Category Archives: Pickin’ Players Interviews

At countless performances over the past 3 decades, the Campbell Brothers have taken far-reaching, genre-spanning audiences to church — namely the Pentecostal House of God, where their transcendent “sacred steel” tradition of guitar-focused gospel music flourished. But with INNOVA, out August 2 on Ropeadope, the Campbells deliver their most profound testament yet to the faith that has inspired their work and, in recent years, guided them through tragedy. These 9 tracks comprise the Campbells’ first studio album since 2013’s ‘Beyond the 4 Walls’, and their 1st studio LP since the shocking passing of lap-steel guitarist Darick Campbell, who died in 2020 at age 53, of complications related to heart surgery. After this devastating loss, and in the midst of the Covid pandemic, guitarist Phillip & pedal-steel player Chuck were faced with a daunting hurdle – how do they continuing doing what it is they’ve been doing? The answer is that you can’t. So with INNOVA, the Campbells have reimagined their group while continuing to honor their integrity & heritage. An essential part of this renewal can be found in Phillip’s songs, which burst forth with locomotive grooves, unbridled guitar wizardry and powerful messages of perseverance and healing. Alongside Phillip & Chuck on this outing are official band members including drummer & vocalist Carlton Campbell, bassist Daric Bennett and lead vocalist Denise Brown, as well as special guests who uphold the Brothers’ ideal of church-rooted strength: the singer Ron Staples, heir to Joe Ligon’s throne in the Mighty Clouds of Joy; Serena Young, a worship leader from the Campbells’ hometown of Rochester, N.Y., and an alumnus of the Kirk Franklin-hosted BET show Sunday Best; and Rochester organ great Rufus McGee. The Campbells developed in Rochester under the tough-love tutelage of their father, a bishop in the House of God Church, who delivered to his musician-sons a paradoxical demand: resist the temptations of secular music, but push yourself to meet the standards of blues, jazz and country music heroes: B.B. King, George Benson, Roy Clark, Jimmy Day, Buddy Emmons. A sense of fierce but healthy competition created an extrasensory rapport among the boys, a kind of musical mind-reading that perfectly suited the heavenward, snowballing passion of gospel. After the Campbell Brothers released their debut album in 1997 on the storied Arhoolie label, they began to stir interest among a vast and diverse swath of dedicated music fans: blues aficionados who heard them as a living conduit to a rich if unsung strain of Black roots music; jam-band kids who appreciated their funky, exhilarating spirituality; devotees of R&B and contemporary gospel who grew up in the church themselves. They worked constantly in the ensuing years, and became highly decorated keepers of a uniquely American tradition. The Campbells were named NEA National Heritage Fellows, received a commission to arrange John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme for its 50th anniversary, and collaborated with B.B. King, Mavis Staples, Medeski Martin & Wood, the Allman Brothers Band, the Blind Boys of Alabama and many others. Their music was even featured in The Sopranos.

I had the honor of catching up with Mr. Phillip Campbell ahead of the Campbell Brothers heading back to Madison to play La Fête De Marquette on July 13th. We get into the forthcoming uniqueness of this event: ‘Praise Break w/ Campbell Brothers, Fountain of Life Church and more’, and how something like this is the exact reason that the Campbell Brothers continue to spread the happiness and joy wherever they go. We talk about what a set of theirs usually consists of, stylistically, sonically (tunings) and oh yes, spiritually. While that image of what will go on at this festival, and anywhere you can catch them brightening your day, is something I cannot wait to become a present moment reality, it is the new album that I am also excited to be able to chat about. We get deep into the new record of tunes, ‘Innova’. We go seed to flower, but there is so much flower on this record, the sun and water must have nurtured it just riGht as it was growing. We talk about the feelings of this music (and you’ll feel it too) and the remembrance of before and the steps into tomorrow. We talk Sacred Steel and collaborators so I can wrap my head around just how this music seems to fit in everywhere, at any time. It all did circle back to that anthem of Happiness and Joy. I am ok with that!

