Author: General Manager

If anything, Owsley Stanley was nothing short of innovative. His chemical creations were one thing, but his ability as an audio engineer led to some of the most ingenious designs in concert sound reinforcement and live recordings.

During the June 5 edition of Greasy Tracks, one of Stanley’s concert recordings was featured as part of an extensive spotlight on Tim Buckley.

Click here to check out an archive of the program, while a playlist is here. 

Captured during a three-night run at the Carousel Ballroom in San Francisco where he was on the bill with Booker T and the MGs and It’s A Beautiful Day, Buckley and his bandmates were in superb form when they were recorded by Stanley June 15-16, 1968.

Buckley was in a stylistic transition at the time and decidedly more jazzy in his sound as evidenced by this stand at the Carousel which has been released as Tim Buckley Merry-Go-Round at The Carousel, part of the on-going Bear’s Sonic Journals series.

The program included interviews with Owsley’s son, Starfinder Stanley who is president of the Owsley Stanley Foundation; OSF board member Hawk, who served as executive producer of the Buckley release; bassist John Miller who was part of Buckley’s band at the time; lyricist Larry Beckett who worked extensively on Buckley’s first two releases; and Tim Buckley scholar, Pat Thomas.

In addition to tracking through the live release, there will be music from across Buckley’s career which was cut short in 1975 when he died of an overdose at the age of 28.

The Owsley Stanley Foundation is endeavoring to preserve Bear’s archive of more than 1,300 live concert soundboard recordings from the 1960s through the 1980s by 80-plus acts running the gamut from The Grateful Dead and Miles Davis to Johnny Cash and the Jefferson Airplane.

Check out another featured release by the foundation, Johnny Cash At The Carousel Ballroom April 24, 1968, by clicking here

The May 15 edition of Greasy Tracks focused on the career of Steve Cropper, and included an interview with the legendary guitarist as well as tracks from his just-released  Fire It Up (Provogue Records).

Click here to check out an archive of the program, while a playlist is here. 

Known as one of the architects of the Stax Sound, Cropper was part of such legendary bands as the Mar-Keys, Booker T and the MGs and the Blues Brothers. His writing and production credits are too numerous to list, but suffice to say, he had a hand in some of the most famous songs ever recorded.

In addition to music from across his Cropper’s storied career, there were interviews with Connecticut native Jon Tiven and Branford resident Roger C. Reale.

Tiven — who has worked with Cropper for 30 years — co-wrote, co-produced and played a number of instruments on Cropper’s first release in a decade following his Dedicated: A Salute To The 5 Royals. Reale provided vocals and co-wrote much of the material on the 13-track album.

Considered one of the most important guitarists in history, Cropper’s inimitable sound was a key component to legendary recordings by Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, William Bell, Eddie Floyd, Wilson Pickett and Rufus and Carla Thomas to name but a few.

Recent releases by The Sound Field and The Weight Band as well as interviews with band members were featured on the April 24 edition of Greasy Tracks.

Click here to check out an archive of the program, while a playlist is here. 

Guitarist and vocalist Deborah Grabien, who is also the primary songwriter for the San Francisco-based The Sound Field, discussed This Moment Of The Storm — the follow-up to the band’s 2017 debut, The Bucket List.

Among a number of musicians who joined the trio in the studio during the sessions were guitarists David Lindley and Mark Karan as well as keyboardist Henry Salvia.

In October 2019, The Weight Band was slated to play an acoustic show at the legendary Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock, N.Y, To run through their proposed set of songs the night before the performance, the band headed to the basement of “Big Pink” in neighboring West Saugerties. This was the location — garnering the name due to the pink siding on the house — where members of The Band lived and recorded in the 1960s when they were backing Bob Dylan and recording their first albums.

Recordings were made during the rehearsal and the following night at Helm’s famed barn which led to Acoustic Live: Big Pink & Levon Helm Studios, a collection of classic Band tracks, some Weight Band originals and classic covers.

Guitarist Jim Weider, who was a member of The Band (1985-99) and drummer Michael Bram, talked about the new release and the interesting process that went into making it a reality.

Included in the program were some tracks from David Lindley’s catalog as he recently turned 77 as well as Humble Pie-era Peter Frampton material as the guitarist just had his 71st birthday.

