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The March 16 edition of Greasy Tracks focused on Carol Kaye, one of the most recorded bassists in history and a legend when it comes to studio work.

Here’s the archive, while a playlist is here. 

In addition to featuring music from across her illustrious career, there was an interview with Kaye who provided insight to a fascinating era when 1960s metro-Los Angeles became ground zero for a massive boom in the recording industry.

Working with some of the most innovative producers — including Phil Spector, Brian Wilson and Quincy Jones — and skilled musicians in the business, she logged nearly 10,000 sessions in a career she started as a teen, playing and teaching guitar in the 1950s.

Kaye recorded with hundreds of different artists. Many of those sessions would end up being some of the most famous rock or pop songs, television or movie soundtracks ever captured on tape.

Tthe March 6 edition of The PT Radio Show featured Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, including interviews with guitarist/vocalist Greg Ormont and noted guitarist Tomo Fujita — an associate professor at Berklee College of Music in Boston.

To check out the archive, click here.

The Baltimore-based band, which just wrapped a short tour of the southern U.S., will release a new album, Day In Time, on April 26.

Renowned for their live shows, PPPP has been together for 15 years and Day In Time marks their seventh, self-released studio effort.

Ormont discussed how material came together for the album and how the band has gained a level of comfort and confidence in the studio. He shares insight on the importance of the band’s fanbase, known as “The Flock”, and some interesting views when it comes to influences for he and his bandmates.

In 2018, the group reached out to Fujita about sitting in with them when they were in the area. One of Fujita’s former students encourged him to take up the offer and he joined PPPP on the second show of a two-night run at The Paradise in Boston. Since that time, he usually ends up on stage with the band when schedules allow, at shows from New York up through the New England states. He sat in during the recent New Year’s shows at House of Blues in Boston and during PPPP appearance at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, N.Y., last month.

Eric Krasno and John Mayer were students of Fujita.

To provide a perspective, almost from a teacher-student point of view, Fujita talked about his first encounter with the band — a group he’d never heard of — as well as how impressed he’s been by their growth and dedication to continually honing their skills as musicians.

The 18^th Trinity International Hip Hop Festival takes place April 4-7 and features co-headliners MC Soffia and Maiya the Don.

This year’s theme focuses on underrepresented hip-hop artists. All events are completely free and open to the public, regardless of age.

Four other performers, including Chicago-based Cuee, Simon (Senegal), Konstancy (Cyprus by way of Palestine) and Rudeboy Musa (Hartford), round out the bill which will be hosted by by Jupiter and Tang Sauce. Kasey Cortez will be the house DJ.

The festival kicks off with a keynote lecture by James Top, a hip-hop graffiti pioneer, on April 4, 12:15-1:30 p.m. in the Rittenburg Lounge on campus.

Following the lecture, there will be a multitude of events, including parties, showcases, graffiti exhibitions, film screenings, panel discussions, production workshop and an open mic session.

The main showcase, featuring the co-headliners, is April 6, 10:30 p.m.-2 a.m.

For more information, including the festival schedule, click here or contact organizers via e-mail: trinity-hiphop@trincoll.edu.

The March 2 edition of Greasy Tracks featured an interview with drummer Roger Earl who discussed the recent release of Foghat’s Sonic Mojo.

Here’s the archive, while a playlist is here. 

Earl talked about how the new album — the band’s first in seven years — came about, including a touching insight on Kim Simmonds’ co-writing three tracks that were included. Simmonds — the guitarist/leader of British blues rock band Savoy Brown — hired Earl, then a teen, to be Savoy Brown’s drummer in 1968. Simmonds passed away in 2022 at 75.

The album, the 17^th from the band which formed in 1971, debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Blues Albums chart. Foghat plays Mohegan Sun Arena on May 21 in Uncasville, Conn.

Earl is the lone founding member who remains in the band. He was part of the Savoy Brown line-up of guitarist Dave Peverett and bassist Tony Stevens during what is considered the band’s greatest period.

Following the release of Savoy Brown’s Lookin’ In, the trio along with guitarist Rod Price formed Foghat. Under the management of Tony Outeda — who started working in the music industry with Brian Epstein — the band gained a fortuitous audition with Albert Grossman who signed them to his fledgling Bearsville Records. They would soon move to the United States.

Among other artists, Grossman managed Bob Dylan, The Band, Janis Joplin and Peter, Paul and Mary. He wired Foghat $10,000 to record their first album which was produced by Dave Edmunds.

The self-titled debut came out in 1972. Boosted by a cover of Willie Dixon’s “I Just Want To Make Love To You” — it remains an FM radio staple — the band hit the charts in the U.S. with a hybrid boogie blues style that remains characteristic of its sound to this day.