The Joe Marcinek Band is a vibrant fusion of the Chicago Blues, Dat New Orleans Funk, Grateful Dead inspired jamming psychedelia and an array of intricate jazz fusion which creates a unique and eclectic musical journey. Attending a Joe Marcinek Band concert is an electrifying experience that takes listeners on a diverse musical journey. Each concert is unique, as the band is known for its improvisational skills, ensuring that no two performances are exactly alike. The band’s palpable energy and passion for music are infectious, making their concerts not just a listening experience, but a full-fledged musical adventure that resonates with fans of diverse musical tastes. Expect a night filled with skillful musicianship, unexpected musical turns, and a lively atmosphere that invites the audience to be part of the band’s ever-evolving musical narrative. For years now, Joe has also been curating a collection of albums with each showing that true range and ability he has with the music but also how he interacts with other artists to find their personal together landscape. It always feels fresh and evolving. His latest release, 1 River Street, was recorded in Massachusetts at Iron Wax Studios with Alan Evans producing and on drums, Nate Edgar on bass, Kris Yunker on keys, Brian Thomas on trombone and Alex Lee-Clark on trumpet and Jared Sims on sax & flute. It’s a tight collection of eight sharply-honed tunes that brinGs the funky and groove of life within each note.

I had an opportunity to catchup with family to the proGram, Joe Marcinek to get into the new record 1 River Street. We talk about the evolution of both him as an artist and this new music. We get into the above mentioned players and friend of the program, Mr. Alan Evans’ studio and the desire for both to work with each other finally on a record like this. So this one is on Alan’s Vintage League Music label which is a conduit for many a funky great. Mostly, I really wanted to tell him how funky he is and that this record really shows off where the experiences of many years now has taken him. We find out what big shows Joe and his rotation of cool musical comrades played in the past year or so and highlight a couple of the bigger ones to look forward to this year. Joe is family, he is open to what & where the groove takes him, and I just really respect someone who can work with so many different people and the music still has it’s own unique smile to it, each time. If you are looking for a groove, it could very well live inside of 1 River Street.

Peter Dominguez grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and began performing with the Music for Youth Orchestras and his father; pianist and vocalist Frank DeMiles. Peter went on to study with Roger Ruggeri and Richard Davis at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and with Dr Lucas Drew at the University of Miami. Peter served as Professor of Double Bass and Jazz Studies at Michigan State University from 1984-96, and continued studies with Robert Gladstone while substituting with the Detroit Symphony. The former Principal Bass with the Lansing Symphony Orchestra and the American Sinfonietta, Peter was Professor of Jazz Studies and Double Bass 1990-2020 at Oberlin Conservatory of Music. He is currently Professor of Double Bass and Jazz Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He continues to perform with an impressive array of Classical, Jazz, and Latin artists throughout the Americas and Europe. His teaching includes national and international classes, adjudication of international competitions, artistic direction of the Richard Davis Foundation for Young Bassist Inc annual conference in Madison Wisconsin, and the director of the Milt Hinton Institute for Studio Bass. Peter’s recordings include ‘How About This’ (2010) & ‘Groove Dreams’ (2017) performed on Milt Hinton’s famous 1790 bass. Another solo recording entitled ‘Bass Salute’ (2023) featuring Richard Davis’s 1855 Lion Head double bass.

I had the chance to catch up with Peter about the upcoming event as part of the 2024 Madison Jazz Festival. On June 13th from 7-9pm at Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, Peter, who is the producer of the new documentary: String Theory: The Richard Davis Method, will be screening & participating in a Q&A (and perhaps he may let the Lion Roar?!) about the documentary and the life, career & legacy of a legend, Mr. Richard Davis. We go deep into the creation of this endeavor – including a great tale from an original screening in Milwaukee highlighting the maGic of The memories include the different ways Mr. Davis would inspire students to try and even that level of success into a double-bass equality with other more prominent instruments, it was not a ‘traditional’ teaching method many have said, but clearly it is all about the results, the people and the wholistic education art provides both student and society. Peter is also going to be playing with his long time friend Gerri DiMaggio on the Terrace, June 15th at 3pm, so we touch base on what is gonna go down when that goes down.

