Walter Sickert and the Army of Broken Toys - Live at The Sinclair recorded August 26, 2017 in Cambridge, MA 01 - How are all you *** doin? 02 - ViktaGRAPH 03 - Devils In The Details 04 - Whole Way Down 05 - Old Skin 06 - Animals Like Me 07 - Dull Boy 08 - Cataclysm 09 - Hollow Points 10 - Witchcraft 11 - Come Black magic 12 - I Put A Spell On You Walter Sickert - Vocals, Guitar, Piano Mary Widow – Vocals, Mandolin, Percussion Rachel Jayson – Viola, Vocals Matt Zappa – Drums, Percussion, Vocals M...
Sep 17, 2017•48 min•Ep. 60
Indie hip-hop artist, rapper, songwriter and contemporary painter, Boston, MA native Moe Pope is a talent. His lyrics reflect his story - touching on community, fatherhood, love and the human condition. Formerly with Bay Area-based hip-hop band Mission he returned to Boston to form Electric (aka Electric Company) and later formed Project Move. In 2010 with Boston producer Rain he released the critically acclaimed Life After God and is currently collaborating with 2016 BMA Producer of the Year Th...
Sep 13, 2017•48 min•Ep. 59
This is part two of our conversation with Blue Man Group. We sat with resident General Manager Jonathan Screnci, Blue Man Mike Brown, and drummers Kyle Harris and Kevin Asmus before a performance at The Charles Playhouse. We come in just as Jonathan walked into the room to join us about an hour into our talk.
Sep 08, 2017•38 min•Ep. 58
Blue Man Group is a dynamic mix of art, music, comedy and technology. Founded in 1991, this pop culture phenomenon has been seen by over 35 million people all over the world. Inspiring, brilliant and groundbreaking, the Blue Men - while not saying a word - celebrate life through connection, unique absurdity, visual art and of course, music. We spoke with Resident General Manager Jonathan Screnci, Blue Man Mike Brown, and drummers Kyle Harris and Kevin Asmus before a performance at The Charles Pl...
Sep 07, 2017•44 min•Ep. 57
This award winning singer-songwriter, actor and artist is a force to be reckoned with. Ruby's deep, unique voice is surprising at first, but she soon pulls you into her resonant sound with powerful lyrics and amazing vocal range. Ruby pays homage to Leonard Cohen, Andy Warhol and Roy Orbison in our conversation about singing, acting, writing, learning and growing.
Aug 30, 2017•51 min•Ep. 56
So this is our 50th episode and Ronnie and I decided to have a State of the Conversation. What an amazing year! We've been downloaded in all 50 states (again, a nice round number) and in over 50 countries (we sense a trend here...). We can't say enough how much we appreciate our listeners and the positive feedback we've received. We've been fortunate to have some unbelievable talent on the show with unique stories and wonderful performances from all walks of music - classical, jazz, hip-hop, roc...
Aug 23, 2017•36 min•Ep. 55
Charles Haynes is a drummer, producer, musical director and strong believer in the power of listening. He learned this through constant gigging at one of Boston oldest family owned jazz clubs in Boston, Wally’s Café. Charles has toured with Ed Sheeran, Lady Gaga, Kanye West, MIA and Queen Latifah among many others and is the owner of Herd Studios – a boutique mixing, mastering and recording studio in Boston. You can read more about it at herdstudio.com In this episode we talk about importance of...
Aug 16, 2017•48 min•Ep. 54
This year marks the bicentennial of the birth of Henry David Thoreau, local environmentalist, scientist and artist. After talking with the founder of the Walden Woods project, Don Henley, it becomes clear that Thoreau influences us all now more than ever 200 years later. During college in the late 60s, it was Emerson's work that initially ignited Don Henley's songwriting interest. And it was Thoreau's political, environmental and social justice work that resonated with Don, influencing his life ...
Aug 10, 2017•50 min•Ep. 53
As we were sitting at The Thoreau Institute Library in Lincoln, Massachusetts waiting for Don Henley to arrive we were having a nice chat with Thoreau Scholar Jeffrey Cramer and decided to turn on the mics and have a quick discussion about Thoreau. Jeff is the Curator of Collections at the Walden Woods Project's Thoreau Institute at Walden Woods Library and is the editor of annotated editions of both Walden and The Maine Woods as well as the author of several other award winning books. His essay...
