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The band Guster was featured on the May 25 edition of the Devo Rock Show with lead singer Ryan Miller talking about their new album OMAGAH! which features the Omaha Symphony Orchestra.

Click here to listen to an archive of the show.

Recorded in 2019 at The Holland Performing Arts Center in Omaha, Neb., the digital-only release (Bandcamp) features a variety of songs from Guster’s nearly 30 years together, the twist to it this time is that their material is performed with new orchestral arrangements.

Miller, Adam Gardner and Brian Rosenworcel formed Guster at Tufts University in Medford, Mass., in 1991. Since that time they have released nine albums.

Veteran guitarist and songwriter Tom Guerra was a guest on the May 15 edition of Greasy Tracks where he discussed his just-released album, Sudden Signs Of Grace.

Click here to listen to an archive of the show.

In addition to playing a handful of tracks from the album, Guerra and host Chris Cowles spotlighted some of their favorite guitarists.

The album, Guerra’s fourth, features nine original compositions and two interesting covers: “Streets of Baltimore” and “Gimme Some Water.” The former, while oft-covered over the years, was one of the most-beloved songs associated with the late Gram Parsons who recorded it for his debut solo release, GP, in 1973. The later, an Eddie Money track which appeared on his second album, Life For The Taking, in 1979, had as special connection for Guerra who got to know Money over the years.

“When I heard Eddie (Money) was sick, I recorded one of my favorite tunes of his and sent him a copy,” Guerra said. Money passed away at the age of 70 last year.

Similar to earlier projects, Guerra enlisted the help of some crack musicians to help bring his songs to life in the studio, including long-time collaborator Kenny Aaronson who has worked with the likes of Bob Dylan, The Yardbirds and George Harrison. Keyboardist Matt Zeiner and drummer Mike Kosacek rounded out the backing band while Morgan Fisher (Mott The Hoople) contributed piano on “Just Like The Sun” and Scott Rath provided a sublime pedal steel to “Streets of Baltimore.”

The album, which came out on May 12, has been well received. Pete Prown, music editor for Vintage Guitar magazine wrote: “With his previous albums, Tom (Guerra) established himself as a fine rock and roll guitarist. Sudden Signs Of Grace shows his growth and new direction as a songwriter steeped in the Laurel Canyon school of songwriting.”

Since the late 1970s, Guerra has been a popular guitarist on the New England club circuit, playing with a host of leading blues, rock and R&B acts.

He first gained notoriety after being featured in the March 1991 issue of Guitar Player. Over the years, he has recorded or played with Rick Derringer, The Dirty Bones Blues Band, E Street Band drummer Max Weinberg, Mark Nomad, The Easton Brothers with Muddy Waters bassist Charles Calmese, Jai Johanny “Jaimoe” Johanson of The Allman Brothers Band, Second Son, Guitar Shorty, Adolph Jacobs of The Coasters, Aaronson and The Delrays, for which he received acclaim from Buddy Guy.

He formed Mambo Sons in 1999 and the group released four albums of original music over the next 15 years.

In 2014, Guerra released his first solo album, All of the Above, a collection of 11 original rock tracks. The CD was critically acclaimed and favorably reviewed in numerous music and guitar magazines as well as mainstream media such as The Huffington Post.

He also spent a five-year period working for Johnny Winter, penning liner notes as the guitarist released a handful of live recordings via The Bootleg Series and has done extensive studio work since the late 1980’s.

In 2016, he released Trampling Out the Vintage followed by American Garden in 2018

No matter if he was playing solo acoustic or with line-ups as diverse as the Grateful Dead, Old & In The Way, Legion of Mary or his long-running Jerry Garcia Band, many times there were old timey spirituals in the sets Jerry Garcia performed.

The May 2 edition of Greasy Tracks celebrated that oft-overlooked spiritual side of Garcia by featuring interviews with members of  The Garcia Project as well as their recent release, Spirit: A Loving Tribute To Jerry Garcia And The Spiritual Songs He Performed.

Click here to listen to an archive of the show, while a playlist is here.

Guitarist Mik Bondy and vocalist Kat Walkerson of The Garcia Project provided insight on the recording of the 12-track album. There was an interview with Maria Muldaur who produced the project and contributed harmony vocals on most tracks and lead vocals on a version of Charles Johnson’s “Sisters And Brothers.” This was a familiar track for Muldaur who included it on her 1978 release Southern Winds. She toured and recorded with Garcia during the 1970s.

A number of individuals who played with Garcia were involved in the sessions, including drummer Buzz Buchanan and vocalist Jacklyn LaBranch.

In addition to tracks from Spirit, there were live 1970s nuggets from the Jerry Garcia Band.

The April 25 edition of Greasy Tracks featured an in-depth overview of the Tulsa Sound, best portrayed by the likes of JJ Cale and Leon Russell.

Included was an interview with bassist/vocalist Casey Van Beek who discussed the legendary style of music associated with Tulsa, Okla., as well as the just-released Heaven Forever by his group Casey Van Beek and the Tulsa Groove.

Click here to listen to an archive of the show, while a playlist is here.

Musician, songwriter and producer Adam Schlesinger, who died at the age of 52 on March 31 of complications from the coronavirus, was honored in a special program on the April 6 edition of The Devo Rock Show.

