Episode 538: Bootblacks / Liste Noire

Hello friends! I you're all doing well. Things are good here. I'm rehearsing some with my band, Ladyband Johnson for our show this Friday 11/4 at The Continental Club here in Austin. We go on at 11 pm. Come out and say hi. Other than that, tonight (Tuesday 11/1) I'll be doing some hosting duties at the TuneCore and Austin Music Foundation at Emo's. Come have a drink, hear about the many services TuneCore has to offer to better serve local artists, and catch sets by Austin-based artists, Migrant Kids and Keeper! Here's the Facebook event page 
My guests for episode 538 are Brooklyn based synth-rockers, Bootblacks and French synth wave band, Liste Noire! Both bands have new albums out and just toured Europe together and are currently on the road in America. Go to Bootblacks.net and Listenoire.tv to check out their music and find out if they're coming to a town near you. Nico from Liste Noire and Panther from Bootblacks join me via Skype and we have a great conversation about drum machines and sythesizers, touring Europe vs. America, living in a post-modern era as an artist, Mr. T for president, 80's sax solos and much more! I hope you enjoy getting to know Panther and Nico as much as I did. Let's get down!
ciao! -jg

Episode 522: James Speer / Rev. Wade With "Soul of a Musician" Series Stops By!

Hello friends! I hope you're all having a great week. Things are good here. We have a gret big show for you today. First up, Reverend Merrill Wade from St. Matthew's Episcopal Church stops by to talk about their "Soul of a Musician" series which kicks off their new fall season this Sunday, Sept. 11 at Iron Cactus North with Nakia. The "Soul of a Musician" series is the brainchild of Rev. Wade. Each Sunday, they have a different artist in a friendly environment playing their songs and talking about them. The shows are at 6:30 pm on Sundays at Iron Cactus North in Austin. They're free to the public. Learn more by going to their website. I'll be there this Sunday helping interview Nakia. 
My guest for episode 522 is the incredibly talented James Speer! I've known James since the 90's. He's a phenomenal keyboard player, excellent songwriter and an all around great hang. Anyway, i ran into him a month or so ago at Antone's after he had opened for and played with Eric Tessmer for his record release. I invited him over to catch up on what he's been up to the last 10 years. Well, it's been a lot... from starting a family, playing private events and nice restaurants, writing and recording with other artists and much, much more. I hope you enjoy my conversation with James. I sure did. Let's get down!
Ciao! -jg

Episode 511: Tee Double Returns Again!

hello friends. i hope you're all doing well. i need to make an important announcement about a dear friend and very important part of the music community, bass player/producer, george reiff. george has been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. he had a brain tumor removed on friday and is recovering. he has a long road ahead of him and that road is going to be very expensive. his family has started a gofundme page so that we can all help out. please go to gofundme.com/georgereiff and give what you can. let's help this beautiful man and his family get through this. let's do it for george.
my guest for episode 511 is artist/producer/entrepreneur/activist and austin's hip hop ambassador, tee double! he's just released his 27th album, ambassador status. he's started "black mics matter " a new musical project that will feature new artists with stories of passion and solutions for the black community and the world during these challenging times. you can find out more about by going to his gofundme page and help him realize his vision. tee double and i have an amazing conversation about making his new album, ambassador status, his goals with "black mics matter", race relations in today's crazy times, austin's hip hop scene, music licensing and much, much more. i hope you enjoy our conversation. i sure did. let's get down!
ciao! -jg

Episode 507: Belcurve

hello friends! i hope you're all doing well. staying healthy. are you guys as freaked out as i am by all of the violence in our country and in the world right now? it's starting to feel like "ghostbusters 2" when the ugliness is coming up from bowels of the earth and invading human beings and making them do ugly things. there's so much anger out there. i hope that there is some way that world can take a collective deep breath and find a way to support and understand each other rather than kill each other. now i sound like a hippie. 
my guests for episode 507 are one of austin's newest bands, belcurve! belcurve is made up of members of other austin bands like, quiet comapany, the please, please me, castro and more. they've written and recorded some amazing songs in their studio and now they're ready bring them to the people. "hot mess" is the first single they'll be releasing some time soon. you can hear it on the show. we have a great conversation about the way they came together, surviving the death of a band member, writing as a group, ice factory studios and much, much more. i hope you enjoy getting to know belcurve. i sure did. let's get down!
ciao! -jg

Episode 494: The Midnight Stroll / Kady Rain Stops By!

hello friends! i hope everyone had a great memorial day weekend. i did. i played some gigs with skyrocket, zuri and i laid low on sunday and i actually did a couple of podcasts yesterday. i want to let you guys know about that skyrocket will be playing in the hill country this friday, june 3rd at mercer street dance hall in dripping springs and friday, june 4th, we'll be playing at the continental club in houston. come out, it's a good time. kady rain stops by in the intro of the show to talk about the gofundme page they started to finish their e.p., make a video, hire a publicist and make some new merch. they're very close to reaching their goal. you can help them make it. 
ghostland observatory frontman, aaron behrens and producer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist, jonas wilson collectively known as the midnight stroll, return to the show today for episode 494! they've both been on before on their own, now they back together to talk about the gorgeous new midnight stroll album, heartbreak bugaloo, which comes out tomorrow, wednesday, june 1st! you can find it at all the regular online places including their bandcamp page. we have a great conversation about how they wrote and recorded heartbreak bugaloo together, ghostland observatory's summer schedule, jonas's solo albums, we try to figure out who the new rock heroes are and much, much more! i love hanging out and talking to these guys. i'm sure you will too. let's get down!
ciao! -jg

