Step into the pulse of San Francisco’s music scene with the Music City San Francisco Podcast, presented by Pantheon Media. Broadcasting from the heart of the city on the corner of Polk and Bush, this podcast captures the pulse of a city steeped in musical history and alive with a modern-day revolution. From the legendary Hyde Street Studios, where artists like Tupac Shakur and Green Day crafted their magic, to the electrifying stages of Music City SF, each episode delves into the artistry, stori...
Feb 22, 2025•4 min
From 2019, our convo with Ada Wolin presents a fresh new look into “The Golden Age of The Shangri-Las." Was the most idiosyncratic and influential girl-group of the 1960s also the “punkiest”? Tune in and find out! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 26, 2023•44 min•Ep. 171
Summer = Yacht Rock. That's a fact. Just what is "yacht rock," you ask? Is it AM gold? Soft, smooth 70s hits, come back to life? We're winding the clock back to Episode 19 so Greg Prato, author "The Yacht Rock Book" can lay it all out for you. Put your sunscreen and Ray Bans on, pop a Corona, and lie back and enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 19, 2023•35 min•Ep. 170
Boy, has the music industry changed! It's almost irrelvant: no radio, no physical product, no sales. But has it? The Beatles were not only pioneers in music and popular culture, they were also the progenitors of the music merchandise phenomenon, which earned over $50 million in 1965! Author Terry Crain joined us early on to talk Beatles merch and other interesting side treks surrounding this nostalgic and trendsetting era. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 12, 2023•31 min•Ep. 169
Mott the Hoople was of the most important bands of the late '60s and early ‘70s — the rock act that made a stray Bowie song into an anthem for a generation and beyond, and a singer with recognizable hair and ever-present shades. And Mott The Hoople may be one of the UK’s greatest and most cherished bands, but what of their story? We speak with Chris Hall, the director of The Ballad of Mott the Hoople, about the feature length documentary that tells the bruised and battered, but triumphant, tale ...
Jun 05, 2023•40 min•Ep. 168
Equal parts myth and legend, the New Barbarians are one of the greatest bands many people have never heard — or heard of! Put together by Ron Wood, the band featured fellow Stone Keith Richards, the Faces’ Ian MacLagan, sax player Bobby Keys, and a legendary rhythm section of the Meters Ziggy Modeleste and jazz great Stanley Clarke. If you missed this the first time around, tune in to hear Rob Chapman tell wild and rollicking stories featuring behind-the-scenes anecdotes about the band members, ...
May 29, 2023•35 min•Ep. 167
Fanny might be one of the most influential bands ever that many people have never heard of. David Bowie called them “one of the most important female bands in American rock,” adding they had been buried without a trace. So who was Fanny? Bobbi Jo Hart’s documentary Fanny: The Right To Rock examines the first all-female rock band to release an album on a major label. Formed by two Filipina sisters, the Millington’s experienced racism and sexism at an early age, and found a band to be their doorwa...
May 22, 2023•31 min•Ep. 166
Alice In Chains were major players within the burgeoning Seattle scene that would forever change alternative and rock music. They were also one of the most self-destructive. In this early episode, acclaimed journalist David de Sola tells us how drugs nearly destroyed them and claimed the lives of frontman Layne Staley and founding bassist Mike Starr, and the incredible resurrection of the band nearly fifteen years later. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 13, 2023•39 min•Ep. 165
"Stir It Up: Reggae Album Cover Art" and "The Album Cover Art of Studio One Records" discuss the evolution, look and style of the the visuals and branding of reggae music. From Calypso, to bluebell rocksteady to roots reggae, and dub to dancehall, the music and visual output of this tiny island is enormous. SteveJ take a look at these two books that deal with two of his all-time favorite topics. Other Steve offers up his wisdom, humor and perhaps some guidance along the way. Like any genre, ther...
May 08, 2023•16 min•Ep. 164
Let's go back and take a look at jazz at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Edward Allan Faine pulls back the curtain on the Nixon White House. Was Tricky Dick a jazz fan? After all, he did give Duke Ellington the Medal of Freedom in 1969. Who was in the band and who jammed at the “after-party”? Why did Sinatra almost get canceled, and just who that was playing piano behind some of Pearl Bailey’s set? We’ll touch on some of the more recent President’s and their bands of choice for “the best gig in town!”...
