If someone introduced themselves by saying they’d worked with historic music artists such as Neil Young, Robert Plant, the Allman Brothers—you probably think one of two things: Either this person’s “completely full of shit” or “holy shit!” And in welcoming the relatively anonymous Tom Lipsky to the latest episode of The Load Out Music Podcast , we’ll take that “holy shit” and then some, as I didn’t even mention his associations with Rush, Iron Maiden, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Nancy Wilson of Heart, Motor...
Apr 28, 2023•49 min•Season 4Ep. 4
What do you get when you cross the movie Sister Act 2 and Saddam Hussein? But of course, the Americana band The War and Treaty , led by the married couple, Tanya and Michael Trotter. Tanya (formerly Blount) began building a music and entertainment career at 16, appearing in the 1993 Whoopi Goldberg sequel and then releasing a debut album, Natural Thing . She went on to sign with Sean Comb’s Bad Boy Entertainment, appear several musicals, and in the 2008 Tyler Perry film The Family That Preys . A...
Apr 20, 2023•24 min•Season 4Ep. 3
In the fall of 2005, four musicians—Ed Jurdi, Gordy Quist, Brian Keen and Colin Brooks—all had residencies at Momo’s, the since-shuttered music club on West 6th Street in Austin, Texas. Ultimately, the four songwriters found themselves jamming each week, sharing a bill in what was lightly called “The Good Time Supper Club” on the Momo’s stage. It became a local staple of the thriving Austin music scene and the stage became “an extended hang,” as Quist noted, somewhat joking that the performances...
Mar 30, 2023•47 min•Season 4Ep. 2
We’re back to kickoff Season 4 of The Load Out Music Podcast with Southern California-based up-and-comers Robert Jon & The Wreck, speaking with the band’s understated founder and frontman, Robert Jon Burrison. The Wreck , which has been together since 2011, has a tremendous new record out called “One of a Kind.” It’s the first of a series of singles and EPs to be released in 2023, and the songs have been created in partnership with legendary producers including Don Was (The Rolling Stones, B...
Mar 26, 2023•33 min•Season 4Ep. 1
We wrap up what has been a stellar Season 3 with the founding drummer of one of the world's most renowned bands: Ryan Dusick of Maroon 5. In the 1990s, when Dusick and his buddies including some guy named Adam Levine, dreamt of making it big in music---they never imagined Maroon 5 would emerge as one of the biggest bands on the planet. But it happened, and along with that fame came expectations, an unimaginable grind, pain, anxiety and the sex, drugs and rock'n'roll that envelopes nearly any mus...
Dec 07, 2022•50 min•Season 3Ep. 13
If you’re one of those people who says you like “all kinds of music,” then Drew McManus and his band SatSang just might be for you. The entirety of SatSang’s catalogue spans comparisons to Ben Harper, G-Love and Special Sauce and Jason Mraz among others. However, the band’s new record “Flowers from the Fray” includes performances and arrangements that are broad and spacious, reflecting the wide-open fields and soaring mountains that surrounded the band during the whirlwind recording process in M...
Nov 08, 2022•26 min•Season 3Ep. 12
In 1963, Duane Abbajay—the 15th child of Syrian immigrants—took over ownership of a bar in Toledo, Ohio. And with the backing of the Detroit mafia, he would make it one of the legendary homes of music—first for rock artists like Jerry Lee Lewis, Fats Domino, Chubby Checker and others in the 1960s; and then for a who’s who of country music legends in the 1970s. We recently welcomed our authors Stephanie Abbajay and Dominic Vaiana whose book “A Bar in Toledo” tells the true story of a man, the mob...
Oct 18, 2022•24 min•Season 3Ep. 11
Jam band culture is a thing unto itself that drives passions that are perhaps hotter than any other music fandom. And the the list of legendary jam bands is well known: the Grateful Dead, the Allman Brothers, Phish, Widespread Panic and more. One of the great American jam bands is moe. out of Buffalo which as been praised for its musicality and appeared at Woodstock '99 , opened for Allmans and The Who , performed at Radio City Music Hall and at Bonnaroo Music Festival five times and more. On th...
Sep 08, 2022•38 min•Season 3Ep. 10
Welcome back to another episode of the Load Out Music Podcast. We’re thrilled about our guest this week, Steve Forbert, whose first four albums charted on the Billboard 200, and in, 1979 he had a huge hit with “Romeo’s Tune.” A native of Meridian, Mississippi, his 2004 record “Any Old Time” was nominated for a Grammy award for best traditional folk and his songs have been recorded by Marty Stuart, Keith Urban and Rosanne Cash and more. He has a terrific new record out now and we welcome Steve to...
Sep 02, 2022•29 min•Season 3Ep. 9
Coming down the homestretch of Season Three of The Load Out Music Podcast , we settle into our new digs in one of the great music venues in St. Louis – The Old Rock House. Most important, we welcome yet another Grammy Award winner in Jeff Hanna, founder and longest serving member of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. In the 1960s, the Detroit-native landed in Long Beach, California, where music was being transformed. The sounds of folk, rock, country, bluegrass and blues were being blended in from San ...
