The Hustle

Our latest Book Club is a blast. Music writers David Goggin and Martin Porter have collaborated on a fascinating new book, Buzz Me In, detailing the history of the Record Plant studios. The story begins with business partners Gary Kellgren and Chris Stone but includes the juicy in-studio stories of Jimi Hendrix, Sly Stone, the Eagles, Stevie Wonder and John Lennon and what it takes to extract as much money as possible from artists like these. Sex, drugs and rock and roll are in abundance. You won't want to miss this great book!   The Hustle Podcast | creating podcasts | Patreon

England's mighty FM have been bringing the hard rock goodness to their small but devoted fan base for 40 years. Frontman Steve Overland took his love for bands like Bad Company and mixed it with classic r&b to become one of the greatest rock singers since Paul Rogers. The band have taken breaks over the years, but are back in full force right now with a tour and a brand new album, Brotherhood, which is their best in many years. Steve joins us this week to discuss this latter day resurgence in popularity, working with legends like Ruper Hine, Desmond Child, Mick Ralphs and tons more, why they never quite broke through, and why he's in literally about 12 other bands. He's the best and so are FM. Enjoy! FM Official - The Home of British Rock Band FM The Hustle Podcast | creating podcasts | Patreon

Gino Vannelli is a wizard. He has to be to create the music he makes, especially during his hyper creative 70s period. No one has ever sounded quite like him. If all you know are the big hits like "Living Inside Myself" and "I Just Wanna Stop", you're missing a crucial part of the picture. Unfortunately, Gino lost his wife of almost 50 years last year and that loss inspired his recent album The Life I Got (To My Most Beloved). It's an album that deals with grief, but also celebrates life. As you can imagine, Gino is a spiritual seeker as well, and that journey has put him in a good place "when the rubber meets the road" like now. We discuss all of this including his rough 80s period, working with his brothers Joe and Ross for his whole career and tons more. Enjoy!  Gino Vannelli - Official Website The Hustle Podcast | creating podcasts | Patreon

We are deliriously honored to have Nick Heyward return to the podcast to discuss his upcoming tour with Howard Jones (starts on the 2nd) and Deep Dive some of the Pelican West album with us. I say "some" because he only had an hour and we only covered five songs. BUT, there are enough goodies in the conversation, I have no doubt you'll enjoy hearing about how he made this perfect album (and the only one he made with the band before going solo). It's so nice having Haircut 100 a growing concern again after so many years. This tour is going to be amazing! Look for me at the Salt Lake City show! Haircut 100 - Official website The Hustle Podcast | creating podcasts | Patreon

Pop music doesn't come much better than the work of the Primitives. They're probably best known for their 1988 hit "Crash", but the three albums they put out in that era are perfection. By 1991, they felt they weren't progressing and decided to call it a day with everyone doing other projects. Thankfully, they came back in 2012 with a new album and another in 2014 and have been on the festival circuit ever since. Frontwoman Tracy Tracy and guitarist/primary songwriter Paul Court join us this week to tell us what it takes to keep their little band going. If success truly went to the most deserving, this band would be among the giants. As it is, they're simply one of the best to ever do it. Enjoy!  The Hustle Podcast | creating podcasts | Patreon

First published in 1994, author Brian Sweet's book on Steely Dan, Reelin' in the Years, has been recently updated and reprinted to incorporate the last few years of the band's legacy. We discuss the band's unique way of working, their mysterious personalities, why they're considered "cool" when so many others of that genre aren't, why so many musicians lined up to work with them and how Brian came to write the only book on the band of its kind. Plus, we're giving a copy away to a Patreon supporter! Enjoy!  The Hustle Podcast | creating podcasts | Patreon

Why does some of the best music go largely unheard? It's the eternal question. Granted, Jimme O'Neill's bands have done pretty well and he's made a living being the great songwriter he is, but we all know he deserves a bigger audience. Starting out in Glasgow in the 70s with his post-punk band Fingerprintz had his career going in one direction, only to go a completely different direction when they broke up and he started his jangly pop band the Silencers. He discusses how both bands came to be, growing up with the guys in Simple Minds, moving to France the latest album Silent Highway, and tons more. Check out both of these bands. They deserve it.  The Silencers Tour 2025-2026: Silent Highway The Hustle Podcast | creating podcasts | Patreon

Producer Mark Wallis began his career as the assistant to Steve Lillywhite on U2's War album. How about THAT being the first thing on your resume?! This launched a great career working some of the best pop acts of the era. He produced the Go-Between's perfect album 16 Lovers Lane, the debuts from the Primitives and the Silencers, and music from artists like Paul Kelly, the Mighty Lemon Drops, the Wildhearts, Icicle Works and more. He also engineered the Smiths' "How Soon is Now" and tells that story. He was a total sport for taking my nerdy questions. Enjoy!  Mark Wallis | Music Producer, Engineer & Mixer The Hustle Podcast | creating podcasts | Patreon

Eric Ambel's career got its start in "the first punk band in Wyoming" in the 70s. Imagine trying to launch a music career from Laramie! He eventually becomes the guitarist in the Blackhearts with Joan Jett, but opts not to sign on (the job went to recent guest Ricky Byrd) and goes on to form the Del-Lords with former Dictator guitarist Scott Kempner. They released four albums in the late 80s (two of them produced by Neil Giraldo) before calling it quits. From there Eric focuses more on his solo career, touring with other acts, and production work which has him collaborating with people like Steve Earle, Mojo Nixon, Ellen Foley, Nils Lofgren and a bunch more. "Roscoe" is still at it too and has a story to tell. Enjoy!  Eric Ambel The Hustle Podcast | creating podcasts | Patreon

Steady Freedy. It doesn't rhyme, but it should because that's what singer/songwriter Freedy Johnston has been. Since the early 90s, Freedy has been releasing consistently wonderful music with his crystal clear voice - never phoning it in and never anything less than great. But, his career got off to a wobbly start and might not have happened at all. He sold part of his family farm in Kansas to finance his second album, Can You Fly, in 1992. Luckily, this move paid off and launched his career. That seminal album has just been remastered and re-released on vinyl and cd for the first time and shows the artist coming into his own. We discuss the album and how it sounds to him now as well as the rest of his career like his biggest hit "Bad Reputation", working with Butch Vig, and how that farm story ended. What you'll find is that while his music is calm and collected, Freedy the man has a very different personality. Enjoy!  www.freedyjohnston.com