May 01, 2023•31 min•Ep. 163
Johnny Thunders was the legendary hard-living rock'n'roll guitarist who inspired glam-metal, punk and the New York and London music scene's in general. Danny Garcia’s documentary film Looking For Johnny examines Johnny Thunders' career from the early 70's as a founding member of the influential New York Dolls; the birth of the punk scene with The Heartbreakers in New York City and London; Gang War and The Oddballs. It also explores Johnny's unique musical style, his personal battle with drugs, a...
Apr 24, 2023•31 min•Ep. 162
Vinyl is back in a big way. According to Billboard magazine, over 43 million albums were sold in 2022, the 17th consecutive year vinyl album sales grew in the U.S., and the largest year for vinyl album sales since tracking data began in 1991. "Record Store Day" celebrates independently-owned brick-and-mortar record stores around the world and, this year it will be on April 22. We speak with Chris Anzalone, the owner of Stereo Jack’s Records in Ball Square, Somerville, Ma. about a day for the peo...
Apr 17, 2023•31 min•Ep. 161
Here's a crazy book on an even crazier musician and performer. Tiny Tim is best known for his wacky appearances on "Laugh In" and Johnny Carson's "Tonight Show." However, he also rubbed shoulders with Bob Dylan and Lenny Bruce. So, in case you missed it, author Justin Martell talks about one of the most phenomenal success stories in show business, Don't miss it...again! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Apr 10, 2023•24 min•Ep. 160
We first had country music writer and aficionado David Cantwell on in 2019 to discuss his excellent book The Running Kind: Listening to Merle Haggard. The new edition expands on his earlier analysis and covers Haggard's death and afterlife as an icon of both old-school and modern country music; in fact, David considers it a whole new book! We talk about the appreciation, opinion and perception of Merle since his death and, of course, the many Merle Haggard songs that have been covered by Lynyrd ...
Apr 03, 2023•34 min•Ep. 159
This week, we look back to our incredible chat with Galadrielle Allman and her deeply personal portrait of her father, Duane Allman, who was killed in a motorcycle accident at the age of twenty-four. She was two years old. At the heart of Galadrielle's book is her journey to understand the man millions idolized, but she never knew. It's a story every bit as compelling, beautiful, sad, and singular as her father’s. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mar 27, 2023•31 min•Ep. 158
Popsicko! was a band from the rich Santa Barbara music scene of the 90s. “If it was 1968,” penned a writer for the Los Angeles Times, “these guys would be rock gods and all over the radio.” Everything was going Popsicko’s way, but there’s a reason you’ve likely never heard of them. With some of Popsicko!’s music set to be re-released for the first time in two decades along with an oral history book, now is the time for the band’s story to be told. Tune in to hear how the band and their songs hav...
Mar 20, 2023•42 min•Ep. 157
Our second episode, and we talk about "Ode To Billie Joe"with author Tara Murtha. This really set the tone for what we wanted to do with this podcast, so have a listen to the backstory of one of the all-time great songs and Bobbi Gentry, the woman behind this masterpiece. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mar 13, 2023•30 min•Ep. 156
In the annals of rock ‘n’ roll there have been a lot of strange characters, but there probably hasn’t been anyone as bizarre as Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, He was larger than life as he emerged from a coffin with a skull on a stick singing “I Put A Spell On You.” He was a whirlwind performer, a lusty singer, a prolific songwriter and a man who was a total stranger to the truth. And with that one song, Screamin’ Jay, who also studied piano and sang opera, became the embodiment of the sexually insatiab...
Mar 06, 2023•40 min•Ep. 155
Taking you back to 2019 and Episode 8, in case you missed it! Here we talk about the Black Power music movement with author and scholar Pat Thomas. We dig deep into how the it affected the popular music of the day, including Jimi Hendrix, James Brown, Sly Stone, Marvin Gaye and Motown, Gil Scott-Heron, Nina Simone and others. Celebrate Black History Month! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Feb 27, 2023•28 min•Ep. 154
Women have been kicking against the pricks of music patriarchy since Sister Rosetta Tharpe first played the guitar riffs that built rock-n-roll. The explosion of punk sent shockwaves of revolution to every girl who dreamed of being on stage. Hit Girls is the story of nearly 100 regional American bands who shattered stereotypes and eardrums and whose legacy would be otherwise lost. Despite the modern narrative labeling women as anomalies in rock music, the truth is: women played important roles i...
