The Indianapolis In-Tune Podcast

Show #106: Ryan M. Brewer

darrin@indyintune.com (Darrin Snider) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 22:00:00 +0000

Ah, a brand new year and some brand new music to kick it off right. This is not to say that I don't enjoy the "... Returns" shows, but it really is nice to get some new blood on the show again, since that's what we're about here. Ryan M. Brewer is a recurring face and voice at the Wednesday Night Open Mic Night where I often scout for guests, since it's often difficult to meet and talk to bands at the bigger venes, especially while the next band is playing. I first came across Ryan about a year and a half ago when I heard this band called The Fallow and tried get them on the show. Two weeks ago a friend of mine recommended I check out Ryan's music, at which point I purchased a digital copy of his upcoming CD, and asked if he would be interested in sharing some of the tracks with us on a podcast. At the time, I was unaware that it was, in fact the same guy. It was an honest mistake, it turns out.

Ryan M. Brewer shares many things in common with the other successful singer/songwriters we've showcased. He's hard working, prolific, struggling to get his voice heard, and diligently searching for the magic formula that turns locally successful indie musicians into James Taylors and Neil Youngs -- don't worry, if we knew what it was, we would tell you. What differentiates Ryan to me is the amazing diversity. On his debut solo effort, his music, voice, and playing not only take a 180-degree turn from his hard rock/southern rock work in The Fallow (some of which we play in order to showcase this phase of his musical output), but it also fan out effortlessly into an array of styles including music with a country-ish swing (Allegory), "lush" ballads (Sing You to Sleep), indie-infused folk (Innocence and Ignorance), and even spoken word (Like Robert Redford). In the end, the listener is left with only two questions: What CAN'T this guy do with his songs, and WHY isn't there more spoken word music being made?!

Links referenced in the show:

Ryan M. Brewer can be found here: Web Site | Facebook | Reverbnation | Twitter.
Ryan was originally the primary songwriter for Shameless Self Promotion and The Fallow.
Among his influences, he lists Five Iron Frenzy, Dashboard Confessional, and Tom Waits.
Ryan holds a degree in English from Marian University.
His eponymous CD is available for download and purchase on his Bandcamp page. Or you can buy it the night before the Super Bowl when he has his CD release party at the Elbow Room.
The CD was produced by Nick Rapley, formerly the guitarist and songwriter for the band Apsara.
He has contributed to singer Ben Clark's soundtrack album, Circus in Winter, as well as the sountrack to the film My Name is Jerry.
He is an outspoken support of Presidential candidate Ron Paul.
The track Like Robert Redford features the vocal talents of actress Ella Raymont.
You can learn more about Ricky Lee Pots and his 6 for 6 series here.
We make reference to the title track from Chad Mills' Make the Door CD, which by all rights should be the theme song for the entire Indianapolis music scene.
You can catch him January 3th at Johnny Bueno's Pizza, which seems an unlikely place for live music, but that's no reason not to support them and, hopefully, encourage more local business to follow suit.
He will also be playing Upland Brewery in Broad Ripple on January 27th.

Show #105: Vilafishburn Returns

darrin@indyintune.com (Darrin Snider) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 22:00:00 +0000

My Christmas present to myself: the show I've been wanting to do for six years now. When I think back on 105 episodes of this little hobby of mine, most of what I remember is from the early shows -- back before things became "routine" and it took me a lot longer to organize, set up, and edit these shows together. Lets face it, I didn't know what I was doing for the first year of this. Actually, many would say I still don't know, but at least now I've got a consistent system and even a quirky style going for me. Some of the people who I now consider among my best friends came out of those shows, and many of the bands quickly became the ones that I followed closely and played most-frequently in the ol' MP3 player. Vilafishburn is a prime example of this. Yeah, maybe the first interview wasn't my best work, but the music was magical to me, and the guys were just cool as heck to hang out with -- drinking a couple of frosty beers at a curbside table in Broad Ripple in the stifling summer heat of 2006.

I've gone into great lengths before and during this show, to describe the elements of Vilafishburn that make them, in my oft-stated opinion, the most underrated band in Indianapolis. Aaron Patrick's powerful voice and unique and diversely-flavored lyrics, Doug Sneddon's meticulous ear for layering and constructing sounds and moods, the always-moving foundation laid down by the not-so-quiet-when-you-get-him-off-mic Ray Ruiz, and the "holy crap that's just ONE drummer?!" rhythm work of the inimitable Amy Fishburn. It's a formula and a lineup that is electric both live and in the studio. If only we could get them to do more than one show a year, and one album every five.

This show was recorded on a crowded Friday night at Birdy's, when Vilafishburn was sharing a billing (and a bass player) with another of my favorite bands from those early days, The Dirty Third. Certainly there is a lot of love between these two bands, and as an amusing aside, I watched Vilafishburn's set with "the Third's" Matt Hesser, who halfway through the first song, turned to me and said, "Man, I am in heaven right now seeing these guys play again." Later that night, I watched the Dirty Third's set from a table next to Vilafishburn's Aaron Patrick, who leaned over to me at one point and said, "You know, hearing these guys play this is like heaven." Who knew you could have a religious experience at Birdy's?

Links referenced in the show:

Vilafishburn can be found here: Web Site / MySpace.
The first appeared on Show #011 (though actually recorded as #009)
Ryan Shore is the drummer for the Jeremy Vogt Band (Show #004 and Show #057) and The Dirty Third (Show #014), formerly of Five Til Dawn (Show #083), and who will forever be known as the reason we have only one censorship rule at Indy In-Tune: Don't call a fellow band "a bunch of turd snipers," or we at least have to bleep their name.
We reference their debut CD, Indian, which came out in 2004. You can purchase that here: Amazon | iTunes | CDBaby
Their second CD, 2008's Watching over We, was also referenced. You can purchase that here: Amazon | iTunes | CDBaby
We features songs from their upcoming CD, Bare Tracks, which is due out in 2012
Ryan Shore endorses the Tascam DP02 4-track cassette recorder.
Ray Ruiz and Matt Hesser (who play together in the Dirty Third) have a newly-formed side project called The New Guilt. Check them out here: Web Site | Facebook | Twitter | MySpace
Mid-range hearing loss is very common in musicians, especially the older ones. The good news is, this type of hearing loss responds most-effectively to simple hearing aids.
Ryan Shore is also a proponent Glyn Johns recording method, possibly because it requires only four microphones (see earlier comment about the Tascam DP02).
Ryan can be see playing in the Jeremy Vogt Band, along side Borrow Tomorrow (Show #079), and Chad Mills (Show #023 and Show #074) at the Vogue on January 13. Information can be found here. Tickets can be purchased here.

Show #104: Bashiri Asad Returns

darrin@indyintune.com (Darrin Snider) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 22:00:00 +0000

Let this be a lesson to all of my musician friends, and anybody who asks me for an opinion about music. I am mostly-incapable of doing reviews, critiques, or criticisms of music. I wish I could, but in case you haven't noticed by now, I love music and cant for the of me offer a negative opinion about anybody's songs, or say anything disparaging about anybody that puts their heart and soul into a composition -- therefore I wouldn't begin to call anything I write a "review." Now, I am perfectly capable of offering a deconstructive or comparative analysis of your music (have to do something with all those music theory and appreciation courses I took in college), or I can give you a nice promotional write up in the blog (courtesy of five years working for a marketing company), but that's about all the credibility you're going to get from me. I don't pretend to be a critic, or an expert of any kind on this show. I aspire to be nothing more than a geeky fanboy with a microphone and very amateur production values who obsesses over local, independent music. Case in point, my old friend, Bashiri Asad emailed me a couple of weeks ago and asked if I would do a review of his new album (which I had already heard and loved, by the way). Of course I told him I'd write up a nice blog post to promote it, but wouldn't it be much more fun if we got together for drinks, played some tracks, and talked about it for an hour or so? Thankfully, he agreed.

You'll probably remember Bashiri from Show #065, when I referred to him as an up-and-coming talent in the local scene. Since then he's cut two albums, broken out regionally, toured the east coast, and played with some big names in the hip hop, soul, and R&B circles ... so for once I was right. While the Heart Spoken project we promoted on that show was more of a hip hop/soul hybrid, his latest album, I am One, is more of the classic crooner meets modern sounds variety. Six simple tracks (plus a bonus tune) do a great job of showcasing the diversity in both his voice and composition, going a long way towards explaining why he has no trouble recruiting some of the best talent in the business to back him up. Whether you're catching him in a jazzier setting with Xenobia Green, in a studio setting doing something a bit more contemporary or electronic, or branching out by incororating a little spoken word or hip hop in his songs, you're sure to hear a treat from this unique talent.

Links referenced in the show:

Bashiri Asad can be found here: MySpace | Facebook | ReverbNation | Twitter.
He was last heard on Show #065 back in 2009
He currently has a residency at the Jazz Kitchen on the last Wednesday of the month, where he and his promotions and managment outfit Backspin Management and Montaj Entertprises host a showcase that has, in the past, featured such artists as Tamika "Love" Jones, Jerami Matlock, Veronique, LaShawn Phoenix, Dexter Kendrick, and others.
This show was recorded at the Chatterbox Jazz Club, one of my favorite places to catch live music here in town, and one of seven "happy places" I keep scattered across the planet. This represents the fourth time I've tried to record there, but the first time it's actually happened.
Bashiri's first album, I am One, can be purchased from Bandcamp.
His latest album, The Space Between, can be purchased here: Bandcamp | iTunes | Amazon.
It was produced by Robert Hornberger, Jr., who is most famous for his work with Whitney Coleman.
"In the Air" features the vocal talents of Ms. Tasha Jones
His live band, Xenobia Green, is a rotating lineup that has at various times included the likes of Brandon Meeks (who also fronts a jazz quartet called Native Son), Richard "Sleepy" Floyd (of Jared Thompson's Premium Blend, Melvyn Rhyne, Bill Lancton, and Finer), Doug Ford, Justin Brewer, Chad Greenwald, Reggie Bishop, Zack Lapidus, and spoken word artist Tony Styxx whose work set an incredible mood and provided a perfect enhancement to Bashiri's set the night we recorded this interview.
Bashiri is a member of the Nu Soul Collective.
Andrew AK-Soul Keaton of AK Productions handles Bashiri's national booking
Bashiri will be Opening for Lalah Hathaway in Lousiville on December 22 at the Jazzy Blue Cafe.
Bashiri endorses the distribution services of Dittomusic.com.
We allude to his previous work with Pariah da Poetic on the Heart Spoken project and on a musical called "The Birth of Soul" with Joyce Licorish.

Show #103: New Finland Radicals Return

darrin@indyintune.com (Darrin Snider) — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 21:00:00 +0000

I always thought there was something to the New Finland Radicals. Sure, the music isn't exactly mainstream, but it isn't so far off the beaten path that it's inaccessible. Their talents as musicians and composers (I'll use that word here in lieu of something as simplistic as "songwriters") is not in question. Their production skills show imagination and creativity, and their ability to try new approaches and incorporate new styles into their music is certainly an asset. They're well loved by fellow bands and usually have no trouble winning over at least a few fans in a crowd that may not have heard of them before. So, why aren't these guys bigger than they are? Well, after looking at how far they've come in the two years since they were last on, I'd say they're getting there, and dammit, I'm going to keep inviting them back until everybody sees my way on this.

I had a lot of fun the first time I met TNFR. After recording the show, we sat around and talked for another hour or so, at least, completely commandeering the jukebox at the Alley Cat in Broad Ripple (much to the grumblings of the patrons, who just didn't get the intricacies of Asia's progressive pop sensibilities, I suppose). Contrary to popular belief, I rarely get the chance to geek out about music with the guests on the show. Generally they've got to play a set or trot off to their jobs, or what have you, as the guys did this night. Fortunately, as is typical with second interviews, we got the chance to do it on mic this time. Also, as is typical, we had to edit out a lengthy discussion of the merits of Yes and Styx for fear of alienating the majority of our audience. If anybody wants to hear that discussion, buy me (or the New Finland Radicals) a round next time you see us and we'll be sure to talk your ear off about our passion for pretentious prog rock.

Links referenced in the show:

New Finland Radicals can be found here ReverbNation | Facebook | MySpace
They were last heard on Show #068 back in 2009.
Their latest CD, The Brian Sessions, came out in may 2009 was recorded at the Music Garage by Chris Wodoc. This release features several re-recordings of tracks that were first demoed on the "Green CD" and played during their previous Indy In-Tune appearance.
Many of the tracks can be found on their websites listed above. The CD can be purchased at their shows.
They recently opened for the Bullet Boys at the Rock House Cafe
Tonight's drinks were courtesy of Brian from Brownsburg and Jeff from Greenwood, who graciously donated to the "Guest Entertainment and Waitress Tip Fund" via our swag page.
You can catch them at the Rock House Cafe on September 2 with Juggernott, Kalo, and Mojo Diesel
You can catch an old interview from Dan McNeil and Localville on their YouTube page.
And of course the one accolade I forgot to attribute (and pay them for) was coming in third place in our first Podcast Battle of the Bands back in 2010

Show #102: Jason Wells Returns

darrin@indyintune.com (Darrin Snider) — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 21:00:00 +0000

We're back! Did you miss us? It's been a pretty busy summer hiatus for us. Excellent, new day job (FINALLY), couple of new projects in the works (more on those later), and just getting lined up for the kickoff of the second century of Indy In-Tune shows, featuring some big names, some great underground talent, and the return of a few of old friends.

Speaking of old friends, we're going to kick things off by revisiting a fan favorite, Mr. Jason Wells, who first appeared on the show about a year ago. Since then, Jason has built his home studio, completed a full length CD called "Stepping Out," and written a season of music for a television series -- and here I thought I was getting a lot done. Jason brings us some insights into independent music marketing, shares some stories about what's been happening with his music over the past year, and treats us to four new songs off his latest project, one of which is a new version of a track that will be familiar to Indy In-Tune listeners.

Links referenced in the show:

Jason Wells can be found here: Web Site | Facebook | Reverb Nation | Twitter
He first appeared on Indy In-Tune about a year ago on Show #089.
His new CD, Stepping Out, can be purchased from his web site, or downloaded here: iTunes | Amazon | Juno
His streaming concert can be seen live Friday, August 5 (2011) at 9:00 PM on his UStream channel or his Facebook Page
You can see the referenced video of Jason performing Cancer here.
He will soon be playing Ole Hickory Days in Colfax, the Wingate Sweet Corn Festival, and the Uptown Jazz and Blues Festival in Lafayette.
He has appeared on both WIMC Thunder 103.9's Local Thunder program and X103's local artist showcases.
He has recently started SoundEdge (Web Site | Facebook | Twitter), which is dedicate to royalty-free music production for videos, commercials, and other incidental music needs.
His music can now be found on the boxed sets of Bow Hunting Addiction and Wild Reality TV.

Show #101: Ben Myers

darrin@indyintune.com (Darrin Snider) — Sun, 08 May 2011 04:00:00 +0000

Though they are still a matter of much controversy among musicians, the fact is that open mic nights are probably the largest and best resources I've found for catching new or relatively unheard talent and getting them spotlighted and introduced to the music scene through this show. Pres Maxson, Tonos Triad, Finer, Mansuper, Jethro Easyfields, and Coot Crabtree are just a few of the bands that I first heard at open mic night and have gone on to prominence in the Indianapolis music scene, and there are still at least a dozen others that I'm currently working on getting in front of the mic here on the show to introduce you, scheduling just hasn't worked out yet. Sure there are just as many bad acts as there are good, and sure it does mean that a musician is playing for free, or for the love of music depending on how you choose to look at it, but this is no reason to write off the format. I've seen plenty of acts at open mic that I wouldn't mind paying a few bucks at the door to hear play a longer, more extensive set -- just like I've paid money to hear bands that really aren't fit to be playing around other people.

Ben Myers is one of those that I've been trying to get on the show for months, having watched him develop a sound and style, steadily improving week after week, at our favorite open mic night. His constant evolution and refinement, as well as some of the conversations we've had about his music over the months were what initially made him stand out to me as a good candidate for a show. Various scheduling conflicts and the fact that he didn't even have a demo of any of his original material until two days before recording this show seemed to be only the major holdups. I'm thrilled to be able to introduce you to him now.

Links referenced in the show:

Ben Myers can really only be found here.
He is the former front-man of the metal band "Murder of Malloy."
He is a regular fixture at Kolo Bell's Wednesday Acoutic Open Mic Night at Claude and Annie's Fishers where he usually closes the night, so you have to stay late to hear him.
The highlight of his set usually consists of a couple of standards by comedian/musician Stephen Lynch.
He rose to prominence in our circle for his quick wit when being heckled, and for his class act defense of friend of the show Mansuper during a near-altercation with an audience member.
The songs played this evening are from his new demo EP, recorded over the course of three hours at Strange Studios by friend of the show Tim Spainhower (MySpace | Web Site | Facebook | Twitter | Reverb Nation and appearing on Show #007, Show #050, and Show #100 as well as a guest and as a special back-up musician on Show #094) .
In addition to guitar, Ben is also a master of the Cajon Drum.

Show #100: Good Friends Good Tunes

darrin@indyintune.com (Darrin Snider) — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 21:00:00 +0000

Reflections on a Century of Episodes

Show #100. Somehow I'd always known we'd get here, even though many of the shows that originally inspired me to get into podcasting have long since faded -- some of them with many fewer shows than this. Sure, I allowed for the possibility that there may only be five people listening by the time I got here, but I was bound and determined to ensure that putting that leading 0 in front of the other 099 episodes was justified. On the whole, I'm pretty pleased with what we've accomplished. I wouldn't say we've ever "phoned in" an episode, but I will admit that at times, individual episodes weren't really up to snuff, falling short of how good I really thought they could be for various reasons, but many more that I didn't think would be all that great surprised me and became some of my favorite moments. If there's one thing I've learned in all this time, it's that you just can't predict these things or have any preconceived notions going in.

When I look back at the archive page at all of the shows, the early ones still stick out for me as the most memorable, even though I have trouble (like most musicians) listening to my "early work." I remember Nuvo objecting to our recording a show at "their event," then finally relenting (thanks to some pressure applied the band that invited us) but still insisting that we had to conduct the interview out of sight of the patrons, which meant crowding in a corner of the venue's kitchen and talking over clanking dishes and buzzing lights. I remember finishing the second half of one show by cramming six people into a van with mic cables knotted up and strewn from the front seat to the back seat because the venue had gotten too loud and rowdy to record. I remember discovering Jagermeister for the first time in the middle of a show and wondering how the hell I was going to get through the second half of the interview when I couldn't feel my face and I was talking like Mush Mouth from Fat Albert. I remember meeting Tish Lyndsey for the very first time and getting her to happily don a space-cadet headset over her silk evening gown and laughing ourselves silly (to the annoyance of staff and patrons) in the back corner of the Jazz Kitchen. I remember a lot of love and laughs at various Kammy's Kauzes, either frozen, wet, or baking in the sun. But, mostly I remember meeting a lot of cool people and making a lot of really good friends doing this show. Four of the best ones joined me for a few beers last January to reminisce and talk about whatever came to mind. The result is this otherwise low-key anniversary episode.

