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Nick Heyward and Haircut 100 were the darlings of early MTV - hits like “Love Plus One” and “Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl)” added some funk to the typical New Wave fare coming out at the time.  But, success was fleeting, and Heyward left after one album, forging a fantastic solo career.  We happen to think Love You Avenue may be the finest album you’ve never heard! Flash forward 44 years and Heyward and Haircut 100 are back with their finest album to date, Boxing the Compass.  And, they’re out on the road supporting the album with Squeeze and Adam Ant. Heyward talks about what got the original band back together, and how there was a conscious effort to make this album danceable.

The Raleigh, North Carolina band, The Connells, emerged in 1984, right as the world was turning their eye toward the Southeastern United States, and the innovative sounds of bands like R.E.M. and Let’s Active.  The band were darlings of the burgeoning college radio scene of the Eighties and early Nineties, and even scored a surprise worldwide hit with “’74-’75” in 1995. The band has slowly regained most of their back catalog, and are issuing the 40th anniversary of their debut album, Darker Days.  The newly remastered edition features several bonus tracks - putting it back in physical print for the first time since 1987. We talk with Mike Connell about how quickly things moved along for the band in the early days, being included on the More Mondo compilation, getting to work with Don Dixon, hot on the heels of him producing R.E.M, plus getting signed to Elvis Costello's Demon Records in the UK. He also tells the crazy story of  "'74-'75," including an opportunity to share the stage with Def Leppard!

Jefferson Starship has sold eight million records worldwide.  Their hits include “Miracles,” “Count on Me,” “Jane,” and “Find Your Way Back.”  The band is coming to the Rose Music Center on Thursday, July 16th, along with a killer lineup of bands - Atlanta Rhythm Section, Firefall and Orleans. David Freiberg is an inspiration to us all.  At 87, he’s the last remaining original member of the band still touring.  Andt, he's got an incredible band behind him. "I fully believe that's the only reason I'm alive." Cathy Richardson is a ball of fire on vocals, and Jude Gold ups the excitement with his fiery guitar playing.  Chris Smith (bass/keyboards) and Donny Baldwin (who was in the band back in the mid 80's), round out the lineup. Freiberg also recalls the magical studio session when their first hit, "Miracles," was recorded, and gives us insight into the writing of their big hit, "Jane."  He also talks about brand new material that the band is working on.

John Ford Coley was one half of one of the most successful duos of the 1970’s - England Dan and John For Coley, scoring six top 40 hits, including “I’d Really Love to See You Tonight,” which hit #2 in 1976.  Coley has played with a bunch of folks since the duo’s breakup in the late 70’s and has even starred in movies and TV.  Currently, he’s part of the Yacht Rock the Dock tour, featuring Ambrosia, Peter Beckett of Player, Walter Egan and more, coming to the Rose Music Center in Huber Heights on July 15th. We chat with Coley about his early days with Dan Seals, including an obscure band called Southwest F.O.B. Plus, the duo's early, lean years on A&M Records.  He also discusses what led to their breakup, and how he's successfully transistioned into acting, with his latest role in a horror movie called Kill Trip.

It’s an incredible night of classic music - Jefferson Starship, joined by Orleans, Firefall, and the Atlanta Rhythm Section - all four bands had multiple hits during the 1970’s and early 80’s.  The show is making a stop at the Rose Music Center in Huber Heights, Ohio on Thursday, July 16th. Now, one of the band’s on the bill is Orleans, who’s unique blend of harmonies and melody fueled hits like “Dance With Me,” “Still the One,” and the underrated, “Love Takes Time.”  The group put out the excellent holiday offering, New Star Shining in 2021, but have recently announced on their website, orleansonline.net, that this is their farewell tour.  We’d like to welcome original member, bassist Lance Hoppen to the show. Hoppen chats about the decision to make this their final tour, plus he reveals plans for a 50th anniversary album (albeit, a few years late).  He also talks about joining the band right out of high school, and playing on the Midnight Special TV show.

Memphis native Van Duren has a gift for creating melodic rock with an unique edge.  His 1978 album, Are You Serious? is perhaps the greatest album you’ve never heard.  He played with members of the legendary band, Big Star, and formed his own great group, Good Question.  More recently, he’s issued some fine albums with Vickie Loveland, under the Loveland Duren moniker.  And, he was the subject of the documentary, Waiting: The Van Duren Story, which is available to stream now on Amazon Prime.  Van Duren’s latest offering is a live concert, broadcast over the radio, entitled Chemical Fire: Van Duren Live 1978 - available digitally for the first time at Duren's Bandcamp site: vanduren.bandcamp.com We chat the odd circumstances surrounding this recording.  For instance, the fact that the audience was in one room and the band was in another!  There were also no fixes, this is Duren and band, live as it happened on the radio.

Peter Case’s 5-decade career in music has had many twists and turns, starting with the influential band the Nerves in the late Seventies, then the Plimsouls, who had an early eighties MTV hit with “A Million Miles Away.”  Peter’s first, self-titled solo album from 1986 helped jump start the roots movement of the mid-80’s. 13 solo albums and now My Life to Live, from Sunset Blvd Records -  Case's first, full-length live album, recorded at a familiar venue, McCabe’s Guitar Shop. We chat about the unique venue, plus how he rearranged a couple of his classic Plimsouls' songs for this album.

