RAYE

John Leventhal is a bit of a secret weapon in music. Though he started out as a session musician in the '80s, he quickly found writing and producing music for other artists was his true calling. That gift has led to six Grammy Award wins and songs like “Sunny Came Home” by Shawn Colvin, Marc Cohn’s “Walk Through the World” and “Crossing to Jerusalem” by his wife Rosanne Cash. John and Rosanne have been married for almost 30 years and over the course of their union have become great collaborators. Bruce Headlam talks to John Leventhal on today’s episode about the beginnings of both his musical and romantic relationship with Rosanne, and also about stepping out from behind the scenes to release his very first debut album. A beautiful instrumental project called Rumble Strip. You can hear a playlist of some of our favorite John Leventhal songs HERE.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Genesis" the new work from RAYE discussed in this episode is out now: https://raye.orcd.co/genesis RAYE is an English pop singer/songwriter whose debut album, My 21st Century Blues, snagged Album Of the Year at this year’s Brit Awards. One of a historic six wins that evening. For a 26 year old artist who's already survived a tumultuous ride through the music industry, the ceremony was a coup. On today’s episode Justin Richmond talks to RAYE about how a quote from Nina Simone gave her the courage to take control of her career and she explains the inspiration behind her sprawling new, multi-part single, “Genesis.” You can hear a playlist of some of our favorite RAYE songs HERE.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Michael McDonald’s husky baritone is one of the most instantly recognizable voices from the ‘70s and ‘80s. As a member of The Doobie Brothers, Steely Dan, and a hitmaking solo artist, Michael McDonald’s career is one for the books. Enter Paul Reiser—the comedic actor and writer behind New York Times best-selling books, popular movies and TV shows. Before the start of the pandemic, Paul met Mike McDonald at a party and the two became fast friends. Listening to Michael’s incredible stories, Paul found himself trying to piece together the arc of Michael’s career. They began recording their conversations and soon they had over 600 pages of stories that they eventually turned into the memoir, What A Fool Believes. The book chronicles the highs and lows of Michael’s career, his struggles with addiction, and his lifelong insecurities. On today’s episode Justin Richmond talks to Michael McDonald and Paul Reiser about their unlikely working relationship. Michael also talks about why his proposed Quincy Jones-produced solo album never materialized. And he remembers the time one of his childhood heroes—Ray Charles—chewed him out while wearing a bathrobe. You can hear a playlist of some of our favorite Michael McDonald songs HERE. And you can grab your copy of this fantastic memoir HERE.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sarah Jarosz is a singer/songwriter who also happens to be a killer banjo, guitar, and mandolin player. The Wimberly, Texas-native's latest album, Polaroid Lovers, was produced by former Broken Record guest Daniel Tashian. It’s her seventh album and so far the best at highlighting the power of Sarah’s songwriting over her virtuosity. In this episode you’ll hear Sarah Jarosz tell Bruce Headlam about the Friday night bluegrass jams that shaped her playing, and why she’s turned down co-writing songs with artists she respects. You'll also hear her dabble with some of her instruments and maybe even perform a song or two. You can hear a playlist of some of our favorite Sarah Jarosz songs HERE.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