Is the show a success? I'm not sure how to judge that. Certainly respect and name recognition have improved among local acts and venue owners since those early days. Ratings pretty much flattened out years ago, but they've been relatively consistent all this time -- so while we're not turning people off in large numbers, if there's a next level to this stuff, it continues to elude us. All of these things have never been more than secondary concerns, however. What really gets me charged up is seeing that one or two times a month when somebody, presumably new to the show, goes back and downloads every episode in one sitting. Though I both pity and envy them for the ordeal they are about to put themselves through, the fact is, the permanency of what we've done here really means more to me than how many people are checking out the most current episode. I have always intended Indy In-Tune to serve as a time capsule of a particular era in the Indianapolis music scene. In our run, we've caught a few bands early on in their rise to relative stardom. We've captured t of a lot of former line-ups and even now-defunct bands and permanently preserved a little of their history. Most of all, I hope we've turned a lot of people on to music and performers that they otherwise might not have heard, and brought all of guests at least a couple of new fans for their effort. In 100 episodes, I think we've proven that fame and "mainstream success" is by no means a measure of "talent." There is music being made in garages, played in small neighborhood taverns, and featured on this show that I would put up against the stuff on corporate radio and the billboard charts any day. As long as we can occasionally convince people of this, or at least get them to think a little before writing the assertion off, then this has all been worth it.

Our sincerest thank you to the fans, the musicians, and those who have helped and supported us behind the mic over the years. Not sure where we go from here, but we're glad to have had you with us on the long strange trip so far.

Links referenced in the show:

Jenn Cristy (Web Site | MySpace | Facebook | Twitter | Reverb Nation and previously appearing as a guest on Show #012, Show #031, and Show #062 and a co-host on several others) has been a fixture and one of our most popular guests on the show since our first year, which is only fitting since she is one of the more popular acts in the area. After taking most of 2008 off, she was the one who dragged me back into putting out shows on a regular basis again and has always been an enthusiastic supporter of all of our projects, be it Musician's Night Out, the Podcast Battle of the Bands, or an "Indy In-Tune Presents" night at a local venue. We wouldn't be where we are without her. Oh yeah, and she sings, writes music, and plays piano real purdy too.
Jeff DeHerdt (Facebook | MySpace | Web Site | (Neglected) Blog and previously appearing on Show #005 and Show #033) is one of those guys you just don't hear enough about in this town. He is a brilliant and diverse pianist, songwriter, singer, and arranger, whose gift works equally well when playing in a duo, trio, quartet, big band, or just doing a solo gig with a piano and a mic (and once with an electric guitar, though I haven't seen him whip that out recently). Electric or acoustic, jazz or pop, experimental or standards, originals or covers, there are a few hundred different permutations to experience Jeff's music, and over the years, I think I've probably seen all of them -- except maybe synthetic country/western.
Pres Maxson (Web Site | MySpace | Facebook | Reverbnation and previously appearing on Show #044 and Show #093 as a guest, Show #048 and Show #094 as a co-host, and Show #072 as a guest host.) is one of those guys you have to keep your eye on. He is as funny as he is musically talented, and he always seems to be keeping something in reserve for you -- as I can attest that what you hear on this podcast and on his albums pales in comparison to what I've seen him do off-mic and jamming around in my living room with piano and guitar. His music is deceptively light in tone and deep in content, but he's just as capable of playing something amazingly virtuosic and complex while attaching some whimsical vocal to it when you're not paying attention. Trust me, as great as his body of work has been to this point, he's no doubt got something even better brewing for us. He's just biding his time, so keep your eye on him.
Tim Spainhower (MySpace | Web Site | Facebook | Twitter | Reverb Nation and appearing on Show #007 and Show #050 as a guest and as a special back-up musician on Show #094) is, as always, a songwriting machine. Really. I have twenty one of his albums, most of which only a few people have heard. I would venture to say that he's forgotten more songs than most "famous" musicians will write in their entire career. When you add in his unfinished demos and alternate versions, it means when I put my music collection (currently about 40,000 songs) on scramble, every fifth song is a Tim Spainhower song, and often one I don't remember ever hearing before. We keep threatening one day to go through his entire back catalog and pick out an album of forgotten gems for him to re-record as a "revisited" album. Maybe we'll get to that, if we can get him to stop coming up with new stuff for a while.
In case you hadn't heard, John Mellencamp is getting divorced. He is not, in fact, dating Jenn Cristy, however.
Our opening number is "Two Gin Shots" by Pres Maxson off of his Volume Two album, which is available as a free download on his Reverb Nation page.
Our second musical break is Jenn Cristy doing an accapella version of Edge of the the River, originally off of her second, eponymous album. This version is only available via her web site.
Our third musical break is Club Bordeaux by Jeff DeHerdt from the album of the same name.
Jeff references Bobby Owsinski's book "Music 3.0: A Survival Guide for Making Music in the Internet Age" when discussing his future marketing and distribution plans.
More about Billy Joel admitting he "borrowed" from Bob Dylan here.
My rendition of Darling Nikki is available on Jack Managn's Deadpan Podcast Episode #64.
Please let Tim's experience with Elton John songs should be a lesson to people everywhere who will do anything for a ridiculously cute girl.
The ongoing in-joke between us comes from an outtake from Show #093 when Pres Maxson explained at length that his favorite Tim Spainhower song was "The Boys from Oklahoma Roll Their Joins All Wrong." Fact is, that was a song by Cross Canadian Ragweed that he was covering.
Learn more about Geoff Emerick and his experience with the Beatles here.
Our fourth track is Luxury off of Tim Spainhower's "Vicious" album currently available as a limited release direct from the artist.
The Bo Dukes, which was also a bit on an in-joke, was Pres' band prior to returning on Indiana. He does, however have Tom Wopat on speed dial.
You can see the picture of Jenn sticking her tongue in Jeff's ear here.

Show #099: Jeff Randall and the Sunday Best

darrin@indyintune.com (Darrin Snider) — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 21:00:00 +0000

Having just recently re-edited and re-mixed Show #001, it's become glaringly obvious that the biggest difference between those early shows and these most-recent shows is that things have gotten a lot more relaxed around here. Not to say that the early shows were bad, but though my stated desire was always to produce a very relaxed and organic show, there was much more of a reluctance to let go of the reigns of the conversation in those shows and let the topic veer off of the local music scene. With the last 30 or 40 episodes, that's been less and less of an issue, and now with Show #099, I'm pretty much encouraging it. Maybe it's because I had some great results early on with interviews by Shadyside All-Stars, The John Stockton Project, Borrow Tomorrow, and Precore, but mostly it's because, after five years of doing this, you can only ask the same stock questions over and over so many times before everything sort of jumbles together in your head and everyone starts losing their individuality. While most bands have had the same experiences trying to make it in an under-appreciated, underrated niche like local, original music, they all have a unique voice and personality. Sometimes you can find this personality quickly; sometimes it doesn't seem to be there at all.

There is no problem pegging the personality for Jeff Randall and the Sunday Best. This week's guests come to us courtesy of Mr. Cootie Crabtree (Show #064 and Show #094), who was scheduled to be my co-host this week, but backed out at the last minute because he was afraid his kids would be screaming and making a scene during the recording of the show. (As it is, that's my "Lil' Q" attempting to conduct an interview and playing an impromptu piano concert of her own with the unheard audience members who traveled into town with Jeff and the boys.) Fortunately, these seasoned rockers took everything in stride, and after a few beers we were off into uncharted realms of conversation. In addition you'll hear four great tracks of kick-ass rock and roll played the way only veteran bands from the heartland seem to be playing it these days: raw and raunchy. I'm not sure if the format of the next 100 shows will follow the natural progression that has led us here, or if I will rise to the challenge and attempt to make slightly more drastic changes to the podcast, but I think we're headed in the right direction, anyway.

Links referenced in the show:

Jeff Randall and the Sunday Best can be found here: Facebook | Reverb Nation | MySpace | YouTube
The music you heard on this episode is from their album "Number 1," available at the usual suspects Amazon | iTunes | eMusic.com | Diggstation
Learn more about David Bowie, his ocular issues, and his views on copyright here.
I reference the The Real Frank Zappa Book a couple of times during the interview, as well as the album Joe's Garage.
Does anybody remember Friday Night Videos and Night Flight?
What ever happened to the Verve Pipe -- discounting the movie Rock Star?
The guys are big fans of the Imagination Movers.
RIAA blames everyone but themselves for the fact that music sucks. I read it here.
Learn more about the career of the ubiquitous Jeff "Skunk" Baxter here.
Is Paul Dead? The Last Testament of George Harrison seems to imply he is.
Paris, Illinois has many things to offer, but a music scene is not one of them.

Show #098: Sleeper Cell

darrin@indyintune.com (Darrin Snider) — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 21:00:00 +0000

This week marks another foray into the largely-uncharted (by Indy In-Tune at least) waters of Indianapolis' Hip Hop scene, this time with the kindly assistance of former guest, and friend of the show, Brad Real as our guide. I must admit, I'm having a lot of fun with these types of musical excursions, particularly in the Hip Hop realm, which is populated by some colorful, yet very accessible personalities who give great interviews -- although their standard practice of giving credit to large numbers of people with oddly-spelled nicknames makes Googling links for the show notes a harrowing experience. This week we meet Sleeper Cell, an innovative group that, for the past three years, has continually pushed at the boundaries of the local music scene with their diverse backgrounds in soul, funk, traditional rap, and music production. We feature four tracks that highlight these different aspects of their group and solo work -- old, new and as yet unreleased -- and talk a bit about how each track came about through a process that is more done by feel than by any methodology or set practice.

As has been my experience with Hip Hop artists, Sleeper Cell is very generous in their work not only as a group, but as a part of a larger, tightly knit community of artists. In addition to their work as songwriters, performers, and producers, the Sleeper Cell Crew also work behind the scenes as a marketing and promotion engine called Four See Entertainment, where they combine their creative talents with savvy business sense and industry experience (on both sides of the microphone) into one of the better-organized and certainly most comprehensive companies of its kind in the area. We talk a bit about those services, as well as some of the challenges they face trying to walk that fine line between artist and entrepreneur.

Links referenced in the show:

Sleeper Cell can be found here: Web Site | Facebook | Reverb Nation | MySpace
Co-host, Brad Real, can be found here: Web Site | Blog/Tumblr | Twitter | Facebook | MySpace | YouTube. He was the featured guest on Show #096.
All of Sleeper Cell's work, including most side projects, can be found on the Four See Entertainment web site.
Our second track, Walkin' This Road, is from Shay's (nee: Shay Richard Daily) debut solo project, Fight or Flight: Searching for Beautiful. (Also available at the above link.) The track features Verse on vocals and production by Travis "Kold Kut" Moore.
The guys also run an artist marketing and promotions company called Four See Entertainment, which can be found here: Web Site | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube
Most recently the brought the legendary AZ to Indianapolis for a show.
Our Third Track, Might Not Be, is a currently unreleased track primarily from Jason "Keen" Keenan.
Ryan "Soul Sizzle" Marganti also runs a successful graphic design company in his "spare time."
The fourth track, "Outcome" features A.C.E. O.N.E., Kaijowaan and C-Rayz Walz.
The video for Ms. Fate that we discussed can be found here.
Thanks to the fine folks at Studio C (aka: Claude and Annie's Fishers) for their fine hospitality, as always.

Show #097: Yukon Fox

darrin@indyintune.com (Darrin Snider) — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 21:00:00 +0000

I'm pretty excited about this week's show, not because it finally clears out my backlog of raw interview recordings sitting on my hard drive, thus freeing up valuable disk space to install Command and Conquer 4, but because it gives me an opportunity to spotlight, and hopefully introduce a lot of people to, an up-and-coming band that is woefully unappreciated in the local scene. And, when it comes down to it, isn't that what this show is really all about?

Yukon Fox has been together for a mere 18 months or so now, and have just completed their first full-length CD. As we discuss in the interview, their rather unique sound blends several different styles from folk to classic rock, pared down and packaged with an indie/pop 90's rawness that sets them apart from a lot of the "straight genre" acts in town. Strong in both structure and vocal harmony, their songs are often toe-tappers, occasionally haunting, but always focused on conjuring an image and mood that makes them memorable. In the interview, they talk a lot about this approach, as well as the trials and tribulations of differentiating and marketing a band that is just a bit outside the norm of what people expect to find in the heartland of Indiana.

Links referenced in the show:

Yukon Fox can be found here: Web Site | Facebook | Reverb Nation | MySpace | Purevolume
Their self-titled, debut CD is available at their shows, by emailing the band directly, or at the usual suspects (iTunes | Amazon). Their Reverb Nation page features four free downloads from this album, if you would like a preview beforehand.
The album was recorded partially in Grant's grandparents' living room and partially at Gaither Studios in Alexandria, Indiana.
Gearheads take note: Grant gets his signature guitar sound via a Peavy Delta Blues and a bass cabinet to bring out the richness.
Their signature logo was designed by Sean Baptist.
They count defunct local outfit, Jookabox, as one of their favorite local acts.
The band was generous enough to donate ten copies of their self-titled CD to be given away on the show. If you're feeling lucky, drop by our contest page and register to win.
Thanks to the fine folks at Studio C (aka: Claude and Annie's Fishers) for their fine hospitality, as always.

Show #096: Brad Real

darrin@indyintune.com (Darrin Snider) — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 22:00:00 +0000

Lest you think that I'm stuck in a singer/songwriter rut, if there is such a thing, I though we might switch it up here and try something different this week. While I can't say that I will ever "get" hip hop, after meeting several of the guys in the scene here in town, I am starting to learn more about it and, consequently, have learned to appreciate it more and more. Heck, I've even listened to a bit of it on my own, trying to get a feel for the lay of that land. Now, obviously Brad Real is not your stereotypical hip hop artist, you figure that much out after talking to the guy for about five minutes. Rather than take that as a disadvantage, however, he embraces it and uses it as a bridge to bring the genre to people who are outside the traditional hip hop demographic. You know, middle aged suburbanites who are more apt to buy an album from Wayne Shorter than Lil' Wayne. (Uhhhh ... Lil' Wayne is a hip-hop artist ... right?)

Many times on the show we have discussed the concepts of "real" and "genuine" as they relate to many of our local acts, and I find this is an underlying theme in hip hop just as much as in other styles of music. Even in the course of doing these podcasts I make a conscious effort to make sure it doesn't look like I'm projecting false enthusiasm, or pretending to be something I'm not just for the sake of getting a few more listeners to the show. Basically, my rule of thumb is: Always assume the audience can tell when you're B.S.-ing or being insincere. Brad seems to get this too. His approach to his craft strips out much of the culture, politics, and even fashion that so many of us stereotypically identify as being inseparable from the music, and reduces hip hop to the essential core of what it should be about -- music and lyrics. So, does this make his work something less than "good hip-hop?" Frankly, I'm probably not qualified to say, but I can tell you this: I definitely respect and enjoy what he has created.

Links referenced in the show:

Brad Real and 8279 records can be found here: Web Site | Blog/Tumblr | Twitter | Facebook | MySpace | YouTube
Stacy Basner and Finer can be found here: Web Site | MySpace | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Tumblr
She has previously appeared as a guest on Show #039 and Show #080 and as a host on Show #078.
Apparently it is okay to eat the rhind on brie ... In fact, as I am of French ancestry, I have apparently shamed my ancestors by not doing so up to this point, not.
At the time of the interview, he had just hosted the Metric Mondays poetry slam at Local's Only.
Brad's single, Rise Above, was produced by NickJ and is a collaboration with local singer/songwriter Jason Firebaugh (Facebook | Reverb Nation | Twitter). It can be downloaded here: iTunes | Amazon
Brad and Jason met at a 6 Bands for 6 Bucks showcase put together by local music blogger Ricki Lee Potts.
Mumble features a sample from Mr. Kinetik's song, SOS. You can see a video, shot by Sheanie Mike, on Brad's site.
Brad's new EP, He's the Jibber, I'm the Jabber is available as a free download here.
The Jibber is Big Tid -- in case you're confused.
No Coast is a four-way collaboration between Brad, A.C.E. O.N.E., Big Skittz, and F.I.R.E.
Our fourth track, The Storm, was produced by Axe Hand, not NickJ.
Our bonus fifth track, Blind Side, features both Brad Real and Stacy Basner and was recorded at the Music Garage.

Show #095: Junk Box Mike

darrin@indyintune.com (Darrin Snider) — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 22:00:00 +0000

You know, I've done a lot of these little intro/blog posts. So many that I've forgotten what I've said in half of them. Like the one that I wrote here, but just erased for because it was surprisingly similar to, and even borrowed a couple of jokes from, a post I made last year for a different band. So, sorry, Mike. There will be no contrived story or calculated essay loosely segued back into a description of you and your music. No carefully crafted joke that will probably fall flat anyway. No long self-indulgent story that people will merely skim over because I got too personal and deviated from the requisite 450-word limit the "best practices bloggers" unconsciously place on these things. See? I'm learning from you already.

Some artists are storytellers, spinning legends out of characters and situations they've created. Other artists, are legends and stories unto themselves. In that analogy, I like to think of Junk Box Mike more as a portrait painter. The body of his work focuses around people, places, and themes in his life (by themes, I mean fishing) whose broad strokes are something we can all identify with. They seem real to us, because they are real to him. Sure, Bob Seger can do an entire album about laboring thanklessly for the man, but we know a day of work for him largely revolves around planning his trip to the mailbox to pick up his royalty check. When Junk Box Mike performs, you can be assured that, were you to walk up to him after the show and buy him a beer, you'd meet exactly the same guy you pictured in your head while you listened to his songs. I encourage you to try this.

Links referenced in the show:

Jason Wells can be found here: Web Site | Facebook | Reverb Nation | MySpace
John Bowyer can be found here: Facebook | MySpace | Reverb Nation
This episode was recorded at the Palladium Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel. I'm pretty sure we were not only the first podcast to record there, but also the first people ever to be "ushered out" of there.
He originally played in a band called Junk Box.
John is a former member of the Cousin Brothers a current member of Strawboss Union (currently on hiatus) and plays regularly with The Lonesome Sharks.
They hooked up at Gary Wasson's open mic at the Corner Wine Bar.
Until the night this show was recorded, Mike's biggest audience was the 8 Seconds Saloon.
His upcoming album, From My Recliner was recorded by friend of the show Joanne Phillips (Show #075) at Blue Square Sound.
The CD release party will be April 2 at Birdys and featuring "a girl named Morgan," Jethro Easyfields (Show #054), and possibly the old Junk Box band.
You can catch John Bowyer as a solo act and with the Lonesome Sharks regularly at The Bread Ladies in Greenfield.
John considers The Melody Inn to be the epicenter of the local music scene. Discuss.

Show #094: Cootie Crabtree Returns

darrin@indyintune.com (Darrin Snider) — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 22:00:00 +0000

Lots of fun in this week's episode, which will hopefully be as entertaining to listen to as it was to record. First off, it features the return of Cootie Crabtree, one of our more-popular guests, last seen a little over a year ago ... which in my book, isn't often enough. Second, it was recorded about twenty minutes after we recorded the all-star extravaganza that is Show #100 ... so the "tone" for the day had already been set when we drove down to meet Mr. Crabtree. Third, I had the improvisational comedic stylings of Mr. Pres Maxson in the co-host chair, which pretty much ads an element of randomness to any episode. Fourth, we feature, for the first time, a live on-podcast performance by our guest ... something I'd always wanted to do, but have generally shied away from out of fear of not doing justice to the guest from an audio quality standpoint (I record one-channel mono with 2-6 microphones, so leveling and mixing is generally done by moving mics closer and further away from people while they talk). Fifth, we had an audience, which is always fun and adds air of excitement to any show. And, finally, sixth, there were whiskey shots involved. Only a handful of times have I deviated from lite beer while recording, and the results have been mixed at best. There is a lot of trepidation when going back and editing a show -- in this case about half of the raw material was cut strictly for time reasons -- when you don't remember what the heck you talked about in the first place.

I could go on for a few more paragraphs about what a fantastic musician and all-around great guy Cootie Crabtree is, but his body of work, which includes collaborations with and guest appearances by nearly the entire central Indiana roots/folk/Americana scene more than speaks for itself -- a favor he generously attempts to return in this interview by giving props to everyone in the local music scene and one point or another -- thus, giving me by far the longest set of show notes I've ever had to put together. A dynamic songwriter, distinct vocalist, born showman, and gifted player, you can be guaranteed an evening of great music and fun any time you see his name on a bill.

