Episode 404: Girl Pilot

hello friends! i hope you're managing out there in this insane heat. maybe you're in a body of water or just inside with the air conditioning running. either way, i hope you're staying cool. i'm writing this the day before it comes out and i'm about to go play a show outside... ick. i'm thinking about playing shows like this in my bathing suit. is that unprofessional? 104 degrees is too hot. i'm going to stop by target and get myself a fan. if you;re in houston tonight, friday august 14th skyrocket will be playing at the house of blues bronze peacock room. come out and say hi. also, if you;re in austin tomorrow, saturday 8/15 skyrocket is doing an extremely rare show at the hole in the wall. i'm sure there will be a low cover. come out and see us where we started out. my guests for episode 404 are austin's own, girl pilot! you might know their leader, sahara smith. she put out an album a few years ago called myth of the heart that was executive produced by t-bone burnett and she ended up making appearances on tv shows including david letterman. anyway, after that experience, sahara went back to the drawing board and realized she wanted a band and that band is girl pilot. so i met lauren mike and sahara from the band at the werd company podcast studio and we had a fantastic conversation about where they've been and where they're headed. i hope you enjoy getting to know girl pilot. i sure did. let's get down!ciao! -jg

Episode 399: Songs From The Podcast

hello friends! i hope you're all enjoyeing summer. when this comes out i'll be getting ready to leave galveston and return to austin for our live recording of episode 400 tomorrow, wednesday, july 29th from 8-10pm at the townsend! my guests will be, aj vallejo, jazz mills, suzanna choffel, nakia and justin elliott! come celebrate 400 episodes with us!welcome to episode 399: songs from the podcast. over the last year i've had well over 100 guests come by the apartment, talk to me at festival, meet me at werd podcast studios and even meeting at undisclosed locations, to talk about where they're at with their music life and music career. often times, these people are coming by during their "press assaults" promoting their latest album or single. sometimes i end up getting turned on to a new band, artist, album or song. in fact, it happens all the time. i love when a podcast is over and the artist's music stays with me and i become a fan. with well over 100 artists on the show over the last year, i got turned on a bunch of music. in this episode i included 15 songs that i loved. there so many more, that i started a playlist on spotify titled, "episode 399: songs from the podcast" you can find a link to it on our facebook page check it out there are a lot of songs on there. so, i get to play d.j. and spin tunes from shivery shakes, little brave, quiet company, billy harvey, migrant kids, the blue bonnets, bob schneider, phranchyze, dwight twilley, t.a.p.e.s., skinny lister, cautiontape, the wind + the wave, LEV and wild adriatic! hopefully, this mix sparks your interest in some of these bands and makes you check out the spotify playlist where you can check out even more music from the podcast. i hope you enjoy listening to this as much as i enjoyed making it. let's get down!ciao! -jg

Episode 396: Wonderbitch

hello friends! i hope you're all doing well. things are good here. i have shared custody of my dogs with my ex and she's leaving town today and i'm going to stay with my dogs for a whole week. i love it. i miss living with them, so this is a nice treat. i have to go in for a follow-up post-op appointment at the dentist. i'm pretty sure it'll all be fine. it feels fine. i have a big announcement. as you know, we are closing in on episode 400 and we're going to celebrate by having a live podcast recording! it will take place wednesday, july 29th from 8-10 pm at the townsend. my guests will be aj vallejo, suzanna choffel, jazz mills, nakia and justin elliott! here's a link to the facebook event page. if you live in austin, come celebrate with us.my guest for episode 396 is alex chod from the disco/psych/prog band, wonderbitch! i first heard about them from matt and lauren from solstice festival. so, i looked them up and was blown away by their ability to cross the lines of prog and dance pop. alex and i have a great conversation about everything college in indiana, expensive chords, the subtle magic of the DX7, how to be prog but not too prog, making "playing keyboards" sexy, finding like-minded bandmates, i learn what y.o.l.o. means, über driving and much, much more! their new single, "josanna" is available online now! i had a great time getting to know alex. i'm sure will too. let's get down!ciao! -jg