DJ Premier is one of the most celebrated producers in hip-hop history. Known as the architect of hip-hop’s venerated boom-bap sound, Preemo first caught people’s attention with Guru in Gang Starr in the late ‘80s. Guru’s lyrical precision over Premier's jazzy, sample-based beats made Gang Starr one of the most influential rap duos of the next decade. Outside of Gang Starr, DJ Premier has produced classic records for a long list of hip-hop luminaries including New York’s big three—Biggie, Jay-Z, and Nas. His expert ability to create a patchwork of musical and lyrical samples is both instantly identifiable and impossible to replicate. On today’s episode we’ll hear a live conversation Justin Richmond recorded with DJ Premier for the On Air podcast festival. Premier talked in detail about hanging out and working with his late friend, The Notorious B.I.G. He also reminisces about when he and Guru lived with Branford Marsalis in Brooklyn, and he recalls what it was like to work with D’Angelo on that fateful night at Electric Lady Studios when they recorded “Devil’s Pie.” You can hear a playlist of some of our favorite DJ Premier songs HERE.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Corinne Bailey Rae independently released one of our favorite albums of 2023: Black Rainbows. Justin Richmond spoke to Corinne over Zoom at the end of the year about the place that inspired the album, the Stony Island Arts Bank in Chicago. And then when she came to Los Angeles around Grammy time they decided to meet up to discuss Reflections / Refractions At the Stony Island Arts Bank, a beautiful new book Corinne put together to catalogue the items that inspired her new music and creative awakening. The conversation touches on Corinne recording her third album, The Heart Speaks in Whispers, at Capital in Hollywood, to finding her spiritual home in Chicago, to discovering a mid-century New York subway pageant that inspired her raucous song, “New York Transit Queen.” You can hear a playlist of some of our favorite Corinne Bailey Rae songs HERE.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ann Wilson is the powerhouse lead singer of the band Heart, whose celebrated classic debut album, Dreamboat Annie, came out nearly 50 years ago. Last week we featured an interview with her sister and longtime bandmate Nancy Wilson, so make sure to check that out if you haven’t already. Today we’ll hear from Ann, who’s responsible for belting out and co-writing some of Heart’s most iconic early hits, like “Magic Man,” “Barracuda,” and “Crazy On You.” Four years older than Nancy, Ann was the first Wilson sister to join Heart, a band that started out as a cabaret cover band. Despite undergoing multiple lineup changes since the '70s, Heart has released top 10 albums in nearly every decade in the last 50 years, and sold over 20 million albums worldwide. Outside of Heart, Ann has also released solo material, including an album in 2023 with her band, Tripsitter. On today’s episode Leah Rose talks to Ann Wilson about Heart’s current world tour, and the Elton John album she sings before every show to warm up her voice. Ann also explains how she would strategically place guitars around her house when having parties at her Seattle home in the '90s to encourage jam sessions with guests like Lane Staley and Chris Cornell. And she remembers singing on stage with Grace Slick and Stevie Nicks, who Ann says really is a good witch. You can hear a playlist of some of our favorite Heart songs HERE.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guitarist and songwriter Nancy Wilson is one half of the rock band Heart, along with her older sister Ann Wilson. Nancy and Ann have been the face of the band since the mid-70s. Heart’s first album, Dreamboat Annie, was released in 1976 right as the band was making traction opening for big acts like Rod Stewart and The Bee Gees. Soon their songs, like “Magic Man” and “Crazy On You,” started to take off in the States, and Heart quickly became a headlining act. Nearly 50 years since their debut album, Heart has experienced career highs—like a string of chart-topping hits and an induction into the Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame—as well as their fair share of personal and professional adversity. Today Ann and Nancy remain steadfast in continuing Heart’s legacy. This month they embarked on a world tour—their first in five years. To celebrate Ann and Nancy Wilson’s massive contribution to rock n roll history, we will feature conversations with both sisters over the next two weeks. Today we’ll hear Leah Rose talk to Nancy about how the popular drugs of the ‘70s and ‘80s influenced Heart’s sound. She also describes how being accepted by the musicians of Seattle’s grunge scene helped her overcome Heart’s fraught experience recording power ballads in the ‘80s. And she describes the lo-fi setup she used to score the soundtracks of her ex-husband Cameron Crowe’s hit movies: Almost Famous, Vanilla Sky, and Jerry McGuire. You can hear a playlist of some of our favorite Heart songs HERE.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament are two of the Seattle scene’s most foundational musicians from the 80’s and 90’s. Stone and Jeff started playing together in 1984 as members of Green River, which eventually dissolved, leading singer Mark Arm to form Mudhoney. Later, Jeff played bass and Stone played guitar in Mother Love Bone until their lead singer Andrew Wood died of an overdose just days before their major label debut in March of 1990. Reeling from Andy’s death, Jeff and Stone started recording with Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell on a side project called Temple Of The Dog that featured vocals from a then unknown singer from San Diego named Eddie Vedder. Later that year, Jeff and Stone asked Eddie to join their new band with guitarist Mike McCready. As Pearl Jam, they released their debut album Ten in August of ‘91—the album went 13 times platinum and charted on Billboard for nearly five years. Since then, Pearl Jam have released 11 more albums and built a die-hard fan base thanks in part to their outstanding live shows. Last week they released their latest album, Dark Matter, which was produced by Andrew Watt, who's recently worked with Miley Cyrus, Iggy Pop, Post Malone and Ozzy Osborne. On today’s episode Leah Rose talks to Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament about how Andrew Watt’s encyclopedic knowledge of Pearl Jam helped inspire some of their best performances to date. Stone and Jeff also open up about the inner-workings of their professional relationship, and Stone remembers the first time he met Eddie Vedder, who marked the occasion by passing him a hand-written poem. You can hear a playlist of some of our favorite Pearl Jam songs HERE.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

16 years have passed since The Black Crowes released an album of new material. The world has changed a lot since then—and so have the Robinson brothers. Chris and Rich Robinson are, of course, the backbone of the band. They started playing together back in Georgia in 1984 as Mr. Crowe’s Garden before moving to NYC, signing to Def American, and changing their name to The Black Crowes. The band’s debut album, Shake Your Money Maker, set them up as the torchbearers of Southern rock for the '90s and beyond. As you’ll hear in today's conversation, the brothers Robinson have had a competitive relationship for a long time. Their ups and downs have meant hiatuses for the band over the years. But now they’re back united and seemingly in it for the long haul with their new album, Happiness Bastards. On today’s episode Justin Richmond talks to Chris Robinson about his growing up in Georgia with Rich, their dad’s rockabilly career, and how his road habits have changed from indulging in champagne and other substances to reading Herman Melville. You can hear a playlist of some of our favorite songs from Chris Robinson & The Black Crowes HERE.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.