Links referenced in the show:

Coot Crabtree can be found here: Reverb Nation | MySpace | Facebook.
Cootie last appeared on Show #064.
Co-Host, Pres Maxson can be found here: Web Site | MySpace | Facebook | Reverbnation.
Pres has previously appeared on Show #044 and Show #093 as a guest, Show #048 as a co-host, and Show #072 as a guest host. Look for him again on Show #100.
Cootie was originally the host of the Back Road Radio Show, Wednesday nights at 8:30 on 91.9 WITT. That role has since passed to Andrew Funke and Tim Plunkett of the Rhinestones (Web Site | MySpace). At the time it was sponsored by Spencer's Stadium Tavern.
Cootie has been known to perform songs written by his friends Johnny Ping, Owen Neighbors, and Jethro Easyfields (guest on Show #054 and hopefully returning in the very near future) .
You can hear Scott Kern's long-faded Crabtree's Trunk podcast here. Scott has a wonderful band called Strawboss Union (Web Site | MySpace), which though we pronounced it dead during the show, we will learn in our next episode (#095 with Junk Box Mike) it is merely on hiatus.
Cootie is a regular at the Lower T Jamboree in Paris, Illinois, thanks to his friends Jeff Randall and the Sunday Best (Facebook | MySpace | Reverb Nation), who we hope to have on in the near future when Cootie does his "Artists Present Artists" episode for us.
Cootie generally appears with the Rinestones and the Payton Brothers (MySpace | Web Site) as his backup band.
He is currently working with Steve Smith (Facebook | Reverb Nation) who appeared on Show #041 with Fernhead (Web Site | MySpace | Facebook | Reverb Nation) and who hosts the open mic night at The Blind Pig in Greenwood, Indiana.
Fernhead also features Jacob "Conga J" Guinnup ( Reverb Nation | Facebook | Blog) who recently produced a documentary on Indianapolis' open mic scene.
January Postcards was originally done for Kevin Phillips' / Standard Recording's Christmas compilation album, A Very Standard Christmas, Volume 3, in support of FACE Spay/Neuter Clinic of Indianapolis . Kevin is also better known as the bartender at Locals Only.
Don't Blame your Baby on Me was recorded at SnapJoint Studios by Perry Stevens (MySpace | Web Site) who appeared on Show #028.
Somehow the picture of Cootie's tattoo -- designed by Shelby Kelley (Show #034 | Facebook | MySpace) -- was lost, however, it looks a lot like this.
He counts the Strand Theater in Shelbyville, Indiana as one of his favorite venues. He also is a fan of the Bluebird in Bloomington and someday hopes to play The Vogue.
Our first ever (serious) live music recording features an impromptu lineup of Cootie, Tim Spainhower (Show #007 | Show #050 | MySpace | Web Site | Facebook | Twitter) on lead guitar, and Huck Finn (Reverb Nation | MySpace) on percussion.
Forty minutes of material was edited out of the original interview in order to get the show down to an hour. This features a round of Pres Maxson's signature game, "Which Beatle?" You can hear that unused excerpt here.
You can see Frank Zappa's referenced appearance on the Monkey's show here. We recommend the album Joe's Garage as one of his best.
Special thanks to Whit's Inn in Whiteland for their hospitality in hosting this episode.

Show #086: Brian Pitzer

darrin@indyintune.com (Darrin Snider) — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 22:00:00 +0000

As with the last episode, this week's show has been a long time in the making and completes our two-part look into the Frankfort music scene (see Show #089) as we sample the music of Brian Pitzer. Brian is another one of those multi-faceted players who easily blends and moves between several styles of music – blues, folk, rock, modern country just to name a few. Talking to Brian, you quickly understand that he is a very savvy guy with a lot going on beneath the surface than just playing a few restaurants, coffee houses, and open-air markets. Only hinted at in his lyrics is a wisdom, and often a dark one, that bears closer scrutiny than one listen, or one podcast interview, can sufficiently explore.

As the interview indicates, however, his current body of music only scratches the surface of where his true loves and influences lie. During the show, he talks a lot about his marketing and business strategies through various networking and organizational memberships which channeled him into professional coaching and mentoring, and finally into working directly with the Nashville recording scene. Always evolving, he is currently working on his next album, which promises to lean more on the rock-and-roll side of the spectrum, and is in the early stages of forming a band to take his music to the next level. A sharp contrast when one considers all of the singer/songwriters in the area who have been getting away from the “band setting” and into to more intimate settings where Brian has already made his mark.

Links referenced in the show:

Brian Pitzer can be found here: Facebook | Reverb Nation | MySpace | Twitter
His latest album, "The Hall" is available via his Reverb Nation page. His prior album, "A Few Good Songs" can be purchased from iTunes, Napster, and Amazon.
"The Hall" was recorded at Soundlogic Studio by Scott Rotler (who also played bass)
The album also features Derek Marsh of the band Waltz for Venus.
It takes takes it's name (and chorus) from a quote by writer/journalist Hunter S. Thompson.
He is a member of Nashville Songwriters Association International, who connected him with Kim Copeland Productions were instrumental in helping him get the song American Dream produced in Nashville.
He is also working closely with Robin Taylor Drake of Trio Productions, to hone his songwriting craft.
Next month he will be hosting an on-going songwriters showcase at Chateau Thomas Winery in Fishers.
He is appearing, and contributing mu.sic to, an indiependent short film called "Insider's Perspective" for the Indiana Filmmaker's Network.
The song Dark Blue will be appearing in Inverted Staircase Productions' film Leah not Leia.
You can enter to win one of five copies of "The Hall" by logging into the site and going to the contest page.

Show #082: Outer Sanctum Returns

darrin@indyintune.com (Darrin Snider) — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 22:00:00 +0000

Remember what I said last week about confusing episode numbering? This week marks the return of Outer Sanctum to the show in an interview recorded back in August, but held in reserve until now, while we awaited final mastering of their first full-length CD. So, let this be a small lesson to you bands out there: Sure having an outside, professional ear master your CD may be expensive, frustrating, and extremely time consuming, but the end result is totally worth it. For those of you who had access to the original, unmixed version of the album, this will be an entirely new listening experience for you -- even after we compress it down to 128Kbs for this download, or 96Kbs for those of you who use the stream. In addition, once this episode is placed back in its original context, it finally clears up (for me anyway) why I spent the next episode (#083 with Five 'Til Dawn, recorded the next day) calling Justin Crawford (a guy I've known for five years), Dustin Crawford -- as a large portion of this interview focuses on Outer Sanctum's newest addition, guitarist Dustin Bailey. Nice to know that, eventually, everything starts making sense around here.

Though they had only played a couple of shows back when they first appeared on this show, Outer Sanctum has since become a recognized and popular act in the local scene. They made the finals in the 8 Seconds Rock Battle a year ago and have since played numerous gigs at area church functions as well as several of the more-popular bars and clubs around town. If you see their name on the billing of a venue near you, don't let a "faith based rock" moniker (or a few extra years' life experience) in any way dissuade you from giving these guys a serious listen. This is great, original hard rock/heavy metal in league with the finest bands in the city, blasted at you by some of the most energetic and enthusiastic live players you will find anywhere. Verily, thy face will melt.

Links referenced in the show:

Outer Sanctum can be found here: Web Site | Facebook | Reverbnation | Christian Rocker | MySpace | Sonicbids.
They last appeared on Show #052.
Their self-titled, debut CD can be downaded via the Christianrocker.com page or their Reverbnation.com page, and will soon be available for download from the usual suspects. We'll add those links as they become available.
They debuted the second track from this episode, "Hands Up," at a memorable gig at Cityview Christian Center.
Their sound is engineered by Ryan Edwards for Red Sound Live.
The infamous "Indy In-Tune Cool Points" contest has actually been dormant for about four years. However, since it was so much fun back then (despite almost going broke buying drinks and giving out schwag to a bunch of cool people), we're willing to revive the tradition. If anybody is interested in getting in on the action, best place to start is the Fan Page.
Special thanks to Bill Stamper and 8 Seconds Saloon for their usual support and hospitality.

Show #089: Jason Wells

darrin@indyintune.com (Darrin Snider) — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 22:00:00 +0000

Thoroughly confused by the numbering scheme of the episodes yet? Okay, it's about to get more confusing. This episode marks the second part of our two-part foray into the Frankfort Music Scene. That may sound like a joke, but they really do have some excellent players in that town, as you can hear. I only mention this because it references an episode featuring Brian Pitzer (#086), which won't be released for another three or four days due to some logistical problems, and I didn't want anybody thinking they might have missed one in there somewhere. Once we get that done, we only need Outer Sanctum to release their new CD so we can put out Show #081 and everything will be back to abnormal.

While the downturn in the economy has caused us to lose no less than a dozen of my favorite live music venues here in Indianapolis, it has on the other hand, created some interesting opportunities for great players to become a little more serious about their art. Jason Wells is an excellent example of this, having turned the loss of a job and stable income into an opportunity to increase his musical production and live performances, as well as to branch into commercial recording as well, where his laid back, bluesy, percussive style of playing is finding a whole new group of fans, and a new home in very unlikely places. This just goes to show you that, no matter how bad things get, good music will survive.

Links referenced in the show:

Jason Wells can be found here: Web Site | Facebook | Reverb Nation | Twitter
His music may be purchased from his web site, his Reverb Nation Page, iTunes, and Amazon.
He has appeared on the Midwest Nights TV show (Facebook | MySpace) and has made radio appearances on both WIMC Thunder 103.9's Local Thunder program and X103's local artist showcases.
He has recently started SoundEdge (Web Site | Facebook | Twitter), which is dedicated to royalty-free music production for videos, commercials, and other incidental music needs.
His music will feature very heavily in the next season of Bow Hunting Addiction.
You can see the video of Jason performing Cancer here.

Show #091: September Sky

darrin@indyintune.com (Darrin Snider) — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 22:00:00 +0000

With all due respect, as much as I love my singer-songwriters and my indie bands that make up such a large portion of the guests on this show, every once in a while, it's great to just kick back with a hard rock/metal band and just let 'er rip. After four and a half years of doing this, I of all people, should know better than to have pre-conceived notions about what any performer is going to be like when you meet them off-stage -- there have been many fun variations on this theme over the years. It wasn't until meeting September Sky, however, that I realized this can also drastically change the way you view and listen to the band's music.

September Sky's debut EP, Bright Skies to Dark Days, is a strong starter out of the gate, no doubt about this. Six tracks run the gambit of more straight-forward hard-partying rock (Freakshow) and progressive metal (Awakened), with occasional dips into the darker side (Ted). I initially liked it the CD for this musical diversity and the way it conveys various emotions through both music and lyrics (blah blah blah) -- "surprisingly sophisticated" was my initial assessment. After meeting the band, and I think it is captured in this show, I realized that what I really liked about the CD is how well the band plays together as a unit. I suppose actors would call them very "giving" artists, but it just doesn't sound right in the context of a hard rock/metal band. The point being, here are four guys who are all very good at what they do, but unlike a lot of their contemporaries, the emphasis is very much about what's good for the end result, and not so much about the individual. We all know, from a song like "Give it Away" that Larry Crag can write and play killer up-front riffs, but at the same time on a more-emotional track like "Ted," he understands its more about Scott Bernhardt's primal vocal performance, and he very wisely sits back just a bit so as not to compete with it. Likewise a track like "Shine a Light" is all about the rhythm section of bassist Jeff Reagan and drummer Martin Baker, and while on that track in particular, all four members are firing on all cylinders, nobody's individual performance is overpowering the band as a hole. Which makes it all the more ironic that when you sit the four guys down to do an interview, they are completely drowned out by a hardcore metal band doing a sound check at the other side of the venue -- so, sorry about the audio in the second half of this one. You should have heard it before I cleaned it up.

Links referenced in the show:

September Sky can be found here: Facebook | MySpace | Reverb Nation | Twitter
Their debut EP, Bright Skies to Dark Days, can be found here: iTunes | Amazon | eMusic
It was recorded and produced by Scott Rainey at The Hit Department
Their visual image and merchandise in general are all the work of Eric Gray Designs.

Show #093: Pres Maxson Returns

darrin@indyintune.com (Darrin Snider) — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 13:00:00 +0000

What else can be said about Pres Maxson that hasn't already been said? I asked myself this very question when his people woke me out of a sound sleep at 3:30 AM, and informed me that Pres was ready to come out of his self-imposed exile and begin doing press junkets for his latest musical venture. Of course I quickly agreed, not only because Pres is the second most important man in the Indianapolis music scene, but also because the sight of three men in black suits and sunglasses standing in your bedroom at 3:30 AM will make you agree to pretty much anything quickly. (Why Pres doesn't come up off the checkbook and buy his people phones, I have no idea.) Since it is Pres, however, preparations were made to ensure that his second appearance was a memorable one. I mean, after all, this was the guy who became our first co-host, our first guest-host, our first podcast game show host, and our first inter-state podcast host ... coming up with something new for him to do was going to be difficult.

However, I have previously mentioned my burning desire to record a podcast in a bowling alley ... just for the ambiance.

Links referenced in the show:

Pres Maxson can be found here: Web Site | MySpace | Facebook | Reverbnation
Pres has previously appeared on Show #044 as a guest, Show #048 as a co-host, and Show #064 as a guest host.
Special thanks to Pinheads Entertainment Center for unknowingly hosting us for the evening.
You can listen to the Indy In-Tune Last FM station here to hear more great music from our former guests.
We regret to inform you that the great Don Ho did in fact pass away back in 2007.
Don't be like Pres and me. You should probably read Alice in Wonderland. At the very least you'll understand what that song of his is about.
Keep an eye out for our Europe Tribute Band coming in late 2011.
Pres' former band, the Bo Dukes, who contributed our fourth track, can be found here.
The video for the Katie Perry Kid that we allude to can be found here.
We recommend catching Pres with his acoustic duo, The 1933's, when they play the Mass Ave Wine Shop, usually about once a month.

Show #092: The Michaels

darrin@indyintune.com (Darrin Snider) — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Surprisingly, you get very little actual feedback when you do a podcast like this one. Oh sure, there are the death threats every time I change the format of the show or use improper grammar in a sentence, and of course there are the people that download the show the minute it comes out and rave about how great it is, even when I know I sucked eggs on the particular episode they're talking about. It's probably safe to discount these two extremes. For me, what is particularly rewarding is when a great local performer, like Brett Wiscons, gives us the scoop and lets us world-premiere his latest project not just once, but three times over. I'm not sure what help I actually am to him, and there is no real way to track whether any of his fans found him via Indy In-Tune, but it's nice that he includes us in his CD release ritual.

This time around, Brett Wiscons and Jon Shoulders give us five tracks from The Michaels' first release. Anyone who has seen the duo perform around town already knows how good they are, though they may not be overly familiar with their original material. Fans of Great Scott and Brett Wiscons' solo EP will no doubt find a lot of familiar ground in this album, however Jon's contribution as both a songwriter and performer add a strong new musical dynamic to the already great singer/songwriter aesthetic. Of the three "Great-Scott!-related" releases we've covered on the show, this one is definitely my favorite.

Links referenced in the show:

The Michaels can be found here: Myspace | Facebook | Twitter
Brett Wiscons previously appeared on Show #010 with Great Scott! and Show #073 as a solo artist.
Their new CD, The China Club EP will be available at the usual suspects -- we'll add links here as they become available (Diggstation | eMusic.com | CD Baby)
It was recorded at the Music Garage by Chris Woodcock.
The Michaels recently played the Vogue opening up for the BoDeans
The CD release party will be at Moe and Johnny's Bar and Grill on December 16th, at 7:30 PM
You can also catch them on December 23rd (2010) at Chatham Tap, formerly Fionn MacCools, in Fishers.
The CD artword was done by local graphic artist, Jeremy Selzer
They will be appearing on Indystyle TV on December 14 at 9:00 AM
This will be followed by an in-store performance and autograph signing at the Barnes and Noble at IUPUI 12/14/10 at 11:00 AM
If you would like a tote bag, or a t-shirt, mug, mousepad, or whatever, and you don't have time to make three appearances on the show, you can purchase them for yourself at the Indy In-Tune schwag store.

Show #090: Mansuper

darrin@indyintune.com (Darrin Snider) — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 05:00:00 +0000

Not quite sure what to do by way of a blog post for this week's guest. A critical analysis of his music, I'm sure he would agree, would be pointless. Some long-winded diatribe defending his validity as a musician, preemptively striking at potential letters of complaint that Indy In-Tune has suddenly started pandering to Bob and Tom-Style toilet humor, seems like unnecessary posturing. Likewise a diatribe about how the Indianapolis music scene needs and should embrace people like Mansuper would seem self-righteous and preachy. Instead, let me tell you what Mansuper's music means to me, and why I approached him to be on the show.

Wednesday night open mic night at Claude and Annie's has been a tradition of our for a couple of years now. Yeah, it's not the best group of musicians in town, it runs maybe 50/50 between covers and originals (though originals are encouraged by just about everyone), but hey the regulars are a tight knit bunch always looking to bring new players in, and the drinks are cheap. That said, we do have our little quibbles. We make fun of musicians who offhandedly bash open mic, saying that it's just a way to get free live music in a bar (yeah, maybe that's part of it, so what?). We also tend to snicker and moan when a performer isn't, shall we say, "all that and a bag of chips." We're still polite, friendly, and always encouraging, but I don't care who you are, if you are going to sing the same Carrie Underwood song every week and never get any closer to the notes you're supposed to be hitting, we're going to bang our heads on the table and grimace into our drinks.

But then comes someone like Kent "Mansuper" Clark. Once you spend some time talking to him -- and really, you don't want to approach him at first, because you're not quite sure if he'll attack you or follow you around like a lost puppy afterward -- you realize that he a guy with the exact same passion, drive, and love for music (possibly even more-so) than the best musicians in town. Yet, unlike a lot of those musicians, he doesn't have a bad thing to say about any of his peers, in fact he looks up to every last one of them, and he is willing to do just about anything to be a part of the scene he loves (yes, even if it means "lowering himself" to play for free for the man at an open mic). Is he the best singer/player/songwriter in town? No. But, as I said in the interview, on Thursday morning, if you asked me what everybody played the night before, I'll have to think about most of the acts, but I'll remember his set vividly. So if nothing else, he is a constant reminder to me that sometimes I take the whole music thing just a little seriously, a little too self-righteously, and I should worry more about whether or not I was entertained, instead of how technically proficient the performer was, or how many "fancy chords with numbers" the song had in it.

Links referenced in the show:

Mansuper can be found here: Web Site | MySpace
His albums, Mansuper I through Mansuper XIII, as well as his "Stan" DVD can be purchased at shows, or by contacting him via his website.
Though we didn't know each other back then, Mansuper and I both graduated from Warren Central sometime back in the 80's. Go warriors!
We have local drummer and fellow Warren graduate, Steve Prince (Chocolate George, Dane Clark Band, Five 'Til Dawn) for persuading Mansuper to join the music scene. You can meet Steve back on Show #083.
He started his career doing a cover version of Digital Underground's Humpty Dance.
He once wrote twelve songs about Michelle at Locals Only (Web Site | Facebook)
He is a regular at Claude and Annie's weekly open mic. (Web Site | Facebook)
He is a regular performer at Normstock.
Cory Davies, last seen on Show #061, is his frequently songwriting collaborator.
For those of you who are too young to remember, Spuds Makenzie, is the former Bud Light mascot who rose to prominence in the late 1980's.
You can also catch Mansuper on the third Monday of the month at the Melody Inn for their open stage, hosted by the incomparable Otto the Comic.