Singer, Songwriter, Guitarist & Engineer, Raul Midón established himself as a first-call session singer upon graduation from the prestigious Studio Jazz program at the University of Miami in 1991. He sang background vocals on more than 60 Latin recordings, many Grammy winning. In 1999 he was asked to join the touring band of Shakira. During that time, he was creating his own original music and was signed to a development deal with Warner Chappel. He left Shakira’s band to move to NYC to pursue his own career. Within a year he debuted at Carnegie Hall with the Movie Music of Spike Lee. Spike engaged him to write the end credit song for “She Hate Me.” At the same time Raul was signed by legendary producer Arif Mardin to his label under the Blue Note moniker, Manhattan Records. Raul has worked with countless legends in the industry including Bill Withers, Herbie Hancock, Sting, Terence Blanchard, & Dianne Reeves to name several. He received 2 Grammy nominations back-to-back in 2017 & 2018 for his albums “Bad Ass and Blind” & “If You Really Want” in the Best Jazz Vocal Category. Since moving to the DMV he established himself as an accomplished recording engineer, recording all the vocals for both of the aforementioned in his home studio. In 2019 he was invited to speak at his high school Alma Mater Santa Fe Prep and also was given the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the University of Miami. In 2021 he was awarded the Disability Rights Ambassador of the year award, presented to him in a virtual ceremony by his friend and colleague Jason Mraz. During the COVID lockdown, Raul continued to collaborate with colleagues and appears in a duet on the Grammy winning album “Mendo” by Alex Cuba. He chose to pursue a long-time dream of recording a guitar duets album with some of his favorite guitarists including Mike Stern, Dean Parks, Lionel Loueke, Julia Bailen, Stephane Wrembel, Alex Cuba and more. This album ‘Eclectic Adventurist’ was released on his own label, ReKondite ReKords on 11/11/ 2022, to acclaimed reviews. He continues to tour, write, record and is working on a novel, ‘Tembererana’, and he is also back in strong 2024 with a brand new album to share, ‘Lost & Found’.

I had the pleasure of re-connecting with Raul ahead of his June 8th event at Cafe Coda as part of the 2024 Madison Jazz Festival. We get into what that show should be like as he is heading here after just releasing a brand new record, Lost & Found. We get into how that album went from ideas to release, working in his own studio and which tunes off the album seem to be hitting just right with audiences. Some even to his surprise. We get a chance to learn a little more about the person Raul is as we chat in depth about his fascination and practicing of the HAM radio. His love and respect of this communication wizardry certainly reignited a spark within this G. We also talk about ding the National Anthem recently at an OKC Thunder playoff game and is approach to performing the anthem – check it here. well, you know me, it would not be a good talk if we didn’t get a moment to talk about a level of cool, like Raul being honored as the Disability Rights Ambassador a few years back.

