We're extremely excited to have David Gans as our guest on No Simple Road this week! David is a musician, songwriter, guitarist, and music-journalist. He is the co-author of the book 'Playin In The Band: An Oral and Visual Portrait of the Grateful Dead', 'This Is All A Dream We Dream: An Oral History of the Grateful Dead' and hosts the weekly syndicated show The Grateful Dead Hour. He also co-hosts a show on Sirius-XM's 'The Grateful Dead Channel' called 'Tales From The Golden Road'. I would dar...
Aug 26, 2022•2 hr 46 min•Ep. 277
For 20 years Northwest String Summit has been a mainstay in the festival scene of the Pacific Northwest. Yonder Mountain String Band started the festival all those years ago and saw fit to move it here to Horning's Hideout. In the years that followed many now famous (and infamous) bluegrass acts cut their teeth at this festival and year after year fans came back for more creating a tight knit community. This week on No Simple Road we continue our journey at Northwest String Summit 2022 with part...
Aug 19, 2022•2 hr 22 min•Ep. 276
For 20 years Northwest String Summit has been a mainstay in the festival scene of the Pacific Northwest. Yonder Mountain String Band started the festival all those years ago and saw fit to move it here to Horning's Hideout. In the years that followed many now famous (and infamous) bluegrass acts cut their teeth at this festival and year after year fans came back for more creating a tight knit community. This week on No Simple Road we begin our journey at Northwest String Summit 2022. This being ...
Aug 12, 2022•2 hr 32 min•Ep. 275
We are so excited to have Shawn Swain from The Kitchen Dwellers as our guest on No Simple Road this week! Earlier this year, Bozeman, Montana’s Kitchen Dwellers released their third full-length album Wise River. Since the release, the band has skyrocketed to consistently packed out venues and festival appearances with no signs of slowing down. The quartet—Shawn Swain [Mandolin], Torrin Daniels [banjo], Joe Funk [upright bass], and Max Davies [acoustic guitar]—twist bluegrass, folk, and rock thro...
Aug 05, 2022•2 hr 36 min•Ep. 274
We've got something special for you this week with Rome Yamilov and Henry J. Kaiser as our guests on No Simple Road. Their new album, The Lenoir Investigation, may have started as a tribute to Chicago blues great J.B. Lenoir, but the two guitarist’s worldly influences carry the 11 tracks around the globe. The album is out now via Little Village. Henry Kaiser’s work in psychedelic guitar playing has few parallels, as the former Psychedelic Guitar Circus ringleader has played on over 300 albums an...
Jul 29, 2022•2 hr 42 min•Ep. 273
We couldn't be more stoked to bring you Jordan Fletcher as our guest on No Simple Road this week! The Jacksonville-born and Nashville-based artist conveys his story with play-by-play urgency and intense attention to detail over authentic country spiked with rock spirit. You’ll get to know him not only as a songwriter, but also as a dad, a husband, a surfer, and a believer. After racking up millions of streams independently and canvasing the country with the likes of Muscadine Bloodline and Kip M...
Jul 22, 2022•1 hr 43 min•Ep. 272
We are so extremely excited this week to recap our journey to The Peach Music Festival! This episode is part 2 of a 2 part series of attending this incredible 4 day festival at Montage Mountain in Scranton, Pennsylvania. We begin this week's episode with a few minutes of commentary by Mel & Aaron just before Billy Strings takes the stage on night 1 of the festival. (00:40:37)Then, we jump right into our live podcast with the one and only Jennifer Hartswick and talk about her experience with ...
Jul 19, 2022•2 hr 32 min•Ep. 271
We are so extremely excited this week to recap our journey to The Peach Music Festival! This episode is part 1 of a 2 part series of attending this incredible 4 day festival at Montage Mountain in Scranton, Pennsylvania. We start this out by giving our recap of what this was like for us personally and for No Simple Road as a show to be asked to podcast live from this iconic festival's 10th Anniversary, how the experience measures up against other festivals we've attended, and the connections we ...
Jul 15, 2022•2 hr 55 min•Ep. 270
We're excited to have Tom Hamilton as our guest on No Simple Road this week! Tommy is one of the busiest guitarists in the scene between playing with Joe Russo's Almost Dead, Ghost Light, Lacuna, Billy & The Kids, MORE!, and tons of amazing sit-in's and pop up performances. We jump right into it talking about the blessings and curses of living through a pandemic, revisiting 20 year old material with his band MORE!, getting back on the road with JRAD and what that feels like, creating a compl...
Jul 08, 2022•2 hr 57 min•Ep. 269
We're honored this week to have Lonnie Frazier, Writer & Director of the documentary 'Box Of Rain' as our guest on No Simple Road. At seventeen, believing the only thing life had to offer her was violence and pain, Lonnie embarked on a life-altering road trip. Twenty-five years later she set out on a new journey: to revisit old friends, heal old wounds, and document the community that saved her life. We talk with Lonnie about her experiences on the road following The Grateful Dead, how the '...