Show #085: Color Icon Gray

darrin@indyintune.com (Darrin Snider) — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 22:00:00 +0000

So after the random chaos of the Precore interview last week, we figured we'd give you something a little more cerebral and thought-provoking this time around. Color Icon Gray (the nom de plume of maestro Eric Wasson), is a band you've not seen playing around town. In fact, you're not likely to have even heard of them before. Less a band, and more one artist's musical project, Color Icon Gray represents a type of performer that simply didn't exist even as recently as ten years ago. Armed with nothing more than a savvy knack for business and marketing, a passion for making music, and some easily accessible software, Eric practically taught himself the art of writing, playing, recording, producing, marketing, and distributing his musical vision. Certainly he doesn't yet command huge legions of fans, nor does support his family with CD sales, but what he does have is a model for organically growing a loyal and active fan base that habitually follows his musical endeavors -- often through all phases of the production process -- providing constant feedback and encouragement, which he discusses at length during this interview.

Here is music being created for the love of music itself. There are no aspirations of playing to packed houses of screaming fans, impressing girls by the truckloads, or selling himself out in order to be able to quit a dead-end day job. Eric quickly impresses you as a very intelligent person who is doing this simply because he loves to do it. He shares his efforts with the world at large understanding that not everybody will get and appreciate it, but at the same knowing that there is an audience out there for him. His hook is his understanding of how to use the tools of new media and social networking to build a personal, interactive relationship with his audience -- which is the key to continued success. For me, the most exciting part of what he does is gaining that insight into the trials and tribulations of his creative process and hearing him continually evolve and refiine his craft, getting better and better with each new release.

Links referenced in the show:

Color Icon Gray can be found here: Web Site | Facebook | MySpace | YouTube | Twitter.
His Over White CD is available here (iTunes | Amazon | Last.FM).
He once dreamed of owning the Yamaha DX7, a classic 80's keyboard.
Has has previously collaborated with Joy Beckler to do a combined art and music project.
He lists Mannheim Steamroller as an unlikely influence.

Show #084: Precore

darrin@indyintune.com (Darrin Snider) — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 22:00:00 +0000

All these interviews are different. Thank God, or I'd have gone nuts years ago. Before we record a show, I usually take a few minutes and prep the band for what to expect. I explain to them that I like to keep the show natural, less question-and-answer from me, more talking and storytelling from them. The idea has always been to make the show feel like just a candid conversation in a bar or coffee shop while playing some music in the background, and not so much sitting down at an interview desk being grilled for information. Usually bands just sort of say, "Cool," and then get all tense leaving me to grill them with question-and-answer time for 10 or 15 minutes before they finally get in the grove. Mike and Joe just ordered shots and said, "Let's do this." That should have been my first warning. What followed was a one-hour conversation that pretty much covered everything but the music ... GoBots versus Transformers, deep-seated maternal issues, Chicago burger joints, towns to avoid in rural Michigan, and how to impress women with selected clothing from the Army/Navy surplus store. In all seriousness, these are the kinds of episodes I love to do.

That said, this is one of those interviews that is definitely not work safe, kid safe, high church-official safe, or for anybody who is easily offended by off-color language, lewd stories of things musicians do while on tour, or other explicit and suggestive content. Consider this your warning. I don't censor, and I'm not your babysitter.

Precore is an up and coming band originally founded in the "upper northwest" and relocated to the heartland of Indianapolis. One can go on for hours trying to analyze the sound and its constituent parts, but suffice to say, this is straight-up, balls-out hard rock made without apologies or compromise -- the way rock and roll should be. With radio play all over the country, a nation-wide tour in the bag, two albums under the belt and a third on the way (the later two produced by Steve Albini of Nirvana, Chevelle, Iggy Pop, Page and Plant, Scott Weiland, and Bush fame), it seems as if this band has pretty much gotten it all figured out and is just waiting for the rest of the world to catch up.

Links referenced in the show:

Precore can be found here: Web Site | Facebook | MySpace | YouTube | Twitter.
Their latest CD, Sick, is available here (iTunes | Amazon).
It was recorded by Steve Albini at Electrical Audio Studios in Chicago and will be mixed at The Lodge here in Indy.
Bassist Jon Kuykendall is a follower of the great Victor Wooten.
Parents, remember: Transformers=cool; GoBots, particularly Scooter, not so much.
Though we couldn't remember his name at the time, Arnel Pineda is the new lead singer of Journey.
The band is currently signed with Dirtbag Music Records.
This is the picture that arrived on Mike's cell phone at 31:07 into the show. (This also part of the aforementioned "avoid if easily offended" part.)
... and this one at 32:06.
When in chicago, Precore likes to dine at Kuma's Corner, as featured on the Food Network's "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives."
When in Michigan in a month that has an "R" in the name, avoid Sebewaing.
Precore officially endorses SilverFox drum sticks, Evans drum heads, Saluda symbols, and Audix microphones and monitors.

Show #088: Vestiges of Ecstasy

darrin@indyintune.com (Darrin Snider) — Sun, 14 Nov 2010 22:00:00 +0000

Are you starting to get confused at the way the show numbers are completely jumping around out of sequence with no logical reason behind them? Then you're going to love this week's episode. Gregg Jones, Mia Kileen, and I (collectively known as "representatives of Vestiges of Ecstasy" and "host") have this weird tendency to converse in random half-thoughts and go off on tangents ... a lot. I don't know why, and I only seem to do this with these two. Jokingly, I said I was going to publish my editing notes as a diagram showing which cues fit with which cues and where different threads of conversation picked up, dropped off for twenty minutes, then got picked up again after three right turns, two tunnels, and a corkscrew loop. Unfortunately, about halfway through the third pass at editing (and trimming out 35 minutes to bring the show in at less than an hour), I completely lost track of the logical flow of the interview and just gave up writing it down. For those of you who are really interested in hearing the organic spirit of the original audio, I suggest that, while listening to this episode, you get up every two minutes and thirty five seconds, slide the track position to another random point in the show (forward or backwards, doesn't matter), drink a beer, then go sit back down. You'll quickly fall into the spirit of things.

Actually, though, it was a lot of fun. I've known Gregg and Mia for years now. Gregg was one of the first guests on the show (sight unseen since Episode #001 didn't come out until two weeks after his episode was recorded). Mia is one of those people I've talked to both at shows and online quite a bit (and, rumor has it, she is soon to take over guest hosting duties here at Indy In-Tune in the near future). The chance to get to talk to both of them at the same time, however, is rare indeed -- and usually only done hastily between sets at a show or screaming at each other to be heard over another band. As one of the finest rock guitarists and one of the best female vocalists in town, the combination of the two, under any moniker or rhythm section, is unmistakable, and with each new release the collaboration, musicality, and production get ramped up just a little -- making the prospect of a new Vestiges of Ecstasy album next year an exciting one, so be sure to keep your ears open.

Links referenced in the show:

Vestiges of Ecstasy can be found here:Facebook | MySpace | YouTube.
Their latest CD, Heavenandhell, is available here (iTunes | Amazon | CD Baby).
Suffocating is from their first CD (as HEAVENandHELL), Hnh2004. (iTunes | Amazon | CD Universe | Rhapsody).
Gregg Jones was last seen on the show back in April 2006, Show #002, with The Danny Isaacs Band (MySpace | Facebook).
He also currently plays with a Billy Joel tribute band called An Innocent Band (Web Site | ReverbNation | Facebook).
All of their music has been recorded an engineered by Scott Raney at The Hit Department.
You can catch them Saturday, November 20th, 8:30PM, and Birdy's when they open up Joe's Show, along with former guests The Post Script (Show #078) and Dead Man's Grill (Show #063 and Show #081).
In addition to his duties with multiple bands, Gregg also found time to play guitar in the backing band when the musical Rent appeared at the Indianapolis Civic Theater.
When not rocking out with VOE, Mia Kileen owns and operates a massage therapy business called (Web Site | Facebook). Definitely worth checking out.

Show #083: Five 'Til Dawn

darrin@indyintune.com (Darrin Snider) — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 22:00:00 +0000

This is another one of those shows I've been waiting for quite a while to do, not only because Five 'Til Dawn is one of my favorite bands to go see around town, but also because it's an offshoot band of The Dirty Third, which is another of my favorite bands to go see (and do podcasts with) around town. Long-time listeners will, of course, remember The Dirty Third from way back on Show #014 -- you know, when I got Justin and Blake's names right, despite the fact that I had just that evening discovered a wonderful elixir called Jagermeister for the first time. Come to think of it, I got bassist Ray Ruiz's last name wrong that night. Ya know what? I suck at names, always have. I should just get over it.

Answer to Justin and Blake's quandry though: You should always call me on that, smack me upside the head, then we just record a drop-in correction and move on.

Though I think everybody's got their own opinion as to what makes a good song, for me it's one that conjures up a mental image that takes you out of your particular time and place every time you hear it. This can be done with an interesting chord or progression, choice of instrumentation, phrasing, rhythm, or in the case of Five 'Til Dawn (and the Dirty Third for that matter), lyrical content. Combine this with some great guitar riffs, tasty solos, and a rhythm section that makes you want to crack open a beer and say, "Hell, yeah!" and you've got a recipe for great music that is accessible to everyone, but still has a sophistication and maturity that is about something other than ogling a girl on a dance floor or the ever-so-cliche list of things your significant other did to you to justify your leaving him. So, buy the album and listen to it while you drive around in the car or grill out the last steaks of the season in the back yard, but make sure you come back to it later, over a beer or glass of wine, and get inside Justin Crawford's head for a while. This is music that works on a lot of different levels, which is rare these days.

Links referenced in the show:

Five 'Til Dawn can be found here:Facebook | MySpace | Reverbnation.
Justin and Blake previously appeared on Show #014 with the Dirty Third..
Their latest CD, Heartbreak and Hand Grenades is available here (iTunes | Amazon | CD Baby | eMusic).
Doug Henthorn of The Healing Sixes plays Slide on the second track, I'm Alive. Doug also produced and engineered the album in his basement and at the infamous "secret location."
Drummer Steve Smith can also be found behind the kit for the Dane Clark Band.

Show #087: Cara Jean Wahlers and Paradise Recovered

darrin@indyintune.com (Darrin Snider) — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 16:00:00 +0000

Had a lot of fun recording this week's show, as is obvious from the number of edits that were made to keep it on-topic and down to the time allotted. I've often felt that featured artist Cara Jean Wahlers' first appearance on the show failed to properly capture her warm, energetic personality -- though, arguably, that was by design, since that episode was dedicated to her Big Roots Show and not her own music. I'm glad that, almost two years later, I finally got the chance to have her back on to fix that particular oversight and showcase some of the new material she alluded to back then. Though traditionally a background and session player, those of us who have caught Cara Jean at her solo shows around town have known of her incredible singing and songwriting ability for a while now, and it's great to finally have some of it captured on an album (and podcast). Goodnight Charlotte, her first release with cellist Grover Parido, beautifully melds Cara Jean's atmospheric guitar, poetic lyrics, and delicate voice with Grover's unmatched ability to add richness and depth to a song as both a background and as a lead instrument, while at the same time never overpowering the other players and voices. The result is a beautiful, textured trip through a range of images, stories, and emotions that is as lush in tone as it is intelligent.

As if all that weren't enough, we have another first for Indy In-Tune this week: a podcast partially dedicated to original Indiana music in film. Andie Redwine joins us to talk about her movie, Paradise Recovered, which premieres at the Heartland Film Festival this coming weekend. The film features music from a number of Indiana recording artists, including of course Cara Jean Wahlers and Grover Parido. With the film already garnering interest from Heartland, the Austin Film Festival, and a few other indie film showcases around the country, the boost of exposure for local, original music is almost as exciting as the success of the film itself.

Links referenced in the show:

Cara Jean Wahlers can be found here: Web Site | Facebook | MySpace | Twitter.
She previously appeared on Show #032 in support of The Big Roots Show.
Her new CD with Grover Parido, Goodnight Charlotte, is available via the usual suspects (iTunes | Amazon | CD Baby | Diggstation).
Our second song, California, was written during and inspired by a trip to Big Sur, California.
Cara Jean is the den mother and occasional bass player for the roots/country band 19Clark25.
Her CD release party featured Tonos Triad, who were previously featured on Show #042. The CD also premiered and is featured on Cary Allen Fields' Redbud Radio show on 88.7 WICR.
Information about Andie Redwine's movie, Paradise Recovered, can be found here: Web Site | Facebook | Twitter.
Paradise recovered will be premiering as part of the Heartland Film Festival at AMC Showplace 17 (south side) on Oct 16 at 5:30pm and October 20th at 7:45 PM, as well as the AMC Castleton Square on Oct 18 at 8:15pm and Oct 21 at 2:00pm. Tickets may be purchased via the Truly Moving Pictures web site.
A soundtrack to the film, featuring a plethora of Indiana artists (culled with assistance from Jeb Banner and his Musical Family Tree site), is forthcoming -- most-likely released through Standard Recording.
The film was shot in Bloomington, IN and Austin, TX, most notably at the Sahara Mart.
Our fourth song, Orange Blossom, was written inspired by Cara Jean's time spent in Naples, Florida.
You can also catch Cara Jean playing with the 7-piece, all-girl troupe, "Alice Chalmers and the Stick a Cork in Your Jug Band" ... we promise to get them on the show to tell that story soon.
Extra special thanks to Locals Only (located just east of 56th and Keystone) -- a long-time favorite venue of ours and staunch supporter of local, original music (as well as Indy In-Tune) -- for their gracious hospitality and a complimentary round of drinks for the guests.

Show #081: Dead Man's Grill Returns

darrin@indyintune.com (Darrin Snider) — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 21:00:00 +0000

What a difference a year makes. Just 12 short months ago, Dead Man’s Grill was an excellent, if undistinguished, hard rock band battling against a couple dozen of their peers in a battle of the bands competition on Indy’s west side. When they last appeared on this show, they were touting their first EP, produced by Adam White at the Pop Machine, which, at the time anyway, I credited as being a cut above most of their peers. Shortly thereafter they went on to win that Battle of the Bands, which opened quite a few doors to regional playing, high-profile opening slots with established national acts, and a refined sound that, as I witness the night this interview was recorded, continues to win new fans over every time they play.

Their latest CD, Hotter than Sin, takes some of the tracks from their earlier EP and, with the assistance of some outside listeners and the benefit of a little more studio time, kicks everything up to the next level. What I thought was great listen the first time around, is now amped up to 11 with the addition of new harmonies and subtle vocal effects that are perfectly engineered so as not to overpower the core of the music. As a result, DMG’s is elevated from great music you can jam out with, to a more sophisticated, immersive experience that bears close listening. With the band already getting some modest national attention, along with having their music appear on the soundtrack to an upcoming film, frankly, I can't wait to see what the next year brings for these guys.

Links referenced in the show:

Dead Man's Grill can be found here: MySpace | Web Site | Facebook | Twitter | Reverbnation.
They first appeared on Show #063 about a year ago.
Their new CD, Hotter than Sin was produced by Mike Osborn at Stable Studios in Spencer, IN with assistance on some tracks from Jay Elliott of the band Stereo Deluxe. It is available at the usual suspects (iTunes | Amazon | Napster).
They recently appeared on the Macabre Cafe Radio Show which is simulcast on Jackalope Radio 105 in Los Angeles.
Their music will be featured in an upcoming movie called The Kult, directed by Kip Shelton.
They call the Rock House Cafe their home base and have nothing but praise for the venue as a hangout for both artists and fans.
DMG is sponsored by Roaring Lion energy drink.
Thanks to Bill Stamper and 8 Seconds Saloon for the use of the back room to record this week's show. It's always one of our favorite places to hang out and record.

Show #080: Finer Returns

darrin@indyintune.com (Darrin Snider) — Sun, 19 Sep 2010 21:00:00 +0000

This week kicks off another set of "... Returns" shows, which I've previously mentioned are a lot of fun for me, not only because I get to hang out with old friends, but also I get a more-relaxed interview that delves into more tangential topics than the standard fare of "How did the band form?" and "What is your songwriting process like?" Finer is no exception. This time, Stacy and Ethan, who were a great interview the first time around, brought along the rest of the band. It quickly becomes obvious in talking to them that this lineup has solidified into a tight-knit group that you would swear -- based on the wisecracks and plethora of great stories told both on and off mic -- have been playing together for years, rather than a mere 10-11 months. In addition, they generously share tracks from their new CD, Never Gone, which showcase a slightly more-refined style and direction from what we've previously heard. It's fair to say that this great new sound owes just as much to the new instrumentation as it does the quality of players in this band.

I think the lesson learned, and most unique thing about Finer as a band, is the amount of networking and support this band does for the Indianapolis Music scene. In addition to forging great relationships with local businesses and venues, Finer is one band that is always encouraging and supportive of both established and up-and-coming bands in the area. Though the band initially formed in L.A., where fierce competitiveness with other local acts is the norm, I frequently bump into Stacy and Ethan at other bands' shows, and they are always telling me about a great act they had seen the week before (or in the case of The Post Script, recommending groups to be on Indy In-Tune). In fact, I'm hard pressed to think of any band that they haven't been enthusiastically supportive of, or had anything other that praise for. This positive energy carries over into their live performances and back out to the audience, as evidenced in their first-round victory in the Battle of Birdy's where, though they admittedly didn't bring a large crowd of their own, they won over an audience that was not necessarily familiar with them. In fact, it is reported that in one instance, they even captured the #1 vote from a rival player, who ranked them above his own band on the ballot. Now that's a great indicator that you're doing something right.

Links referenced in the show:

Finer can be found here: Web Site | MySpace | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Tumblr
They were formerly guests on Show #039. Stacy also appeared as guest host interviewing The Post Script on Show #078
The new CD, Never Gone, can be downloaded from their web site as well as the usual suspects (iTunes | Amazon | Rhapsody).
The recently opened the Red Gorilla Music Festival at the South by Southwest Media Conference.
They have appeared on seventy stations across the country through arrangement with Tinderbox Music.
They will be appearing in round 2 of the Battle of Birdy's on October 29th. Be sure to get out and support your favorite bands at this great local music tradition.
Though they traditionally donate a portion of all their album sales to charity, that feature is currently up in the air as they decide whether to continue allowing fans to choose their own charity, or simply donate a percentage to the Project Morry.
Finer has been working with photographer Sierra Hoffman for video and photo production.
You can also catch Stacy and Ethan's blog postings on Indy Mojo.

Show #079: Borrow Tomorrow

darrin@indyintune.com (Darrin Snider) — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 23:00:00 +0000

I think every band pretty much has that one word or phrase that sums them up when someone asks you to describe them: crazy, parting, virtuosic, heavy -- I'm sure wordsmith and Scrabble master Robert Newport can come up with a few more-creative ones. The word that one hears most-often when discussing this week's guest, Borrow Tomorrow, is "honest." This isn't to say the music isn't fun, enjoyable, or any of those other things, but it does bring to the forefront a quality that, while not unique to BoTo, is not necessarily present in every band we meet. Sure most of the guys we have on the show are nice, pleasant, and down-to-earth, but so many of them -- unconsciously or by design -- separate their personal lives and real personalities from their stage personae. Okay, that sounds a bit dodgy, but it's not necessarily a bad thing, or even a "dishonest" thing. Most people won't call John Mellencamp a fraud for singing about the plight of the farmer or the working man, even though realistically we know he hasn't worried about how he's going to pay his electric bill for at least thirty years now. He's simply a storyteller who, like BoTo, is writing songs that he knows his audience can relate to. It does, however, make you take notice of those bands whose music serves as a direct extension of their own real-world experiences, thoughts and feelings the way BoTo's music does. While there is a running gag in the interview about what "the Indiana sound" must be, I was serious in my conviction that, if it does indeed exist, it is embodied by bands like BoTo and a few others who create music that is a blend of many different regional styles -- Chicago blues, Detroit blue-collar rock, Nashville country, Memphis rockabilly, and so forth -- but at its core puts sensibility and honesty over shock tactics, rough edges over synthesized perfection, storytelling over repetitive hooks, and for the most part points a middle finger at the corporate cookie-cutter image and sound -- in a polite way though; this is Indiana, not New York.