Having played on such critically acclaimed Savoy Brown releases as Blue Matter, A Step Further, Raw Sienna and the aforementioned Looking In, Earl, Peverett and Stevens had gained invaluable experience in the studio and on stage playing with Simmonds. The addition of slide-guitarist Price, formerly of the Brit blues band, Black Cat Bones, cemented the basis of the Foghat sound.

Through the 1970s and into the 80s, the band went through personnel changes, but continued making radio-friendly releases, usually mixing originals with tasteful blues or soul covers. Coincidently, Sonic Mojo has a Willie Dixon and Chuck Berry cover, just like their debut. Since their early days, the band was renowned for delivering the goods when it came to live appearances.

The tradition continues with the latest line-up, including bassist Rodney O’Quinn and guitarist Bryan Bassett along with newest member, guitarist/vocalist Scott Holt who spent 10 years working with Buddy Guy.

The Feb. 17 edition of Greasy Tracks focused on the amazing, yet heartbreaking life of legendary drummer Jim Gordon.

Here’s the archive, while a playlist is here. 

Guest Joel Selvin provided insight as he discussed Drums & Demons: The Tragic Journey of Jim Gordon (Diversion Books), the biography he penned, which comes out Feb. 27.

Renowned musicians King Errisson, Carol Kaye and Dave Mason shared thoughts on some of their experiences with Gordon in studio or on stage.

Selvin spent nearly 40 years as a columnist at The San Francisco Chronicle and has written 20-plus books. His work on Gordon is the first truly in-depth and empathic view of the late drummer’s life. Selvin was last on WRTC when he discussed Altamont: The Rolling Stones, The Hells Angels, and the Inside Story of Rock’s Darkest Day.

Foregoing a music scholarship at UCLA, Gordon went professional as he joined the Everly Brothers on a 1963 European tour. He was 17 and had just graduated high school.

Living in the metro-Los Angeles area in the mid-1960s, Gordon quickly became a first-call session player as the recording industry went into overdrive on the West Coast. Gordon would play on some of the biggest records of the era.

He appears on classic tracks by The Beach Boys, Steely Dan, Eric Clapton, Sonny & Cher, John Lennon, George Harrison, Dave Mason, Joe Cocker, Carly Simon, Jackson Browne, Harry Nilsson, Ike & Tina Turner, Helen Reddy, Hall & Oates, Gordon Lightfoot, Maria Muldaur, Glen Campbell and even The Muppets, to name but a few.

Most people are unaware that the classic intro to The Incredible Bongo Band’s version of “Apache” — featuring Gordon and ace percussionist King Errisson — remains one of the industry’s most sampled tracks, especially by rap and hip-hop artists.

While studio work proved to be a great way to make a living for Gordon, who often garnered high union-scale pay for his services, the allure of playing on stage — especially as the live music industry was growing — was too tempting. By 1969, he was in the band backing Bonnie and Delaney Bramlett on the road.

A short stint with Delaney & Bonnie & Friends — which included such “friends” in various lineups as: Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Dave Mason, Bobby Keys, Jim Price, Carl Radle, Billy Preston, Bobby Whitlock and Rita Coolidge — led to Gordon’s next touring job.

Thanks to his friendship with Leon Russell, another young session player who was making a name for himself in L.A., Gordon joined Joe Cocker’s Mad Dogs and Englishmen lineup for which Russell was the music director.

Radle, Keys and Price from the Delaney and Bonnie band were also included. The audacious tour was brilliantly chronicaled by photographer Linda Wolf in Joe Cocker Mad Dogs & Englishmen Memory Book and later, Tribute: Cocker Power.

While the Mad Dogs and Englishmen tour provided incredible live performances, the oft-not spoken about background of the proceedings from beginning to end, was far darker and at times downright menacing.

In 1970, Cocker was at the top of his performing life and riding a wave of fame following his appearance at Woodstock only a few months earlier. Whether it was due to U.S. immigration insisting that he had to tour or lose his work visa or heavies in the criminal underworld — long attached to the music industry — pushing him to tour, Cocker tabbed Russell to put a band together.

Russell had only a week to get a 10-piece band and 10 back-up singers — nicknamed the Space Choir — ready for a run of 48 dates across the U.S., including a stop at The Bushnell Memorial Hall in Hartford.

The pace of the tour — combined with the voracious appetite for drugs and alcohol for much of the traveling group — was compounded by Gordon’s then-undiagnosed acute paranoid schizophrenia.

Following the breakup of Blind Faith, which Delaney and Bonnie supported on its only U.S. tour, Clapton. who sat in with the Bramlet’s frequently, joined the band for a spell before putting together what would become Derek and the Dominos.

