The Cranberries are no more, sadly. After the tragic death of Dolores O'Riordan, the rest of the band decided they would not carry on and to leave the legacy as is. Drummer Fergal Lawler joins us this week to discuss the newly released 3-disc Deluxe Edition of the band's 3rd album To The Faithful Departed. This expanded collection includes outtakes and b-sides as well as a killer live show. Fergal talks where they were when they made this album, his early life as a breakdancer (!), his new caree...
Oct 17, 2023•59 min•Ep. 542
Genya Ravan's two seminal, and self-produced, solo albums, 1978's Urban Desire and 1979's ..And I Mean It!, have recently been re-released in all their glam rock mixed with Phil Spector and his girl group's glory. Seriously, if you aren't familiar with these two classics, you'll wonder how you've made it this long without them. Genya returns to the podcast to deep dive Urban Desires with us, go track by track, and talk about the making of the album in her inimitable way. She's rock and roll to h...
Oct 15, 2023•56 min•Ep. 541
This week we catch up with a couple ol' timers. First up is 80s heartland rocker Henry Lee Summer. In the late 80s, Henry scored a couple big hits with "Wish I Had a Girl" and "Hey Baby" and cut a memorable image with his giant mullet and tight jeans. Times got tough for Henry there for a while - drug addiction, arrests, bankruptcy, divorce etc - but he's working his way back with a new album. Then we hear from Melanie of Woodstock and "Brand New Key" fame. Melanie's still at it and tours freque...
Oct 11, 2023•1 hr 57 min•Ep. 540
Australia's Little River Band had an uncanny knack for nailing the beautiful Southern California soft rock sound of the 70s and early 80s despite being on the other side of the world. Guitarist Graeham Goble, along with core members Beeb Birtles and Glenn Shorrock were the primary songwriters behind many of the hits like "Reminiscing", "Lonesome Loser", "Cool Change" and dozens of others. Be warned: the current version of LRB that tours and releases albums does NOT contain any original members. ...
Oct 04, 2023•1 hr 42 min•Ep. 539
The wonderful "Artists at" series continues with our guest this week. Author Daniel Bukzpan recently released Ozzy@75 detailing the entire Prince of Darknesses career, Black Sabbath and first wives, to reality TV stardom and Ozzfest. The book is packed with goodies, including Daniel's dry humour that's fitting for a book about Ozzy. We have a copy to give away too! Enjoy! www.amazon.com/Ozzy-75-Unofficial-Illustrated-History/dp/076037743X www.patreon.com/thehustlepod www.notoriousbuk.com...
Oct 02, 2023•55 min•Ep. 538
Last year, Lush lead singer Miki Berenyi released one of the greatest memoirs ever written by a rock star, of which there are many. She grew up in the UK with a Hungarian dad and a Japanese mom who soon divorced with her mom becoming an actress and moving to Hollywood, while her dad remained a freelance writer living in relative squalor. Miki found her tribe in the local music scene which led to her and Emma Anderson forming Lush. After three solid albums and the tragic suicide of drummer Chris ...
Sep 27, 2023•1 hr 28 min•Ep. 537
Multiple Grammy and Emmy winning producer, mixer and engineer Elliot Scheiner is behind some of the most pristine pop music ever made. Mentored by the great Phil Ramone, Elliot has produced luminaries like Van Morrison, Steely Dan, Billy Joel, Fleetwood Mac, Bruce Hornsby, Ashford and Simpson, the Eagles, George Benson, John Denver, Bobby McFerrin, Chaka Khan, Phish and tons more. Success like this has also translated into car audio where he's partnered with Acura and Panasonic to improve the st...
Sep 20, 2023•1 hr 48 min•Ep. 536
It's been stated that Jon's favorite soundtrack ever is for the John Hughes film Some Kind of Wonderful from 1987. We've heard from artists featured on it, including the music supervisor Tarquin Gotch, but this time we're hearing from some of the lesser known bands. We start with Alison Marr of Lick the Tins whose cover of "I Can't Help Falling in Love With You" plays over the closing credits. Next up is David Joyner and Linda Hall of Blue Room who had "Cry Like This" in the film, but also had "...
Sep 19, 2023•1 hr 26 min•Ep. 535
The multi-talented Stephen Duffy could have a fine rock doc made about all the different facets of his music career. Being a founding member of Duran Duran. Being a synthpop pioneer. The folk-pop beauty of the Lilac Time. His excellent 90s power pop period. His soundtrack work with John Hughes. His hits writien with Robbie Williams. See what I mean? For the last few years, the Lilac Time has been the main focus and they just released a fantastic new album called Dance Till All the Stars Come Dow...
