421

The final flashback episode (A Pop Diary) from the '00s, this time featuring Sean Slade. From Wikipedia: Sean Slade is an American record producer, engineer, and mixer. In 1985, Slade and Kolderie co-founded Boston's Fort Apache Studios, along with Jim Fitting and Joe Harvard. The studio originated in Roxbury, but later relocated to Cambridge, Massachusetts. "We were all a part of that DIY kind of culture," said Slade. "The whole idea of getting someone in to design [the studio] wasn’t part of the plan. The plan was, 'Get a control room, get a playing room, get the wiring right, get a console, and then just start recording'.”  Slade and Kolderie co-produced Radiohead's debut album, Pablo Honey, which was released 1993. Slade has produced and/or mixed recordings by such artists as Hole, Warren Zevon, Pixies, The Lemonheads, Juliana Hatfield, Morphine, Big Dipper, Dinosaur Jr., and Uncle Tupelo. He co-produced (with Kolderie) Hole's Live Through This, which went multi-platinum within a year of its release and spawned four singles. Slade is currently a faculty member at the Berklee College of Music.

Another flashback episode (A Pop Diary) from the '00s, John Gramaglia interviews Bill Chadwick. From The Monkees Live Almanac: Bill Chadwick is familiar to Monkees fans as a songwriter, TV show extra, studio musician, and confidant of the group throughout its initial run in the 1960s.  Bill was a regular along with Michael Nesmith and John London at the famous Ledbetter's club in Los Angeles and the Troubadour in Hollywood during the pre-Monkees era. The three were soon part of a folk group called The Survivors that was assembled by Randy Sparks, who also founded The New Christy Minstrels. Bill auditioned for The Monkees in 1965, making it past the initial round of interviews and being one of the few to participate in an actual screen test with Bob Rafelson. Despite not being chosen, Bill contributed to the Monkees project through multiple avenues. His song, "Of You," was recorded at one of the earliest Monkees recording sessions in the summer of 1966. His other songwriting credits for the group include "If I Knew," "French Song," "Time and Time Again," "If You Have the Time," "You and I," "Smile," "How Can I Tell You," and "Zor and Zam." Bill also contributed backing vocals and instrumentation on many Monkees tracks. He went on to become a lighting director and tour manager for The Monkees, and photographed the group extensively throughout the late 1960s. In 1969, Bill released a single on Dot Records, "Talking to the Wall"/"If You Have the Time." Both tracks were produced by Michael Nesmith, and Nez later recorded his own version of "Talking to the Wall" for the 1972 album Tantamount To Treason Volume 1. Michael also produced a few unreleased sessions for Chadwick in the early 1970s. In this episode, we cover much of that and more about Bill. 

Flashback episode from the '00s (A Pop Diary), this is an interview with Kim Shattuck of The Muffs. Kim was one of the finest songwriters ever, and an incredible performer. Her albums with The Muffs, The Coolies, and The Beards will resonate forever. In this episode, we talk about her process and her creative beliefs. From Wikipedia: She was the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter of the American punk rock band the Muffs, which formed in 1991. From 1985 to 1990, Shattuck was a member of The Pandoras. In 2001, she was a singer, guitarist, and songwriter for The Beards, a side project composed of Shattuck, Lisa Marr, and Sherri Solinger. In 2013, she served briefly as the bass player for The Pixies.

421 flashback episode (A Pop Diary) from the 00s. Dave Zamboni plays center in the Zambonis. The Zambonis are a Connecticut-based indie rock band formed in 1991 by Dave 'Zamboni' Schneider (The LeeVees), Peter Katis, Jon Aley, and Tarquin Katis. The Zambonis write songs exclusively about ice hockey. Schneider says of the band's musical style: “We’re the only band in the world whose two biggest influences are The Beatles and Wayne Gretzky!” The NHL has commissioned the group to compose theme songs for the Boston Bruins and the Colorado Avalanche. In deference to the ice resurfacer and Frank Zamboni, The Zambonis are a licensee of the Zamboni Company.  Dave makes special music. In this episode, we look at what makes Dave tick. 

421 flashback episode (A Pop Diary) featuring Bruce Johnston of the Beach Boys. Recorded in the 00s, Bruce talks about his start, his career trajectory, influences, and his work with the Beach Boys. Bruce Arthur Johnston (born Benjamin Baldwin; June 27, 1942) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer who is best known as a member of the Beach Boys since 1965.

Sasha Dobson is an American pop and jazz singer from Santa Cruz, California. Dobson comes from a musical family. Her father, Smith Dobson (Smith Weed Dobson IV, 1947–2001) was a pianist who recorded with Mark Murphy and played with Bobby Hutcherson. Her mother Gail is also a singer, and her brother Smith (Smith Weed Dobson V) is a tenor saxophonist, drummer, and vibraphonist. The family performed at the Monterey Jazz Festival in 1991 when Dobson was twelve. Her debut album, Modern Romance, was released in August 2006 by Jesse Harris's Secret Sun Recordings label. Dobson participated in the Norah Jones The Fall tour, providing guitar, percussion, and vocal harmonies. She was the opening act on the tour. Her album Aquarius was released in 2013. Dobson is a member of the trio Puss n Boots with Jones and Catherine Popper.

A conversation recorded in 2018, Lee Feldman is an American singer-songwriter and musician. Feldman grew up in New York City. He studied classical piano from an early age, attending the Manhattan School of Music. In the mid-1970s he studied jazz at Berklee and studied privately with Roland Hanna. Feldman earned a degree in composition from Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music in 1981 and returned to New York. In 1995, he released his debut album, the critically acclaimed Living It All Wrong. His next two efforts, The Man in the Jupiter Hat (2000) and I've Forgotten Everything (2006) also won high praise. He has also created the animated musical Starboy, and he continues to write, record, and release today.