Sitting with Gianluca (in temporary - and voluntary exile in Marseille) this evening is Brazilian percussionist Sergio Bacalhau. Sergio was mentored by legendary percussionist Nana Vasconcelos and has been a professional musician since he was 15. As a bonus you can hear Gianluca’s head explode while attempting simultaneous French-English translation so be sure to wear waterproof protective gear.
Sitting with Gianluca (in exile) from Radio Grenouille in Marseille is first-call harmonica player Elie Coquard. If there is a group anywhere in the Provence region that needs a harmonica - Elie will get the call.
To celebrate psychedelic punk revivalists The Fuzztones 45th anniversary, Deb O’Nair - co-fouder and former keyboard player, takes Gianluca through a history of the band and the New York City downtown music scene of the 70s and 80s.
Sitting with Gianluca celebrates the life of British blues guitar player Kim Simmonds leader of Savoy Brown who, along with his contemporaries Eric Clapton & Peter Green of Fleetwood Mac, turned America and the world onto blues music. Sitting with Gianluca is his former manager and producer Arnie Goodman with recollections.
If you’re a fan of Levon Helm, The Band, BB King, Bob Dylan or a myriad of other amazing American artists you won’t want to miss this sit-down with piano wizard Brian Mitchell who has been a first call ivory tickler for a few decades.
Sitting with Gianluca celebrates iconic folk giant Dave Van Ronk, who would have been 85, together with folk singer David Massengill who toured with him for many years. Dave Van Ronk was the center for the 60s folk boom and was mentor to many fresh-faced folk-nick, including a young arrival called Bob Dylan. His knowledge and guitar arrangements of traditional music are legendary
Sitting with Gianluca celebrates the music and importance of late R&B legend Lloyd Price (RIP May 3, 2021) by airing excerpts of a sit-down from a visit to his upstate New York country mansion for MOJO Magazine (Feb ’18). Lloyd not only saw the birth of post war r&b but became a part of the birth of rock and roll when his first single, Lawdy Miss Clawdy, became a smash crossover hit in 1952 - arguably the first single to unite black and white teenagers and start desegregation a decade be...
Sitting with Gianluca is New York City acoustic blues player, recording artist, actor and author Guy Davis. After soaking up the arts as a child through his parents Ossie Davis & Ruby Dee, he has kept the family tradition alive by performing all over the world for the last four decades.
If you’re a fan of Texan songwriting icon Guy Clark, Sitting with Gianluca is Tamara Saviano, Guy’s friend, former publicist, biographer and producer of “Without Getting Killed or Caught” a documentary on the songwriter available for screening online.
"Sitting with Gianluca" will air an exclusive archive interview and radio session with late Texan songwriting legend Guy Clark. In seventies Nashville, a group of Texan songwriters that included Townes Van Zandt, Steve Earle and honorary Texan Jerry Jeff Walker ushered in a grittier, road-weary type of roots music that allowed long-haired, pot-smoking hippies and the short-haired, conservative country music tribe to bond. To coincide with the release of a documentary of Guy’s life and music: “Wi...
Sitting with Gianluca is New Orleans funky piano player and bandleader Jon Cleary who carries the funky gumbo-ya-ya piano stylings that the Crescent City is known for. Gianluca and Jon celebrate what would have been funkmeister and musical chameleon Johnny “Guitar” Watson’s 86th birthday with some cuts and conversation about what made Watson such a singular talent.
In honor of Justin Townes Earle, who passed away a week ago I am airing one of the conversations I had with him. I was one of the first people to ever interview Justin after his first CD and the second to interview when he came out of rehab. He lived down my street and we drunk at the same bar (before he went to rehab!). Justin was a really lovely lad - genuine, friendly and straight talking. Here is our candid conversation about recovery and songwriting when he stopped by my apartment after get...
Have you ever wondered how bands make it and keep their edge? Well it’s because publicists and record pluggers like 30 year veteran Dylan white who’s worked with everybody from Oasis and Joe strummer to U2 and Elton John. Behind every artists is a team of people that make the trains run on time with military precision. Dylan sits with Gianluca and gives him sneak peak behind the scenes of working with legends we’ve all heard on the radio. Expect great music including up-and-comers and a sneak pe...
