in Milwaukee and then the next night at the Annex in Madison. I had a chance to talk with singer/songwriter/band mate/brother Ed Anderson about the brand new album out on Hyena Records titled: The Places We’ve Lived, the places he finds his songwriting superpowers and those fist place Cubbies of his hometown area. Ed really seems like the type of guy you want on stage making sure your night is a solid time, so if you are in the areas listed in Wisconsin or close to any spots Backyard Tire Fire might be heading, maybe its a show for you….

Find out all we spoke about right here.

Backyard Tire Fire

The Places We’ve Lived–HYENA RECORDS 2008

Heading into Madison on Tuesday night at the Majestic Theater, the Derek Trucks Band will certainly be a show to talk about. One of my favorite innovators of music makes a moment to chat with me right before he finishes work on a brand new album. If you have never seen this group of artists work together, it truly is a journey of sound and through it. In this conversation we talk about the new album (but not too much) & the various projects Derek has recently been evolved… err, involved in(?), give props to the core of the band and there is even chatter about the Tampa Bay Rays (Say What??).

Listen to Derek and I chat it up here.

Vince is known for his work in the group Leftover Salmon, but one of his recent projects is in Madison tonight, Great American Taxi. Alternative Americana created from the roots of the earth traveled so often by this group of songwriters and musicians. Your head would spin adding up all the miles the members of Great American Taxi have traveled individually, and in just over two years together they’ve added a whole lot more to their travelogues. From their home in the high country of Colorado to the shores of the Pacific and back again through the grain belt of the Midwest heading further east to the Atlantic Ocean, Taxi has ridden the highways spinning yarns and delivering high octane music to all who show up at their live shows and consume their 21st century Americana sound. Great American Taxi traffics their collective past helping create their new Americana without borders brand of music.

Sounds like what I am talking about!!

Check out my chat with Vince right here.

Tony has been quite busy ever since we first met up with him years ago. Take some time to check out the “what’s” and “where’s” and how it is all happening in our most recent chat. There is a pretty big name sponsor, dates booked for every home game of a powerhouse southern college football program and some switches in the entire make up of the sounds he is producing these days.

Check out more on Tony Tyler here at his myspace page.

Listen in on our conversation here.

Throughout his decades-long career, Mister Dan Hicks stood as one of contemporary music’s true eccentrics. While steeped in folk, his acoustic sound knew few musical boundaries, drawing on country, call-and-response vocals, jazz phrasing, and no small amount of humor to create a distinctive, albeit sporadic, body of work which earned him a devoted cult following. He attended college in San Francisco, where he switched to guitar and began playing folk music. He returned to the drums, however, when he joined the Charlatans, one of the Bay City’s first psychedelic bands. Although the Charlatans were short-lived — they issued only one single during their existence — they proved influential throughout the San Francisco musical community and were one of the first acts to play the legendary Family Dog. formed the acoustic group Dan Hicks & His Hot Licks in 1968 as an opener for the Charlatans, but soon the new band became his primary project. After adding a pair of female backing vocalists — “the Lickettes” — the group issued its debut LP, Original Recordings, in 1969. After a pair of 1971 records, Where’s the Money? and Striking It Rich, they issued 1973’s Last Train to Hicksville, which proved to be a very successful album for the Hot Licks. This is a re-visit conversation for Mr. Hicks and I as I welcome him into New England for a July 26th show in Fairfield, a July 28th show in Northampton, and on July 29th at the Barn in Brooklyn CT. We have a few laughs and there is some talk of new material and the potential arrival of a potential new album.

Check out my time shared with Mr. Dan Hicks here.

Its always fun to meet up with people for conversations while they are on the road. This is no exception. I had the pleasure of grabbing a few moments of the well documented Grateful Dead historian’s time. David will be coming to Bridgeport Connecticut two times in the near future and I would venture to say it will be two ‘not to be missed ‘ shows. With a brand new album out (TWISTED LOVE SONGS), his Grateful Dead hour, and a passion for the southwest, David and I chat about so much in such a short time and I invite you all to check out our conversation here.

For all the info on David, his tour and his history CLICK HERE for the David Gans website.