Stephane Wrembel is one of the finest guitar players in the world. The breadth & range of his playing & compositions are unmatched. This prolific musician, composer, educator, & musical director has released a steady stream of music since 2002 making his mark as one of the most original guitar voices in contemporary music. He has headlined Jazz at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, The Town Hall in NYC & The Lyon Opera House in France. He has toured and/or shared stages with master violinist Mark O’Connor, Sam Bush, Stochelo Rosenberg, Esperanza Spalding, & Al Di Meola. He has dazzled audiences at Montreal Jazz Festival, Rochester International Jazz Festival, Django Reinhardt Festival in France, Ellnora Guitar Festival, Caramoor Jazz Festival & many others. Born in Paris and raised in Fontainebleau, the home of Impressionism & Django Reinhardt, Stephane 1st studied classical piano, at the age of 4. But in his mid-teens, he discovered that he had an affinity for guitar and then he found out about Django and fell in love w/the very strong impressionist feel in his music. Django, long regarded as one of the most influential musicians/composers of all time, was a Sinti, so Wrembel immersed himself in Sinti culture and started learning the atmosphere of what it really means to play Sinti-style guitar. He learned from the masters such as Angelo Debarre & Serge Krief. After graduating summa cum laude from Berklee College of Music in Boston in 2002, he released his debut album, Introducing Stephane Wrembel. He moved to NYC in 2003. Before long, word of this remarkable European transplant began spreading among fellow musicians in the robust New York music scene. Both Gypsy Rumble (2005), which includes mandolin legend David Grisman, and 2006’s Barbes-Brooklyn found favor with critics. Oscar-winning director Woody Allen used one of Gypsy Rumble’s tracks, “Big Brother,” in his 2008 film Vicky Cristina Barcelona. Hiss fourth album, Terre Des Hommes, was released the same year. In 2003, Wrembel created his own annual event, Django á Gogo Music Festival & Guitar Camp, bringing together some of the finest musicians in the world to celebrate the Sinti guitar style to perform in prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall & The Town Hall. This weeklong event held in his hometown of Maplewood, N.J. & NYC is now being produced in Los Angeles, Canada & beyond. Wrembel’s breakthrough came with his original composition “Bistro Fada,” a Django-influenced swinging waltz on his 5th album Origins that became the theme song for Woody Allen’s 2011 Oscar®-winning film, Midnight In Paris. It was included on the Grammy®-winning soundtrack for the film. Wrembel performed the irresistibly catchy “Bistro Fada” live during the 2012 Academy Awards® ceremony with an all-star ensemble led by Hans Zimmer. In 2016, Wrembel released two masterfully recorded live albums: Live In India and Live In Rochester. From 2017-2021, Stephane released The Django Experiment I -The Django Experiment VI under the nom du plume The Django Experiment. These 6 volumes were recorded with long-time collaborators Thor Jensen on guitar, Ari Folman-Cohen on double bass, Nick Anderson on drums& Nick Driscoll on saxophone and clarinet, live in the studio, evoking new interpretations of Reinhardt’s music as well as songs by other jazz composers. In 2019, Wrembel produced Les Yeux Noirs, the debut CD by Simba Baumgartner, Django’s great-grandson. Baumgartner, who lives in the countryside in France, was one of the special guests at Django á Gogo 2019 & 2023. That same year, he released Django L’Impressionniste putting the spotlight on 17 little-known preludes for solo guitar Reinhardt recorded between 1937 and 1950. Wrembel is the first interpreter who has performed all of these pieces and collected them in one definitive masterwork. It took 4 years to meticulously transcribe the songs. He released a beautifully printed/bound book of sheet music in April of 2021. In November of 2021, he debuted his specialty group Django New Orleans, a 9-piece NYC-based band, with 8 sold-out shows at Jazz At Lincoln Center’s Dizzy’s Club. The following year his specialty program Shades of Django sold out two nights in The Rose Theater at Jazz at Lincoln Center. Now, in 2024, he is doing another something he has never done, recording a triptych album with a duet of guitar & piano with Jean-Michel Pilc. Following the success of these shows, Wrembel released Django New Orleans in May of 2023 in conjunction with the Django á Gogo festival. And while he is now considered one of the preeminent master guitarists in the world specialized in the Django Reinhardt style, this wonderful human keeps transcending & expanding. His music incorporates jazz, blues, classical, swing, flamenco and rock. All of these influences come together as a genre identifiable only as Stephane Wrembel.

I had the pleasure of catching up with family to the proGram, Stephane Wrembel ahead of his May 21st event at the Bur Oak here in Madison, presented by the Midwest Gypsy Swing Fest. We get into the event here with the quartet and what types of things to expect. We will be in store from something off the new and amazing triptych album with Jean-Michel Pilc. We get deep into that new trilogy with meaning and how the two artist have taken that new energy and become close friends, not only for their musical creation. I would be remiss if we didn’t take a moment or two to let Stephane brag and boast a little it about the 2024 Django-A-Gogo and my my my, there’s a lot to be proud about once again. I am proud to call Stephane a friend as when we talk, and you’ll hear it aGain, there’s a rhythm and ebb & flow to us as well, and you’ll feel that personal connection I bet when you plug into the records and most definitely when you catch him in any of his projects live.