Singer, songwriter, and keyboardist Doug Kistner has played with Trans Siberian Orchestra, John Waite, and even Blood, Sweat and Tears.  But, his new project assembles an impressive list of ace musicians into Studio D’Lux and their first album is titled, appropriately, The Allstar Project. These all stars include Liberty Devitto, Billy Joel’s original drummer; several members of Chicago, including horn player Lee Loughnane and guitarist Keith Howland; plus legendary bassist Leland Sklar, and Eliott Randall and Jon Herrington, who’ve both played with Steely Dan.  The result is an album that harkens back to the late Seventies / early Eighties, yet still sounds fresh.

Tom Paxton and John McCutcheon are stalwarts of the folk music scene, and they’ve both issued successful Children’s records.  Now, during the Pandemic, the two friends decided to “meet up” the only way they could, over Zoom - every Monday at 2pm.  This virtual partnership produced over a hundred songs, with the first batch being issued in 2023 as Together.  Now comes, appropriately titled, Together Again, 14 more collaborations that play on both men’s strengths as storytellers.

Ted Neeley played the lead role in both the stage performance and the film adaptation of Jesus Christ Superstar. His piercing, multi-octave range and golden locks made for something we hadn’t seen before: a hunky rock n’ roll Messiah.  Also starring the smoldering Yvonne Elliman, as Mary Magdalene, and the soulful, gut wrenching performance of Carl Anderson as Judas.  Neeley was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards for his spellbinding portrayal.  Now, you get to see that iconic film on the big screen once again as the Little Art Theater in Yellow Springs will do a run of Jesus Christ Superstar on the big screen, March 27th, 28th and 29th.  And, flying in for the festivities is Ted Neeley himself.  To talk about it, we welcome Ted, alongside tour manager, Frank Munoz. Ted talks screening the film over 400 times.  Unfortunately, the ending never changes.  This upcoming run at the Little Art Theater will be the final appearance in southern Ohio.  You can purchase tickets and VIP passes at tedneeley.com

You could say Maria Muldaur has done it all - blues, country, folk, rock, jazz, jug band, even kids music.  She’s also garnered many awards, including being nominated six times for Grammys.  Her latest project is a true labor of love.  One Hour Mama: The Blues of Victoria Spivey, out now on Nola Blue Records, gives Muldaur a chance to honor one of her mentors.  While Victoria Spivey is not a household name, she certainly paved the way for the freedom that female artists have today. Muldaur is also joined by a couple of old friends, Elvin Bishop and Taj Mahal.   Muldaur reveals how Spivey helped get her her first big break in the music business, and what words of wisdom she was given along the way.

New England singer/songwriter Dar Williams has been putting out music for 35 years.  She’s also written several books, including What I Found in a Thousand Towns: A Traveling Musician's Guide to Rebuilding America's Communities – One Coffee Shop, Dog Run, & Open-Mic Night at a Time.  Her latest album, Hummingbird Highway, is a true, tour de force, covering everything from jangly folk, to breezy jazz, and bluegrass, and it’s out now on Righteous Babe Records. She talks about the wild diversity of inspiration that influenced the songs on the new record, including everything from olive trees of democracy to, of all things, drunken Santas!

The Cowsills, an entire family of talented musicians, first hit the charts in 1967 with “The Rain, the Park & Other Things.”  Then came “We Can Fly,” “Indian Lake” and “Hair.”  The group was the inspiration for the hit TV series, The Partridge Family, then many years later, was the subject of their own documentary called Family Band.  Omnivore Recordings issued the groups excellent reunion album, Rhythm of the World in 2022, then dug back into the archives, issuing Global, an album that was originally supposed to come out in the mid 90’s.  But wait, there’s more. The “Cocaine Drain” Album, a long-bootlegged series of recordings done in the late 1970’s under the tutelage of famed producer Chuck Plotkin, but never officially released, until now.  The newly restored album also contains five additional bonus tracks.  The album is further proof that, although their hits dried up, the Cowsills continued to grow and create excellent music. We chat again with leader Bob Cowsill about the circumstances leading up to these recordings, working with Plotkin, who was pulled away from the sessions by Bruce Springsteen, and why, ultimately, these songs were never issued - until now.

California native and Nashville transplant Maia Sharp has written songs for Cher and Tricia Yearwood and produced Art Garfunkel.  She’s held songwriting workshops as well. She’s also released a string of fantastic solo albums, and she seems to get better with every release.  Her 10th album, Tomboy, might be her most relaxed record to date.

North Carolina singer & harmonica player Tad Robinson has been nominated 10 times for the Blues Music Awards, especially in the category of Soul Blues.  He’s been a frequent guest on this show, and he’s back with his first new record in six years called Soul in Blue on the famed Delmark Records out of Chicago. Among the ten songs on the new record are two obscure numbers, one by Wilson Pickett, and another by Arthur Adams.