As guitarist for pop-metal band Danger Danger, Andy Timmons toured the world opening for Kiss and Alice Cooper, sold over a million records worldwide, and had two #1 videos on MTV, plus amassing a discography that includes 7 solo releases that range from blazing guitar instrumentals, to blues, and even a Beatles/Elvis Costello-inspired collection of pop tunes. As a session player, he’s been highly featured on CDs by drumming legend Simon Phillips, a live CD with Olivia Newton-John (Andy has been her music director/guitarist for several U.S. tours), two internationally acclaimed CDs by Kip Winger, recording sessions for Paula Abdul, Paul Stanley, and countless radio and television jingles. He has also played alongside many of his heroes such as Steve Vai and Joe Satriani (as a regular guest on their G3 tours in Dallas), Eric Johnson, Steve Morse, Mike Stern, Ace Frehley, Ted Nugent, and Pierre Bensusan, as well as some of his fave ’60’s singing stars such as the Beach Boys, Lesley Gore, and Gordon Waller…..But perhaps the best story is in his work with BARNEY. SAY WHAT????

Listen here for some great music talk and shared laughter.

and comin’ round the mountain…….

click me gang.

Over the years, Bill Frisell has contributed to the work of such collaborators as Paul Motian, John Zorn, Elvis Costello, Ginger Baker, The Los Angeles Philharmonic, Suzanne Vega, Loudon Wainwright III, Vic Chesnutt, Rickie, Lee Jones, Ron Sexsmith, Vinicius Cantuaria, Marc Johnson (in “Bass Desires”), Ronald Shannon Jackson and Melvin Gibbs (in “Power Tools”), Marianne Faithful, John Scofield, Jan Garbarek, Lyle Mays, Vernon Reid, Paul Bley, Wayne Horvitz, Rinde Eckert, The Frankfurt Ballet, film director Gus Van Sant, David Sanborn, David Sylvian, Petra Haden and numerous others, including Bono, Brian Eno, Jon Hassell and Daniel Lanois on the soundtrack for Wim Wenders’ film Million Dollar Hotel. Certainly this work has established him as one of the most sought-after guitar voices in music. The breadth of such performing and recording opportunities is a testament not only to his singular guitar conception, but his musical versatility as well. This, however, is old news by now. In recent years, it is his role as a composer and band leader which has generated increasing notoriety. For over ten years, Bill Frisell has quietly been the most brilliant and unique voice to come along in jazz guitar since Wes Montgomery. I happen to find the diverse nature of Mr. Frisell’s bodies of work to be just as touching and timeless as individual colors that a painter chooses to reflect their thought.

Take a moment to listen to Mr. Frisell with MisterG here.

The pleasure was all mine getting a moment to talk with Mr. Emmanuel. His work is that which I hear differently every time I get a taste. Tommy Emmanuel has a professional career that spans over four decades and continues to intersect with some of the finest musicians throughout the world. A household name in his native Australia, Tommy has garnered hundreds of thousands of loyal fans worldwide. Tommy’s unique style – “finger style” – is akin to playing guitar the way a pianist plays piano, using all ten fingers. But to me, this conversation reveals more than the love of songwriting and guitar playing, but a respect for the learning, teaching and the soul inside of style. If I am introducing you to someone new here, I hope you take more than a short moment to dive in, if you are one of the many who already are amazed by what you see and hear when Tommy Emmanuel plays, listen to our conversation here to perhaps see into ‘the mystery’.
I want to thank Tommy, his management and Kevin Richards at Favored Nations for helping me meet up with Tommy.

Shortly before he makes his way to Europe with Lou Reed for the BERLIN project, I had an opportunity to talk with Rob Wasserman about what has been going on recently and to see if there might be a look into some sounds to come. Known by many for his Grammy award winning album Duets, his creative partnerships with many great artists from Reed and Elvis Costello to members of the Grateful Dead family including Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir, Rob is getting a chance these days to make some music for himself and has actually shared some of that to premier on greenarrowradio. It is a pleasure to hear someone speak so naturally about the bass and the approach to creating new sounds without ever compromising the integrity of the music. In this conversation, there is an inside look at who Rob is working with these days and where he stands in his efforts to put together a special album with DVD documentary, the Woody Guthrie Project has been an on-going effort for Rob and we find out where that project stands today. I want to thank Clare , Sara and of course Rob for taking the time to speak with me and bring brand new (and wildly hot) music for my listeners and their open minds and thirsty earholes. So stay tuned to WHUS and greenarrowradio for more of this previously unreleased and fresh music.