Photo by Jason Goodman

Specializing in a raw hillbilly punk-blues style that roars like a tweaking modal chain saw, Fort Wayne, Indiana’s Left Lane Cruiser is a band led by slide guitarist Frederick “Joe” Evans IV. and Brenn “Sausage Paw” Beck on drums/washboard/trash kit. Their music has the swampy feel of North Mississippi hill country blues à la Junior Kimbrough and R.L. Burnside, with a good dose of snarling garage punk tossed into the mix. While the band would sometimes expand into a trio, they record the bulk of their work as a two-piece, and the tough, funky roar of their music arrives fully formed on their 2006 self-released debut album, “Gettin’ Down on It”, on the group’s own Hillgrass Bluebilly Records, and the following year they signed to Alive Naturalsound Records, which is their current home. The new studio album by Indiana’s favorite blues duo, “Bayport BBQ Blues” blends Freddy’s commanding, gritty vocal rasp and positively nasty hoodoo slide guitar work with Sausage Paw’s rhythmic stomp to make for a heady firestarter for your house party, backyard barbecue or juke joint get-down. The album is dedicated to the memory of the late Chris Jonson, creator of the Deep Blues Festival.

I had the chance to catch up with Freddy J IV of Left Lane Cruiser ahead of their May 15th event in Madison at the High Noon Saloon. We talk about the event and being on tour supporting John Garcia and Telekinetic Yeti specifically citing bands like Kyuss as shaping their musical ear. What an event Madison! We dive ear first into the soon to be released record “Bayport BBQ Blues” (late Spring 2024) and we both share our stories that the new track “Turkey Vulture’ inspired and have in common. For those heading to any of their shows and dig their sound, they also do covers of tunes that work for their sound, so you may also hear something familiar differently. Let me tell you, if I was having a backyard BBQ kinda party, these two would be high on my list of being on the bill – they sure do bring a rockin’ raw fun that I feel inside from memories of times long aGo.

