We met up with phenom guitarist and singer Arielle and her band as they road tripped in from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland to The Red Room @ Cafe 939 at Berklee College of Music. Arielle has toured North America and the UK, opening for the likes of Eric Johnson, Greg Alman, Heart, Joan Jett and many others and none other than Brian May of Queen hand picked her for his production of We Will Rock You which was based on the songs of Queen. She’s been on the cover of Guitar Player ma...
May 09, 2019•45 min•Ep. 135
Kabir Sen, AKA MC Kabir is an educator at heart who teaches through music. He teaches at Shady Hill School in Cambridge and his students are some of his biggest fans, as we discovered when several of his students attended our latest ConcertCast at City Winery Boston. Kabir also plays with hip-hop reggae band Krush Faktory and they appear often at local establishments like the Lizard Lounge, The Plough and Stars and Bull McCabes. He’s gotten great reviews in Billboard, The New Yorker, Boston Glob...
Apr 25, 2019•27 min•Ep. 134
When we first began this podcast and started putting together names of people we would like as guests, Billy Beard was on the primary list. Not necessarily because we had heard him play, but because we saw him playing with everyone else. Billy got his start in Boston with the pop band Face To Face. And not to date ourselves but we totally remember their hit song and video 10-9-8. He has worked over the years with Patty Griffin, Melissa Ferrick, Kris Delmhorst, the late Mark Sandman from the grea...
Apr 18, 2019•49 min•Ep. 133
National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Francis Collins is a rock-star of science who was instrumental in the identification of multiple genes for hereditary disease including cystic fibrosis, Huntington’s and neurofibromatosis. He led the Human Genome Project in the 1990's that resulted in the mapping of the entire human genome sequence in 2003. In 2009 he was nominated by President Obama to be Director of the Nationals Institutes of Health, with unanimous confirmation by the Senate. Since t...
Apr 12, 2019•26 min•Ep. 132
A performance by A Far Cry - Live at City Winery Boston - February 28, 2019 in Boston, MA. Recorded after our fourth ConcertCast - a conversation and performance in front of a live audience. To listen to the entire conversation, go here: http://abovethwww.abovethebasement.com/131-a-far-cry Johannes Brahms, Viola Quintet in G Major, Op. 111 Antonín Dvorák : The Terzetto in C, Op. 74 (B. 148)...
Mar 29, 2019•45 min
Episode 131 - a ConcertCast Event with A Far Cry Classical music is pretty much the only music in the world that still sounds beautiful when the musicians are tuning up. It sounded so great we decided to start the episode with a brief tuning session. We were joined by Megumi Lewis, Omar Chen Guey, Caitlin Lynch, Jae Cosmos Lee, Michael Unterman and Jason Fisher, several of The Criers from the Boston based chamber orchestra A Far Cry. We invited these fine musicians to City Winery Boston for anot...
Mar 29, 2019•34 min•Ep. 131
Episode 130 - a conversation with Ari Hest. With a distinctive voice and beautiful melodies, Ari Hest has carved out a diverse career as an independent artist. Several of his songs have appeared on TV and Film soundtracks, and 2014 collaboration with Judy Collins earned him his first Grammy nomination for their album Silver Skies Blue. Now with a brand new baby in the mix, he and his wife, the very talented musician Chrissi Poland, have settled in the South Shore of Massachusetts. We sat with hi...
Mar 15, 2019•47 min•Ep. 130
Episode 129 - a conversation with Livingston Taylor. Boston’s own Livingston Taylor is a musician, teacher and interested man. Yes – we said interestED, not interesting. Not that Livingston isn’t interesting, because he certainly is. This will all make sense in our conversation. Liv is a full professor at Berklee College of Music where he teaches Stage Performance. He is currently celebrating a 50+ year career with a brand new album called "The Best of LIVe – 50 Years of Livingston Taylor Live"....
Mar 07, 2019•56 min•Ep. 129
We are taking a little detour from our usual format to bring you this very special episode. We hosted a conversation between the illustrious sports reporters Gordon Edes and Steve Buckley with arguably the most well know Presidential Historian in the world - Doris Kearns Goodwin. With the 2018 Red Sox World Series Trophy in the room, we talked, sang and celebrated Red Sox Baseball while raising money for the amazing Pete Frates Family Foundation. We would bet that most of you listening either pa...
Mar 01, 2019•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 128
Episode 127 - a conversation with Jared Bowen. We took a ride early one morning to the WGBH studios in Brighton, Mass to sit with arts and entertainment reporter and Boston native Jared Bowen. Jared has talked with all sorts or amazing people. Jared can be found, well – really everywhere. He is an Emmy award-winning host of the TV series, 'Open Studio with Jared Bowen', a contributor to the WGBH magazine program, 'Greater Boston” and you can also hear him the radio on 89.7, where he talks about ...
