Episode 274: Casual Strangers

hello party people of the internet! i hope you are all feeling good and strong. i woke up this morning in a panic. it's may 16th and i have still not found and announced my summer jam 2014. they're even talking about it on the today show so i must be running behind. i'm going to spend the day putting together some episodes of this podcast and booking a residency i'm taking over in july at strange brew in austin. i'll fill you guys in on this as i book it. i am very excited to get going on this. my guests for episode 274 is new psychedelic family band, casual strangers. you might know some of the members who are also in the boxing lesson. anyway, they've been playing shows and recording an album with the great frenchy smith. in fact, they have a show tonight friday, may 16th at the mohawk in austin, tx. if you live here, get out and see them. if you don't live here, you should check out their soundcloud. the band came by a few weeks ago and we had a very spirited conversation about how they do their thing. it's a great conversation and i hope you enjoy it as much as i did. ciao! -jg

Episode 271: Daisy

hello friends! i hope you're having a good workout or commute to work or tour or what ever you're doing while listening to this podcast. i am well thank you. my grandfather's passing was sad. it was a sad week and life is very different now without him in this world. that's just something i'll need to get used to. i have a long week of gigs (thursday-sunday). mostly skyrocket shows but i'm playing solo at a benefit on sunday. i don't know all the deets on it yet, but i'll let you know when i do. my guest for episode 271 is talented singer/songwriter, daisy! i met daisy a few months ago at a benefit i was hosting. she played before the benefit started but i really liked her music and her voice and talked to her about coming on the show. well, her debut e.p., do be do, has just been released. the title song, "do be do" was co-written with one of my favorites, steve poltz. daisy came by a few weeks ago and we chatted about everything growing up religious and being home-schooled, freaking out at college, becoming a social worker, what is burning man?, discovering songwriting, day jobs, folk alliance parties and much, much more. i had a great time getting to know daisy. i'm sure you will to.ciao! -jg

Rerun! Episode 200: Highlights (Bob Schneider, Ian Mclagan, Steve Poltz, Glen Phillips, Elizabeth Mcqueen and more!)

Episode 269: Tee Double Returns!

hello friends! i hope you're all doing the very best you can be doing. i am. i'm in houston with my family for a while as we all spend time with my grandfather as he passes from this life. this is a very intense experience. he has been my guy my whole life. he's been my father for pretty much my whole life. i'm glad that we can all be together during this time. he lived a very full life. he's given us all good lives and he and my grandmother created this beautiful family that i have been so very lucky to have been born into.for episode 269 we have the return of prolific rapper/entrepreneur, tee double. we had tee on a couple of years ago and since then, he's released a ton of music and started a non-profit call the urban artist alliance and much more. i ran into him at sxsw and we had a quick chat about what he was up to. i love talking to him. he's got such a great perspective and work ethic. in this episode we talk about everything from the progression and commercialization of music and music festivals to his new non-profit, urban artist alliance. tee double is a great guy and i hope you enjoy our conversation. i did.ciao! -jg

Episode 268: DTCV / Analog Rebellion / Victory / Chappo

hello friends! i hope you're all well. i'm doing better today than i was yesterday when i recorded the intro for this episode. i had some dental work done yesterday and had some pain in my jaw and when i recorded the intro for this episode, i was on vicodin. i thought it would be fun to do an "altered" intro. other than that, things are good here. i have totally forgotten that today kicks-off the moontower comedy festival here in austin. i got a badge a while back and i'm excited to go tonight and tomorrow. i haven't really gone through the line-up to plan my route yet. i guess i'll do that after practice today. i'll let you know how it goes on friday. also, if you live in san antonio, skyrocket will be at the aztec theater this friday, april 25th. come out and say hi!episode 268 is the last of the sxsw 2014 multi-interview shows. i know. i'm kinda sad to see them go too. on this episode i sit down and talk to DTCV (pronounced detective) from the joshua tree desert just hours before they leave austin to head out on a 5-week tour. i talk to lo-fi genius, daniel hunter, about his band, analog rebellion from dallas. i talk to victory from los angeles about their brand of sun-bleached garage rock. last, but certainly not least, i talk to chappo from brooklyn, ny who had just finished a long u.s. tour at a crazy music festival. at the end of the chappo interview, they ask us to leave the hilton. good way to end it. i love all of these bands and i'm sure you will too. enjoy!ciao! - jg

Episode 265: The Crookes / Baby In Vain / Dead Stars

hello my friends! welcome to the "extra show" this week. we'll be putting out three shows this week and next week as a celebration of having a lot of shows in the can. i spent the day rehearsing with SKYROCKET! yesterday. i can't believe that we get along like we do after we have been playing together for so long. i started playing with them on valentine's day 2002. we didn't have the schedule that we have now until like 2006 or 2007. it's kinda fuzzy as to when this became full-time. but it's nice to know that i love my friends and it's fun to hang out and play with them.episode 265 is a triple-header recorded during sxsw 2014! first up, we have the crookes from sheffield, uk. their new album, soapbox came out tuesday, 4/15/14 on modern outsider records. we have a great conversation about their journey as a band, recording in italy, touring europe, sheffield's rich musical history and much more. next up is danish rock trio, baby in vain! i had no idea how young these ladies were when i heard them. they're absolutely amazing and we have a great talk on street corner about their plans for world domination. last, but not least, we have brooklyn's own dead stars. we talk about the band's self-released e.p.'s, the chaos that is sxsw and their new e.p. all great conversations. i hope you enjoy them as much as i did. ciao! -jg