Episode 395: The Octopus Project

hello friends! i hope this episode finds you running in slow-motion on a gorgeous summer day through a field of golden wheat into the arms of your lover. i'm doing well. i am getting ready to leave to orlando and play with skyrocket tonight. i'm still recovering from my oral surgery i had on friday. long story, i'll fill you all in on this friday's show. today's show is a special show for me because i went to the werd company podcast studios to try out recording a show in a studio outside of my apartment. well, it was a tremendous success! engineer, juan alsina, (who you'll get to know in the show) did a fabulous job of recording the show and everyone there was totally top-notch, pro. click on the link above if you're looking to find a place to record a podcast. their rates are totally reasonable and i think the show sounds better than ever. thank you, werd!my guests for episode 395 is one of austin's most innovative, creative and musically brilliant exports, the octopus project! their score for the film, kumiko: the treasure hunter comes out this week on vinyl. the movie is amazing and the score is absolutely gorgeous. if you're not a vinyl person, you can find it and all of their other releases on itunes, spotify and by going to their website,  theoctopusproject.com. you can also find their wealth of videos and other content including handmade, stuffed animals. i had a blast sitting down and getting to know this hyper-creative trio and talking to them about everything, keeping a band together for 16 and staying fresh and relevant, creating visual art including videos, one-of-a-kind merchandise, being a couple in a band, the theremin, finding chords that make you cry, how juan the engineer won a scavenger hunt that included the band, scoring films and much, much more. toto, yvonne and josh are three of the nicest people you'd ever want to meet. they also make amazing music and art. i hope you enjoy getting to know the octopus project. i sure did. let's get down!ciao! -jg

Episode 394: Migrant Kids

hello friends! i hope you're all out there walking on sunshine this summer. i'm good... well, not good. i'm anxious because i have to go to the dentist today to have tooth pulled and to put in an implant post. sounds freaky, right? jeez. it stresses me out to be out of it and in pain and just confined to my apartment. all of those thoughts give me anxiety. hopefully, it won't be bad. i'm no stranger to the dentist, but i still get psyched out by that shit. at least they're nice. wish me luck.my guests for episode 394 are dream pop, shoe-gazer, rock trio, migrant kids! they've just put out a new single, "thread", produced by bright light social hour they're incredibly cool guys who make really beautiful and powerful music. they stopped by a couple of weeks ago and we had a great chat about their sound, how they make music as a trio, playing bass and drums at the same time, not forgetting where you and your people came from, working with bright light social hour and much, much more. i had a great time getting to know migrant kid, i'm sure you will too. let's get down! ciao! -jg

Episode 393: Billy Harvey #3

hello friends! i hope you're all getting it back together after the 4th of july weekend of insanity. i had a great weekend. i got to play a lot. i played on thursday at the grand opening of the townsend, a new club in downtown austin. i played some songs by myself then i had today's guest, billy harvey sit in on some songs and i played with the bluebonnets. great time. then friday i played at stubb's with amy edwards and i got to play some songs with the bluebonnets again. look for our new band which we've renamed, ladyband johnson. then sunday, night i played at the william harries graham guitar pull at the continental club gallery with william, noelle hampton and nathan hamilton. great time was had by all. my guest for episode 393 is the amazing billy harvey! billy has a gorgeous new album the comes out this friday, july 10th, called, dear danger. dear danger is my favorite album so far this year. billy is an incredible songwriter that just keeps surprising you with his amazing depth both musically and lyrically. this is billy's third time on the show. on this episode we cover some different topics than before, reading glasses, kickstarter rewards, getting over bullshit as you get older, touring with patty griffin, his new album, what to do with your anger, dear danger and where it came from and much, much more. he's one of the deepest, most talented and funniest people i know and i love him. i hope you enjoy this conversation as much as i did. let's get down! ciao! -jg

Episode 392: KNIFIGHT / Catching up with Austin Music Foundation

hello friends! i hope this holiday weekend finds you rocking out on some body of water with a cocktail in one hand and a sparkler in the other. i'm well. i'm playing guitar tonight with my friend, amy edwards and then i'll be sitting in on some songs with the bluebonnets. this all goes down tonight, july 3rd at stubbs in austin, tx. cautiontape is also on the bill. good times! i'm looking forward to enjoying my 4th of july at my pool. i might even go buy a float with drink holders. happy 4th of july!!!my guests for episode 392 are austin synth-rock band, knifight! knifight is the austin music foundation's band of the month for july. so i went down to the amf and met these guys in the conference room and we talk about everything, screaming at the audience at the punk clubs of tyler, tx, finding depeche mode and new order, which version of "blade runner" is the best, the making of their new album, V and much, much more. great guys. great conversation. plus, i sit down and catch up with alex and jen from the austin music foundation and they explain their function and role in the community as well as all of the events they have planned for the summer. check it out, austinmusicfoundation.org have a fabulous 4th of july! stay safe. let's get down!ciao! -jg