Sep 13, 2023•1 hr 26 min•Ep. 534
Among the many bands bringing excellent power pop/punk to the mainstream in the 90s, floating slightly above the rest were Chicago's Smoking Popes. Probably best known for their song "Need You Around" featured on the Clueless soundtrack, the band released some excellent albums there for a while that stood out thanks to the power of the riffs and the unmistakable croon of Josh Caterer. Once Josh converted to Christianity, he felt he couldn't continue in the same way, so the band went from top pri...
Sep 06, 2023•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 533
They just don't make 'em like John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band anymore, but luckily they're still out there doing what they do best. John returns this week to discuss their 1985 album Tough All Over, which featured the hits "C-I-T-Y" and the title track. It was their first album not tied to Eddie and the Cruisers. Plus, they said it would never happen, but the band has released three new singles this year in preparation for their first album in about 35 years. Listen to a true "Voice of A...
Sep 05, 2023•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 532
Perseverance could be Richard Patrick's mantra. Navigating his band Filter for 30 years, through the ups and downs, fads, cultural moments, and tastes, can't be easy, but he's done it by staying true to himself. They just released their 8th album, The Algorithm last week and it's one of their strongest yet. Richard gets intensely personal here discussing his appearance in the popular Hired Gun documentary, leaving Nine Inch Nails to go out on his own but eventually reuniting with Trent Reznor, t...
Aug 30, 2023•1 hr 37 min•Ep. 531
Big life changes often make for the best art. That's certainly true with the wonderful singer/songwriter Maia Sharp. After 30 years in the indie trenches, a divorce and a move to Nashville has changed her perspective and made for some of the richest material of her career. Her latest album, Reckless Thoughts, details where she is now, amidst the changes and opening up to what comes next. We talk about writing songs for legends like Art Garfunkel, Cher, Paul Carrack and, Bonnie Raitt. We also dis...
Aug 23, 2023•1 hr 35 min•Ep. 530
Is there a better punk rock name than Rat Scabies? When drummer Chris Millar picked that pseudonym and took up with the legendary Damned, he solidified his legacy in rock royalty. Along with his decades with the Damned, Rat has also always had several side projects going on. These days, one of his main focuses is The Sinclairs, his collaboration with guitarist Billy Shinbone. The sound is a beautiful blend of surf rock and hazy blues and psychedelia. They just released their second album, The Lo...
Aug 16, 2023•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 529
Where would we be without Stiff Records? Founded by Dave Robinson and Jake Riviera in 1976, this is the label that introduced the world to artists like Elvis Costello, Madness, Ian Dury, Graham Parker, the Damned, the Pogues, Nick Lowe and many more. This week Dave Robinson showers us with numerous stories about these and many other artists, including his former roommates Van Morrison and Jimi Hendrix! He also tells us about the hot young band that brought him back to management, Hardwicke Circu...
Aug 08, 2023•1 hr 28 min•Ep. 528
Bassist Ricky Phillips is a glue guy, which is saying something when you figure the bands he's been in and big personalities he's worked with. He joined the Babys near the end of their time and weathered the storms well enough to get the call to join Bad English with some of the same guys. Then, when that band began to implode he joined a couple more legends named Coverdale/Page. Finally, the call came to join Styx where he's been happily employed for about 20 years. He shares the story of this ...
Aug 01, 2023•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 527
Brit Pop! A term used for good and bad to describe a bunch of excellent bands coming out of the UK in the 90s. As usual, they were leading the charge in sounds and style making the rest of the world observers. Echobelly, with their killer sound ("Great Things", "King of the Kerb", "Insomniac" and more) and beautiful lead singer looked and sounded different and made a dent because of it. Unfortunately, when Brit Pop moved on, so did the spotlight leaving bands like Echobelly in its wake. This wee...
Jul 25, 2023•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 526
Our Book Club guest this week is writer John Robb. John wears many hats - he runs the popular music website Louder Than War, he's a popular talking head and commentator of music and culture, he's written several books, and he's been in a couple punk bands. His latest is the massive endeavor, The Art of Darkness: The History of Goth which manages to explain the origins of the scene (Edgar Allen Poe, Marquis de Sade, Dionysus) and how that lead to the excellent music we all love (Adam Ant, Siouxsi...
Jul 22, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 525
Paul Kelly has been labeled "the Australian Bob Dylan" for decades and as much as that's a huge compliment, it undercuts that Paul is legend in his own rite. The talents he shares with the greats are a never ending ear for melody, a bag of hooks that never empties, and a knack for storytelling envied by many. After almost 50 years, Paul is currently curating his vast catalog in a new way. The last couple years has seen him release several "Mix-Tape Compilations" of his songs based on themes like...
