Rock 'n' Roll Grad School

There may be no easy way to describe the music of Johnny Manchild and the Poor Bastards other than by simply saying "it's good." Their new album, Rapture Waltz is out on March 22nd.

We sat down with Johnny to talk about the emotional power of music and of fandom and so much more. For more information and tour dates, you can check out their website or you can follow them on Facebook.

Plus, Bob Dylan hates it when you ask him to play something you've heard before.

Bettye LaVette is a music legend. Heading back out on the road this spring, Bettye is one of the foremost interpreter of songs and is one of a kind.

 We got to talk with Bettye about her albums, including how she approaches her interpretations as well as her fascinating and long-running career.

Her most recent album LaVette! Is available now. For more information and tour dates, check out her website, or follow her on Facebook.

Plus, Heidi recaps her night with U2.

If you’re looking for hard rock and great guitar, you need to look no further than Firewind. We talked with bandleader Gus G on the eve of the release of the new album, Stand United.

Plus, we talk about Heidi’s big weekend and big summer plans, and if that isn’t enough, we extended an invitation to a particular politician to be a guest on the show and answer the tough questions. 

For more information on Firewind, you can check out their website, or you can follow them on Facebook.

There's a new/old sound sweeping the world and that's surf music. And leading the charge are The Surfrajettes, an all-female band leaving audiences spellbound with their musical skills.

We talked with Shermy, one of the band's guitarists as they prepared to hit the road for a long stretch, playing with bands like The Electric Six and The Reverend Horton Heat.

For more information and tour dates, check out their website (where you can also order their tubular debut release, "Roller Fink,") and you can follow them on Facebook.

You know how we feel about Yoko Ono 'round these parts, so when we realized her birthday was coming up, it was the perfect time to reconnect with friend of the show Madeline Bocaro, who wrote a great biography of the artist titled, In Your Mind- The Infinite Universe of Yoko Ono. So we did. We talked about the book, what Yoko thought and the overall impression of her.

Infinite Universe is available wherever you get books, but you can order directly from Madeline on her website. (We also highly recommend checking out her blog!)

For almost 45 years, New Model Army has been fighting the good fight and calling out wrongs where they see it. Their new album, "Unbroken" is no different. We talked with lead singer, songwriter and guitarist Justin Sullivan about the new record, why they keep on recording and how collaboration can improve everything.

"Unbroken" is available wherever you get music. For more information, you can check out their website and follow them on Facebook. 

Hey! Ho! Let’s Go! The Ramoms play punk rock music for punks of all ages. Their loving tributes to both their children and the Ramones are the type of things that make you wanna be sedated. (Or if you’re listening to the Ramoms, playdated.) For more information on the group, and to learn when they’re playing near you, check out their website. Or you can follow them on Instagram and Facebook.

Jalen Harris first came to prominence on American Idol, but that's just the beginning of his story. Since then, he's starred on Broadway in The Lion King and he's currently playing Eddie Kendricks in the touring company of Ain't Too Proud to Beg. And now he's sharing his own voice with his EP ManneKin.

We talked with Jalen about his journey and how his work on stage informed his own music. For more information, follow Jalen on Instagram.

Jon Scott worked as a record promotion guy with a lot of great artists, but his most important, and meaningful, relationship was with Tom Petty. (In fact, Jon can be credited for breaking Petty, long after the record company gave up on him.) In his new book, Tom Petty and Me, Scott recounts a life-long friendship with one of the great American songwriters of all time.

To get a copy of Jon's book, visit his website.

Wa Wa Zat?!? David Lee Roth has been a part of the public conversation for almost 50 years. And in that time, the polymath has constantly been confounding expectations. Darren Paltrowitz examines both the man and the myth in his new book, "DLR Book: How David Lee Roth Changed the World," available right now.

For more information, you can follow Darren on Instagram, or you can check out his website. Wowza!

Jazz musician has seen the world, playing with some of the greats of the genre. Now, with his new record, Peter and his group, Generation S, recorded the whole album, live in studio and on-line.

On top of playing, Peter is teaching, helping introduce people of all ages into the joys of the art form. For more information, check out Peter's website, or you can learn more about lessons on the Open Studio website.

Lol Tolhurst knows of that which he speaks. As the founding drummer of The Cure, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer had a great vantage point to the evolution of goth style. And in his new book, "Goth: A History," Lol tells that story. It's part memoir and part study of an art form- and it's all really enjoyable. (As is his new record.)

"Goth: A History" is available right now wherever you get your books. And for more information, check out Lol's website.

Mal Evans knew the Beatles from their earliest days. He was a bouncer at The Cavern Club. And from there, his friendship and his working relationship with the group only grew. (You might remember seeing him in the Peter Jackson film, "Get Back," where Paul asks him to run out and buy an anvil.)

While Mal unfortunately didn't live long enough to tell his story, he left notes and combined with additional research, Kenneth Womack has written, "Living the Beatles Legend: The Untold Story of Mal Evans." We talked with Kenneth about writing the book and all his other work in studying John, Paul, George and Ringo.

"Living the Beatles Legend" is available right now wherever you get your books. (We'd say it makes a great stocking stuff, but it's pretty thick and incredibly enjoyable.) And to learn more about Kenneth and all his books, check out his website.

Singer/songwriter Eddie Berman has created yet another album of songs that feel like he's whispering in your ear. And, again, he writes from personal events, ones that make the songs all the more relatable.

"Signal Fire," the album, is available starting January 19th. For more information, check out Eddie's website, and follow him on Facebook.

Johnny Zambetti and Ben Rothbard, better known as The Palms have been recording music for a while, but they only taking it out on the road now. Their music is filled with 1970s Laurel Canyon harmonies, a little pop rock and... well, a little bit of everything.

For more information you can check out their website.

The Baseball Project is a band devoted totally to baseball. (Guess that's kinda self-evident by the name.) But the group is also made up of some pretty damn good musicians- Peter Buck, Mike Mills, Scott McCaughey, Linda Pittman and Steve Wynn. (They've had some other bands that have done okay for themselves.) The band put out their third long-playing record this summer and it's a great listen, even if you're some sort of heathen and don't like baseball.

For more information you can check out the band's website, or follow them on Facebook.

The relationship between Elvis Presley and Colonel Tom Parker is one of the most successful ones in music. A new book by one of the Colonel's protegees puts a new spin on the relationship and legends of this fascinating relationship. We talked with co-author Marshall Terrill. The book is available November 28th.

Blues Traveler is back with a second volume of classic songs played with the emotion the band can bring to them. Traveler's Soul is available now. We talked with guitarist Chan Kinchla about the song selection, tour dates and, the band's friendship with TLC. To pick up a copy of the record, to find show dates, or for even more, just check out the band's website. 

This week we get a fascinating look into the heart of Nashville and, in many ways, all the music we talk about every single week. The Country Music Hall of Fame is dedicated to preserving and promoting country music in all its various incarnations.

We talked with RJ Smith, a writer & editor for the museum about his job there (he just started!) as well as the biographies he's written on Chuck Berry and James Brown.

The Zombies are rock royalty. Their album, Odessey and Oracle is a classic. And, unlike some of their contemporaries, they're still making quality new music. We talked with lead singed Colin Blunstone about the long saga of the band and what they've been up to now. (Hint: It involves getting their masters back.)

For more information, you can follow The Zombies on Facebook, or you can check out their website.