The Sharp Notes with Evan Toth

For over four decades, Dennis Diken has embodied the enduring spirit of American rock and roll as the drummer and co-founder of The Smithereens. In this wide-ranging conversation, Diken reflects on the band’s legacy while underscoring the urgency and relevance of their music in 2025. As the industry shifts toward streaming and fragmented attention, Diken and his bandmates continue to value the full-album experience, recently reissuing 2011 on vinyl—a record originally created as both homage and evolution of their earlier work. Recorded with producer Don Dixon and at Mitch Easter’s Fidelitorium studio, the album offers a vivid snapshot of a group still energized by collaboration, memory, and craft.Diken speaks with clarity and affection about the band’s late singer, Pat DiNizio, whose presence remains central to their existence. He also addresses the band’s deep New Jersey roots and blue-collar ethos, where directness and commitment shaped both sound and identity. Throughout the interview, a throughline emerges: the notion that music, when rooted in authenticity and executed with intention, doesn’t age—it resonates.Whether reminiscing about their musical influences, navigating the business realities of the 21st century, or highlighting emerging rock bands that echo their passion, Diken offers thoughtful insight into the persistence of the band format in a rapidly changing landscape. The result is less a look back than a testament to rock and roll’s lasting vitality—and a reminder that, for some, playing music isn’t a phase. It’s a lifelong calling.

Being a rockstar might look effortless from the outside, but as Cody Hanson of Hinder makes clear, staying relevant in the music world takes far more than talent. In this revealing conversation, the drummer and co-founder of the multi-platinum band pulls back the curtain on the real work behind the music—from scrapping a full album that didn’t feel honest, to reigniting the band’s passion with the song that would become their seventh studio album, Bring Me Back to Life.What’s striking isn’t just Hanson’s musical role, but his deep involvement in every aspect of the band’s output—recording on the road, mixing and mastering at home, designing the artwork, even managing the logistics of owning a tour bus. His reflections highlight how today’s artists must blend creativity with strategy, especially in a world dominated by streaming, social media, and emerging tools like AI.Ultimately, Hanson’s story is one of resilience and reinvention. Whether building a recording studio on a moving bus or navigating the shadow of a massive hit, Hinder’s journey shows that the magic of rock and roll is built on long hours, smart pivots, and the unshakable drive to just keep creating.

Singer-songwriter Jenny Owen Youngs has never been one to shy away from transformation. In revisiting Avalanche for its deluxe edition, she offers listeners not just a deeper look at the record but a fuller portrait of herself: one that is shaped by collaboration, reinvention, and a willingness to let imperfections breathe. For Youngs, songs aren’t just crafted; they’re lived in, layered, and continually reinterpreted. The deluxe edition reflects this ethos, blending intimate demos, reimaginings, and remixes that speak to a creative process rooted as much in community as in craft.What emerges in conversation with Youngs is a portrait of an artist who balances vulnerability with wit and depth with disarming warmth. Throughout our chat, punctuated by laughter, storytelling, and a shared appreciation for physical media and flawed beauty, it felt more like catching up with an old friend than interviewing a seasoned professional. Her openness about the artistic process, emotional stamina, and the strange alchemy of songwriting reveals a creator unafraid to blur the lines between the personal and the universal.Youngs is as reflective about her own journey as she is generous with her insights. Whether discussing the accidental poetry of a rain-soaked piano take, the tactile pleasures of vinyl, or the resonance of her music with listeners both young and old, she speaks with the kind of clarity that only comes from years of growth and self-inquiry. It’s a conversation about music, sure, but also about time, presence, and the strange comfort of hearing your own story echoed in someone else’s life.

In an era when the term "rock band" can feel like a nostalgic nod to a fading archetype, Band of Skulls has always stood as the real deal: gritty, authentic, and unrelentingly driven. With their forthcoming retrospective box set Cold Fame, frontman Russell Marsden digs deep into the band’s archives to illuminate the long, winding, and often unpredictable road that led to their breakout debut Baby Darling Doll Face Honey. In our conversation, Marsden reflects not only on the music but on the memories, the missteps, and the near-mystical moments that have defined their journey.More than just a collection of rarities and reissues, Cold Fame offers fans a window into the band’s early incarnation and the evolution that followed. Marsden shares stories of impromptu opportunities, DIY demos made with chopsticks and saucepans, and surreal full-circle moments like recording in the very studio that inspired one of their biggest songs. His insights reveal the band's determination, resourcefulness, and refusal to chase trends.What emerges from this retrospective is not only a celebration of Band of Skulls' past but a powerful testament to persistence, reinvention, and the timeless appeal of rock and roll. Marsden, now the sole original member forging ahead with a new band, discusses how returning to his sonic roots has shaped his upcoming music. If the past is any indication, what comes next won’t just revisit familiar territory, it’ll reassert Band of Skulls’ place in the lineage of great British rock.