Jul 18, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 524
Jon and Jan recap Q2, with some excellent gigs in the bag! We hear about Jan's sabbatical, and more! A huge debt of gratitude to those who filled in. We couldn't have managed it without you. We hit a million downloads, so have some goodies to give away, which Jon will tell the Patreon folks about, in the next few days.
Jul 17, 2023•1 hr 29 min•Ep. 523
What were you doing when you were 14? I bet it wasn't playing bass in one of the most important bands in rock history. Tommy Stinson's career has gone in many directions since those impressionable days, all of it good. After the implosion of the Replacements, Tommy eventually joined Axl Rose in Guns N' Roses while also releasing solo and Bash & Pop albums. His newest project is a pairing with guitarist Chip Roberts called Cowboys in the Campfire and it's laid back and excellent. Tommy's as r...
Jul 11, 2023•1 hr•Ep. 522
Mark and Tony of the mighty Big Country are back to discuss Cherry Red's amazing deluxe reissue of their 1999 album, Driving to Damascus. In the late 90s, Big Country were finally starting to find their footing again after some years of reinvention and Damascus shows a ton of promise of where they might be headed. Sadly, it ended up being their last album with the core four guys. Mark and Tony are upfront about all of it. This reissue collects the original album as well as demos, the "Nashville ...
Jul 07, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 521
It's always a good feeling when artists you haven't heard from in a while come back with some of their strongest work. California's Rain Parade were one of the key bands of the Paisley Underground, the name given to indie bands like the Bangles and the Dream Syndicate who were focusing on melody and steeped in Big Star and the Byrds. Their '83 debut is still a masterwork of any genre. After switching to a major label, the usual challenges ensued and the band ceased, though the members all went o...
Jul 04, 2023•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 520
Only the late 80s/early 90s Britain could have produced a band like Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine. With sarcasm and attitude to spare, Jim Bob and Fruitbat pilloried modern British culture in a way no one else could. That talent got them a number one album and a headlining spot at Glastonbury in 1992. Eventually the band went their separate ways and Jim Bob has been on a roll ever since releasing album after album of wry cultural criticism packed with hard won wisdom. His latest, Thanks For...
Jun 27, 2023•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 519
ZZ Top producer Terry Manning returns this week to tell us about the making of the band's massive comeback album Eliminator. Billy Gibbons is lucky his risky bet that merging blues with new wave would be successful paid off because all signs point that it wouldn't. The album spawned four huge hits like "Legs", "Sharp Dressed Man" and "Gimme All Your Lovin'" and went on to sell about 20 million copies, not to mention confirming their legendary status. Terry discusses helping Billy fulfill his vis...
Jun 26, 2023•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 518
This week is another fun twofer! We kick it off with Collective Soul guitarist Dean Roland! Dean talks about hitting the road this summer playing various festivals, and the plans next year for a big 25th anniversary celebration. Plus, we hear the stories behind several songs and collaborations. Then, we welcome accomplished songwriter Brock Walsh! Brock is probably best known for writing "Automatic", which the Pointer Sisters turned into a big hit. Brock's career hits many fun pop culture touchs...
Jun 21, 2023•2 hr 58 min•Ep. 517
The 90s were the best time in music history for women that rocked. When punk went pop the alternative underground was full of killer rock bands fronted and driven by women, including Veruca Salt. Co-founders Louise Post and Nina Gordon made a big splash with hits like "Seether" and "Volcano Girls" and even after Nina left, Louise kept the band going for two more equally, if not harder edged, albums. Louise recently released her first solo album, Sleepwalker, which shows a lot of maturity and vul...
Jun 13, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 516
Drummer Simon Kirke has been at the forefront of what most people consider real, authentic rock and roll to be. Beginning with the amazing Free and then joining Paul Rodgers in Bad Company, Simon has played on some of the greatest rock songs ever and seen just about everything along the way. In our conversation we talk about the state of the band now, the Brian Howe years, his solo career, his family's take over of Hollywood, the RnR Hall of Fame, and everything in between. The guy has contribut...
Jun 06, 2023•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 515
Jon and Andy record their memories of the first quarter of 2023 (better late than never). The guests, the state of the pod, concerts and whatever else came up. This was recorded live and unedited. www.patreon.com/thehustlepod
Jun 05, 2023•1 hr 56 min•Ep. 514
Pere Ubu mastermind David Thomas has never found a dark, unchartered corner of music he didn't want to explore. More punk in spirit than sound, David has guided the band for almost 50 years leading with his rants and raves and sounds uniquely his own. Last week, the band released their umpteenth album, Trouble on Big Beat Street, and it's as full of ideas as anything else they've done. Here David and I discuss his approach to "pop" music, working with Stephen Hague in the 80s, how he plans out (...
May 31, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 513
