We talk to Matt Fiedler, co-founder and CEO of Vinyl Me, Please . He tells us about founding the company in Chicago, their first record of the month, record-cocktail pairings, moving to Colorado, SXSW, genre-based subscriptions, Swaps, and Ello!
We talk to Buddy Nielsen from Senses Fail about the Quince Años Tour, their acoustic EP “In Your Absence”, politics and spreading awareness, twitter fights, ignoring trolls, and not playing "One Eight Seven" live.
We talk to Miles Zuniga and Tony Scalzo from Fastball about Austin, TX in the 90s, their platinum selling album All the Pain Money Can Buy, Top 5 hit “The Way”, their new album Step Into Light, and their Nigel Dick-directed music video for “I Will Never Let You Down.” We also talk about Machine Gun Kelly’s “Bad Things”, Pen Pineapple Apple Pen, playing Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, the Columbia Restaurant, and the “Fun-Lucrative Scale.”
We talk to The Regrettes about being “good for their age”, their new album Feel Your Feelings Fool, writing songs, signing to Warner Bros. Records, the “Hey Now” music video, touring, being away from home, and more.
SPECIAL EDITION EPISODE. We celebrate Goose Island Migration Week in Tampa, FL. We talk with Nalani Rothrock and Josh Lamkin from Tampa based funk band Mama’s Batch about their upcoming album, the origins of the band, performing around the Tampa Bay area, and being featured at the “Music. Art. And Goose Island Beer” event at Blind Tiger Cafe. Then we’re joined by Chris McCleary and Jesse Valenciana from Goose Island Beer Company . They give us a taste of some Goose Island beers, some insight int...
We talk to Ariana and the Rose about her first SXSW, London vs New York, songwriting, collaborating with RKCB on “Love You Lately”, her new EP Retrograde, and the Mets, sort of.
We talk to Brian Bell ( Weezer / The Relationship ) about the new The Relationship album Clara Obscura, singles “Break Me Open” and “Without Me”, being in two bands, Weezer’s “Feels Like Summer”, reading actual books, and aural experiences.
On a special episode of Cigar City Radio, we recap our experience at the 6th Annual Gasparilla Music Festival in Downtown Tampa. We talk to artists Ari Chi , Twin Peaks , and Lady Wray about their performances, then catch up with Ray Roa (Creative Loafing), Jay Cridlin (Tampa Bay Times), Roxanne Gallo (The Bolt), and various concert attendees to get their thoughts on GMF 2017....
We meet Amy Ray ( Indigo Girls ) before her sold out New World Brewery show. She tells us about the early days of Indigo Girls, the 80s DIY scene, dealing with life on the road, songwriting, her friendship with Justin Vernon (Bon Iver), and being a part of Lilith Fair.
We sit down with Glen Phillips ( Toad the Wet Sprocket ) for a conversation about the Toad the Wet Sprocket name, the 90s Santa Barbara music scene, signing to Columbia Records, “The Rob Thomas Maneuver”, the changing music industry, Neutral Milk Hotel, his new album Swallowed by the New, and more.
We meet harpist Mary Lattimore before her sold out show with Parquet Courts. She talks about traveling with her harp, collaborating with Kurt Vile and Steve Gunn, performing with Arcade Fire, moving from Philadelphia to LA, her upcoming tour with Waxahatchee & Kevin Morby, and her album At the Dam. We also gush about our mutual love of Wawa and Mary tells us about Wawa By the Ocean.
We meet singer/songwriter and fiddler Sara Watkins before her show at State Theatre Saint Petersburg. She tells us about forming Nickel Creek at 8 years old with her brother, meeting Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones, progressive bluegrass, and her new album Young in All the Wrong Ways. We also talk about touring with the Decemberists and what she’s learned from artists like Greg Leisz and Jackson Browne.
We’re joined by Ray Roa (Music Editor, Creative Loafing) and Mateo Prince (Frontman, Samurai Shotgun ) to preview the 59th Annual Grammy Awards. We go through the Big Four: Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best New Artist while discussing hot topics for the Recording Academy, Anderson Paak vs Chance the Rapper, The Chainsmokers tip-to-tip, and more....
We hang out in the Ritz green room with Billy Kottage and Johnny Christmas from Reel Big Fish . They tell us about the 20th anniversary of Turn the Radio Off, young/old ska fans, Baseketball, the rigors of touring, streaming music, and the nickname “Johnny Christmas”. We also get deep into the meaning of the different “waves” of Ska and give a shoutout to our old friend, Kent Roberts…all while Anti-Flag sound checks behind us!
On a Cigar City Radio Humidor Edition, Jason enjoys a late night cigar while chatting with audio engineer/photographer/multi-instrumentalist Andy Hastings. They talk about Andy’s life in music, learning classical piano, cutting class to hang out at RCA records in Manhattan, studying audio at Full Sail University, working in television at FOX and CBS, buying then selling his own studio, “remaining relevant”, electronic music, new musicians, and being “disconnected from the sine wave”.