Jul 01, 2022•2 hr 13 min•Ep. 268
We are so stoked to have our friends Kendall Street Company as our guests on No Simple Road this week. We start things off with the whole crew at the NSR house and then a fantastic conversation with Jake (Sax and Keys) & Ryan (Drums). We talk to them about the cycles of creativity, what they have coming out soon, we get to hear them talk up their other bandmates, what their experiences on the road have been like, what their approach to taking the stage is like, and a bunch more! Kendall Stre...
Jun 24, 2022•2 hr 16 min•Ep. 267
Join the No Simple Road crew on their livestream from 6/18/22. We talk about the upcoming festival season and get into weather we prefer a festival set or a headline set and why, we take some comments from the folks on the stream, Aaron tells a tour story about not being able to find the door, Apple reviews some of Oregon's finest Cannabis, and a ton of laughs. Remember to subscribe to the NSR YouTube Channel and hit the bell icon so you know when we post new content! No Simple Road Intro Music ...
Jun 23, 2022•1 hr 37 min
No Simple Road is totally excited to have Vocalist and Guitarist Russell Long from The Great North Special as our guest on the show this week! The Great North Special is a fresh 7-piece jam band based out of Laguna Beach, CA playing a special blend of psych-rock, country-blues, & funk-soul originals, covers, and improvisations guaranteed to shake your caboose. Next stop: The Garden of Your Mind. ALL ABOARD!!! We met Russell at Skull & Roses Festival during and exceedingly strange moment ...
Jun 17, 2022•2 hr 31 min•Ep. 266
We are super excited to start our series of conversations leading us up to The Peach Festival's 10th Anniversary, and this couldn't be a better way... Dani Battat of Eggy is our guest on No Simple Road this week. We talk about riding the wave of the upswing, the duality of constant adrenaline and the ability to sleep on a dime, realizing you are coming of age, how the name 'Eggy' came to be, what it's like for the band to be all living together, how he navigated the decision to go all-in with th...
Jun 10, 2022•2 hr 25 min•Ep. 265
We're extremely excited this week to have Pappy Biondo of Cabinet as our guest on No Simple Road! We catch up with Pappy and get right down to business talking about the origins of the band, why their sound has morphed and changed over the years, how finding a banjo under a bed can change your life, the way Pappy views Cabinet as a band and what it does, the way that the members of the band guide and support each other through the experience of being a band, and a whole lot more! Cabinet wears t...
Jun 03, 2022•2 hr 22 min•Ep. 264
We are stoked to be back at our regularly scheduled program this week and to have Apollo Suns defacto band leader and guitarist Ed Durocher as our guest on No Simple Road! Born from the fusing of nine Winnipeg, Canada based musicians, Apollo Suns have created a refreshing and innovative sound and live performance combining instrumental, jazz, rock and psychedelic music. They were awarded “Instrumental Artist of the Year” at the 2018 and 2020 Western Canadian Music Awards. Apollo Suns began in 20...
May 26, 2022•2 hr 20 min•Ep. 263
We've begun our journey into the world of the Livestream! For our first one we re-tell the story of how NSR got its start and recap some of the long strange trip to where we are today. Each of us gives our top-five favorite No Simple Road moments to date and we shed some tears along the way as well as a ton of laughs. If you're new to No Simple Road then this episode will give you a little context as to who is behind the mics and if you're already part of the No Simple Road Family it'll give you...
May 20, 2022•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 262
This week on No Simple Road we've got part 3 of our 3 part series on Skull & Roses Festival! This final part is filled with a lot of laughter and smiles! We begin with a little conversation between the NSR Crew. Next, we have a hilarious interview with the guys from Pink Talking Fish, followed by a little backstage rap with the Master Shredder himself, Marcus Rezak of Shred Is Dead, and finally we wrap up this 3 part series with an interview with the caretaker of the Abraxas Dragon himself, ...
May 18, 2022•2 hr 22 min•Ep. 261
This week on No Simple Road we've got part 2 of our 3 part series (we thought it was gonna be 2 and it turns out it'll be 3 parts) on Skull & Roses Festival! Come for the ride with us as we take you along for an auditory journey of what it was like to be at this iconic festival! Part 2 starts with a recap of the previous day with the NSR crew, then we head a backstage for a conversation with the guys from Catfish John who represent our hometown of Las Vegas, Nevada. Next, we take you for a w...
May 12, 2022•2 hr 43 min•Ep. 260
This week on No Simple Road we've got part 1 of our 2 part series on Skull & Roses Festival! Come for the ride with us as we take you along for an auditory journey of what it was like to be at this iconic festival! Part 1 starts with some shenanigans with the NSR crew, then we head a backstage for a quick interview with one of the organizers, next is a tour of the Dusty Strings Exhibit housing some of the most historic Grateful Dead instruments given by Jason Sherner followed by a talk with ...