Episode 264: Caught A Ghost / Roto's Magic Act

hello friends of rock! i hope this episode finds you happy and healthy. i think i'm good. trying to exercise, eat healthy and re-quit smoking. a terrible habit that follows me like a heroin habit. it's so hard to say no. as much as i try to avoid them, convenience stores scream at me as i drive by, "johnny! come in! we have cigarettes, bro!" then i cave. shit! e i eat like a fucking fiend when i quit. maybe i'll just eat carrots and celery this time. on a different topic, we have three shows coming out this week and next week. i have two more sxsw 2014 shows from loud hotel lobbies. i'll be releasing them along with two regular shows. so, if you don't like those loud shows, you'll still get two regular ones each week. does that make you happy?episode 264 is another sxsw 2014 double-header. these were both done in hotel rooms so there's minimal noise. first up is los angeles blue eyed soul band, caught a ghost. their new album, human nature came out two weeks ago on 4/1/14. the album is great! i caught up with jesse and tessa in their hotel room and we had a quick, but very good conversation that almost didn't happen. next up, roto's magic act from brooklyn, ny. the band is the brainchild of my talented friend, james rotondi. james and i caught up in his hotel room just hours before his showcase and w talk about everything from his time in the bands air and mr. bungle to how to make a performance matter and then he performs a magic trick before my very eyes. great conversations with great musicians. i hope you enjoy getting to know these folks as much as i did.ciao! -jg

Episode 263: ARP / Bully

hello friends! i hope you're all doing well. i am. i have an unusual friday off. lucky me! i have a couple of interviews today but after 5, i'm done. i had a great show last night at one-2-one bar here in austin. i celebrated what would have been my 20th wedding anniversary (had we not divorced almost 10 years ago) by playing songs that related to my "marriage experience". i jammed with my old friends, ryan and brad at the end and it was a good time. oh!!!! a friend made me a replica of the painting that hangs above scatman cruthers' in "the shining". yes. i have a pimp bedroom now. episode 263 is another sxsw double-header (only this time, without the background noise) my guests are first up, from brooklyn, ny, arp! arp is one man's brilliant musical vision. that man is alexis georgopoulos, a art school kid who's tried his hand at rock and roll as an art form and made some beautiful music/noise. his new album, more, is reminiscent of the brian eno pop albums of the early 70's. we had a great conversation! our second guests for this double-header are nashville's, bully! an incredible band led by an incredible singer/recording engineer/producer, alicia. alicia and drummer stewart (copeland) came by the apt. during sxsw and we had a great talk about recording, running live sound, being a band, being a woman in the music engineering world an much, much more. i hope you enjoy these conversations as much as i did. ciao! -jg

Episode 262: The Soft White Sixties / The Cold and Lovely

hello friends! i hope you're all doing well. i had an eventful weekend of shows, visiting family, sitting in traffic and eating at a bennigan's. i thought bennigan's were gone, but i found one in the woodlands, tx. it had the exact same vibe as those restaurant that gordon ramsay goes to to help "turn them around". sadly, this bennigan's was in the the kind of shape that i thought gordon ramsay was literally just about to walk in and have a shit-fit. i had a burger. it wasn't good. if you're in austin this thursday, april 10, 2014, i'll be playing a solo show at the one-2-one bar at 8 pm. ukemi, paco estrada and more are the bill. here's more info... https://www.facebook.com/events/264557070384245/episode 262 is another sxsw double-header! first up is san francisco rock band, the soft white sixties! they have a great album out called, get right. we got to sit down and chat at the driskill hotel. they're a great band, super cool guys and we had a fantastic conversation! next up is los angeles shoegazing dream pop band, the cold and lovely! i sat down with meghan and linda from the band at the driskill and we had a great conversation about their journey and making music and performing music. i also got a private performance from them the day after this on a hill. i love both of these bands and i'm really glad i got to talk to them. i hope you enjoy getting to know them as much as i did. ciao! -jg

Episode 261: Angelo Moore and The Brand New Step / Kayce Laine

hello friends! i am up early this friday morning getting my shit together to head out of town with SKYROCKET! for three days. if you're in houston tomorrow, saturday 4/5/14, we'll be at the continental club. come out! it's a good time. this week i've spent a lot of time with comics. monday i played with sweat and lotion at the cap city comedy club for the live charlie hodge show, tuesday i talked to john tole for the podcast. if you listen to the show, you'll know we talked a year ago and it's the only episode i accidentally erased... this one is so good, i can't wait fo you to hear it. it'll be up in a month or so. yesterday i recorded a theme song for my pal, lucas molandes and his new podcast, "good grief". it's a sweet electronic dream pop jam. we had a good time. lots of laughs. i hope you're laughing.episode 261 is another sxsw 2014 double-header! first up, angelo moore and the brand new step! i have been a fan of angelo's since the 80's when i first heard fishbone. angelo has been making solo music for a number of years now since fishbone split up. he's back with an amazing band, the brand new step. they have a new album out and i got to see them play live and it was amazing. i loved talking to angelo and his bandmates. sadly it was a little too loud, but hopefully you'll enjoy it. i did. my second guest for episode 261 is the talented singer/songwriter/musician, kayce laine! kayce was on a couple of epsides ago with joseph king. she was here playing keys and bas with him. she gave me some songs to listen to and i found out she was doing an instore while she was here, so i went. we had a chat at a wine bar. kayce is a great songwriter and a great musician. when we met, it felt like i had met one of my tribe. her e.p. , lucid is on bandcap. check it out! i hope you enjoy this sxsw double-header. let's get down!ciao! -jf