As a band, Borrow Tomorrow, seems to be on a pretty solid foundation. They mention the strong friendships (and family ties) within the band on more than one occasion, and give nods to their fiercely loyal and growing fan base. Musically, as they are finally moving away from writing songs individually towards collaborating as a group, their sound has refined itself into something greater than the sum of its parts, managing at the same time to be fluid enough to allow them to churn out tracks that, as the selections in this episode show, are drastically different from each other in style and tone, but have a unifying core and sound that is unmistakably BoTo. We wholeheartedly recommend picking up both of their EP's and anxiously await the release of their first full-length CD in the coming year.

Links referenced in the show:

Borrow Tomorrow can be found here: Web Site | MySpace | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube
Their latest CD, Retrospective, was produce by Kyle Ferguson and Brett Baird at the SAE Institute in Nashville, TN. It is available as a free download from their website, but if you are so inclined, you can purchase the CD from the usual supects (iTunes | Amazon | Napster).
Their previous CD, The One That Stays, was produced by Squirrel (John Curl) and Marc Johnson at the The Pop Machine in Indianapolis. It is available from the usual suspects (iTunes | Amazon | CD Baby | Napster).
Though not mentioned in the show, lyricist Chris Jerles has a fantastic blog that is a must-read for any fan of BoTo.

Show #078: Stacy Basner Presents: The Post Script

darrin@indyintune.com (Darrin Snider) — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 23:00:00 +0000

It's a source of both joy and frustration that I can't listen to and become intimately familiar with every band in Indianapolis. I mean, I'm working on it, but at last count there were about 4000 at various levels in the metro area -- assuming MySpace pages are any sort of valid indicator. In this particular instance, I got the call that The Post Script was interested in being guests on Indy In-Tune while I was on my way to their gig (where I was already slated to record shows #077 and #080). Normally like to get a week or so of advance notice to purchase the band's CD, listen to it a few times, do a little research on the web to see if they've posted any interesting blogs, bios, or tidbits that I can hook into during an interview, etc. Historically, I hate going in to interviews blind. It's a disservice to the guest, and I'm certain listeners can tell on which shows I'm completely talking out of my ass. Fortunately, when I arrived on location and spoke with Stacy Basner of the band Finer, she immediately started raving about how The Post Script was one of her favorite bands and immediately tried to give me a cram session on everything I needed to know about them and their music. Understandably, this felt a lot like my sophomore year of college, only I didn't have to hide the beer from the RA, so I immediately drafted her to play host for what is now Episode #078 -- a role which she gladly accepted and nailed with all the insight, humor, and character I knew she would bring.

Obviously, since this interview was recorded, I've gotten a chance to both purchase the Post Script's music, as well as see them perform live. While both are very enjoyable experiences, I'd have to say that, live, this band is something to behold. The energy and stage presence they have is definitely among the best in the city, and while the music on the CD is great, you really need to to hear it expanded in a live setting, will all the embellishments, ad libs and extended jams. Especially when you stop and think that all of that sound is being created on stage by just three guys -- and three really funny guys at that, as this episode shows.

Links referenced in the show:

The Post Script can be found here: Web Site | MySpace | Facebook | Twitter | Sonic Bids
Their latest CD, Seasons Change, is available from the usual suspects iTunes | Amazon | Diggstation | Napster.
Tracks from the CD have been featured on Radio Now 100.9. Call in and request that they play more!
They also, as near as we can tell, are the first band to have a channel on Pandora.com
The CD was recorded at The Pop Machine by Eric Johnson, Marcus Johnson, and Squirrel (John Curl) an, with mastering by Andy Van Deit.
Kevin Silva of Uncle Albert's Amplifier, Inc. plays organ on our second track, Fire, as well as Wurlitzer on the third track, Seasons Change.
When traveling to New Orleans, be sure to check out the Lake Pontchartrain causeway, but beware of the speed traps.
They were a big hit with the Gulf Shores Shrimp Fest last year.
Their next EP is being recorded at The Lodge and engineered by Eric Johnson of the Pop Machine.
The phrase "getting down to brass tacks" has an interesting origin, you can read more about it here.
The Post Script is an entrant in this year's Battle of Birdy's.
They will also be playing the Numa Festival in Westfield on September 18th.

Show #077: Glass Halo

darrin@indyintune.com (Darrin Snider) — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 23:00:00 +0000

Despite what you may have been reading on our Twitter page, through automated announcements programmed a month ago, Indy In-Tune is off it's Summer hiatus and gearing up to bring you some great music and interviews through the rest of the year. The first thing I did when deciding it was time to get back in the swing of things was to go through the stack of correspondence I had accumulated over the past several months. One of the bands that was high on my "short list" was this week's featured act, Glass Halo. I first became aware of Glass Halo last year when they played to a packed house and ended up winning the Battle of Birdy's. I had been in contact with bassist Dave Grodzki via Twitter and drummer Jason Kuykendall via Facebook trying to put this all together, but finally it was Stacy Basner of Finer who got the meeting nailed down at the historic Melody Inn, where Finer was hosting an evening of great rock and roll with several local and regional acts.

Glass Halo is a perfect example of how dogged determination and a little business savvy will take you a long way in this business -- of course it doesn't hurt to have some great music and talented players in your band, which they most certainly have as well. With two EP's, a full-length CD, and a live CD in their catalog, soon to be complimented by a brand new single in the next few weeks, these guys have repeatedly demonstrated their ability to consistently put together snappy, in your face, rock songs with memorable riffs, catchy lyrics, and enough energy to keep you hooked and wanting to hear more. Add to this a killer live show that has made waves both locally and regionally, and you've got the secret formula that has proven to win over fans and earn the respect of venue owners and fellow musicians alike. Trust me, if you haven't gone out to see these guys play, you're definitely missing a great time.

Links referenced in the show:

Glass Halo can be found here: Web Site | MySpace | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube
Their latest CD, The World Through Different Eyes, is available for purchase on their website and iTunes.
Drummer Jason Kuykendall appeared on Indy In-Tune Episode #010, nearly four years ago, with his previous band, Great Scott.
They cite Bandalism: The Rock Group Survival Guide by Julian Ridgway as being very influential in helping them manage the direction of the band.
The CD was recorded at Russian Recorded Studios by Mike Bridavsky.
You can catch clips of them recording their latest single, Stalker Girlfriend, on their YouTube channel.
They acknowledge and endorse the inventory at Chateau Thomas Winery as being very inspirational in the creative process.
Come to think of it, they also like PBR.
This the first of three shows recorded at the historic Melody Inn: Next week, Stacy Basner takes over the big chair and interviews The Post Script for us. She will be back on Show #080 with her own band, Finer, to complete the trilogy of shows recorded that night.
You can catch Glass Halo on Septeber 9 at Birdy's for the Shady 80's Show to benefit Riley Childrens' Hospital.
Glass Halo's music has also appeared multiple times on the Mothpod, one of my favorite podcasts from fellow Indiana podcaster, Zack Daggy. I meant to play the promo we have for him, but realized it is somewhat outdated, plugging older shows, and leaving out his latest projects such as the Midnight Spookshow and his horror series, the Dark Worlds Trilogy.

Show #076: Camby Road

darrin@indyintune.com (Darrin Snider) — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 23:00:00 +0000

Did it really take four and a half years for me to feature a country band on Indy In-Tune? Well, yeah, possibly, but not for lack of trying. I do recall co-sponsoring a country battle of the bands at 8 Seconds Saloon, which got pretty much no response, at least from the bands that perform original country music, and I have featured some borderline country bands, as well as some bluegrass on the show before. Then, of course, there's the ill-fated interview with a certain country artist here in town that, though I love the guy dearly, I couldn't actually use, because (and this is an absolutely true story -- I have several witnesses) I led with, "How did you get into music?" and two hours and forty-five minutes later, he finished answering just that first question. I still have the complete interview, and have promised to use it to pen his biography (or biopic) should he ever become famous, but there's no way I can get that edited down to a 35-minute interview and do him justice.

Cassidy, on the other hand, I have known off and on for nearly 20 years outside of the music scene, only recently having become aware of what she and her new band, Camby Road, were doing with her often-talked-about recording project. Of course, it still took over two years to get from, "I'd love to have you on the show sometime," to sitting down and putting a mic in front of her. As I said during the interview, it's something of a shock when you realize that karaoke-singing chick who was sucking down Margaritas at your birthday party the other day is actually a damned good singer with a killer backup band and fully-produced CD of original music to boot. To put icing on that cake, she's also got a great story and tells it well: from small-town Indiana dreamer, to recording in Nashville, back to small-town Indiana, and now on the eve of returning to Nashville for the first time as a headliner. Just goes to show you that there's always something new to uncover in this crazy scene if you look around your surroundings a little bit. As I've gone on record several times saying that, while I appreciate any good music, country is not exactly my first choice when deciding what local artist I'm going to go see on a particular night, so for those of you out there who are country music fans, I would greatly appreciate you spreading the word about Indy In-Tune to artists that you think would benefit from being featured on the show, and as always, point me to any local country groups that you think I might enjoy.

Links referenced in the show:

Cassidy/Camby Road can be found here: Myspace | Facebook | Reverb Nation
Cassidy's new CD, Livin' is Good, is currently available by contacting her through any of her web sites, but will soon be out through the usual suspects. We will have links here when it is available.
Our opening track, "Daddy Writes the Words," was written by Paul McDonald and Duane Ellis, re-recorded by Camby Road at the Pop Machine and produced by Mark Johnson.
The other tracks you hear in this episode were recorded at Chelsea Recording Studio in Nashville, TN. Additional instrumentation on the CD was performed by Nashville session musician, Spike Jones.
Their upcoming trip to Nashville is made possible through the sponsorship and generous donation of an RV by Greenwood RV Rentals. Look for a link to the video documentary of the trip, coming soon.
We could neither confirm nor refute the story about Evanescence being discovered through CDBaby, so we left the story in. If you can shed light on the legend, please let us know, we're losing sleep over it.

Show #075: Podcast Battle 2010 Winners' Circle

darrin@indyintune.com (Darrin Snider) — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 23:18:20 +0000

I promise this will be the last time we plug the 2010 Podcast Battle of the Bands -- mostly because it's time to start thinking about the 2011 Battle. However, when you get a one-time billing of the first and second place winners, at our favorite local music venue, for a nice round Show number like #075, and the opportunity to squeeze one more podcast in before going on paternity leave, you have to jump at it. This impromptu show is pretty much without a set format and contains all the general chaos you would expect from having two complete bands (plus a special guest) on at the same time during a quite noticeable sound check that required various people to drop in and out during the course of the show. And, as if that weren't enough, we get brand-spanking new tracks from both of these these top local acts to sink our ears into. So you can tell at least I had a good time, though from an editing standpoint, I probably won't be trying this again any time soon.

There isn't much that can be said about these bands that I haven't said already. Whoa!Tiger continues to be a fan-friendly machine with the release of their new EP, and the "Al Paurazas Experience Featuring Jenn Cristy" is quickly breaking into bigger and better things, having spent most of the summer touring up and down the east coast and northern part of the midwest, followed by the release of a new single that is a bit of a departure song, but still really good music. Whenever we get together with either of these groups, it's always a good time, and putting them both together for an informal chat over a couple of beers and half a dozen microphones made for a very special evening the likes of which we're not likely to see again for some time.

Links referenced in the show:

As a visual aid, you can view photos of this episode being recorded on our photo album.
Whoa!tiger can be found here: MySpace | FaceBook.
Jenn Cristy can be found here: Web Site | MySpace | Facebook | Twitter | Reverb Nation. She also appeared as a guest on Show #012, Show #031, and Show #062, as well as being a guest host on numerous other shows. Consult the search feature on Indy In-Tune for her complete appearance list.
This show represents an impromptu double-billing of the winner and runner up of the Blue Square Sound/Indy In-Tune 2010 Podcast Battle of the Bands.
Whoa!Tiger's newest EP, Long Road to Reason, is now available via their MySpace page or at their shows.
It was recorded at Blue Square Sound and produced/engineered by Joanne Phillips.
Jenn Cristy's new single, Nevermind, is a download-only release available at most of the usual suspects (iTunes | Rhapsody | Napster)
The promotional poster we mentioned in the show, designed by Dan Janke, can be seen here.
You can see videos of Jenn's X103 appearance on her Youtube Channel.
As an added bonus, with permission, we've included the sound check of Whoa!Tiger doing "Sweet Jenny" with w/Jenn Cristy on backup vocals. This is just the sound check inadvertently recorded when the podcasting gear was left on (the sound check actually occurs in the middle of the show). As such, it's not the greatest quality for a live recording, however you can see a video of the actual, live performance from later that night on YouTube.

Show #074: Chad Mills Returns

darrin@indyintune.com (Darrin Snider) — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 23:00:00 +0000

Some people complain about them, some people love them, but for those of you who haven't figured it out yet, these "... Returns" shows should really just be called "Darrin shoots the breeze with his buddies," because -- since all of the obligatory biographical information/stock questions have been covered -- they tend to get personal, off-topic, and are really just excuses to hang around, drink beer, and play some new music. You know, the same kind of stuff we would be doing even if there weren't mics in front of us. This week's episode, featuring long-time friend of the show Chad Mills, is no exception, doubly so since it is also reinforced by the ubiquitous presence of Ms. Jenn Cristy, who just happened to be playing on stage with Chad that night -- thus activating the clause in her contract that legally binds us to give her a mic whenever she's in a five mile radius of a show taping. So, enough with the deep, philosophical stuff; to heck with the in-depth analysis of the subtle ironic and thematic elements in Chad's lyrics; forget discussions of his dreams and aspirations as a struggling independent musician. What we really want to know about are fish in beer mugs and how annoying that Alicia Keys song really is.

That said, Chad Mills is really starting to piss me off. Why isn't this guy famous yet!? Hell, why isn't he at least touring the "Midwest State Fair Circuit" and getting his music heard outside of a 100-mile radius? It's not for lack of being busy, he plays around 150 shows a year. Certainly it's not because his material isn't accessible, I firmly believe Make the Door should be a hit, or at least a wildly successful novelty song in the vein of "Cover of the Rolling Stone" that is revered on college radio stations around the country. It certainly isn't because he isn't loved in Indianapolis, he commanded probably the largest crowd I've ever seen at Birdy's on the night of his CD release party -- a reported 250 in attendance, not counting the myriad special guests who joined him on stage for what turned out to be, in my humble opinion, the performance of his life. "Make the door" is one of those albums that you have no excuse for not liking, as it easily caters to the pop, folk, country, and indie fan alike. For this release, Chad showcases his whole spectrum, offering up stripped down singer/songwrater fare with tracks like "Dusk" and "Long Winter Stretch," bouncy toe-tappers like "The Line" and "600 North 600 West," introspective story songs like "Moving Manhattan," pure poetry like "Chemical Hymn," burning jams like "On my Way" and just plain fun singalongs like the aforementioned title track, and ... well, I could go on, but it's probably best that you just buy the album and hear it for yourself. What you're getting on this show is just a sampling of what's in store for you.

Links referenced in the show:

Chad Mills can be found here: Web Site | Myspace | Facebook | Twitter
You remember him from Show #023 when he was promoting his previous album, 2 Places @ Once
Jenn Cristy can be found here: Web Site | MySpace | Facebook | Twitter | Reverb Nation. She also appeared as a guest on Show #012, Show #031, Show #062, and Show #075 (next week), as well as being a guest host on numerous other shows. Consult the search feature on Indy In-Tune for her complete appearance list.
Chad's new CD, Make the Door, is now available via usual suspects (Amazon, iTunes, DigStation, Napster, CD Baby)
It was recorded at Repo Studios and produced/engineered by Ryan Powell
The legendary Charlie Krone of King Krone's AM Gold and formerly of Johnny Socko (Web Site | MySpace) and Born Again Floozies (Web Site | Facebook | MySpace) lends his his distinctive talents to the song Electron Cloud
The much lauded cover of the CD was designed by Bob Ewing
Chad is joined by Grover Parido and our very own Jenn Cristy on the song Long Winter Stretch.
The great facial hair removal we elude to during the show can be found in the photo section of Chad's Facebook page.
Chad and Jenn can both be seen at this year's Kammy's Kause (Web Site | MySpace | Facebook). Chad kicks off Friday night; Jenn on Saturday.
We are joined late in the interview by Chad's occasional bass player, Chris Welch, also of the Wheelhouse Band (MySpace | Web Site)
Chad's web site is designed and managed by Joh Padgett

Show #073: Brett Wiscons

darrin@indyintune.com (Darrin Snider) — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 23:00:00 +0000

The last time Brett Wiscons was on the show, he was lead singer of a popular local band who had written a few songs and recorded them on their first EP, which was due to arrive in grand spectacle the following week; I was a newbie podcaster, recently divorced, and just re-learning out how the whole "dating thing" worked. This time, a mere three and a half years later, Brett is a full-time musician and songwriter who has written a lot of songs, the best of which were hand-picked to be on his first solo release, Close My Eyes; I am a veteran podcaster, remarried, with my first born due to arrive in grand spectacle the following week. This also explains why this interview is three months old, arriving after the hiatus I mention, instead of before it -- but, enough of that sentimental, personal stuff.

The point of all that was how much things can change in a mere three and a half years. While I loved the Great Scott! EP, Close My Eyes takes Brett's singing as well as his songwriting into a slightly different, more-sophisticated area, but not so far away that fans of his earlier work will feel at all alienated. While the entire album is somewhat low-key and laid-back (sorry, no big rockers or fast-movers on this one), Brett explores different ways of presenting the material and delivery with a surprisingly diverse set of six tracks, each showcasing their own particular strength. Whether it's the powerful vocal delivery of the title track, the emotion-filled wails of Love Lightly, the sophisticated lyrics of Her Life, or the slow drive and easy swing of Help Myself, this is a very accessible work that showcases a great singer/songwriter and should please almost any fan of laid-back music and introspective lyrics.

Brett Wiscons can be found here (Myspace | Facebook | Twitter)
Brett can first be heard with Great Scott! (Myspace | Facebook) back on Show #010
He also plays in The Michaels (MySpace | Facebook) with John Shoulders (also of Great Scott! as of late)
This show was recorded at Birdy's on the night of Brett's first appearance at Troubadore Tuesdays
His first solo CD, Close My Eyes, now available via usual suspects (Amazon, iTunes, DigStation, Napster, CD Baby)
It was recorded at Repo Studios, produced/engineered by Ryan Powell, and distributed via Disc Makers.
The article we referenced about how hard it is to make minimum wage as a recording artist can be found here.

Show #072: Pres Maxson Presents the Blaire Reinhard Band

darrin@indyintune.com (Darrin Snider) — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 16:00:00 +0000

As Indy In-Tune approaches its fourth anniversary next week, it's nice to know there are still new things to try and new directions to take all of this mess in. Case in point, this week's show -- the first in what will hopefully be a number of "Artists Present" episodes -- we let a former guest who has a special insight into a particular band take over hosting and direction of the show for an entire episode. As if that weren't enough, this is also the first show to be recorded in "Studio A," via a remote hookup with a band in an entirely different state, so please forgive the occasional fade-out in the audio. Finally, this is, quite obviously, the first episode of Indy In-Tune to feature a game show in the middle of the interview, a tradition I'm thinking we might have to keep, or at least expand on, in future episodes.