Sitting with Gianluca is Italian singer-songwriter Andrea Tarquini from his apartment in Milan. Andrea speaks good English and will run down how an American artist his hometown of Rome changed Italian songwriting and also play a couple of songs. You’ll even get to hear Gianluca say things in a thick Italian accent with those amazing rolling "R"s!
In honor of what would have been David Bowie’s 73rd birthday, I listen some exclusive, never-been-told recollections from people that worked with him on his last two records along with an audio documentary on the closing Magic Shop recording studio he recorded in. I was granted complete access to the iconic studio in its final days and the documentary also includes some David Bowie recollections as the engineers show me where he recorded and what set-up he used. It’s been 4 years and the story s...
In this episode, journeyman JP Steinberg - lifelong DJ, diehard raver, NYC promoter and event producer with an up-and-coming EDM journalism dedicated to the true school underground - will takes Gianluca deep into the heart of hip hop and electronica and turns him on to the genres through its history.
Sitting with Gianluca this evening is Sam Hariss bass player for New York City loveable rogues The Sweet Things. If you like The New York Dolls, Faces and seventies era Stones you will love them!
Sitting with Gianluca is transgender singer songwriter Mya Byrne who will also be singing a couple of songs.
Sitting with Gianluca is queer country pioneer Karen Pittelman of Karen and the Sorrows band leader and organizer of the annual Gay City Opry.
Sitting With Gianluca is Phil Buehler who’s book Wardy Forty uncovers Woody Guthrie’s last years with Huntington’s disease at Greystone Park State Hospital in New Jersey. Expect lots of unheard stories and plenty of Woody Guthrie music.
Sitting with Gianluca is performance artist, "psychiatrist" and Radio Free Brooklyn host Dr. Lisa of Lisa Gives a Shit. Expect funny talk and songs about shrinks and nervous breakdowns.
In honor of Indigenous Peoples Day Gianluca pays tribute to First Nations musicians that formed the basis for rock and roll. Expect to be surprised who comes up.
Gianluca replays an interview with Chris smither who plays a couple of songs, explains the art of songwriting and talks about the Cambridge Massachusetts folk scene of the sixties.
Sitting with Gianluca is top music photographer Guy Eppel who began his career shooting some of the best & brightest U.K bands of the early oughts for the illustrious New Musical Express. During his early days for the magazine, he made important connections with artists such as The Libertines, The Cribs, Franz Ferdinand and Bloc Party, among many others. Expect a vibrant conversation of the art of rock photography and lots of great music from Guy’s subjects.
Sitting with me today on Sitting With Gianluca is Liz Thompson who is organizing The Village Trip - celebration go the Greenwich Village folks scene. That runs from September 26th - 29th and will be capped with a free concert by Steve Earle. Expect to hear songs from festival performers and some of the legendary characters who made scene possible as well as the history of the village beyond music and including politics and literature along with the roots of the NAACP.
Sitting With Gianluca today will be Demus Whisper is a veteran on the house music ad electronica scene. Digital Memory Music label boss Demus Whisper Started as a promoter in the early 90's in NYC to such clubs as Palladium, USA, Tunnel, Limelight, Roxy... Got into Djing in 1995 playing Progressive House leading into Hard Trance, Hard Techno and UK Hard House & Nu Nrg.. Took a break for a few years and got back into djing in 2005. Some places he has played in NYC are Tunnel, Limelight / Aval...
The fact that Art Neville was also known as "Poppa Funk" shows how he was a father figure to a whole generation of musicians. By 17 he had already had a hit with "Mardi Gras Mambo" with The Hawkettes. He also founded the Legendary Meters and later, the Neville Brothers. I saw him play a ridiculous amount of times and interviewed him a couple of times for various magazines. I'll be paying tribute to him on this week's Sitting With Gianluca this Wednesday 6PM EST on RadioFreeBrooklyn.com with reco...
Miami - New York based IFE has made a name for herself as a DJ playing drum and bass, AfroBeat and deep house and has been on stages on international festivals. She sits with Gianluca to explain what she does and turn him on to the joys of electronica.
Gianluca salutes the Crecent City and makes the case that of you follow all American black urban music back to its root, you will land somewhere in New Orleans.