Having played with Radle and Whitlock in Delaney and Bonnie’s band, Clapton started piecing together the new group. It wasn’t until they went into the studio to back George Harrison for his three-record masterpiece, All Things Must Pass, did Gordon become the drummer for the band.

A heavily drug- and alcohol-fueled Derek and the Dominos toured; recorded Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs (with Duane Allman); went back on the road and then made a stab at recording a follow-up before breaking up.

Gordon literally went from being in the studio with Derek and the Dominos to joining Traffic to record the pivotal Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys. He and bassist Ric Gretch co-wrote the lone single from the album, “Rock and Roll Stew”.

After leaving Traffic, Gordon continued to do studio work and, in addition to being part of Frank Zappa’s Petit Wazoo and Grand Wazoo tours, also supported others on the road.

Tragically, Gordon’s mental health continued to decline as “the voices” grew louder and his drug/alcohol intake wreaked havoc on his life.

Urged by his mother Osa, Gordon sought help and did a series of stays in rehabilitation centers, each failing to properly diagnose and treat his conditions.

In 1983, during a psychotic episode, Gordon killed his mother. A year later, he was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 16 years to life — unable to use an insanity defense at the time due to a recent change in California law.

Despite coming up for parole a number of times, Gordon never attended a parole hearing. He died March 23, 2023, spending the final 40 years of his life in prison.  

Strictly Roots aired a two-part, four-hour tribute to Aston “Family Man” Barrett, the legendary bassist and founding member of Bob Marley’s Wailers, who passed away Feb. 3 at the age of 77.

Here’s archives for Part 1 and Part 2.

In addition to his work with Marley, Barrett was also part of Lee “Scratch” Perry’s in-house backing band as well as a member of the The Upsetters and The Aggrovators.

Barrett’s legacy shines bright as a prime example of how a humble musician’s mastery and message shaped and changed the music world. There is no doubt that “Family Man’s” technique and sound will continue to influence generations of musicians to come and listeners in the future.

Summing up the importance of the bass, Barrett once said: “The drum, it is the heartbeat, and the bass, it is the backbone,” He added,”If the bass is not right, the music is gonna have a bad back, so it would be crippled.”

Barrett joined the Wailers band in 1974. He was also known for collaborating with other international reggae acts like Burning Spear and Peter Tosh.

He was considered a reggae music ambassador and one of the most crucial bassists to help cultivate acceptance, growth and popularity during the subsequent explosion of reggae music on the international music scene in the 1970s with Marley serving as the primary catalyst.

Almost all of the Wailer’s albums have Barrett involved and nearly everyone of Marley’s most celebrated tracks include his killer bass lines, including “Could This Be Love”, “Jammin’”, “Lively Up Yourself”, “I Shot the Sheriff” and “Three Little Birds”.

Raymond Scott isn’t a household name compared to Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig or the Roadrunner, but the composer played a vital role in the groundbreaking work at Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies.

Scott’s legacy is kept alive and celebrated in the recent release of Playland at the Beach (Little Village Foundation) from Jeff Sanford’s Cartoon Jazz Orchestra which was spotlighted on the Jan. 6 edition of Greasy Tracks.

Here’s the archive, while a playlist is here. 

In addition to an interview with Sanford, there was a tribute to Les McCann who passed away at the age of 88 on Dec. 29, 2023.

Multi-instrumentalist Sanford, who moved to San Francisco from his native New York City in 1976, started playing clarinet at age nine and was heavily influenced by Benny Goodman and The Great American Songbook. The classic 1956 release, Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Song Book, remains pivotal to his musical direction.

Sanford inherited 16 file cabinets of big band sheet music, including compositions by Scott whose work was admired by Carl Stalling, the musical director at Warner Brothers. Over the years, Stalling would adapt Scott’s material for more than 120 cartoons produced by Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies.

A half-dozen of Scott’s compositions appear on the new CD.

In the modern era, Scott’s compositions found their way onto a wide range of cartoons, including: The Ren & Stimpy Show, Bluey, The Oblongs and Duckman.

Sanford’s Cartoon Jazz Band formed in 2002 and has specialized in mastering the incredibly challenging style of music Scott was renowned for which proved to be very entertaining, yet tough to play.

Sanford shares insight on Scott and the task of making Playland at the Beach a reality.

Move over Billboard, here’s WRTC’s top 70 rock albums for 2023.

The Z3, the funky Connecticut trio dedicated to keeping the music of Frank Zappa alive and well, led the list with Filibuster For Frank.