In addition to all that fun, we get four great tracks from the Blaire Reinhard Band, an east coast quartet that is about to embark on a mini tour of the eastern half of the United States in support of their latest album, Steps on the Ceiling. This brings them to Indianapolis to be reunited with their old fried Pres at the Birdy's, along with Indy In-Tune's own Jenn Cristy, and ... well ... you get the idea -- mirth an merriment all around. As for the interview, Pres obviously carries on the torch of crack journalism that you've come to expect from this show. Sure we could have had the band tell us what it's like to be on MTV ... or how it was sharing the stage with the Gin Blossoms ... or what a rush it must be to have your music be the theme song of a network television show ... or how it is trying to break into the music business your own terms when you're the grandchild of a living music legend. Really though, you can get that information from any major music industry rag. When push comes to shove in the editing room, you were really more interested in learning which Beatle had an iron constitution was not lactose intolerant, are we right?

Links Referenced in the Show:

Guest-host Pres Maxson can be found here: Myspace | Facebook | Web Site
He was our featured guest on Show #044 and guest host on Show #048 featuring Jeremiah Cosner
The Blaire Reinhard Band can be found here: Myspace | Facebook | Web Site | Twitter | YouTube Channel
Their latest album, Steps on the Ceiling, can be found at the usual suspects: iTunes | Amazon | CDBaby
The "Have Your Cake and Eat It Too" tour will be stopping at Birdy's Live on April 21st, where they will share a bill with our own Jenn Cristy (Shows #012 and #031) and Pres' band, The 1933's.
The band's second track, Aftermath, features the talents of pedal steel player Bob Hoffnar.

Show #071: Podcast Battle 2010 Wrapup

darrin@indyintune.com (Darrin Snider) — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0000

It's finally time to see who is the best. To find out if all those months of preparation will finally pay off when you take it head to head with some of the greatest players out there. To gather in front of some of the greatest, most-loyal fans out there and see if you have the skills and single-minded determination to take home a historic championship that is coveted by everyone, but achieved by only a few.

But enough about the Colt's being in the Superbowl tomorrow, let's talk music.

I'd been wanting to do this for three and a half years, pretty much ever since I first started Indy In-Tune and saw what Kevin and Dorn were doing with the Constant Columbus podcast. It took a few years, and a chance meeting with Joanne over at Blue Square Sound before the idea looked feasible, and even longer to get all the pieces in place. But, just a few short months later, here they are, the top ten bands in the 2010 Podcast Battle of the Bands, as chosen by you, the fans. I'll warn you now, if you haven't yet listened to this show, and you enjoy the suspense, you should probably do that now before reading any further. The battle itself was joined by 21 artists who submitted 47 tracks which were voted on by 285 fans to come up with this list. In addition, we had a few generous sponsors who put up prize packages of their own, which became additional "category based prizes" as determined by a panel of independent judges. This gave us the best of both worlds: The popularity-contest-style competition, plus an impartial and mostly-objective competition.

The podcast deals the former, but let's take a minute and look at the later: We had three judged categories this year.

Best Lyrics: Winner: Jeff DeHerdt for "I'm All the Friends that I Got." Runners Up: Tim Spainhower for "Reasons Why" and Jenn Cristy for "Betty." Jeff wins a live photo shoot courtesy of Nick T Photography.

Best Acoustic/Solo Performance: Winners: Tim Spainhower for "I've Come to Learn" and Branch Gordon for "That's What She Said" (Tie). Runner Up: Jamie Nichole for "Missing You." Tim and Branch will split the bill on a night of live music sponsored by Claude and Annie's Fishers.

Best New/Emerging Artist: Winner: Catch Curtis for "She's a Lemon." Runners Up: Goliathon for "Guilt of the Faultless" and Stagnant Pools for "Livid Livin'." Catch Curtis wins an in-store performance from our generous sponsors at Indy CD and Vinyl.

I'll let you listen to the podcast to get the rest. Once again, thank you to the artists who believed in this idea. Thank you to the sponsors who made this a reality. Most of all, thank you to the fans and supporters of the local music scene, without which none of this would have ever gotten off the group.

Links Referenced in the Show:

Jamie Nichole can be found here: Web Site | MySpace | Facebook. The song, "Missing You" can be found on her EP "The Attic Recordings."
Jeff DeHerdt can be found here: MySpace | Web Site | (Neglected) Blog. He appeared on Show #005 with CA3 and as a solo artist on Show #033. "Tell Me What I Did To You" can be found on his Autumn House CD, available at all the usual suspects.
The John Stockton Project can be found here: MySpace | Facebook | YouTube Channel. They've previously appeared on Show #062. The song "Live, Love, Luxury" is off their self-titled debut EP, available at shows.
Tim Spainhower can be found here: MySpace | Web Site | Facebook | Twitter. The song "I've Come to Learn" is from an abandoned project by the original lineup of Blue Tear, though it may make his way onto one of his solo albums in the future.
Apsara can be found here: MySpace | Facebook. We're not sure where you can purchase their track "Turn Away T.V." yet, but we'll let you know when we do. Look for them, hopefully, on an upcoming episode of Indy In-Tune.
Goliathon can be found here: MySpace | Facebook | Reverb Nation | Sonic Bids EPK. They previously appeared on Show #067. Their track, "Guilt of the Faultless" is available at their shows.
Catch Curtis can be found here: MySpace | Facebook | Twitter | Sonic Bids Their first full-length album, recorded last summer, is in a legal quagmire, but you can hear the tracks, including "She's a Lemon," on their various web sites.
The New Finland Radicals can be found here: MySpace | Facebook. They previously appeared on Show #068. Their six-song Demo/EP, which includes the track "Hi," was self produced in their basement studio and is available for FREE at shows or by contacting them via their MySpace page.
Jenn Cristy can be found here: Web Site | MySpace | Facebook | Twitter | Reverb Nation. She also appeared as a guest on Show #012, Show #031, and Show #062, and was a guest host on a few other shows. Consult the search feature on Indy In-Tune for her complete appearance list. The track "Everything to Give" is off her Hotel Confessions CD, available at all the usual suspects.
Whoa!tiger can be found here: MySpace. They were previously guests on Show #035. The song "One-Sided Love Affair" is off their debut CD, Truth Serum and Forgetfullness, available at all the usual suspects.

Show #069: Gypsy Revival

darrin@indyintune.com (Darrin Snider) — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Apologies for the late delivery of this episode, but it's been quite a busy month aroud the ol' barn here. In addition to the usual holiday mess, we've endured lay-off's, day-job changes, and the launch of our first Podcast Battle of the Bands, which turned out to be a moderate success (despite my lofty ambitions tempered by a cynical outlook on pretty much everything), so it's reasonable to assume that we'll be doing it again next year. In all 21 artists (both old friends of the show as well as some new faces) submitted 46 songs to be both voted on by fans at large and judged by local music scene insiders. Look for some fun stuff to be coming up throughout the month with regards to that project.

But, I digress...

Tonight's interview is with Gypsy Revival, a band with an incredible range of styles and influences ranging from straight blues to folk to southern rock and venturing almost every place in between. Even better though, they're a witty, knowledgeable group of guys who have great stories behind all of their songs. (We call this "Podcast-Friendly" in my line of work, and it's not always as easy to come-by as you might think.) The interview itself was recorded in a somewhat busy bar and grill in downtown Carmel, so there is quite a bit of background noise, but hopefully this will not detract from your enjoyment.

Links referenced in the show:

Gypsy Revivial can be found here: MySpace | Facebook.
They call the Monkey's Tail in Broad Ripple their "Home Bar."
Former members include Evan Mitchel (now playing with Corey Cox) and Clayton Mitchell (currently of the Sweater Puppies)
You can learn more about Daniel Johnston here.
Their current CD was produced by Grammy-award-winning producer Phil Harris (Myspace | Facebook)
It is a well-publicized fact that This Is How You Remind Me and Someday by Nickelback can be played at the same time, and it makes perfect sense.
Jesse once auditioned to be the guitarist for former guests Finer (Show #039) ... now that would have been an interesting combination.
Special thanks to the Woody's Library Restaurant in Carmel (not Broad Ripple as I said in the Interview -- sometimes I don't know what city I'm in), for dealing with us taking over several tables during recording.
Gypsy Revival are entrants in the 2010 Podcast Battle of the Bands ... sponsored by Blue Square Sound and Indy In-Tune. Voting runs until the end of January 2010. For details on how to listen and vote on your favorite tracks check out our official Battle Page.

Show #068: The New Finland Radicals

darrin@indyintune.com (Darrin Snider) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

There's something about the power trio format. From Buddy Holly and the Crickets to The Jimi Hendrix Experience and Cream, the three-man rock lineup seems to be synonymous with long instrumental jams, heavy guitar chords, and ultra-tight rock played with an air of complexity to it. Though it has pretty much fallen out of popularity in recent years (yeah, okay Rush still tours), the carriers of that tradition still largely fall into the same category of extended jams played by top notch musicians. In that vein, this week marks another, somewhat self-indulgent, episode for me featuring another relatively unknown band that I, personally, just sort of fell in love with recently. The New Finland Radicals are a power trio that draws their influences from a diverse selection of musical stylings including King Crimson, Radiohead, Sonic Youth, David Bowie, and the Beach Boys.

Though the band has been playing together in one form or another for quite some time, they are relatively new to the live scene (hence one of the main purposes of this podcast). The shows they have played thus far have been very well received by fans and fellow musicians, however, and they are a fun, easy-going group of guys to work with -- making them a band to watch in the months to come as their self-promotional and marketing campaigns kick in to gear not just locally, but on a regional level as well. In the meantime, they have a good repertoire of songs ready to record and we look forward to their new EP release early next year.

Links referenced in the show:

The New Finland Radicals can be found here: MySpace | Facebook.
Their six-song Demo/EP was self produced in their basement studio and is available for FREE by contacting them via their MySpace page.
Though we sort of poked fun at it, you can check out the CD's artwork here.
Check out the video for Lincoln Avenue here.
Gear-heads and analog synth aficionados should note they use the Roland SP-404SX Sampler and the Korg MicroKORG XL 37-key Protable Music Synthesizer on the track Where's Brian (and others).
Though their live gigs have been somewhat sparse, they are favorites at both Birdy's Live as well as the Ram-Z Music Fest.
Special thanks to the Alley Cat in Broad Ripple, for accomodating our acoustic, volume, and frothy beverage needs.
The New Finland Radicals are entrants in the 2010 Podcast Battle of the Bands ... sponsored by Blue Square Sound and Indy In-Tune. For details on entering, listening to, or voting in the battle, check out our official Battle Page.

Show #067: Goliathon

darrin@indyintune.com (Darrin Snider) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

I think one of the great joys of music as personal expression -- that is, the thing that elevates groups from, "Yeah, I like those guys," to "You don't understand: you've got to hear these guys the way I do" -- is the element of discovery. I've talked a lot before about how disc jockeys (and my father) influenced my early musical tastes, simply because, as an impressionistic youth, I instantly transferred their "cool factor" to the music they were playing. Years later however, I seem to be most attached to music that either I found myself, or was introduced to through a friend. Either way, the stuff I really obsess over and get into is almost-always far off the mainstream of what other people are aware of, but is usually something that people would love ... if they only knew it existed.

This brings me to Goliathon, a band I first discovered about two weeks ago -- in one of those classic, "How the heck did this slip under my radar!?" moments. They had registered for our much-lauded Podcast Battle of the Bands, and pretty much right away, I was drawn to their "somewhat retro" use of dynamics, tempo changes, and instrumental voices -- particularly, as mentioned in the interview, their use of saxophone and Hammond organ in a rock milieu. In an age of quantized, compressed, volume-leveled, digitized, music, it's great to see a band fall back on the spirit of pushing the envelope, throwing out the click track, playing by feel, and creating something truly organic and heartfelt ... not because of some technical or musical reason, but simply because it sounds cool. Certainly for a bunch of guys born in the 1980's, one quickly gets the impression that they actually do understand this ethic from the music of the '60's and '70's, but they don't spend a lot of time over-analyzing it -- which anyone who spends more than ten minutes geeking out over music with me would probably say is a good thing. While I'm looking forward to seeing what a seasoned producer can do for their sound, hopefully whomever is eventually charged with the task will understand and stay true to this core of what I think Goliathon's strengths are.

Links referenced in the show:

Goliathon can be found here: MySpace | Facebook | Reverb Nation | Sonic Bids EPK.
They were featured on the 2009 Butler University Recording Club Sampler and as park intro music for the 2009 Indianapolis Indians.
Their 6-song demo was recorded at Butler University and is available on their MySpace page.
Gear-heads and analog synth aficionados will get a kick out of their use of the classic 1983 Korg CX3.
Next year they are hoping to work with "Iron" Bob Fauts from the band Gates of Slumber.
Blue Square Sound and Indy In-Tune are proud to present the first (hopefully annual) "Virtual Battle of the Bands." Registration is open through the month of December; voting and judging is through the month of January. So far, over $1000 in cash and prizes is on the line, with that purse expected to grow as we try to bring on sponsors. Check out our Battle Page for details as they become available.

Show #066: Bobby Clark

darrin@indyintune.com (Darrin Snider) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:00:00 +0000

This show has been in the planning stages for months, and was one that I had really been looking forward to, knowing all along that it was going to be a good one. I meet a lot of artists doing these shows, and in general, most of them are quite nice, very supportive, and easy to work with. (Yes, there have been "exceptions.") Very few, however, are as genuinely amicable as Bobby Clark. From the first few minutes you talk to him, you feel like this is a guy you've known for years, and he reciprocates by treating you like one of his oldest and dearest friends. He talks about his life in the laid-back manner of a master storyteller with a big smile and a twinkle in his eye -- well, except when he's wearing his trademark sunglasses -- and seems to treasure every moment of of a lifetime spent entertaining people with music.

Ah, yes, the music. The most distinguishing thing I found about Bobby is that, unlike many of his more-contemporary peers, he simply loves playing for an audience. He admits to enjoying cover shows as much as original music shows, and is for the most part unconcerned with whether he's playing to six people or six thousand people, as long as they're having a good time. My favorite line of the interview, and I think the most-telling when coming from a three-decades-plus veteran of the music scene: "The only thing I truly understand about this whole thing ... is that I hear songs in my head, and I want other people to hear them."

Links referenced in the show:

Bobby Clark can be found here: MySpace | Facebook | Reverb Nation | Sonic Bids.
His latest album "Between You and God" project was released last May and is available via Burnondemand.com.
It was produced and recorded by Scott Brown at Ashbrook Studios in Evansville, Indiana.
Bobby has previously played with Toby Meyers of Roadmaster and Jimmy Ryser.
The latest incarnation of his band for at least the first half of 2010 consists of several veteran rockers, including three of whom who appeared on this interview.

Guitarist Tommy Stillwell currently plays with his own band, The Hellcats, formerly played with the Beat Daddys and is a former regional winner of the Guitar Center King of the Blues Contest.
Bassist John Rochner played on several tracks on "Between You and God" and played with Tommy in the Amazing Soul Crackers as well as the Beat Daddys.
Drummer Jimmy Cummings formerly played with Paul K and the Weathermen.

Blue Square Sound and Indy In-Tune are proud to present the first (hopefully annual) "Virtual Battle of the Bands." Band submissions are due in the month of December, voting and judging is through the month of January. So far, over $1000 in cash and prizes is on the line, with that purse expected to grow as we try to bring on sponsors. Check out our Battle Page for details as they become available.

Show #065: Bashiri Asad

darrin@indyintune.com (Darrin Snider) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Obviously, the main goal of what we do here is to expose artists (particularly up-and-coming ones) to a broader audience. Secondary to that, however, is the idea of introducing audiences to styles of music that they may not be overly familiar with. Granted the majority of our guests are rock bands or singer/songwriters -- just by the nature of their prominence around the city -- but, once in a while, we get the chance to diverge into the realms of jazz, R&B, and in the case of this week's guest, soul. Now, of course we're all familiar with at least the core of soul music, however I was shocked to find, when doing a bit of research of the interview, there are no less than a dozen different varieties of soul music. The more modern forms, particularly those that incorporate contemporary influences like hip hop, are not something I was familiar with all. I've mentioned several times before, as a middle-aged white suburban male, I don't listen to much hip hop, beyond the mainstream stuff, since much of it doesn't speak to me personally. I suspect many of you out there are in a similar position. I think we all, however, have a great respect for "good music" played by "great players," and there are obviously many examples of the genre that I do appreciate, particularly those that address universal themes and emotions -- the way Bashiri Asad's does.

Like most forms of music, soul has absorbed elements of many different styles over the decades: funk, jazz, and most recently hip hop. Bashiri skillfully embraces all of these influences, occasionally mixing them; other times keeping them separated. The core of his music, and the element that really helped me to identify with him, however, was what he offhandedly termed, "music that is pleasing to the soul." Sure, I enjoy rocking out with a good metal band, or quietly studying a jazz or classical piece, but there was something very fulfilling about just kicking back with a couple glasses of wine that night and just letting Bashiri's voice (and the work of some of Indy's finest players) wash over me. I suggest all of you get out and experience this as well.

Links referenced in the show:

Bashiri Asad can be found here: MySpace | Facebook | Reverb Nation | Twitter.
His "Heart Spoken" project (where all of tonight's tracks are taken) was produced by Pariah da Poetic who also acts as MC on the album. It was recorded at Pariah's Under Par Productions in Lawrence, Indiana, and is available for download via Soundclick.
They are joined by background vocalist Candice Boyd.
His band, Xenobia Green, has an EP coming out soon and combines musicians from many fine local bands.

Bass player Brandon Meeks is also known for fronting his own jazz quartet.
Drummer Richard "Sleepy" Floyd, plays with many great artists around town. Most significantly to listeners of Indy In-Tune, he is the drummer for former guests Finer (Show #039).
Guitarist Pancho Benton has played with many of the great artists from Owl Studios (among others).
Chicago-born keyboardist Angelo Bridges is known throughout the gospel, R&B, and jazz circles in Indy.
Reggie Bishop is one of the great treasures in Indianapolis' jazz, hip hop, R&B, and electronica circles, where he is a sought-after producer and keyboard player. He occasionally sits in with Xenobia Green, including the night this interview was recorded.

Bashiri counts the River Bend Winery in Lousivlle, KY as his favorite venue to play thus far.
Bashiri has also worked with Allen Imagery and Fighting Words Poetry (Web Site | MySpace), who (among other places) can be found regularly at Midtown Arts and Coffee at 38th and Central.
He is also worked on a musical called "The Birth of Soul" with Joyce Licorish.
He got his start with New Day Entertainment Group at the Therapy Night Club on Market Street.
Tonight's promo is for the "Chillin' With LoveSprials" podcast, which gives you an interesting behind-the-scenes look at the life of an independent artist.
This interview was recorded live at Urban Element, hence the ambiance of sirens, passersby, cars, and wind.
Don't forget to be gearing up for the Podcast Battle of the Bands.

Show #064: Cootie Crabtree

darrin@indyintune.com (Darrin Snider) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

In retrospect, it was inevitable that Mr. Coot Crabtree would make it on to this show eventually. As someone who's worked with several of our former guests, is a staple (dare we say, "living legend") in our local singer/songwriter community, is a former podcaster himself, and is now a big-time radio host carrying our common crusade to expose lesser-known regional talent via the terrestrial airwaves, this guy has it going on.

The thing I really like about Cootie is his complete openness in his approach to making and performing music. Not only does he frequently act as a side man and contributor to his friend's projects, but he also allows many of these same friends to write and contribute material for his own projects. In addition, his enthusiasm for branching out and working with different types of bands, styles of music, and producers to constantly explore and refine new and diverse sounds, makes him one of our more dynamic performers and diverse artists who, despite wearing these many hats and faces, still maintains a distinctness and style that is all his own.

