The Hustle

Last year, Lush lead singer Miki Berenyi released one of the greatest memoirs ever written by a rock star, of which there are many. She grew up in the UK with a Hungarian dad and a Japanese mom who s…

Multiple Grammy and Emmy winning producer, mixer and engineer Elliot Scheiner is behind some of the most pristine pop music ever made. Mentored by the great Phil Ramone, Elliot has produced luminarie…

The multi-talented Stephen Duffy could have a fine rock doc made about all the different facets of his music career. Being a founding member of Duran Duran. Being a synthpop pioneer. The folk-pop bea…

Among the many bands bringing excellent power pop/punk to the mainstream in the 90s, floating slightly above the rest were Chicago's Smoking Popes. Probably best known for their song "Need You Around…

They just don't make 'em like John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band anymore, but luckily they're still out there doing what they do best. John returns this week to discuss their 1985 album Tough Al…

Perseverance could be Richard Patrick's mantra. Navigating his band Filter for 30 years, through the ups and downs, fads, cultural moments, and tastes, can't be easy, but he's done it by staying true…

Big life changes often make for the best art. That's certainly true with the wonderful singer/songwriter Maia Sharp. After 30 years in the indie trenches, a divorce and a move to Nashville has change…

Is there a better punk rock name than Rat Scabies? When drummer Chris Millar picked that pseudonym and took up with the legendary Damned, he solidified his legacy in rock royalty. Along with his deca…

Where would we be without Stiff Records? Founded by Dave Robinson and Jake Riviera in 1976, this is the label that introduced the world to artists like Elvis Costello, Madness, Ian Dury, Graham Parke…

Bassist Ricky Phillips is a glue guy, which is saying something when you figure the bands he's been in and big personalities he's worked with. He joined the Babys near the end of their time and weath…

Brit Pop! A term used for good and bad to describe a bunch of excellent bands coming out of the UK in the 90s. As usual, they were leading the charge in sounds and style making the rest of the world …

Our Book Club guest this week is writer John Robb. John wears many hats - he runs the popular music website Louder Than War, he's a popular talking head and commentator of music and culture, he's wri…

Paul Kelly has been labeled "the Australian Bob Dylan" for decades and as much as that's a huge compliment, it undercuts that Paul is legend in his own rite. The talents he shares with the greats are…

Jon and Jan recap Q2, with some excellent gigs in the bag!

We hear about Jan's sabbatical, and more!

A huge debt of gratitude to those who filled in.  We couldn't have managed it without you.

We …

Mark and Tony of the mighty Big Country are back to discuss Cherry Red's amazing deluxe reissue of their 1999 album, Driving to Damascus. In the late 90s, Big Country were finally starting to find th…

It's always a good feeling when artists you haven't heard from in a while come back with some of their strongest work. California's Rain Parade were one of the key bands of the Paisley Underground, t…

Only the late 80s/early 90s Britain could have produced a band like Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine. With sarcasm and attitude to spare, Jim Bob and Fruitbat pilloried modern British culture in a …