The Who (Who’s Next: Life House (Super Deluxe); Low Cut Connie (Art Dealers); Peter Gabriel (I/O) and The Rolling Stones (Hackney Diamonds) made up the top five.

Richard Wright (Wet Dream (2023 Remix); Olivia Jean (Raving Ghost); RPWL (Crime Scene); Steven Wilson (The Harmony Codex) and The No Ones (My Best Evil Friend) rounded out the top 10.

Rankings were determined by “spins” as recorded by Spinitron which WRTC integrated on its web site on June 1.

Here’s the complete list:

1. The Z3 — Filibuster For Frank
2. The Who — Who’s Next: Life House (Super Deluxe)
3. Low Cut Connie — Art Dealers
4. Peter Gabriel — I/O
5. The Rolling Stones — Hackney Diamonds
6. Richard Wright — Wet Dream (2023 Remix)
7. Olivia Jean — Raving Ghost
8. RPWL — Crime Scene
9. Steven Wilson — The Harmony Codex
10. The No Ones — My Best Evil Friend
11. The Record Company — The 4th Album
12. Atomic Bronco — Bull in a China Shop
13. Deer Tick — Emotional Contracts
14. GUM — Saturnia
15. Jethro Tull — Broadsword & the Beast (Monster Edition)
16. Teenage Fanclub — Nothing Lasts Forever
17. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit — Weathervanes
18. Duran Duran — Danse Macabre
19. The Customers — Sweet Fatality
20. Fleetwood Mac — Rumours Live
21. Ian Hunter — Defiance Part 1
22. Sufjan Stevens — Javelin
23. The Beatles — Now And Then
24. Babe Rainbow — Fresh As A Head Of Lettuce
25. Jethro Tull — RökFlöte
26. Mario Ortiz All Star Band — 60th Anniversary Spectacular
27. Noah Gundersen — If This Is The End
28. Trevor Rabin — Rio
29. Wilco — Cousin
30. Hawkwind — The Future Never Waits
31. HUNNY — new planet heaven
32. Movements — RUCKUS!
33. Allah-Las — The Stuff / Zuma 85
34. Animal Scream — Heartbroke Motel
35. Bombay Bicycle Club — My Big Day
36. Delly Ranx — Wildfire Riddim
37. Nick Piunti — Jem Records Celebrates Ray Davies
38. Roger Waters — The Dark Side of the Moon Redux
39. Semisonic — Little Bit of Sun
40. The Damned — Darkadelic
41. The Mommyheads — Coney Island Kid
42. The Who — The Who With Orchestra: Live At Wembley
43. Assassin aka Agent Sasco — Boxing Around Riddim
44. Cowboy Junkies — Such Ferocious Beauty
45. Goose — Live at Radio City Music Hall
46. Graham Parker — Last Chance To Learn The Twist
47. Grateful Dead — RFK Stadium, Washington, DC, 6/10/73
48. Greta Van Fleet — Starcatcher
49. Jimmy Buffett — Equal Strain On All Parts
50. Juliana Hatfield — Juliana Hatfield Sings ELO
51. Love and Rockets — My Dark Twin
52. Lydia Loveless — Nothing’s Gonna Stand in My Way Again
53. SANDS — The World’s So Cruel
54. Sarah Terral — Le Morfil
55. sparkle*jets u.k. — Best of Friends
56. Stevie Face — Wildfire Riddim
57. The Groovy Nobody — Solarium
58. Babe Rainbow — Mushroom
59. Jenny Lewis — Joy’All
60. Jimi Hendrix — Live At The Hollywood Bowl: 8/18/1967
61. Joni Mitchell — Joni Mitchell at Newport (Live)
62. Lowest of the Low — Welcome to the Plunderdome
63. Marcus Miller — Candy Cane Lane
64. Molly Tuttle — City of Gold
65. Portugal. The Man — Chris Black Changed My Life
66. Pretenders — Relentless
67. Ringo Starr — Rewind Forward
68. Round Trip — Round Trip
69. The Baseball Project — Grand Salami Time!
70. The Lemon Twigs — Everything Harmony

The Dec. 23 edition of Greasy Tracks featured a three-hour spotlight on the legendary Jorma Kaukonen on his 83rd birthday.

Here’s the archive, while a playlist is here. 

Renowned for his work as a founding member and guitarist for the Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna, Kaukonen recently wrapped up Hot Tuna’s final electric tour with long-time bandmate bassist Jack Casady and drummer Justin Guip.

Although heavily influenced by Rev. Gary Davis — an iconic figure in the blues world that he has championed his entire career — Kaukonen is adept in rock, Americana and folk stylings.

The programwent deep and wide on the Kaukonen catalog and will also included portions of interviews with him from past appearances on Greasy Tracks.