Links referenced in the show:

Coot Crabtree can be found here: Web Site | MySpace | Facebook.
He is joined on this interview by Andrew Funke of the Rhinestones (Web Site | MySpace) and Jason Payton of the Payton Brothers (MySpace | Web Site).
Cootie was introduce to the music scene by John Jet (soundman at Local's Only) and Jethro Easyfields (guest on Show #054) whose latest album, Elixir, he contributed to.
Our first track, "In the Moment," was written by Cootie's friend Johnny Ping and recorded live by Scott Kern (who will hopefully be appearing on an upcoming show in the very near future) at Spencer's Stadium Tavern.
Our second track, "Old Song," was recorded with the Payton Brothers at their studio, Payton Made Studios in Bloomington and is the lead-off track to Cootie's latest album, the Monon Drift -- which you can obtain via his MySpace page.
Monon Drift was recorded partially by the Payton Brothers at Payton Made Studios and partially by Scott Kern at Fairhope Studios.
Our third track, the Payton Brother's "Oh Well" from their soon-to-be-released EP and was recorded by Mark Galup at Real Recording in Bloomington.
Our fourth track, "Might as Well Be a Train," was written by Owen Neighbors, and performed by Cootie, the Payton Brothers, and Andy Erronus.
Cootie is currently working on his next release with a new producer, Dick Gist, at Trinity Hills Studio in Bloomington.
You can hear Scott Kern's long-faded Crabtree's Trunk podcast here.
Check out Cootie every week as the host of the Back Road Radio Show every Wednesday night at 8:30 on 91.9 WITT.

Show #062: Kammy's Kause 2009 Wrapup

darrin@indyintune.com (Darrin Snider) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Okay, so let me explain what's going on in this one, since obviously, it's sort of a unique show and probably won't make any sense outside of its context. This is the fifth of five segments recorded at Kammy's Kause '09. The slot was originally scheduled for Original State of Mind, and was to be recorded just moments after they walked off stage from their final performance. In retrospect, that might have been somewhat ambitious. Some of the members left immediately after the set, others had disappeared into the crowd with their friends and fans, others were really just basking in the end of an era and didn't particularly feel like doing an interview -- can't really fault them for that.

As I was learning all this, I was approached by former member Mike Potempa (who also serves as Kammy's Kause's stage manager and master of ceremonies). Mike offered up the idea of a parody interview with the John Stockton Project -- I don't suppose that I'm divulging any show biz secrets when I reveal that the JSP is really Mike "MC Scrapiorn" Potempa and Jared "Sue" Hiner, playing mostly for laughs. I was a bit hesitant at first. I actually love the JSP concept, but they didn't have anything recorded at the time, and in fact only had three songs and no real history as a band to speak of. However, I also love the proverbial "shoot the breeze with your friends" shows, and I love Mike and Jared (who are quality musicians and genuinely funny personalities), so we decided to grab some of their friends from the crowd, go finish off the last of the beer in my cooler, and completely improvise something.

One of those friends from the crowd is Jenn Cristy, who recently finished up her Hotel Confessions album and joins us as part co-host/part guest (since dedicating another hour to her would truly expose me as the rabid fanboy that I am). This marks her fifth appearance on the show, and solidifies her lead in the face of rumors about Ryan Shore making a fourth appearance with Five 'Til Dawn in the not-too-distant future.

Finally we wrap up with a conversation with Jared Hiner, out of character, discussing the present and future of Kammy's Kause, and acknowledging the great people and organizations that continue to grow the festival and make it successful year after year.

Also ... fair warning here ... "portions" of this episode (most notably the lyrics to the song "Boner in a Strip Club") are not fit for younger viewers or people who are easily offended by off-color humor. You have been warned.

Links referenced in the show:

The John Stockton Project can be found here: MySpace | Facebook | YouTube Channel.
Jenn Cristy can be found here: Web Site | MySpace | Facebook | Twitter | Reverb Nation. She also appeared as a guest on Show #012 and Show #031, and was a guest host on a few other shows. Consult the search feature on Indy In-Tune for her complete appearance list.
Jenn's brand new CD, Hotel Confessions, is available at iTunes, Amazon, Rhapsody, and the other usual suspects.
Jared Hiner first appeared with his band Original State of Mind back on Show #027.
Jared would like to thank the following sponsors for making Kammy's Kause a success story that grows every year.

Paul Elmer and Pharmakon Long-Term Care Pharmacy
ExactTarget
The Town of Fishers G.I.V.E. Committee
Bob Ewing and Brian Beaver
Laura Duncan and 92.3 WTTS in Bloomington
Indiana Bloodmobile
Daddio's Italian Cafe

Apologies for the deception, but I really wasn't in Studio B when I recorded the outro babble. I was actually in the car. I thought I could get away with it, but the audio quality was noticeably bad. Sorry.
Blue Square Sound and Indy In-Tune are proud to present the first (hopefully annual) "Virtual Battle of the Bands." Band submissions are due in the month of December, voting and judging is through the month of January. So far, over $1000 in cash and prizes is on the line, with that purse expected to grow as we try to bring on sponsors. Check out our Battle Page for details as they become available.

Show #061: Landon Keller

darrin@indyintune.com (Darrin Snider) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 23:00:00 +0000

Our series of five shows from Kammy's Kause 2009 continues this week with a visit from Landon Keller. This one was a bit of a surprise. I had not actually heard of Landon before seeing the schedule for this year's show ... to say nothing of his music. I had checked around with some of the people behind the scenes, and most described him as, "Oh, some guy. We saw his show at such-in-such a place. Good stuff, and he was really super cool, so we invited him to come out and play."

Okay, not that there are ever any bad bands on the Kammy's Kause schedule, but Landon and band are a heck of a lot more than advertised. About three bars into his first number, it was pretty obvious they had chops, and while the smooth grove style sounds simple, it takes a degree of precision and competence that only a few bands can pull off with the consistency and confidence that these guys do. Landon's show dates (that we could find) are a bit sparse at the moment, but with one album down and another coming in the next few months, you still have plenty to sing along with.

Links referenced in the show:

Landon Keller can be found here: MySpace | Twitter | Facebook | Web Site (Coming Soon).
Father/drummer, Bobby Keller, once toured with Gary Lewis and the Playboys.
The song Bonnarah, is dedicated to the Bonaroo Music Festival.
Their first CD, Curiosity, can be purchased from CD Baby, iTunes, Music Station in Avon, Luna, 6 Strings Down in Plainfield, and certain Borders Books.
Their Second CD, Impact, is currently being finished up at Lightning Struck Studios by Mike Perry.
Landon is also working on a project called The Hippie Seed.
He has previously worked with Brent Copeland and the ACP Band.
The band would like to thank Hidden Relic Productions for their support.
This is the fourth of five shows recorded at Kammy's Kause 2009.
Don't forget to check out indiestoreradio.com, who now carries Indy In-Tune three nights a week as part of their regular programming.
Don't miss our (possible) first attempt at a live video stream of two podcasts. Friday night around 7:00.

Show #060: The Twin Cats

darrin@indyintune.com (Darrin Snider) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 23:00:00 +0000

This week's show features a long-awaited chance for me to meet the Twin Cats, a band I have seen play live several times, and who is talked about as a major influence on many of our former guests (Shadyside Allstars, Blue Moon Revue, Original State of Mind, et al). I was also warned ahead of time that this band can get a little crazy at times. They definitely live up to that reputation. Somewhere in the midst of the wisecracks and wild stories there is an interview, but it's probably the least interesting part of this show.

In just a few short years, the Twin Cats have gone from busking in Broad Ripple, to playing festivals such as 10KLF, Summer Camp, and the F.U.N.K. Festival. During that time they have shared the bill with some of the top touring acts in the country including The Greyboy Allstars, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Rusted Root, and Here Come the Mummies. When not hobknobbing with the bigwigs, they can still be found playing most of the great small venues here in town and are definitely worth checking out if you get the chance.

Links referenced in the show:

The Twin Cats can be found here: MySpace | Facebook | Web Site | Archive.org | Our Stage.
Their latest CD, Thick (which, contrary to intention, did beat the show's release), was recorded at the Static Shack by Gary Meilke, Rob Dixon, and Chris Dobbs, and is currently available at Amazon and iTunes.
They are the first non-jazz band signed to Owl Studios Records, which traditionally hosts the finest jazz acts in town.
You gearheads can see a demo of Seth Catron's Zvex Box of Rock here.
This is the third of five shows recorded at Kammy's Kause 2009.
The next Musician's Night Out will be Monday, November 9, 7:00 PM at the Buffalo Wild Wings on the South Side.
The next Indianapolis Podcasters Guild meetup will be Tuesday, November 10th, 7:00 PM at the Yats downtown.

Show #059: Blue Moon Revue Returns

darrin@indyintune.com (Darrin Snider) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 23:00:00 +0000

Continuing on with our series of returning guests, and our series from Kammy's Kause 2009, we welcome back Blue Moon Revue, an uber-talented rock, funk, and blues-based band -- originally from Bloomington, Indiana -- out of Chicago that is currently making inroads into the regional midwest scene. Despite a few lineup and style shifts over the years, these guys are tight, energetic, and did I mention uber-talented?

On a side note, we would like to welcome all of our new listeners who are hearing Indy In-Tune for the first time, courtesy of indiestoreradio.com, who will be airing the show Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday evenings at 9:00 PM. We sincerely appreciate this opportunity to get Indiana (and in this case midwest regional) independent music out there to the masses. As you guys aren't local, you're off the hook for attending the live shows, but we still expect you to spread the word (and maybe pick up a CD or two) in your own area as we continue our struggle to bring independent music to the masses.

Links referenced in the show:

Blue Moon Revue Can Be Found Here: MySpace | Web Site | Facebook | Twitter | Sonic Bids | Jambase.
The were last heard on Indy In-Tune Show #026.
Their latest, self-titled CD was mixed and mastered by Moe Z and is available at Amazon, iTunes, CD Baby, and the usual suspects.
They are currently affiliated with a college radio drive via Tinderbox Music.
They have also received local airplay on Brad Holtz's Groove Show on 92.3 WTTS -- Saturdays at 10:00 PM.
This is the second of five shows recorded at Kammy's Kause 2009.
The next Musician's Night Out will be Monday, November 9, 7:00 PM at the Buffalo Wild Wings on the South Side.
The next Indianapolis Podcasters Guild meetup will be Tuesday, November 10th, 7:00 PM at the Yats downtown.

Show #058: Shadyside Allstars Return

darrin@indyintune.com (Darrin Snider) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 11:00:00 +0000

Ahhh, festival season. My favorite time of year -- Wunurth, Muncie Musicfest, The Battle of Birdy's, Oranje, Little Turtle, and my personal favorite (well, now that Circlefest is no more, yeah, THANKS Laura): Kammy's Kause. Every year at the end of summer, some of the finest musicians from Indy, Chicago, Louisville, and everywhere in between rally behind Jared Hiner (Original State of Mind, Show #027) and help him raise money and awareness for Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome (Chromosome 4p- disorder) and his daughter Kammy. For me, it's become an annual reunion and chance to catch up with old friends ... like the Shadyside All-Stars, who have kicked off both of our Kammy's Kause series thus far, and once again prove themselves to be the undisputed champions of interview chaos generation.

I'm always skeptical when what is essentially a live, somewhat improvisation-based band goes into the studio to capture their sound in a recording. Invariably, phrases like "paired down" and "specially arranged" get thrown out, which usually translate to "removed the magic moments" and "took out the energy." This is not the case with the debut CD from Shadyside Allstars -- possibly because they had more magic moments and energy than the average band when they went in, I'm not sure. Their debut CD is an excellent representation of what these guys are capable of in a live setting, fine tuned and with just a little added polish (this is a permanent record and subject to over-scrutinizing, remember). While it can never equal the enjoyment of attending the spectacle of their live shows (and maybe putting a little of your hard-earned money into "Head") it's great for those cold late autumn/early winter evenings when you're home alone because the Allstars are on their holiday break. It's definitely worth clicking on the link below and ordering yourself a copy.

Links referenced in the show:

Shadyside Allstars can be found here: Web Site | MySpace | Facebook | Twitter | Sonic Bids | Reverb Nation
They made their first appearance back on Show #021 which you may want to review before you listen to this one, since we reference a couple of jokes for that show.
Jack Barkley, who twittered in at the beginning of the show appeared with his band Whoa!Tiger back on Show #035.
Their first album, Shadyside Allstars is available on Amazon, Napster, Rhapsody, iTunes, and CD Baby.
It was recorded at Big Walnut Studios, engineered by Chris Dobbs and Steve Allen, and mastered by Magic Garden Mastering Brian Lucey.
Their home bar, and favorite place to play, is The Mousetrap.
They recently played Summer Camp Festival hosted by Jay Goldberg Productions.
Our last song Deep Rolling Water concerns the plight of Madeline Murray O'Hair.
This is the first of five shows recorded at Kammy's Kause 2009.

Show #063: Dead Man's Grill

darrin@indyintune.com (Darrin Snider) — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 23:00:00 +0000

Yeah, I'm not sure what I was drinking during this recording -- in fact, I don't remember drinking much at all until after we were done -- but there seems to be an unusually happy vibe about it compared to the last couple I've edited. Possibly this is the slap-happy result of the podcasting marathon you're about to hear in the upcoming weeks between the 8 Seconds shows, Kammy's Kause, September to Remember, et al. It could also be that, after eight or nine shows in the same two locations, it was good to get out and do something different. I've recorded these in bars, restaurants, coffee shops, studios, and even the back of a van once, but this would be the first done on the hood of my car in a parking lot.

Either way, this week's guest is a good one.

Dead Man's Grill is one of those up-and-coming hard rock/metal bands currently making waves at many of the same contests and battles that I've been engrossed in for the past two months. Their high-energy stage show, uncommon sound, and solid original tunes are getting attention and have more than a few people talking. Subsequent to recording this episode, they won the 8 Seconds Rock Battle, largely based on their rabid, and tastefully-dressed fan base. Can a repeat win at the Battle of Birdy's be far away?

Links referenced in the show:

Dead Man's Grill can be found here: MySpace | Web Site | Facebook | Twitter.
They are former guests at Indy ParaCon via Hands-On Music.
Their 5-Song demo was engineered by Adam White (of ESW - Show #008) at the Pop Machine. It can be picked up at their shows or by contacting them on MySpace.
The guys will be returning for the finals of the 2009 Rock Battle at 8 Seconds Saloon (of which Indy In-Tune is a co-sponsor) on Friday, September 25th. (Note 09-27-09: They actually won the whole thing, so congrats to the guys!)
They will also be appearing at the Battle of Birdy's at Birdy's Live on Friday, October 2.
You can get T-Shirts and other cool schwag at their Merch Store.
As we mentioned, the Music Mill is returning in mid-October.
The next Indianapolis Podcaster's Guild meetup will be Monday, October 26th, 7:00 PM at the Yats downtown.
Our next Musician's Night Out will be Tuesday, October 27th, at BW3 on the south side.

Show #055: Lost Kauze

darrin@indyintune.com (Darrin Snider) — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 23:00:00 +0000

To say Lost Kauze is a band going through a "transitional phase" may be the understatement of the year. I've had several bands go through lineup changes since appearing on the show, a couple have since broken up, and in a couple cases, I'm pretty sure I recorded the band breaking up. Until now, however, the bands have been courteous enough to conduct these transformations after the show is released. The first part of the interview was recorded shortly after the arrival of Craig Baker, replacing founding member Ty Harden. The second part, was recorded a few weeks later -- after Craig departed and was replaced by newcomer Hallie Beddis. Worse still, during that interview, they were in the midst of auditions for still more lineup additions/changes. At that point, I figured I'd best get this episode out and worry about doing "Lost Kauze, Volume 2" once things settled down.

Beyond that, Lost Kauze are a bunch of great guys (and girls) who are a blast to hang out with (a band supplied me with beer for a change, how cool is that?) and put together some kick-ass rock music. Whether you're catching a predominantly cover-based show or one focused on their original material, you definitely won't be let down.

Links referenced in the show:

Lost Kause can be found here: MySpace | Other MySpace | Web Site | Facebook | Reverb Nation | Garage Band.
They are preparing to record their next album, "Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em" with Andy Symons and at The Lodge.
Brenda, LPN and video star can be seen in the video for My Trampolie. If you've got a decent-paying job for her, contact Lost Kauze.
You can purchase your official Lost Kauze thong, or other merch, at their Zazzle store.
Lost Kauze been played on Southern Thunder Radio, where they reached #6 on their top ten list, as well as Toronto's K94 Rocks. They were also Artist of the Week on Kelly McKay's Homegrown Rock Show on 99.5 WZPL.
The unannounced fifth song on the show is called "Desperately" and was submitted after the interview as an example of some of their latest work.
You can see video of new lead singer, Hallie, winning Week 4 of the "Can You Rock" contest here.
The new video project, "Everything's Not Alright," which is open to fans to submit ideas for, can be found here.
The next Indianapolis Podcaster's Guild meetup will be Monday, September 26th, 7:00 PM at the Yats downtown.
Our next Musician's Night Out will be Tuesday, October 27th, at BW3 on the south side.

Show #054: Jethro Easyfields

darrin@indyintune.com (Darrin Snider) — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 23:00:00 +0000

Sometimes, despite being entrenched in various attempts further and promote the medium to the layman, I really regret the relative youth and instant accessibility of podcasting. There just isn't the history or massive, undiscovered, forgotten areas to explore the way there is with something as all-encompassing as music. Case in point, last night I had drinks with two of the big innovators in podcasting, Scott Sigler and Matt F-in Wallace. They are terribly nice, accessible guys who post a Twitter that they're coming into town, and instantly 30 people show up at a bar to chat and toss back a few (everyone else looked at us like we were a traveling leper colony). While we were there, we discussed all of the various things we've done over the years and where you can go to download them. Suddenly, it dawned on me: This digital age isn't all it's cracked up to be sometimes. I mean, I'm never going to have the joy of trawling through garage sale boxes looking for old mono pressings of Accident Hash (to say nothing of the infamous "Barber Cover" depicting CC Chapman covered in hair taking scissors to a Barbie Doll's golden locks). I'll not be making a pilgrimage to Binghampton, New York, interviewing convenience store clerks and school teachers, looking for that minute piece of previously-uncovered trivia that will allow me to completely change my approach to podcasting and hopefully write the definitive Encyclopedia of Schwagcast some day. There will never be a six-disc official anthology release of all of those old alternate takes of Mothpod episodes that I've had on a scratchy Belgian bootleg vinyl since '79. My grandchildren will never stand in line to pay $299 for the "Ultimate Boxed Set" of 256-bit remasters of Evil Genius Chronicles because Dave Slusher's cough at 14:58 of Episode #72 "has a much richer tonal quality" than it does on the old 128-bit versions I grew up with. Our sphere is pretty much 100% out there. Our heroes are a bit less-legendary; our history, a bit shorter; our genre-altering revelations, a bit fewer and further between -- and it's probably going to stay that way.

This is probably why I think my guest on this episode is totally cool.

When talking to musicians around Indianapolis, one hears a lot of stories -- you might even say legends -- about Jethro Easyfields. He's been a staple of the local scene for decades, and when he's not actively playing around town, he can invariably be found in New Orleans, Phoenix, or elsewhere, looking to expand his own musical vocabulary and bring that experience back and add it to the collected pool of talent here in his home state. That vocabulary, by the way, now easily slips back and forth between rockabilly, blues, folk, rock, country, Americana and several other genres.

His latest CD, Elixir, is a combination of new tunes and old favorites performed in his living room by an assortment of his "collected" friends (called "The Arrowheads"). This isn't a basement tape from a bunch of DIY kids, though (and, no, I have nothing against that scene; I've even featured it on this show more than once). These are quality session and live players you know from top acts around town and elsewhere, getting back to the basics, but still keeping it professional. Scott Kern's production work is masterfully done, but at the same time intentionally unalloyed and organic, with most songs being done in just a couple of takes. As such, Elixir showcases Easyfield's natural abilities, energy, and diversity in both performance and songwriting -- a fitting representation of an artists who once made his living playing street corners for change.