A number of WRTC hosts will be paying tribute to Poco guitarist Rusty Young who passed away on April 14 at the age of 75.

Saturday’s edition of Greasy Tracks featured a segment of live performances by Poco, the band that Young helped found in 1968.

The April 19 version of The Devo Rock Show and the April 21 Boris Rock Show will include music featuring Young as well as an interview Devo and Boris did with him in 2009 where he discusses how the band was formed. The programs air 9 a.m.-noon.

Click here to listen live

Born in Long Beach, Calif., Young grew up in Denver and started playing in local rock bands, eventually recording a regional hit song that led to him being asked to play pedal steel guitar on one of the last recordings by the Buffalo Springfield, a Richie Furay track called “Kind Woman” in 1968. The band had never heard Young play before, but he was recommended by their road manager and duly flown to the coast for the session.

While on the trip, Young auditioned for a group that would become the Flying Burrito Brothers, but ended up joining Poco which was formed following the split of Buffalo Springfield by Springfield members Furay and Jim Messina who recruited bassist Randy Meisner and drummer George Grantham. Meisner would leave the band during sessions for their debut album and was replaced by Timothy B. Schmit.

While adept as a guitarist, Young was renowned for his ability as a pedal steel player and he’s regarded as one of the key people to bring it to the rock world as it was primarily linked with country music. Always an innovator, Young would often play his pedal steel through a Leslie speaker cabinet.

Poco’s lineup would change over time, but Young remained the sole founding member who remained for the band’s 50-year career. He would become a primary songwriter along with guitarist Paul Cotton. Two of Young’s compositions — “Rose of Cimarron” and “Crazy Love” — long remained fan favorites even though vocals were handled by Cotton and Schmit. “Cray Love” became Poco’s biggest hit, going to No. 1 in 1979.

Despite the musical chops of the members of Poco, the band was never able to gain the allure of the slicker, FM radio-friendly Eagles nor did they garner the mystique of the Gram Parson’s-era Flying Burrito Brothers.

Interviews with Sleep House vocalist Nick Gardyasz and guitarist Adam Mink was featured on the April 4 edition of Sunday’s With Syd.

Gardyasz and Mink discuss how the young alternative band based in the Philadelphia suburbs formed; some of the challenges of getting into the music industry at a young age; share some of their musical influences and how the group has dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic.

The program included a variety of music from the Sleep House catalog.

Sleep House, a young alternative band who grew up together in the suburbs of Philadelphia. Discussing their musical influences such as the Beatles and the Strokes, how they got together, what it was like entering the industry at a young age. Featuring new and old songs from their catalog and a live performance from 2017.

Interviews with Selwyn Birchwood and Lauren Murphy were part of an all-blues special on the March 27 edition of Greasy Tracks.

Click here to check out an archive of the program, while a playlist is here. 

In addition to a wide range of blues material that was featured during the show, tracks from the latest releases by Birchwood and Murphy — the fifth for each — were also included.

Oddly enough, each artist was due to put out their newest efforts last year, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic, had no real way to tour to support the latest material, so each held off putting them out until this year.

The Florida-based Birchwood, heavily influenced by Buddy Guy, Freddie King, Albert King and Muddy Waters, has been enjoying chart attention with his Living In A Burning House (Alligator Records) which was produced by Tom Hambridge. Hambridge won a pair of Grammy Awards for his work on Guy’s Skin Deep (2008) and Living Proof (2011).

Known as a straight ahead blues guitarist, Birchwood’s latest offering has him bringing a soulful funkiness to his sound and at times adding lap steel to some tracks. As in past releases, his vocals remain as strong as ever.

A native of Baton Rouge, Murphy is a classically trained singer who opted to head west, initially playing in a folk duo — think Indigo Girls — before turning to a more rock-oriented sound. Her path eventually crossed with singer Judge Murphy who in 1991 had become the vocalist for the Marin, Calif.-based band Zero which was a primarily instrumental outfit, but had been working with Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter.