Feb 10, 2019•41 min•Ep. 127
Episode 126 - a conversation with Oompa We first ran into Oompa at Boston One Night Band back in 2018 – listen to Episode 123 for our conversation with Richard Bouchard about that event - but Oompa immediately stood out to me and I quickly put her down as someone to reach out to. Fast forward almost exactly a year later and we happily got a chance to sit with her and also guest host and Hip Hip know it all Ike Walker for a great conversation. Oompa is fresh off her two Boston Music Awards for Be...
Jan 30, 2019•48 min•Ep. 126
Episode 125 - a conversation with Peter Gammons. As a Boston Red Sox fan living in the NY/NJ area back in the 90’s and early 2000’s, life as a Sox fan was...well...difficult. Especially after Game 7 of the ALCS when the New York Yankees walked off the Sox in 2003. But that was just the beginning of a Red Sox renaissance that eventually brought the city of Boston 4 World Series Trophies since - including the recent 2018 championship. With 11 championships since 2001 – Boston fans really have noth...
Jan 13, 2019•29 min•Ep. 125
Every so often we get the opportunity to catch a musical coming through Boston and then sit with the actors or musicians for a chat. We were especially lucky to have a conversation with the lovely Zina Ellis who plays the Fairy Godmother in Rodgers & Hammerstein’s CINDERELLA at the beautifully restored Emerson Colonial Theatre. We saw the show the night before talking with Zina and had a fantastic time. The show is a fresh new take on the beloved tale of a young woman who is transformed from...
Dec 21, 2018•26 min•Ep. 124
Episode 123 - a conversation with Richard Bouchard. Last year we went to our first One Night Band event at The Sinclair and left with a long list of possible guests – Thalia Zedek, Cliff Notez and Oompa to name just a few. We thought we would get to the bottom of this by talking with the guy who started this unique event, Richard Bouchard. We tend to run into Richard everywhere. He currently works with the band Sidewalk Driver and runs a business that supplies on demand management, booking and p...
Dec 20, 2018•40 min•Ep. 123
Episode 122 - a conversation with Jenee Halstead. We are no longer surprised that our guests are much more than just musicians. Jenee Halstead is a great example. In addition to being a singer-songwriter, Jenee is also a learner and teacher and recently started a new project called The Inner Song, where she is a holistic vocal and self-expression coach, spiritual teacher, and energy healer. In her own journey through music, training and self discovery, Jenee now shares how people can safely and ...
Dec 13, 2018•44 min•Ep. 122
Mike Block - Live at Indian Hill Music - November 17, 2018 in Littleton, MA. Recorded after our Mike Block ConcertCast - a conversation and performance in front of a live audience. To listen to the entire conversation, go here: http://abovetheb.libsyn.com/episode-121-mike-block Song List: Song 01: Slow Day At The Cafe Song 02: Sweet Tea On The Porch Song 03: Julienne Johnson Song 04: Courante 3 Song 05: Saygun’s Partita for Solo Cello Song 06: Can't Ya Hear Me Callin’ Song 07: The Blackest Crow ...
Dec 09, 2018•1 hr 25 min
Cellist, educator, innovator and pioneer, Mike Block breaks the mold and the norms. He plays, sings and creates percussion with what is normally imagined as an orchestral instrument while he moves around the stage with his strapped on Cello. He surprises you with music usually reserved for other instruments - his takes on classical, folk and pop songs are unique and his own compositions invigorated the crowd at Indian Hill Music. This is another episode for our ConcertCast series – Mike Block, L...
Dec 06, 2018•25 min•Ep. 121
Berklee College of Music in Boston is one of the premier music schools in the world. We have talked with many fantastic Berklee grads, including the folks from Honeysuckle, RIPE, Alison Keslow and Matt McArthur to name just as few as well as musicians and Berklee professors Bonnie Hayes and Susan Cattaneo. We wanted to talk with the man who helped make this school the institution it is today so we jumped at the chance to speak with drummer, humanitarian, entrepreneur and Berklee president Roger ...
Nov 28, 2018•44 min•Ep. 120
We were honored to sit with the amazing Pardis Sabeti who is doing her part to help those in need with her work at The Sabeti Lab where she is working to eradicate the Lassa and Ebola viruses. Dr. Sabeti completed her undergraduate degree at MIT, her graduate work at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar, got her medical degree from Harvard Medical School and she was named a TIME magazine ‘Person of the Year’ as one of the Ebola fighters. But perhaps the coolest thing she does is perform as the ...
Nov 22, 2018•42 min•Ep. 119
Music has a way of bringing people together, and is a language we share. Recovery has its own language, within its own culture of addiction. We are all affected by substance use disorder (SUD) - personally, through family and friends, and as a society, economically and politically. The numbers tell part of the story, however it’s the people that who have lived this struggle and the people who fight for recovery and education everyday that bring this story to the surface - into our living rooms, ...