Links referenced in the show:

Jethro Easyfields can be found here: MySpace | Broad Ripple Buzz | Hard Rox MySpace | Defunct Blog.
Much of his music, including the Po Boy album and his Retrospective are available on the excellent Musical Family Tree MP3 Archive.
He worked and played at the New Orleans House of Blues (before it became a cookie-cutter national restaurant chain)
His latest CD, Elixir, is available at shows or the usual suspects (Luna Music, Indy CD and Vinyl in Indy; The Wooden Nickel in Ft. Wayne). You can read a reivew of it here, and can watch a video of the CD release party we referenced during the show here.
He has been known to play with Scott Kern, John Wayne Pastor, and Crabtree's Trunk among others.
He has previously appeared on Episode #4 the excellent (but short-lived) Crabtree's Trunk Podcast.
For the past five years, he's been the host of Wednesday Open Mic Night at Locals Only.
Indy In-Tune is proud to sponsor the 2009 Rock Battle at 8 Seconds Saloon. Final round of action is Friday, September 25th and features Dead Man's Grill, Outer Sanctum, Compass Rose, Smoke Ring, Jai Baker, Shadow Box, One-Eyed Dog, among others.
Our next Musician's Night Out will be Monday, September 28th, at BW3 on the south side.
The next Indianapolis Podcaster's Guild meetup will be Tuesday, September 29th, 7:00 PM at the Yats downtown.

Show #053: Smoke Ring

darrin@indyintune.com (Darrin Snider) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 21:00:00 +0000

This is the third of three shows recorded July 31 during round 1 of 8 Seconds Saloon's Rock Battle '09 (co-sponsored by Indy In-Tune). Two more bands that we, unfortunately, didn't have time to record that night will be on in future episodes (#056 with Before I Fall and #063 with Dead Man's Grill). We look forward to being back at 8 Seconds for the finals in just a few short weeks featuring Dead Man's Grill, Outer Sanctum, Compass Rose, Smoke Ring, Jai Baker, Shadow Box, One-Eyed Dog, and others.

Smoke Ring is a band of contradictions. One one hand, they sing about having no luck at all, yet on the other hand their album, "Fell in the Right Place," is a guitar-driven, butt-kicking, rock and roll testament to how the lineup and songs seem to just gel effortlessly into a cohesive unit that effortlessly churns out great number after great number to an audience that adores them (they were voted into the Rock Battle finals in the middle of this recording). If anything, it's I who should be decrying my lack of fortune during this interview, which was recorded in three separate sessions (before they played, after they played, and after the winners presentation) and interrupted multiple times by those other, "old media" sponsors who wanted a piece of the winners. Though I think I said it in the interview, I do need to extend thanks to Smoke Ring for doing their best to make sure that they finished out the interview with Indy In-Tune, even though there were most-definitely more-important people and broadcasting organizations -- with bigger audiences -- that wanted their attention all of the sudden. We look forward to seeing (and hopefully having a drink with) them on the 25th when we return for the final round.

Links referenced in the show:

Smoke Ring can be found here: MySpace.
Their album, Fell in the Right Place, is available for purchase or download on their MySpace page.
The band is sponsored by Grady's Mirror Extenders.
The CD was produced by Paul Mahern at Farm Fresh Studios.
This is the third of three episodes recorded during round one of the 2009 Rock Battle at 8 Seconds Saloon (of which Indy In-Tune is a co-sponsor). Final round of action is Friday, September 25th. Outer Sanctum has advanced to that round, so come out and help them take home the gold.
Our next Musician's Night Out will be Monday, September 28th, at BW3 on the south side.
The next Indianapolis Podcaster's Guild meetup will be Tuesday, September 29th, 7:00 PM at the Yats downtown.

Show #052: Outer Sanctum

darrin@indyintune.com (Darrin Snider) — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 11:00:00 +0000

Most people have no idea how much work goes in to preparing an episode of this show. I suppose music engineer-types do, maybe wives and children of podcasters, and so forth, but not the average listener or band member, I'm pretty sure. You've got to cut out long pauses, "ummmmms," and "ahhhhs." There are jokes that didn't work that you don't want to embarrass someone by leaving in. There are jokes that worked great, but in a different context somewhere else in the show. Sometimes a question gets finished later on in the show and you've got to remember where that first part of the answer was, so you end up playing the whole show over again. Then you realize the show is running about fifteen minutes too long so you have to listen to it about three more times (aka, three more hours) to find fifteen minutes of stuff to cut out. That's all the "labor" part to this "labor of love" I do. At the very least it takes fifteen minutes to drop in the tracks, slap the background music on, tack the bumpers to the beginning and ending, plus an hour to listen to thing all the way through and make sure it didn't need any more edits.

Yes, there was a point to this mini-tirade. Time to edit Episode #052, featuring Outer Sanctum: One hour, fifteen minutes. That's never happened to me before. This show (less maybe six quick trims of extraneous sentences -- mine, not theirs) is as close to the original recording as one can possibly get. It even came in within three minutes of the optimal length, and I don't pay attention to things like "time" when I'm recording the show. The raw interview is as long as it needs to be.

This is the second of three shows recorded during the first night of the 8 Second's Rock Battle on July 31. Outer Sanctum is relatively new band on the scene, blending their impressive musical ability, excellent songwriting skills, and a strong message of love, salvation, and freedom. Don't be fooled by that though, this is bone-crunching, "face-melting" hard rock/metal (I grow weary of debates as to what the style really is -- it was "metal" when I listened to it in '83; I guess it's merely "hard rock" to you kids these days, though) that I would put up against any of their peers. They refer to their first demo EP, heard in its entirety on this episode, as "good enough." Sort of makes me afraid to hear when they're capable of when they have a full-blown studio and producer behind them.

Links referenced in the show:

Outer Sanctum can be found here: MySpace | Facebook | Christian Rocker.
They have been featured on the Maximum Threshold Radio Show (and podcast) several times.
A video of their performance the night this was recorded is available on YouTube. Unlike the podcast, you can actually see Jonathan's tattoo sleeve in it.
You can download their Demo CD from the Christian Rocker site, or contact the band directly via MySpace.
This is the second of three episodes recorded during round one of the 2009 Rock Battle at 8 Seconds Saloon (of which Indy In-Tune is a co-sponsor). Final round of action is Friday, September 25th. Outer Sanctum has advanced to that round, so come out and help them take home the gold.
More information about artist HR Geiger can be found on his official web site.
Our next Musician's Night Out will be Monday, September 28th, at BW3 on the south side.
The next Indianapolis Podcaster's Guild meetup will be Tuesday, September 29th, 7:00 PM at the Yats downtown.

Show #057: The Jeremy Vogt Band Returns

darrin@indyintune.com (Darrin Snider) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 16:00:00 +0000

When I go back in the archives and consider my top five favorite interviews over the last 50-some-odd that I've done, I'm always reminded of a brisk April night in the biergarten at the Rathskellar, late April, 2006. Just to set the scene: it's around midnight, the place has been closed for an hour, the lights are off, the staff have all gone home, and huddled around a picnic table are four half-drunk idiots laughing their butts off at ... well ... something must be really funny, anyway. Local artists were responding favorably to my idea of a local music podcast, Indy In-Tune had just been picked up on iTunes two days before -- increasing the listership ten-fold overnight -- and I was finally starting to think, "Hey, this idea may just have legs." I spent the next three years reading the JVB message board, watching the MySpace posts, and catching the odd show here and there, chomping at the bit for a new album to come out so I could get these guys back on the show.

That persistence paid off three weeks ago when Jeremy finally announced the arrival of Villains and Vocoders. Within a couple hours, a new podcast was scheduled, and shortly thereafter I had my first taste of a brand spankin' new JVB album. Like it's predecessor, People in Strange Places, the album is a solid, well-produced (but not over-produced) example of some of Indiana's finest songwriting and playing -- a tribute to Jeremy's legendary perfectionist nature in the studio, and the top-notch musicians he surrounds himself with. While fans of their first album may be caught a bit off guard by Villain's edgier, more-stylized, less pop-oriented sound, there's still enough of the old JVB to keep them tuned in while they make the minor adjustment. As Jeremy says in the interview, "It's a little darker, it's a little more rock and roll ... and I think that speaks more to what this band is right now." (Imagine that: a band that plays what its feeling, instead of what the industry says is going to maximize it's marketing potential with the masses.) In that respect, I feel like Villains and Vocoders is a lot like catching up with an old friend years later -- it's mostly familiar, except that you're both a little older, a little wiser, and a little more seasoned. While I love and listen to both albums regularly, I'm thinking this one is going to be played a bit more in the years to come.

Note: Like last time, there is an "Unrated Directors Cut" (aka, "Let's wind up Ryan Shore and watch him go!") of this episode. That's available to the members and special friends as soon as we verify that you're not parents, employers, clients, or high church officials of the members of the band. Ask for it by name.

Also note: We're out of sequence with this one. Again, a special consideration to coincide with the CD release. Not unprecedented, but also not something I do very often. My apologies to Outer Sanctum for the pre-empting, you'll meet them in a couple of days on Show #052.

Links referenced in the show:

The Jeremy Vogt Band can be found here: MySpace | Facebook | Web Site | Reverb Nation | Twitter
They originally appeared way back on Show #004. Seriously, though the music and interview are great, my feeble attempt to fill up the rest of the hour with babble is painful to listen to (not to mention, dated), so just skip through the first 10-15 minutes or so.
Ryan Shore also appeared back on Show #014 with The Dirty Third.
The new CD, Villains and Vocoders has been released via their web site and Indy CD and Vinyl. Digital distribution is coming, we will link to that here when it's available.
The CD was recorded at The Pop Machine by Eric Johnson and Mark Johnson. Their trusty Fostex X-18 wasn't used in recording the album.
Much to the delight of Ryan Shore, Kenny Aronoff took over the drumming duties in the sudio once again for this album.
Ryan also plays in the band 5 'Til Dawn with several members of The Dirty Third. Look for them to make an appearance here by the end of the year.
Don't forget to stock up on cool Jeremy Vogt Band merch!
Our next Musician's Night Out will be Monday, September 28, 7:00 PM, at BW3 on the south side.
The next Indianapolis Podcaster's Guild meetup will be Tuesday, September 29th, 7:00 PM at the Yats downtown.

Show #051: Civilian

darrin@indyintune.com (Darrin Snider) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 16:00:00 +0000

The cool thing about doing Indy In-Tune is that the mood and tone of the shows is as diverse as the music we feature. Thus, after doing three somewhat serious singer-songwriter shows in a row, it's nice to have fun, crazy band-centric one that just completely falls apart on you. My advice, take a couple of Tylenol because separating the voices talking over each other, making sense of the semi-obscure in-jokes, and just generally following the weird flow of conversation is bound to give you a migraine. Imagine spending four horus trying to censor it down so that it was only offensive to 49% of the listeners.

By the way ... adult content warning ... the easily-offended should probably go back and listen to shows 48-50 again.

On the other hand, if you're already a fan of Civilian, then you know how much fun these guys can be and are no doubt already looking forward to Episode #1 of "The Blake Show" coming later this fall. Despite what probably sounded like me calling him out in the middle of the episode, I do love the guy to death. Problem is, the tear-filled eyes I had from laughing so hard and the big grin on my face didn't come off on mic.

This is the first of a series of shows recorded at the 8 Seconds Rock Battle, where quite-frankly we were already somewhat overwhelmed by the hospitality afforded us as co-sponsors, not to mention the sheer debauchery of hanging out in the green room at a rock battle of the bands. I've never been to an after-show hotel party hosted by Led Zeppelin, but this was probably as close as I'll ever get in my lifetime.

Links referenced in the show:

Civilian can be found here: MySpace | Facebook.
Blake, the drummer, was first heard on the pilot episode of Crossroad Resonances In-Tune.
Co-Host Mike Dyer is host of the Crossroad Resonances Podcast, which can be found here: Web Site | MySpace.
This is the first of three episodes recorded during round one of the 2009 Rock Battle at 8 Seconds Saloon (of which Indy In-Tune is a co-sponsor). Final round of action is Friday, September 25th.
Their first CD, Saints and Sinners is currently out of stock. When the second press is done, we will have a link here to where you can purchase it.
It was recorded at Chance Studios in Bedford, Indiana.
Blake is a follower of Dennis McKenna and, along with artist Alex Gray, a proponent of the "Ayahuasca Experience."
Civilian will be participating in the Freedom Cookies benefit on October 17th in Edinburg, Indiana.
Our next Musician's Night Out will be Tuesday, August 25, at BW3 on the south side.
Fellow Indy podcast Crossroad Resonances (MySpace | Web Site) is sponsoring the September to Remember on September 11th and 12th. For details and a list of bands being featured, check out their show.
The next Indianapolis Podcaster's Guild meetup will be Tuesday, September 29th, 7:00 PM at the Yats downtown.

Show #050: Tim Spainhower

darrin@indyintune.com (Darrin Snider) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 23:00:00 +0000

This is one of "those" shows. One where, seeing as how this podcast just (finally) turned 50, I decide not to go all out with a big fanfare, retrospective, or party, but one where I just pop out to my favorite watering hole, grab a couple of beers, and sit down and shoot the proverbial breeze with one of my best friends about old times, music in general, and stuff he's got going on in the near future. Therefore, by way of warning, if you thought the Jenn Cristy or Jeff DeHerdt interviews were a bit rambling, unorganized, and needlessly personal, then you'll love this one -- it's in that same vein.

Hey, I'm old ... indulge me.

Tim Spainhower is one of "those" guys. In the heyday of the music industry, say 30 years ago when there really were rock stars, I firmly believe Tim's prolificacy alone would have gotten him that mansion and swimming pool just up the street from Mellencamp's and Springsteen's. Sadly, it doesn't happen like that anymore, though what I think we have now is a lot better -- and certainly more honest. As you learn in the interview, Tim is a songwriting machine who writes rockers, ballads, and pop tunes the way most people write their names and addresses, it's just that natural for him. His fertile songwriting (he's currently working on five separate albums -- all different) is bottle-necked only by his relative newness as a producer (he's currently working on five albums -- all different), but once he learns how all that fancy new recording equipment he's got operates, then I fully expect a torrent of releases to continually be streaming out of Strange Studios. One has to believe that, as the spaghetti test goes, at least one of those will stick to the wall and get noticed by someone.

In my humble opinion, and even though his myriad rough demos and unmastered final recordings are good, Tim is best experienced in a live setting -- be it in the front of a cover band or sitting alone with an acoustic guitar doing his own material. Having been up there playing with him in more than one band, I can firmly state that this guy just belongs on stage, and as my buddy Johnny Lyles puts it, "There just something wrong about seeing Tim Spainhower without a guitar in his hand."

Links referenced in the show:

Tim Spainhower can be found here: MySpace | Web Site | Facebook | Twitter.
His cover band, Blue Tear, can be found here: MySpace.
He first appeared on Indy In-Tune three years ago with his former band, The Fabulous Huckleberries, back on Show #007.
His Heart of Stone CD (a repackage of the Fabulous Huckleberries album featured on Show #007) can be purchased here. The other five projects he's currently working on, "Vicious," "Here Lies the Last Wise Man," "Bad Machine," "(The Abandoned) Blue Tear Album," and "The Great Midwest" are forthcoming, though you can occasionally hear his demos in progress and stripped down acoustic versions on his MySpace page. Some of the tracks that will appear on the Blue Tear Album (no relation to the cover band lineup that now bears the name -- except for Tim, of course) are currently available on Reverb Nation.
Tonight's promo is for one of my favorite shows, The Schwagcast, out of Binghampton, NY, and who have featured The Fabulous Huckleberries in the past. They are rumored to be featuring last week's guest, Branch Gordon, on their next episode.
Our contests continue. If you would like to win one of ten free Jeremiah Cosner CD's, simply log in with or create your profile on our web site and submit your name on the contests page. The drawing will be made on September 1, winners will be notified via email.
Our next Musicians Night Out will be Tuesday, August 25, at Incredible Pizza near Greenwood Park Mall.
Indy In-Tune is proud to be a co-sponsor of the 8 Seconds Saloon Rock Battle. Come out and hear the next heat Friday August 21st at 7:00 PM.
We hope to see everyone at our annual Podcast Marathon at this year's Kammy's Kause. Come out and see a dozen or so really great bands in a picturesque outdoor setting, Friday and Saturday, August 28th and 29th at the American Legion campground in Fortville, Indiana.
Fellow Indy podcast Crossroad Resonances (MySpace | Web Site) is sponsoring the September to Remember on September 11th and 12th. For details and a list of bands being featured, check out their show.
The next Indianapolis Podcasters Guild meetup will be Monday, August 24th, 7:00 PM at the Yats downtown.

Crossroad Resonances In-Tune #000

darrin@indyintune.com (Darrin Snider) — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 16:00:00 +0000

Indy In-Tune is about to release it's fiftieth episode. Fifty! Though you're not supposed to make a big deal about these things by doing the obligatory clip show or whatever, I can't help but take just a little breather here. Fifty! That's That's 3000 minutes of material; 139 different musicians; 181 songs; 2.4 Gigabytes of MP3 goodness; and I don't even want to begin to think how many hours of editing.

On the other end of the spectrum, Crossroad Resonances is about to release it's fifth episode. Having been there, let me tell you that #5 is a lot harder than #50 to get out. By the fifth episode, most podcasters are just coming out of the learning curve and self-conscious criticism phase and entering into the a malaise that I generally refer to simply as: "Is anybody listening to this?"

It seemed only natural that, seeing as how we were both at the same bar with a bunch of recording equipment, some musician friends, a bunch of beers, and time to kill, that we try to energize both our respective shows by doing a "Crossover Cast." This is the end result -- a show that is a bit more talky than Crossroad Resonances; contains a bit more variety than Indy In-Tune; and is hopefully still fun to listen to for you guys. If response is good, we hope to do a couple more of these during the year (most-likely when we've got something we need to cross-promote or when we happen to bump into each other at a show or something).

In honor of Indy In-Tune's 50th episode, many of the tracks on this show feature former Indy In-Tune guests in something of a "Where are they now?" format, as well as appearances by some artists that will likely be featured on both Indy In-Tune and Crossroad Resonances in the near future.

Links referenced in the show:

Indy In-Tune can be found here: Web Site | MySpace | Facebook
Crossroad Resonances can be found here: Web Site | MySpace
Track 1: "My Life" by Blue Tear features several former Indy In-Tune guests such as Tim Spainhower and Jim Dellarocco (Fabulous Huckleberries), Jacob Ginnup (Fernhead), and Mark Miller (Huck Finn Band and Co-Host on Show #018), as well as host Indy In-Tune host Darrin Snider doing a little session work.
Track 2: "In the Beginning" by Crossroad Resonance host Mike Dyer's Conscious Sleep Project, first featured on Crossroads Resonances Episode #2.
Track 3: "Watching Over We" by Vilafishburn (Web Site | MySpace). Vilafishburn were guests on Indy In-Tune Show #011.
Track 4: "My Money" by DJ Koolaid. Also featured on Crossroad Resonances Episode #4.
Kammy's Kause (Web Site | MySpace) will be held August 27th and 28th at the American Legion Campground in Fortville, IN.
Details for Crossroad Resonances September to Remember can be found here.
Track 5: "Stellar Cove" by Shadyside Allstars (Web Site | MySpace). Shadyside Allstars were guests on Indy In-Tune Show #021.
Indy In-Tune is proud to co-sponsor the 2009 Rock Battle at 8 Seconds Saloon. Next round of action is Saturday, August 21st.
Track 6: "Seeing Red" by Civilian. Civilian also appeared on Indy In-Tune Show #051.
Track 7: "Assload of Pancakes" by ESW (Web Site | MySpace). ESW were guests on Indy In-Tune show #009.