MC/Visual Artist Betty Dawl tells us about the Pussy Palace, experimenting with Garageband, Dial-Up Internet, Trapfone, her art shows/sensory stimulations, her positive outlook on life, and being on her own at a young age. She also talks about cultivating the music scene, performing with YesJulz/1AM Vibes, and her psychedelic diet.
We head to The Greg Billings Band ’s secret rehearsal lair to talk to frontman Greg Billings about 35 years of Stranger, working the “Florida Circuit”, their 1982 album with Epic Records, recording at Record Plant in LA, and getting to know Brian Johnson (AC/DC) and Robin Zander (Cheap Trick). Greg also tells us about their upcoming sold out 35th Anniversary show at the Capitol Theatre…and Jason nerds out about Ronnie Garvin’s guitar skills and GBB’s legendary Ribfest performance!...
We talk to Grammy Award winning record exec Jim Chambers about starting at the mailroom of Sky Records, working at Sony/BMG and Sire Records, signing Maroon 5 to Octone Records, the VH1 Commissary, closing the doors on Warcon Enterprises, and winning a Grammy with Loudon Wainwright III. He also tells us about moving back home to Tampa, opening Jim Chambers Music Box, and his young musician incubator. This episode also features a CIGAR CITY RADIO FIRST as teenage rockers Extra Celestial perform a...
We talk with Austrian born Cornelia ("Connie") Calcaterra and husband/guitarist Frank from Tampa’s DieAlps! They tell us about being in a band with your spouse, being the only Austrian in Tampa, their changing sound, New Granada Records, buying a Google Maps van for touring, recording music and working at Atomic Audio, and their 2017 plans. We also talk a lot about cats!
On a Most Merry Metal edition of Cigar City Radio, we meet Ben Falgoust from extreme metal band Goatwhore . We talk about the New Orleans metal scene, metal subgenres and influences, Bandcamp as the new tape trading, supportive parents, 35 years of Metalblade, and tour stories. We also give a special shoutout to the most metal 10 year old we’ve ever met.
We talk with Grammy nominated, Platinum selling singer/songwriter Shawn Mullins about his hit “Lullaby”, sharing stages with major pop stars, being compared to 90s bands, analog music, Nashville, writing songs with others, meeting Chuck Cannon, and his cabin in the woods.
Billy Mays III opens up about the Billy Mays legacy, seeing his dad on South Park, the BillyMays.org digital museum, and meeting Conan. We also talk about his music at Infinite Third, his “spontaneous group vocal looping” project, Mouth Council, Remember You Are Dreaming, and giving away music for free…because Obama.
We sit down with Stratton and Tim from Poster to talk about being a Lakeland/Tampa band, Poster posters, their new album Elias is a Nice Guy, Mojo Books & Records, their non-tour to Philadelphia, cassettes and buying music, Steelworker Records, and being DIY by necessity.
We talk with Plastic Pinks about moving from Puerto Rico, the Florida Psych scene, their new EP El Animal, and touring across the US. They also tell us about working through founding member June’s back injury, the origin of their band name, the origin of Coldplay’s band name, rock en Español, and their “Wu-Tang” mentality.
We spend a Saturday morning with Big Baby and Scumbag World . They tell us about what it means to be a scumbag, their energetic live show, Punk Rap, Lil Yachty, and how they met through skating. Big Baby also talks about his new music with Max P, Rolling Loud Festival, their recording process, dropping out of school, and Salem’s Gyros.
Randy chats with Jay Cridlin (Pop Music/Culture Critic, Tampa Bay Times) about the podcasting medium, getting started at the Times and tbt, launching Soundcheck, covering live music, Kanye and Drake, Amy Schumer’s anti-Trump rant, the role of blogs, “Bucket List” bands, prepping for interviews, and Tampa/St. Pete as a music city.
We head to the Seminole Heights studio of Matthew Reisinger to hear about his new project, FR33DBACK , his complex live setup, his band Select Start, and how he builds a song in Ableton. We also talk about learning computers at a young age, Moog Synthesizers, his new album MathMath, and his “Face It Podcast”.
We talk with DTCV , the project from novelist/screenwriter/former Guided by Voices guitarist James Greer and French multi-instrumentalist Lola G, about singing in French, “Modern Confusion”, their Steven Soderbergh directed music video, shifts in the entertainment industry, moving from California to Ohio, their 2016 European tour, Burger Records, and the best way to reach their fans.
We sit down with Ray Roa (Music Editor, Creative Loafing) to talk about taking over as editor, the Saga of Max the Sax Guy, how our generation has impacted local culture, what bands should do when submitting their music to press, different styles of local music in Tampa, the local DIY scene, and how music writing should add to a band’s story.
Cigar City Radio Episode 1 features Jeremy Greenspan from Junior Boys . We talk about touring the US, life in his hometown of Hamilton, Canada, his multiple 2016 releases, making music in a smaller city, and a number of other topics.