When Chuck Prophet found himself lingering around after a gig in San Francisco, his band still buzzing from a sold-out set, he wasn’t expecting to stumble into a musical revelation. But as the club's DJ cued up a needle-drop on a weathered vinyl slab of cumbia, and the bass notes spilled through the subs, Prophet experienced something rare and electric. It was an atmosphere alive with rhythm, with movement, with the kind of communal joy that doesn’t require translation. That night planted a musical seed. As the patrons of the Mission District took to the floor, so too did Chuck to find his footing, not just musically, but spiritually and emotionally. The music called to him and he smartly answered.His new album Wake the Dead, recorded live in-studio with members of both his longtime band The Mission Express and the Salinas-based cumbia group ¿Qiensave?, isn’t just an artistic pivot, it’s a personal renaissance. In the throes of cancer treatment, Prophet dove deep into cumbia’s vinyl history, crate-digging and DJ’ing his discoveries. He wasn’t just collecting records. He was collecting meaning. And through this rhythmic, border-crossing genre - music born of migration and resilience - he found a new sense of vitality. Wake the Dead is the sound of a man surfacing again: joyous, vulnerable, and utterly alive.Critics have praised the new record and they are right to do so. But the true magic of Wake the Dead is how clearly it reflects an artist who’s gotten his groove back, through dance, through friends, through the dusty grooves of Latin America. It’s an album born not of calculation, but of a compulsion of healing and exploration and as Prophet leans into this bright new chapter - fronting the dance band that no one saw coming - it’s a reminder that healing, like music, often comes from sources that are most unexpected.

After decades navigating the high-stakes world of Hollywood as Chief Counsel for Walt Disney Studios, Steve Bardwil has traded legal briefs for guitar riffs. His recent leap into full-time musicianship culminates in the release of Nothing But Time, a deeply personal and collaboratively rich album produced by the legendary Joe Chiccarelli. What began as a lifelong side-passion has now become the central focus of a second act that blends Bardwil’s storytelling instincts with a joyful, rootsy rock sensibility.In this candid conversation, Bardwil discusses the leap from boardrooms to bandstands, detailing his journey from advising Marvel and Pixar to collaborating with veteran session players and building a band with longtime friends. With his creative compass set toward optimism and connection, Bardwil shares how his music avoids melancholia in favor of inspiration; crafting songs that uplift without preaching. He also opens up about the intensive, detail-driven studio process with Chiccarelli, where no snare drum or tempo was left unexamined.The result is an album that sounds both timeless and contemporary, echoing Bardwil’s deep respect for rock traditions while embracing modern studio craftsmanship. From rehearsal rooms to legendary stages like the Troubadour, Bardwil and his band are now delivering the kind of heartfelt performances that only come from a life rich with experience — and a clear-eyed commitment to starting fresh.

Few writers can translate the sound of an album into a story with the grace and acuity of Jude Warne. Known for her deep dives into the lives of musical icons, Warne returns with her second music biography—this time turning her focus to the ever-evolving Boz Scaggs, titled Lowdown: The Music of Boz Scaggs. Her previous book on the band America set a high bar for weaving together scholarly research with a vivid narrative, and Jude raises it here as well. In both works, Warne’s dedication to craft is evident—not only in her encyclopedic knowledge but in the way she animates her subjects, turning mere musical timelines into journeys.This conversation is not just about Boz Scaggs—though fans of his smooth soul, blues, and rock-fused catalog will find plenty to savor. It’s about the art of translating music into words, a task that Jude Warne accomplishes with rare skill. Her writing is at once meticulous and alive. She captures the essence of artists without reducing them to caricatures or over-polishing their mythos. As someone who had the joy of being reviewed by Warne—her piece about my album The Show was among the most insightful reflections I’ve read on my work—I can testify to her ability to listen deeply and render that listening into language.In the following interview, we explore Warne’s process, her fascination with Scaggs’ shifting career, and what it means to be a writer about music rather than a musician. Her reflections remind us that while songs speak to the soul, great writing about music helps us understand why. Whether you're a Boz Scaggs devotee or just discovering his work now, Jude Warne will give you a new way to hear him—and maybe, a new way to think about how music becomes memory.