Check out our Conversation here.

Lead by electric violinist/vocalist/mandolinist Joe Deninzon, Stratospheerius unleash their fourth collection of songs. Hot on the heals of their acclaimed CD, “Live Wires“, “Headspace” brings their live energy into the studio. Vocal rock anthems like “New Material, “Old Ghosts“, and “Today is Tomorrow“, shout alongside some ripping instrumentals. From the bluegrass punk of “Gutterpunk Blues“, to the psychedelic roller coaster ride of “Mental Floss“, and the bigger and louder sequel to the Heavy Metal Hora “Heavy Shtettle II“. The disc also features a unique cover of The Police “Driven to Tears“. This album is filled with memorable hooks alongside the ‘without a net’ instrumental jams the group has built its reputation on. Influences range from the Mahavishnu Project, Mr. Frank Zappa and the mighty Zeppelin, to Dave Matthews, Radiohead, Jeff Beck, and Bela Fleck.
I had the chance to chat with Joe to discuss the new album, the strangest billings he’s been a part of and….well just LISTEN TO OUR CONVERSATION HERE.

with thanks to Anne at LeightonMedia

Our good friend Pedro Arevalo will be visiting the area with Dickey Betts and Great Southern May 24-27 at the Ridgefield Playhouse and the Mohegan Sun Casino. I look forward to bringing you fine open minded and thirsty earholed listeners a first hand review of one of these shows, but strongly suggest you get out there yourself and get a feel for this rockin’ live show! In our visit, we talk about what has been going on in the last year, side projects and there are some real clear hints of some new, unheard recordings coming home with me to be spun just for you all…..stay tuned for the goods.

Pedro Arevalo and MisterG catching up here.

Pedro Arevalo

Music Matters Entertainment and Jamland Productions presents an evening with Wet Willie, with opening act the Tony Tyler Trance, on Saturday, April 7 at Club 29 in Decatur, GA. This is the full Wet Willie lineup, including founding members Jimmy & Jack Hall! Don’t miss this rare opportunity to see these icons of Southern Rock. Jack Hall of Wet Willie has recently joined Alabama blues greats Mojo:Saint. I’m pleased to announce that Mojo:Saint has just been added to the lineup, and will go on at 8:30. I had the chance to record another conversation with Tony Tyler, who about a year ago was just getting it all started and I believe you will see what I mean when I say “My how he has grown”. As the opportunities get more and more, Tony seems to have a good grip on where he wants to be and what he needs to do. We discuss the above mentioned show, a little on the new album and as always some fun banter.

Listen to Tony Tyler conversation here.

I took some time recently to catch up with our friend J.J Grey of the Florida based group Mofro. The new album is doing well and the first leg of the tour has been reportedly “blowing J.J. away”. The fans have been ready for a new album and there should be no disappointment when the get through listening to COUNTRY GHETTO. This album has some noticeable differences throughout and is still, like the others filled with solid songwriting, thoughtful care and flare and possibly an album like no other. But, check out our quick catch up session and get it from the man himself. I’d like to thank J.J and Megan from Madison House Publicity for helping make this happen once again.

Check out our Catch Up Session here.

Check out my conversation with Keller Williams. The usual one man band has some rather impressive friends on his new album DREAM. We talk about the album, the dog and so much more that you won’t want to miss out. A little background: Singer, songwriter, & guitarist Keller Williams is literally a one-man jam band. His fascinating live shows feature him solo on-stage with a Gibson Echoplex Digital Pro looping unit, and he creates his backing loops in the moment, building and improvising as he goes on his custom-made ten-string guitar, and thanks to his equally as quirky, upbeat, & semi-surreal songs (which he frequently weaves into extended, half-improvised medleys) and his warm, friendly tenor singing voice, Williams is an utterly unique performer whose musical eccentricities don’t keep him from being immediately accessible. This is easy to tell from our chat.

Enjoy our conversation here.