In a career that has already spanned a half-century, Jorma Kaukonen has been one of the most highly respected interpreters of American roots music, blues, & rock. A member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and a Grammy recipient, Jorma was at the forefront of popular rock & roll, one of the founders of the San Francisco sound and a progenitor of Psychedelic Rock. He is a founding member of two legendary bands, Jefferson Airplane & the still-touring Hot Tuna. Jorma Kaukonen is a music legend and one of the finest singer-songwriters in his field. He continues to tour the world bringing his unique styling to old blues tunes while presenting new songs of weight & dimension. His secret is in playing spontaneous & unfiltered music, with an individual expression of personality. In 2016, Jorma, Jack Casady and the other members of Jefferson Airplane were awarded The GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award for their contributions to American music. In 2019 St. Martin’s Press published Jorma‘s autobiography, Been So Long: My Life and Music, written to express his life both in and out of the music world. He was a devotee of rock & roll in the Buddy Holly era but soon developed a love for the blues & bluegrass that were profuse in the clubs/concerts in the nation’s capital. It inspired him to take up guitar and play that kind of music himself. Soon he met Jack Casady, the younger brother of a friend and a wonderful guitar player in his own right. Though they could not have known it, they were beginning a musical partnership that has continued for more than 50 years. Jorma graduated from high school and headed off for Antioch College in Ohio, where he met Ian Buchanan, who introduced him to the elaborate fingerstyle fretwork of the Rev. Gary Davis. A work-study program in New York introduced Jorma, the increasingly skilled guitarist, to that city’s burgeoning folk-blues bluegrass scene and many of its players. After a break from college and travel overseas, Jorma moved to California, where he returned to classes at Santa Clara University and earned money by teaching guitar. It was at this time, in 1965, that he met Paul Kantner and was invited to join a new not-yet-named rock band Kantner was forming with Marty Balin. As a self-described blues purist, Kaukonen was initially reluctant, but found his imagination excited by the arsenal of effects available to electric guitar, later remarking that he was “sucked in by technology.” With the group still looking for a name, Kaukonen suggested Jefferson Airplane, inspired by an eccentric friend who had given his dog the name “Blind Lemon Jefferson Airplane.” Jorma invited his old musical partner Jack Casady to come out to San Francisco and play electric bass for the new band, and together they created much of Jefferson Airplane’s signature sound. A pioneer of counterculture-era psychedelic rock, the group was the first band from the San Francisco scene to achieve international mainstream success. Their 1967 record ‘Surrealistic Pillow’ is regarded as one of the key recordings of the “Summer of Love.” Jorma & Jack would jam whenever they could and would sometimes perform sets within sets at Airplane concerts. The two would often play clubs following Airplane performances. Making a name for themselves as a duo, they struck a record deal, and Hot Tuna was born. Jorma left Jefferson Airplane after the band’s most productive 5 years, pursuing his full-time job with Hot Tuna. Over the past five decades Hot Tuna has performed thousands of concerts and released more than 2-dozen records. The musicians who have performed with them are many and widely varied, as are their styles, from acoustic to long & loud electric jams, but never straying far from their musical roots. What is remarkable is that they have never coasted. Hot Tuna today sounds better than ever. Jorma’s originals from his poignant instrumentals, “Embryonic Journey” (Jefferson Airplane – Surrealistic Pillow) & “The Water Song” (Hot Tuna – Burgers), to his insightful lyrics, “Genesis” (Jorma Kaukonen – Quah), have stood the test of time. Having an undeniable feeling of significance, they have been included in films and covered by many artists who have been inspired by his depth and continuity of spirit. In addition to his work with Hot Tuna, Jorma has recorded more than a dozen solo albums on major labels. But performance and recording are only part of the story. As the leading practitioner and teacher of fingerstyle guitar, Jorma and his wife Vanessa Lillian operate one of the world’s most unique centers for the study of guitar and other instruments and a high quality place to play. Jorma Kaukonen’s Fur Peace Ranch is located on 125 acres of fields, woods, hills, & streams in the Appalachian foothills of Southeastern Ohio. It has become an important stop on the touring circuit for artists who do not normally play intimate 200-seat venues, bringing such artists as David Bromberg, Roger McGuinn, Arlo Guthrie, Dave Alvin, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Warren Haynes, Lee Roy Parnell, Chris Hillman and more. Students, instructors, and visiting artists alike welcome the peace and tranquility — as well as the great music and great instruction — that Fur Peace Ranch offers. At Fur Peace Ranch the Kaukonens have created the Psylodelic Gallery, a museum in a silo, celebrating the music, art, culture, and literature of the 1960’s, tracing important events and movements of the psychedelic era. They produce concerts at the Fur Peace Station which are streamed internationally on YouTube as well as broadcast on WOUB 91.3FM. The Kaukonens there support their local community through art
festivals and a restaurant on site.

I had the pleasure to play a little catch up with family to the program, Jorma Kaukonon ahead of the May 8th event at the Stoughton Opera House with special guest, John Hurlbut. We get into what the scene will be like for this show as well as the soon to be released new album from John & Jorma (out on Record Store Day) called ‘One More Lifetime’. We also take time to discuss the 2023 release of Live at the Bottom Line, which I (looking right at the correct name – call The Bitter End), and how he thought the guys sounded on a night a long time ag and we even touch a bit on the recent 3 CD box set of live Hot Tuna music – which really is my fav. I check in with him to see if he goes back ever like a coach to see if there’s more/less to be done with a tune – he gives a not so surprising answer with a great Jefferson Airplane example and we of course, had to find out what is going down at the Fur Peace Ranch. Friends.