Episode 390: Kalu James Returns!

hello friends! i hope you are living life like an angel of love and happiness. i am well. i am working on some guitar stuff for a gig i'm playing next friday with amy edwards. it's really fun to just play electric guitar and be loud and not even have to sing. i'm looking forward to it. also, i wanted to let you guys know that i'll be playing some songs with the bluebonnets next thursday at the grand opening for the townsend which is a new, swanky club opening here in austin. also, while we're on the subject of gigs.. i'm playing song swap with william harries graham on sunday, july 5th at the continental club gallery. come out and say hi!my guest for episode 390 is talented singer/songwriter, kalu james! this is kalu's second time on the show. he's had a couple of life changing years since he was last on the show a couple of years ago. i saw him play a month or so ago and was reminded what a great artist he is and what a genuine and nice person he is. so, we did it again. we have a great conversation about, the magic in the continental club gallery, becoming the man of the family, re-prioritizing life, writing songs about nothing, über adventures, american racism, a live album in the can and much, much more! i want to thank kalu for coming in and being so honest and real about where he is in his life. kalu is a great artist and a great guy. i hope you enjoy our conversation. i did. let's get down! ciao! -jg

Episode 389: Bantam Foxes / Suzanne Monroe

hello friends! i hope your summer is shaping up to be the best summer ever. i'm doing well. it's been so humid, i can't stand it. i played a couple of outdoor shows last week with skyrocket and it was gross. i think i sweated about a gallon. i got to go to the solstice festival on saturday. that was a lot of fun. sadly, it got rained out late in the afternoon, but while it was happening, it was a blast. those guys have a great thing going on. my guests for episode 389 are new orleans rock trio, bantam foxes! these guys stopped by one morning a couple of weeks ago on their way back home. they're a great band and fantastic dudes. you can find their music and tour schedule and more at bantamfoxes.com we had breakfast tacos and a fun and informative conversation about loyola university, music business school, making music in new orleans, day jobs, twins, analogies galore, staying in the black on the road, hick versions of bowie and arctic monkeys, releasing singles and much, much more! i hope you enjoy getting to know them as much i as i did. plus, suzanne monroe stopes by to talk about her new album, face to the mirror, and her release show next tuesday, june 30th here in austin. let's get down!ciao! -jg

Episode 388: Tapes / Texas Music Water Returns!

hello friends! i hope this episode finds you slaying the dragons of life. i'm doing well. i'm running around, doing laundry, getting this show together before i leave to corpus christi to play with skyrocket tonight. i'm hustling back tomorrow to make it back in time to cover the solstice festival going on here in austin tomorrow, sat. june 20th at pan-am park from noon to 10 pm. a lot of great artists on the bill including, ringo deathstarr, jazz mills, money chicha, zeale, dead love club and more! find out all about it at solticeatx.com . my guests for episode 388 are the incredibly dreamy, electro-instrumental band, tapes! i came across these guys about a month ago and freaked out. they're a new band that just released two gorgeous albums. they're both available on itunes, spotify, soundcloud and of course, bandcamp go HERE to hear and buy these amazing albums! i got to see the band on friday and it was amazing. they make the most beautiful music. anyway, carlos and sergio came by the other night and w had a great chat about growing up in laredo, crazy high school bands, film school, forming tapes, you get a free lesson in spanglish, a peek into how they're gonna make their next record and much, much more. i hope you enjoy getting to know these guys and their music. i sure did. plus, dean wolfe from texas music water and american music water stops by again and tells us how we can support our community through music non-profits like SIMS, HAAM and more by just drinking water find out more at texasmusicwater.com and americanmusicwater.com "you hydrate. we donate" let's get down!ciao! -jg