Before eventually marrying the band’s vocalist, Lauren Murphy would contribute harmony vocals on some sessions and occasionally join Zero on stage. When the band called time on being a working unit, the Murphy’s set out in a new direction with Lansdale Station which merged the musical backgrounds of each of the singers: Americana, southern rock/blues with the Bay Area psychedelic rock and rhythm and blues. After nearly a decade, Lansdale Station came to an end in 2013 following the passing of Judge Murphy. Two years later, Lauren Murphy would make the move to her present-day base of Alabama.

Often compared to such Bay Area legends Grace Slick and Janis Joplin, she brings a combination of power and passion as a singer and often adds guitar in the studio or while playing out with her current band, The Psychedelics. The band joined her at former San Francisco Giants pitcher Jake Peavy’s  Dauphin Street Sound studio in Mobile, Ala., where she recorded her just-out Psychedelics which was co-produced by Mark Karan.

The album features five originals and three interesting covers: a pair of Robert Hunter-Greg Anton tracks, “End Of The World Blues” and “Catalina” which were part of Zero’s live sets for years and Darby Slick’s “Somebody To Love” befitting Murphy quite well given the oft-comparison to her and Slick’s once sister-in-law Grace.

A special three-hour tribute celebrating the music of reggae legend Bunny Wailer, who passed away March 2 at the age of 73, was featured on the March 7 edition of Strictly Roots.

Born Neville O’Riley Livingston in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1947, there’s no underestimating the range and legacy of Wailer’s musical career as a percussionist, backing vocalist and later as a songwriter, lead singer and label boss.

Wailer played alongside his step brother Bob Marley and their childhood friend Peter Tosh as part of the group that went by a number of names: The Teenagers, the Wailing Rudeboys, the Wailing Wailers and, ultimately, the Wailers. Their first No. 1 single, “Simmer Down,” was produced by the legendary Clement “Coxsone” Dodd and featured the premier ska band The Skatalites providing support.

The Wailers also worked extensively with producers Leslie Kong and later Lee “Scratch” Perry and his crack studio band, The Upsetters. Their initial chart topper would be followed by such famed tracks as “Stir It Up,” “Get Up Stand Up,” “Trenchtown Rock” and “War” amongst others.

The band would gain international recognition — especially in England — as they toured the world, often playing sold out stadiums, but after 12 years, relationships fragmented and Tosh and Wailer would leave the band.

Striking out on his own, Wailer founded Solomonic, his own recording label on which he would release work over the next three decades. He drew rave reviews for his debut solo release Blackheart Man in 1976. He was backed by some of the premier studio players of that time, including members of the Wailers such as multi-instrumentalist Aston “Family Man” Barrett, drummer Carlton “Carly” Barrett and keyboardist Tyrone “Organ D” Downie along with bassist Robbie Shakespeare, guitarist Earl “Chinna” Smith and horn man Tommy McCook. Marley and Tosh also contributed guitar and backing vocals.

He would later have hits such as “Cool Runnings” from the 1981 release Rock ‘n’ Groove and “Ballroom Floor” from Rootsman Skanking in 1987.

Wailer won three Grammys in the 1990s for best reggae albums, two of them being tributes to Marley. In 2017, he was awarded Jamaica’s Order of Merit for international distinction in science, literature or the arts.

Commonly referred to as one of the last elder reggae ambassadors, Wailer aligned himself with Rastafarian spirituality throughout his life. His musical accomplishments directly contributed to and promoted the rich culture and evolution of Jamaican music.

The Feb. 12 edition of Duck, You Sucker! spotlighted the experimental French musician Ghédalia Tazartès who died Feb. 10 in Paris. He was 73.

Tazartès, who is not widely known outside the world of Parisian experimental music, released 25-plus records during his 30 years of recording.

While he was heavily influenced by the earlier experiments of the Parisian Groupe de Recherches Musicales, which included François Bayle, Pierre Henri and Michel Chion among others, Tazartès went a step farther. With Judeo-Spanish parents of Greek descent, he tapped into traditional Mediterranean music — particularly with regard to vocal dissonant harmonies and rhythmic structures — along with an early fascination with American jazz, to create a style that was more viscerally expressive and improvisational than his predecessors.

The Feb. 6 edition of Greasy Tracks featured a special feature on music from the bay area of San Francisco, including interviews with photographer Susana Millman and guitarist Tim Bluhm of The Mother Hips.