Jun 23, 2022•46 min•Season 3Ep. 8
The furniture-making country of little Trinity, North Carolina, is not where one generally presumes an ultra-liberal, New York City-living, music-lifer hails from. But there are exceptions to every rule, such as Gregory Dwane, our most recent guest on The Load Out Music Podcast . In the 1990s, Dwayne left small town life and headed to New York where he began playing in punk bands and ultimately producing music. His long and winding trip the through the industry would steer him back-and-forth bet...
May 10, 2022•47 min•Season 3Ep. 7
In the late 1960s, Lowell George was playing rhythm guitar in Frank Zappa’s Mothers of Invention when Zappa suggested George leave the band. There are conflicting versions as to why: Zappa believed George was too talented to be a backing player, he did not like the drug references in George’s song “Willin’,” or Zappa didn’t appreciate George’s fondness for pot. Regardless, George left. He connected with Roy Estrada, who had played bass in the Mothers of Invention, drummer Richie Hayward and keyb...
Apr 29, 2022•55 min•Season 3Ep. 6
Despite being surrounded by the music of countless great female country singers growing up – Lorrie Morgan, Reba McEntire, Patty Loveless, Dolly Parton and others – Jamie Lin Wilson did not see herself pursuing a career in music. As she noted to me on the latest episode of The Load Out Music Podcast , there were “so many great, strong female artists that I really latched onto.” Yet, the fame that often accompanies playing music in front of thousands was a deterrent. “I would love to be a singer ...
Apr 12, 2022•54 min•Season 3Ep. 5
He’s helped shape the hip-hop flavored sounds of Lil Wayne, Childish Gambino, Chance the Rapper and J. Cole among many others. But it’s likely you’ve never heard his name. That would be S-X, who has already more than proved himself as an artist. And now, for the first time, his voice will truly be heard. Known back home as “The Wolverhampton Wonderkid,” he has spent years making a name for himself with his production prowess, But his forthcoming debut album marks the 28-year-old’s arrival as he ...
Apr 08, 2022•38 min•Season 3Ep. 4
In 2016, I was driving down the road listening to SiriusXM’s Outlaw Country channel and heard these lyrics playing on my radio: “Eating tater tots and p*ssy Sucking mountain dew and t*ts Kicked my grandpa in his nut sack Then I suck my bosses d*ck” Well, that’s different, I thought to myself. And when I completed the song – and DJ Hillbilly Jim said it was someone named Wheeler Walker, Jr. and the song was called “Redneck Sh*t,” I was struck by the contrast between its lyrics and the production ...
Mar 22, 2022•25 min•Season 3Ep. 3
Perhaps his name is unfamiliar to you, but amongst musicians, Ray Wylie Hubbard is considered one of the greatest songwriters of the past half-century. He is indeed revered for his unique, lyrical style that drips with irony and comes across about as plainspokenly as words can be stated. In truth, however, Hubbard often examines topics that are deeply intellectual and supported by a remarkable, rootsy blends of blues, rock, country and folk music. His knack for amusingly looking at the ugliness ...
Mar 10, 2022•31 min•Season 3Ep. 2
Sarah Borges has been at it for more than 20-plus years and built a strong reputation in punk rock and outlaw country circles as a hard-charging, high energy rock-and-roller out of Boston. She's been noted as "walking that fine line between punk and country," having ranging from Dolly Parton, Mahalia Jackson, X, Sid Vicious, Merle Haggard, to bubblegum pop. Sarah joins us for an entertaining start to Season 3 of The Load Out Music Podcast and we cover a wide range of topics -- from quitting alco...
Jan 11, 2022•39 min
Welcome back to The Load Out music podcast presented by Well Being Brewing and Shinesty. On this episode, we are joined by the amazingly talented Suzanne Santo, an accomplished actress and a singer-songwriter who recently released her second solo album – “Yard Sale.” Early in her career, she modeled and then acted on shows like TBS’s “The Guest Book,” “Imaginary Heroes,” NBC’s “Medium” and “Without a Trace,” Santo ultimately moved to LA to focus on music. Along with Ben Jaffe, she founded the po...
Nov 16, 2021•54 min•Season 2Ep. 12
Piano men, or women, often seem to be the outliers in popular music. They are the exception, not rule, ranging from Leon Russell to Billy Joel and Elton John, Marc Cohn, John Legend and more. Over the last few years, singer-songwriter Lucas Jack has built an impressive catalogue of music, and yes, you guessed it – he’s a piano man. A Michigan native, Jack bowed out of life as a Chicago lawyer and part-time musician to build a full-time music career in Texas clubs with his trio that includes form...