Aug 06, 2017•11 min•Ep. 52
Seeing Walter and his band of merry musicians play live is a visceral experience not to be missed. With a mix of Dr. Teeth, Edward Gorey and Tim Burton, they bring legit musical chops, original songwriting and a magical artistry to the stage. We thought this might be an interesting one and we were not disappointed. We had a really fun time with these wonderful people – and we mean that – these are great people. With lots of cursing, laughing and crazy stories – we think you are going to enjoy th...
Aug 02, 2017•52 min•Ep. 51
If you have never seen or heard Martin play live, you should get tickets to his current tour immediately. With prolific songwriting, unique percussive guitar and beautifully soulful singing chops, Martin's music rises to the surface from deeper themes of unity and optimism.
Jul 26, 2017•22 min•Ep. 46
This is a quick preview of a conversation we had with Walter Sickert and the Army of Broken Toys where they talk about scoring an amazing movie called Some Freaks – which was written and directed by Ian Macallister MacDonald.
Jul 24, 2017•6 min•Ep. 49
Dr. Lisa Wong is a musician and pediatrician, a violinist and educator, a wife, mom and mentor. From Hawaii she came to Harvard and has remained a New Englander and leader in music-medicine, and in a broader sense an expert thinker in the convergence of Art and Science. As President of the Longwood Symphony Orchestra for 20 years, Lisa has performed in and managed the 90 piece multitalented group of healthcare worker / musicians, and during her tenure worked on countless concerts for causes that...
Jul 19, 2017•42 min•Ep. 48
A performance at the famous Club Passim recorded June 30, 2017 in Cambridge, MA. Fellow Berklee College of Music grads Holly McGarry, Benjamin Burns and Chris 'Gooch' Bloniarz have a sound that is difficult to describe – it definitely has bluegrass roots but leans towards what we’ll call Porch Rock. Playing guitar, banjo and mandolin, their voices are very distinct and blend together to build an ethereal landscape of sound that surrounds you. Track 01 - Pigeons Track 02 - Canary Track 03 - Dog S...
Jul 12, 2017•1 hr•Ep. 47
We have been major fans of Honeysuckle from the moment we saw them on The Sinclair stage opening for The Ballroom Thieves. Fellow Berklee College of Music grads Holly McGarry, Benjamin Burns and Chris Gooch Bloniarz have a sound that is difficult to describe – it definitely has bluegrass roots but leans towards what we’ll call Porch Rock. If no one else has coined the phrase we will take full credit. Their harmonies, musicianship and unexpected arrangements will blow you away. Playing guitar, ba...
Jul 05, 2017•49 min•Ep. 46
Jewel is a singer-songwriter, actress, author, mother and wellness advocate. Among her numerous accolades she has earned four Grammy Award nominations and sold over 30 million albums worldwide. Her newest project is called Never Broken. It is a road map that helps people develop mindfulness, reduce anxiety and promote wellness. You can read all about it on her new website www.JewelNeverBroken.com. She also recently published the New York Times bestseller, Never Broken - songs are only half the s...
Jun 29, 2017•20 min•Ep. 45
Jennifer Kimball was ½ of the critically acclaimed band The Story in the early 90's, which was a springboard for her career as a solo artist. With her beautifully personal lyrics and haunting instrumentation, her latest album Avocet is something everyone should hear. This album is wonderfully written and arranged and includes several incredible Boston musicians. It is directly because of these fine people that Jennifer began recording this album.
Jun 22, 2017•50 min•Ep. 44
An accomplished flatpicker, singer and songwriter, Andy is one of the many knowledgable musicians at The Music Emporium in Lexington Massachusetts – an amazing guitar shop that offers some of the finest old and new acoustic instruments on the East Coast. Andy is their bluegrass guitar and dreadnought specialist and is a part of the incredibly prodigious bluegrass music scene in Boston. He is also a photographer and has shot numerous music videos for a number of musicians in the Boston area....
Jun 14, 2017•44 min•Ep. 43
Josh Bhatti is with The Bowery Presents in Boston - a concert promotion and venue management organization that runs multiple venues in Boston including The Royale, Great Scott, Fete Music Hall in Providence, and the venue where we sat for our conversation - The Sinclair. As talent booker for The Sinclair he is not only passionate about good music but also strives to provide a great listening experience.
Jun 07, 2017•42 min•Ep. 42
When Keith Lockhart left Cincinnati for Boston to lead the Pops and take over John Williams tenure, he was 35 years old - the same age as Arthur Fiedler at his start. In his 23rd year conducting the Boston Pops, Keith has made his own mark on a classic American institution. Unique collaborations with internationally acclaimed artists and communication with the city of Boston during times of celebration and times of hardship... these are Keith's strengths. We spoke about his years with the Pops, ...