May 05, 2022•2 hr 12 min•Ep. 259
We're so stoked to have Mountain Head as our guests on No Simple Road this week! Mountain Head begins with the Hannah Brothers, and a mountain. The mysterious duo wandered through the wasteland and arrived at a mountain, which they scaled. At the top, they discovered a shaman who changed the brothers' lives and way of thinking forever. Their sound blends psych-rock, alt-rock, and elements of electro-pop and jangle pop into unique and potent sonic concoctions. We sit down with Kyle & Ben and ...
Apr 29, 2022•2 hr 37 min•Ep. 258
No Simple Road is extremely excited this week to have Artist Mike Dubois on the show! Mike's art has been a part of the Grateful Dead ethos for decades now and honestly there is no real way to categorize his amazing work. He is one-of-a-kind. His magickal style has been commissioned by bands including The Grateful Dead, The Allman Brothers Band, Neil Young, Hot Tuna, Tom Petty, Fleetwood Mac, Black Sabbath, The Jerry Garcia Band, Pink Floyd, Dead & Company, and so many more! We talk with Mik...
Apr 21, 2022•2 hr 22 min•Ep. 257
We are stoked to have our homegrown homies Bodhi Mojo as our guests on No Simple Road! Bodhi Mojo is a psychedelic, four-piece jam band rooted in the good feels. Characterized by mind-bending jams and heartfelt songwriting, they never play the same show twice and leave you yearning for more. The band formed in 2019, and made a splash on the PNW music scene. Focusing on DIY festivals/shows, Bodhi quickly grew a wide following throughout Northern Oregon. Their latest pursuits include a full length...
Apr 15, 2022•2 hr 24 min•Ep. 256
We are so very excited to have Jennifer Hartswick as our guest on No Simple Road this week! Honestly, for the three of us, this is one of our favorite interviews to date! We talk with Jen about the energy and necessity of 'The Beacon Jams', the deep human need for live music, the importance of feeling and showing love, Jen's journey with Reiki, the moment Trey Anastasio asked here to be in his band, and a lot of laughter and fun. Trumpeter and vocalist, Jennifer Hartswick is one of the most exci...
Apr 07, 2022•2 hr 16 min•Ep. 255
Get ready! This week we have Little Stranger as our guests on No Simple Road. We get into the timing of releasing the album 'Trip Around Saturn', having to play 4 hour gigs, why getting turned on to Phish make your bandmates angry, how the unique chemistry of Little Stranger has come to be and evolved, the way living together creates symbiosis, how they have been received in the jam scene, and way more fun than should be allowed. Born and raised in Philly, crash landed in Charleston, Kevin and J...
Apr 05, 2022•2 hr 5 min•Ep. 254
This week on No Simple Road we welcome Jeremy Schon of Pigeons Playing Ping Pong as our guest! Jeremy sits down with us to talk about the last couple of years and how their experience with all that has gone down helped to shape the new studio album 'Perspective', how becoming a Dad has altered his priorities, what musical moment changed his life forever, the unique way music festivals have changed his life, how creating a festival like Domefest has grown and morphed over the years, plus much mor...
Apr 01, 2022•2 hr 18 min•Ep. 253
Mike Rivard of Club D'Elf is our guest on No Simple Road this week! To the naked eye, Club d’Elf looks exactly like a world-class instrumental band: five or six fierce players laying down heavy grooves and exploratory solos on distinctive original material, as audience members dance or listen in rapt attention. To its fans, however, and its large and colorful cast of musicians, D’Elf is all that and much, much more. That is what we got from Mike on this week's episode... much, much more! We get ...
Mar 29, 2022•2 hr 36 min•Ep. 252
We are extremely honored to have the legendary Melvin Seals as our guest on No Simple Road as part of our series leading up to Skull & Roses Festival! Melvin is best known for his long friendship and musical partnership with cultural icon and guitarist Jerry Garcia and the smile that lights up the room. Melvin spun his magic with the Jerry Garcia Band for 18 years and in doing so helped to pioneer and define what has now become "Jam Band Music". We sit down with Melvin and get into his early...
Mar 24, 2022•2 hr 6 min•Ep. 251
This week we have something special for all of you! We are super excited to have Clare Naber and Chris Couch from The Beltane Music Festival as our guests on No Simple Road! Beltane Music Festival is a grassroots local festival that has grown from humble beginnings in Clare's backyard to a yearly festival complete with camping, vending, and the most badass musicians the Pacific Northwest has to offer! We sit down with Clare and Chris to talk all about the journey from the yard to the forest, the...
Mar 22, 2022•1 hr 38 min•Ep. 250
We are extremely excited to have the one and only Jeff Mattson of Dark Star Orchestra as our guest on No Simple Road this week as part of our lead-up to Skull & Roses Festival. Guitarist and songwriter Jeff Mattson is one of the Jam scene’s most lasting voices having taken over Long Island in The Volunteers and The Zen Tricksters then rising to national prominence with The Donna Jean Godchaux Band. Mattson has also played with Phil Lesh & Friends both before and after taking the lead gui...
Mar 17, 2022•2 hr 4 min•Ep. 249