Schlesinger was a founding member of both Ivy and Fountains of Wayne and worked in theater, television and film as a musician and producer. He appeared on WRTC a number of times in the past.

Born in New York City, he grew up in Montclair, N.J., and graduated from Williams College where he met future bandmate Chris Collingwood who he later co-founded the power-pop band Fountains Of Wayne in 1995.

Schlesinger’s first band, Ivy, formed in 1994 in New York City with Andy Chase and Domique Durand. Ivy’s first single, “Get Enough” (Seed Records), was named single of the week by Melody Maker in 1994.

Chase would later help him compose the theme song to the 1996 film That Thing You Do, starring Tom Hanks and Liv Tyler.

Fountains Of Wayne released their debut single “Radiation Vibe” in 1996 and it became an alternative rock hit. Their biggest hit, “Stacey’s Mom,” came in 2003 following the release of the album Welcome Interstate Managers. 

In an interview included in the program — recorded by Devo on the day the single was released — Schlesinger revealed that the characters in the song were made up. The secret to the song’s success is described as being the result of the video which includes Rachel Hunter wearing only a towel. 

In another interview recorded prior to the release of their album Sky Full Of Holes, which will also be included in the program, Schlesinger describes how he gets the ideas for songs and some of his production techniques.

In addition to Fountains of Wayne and Ivy, Schlesinger was part of the bands Tinted Windows — which featured James Iha of The Smashing Pumpkins and Taylor Hanson — and Fever High. He wrote songs and produced music for the television program Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and wrote music for the Tony Awards.

He won a Grammy Award in 2009 for best comedy album — A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All! — and was a producer for bands such as Fastball, They Might Be Giants, Verve Pipe and The Monkees.

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to unfold, WRTC remains on the air 24 hours a day, seven days a week providing a diverse range of programming for our listeners.

Unlike the overflow of hysteria being ginned up about COVID-19 across social media and from many news outlets, the staff and management at WRTC are focused on broadcasting responsible programming and providing useful information to our audience.

Some things to consider during this challenging time:

Practice good hygiene
• Wash your hands, especially after touching any frequently used item or surface.
• Avoid touching your face.
• Sneeze or cough into a tissue or the inside of your elbow.
• Disinfect frequently used items and surfaces as much as possible.

Keep in Mind
• Listen and follow the directions of your state and local governments.
• If you or your children feel sick, stay home, contact your healthcare provider and follow their directions. Above all, avoid contact with people.
• If you’re older or have any underlying health conditions, stay home and avoid contact with people.
• If someone in your household has tested positive for COVID-19, keep the entire household at home.
• Work and/or study at home if possible.
• Avoid social gatherings.
• Avoid discretionary travel as much as possible such as trips to stores or social visits.
• Do not visit nursing homes, retirement or long-term care facilities unless to provide critical assistance.

Some Useful Resources
The Centers For Disease Control
FEMAThe American Red Cross in Connecticut
Crisis resources in Connecticut

We invite comments at 860-297-2450 and be sure to check out our updated schedule. If you’re out of range of our terrestrial signal, you can listen
online and be sure to visit our archive for programs from the past two weeks.

James Taylor, Women’s Suffrage Anniversary Spotlighted Tuesday

Five-time Grammy Award winner James Taylor will be featured along with music celebrating women’s history month on the March 10 edition of Jocko Jim’s Gig & Get Together.

This program aired 10:30 p.m.-2 a.m. on March 10.

Jocko Jim will also mark the 100th anniversary women’s suffrage with the passing of the 19th amendment, guaranteeing and protecting women’s constitutional right to vote.

In addition to playing some classic oldies, Jim also plans on springing some mystery artists on listeners as well as opening up the phone lines for some challenging quizzes.

Consider Shaun Hague’s March 29 appearance at Infinity Hall in Hartford perfect timing.

The Chicago-based guitarist brings his Journeyman: A Tribute To Eric Clapton to town just a day before Clapton turns 75 and it just so happens that Hague will be spotlighting tracks from Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs which marks its 50th anniversary later this year.

An interview with Hague — who is close to a spitting image of a later-era Clapton — was featured on the March 7 edition of Greasy Tracks. Click here to listen to an archive of the show, while a playlist is here.

While he admittedly is partial to Clapton releases from 1989’s Journeyman onward, he fully appreciates and includes a healthy amount of material from Clapton’s formative years, including John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, Cream and Blind Faith as well as the 1970s period where Clapton emerged as a solo artist.

The 50th anniversary of the release Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs isn’t lost on Hague and for good reason. The double album — which came out just three months after his self-titled, Delaney Bramlett-produced debut – featured the core of Delaney & Bonnie’s backing band: keyboardist Bobby Whitlock, drummer Jim Gordon and bassist Carl Radle. Added to that line-up was Duane Allman whose amazing slide guitar would effectively provide some of the most memorable licks on the album as he appeared on 11 of 14 tracks.

Hague has garnered attention for his chops. At the age of 17, he was named “The Best Young Blues Guitarist” by The House of Blues. At 21, he was playing with Kenny Wayne Shepherd. He’s shared the stage with Amos Lee and John Waite, performed on Jay Leno and even sat in with John Fogerty.