Nov 17, 2018•33 min•Ep. 118
We went to City Hall in Boston to talk with the new Chief of Arts and Culture Kara Elliott-Ortega. The Mayors Office of Arts and Cultures mission is to support artists, the cultural sector, and to promote access to the arts for all. Kara recently worked as the Director of Planning and Policy in the Arts cabinet for three years, implementing Boston’s cultural plan called Boston Creates. We were also happy to have Communications Director Kristina Carroll join us. We sat in a conference room overlo...
Oct 31, 2018•43 min•Ep. 117
Boston native Katie LaMark grew up in a musical family and hit the ground running after graduating from High School in Andover MA. A musical theater grad from Syracuse University, she has appeared on stage in national tours of Mamma Mia, Rent and Rocky Horror Picture Show to name just a few and now returns to Boston as Sherrie Christian in the Broadway hit Rock Of Ages which opens next week at The Boch Centers Wang Theater from October 23rd to the 28th. You can purchase tickets at bochcenter.org...
Oct 18, 2018•30 min•Ep. 116
One thing that is clear when you have a conversation with Ceci Juno, thoughtfulness is the theme to her work, whether in the studio or in the hospital treating patients. Her songs are soothing yet at the same time catchy, and seem to draw from jazz, pop, folk with traditional Latin inspiration. Ceci is a graduate of Berklee College of Music with a degree in Music Therapy. She is an active Neurologic Music Therapist in her home country of Ecuador and serves as a true ambassador of this important ...
Oct 11, 2018•25 min•Ep. 115
Thalia Zedek came to Boston in 1979 and started her first band White Women and from there became ingrained the Boston music scene – a mainstay through an impressive string of different bands including Dangerous Birds, Uzi, Come and Live Skull, when she moved to NY for a brief stint. She currently has a trio called E with Gavin McCarthy and Jason Sanford, but focuses much of her energy on her solo work in the Thalia Zedek Band. Her most recent release is called Fighting Season that is in my opini...
Oct 03, 2018•51 min•Ep. 114
Most of you probably know Wyc Grousbeck as CEO, Governor and co-owner of the Boston Celtics. Some of you may know him as a member of the business community with Causeway Media Partners, or even for his philanthropy working with Mass Eye and Ear Infirmary. But what many of you may not know is that Wyc is a lifelong drummer and plays in a Boston band called French Lick – named after Larry Bird’s home town. We met with Wyc at their brand new gorgeous practice facility and after a tour got to talk a...
Sep 27, 2018•29 min•Ep. 113
In our conversation with Austin’s Darden Smith last year, we covered some of the history of Americana. Recently Ronnie was on a call with Mr. Smith who highly recommended getting in touch with Rob Bleetstein - who we shall learn had co-coined the term Americana in the 90s. Rob has been a connoisseur of several genres of music since he was a kid, and they all share one common thread: Culture. Rob entered the radio world with guns blazing, becoming an archivist for New Riders of the Purple Sage /...
Sep 19, 2018•43 min•Ep. 112
Whether we realize it or not, the current opioid crisis affects us all. And while many people donate their time and resources to fight this huge problem, we met two women who imagined something unique and bigger. In November 2017, Kristen Williams-Haseotes created the Above The Noise Foundation – an organization that promotes awareness, education and advocacy for this addiction crisis that has touched so many lives. Maureen Cavanagh is a mom, advocate and author of the recently published book If...
Sep 12, 2018•28 min•Ep. 111
We had heard of Jimmy Connor over the past year through the grapevine – rumors of a young musician with guitar chops making a name for himself while only just graduating from High School. We decided to find out for ourselves what all the hubbub was about. Boston native Jimmy Connor is a talent. He now lives in Nashville and just released his first EP called It’s About Time. We talked about his roots, his ambitions, the challenge of making the grade in High School while at the same time starting ...
Aug 29, 2018•39 min•Ep. 110
In this day and age we all seem to crave the connection to others that seems to be missing in this environment of screens and social media. Will Dailey wants to break down that wall. And if you don’t want to climb over the remaining pieces, well he is OK with that. With his latest album Golden Walker Will wants you to turn off those distractions. To drop the needle on the album and listen. We loathe to place Will into a nice box by calling him a singer-songwriter, because somehow it is not quite...
Aug 15, 2018•49 min•Ep. 109
Arnold McCuller. As his website states – you may not know the name, but you certainly know the voice. Every summer, James Taylor and his wonderful band heads to Tanglewood for their yearly concert and we jumped at the opportunity to see if we could speak to someone we had just seen on our London trip last year when we caught Phil Collins on his Not Dead Yet tour at Royal Albert Hall. We met up with Arnold in a town just outside of Tanglewood at his hotel over oysters and deviled eggs. Arnold got...
Aug 08, 2018•39 min•Ep. 108