May 31, 2017•39 min•Ep. 41
R&B Boston native Jesse Dee has been described as a guitar-playing soul man and a modern day trailblazer inspired by the old school. His great singing voice is complemented by his guitar riffs and a fantastic backing band. We offer two songs off of his studio albums: Reap What You Sow from Bittersweet Batch and On my mInd, In My Heart from the album of the same name. Bonnie Hayes is our guest host.
May 24, 2017•45 min•Ep. 40
Mark Ethier is a musician and entrepreneur who co-founded innovative company called iZotope. As a matter of fact this was recorded in their amazing space in Kendall Square in Cambridge Massachusetts. Izotope is an audio technology company that's obsessed with great sound. Their award-winning software products are used by musicians, music producers, and audio post engineers to enhance the sound of everything from today's top music tracks to major motion pictures and TV shows. iZotope's audio repa...
May 18, 2017•45 min•Ep. 39
We wanted to give a quick preview of a conversation Ron and I had with Keith Lockhart – conductor of the Boston Pops and share a few words he had to say about Ben Folds. Ben joins the Boston Pops for the first time since 2012 to perform his hits and the Boston premiere of his critically acclaimed Concerto for Piano and Orchestra . It’s a short one but Keith has some nice things to say about the great Ben Folds….
May 17, 2017•2 min•Ep. 38
Singer songwriter and musician Ashley Jordan was busking in Harvard Square at the early age of 13, and has become a name to watch on the country music scene. She has opened for Trace Adkins, Sam Hunt, Chase Rice, Rusted Root, Jason Mraz, Christina Perri and Howie Day. A Massachusetts native, Ashley's beautiful voice paired with her original and earnest songwriting has won her numerous accolades - including a first round Grammy nomination in 2015.
May 10, 2017•49 min•Ep. 37
Darden Smith is a veteran songwriter with 15 albums under his belt, with frequent touring, writing and performing his mix of Americana, country and rock. In addition to this he has an amazing project called SongwritingWith:Soldiers that pairs professional songwriters, in retreat settings, with active duty and veteran military members to write songs based on their experiences of combat and returning home.
May 04, 2017•51 min•Ep. 36
A solo acoustic performance at the famous Club Passim recorded April 11, 2017 in Cambridge, MA. The talented and multifaceted Austin TX musician has the unique ability to bring out the creativity in anyone, and to harness a person's own story and meld it into their song. He is a veteran songwriter with 15 albums under his belt, with frequent touring, writing and performing his mix of Americana, country and rock. Track 01 - Sierra Diablo Track 02 - Love Will Win The War Track 03 - Against The Gra...
Apr 27, 2017•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 35
Poet, songwriter, author and educator Regie Gibson has performed and lectured at schools, universities and theaters nationally and internationally. His work has appeared in the New Line Cinema film Love Jones, based largely on events in his life. Regie works with world music band Atlas Soul, he is a former National Poetry Slam Individual Champion, has been regularly featured on N. P. R. and has appeared on HBO’s Def Poetry Jam. He currently teaches and inspires through his unique project - Shake...
Apr 20, 2017•45 min•Ep. 34
A special episode from the stage of The Sinclair. Bonnie Hayes sits with John to talk about his evolution as a guitarist, musician, songwriter, record producer and author of his new memoir Change of Seasons. John is half of the best selling duo of all time Hall and Oates and is a member of both the American Songwriters Hall of Fame (2008) and The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014.
Apr 13, 2017•55 min•Ep. 33
Guitarist, musician, songwriter, record producer and author of his new memoir Change of Seasons. John is half of the best selling duo of all time Hall and Oates and is a member of both the American Songwriters Hall of Fame (2008) and The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014.
Apr 06, 2017•23 min•Ep. 32
Gary is the talented lead guitarist for the classic band BOSTON for over 30 years and has played with Sammy Hagar and Norman Greenbaum (Spirit in the Sky) among others. In addition to his massive technical undertaking of managing the stage equipment on a BOSTON tour, including all of the back line and audio equipment, he plays with the band December People that play familiar holiday songs in the styles of the top bands of our time like Santana, The Who, BOSTON, ZZ Top, ELP, Journey, AC/DC, and R...
Mar 30, 2017•48 min•Ep. 31