Sons of Silver’s latest release, Runaway Emotions, reflects a band committed to creative collaboration and thematic depth. Fronted by lead vocalist and songwriter Pete Argyropoulos, the group includes seasoned musicians each bringing years of experience across different corners of the rock world. The album builds on their past work with a focus on strong ensemble playing and lyrical content that draws from both personal and social undercurrents.In this interview, bassist Adam Kury (the current bass player with Candlebox) and drummer Marc Slutsky (Adam Ant's touring drummer) share their perspectives on the album’s development and the evolving identity of the band. They discuss their writing process, how the group navigates creative decisions, and what keeps the dynamic productive as they continue to record and release new material. The conversation offers a glimpse into how veteran musicians approach collaboration with both structure and flexibility.While Pete provides the core lyrical vision, the strength of Sons of Silver lies in their ability to operate as a unit—balancing individual voices with a shared musical goal. Runaway Emotions captures that ongoing exchange, translating it into a sound shaped by experience, mutual respect, and an interest in staying true to each band member's artistic vision.

Some of our most profound conversations often happen without words, music becomes the ultimate language — capable of revealing and transforming our perceptions, maybe even challenging them. Today, we're diving into just such a conversation with two artists whose latest musical collaboration speaks volumes: British jazz producer Robert Waite (known professionally as Daylight Robbery) and New York-based pianist Nick Marks. Their new project, Third Island Suite bridges the luminous traditions of Spiritual Jazz, the electric momentum of Fusion, and the lyrical pulse of Hip-Hop, forming a rich and unpredictable dialogue between sound and spirit.Following the success of Daylight Robbery’s 2022 debut Moons of Jupiter (which I spoke to Robert about that year), which garnered over five million streams, this new album pushes Waite even further into uncharted territory. Drawing inspiration from John Fowles' metafictional classic The Magus, Third Island Suite offers more than just a musical experience — it loosely soundtracks a psychological odyssey through illusion, self-discovery, and the playful misdirections of a master trickster. Framed by the striking artwork of Cologne’s Jens Roth, the album finds its home on Melting Pot Music, released both digitally and on vinyl.Today, we have the real joy of speaking with Nick and Rob about how they built this intricate sonic world together — how pianos, beats, imagination, and basslines became tools for storytelling that translate into a complex inner musical journey between two creatives. We'll explore how collaboration became their shared vocabulary and how, through music, they found new ways to communicate truths that words alone could never fully capture.

William Hooker has spent decades making music on his own terms—loud, unflinching, and fully independent. A drummer, composer, poet and more with over 70 recordings as a bandleader, Hooker is a fixture of New York’s experimental underground, shaped by the Loft Jazz scene of the 1970s and carried forward through venues like CBGB, the Knitting Factory, and Roulette. His latest record, Jubilation, recorded live at Roulette in Brooklyn, is another chapter in a career defined by pushing boundaries, building community, and resisting easy categorization. The following conversation with William digs into both the record and the mindset behind it. Hooker speaks plainly about what it means to work outside the mainstream—how playing free jazz often means playing for people who don’t yet know how to hear it. He talks about rehearsal as a way to build trust between musicians, about improvisation as a response to the space you’re in, and about the value of taking creative risks without overthinking them.Throughout our chat, Hooker is generous but direct. He knows what he’s doing and why. He’s not selling a product—he’s sharing a process. There’s no mythologizing here, just decades of work and clarity about what matters. Jubilation isn’t a throwback or a statement piece—it’s just where Hooker is right now, doing what he’s always done: leading from the drums, assembling the right players, and trusting the moment to shape the music. In a city that rarely makes room for artists to grow old and stay weird, Hooker is still here—evolving, documenting, and finding joy in the chaos.