Click here to check out an archive of the program, while a playlist is here. 

After self-publishing her collection of Grateful Dead-related photographs several years ago, Millman recently did a second edition release of Alive With The Dead ~or~ A Fly On The Wall With A Camera with Last Gasp.

The 250-plus page hardcover coffee table book has nearly 500 photos capturing the band from the 1980s through the present, on and offstage as well as backstage. It includes a forward by drummer Mickey Hart and commentary throughout by Millman’s husband, Dennis McNally who worked as the band’s publicist and official biographer.

Millman discusses how the book came together as well as sharing interesting stories behind some of her favorite photos that were included.

The Mother Hips mark their 30th anniversary this year. Following a forgettable 2020 as the Covid pandemic kept bands off the road, the group started the New Year on a high note by announcing they would put out their entire back catalog via limited-edition vinyl releases.

Bluhm explained that they are collaborating with Blue Rose Music to press the catalog on 180-gram vinyl, but limiting runs to 300 hand-numbered copies beginning with their 1993 debut, Back To The Grotto, which was re-issued in January.

The roots of the band can be traced to when Bluhm, Greg Loiacono (guitarist/vocalist), Mike Wofchuck (drums) and Isaac Parsons (bass) met while attending California State University-Chico in 1990.

Personnel changes would happen in the ensuing years as different line-ups would play with Bluhm and Loiacono, until the four re-grouped in 1991 and focused on playing original material.

They would record and release their debut in early 1993 which helped gain attention of some major labels.

They eventually signed with Rick Rubin’s American Recordings.

Over the years there have been changes to the band lineup and even a short hiatus, but Bluhm and Loiacono have remained the constants. They’ve done solo projects, but the focus always has always returned to The Mother Hips.

The Dec. 30 edition of The Boris Rock Show featured a tribute to Leslie West who passed away on Dec. 23 at the age of 75.

The Dec. 26 edition of Greasy Tracks also honored West. Click here to check out an archive of the program, while a playlist is here. 

Best known for his work with the band Mountain, West, born Leslie Weinstein, began his recording career in 1964 with The Vagrants, a Long Island-based band that also included his brother, Larry, on bass and vocals. The group, which blended blue-eyed soul with rock, recorded a handful of singles and played the metro-New York City club circuit before breaking up in 1968.

The paths of West and Felix Pappalardi crossed when Pappalardi did some production work during recording sessions by The Vagrants. Pappalardi — who also played bass and sang — was best known for his production work on Cream’s Disraeli Gears and Wheels of Fire, would produce West’s debut solo album, Mountain, in 1969. Less than a month after its release, West and Pappalardi — who were heavily influenced by Cream — along with drummer Norman Smart and keyboardist Norman Landsberg formed Mountain.

By the time the unknown Mountain appeared at Woodstock — it was their third-ever gig, but they had the same booking agent as Jimi Hendrix — Steve Knight had replaced Landsberg and soon Corky Laing took over on drums. In the spring of 1970, the band delivered their debut album, Climbing!, which featured what would become the band’s signature song: “Mississippi Queen.”

The track eventually reached No. 21 in the Billboard Hot 100, while the album went to No. 17 on the Billboard Top 200.

In a 2020 interview with Guitar Player, West remarked about the song: “(It) has just everything you need to make it a winner. You’ve got the cowbell, the riff is pretty damn good, and it sounds incredible. It feels like it wants to jump out of your car radio. To me, it sounds like a big, thick milkshake. It’s rich and chocolatey. Who doesn’t love that?”

Along with Climbing!, this “classic” line-up released what are regarded to be the best studio efforts by the band along with Nantucket Sleighride and Flowers of Evil which each came out in 1971.

By early 1972, the band broke up, but West and Laing linked up with ex-Cream bassist Jack Bruce to form West, Bruce & Lang. The trio released a pair of largely pedestrian studio albums and a forgettable live offering before splitting up.

West regrouped Mountain in 1973. Between 1974-2007, the band — with a veritable rotating door of different members — released five studio albums, culminating with Masters of War, a collection of Bob Dylan covers, and four live collections. In all, West released nearly 20 studio and live albums as a solo artist.