Episode 492: Los Coast

hello friends! i hope you all had a good weekend. i did. i played a high school graduation party in houston on friday. coincidentally, one of our guests today graduated from the same high school. anyway, the party was great the show was really fun. the young crowd had such a powerful energy that night that it really made us up our energy and it was on. we were locked in a thing with this young crowd and it wore me out. for the rest of the weekend i was tired and kinda out of it. also, here is a link to the event page for our episode 500 live recording on monday, june 20th at the townsend in austin, tx.
my guests for episode are trey privott and john courtney from the funk soul band, los coast! i met and saw these guys during sxsw when they played a showcase i was hosting. i thought they were a fantastic live band. so good in fact, they'll be playing at the acl festival this fall, they'll be playing the free press summe fest in houston on june 5th and they'll be playing c-boys heart & soul here in austin every thursday in june. i have a great conversation with trey and john about being a young band making some big strides. there's some real talent in this band plus, trey and john are really gracious and and a great hang. we even went to lunch afterwards. check out los coast at loscoast.com! let's get down!
ciao! -jg

Episode 479: Eric Dingus Returns!

hello friends! i hope you're all doing well. i'm good. very tired. i played last night with my band, ladyband johnson at the townend here in austin. we had a great time. i wish we could have played longer. heading out to houston today to play some private events with skyrocket. looking forward to that. also, we'll be staying in my favorite hotel, so that's always a plus. i'm not sure you keep up with the cooking webseries i have with my old pal, aj vallejo, called, "cooking/drinking with johnny and aj". we made a crazy bloody mary last week with "bloody revolution" bloody mary mix and tito's vodka. well, both companies saw it and we have cases of both now. thanks to bloody revolution and tito's vodka! check out our show here .
my guest for episode 479 is producer/dj/beat maker/label owner, eric dingus. eric was on the show 3 years ago when he was 17 and making beats in his room for rappers. well, since then he's created a label called, dream sequence records, produced a song for drake, toured europe, the u.s. and canada dj-ing and much, much more. i had a great time catching up with this thoughtful, humble and extremely talented artist who is bringing a new sound to hip hop and electronic music. i hope you enjoy getting to know eric dingus again. i sure did. let's get down!
ciao! -jg

Episode 478: Wonderbitch Returns!

hello friends! i hope you're all doing well and enjoying the spring. i am. i was in las vegas this weekend playing a show with skyrocket. i don't get all vegas-y. i didn't gamble, i only had two drinks and i didn't freaky deaky with any prostitutes. a guy asked me if i was looking for "party favors"  while i was walking through the casino at my hotel. so at least i still look like i party even though i was just a nerd heading to his hotel room to do his podcast intro. quick plug. i'm playing some songs tomorrow with the bluebonnets at the townsend here in austin for my friend steven's birthday show. should be a good time.
my guests for episode 478 are austin's psychedelic, 80's dance band, wonderbitch! wonderbitch was on the show a few months ago when they were the austin music foundation's band of the month. now they're back with the worlds premier of their new single, "miracle drive" which drops later this week but you can hear it first on this show. they having a single release show saturday, april 9th here in austin at swan dive. you can find out where they're playing and hear their music by going to wonderbitch.com. we have a great conversation about recording their new song, "miracle drive", social media and how to "michael bay" your career, redefining their sound, finding the best 80's synth sounds and much, much more. i had a great time talking to these guys again. dig it! let's get down!
ciao! -jg

Episode 477: Bruce Sudano

hello friends! i hope you're all doing well out there in the world. i'm good. i have a busy day of running errands, laundry, writing two songs and of course, this podcast. i'm headed to vegas tomorrow to play a show with skyrocket. should be fun. i'm bringing my recording gear just in case i can interview donny osmond or an elvis impersonator. i hope you guys have a good weekend. 
my guest for episode 477 is legendary singer/songwriter, bruce sudano. i caught up with bruce when he was in town for sxsw promoting his gorgeous new album, the burbank sessions. his illustrious career spans five decades starting with the band, alive n kickin' in the late 60's, then his r&b band in the early 70's, brooklyn dreams hooked up with donna summer and wrote and performed, "heaven knows" with the disco star. he ended up marrying donna summer and going on to write "bad girls" with her among many other songs. he work on and in films like, "thank god it's friday", "american hot wax" and "hollywood knights". his latest album, the burbank sessions is absolutely gorgeous. he's still making music that is relevant because it's honest, the expression is raw and real and he is just a bad-ass songwriter. check him out at brucesudano.com he'll be on tour in may. i hope enjoy getting to know this amazning artist/person. i sure did. let's get down!
ciao! -jg

Episode 454: Burgess Meredith Returns!

rest in peace starman.my guests for episode 454 are power pop band, burgess meredith! josh king and jesse hester came by couple of weeks ago and we caught up about member changes, a new 7", playing lots of shows, we bonded over some of our favorite pop music and much, much more. you can find there new 7", double-a-side and their first release, banana moon at their website burgessmeredithmusic.com. i had a great time getting to know josh and jesse. i'm sure you will too. let's get down!ciao! -jg