Feb 20, 2023•31 min•Ep. 153
Donny Hathaway Live is a soul classic and one of my all-time favorite records ever. We had the good fortune to interview author and cultural critic Emily Lordi in one of our earliest podcasts about her book on this record for the 33 1/3 series. We are proud to feature this episode again — “in case you missed it” — for Black History Month! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Feb 13, 2023•33 min•Ep. 152
The Beatles are the biggest band in the history of pop music. James Bond is the single most successful movie character of all time. They are also twins. Dr No, the first Bond film, and Love Me Do, the first Beatles record, were both released on the same day: Friday 5 October 1962. Most countries can only dream of a cultural export becoming a worldwide phenomenon on this scale. For Britain to produce two iconic successes on this level, on the same windy October afternoon, is unprecedented. Love a...
Feb 07, 2023•37 min•Ep. 151
We're taking you back to Episode THREE, recorded nearly four years ago! Luckily, Van Halen is evergreen and author Greg Renoff reveals the untold story of how the legendary band began, playing backyard parties in Los Angeles, This unique pre-history takes you from those high school bashes to funky dive bars with wet t-shirt contests, and, eventually, to the Sunset Strip and beyond. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jan 26, 2023•29 min•Ep. 150
Beginning with his 1969 debut LP, Elton John is regarded as one of the most influential musicians and performers of the previous five decades. In examining 75 touchstones, author Gillian Gaar provides a unique presentation of Elton’s career arc, from his first steps as a solo artist to the breakthrough album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road to his flamboyant stage presence, and beyond. In this series, every page is illustrated with stunning concert and candid offstage photography, including gig posters...
Jan 16, 2023•37 min•Ep. 149
In our final episode recorded 2022, Other Steve and I talk about where this podcast is, where it has been and some of where it's going! We also talk about www.allmusicbooks.com, and our brand new, mobile friendly website And FYI…our New Year's resolutions include paring down some of the music stuff we’ve both collected over the years. Find out what and where on this episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jan 08, 2023•11 min•Ep. 148
Holiday songs are in the air and everywhere these days! Some are classics, some are new, some are shiny and some…well. Nevermind. Last year, Other Steve pulled out a classics with Morphine’s “Sexy Christmas Baby Mine. We even got to have a final conversation about it with drummer Billy Conway. We also added a unique mashup of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” to our conversation about that now standard with author Ray Padgett. Once again, Other Steve has played Santa this year, and unearthed a classi...
Dec 16, 2022•9 min•Ep. 147
Today, we’re going to introduce a new angle to the show, and have a look at some of the book reviews on AllMusicBooks.com. Reviews by music fans is the backbone of the community site, and we hope this will be of interest to readers, and provide encouragement for you to weigh in on these, or any music books you’ve read. AllMusicBooks provided the backbone and opportunity for our podcast. So…looking for a unique present for that very special music fan in your life? Or maybe for you to put on your ...
Dec 09, 2022•24 min•Ep. 146
Martin Popoff has written over 100 music books. "Bowie@75" is his first on David Bowie. Timed to tie in with what would have been Bowie’s 75th birthday, Popoff recounts 75 fascinating and significant career achievements and life events for the legendary singer. Illustrated with live concert and candid offstage photography as well as memorabilia including gig posters, 7-inch picture sleeves, and more, this incredible package also includes a gatefold timeline, a gatefold painting depicting "A Part...
Nov 23, 2022•42 min•Ep. 145
Joe Milliken, author of "Let's Go: Benjamin Orr and The Cars" joins us to chat about the legendary Boston music scene, clubs like The Rat and The Paradise, and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Nov 17, 2022•16 min•Ep. 144
Boston is a town known for rock’n’roll; J. Geils Band, Aerosmith, Boston, and, of course The Cars. There were few bands bigger in the late 70s and MTV ‘80s. Benjamin Orr was the co-founder, co lead singer and bassist for the group, and possessed a voice made for radio. Veteran music journalist Joe Milliken joins us to talk about his book “Let’s Go!: Benjamin Orr and The Cars. From Max’s Kansas City to The Rat, from MTV to LiveAid, Joe’s book provides insight into Orr’s life, which ended tragical...
Nov 07, 2022•47 min•Ep. 143