Oct 28, 2021•58 min•Season 2Ep. 11
The state of Georgia has long been a hotbed of rock, rhythm and blues that has captured the attention of music lovers worldwide. Indeed, from the Allman Brothers to Gladys Knight & The Pips to Little Feat, from the B-52s to R.E.M., from OutKast to Widespread Panic, Gnarls Barkley to the Black Crowes, the Atlanta Rythym Section, Zac Brown, Drivin N Cryin and Dan Baird and his Georgia Satellites and the rap music scene is off the hook. Now, in the spirit of Georgia alt-country rockers Blackber...
Oct 28, 2021•51 min
The son of country music royalty; check. Shipped off to live with his ultra-religious aunt and uncle who ultimately outcasted him after he came out of the closet in his teens; check. Did drugs for the first time with this father; check. Established himself as a viable country artist with a strong debut record; check. Disappeared like Eddie from “Eddie & the Cruisers” for the better part of 15 years – lost in a confusing haze of drugs, illicit sex, more drugs and even more drugs; check. Playe...
Sep 27, 2021•46 min
Let’s start here: Jon Foreman is not a brand of elegant men’s watches. Far from it, in fact. He’s the frontman of the popular rock band Switchfoot, which reached its peak of commercial chart success in the early 2000s with a pair of mammoth hits. But this not some has-been rock-and-roll outfit looking to hang on. Switchfoot has continued to produce a string of strong records, while Foreman has led some notable side projects, since the band debuted under the name “Chin Up” in 1996. Switchfoot’s m...
Sep 19, 2021•45 min
Unless you closely follow the Americana music circuit, the name Paul Thorn may sound more like an elegant fashion brand rather than one of the more distinctive singer-songwriters out today. But the Mississippi-raised Thorn – a former championship caliber professional boxer who once fought the great Roberto Duran – has one of the more unique styles today blending blues, folk, funk, gospel, country and rock that pack quite the punch. Think Lyle Lovett with a voice more along the lines of Marc Cohn...
Sep 13, 2021•42 min
There is a remarkable intensity that seems to surround B.J. Barham, the frontman for the fast-rising alt-country band American Aquarium, wherever he may be. Whether walking across a parking lot lost in thought, responding to critics on social media, sitting down for an interview after a soundcheck, doing a meet-and-greet with fans, joyfully gliding across the stage with his acoustic guitar, or thrusting his head towards a microphone and belting out deeply personal and introspective lyrics with u...
Jul 20, 2021•43 min
Josh Peyton was a high school homecoming king, wears only sleeveless shirts, is a Kentucky Colonel, an ordained minister, once worked as a hotel desk-clerk, has arms like tree trunks, and leads a band that plays 250 dates-a-year when not locked down during pandemics. A man with all of this girth needs something, well, girthy. He needs something big. So that’s what Peyton did in forming and driving The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band . Veteran road warriors, the Indiana-based Big Damn Band is a r...
Jun 21, 2021•52 min
When Devon Allman was 20 years old, he was playing a gig at one of the largest outdoor venues in St. Louis, his hometown, and the reception was not what he had hoped. The son of Rock and Roll Hall-of-Famer Gregg Allman – a principle architect of American Classic Rock – Devon discussed his frustrations and fears with his mother, Shelley Jefts. She calmly reminded him that, “not everyone is going to like you.” That guidance helped Devon put the pressure of being the son of one of the great rock mu...
May 13, 2021•52 min
Last time out we had Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Chris Hillman of The Byrds visit. For episode 3 of season 2, we pivot to one of the most talented emerging artists going -- Sam Morrow. He's part of the LA outlaw country scene and delivers a uniquely funk-drenched blend of rock, country and funk. We explore his story -- from growing up in Houston singing in churches to escaping drug addiction in New York and finding a home in Los Angeles. It's a great conversation with a talented player.
May 11, 2021•45 min
“The man who invented country rock.” Those are the words of the late Tom Petty about the most recent guest on The Load Out Music Podcast . One would guess that if you co-founded a band once called the “British Beatles;” if you started another band named for delicious burritos that can fly and is considered the first ever country-rock band; and if you had a string of hit songs stretching from the 1960s through the mid-90s – that you might think you’re kind of a big deal. Right? Not if you are Chr...
Apr 27, 2021•50 min
Steve Cropper. If you know music, you know Steve Cropper. A foundational component of the Stax Studios sound, writer of legendary songs like Otis Redding's "Sittin' On The Dock of the Bay" and Wilson Pickett's "In the Midnight Hour" among other hits, member of Booker T. & The MGs, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member, original Blues Brothers band member, producer extraordinaire and more. Recorded live from The Gaslight in St. Louis and presented by Well Being Brewing and Shinesty, Cropper sits ...
Apr 07, 2021•55 min
Beyond being the final guest of season 1 of The Load Out music podcast, who is John McEuen ? He's one of the founding fathers of the alt-country movement, which largely stemmed from a collection of immensely talented southern California musicians in the mid-1960s such as Merle Haggard, David Crosby, Jerry Garcia, Roger McGuinn, Gram Parsons, Jackson Browne and many others. As co-founder of the Grammy-winning Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (NGDB), McEuen has been continually performing since 1964, making...
Dec 23, 2020•1 hr 12 min
